No Comments »

No Comments »

No Comments »

No Comments »

1 Comment »

Love

Darren McFadden, RB, OAK - I have used this stat a lot, but it stays relevant so here it is again: McFadden has gotten 100 yards from scrimmage in all but two starts this season and one of them was against the Steelers.  The players that perform consistently all season are the ones you should be using in the playoffs.  DMC also has a great match up against the Broncos who are the 31st ranked rush defense in the NFL, who allow an average of 150 yards per game.

Ray Rice, RB, BAL – With the Saints as opponents next week, we should expect to see the Ravens attack New Orleans on the ground.  The Greg Williams blitzing scheme has been disrupting the timing of opposing QBs all season and when you have such a talented backfield with Rice, McClain and McGahee… there is little reason to not attempt to control the clock and run the ball as much as possible.  If the Saints are able to build an early lead, then this will all go out the window and the Ravens will go to the air.  IF you didn’t know Rice is pretty good at catching the ball out of the back field.

Mike Williams, WR, TB - I expect a good bounce-back game for Williams who was shut down last week.  Arrelious Benn is developing into another vertical threat for the Buccs offense and he will force the Lions’ depleted secondary to single cover Williams who should be able to get deep and find the end zone at least once.  Another nice thing to note here, is that the Lions seem to be competitive in every game they play.  This will keep Williams and the passing game relevant deep into the fourth quarter.

Felix Jones, RB, DAL - The Jason Garrett-led Dallas Cowboys have found an element of their offense that did not exist when Wade Phillips was running the show… the run game.  Tashard Choice has proven to be a versatile weapon with his ability to run between the tackles, as well as his speed through the hole.  Jones is the guy they look to get the ball to in open space and because of this, he is a threat to score every time he touches the ball.  With the run-game being effective lately, his touches have increased and that is all that Jones will need to be a quality flex-starter for fantasy owners, opportunity!

Pierre Garcon, WR, IND - The Jaguars corner backs have been terrible this season, they allow big plays and are unable to cover physical receivers in a one on one scenario.  Wayne should have a good game as well, despite drawing double teams and safety help over the top, but Garcon should be left isolated on the other side of the field.  Coming off a big game, look for Pierre to catch at least 8 passes, totaling 80 yards and a score.

Kenny Britt, WR, TEN – The Texans pass defense has been terrible this season, they are on pace to be the worst in NFL history and even with Kerry Collins at QB, Britt should do just fine.  Keep in mind that, before his injury, Collins was the QB for Britt’s HUGE game back in week 7.

Roddy White, WR, ATL – After watching Alex Smith tear the Seahawks’ secondary to shreds last week, I have a lot of confidence in White this week.  Matt Ryan never plays that well on the road and outdoors, but he doesn’t need to play well to get White a great fantasy performance this week.  There is no one that can cover him one-on-one if they don’t at least provide safety help over the top, they will be burned by a big play.

Brandon Jacobs, RB, NYG – With the outstanding performances of both Jacobs and Bradshaw in recent weeks, fantasy owners can NOT leave either guy on the bench any longer.  Jacobs will be the first to see a drop off in production, when opposing defenses figure out how to shut them down… but I don’t expect that to happen this week against the Eagles.  Philadelphia’s defense has two VERY important players on it, Stewart Bradley and Asante Samuel.  Bradley will be out for the remainder of the regular season (at least) and Samuel has missed the past three games.  If Samuel does not come back, expect the Giants to win… but without Bradley, the Eagles are not likely to stop the run with any consistency.

Hate

Michael Crabtree, WR, SF - Last week Crabtree was a non-factor in the 49er offense and they got a great game from Alex Smith.  This week they face the Chargers, who lose games only because of abysmal special teams play.  Their defense has been fantastic all season and have only allowed an average of 13 points per week to opposing receivers.

Brandon Marshall, WR, MIA – The Bills have the 4th ranked pass defense in the league and despite finding the end zone last week, he has performed FAR under everyone’s expectations.  He is no longer a viable fantasy-starter and should be reserved for your flex spot at best.  Don’t take a chance on him this week when common sense dictates the Dolphins will be running whenever possible.

Ladainian Tomlinson, RB, NYJ - It is tough to start any Jets offensive players, except possibly Santonio Holmes.  Against Pittsburgh, there just won’t be any big plays and field goals are likely to decide this one. I know he is a large part of the reason you made the playoffs, but he is simply too risky to play this week.

Adrian Peterson, RB, MIN - I would hate to do it, but I would still have to start Peterson this week.  You have to lower expectations as the Vikings offense has had little success lately, but Peterson remains the most complete and talented running back in the league.

BenJarvus Green-Ellis, RB, NE – The Packers run defense has been great and Clay Matthews is my favorite to win Defensive Player of the Year, but this is another situation where you will likely need to start him anyways.  The Patriots have been fantastic the past two weeks, decimating playoff teams and smart money is, they will be able to produce on offense no matter who their opponent is.

Brandon Lloyd, WR, DEN – Last week is enough to plummet the values of every Denver Bronco for fantasy purposes, with one exception… Knowshon Moreno.  Studesville was not able to lead an offense that could produce at all against the Arizona Cardinals.   Oakland has a quality secondary and should have few problems shutting down Orton and Lloyd.

No Comments »

Darren McFadden, RB, OAK – If last week was not enough to convince you that DMC is back and playing at an elite level, then hopefully the 123 yards rushing, 86 yards receiving and 3 TDs are enough to confirm in your mind that this guy is a huge part of your playoff hopes.   Don’t get caught with him on your bench as there are still only two games that he started where he did not exceed 100 yards from scrimmage… and one of those was against the Steelers.

DeSean Jackson, WR, PHI – Jackson’s big-play ability and break away speed are unmatched at this time in the NFL.  These skills were on display this week, as Jackson was able to haul in 4 catches for 210 yards and a TD.  Is 52.5 yards per catch good enough for you?  He may not be the most consistent performer, but if you drafted him then you have to start him… wouldn’t want to miss one of these monster performances that can happen any week.

Michael Turner, RB, ATL – What impresses me most about this Falcons team is their versatility on offense.  They have a very balanced attack with Pro Bowl talent at WR, QB and RB.  The passing game never seems to run on all cylinders while on the road, but this week Turner carried the team on his back to a victory against the inept Panthers.  Turner racked up 28 carries with 112 yards and 3 rushing TDs.  He is fulfilling the dream he destroyed for fantasy owners last year when injuring himself just in time for the fantasy football playoffs.  Turner owners this year should get Jason Snelling on their team now in case there is a repeat of last season.

Andre Johnson, WR, HOU – There is something about this Texans team that likes to rally late in games, but unfortunately they are not able to finish games after closing the gap and they lost a heart breaker in OT late last night on a Matt Schaub INT that was run back for a touchdown. Andre Johnson was a beast in their late-game resurgence.  He started with a 42 yard TD grab to finish the first half and added another 8 catches to total 140 yards receiving and 2 scores. Games like this are why AJ was drafted in the first round as the top receiver… but they have been hard to come by this season and it is re-assuring to see it at the start of the playoffs.

Tim Hightower, RB, ARI – We did know that the Broncos were a bad run defense, but we did not know that Hightower would be able to grind out 148 yards and 2 TDs on 18 carries!  With the Panthers 25th ranked rush defense coming up next week and this clear indication that Wells is not going to be seeing extensive work… I think Tim would be an excellent flex play next week and should be in the top 25 at the RB position.

Deion Branch, WR, NE – No matter how good the opponent is, Tom Brady has been tearing them to shreds as of late.  It is a great time to own a Patriot in your fantasy football league as there are tons of catches to go around.  Welker also had a great game, topping 100 yards… but Branch had 151 yards and a TD making him the best receiver from New England this week.  I will still give Welker the edge in my rankings, but Branch is acclimating nicely into his old offense and will move up considerably as long as Brady and the Pats can keep this up.

Pierre Garcon, WR, IND – We finally saw shades of the talent that made me so excited about this guy in the preseason.  It is too little, too late for most of the fantasy owners who drafted Garcon, but if you were able to replace him and make it into the playoffs… then you’ve gotta start him next week against the Jaguars, who have not been able to cover WRs all season long (they are allowing just over 23 fantasy points per game to opposing WRs).

Jason Witten, TE, DAL – Witten has been among the best and most consistent TEs in the NFL over the past three weeks and with a 69 yard, 2 TD performance this week, he provides a much needed consistency at an injury-riddled position for fantasy owners this season.  Consider him a must-start and feel free to drop any other TEs you may have have on your bench as you need not look any farther to find your starter throughout the playoffs.

Ryan Torain, RB, WAS – Torain saw 24 carries and made the most of them by totaling 172 rushing yards.  Most of this came in the first half, when the Skins were not losing by enough to abandon the running game.  Usually you see a week of mediocre production after sitting out as long as Torain did due to his injury… but at least now we know who the starter will be in Washington for the rest of the way.  Torain should be considered for your flex spot with good, not great, match ups over the next two weeks.

Brandon Jacobs, RB, NYG – What happened here? Consider the combo of Jacobs and Bradshaw as the best in the league as both are essentially must-starts going into the fantasy-playoffs.  Jacobs broke off the longest single rush of his career with a 73 yarder to help push the Giants past their nightmarish experience of trying to play their scheduled game this week.  Both teams looked out of sync after the 30 hour delay and I think it is reasonable to expect this type of performance (probably a little worse, given the match ups) for the rest of the season.

Duds

Adrian Peterson, RB, MIN – Let me tell you a little story about how bad AP killed his fantasy owners this week.  I played my brother this week and going into Monday’s games, he had a 3 point lead with AP still to play… I had Andre Johnson.  The game ended with me as a clear victor, but I thought for sure I would lose.  2 points from the 2nd overall draft pick is simply not enough.  The bad performance can likely be written off as a precaution by the Vikings after AP and Jackson collided on a handoff and both players were banged up on the play.  Anyways, thanks a bunch Adrian!

Michael Crabtree, WR, SF – What is truly surprising about the complete lack of production from Crabtree was how well Alex Smith played in this game.  You would expect Crabtree to be productive when he gets such good play from the signal-caller… but all the catches went to Westbrook,  Morgan and Davis.  Don’t expect him to get shut down like this again, however these inconsistencies are exactly what keep me from raising Crabtree to a starter in my rankings.

Kyle Orton, QB, DEN - The rebuilding process should begin in a hurry after only 166 yards and FOUR TURNOVERS from Orton this week.  He may have been a great post-draft pickup, but he also probably just ended your season early with that performance.  If you benched him, had a bye week, or weren’t in the playoffs yet… don’t get caught dead with Orton in your lineup next week after getting destroyed by the Arizona Cardinals.  Tim Tebow anyone?

Jay Cutler, QB, CHI - After watching the Patriots dismantle yet another playoff team in the Bears this week, I am willing to excuse this performance from Cutler.  This is a shining example of why he is not an elite QB though.  The Patriots have a young and easily manipulated secondary and he couldn’t get the job done.  I expected an upset by the Bears in this game, but no one beats Tom Brady when the weather outside is frightful…

Benjamin Watson, TE, CLE – This poor game is inexcusable against Buffalo, who has not effectively been able to stop the opposing TE all year.  I place most of the blame on Jake Delhomme, but Watson is getting downgraded after this performance… even if McCoy is back in time for next week.

Davone Bess, WR, MIA - The Dolphins offense struggled as a whole this week in a tough divisional victory over the Jets.  Bess isn’t a huge factor in standard leagues, but in PPR formats he has been a beast.  You can keep using him given the quality of defense that shut him down.

Terrell Owens, WR, CIN - The Steelers shut down Owens this week with their zone blitzing scheme forcing some poor decision-making out of Carson Palmer.  He will remain in my top 20, but with the whole Bengals team floundering… you shouldn’t consider TO a top 10 guy any longer.

Jeremy Maclin, WR, PHI - One catch on three targets for 11 yards.  The worst game of the season for Maclin came at a terrible time for his fantasy-owners.  Don’t worry too much about playing him next week (if you’re still alive), you have to trust the guys that got you this far… and he sure helped quite a bit I am sure.

Mike Williams, WR, TB - The Redskins defense is pretty bad, especially against the pass and Williams was not a dynamic play maker in this game.  The big plays were made by Arrelious Benn, but don’t worry… you can still start Williams with confidence, it was only one bad game so don’t panic.

No Comments »

No Comments »

1 Comment »

Kenny Britt, WR, TEN - Inactive
Percy Harvin, WR, MIN - Inactive
Brandon Marshall, WR, MIA - Inactive
Santana Moss, WR, WAS - Active
Adrian Peterson, RB, MIN - Active
Steve Smith, WR, NYG – Inactive
Pierre Thomas, RB, NO - Inactive
Ryan Torain, RB, WAS – Inactive

No Comments »