Fantasy Nation Week 11

[eagle eye]

This week sees the matchup of season to date featuring the only unbeaten untied team in the NFL, the Kansas City Chiefs, and the offensive juggernaut Denver Broncos. The added drama comes from the fact that Peyton Manning is attempting to play through a high ankle sprain. Yeah, the dreaded high ankle sprain. Most other players would be on the sideline rehabbing that injury and it only goes to show the toughness and dedication Manning has to play through something this painful just to walk on. This is a division game that will be repeated in two weeks when they play again. It's important as Denver tries to win the division and a first round bye and they have to do it vs maybe the best defense in the NFL in 2013. A gem of a game for a Sunday night. It's pretty reasonable to think that KC will need to score more than 17 points to win. That is, if Denver can protect Manning from further damage to his ankle. Easily the potentially best game of this week.

 

The Giants will be facing a defense that is considerably better the ones they faced in their last 3 game winning streak after starting the year 0-6. The Packers have gotten Clay Mathews back and seem to be getting healthier each week. Their Achilles heel is the loss of Aaron Rodgers to a broken collar bone. Despite losing backup/starting QB Seneca Wallace early in the game the Packers stayed competitive largely due to that defense against the Eagles last week. Scott Tolzien is the new guy and despite no practice reps going into the Eagles game Tolzien did a pretty good job and he displayed a strong arm. He will get all the practice reps this week in prep for the Giants so we'll see how that goes. Eli Manning, on the other hand, has sucked in every game except the opening night loss to Dallas. It's weird to see Eli playing so poorly but the emergence of Andre Brown last week could help things out a lot. Brown is definitely the pickup of the week in fantasy.

 

In tonight's game between the Colts and the Titans is there anyone worth an early week play in fantasy? Ryan Fitzpatrick will be in for Jake Locker who injured his foot last week and it's anybody's guess if Chris Johnson will be the ineffective player or the dynamic player. On the Colts side do you take a chance on Andrew Luck who has no been very good since Reggie Wayne was lost for the season. My advice, get a hot toddy and curl up and have a nice nap while the game is on.

[eagle eye]

The weeks are running out and fantasy playoffs are not far off. A win or a loss now can make the difference of whether you make your league's playoffs so putting the right lineup on the "field" is getting critical. Here is my list of Starts and Sits for Week 11 and I hope this helps.

 

QB Starts

 

Case Keenum vs Oakland

Mike Glennon vs Atlanta

Carson Palmer vs Jacksonville

Russell Wilson vs Minnesota

RGIII vs Philadelphia

 

Sleeper Play: Josh McCown vs Baltimore

 

QB Sits

 

Terrelle Pryor vs Houston (Pryor is listed as questionable and he has a bum knee)

Colin Kaepernick vs New Orleans

Andy Dalton vs Cleveland (Browns coming off bye week and a very good defense)

EJ Manuel vs NY Jets

 

Player Beware: Tom Brady vs Carolina (The Panthers defense is for real and they are at home)

 

RB Starts

 

Frank Gore vs New Orleans

Andre Ellington vs Jacksonville

Danny Woodhead vs Miami

Alfred Morris vs Philadelphia

LeSean McCoy vs Washington

 

Sleeper Play: Dennis Johnson vs Oakland

 

RB Sits

 

Mark Ingram vs San Francisco

Maurice Jones-Drew vs Arizona

Rashad Jenning vs Houston

CJ Spiller vs NY Jets

Lamar Miller vs San Diego

 

WR Starts

 

Pierre Garcon vs Philadelphia (Garcon is becoming a fantasy juggernaut.)

Antonio Brown vs Detroit

DeSean Jackson vs Washington

Dwayne Bowe vs Denver

Denarius Moore vs Houston

 

Sleeper Play: Percy Harvin vs Minnesota (First game back, practiced for 3 weeks, playing former team--recipe for big debut in 2013 for Harvin)

 

WR Sits

 

Anquan Bolden vs New Orleans

Roddy White vs Tampa Bay

Torrey Smith vs Chicago

Jerome Simpson vs Seattle

 

 

TE Starts

 

Jordan Cameron vs Cincinnati

Jordan Reed vs Philadelphia

Julius Thomas vs Kansas City

Martellus Bennett vs Baltimore

Antonio Gates vs Miami

 

Sleeper Play: Brandon Bostick vs NY Giants (Extra long shot here but the Packers are still looking for Jermichael Finley's replacement. Bostick was the best fantasy performer of the 4 Packer TE's on the roster)

 

TE Sits

 

John Carlson vs Seattle

Tony Gonzalez vs Tampa Bay

Brandon Pettigrew vs Pittsburgh

Dallas Clark vs Chicago

Scott Chandler vs NY Jets

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[eagle eye]

The week ends with as usual with a Monday Night Football game. But, unlike most weeks, this week's game will be worth watching. The Patriots and the Panthers square off in a game that probably looked lame when the schedule came out. It seems MNF has become the red-headed step child of the schedule gods at the NFL league office. Sunday Night Football on NBC has replaced the original prime time home of the NFL. It was a marquee night. Every team looked forward to being the only game in town and in the glow of the monday night spotlight. Crappy teams need not apply for a spot in the schedule, they weren't welcome unless a team expected to be good became a raging dumpster fire which wasn't often. It's sad that MNF has digressed to this point but the football diety has had a last laugh this week.

The Carolina Panthers have been exciting in recent years because of Cam Newton but hardly a factor in any playoff scenarios. All that has changed this season with the emergence of a dominating Panthers defense and an efficient but not spectacular offense. They are nipping hard at the heels of the Saints in the NFC South. In fantasy there will be a lot of players in play tonight so it will be a game of interest to all fantasy players with this week's games in the balance. Personally, I'll be rooting for my man Stevan Ridley to help pull out a win for me this week. Good luck (except for he know who).