November 19, 2010, Friday
Fantasy Watch
Sam Bradford: Growing Up Is Not So Hard To Do
It’s been a year filled with many ups, downs, bumps, bruises, and pleasant surprises. Without question one such surprise has been the rise and play of the Ram’s rookie quarterback Sam Bradford. At 4-5 and locked in the middle of the NFC West division race, the young field general has been solid this season.
When you look at Bradford’s numbers they don’t jump off the page, but it’s easy to see he has been consistent. For the season Bradford holds a journeyman’s 78.2 passer rating (ranked 27th in the league), but this number speaks less of the truth to how good Bradford has been playing.
In looking at what Bradford has done thus far this season, 1,925 yards passing, 12 touchdowns, we have to remember he is working with a patch-work of a receiving corp. The Ram’s lost their number one wide receiver (Donnie Avery) before the season even began and after acquiring Mark Clayton via trade he was lost when he went down on October 10th. Since that time Bradford has been performing his high wire act without a net and a bunch of unknowns and backups.
To his credit, Bradford has shown a lot of poise and has remained composed while keeping his team on the winning trail this season. Despite losing last Sunday, the Rams have won four of their last six. In nine games this season the Rams already have four wins. This is after winning just once all last year; Bradford has been a big part of the team’s turnaround.
In the rookie’s last three starts he has recorded his highest passer ratings with 89.6, 112.4, and 94.4 by completing 68 percent of his passes and throwing five touchdowns with no interceptions. Bradford has also completed 68 passes for 568 yards in the air during this stretch.
While the kid continues to improve, so do his fantasy numbers. In his last four starts Bradford is averaging 16 fantasy points (traditional scoring), including 17 in his last game.
The best part of Bradford’s development and progression this season, he won’t be facing any of the league’s best pass rush defenses in the latter half. In fact, aside from the Saints (week 14) top ranked pass defense, the best Bradford will see is the Bronco’s 19th ranked unit in week 12.
The rookie passer may not have much appeal this season as a fantasy option (except maybe in deep leagues), but with what he is showing thus far you have to like what the future holds. Fantasy owners should also not be too surprised if we see a little more from Bradford in the coming weeks, especially during fantasy playoffs.
Sunday’s projections against the Falcons
(22 of 38 passing, 265 yards passing, 2 touchdowns, one interception)
Just my take.
By David Ortega
November 17, 2010, Wednesday
My Weekly Survivors
It’s been a couple of weeks since I have recapped my progression, but over the time passed I have managed to keep steady in the top ten. Week 9 was another steay week with 79 total points highlighted by a strong performance from quarterback Aaron Rodgers (27 points) and new comer tight end Jacob Tamme (16 points).
Week 10 was more of the same with action starting a little early. Last Thursday my team started fast with quarterback Joe Flacco (21 points) and wide receiver Roddy White (25 points) getting out of the gate quick. The week finished okay with my team totaling just 78 points, but it was enough to climb to 7th place in this 35-team dog race.
This week the well that was once deep is starting to dry up, but if you search deep and long you can still find a few gems.
Here are my picks for week 11….
QB-Matt Ryan, Atlanta Falcons
The Falcons quarterback has been quite the hot commodity this season leading his team to a 7-2 start. Ryan has been accurate (62.7 completion percentage, 91.9 passer rating) in the pocket and a player maker thus far this season with 16 passing touchdowns. In his last three starts he has seven tosses to paydirt versus one pick. This Sunday he’ll face the Rams 18th ranked pass defense on the road, but in a dome. 13 of Ryan’s touchdown passes have come indoors.
(Projected: 22 fantasy points/ 265 yards passing, three touchdowns)
RB-Fred Jackson, Buffalo Bills
The Bills starting running back did an excellent job last week handling the bulk of the team’s rushing duties and if given that opportunity this week against the league’s 22nd run defense he should find success. Jackson is averaging over four yards per carry this season with three rushing touchdowns, but he has also turned into a nice receiving option out of the backfield with 11 receptions in his last two starts. The Bengals run defense has surrendered eight rushing touchdowns this season and have allowed 11 run plays of 20 yards or more; expect Jackson to be very busy again this Sunday.
(Projected: 16 fantasy points/ 85 yards rushing, 5 catches, 25 yards receiving, one touchdown)
RB-Peyton Hillis, Cleveland Browns
The “Brown Bus” was on the move again last week and tanked his way to 82 yards rushing and a score against one of the league’s toughest run defenses. Hillis has been a fantasy plus this season for owners with over 700 yards rushing and 8 touchdowns. This Sunday when he faces the Jaguar’s 21st ranked defense that has allowed 12 rushing touchdowns Hillis will be geared to bring more smiles.
(Projected: 19 fantasy points/ 105 yards rushing, 5 catches, 30 yards receiving, one touchdown)
WR-DeSean Jackson, Philadelphia Eagles
There is no denying his explosive capability and paired with his quarterback’s strong arm, it’s big play galore. Jackson has five touchdowns this season and is averaging over 20 yards per grab. Last week he only saw five balls in his direction, but he made the most catching two and scoring on one for 88 yards. He’ll face a tough Giant’s secondary (14 touchdowns allowed), but one he has had success against. In his last two starts against the G-men, Jackson has 9 grabs for 256 yards and two scores.
(Projected: 15 fantasy points/ 6 catches, 90 yards, one touchdown)
WR-Percy Harvin, Minnesota Vikings
The Vikings playmaker looks to be the center of attention in the passing game once again with the news of Sidney Rice unlikely to go. Harvin is having a solid season and has been terrific the past several weeks. In his last three games he has 19 receptions for 294 yards receiving and a score despite the injury bug. With an important match up with the Packers this Sunday, expect Harvin (70 targets this season) to be highly active.
(Projected: 13 fantasy points/ 5 catches, 75 yards, one touchdown)
TE-Jermaine Gresham, Cincinnati Bengals
The Bengals rookie tight end has not been a big play much of this season, but coming off his best game last week (9 catches, 85 yards, one touchdown) this could be the start of something good. This week he faces the league’s worst pass defense against tight ends. The Bills have played better, but have still allowed 8 touchdowns this season; that’s enough to convince me to start Gresham.
(Projected: 12 fantasy points/ 6 catches, 60 yards, one touchdown)
PK-Dan Carpenter, Miami Dolphins
The Bears and Dolphins will square off Thursday night in what will likely be a defensive slugfest. I would suspect points could be at a premium and touchdowns tough to come by. The Bears don’t give much on the ground and the Phins could be forced to settle for a few extra kicks in the game.
(Projected: 11 fantasy points/ three field goals, two extra point)
My Previous starts
Week 1 (Total points-77)
QB Donovan McNabb (WAS)
RB Matt Forte (CHI)
RB Carnell Williams (TB)
WR Jeremy Maclin (PHI)
WR Jabar Gaffney (DEN)
TE Zach Miller (OAK)
K Joe Nedney (SF)
Week 2 (Total points-68)
QB Michael Vick (PHI)
RB Ahmad Bradshaw (NYG)
RB Rashard Mendenhall (PIT)
WR Nate Washington (TEN)
WR Greg Jennings (GB)
TE Chris Cooley (WAS)
K Nick Folk (NYJ)
Week 3 (Total points-87)
QB Tony Romo (DAL)
RB Darren McFadden
RB Ray Rice (BAL)
WR Austin Collie (IND)
WR Dez Bryant (DAL)
TE Brent Celek (PHI)
K Lawrence Tynes (NYG)
Week 4 (Total points-58)
QB Eli Manning (NYG)
RB Maurice Jones-Drew (JAX)
RB Frank Gore (SF)
WR Mark Clayton (STL)
WR Brandon Marshall (MIA)
TE John Carlson (SEA)
K Jeff Reed (PIT)
Week 5 (Total Points-72 points)
QB Drew Brees (NO)
RB Steven Jackson (STL)
RB Thomas Jones (KC)
WR Donald Driver (GB)
WR Calvin Johnson (DET)
TE Marcedes Lewis (JAX)
K Mike Nugent (CIN)
Week 6 (Total Points-83 points)
QB Peyton Manning (IND)
RB Ryan Torain (WASH)
RB LaDanian Tomlinson (NYJ)
WR Hakeem Nicks (NYG)
WR Kenny Britt (TEN)
TE Dallas Clark, (IND)
K Sebastian Janikowski (OAK)
Week 7 (Total Points-93 points)
QB Philip Rivers (SD)
RB Adrian Peterson (MIN)
RB Michael Turner (ATL)
WR Larry Fitzgerald (ARI)
WR Dwayne Bowe (KC)
TE Tony Gonzales (ATL)
K Matt Prater (DEN)
Week 8 (Total Points-82 points)
QB Kyle Orton (DEN)
RB Felix Jones (DAL)
RB Jamaal Charles (KC)
WR Brandon Lloyd (DEN)
WR Deion Branch (NE)
TE Tony Moeki (KC)
K Stephen Gostkowski (NE)
Week 9 (Total Points-79 points)
QB Aaron Rodgers (GB)
RB LeSean McCoy (PHI)
RB BenJarvus Green-Ellis (NE)
WR Steve Smith (NYG)
WR Patrick Crayton (SD)
TE Jacob Tamme (IND)
PK Mason Crosby
Week 10 (Total Points-78 points)
QB Joe Flacco (BAL)
RB LeGarrette Blount (TB)
RB Cedric Benson (CIN)
WR Roddy White (ATL)
WR Steve Johnson (BUF)
TE Brandon Pettigrew (DET)
PK Rob Bironas (TEN) 
November 17, 2010, Wednesday
David’s Daily Digest
My Fantasy Notes:
JERMAINE GRESHAM HAS BIG SUNDAY
Last week the Bengal’s rookie tight end turned in his best performance of the season against the Indianapolis Colts. Gresham caught nine passes for 85 yards and a score on 10 targets. Gresham has been under utilized thus far, but it was nice to see him more involved in the passing attack.
My Fantasy Read:
With Terrell Owens continuing to play extremely well and Ochocinco drawing extra attention quarterback Carson Palmer was bound to eventually notice his tight end. Grehsam’s 10 targets were the most he had seen since week one. He has the talent and we could finally start seeing the ability. He’s worth keeping an eye on down the stretch.
KYLE ORTON LIGHTS UP THE CHIEFS
The Bronco’s signal caller continues to impress and warrant serious fantasy consideration as a top tier passer (we’re talking fantasy here). Against the Chiefs Orton just missed sixth 300-yard passing game, finishing with 296 yards and four touchdowns. He finished the day 22 of 34 and a passer rating of 131.5.
My Fantasy Read:
Orton does not possess all the physical characteristics of a strong-armed dominant passer, but he has dominating fantasy passing numbers. Whether or not you can accept the obvious Orton is a top-tiered passer and needs to be in your fantasy line-up every week (congrats McDaniels).
FRED JACKSON IS ALL ACTION IN BILLS WIN
The Bills might like their rookie running back, but they have to love Fred Jackson. Last week against the Lions he carried the ball 25 times (highest total this season) for 133 yards and caught 6 balls out of the backfield for another 37 yards. Jackson also added two scores, one rushing and one receiving.
My Fantasy Read:
Jackson was given the role of feature back last week and he shined brilliantly, but he also faced the Lions. It was by far his best performance, but owners should be cautious before starting. A week earlier against a good Bears run defense Jackson was held in check; owners check your matchups.
DWAYNE BOWE CONTINUES HIS RISE
Maybe a lot of his numbers came in garbage time, whether or not they are still impressive. Against the Broncos Bowe finished with 13 receptions for 186 yards and two touchdowns on 18 targets (highest in week 10). It was his third game this season with multiple scores.
My Fantasy Read:
Over the past several weeks he has been one of the most targeted and most productive fantasy receivers. Since week 6 Bowe has been targeted 50 times, caught 30 balls with 8 going for scores; including five straight games with at least one touchdown. Shame on you if he ever makes it to your bench; he’s a must play every week now.
November 14th, 2010 Sunday
Sunday Morning Gametime
Quick Injury notes:
With week 10 set to kickoff in just a few hours a couple of notable injury updates to keep in mind today; wide receiver Sidney Rice was not activated off the PUP list yesterday by the 3pm deadline he will not be activated today for the Vikings-Bears game. On the other hand after missing some practice time this week due to migraine headaches, Adam Schefter of ESPN is already reporting Harvin will be active for today’s game.
Quarterback Vince Young took some snaps during Friday’s practice, but his availability is still questionable for today’s game. Head coach Jeff Fischer has been noted as saying Young will be a game-time decision, but some early reports are indicating it will likely be Kerry Collins starting. Even if Young feels good during warm-ups and gets the nod to start, fantasy owners should be concerned about his health getting through the game.
According to some reports the Redskins will likely have running back Ryan Torain in the backfield on Monday night against the Eagles. Torain looks on track to start according to Schefter, while Clinton Portis appears to be doubtful for the contest.
Player Watch
With fantasy leagues entering the stretch run before their playoffs season, one player of note that I like today and should be on most radars is tight end Marcedes Lewis. The Jaguars tight end has really emerged as a viable scoring threat this season with 7 touchdowns through the team’s first eight games. Today against the Texans he should have a great matchup against the leagues 32nd ranked pass defense. Tight ends have scored three times against the Texan’s defense in the last two games; look for Lewis to add to those numbers.
Sunday Games
Acouple of games today that I like to draw a lot of fantasy interest are the Bill-Lions matchup and the Colts-Bengals tilt. Both games should be filled with lots of fireworks and fantasy scoring.
The Lions have the leagues 22nd ranked pass defense and the Bills passing game led by quarterback Ryna Fitzpatrick has been finding new life over the past several weeks. Wide receiver’s Steve Johnson and Roscoe Parrish should be on most owner’s watch list with a heavy dose of targets the last few weeks, while Lee Evans always remains a threat to take one deep. Matching up against the Lions 27th ranked run defense running back Fred Jackson should be in line for some steady work as well.
The Lions have a few weapons of their own and even with quarterback Shaun Hill inserted in place of the injured Matt Stafford, wide receiver Calvin Johnson should remain a strong play. The Bills are the league’s worst run defense, so today should be a great day to start rookie running Jahvid Best.
If you own any Colts players, today should offer plenty of good matchups especially for Manning the passing game. Wide receiver Blair White could be a great sleeper pick here with Gonzales and Collie absent. Let’s not forget tight end Jacob Tamme, who has done a credible job replacing the injured Dallas Clark. Wide receiver Reggie Wayne will find his, but one receiver that should not be over looked is Pierre Garcon. Indy has plenty of options to go around.
The Bengals passing game has been up and down all season, but one constant I like is wide receiver Terrell Owens. He’s one of the league’s most targeted receivers and he’s having a solid season with solid numbers. In today’s matchup with the Colt’s 29th ranked run defense, Cedric Benson looks like a solid start; just hope the Bengals can stay with the run long enough to take advantage.
Either way, these are two mathcups by my estimation that should provide plenty of fantasy scoring and highlights.
