Jonathan Stewart

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FANTASY FOOTBALL 2015-’16: FIVE SLEEPERS TO CONSIDER-

Posted by fantasyfurnace on August 3, 2015
Posted in: NFL. Tagged: , , , , , , , , , , , . Leave a comment

“SLEEPERZZzz”

How important are they? Well, let’s put it this way. Sleepers can give fantasy owners that “edge” that could make the difference between them having a winning season or a mediocre one. If you can pick up several potentially successful sleepers during your draft, that’s just less talent for your opponents to snatch off of waivers once the season is under way. We have listed, in no particular order, some of our favorite sleepers that we are targeting for the upcoming season. Plus we’ll tell you why they made our list and what you might expect from them.

RB CAMERON ARTIS-PAYNE-Carolina Panthers

We have two reasons why we have selected Artis-Payne as one of our sleepers this season. First, starter Jonathan Stewart just doesn’t stay on the grid iron long enough; he’s played only 28 games in the past three seasons. And second, there isn’t any real competition for the backup role in Carolina. Still not convinced? Artis-Payne carried the rock 303 times for Auburn last season.

The Furnace says that Artis-Payne is more than capable of carrying a heavy load if Jonathan Stewart rides the pine. Photo: Getty Images

The Furnace says that Cameron Artis-Payne is more than capable of carrying a heavy load if Jonathan Stewart should end up riding the pine Photo: USA Today

RB DAVID COBB-Tennessee Titans

Starter Bishop Sankey was underwhelming at best in his rookie season last year so it is possible that David Cobb could split time with Sankey and, should Sankey’s woes continue, actually take over the starting job completely. The Titans have a rookie quarterback so they will rely heavily on the running game. Cobb was a three-down back with Minnesota and averaged 22.5 touches in his last two seasons there. Cobb’s biggest asset is that he gains over half of all his yards (54%) after contact.

WR DE’ANTHONY THOMAS-Kansas City Chiefs

A converted running back, Thomas has blazing speed out of the backfield and can break one at any time. With his speed, he can create mismatches and can line up anywhere on the field, however he will be the most dangerous lining up in the slot. QB Alex Smith will now have two good options for short passes in TE Travis Kelce -led the team in receptions (67) & receiving  yds. (862)  and Thomas.

RB turned WR in his second year in the NFL, De'Anthonh Thomas brings the threat of blowing past DB's & could make him a draft & stash candidate. Photo: KansasCity.com

RB turned WR in his second year in the NFL, De’Anthony Thomas brings the threat of blowing past DB’s & could be a serviceable draft & stash candidate. Photo: KansasCity.com

WR-JOHN BROWN-Arizona Cardinals

As a rookie, Brown had just under 700 receiving yards and was second on the team in receptions (48). He has bulked up in the off-season to insure he doesn’t fade in the latter part of the year. Brown’s got incredible speed, good hands, and runs routes well. Veteran QB Carson Palmer said he expects great things from Brown and we agree. You will be able to grab him late in your drafts as he has a high ADP, at least for now. We do not think he’ll disappoint.

TE-VIRGIL GREEN-Denver Broncos

Green is in the perfect spot for a sleeper role, as starter Owen Daniels isn’t getting any younger (33) and has had multiple knee injuries over the past few seasons which has impacted his speed greatly. At 6′ 5″, 255 pounds, Green has the height and athleticism to become one of Peyton’s favorite targets and as everyone knows, Manning loves to throw to his TEs. Now with Julius Thomas and Jacob Tamme gone, this becomes Green’s golden opportunity to prove his worth. We would even consider drafting him over Daniels, that’s how high we are on him.

Here #85, TE Virgil Green scores his first touchdown in the NFL. The Furnace is very high on this up and coming talented TE who should be a constant target of Peyton Manning this season. Photo: Getty Images

#85 TE Virgil Green scores his first touchdown in the NFL. The Furnace is very high on this up and coming talented TE who should be a constant target of Peyton Manning this season. Photo: Getty Images

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NFL 2014: Week #5-The Furnace’s Five Best Bets

Posted by fantasyfurnace on October 3, 2014
Posted in: NFL. Tagged: , , , , , , , , , , , . 4 Comments

After going through yet another one-sided Thursday night of football, here’s hoping this weekend’s menu of games prove to be a bit more competitive. We finished our third 3-2 week and are looking to improve. Here’s the picks we think will finally break the mold …

*Home team in CAPS

GIANTS -4 over Falcons- Big Blue seems to have turned things around after a dreadful 0-2 start. RB Rashad Jennings and TE Larry Donnell appear to be unstoppable in the first quarter of the season. The Falcons look good at home but just can’t seem to win on the road where they are already 0-2 this season. With two injured players on their Offensive line, look for Matt Ryan to look a bit uncomfortable in the pocket and maybe come face to face with JPP and the Giants defensive linemen.

#23 RB Rashad Jennings & #82 TE Larry Donnell have been a boon on offense for the Giants this season and will make a difference in Week 5's game vs the Falcons says THe Furnace. Photo: David Richard/Associated Press

#23 RB Rashad Jennings and #84 TE Larry Donnell (not shown) have been a boon on offense for the Giants this season says The Furnace. Photo: David Richard/Associated Press

Bears +2 1/2 over PANTHERS- The underdog Chicago Bears are due for a breakout game and this week, although on the road, they appear to have everything going their way. They get to face Cam Newton who was pummeled last week when Carolina went up against the Baltimore Ravens. Due to have some lasting effects from that game, Newton will have his two running backs DeAngelo Williams and Jonathan Stewart probably watching the game from the sidelines as they are questionable for Sunday’s contest, forcing the club to be more one-dimensional.

EAGLES -7 over Rams- The Rams will be a far easier opponent this week for the Eagles who almost beat the 49ers in San Francisco in Week 4. They will take their frustrations out on a Rams team that has one of the worst defenses in the league, giving up 34 points in two of their three games this season. Philadelphia should win this one by at least two touchdowns or more.

COLTS -3 1/2 over Ravens- This should be a highly contested contest with the Ravens, winners of three in a row, traveling to Indianapolis. The Colts have been lighting up the scoreboard of late albeit against far inferior teams like the Jaguars and Titans, by a combined 85-34. The Colts will be home, have Andrew Luck, and if they don’t allow Baltimore to force them into making too many untimely turnovers, they should capture the victory.

#12 Andrew Luck throwing a pass vs the Ravens Jan 6, 2013 in the AFC Wild Card Playoff game will be will be the difference-. maker this Sunday

#12 Andrew Luck throwing a pass vs the Ravens Jan 6, 2013 in the AFC Wild Card Playoff game will be the difference-. maker this Sunday. Photo: Kirby Lee/USA Today Sports

Chiefs +6 over 49ERS- As we mentioned earlier, San Francisco barely escaped with their victory over the visiting Eagles in Week 4, garnering a ton of breaks in that game however the Chiefs are a much more talented group. There is also a hidden agenda of one Alex Smith looking for some sweet revenge over his former headcoach Jim Harbaugh. Kansas City might not win the game but getting six is enticing enough for us to jump on this traveling underdog.

 

6 Players To Avoid Drafting

Posted by fantasyfurnace on August 20, 2011
Posted in: NFL. Tagged: , , , , , , , , , , . Leave a comment

AVOID DRAFTING:

1) Chris Cooley-TE-Redskins- He’s been breaking down due to repeated surgeries including the one he had on his knee this past January. Coach Mike Shanahan has said that Cooley has now been ‘shut down indefinitely’, leaving Fred Davis as an appealing option.

2) Jonathan Stewart-RB-Panthers-With the signing of DeAngelo Williams to that mega five-year $43 million contract, Stewart has been relegated to the role of back up and as such you can exclude him from your cheat sheet this season.

3) Fred Jackson-RB-Bills- With C.J. Spiller most likely getting an increased work load this year, Jackson, now at 30 years old, will see less touches than last season. Having one of the most feeble offensive lines in all of football also makes Jackson an easy pass.

4) Roy Williams-WR- Bears- The much over-hyped Williams has had the stage at his disposal for several seasons and it’s been to no avail as he has totally under-performed. It’s been reported that he’s not looked good in practices both physically as well as on the field, making Johnny Knox the much better option here.

5) LaDainian Tomlinson-RB-Jets- With Shonn Greene assigned the role of starting RB for the Jets, look for L.T.’s carries to drop from his 200 plus last year to a more pedestrian 125.

6) Reggie Wayne-WR-Colts- Injuries last year to Anthony Gonzalez, Joseph Addai, Austin Collie, and Dallas Clark provided a surge in Wayne’s receptions, but with all of them healthy again, coupled with his nagging knee injury late last season, there are better choices to be had here.