Well, if it wasn’t clear last year to you that Mike Wallace would no longer be a Steeler this off-season it should definitely be now. Yesterday, Mike signed a 5 year $65 million dollar deal with a Dolphins squad that went on an FA shopping spree this off-season. What, you wanted a funnier intro? Well, I would’ve gone with Mike Wallace retires to South Beach but the 60 Minute man is dead, both the the guy from the show and the man who wrote the song so you’re gonna have to make due with whatcha get. But more back to the point, this is a very expensive move by the Dolphins but – in all honesty – the right one for the team. Yadda to the 3rd power, Sky, what does this have to do with fantasy? Yes, yes my friend, we’re getting there. You see, the Dolphins had already signed Brian Hartline to a 5 year 30 mil deal last week but if you know anything about last year’s Miami team, you know that Hartline is not a #1 wide receiver. Alright, technically I don’t consider Wallace one either but he does stretch the field and gives young QB Tannehill the downfield threat he was missing in 2012 and makes Hartline a clear WR2 which he should fill the role of quite nicely. In all, much like the Percy Harvin trade I talked about yesterday, I don’t see this affecting Wallace for the better or the worse but I do see it as a boon for the value of Tannehill and Hartline and maybe to a lesser extent even Davone Bess in deeper leagues. Miami hasn’t had this big of a threat since Brandon Marshall…who went to the Bears…for 5 years…and only 44 million…eh, well again I’m no analyst on how that worked out but I can assure you this bodes well for many wearing Dolphins uniforms for fantasy purposes. But of course, Wallace wasn’t the only major roster move yesterday so without further fooferah, let’s see what other signings and releases will have an affect on our world for 2013 fantasy football…
Please, blog, may I have some more?Anquan Boldin
Much to the surprise of no one, recently crowned Super Bowl MVP Joe Flacco signed a big deal with the Baltimore Ravens which, in the fantasy world, is actually not big news. Or at least not as big as his eyebrows. Seriously, have you seen what he used to look like in college? The ladies must’ve been all over him…with wax strips. I think Joe Flacco could’ve made a great endorsement deal with Geico had he not sculpted that forehead caterpillar into two furry islands instead of leaving it the Pangaea it already was. But I digress, that type of material should solely be used on your opponents who draft Flacco in regular leagues and not for fantasy analysis. The reality is the contract is very incentive-laden and backlogged in terms of payout so there are no immediate worries or concerns we should have about the Ravens not having enough to resign free agents or more quality players where it’s needed. Now that the Ravens have their man and – more importantly – the continuity of a returning QB, they will need to set their sites on either resigning Anquan Boldin or finding a Boldin clone. As I previously mentioned in my Torrey Smith analysis, Torrey is not ready to be the short-route guy in Baltimore and may never be. While there’s nothing wrong with that, per se, it will be deadly to the value of him and Jacoby Jones if they aren’t allowed to go out and do what they do best: stretch the field and make big plays. And while many scouting reports make note that Tandon Doss is a great route runner, they also mention he lacks the strength to fight in the short passing game, much like what Boldin can do. Overall, the return of Flacco still needs a few more parts to keep everything on offense copacetic. Overall, Flacco is still the fantasy quarterback he was last year: a bench QB. But the cool news for you is, some n00b is gonna draft him higher than he should go. You know, because he’s won a Super Bowl and is elite. Just like Trent Dilfer! In other news and rumors for 2013 fantasy football…
Please, blog, may I have some more?There is a general inkling in fantasy football that the third year of a wide receiver’s career can and usually is their breakout year in the NFL. Over the course of the off-season, Razzball will take a look at some wideouts heading into their third year in the league and see if they’re a breakout candidate for 2013 fantasy football. This week we will review Torrey Smith.
Please, blog, may I have some more?Now this is the section of wide receivers that’s interesting to review for 2013 reasons. Many of these guys were hurt by their QB’s poor play or hurt themselves. However, this section is also full of second half bloomers that just might be cheap options come draft day. So strap on whatever you like to strap on to read this type of stuff because we’re going to review these wide receivers based off of my 2012 fantasy football rankings and compare my projections with their end of season rankings care of yahoo’s PPR system. Now that we have that established, let’s take a look at the top 40 wide receivers that were for the 2012 fantasy football season…
Please, blog, may I have some more?Sentences starting similarly! Titillating titles! Alliteration abounds!
Okay, I won’t keep that up forever. But, alas, this is our last time together this year in FanDuel land. I know, I’m tearing up, too. Hopefully you’ve made some money, or at least had some fun.
Please, blog, may I have some more?Alright, Razzball Nation, help me follow the bouncing logic ball. Knowshon Moreno goes from virtually ignored before his first start of the season week 12, to casual low RB2 call in week 13 and 14. Then when given a plum matchup vs the Raiders, he finally delivers to the tune of a top 5 fantasy finish for RBs. So what kind of love does Moreno get this week against a Ravens defense gave up 186 rushing yards to the Redskins last week? Kick him up to a 14th consensus rank at RB but I say that’s not enough. Sometimes a great Knowshon happens and this week I think it strikes again. Over the three games Moreno has started his worst yards from scrimmage output was 83 against a tough rushing defense in Tampa Bay and for PPR enthusiasts he has caught exactly 4 passes in each of his starts. So in a game against a Ravens defense in the bottom 10 in terms of fantasy points allowed to opposing running backs, let’s just say the floor has been set high enough that we should be looking at his ceiling instead. Outside of Knowshon, I’m with JB this week on the podcast in a love of Josh Gordon as I set him up as a low-end WR1 in standard and a high end WR2 in PPR leagues. If you’re wondering why, go ask Anquan Boldin owners how much they liked him playing against the Redskins last week. In other controversial plays, I actually ranked Joique Bell ahead of Mikel LeShoure. Blame it on the touches in week 14 – 17 for Bell vs 12 for LeShoure – or blame it on the fact that Robert Turbin had over 100 yards rushing after the Seahawks sent the Cards into therapy by the 3rd quarter of the game last week. Lions aren’t as good of a team as Seattle but you don’t have to be to run it up against John Skelton. I also gave you all an added bonus of ranking 20 TE rather than 15 this week because there are truly some great sleeper plays on the week and I’d feel bad if you didn’t see them all with your very eyes. Obviously, this was merely a ploy to get Tony Moeaki on there.
Please, blog, may I have some more?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.
Please, blog, may I have some more?The first couple of games we saw Nick Foles, he truly did play like a rookie. The game seemed too fast for him. He was throwing passes way too late and had to deal with the same struggles Vick dealt with concerning a porous offensive line. It really wasn’t the best set up for Nick to step into after Michael went down with a concussion and blurred vision a few weeks ago. But last week was encouraging as he was able to stay in the pocket a little bit and gain some confidence. Though I’m sure Bryce Brown and his antics were a huge part of it, that shouldn’t deter from a solid 251 yard 1 TD performance against a Dallas secondary that really isn’t that bad. Well this week was against a Buccaneers team that hasn’t been able to stop a passing attack all year. The set up could not have been better and Foles took full advantage to the tune of 381 passing yards to go with 24 rushing and 3 total touchdowns, one of which came on the ground, turning not one but two WRs – Jason Avant and Jeremy Maclin - into fantasy relevant players on the day and barely missed doing the same for Riley Cooper on the game-winning drive. Keep in mind this is a team that’s in shambles from the top down. Plenty of firings, plenty of injuries and plenty of angry Eagles fans to boot but with Michael Vick all but gone after the 2012 season from Philidelphia, I think it’s a good time to think about what Foles could do for 2013 and beyond. Hey, not all of us are in the fantasy playoffs people. Some of us have to look forward while we cry into our winter beards. If you wanna skip the next paragraph because you’re in the playoffs and don’t care, I won’t stop you but I warn you there might be a pop quiz later. So before we get on with Sunday highlights, let’s highlight Foles for 2013 fantasy football…
First off, let’s make some comparisons. Coming into the year, Foles had been compared to Chad Henne and even John Skelton. Personally, I think he looks more like Jon Heder and Ron Perlman’s lovechild…hrm, these comparisons aren’t off to a very good start. The Henne comparison is reasonable: a strong-armed pocket quarterback who, though not extremely mobile, isn’t Philip Rivers either. The two biggest knocks against Foles coming into the draft were the injury issues and that his big stats came from a ‘gimmicky’ offense with the Wildcats. In reality, all this is moot as even in training camp there were rumors that Foles should’ve received the starting job and given how stubborn Andy Reid has been in making the right moves over ‘sticking with his guys’, I think we’re seeing why now. Moving forward, my main concerns with Nick would be two things. One, how quickly will he make adjustments. It took him about 2 1/2 games to get his footing to perform over these last two games. These last three games – one against a stingy Cincinnati secondary and another against a Redskins secondary that is easy to beat but man-handled him the first time the two teams played – will tell a story of how we can view Foles looking forward. The second concern is the uncertainty of the Eagles themselves. Will Reid be back? If he isn’t, who takes over and how does that change the offense next year? Change isn’t always the best thing when you’re talking about a QB and playing within a system, even if the system has failed the last two years. Though it’s ridiculously early to make these calls, I’m gonna say I see a QB who gets to throw it often given how terrible the Eagles defense has been the last two years. As Tony Romo owners can confess to, it’s nice to own a QB who plays from behind most of the time. Foles can give his owners about 3700 passing yards, 24 touchdowns, 15 INT with plenty of room for upside/downside in the TD:INT ratio for the 2013 season. In re-draft leagues, I’d target him as a backup QB as long as the hype vultures don’t start circling in the off-season. In dynasty and keeper leagues, I’d be interested but not jumping out of my seat. I can tell I just got you all crazy excited for next year. You’re welcome. And now on with the news from the 2012 fantasy football season as it’s still rolling for some of us…
Alfred Morris – I said he’d end the day with 120 rushing yards and a touchdown. I didn’t realize he’d fumble it. Sorry about that, my Spidey senses went on the fritz, obviously. I guess this is as good a place as any to talk about it: Robert Griffin, III got hurt and it did not look good at all. Knees aren’t supposed to turn that way. I’m no doctor, but I once reattached a limb to a man’s body. Granted, I used superglue and it was a doll’s leg and said man was passed out at a party, but I was wearing a stethoscope while I did it. Oh and I’d be extremely surprised if RG3 is playing next week. It’s tough, but I did say to sell him way earlier this season for the very reason of health. I’m sure he carried many people into the playoffs this year but now might be taking those same teams out on a stretcher with him. And while we’re on the subject of Redskins, let’s just get this out of the way: Pierre Garcon cares not who throws to him, he shall catch a touchdown as he went for 5/87 with his final one coming from Kirk Cousins who is everyone’s distant relative, apparently.
Please, blog, may I have some more?Let me start this segment with apologies to all Baltimore Ravens fans. They were looking like possible contenders this year in terms a Super Bowl run with a high octane offense and a decent enough defense with Suggs around the corner to shore things up. Well, things just got dire. With both Ray Lewis and Ladarius Webb going down with season-enders on Sunday, the defense is going to struggle from here on out. Considering they weren’t very intimidating coming into the game versus the Cowboys to date is already telling. With all that reality out of the way, let’s get to the fantasy spin. Joe Flacco was already having a strong season as he’s on pace for 4500 yards passing. The touchdown passes aren’t there yet with only 8 on the season but that hurry up offense now needs to kick it into a higher gear. If you’ve ever watched the Saints offense, you’ll get what I’m saying. It won’t matter if Baltimore is up two touchdowns, they’re going to need to keep pumping it into the redzone to stay ahead the rest of the way and that means increased opportunities for Flacco and crew. So rather than giving a buncha buys, just realize guys like Anquan Boldin and Torrey Smith get a bump with news like this. Don’t believe me? Just ask Andy Dalton owners how much they like Cincy giving up 61 points to the Browns in two games. Not that QB isn’t deep this year but this might be a big push for Flacco to be a top 7 QB going forward. No I’m not calling that, I’m just saying if he’s already ranked 10th among QBs according to yahoo and has a clean shot at 20+ TD passes from here on out, he’s gonna start creeping up. In other buy/sell ideas for fantasy football…
Buy
Guys On Bye - It’s the perfect combination of desparation and opportunity melding together. Yeah, broad stroke I know. But we all know we’re 6 weeks into the season. Go take a look at that 2-4 team with a million players on bye and see if you can wrestle someone away you wouldn’t normally get unless the owner were a n00b. Heck, maybe they are a n00b. Either way, it’s always good to say hello to bye buys.
Please, blog, may I have some more?Matt Ryan, Peyton Manning, Michael Vick and Philip Rivers are all on bye this week. So are all the players that they throw to. Well, unless you count all of the opposing defenses Vick has been throwing to recently. Still, those are some big QB, WR, and TE shoes to fill for your fantasy teams.
Please, blog, may I have some more?