Pickups

Ryan Torain, RB, WAS – As long as Mike Shanahan is coaching in this league there will be some great waiver wire pick-ups at running back.  Torain tied Portis at 7 carries and while neither looked particularly good, each of them was able to rip off a big gain.  The Redskins as a whole looked pretty inept most of the game as they suffered a loss on the road against the Rams.  Bad weeks happen and while you still can’t start any of the Redskins running backs Torain and Portis should be on a roster as one of them will end up getting the majority of the work.

Roy Williams, WR, DAL - We cannot expect this kind of performance from Williams OR Austin down the stretch, but Williams may just not be useless after all.  While he did take the workload of Miles Austin this week, he will mostly cut into Dez Bryant’s production if he can remain a factor in this offense.

BenJarvus Green-Ellis, RB, NE – Belichick remains true to form and after recently losing 2 of their top running backs the Patriots still deployed a committee of four running backs and being against the Bills they were all effective. BJGE (get used to it) by far led the team with 16 carries and fell just short of 100 yards (including a TD).  Given the soft match up and the likelihood that the Patriots feature someone else next week I wouldn’t start any of them, but Taylor and Green-Ellis deserve a spot on someones roster.

Laurence Maroney, RB, DEN – Once we found out that Moreno was going to miss the game due to his hamstring injury Correll Buckhalter became a very popular late-week pickup that was expected to do well against a Colts defense that had not been good at stuffing the run.  While he did not do well, averaging 2 yards per carry on 12 carries it is clear that his ex-offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels is more comfortable with Maroney as the lead back.

Dustin Keller, TE, NYJ - Hard to argue with his current production, but down the stretch Santonio Holmes will be the primary target for Sanchez and the Jets passing game.  Keller will remain a red zone target for Sanchez and could end up a top 10 TE on the season.

Aaron Hernandez, TE, NE - PPR owners that might need a TE do not need to look any further than this guy.  What really impressed me in this game was the end-around Hernandez took for a 13 yard game on the opening drive.  He looked like Wes Welker for a second there.  If you aren’t in a PPR league Keller is a better pick-up until Hernandez can prove he is able to find the end zone.

Dump List

Mohamed Massaquoi, WR, CLE – The Browns offense was more effective against this tough Ravens D than the Jets was this week and Massaquoi was not able to catch a pass.  Cribbs is the receiver that I want in Cleveland and he is almost definitely available unless your league counts return yards.

Carson Palmer, QB, CIN – The Panthers struggled all game and the Bengals leaned heavily on Cedric Benson who was very effective in week 3. Even with the success of Benson Palmer was unable to make either “superstar” wide receiver fantasy-relevant.  This once-great QB’s career is over and while they do not have any better options for this year, I expect the Bengals to target a QB early in next year’s draft.

Fred Jackson, RB, BUF – Lynch is the RB to own in Buffalo (other than Spiller of course!) and since the Bills offense won’t get any better than they were this week and either a trade or an injury will likely need to happen before you would consider using Jackson again this season.

Correll Buckhalter, RB, DEN – It is clear that 3rd down back is the only role Josh McDaniels intends to use Buckhalter in.  4 carries is not enough to be productive.

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The season is finally upon us and the Kickoff game on Thursday will be a great start, tune in.  While there are no shortage of great match ups this week I will get more into that later and go straight into the first Love and Hate lists of the 2010 season.

Love

Jerome Harrison (CLE) – Montario Hardesty’s injury increased the number of touches Harrison will see.  With a lot of carries and a bad opposing defense last season he finished the season strong enough to propel the BROWNS to a 4 game winning streak.

Ronnie Brown (MIA) – The Bills run defense was 30th in the league last year and the 4-3 is geared towards stopping the run.  The transition that Kelsay and Maybin are trying to make takes time.  There will be rough spots and while you may think Brown wont stay healthy all season… he is now.

Matt Forte (CHI) – The Lions are making strides to improve their franchise but on defense they still have plenty of work to do.  They are vulnerable to allowing big plays and this suits the Bears’ new offensive style very well.

Johnny Knox (CHI) – See Matt Forte.

Larry Fitzgerald (ARI) – Derek Anderson brings a consistency to the offense that Leinart could not provide.  The upside is lower, because we know what Anderson can do and I do not expect him to come close to his one good year in ’07.

Michael Crabtree (SF) – He is one of the guys that I really think is going to come into his own this season.  I know some people are nervous because of the incident with Vernon Davis in camp, but I am not.  This guy is a play maker on game day. Since when does fantasy football worry too much about a wide receiver with an attitude problem?

Felix Jones (DAL) – The love for Felix Jones has gone a little too far in my opinion because there is absolutely no chance that we get 16 games out of him this season.  Swelling in his knee on the 2nd day of training camp is not what you want to see from your new lead running back.  He’s fine now and has the ability to break a big gain anytime you put the ball in his hands.

Philip Rivers (SD) – The Chiefs have weapons on offense but their defense has plenty of gaps in the secondary.  Rivers will be spreading the ball around and should be able to move the ball very effectively throughout the game.

Antonio Gates (SD) – see Philip Rivers.

Hate

Pierre Thomas (NO) – The stock on him rose w hen Ladell Betts was cut, he should see the goal line work.  Against this defense his rushing yards will be low, so unless he breaks a big gain in the receiving game his numbers will be modest at best.

Fred Jackson (BUF) – Gailey will likely lean on Lynch and Spiller a bit more this week to allow Jackson to get back to 100%, he will be fine come week 2 though.

Kevin Kolb (PHI) – If Reid is not willing to lean on the running game until Kolb gets in a rhythm this ball hawking secondary could cause some problems in Kolb’s first outing as the team’s leader.  I don’t see him having a huge game this week, I do not have too many concerns down the stretch however.

Shonn Greene (NYJ) – The Jets love to run the ball, but they won’t win this game that way.  This is going to be a slug fest and a field position battle and could be a preview of the AFC Championship game, unless Peyton Manning has his way.

Anquan Boldin (BAL) – Have you met Darrelle Revis? Nope, he used to be busy with Larry.  This is a cruel first test as a number one WR.

Justin Forsett (SEA) – Patrick Willis and the 49ers will be starting off with a win at the expense of Matt Hasselbeck and the Seattle offense.

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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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I hope you are all as excited as I am that there is live football on TV again.  After each week of the regular season comes to a close I will discuss the Fantasy Football relevant news from the week.  Lets get started since week two is underway!

Ravens vs Panthers

This was not a confidence building game for the Ravens and their fans.  Flacco performed admirably without Ray Rice in the backfield to provide the balance that will make them so dangerous.  His absence also allowed the panthers secondary to focus on Boldin and keep him in check.  What this game taught me was that the Ravens need to have all the peices of the puzzle in place in order to be an elite offense.

On the other side of the ball I hoped we would start to see the emergence of a number two receiver for Matt Moore, but both Dwayne Jarrett and Bradon LaFell showed me nothing.  There was a nice 23 yard run by DeAngelo Williams, but with no Steve Smith in the game and as little time as we saw Matt Moore it is too early to judge this offense.

Raiders vs Cowboys

The one question i kept asking myself over and over after this game was “Is Heyward-Bey in some sort of witness protection program?” Seriously, considering what the Raiders gave up for this kid he has to start producing and fast to erase the memory of last year (9 receptions for 124 yards and 1 TD… embarrassing).  I thought Michael Bush looked mediocre at best and I  would hope to see that turn around in the preseason before I targeted him on draft day.  I still don’t see how people can pick this team to make a surprise playoff run until one of their receivers steps up to give that offense a vertical threat.

I have enjoyed watching Romo get back to his old buddy Miles Austin early and often this preseason.  There are serious question marks on the offensive line right now, but by using the playaction and letting Romo move out of the pocket some they should continue with the same level of production.  I expect Jason Witten to return to an elite fantasy TE this year as he is an incredible red zone target.

Bills vs Redskins

The Bills saw injuries to both Marshawn Lynch and Fred Jackson in Week 1 leaving all the first team reps to go to CJ Spiller.  If he can capitalize on these reps and produce throughout the rest of the preseason he will keep climbing in my rankings.  Last nights week 2 game was a great start at catching up to Jackson for Buffalo’s top ranked fantasy RB.

Gotta love McNabb, despite all the challenges of changing teams after so long in one system he came out and delivered in the limited time he was on the field.  He will be the Redskins biggest offensive playmaker and if you are waiting as long as I am this year to draft a QB (and you miss out on Flacco) then McNabb may just be a bargain for the price.  I am starting to tone down my love of Devin Thomas as a really late round pick as he just did not look natural catching the ball from McNabb or kick/punt returns.  And lastly, Clinton Portis looked strong out of the backfield and is climbing in my rankings.

Eagles vs Jaguars

I was very interested in how Kolb would do in this game.  The Jags do not have the most solid pass defense in the league and I really wanted to see him able to find the open guy and move them down the field.  He sure did that.  His first pass was to DeSean Jackson on a slant pattern he took for 20 yards.  He later connected on two deep balls, one a piece to DJax and Jeremy Maclin. The play I liked seeing the most was his scramble to pick up a key conversion on 3rd and 5 to extend a drive and get points on the board.

The Jaguars looked terrible, MJD is definitely the number three back and Mike Sims-Walker has value in the middle rounds, but David Garrard is why none of these players will be able to fulfill their potential this year.

Browns vs Packers

It feels funny not typing something bad about the Browns these days… But Jerome Harrison found the endzone and Delhomme went 6/7 and 60 yards.  They didn’t play long and couldn’t sustain that type of success against that defense.  But for fantasy we don’t need them to to have value.  I am more confident grabbing Harrison now than I was before I watched them march down the field against the Packers.

Ryan Grant gave me quite a scare with his fumble and mild concussion, however he is back at practice and won’t be missing any time in the regular season.  No reason to lower him at all in the rankings, he is already a great bargain.  Aaron Rodgers and Greg Jennings sure looked in sync with each other and raise expectations a bit.  The battle for my number 10 WR this year is getting pretty fierce between Jennings and Marques Colston.

Chargers vs Bears

Phillip Rivers is the key to the success of this team.  After watching this game Vincent Jackson must be disappointed because the Chargers were able to move the ball just fine through the air.  Malcom Floyd is going to do just fine as a deep threat and Legedu Naanee is certainly eligible for sleeper status now.  Rookie Ryan Mathews looked good in this game as well, performing as I would expect from a 2nd round fantasy RB.

Johnny Knox is clearly winning the number one job in this offense.  His vertical speed is the perfect fit for this offense, but I am keeping Aromashodu above Knox in my rankings since he makes for a better red zone target.

Other players who had notable outings in week 1:

Eddie Royal

Calvin Johnson

Cadillac Williams

Mike Williams (TB)

Matt Schaub

Victor Cruz

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CJ Spiller is introduced as a Buffalo Bill.

My Buffalo Bills are a team in disarray. However, new coach Chan Gailey is an offensive minded coach adept at devising a scheme to suit the talent on the field.  The two most obvious needs for this team after last season were quarterback and left tackle.  Now that the draft and the majority of free agency are over, the most obvious needs that the team has left are at… Quarterback and left tackle.  Trent Edwards is the presumptive starter for the beginning of the season until Coach Gailey tells us different, but we should not be surprised to see Brian Brohm or maybe even Ryan Fitzpatrick under center before long if Edwards is not producing wins.

Top Fantasy Players:

Fred Jackson – Jackson gets better with each carry that he receives, while the backfield is a bit crowded Jackson could end up being a solid RB2 option or at worst a flex play.

CJ Spiller – Spiller was hands down the most explosive offensive player in this years draft and Ralph Wilson has already anointed him the savior of the team.  Spiller will be a very versatile tool for Chan Gailey to use. Even with a small number of offensive touches, his use in the return game make him a decent flex option in 12 team leagues.

Lee Evans – Evans would be a stud WR on a team with a good offense, but in Buffalo he will be a flex option.

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Love

Randy Moss (NE) – Jaguars allow the 6th most yards per game in the air, and Moss is coming off a good game against a really good secondary.  Moss is set to have a great game for your Super Bowl match-up.

Aaron Rodgers (GB) - Oh, what it must be like to have one of the hottest QB’s in the league go against the worst ranked passing defense in the league.  You’ve been looking at this match-up hoping it would be relevant, and if it is congrats!

Vincent Jackson (SD) – He has been an elite guy all year until his brief cold streak, and boy has he bounced back (Just in time to get you into the Super Bowl too).  The Titans passing defense has its wholes and has been burned by the big play all year, although less since they found an offense in week 6 or so.  Rivers loves his favorite target and should be set to have a big game this week.

Drew Brees (NO) - If there is any team you want to play after your first loss it’s the Bucs.  The Saints are going to let a little frustration out against this two win ball club.

Adrian Peterson (MIN) – He only had 35 rushing yards last week but with his long passing play in junk time he was able to get a very respectable fantasy total last week.  The Bears are not as good as the Panthers, and the Vikes have a chip on their shoulder with the media TOTALLY OVER-REACTING about a sideline conversation that was “heated” although for the life of me it looks like they are talking normally to me… We all need to remember these are two passionate guys trying to win a game… will they get carried away when talking to people? Yup! Do we all get carried away when discussing what we are passionate about? YUP!  With the hits that Favre took Peterson will get his chance to establish the run in order to slow the pass rush.

Frank Gore (SF) – The 49ers offense has been striving for balance lately and they have a really soft defense to practice on this week.  Anyone you have from the 9ers is worth a start and an upgrade from how you would normally use them.

Cedric Benson (CIN) - Jerome Harrison just had the third biggest rushing performance in NFL history and Benson had been one of the most often used backs in the league despite missing two games with an injury.  He is set to have a great game this week and could possibly top 200 yards himself.

Beanie Wells (ARI) – Wells broke a hundred yards last week and might well do it again as they face the terrible Rams.

Ryan Grant (GB) – Two weeks ago he had a breakout game, and last week he held his own against a very stout rush defense.  This week its the struggling Lions that might be without Stafford, which means that the offense wont even be able to allow their defense to rest.

Fred Jackson (BUF) - With the Bills turning their failed hopes and dreams to a new QB this week there is no downside here.  Either he is inconsistent and can’t often utilize all the offensive weapons, or Brian Brohm’s mobility helps him extend plays and make positives out of negatives.  Early in this game you have to expect them to try to get going on the ground.  This would help Brohm find a rhythm and get going at his own pace.  Freddie just eeked out a top 20 spot this week, or will have once my updated ranks come out  against the 20th ranked rushing defense allowing 118 yards per game!  (Oh and you faithful few actually reading during the very beginning… you remember? just read the Terrell Owens section)

Jason Snelling (ATL) – I don’t see Turner rushing back after a third straight ankle injury, so the guy that is proven to get the most carries in his absence is Snelling.  This Bills defense is the worst in the league against the run, and they are very picky through the air.  I don’t have any idea why you would drop back to pass unless you absolutely had to against the Bills.

Michael Crabtree (SF) - He’s been more and more a part of the offense since he came onto the team, and there will be plenty of yards to be shared this Sunday.

Steve Smith (CAR) - Ever since Matt Moore has started taking the snaps Smith has been relevant again.  All them INTs clearly had Delhomme too afraid to take a chance and let that stud

Brent Celek (PHI) – The Broncos have a strong enough defense that they can limit DeSean Jackson’s chances deep.  In order to do this they are going to have to drop 3 back deep almost every play and Celek should have a big day over the middle.

Vernon Davis (SF) – Davis is making a bid to be considered the top TE in football this season.  He’s among the top TD catchers in the league and is facing the Lions, gotta love it!

Hate

Visanthe Shaincoe – I’ve said it before, Bears linebackers are very good at covering TE’s.

Matt Ryan – Bills shut down Brady fantasy-wise.

Ray Rice – Tone down expectations given the match-up.

Rashard Mendenhall – Tone down expectations given the match-up.

Kyle Orton – I would have a tough time starting Orton this week with the ball hawks in the secondary for Philly.

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STUDS

Drew Brees (NO) went 18/23 with 371 yrds and 5 TDs in what was the biggest chance the Saints had left to be beaten.  No team but Dallas has much chance of beating the Saints this season and Romo in December is a pretty good opponent to have.  If your in the playoffs with Brees your only concern is him sitting out in weeks 16 or 17 if its relevant.

Brett Favre (MIN) – All season I have been warning people of what would happen at the end of the season, and it sure wasn’t this!  We are at the end now and he tallied 392 yards and 3 TDs, I can no longer advise anyone to not trust him till he gives you a reason not to.  You gotta have a short memory in fantasy football so forget last season already!

Justin Forsett (SEA) – This was a big game, and Forsett owners will be using him again, but maybe not this week as apparently the Seahawks don’t want to start him over Jones once he is healthy.  I cannot see the reasoning here as Jones is elusive and explosive and Jones is not so much of either any more. 130 yards and 2 TDs, break out game!

Fred Jackson (BUF) – The Lynch injury was kept really quiet and we knew he would be active but they made Jackson the feature back and Lynch the backup given his shoulder.  The Bills appear to be keeping this dynamic even as Lynch gets back to full strength.  Jackson proved he gets better with more carries and that he can be a very productive part of the offense when given the feature role.  He ran for 73 yards and 2 scores while also catching all five throws that came his way for another 43 yards.

Jamaal Charles (KC) -Despite losing pretty big Charles was still able to rack up 93 yards rushing and a TD. He also added 54 yards on just 3 catches making for pretty impressive output from a RB whose team lost 43-14.  His point totals over the last three weeks have been 18, 17, and 18.

Donald Driver (GB) – Driver beat out Jennings for the majority of the workload on Thanksgiving again this season, he has been a big surprise for the Packers at his age. He pulled down 142 yards and a score.

Miles Austin (DAL) – The return of Austin this week was very good for the Cowboys offense, same with Felix Jones who got him self a decent amount of work this week as well.  Austin had 145 yards and a TD Thursday evening and looks to be critical to their success.  If Romo can produce in December… big if… Austin will benefit greatly.

Percy Harvin (MIN) -146 all purpose yards Sunday as well as a receiving TD make the Vikings slot receiver tied for top fantasy WR in week 12.  a few more weeks with these kinds of numbers will give Harvin rookie of the year honors of Byrd or Britt.  Should the Bills somehow rally Byrd will give him a run for his money.

Terrell Owens (BUF) – Owens got 5 grabs for 96 yards and a TD Sunday in a solid victory for the Bills.  He’s starting to get exciting to watch again, he’s a low WR2 but a definite flex play for as long as Fitzpatrick plays like he has been.

Kenny Britt (TEN) – The Titans are for real and have a shot at making a playoff run.  They are on a tear and momentum is a powerful force.  Britt looked like his late 4th quarter fumble, but when the Titans got the ball back on their own one yard line 2 minutes and 37 seconds on the clock Britt redeemed himself by catching a 4th and 4 conversion from the 7 yard line as well as his last second TD catch to win the game.

Antonio Gates (SD) – Gates finally performed like owners have hoped for all season.  He caught all 7 passes Rivers threw to him getting  118 yards and two scores.  I said it in yesterdays entry, you play your most talented tight end regardless of match-up.  Since you didn’t draft Witten AND Gates then your playing Gates every single week.

New York Jets (D/ST) – Four INTs and a TD this week by Revis and the Jets in a win over the tough running Panthers.  Their fantasy value dropped off since the beginning of the year but they are still usable based on match-up.

DUDS

The Seahawks Passing Game – This is purely from a fantasy football sense, but we all expected at least one TD to go to Housh or Burleson.  Forsett got two and so did the return game putting them so far ahead they were able to just control the clock and get the win.  Good win for the team, but it was done in an unfortunate manner for plenty of fantasy owners.

Beanie Wells and Larry Fitzgerald (ARI) – Was a tough loss for the Cardinals who lost to a last second TD pass on Sunday while using back up QB Matt Leinart.  The offense didn’t have the rhythm it usually does and most all Arizona players suffered stat wise.  This should be fixed my Warner’s return next week.

Chad Ochocinco (CIN) -The Bengals won the game on the ground, and they really had no need to put the ball up in the air Sunday.  None-the-less he hurt some owners this weekend but he should be a viable starting WR in any format down the stretch.

Vincent Jackson (SD) – This makes three dud performances in a row for Jackson and it hurts but before that he’d been money ever week before that so deal with it he’s a stud and you have to start him.  Its not like shutting him down is working for these teams, they are still losing.

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Pick-ups

Well if your league is like mine then you are entering the last week before the playoffs start this week!  Time to earn your week 14 bye or solidify your playoff spot.  At this point in the season Weekly additions are hard to come by and typically injury related.  So lets use this chance to cover all eventualities that could hurt you down the stretch!  Some of these pick-ups will be all wrong for your team and are not a concern, but if you have a roster spot up in the air due to concussions… (who doesn’t… honestly!) then having one of these players may pull you out of a tough jam!  This week I will be going by position and talking about the most likely available people at each spot.

QB

Alex Smith (SF) – This QB was expected by most to be inside the top 10 Sunday with a very good match-up against Jacksonville.  If you are among the people nervous about the Warner or Roethlisberger injuries then Smith can provide relief.  Apart from a 2 point flop against Chicago, Smith has provided double digit fantasy points in each game he appeared (including his second half against Houston).

Ryan Fitzpatrick (BUF) – This is a big stretch, but there are leagues out there that start two QBs and have 12 or 14 teams, given the injuries and uncertainties in some of the NFL franchises you can do worse than Fitz.  Given that Brady and Brees haven’t played yet this week Ryan Fitzpatrick sits at number 3 among all fantasy QBs (as always based on ESPN standard scoring) and he played a very solid Dolphins defense.  This team is on a bit of a turn around at the moment, and in a fantasy perspective this guy out performed almost everyone… including both Manning’s, Schaub, Rivers, Romo, and McNabb!

Vince Young (TEN) – His style has never been effective in translating to fantasy productivity, and I do not see anything changing.  From a real perspective Young looks polished, disciplined, and like a leader as the Titans needed!  You shouldn’t ever need Young to break 20 points but you can rely on double digits from how it looks.

RB

Three of the top four RBs in fantasy football this week were at the beginning of the season were virtually nobodies!

Justin Forsett (SEA) – This guy has been on add lists all over the place including my own, and for good reason.  Number one fantasy back honors for week 12 against a phenomenal match-up Sunday vs the Rams.  If your league managers have been in a closet for three weeks it’s not too late, grab him now!

Fred Jackson (BUF,)  -  Being in Buffalo I have heard a lot about the Jackson Lynch time-share today and it is going flip what we have been expecting and seeing since the duo got together.  Jackson is expected to become the starting back and Lynch will be a compliment to him.  Fewell has this team believing in itself and on a short week Jackson is a solid RB2 down the stretch assuming the Bills stay on this path!

Jamaal Charles (KC) – Again, If your fellow managers have been living under a rock don’t think it’s too late this guy is on the rise!

Lex Hilliard (MIA) – Williams had another very good game this week in a tough loss to the Bills, but he is 32 and cannot handle the workload Ronnie Brown had, Hilliard has been productive when he gets carries which will be increasing all the rest of the season.

Jason Snelling and Jerious Noorwood (ATL) – Turner owners are at a loss for words after he re-injured his ankle after the surprising and stupid decision to test the ankle so soon.

WR

Jason Avant (PHI) – DeSean Jackson has a concussion and owners should expect a week or two off, Avant is a great addition to any team that needs help these weeks, but especially to those of you who lost Jackson!

Kenny Britt (TEN) – This team is scary good since Young started taking snaps and everyone is benefiting greatly, Britt becomes a decent flex or WR3 choice from here on out.

Antonio Bryant (TB) – 91 yards and a TD Sunday and because of his injury he is available in over 50% of Yahoo! leagues.

Chris Chambers (KC) – If you were skeptical before you really can’t be any more…

TE

I heartily recommend that owners ignore stats other than fantasy points allowed to tight ends.  They require the defender to have a unique skill set to cover in the passing game, only certain teams have players capable of keeping a TE consistently covered.  And also many times a team’s offensive success HURTS the tight end as if the receivers are getting open deep the check down is not used.

Fred Davis (WAS) – Davis broke double digit points this week with a TD catch and is available in 87% of leagues.  Been some injuries at the position this season and there is no reason to keep adding and dropping based on match-ups.

Bo Scaife (TEN) – Again, this team is on the swing, and Scaife’s targets will be up.

Dump List!

Hester, Moats, Lynch, Julius Jones, Westbrook, Bowe, McGahee (still owned in over 50% of Yahoo! leagues… I can’t believe that!)

Good Luck making the last minute playoff push! Remember, you can submit questions to me on twitter by following me (see the link above!) and get answers right away as well as featured in my weekly mailbag post!

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Rock Cartwright – After Betts was carted off the field midway through the first quarter on Sunday Rock Cartwright was thrust into the lead role. From the time he became the lead guy he racked up 13 carries for 67 yards, as well as showed ability in the passing game as well being targeted 8 times for 7 catches and 73 yards. Portis is already ruled out for week twelve so Cartwright is set to have a good game versus an okay match up in Philly next week making him my pickup of the week.

Terrell Owens – Its just weird typing his name in the Pickup of the week article to be honest, but with his best game of the season coming the week after a new head coach and starting QB and installed, you’ve got to figure that TO is set to benefit from these moves. T.O. Would have been on my dump list for the last month if the site had been up that long, so if he was let go GRAB HIM UP! Owens will be a flex play at best until the Bills can prove they are consistently able to get him the ball. Next week you should be safe to start him versus a Miami defense that has played mediocre at best this season.

Fred Jackson – Fast Freddie is an explosive back that wears down a defense over the course of the game. In the first three games of the season Jackson was a very serious fantasy threat. Given the offensive woes he was unable to find the end zone very much if at all, but yardage wise he was a big surprise. Lynch was carted off the field Sunday with a shoulder injury, and will likely be a game time decision. If Lynch cannot go Sunday, I would expect to see a pretty good fantasy game from Jackson.

Kahlil Bell – The Bears RB got the first carry of his NFL career and scampered for 72 yards. I know I almost fell outta my chair… but that was largely because I thought that Forte finally was gonna break 100 yards rushing! If you are in a very deep league or have a playoff birth in the bag and a dead-spot in your roster grab Bell and wait to see what happens. The Bears have re-dedicated themselves to the run as to give Cutler a chance to utilize the play action and keep opposing defenses guessing. If Bell can show that he has the ability to handle a larger work load he’ll get the chance and Forte would be pushed to more of a third down back. This is a long shot, so you had better have the ability to probably never play him.

Chris Chambers – had another really good game this week with Bowe on suspension. Three more weeks of Chambers being the top guy so if you have an injury issue or are light at WR go ahead and grab Chambers… he should put up solid performances at least while Bowe is out!

Kevin Boss – 4 TD’s in his last 3 games. The Giants and the Falcons looked much improved this week, and the Giants has a record that will keep them in the playoff hunt. Boss is a nice outlet for Manning who seems to like him in the red zone.

Jason Snelling and Justin Forsett – I am gonna lump these two together as they were number one and two on my add list last Monday. Snelling barely eeked out the top spot on the list last week, and did not disappoint. In Turner’s wake he was the second highest scoring back in the league on Sunday. Forsett had a terrible match-up versus a stout Vikings pass D Sunday and still managed to show his worth to fantasy owners that were desperate with the slew of injuries this week. While not a single point gained was on rushing yards (only 9), Forsett still managed 80 yards receiving and punched in a goal line carry for a rushing TD. Forsett is very unlikely to lose the top spot on the depth chart when Julius Jones returns, so he should be an option down the stretch, however Snelling is only likely to see one more game as the lead back and that should be with Jerious Norwood back sharing some time as well.

Alex Smith – If you have injury or bad match up concerns at QB or are in a 2 QB league Smith has a relatively easy schedule for the rest of the season and while his play has been inconsistent he sure could do some good getting you through a rough patch.

Dump list!

Dwayne Bowe has three more weeks of suspension left to go, and wasn’t producing all that well before. I wouldn’t trust him after a month off and very few games left in the season.

Felix Jones couldn’t even produce when Jerry Jones was screaming that he needed the ball more.

Roy Williams looks like he will indeed be too inconsistent to be a good fantasy football option

Devin Hester has seen his targets AND production on a sharp decline in the past few weeks, and I expect this trend to continue. It is a stretch to just drop him, but if TO or Chambers is there, I say make the move.

Kyle Orton totally collapsed last season after he hurt his foot, I’m scared for Orton AND the Broncos.

Ryan Moats – Can someone please make sense of whaat Coach Kubiak is doing here… cuz I can’t…  Slaton looked explosive off the ball, and you could SEE that he was protecting the ball.  The Texans lost last night because they couldn’t control the ball and extend drives.  Schaub played well but Kubiak is likely joining the unemployment line after this season if he doesn’t get them in the playoffs!

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