Tag Archives: Fantasy Player Rankings

Fantasy Focus: Week 15 Fantasy Football Preview

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This is the 2nd Week of Fantasy Playoffs in some leagues, the first in others, regardless, who to play is a big deal. Last week Josh finished atop the charts for the 3rd time in the last 4 weeks, or something like that, and his picks have been on fire lately. I finished second, as some tough defensive picks and a goose egg from quarterbacks had the poo-fan pointed in my direction. Ryan and Papa are both trying to pick up some winners as the last few weeks wrap up, and you better believe I’ll be trying to hold onto the overall title. Doing work. This week I have some solid sleepers ready to wake up and give you a playoff win if you need some help, as I’ve placed an extra five guys in my “super sleeper” realm – guys that are waiver wire fodder right now, ready to spring into starter action for draft pick duds. It’s playoffs, nobody’s feelings will be hurt, just play the best guys out there! Here goes many things….

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

1. Wes Welker – Defenses can focus in on Randy, that’s fine, but Wes had 12 catches against Buffalo earlier this year, he will have a teen count this week.
2. Ray Rice –  I have to stick with Ray Rice, the Bears can’t keep up with the main man in Baltimore.
3. Adrian Peterson – Carolina’s pass D is actually decent, their run D, well, you’ll see.
4. Drew Brees – You know Drew has that fire wanting a win over Dallas, and you know he’s going to make that secondary cry.
5. Chris Johnson – I will not take CJ off this list, he’s a must play, at the top of the world right now.

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

1. DeSean Jackson – Despite last week’s lockdown on Arizona, the 49ers secondary has some holes, DeSean will find them.
2. Jamal Charles – The kid is lightening quick, and given 20 touches, he’s as good as gold in this match-up.
3. Thomas Jones – I like Thomas a lot again, his match-up is just too good, and he’ll get his carries.
4. Cedric Benson –The Chargers can give up some yards on the ground, and I feel a 120+ yard day coming for Benson.
5. Brandon Jacobs – I like his style, and his punishing runs look to be back. Albert might be out, look for 18-20 carries and yards to match.

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

1. Justin Forsett –Again, he’s the best back in Seattle, again, he’ll have the most fantasy points amongst them, and Tampa, nice match-up.
2. Quentin Ganther – The Giants D front doesn’t scare me like they used to, the Redskins O scares me more than ever. Deal.
3. Vince Young– I like him again, if he’s still out there, he’s a nice spot start for a 2nd straight week.
4. Laurence Maroney– LM has been consistent, at the very least, for the Patriots – I think he runs a lot again in Week 15.
5. Alex Smith– The thought of the Eagles secondary says no, but don’t get tricked, if you don’t have a top guy, need a starter, Smith is a solid play.
6. Steve Breaston – He might be on the Waivers after a few pooformances, but Larry Fitz might be out, and the match-up is good, I like starting Ta-Tas this week.

Super Sleepers for Playoff Push…

1. Brady Quinn – Everyone is saying no, the Chiefs D beat up the Bills passing attack last week, and Brady threw for under 100 yards – so what, I like the match-up. If you need him, don’t feel like you’re going to die. At least double digit fantasy points from Quinn.
2. Chris Jennings – He might not be on the waiver, but I picked him up in a couple leagues, so he’s out there in most. He plays the Chiefs D and looks like a solid option if you have nothing else.
3. Maurice Morris – He could very well be in for starter carries, and some grabs out of the backfield as well, you could do worse than MoMo.
4. Devin Aromashodu – Let me say this, Jay Cutler has been lobbying for him getting more playing time for weeks, he finally gets it and puts up 21 fantasy points. Like it.
5. Greg Camarillo – Last week’s performance isn’t that crazy, and while I don’t see 100 yards, 5+ catches and 50+ yards seems likely against the Titans.
6. Deon Butler – Call me crazy, and this would be a tough start, but I wouldn’t be surprised if it worked out. Burleson is out, and while Branch is #3, Butler is the big play guy left – I think he has a couple this week and has his best fantasy week of the year.

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

1. Hines Ward– Great player, struggling team, tough D, tough start in my opinion.
2. Mario Manningham– After a great start, MM is back-up duty, and against one of the best secondaries in the league, not a good start.
3. Matt Forte – Weird, Matt’s here again, I think he’ll do more blocking than running against the Ravens.
4. LeSean McCoy –I like the rookie a lot, I just think the Niners shut him down, and the Eagles find quicker ways to gain yardage.
5. Kyle Orton– I like the Broncos to win, yes, but pass a lot? no. Orton might get close to 200 yards, but I doubt he gets over that mark. More than a touchdown through the air? No – sit him.

***Nate Burleson is out. Turner is still a bit risky. Don’t start JaMarcus Russell unless you are throwing your playoff game, and if you are starting Charlie “Brown” Frye, I’m sorry for your mixed luck, nothing like getting to the playoffs and having to start a peanuts character***

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Fantasy Focus Review: NFL Week 10 Fantasy Football

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Oh, it was too good of a start for me – this week was an all time low for Ol’ Lucky Lester – it was also an all-time “Team Lucky Lester” low in the fantasy rankings as I swept the 4th spot in every single category. Tough week indeed! Josh took 1st place, Red Red Ryan (despite his inability to communicate with anyone during his new Modern Warfare game’s release month) managed to wrap up 2nd place, while Papa Weimer and then Me, definitely in that order, came in 3rd and 4th. I’ll try to get back on track next week, but for now, this is how Week 10 went down – and I do mean DOWN!

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

1. Ray Rice– 16th RB in Week 10, 18 fantasy points, the Browns shut him out of the passing attack. C
2. Chris Johnson – #1 overall fantasy player. A+
3. Michael Turner – Hurt in the 2nd quarter, had 111 yards on 9 carries. B
4. DeAngelo Williams – DeAngelo was rested a bit, as Jon Stewart carried more of the load. Will had 120 yards from scrimmage, but no touchdowns and was just the 21st RB in Week 10. C-
5. Thomas Jones– Thomas Jones didn’t carve up the Jags like I thought he would, 77 yards and a TD. C-

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

1. Carson Palmer – No offensive TDs in this game, Palmer was 23rd QB in Week 10. F
2. Percy Harvin – 40th WR overall in Week 10, 9 fantasy point, obviously Rice was getting Brett’s passes. C
3. Pierre Thomas – Reggie Bush was the productive runner of choice in Week 10, he was 8th, PT out of Top 30. F
4. Devin Hester – 29th WR in Week 10, not great, not too shabby. Maybe if Cutler didn’t throw 5 to the Niners…  B-
5. Sidney Rice –4th WR this week, one of the greatest receiving days in Viking history with 201 yards. No TDs… A

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

1. Reggie Bush – Bush suprised everyone (besides me) and busted 6 rushes for 86 yards and two total TDs. A+
2. Beanie Wells – “Call it a feeling, Beanie might have his best game as a pro.” Got it right! #3 RB in Week 10. A+
3. Steve Breaston –Ta-tas gets 16th WR spot in Week 10, awesome for a #3 receiver. A
4. Mark Sanchez– Sanchez was 21st amongst QBs in Week 10, 10 fantasy points – he hurt the Jets… D+
5. Ricky Williams – Ricky had 100 yards rushing, getting 20 carries when Brown went down. 24th RB. B-

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

1. Joseph Addai– Addai was 13th RB in Week 10. Through 3 quarters he had done nothing. But in the 4th Addai totaled 2 touchdowns. He had just 68 total yards in Week 10. Still, his 2 TDs made his day nice. F
2. Wes Welker– I was close on the catch prediction, but wrong on the yards, Wes had 9 for 94- a good week. F
3. Matt Forte – Forte had 20 carries for 41 yards. A. Oh wait, 8 grabs for 120 yards too? Shoot. F
4. Mike Sims-Walker– 3 catches for 49 yards and a score. Not great, but pretty decent against Revis. C-
5. Julius Jones– He got hurt, but I’ll take my A+ – I need it this week! A+

***The Giants and Texans finished off the byes, now only injuries keep players out of your line-ups, you needent mind the gap any longer!!!

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Week 9 Fantasy Rankings

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Who did we miss in Week 10, from QB to DST, here’s a short list and their respective rankings.

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QB – Marc Bulger (5), Philip Rivers (6), Jake Delhomme (7) – weird, nobody had the balls to pick Marc and Jake.

RB – Steven Jackson (2), Justin Forsett (3), Chris Wells (3), Jamal Charles (5), Matt Forte (6), Reggie Bush (8) – I mentioned Wells’ having a big day, but I didn’t pick him. I’ve been writing Jim Mora all season sending him hate mail about continuing to ignore Justin Forsett, his hand was forced on Sunday with Jones out, and look what happened. Jamal Charles had a nice week after barely getting any looks a week ago. Matt Forte was terrible running but had 8 grabs for 120 yards despite Jay Cutler throwing 5 picks. Reggie made the most of his 6 carries and 2 catches, scoring twice and accruing 100+ yards.

WR – T.J. Houshmandzadeh (5), Jason Avant (6), Donnie Avery (7), Wes Welker, (8) Lee Evans (9), Maclin (10) – It’s no wonder that we all left Avant and Avery off the list, but both played big time on Sunday. Housh was open all day, again, but only this time Matt Hasselbeck actually threw him the ball. Wes Welker had 9 grabs for 90+ yards, Lee Evans managed to find two touchdown passes from Trent Edwards, that’s magic in and of itself. Maclin kept his strong rookie season going with 6 grabs, 76 yards, and a touchdown.

TE – Brent Celek (2), Will Heller (5), Dustin Keller (6), John Carlson (7) – It was probably a mass oversight that we left Carlson out, maybe we all thought he’d be blocking all day, at least I did. Celek continues to have awesome days, he was a great value TE pick this year. Heller, come on, how do we predict that? Dustin Keller has been solid, and was a big part of the Jets passing attack on Sunday.

Def/ST – Packers (2), 49ers (3), Bengals (5) – Apparently last time the Bengals all but shut down the Steelers, none of us believed. I have a feeling you’ll see “Bengals” in most Top 5s from here on out. The Packers absolutely dominated the Cowboys, and that was great, Dallas didn’t even score until the 4th quarter near end-game. The 49ers caught balls from Jay Cutler all night, 5 to be precise, that’s how they finished 3 for the week.

Fantasy Focus Review: Week 9 Fantasy Football

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Uh oh, could it be? Heading into Monday Night’s game, it’s looking like la familia might take their first loss in Week 9 – Calling Josh to let him know, and in a sneaky way, try to jinx him, I get this message. “I’m probably here, looking at my phone, seeing you’re calling to try and jinx me. But I won’t let it happen you sneaky S.O.B. If the stars align, I’ll be calling you later tonight to gloat. Oh, and if this is someone that has no idea what I’m talking about, sorry, leave a message for Josh and I’ll get back to you.” Awesome. Aside from that, I made some solid fantasy calls this week, hopefully helping you out on your way to Week 9 glory. Here’s how the week went down.

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

1. Maurice Jones Drew –MJD was only 8th amongst backs, 21 fantasy points weren’t bad, but KC did well. B
2. Tom Brady – Brady was 7th overall, not bad, but not Kurt Warner or anything. B-
3. Larry Fitzgerald – Larry finished as the Top Fantasy player in Week 9. That’s good enough for me! A+
4. Reggie Wayne– He was only 19th in the WR race, his interception wounded duck dropped him a notch. C
5. Pierre Thomas– Thomas finished 9th, which was pretty good for a time share back. Good work in Week 9. B+

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

1. Matt Hasselbeck – He was the 8th rated QB of Week 9, not a great week, but solid. I expected more. B
2. Steve Smith (NYG) – 10th WR this week for Smith, a nice go around, back to being solid. B+
3. Ryan Grant – 96 yards and a score for Grant, but the Packers still needed to run the ball more. B+
4. Mike Sims-Walker – Mike shined in the Jaguars win, catching 6 balls and rocking them for 140+ yards. A
5. Ahmad Bradshaw –27th running back overall this week, Bradshaw was shut down. D

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

1. Nate Burleson – Outscored by Housh, but by just a single point. Burleson was Top 20 in Week 9. B+
2. Julius Jones – 7th running back this week, that’s what I’m talking about. A
3. Steve Breaston – Breast was tied for 10th amongst WRs for Week 9, a great play. A
4. Alex Smith – Tied for 8th amongst QBs, a nice play in Week 9. Smith has nice confidence this time around. A-
5. Jamal Charles – 24th running back this week, Charles didn’t get the touches I expected, but decent flex play. C+

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

1. LaDainian Tomlinson– 22 yards rushing for LT, no scores, you’re welcome! A
2. Antonio Bryant– Late scratch, hopefully you took my advice and were sitting him anyway. A
3. Roy Williams – Best yardage game in some times, 5 catches for 75 wasn’t great, but better than I expected. D+
4. Steve Smith (CAR)– 33rd receiver this week, I feel bad for Steve his talent is elite, his QB not so much. B+
5. Matt Forte– Matt had a decent day in a PPR league, like these rankings, he finished 11th amongst fantasy backs in Week 9, but it was his 5 grabs and 75 receiving yards that moved him up the list, not his 33 rushing yards. C-

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Week 9 Fantasy Rankings

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Well, that’s that, Josh takes the crown this week and he’d like to dedicate his performance to a couple things. A – The Kyle Orton-Arm Strength Surgery fund (That’s KO-ASS), and B- the Darkness. I finished second, but Josh rocked three #1 spots this week and took the crown easily. We had some close match-ups, he got me by a point a couple times, but he had the right stuff in Week 9 – doing work in the darkness!

Who did we miss this week? For TEs, Greg Olsen busted out a career week with 3 touchdowns, 5 catches and 71 yards taking the top spot. Brandon Petitgrew made his first appearance in the Top 5, as the 4th TE this time around. Nobody thought the Bucs would stick it to the Packers, and even fewer people thought Tampa would rock Aaron Rodgers early and often and put up big time defensive points. But they did, and they took the top D spot. The Titans finished 3rd. People gave up on Mike Sims-Walker after a bad performance last week, but he was 3rd this time around. Hines Ward was 4th. And ready for this, Chris Chambers walked into Kansas City and put up 70 yards and 2 touchdowns on 3 catches for the Chiefs, good for 5th amongst WRs in Week 9. We had everybody in the Top 5 RB rankings besides Joseph Addai, who caught and rushed for a TD in a tight Colts win over Houston. As for QBs, nobody had the balls to go with Josh Freeman, the Tampa rookie that torched the Packers for 3 touchdowns in his first career start. Matt Cassel also did work, finishing 4th amongst QBs. Big Ben also got into the Top 5 with his Monday Night performance.

Big ups to Josh Arsenault, somebody had to steal the crown, his performance did the job admirably!

Fantasy Baseball Preview: Tiered 2B Rankings

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The influx in talent at 2B has been amazing. This used to be one of the more shallow positions in baseball, and getting a guy that could put up good numbers here was worth a reach on draft day. That’s just not the case anymore as 2B has turned into a powerhouse of little guys that do it all. The AL MVP was 5’6″ Dustin Pedroia and all the way down the list guys put up numbers worthy of stronger positions. Being one of the last teams in your league to select a 2B shouldn’t leave you hurting for power, but instead getting nice value from a guy like Jose Lopez or Mark DeRosa. These are my 2B Rankings for 2009.

Tier 1

1. Chase Utley – There are some health concerns with Utley, but he says he’ll be back by opening day, and how can you question one of the toughest and best hitters in the game? I’ll tell you this much, even if he misses the first couple weeks, if I could have one two-bagger it would be Utley. One of these years he’s going to hit 40+ HRs.

2. Dustin Pedroia – How can you not love this kid? He hits in a great line-up, he gets more out of his ability than any guy in the league, and he’s young and going to get better – he works to hard to stay the same. Utley may be at the top, but Pedroia proved that he can be magic too.

3. Ian Kinsler – If health weren’t an issue, Kinsler would rank higher than Dustin Pedroia – so let it be known, the upside of Kinsler trumps that of DP, but if upside was the judge of Pedroia the kid would have never made it to the big leagues in the first place. Regardless, Kinsler is a great option on draft day, a kid that can truly do it all.

4. Brian Roberts – Roberts is one of the top tier guys. He’s 4th, but he’s better than everyone else and there’s a chance he gets traded partway through the season to a contender – and that would almost surely mean a better hitting situation for one of the games best fantasy worthy middle infielders.

Tier 2

5. Dan Uggla – Dan Uggla is prone to ups and downs, probably more so than most 2Bs in the league, but his ups are as high as they get, and if you get him early there’s a nice chance his trade value sky-rockets and you can cash in. I like Uggla – he swings like he means it. Hence all the Ks, but still.

6. Alexei Ramirez – This guy reminds me of a young Alfonso Soriano (by the way, if this makes you feel as old as it makes me feel, Soriano is not young anymore). He can really swing the bat and his wiry frame makes all that pop seem impossible. He’s young and hitting in a good place for power.

7. Brandon Phillips – Phillips’ best years might be behind him, and 30-30 might not happen again, but that being said, he’ll probably be a good deal this year because he was hurt late last season and people often let that effect drafts. Don’t let it effect yours, he’ll produce all year for you.

8. Robinson Cano – Cano had a brutal start to the season last year, but he’s a very good player. He’s also rocking his swing in a lineup where everyone is pretty damn crafty. He’ll get lots of fast balls and there won’t be too many attempts to pitch around him. I’m guessing he has a nice bounce back year and does work for fantasy owners that take the plunge.

Tier 3

9. Jose Lopez – One of the most underrated middle infielders in the game, and it makes sense. He plays for a Seattle team that was brutal last season and he plays at 10:30 EST in more than 75% of his games. The world never sees the guy. Well, he’s good, he’s young, he hits at the top of the order in Seattle and he’s their only consistent run-producer and Ichiro is always on second when he’s up. Sounds like 80+RBI to me.

10. Howie Kendrick – This kid is legit, now if he could only stay healthy. Seeing as though he’s never had more than 400 at bats, I overlooked him a little bit, forgetting him originally on my 2B Rankings. But he’s a guy that has a little pop, can steal bases, hits for a .300+ average and will surely score runs in the Angels lineup.

11. Placido Polanco – Boring old Placido – sure, say what you want, but I’ll take him really late and watch him consistently get me points that help me win weekly. He’s not fast, he’s not powerful, he’s just always on base and right at the top of an order that is going to produce runs all year long. Don’t hesitate.

12. Kelly Johnson – Kelly Johnson didn’t impress like many thought he would. So what, it’s coming – take a chance on this guy later on draft day and it’s very possible you reap the benefits of a late round steal.

Tier 4

13. Mike Aviles – I like this guy more than most because I don’t see much not to be fond of. I would probably even reach a little bit higher on the 2B order to grab this kid because he could continue to hit .325. If he does that with 600 at bats then he’s going to hit close to 10HRs, get 70RBI, and score a bunch of runs, even in KC. In fact, with Alex Gordon, Billy Butler, and a roost of young talent maturing in KC, that order might do more damage than people expect. I think they’ll be solid offensively.

14. Mark DeRosa – DeRosa is old, he really had one amazing year (last season), and he moved teams. But it’s not like Cleveland can’t hit, and he’s likely going to play every day. Not only that, but DeRosa was a mid-season pickup that helped lead me to a Championship so he has a warm fuzzy place in my heart.

Tier 5

15. Kazuo Matsui – Injury problem always, but when he’s healthy he’s a solid start.

16. Ronnie Belliard – Belliard had a decent season and he’s always had decent power numbers for a 2B.

17. Akinori Iwamura – Iwamura could continue to hit atop the Rays line-up, and in that case he’s almost guaranteed fantasy points. But I’m not too fond of the little 2B.

18. Felipe Lopez – Lopez could do good things in Arizona if he can get his health together. This guy had one amazing year that I would never expect to happen again – but he could hit .285 with double digit HRs and score runs in Arizona.

19. Freddy Sanchez – Sanchez is a good contact hitter that has months where he sees the ball very well. He will be fantasy relevant sometime this season.

20. Orlando Hudson – Hudson’s batting average has improved every single season since 2003. During that time he’s gone from .268 to .305 – if that continues then he’ll find a place even though he doesn’t do much else besides get on base and score runs. In a deep league he could be worth starting, especially one that has a middle infield slot.

21. Mark Ellis – Remember in 2007 when Ellis hit .276 with 19HRs, 76RBI, and 9SB? Me too. That’s why he’s on here. If he does that again he deserves a higher spot. Obviously I wonder if he can. One good thing, despite injuries last season Ellis stole 14 bases in only 440 at bats. Upside late in the draft, that’s a good thing.