Waiver WRs

If you're like me on draft day, you feel the compelling need to grab a quarterback and a pair of running backs pretty early on.  I feel as if I'm scrambling to find suitable options at those positions if I don't use 3 out of my first 4 picks on them.  I also tend to emphasize the tight end position a little bit more than most.  Then it happens...it's round 6 or 7 and I have one wide receiver on my roster, and there is much left to choose from. 

If this is you and your productivity from the WR spots has been less than ideal, don't panic.  You may just be lucky enough to be in a league where some of the following are still available.

(all percentages based on Yahoo league as of November 7th)

Eric Decker- The second year man out of Minnesota has put up more than solid numbers this season.  His 406 yards are steady, but he's found the end zone  whopping 6 times!  I wouldn't be too discouraged with Tebow under center either.  In his last 2 games, Decker has 9 catches for 119 yards and a pair of scores.  He is currently owned in 76% of leagues.  What's going on in that other 24%?

Torrey Smith- Owned in less than half of existing leagues (45%), the rookie speedster has 397 yards thus far to go along with 4 touchdowns.  His big play capabilty is a great threat to add to your roster.  He made some big plays against the Steelers on Sunday night and as long as Flacco stays upright, I'd look for those homeruns to come more frequently.

Antonio Brown- With Hines Ward playing sparingly lately, Brown has been targeted more than any other Steeler in the passing game.  He is owned in 68% of leagues, and that number is rising fast.  So if you want a shot at the "Young Money Crew" member, you had better act fast.  Although he has only found paydirt once so far, he has emassed 463 yards on 39 grabs.  If your league gives points for the return game, then Brown is a must own.

Early Doucet- I don't understand how a guy with 437 yards and 3 scores can only be owned in 34% of leagues.  With Larry Fitzgerald grabbing most of the attention of opposing secondaries, Doucet has found a nice niche this season in Arizone.  I wouldn't expect the world from this guy, but he could be a sneaky pick up.

James Jones- A high risk, a reward type of players, Jones will sometimes leave you very frustrated.  He is owned in 55% of leagues as of right now,  but has a solid 4 scores to go along with 347 yards.  Aaron Rodgers has a lot of targets on the Green bay offense, so he may not get as many targets as you may like, but Rodgers does a great job of spreading it around, so all-in-all, Jones has some serious value.

Earl Bennett- Bennett had a great game last night against the Eagles, catching 5 passes for 95 yards and a score.  He has been hampered by injuries and that's likely the reason for his extremely low rate of ownership (11%).  With his fellow Vanderbilt buddy, Jay Cutler, seeing much better protection these days and a lack of weapons on the Bears' offense, Bennett could be a key come fantasy playoff time.

- - Mark

Aaron Rodgers owners: Be afraid, be very afraid…

by Brent

Halloween is in our rear-views but there’s reason for Aaron Rodgers owners to still be quivering.  Okay, maybe I’m being a little extreme, but pardon me for trying to instill a tiny bit of uncertainty into confident Aaron Rodgers owners that have been frightening opponents all year long, hear me out.

Is it possible for Rodgers to be too good? Emphatically, yes. The Green Bay Packers are the only undefeated team left in the league, and at the half-way point it’s got many talking about the Pack running the table en route to a second consecutive Super Bowl championship. With sights set so high, are the Packers willing to risk their Uber-star quarterback late in the season when fantasy owners are having hopes of a championship themselves?

If you recall last year, week 15 in Detroit, Aaron Rodgers got sacked and had to leave the game from a concussion prompting him to miss the following game on the road in New England. I would not want to chance that this time around with Green Bay seemingly already wrapping things up in the NFC.

The point is it’s never too early to look ahead. Do your homework. Here are some possible waiver wire quarterbacks that you might want to consider now as an insurance policy for when the season’s on the line.

Matt Hasselbeck : owned in 56% of leagues. Week 15 @ Indy (got to love that), Week 16 home vs. JAX, and week 17 @ HOU. Not bad matchups for a Tennessee team with an outside chance at the playoffs.

Andy Dalton: owned in 36% of leagues. Week 15 @ STL, Week 16 home vs. ARZ, Week 17 home vs. BAL. A personal favorite of mine. This kid is getting better by the week and the week 15 and 16 matchups should have fantasy owners falling over themselves to scoop him up now.

Matt Cassel: owned in 46% of leagues. Week 15 home vs. GB, Week 16 home vs. OAK, Week 17 @ DEN. Matt Cassel, yeah yikes. But actually three nice matchups there. The Chiefs will throw the ball and should be competitive all the way to the end.

The Great Pretender

 By Mike

Sometimes there are teams who make themselves relevant through their reputation alone.  One such team is the Dallas Cowboys.  Come on- -it’s the truth. We all know they really aren’t a great team this year and yet we ignore it, look past it- -some even still proclaim they are Super Bowl contenders! This really is nonsense.  I am actually laughing right now, a proverbial LOL is order! 

The Cowboys sit at 4-4, not a horrible mid season record but not a great one either.  A deeper look reveals a little more than those numbers show.  Dallas has beaten no one this year- -really they haven’t- -Seattle, St. Louis, Washington, and San Francisco, that's it. 

Seattle is 2-6. They are horrible.  Very simple

St. Louis is 1-7. They are horrible.  Very Simple

Washington is 3-5.  They are not horrible, they are just very bad.  I don’t think anyone would disagree.

San Francisco is 7-1.  That looks great on paper but is it really that amazing of a win?  San Francisco could easily be the subject of this paper too.  They have a big record right now but I don’t think they’re fooling anyone.  With a list of accomplished wins not much better than Dallas’ they are simply the best piece of garbage in the NFC West landfill.

Now let’s look the teams they lost to- -Philly, New England, Detroit, and NYJ.  The Dallas Cowboys have put up no wins of any real significance.  Any of those 4 teams would have been a much better opponent to tackle than any they actually beat.  Tony Romo just does not have what it takes to lead that team to victory against quality opponents and I do not think Demarco Murray will be able to carry the team on his Rookie back.  I said it once and I’ll say it again.  The Cowboys are fake, wait for it.

Monday Night Fantasy Preview

Chicago at Philly

By Mike

LeSean McCoy is the best fantasy back in football right now. With 750yds on the ground and another 150 through the air, McCoy is a big time threat every time he touches the ball. Chicago ranks 10th in league in rushing defense but I don’t see this be any problem for McCoy, expect 100yds and a TD.

Opposite McCoy is the somewhat surprising Matt Forte. Forte has had a productive season to the delight of some fantasy owners who grabbed him as a great value pick in this year’s drafts. Philly has had some trouble stopping the run this season. They managed to give up 71yds on just 8 carries to the rookie Demarco Murray last week and i expect Forte to have success as well.

 Michael Vick is always a fantasy threat. He is nowhere near the nightmare he was last season but his big play potential is among the best. Chicago’s defense can be stingy at times but they are no strangers to big plays and I think we can expect Vick to exploit mistakes early.

 Under center for Chicago, Jay Cutler will take his shots at an Eagles secondary that's beginning to shape up.  Philly has three of the NFL's premiere shutdown corners and Cutler is going to struggle. I hope your not counting on him to make your Monday night comeback.

WR DeSean Jackson has been frustrating this year. Jackson worries me because Philly has had some issues getting the ball downfield. Without that deep attack, Jackson’s effectiveness is greatly reduced and his fantasy production has suffered as a consequence.

TE Brent Celek could really boost his fantasy ranking with another good game tonight. The one time fantasy star has fizzled out over the last season. If he can put together another strong performance this week, I would be comfortable getting him into a starting TE spot.

Fantasy Profiles: No longer hype

Week 9 featured a day in which a few up-and-comers finally showcased their abilities.

Julio Jones blew up in a big way torching the Colts for a pair of highlight-reel TD receptions while totalling 131 yards. Yeah, I know..we're talking about the Colts D here but let's not forget the last time Julio was healthy he put up 127 yards on the Seahawks thanks to a whopping 17 targets. I don't know about you, but I'm starting him next week without even knowing his matchup.

Welcome, Roy Helu. Seemed sort of a secret weapon you knew the Skins were sleeping on. Obvious threat in the pass game if I'm actually reading his line right (14 rec, 105 yds). Mike Shanahan's propensity to infuriate fantasy owners by never committing to one back has me hesitant, but you may not get the chance to pick him up if he goes off again.

And a quick shout-out to Jake Ballard. The 6'6"/275lb New York Giant TE is really finding his groove in an offense I've been known to gush about. Ballard, now with back to back 7 target games, made a remarkable game-winning catch, something only to reaffirm Eli's confidence in his new big bud. I like him more than Fred Davis and Greg Olsen going forward.

Who else deserves to be on this list?

-brent

Week 9 Instant Impressions

by Brent
@3EastFantasy

The big game of the day was in Foxboro were fantasy owners had to be disappointed with production from both teams until things came together in the 4th quarter. Eli"te" Manning? He's making a strong case with or without a top-notch fantasy day. Let's hope the G-men can get their starters healthy so we can see this offense firing on all cylinders again.

Gronkowski and Hernandez have emerged into viable, if not must, starts. Welker will always be Brady's go to guy but the two young TEs are the only other weapons worthy of confident starts.

Any room left on the DeMarcco Murray bandwagon? I'm hopping on. He's showing it game in and game out to the ire of Felix Jones owners everywhere.

I'm not so sure I'd be as eager to jump on the rollercoaster ride that is Tim Tebow. The huge numbers today will give owners confidence to start him on the road in KC next week but you've got to wonder how many rabbits Tebow can pull out of his hat until the magic is exposed. Will always be a risky start but if you don't have a stud QB, Tebow will be in your lineup for the short term.

Anyone still worried about Phil Rivers? Umm, actually yes, I am. The interceptions being thrown are uncharacteristic of an otherwise confidence-oozing QB making one wonder if there are inconsistencies in the offensive philosophy.

Is this the Houston Texans year to finally make the playoffs? It's looking that way. Many are expecting Andre Johnson back for the matchup at Tampa in week 10 but no one can say they lacked the offensive weapons today. Arian Foster is continuing his ascend back to the top and Ben Tate is making a case to be considered as a must-own in all formats. Tate could be huge down the stretch and if Foster's hamstring becomes a problem you could have a top 10 back fall right in your lap. Something to consider if in need of an RB.

Let's quick honor Steven Jackson. Jackson has yet to disappoint when healthy this year, a microcosm of Jackson’s career, steady and productive.

A lot of storylines from week 9, with arguably the two biggest games yet to be played.  Stay Tuned.

Quick Fantasy Thoughts

Fantasy Quick Bite

By Mark

Although he didn't reach the end-zone, Roy Helu is someone to keep your eye on.  Beck was running for his life today, partially due to bad offensive line play, but mostly because of his own inability to get the ball out quickly.  As long as the backfield in Washington is as promising as our economy, Helu added some promise with an impressive 146 total yards and a franchise record 14 receptions..an added bonus in PPR leagues