Fantasy Football Gurus

[SirChadwick]

I'm in a 10 team league w/ a bunch of old HS buddies and this is my 2nd go at FF. My first pick was Portis of course I thought he'd be back in time to run up some major yardage and get me big points. Anyway, overall my team doesn't look half bad but I'm weak in the WR department and my 2nd star RB is struggling (Lamont). Here is my team, tell me if I have a chance this year. Currently I'm in 9th out of 10.

QBs - Hasselbeck (starting), Pennington (backup)
WRs - Cotchery, H. Ward, and M. Jones (starting), D. Branch, G. Jennings (backup)
RBs - Portis and L. Jordan (starting), M. Turner, T. Jones (backup)
TEs - Cooley (struggling as my starter), B. Watson (backup - will become my starter)
K - who cares
DEF - CIN and NO

 

[SirChadwick]

Also, who should I start this week?

 

[Doboji]

in a 10 team league?

go hang up your cleats

 

[imported_Mike]

I would start

Pennington
Cotchery
M. Jones
G. Jennings
Portis
T. Jones
B. Watson
CIN

Hasselbeck threw 5 TDs last week so it will be hard to sit him, but they're playing Chicago and while the Jets are playing against Indy.

 

[BigSmooth]

Your team is not bad at all.
Edit: just saw that it's a 10-team league. In that case, your WR situation in particular is certainly more worrisome, but you still could have a shot if things break your way.

QB: Hasselbeck is an every-week starter. Pennington appears to be a great backup right now, but I am not sure he can sustain his production and stay injury-free. I might look to trade Pennington if possible while his value is high.

RB: Portis will be fine. Jordan is more worrisome given Oakland's horrible offense, but you have to hang on to him for now. Jones is great for an RB3; he hasn't done much this year partly because of Chicago's improved passing attack but also because they've been in some blowouts so he's been rested. He is the unquestioned starter, though, and if Jordan can't turn it around you'll be glad to have him. Turner is nice to have on your bench and if LT2 ever gets hurt he would be a fantasy goldmine.

WR: I agree, you're a bit thin here. Ward is solid, but given Pittsburgh's plodding passing attack he's not really a superstar WR1 fantasy-wise. Cotchery and Jones both have talent but don't give you great consistency and aren't necessarily every-week starters depending on their matchups. Once Branch is fully integrated into the Seattle offense, he has the potential to be your WR2, but Seattle is loaded at WR so I wouldn't count on that. Jennings looks great but rookie WRs are notoriously inconsistent, so for me he is another matchup-based play.

TE: Cooley is killing me right now, so I feel your pain. However, the Redskins are still throwing the ball his way a lot, so I would hang on to him for at least one more week. Watson is a fine starter while you wait on Cooley.

DEF: Cincy is a solid D, especially in leagues where turnovers are rewarded. New Orleans? Uh...

It's hard to say what you should do roster-wise since I don't know who's on your league's WW, but here are some things I might consider.

First, drop the Saints defense. They were the worst in the league last year and even if they've improved they should not be on your roster. Don't bother carrying a "backup" defense at all, there will always be a decent bye-week pickup available. You might want to pick up one more RB from the WW, someone like Ron Dayne or even a Maurice Jones-Drew if they're available. Depth never hurts at RB.
I would also consider trading Pennington for help at WR. You could package him with Turner and trade him to the LT2 owner, or maybe him and another wideout like Jones would net you an upgrade. If you are able to trade Pennington, grab the best QB on the wire; unless Hasselbeck gets hurt you won't use them anyway.
Finally, I would give Cooley one more week. If he does not produce this week, I would drop him and pick up a different TE from the WW or even just go with Watson every week.

Not sure who you should play, I haven't looked at the matchups yet.

 

[SirChadwick]

Originally posted by: Doboji
in a 10 team league?

go hang up your cleats

Hey now, these guys looked a lot better before the season started. At least I have a few guys starting to pull their weight out of nowhere. But there are still a few holding me back.

 

[imported_Mike]

Also, when you say who cares for the kicker...kickers can become clutch. Not enough for drafting Rackers in the 5th round like some, but enough to win you the game. Casay of CAR put up 20 fantasy points in week 3, 20!

 

[Phokus]

why the hell are you starting jordan ahead of thomas jones? Oakland's o-line is god awful. I had jones on my team last year and he did great.

 

[SirChadwick]

Originally posted by: Mike
Also, when you say who cares for the kicker...kickers can become clutch. Not enough for drafting Rackers in the 5th round like some, but enough to win you the game. Casay of CAR put up 20 fantasy points in week 3, 20!

K's can become clutch but for the most part its all luck of the draw... or it depends on what DEF you're up against. I have Elam and Longwell as my kickers.

 

[SirChadwick]

Originally posted by: Phokus
why the hell are you starting jordan ahead of thomas jones? Oakland's o-line is god awful. I had jones on my team last year and he did great.

Jones hasn't really done much this year. But Jordan has done less. I dunno, maybe I'm just hoping that Jordan will come through in this next game since he is a top 10 RB. It's not looking good though...

 

[sash1]

Originally posted by: Mike
Also, when you say who cares for the kicker...kickers can become clutch. Not enough for drafting Rackers in the 5th round like some, but enough to win you the game. Casay of CAR put up 20 fantasy points in week 3, 20!

Yeah, seriously. Kasay is bringing in some good points for my fantasy teams. A good kicker can really help your team out, even if it's only 5-10 points. In the playoffs, that really matters.

But I doubt you'll make it that far. That's a horrible team for a 10-team league. You need help all around. Get some WRs!

Edit: DEF is solid and Cooley, well, I have him too, and so do a lot of other people. He should be getting more points, but he's not so I can relate here.

 

[49erinnc]

Originally posted by: Phokus
why the hell are you starting jordan ahead of thomas jones? Oakland's o-line is god awful. I had jones on my team last year and he did great.

Don't be so quick to condem the move. Raiders play the 30th ranked defense this weekend and if there was ever a game for Jordan to break out, this is it. Jordan is a very capable RB. With that said, this is probably the only week of the season, that I could make a case for giving him the nod. I think he has a solid outing for once.

Thomas Jones hasn't done anything impressive thus far so I'm glad you said "las year" when making a case for him. He's averaging an abysmal 3 yards per carry this year and many will argue that he shouldn't even be starting over Benson. Also add in that the Bears face a tough D in Seattle this week and I don't see either Chicago RB doing a whole lot.

To the OP: Hasselbeck finally found his groove this weekend and is a must-start every week. He'll only get better and with Alexander out, I expect him to throw for even more yards. The INT's are a concern but not when he's tossing 5 TD's to go with them. Personally, I think you're weaker at RB than WR. Portis is the only sure thing on your team and his health is always gonna be a concern. You have 5 very capable WR's with a couple studs to boot. Branch struggled in his first game but he'll gradually develop a nice relationship with Hasselbeck and could prove to be a solid starter each week. Only problem with him is that he has to share the wealth with Jackson/Engram/Burleson.

Definitely start Watson every week. Brady has very little to throw too and Watson is quickly becoming a favorite target. You have one really good defense and one (NO) that is starting to gel. I'd start Cincy every week though unless NO has a great matchup. I think the Saints have a reality check this weekend though, coming off a big high Monday (and short week). And as someone else said, don't discount the value of a good kicker. I started Gould this past week and he killed for me. Especially in my league where you get bonus points for longer FG's.

 

[SirChadwick]

Thx for all the comments guys... some very good points to be taken. Should I drop D. Branch and pick up Bernard Berrian as WR? He's available.

 

[BigSmooth]

Don't drop Branch. Branch is talented and is playing in a fairly high-powered offense; even with all the WRs in Seattle he will get his stats eventually. I would drop Jennings before Branch. However, I still think you should drop the NO defense, given the small roster size you seem to have I would use that spot for another position player, whether it's Berrian (who would be a good pickup for you) or an RB.

 

[SirChadwick]

Alright, I'll hold on to Branch. But CIN has a bye next week so I took NO as a backup D just for the extra week. Are you sure it would be wise at this point to drop NO DEF and take Berrian?

 

[Pho King]

hmmm I've been adding a dropping receivers since week 1 and I recently dropped branch for berrian. I figured I would rather get a #2 reciever (berrian behind muhammed) than a number 2, 3, or 4 behind Jackson, Engram, and Burleson. Did I make a mistake here?

My other receivers:
D. Jackson (SEA)
L. Coles (NYJ) (pleasant suprise here)


Crotery (NYJ) is also avaliable?

 

[BigSmooth]

Originally posted by: SirChadwick
Alright, I'll hold on to Branch. But CIN has a bye next week so I took NO as a backup D just for the extra week. Are you sure it would be wise at this point to drop NO DEF and take Berrian?

Well, I suppose it depends slightly on your waiver wire. NO does have a pretty good matchup against TB, but it's a 10-team league, so there is a better-than-average chance that there will be several defenses still available next week that will be equivalent or better than the Saints' - and the Saints themselves would likely still be available unless everyone is carrying 2 defenses. I just don't think the Saints' defense is really any good, despite some relative success so far.

My personal strategy is to only have one DEF and K at all times except during the actual bye week. I like to keep as many position players as possible on my roster; that way if one of them has a big game over the weekend I don't have to beat other owners to pick them up, and if they do nothing it's no big deal to drop them during the bye week for one of the many available DEF/Ks. It doesn't really hurt you to pick up Berrian, but if you don't pick him (or another sleeper candidate) up, you might kick yourself later.