Start ’em and Sit ’em, Week 5: Davis’ Cup Runneth Over

“Start ’em and Sit ’em” was on hiatus last week as I made my way to Boston to catch Derek Jeter’s farewell game on Sunday. Things went well. Some random dude gave us a free parking pass when we were driving up to Fenway, Jeets got a hit in his last at bat, and I even caught a foul ball.

So did you miss me? (You’re supposed to say, “yes”). I’ll just assume you did, and we can all move on. Fantasy football didn’t stop for me just because I didn’t put out a Week 4 column. I never got off the saddle — well, maybe once to enjoy a warm bowl of chowdah. Hopefully you survived that hectic week of byes, and let’s keep on, keepin’ on to Week 5…

Please, blog, may I have some more?

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Handcuff Report, Week 5: The Walls Of Jerick-O

by: Geoff

I’m pinching myself right now, because I’m pretty sure we went an entire week without a running back of note getting injured, arrested, or abducted by Martians. BTW, always remember to capitalize Martians, because they are a specific type of being. Don’t be rude, show our brothers and sisters in universal existence the respect they deserve. Anywho, here we are in week 5 and things are starting to make more sense. Well everything except this coon skin cap I’m wearing. That makes no sense. As Jay mentioned in his rest of season rankings on Wednesday, we have enough of a sample size to make educated decisions as to what players have gained or lost value compared to their preseason expectations. For example, after another inactive status last week, I can say with some confidence that Bernard Pierce is droppable. Unfortunately, due to the flux and general injury risk of running backs, it’s tough to gauge who’ll be useful for more than a week or two at a time. This is why handcuffing has become an increasingly effective strategy for savvy players out there looking to keep the points coming from their running back position. With this in mind, today’s focus will be less on handcuffs with immediate value and more on handcuffs with great potential for rest of season and dynasty leagues.

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Streamers, Week 5: The Book of Eli

October 2, 2014 | 2014 Fantasy Football, Roster Strategy | 21 Comments

by: Nico

The last time we referenced a Denzel Washington movie in the title, things turned out pretty well… so I’m going to put my hands together and pray for a similar outcome. Hallelujah! Praise the Fantasy Overlord! Although he can’t harness Biblical powers, Eli Manning is your best overall streaming option for week 5. (Side note: Philip Rivers is the only QB that CAN harness Biblical powers, i.e. 2014). Before you stop reading, hear me out. Well, maybe I don’t blame you for leaving… I’d leave too… but if you’re willing to stay, there’s more to our streamers than just an Eli Manning recommendation. Last week in the Streamer Department, we nailed the 2nd overall defense (Miami), and a top-10 quarterback and kicker to boot (pun intended). That’s two solid weeks in a row! We’re looking to improve on that this week with the seven options below:

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Start ‘em and Sit ‘em, Week 4: A Rivers Runs Through It

September 27, 2014 | 2014 Fantasy Football, Roster Strategy | 82 Comments

by: malamoney

This week I’ve been tapped to fill in for Seth and write the “Start ’em and Sit ’em” column. Those that have read my Stats Machine posts will know that I think projections are for the birds. I am more of a “by the numbers” kind of guy. I rely on statistics to make my points and fantasy sports decisions. I believe that making “gut” decisions is the recipe for failure, but maybe that’s because I’m gutless. Or was it heartless. I forget.

By no means do I profess to be an expert in this realm, so with the help of some number crunching, I have targeted the players that have good match-ups and those that do not and present them to you as my start ’em, sit ’em’s of the week…

Please, blog, may I have some more?

Handcuff Report, Week 4: Starters? We Don’t Need No Stinking Starters!

September 26, 2014 | 2014 Fantasy Football, Roster Strategy | 40 Comments

by: Geoff

I’ve come to a conclusion about my draft strategy for next year. I’m not drafting any starting running backs. Nope! Only handcuffs in the later rounds for me. I won’t be fooled by you starting running backs and your supposed “talent”. Oh no siree, I’m moving on! In all seriousness though, what the hell is going on? The starters that haven’t been hurt, arrested, kidnapped, or shamed into retirement, haven ‘t been good. Anyone watch LeSean McCoy, Eddie Lacy, or Matt Forte lately? How is anyone winning in fantasy?

Please, blog, may I have some more?

Battle Flex, Week 4: Good Bye “Week” to You

September 26, 2014 | 2014 Fantasy Football, Roster Strategy | 44 Comments

by: J-FOH

Jay went all Beatles in his ranks this week. I’m going all early 80’s MTV and say this is a Good Bye “Week” to You. Yes, this is a gift, not a problem. We got this bro! Have a beer and listen to me ramble for a minute. I can’t believe I remember watching this video when I was seven years old. I can’t believe I remember videos. I can’t believe I went to the “they don’t show videos anymore card”. Should I talk about my first portable audio cassette player that only had fast forward and weighed five pounds? No, it wasn’t a Sony, and therefore I can’t call it a Walkman. I turned 39 earlier this month and I have to say, I’m ready for my mid-life crisis car with T-tops. Last week I got back into form after that miserable Week 2. Lamar Miller and DeAndre Hopkins both won their battles, and I rested easy for once. I take this very seriously, at least the analysis part, because I want to help you win your week. I’m working real hard to give you my best effort when it comes to the tough calls you have to make.

Please, blog, may I have some more?

Streamers, Week 4: 1 Little, 2 Little, 3 Little Cousins

September 25, 2014 | 2014 Fantasy Football, Roster Strategy | 27 Comments

by: Nico

If you’ve missed out on Razzball the last few days, shame on you! But if you’ve been paying attention, you’ll probably notice that Niles Paul, Larry Donnell, and Heath Miller have been suggested as waiver adds here. I could write something on each one of those guys, but I won’t recreate the wheel. However, I can’t help my love for Paul, so I’ll have to hope it’s mutual… and while I wait to find out, I’ll lay down some more pro-Paul stats below and suggest another option at TE who hasn’t been mentioned. Are you ready? …Garret Graham. Sh*t! You can find that write-up here.

Last week was a mild success in the Streamers Department. We hit two top-10 TE’s and the 7^th ranked QB. Let’s keep it rollin’!

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Handcuff Report, Week 3: RunningBackalypse Now

September 19, 2014 | 2014 Fantasy Football, Roster Strategy | 53 Comments

by: Geoff

Dear Running Backs,
What the hell is going on? Seriously guys, not only are you getting injured at an alarming rate, but your off the field antics are ridiculous, and not ridiculous in a Dennis Rodman fun idiot kind of way. Let’s take a minute to reflect. More than likely we the fantasy football collective will be without Adrian Peterson, Ray Rice, Jamaal Charles (maybe not), Ryan Matthews, Mark Ingram, Knowshon Moreno, Doug Martin and Jonathan Dwyer for several weeks. Oh okay, yeah, no one cares about Jonathan Dwyer, but you get my point. That’s seven starting running backs and we’re only two weeks into the season. Early in the fantasy baseball season we talked about the closerpocalypse well this is the runningbackalypse. I fully expect another three to be injured and Matt Forte to be found out as the real life Buffalo Bill by the time this blog posts. It’s been that kind of year. As corny dancehall reggae artist Elephant Man would say ju-kno! Well I guess the silver lining is there were plenty of intriguing handcuffs promoted to starter in the last week. Some are temporary, others could be more permanent, and some tried to get in on the runningbackalypse. Either way here are the ones to keep an eye on.

Please, blog, may I have some more?

Battle Flex, Week 3: An Injury Of Your Peers

September 19, 2014 | 2014 Fantasy Football, Roster Strategy | 27 Comments

by: J-FOH

Last week, I got a big fat punch of what’s happening in my mouth with my flex picks. I don’t think I’ve ever been as wrong as when that one time I thought it was a good idea to draft Jay Bruce ahead of Giancarlo Stanton. Hey dumba*s, wrong sport! You’ll have to excuse me, I’m still stuck in baseball and crossing my sports. To call my calls a train wreck is insulting to train wrecks. On a positive note, and this is me trying to be positive, I’m glad Sammy Watkins had a big game. I see my negativity really rubbed off on him and he threw it back in my face. Thanks for reading Watkins, awesome! This week, I’m going to go position on position. Let’s keep it simple, short and sweet. Well not too sweet, I am Jack Full of Hate, and have more hate in me than NOW has for the NFL… too soon?

Please, blog, may I have some more?

Streamers, Week 3: Remember the Titans

September 18, 2014 | 2014 Fantasy Football, Roster Strategy | 21 Comments

by: Nico

Wow. Inspired much? Scenes like that can make grown men weep (not speaking from experience). Luckily for me, Razzball doesn’t take things that seriously… mostly because I cry easily, and Jay can’t just threaten to take me out at any moment in time. Have you seen what’s been happening in the NFL? Razzball would cut him… aaaand Fantasy Sports Network would drop their sponsorship. That would be after a series of varying reports about him being suspended for 2 weeks, then fully reinstated, and then barred from fantasy sports writing altogether. Am I bitter about Adrian Peterson? Nope (sarcasm). Let’s get on with it:

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Battle Flex, Week 2: Did Somebody Say Freshman Threeway?

September 13, 2014 | 2014 Fantasy Football, Roster Strategy | 52 Comments

by: J-FOH

I hope everyone had a great week one. I didn’t. But let’s not dwell on me, because I’m here for you. This week I’m tinkering with the set-up as I seek the best way to go about this. I’m adding in ranks among the fantasy pros and our own honcho Jay’s ranks to give you some perspective. You might be asking yourself: What’s with all this three way talk? Well I needed an eye catcher, and I can’t afford to buy you all a beer, the shipping cost would kill me. What I am doing is a three way battle this week as I pit freshman hype vs. freshman handcuff vs. freshman who dat? Don’t worry, you’re not alone with all this three way talk, probably giving you a flashback of that one time you thought it might happen, only to realize the two girls wanted a ride and you were the safest person to get them home without getting all grabby in the car. Stupid insecure me…wait…I mean my friend with confidence issues named Mack. Yeah, Mack’s crazy insecure.

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Start ’em and Sit ’em, Week 2: Fire up Philly in Farmland

September 13, 2014 | 2014 Fantasy Football, Roster Strategy | 89 Comments

by: SethDaSportsMan

Thank god I don’t do these posts till Saturday, because you wouldn’t have liked my advice had I included Thursday night’s players into my start/sits. Everyone knows that Thursday Night Football is a curse for fantasy players. Even Peyton Manning has fallen victim to it. In the final TNF game of the 2013 season, Manning had arguably his worst performance of the year, completing just 65.8 percent of his passes for 289 yards in the Broncos’ embarrassing 27-20 home loss to the Chargers. Maybe it’s the short week coupled by the night game, or the fact that it’s on national television. Who knows. But it doesn’t bode well for good statistics.

I had Ben Roethlisberger and Torrey Smith pretty high up in my Week 2 rankings, but that was just stubborn of me. You can’t get much worse than the nine fantasy points Big Ben put up, Owen Daniels vulturing Dennis Pitta every step of the way, or the one catch for 10 yards Torrey had — especially after Joe Flacco had said earlier in the day that he expects his top receiver to catch 100 balls this year.

Sunday should offer many more offensive fireworks than Thursday night’s dreadful affair. There are plenty of matchups to exploit, including the Saints vs. Browns, Patriots vs. Vikings, Chiefs vs. Broncos, Jaguars vs. Washington Football Team, and Cowboys vs. Titans. But none should be more exciting (and fantasy-team boosting) than the Eagles/Colts game. The high-flying Eagles (pun intended) travel to Indy to take on the 900 horsepower Colts (pun also intended). You’re always gonna start Andrew Luck, Nick Foles and LeSean McCoy, but their supporting casts deserve a lot of attention this week and are all nearly must starts in most fantasy formats. Fringe fantasy starters like Darren Sproles, Riley Cooper, Ahmad Bradshaw, and Dwayne Allen are near automatic starts this week, and even Colts’ tight end Coby Fleener is worthy of consideration in deeper leagues. The only guys I’d be hesitant to recommend are Hakeem Nicks and Trent Richardson, who have proven to be too untrustworthy. Not only will this game have a large effect on the outcome of your fantasy matchups, but we get to wait till Monday night to have it all play out. Now, that, my friends, is what fantasy football is all about!

Please feel free to post your start/sit questions below. Until then, here are the rest of my starts and sits for Week 2…

(All recommendations are based on PPR formatted leagues)

Please, blog, may I have some more?