Tag: Love ‘Em & Leave ‘Em (Page 3 of 8)

Last week, I changed the format of Love ‘Em & Leave ‘Em to stay within the context of my weekly positional rankings. I’ll typically discuss fringe starters that should only be in lineups under certain conditions as well as players that I have ranked higher (or lower) than the rest of the fantasy community.

My rankings often change throughout the week, so when in doubt, go with the rankings.

Joe Flacco (#8) has had his ups and downs this season, but he’s coming off three pretty solid performances and has the Pats’ 28th-ranked pass defense this week. I’m a little worried about Beligenius having a bye week to prepare, but the Pats have struggled in the secondary all season and Flacco should be able to hook up with Anquan Boldin, Derrick Mason and Todd Heap with regularity…Sure, he’s coming off of suspension, but Ben Roethlisberger (#9) is definitely starter quality this week against a Browns pass defense that has yielded an average of 214 yards and 1.6 pass TDs on the season…Kyle Orton (#6) seemingly has a bad matchup with the Jets, but they’ve actually been pretty bad against the pass (235 yards, 1.8 pass TDs) this season and Darrelle Revis may miss the game with hamstring injury. Besides, good defense or bad defense, it doesn’t matter to Orton, who has thrown for at least 295 yards and one TD in every game this season…Vince Young (#12) has a date with the Jags’ 28th-ranked pass defense that gives up 2.4 pass TDs per game. Young is a good bet to throw for at least 200 yards and two scores…Desperate? Everything is lined up for likely-on-your-waiver-wire Matt Cassel (#22) this week. The Texans are last in the league against the pass and while Cassel wasn’t great against the Colts, his numbers would have looked a lot better had Dwayne Bowe held onto that long TD pass.

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Since I’m releasing weekly positional rankings this season, it occurred to me that the Love ‘Em & Leave ‘Em picks were a little repetitive and lack context without discussing the player-by-player rankings as well. So going forward, I’m going to use a similar format, but I’ll often be referring to my positional rankings so that readers can get a sense of how I feel that player will perform against his peers.

It’s probably easier to dive right in than try to explain what’s bouncing around in my head. As always, I will still focus on those players that you’ll only start under certain circumstances (i.e. good matchups), so if you have a stud, just go ahead and plug them in.

Three lower-end fantasy QB1s — Matt Ryan (#7), Eli Manning (#6) and Joe Flacco (#8) — all have very nice matchups this week. I have Eli the highest because the Texans have the worst pass defense in the league and that’s the game that has the best chance at turning into a shootout. I could see the ATL/CLE and BAL/DEN games devolving into lower-scoring affairs…The Jaguars have given up 304 yards and 2.3 pass TDs per game this season, which is why I have Ryan Fitzpatrick ranked at #9. Fitzy is available in a lot of leagues, so if you need a readily available sleeper at QB, look no further…I think I’m probably higher on Kyle Orton (#11) this week than most fantasy ‘experts.’ It’s true that he has a very tough matchup, but with Knowshon Moreno still sidelined, the Broncos are going to have to spread the Ravens out and throw the ball a lot. Orton faced two pretty tough pass defenses in the last two weeks (IND and TEN) and he shredded both of them. The guy is just in a groove right now…Shaun Hill (#12) has averaged 301 yards and 1.7 TDs over the past three weeks, but the Rams are playing pretty good defense at the moment. Still, Hill has done it against three solid defenses (PHI, MIN, GB), so he should have a nice week.

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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. 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 Tony Romo, only do so if you have a clearly better option on your bench.

Matt Ryan should be in starting lineups this week given his favorable matchup against the 49ers, who have yielded 2.3 passing TDs through the first three weeks…Chad Henne figures to throw quite a bit against a suspect Pats secondary that is ranked 25th in yards allowed…Mark Sanchez looks like a safe start against the Bills, who are giving up 221 passing yards and 1.7 pass TDs per game…Need someone to plug in for Tony Romo or Brett Favre during their bye? Bruce Gradkowski played pretty well last week (255 yards, TD) in a good matchup and figures to throw a lot against a Houston pass defense that has given up 368 yards per game (along with 2.0 TDs)…Vince Young should be able to post nice numbers against a Broncos pass defense that has struggled not only against Peyton Manning, but David Garrard and Matt Hasselbeck as well.

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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. 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 Tony Romo, only do so if you have a clearly better option on your bench.

Mike Vick has another favorable matchup this week against the Jags, who rank 29th in the league against the pass…Carson Palmer has numerous weapons to throw to, and he’ll have a chance to utilize all of them this week against the Panthers, who have yielded 218 yards and 2.5 TDs per game through the first two weeks…Brett Favre hasn’t looked very good this season, and he may be without Percy Harvin, who is battling a hip injury and migraines. But he faces the Lions (305 yards, 2.0 TD per game), so if he can’t post good numbers this week, things are very bad in Minnesota…Need a deep sleeper? Ryan Fitzpatrick takes over as the Bills starter, and he’ll likely have to throw a ton too keep up with the Pats, who have showed quite a bit of vulnerability against the pass…I think David Garrard will have a bounce-back game against the Eagles (at home, where he plays well). Philly figures to score well, so Garrard will have to pass to keep up.

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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. 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 Tony Romo, 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.

Michael Vick showed that he still has the speed to cause headaches and with the Lions on tap, he’s probably going to have a big day… Despite missing much of the preseason due to an ankle injury, Donovan McNabb looked pretty good against the Cowboys, all things considered. This week, he has a terrific matchup with the Texans, who gave up over 400 yards passing to Peyton Manning last week. I wouldn’t expect that kind of production from McNabb, but 250 yards and a TD or two is well within reach…Joe Flacco has a big arm, and he threw for 248 yards against the Jets’ vaunted defense last week. With a much easier matchup against the Bengals coming up, he should have a very nice day…Need a sleeper? Jason Campbell threw for 180 yards and a TD against the Titans last week and even ran for 35 yards. With the Rams coming to town, he’s in line for a solid week…Need another sleeper? How about Josh Freeman, who faces a Panthers defense that struggled mightily against Eli Manning and the Giants last week?

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