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Here are our “Hits” and “Misses” for week eleven, 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!) This week I returned to my previous ways of leaving the most obvious players off the list (Drew Brees @ TB, Maurice Jones-Drew vs BUF,) so we’re left with players you may actually have to think about starting or benching this week. In most leagues the playoffs are rapidly approaching, so this could be a huge week for your team and hopefully some of our advice can help you clinch a spot! Anyways, here we go with the hits and misses…
Latest Updates: joseph addai RSS
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Hits & Misses - Week 11: Playoffs approaching
Brandon
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Hits & Misses - Week 10: Thursday Night Football Edition
Brandon
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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Hits & Misses - Week 3: Bring out your Steve Smiths!
Brandon
Here are our “Hits” and “Misses” for week three, listing players who you want to make sure are in your lineup, as well as those who you might consider shelving for the week (or at least lowering your expectations!) As usual, I tried to keep the most obvious players off the list, such as Drew Brees against a Bills defense that is allowing over 330 yards per game through the air (make sure to have him in your lineup this week though.) Anyways, let’s get to the good stuff, starting with a pair of receivers who share a name… (More …)
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Hits & Misses - Week 2: Vikings ready to pillage
Brandon
Now that week one is in the record books, we’re starting to get a better idea of how the teams will look this season. It’s obvious that Adrian Peterson is the best running back in the league and he’s being rewarded for his spectacular play in week one with a Detroit Lions defense that was complete owned by the Saints last week. While you would think that that would earn him a spot on the Hit list this week, I had to leave him off for reasons mentioned in my week one post. However, that does not prevent me from including his quarterback, who starts off this edition of the Hits & Misses… (More …)
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Ask the Geeks: One week to go edition!
Brandon
With under a week to go before the Titans play the Steelers on Thursday night football, here are a few questions we’ve received over the past few days:Haseeb asks: In my league we can start up to 2 rb’s and another as a flex. I currently have Deangelo Williams, Joseph Addai, and Chris Johnson. I also have Jonathan Stewart on the bench. Do I start Stewart over Addai or Johnson? Or do I keep him on the bench? Thanks guys!
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2009 Running Back Handcuff Index
Brandon
As everyone knows, football is a brutal game and injuries are very common. You may draft an awesome duo of running backs for your fantasy football team, only to have one of them knocked out for the season in week two and if you didn’t have their backup (or were slow on the waiver wire,) you’re screwed. As I did last year, I’ve written up the Running Back Handcuff Index, listing all the starting running backs in the league, along with their primary backup(s). Also, I’ve included how important it is to draft their backup as a handcuff (if you need to draft them at all.) I’ve listed them in groups ranging in level of importance (Very High to Very Low), so you know how important it is to draft them as an insurance policy, so here you go…
Very High
Philadelphia Eagles
Starter: Brian Westbrook
Handcuff: LeSean McCoy
Concern(s): Injury / Committee
Notes: Westbrook has never been Mr. Durable to begin with, but he’s getting up there in age and has a very talented rookie in McCoy waiting for his shot. I’d say this is a mandatory hand-cuff, but you might not be able to get McCoy without giving up one of your early picks as someone else will surely draft him with the hopes of trading him to you or of Westbrook going down.Buffalo Bills
Starter: Marshawn Lynch
Handcuff: Fred Jackson
Concern(s): Suspension / Ineffectiveness
Notes: Lynch is suspended for the first three games of the season, so naturally you would like his hand-cuff on your team so it’s easy to fill the void. However, Jackson looked good in limited playing time last season and could be picked up by another team if you’re not careful in your draft. -
Guest Post: Week 12 RB Fantasy Rankings
Josh
Editors’ note: The following post was written by a guest blogger, Josh from Pro Football 101.
Must Starts
1. Willie Parker vs. Cincinnati Bengals. Parker came back with a strong effort vs. the Chargers this past Sunday, and on Thursday he gets the Bengals. Got to love that matchup.
In what could be frigid conditions at Heinz field Thursday night, look for the Steelers to get back to playing Pittsburgh Steelers football and pounding away on the ground. And as the line begins to gel together, this all bodes very well for Parker. 100 yards and two TDs.
2. Matt Forte vs. St. Louis Rams. Ok, the game by the Bay (San Francisco) last Sunday convinced me that the Rams have officially mailed the season in.
After a few nice efforts that led to upsets over Washington and Dallas, the bottom has fallen out and this defense has given up 40 and 35 points respectively in the first halves alone of each of the past two games.
Look for the Bears to get back on track after the debacle in GB and for Forte to be a major focal point of the offensive attack. 100 yards and two TDs. (More …)
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Week 11 Wrap-Up: So much for that awesome Ravens defense
Brandon
Going into this weekend, the Baltimore Ravens were holding opposing team’s running games to a ridiculous 2.9 yards per carry. One week and a brutal beating by the defending Superbowl champs later, that number is up to 3.4 as they were manhandled in the trenches by Brandon Jacobs and crew. Let’s look at more from that contest and the rest of the action from week 11…
- New York Giants 30, Baltimore 10: The G-Men continue to show that they’re the team to beat in the NFC as they hand out a pretty serious beatdown to one of the better teams in the AFC. The Ravens were the team that didn’t let up 100 yard rushers…and I guess they can take pride in the fact that none of the Giants running backs hit the century mark. However, if you combine the stats of the three-headed-monster that they employ in their backfield (Jacobs – 73 yards, 2 TD; Bradshaw – 96 yards; Ward – 41 yards), it’s pretty apparent that as a whole (210 yards!), New York was way too much for the Baltimore defense to handle. (More …)
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Hits and Misses - Week 11: Turner the Burner ready to blaze!
Brandon
Last week I came through with my second great feature pick of the season (I know, only two through ten weeks is a little embarassing!), as Vikings running back Adrian Peterson absolutely torched the Packers defense to the tune of 225 yards from scrimmage and a touchdown. I ended up the week with a respectable 15-5-3* record, helped out by stellar, three-score games from Thomas Jones and Maurice Jones-Drew, along with a solid performance from Tony Gonzalez and a predictable, lackluster showing by Steve Slaton (could he be hitting the rookie wall?) Although the Jets passing game proved to be non-existant in their demolition of the Rams and Peyton Manning had a huge game against one of the better defenses in the league (ironically, his two best games this season against the Steelers and Ravens…go figure!), I still finished with some fairly good predictions and I hope to do the same this week. For week 11, my sure bet is for Michael Turner “The Burner” to have a big game against a less than average Broncos defense in Atlanta this weekend, so get him in your lineup!
* Hits-Misses-Pushes
Hits
- Michael Turner, RB, Falcons: I admit, I tried to come up with some clever saying here that some how involved the Broncos, Turner the Burner, and the game being a potential barn burner, but I couldn’t come up with some all that witty, so I ended up with the title you currently see on the post. Anyways though, continuing the trend (big games against bad defenses…poor games against good ones) that he has followed all season, you can expect big things from Turner this weekend as he takes on an Denver defense that is allowing 5.6 yards per carry. This should turn into a barn burner if all goes according to plan…and expect Turner to be right in the middle of the action. (More …)
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Hits and Misses - Week 10: "Purple Jesus" ready to roll at home
Brandon
It’s pretty amazing the luck (of the bad variety) that I’ve had so far this season with my feature “hit” picks, the latest victim being my own personal favorite, the man who shares my name and plays receiver for the Denver Broncos, Mr. Brandon Marshall (two catches for 27 yards?!!) However, I did end up the week with a decent 13-7-5* record on the big days of quarterbacks Donovan McNabb and Kurt Warner, plus the misfortunes of Bills running back Marshawn Lynch and a few others (even if Marshall, Clinton Portis’ big day receiving, and Kyle Orton’s injury all tried to screw me!)
Maybe picking the most obvious guy each week that is “supposed” to have a huge game is the wrong approach. If I pick LaDainian Tomlinson to have a big day against the high school players the Chiefs call a defense, is he going to get shut out? This week I’m going to change my approach a bit and go with my gut as to which player will have a big day and not base my pick solely on the numbers. While I’m not going out on a huge limb here, my big play of the week is for Vikings running back Adrian Peterson, aka Purple Jesus, to run wild on the Green Bay Packers…
Hits
- Adrian Peterson, RB, Vikings: While quarterback Gus Frerotte tries his best against the vaunted Packers pass defense (see the “Others” section of my misses list below), this will be a game where the Vikings try to run the ball down Green Bay’s throat with Peterson and Chester Taylor. The Pack is allowing nearly five yards per carry to opposing tailbacks and almost 150 yards a game, but you can expect Minnesota to land on the plus side of that average. The first time these two teams met this season (at Green Bay), Peterson, who is averaging around 120 yards per game at home this season, broke the century mark and also scored a touchdown as the team rushed for over 180 yards…and I’m predicting at least those results this time. (More …)
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Running back Joseph Addai to miss two to four weeks
Brandon
Earlier this week I wrote that it appeared that Colts running back Joseph Addai’s hamstring injury wasn’t as bad as originally expected (hopefully you still picked up Dominic Rhodes though!)…it turns out I was misinformed. Addai is now expected to miss two to four weeks (I’d lean towards the latter) with a partially torn hamstring. If you haven’t picked up Dominic Rhodes and he’s still available for some reason, I suggest you grab him immediatly. Backup Mike Hart was also injured in the last game (he’s out for the season), so the Colts will be relying on unknowns Clifton Dawson and Chad Simpson to spell Rhodes, meaning that Dominic should get the majority of the carries this Sunday against the Green Bay Packers.
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Studs and Duds - Week 6: Cassel ready to break out?
Brandon
After taking a sabbatical during week four, I got back on track last week and didn’t fare too badly with my predictions. Although again my title pick didn’t pan out all that great (the Detroit Lions passing game did NOT rebound after the bye week!), and my pick of Clinton Portis to have a rough go of it against the Eagles did not quite work out, big games from Matt Forte and Michael Turner, along with a weak performance (again!) by the Jacksonville running game led me to a pretty decent record for the week. As usual, I’ll be looking to improve again this week, and who better to lead me there but my boy Matt Cassel of the Patriots. So without further ado, here are your studs and duds for week 6…
Studs
- Matt Cassel, QB, Patriots: After a few weeks of the main “stud” not living up to their billing (Ryan Grant, Lions), I’m hoping Matt Cassel of the New England Patriots is the one to change my fortunes. Cassel gave Patriots fans reason to start believing in his abilities with a 66 yard touchdown bomb to Randy Moss last week against a middle-of-the-road 49er’s pass defense. This week his task should be a bit easier as the Patriots play the worst pass defense in the NFL in the San Diego Chargers. The Chargers are allowing 266 yards per game through the air over the first five games of the season and have allowed an average of two touchdowns per game as well. If Cassel can simply get the average, it would be a fairly successful fantasy day. (More …)
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Top 5 QB, RB, WR and TE for Week 5 2008
Matt
Why not K and DST? Because screw K and DST, that’s why.
Quarterback
- Peyton Manning (@ HOU) – The Houston franchise belongs to Bob McNair on paper, but here in the real world, Peyton Manning owns the Texans (last four games: 297.2 yards on average, 10 total TDs, 0 total INTs). This has bounce-back game written all over it.
- Tony Romo (vs CIN) – He’ll be getting T.O. the damn ball as much as he needs to against the atrocious Cincy defense. If Carson Palmer is able to start, move him to #1. Without Palmer, Cincy won’t be able to score much, which means the Dallas offense will mostly go through Marion Barber.
- Drew Brees (vs MIN) – The solid Vikings defense remains better at stopping ground attacks than aerial assaults, which suits the pass-happy Saints just fine. Receiver Robert Meachem is an emerging star who has taken advantage of Colston’s absence by gaining Brees’ trust.
- Jay Cutler (vs TB) – The Bucs’ secondary has been subpar all season, and they’re likely in for a humbling afternoon in the mile-high city. Drew Brees tore them apart in week 1 to the tune of 343 yards and 3 TDs, and I’d expect something similar out of Cutler.
- Philip Rivers (@ MIA) – Sunny skies, an opposing defense that gives up the 7th-most passing yards per game, and the #2 overall fantasy QB through four weeks… what’s not to like?
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Weekend Wrap-Up: How the mighty have fallen
Brandon
As a Patriots fan, I’m still trying to figure out what transpired this past Sunday. How did a guy rumored to possibly be cut from the team a month earlier single-handedly dominate the defending AFC champions? How did a team that WON one game last season destroy a team that LOST one game? Who knows the answers to these questions…maybe it’ll be fun to root for a team that no longer will judge their season on whether they win the Superbowl or not. Even winning the division or wild card would qualify as a success in my eyes at this point. Anyways, enough complaining…let’s get to the rest of the action over the weekend and what relevance it has to fantasy football…
- Miami 38, New England 13: I don’t really want to get into the details (you can read the recap for yourself), but I have to give props to the Dolphins running game, who basically beat the Patriots all by themselves: Ronnie Brown (17 rushes for 113 yards, 4 rushing TD, 1 of 1 passing for 19 yards and a TD) and Ricky Williams (16 rushes for 98 yards.) While I agree with Matt that you shouldn’t go out of your way to trade for Ronnie Brown, I do think he’ll have some more productive games this season and can be a valuable asset to your team (remember what he did last season before his injury?) (More …)
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Mock draft v1.0
Brandon
Over the past week or so, I have been participating in an eight team mock draft over e-mail, hosted by http://www.WestCoastNonsense.com. The teams were made up of people from different fantasy football blogs, including FFLibrarian.com, FantasyFootballBlog.net, TheFantasyFootballReport.com, WestCoastNonsense.com, and PortlandSportsman.blogspot.com. The draft followed the standard serpentine format, with the basic scoring system being 6 points for RB/WR score and 4 points for a QB score. Below you can see the final team that we ended up with:
QB: Matt Hasselbeck, SEA
RB: Joseph Addai, IND
RB: Clinton Portis, WAS
WR: Larry Fitzgerald, ARI
WR: Roy Williams, DET
RB/WR: Reggie Bush, NO
TE: Antonio Gates, SD
DEF: Pittsburgh
Bench: Dwayne Bowe, WR, KC
Bench: Edgerrin James, RB, ARI
Bench: Deion Branch, WR, SEA
Bench: Javon Walker, WR, OAKAfter the jump you can see the round-by-round results, as well as our commentary on the individual picks…
(More …)
