By Vidur Malik

notjustagame23@gmail.com

On its best day, the Baltimore Ravens can be the most dominant, intimidating group of players in the NFL. There’s no arguing that.

But if you take a look at the losses they’ve piled up this season, you could also make the argument that the Ravens are the most bizarre, puzzling team in the league as well.

Their 22-17 loss to the Seattle Seahawks last week cemented that. I started Baltimore’s defense thinking it would shut down the Seahawks and give me a double-digit point total. At the end of the day, I had a whopping 1 point from the Ravens D.

It’s almost unfathomable that a defense like Baltimore’s couldn’t even come up with one interception or fumble recovery. After all, the Ravens scored 32 fantasy points against the Jets in week four and 22 in week one against the Steelers.

The Ravens aren’t too inconsistent to bench altogether, but if you’ve got their defense, make sure you have a backup D that you don’t mind starting regularly. If they could only score one point against the Seahawks – a team the Ravens should shut out – you never know who they’ll give up points to.

It’s now safe to say that the Ravens defense isn’t a lock to score points every week. They can still be incredibly good, but you can’t start them without giving it a second thought anymore. The New England Patriots are playing a Kansas City Chiefs team that struggles offensively, so even though their pass defense is atrocious, you might want to think about picking them up if they’re available and you need a backup defense. The Cleveland Browns are playing the offensively challenged Jacksonville Jaguars, so they could be a good acquisition as well.

It’s sad to admit, but the Ravens probably won’t bring you double-digit points every week. When they do show up, they’ll get you more points than some of your offensive starters, but when they don’t, they could very well contribute one measly point to your total. Plan ahead for that possibility.

By Zack Cimini

notjustagame23@gmail.com

No matter if you were a WWF fan or not, everyone has heard of the Bushwhackers. They had a famous routine as wresters, and had proper chemistry with each other. In the aspect of fantasy football, a couple of Bush’s shot up the fantasy radar spectrum with monster week nine’s.

In the case of Reggie Bush, you expected him to be more of a threat as a Dolphin. That has yet to be seen on the level people would of liked. Limited carries in a non featured role, has relegated him to a fantasy bench spot. Lately though the Dolphins are mixing him in to more and more offensive schemes. Plays that allow him to get in the open field, and utilize his skills the best.

Quick draws and getting him out in the flat, have boded well for new Dolphin signal caller Matt Moore. Moore has become more comfortable with a few starts as a Dolphin under his belt, and that’s led to better offensive proficiency.

After Bush’s 142 combined yards with a touchdown Sunday, many would like to ponder at least inserting him as a flex option. I’d say hold your horses just yet. Kansas City allowed Miami to blow them out at home, and seemed to have hit the bottom of their emotional roller coaster from the previous week’s Monday Night victory.

Bush still only had thirteen carries. Yardage wise he is likely good for eight to ten points a game, but counting on a touchdown from him is shaky. There are probably better options on your roster that you can depend on.

Over in Oakland, ones misfortune with Darren McFadden has become another owner or a protective owners satisfaction with Michael Bush. Bush has come in and done what he typically does. Fill in decently, and perform at the caliber of a starting running back. Why, no other team tried to sign him in the off-season is unknown.

A big back, Bush has solid speed to complement his size. With McFadden out again this week for Thursday, you can go ahead and reinsert Bush without flinching. The Raiders have one of the better run games in football, and are going to feed whomever the workhorse feature back is.

We may even see Bush’s workload rise due to Palmer’s continuous struggles thus far. Six interceptions in just six quarters of action. The heat is on the organization after pulling the trade they did for Palmer, and they may want to execute a game plan that alleviates Palmer’s decision making.

By Vidur Malik

notjustagame23@gmail.com

Chances are you’ve gotten a lot of points out of your starting quarterback so far this season.

If you’ve got Tom Brady, Aaron Rodgers or Drew Brees, you’ve enjoyed weeks of sky-high point totals, but that could change.

400-yard passing games aren’t quite as prolific as they were earlier this season, and offenses will probably become a lot more balanced for the rest of the season. Four out of the first five weeks of the 2011 season saw at least one quarterback go over 400 yards, but no passer has eclipsed that total the past two weeks.

That doesn’t mean your quarterback won’t give you great fantasy numbers, it just means you’ll have to get used to a 300-yard passing day out of your quarterback, which is not too shabby. It also means that defenses will start contributing more points to your team.

As defenses seem catch up with offenses, think about picking up another defense as a backup or to start. Houston’s defense limited the Titans to just a touchdown last week and are playing the Jaguars offense on Sunday, so look for the Texans to have another great defensive week. Buffalo is playing a Redskins team that has been struggling as of late, and should be a good pickup if its defense is available in your league.

Trends come and go in an NFL season, and it’s important to follow them for your fantasy team to stay competitive. Right now, that means looking at which defenses could put together a few weeks of good play. The elite-level quarterbacks will always put up big numbers, but if you’ve got a mid-level passer on your team, you need to get points from other spots on your roster. Now that offenses are starting to quiet down, defense is a great source of production.

By Vidur Malik

notjustagame23@gmail.com

The numbers that the NFL’s top quarterbacks are putting up this season are almost mind-boggling.

That can only be a good thing for your fantasy team.

But just like actual NFL teams, your squad’s backup quarterback is also extremely important.

Even though Aaron Rodgers, Tom Brady, Drew Brees and the top passers in the league are claimed, you can still acquire a “game manager” quarterback for a rainy day.

The “game manager” term is one a quarterback would probably hate to have, but if he can be an effective one, he can carry his team – and maybe your team – far.

These quarterbacks probably won’t throw more than 20 times a game, and three touchdown passes would be considered a great day for them. But if they do their job well, they won’t throw many interceptions and will give their teams a chance to win every game.

Obviously, these quarterbacks aren’t going to give you 400 yards and four touchdown passes a game like your starter might, but if your star has a bye week or gets hurt, they can be a reliable option for as long as your main guy needs to be benched.

Consider guys like Alex Smith, Jason Campbell and Curtis Painter if you need another quarterback. Chances are they’ll be available in your league, and both have done a great job of limiting turnovers. What they might lack in statistics, they can make up for with mistake-free play.

It might seem strange to pick these guys up, as during the beginning of the season you might have considered them to be among the bottom of the talent pool, but they’ve done a great job of leading their teams down the field. Smith has surprised people with his smart play and is coming off of a great game against Tampa Bay, in which he threw three touchdown passes and had no interceptions. Campbell has been an underrated passer throughout his career and can also run when needed. Though his Colts are winless, Painter has done an admirable job of keeping his team in games and seems to have made a connection with receiver Pierre Garcon, which can give your team points.

All three quarterbacks are going to be in charge for at least the rest of this season, and whether or not you need another quarterback on your team, it would be smart to consider giving them a spot. Having an elite quarterback can go a long way for a fantasy team, but making sure you’ve got a dependable backup is crucial too.  

By Vidur Malik

notjustagame23@gmail.com

One of the most baffling cases of low production from a fantasy superstar has been that of Chris Johnson.

He was probably among the top three picks in your draft, and with a new contract in the books going into the season, it was easy to assume he would run like the 2,000-yard rusher he was a few years ago.

After putting up atrocious numbers in the first three weeks of the season, during which he rushed for 98 yards on 46 carries and no touchdowns, he somewhat redeemed himself by gaining 101 yards on 23 carries in a 31-13 win over the Cleveland Browns in week 4.

Does this mean Johnson is getting back to form? Will he be a big-play threat for the rest of the season?

At this point, it’s tough to confidently say yes to both those questions. That’s obviously not the news you want to hear if he’s on your team, but after seeing what he’s done in the first four weeks of this season, you should make sure you’re confident in the other running backs on your team or pick some up off the waiver wire.

The Titans are going up against the struggling Pittsburgh Steelers this week, so Johnson may be able to go over the 100-yard mark again. The Steelers gave up 155 rushing yards to Texans running back Arian Foster, who gained 5.2 yards per carry in Houston’s 17-10 win. With Johnson’s speed, he could very well run for a similar yards-per-carry average, so there’s a good chance he’ll do well this week.

But the fact that we even have to question whether he will have a big day is cause for concern. In years past, this would never have been an issue. There are very few players in the league who are threats to score at any given moment in a game, and Johnson is still one of them, so you might not want to give up on him just yet, but keep an eye out for other backs if you want to upgrade your overall production at that position.

Stevan Ridley of the New England Patriots could be a good option. He rushed for 97 yards and a touchdown on 10 carries in a win over the Oakland Raiders on Sunday, so there’s a good chance he’ll continue to get carries. You might also want to consider Roy Helu of the Redskins and Ricky Williams of the Ravens if you really need an addition.

One quarter of a season is not enough time to declare a player’s season over, but it is enough time to get a sense of whether you should be worried about a player’s production. Johnson is way too talented to be replaced, but it would be smart to consider adding running backs to your team in case he puts together another string of bad games.

By Zack Cimini

notjustagame23@gmail.com

At the conclusion of each September the media gets drawn into the teams off to hot starts. The opposite of that of course is berating a team for sinking and failing in September. Statistics are thrown out discounting a chance for those teams to resurrect and recover.

Teams go through waves during a season more than ever. Parity has reared it’s head in just about every division. Typically there are a fair share of teams that exceed expectations early and come back down to Earth.

Defenses have struggled horrendously throughout the NFL in September. As teams get more film study and on field action, more and more weaknesses will get exposed. Injuries will rise, which is always easier to game plan for defensively. Just ask the New York Giants and numerous other teams.

So which team has the best chance at turning things around and still making the playoffs? I will rule out the Philadelphia Eagles, as they were and are expected to turn things around.

The team I give the best chance to are the Arizona Cardinals. Many reasons favor them. Including playing in a weakened division. San Francisco currently at 3-1 has the same nucleus intact that has failed in prior years.

Alex Smith has been given opportunity after opportunity only to disappoint. The running game can carry this team on given weeks as it did last week against the Eagles. When it comes time for Smith to make the big decisive drive or key plays, do you think he will be able to do it consistently? No. He just doesn’t have the superior receivers to make him better than he is.

The Rams and Seahawks just are not the same dangerous teams as a year ago. So sitting at 1-3, the Cardinals just need to take it a game at a time. Losing their last three games by a combined seven points is truly a back breaker. All losses on stagnancy of offense in the fourth quarter.

Signs of that changing are ahead. Beanie Wells rushing for a career high in yards and touchdowns in week four is a great sign. Next will be for Kevin Kolb to work on his mechanics within the pocket and the idiosyncracies of developing in the Cardinals system. He’ll adjust as the season goes on, and those fourth quarter lulls will fade away.

Larry Fitzgerald is not going to be contained much longer with a boosted running game. Look for more play action passes and for the Cardinals to utilize their free agency acquisition of Todd Heap more. Ultimately, the Cardinals still have five games left within the division. They’ll need to win at least eighty percent of them.

From there it is gutting out a few wins over tough teams. Either victories over Pittsburgh, Baltimore, Philadelphia, or Dallas are needed. 2-2 in those games would be pivotal. Must wins have to happen versus the Bengals and Browns.

Of course this upcoming week dictates if any of that is a possibility. Going up against a Vikings team that has had more disheartening losses than them.

A 1-4 start heading into the bye week could kiss any playoff chances goodbye. Or maybe not, as a 7-9 team made the playoffs from this division a year ago.