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Happy Thanksgiving! For the Thanksgiving holiday, I figured I’d do an early Hits and Misses article around the games that will be taking place as you stuff your face (and wonder why Detroit is on TV every friggin’ Turkey Day!) Anyways, over the past few weeks, it appears to me that the perfect storm has been brewing…and that storm is what the Titans running backs are going to do to the Lions defense tomorrow. Last weekend Tennessee finally got a dose of reality against the Jets when they realized that they can’t rely solely on the arm of Kerry Collins to carry them to victory and that they’re going to need their running game performing at a high level if they want to go anywhere in the playoffs. Lucky for them, they play the worst run defense in the NFL, the Detroit Lions, so this could be a perfect time to get back to the basics. So let’s get into more from that game and the rest of the action that will be taking place while you try your hardest to ignore your family members… (More …)
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Hits and Misses: Turkey Day Edition
Brandon
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Hits and Misses - Week 12: Peyton ready for a playoff run
Brandon
Although the Patriots lost a close one to the Jets, last week ended up being a pretty good week for me in all areas of the fantasy football world. Not only did I win in nearly all of my leagues, but my predictions ended up with a stellar 19-4-5 record, led by great games from Turner the Burner, the Arizona passing game and DeAngelo Williams, along with sub-par efforts from Kyle Orton and Willis McGahee (even with Jake Delhomme doing his best to submarine me and one of my fantasy teams!)
With the playoffs fast approaching though, and me still needing a win or two more to clinch the playoffs in a few leagues, let’s move on to my picks for this week. I’ll start with the man who should help many a fantasy team make the playoffs in week 12 by handing out a good ol’ fashioned beatdown to San Diego…Peyton Manning.
Hits
- Peyton Manning, QB, Colts: This weekend Indianapolis will head to San Diego to take on a Chargers defense that has been one of the worst in the league against the pass (possibly due to the absence of their top pass rusher in Shawne Merriman?) For all those managers who drafted Manning with a top pick in their league and have been disappointed so far (although the past few weeks he’s been pretty good), this game should serve as redemption. The Chargers are allowing 267 passing yards on average to an assortment of signal callers across the league…and this weekend they take on one that is slightly better than your “average quarterback.” I don’t think it’s unreasonable to expect 300 yards and at least two scores from Peyton this week.
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Desperation is a Stinky Cologne: Deep Sleepers for Week 12, 2008
Matt
Attention, all ye 4-7 and 5-6 teams: The playoffs are officially here for you. Of course, this all depends upon your league’s settings, but chances are that if you’re even a smidge below .500 at this point, your only shot is to win out and pray that the tiebreakers work out in your favor. If you’re holding off on picking up a free agent because you’d have to drop that injured player who might be ready in time for the playoffs, it’s time to wake up and do what has to be done. Better to limp into the playoffs with a snowball’s chance in hell of winning than to miss the postseason entirely. (Owners of Carnell Williams and Selvin Young – I’m looking at you.)
Here’s a look at some players who are owned in less than 50% of Yahoo and ESPN leagues and would make a decent play this week. The % owned statistic next to each player’s name is an average of all Yahoo and ESPN leagues.
Quarterbacks
Kerry Collins, TEN, 36% owned - Quick, name another MVP candidate who’s owned in just 36% of fantasy leagues. The Titans have been out to prove that they can win through the air, and this looks like another matchup that will lead them to pursue the same strategy. The Jets are tough on the ground but near the bottom against the pass, so expect lots of old-fashioned Vodka Collins action in this one. (More …)
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The Wire: Waiver Wire Pickups for Week 12, 2008
Brandon
Here’s a look at the players to target on your league’s waiver wire this week. This list is ordered by the percentage of ESPN leagues in which the player is available, but even if you’re not a ESPN user, it’s a decent indication of how likely you are to find the player on waivers in your league. We also note here how strongly we feel about this pickup with three categories: Instant Starter, Grab ‘n’ Stash, or Desperation Pickup.
J.J. Arrington, RB, Cardinals (1.8% owned, Grab ‘n’ Stash) – Rookie Tim Hightower just hasn’t gotten it done the past two weeks and we’re starting to wonder if he’s really starter-material. With Kurt Warner opening the field up dramatically with the passing game, Hightower should have all the room in the world to run the ball, but the numbers just aren’t there. On Sunday, J.J. Arrington was able to weasel some carries from Hightower (including a touchdown) and did fairly well with them. If Hightower continues to struggle, look for Arrington’s carries to increase steadily.
Deion Branch, WR, Seahawks (9.2% owned, Grab ‘n’ Stash) – Branch finally played another game this season…and survived! He ended up the game with over 50 yards and as he gets more playing time, he should get more comfortable in the offense and put up decent numbers down the home stretch. He’s probably not worth starting right away, but you might pick him up and hide him on your roster to see what he can do. (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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The Wire: Waiver Wire Pickups for Week 3, 2008
Brandon
Here’s a look at the players to target on your league’s waiver wire this week. This list is ordered by the percentage of ESPN leagues in which the player is available; even if you’re not a ESPN user, it’s a decent indication of how likely you are to find the player on waivers in your league. We also note here how strongly we feel about this pickup with three categories: Instant Starter, Grab ‘n’ Stash, or Desperation Pickup.
Chansi Stuckey, WR, Jets (0.7% owned, Desperation Pickup) – He’s not the primary target in this offense…or even the second (third?), but he does have a touchdown in each of the first two games for the Jets on a combined six catches for 80 yards. He’s not going to blow your opponent away, but if you’re absolutely stuck for a WR3 play in week three, you might consider Stuckey.
Michael Bush, RB, Raiders (6.1% owned, Grab ‘n’ Stash) – “Starter” Justin Fargas left Sunday’s game with a groin injury and the severity is yet to be determined. While Darren McFadden is still the main man in this running game, Bush will get a healthy dose of carries in the next week or so if Fargas happens to miss extended time. (More …)
