Category: Fantasy Football (Page 260 of 324)

Post all of your fantasy questions here.

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.

QUARTERBACKS

Jason Campbell (48.9) didn’t play very well against the Pats and his schedule isn’t very easy over the second half of the season, but he’s a solid backup QB that will give your team a chance to win if your starter goes down…Brian Griese (38.1) defied all odds and had a horrible game against the Lions (208 yards, 1 TD and 4 INT). He has one of the easier schedules down the stretch, but it’s worrisome that he can’t put up good numbers at home against Detroit…Kurt Warner (29.2) doesn’t have a very good matchup in Week 9 (@ TB), but after that, he has four nice matchups over the next six games, so he could be a decent starter for those owners in tough shape at QB…Cleo Lemon (9.0) is worth a look in deeper leagues. With Ronnie Brown out, the team may lean on him more and he has put up decent numbers in his last three starts…Kellen Clemens (3.9) has been named the starter for the Jets, but tough matchups against the Redskins, Steelers and the Cowboys don’t generate much optimism for his short term prospects. Still, he has two great wideouts to throw to and the Jets’ QB has traditionally been pretty productive.

RUNNING BACKS

Kenny Watson (52.7) continues to thrive as the starter in Cincinnati. As long as Rudi is out, Watson is a serviceable RB2…Jesse Chatman (50.3) didn’t hit pay dirt, but he put up nice numbers (19 touches, 100 total yards) against a good Giants defense. He’ll be a good RB2 as the starter in Miami…The value of Selvin Young (40.3) is dependent on the status of Travis Henry’s appeal. Now Henry is banged up so Young’s time may come sooner than we think…Brian Leonard (36.9) will fill in for Steven Jackson if he misses any time with his bulging disk. He wasn’t great while Jackson was out, but any starting RB has some fantasy value…Chris Henry (31.5) is becoming a nice change of pace back alongside LenDale White in Tennessee, but Chris Brown’s return could hurt his touches…Ron Dayne (14.4) was thrust into the starting lineup when Ahman Green was unable to go. Adimchinobe Echemandu (0.1) gained 62 yards on 10 carries and could get extra work if Green missed more time and Dayne continues to struggle…Justin Fargas (9.3) is going to see his workload expand as he continues to outplay LaMont Jordan. Jordan hasn’t been the same since he hurt his back a few weeks ago. Fargas holds more value in PPR leagues…Leonard Weaver (0.6) may have earned more touches with two pretty good games before the Seahawks went on their bye…Ryan Grant (0.1) filled in for the injured DeShawn Wynn on Monday night, gaining 104 yards on 22 carries. The Packer RB situation is in constant flux, but the team has a bunch of great rushing matchups over the second half of the season, so whoever gets the carries should be productive.

WIDE RECEIVERS

Reggie Brown (57.3) got off to a very slow start this season, but in the last three games he has caught a total of 17 passes for 238 yards, making him a valuable contributor, especially in PPR leagues…Roddy White (49.5) has caught at least three passes in every game this season. He’d be better if he had a good QB to throw to him, but he’s been decent even with Joey Harrington and Byron Leftwich under center…Shaun McDonald (46.4) reasserted himself as a viable starter in PPR leagues by catching six passes for 64 yards against the Bears…Kevin Walter (24.0) has caught at least five passes in each of the last five games. He is becoming a must start in PPR leagues…Brandon Stokely had another nice game (5 catches, 71 yards) against the Packers and continues to thrive starting in place of the injured Javon Walker…James Jones (14.5) is a solid start in PPR leagues. He had three catches for 103 yards and a score against the Broncos and has caught at least four passes or scored a TD in six of seven games this season…Arnaz Battle (8.3) is worth a look in deeper PPR leagues.

TIGHT ENDS

Eric Johnson ( 31.6) didn’t have a great game on Sunday, but he’s still roster worthy in PPR leagues…Donald Lee (26.9) caught three passes against the Broncos on Monday night, a mark he has matched in every game this season…Jeff King (11.8) caught 10 passes for 82 yards against the Colts, but don’t get too excited. He caught just five passes in the previous three games…Tony Scheffler (10.6) caught a TD for the second straight week, and looks to be a decent play with Javon Walker out.

Tuesday Update: Kenny Watson suffered a concussion in week 8 which puts his availability for week 9 in doubt…Packers HC Mike McCarthy named Ryan Grant the starter for next week’s game against KC. It’s a tough matchup, but any starting RB has some fantasy value. The Packers have several great rushing matchups over the back half of the season, so if Grant can hold onto the job, he should be productive down the stretch.

Draft day is the most important day of the fantasy football season, but ask owners who snagged Tony Romo last season how important it is to scan the waiver wire each week. In my latest column, I name my All Waiver-Wire Team, which honors players who have risen from draft-day trash to free-agent treasure.

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: Brian Griese has been putting up monster stats and has a terrific matchup against the Lions this week. Detroit is 30th against the pass, allowing 269 yards and 2 TD per game…For those in desperate at QB, Alex Smith is practicing fully this week and he has a nice matchup with the Saints, who are 27th against the pass…Jay Cutler and Brett Favre both have pretty favorable matchups in that Broncos/Packers tilt.

RB: Cedric Benson has a terrific matchup against the Lions, who have yielded an average of 116 rush yards and 1.2 rush TD per game this season…LenDale White is worth another start against the Raiders, who are 29th against the rush…Surprisingly, Kevin Jones is worth a start against the Bears who have been uncharacteristically bad against the run this season…Whoever the starter is in Cleveland – Jason Wright or Jamal Lewis – is a good fantasy play against the Rams, who have given up 130 yards and 1.3 TD on the ground this season…Thomas Jones is also worth a start against the Bills, who are 25th against the run.

WR: Both Chicago WRs – Bernard Berrian and Muhsin Muhammad – should be solid starts this week as they face a very bad Detroit secondary…Santonio Holmes should definitely be in the lineup against the Bengals, who have yielded 249 yards and 2.7 TD through the air this season…Kevin Curtis has a nice matchup against the Vikings, who are terrific against the run, but are last in the league against the pass…Ronald Curry faces the Titans, who are 9th against the pass…Kevin Walter and Andre Davis have a pretty nice matchup against the Chargers, who have allowed an average of 240 yards per game through the air this season.

SIT ‘EM

QB: I still like Jason Campbell, but he faces a very good Pats defense this week and should be benched if possible…Even if Vince Young suits up, he should be benched against the Raiders, who are 12th against the pass and have only allowed six pass TD all season…David Carr should be avoided. He faces the Colts, who have given up a league-best 162 pass yards per game (and just five pass TD) this season.

RB: Don’t expect much from Kenny Watson (or Rudi Johnson, if he plays) against the Steelers. They are the league’s 3rd best rush defense (though Watson should be able to catch some passes)…LaMont Jordan faces a tough test against Tennessee’s stingy front seven, who have yielded a league-best 60 yards per game on the ground…Ahman Green has several nice matchups coming up, but this week’s game against the Chargers isn’t one of them.

WR: Ted Ginn and Marty Booker should be benched this week. They face the Giants, who are on fire defensively right now…Ike Hilliard has been playing well, but this week he faces the Jags, who have allowed a league-best four pass TD thus far this season.

THINKING DEFENSIVELY

Last week, my top three picks were Tampa Bay, Seattle and the NY Giants. The Seahawks and Giants were terrific, but the Bucs defense laid an egg in Detroit. 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):

TEN, IND, HOU, OAK and NO

SLEEPER OF THE WEEK

Marc Bulger, Rams
It’s strange to see Bulger’s name mentioned as a sleeper, and I know he’s been pretty awful, but if he can’t put up good stats against the Browns (who have allowed an average of 264 yards and 2.8 TD through the air), then he’s in serious trouble. For some owners, this will be Bulger’s last chance.

TOUGH SLEDDING

Adrian Peterson, Vikings
He’s a must-start these days, but the Eagles have a pretty stingy rush defense that has allowed just 88 yards and 0.3 TD per game on the ground this season. At some point, teams are going to bring nine guys into the box and dare Tarvaris Jackson to throw the ball…aren’t they?

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.

QUARTERBACKS

Jeff Garcia (52.9) continues to play well. He has thrown for an average of 244 yards and 1.7 TD over the last three games and is a good backup or spot starter…Jason Campbell (49.8) doesn’t have a great matchup in week 8, but he’s still one of the better backups out there and has a few nice matchups coming up…Kurt Warner (37.7) put up nice stats on Sunday, throwing for 282 yards and two scores against a pretty tough Redskins defense. His bye is this week, but after a tough matchup with the Bucs in week 9, he has four great matchups (DET, CLE, CIN and SF)…Daunte Culpepper (32.1) has thrown more interceptions (3) than touchdowns (2) in the last two games, but he has put up good yardage in both contests…Brian Griese (25.0) has been a terrific fantasy play since he took over the starting job. He’s averaging 301 yards and 2 TD over the last four games. With Detroit and Oakland up next, he’s a nice pickup…Damon Huard (17.6) has a rough schedule coming up, but he’s not a bad option in deeper leagues…Cleo Lemon (7.1) had a pretty good fantasy game against the Patriots and proved that he is a decent start even against the best defenses. With the Giants, Bills and Eagles upcoming, he’s not a bad start for those desperate for help at QB…Watch to see if Kellen Clemens (2.8) is named the Jets starter this week. With the Bills on tap in week 8, he’s an interesting pickup.

RUNNING BACKS

Jesse Chatman (1.5) is this week’s #1 pickup. Ronnie Brown is out for the year with a knee injury and Chatman will get the bulk of his carries. It’s not often that a bona fide RB2 is available on the waiver wire, so go get him…DeShawn Wynn (45.1) continues to linger on the waiver wire despite scoring a TD in each of the last two weeks. The Packers’ running game is a mess, but Wynn is the guy getting the goal line carries…Travis Henry hurt his ribs on Sunday, but Rat Shanahan says they’re not broken. Do you believe him? It doesn’t matter because Selvin Young (42.7) shouldn’t be on the waiver wire with all of Henry’s legal troubles…Dominic Rhodes (39.1) got nine carries, which is a big jump in workload for him…Chris Henry (30.6) saw 11 carries in relief of LenDale White in Sunday’s dramatic win and he even scored his first career TD. With Chris Brown out, expect Henry to get a good portion of his touches as long as he’s out…It looks like the Colts want to use Kenton Keith (29.2) to ease the load on Joseph Addai, who has already shown he has trouble carrying the whole load…Jamal Lewis didn’t practice on Monday, so it’s possible that Jason Wright (26.8) will get another start…Kenny Watson (24.7) had a huge day on Sunday, and Rudi Johnson’s hammy is still bothering him.

WIDE RECEIVERS

Muhsin Muhammad (56.8) has caught a TD in three of the last four weeks and is really benefiting from Brian Griese taking over at QB…Roddy White (43.4) is on bye in week 8, but if you can snag him, he’s still a good pickup even with Joey Harrington taking over at QB…Andre Davis (40.8) should continue to prosper as long as Andre Johnson is out. He has put up good numbers in four of the last five games…Amani Toomer (25.8) has caught a TD in each of the last two games. He’s a little spotty, but worth owning in PPR leagues…Marty Booker (14.7) didn’t do much against the Patriots, but he should benefit with the departure of Chris Chambers. Expect better numbers against the Giants…Kevin Walter (11.2) has caught at least five passes in the last four games and should be owned in all PPR leagues…Ted Ginn (11.0) should also benefit from Chambers’ departure, but it’s tough to expect a lot from a rookie…Ike Hilliard (9.9) has caught 28 passes over the last four weeks and is quietly becoming Jeff Garcia’s favorite target. He’s due to get injured, but as long as he’s healthy, he’s a nice play…With Javon Walker out for a while, Brandon Stokley (7.6) becomes the Broncos’ WR2. Given Brandon Marshall’s recent problems, Stokley’s role may increase even more…Roydell Williams (1.9) exploded for 124 yards against the Texans. He will benefit from Brandon Jones’ absence, but Vince Young’s return may limit his numbers.

TIGHT ENDS

Greg Olsen (56.6) was a big pickup last week, but is still available in almost half of ESPN’s leagues. He has caught at least four passes in each of the last three games…Eric Johnson (20.0) continues to play a prominent role in the Saints’ passing attack. He has caught at least five passes or scored a TD in the last four games…Donald Lee (18.2) has only caught one TD, but he has at least three catches in each of the first six games, so he’s a nice player to have in PPR leagues…David Martin (5.6) has caught three passes in the last two games and seems to be Cleo Lemon’s safety valve over the middle…With Javon Walker out, it looks like Jay Cutler intends to target Tony Scheffler (7.5) more in the passing game. He has seven catches over the last two weeks…Zach Miller’s (2.2) role in the Oakland offense seems to be increasing. He has seven catches in the last two games.