Nothing like successfully rolling the dice on RGIII in the draft and riding him to the playoffs, only to see him hurt a knee at the end of his week 14 game. That definitely puts your stomach into your throat. The good news is that is was only a sprain and he practiced a bit this week. The bad news is that he is a game-time decision and, if he plays, what will his numbers look like on the road as a dropback passer?
I seriously doubt that anyone who drafted RGIII did it without another quality QB alongside him. Of course, if that QB was Big Ben, Jay Cutler, or Philip Rivers, do you trust them this week? Unless you are in a 8-10 team league, there is no good FA QB option on the waiver wire. Best of luck to you if you are in this unenviable position. If you are in need of help elsewhere, there are a few players at other positions to consider:
RB: Joique Bell (DET) – Detroit has been relying heavily on the run since they actually have more quality healthy RBs than healthy WRs. Bell seems to getting a bit more action than Mikel LeShore, particular between the 20s and as well as in receptions. LeShore has been worthy of a start for most of the year, but Bell is now as well, especially against an Arizona team that can't stop a sink.
RB: David Wilson (NYG) – This was the no-brainer pick-up of the week. The savvy vets picked up Wilson a few weeks ago when Andre Brown was declared out for the season. While he has had a permanent spot in the coach's doghouse since his opening game fumble, it was just a matter of time before Bradshaw went out with another injury. With a weak Falcons defense up this week, that injury came at a great time for those who were able to add Wilson.
WR: Ashon Jeffery (CHI) – If Cutler has any time to throw the ball, Jeffery should find himself with single coverage all day as The Pack will put half their defense on Brandon Marshall. Jeffery finally figured out how to get into the end zone without getting hurt so he is safe to use now. He may not light up PPR leagues, but another TD seems realistic.
TE: Tony Sheffler (DET) – Titus Young, Nate Burlson and Ryan Broyles are all out for the year and now Brandon Pettigrew is battling a foot injury. Sheffler has been seeing a lot of passes the last month, but he has not put up a big day yet. He may not this week, but 50 yards and a TD looks pretty good from him as your TE.
TE: Tony Moeaki (KC) – KC will run the ball on 90% of their remaining plays, but they will have to throw on rare occasion. Dwayne Bowe is out for the season and no one has stepped up as the number 2 WR. Moeaki has been more and more involved in the gameplan each week. With Brady Quinn under center, the TE is his favorite option.
Saturday, December 15, 2012
Saturday, December 8, 2012
Playoff Runs
Time to jump back into the fray after taking last weekend off - nice card there, Rob! Where was that advice when I had money to bet?! Speaking of money, it is that time of year when all your hard work is ready to pay off, unless you drafted a
team of Eagles. Yikes, what a debacle. Vick was not a huge surprise but
how disappointing was LeSean McCoy this year?! TWO rushing TDs? What is
even more perplexing than that is the fact that Bryce Brown (who?) doubled that in two weeks! It will be interesting to see if anyone gives Vick a shot at a starting QB spot next season.
The majority of fantasy football league playoffs started this week and Thursday night's results had many owners wringing their hands going into Sunday's games. I am one of many people who benefitted from a huge year from a bargain-priced Peyton Manning but am now a bit concerned after his 14-point night. He only had one game with lower points all season. If you owned any Broncos WRs, you had to be relatively disappointed as well as the one scoring toss went to Joel Dreesen. Ugh. Those who picked up Knowshon Moreno were giddy though. I was on the Ronnie Hillman bandwagon this season and thought it would finally pay off when Willis McGahee went down. But noooooo, Moreno gets the money shot against the Raiders. You definitely can't count on the Morenos of the world when it comes to winning the trophy. Stick with your studs. Of course, you always need a few players on the bench to fill in on injury or when teams start benching players going into the playoffs. There are a few to consider:
QB: Jay Cutler (CHI) – There are only a few starting QBs on the waiver wire in 12-teams leagues that are worth picking up at this point. Cutler is one of those players. The Bears will be fighting for the division so there is no concern about Cutler being rested and their defense is very dinged up, which will mean that the Bears will need to win with their offense. They have some nice matchups on their schedule so I would have Cutler on my bench over the likes of Ryan Fitzpatrick and Mike Keller's man-crush, Christian Ponder.
RB: Vick Ballard (IND) – Ballard was dropped in many leagues when Donald Brown came back and they started splitting carries. Well, Brown is injured again so get Ballard on your team since he has some great matchups ahead.
RB: Marcel Reece (OAK) – Darren McFadden's return this week scared a lot of owners into dropping Reece. Well, McFadden was hurt on Thursday (shock) and will most likely end up sitting the rest of this season out instead of risking more damage to his frail body. Get a waiver claim in early on Reece if he was dropped in your league
RB: Jonathan Dwyer (PITT) – Pittsburgh seems to have finally settled on a one-back system and Dwyer is it. Sure, he looks like he runs in molasses, but that is how the Steelers like their backs. The return of Big Ben should actually help Dwyer since defenses won't stack the box like they did with Leftwich and Batch under center.
WR: Riley Cooper (PHIL) – If you are this desperate, you can't be in the playoffs. But, if you have room for another WR, you could consider wavy, unkempt locks of Cooper. With DeSean Jackson out for the year and teams blanketing Jeremy Maclin, Cooper's involvement in the gameplan grows weekly.
WR: Mike Thomas (DET) – With Titus Young, Nate Burlson and Ryan Broyles all out for the year, someone has to line up across from Megatron. Thomas was given a large contract by the Jaguars due to his play last year and then was given a gift by being traded to the Lions. He has a chance to put some nice numbers down the stretch here.
TE: Dallas Clark (TB) – I had written Clark off after he looked like his production was solely tied to Peyton Manning. However, he has finally come back to life with the Bucs and is available in many, many leagues. If you are still looking to replace Gronk, Clark could be your answer, though he is not very useful in PPR leagues.
The majority of fantasy football league playoffs started this week and Thursday night's results had many owners wringing their hands going into Sunday's games. I am one of many people who benefitted from a huge year from a bargain-priced Peyton Manning but am now a bit concerned after his 14-point night. He only had one game with lower points all season. If you owned any Broncos WRs, you had to be relatively disappointed as well as the one scoring toss went to Joel Dreesen. Ugh. Those who picked up Knowshon Moreno were giddy though. I was on the Ronnie Hillman bandwagon this season and thought it would finally pay off when Willis McGahee went down. But noooooo, Moreno gets the money shot against the Raiders. You definitely can't count on the Morenos of the world when it comes to winning the trophy. Stick with your studs. Of course, you always need a few players on the bench to fill in on injury or when teams start benching players going into the playoffs. There are a few to consider:
QB: Jay Cutler (CHI) – There are only a few starting QBs on the waiver wire in 12-teams leagues that are worth picking up at this point. Cutler is one of those players. The Bears will be fighting for the division so there is no concern about Cutler being rested and their defense is very dinged up, which will mean that the Bears will need to win with their offense. They have some nice matchups on their schedule so I would have Cutler on my bench over the likes of Ryan Fitzpatrick and Mike Keller's man-crush, Christian Ponder.
RB: Vick Ballard (IND) – Ballard was dropped in many leagues when Donald Brown came back and they started splitting carries. Well, Brown is injured again so get Ballard on your team since he has some great matchups ahead.
RB: Marcel Reece (OAK) – Darren McFadden's return this week scared a lot of owners into dropping Reece. Well, McFadden was hurt on Thursday (shock) and will most likely end up sitting the rest of this season out instead of risking more damage to his frail body. Get a waiver claim in early on Reece if he was dropped in your league
RB: Jonathan Dwyer (PITT) – Pittsburgh seems to have finally settled on a one-back system and Dwyer is it. Sure, he looks like he runs in molasses, but that is how the Steelers like their backs. The return of Big Ben should actually help Dwyer since defenses won't stack the box like they did with Leftwich and Batch under center.
WR: Riley Cooper (PHIL) – If you are this desperate, you can't be in the playoffs. But, if you have room for another WR, you could consider wavy, unkempt locks of Cooper. With DeSean Jackson out for the year and teams blanketing Jeremy Maclin, Cooper's involvement in the gameplan grows weekly.
WR: Mike Thomas (DET) – With Titus Young, Nate Burlson and Ryan Broyles all out for the year, someone has to line up across from Megatron. Thomas was given a large contract by the Jaguars due to his play last year and then was given a gift by being traded to the Lions. He has a chance to put some nice numbers down the stretch here.
TE: Dallas Clark (TB) – I had written Clark off after he looked like his production was solely tied to Peyton Manning. However, he has finally come back to life with the Bucs and is available in many, many leagues. If you are still looking to replace Gronk, Clark could be your answer, though he is not very useful in PPR leagues.
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