Ask Papa Weimer: Week 6

I’m back fellas, and with better advice than ever before. I got a hair cut (just the sides, don’t grow it up top anymore – know what I mean Lucky? Haha – haha) and a massage so you can only imagine how ready I am to share my fantasy knowledge with the rest of you. Let the games before the games begin!

Tory Mills from Sanitary Service says, “Papa, sorry to bother you with TE advice, but I was just wondering, which guy do you think would do the best work for me until Shockey returns to the Saints? I am thinking that my four best choices are John Carlson, Dustin Keller, Daniel Graham, and Zach Miller. You have a lean on any of these?”

You bet Tony, I like Miller. I think the Raiders are going to play worse without Kiffin running the show, because now it means that Al Davis is completely running the team, and that’s never a good thing. However, that means more passing, and while Davis would love to see Russell toss the ball 60+ yards on every single play, the truth of the matter is that Russell’s favorite target is a big sure handed tight end by the name of Zach. I think Keller has lots of upside, but the fact that he has to compete for touches with the “starting” TE in New York makes him a chancey start any given week. John Carlson started off really well, but with Engram back and Branch probably back for good here in a week or so, I think he loses his targets a little. Still, I expect him to be the 2nd best option in the group you listed. Graham is an interesting one, I’ve always liked Daniel, and his great blocking means that defenses can’t put good coverage guys on him all the time. He has all the ability to be a Top 10 TE, so if Scheffler is out for an extended time, he’s worth a shot. Still, I like Miller the most, and Carlson and Graham are close at 2 and 3. Keller’s upside is the greatest, but he’s a back-up TE that gets half the TE throws if he’s lucky. Good luck Tony.

Tom Thumb from the State of Shatty Sports Teams asks, “Should I pick up Bobby Engram, really, or will he just get injured in a dominoes accident? There are three other receivers I kind of like out there, but Engram seems like the best value in a PPR league. Let me know what you think, here are my other choices. Steve Breaston, Dominek Hixon, Javon Walker. Thanks in advance…”

Tom, I’m guessing of Washington State, it’s not easy being rained on all day and then dealing with the Hawks, Mariners, Sonics… err… Thunder, Huskies, and Cougars, I know, but you have to hold on tight, Western Washington, or anywhere on the West Coast for that matter, is a bad place for sports. People have better things to do than follow a bad team out there, and thus you get bandwagon monkeys every single year. I know, I’m from there – well I live there anyway. As for your question, yeah, I think I’d risk my waiver wire money on Bobby Engram. He’s a good receiver, especially good in that check down short pass go nowhere frustrating to watch take no chances play not to lose offense they run in Seattle. IF he stays healthy, I think he’s the best option here. I like Breaston, and think he has decent season long value as the #3 in Arizona, and more value as the #2 until Boldin gets back. But, I think Engram will get more looks than him, and in a PPR league those catches get big. Hixon has a lot of talent, but with all those options in New York I don’t see him getting the ball all that much. He’s a great get if Burress gets hurt, and just wait for that to happen. Javon, well, I don’t know what to say except I wouldn’t touch him with a ten foot pole. I hope he turns it around, but until he shows some sign of a heart beat, I’d let him rot in Oakland where receivers often go to die.

Five for Friday: Week 3

Here goes nothing…

  1. That whole thing about Calvin Johnson being a great receiver – yeah, it’s true. This kid is going to dominate yardage totals this season in the NFL. Brandon Marshall and his destructive ways are getting a lot of hype right now, and reasonably so, he caught about 20 balls in his first week of action. But this week Calvin Johnson goes up against the rickety 49ers defense and he’s going off. Nobody in the league can guard this beast of a receiver that has elite speed. Top 3 this year – and all of those guys that did risk it a little and reach for him – nice work.
  2. Steve Smith to pull a Brandon Marshall? It seems to perfect for Smith, right? Steve goes off against the Vikings in his past, and now, after punching his teammate in the face with a blind side shot, he comes back from a two game suspension and who does he see? Purple people eaters everywhere. I’ve been dying to get Smith in my lineup, and I have to believe that he’ll have a little something special for us in Week 3. Its not like they are running against the Vikes – that’s for sure.
  3. If you have a Bronco – start him. Okay, if you own Darrell Jackson, don’t start him, but the rest of these guys are fair game. That means Cutler, Royal, Young, Marshall, Scheffler, and maybe even Andre Hall. The Saints are a bad defense when healthy, and right now they look like the Seahawks receiving corps. Pretty soon they’ll be hiring ex-players that they kicked off their team years ago – aghem, Koren Robinson drop.
  4. Is it fair to say that I was wrong about Larry Johnson? I’m kind of interested as to why he isn’t getting touches for the pathetic Chiefs offense. I understand he had 10 carries for 22 yards last week, but really, who is a better option? And why would you take one of the best bruisers the league has and remove him from goal line packages? I’m beginning to think either LJ has lost his game (ala John Daily after the turn) or Herman Edwards and the Chiefs front office are just plain crazy. It’s hard not to start him if you got him, I mean he’s not really going up a defensive front that will scare you. Take one last chance on him, that’s my best advice.
  5. I’ve already used the Giants and Patriots (in reverse order) for my survival pool, and that’s why I’m going with the Bills this week. I know, they are the Bills, but this team has a little something. I’m trying to jinx myself here I guess, but I’ve never lost a survivor pool in my life. Mind that I’ve only played two seasons of no hit ball, but I am two for two. The Bills have a great match-up against a pretty soft Raiders group. That bodes well for them, especially in Buffalo. Both the Pats and Giants are solid options as well. What was my best survivor pick of all time you ask? (Or I want to tell you, either way) The Rams over the Saints last season. If you go back, you’ll see that the Rams were winless and playing a Saints team that had won a few in a row. The Rams win. I win. And even better, the two teams I beat picked the Saints. Nothing is better than winning a survivor pool taking a big underdog against the huge favorite your buddy just took.

NFL Pre-Season Free Picks Review: Week 3

After 3 weeks of pre-season football I’m 7-4-1. Week 3 was my first losing week of the season as I finished 2-3 with a little bad luck from my friends. This is what Week 3 looked like…

San Francisco 49ers @ Chicago Bears (-3):Kyle Orton and Reshied Davis were dealing early, and I thought I was in good position to take this one with the Bears up going into the 2nd quarter. But, Rexxy Grossman let me down again – weird. J.T. O’Sullivan and his rocket cannon arm tore up the Bears secondary, and that secondary doesn’t look promising for the season. Alex Smith even tossed a touchdown in the 2nd half, and basically beat me. Yes, Alex Smith beat me. Ugh. One game, one loss…

Tennessee Titans (+3) @ Atlanta Falcons: Vince Young was brutal, Chris Johnson didn’t break one, and even Kerry Collins was 1 for 8 – maybe the Falcons aren’t as bad as everyone thinks they are? Hmm… That might be something to keep in mind to start this season. Matt Ryan looked confident and accurate against a solid TItans defense, completing 15 of 21 passes for 102 yards and a touchdown pass to fellow rookie Harry Douglas. That right there was enough to oust the Titans as Tennessee managed just 3 points all night. This was a big miss.

Philadelphia Eagles (+1.5) @ New England Patriots: Bet against the Pats when they don’t have Tom Brady – I don’t care if it’s the pre-season, regular season, or off-season – without Tom they lose a lot of their luster. The Eagles looked solid against that old Pats defense, but don’t worry Pats fans, this is just the pre-season  – I’m sure Big Bill will get the damn thing figured out. A win for me!

Jacksonville Jaguars @ Tampa Bay Buccaneers (+3): Just in, the Jaguars are going to be good. Garrard was accurate an efficient, and the Jags defense really made life hard for Jeff Garcia and the Bucs. Garcia did play and he threw 2 interceptions in his limited work. My 2nd big miss gave me my third loss of the week, making sure that I’d be under .500 for the first time this year.

New Orleans Saints (-1) @ Cincinnati Bengals: “Boy oh boy the Bengals have looked bad. And it’s not just their running game, Carson Palmer has been inconsistent and timid in the pocket. I think the Saints will dominate this game against a confused Bengals club.” Neither of these offenses looked deadly, but the Bengals were downright pathetic. They didn’t score a once, against the freaking Saints – it’s not looking good in Cinci. Back to the Bungles! This was an easy win that I really needed this week.