Fantasy for Week 8

I am going to do something that I have recently, which is to double up after a guy didn't produce expected numbers.  The Cowboys-Eagles game from last week, which I thought would have produced some great fantasy numbers, ended up being a dud to some degree.  Romo threw for over 300 yards but was not able to get in the end zone that much.  This week, expect him to really go off as the real kicker is that I am playing against him and Dez Bryant, so I am expecting 2 touchdowns from that connection.  On to the list.

Quarterbacks

Tony Romo, going against another good offense in Detroit, this week I expect the score to reach high twenties and maybe thirties for these guys.  Detroit has a solid d line, so even around the goal line expect Romo to sling it.  Should be a big day for him,



Don't sleep on
Matty Ice!

RGIII, he has started picking up the pace and this is another good week as he will be throwing a ton to keep up with the Broncos and who knows maybe even pull off an upset.  The extra points from running will be a huge help for everybody but Alfred Morris owners.

Mike Vick,  feel free to start him and hope that he doesn't get hurt.  This game means something as they are a game behind Dallas and in reality 2 games behind as they lost to them last week.  They also don't want the Giants starting to get going either as a loss would put them only a game ahead of them as well.

Matty Ryan,  people are worried about him having no receivers, but Matty Ice will give you 2 touchdowns a week as they are committed to throwing the ball and they really can't run that well, especially against a pretty good run defense in Arizona.

Stay Away

Don't love Geno Smith going into Cincy, but if you are desperate, he has been coming through so if you have to, might as well.  Don't really like Terrelle Pryor going against a Steeler defense who has been pretty underrated this year.

Running Backs

Fred Jackson,  with Spiller out, look for Jackson to get majority of the carries and they will need it to slow down the Saints offense.  Jackson is also a big help as a receiver that will give you some extra points in PPR.

Knowshon,, should be an every week starter, but in case he isn't, smarten up, especially in PPR.  Peyton has been sharing the love as Moreno had 3 touchdowns 2 weeks ago and he could replicate this week.

Eddie Lacy,  going against  a weak Minnesota defense and losing receivers by the minute, this guy should have a day.

Frank Gore, going against a really bad run defense in Jacksonville, Gore may have 100 yards by the half.  Bad news is that he also might be out by the half and Kendall Hunter and company may get some touches.

Desperate

Andre Ellington, with Mendenhall doubtful for this game, Ellington should get a much bigger role.  Problem is, we are not sure what he will do with it.  Should be available, just in case you need somebody.

Roy Helu,  this is mostly for PPR leagues as his receiving is what you are looking to gain from.  Don't expect him to be a goal line back as he is in there mainly due to the hurry up offense and you can't switch running backs.  Now, if I am wrong and he scores twice today, maybe there is a changing of the guard.

Stay away

MJD,  not sure if people are still starting him, but they may be down early and he will lose carries.  Not getting a ton of looks out of the backfield, so he may be a risk in PPR leagues as well.

Wide Receivers

Jordy Nelson,  might have 25 targets today as there is nobody else in town to throw to.  Only downside is if they are up big and just run the clock down.

Garcon and Reed, the Redskins should be throwing a good amount today and I expect these 2 to be the primary recipients.  Reed may be available so if you are desperate, you may pick up a big sleeper for week 8.

Harry Douglas, more due to less, somebody has to be catching balls and it might as well be Harry.  White is fighting injuries and I would expect Gonzo to be double covered.  The rest will be Rodgers out of the backfield and they may line him up in the slot with Steven Jackson back.

Stay Away

Josh Gordon,  I like Gordon a lot, but not this week.  He has Jason Campbell throwing to him and they are playing the Chiefs, maybe a tough one for him.  If you have nobody else, roll the dice as he can always break a big play.

Suicide Picks for Week 8

If you are still alive, congratulations as it is not that easy getting to week 8 as there are upsets fairly often.  If you have stockpiled some stronger teams, you have some great options.  Two of my favorites are coming from the NFC West.

Seattle is playing the St. Louis Rams without Sam Bradford.  Need I say more as this game should be over by the half.  No real analysis needed here.

San Francisco is playing the Jacksonville Jaguars and they are starting to hit their stride on offense and may be getting healthier on defense as well.  This is not a really good combination for the rest of the NFL, but it is an absolute disaster for Jacksonville this weekend.  Jacksonville are terrible against the run and that is exactly what San Francisco wants to do.  Colin K might not be needed to do much passing in this one.

Stay Away

Bowe a big reason, this
offense can't make big plays.

There are a couple of teams that will probably end up winning, but I would stay away from as there are better options.  It may sound crazy, but the Washington Redskins are starting to put up some points and they can run the ball, which can help keep Peyton off the field.  If I had to choose, I would go with Denver, but I wouldn't use them this week.  The other team I would stay away from are the Kansas City Chiefs, who are playing the Cleveland Browns.  This seems to be an easy pick, but the Browns have a pretty solid defense and the Chiefs' offense seems to be lacking firepower as well.  Whenever you are talking about those types of teams, you never know what can happen and the Chiefs are due for a loss and it usually happens in these types of situations.

Fantasy for week 7

We are now getting to the heat of the battles in fantasy as we are reaching the half way point after this weekend in most leagues.  By now, you probably know how good your team is and if it is anything like mine and it is not very good, it may be time that you make some kind of move to give your team a boost.  I am not even sure I have anybody that somebody might want.  At any rate, let us see if we can help out by ending the first half of the season on a good note.

Quarterbacks

Cam Newton might be ready
to go on a second half of the
season run.  

Cam Newton, he was rated as the preseason #4 overall qb, but I have never thought that he was that high and so far this season, he has not been dominant.  He had a very good week last week and I think that he is going to keep it going against the Rams.  Might be the time to try and trade for this guy as he has been known to go on second half runs as well. 

Tony Romo,  going against Philly without Demarco Murray, they will probably pass a little bit more and this could be a high scoring game.  I also like Nick Foles in this one as for the same reason, they are going to have to keep up with them.  He has been looking pretty good in this offense and should be picked up if he is still available, he may keep the job.

Eli Manning,  they need to get it going at some point and this may be the week to get their first victory and that will be done with the arm of Eli.  Minnesota has not been able to do much to stop the pass and I don't expect it to begin this week.

Stay Away

Sam Bradford,  the Rams will be going against a very underrated Carolina defense.  Coming off a big win over Houston, this could be a tough game for these guys as they never seem to put 2 games in a row. 

Aaron Rodgers, you would obviously have to have a very good second quarterback, but in a 1 qb league, that could happen.  He is down a couple of receivers and going against a good Browns defense, with one corner shutting down half the field.  Mr. Rodgers has not been outstanding this year as he has thrown as many picks(3) as touchdowns over the last 3 games. 

Running Backs

Steven Ridley, should keep it going, now that he is in Belichick's good graces again.  The Jets have some good defensive lineman, but with Gronk back, the Patriots may begin to look a little bit more like the Patriots of old.    Good for at least a touchdown and the majority of the carries, but may even surprise with 2 touchdowns.

Matt Forte,  should be an every week start, especially this year, but Forte should have an especially good game this week against the Redskins. 

Whoever is getting the majority of carries for Dallas, at this point, we are not sure who is starting as it may be Murray, but more likely Joseph Randle or a couple of other no name guys that may just make that name tomorrow.

Lamar Miller, the Dolphins are really trying to run the ball and Miller should be able to get a lot of carries against Buffalo's weak run defense.  Should be a good option for a second running back or if you are lucky a slash spot, which would mean you have 3 solid running backs.  A crazy thought in this day and age.

Stay Away

Ray Rice, they are giving him a lot more carries that he began the season with, but yards have been hard to come by and I don't expect that to change this week against the Steelers. 

Spiller/Jackson, never mind the fact that you never know who will get the majority of the touches, they are also going against the Bengals.  Not a good matchup for the Bills.

Wide Receivers

Wallace/Hartline, I like the Dolphins, coming off a bye going against the Bills.  One or both of these guys should have a good day and if it is Wallace, Hartline can still have a solid day for PPR Leagues. 

Vincent Jackson, expect this guy to keep it going as they will probably be throwing going up against the Falcons, who are coming off a bye.  Glennon seems to like Jackson, so he should get a lot of targets.

Desperation Play

Keenan Allen,  you can roll the dice and see if Rivers really is making this guy his go to receiver.  Why not as you know that Rivers is going to create offense and somebody needs to be on the other end of those passes.  This could be the big pick up you have been waiting for.

Stay Away

Patriot Receivers, going into a tough rivalry game in New York, I expect the Patriots to be run heavy and use play action. The ball will be spread around and we don't know what to expect with Gronk out there for the flow. Hopefully, you have better options.

Tight End

Jermichael Finley,  I am hoping, personally, that this guy is going to get back on track as I have him, but if the injuries to the Packer receivers helped anybody, it would be this guy.  Should get more targets and hopefully can do something with them.

Suicide Picks for Week 7

It was good to see that I was able to give some good advice after a big loss in week 5.  The only one that I missed on was telling people to stay away from Dallas, which for all intents and purposes just means there are better options.  For week 6, it looks to be one of the toughest weeks out there.  I am going to stick with what has worked and pick the Chargers.

San Diego is travelling to the opposite coast to play the winless Jaguars.  Now, this is by far the best pick in my opinion, but this would not be the biggest surprise for the Jags to pull this one out.  The big thing that San Diego has going for it, was the fact that the Jags played Denver last week and really gave a good effort, which may lead to them giving a bad one this week.  The Chargers have been known to lay a dud against lower opponents, but they are the best option on a tough week to pick.

Brady to Gronk will get underway
for the first time this week.  I am sure
Brady is pretty excited to get a
familiar face back.

If I couldn't go with San Diego, I would probably go with either New England over the Jets or Green Bay to beat Cleveland.  Neither of them are going to be easy, but sometimes tough decisions need to be made.  The Patriots will most likely finally get Gronk back this week, but just in time to lose Jerrod Mayo out for the season.  I would like to think with the fact that Billy B has more tape on Geno Smith, that he should be able to throw more at him and cause him to make mistakes, much like the first time they played.

Green Bay are losing receivers left and right, but they still have Rodgers and the Browns still have Weeden, who I did like at one point, but he has not really turned the corner.  The Browns have a strong defense, but little offense and they are going to Lambeau, which is never an easy place to play.  The Packers should be able to score enough to win.

Stay Away

KC and Houston, I realize that Case Keenum is starting for the Texans and KC has a great defense, but they don't have a high scoring offense and Houston has a pretty good defense as well.  I am not saying that Houston will definitely win, but there are better options.  Foster and the Texan line can do work against a middle of the pack run defense.

Fantasy for week 6

Hopefully, people can forgive me for my week 5 blunders as I could not have predicted a tsunami in Cincinnati where Brady would have arguably one of his worst fantasy outings of his career.  I don't really know how anybody could have thrown in that, but I should have factored that in, so I do have to put it on my shoulders to some degree.  The same can be said about Calvin Johnson not playing, which is always going to put a damper on Matt Stafford, which it obviously did.  So I am going to try to make it right this week and go out on a limb and say that Mr. Brady must be started again.  Booommmmm!

Quarterbacks

Mr. Brady, no excuses this weekend as the Saints are coming to town and Brady is going to need to be at his best.  Belichick has a plan ready and they are going to do something with Jimmy Graham to slow him down, maybe Mr. Talib covers him, which would be a good size matchup.  This should keep the game lower scoring than most people expect and I expect Brady with the hopeful addition of Gronk for the first time and with Amendola starting to get back to 100%, this offense should be clicking.  I do expect them to be running quite often as they will want to keep Brees and company off the field, but they will need to be able to sling the rock to get this victory.  Go with Mr. Brady.

Dare I say Matt Schaub, yes I do.  He is going against a shaky St. Louis defense that will have a hard tie stopping the run and Schaub will be able to play action for at least a couple of touchdowns in this one.  There are worse options than Schaub this week and I think he does okay and makes people realize that Houston were a very good team the last 2 seasons.  When everybody is selling, it is usually the best time to buy.

Joe Flacco,  going against Green Bay minus Clay Matthews, Flacco much like Brady will need to throw the ball as they are going against Aaron Rodgers.  Green Bay has not been great against the pass although they looked good last week against the Lions without Megatron.  Jim Caldwell will have Flacco ready for this one and it should be a pretty good game as well.

Stay Away

Vick/Foles, not sure who is starting for the Eagles this week, but I would stay away as the Bucs have been doing a fairly good job this year on defense.  If they could just find a quarterback, they would probably be either 3-1 or dare I say 4-0 this season.

Colin Kaepernick,  I have him so this hurts to say, but until he starts running the ball, he is not a good fantasy play.  Especially against teams that have a cornerback that can shut down the only receiver on the roster that has any ability to play in this league, which will happen this weekend with Anquan Boldin most likely being covered by Patrick Peterson.

Running Backs

Green Ellis/Gio Bernard,  I like these guys this week as they are going against Buffalo and both should get some touches.  Gio Bernard is more of a play in a ppr league as he still does not get the true goal line touches.  Not a huge Green Ellis fan in fantasy, but he might be able to get a couple of scores this week.

Doug Martin, should have a big week even though Philadelphia should expect him to get 40 carries with Mike Glennon playing quarterback.  They are pretty bad defensively against the run which should at least allow Martin to average 3 yards a carry, which should give him 120 yards for this week.  Maybe he does something crazy and averages 4.  We will see.

Knowshon Moreno, this guy has been a fantasy revival.  I wish everything I heard didn't say that Montee Ball would be the guy.  Should have a pretty good week, my main concern would be that they are up pretty big and let Hillman and Ball play the majority of the second half.  Turning into an every week start and he already should be in ppr leagues. 

Stay away,

Chris Johnson, he seems to be up here on this list every week.  Going into Seattle off a loss is not good for anybody, but especially running backs.  No quarterback to count on, this could be ugly.

Fred Jackson/Spiller,  Thad Lewis is your quarterback and you are playing the Bengals, this could be a tough one.  This year is pretty tough as consistent fantasy running backs are pretty much non-existent.  If you have somebody else go with them.

Wide Receivers

I hit gold with Justin Blackmon last week and I think we roll the dice this week as they will definitely be throwing the ball a lot towards this guy.  He may end up with 10 catches just by catching 50% of the targets.  Cecil Shorts may also be a play as he seems to be doing okay despite Blackmon coming back.

Torrey Smith and Marlon Brown, Mr. Smith has turned into an every week start, but if you are desperate Marlon Brown has been doing okay and I think he has scored in both weeks that I have put him on this list. 

Greg Jennings,  I think Matt Cassel seems to like him a little bit better than Ponder does and going against Carolina, we think you can plug him in if you have to as he may have another decent performance.

Desperate

Golden Tate, I don't think that he is going to put up a touchdown every week but he does seem to be the guy Wilson will throw it up to in those situations.  If you need somebody, he may still be out there and you may get a touchdown out of him.

Stay away

Desean Jackson, Mr. Revis will be covering him and that has not been great for receivers this year or any other.  In ppr, he may be able to get you some catches so if you are desperate you can keep him and hope that he breaks a big one along with a few catches as well.

Anquan Boldin, Patrick Peterson will be covering as there is nobody else to cover and the 49ers seem to be happy running the ball. 

Tight Ends

Garrett Graham, no more Owen Daniels.  Schaub loves throwing to his tight ends and it is usually a safer throw, even though it was not last weekend, but I expect this guy to get some targets so don't be scared to pick this guy up and use him this week despite the nay sayers.

Suicide Picks for Week 6

I fell hard last Monday night in more ways than one.  Not only did I lose my suicide pick, but I also lost Julio Jones for the season, who had been my most consistent player thus far.  Hopefully, many of you went with St. Louis over Jacksonville last week and did the smarter thing.  So I need to take my own advice and move on to the next week and do the best I can this week.

Easy pick of the week is Denver.  They are pushing for the highest line in the history of the NFL and this one should be put away by half as rumors persist that Peyton may be done at the half, bad news for Peyton fantasy owners, even though he might have 4 touchdowns by then anyway.  Playing Jacksonville should be the easiest call, this will be unfortunate for those that have already used them, so let us find somebody else for those poor souls.

Let us go with the Bengals who are on the road, but will be facing Thad Lewis from Duke University and the Buffalo Bills.  I don't expect this to be a laugher as the Bills have been fairly tough and have fought in most games, but an inexperienced quarterback against the Bengals defense may be too much.  Andy Dalton and AJ Green have been off somewhat the last couple of weeks, so I expect them to get back on track.  I do worry a little bit that the Bengals could be taking them lightly coming off a big win over New England, but if you need a team, this is the best fit outside of Denver.

San Francisco over Arizona is my desperation play as I know first hand how Colin K has been playing as he is my fantasy quarterback and this offense lacks so far this season.  They are at home and I am assuming that their defense will do enough to shut down Carson Palmer and friends.  This game, is one I am rooting for as I need Mr. K to come up big, but I don't love it.  I think it is more of a lost faith in Arizona than liking the 49ers, until they prove me different.

Stay Away

Dallas has Washington at home and people saw Dallas almost beat Denver last week and they are probably thinking easy win....not so fast my friend.  This is a big rivalry game and this is the NFC East, where anything goes.  Don't count out RGIII and company and expect an easy win for Dallas in this one.  Dallas is always good to lose a couple of games that everybody has them winning and this could be the Redskins game to show that they were a playoff team last year. 

NY Jets, I know they knocked me out last week, but don't expect that just because the Steelers are 0-4 and the Jets are 3-2, which still sounds crazy, that this will be an easy win for the Jets.  Expect the Steelers to throw some crazy pressure at Geno and company and the Jets defense has not been anything special this season.  Big Ben and company will move the ball and this could be their first win of the season.

Week 5 Fantasy

I think in week 5 we will see some guys who have had a tough time fantasy wise, start to come back to life.  The first guy that I really like this week is an oldie but goodie.  He is usually not on my list because he was a guy that should be started regardless of matchup until this year.  Despite all of the injuries and the no name receivers, these guys are 4-0 and this week Mr. Brady is a guy that needs to be started.

Quarterbacks

Tom Brady,  I know that he is going against a tough defense and that Gronk is not traveling this week, but this is a big game and they are not going to be able to run that well against the Bengals, so I expect a lot of throwing and Amendola is traveling, so that should be a boost for him also.

Jay Cutler, they are not going to lay down against the 4-0 Saints at home, so expect Cutler to try and match Drew Brees.  He might not have the same stat line, but if he is even close to what Brees ends up with, you will be looking pretty good.

Matt Stafford,  this guy is pretty much a must start every week, but I don't think he is there yet, especially in one quarterback leagues.  At any rate, the Lions are going to Mr. Rodgers Neighborhood and Aaron is going to be slinging off a bye.  Expect the Lions to throw a good amount to make this a game.

Stay Away

Andrew Luck, Seattle is coming to his home and I would not be surprised if Indy can pull off a win as this a very good team.  When it comes to fantasy, a run heavy team going against the best defense, leads me to believe that you should not start the quarterback.

Running Backs

Demarco Murray,  Dallas has Denver coming to their stadium and they are going to try and do what nobody else has been able to do, run the ball and keep Peyton off the field.  Denver has a pretty good run defense but the Cowboys take pride in running the ball and have made a commitment to it.  The only issue is that he does not get the touchdowns as often as he should compared to the yards he brings in.

David Wilson, I know it sounds crazy as he has not looked that good and Brandon Jacobs might take away goal line carries, but going against a bad run defense with David Diehl starting on the line for the first time this year, they may need to go conservative and run the ball this week. He should begin to make some headway now.

Rashad Jennings, maybe this is wishful thinking as due to a bye and no depth, I am forced to start this guy.  He seems to be getting the bulk of the carries and he looks really good for a ppr league as he caught 8 passes last week in less than a full game.

Matt Forte, going against the Saints and he is pretty much a must start every week, so not sure why I even listed him.  Should have a nice week.

Stay away

Frank Gore,  I don't like him going against an angry Houston team.  They might pull off the victory at home, but I think they will need to get Kaepernick going to do it.  Very tough to bench this guys, but if you have people to do it, this would be the week.

Chris Johnson, until the Titans show that they can scare teams by passing, defenses will stack up against the run.  The Chiefs have shown that they can slow down good runners, without the threat of the pass, this should be a bit easier for them.

Eddie Lacey,  might get a touchdown, but it is getting pretty tough to run on the Lions.  They do allow a big one here and there but for the most part they do a good job.

Wide Receivers

Green Bay Receivers,  I think you can get away with any of the 3 amigos as they will be pass happy going against a good run defense along with an explosive offense in Detroit.

Mike Wallace, I think that they will look to get it to their money man as they have not been using him like he expected.  They are a solid team, but if the Dolphins want to compete with the big boys they will need to be explosive in this NFL.

Reach plays

You could do worse
than starting Alshon
this weekend.

Alshon Jeffrey,  had a pretty good week last week and I expect him to get a lot of targets as they play catch up with the Saints.

Danny Amendola,  this is more predicated along the lines of if he plays.  He is traveling, but you should make sure he is dressed and ready to go.  Should make New England a much better offense if he is ready to go.

Kenbrell Thompkins,  I would roll the dice with this guy again.  He is the red zone target for Brady and if you don't have studs going, I would give this guy the start.

Justin Blackmon, I know it is the Jaguars, but this guy is a special talent and they have nothing to lose by going deep to him a few times.

Stay away

Reggie Wayne,  now I missed on this last week as Richard Sherman ended up covering DeAndre Hopkins instead of Andre Johnson.  Not sure why, but it really backfired.  I imagine he would cover Wayne as I don't think they will put Sherman on T.Y. Hilton or Heyward-Bey.

Steve Smith, I think Arizona will have Patrick Peterson covering this guy and he has not done a lot to begin with, so I would stay away from Mr. Smith.

Tight Ends,

Greg Olson, I have never been a huge fan as I always thought he was average, but he keeps coming up pretty good every week.  Not huge numbers, but always seems to get about 80-90 yards and a touchdown every other week.

Coby Fleener, Coby is starting to see more and more targets every week and you should give this guy a look if you are desperate. Probably not the best week to start him, but you never know if you are desperate, Indy does a lot of play action.

Martellus Bennett, this guy should be an every week start as he is always targeted near the goal line.  Might not give you a ton of catches and yards week to week, but one of a very few tight ends that could pull down 2 scores on any given week.

Week 5 Suicide Picks

Congratulations if you have made it this far, but it has not been that tough yet so don't go patting yourself on the back just yet.  This is going to be the toughest week yet as many of the teams that might look like no brainers might not be.  I know for the most part, everybody is just going to pick against the Jaguars, but they will get a win at the most unlikely time and you don't want to be caught on autopilot.  This week, I am getting away from the Jaguar theme and I am going with a team that is 1-3, pretty scary thought I know.

Matty Ice needs
to be ice cold to
get a win this
Monday night!

Atlanta over the Jets at home will be my week 5 pick.  They have lost 3 games to 3 teams that combined have only lost 1 game and that was to one of the other 2 teams (Dolphins lost to the Saints).  This is a big game for them and they need to confront their demons in a hurry if they don't want to spiral out of the playoff race.  They should be able to score enough as Asante is coming back along with some young defensive backs to contain Geno Smith and company.

Don't get me wrong I think St. Louis over the Jags is a good pick, but it could be that win for the Jaguars as well.  They have a good pass defense and St. Louis has not shown it could run the ball yet this season.  The Jags offense did most of the scoring for the Colts last week, so if they can keep that under control this game could be closer than we think.  I do have St. Louis defense for fantasy this week just in case.  St. Louis is not good enough yet to consider them a definite win over anybody.

San Diego over Oakland, I like what Rivers and company are doing and they are putting up a good amount of points against good teams.  They should be able to keep it going against Oakland.

Denver and Green Bay seem to be big favorites, but these are scary games that I will stay away from.  Denver is the best team thus far, but Dallas can keep them off the field with a solid run game and they are playing at home.  Nobody has shown they can stop Denver yet, so it is hard to go against but I would stay away and save them for an easier week. Green Bay is at home, which is a big advantage but this Packer team does not have the same look as it has in the past.  They are an offensive team that at times looks sluggish and they are playing against a Detroit team that is almost as good offensively but much better defensively.  Green Bay is favored by 7 coming off a bye but that seems like a line based on past performance and I would stay away from the Pack this week.