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NFL 2013: Week #11-The Furnace’s Five Best Bets

Posted by fantasyfurnace on November 16, 2013
Posted in: NFL. Tagged: , , , , , , , , , , , , . 3 Comments

Injuries, home field and jockeying for a playoff berth are reasons for teams laying it all on the line and we think our five Best Bets this week are exactly that! The surprising Jets winning in Buffalo and the Kansas City Chiefs losing their first game of the season make up two of this week’s predictions…

Home team in CAPS

Jets Over the BILLS- With Bills WRs  Stevie Johnson and Robert Woods both sitting out this week with injuries, and the Jets WR Santonio Holmes and TE Kellen Winslow (the Jets’ leading receiver before his suspension) both returning to the lineup, this should be enough of an edge for the Jets to avenge their 27-20 loss at Met Life Stadium back on Week 3. The Bills haven’t had their bye week yet and their schedule, Ed Reeds Jets debut, and a better defense will spell victory for the visiting Jets.

The return of #81 Kellen Winslow & Santonio Holmes will give the Jets the edge vs the Bills this Sunday. Photo Associated Press

The return of #81 TE Kellen Winslow & WR Santonio Holmes will give the Jets the edge vs the Bills this Sunday. Photo Associated Press

Lions over the STEELERS- Clearly a must-win game for the Steelers, however the visiting Lions have too many weapons to combat any fight that Pittsburgh might muster. Matt Stafford has been on a roll and is on pace to throw for the third most yards in a season in NFL history. Reggie Bush, Megatron & company will prove too much for the lackluster Steeler offense.

TEXANS over the Raiders- With fourth string quarterback Matt McGloin slated to get his first NFL start while Terrelle Pryor rests his sprained MCL, this could be a long day for the visiting Raiders. The Texans have the number 1 pass defense in the league which will force McGloin to make errant throws and rely on a running game devoid of a healthy Darren McFadden (hamstring).

BENGALS over the Browns- Even though the Browns took the game in their first meeting at Cleveland 17-6, the Bengals offense has begun to gel and become a more cohesive unit over their past few games. Winning both games against a rival team in the regular season is like winning both ends of a double-header in baseball; possible but difficult.

BRONCOS over the Chiefs- If our pick is correct, this will spell defeat for the Chiefs for the first time this season. Denver is undefeated at home this year (5-0) and even a wobbly Peyton Manning is better than a healthy Alex Smith. Coach Andy Reid, for all those superstitious ones out there, is an overwhelming 13-1 following a bye-week for his career.

#18 Peyton Manning grimaces after getting hit vs the Cargers at QualcommStadium. He'll be more than able this Monday Night vs the undefeated Chiefs. John Leyba, The Denver Post:

#18 Peyton Manning grimaces after getting hit vs the Chargers at QualcommStadium. He’ll be more than ready this Sunday Night vs the undefeated Chiefs. John Leyba, The Denver Post

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Fantasy Football 2013: Waiver Wire Pickups for Week #3

Posted by fantasyfurnace on September 17, 2013
Posted in: NFL. Tagged: , , , , , , , , , , , . 7 Comments

Injuries were rampant in Week 2 and although some players might not miss all that much time, others are sending up a red flag to their owners to be mindful about handcuffing the next option. Take Reggie Bush for example. So far this season he has had a dislocated thumb, bruised hip, a groin strain and this past Sunday he injured his left knee after colliding with Cardinals safety Tony Jefferson.  Joique Bell was clearly the obvious pickup last week…

As this is going to publishing, all of the players below are owned in  28% of leagues (or less).

1. James Starks-RB-Packers-  In the opening minutes of the game Sunday, Eddie Lacy was hit straight on in a helmet-to-helmet play that  amazingly was not called by the officails. If ever a hit cried out for a penalty, given all the precautions that the NFL has taken lately, this was the one. He left the game and never returned, suffering from a concussion and could be out until after the Packers 4th week bye. Enter James Starks who merely ran for 132 yds. (the first Packer RB  to run for over 100 yards in 45 games!), plus 36 receiving yards.  Watch for reports on Lacy but consider grabbing Starks who is owned in just 11% of leagues.

#44 James Starks plows ahead for 7 of his 132 yards vs the Redskins on Sunday. Photo: (Mike Roemer/AP)

#44 James Starks plows ahead for 7 of his 132 yards vs the Redskins on Sunday. Photo: (Mike Roemer/AP)

2. Eddie Royal-WR-Chargers- Out of literally nowhere, Royal had a resurgence on Sunday catching 7 passes for 90 yards to go along with 3 touchdowns.  He had 2 touchdowns in Week 1 so if you snatched him off of waivers after that performance you have to be pinching yourself by now! With Danario Alexander (knee) out for the year and Malcom Floyd (neck) going to the hospital Sunday, Royal instantly became Phillip Rivers’ favorite receiver. Although this kind of performance will be the exception and not the rule, in deeper and most mixed leagues Royal could prove very serviceable.  Available in 80% of leagues, Royal will surely be one of the most ADDS this week.

3. Charles Clay-TE-Dolphins- Clay had a breakout week vs the Colts in week 2 with 5 receptions for 109 yards and a touchdown. The TD coming on a one-yards rush as Clay often lines up at tight end as well as fullback. Offensive coordinator Mike Sherman said he’d like to get Clay more involved as a ballcarrier which is great news for Clay owners. The upstart Dolphins have begun the season 2-0 for the second time since 2002 and Clay, currently the ninth highest ranked TE in the league, has played a part in that feat . Owned in just 5% of leagues, Clay makes for a decent pickup in most leauges.

4. Kansas City Chiefs-DST- Very quietly, the reborn Chiefs are off to a 2-0 start for the first time, or so it seems, since Calvin Coolidge was president! However from a fantasy standpoint, there are a whole host of reasons why you should consider rostering their Defense and Special Team. Admittedly it’s early but did you know that K.C. has more fantasy points than any other team in the league? Or that their 16 points allowed is second only to Seattle? Now that we have your attention, the Chiefs are also in a 4-way tie in sacks with 9 to go along with their 2 INTs and 2 fumble recoveries. They may not be a play every week depending how they do over the next week or two, but remember the do play Oakland twice. Owned in just 18% of leagues they clearly warrant consideration.

#92 Nose tackle Dontari Poe levels Tony Romo after a small gain on Sunday. Photo: Peter Aiken/Getty Images

#92 Chiefs Nose tackle Dontari Poe, who already has 3.5 sacks to his credit, levels Tony Romo after a small gain on Sunday. Photo: Peter Aiken/Getty Images

5. Garrett Hartley-K-Saints- Not someone who you should rush to pick up off of waivers right away but definitely take out a flier on the undrafted kicker now in his fifth year with the Saints. Currently Hartley is second in fantasy points to the Cowboys Dan Bailey and leads the league with a modest 6 field goals made. He has already nailed a 48 yarder and is 5-7 in his career from 50 yards & beyond. Hartley is 28% owned.

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