Fantasy football strategy, rankings, and podcasts

“Extra Point” takes a look at the league that the writer’s of drinkfive.com have upheld since the website’s inception. I will provide you with a situational glimpse into my team each week. You can take a more in-depth look at our league here: http://football.fantasysports.yahoo.com/f1/135498/7

Extra Point: Colonel Forbin (0-2)

There’s no better way to describe week 2 than, THE FANTASY APOCALYPSE, Dave and Jason you nailed it with that one. If you avoided injury this week you are either lucky as hell, or you’re not in enough leagues!

Forbin’s crew was hacked up, with the loss of DeSean Jackson early in the 1^st quarter with a sprained right shoulder, and the fracture Mark Ingram suffered to his hand. Ingram provided a glimmer of hope on an otherwise gloomy Sunday posting over 16pts before exiting.  His 4-8 week timeline for return has sadly landed him on the wire. 

But the Colonel welcomes 2^nd year stud Knile Davis to the team. He has finally gotten the call with the apocalyptic injury to Charles, and this kid is going to deliver. He is an immediate RB1, start him.  He will get the start over the under-performing Matt Forte if Chicago’s receiving core is still gingerly running routes. Opposing defenses don’t have to respect the deep ball if Marshall and Jeffery can’t run past the safeties, and because of this the defense destroys the line with heavy blitzing.

Under-performance has been synonymous with VJax thru the first two games and I see a trend starting. Jackson is fantasy reliant on huge plays and Lovie Smith does not air out the ball! I HATE YOU LOVIE SMITH, you’re still making my team lose! Until McCown and his big play receiver can get on the same page, we need to look elsewhere.

My Victorious week 3 lineup:

Drew Brees NO – QB

Michael Crabtree SF – WR

Julian Edelman NE – WR

DeSean Jackson Was – WR (will play against former team)

Le'Veon Bell Pit – RB

Knile Davis KC – RB

Travis Kelce KC – TE

Phil Dawson SF – K

Matt Forte Chi – RB

Vincent Jackson TB – WR

Dwayne Bowe KC – WR

Ben Roethlisberger Pit – QB

Terrance West Cle - RB

Mohamed Sanu Cin - WR

Welcome back to the article geared to help you break the bank at FanDuel. This week I'm investing on a game in Philadelphia to provide buku fantasy points, targeting a bargain barrel WR and using those savings to splurge on some high dollar talent poised for a breakout week. Good luck this week gamblers! Donations are of course always welcome if the advice pays out.

QB  - Tony Romo, DAL - $8,500 at PHI:  In what should be the highest scoring game of the week I'm betting on Romo to put monster numbers. Dez Bryant may be out, but there are still enough weapons on the Dallas roster to get the job done. Expect big chunks of yards thrown to Terrance Williams and Jason Witten to collect on a couple TD tosses.

RB - Matt Forte, CHI - $8,900 vs. ARI:  Going a bit on the expensive side here, but with Forte's track record, he is worth every dollar. The Bears realize their offense must run through Forte, and that may be the case even more with news that Alshon Jeffery missed practice Friday with a hamstring injury. Expect high volume touches for Forte in both the running and passing game.

RB - Carlos Hyde, SF - $7,000 at PIT:  We witnessed the coming of Carlos Hyde last week after he put up 168 yards on 26 carries and 2 TDs on the ground adding another 2 catches for 14 yards. With the combination of  the Niners passing game being non-existent and with Reggie Bush already ruled out for week 2 Hyde will repeat on the high volume of touches.  Amazing value for the price tag this week.

WR - Jordan Matthews, PHI - $7,000 vs. DAL:  This is primarily a combo play to Romo/Witten with the expectation of a high scoring affair. Matthews should exceed his performance from last week where he had 10 catches on 12 targets for 102 yards and should have had a touchdown that Chip Kelly opted not to challenge

WR - Calvin Johnson, DET - $8,100 at MIN:  Johnson had an abysmal week 1 catching only 2 balls for 39 yards on 4 targets in a losing effort. I fully expect the Lions to force feed the ball to Johnson this week giving him plenty of opportunities to get in the end zone.

WR - Pierre Garcon, WAS - $5,400 vs. STL:  With DeSean Jackson sidelined for 2-3 weeks with a hamstring injury Garcon will slide into the #1 receiver role. This is a position he thrived in prior to the Redskins acquisition of Jackson. I'd expect double digit targets to Garcon with a few of them being in the red zone. Very cheap price for the value.

TE - Jason Witten, DAL - $6,000 at PHI:  Witten was already slated to see an increase in targets this season after the departure of DeMarco Murray. Now with Dez Bryant sidelined he will be leaned upon even more. Expect quality red zone and 3rd down conversion looks to Witten in a high scoring affair against Philly this week.

K - Josh Brown, NYG - $4,500 vs. ATL:  Partially riding the Josh Brown train after his 17 fantasy points in week 1, but also expecting a decent amount of points to go around in this matchup against the Falcons. Looks like the best kicker available for the minimum price.

DEF - Titans, TEN - $4,600 at CLE:  The Titans defense are coming off a strong effort in week 1 and have a great match up this week against the turnover prone Johnny Manziel and the Browns inept offense. Not to mention the great Dick LeBeau is involved in the defensive scheme.

The Chicago Bears have shown their cards after starting the season 0-3. Jared Allen was shipped off two days ago, followed by Jonathan Bostic as Rookie GM Ryan Pace sheds ill-fitting pieces left over from the Phil Emery era. These two moves have opened up a TON of cap space for the rebuilding Bears, but I don’t think we have seen the end of the wheeling and dealing.

Rumors surfaced immediately about Matt Forte being on the trading block after the Allen and Bostic news broke. An abundance of sources are being cited left and right; some claiming Forte is definitely on the block, while others are claiming he isn’t. I might not have the sources, but I can look at this from a pure business sense and tell you that it makes sense for the Bears to move Matt Forte.

First, Forte is 29 years old (turning 30 in December) and is in the final year of his contract. His resume boasts five 1000+ rushing seasons and he holds high marks in the passing game. From the Bears point of view they are in total rebuilding mode. It makes no sense for the Bears to invest in Forte when their path to relevance only leads into his declining years.

Second, his contract extension, or lack thereof, was an early sign. I have to hand it to Matt Forte for the way he handled the off season media blitz surround his potential contract extension. He stayed out of it for the most part and didn’t hold out. That doesn’t mean he didn’t vocalize his disappointment. In an Interview with NBC 5’s Mike Adamle, Forte says this about his future, “I’ve come to the realization that this might be my last year here, so I’m gonna make it the best year I can possibly make it. So if I’m a free agent at the end of the year I might have to go somewhere else.”

Lastly, the Bears have no reason not to try to trade Forte before the deadline. From a business standpoint he is worth nothing to them once he explores free agency. Trading him for a draft pick is the best they can do in the position they are in. Ryan Pace has already shown that he is in full-on rebuilding mode and his plan has to include stashing draft picks.

Where does Matt Forte Get Traded?

Dallas Cowboys – This was one of the first teams involved in the trade talks as the rumors swirled. As a Bears fan I like this destination simply because Jerry Jones is most likely to give the most if a bidding war was to take place. Jerry doesn’t like to lose. Looking at their team depth chart, the Cowboys don’t really have a need for Matt Forte. Joseph Randle is running well behind that stout offensive line, Lance Dunbar covers the pass catching role while Darren McFadden subs in for change of pace. They also have Christine Michael in the wings. Not saying a deal couldn’t get done between these two teams, but it would be complicated from the Dallas Cowboys stand point when looking at the running back depth they already have.

Baltimore Ravens – This is a popular pick for a potential Matt Forte trade. Justin Forsett is struggling early this season with only 124 yards through 3 games. There is also no denying that Joe Flacco would benefit from Forte’s pass catching abilities. We also need to discuss the obvious link between Matt Forte and Marc Trestman. Trestman is the offensive coordinator in Baltimore now and must be lobbying to trade for Forte. Forte has had his two most productive seasons when Marc Trestman was running the Bears offense as the head coach.

Carolina Panthers – The Panthers running back woes are very similar to those in Baltimore. Jonathan Stewart has only 170 yards through 3 games. Unlike the Ravens, however, the Panthers are off to a great start this season at 3-0. A Matt Forte trade to Carolina actually makes a lot of sense. Stewart is unproven as a lead back after multiple seasons of splitting time with DeAngelo Williams. Carolina could use Forte’s talents and leadership after the good start. When Kelvin Benjamin went down the Panthers lost a major offensive play maker. Greg Olsen is the lone threat right now with Ted Ginn Jr. being the only other worthwhile target.

Arizona Cardinals- This is my very own dark horse trade destination. Chris Johnson appears to have earned the starting role in Arizona, even after Andre Ellington returns. His game last week against the 49ers was impressive with 110 yards on the ground and 2 TD’s. That being said, I still like Matt Forte in this offense, and the timing seems to make sense. Carson Palmer is playing great despite his age (35) and Larry Fitzgerald is off to a good start with 333 yards and 5 touchdowns despite being 32. My point here is that Arizona’s chance for a Super Bowl is on the clock. Putting Matt Forte in the mix instantly makes them an offensive juggernaut.

Week 8 was one of the worst injury weeks in recent memory. Even the return of Dez Bryant and Ben Roethlisberger couldn't soften the blow. Several big names went down in a set of noon games that seemed to have a new injury every 15 minutes. So, pardon my slight exaggeration as we get on with this week's casualty report.

Quarterbacks -

Josh McCown has been injured two weeks in a row. He hurt his shoulder week 7, and now his ribs in week 8. He left the game with a few minutes remaining, and now his status for week 9's Thursday night matchup with Cincinnati is up in the air. McCown has averaged 20 points/game over his last 6 games.

Ryan Fitzpatrick injured the thumb on his non-throwing hand and his status is currently day to day. Geno Smith inspired no confidence from the Jets, who were reportedly calling around for a QB before the game was even over. We'll know later on in the week if he'll be starting against the Jags Sunday.

Running Backs -

Le'Veon Bell has been placed on IR, and his torn MCL means that his season is done. He seemed to pick right up where he left off, so it's a shame that he goes down right as Big Ben comes back. He'll be back in full force next year, and for now, he makes Deangelo Williams the hottest waiver pick up this week.

Matt Forte exited Sunday's game against the Vikings, and of course, the Bears were very hush-hush about it. They did clue us in a little bit later on - Forte hurt his MCL, but doesn't need surgery and should only miss a couple weeks. Forte's absence makes Jeremy Langford possibly the second hottest waiver pickup this week.

Reggie Bush slipped on some concrete and tore his ACL, ending his season, and possibly his career. The 49ers are one of the biggest messes in recent memory, so whoever does wind up replacing Bush will have a really hard time being fantasy relevant. The only hope for fantasy value there is when Carlos Hyde returns.

Khiry Robinson wins the most painful injury of the week award - the worst award you can win on a weekly basis. A broken tibia will end his season, where from fantasy football's perspective, he was just vulturing TD's from Mark Ingram. The Saints will likely sign a third guy, but look for Ingram to monopolize the Saints backfield for now.

Wide Receivers -

Steve Smith Sr. is a guy who I've come to really admire as an NFL player. He's of the toughest players that I can remember watching, so seeing him be carried off the field with a towel covering his face was a little hard to watch. I don't want to see this be his last moment on an NFL field, and hope, like Jim Harbaugh, that he comes back next year. For the rest of 2015, Kamar Aiken will move up to the #1 WR spot in Baltimore. Aiken is still young, and won't be able to produce anywhere close to Smith's numbers.

Calvin Johnson suffered an ankle injury which was probably minor, but since it occurred in a blowout loss, he didn't return to the game. The Lions have the week off coming back from London, so we won't know a lot about Johnson until next week, but there's no reason to think he'll miss week 10.

Keenan Allen has an interesting injury track from the game Sunday. He left, reportedly with a shoulder injury, then it was called back spasms, but now the Chargers report that he is out indefinitely with a kidney injury. It's pretty safe to assume that he will miss week 9 and try to get back after the Chargers' week 10 bye.

Kendall Wright suffered a sprained MCL, which reportedly feels "horrible". Hey, it's nice to know that not everyone has a canned cliché response about an injury. Wright's absence from the lineup may finally lead the way to Dorial Green-Beckham getting some action week 9, when Marcus Mariota is expected to return.

John Brown is a savage, apparently. Go read his twitter if you're trying to figure that one out. Brown disappointed everyone who started him this week by pulling the rare move of being active, but not getting into the game. Clearly, his hamstrings are an issue, but he has a bye week to heal up and we'll know more about his week 10 status a week from now.

Tight Ends -

Larry Donnell was carted off the field in New Orleans, but his injury was just apparently a muscle spasm in his shoulder or neck, which is good news (relatively speaking). It's not clear if he'll be playing week 9 yet, we'll know more by Wednesday. Either way, he's not fantasy relevant for now.

Ladarius Green was in line to get a lot of work with a hobbled Antonio Gates, but then went down with his own injury in the first quarter. With Gates back on the field, the Chargers won't rush Green back, though they really are hurting with injuries this year. The Chargers play Monday night, which means we won't have an official injury report until Thursday night.

Garrett Celek left the game with a concussion, but is now the top tight end in San Francisco with Vernon Davis being traded to the Broncos. Celek won't be a TE-1, especially on this anemic offense.