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 Vidur Malik

notjustagame23@gmail.com

It’s safe to assume that the Chicago Bears receiving corps isn’t well represented in fantasy leagues. The wideouts haven’t exactly helped quarterback Jay Cutler that much throughout his tenure, but there is one receiver you should pick up if he’s available.

In the Bears’ 30-24 win over the Eagles on Monday night, Earl Bennett showed the country why he is Cutler’s No. 1 target. Bennett led the team in receiving with five catches for 95 yards and a touchdown and was the only receiver who consistently caught the balls thrown to him.

He has chemistry with Cutler, his college teammate at Vanderbilt, and it showed. He’s probably got the best hands on the team and should be a reliable fantasy option now that he is back from the chest injury that caused him to miss five games prior to the Monday nighter.

Bennett is currently way down the list of Bears receiving leaders, but now that he’s back on the field, he should move up quickly. Running back Matt Forte is No. 1 by far; his 41 receptions are almost double that of the Devin Hester, who is No. 2 with 22 catches. But even if Bennett isn’t Cutler’s No. 1 option in the entire offense, he should be when it comes to wide receivers.

No other Bears receiver has proved to be a go-to guy. Hester’s speed is sometimes neutralized by his questionable hands, and Roy Williams has a reputation for dropping passes. Dane Sanzenbacher and Johnny Knox have been reliable, but Sanzenbacher’s only averaging 9.1 yards a catch, and though Knox is a solid deep threat, he hasn’t become a do-it-all receiver yet.

Bennett ran several kinds of routes on Monday night, and looked like the most complete player of the receiving corps. Now that he’s back, don’t be surprised if he leaps up the production chart for the Bears and quickly rivals Forte for receptions.

He might have already been claimed in your league, but if he’s not, pick him up. The Bears aren’t the first team you think of when you’re looking for good wide outs, so he might have gone unnoticed on your league’s waiver wire. Adding him would be a good move, as the Bears have been on a roll and Cutler is making smart decisions with his cannon arm. Putting Bennett at your flex spot to complement your surefire starters should increase your point total, and since he’s got the reliability factor that quarterbacks love, you never know when he’ll have a big day.

By Vidur Malik

notjustagame23@gmail.com

The Oakland Raiders once again made noise by signing a former Cincinnati Bengal, this time wide receiver T.J. Houshmandzadeh.

There are a few ways you can analyze this acquisition, and you could make a case for it being both a good and bad decision.

Let’s start with why it could be good. The obvious reason is that Houshmandzadeh and new Raiders quarterback Carson Palmer played together with the Bengals. The chemistry they developed there should make Houshmandzadeh’s move easier and should also give Palmer – who is also learning his new team’s system – a dependable target to throw to. Also, the Raiders’ receiving corps is made up mostly of fast receivers who are downfield threats but might not have the greatest hands. Houshmandzadeh is a possession receiver who can give Palmer a target over the middle of the field while guys like Darrius Heyward-Bey and Denarius Moore look to beat defenses with the deep ball.

If things go smoothly, Houshmandzadeh should fit in well with the Raiders, and might make a significant contribution in the season’s second half.

On the flipside, this pickup might make the Raiders’ issues on offense even more confusing. If both he and Palmer have to learn the offense, does that mean there are even more liabilities on the team? Will both players take time to get to full speed? In that case, Houshmandzadeh might not get many game reps, allowing critics to question his signing.

It could go either way. Just like skeptics asked whether Palmer would be effective after being away from the game for a while, the same questions could be brought up for Houshmandzadeh.

From a fantasy perspective, it’s probably best to hold off on picking up Houshmandzadeh for a while. More importantly than his own performance, look at Palmer’s play to see whether he is improving from the horrendous three-interception performance he had in his Raider debut against Kansas City in week 7. If Palmer plays well, or at least mediocre, that should give Houshmandzadeh some opportunities.

There are a lot of if’s when it comes to whether Houshmandzadeh will become the Raiders’ new weapon. You’ve got to factor in both his play and the play of his quarterback, so if you want to add him to your team, you should wait a few weeks. Because of his style, he could become a red zone threat or a key third-down guy, so the potential is there, but potential doesn’t get you fantasy points. Take a wait-and-see approach with Houshmandzadeh.

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.