2014 FANTASY FOOTBALL UPDATED RUNNING BACK RANKINGS

Been more than a month since we updated the fantasy football running back rankings.  Here is our last installment until the season is complete.

1.  Jamaal Charles:  Has completely fulfilled all my summer optimism.  In the running for overall fantasy football MVP.
2.  Matt Forte:  Owning the receiving game once again among running backs and running numbers excellent.  With no goal-line handcuff Forte has fully achieved his vast potential this season.
3.  LeSean McCoy:  A bit up and down the second half of the season but bottom line numbers terrific.
4.  Marshawn Lynch:  Continues to get better the older he gets.
5.  Adrian Peterson:  Injuries in December stunted what was looking like a monster finish.  Getting up there in age though.
6.  Eddie Lacy:  One of the better rookie seasons we have seen in awhile.  Monster power back who showed decent hands.
7. Zac Stacy:  Would have been in the rushing title picture if he had started in September and not October.
8.  Alfred Morris:  Started slowly but Morris was quietly as good as he was in his awesome rookie season.  Still can't catch a cold.
9.  Reggie Bush:  Has been a big time weapon both in the running and receiving game for the Lions but continues to be seemingly a game-time decision every week.
10. DeMarco Murray:  Led the NFL in yards per carry and catches a boatload of passes.  If Murray ever can play 16 games he would be with the top three guys in numbers.
11. Giovani Bernard:  You hear it here first.  Bernard will be a first round pick in 2015.
12. Arian Foster:  Aging and injuries a major problem now.
13. Ray Rice:  Not aging like Foster but had awful 2013 amid worries his slight frame is giving out.
14. Ryan Matthews:  Was terrific from the middle of October on.  You know after he got past his annual injuries.
15. Doug Martin:  Was pretty awful and was headed for bust season before he got hurt.  Needs to prove himself again.
16. Frank Gore:  Doesn't catch passes anymore but still running well.  Age means a Steven Jackson dropoff could come quickly.
17. Knowshon Moreno:  Scored a bunch of touchdowns in the high-powered Denver offense but Montee Ball was taking over a lot of his workload as the season went on.
18. Montee Ball:  Is looking like a big time runner and even showed he can catch the football some. 
19. Rashad Jennings:  See you later Darren McFadden.  This is now Jennings' show in Oakland.
20. C.J. Spiller:  Can't ever stay healthy.  Talent is immense but doesn't have any kind of consistency.
21. Andre Brown:  Played very well when on the field in 2013 but has to stop with the leg injuries.
22. Shane Vereen:  Those in PPR formats need to be all over this receptions machine.
23. Le'Veon Bell:  Very good receiver but the running has to get a bit better.
24. Pierre Thomas:  I bet you didn't know that Thomas caught a ton of passes this season.  Works well in the Saints' offense in that respect.
25. Darren Sproles:  See above.
26. Danny Woodhead:  Another sizable PPR weapon.
27. Stevan Ridley:  The guy can run but fumbling had him nailed to the bench.  Could use  a trade.
28. Steven Jackson:  I won't touch him anymore.  Way too old and numbers are slipping quick.
29. Maurice Jones-Drew:  Completely washed up.
30. Chris Johnson:  Going to get cut and deserves it after awful season.
31. Donald Brown:  Could now be the featured back in Indy after Trent Richardson had one of the biggest bust seasons in years.
32. Chris Ivory:  Always a ton of volatility with Ivory due to his injuries.
33. Fred Jackson:  Still running well but the Bills want Spiller to be the guy.
34. Lamar Miller:  Wasted season as he never broke out like we thought he could.
35. Rashard Mendenhall:  Useless and aging. 

There you have it.  Let us hear your thoughts.

FANTASY FOOTBALL MONDAY WRAPUP: RAVENS/LIONS

   

Monday night's game between the Detroit Lions and Baltimore Ravens brought to a close fantasy football Week 15 which means its on to the Super Bowl week for those still alive in their league.  Let's get to all the storylines coming out of the game.

-As a Matthew Stafford owner, I am thankful I was blown out to the point I didn't have to rely on him for a late game comeback in my semifinal loss last night.  Stafford was brutal as he threw three more interceptions and only 1 touchdown among his 235 yards.  The Lions QB has been a turnover machine and has played his worst when his fantasy football owners needed him the most.  Having the strongest arm in the league can be a curse sometimes and Stafford clearly at times has channeled his inner Brett Favre with all the picks.  He does remain a top 6 or 7 fantasy football QB for next season though and his rough finish to the season will likely put him in value mode with Tony Romo and Matt Ryan.  Meanwhile Joe Flacco was his ordinary self with no touchdowns or interceptions among his 222 yards.  Flacco has failed to build on his Super Bowl win to be more than his usual QB 2.

-Ray Rice has had a completely ugly season to forget which continued last night.  The former top two pick overall has had only a game or two where he looked like his old dominant self.  You can only blame the leaky offensive line of the Ravens so much before you realize that Rice has lost a step.  A full season of mediocre play completes that line of thinking and remember having such a smallish frame has historically shortened careers in the past.  Rice no longer can be considered a RB 1 and with his poor play this season, Bernard Pierce is likely to get even more work for 2014.

-Jacoby Jones has been a nice late season add, especially in leagues that count return yardage and touchdowns.  Jones led the Ravens in receiving last night with 6 catches for 80 yards.  Meanwhile Torrey Smith managed only 4 catches for 69 yards.  Very disappointing Smith didn't do better in a dome game.  Finally, Dennis Pitta caught only 2 balls for 24 yards but I am already telling you I will be slobbering all over his name before next season as a prime sleeper.

-On the other side of the ball, Calvin Johnson caught 6 balls for 98 yards but he failed to get into the end zone.  If you played against a Megatron owner, this is about as good a result as you could ask for.  Johnson has seen his scores dry up in the second half as Stafford has played is worst football. 

-As far as the Detroit running game is concerned, Reggie Bush returned from his calf injury to rush for 86 yards on 17 carries and a touchdown.  He also chipped in 2 catches for 15 yards.  Ask any Bush owner and they will say they were disappointed in his production.  However Bush is fourth in the NFL in total yards from scrimmage per game this season so he has been very solid. 

-Hope you had Justin Tucker as your kicker.  Kicked 6 field goals including his ridiculous 61-yarder to win.  Queue up the Mike Tirico call.  Was a terrific listen.

There you have it.  One more week to go and than it is full fantasy baseball mode. 

FANTASY FOOTBALL MONDAY WRAPUP: COWBOYS/BEARS

   

Josh McCown anyone?  Holy crap.  Anyone who went with McCown this week no doubt was a winner as the Chicago Bears backup was ridiculous Monday night in throwing for 348 yards and 4 touchdowns.  McCown didn't stop here however as he added a FIFTH score on the ground and threw for a successful two-point conversion.  Needless to say the Bears and even fantasy football owners of McCown have to roll with him again next week.  Jay Cutler we hardly knew ya'.  With Cutler set to become a free agent, the Bears actually could have a decision on their hands here.

As far as the rest of the action in fantasy football Monday night, McCown's great chemistry with Alshon Jeffrey was on full display once again.  Jeffrey made another hard to fathom TD grab among his 5 catches for 84 yards.  When Cutler was the QB, he looked to Brandon Marshall first almost every time he went back to throw.  McCown seems to be going the opposite way which is much to the benefit of Jeffrey's fantasy football owners.  Marshall was no slouch himself Monday however as he caught 6 balls for 100 yards.  As a Marshall owner, I wish Jeffrey wasn't stealing away so many grabs but so be it.

-Matt Forte kept his huge 2013 season going in rushing for 102 yards on 20 carries while also catching 7 balls for 73 yards and a touchdown.  All season it has been Forte, with Jamaal Charles, and LeSean McCoy as the very beast running backs in fantasy football.  Those three figure to be the top three picks in drafts next season.

-As far as Dallas was concerned, Tony Romo did the best he could in falling behind so early by throwing for 3 big touchdowns but only 104 yards total.  We'll take it. 

-Yeah the guy is always hurt but one can't argue with the very good play of DeMarco Murray when he is in the lineup.  Murray is leading the NFL in yards per carry which he padded by picking up 146 yards on only 18 carries.  If we could ever get 16 games out of Murray, I do feel he could be in the realm of Charles, Forte, and McCoy.  Really. 

-Finally the 104 passing yards by Romo showed up negatively in the Cowboys receivers.  Dez Bryant caught one of the TD passes but overall had only 2 catches for 12 yards.  Not good.  In addition Jason Witten himself had a TD catch but that was his only catch for 10 yards.  Big negative all the way around there.

Hope the playoffs are going well for all of you.  Post your results below.

FANTASY FOOTBALL WEEK 14 THURSDAY WRAPUP: TEXANS/JAGUARS

  

Not many were watching such a dud of a game but fantasy football owners of Andre Johnson got a nice leg up on their matchup this week.  Let's take a look at the fantasy football news that came out of the game.

-Speaking of Johnson, he was the clear star of the game as he caught 13 passes for 154 yards.  The Jaguars had no answer for Johnson who now has 95 catches for 1,277 yards and five touchdowns.  Once again it is likely Johnson will fail to reach double-digit receiving touchdowns which is something he has never done despite all of his catches.  Be that as it may Johnson remains a sure fire number 1 fantasy football wideout who is showing no signs of slowing down.

-As far as the QB's were concerned, no one in their right mind still playing has Chad Henne so let's move right into the Houston situation.  Once again Case Keenum was pulled, the second time in three weeks in favor of Matt Schaub.  Keenum was actually not terrible as he threw a touchdown pass and completed 16-of-29.  However he threw an ugly pick and held onto the football too long.  Enter Schaub who immediately threw a touchdown but also was picked off himself late in the fourth quarter as Houston was driving to tie or go ahead.  Nothing positive to say here.

-The Ben Tate 3-TD bonanza from Week 13 didn't carry over to Thursday night as he rushed for only 53 yards on 14 carries.  Meanwhile Maurice Jones-Drew has his best game of the season as he went over 100 rushing yards for the first time this season.  Jones-Drew wound up rushing for 103 yards on 14 carries while also catching 2 balls for 20 more yards.  Unfortunately his day ended a bit early as Jones-Drew suffered a hamstring injury that finished him in the fourth quarter. 

-Garrett Graham has really been a shot in the arm for those fantasy football owners who took a shot on him when Owen Daniels went out for the season.  Graham could be earning himself a bigger role with Houston or elsewhere next season as he grabbed 8 balls for 73 yards and a score.  In fact the tight ends were productive on both sides as Marcedes Lewis caught a touchdown of his own but overall had only two catches.  Lewis has been nothing but a bench guy at best in fantasy football terms since he entered the league.

-It was back to up one week/down the next week for Cecil Shorts as he grabbed only 2 passes for 13 yards.  Luckily for Shorts' owners, one of those went for a score which saved the day from being a total disaster.  Still Shorts has been very inconsistent the second half of the season after being very solid the first half.

There you have it.  As always let us hear your thoughts.

2013 FANTASY FOOTBALL UPDATED QB RANKINGS

With Week 14 beckoning, now is a great time to take a closer look at the latest set of fantasy football QB rankings. 

1.  Peyton Manning:  Has not slowed down one bit as he comes off a 5-TD game in Week 13.  Amazing stuff.
2.  Drew Brees:  Dud against Seattle the only blip on another excellent season.
3.  Tony Romo:  Time to full appreciate the great QB Tony Romo is and has been for awhile.  At least in fantasy football terms.
4.  Matthew Stafford:  If he could just curb the INT's a bit Stafford would challenge Brees and Romo.
5.  Russell Wilson:  Yeah he doesn't throw for 300 yards often but Wilson continues to throw touchdowns and use his legs to great effect.
6.  Aaron Rodgers:  This is a small hit due to Rodgers being injured but by next season he will return to the top three as usual.
7.  Nick Foles:  Still waiting for his first INT after 19 touchdown passes.  One away from tying the Peyton Manning record.  Eagles have their QB for the next five years at least.
8.  Tom Brady:  Typically got hot when Gronk and friends returned from being hurt. 
9.  Ben Roethlisberger:  Never been a fan but I can't argue with his extreme passing numbers since Week 9.
10. Cam Newton:  A bit up and down still but Newton clicking in both the passing and running game down the stretch once again.
11. Matt Ryan:  Had his season sabotaged by injuries to his receivers but Roddy White's health could portend to big finish.  Late dip will have his 2014 draft price very attractive.  I am buying.
12. Philip Rivers:  Has had a small comeback season but still not back to where he was from 2008-2010.
13. Jay Cutler:  Just has to stay healthy to enjoy the benefits of the best receiving corps in football.
14. Andrew Luck:  Major step back for Luck in 2013 as my prediction he could be a first round pick in 2014 looks way off.  Still has massive potential however. 
15. Mike Glennon:  Really like this kid.  Has shown no hesitation to throw it downfield and could be and is already close when talking about being an every week guy.
16. Andy Dalton:  Throws for a very good clip of touchdowns but the interceptions come along for the ride too which limits his ceiling.
17. Colin Kaepernick:  Told you all to give it another season before you invested heavily and that assessment looks smart.  Has looked nothing like the force he was the second half of last season.
18. Eli Manning:  Willing to give Manning another look as a backup next season but that's it due to massive turnover penchant.
19. Alex Smith:  Once again Smith is solid but unspectacular. 
20. Robert Griffin III:  This might seem like a harsh ranking but other than collecting scores in garbage time, Griffin has been brutal.
21. Matt Schaub:  Will find a starting spot somewhere but career is going in wrong direction.
22. Carson Palmer:  Like a Dalton clone with his combination of touchdowns and turnovers.  Makes for a great QB 2 however.
23. Ryan Fitzpatrick:  Here is predicting Fitzpatrick is the starting in Week 1 next season for Tennessee as he has looked very solid since replacing Jake Locker.  Another very good QB 2 option.
24. Ryan Tannehill:  Still haven't seen nearly enough production to rely on as anything more than a QB 2.
25. Joe Flacco:  Tough spot to place a former Super Bowl MVP but every season Flacco is the definition of being fantasy football mediocre.
26. E.J. Manuel:  Potential is there but give it more time.
27. Matt McGloin:  Has the inside track to the starting job next season based on solid work since going under center.

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

FANTASY FOOTBALL WEEK 14 ADDS/DROPS

Week 14 starts the playoff weeks for some fantasy football leagues.  With all the fantasy baseball Hot Stove news, we had to push back this feature one day but with that said let's take a look at who makes the cut this week.  This late in the season as well, there is not much to discuss when it comes to drops so we will stay with just the adds.

WEEK 14 ADDS

Jay Cutler:  Although he hasn't been cleared yet to return, the general feeling is that Cutler will be cleared to start Week 14.  Having the best set of receivers in football in the form of Brandon Marshall and Alshon Jeffrey alone makes Cutler a major add if anyone foolishly dropped him weeks ago,  Sure the interception threat is big but Cutler is setup for a nice finish to the season given his weaponry.

Julian Edleman:  It is likely Edelman was dropped in your league starting a few weeks ago when Danny Amendola and Rob Gronkowski returned.  It was assumed, and we went right along with it, that Edelman would be marginalized with their return but instead he has become a huge PPR weapon over Amendola the last two weeks. 

Andre Holmes:  Sure the chances of Holmes being a one-week wonder are real but the way he was able to get down the field for big plays on Thanksgiving was interesting.  Matt McGloin has shown no hesitancy to throw the football long so these two could put up another nice outing this weekend.

Ace Sanders:  Sanders has come on of late in place of Justin Blackmon by catching 8 balls and a touchdown last weekend.  The Jaguars have thrown the football a bunch this season and as bad as they are, they have provided fantasy football owners of their wideouts some nice production.

Ladarius Green:  Green played 91 percent of the snaps with the San Diego Chargers last week and he now clearly is being pushed onto the field as the team has now gone to a two-tight end set like we had seen in the past from New England before Aaron Hernandez lost his mind.  Green caught only two balls last week but one went for a score and his athletic ability reminds me of a young Antonio Gates.

Zach Ertz:  Ertz was a highly touted tight end in last season's draft but he struggled to find consistency until the middle of the year.  Catching two touchdown passes in Week 13 showed how far Ertz has come however and so those in need of tight end help should look here after checking out Green.

Oakland Raiders Defense:  The Raiders draw the New York Jets and rookie QB Geno Smith so that is fantasy football gold right there.  I recommended the Miami Dolphins defense in this spot last week and they responded with a monster effort. 

FANTASY FOOTBALL WRAPUP: MONDAY SAINTS/SEAHAWKS

   

The Seattle Seahawks certainly showed the NFL that they will be almost impossible to beat at home once the playoffs arrive.  Russell Wilson showed us all that he is one of the very best quarterbacks' in the NFL no questions asked.  With that said let's take a look at the news and notes from the notes from the angle of fantasy football.

-Speaking of Wilson, he was completely in charge Monday night by throwing for 310 yards and 3 touchdowns while also rushing 47 on the ground.  Wilson now has 22 touchdowns and only 6 INT's this season and is now one to clearly be feared in the fantasy football playoffs if you happen to draw him as an opponent. 

Meanwhile Drew Brees had no answers for the rough Seattle defense as he threw for a season-low 147 yards with 1 TD and 1 lost fumble returned for a score.  Let this be a warning for anyone fantasy football QB who will be going against the locked in Seattle defense the next three weeks.  It is not likely to be pretty.

-If you started any Saints running back than shame on you.  You should have known better.  Mark Ingram led the way with all of 22 yards on 8 carries while Pierre Thomas went bust with ZERO yards on 4 carries.  Darren Sproles returned and did his usual PPR bit (7 catches for 32 yards) but there was pretty much nothing to talk about here.

On the other side it was a struggle for Marshawn Lynch who gained only 45 yards on 16 carries while failing to score.  New Orleans has played good run defense this season so this is not a total shock but again the timing is not good for those who were looking to clinch a playoff spot.

-With regards to the passing games, Jimmy Graham was the only bright spot for New Orleans as he scored once on his three receptions for 42 yards.  Graham is like Rob Gronkowski in that he always seems to find the end zone at least once a week.  I survived a Graham encounter by winning my playoff-clinching game against his owner this past weekend and now have a rematch on tap in the wild card round.  Nervous.

-Zach Miller (5 catches for 86 yards) and Doug Baldwin (4 catches for 77 yards) each hauled in a scoring pass from Wilson.  Also Golden Tate grabbed 4 balls for 45 yards but he remains an enigma.

There you have it.  As always let us hear your thoughts.