Twitter Questions @Cimini

If you’re a Reggie Wayne owner, than you should be grinning going into your fantasy matchups. Here are some other names to consider that you may be pondering starting for week three.

Quarterbacks

Jay Cutler-

Cutler is just one of those athletes media heads can circle and create a story no matter what. The fact of the matter is Cutler has led this Bears team to strong starts the past two seasons. In 2010 he led them to the NFC Championship game, and last year they had seven wins before Cutler went down to injury for the year. This is a talented Bears team that will move past Thursday’s performance and have a big game against St. Louis.

Philip Rivers

Travel affects even the best of teams. Atlanta is coming off a strong Monday Night performance and gets to travel to San Diego. The defense has been unable to hold up for four full quarters in any of the first two games this season. Kansas City had their way in the first half of game one, and Denver had a strong fourth quarter Monday Night. Philip Rivers gets Ryan Matthews back, and has quietly had a solid start to the 2012 season. He’ll have no problem throwing the football around against Atlanta’s secondary.

Kevin Kolb-

This is the game where Kolb can seperate himself from John Skelton for good. The Cardinals play well at home, and their defense is playing as a top five unit in the NFL. This game has extra motivation for Kolb as he was traded away to Arizona in favor of Mike Vick as the successor to McNabb. Who knows if McNabb didn’t push for Vick to get another chance in Philadelphia if this would be Kolb’s team right now. All Kolb has to do is take what the Eagles defense gives him and he should have a strong fantasy day. Fitzgerald’s height against the smaller Eagles defensive backs should favor for his first big game of the season.

Matt Schaub-

Schaub has been non existent practically from a fantasy standpoint, as the Texans pound the football with Ben Tate and Arian Foster. This game the Texans will have to open things up through the air. Schaub and Andre Johnson have been waiting for a game like this. Insert Schaub in in deeper leagues this week.

Running Backs

CJ Spiller-

Spiller is finally paying off for the high draft pick the Bills spent on him. The injury woes of Fred Jackson the past year and a half have led to the emergence of Spiller. That and the Bills offensive line does a great job at creating holes for Spiller to take advantage of. The longer Jackson stays nicked up t more Spiller’s value permanately increases.

Jonathan Dwyer-

Oakland is another poor game away from becoming the NFL’s talked about woeful team on a weekly basis. It’ll happen, and the Steelers will do it in their typical smash mouth style. Lots and lots of runs, with Dwyer sneaking in for a couple short yardage scampers.

Kevin Smith-

A few things to like with Smith is you know the Lions are going to feed him the football. He is a tough runner that also gets opportunities with PPR and receiving yards. Based upon his involvement in the offense, he is almost a sure fire lock to get ten fantasy points a week. This week that should be boosted facing the Titans and likelihood of a rushing touchdown.

Wide Receivers/Tight Ends

Reggie Wayne-

Wayne having a big day against Jacksonville is about as easy as it comes for anticipating a big fantasy day. Since 2007 Wayne has racked up a seasons worth of stats in his ten starts. We are talking massive performances. It’s like the black mamba, Kobe Bryant, knowing he is playing the Phoenix Suns. Something about facing the Jaguars brings out the best in Reggie Wayne.

Scott Chandler-

With Joe Haden out due to suspension the shift of focus is going to drift on more attention to Stevie Johnson. Chandler is already Fitzpatrick’s second favorite target, and he’ll be able to thread the ball plenty of times to Chandler in this week three matchup. Expect a solid five to six PPR points to go along with Chandler’s average of around fifty to sixty yards receiving.

Robert Meachem-

Meachem is likely not even on anyone’s fantasy list for a possible starter this week, after his donut score in the statbox last week. Meachem gets to face off against the Atlanta Falcons this week, who have been susceptible through the air. San Diego will likely design a few pass plays specifically for Meachem to get him involved. He also has a solid history of producing versus the Falcons. Last year as a Saint in two games vs the Falcons he had a mid teen average with touchdowns in both games, and in 2010 he had a ten catch hundred yard game as well.

Michael Crabtree-

With the offense of the 49ers increasing to a level not seen in over five years, everyone has seen the results of this. Vernon Davis has leaped ahead into a top three fantasy tight end, and Michael Crabtree is suddenly a weekly fantasy starter option as a third receiver. Facing Minnesota should continue the trend for the offense flourishing. While the attention is on Randy Moss’s minimal plays on the field, it’s Crabtree that should be garnering more attention with his play.

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.

By Vidur Malik
notjustagame23@gmail.com

Rashard Mendenhall – Though Ben Roethlisberger is back under center for the Pittsburgh Steelers, Mendenhall should still be a crucial part of the offense. He had 27 carries in Roethlisberger’s first game on Sunday, and should continue to get plenty of touches as the team’s feature back.

Ray Rice – It’s been a tough season so far for Rice, but he should help the Baltimore Ravens run wild over the Buffalo Bills on Sunday. Rice is one of the best running and receiving threats in the game, and the Bills rank last in the league in rushing yards per game with 182.4. Look for Rice to have a big day.

Don’t Do It:
LeSean McCoy – Though the Philadelphia Eagles convincingly beat the Atlanta Falcons on Sunday, McCoy struggled, gaining only three yards per carry. His numbers probably won’t be much better this Sunday, when the Eagles play the physical Tennessee Titans. The Titans rank eighth in rush defense, and after giving up over 100 yards to Felix Jones in week five, they shut down Maurice Jones-Drew on Monday night.

Michael Crabtree – Both Crabtree and the San Francisco 49ers seemed to have picked up their game recently. The 49ers get their first win of the season in week six, and Crabtree has caught a touchdown pass in the last two games, after not catching any during the first four games. He only had 57 receiving yards after going over 100 the week before, and even though the 49ers will play a Carolina Panthers team that is fifth in the league in pass defense, Crabtree has become a primary target for the offense, and he should get a good amount of looks on Sunday.

Mike Wallace – It’s not common for your leading receiver to only have 12 catches after six games, but Wallace leads the Pittsburgh Steelers with that many receptions. The key number is Wallace’s 25.1 yards per catch average. With that kind of production, Wallace only needs a few catches a game to have a huge impact. That should be much of an issue with Roethlisberger’s strong arm.

Don’t Do It:
Marques Colston – Colston leads the New Orleans Saints in receptions and receiving yards, but doesn’t have any touchdowns this year. The Saints will always have one of the most explosive offenses in the league, and any one of their weapons can have a huge game, so don’t leave him on your bench for too long, but as Saints quarterback Drew Brees distributes touches to all his weapons, it looks like Colston’s numbers might fall a bit.

Matt Hasselbeck – Hasselbeck is coming off of a solid, but not impressive day in the Seattle Seahawks’ win over the Chicago Bears on Sunday, but he should have a more productive day this weekend, when he and the Seahawks take on the Arizona Cardinals. Arizona ranks 26th in pass defense, giving up over 240 yards per game. A smart, veteran quarterback like Hasselbeck knows how to exploit a defense’s weak spots. Look for him to do that against the Cardinals.

Aaron Rodgers – The Green Bay Packers play the Minnesota Vikings on Sunday, and Rodgers should build off of his 300+ yard performance against Miami in week six. He only threw for one touchdown in that game, but he’ll be at home and against a team that gave up three touchdowns to Tony Romo in week six. The Vikings rank sixth in pass defense, but Rodgers should also be able to throw for a few touchdowns against his archrival.

Don’t Do It :
Donovan McNabb – McNabb hasn’t thrown for more than one touchdown pass in a game so far this year, and that’s probably not going to change this week against the Chicago Bears, who are third in the league in points per game with 16.2. The Redskins are ninth in passing yards per game with 244.2, but one touchdown a game isn’t going to cut it in fantasy.

Listen in on Week Seven’s Podcast

By Vidur Malik
notjustagame23@gmail.com

Mark Sanchez – Sanchez takes on the Minnesota Vikings’ defense after showing that he can be an efficient, mistake-free quarterback. He hasn’t thrown an interception so far, and even though he’s going up against a tough defense, he’s got the weapons to have another solid game. Wide receiver Braylon Edwards has shown that he can still be effective, and Dustin Keller has become one of the best tight ends in the game. The Jets will also have wide receiver Santonio Holmes starting this week, which should open up the offense more.

Carson Palmer – After sub-par performances in weeks two and three, Palmer threw for 371 yards and two touchdowns in the Cincinnati Bengals’ loss to the Cleveland Browns in week four. Look for Palmer to put up similar numbers this week against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Against Cleveland, wide receiver Terrell Owens had over 200 receiving yards, showing that he is still a threat. If Palmer has found chemistry with T.O., and can still sling the ball to wide receiver Chad Ochocinco and his other weapons, he should have another great game this weekend.

Donovan McNabb- The Washington Redskins play the Green Bay Packers in week five, and McNabb should break out of his streak of average performances. He put up only 125 passing yards against the Philadelphia Eagles in week four, but can have a good game against the Packers. Though Green Bay ranks seventh in pass defense, they gave up 331 yards to Detroit Lions quarterback Shaun Hill in week four. McNabb has the talent and weapons to throw for 300+ yards this weekend as well.

Jamaal Charles – Though he’s only had 34 rushes, Charles is averaging seven yards per carry so far. The Kansas City Chiefs play the Indianapolis Colts this weekend, who are 29th in the league in rush defense. Though running back Thomas Jones has gotten the bulk of the carries this season, Charles’ explosiveness will help him and the Chiefs run through the Colts’ defense.

Tim Hightower – The Arizona Cardinals host the New Orleans Saints on Sunday, and Hightower should have a big day after his team got blown out by the San Diego Chargers in week four. Hightower averages 5.5 yards per rush, and the Saints’ defense struggles to stop the run. We had Carolina Panthers’ running back DeAngelo Williams on the week four start ‘em list for the same reason, and he had a solid game against the Saints. Hightower should do the same.

Matt Forte – When the Chicago Bears play the Carolina Panthers on Sunday, Todd Collins will be starting for Chicago, according to reports. That means that Forte should be the go-to guy for the offense, and he’s got the ability to be that guy. He’s had a tough year on the ground so far, but leads the Bears in receptions with 16, which means he can get you points on the ground and through the air.

Brandon Pettigrew – The Detroit Lions’ tight end leads the team in receiving, and should be a safe target for quarterback Shaun Hill when the Lions play the St. Louis Rams on Sunday. Though Pettigrew doesn’t have a touchdown catch yet, that can change quickly because he’s a big guy who can be a great redzone weapon. He’s coming off an eight-catch, 91-yard game against Green Bay, and should put up more good numbers against the Rams.

Derrick Mason – Mason is the most reliable target on the Baltimore Ravens’ offense, and has been doing it for years. Though wide receiver Anquan Boldin is the Ravens’ receiving leader, Mason has seen his reception totals go up with every game so far this year, and against a Denver Broncos’ defense that has a below-average pass defense, Mason should continue to see his stats rise.

Lance Moore – Of all the weapons the New Orleans Saints have on offense, it’s Moore who’s leading the team in receiving yards and touchdowns. He’s fourth on the team with 14 catches, but has a 14.9 yards per catch average, which is tops on the team. Though anyone can have a big day for the Saints, most of their weapons put up pretty consistent numbers once they become a key part of the offense. Moore has done that this year. Look for quarterback Drew Brees to stretch the Cardinals’ defense with deep throws to Moore.