Squish (268)
E-roc (127)
Shirley (66)
Jeff (53)
Tommy (53)
Mal (51)
Ken (44)
Amir (40)
TJ (29)
Here are our waiver wire candidates for week fourteen. 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. This week we start off with a few quarterbacks who’s play has improved dramatically over the next few weeks. Early in the season, did you ever imagine starting Alex Smith or Vince Young (or Bruce Gradkowski?) in the playoffs? Me neither.
Latest Updates: marshawn lynch RSS
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The Wire - Week 14: Who's Starting Vince Young in the Playoffs?
Brandon
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Tonight's Game: New York Jets @ Toronto Bills
Matt
Don’t even get me started on the Toronto thing. NFL.com’s Nick Bakay sums up the situation pretty succinctly:
If you have any illusions that this counts as a home game, peep the Jets tilt this Thursday on NFL Network, and count the Bills jerseys in the stands. Last year against Miami, it took CBS three quarters to find one, but there were thousands of Dolphins threads.
So just in case your start/sit decision on a Buffalo player hinges on the fact that this is a “home” game – think again.
Anyway, since many folks have to make roster decisions today, let’s do a quick start-or-sit for tonight’s players: (More …)
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Brandon
Some quick notes from the past day or so…
- Looks like Broncos wide receiver Brandon Marshall may have had a good conversation with his agent or something, because he’s wisely returned to practice with the team’s offense (he previously was running with the scout team, mimicking opposing team’s star receivers.) The team has moved him back to the number one spot on the depth chart as well and as long as he can get some reps during one of these final preseason games, it’s probably safe to move him back up a few notches on your cheat sheet.
- Given the fact that Browns’ running back Jamal Lewis isn’t getting any younger and rookie James Davis has been outstanding this preseason, we could see more of a committee situation in Cleveland than at first expected.
- If you were hand-cuffing Bills running back Fred Jackson to Marshawn Lynch (out with a suspension for first three games), unfortunately he’s suffering from finger/wrist pain and there is now some question as to how much he’ll be able to play in the first game of the season. If he can’t play, Dominic Rhodes would get the bulk of the carries for the team. Just in case this situation wasn’t messy enough…
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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. -
Brandon
Looks like you won’t get any production out of Marshawn Lynch until at least week four, as the league has decided to uphold his suspension for gun charges. Fred Jackson makes a good spot start until then in the revamped Bills offense.
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Hits and Misses - Week 16: Take a ride in the PT Cruiser!
Brandon
Of all the cars out there to get a nickname from (see: Cadillac Williams), I’m not sure I would want people calling me the name of one of the worst new vehicles to come out this century, but whatever works I guess! It apparently IS working for Saints running back Pierre Thomas, who has put up some great fantasy numbers over the past few weeks in an offense that is traditionally pass-first (and made a lot of fantasy team managers very happy in the process.) This weekend you should have the PT Cruiser parked right in the RB1 or RB2 slot on your roster when the Saints head to Detroit, helping your team cruise to a fantasy football championship!
Hits
- Pierre Thomas, RB, Saints: Although I recommend a few of our readers sit the PT Cruiser last week, this week my tune has changed a bit. The Saints head to Detroit on Sunday to play a Lions team that has been absolutely dreadful against the run this year, allowing 169 yards per game (4.9 ypc) to opposing tailbacks, while allowing them to rack up 26 touchdowns. With Reggie Bush out of the picture, expect a big day for Thomas.
- Antonio Bryant, WR, Buccaneers: For all of you who snagged Antonio Bryant off the waiver wire in the middle of the season, you have to be loving your decision at this point. In most leagues, Bryant has now racked you up around 300 yards and a couple touchdowns through the first two rounds of the playoffs, and I’m predicting that he’ll continue that trend against a bad San Diego Chargers defense. You know those commercials that ESPN had for the Fantasy Football Hall of Fame? If Bryant comes through this weekend, I think you need to add him for next year’s ads. (More …)
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Hits and Misses - Week 15: Time for an encore
Brandon
In most of my leagues, week 15 means we’re two games away from a 2008 fantasy football championship, so the hits and misses this week are magnified dramatically. In some twist of fate, neither of my best fantasy teams were eliminated in the first round of the playoffs this year, meaning I’m right there with you in using my own advice to get to the next round.
In terms of the action this weekend, it’s not usually my style to piggy back on a player (or players) who had a great game last week, but this weekend when Carolina hosts the Broncos, it’s too good to pass up. DeAngelo Williams and Jonathan Stewart had a game for the ages in week 14 and while I don’t expect an exact repeat performance, something close would be nice! Anyways, let’s jump into the hits and misses for the week, starting with the Panthers two-headed monster…
Hits
- DeAngelo Williams / Jonathan Stewart, RB, Panthers (vs DEN): The new heirs to the Smash & Dash nickname played out of this world last week, with both Williams and Stewart breaking the century mark and scoring two touchdowns each against a Tampa Bay defense that had only allowed one rushing touchdown all season! While I don’t expect a repeat of those touchdown numbers this weekend, even against a worse defense, it wouldn’t surprise me at all to see them run for 100 yards and a score each against a Broncos team that is giving up nearly five yards per carry and almost 140 rushing yards per game (and that includes some teams that are MUCH worse at running the ball than the Panthers.) I also need to mention that I recommended to a couple people that they start Jonathan Stewart over Pierre Thomas this week…so let’s hope steps it up and makes me look smart! (More …)
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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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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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Hits and Misses - Week 9: Brandon Marshall ready to hand out tricks and treats
Brandon
To all of our devoted readers (and those who just stopped by for their first time), Happy Halloween! Make sure to go out and get some good candy (not the crappy kind that you hated getting as a kid!) to pass out to the kids tonight…or risk having to clean up toilet paper and shaving cream up in the morning.
Anyways, last week something relatively new happened in the world of FFGeekBlog hits and misses, which was that for the first time of the season, my feature pick did not completely bomb…nor did he do extremely well. For week eight, I recommended that you start Jets running back Thomas Jones at all costs against a Swiss-cheese style Kansas City run defense. If you took my advice, you probably don’t completely hate me…but you’re most likely not making up nicknames for me that include the words “genius”, “psychic” or “super awesome.” Against the Chiefs, Thomas Jones managed a mere 54 yards on the ground and also scored a touchdown, so while his fantasy stats weren’t something to cry about, they also weren’t something to warrant cover space on the revered Hits and Misses column.
After the dust settled though, even with Thomas Jones earning a “push” rating for the week (and J.T. O’Sullivan playing so badly that he lost the starting gig!), I still finished with a solid 16-4-5 (hits-misses-pushes) record, riding upon the shoulders of huge games from Drew Brees, Clinton Portis, Santana Moss, along with predictable stinkers from the Colts star receivers. This week I’ll try to continue my trend of solid picks, so here we go…
Hits
- Brandon Marshall, WR, Broncos: While Marshall’s numbers may have “dropped off” over the past few weeks (only 18 receptions for 200 yards in the last three games), it’s not because quarterback Jay Cutler was not looking his way. Brandon continues to get more looks than almost any other receiver in the league (possibly the most) and this week, following the bye, playing at home, against a fairly bad Dolphins secondary, I expect a huge performance from my doppelganger (in name only.) Cutler will have a big day, but I think it’s Marshall who reaps the most rewards as he hands out tricks to the Dolphins and treats to the fans. (More …)
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Desperation is a Stinky Cologne: Extreme Sleepers for Week 4 2008
Matt
In a bind? This column is for those of you who, due to injury or just plain poor team management, find yourselves with a gaping hole at QB, RB or WR. It’s crunch time – let’s head to the free agent pool and see what we can dig up! There’s gotta be a few diamonds in the rough who might be able to help us out this week.
Remember, this differs from a standard “waiver wire” post in that I’m not advising you to pick these players up if you’re seeking long-term production. Thanks to matchups, injuries, or other favorable conditions, these normally ignorable guys might just be useful this week if you really need them, but in most cases aren’t worth a long-term roster spot.
Last week, I predicted that you might be able to get useful production out of the following players. Let’s see how we did: (More …)
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Top 25 fantasy football players after three weeks
Brandon
Now that the first three weeks of the NFL season are in the books and starting the official bye weeks, I figured it might be interesting to take a look at the top 25 players (based on the scoring system for one of the leagues that Matt and I are in – non-PPR) and see if there were any surprises in the mix…of which there were a few. Keep in mind that it’s only been three weeks, but it’s interesting to note that potential first round picks LaDainian Tomlinson, Steven Jackson, Randy Moss, Peyton Manning, and Tom Brady (a little different situation for Brady than for the others though) are no where to be found…
1. Philip Rivers, QB, SD – First of two young quarterbacks leading the league so far…
2. Jay Cutler, QB, DEN – …and the second. And to think, Cutler is here after missing his top receiving option for the first game. Expect to see these two quarterbacks on this list for a while.
3. Michael Turner, RB, ATL – Turner has been all that you could ever have hoped for through the first three games. While he probably won’t finish this high, I wouldn’t be surprised to see him in the top 15 at the end of the season.
4. Marion Barber, RB, DAL – The Barbarion is living up to his first round draft pick status.
5. Aaron Rodgers, QB, GB – Bet you didn’t expect to see Rodgers this high on the list, huh? (More …) -
Dissent in the ranks
Matt
My buddy Sean, a fellow RIT alum and lifelong Bills fan, sent me an email taking me to task for daring to be disgusted with Marshawn Lynch. Since I’m kind of a jerk, I’ll post it here, and then eviscerate it publicly.
I wholeheartedly disagree with you on the Marshawn post from the 21st of June on FFgeekblog.com. Yes I am trying to kill time until the end of work.
A. Police were quoted as saying they believed he didn’t know he hit a lady because there was no attempt to cover up the marks on his whip which clearly indicated he hit something AND it was parked in his driveway. Not hidden in the garage, not being worked on in a chop shop, just sitting in his driveway. Marshawn is not the new “crime-scene-OJ.” (More …)
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Marshawn Lynch: Let's make a deal
Matt
Lynch has agreed to plead guilty and is likely getting off the hook with nothing more than a violation in the same league as a speeding ticket. Amazing. As a Bills fan, now that my fear of losing our best player has subsided, I’m left with some disgust for a rich NFL star who would hit a woman with his car, leave her lying on the road, and hide from the consequences for over a week. I hope she sues him for everything he owns, and wins.
Here’s a prediction: Buffalo isn’t the kind of town where this sort of thing will be forgotten quickly. It’s going to take years of seriously big-time contribution to the team and the city, both on and off the field, for Lynch to regain the fans’ trust. After the whole McGahee thing, I think it’s fair to say that we’re more than a little wary of being burned by a would-be hero again.
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Marshawn Lynch probably won't go to jail
Matt
The aborted meeting Monday afternoon between Marshawn Lynch’s attorney and Erie County prosecutors virtually doomed any hopes for a quick resolution of the Bills running back’s criminal case.
But that doesn’t mean it increased the chances of Lynch going to jail.
While every case is different, jail time for a first-time defendant charged with leaving the scene of an injury accident would be “quite unusual,” Erie County District Attorney Frank J. Clark said Monday.
That doesn’t mean he won’t be heading to Goodell’s doghouse, of course. This situation is obviously still pretty fluid and could result in anything from zero effect on Lynch’s fantasy value to a multi-game suspension.
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Update: Witnesses say Marshawn Lynch was driving
Matt
There was previously some ambiguity as to whether Lynch was actually driving the Porsche SUV that hit a woman and sped away at 3am last Saturday, but even that glimmer of hope appears to be fading:WGRZ in Buffalo reports that a source with knowledge of the investigation says four witnesses say Lynch was at the wheel of the vehicle at the time it hit a woman and sped off.
If you’re wondering, in New York a hit-and-run that causes personal injury (but not death) is treated as a class A misdemeanor due to a tougher law passed in ’05:
This legislation also elevates the crime of leaving the scene of an incident involving personal injury, which under current law is a class B misdemeanor (maximum sentence of up to 90 days in jail), to a class A misdemeanor, with a maximum sentence of up to one year in jail, with a second or subsequent violation could be charged as a class E felony.
Refusing to talk to the cops isn’t the kind of thing that will make a judge go easy on you (though it might be his best option at this point). Looks like Lynch could be looking at some jail time. Meanwhile, every keeper league owner on the planet whose setup allowed them to keep Lynch this season is frothing at the mouth right now. I’m not in that group thankfully, but as a Bills fan, I still feel your pain.
Time to take a long, hard look at Fred Jackson and figure out where it might make sense to draft him. Xavier Omon‘s worth keeping an eye on as well.
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Marshawn Lynch still not talking to cops
Matt
That pit in the stomach of every Bills fan on the planet right now? You can blame it 100% on Marshawn Lynch:
Police investigators are growing impatient with running back Marshawn Lynch and his failure to meet with them more than three days after his vehicle was involved in a hit-and-run accident.
Buffalo, N.Y., Police Department spokesman Mike DeGeorge suggested Tuesday that Lynch could face an obstruction-of-justice charge if he doesn’t cooperate. He said Lynch’s lawyer finally contacted investigators on Monday but said a meeting has not been set.
I just threw up in my mouth a little, and then a whole lot more all over my desk, keyboard, and hey-what-a-coincidence my Marshawn Lynch jersey. Refusing to speak to the cops can be translated roughly from Asshat to English as: “Yep, I did it.”
I was expecting big things from Lynch this season. The kid has scary talent and is the biggest weapon on an offense that’s ready to take the next step.
Now he’s an unknown. And it ain’t looking good.
(An unrelated aside: If you’re looking to rob a professional athlete’s house, do not under any circumstances choose Noah Herron’s house. Try robbing a kicker, perhaps.)
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Trading down in fantasy football drafts?
Matt
I’m intrigued by something I just read in this post on Rotowire’s fantasy football blog. Blogger Peter Schoenke believes there’s pretty solid consensus for the top five picks in ’08 (“Tomlinson, A. Peterson, Westbrook, Addai, S. Jackson”) and weighs who he’d take with the 6th spot (I’d go with Lynch, but that might be the Bills bias talking).
So given all my negativity, who would I take? My first advice would be to trade down. I’d rather get any of these guys six picks later.
I’ve never seen someone decide to trade a pick like the 6th for a lower pick. Ever. I get why someone might think it’s a good idea, but I strongly disagree in most cases. A little Googling just dug up some similar advice in this list of rules for “How to Win Your Fantasy Football League”:
6. Trade down. If you have pick 3-5, trade down. You’ll feel much better about taking two players back to back than you will seeing your favorites fly off the board every other pick.
Wait, what? There’s only one good reason I can think of to trade down to a bottom-of-the-order pick, and that’s if you’re targeting a specific player you expect to be available near the beginning of the second round – but not the end – and you aren’t willing to spend a first-round pick on him. In that case, by all means, see if you can trade down. But you better feel good about that gamble, because if it doesn’t work out, then you just screwed yourself out of an earlier pick in the third round for no good reason, and that’s pretty significant despite the fact that you’ll get an earlier pick in the fourth. If you go RB RB in the first two, you can kiss any hope of a decent WR1 goodbye if you aren’t picking until the end of the third. (More …)
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Ask the Geeks: Week 16
Brandon
For all of you that made your league’s championship game this weekend, tonight begins your last match of the season, so good luck! Hopefully we can answer some last minute questions to get you that trophy.
Patrick asks: In week 16 do I start Marshawn Lynch (RB-BUF) versus the Giants or Kolby Smith (RB-KC) at Detroit?
Brandon’s take: Patrick, I’d go with Kolby Smith for a few reasons: (a) Smith is not splitting carries, while Lynch is (with Fred Jackson), (b) the Lions run defense is not as good as the Giants run defense (by about 16 yards/game and 8 touchdowns), plus they just got torched by the Chargers for over 260 yards and 4 touchdowns on the ground, so they’re looking mightly vulnerable at this point. And (c), the Lions field is indoors, so weather won’t be an issue, while the same can’t be said for Giants Stadium.
Matt’s take: I have nothing to add. This one’s a no-brainer.
