Wednesday, September 16, 2009

FSH: (WEDNESDAY) WATERCOOLER CHAT

September 16th, 2009 10:15pm PST



WATERCOOLER CHAT

In the Life of a Fantasy GM

Do you sit your studs and do you drop your duds?

So you drafted LaDanian Tomlinson or Steven Jackson with one of your early picks; is it time to panic? What about Colston or White, each finished with less than 45-yards receiving; is Colston not the receiver we thought he was and what about Rusty Roddy?

With your fantasy season typically being 13 or 14 weeks long there is plenty of time for your team to get right. Most 10-12 leagues include a two to three week playoff tree, so typically you don’t have to be the best record making the playoffs, you just need to have the best team.

There were plenty of performances to frown about in week one, but not many key ones warrant any drastic action like dropping your stud or week one dud. In Tennessee, running back Chris Johnson is going to be fine after a less than stellar week one performance, as is running back Matt Forte who toted the rock 25 times against the Packers. Roddy White’s 42-yards might raise some concern, but it shouldn’t. White was targeted 10 times and Ryan just missed connecting with him on a couple of deep plays. In Arizona, going in Boldin was less than 100 percent. He caught just a couple of passes, but got through the game with no setbacks.

There is always something to be taken from the opening weekend performances, in some cases it sets the tone for some players (see Wayne, Moss, and Peterson), but many others they’re just getting started. While again, I’ll reiterate not to panic many fantasy owners will still have some difficult decisions to make looking ahead to week two.

Playing the GM Game…
Question: Looking at week two matchups, should you consider sitting any of your starters?
Well as difficult a question as this is, there is no right or wrong answer. You have to consider circumstances and matchups. First things first, your typical studs Larry Fitzgerald, Randy Moss, or Adrian Peterson when healthy these boys are locked in week in and week out. When health is a consideration, all bets are off.

The Fantasy GM
Now that your fantasy season is underway, if you had LT, Steven Jackson, Terrell Owens, Roddy White, or Marques Colston in your line up, you might be rethinking your strategy. No time to panic now, the season is very young people.

Hold Steady:
In St. Louis, with zero points scored in week one the Rams had better be quick learners or fantasy owners may have to get nervous. With one of the leagues most dynamic runners because of his size, strength, and speed 16 touches will not get it done. For the moment I would count on seeing Jackson seeing an increased amount of touches this coming week and being more involved in the pass game. Analysis; this ship will get righted, so don’t sit him.

In New Orleans, it’s much of the same with Marques Colston. Drew Bress was simply outstanding spreading out the field and hitting all his targets. As a matter of fact Colston was targeted six times on the day, while the team’s leading receiver Devery Henderson saw eight balls. Analysis; again don’t panic, Colston will get his looks so don’t sit.

While Monday night was probably an emotional roller coaster if you were a Bills fan and T.O. fantasy owner, this is a situation that you needn’t be too overly concerned about. While the Bills did not go to their best receiver often against the Patriots, the smart plays quarterback Trent Edwards did make were checking down and taking what the defense was giving. Analysis; the offense will open up as the season goes and T.O. will get his touches, don’t sit.

While the Bronco’s defense is not notorious, quarterback Carson Palmer was often forced to settle for a lot of underneath stuff and was at times pressured in the pocket. The Broncos defense actually played well sacking Carson three times and not allowing a single pass play longer than 34-yards. Analysis; the Denver safeties played deep and kept everything in front, expect the Bengals to adjust and Carson to snap back. Don’t sit him.

Some others notables that will be fine after a slow week one start include; QB-Matt Schaub, RB-Brian Westbrook, RB-Darren McFadden, RB-Matt Forte, WR-Anquan Boldin, WR-Chris Henry, WR-Vincent Jackson, and WR-T.J. Houshmandzadeh.

The Panic Room:
While it’s not time for red alert, fantasy owners should be considering alternate options for LaDanian Tomlinson, at least for week two. He’s less than 100 percent and he’ll face a nasty Raven’s defense that won’t give up much.

After a very poor showing on Thursday night against the Titans, Willie Parker owners will want to keep a close eye on this situation. Parker was very ineffective, albeit against a tough Titan’s defense, but the Steelers also called 47 pass plays; something to watch.

It’s worth mentioning with Cadillac making such a triumphant return in week one and Derrick Ward running as well as he did, Earnest Graham could quickly become the odd man out. For now it’s still expected to be a three-headed committee, but Williams and Ward could easily get hot again and lock Earnest out. It would not be wise to have Graham as a starter in any format at this point.

Others notables that it might be time to shelve at least for a bit include; QB-Donovan McNabb (injured), QB-Jake Delhomme (ya think), QB-Brady Quinn (still a work in progress), RB-Larry Johnson, RB-Correll Buckhalter (timeshare), RB-Knowshon Moreno (see Buckhalter), and WR-Domenik Hixon.

Keep checking back for more football....

By David G. Ortega


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