Start Sit Week 9

We have entered the final half of the season. The ninth week of the season finds six teams on bye, many players injured last week, and the home stretch finding us. Last week we were pretty solid on our choices for the start/sit. Ladarius Green got hurt, but the other 9 players written about were 8/9 in the direction they were suggested. Come inside and check out the Week 9 start/sit advice.

Start

Allen Hurns, WR, Jacksonville Jaguars

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Hurns has a great match up this week against the Jets. After watching the Jets get torched last week by the second and third receivers last week, Hurns stock is looking up. I would expect to see Hurns have a productive week and bring you some value this week. Get Hurns in your lineups this week.

Chris Thompson, RB, Washington Redskins

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Thompson returns from injury this week to a good matchup for his particular abilities. Thompson is the passing downs back, and with Washington likely to be behind in this game, Thompson is likely to be a recipient of playing against a vastly superior team this week. I would start Thompson in ppr leagues that will support his role in a passing game.

Willie Snead, WR, New Orleans Saints

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Snead had two bad games leading up to his 6-70-2 performance in week 8, but was a star in week 8 with 70 yards receiveing and two scores last week. This week agains the Titans I would expect a lot from the young wide out for the Saints. I recommend getting him in your lineup this week.

Heath Miller, TE, Pittsburgh Steelers

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ers
Miller has a great chance to put up some solid points this week against a Raiders squad that has given up the most points per game to tight ends this year. In Ben Roethlisberger's second game back from his injury, I would expect to see him take advantage of what the Raiders are offering, and the answer is likely to be Miller. Start him this week.

Jacob Tamme, TE, Atlanta Falcons

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Tamme is not a great player, but he is in line for a great match up. Tamme has been a monster when Leonard Hankerson is not in the lineup, and this week that seems likely. Tamme has scored well and caught a lot of passes in these games. He is an easy start if Hankerson is out this week. Fire him up if Hankerson is out this week.

Sit

TJ Yeldon, RB, Jacksonville Jaguars

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Yeldon faces off against the defense that allows the lowest amount of Fantasy points per game to the running back position. I have Yeldon in a few of my leagues, and he is squarely on my bench this week.

Frank Gore, RB, Indianapolis Colts

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Gore has had a tough season. The Colts have had a rough road, and this week I can't see him doing much. The Broncos have a great defense and I can't see Gore being better than this whole defense this week. I fear for the Colts.

James Jones, WR, Green Bay

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Jones had a monster start of the season, but his unsustainable start of the year is reaching a head. With Montgomery returning and facing the top tier defense of the Panthers this week, I can't see myself starting Jones this week. If you didn't trade him yet, I think you have already missed the boat with Jones.

Deangelo Williams, RB, Pittsburgh Steelers

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Williams was fantastic the first two games of the season. With the loss of LeVeon Bell last week, it has become Deangelo's job. The Raiders are the 19th ranked defense in points allowed to running backs. I wouldn't start Deangelo this week.

Still all the 49ers

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I can't see myself playing a 49ers player for Fantasy this week. The RB situation is bad. The WR situation is also bad. This week is more of a play for the local league than the numbers seem to make good.

So as we finish up an evening of beer and writing, these are my players for the start/sit article for week 9.
Come see us next year to make some progress.

Start Sit Week 8

It's been a while. I've missed you. Have you missed me? Well we find ourselves here in the eighth week of the NFL season. It's moving so fast. So many of our preseason guesses have moved into the right or wrong category. We are turning the corner toward the playoffs. Hopefully you are still worried about making them and bringing home the ship.

Well I am here to help. Bringing back the start and sit article from the dead for Halloween. Giving you some insight on what I think are some good match ups for some of your players this week. Let's dive in.

Start

Ladarius Green, TE, San Diego Chargers

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Green has once again found himself with a tremendous opportunity. The start of the season presented one as well with the suspension to Antonio Gates. And now Gates is likely to miss his second game in a row. Last week Green made the best of his opportunity scoring on one of his five catches for

45 yards. The Chargers have had a big aerial attack this season, and that is just how you beat the Ravens. Green is a must start this week.

Jonathan Stewart, RB, Carolina Panthers

Stewart has a fantastic schedule ahead of him, and this week starts off the rest of the year with a top tier game. Facing the Colts on Monday night, Stewart squares off against the 7th worst defense in fantasy points allowed to running backs. Indy is allowing an average of over 100 yards and more than a touchdown per week. Coming off of a big game where he ran for 125 yards last week against the Eagles, make sure you play Stewart this week.

Stefon Diggs, WR, Minnesota Vikings

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Diggs has become a rookie sensation. After missing the first three games of the season, Diggs has made his presence known in the last three Vikings games. Averaging over 100 yards and 6.3 catches per game, Diggs is a great play for a PPR or Standard league. The Vikings face off against the Bears this week, and their 10th worst rank in Fantasy points allowed to wide receivers. Expect there to be a lot of opportunity for Diggs this week.

Michael Floyd, WR, Arizona Cardinals

Floyd and the Cardinals face off against the Cleveland Browns and their lackluster passing defense. The Browns don't allow a huge amount of yards per game, 242, but they do allow a lot of touchdowns. So far on the season the Browns have allowed 11 touchdowns through the air. This sets up the passing game of the Cards well. Another possible benefit for Floyd is the status of John Brown. Brown is questionable this week, and it has been rumored that the team will rest him this week to get him healthy. If Brown is out, Floyd is a Halloween weekend monster.

Willie Snead, WR, New Orleans Saints

Snead had a good start to his season, and then cooled a bit in the last game. This week Snead and the Saints will face the beat up New York Giants defense and their 30th ranked pass defense. The Giants are allowing 288 yards per game and 10 scores on the season. Snead should find a nice match up awaiting him this week.

Sit

Isaiah Crowell, RB, Cleveland Browns

Crowell has been extremely inconsistent so far this season. The worst bit of news for him is that there are now three mouths to feed again in Cleveland. Crowell has not been making the most of his touches in recent weeks either. In his defense there have been some difficult match ups, but Crowell has lost a lot of his share of touches to both Robert Turbin and Duke Johnson. This week the Browns face off against the Arizona Cardinals and their eighth ranked run defense. The Cards only allow 97 yards per game, and only three touchdowns on the ground through seven games this year. I can't play Crowell on any of my teams this week.

Dez Bryant, WR, Dallas Cowboys

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Dez has been out since the first game of the season with a broken bone in his foot. This week he participated in practice in a limited fashion. The Cowboys have been snake bitten so far this year, losing not only Bryant, but then Tony Romo the next week. The quarterback situation has been a mess, and now here comes Seattle. It is likely that Richard Sherman would roll with Dez on Sunday if he plays, and I won't want any part of that match up playing for me. I have put my money where my mouth is on this one too. I traded for Dez in a few leagues after he got hurt, and I am not even considering playing him this week. I want to see how he looks, and see him playing against a different defesne.

Latavius Murray, RB, Oakland Raiders

Murray has the misfortune of facing the top ranked run defense of the New York Jets this week. The Jets have allowed 71 yards per game, and only two scores on the season. So far this year Murray has only had one monster game. There is not a lot of positive feeling about this game for me about the ability of Oakland to run. I have Murray on the bench in leagues where I can afford to bench him.

Amari Cooper, WR, Oakland Raiders

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Cooper is the other side of the terrible match up the Raiders have this week. Cooper will draw the coverage of Darrelle Revis, who is a top shut down corner. Cooper has been able to take advantage of his good match ups this season, and has not done much in the harder ones. In week five Cooper faced Denver and their tough secondary, and had four catches for 45 yards. Week four saw Cooper face the oddly shut down in yards and allow touchdowns pass defense of the Chicago Bears. Cooper followed the trend, with only 49 yards, but a score. So while he may one day be an all time great, and is quite polished as a rookie, Cooper will likely be shut down this week, and you should shut him down too.

All the 49ers

There is not a player on the 49ers I am excited about playing this week. Facing the Rams in St. Louis is a daunting task. Now add to that the fact that Carlos Hyde will not be playing. Colin Kaepernick has been mostly terrible this year. Anquan Boldin hurt his hamstring in practice on Thursday and might not play. The offense will rely on Reggie Bush, who can't stay healthy, and Torrey Smith. I don't want anything to do with any player from the 49ers this week.

So there you have it. Welcome back to the FTW blog, and thanks for your time. I hope in the next few weeks to continue to provide you some strategy and advice artilces. Feel free to find me on twitter, or email me any questions you have. Make sure to check out my injury article on socalledfantasyexperts.com. Thanks for reading.

Start Sit Week 4

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Welcome in once again to another start sit column. I'm writing this after having watched the abomination that was another Thursday night football game. The offense in these games is painful to watch. It is a marginal product at its best, and is not safe for the players. But the money will keep them coming back. I digress.
So for the fourth week of the season there are some great match-ups, and some not so good. This is, as always what we strive to unearth every week. So let us take a look at the players who we should start and sit this week.

Start

Chris Ivory, RB, New York Jets
Ivory was active last week for the Jets, but did not get a touch. This week Ivory has said that he feels much better than last week, and he has been participating in practice. The Jets play in the London game this week, and will kick off at 9:30 am eastern. This will require you to make an early decision on him, but as long as he is active, I would start him. The Dolphins defense has been a huge disappointment so far this season. Allowing 145 yards per game on the ground so far this season, Miami is like a matador to opposing running backs. Ole, and start Ivory.

All the Bears and Raiders
Obviously this is meant for the top tier starters for these teams. I would include in this Amari Cooper, Alshon Jeffery, Latavius Murray, Matt Forte, and of course Martellus Bennett. With Gronk out, many fantasy analysts have Bennett as the top tight end this week. The Raiders can't stop the tight end. This is evidenced by them allowing a career day to Gary Barnidge last week, which in turn allowed me to win a bet where I now get to kick the loser in the face. Defense will not be at a premium in this game, and I would start all my players in this game with confidence.

Arian Foster, RB, Houston Texans
Foster has been out since the preseason with a groin injury. It has become possible that he will get into the action this week for the Texans. If Foster is active, he is a must start in my opinion. Foster usually will not come back from an injury unless he is ready to go. Houston will face the Atlanta Falcons this week. The Falcons are middle of the pack in yards allowed on the ground, but they have given up six rushing scores through three weeks. If you drafted Foster this year you have been waiting for him to come back. Bask in his glow while you can.

Karlos Williams, RB, Buffalo Bills
Williams has been a very bright spot for the Bills so far this season. So far on the season Williams is averaging 62 yards per game on the ground, but he has also scored a touchdown every week so far. The Giants are actually the second ranked run defense by yards allowed, but I believe that is a bit of fools gold. The Bills are a good run blocking unit. I expect the rookie to have a solid week.

Melvin Gordon, RB, San Diego Chargers
Gordon has had positive and negative press in the Fantasy community so far this season. He has not been able to pass block, and a lot of his role has been taken by Danny Woodhead. This week the Chargers and Gordon take aim at the worst run defense in the league, both this year and last. The Browns have allowed 158 yards per game so far this season. I expect Gordon to be able to gash them, and hopefully get himself a nice long score. Gordon should be a solid RB2 or flex play for your squad this week.


Sit

Doug Martin, RB, Tampa Bay Bucs
Martin has opened the season with three great match ups this season. The problem is that he has looked every bit of the Martin we saw over the last two years. Martin has been unable to take advantage of his beneficial schedule early this season. This week Martin squares off against the fourth ranked by yards run defense of the Carolina Panthers. Carolina is only allowing 75.7 yards per game. The offensive line of the Bucs is not very good either. This seems to be the perfect storm to keep Martin's numbers down this week.

Lamar Miller, RB, Miami Dolphins
I have lost my faith in Miller and the Dolphins. Miller has been abysmal so far this season, and the Dolphins have been under-performing on both sides of the ball. The Jets have a good defense, even though they are middle of the pack in yards allowed per week. The Dolphins have not blocked well, passed well, and definitely haven't run well. I am not interested in starting any piece of their offense outside of Jarvis Landry, and that is only because of volume in a PPR.

Carlos Hyde, RB, San Francisco 49ers
Hyde looked amazing on the first Monday night of the season. Then he got banged up during Week 2. And in Week 3, the box was stacked. The rest of the league knows that Colin Kaepernick is not a good quarterback. They are willing to stack the box and let Kaep throw and force him to beat them. You can expect this to remain the case for the rest of the season. This week against Green Bay I expect the same, and with coverage for the Packers being pretty good, they can afford to push forward and force the issue.

Mike Evans, WR, Tampa Bay Bucs
Evans has been out or a decoy in two of three games this season. So how can I tell you to sit him? Josh Norman. The corner for the Panthers has been making his case to be the next shutdown corner in the NFL, and he is making it well. With a rookie quarterback in Jameis Winston, and facing off against one of the better defensive units in the league, I am thinking that I will take my chances with whoever I was playing while he was out.

Defenses to stream

Green Bay Packers are a solid streaming choice this week. The 49ers almost fooled us in Week 1. But their true colors have shined through since. I expect a solid game from the Packers, and even though the game is in San Francisco, I am starting the Packers defense this week.

San Diego Chargers face off against the Cleveland Browns. Possessing a good secondary will help to control Travis Benjamin. The Browns have been a bad running unit and I can't see this changing much this week. I think the Chargers at home this week are a good option for a defensive streamer.

Quarterbacks to stream

Ryan Fitzpatrick, QB, New York Jets is facing off against the middle of the road pass defense of the Miami Dolphins. The Dolphins have allowed six passing touchdowns on the season. If Fitzpatrick has all of his weapons back, he is a solid streaming option this week.

Brandon Weeden, QB, Dallas Cowboys faces off against a New Orleans Saints defense that has allowed six touchdowns on the season. The Saints have not intercepted a pass on the season, a good thing for a quarterback that is a backup. With another week under his belt, and a chance to get more comfortable with his abilities and limitations, I can see using Weeden for an emergency fill in this week.

We reach the end of another start sit for Week 4. It's crazy to think that we are already in the fourth week of the season. It's going so fast. All the buildup of the off-season and drafting has come down to this. Take this information and use it for good this week. Good luck!

Start Sit Week Three

The Week Three slate is underway. Game on! The Giants played a great all-around game on Thursday night, taking it to the Redskins. OBJ looked good. Reuben Randle had the game of his life. And Washington was handled. Their offense was stuck in the mud. Now we head into the weekend slate of games. All teams still playing this week for the last time until Week 12.

So here we are again. Meeting here is becoming commonplace these days. I don’t mind. Always happy to talk about Fantasy and give you my thoughts about players and their situations. Who do I like this week? Who do I not like? What defense am I interested in? What quarterbacks can be streamed this week? Well let me tell you what I think.

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Start

John Brown, WR, Arizona

Get used to Brown being on this list. He is a great player in a great situation. As long as Carson Palmer, the offensive line, and Brown stay healthy, he’s pretty much a weekly starter in this offense. Brown has had decent stats so far, and a monster is coming. On top of his nine catches for 91 yards and a score, Brown has drawn two pass interference calls. This week the Cardinals play a 49ers defense that was lit up by the Steelers last week. Still reeling, I don’t believe the 49ers are the team from Week One, and are actually the leaky boat that played Week Two. A big game is in the works for John Brown. Don’t let him have it from your bench.

Jimmy Graham, TE, Seattle

Graham was missing in action last week in Green Bay. One catch on two targets and one leak that he is pissed. This week the lowly Chicago Bears come to town to face an 0-2 Seahawks squad that will be looking to make a statement to the league. Chicago is weak on both offense and defense. The walking wounded roster of the Bears is likely to be missing Jay Cutler and Alshon Jeffery. The defense for the Bears is not in much better shape. This is the reset season. Ctrl+alt+delete on the whole team. The defense is a 4-3 squad being made to play in a 3-4 scheme. This preseason I saw Jared Allen dropping into coverage. Not something I would want to see from my team. This leads me to want to play Graham this week. I expect Seattle to score at will. And if they get in close, expect them to try to feed Graham, pissed or not.

Latavius Murray, RB, Oakland

Murray faces a Browns team this week that was dead last in run defense last season. Even with additions this year, they still aren’t a good unit. In their first game of the season the Browns allowed Chris Ivory to run for 91 yards and two scores. Last week they allowed Dexter McCluster to run for 98 yards. Murray had 65 yards on the ground last week and a score. I expect to see him run a lot this week. I have him inserted in my starting lineups where I have him, and so should you.

Frank Gore, RB, Indianapolis

Gore has some of the Fantasy world concerned. Not this guy. I had no desire to have any shares of Gore this season, yet ended up with him on multiple squads. At some point a value is too good to pass up. At this point I have absolutely no idea what to think of Gore. The first two weeks of the season were against some very good defensive units. The Buffalo Bills and the New York Jets were 11^th and fifth against the run last season. The schedule gets a bit better for the next two weeks, and if you have Gore and are ever going to play him, this is the week. Don’t let his good matchups go to waste and fire him up this week.

CJ Anderson, RB, Denver

Anderson was a very early draft pick, and he has not met expectations. A toe injury and some very bad offensive line play have hampered the efforts of Anderson so far this season. Normally I wouldn’t be telling you that a matchup with the Lions is just what the doctor ordered. The Lions were the top ranked run defense last season. But this year is different. Suh is gone. Levy is out. And the Lions are letting you run. I am a staunch supporter of Anderson, in fact completing a trade for him in a league today, and writing an article in support of trading for him you can read here. With 10 days off, Anderson has had time to heal and has been a full participant in practice so far this week. Get him in your lineup this week.

Sit

Lamar Miller, RB, Miami

Miller has been pretty much a disappointment so far this season. Miller left last week with an ankle injury. What he did before that wasn’t very impressive. Only rushing for a total of 67 yards in the first two weeks, and catching six passes for 50 yards is not a good start. Miller has returned to practice on Thursday, but his matchup leaves a lot to be desired. The Buffalo Bills travel to take on the Dolphins this week. The Bills had a stout run defense last year and shut down the Colts in Week One. Week Two the Patriots solved the riddle to an extent, but Dion Lewis only had 40 yards rushing. I can’t see a banged up Miller doing a lot on the ground for the Dolphins, and if you have another option get him on your bench.

Matt Forte, RB, Chicago

Forte might be the only healthy guy on the Bears offense. Don’t think that this fact will escape the 0-2 Seahawks. The box will likely be stacked against Forte until likely starter Jimmy Clausen makes them back off. Forte is going to have a long day, with Jay Cutler and Alshon Jeffery highly likely to be out this week. I would sit Forte if you have a capable replacement on your bench.

DeMarco Murray, RB, Philadelphia

Murray has been bad. It’s not all his fault. The offensive line play has been atrocious. The quarterback play has been worse. And the offense is a giant pile of smoldering garbage. Expect it to erupt into flames on Sunday this week. In addition to the issues the Eagles have been having, Murray left practice on Wednesday with a hamstring injury. This sit recommendation might be moot by Sunday if Murray cannot go. And we haven’t even considered the matchup. Say hello to the Jets. Yeah, the ones who shut down the Colts high powered offense last week. If Murray plays, I would be expecting the status quo of the season. Sit your Murray shares this week.

Drew Brees, QB, New Orleans

Brees and the Saints offense have not played well so far. And now Brees has a shoulder injury that might affect his throwing and distance. Weakness in the shoulder is a side effect of a rotator cuff contusion. This does not make me feel confident in an offense that has struggled in scoring so far this season. And the Saints draw the Carolina Panthers and their stout defensive line and secondary. With a loss of identity apparent, a tough matchup in front of him, and an injury to his throwing shoulder, I have to suggest benching Brees this week.

Doug Martin, RB, Tampa Bay

Martin has had some favorable matchups in the first two weeks of the season. Sadly he hasn’t done a lot with them. On 32 carries so far this season, Martin has had only 130 yards. Three catches for 22 yards are not much of a boost. And these numbers came against the Titans and the Saints. This week the Bucs face the 10^th ranked run defense from last season in the Houston Texans. The front seven for the Texans is a very strong unit. I fail to see how a bad matchup against a good defense is going to be the breakout that Martin owners are looking for. Sit Martin this week.

Defenses to stream

New England Patriots

The Pats play the Jaguars this week. Last season a streaming strategy was to get who the Jags were playing. I have not seen a reason to change this yet.

Atlanta Falcons

The Falcons face a Cowboys squad that is reeling after losing their top wide receiver and their quarterback in the first two weeks of the season. Despite a stout line their running game has not been impressive. I want to play the defense that plays the Cowboys until either Romo returns or they prove me wrong.

Quarterbacks to Stream

Marcus Mariota, QB, Tennessee

Mariota had a great debut in Week One. And then he came back down to earth last week. But Mariota is accurate, and accuracy is not something everyone has. This week facing the Colts, I could see Mariota having a good game. Consider him as a streaming option this week.

Ryan Fitzpartick, QB, New York Jets

Fitzy has been solid so far this season. He isn’t a huge fantasy scorer, but he won’t kill you either. Averaging 15.75 points per game is a good fill in for your quarterback. This week against the Eagles I would love to be playing Fitzpatrick in as many leagues as I can. Hopefully Eric Decker can get back on the field this week to give Fitzpatrick some extra help. I love Fitzy this season as a good option to stream.

So this ends the start sit article for Week Three. I hope that it has been helpful in making your decisions a little more educated. Make sure to check out my injury report articles using thislink. You can follow me on twitter, and sign up to receive notices when I post a new article at the top of this page. Thank you for your time and reading what I have to say. Good luck in your leagues this week.

Trade Targets: CJ Anderson

Well we are about two weeks into the NFL season. As I sit writing this, we all are awaiting kickoff between the Giants and Redskins for week three. Some narratives have come true, some look false. The time has come to wade through these and find the diamonds in the rough that have just gotten off to a rough start.

Last season I wrote an article about Eddie Lacy after the first three weeks of the season. He faced off against three top five defenses to start his season, and was seen to be underperforming. But the reality was, those defenses he faced were good. It was a brutal start to the year. And if you found an owner willing to trade you Lacy, you got a great performance from him the rest of the way. The deal I made was trading Alshon Jeffery for Eddie Lacy straight up. Jeffery was my WR4, and I could afford the deal.

Image source: denverpost.com

So after two weeks of the season, who is a guy that we can take a look at buying low on? 

Who has a favorable schedule moving forward? When should we pounce? Let’s take a look at all these factors together now.

CJ Anderson, RB, Denver has been a major disappointment. I was in love with the narrative for the Denver offense this season. Aging quarterback, stud tight end gone, and new coach who wants to run the ball a lot, what’s not to love. Add to that a defense that can hold their opponents down and make the strategy work. It all sounds so great.

Then, reality sets in.

 Anderson hurts his toe in game one. Peyton looks terrible in the Kubiak offense. He can’t run and looks every bit of his age. The offensive line looks like they can’t block at all. Through two weeks of the season Anderson has 56 yards on 24 carries and five catches for 21 yards. Not good numbers. Is there any good news? Well in Week 1 they played Baltimore in a defensive brawl. Baltimore has been a tough defense against the run.  Kansas City in week two proved a tough match up for the Broncos all around. But in a tale of two halves the Broncos were able to move the ball later in the game, and CJ was the back on the field.

So what does the upcoming schedule hold for CJ and the Broncos? Well before the season I would have told you that the Broncos face a fairly tough start, but also have a Top 5 run schedule this year. Kansas City was an outlier based on their stats from last year, but the next opponent for the Broncos is the Lions, and without Deandre Levy and Ndamukong Suh plugging up the middle, the Lions have not been that strong against the run in their first two games.

After that game the schedule really opens up for the Broncos on the ground. The next seven games are against teams that were in the bottom half of yards allowed on the ground last season. The Patriots are the eighth game out after the Lions, and one of only two more Top 10 run defenses from last season. The Fantasy playoff run consists of games against the Raiders, Steelers, and Bengals for weeks 14-16.

I am recommending taking a shot at trading for CJ Anderson in your leagues. 

If you have a surplus of wide receivers on your bench, you might be able to give your fourth or fifth best wide receiver to a team that is likely in need of an infusion of points. If you are running back heavy, you might be able to move one of them for Anderson.

Basically I see the tide turning for Anderson. If the offensive line can gel, and Kubiak and Manning can find a common ground to run an offense that can succeed, Anderson can truly be a diamond in the rough for your fantasy team. Take a run at his owner and see what you can make happen. Bargain shopping in week 2 can make you a champion.

Waiver Wire For Week 3:

The first two weeks of the NFL season have been brutal to the ranks of Fantasy Football. Dez Bryant, Tony Romo, Drew Brees, Eddie Lacy, Eric Decker, the list goes on. So many of your Fantasy relevant players have gotten hurt. So what are you to do? Hit the wire. Fill those rosters with players that might help you win. Let's find some of those guys together.



It's all about the Benjamins

Travis Benjamin, WR, Cleveland has had a pretty good start to the season scoring 4 times in the first two weeks. Two long receiving touchdowns on Sunday and a punt return  74 yards for a score. Benjamin is a stash and wait kind of player for me. I find him much more desirable in leagues that give points for return yardage. His value may be tied to the ability of Johnny Manziel keeping the starting job. I am not ready to start him, but I could see him on my roster if I need a big upside player.

Starks me up

James Starks, RB, Green Bay has the chance this week to take over the running load in the Green Bay offense. With Eddie Lacy banged up with an ankle injury in week two, Starks came on strong to help the Packers take down the Seahawks. If Lacy remains out his week, Starks steps right into the job with a high ability to succeed.

Jonesin'

Matt Jones, RB, Washington has proven his ability in the Washington run game. Jones had 19 carries for 123 yards and two scores, plus three catches for 23 yards. Jones has wedged his way into the run game for Washington, and I am not expecting that to change anytime soon. Washington will be perfectly happy to have an effective tandem at running back and try to win with defense and clock control. Grab some Matt Jones.

What you Snead

Willie Snead, WR, New Orleans had a lot of buzz during the preseason. Snead hit last week for the Saints, Willie caught four passes for 44 yards and a score in week two. In week one Snead only had one catch for 63 yards, so he may be inconsistent. But the New Orleans offense must try something new. At 0-2 and now possibly without Drew Brees this week, something has to change in the Saints offense. Snead just might be the benefactor of this.

Mr. Rodgers neighborhood

Richard Rodgers, TE, Green Bay was my secret weapon in some of my leagues this season. Once Jordy Nelson went down with a torn ACL, the Packers were going to need some help in the red zone. The reason he was my secret weapon? Well I crunched the numbers from last year and found that Green Bay had the third best schedule for points allowed to tight ends. The only issue was they don't usually use a tight end. Well, Nelson out helped him with that. Last week Rodgers caught both a touchdown pass, and a two point conversion en route to a 3-23-1 night. Not a huge evening, but he was also targeted again for a deep pass and another time in the end zone. So now my secret is out, and you can benefit.

Neon Dion

Dion Lewis, RB, New England has been a monster the first two games of the season. Through the first two weeks of the season Lewis has 22 rushes for 109 yards and a score, and has 10 catches for 149 yards. The bad news is that he has a fumbling issue. The good news, he has still gotten in the game. As hard as it is to trust a Patriots running back, he hasn't come off the field after the fumbles, and Brady has talked him up. If he is still available in your leagues, add him to your roster.

Quarterbacks to stream Week 3

Ryan Fitzpatrick plays at home against the defensively hapless Eagles.
Marcus Mariota plays at home against the Colts. Indy is down corners on defense, and if they don't get them back it could be a great day for Mariota.
Nick Foles plays at home against the Steelers. Not sure who he is throwing to, but the Steelers won't stop it.

Defenses to stream Week 3

Cincinnati Bengals head into Baltimore. The Baltimore offense is no great shakes this year, and I wouldn't expect a ton from them.
Cleveland Browns host the Oakland Raiders. Cleveland has decent corner play and a front line that should start to gel soon. The Raiders just aren't good, yet. They seem to be heading in the right direction, but have a ways to go.

Week Two Start Sit

Well it has been a slow few weeks as real life has caught up with me. Lots of busy things happening. Drafts were amazing. Had a great time, and have some great teams. I hope the same has befallen you as well. So now we have a full week in the bank. It’s time to look at the best plays and worst plays we find this week. So let’s take a look at this week’s start/sit.

Start

John Brown, WR, Arizona is facing his second good match up in a row. After performing fairly well in Week One, with four catches on seven targets for 46 yards and a touchdown, Brown is once again a guy I am sliding into my flex positions this week.  Facing the Chicago Bears in Week Two, Brown finds a favorable situation ahead. The Bears gave up three touchdowns through the air last week. In the 2014 season the Bears were 30^th in passing yards allowed for the season. I expect the issues with the Bears passing defense to continue this week. Get Brown in your lineup.

Carson Palmer, QB, Arizona is leading the attack again this week for the Cardinals. Palmer had a superb opening game to the season, throwing for 307 yards and 3 scores. Palmer is a good enough quarterback to take advantage of a defense that is weak in the passing game. Expect him to do more of the same this week. If you are lucky and planned the start of your season, you can stack Palmer and Brown this week and double your pleasure. Palmer is a great start for you this week.

Bishop Sankey, RB, Tennessee is a surprise addition to this list. I never thought I'd say that after the 2014 season, and the tumultuous offseason at the running back position in Tennessee. Sankey had a fantastic performance in the new and seemingly improved offense of the Titans. Rookie quarterback Marcus Mariota was fantastic in his NFL debut last week, and Sankey was also impressive. This week Sankey and the Titans will face off against the hapless Cleveland Browns. Last season the Browns gave up the most yards per game on the ground. The Browns picked up right where they left off allowing 154 yards in their first game of the season. If you see Sankey hanging out on your waiver wire and are in need of a running back this week, snatch him up and get him in your lineup.

Steve Smith Sr, WR, Baltimore squares off against the not improved defense of the Oakland raiders. The Ravens faced the Broncos in a clash of good defensive units last week. This week, the Ravens offense will have a much better time of it. The Raiders gave up 270 yards and 2 passing touchdowns last week to the Cincinnati Bengals. This bodes well for the likes of Smith Sr. Look for him to atone for dropping a touchdown last week. Get Smith Sr. in your lineups.

Eric Decker, WR, New York Jets is a great second receiver for an NFL team. The good news about that is he will likely not get the top corner coverage a lot this year now that the Jets have a number one guy. This week the Jets face the sub-par defense of the Indianapolis Colts. The colts didn’t give up a huge amount of passing yards in the first week of the season, but they did give up a long score to Percy Harvin. Expect that the top corner, Vontae Davis, will be on Brandon Marshall. This leads me to believe that Decker is primed to have himself a solid game. Start him if you got him.

Sit

LeGarrette Blount, RB, New England Patriots was suspended for the first week of the season so we haven’t seen him on the field yet in regular season action. His first game back is against the stout defense of the Buffalo Bills. The narrative being bounced around twitter and the podcast circuit is that the Patriots will attack the Bills defense with short passing. This seems to make sense with some of the personnel the Pats feature. If this is in fact what Bill Belichick does with his game plan, this doesn’t play well for Blount. Blount is not the best pass catching back the pats have. Along with the possible bad game plan for Blount, Buffalo is very good against the run. The Bills allowed just over 100 yards on the ground per game last season, and in their first game of this season they held the Colts to 64 rushing yards. I’m sitting Blount this week.

Andre Johnson, WR, Indianapolis Colts looked like an old, washed up man last week against the Bills. This week assuming he gets the top corner his opponent has if TY Hilton is out, we will welcome Johnson to Revis Island. I can’t imagine any situation where Revis has two functioning legs and can’t shut down Johnson. The best hope for him is if Donte Moncrief torches the Jets on a few plays and they shift the coverage to Moncrief instead. But this assumes that Johnson is ready for the challenge and steps up to it. I am not looking to take that chance myself and would sit Andre Johnson this week.

Latavius Murray, RB, Oakland Raiders had a decent game for one where his team was never even close to competitive. The good news is he got seven catches in the game last week. This week Murray and the Raiders face the stiff Baltimore Ravens defense. Baltimore only gave up 69 yards rushing last week against the Broncos. This might seem like it is due to the mess that has been the Broncos offensive line, but they were stout last year as well. In the 2014 campaign the Ravens only allowed 88 yards rushing per game and eight touchdowns on the season. This makes me want to put Murray on my bench this week.

TJ Yeldon, RB, Jacksonville Jaguars had 51 rushing yards in his first NFL start. The positives about this are that he got four yards per carry, and that he also caught three passes. This was a game against Carolina, a usually strong defense, but they were missing Star Lotulelei in the middle of that defensive line. This week doesn’t get any easier than last week, squaring off against the Miami Dolphins and their scary defense. The Dolphins did give up a lot of yards in game one of the season, but that was against an actually decent run blocking line of Washington. The Jags line is not that good. I don’t see good things for Yeldon this week and am sitting him in the leagues I own him in.

Frank Gore, RB, Indianapolis Colts squares off against the New York Jets this week. Another team with a strong defensive line, the Jets only allowed 104 yards last week to the Browns, but 58 of those yards were given up to the quarterbacks of the browns. That means that the running backs only gained 46 yards. Gore looked old, and actually left the game with cramps. Gore had 8 carries for 31 yards and 2 catches last week. I am not feeling too good about his chances this week and would bench him for a better option.

It feels good to be back. The first week of the season was amazing. Happy to bring you some advice and insights into who to start and sit in your leagues. Check back for more articles in the near future and read some of my other work at socalledfantasyexperts.com and fakepigskin.com. Thanks for reading and good luck in week two!

Auction Values and Strategy

Iconic rock band Van Halen said it best with the classic rock track "Everybody Wants Some" back in 1980. Granted some of you may not have be born yet, so I may be carbon dating myself for this purpose. If you've ever heard the chorus to the relatively ancient tune, after the title line is sung it's followed by David Lee Roth squealing "I want some too!"

 

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When it comes to fantasy football auctions, team managers want value. To which Roth asks, "Baby how 'bout you?"

The song has become a soundtrack for me every fantasy football draft season, and I would rather have it turn out my way than the 80's movie in which it's featured, Better Off Dead. Most consider the auction draft intimidating, and my first season playing fantasy football I agreed. I was invited to play with some former high school buddies that were looking to replace a team manager that had gotten fed up with league politics and quit. Not knowing what I was in for, I proceeded to overpay for players and barely filled out a competitive roster by the time auction was finished. My season was tanked by the choice of over bidding on an oft injured Rashard Mendenhall, then blowing all of my free agent budget on Isaac Redman and a young Jonathan Dwyer; all of whom got injured at some point. It stung so much that I forsook auction drafts altogether for years, also most leagues I was in weren't doing them, until last year.

In this article I'll cover some auction strategy and a few players that could be value plays and help you win in your leagues this season. In any draft, you're not going to enjoy setting your roster every week if you have guys that you don't enjoy rooting for, so it's important to budget your loot accordingly to allow you to fill positions with the studs that you want. A way to do this is to tier your player rankings at each position. Most of you should already be doing this for your snake drafts, the difference being placing dollar amounts on guys instead of their average draft position.

I recommend using an auction value calculator,

then raising the dollar amounts for the players you really want from there, but try to keep it within reason. Obviously spending over a quarter of your budget on one guy means you are going to have to count on some major bargains in the latter part of the auction. Use the cheat sheet as a guideline, keeping in mind other league mates may have the same prices on players that you do, and won't stop bidding until someone gives up. Know when to concede for the greater good of your team, a true squad goal.

Player nomination strategies

A classic auction strategy is to nominate the high ranking players that you don't like as much as everyone else in your league. You increase your odds for getting players by ultimately reducing the number of owners that can bid, because they're either filled at the position or they're low on dough. I've been in draft rooms where owners don't spend a dollar for the first five or so player nominations, while I was throwing loot like it was a strip club. None of that this season. That's what the mocks were for.                                                                                                                                                  

Jeremy Hill went for $1 in one of my leagues last year and was almost the last player nominated, and I of course had spent $25 on Giovanni Bernard. The tip here is to keep your eyes peeled for late nominated players with upside. In my experience these players are handcuff running backs, but can come from any position, including individual defensive players, IDP. There is also a lot of value to be had from players who come into the season injured.

Three value picks for 2015

  

Eli Manning $6 - Absolutely love the bad comedian with cable this year. McAdoo's offense led to a career high in completion percentage last year, and has most of his weapons back. Yes, Reuben Randle included. A favorable schedule make him hard to pass up.

Marvin Jones $1- Back and healthy, Jones could be a major steal if he continues his current progression throughout camp and the preseason.

Victor Cruz $3 - How about a comeback from one of the worst injuries you can possibly have? He could be the first. I believe in him.

Thanks for reading and I hope this gives some insight for your fantasy endeavors. Oh yeah, I didn't get too upset that I missed out on handcuffing Giovanni Bernard with Jeremy Hill. I already had Antonio Brown and some guy at the end of my bench I paid $1 for...Odell Beckham Jr.

This article was written by Ben Walker. Find Ben on Twitter @mrpumamc

Should You Draft Eddie Royal And Julian Edelman

Image source: seattlepi.com

This time of year is an odd one. There are games, but they mean nothing. Over the past few seasons it seems that the preseason has less meaning than it has in the past. Most of the game action features the starters for a bit, then mostly the backups and guys that are trying to make the team playing their faces off. But this year I have noticed a trend that I haven't in the past. Some teams are sitting many of their most important players in a variety of situations. Some have been held out altogether so far, and some have gotten to that point. So how do you proceed with your drafting when you don't know what's going on? Let's try to find out together.

Two players that can have some serious implications for your PPR Fantasy teams are Eddie Royal and Julian Edelman. Both of these players are in positive expectation situations this season. Edleman has been a great PPR receiver for a few years now. Royal has had flashes, but is primed to see more balls in his direction this season than last. Both of these guys are listed as out with injuries, possibly for the rest of the preseason. So should you draft them? Maybe.

One point of consideration is the fact that both of these guys play for teams that have some apparent serious injury concerns at the wide receiver position. Kevin White is out for a large portion of the season, if not all. Alshon Jeffery has an ankle injury. Brandon LaFell is apparently just getting out of a walking boot. The Patriots situation is so dire, they just signed a 37 year old receiver, Reggie Wayne, to a decent money deal.

The Patriots are not known for being particularly forthcoming on their injury situations. There have been some rumors and tweets about what people have seen at their practices. Even the players don't say much. Edelman was asked about the extent and severity of his injury this week, and directed the reporters to talk to Head Coach Bill Belichick.

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Similarly the Bears were coy with the extent of the injury to White earlier this year. They said he had shin splints right until the time at which White had surgery on his stress fractures in his shin bone. So Bears Coach John Fox is not always the most trustworthy of injury consultants. The word right now on Royal is that he is day to day.

My take on the situation is that we are watching two teams protecting two of their remaining healthy offensive assets from the rigors of meaningless games and contact. With already depleted resources, it seems the narrative of these injuries points to making sure that the offense has what top line players are left healthy to open the season.

Jonathan Stewart 2015 Outlook

Jonathan Stewart is entering his eighth season in the NFL in 2015. Spending most of his career thus far sharing a backfield with DeAngelo Williams has really hurt Stewart’s ability to score for Fantasy. Along with the crowded backfield, injuries have sidelined Stewart for 22 games in his career. So why would you want to draft a guy that has this history? Let’s take a look at what lies ahead for him this season.

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Stewart hasn’t been as consistent as you might like to see from a running back. Over his last three seasons Stewart has only scored a quality game in nine of 28 games according to Bob Lung’s consistency guide. Looking at the breakdowns by defense level, Stewart is consistently inconsistent. The best category for consistency broken down by defense for Stewart is at home against good defenses, scoring two of four quality games. Taking into account all other defensive rankings together you get an average of 29% quality games. This does not bode well for the chances for Stewart. Most of this second category of quality games was against the bad and middle of the road defenses that should allow for more scoring to a running back.

Taking a look at the schedule for the Carolina Panthers this season has a bit of good news to it. The Panthers will be facing the second best schedule of run defenses from 2014 rankings. The average rank of the run defenses they will face this season is 19.68. The Panthers will have the luxury of only facing off against three Top 10 run defenses from a season ago. The season opens with a soft landing at Jacksonville. The Texans in Week Two present a more difficult challenge. After that the following two games against the Saints and Bucs will be good match ups. Then a rough match up against the Seahawks leads to a cleaner finish to the season.

The playoff run for the Panthers looks pretty good. Week 14 sees the Falcons coming to town. Week 15 sees Carolina traveling to the already banged up Giants. Week 16 sees the Panthers playing the Falcons for the second time in three weeks. Even though you can expect the Falcons to play tougher than last season under new coach Dan Quinn, they were the 21^st ranked run defense last year, and huge overnight change is unlikely. Finally if you play through week 17, the Buccaneers and their 19^th ranked pass defense last season come to Carolina.

Stewart has an ADP that puts him at the end of the fourth round overall. Going at 47^th, his price puts him in the RB2 or RB3 category. In his same area of the ADP you can find players that I would both be more comfortable with, and some that I would be less comfortable with. Andre Ellington is at 49^th in ADP right behind Stewart. I would probably take Ellington over Stewart myself. On the flip side of that coin, Todd Gurley is going at the 46^th pick in ADP, and I would rather have both Stewart and Ellington over Gurley in a redraft league. If you are picking in this area there are a few other players for positions other than running back that I would take over Stewart here.

Another consideration that you must have is the fact that Stewart will have a hard time getting red zone touches. Not only is Cam Newton a touchdown vulture up close, but the Panthers have a history of using Mike Tolbert when they get in close. On top of those two taking away red zone touches, the Panthers have taken on the basketball team mentality for their wide receivers. Now having two very tall receivers, and Greg Olsen who is also tall, the red zone is a crowded place for Carolina.

One thing to note for sure is that if you take Jonathan Stewart for your 2015 Fantasy team, you need to grab Cameron Artis-Payne as a backup. With Stewart being the poster child for getting injured over his career, his back up is an important asset. The schedule is so good that the next man up might have a shot at relevance as well.

Earlier this offseason I was all aboard the Stewart train. As we get closer to the season, and I take a closer look at both where his ADP is settling in at, and his overall situation, I have a hard time finding myself wanting to take Stewart on my team this season. If available I would rather take another running back or wide out at the same spot and wait for a Giovanni Bernard type in round five.