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Dynasty Fantasy Football Outlook: Crockett Gillmore

Crockett Gillmore

 

I’ve been talking about Crockett Gillmore a lot on Twitter and on Podcasts, but I thought it was time to put all of my thoughts about him down in one place.  You may say I obsessed over Crockett Gillmore a bit in the lead up to the 2014 NFL draft.  I’m a draft nut and love to semi-scout the prospects and project where they may end up.  I especially pay attention to positions that are a big need to my beloved New York Giants and the tight end position was just begging for some attention this year.

At first my Giants’ tight end hopefuls seemed like they would come from a very shallow pool.  The only tight ends I really knew much about were the top five prospects plus some tight ends I had used playing college football DFS.  I knew there was a big drop off after the 5th overall tight end, but Gillmore kept intriguing me.  I mocked the first three rounds of the draft over and over again and never once did the Giants draft a tight end in the top three rounds, and never once did any of the top five prospects make it to the fourth round.

I kept hoping the Giants had caught a glimpse of Gillmore plying his trade when they were scouting their second round pick Weston Richburg at Colorado State.  While it would have been nice to see Gillmore in a Giants’ uniform, his landing spot in Baltimore is almost as good as it gets for a developing tight end.  The Ravens had finally given up on Ed Dickson after the 2013 season and signed the oft-injured Owen Daniels in free agency to be their second tight end.  Incumbent starter Dennis Pitta is a favorite of many in yearly fantasy football leagues, but has missed time over the years with various injuries and is best suited playing in the slot or as the move tight end.

Besides having a very promising depth chart the Ravens also hired the extremely tight end friendly Gary Kubiak as their offensive coordinator to replace Jim Caldwell.  Kubiak has often been able to make multiple tight ends fantasy relevant in his offenses.  If the Ravens do go to more two tight end formations, which would help their sub-par offensive-line, Gillmore could get a lot more playing time then I am expecting.  If Kubiak has a nice long tenure as an offensive coordinator Gillmore could become redraft relevant in a few short years.

Now a little bit more about Gillmore:

Crockett Gillmore is a big tight end.  He doesn’t look that big on tape because he wore the number 10, but don’t be fooled.

He’s a bit raw as a tight end prospect because he’s only recently converted from playing  defensive end.  Some of the attributes that made him a defensive end give him a huge advantage as a tight end.  His long arms and huge hands show up in his game tapes as well as his high lights as he plucks the ball easily away from defenders.  When you watch his game tape he shows well, but he didn’t dominate the competition.  He’s a little slow, but moves smoothly though his routes and looks to have decent hips that allow him to make adjustments on the ball.  He shows great concentration making catches in traffic without a problem and was even used out wide and in the slot to create some mismatches for Colorado State.  When he was used in those spots his lack of quickness and agility showed as he didn’t have any shake in his game.

I was almost embarrassed that I thought Gillmore would be available in the fourth and fifth round of the draft after he was taken by the Ravens in the third.  Imagine the embarrassment of the coaches who didn’t select him to the Senior Bowl when he got the battle field promotion for shining at the East West Shrine game and then blew it up at the Senior Bowl.  I really can’t blame the coaches that much because Gillmore’s stats paled in comparison to some of the top tight ends in college football, but he was part of a unit that blocked for the leading rusher in the Mountain West Conference.  For a list of all of his accomplishments at CSU visit here.

The best part of Crockett Gillmore in dynasty fantasy circles is he’s still a bit of a secret.  He’s not talked about in the same breath as Troy Niklas and C.J. Fiedorowicz, but he has a very similar upside and may even have a better fit than Niklas.  While Niklas and Fiedorwicz are going in the first four rounds of rookie drafts in dynasty fantasy football leagues, Gillmore is going undrafted more than not.  In one rookie draft that I was a part of three Packer tight ends went before Gillmore even got a sniff.

In dynasty start ups he gets no love as well.  The whole point of dynasty teams is to have a sustainable franchise that will perform well year after year.  Gillmore could be a key piece to that as a bottom layer to your tight end roster.  You can build your tight end corps around some tight ends at the top of their game like, Jimmy Graham and Vernon Davis and take Crockett Gillmore and C.J. Fiedorwicz late and hope one of the two hits it big as an every down tight end that ends up as a huge part of a red zone offense.

In redraft leagues he can be ignored for now.  Of course you have to keep him in the back of your mind in case Daniels and Pitta get injured, but don’t expect any breakout games like Jordan Reed had in 2013.  He’s going to get better and better as he gets used to playing the position, but don’t get him confused with an ex-basketball player that’s going to be a glorified wide receiver masquerading as a tight end.  His absolute upside is a very good impression of Heath Miller.  I’ll take Heath Miller in his prime any day of the week on my roster.

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Fantasy Football: Late Round Wide Receivers

3 and Out Podcast Saturday night I joined Chris Heil (@thegrizzlybeard) and Justin Lonero (@lonero_justin) on the 3 and Out Podcast for FakePigskin.com to talk about some of the options fantasy football owners will have in the later rounds at the wide receiver position.  We talked about Hakeem Nicks, Robert Woods, Dwayne Bowe, Marvin Jones, and Tavon Austin.  While they may not be sexy names they are wide receivers you may have to decide between late in drafts.  All three of us have opinions of who we like and it made for a great show.

 

Listen Here: http://www.fakepigskin.com/podcast/

Rankings and ADP At The Time of The Podcast Taping

Names FantasyPros ECR Rankings MyFantasyLeague.com ADP
Tavon Austin 45 36
Hakeem Nicks 42 43
Marvin Jones 44 50
Dwayne Bowe 34 49
Robert Woods 59 62
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Robert Turbin Dynasty Fantasy Football Outlook

Dynasty owners who were stubborn with their investment in Toby Gerhart look like they will finally reap the rewards in 2014.  Gerhart is out from behind the enormous shadow of the all-world Adrian Peterson in Minnesota and is poised to be the main ball carrier and running back option out of the backfield for the Jacksonville Jaguars.  While, Gerhart patiently waited for his chance to shine, many dynasty owners had given up on him even though he put up very respectable numbers when given the chance for the Vikings.

Robert Turbin owners are in an even tougher situation in Seattle.  Not only is Turbin behind the rock-steady Marshawn Lynch, but he has the next Adrian Peterson, Christine Michael, leaving tread marks on him as he flies past him on the depth chart.  I have seen some Turbin owners become disillusioned with his future prospects when all they ever hear is how good Christine Michael is going to be.    I’m here to say stay strong brothers of Turbin ownership.

You are going to have to play the long game with Robert Turbin.  Turbin is signed cheaply though the 2015 season in Seattle, and is too valuable to the Seahawks as a pass catching option, who can pass protect.  While those skills are appreciated in Seattle, they may be even more appreciated somewhere else in 2016.

What does Turbin have going for him in 2016?

There are a ton of 27 year old and older starting running backs in the league right now.

Photo credit: Getty images

Photo credit: Getty images

Jamaal Charles 27

Matt Forte 28

Adrian Peterson 29

Marshawn Lynch 28

Chris Johnson 28

Ryan Mathews 27

Toby Gerhart 27

Reggie Bush 29/ Joquie Bell 27

Rashad Jennings 29

Maurice Jones-Drew 29

Frank Gore 31

Pierre Thomas 29

Arian Foster 27

Steven Jackson 30

Ray Rice 27

Not only are there a ton of older running backs at the back end of their productivity, but there are a couple of teams that are unsettled at the position.

Patriots- Is Ridley over his fumbling issues?  Can Shane Vereen make it through a season healthy?

Cardinals- Can Andre Ellington carry the load?

Dolphins- Knowshon Moreno is probably a stop gap if he even starts.  Lamar Miller has not shown mcuh in his two seasons.

Redskins- Does Alfred Morris fit the new offense?  Are Lache Seastrunk or Roy Helu able to be three down backs?

Robert Turbin will be 26 as an unrestricted free agent in 2016 when NFL teams may just be primed to pick up a young veteran who can play all three downs.

Turbin is a very strong and talented running back.  He just happens to be joined in the Seahawks backfield with two studs.  Here’s a highlight video of his rookie season from YouTube.  Careful it’s NSFW.  Watch without sound if you are at work or offended by curse words in songs.

Turbin’s size and speed stack up well against two running backs in Carolina, that he could eventually replace.  Here’s a chart from MockDraftable.com that shows his Combine Stats and how they rate against other running backs.

One more thing he’s got going for him, that actually means next to nothing in football skill terms, is he has the biggest biceps on a running back since Thomas Jones or Eric Bieniemy.

Things that are not in his favor:

-Robert Turbin does not have the pedigree that Toby Gerhart did coming into the NFL.  Gerhart was a Heisman Trophy runner up, to Mark Ingram, and won the Doak Walker award as the best running back in the country his senior year at Stanford University.  Turbin was a small school running back, Utah State, and was drafted 106th overall in the 4th round of the 2012 NFL Draft.  Where you’re picked and where you went to school don’t matter after you’re in the league, but if you don’t shine in your chances and really create an impression that you’re an NFL starter caliber running back then you have an uphill battle when it comes to getting a chance to start in free agency.

-The 2015 NFL draft class looks like it will be loaded with talent at the running back position.  While running backs may not ever go as high as Trent Richardson just a few years ago, they still dominate from the second round on as NFL teams try to stack talent in their backfields.

Karlos Williams Florida State

Todd Gurley Georgia

TJ Yeldon Alabama

Melvin Gordon Wisconsin

and at least for or five more backs that could be drafted in the 2nd or 3rd round.

-There are young backs behind some of the old guard around the NFL that may be able to step into a lead back role.

KC-Knile Davis

CHI-Ka’Deem Carey

NYG-Andre Williams or David Wilson

BLT-Lorenzo Taliferro or Bernard Pierce

SD- Marion Grice

ATL-Devonta Freeman

SF-Carlos Hyde

My Final Thoughts on Robert Turbin’s dynasty fantasy football outlook:

I’m not trying to sell you on the fact that Robert Turbin will eventually be a top ten fantasy football back in any format.  I’m just trying to sell you on the fact that there is an opportunity in Turbin’s future to become a valuable piece in your dynasty fantasy football team.  I think he’s more talented then Rashad Jennings and Jennings looks to have grabbed the starting job in New York, at least for the time being, and he’s younger and more talented then some running backs that other people have ranked ahead of him.

So…..if Turbin happens to be dropped in your dynasty league scoop him up and carve out a nice spot on your bench that may pay off decent dividends in 2016.  If you can sneakily include him in a potential trade acquisition where you are set up at the running back position for the next two years then do it!

 

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David Wilson: I Just Can’t Quit You

Last night I had the pleasure of joining my old Co-host from Trick Plays, Micah James (The FFMagicman), on his new show on FFToolBox Radio.  I had a blast with my old running mate, but one discussion really stuck in my craw all night

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An audience member asked us to discuss the New York Giants’ roster and their fantasy prospects for 2014.  I gave my best assessment of what I think the Giants have to offer for fantasy football players, but when it came to discussing David Wilson I was really at a loss. In reality I am not expecting anything from Wilson in fantasy football this season.  I desperately hope I’m wrong and that he grows as a football player exponentially this summer, but the reality is there isn’t much time for him to heal physically (fused neck) and make up for all the short comings in his game. (Pass-blocking, fumbling, and timing as a runner) I have to admit that I was a huge supporter of David Wilson last off season.  His athleticism is the stuff that fantasy dreams are made of.

If the measurables weren’t enough to keep your interest then the news that his direct competition for touches in the Giants backfield last season, Andre Brown, breaking his leg in the preseason may have swayed you to reconsider.  These factors plus the fact that I was covering the Giants for BigBlueView.com and got to see David Wilson in person at the Giants’ training camp had me hook-line-and sinker. I watched as he exploded all over the field.  He was returning kicks, flying through the line of scrimmage on runs and making leaping one-handed grabs in the passing game. (yes Eli was a little inaccurate even in the preseason)  If I could have pawned my wife’s wedding ring to buy more shares in David Wilson I may have done it.

The big issue ended up being that I was too close to the situation.  I was right up in there, drinking the cool-aid and writing it for everyone to see.  If I had just taken a step back I may have not been so bullish on the situation. Here’s the reason why: The Giants’s offensive line in the preseason showed all the signs of an aging unit that could fall off the cliff at any moment.  Center David Baas had been riddled with injuries since he became a Giant.  Former-All-Pro Guard Chris Snee was playing on a hip that was operated on and compensating with the other one that was just as injured.  David Diehl was a warrior for the Giants in the late 2000’s, but his best games were clearly behind him and he was still going to be a big contributor.

The only true hope was a rookie tackle that had short arms and was more of a technician than a mauler when it came to the running game.  The depth behind the aging lineman was where the Giants really faltered.  They didn’t have anyone that could actually come in and get the job done.  They had instead tried to fill those roles with projects like James Brewer. Besides an offensive line that was showing signs of cracks the Giants had one of the worst blocking tight ends in the league, Brandon Myers, penciled in as their new starter.  The bulked up former work-out warrior Adrien Robinson was supposed to be the key blocker at the tight end position, but he ballooned up to over 285 pounds and injured his foot in the preseason.

The fumbles by David Wilson against the Dallas Cowboys in week 1 were actually a culmination of mistakes that he had continued to make in the preseason.  The pressure was on the young man and he really struggled with it.  In redraft leagues I panicked right away.  I was not buying low as some were in the first few weeks of the season.  Instead I was selling him for a sliding scale from Frank Gore to Ryan Matthews.  By the end you were lucky to get Mark Ingram for him. In dynasty leagues it was tough to become a seller.  His value had taken a dip, but his potential was just so high that actually pulling the trigger on a deal was difficult.

All of these bad memories had me file David Wilson away as a cautionary tale in the back of my mind, but then after talking to Micah that file was reopened. I had to look at David Wilson for the opportunity and the player that he is THIS season. Wilson suffered a fractured vertebra in his neck last season and had spinal fusion in the off-season.  The Giants were pretty tight-lipped about his recovery, but then around the NFL draft Tom Coughlin and Jerry Reece started saying that they believed Wilson would be cleared to play this season and that he was in fantastic shape. I teased a few of my friends on Twitter with tweets about Wilson being back, but they were all in jest.

I mean, the Giants had already moved on and signed their work-horse back in Rashad Jennings. The same Jennings that is 29 years old and has never rushed for over 750 yards in a season.  The same Rashad Jennings who’s career totals look like a down season for Adrien Peterson.  ( 1677 rushing yards and 13 TOTAL TDs) Well if Jennings isn’t the answer then it must be the running back the Giants drafted in the fourth round of this year’s NFL Draft.  Right?  Andre Williams is a gifted runner with some very surprising explosion numbers for a running back that is over 230 pounds, BUT he has smallish hands (9 Inches) and has never shown the ability to catch the football.  He really hasn’t shown the leg drive that would make him a short yardage back either, but he is a very good running back to add to a rotation. If Jennings can’t stay healthy, as he’s often showed in his career, then David Wilson is right back in the mix.  If he can somehow learn how to pass block to go with his pass catching skills then he could even slide right into Jennings role as lead back.  There’s a lot to get excited about and that’s why my former Co-host was so adamant that he will take a flier on Wilson late in some drafts because of the upside. So what else does David Wilson have going for him this year? First of all he’s back on the field.

Second, he has a brand new offensive line blocking for him. The Giants spent a lot of money in the off season getting quality bodies to either start of be key back ups.  They signed one of ProFootballFocus’s favorite offensive lineman in Geoff Schwartz from Kansas City.  They signed J.D. Walton and John Jerry to be key back ups on the interior of the offensive line.  They drafted the best Center available in the NFL Draft in Weston Richburg to potentially start and they signed Charles Brown to be a swing tackle. Third, he has a brand new offense.

Kevin Gilbride’s running game was built on slow developing running plays that really weren’t the best way to use David Wilson.  Ben McCadoo’s new West Coast Offense should be just what the doctor ordered.  Screens, Speed Draws, and quick fullback leads will get Wilson in open space quicker.  My excitement for the new offense is tempered by the fact that he has to learn a whole new blocking scheme with new responsibilities.  He will be learning this new offense all while coming back from a major injury. While he was clearly off my radar before last night he is back in my bag of late round darts at this point.

Even if he never becomes the fantasy star I thought he was destined for he can be a big contributor to a turn around for a Giants offense that was a fantasy wasteland last season.

Updated 8/4/2014:  David Wilson has been told by New York Giants team doctors that his career is over. After suffering a burner in practice the week before many people around the organization feared the worse when thinking of David Wilson’s football playing days.  Sure enough, the doctors confirmed that it was just too dangerous for Wilson to go back on the field.  Tom Coughlin told the media that the smile never left Wilson’s face, even when hearing the career ending news.  David Wilson’s quote put in perspective the fact that he still lived his dream, no matter how fleeting it was, and looks forward to dreaming a new dream and living that one as well.  While I am sad today as a Giants fan as a fantasy football owner who dreamed of his potential, most of me is just so happy that we get to see him walk away from the game instead of suffering another major injury on the field.

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Episode 002: The Fantasy Coach Podcast

Episode 2 of The Fantasy Coach Podcast

Featuring: Shane P. Hallam of DraftTV.com

2014 NFL Draft Recap and Fantasy Football Outlook

About My Guest: 

Shane Hallam of DraftTV.com

Shane Hallam of DraftTV.com

 Shane has been analyzing the NFL Draft for a decade. He is currently President and Owner of www.DraftTV.com and previously was an NFL Draft Analyst for www.draftcountdown.com writing scouting reports and articles for the site since 2010.  He is also a member of the Football Writer’s Association of America and Fantasy Sports Writers Association.  He has attended the Senior Bowl in Mobile since 2011 and was the color commentator of the local radio broadcast in 2014. Be sure to follow him on twitter @ShanePHallam Summary:  Shane and I discuss the 2014 NFL draft and try and hit as many high lights (The Raiders?) and low lights as we can fit in a one hour show.  We discuss everything from teams changing their draft philosophy to which palyers you should target in Fantasy Football. Episode Breakdown:

  • Intro
  • We talk about which teams had the best drafts and which teams seemed to not have the best approach to this draft.
  • We discuss if some of the top NFL QB’s should be happy how their teams drafted.
  • We’ll discuss the running backs drafted and how they could change the way the touches are handed out where they landed.
  • We touch on a possible Seattle find that may slip under the radar in your fantasy drafts.
  • Addition by Omission: which players benefit from their teams not drafting competition for them.
  • We give our top 10 Rookie draft picks for Dynasty Fantasy Football Leagues and one sleeper we will be targeting late in drafts.

ITunes

One Important note is that the Original Intro music is provided by my good friend C-Quel or The Mighty Siek as he’s also known.  I can’t thank him enough for stepping into the studio and nailing an intro that will get everyone excited for the new podcast.

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Cordarrelle Patterson Returns

If you won a few fantasy football leagues last year you more than likely had either Josh Gordon or Alshon Jeffrey on your roster to thank.  While they didn’t lead the percentages among NFL players to be on fantasy championship rosters, that belonged to Jamaal Charles with Peyton Manning close behind, they were by far the best “value draft picks” of the season.  Alshon Jeffrey may have even slipped through the cracks in some 10 team league drafts where you don’t have an opportunity to start three wide receivers and made some waiver wire troller extremely happy.

The reason I think you should thank Gordon or Jeffrey before patting Charles or Manning on the back is because of value.  The value that comes with massively out performing your average draft position.  This massive value spike is hard to contend with for an entire season.  It was even harder to contend with in daily fantasy football on sites like FanDuel and DraftKings where Gordon and Jeffrey were playing so far above the invested value that you couldn’t win any money without them in your lineups.

I’m not the first to talk about Gordon and his massive value last season.  Here Michael Fabiano wrote about Josh Gordon’s value in his season ending awards on NFL.com.

Draft value of the year

Josh Gordon, WR, Cleveland Browns:
Gordon wins his second Guru Award, as he was a steal in 2013 drafts. Remember, he was suspended for the first two weeks of the season due to off-field issues — that made his stock fall in most leagues (ADP: 132.68). Gordon would finish the fantasy season tied with Calvin Johnson for the most fantasy points among wideouts.

While I wasn’t the first to talk about his value last year, I may be the first to talk about the fact that he may not come close in 2014 to hitting his ADP value. Don’t get me wrong Gordon is a supremely talented wide receiver, but he is currently going off the board in the middle of round one in fantasy football drafts. He’s going in the right spot based on last year’s production, but can he really match or outplay last year’s league leading numbers. I am not willing to bet on it with the situation in Cleveland.

Gordon is going in the top tier of fantasy wide receivers right now, Alshon Jeffrey is not too far behind him going in the third to fifth round of drafts. Jeffrey started slow last year, but really came on and became a huge fantasy football weapon. His ability to high point the ball always made him an intriguing pick, but his polished route running coupled with his run after the catch ability made him a break out star. Jeffrey even gets consistent carries as a runner on short reverses that keep his stat ticker climbing in the right direction.

Jeffrey wasn’t Jay Cutler‘s favorite target early on in the season and didn’t really get on track until Josh McCown took over for the injured Jay Cutler in the middle of the season. McCown and Jeffrey’s chemistry was magical to fantasy owners as Jeffrey quickly went from a fantasy bench warmer to a must start. His record breaking performances haven’t gone unnoticed as you can see by my aforementioned ADP for him at this point in the off season. His ADP is only going to climb over the off season as other wide receivers may be hurt by free agent moves (Eric Decker) or draft picks.  Speaking of climbing, a buddy of mine on Twitter, Matt Lane, and a writer for FakePigSkin.com took Jeffrey in the first round of one of the early off season Draft Masters @FantasyTaz has put together.  While I told him that was too early for my liking I can completely understand falling in love with him based on his upside.

The traits that Jeffrey and Gordon share are that they are huge physical receivers that can run, Gordon can run fast more-so than Jeffrey.  Those physical traits used to be very rare to come by, but the wide receiver class of 2012 had quite a few receivers that fit that body type.  In contrast the wide receiver crop from the 2013 NFL Draft was missing those big, physical, speed receivers.  There was plenty of short speed receivers like Tavon Austin, the first wide receiver taken in the first round by the St. Louis Rams, but the big outside marquee guys were few and far between.

[soliloquy id="968"]

The only wide receivers taken in the 2013 draft that came close to fitting the bill of the big, fast, physical wide receiver prototype in my opinion were DeAndre Hopkins and Cordarrelle Patterson.  Hopkins had made his name lining up on the opposite side of the field from Sammy Watkins at Clemson University and tearing through tough defensive backfields like LSU.  While Patterson was a junior college phenom that moved on to Tennessee and became the most explosive offensive football player in the SEC.  Hopkins hand size was discussed more than when Hakeem Nicks was coming out of the University of North Carolina, while Patterson was described as a raw play-maker that was as far from a polished wide receiver that had been considered for the first round in a long, long time.

Hopkins had a few nice games to start the year in Houston as Matt Shaub looked to have plenty of confidence in the rookie, but after week number three the rest of the season was pretty much un-ownable in fantasy leagues.  The resurgence of Andre Johnson and the unpredictability of the quarterback position in Houston pretty much soured the back end of his rookie year.  Hopkins didn’t score a touchdown after week number seven and didn’t top one-hundred yards after week two.  I think the continued presence  of Andre Johnson and the tailspin of a second half of a season should be able to keep him as a good value pick for next year.  I believe he has the ideal skills set to out play his draft position if the right quarterback ends up in Houston.

Cordarrelle Patterson of the Minnesota Vikings is the type of wide receiver that makes fantasy players drool.  He can score when ever he touches the ball.  He scores on kick offs, he scores on hand-offs, and he scores on receptions.  The only way he doesn’t score is when the Vikings decide not to give him the ball, which happened a lot last season.  The #FreePatterson chanting on Twitter was almost becoming a grass roots effort to make the Vikings fun to watch.

The only excuse for the Vikings not to use Patterson more has to be the fact that he was as raw as advertised when coming out.  If you look at Patterson’s numbers through out the year his one big performance as a wide receiver came in a bit of an outlier type game as his production was in the snow against a shell shocked Baltimore Ravens’ Defense.  Beyond that one game that really was a product of a missed tackle that led to a huge catch and run touchdown, Patterson was not all that impressive as a pass catcher.  His return skills and ability to run the ball once in possession of it was off the charts.

The reason I look beyond his receiving tape from last season is because of his after the catch running skills and his build.  Patterson is 6’2″ 220 pounds and is a nightmare to try and tackle in the secondary.  He measures up well to last year’s break out wide receivers Josh Gordon who is 6’3″ and 225 pounds and Alshon Jeffrey 6’3″ 216 pounds (that must be typo from the Bears.)  and actually is a more explosive runner than Jeffrey.  This off season is huge for Patterson because that’s where Alshon Jeffrey did all the work that led to his breakout 2013 season.

While Jeffrey had Brandon Marshall pushing him day in and day out in the off season, I’m not sure Greg Jennings is doing the same for Patterson.  I hope Jennings is taking Patterson under his wing and showing him how a top level wide receiver works, but at this point I just don’t know if that’s the case.  If not, hopefully he hired the right coaches for the off season.

Either way I’m betting on Patterson to make the leap to almost elite this season.  He should easily outplay his draft position as long as your league doesn’t get too smart in the off season.  I am willing to take him as my second wide receiver in drafts at this point as long as I have a strong back up plan in place with some high floor-type receivers as my WR3 and WR4.  If you nab Patterson any where after the fourth round you should be able to collect excellent returns on your investment.

 

 

 

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Fantasy Football Draft Prep

Wes Unseld

I finally am starting to realize how my father felt when his kids started to beat him at basketball.  My father was a proud man.  In his younger days he was a very athletic burly individual who loved to play basketball in the yard with his boys.  He was a street kid from the Bronx who played a rough and tumble form of basketball. He played in the local Catholic Athletic League as an adult and sent many a friend’s father to the floor with his Wes Unseld like physicality.  

My father would play the same way against us, his kids, as he did any full grown adult.  Body blocks, broken fingers and road rash were regular occurrences.  He even dislocated a colleague’s elbow with a hard foul one Saturday afternoon.  The man probably thought he was going to shoot some friendly hoops with the boss and found out the hard way there was no such thing as friendly hoops in the Esser’s back yard.

My father’s skills started to diminish as we started to grow up.  He could no longer block my brother Frank’s shots because Frank had managed to perfect a high release jump shot with his long 6’3″ frame.  My brother Tom had started doing his best Pistol Pete impressions while running circles around the heavier and slower version of my father.  My father didn’t exactly take this turning of the tide in stride.  He quit.  Never to lose a game to his sons on the court he had built.

I recently started to realize my advantage in Fantasy Football keeper and dynasty leagues had started to slip like my father’s basketball skills.  My first round rookie picks were no longer sure things much like my father’s patented unblockable hook shot had become less automatic.  My leagues were getting better and more competitive just like the way my brothers developed their basketball games as they grew up.  My leagues that were once cake walks had become filled with stronger more determined competitors.  I could have retired with the belt like my father did, but I chose another path.

The tide has been turning the last few years in my fantasy football leagues.  I haven’t been as sharp at identifying rookies or realizing the potential of some second year players.  I found myself struggling to keep up with some of my younger foes who seemed to have the inside skinny on every drafted rookie and even the undrafted free agents that could be assets down the road.  I felt the floor shifting beneath me and realized I needed to take stock and focus on what I was missing.

I looked back at how I used to evaluate rookies and second year players.  I was a huge fan of college football and the draft process for as long as I can remember.  I would watch, and a lot of times bet, every game that was televised.  I was betting Fresno State and Middle Tennessee State while my friends thought the only teams that existed played in the Big East.  I would do mock drafts and big board the entire draft on notebook paper.  I eventually graduated to Excel sheets that my wife would help me build.

All that work paid off with a huge advantage in my keeper and dynasty leagues.  My knowledge of rookies would help me on draft day and was an even bigger advantage when it came to trades.  What looked like an even trade when it was made, would look like an all time steal just a few short years later.  The last few years my juggernaut teams have started to show some holes.  I was still winning and doing well, but clearly I was missing more than ever in rookie drafts.  In truth I felt like the Patriots of my dynasty leagues where some of my drafts were just a waste, yet I still managed to stay near the top.

I realized that I was never going to be able to be the college football/draft guy I was for a number of reasons.  The main reason was my Saturdays were now reserved for spending time with my wife and kids.  Saturdays are the days we go to pumpkin patches, petting zoos, Grandma and Grandpa’s house, and every other place you can think of.  My wife works long hours during the week and all she wants is to spend some time with me and our beautiful girls on the weekends.  How can I deny that and say that I need to watch Rutgers play Houston or Northern Illinois play Akron?  I can’t.

Tea-Party-Daddy-Girl-Tea-2

Not me-But you get the point

While I accepted that fact that I was going to have some limitations for the foreseeable future, I didn’t accept the fact that I couldn’t be as informed as I once was.  Luckily for me there is a wealth of knowledge and tools available on the internet.  Whether it’s a premium subscription to DLF or just listening to some more podcasts while my kids are napping I was going to figure out a method that got me back on my game.

The key for me was time management.  I needed to create or subscribe to the best Twitter list I could find.                      (@SigmundBloom’s NFL Draftniks is a great place to start.)  Once I had a list of writers and draft minds that I thought looked at prospects the same way I did, I narrowed down my focus.  If they tweeted they were high on a prospect I would add that prospect to my list of draft prospects and then go to work reading as much as I could and watching as much game film as I could get my hands on.

Example:

 

 

 

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Fantasy Sports: Trades

Being Proactive Vs. Being Annoying

I am all for trying to better your roster from the time the draft ends to the very second that you are eliminated from the playoffs.  I even love making trades during a draft.  That’s why I always prefer having a live in-person draft because you can use some of the best skills a poker player possesses to your advantage.  You can read a person’s reaction to a pick. (bad or good.)  You can use your memory of how much an owner loves a certain player to corner them into a trade.  You can even use your mathematical skills to gain an advantage when trading draft picks.

The problem I have seen with online drafts full of anonymous strangers is there is little to no advantage to be culled for trade purposes during a draft.  The message board is often filled with braggadocio and insults, and offers little useful information to the cunning owner.  The occasional, you sniped me comment, can be used, but even then the owner knows they opened their big mouth during the draft.   The trade block after a draft is filled with mistake picks that look like road side junk on the way to a theme park.

After a draft is always a delicate time for trades.  It’s easy to take a player or two off an owner’s hands that had some buyer’s remorse, but trying to pry away top draft picks is often a fruitless endeavor.  They were drafted high for a reason.  The owner believes in their talent and opportunity.  The only time I even try and go after an owner’s first few picks is when there is some post draft news that may affect how in love they really are with that player.  Is the backup all of a sudden going to be handed a bigger role.  Is there an injury that went unnoticed in the preseason.

Make Sure You See The Signs

Bear Sleeping

If an owner tells you up front that they would prefer not to talk about trades until after the season starts, take that as a big hint.  They are basically posting a huge warning sign that states CLOSED UNTIL THE SEASON.  Treat these owners like they are bears in hibernation.  You don’t really want to go prodding the bear and end up creating an enemy for life.

If an owner says a certain player is OFF LIMITS don’t cross that line.  As the great @WHUDEY says all the time, habitual line steppers will be put in their place!  No rationale or pointing out of holes in an owner’s lineup will help you pry away an untouchable.  You will only make that owner dig in deeper, like a jungle warrior trying to avoid an invading army.  You are only setting yourself up for disaster if you keep on with the assault.

If an owner says they have a certain need, make sure your trade offer solves that problem otherwise you are wasting people’s time.  Don’t try and sell your offer as a problem solver if it only puts a band-aid on an open wound.  When someone loses Reggie Wayne for the year don’t offer them Hakeem Nicks for Jimmy Graham.  Not only are you insulting their intelligence, you are bringing your own into question.

Message received

If your 100 MESSAGES aren’t being returned it’s time to rethink your strategy.  Trying to get a trade done is not a war of attrition.  You don’t try and wear down the other owner until they finally accept an offer.  You are not only alienating the owner, but you are setting yourself up for a big problem.  If you continuously set your sites on one player you can make so many offers that you may make a mistake where you give away way too much for that player. It’s especially dangerous if the owner you are trying to force a trade with is a poker player.   A good owner (poker player) could be just checking and checking every time they decline your trade offers without a reason, waiting to trap you into that one big hand where he empties your wallet. (roster.)

Being First To The Feeding Frenzy

When there is a major injury on a Sunday in fantasy football, the first thing I do is check the owner of that player’s roster for possible trade fits.  I treat that owner as if they are a stranded swimmer out in the ocean.  Life boats will be coming at them from all angles with some boats looking more inviting then others.  Being first to lend a hand with a sensible offer can put you at the head of the line if there are multiple owners with similar offers.  Remember that most owner’s worst traits tend to come out when they smell blood in the water.   They offer their waiver wire bound wide receiver and act like it’s the golden ticket from Willy Wonka.  I’m pretty sure Slugworth wouldn’t even want Miles Austin on his roster if it meant some of Wonka’s secrets.

Please use these tips as a guide of what not to do in trying to trade in fantasy sports.

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Fantasy Football and Social Media

The New York Post released an article Tuesday recounting a disgusting barrage of tweets that New York Giants running back Brandon Jacobs was subjected to before and after the The Giants faced the Minnesota Vikings at Metlife Stadium. Jacobs exposed the idiot who threatened him and his family as well as another self-centered fantasy football participant who thought Jacobs owed him a personal injury report before fantasy lineups locked on Sunday by saving the screen-shots of the tweets.

Brandon Jacobs injured

I will not dignify the hooligan who threatened Jacobs and his family yesterday by referring to him as a fantasy football player. He is a cyber-bullying thug. He thought he could anonymously threaten a player and his family using a hobby as an excuse and nothing would be done. Well now his family and friends know what an idiot he is and hopefully some fans see this as a warning. It’s fanatics and hooligans like this guy that ruin the the social media experience for players and for real fans.

I hate to break it to some of you out there, but professional athletes care less about your fantasy sports team than I do about the dangers of carbohydrates. They literally put their lives at risk to provide entertainment for us. If you think that I’m being melodramatic please watch some clips of former Philadelphia Eagles‘ fullback Kevin Turner’s visit to former Oakland Raiders‘  fullback Steve Smith’s home. They both suffer from ALS after sacrificing their bodies on the football field each and every Sunday. Jermichael Finley suffered a terrible neck injury this weekend against the Cleveland Browns, and still some idiots had the nerve to complain about how it affected their fantasy football teams.

Cyber-bullying is a foreign concept to me. If I was bullied when I was growing up, it was to my face and I had my chance at recourse. Being the behemoth that I am it hardly ever happened and when my friends fell victim they always had me to come to the rescue. The children of today are so connected yet so isolated. They have face-time, Skype, Twitter, Facebook, Google+, snap-chat, to stay in touch at all times. Think about that. There is zero privacy. People can say whatever they want to you at any time even if you don’t want to communicate with them. When I was a kid and didn’t want to talk to people I would just hang out at home and unplug the answering machine with the very cutting edge background music taped from MTV’s Headbanger’s ball.

I was a child of the late ’70s and ’80s. I was introduced to AOL in high school and only used AIM to talk to the three or four friends who actually had a computer. I use Facebook now to keep up with family and friends who have scattered across the country, and I use Twitter to interact with like-minded sports and pop-culture fans. Whether it’s a late night conversation about a controversial call in a big game or reminiscing about how much we loved Rocky IV, it’s mainly been a positive experience.

There are the occasional wackos that berate me for telling them to bench a player that goes off, but it’s never gotten to the point of a threat. I don’t even give these fantasy football fanatics the satisfaction of a rebuttal. That’s what most of these wackos want. They want you to notice them and engage them. Any attention, even negative attention, makes them feel good. I try to be as courteous as possible because you never know who you’re dealing with. These people take the pastime or hobby of fantasy football way too far.

I regularly send tweets or messages to professional athletes on Twitter and Facebook. Probably once a month. Almost every time it has been to give them words of encouragement or ask how they were doing after a surgery or a tough loss. Many of ourNew York Giants are glad to reach out and have a short Twitter conversation to let you know they appreciate the support. If they don’t reply, I completely understand that they lead very busy lives and are not there to answer each and every tweet they receive. When they do reply I get a big kick out of having short back and forth. I can’t imagine how much a young fan would enjoy the same experience. If I was able to send a tweet to Mark Bavaro or Lawrence Taylor when I was 10 years old and they answered me back I may have died on the spot. Just recently I sent a tweet to Andre Brown about his recovery from surgery and we had a nice back and forth while he searched for ice cream.

This amount of interaction is amazing to me. I remember sitting with my neighbor growing up, and he would tell me that some of his beloved Brooklyn Dodgers used to live right on his street growing up. They would go to the same stores and even attend the same church. They would congratulate the Dodger players after a big win and try and lift their spirits after a tough loss. I was so jealous hearing this. I couldn’t imagine seeing Don Mattingly or Dave Winfield walking on my block or sitting behind me in church. I’m sure it would become old hat after a while if that was the norm, but things like that hadn’t been the norm since the 1940s.

Now we have a different kind of glimpse into the personal lives of professional athletes and celebrities. We follow them on Twitter to see their conversations. We follow them on Instagram to see all the interesting places they go. We follow them on Facebook so we can see when their next personal appearance might be. Some players use social media strictly as a platform for their business while others use it to help shape their public persona for future jobs. I remember earlier this year Chris Perez of the Cleveland Indians was one of the funniest pitchers on Twitter and regularly interacted with his fans. Then he went through a tough stretch trying to save games while he was injured and the hooligans rained down on him. He immediately closed his Twitter account and one of the best athlete Twitter feeds was lost. (This all happened before his dog received an infamous shipment).

My suggestion to everyone is to treat social media interactions as if you were being taped. Would you want your parents or co-workers to see what you typed? How about your family or friends? If the answer is no, then for the love of God, don’t hit send. People have been fired from their jobs and lost their loved ones over what has been said on social media. Even though we tend to put professional athletes and celebrities on a pedestal and think they are not of this world, they are human beings first and should be treated with respect. Even A-Rod. (at least I think he’s human)

So the next time Hakeem Nicks drops a pass or David Wilson fumbles a ball please don’t feel the need to remind them on Twitter or Facebook. I’m sure they feel bad enough as it is. Besides, a true fan would be trying to build them up instead of tearing them down.

This post originally appeared at www.bigblueview.com on Monday October 21st, 2013.

 

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Fantasy Football: Week 7 Thoughts

Seattle Seahawks at Arizona Cardinals

Marshawn Lynch was his usual powerful self running for over 90 yards and scoring a touchdown.  His middle finger to the sideline on a goal-line pass call was like a scene from the cutting room floor of Any Given Sunday.  If I were Lynch I would be pissed as well as he is as good as it gets at the goal line.  Russell Wilson broke the spell of underperforming QBs on Thursday night as he managed 3 TDs through the air and ran for an additional 29 yards.  Zach Miller continued the tight end dominance against the Cardinals as he had 5 grabs for 40 yards and a TD.  The return of Percy Harvin to practice this week makes him a top waiver priority, but don’t expect huge numbers in this run first offense.

The Cardinals on the other hand were lucky that the scoreboard didn’t reflect their actual play.  Waiver wire darling Andre Ellington managed 5 touches for 13 yards, as Rashard Mendenhall once again led the Cardinals’ backfield in touches with 13.  Mendenhall was once again ineffective as he had only 22 yards on 13 carries, but did manage a rushing TD.  Larry Fitzgerald was playing on a balky hamstring and it showed.  He only had 2 receptions for 17 yards on 5 targets.  Michael Floyd led the Cardinals in yardage and targets, while Rob Housler had a lot of “garbage time” looks.  Housler finished with a season high 7 receptions for 53 yards.  If Jermichael Finley was your TE1 Housler may be a better roster filler than whoever gets named Finley’s replacement.

Tampa Bay Buccaneers at Atlanta Falcons

Mike Glennon was able to top 20 fantasy points once again as he made it a point to target Vincent Jackson whenever possible.  Jackson led all wide receivers in week 7 with 22 targets, while finishing with a tremendous 10 receptions for 138 yards and 2 touchdowns.  Tim Wright got the bulk of the passing down snaps, but didn’t see the targets necessary to make him fantasy football relevant.  Doug Martin had juicy match up against Atlanta and of course he was injured while running the ball in the red zone.  Mike James took over and looked very capable in Martin’s absence.  Schiano won’t admit that Martin’s shoulder injury is season ending yet, but I would be targeting Mike James in all free agent systems.  The volume will be there and he is a skilled runner so it could be worth mortgaging your FAAB budget if your early round running backs didn’t pan out. (Wilson, T-Rich, Spiller, etc.)

The demise of Matt Ryan was greatly exaggerated as he had a fantastic fantasy day against the Buccaneers.  His big first half was enough to calm many a fantasy GMs nerves.  Jacquizz Rogers  had a great PPR day with 8 receptions for 46 yards and 2 touchdowns, but the Falcons as team found it difficult to run the ball as they had 18 carries for 18 total yards.  With Steven Jackson having a set back last week it only solidifies Rogers’ PPR value.  Tony Gonzalez was thought to be the beneficiary of all the lost targets from the losses of Julio Jones and Roddy White, but Harry Douglas had other plans.  Douglas had his best fantasy day as a pro with 7 receptions for 149 yards and touchdown, while Gonzo had 2 receptions for 30 yards.

Cincinnati Bengals at Detroit Lions

The Bengals’ Andy Dalton must have heard me muttering a few weeks ago about his lack of production.  I was sold on him coming into the year as the poor man’s Matt Ryan with all the weapons at his disposal, but he had failed to breakout until the last two weeks.  Dalton had 372 yards and 3 touchdowns in a tough road game in Detroit.  AJ Green had a huge game with 6 receptions for 155 yards and a TD.  The Bengals talented tight end duo of Gresham and Eifert had 7 receptions for over 100 yards and a touchdown combined.  Giovani Bernard was held in check, but still managed over 10 points in full point PPR leagues.  Marvin Jones had a nice TD and could be taking over a the WR2 very soon.  For those of you that lost Reggie Wayne this weekend in deep leagues, I could see taking flier on the talented Jones. 

Calvin Johnson

Matthew Stafford was once again a player that many thought about benching going against a very tough Cincy Defense that never gives up 300 yard games, but if you stayed the course you were rewarded.  While Stafford wasn’t terribly efficient (28/51) he did manage to throw for 357 yards and 3 touchdowns.  That gives him 7 passing TDs over the last two weeks.  Reggie Bush got plenty of opportunities with 20 carries and 5 targets, but only managed 94 yards.  Calvin Johnson broke out big time with 9 receptions for 155 yards and 2 TDs after being a decoy last week.  Kris Durham was targeted 8 times and came away with 5 receptions for 41 yards.  Joseph Fauria was NOT the tight end to reach the end zone as Brandon Pettigrew was able to catch a touch down pass.  Fauria did see 3 targets in the end zone.  Nate Burleson is almost back and will be a welcome sight for this offense.

Buffalo Bills at Miami Dolphins

Thad Lewis was unable to match his week 6 fantasy output (who knew) and finished with 0 TDs.  Stevie Johnson was his favorite target with 13 total targets, but only managed 6 receptions for 61 yards.  CJ Spiller had 9 touches for 7 total yards.  7!!!!!  The future is as cloudy as it’s ever been for this top fantasy draft pick.  Fred Jackson was injured twice during the game,  but toughed it out and managed the only offensive touchdown for the Bills.

Ryan Tannehill was constantly under pressure and turned the ball over 3 times resulting in points for the Buffalo Bills.  Brandon Gibson was a PPR star with 5 receptions for 40 yards and 2 TDs.  Mike Wallace and Brian Hartline both had over 10 targets, but didn’t have the big games many expected.  Charles Clay turned his one reception into a touch down.  I was surprised he wasn’t more involved.  I was even more surprised that the annoying (for fantasy purposes) Daniel Thomas had more touches than Lamar Miller.  Miller is in a virtual time share for the foreseeable future and should be benched in most formats.

Dallas Cowboys at Philadelphia Eagles

Tony Romo had a few bad turnovers, but still managed to top 300 yards and throw a touchdown pass.  Joseph Randle proved to be just an average talent, but did have 22 touches for 93 yards.  Miles Austin once again was riding a bike and it looks like he will be shut down for a while.  He honestly he doesn’t fit the offense anymore as their ideal set of receivers is Dez, Terrance Williams, Cole Beasley, and Jason Witten are much better at exploiting matchups.  Dez Bryant had 8 receptions on 16 targets for 110 yards.  Terrance Williams once again scored a touch down and looks to be more than a dynasty league target now.  He is a legitimate WR2 if Miles Austin is phased out.  If he is available make him a top priority.

Nick Foles pretty much sunk every daily fantasy line up I had as he was horrible while he was in the game and later left with a concussion.  The good new is Michael Vick should be back this week.  DeSean Jackson failed to get going with his QBs struggling and was injured on a running play.  Somehow Jason Avant had a team high 15 targets, but only turned them into 3 receptions.  Riley Cooper had 6 receptions on 7 targets for 88 yards and still managed one bad drop.  LeSean McCoy was held in check by a Dallas defense filled with no names up front.

New England Patriots at New York Jets

Gronk

Tom Brady once again disappointed, but who can blame him.  These wide receivers just can’t be relied on and he focused almost all of his attention on the returning Rob Gronkowski.  Gronk led the Patriots in targets with 17 and had 8 receptions for 114 yards.  He was tackled inside the 2 yard line on one play and failed to see a pass from Brady because of the sun being in his eyes, otherwise he would have also had a touchdown.  Brady was focusing on Gronk so much that he threw an interception that was returned for a touchdown on one pass where he defender undercut Gronk’s route.  Ridley and Bolden split the touches in the backfield and both had rushing touchdowns.  Bolden getting the first crack at a goal line carry had some Ridley owners running for the exits.  Ridley is by far the best running back at their disposal, but he is nothing more than a RB2 with this usage.

Geno Smith was inefficient when throwing the football (17/33), but did manage to throw a touchdown and run for one.  Off season acquisition Chris Ivory was finally on display, but nobody decided to tell fantasy owners of Bilal Powell that Ivory would be the bell-cow for the day.  Ivory getting 34 carries for 104 yards was a nice surprise for anyone who was forced to put him in their lineups is deeeep leagues.  Jeremy Kerley was able to show off his considerable skills in the absence of Santonio Holmes by having 8 receptions for 97 yards and a touchdown.  Jeff Cumberland started the game with a 25 yard reception, but managed just 2 more receptions for 16 additional yards.  I still like his skill set if you’re desperate for a tight end.

Chicago Bears at Washington Redskins

The Bears are decimated by injuries on defense and that trend continued as Lance Briggs was injured in this game.  The bigger problem for the Bears and fantasy owners is Jay Cutler was injured and looks like he will be out more than a month with a groin tear.  Matt Forte was in all my daily fantasy lineups and that paid off big time as he had his first ever 3 rushing touch down game.  Alshon Jeffrey made the most of his four receptions as he went over 100 yards and had an additional 16 on the ground.  Brandon Marshall had 6 receptions for 75 yards on a team high 10 targets.  Martellus Bennett made the most of his one reception with a seven yard TD.  The fact that the Bears will have to turn to journeyman Josh McCown for the next few games makes banking on anyone besides Forte and Marshall going forward a tough thing to do.

I expected a huge game from the Redskins running game against the Bears and boy did we get it.  The only thing is it wasn’t Alfred Morris who was the top fantasy producer.  Instead Roy Helu Jr. came off the bench and vultured 3 touch downs.  The Redskins ran for 209 yards and Morris was able to nab 95 of those yards while Robert Griffin III was able to run for 84 yards.  The big news in this game was the break out of tight end Jordan Reed.  The signs have been coming for a while that Reed was going to break out and now he has arrived.  The stage was cleared before the game as Fred Davis was a healthy scratch and Reed came through big time with 9 receptions for 136 yards and a touchdown.  Somehow he is only owned in 25%of ESPN fantasy leagues.  That’s going to end big time.  If he’s on the wire he should be your top priority.

St. Louis Rams at Carolina Panthers

Well this game couldn’t have ended any worse for the Rams.  Their best defensive player Chris Long was shown the door for throwing a punch in a scrum and Sam Bradford was lost for the year to a torn ACL.  Janoris Jenkins decided to enrage Steve Smith of the Panthers and was the recipient of a vintage move by Smith for a receiving TD.  The only bright spot was waiver wire find Zac Stacy managed to have a nice fantasy game (87 total yards and a TD) in a terrible matchup.  The Rams should have to lean heavily on Stacy going forward, but their run game might not be able to hold up against the added attention.  Kellen Clemons is a big down grade from Sam Bradford behind a suspect offensive line.

The Panthers had a nice fantasy match up against the Rams and failed to capitalize.  Cam Newton put up pedestrian numbers and DeAngelo Williams was only able to 40 yards on 15 carries.  If you chose Mike Tolbert in any best ball leagues you got rewarded again with a short yardage touchdown.  Steve Smith had a touchdown and added 69 yards.  Greg Olsen only had 4 targets and caught all four for 47 yards.  I’m worried that he isn’t involved enough.

San Diego Chargers at Jacksonville Jaguars

Philip Rivers was super efficient going 22/26 for 285 yards and a touchdown.  While Rivers had a very nice day it was the running backs you wanted in your lineups for this match up.  Ryan Mathews rewarded your patience by running the ball for 110 yards and 1 TD.  A running back going for 100 yards is nothing to sneeze at in today’s NFL.  Danny Woodhead once again put up over 15 PPR points and has been even better than he was last year in New England.  Eddie Royal finally got back in the end zone with a diving effort at the pylon.  Waiver wire target Keenan Allen had 3 receptions for 67 yards, but was banged up a little in this one.  Antonio Gates had 6 receptions, but managed only 31 yards.

Chad Henne had over 300 yards passing, but was sacked 6 times and threw one interception.  Justin Blackmon had a pedestrian game (6-58-0TDs) after having back to back huge games.  Cecil Shorts III was a surprise start and had a team high 8 receptions for 80 yards.  Mike Brown looked pretty good against Denver last week and he looked even better this week with 5 receptions for 120 yards.  I would only look at him in extremely deep leagues unless there’s an injury to Shorts or Blackmon.  Still a name to file away.

San Francisco 49ers at Tennessee Titans

The 49ers have decided they are a running team only apparently.  They rode Frank Gore and Colin Kaepernick’s legs to a victory on the road.  Kaepernick was once a gain not a top 10 fantasy QB, but did look more decisive and explosive when running.  Frank Gore had 70 yards rushing with 2 TDs and even added 34 yards in the air.  Anquan Boldin and Vernon Davis got the bulk of the targets and had decent days as both just barely managed more than 10 fantasy points in PPR leagues.

Jake Locker made a surprise start and was a top 12 fantasy quarterback as he racked up yardage and touchdowns in catch up mode.  (326 yards 2 TDs)  Chris Johnson was only used in 1% of Draftstreet lineups because of the tough match up against the 49ers, but racked up 19 fantasy points thanks to a long catch and run. Kendall Hunter is becoming a nice flex option in PPR leagues as he had 9 receptions for 98 yards.  Nate Washington saw his targets increase (10) with Locker back , but managed only 3 receptions for 62 yards.

Cleveland Browns at Green Bay Packers

The Browns played like a team that knew they didn’t have a chance to win.  Even though the Packers defense was banged up the Browns failed to take advantage.  Weeden looked awful (17/42 for 149 yards 1TD 1Int) and it wouldn’t surprise me if he finds the bench next week.  McGahee was pedestrian and the Browns haven’t missed a beat with T-Rich traded.  The big surprise was the performance by Josh Gordon.  He had 2 receptions for 21 yards on 6 targets and looked almost disinterested.  Jordan Cameron got a lot of garbage time attentions and finished with a team high 7 receptions for 55 yards and 1 TD.

Finley's career may be in jeopardy after sustaining a serious neck injury

Finley’s career may be in jeopardy after sustaining a serious neck injury

Aaron Rodgers was able to have a very representative game (260 yards 3 touch downs) despite missing two of his biggest targets in Randall Cobb and James Jones.  Jarrett Boykin the owners that rushed to the waiver wire for him last week with 8 receptions for 103 yards and 1 TD.  Jordy Nelson was limited in production by Joe Haden, but still managed to grab 5 balls for 42 yards and 1 TD.  The big issue for the the Packers is the very scary injury to Jermichael Finley.  He was having a break out game with 5 receptions for 72 yards and a hard fought touch down, only to have his health come into question on a hit over the middle.  Finley has been diagnosed with a spinal contusion and if you own him you should look for a replacement ASAP.  I honestly hope he is put on IR and is able to fully heal before thinking about suiting up again.  Andrew Quarless will most likely take over tight end duties for the Packers, but I would look to some other FA names first.

Houston Texans at Kansas City Chiefs

Case Keenum got the chance to start for the struggling Texans.  He had a very nice game (271 yards 1 TD) even though he didn’t have a running game to take the pressure off.  Arian Foster injured his hamstring very early in the game and his back up Ben Tate apparently broke a few ribs filling in.  By the end of the game they were down to fullback Greg Jones running the ball as third string running back Cierre Wood was inactive and later released for team rules violations.  After the running backs were hurt it was impossible for Andre Johnson and DeAndre Hopkins to build on their hot starts to the game.

What more can I say about Jamaal Charles.  He is the most consistent runningback in fantasy football.  A ho-hum 123 yards from scrimmage and a touchdown in the 7th game in a row.  Dwayne Bowe had a team high 9 targets, but didn’t have a big game.  The return of Anthony Fasano almost produced two touchdowns, but he was tackled inside the 5 yard line twice.  Keep an eye on him in deep leagues as Alex Smith loves to feature the tight end.

Baltimore Ravens at Pittsburgh Steelers

This game was a struggle for both teams and for fans to watch.  Ray Rice continued to struggle and Torrey Smith was once again held in check.  Nothing more to report besides some injuries to the Baltimore offensive line that might need a shuffle.

The bright spot for the Steelers was the continued emergence of Le’Veon Bell.  He carried the ball 19 times for over 90 yards and showed nice patience when pressing the hole.  One of my all-time favorite tight ends Heath Miller caught the only touchdown pass from Ben Roethlisberger, but only caught one other pass.  PPR beast Antonio Brown was held relatively in check with 6 receptions for 55 yards.  My Trick Plays sleeper Emanuel Sanders was a big disappointment with only one reception for 7 yards.  He teased me and fantasy owners with with a long touchdown return, but stepped out of bounds by a hair.  UGH!

Denver Broncos at Indianapolis Colts

Peyton Manning was able to put up big fantasy numbers (386 yards 3 TDs), but his passes were mostly wounded ducks that had fantasy owners scared about an injury.  The injuries along the offensive line finally proved to be costly as Manning was hit regularly by the Colts defense.  Manning tried to take advantage of two deep safeties by running the ball, but Knowshon Moreno failed to get anything going on the ground (15-40 1 TD) and his running mate Ronnie Hillman once again had a costly fumble.  Eric Decker had 8 receptions for 150 yards and 1 TD, Demaryius Thomas had 4 for 82 and 1 TD, Wes Welker was fed the ball late and had 7 receptions for 96 yards.  Tight End Julius Thomas had 5 receptions for 41 yards and 1 TD.

Andrew Luck was played heavily in daily fantasy football and he didn’t disappoint. (228 yards 3 TDs 29 yards 1 TD), but he did lose his best wide receiver Reggie Wayne to a torn ACL on a poorly thrown ball.  The injury to Wayne should be very concerning for any Andrew Luck owner as he leaned on him heavily.  The Colts are going to need TY Hilton and Coby Fleener to grow up fast and Darius Heyward-Bey to make more plays.  Trent Richardson was once again held in check as he looks completely lost running the ball.  He is indecisive and shows a real lack of vision.

Minnesota Vikings at New York Giants

Adrian Peterson should have stayed on the bus for this one.  With the Vikings throwing Josh Freeman to the wolves by starting him a few short weeks aster signing him, Peterson was met  by a wall every time he tried to carry the ball.  Freeman looked rusty and out of sync with every wide receiver on the Vikings as he had over 30 in-completions.  Talking about any of the receivers would be disservice to them as they had no chance on may of Freeman’s throws.  I would stay away from starting any Viking besides AP until Freeman gets acclimated.

Eli Manning was looking at another banged up secondary and another chance to get into the good graces of fantasy owners, but once again didn’t produce. (200 yards 1 TD)  Peyton Hillis was signed off the street and found himself as many fantasy owners’ last hope of grabbing a victory.  While he totaled 81 total yards and a touchdown, it was anything but a great running back performance.  Hakeem Nicks had a case of the drops and if you hoped he would be traded to a better passing team I think that ship has sailed.  Victor Cruz had a tremendous match up and only managed 5 receptions for 50 yards.  Rueben Randle was once again hit or miss.  He made a tremendous leaping catch for a touchdown and then fumbled a punt return by using poor fundamentals.  I’m a little worried that play may land him in the doghouse next week.

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