Fantasy Fever is a weekly piece that provides fantasy advice on lineup calls, sleepers, waiver-wire moves and rookie spotlights, along with the occasional ramble or four. Enjoy.
Start ‘Em
QB: Mark Sanchez, Jets
Three things are apparent after New York’s comeback over Dallas: Sanchez’s rapport with Plaxico Burress, Santonio Holmes and Dustin Keller should enable the Jets QB to eliminate his erratic play that has plagued him in his first two seasons in the league; that the Cowboy secondary is really bad; also opening his third campaign in the NFL, Shonn Greene doesn’t have what it takes to be an every-down back. New York operated out of a shotgun formation for the majority of snaps last Sunday in order to exploit the destitute Dallas D, a strategy they will undoubtedly be repeated against a similarly abysmal Jacksonville unit. Throw in the fact that the Jaguars were able to suffocate Chris Johnson in Week 1, thus darkening Greene’s forecast, and the Sanchize should be in for a fruitful fantasy week. True, there may be some trepidation to start a quarterback more celebrated for his off-the-field enterprises, but if Tom Brady proved anything this week, it’s that vanity and vogue-centric lifestyles can’t impede a player’s fantasy fruition.
Other starts: Matthew Stafford vs. KC, Kevin Kolb at WAS
RB: Rashard Mendenhall, Steelers
On one hand, Mendenhall faced a formidable foe in the Baltimore defense. Still, 45 yards on 12 carries, no receptions and a fumble? Not quite the production one expects from a first-round fantasy pick.
Luckily for Mendenhall, the lowly Seahawks head to Heinz Field this week, offering an opportunity for the Pittsburgh back to right the ship. Seattle was in the bottom third of rush defense last season, surrendering over 1,900 yards and 13 touchdowns on the ground. Expect Mendenhall to exploit this frailty.
Other starts: Tim Hightower vs. ARI, Cedric Benson at DEN
WR: Mario Manningham, Giants
Hakeem Nicks is expected to play, but remains a damaged good after banging his knee against Washington in Week 1. That leaves Manningham the only viable target in the depleted New York WR corps, one that was so impoverished that it signed 35-year-old Brandon Stokley this week. Manningham had an ordinary opening game with four receptions for 49 yards, although the Michigan product was targeted seven times.
Manningham did end last season with three-straight 100-yard contests, and St. Louis was pedestrian against the pass in 2010, conceding nearly 3,600 yards on the year. Look for New York and Manningham to amend for last week’s disappointing opener.
Other starts: Charger receivers at NE, Santana Moss vs. ARI
TE: Ed Dickson, Ravens
Dickson posted five receptions for 59 receptions and a touchdown in Baltimore’s bashing of Pittsburgh. Unless you count Lee Evans, who’s been with the team for a month and has just two 1,000-yard seasons in seven years in the league, the Ravens lack a sterling secondary receiver to complement Anquan Boldin. This deficiency could provide Dickson a platform to become a fantasy force in 2011. Fellow tight end Dennis Pitta will get his fair share of looks, but Dickson will be the man over the middle for Joe Flacco this season.
Other starts: Kellen Winslow at MIN, Benjamin Watson at IND
DEF: Cincinnati Bengals
Forget Denver’s rash of injuries. You watched Kyle Orton on Monday night, right? Exactly.
Other starts: Oakland Raiders at BUF, Tampa Bay at MIN
Sit ‘Em
QB: Matt Ryan, Falcons
The Pro Bowler passed for 300 yards against the Bears but looked bothered at times by Chicago’s coverage schemes. Ryan won’t have it any easier this week with the revamped Philadelphia defense in town. He still projects as a top-10 fantasy quarterback this season, but an arduous opening schedule dampers Ryan’s early-season prognosis.
Other sits: Matt Cassel at DET, Cam Newton vs. GB
RB: Mark Ingram, Saints
Although he split time with Pierre Thomas against the Packers, Ingram will be featured in more packages when the Saints are playing with a lead. However, this week’s matchup against the Bears doesn’t foretell a favorable outcome for Ingram. Michael Turner was able to rack up 100 yards on the Monsters of the Midway last week, but 53 of those yards came on one run. With the Bears returning most of their imperative pieces from a squad that held opponents to a NFC-low 90.1 yards per game last season, don’t rely on Ingram this week.
Other sits: BenJarvus Green-Ellis vs. SD, Shonn Greene vs. JAC
WR: Percy Harvin, Vikings
In leagues where return yards are weighed, Harvin still retains most of his preseason value. Yet if Donovan McNabb’s epically awful body of work on Sunday was any indication of things to come, the Vikings, and Harvin, could be in for quite a ride. Harvin should see the majority of targets from McNabb, and still has the capability of a No. 2 fantasy wideout. But an inopportune matchup against the Buccaneers won’t facilitate this type of output in Week 2. (Don’t worry, we will touch more on Mr. McNabb in a bit.)
Other sits: Deion Branch vs. SD, Colt receivers vs. CLE
TE: Dallas Clark, Colts
It appeared Clark wanted to explode on the sidelines multiple times last week, but restrained himself once he remembered Kerry Collins was directing the offense, kind of like a parent not yelling at their four-year-old for spilling milk all over the kitchen floor.
Clark and the Colts encounter a Cleveland crew that admitted six receptions for 58 yards and a touchdown to Cincinnati tight end Jermaine Gresham last week. But before you get enthusiastic about the matchup, remember: Kerry Collins in the starting quarterback.
Other sits: Marcedes Lewis at NYJ, Zach Miller at PIT
DEF: Kansas City Chiefs
So much not to like about this Chiefs’ defense: surrendering 41 points to the Bills; Eric Berry lost for the season; a hot-handed and healthy Matthew Stafford across the line this week. Not worth the gamble.
Other sits: Miami vs. HOU, Tennessee vs. BAL
The Armageddon Head Scratcher of the Week
Granted, a movie based on a team of rag-tag drillers saving the world by detonating a nuke on an inbound asteroid should be taken with a grain of salt. However, there remain a few storylines that defy logic and reason that need to be examined with greater scrutiny. These preposterous plot points will be analyzed along with a questionable call from the previous week of football.
Did NASA, which has the capability to see light years into space, really not see an asteroid the size of Texas bound for Earth until 18 days before projected collision? In Deep Impact, Elijah Wood spotted a similar asteroid an entire YEAR before its estimated encounter with Earth, and Wood was an amateur teenager using a telescope probably purchased from a drug store. Seems like someone dropped the ball on that plot point. Speaking of dropping the ball, how could the Browns’ defensive unit fail to break huddle late in the fourth quarter on a third-down possession, conceding the game-winning touchdown to receiver A.J. Green? This mishap, along with 11 penalties (which included a personal foul for knocking over the referee) and his team’s overall appalling play, made for a less-than-rousing opener for head coach Pat Shurmur. At least Cleveland still has the Cavs…er, I mean the Indians are…um…at least Ohio State football should be...oh…well, keep your heads up, Brownie fans.
The Real Debate
Orton’s Shane Falco-esque performance on Monday has the Bronco faithful demanding for the elevation of Tim Tebow into the starting signal-caller spot. But the discussion shouldn’t surround the absurdity of calling for a QB’s head after one game (although, in defense of Denver fans, we cannot overstate how dreadful Orton was on Monday night) or if Tebow has the aptitude to carry a team in the NFL. Rather, the real debate should be this: who would have thought that Rex Grossman would be more relevant in 2011 than Orton? After permanently losing the Chicago starting gig to Orton before the 2008 season, it appeared Grossman was on his way out of the league. Yet after Sunday’s display against the Giants, Sexy Rexy has now tossed for over 300 yards in three of his past four games with nine touchdowns against four picks in that span. Somewhere in South Carolina, Steve Spurrier is smiling.
Fantasy Flyer: Dexter McCluster, Chiefs
Reggie Bush has been showered with fantasy love since his move to Miami, as the former USC star seemed confined in a crowded New Orleans backfield. In PPR leagues, Bush’s Dolphin debut (38 yards rushing; nine catches, 56 yards and a touchdown receiving) was solid enough, at least in the fantasy forum, to certify this acclaim. That said, Kansas City’s Dexter McCluster had a somewhat similar showing (42 yards rushing; five receptions, 25 yards receiving; four returns for 92 yards on special teams) without procuring any praise. True, McCluster’s harvest was tied to the Chiefs’ beatdown at the hands of the Bills, offering the backup an extended amount of playing time. However, if Kansas City’s line continues its permeable play, McCluster may be featured more than originally forecast, as the multipurpose back is extremely effective in the passing game. Owned in just 7.2 percent of leagues, McCluster can be an asset in the flex position in formats that reward receptions and return yards, as well as deeper leagues.
Any Given Sunday Pep Talk
Sometimes NFLers need a little inspiration, or even a kick in the behind, to get properly motivated. Luckily for us, Al Pacino will be reprising his Coach Tony D'Amato character to provide players the necessary pep talk to enable fantasy success. This week’s recipient: Donovan McNabb.
“Not really much for me to say, is there Donovan? Seems like your box score says enough. Holy Moses, 39 passing yards? That’s not even the width of a football field! And a 47.9 QB rating? Heaven almighty, you get a 39.6 figure just by throwing an INCOMPLETE PASS!
“I’m not here to talk about your past, son. Looks like you have enough people tackling that endeavor as is. I’m interested in your future, Donovan. Case you haven’t noticed, you’re not exactly a spring chicken no more, and word on the street says you didn’t have many suitors this offseason. Hell, the wretched Redskins didn’t want a part of you, and they employ Rex Grossman! Know what that tells me? That people don’t believe in ya. And frankly, that pitiful performance just fueled their fire.
“But you cannot let the aspersions of others drag you down, Donovan. Only one person controls your fate, and that person is the one lookin’ back at ya in the mirror! You’re unwavering in the conviction that you’re a gamer, that you’re a winner. Well, dammit, go out and WIN! And for the first time since you tangoed with T.O., you don’t have to make this journey alone. You got the best back in the league in Adrian Peterson, a versatile playmaker in Percy Harvin, two solid tight ends…what more could a man want?
“It’s a simple game, champ. You score more points than the other team, you go home happy. Stop bringing the peripheral, irrelevant, talking-head BS into this equation; just play, son, and the rest of this nonsense will sort itself out.
“So the way I see it, you got two options. You can continue to wallow in self-pity and tap out, or put all this baloney aside and step back into the ring! I don’t know about you, but I’ve never been one to back down from a fight! You want your revenge, want to quiet your critics? Then go out there and open up the biggest can of whoppa** the Buccaneers have ever SEEN!!”
Rookie Review: Randall Cobb, Packers
Cobb initiated last week’s kickoff crusade by housing a 108-yard return in Green Bay’s 42-34 shootout with New Orleans. Cobb also added two receptions for 35 yards and another score to christen his Packer premiere. Green Bay has an excess of talented receivers that impede Cobb from becoming a dependable fantasy starter, but in deeper leagues or those that equate special teams into the mix, Cobb is worth the pick-up.
This Week in Kevin Walter
Rough week for K-Walt. Thanks to the atrociousness of Collins and the Indianapolis offense, the Texans abandoned the air attack after surmounting an early lead on the Colts. Worse, Walter suffered a collarbone injury that will likely keep him on the sidelines for Sunday’s contest against the Dolphins. The affliction was originally feared to be a broken collarbone, but Walter alleviated those worries by gluing together his fractured clavicle, thus turning the crack into a bruise. Moral of the story: Walter is a bad, bad man.
Walter’s 2011 Stats: One reception, 14 yards.
Walter’s Cornerback Body Count: One.
Gatorade Shower Goes to: Quarterbacks
Fourteen field generals tossed for over 300 yards in Week 1, lighting up fantasy scoreboards across the nation. And that’s not including solid contributions from Flacco (224 yards, three touchdowns), Ryan Fitzpatrick (208 yards, four touchdowns) and Michael Vick (187 yards passing, 97 yards rushing, two scores). The Big Ten the NFL is not.
Personal Foul on: Defenses
On the flip side, 14 quarterbacks tossed for over 300 yards in Week 1, and that’s not counting the carnage from Flacco, Fitzpatrick and Vick! Even the TuneSquad had a strong resistance in the first half of Space Jam than defenses across the NFL last week.
