Archive for September, 2012

Week Four Automatics

Friday, 28 September, 2012

One more official week to factor in before a month is in the books. Keep firing with those under the radar starters that can give you that needed edge to pull out a fantasy football victory. Go the contrarian route and insert these guys for week four.

Quarterbacks
Ryan Fitzpatrick-
Fitzpatrick seems to bounce back for weeks at a time and then tail off opposite like a perfect graph chart. One team that Fitzpatrick seems to have confidence against is the New England Patriots. Last year he led a tremendous early season comeback victory against the Patriots. This game figures to be a high scoring affair, as Brady will come out gunning early to try and knock the Bills out early. Fitz looks like he will have maybe both Fred Jackson and Spiller back. It’ll be interesting to see how dynamic Buffalo can be with both of those backs healthy. Look for another three touchdown throws from Fitz.

Matt Cassel-
Division rivals usually lead to tight games and a deciding home field edge that can anchor a team past the opponent. San Diego and Kansas City have typically had close battles no matter the teams records. This is an important division game that the Chiefs will be able to use their running game to open up the passing game. San Diego had trouble last week with tall targets in Julio Jones and Roddy White. Jon Baldwin and Dwayne Bowe are not the same caliber tandem, but they’ll pose the same type of issues for the Chargers secondary.

Alex Smith-
The apparent transition of the New York Jets in their secondary without Darrelle Revis has even their head coach trying running back Joe McKnight at cornerback. That points out two things. The Jets do not believe they have the depth at cornerback, and that they used the bulk of their money on their secondary solely on Revis and Cromartie. The 49ers defense is already going to be rowdy and aggressive to get after Mark Sanchez after last weeks loss to the Vikings. Expect Smith to put up around 250 yards and a few scores.

Running Backs
Michael Turner-
The bashing of Michael Turner by fantasy owners has been worse than a six year old hitting a piñata on his birthday. Turner use to be the main cog of the Falcons offense. The shift has completely turned to Matt Ryan and his triple threat options of Tony Gonzalez, Roddy White, and Julio Jones. Even backup running back Jacquizz Rodgers is getting more and more attention from the Falcons. As a fantasy owner dealing with roster talent underperforming you have to be able to know when to get him in the lineup for high scoring games. Atlanta’s offense is as prolific as they come, especially at home. This game has a few plunge touchdowns from Turner written all over it, along with near 100 yards.

Cedric Benson-
We all saw what New Orleans defense allowed with the Kansas City Chiefs last week. With a huge lead, and the Chiefs just trying to get one successful drive going, the Chiefs found they could run the football all over the Saints the entire second half. Green Bay has had its struggles to start the season, but have no other option at running back but Benson. The offensive woes will subside for a week as the Packers launch a full out assault rushing and throwing attack to get their team back on track

Ben Tate-
The Titans are one of the bottom teams in football in terms of stopping the run. Houston has been doing whatever they want against opponents. Running the football with Tate/Foster or allowing Matt Schaub to pick his spots for big plays. When Tate can get around twelve carries his fantasy numbers can be as impactful as an RB1. That’s how potent the Texans ground attack currently is. This will be a week where Tate thrives even with Foster having a big day.

Wide Receivers

Vincent Jackson-
This should be the week that the Buccaneers get the air attack launched. Josh Freeman had a decent outing against the New York Giants, so his two mediocre performances against the Cowboys and Panthers should not hold him down entirely. He is not a guy that’s going to light it up every week and be a top twelve fantasy quarterback. There will be around six to eight games where he can crack the top twelve, and this week is definitely a favorable matchup against the Washington Redskins

Jon Baldwin-
Kansas City finally balanced their poor defense with an offensive attack that was enough for a come from behind victory against New Orleans. Jon Baldwin is a receiver by mid-season that will be considered as a fantasy starter or flex option on a weekly basis. It starts with big games out of nowhere. Cassel obviously loves Dwayne Bowe exponentially better than Baldwin, but Bowe may not be 100 percent Sunday with his thigh aggravating him. Look for Baldwin to get a touchdown catch with around sixty yards receiving this weekend against the San Diego Chargers.

Brian Hartline-
Possession receivers are the type that can get catches against the Arizona Cardinals. Miami will do what they have been doing, and pound the football with their stable of running backs. The air attack will feature quick throws to sustain drives. Hartline should rack plenty of PPR points with around six catches. Arizona has been thriving against teams because they have attacked and blitzed at one of the highest rates in the league. Miami’s offensive line will be up for the challenge on getting Tannehill extra time to find Hartline and the quick route throw.

Quarterback Rankings for Week Four

Thursday, 27 September, 2012

Questions @Cimini on Twitter

Here are the top twenty fantasy relevant quarterbacks for week four. Aaron Rodgers will finally make fantasy owners that drafted him with a top four pick extremely happy against the Saints. Joe Flacco will continue his hot start. A couple of tier two quarterbacks that will crack the top twelve this week will be Andy Dalton and Ryan Fitzpatrick.

Mike Vick’s struggles will continue. It will be interesting to see Andy Reid at the podium following Sunday Night’s game, and Monday afternoon once Vick struggles. Ryan Tannehill bottoms the list of the top twenty but I believe he will lead Miami to a quality victory on the road, to give the Cardinals their first loss of the season.

1. Aaron Rodgers
2. Tom Brady
3. Eli Manning
4. Joe Flacco
5. Cam Newton
6. Matt Ryan
7. Robert Griffin III
8. Ryan Fitzpatrick
9. Philip Rivers
10. Andy Dalton
11. Drew Brees
12. Peyton Manning
13. Josh Freeman
14. Tony Romo
15. Mike Vick
16. Matt Schaub
17 Matthew Stafford
18. Jay Cutler
19. Carson Palmer
20. Ryan Tannehill

Week Four Don’t Do Its

Thursday, 27 September, 2012

Questions @Cimini

Bye Week Teams: Pittsburgh and Indianapolis
It’s the first week of bye weeks and injuries are starting to mount up. Do not be an owner that makes a costly error of not reviewing injury notes prior to Thursday or Sunday’s games. Matthew Stafford is looking as if he is going to be a game time decision by the Detroit Lions. Have a backup plan well in advance. Inserting Shaun Hill for this week is even a good option.

Here are some fantasy players of note to consider placing on the bench for week four.

Quarterbacks
Mike Vick
One of the first teams to corral Vick during his surprise comeback and overtaking of Donovan McNabb were the NY Giants. They know how to contain Vick in the pocket and do what every team in football is doing now, and that is lay hits on Vick. All the offensive line issues and poor play calling by Andy Reid has this team on the verge of another media and self team collapse. Sunday night football will only elevate and expose the Eagles even more.

Christian Ponder
Ponder has been a surprise to start the season and is right on the borderline of tier one and tier two fantasy quarterbacks currently. This has been done with the Vikings calling a basic offense and rather mediocre numbers from the skilled position wide receivers. Though the matchup looks favorable against Detroit, I do not expect Ponder to be ranked in the top fifteen this week for fantasy quarterbacks.

Drew Brees
As shocking as this looks, Brees has too many factors that make a foreseeable rough game against the Green Bay Packers. The number one issue is the Saints defense. They have not been able to stop the run or pass, and this is the type of game that Aaron Rodgers has been waiting for. He has faced some of the toughest defenses to start the year in the Chicago Bears, Seattle Seahawks, and San Francisco. With the anger of the Packers matched with the offset of the Saints poor play, means this could get ugly quick for the Saints. Frustration is already evident and will only grow for Brees when they’re 0-4

Other Quarterbacks to Sit: Peyton Manning and Kevin Kolb

Running Backs
Ryan Williams
The big news Wednesday was that the Cardinals decided to place Beanie Wells on the injured reserve, assuring that Williams is going to be the primary back for at least eight weeks. Williams may have a couple of solid games intermixed in these eight weeks, but not enough to make him a RB1 or RB2 starter. He can possibly be a flex option, but the Cardinals are not going to improve from being near the bottom of the league in rushing. Miami has been tough against the run and will make Williams full time duty debut a rough go.

Willis McGahee
Peyton Manning is struggling early on in games because teams are able to condense down the secondary for Manning’s quick throws. McGahee is as tough a runner as they come but Manning’s limitations are going to hurt his overall effectiveness. Oakland has not necessarily been a stalwart against the run, but McGahee is not a flashy back anyhow. McGahee is a straight forward runner that the Raiders should be able to boggle down.

Doug Martin
Though Washington ranks near the bottom overall for defense, this game will be more about boosting Josh Freeman’s confidence heading into the Buccaneers bye week. The Redskins secondary has allowed every quarterback to thrash them through the air thus far, and have given up ten passing touchdowns overall. Freeman will finally get into rhythm with new receiver Vincent Jackson, and add to Mike Williams touchdown totals.

Others to Sit: Mike Bush if Matt Forte is declared available Sunday, and Chris Johnson

Wide Receivers/Tight Ends
Steve Smith (Carolina)
Cam Newton himself has admitted he has to work on his demeanor when adversity lurks. The Panthers have had some extended days off after playing last Thursday in an embarrassing home loss to the Giants. Newton just may need a sophomore slump to look back upon for true growth. Facing the red hot Atlanta Falcons in Atlanta is going to be extremely tough for Newton and the Carolina Panthers.

Miles Austin
Much of the focus with Chicago always surrounds Jay Cutler. Year after year that’s what the media focuses on. Chicago likes it that way, as their defense has been as consistent as any team in the NFL, but for some reason the focus remains off of them. Tony Romo has had below standard performances against the Buccaneers and Seahawks. A home game against the Bears figures to be an opportunity to change things, but I believe the Bears will continue the pattern of frustration of Romo.

Antonio Gates
Gates has continued to shake off injuries year after year but it appears that has began to take its toll on him. Fantasy owners that drafted him in the same relative rounds as Vernon Davis, Jimmy Graham, and Rob Gronkowski are cursing up a storm like Chris Johnson owners. Especially with how elder tight end Tony Gonzalez is performing. In years past Gates has shaken off the injury bug to put on strong games. It just does not seem like his high catches and yardage games are going to happen as frequently anymore. He is now more in the mid to bottom range of a tier one tight end. That is only if the Chargers can solve their scoring woes. Kansas City is always tough for Philip Rivers and divisional opponents, and will give Rivers enough fits this week to hurt Gates’s production.
Others to Sit: Eric Decker and Marques Colston

Should Freeman Be Ditched?

Wednesday, 26 September, 2012

Twitter Questions @Cimini

Lets not base the first three games as an entirety to the season. If that were the case Aaron Rodgers and Tom Brady would not even be first tier quarterbacks right now. Brady is ranked 15th and Rodgers 21st currently. Just like with true NFL teams, early season hype for a scattered amount of teams will fade and be evaporated to near .500 seasons by December.

We know which big time players are going to turn around their season because of their history. But where is a quarterback like Josh Freeman headed?

Freeman’s 2010 stellar season seems like a year distant to a veteran winding down his quarterback years. That’s what makes Freeman’s downward spiral and lateral stagnancy so puzzling. Last years lockout appeared to have hurt Freeman more than any quarterback in football. Rapid changes are also an issue that is likely a main factor in Freeman not coming out with better performances.

A new coach, running back, and adjustment to Vincent Jackson all takes time. The early season rust by Josh Freeman should not be over examined. Even though the stats do not jump out on paper from his first three games, Freeman and the Buccaneers have been in every game.

In fact they should be 2-1 if it were not for a colossal collapse by their defense in the fourth quarter against the Giants.

This next month will be a high indicator if Freeman is ever going to move past last season. The Buccaneers have an early bye week, week five, which can do wonders for a quarterback. His one game before the bye week and two after the bye week are three of the worst pass defenses in the NFL.

Washington currently ranks second to last in pass defense, and we all know how poor the Saints have been defensively as a whole. Kansas City’s defense would be ranked worse if it were not for the Bills and Falcons letting up in the second half with huge leads.

So the opportunity for a fantasy quarterback to turn their year around and become relevant, can’t be better than Josh Freeman’s position. His season statistically could not have started off worse. With Freeman as low as he could possibly be from a fantasy perspective, now is the time to snag him.

You’d have to expect Freeman to start connecting with Vincent Jackson more, and target Mike Williams at a higher rate. This next month will be key, but the plus/minus differential for where Freeman is and where he can go currently as a fantasy quarterback is in the double digits range for improvement. Currently he is twenty ninth in passing yards and right in the middle for touchdowns thrown. A couple of three hundred yard games and he should gain the confidence to finish the year off as a solid fantasy backup quarterback.

Post Week Three Waiver Wire

Tuesday, 25 September, 2012

Twitter Questions @Cimini

It was a catch by Golden Tate, just watch the replay.

What a way to lose a game, lets hope that you’re not a fantasy owner that is challenging the extra nine points Golden Tate received because of that. Dive in to this weeks waiver wire selections.

Quarterbacks

Andy Dalton-
There is no ignoring Dalton’s accuracy. Last year the Bengals ran the football a heavy amount and Dalton’s play was more about wins than flash of stats. Cincinnati realizes they have a dynamic duo in Dalton and AJ Green. Until teams figure out how to stop AJ Green, Dalton’s fantasy value as a quarterback hovers around the mid teens.

Running Backs

Tashard Choice-
The Bills injury woes continue at least temporarily. After a rough first week, the Bills have turned things around to go 2-1. In large part to each of their three running backs being able to step in without a problem. Choice has been able to fill in as a Cowboy in years past, and will likely get the next game or two of a higher amount of carries. Fred Jackson is expected to get some snaps this week, and Spiller may only miss one game.

Andre Brown-
Tom Coughlin is not one to shy away from making a decision when necessary. Andre Brown has proven to be a back that deserves to get a fair share of carries. Even when Ahmad Bradshaw returns, Brown figures to have an impact role in the Giants backfield. The fact that Brown was available in over 35 percent of Yahoo leagues before week three is shocking.

Lamar Miller-
The Dolphins dodged a bullet with Reggie Bush’s knee injury not being as serious as it looked. Either way both Bush and Daniel Thomas have shown that they are injury prone. Miller has quietly been getting a few carries each game. Miami plans on keeping Tannehill as comfortable as possible. Running the football is the best way to make that happen.

Alex Green-
Cedric Benson just is not getting it done for Green Bay. The offense is suffering because of it, and a move will need to be done soon to get the running game boosted. Green Bay is beginning to see why many teams passed on Benson originally. Green could be the fantasy running back pickup similar to James Starks was for Green Bay a few years back.

Mikel LeShoure-
LeShoure came in right off the bat and had twenty six carries for 100 yards. It was a bit of a surprise to see LeShoure get that much action, as Kevin Smith was doing a suitable job. Most anticipated a split load as the best scenario for LeShoure. Based on Sunday, it’s clear that Detroit believes LeShoure is their guy to handle the load 100 percent.

Wide Receivers

TY Hilton
With Austin Collie officially declared out with a knee injury, Hilton gets the full opportunity to get much more on field snaps. Reggie Wayne has shown zero signs of declining, but Donnie Avery is a questionable number two. Hilton had a big week last week, and as a young emerging talent could mesh very well with rookie Andrew Luck

Chaz Schilens
It’s been quite awhile since Schilens has done much of anything on the football field, as injuries have threatened his career. New York has stuck with him and they’re in dire need of a receiver to step up besides Santonio Holmes. Stephen Hill is not ready to take on that type of role. With Schilens now getting some reps on the field, he’ll have a chance to be the tall speed receiver Sanchez can target. Sunday versus Miami he should have had a touchdown catch, that was thrown off a tad by Sanchez.

Week Three Wonders

Monday, 24 September, 2012

Twitter Questions @Cimini

Week three was not as eventful as the first two weeks. That can be good or bad depending on your wins and losses in your fantasy leagues. Three weeks ia good feel for how your team is. It may be time to think about trading, but do not over react to the following players solid weeks.

Quarterbacks

Andrew Luck-
The more and more the Colts running game suffers, the more you have to worry about Luck’s progression this season. Right now he has only faced one quality defense in the Chicago Bears. Once teams amp up the pressure on Luck and drop more men back in coverage, a huge spark in interceptions will likely occur.

Jake Locker
Locker’s time is coming in the near future, but the offensive outpour by the Titans will obviously be there high point of the year. You have to credit Locker though for how he has performed since taking over the job from Matt Hasselbeck. Some young quarterbacks fold in these situations, but Locker has done well even with Chris Johnson struggling

Running Backs

Michael Turner-
In the first half Turner was at the pace of his first two games of the season, with basic numbers. In the second half he did the most of his damage. San Diego’s defense began to realize their offense just didn’t have anything for the day. Turner is just resting on fantasy roster benches until a successive sequence of solid outings occurs.

Ryan Williams-
The Arizona Cardinals running game is likely going to be one of the worst in the league this season. Ryan Williams and Beanie Wells have been banged up thus far this year, and neither has had proper expectations with carries. Williams has already fumbled the football twice, so those expecting him to bypass Beanie Wells better think again. Another fumble and Williams carries per game may have a max.

Wide Receivers

Davone Bess-
Bess went into the season as a solid option in deeper leagues at the third receiver spot. That can’t be said anymore as Ryan Tannehill seeks him as his third or fourth option. As the season goes on maybe more chemistry will develop between the two. For now I’m going to consider his game against the Jets as a one week wonder.

Kyle Rudolph-
There is no doubting that Christian Ponder likes to target Rudolph. For a season though, Rudolph is not going to continue his pace for touchdowns. He’ll taper off and be in the range of six to eight touchdowns. He’d be a justifiable fantasy starting tight end if you could depend on better yardage numbers. Rudolph is of the old mold of fantasy tight ends, where you would just hope for a touchdown.

Damaris Johnson-
Speed is what the Eagles love to have, and they have that with former Tulsa wideout Damaris Johnson. With injury prone receivers DeSean Jackson and Jeremy Maclin, the possibilities of Johnson having an impact for a handful of games is there. Until an injury is relevant for a period beyond two games than Johnson is classified as a one week wonder.

T. Y. Hilton-
With Austin Collie back in the fold, Hilton’s plays offensively are only going to fall back a bit more. As long as Collie can stay healthy, Hilton is going to be an option only for spread formations. With the Colts poor running game they may be in it more than most teams, but not enough to make Hilton a sleeper.