Saturday, October 30, 2010

Fantasy football: Studs to start, duds to sit in Week 8

When it comes to the fantasy football studs to start in Week 8, the first thing to do is look at the matchups and no matchup looks more inviting than Kansas City hosting Buffalo.
Kansas City quarterback Matt Cassel, receiver Dwayne Bowe, backs Thomas Jones and Jamaal Charles and tight end Tony Moeaki all have double-digit point potential.
Another team with a decent matchup is Dallas hosting Jacksonville and a Jaguars defense that has allowed the most points (209) in the NFL this season.
No QB Tony Romo? No problem. Cowboys backup QB Jon Kitna should have a field day with the Jags' secondary. Also play receivers Miles Austin, Roy Williams and Dez Bryant and back Felix Jones with confidence.
Coming off the bye, I would also play Jets players like QB Mark Sanchez, receiver Santonio Holmes and backs LaDainian Tomlinson and Shonn Greene. NOTE: Be aware that Jets receiver Braylon Edwards is expected to lose a good deal of targets to Holmes starting this week.

The duds to sit this week based on tough matchups are New Orleans tight end Jeremy Shockey and back Chris Ivory. They have to face the red hot Pittsburgh Steelers defense.
I would also be hesitant to start players in the Tennessee-San Diego game with the tough defesnes on both teams.
Other guys to avoid would be back Knowshon Moreno (still banged up but playing), receiver Louis Murphy (still a bit banged up and has the struggling Jason Campbell throwing to him now), and Minnesota QB Brett Favre (expect him to start but struggle with his gimpy ankle).
I predict Favre plays a quarter or two and then Tavaris Jackson finishes up.

Good luck this week!

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Wednesday, October 27, 2010

Fantasy football: Injury update heading into Week 8

The injuries keep lingering and piling up in the NFL.

One of the biggest injuries is to Dallas quarterback Tony Romo who is out at least 6-8 weeks with an injured collarbone. Some scoff at whether aging/veteran backup Jon Kitna can fill in for him.
I believe Kitna will be the spark the Cowboys need. This could very well be Kitna's last hurrah in his career and he will likely make the most of it. He has the offensive weapons, the talent and the experience to have success.

Indianapolis receiver Austin Collie had surgery on his right thumb and is expected to miss at least a game, most likely more. Joseph Addai is also hurting and will likely be out in Week 8. Receiver Anthony Gonzalez should pick up the slack for Collie and former UConn standout Donald Brown should be the starter until Addai returns.

Panthers running back DeAngelo Williams has been missing practice this week with a foot injury. Keep an eye on his situation. If he doesn't practice Thursday and Friday he will likely sit out this week. He rushed for about 1,100 yards last season but has been held to only 367 yards on 87 carries in six games this season.

Another player to monitor is Denver back Knowshon Moreno who has tweaked his right hamstring. His practice status is iffy for Thursday and Friday.

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Tuesday, October 26, 2010

Fantasy football: Week 7 recap

There were certainly some suprises across the board when it came to fantasy football producation in Week 7 of the NFL.

QUARTERBACKS
Who would have thought you would ever see Buffalo quarterback Ryan Fitzpatrick throw for 374 yards and four touchdowns? But that's exactly what he did and he has emerged as a viable bye week replacement if you need a QB this week. Fitzpatrick is still available on most waiver wires in leagues at cbssports.com, espn.com, yahoosports.com and myfantasyleague.com.

Other surprises included QBs Carson Palmer (Cincinnati) and Matt Moore (Carolina). Palmer is the No. 1 ranked QB for Week 7 with 412 yards and three touchdowns. Moore was also solid with 308 yards passing and two touchdowns. Other top QBs were Drew Brees (New Orleans) with 356 yards and two touchdowns, Philip Rivers (San Diego) with 336 yards and a touchdown and Eli Manning (Giants) who had 306 yards and four touchdowns.

RUNNING BACKS
The biggest surrpsie at running back was Ryan Torrain of Washington who rushed for 125 yards (unfortunately no TDs). Oakland's Darren McFadden returned from injury as a man possessed with 165 yards and three rushing TDs and two catches for 31 yards and a receiving TD. Other top backs were Adrian Peterson (Minnesota) with 131 yards and a touchdown, Ahmad Bradshaw (Giants) with 126 yards, Thomas Jones (Kansas City) with 125 yards and a touchdown and Michael Turner (Atlanta) who had 121 yards and two touchdowns.

RECEIVERS
With Fitzpatrick having a field day at QB, it's no surprise one of the beneficiaries was Buffalo receiver Steve Johnson who has become an impact player in the fantasy world. He had eight receptions for 158 yards and a touchdown. A new fantasy player emerged on Carolina with receiver David Gettis complementing Panthers' No. 1 wideout Steve Smith (double/triple teammed all day). Gettis had eight receptions for 125 yards and two touchdowns. Kenny Britt of Tennessee led all receivers with seven receptions, 225 yards and three touchdowns. Other top receivers were Roddy White (Atlanta) with 11 receptions, 201 yards and two touchdowns; Jordan Shipley (Cincinnati) with six receptions, 131 yards and a touchdown; and Hines Ward (Pittsburgh) who had seven receptions for 131 yards and a touchdown.

TIGHT ENDS
The tight end position pretty much played according to form led by Dallas' Jason Witten who had nine receptions, 95 yards and a touchdown. Other top tight ends were Vernon Davis (San Francisco) who had four receptions, 74 yards and a touchdown; Zach Miller (Oakland) who had three receptions, 65 yards and a touchdown; Todd Heap (Baltimore) ended up with three receptions, 59 yards and two touchdowns; Aaron Hernandez (New England) had five receptions for 54 yards; and Chris Cooley (Washington) had seven receptions and 52 yards.

Of all the guys above, Fitzpatrick, Johnson and Gettis will be the most sought after players on waiver wires. Their production should continue so I would grab them now if you need help at QB or receiver.

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Sunday, October 24, 2010

Fantasy football: Week 7 studs and duds

Studs to start in Week 7:
When it comes to starting players in Week 7 you can start with any player on the Baltimore Ravens. The Ravens play the lowly Buffalo Bills this week and the Ravens will play angry coming off a bitter loss to New England in Week 6.
Ravens quarterback Joe Flacco, running back Ray Rice and receiver Derek Mason should easily provide double-digit fantasy football points. In fact, even the Ravens' defense/special teams will be a solid double-digit start. The defense gets a big boost with safety Ed Reed returning from injury.
Others to start include Philadelphia receiver Jeremy Maclin who will be the No. 1 guy the next few weeks with DeSean Jackson sidelined with a concussion, Kansas City quarterback Matt Cassel,receiver Dwayne Bowe and tight end Tony Moeaki should all have a big day against the Jacksonville secondary, and Denver back Knowshon Moreno should have a big day against Oakland.
Sleeper tight end to consider is Seattle's John Carlson who has the potential for a big day against Arizona.

Duds to sit:

Among the backs I wouldn't start if I didn't have to are Arizona's Beanie Wells against the tough Seattle defense in Seattle, Miami's Ronnie Brown who faces the Pittsburgh "D" and Buffalo's Fred Jackson (avoid all Bills players actually since they play Baltimore).
As far as receivers I would stay away from San Francisco's Michael Crabtree and tight end Vernon Davis against a Carolina defense coming off the bye and Terrell Owens could have a tough day against Atlanta who always plays better at home.

Good luck this week!

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