Fantasy Football: Week 9 Pickups
by Doshi on Nov 1, 2011 9:03 AM CDT
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PrintI’m sorry. I have to say that to start. I mailed in that article last week. It was atrocious. I make no excuse for that dreck. But I will make the promise to strive for better in the future. I done bad, and Imma fix it. Starting this week.
Now, back to our little world of oblong shapes, strange body armor, and weird black paint that doesn’t actually do anything but make you look silly.
Two incredible, stunning, remarkable, and completely unpredictable things happened this weekend. They happened within seconds of each other. And they shook the American football landscape to its core.
1) The New Orleans Saints lost a football game.
2) The St. Louis Rams won a football game.
Now I know that some of you have fallen to the floor, fainting in shock over these two wild developments. Now, let me add one more little twist to those two factoids. Both happened in the same game. That’s right, Football freaks! The previously winless St. Louis Rams defeated the highly touted former Super Bowl Champion New Orleans Saints in an NFL football game! I know you’re shocked as well.
In other news, Tebowing is officially a *thing*. It was done twice in one game, and there is even a website dedicated to showcasing its service. Let’s say nothing about the skill of the player that inspired such a practice. As gossip, in all its forms and functions, is evil incarnate, and we should never indulge in its practice.
…
…
…
Yeah, right. Let’s face it folks. Tim Tebow sucks as an NFL quarterback. He proved it twice in two weekends. But he’s a useful Fantasy quantity as long as he keeps tucking the football and using his own feet to do something, anything, other than let the ball go away from his magical, blessed hands. (I retched typing that last sentence)
Anyhoo, let’s start off with the usual disclaimers. I'm not a Fantasy expert. I've run the gauntlet from 0-for the season to undefeated champion, and everything in between. I've played in almost every type of Fantasy Football league except for Auction drafts and Franchise leagues. My favorite leagues right now are the two 2QB starter leagues, one of which I'm the defending champion. I'm also a big fan of scoring odd things, like return yardage for offensive players, and TFLs and 3-and-outs for Defenses. So some of my rankings might be skewed slightly (or majorly) by some of my experiences. Take them with a grain of salt.
The pickups below are broken down first by position, then by the order I'd pick them up. Not all waiver wire pickups are created equal, obviously. The guys higher up in their positional breakdown are more highly recommended than those lower down.
I also dislike talking about players for multiple weeks in a row. It gets boring from my end to say the same things over and over again. But I’ll also run out of material pretty quickly if I keep doing that. For the most part, the guys I thought would be good to pick up last week (or any other week for that matter) are still probably halfway decent pickups. But, as always, be smart about what you’re doing with your team. Don’t pick up Torrey Smith just because I recommended him after his insane 3 score game a few weeks ago. Do your own research, just as I’ve done in compiling these lists. And, above all, ENJOY THE INSANITY!
St. Louis Rams receivers – They’re probably out there, and they’ve got the terrible Arizona passing defense. Enjoy.
Arizona Cardinals – Like above, the Rams are not good. Pick them up and play them in place of your Bye week guys. You’ll be fine.
Matt Cassel, QB, KC – Your Week 9 QB Plug&Play. He’s not elite. He’s average. In everything he does. But he gets a very friendly Miami Dolphins team. If you don’t have an elite option this week, Cassel is a worthwhile thought.
Kevin Kolb, QB, Arz – He’s injured, so keep that in mind. But he’s got Larry Fitzgerald, Early Doucet, and the Saint Louis Rams this week. If he starts, he’s a top 15 option, another plug and play idea if you need it.
Tarvaris Jackson, QB, Sea – Where did this come from? Seattle looks completely lost without TJax, which is surprising to me considering that he’s never done anything in his career worth this. But he’s making his WRs into decent Fantasy starters, and he’s not giving the ball away (yet). He gets Dallas this week. Don’t be afraid of the matchup, but don’t think of this as anything more than a deep league pickup for a bye week filler.
Javon Ringer, RB, Ten – Chris Johnson is a bit of a joke right now. If you can’t get going against the invisible Colts defense, what IS going to get you going? CJ0k is basically fantasy dead weight at this point. While Javon Ringer is no CJ, he’s tied to a pretty reasonable offense that values the running game as much as the pass. Matt Hasselbeck is a decent QB, but he’s not going to be winning games with his arm alone anymore. They need the run to take the pressure off a league-average passing game. And Ringer is going to be a part of this.
Michael Bush, RB, Oak – How is this guy only owned in 51% of Yahoo leagues? Run DMC is injured again, and Bush has proven that he can handle a starter’s workload. He’s not going to give you DMC numbers. Few players are. But he’ll likely be better than one Cedric Benson, or more than half of the starting RBs currently in the NFL. Check the injury report, but if DMC is anything other than Probable, I’d slot in Bush and not look back.
Reggie Bush, RB, Mia – Oh. So that’s what a Heisman Trophy winner looks like. Honestly, it’s been so long that I’ve forgotten. Might this finally be the year that Bush shakes off his soft label and becomes a workhorse? Probably not. But he took 15 rushes for 103 yards and a score at hostile Giant territory. He travels to Kansas City next weekend, an enigma wrapped in contradictions and served with a side of confusion. If you can find him, you could do worse.
Maurice Morris, RB, Det – As predicted, the Kitten backfield is in shambles. Again. And Morris will be the beneficiary. They can’t throw every play to Calvin Johnson. At some point, somebody’s gonna pick that ball. Morris isn’t going to give you massive numbers. Think more volume carries than anything else. A classic Cedric Benson type of day. 20 carries, 70 yards, maybe a score if you’re lucky. Again, check the injury report for Jahvid Best before starting him. But if Best is out, Morris should probably be started somewhere as a Flex2 or something like that.
Lance Ball, RB, Den – It’s kinda tough to ignore 10.5 YPC. He only got 6 carries, but turned them into 63 yards against the Hello Kitties this weekend. Oakland is a decent defense, but IMO not an elite run stopping group. Check the reports later in the week to see what’s going on with practice reps, but I think that Ball is going to be a part of this team’s plans this week.
Chris Ogbonnaya, RB, Cle – Deep minded owners need apply only. Both Hillis and Hardesty have fallen to the Madden Curse. Neither is operating at nearly 100% (or even 50% for that matter), and it’s possible that both could sit out next weekend. But don’t expect much. Cleveland is not a good offensive team. And they’re only getting worse. This guy’s ceiling is as a borderline flex play. But, if you’re in an excessively deep league and nothing’s getting done with your regulars, he might be worth a flyer.
Michael Crabtree, WR, SF – Why is this guy still available in 60% of Yahoo leagues? I mean, granted, he’s got Alex Smith chucking the rock. But whatever head space he’s in right now is clearly different from where he’s been for the last half decade. Jim Harbaugh must be some kind of genius if he can pull that kid out of that funk. Crabtree’s got all the talent in the world, just could never put it all together. He’s putting it together now. And he gets the Skins this weekend. Enjoy!
Early Doucet, WR, Arz – Again, how is this guy still on the waiver wire? No, he’s not going to give you WR1 numbers. But he’s got Larry Fitzgerald across from him. And he’s facing the St. Louis Rams this weekend. They are not as good as they showed when they beat the Saints this past weekend. Start with confidence, even if Kolb isn’t in the game.
Doug Baldwin, WR, Sea – Say what you will about Tavaris Jackson, he loves him some Doug Baldwin. And that’s good for your fantasy teams. With TJax at the helm, Baldwin’s put together 25 catches, 403 yards, and 2 scores in 6 games. In his last 3, he’s caught 18 for over 250 yards, a 15+ YPC, and a score. Start and enjoy if TJax is around.
Greg Salas, WR, StL – OK, we’re staring at the bottom of the barrel now. The Rams are not good, we know this. But Salas has 15 catches for 146 yards over the last 3 weeks, and gets a soft Cardinal defense this week. The magic probably won’t be there from this past weekend, but he could be a solid PPR guy.
Emmanuel Sanders, WR, Pit – Hines Ward didn’t do us any favors this weekend. He started, got hurt, and didn’t do very much. Sanders has 10 catches for 116 and a score over the last 2 weeks. And Hines looks to be out, or at least not starting, for this weekend. He’s got the Ravens, who always show up for the Steelers game. A low end flex play, but not a terrible one.
Laurent Robinson, WR, Dal – Something’s seriously wrong with this team right now. That’s now three consecutive weeks that Tony Romo has essentially ignored quite possibly the best 1-2 receiving core in the NFL right now. What are they doing down there anyway? Robinson is not a good NFL talent. But volume tends to overcome talent, and he’s been getting it. Like Ogbonnaya above, deep minded owners need apply only.
Brent Celek, TE, Phi – Not a strong recommendation, mind you. The Eagles don’t really like using their TEs that much. With Vick running the ball and 3 good wideouts catching the ball, there just aren’t enough floating oblong spheres to feed all the mouths. But, if you can find the right matchup, you get Celek’s 13 point Y! day this past weekend. Outside of the obvious names at the top, the TE core is a dice roll at best, with about 15 players all in the mix and any could go off in any given week.
This FanPost was written by a Windy City Gridiron member, and does not necessarily reflect the ideas or opinions of its staff or community.
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Don't beat yourself up over last week's post
I (and I’m sure others) very much appreciate your effort in writing these, especially as a conversation starter.
Can’t help but feel this is a relatively weak week for the waiver wire. That, or I’m happier with the guys on my roster than normal.
Well, I made the only waiver claim this week (for Ringer)
Either everyone in my league got lazy at once, or my suspicions about this week being poor appear to be confirmed.
The waiver wire tends to get weaker as the year goes on.
The big breakouts tend to only happen during the first half of the season. By the second half, we generally know what’s going on in terms of fantasy production. The biggest fantasy additions at that point are usually injury based rather than talent based. And I didn’t see too many new injuries this weekend, aside from the Browns debacle.
Truth
One thing to point out – in Early Doucet’s blurb you mention the Cards beating the Saints last weekend. That was the Rams and not the Saints. The Cards nearly did beat the Ravens though.
I was referring to the Rams, the opponents of the Cards this week.
I made that a little bit more clear…
I'd go Jonathan Baldwin over any WR's listed.
Last week he posted 5 rec. 85(ish) yards and a td in his first full game of the year, coming off a injury. The Chiefs are going to work him in the game plan for the rest of the year. Not to mention his size, he’s a great redzone threat.
by boondock_saint812 on Nov 2, 2011 10:21 AM CDT reply actions
I'd rate the two Baldwins first
I’m pretty skeptical of Doucet. He’s caught for 30 yards and 20 yards the past two weeks. You’re chasing a TD with him, because he’s not typically going to pick up a lot of catches/yards. He had the one flukey long TD catch in week 1 (Carolina completely blew the coverage) and one legitimately good game (8 catches for 92 yards). Aside from that, he’s been a 2-3 catch, 20-40 yards guy who happened to catch a TD the last two weeks. If Kolb doesn’t play, I wouldn’t go near Doucet. If Kolb does play, I’d call Doucet a WR3 option. I wouldn’t say he’s a “start with confidence.”
Sanders is probably the 3rd WR behind Wallace and Brown. He also has a knee injury (speaking of Steelers WR injuries, I’m pretty sure Ward was out prior to the Patriots game and didn’t even suit up). I’d pick up Brown before I’d pick up Sanders.
I do like both of the Baldwins though. As Doshi says, Doug clearly seems to have it going with Jackson. Meanwhile, Jonathan is finally healthy, played most of the snaps last week, and looked good. He’s an upside play because Bowe is still the clear #1, Breaston is around too, and he’s still an unproven rookie. But he’s got the tools to be a force.
As a side note, I’m surprised at the difference in ownership % between ESPN and Yahoo. Michael Bush was owned in 82% of ESPN leagues as of yesterday (pre-waiver day).
slight edit
I also like Crabtree. He’s getting a ton of looks these days, and Edwards’ return may take some pressure off of him. The concern with Crabtree is that Alex Smith still threatens to return to terrible, they aren’t afraid to throw to their TE, and Frank Gore is going to get a lot of carries.
I'm thinking of dropping Kendall Hunter for Ringer
Lance Ball, Chris Ogbonnaya are also available. Any suggestions?
Let us cavort like the Greeks of old! You know the ones I mean.
It depends on what you're looking for.
- Hunter’s value is entirely tied to Gore’s health. If Gore is playing, Hunter is just not going to get the touches.
- Ball is soon to go back to complete irrelevance, because McGahee will eventually be back (he returned to practice this week). Once McGahee returns, Ball goes back to #3 status.
- Ogbonnaya only has value until Hillis returns. Once that happens, Ogbonnaya is irrelevant.
- I don’t see Ringer being anything more than a timeshare back. They’ve committed a lot of money to Chris Johnson. They’ll continue to give CJ2K chances. And if/when CJ2K capitalizes, Ringer becomes irrelevant again.
If you absolutely need a body for this week, it’s probably Ogbonnaya. If you want an injury handcuff, it’s Hunter. If you need someone who might consistently give you 5-6 points for a few weeks, it’s Ringer.
What he said.
I’d tend to overvalue Ringer compared to everybody else, as I like consistent production. But to each his own.
i have been following ringer for a little while because of his 5-6 pts he puts up
but hunter is my 5th back (i’m allowed 5) and Gore is such a focal point of the niners offense I figure they will rest him by week 15-16 or he gets injured (he hasn’t played 16 games since 2006)
Looks like I’ll keep hunter, thanks for the info guys.
Let us cavort like the Greeks of old! You know the ones I mean.
you could also look at B. Jacobs....
Bradshaw out indefinitely with foot. Jacobs will carry the bulk, especially this week. If he’s available and you need a RB this week I’d grab him.
by Ortons Neckbeard on Nov 3, 2011 2:23 PM CDT up reply actions
should I trade Sproles for Gore
For I have, Jackie Battle, Murray, Mcfadden (Might miss this week), and Steven Jackson. on me now (I have McGahee too, but I might drop him)
We Are Guardian Force...READ IT!...BAM!!!
Yes, you should trade Sproles for Gore
And in this case, it doesn’t matter who else you have. For one thing, Gore is the better per-game value. For another, Gore has already had his bye week, whereas Sproles has not. So you’re going to be able to use Gore more times down the stretch.
Caveat: this assumes you are using a standard format (not PPR, no return TD, etc).
Weird
it double-posted and didn’t seem to put the content.
Basically, Gore has more per-game value than Sproles and Gore has already had his bye-week (so you’ll get more starts out of Gore).
I wouldn’t waive McGahee, by the way. He might be back soon. I’d hold on to him and start looking for trade partners (in the next couple of weeks). You’ve got great RB depth, so maybe you can use it to upgrade another spot.
This is not a question.
Frank Gore is the 49ers offense. Sproles barely sees play, and is on the Saints who have a weird thing for NOT using a feature back. Anybody willing to accept Sproles in such a trade is insane.
Yeah, it really isn't close
Gore is a mid-RB1. He has a legit shot at 100+ yards and goal-line touches every game (note the 18+ ppg in every game since week 4, as the 49ers have gotten healthier and more familiar with their new coach).
Sproles is a mid/low-end RB2. He’ll get you good points (8-12) most weeks because he catches a lot of screens and is a threat to score.
The PPG look close because Gore started slow and Sproles had the monster Indy game. But it’s easily Gore, especially considering Sproles will give you 0 points in week 11 for sure.
I will say this...
If you pick up Gore, I’d immediately start shopping one of your 3 RB1s for a WR1 and a Flex. Probably S-Jax, especially after he blows up this weekend against Arizona. Unless your league has 3 starting RB slots (not many do), I think that a WR1 would be more valuable to you (without knowing the rest of your roster) than S-Jax.
I'd say that most formats allow you to start 3 RB
as the standard format is 2 RB and an RB/WR. So in that sense, I’d see no problem keeping McFadden, Gore, and Jackson.
However, I agree you’d probably be best suited looking to trade one of his RB (once McGahee and/or McFadden return, of course). You almost certainly can’t start 4 RB, and you’ll have 5 starting RB.
Jackson is an interesting question. St. Louis finally got a WR, and they’ll be getting Bradford back soon. Last week was a fluke, but with a real QB and a real #1 WR the Rams might have enough to take pressure off Jackson (which may actually make him a better producer).
The question is whether your alternatives at QB or WR2/3 are better or worse than the guy you’d start in place of Jackson at RB. And of course, if you can only play 2 RB (no RB/WR flext spot) then it’s a no-brainer.
Jackson's value will not ever be higher than it will be after the Indianapolis game.
If there was ever a time to trade him, it’d be next week.
QB question for this week
Have Big Ben and Cassel, I’m leaning toward starting Cassel this week based purely on matchups. I know Ben is hot right now however. Thoughts?
by Ortons Neckbeard on Nov 3, 2011 2:21 PM CDT reply actions
Don't sit your studs.
Ben is a T10 QB. Cassel isn’t T25 by standard Y! scoring. Yes, the matchup difference is massive. But Ben > Cassel.
Big Ben no doubt.
Someone once called Mr. T, Mr. Coffee...his body was found in a dumpster shortly after.
Thanks Doshi and Ditkavsworld....
It’s one of those things that ends up killing you in fantasy…OVER THINKING. I think I will ride the hot hand, plus PIT’s at home….I hate FF!!
by Ortons Neckbeard on Nov 4, 2011 9:11 AM CDT up reply actions
Ok here's the deal
Ryan Matthews is probably not going to play, I usually use 3 RB’s with Mathews in my flex opposite of McCoy and Rice. So my question to you guys is who should I start in my flex spot?
Javon Ringer
Greg Little
Jake Ballard
DJ Ware
I’m staring Plax over DJax this week basically because I don’t want 2 Eagles in my lineup against my Bears so he is an option as well but more of a last resort kind of thing. And I know most of you will say I may be dumb for that but it is what it is.
Someone once called Mr. T, Mr. Coffee...his body was found in a dumpster shortly after.
Why are you benching DJax at all?
Huh? Really? Dude, take the points! Fantasy Football is a different animal from actual football, or else Tim Tebow would be the worst QB ever, rather than average at worst. You start your best players, and you set aside your fandom.
Start DJax. He’s your best option of those 5 by far.
Start Jackson
It makes no sense to not start him – even from a Bears’ fan perspective. You could easily end up with 15 points each from Jackson and McCoy and STILL see a Bears win.
You should not be thinking of Jackson as a last resort here – especially with those alternatives. They’re terrible alternatives.
Go with Jackson and hope for a high-enough scoring Bears win. Or go with Jackson and hope he gets 80 yards and no TD. But go with Jackson over those alternatives.
If you’re absolutely going to ignore that suggestion, I guess I’d go with Little. But that’s a fairly big dropoff.
Here's the thing my fandom out weighs my joy of playing fantasy football.
I know that weather I start him or not it won’t have any effect on the game. The crazy thing is the guy I’m going against this week has Cutler and Forte… Thanks for answering my question, sadly if Matthews wasn’t hurt I wouldn’t even have to think about any of this.
Someone once called Mr. T, Mr. Coffee...his body was found in a dumpster shortly after.
So don't think about fantasy football when you're watching the game...
Starting Jackson and McCoy doesn’t have to affect your fandom. You don’t have to cheer for Jackson and McCoy to do well during the game. You just have to collect whatever points they earn afterward. Even if Matthews wasn’t hurt, you probably should be starting Jackson as I’m guessing he’s at least your #2 WR option.
I’ve never understood why people do this sort of thing. I have Vick and Maclin in one of my leagues. I’m starting them because it gives my fantasy team the best chance to win. I’ll be cheering for the Bears on every play regardless. It’s just that, if things happen to go wrong for the Bears, there’s a good chance my fantasy team won’t suffer as well. And there’s a good chance that both the Bears and my fantasy team can succeed.
I'm with you 100% on this one.
I don’t ever want to even have a slight possibility of needing to cheer against the Bear…ever.
I enjoy fantasy football, but would rather take a loss than have to sit and hope someone does well against the Bears. Every week I’m cheering for a 70-0 Bears win with the other team managing around 10 yards of total offense.
I'm starting Maclin this week in the Writer's League
and hoping he gets me nothing. Every week it’s Bears first, then come what may.
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by Steven Schweickert on Nov 5, 2011 9:09 AM CDT up reply actions
I started Djax but looks like I should've gone with Ballard in my flex spot
he put up 16 pts, just one more than my kicker. :)
Someone once called Mr. T, Mr. Coffee...his body was found in a dumpster shortly after.
by Ditkavsworld on Nov 7, 2011 12:17 PM CST up reply actions
DJax not great but I won and the Bears won so its all good.
Someone once called Mr. T, Mr. Coffee...his body was found in a dumpster shortly after.
by Ditkavsworld on Nov 8, 2011 12:15 PM CST up reply actions
Here are my thoughts...
I would lean toward Ballard over Little…
NE has done a decent job against TE’s this year but is gawd awful against the pass.
Ringer’s matchup isn’t the best and he still at best will split the carries with CJ2.9. In terms of DJ Ware, if Bradshaw doesn’t play my guess is that Jacobs will probably get the bulk of the carries and has the better chance to score.
Just my .02
by Ortons Neckbeard on Nov 4, 2011 9:20 AM CDT reply actions
After reading the stories coming out of Cleveland
I’m beginning to wonder if Hillis isn’t done as a Brown.
Who to start
Beanie Wells, Benson, Ryan Mathews or Sproles (yeah the guy didnt buy my trade lol)
We Are Guardian Force...READ IT!...BAM!!!
I would say Wells
It’s not looking good for Mathews chances of starting this week, and the Chargers should be in pass happy mode against Green Bay. Sproles is a very situational player in NO, and between Wells and Benson, Wells has been the more consistent contributor this season.
Plus Benson is on the road, while Wells gets the start at home. And with Kolb missing the game, Arizona should be leaning on their running game quite a bit.
And all I can say is I'm sorry
for the Wells over Sproles suggestion.
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