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StarFantasySports.com: Fantasy Sports Blog
Week 11 All-Sleeper Team
Here is my Week 11 all sleeper team, a full lineup of players most likely available in your league who may have a good week:
QB - John Beck: The rookie will make his debut for the Dolphins on the road at Philadelphia. While normally you wouldn't want to start a rookie QB, especially one on a 0-9 team, the Eagles defense has been pretty mediocre against QB's. Are you a risk taker?
RB - Maurice Morris: While he wasn't spectacular filling in for Shaun Alexander after he got hurt last week, he still compiled 87 yards & a TD. It is still unsure whether or not Alexander will be full go on Sunday, but with his string of injuries & a defense that's one of the worst against fantasy running backs, Morris makes an intriguing play.
RB - Dwayne Wright: Marshawn Lynch looks to be out this weekend against the Patriots, meaning Anthony Thomas & Dwayne Wright are likely to split carries. While Thomas seems to be first in line to get the start, Wright has been seeing more action during the season. The match up against the Patriots is tough, but there is always the chance of a vulture TD or two.
WR - Ike Hilliard: I continue to mention him despite only having one TD because I figure someone who is on pace for 82 catches is bound to get more TD's. Garcia is enjoying a Pro Bowl caliber season, so if you are going to take a chance, Hilliard is best option.
WR - Marty Booker: With John Beck now at the helm, Booker may find an increased role in the offense. As mentioned above, Miami will be going against a mediocre Philadelphia defense, so Booker may gain some points. Then again, he may not.
WR - David Patten: May of had a quiet week last week, but seems to be the #2 receiver for the Saints. And that's good, considering how hot Drew Brees has been the last 5 games. Patten still makes a good flex option while Brees is hot.
TE - Leonard Pope: Came out of nowhere with 2 TD receptions and 52 yards receiving last week against Detroit. This week Arizona gets Cincinnati, and we know how bad that Bengals defense is. Could provide a good game.
K - Phil Dawson: The high scoring Browns will go against the low scoring Baltimore Ravens. The Ravens defense is still good, but that won't matter because their offense is pathetic. Expect plenty of opportunities for Dawson.
DEF - Oakland Raiders: Adrian Peterson is out and he contributes to over a third of their total offense & 60% of their total touchdowns. Looks like it'll be a long day for the Viking offense. The Raiders D is a smart play here.
StarFantasySports.com
Week 10 All-Sleeper Team
Here is my Week 10 all sleeper team, a full lineup of players most likely available in your league who may have a good week:
QB - Steve McNair: The Ravens & McNair looked absolutely horrible last week against the Steelers. However, if you were ever going to play McNair, it would be this weekend against a horrendous Cincinnati defense. Hopefully you have another option, but if not, you could gamble on McNair at home.
RB - Justin Fargas: There's about a 50% chance he's already been scooped up in your league, but if not, it'd be a good idea to grab him now. He's the new starting running back for Oakland, he's going up against a surprisingly poor Bears run defense & is averaging 5.4 yards a carry. Need I say more?
RB - Priest Holmes: He's been a hot pickup this week, but like Fargas, there's a 50% chance he's still available. He'll be going up against the worst rushing defense in the NFL & gets the start for an injured Larry Johnson. He'll split carries with Kolby Smith which will amount to be around 15 carries, but that may be enough to make a fantasy impact this weekend.
WR - David Patten: Patten had another strong fantasy week, catching 4 passes for 81 yards & a TD. He's stepped it up as the Saints offense as gotten hot, as he has 332 receiving yards the last 4 games. Still available in most leagues, he's worth a start.
WR - Brandon Stokley: With Javon Walker out, Stokley has been quitely putting together some decent games, catching 14 passes for 173 yards & 2 TD's the last 3 games. Walker will still be out this weekend, so Stokley will still get plenty of looks this weekend. A decent sleeper.
WR - Reggie Williams: The former first round pick has been a bust during his career, but had a big game against a bad secondary last week, racking up 128 receiving yards & a TD. If Jacksonville falls behind early to Tennessee, that means they'll have to throw just as much as last week, and that could equal big points for Williams.
TE - Jeff King: King quietly has 30 catches for 285 yards this year. While the Carolina QB situation is constantly in flux, King may come through against a bad Atlanta team.
K - Olindo Mare: I know, he's only hitting 50% of his field goals, but the fact that New Orleans is scoring like mad makes this a moot point. He's a risk-reward kicker but with the Saints going against a bad Rams team, he'll get plenty of opportunities.
DEF - Atlanta Falcons: After playing good against a poor 49ers offense, they get to match up with a struggling Carolina offense this week. While I hope you have better options, this is probably the best you can find on the free agent market.
StarFantasySports.com
Losman To Start Again This Sunday
With Trent Edwards on the mend, J.P. Losman slid back into the starting role last Sunday against Cincinnati & played very well. He struggled the early part of the year after a breakthrough 2006 campaign, but threw for 295 yards (70.6 completion percentage, 8.7 yards per attempt) with a TD & INT. When you look at Losman's schedule, it's very favorable with plenty of mediocre pass defenses remaining, starting with Miami this Sunday coming up. What he did last Sunday is what he was doing effectively last year, connecting often with Lee Evans. As long as he has Evans, he makes an intriguing QB option down the stretch.
StarFantasySports.com
Need A Priest?
It looks like Larry Johnson will be out this coming Sunday, meaning Priest Holmes will likely be starting for the first time in almost 2 years. Holmes hasn't looked overly impressive this year, but then again, he only has 7 carries for 17 yards. The good news, he's going up against the putrid rushing defense in the NFL, the Denver Broncos. While it's unclear how much playing time he'll receive (Herm Edwards said not to expect for than 15 carries), he certainly can help you out if you own Johnson and/or need a running back.
StarFantasySports.com
Week 9 All-Sleeper Team
Here is my Week 9 all sleeper team, a full lineup of players most likely available in your league who may have a good week:
QB - Sage Rosenfels: Houston will be facing a tough Oakland secondary, but without a legitimate running game, they'll be passing A LOT. Rosenfels has been pretty effective this year stepping in for Matt Schaub & will get the start this weekend with Schaub out again. He currently has a 88.1 passer rating and is averaging 7.4 yards an attempt. Looks like a good option this weekend.
RB - Ryan Grant: With DeShawn Wynn out for the season, Ryan Grant will get the start after a solid performance against Denver last week. He gets a decent match up against Kansas City this weekend & is seemingly the starting RB for the Packers this point on. Without that many running backs available, you should probably scoop him up while you can.
RB - Justin Fargas: Coach Lane Kiffin said that Fargas will be getting more carries in the coming weeks, most likely due to Lamont Jordan's struggles the last 3 weeks. With Fargas averaging 5.7 yards a carry, there could be plenty of opportunities against a bad Cleveland defense.
WR - Ike Hilliard: Jeff Garcia, who had been playing out of his mind, finally had a bad week last week, therefore Hilliard had a sub par week. While they will be playing against an Arizona passing D that is about as tough as Jacksonville's, it's hard not to go with a WR that has a QB playing well at home. Expect a rebound.
WR - James Jones: Here is another WR that has a QB playing out of his mind in the form of Brett Favre. Jones is listed as the #3 receiver but had a monster game against Denver last week & seems to be emerging as another threat in Green Bay's passing game. It doesn't get easier this week going to Kansas City with the Chiefs strong D against fantasy QB's, but it's definitely worth the gamble if you have nothing to lose.
WR - David Patten: Drew Brees & the Saints are rolling on offense & quietly Patten has two 100 yard games in three weeks. As I've noted several times, the Saints have some tough passing defenses to go up against the rest of the way & it won't get easier against the Jags this weekend. But, if you wanted to play a strong hunch on someone who could count on down the stretch, Patten is your man.
TE - Visanthe Shiancoe: It's tough finding a free agent TE that'll get you some decent points, but you might want to check out Shiancoe. Last week he had 50 yards & a TD and will be going against a San Diego defense that has been surprisingly generous to fantasy QB's. He's hit or miss, so keep your fingers crossed.
K - Matt Bryant: The Arizona Cardinals are 13th in the league in defensive scoring (22.4 points per game). Bryant is hitting 85% of his field goals. Kickers are always hit or miss, but this is probably the best of what is available.
DEF - Atlanta Falcons: The 49ers come to town with their pitiful 12.6 points per game offense. Normally you wouldn't want to start the Falcons under any circumstance, except maybe this one.
StarFantasySports.com
Call Off The Search Team, Lee Evans Has Been Found
One of the most disappointing fantasy players this year has to be Lee Evans. Coming off his first 1,000 yard season, everyone had high expectations for an encore, but he hasn't come even close to last year's production. You can't really fault Evans though, with the Bills going to rookie QB Trent Edwards, everyone's value took a hit as he learns how to play at this level. But slowly things are changing. Evans had 5 catches for 98 yards against Baltimore 2 weeks ago & then had 5 catches for 138 yards & a TD last Sunday against the Jets. Two things you should know about his game last Sunday:
1) 85 of those yards & the touchdown came on one play where 2 Jet defenders collided and allowed him to scoot to the end zone freely.
2) That touchdown pass came from J.P. Losman, who took over after Edwards hurt his wrist.
Losman is known for his ability to throw the deep ball & it didn't take long for the Bills to let him start slinging it again. Evans is known better for his speed & breaking away from defenders, so it's a match made in heaven for him. While he & Edwards were starting to click more, Losman is the better compliment at this point.
We don't know who will be starting against Cincinnati this weekend, but we do know that their defense is terrible. If Edwards plays, I'm not sure I'd start Evans because of the question marks with Edwards' wrist. If Losman is the starter however, then give Evans the full go & hope Losman can also play against a poor Dolphins secondary the following week as well.
StarFantasySports.com
Maybe Colston Isn't A Lost Cause
Just when I had written him off, Colston comes back and has a monster game, 85 yards & THREE touchdowns! Good thing for me there wasn't anybody worth picking up for me to drop him & hopefully for you too. I touched on Drew Brees in a previous post, so the same thing applies to Colston & that's there aren't any overwhelming mismatches the rest of the way for him. It's nice that Brees & the Saints are getting hot again, but Colston got those 85 yards on 8 catches (10.6 yards per catch), which is right around his season average (10.2 yards per catch). Basically what this all means is that he'll have to catch around 10 passes to even get to the 100 yard plateau. That's not good production. My best recommendation is to try and trade him for a more productive receiver. Mention how hot the Saints offense is looking and see if you get a bite. If you can't get a more productive receiver, then it's ok to keep him because you could do worse. Just don't be shocked if he goes back to what he was doing before last week.
StarFantasySports.com
Grant Runs All Over The Broncos
The Green Bay backfield has been a merry go round all season long. First it was Brandon Jackson, then it was Vernand Morency, then DeShawn Wynn & now it's Ryan Grant. Grant did look impressive last night, running for 104 yards on 22 carries, but this came against a very poor Denver Bronco run defense. Grant has no other history, so it's hard to tell whether or not to take this game with a grain of salt. Wynn is technically the Green Bay starter, but hurt his shoulder early & didn't return, giving Grant his opportunity. What do we make of this whole situation? Well, the Packers do have some nice match ups against some poor run defenses the rest of the year, but who's going to get those carries? Wynn seems to be the favorite but when Jackson returns from injury, will he split some of those carries as well? It's all too confusing. Any of the Green Bay running backs are probably FLEX players at best. This is why it's important to have 2 solid running backs & their backups from the start, so you don't have to deal with this! If you already own Wynn and/or Jackson it makes sense to pickup Grant, but good luck trying to decide who to start when they are all healthy!
StarFantasySports.com
Brees Becoming A Must Start Again?
After week 5 when New Orleans suffered its fourth loss of the year to the Carolina Panthers, a lot of people, including your truly, wrote them off. Even fantasy wise, anyone that was associated with the Saints were cautious and/or avoided, especially Drew Brees. Well, things have changed the last 3 weeks, with New Orleans winning their last 3, thanks in large part to Brees much improved play. Look at his last 3 games compared to his first 4 games:
| Time Span |
Comp.% |
Yds/Att |
TD |
INT |
QB Rating
|
First 4 Games
|
63.3% |
5.2 |
1 |
9 |
57.4 |
Last 3 Games
|
71.5% |
7.3 |
8 |
1 |
112.9 |
It doesn't take a genius to notice he has improved in every important area needed for a fantasy QB. Completion percentage & yards per attempt both have skyrocketed while he's cut down on the interceptions immensely. I still worry about his schedule as he doesn't have any huge mismatches, meaning he could be hit or miss week in & week out. His last 3 opponents have been decent against fantasy QB's this year, so it may be a moot point. In any case, it seems he & the Saints are back into 2006 form, making Brees a must start once again. But do monitor very carefully.
StarFantasySports.com
Chatman The New Starting RB
With Ronnie Brown now out for the year, Jesse Chatman will take over running back duties in Miami. He was surprisingly effective against New England after Brown went down, gaining 73 yards on 7 carries, and has 117 yards on 20 carries all year, giving him a robust 5.9 yards per carry average. The good news is that he had 392 rushing yards on 65 carries (6.0 yards per carry average) with San Diego in 2004. The bad news is that was the last time he has played football before this year. There are a lot of unknowns, but Ronnie Brown was having a great year before his injury so maybe the scheme will continue to benefit Chatman. Due to the lack of starting running backs available, he should be scooped up right away, but DO NOT play him against these remaining teams on his schedule: Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, Baltimore & New England.
StarFantasySports.com
Griese Finding His Rhythm
In case you haven't seen the Bears 97 yard game winning TD drive under 2 minutes against the Eagles on Sunday, I suggest you go to NFL.com & watch it as it is a thing of beauty. Brian Griese has looked sharp for the second consecutive week making many to ask, is he now a everyday fantasy QB? A 62% completion percentage, 7.4 yards per attempt average & 86.0 QB rating are very good, and the fact that he has done this before in his career shows it's no fluke. However, he does have 6 interceptions to go along with his 8 TD passes, which worries me a bit. He is 2-2 as the Bears starter but has rejuvenated a lackluster offense. He has some great match ups, including this Sunday against Detroit. Is he an every week starter? Probably not, but he does have some great match ups which you can spot start him in. If you are in need of a QB, he's a very good option.
StarFantasySports.com
Marques Colston A Lost Cause?
It's been 7 weeks through this football season & Marques Colston has been less than impressive. He caught 3 passes for 45 yards yesterday & had zero TD's. He currently has 26 receptions for 263 yards (which averages to a paltry 10.1 yards per catch) with only 2 TD's & is on pace for 701 yards & 5 TD's. Last year in only 14 games, he had 1,038 yards (14.8 yards per catch) & 8 TD's. So the question is, what is going on?
Well, for one, Colston & company have been going up against some tough FANTASY passing defenses. As far as points allowed to QB's, New Orleans has not faced a D ranked lower than 16th (throw out the Atlanta game yesterday & it'd be 11th). This could be the reason for Drew Brees' struggles as well (7.98 yards per attempt last year, 5.64 this year) & when your QB can't deliver, the receivers will suffer too. It doesn't get easier for the Saints either, as I count only 2 games the rest of the way where they'll face a FANTASY passing D out of the top 16 (St. Louis ranked #19 & Arizona ranked #22).
It seemed that things might be turning around when they upset Seattle, but after yesterday's performance, it doesn't look like it. New Orleans can't seem to game plan against these tougher teams & all offensive players are suffering from it. At this point, cutting Colston for someone else may be a wise move.
StarFantasySports.com
Week 7 All-Sleeper Team
Here is my Week 7 all sleeper team, a full lineup of players most likely available in your league who may have a good week:
QB - Byron Leftwich: As horrible as the Falcons offense has been, Leftwich will now replace Joey Harrington this Sunday against Atlanta. Lucky for Leftwich, he's going a against a pretty weak secondary in the form of the New Orleans Saints, who allowed 362 passing yards to Hasselbeck last Sunday. A good sleeper choice.
RB - Kevin Faulk: With Sammy Morris out, Faulk figures to see a big increase in carries this weekend. It is still unsure whether or not Maroney may or may not play, but with the Dolphins giving up 145 yards per game to running backs, he figures to benefit either way.
RB - Correll Buckhalter: I never thought I'd say to start a running back against the Bears defense, but the Bears are giving up 132 rushing yards & at least 1 TD per game this year to running backs. With Westbrook always getting hurt & Buckhalter averaging 5.4 yards a carry (4.4 for his career), he's one of those guys who could get 7 carries and still get you 10 points.
WR - Kevin Walter: Did you know he has 23 catches the last 3 games combined? Last week he caught 12 passes for 160 yards. He still doesn't have a TD this year, but with Andre Johnson looking like he's out again, he could have another big game.
WR - Marty Booker: I know he's going against New England this weekend, but with Chambers now out of the picture, Booker is now the Dolphins #1 receiving option. Cleo Lemon is a pretty mobile guy & it wouldn't shock me to see some success with him running out of the pocket & finding his receivers. Booker may have a decent game.
WR - Nate Burleson: D.J. Hackett is ready to come back but Burleson will still be starting. Responded last week with 63 yards & a TD, and will be going against a battered Rams team this weekend. With Deion Branch still out, continue to play him.
TE - Eric Johnson: With the Saints offense finally getting back on track, Johnson caught a TD for the first time this year. Don't forget, this is the same guy who had 825 receiving yards in 2004, he's just been derailed a bit by injuries. If Brees & company are really back on track, he could provide decent numbers for a TE.
K - Mike Nugent: The Cincinnati defense is giving up points like they're going out of style (31.2 points a game, worst in the NFL!). The Jets offense, while not impressive, do seem to be in line for plenty of scoring opportunities. Nugent may have a big game.
DEF - Oakland Raiders: This was a tough one because there really are no match ups that scream "mismatch". The Raiders will play the Chiefs this weekend, whom have scored only 15 points a game. The Chiefs are playing better lately & the Raiders defense have allowed some points, but they get KC in their yard. Consider this just to be a big hunch that Oakland's D stands tall.
StarFantasySports.com
Buccaneers Acquire Bennett
Another move at the trading deadline was the Buccaneers acquiring Michael Bennett from the Kansas City Chiefs. With Michael Pittman out for unknown amount of time, this will give the Bucs some veteran legs. Jon Gruden says Bennett will probably not see action this week, but should be ready Week 8 against Jacksonville. With Graham struggling the last 3 weeks, this is most likely his last chance to receive the bulk of the carries. Bennett hasn't done that well this year, but he's been behind a battered Kansas City line & has a career rushing average of 4.5 yards a carry.
The outlook? Not so good. Tampa Bay has a tough stretch of rushing defenses coming up, with the only noticeable mismatch being this week against Detroit, whom Bennett will likely not play against. There are a couple good match ups against Atlanta (2 games) & Houston, but Pittman might be back by then. You can pick him up if you need to fill out your bench, but don't expect much & don't be hesitant to drop him for another valuable pickup.
StarFantasySports.com
Effects Of The Chris Chambers Trade
The biggest move at the trading deadline was the San Diego Chargers acquisition of Chris Chambers. Chambers started off hot with the Dolphins, then cooled down a bit but seemed to pick it up last week. He's on pace for over 1,100 yards & that was on a bad Miami team. He hasn't scored a touchdown this season, but that figures to change fairly quickly.
A lot of people are now considering Chambers & Philip Rivers to be everyday fantasy starters now, but you might want to hold on a minute. Miami may have not had the weapons as San Diego has, but it's not like Rivers has performed great or consistently yet this year. It still remains to be seen whether this will make an impact at all because it comes down on the shoulders of Rivers to get Chambers the ball.
The bottom line is that this should not effect Tomlinson or Gates value, but don't go expecting Rivers and/or Chambers value to go skyrocketing. If you have more consistent options, I'd go with those & do the wait & see approach with Rivers & Chambers.
StarFantasySports.com
Droughns In Line For More Carries?
The New York Giants backfield got more muddled last night. With Brandon Jacobs injuring his ankle & receiving a stinger & Derrick Ward having trouble getting on track with his ankle injury, Reuben Droughns stepped in and rushed for 90 yards on 14 carries, including one rushing TD. So what do we make out of all of this? It's really too hard to say. Droughns only had 11 carries prior to this game, so he may revert back to his old role, or he may have played himself into more carries. Droughns had 14 carries, Jacobs had 13 & Ward had 8, so maybe they'll use a rotating system. No one really knows at this point, but due to the value of runningbacks, it might be wise to add Droughns if you own Jacobs and/or Ward.
StarFantasySports.com
Welker Has Career Day
Do you remember when Brandon Stokely had a career year as the 3rd WR during Peyton Manning's recording breaking TD season? Well, Tom Brady is on pace to break Manning's record this year & Wes Welker, New England's 3rd WR, is enjoying the ride. Welker had a monster day yesterday, catching 11 passes for 124 yards & 2 TD's. You might be shunned away with the "3rd WR" label, but you shouldn't. New England is dominating on offense & everyone is benefiting from it. Welker is on pace for over 1,000 yards & 8 TD's, making him a solid #2 or FLEX option the rest of the year.
StarFantasySports.com
The QB Carousel Continues In Arizona
First it was Leinart, now it's Warner. Can't Arizona QB's stay healthy? Looks like their are conflicting reports regarding Warner's elbow, but is Rattay a suitable fantasy replacement if he is unable to go? Let me think... no. Rattay came in, completed 12 of 24 for 159 yards, was picked off 3 times, fumbled the ball twice (though he didn't lose any of them) & had a big fat goose egg on TD passes. I know he has weapons & I know he only has been on the team for a week, but he is a journey man QB and won't help much. Oh yeah, they'll be going against an EXTREMELY tough Washington pass defense this Sunday. Look for other options if you are in need of a QB this week.
StarFantasySports.com
Week 6 All-Sleeper Team
Here is my Week 6 all sleeper team, a full lineup of players most likely available in your league who may have a good week:
QB - Damon Huard: It looked like Brodie Croyle would be going for Huard, but Herm Edwards says Huard is all healed up and ready to go against a horrible Cincinnati secondary. Most likely available, could put up some good points this weekend.
RB - Kenny Watson: Mentioned him in a past post, could be starting with Rudi Johnson missing an entire week of practice. Averaging 5.2 yards a carry this year, he'll be going against a below average KC run defense. Could come up huge in a game that may turn into a potential shoot out.
RB - Jason Wright: Another guy missing a whole week of practice is Jamal Lewis, meaning Wright will most likely get the start. He's averaging 5.4 a carry and will be going against a bad Miami run defense. Excellent sleeper.
WR - Nate Burleson: With Deion Branch out, Burleson will make the start & will be going against a pretty bad St. Louis Rams secondary. Started out hot the first 3 weeks, then went up against some stiff secondaries in San Francisco & Pittsburgh & cooled off. Should be able to expose the Rams though.
WR - Brandon Jones: Been hurt all week but Jeff Fisher says he will play. He's the Titians leading receiver & Vince Young's more reliable target. Going against a tough Tampa Bay secondary, but most likely there aren't any other receivers that lead their team in receiving that are available.
WR - Ike Hilliard: Has surpassed Michael Clayton on the team's depth chart and has responded with 15 catches the last 2 weeks combined. Becoming a favorite target of Jeff Garcia and still widely available, a good play despite the tough matchup.
TE - Alex Smith: I said last week he was most likely the best available free agent TE & he responded with 2 TD's! I'm picking him again even though I don't expect 2 TD's. Seems to be a reliable red zone target, but will be hit or miss every week.
K - Dave Rayner: I mentioned the Cincy-KC game might turn into a shoot out, so Rayner stands to benefit if that does hold true. He's only 6 for 8 on attempts this year, but 3 of those makes are from 40 yards or beyond. A good choice this week.
DEF - NY Giants: A suddenly improved Giants defense will be going up against one of the worst scoring offenses in the league in Atlanta. They will be playing in Atlanta, but don't let that deter you from using them this week.
StarFantasySports.com
Rudi Johnson Isn't Practicing - Watson To Start?
Rudi Johnson again has not practiced today, making his start this weekend against Kansas City very questionable. Kenny Watson would be next in line if Johnson can't go. Is Watson a good play? Kansas City's rushing defense has allowed 123 yards per game to running backs, including a fat 4.4 yards per carry. Watson certainly isn't a sexy name, but did you know he has a career rushing average of 5 yards per carry? He's averaging 5.2 yards per carry this year, including rushing for 55 yards on 13 carries against a tough New England run defense. All signs point to a positive game for Watson if he starts. If you are in need of a #2 RB or flex option this week because of BYE's, there may not be a better option out there.
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