Listen in as Anthony and I discuss Brandon Jacobs’ and Marion Barber’s status, Tarvaris Jackson’s chances against the Falcons, and the RB situation in New Orleans.
Category: Fantasy Football (Page 134 of 324)
Every week, I 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 LaDainian Tomlinson has a tough matchup – just go ahead and start them. 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 Peyton Manning, 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
QB: Don’t overthink things and bench Kurt Warner this week. The Pats are not very good against the pass, so Warner and Co. should be able to have their way through the air. The only wildcard is the weather…Matt Cassel is a nice start against an Arizona defense that has given up the most pass TD (31) in the league…Despite the long plane ride, Brett Favre looks like a good start against a Seahawks pass defense that is last in the league in yards allowed…In the same game, Seneca Wallace has a nice matchup with the Jets defense that is 29th in the league against the pass…Dan Orlovsky played pretty well last week against the Colts and he has a great matchup this week against the Saints, who own the league’s 26th ranked pass defense. He’s a legit option for the desperate…For the super-desperate, JaMarcus Russell (vs. HOU) and Brian Griese (vs. SD) both have good matchups. If Jeff Garcia starts, he’s a solid play against a Chargers defense that is ranked 31st against the pass.
RB: Matt Forte should be in your lineup this week. The Packers just can’t stop the run…Steve Slaton has a great matchup with an Oakland defense that is ranked #31 against the run. They have allowed 167 yards and 1.4 rush TD per game…With Reggie Bush out for the rest of the season, Pierre Thomas should rack up the stats against the Lions…Maurice Jones-Drew is a terrific play this week against a Colts defense that has yielded 127 yards and 1.1 rush TD per game… Marshawn Lynch had a big game last week against the Jets and I think he’s in store for another one against a sketchy Denver rush defense…Frank Gore would be a good start against the Rams. If he can’t go, DeShaun Foster should be able to take advantage of the league’s 29th-ranked rush defense…Ronnie Brown is a great start against the Chiefs. They’ve struggled against the run all year.
WR: Randy Moss and Wes Welker are both must-starts against an Arizona defense that really struggles against the pass…Both Green Bay receivers – Greg Jennings and Donald Driver – should be in your lineup this week assuming the weather is decent in Chicago. The Bears are 28th against the pass…T.J. Houshmandzadeh should be started in PPR leagues, and Chad Johnson is a fringe start this week as well. The Browns have struggled against the pass, especially lately…Laveranues Coles and Jerricho Cotchery are both worth a start this week as they face a Seattle defense that is dead last against the pass…Braylon Edwards has a good shot to score against a Bengals secondary that has allowed 22 pass TDs this year.
LEAVE ‘EM
QB: Matt Ryan is playing well this season, but I don’t feel great about him this week against Minnesota. The Vikings have been good against the pass, especially lately and it’s going to be tough for him to put up big numbers…It would be a good idea to leave David Garrard on the bench despite his solid play in recent weeks. The Colts have the #7 pass defense and have only allowed five pass TD on the year…Ben Roethlisberger is still startable, but he doesn’t have a very good matchup this week. The Titans have the #5 ranked pass defense and have only yielded nine pass TD on the year…I’d definitely recommend benching Kerry Collins this week. The thought of Collins trying to throw against the Steelers sends a chill down my spine.
RB: Michael Turner has been productive all season, but don’t expect him to go off against the league’s #1 run defense…DeAngelo Williams is pretty much a must-start every week, but Jonathan Stewart isn’t likely to go off in limited work against the Giants, who are #4 in the league against the run…Marion Barber (or Tashard Choice) isn’t a very good option against the Ravens. Choice did have success against the Steelers, so there’s an outside shot that a Dallas RB will have a nice game on Saturday…The Dolphins have been tough against the run, so it would be wise to bench the plodding Larry Johnson unless you don’t have any better options…The Chargers rush defense has been better lately, and with a RBBC brewing in Tampa Bay (with Warrick Dunn and Cadillac Williams), it’s probably best to avoid the Bucs RBs this week…They’re still startable but Chris Johnson (vs. PIT) and Clinton Portis (vs. PHI) both have bad matchups this week.
WR: It’s not a good week to experiment with any of the Giants’ WRs. Carolina’s pass defense has only allowed 14 TD all year…They’re still startable, but don’t expect huge games from DeSean Jackson or Kevin Curtis. The Redskins have the #6 pass defense in the league…The same goes for Hines Ward and Santonio Holmes, who face a stingy Titans defense…Vincent Jackson is still worth a start, but the Bucs defense held down Roddy White last week and has been tough to throw on all year. If you have a better option, utilize it.
THINKING DEFENSIVELY (DTBWW)
Welcome to the world of Defensive Team By Waiver Wire (DTBWW). Each week, you pick up a defense, usually one playing at home against a bad offense. And each week, you get pretty good numbers out of your DT position. All teams are available in at least 40% of ESPN fantasy leagues.
(I’d take the Dolphins first before moving onto the list.)
CLE (vs. CIN) – 12/18 update: I moved the Browns ahead of the Seahawks and Dolphins.
SEA (vs. NYJ)
Last week’s picks:
Patriots: 26 PA + 2 SK + 1 INT + 1 RET TD = 9 fantasy points
Redskins: 20 PA + 2 SK = 2 fantasy points
New Orleans Saints placed running back Reggie Bush on IR Wednesday, effectively ending his season.
Bush injured his left knee against the Carolina Panthers on Oct. 19, and had arthroscopic surgery the next day to repair a torn meniscus. He missed four games for rehabilitation.
He returned to action against Tampa Bay on Nov. 30, but struggled and Coach Sean Payton reduced his playing time because of ineffectiveness.
Bush scored a touchdown against the Atlanta Falcons on Dec. 7 and appeared to be back on track. But he suffered a setback against the Chicago Bears the next week and was benched in the second half, again because of ineffectiveness.
This news obviously elevates Pierre Thomas’s fantasy value ten-fold. Anyone fortunate enough to have him on their roster heading into their championship game this week should feel pretty good about his matchup with the Lions on Sunday.
One has to wonder about the long-term status of Bush in New Orleans. Thomas has been incredibly effective as the workhorse back for the Saints over the second half of the season and is clearly ready to take over Deuce McAllister’s role in Sean Payton’s offense next season. If Bush can’t stay healthy, there’s no way the Saints will re-up once his contract expires. No sense in overpaying for a back that can’t run between the tackles and misses games with various alignments.
John Paulsen and I discussed this topic on our weekly fantasy podcast chat (which will post sometime Thursday morning), so make sure to check it out.
With the rosters being released Tuesday, SportingNews.com decided to compile a list of 10 Pro Bowl snubs of 2008.
Chargers QB Philip Rivers. Help me out here. With the running game sagging, Rivers became the NFL’s top-rated passer, throwing for 3,515 yards, 28 touchdowns and 11 interceptions at a 64.6 percent completion rate. And he is not on the list? He’s had a better year than the Jets’ Brett Favre or the Broncos’ Jay Cutler, for sure.
Falcons DE John Abraham. One of the tough ones, since competition at end was fierce. But no one with 15 1/2 sacks should be left off a Pro Bowl roster, especially considering the wide-ranging affect his play has had on the revitalized Atlanta defense. Take him over the Panthers’ Julius Peppers.
Texans RB Steve Slaton. With all due respect to the Dolphins’ Ronnie Brown, who has been productive as a running back and an option quarterback, Slaton should be going to Hawaii instead. Like Clady, perhaps Slaton was hurt by his rookie status. But there’s no question he has been a perfect fit in Houston’s zone system, and he has improved dramatically over the course of the season: He has 350 yards in his last three games, part of a season that projects to nearly 1,300 yards on a 4.9-per-carry average.
Broncos LT Ryan Clady. He’s a rookie, and that probably plays into it. But Clady hasn’t looked like any kind of neophyte, being every bit the player No. 1-overall pick Jake Long has been. Clady swiftly picked up the Broncos’ zone-blocking scheme and has yielded just a half-sack through 14 games. He, not doubt, should be in instead of the Bills’ Jason Peters, who struggled after his training camp holdout.
Colts TE Dallas Clark. Give Clark the nod over the Chargers’ Antonio Gates because he has 10 more catches and 72 more yards, although he has one fewer touchdown. And do it not for the numbers, but because as the Colts fought a plague of injuries on offense early in the season, the versatile Clark was invaluable as Peyton Manning’s security blanket.
Every player on this list deserves to go to the Pro Bowl this year. Clady has been outstanding as a rookie and as the writer notes, without Rivers the Chargers wouldn’t even be 6-8 at this point. (Rivers is the league’s top rated passer for cribbs’ sake.)
I was shocked that Abraham didn’t make it, although ironically the thing that has made him most productive is the thing that eventually cost him a trip to Hawaii: he doesn’t play on all downs. When Mike Smith took over in Atlanta, he decided to rotate Abraham out as much as he can on running downs in efforts to keep him fresh and healthy throughout the year. Obviously the plan has worked because not only has Abraham been disruptive in amassing 15.5 sacks, but he’s also stayed healthy. Playing only on passing downs hurts him when it comes time to do the Pro Bowl voting, however.
The Minnesota Vikings will have to play their final two games (and possibly all of the postseason) without half of their “Williams wall” after it was determined that Pat Williams will miss 2-6 weeks with a broken right scapula in his shoulder.
The word on Pat Williams is not good for the Vikings.
The Pro Bowl nose tackle has a broken right scapula. Coach Brad Childress said that means Williams will be out from two to six weeks.
The scapula connects the arm bone (humerus) with the collarbone (clavicle), according to extensive internet research.
Williams suffered the injury in the third quarter of yesterday’s win at Arizona. He was playing under a court order that delayed the NFL’s four-game suspension, but now it appears he will at least miss the final two games of the regular season.
Considering Michael Turner the Falcons are coming to town, this isn’t good news for the Vikings. But with the way Jared Allen, Adrian Peterson and Tarvaris Jackson are playing, it might not matter much. Plus, Fred Evans has proved to be a solid backup and the Vikings started getting him more game-time reps when they thought both Williamses would be suspended.
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