Rashard Mendenhall

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NFL Week #9: This Week’s Five Best Bets

Posted by fantasyfurnace on November 2, 2012
Posted in: NFL. Tagged: , , , , , , , , , , . 3 Comments

Not a bad week #8 as we went 4-1. Our only loss coming at the hands of the New York Jets. Credit the Dolphins for playing hard and wanting this game much more than their opponents. If the Jets couldn’t get up for a game vs their division rivals and thus trying to avoid going 3-5 then I’m not sure they can get up for much else. We enter the second half of the NFL season with a pretty respectable 26-14 record and, of course, will continue to look to improve this week…

*Home team in CAPS

Lions over the JAGS- It looks like Calvin Johnson (knee) who is currently questionable, will be a game time decision and even though the Jags could be without their two starting cornerbacks, Derek Cox and Rashean Mathis, there just is not enough offense for the Jags to overcome Matthew Stafford who has finally come on of late. Stafford will still have WR Titus Young who we touted in this week’s waiver wire pickups, and the duo of Mike Leshoure and Joique Bell at RB (Bell will get more passes than rushing opportunities). The Jags will still be without MJD but Rashad Jennings is more than adequate and will help those in PPR leagues. In the end however, it will be the Lions defense that will help win this game and so we expect sacks & INT’s from Blaine Gabbert. Suh should shine in this one. (say that 3 times fast..)

#9 QB Matthew Stafford has been coming on like the Stafford of old and should have no problem hooking up with Young & Pettigrew this week. Photo: thepigskinreport.com

GIANTS over the Steelers-They helped us gain our fist win last week so we’re opting to stay with a good thing. The G-Men are now 6-2 and can really pull away from the rest of their division with a win here at home. The Steelers still will be without several of their defensive starters for yet another week and now will have issues with their RB’s. Rashard Mendenhall (Achilles) will miss this week’s action but will probably return in week 10. Jonathan Dwyer (Doubtful) is also expected to miss Sunday’s game, however Isaac Redman will start. Pittsburgh has the weapons to pull off an upset but if the Giants D continues it’s onslaught, they might just end up keeping Big Ben off balance and susceptible to throwing a pick or two. The Giants need to limit TE Heath Miller’s production and avoid a disaster like the 18 receptions they allowed Cowboys TE Jason Witten to amass last week.

BROWNS over the Ravens- This is our “Upset Special” this week. With the exception of their week one shellacking of the Bengals, the Ravens haven’t blown anyone out this season. In fact four of their games were decided by a total of seven points! Cleveland has played some great defense and we give them a chance at this upset by virtue of the their last meeting vs the Ravens AT Baltimore and WITH Ray Lewis in which they lost by a touchdown but succeeded in holding Ray Rice to just 49 yards rushing. We know that Brandon Weeden can pass against the Ravens because he threw for 320 yards in that game. And in last week’s game, the Brownies held the Chargers, who scored 31 on Thursday night, to just 6 points. Going with the underdog here.

#3 QB Brandon Weeden and RB Trent Richardson should have enough to upset the visiting Ravens this Sunday. Photo: speakingonsports.com

PACKERS over the Cardinals- Yes the Pack are prohibitive favorites over ‘Zona but they should have no problem matching the 11 point spread and even winning by a few more in this one at Lambeau Field where the temps are falling as as quickly as a Matt Cassel interception! By game time expect the balmy Cards to experience a drop of 50-55 degrees from what they’re use to. Then there are the two quarterbacks; Aaron Rodgers vs John Skelton. The difference in the amount of touchdowns thrown by these two QBs is 20!  The Cardinals, who started off the season as virtual sleepers, have lost their last four games in a row and we see no reason to believe that they’ll right their ship against the Packers on the road, not after losing by 21 to S.F. last week and by 14 to St. Louis in week 5 scoring just 3 points in both games!

TEXANS over the Bills- This is another game with a large spread that we think the Texans can win by 10 more. The Bills give up way too many points to stay in this one. In fact in four of their seven games this season they have yielded 35 or more points. On the other hand Houston, probably one of the best teams on both sides of the ball are ranked third in offense in the league. On the plus side, Buffalo is a decent 2-2 on the road and Fitzpatrick has thrown 15 touchdowns so far this season. It could be a high scoring affair but we think the Texans will keep the Bills at bay and win pulling away.

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Fantasy Football: Week #9 Waiver Wire Pickups

Posted by fantasyfurnace on November 1, 2012
Posted in: NFL. Tagged: , , , , , , , , , , , , , . 5 Comments

As we begin the second half of the season, injuries are becoming more and more prevalent throughout the league so it is imperative that you choose players off of waivers carefully and be mindful of their match-ups. If you are in 10 and 12 player leagues, a lot of you are 4-4 or 3-5 and need to begin making a move before you find yourself on the outside looking in. It’s also a time to clean house and consider dropping early round draft picks that have not panned out.

Take Steelers RB Rashard Mendenhall for example. Not only has he played but three games this season, but he’s found himself in a very crowded backfield, which includes Isaac Redman and Jonathan Dwyer. And here’s a stat for you Mendenhall owners out there who are still waiting for that ‘big game’ from him; he has only rushed for more than 100 yards in a game twice since December 5, 2010! Now that we’ve got your attention here are this week’s pickups…

It could be time for owners to part company with #34 RB Rashard Mendenhall after another lackluster and injury-riddled season. Photo: espndeportes.go.com

 Titus Young-WR-Lions- Since Nate Burleson is now out for the rest of the season, Young has more than admirably filled in for the veteran exploding for 100 receiving yards and two touchdowns last week against a pretty good defense in the Seahawks. He was targeted nine times and caught nine passes! Does it get much better than that? In his last two weeks he has 15 receptions for 181 yards and two scores and now he’ll go up against a Jags defense that is 22nd in the league vs the pass. He is currently 58% owned in ESPN leagues and around 40% in most others. For those Jordy Nelson owners not sure if he’ll play this weekend, Young could be a decent replacement, especially in PPR leagues.

Carson Palmer-QB-Raiders- We’re not sure why Palmer isn’t more widely owned especially when compared with other quarterbacks who are putting up similar or less impressive numbers as he is. For example, Tony Romo has thrown for 132 more yards than Palmer but has more interceptions (13) than Palmer (5). Their fantasy points are similar (Palmer has 4 more than Romo), but Romo is owned in 90% of leagues while Palmer stands at 49%. The Raiders’ veteran QB has thrown for around 300 yards or more in four of the seven games this year so you know he can still bring it. And if you look at the remaining schedule, some of the teams he’ll face are just calling out his name; K.C., N.O.,T.B., Carolina, and S.D. Need a replacement for Eli in week 11? Carson will be facing the 4th worse defense in football, the Saints, at the Black Hole.

#3 QB Carson Palmer is an excellent sub for Alex Smith who’s on a bye. He also makes a great addition in week 11 when Eli has the week off. Photo: zimbio .com

Cecil Shorts-WR-Jaguars- WR Laurent Robinson (concussion) returns this week but Shorts is still expected to start at outside WR for the Jags. Over his last two games, Shorts has amassed 195 receiving yards and scored one touchdown. He’s been targeted 22 times over those games and has banked 430 yards so far this season. Be aware that although starting this week, he will probably see a few less reps and remember too that we’re talking about the inconsistent  Blaine Gabbert and the Jags here. Still he makes a serviceable WR3 at worst and a WR 2 wannabe at best. He is currently available in 70% of leagues. It would be advantageous for owners to take out a flier on the former Bengal or pick him up outright.

#84 WR Cecil Shorts is long on talent but plays for an inconsistent team. Pick him up off of waivers if available. You could do a lot worse. Photo: AP Photo/Reinhold Matay

Brandon Myers-TE-Raiders- For those of you desperate for a fill-in for TE Vernon Davis this week (bye), Myers should be someone for you to consider especially in PPR leagues. He has the seventh most receptions in the NFL (31) and is just 17 yards away from 400 total receiving yards on the year. TE Antonio Gates by contrast, has 10 less receptions on the season and 150 less receiving yards and even with his 2 touchdowns he has 12 less fantasy points than Myers but he is owned in 96% of leagues while Myers is holding at 20%. Although this week the Bucs come into Oakland and have made it difficult for TE’s to flourish in fantasy-land, we think Myers will still garner 4-5 receptions and around 55-60 yards. The aforementioned Vernon Davis, by the way, has a total of 2 catches and 34 yards over his last two games.

S.D. Chargers-Defense/Special Teams- We selected the Chargers defense/special teams this week more because of who they’re playing as opposed to their own defensive prowess. Ignore the fact that they’re the19th ranked defense in the league as San Diego will be rewarded by a K.C. team all too eager to turn the ball over for them. Oakland, who played the Chiefs last week and won handily, got three sacks and forced four turnovers and they’re the 31st worst defensive team in the league! If you are stuck looking for a Def./Sp. Team to fill in for the 49ers who are on a bye this week, grab the Bolts who are available in about half the leagues. You won’t be sorry.

NFL Week #7-The Week’s Five Best Bets

Posted by fantasyfurnace on October 19, 2012
Posted in: NFL. Tagged: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , . 7 Comments

As we surmised there were a fair amount of upsets last week and two of them helped to do us in; the Bills over the Cards and G.B over the Texans. We went 2-3 for the week but came close to going 1-4 as the Raiders made it very interesting in Atlanta. At 19-11 on the season we need a good week to return us to respectablity. Here are our five best bets for week #7:

*Home team in CAPS

GIANTS over the Redskins- It took six games for the mighty Giants defense to show up and after their brilliant performance in San Fransisco last Sunday we think it will carry over into this week’s divisional contest with the Redskins. We might not see the six sacks and three interceptions that did the 49ers in last week when Washington comes to East Rutherford because they are more of a ground & pound team with Alfred Morris & RGIII leading the way. Eli & his receivers are salavating at the ‘Skins lack of defense which yields an average of 417 yards to opposing offenses per game. They also have a bit of a ‘revenge’ factor going into this game as the Redskins did beat the Giants in both of their meetings last year. Giants are 4-2 but are 0-2 in their division and need this one.

#10 Eli Manning has winning on his mind as the G-Men want some payback from their two losses to the ‘Skins last season. Photo: zimbio.com

RAIDERS over the Jags- After nearly pulling out what would have been the biggest upset of the week, the Raiders return to the Black Hole knowing that if they almost beat the undefeated Falcons on the road they certainly should have an easier time with the anemic Jags in their building. The Raiders defense will shine this week as they will face QB Blaine Gabbert who has been sacked 15 times this season and has thrown for 200 yards only once. Outside of RB Maurice Jones-Drew, there is little to get excited about as WR Justin Blackmon, the Jags 1st round pick, has yet to live up to the hype entering this season. The Silver & Black should romp in this one.

PATRIOTS over the Jets- The Jets lost both of their games against the Pats last year; one by 11 points and the other by 21 and their team is no better now than they were in ’11. Beleagured QB Mark Sanchez has averaged 12.6 completions over his last three games while in contrast, Tom Brady’s average is 27. Sanchez has thrown six picks and been sacked 10 times as his offensive line continues to struggle. Don’t be suckered into believing that they have turned things around as they beat a Colts team last week with a rookie quarterback and without their starting RB on the field. Can’t see the Jets and their lack of offense overtake New England at home with their many weapons.

BILLS over the Titans- In what could possibly be the highest scoring game of the day, we’re leaning towards the Bills. Neither team knows the concept of the word ‘defense’ so it could come down to the last team with the ball wins.. Discounting the last two weeks when the Bills played two of the leagues better defenses Arizona & S.F., QB Ryan Fitzpatrick threw 12 touchdown passes in the first four games! They have beaten Arizona, Cleveland (the best 1-5 team in the league) and blew out Kansas City at Orchard Park. RB Chris Johnson should have a career day but the Titans defense, which is ranked 25th in the league, will probably go up after this week.

BENGALS over the Steelers-Pittsburgh is having all kinds of injury issues; the worst is that Rashard Mendenhall and Isaac Redman both have been ruled OUT for Sunday night’s game. They have several defensive injuries as well and Maurkice Pouncey, their center remains Questionable. That would be a big loss to their offensive line if Pouncey cannot suit up. At RB, Jonathan Dwyer, who played in just three games last year and has only 24 rushing attempts so far this season, is not going to scare anyone on the Bengals this week. If you look at the Steelers losses this season, to Denver, Oakland, & Tennessee, you would have to scratch your head wondering how this team, now at 2-3, has fallen from grace so rapidly. Clearly the Bengals are a step up in class but QB Andy Dalton needs to cut down on his interceptions (he has 6 in the last three games), if they are to be successful this week.

#14 Andy Dalton seen here celebrating with WR #18 A.J. Green will need to cut down on his picks in order to assure his team a victory vs the Steelers. Photo: cbssports.com