Fantasy Focus Review: Week 11 Fantasy Football Grading

What an unlikely week – I mean the Browns and Lions (not in that order) owned the top two fantasy spots in Week 11, that alone is straight nuts. The chances of that happening? Zero percent. Yes folks, magic, miracles, whatever you want to call it, the stuff happens. But one thing returned to normalcy – I stepped it up and won the writer rankings easily this last week. Ah…. This is how the rest of the fantasy week went down.

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Elite Starters: Guys picked early that I love this week…

1. Maurice Jones Drew– MJD was the object of the Bills defense, and Buffalo led most of the game so he just had a mediocre week, good for 12th RB this week, 17 fantasy points. B
2. Chris Johnson – “held in check” by the Texans, CJ had 151 rush yards, but that’s it. B-
3. Adrian Peterson – AP was limited by the Seahawks defense, no TDs for only the 2nd time this year. 13 fantasy points and a disappointing day for owners everywhere. C-
4. Peyton Manning – 19th amongst QBs, not a good pick by me, thought he’d do more. F
5. Ray Rice– The 8th RB in Week 11, Ray had 20 fantasy points – a solid day for Baltimore. B+

Solid Starters: Guys picked in middle rounds that should outplay their ranking/draft position this week…

1. Steve Smith (NYG) – 36th WR this week, not nearly the day I thought he’d have. C
2. Rashard Mendenhall – Mendenhall had a nice day for the losing team. 6th overall. A
3. DeSean Jackson – 6th WR this week, got behind the defense for a long one. Again. A+
4. Ricky Williams –I said I’d start him if I had him. He was the top RB in Week 11. A+
5. Sidney Rice –5th WR this week. Stud. I’m glad Brett helped the coaches realize it. A+

Sleeper Starters: Guys ranked low, drafted low or not at all, but I still like them this week…

1. Justin Forsett – 8 carries for just 9 yards, but scored. And caught 8 balls for 80. 5th RB. A+
2. Beanie Wells – Was 16th RB, finished ahead of Addai, Chris Johnson, and DeAngelo. A
3. Jeremy Maclin –33rd WR with 13 fantasy points. Decent day for J-Mac. B-
4. LeSean McCoy– 22nd RB this week for McCoy, not a bad #2 RB and a good flex. B+
5. Fred Jackson–Lynch got hurt, which helped Jackson, but still just the 30th RB. Not bad. B-

Sit ‘Em Son: I don’t care where they were drafted, I don’t like these guys starting this week…

1. Joseph Addai– 19th RB, not a great number for Addai, but solid enough. C-
2. Derrick Mason– Derrick Mason had a day, making me look foolish. #9 WR… F
3. Jay Cutler – 19th quarterback overall, Jay had a nice interception to end it. Yep. B+
4. Roy Williams – Roy boy had 4 targets in Week 11, he converted 0 of those. Ha. A++
5. Matthew Stafford– And Matthew Stafford had the best day ever for a rookie. Yep. F—

***Look out for the injuries that went down this week, hope you didn’t start Michael “The Burner” Turner or the old guys with head problems – bless their hearts!!!

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Week 11 Fantasy Rankings
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Who did we miss in Week 11, from QB to DST, here’s a short list and their respective rankings.

QB – Matthew Stafford (1), Brady Quinn (2), and Brett Favre (3) were all missed by every top 5 list in the show. One doesn’t look like the other, that’s for sure. If you can predict the next time Stafford and Quinn will finish 1, 2 – you have my blessing to take over my job.

RB – 1-6 were ignored by everyone, they went like this… Ricky Williams, Jamal Charles, Kevin Smith, Jason Snelling, Justin Forsett, and Ryan Grant. I knew Ricky was going to have a nice week, and Kevin Smith had upside going against the Browns run-D, but Snelling against the Giants? Justin Forsett against the Vikings? Ryan Grant had a pretty damn good week against a run D that has been tough all year.

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WR – Wes Welker (1), Terrell Owens (2), Hines Ward (4), Anquan Boldin, (7) Greg Jennings (8), Derrick Mason (9), and Mike Sims-Walker (10) – I think Walker might be right at the top of wide receiver consistency lists – when he plays, and starts, he’s been down right solid. Mason was on my bench list this week, so it didn’t work out well for me. Greg Jennings had his best performance of the year. Anquan Boldin grabbed the vision of Kurt Warner while Kurt was on the field, Hines got back on track against the Chiefs secondary – and Wes Welker and TO had HUGE days at the top. We caught something like 35 balls while TO went for nearly 200 yards in a tough loss for the Bills.

TE – Kevin Boss (1), Heath Miller (2), Visanthe Shiancoe (5), and Brandon Petitgrew (6) – were the top 4 options that we left off the list. TE’s are tough, man, what can you say? Just like receivers, predicting their hot games are tough.

Def/ST – We pretty much sucked defensively this week, all picking high teen and some twenty numbers – of course we ranked our defenses very close with each other. The Patriots (1) Chargers (3) and Redskins (4) all missed our Top 5 lists. Damn us!

Ask Papa Weimer: Week 11 Fantasy Football Questions

Remember, hit me up with football questions at papaweimer50@hotmail.com

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Alright folks, I don’t have any crazy into this week, just some fantasy questions and answers. Well I do have one thing, injuries suck and they can derail fantasy seasons. And in the NFL it can certainly be tough, but nothing is more ridiculous than NBA Fantasy Basketball and the injuries that go down in that crap. I finally told Lucky I’d play fantasy hoops with him, and I swear I have more “day-to-day” “questionable” “probable” “out” “out indefinitely” stupid reports about my players than I even have roster spots. What a joke. If football players didn’t play with things like sprained thumbs and strained calves, NFL games would stop after Week 4. Here’s my Q and A for Week 11!

Miguel writes, “Thank you so much for your detailed response last time; it really was good help! This week, I am in a spot trying to determine who to start at RB.  This is a PPR league that counts return yards. I can pick two between – Brandon Jacobs, Justin Forsett and LeSean McCoy. Thanks for the help!”

Miguel,  Glad I could help, and hope you enjoy the site.  I would go with Brandon Jacobs and McCoy – both McCoy and Forsett have their downsides in their match-up. 1 – the Hawks play the Vikings 2 – the Eagles love to pass the ball, hate running it. But without Westy in there, I think McCoy gets some targets in the passing game. 5-8 catches wouldn’t surprise me at all. I LOVE Justin Forsett’s ability, I’ve been begging Jim Mora to play that guy since about Week 3, and he finally got touches and put up big numbers against a dominate run defense in Arizona last week. But I still think Jim Mora is too stupid to give Forsett 20 touches this week against the Vikings. There’s very little room to run in Minnesota, and I think Hasselbeck will be looking for his receivers out wide against a Vikes secondary playing without Antoine Winfield. I think your best bets are McCoy and Jacobs.

Stanleigh in Cali says, ” I am getting hammered the last two weeks and have slipped to 4th place with two consecutive losses. Need a “W” this week and always appreciate your words of wisdom. Would you start Thomas Jones and Betts this week over Matt Forte or Justin Forsett? How about Marshall, Hester and Jennings over Hakeem Nicks?”

I might start Forte over Betts, Betts has a so/so to tough match-up, but I think Forte could catch a lot of balls against the Eagles – and Philly doesn’t have the greatest rush defense either. The Bears suck, but you might as well go down with your top pick and if he’s every going to do anything, this week in a huge Sunday Night game against Philadelphia is the right time. Other than that, yeah, I like your chances this week. Marshall could blow up against the Chargers, despite their solid pass D rating, Jennings has pretty easy match-ups going forward, it sure would help me out if he started catching touch down passes – and as for Hester, I don’t know, he’s probably your best bet for looks, because Jay loves to throw the ball, but Hakeem Nicks against the Falcons might be a nice chance for big points – Nicks is a stud, and while he shares starter minutes with Manningham, Nicks has proven to have the better hands – and while he’s more of a risk than Hester, he could capitalize on that solid match-up. Tough call, I think I’d stick with Hester based on his higher number of targets and the Eagles give up some big plays just about every week. Fantasy can get you down, no doubt, I’ve had a tough couple weeks in 2 of my leagues, keep losing by a couple every week. Tough deal.

And here’s one from last week that went well for Tami, she wrote, “SO I think I need some advice this week. So far, I’m 9-0 in a point per yard league. This week though, I’m torn with my RB and QB. Do I start Aaron Rodgers or Joe Flacco?? Flacco had a great game against Cle in week 3 but Rodgers has done great things for me this year.”

Tami,  Joe Flacco or Aaron Rodgers huh, I think I would go with Rodgers. Flacco’s match-up is solid, no doubt, and he did throw for 300 million yards last time he faced the Browns, but Rodgers has 6 consecutive multiple touchdown games. The Packers throw way too often, which isn’t good for winning actual football games, but come fantasy football, that’s exactly what you want. He’s thrown for 260+ yards 6 times in 8 games. That’s pretty impressive, plus, against a pass rush even better than the Cowboys’ and a very similar secondary (maybe Bid D’s is a little better than Minnesota’s, but it’s close) Rodgers threw for 380+ yards and 2 touchdowns, then 286 yards and 3 touchdowns – so he’s had success against the big aggressive defenses. Flacco’s a solid option, I just think they run the ball more this time out.

And here’s the other piece of advice I gave Tami that didn’t go so well, “Also, do I start Brown or Mendenhall? Brown has been in a small slump and Mendenhall got my win last week. My other backs are Adrian Peterson and Ricky Williams. Any advice is appreciated!”

So you need to start three, and you’re already starting Ricky Williams and Adrian Peterson? I think I would add Ronnie Brown to that mix if I had the choice between him and Mendenhall – however, Mendenhall and Ricky Williams would be the two guys I’m debating. On one hand you have Mendenhall, a big tough runner that has had some big games so far this year, including putting up 155 yards against a very tough Denver run defense, (I think he had 120 in the 2nd half alone, and it’s not like he had any long touchdown runs to pad his per carry stats). On the other hand, you have Ricky, a guy that’s played awesome this year, and has become a huge part of that rushing attack, and he’s playing the Tampa Bay Buccaneers offense of all defenses – his stock is shooting up. It’s hard to start two running backs from the same team, but if there’s any situation where that would be a solid option, it would be Miami at home against Tampa Bay.

However, after considering everything, I think I’d pick AP, Ronnie Brown, and Mendenhall. I just want to buy into the Steelers committing to the run. Since he became the starter in Week 4, Rashard has not rushed for less than 62 yards, (165, 77, 62, 69, 155) and has rushed for fewer than 5.1 yards per carry just once. He’s had good numbers per carry against good defenses, (6.9 against Minnesota, 7.0 against Denver) so you wouldn’t think he’d be eliminated by the Bengals D. It’s a tough choice, definitely, but his consistency, and the fact that Ricky has rushed for fewer than 60 yards on 4 different occasions, plus just 27 and 33 yards the last two weeks, I’d have to go with Rashard. If you’re picking two guys, I would probably stick with AP and Ronnie Brown.

How’s a guy supposed to know that Ronnie Brown is getting hurt and Ricky will carry more than he’s carried all season. I hope you got the win anyway, Tami! Sorry!

Fantasy Focus: Week 11 Fantasy Football Rankings

Alright, it’s getting a little terrible. Josh has won 2 weeks in a row, and I received his fantasy rankings this week entitled, “The Three-peat Rankings” – Puke. Not only did I get dominated last week, I set an all time low for fantasy rankings on my own site, pulling home 4th in every single category. Heartache, pain, suffering – none of that, don’t worry – I’m just downright pissed off at my inability to see the entire board lately. But I’m destined to get back to my winning ways, so why not start this week? You’ve got to believe in your stuff, and confidence has never been an issue for me. Let the games begin! It’s about time someone else started winning Arse. If you three-peat, I’ll send you a present to the darkness!

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Elite Starters: Guys picked early that I love this week…

1. Maurice Jones Drew– The Bills allow more yards and touchdowns to running backs than any other team in the NFL. Yep.
2. Chris Johnson – I do actually think the Texans D will play better this time around, but so what, CJ will still do work.
3. Adrian Peterson – Big Backs kill Hawks – it’s very similarly proven to E=MC2.
4. Peyton Manning – I can’t see a better QB option this week, the Ravens secondary should prepare for the worst.
5. Ray Rice– If the Ravens want to beat the Colts for the first time in 7 games, they better feed it to Ray.

Solid Starters: Guys picked in middle rounds that should outplay their ranking/draft position this week…

1. Steve Smith (NYG) – The Giants SS is good to go this week, the Falcons secondary is porous.
2. Rashard Mendenhall – Mendenhall > Kansas City Chiefs.
3. DeSean Jackson – I’m loving DeSean against the Bears secondary. That kind of speed should torch them.
4. Ricky Williams –Ricky moves up from sleeper status because of Ronnie’s injury. I’d be starting him if I had him.
5. Sidney Rice –Tough to go against Rice right now, especially with Seattle in town.

Sleeper Starters: Guys ranked low, drafted low or not at all, but I still like them this week…

1. Justin Forsett – I don’t care if the Hawks are headed up against Minnesota, this kid can find yards if he gets carries.
2. Beanie Wells – Last week I called his best week of the season, I’m going for 2 in a row.
3. Jeremy Maclin –The Bears will see a lot of passes this Sunday Night, Maclin, like Jackson, has that painful speed.
4. LeSean McCoy– McCoy has a good match-up against the Bears, a defensive front that isn’t as scary as they insist.
5. Fred Jackson– It’s a deep trick shot, for sure, but Fred should see his highest touch numbers since Lynch returned.

Sit ‘Em Son: I don’t care where they were drafted, I don’t like these guys starting this week…

1. Joseph Addai– He burned me in the 4th quarter last week, but I think I’m right this time.
2. Derrick Mason– The Pats killed the Colts secondary, but I think the Ravens run too much this week.
3. Jay Cutler – He has the talent to bust out any week, but the Eagles will feast on his mistakes if he plays like Jay Cutler.
4. Roy Williams – The Cowboys won’t have time to mess with the whole #1 receiver game, the Skins have a tough secondary.
5. Matthew Stafford– Don’t start a bad player because of a supposed good match-up, plus the Browns D is better than you think.

***No more Bye weeks, but don’t get caught starting old man Clinton Portis or older man Brian Westbrook – both are definitely out this week, and there’s other’s too! Mind the Doctor!!!

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Week 11 Fantasy Rankings

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theRUNDOWN: Week 11

For those of you new to theRUNDOWN this is what I do. I pick my best team of the week, some nice plays with a few reasons to back up my picks. After that I list a couple sleepers, either decent guys that I expect to have good weeks, or relatively unused guys I like to do well. Then, at the end I list a few usually solid guys that I would leave on the bench. Last week was one of my better RUNDOWN’s despite Aaron Rodgers and Greg Jennings pooping their respective bunk beds. This is my RUNDOWN for Week 11…

QB: Jay Cutler vs. Atlanta: I’m hoping to be wrong about this one, because I play against Cutler in some pretty big leagues this week – but the kid should have a nice game against a Falcons team that has been playing better in the secondary – it’s time to come back to reality folks.

RB: Matt Forte vs. Green Bay: Forte is the Bears offense, the Packers can’t stop the run, Matt catches passes with ease – nice play here.

RB: Frank Gore vs. St.Louis: Not only do I like Frank and his matchup – but how do you think the kid feels after falling down and costing his team a win last week? I’d like to think that he has a huge game against the Rams here.

FLEX: DeAngelo Williams vs. Detroit: I like some touchdowns against the Lions defense – weird.

WR: Anquan Boldin vs. Seattle: Because nobody can stop this guy. He’s a touchdown machine.

WR: Roddy White vs. Denver: I like Roddy a ton, and so does Matt Ryan – that means good things for both of us against the Broncos “secondary” – brutal.

TE: Tony Gonzalez vs. New Orleans: He may be old, but he’s damn good, and he’s getting targeted by Thigpen more than any other player on KC’s roster.

K: Stephen Gostkowski vs. Buffalo: I’d go for Gostkowski, but I’m late – he already had a huge game. So I’ll take Jason Elam to put up a couple field goals and about 4-5 extra points. Let the field goals be long ones Jason!!!

D: Carolina Panthers vs. Detroit: Two weeks in a row? Hey, blame the schedulers – Oakland and Detroit back to back is like Halloween and Christmas clumped into one. That’s right, girls dressed in hot little outfits and presents.

PAPA’S Week 1 SLEEPERS

Tyler Thigpen: Amazingly, you can still get him and he’s probably your best starting option this week. I know he’s starting for me. Does that mean bad things? Hmmm….

Matt Ryan: Is he a sleeper still? He’s a nice play against Denver.

Ricky Williams: They want to get him the ball more, he looks solid, he plays Oakland. There you have it. There’s a chance you can pick him up to fill in for Steven Jackson. Do it.

Jerious Norwood: I’d rather start Norwood in a PPR league than a big clump of starters this week – so he’s a nice sleeper option.

Brandon Jones: He’s been consistent over the last few weeks, and Jacksonville’s defense is lost – he’s a decent option.

Mark Bradley: He might still be available – don’t hesitate.

Deion Branch: He’s risky, no doubt, but pick him up at least. He’s back, and so is my bald brother Matt – so don’t mess around.

Billy Miller: I’ll go with Billy until Jeremy Shockey pulls his head out. Got me?

Tampa Bay Buccaneers: Should stop the run enough to make Gus throw – that means picks.

Papa’S Week 6 Splinter-Butts (bench him, son)

David Garrard: I don’t think much of David against the TItans – Jacksonville will try to run all day. That won’t work either, but goodness, I don’t see Jacksonville scoring more than once.

Willis McGahee: No thank you. I don’t think Willis has played well in two straight games this whole season. The Giants will hammer out the Ravens run I reckon.

Brandon Jacobs: He looked pretty banged up last week and this week is pure death, Baltimore. I would stay away from Jacobs if you have another option.

TJ Houshmanzadeh: If you can still get good stuff for him, trade him, this week is a start of a terrible schedule the rest of the way.