Fantasy Football Advice

Kenny Britt - watching Britt play this past weekend was like the first time I ever ate cookie dough; I wasn’t too keen on the idea at first but before I knew it I was two Pillsbury tubes deep with a face full of salmonella.  Now I don’t want to eat Kenny Britt, but I do want him on my roster and you should too.  The former Rutgers playmaker is a must add if he is still on the waiver wire.  Though he has not been in the mix for very long, I put him at WR 3/flex value easily and there is no one hotter than Vince Young and the Titans.  Britt led Titan receivers with 11 targets against the Cardinals and had a monstrous seven catch 128 yard day.  Oh yeah and he caught the game winning touchdown in traffic on the last play of the game…clutch.  It was Britt’s second straight week with a touchdown and even if Gage comes back I would expect to see Britt remain a starter as Nate Washington doesn’t really tickle my no-no zone.  Also, Britt is a great keeper stash for those of you in keeper leagues.  Last week I said that I might put a waiver claim on him and now I’m crying on my heart shaped pillow because I let him get away.

Derrick Mason - I certainly don’t expect Mason to be available in your league but if you own him you have to start him.  He has almost singlehandedly accounted for all of the Ravens WR targets over the past three weeks, amassing 33 total targets which is good for 7^th in the NFL.  Defenses are having a hard time keeping a lid on this Mason jar, as he made good on seven of his 13 targets on Monday night, accumulating 62 receiving yards and hauling in a touchdown.  Monday night was just an extension of his magnanimous game in week 11, during which he caught nine passes for 142 yards against Indy.

Jason Avant - with the injury to Desean Jackon (concussion) Avant is one of the top waiver pick ups this week.  Avant, who has been putting up decent numbers over the past three weeks, had a huge game on Sunday against the Redskins, catching five of his six targets for 94 yards.  Even before Jackson’s injury, Avant has earned some fantasy consideration as he caught a touchdown last week and had a breakout game week 10, during which he caught eight passes for 156 yards.  Avant’s six targets were second to Maclin’s seven and if you are an owner who needs a win this week I would definitely put a claim on Avant as Philly is sure to pass against the weak Atlanta defense.

Michael Jenkins - Jenkins is a guy I actually drafted in round 14, expecting him to be a nice, productive compliment to Roddy White.  However, for the better part of the season he has been a disappointment, yet lately he has been seeing an increase in targets and production.  Jenkins was second to White on Sunday with eight targets and he managed to grab seven catches for 80 yards.  Fortunately for prospective owners Jenkins was also productive in week 11 as he snagged six balls for 76 yards, and over the past three weeks, Jenkins is in the top 20 off all receivers in the NFL with 27 total targets.  Though I think Avant is a safer pickup, Jenkins may be a guy you can pick up off of free agency who can help you get a solid 8-15 points this week against the Eagles.  The way Redman played last week, I wouldn’t be dissuaded to play White or Jenkins.  White, by the way, is tied for 2^nd overall in total targets over the past three weeks with 37, though he has not been very dominant statistically.

Laverneus Coles - Coles is a guy who has begun to emerge as the Bengals’ #1 target getter as he has had 21 over the last three games, four ahead of Ochocinco.  Though I am high on Coles and I think the Bengals will be more productive with Benson back in the line up this week, Coles hasn’t done very much with his increased targets.  On Sunday he managed only two receptions on nine targets for a measly 24 yards.  Week 11 he didn’t fair much better as he only managed to grab two passes for 61 yards.  However, Coles has shown some promise and he obviously has chemistry with Palmer which is enough to warrant a flex play against the Lions this weekend.

Jacoby Jones - I am still high on Jones even though he has been limited with a calf injury and is not very appealing in terms of a target standpoint (4 for 3^rd on the team last week).  However, Jones appears healthy and with Owen Daniels out the Texans have run an increased number of three and four receiver sets which certainly works in Jones’ favor.  With Johnson getting doubled with a safety over the top and Walter acting as the poor man’s Welker, Jones is primed for a big play and a breakout game.  Though Jones is far from a “safe” pick, those of you looking to build some depth for the playoffs may want to take a chance on him as he is now healthy and he can put up some big numbers.  Last week Jones had three catches for 27 yards and a touchdown and you’ve got to like the matchup against the Jaguars this weekend.

Chris Chambers - though I have lauded Long’s consistency in the past, Chambers has seen somewhat of a rebirth after signing with the Chefs and deserves some recognition as he may be able to help you out in the future.  Chambers is coming off of his second big game in a row as he was targeted eight times including two in the red zone.  Chambers managed to make good on seven of those targets for 70 yards and a touchdown last Sunday and he had four catches for 119 yards in week 11.  Though it is tough to invest in the KC offense, Chambers has received the majority of red zone targets and Cassel is nothing if not serviceable.  KC sees a tough matchup against Denver this week but you bet your sweet @#$ they are going to throw that ball and Chambers could put up big numbers yet again.

Sam Aiken - I wouldn’t rush out to the mediocre 3^rd rate store to buy him unless you are“Aiken” for a risky sleeper.  Ha!  Anyway, Aiken deserves a shout out for getting 10 targets against the Saints on Monday night during which he caught seven passes for 90 yards.  Aiken has some value with Edelman dinged up in that you know the Pats are going to pass the ball and the third receiver on the Pats is often like a first or second receiver on a weaker team (see Massaquoi).  I certainly wouldn’t expect a whole lot of consistency from Aiken but maybe you can find a flex spot for him if you are in a 25 team league.

I can tell you I usually only watch snippets of most football games, but I watched that whole 99 yard game winning drive by Vince Young and it was neato.  I was impressed by Young’s arm and not just his ability to run.  He’s won 9 straight over the past 5 years or so and he’s making a case to get into fantasy lineups.  He is definitely worth a pickup if you’ve been running schmohawks out there on a consistent basis.  I grabbed him in a league I have Garrard and Alex Smith in.  If I owned Cutler I’d be grabbing whoever has a pulse.

Jay Cutler: So he’s averaging 2 picks a game, he has no offensive line and he’s a bit of a wuss.  He needs a line like Denver’s to give him time and security because when he is pressured he starts dancing and doesn’t set his feet to throw and then the ball goes wherever, usually into a defender’s hands. He gets the lowly Rams next week so it’s hard not to start him, but you don’t have to be happy about it.

Marshawn Lynch: Still stuck in Least Mode he has been passed by Fred Jackson, and got whiplash watching it happen. Marshawn isn’t really worth having on your team unless you want Fred Jackson’s backup; what was that guy’s name again?

Matt Forte: Three touchdowns in 11 games equals .2727272727 . . . touchdowns a game.  That looks like a big number, but really it isn’t.  All you math majors can explain it to the others.  So yeah, Matt Forte is usable in ppr leagues, but otherwise the #4 overall adp was a bit optimistic.

Percy Harvin: It wasn’t hard for Viking receivers to have decent games against the Bears yesterday, but Harvin just keeps putting together solid games. He’s high in the rookie of the year voting for good reason, but I’m putting all my money on Heyward-Bey.  Al Davis has never steered me wrong.

Chris Chambers: I didn’t think he was going to be worthwhile ever again.  He looked slow and barely worth avoiding with your car, but he keeps putting fantasy worthy games out there.  Denver will be tough next week, but if you are hurting in WR depth and he’s still around, scoop him up; hopefully before he becomes road kill.

Matt Leinart: He didn’t look horrible, but he can’t seem to throw the ball deep (sorry Fitz).  If you own Warner you really need to grab him.  Concussions, as we’ve heard a lot recently, are nothing to play with and Warner is old enough to have grand kids, so just play it safe.

Brett Favre: Good Lord Favre!, this guy must have sold his soul to Jerry Jones.  I’ve never seen a better fit than Favre and the Vikings.  It took him about 2 games to get comfortable and start dominating.  If someone pinned me down and grabbed a sweaty jock strap and told me they’d make me eat it if I didn’t tell them who I thought was the best team I’d say the Vikings, and then I’d say all you had to do was ask! Jeez.

Kenny Britt: 7 receptions for 128 yards and a game winning catch move him up your waiver priority.  Young seems to like Britt and he is showing that he’s the best receiver on the team.  Justin Gage might need to file for unemployment.

Jamaal Charles: Right now he is my Most Valuable Free Agent Pick Up (MVFAPU).  The Razzball favorite is leading many teams down the stretch.  He totaled 147 yards and had a TD and had a decent run back or two for you freaks in return yardage leagues. You can thank us by sending all cash donations in care of Doc at Razzball HQ, Razzballia USA.

Justin Forsett: Another great game from Forsett should knock Julius Jones into the background. He’s not on your waiver wire, and if he is, your league depresses me.

Chris Johnson: Picture me doing a fake yawn, yes, another ho hum 186 total yards and a touchdown.  What’s that, his 10th 85 yard run this season? He’s on pace for over 2,000 yards rushing and 15 touchdowns.  That’s slightly above average.

LaDainian Tomlinson: He’s getting pretty lucky with all the goal line looks he’s had.  Can’t really knock him for that, but he hasn’t had a 100 yard game in long while.  He’s worth getting out there for his TD potential, but he can easily have a down game if he doesn’t get across the goal line.

Antonio Bryant: If he can stay healthy he can help you down the stretch. Freeman is locking onto Winslow and Bryant and making both of them viable fantasy players. I may be a little biased since Bryant won me leagues last year, but he can be an elite receiver under the right circumstances.  Since these aren’t the right circumstances, he can be a workable #3.

Larry Johnson: He ran for over 100 yards and Bernard Scott got dinged up, but Cedric Benson should come back next week. He could take over Scott’s spot, but I’m not picking him up unless I’m really hurting at RB.  Remember, they were playing the Browns who lost Shaun Rogers during the game. My arthritic great aunt Melba could rack up 100 yards on them.  No, she’s not a cracker!

Michael Turner: Well, gotta call the Falcons stupid for this one.  There was no reason to rush Turner back with Snelling and Norwood ready to go.  Turner reinjured his ankle, but we don’t have any real news yet.  Snelling should still be the starting back, but Norwood will get a pretty big role as well. Turner will have to show me he’s healthy before I recommend starting him again. There’s an old saying in Tennessee — I know it’s in Texas, probably in Tennessee — that says, fool me once, shame on — shame on you. Fool me — you can’t get fooled again.

Matt Ryan: He hurt his foot. We won’t know how bad for a while, but hopefully you listened to us and traded him for a case of peeps and a half eaten Sanchise Dog.

Desean Jackson: Another concussed Eagle for fantasy players to worry about. There is a good chance he’ll be on the sidelines next week.  The Eagles already got Westbrook knocked out twice and if it happens to DJax they’ll never hear the end of it.  If he does sit Jason Avant will be a nice pickup.

Rock Cartwright: Hmmm, I guess there was a reason he was the third string running back.

Terrell Owens: Well, he may make a believer of me yet.  I hate to say good things about The egO, but he is playing like he has something to prove, which he does.  It’s not like you can pick him up, but these last two games look like a trend.  Get him in your lineups.

The Chiefs only gave Jamaal Charles 9 touches when they should have given him 99.  Haley gave too many looks to Smith and Savage which just seems ignorant.  Smith was just activated and Savage hasn’t done anything.  Charles has shown he can run in the NFL so hey, I’ve got a good idea, let’s just give these other schmohawks a chance to ruin any chance for the offense to get in a rhythm. What happens from here depends on what the plan is for LJ.  Time to sit and wait.  And fume.

Clinton Portis was knocked unconscious early in the game which gave Ladell Betts the chance to get some work and be productive with nearly 100 total yards and a touchdown.  There is a good chance that they will hold Portis out next week against Denver as well as Jim Zorn and Doug Williams may also come out of retirement.  Pick up Ladell Betts if you need a running back that might see more than 15 touches.

Chris Chambers: He caused some buzz in the 4th quarter by grabbing two TD passes.  Could this be the start of something special? If “special” means one hit wonder, then yes. You can pick him up because he is the #2 receiver now, but I wouldn’t waste a high priority on him.

Alex Smith: He looked okay at times and horrible most of the time. He threw 46 passes which means Singletary has some weird deluded confidence in him.  I want to throw him back into the scrap heap of busted #1 picks, but I’m going to stick it out for now.  And when I say stick it out, well, you know.

Brandon Pettigrew: He has the skills to be a consistent tight end, but is still a rookie and has a rookie QB.  He’s worth gambling on if you are playing Russian roulette with tight ends anyway, but don’t get all giddy over his 7 receptions, 70 yards and a TD against the Seahawks.

Vernon Davis: The bust has gone and busted out into a huge fantasy tight end.  10 catches for 102 yards is starting to look near to normal for VD. I don’t see Alex Smith getting benched anytime soon so be glad you have Davis.  If someone wants to sell high on him and you need a TE, take them up on it.

LenDale White: He may have lost weight, but seems a lot heavier because of all that dead weight.  Dump him in the free agency pool.

DeAngelo Williams: He’s just too fast and too good and now John Fox is finally running like he means it.  Delhomme is just too bad and too not good that they need to keep the ball on the ground to have a chance.  Be glad you have Williams.

Julius Jones: He’s not very good, but he’ll do something once in a while.  He’s on pace for over 1,000 yards.  Justin Forsett is the third down back, but Jones is still getting the majority of the touches.  He is what we thought he was.  No need to crown his ass.

Marques Colston: He had some drops and Meachem and Henderson got most of the numbers.  Colston is still the only safe play out of the Saints’ wide receivers week to week.  If someone is worried about this game, take Colston away from them because they don’t deserve him.

Calvin Johnson: Megatron is still a top 5 wide receiver talent, but if you own him you aren’t thinking that right now! Stafford needs to at least get the ball close to him so he can make his other worldly catches.  I’m still buying no matter how long it’s been since he has shown he can be fantasy relevant!

LaDainian Tomlinson: It’s been said over and over, LT is done.  He is still getting looks which gives him some value, but at this point Julius Jones is outplaying him.

Anquan Boldin: He was inactive while the Cardinals humiliated the Bears and was none too happy about it.  He called out his coach for not being man enough to tell him beforehand.  I don’t think any of that really matters though.  The Cardinals have the easiest schedule against the pass for the rest of the season so this is a perfect time to go after Boldin.  He probably could have played, but now with a week off he should be able to go and give you good numbers going forward.

Lance Long: He had 8 receptions for 74 yards against the Jags.  If the Chiefs stick with this pass first mentality and use Charles ala Westbrook, we could see Long being useful out of the slot in ppr leagues. Oh, and his name is Lance Long, which is cool.

Josh Freeman: He only completed 14 passes, but made them count with 3 of them going for touchdowns in beating what should have been the better Packer team.  Freeman looked like a live body out there, but he’s not going to be worth a start anytime soon because he is just too erratic.

Carson Palmer: He didn’t have a huge fantasy game, but he looked good.  He has a decent playoff schedule and probably could be had a little cheaper than your top tier QB’s.  I’d target him if you’re running Ryan or someone even more schmoful out there.

Ronnie Brown: Two down games for Brown while Williams grabs TD’s may give you a shot at trading for him. I know it seems like RB is getting all his toys taken away from him, but I think Sparano is going to correct that trend.  Brown is the best player on their team and it is obvious when watching him run.

Greg Olsen: He probably won’t catch three touchdowns in a game for the rest of his career. The Bears were getting embarrassed and were throwing it often.  Even Earl Bennett had 90+ yards.  See if you can sell high on Olsen.

Steve Slaton and Ryan Moats: If you own either you can’t be very happy with Sunday’s results.  Moats was the “feature” back while Slaton got the 3rd down looks.  Slaton got into the end zone and didn’t fumble while Moats got in the end zone and did, but that didn’t seem to change much.  They are both going to be spot flex starts at best until one of them asserts himself.

Beanie Wells: 13 carries for 70 yards in a backup role once again to Hightower.  Remember his schedule and his ability.  All signs point to him not sucking the second half of the season.

Chad Ochocinco: He tried to bribe the ref with a dollar.  I’m thinking his meds need to be upped.

The rumors of Michael Turner’s death have been greatly exaggerated.  Last night he looked like he took Marshawn Lynch’s beast mode and Spike Jonzed it onto the big screen.  He’s still what he is; a big, fast, straight ahead runner who will blow a crease up into a thousand pieces.

Matt Ryan: I mentioned that his schedule was getting tough and that you should trade him, well, it’s probably too late now. He’s not going to have games like this every week from here on out, but it will be hard for him to lead your team to a championship.  Oh, and the Saints will get you turnovers! You heard it here, um, last.

Steve Slaton: Kubiak says that all three running backs will play.  He told Slaton to keep his chin up because they’ll need him.  I told Kubiak to keep his chin up because I want it exposed for when I give him a sucker punch and then run away.  Kubiak will play whoever he thinks will win him the game; selfish bastard. (more…)

The men on the wire jump off tonight.  Get out your big, soft, trampoliney things with the bright red bullseyes on them.

Glen Coffee: I know this is a no-brainer, but just in case you were on the fence or lost your brain in some kind of farming accident, pick him up if you still can.  Gore is out for 3 weeks and even though Coffee hasn’t looked great the Niners are a run first team and Coffee will be the main back.

Brent Celek: I might have mentioned how much I hate TEs, but I’ll do it again.  I hate them.  There.  Celek is worth dropping most of your crap-filled TEs like  Shiancoe, Fasona, Miller, etc…  I might even drop Zach Miller who I like a lot, but who has Kurt Russell at QB.

Vernon Davis: Ugh, another TE.  Same thing with him.  He has the skills, but can he keep it together?  It’s a TE, take a shot.

Tashard Choice: With Jones out for a couple weeks and Barber not 100% you have to grab him.  Right now he seems like the most stable back on a good rushing team.

Mike Sims-Walker: He’s the numero uno wide receiver in Jacksonville.  They won’t be great, but with a bad defense and a good MJD, MSW should continue to get targets and do something with them. (more…)