Battle Flex, Week 7: Quick is the Name

Last week, I had success with Trent Richardson over Bishop Sankey selection, but unfortunately the wide receiver battle was a dud for both sides. That’s just fantasy football and sometimes, you we have to just deal. I could go on and on about what this game means, and how hard we take our losses, but I want to give you something that we should all know and accept: That no matter how much we think we know about a player, it all comes down to what his team does as a unit. Or in the case of the Rams secondary, what they didn’t do on MNF when they went with the “let’s leave them wide open and see if they drop the ball” approach. Just Shameful!

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Waiver Wired, Week 3: Don’t be in De-Knile about this Chief

by: Andrew Nordmeier

It’s time to run to the waiver wire and put your claim in for Kansas City running back Knile Davis. Star running back and first-round pick Jamaal Charles left the loss at Denver in the first quarter with an ankle sprain and didn’t return. Davis took the field and had 79 yards and two touchdowns on 22 carries. He added a pair of catches as well, and looked sharp. Davis could be a starter on some other running-back hungry teams and he should be on your fantasy roster this week. Charles (sprained ankle) looks to be questionable at best for this week against Miami. He’s been diagnosed with the dreaded high ankle sprain, and Davis should capitalize on it. The Dolphins are giving up 101 yards a game on the ground so the opportunity is there for Davis. The week after, it’s a Monday night tilt at New England (122.5 yards per game) for the Chiefs. Week 5 is a brutal matchup at San Francisco. We know how tough they are to run on, hunh Matt Forte? It wouldn’t make sense for the Chiefs to bring back Charles to get pounded into ground chuck before the team’s bye week on Week 6.

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Top 20 Running Backs For 2013 Fantasy Football

January 29, 2014 | 2013 Fantasy Football, 2013 Fantasy Football Rankings | 16 Comments

by: Sky

Highs and lows. Yup, that about sums it up. Both the running backs from 2013 and how I view my medicine cabinet in the bathroom. Today I’m typing on trilacridopaprylocine. The current effect is everything I’m typing looks like its in Wing Dings. I’ll keep you up to date on how the rest goes…but let’s get back to the first part of this. It wasn’t just my top 10 that got blown up by injury, ineptitude or both. There were plenty of assets that made their owners go mad given their price this year and I can promise you the result from this year is going to make me take a hard look at how I evaluate RB rankings in 2014. As the NFL slowly moves onto being a passing league moreso than a running league, having a lead back – or at least the original definition of it for fantasy – looks like its becoming a dying breed. Truthfully, there was very little value in drafting an RB high this year when we compare the peaks and the valleys and how much gold came much later in the draft. You’ve heard of the scrub QB theory, we might be well on our way to working one up for RBs in 2014. But of course that’s a topic for another time. For now, instead of looking forward let’s look at our behinds. Here’s the Top 20 Running Backs from the 2013 Fantasy Football season…

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Let’s Speak Blount-ly About Week 17 Championships

December 30, 2013 | 2013 Fantasy Football, Fantasy Football Daily Notes | 43 Comments

by: Sky

I hate to talk ill of you on the last read of the season, I really do. I only dole out tough love when tough love is due but I think this situation is ripe for it. You shouldn’t really care about what I’m typing right now. Ok, ok, ok, I’m alright if you care because your championship is two weeks long. Not perfect but it is reasonable. But really, even in a week 17 in which games actually mattered, the fantasy football season should not be judged by the scoring leader board we got this week. Sure, LeGarrette Blount has slowly worked is way into the cockles of Belichick’s heart over the course of the season. Really let’s face facts, though; Bill’s been looking for a BenJarvus Green-Ellis impersonator since day one. Congrats, Billy boy, looks like you found your man. Blount finished with 189 rushing yards and 2 TDs on the day and 334 all purpose yards to set a Patriots franchise record and the 11th most in NFL history. That’s a pretty wild day and great if you had it on your team…but really? Did you come into 2013 saying ‘I can’t wait to sit Jamaal Charles and start Blount’? Even in a week where there were so many important games on Sunday, it was still an odd fantasy day overall as we’ll cover a bit…and by that I mean drill bit. I’m gonna drive this point home people! But for serious, I’m happy for you and Ima let you finish but week 16 championships are the great of all time…OF ALL TIME! Ok, I’m done lambasting you…for now. Here’s what else I saw from the final week of the season for 2013 Fantasy Football…

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Who Went From Chump To Champ From The Cut On A Dime?

December 23, 2013 | 2013 Fantasy Football, Fantasy Football Daily Notes | 107 Comments

by: Sky

I guess this question is really a two parter because there’s a yang to this yin. But to be honest, it’s Monday after week 16 has almost concluded. Losers need not apply. *Hears readership heading for exits*. Wait, wait, wait, did I say losers? I meant Lugers! Yeah, that’s it! You know, people who luge? Yeah, get the eff out, winter Olympic sports people! And take that Jamaican bobsled team with ya! Now where was I before I was rudely interrupted by a buncha sore Lugers…oh yeah, we were talking Fantasy Football, of course. The kind of Fantasy Football that wins championships, i.e. the bestest kind. For all the talk of JC Superstar and Knowshon this year, it’s kinda been lost in the shuffle that LeSean McCoy has been beasting all year. Ok, it’s hard to say that about @CutOnDime25 but when you think about it, it’s kinda true. Everyone talked about how he could be a fantasy stud in the off-season when Chip came to town but really, everyone was talking about Chip not him. Then Vick started the year off hot, so Michael Vick was the point of discussion. Then Vick sucked and that, of course, was the point of discussion. Then in waltzed Nick Foles who started running Chip’s offense at full steam and then he was the point of discussion. It’s odd that a guy can lead the NFL in rushing yards and be a bit of an afterthought in this game we play but that’s what happens when you’re consistently good but rarely breakout great in this game. Everyone wants week 15 JC Superstar, week 8 Megatron, week 13 Josh Gordon (will someone PLEASE give that man a nickname). But Shady has just ‘been there’. He’s had some big rushing days, don’t get me wrong as his 133 yards on the ground Sunday were his 6th 100+ yard effort of the year and he does have a 200+ yard snow game to his credit. I don’t know, maybe I’m Chris Collinsworth’ing this whole shizz and creating a narrative that doesn’t need to be made but I swear I’ve heard more about other players of this caliber over the course of the season than LeSean. Here’s to you, Shady, and the joy of the championships you brought to all those peoples out there who aren’t Lugers. In other news from week 16 of the 2013 Fantasy Football season…

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Sawbones Scribings Week 14 – Should Rodgers Return?

December 6, 2013 | 2013 Fantasy Football, Injury Report | 5 Comments

by: Andrew Nordmeier

We’re coming down to the last week of the regular season in most leagues and the first week of the playoffs in others. Hopefully you have your playoff spot wrapped up and are planning your path to postseason glory.

But Green Bay quarterback Aaron Rodgers (collarbone) shouldn’t be a part of those plans. He practiced yesterday for the first time in the month since he suffered his collarbone injury against the Bears. Matt Flynn is expected to get the start this week against Atlanta at Lambeau Field.

If you’re hanging on to the hopes of having Rodgers for the playoffs, don’t. The Packers are 0-4-1 without him this season and his absence has dragged down the values of the Green Bay wide receivers. At 5-6-1 their only real chance of trying to make the playoffs is to win the NFC North. They have virtually no shot at a wild card and losses to Philadelphia and San Francisco really hurt their chances in that regard.

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Decker The Halls

December 2, 2013 | 2013 Fantasy Football, Fantasy Football Daily Notes | 78 Comments

by: Sky

Tis the season, right? Unless you’re not of the xmas-religion affinity. I wish I had something for you but I have zero knowledge of Decker-related things I could say about Hanukkah, Kwanzaa and all the other holiday things I could talk about here. Happy Winter Solstice? What about Festivus for the rest of us? Don’t leave, I swear I’ll be more inclusive! The holidays are much like ordering a large pizza for a room full of college students: all drunk and stoned and should be doing their homework. Wait, no! Well yes but more so you can’t please everyone. No way no how. They don’t usually let you order pizza with different toppings on every piece. There’s also something else that doesn’t always make people happy: the Denver passing attack. It was a concern coming into the year that there would be a few guys left out in the cold most of the year, if not the whole year. Well much like life, those Broncos have ebbed and flowed. Early on, it was Welker. Then DT got it turned on for a stretch. The Orange Julius had been oddly one of the more consistent of the slick quatro (yeah, it’s not their nickname; just made it up) but he’s been out with a leg issue the last two weeks. So in the stead of an underused Welker and a missing OJ, someone had to step up and on this day it was Eric Decker who finished with 8 receptions, 174 receiving yards and a whopping 4 TDs. He only had 3 total coming into Sunday on the year. The end line for Decker is gonna look fine on the surface. He’ll go well over 1,000 yards receiving and may still end with 10 TDs. But I give the fair warning that I’ll probably say the same thing about Welker when the season’s over and I think we both know how that has been of late. Moving into 2013, these two are gonna go much higher than I’m gonna be willing to pay for in most leagues due to inconsistency. Sure it’s nice when this happens but how many of you experienced this Decker explosion on your bench? Exactly, there was a good reason he was there to start the day. Don’t forget that when 2014 hits. In other news from week 13 of the 2013 Fantasy Football season…

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Sawbones Scribings – Quintorris Has A Screw Loose

October 11, 2013 | 2013 Fantasy Football, Fantasy Football Injury Report | 32 Comments

by: Andrew Nordmeier

After a short hiatus, the doctor is back. I’ve spent a bunch of time cuddling and loving with my new little boy. He’s 2 1/2 weeks old and all kinds of adorable. But enough about him. Let’s talk about Quintorris. Who the heck is that? Quintorris? And why does he have a screw loose? Quintorris […]

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Hoyer Donde Va?

October 4, 2013 | 2013 Fantasy Football, Fantasy Football Daily Notes | 247 Comments

by: Sky

I should’ve known it was black magic. Didn’t even need the woman to be involved. A Cleveland Browns passing offense that passes the eye test? Not possible they said. A QB that could withstand the pressure of playing behind a bad offensive line? ‘I’m incredulous’ said those who use the word ‘incredulous’ and actually know what it means. I blame Carlos Santana. Hey, there’s a catcher from the Indians named that so it’s apropos, people. But it happened for a couple of weeks that the Browns and their passing game was saved by their quarterback being – by both the stats test and the eye test – really not that bad. But of course it’s Cleveland and as we know, everything Browns eventually goes to Brown-town. Brian Hoyer left the Thursday Night Football game with a knee that couldn’t have been more shredded than the hillside of a snowboard instructor in Aspen. There’s nothing definitive as of this typing but for all intents and purposes, it didn’t look good at all and I wouldn’t be surprised if his season is over. I take partial blame as I’ve been snake-bitten with injuries this year and actually picked Hoyer up to stream this week in one of my leagues. Mea culpa. Moving forward, the skill position players are gonna have to learn what it means to go from good to bad and how to cope. The parts there are still good, but they lost a little luster for me tonight knowing it’s going to take a trade – unlikely – or a free agent pickup – possible? – to fix this mess. And just when I was about to say Cleveland Rocks…in other 2013 Fantasy Football news…

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A Rivers Throws Through It

September 30, 2013 | 2013 Fantasy Football, Fantasy Football Daily Notes | 169 Comments

by: Sky

You start the year trying to predict what a team will look like not just to start the year but over the course of it. You go off of hunches, intuition, previous year’s stats…you comb through a lot of data to try and assess just what a particular team will be able to do heading into the year. It’s never an exact science, of course, and so many factors can shape or hide a poor player or offense into something palatable. Entering into 2013, a major source of concern for the Chargers was an offensive line that was deemed one of – if not the – worst line for pass blocking and heading into 2013, there wasn’t much optimism surrounding it getting any better. Enter, stage left, Philip Rivers. A slow, pure pocket passer who had a hard time throwing the ball last year in no small part because he had a hard time staying on his feet long enough to do so. But the Chargers have made some adjustments to Rivers and his game this year and it’s allowing for some success. After his second 400 yard passing game of the year – he finished 35/42 for 402, 3 touchdowns and 1 interception – it’s clear that some of the passing game has changed for the better in San Diego. They’re using quick routes a lot more as well as dumping off to their backs in space more as well. He’s allowing his skill players to be the play makers and not relying on the deep outs as much. The VJax and DX deep route is nice but it’s not sustainable if you don’t have time to throw. After today’s game, Rivers is on pace for 4,796 passing yards and a 44:8 touchdown to interception ratio and the second most passing attempts (568) of his career. Given how erratic Mathews has played to date, I don’t see this passing trend going away. You always wonder ‘who’s going to be that near QB1 that goes undrafted or goes late a la Josh Freeman or Andy Dalton from 2012’ and you just might be seeing it. Given the schedule through week 9 (@Oak, Indy, @Jax, Bye, @Was), there’s no reason to think these Rivers can keep rolling. In other 2013 Fantasy Football news…

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Shop Smart, Shop D Mart

September 25, 2013 | 2013 Fantasy Football, Fantasy Football Buy/Sell | 314 Comments

by: Sky

Bruce Campbell has become one of those rare actors where people have simply asked him to play ‘Bruce Campbell’. Very few actors can pull this off and make a career out of it. Only other one that comes to mind right now is Christopher Walken. Can they play dramatic roles? Sure but even while Christopher Walken told you about 5 long years of your daddy wearing his watch up his ass, it was Walken telling you. You reach that stage of caricature only a few times with actors and Bruce Campbell is that guy. He plays the smug, badass hero. I mean, there’s a movie called ‘My Name Is Bruce‘, people. Yes, he plays a smug bad-ass like only Bruce Campbell can. Why all this talk of caricatures and playing yourself? Well, one, I’m quoting Army of Darkness for my title and any chance I get to talk about that movie, I make sure and take advantage of. Two, for all the things that Doug Martin has not been this year – superstar in the stats department – he’s still been the 12th best running back off the board in PPR leagues. Though he’s been minimally involved in the passing to date – only 4 receptions – he’s second in the NFL in rushing yardage. You could say he’s a caricature of a star running back because no one is taking him seriously. He’s just there, producing but not wowing anyone. Oh hey, there’s another 100 total yards of offense from Dougie Fresh. Psssh, big deal, seen that before. You see, he’s been productive but not blow you out of the water productive. Now I know there’s a lot of fears going around Tampa Bay right now. The team is considered on death’s door. But that hasn’t stopped them from keeping Martin involved as he leads the NFL in rushing attempts. As the pundits currently say, Martin’s gonna eat. I don’t even really know what that means but I understand it to be a positive. So check in and see if Martin owners are fed up with his solid but unspectacular performance to date. Then when he goes off at the end of the year you can say, ‘Hail to the King, Baby’. God I love that movie. And Bruce Campbell. In other buy/sell news for 2013 Fantasy Football…

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Week 3 Players to Play/Avoid: The Chronicles of Ridley

September 18, 2013 | 2013 Fantasy Football, Rush & Pass Strategy | 70 Comments

by: Loudon

Holy injuries Batman! The number of concussions, questionable statuses, and long-term injuries has been staggering this year. Thought you could count on Roddy White, Eddie Lacy, Larry Fitzgerald, Malcom Floyd, Andre Johnson, Reggie Bush, Ray Rice, or any number of fantasy-relevant stars without worrying about their health? Think again. It looks like most of those guys will still play next week, but you better keep an eye on their status as the week goes on. For some, the matchup may be a good one, but concerns about targets/carries may not merit the start. Fantasy Football is all about weighing your options and there has already a lot more of that necessary than there has been in past seasons.

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