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.
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| 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.
