So you’re in a fantasy league that plays all 17 weeks huh? That can always be rough for the teams whose early round picks are resting comfortably on the bench because their playoff seed is locked up. Thankfully, this year there are fewer of those players than there typically are in week 17, but there are still plenty of concerns. You can test your luck with backups, but in many cases, the backup has seen so little action that it’s impossible to tell whether they’ll be able to rise to the occasion.
Please, blog, may I have some more?Rush & Pass Strategy
The top rush defenses this year have been The Texans, Broncos, 49ers, Buccaneers, Chargers, and Steelers. However, DeMarco Murray, Mark Ingram, Mike Tolbert, and Danny Woodhead each scored at least one TD against one of those teams this past weekend. Vick Ballard didn’t score, but he did manage 100+ yards against Houston as well. In short, a great run defense can still be beaten from time to time. So what does this mean for your fantasy team?
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It all comes down to this, at least for the vast majority of fantasy leagues. With fifteen weeks in the books, fantasy teams suddenly need to start worrying about which teams will bench their star players if the score gets out of hand. Luckily, no team’s playoff seed is in cement just yet so you should be able to start most of your studs with confidence.
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Although Stevan Ridley did score a TD against one of the best rush defenses in the league on Monday, he did so in the 4th quarter after The Patriots had already solidified a victory. He also had 39 of his 72 yards on one drive in the 4th quarter. Now he plays against The San Francisco 49ers who are also one of the best at guarding against the run. The Patriots are still battling for the top spot in the AFC as well as a first round bye so they won’t be sitting Ridley just yet, but they might lessen his load a bit so if you’re looking for Ridley to extend his streak of 6 straight games with a TD, I wouldn’t bet on it.
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It doesn’t matter who’s on your fantasy team, the Broncos/Raiders is going to be the game to watch. This is a relatively nightmarish matchup on both sides of the ball, but not exactly for the reasons you’d expect. Sure, The Broncos’ pass defense has been on of the best recently, but that didn’t stop Heyward-Bey from getting 82 yards and a score. Sure, he scored in the 4th quarter when The Broncos were really just looking to keep the clock running, but still…he scored. An Oakland Raider has scored on The Broncos. The Broncos are not impenetrable.
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Thursday Night Football this week has quite the interesting RB matchup. On one side we have Knowshon Moreno who hasn’t exactly been elite, but he has received 20 carries in each of the last two weeks and more importantly has not lost the football. On the other side we have Darren McFadden likely to return from injury this week and Marcel Reece, who likely ruined a few fantasy seasons this past Sunday. While it’s hard to recommend any of them this week, with Denver’s solid run defense and Oakland’s terrible one, I would give the green light to Moreno and bench the men in black. If you’re in a PPR league, both McFadden and Reece become more intriguing options, but don’t rely on them for anything above a flex in that situation.
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The Cincinnati Bengals have been exceptional against the pass this season. Sure, you might be able to get some yardage against them, but scoring a TD through the air is not an easy feat when this squad’s trying to stop you. For that reason, Tony Romo and WR pair of Dez Bryant and Miles Austin are all in a tough spot this week. If this is the first week of the playoffs for you, Dez may have been the person to get you there, but after scoring at least one TD in each of his last four weeks, don’t expect him to make it five.
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After allowing Beanie Wells into the end zone twice this past weekend, The Rams are officially one of the worst run defenses in the NFL. Interestingly enough, they face one of the best run defenses in the league this week, The San Francisco 49ers. Even more interesting is how that game turned out the first time these two teams met. You may remember their 24-24 tie game from just a few weeks back. Although another overtime game is unlikely, these division rivals know each other well and both teams will be playing like it’s a playoff game. Steven Jackson actually broke the century mark against the 49ers earlier this year with a TD on top of it and Frank Gore had almost identical results on the opposite side of the ball. On paper, this is a much better matchup for Gore, but both RBs are worth a start this week.
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For many leagues, this is the final week before the playoffs. With bye weeks behind us and the end of the season in sight, matchups have never been more important.
Sure, The Titans may not have been able to fully take advantage of The Jaguars awful pass defense, but The Bills should have a much easier time making plays which puts Steve Johnson on my own personal must start list. After making six catches for 106 yards against The Colts, Johnson should find pay dirt for the first time since week 7 when The Jaguars come to town. Look for another 90+ yard day as well to give him a solid 15-17 fantasy points on the day.
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With the bye weeks finally behind us, now all you have to worry about are injuries. Unfortunately, there are quite a few of those which makes week 12 an interesting one, especially when looking at the waiver wire.
Remember Beanie Wells? Although he wasn’t all that fantastic before his injury this year, he still has enormous potential and The Arizona Cardinals certainly know that. However, in his last two starts anyway, LaRod Stephens-Howling has been a suitable replacement. With Wells’ return and Stephens-Howling’s continued display of ability, look for this to quickly turn into a time share. Both of them should be owned in almost all leagues with some bench room, but both RBs are risky starts this week with so many question marks. Keep in mind they play Seattle in two weeks so the last week before the playoffs for many of you will be another benching situation for both of these RBs.
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