Darren Sproles – The Fantasy Sports Coach

Is Theo Riddick the Next Darren Sproles?
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Is Theo Riddick the Next Darren Sproles?

Fantasy Football

Is Theo Riddick the Next Darren Sproles?

Fans of Darren Sproles may be a little offended by the headline, but we are forced to ask the question after ProFootballTalk made a story out of Detroit Lions’ back up quarterback, Dan Orlovsky, compared Riddick to Sproles in an interview on The Ross Tucker Football Podcast.

This kid, he wasn’t covered a single time in OTAs and minicamp,” Orlovsky said on the Ross Tucker Football Podcast, via the Detroit Free Press. “And I think that it’s even going to be easier for him when he gets pads on because, once linebackers just try to start colliding him, and that’s what teams started to do with Sproles sometimes. … You hit the home run once every 10 plays, and then 9 out of 10 times, Sproles wins. And that’s what I think Theo’s going to do for us. Theo’s that kind of guy where he has a really good feel, a really good vision, really good suddenness. If he doesn’t have 50 catches this year, I’ll be surprised. He’s going to have opportunities and he’s really talented at it.

I have been a fan of Theo Riddick since before he even stepped foot on a high school football field. Theo grew up in the town right next to the town I live in, Somerville, New Jersey. There was great debate about where he would attend high school and for a time it was thought that he may come to Somerville High School where I was coaching football at the time. He ended up at perennial powerhouse Immaculatta High School right in the same town and even shared a football field. So instead of getting to coach him I was forced to try and help devise ways to stop him.

Theo getting ready to play the team I coached in Somerville.

Needless to say, but my efforts to devise a plan to stop Riddick were in vain. He was an exceptional high school running back with great balance and packed a punch at the point of attack. He did lack that breakaway speed that all really great high school running backs seem to have. Even though he wasn’t quite Reggie Bush in high school he was an absolute winner and leader. He even led Immaculatta High School to a state title in Basketball his senior year. He went on to be all everything here in the state of New Jersey and eventually his exploits lead to a scholarship to attend Notre Dame. Even as a rival coach, I was so excited for Theo to get a chance to show his skills on such a major stage.

While at Notre Dame, Riddick bounced back and forth from running back to slot wide receiver and back again. His senior year Notre Dame finally decided to lean on him as a runner and he showed he was a capable running back. He topped 900 yards rushing while also catching 36 passes out of the backfield and split out wide. Those statistics were nice, but were pretty pedestrian when compared to players that go onto NFL success. Those stats alone should have meant he would at least get a look as a possible 3rd down running back in the NFL, but it all would be decided in his stats at the combine.

Sadly his combine was extremely underwhelming and it mirrored what everyone saw on tape. He had great hands and was a tough runner, but lacked elite athleticism and speed. These are the main points that one must remember when talking about Theo Reddick possibly being the next Darren Sproles. Even with his bad combine, Riddick was drafted by the Detroit Lions in the 6th round of the 2013 draft. Even if Riddick didn’t pan out as a runner they knew he would be a great character guy with a chance to help on special teams and on the scout team.

In contrast the guy Riddick has been compared to the most this off season, Darren Sproles, had a tremendously productive college career at Kansas State. He scored 48 touchdowns in the three years he was featured at running back and ran for 1,986 yards in 2003. His height was always scrutinized as going to be his downfall in the NFL, but it actually became a strength as linebackers and safeties couldn’t set their sights on him as he came out of the backfield on passing plays and rushed the ball on draw plays. His amazing combine should have convinced more teams to figure out a way to use him as an offensive weapon, but it took until the San Diego Chargers in the 4th round for a team to take a chance. Check out Sproles’s 20 yard shuttle time.

Theo Reddick Lions

This off-season some buzz has been building around Riddick in fantasy circles and I think it’s time to temper the expectations a bit. He definitely deserves to be looked at in full PPR dynasty leagues because I doubt Reggie Bush is a Lion after the 2014 season, but his redraft value is next to zero for me. There are just too many mouths to feed in Detroit this season for Riddick to make an impact, but things could change if there are some unfortunate preseason injuries. If Bush is cut after 2014 than Riddick gets a big boost as the compliment to Joique Bell in the Lions’ backfield. Just don’t do a bat flip like you hit a home run next off season when Bush gets cut. It’s more of a seeing eye single in my book if he gets to share the 3rd down duties in Detroit.

Darren Sproles on the other hand still has some value in redraft leagues, especially full PPR redraft leagues. The Eagles should be able to up the tempo even more in year two of the Chip Kelly era and Sproles could surprise with a bounce back year in Philadelphia. He will probably never approach the running back two status he once had in full PPR leagues, but he could surprise in some best ball formats and as a running back four in PPR leagues. It should be a fun off season to see how things develop for both Sproles and Reddick in fantasy football.

Make sure you Subscribe to The Fantasy Coach Podcast on Itunes or Stitcher Radio so you don’t miss any of the great Fantasy Football off season talk. For the last episode featuring @2QBFFB head here to listen now.

Fantasy Football Week 11 Thoughts
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Fantasy Football Week 11 Thoughts

Fantasy Football

Fantasy Football Week 11 Thoughts

Week 11 is traditionally where I begin to narrow my focus for a Fantasy Football playoff run. The bulk of the fantasy season is behind us, but the real work is just beginning. We should start by looking to make trades for players that have favorable match-ups in the playoffs. Then make the small trades that help protect our rosters. Like trading a fifth wide receiver for Joique Bell so you don’t get stuck with Reggie Bush standing in street clothes come Week 15. Those types of trades should only happen if the handcuff can produce similar fantasy points and the player has a clear history of injuries.

Before we look forward to Week 11 we must take a look back at what happened in Week 10.

Nice Surprises

First and foremost, our very own Andre Brown made his claim for more fantasy attention with a fantastic game against the Oakland Raiders. He touched the ball 31 times producing over 100 yards and scored a touchdown. What many saw as a cloudy running back situation for the Giants, including me, has become a beacon of hope for fantasy owners. Brown was clearly what the Giants have been looking for and should be a solid RB2 going forward.

Tavon Austin finally looked like a top 10 pick as he broke out for a three touchdown game. While waiver wire darling Zac Stacy was mostly bottled up on the day, Austin exploded. Austin still didn’t see the field as much as he should, but at least it was a very encouraging sign for those that own him in dynasty formats. I still don’t see him as much more than a WR4 for the fantasy playoffs.

Golden Tate took advantage of a beautiful match-up against the Atlanta Falcons and scored well above his weekly average. Tate’s 6 receptions for 106 yards and touchdown saw him as a perfect bye week filler for guys like Josh Gordon and Danny Amendola. He should be a high end WR4 going down the stretch.

Three New Orleans Saints who were either headed towards, or were firmly in the fantasy football abyss finally broke out. Marques Colston was borderline dropable heading into this week. He was right there with Dwayne Bowe as far as usefulness for a fantasy owner. The only difference is that Colston has Drew Brees throwing him the ball. Brees finally decided to look Colston’s way and he delivered with 7 receptions for 107 yards and 1 TD. Mark Ingram was so forgotten that he was even being dropped in dynasty leagues. The former Alabama star, who is just now fully healthy, ran like a man possessed against the Dallas Cowboys defense. He racked up 145 yards and a touch down on just 14 carries and added 2 receptions for 15 yards for good measure. Darren Sproles came into the game on a long string of disappointing fantasy returns. The Cowboys were the ideal remedy to get him going. He scored on the ground and through the air as he looked like his old elusive self. The Cowboys sixth-string linebackers only made him look that much more amazing.

Disappointments

Trent Richardson, Ray Rice, and C.J. Spiller.

Richardson has just not been able to get going since being traded to theIndianapolis Colts. The fact that fantasy owners are now looking to start Donald Brown over him makes him border-line dropable at this point. I am holding out hope, but I am literally starting a ball boy over him at this point. Ray Rice is not the same player he used to be at this point. The hip injury has sapped some of his elusiveness and power and he is running behind one of the worst offensive lines in football. Joe Flacco is still looking to him in the passing game, but he can’t make the first guy miss at this point, so his yardage suffers. I would look to trade him for anything that could help me down the road, because Ray Rice is still a name and sometimes you can make a deal on that alone. C.J. Spiller’s ankle was finally healed and he was coming off a 100 yard performance, so naturally the Bills were going to feature him….right? Nope, Spiller basically saw a third of the snaps in the backfield for the Bills and he was once again a fantasy disappointment.

The Mike James injury! Mike James was fast becoming a big-time fantasy running back for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. He was the answer to all the prayers of Doug Martin and David Wilson owners as the Buccaneers had decided to feature James going forward in a more balanced attack. The Buccaneers had finally decided to put Doug Martin on injured reserve early on the weekend making Mike James rest of the season outlook look that much better. Well a fractured ankle on a run that came up just inches short of a touchdown may have cost some of us a fantasy championship.

Week 11 Start/Sit

With only Dallas and St. Louis on a bye in Week 11 most fantasy teams will be fully stocked for battle.

The Washington Redskins at Philadelphia Eagles game looks like an explosive fantasy match up on paper, but these two teams are division rivals who have already played each other once. I still think there should be some nice fantasy points scored in this game, but I don’t really trust Robert Griffin III just yet. If Griffin is erratic throwing the ball then the Redskins offense will stall and The Eagles will take the air out of the ball with LeSean McCoy. The one good thing for the Redskin’s run defense is that Nick Folesis under center and he is much less of a threat in a zone-read situation. The Redskins have been gashed all year by mobile quarterbacks running zone-read.

While Marshawn Lynch has a great match-up against the Minnesota Vikings, Adrian Peterson will see his name slide down some fantasy experts’ lists. I am not one of those experts. I think Peterson is just finally getting healthy and that the Seahawks defense can be run on. I have Peterson as my number four overall running back this week.

We saw what Andre Brown and the Giants were able to do against the Oakland Raiders last week. Well now Ben Tate and the Houston Texans get those same Raiders in Houston. I feel like Tate is going to have a very big day, but his injured ribs are my only concern. High upside RB2 for me this week.

Alfred Morris was having a huge game last Thursday before the Redskins forgot to call running plays in the second half. This week they’ll stick to the running game against the Eagles and Morris will finally get back into the end zone.

Because of injuries and a bye week for Tony Romo you may need to use the waiver wire for your quarterback this week. While early in the year I may have had to recommend any quarterback that was facing the New York Giants, that is no longer the case. The Giants have improved dramatically in recent weeks and make starting the newest Green Bay quarter back Scott Tolzien a real reach. I would instead look to Case Keenum against the Oakland Raiders or Ben Roethlisberger against the Detroit Lions.

The wide receiver match ups are very interesting. Andre Johnson gets a huge bump with Case Keenum now slinging the ball in Houston and looks to have the best match up of all the wide receiver ones. DeSean Jackson ran through the Redskin’s secondary at will the last time they played and he should still find room this week to make him a top play. The Eagles’ other wide receiver, Riley Cooper, has seen his fantasy statistics sky-rocket with Nick Foles at the helm and looks to be a WR3 and flex option going forward. Huge disparity in numbers for Cooper with Foles under center than withMichael Vick.

Two guys that would usually be at the top of any wide receiver list, in Calvin Johnson and A.J. Green actually face very tough match-ups this week. Calvin Johnson faces the always tough Ike Taylor, while A.J. Green gets theJoe Haden. I expect Johnson to still put up representative numbers, but Haden is a real tough draw for A.J. Green.

A man that may have been forgotten and that the Dolphins‘ owner, general manager, and fans would probably like to forget so far this season, Mike Wallace, actually has a very nice match up this week against the San Diego Chargers. The only issue is if Wallace decides to actually try for a change.

Two of my top tight end plays this week happen to share the same first name. Jordan Reed and Jordan Cameron both have pretty good match ups this week. Reed faces the Eagles and is in the enviable position of being the number two target on a team that may have to play catch up on Sunday. Cameron is the Browns number two target and should have been working during the bye week with Jason Campbell to get on the same page. Cameron is an unbelievable talent as a pass catcher and I expect Campbell and the Browns to do everything they can to get him the ball going forward.

Top Fantasy Waiver Targets

Michael Crabtree — it looks like he could be back soon as the 49ers have let go of Kyle Williams

Brian Leonard, Mark Ingram, Bobby Rainey, Shonn Greene, Rishard Mathews, Nate Burleson, Tyler Eifert, Coby Fleener, Rob Housler

Who has been your biggest fantasy football disappointment and surprise to this point?

Contact me @Coachesser on Twitter or by messaging me on Facebook by liking Coachesser’s Playbook. You can also read my articles at www.coachesser.com and listen to the definitive fantasy football podcast on Itunes or Stitcher Radio by subscribing to the Trick Plays podcast hosted by Micah James (@FFMagicMan) and myself.

Is Eli Manning Elite? From a Fantasy Football Perspective

Is Eli Manning elite? Ask a New York Giants fan and you will get an emphatic “Yes!” as they describe the Super Bowl winning drives and calm nerves displayed in every big spot. Magician-like throws to David Tyree and Mario Manningham are described in high definition quality while smiles spread across their faces. As John Malkovic in “Rounders” said,”The kid has got alligator blood.” Great quarterbacks are measured by championships and not by numbers on a page.

Win a road playoff game at Lambeau Field? Check!

Win a Super Bowl against an undefeated team of destiny? Check!

Face the New York Media day in and day out and never embarrass the franchise? Check!

You ask a fantasy football owner the same question and you get a completely different reaction. Most fantasy owners wouldn’t be very comfortable coming out of a draft this year with Eli Manning as their QB1 unless they were in a 2 QB league. Manning looked to be heading up the fantasy QB ladder after his fine 2011 season, but followed that up with an average 2012. He almost reached the magical 5,000 passing yard milestone in 2011 but fell 67 yards short. He threw 29 touchdowns against 16 interceptions and looked to be in a tier just below the top 3 fantasy QBs heading into 2012. His average draft position was at an all-time high last year as he was drafted as the eighth overall QB in fantasy drafts. Unfortunately Manning didn’t even reach 4000 yards, but still managed 26 touch downs in 2012.

While Manning’s disappointing 2012 in fantasy production may have left a bad taste in some mouths, I am not adverse at taking a second bite of the apple. I don’t believe his career is headed in the wrong direction. I really see him as being in his prime and just needing the pieces around him to play at a higher level. He still has the arm strength, he still has the alligator blood and now he has a healthy Hakeem Nicks. Not only does he have Nicks, but he has a motivated Cruz, an emerging Rueben Randle and a reliable Brandon Myers.

With opposing defenses being forced to defend every inch of the field again I believe Eli will put up excellent numbers. I project him for 4,200 yards and 28 touchdowns. While I would love to think that Eli could challenge 5,000 yards again, I have to be realistic. Most QBs who throw for 5,000 yards get a lot of added yardage from dumping the ball off to running backs in the passing game. Look at what Darren Sproles has done for Drew Brees and what his absence has taken away from Phillip Rivers. Getting a feel for how to be patient and feel the defense on screen passes is an art. Wilson has the talent to be a weapon, but I need to see his feel for the passing game before I count on 500 or more yards from him. If Wilson ends up with the 280 yards receiving that I project for him this year than that puts Eli in the 4,200-4,300 zone.

I have Eli Manning as my last QB1 in a 12 team conventional scoring league. Many sites have Russell Wilson ranked ahead of Eli at this point, but I still feel Seattle is a run first team that won’t ask Wilson to do too much in his second year. Manning will more than likely be drafted from rounds 7 to 10 in 12 team leagues this year. Sometimes as a last resort QB1 and sometimes as a quality backup to a running QB like RG III or Cam Newton. While he may not be drafted high, Eli can still lead your team to the fantasy championship. He just might need a little help from your other positions. Eli is not in my top 10 fantasy quarterbacks as of right now, but he is the only QB I want with the ball in his hands in the fourth quarter of a big game in real life! Ernie Accorsi had the vision and the guts. Tom Coughlin and Kevin Gilbride had the patience. And we as Giant fans are reaping the benefits.

This article originally appeared at www.bigblueview.com on June 21st, 2013