Like with any other week in fantasy football, we always have injuries
which need to be talked about. Nothing significant luckily took place
leading into Monday's games however so all in all most owners came out
fine.
-Major scare for Kansas City Chiefs RB Jamaal
Charles who came out of the team's win over the Jacksonville Jaguars
with a quad injury. Charles came back to carry the ball one more time
though and pronounced himself all right after the game. Crisis averted
but it is a reminder of how fragile Charles can be given his slight
frame. It is fears about his durability that likely will keep Andy Reid
from giving Charles much more than the 16 carries he got Sunday.
-Same
deal for Danny Amendola who also came out of his game early with
injury, for him a sore groin. It was the same malady that kept Amendola
out for some of the preseason,. However he returned for the second
half and went on to have a big day with 10 catches which speaks to his
massive potential in the offense. It is only a matter of time before he
gets hurt again so enjoy Amendola while he lasts. Some guys have
firmly proven they just can't make it through a season playing all 16
games and Amendola is certainly one who falls squarely into this
category.
-Indianapolis Colts tight end Dwayne Allen
caught a TD pass from Andrew Luck Sunday but he finished the game in the
locker room nursing a foot injury. No word if it is related to the one
he hurt in the preseason. Coby Fleener would take a step up in value
if Allen were to miss any time going forward.
-One guy
who we should be concerned about is Dallas Cowboys QB Tony Romo who is
headed for testing on the injured rubs he suffered in Sunday night's win
over the New York Giants. Romo took a shot to the rubs in the second
quarter and was in quite a bit of pain on the sidelines. He did return
for the third quarter however but his passes lacked zip. Late word is
that the team fears a broken rib which could go one of two ways. One
would be that Romo could play with padding depending on if it is a small
crack. Or Romo could be out a few weeks which of course would be the
worst case scenario for his owners. Always one of my favorites, Romo is
criminally underrated considering he is a good bet for 30 touchdowns
and 4,500 yards. This one bears watchign so keep checking back during
the day Monday.
-Roddy White was a complete non-factor
in the team's game against the New Orleans Saints due to the high ankle
sprain that his limited him all summer. He caught two meaningless
passes and his immediate value is called into questions based on how
poorly he played. If you are a White owner, you may want to bench him
next week in order to give that ankle another week to get better and
thus being out the true number 1 wideout he really is.
-Kudos
for Reggie Bush fighting though a groin injury and a broken finger to
finish with a monster rushing and receiving game. For a guy who has had
more than his share of injuries, it was nice to see Bush hang in
there. He and Joquie Bell and both looking like terrific PPR weapons.
There you have it. As always lets hear what you think.
Monday, September 9, 2013
FANTASY FOOTBALL WEEK 1 4:00 GAMES WRAPUP
Only a few games once the 1:00 outings were in the books but of course a lot to talk about.
-I spoke on more than a few occasions about the nice prospects of new Arizona Cardinals QB Carson Palmer who still has a big time arm but only needed to be surrounded with talent which was not the case in 2012 in Oakland. However with a terrific threesome of wideouts in Larry Fitzgerald, Michael Floyd, and Andre Roberts, Palmer was certainly going to be put in position to be an under the radar weekly fantasy football starter. Never shy about throwing down the field, Palmer lit up the solid Rams defense by throwing for 327 yards with 2 TD and 1 INT. The Cardinals can't run the football so they will throw all day long. You can do a lot worse than having Palmer as your every week starter and at the very least he is as good as backup as you can get.
-Larry Fitzgerald was a guy I just had to have this drafting season due the arrival of Palmer and how it would instantly turn him back into a top five fantasy football wide receiver. I just missed out on Fitz in the Experts League draft and watched as he predictably caught 8 passes for 80 yards and 2 scores. We could be looking at 90-100 catches and 10-12 touchdowns.
Andre Roberts was also a prime beneficiary of Palmer's arrival, catching 8 passes of his own for 97 yards. Meanewhile Floyd, another decent sleeper, caught 4 for 82 yards. Big plays all around. Now in handicapping the second Cardinals receiver in terms of fantasy football, Roberts is the one to own as he the team's number 2 receiver and plays a slot role where he will be open over the middle due to the attention payed to Fitzgerald.
-Sam Bradford was bound to be better this season due to the additions of Jared Cook and Tavon Austin and so far so good. We are still not talking about Bradford as anything more than a backup, even after throwing for 299 yards with 2 scores and 1 INT.
Speaking of Cook, my goodness was he terrific. I wrote a SLEEPER piece on Cook early on the summer arguing that he should be drafted as a starter due to the fact the super athletic tight end was completely underutilized in QB-cesspool Tennessee. Well Cook showed why I was so optimistic as he was one of the offensive stars of the day in catching 7 passes for 141 yards and 2 touchdowns. Cook should have scored three touchdowns but he had the football knocked out of his hands five yards from the end zone on a breakaway catch. Pick him up in all formats and in actuality Cook is right there with Julius Thomas as a top tight end add for Week 2.
-I drafted Tavon Austin and had him in there as my WR 3 over Mike Williams who caught a TD for Tampa Bay. The results were pretty unspectacular as Austin caught 6 nondescript passes for only 41 yards. There will be some big plays and a decent amount of catches so Austin does all right in PPR leagues but I was a bit too optimistic right out of the gate.
-Rashard Mendenhall still looked slow and ineffective. Remains as RB 3. Daryl Richardson meanwhile caught 5 passes which helps for those in PPR leagues but any other setup makes him a bench guy.
-The stars of the day no doubt had to be the combination of San Francisco 49ers QB Colin Kaepernick and new WR Anquan Boldin. Coming off his spectacular debut in 2012 when he took the team to the Super Bowl, Kaepernick was a slam dunk top ten fantasy football QB. I never considered drafting him however as I like to see a second season of top production before I am totally on board. Well my loss as Kaepernick tossed for a ridiculous 412 yards and 3 touchdowns while also rushing for 22. Wow. Kaepernick can do it all and even though the Packers defense is a horror show, this could get crazy good for those who trusted in his skills.
-On the other side Aaron Rodgers was his typical great self. He was overshadowed by the flash of Kaepernick but still threw 3 touchdowns of his own with 333 yards and 1 fluky INT.
-Eddie Lacy did some good and bad. The good was the late rushing touchdown and the bad was the lost fumble. Only 41 yards on 14 carries but the Packers were not running much after the second quarter.
-Anquan Boldin. Unreal. Only that word can sum up what he did on Sunday in catching 13 passes for an insane 208 yards and 1 touchdown. Michael Crabtree's loss is clearly Boldin's gain. Forgotten during his time in Baltimore which was never a big time throwing operation, don't forget that Boldin was a 90-100-plus catch guy when with Arizona. Yes he is aging but as long as he is on the field, Boldin could turn out to be one of the very best values in the entire game. Admit it. You didn't have one pang of regret when the guy in your league drafted Boldin at the time it took place. The regret we will feel is settling in now for sure.
-Jordy Nelson and Randall Cobb both caught 7 passes for a score. They both are a clear notch above James Jones.
-Vernon Davis has always been a much better standard league guy than a PPR one but he was an asset across the board in catching 6 passes for 98 yards and two touchdowns.
-Now for the Giants' David Wilson. I mean where do you begin? I posed a POLL on who was the biggest bust for fantasy football Week 1 but that was before Wilson's horrendous outing when he rushed for a grand total of 19 yards on 7 carries including two lost fumbles that had Tom Coughlin looking like he would have a coronary on the sidelines. In addition, Wilson whiffed on a block that resulted in a pancake smash on Eli Manning. You may think pass protection is not something to concern ourselves with but that is nonsense. If you can't pass protect as a runner, you won't play as much since team's don't want to get their QB annihilated. Wilson was rightfully benched for the overmatched De'Rell Scott and really I expect Beanie Wells to be on town this morning. It was that bad. Right now if you are a Wilson fan, you are looking at a potentially gigantic bust. Sure it is only one week but Wilson was as bad as you can get and Coughlin won't deal with the shoddy pass protection and fumbles.
-Eli Manning is feast or famine. He throws a lot of picks (3 last night) but also pioneers an explosive passing offense as he tossed four touchdowns and 450 passing yards. Victor Cruz was his main target, catching THREE touchdowns on his 5 receptions. Hakeem Nicks meanwhile looked good with five catches of his own for 114 yards while looking spry. Even Reuben Randle got in on the action with 5 catches for 101 yards. Randle has a lot of potential, especially if Nicks gets hurt again.
-Tight end Brandon Myers picked up where he left off in 2012 by leading the Giants with 7 catches for 66 yards and a score. With the Giants having no running game, Cruz, Nicks, Myers et al could be getting a ton of looks from Manning in weekly shootouts. We could be looking at New Orleans-lite.
-I kind of brushed over Cruz but he was ridiculous himself. Three touchdowns by any receiver is crazy good and Cruz has cemented his status as a number 1 receiver.
-Tony Romo threw for 263 yard and 2 touchdowns with 1 pick and got dinged up before the half. He returned and finished the game with no issues though. He finally found Jason Witten near the end zone, getting both of his touchdown passes to the best pass catching tight end in football. This of course drives me batty since I have owned Witten for the last six years no joke. I finally gave up on him this season due to the fact he always comes up way short in the touchdown region despite all those catches and than he goes out in the opener and gets two right out of the gate. I hate this game sometimes. I really do.
There you have it. As always let us hear your thoughts.
-I spoke on more than a few occasions about the nice prospects of new Arizona Cardinals QB Carson Palmer who still has a big time arm but only needed to be surrounded with talent which was not the case in 2012 in Oakland. However with a terrific threesome of wideouts in Larry Fitzgerald, Michael Floyd, and Andre Roberts, Palmer was certainly going to be put in position to be an under the radar weekly fantasy football starter. Never shy about throwing down the field, Palmer lit up the solid Rams defense by throwing for 327 yards with 2 TD and 1 INT. The Cardinals can't run the football so they will throw all day long. You can do a lot worse than having Palmer as your every week starter and at the very least he is as good as backup as you can get.
-Larry Fitzgerald was a guy I just had to have this drafting season due the arrival of Palmer and how it would instantly turn him back into a top five fantasy football wide receiver. I just missed out on Fitz in the Experts League draft and watched as he predictably caught 8 passes for 80 yards and 2 scores. We could be looking at 90-100 catches and 10-12 touchdowns.
Andre Roberts was also a prime beneficiary of Palmer's arrival, catching 8 passes of his own for 97 yards. Meanewhile Floyd, another decent sleeper, caught 4 for 82 yards. Big plays all around. Now in handicapping the second Cardinals receiver in terms of fantasy football, Roberts is the one to own as he the team's number 2 receiver and plays a slot role where he will be open over the middle due to the attention payed to Fitzgerald.
-Sam Bradford was bound to be better this season due to the additions of Jared Cook and Tavon Austin and so far so good. We are still not talking about Bradford as anything more than a backup, even after throwing for 299 yards with 2 scores and 1 INT.
Speaking of Cook, my goodness was he terrific. I wrote a SLEEPER piece on Cook early on the summer arguing that he should be drafted as a starter due to the fact the super athletic tight end was completely underutilized in QB-cesspool Tennessee. Well Cook showed why I was so optimistic as he was one of the offensive stars of the day in catching 7 passes for 141 yards and 2 touchdowns. Cook should have scored three touchdowns but he had the football knocked out of his hands five yards from the end zone on a breakaway catch. Pick him up in all formats and in actuality Cook is right there with Julius Thomas as a top tight end add for Week 2.
-I drafted Tavon Austin and had him in there as my WR 3 over Mike Williams who caught a TD for Tampa Bay. The results were pretty unspectacular as Austin caught 6 nondescript passes for only 41 yards. There will be some big plays and a decent amount of catches so Austin does all right in PPR leagues but I was a bit too optimistic right out of the gate.
-Rashard Mendenhall still looked slow and ineffective. Remains as RB 3. Daryl Richardson meanwhile caught 5 passes which helps for those in PPR leagues but any other setup makes him a bench guy.
-The stars of the day no doubt had to be the combination of San Francisco 49ers QB Colin Kaepernick and new WR Anquan Boldin. Coming off his spectacular debut in 2012 when he took the team to the Super Bowl, Kaepernick was a slam dunk top ten fantasy football QB. I never considered drafting him however as I like to see a second season of top production before I am totally on board. Well my loss as Kaepernick tossed for a ridiculous 412 yards and 3 touchdowns while also rushing for 22. Wow. Kaepernick can do it all and even though the Packers defense is a horror show, this could get crazy good for those who trusted in his skills.
-On the other side Aaron Rodgers was his typical great self. He was overshadowed by the flash of Kaepernick but still threw 3 touchdowns of his own with 333 yards and 1 fluky INT.
-Eddie Lacy did some good and bad. The good was the late rushing touchdown and the bad was the lost fumble. Only 41 yards on 14 carries but the Packers were not running much after the second quarter.
-Anquan Boldin. Unreal. Only that word can sum up what he did on Sunday in catching 13 passes for an insane 208 yards and 1 touchdown. Michael Crabtree's loss is clearly Boldin's gain. Forgotten during his time in Baltimore which was never a big time throwing operation, don't forget that Boldin was a 90-100-plus catch guy when with Arizona. Yes he is aging but as long as he is on the field, Boldin could turn out to be one of the very best values in the entire game. Admit it. You didn't have one pang of regret when the guy in your league drafted Boldin at the time it took place. The regret we will feel is settling in now for sure.
-Jordy Nelson and Randall Cobb both caught 7 passes for a score. They both are a clear notch above James Jones.
-Vernon Davis has always been a much better standard league guy than a PPR one but he was an asset across the board in catching 6 passes for 98 yards and two touchdowns.
-Now for the Giants' David Wilson. I mean where do you begin? I posed a POLL on who was the biggest bust for fantasy football Week 1 but that was before Wilson's horrendous outing when he rushed for a grand total of 19 yards on 7 carries including two lost fumbles that had Tom Coughlin looking like he would have a coronary on the sidelines. In addition, Wilson whiffed on a block that resulted in a pancake smash on Eli Manning. You may think pass protection is not something to concern ourselves with but that is nonsense. If you can't pass protect as a runner, you won't play as much since team's don't want to get their QB annihilated. Wilson was rightfully benched for the overmatched De'Rell Scott and really I expect Beanie Wells to be on town this morning. It was that bad. Right now if you are a Wilson fan, you are looking at a potentially gigantic bust. Sure it is only one week but Wilson was as bad as you can get and Coughlin won't deal with the shoddy pass protection and fumbles.
-Eli Manning is feast or famine. He throws a lot of picks (3 last night) but also pioneers an explosive passing offense as he tossed four touchdowns and 450 passing yards. Victor Cruz was his main target, catching THREE touchdowns on his 5 receptions. Hakeem Nicks meanwhile looked good with five catches of his own for 114 yards while looking spry. Even Reuben Randle got in on the action with 5 catches for 101 yards. Randle has a lot of potential, especially if Nicks gets hurt again.
-Tight end Brandon Myers picked up where he left off in 2012 by leading the Giants with 7 catches for 66 yards and a score. With the Giants having no running game, Cruz, Nicks, Myers et al could be getting a ton of looks from Manning in weekly shootouts. We could be looking at New Orleans-lite.
-I kind of brushed over Cruz but he was ridiculous himself. Three touchdowns by any receiver is crazy good and Cruz has cemented his status as a number 1 receiver.
-Tony Romo threw for 263 yard and 2 touchdowns with 1 pick and got dinged up before the half. He returned and finished the game with no issues though. He finally found Jason Witten near the end zone, getting both of his touchdown passes to the best pass catching tight end in football. This of course drives me batty since I have owned Witten for the last six years no joke. I finally gave up on him this season due to the fact he always comes up way short in the touchdown region despite all those catches and than he goes out in the opener and gets two right out of the gate. I hate this game sometimes. I really do.
There you have it. As always let us hear your thoughts.
FANTASY FOOTBALL WEEK 1 1:00 GAMES WRAPUP
The 1:00 were jam-packed with notable actions and injuries so let's get it all out there for discussion.
-It is only one game but the Pittsburgh Steelers offense looked downright pathetic which calls into questions any of the players associated with the mess we saw against the Tennessee Titans. Never a fantasy star to begin with, Ben Roethlisberger threw for only 191 yards and 1 TD with 1 INT against one of the worst defenses in football in 2012. Once again Big Ben was running for his life behind an awful line which is the same story we have talked about for years. Antonio Bronwn (5 catches for 71 yards) and especially Emmanuel Sanders (7 catches for 57 yards) did well enough for themselves in PPR formats but no scores by either. Still looking forward to LeVeon Bell's return but the rest of the Steeler weaponry leaves a lot to be desired.
-As far as Tennessee was concerned, Chris Johnson was a non-factor with 70 yards on 25 carries with ZERO receptions. The big story was the fact Jackie Battle was in for goal-line work, culminating in a rushing touchdown. Battle did nicely around the goal-line for the Chiefs last season and so there is big time concern about Johnson's overall value if he is not going to be put in position to score touchdowns. This needs to be watched very closely as Johnson's value could go tumbling.
-Geno Smith did all right in his first NFL start, throwing for 256 yards with 1 TD and 1 INT while also rushing for 47 yards in a shocking victory. No need to go out and make an add though as the same questions regarding the lack of weapons for Smith continues. They face a still uptick in quality of opposition next week versus New England.
-As predicted Bilal Powell did nothing in rushing for 29 yards on 12 carries. Whether it is Powell or Chris Ivory, don't even think of adding a Jets running back.
-Disappointing day for Doug Martin who ran for only 65 yards but he did score. The Jets defense is tough so no worries. Martin will be just fine.
-Vincent Jackson was a terror in grabbing 7 passes for 154 yards, including what was looking like the catch that would clinch the game for the Buc's. While Jackson has never been a PPR guy, he is still a fine WR 1 option.
-One Jets who could get a look is tight end Kellen Winslow who caught 7 passes for 79 yards and a score. We are always on the lookout for tight end help and Winslow is a proven name who can still get it done as evidenced by his performance in this game.
-We learned a long time ago never to doubt Tom Brady no matter who his receivers are and the opener against Buffalo continued to show why this is the case. Brady fought though an unexpectedly stiff challenge from the Bills defense in throwing for 288 yards and 2 scores with 1 pick. He quickly got to work with new toy Danny Amendola, who shook off a slight groin injury to catch 10 passes for 104 yards. Yup the comparisons to Wes Welker are spot on but the going issue is a reminder of how risky Amendola is to own. However the upside is huge if he can somehow keep himself on the field. 100 catches is the upside.
Meanwhile, the much-hyped Kenbrell Thompkins was a non-story with 4 catches for 42 yards. Hold onto him though for another week as you can't toss aside any Brady receiver that quickly.
-One guy we had a big time sleeper label attached to was Shane Vereen given his ability to catch the football and he did that and more Sunday. Vereen replaced a benched Stevan Ridley by rushing for 101 yards on only 14 carries to go with 7 catches for 58 yards. Depending on if Ridley stays in the doghouse, Vereen could be a HUGE player going forward, At the very least Vereen needs to be used in PPR formats.
Speaking of Ridley, he was awful in losing a fumble while rushing for only 46 yards. Since Ridley doesn't catch the football, he needs to put up nice rushing and touchdown numbers to be useful. Watch this week to see if any news comes out of the benching.
-Buffalo Bills coach Doug Marrone vowed to use both Fred Jackson and C.J. Spiller in the running game and he was true to his word. Jackson actually outrushed Spiller 67 to 41 yards with four less carries. Also Spiller didn't help matters by losing a fumble in the first half. If Jackson continues to have this much work, than Spiller's value is negatively effected. It was this uncertainty that had me questioning Spiller's worth as a first round pick. So far my concerns are validated.
-Now let's get to rookie QB E.J. Manuel. The rookie was exciting in preseason and he did nothing to quell that optimism Sunday in throwing for 150 yards with 2 touchdowns and no INT's. He also ran for 23 yards in showing his rushing game. While Manuel is not there yet as a fantasy football option, I wouldn't object if you made a sleeper add.
-Julian Edelman slipped through the cracks when it came to talking about the receivers on the Patriots this season. The only holdover to make an impact other than Shane Vereen, Edelman caught 7 passed for 79 yards and 2 touchdowns. He will be one of the biggest adds of the coming week and rightfully so.
-The shootout that was expected in the New Orleans-Atlanta game certainly materialized. Drew Brees threw for 357 yards with 2 TD's and 1 INT which is standard operating procedure for him. His counterpart Matt Ryan tossed two touchdowns of his own for 304 yards with 2 scores and a late second INT. The only thing I could quibble about was the shoddy protection from the Atlanta offensive line which could negatively impact Ryan's passing numbers and leave him susceptible to injury.
As far as the rest of the cast of characters, Tony Gonzalez caught a touchdown pass but otherwise was quiet 3 catches for 36 yards. Roddy White was a guy I told you to be careful with due to his high ankle sprain that has kept him from practicing. The result was only 2 catches for 19 yards in a no-show game. I did say to pick up Harry Douglas and he caught 4 passes for 93 yards. Julio Jones was the most productive wideout for the Falcons with 7 catches for 76 yards and a score. Not a good start for White who is on the wrong side of 30 amid worries he is on the decline.
-On the flip side, Marques Colston did his thing: 5 catches for 68 yards and a touchdown. Jimmy Graham got the other score on 4 receptions for 45 yards. Truth be told I expected more out of Graham in this one but at least he hit paydirt. Finally both running games did little but Steven Jackson is still a solid RB 2 while Mark Ingram should be left on the wire.
-Scary day for Jamaal Charles owners. The electric running back was terrific with 77 rushing yards on only 16 carries and a score while also catching 3 passes for 23. The bigger story however was Charles leaving with a quad injury which is very scary for running backs. However Charles did return and had one more carry before he called it a day so he seems like he dodged a bullet. Big exhale for Charles owners who would have been beyond devastated for any game he would potentially miss.
As far as Maurice Jones-Drew is concerned, he did nothing to dispel the notion he was a bad investment for 2013 given his age, the fact he is coming off injury, and is on a truly horrendous offense by rushing for 45 yards on 15 carries. MJD looked slow and hesitant. Very bad signs.
-As great as Russell Wilson was as a rookie in 2012 which paved the way for him being a top ten fantasy football passer this season, he had never thrown for 300 yards before. That is until Sunday when Wilson threw for 320 yards and a touchdown. Seattle is a run first and second offensive unit but Wilson is looking like a safe commodity.
Cam Newton meanwhile once again had a slow start to a season, throwing for only 125 yards but he did toss a touchdown to salvage things some. Newton has proven to be a volatile guy who goes up and down as the season goes on. You like more consistency but the bottom line numbers should be nice.
-How about Doug Baldwin? He led Seattle with 7 catches for 91 yards with both Golden Tate and Sidney Rice active. Steve Smith meanwhile scored on 6 catches for 51 yards.
-What a disaster if you owned any Miami Dolphins fantasy football-worthy player. Flat out the two biggest busts for the day were WR Mike Wallace and RB Lamar Miller. I spoke loudly about how I wouldn't touch Wallace as I think he is grossly overrated and the one catch he had Sunday with shaky QB Ryan Tannehill showed why. Ever the professional, Wallace popped off after the game. He is being paid like a WR 1 but in my view Wallace is nothing more than a WR 3.
Than you have Miller who will likely cause me to be 0-1 barring a miracle in the Experts League. So confident in my belief Miller would take off as a starter, I went with him over Ryan Matthews to fill the second RB slot on my squad. Miller's grand rushing total however was 3 yards on 10 carries. Clearly he earned the most curse words attached to his name this week.
-Jordan Cameron was a must have sleeper due to the fact his head coach is Rob Chudzinski who helped develop Antonio Gates and Kellen Winslow into stars. Well Cameron went along with the script in catching 9 passes for 108 yards and a score. Yes Brandon Weeden is awful but young QB's like him always look towards the tight end. We could be looking at a Jason Witten-like season out of Cameron.
-I told you that Matthew Stafford was looking like a terrific bargain guy at QB off his hard to explain bad 2012. With a tremendous collection of receivers, Stafford was in line for a major rebound. Stafford looked ready to make good on that promise in throwing for 357 yard with 2 TD and 1 INT.
-How about the one-two punch of Reggie Bush and Joquie Bell? Both guys were monsters Sundays, with Bush rushing for 90 yards and catching 4 passed for 101 yards and a score. Meanwhile Bell scored TWICE with 25 yards on the ground and another 5 receptions for 67 yards. By the looks of things, Bell is shaping up to be the goal-line back which is a negative for Bush. However the Lions want to throw to the running back as much as any other offense so both guys have very solid value.
-Only Adrian Peterson can score on his first carry, going 78 yards. Still Peterson failed to rush for 100 yards, netting 93 with two scores. He remains the top player in the game by a decent margin.
-Terrell Pryor played a like running back, rushing for 112 yards. His passing was another story however as he threw for 217 yards with a TD and 2 INT. Leave him on the wire.
Andrew Luck meanwhile got his first two touchdown passes on the season, along with a rushing score. Luck's ability to run is very underrated and as long as he gets decent protection, a 30-TD season is looking like a lock. The sky is still the limit.
-Want to know what Reggie Wayne eats for breakfast since he doesn't get old. He caught 8 passes for 96 yards and a touchdown Sunday and looks like he is ready to repeat his shockingly great 2012 campaign.
-Yes Matt Forte got the goal-line carries Sunday, resulting in his first touchdown of the season. This takes his value to its highest level, making Forte a RB 1 in both standard and PPR leagues.
-Nothing doing yet for Giovani Bernard who got only 4 carries. This is still the Law Firm's show.
-A.J. Green looks ready to try and challenge Calvin Johnson for the title of best receiver in football as he caught 2 touchdowns on 9 catches for 162 yards. Tremendous player.
There you have it. As always let us hear what you think.
-It is only one game but the Pittsburgh Steelers offense looked downright pathetic which calls into questions any of the players associated with the mess we saw against the Tennessee Titans. Never a fantasy star to begin with, Ben Roethlisberger threw for only 191 yards and 1 TD with 1 INT against one of the worst defenses in football in 2012. Once again Big Ben was running for his life behind an awful line which is the same story we have talked about for years. Antonio Bronwn (5 catches for 71 yards) and especially Emmanuel Sanders (7 catches for 57 yards) did well enough for themselves in PPR formats but no scores by either. Still looking forward to LeVeon Bell's return but the rest of the Steeler weaponry leaves a lot to be desired.
-As far as Tennessee was concerned, Chris Johnson was a non-factor with 70 yards on 25 carries with ZERO receptions. The big story was the fact Jackie Battle was in for goal-line work, culminating in a rushing touchdown. Battle did nicely around the goal-line for the Chiefs last season and so there is big time concern about Johnson's overall value if he is not going to be put in position to score touchdowns. This needs to be watched very closely as Johnson's value could go tumbling.
-Geno Smith did all right in his first NFL start, throwing for 256 yards with 1 TD and 1 INT while also rushing for 47 yards in a shocking victory. No need to go out and make an add though as the same questions regarding the lack of weapons for Smith continues. They face a still uptick in quality of opposition next week versus New England.
-As predicted Bilal Powell did nothing in rushing for 29 yards on 12 carries. Whether it is Powell or Chris Ivory, don't even think of adding a Jets running back.
-Disappointing day for Doug Martin who ran for only 65 yards but he did score. The Jets defense is tough so no worries. Martin will be just fine.
-Vincent Jackson was a terror in grabbing 7 passes for 154 yards, including what was looking like the catch that would clinch the game for the Buc's. While Jackson has never been a PPR guy, he is still a fine WR 1 option.
-One Jets who could get a look is tight end Kellen Winslow who caught 7 passes for 79 yards and a score. We are always on the lookout for tight end help and Winslow is a proven name who can still get it done as evidenced by his performance in this game.
-We learned a long time ago never to doubt Tom Brady no matter who his receivers are and the opener against Buffalo continued to show why this is the case. Brady fought though an unexpectedly stiff challenge from the Bills defense in throwing for 288 yards and 2 scores with 1 pick. He quickly got to work with new toy Danny Amendola, who shook off a slight groin injury to catch 10 passes for 104 yards. Yup the comparisons to Wes Welker are spot on but the going issue is a reminder of how risky Amendola is to own. However the upside is huge if he can somehow keep himself on the field. 100 catches is the upside.
Meanwhile, the much-hyped Kenbrell Thompkins was a non-story with 4 catches for 42 yards. Hold onto him though for another week as you can't toss aside any Brady receiver that quickly.
-One guy we had a big time sleeper label attached to was Shane Vereen given his ability to catch the football and he did that and more Sunday. Vereen replaced a benched Stevan Ridley by rushing for 101 yards on only 14 carries to go with 7 catches for 58 yards. Depending on if Ridley stays in the doghouse, Vereen could be a HUGE player going forward, At the very least Vereen needs to be used in PPR formats.
Speaking of Ridley, he was awful in losing a fumble while rushing for only 46 yards. Since Ridley doesn't catch the football, he needs to put up nice rushing and touchdown numbers to be useful. Watch this week to see if any news comes out of the benching.
-Buffalo Bills coach Doug Marrone vowed to use both Fred Jackson and C.J. Spiller in the running game and he was true to his word. Jackson actually outrushed Spiller 67 to 41 yards with four less carries. Also Spiller didn't help matters by losing a fumble in the first half. If Jackson continues to have this much work, than Spiller's value is negatively effected. It was this uncertainty that had me questioning Spiller's worth as a first round pick. So far my concerns are validated.
-Now let's get to rookie QB E.J. Manuel. The rookie was exciting in preseason and he did nothing to quell that optimism Sunday in throwing for 150 yards with 2 touchdowns and no INT's. He also ran for 23 yards in showing his rushing game. While Manuel is not there yet as a fantasy football option, I wouldn't object if you made a sleeper add.
-Julian Edelman slipped through the cracks when it came to talking about the receivers on the Patriots this season. The only holdover to make an impact other than Shane Vereen, Edelman caught 7 passed for 79 yards and 2 touchdowns. He will be one of the biggest adds of the coming week and rightfully so.
-The shootout that was expected in the New Orleans-Atlanta game certainly materialized. Drew Brees threw for 357 yards with 2 TD's and 1 INT which is standard operating procedure for him. His counterpart Matt Ryan tossed two touchdowns of his own for 304 yards with 2 scores and a late second INT. The only thing I could quibble about was the shoddy protection from the Atlanta offensive line which could negatively impact Ryan's passing numbers and leave him susceptible to injury.
As far as the rest of the cast of characters, Tony Gonzalez caught a touchdown pass but otherwise was quiet 3 catches for 36 yards. Roddy White was a guy I told you to be careful with due to his high ankle sprain that has kept him from practicing. The result was only 2 catches for 19 yards in a no-show game. I did say to pick up Harry Douglas and he caught 4 passes for 93 yards. Julio Jones was the most productive wideout for the Falcons with 7 catches for 76 yards and a score. Not a good start for White who is on the wrong side of 30 amid worries he is on the decline.
-On the flip side, Marques Colston did his thing: 5 catches for 68 yards and a touchdown. Jimmy Graham got the other score on 4 receptions for 45 yards. Truth be told I expected more out of Graham in this one but at least he hit paydirt. Finally both running games did little but Steven Jackson is still a solid RB 2 while Mark Ingram should be left on the wire.
-Scary day for Jamaal Charles owners. The electric running back was terrific with 77 rushing yards on only 16 carries and a score while also catching 3 passes for 23. The bigger story however was Charles leaving with a quad injury which is very scary for running backs. However Charles did return and had one more carry before he called it a day so he seems like he dodged a bullet. Big exhale for Charles owners who would have been beyond devastated for any game he would potentially miss.
As far as Maurice Jones-Drew is concerned, he did nothing to dispel the notion he was a bad investment for 2013 given his age, the fact he is coming off injury, and is on a truly horrendous offense by rushing for 45 yards on 15 carries. MJD looked slow and hesitant. Very bad signs.
-As great as Russell Wilson was as a rookie in 2012 which paved the way for him being a top ten fantasy football passer this season, he had never thrown for 300 yards before. That is until Sunday when Wilson threw for 320 yards and a touchdown. Seattle is a run first and second offensive unit but Wilson is looking like a safe commodity.
Cam Newton meanwhile once again had a slow start to a season, throwing for only 125 yards but he did toss a touchdown to salvage things some. Newton has proven to be a volatile guy who goes up and down as the season goes on. You like more consistency but the bottom line numbers should be nice.
-How about Doug Baldwin? He led Seattle with 7 catches for 91 yards with both Golden Tate and Sidney Rice active. Steve Smith meanwhile scored on 6 catches for 51 yards.
-What a disaster if you owned any Miami Dolphins fantasy football-worthy player. Flat out the two biggest busts for the day were WR Mike Wallace and RB Lamar Miller. I spoke loudly about how I wouldn't touch Wallace as I think he is grossly overrated and the one catch he had Sunday with shaky QB Ryan Tannehill showed why. Ever the professional, Wallace popped off after the game. He is being paid like a WR 1 but in my view Wallace is nothing more than a WR 3.
Than you have Miller who will likely cause me to be 0-1 barring a miracle in the Experts League. So confident in my belief Miller would take off as a starter, I went with him over Ryan Matthews to fill the second RB slot on my squad. Miller's grand rushing total however was 3 yards on 10 carries. Clearly he earned the most curse words attached to his name this week.
-Jordan Cameron was a must have sleeper due to the fact his head coach is Rob Chudzinski who helped develop Antonio Gates and Kellen Winslow into stars. Well Cameron went along with the script in catching 9 passes for 108 yards and a score. Yes Brandon Weeden is awful but young QB's like him always look towards the tight end. We could be looking at a Jason Witten-like season out of Cameron.
-I told you that Matthew Stafford was looking like a terrific bargain guy at QB off his hard to explain bad 2012. With a tremendous collection of receivers, Stafford was in line for a major rebound. Stafford looked ready to make good on that promise in throwing for 357 yard with 2 TD and 1 INT.
-How about the one-two punch of Reggie Bush and Joquie Bell? Both guys were monsters Sundays, with Bush rushing for 90 yards and catching 4 passed for 101 yards and a score. Meanwhile Bell scored TWICE with 25 yards on the ground and another 5 receptions for 67 yards. By the looks of things, Bell is shaping up to be the goal-line back which is a negative for Bush. However the Lions want to throw to the running back as much as any other offense so both guys have very solid value.
-Only Adrian Peterson can score on his first carry, going 78 yards. Still Peterson failed to rush for 100 yards, netting 93 with two scores. He remains the top player in the game by a decent margin.
-Terrell Pryor played a like running back, rushing for 112 yards. His passing was another story however as he threw for 217 yards with a TD and 2 INT. Leave him on the wire.
Andrew Luck meanwhile got his first two touchdown passes on the season, along with a rushing score. Luck's ability to run is very underrated and as long as he gets decent protection, a 30-TD season is looking like a lock. The sky is still the limit.
-Want to know what Reggie Wayne eats for breakfast since he doesn't get old. He caught 8 passes for 96 yards and a touchdown Sunday and looks like he is ready to repeat his shockingly great 2012 campaign.
-Yes Matt Forte got the goal-line carries Sunday, resulting in his first touchdown of the season. This takes his value to its highest level, making Forte a RB 1 in both standard and PPR leagues.
-Nothing doing yet for Giovani Bernard who got only 4 carries. This is still the Law Firm's show.
-A.J. Green looks ready to try and challenge Calvin Johnson for the title of best receiver in football as he caught 2 touchdowns on 9 catches for 162 yards. Tremendous player.
There you have it. As always let us hear what you think.
Saturday, September 7, 2013
FANTASY FOOTBALL STATUS REPORT: ARIAN FOSTER RB HOUSTON TEXANS
Big decisions on tap for a number of prime fantasy football
commodities and one comes right at the top of the running back heap with
the Houston Texans' Arian Foster who missed virtually all preseason
with calf and back injuries. Foster failed to play in any preseason
games and only this past week returned to the practice field fully which
prompted head coach Gary Kubiak to speak of how great he looked.
However Kubiak reiterated his plan to play Ben Tate quite a bit as well
in a concession to Foster not being totally in shape for a full load of
work. So what do Foster's fantasy football owners do for the
all-important week 1? Do they sit him and use a more stable workload
back? How effective will he be after missing so much time? Well the
answer to that in my opinion is to grade Foster as a RB 2 and nothing
more. He can't qualify as a RB 1 since Tate will get as much as half of
the carries. Sure Foster could have a big day against a shoddy San
Diego defense but the opportunities will be limited which cuts down on
his margin for error. Ultimately you should still start him unless you
got top end RB 3.
Friday, September 6, 2013
FANTASY FOOTBALL STATUS REPORT: JULIUS THOMAS TIGHT END DENVER BRONCOS
I mean you knew this column was going to be written before you even logged on. The race to the waiver wire to run and claim Julius Thomas likely made Usain Bolt envious as fantasy football owners reacted with the double expression of "who is Julius Thomas?" which was quickly followed by "damn I got to get him stat." Thomas caught 4 passes in the first half of the Broncos' opener against the Baltimore Ravens for 97 yards and 2 touchdowns which got to the frenzy going in full force and it never let up as he finished with 5 catches overall for 100. As fantasy football players, we react to the numbers and ask questions later. Hence why Thomas overnight will be the most accesses played in the entire game Friday. So with that said who the hell is Julius Thomas and where did he come from? Allow me to answer those questions as always.
The first point that needs to be made is that Julius Thomas is no rookie. He was actually a fourth round pick by the team out of renowned power Portland State (enter sarcasm) back in 2011 and came into the 2013 season with one career catch. Of course Thomas was just the latest ATHLETE drafted for the position as a former basketball player which was his first love. Hence Thomas joins trailblazer Antonio Gates and than later Kellen Winslow and others whose freakish athleticism honed on the hardwood eventually transitioned into the tight end spot in football. At 6-6 and 250 pounds, Thomas runs like the wind for his size which makes him a nightmare to contain by smallish defensive backs and slower linebackers. His blocking leaves a lot to be desired but we don't have a category for that in our game. Overall Thomas needed a few seasons to understand the intricacies of pro football but clearly he has figured some things given what he did on Thursday night. The Broncos surely helped the cause by playing Thomas more than any other offensive player during the preseason, where he caught everything thrown his way and where he first began to generate buzz. Now the buzz has exploded into overdrive hysteria and with Peyton Manning throwing him the football, Thomas could very well have the type of bustout season Gates had over 10 years ago.
Thursday, September 5, 2013
FANTASY FOOTBALL WEEK 1 QUARTERBACK RANKINGS
Here are the quarterback rankings for Week 1 fantasy football based on opposing matchups.
1. Drew Brees
2. Peyton Manning
3. Tom Brady
4. Matt Ryan
5. Aaron Rodgers
6. Colin Kaepernick
7. Tony Romo
8. Matthew Stafford
9. Andrew Luck
10. Russell Wilson
11. Michael Vick
12. Robert Griffin III
13. Joe Flacco
14. Eli Manning
15. Cam Newton
16. Ben Roethlisberger
17. Alex Smith
18. Sam Bradford
19. Matt Schaub
20. Andy Dalton
21. Carson Palmer
22. Jay Cutler
23. Brandon Weeden
24. Ryan Tannehill
25. Philip Rivers
26. Josh Freeman
27. Terrell Pryor
28. Christian Ponder
1. Drew Brees
2. Peyton Manning
3. Tom Brady
4. Matt Ryan
5. Aaron Rodgers
6. Colin Kaepernick
7. Tony Romo
8. Matthew Stafford
9. Andrew Luck
10. Russell Wilson
11. Michael Vick
12. Robert Griffin III
13. Joe Flacco
14. Eli Manning
15. Cam Newton
16. Ben Roethlisberger
17. Alex Smith
18. Sam Bradford
19. Matt Schaub
20. Andy Dalton
21. Carson Palmer
22. Jay Cutler
23. Brandon Weeden
24. Ryan Tannehill
25. Philip Rivers
26. Josh Freeman
27. Terrell Pryor
28. Christian Ponder
FANTASY FOOTBALL WEEK 1 RUNNING BACK RANKINGS
Let's take a look at the fantasy football Week 1 running back rankings based on opposing matchups.
1. Adrian Peterson
2. Doug Martin
3. Jamaal Charles
4. Stevan Ridley
5. C.J. Spiller
6. LeSean McCoy
7. Alfred Morris
8. Steven Jackson
9. Marshawn Lynch
10. Trent Richardson
11. Ray Rice
12. David Wilson
13. Matt Forte
14. Maurice Jones-Drew
15. Arian Foster
16. Reggie Bush
17. Frank Gore
18. Chris Johnson
19. Lamar Miller
20. DeMarco Murray
21. Darren Sproles
22. Darren McFadden
23. Ahmad Bradshaw
24. Eddie Lacy
25. Ryan Matthews
26. Giovani Bernard
27. Ben Tate
28. Shane Vereen
29. Daryl Richardson
30. DeAngelo Williams
31. Mark Ingram
32. Issac Redman
33. BenJarvus Green-Ellis
34. Rashard Mendenhall
35. Vick Ballard
1. Adrian Peterson
2. Doug Martin
3. Jamaal Charles
4. Stevan Ridley
5. C.J. Spiller
6. LeSean McCoy
7. Alfred Morris
8. Steven Jackson
9. Marshawn Lynch
10. Trent Richardson
11. Ray Rice
12. David Wilson
13. Matt Forte
14. Maurice Jones-Drew
15. Arian Foster
16. Reggie Bush
17. Frank Gore
18. Chris Johnson
19. Lamar Miller
20. DeMarco Murray
21. Darren Sproles
22. Darren McFadden
23. Ahmad Bradshaw
24. Eddie Lacy
25. Ryan Matthews
26. Giovani Bernard
27. Ben Tate
28. Shane Vereen
29. Daryl Richardson
30. DeAngelo Williams
31. Mark Ingram
32. Issac Redman
33. BenJarvus Green-Ellis
34. Rashard Mendenhall
35. Vick Ballard
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