Target Practice, Week 6: Receiving Is Believing

Without targets, there would be no receptions. Being targeted is the first, and most crucial factor, to the success of a pass catcher. If the ball isn’t thrown in your direction, you cannot succeed. I decided to take a look at how targets were being spread around among each team and then how each player was converting those targets. Below are the results and I’ve included a link to the Excel spreadsheet (Download) containing the full report. This exercise will only be “targeting” wide receivers and tight ends.

Please, blog, may I have some more?

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J.J. WUT

by: Jay

J.J. Watt has more fantasy points than LeSean McCoy. I just thought I would share that with you fine folks out there. With that being said, I also want to establish that we witnessed the first competitive Thursday Night Football game of the season… in Week 6. And it certainly did not look like that at first. The first quarter was actually written by Franz Kafka. The Colts built a 24-0 lead, and the Texans had run more plays than yards gained. And as the game started getting away from us all, like a small child being held by Adrian Peterson. Or like the freedom once held by Adrian Peterson. Adrian Peterson is an a**hat is what I’m trying to say. What I’m also trying to say is holy f*cking sh*t T.Y Hilton. And despite the Colts going Ivan Drago on the Texans early in the game, they amazingly gritted their way back with an insane display of footballing by J.J. Watt (good lord, I should have drafted Watt as an offensive player), Arian Foster staying injury free, and Andre Johnson actually proving that, in fact, he is alive and well. Yes, it was all in an effort so that Fitzmagic could lose by a closer margin than expected (oh Houston), but seeing as how we have to watch the Patriots win by at least 30 points next Thursday, this competitive game (mostly) was a wonderful reprieve.

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TNF, Week 6: Colts vs. Texans

October 9, 2014 | 2014 Fantasy Football, Fantasy Football Gameday | 36 Comments

by: Jay

Since this game falls on Thursday night, I can only surmise that the Colts will win this game by at least 48,965 touchdowns. And I feel that might be on the low-end. In what will be a battle of two 3-2 teams, the Colts appear the stronger one-game-above-mediocrity team because of the weapons they have on offense. Led by Andrew Luck and his 1,617 yards, 14 touchdowns, and his amazing likeness to Hodor, both Reggie Wayne and T.Y. Hilton are on pace for around 1,000 yard seasons, and for the first time in twenty years, Trent Richardson may finally end a season with more than 1.9 YPC. Haha, just kidding. No way that happens. On the flip side, you have Arian Foster and his everyday struggle to not get injured. I’m pretty sure they keep him in bubble wrap and sound alarms when he sneezes. He has 86 carries so far, which I call bullsh*t on. He’s never done anything more than 10 times without pulling a hamstring. Regardless, there are makings here of a decent game, so obviously it’ll be over in the first three minutes. HODOR.

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Streamers, Week 6: Streamers on Repeat

October 9, 2014 | 2014 Fantasy Football, Roster Strategy | 25 Comments

by: Nico

Good Afternoon, loyal followers! Yes, I’m talking to you! All four of you! If you feel a little déjà vu reading this article, it’s totally fine. You’re not tripping from all the hallucinogens you dropped following The Grateful Dead tour around the country… You’re just re-reading a few names you’ve read here already. Since I’m sure you’ve all been absorbing these stat-filled riddles like sponges, I’m going to attempt to give you some opinions based on personnel and personal (not a stutter!) observations I’ve noticed over the first third of the season. However, I can’t completely avoid the numbers, so just bear with me. On a positive note, the last three weeks have been quite a resurgence for the Streamer Department. We’ve nailed three Top-10 QB’s, three Top-10 TE’s, a Top-10 DST, and 2 Top-10 Kickers in that time span. Let’s get after it!

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The New Sanu “Revue”

October 9, 2014 | 2014 Fantasy Football, Fantasy Football Buy/Sell | 15 Comments

by: Smokey

Yeah, you feel that motion going on in the way back machine? Yeah, the New Zoo Revue has never gotten any pub in the Razzball neck of the nape. It should. It has really trippy characters in over-sized sock puppy looking costumes and a really cute host. And when I say cute, I mean in a boots are made for walking kinda way. So this week’s play on words, I mean spotlight, is on the Mohamed Sanu. The surprising fact about Sanu is that he’s owned in only 40% of Yahoo leagues, the leagues where we all reside for RCL’s. I get that he’s the second, or third, or maybe even third fiddle there, but that’s why you come here. (To hear argumentative thoughts and banter from a bear with a gold chain, that may or may not have prevented anything, let alone a forest fire.) So why am I going with the Henrietta Hippo of the Cincinnati Bengals this week? The reasons are multifaceted, multi-syllabic and multiplicated… Okay, I ran out of vocabulary points for the last one, but you get the gist. So stick around to pick up what I am trying to put down, just don’t mess up my breadcrumb trail, because I need those to get out of here.

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IDP Rankings, Week 6: All About That Tackle

October 9, 2014 | 2014 Fantasy Football, IDP Report | 16 Comments

by: Kevin Kumpf

2014 In-Season Accuracy: 59.9% (2nd out of 21 Experts, 63.4% Highest, 43.1% Lowest).

Now that each team has played at least four games, we have somewhat of a sample size, at least by NFL standards. One or two big plays can still make a scrub look like a stud (Danny Lansanah anyone?), but in general the guys at the top of each position have earned their spot. So what do they all have in common? Tackles. The most consistent IDP stat doesn’t always, or ever, make headlines, but it does win championships. It’s the reason I was high on David Harris, should have been higher on Paul Worrilow, and was not high on Von Miller or Clay Matthews. If you see a fluke 3-sack or 2-interception game from a n0-name, it can likely be ignored. If you see a guy like Jelani Jenkins put up 14 tackles? Pick him up!

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Rankings, Week 6: Assessing the Landscape

October 9, 2014 | 2014 Fantasy Football, 2014 Weekly Rankings | 181 Comments

by: Jay

2014 In-Season Accuracy: 57.4% (25th out of 124 Experts, 60.6% Highest, 49.9% Lowest).

Week 5 Results: 56.5% (70th out of 131 Experts, 69.4% Highest, 47.0% Lowest).

I’ve been meaning to do a self-audit for a while now, a way of tracking how well I’ve been doing in regards to ranking accuracy. I find the whole endeavor interesting, in that, these accuracy scores provide a way to track how good or bad we are, as so-called “experts”, at being prescient. And it’s there for all the world to see, allowing all of you to find the “proof in the pudding”. Which is wonderful if it’s tapioca pudding. That being said, the whole endeavor can be nerve-racking. I’m not afraid to admit that I always have a bit of hesitancy before checking to see how I did the week prior. There’s no doubt in my mind that if my rankings made a poor showing week after week, I’d probably have to start looking for a new profession. But, worse than that, it would seem to be defeating the purpose of, at least, 10% of what this site is for, and that’s helping your fantasy team with fun, thoughtful, and engaging analysis on a daily basis. The other 90%, of course, being d*ck and fart jokes. So for every rankings post from here on out, you’ll always get my results at the top, same as the past installments, but now I’ll be including the following table that will be tracking my entire season. I may not be the top ranker out there, nor am I the worst, but I do want to be the most transparent.

	Score	Rank	Experts	Highest	Lowest	Score +/-	Rank +/-
Week 1	61.80%	22	134	66.10%	48.20%
Week 2	54.00%	35	135	61.30%	42.10%	-7.80%	-13
Week 3	57.40%	88	128	67.10%	44.30%	3.40%	-53
Week 4	56.50%	48	128	61.10%	42.80%	-0.90%	40
Week 5	56.50%	70	131	69.40%	47.00%	0.00%	-22
Totals	57.40%	25	124	60.60%	49.90%

Well, there it is, feel free to assess the landscape as it stands. Like everything else in life, yeah, I’m thinking it could definitely use more bush.

And now, your Week 6 Rankings…

Please, blog, may I have some more?

Disgraces and Delights, Week 6: Gronk Makes Tom Brady Feel Like a Man Again

October 8, 2014 | 2014 Fantasy Football, Fantasy Football Buy/Sell | 78 Comments

by: LT Murray IV

Gronk, my savior. My gallant knight in shining armor riding his mighty steed coming to rescue me, his distressed virgin maiden. That’s two weeks in a row now that Gronk has saved me from fantasy extinction, and I owe him my sanity for it. In all of my days, I’ve never witnessed a tight end that seemingly breaks a tackle on every single reception. Sorta like how Kanye West seemingly says something incredibly moronic every time he opens his mouth or puts on a new skirt. It’s quite incredible, really. It’s certainly within the realm of possibility that Gronk could have been the greatest tight end in the game’s history, if you erased all the nasty injuries that incredibly chiseled body (pause) has endured. That’s most likely not going to occur now, but as long as he’s even at 75%, he’s a top-3 tight end in football. I’ll take 100 yards and a tub each and every week from my tight end and celebrate with an O’Douls. If captain limp wrist can play like he did this past week, Gronk’s numbers should continue to ascend like Apple stock after they dropped the iPhone 6….Wait… what? Scratch that. Oh, you waited six hours in the rain for one of those? I wouldn’t wait six hours in the street for a FREE iPhone 6, let alone to have the opportunity to pay full price for one. Kudos to those of you with that kind of dedication and tenacity though. I’m thoroughly impressed…

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Ambulance Chasers, Week 6: A Swift Kick in the Ball

October 8, 2014 | 2014 Fantasy Football, Injury Report | 18 Comments

by: SethDaSportsMan

Back in March, ex-Denver Broncos’ running back Knowshon Moreno left the frigid air of the Rocky Mountains for the opportunity to spend this season in sunny South Beach, and believe me, he’s not crying about it. His one-year deal didn’t take over the media the way another famous athlete did when he left a championship runner-up so he could play in Miami, but it did make his former backup with the Broncos a hot commodity in fantasy football drafts.

Despite gaining just 559 yards on 120 carries in 2013, Montee Ball was the 10th overall player taken in this year’s drafts (according to ADP). The volume wasn’t there for the rookie out of Wisconsin (Moreno excelled as Peyton Manning‘s go-to back), but you could feel the electricity with Ball. He had some early-season fumble issues in goal line situations (two in his first three games), but his 4.7 yards per carry was definitely something he could build on. Manning and the Broncos broke nearly every offensive record last year, and that’s a big reason why the second-year pro became such a popular draft pick — but Ball’s season is going down the drain faster than a goldfish with an irresponsible four-year-old for a parent.

Not only had Ball been downright awful in his first three games (165 yards, 3.37 YPC), but he left Sunday’s contest vs. the Cardinals with a groin strain. News broke that the injury was “a significant one”, but that was later changed to a “two-week timetable”. Based on what I’ve seen from injuries like this before, as well as his current conditioning (he missed nearly all of training camp after an emergency appendectomy), this has the makings of a much longer absence than what the Broncos are letting on.

So what do you do if you’re a Ball owner?

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Battle Flex, Week 6: Boring Is The New Bye Week Black

October 8, 2014 | 2014 Fantasy Football, Roster Strategy | 53 Comments

by: J-FOH

It’s good to be back after my little mini vacation. I went to serve one of my 72 hour blocks at county as part of my plea agreement. Jay was really understanding of my situation, as long as I brought back some pruno. Enjoy! *shudders* It was a well deserved rest and an opportunity to unplug and shake off the fantasy baseball dust. Now I am 100% yours to have at your disposal for all your fantasy needs. Jeez, I sound like a backpage escort. Except Tight Ends, I can’t figure out the rhyme or reasons going into planning for the week. Look at Larry Donnell last week with his one target and no catches…WTF! Sky shared these nuggets about Donnell with me via Twitter: Falcons sold out to make sure he had very few looks, and added to that: Double cover your guy all game and force it elsewhere. Can’t plan for that. That’s why I hate trying to predict the tight end position. Besides Graham and Thomas, no tight end is a safe bet each and every week. What does this have to do with flex plays? It’s my way of saying I won’t be doing tight ends in the flex battles. Wide receivers and running backs only. Now on to the bye bye bye week ahead.

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DraftKings: Extending An Oliver Branch

October 8, 2014 | 2014 Fantasy Football, DraftKings | 96 Comments

by: Sky

And I quote, ‘(extending an) olive branch is usually a symbol of peace or victory’. The quote goes on to say ‘…and was historically worn by brides and virgins.’ Well given you all play fantasy sports, I’m just gonna assume the latter applies to at least 90% of you. And THAT’s how I make my triumphant return to writing after taking last week off: insulting your sexual goings on. *Pats own back*. In seriousness, I am extending you said Branden Oliver branch as both a sign of peace and victory. You see, I made you draft Donald Brown on a few teams a couple of weeks ago. Unfortunately, Dammit Donald has returned with a vengeance this season but thankful to all owners and DK players, he’s not gonna be on the menu for quite some time. So to make up for this horrendous mistake, I’m gonna stay with the Chargers backfield which should lead you to a beautiful victory come Sunday as Oliver’s price tag of $5,500 puts you in a prime spot to price yourself well elsewhere. Two symbolic twigs for the price of one! You should count yourself as lucky. Given that the Raiders have been 4th worst against the run for fantasy purposes this year and Oliver steamrolled a strong Jets rush defense last week for 116 yards on the ground alone, we could be looking at a momentous day. I’d say he makes for a great cash game play but I’d be skeptical he isn’t shouted at the rooftops by everybody so he’s probably a weak GPP play; you’re trying to keep up with the jones if you roll with him there, very similarly to what happened with Rashad Jennings last week. In any case, he’s just one of many DK calls for this week so let’s have at it. Here’s my hot takes for the week 6 DK slate…

New to DraftKings? Scared of feeling like a small fish in a big pond? Well try out this 10 team league of Razzball writers and friends to wet your DK whistle. Just remember to sign up through us before you do. It lets us know that you care!

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Waiver Wired, Week 6: Brother, Can You Spare A Running Back?

October 7, 2014 | 2014 Fantasy Football, Waiver Wire | 45 Comments

by: Andrew Nordmeier

This past week was brutally tough on running backs. We saw several of them get injured and there are lead backs who will miss multiple weeks from the Denver Broncos and New York Giants. Factor in Kansas City and New Orleans are on bye this week, and it makes for a minefield of running backs to work through. We’ll help you get through it in this week’s column. Here we go.

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