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 9: 55 & 5 RB Rankings

1. Matt Forte
2. Adrian Peterson
3. Jamaal Charles
4. Eddie Lacy
5. LeSean McCoy
6. Alfred Morris
7. Marshawn Lynch
8. Fred Jackson
9. Chris Johnson
10. Stevan Ridley
11. Arian Foster*
12. DeMarco Murray
13. Darren McFadden
14. Ray Rice
15. Le'Veon Bell
16. Trent Richardson
17. Zac Stacy
18. Danny Woodhead
19. C.J. Spiller
20. Darren Sproles
21. Ryan Mathews
22. Steven Jackson
23. Pierre Thomas
24. Mike James
25. Ben Tate*
26. DeAngelo Williams
27. Jacquizz Rodgers
28. James Starks
29. Chris Ivory
30. Willis McGahee
31. Roy Helu
32. Mike Tolbert
33. Brandon Bolden
34. Daryl Richardson*
35. Bilal Powell
36. Shonn Greene
37. Brian Leonard
38. Donald Brown
39. Joseph Randle
40. Bernard Pierce
41. Marcel Reece
42. Chris Ogbonnaya
43. Tashard Choice
44. Benny Cunningham
45. Robert Turbin
46. Jonathan Stewart*
47. Khiry Robinson
48. LeGarrette Blount
49. Lance Dunbar
50. Rashad Jennings
51. Felix Jones
52. Alex Green

#9 Chris Johnson - (#15 on ESPN Rankings)

This is the ranking that might come back to bite me. BUT Chris Johnson has had two good games in his past three. Sure they were both on fluky passes that ended up going for a lot of yardage, but thats what CJ2K does. I think he actually has a nice run this week and it gives him a good game.

#14 Ray Rice - (#11 on ESPN Rankings)

I haven't given up on Ray Rice for the season, but I'm certainly not positive in the meantime. I actually felt this ranking was generous considering the performance thus far. He is coming off a bye though, so Rice should have hope that this is the week he is fully healthy and performs like he should.

#21 Ryan Mathews - (#14 on ESPN Rankings)

The Ryan Mathews relevance has been nice, and he is still very much relevant at this spot, but he was still a major disappointment before two weeks ago and I don't see that overlying fact changing. This is a nice matchup so he is certainly an RB2 option, but you can do better.

#24 DeAngelo Williams - (#18 on ESPN Rankings)

Sure, DeAngelo got a TD last week, but other than that, his performance was disappointing. He saw his carries go below 10, and he left with a leg injury. Even if the leg injury isn't a problem, the carries are. Mike Tolbert is the goal line back, and Jonathan Stewart may be returning.

#28 Daryl Richardson - (#39 on ESPN Rankings)

Even if Stacy plays, I think Richardson should get 10 carries in this game. I also think he isn't as bad as he showed earlier this season. I think its entirely plausible he could end the day with 10-12 touches and 60-70 yards. Maybe even more if Stacy is out. Worth an add if you own Stacy.

Deeper Thoughts...I still believe in Jacquizz Rodgers as a potential fantasy worthy player despite Steven Jackson's return. Jackson clearly isn't 100%. Ben Tate is one player who could rocket up the rankings if it turns out Arian Foster is out. Of course, Tate has his own problems, but has said he will play. Brian Leonard is a sneaky option for desperate owners, especially in PPR leagues. He had 6 catches last week and really didn't look bad. He could definitely see an uptick in carries. I'm really disappointed with the way the Raiders have underutilized Marcel Reece, I expect that to change eventually.

Week 9 WR Rankings

1. Dez Bryant
2. Jordy Nelson
3. Brandon Marshall
4. Desean Jackson
5. Pierre Garcon
6. Andre Johnson
7. Denarius Moore
8. Antonio Brown
9. Terrance Williams
10. Keenan Allen
11. Josh Gordon
12. Stevie Johnson
13. Harry Douglas
14. Vincent Jackson
15. Torrey Smith
16. Danny Amendola
17. T.Y. Hilton
18. Alshon Jeffery
19. Dwayne Bowe
20. Jarrett Boykin
21. Steve Smith
22. James Jones*
23. Nate Washington
24. Kendall Wright
25. Roddy White*
26. DeAndre Hopkins
27. Marques Colston*
28. Ted Ginn
29. Darrius Heyward-Bey*
30. Aaron Dobson
31. Tim Wright (Also TE eligible)
32. Kenny Stills
33. Chris Givens
34. Golden Tate
35. Brian Hartline
36. Emmanuel Sanders
37. Riley Cooper
38. David Nelson
39. Jacoby Jones
40. Vincent Brown
41. Jeremy Kerley
42. Donnie Avery
43. Brandon LaFell
44. Dexter McCluster
45. Kenbrell Thompkins
46. Tandon Doss
47. Rod Streater
48. Eddie Royal*
49. Darius Johnson
50. Greg Jennings
51. Marlon Brown
52. Leonard Hankerson
53. Lance Moore
54. Cordarrelle Patterson
55. Cole Beasley
56. Julian Edelman
57. Robert Woods
58. Stephen Hill
59. Drew Davis
60. Myles White
61. LaVon Brazill
62. Greg Little
63. Jason Avant
64. Santana Moss
65. Brian Quick
66. Tiquan Underwood
67. Jerricho Cotchery
68. Tavon Austin
69. Marquise Goodwin
70. Jerome Simpson

#6 Pierre Garcon - (#9 on ESPN Rankings)
This ranking is more of a dislike of the rest of the options, not a particularly big endorsement of Garcon. But I do think he is more talented than the numbers he has put up. Its just that a lot of defenses have focused their attention him. He is still receiving a lot of targets, the yards will come.

#8 Denarius Moore - (#16 on ESPN Rankings)
Last week Moore was absolutely shut down. This wasn't a big surprise after I did the research for my latest article. I really believe Moore has developed into an excellent receiver, and he and Pryor have great chemistry. Pryor struggled tremendously with the passing game (He had more rushing yards on his touchdown than passing yards for the game), against the Eagles this week? I love Moore.

#12 Josh Gordon - (#7 on ESPN Rankings)
Its not like I hate Gordon, but the Ravens have been very tough since their week 1 atrocity. They have only allowed 4 passing touchdowns in 6 games since. Odds are if the Browns get a touchdown, its from Gordon. Still, expectations should be lowered.

#13 Stevie Johnson - (#22 on ESPN Rankings)
Stevie was droppable for a span where he dealt with injuries and QB uncertainty. He has come back from those injuries and with some practice time, developed a good rapport with Thad Lewis. Note: Just received word as I was finishing this that Lewis missed practice again today. If he does not play, I would consider Stevie unstartable w/ Matt Flynn or Jeff Tuel.

#23 Steve Smith - (#11 on ESPN Rankings)
I don't really understand this ranking by the pros at all. Steve Smith, at age 34, is in decline. His most yards this season is 69. Basically, if he doesn't get a touchdown, he isn't a great fantasy option. Even against the Falcons, I'm not optimistic.

Quick Thoughts...I'm still really high on Terrance Williams. He is a true WR2 imo. I am expecting a slow start from Percy Harvin, but I also think that if Revis plays man, its against Golden Tate. Not starting either if I can help it. If James Jones doesn't play, Jarrett Boykin is a nice WR2 option. For now just a flex. It is entirely possible that Ted Ginn and/or Brandon LaFell outperform Steve Smith. I'm big on Ginn, so I'm going with him. I'm very low on Marques Colston, but I do like him a bit better than Kenny Stills...still. With Kellen Clemens, it looked like Chris Givens was the favorite target. Thats not saying much, but worth mentioning.

Week 9 TE Rankings

1. Jimmy Graham
2. Rob Gronkowski
3. Antonio Gates
4. Jordan Cameron
5. Jason Witten
6. Jordan Reed
7. Tony Gonzalez
8. Martellus Bennet
9. Greg Olsen
10. Garrett Graham
11. Heath Miller
12. Coby Fleener
13. Kyle Rudolph
14. Timothy Wright
15. Jared Cook
16. Scott Chandler
17. Delanie Walker
18. Dallas Clark
19. Anthony Fasano
20. Zach Ertz
21. Ed Dickson
22. Brent Celek
23. Levine Toilolo
24. Andrew Quarless
25. Zach Miller
26. Zach Sudfeld
27. Benjamin Watson
28. Lance Kendricks
29. Mychal Rivera
30. Sean McGrath

#5 Jason Witten - (#7 on ESPN Rankings)
For whatever reason, Jason Witten has been much better at home than on the road. All three of his highest yardage totals came at home, as well as all three of his touchdowns. Its a good matchup against the Vikings, its at home, and he is coming off a down game. I like his chances.

#10 Garrett Graham - (#13 on ESPN Rankings)
Graham has been a major disappointment since taking over the TE1 role in Houston. Others may be out, but not me. Graham received 8 targets from Case Keenum against the Chiefs, who happen to be by far the most shutdown team against tight ends. Those 8 targets were the most of any player on Houston - more than Andre or DeAndre. Against any team that isn't the Chiefs, I expect a lot more success. Also factor in how the bye has surely helped Case Keenum get familiar with his targets.

#13 Kyle Rudolph - (#10 on ESPN Rankings)
I will never understand any love for Kyle Rudolph. He is wildly inconsistent. Even in a good matchup, I don't trust him. He has a bad QB situation and he has only scored more than 5 points once in the past 5 games. Look elsewhere.

Let me know what you think in a comment below, or tweet me @LopsidedTrades!

Week 9 QB Rankings

I always do my QB rankings on Fridays. As a non-professional, I just don't have the time to get those rankings done with the amount of time I put into RB and WR rankings. This is one of the weeks where I was somewhat glad I didn't have to rank them. As much as I think Andy Dalton is merely okay, he was playing at such a high level lately that I would have had to respect him in the rankings.

On the whole, players that are not that talented don't score a lot of fantasy points. As obvious as that sounds, its easy to forget when a guy like Dalton scores 20 points in three games straight. Talent (usually) doesn't develop overnight. Its a long process. The same for declining talent, such as Tom Brady perhaps. With that, lets jump into the rankings.

1. Drew Brees
2. Cam Newton
3. Aaron Rodgers
4. Philip Rivers
5. Tony Romo
6. Robert Griffin III
7. Andrew Luck
8. Russell Wilson
9. Terrelle Pryor
10. Matt Ryan
11. Ben Roethlisberger
12. Joe Flacco
13. Alex Smith
14. Tom Brady
15. Jake Locker
16. Nick Foles
17. Christian Ponder
18. Josh McCown
19. Geno Smith
20. Case Keenum
21. Jason Campbell
22. Thad Lewis**
23. Mike Glennon
24. Kellen Clemens
25. Jeff Tuel/Matt Flynn**

** - A lot of uncertainty in Buffalo this week. If Its not Lewis, they are dead last in my rankings.

#6 Robert Griffin III - (#9 on ESPN Rankings)
RGIII suffered a big setback on the road to fantasy recovery last week. Before last week he was making a lot of improvements, and I still see him as startable. Its certainly a risk, but one that is worth taking.

#8 Russell Wilson - (#5 on ESPN Rankings)
Russell Wilson himself is a very capable quarterback. His offensive line however, is well below average right now. Tampa Bay doesn't get a ton of sacks, but they aren't one of the worst defenses and they can certainly pressure the QB. 8th isn't bad, but I don't see this as a great week for Wilson.

#9 Terrelle Pryor - (#12 on ESPN Rankings)
Pryor struggled mightily last week against the tough Steelers, after his giant first run that is. This week, I see Pryor running all over the Eagles and his passing game should be much improved as well. Definitely a great alternative option this week.

#11 Ben Roethlisberger - (#14 on ESPN rankings)
I am definitely concerned about the return of shutdown corner Aqib Talib. However, since a disastrous week 1, Roethlisberger has had double digit fantasy points in every game. That is more than you can say about a lot of other good QBs this season. Roethlisberger is a safe and reliable backup option.

#12 Joe Flacco - (#17 on ESPN Rankings)
I like guys coming off their bye. Especially with the run blocking and rushing struggles, this is a pass first team. Jacoby Jones is fully healthy, Tandon Doss and Marlon Brown are some of the better #3 and #4 options out there. Even if Torrey Smith struggles against Joe Haden, Flacco himself should play decently.

Deeper Thoughts...I really like Jake Locker, he is essentially mistake free. After seeing the Rams crush Russell Wilson, I am definitely concerned for this week. The next two guys after Locker on my rankings, Nick Foles and Christian Ponder are both two guys that I expect to play well this week in good matchups. Case Keenum is not a good fantasy option, but he is definitely a guy that I am excited to watch. If he became a top 15 QB it would be a great story. Its certainly possible!

As always, be sure to follow me on twitter @LopsidedTrades for a lot more analysis!