Welcome to the Week 15 playoff edition of the Twitter Fantasy Football Roundtable!
Jason Sarney of Fantasy Phenoms is the Roundtable Host this week. Head on over to his great site to view our sleeper and bust picks to get you ready for your Week 15 playoff matchup.
Welcome to the Week 14 Playoff Edition of the Twitter Fantasy Football Roundtable hosted by RookieBlitz.com!
All season long, the experts of the Twitter Fantasy Football Roundtable have given you weekly suggestions for your fantasy football lineup. The majority of fantasy football leagues begin their playoffs with Week 14, so it will be our focus to help you win your matchup this weekend and eventually your league championship game.
In the fantasy football playoffs, each lineup decision becomes even more important and could be the difference between going home early or advancing to the next round. Decisions will continue to get tougher as each team in the NFL will have a different agenda for their last few remaining games: Quitting early on the season and/or head coach, start young untested players to see a glimpse of their future, potential playoff teams fighting to the bitter end, playoff teams who have clinched playoff seeds who take a few weeks off so they don’t risk further injury, and finally those teams chasing perfection.
If you keep these things in mind, you’ll have an edge on your opponent and you won’t be surprised when your star receiver Reggie Wayne of the Colts only plays a handful of downs Week 16 in your championship game. If your league still allows for waiver wire pickups, check out our RookieBlitz.com suggested pickups for the playoffs at Running Back and Wide Receiver.
Don’t miss out on your chance to visit each website of the Twitter Fantasy Football Roundtable listed below. Each member brings a unique perspective to our motley crew of experts, and best of all you can have instant access to them through Twitter. If you haven’t already done so, make sure you give everyone a follow to have your lineup and trade questions answered.
Without further adieu, the experts of the Twitter Fantasy Football Roundtable present our Sleeper and Bust picks by position for Week 14.
Bryan Fontaine, RookieBlitz.com
Sleepers
Robert Meachem, Wide Receiver – New Orleans Saints
Robert Meachem has been one of the biggest fantasy football surprises of 2009. What shouldn’t be a surprise is that he has become a viable starting option as a WR3 or Flex player for your fantasy football team. All Meachem has done lately is make big plays for Drew Brees, and many fantasy football commissioners are still trying to figure out how to score his impressive return touchdown after stripping the ball from the Redskins defender. Meachem won’t crack the 1,000 yard receiving mark by the end of the season, but his 8 touchdowns are remarkable. He has come on strong lately with at least one touchdown in 5 straight games, and Atlanta’s 29th ranked pass defense will be no match for the Drew Brees to Robert Meachem connection.
Jamaal Charles, Running Back – Kansas City Chiefs
Jamaal Charles has quieted all of his critics that said he couldn’t handle a full NFL workload following the departure of featured back Larry Johnson. Charles has always been known as a speedster, but he has shown incredible patience running behind the porous offensive line of the Chiefs. Charles has shown a nose for the end zone with a touchdown in each of his last 4 games and now draws the worst run defense in the NFL in Week 14. The Buffalo Bills are allowing 172.1 yards per game on the ground and Charles will be an excellent option in the first round of the fantasy football playoffs. Don’t sleep on Charles anymore; he has emerged as a solid RB2 option.
Vince Young, Quarterback – Tennessee Titans
Vince Young has the Titans playing inspired football and brought the team back into contention for a wild card spot after they were left for dead at 0-6. Young and the Titans came up just short to the Colts last week, but Young had another solid fantasy day and now has 628 passing yards in his last 2 games. Young has found a new favorite receiver in rookie Kenny Britt to go with his old standby at tight end in Bo Scaife. The St. Louis Rams are playing better against the pass lately and now rank 16th in the league but their main focus will be stopping Chris Johnson this week with their 28th ranked run defense. Young will be a sneaky play in the first week of the playoffs because of the attention that Johnson will receive and could top 300 total yards and multiple touchdowns. Young doesn’t run as much as his prior incarnation as a starting NFL Quarterback, but the Rams are allowing 3.94 yards per carry and have surrendered two running touchdowns to opposing QB’s. If your current starter has a tough matchup (Carson Palmer, Jay Cutler, or Kyle Orton) you can start Young with confidence against the Rams.
Ginny Loveless, FootballDiehards.com
Busts
Antonio Bryant, Wide Receiver – Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Bryant has started his annual late-season surge, being targeted a season-high 11 times this past week, catching five passes for 116 yards. He is now averaging 103.5 yard receiving in his past two games. This week though faces the number one pass defense in the league, the New York Jets. Jets only allowing 167 passing yards a game in 2009, and boast the top shutdown corner in the league in Darrelle Revis. Bryant has some decent matchups going forward, with Seattle, New Orleans, and Atlanta to end the season. This week though is not one of those good matchups.
Frank Gore, Running Back – San Francisco 49ers
The 49ers have officially transitioned to a spread-style of offense, throwing the ball on 21 of their first 24 plays this past week against the Seahawks. Gore had averaged 160 total yards against Seattle in his past seven games, but only received 9 carries in Week 13. He now has 32 carries in the past three weeks, while San Francisco is dead last in the NFL averaging 21 rushing attempts a game. Gore is able to pick up some of the fantasy slack in the passing game, as he averaging six receptions a game in the past two games, and is the top targeted running back in the past six weeks. Arizona the fourth best defense in allowing only 94.8 yards rushing a game on the road, and is coming off of a week which saw them hold Adrian Peterson to 19 yards rushing on 13 carries.
Jay Cutler, Quarterback – Chicago Bears
Facing one of the hottest defenses going, Cutler will probably be without Orlando Pace, and his best receiver Devin Hester is hobbled with a calf injury. Without a clear-cut no. 1 receiver to have to focus on, expect Charles Woodson to cut loose all over the field. 2009 1st round pick Clay Matthews is starting to come into his own, sacking Joe Flacco twice on Monday Night Football. Matthews has 3 sacks in the past two weeks, and a team-high seven on the season. Cutler looks shell-shocked, not throwing for over 150 yards in each of the past two weeks, and his 20 interceptions are tied with Matthew Stafford for worst in the NFL. Green Bay the 4th best pass defense on the road, allowing 187.2 passing yards per game.
Quarterback
Sleeper: Joe Flacco – Baltimore Ravens
Flacco has had a rough go at it in his sophomore year and last week on Monday night, he threw three very hurtful interceptions (two on back-to-back offensive plays) which sunk the Ravens to 6-6 and jeopardized their playoff chances. However this week, Flacco has the ultimate chance to redeem himself against Detroit and their woeful pass defense. The Lions rank dead last in the league in both pass yards allowed and average QB rating. That’s not where it ends. They also are tied for 31st in interceptions and have given up the most touchdown passes to opposing quarterbacks. At a time when Flacco has been anything but a solid start, he will provide owners with a great stat line this coming weekend and likely propel many owners to their playoffs if they’re not already there.
Bust: Eli Manning – New York Giants
Eli hasn’t quite been the top quarterback that he was at the beginning of the season, but he is still ranked just outside of the top 10 in QB rating and passing yards. However, this week he is going up against Philadelphia and I think we all know how bad they can make a quarterback look. They are one of just four teams that have over 20 interceptions this season and on top of that, they are holding opposing gunslingers to an average QB rating of just 72.5. I know many owners may only be using Eli as an emergency backup right now as playoffs roll around, but with several QBs around the league injured, I also know of many owners who only have Eli to rely on. Unfortunately, Eli has a tough matchup this week and will not do much for GMs in week 14.
Jim Day, FantasyFootballWhiz.com
Running Back
Sleeper: Fred Jackson – Buffalo Bills
The new interim Head Coach Perry Fewell in Buffalo has named Jackson the starter and it was evidenced last week when Jackson saw 16 touches to Marshawn Lynch’s 7. Lynch did have more yards and even scored a touchdown, although that touchdown was because of some poor tackling by the Jets. This week Jackson will make much better use of his increased touches against a Kansas City defense that has given up 8 TDs and an average of 187 yards a game to opposing RBs over the last 5 games.
Bust: LeSean McCoy – Philadelphia Eagles
Last week McCoy was expected to have a decent game against a Falcons defense that had given up 9 touchdowns to opposing running backs over their last 5 games, especially with Brian Westbrook still being out. Of course as we know now, that is not how it worked out. McCoy touched the ball a total of 9 times for a grand total of 26 yards. Eldra Buckley and Leonard Weaver both had more yards from scrimmage than McCoy did and Buckley had more carries. This week he faces a Giants team that is allowing an average of 71 yards per game over the last 5 and has only allowed 3 touchdowns to running backs over that same span.
Wide Receiver
Sleeper: Kevin Walter – Houston Texans
Seattle’s pass defense has been non-existent as of late. Matt Schaub’s injury is a bit disconcerting, but he seemed to play ok when he came back into the game. Football Outsiders rank Seattle 31st against #2 wide receivers. He isn’t going to all of the sudden turn into an every week start, but this matchup is too good to pass up.
Bust: Vincent Jackson – San Diego Chargers
Jackson started the season incredibly hot, but it’s been 6 weeks since he’s topped 60 yards receiving and 5 weeks since he’s found the end zone. It seems like just a matter of time before VJax breaks out again, but traveling to Dallas isn’t the best place to do that. Dallas has been tough on #1 receivers. Since week 7 the Cowboys haven’t given up over 11 fantasy points to any receiver. They have only given up 100 yards to a receiver 3 times this year and two of those came against the Giants in week 2! Since then they have improved tremendously. Add Jackson’s slump to the Cowboys’ resurgence against #1′s and you have another down game.
Tight End
Sleeper: Kevin Boss – N.Y. Giants
No team has allowed more receptions by opposing tight ends than the Eagles. No team has yielded as many receiving yards to opposing tight ends as the Eagles. More than a third of the touchdown passes Philadelphia has allowed all season (seven of 18) have gone to tight ends, including one to Boss in the first meeting. For what it’s worth, even Boss’ season highs in receptions and yardage in 2008 each came against the Eagles. His three catches, 70 yards and one touchdown back in Week 8 of this year could have easily turned into a bigger game, as Boss ranked second on the team with nine targets, more than in any other contest this year. Just for good measure, the Giants’ tight end did add three more touchdown catches in the two games following that first clash with the Eagles. Tougher matchups and a mere five targets limited Boss in the past two weeks, but there’s little doubt that he’ll need to be significantly involved for the Giants to beat a team that’s tough against the run and strong at corner.
Bust: Jeremy Shockey – New Orleans Saints
Even though the Saints have proven their offense likes to run the ball, we all know the team brings into every game some explosive air-strike ability. Shockey just hasn’t been flying as often lately. Over the past four games, he has actually drawn fewer targets than fellow tight end David Thomas. The only one of those contests in which Shockey saw more chances than Thomas was the near-loss at Washington last week, when New Orleans played from behind the whole day and Drew Brees put up a season-high 43 passes. In those other three outings over the past four weeks, Brees attempted fewer than 30 passes each time as his team won by double digits twice and surprisingly closely over the Rams. Unless Michael Turner and Matt Ryan drink some magic elixir before the weekend, Atlanta has approximately no shot at making Sunday’s rematch close. That should mean another day of 26-28 attempts for Brees and another day on which Shockey doesn’t catch a ton of balls. In four of the past five games, he has grabbed three or fewer. The other (last week) produced four receptions. To me, that translates to very limited upside.
Jason Sarney, FantasyPhenoms.com
Team Defense
Sleeper: Buffalo Bills at Kansas City Chiefs
Although the Bills are not a good football team overall, they happen to have a top-5 pass defense. They are tied with the Packers for an NFL-high 21 interceptions, and I wouldn’t be surprised if they added a couple more this weekend. Kansas City is atrocious in terms of passing, and Matt Cassel isn’t scaring anyone. However, their rushing defense is the worst in the league, so Jamaal Charles could do some damage. This unit has a solid chance of a pick-6, or even a Special Teams TD so roll the dice if you are desperate.
Bust: Cincinnati Bengals at Minnesota Vikings
On paper, these two defenses are lights-out against the run. Too bad the Bengals have to face Adrian Peterson, and the Vikings have to face Cedric Benson. Not to mention Brett Favre and Carson Palmer. Look for a relative shoot-out here, and neither units are ones to trust.
Jim Day (@FantasyTaz) of Fantasy Football Whiz is the host of our Week 12 edition of the Twitter Fantasy Football Roundtable. Check out what our panel of fantasy football experts have to say about who you should start and sit in Week 12.
Head on over to Jim’s great site and check out their great weekly articles to give you the edge you need to dominate your fantasy football league.
Our Week 11 Twitter Fantasy Football Roundtable is hosted by Greg Dietz of BigTroph.com.
Head on over to Greg’s great site to find our Sleeper and Bust picks for Week 11, as we provide you with the edge you need to win your Fantasy Football matchup this weekend.
The Week 10 Fantasy Football Roundtable is hosted by Chet Gresham of Razzball Fantasy Football.
You can view our picks for Sleepers and Busts to help you make your lineup decisions for Week 10.
Also check out Chet’s contributions to the Bears Blitz over at NFL.com
Welcome to the Week 8 edition of the Twitter Fantasy Football Roundtable!
Jason Sarney of Fantasy Phenoms is the Roundtable Host this week. Head on over to his great site to view our sleeper and bust picks for Week 8 in the NFL and while you are there check out their great fantasy football content.
This article can be found at Football Diehards written by Ginny Loveless:
As we head into week 6 of the NFL season, the fantasy realm is abuzz with updates and injuries. Here are some important tidbits to remember . . .
*WR Jerricho Cotchery (hamstring) is listed as doubtful and has not practiced all week. WR David Clowney will be in the starting lineup and could pick up where he left off last week, fantasy-wise. With Cotchery out, it appears Braylon Edwards’ fantasy stock rises even more, considering the interest QB Mark Sanchez has showed to him thus far. (NY Jets vs. Buffalo)
*RB Knowshon Moreno is still the featured back in Denver, although RB Correll Buckhalter (ankle) is predicted to return this week. Keep an eye on potential the role-changes in Denver. (Denver @San Diego)
*RB Mike Bell is to return to the field this week after missing two games with a knee injury. While this seemingly makes the Saints’ backfield a bit more crowded, RB Pierre Thomas (hamstring) has been limited in practice all week and is listed as probable. (New Orleans vs. Giants)
*QB Matthew Stafford (knee) and WR Calvin Johnson (knee) are unlikely to play on Sunday; both have sat out of practice all week and are officially listed as questionable. QB Daunte Culpepper is expected to make his second start, while WR Dennis Northcutt is slated to lineup opposite Bryant Johnson is Calvin Johnson’s stead. (Detroit @ Green Bay)
*RB Willie Parker (turf toe) is expected to return to the field, and has practiced every day this week. RB Rashard Mendenhall is still reported to be the starter in Pittsburgh, although Parker is slated to get a bite-size portion of the carries. The good news is that this week they are playing at home against the NFL’s worst run defense. (Pittsburgh vs. Cleveland)
*Other key injuries, currently listed as QUESTIONABLE:
Arizona WR Steve Breaston (knee)
Minnesota WR Percy Harvin (shoulder)
Cincinnati RB Brian Leonard (groin) – Doubtful
Philadelphia WR Kevin Curtis (knee)
Oakland WR Chaz Schilens (foot)
New England TE Benjamin Watson (head)
*Teams on bye: Indianapolis Colts, Dallas Cowboys, San Francisco 49ers , and Miami Dolphins.
Without further ado, here is our expert edition of the Twitter Fantasy Football Roundtable that you have been dying to get your hands on all week.
Ginny Loveless, www.footballdiehards.com (@GBGinny)
Sleeper#1: Donnie Avery, WR, St. Louis Rams
Coming off his best performance of the year (5/87/1), Donnie Avery faces a Jaguar defense that gives up a monstrous average of 29.6 fantasy points to opposing receivers. To those same receivers, the Jags have allowed 1000+ receiving yards and nine touchdowns. Per receiver, that’s an average 16 receptions for 205 yards and 1.8 touchdowns! While that data is slightly inflated due to the outrageous performances of TJ Houshmandzadeh and Nate Burleson last week, the concept remains the same: opposing WR’s should excel against Jacksonville. The Jags have also allowed the most receptions (78) to rival wide receivers, and Avery is the most-targeted player on the team with an average of 6.4 per game. On a side note, while I officially list Donnie Avery as the sleeper WR for St. Louis this week, keep your eye on Keenan Burton. His targets increased two-fold from weeks four to five, with a 44.4% increase since the departure of Laurent Robinson.
Sleeper#2: Thomas Jones, RB, NY Jets
In this home game against Buffalo, it seems like the Jets’ main running back, Thomas Jones, is going to have a sweet ride. The Bills are under serious injury constraints with the loss of linebackers Paul Posluzny and John DiGeorgio and backups Kawika Mitchell and Marcus Buggs. In addition, safeties Donte Whitner and Bryan Scott have been out for the past two matchups. (Reports indicate, however, that Posluzny and Whitner should be back this week.) Nonetheless, the Bills give their opposing running backs an average of 24.6 fantasy points per game, with an average of 151 rushing yards and 1.4 touchdowns per game. And since the Jets like to spread the ball around their backfield, Leon Washington and possibly (in a blow-out situation) Shonn Greene could make for effective Flex plays if you face bye week issues.
Sleeper#3: Jermicheal Finley, TE, Green Bay Packers
This is one of those times when you stash a player on your bench and start him for a prime-time situational matchup. Last week I told everyone to start Finley since he was up against Minnesota, the most gracious team towards opposing tight ends. Finely broke out against them with six catches for 128 yards and a touchdown. If you missed out, don’t fret – start him this week against the Lions. So far this year, the Lions have allowed six touchdowns their opposing tight ends, the most of any team in the league, giving those tight ends an average of 10.2 fantasy points per game.
Jim Day, www.fantasyfootballwhiz.com (@fantasytaz)
Bust#1: Matt Cassel, QB, Kansas City Chiefs
Over the last three games, Matt Cassel has been the 12th ranked QB in fantasy points. That ends this week. He is going against a Washington defense that is ranked third against opposing QBs and has only allowed one TD per game through the 1st five weeks. When you add in that KC has allowed their QBs to be sacked 17 times, I am looking for Cassel to be running for his life all game.
Bust#2: Julius Jones, RB, Seattle Seahawks
After getting off to a better start than most fantasy owners expected, Jones has come back down to earth the last two weeks, only scoring a total of 10 fantasy points in both weeks combined. This week he goes against a Cardinals defense that has not allowed a single rusher over 66 yards in any contest. When you consider they have faced the likes of Frank Gore, Maurice Jones-Drew, Joseph Addai and Donald Brown, and Steve Slaton, they have done their job. Look for them to shut down Jones this week.
Bust#3: Andre Johnson, WR, Houston Texans
I know I am going to get a ton of flack for this, as a matter of fact I had some arguments going back and forth on twitter this week about it, but Cincy has done a great job shutting down opposing teams #1 WR. Looking back at the CIN/PIT game, some would make the argument that Hines Ward might still be considered the #1, but most fantasy owners don’t think that. Holmes has been the #1 for a while now. I know AJ can always break a big one and turn this right around, but I just think he will have a tough game against a suddenly very tough Leon Hall.
Greg Dietz, www.bigtroph.com (@GregDietz)
Running Back Sleeper: LeSean McCoy, Philadelphia Eagles
Brian Westbrook’s role in the Philadelphia offense is on the down slope right now based solely on the fact that head coach Andy Reid said that he would be splitting carries with McCoy from here on out. Seeing as Westbrook only managed to get six carries last week, I imagine that his numbers (while not being as low as six carries each week) will continue to decline over the course of the season. In steps McCoy who was impressive in his one game as a starter (20 carries for 84 yards) and is averaging over four yards per carry in limited action. Add that to the fact that Philadelphia is playing Oakland and its 31st ranked rush defense on Sunday and McCoy is suddenly a very tempting option this week despite sharing carries with the aging Westbrook.
Running Back Bust: LaDainian Tomlinson, San Diego Chargers
Tomlinson is one running back that I never thought would hit a wall. However, he has been plagued by injuries nearly all year and when he actually is on the field; he is averaging only 10 rushes per game and 3.5 yards per carry. He has looked no better than a backup at this point yet people continue to plug him into their lineups based on his name alone. Well this week the Chargers face off against the Broncos and this isn’t quite the Denver defense that took the field in 2008. The best a single back has done against the Broncos this season was Cedric Benson back in week one when he gained 76 yards on the ground. Since then, they have been downright nasty in stopping opposing runners and currently rank ninth overall in rush defense. Tomlinson might find his stride at some point this year, but it won’t be against Mike Nolan’s stout defense on Monday night.
Chet Gresham, www.razzball.com (@razzball)
Quarterback Sleeper: Matt Hasselbeck, Seattle Seahawks
After a huge game last week he may not count as a sleeper, but there is a good chance he is your backup QB and unless you have a stud with a great matchup I believe Hasselbeck is your man. He is at home once again, which is often key for the Seahawks and he gets the Cardinals who have given up the most yards per game through the air. There is a good chance that Arizona’s passing attack will keep them in the game which should allow Hass plenty of opportunity to throw to Burleson and Houshmandzadeh.
Quarterback Bust: Philip Rivers, San Diego Chargers
I’m not going to tell you to sit Philip Rivers for JaMarcus Russell, but Denver’s pass defense isn’t just a fluke. I would start Hasselbeck over him this week and not feel bad about it. Well, a little, but sometimes we have to trust the statistics and Denver has given up the least amount of fantasy points to quarterbacks. I think it’s time to get on the Denver defensive bandwagon even though they average about 52 years of age.
Matt Schauf, RapidDraft.com (@mschauf63)
Wide Receiver Sleeper: Donnie Avery, St. Louis Rams
No team has allowed more fantasy points to opposing receivers so far than Jacksonville. Although many of those can be attributed to last week’s four-touchdown debacle against Seattle, the Jaguars have yielded at least one touchdown to opposing wideouts every week. In addition, at least one enemy receiver has finished each game with seven catches or more. Avery ranked behind Keenan Burton in targets last week (and he’s also a sleeper this time), but it was Avery who caught three of Marc Bulger’s seven passes, including the touchdown, upon Bulger’s entrance.
Wide Receiver Bust: Andre Johnson, Houston Texans
No starting X receiver has caught more than four passes against the Bengals and CB Leon Hall this year. Among all wideouts, only one has caught a touchdown pass against Cincinnati that was actually thrown to him. (The other, of course, was that miracle tip and bounce to Brandon Stokely.) As good as Johnson is, he has already had three games this year in which he caught four passes or fewer. The players Hall has already helped to neutralize include Brandon Marshall, Greg Jennings, Santonio Holmes and Derrick Mason.
Jason Sarney- www.fantasyphenoms.com (@fantasyphenoms)
Tight End Sleeper: Marcedes Lewis, Jacksonville Jaguars
With a soft match-up against St. Louis, look for David Garrard to spread the ball around and utilize his big TE, Lewis. I think four catches for about 50 yards is the bare minimum Lewis can do for your squad with a good chance at finding the end-zone this Sunday.
Tight End Bust: Kevin Boss, NY Giants
Boss was a Week 5 scratch due to an ankle injury and the Giants have too many weapons to rely on Boss in Week 6 against a good Saints defense. The TE to start in this game is ex-Giant and current Saint, Jeremy Shockey. He’ll no doubt want to stick it to his old squad.
Bryan Fontaine – RookieBlitz.com (@rookieblitz)
Team Defense Sleeper: Green Bay Packers (vs. Detroit Lions)
Green Bay is coming off their bye week fully rested after the tough loss to the Vikings in Week 4. Green Bay has had an extra week to study some old Daunte Culpepper game tape as the Lions will probably be without rookie QB Matthew Stafford again this week. Without Calvin Johnson, Al Harris and Charles Woodson will have no problem shutting down Bryant Johnson and company. Green Bay won’t let up in the 2nd half like Pittsburgh did last week, they’ll keep the pressure on so that they can keep pace in the tough NFC North. Green Bay was probably dropped last week in your league because of their bye week, make sure to scoop them off the waiver wire this week and start them with confidence. Another defensive score like rookie LB Clay Matthews’ TD against the Vikings is not out of the question.
Team Defense Bust: Chicago Bears (at Atlanta Falcons)
Chicago draws a tough matchup versus the white-hot Atlanta Falcons at the Georgia Dome on Sunday Night Football. The Bears finally return to the scene of one of Matt Ryan’s most impressive highlights from his rookie season, the last second 22-20 victory by the Falcons over the Bears. The Bears won’t have much of a chance to atone for their loss last season as the Falcons are coming off a 45-10 drubbing of an upstart 49ers team. The Bears still remain a name defense to many casual fantasy football owners, but they’ll continue to struggle without Brian Urlacher who is lost for the season. The 3-1 Bears are giving up 19.5 points per game, and Atlanta could easily score over 30 this week. If you don’t have another option it would be recommended to hit the waiver wire this week.
