FSH NOTEBOOK: FANTASY FIVE

Friday Edition
October 26th, 2012  

FSH Fantasy Five

Week 8 Fantasy Picks (all positions)

Week 8 is another week of battling the byes for fantasy owners, with the Ravens, Texans, Bengals, and Bills on the sidelines this Sunday. With 14 games on the schedule (includes the Thursday night game) there are plenty of options to turn to, even if you don’t have Adrian Peterson or Doug Martin on your roster. Week 8 is the mid-point of the NFL season and the start of the back stretch for most fantasy leagues; time to start pulling the pieces together and make your run for the post season. 


This week I have some picks that are not only a good fill this week, but may offer more help going forward;

Andrew Luck, QB
It’s hard to not be a fan of Andrew Luck. He entered the league with great expectations and has not disappointed. Although he will be away from home this weekend, you have to like his matchup going against the Titans on Sunday. Luck has shown had his struggles on the road, but the Titans rank 27th versus the pass and have allowed the 3rd most fantasy points to opposing quarterbacks. This looks like one of the matchups where the Colts will be able to keep it close and as long as they do, the offense will turn to Luck to make the needed plays. Luck is still a rookie and has not been all consistent this season, but before Thursday he did rank 11th in fantasy scoring among quarterbacks so he’s a great back up fantasy QB heading toward the fantasy post season.

Eric Decker, WR
The Broncos offense appears to have an ideal matchup for fantasy owners this Sunday night when they play host the New Orleans Saints. The Saints secondary ranks 30th against the pass and have allowed the 2nd most fantasy points to wide receivers this season. This is good news for Eric Decker owners. Decker has been solid the past several weeks scoring a touchdown in each of his last three games. Decker is also averaging 9 targets per game over the same stretch, so it’s safe to expect much of the same Sunday night.

Darren McFadden, RB
Just like the Raiders, all fantasy owners are still waiting for running back Darren McFadden to have that big game to jump start his season. Despite his recent struggles toting the rock; just one game this season with over 100-yards rushing and averaging only 3.1 yards per carry, McFadden (20th) still ranks in the top 20 in fantasy points for running backs. This week’s opponent, the Kansas City Chiefs rank 22nd against the run and allow the 6th most fantasy points to opposing running backs. This could just be the matchup McFadden needs to get it going this season and once he does he still has the Ravens (27th against the run), Saints (31st), Bengals (21st), Browns (24th), Broncos (18th) and the Chiefs (22nd) again on the schedule.

Brandon Pettigrew, TE
The Lions passing game faces a tough matchup this Sunday with the Seahawks coming to town, but the good news is Pettigrew looks like he will be available. The Lions tight end has fallen quite a ways down the fantasy radar this season ranking 17th in fantasy scoring amongst tight ends. With the Seahawks corners and safeties looking to take Calvin Johnson out of the equation, the middle of the field could be left open for Pettigrew to operate. The Seahawks defense also ranks among the middle tier in fantasy scoring against tight ends, but don’t expect a mammoth performance. Pettigrew will see his fair share (of targets) on Sunday, averaging 8 targets a game and with Calvin on the field drawing extra attention, he could see even more.

Josh Gordon, WR
With wide receiver Mohamed Massaquoi out of action the past several weeks, quietly Browns rookie receiver Josh Gordon has been working his way up the fantasy charts. The big receiver from Baylor has become a scoring machine recording four touchdowns in his last three games. Brown has been heavily targeted (22 times) the past three weeks and though he has only 7 receptions he is making the most of his opportunities when he does catch the ball. Gordon has 240 yards receiving in his last three contests averaging over 34 yards per grab. He is a playmaker and will see the leagues 25th ranked pass defense (Chargers) that also allow the 6th most fantasy points per game to wide receivers. Gordon has a good matchup and is slowing working his way to becoming the Browns number one receiver (if he hasn’t yet).


By David Ortega