Russell Wilson – The Fantasy Sports Coach

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

The Curse of the Playoff Bye

Congratulations to everyone in fantasy land who have made it to the playoffs. A big gold star goes out to those of you who managed to get first round byes thanks to your successful regular seasons. While a week without fantasy football stress sounds like the perfect antidote to pressure endured over the last few weeks of the regular season, beware. A weekend of lounging comfortably and relaxing with your family while others are glued to their televisions, computers and smartphones can actually be your undoing.

Bye weeks for actual NFL players are spent on the golf course or catching up on long neglected household chores. Clean yards and gutters are fine and dandy for NFL players, but yard and gutters will remain a blight on my neighborhood until the league championship is mine.

While you occasionally glance at the scores and check the updates on Monday for injuries, your opponents will have the upper hand of firsthand knowledge. While you adjust your starters based on box scores and injury reports, your opponents will be using their eyes and ears to help them gain an advantage. The box score does not tell the entire story of a game. For instance, you would never know about a snowstorm in Buffalo or a torrential downpour in Miami by reading the stats. You might just be looking at the stats with blinders on, not realizing the starting quarterback was knocked out in the second quarter leading to your receiver having a terrible day.

John Skelton turning it over, again

I suggest you play the week. Pick your starters by doing your homework. Watch the games with a keen eye. Spend your weekend looking for trends such as Denarious Moore being benched again, or Steve Smith getting more targets with Brandon Lafell on the mend. Has Colin Kaepernick actually found a go-to receiver in Michael Crabtree? Does John Skelton throw the ball to Larry Fitzgerald constantly, or does he get hooked faster than I would while performing at the Apollo Theatre?

Injuries are a huge part of the sport and a huge obstacle for fantasy owners. If you have been playing musical chairs with your second running back, you may want to give the job to Montell Owings this week. His bruising style and fresh legs might just be the answer to your RB2 prayers. Danario Alexander is obviously the guy to start if you have injury concerns at receiver. I would have pushed for Cecil Shorts III to overtake any of your other WR2 options, but a concussion suffered against Buffalo has me, and everyone else who rode his hot streak into the playoffs, concerned. If I were the coach and GM in Jacksonville, I wouldn’t risk a possible superstar when we have nothing to play for.

Russell Wilson has been consistent enough to overtake Phillip Rivers, and quite possibly Eli Manning, as a starter for your fantasy team. I would ride him one more week if you have Ben Roethlisberger on your bench. I wouldn’t play him over Tony Romo, Cam Newton, or even Colin Kaepernick yet.

Good luck, and hit me up on Twitter @Coachesser for any start/sit questions you might have.