Author: John Paulsen (Page 405 of 937)

Line of the Night (11/11): Brandon Jennings

The Bucks are 4-2 in no small part to the emergence of rookie Brandon Jennings. Wednesday night, he had a 14-point fourth quarter to help Milwaukee upend the Nuggets, 108-102. On the night, he posted 32 points, nine assists and four rebounds. He shot 11-19 from the floor, and hit both of his 3PT shots and all eight of his free throws, including six in the final minute to put the game away.

It’s early, but with Blake Griffin out, I think Jennings is the frontrunner for Rookie of the Year honors. He’s averaging 20.7 points, 5.2 assists and 4.3 rebounds per game. His shot was a big question mark coming into the NBA, but thus far he has hit almost 46% from the floor and from the 3PT line. Is he a 40%+ three-point shooter? Probably not, but his shoot looks good enough from the perimeter to keep the defense honest.

With Michael Redd out indefinitely, Jennings will have plenty of room to grow.

Love ‘Em & Leave ‘Em: Week 10

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.

love-em

Brett Favre is coming off a bye week and is facing Detroit’s 31st-ranked pass defense at home. This is not a good combination for the Lions, but it’s an excellent situation for his fantasy owners…The Bears are really struggling against the pass, so Alex Smith should be able to post a nice fantasy line on Thursday night. He has averaged 230 pass yards and 2.0 TD per game since taking over in Week 7…Matt Hasselbeck looks like a good start against the Cards’ 29th-ranked pass defense…Mark Sanchez is startable this week against the Jags, who are ranked 26th against the pass. Jacksonville is giving up an average of 242 yards and 1.9 TD through the air this season.

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Line of the Night (11/10): Dwyane Wade

With the reloaded Wizards in town, D-Wade took over, scoring 41 points on 14-29 shooting. He hit 12-13 from the charity stripe and posted five rebounds, five assists, three steals and a block en route to a 90-76 win over Washington.

Don’t look now, but the Miami Heat are off to a 6-1 start. The team was supposed to be just treading water until they can acquire some help for their superstar, but they’ve played well early in the season. And the main reason is Wade. He’s averaging 29.9 points, 4.9 assists, and 4.1 rebounds per game, and is shooting better than 45% from the field. If the Heat can win 50 games, he’ll be right in the thick of the MVP conversation.

Defensive Team By Waiver Wire (DTBWW): Week 10

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 Seahawks: 20 PA (0) + 2 SK + 5 INT + RET TD = 13 fantasy points
#2 Falcons: 17 PA (2) + 5 SK + 1 INT + RET TD = 14 fp
#3 49ers: 34 PA (0) + 1 SK = 1 fp

Seattle and Atlanta both played well against bad competition (Detroit and Washington, respectively). Clearly, the 49ers were a disappointment. I was a little worried about this matchup because Tennessee looked pretty good the previous week with Vince Young under center, and they really have the running game going now. San Francisco’s defense isn’t as good as we thought it was, but that doesn’t mean we’ll abandon it.

For the season, my #1 pick is averaging 10.7 fantasy points per game, my #2 pick is averaging 9.9 fp and my #3 pick is averaging 6.9 fp. Combined, DTBWW is averaging 9.1 fppg, which equates to about 82 points, or DT4 numbers. Not bad.

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.

Pick #1: Miami Dolphins (vs. TB)
Josh Freeman looked pretty good last week against the Packers, but he’s still a rookie and he has to face a capable defense on the road. Miami has been pretty spotty defensively, but they have proven they can post a nice fantasy day when given a good matchup.

Pick #2: Tennessee Titans (vs. BUF)
Boy, I didn’t think that I’d be using the Titans in DTBWW anytime soon, but after a couple of double digit performances the last two weeks and a tasty matchup at home against a struggling Bills team, I’ve changed my tune.

Pick #3: Arizona Cardinals (vs. SEA)
The Cards’ defense has been a little spotty at times, but the Seahawks are a nice matchup. Arizona has a chance to jump out on Seattle, and that will put Matt Hasselbeck in a tough spot.

Bonus pick: Atlanta (@ CAR). I’m a little worried about the Carolina running game, but the Falcons should be able to build a lead. The more Jake Delhomme pass attempts, the better.

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