Tweet Questions @Cimini

Fantasy playoffs are nearing. Now is not the time to be content with your team. Keep making those extra necessary moves to give your team the expected edge.
Quarterbacks
Ryan Fitzpatrick

Though Fitzpatrick has struggled that’s when he typically begins to bounce back, when he is at a low point. If it were not for that, Fitzpatrick would never have lasted this long as a starter. His time may be dwindling due to inconsistency, but at this point of the season Buffalo has no one else to turn too. Fitz may have a few solid games left in this season to boost your fantasy playoffs if you enter with a low caliber quarterback.
Chad Henne

Sometimes the front office needs to realize they made the wrong decision in a high draft pick. The Jaguars offense has been completely different with Henne under center to what Blaine Gabbert has offered. For those that watched Henne fill in for Gabbert a few weeks back against the Raiders are probably doing double takes, as Henne was beyond awful in that game. His spark has turned a passing game up a few notches and involved their top ten pick Justin Blackmon, who was non-existent much of the season.
Ryan Tannehill

While all the rookie talk has been focused on RG3 and Andrew Luck, Tannehill is diligently playing effective games himself. He showed great composure to put the team on his back against the Seahawks, as the Seahawks defense did a great job at stopping the run. Tannehill undoubtedly has the least talented receiver corp, but is still putting up great statistics. You have to wonder if not having a big player such as Chad Johnson has benefitted Tannehill. From a mental standpoint he has not had to worry on who needs to get the ball. He just delivers solid throws to whoever is the open guy.

Running Backs
Beanie Wells

Wells is the back that pops on and off the injury report enough to think he was a distant NFL player from years ago. He stepped in Sunday and scored two touchdowns for the Cardinals. The team has been free falling, but had some momentum with the running game with LaRod Stephens-Howling. Quarterback play has been a different story. Wells is available in over half of leagues and should not be overlooked for playoff depth.
James Starks

We’ve seen this beat before from the Packers. Starks stepped in during their Super Bowl run to do a sufficient job. That’s what the Packers need and will test Starks again. He had a good game against the Lions a few weeks ago, and this week against the Giants game plan was over before it could even begin.
Bryce Brown

Chances are most owners protected their investment in LeSean McCoy and bid heavily on Brown. If somehow you were in a league that Brown slipped through the cracks with the holidays on most minds, you’ll get another fortunate shot at Brown. His display on Monday Night Football speaks for itself for the interim injury of McCoy.
Wide Receivers/Tight Ends
Justin Blackmon

Blackmon was listed as a sleeper in the summer time, and developed into the epitome of one as he rode the waiver wire after getting dumped early this season. His talent has always been there but the consistency to get him the ball lacked. The Jaguars have an air attack offense that has not been threatened by the ground game. Blackmon will be a top pickup this week.
Mohamed Sanu

The big target from Rutgers is starting to get involved in the offense finally. As teams become more and more geared at stopping the automatic red zone touchdowns of AJ Green, the Bengals have devised pass plays for Sanu to suit the counter to Green’s attention. It has worked. Though Sanu only had five catches Sunday, he had nine targets.
Emmanuel Sanders

Big Ben is expected to come back within the next week or two. When he does the passing game should bounce right back. With injuries all around the team, Sanders is going to become a factor to step in and produce. He did okay with Charlie Batch Sunday, which should give you enough of a green light to go after Sanders on the waiver wire.
Dustin Keller

The Jets have not been pretty to watch offensively but as long as Mark Sanchez is under center you have to bank on history. History shows that he loves to target Keller. There may be a lot of key changes in the off-season in New York, but until than this tandem should produce semi-effectively.

By Zack Cimini

notjustagame23@gmail.com

All the trash talking amongst your buddies and you’ve made it. Distinguished and separated yourself from the majority of your buddies to reach the playoffs. You don’t want the praise of yourself to end just there. If you win it all you can rant and rave until next August or September’s fantasy draft. Heck, if there is a lockout you could extend it over a year. Nobody wins a fantasy title the easy conventional way. You have to go outside the box and take risks. Who are some contrarian players you can utilize for the final stretch?

Quarterbacks

Chad Henne- It sounds insane to think about plugging in Henne, but a quarterback with his strengths figures it out that last month of December. You see it almost every year where a promising quarterback starts to produce without hiccups and gives their team hope going into the off-season. Currently, Miami is a .500 team because they’ve been inconsistent. That’s exactly what Henne’s problem has been. With Miami basically eliminated, look for Henne to play with free reign and perform better.

Shaun Hill/Drew Stanton- We’ve never been too high on the Detroit Lions but Jim Schwartz has things turning around up there. This team is fighting hard each week, and they’ve fared well with three different quarterbacks. Stanton doesn’t make poor decisions and being a former running back in high school, has the ability to scramble. The timetable for Hill’s return is in the air, but he is a better option with his arm. One plus to either or is Jahvid Best’s health. His role has still been diminished the past few weeks, but he is showing that early season explosion in the open field. That should open things up big time for the Lions to hit Megatron deep.

Ryan Fitzpatrick- Fitz had his poorest outing of the year this past weekend against Minnesota. It was a surprise considering how well he has done against top tier defenses, which the Vikings have not been. The problem in that game was critical turnovers, that just got the offense in a funk they couldn’t get out of. Other than that game though, Fitz has been reliable. He runs the Bills offense extremely well and is going to make a big play or two every game.

Running Backs

Knowshown Moreno- Virtually non existent due to injuries and poor offensive philosophy by the Broncos, Moreno broke out this past week. With the firing of Josh McDaniels you’d expect the play calling to shift to more of a balanced attack. Orton’s hot start has faded fast as teams are applying pressure and shutting off the quick dink and dump outlet throws. Players may want to plan their vacations now, but with an interim coach he’ll make these last four games feel like September.

James Starks- We profiled Starks with Legarrette Blount as our second half of the season sleeper running backs. Starks took a bit longer than Blount but got the bulk of the carries this past week. He wasn’t stellar but seems to be the new favorite back in Green Bay. With the potency of Aaron Rodgers at quarterback, Starks should be Rodgers-fed from a fantasy standpoint. Capitalizing off their quick drives and red zone possessions.

Rashad Jennings- Jacksonville’s starting to figure out they have a duel threat backfield. Jones-Drew and Jennings have been a combined tear as of late. If Jacksonville wants to hold off the rest of their divisional rivals then they’re going to need to continue to run the ball. Jennings is becoming a factor notching eleven fantasy points the past two weeks.

Wide Receivers

Davone Bess- At this point Miami doesn’t know if Brandon Marshall’s lingering injury will prevent him from stepping back onto the field. Even if he does, Marshall and Henne have not necessarily been the best of connections. Who has been is Davone Bess. Bess runs the short routes that Henne is comfortable in delivering. They seem to be on the same page every week. Bess is an extreme deep play but his upside comes in the department that you know he is going to catch six to eight passes as week.

Justin Gage- Tennessee can’t even get the ball to Randy Moss. Quietly that story has not surfaced as a headliner. Kerry Collins was rushed back due to how poor the rookie Rusty Smith performed. With Collins he has always been able to deliver the ball to Gage and Britt. Britt is out, so that makes Gage his top target. Hopefully Collins can get back in rhythm, as they face a Colts team that’s been giving up a ton of points.

Blair White- Peyton has had to deal with a plethora of mounting criticism since Sunday. How will he respond? We don’t doubt him, and we think he’ll deliver a fabulous finish to the season. Injuries have killed him but in the past he has found a go to guy to replace that area. White’s done it a few different weeks. As their third receiver, we think he’ll resurface as a monster December receiver for stats.