Fantasy Nation Week 10

[eagle eye]

Week 9 was weird. Just plain weird. I don't need to chronicle all the crazy things that happened, you guys saw this past week for yourself. But, there were impactful fantasy changes all over the place. Good and bad. Let's take a look at some of them.

 

The Good:

> Zac Stacy has emerged as a guy fantasy owners need to add to their rosters. Unfortunately, his performance the past two weeks has spoken volumes and he's probably not available any more. If you could trade for him, I'd do it because the Rams have played two of the toughest defenses in the NFL and he ran roughshod on them.

 

> The Arizona Cardinals have been increasing the work load each week for RB Andre Ellington and he's earning more and more PT. He will end up the lead back with Rashard Mendenhall coming in to spell him from time to time. Ellington has pop and that something the Cardinals have been missing for a long time.

 

> Tampa has a good QB now. It took a few weeks to get his feet wet but Mike Glennon is worth considering for a bye week start. Fantasy top gun Doug Martin went down with a shoulder injury and people were wondering about this Mike James. All he's done is make people forget Martin with his play. The Bucs will have a potent two headed monster when Martin returns but as James showed against Seattle the current bell cow ain't bad. James and Martin will benefit greatly by the high level play of Glennon. It's a team game after all.

 

> Is Chris Johnson back? I don't know but he logged his first 100 yard game and scored his first rushing TD of the year against the Rams last week. I wouldn't be the first time Johnson has hybernated the first half of a season. In fact this is the first time Johnson has had a quality compliment since LenDale White and Shonn Green is filling the bill nicely.

 

> Nick Foles sets records and you wonder if he is a one-trick pony but except for the Dallas game Foles has run Chip Kelly's offense pretty darn well. A bye week QB fill in if there ever was one.

 

> Jason Campbell is making the Cleveland Browns a relevant team again. Brandon Weeden just didn't have it and it's been proven twice this year. First by Brian Hoyer who led the Browns to victory and had them in the game in his second start when he blew out his knee. After an ineffective Weeden blew it again Jason Campbell answered the bell and nearly beat the unbeaten Chiefs and he did beat the hapless Ravens. He has made Jordan Cameron and Josh Gordon relevant too.

 

> Case Keenum is looking like the real deal in Houston. Hopefully they can break out of the slump they are in. Keenum will make Andre Johnson better (in fantasy) as well as DeAndre Hopkins and Garrett Graham.

 

That's just a smattering of the good, let's look at the bad.

 

> Aaron Rodgers is done for 4-6 weeks with a fractured collar bone. This really sucks for fantasy owners as well as the Packers. Rodgers is one of the elite QBs in real life and in fantasy. Seneca Wallace ain't putting up elite numbers.

 

> The Packers got more bad news when they found out yesterday that Jermichael Finley is done for the season after suffering a bruised spinal chord a couple of weeks ago. You need to scour the Packers depth chart for the next guy up in the TE depth chart----oh yeah, Aaron Rodgers is out! This may be a moot point.

 

> Roddy White may not be a factor at all in fantasy this year. He can't get back on the field and the Falcons aren't very good to start with.

 

> The Saints are hurting some with Jimmy Graham listed as questionable on their injury report and with Darren Sprole likely out with a concussion issue that he suffered last week against the Jets the Cowboys definitely have a chance in New Orleans this week. Fantasy owners aren't too happy I'll bet.

 

> How is Miami going to play after having to deal with the Jonathan Martin-Richie Incognito harassment scandal? Could this be the week Tampa finally breaks through? With 3/5's of the starting offensive line suspended or in exile how will Ryan Tannehill survive?

 

 

[eagle eye]

Player Alert! The Giants, it is being reported, are going to put RB David Wilson on season ending IR because of a herniated disc in his neck he suffered in Week 5 against the eagles. Wilson was highly disappointing before than as has been the whole Giants team this year. The Alert part is Wilson is going on IR sometime today because RB Andre Brown, who broke his leg in training camp and has been on the IR/Slated to return list, will be activated today by the 4PM deadline to do so. Brown is a good back and will certainly work into a rotation with Payton Hillis and/or Brandon Jacobs. The Giants are just coming off their bye week and they play Oakland at home on Sunday. So, obviously this mean you:

Drop David Wilson

Pickup Andre Brown

[eagle eye]

Here's a different perspective on fantasy football from Andrew Miller of FFChamps.com. In the article link below he riffs on Case Keenum, the return of Shane Vereen and a host of other questions. The article comes from the Patriots official web site. I stumbled upon this looking for info on Rob Gronkowski (I didn't find anything on him, sorry.) but I thought this was pretty interesting.

 

http://www.patriots.com/news/article-1/Thoughts-from-the-FFChamps-Keys-to-dominating-your-fantasy-football-league/0c70454c-5aa7-483a-ba3e-bab960cfdf1b

[eagle eye]

Week 10 begins tonight when the Redskins take on the Vikings in Minnesota. Here's some Fantasy Starts for this game going into the weekend.

Washington is showing improvement as RGIII seems to be trusting that knee he had surgery on. A big overtime win at home last week over San Diego was disappointing to Cowboys fans but it shows Griffin is getting back to his old self.

Minnesota gave Dallas all they could handle before finally falling in the end. Christian Ponder wasn't horrible and he did make some plays in the passing game. Adrian Peterson was a flat out beast that would not be tackled at certain points in the game including a super human 10 yard TD run in the fourth quarter. The Vikings defense is not great to say the least but Cowboys fans will be rooting for the Vikings all the way tonight.

BTW, depending on which line you look at the Redskins are -3 favorites down to even money. The over/under is 48 points and that may be the play rather than picking a team. The Vikings are at home and they did play better with Christian Ponder under center. If I'm getting 3 points I think I'd take the Vikes and the over. I'd have to think about that as either a parlay or seperate bets.

 

Washington

 

Starts> RGIII

> Alfred Morris

> Pierre Garcon

> Jordan Reed

 

Sleeper pick - Washington Def/ST (12th highest points in fantasy but a bye week possibility)

Minnesota Start

 

Starts

> Adrian Peterson

> Blair Walsh (Strong leg but he hasn't gotten many attempts (13) all season. He has made 11 of 13 with the two misses from 40+ yards. A bye week play only at this point.)

> Minnesota Def/ST - (The Vikes have scored the 4th highest in fantasy up to this point. They trail only Kansas City, Dallas and Chicago. Despite what people call a weak defense they seem to be doing something right from a fantasy standpoint.)

[eagle eye]

Here is this week's Starts and Sits. I want to make a couple of personnel updates you may find helpful.

1. Arian Foster is out for this week and his status going forward is questionable.

2. Doug Martin is done for the season with that bum shoulder. Mike James is the new bell cow.

3. Aldon Smith and Mario Manningham are back in the lineup this week and Michael Crabtree has been cleared to practice with a scheduled return to action in mid to late November.

4. EJ Manuel is back for Buffalo and will start Sunday.

 

QB Starts

 

Russell Wilson vs Atlanta

Andy Dalton vs Baltimore (This goes against popular opinion as the Ravens play better at home but I don't care)

Andrew Luck vs St Louis

Eli Manning vs Oakland

Mike Glennon vs Miami

 

Sleeper play: Jake Locker vs Jacksonville

 

QB Sits

 

Matt Ryan vs Seattle (Seattle at home and no Roddy White)

Carson Palmer vs Houston

Terrelle Pryor vs NY Giants

EJ Manuel vs Pittsburgh

 

RB Starts

 

Chris Johnson vs Jacksonville

Mike James vs Miami

Zac Stacy vs Indianapolis

Pierre Thomas vs Dallas

Eddie Lacey vs Philadelphia

Knowshon Moreno vs San Diego

 

Sleeper play: Danny Woodhead vs Denver

 

RB Sits

 

Ryan Mathews vs Denver (This will be a pass happy shootout and Mathews was a no-show vs Washington)

DeMarco Murray vs New Orleans (Dallas seems to be embracing being a passing team)

Ben Tate vs Arizona (Keenum will have win this one through the air)

BenJarvis Green-Ellis vs Baltimore (Handcuff for Gio Bernard)

Lamar Miller vs Tampa Bay

 

WR Starts

 

Keenan Allen vs Denver

Demaryius Thomas vs San Diego

Lance Moore vs Dallas

Dez Bryant vs New Orleans

Antonio Brown vs Buffalo

 

Sleeper play: Kris Durham vs Chicago (Targeted 35 times the past two games)

 

WR Sits

 

Cecil Shorts vs Tennessee

Anquan Bolden vs Carolina

Mike Wallace vs Tampa Bay

Mario Manningham vs Carolina (Don't expect much first week back)

Tavon Austin vs Indianapolis

 

TE Starts

 

Jason Witten vs New Orleans (Witten will have to have a big game if Dallas hopes to win)

Jimmy Graham vs Dallas (In a game with "shootout" written all over it play Graham with caution-he's listed as questionable to play)

Garrett Graham vs Arizona ('Zona has allowed the most yard, TD's and fantasy points to TE's in the NFL in 2013)

Julius Thomas vs San Diego

Antonio Gates vs Denver

 

Sleeper play: Zack Ertz vs Green Bay

 

TE Sits

 

Colby Fleener vs St Louis

Jared Cook vs Indianapolis

Scott Chandler vs Pittsburgh

Dallas Clark vs Cincinnati

 

 

[eagle eye]

Jeez, how many times do you see a Hail Mary work to send a game into overtime and then the head coach gets cute and goes for a 4th down when his kicker could make a 49 field goal to win and end up losing 10 yards and losing anyway. See Cincinnati at Baltimore.

 

Neither Eli Manning or Terrelle Pryor were worth a crap but the Giants won their 3rd straight.

 

The Carolina Panthers must be for real. They travel across the country and out muscle the 49ers in a low scoring slugfest.

 

Philly beating Green Bay was expected but Seneca Wallace never lasted a single quarter before being injured and replaced by former practice squader Scott Tolzein. Green Bay was still in the game until mid way in the 4th. That's how badass the Packers are.

 

How many of you got burned in fantasy by Tony Romo's anemic performance against the Saints? (My hand is raised.)

 

How many of you hit fantasy paydirt by Case Keenum's 3 TD performance in the Texan's loss to Arizona? (My hand is not raised.)

 

How many thought the sweep to Matt Forte on a two point conversion to tie the game was a crap call? (My hand is raised.)

 

Which game was more of a shock, Jacksonville over Tennessee or St Louis over Indianapolis?

 

I'm not picking any winners here but I really believe Tampa will beat Miami at home tonight. I hope Mike James kicks ass for my fantasy team. Otherwise this game and the Richie Incognito issue is beyond boring. It's a shame that the original Monday Night Football is relegated to the bottom of the barrel games. The best night of football is the sunday night game on NBC. The MNF team of Mike Tirico and Jon Gruden is not my favorite but they deserve better games.