Category: Fantasy Football (Page 254 of 324)

Sure, Kurt Warner and Jamal Lewis haven’t set the world on fire this year, but in my latest column, I urge fantasy owners to look a little closer. With a cupcake schedule ahead of them, Warner and Lewis are just two players who should exceed their current rate of production down the stretch.

Defensive Team By Committee (DTBC) can be an effective approach in fantasy football. While other teams spend middle round draft picks on the Ravens or Bears, an owner going DTBC will wait until the final rounds to grab a mediocre defense with a good matchup in week 1. As the season wears on, they’ll pickup defenses week to week depending on the matchup, because a mediocre defense with a great matchup is as good of a play as a great defense with a mediocre matchup.

Last week, my top three picks were ARI, KC and SEA. The Cardinals and Chiefs disappointed, but the Seahawks were a great fantasy start.

Here are a few defenses that have nice matchups this week and are available in at least 40% of ESPN leagues (in order of strength of play):

MIA (vs. NYJ), STL (vs. ATL), DEN (@ OAK), CAR (vs. SF) and DET (@ MIN)

Good luck!

Last week’s sleeper, Kolby Smith, had a wonderful game, rushing for 150 yards and two scores. Let’s see if we can find a couple more diamonds in the rough…

Derrick Ward, Giants (@ CHI)
He’s banged up, but barring a setback this week, he should play on Sunday against the Bears, who have had a lot of trouble stopping the run. With Brandon Jacobs out, Ward is the favorite to get the lion’s share of the touches, but be warned, Reuben Droughns may steal some goal line carries. Ward should be especially good in PPR leagues.

Fred Jackson, Bills (@ WAS)
With Marshawn Lynch and Anthony Thomas both struggling with injuries, Jackson figures to get the start against the Redskins, who have been mediocre against the run. Jackson probably isn’t going to set the world on fire, but he should get most of the work in a starting capacity, and that’s worth something in fantasy football.

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 Carson Palmer 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 Ben Roethlisberger, only do so if you have a clearly better option on your bench.

START ‘EM

QB: Kurt Warner has a fantastic matchup against the Browns, who have yielded 267 yards and 2.3 TD through the air this season. Warner is on fire right now and the good times should continue against the Browns…Vince Young has averaged 269 yards passing, thrown for two TD and run for one more over the last three weeks. This week, he faces a Houston defense that has struggled lately against the pass…For the desperate, Daunte Culpepper (vs. DEN) and Tarvaris Jackson (vs. DET) have good matchups this week.

RB: If Travis Henry is healthy and available, he should be a great start against the Raiders, who have been awful against the run this season. If he can’t go, Selvin Young or Andre Hall would be next in line, but they are both out with injuries, so Cecil Sapp looks to be the man if Henry can’t go…Jamal Lewis is a must-start this week against the Cardinals, who were shredded last week by an underachieving 49er rushing attack…After a great game on Sunday, Kolby Smith is worth a start against the Chargers, who are 21st against the run this season. Smith looks like a capable RB2 in most leagues.

WR: Get Steve Smith back in your lineup. He faces the 49ers, who have been miserable against the pass of late…Sidney Rice is a sneaky good start against the Lions, who are 31st in the league against the pass…In the same game, Calvin Johnson is definitely worth a look against the Vikings, who have given up the most passing yards in the league…Lee Evans is worth a start against the Redskins, who have been pretty bad against the pass over the last few games.

SIT ‘EM

QB: Jay Cutler has a tough matchup this week against a Raiders defense that has yielded just 184 yards and 0.7 TD through the air this season. Oakland also has the second-best TD to INT ratio (8 to 13), so Cutler is probably in for a tough week…A.J. Feeley played well last week against the Pats, but he may have a difficult time repeating that feat against a Seahawks defense that has allowed just six pass TD all season…John Beck (vs. NYJ), Brodie Croyle (vs. SD) and Phillip Rivers (@ KC) should be avoided as well.

RB: Rudi Johnson should ride the pine as he faces a Pittsburgh defense that is 2nd in the league against the run (and has only allowed two rushing TD all season)…I like the other Adrian Peterson (who plays for the Bears) as a pickup, but this week he faces a Giants defense that is 8th in the league against the run. You can start Peterson in PPR leagues, however…Laurence Maroney has been pretty spotty all season, but he should definitely be benched (if possible) against the Ravens, who have the 3rd best rush defense in all of football.

WR: Javon Walker and Brandon Marshall face a tough test against the Oakland secondary, which has proven to be one of the best in the league. Marshall is still startable, but after Walker’s goose egg last week, I recommend waiting for him to put up some good numbers before putting him back in your lineup…Derrick Mason faces a tough Pats defense that will probably focus on limiting his opportunities.

Every week, I highlight a few players that you should target in waivers. I’ll use the ESPN league data when filtering players, so the only players eligible for discussion here are those that are available on the waiver wire of at least 40% of ESPN’s leagues. I’ll list each player’s percentage-owned after their name so you have an idea of how available they are in leagues around the country. I’ll always try to talk about a player or two that are available in 90% of leagues for those of you in 12-team leagues or leagues with big rosters.

This week, I’m going to start ranking the players in order of what I believe their overall value to be over the rest of the season. Remember, there are Thursday games this week, so get your roster in early.

QUARTERBACKS

Matt Schaub (52.0) still lingers on almost half of ESPN’s waiver wires. He has tough matchups in three of the next four games, but has a tasty week 15 matchup against the Broncos, so he’d be a good pickup for those with David Garrard or Vince Young starting at QB. Both players have tough matchups that week…Kurt Warner (45.1) threw for 484 yards and two scores against the 49ers and has two good matchups over the next three games. He is very injury-prone, so be sure to have another good option at QB on your roster…Jason Campbell (47.3) has a nice matchup in week 16 (@ MIN), so if you’re starting Jon Kitna, Matt Schaub, David Garrard or Marc Bulger, Campbell would be a fine fill in that week. His schedule isn’t that bad over the short term, either…David Garrard (36.1) is back to his quiet, effective ways, but he has three tough matchups (@ IND, @ PIT, vs. OAK) over the next four weeks…Daunte Culpepper (14.6) is a sleeper pickup for the stretch run. He has solid matchups in three of his final four games…Kellen Clemens (10.2) had a bad week against a suspect Dallas secondary, but he has a couple of nice matchups (@ MIA, vs. CLE) over the next two weeks…Brodie Croyle (5.5) is an option for those desperate for help at QB. He has nice matchups in weeks 14 and 16 against Denver and Detroit, respectively…Tarvaris Jackson (4.2) is another sleeper for the stretch run. He has Detroit and San Francisco over the next two weeks, which could mean decent numbers from the young QB… Trent Edwards (2.8) is the starter again in Buffalo, and with games against the Redskins, Dolphins, Browns and Giants, he’s a sneaky good pickup in deeper leagues…Kyle Boller (4.2) has to play the Patriots and Colts, but both games are at home and after that he has the Dolphins and Seahawks on the road. He’s not a great option, but he’s a starting QB, and he’s played OK the last two weeks…Trent Dilfer (0.9) proved he had a little something in the tank with 256 yards and two TD against the Cardinals. He has two very nice matchups over the next three gams, making him a decent option for desperate owners in deep leagues…Keep an eye on Marc Bulger this week. If he can’t recover from the concussion he suffered on Sunday, then Gus Frerotte (0.9) would be a decent option this week…A.J. Feeley (0.8) played well against the Pats and would be an OK start if Donovan McNabb misses more time.

RUNNING BACKS

Kolby Smith (23.5) was my Sleeper of the Week last week and he didn’t disappoint, posting 150 rushing yards and two scores. With Larry Johnson’s uncertain future, Smith holds a ton of value right now…Adrian Peterson (15.9) will start in place of the injured Cedric Benson, who is out for the year. He doesn’t have a great upcoming schedule, but he should be an adequate RB2 for those in need of help at the position…Andre Hall (8.8) blew up against the Bears, posting 167 total yards and a score. As long as Selvin Young and Travis Henry are out, it’s Hall’s job to lose. Cecil Sapp (0.5) is his backup…Maurice Morris (56.6) had a quiet game on Sunday, but will continue to fill in for Shaun Alexander as long as he’s out…Reuben Droughns (50.5) got the starting nod with Brandon Jacobs and Derrick Ward sidelined and posted 46 rushing yards and a score against a pretty good Vikings rush defense…Patrick Cobbs (0.6) would likely start if Jesse Chatman and Ricky Williams (23.4) both miss Sunday’s game…It looks like Ahman Green may return this week, but if he misses, Ron Dayne (37.0) will continue to get the bulk of the Texans’ workload…Anthony Thomas (25.9) played pretty well in place of the injured Marshawn Lynch, but the A-Train strained his calf, which means that either Fred Jackson (0.0) or Dwayne Wright (1.4) could get the starting nod. Jackson got a lot more work than Wright did on Sunday, so he may have moved past Wright on the depth chart.

WIDE RECEIVERS

Chris Henry (37.4) had a quiet game against the Titans and faces a tough Pittsburgh defense this week. Still, he’s a viable WR3 in most leagues, especially considering his late-season schedule (vs. STL, @ SF, vs. CLE)…Shaun McDonald (53.7) had a quiet game this week, but he’s been money this season, especially in PPR leagues. He has a nice upcoming schedule, which makes him a good WR3 in most leagues…Roddy White (53.1) blew up (again), catching six passes for 104 yards and a score. His numbers have been up and down this season due to the erratic play of his QBs…Kevin Walter (23.3) caught six passes for 65 yards and a score against the Browns. His upcoming schedule isn’t favorable, but he would benefit if defenses focus on stopping Andre Johnson…Justin Gage (3.0) seems to be emerging as Vince Young’s favorite target in the passing game. He has 17 catches for 254 yards and a TD over the last three weeks…It’s tough to argue with Arnaz Battle’s (8.8) performance over the past few weeks. In PPR leagues, he has gone for double-digits in the last three games…Sidney Rice (2.2) has had an up and down rookie season, but he has Detroit and San Francisco over the next two weeks, so he’s a sneaky good pickup for those in need of help at WR…Darrell Jackson (52.6) posted a season-high five catches on Sunday, and with Carolina, Minnesota and Cincinnati over the next three weeks, he might be in line for a late-season resurgence…Anthony Gonzalez (9.6) finally had a breakout game, catching six passes for 105 yards. He should be the WR2 in Indy as long as Marvin Harrison is out…Reggie Williams (29.5) has caught a TD in three of the last four games. He only has four catches over the last three games, but he makes them count…Jerry Porter (49.5) has been decent over the past few weeks, breaking into the double-digits in PPR leagues in three of the last four weeks.

TIGHT ENDS

Owen Daniels (56.0) has caught 12 passes for 156 yards and a score over the last two games and has established himself as a solid starting fantasy TE…Tony Scheffler (16.4) caught five passes for 82 yards and a score against the Bears, and has now caught 18 passes in the last four games…After three consecutive good performances, Donald Lee (59.9) had a very quiet game against the Lions. Expect him to return to form against the Cowboys…L.J. Smith (53.4) has caught 11 passes over the last three games, making him a borderline starter in deeper leagues…Kellen Clemens seems to like Chris Baker (7.2), who has caught 11 passes for 112 yards and a score over the last three games.

Check back tomorrow for my Sleeper of the Week and Thinking Defensively, where I suggest a few defenses to pick up for week 13.