Fantasy football strategy, rankings, and podcasts

Another bunch of crucial injuries to fantasy mainstays like Greg Olsen, Jordan Reed, and Jordy Nelson this week have fantasy managers throwing their hands up in the air. Hopefully these rankings for week 3 can help you to sort out any difficult personnel changes that you may need to make before kickoff this week. My predictions? Le'Veon Bell finally has his first big game of the season against the hapless Chicago Bears, Ty Montgomery continues to be a menace to opposing fantasy teams, Terrelle Pryor continues to be disappointing at his draft ADP, Jason Witten keeps up his late-career heroics, and both the Ravens and the Jaguars score defensive touchdowns. Good luck, and remember that the aforementioned game is going to be played at 8:30am CT this Sunday. No rest for the wicked!

Last week threw a wrench into many fantasy owners' plans, but this game that we love has many peaks and valleys along the way to fantasy riches and glory. Staying the course in some cases may be the best situation, but I tend to find that allowing yourself a little bit of flexibility in your lineup choices can make all of the difference. It's not very often these days that conservatively managed and played fantasy teams take home the Gold. With that in mind, don't be afraid to pull out a Trevor Siemian or Jay Cutler start this week - or forgive Jacquizz Rodgers of his poor performance in week 3 and give him a spin. I'm also digging a bounce back game from Ted Ginn and Tyrell Williams. Whatever you do, make sure to be paying attention this week for targets that you can buy low: Le'Veon Bell, LeSean McCoy, Mark Ingram, DeVante Parker, Martavis Bryant, and Travis Kelce are all good candidates. But mostly, make sure to enjoy watching the games - that's what it's all about, after all. :)

It's always an exciting week in the NFL! Week 5 brought us a little more stability as far as fantasy performances, but there were still plenty of upsets going on in the league. As offensive lines gel a little more and the players that you're starting each week solidify, rankings such as these take on even more importance in setting your lineups each week. Some guys that I'm targeting to start when possible this week (and that I like a little more than other experts) are: Phillip Rivers, Andy Dalton, Tarik Cohen, Wayne Gallman, Randall Cobb, Sammy Watkins, Hunter Henry, and the Detroit Lions. Best of luck this week!

Week 6 rolls along with some serious shake-ups in the league, including the demolition of the Giants' passing offense (Marshall and Beckham both out for the season and Shepard in a walking boot). We're still seeing some offensive weapons in fantasy that are remaining stagnant, and now is the time to consider cutting bait with them and moving on. Let's focus on the players that should provide your team with a boost this coming week - some of those guys include: Derek Carr, Mark Ingram, Elijah McGuire, Emmanuel Sanders, Amari Cooper, Austin Hooper, and the Baltimore Ravens.