Fantasy Notes: Good Plays & Bad Plays For Week 6
Submitted by Brandon on Fri, 10/15/2010 - 9:05pm
If you’re like me, you’re obsessed with researching fantasy predictions because you’re afraid of committing to a starter without doing the proper research. So here’s some of my own fantasy advice to add to the mix.
Quarterbacks
Good plays:
Joe Flacco: Last year, Baltimore gashed the Patriots with its running game. But this year, Baltimore should be able to torch New England with its passing attack. Flacco looks to have put his early season INT-tossing ways behind him and with the help of Anquan Boldin and T.J. Houshmanzadeh, Flacco should make quick work of New England’s 28th-ranked pass defense.
Philip Rivers: In five games, Rivers has already thrown for 400+ yards twice. He’s also never thrown less than 22 TD’s in a game and has only thrown 4 INT’s. St. Louis may be playing inspired defense, but so far this season, Rivers hasn’t found a defense that he couldn’t shred. That’s bad for the Rams, but great for fantasy owners.
Bad plays:
Brett Favre: Oh, Brett. Do you really need to keep adding line items to the list of reasons why you should have actually retired this time? At least there’s no “I” in tendinitis…oh. Anyway, an ailing Brett Favre against an embarrassed and frustrated Dallas team that needs a win to salvage any shred of hope of making the postseason? That’s the definition of “bad matchup”.
Josh Freeman: Freeman has shown remarkable improvement this year, but not enough to be favored against the Saints. What’s not working in his favor is the fact that New Orleans’ defense has only given up 5 passing TD’s this season, while the Bucs’ offense has only scored 5 TD’s this season. If Tampa wins, it’s probably not going to be through the air.
Wide Receivers
Good plays:
Any Colts receiver: Peyton Manning + primetime football + porous Washington secondary – running game = lots of passing game fireworks. Just picture the elder Manning as Oprah standing in front of a studio audience comprised of Indianapolis wideouts: “You get a touchdown!” “You get a touchdown!” “Everybody gets a touchdown!”
Hakeem Nicks: Nicks shouldn’t have any trouble with the encore to his stellar Week 5 stat line against Houston. The Lions’ secondary is ranked 24th in the league and the unit ranks ninth in the league in terms of passing TD’s allowed (8) and fourth in passing plays of 40+ yards (4). Straight cash, homie.
Bad plays:
DeSean Jackson: Jackson’s numbers this year have been disappointing to say the least, so his owners can expect Andy Reid to work hard to fix that. But it won’t happen against the Falcons, who are only giving up 15 fantasy points per game to opposing wide receivers. The unit has also only allowed 2 passing TD’s all year. Better luck next week, Jackson.
Cowboy’s receivers not named Miles Austin. Austin is the only guy out of this bunch that I trust to break a big play. Sure, Williams has been better and the Minnesota secondary has been injury-plagued. But considering that the Vikings are only surrendering 14.5 fantasy points to opposing receivers, I’m going out on a limb to say that this might not be as good of a matchup as it might appear to be.
Running Backs
Good plays:
LeSean McCoy: In the past two weeks, McCoy has touched the ball 51 times and gained 312 yards and one rushing TD. He’s easily the heart and soul of the Eagles offense right now and he has great vision and agility that will make him hard for Atlanta to take down. He’s a must start this week.
LaDanian Tomlinson: Just when you thought Tomlinson was on the way out, he goes and turns into the steal of many 2010 fantasy drafts. And against Denver’s decimated defense, look for LT to pad his stats even more. The Jets’ improved passing game should open plenty of lanes for Tomlinson to run through.
Bad plays:
Justin Forsett: Pete Carroll has made it clear that there’s an open competition at running back in Seattle, and given that the Seahawks have recently acquired Marshawn Lynch, Forsett doesn’t look to benefit. Only start if him you really need a flex pick or if your league is pretty deep.
Brandon Jackson: Jackson’s complete Week 5 stat line against Washington: 10 carries for 115 yards. Jackson’s Week 5 stat line minushis early 71-yard run off a blown tackle by Washington: 9 carries for 44 yards. Don’t drink the Kool-Aid. Besides, Green Bay isn’t really running the ball enough to capitalize on Jackson’s slightly improved yards per carry.
Tight Ends
Good plays:
Dallas Clark: See wide receivers.
Vernon Davis: Alex Smith needs to have a strong game. Davis is arguably his favorite target. And Davis caught 5 passes for 104 yards and a TD last week. And the Raiders are fourth-worst in terms of points yielded to opposing tight ends. It’s a matchup made in heaven for Davis, who will also be trying to keep Mike Singletary from dropping his pants again.
Bad plays:
Owen Daniels: As long as Daniels stays on the injury report, he’s not going to get many passes thrown his way.
Benjamin Watson: Here’s how you can effectively neutralize the impact of a tight end: Insert a rookie starter at QB, and then make the team play against the Pittsburgh Steelers in Ben Roethlisberger’s first game after returning from a suspension. Thanks for playing, Cleveland.
Defense/Special Teams
Good plays:
Buccaneers D/ST: Okay, stick with me on this one. It all comes down to turnovers. Tampa Bay has a +5 turnover differential this season and a secondary that caught three INT’s (including a pick-six) last week against the Bengals. New Orleans turned the ball over 6 times in their past two contests. Don’t be surprised if the Bucs snag some takeaways on Sunday.
Pittsburgh D/ST: Colt McCoy is starting for Cleveland. Some kid named Roethlisberger is starting for the Steelers. Polamalu is healthy. Advantage Pittsburgh.
Bad plays:
Washington D/ST: Sunday Night Football against the Colts. Last time the Colts were on NBC, they put up 30+ on the Giants. Meanwhile, the Redskins are giving up 298 passing yards per game. Better sit this one out, guys.
Cleveland D/ST: See Pittsburgh D/ST.
Now, as far as kickers go, here’s a simple rule: if they’re reasonably accurate, and the team on which they play has a reasonable chance to get into field goal range, then go ahead and start them. If not, keep ‘em on the bench.
Wall, that’s all I’ve got. Hopefully, it helps. If any of you want to do more research, here are some helpful resources that I’ve used over the years: Matthew Berry’s “Love/Hate” and ESPN’s Fantasy Football Points Against.
Best of luck this week.
Comments
You told me to play Nicks and
You told me to play Nicks and Austin. You obviously suck. Why don't you learn what football is. I bet you've never even seen a game in your life. Etc, Etc, Etc.
(I figured every fantasy writer worth his beans needs some hatemail. Once you've got it, that means you've arrived. You, good sir, have arrived.)
Post new comment