Tag Archives: Kyle Orton

Fantasy Focus Review: Week 8 Fantasy Football

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This was a terrible fantasy week for me. Not only did I lose two huge divisional fantasy games by a total of 3 fantasy points, but my good picks performed pretty poorly while my bad picks did alright. It was a struggle. And then you have me finishing last in the fantasy picks amongst writers – I just want to turn in Week 8 and forget all about it. Kind of like the Redskins offense does every week. At least the fantasy crown stayed in la familia, despite a great QB and WR prediction day from Arsenault. But now I have Papa dogging my fantasy knowledge. Ugh. Here’s the review.

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

1. Peyton Manning – Despite throwing for 347 yards in Week 8, Joseph Addai was the only Colt with a TD pass. Manning finished 9th amongst QBs, but just 13 fantasy points. C-
2. Adrian Peterson – The Packers shut down AP last time out, I DOUBT that happens again. Not this time.
3. Drew Brees – Brees was 7th amongst QBs with 20 fantasy points, a nice day out of him. B
4. Steve Slaton– Ryan Moats numbers, you see them? That’s what Slaton would have had if not for fumble-itas. Slaton got benched after 1 carry and 1 catch. F
5. Chris Johnson– Best running back option in Week 8, best overall. This guy is a stud. A+

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

1. Kyle Orton – The Ravens shut down the Broncos, definitely, Orton was the 21st ranked QB. F
2. Steve Smith – 13th wide receiver, he played well early. B+
3. Marshawn Lynch – 35th RB. Despite being up into the 4th, Lynch had just 9 carries. Buffalo is dumb. F
4. Steve Smith– 15th receiver this week, pretty solid output despite Giants’ struggles. B+
5. Brandon Jacobs – 21st RB, Jacobs had 87 rushing yards despite being way behind. He’s running well. C+

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

1. Nate Burleson – 6 grabs for 89 yards, Nate has had a very nice year, way better than Housh so far. B+
2. Eddie Royal – Eddie is open, ala T.J. Housh in Seattle – too bad nobody throws these guys the ball. F
3. Mike Bell – Just 2 fantasy points for Bell, there goes me reading Sean’s mind. F
4. Donnie Avery – 1 catch for 15 yards, I hate Marc Bulger. F
5. Beanie Wells – 41st RB. Good average, stupid play calling will screw a good day from a RB anytime. F

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

1. Julius Jones – 56 rushing yards and 2 grabs for 32 receiving. Not terrible, not good. I expected less. C-
2. Thomas Jones – Thomas had a nice day for the Jets, 102 rushing yards and a 28 yard catch. 18th RB. D
3. Roy Williams – Roy had just 2 catches for 19 yards, but he took one into the end zone. Still, that gives him 3 catches for 35 yards over his last 2 starts. Gross. B
4. Matt Hasselbeck – Well I was wrong in a sense, Matt finished 6th amongst QBs, but that fantasy output didn’t represent the game, as Matt and the Hawks got kicked around. Still, this is fantasy, I was wrong. F
5. LeSean McCoy – McCoy’s 1 65 yard TD run was enough to bury this as a good sit-pick. It looked good for most of the game, but the kid is explosive, and that long run definitely counts. F

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Who did we miss? Percy Harvin and Greg Jennings were both Top 5 performers and not one of us picked the rookie or Jennings despite a couple of us picking Favre and Rodgers. Interesting… As for running back absentees, how about Ryan Moats finishing 2nd in Week 8, you just can’t predict that business. Matt Forte finally made a Top 5 list, finishing 4th with 26 fantasy points against that burly Browns defense. Mark Sanchez, Donovan McNabb, Tony Romo, and Matt Hasselbeck finished 3, 4, 5, and 6 – and not a single one of us predicted one of those signal callers in a Top 5. Dustin Keller finished atop the TE rankings, while Kevin Boss, Brent Celek, and Spencer Havner (again) finish out the Top 5 at that position. Defensively, we all picked the Cardinals (final ranking 25th of 26 teams) but left out the Panthers (tied for 2nd with the Ravens). We also left out the Dolphins who rode two kick off return touchdowns to a huge defensive/special teams day in a win over the Jets. Kickers kicked, that’s all I remember there. Until next week!

Fantasy Focus: Week 6 Fantasy Football Analysis

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The old man made it two weeks in a row, but at least it stayed in family again. Despite Red Red and Josh’s fantasy genius, neither has found a top spot in any one week this year. But I’m not settling for 2nd, getting the top spot three straight weeks to start the season felt a lot nicer than two straight 2nd place finishes. I’m out for the glory in Week 6. There are some more gross games that you’d like to stay away from this week (Rams/Redskins for one) and some great ones that fantasy should shine in. Here are the predictions for Week 6’s Fantasy Football action. Let the ghost of Drew Bledsoe in Patriot-ic red, white, and blue and his chubby 7th grader-like athleticism shine through with rapture, lead me back to the promise land you dopey Cougar!!!

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

1. DeAngelo Williams – It’s a shot in the dark, maybe, and Williams hasn’t been great this year, but Tampa calls…
2. Randy Moss – Tennessee Titans. Remember the Titans? Remember how they had a great secondary last year. Forget that.
3. Maurice Jones-Drew – He struggled last week, but in comes St. Louis to quell all problems.
4. Tom Brady – I’m starting to like anyone against the Titans secondary, but Tom has a special place in my heart.
5. Brandon Marshall – The big talented kid has seemingly figured it out, and that means bad things for San Diego.

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

1. Matt Hasselbeck – Arizona really doesn’t let you run it, but they sure allow you to pass it. Matty can do that.
2. T.J. Housmandzadeh – If you like Matt this week, and I do, you have to like T.J.
3. Cedric Benson – This cat is running down hill. He put up a big number on Baltimore, Houston should fall like dominoes.
4. Brett Favre – A lot of people will be confused and sit Brett against Baltimore, should be one of this better throwing games.
5. Wes Welker – I think Welker has 10 or more catches for at least 100 yards this week. That’s 20 points and a great day.

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

1. Nate Burleson – There was no reason for him to go undrafted in most leagues, he’s a weekly starter, this week should be great.
2. Donnie Avery – The kid is finally getting healthy and he can fly, Jacksonville struggles to stop even kiwi bird air attacks.
3. Rashard Mendenhall – I’ll ride this super sophomore until he lets me down, especially against the league’s worst run D.
4. Kyle Orton – The Chargers let opponents have their way, and Josh McDaniels likes to throw the rock. Good for Orton owners.
5. Eddie Royal – I love me some Eddie Royal this week against San Diego, especially since he saw 15 targets last week.

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

1. Fred Jackson – It’s going to be tough for me to play Fred much, Lynch gets more carries and more receptions.
2. Vincent Jackson – An impossible guy to sit on most teams, but if you have other solid options, I think he struggles.
3. Julius Jones – Hopefully you listened to Red Red Ryan and traded him when he had value, AZ won’t allow much.
4. Santonio Holmes – Because why would the Steelers pass more than 20 times when they could run to victory easily?
5. Steve Slaton – In a non-ppr league, I think you sit Slaton. If it’s PPR, don’t expect a great day, but could be playable.

PS – Don’t play Dolphins, 49ers, Colts, and Cowboys in Week 6! Byes! Mind the gap!

Week 6 Fantasy Pre-Rankings

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Michael Koenen has a special place in the hearts of everyone at LuckyLester.com – until he’s kicking field goals again, we’re not ranking the position ever… Get a 60 yarder Mikey!

Fantasy Football Week 3 Waiver Watch: Thing 1 and Thing 2

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Welcome back for my next installment of Thing 1 and Thing 2. If you followed my advice last week you got comparable (and in some cases better) production from your lesser-owned fantasy players. The lone exception was due to Kellen Winslow’s breakout game and Robert Royal’s disappearing act. You can’t win them all I guess but four out of five ain’t bad. As the weeks go on it will get tougher and tougher to uncover those hidden gems so staying active on your league’s waiver wire early can really pay off as the season wears on. Who should you be paying attention to as week 3 approaches? … Let’s get after it.

Thing 1: A much-hyped rookie coming out of college, this kid has loads of talent but hasn’t looked ready for the NFL early in his career.  He is currently the sexier pick in a RBBC offensive scheme but his production has yet to match his 95% ownership in ESPN leagues.

Thing 2: A career backup that has had some injury troubles but has always done the most with the chances that have been given to him.  He is currently being overlooked as a fantasy contributor but his production on the field warrants much more consideration than his 38% ownership suggests.

Reality Check: Thing 1 is Knowshon Moreno and Thing 2 is Correll Buckhalter.  The running back situation in Denver will likely be fluid all season long, but don’t miss out on the cheap production you can get from a guy like Buckhalter, especially early in the season.  Moreno will finish the season with more touches, but I think Buckhalter will score more TDs for the Broncos due to his big play ability and slightly larger build.

Thing 1: This QBs upside is marginal but he does have a talented group of wide receivers and young, imaginative offensive mind calling the shots.  That said, his decision-making has always been a huge question mark and I am amazed that he is currently owned in 78% of ESPN leagues.

Thing 2: This QB came into the season undrafted in all but the deepest of leagues but is steadily making strides toward fantasy consideration.  He does turn the ball over more than he should but early in the season his yardage and TDs are more than making up for it.  He is currently owned in just 12% of leagues.

Reality Check: Thing 1 is Kyle Orton and Thing 2 is Byron Leftwich.  Orton is the prototypical “game manager” and has the potential to post more consistent stat-lines than Leftwich, but the upside of the sluggish-armed Tampa QB is intriguing.  He has shown a good rapport with TE Kellen Winslow early in the year and a defense on the decline could have him playing a lot of catchup.  Ask Jay Cutler how that worked out for his fantasy stats last year.

Thing 1: This WR is an extremely gifted route-runner and has some of surest hands in the NFL.  Due to some off-season changes to his supporting cast, his early-season production has taken a major hit.  I still like the kid a lot, and he is becoming a good buy-low candidate, but he is currently owned in 90% of ESPN leagues.

Thing 2: This young WR has blazing speed and his big-play potential has caused his team to try and find more opportunities to get the ball in his hands.  A big jump in his ownership percentage this past week means owners are starting to take notice so this may be your last chance to go get him.  He is currently owned in 20% of leagues.

Reality Check: Thing 1 is Eddie Royal and Thing 2 is Johnny Knox.  Royal’s loss this past off-season has been Knox’s gain in the form of Jay Cutler.  A strong-armed QB with decent accuracy, Cutler is able to fit the ball into tight spots for Knox to work those shallow crosses and sideline routes that made Royal a household name last year.  As their chemistry grows expect to see more of the speed merchant from Abilene Christian.

Thing 1: This physical WR uses his body extremely well to make tough catches in traffic.  He has a rookie signal-caller tossing him the rock and over the first two weeks of the season they have shown decent chemistry.  He has yet to get into the end zone, but this productive wideout is currently owned in 96% of ESPN leagues.

Thing 2: This second-year WR won a preseason battle for the #2 role on his team.  Although his play was inconsistent in his rookie season, he has shown flashes of big-play potential and has developed into a good route-runner.  He won’t produce as a fantasy starter every week, but there is value here and he is owned in just 12% of leagues.

Reality Check: Thing 1 is Jerricho Cotchery and Thing 2 is Chansi Stuckey.  I like what I have seen from Stuckey and his rookie QB thus far.  Mark Sanchez’s lightning-quick feet and superb vision mean he will be able to keep plays alive longer than his aging predecessor, allowing his receivers to work toward open space.  I think Stuckey has big-time sleeper potential in an offense that looks to be much more balanced than anyone thought heading into the season.

Ten for Tuesday

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Here goes something…

  1. I killed it on my top picks of the week, also known as the picks I put my face on. That’s right, I lost just one game on the week. I was 6-1 with my college picks and an undefeated 3-0 in the NFL. I’m up in both football formats and hopefully winning you guys some money. Lots of games, lots of picks, lots of wins thus far. I’ll keep ’em coming!

  2. I’m so sick of “random stats” that I’ve started hitting the “recall” button on my controller, busting back to the last channel my girlfriend was watching, ever single time ESPN starts to read off some bullshit stat about how B.J. Upton is the only player with a last name starting with the letter U to hit multiple homeruns in a playoff game – or never in a Monday Night Football game has there been two punt return touchdowns, a blocked field goal for a touchdown, and three idiot announcers reading some complete idiot stat guys newest concoction on the same damn night. That’s right, so instead of just enjoying a good game I get all flustrated and end up watching some spew about how Paris Hilton is trying to find a new BFF – whatever the hell that means. So, now I’m pissed, watching terrible TV, and possibly missing Reggie Bush take back kick number three, but at least I don’t have to listed to Mike Torico babble on about some random stat that makes me want to break my TV – I only have to deal with that dumb blond rich bitch that has some crazy need to project her image in front of millions of MTV watchers. Ugh. Needless to say, I’m just pissed. Who would have though? Me, hating ESPN.

  3. Is now the time to go get Thomas Jones? I’ve been looking at some remaining schedules, and with the Jets showing everyone in the league they can toss the ball around, more focus will go into guarding against Brett’s wild arm and Coles and Cotchery along the outside. But, the Jets have shown they want to run the ball given an open look. I think Thomas Jones finishes the year as a Top 10 back, and I wouldn’t be surprised if he is a Top 5 guy from here on out. He sits at a pretty reasonable value I reckon.

  4. I was watching LeSean McCoy this weekend – he’s legit. Him and Beanie Wells, both should come out and do work in the big league. There are so many good backs in the game right now, I don’t know where they would fit, but if the Seahawks don’t try to grab a big play receiver or a big play running back in the first couple rounds of next years’ draft, they’re brass is just plain stupid.

  5. I don’t write one, and proabably never will, but I figure this is as good a place as any to throw out my biggest stud pickups of last week. There were a few moves that made many an owner feel brilliant for pulling out a win, and my Top guys at the big 3 positions are… Kyle Orton, DeAngelo Williams, and Bernard Berrian. That’s right, these three guys were all additions in my fantasy leagues this week. Williams was dropped earlier in the week, Orton hadn’t been owned all year, and Berrien was dropped after not impressing and being a question mark for this weeks action. I picked up Berrian and started him over Chris Henry. I won by 10. Yhatzee. Kyle Orton was a huge part of my uncle’s win this week, and my best buddy picked up DeAngelo later in the week, and started him because he was hurting with Steven Jackson and McFadden on his bench. Three big pick-ups, and people say drafting is where you win this game. HA!

  6. Mike Walker: All the talent that most of the receivers in Jacksonville don’t have. He’s really fast and seems to attack the ball. If he keeps getting chances he might be a nice player for David Garrard. I’ve always liked Reggie Williams, and Matt Jones has shown an ability to make big plays, but Walker has that NFL speed that they don’t, and that could really help this Jaguar team.

  7. Just in, Ronnie Brown is really freaking good. Any time you take a running back in the Top 10 in an NFL draft I think it’s a mistake, but Brown can really do it all. And he’s a lefty. It’s nuts. He reads really well, runs with great patience, can throw the ball, is really fast, and he’s got great size. Those that believed Ricky Williams was going to hold of Ronnie all year long, how does that look now? That said, I still think Ricky should be owned in fantasy circles. He’s not only a great back-up guy in case of injury, but he produces right now. He had a down week, sure, but I think he’ll bust the century mark a couple times and be worth keeping around.

  8. Michael Turner can only run against bad defenses, so he’ll really struggle against the Packers. I can’t tell you how many times I read that in fantasy articles this weekend, it’s like “they” all got together and pow-wowed there way to hating Mike Turner. Time to check out the league’s stats fellas, this guy put up 127 against the Pack and still holds the top spot on the rushing yardage pile. The Packers aren’t great against the run right now, they are down both DTs from last years’ defense and the Pack running game is struggling so the defense is on the field longer. But still, just because Turner had down games against some better defenses doesn’t mean he can only run against garbage. This kid is legit, and the more Matt Ryan learns and matures, the more Turner will burn defenses.

  9. I wonder how Plax feels about the Giants having their best offensive game of the year with him out? This is why you don’t throw 8 mill a year at receivers. I think they can change an offensive outlook, help #2 and #3 receivers out because they are getting so much attention, but I also don’t think a receiver makes or breaks an offense. Anquan Boldin is one of my favorite receivers in the game, he’s even better than he gets credit for, but look, the Cardinals did the Bills good this week, and Boldin was out. Steve Breaston, Early Doucett, these guys are manageable, and if you can put a lot of your money elsewhere, I think your team is better paying lower salaries to the receiver position. Hixon is legit and Steve Smith is solid and even Amani Toomer (as old as he is) can beat defenses regularly. All this being said, Plax is a beast and he’s going to help the Giants a lot this year. I’m just saying, maybe receiver isn’t the position you need to deal out the bucks to….

  10. I really like Buster Davis for the Chargers. He doesn’t get many balls, and he isn’t fantasy relevant yet. In fact, even though I’m loving his game, I’m leaving him on the waiver wire. I’m just saying, the guy looks good when the ball is thrown his way, and I now see why the Chargers drafted the kid. He’s fast and aggressive. Here’s to hoping the guy gets more looks, I think he can be a really good player in this league.