Week 13 Sunday Recap

It was another crazy week in the world of fantasy. Perhaps the biggest fantasy headline was domination at the WR position. Two players soaring over 200 yards and then a third getting 4 TDs and outscoring the previous two. Lets recap it all and see what to make of it.

QBs:
I am pretty sure it was the first week that Peyton Manning (32) wasn't ranked in the top two, and he showed us why you can never rank him outside of the top 5. Looking mortal of late, he came right back with his best performance in weeks. Nick Foles (23) is officially the man. I don't know if its the system, or his talent, but he has been fantastic. This is a tough defense with a great secondary and he handled it without problem. If you own him and you don't have a great first QB, he is in borderline must-start territory. Josh McCown (22) was the other guy a lot of people were high on considering he is a backup, but it was proved rightly so. Alex Smith (21) with another impressive performance. Thats three straight games with 20+ points and 4 of his last 5. I thought he looked really good here besides the dreadful interception. He has the Redskins and Raiders next. You have to imagine that they won't make him struggle either. I see at least 15 points against the Redskins, which makes him a nice #2 option. Ryan Tannehill (21) also had another good game. Thats the second straight week he has set his high total for the year. Next week he faces the Steelers in Pittsburgh, so you can't be too optimistic about that, but it should be another solid game if not great. EJ Manuel (18) got a bit banged up in this game but played fairly well and had a rushing touchdown making him a solid start. Going forward he has two favorable matchups in warm weather, I think he will be a top 15 QB for both. Philip Rivers (12) was back to his mediocre self of late. 12 or 13 fantasy points in 3 of the last 4, at least he has the Giants next week. Andrew Luck (10) is another who has struggled a lot lately. Just 10 points against Tennessee's tough secondary. He gets Cincinnati next, and they certainly haven't been an easy opponent either. I would be worried. One performance that did surprise me, especially after Tannehill last week, was Mike Glennon (3). Carolina tore him apart. He had been a model of consistency before this game. Carolina is extremely tough so its not a major worry going forward.

RBs:
I'm still waiting for an explanation on how Ben Tate (28) can get 1 yard on 7 carries vs the Jags and then have 100+ and three touchdowns vs anyone else. That is frustrating. Of course he faces the Jags next week again and who knows what to expect? I think I will be on the optimistic side, but its far from guaranteed. DeMarco Murray (27) also ended with three TDs, but really didn't impress me that much with his running. Still, he has a very favorable schedule going forward. Reggie Bush (21) continued his big home/road splits as he got 25 carries here and did very well. Next week he is at Philly where it will be cold and the Philly defense has played somewhat decently lately. Don't be surprised to see Bush outside my top 10. Steven Jackson (20) was a true workhorse this week, recording 20+ touches for the first time this season as well as his 2nd & 3rd TDs of the year. It was an impressive performance within a Falcons offense that really performed well all around. Its hard to decipher exactly what to make of this, but it's promising. In the same game C.J. Spiller (20) broke out very quickly with a 77 yard run and continued to pile on the yardage throughout. It was promising, and he looked very good for most of the game. He did get banged up and looked slow for a bit in the middle but he came back and ended up with a 30+ yard TD later on. Its easy to be optimistic, but he still can't be counted on every game. Fred Jackson (19) still had two TDs himself. Joique Bell (18) also piled on the points in addition to Bush and went over 20 touches for the second time this year. Unfortunately, unless your situation is pretty bad, I can't really imagine starting him because he could just as easily get 5 carries next week and thats it. One guy who didn't actually do too much but impressed me was Lamar Miller (8). Since the O-line fallout, the Dolphins run game had been basically a zero. There was no reason to expect change this week, but Miller delivered. Its still hard to trust him going forward, but you could certainly do worse. Eddie Lacy (3) might have been the most disappointing performance of the day. I really didn't expect a terrible performance from Flynn and that completely derailed the whole offense. Not worried long term.

WRs:
The top three WRs dominated. They are all very good players and all must starts every week. Decker is the one that you have to worry about a bit, but because of the offense, he is worth starting as shown here. The 4th highest scoring receiver of the day was Brian Hartline (17) who had 9 catches and 15 targets. He's not good enough to be an every week starter, but if you aren't great at WR, he is startable. Don't expect these numbers though. Michael Floyd (15) continued his torrid pace. I don't think he is better than Fitz, but with the attention that Fitz commands, Floyd has become a very good option every single week. Welcome back, Roddy White (14). I'm not ready to say he is full back, but this game was very promising. And yet I wouldn't be surprised if he returns to worthlessness next week. Andre Holmes (13) was a big emerging target this week. Its hard to say just how real this is because Denarius Moore sat out again. Worth an add in deeper leagues, but thats about it at this point. It bums me out that 8 points is a good day for Victor Cruz but that is what it is. After last week its still disappointing, but hopefully a step in the right direction for the remainder of the season. Ace Sanders (6) has quietly become a consistent deeper league option. 6 points in each of the last three games with 8 receptions in two separate games. As a PPR flex, he might not be a bad option now that he is clearly above the injured Mike Brown. Dwayne Bowe (5) very nearly had a big game, but a touchdown called back and a few other plays that didn't quite fall and 5 points is the result. Frustrating but I am looking forward to next week as well. Hakeem Nicks (3) is droppable. Only two targets this week. LaVon Brazill (4) actually had more targets than T.Y. Hilton (5) but only caught 3 passes. Worth a flier deep, but not much else. Another disappointing game for Wes Welker (3) but I still consider him a must start. Just like Decker, he's bound to score sooner than later. Don't let it be when you have him benched.

Week 12 Sunday Games Recap

As always, a number of oddities this week, especially at QB. I'll break it down and let you know what to make of it all.

Quarterback:

At QB thus far, the leading scorer is none other than the partially-forgotten Philip Rivers (27). I had him ranked outside of my top 10, and that was still higher than the consensus. Second on the day is Ryan Fitzpatrick (22). He continues to be a solid option against lesser defenses for QB2 leagues. Alex Smith (21) had his second straight week over 20, and third of 4. I still don't consider him a great choice, but he does face Denver next week. Ryan Tannehill (17) had another solid game, this time against the parents without Charles Johnson. He continues to be pretty good at home. Mike Glennon (17) also justified his ranking in the top 10 with a good performance. Thats 15 points in 6 of his last 7 games. Ben Roethlisberger (16) is another QB who has been hot lately. 16+ in 3 of his last 4. He faces Baltimore next week, I'm not interested. Matthew Stafford (15) had 4 ints, but also had 3 TDs to salvage his day fantasy-wise. Matt Flynn (14) was very solid in relief of the bad Scott Tolzien (11). And if Flynn starts next week, he should be a solid option. Andrew Luck (13) struggled again, and you definitely have to be worried going forward. Matt McGloin (12) didn't play well, but considering how highly I think of the Titans defense, I was pretty impressed. Next week against Dallas? Who knows. I was pretty low on Case Keenum (4) but this was awful. I would have no confidence in him going forward.

Running Backs:

Not much of a surprise at the top, Jamaal Charles (27) hadn't been great lately though. It was nice to see him with a great game again. MJD (21) was a big surprise in the top 5. He looked pretty decent and has now had a rushing TD in his past 3 games. Danny Woodhead (18) had two TDs against the formerly tough Chiefs. He is a great play every week. Andre Brown (15) lived up to expectations against the Cowboys. Despite not scoring a TD, owners have to be satisfied with 138 total yards and a 2PC. Rashad Jennings (11) faces the Cowboys next and he had a decent game here. Also didn't score, but had over 100 total yards as well. Le'Veon Bell (8) had a typical game for him. He rushed 23 times for 80 yards. But the point is he gets a ton of carries, its rough next week against Baltimore, but it gets better after that for playoffs. Ray Rice (3) was back to terrible. I have no confidence in him whatsoever. Ben Tate (2) looked really bad, with 7 carries for just 1 yard. Dennis Johnson (8) stepped up and looked pretty good. Because of that, I'm not confident in starting either going forward. I felt Chris Ivory (3) did not do a bad job, but Geno Smith was so bad again that he hindered the entire offense. Not good. The lions defense lived up to the bill and stopped Bobby Rainey (3) cold in his tracks. It doesn't get better the next two weeks with Carolina and Buffalo. Chris Ogbonnaya (1) looked good, but lost a fumble and only got 4 carries. We'll have to see if this will hurt his time going forward. I think he is startable in bad situations if he is still going to get time. Also of note, Donald Brown (0) only got 3 touches. It was bad playcalling by Indy, and they fell behind really quick. Kind of optimistic next week vs Tenn.

Wide Receivers:

Obviously we have to start off with the incredible performance by Josh Gordon (29). I don't want to overreact and say he is elite, he still has to deal with one of two bad QBs after all. But the dude is a must start and has a great schedule the rest of the way. He might have a down game or two in those 5, but the good ones will be really good. Mike Wallace (18) also had a great game. Its hard to know what to make of this. He's a deep threat and so he will be inconsistent. BUT, you can beat the Jets deep. I'd still have a hard time starting him. Larry Fitzgerald (17) had his second best game of the year. It only came on 5 receptions, but its a good sign that he is getting into the endzone. With Philly up next, he's a great play. Jacoby Jones (16) had a great game. But like I said, you can beat the Jets deep, I wouldn't consider him a must-add. Kendall Wright (16) lived up to the high expectations this week thanks to a late touchdown. Only 5 catches, which is low for him, but it didn't matter. He is a good WR2 in standard leagues and a high end WR2 in PPRs. Tavon Austin (15) with another good week, but again how can you feel good about playing him? Only 3 touches. I'm not risking him on a weekly basis hoping for 60 yard plays. He is CJ Spiller without 15+ opportunities. Nate Burleson (13) had a great game in his return. This one was aided by Calvin being shut down a little by Revis and Co., but very promising going forward. He should be owned in all leagues, a middling WR3/Flex. A lot of people were low on Keenan Allen (12). I was a bit worried because of knee problems, but I maintained full faith in him. He has a great schedule going forward. Michael Floyd (10) with his second straight 100 yard game. He will still be limited by Carson Palmer, but when Palmer is good, Floyd benefits big time. Torrey Smith (7) had one big catch, but was otherwise limited in a windy day in Baltimore. I still like him a decent amount going forward. Andre Johnson and T.Y. Hilton (3) were two of the biggest disappointments this week. Both struggled as did their QBs. Not souring on them long-term. Miles Austin's (1) return led to just one catch, but he saw more than Terrance Williams (1) so its a bit promising for the upcoming games. If you own him, I wouldn't drop him yet, unless someone like Burleson is out there. Victor Cruz (2) with another bad game. Its a little his fault, but mostly the poor play of Eli.

Tight Ends:

Jason Witten (15) kicked his bad games away from Dallas problem to the curb. He only had 3 yards and 4 catches, but two of them were TDs, so thats all that matters for fantasy-owners. Still, I'm a little worried about his inconsistency, but if you own him, you are probably starting him. Ladarius Green (14) of the Chargers went over 80 yards for the second straight game. I like him, but with Antonio Gates (2) there, I still don't want him for this year. Martellus Bennett (12) had a nice game, but for the most part has been bad with McCown and I don't really want to use him. Jeffery will have his touchdown in most games. Coby Fleener (11) wasn't overly impressive, but he got a touchdown and he continues the trend of players doing very well against Arizona. Greg Olsen (9) now has 4 TDs in his last 5 games. He has become very reliable as an option in the next tier if you don't own the elite TEs. Timothy Wright (7) bounced back after some quiet games. I like him, but I wouldn't feel good about starting him. Rob Housler (5) & Delanie Walker (4) didn't play terrible, but they didn't play great either. If you started them you are a bit disappointed, but 4 points isn't the worst thing. Garrett Graham & Jordan Cameron (3) were disappointments. Graham is dependent on his QB, but Owen Daniels will be back soon enough. If you own Cameron, hope that Brandon Weeden plays next week, as it is the best possible thing for you if you still plan on starting him.

Week 11 Sunday Games Recap

Another week, more surprises as always. At least this week wasn't a big one for injuries. So far, the highest scoring player is Bobby Rainey. What? Lifetime backup who was cut by the no-running-game-whatsoever Browns Bobby Rainey? Indeed. Weird stuff.

Quarterbacks...

Ben Roethlisberger (31) stands atop the QB rankings so far for this week. It was his 2nd great game in 3 weeks. He is still not an every week starter, but he should be owned in all leagues. Right behind him was Carson Palmer (24) with his best game of the year. Facing the Jags, I'm not putting much stock into this one. RGIII (22) had a good game. I boldly put him ahead of Nick Foles this week. Foles (21) also did well, but it was the right call. Both QBs played good here as expected. Matthew McGloin (19) was the real shocker of the day. An undrafted free agent, he only threw for 197 yards but also three TDs and 0 ints and looked very poised. Not super high on him, but worth an add if you are desperate. Mike Glennon (17) had another decent but not spectacular game and is a very serviceable second option to those in need. Andy Dalton got 11 points and threw for 3 TDs. That is an impressive feat, considering 3 TDs are worth 12 points on their own. Backup QBs finally had down games as Josh McCown (12), Case Keenum (8), and Jason Campbell (7) all struggled. Its why I ranked Ryan Tannehill (14) so highly. He is a very reliable option and was a decent if not great start when several other options did poorly. And if you started Geno Smith (-4), my 20th ranked QB...#1 you shouldn't have, but #2 I'm sorry anyway.

Running Backs...

The biggest surprise of the day came, as I already mentioned, in Bobby Rainey (34) who looked absolutely dominant. He looked great, but don't expect too much going forward, he has some brutal matchups. The next surprise was Rashad Jennings (21). I wasn't a believer, but I think after this performance you have to buy in somewhat as an every game start. Even if half of it was on one run, he is getting the touches and looking decent enough. Of course Ray Rice (20) put up a good game. I want no part of it, selling high as fast as I can. Chris Ivory (15) had another good game. Not involved in the receiving end, but has now had 3 double digit games in the past 4. I like it. Ryan Mathews (13) had his third 100 yard rushing game of the day. He will never be a top play, but he has established himself as a solid RB2. Ben Tate (10) hasn't been anything special, but as the premier back for Houston he gets a ton of touches, I like him going forward. Somewhat disappointing day for Giovani Bernard (8) with just 86 total yards, but it still wasn't bad. The whole game had a weird flow for the Bengals, I'm not concerned. Reggie Bush (3) had his worst game of the season. I did highlight him as a not so great play, but I still had him 10th. Not too much to take away from this game, you are still starting him. Darren Sproles (2) had another miss of a game. How can you feel good about starting him ever? C.J. Spiller (1) was also a complete miss, but it was against the toughest run defense. He has a bye next week and then who knows what he will do...Andre Ellington (1) was a huge disappointment this week. I was fairly low on him compared to others, but I still expected him to be kind of decent here.

Wide Receivers...

The top two wide receivers faced each other in an excellent duel of elites. Of course Calvin Johnson (29) came out on top, but Antonio Brown (26) held his own. And yes he is elite. Michael Floyd (25) was a surprising third after having a huge 91 yard touchdown, but he played well even outside of that. Unfortunately, he still lives and dies with Carson Palmer. Harry Douglas (19) had me worried because of his injury, but he got off a huge play and had another good game. Continues to show playmaking ability, but I'm still not sold on his overall talent. I had been touting Josh Gordon (18) all week and he didn't let me down. I was nervous after an empty first half, but he had one of his usual megaplays and saved the day. Dude is going to be a bit inconsistent, but incredibly talented. Marquise Goodwin (15) was another guy I was big on all week as a sleeper. Sure enough he and T.J. Graham (13) both lived up to their deep play reputations. Andre Johnson, Jordy Nelson, and Victor Cruz (11) were all held without a touchdown, but got their yards. Cruz is still a must start every week. Nelson is in WR2 territory without Rodgers, but still a worthy player. Torrey Smith (9) had another TD, and hopefully the trend continues next week, I really like him rest of season. I expected Brandon Marshall (4) to do well, but it turned out Alshon Jeffery (9) was the yard gainer for the Bears this week. Both guys are good options going forward. Roddy White (9) got a touchdown, but still only had 36 yards. I would not look at this as a sign that he is back. Denarius Moore (7) also got a TD to save a bad game. The Texans were a tough matchup, I'm intrigued by him going forward. Riley Cooper (3) finally slowed down, but he was close to a TD and a couple big plays on occasion. Nick Foles clearly likes him, and he is still flex worthy going forward, even though I was low on him all week. I expected Golden Tate (2) to benefit from the return of Percy Harvin (1). But in a game where the Seahawks scored 40+, neither did well. They have a bye next week, and it will be interesting to see how it all plays out in the fantasy playoffs. AJ Green (7 yards) was the major disappointment of the day. I was low on him, but I wasn't going to sit him. No regrets on my part, but major credit to Joe Haden as always. DeAndre Hopkins (0) was another big downer, but that whole game was a mess for the Texans.

Tight Ends...

Of course, Gronk hasn't played yet, so we are missing one of the two major guys, but Garrett Graham (17) C'MON!!! I was hyping you for 3-4 weeks now, I completely gave up and this happens. Ugh. Thats fantasy. Charles Clay (15) also came back from irrelevance in a strange day for tight ends. Jimmy Graham (4) had 6 catches but just 41 yards and couldn't force himself into the end zone on multiple tries. Pretty disappointing. Antonio Gates (11) and Vernon Davis (9) were the only high level TEs to play as such. Tony Gonzalez (7) for all his injury woes, had a decent game here. Heath Miller (6) had 8 catches which was a big boost for PPR. Jordan Cameron (2) had 6 catches but just 29 yards. Jason Campbell has been awful at getting him the ball. That has to change, he is too good a target for that. Jordan Reed (1) suffered a concussion and had to leave the game. No word on his status for next week. Concussions can vary greatly...

Week 10 Sunday Games Recap:

Seahawks @ Falcons:

The Seahawks absolutely bludgeoned the Falcons in Atlanta. This was mostly expected, but it was still surprising to see the Seahawks dominate this much away from home. Russell Wilson (21) was excellent as he has been. He has scored 19 points in 3 of his last 4 games. Marshawn Lynch (21) got extensive usage and had his third 20 point game of the year. Christine Michael (3) ended up being the main backup and looked pretty good doing so. The Falcons defense is bad. Steven Jackson (20 total yards) ended up being the third best Falcons RB of the day, but the whole offense was bad. Its hard to start anyone with confidence right now. Matt Ryan (12) wasn't awful and didn't have a turnover, but he averaged 4.8 yards per pass which is extremely low. Still, he increased his home TD:INT ratio to 10:1 on the year, which makes him a low-end QB1 at home. For receivers, Golden Tate (16) had another great game, and he's had exactly 7 targets in four of the last 5 games. Certainly a good if not completely reliable WR2. Doug Baldwin (7) now has 18 targets over the past two games and if Harvin isn't back before the bye, he is a somewhat decent WR3 option. I want no part of him otherwise. Roddy White's (2) return did not inspire a lot of confidence. More hopeful next week against Tampa Bay, but will he be covered by Revis? If so...no thank you again. Harry Douglas (2.9) caught 7 of 8 targets but for a mere 49 yards and then also fumbled making him useless. Jacquizz Rodgers (5) caught five more passes and continues to be a nice PPR flex option.

Lions @ Bears

The return of Jay Cutler (11) was not a great one. He will appear to miss next weeks game against Baltimore, where Josh McCown would start. The Ravens are still a tough defense, and I'm not interested. Brandon Marshall (25) with another huge game. He now has 6 TDs in his last 5 games. Meanwhile, Alshon Jeffery (11) had his 4th 100 yard game in the past 6 games. Even with McCown, he is still a top 20 WR. Brandon Pettigrew (7) caught all five of his targets for 70 yards. Still its hard to see him as a reliable option week to week. Reggie Bush (11) had a good day despite just 14 carries. Matt Forte (4) suffered by far his worst game, and his first with fewer than 10 points on the season. Not sure if there is any particular reason why it happened at this point, but I'm not concerned going forward either.

Eagles @ Packers

Nick Foles (21) has now gone from "Is he for real" to "Must-own" as he is now at nearly Peyton Manning-esque stats of 16 touchdowns to 0 interceptions. No he isn't Peyton Manning but there is no reason he can't be a top 10 guy the rest of the way. I'd rather have him over Matt Ryan for sure. Has LeSean McCoy's (15) value taking somewhat of a hit with Foles in? Not really, but he's also not putting up huge numbers like he did in the early part of the season with Vick. Yes, 155 yards is huge, but with a traditional passer, they looked to pass in the redzone and for some reason, McCoy was not a part of that. Riley Cooper (22) and DeSean Jackson (14) both had great games on just 5 targets. I suppose its crazy to say Cooper will be better the rest of the season but Cooper has more points in Nick Foles Starts. Eddie Lacy (8) wasn't great, but its hard to be great (save for AP) when the defense puts all of their focus on you. I expect Scott Tolzien won't be as successful next week when the defenses plan for him and not the mobility of Seneca Wallace. Jarrett Boykin (11) played very well, but I will probably be ranking him onl as a flex option next week. And almost definitely above James Jones (4).

Jaguars @ Titans

Not really much to say about this game, but hey the Jags got a win! Maurice Jones-Drew (13) looked really bad, but got in the endzone so he outscored a lot of other guys. The Titans have been a team excellent a shutting down receivers and week 10 was no different. No Jags receiver was relevant. The big surprise to me was that Cecil Shorts (4) was hardly targeted. Having been a leader in targets even with Justin Blackmon, that was a big surprise, but a credit to the Titans defense again. Another big surprise was the huge lack of anything in the Titans run game. It just goes to show you really can't expect much of anything from Chris Johnson (7) but 5 catches for 43 yards was nice enough to save it from complete awfulness. Kendall Wright (7) continues to be a pretty reliable WR3 and Delanie Walker (12) is a good play based on matchups.

Rams @ Colts

I would argue this game was a bigger surprise than the previous game. Not only did the Colts lose, but they got dominated. At home! The Rams and in particular Robert Quinn put Andrew Luck (13) under massive pressure all day. It was the first game this season he had thrown more than one pick. In addition to the pressure, they had nothing in the run game again, as neither Trent Richardson or Donald Brown could get...anything going on the ground. Brown was able to do some damage in the passing game, getting 60+ yards and a TD, but its hard to start either at all. T.Y. Hilton (13) is a beast with super speed, should be a top 15 play the rest of the season. For the Rams, the most notable performance was Tavon Austin (31) who led all WRs in fantasy scoring. He is very talented, but I'm not buying at all. All of his yards came on his two touchdown catches. He only had one other target. And then you can't rely on punt return TDs either. Zac Stacy (12) got a ton of carries, but really didn't do much with them. He is on bye next, he should still be a top-12 play ROS after the bye. Even if he isn't the most talented guy, tons of carries will make him a must start. Chris Givens (5) now has three straight games with 5+ points. Definitely roster worthy for deeper leagues again.

Raiders @ Giants

Terrelle Pryor (9) got a rushing touchdown, but it was his worst performance to date. He faced a lot of pressure all game and couldn't make too many throws. Eli Manning (7) looked terrible. If you can't start him here, can you start him anywhere? He is owned in way too many leagues. The big surprise of this game was both running backs. Lets start with Andre Brown (17). He wasn't supposed to see a ton of time, but when Peyton Hillis gave up an easy fumble very early on, it became the Andre Brown show. He got a massive 30 carries in his first game! He only averaged 3.8 YPC but I thought he looked good doing so. Definitely an RB2 going forward. On the other side, Rashad Jennings (10) tore up the same defense that had just held LeSean McCoy and Adrian Peterson to very few points. If McFadden is out again (and I think he will be), Jennings is a solid flex option next week. Denarius Moore (4) was a pretty big disappointment. He got his share of targets with 9, but he only had 3 catches and two costly drops. He's still the clear #1 on a team with few receiving options, so I still like him going forward. On the other side of the ball it was a similar story for Victor Cruz (3) who also had 3 catches despite a lot of targets (10). Cruz has been a major disappointment after a big start, but I remain confident he will produce big soon. Hakeem Nicks (4) actually caught all four of his targets but still only ended up with 49 yards. You have to think he will produce sometime soon, but I am glad I don't own him at all.

Bills @ Steelers

The Steelers defense looked....really good. The problem in this one was that CJ Spiller (3) was not good and Fred Jackson (6) looked considerably better but did not get enough carries. Overall the Bills didn't total enough yards for anyone to be relevant. Stevie Johnson (4) had only 3 catches on 10 targets left the game with an injury and is questionable for next week. Le'Veon Bell (14) continues to give consistent fantasy production even when he can't it going on the ground. He has had at least 18 touches in every single game. Antonio Brown (10) had another solid day. He's not going to have many touchdowns, but he is a ppr machine. Jerricho Cotchery (9) had another touchdown, but I'm not buying.

Bengals @ Ravens

The notable play here was a hail mary to AJ Green (21) that saved Andy Dalton's (14) day. Giovani Bernard (14) looked great and actually had the bulk of RB carries. Marvin Jones (1) regressed and had only 1 catch on 7 targets. Partly Dalton's fault of course. As the main tight end, Tyler Eifert (5) got 10 targets, but only managed 3 catches and 55 yards. Torrey Smith (10) didn't have many catches or yards, but he got in the endzone for a solid day. The ground game was completely irrelevant. I want no part of Ray Rice (5) whatsoever. Joe Flacco (7) was even worse than normal.

Panthers @ 49ers

Another ugly fantasy game. Two mobile QBs that did virtually nothing. Cam Newton doubled his opposing quarterback...with 5 points. That is compared to Colin Kaepernick's (2) of course. I was cautiously high on both, but defense prevailed here. The #1 running back for each team did alright. DeAngelo Williams (10) found the endzone on a really impressive run. It should be noted that Jonathan Stewart (4) actually saw most of the work. Meanwhile, Frank Gore (10) got over the 100 total yard mark so that speaks a lot for how good he is. This is one of the toughest defenses. The highest receiver for either team was Steve Smith (6). He and Anquan Boldin (2) are both very low ceiling players at this point and you are hoping for a touchdown. No thanks.

Texans @ Cardinals

Case Keenum (19) is now at 7 touchdowns without an interception to start his career. Of course the team is 0-3 in those games, but from a fantasy standpoint, Keenum has made himself and Andre Johnson (15) very relevant. Andre now has 5 touchdowns in the last two games. That won't keep up, but he is a great play every week. DeAndre Hopkins (6) actually led the team in catches and receiving yards at 6 & 69. He is a promising WR3. I really thought Garrett Graham would be a breakout for this game but his targets went down and he did almost nothing. He is droppable. Ben Tate (5) got a lot of touches but didn't do much. I like him better going forward. On the other side, Bruce Arians continues to frustrate fantasy players as Rashard Mendenhall (2) got the bulk of carries but did nothing and fumbled. Andre Ellington (7) looked much better. In the receiving game, Andre Roberts (13) ended up being the leading receiver. Larry Fitzgerald (2) continued to do nothing and its hard to feel good about him in any game ever.

Broncos @ Chargers

Peyton Manning (27) was dominant again. This week Demaryius Thomas (28) was the favorite target. Wes Welker (2) was extremely quiet, but no worries at all. Knowshon Moreno (11) didn't score but it was a good game again anyway. Philip Rivers (12) was average. He really hasn't been great after the beginning of the season. Ryan Mathews (11) and Danny Woodhead (9) split touches pretty evenly, both continue to be successful and I want Woodhead more going forward. Keenan Allen (4) had a dud, but I still like him a lot. I would try to buy low if someone is disappointed.

Cowboys @ Saints

Well this was an ugly game. Drew Brees (31) absolutely tore apart the Cowboys defense. And all three RBs were also good. Wait, three? Yep, Mark Ingram had 21 points. But no, you don't want him going forward. He is still #3 on the depth chart. It was nice to see Darren Sproles (18) back in this game. I had someone try to tell me that Pierre Thomas (22) overtook him as the receiving back. Not true at all. They tied in targets here, and excluding the Jets game where Sproles left after his first touch, Sproles had more targets in the previous two games as well. Marques Colston (16) had a good game. I'm not really feeling confident in him, but I do still own him in one league. I can't really see myself starting him, so maybe if you can trade him, go for it. For the Cowboys, everyone stunk beside DeMarco Murray (14). I'm not worried about Dez Bryant (4). Jason Witten (2) continues his trend of playing well at home and pretty awful on the road. It is a bit worrisome. He is still probably your best TE option if you own him.

Week 9 Sunday Games Recap

Week 9 was a weird week where I felt like I did really well with my rankings, but their were a few guys ranked low who had monster games. Of course Nick Foles highlights this category. We also had a Tom Brady magical return to prominence and veteran WR Jerricho Cotchery with three touchdowns. Lets go position by position and break it down.

Quarterbacks:
Obviously we are starting with Nick Foles (45) who had the second highest point total of the year for a QB. I'm not going to go crazy and say he is elite, the Raiders are not a great defense. But they aren't horrible. He should be owned in all leagues. He is owned in 23% of Yahoo! leagues and 10% of ESPN leagues. If you are someone who drafted Matt Ryan (6), Nick Foles would be a great second option.  Speaking of Ryan, he struggled against a tough defense. I should have expected this, but I've been a big believer in Ryan. Going forward expectations will be lowered. The 2nd and 3rd highest QBs played against each other, Tom Brady (33) and Ben Roethlisberger (26). Both needed a good game. This doesnt instantly bring Brady back to elite level, but he is certainly a good fantasy option. I don't think he is a sell high. I only had Russell Wilson (21) as my 8th best QB. I deserve a break on this one, I never thought they would be down 3 scores early. He has some nice matchups coming up. Terrelle Pryor (16) didn't throw a TD pass, but came away with 94 rushing yards. Great performance for a backup QB in a good bye week. He is only startable in good matchups. I thought Robert Griffin III (10) played well, but it obviously didn't translate to fantasy points as they had 4 rushing touchdowns. I've been continuously optimistic on him, I still think he is a top 10 QB. If you banked on Alex Smith (4) as your bye week QB this week, you were sorely disappointed. I really like him, but I can't see myself ranking him as a top 15 play again this year, even against Denver...eh maybe I will. But He just doesn't do that much. The final game of the day gave us a big performance by Case Keenum (28) I'm not seeing him as a great play going forward, but Ir really like this guy. He makes some aggressive throws and is good at running around until he finds the open man. He could be a good play in some matchups.

Running Backs:
The week's leader so far is...Chris Johnson (29)! I'm sure everyone expected that right? Im pretty proud of my ranking of him in the top 10, not many people were willing to do that. This is even with Shonn Greene getting a goal line TD. Not a sell high, a lot of favorable matchups. He will still be frustrating though, so if you can't handle that, trade him away. Bad ankle and all, Zac Stacy (29) also came in with the top points. I was worried about the ankle, but Stacy has proved to me he is a must start every week. Does anyone still doubt Adrian Peterson (23)? No? Okay good. Moving on. Stevan Ridley (21) fumbled and still got to play. I have to imagine that is a big statement but the very strict Bill Belichick. My love for C.J. Spiller (14) paid off! Unfortunately he tweaked his ankle twice and has two tough defenses the next couple of weeks and then a bye. I'm cautious, but after the bye he should be fantastic for the end of the regular season and playoffs. Chris Ivory (19) dominated his former team. I think he has to be the official #1 for the Jets now. Not a great option, but a pretty solid RB2 going forward. Mike James (19) might be the biggest surprise. Definitely did not expect this. Steven Jackson (6) looked pretty good against a very tough defense. I think I'm buying low if I can. A very low price ideally, I'm sure most of his owners are pretty frustrated. Jonathan Stewart (6) also looked solid. DeAngelo Williams (5) is still the #1, but this probably renders both useless. Mike Tolbert (9) will still be the goal line guy, so he might end up being the best option. 6 touchdowns this season. I don't chase touchdowns and he doesn't get enough yards for me (37), but if you are feeling lucky, he's your guy. DeMarco Murray (4) hardly ran the ball but he wasn't hurt. He didn't look bad either, just bad playcalling. I am officially done with Ray Rice (3), I have him on one team and I'm not dropping him, but he will be riding my bench. No faith in him whatsoever. Also really questioning whether Darren Sproles (1) can be started at all. Today was injury related, but he left anyway. I cautioned people against starting Arian Foster (0) without knowing his status. It turns out he started, but almost immediately left with a new injury. Long-term we don't know his health, but I'm not worried if he is playing.

Wide Receivers:
Earlier this week, I tweeted about how Andre Johnson (40) was a good buy low because the touchdowns will come. Well, they came. Needless to say, highly doubt Andre Johnson can be had at a good price anymore. He's a stud. Second in scoring for the day was Riley Cooper (32). In Nick Foles three games where he played the majority of snaps, Cooper's worst game is 6 catches for 88 yards. He is a must own as it certainly looks like Foles has guaranteed himself the starting job. T.Y. Hilton was a disappointment for most of the game, but came on very strong late. His first touchdown didn't come until the end of the third quarter. That was a bit of a concern for me, but he is the clear #1 for this team. Aaron Dobson (25) has completely overtaken Kenbrell Thompkins (who was surprisingly inactive) in the passing game. Beyond that he has also become somewhat reliable. He's still available in a ton of leagues and should be the #1 waiver pickup this week. Finally! Another big game for Pierre Garcon (17). I was starting to get worried. Even with RG3's so-so day fantasy wise, Garcon put up big numbers. Good matchups in 3 of the next 4 games. Harry Douglas (8) had his worst game to date since stepping in to the starting role. Of course Carolina was one of the teams I highlighted as a team that shuts down #1 WRs, so this was still a decent game for Douglas. I kind of like him even with the impending return of Roddy White. Similarly, Denarius Moore (8) didn't find the endzone, but had 5 catches for 82 yards. I'm still very high on him. Steve Smith (5) continues to see a ton of targets without doing anything with them. Its time to move on from the idea that he is an elite WR1, or even close to that. Josh Gordon (5) had a disappointing day, as all the catches went to Davone Bess and Greg Little. Raise your hand if you saw that coming....no one, alright. Its not going to happen every week. Gordon is on bye next week and I will be high on him coming back from that. In Dallas, both Dez Bryant (6) and Terrance Williams (3) disappointed. Still like both a lot next week against the Saints. Darrius Heyward-Bey (1) was a big disappointment. Probably not even flex-worthy going forward.

Tight Ends:
Absolutely no surprise at the top, with Jimmy Graham (23) and Rob Gronkowski (20). These guys are must starts every single week. After that a few more studs in Jason Witten (16) & Tony Gonzalez (14). Witten continues to be a beast at home. Gonzalez is really hard to predict because you don't know how he will handle the extra defensive attention. Timothy Wright (11) had his second straight week with a touchdown. He has become pretty reliable. Zach Ertz (10) finally had a touchdown! So did Brent Celek (8) and everyone on the Eagles. Celek got the first TD, but Ertz ended up with more yards and targets. I'm hoping this is just the beginning for Ertz, but he isn't getting enough to targets to be reliable. Kyle Rudolph (9) had only two catches, but he got his TD. I hate him as a fantasy player because he does almost nothing without the TD. Antonio Gates (5) continues to be nice in PPR formats, but pretty weak otherwise. Still, you have to be high on him for next week's matchup against the Broncos. Jordan Reed (4) came back to Earth this week. He just wasn't looked at too much. If anyone is worried that he had a brief moment of fame, get him for what you can. Definitely in my top 10 for the rest of season. The most disappointing TE was Jordan Cameron (4 yards). These games will happen in the Browns offense. He's still a great red zone target. He can probably be bought for a low price from some owners.

That's a wrap for week 9's Sunday games. As always tons of surprises. We wouldn't play if we knew exactly what was going to happen, and that's what I love about it!

Week 8 Early Games Recap

This week was definitely a challenge for me. I had some pretty good calls, but I had some really bad ones too. Y'know, like start Michael Vick! Or how about, Marvin Jones is okay, but I don't think he's fantasy relevant? It can be tough looking back at your own bad calls. But its important to acknowledge them and learn from them. I'll discuss some of them in my recap below!

Quarterbacks:
Normally I only review guys with numbers that seem out of place, but I'd like to give credit to Drew Brees playing like an elite QB should. Andy Dalton proved me wrong again. The defenses have gotten continually tougher over the past three games and he has played even better. Colin Kaepernick is playing good. Two straight games with a rush TD and no turnovers. I highlighted him as a rebound candidate and it looks like he as already met that. Alex Smith with another 40 rushing yards today, his mobility has made him a quality backup option against lesser defenses. I guess that isn't a ringing endorsement, but hey, it's an improvement. A bad day for Eli Manning, he hasn't had more than 15 points since week 1. With his bye coming up, he is completely droppable. Still owned in most leagues. Matt Ryan also had a bad day. Its hard to know what is real in the post-Julio Jones world. This week or last week? I'm still leaning with last week. Tom Brady with his third single-digit week of the last four. He isn't someone I would drop, but no confidence starting him week-to-week. Lastly, RG3 had a performance to forget, the mobility was gone and he left with a knee injury. Assuming its not a major injury, I'll be looking to buy him on the (very) cheap. Michael Vick left the game with more hamstring issues. If he is healthy I really like him, but you simply can't start him with confidence any more, and that's a damn shame.

Running Backs:
Andre Ellington leads the way with 21 points! Most of it on a big 80 yard run, but he played very well outside of that big one as well. Even with Mendenhall back in the future, he is a good RB2/Flex play. Darren McFadden exceeded my expectations. It wasn't pretty again, but two TDs. Another situation where just on volume of carries, he is a good performer. Stevan Ridley needs more touches! He has been playing fantastic. Three straight games with 10+ points. Pretty solid in these dark days for RBs. Giovani Bernard with his worst day yet. Two straight games with single digit carries. Definitely major reasons to be concerned. Fellow Rookie Le'Veon Bell didn't look good, but continues to see a lot of touches because everyone else is worse. As a result he got a touchdown. I like him especially because there is no way anyone else is taking that job from him. Darren Sproles owners should be very concerned. He is a decent buy if you can get him really cheap, but his role has definitely taken a step back. It should be noted he did have four catches.

Wide Receivers:
Calvin Johnson was amazing. There's nothing more to that! Marvin Jones continues to play well. Its finally time I acknowledge him as startable in every league. Definitely worth a grab if he is still out there. Kenny Stills with his second straight game with a deep touchdown catch. Two here in fact. 4.32 in the 40 dash, he is a great deep target and worth an add in 12 teams+. He will definitely be boom or bust, but nice games. Harry Douglas with another good game. 18 targets. He will remain very relevant even when Roddy is fully healthy. Aaron Dobson has clearly surpassed Kenbrell Thompkins. I don't think he is someone you can rely on, but he should be owned. A 4th straight game with a touchdown for Terrance Williams. Tony Romo really likes him. However, only two catches on ten targets today isn't good. Denarius Moore finally slowed down today against a tough Steelers D. Next two games are against the Eagles and Giants, buy low if you can. Pryor loves him. Same with Justin Blackmon. He still had 10 targets today. He has a bye next week so its a great time to try to buy low. Better days will come. Lastly, Marques Colston is not someone I can continue to say is a buy low. I'm not dropping him, but I'm only trying to acquire him if you can get him for the worst player on your team.

Tight Ends:
Jimmy Graham hardly played, but his speed and size allowed him to get two touchdowns and three catches on three targets. Obviously no worries going forward. Overall a really down day for tight end production. Jordan Reed had another nice day, but most of it was in garbage time. I like him, but I don't see him as a top 5 play or anything. Jordan Cameron with another productive day. I know some people are a bit disappointed with the lack of TDs, but 81 yards is not bad for those not named Graham or Gronk. Speaking of Gronk, it was a very poor day. Partly his fault, partly Brady's. I'm not concerned. Heath Miller had a TD called back in an otherwise bad day. I like him as a low TE1 option going forward. I'm done predicting big games for Zach Ertz right now, too much going on at the QB position. He will be good, but it might not be this year.

Reviewing the early and afternoon games of Week 7

Week 7 proved to be a big test for fantasy teams. A large number of players got hurt. At QB you had Jay Cutler, who was a popular start this week, and Sam Bradford. You probably didn't start Sam Bradford, but he was widely owned. Nick Foles also left, and he was a pretty popular pick this week as well. Both guys could be out for an extended period. In the running back department, Arian Foster left very early & did not return. Doug Martin also left and did not return. Both of those injuries to be a little less serious. At WR, Desean Jackson left the game and was a big disappointment for owners. Doesn't appear to be long-term. Lastly Jermichael Finley was carted off. When you hear the words 'carted off' its never a good sign. Naturally, I hope you understand that any person making predictions can't really account for injuries. When you are looking long-term, guys do take a hit in value if they are injury prone, but when making rankings, you can't really lower a guy because he might get hurt. It happens. Lets look position by position at the performances around the league.

QBs:
With Peyton & Andrew Luck still to duel, a lot could change here, but standing atop the leaderboard is Matthew Stafford (26) and he is really a huge step up when Calvin Johnson is healthy. He is close to a must start in all leagues. For the second straight week, Andy Dalton (26) put up huge numbers. Its well known he has the offensive firepower around him. I think he's gotten himself into a groove, and that makes him a good play depending on the matchup. Next week he faces the Jets, and I'm not playing him there. RGIII (25) finally returned to prominence. He is running again. As long as he is healthy, he is a top 5 QB. That is all there is to it. Matt Ryan (22) showed us all how talented he is. He turned Harry Douglas into a star. No problem starting him. Colin Kaepernick (19) also returned to form. He didn't throw a ton, but he didn't make mistakes and had a great day running. I really like him when Manningham and perhaps Crabtree return. Mike Glennon (17) had a respectable day for any desperate owner who started him. It looks like he will be a matchup play. On the disappointing end we have Tony Romo (12), Tom Brady (7), and Nick Foles (5). I know Foles got injured, but if you were expecting a big day, shame on you. I did have him as my 12th or 13th ranked QB, so he was generally the best alternative option on my rankings, but I wasn't expecting much. Long term, it looks like Vick is safe. Tony Romo is a bit inconsistent, but 12 points isn't terrible for a bad day. Tom Brady on the other hand...with Gronk back thats a pretty terrible performance, even against a good defense. I am definitely concerned.

RBs:
No surprises at the top with Matt Forte (28) and Frank Gore (22), but Roy Helu (22) with three touchdowns? This is a bad bad sign for Alfred Morris (9). He got the carries and the yards, but they refused to go to him at the end zone. This might turn into a Bills timeshare from last year but worse. Speaking of the Bills C.J. Spiller (1) looked really bad and just not healthy. I saw someone on Twitter suggest they need to give him a game off. It might be the best option. I'm one of many analysts who has loved Spiller without stepping back, but even I am admitting its time to reel back expectations. I still have hope that its injury-related and he can heal and bring it back for the fantasy playoffs. Jacquizz Rodgers (17) hardly rushed at all, but he has become a very solid pass catcher. He might be a Darren Sproles type player. Reggie Bush (9) had a rough day, but he is still a great option long term. As bad as it was, he came out with 90+ yards. Another bad day for Ray Rice (6), I'm holding, but I'm not stopping anyone else from trading for whatever they can get. It looks pretty bad. Luckily he is on bye next week.

WRs:
Calvin Johnson (27) with that signature day everyone looks for. Had touchdown issues last season  but with his talent, they were bound to come. I would consider him untouchable if I owned him. Across from him, A.J. Green (21) had another big day. He is still a bit dependant on the play of his QB, but if he had a Stafford-type QB...wow. Vincent Jackson (25) with two straight 2 TD games. I was really worried on how he will do with Mike Glennon, but it looks like he can definitely be a top 10 play. Harry Douglas (20) with a great day. This may have been my worst call, but I stand by my reasoning. There was no reason to think Douglas could come out and perform this well. I give him credit, but a lot of that goes to Matt Ryan as well, who played phenomenal football. The same goes for Jarrett Boykin (16). He is looking at long-term relevance. Pick him up if he is still out there. Justin Blackmon (5) and Josh Gordon (2) are guys that everyone was high on but they both got shut down. With those offenses and QBs, it will happen from time to time. Still like both a lot based on talent. Torrey Smith (6) and Pierre Garcon (5) are two #1's on good offenses that got shut down. I'm buying low if I can, especially on Smith. Start all Patriots receivers at your own risk.

TEs:
Well, Gronk (11) is officially back. I'm pretty confident he will be my #1 TE going forward. Jordan Reed (19) had a huge coming out party. He is still available in many leagues. Grab him. He is extremely talented and rose up the depth chart very fast. Tyler Eifert (10) finally had the game I was looking for, but it only came on 3 catches and 4 targets, so I don't really see him as a good play yet. Jeff Cumberland (4) only had 3 catches for 41 yards, but he really looks like a big part of that offense. Zach Ertz (3) is one of my latest man crushes. Another quiet day, but he has definitely overtaken Brent Celek. At least with Nick Foles throwing. No idea how it plays out with Michael Vick.

Thats a wrap for the early games. Time to go watch Peyton destroy Indianapolis! If you want further discussion on a player mentioned above, or a player not mentioned, leave a comment! For quick and brief analysis, tweet me @LopsidedTrades!