Week 7 featured all kinds of fun, a couple of broken records (the good kind), trick plays, last minute victories and Cecil Shorts and Barkevious Mingo on the field at the same time (a drinkfive wet dream).
- I would be remiss in my duties if I did not start this article without Peyton Manning's record breaking night. Brett Favre, the former record holder, threw 508 TD's in his career, spanning 302 games (1.68 per game). As of Sunday night, Peyton Manning now has 510 TD's in only 246 games (2.07 per game). If Manning continues at this clip and plays as many games as Favre, he will finish his career with 626 TD's. Absolutely crazy.
- The Jaguars can win, after all. With their victory over the up-and-down Browns came a glimmer of hope with their run game. Denard Robinson came to life when given a full workload. 22 attempts netted him 127 yards and 1 touchdown, but more importantly, it may have netted him the starting spot in Jacksonville. The Jags are desperate for stability anywhere, and look for them to go with the hot hand approach. Robinson will be a very popular waiver wire addition this week.
- Jerick McKinnon had another good showing, even if his team did not. McKinnon had 19 carries for 103 yards against Buffalo, a team with a tough run defense. McKinnon's match-ups coming up are against Tampa, Washington and Chicago. Buy low on him and take advantage of the weaker part of Minnesota's schedule.
- Ever since Aaron Rodgers told the good folks of Wisconsin to just "relax", they've done nothing but win games. Putting up 38 or more points in three of the last four games, Rodgers has thrown for 13 TD's during that span. Jordy Nelson has also catapulted to the top of the league in receiving yards (though Antonio Brown can pass him with a good game Monday night).
- The Bears continue to struggle at home and are now 0-3 there on the season. It's really the same story we always hear. Cutler struggled and Matt Forte put up numbers anyways. Forte does have two down games this year, but every other game he scored 17 or more points, going for over 20 in his last three games. This kind of consistency is very rewarding with all of the turmoil at the top of the RB draft board this year.
- The Bengals became the third team this season to be shut-out. After having none the first four weeks of the season, we've now seen one three weeks in a row. The Bengals are by far the best offense to be shut down during that stretch, but I think credit needs to be given to the Colts defense. The Colts limited the Bengals to 8 first downs, 135 total yards on offense and the Bengals didn't have a snap in Colts territory until well into the 4th quarter, on a drive that resulted in no points. They only sniffed it once more at the end of the game for just a moment.
- Jeff Fisher has a lot of special teams tricks, and he decided that the best time to showcase them was when the Super Bowl champs came to town. The Rams handed Seattle their second loss in a row, something that Russell Wilson has only experienced once before in his career. The fake punt deep in your own end at the end of the game probably took more balls than brains, but the play I'm in love with is the punt return. The punt return in the second quarter faked out nearly the entire Seahawks special teams unit, which is bizarre considering they ought to know what side of the field their punter is kicking it to.
- One thing from the other side of that game became apparent as well. Russell Wilson is shaping up to be an elite fantasy QB. Two games over 34 points this year and only one game with a low of 11 have him up to 142 points on the season, good for fifth overall. Keep in mind, he has already had his bye week and three of the guys ahead of him have not taken a break yet. Wilson is definitely on pace to finish this season as a top 5 guy.
- The Cowboys keep rolling and Demarco Murray is leading the way. With his record breaking seventh 100 yard game to start the season, he has an astounding 913 yards through 7 games. He has not scored below 17.1 points this season, making him one of the best weekly guarantee since Arian Foster in 2010, heck, maybe since LaDainian Tomlinson's golden years. Expect Murray to stay match-up proof and hope they keep riding him as much as they have, because hey, fantasy football only lasts a year at a time.
- Back to the Broncos, who had a stellar night which might have been overshadowed by Peyton's big record. Demaryius Thomas is living up to his draft position, maybe more than most first/early second rounders. He started slow, but after the bye has scored 34, 18 and 29 points over the last three weeks. In fact, he's the only thing keeping Jordy Nelson and Randall Cobb from being the top two fantasy receivers by points.
We've all got one week under our belts, and probably whatever you cooked on the grill on Sunday. Football is back, which means cold beers, grilled burgers and getting up early to cook something all day long. Well, it might mean that, but right here, it really means waiver wires, who do I start, and of course, our (soon to be) world famous rankings.
Look for Peyton Manning to bounce back this week against a Chiefs defense that gave up two scoring drives to (new starter) Ryan Mallett in relief. Matt Stafford has basically fallen off of everyone's fantasy radar - he was drafted low and isn't starting material in most leagues. Maybe the time of Stafford to Johnson has passed - Calvin's numbers certainly were disappointing in week 1. Last week Danny Woodhead had 20 touches - if he has half that number this week, he should still start in your standard league flex spots. Doug Martin, meanwhile, is not the kind of back that can go out and make his own success. He'll be at the mercy of a struggling Jameis Winston for the time being.
Mike Wallace was Teddy Bridgewater's favorite target, connecting with him six times. Look for this connection to net you a TD in week 2 against the Lions. Davante Adams has taken a bit of a hit after the realization that, of course, James Jones will fit right in with his old team and will cut into Adams's workload a decent amount. Heath Miller is the clear beneficiary in the Steelers offense that's lacking two big weapons. He should have at least one more week with an increased workload.
Good luck this week, make sure to check before the games start for last minute injuries.
As the general manager of a fantasy team, each week you are presented with many decisions to make. The choices you make can then have dire consequences on the fate of your team for the remainder of the season. It’s important to weigh these start/sit questions very heavily against the health and recent performance of the player, the efficiency of the defense they are facing and the ability of the offense in which they play to score points on a week-to-week basis. We’ll help to make some of these decisions easier, but ultimately it’s up to you which way you decide to go! Here are our Week 2 Rankings, and feel free to use the start/sit tool here on the site as well.
Quarterbacks
START Peyton Manning (DEN) vs. KC – Could Peyton Manning have peaked in 2013 and he is now on the decline? Sure. But you drafted Manning to be your #1 QB and it’s silly to give up on a guy after one bad performance. Just ask those people who dropped Tom Brady after a few bad performances last year and he went on to make them regret that decision in short order.
SIT Sam Bradford (PHI) vs. DAL – Bradford had a good completion rate (69.2%) in week 1 against the Falcons, but he did throw 2 interceptions and only 1 TD against a team that was dead last in passing defense last year. Bradford still does not look completely comfortable in his new offense, and the Eagles will likely try to get DeMarco Murray going against his former team. I’m not saying that Bradford is off the radar, just that you may have a better option at QB this week.
Running Backs
START Darren Sproles (PHI) vs. DAL – Sproles was second in targets on the Eagles only to Jordan Matthews last week and finished the game with 126 all-purpose yards. Until Bradford has complete command over the passing offense this season, we’ll likely see Sproles’ usage stay at a high level. I’m suggesting that Sproles be considered a flex play even in standard leagues this week as the Eagles try to find a sure-footed way to beat the Cowboys.
START Giovani Bernard (CIN) vs. SD – San Diego’s passing defense is weak at best, and Andy Dalton and the Bengals will use short passes around the line of scrimmage (in conjunction with A.J. Green stretching the field, of course) to Tyler Eifert and Giovani Bernard to maximize their YAC (yards after catch) abilities. In a game where the Bengals may be playing catch-up, look for Bernard to be used as much or more than he was in week 1.
SIT Bishop Sankey (TEN) vs. CLE – Bishop Sankey and Terrance West are involved in a rotation based on the game situation, and starting Sankey due to a touchdown heavy performance in week 1 (2 TDs on 86 all-purpose yards) is not a smart move. Plus, Tennessee is more than likely to falter here, with a young offense led by a young quarterback – expect missteps in week 2.
SIT Latavius Murray (OAK) vs. BAL – Murray looks like the guy who will shoulder the majority of the running game in Oakland as long as he can remain healthy. The problem is that he is on the Oakland Raiders. Look, the Raiders may be headed in a good direction but when they go up against good NFL teams like the Baltimore Ravens we cannot expect the game to go in their direction. The truth of the matter is that Murray’s great games will come against much lesser teams until the rest of the Raiders’ offense can step up.
Wide Receivers
START Jeremy Maclin (KC) vs. DEN – This was a tough one for me to declare since I’m not a huge believer in Alex Smith’s ability to air out the ball, but Thursday Night Football against the Denver Broncos in Week 2 of the 2015 NFL season is when the Great WR Touchdown Famine will come to an end for the Chiefs. Alex Smith will throw a touchdown pass to Jeremy Maclin and there will be much rejoicing. Editor's Note: After putting up less-than-great stats on Thursday, Maclin has officially landed on the 'Prove It' list going forward.
START Percy Harvin (BUF) vs NE – Probably the riskiest start on the board this week, Harvin looked like he had something to prove (and he did) in Week 1 against the Colts, putting up 5 receptions for 79 yards and a TD. He also had a 9 yard rush. Buffalo is going to pull out all of the stops against the division rival Patriots and with Watkins sucking up coverage, Harvin should be moved all around the field to make plays. Underestimating Buffalo’s offense this year is a mistake.
SIT Davante Adams (GB) vs SEA – It was Davante Adams year to break out they said, with Nelson gone, Adams should really take a step up this year they said.. yeah, well the fact is it will take Adams and Rodgers more than a few games this year to establish real chemistry and a lot of that jazz is going to Randall Cobb and James Jones instead. Every starting receiver on the Packers has good fantasy value, but this week’s match-up against Seattle combined with James Jones triumphant return don’t bode well for Adams in week 2.
SIT Larry Fitzgerald (ARI) vs. CHI – Fitz is nearing the end of his career and he has a few big games left in him this season, but Arians doesn’t need to overextend Fitzgerald against the hapless Chicago Bears. In an offense where the ball is normally spread around anyway, Fitzgerald will likely be used mostly as a decoy, drawing defenders away from the real game plan this week. I would expect 6-8 points at most in standard leagues.
Tight Ends
START Heath Miller (PIT) vs. SF – Miller caught 8 passes for 84 yards last week against the Patriots and is always a red zone threat for Ben Roethlisberger, due to his 6’5” frame. Although his production has waned over the past few years, suspensions to Martavis Bryant and Le’Veon Bell have forced him back into use as a regular passing target. One of Ben’s most trusted targets of all time, Miller should be treated as a top 10 TE this week and will likely see higher than normal usage until Bryant returns.
SIT Jordan Reed (WAS) vs. STL - We know that Reed performed well in Week 1 against Miami (7 receptions for 63 yards and 1 TD), but the Rams should prove to be an even tougher opponent defensively and it doesn't help that Desean Jackson will be sidelined for at least this game, closing in the defense on Kirk Cousins and the short game. Reed may be a fill-in play in a PPR league at best, because I don't see any substantial amount of yards or any touchdowns, for that matter, coming from him in week 2. To top it all off, Reed had a quad issue all week and we hate to see injury prone players on the injury report.
Week 10 is in the books in the NFL, so it’s time to take stock of what you have left on your team for the playoff run. This week’s injuries weren’t too bad, with only a couple of high profile players going down. This is the final week of byes, so just one more week to get through until your team is back at full strength for the stretch run.
Sam Bradford went down with a concussion AND a shoulder sprain to his non-throwing arm. He will likely be out for at least a week as Mark Sanchez butt-fumbles his way into the starting job. Other backups getting the nod in week 11 will be Johnny Manziel, officially starting the rest of the season for a perpetually banged up Josh McCown. Case Keenum will also take over for Nick Foles, who, while not injured, probably wishes he had that as an excuse for his poor play.
Landry Jones suffered an ankle injury early in the game, leading to Ben Roethlisberger coming in and throwing for 293 yards and 3 td, just a record for a non-starting QB. Big Ben will return to the starting lineup following the team’s Week 11 bye. Peyton Manning was yanked in favor of Brock Osweiler after throwing for about 35 yards and 4 INT. After the game, it was reported that Manning has plantar fasciitits and a rib injury and will not be starting Week 11. Brock Osweiler gets his first career start against a Bears team that has suddenly been playing well.
Texans QB Brian Hoyer was pulled from the game on Monday night after a possible concussion and did not return to the game. This is the first time I can remember watching a game and having a sideline observer pull a starting QB out of the game when he displayed no symptoms, just based on what had been seen during replay. The Texans hope that Hoyer can be cleared to play the Jets in Week 11, if not, look for T.J. Yates to start for Houston once again.
Ryan Mathews left the game with a concussion and will have to be cleared by NFL protocol before he can return to the field. This should benefit DeMarco Murray, but only a little. Don’t expect a lot more work for Darren Sproles, who seems to have settled into a very minor role in the Eagles’ offense.
Julian Edelman might be the biggest fantasy player to go down win Week 10. Edelman suffered a Jones fracture in his foot, the same injury that Dez Bryant suffered earlier this year, and Julio Jones has dealt with in the past. Edelman is expected to have surgery and this means he’ll be done for the fantasy football season, but may return for the Patriots playoff push. I’m sure he’d hate to miss the final act of the Tom Brady Middle Finger Tour. Look for Danny Amendola to be the main beneficiary of this injury, and the guy to pick up on the waivers this week.
Emmanuel Sanders exited his game on Sunday, right about the time that Manning did. Sanders was iffy at best to play in this game, and had 4 targets and zero receptions. Perhaps if healthy he reels in a pass or two, but his performance has a lot to do with his QB struggling. Sanders, if healthy, should be a WR2/3 against the Bears, who could find themselves overmatched if both Thomas and Sanders are 100%. If Sanders does not play, Osweiler will likely look for one of the targets he’s been practicing with, it’s just tough to guess which one!
Justin Hunter is done for the season after fracturing his ankle against Carolina. With Hunter gone and Kendall Wright still injured, it’s time for Dorial Green-Beckham to shine. Hell, it’s time for anyone to shine on the Tennessee offense, which has been anemic all season.