Category: Fantasy Football (Page 33 of 324)

What can we expect from new Miami QB Tyler Thigpen?

ARLINGTON, TX - SEPTEMBER 02: Quarterback Tyler Thigpen  of the Miami Dolphins drops back to pass against the Dallas Cowboys during a preseason game at Cowboys Stadium on September 2, 2010 in Arlington, Texas. (Photo by Ronald Martinez/Getty Images)

With Chad Pennington’s season likely done and Chad Henne on crutches, the Dolphins turn to five-year vet Tyler Thigpen as their starter for Week 11 against the Bears. Thigpen made some noise in his second season when he appeared in 14 games for the Chiefs after both Damon Huard and Brodie Croyle went down with injuries. Over his final 10 starts, Thigpen averaged 222 passing yards, 1.6 TDs and 0.8 INTs. He completed 192-of-330 passes (58.2%) and averaged 32.5 rushing yards during that stretch. That all combines to yield an 84.7 QB rating, which would put him at #21 this season (between Kevin Kolb and Carson Palmer).

I asked our NFL guru, Anthony Stalter, to give me his impression of Thigpen and here’s what he had to say:

His decision-making his questionable but he’s mobile and if the Dolphins get him moving outside of the pocket he can be effective. He has a hard time making reads under pressure though, so Miami would be better served limiting the plays he runs.

On Sunday, he came in as the Dolphins’ third QB and completed 4-of-6 passes for 64 yards and a TD. Miami ran a number of plays out of the Wildcat formation to limit Thigpen’s snaps.

Fantasy-wise, I’d rather sit on a pile of broken glass than start Thigpen against a stout Chicago pass defense, but going forward, he may not be a bad QB2 or member of a QB committee. He averaged 19.9 fantasy points during that 10-game stretch with the Chiefs, but the Dolphins probably won’t be playing from behind as much as the Chiefs were that season. After next week’s game against the Bears, the schedule lightens up considerably, including a nice pair of matchups (BUF & DET, at home) during Weeks 15 & 16. If Thigpen is still the Miami starter at that point, he could be a sneaky good start.

Fantasy Fallout, Week 10: Where Kyle Orton looks like his old self

Denver Broncos starting quarterback Kyle Orton throws against the Kansas City Chiefs in the first quarter in their NFL football game in Denver November 14, 2010. REUTERS/Rick Wilking (UNITED STATES - Tags: SPORT FOOTBALL)

The Broncos jumped all over the Chiefs, as Kyle Orton (296 yards, 4 TD) hooked up with Brandon Lloyd (6-90-2) for several big plays. Knowshon Moreno finished with 156 yards on 25 touches and scored on a 17-yard catch. With the Chiefs playing from behind the entire game, Jamaal Charles (19 touches, 121 yards, TD) dominated the work in the KC backfield. Thomas Jones (5 touches, 22 yards) never really got it going. In the passing game, Matt Cassel (469 yards, 4 TD) connected with Dwayne Bowe (13-186-2) over and over and over. Many prognosticators were down on Bowe this week due to his matchup with Champ Bailey, but that clearly wasn’t an issue. What’s strange is that Cassel only targeted Tony Moeaki (1-34) three times even though he threw 53 passes.

Bills 14, Lions 12…That’s a fairly stunning score given the offenses and defenses involved. Shaun Hill (323 yards, TD, INT) finished with pretty nice numbers, though he didn’t throw his TD until late in the 4th quarter. Calvin Johnson (10-128-1) continues to dominate, but Jahvid Best‘s numbers (17 carries, 35 yards) are very worrisome considering the Bills own the 32nd-ranked rush defense in the league. Plus, he only had four yards in the passing game, marking the first game in his last six in which he had fewer than 30 yards through the air. For the Bills, Ryan Fitzpatrick (146 yards, TD) was pretty quiet, so as a result Lee Evans (2-52) and Steve Johnson (3-37) were quiet too. Instead, it was the Fred Jackson show. He racked up 170 total yards and scored twice. C.J. Spiller left with a hamstring injury, so look for Jackson to be a good start in the weeks to come.

The Browns and Jets went to overtime, and New York won on a 37-yard TD catch by Santonio Holmes (5-76-1), who continues to come up big in clutch situations. Mark Sanchez (299 yards, 2 TD, INT, rush TD) showed a lot of grit by shaking off a calf injury and dodging a number of sacks that could have snuffed out the Jets’ chances. The Jets promised a 50/50 split in the backfield and they delivered; Shonn Greene (23 touches, 94 yards) and LaDainian Tomlinson (24 touches, 110 yards) split the work but were both heavily involved. For the Browns, Peyton Hillis (23 touches, 109 yards, TD) put up great numbers in a terrible matchup, so he’s entering ‘must-start’ territory. Benjamin Watson (5-74) bounced back from a couple of bad games with a big outing.

The Tennessee debut of Randy Moss (1-24, 4 targets) was not good, but Nate Washington (3-26-1) and Bo Scaife (7-51) benefited from the attention the Dolphins were paying to Moss. Miami had to use all three QBs, so there’s no telling who will be under center in Week 11. Brandon Marshall (3-36) continues to struggle, and while Ronnie Brown scored, he only gained 11 yards on the day. Ricky Williams (12 touches, 60 yards) outplayed him. Anthony Fasano (5-110-1) had his best game of the year.

The HOU/JAX game was fun, and David Garrard (342 yards, 2 TD) continues to play well in good matchups. His second TD came on the game-winning Hail Mary which ricocheted into Mike Thomas‘s hands. Thomas finished with 8-149-1 and benefited from Mike Sims-Walker (3-26) missing big chunks of the game with some sort of leg injury. Thomas continues to play well with Garrard under center. The old Maurice Jones-Drew (26 touches, 123 yards, 2 TD) seems to be back. Meanwhile, Kevin Walter (6-90-1) stepped up for the Texans after being very quiet the last few weeks. He had six targets to Jacoby Jones’s two.

The Cowboys looked a lot better in their first game in the Jason Garrett era. Jon Kitna (327 yards, 3 TD, INT) posted great numbers in a terrible passing matchup, and Dez Bryant (3-104-1) continues to be his favorite target. Miles Austin (2-68-1) caught a TD which saved him from another disappointing day. Jason Witten (1-7) was a non-factor, but Felix Jones (17 touches, 136 yards, TD) had a big day, thanks to his 71-yard TD catch and run. For the Giants, Mario Manningham (10-91-1) and Kevin Boss (5-81-1) stepped up with Steve Smith 2.0 sidelined with a injured pec.

Injuries create fantasy opportunities

EAST RUTHERFORD, NJ - OCTOBER 17: Mario Manningham  of the New York Giants against the Detroit Lions at New Meadowlands Stadium on October 17, 2010 in East Rutherford, New Jersey. (Photo by Nick Laham/Getty Images)

In this, the last week of byes, there are a few situations that have created opportunity for (somewhat desperate) fantasy owners to pluck a player off the waiver wire and immediately insert them in their starting lineups:

1. Steve Smith 2.0 is out. Mario Manningham is a top 20 play this week. Manningham is available in about 40% of ESPN leagues, so he’s not widely available. But if he’s out there, he’s a pretty solid WR2/flex option with Smith 2.0 sidelined in a great matchup with a very suspect Cowboys’ pass defense. If Manningham is on your bench, consider starting him this week. I have him ranked #19.

2. Owen Daniels is ruled out. Joel Dreessen looks like a sneaky good play. Last week, with Daniels sidelined, Dreessen caught five passes for 67 yards and was the most-targeted Texan receiver (8). He has caught two TDs on the year and has a terrific matchup with Jacksonville, who is among the worst at giving up points to opposing TEs. I have him ranked #14 this week.

3. DeAngelo Williams and Jonathan Stewart are out. Mike Goodson gets the start. Tyrell Sutton is out as well, so Goodson has no competition for carries this week. The Bucs are 30th against the run, so there is some opportunity for Goodson to rack up some yards on the ground. He is also dangerous as a pass catcher, so I wouldn’t be surprised if he gained 120+ yards from scrimmage. I have him ranked #26 this week, so he’s a fringe RB2/flex play.

Love ‘Em & Leave ‘Em: Week 10

Baltimore Ravens quarterback Joe Flacco throws a pass as offensive tackle Michael Oher (R) blocks Buffalo Bills defensive end Spencer Johnson (91) during the second quarter of their NFL football game in Baltimore, Maryland October 24, 2010.   REUTERS/Joe Giza (UNITED STATES - Tags: SPORT FOOTBALL)

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 suggest you bench Drew Brees or Adrian Peterson because they have tough matchups – 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.

As usual, I’ll discuss these players within the context of my weekly positional rankings, so remember — everything is relative.

Joe Flacco (#4) is hot (250+ yds and 2+ TDs in his last three games) and is facing the Falcons’ 26th-ranked pass defense…Last time we saw David Garrard (#6), he was torching the Cowboys to the tune of five TDs (four pass and one rush). The Texans are terrible against the pass, so I think Garrard is in for a big day…Shaun Hill (#10) is back under center for the Lions, and given his play earlier in the season (283 yards, 2.0 TDs in Weeks 2-5), he should be able to post nice numbers against the Bills, who have given up 2.1 pass TDs per game on the season.

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