Fantasy football strategy, rankings, and podcasts

Here's looking at you! By virtue of reading this, I must assume that you have made it to the second round of the playoffs in your league(s) and are looking for some advice to get to the championship game! Well, I won't disappoint - let's jump straight into the good stuff. Some of my picks for this week are: Matthew Stafford, Mike Davis, Marquise Goodwin, Robert Woods, and Jack Doyle. Best of luck in Week 15, see you back here again next week!

It's the end of another exciting week of football which means it's time to put your claims in for available free agents in your fantasy league to strengthen your team. I'll be going over who I think are the top five picks for you to target this week so don't miss out on them. Good luck!

Note: %owned is based on Yahoo! leagues at the time of publication.

5) Los Angeles Chargers (LAC) - 35% owned - The Chargers have been the top fantasy defense over the past 5 weeks and they have a great matchup against the Browns this week.  Looks for them to continue to roll.

4) Jacquizz Rodgers (TB) - 8% owned - Doug Martin is in the concussion protocol and could miss week 13. If he does sit out then Rodgers should get a heavier workload against the Packers.

3) Mike Davis (SEA) - 2% owned - Davis looked better than all the other Seahawk running backs before getting injured during his surprise start in week 11. Look for Davis to get the start again this week with an opportunity to take over going forward.

2) Marquise Goodwin (SF) - 15% owned -  Goodwin continues to be an upside WR3 and may be getting a boost at quarterback as Jimmy Garropolo could start week 13 for an injured C.J. Beathard.

1) Zay Jones (BUF) - 14% owned - Jones finally seems to be getting some traction in the Buffalo offense as his last three games he has caught 13 of 24 for 154 yards and 2 touchdowns. He should continue to see targets since Kelvin Benjamin is out with a torn meniscus.

It's the end of another exciting week of football which means it's time to put your claims in for available free agents in your fantasy league to strengthen your team. I'll be going over who I think are the top five picks for you to target this week so don't miss out on them. Good luck!

Note: %owned is based on Yahoo! leagues at the time of publication.

5) Green Bay Packers (GB) - 33% owned - The Packers are a great streaming defense for the first week of the fantasy playoffs as they go up against the Browns, who are still giving up the most fantasy points to opposing defenses.

4) Ricky Seals-Jones (ARI) - 28% owned - If you are in need of a streaming option then Seals-Jones is probably the best you will find on the wire this week. Gronk owners may need to look his way for week 14 if his one-game suspension holds up.

3) Mike Davis (SEA) - 9% owned - Seattle looks to have given up on Lacy and Rawls after giving Davis the vast majority of playing time last week. He should continue to get carries this week against a Jaguars defense giving up 115 rushing yards per game.

2) Giovani Bernard (CIN) - 11% owned -  Bernard was forced into lead back duties last week after Joe Mixon was knocked out with a concussion. Mixon has a short week to clear the concussion protocol which will be difficult so Bernard could end up being a great play against the Bears this week.

1) Marquise Goodwin (SF) - 32% owned - Goodwin continues to put up solid performances after catching all 8 of his targets for 99 yards last week. He has favorable matchups the next two weeks going up against the Texans and the Titans.

Mike Davis (CAR) – So, it’s the end of the world as McCaffrey owners know it, and they won’t be fine for 4-6 weeks until he returns. In the meantime, Mike Davis was a hot commodity on the waiver wire. Davis could hardly get anything going last year, and his 8 receptions in garbage time last week surpassed his catch total for all of 2019. Aside from garbage time, which the Panthers are likely to find themselves in most weeks, I don’t expect Davis to be able to do very much at all. This week, the Panthers have to travel across the country to LA and play the Chargers, a team that seems to play up and down to their competition. Down is the keyword this week, I expect this game to mostly be a lot of bleh with some meh thrown in. I don’t expect much out of Davis this week, or at all while McCaffrey is out to be honest. He is not a suitable replacement in your lineup for CMC and you need to rely on the bench depth that you drafted instead of a desperation waiver wire pickup.

David Johnson (HOU) – Johnson briefly, very briefly, reminded us on opening night of the player he used to be. Last week was a different story. Given the same opportunities (11 carries, 4 targets each game), he managed a mere 50 yards from scrimmage against the Ravens. This week gets no easier when the Texans travel the Pittsburgh. The Steelers defense completely shut down Saquon Barkley in week 1 and are giving up the 4^th fewest fantasy points to opposing RBs. With the Texans struggling this year after inexplicably trading away their best player not named DeShaun Watson, it’s going to take some time and more than an RB past his prime to fix this team. David Johnson is a bad fantasy start this week.

Jordan Reed (SF) – Reed found the end zone twice on Sunday and reminded us all of better times, like way back in 2015 when he could score TDs and we didn’t have to wear masks everywhere. If George Kittle sits, then Reed is going to be his replacement. While Kittle may be healthier than last week, he might still sit considering all the chirping that the 49ers have done regarding the turf at Metlife Stadium, where they played last week and will play again this week. This leaves a perfect storm of Jordan Reed completely returning to the player that we know him to be – a guy who gets injured all the time. Reed seems to be perfectly set up to get bitten by the turf monster if he does get the start this week, and I freely admit that I am not using a lot of numbers to make this call. Just don’t play Jordan Reed because he’s going to let you down as he has in many years past.

Justin Herbert (LAC) – Herbert had an impressive game last week when he was thrust into the starting role just before kickoff. Without any time to think about it, he scrambled well and threw the ball with a rocket arm, if not perfect accuracy. He did seem to make a couple of rookie mistakes, like the INT he threw late in the game to let the Chiefs back in it. This week he faces the Panthers and surprisingly, they have given up the 2^nd fewest points to opposing QBs. Perhaps this is due to the fact that they’re letting everybody and their mother run rampant over them. I expect a whole week to think about the start to make Herbert look more like a typical rookie, and for the Chargers to really lean on the run game. So, Herbert was only relevant in 2 QB leagues. Definitely roster him, but I wouldn’t dive in and start him until he puts a couple of good games together.

Matt Ryan (ATL) – Once or twice a year, Matty Ice is going to deliver you a proper dud. The Bears are giving up the 4^th fewest points to opposing QBs, so even though Ryan has had a good streak to start the season, I think he’s going to run into a wall this week in Chicago. The Bears limited Matt Stafford to 1 TD in Week 1, and kept Daniel Jones under 10 fantasy points last week, so they’ve had a strong showing every week so far. The only thing that Ryan might have going for him is that he will probably throw the crap out of the ball to try and get out of the 0-2 hole the Falcons find themselves in. This is just going to lead to turnovers and more misery as the Falcons find themselves as the best 0-3 team, and the Bears will find themselves as the worst 3-0 team.