Larry Fitzgerald

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Fantasy Football 2013: Waiver Wire Pickups for Week #2

Posted by fantasyfurnace on September 10, 2013
Posted in: NFL. Tagged: , , , , , , , , , , , , . 9 Comments

The amazing thing is that every season, especially after the opening week of football, there are a couple of explosive players not on the majority of rosters, putting up obscene fantasy numbers. This year was no exception. A certain tight end in Denver kicked it off last Thursday night, and then a slick old veteran wideout kept it going on Sunday. Of course we’re talking about Julius Thomas and Anquan Boldin, neither of which we’re listing below because by now they have all been gobbled up in most leagues.  

Here are some that should be more available at least until tomorrow morning when most leagues can pick up players on waivers:

1. Joique Bell-RB-Lions- We like Bell for several reasons. First he has already beaten out 2nd round draft pick Mikel Leshoure for the RB2 slot behind Reggie Bush. Second is his versatility. Last Sunday he had 6 rushes and 5 receptions for 92 total all-purpose yards and two touchdowns, making for a very productive afternoon. And lastly, should anything happen to Bush, Bell would take over the RB1 duties so he even becomes a handcuff for Bush owners. At the time this went to publication, Bell was owned in a modest 37% of leagues.

#35 Joique Bell will probably end up as the the running back with the most Adds this Mike Carter-US PRESSWIRE - Presswire. Photo:

#35 Joique Bell will probably end up as the the most added running back this week. Mike Carter-US PRESSWIRE

2. Marlon Brown-WR-Ravens- With WR Jacoby Jones spraining his medial collateral ligament in Thursday night’s game and now looking at a 4-6 week recovery period, Brown has been handed a golden opportunity. Following an outstanding pre-season where in limited action Brown garnered 161 receiving yards, he didn’t miss a step last week with his 4 receptions on 6 targets good for 65 yards and a touchdown. He’ll face a Cleveland Brown secondary that’s mediocre at best on Sunday and is widely available (going into Tuesday night) owned in only 5% of leagues.

3. Andre Roberts-WR-Cardinals- Targeted 9 times by quarterback Carson Palmer, Roberts finished the game with 8 receptions. His 97 receiving yards were the most of any Cardinal receiver including Larry Fitzgerald. Although he didn’t score any touchdowns, they will come as long as Fitzgerald sees the kinds of coverage that usually follow the veteran receiver. The Cardinals take on the Lions in week 2 and we look for Roberts to have double-digits in fantasy points in that contest. Owned in just 22% of Yahoo! leagues, Roberts should be owned in all mixed leagues.

Cardinals WR Andre Brown had more reciving yards than Larry Fitzgerald in week 1 vs the Rams. Norm Hall:

Cardinals WR Andre Roberts had more receiving yards than Larry Fitzgerald in week 1 vs the Rams. Photo: Norm Hall

4. Brent Celek-TE-Eagles- The seven year veteran, all played on the Eagles, had a falling off last season (as did the entire team at large). However over the three year period from 2009-2011, Celek averaged around 750 receiving yards and just under 6 touchdowns each season, so we know how capable he can be. He already scored in week one on three targets ( 56 receiving yards), and, as Julius Thomas will be long gone, you could do worse than Celek who is owned in less than 10% of leagues.

5. Kellen Winslow-TE-Jets- Talk about your veteran tight ends, Winslow is entering his eight full year in the NFL and if his week #1 performance is any indication of how much he is still in game shape, then he could be a very quiet little sleeper for some of you owners in deeper leagues. Rookie quarterback Geno Smith showed how he needs to rely on a veteran like Winslow by rewarding him with the game’s 2nd most targets (8), most receiving yards (79), only receiver with a touchdown, and finally a very serviceable 11.3 YPR.

Winslow who just turned 30 this summer, played for 3 years with Tampa Bay (’09-’11) and averaged just under 800 receiving yards per season and tallied 12 TD’s over that span.  He could prove invaluable to Smith as the season progresses and while he still is getting familiar with his new system.

#81 TE Kellen Winslow enjoying himself after scoring his second quarter TD vs Tampa TYSON TRISH/STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER last Sunday. Photo:

#81 TE Kellen Winslow enjoying himself after scoring his second quarter TD vs Tampa Bay last Sunday. Photo: TYSON TRISH/STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER

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Fantasy Football: Week #5 Waiver Wire Pickups

Posted by fantasyfurnace on October 3, 2012
Posted in: NFL. Tagged: , , , , , , , , , . 5 Comments

One quarter of the season is now in the books. You don’t want to let the season get away from you so stay as active as you can on the waiver wire. And all your moves do not have to be big ones. Sometimes a Team Defense/ST or Kicker could help you just eke by in a given week, depending of course on your league’s settings. Here are this week’s pickups for you to consider:

Brian Hartline-WR-Dolphins- Probably the most popular add by owners this week. Just 31% owned on Tuesday evening, that number swelled to 70% by lunch on Wednesday! Harline was one of our pre-season sleepers so we’re not too surprised by his success. (Tannehill has to pass to someone)… Remember that the Fish just signed Jabar Gaffney on Wednesday. He might take a few passes away from Hartline as he had 68 catches for 947 yards & 5 TDs last season

Jackie Battle-RB-Chargers- Perfect time to grab this running back as it was just announced on Wednesday that he will be the Chargers starting back; with or without Ryan Matthews. This would be the week also because S.D. goes up against New Orleans who yields the most fantasy points to running backs in the league. He’s still available in half of most leagues and is a must add in most formats.

#44 Chargers RB Jackie Battle has impressed of late and has just been awarded the starting job in San Diego. A must add this week vs the RB friendly Saints. Photo: Christopher Hanewinckel-US PRESS – Presswire

Andre Roberts-WR-Cardinals- Roberts is another major pickup this week going from 20% owned to 46% owned overnight! He’s collected four touchdowns in four weeks so he’s consistently getting QB Kevin Kolb’s attention, especially when Larry Fitzgerald is getting double-teamed. In Yahoo! leagues, Roberts has more fantasy points through week 4 than Miles Austin (98% owned), Torrey Smith (94% owned), or Eric Decker (94% owned).

Greg Zuerlein-K-Rams- The most pickups for a Kicker this season is Zuerlein! And why not? He just set a Ravens club record with a 58 yarder and then a 60 yarder in week 4. In fact the rookie had four field goals on the day. If you listened to us prior to the season and made your kicker your final pick then now’s your chance to capitalize. He is currently second in fantasy points in Yahoo! leagues amongst all kickers.

#4 Rookie Kicker for the Rams Greg Zuerlein has already set Baltimore Ravens’ franchise records for the longest field goals. He’s a keeper (and a sleeper). Here he’s kicking a 48 yarder vs the Seahawks. Photo: Scott Rovak-US PRESSWIRE

Minnesota Vikings-Team Defense/ST- This Viking defense is turning into a sleeper of sorts so far this season. Currently they are fourth in fantasy points in the league and actually AHEAD of  the Ravens and last year’s best team defense/special teams  the 49 ers. They have allowed the 9th fewest points, have 12 sacks, and are tied with two blocked kicks.  They’ll go up against the Titans this week at Minnesota. Just 37% owned-(you could do worse this week).

NFL Week #1-The Furnace’s Five Best Bets

Posted by fantasyfurnace on September 7, 2012
Posted in: NFL. Tagged: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , . 8 Comments

We finished the regular season last year with a 52-28 record in our first year of prognosticating. (We didn’t begin picking 5 each week until week 2, thus the total of 80 games). Clearly we are looking to improve on that number although a 65% winning record isn’t so terrible.  Here now are our first weeks ‘Best Bets’:

*HOME team in CAPS

JETS over Bills- The Bills, for the most part, and quite surprisingly, decided to stand pat with last year’s team. Their only addition on offense was T.J. Graham out of North Carolina who was picked up in the third round of the draft. We like WR Stevie Johnson and the two RBs Fred Jackson and C.J. Spiller.  However, our problem is with QB Ryan Fitzpatrick who finished last season’s final four games with 4 TDs and nine INTs. Not a great ratio. We’ll cut him a little slack as it was discovered that he played through some rib injuries, but other QBs have played through worse…

The Jets lost their last three games of the regular season in 2011 and all four pre-season games last month. This contest at Met Life Stadium on Sunday will tell a lot about who they really are and if this ‘Wildcat’ option will or won’t work. Right now the best thing they have going for them is their defense which might be all they’ll need to handle the Bills who they beat twice last season.

#10 WR Santonio Holmes scoring on one of four TD passes Sanchez threw in the Jets 28-24 win over the Bills last Nov. 27th. Photo: turnonthejets.com

Panthers over BUCS- This year the Panthers are already destined to be a much better team and not just because of the maturation of QB phenom Cam Newton. It’s their defense  which was ranked 28th in the league last year that will be much improved . Three important components of their D have returned from injuries: Jon Beason, Thomas Davis, and Ron Edwards. They won’t be the ’85 Bears but you WILL see a difference. Plus it will be the second season for defensive coordinator Sean McDermott.

Conversely, Tampa Bay has a new offensive coordinator in Mike Sullivan; a run first, tough disciplinarian. QB Josh Freeman is coming off a year in which he regressed dramatically from his 2010 numbers but perhaps the Vincent Jackson signing will help him to improve. The addition of Doug Martin is a good one as he’ll compliment a much better back in LeGarrette Blount but the Panthers just have too many weapons and a rising super star at QB to lose this one.

Patriots over TITANS- New England begins their season on the road but it won’t really matter as they will be trying to shake off the remnants from the stunning loss to the N.Y. Giants in last year’s Super Bowl. There really is no reason why the Pats can’t go 14-2 or 15-1 this season because they are THAT good! Some of the changes on offense of note is WR Brandon Lloyd who takes the place of Deion Branch and Stevan Ridley who fills the spot vacated by the law firm BJGE now in Cincinnati . They still have 2 top tier tight ends, a top three QB, and pro-bowl kicker. And their defense is more than serviceable.

The Titans who have some nice pieces on offense, have a rookie QB and two more major questions that loom over this team:  Will the Chris Johnson that we’ll see be more like the 2010 stud or the 2011 disappointment? And how will WR Kenny Britt fair coming off of ACL and MCL surgery? While we wait to find out, we’ll pick the Patriots to handle the Titans this week.

#28 RB Chris Johnson says he’s ready to return to his breakout numbers of 2010 again. He’ll need to if the Titans are to be competitive. Photo: cbssports.com

VIKINGS over Jags- Jacksonville, even with some of their off-season pickups will need a few games under their belt to show how good (or bad) they are. Maurice Jones-Drew will need some time to shake off the rust from his hold out. We’ll have to wait and see if QB  Blaine Gabbert, now in his second year, can hold on to the starting job with a limited amount of quality receivers and Chad Henne waiting on the sidelines. WR Laurent Robinson had a breakout season with Dallas last year but it’s one thing receiving passes from Tony Romo and it’s quite another when it’s Gabbert.

The Vikes have two potential sleepers on their roster to watch. RB Toby Gerhart who will get a nice share of carries with Adrian Peterson not 100%,  and Visanthe Shiancoe’s replacement second round pick TE Kyle Rudolph. He’s an excellent receiver who just might surprise this year. And of course their best playmaker, Percy Harvin, will be a major part of their offense. I think Jared Allen & the rest of the Vikings defense keeps the Jags out of the endzone in this one and gives Minnesota the victory.

CARDINALS over Seahawks- The Cardinals have a pretty good team that’s coming off a rather impressive end to last season when they won 5 of their last 6 games including wins over the 49ers and Cowboys. Of course there’s Larry Fitzgerald, old reliable, and now rookie Michael Floyd on the other side of Fitz. TE Todd Heap is getting up there but can still draw atttention and RB Ryan Williams who has the potential for having a sleeper season.

Seattle might be without their feature back Marshawn Lynch (back spasms) who, as of Friday night, is still listed as Questionable. His absence would be huge and would mean that another possible sleeper, Robert Turbin, would get the starting nod. He runs low to the ground and has some nice speed for a 5’11” 222 pounder. Keep your eyes on him if gets some major playing time on Sunday. Still and all it won’t be enough to match the more talented roster of the Arizona Cardinals.

#11 WR Larry Fitzgerald will be the main part of the Cardinals Offense and will do better this year with WR Michael Floyd on the other side of the field. Photo:neverpunt.com