- What can I say about Tom Brady (380 yards, 6 TDs)? This was the kind of day fantasy owners were expecting when they took him as the first QB off the board back in August. He completed 29 passes while the opposing QB, Kerry Collins, went just 2/12 for -7 yards.

- Matt Schaub (392 yards, 4 TD, INT) looks like an every-week start as long as he stays healthy. I’d keep a good backup on my bench, however.

- Predictably, Aaron Rodgers (358 yards, 2 TD, INT) torched the Lions.

- Brett Favre (278 yards, 3 TD) had a very nice game against a Ravens defense that has traditionally been pretty good against the pass.

- Drew Brees (369 yards, 4 TD) rewarded owners who had faith in the Saints’ offense despite a tough match against a very good Giants’ defense.

- The Steelers let Ben Roethlisberger (417 yards, 2 TD, INT) throw, and he turned in a nice fantasy day. He’s a solid every-week starter going forward.

- The Redskins benched Jason Campbell (89 yards, TD) and finished the game with Todd Collins (75 yards). This is a bad sign for the Washington pass offense.

- The Eagles’ offense was terrible against the Raiders. Oakland brought a lot of pressure and Philly didn’t adjust. Donovan McNabb (269 yards) had a decent day yardage-wise, but didn’t throw a TD.

- Coming into the game, Arizona had the worst passing defense in the league (in terms of yards allowed), but they held down Matt Hasselbeck (112 yards, INT), who torched Jacksonville last week. It just goes to show you how quickly things can change in the NFL.

- Trent Edwards (43 yards) was knocked out of the game with a concussion and Ryan Fitzpatrick (116 yards, TD, INT) was pretty shaky in his stead.

- Surprisingly, the NFL’s leading rusher, Cedric Benson (16-44-1), had a pretty quiet game against a suspect Texans rush defense.

- Steve Slaton (25 touches, 145 yards, TD) didn’t do much in the rushing game, but had 6-102-1 through the air.

- Maurice Jones-Drew (38 touches, 178 yards, 3 TD) had a day worthy of the second overall pick in fantasy leagues this year.

- Steven Jackson (22 touches, 128 yards) didn’t score, but the Rams got him involved in the passing game.

- Ray Rice (20 touches, 194, 2 TD) had a monster game against a pretty good Minnesota rush defense. Rice did much of his damage through the air (10-117).

- He didn’t score, but Adrian Peterson’s Week 6 performance (26 touches, 166 yards) is nothing to sneeze at. (Does anyone ever “sneeze at” anything?)

- The Saints’ RBBC worked out this way: Pierre Thomas (15 carries, 72 yards), Mike Bell (15 carries, 34 yards, TD) and Reggie Bush (7 touches, 24 yards, TD). When the Saints were inside the five, it was Bell who got most of the work. Thomas appeared to score on one play, but the replay did not show enough for the Saints to challenge.

Read the rest of this entry »

- Fresh off his “lady-friend rendezvous” suspension, Mike Sims-Walker (9-120) posted another nice game. He is averaging 7-100-0.8 per game over the last four games played. Torry Holt (5-101) was also a factor against his old team.

- Donnie Avery (1-17-1) started the day with a TD catch, but left the game with a bruised hip. The guy just can’t seem to stay healthy.

- Sidney Rice (6-176) is turning into a pretty startable wideout. He is averaging 4.8-91-0.5 over the last four games and Brett Favre looks his way often.

- Derrick Mason (7-97-1) scared some people off with his goose egg last week against the Bengals, but he posted 5-118-1 in Week 3 and 7-88-1 in Week 4 to go along with a nice performance this week.

- Lance Moore (6-78-1) finally looks completely healthy and seems to be the Saints’ WR2 once again. Meanwhile, Marques Colston (8-166-1) made it clear that he’s the team’s WR1.

- Steve Smith 2.0 (4-44) had a quiet game, while rookie Hakeem Nicks (5-114-1) and Mario Manningham (4-50-1) both had nice games. Eli Manning just missed Smith on a TD pass in the first half. He’s still an every-week start.

Read the rest of this entry »

Be sure to check back for some random fantasy thoughts about the QB, RB and WR positions.

- Owen Daniels (7-78-2) is turning into one of the very best pass-catching TEs in the league. He is averaging 5.3-62-0.7 this season.

- Jermichael Finley (5-54) had another solid game and is starting to look like a starting-caliber TE.

- Visanthe Shiancoe (4-48-2) has four TD in the last three games. Brett Favre has always loved to throw to his TE around the goal line, and that hasn’t changed now that he’s quarterbacking the Vikings.

- Heath Miller (5-80-1) has been on fire of late. Over the last three games, he is averaging 6.0-68-1.3 and should be in starting lineups until he cools off.

- Zach Miller (6-139-1) has started to hit waiver wires, but he shouldn’t last long. Even with the erratic JaMarcus Russell throwing the ball, he’s worth rostering.

- Greg Olsen (5-57-1) has caught a TD in each of the last three games.

We’re starting a new feature this week, picking the best/funniest/dumbest question of the week from our Q&A thread and posting it on Sunday morning. This week’s question comes from RJR, who wants to use his RB depth to trade for a WR but is having trouble finding someone willing to trade with him:

“Also, a little worried about WR situation but nobody seems to want to make a legitimate trade – starting Burleson but need 2 more: Nicks, Holmes, or TO. I have too many good RBs, and although many teams in my league need RBs they are not willing to give up anything for them. Which 2 should I start: Turner, Moreno, Bradshaw, Rice.”

My answer: In terms of trade, maybe you should try to use one of your RBs to upgrade from TO or Holmes. So offer a RB + WR for a stud WR. That way, the other team will be more likely to bite. Moreno plus Holmes should nab you Fitzgerald, AJ or Wayne, especially if this is a non-PPR league.

Whenever you’re in a situation like RJR is — great depth at one position (RB) while having serviceable starters at the position (WR) you want to shore up — it’s best to approach an owner that needs what you have (RB) and has a guy or two that you want at the other position (WR). Usually, offering two for one will give you an advantage. He may want to get a starter at RB, but he’s not willing to give up his WR stud straight up to get one. So you offer him a decent starter with upside — in this case, Santonio Holmes or Terrell Owens — along with a starting RB. He may be willing to downgrade from a guy like Wayne, AJ, Fitzgerald, Roddy White, Steve Smith, etc. to Holmes or T.O. to get a guy like Rice or Moreno. (By the way, I’d be much more willing to part with T.O. than Holmes, but don’t let the other owner know that!)

Since RJR has Rice and Moreno, two productive, but not “big name” backs, he may instead want to dangle Michael Turner out there. Turner is coming off a great game against San Francisco but has otherwise been pretty disappointing this season. Turner, by name alone, might garner a stud WR (especially in a non-PPR league, where WRs simply aren’t as valuable as RBs). In order to pull this kind of a trade, fantasy owners need to look for a trade partner that has a big need at RB but can also absorb a loss of a stud WR. In this case, I’d try to package Turner and T.O. for a stud WR.

If you’re still debating your lineup this week, be sure to check out our Love ‘Em & Leave ‘Em post. If you’re looking for a defensive team to start, our weekly DTBWW post should be able to help. Good luck!

Even when Curtis returns, Maclin should still be the starter. As evidenced by their use of DeSean Jackson last season, the Eagles aren’t afraid to give rookie WRs a lot of snaps. Maclin torched the Bucs last week and should be a decent start going forward even though Donovan McNabb will surely distribute the targets more evenly in the future.

Steelers won’t determine who is the starter until gametime. Complicating matters, Rashard Mendenhall is recovering from “flu-like symptoms” and Willie Parker is practicing fully, so the Steelers aren’t sure who will be best suited to carry the workload in Sunday. Given his recent performance, Mendenhall is clearly the better player, but the Steelers have been stingy about giving him the starting job. It’s entirely possible that this is a time share on Sunday.

Cotchery probably isn’t going to play. The Bills are pretty good against the pass, so he wasn’t going to be a good play anyway. David Clowney deserves some consideration in really deep PPR leagues, and Braylon Edwards should be a decent start (assuming he still has Mark Sanchez’s eye).

Polamalu should face the Browns. This is bad news for the entire league, but in the short-term, downgrade Derek Anderson and Mohamed Massaquoi, who were looking to have a bounce-back game after a miserable outing against the Bills. It may not happen if Polamalu is back at full strength.

Calvin Johnson and Matthew Stafford both miss practice. Both players are listed as questionable, but Johnson was seen hobbling earlier in the week and Stafford wasn’t even on the sidelines for Thursday’s practice. Fantasy owners that are desperate for WR help could try Bryant Johnson and/or Dennis Northcutt. Northcutt had a nice game last week and could post a solid line in PPR formats. Johnson is a deep threat and should get lots of targets against a Packers defense that has struggled against the pass (and will probably be playing with a lead).

Every week, I will highlight a few players to start and a few players to sit at each position. I’m a firm believer in starting your studs, so I won’t tell you about how Drew Brees or Adrian Peterson has a tough matchup – just go ahead and keep them in your lineup. Instead, I’ll focus on the borderline guys – players you’ll only start under the right circumstances. It’s important to note that depending on your roster and situation, you may not be able to follow these recommendations. For example, if I suggest you bench a solid starter like Tony Romo, only do so if you have a clearly better option on your bench.

The “love ‘em” players are listed in the order that I’d start them this week.

Definitely get Aaron Rodgers in your lineup this week. After all, he is facing the Lions…Matt Hasselbeck came back in a big way last week, and he has another good matchup this week with a Cardinals defense that has allowed more than 300 yards passing per game. In fact, Hasselbeck has the best remaining schedule of any QB in the league, so if he can stay healthy, he should have a nice run…David Garrard and the Jags were miserable last week, but with the Rams coming to town (and Mike Sims-Walker coming off his “lady friend rendezvous” suspension), things are looking way up…The Chiefs have given up 270 yards and 2.0 pass TD per game to start the season, so Jason Campbell is a solid play for fantasy owners looking for a fill in or running a QBBC…For the desperate, Jake Delhomme is looking like a good start against a Tampa Bay defense that has allowed 227 yards and 2.4 pass TD per game…For the really desperate, Marc Bulger has a terrific matchup with a porous Jags defense. Whether or not he can do anything with a great matchup remains to be seen.

Read the rest of this entry »

Calvin Johnson misses practice, “hobbling” on sideline. The Packers are mediocre against the pass and are likely to jump out on the Lions so Dennis Northcutt, Bryant Johnson and Brandon Pettigrew could all see a lot of work on Sunday. Northcutt is a pesky possession receiver, so he’s a sleeper in PPR leagues.

Buckhalter practices, but Moreno still working with first team. The Chargers can’t stop the run, so look for Moreno to have a nice game. Keep an eye on Buckhalter, however. If he’s probable heading into the game, he could steal touches from Moreno. If he’s questionable or out, Moreno becomes a better start.

Adam Vinatieri out for six weeks; Colts sign Stover. This is actually good news — it just didn’t seem like fantasy football without Matt Stover. He’s a solid kicker and should score well with the Colts. It’s not often kickers make fantasy news, but it’s safe to cut Vinatieri if you have him on your roster.

Jerricho Cotchery may not play. He tweaked his hamstring on Monday night and may need to shut it down for a week. The arrival of Braylon Edwards and a matchup with the Bills make it likely that the Jets will proceed with caution. David Clowney played pretty well on Monday night and would be a sleeper in 12-team leagues if Cotch can’t go.

Mike Sims-Walker was suspended for missing bed check. Apparently, he was out with a lady friend. The Jags really struggled without their top WR, but his presence probably wouldn’t have made much of a difference. He did it all for the nookie, the nookie, the nookie.

The strategy behind DTBWW is that each week, you pick up a defense, preferably one playing at home against a bad offense. And each week, you get pretty good numbers out of your DT position. To see how this approach performed last season, click here.

Last week, I recommended three DTBWW picks. Let’s see how they fared…

#1 49ers: 1 SK + 1 INT = 2 fantasy points
#2 Bills: 6 PA (8) + 1 SK + 1 INT = 10 fp
#3 Cowboys: 4 SK = 4 fp

Unless you had the Bills, this was not a very good week for DTBWW. The Falcons made the 49ers look like a bunch of high schoolers, and while the Cowboys sacked Matt Cassel four times, they didn’t create any turnovers or keep points off the board.

Through Week 5, the top DTBWW pick is averaging 11.8 fantasy points, the #2 pick is averaging 9.2 fp and the #3 pick is averaging 9.6. Combining the three groups, DTBWW is averaging 10.2 fp on the season. Those are DT7 numbers.

Let’s take a look at this week’s picks. Keep in mind that to be eligible for DTBWW, a defense must be available in at least 40% of ESPN fantasy leagues. (I’ve seen the Packers available on a few waiver wires, and if they’re available, I’d pick them first; they play the Lions at home.)

Pick #1: Cincinnati Bengals (vs. HOU)
The Texans are just a mediocre matchup, but the Bengals defense is playing very well of late, posting at least seven fantasy points in each of its five outings. The game is at home, so that should help.

Pick #2: Washington Redskins (vs. KC)
Again, the Chiefs aren’t a great matchup, but the Redskins defense has been pretty solid of late and if the offense can put a few drives together, Washington should have a nice day.

Pick #3: Jacksonville Jaguars (vs. STL)
The Jags have one of the worst fantasy defenses in the league, but these are the Rams we’re talking about. Teams have averaged 16.4 fantasy points against St. Louis, so even the Jags should have a pretty nice day.

Bonus Pick: If you run out of options, the Bucs have a nice matchup at home against Jake Delhomme and the Panthers. Opposing defenses have scored 14.0 fp against Carolina this season.

Take a look at Week 5′s Fantasy Fallout for a summary of last week’s action and our Waiver Wire Watch for ideas about which players to pick up. Still have questions about who to acquire or who to start? Fire away.

Please provide your starting lineup requirements and a brief outline of your league’s scoring system (point per reception? TD-heavy?).