FANTASY FOOTBALL MONDAY WRAPUP: PACKERS/BEARS

       

Monday night marked the conclusion of fantasy football Week 9 as the Green Bay Packers took on the Chicago Bears.  Some potentially big news coming out of this one so let's get right to the news.

-Getting right to the biggest news item of the night, all fantasy football owners of Aaron Rodgers are holding their breaths this morning after seeing their star QB go down with a shoulder injury in the first quarter of Monday's game.  Rodgers didn't return which likely cost the majority of his owners the victory.  Nothing new was released by the team after the game as far as the severity of the injury but Rodgers surely will be headed for tests.  Hold your breath time to say the least. 

Seneca Wallace didn't play well in Rodgers' place as expected, going only 11/19 for 114 yards and 1 INT.  As potent as the Packers' collection of offensive players are, Wallace is not up to par as being able to lead this attack.

-On the other side, Josh McCown was fantastic in throwing for 272 yards and 2 TD's with no turnovers.  That's about the best you could have expected from McCown who will likely head back to the bench for the returning Jay Cutler in Week 10 based on reports.  As much talk as we have heard this season about the lack of quarterback depth, we have seen more than a few occasions of guys coming off the bench and putting up fantasy football-worthy numbers like Brian Hoyer, Jason Campbell, Nick Foles, and now McCown.

-Owners of Brandon Marshall and Alshon Jeffrey were more than a little worried when Cutler got hurt in fearing that McCown wouldn't be able to consistently hit the two star Bear wideouts down the field.  Well that worry was allayed as Marshall caught 7 passes for 107 yards and 1 TD.  Jeffrey meanwhile grabbed 5 balls for 60 yards and his own TD.  Marshall has been an absolute beast the last month and it seems like years ago when we talked about how Jeffrey was more productive.  Marshall remains a rock solid WR 1 and Jeffrey a WR 2.

-It is official in this peanut gallery's book.  Matt Forte is now the number 1 fantasy football running back in the game.  Forte continued to prove why by rushing for 125 yards and a touchdown while also catching 5 balls for 54 yards.  There is nothing Forte can't do on the football field and the fact he still is getting all the goal-line work as head coach Marc Trestman vowed he would do speaks volumes about how potent he has been and will continue to be. 

-With all that said about Forte, coming up quick behind him is Eddie Lacy who had yet another huge game Monday (I am starting to sound like a broken record) when he rushed for 150 yards on only 22 carries while scoring a touchdown.  When strictly talking about running the football, you can argue that Lacy has been the most productive runner in all of fantasy football the last month.  Lacy doesn't catch many footballs though so he is not in the overall class of Jamaal Charles or Forte but he is getting close.  Those who took Lacy as their low end RB 2 or RB 3 in their draft have gotten major value for that selection.

-Having Wallae as QB for the majority of the game was a bit rough on those own any of the Green Bay receivers as Jordy Nelson caught only 4 balls for 67 yards, the returning James Jones only 1 for 17 yards, and Jarrett Boykin only 1 for 15 yards.  No one scored and it was one big wipeout when it comes to fantasy football numbers this week for that group. 

There you have it.  As always post your thoughts and Rodgers owners check back later for news on his shoulder.

FANTASY FOOTBALL STATUS REPORT: NICK FOLES FOR PRESIDENT

In putting together the wrapups for fantasy football Week 9, it was decided that Philadelphia Eagles QB Nick Foles was so incredibly awesome in throwing for an insane SEVEN!!!! touchdowns Sunday against the Oakland Raiders, he warranted his own posting.  Sure the Raiders are garbage and have been for years but throwing for seven touchdowns in a Pop Warner league is a feat in and of itself.   Foles' performance defied description as it comes two weeks after he did nothing in a horrid performance against the Dallas Cowboys when he also suffered a concussion that put him on the bench in Week 8.  That game is no doubt already forgotten as Foles now has 13 touchdowns and ZERO interceptions in three starts and one relief outing this season.  Michael Vick it was nice knowing you.  In projecting this situation going forward, there is almost no way we ever see Vick on a football field in an Eagles uniform if Foles is healthy.  Overall though you wonder just how many fantasy football players actually started Foles yesterday as he was one of the most dropped names off that Dallas game.  However it was the perfect storm for Foles in Week 9 as the Raiders secondary is annually a mess and the heavy bye week put the Eagles QB back into the consideration class.  Clearly there is going to be a mad dash to claim Foles on waivers for the second time this season in the span of a month.  For those leagues where players don't go on waivers automatically once the week's games start, Foles was likely already claimed by the second quarter.  For those who have the waiver rules (all leagues should have this as this is the only fair way to disperse players each week), than you better hope you have the number 1 claim.  Foles absolutely can be a top ten fantasy football starter the rest of the season and the numbers could continue to be beyond significant given the potency of the offense.  Go get him.

FANTASY FOOTBALL WEEK 9 INJURY REPORT: RODDY WHITE HEADED FOR GAME-TIME DECISION

It is Friday already which means it is time to check in on the weekly Injury Report as we gear up for all of Sunday's games.

-Atlanta Falcons WR Roddy White has returned to the practice field in a limited capacity this week after missing the last two games with a hamstring/high-ankle injury but he is listed as a game-time decision for Week 9.  Harry Douglas owners are hoping White misses the game again since the former has absolutely gone nuts since he ascended to the top receiver spot.  As far as White is concerned, there is nothing new to say here as he has been an incredible bust given all of his injuries.  I wouldn't even play White if he does get cleared to suit up as he has a ton of rust to knock off.

-Buffalo Bills RB C.J. Spiller will likely return to action in Week 9 as he is being listed as probable with his ongoing ankle issues.  Bench Spiller outright for now as Fred Jackson remains the better play and the goal-line back.

-Jonathan Stewart will come off the PUP list for Sunday's game which puts a hurting on the value of DeAngelo Williams.  Stewart is expected to play about half the snaps Sunday which puts both he and Williams back into RB 3 status.

-New Orleans Saints tight end Jimmy Graham is looking to play more than the 16 snaps he had last week due to his torn plantar fascia in his foot.  Graham still caught two touchdown passes last week and seems like he should be fine going forward barring any setbacks.

-New Orleans Saints WR Marques Colston is listed as questionable with a knee injury after missing practice this week.  Coltson has not played well the last month as his yards and catches are both down noticeably.  Kenny Stills is looking like a top play this week.

-Indianapolis Colts WR Darrius Heyward-Bey is expected to start this week despite being listed as questionable with a hamstring injury.  Both Heyward-Bey and T.Y. Hilton are going to be big from this point on with Reggie Wayne finished for the season with a bum hamstring.

-Green Bay Packers WR James Jones returned to practice this past week after missing two games with a leg injury but he is going to be a game-time decision.  The fantasy football value of Jarred Boykin depends on Jones not playing and the other factor here is the game is on Monday night.  Keep Jones on the bench if you are an owner as the Monday variable makes it risky to wait on this unless you own Boykin also.

-Christian Ponder will start for the Minnesota Vikings Sunday over Josh Freeman.  Big deal.

-Houston Texans RB Ben Tate will start Sunday despite broken ribs and starter Arian Foster will be a game-time decision with a hamstring issue.  Foster should play as that has been hinted but still watch this closely.

There you have it.  As always let us hear what you think.

FANTASY FOOTBALL WRAPUP: THURSDAY BENGALS/DOLPHINS

Fantasy football Week 9 kicked off Thursday night with the Cincinnati Bengals dropping an OT battle versus the desperate Miami Dolphins.  Let's check out the latest fantasy football news coming out of the game.

-Andy Dalton was as hot as any passer in fantasy football the last three weeks, having thrown 11 touchdown passes in that span and over 300 yards in all three contests.  Well Dalton kept the 300-plus yard streak going by throwing for 338 Thursday night but they were accompanied by a big doughnut in touchdown passes and 3 interceptions.  Only one of the interceptions can be blamed on Dalton but it was a pick-six big one to Brent Grimes.  Stating the obvious, it was a bust night for Dalton and his fantasy football owners.  Just when we all started to get fully on board with him as an every week guy.  I consider this just a bad game however.  The Bengals continue to throw the football with reckless abandon and Dalton has quite possibly the best array of weapons in the game.

-Giovani Bernard scored two rushing touchdowns on his 9 carries for 79 yards.  With BenJarvus Green-Ellis failing to convert on two separate third-and-1 situation, perhaps now finally Bernard will get a heavier workload as he deserves.  We all know Bernard is the much more talented overall player than the Law Firm and plays well in PPR (4 catches for 25 yards) so now we could be seeing him eat into more of Green-Ellis' work going forward given the way the latter struggled.  Something to keep a watch on and also pick up Bernard in any league where the owner got impatient.

-A.J. Green was back to his customary role as leading receiver on the Bengals after ceding the spotlight to Marvin Jones for one week.  Green caught 11 passes for 128 yards.  Speaking of Jones, he caught only 4 balls for 66 yards and failed to score as did every other Bengals receiver.  Remember I said last week that Jones' big day against the New York Jets when he caught four touchdown passes was fluky due to the fact the team took prime advantage of him having rookie Dee Millinier covering him.  In fact Mohamed Sanu with 6 catches for 66 yards was the more productive receiver of the two.  Sanu was a former top draft pick worth watching as well.  The way things are going lately, there could very well be room for three Bengals receivers to be of use in fantasy football.

-It took 9 weeks but Lamar Miller finally ran for over 100 yards with 105 on 16 carries but that included a lost fumble.  He did catch 4 passes for 24 yards as Miller continues to show he is very capable of being a RB 2 in PPR formats but Daniel Thomas was once again in on red zone chances.  Baby steps.

-Mike Wallace was the only Dolphins receiver worth discussing as he caught 6 balls for 82 yards.  Still way too inconsistent to depend on as an every week guy.

That's all for now.  As always let us hear your thoughts.

FANTASY FOOTBALL UPDATED QB RANKINGS

With the season now halfway in the books, let's take a look at the updated fantasy football QB rankings.

1.  Peyton Manning:  Duhhh.
2.  Drew Brees:  5 TD's in Week 8 reinforce how incredible Brees remains. 
3.  Aaron Rodgers
4.  Matthew Stafford:  Comeback over the Cowboys as good as it gets.  Stafford as productive as any QB in fantasy football this season.  We told you that would happen.
5.  Tony Romo:  Again trying to figure out why this guy is always under drafted.
6.  Andy Dalton:  This is not a misprint.  11 touchdowns last three weeks and no signs of letting up.
7.  Cam Newton:  Gets nod over Matt Ryan due to the latter's decimated WR corps.
8.  Matt Ryan:  4 picks against Arizona could be ominous sign of things to come with Julio Jones and Roddy White both out.
9.  Andrew Luck:  Win over Denver showed how great the kid can be.  Unleash the hounds.
10. Philip Rivers:  Still slinging 'em all over the field and having success to boot.
11. Russell Wilson Jr.:  Yardage is never there but Wilson continues to show knack for passing scores.
12. Alex Smith
13. Tom Brady:  This is as far as Brady has been since he was a rookie.  Something not right here as Brady has continued to struggle despite getting all his receivers back.
14. Colin Kaepernick:  Scoring three TD's against San Fran nice but Kaepernick needs to do more to full get himself anywhere near his previously overinflated value.
15. Ben Roethlisberger
16. Russell Wilson III:  Starting to run again which might be the only thing that could save his awful passing.
17. Eli Manning:  Has not turned the ball over in last two Giants wins.  Progress.
18. Joe Flacco:  Always seems to be in this realm due to unimpressive passing numbers.  Still you can't take away that Super Bowl.
19. Ryan Tannehill
20. Mike Glennon:  Truth be told Glennon has not been half bad but still tough to trust as a rookie.
21. Terrell Pryor:  Lately Pryor getting exposed for his limited passing skills.
22. Jake Locker:  Could move up if he reverts back to the guy he was before the hip injury.
23. Thad Lewis:  Has given the Bills a spark and moved the football.
24. Nick Foles:  Has to get back into good graces off Dallas horror show.
25. Carson Palmer:  Has been an INT machine all season and looks old. 
26. Jason Campbell:  Veteran looked good in Week 8 but need to see him do it again before we move him up.
27. Case Keenum
28. Josh McCown
29. Geno Smith:  Simply awful at times this season but also showing glimpses of ability.
30. Kellen Clemens
31. Chad Henne
32. Josh Freeman

There you have it.  Let us hear you thoughts on this.

FANTASY FOOTBALL STATUS REPORT: ANDY DALTON QB CINCINNATI BENGALS

Heading into the 2013 fantasy football season, Cincinnati Bengals QB Andy Dalton was almost universally considered a low end QB 1 in 12-team leagues and in some cases was ranked lower.  Despite taking the Bengals to the playoff his first two seasons, Dalton still had not entered into the realm where he was beloved and respected by the majority of the fantasy football community.  For one, the Bengals had been a run-dominant team since Dalton came into the league and in paining BenJarvus Green-Ellis and rookie Giovani Bernard, it seemed the same scenario would be in play once again when Week 1 rolled around.  However in looking a bit under the hood, Dalton was actually profiling himself as a QB on the rise, having increased his passing touchdowns from 20 to 27 his first two seasons and with top wideout A.J. Green joining a terrific pair of pass catching tight ends in Jermaine Gresham and rookie Tyler Eifert, Dalton was certainly being surrounded with potent talent. 

Fast forward to present day and what we have no is an Andy Dalton who one could argue is the hottest quarterback in the NFL in coming off a five touchdown monster performance in a win last Sunday over the New York Jets.  That tremendous outing followed back-to-back weeks where Dalton threw 3 touchdown passes in each, while also topping 300 passing yards in both.  So halfway through Dalton's season, he sits here with 16 touchdowns and 2,249 yards as he has helped the Bengals transition into one of the best passing offenses in all of football.  With Marvin Jones having emerged into a very good complement to Green, in addition to the two tight ends mentioned above, Dalton is set to continue his terrific breakout. 

In returning to what I said earlier, Dalton has now firmly entrenched himself into an every week top ten fantasy football QB who you could argue has passed Tom Brady, Cam Newton, and maybe even Matt Ryan in the rankings.  Those who brought him aboard as a backup or begrudgingly as their starter at first are being handsomely rewarded at this point.  The good times should continue as Dalton surely will continue to fire away and accumulate the passing numbers he had hinted at previously.

FANTASY FOOTBALL WRAPUP: 4:00 GAMES AND LATER

          

4:00 games and later are up next as we continue to wrap up fantasy football Week 8.

-Almost had it.  My 4-3 Experts League team played the Peyton Manning-owned 7-0 first half team this past Sunday and I had a 15 point lead going into the 4:00 games with Eric Decker and Julius Thomas left to his Manning and Knowshon Moreno.  Yeah that didn't end too well.  Manning threw for his customary four touchdowns and 354 yards but he three interceptions were a bit out of character.  Honestly I will go out on a limb and say Manning owners are in first place in about 70 percent of leagues. 

As far as the receivers were concerned, Wes Welker got into the end zone once among his 6 catches for 81 yards and so did Demaryuis Thomas who grabbed 7 for 75.  Remember last week it was Eric Decker who went off while Thomas was cold.  Decker didn't help me much as he grabbed 4 balls for 42 yards and Julius Thomas could have some bad news with his injured ankle as he hurt me bad with only 3 catches for 29 yards.  Joel Dreessen is the grab if Thomas is out. 

-Knowshon Moreno continues with his fantastic season despite the fact he doesn't run for a ton of yards in any game.  Moreno put the final nail in my coffin when he caught one of his six passes for 89 yards.  Believe it or not Moreno is knocking on the door as a top five running back for a guy who was picked off the wire in some formats. 

On the other side Alfred Morris rebounded with 93 rushing yards and a score and was not taken out near the goal-line like he was last week in favor of Roy Helu Jr.  Morris owners can breath a tad easier. 

-Jordan Reed is looking like the new Jordan Cameron and he could be better.  Reed posted his second straight monster game Sunday catching 8 balls for 90 yards.  Just made a trade offer to the Reed owner in my league since Thomas is now hurt. 

-Robert Griffin III came out late as a precautionary reason as Dr. James Andrews took a look at his surgically repaired knee.  Griffin played miserably in passing for only 132 yards and 2 INT's with one harmless touchdown.  Yuck.

-Wow is Andy Dalton playing incredible football right now.  After back-to-back games of three passing TD's each and more 300 yards as well in both,  Dalton went ballistic Sunday in throwing for FIVE touchdowns and 325 yards.  The Bengals overnight have become one of the more potent passing offenses in the league and Dalton is now firmly an every week guy based on the results.  Wish I would have taken my own advice as both my QB's (Stafford, Kaepernick) are on byes this week.

-All right let's not get carries away with Marvin Jones' 4 touchdowns.  The Bengals took advantage of the fact Jets rookie CB Dee Millinier was in coverage and proceeded to torch him all game.  Jones is a good guy for your bench and to use for bye weeks but don't think he is going to come near this level of production every week.  Still 8 catches for 122 yards is terrific production no matter you slice it.

-Again don't play any New York Jets on your roster. 

-Harry Douglas is enjoying life as the number 1 receiver in the Falcons' passing attack after posting his second straight huge game Sunday by catching 12 passes for 121 yards.  With no Roddy White and Julio Jones, Matt Ryan has no choice but to look at Douglas almost every time he drops back.  And speaking of Ryan, he was simply awful Sunday in throwing for 301 yards with 1 TD and FOUR INT's.  Again the lack of weapons in the Falcon attack is now looking like New England for most of the season.  Ryan has to be downgraded a bit as a result.  Also Drew Davis is the next man up for the Falcons and he was pretty good as well Sunday catching 5 balls for 77 yards and a touchdown.  Pick him up as the Falcons will continue to throw all day everyday. 

-The reason the Falcons have to throw so much is their awful running game is not helping.  Steven Jackson did nothing in his return, rushing for a grand total of 6 yards on 11 carries.  We all know Jackson is older than dirt but that is ridiculous.  Can't trust Jackson until he shows any sign that he is back in the groove.  It actually may not happen given his age and injuries.

-Andre Ellington is a name I have been touting all season as the big play scatback should have taken over as the starter week ago in place of the done Rashard Mendenhall.  Well with Mendenhall out there was no excuse for Ellington not to be featured and the kid responded with a crazy good game in rushing for 154 yards on only 15 carries and a touchdown.  Ellington is a threat to take it to the house any time he touches the football and he can now be safely graded as a RB 2. 

-Terrell Pryor was more impressive as a runner than a passer, rushing for 106 yards and a touchdown while throwing for only 88 and 2 picks.  Use only in two-QB formats if at all.

-Another game and another big game for WR Antonio Brown.  Brown caught 9 passes for 82 yards and was actually joined by Emmanuel Sanders who grabbed 7 for 88 and a touchdown.  No reason Ben Roethlisberger is not throwing for more TD's than he currently is.

-Darren McFadden has been quiet for most of the season but he did rush for two scores Sunday.  His rushing average was poor with 73 on 24 carries but needless to say he did his job for the week.

-Jordy Nelson should get more credit as a number 1 fantasy football wide receiver and he reminded us why by catching 7 passes for 123 yards and 2 touchdowns against the Minnesota Vikings.  Nelson is as good as it gets in getting into the end zone.

-Eddie Lacy rushed for 94 yards on 24 carries and scored another touchdown.  Lacy is now knocking on the door as a top ten back. 

-Forgot to mention Jarred Boykin who grabbed 5 balls for 89 yards.  Just like with Harry Douglas, Boykin moved into the starting lineup with a top QB and immediately produced.

-There you have it.  Let us hear some thoughts.