Jeremy Shockey (5-50) was frustrated after his team’s loss to the Panthers and may have aggravated his groin injury on the first play of the game. He finished with decent numbers, but keep an eye on his status this week…Dante Rosario failed to catch a pass against the Saints…Visanthe Shiancoe (4-68-1) doesn’t bring it every week, but he’s much more of a threat now that there’s a QB in Minny that can hit the open man…With Devin Hester out, look for Greg Olsen (6-74-1) to become even more involved in Chicago’s passing attack…Despite the Chiefs not agreeing to Gonzo’s trade request, the tight end still went out and caught six passes for 97 yards…Bo Scaife (3-48) continues to be the best thing the Titans have going in the passing game.
Tag: fantasy football strategy (Page 69 of 80)
In the NO/CAR game, Muhsin Muhammad (3-43) and Lance Moore (3-10) came back to Earth a little bit. It’s tough to count on either of them, especially Moore who failed to produce even though the Saints were trailing most of the game…Bernard Berrian (6-81-1) is turning into a must-start with Gus Frerotte under center. Berran is now averaging 5.0-96-0.6 since Frerotte took over in Week 3…Devin Hester (2-22) left the game with a quad injury and was unable to return…Both Housh (8-58) and Ocho Cinco (8-52-1) were targeted often by Ryan Fitzpatrick, and it looks like Carson Palmer may be out a while…The Chiefs are a mess, but Dwayne Bowe (7-86) still put up good numbers in PPR leagues…Derrick Mason (6-87-1) continues to be Joe Flacco’s favorite target and is a WR2/WR3 in PPR leagues…Terrell Owens (2-31) looks like he’s going to suffer while Tony Romo is out…Jerricho Cotchery’s dismal outing (1-0) throws his must-start status into flux. It might have had more to do with Oakland’s fine CB Nnamdi Asomugha than anything the Jets were doing.
LT2 did some damage in PPR leagues (with six catches), but he totaled 67 yards on 20 touches and failed to score. After his Week 9 bye, he has four nice matchups over the next six weeks, but that might be too late for his owners to make a run…Reggie Bush (10 touches, 60 yards) is out for the next 3-4 weeks with a meniscus injury in his knee. This is the downside of drafting Bush. Deuce McAllister looks like he will get the bulk of the work in his absence…Chris Johnson (20 touches, 172 yards, TD) and LenDale White (18 touches, 156 yards, 3 TD) both went nuts against the worst rush defense in the league (KC)…Willis McGahee (21 touches, 152 yards, TD) is still RB1 in Baltimore when he can play…Ronnie Brown’s (14 carries, 28 yards) schedule is pretty easy from here on out, so if you might want to buy low after a bad game against the Ravens…Steven Jackson (27 touches, 176 yards, 3 TD) ran like a madman this week. He’s definitely back in must-start territory…Ryan Grant (33 touches, 117 yards, TD) looked pretty good against a very bad Colts rush defense. His schedule isn’t very favorable over the next several weeks, so you might want to think about selling high…Thomas Jones (25 touches, 159 yards) is looking good and he has a favorable upcoming schedule. It might not be a bad idea to try to snatch him away from an unsuspecting owner…Clinton Portis (28 touches, 183 yards, TD) is looking like a top 5 back. He shrugged off a hip flexor to post big numbers against the Browns…Jamal Lewis (20 touches, 98 yards) played better than his stats would indicate. He almost scored on a catch and had a couple of goal line opportunities, but the Browns’ line failed to get the necessary push…Julius Jones (8 touches, 37 yards) and Maurice Morris (8 touches, 68 yards) are back in a timeshare now that Morris is healthy again.
Trent Edwards isn’t going to single-handedly win any fantasy games, but he isn’t going to lose any, either. Outside of the Arizona game where he was knocked out with a concussion, Edwards has thrown for at least one TD in each game and is averaging 238 yards passing…Drew Brees (231 yards, INT) had a bad outing, but it’s probably more of an aberration than a trend. Brees’ schedule the rest of the way is pretty favorable…Ben Roethlisberger (216 yards, 2 TD) looked pretty sharp and is back on track to finish in the top 10 at QB…The Dallas offense did not seem sharp with Brad Johnson (234 yards, TD, 3 INT) under center, so the Cowboys will probably try to get Tony Romo back under center as soon as they can…Marc Bulger (173 yards, TD) looked pretty good and should make for a decent backup going forward.
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 Donovan McNabb, 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: There are a number of fringe QBs that have nice matchups this week. Matt Schaub (vs. DET), Trent Edwards (vs. SD), Matt Cassel (vs. DEN), Jeff Garcia (vs. SEA), Brad Johnson (@ STL, assuming Tony Romo doesn’t play), JaMarcus Russell (vs. NYJ) and Dan Orlovsky (@ HOU) all face suspect pass defenses.
RB: Chris Johnson (@ KC) and LenDale White have a tantalizing matchup against the Chiefs, who are dead last in the league against the run…Thomas Jones (@ OAK) is a good start against the Raiders, who have allowed 1.6 rush TD per game this season…Steve Slaton (vs. DET) should be in your iineups against a very bad Lions defense (171 rush yards per game). Detroit did play inspired ball against the Vikings, but I’d expect the Texans to have more success…Ryan Grant (vs. IND) faces a Colts defense that has yielded 161 rushing yards per game. If he can’t get it going against Indy, he may not get it going this season…With Laurence Maroney and LaMont Jordan hobbled, Sammy Morris (vs. DEN) against a bad Bronco rush defense…For the desperate, Rudi Johnson (@ HOU) has a nice matchup with the Texans, who have given up 2.0 rush TD per game this season.
WR: This wouldn’t be a bad week to start Derrick Mason (@ MIA), as the Dolphins are #29 against the pass (239 yards per game)…Steve Smith is a no-brainer, but Muhsin Muhammad (vs. NO) should start as well. The Saints are 21st against the pass…Bernard Berrian (vs. MIN) is on fire right now (4.8-100-0.5 over the last four games) and he faces a Bears defense that is 27th in the league against the pass.
LEAVE ‘EM
QB: Just as there are a number of fringe QBs with nice matchups, there are several with bad matchups as well. Derek Anderson (@ WAS) showed some life last week, but he has a tough matchup with the Redskins this week…Brodie Croyle (vs. TEN) should not be trusted against a very good Titans defense…Chad Pennigton (vs. BAL) should ride the pine against what is probably the best defense in the league.
RB: The Chris Perry/Cedric Benson/Kenny Watson nightmare should be benched this week against a very good Steeler rush defense…Julius Jones and Maurice Morris (@ TB) face a Bucs defense that is 9th in the league against the rush and still hasn’t allowed a rushing touchdown this season…I would still start them, but these players have tough matchups this week: Willis McGahee (@ MIA), Jamal Lewis (@ WAS), Ronnie Brown (vs. BAL), Adrian Peterson (@ CHI) and Reggie Bush (@ CAR).
WR: I don’t know that I would bench any of the WR1’s on these teams, but the Bengals, Browns, Packers, Chiefs, Saints and Steelers all have bad matchups. You can probably still start Housh, Brylon, Jennings, Bowe, Colston, Ward and Holmes, but you might want to leave Ocho Cinco, Stallworth, Driver and Lance Moore on the bench.
DTBWW
Welcome to the world of Defensive Team By Waiver Wire. Each week, you pick up a defense, usually 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 50% of ESPN fantasy leagues.
HOU (vs. DET)
MIA (vs. BAL)
Last week’s picks:
Redskins: 19 PA + 2 SK + 1 FR = 5 fantasy points
Jets: 14 PA + 5 SK + 1 FR = 10 fantasy points
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