Week 2 is upon us and it is pretty light on the exciting match-ups in my opinion. There is a lot of appeal on the surface of the Manning Bowl Sunday night, but more on that later.

Patriots at Jets

This is going to be one hell of a game. It would be one hell of a surprise to have a team of the caliber of the Jets start 0-2, but their offense will need to show some drastic improvement to keep up with the high-powered Patriots offense. Luckily for Sanchez and the Jets, the Patriots defense is terrible and they should be able to find the end zone with some decent regularity. The battle everyone will be watching could well be what decides the game, Moss vs Revis. History says that Randy will get shut down, but a guy of his talent cannot be benched because it takes only one play for him to have a good day. Welker will be used much like the Ravens used their wide outs vs the Jets, to attack the other corner backs in order to move the ball down the field. Look for Welker to have a huge day and Moss to… well… not.

Giants at Colts

The Manning Bowl certainly has a great storyline… brothers that only meet in the regular season once every 4 years. But they will never be on the field at the same time and really the Colts are a much better team than the Giants so I do not think it will be all that close of a game. I know they lost to the Texans, but there is something to the Super Bowl hangover effect and the Colts have never started the season playing their best football. Because of this I expect to see a much better Colts team this week. I do have a big sleeper coming out of this game in Ahmad Bradshaw. We all saw what Foster did the Colts with his speed and elusiveness last week, but what you may not realize is that Ahmad Bradshaw is shorter, faster and quicker than Foster. I am in no way predicting similar statistics, but I do foresee a big performance in prime-time. My best advice… don’t bet against Peyton Manning, it doesn’t work out too often.

Ravens at Bengals

This very well might end up the most entertaining game of the week to football purists, as two stout defenses with a lot of play makers on offense square off in a heated divisional game. Last year the Bengals won every divisional match-up they had, but as Carson Palmer gets older the passing game gets less and less dynamic. In the ’09 season it was common-place to see Cedric Benson have 30 carries a game which is how they will need to beat the Ravens… on the ground. This is not typically a winning strategy against this team, however typically the Ravens have not had so many offensive weapons that you were concerned with keeping them off the field. I expect Ray Rice and the Ravens to win this physical slug-fest and advance to 2-0 on the season. In this match up I think the stars of this game will be the Running Backs, Cedric Benson and Ray Rice. Also, Boldin was able to be productive against the Jets and I see no reason why that should not continue. I don’t anticipate a HUGE game, but 100 yards receiving sounds right.

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Sep

2010

Love/Hate Lists for Week 2

POSTED BY Big Jim | No Comments »

Love

Jamaal Charles, RB, KC – Charles is a dynamic game-changing back that has never been used to his maximum potential in Kansas City. While it still remains true that the Chiefs did not go out and sign Thomas Jones to ride the bench, Todd Haley will soon be shamed into doing the right thing and stopping this 50/50 time share shenanigans. If that happens this week, Charles just may return the favor for what Harrison did to the Chiefs last year.

Michael Vick, QB, PHI - Typically a QB stepping into a starting job mid-season wouldn’t show up on a list like this… but this one has pro-bowl credentials and a very squishy match up. While the Bears’ receivers were not able to make big plays vs the Lion’s secondary that was primarily the fault of two Cutler turnovers and Matt Forte having probably the best game of his season.

DeAngelo Williams, RB, CAR – Even though he is in a time share, Stewart did not look very productive last week and the Panthers tend to ride the hot-handed back hardest. Playing against among the worst teams in the league should allow Williams the opportunity to have a great week and we all know he has the ability.

Ahmad Bradshaw, RB, NYG – The Texans exposed the weakness of the Colts defense, the running game. Bradshaw is a VERY similar back to Arian Foster and the Giants have begun to embrace him as their lead guy. Bradshaw will have a big game this week and while he wont be getting any goal line carries I still think he should be able to find the end zone at least once.

Brett Favre, QB, MIN - It will take him some time to find a receiver that he is comfortable with other than Harvin and last week he was unable to get the ball rolling. I will never ask Favre to play like he did last season but he will have a good game so if you have one of the questionable QBs this week don’t hesitate to start Brett.

Brandon Jackson, RB, GB – He had a lot of chances last week to get him used to his new role as feature back in this high-powered Packers offense. He has among the best match-ups possible against a weak Bills run D. If you are strong at the RB position I would not blame you for not wanting to put an unknown in over a proven RB2, but you should definitely use him for your flex spot if you have one.

Jason Campbell, QB, OAK – Campbell has been very consistent for faithful fantasy owners that have been willing to ignore bad match-ups and mediocre offensive talent to give this guy a start. Now he gets the chance to have a good match-up so if you are in a 2 Quarterback league then this is an easy choice.

Roddy White, WR, ATL - This guy is the entire Falcons passing game this season. White got targeted TWENTY THREE TIMES last week against the Steelers and was able to total 111 receiving yards in a very defensive game in which his team did not score a TD. Now they play a poor Cardinals team that lost a lot of talent on the defensive side of the ball.

DeSean Jackson, WR, PHI – He may only get two catches this week, but if that is the case I’d say he has over a hundred yards and a score. Vick is not a QB that DJax can excel with, but regardless of his QB i’d rank him top 10 against the Lions.

Wes Welker, WR, NE – Welker’s confidence in his knee was my issue last week and that cannot be an area of concern any more. This week I worry about the match up, but with Revis nose-to-nose with Randy Moss all day and how effective the Ravens were moving the ball while attacking the other CBs I think Welker could end up in the top 5 points-wise this week.

Jason Witten, TE, DAL – When the line plays poorly the QB has to use his check downs and quick routes to pick up first downs. Enter the tight end. The Cowboys have one of the best in the league and if they want to win they need to get him more involved. They play the Bears this week and the passing attack will be crucial to their success.

Chris Cooley, TE, WAS – It sure was nice to see McNabb rely on Cooley for the exact sort of plays I love Witten for this week. Against a high-powered Texans offense the Skins will need to use an areal attack to keep up and Cooley could end up the leading receiver if the Texans decide to double cover Santana Moss.

Hate

Tom Brady, QB, NE – Last season the Bills were able to seriously impact the fantasy point totals of Brady twice, the Jets defense is much better than Buffalo’s so I think it is unreasonable to expect a 300 yard performance from Brady. Also, it would shock no one if he was only able to get one TD. I do expect him to be able to use Welker effectively as their only real weapon so as if you don’t have another top 10 QB this week then your gonna have to start him anyways.

Frank Gore, RB, SF - What a disappointment last week! I am still speechless that the 9ers blew it last week against a mediocre Seahawks team. With the Saints this week the 9ers will need to attempt to stretch the field. If Gore has a slow start he is not going to do very well at all. He is outside my top10 this week but not by much, so your still likely going to have to start him.

Justin Forsett, RB, SEA – Silly me, I thought when the Seahawks cut Julius Jones he would NOT LEAD THE TEAM IN CARRIES ANYMORE. Seriously Pete Carrol he had 8 carries for 18 yards… what is it about this guy that mesmerizes coaches so much? It is in my mind the main thing that cost Jim Mora Jr. his job.

Jerome Harrison, RB, CLE – If you owned Harrison at all last year you very possibly benched him for his crazy ridiculous game vs the Chiefs due to the week to week guessing game at who in Cleveland would get the most carries. Peyton Hillis tied Harrison for 9 carries and one-upped him with a TD. Don’t start either one till something gets sorted out.

Randy Moss, WR, NE – Have you met Darrelle Revis? He is about to hurt your argument for a new contract mid-season.

Mike Sims-Walker, WR, JAC - Try and not use this guy this week. He got blanked by the Broncos secondary which is good… but not great. The quiet reports from local sources in Jacksonville during training camp that Mike Thomas was going to win the starting job were right and he just might pass MSW for the top spot on the depth chart.

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Sep

2010

Week 1 Friday Mailbag

POSTED BY Big Jim | No Comments »

One hell of a kickoff game has me pretty jacked up for Sunday, I don’t know about you all. Lots of busts from the Saints offense this week, everyone but Devery Henderson for you deep format players. Pierre Thomas was shut down in the first half but made up for it with one hell of a 2nd half to seal a close, physical and defensive week 1 victory. On to the questions I have answered on twitter and during Yahoo! Q&A’s. To get your questions answered ask me on Twitter (click the bird at the top of the screen) or you can tweet with the #StartSit hashtag, I am trying to get people to start using that! So help me out.

Question 1. Asked by Butcha

#2 wr this week?
Floyd vs kc
Knox or Aromashodu vs det

Answer

This is a really difficult call here, each guy comes in close to each other on my rankings. I would try and use both Floyd and Knox if you are able to start one in the flex position, but I do not have any RB info to confirm that. My rankings give the edge to Floyd but I am going to say to play Knox. He is the deep threat and the Bears are going to allow big plays against the Lions on Sunday. Aromashodu is a big goal line threat and ought to provide you some interesting options and depth at WR this season, but he won’t be your guy this week.

Question 2. Asked by @packers4

OK …Vince Young or Jason Campbell as starting QB in #fantasyfootball?

Answer

This is a tough decision, I don’t quite rank either as a starter this week. Campbell feels low in my ranks looking back on it at 22, but regardless Vince Young will be a better choice. The Titans will be able to control the ball and VY should be able to get you in the area of 15 points. Without the presence of a consistent receiving threat on Oakland it is not likely that Campbell can be as productive.

Question 3. Asked by @robertodileo

Someone help!! Who should I start at flex.. Bradshaw, TJ housh, dez bryant or maclin? #fantasyfootball #StartSit

Answer

Play Bradshaw here, the Panthers are not the strongest defense by any means and the running game can’t quite match-up to the firepower of the Giants offense. Jacobs has been reacting like a child regarding being passed up on the depth chart, but should still see some goal line work. Bradshaw is, in my opinion, a shoe-in for a thousand yard season, with 500 receiving likely as well.

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Aug

2010

2010 Draft Analysis by Position: Running Backs

POSTED BY Big Jim | No Comments »

This year certainly looks to continue an unfortunate trend. Year in and year out, the running back position was by far the most important for your fantasy team’s trip to the playoffs. Their importance to us has not changed; but the reliability of the average running back to productive has gone way down. When you look at the top of your draft boards you will almost always see the same 5 or 6 names going first and they are all running backs. The problem is that since offenses are becoming pass-first and the popularity of splitting carries between two or three backs is still increasing, the consistency of the 7th through 15th ranked RB’s is lowered. Ten years ago during the 2000 season there were 16 different RBs that got at least 275 carries, but last year only had 7. You can get my updated RB rankings here.

The Big Three

It seems like it always comes down to 3 guys that become the consensus elite three each year. This year welcomes back Adrian Peterson and Maurice Jones-Drew but the number one guy is new to the group, Chris Johnson. There was an interesting article in ESPN the magazine that was written by Christopher Harris in support of Peterson as number one, but I don’t buy it. 2000 yards is special, I want that on my team. Peterson should improve on his ’09 campaign given the Vikings WR issues and Favre just looking to stay healthy if the team struggles. I am a little concerned about MJD STILL not participating in any football related drills, but I view this as only a slight setback. If he was expected to miss time, we would know. Anticipate a slow start but he will still be the same old guy once he is 100%.

The Other First Rounders -

Rounding out the guys that are likely to be drafted in the first round at this position are Frank Gore, Ray Rice, Michael Turner, Steven Jackson and DeAngelo Williams. I have been talking up Frank Gore to anyone that will listen for a little while now. With the addition of the two lineman in the first round of this year’s draft, a stable QB and a very stout defense Gore is set to have a great year. I think he has more things working in his favor that Ray Rice, unless you are in a PPR league… then Rice is probably at number 3. Michael Turner seems to be being overlooked by most people, they still rank him around the same place I do, but I am positive you should draft this guy over anyone at QB or WR. I think Turner will have a 1400 yard season. Steven Jackson is the last guy I would take before Andre Johnson, he is a rare talent on a bad team. Regardless of every obstacle put in front of him he continues to be productive statistically and if Bradford has any success it will benefit him greatly. I have seen DeAngelo Williams fall to the second round, don’t let that happen if you can help it! This guy is a special player and the only reason he isn’t ranked at the number 3 spot is Jonathan Stewart. The Panthers know how to get the most from each of these backs, Williams is more talented and will see the most carries. There are questions at QB and the Panthers will be trying to use their running game as a crutch to get to the playoffs.

Second Running Backs (RB2)

I’ll refer you to the rankings to see all the guys listed in the rest of the sections here, but you are looking at ranks 10 to 24. Shonn Greene does appear to have some company in the backfield with LT, but Tomlinson is old and in order to be as effective as he can be he will be limited in the number of touches he gets. This will allow Greene to stay rested and still receive a lot of work, the Jets love to run if you didn’t know. Jamaal Charles is in an identical situation with Thomas Jones on a team with a worse defense. This makes him slightly less valuable than Greene because he will see fewer touches. Charles is a more explosive back, but I think Jones has a little more left in the tank and will vulture ALL of the goal line duties. I was much higher on Beanie Wells before the preseason performance of Matt Leinart. Wells is not experienced or developed enough to produce consistently in a bad offense. He was much more of a raw talent than polished runner coming out of college and will need a bit more time before he can carry the Cardinals through the rough spots. Ronnie Brown and Joseph Addai are coming off productive years, with Brown having been injured at the end of the season. I have confidence in both guys going into the year, despite Ronnie’s track record. There should be a better vertical passing game to keep the 8th man out of the box this year and that should help keep the two Dolphin RBs healthy. Lastly, Arian Foster totaled over 100 yards on the ground in week 3 of the preseason. He is going to be the lead guy on a pretty damn good offense, that’s good enough for me.

Flex Players and The Best Backups

As far as the guys between 25 and 35 in my rankings are concerned, I have some major concerns that Felix Jones can stay healthy for 16 games, but while he is healthy he will be the lead back for the Cowboys and Marion Barber will take over that supplementary role that he was so successful with during his breakout season on ’06. Ahmad Bradshaw will be the starting RB for the Giants this year and is among my favorite picks this year at the position. He has always been explosive and make the most of his opportunities. Jacobs will probably see most the goal line duties but Bradshaw should great things with 20 rushing attempts per game. Fred Jackson has fallen below his teammate CJ Spiller in most people’s rankings, but I view this as a mistake. Matthew Berry at ESPN put an awesome stat in his Love/Hate column about how Chan Gailey uses RB’s. Basically there is a clear lead guy and a clear supplementary back. Spiller does not have the skill set for a clear lead role, but Fred Jackson does. If the Redskins O-line can keep Clinton Portis healthy he will be a big surprise for owners this year. He may have been in the league for a little while now, but we haven’t devalued a running back like this before the age of 30 in a while.

The Best of The Rest

Players ranked 36 and below on my rankings are either ideal for bye week fill-ins and in case of an injury. LaDainian Tomlinson and Thomas Jones are guys that are experienced but new to their team. It is still unclear exactly how they will be used, but we can expect both to get the most goal line carries on their team and get enough work to be productive as a fill-in. Donald Brown is a single injury away from a starting job on one of the elite offenses in the league. I don’t expect the Colts to sign Addai to another contract after this year unless they absolutely need to. They will be putting this guy on the field plenty this year to know how best to handle a potential Addai contract. Tim Hightower has also fallen a bit too far in most people’s rankings, he is a talented guy and will see use in what will probably be a struggling offense.

Sleepers

Frank Gore, DeAngelo Williams, Pierre Thomas, Ahmad Bradshaw, Fred Jackson, Donald Brown, Tim Hightower

Busts

LeSean McCoy, Knowshon Moreno, Felix Jones, Brandon Jacobs, Laurence Maroney

Recap

Draft around 5 guys at this position, expect injuries and you can’t be screwed by them. The talent pool is shallow this year, if you are lucky enough to get one of the top 6 or 7 picks DO NOT do anything crazy. rounds 3-4 are where all the WRs fly off the shelves so you can often find a bargain in the fourth as a back or two usually falls too far at this time.

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Jul

2010

2010 New York Giants Fantasy Football Preview

POSTED BY Big Jim | No Comments »

AP Photo/Bill Kostroun

If anyone can upset the Cowboys to win the division it’s the Giants. They are a very streaky team in recent years and it is hard to trust many of their players from a fantasy standpoint. If they can find someone on their roster that can be effective while handling a heavy workload at the running back position they have a serious chance to make the playoffs at least as a wild card. Look for Hakeem Nicks to have a breakout performance this season and vault himself to the number 1 on the team. I had Nicks pegged as a sleeper before the season ending injury to Domenik Hixon but now that is a no-brainer. He is a promising young talent that will make the most out of every snap.

Top Fantasy Players

Brandon Jacobs – I very much so dislike this guy, and not just in fantasy football. Jacobs is a big guy that should be much more effective between the tackles. If last year’s stats did not scare you away from this guy, then I don’t know what will. I believe that by the end of the year Ahmad Bradshaw will end up being the feature back for the Giants.

Eli Manning – There is no consistency from this team and without a steady running game to be concerned with defenses should be able to contain Eli and the passing attack. Do not be fooled into thinking he is a good option for your number one fantasy QB.

Steve Smith – If there continues to be a lack of an effective running game, Smith could have production issues. If Bradshaw or Jacobs can give the offense balance again Smith could end up being a bargain pick for your 2nd WR.

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Dec

2009

Week 15 Love/Hate List

POSTED BY Big Jim | No Comments »

Love

Pierre Garcon (IND) – Great match-up and Wayne will be taking it easy. Even if he plays every snap they wont really be sending Wayne over the middle, but it will just be safe routes that can’t bang him up any further.

Mike Sims-Walker (JAC) - His team is going to be in a shoot out, and he’s been great in home games this season.

Miles Austin (DAL) – Despite losing twice the Cowboys have still had big plays and moderate success on offense. The Defense is letting them down which only means the passing game will be relevant the whole time. Austin is a good start this week as well.

Marques Colston (NO) - He’s out of his slump and finding the end-zone. And on that offense he’s a threat on every play.

Derrick Mason (BAL) – The Bears secondary has been weak and if you think Mason isn’t tough you need to check out his TD grab on Sunday…

Anquan Boldin (ARI) – If Fitz doesn’t see any decrease in play time he will do better than Boldin, but that wont matter much because the Cards are mad and have two soft opponents to beat up on for your playoffs.

Andre Johnson (HOU) – Overshadowed by Marshall’s day Sunday, but I expect Johnson to have a better two game span than Marshall with a good match-up Sunday.

Chris Johnson (TEN) - If VY is banged up these guys still have a chance. Young changed the attitude in Tennessee since he took over and should he miss time or be limited they will lean on CJ and that is great for you.

Jamaal Charles (KC) – Even when the Chiefs can’t put points on the board or throw the ball really at all, Charles still finds a way to preform quite well in Fantasy terms.

Thomas Jones (NYJ) - Even if Ryan comes back I think Turner doesn’t and the Jets control this game. Jones has quietly been a top back this year and has a nice match-up for the week I face him in the league I commish!

DeSean Jackson (PHI) - Your definitely going to want to be starting Jackson when he sets the NFL record for most number of 50+ yard TD plays. Two last week and the 9ers don’t have that good of a secondary. (they beat the Cards with pressure not coverage.

Knowshon Moreno (DEN) - There likely wont even be anyone for him to split carries with against a great match-up. This is the match-up you’ve been looking forward to so play him!

Antonio Bryant (TB) – My sleeper pick of the week is Bryant, he is an amazing talent on a team that cannot utilize him well. Freeman has shown flashes of brilliance this year, and while the last two match-ups were nightmares, Seattle’s pass defense is no one’s nightmare.

Adrian Peterson (MIN) -You gotta love that against a statistically very good rushing D last week. Favre wont be the focal point of this offense unless they need him to be. The Carolina secondary is the strength of the defense so why not hand the ball off to Peterson all day?

Ahmad Bradshaw (NYG) - Sleeper pick for sure but Jacobs is a bum so do not be afraid to play Bradshaw in the flex if you need him.

Hate

Roddy White (ATL) - Revis island… its like a Bye week when your starting QB is playing…

Ryan Grant (GB) – Against the Steelers there is no RB that I love. Despite their troubles defending the run is what they do.

Matt Forte (CHI) - You hate him too… and versus the Ravens?! Sit him!

Jason Snelling (ATL) – That Jets defense will confuse the array of back-ups the Falcons will likely be playing with.

LeSean McCoy (PHI) -If you own him you hate him by now and do not need my urging to sit him down!

Jonathan Stewart (CAR) – Expectations even need to be lowered for Williams, but you’re gonna have to start him. Minnesota’s Defense is even more tough and confident with Winfield back!

Eli Manning and Steve Smith (NYG) – All the Skins do is defend the pass and they are used to playing Eli and Smith.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8P_7-12dLGg

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Dec

2009

Noon-time Injury Update!

POSTED BY Big Jim | No Comments »

Early games

Reggie Bush – NO: Active
Steven Jackson – STL: Active
Sammy Morris – NE: Active
Steve Slaton – HOU: Inactive
Michael Turner – ATL: Inactive
Roddy White – ATL: Active
DeAngelo Williams – CAR: Inactive Stewart is a MUST START today! BIG GAME ALERT!

Late games

Ahmad Bradshaw – NYG
Justin Forsett – SEA
Julius Jones – SEA

Night game (8:20 p.m. ET)

Tim Hightower – ARI
Visanthe Shiancoe – MIN
Kurt Warner – ARI - BIG NEWS!!!! ESPN IS REPORTING THAT WARNER WILL BE ACTIVE IN THE NIGHT GAME TONIGHT! They have not made it official on their site but they reported it on Fantasy Football Now and credited Adam Schefter!

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