Fantasy football strategy, rankings, and podcasts

QB

- Mark Sanchez played badly last week despite his fantasy production being more than serviceable, but he'll bounce back next week at home against the Titans. The Eagles have quite a few weapons available to them and they are not afraid to go for those risky plays! I still believe that Sanchez is better than Foles and his struggles in New York were just as much a product of the lack of offensive talent and poor playcalling as anything else. We should see better chemistry and decision-making from Sanchez over the next few weeks.

(53% owned)

- Brian Hoyer has been playing well enough so far this season to rebuke advances from newly drafted rookie QB Johnny Manziel. Sorry, Johnny.. your time has yet to come. It IS time for Josh Gordon's return, though.. and apparently heralded by choirs of angels based on some reactions that I've read today! Anyway, Hoyer could show QB1 upside down the stretch with a weapon like Josh Gordon catching his passes.

(14% owned)

- Kyle Orton put together a string of quality games but more recently has been delivering up some poor performances. This should change pretty quickly as he goes up against the poor passing defense of the New York Jets in week 12. I would expect nothing less than 200 yards and 2 TDs for Orton when he and the Bills try to jumpstart their offense this week.

(13% owned)

- Zach Mettenberger still stands like a statue in the pocket, but we've seen him make some huge plays since taking over the starting job in Tennessee including the 80-yard touchdown bomb to Nate Washington last night against the Steelers. The Titans are certainly a rebuilding team but Mettenberger deserves a look with the right match-up and QBs playing the Eagles have had a good time of it in general.

(3% owned)

It's just not going to happen for ya: Robert Griffin III has all of the upside in the world and some great talents at multiple positions on his team, but it was long ago time to throw in the towel. Stop picking him up, people! Honestly, you'd probably be better off with Andy Dalton!

(62% owned)

RB

- C.J. Anderson is the man now in Denver.. mostly because he HAS to be! Clearly the feature back, the competition that he would have faced going forward includes such injured players as Montee Ball and Ronnie Hillman. Look for Anderson to settle in to his new role (at least for the next few weeks) and start to score some TDs as he gets more comfortable with his situation.

(66% owned)

-Tre Mason was slowly being eased into the lead role in St. Louis but had a difficult schedule to contend with. His production suffered because of the struggles that the Rams were having on offense and the opponents that were put in front of them. Playing the Chargers, Raiders and Redskins over the next few weeks should take a little of the pressure from Mason and I would consider him a startable RB2 candidate for the rest of the season.

(51% owned)

- Isaiah Crowell continues to do-si-do with Terrance West for the #1 RB job in Cleveland, but at least there is one less dance partner going forward after the Browns dropped the constantly under-performing Ben Tate today. I have a hard time recommending a situation where there is not a clear lead back, however I think we are likely to see Crowell field the majority of the carries. In a game against Atlanta, it would not be surprising to see both Crowell and West play a part once again, though.

(24% owned)

- Jonas Gray was explosive and violent last week, running like Beast Mode and racking up 199 yards on 38 touches for a staggering 4 TDs. Gray has now fully captured the Stevan Ridley role in the Patriots' offense, but with that comes a caveat: namely, the Belichick will play who the Belichik wants to play (and generally not who you are expecting). Those who want to chase numbers will likely see low usage of Gray this coming week just because, though surely he has not scored his last TD.

(23% owned)

It's finally time for this guy: Charles Sims may break out in a big way this week against the Bears. Looking like the lead back for the Bucs, Sims took the most snaps and had the most production against the Redskins in week 11. Sims looks healthy and is trending up over the other RB candidates, but there is always the chance that Doug Martin comes back this week and sucks up some of the available touches - turning this into a 3-headed monster of a situation that you'll want to stay away from. Still, I'm betting that Sims ends up being productive this week against Chicago.. predicting at least 60 all-purpose yards and 1 TD.

(30% owned)

WR

- Josh Gordon is included in this list because there are some leagues out there that still don't have him rostered. Say what you will about Gordon, but he's an absolute beast on the field and should put up WR1 numbers in every match-up.

(78% owned)

- Jordan Matthews had another great game last week, putting up 5 receptions for 107 and a TD. His chemistry with Sanchez has been beneficial for both players, and although Sanchez didn't have a great game (stats aside) last week, he should be able to perform much better at home against the Titans. It's a travesty that Matthews is still not owned in every league at this point.

(63% owned)

- Cecil Shorts is a name much-mentioned around drinkfive, but this year his performance has been hampered by the success of Allen Robinson and Robinson's chemistry with new QB Bortles. Now that Robinson is out for the rest of the season with a broken foot, however, Shorts is once again thrust into the 'garbage-time' spotlight and should put up solid numbers from here on out.

(45% owned)

- Doug Baldwin looked good last week against the Chiefs, but he's just not fast enough, big enough or strong enough to really break out with consistency. He'll continue to put up numbers like 4 or 5 receptions for 50 yards and a 20-25% chance of a TD. Pick him up if you're desperate for a low-end starter or bench depth in a PPR league.

(39% owned)

- Malcolm Floyd has been playing well this season, and his production looks to continue as Rivers and Co. get their heads out of their asses and back into the game. Mathews' return should bolster the offense and give the Chargers a believeable threat on the ground again which will keep Rivers upright and his receivers productive. Floyd is a better option in a standard league than Baldwin or Landry, but Matthews, Stills and Shorts are the superior plays here if they are available.. Consider Floyd the 'Andy Dalton' of WR free agents at this point in the season. You should not go with anyone ranked lower unless desparate.

(37% owned)

- Jarvis Landry is going to give similar production as Doug Baldwin, but is not owned in as many leagues. He also has a better track record of getting in for TDs this season, scoring 3 over the last 6 weeks. A high-floor, low-ceiling PPR league play, Landry will generally score you between 8 and 14 points per week. Would consider other options in standard leagues, as his production is too dependent on touchdowns.

(16% owned)

- Brandin Cooks has been sidelined for the rest of the season with an injury to his thumb, and meanwhile all-important fantasy games leading up to the playoffs are being played. What can Cooks owners (or those just trying to get a leg up) do to offset this inury? Pick up Kenny Stills, who has been averaging 4 receptions a game and has scored 2 TDs over the past 5 weeks. His production should only increase while Cooks is recovering.

(15% owned)

Don't pick him up, he's a BUST: Kenny Britt (16% owned) had a huge game last week but can't be trusted for these important games leading up to the playoffs.

TE

-Coby Fleener filled in for Dwayne Allen after he went down with an ankle injury in week 11 and ended up having an outstanding game, catching 7 passes for 144 yards. Fleener and Allen are both talented and share the load on a weekly basis so when either one goes down, the other should have a big boost in production. The Colts play the Jaguars in week 12 which is never bad news.

(43% owned)

- Jacob Tamme is worth a look this week since Julius Thomas went down with an ankle injury against the Rams in week 11. He has proven chemistry with Peyton Manning and should be targeted at least 3 or 4 times if he starts. With Sanders and Thomas both questionable for the week 12 match-up against the Dolphins, Tamme might even end up with a TD.

(2% owned)

DST

Bills(vs. NYJ), Colts(vs. JAX), Packers(@MIN), Bears(vs. TB)

QB

- Mark Sanchez played well on Monday Night Football, letting us all know that he's an upside QB1 for the rest of the year. He ended up with 332 yards, 2 TDs and 0 interceptions which are respectable numbers for any QB.. much less the inimitable butt fumblers. Sanchez will try as hard as he can over the next few weeks to put his past with the Jets behind him and take advantage of the fast-paced offense he finds himself in control of in Philadelphia.
(45% owned)

- Teddy Bridgewater has yet to throw more than 1 TD pass in a game this year, but is slowly gaining composure in the pocket and chemistry with his teammates. Still, he has been averaging about 250 yards and a TD with 0 interceptions over the past two games and is up against the Redskins this week, who have allowed the 2nd most fantasy points to QBs so far this season. If there is any week to play Bridgewater as a fill-in or in a 2 QB league, it's this week.
(7% owned)

- Drew Stanton will be taking over for Carson Palmer after it was confirmed that Palmer tore his ACL and will be out for the rest of the season. Stanton has been a more than capable backup for several teams and should be able to excel in Bruce Arian's offense. Unfortunately his upside is not comparable to what Palmer's was, but he should be a serviceable QB2 all season for fantasy teams. 
(2% owned)

WR

- Andrew Hawkins was picking up steam when he was injured recently but looks to get back on track this week against the hapless Tampa Bay Buccaneers. So far this season they have given up the most fantasy points to WRs and - since Cleveland has been playing well - that doesn't look to change anytime soon. If Hawkins suits up this week, he could be a beast - especially in PPR leagues. His value long-term may be nice as well since Gordon's heralded comeback will take some much-needed pressure from Hawkins.
(38% owned)

- Jordan Matthews caught 2 TDs on Monday Night Football on 7 receptions for 138 yards. Great numbers, Jordan. As rookies go, the class this year has been terrific to watch. While Matthews may have had some unproductive games earlier in the year, he did average about 5 receptions per game so far this season including another 2 TD performance in week 3 against the Redskins. Without a doubt, Sanchez has been comfortable targeting Matthews early and often and as long as they're winning games, why would that change?
(28% owned)

- Jarvis Landry was my secret dolphin pick last week, and he performed well by PPR standards (7rec for 53 yds). Since he has only scored 2 TDs all season and it doesn't look like that will be changing anytime soon, Landry is solely a PPR WR3/4.. but he is a good bet to score you 10 points each week and should be owned in all PPR leagues as a bye week replacement for this reason. 
(11% owned)

- John Brown is the high-risk upside player that you may or may not have been looking for. 5rec for 119yds and a TD in week 8 and 5rec for 73yds and a TD in week 10 tells us that he can compete out there with the best of them, but Arizona's confounding love of spreading the ball around can sometimes stymie the best of us. Kenny Stills? Justin Hunter? Yeah, Brown is right up that alley and should continue to perform in that regard. Roll the dice if you don't have enough other good options.
(4% owned)

RB

- C.J. Anderson was the primary ball-carrier for the Broncos on Sunday and as we know, whoever holds that position has all of the opportunities in the world for fantasy production on a week-to-week basis. Since Hillman is out for at least two weeks, and Ball was not exactly performing at a high level even when he was healthy, Anderson may well get the chance to showcase his talents again in week 11 against the Rams. They are a tough defense, especially lately, but the Broncos (and C.J. Anderson) don't care.
(11% owned)

- Theo Riddick is a name that I've heard called a lot this season, especially when I'm playing either Joique Bell or Reggie Bush in my fantasy lineup. We talk a lot about 3-headed (or more) RBBC's and how frustrating they can be on a weekly basis for fantasy owners.. but I'm not sure this is going to be one of them. It looks to me like Bell has been under-performing and Bush has has lingering issues going into the last half of the regular season that may well continue. All of this means that Riddick will - at least for a short time - be the recipient of a lot of work in the backfield. My money is on 5+ reception for 50+ yards and a TD in week 11 even against a stingy Cardinals' defense.
(6% owned)

Do yourself a favor, and don't mess around with Anthony (Boobie) Dixon or Bryce Brown in the coming weeks. Fred Jackson will eventually feel better, but even until then they will all be out there on the field. Listen, if you have the opportunity to avoid frustration please take it. That's like boarding a boat that has a 33% chance to capsize. If you choose not to take my advice, bring a life raft.. or at least a stiff drink.

TE

- Kyle Rudolph has been injured for quite a while, but a little birdie told me that he'll be back soon. The Vikings have admittedly struggled a little bit without the talents of Rudolph and are surely eager to have those extra receptions and red-zone targets back in the offense. He's not a pick up to play against the Bears specifically.. more like a playoff-run stash, but if he does play on Sunday I would start him without question.
(32% owned)

- Mychal Rivera jumped for 3% to 34% owned this week, and for good reason. As Derek Carr's new toy in the Raiders' get-it-out-quick offense, Rivera has been racking up the receptions in the past three weeks, averaging 7 a game along with a TD. As long as these two are on the same team, Rivera is a low-end top 10 TE for me each week. Grab him before he's gone.
(34% owned)

I'd be remiss if I neglected to mention Austin Seferian-Jenkins, who had a great game in week 10 with 5rec for 30yds and a TD. The Bucs have been using him all year fairly sparingly but that will likely change with McCown taking back the reigns.. we can probably count on a few more receptions per game as the dump-off target with upside. This huge target will always be a threat in the red-zone as well and is a good bye week fill-in if your other options are exhausted.

Defense / Special Teams

Dolphins(vs. BUF), Chargers(vs. OAK), Browns(vs. HOU), Redskins(vs. TB), Broncos(@STL), Cardinals(vs. DET)

The Bears, Packers and Bills are also good choices for week 11.

QB

- Carson Palmer has gotten over the shoulder issue now and is putting up very consistent points, while limiting turnovers. While it may be hard to tell which receiver on the Cardinals will have a great game between Fitzgerald, Floyd and Brown, the one thing they have in common is the guy under center. A consistent option as an every week starter or an incredible bye week replacement, if he's available.
(249yds, 3TD, 1int, week 9 @DAL) - 61% owned

- Ryan Tannehill was rumored to be close to losing his job in Miami earlier in the year. Of course that was just nonsense, and he's been proving his worth in spades over the past few games. He's not putting up gaudy numbers but he's improved on his turnovers and continues to work on chemistry with his receivers. What's really put him on the radar this year though (he's the #11 QB overall right now in standard scoring leagues), are the rushing yards that he's putting in. Over the past 5 games he's averaged 40+ yards on the ground.. bonus!
(288yds, 3TD, 4car for 47yds) - 57% owned

Palmer and Tannehill both already owned in your league? Kyle Orton (10% owned) is a great pickup that has been consistently good over the past few weeks, throwing over 230 yards and scoring at least 2 TD's per game in weeks 6-8. I hesitate to pick him up and play him over the next two weeks since he goes up against the Chiefs and Dolphins, both teams that don't allow a lot of fantasy points to opposing QB's but his match-up in week against the Jets' poor passing defense is a tasty one.

Deeper Leagues:

- Mark Sanchez was blamed for a lot of things in New York during his time with the Jets, but he is still a young quarterback that has a lot of upside. It's just as easy to blame the lack of receiving talent, coaching and playcalling during his time as a Jet. Anyway, now Sanchez is taking over the reins of a potent Philadelphia Eagles offense and he showed quite a spark coming off the bench to take over for Foles on Sunday. Since Foles will be out almost indefinitely with a broken collarbone, Sanchez is a legitimate weekly starting option with QB1 upside.
(202yds, 2TD, week 9 @HOU) - 4% owned

- Zach Mettenberger was on bye in week 9 but really impressed in his debut in week 8 against the Texans. There are a few good weapons on the Titans (Kendall Wright, Justin Hunter, Delanie Walker) for Mett to throw to and we should only see him get more comfortable as the year progresses. He does have a bad match-up in week 10 against a surely angry Ravens team though, so Mettenberger remains a wait-and-see in most leagues, only holding value in 2QB leagues as an upside bye replacement or lower-end QB2.
(299yds, 2TD, 1int, week 8 vs. HOU) - 2% owned

WR

- Martavis Bryant will score a TD in almost every game from here on out. Roethlisberger is absolutely on fire, the Steelers' passing offense is clicking and Bryant is the big redzone receiving target that Big Ben hasn't had since Plaxico Burress. Still playing less than half of the game's snaps on average, Bryant is a little dependent on the success of the offense but regardless he should get at least a few good-lucking targets in each game going forward.
(3rec for 44yds, 2TD, week 9 vs. BAL) - 42% owned

- Mike Evans has appeared to struggle from afar, but a lot of that is just the usual rookie jitters paired with poor play in general from Tampa Bay QB's and being thrust into an important role right out of college. Talk about trending up, over the last 4 games that he has played he is averaging about 5 receptions for 80 yards and a TD. Evans is a guy that you must own for the rest of the season and 39% of leagues still haven't figured that out.
(7rec for 124yds, 2TD week 9 @CLE) - 61% owned

- Kenny Britt has shown flashes throughout his career, but never seems to be able to put it all together for a long stretch of time. Who cares though, right? Fantasy Football is all about match-up play, especially going into these tough bye weeks, and the season-ending injury to Brian Quick has propelled Britt to an immediate increase in relevance. In week 10, Britt goes up against a Cardinals team that has allowed the 2nd most fantasy points to WRs this season. If stars actually aligned for specific events, they may be moving around up there right now.
(2rec for 32yds, 1TD week 9 @SF) - 9% owned

- Josh Gordon's story is very familiar to everyone by now, but consider this to be just one more reminder to pick him up in your league if he is available. Gordon comes off of suspension in week 12 against the Falcons and it's almost likely that playing Gordon in your playoff run could be the difference that your team needs down the stretch. Let's not worry about his stats.. the guy is an idiot - but he's an all-pro idiot.
65% owned

Flip a coin:

Allen Robinson (41% owned) and Allen Hurns (15% owned) are toss-ups every week for the touchdown dance.. but Robinson is actually a decent PPR start on the regular. Davante Adams (13% owned) has secured the WR3 job in Green Bay and therefore is deserving of a FLEX spot each week in most leagues. Jarvis Landry (8% owned) is a secret Dolphin pick that may pay off, as he's been getting 4 or 5 receptions per game and has scored 2 TDs in the last 4.

RB

- Terrance West started the year off strong, rushing for 100 yards against PIT in week 1. His decline after that was a result of being outplayed by fellow rookie Isaiah Crowell. The problem here isn't whether Crowell or West can be productive, but rather that the RBs in Cleveland are one of these 3-headed committees that we've been seeing lately in the NFL. The Browns take on the Bengals in Week 10, who have given up the 6th most fantasy points to RBs so far this season.
(15car for 48yds, 1rec for 2yds, 1TD week 9 vs. TB) - 24% owned

- Alfred Blue has played snaps in every game so far this season, and the Texans have no problem going to him as their lead back when Foster goes down or needs to be spelled. Some beat reporters in Houston believe that Grimes may be a better talent, but the Texans have already demonstrated who will take the role over. Since Foster may be out for a week or two following the Texans' bye week, Blue is a speculative add that could provide FLEX quality fantasy production but the latest news is that Foster may be okay to jump back into the #1 role come week 11.
(13car for 78yds week 3 @NYG when Foster was injured) - 12% owned

- Ryan Mathews looks to resume his lead back role when he comes back after the Chargers' bye this week (latest news, speculative information) even though Branden Oliver has flashed with some brilliant plays over the past several weeks. It's much more likely for Oliver that he will take the Danny Woodhead / Darren Sproles type role for the rest of the year which bodes well for Mathews as the Chargers get back on their feet against Oakland's porous rushing defense in week 11.
67% owned

- Bobby Rainey should now be considered the lead back on Tampa Bay. Take this with a grain of salt, however, since Rainey has had some ball control issues this year and was not given a heavy workload toward the end of the game in week 9 even though it was winable. Still, although Charles Sims has upside, he's an untested asset and could easily falter whch would leave Rainey with the uncontested job for the rest of the season.. unless they sign Ray Rice. :P
(19car for 87yds, 1rec for 34yds week 9 @CLE) - 46% owned

- Charles Sims was picked up by hosts of fantasy team managers hoping for a miracle to solve their bye week and injury woes. Unfortunately Sims - who was just coming off of IR last week - was inactive for the game, but it looks like he'll be 100% for week 10's match-up against the Falcons. Yes, that's the Falcons - the team currently giving up the most fantasy points to RBs each week. My thoughts are that Sims will impress and eventually get the #1 job in Tampa Bay this season, but that is still quite a gamble.
26% owned

- Jeremy Hill was one heck of a play last week and now that it looks like Giovani Bernard might be sidelined for a few games, he is an every week starter on your team. He is owned in 75% of leagues though, so this is a sidenote for those of you that may still see him as available.

- Denard Robinson used to be on this list, but he is now over 70% owned and therefore past the threshold of a possible pickup in leagues populated with mildly intelligent people. Now, if you're not in one of those leagues.. best of luck with life, and go grab him up ASAP!

- Adrian Peterson is a must add this week if you have the space, because he was able to plead the child abuse charges against him down to a misdemeanor. Since he has already been out for 8 games, the NFL may allow him back to play as early as next week. We'll see how the Vikings will use him now that they have been going to the tandem of Asiata and McKinnon each week, but one would think that AP's talent would make them switch back to him immediately as the lead back.

Deeper Leagues:
Tre Mason (38% owned) could be great but I don't see him breaking free of the committee approach in St. Loiuis, Anthony Dixon (18% owned) and Bryce Brown (22% owned) are just not good enough to be owned in 10-12 team leagues, Chris Polk (1% owned) has some value as LeSean McCoy's backup, but not enough to be rostered in 10-12 team leagues.

TE

- Owen Daniels has been a consistent TE most weeks, but in the last two has averaged 6 receptions and 50 yards or more in each game. He's not going to be amazing, and only has 3 TDs so far this season, but TEs are few and far between so far once you get past the top several and the Ravens play the Titans in week 10, giving up about 9.5 fantasy points per match-up.
(5rec for 46yds, 1TD week 9 vs. SD) - 31% owned

- Mychal Rivera served as a capable TE last year and is doing the same this year for the Raiders. On track for the same kind of season (500 yards, 4 or 5 TDs), he seems like someone to avoid but his targets and redzone looks have been picking up in the past two games and Derek Carr loves him as a dumpoff target. Rivera is immediately a playable PPR TE with upside.
(8rec for 38yds, 2TD week 9 @SEA) - 3% owned

Defense / Special Teams

Ravens (vs. TEN), Cowboys (@JAX), Steelers (@NYJ), Bills (vs. KC), Dolphins (@DET), Packers (vs. CHI)

Every week there are certain surprises and disappointments that can really throw us off guard as fantasy owners and strategists. But I am a firm believer that keeping on top of these with good analysis and projecting what results will be down the line can be the difference for your fantasy team and propel you to the playoffs. Each week we'll find a couple such instances during the games and point out the important things that you may have missed along the way.

Being a Pittsburgh Steelers fan, of course I'm going to bring up what was quite an amazing performance by the Steelers on Sunday against the Colts. Despite the medicore showings that the Steelers have had in the first several weeks of the 2014 NFL season, Week 7 and 8's match-ups have shown that their offense is clicking and the defense is starting to figure out who they are. First, Ben Roethlisberger enjoyed what was easily his best regular season performance of all time.. putting up 522 yards and 6 TD's. That's just a few yards shy of the best statistical performance from an NFL quarterback in the history of the league. We know that Le'Veon Bell and Antonio Brown are every week plays for fantasy owners, but does this mean that Roethlisberger should be looked at as a top 10 QB going forward? He's currently the #7 QB overall in standard scoring leagues after this Sunday and I think he'll end the year at the bottom of the top 10. The only QB to have thrown for more yards than him this year is Andrew Luck. Markus Wheaton was a popular pick as a WR sleeper before the season started and is still a part of the offense, but the chemistry between him and Big Ben has yet to impress. With 6'4" rookie Martavis Bryant finally healthy and involved in games it looks like he'll move into the WR2 role in Pittsburgh which comes along with plenty of redzone targets and loose coverage opposite Antonion Brown. Bryant is immediately in the waiver wire discussion (owned in 10% of leagues but finishing as the #9 WR in Week 8 with 20.30 fantasy points in a standard league).

Tom Brady has quickly eliminated any doubt that we had about his 2014 season. True, he started out the year underwhelming fantasy owners even to the point of dropping him before his breakout game against Buffalo, but has since improved dramatically along with other key components of the offense. It has long been known that Brady's recent successes can be tied to good games by Gronkowski - and that certainly was the case against Chicago on Sunday when The Gronk scored 3 touchdowns on 9 receptions for 149 yards. The running back situation in New England has always been up-in-the-air, and especially this year with Stevan Ridley out and Bolden not being used. It looks to me like we can safely say that Vereen and newcomer Jonas Gray will be the primary options from here on out (until injury or ball-control issues, at least), with Gray taking on Ridley's responsibilities including goal-line carries. Keep in mind that Gray nearly scored a touchdown on Sunday, and if he had (along with his 17 rushes for 86 yards) he would certainly be in the discussion for the #1 waiver wire pickup this week. The real enigma as of late has been Julian Edelman: trending down over the past few weeks, we have to wonder if his role (so crucial last year to the Patriot's success) has been cannibalized by a healthy Gronkowski and the emergence of Brandon LaFell (at least 4 receptions over the past 3 games including 3 TD's, last game was 11 for 124 and 1 TD). LaFell is also definitely in the waiver wire discussion this week (only owned in 35% of leagues, #11 WR in Week 8 with 18.40 fantasy points in a standard league).

Admittedly I was down on Mark Ingram a bit for several reasons.. first, I don't like playing players when just coming back from injury and second, the two defenses that Ingram performed well against at the beginning of the season (Atlanta and Cleveland) have graded out to be absolutely terrible against running backs over the course of the year so far (giving up over 1000 rushing yards each and a combined 20 TD's on the ground). Ingram turned out to be a terrific fantasy asset on Sunday night, rushing 24 times for 172 yards and 1 TD and adding 1 reception for 3 yards. So, should we be slotting him into lineups each week from here on out? First of all, he should be owned in all leagues.. he is currently owned in only 69% of Yahoo fantasy leagues and if he is available he should be your first pickup this week without question. Let's temper ourselves a bit, though, and look deeper into the situation: Ingram is currently without any competition in the backfield because Khiry Robinson and Pierre Thomas are both out with injuries. According to the most recent news, both should also miss Friday's contest against the Panthers leaving Ingram with the unquestioned primary role once more and making him a RB1 for the match-up against a soft Carolina rushing defense. Travaris Cadet is an intriguing player who is also getting more time on the field now as the passing down specialist (4 receptions for 40 yards on Sunday night) but is no threat to Ingram's job and should fade back into the background when Pierre Thomas is able to resume play. The one thing that I want to caution about after all of this good news, is that the Packers were also bad against the rush.. which means that although I think Ingram will be great against the Panthers on Thursday, he still has yet to play a team of any real skill against running backs. In weeks 10-13 the Saints will face up against the 49ers, Bengals, Ravens and Steelers.. all teams that are much better equipped to stifle his production. When Thomas and Robinson return (as early as week 10), we'll also see a return to the Saints' 3-headed RB committee. What does all of this mean? Well.. play Ingram this week, but try as hard as you can to push him in a trade before his fantasy production falters in the coming weeks.