Squish (252)
E-roc (119)
Shirley (64)
Jeff (53)
Mal (45)
Tommy (45)
Ken (42)
Amir (37)
TJ (29)
Bengals quarterback Carson Palmer will possibly miss the rest of the preseason with an ankle injury that he’s been dealing with for about two weeks already. The team claims he will be fully healed by the start of the regular season, but given his track record with injuries, who knows how that will work out. He almost fits the mold of a “sleeper” this season, as you can get him pretty cheap as your backup quarterback and with a healthy Ochocinco and a non-currently-suspended-for-arrest Chris Henry as wide receivers, he could put up some decent numbers…as long as he’s on the field.
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Brandon
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Brandon
Oakland wide receiver Chaz Schilens was close to being Mr. Irrelevant in last year’s NFL draft, but he could be the best the team has at the position this year and he made a pretty big statement by catching five passes for 52 yards in the first preseason game. Schilens might be a decent sleeper pick in your league’s draft and will probably end up with better stats than the team’s high-profile rookie receiver, Darrius Heyward-Bey, who was not effective at all in the game (one catch for 8 yards.)
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Matt
LaDainian Tomlinson: “There’s not a lot of pressure on me… Now I can just kind of be that sleeper.” Sounds about right.
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Desperation is a Stinky Cologne: Deep Sleepers for Week 14
Matt
Sneak into the playoffs and praying for an first-round upset? Dominant all season but now scrambling to fill in for an injured player so you don’t get humiliated by some bottom-seeded punk? These players are available in over 50% of ESPN and Yahoo leagues (on average) and might just be able to keep you in the hunt for one more week.
Quarterbacks
Shaun Hill, SF – Shaun Hill rolls into this nice matchup with the Jets’ 29th-ranked pass defense with a bit of a head of steam – a 94.6 passer rating and an 8-3 TD-INT ratio. I don’t blame you if you’re reluctant to trust such an inexperienced QB in a late-season fantasy matchup, but if you’re reading this post, odds are you don’t have a better option. There’s plenty of upside here to go with a heaping helping of risk. I think he’s worth the gamble, but hey, feel free to start someone else, you big wuss. (More …)
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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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Desperation is a Stinky Cologne: Extreme Sleepers for Week 9, 2008
Matt
Managing a team over the course of a fantasy football season is a bit like taking part in a poker tournament. At the beginning, you can afford to be conservative and take a wait-and-see attitude with your players, in the hopes that the underperformers will come around (just as it’s usually smart to play conservatively early on in a poker tourney, while you’ve still got the luxury of low blinds). As the season (or tournament) wears on, you have to adjust your style of play. If you’re at .500 or worse, you’re the equivalent of a low-stacked player at the final table – it’s high time to make some bold moves. Hesitate, and you’ll be doomed to watch your subpar squad slowly fade out of contention.
If you’re on the playoff bubble at this point in the season, you’ve got to field the best squad possible every week. It’s now time to give up on the “high-potential” players and handcuffs you’ve been hoarding on your bench, guys like Robert Meachem, Michael Bush, Felix Jones, Maurice Morris, Le’Ron McClain, Fred Jackson, and others of their ilk (obviously, if you’re in a keeper league, they might be worth holding on to). Drop them in favor of free agent/waiver acquisitions that you can start now, even if they’re only startable when the matchups are right. The only hard part, of course, is identifying which players to start, and when. Which brings us to this week’s desperation-start options at QB, RB and WR…
Note: “% owned” statistics are an average of that player’s ownership percentage in all Yahoo and ESPN leagues, rounded to the nearest percent.
Quarterbacks
Dan Orlovsky, DET (9% owned) - True, the Bears are likely getting their cornerbacks back, but with both Nathan Vasher and Charles Tillman starting their first games after missing a few (it’s been since Sept. 28 for Vasher and Oct. 12 for Tillman), they’re not likely to be in top form. That means Orlovsky, with megatarget Calvin Johnson to throw the ball to, will be facing a pass defense that isn’t likely to look much more menacing than the 4th-from-the-bottom unit it’s been so far. (More …)
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Desperation is a Stinky Cologne: Extreme Sleepers for Week 8, 2008
Matt
In a bind? This column is for those of you who, due to injuries or other circumstances, find yourselves with a gaping hole at QB, RB or WR and need a stop-gap player to plug in for one week.Unlike our waiver-wire columns, 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 usually useless players are worth a look this week, but probably aren’t good long-term options.
Note: ”% owned” statistics are an average of that player’s ownership percentage in all Yahoo and ESPN leagues, rounded to the nearest percent.
Quarterbacks
I’d love to be able to suggest a desperation-use-only quarterback for this week, but the truth is that none of the guys I’d normally consider here (those with 50% or lower average ownership) have good enough matchups to make them worth starting. Brad Johnson against Tampa Bay? Pass. Marc Bulger at New England? No thanks, not after what the Pats did to Denver. JaMarcus Russell against Baltimore? No friggin’ way. Kerry Collins against Indy (or anyone for that matter)? A couple of weeks ago I would have considered it, but it’s now crystal clear that his only role is to give an occasional breather to the Titans’ wrecking ball of a running game. Dan Orlovsky, Ryan Fitzpatrick, Seneca Wallace, and Tyler Thigpen are all stashed in my No Way, No How drawer until further notice.
The best option in the under-50% crowd is probably Joe Flacco against the Raiders, who give up 224 passing yards per game, 11th-worst in the league. But he’s far from what I’d call an intriguing option.
Moving on to other positions and hopefully greener pastures…
Running Backs
Kolby Smith, KC (18% owned) - You could do far worse for a bye-week plugin than Smith. He supposedly will split carries with Jamaal Charles, but given that Charles was only given three carries last week to Smith’s 10, I’m willing to bet that the split will again be in Kolby’s favor. The Jets rush defense is better than most, though, so Kolby’s no more than a desperation start – don’t pick him up unless you really need him.
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Desperation is a Stinky Cologne: Extreme Sleepers for Week 7 2008
Matt
In a bind? This column is for those of you who, due to injuries or other circumstances, find yourselves with a gaping hole at QB, RB or WR and need a stop-gap player to plug in for one week.Unlike our waiver-wire columns, 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 usually useless players are worth a look this week, but probably aren’t good long-term options.
Note: “% owned” statistics are an average of that player’s ownership percentage in all Yahoo and ESPN leagues, rounded to the nearest percent.
Quarterbacks
Kerry Collins (25% owned) – Normally you’d never even consider starting Collins, but the Titans are playing the Chiefs, so I ask you to consider this riddle: What adds up to six and should get someone fired? Answer: The total number of sacks and interceptions the Kansas City defense has managed so far this season (three of each). That’s dead last in the league, by a lot. Even Collins should be able to put together a decent day.
Marc Bulger (41% owned) – Considering his abysmal numbers so far this season, I’m surprised his ownership percentage is so high – not that I don’t think he has some upside. Dallas will be missing cornerbacks Terence Newman (groin) and Pac-Man Jones (brain), so if he’s ever going to show us a glimpse of his old self, it’ll probably be this week.
Running Backs
Kolby Smith, KC (8% owned) – zOMFG, a starting RB is going to miss a game and his backup will get to be the feature back for a whole game! Quick, everyone run out and get him! Wait, why’s he only 8% owned? Oh, right – the Chiefs are playing the Titans’ solid rush D, and LJ isn’t hurt; he’ll be back next week, so there’s no point in using a roster spot on this guy unless you need him now. But if you’re reading this, single-week plugins are what you’re after, and Smith fits that description perfectly. (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 …)
