The Fantasy Football Geek Blog

Updates from January, 2010

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  Matt Forte Owners: Time to Sell

  Matt 2:38 pm on 11/16/2009 | 14 Permalink Reply
  Tags: Matt Forte (23)

  If there was ever a time for Matt Forte owners to try and dump him on the highest bidder, this is it. He’s had three straight respectable fantasy outings thanks largely to Jay Cutler’s difficulty throwing the ball to anyone else, but his YPC remains low at 3.4 and he simply looks nothing like the emergent superstar we were introduced to last season. Daily Herald columnist Barry Rozner thinks the blame falls at least as much on Forte himself as on the struggling offensive line.

  The real reason to sell him ASAP, though, is the Bears’ upcoming schedule:

  Week	Date	Opponent
  11	Nov 22	PHI
  12	Nov 29	@ MIN
  13	Dec 6	STL
  14	Dec 13	GNB
  15	Dec 20	@ BAL
  16	Dec 28	MIN
  17	Jan 3	@ DET

  5th-ranked rushing defense Minnesota twice – including week 16, championship week in most leagues – 4th-ranked Green Bay, 9th-ranked Philly, 6th-ranked Baltimore… yikes. The 28th-ranked Rams are the only reprieve.

  Get rid of him now while it still looks (to an ill-informed manager) like Forte has finally hit his stride. It won’t last long.

   

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  As if I needed another reason to love Chik Fil-A

  Matt 1:29 pm on 11/15/2009 | 6 Permalink Reply
  Tags: clevelands browns

  

   
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  Ask the Geeks - Week 10: 24 Hours Until Game-time

  Brandon 1:53 pm on 11/14/2009 | 15 Permalink Reply
  Tags: ask the geeks (37)

  With the weather absolutely terrible here in the Northeast, I figured it was a good time to answer some of the Ask the Geeks questions that have come in over the past few days. We’ll most likely get one more post up before game time tomorrow, so if you have any last minute questions, make sure to get them in here or leave them as comments on this post!

  Also, make sure to leave your feedback on our commenting system here at FFGeekBlog.com so we can figure out if we need to revise the system or not. Anyways, let’s get to the questions…

  Wolf asks…

  Who would you put your money on…

  Brent Celek @SD
  Shockey @StL
  Carlson @Ari
  Shiancoe @Det

  They’ve all been inconsistent.. who hits the mark with a good matchup.

  (More …)

   
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  Matt 9:56 am on 11/13/2009 | 4 Permalink Reply
  Tags: caleb haney, jay cutler (32)

  The good news for Jay Cutler, who last night threw five picks to take the NFL lead with 17 total INTs: At least your backup is Caleb Hanie. If you’ve never heard that name before, he’s an undrafted free agent out of Colorado State. I don’t mean to be rude, I’m sure he’s a nice guy, but Jay Cutler would have to intentionally score a touchdown for the other team before they’d put this guy in.

  Woohoo, I get to create the “caleb haney” tag in Wordpress now!

   
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  Matt 7:04 pm on 11/12/2009 | 5 Permalink Reply
  Tags: ask the geeks (37)

  While most of the questions submitted to Ask the Geeks are related to waiver pickups and trades, don’t forget that we’re also more than happy to give our two cents on some of the stickier issues that come up over the course of a fantasy football season, such as commissioner rulings, questionable trades, and disputes over league rules. If you want real, fee-for-service arbitration, try the SportsJudge, but if you just want a third party to weigh in on a tough call, Ask the Geeks!

   
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  Hits & Misses - Week 10: Thursday Night Football Edition

  Brandon 4:13 pm on 11/12/2009 | 26 Permalink Reply
  Tags: antonio gates (9), brandon marshall (35), brett favre (33), cedric benson (15), chris johnson (28), david garrard (13), derrick mason (8), devin hester (11), donovan mcnabb (26), drew brees (25), dustin keller (14), hits and misses (9), joseph addai (15), knowshon moreno (4), kyle orton (24), mark sanchez (11), pierre thomas (20), ray rice (8), roddy white (22), santana moss (11), sidney rice (7)

  As I mentioned in an earlier post, make sure to check your rosters before the game tonight so that you don’t get screwed with a starter on your bench (or even worse if there are leagues out there that lock rosters after the first game of the week starts!) Anyways, I wanted to get this post out with time to spare before game-time tonight in case any of the 49ers or Bears players made the list. Here are our “Hits” and “Misses” for week ten, listing players you want to make sure are in your lineup, as well as those you might consider shelving for the week (or at least lowering your expectations!) (More …)

   
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  Ask the Geeks - Week 10: Running back questions galore!

  Brandon 11:20 am on 11/12/2009 | 29 Permalink Reply
  Tags: ask the geeks (37)

  With the first game of the week less than 12 hours away, I figured it was time to put up our first Ask the Geeks post for week ten. Remember, you can ask the geeks here or simply leave your questions as comments on our posts and we’ll try our best to respond to them as soon as possible.

  David asks…

  I’m doing well in my league right now but I made a pretty big mistake early in the season, trading Addai, and others, for an injured McFadden, and others. I dropped McFadden but picked him up off waivers last week. With Jacobs out this week on bye, I need a second RB, and my other options include Buckhalter and Donald Brown. (I have MJD as my RB1). I’m in first place in my league, so no hope for a waiver pick-up and I’m not willing to trade anyone decent away at this point. My gut says that McFadden will have a decent RB2 game against KC. What do you think? Many thanks for the great site.

  (More …)

   
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  Fantasy storylines to watch this weekend

  Matt 11:04 pm on 11/11/2009 | 15 Permalink Reply
  Tags: brett favre (33), brian westbrook (13), buffalo bills (11), joe flacco (15), lesean mccoy (5), matt ryan (19), Tennessee Titans (5)

  Plenty of fantasy intrigue around the league in week 10. Here are a few situations I’ll definitely be keeping an eye on.

  Joe Flacco @ Cleveland: Wacko Flacco (sorry) has been shaky lately, so it’ll be interesting to see him take on a team that he played well against earlier in the season (342 yards, 1 TD, 0 INT, 111.8 passer rating in week 3). If Flacco can repeat or improve upon that performance, he’ll reestablish himself as a startable fantasy QB when the matchup’s right.

  LeSean McCoy/Brian Westbrook vs. San Diego: How shaky is Westbrook’s ankle? Will McCoy continue to make a convincing case for more touches? Andy Reid just watched the division lead get ripped away from him by the surging Cowboys, so it’ll be interesting to see which running back he favors when push comes to shove.

  (More …)

   
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  Drool-worthy matchups for the stretch run

  Matt 3:50 pm on 11/10/2009 | 10 Permalink Reply
  Tags: arizona cardinals (3), buffalo bills (11), cleveland browns (6), detroit lions (3), DST (2), jacksonville jaguars (4), kansas city chiefs (4), Oakland Raiders (9), St Louis Rams (4), Tampa Bay Buccaneers (2), Tennessee Titans (5)

  With nine weeks of data in the books on this year’s NFL team defenses, it’s now pretty clear which matchups you should absolutely love to see on your players’ schedules for the remainder of the season.

  Passing Defense

  Worst of the Worst:

  Detroit Lions: They allow a whopping 263 passing yards per game, including games where they gave up 358 to Brees, 340 to Campbell, 358 to Rodgers, and 329 to Hasselbeck. And only the Titans (who I’ll get to in a minute) have allowed more passing TDs.

  Kansas City Chiefs: Only ten sacks on the season, second-worst in the league, and only three interceptions, which is obviously the worst. (Interesting aside – the Redskins, who give up the fewest yards per game, are tied with the Browns for the second-fewest INTs – just four.)

  (More …)

   
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  Week 10 Defenses to Consider

  Brandon 2:55 pm on 11/10/2009 | 6 Permalink Reply
  Tags: defenses to consider (8)

  Here’s a quick list of teams that are playing some of the lesser offenses in the league this week and who could be available in your league in case you were looking for a plug-in (with the percent owned in parenthesis):

  • New Orleans (99%) @ St. Louis
  • Minnesota (97%) vs Detroit
  • Baltimore (96%) @ Cleveland
  • Denver (90%) @ Washington
  • New York Jets (71%) vs Jacksonville
  • Atlanta (70%) @ Carolina
  • San Francisco (70%) vs Chicago
  • Miami (53%) vs Tampa Bay
  • Tennessee (22%) vs Buffalo
  • Oakland (5%) vs Kansas City
  • Kansas City (3%) @ Oakland

  Unfortunately, most of the defenses matched up against the worst teams in the league are already owned in most leagues out there!

   
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  Congratulations to Joe M!

  Matt 10:18 am on 11/10/2009 | 0 Permalink Reply
  Tags: contest (3)

  Congrats to Joe M., our contest winner! Joe was one of four who correctly predicted that Kurt Warner would be week 9’s top fantasy QB, a pretty ballsy pick considering Warner’s five interceptions in week 8. Joe’s name was randomly selected from the four who picked Warner. Way to go, Joe. Your $50 NFL.com gift card is in the mail.

   
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  The Wire - Week 10: The Return of Chris Chambers

  Brandon 5:21 pm on 11/09/2009 | 55 Permalink Reply
  Tags: alex smith (12), andre caldwell (3), beanie wells (5), brandon pettigrew (4), chris chambers (10), correll buckhalter (8), derrick ward (5), devery henderson (7), dustin keller (14), earl bennett (6), jamal lewis (21), james jones (6), jason hill, joey haynos, josh freeman (5), Justin Fargas (17), kevin boss (12), ladell betts (2), laveranues coles (9), malcom floyd (4), mark sanchez (11), matt cassel (26), mike wallace (6), patrick crayton (5), robert meachem (15), sammie stroughter (2), the wire (12), Vince Young (8), zach miller (10)

  Here are our waiver wire candidates for week ten. As usual, you’ll find players who are either [Startable], a [Stopgap] to get you past a BYE or injury, [Worth a look] and spot on your bench, or [One-week-wonder]s who don’t warrant a roster spot, so you make your roster moves accordingly. You’ll also see the percent owned in parenthesis (and if you see an asterisk by the players name, it means they’re on a BYE this week.)

  (More …)

   
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  Ask the Geeks - Week 9: Game-time edition

  Brandon 10:12 am on 11/08/2009 | 13 Permalink Reply
  Tags: ask the geeks (37)

  Again, before we get started with the questions, I just wanted to remind everyone that we’re running a contest for a $50 NFL.com gift card, which you can win by simply picking the quarterback who will score the most fantasy points this week. The entries will be cut off soon, so get your pick in quickly!

  Anyways, here are our final Ask the Geek questions for week nine. If you have any more questions, you can leave them as comments on the post and hopefully some of our excellent readers can help you out (if we’re not able to get to them.)

  Shirley asks…

  I have both Slaton & Moats in one league (non-PPR, start 2 RBs, one flex spot). Coach Kubiak announced that Moats would be the starter so should I start Moats and sit Slaton? My other RBs are Frank Gore, Ricky Williams and Beanie Wells.

  (More …)

   
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  Matt 1:25 pm on 11/07/2009 | 1 Permalink Reply
  Tags: rookies (4)

  Attention rookies: The grades are in for the second marking period and report cards are on their way to your parents. Kenny Britt, just a heads up, you might want to intercept the mail and burn yours in the backyard.

   
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  Ask the Geeks - Week 9: What's the deal with Steve Slaton?

  Brandon 10:25 am on 11/06/2009 | 46 Permalink Reply
  Tags: ask the geeks (37)

  Before we get started with the questions, I just wanted to remind everyone that we’re running a contest for a $50 NFL.com gift card, which you can win by simply picking the quarterback who will score the most fantasy points this week. Make sure to head over and make your pick before the games start this weekend!

  Anyways, here is our first round of Ask the Geek questions for week nine. Remember, you can ask the geeks here or simply leave your questions as comments on our posts and we’ll try our best to respond to them as soon as possible. Our first question focuses on a common topic of this week…what is the deal with Steve Slaton?

  Will asks…

  Like many I was victimized by the Steve Slaton benching (Thanks Gary Kubiak!). Should I stick with Slaton this week against the Colts or should I try Julius Jones against the Lions?

  (More …)

   
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  Hits & Misses - Week 9: Baseball is finally over!

  Brandon 11:42 am on 11/05/2009 | 29 Permalink Reply
  Tags: aaron rodgers (28), alex smith (12), brandon jacobs (20), desean jackson (12), eli manning (19), heath miller (7), jake delhomme (13), jason witten (5), knowshon moreno (4), Laurence Maroney (9), Matt Hasselbeck (11), matt schaub (19), michael crabtree (9), mike sims-walker (12), miles austin (5), pierre thomas (20), rashard mendenhall (8), ryan grant (21), santonio holmes (9), steve smith (26)

  Now that baseball is finally over, we can focus on the sport that should have a spotlight at this point in the year…football. Before we get to the players though, remember to enter in our contest to win a $50 NFL.com gift card simply by predicting the top fantasy quarterback of the week (my QB “hits” might help you out!) Also, if you’re feeling generous, head over to the Fantasy Football Librarian’s site and vote for FFGeekBlog.com in her first annual Readers’ Choice Poll.

  Anyways, that’s enough self-promotion…here are our “Hits” and “Misses” for week nine, listing players you want to make sure are in your lineup, as well as those you might consider shelving for the week (or at least lowering your expectations!) (More …)

   
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  Help a blogger out!

  Matt 11:05 am on 11/04/2009 | 10 Permalink Reply
  Tags: kevin smith (9), Laurence Maroney (9), ryan moats (3), start/sit (3), Tim Hightower (15)

  I don’t do this very often, but I need your help. I’m leaving tomorrow morning for a trip to Denver and am flying back Sunday morning. I’ll probably be too busy while I’m there to look at my teams, so I need to make all my start/sit decisions today. One dilemma in particular has me stumped. I’d love to be able to wait until the last minute to see how things shake out this week for some of these players, but that’s probably not going to happen.

  With Stephen Jackson out on a bye, I’ve got a RB conundrum in our oldest league, the League of Champions (where Brandon and I are both currently 5-3). I’ve got four startable-but-meh running backs, and can’t come to a decision about which two to start. Since we’ve got some of the savviest readers in the fantasy football blogosphere, I feel perfectly confident leaving this call to you.

  I’ve also got LenDale White on the roster, but that’s just because of his potential value should Chris Johnson get hurt.

   
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  Week 9 Defenses to Consider

  Brandon 10:08 am on 11/04/2009 | 0 Permalink Reply
  Tags: defenses to consider (8)

  Here’s a quick list of teams that are playing some of the lesser offenses in the league this week and who could be available in your league in case you were looking for a plug-in (with the percent owned in parenthesis):

  • Green Bay (96%) @ Tampa Bay
  • New England (84%) vs Miami – You’ll have to cross your fingers that the Patriots can slow down the Wildcat and the rest of the Dolphins running game if you go this direction though.
  • San Francisco (58%) vs Tennessee
  • Atlanta (51%) vs Washington
  • Seattle (43%) vs Detroit
  • Jacksonville (14%) vs Kansas City

  Also, remember to send in your entry for the top fantasy quarterback of week nine for your chance to win a $50 NFL.com gift card!

   
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  The Wire - Week 9: Desperate Times

  Brandon 1:18 pm on 11/03/2009 | 49 Permalink Reply
  Tags: alex smith (12), antonio bryant (18), beanie wells (5), correll buckhalter (8), daniel fells (2), deion branch (11), dustin keller (14), fred davis (7), jamaal charles (7), jamal lewis (21), jeremy maclin (5), joel dreessen, Justin Fargas (17), kevin boss (12), lance moore (9), larod stephens-howling, Laurence Maroney (9), laveranues coles (9), leonard weaver (3), malcom floyd (4), mark sanchez (11), Matt Hasselbeck (11), maurice morris (6), mike bell (9), mike thomas (2), mike wallace (6), patrick crayton (5), ryan moats (3), sammie stroughter (2), ted ginn (7), the wire (12), tony scheffler (7), Vince Young (8), zach miller (10)

  Here are our waiver wire candidates for week nine. As usual, you’ll find players who are either [Startable], a [Stopgap] to get you past a BYE or injury, [Worth a look] and spot on your bench, or [One-week-wonder]s who don’t warrant a roster spot, so you make your roster moves accordingly. You’ll also see the percent owned in parenthesis (and if you see an asterisk by the players name, it means they’re on a BYE this week.)

  Before we start, don’t forget to enter in our contest to win a $50 NFL.com gift card!

  This week the talent is really starting to fall off the cliff, with the only real interesting additions to the list being Texans’ running back Ryan Moats and Chargers’ receiver Malcom Floyd…but even they don’t raise all that much excitement. Anyways, here’s the guys that are still available out there in case you’re in desperate need of help at a position. Hopefully you don’t have to rely on these guys too much!
  (More …)

   
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  Matt 8:28 pm on 11/01/2009 | 4 Permalink Reply
  Tags: ryan moats (3), steve slaton (18)

  Steve Slaton fulfilled all of his fantasy owners’ worst nightmares today and might have fumbled away his starting gig to Ryan Moats, who took full advantage of the opportunity to run the ball against the NFL-worst Bills rushing defense. Slaton finished with 11 total yards and a lost fumble (good for negative points in most leagues), while Moats burned Buffalo for 123 yards and three scores and is pretty much a lock as this week’s hottest waiver wire commodity. No word yet as to whether Slaton’s demotion is permanent, but it was pretty telling that he spent the entire game on the bench after the fumble.