No Comments »

No Comments »

Philadelphia Eagles

Let’s get the obvious out of the way first.  The Eagles are my and most people’s favorites to win the NFC in 2011.  This is largely due to the ABSURD amount of talent added in free agency over the past week, which includes Ronnie Brown, Cullen Jenkins, Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie (DRC), Nnamdi Asomugha and Jason Babin.  Jenkins is a wall of a defensive tackle with a particular talent for getting his hands up into the passing lanes and batting down short passes (he holds the Green Bay Franchise record for this statistic in a single season by a D-lineman with 9 in the 2007 season). Rodgers-Cromartie is a very solid Cornerback that has been getting better each year since drafted 16^th overall in 2008.  He has made a name for himself by coming up with big plays in crucial situations, namely a 99 yard INT return for a touchdown against the Rams in his rookie season which secured the division title for the Cards. Jason Babin was also brought back to Philly this offseason through free agency off the heels of a 12.5 sack season in 2010. The least attractive addition to the roster for the Eagles is the most recent, Ronnie Brown.  Don’t get me wrong, Brown makes the team better and will probably handle short yardage and goal line touches.  But, with all the blockbuster players picked up on defense, its easy to barely acknowledge this one. Lastly, the biggest surprise acquisition for Andy Reid’s ball club was Nnamdi Asomugha.  Asomugha is in most people’s eyes the 2^nd best cornerback in the entire league.  With three cornerbacks that are talented enough to be the top guy on any team in the league and a formidable pass rush the Eagles defense is, on paper, the best in the NFL for the upcoming 2011 season.  It is difficult to see what could stand in the way of this team’s success apart from a slew of injuries.

Kenny Britt

If we set aside all the off-field issues and pretend that Britt would play in all 16 games, I would have him as a top 15 wide receiver this season.  Now he will be facing some disciplinary actions and I expect him to see a four game suspension and have it reduced down to two.  He was not likely to crack my top 20 at WR given Jake Locker looked to be the starting QB for this seasuon but now that Matthew Hasselbeck is in Tennessee, Britt has a QB that can accurately and reliably hit an open receiver.  Last season, when Britt was on the field, he looked like a man among boys in what was otherwise a very pedestrian passing attack. Britt got hurt in week 8 and did not return until week 14, but despite missing all this time to injury, he still amassed 775 yards and 9 TDs.  Most impressive to me was how much more successful the Titans were with him on the field.  The first 7 games of the season were all played with Britt in the lineup and the Titans were sitting at 5-2.  Starting the week that Britt got hurt, the Titans slid on a 6 game losing streak.  This was more to do with poor QB play from Rusty Smith and Kerry Collins, but Britt is by far the best receiving threat the Titans have on their roster and defenses are forced to keep 8 in the box in an effort to contain Chris Johnson.

Arizona Cardinals

The Cards were in a tough spot this offseason.  They wanted to do everything they could to make Larry Fitzgerald happy, so that he would not leave the team after the 2011 season.  In order to do that, they needed to get him a QB.  The draft did not provide this for them, but a trade with Philadelphia for Kevin Kolb did.  He cost them Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie and a 2^nd round pick, but you don’t often get a potential franchise QB cheap, so it was worth the risk.  DRC was expendable after the drafting of Patrick Peterson and in the sub-par NFC West; the Cards are playoff contenders again.

Donovan McNabb

I don’t think the Vikings are going to be in the running for the division title, but with Adrian Peterson carrying the load and a solid defense to keep the offense on the field, McNabb is able to prove that he was not the problem in Washington last season.  Losing Sidney Rice hurts but with Roy Williams, Johnny Knox and Devin Hester at receiver, McNabb has a better receiving corp than many of his pro bowl seasons in Philly.  Fantasy owners shouldn’t expect McNabb to be more than a QB2, but Vikings fans can be happy to have someone who can potentially take them back to the playoffs.

Buffalo Bills

If you are familiar with me, you know I am a big Bills fan.  I might be just excited for my team here, but Buffalo made two very nice acquisitions this week in Free Agency. Unfortunately, Buffalo lost Paul Posluszny early in the Free Agency period to Jacksonville, but Pos is a better 4-3 middle linebacker than he is ILB in the 3-4 and since the Bills are still adjusting their personnel to suit the new scheme, this won’t likely hurt too bad.  Especially after drafting Kelvin Sheppard and signing Nick Barnett, they should be okay at ILB.  The Bills are also set up to take serious advantage of the new 3^rd-QB rule, or lack there-of.  Buffalo took an explosive playmaker from their division-rival New York Jets when they signed Brad Smith.  Smith can now be placed at the 46^th roster spot (3rd QB) and take snaps from under center.  Previously, using your 3^rd QB before the 4^th quarter meant that your 1^st and 2^nd string QB’s could not re-enter the game.  Buffalo needs excitement brought back to their football team badly and even the idea of CJ Spiller and Brad Smith in a Wildcat formation is pretty darn exciting.  I expect Buffalo to remain a losing football team next season, especially since they are still in the AFC East, but look for a lot more big plays and fantasy points in 2011.

Tavaris Jackson

After Hasselbeck left town for Tennessee, Tavaris Jackson signed a deal to reunite him with his old offensive coordinator in Seattle.  There will be some competition between Jackson and Charlie Whitehurst, but my guess is that his understanding of the offense and his relationship with fellow former Viking and newly acquired Seahawk Sidney Rice makes Jackson the heavy favorite to win the starting job.  Throw in the addition of Zach Miller to the receiving corp for good measure and now Seattle might actually have an offense.  Jackson has a lot of talent and play-making ability so if he was able to work on his down field accuracy and pocket-presence, he may be able to resurrect his career with this opportunity.  In my eyes, it comes down to how consistent Marshawn Lynch can be to take the pressure off the passing game.

No Comments »

No Comments »

No Comments »

No matter who you are, or what format league you are in… If you are still alive this week then you are playing for the championship.  Going into the last week of the season, the strategy for pick ups changes and it becomes more about screwing over your opponent than bettering your own team.  Many leagues also limit free agent additions in the post season and then you would only be able to make a move in the event of an injury on your team.  By playing with fire and placing your league’s Super Bowl in week 17 you also need to consider the fact that certain teams will be resting their starters to remain healthy for the playoffs.  The teams that we know are in this situation already are the Patriots, Jets and depending on tonights game, the Falcons.

Pickups

Jerome Simpson, WR, CIN – This is a bit mind-boggling to me, how can the Bengals play the best game of the season as soon as they are lacking their two pro bowl caliber receivers?  They faced one of the best defenses that the league has to offer and yet this unknown talent pulled off 6 catches on 7 targets for 124 yards and two TDs.  Even if Ochocinco is back for Week 17, Simpson has likely earned the right to start opposite him and Palmer will look to him for a repeat performance.

Rashad Jennings, RB, JAC – I have been calling Jennings a handcuff to Maurice Jones-Drew for a few weeks now and after a mildly disappointing performance from Rashad this week, he remains someone worth grabbing if you’re having any depth issues.  The Jaguars still have an outside chance at winning their division and making the playoffs, but they do need some help.  With that said, you can count on them fighting and clawing for the win next week against the Texans terrible defense. If MJD is out again next week, Jennings will be a top 20 guy and even better in PPR formats.

David Garrard, QB, JAC – Like I said, the Jags face the Texans!  Houston has been a mind bogglingly bad pass defense and should set the record for the worst defense EVER in respect to passing yards against. If you have been alternating Quarterbacks based off match up, then Garrard is the guy this week.

Jacoby Jones, WR, HOU – The Texans are out of the playoff hunt and if Andre Johnson couldn’t go this week, I would be surprised to see him risk further injury in week 17. Ford topped 100 yards receiving this week and you can expect him to be heavily involved in this offense next week against Jacksonville if Andre indeed can not make the start.

Zach Miller, TE, OAK – He finally has shown enough for me to return him to my top 10 tight ends.  He had suffered a couple injuries in the middle of the season that killed his production, but with 66 yards and a TD this week, I think you can count on him next week as well.

Davone Bess, WR, MIA – Bess has been a PPR diamond in the rough this season and with a match up against the Patriots weak secondary that will likely rest their starters at the end of this game, Bess is a sneaky player to use in your flex.

Dump List

It is a little counter-productive for me to list players that are worth dropping in the last week of the season.  The reason is, ANYONE that you don’t plan to use is a viable drop.  There is no danger of facing him next week and if you are sure that your opponent wouldn’t pick him up and start him right away… go for it.

No Comments »

No Comments »

No Comments »

Pickups

Mike Goodson, RB, CAR – We are back to a two-headed beast at RB for the Panthers, but now Goodson is the lead back.  He has a lot of value added from his involvement in the passing game, so even though Stewart was the better rusher this week… Goodson scored the TD and racked up 81 receiving yards.  Stewart and Goodson must be owned but if you got them both, Goodson is the guy you want to start.

Deion Branch, WR, NE - This guy is only owned in 53% of Yahoo leagues and I heard a rumor once that Tom Brady is pretty good.  This type of performance can not be expected weekly, the reason being he only saw 5 targets on the entire game.  On his 5 targets, he caught 3 passes for 113 yards and found the end zone on 2 of them.  He is a flex play in deep formats, but quality depth for your bench in a standard league.

Maurice Morris, RB, DET – Jahvid Best’s turf toes are too much to keep him on the field for the Lions’ thanksgiving day loss to the Patriots. Maurice Morris saw just 9 carries for 55 yards, but he scored twice.  I expect him to keep getting the goal line work and with the Lions offense being more than capable of moving the ball down the field, he should maintain some value the rest of the time that Best and Smith are injured.

Ben Obomanu, WR, SEA – Mike Williams was out in week 12 and Obomanu caught 5 balls for 159 yards and a score.  That makes 3 TDs in his last 4 games and an average of 85 yards per game over the same time frame.  Ben’s value takes a hit when Williams comes back, but he should be sure to see snaps as a slot receiver when he is back and is worth owning in standard formats as well as deep leagues.  Also Seattle is in a weak division, so their schedule the rest of the way is favorable and they will be clawing for their division title.

Mike Tolbert, RB, SD – I know your thinking that he shouldn’t be on this list, because he isn’t available… but in about 20% of Yahoo leagues he is unowned.  After back to back 100 yard performances, I am not even too scared about Mathews coming back and eating away at his workload.  Tolbert has been by far the best running back on the Chargers and should still see a lion’s share of the carries when their number 1 draft pick returns.

Toby Gerhart, RB, MIN - He is one of the best handcuffs in fantasy football.  The AP injury doesn’t seem to be bad, so I wouldn’t rush to go and pick him up… unless you own Peterson.  If your a Peterson owner, you are asking for trouble if you don’t go pick up Gerhart right now.  Moves like this ensure depth going into the playoffs and can save your season from ending early due to injury.

Jacoby Ford, WR, OAK – Ford racked up 324 all-purpose yards in a loss to the Dolphins on Sunday.  The concern here is always consistency, The Raiders went with Bruce Gradkowski at QB in this game and the pressure came early and often to force Bruce to have just over 50% completion percentage.  Also, over 200 of Ford’s yards came from kickoff returns, so if your league counts those… then Ford is a flex start for you right away, go scoop him up!

Dump List

Michael Bush, RB, OAK - If you are fighting for a playoff spot in your league, then you can’t afford the hold onto a handcuff like Bush.  The Raiders have a carousel at the QB position and Bush has not been able to contribute to their rushing attack since DMC (Darren McFadden) returned from injury.  If your a McFadden owner, and have your playoff spot locked up, then hold him… or go out and pick him up!

Zach Miller, TE, OAK – Planar Fascia injuries are really painful, and now he has added a fibula injury to the mix.  Expect him to miss some time and once he is back, the playoffs are not the time to take a risk on an injured guy.

Steve Smith, WR, CAR - In a week where playoff hopes hang in the balance, feel free to cut this under achiever from your team in favor of someone you might actually want to start.  The QB position is the reason for his downfall in production, but since the running game is clicking and he still isn’t able to produce… I don’t know what the Panthers could fix to change this.

Jerome Harrison, RB, PHI - Record-setting performances can make a lot of people look good.  Harrison hasn’t been able to be productive since the huge game against the Redskins and I can’t see a situation where he is again, apart from McCoy getting hurt.

Donald Driver, WR, GB - He is old and slowed by his injury.  He is still the 2nd WR on the depth chart, but I expect James Jones to take most of the targets and eventually the starting job from Driver over the course of the season.

Keiland Williams, RB, WAS - If you’re clawing for a playoff spot, Williams is probably too risky for you to trust as a starter.  Don’t worry about dropping him after a terrible performance, Torain will be healthy soon enough!

Vincent Jackson, WR, SD – Early reports today say that Jackson has suffered injuries to both of his calves.  We don’t yet know how severe it is, but he is clearly not in game shape.  He is just too risky for my liking this late in the fantasy-season.

No Comments »

No Comments »