Pick Ups

Roy Helu, RB, WAS – The inherent mess of the Shanahan running backs may have let Helu remain on free agency this long. He isn’t even owned in half of leagues and he is the one guy on the list at RB that has big-game potential.  Torain did not even touch the ball on Sunday and Helu had a pretty nice game in a win over Seattle. Shanahan might just decide to spit in the face of fantasy owners again and start Torain next week but if you are taking a chance on one of these guys, it should be Helu every single time.

Greg Little, WR, CLE – The Browns desperately need a play maker at receiver and with Little starting to emerge, at least a little, I expect them to let Colt McCoy sling the ball around some so that they can properly evaluate him for their future needs.  I believe in McCoy and expect Little to continue to perform better than a Browns receiver has since Braylon Edwards did with Derek Anderson at QB in 2007.  Little should be owned in all leagues and could make a decent flex play if the match up is right the rest of the way.

Donald Brown, RB, IND – If you are making a serious playoff push right now, Brown would probably not be any better than a bench-warmer for you. I would probably rather seek out a handcuff to your best running back instead unless your fighting tooth and nail to get into the playoffs at all.  If that is the case Brown might have another decent game next week against New England but considering how badly they are going to lose, his upside is limited as well. He is worthy of a roster spot in most leagues but as you can tell, he does not excite me.

Johnny Knox, WR, CHI – Despite how poorly Caleb Hanie played in this game, his ability to find Knox was undeniable. I’m not even ready to call Knox a solid flex-play yet but if Hanie keeps finding this speedy deep threat next week, then I will have to concede that Knox is worth starting again. I will already say that I would rather have Knox on my team than Bennett.

Peyton Hillis, RB, CLE – Hillis is available in around 20% of leagues at the moment and this is probably a mistake.  He is a borderline top 25 back and now that he is healthy, he must be owned.  He hasn’t played like he did last season but I never expected him to either. Bottom line is he is going to see between 12 and 15 carries and should be the primary goal line back.  This guy is too good to just be sitting on free agency.

Dump List

Bernard Scott, RB, CIN – Anyone who thinks that Scott has more in him than being a mediocre handcuff just hasn’t been watching the Bengals play.  Benson is the more dynamic threat out of the back field and Scott is only used as a change of pace.

Steve Breaston, WR, KC – I could see holding him until Orton starts and you see how he manages this offense but I wouldn’t wait.  I don’t trust Breaston at the moment and with this offense being so one-dimensional, I don’t see that changing.

LaDainian Tomlinson, RB, NYJ – LT is still owned in over 40% of leagues and I don’t get it.  McKnight has run better than he has and neither has really seen the field very much.  Cut your loses with LT now and let him be someone else’s problem as you head into the playoffs!

Lance Ball, RB, DEN – With McGahee having gotten banged up a few times, Ball isn’t value-less. But he didn’t break-out at all when he had the chance and was merely a viable replacement. McGahee has bounce back quickly from his injuries this season and I would probably let Ball go if I had my eye on someone on waivers this week.

No Comments »

Love

Matthew Stafford, QB, DET – Denver has allowed the most fantasy points to opposing quarterbacks, averaging just over 20 per game.  I think we will probably see Calvin Johnson get back to 2 TDs per in a game this week.  And with Jahvid Best most likely out again, I think the Lions are going to air it out and win this game big to snap the two-game losing streak.

Mike Wallace, WR, PIT – I think Wallace is in for a really big game this week.  Pittsburgh hasn’t been able to protect Roethlisberger long enough to let him hit the open receiver deep down the field.  Luckily for Ben and all his receivers, New England has not had an effective pass rush and has struggled in coverage!

DeMarco Murray, RB, DAL – The Cowboys have not had a very good running game recently and Murray was a young prospect that they liked a lot before last week’s breakout performance. With a good match-up against Philadelphia this week, I expect Dallas to try and feature Murray heavily and see if he can put up big numbers on a consistent basis.

Fred Davis, TE, WAS – With Shawne Merriman placed on IR, the Bills are wearing thin at line backer. They have been pretty bad at stopping opposing tight ends and with Santana Moss out, Davis should see the biggest increase in carries.  PPR owners especially should take notice but he comes in at 5th in my rankings regardless.

BenJarvus Green-Ellis, RB, NE – The Law Firm has re-asserted himself as the leader of the committee in New England. While Tom Brady hasn’t typically had an issue passing against the Steelers, running the ball hasn’t been a viable option for years.  I do not downgrade Green-Ellis at all due to match up and think he has a decent shot at a nice game.

AJ Green, WR, CIN – Green has been great for Cincinnati and has developed a lot of chemistry with fellow rookie Andy Dalton.  Seattle allows over 20 fantasy points per game to opposing wide receivers and Green has been able to score double digit fantasy points in all but one game this season.

Darren Sproles, RB, NO – You can’t ask for more from Sproles so far this season. He has been able to produce explosive plays on a consistent basis and his opponent this week just gave up over 250 yards on the ground to a rookie.

Hate

Doug Baldwin, WR, SEA – The Bengals defense is for real and I am yet to be convinced that Baldwin is. If Seattle wants to win this game, they need to get it done on the ground.

Bernard Scott, RB, CIN – This is the week that Cedric Benson is serving his suspension and I see a lot of people looking to Scott to pick right up where Benson left off.  I don’t see that happening against the under rated Seahawks rush defense.  Brian Leonard will get some carries if Scott struggles too and I could easily see him at 5 points or less.

Brandon Jacobs, RB, NYG – Jacobs could end up OK this week due to his goal line work, but I do not see him having a big yardage total or large number of carries in his first game back from the injury.

Kevin Kolb, QB, ARI – Baltimore’s defense has been solid all season and I clearly do not expect such a repeat terrible performance.  With Beanie Wells on the bench, this Cardinals offense is one-dimensional and very sub-par. Kolb does not have enough quality receivers at his disposal to be able to get anything done against Ray Lewis and company.

Alfonso Smith, RB, ARI – Smith didn’t play well after Wells went down last week and I’ve already mentioned the terrible match up for Arizona this week.  The ONLY Cardinal worth starting is Fitz.

No Comments »

Week 2 of the preseason is in the books and fantasy football drafts are coming up rather quickly.  As the preseason continues we all carry on our search for sleepers in this years draft.

Eagles vs Bengals

Kolb continues to look strong through week 2, but most surprising to me so far is the involvement of DeSean Jackson in the intermediate passing game.  The primary reason for DJax not being a part of the elite group of receivers this year is that when McNabb left the team so did the deep ball.  Not entirely, but not many people throw long balls like Donovan.  Kolb has been making completions to Jackson over the middle and inside of 20 yards with much more frequency than McNabb did.  This won’t upgrade Jackson in my rankings but it will hold him firm at number 9 and removes a lot of the doubt I had about his consistency. I have yet to see much of anything from LeSean McCoy and I am starting to expect very little from him.  I recommend not taking the risk on McCoy on draft day, not when guys like Joseph Addai and Ronnie Brown should still be available in the next round.

My dislike for Carson Palmer is still growing after this last game.  2 interceptions and a bad decision that got his star receiver leveled in a preseason game.  Good judgment.  Also, there is a lot of talk about how well T.O. has done thus far.  They are trying to get the fan base excited and as much as the fans may love 85, they won’t get excited about him catching balls in the preseason.  My expectations for T.O. are for him to be marginally better than last season.  Someone will be reaching for him on draft day, don’t let it be you.  Lastly, I want to point out that Bernard Scott should never go undrafted this year (except for maybe 8 team leagues).  He has performed well whenever given that chance and with Benson being such a workhorse he is bound to miss a game or two.

Redskins vs Ravens

Even though the ‘Skins were only able to put a field goal up on the board McNabb was able to demonstrate why players on this team will be fantasy-relevant again.  Throughout his time in the game McNabb was able to use his play-making ability to extend drives and keep the defense rested.  Being able to convert on third and long allows Portis to get more carries and receivers to get more catches and yards as well.  McNabb allows this team to have more offensive plays in a game than Campbell or any other option available to them.

The Ravens looked flat this week, even with Ray Rice on the field.  I am certainly not concerned about Flacco as the Redskins were among the better pass defenses in the league last year and they were a much worse team then they are now.  The only player on the Ravens that I do have concerns about is Derrick Mason. He has been hobbled by leg injuries through camp, is getting older and saw only one target on Thursday.  Flacco has a new toy to play with and he is good enough to make him forget that Mason is still on the field.

Dolphins vs. Jaguars

Henne is a great backup option for you this year.  I think he will develop into a top 10 QB by the end of the season, but there could be some growing pains early.  There weren’t any this week however… The Dolphins offense looked very strong and even incorporated Brandon Marshall quite nicely.  Look for Anthony Fasano in the late rounds if you really want a backup TE.  If anyone has the chance to do what Celek did last year, its this guy right here.

David Garrard was having a pretty good night before he got hurt and was pulled out of the exhibition game.  I have seen very little about his injury since it happened which leads me to think it is minor.  He has just enough skill to make Mike Sims-Walker a WR2 or flex play but Maurice Jones-Drew will remain the star of this offense.

Bears vs Raiders

We saw some good things from the Bears this week.  Forte had a nice TD run of 89 yards, which is a great example of how a Mike Martz offense creates holes in the opposing defense.  Cutler had a solid outing, no interceptions as well as finding Johnny Knox in the end zone in the second quarter.

The Raiders played good, solid football in all three phases of the game this week and won the game because of it.  This is a sign of good coaching and a franchise on its way back to prominence.  Not yet though, because there is not one receiver that can be relied on week-to-week.

Other Week 2 one-liners

Malcom Floyd and Legedu Naanee are not to be taken lightly, they will perform in Vincent Jackson’s absence.

Ryan Mathews should be a consistent performing RB2.

The Cowboys will have a few bad offensive games until they solidify their offensive line.

Miles Austin will produce consistently anyway.

Thomas Jones – 3.63 YPC and a fumble, Jamaal Charles 5 YPC and 23 yards receiving… Stop drafting Thomas Jones above round 8 or 9.

Mike Williams should be drafted in a 12 team league.

Arrelious Benn should not be.

Hasselbeck has something left in the tank, but it’s not what it used to be.

Aaron Rodgers really should be everyone’s number 1 ranked Quarterback.

No Comments »

I Hope Benson owners nabbed Bernard Scott as insurance, because Benson is inactive today!

No Comments »

Well, It still looks as though Benson will likely be ready to go for Sunday vs Oakland, however Stephania Bell of ESPN is reporting that there are some mixed reports and mumblings that Benson may be a little more injured than we thought. However that would at worst make Benson a game-day decision for the Bengals and fantasy owners alike.  If there is much question Benson might get the game off to try out insurance policy Larry Johnson in combo with Bernard Scott.  If Benson does play look to see it in a slightly smaller role.

No Comments »