Tag: fantasy football strategy (Page 41 of 80)

Every week, I highlight a few players that you should target in waivers. I 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 in at least 50% 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 mention a few players that are available in 90% of leagues for those of you in 12-team leagues or leagues with big rosters. I’ll rank them in the order I’d pick them up in a league with a high-performance, PPR scoring system.

Please note that these rankings are for total value through the end of the year. Players with particularly good matchups this week are in bold.

Shaun Hill (8.9)
With Frank Gore out, Hill is becoming more of a factor in the SF offense, and he’s taking advantage of a pretty easy schedule.
Mark Sanchez (51.7)
Jason Campbell (32.4)
He can be started when he has a good matchup, and this makes him a good guy to have as part of a committee.
Derek Anderson (0.8)
Anderson makes the Browns a threat again.
Jake Delhomme (16.8)
Matthew Stafford (6.9)
Kerry Collins (11.0)
Josh Johnson (1.2)
Chad Henne (0.8)
Kyle Boller (0.4)

Fantasy Football fantasy football strategy fantasy football waiver wire waiver wire watch

Fantasy Fallout, Week 4: QBs

– Matthew Stafford (296 yards, TD, INT) dislocated his kneecap, but the injury shouldn’t keep him out very long.

– Jay Cutler (141 yards, 2 pass TD, rush TD) didn’t throw for a ton of yards, but was pretty sharp in the redzone, and scored on a gutsy run.

– Derek Anderson (269 yards, TD, INT) had a pretty nice day against the Bengals and should be considered for backup or platoon duty.

– Seneca Wallace (257 yards, pass TD, rush TD) put together a pretty nice game by racking up some yards and scores in garbage time. He’s not a good week-to-week option, but if the Seahawks are outmatched, he should throw up some nice numbers trying to come from behind.

– Chad Henne (115 yards, TD) was serviceable as a replacement for Chad Pennington. When the Dolphins have the running game going like they did on Sunday, they aren’t going to throw much.

– Drew Brees (190 yards) had a very quiet day, largely because the Saints’ defense scored two TDs on Jets’ turnovers.

– It looks like the Broncos defense is for real, so I wouldn’t read too much into Tony Romo’s poor day (255 yards, INT). He should still be in lineups against most teams.

– Kyle Orton (243 pass yards, 2 TD) is at best a mediocre NFL quarterback, but he’s posting pretty good numbers in Josh McDaniel’s offense.

– Shaun Hill (152 yards, 2 TD) had his second straight good game and should be rostered in most 12-team leagues. He’s backup/QBBC material right now, but he seems to be past his slow start.

Fantasy Fallout, Week 4: RBs

– Kevin Smith (19 carries, 30 yards, 2 TD) was banged up coming in, but ended up having a nice fantasy day against a pretty good Bears defense. He needs to be in lineups because he’s one of the few true featured backs in the leagues.

– Don’t worry about Maurice Jones-Drew’s lack of touches (9 touches, 40 yards, TD). The Jags jumped out on the Titans and decided to rest him.

– Predictably, Matt Forte (14 touches, 140 yards, TD) had a great game against the Lions.

– Jerome Harrison (34 touches, 152 yards) was the featured back with Jamal Lewis out. James Davis is done for the season, so as long as Lewis is sidelined, Harrison should be the main guy and a pretty good start. He’s especially sneaky in PPR leagues given how active he is in the Browns’ rushing game.

– Darren McFadden (7 touches, 2 yards) was a total bust in a great matchup against Houston’s terrible run defense. The Texans loaded up the box and showed no respect for JaMarcus Russell. Complicating matters, Justin Fargas (11 touches, 38 yards) was productive and received more touches. McFadden will be out 2-4 weeks with a knee injury.

– Steve Slaton (23 rushes, 89 yards, 2 TD) was bound to bounce back after a few tough matchups to start the season and he broke out in a big way. He’s back to Top 10 to Top 15 status going forward.

Fantasy Fallout, Week 4: WRs

– Devin Hester (1-2) almost scored on his one catch, but was knocked out of the game. It doesn’t look serious. Johnny Knox (5-31) was the top Bears’ receiver and scored on a kickoff return.

– Mohamed Massaquoi (8-148) was targeted 13 times by Derek Anderson compared to Braylon Edwards’ five targets. Edwards failed to register a catch. Is Massaquoi the Browns’ new WR1? He certainly had his coming out party against the Bengals.

– Austin Collie (6-65-1) had a very nice game against the Seahawks, including a terrific TD catch. He has caught nine passes for 112 yards and a TD in the last two weeks.

– Mike Sims-Walker (7-92-2) is a stud. He has caught 19 passes over the last three weeks. He fits the mold of a third-year breakout WR, but was on a lot of waiver wires to start the year because he was missing time due to injury late in the preseason. To this point, he looks like the waiver wire pickup of the year.

Fantasy Fallout, Week 4: TEs

– Greg Olsen (1-1, TD) only caught one pass, but he made it count. He was targeted seven times, so he’s still an integral part of the Bears’ offense.

– Marcedes Lewis (4-76-1) is turning into a starter-quality TE. Over four games, he’s averaging 2.8 catches for 45 yards and 0.5 TD. That’s 10.3 fantasy points per game in PPR leagues.

– Vernon Davis (3-43-1) continues to produce and is starting to become an every-week starter at TE. I’m worried about the lack of targets (he had four against the Rams), but since the 49ers led the whole way, they didn’t need to pass much.

– Heath Miller (8-70-2) was continuously open against the Chargers. He’s not always that involved in the passing game, but when the Steelers throw 33 times, he’s bound to get a few targets.

– Antonio Gates (9-124-2) single-handedly won more than a few fantasy games this week.