Schedules That Set Up Well

I entered a conversation on twitter about a month back about Julio Jones. My input was similar to my recent article where I lauded Jones for his talents, and also noted that his schedule was set up for him to be huge this season. A participant in this conversation said you can't rely on schedule strength from last year. Why not? Don't we need a reason to draft guys? If you see something that puts one player above others in your mind, is it not valid? This inspired me to take a look at some teams that have favorable schedules for the 2015 season.

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers have the 28th ranked schedule. Their opponents in 2015 were a combined 108-146-2, a winning percentage of .425. When you look just a bit deeper you find that the Bucs are providing Jameis Winston a lovely soft landing spot. The Tampa Bay passing offense will face defenses that average the 22nd ranked pass defense last season. They will not face any of the top 10 pass defenses from last season; in fact only playing 4 games against teams inside the top 15 last year. This should offer bountiful opportunities to Mike Evans, Vincent Jackson, and if he can stay healthy Austin Sefarian-Jenkins.
The running game for Tampa is similarly facing a plus situation. The average rank of their opponents run defense is 19.6, and they face only 2 top 10 run defenses. I am not quite sure what will happen with the running back depth chart, but keep a watch on their reports, and as a guy comes to the front of the pack, targeting him in your drafts might be a good idea.

The Dallas Cowboys have the 24th ranked schedule in the league for 2015. Their opponents record for 2014 was 119-136-1 for a win percentage of .467. Losing DeMarco Murray could be a big blow to their running game with no clear successor, but their line is just so good. Dallas will only face 3 top 10 run defenses through the entire season and the average rank of their opponents defenses is 17. Combined with the talent of their line, that should set up whoever wins the job as feature back for the Cowboys pretty well.
The passing game took a step back last season, but might be forced to step forward again this season. If Dallas cannot find a back to be successful behind their top level offensive line, they might need to rely on Tony Romo and the passing game. Their opponents defenses won't be too terrible to face off against, averaging a rank of 18th against the pass. The Cowboys will only face 4 top 10 pass defenses from a year ago. Obviously Dez Bryant is always a great selection at receiver. We often hear of the breakout 3rd season for a wide receiver, and we might see that this year from Terrance Williams. He scored 8 touchdowns last year on only 37 catches. I would only look at him as a late round guy who has some upside potential. If he can be more consistent you may get some value from him.

The Philadelphia Eagles have the23rd ranked schedule for the 2015 season. Their opponents record for 2014 was 121-134-1, a win percentage of .475. The addition of DeMarco Murray to the backfield running behind a top tier offensive line from last season should excite people. The Average Run Defense the Eagles will face this season is 15.5, and they will only face 5 top 10 teams from last season. Ryan Mathews is a slightly confounding component to the Philadelphia backfield, but it seems likely that DeMarco will get the bulk of the carries.
The passing game is set up even better for the Eagles this season. The average of pass defenses from last season the Eagles will face this year is 19.62, and they will only face 2 top 10 pass defenses from last season. In my opinion this should push Jordan Matthews, Zach Ertz, and Nelson Agholor up your boards a bit. The quarterback situation in Philly is still murky, as Mark Sanchez ended last season with the starting job, but the eagles brought in Sam Bradford, who was still injured after tearing his ACL last season with the Rams. Whichever guy wins this job just might be worth a late round pick to stash just in case.

Coming soon FantasyFootballFTW will be doing a more in depth breakdown of the schedule numbers for each team, both good and bad.

Waiver Wire week 10

First, apologies for the late publishing of this article, sometimes family comes first. Sick kids take time. Now on to football. Not a huge amount of guys that have good prospects this week on the wire. But there are some guys that have some good match ups and opportunities with another week of 6 teams on bye. Let's take a look.

RB

Alfred Blue (HOU) may be set up to start if Arian Foster misses any time with a groin injury. The Texans are on bye this week, but if you have a need at running back going forward, Blue is still the top add this week. Houston is a run heavy offense, and if Foster is out in week 11, it's Blue's job.

Charles Sims (TB) is still a guy that should be added in all leagues. Sims was inactive in week 9, but should soon see action. He is a fresh face who can catch passes out of the backfield, so a PPR league is the best spot for him. If nobody has snatched him up in your leagues yet, get him.

Terrance West (CLE) is the flavor of November for the Browns. Dominating the touches the last 2 games, West is back on the top of the pile for Cleveland. The Thursday night game against Cincinnati in week 10 provides a decent match up against a depleted defense without a lot of time to prepare. I can't tell you his stats have been impressive the last few weeks, having 15 carries for 48 yards last week and catching one pass for 2 yards and a score, but he has been getting the bulk of the carries. If you are in a bad spot for byes this week, he may be able to help you.

WR

Taylor Gabriel (CLE) has appeared on the waiver wire article before. This week he caught 5 passes for 87 yards and a score. With heavy byes again this week, Gabriel can likely be a decent fill in for you in week 10.

Mike Evans (TB) had a breakout week for the Buccaneers in week 9. With 7 catches for 124 yards and 2 scores, Evans showed up in a big way. Going forward expect him to get more use as Lovie Smith said the Bucs need to get him more involved in the passing game. If Evans is available in your league, snatch him up for this week and beyond.

Brandon LaFell (NE) is on bye in week 10, but is still a guy to add. Making 6 catches on 13 targets (team high) for 53 yards and a score. LaFell seems to have cemented his role in the Patriots offense. While he won't be helping you this week, but he's a good option for the rest of the season.

Davante Adams (GB) has been coming on in recent weeks. Coming off the bye in week 8 for Green Bay, Adams is a good add for the rest of the season. In week 7 he had 7 catches for 75 yards. Green bay passes enough to support 3 wide receivers, and if you need receiver help, you should definitely add Adams.

TE

Mychal Rivera (OAK) is a good bye week replacement at the tight end position for week 10. Coming off a good match up against the Seahawks in week 9, Rivera had 8 catches for 38 yards and 2 scores. He moves right into a good match up against the Broncos in week 10 who have trouble defending tight ends. Rivera has had two straight weeks of good production having 15 catches for 121 yards in the Raiders last 2 games. Pick him up if you have a bye week tight end need.

Charles Clay (MIA) is a hit and miss guy. Last week Clay had 5 catches for 65 yards and a score. This week the Dolphins face off against the Lions and their 5th ranked pass defense. I can't say that I am excited for the possibilities, but in a bye week bind, Clay is a tight end.

QB

Ryan Tannehill (MIA) had another great game for the Dolphins. Tannehill had 288 yards and 3 touchdowns passing and rushed for 47 yards. He has been playing extremely well over the last few weeks. Tannehill has about a 50/50 schedule of good versus bad match ups for the rest of the season. If you have a bye week guy, or are playing match ups at quarterback, he is a good guy to add to your rotation.

Mark Sanchez (PHI) is back from the dead. Yes, Zombie Mark Sanchez. And he has landed in a great spot. With Nick Foles out for the rest of the fantasy season, Sanchez finds himself in a high powered pass heavy offense. It is highly unlikely that anyone in your league owns him, so if you need a quarterback, snatch him up. Sanchez is similar talent wise to Foles, and should find success in the volume offense of the Eagles.

That brings us to the end of our waiver wire look for the upcoming week 10. Good luck this week!

IR Designated To Return

The past few seasons the NFL has had a spot for teams to place a player on the injured reserve list for a portion of the season and bring him back later. Often times, unless your league has an IR spot in it, these players get dropped and forgotten until they are returning. This is your chance to get out in front of the return of a couple of these players that may have some big fantasy implications.

Image source benglas.com

Tyler Eifert (CIN) is a tight end for the Cincinnati Bengals who dislocated his elbow at the beginning of the season. Eifert was placed on the IR to return list, and soon should be active again around week 11 for the Bengals. The passing game in Cincinnati has been challenged to say the least so far this season after the injuries to Eifert, Marvin Jones, and AJ Green. When Eifert returns you can expect him to get a decent amount of targets in the passing game and help to shore up a tight end position that has been fraught with injury and lack of production this season. Don't wait for the news to hit the main stream media that Eifert has returned to practice. The time to grab and stash is now. If your tight end has been underperforming, pick him up and stash him for the late season push.

Image source: buccaneers.com

Another name that has a chance to see significant playing time when he returns to the active roster is Charles Sims. The Tampa Bay Buccaneers have been a disappointment all around so far this season. Sims was rumored to be part of a committee coming out of training camp when he went down with an ankle injury. Sims has already returned to practice in week 8, and with Doug Martin and Bobby Rainey not providing good production for the Bucs, look for Sims to get a shot soon after being activated to the Bucs roster. At 1-5, the Bucs are sitting on the brink of a lost season and will likely decide to take a look at the young running back that was drafted by the current regime.

I recommend adding one or both of these players to your roster if you need help at either position. They could end up being difference makers for your fantasy season, or hopefully your playoff run.