FSH NOTEBOOK: DAVID'S DAILY DIGEST

Saturday Edition

October 5th, 2013 

 

David’s Daily Digest

Week 5: Fantasy “Starts” Here

As I check all of my 13 or 14 lineups for Sunday Week 5, it occurs to me that tomorrow is going to be the longest day in Fantasy Football. With games kicking off at 10am local time, I am anticipating that the Sunday finale in Oakland could possibly conclude somewhere in the neighborhood of 11:30pm to midnight; that’s a 14 hour day of football. I am not complaining, but that’s a whole lot of football!

So with a long day of football planned for tomorrow, I have plenty of fantasy “man-crushes” to share….

My Sunday “Man-Crushes”

I am no San Diego Charger fan, but after watching tight end Antonio Gates recapture some of his youth in recent weeks (25 rec, 364 yds receiving, 2 tds), I am all in with him. He faces the Raiders (ranked 14^th in fantasy points allowed to opposing tight ends) and will be one of quarterback Philip Rivers main go-to receivers (31 targets this season) Sunday night.

I have always liked running back Reggie Bush and now that he is in Detroit and lighting it up, I am a big believer in him as a number one fantasy back. Thus far this season Bush ranks among the best running backs with 433 total yards of offense. His 254 yards rushing (ranks 15^th), 179 yards receving (ranks 4^th among RBs), 11 receptions (tied for 12^th for RBs), and two scores make him a solid fantasy play week in and week out. This Sunday facing the Packers defense (12^th in fantasy points allowed to RBs) Bush is an attractive start.

After four weeks of watching I am convinced that even if he is dinged up, you don’t sit wide receiver Andre Johnson (especially PPR). I really should have known this already, since Johnson has always been a gamer. Regardless of who lines up on the other side, quarterback Matt Schaub has all the trust in AJ, why, because he’s from the ‘U’ (University of Miami). Johnson has lost nothing this season with 34 receptions and 368 yards receiving (on pace for 136 rec/1,472 yds), but once again fantasy owners are perplexed at why he does not get into the end zoen more (0 touchdowns). A tough matchup on Sunday against the 49ers, but against Seattle last week he delivered (9 receptions for 110 yards), so fantasy owners can expect the same.

That’s my take.

~David Ortega

FSH NOTEBOOK: DAVID'S DAILY DIGEST

Friday Edition

October 4th, 2013 

 

David’s Daily Digest

Friday’s Fixx

Well, it’s week 5 of the NFL and if you can believe this the Browns are 3-2 and sitting on top of the AFC North. This is definitely not something I would have predicted, nor would I have predicted that running back LeGarrette Blount would likely be starting for the Patriots this Sunday. I also would not have imagined dropping quarterback Eli Manning for Brian Hoyer (Browns); injured last night after throwing just four passes. Yeah, that move did not work out to well for me; darn injury.

With four teams on the bye this week (Buccaneers, Vikings, Steelers, and Redskins), there are plenty of moves left to be made and with that in mind, here are some that I would recommend…

Moves to Make:

Start Philip Rivers

If you have quarterback Philip Rivers and have yet to buy into the recharged Charger, you need to play him. Rivers faces the Raiders this Sunday and will line up against a defense that allows the 9^th most fantasy points to opposing quarterbacks and a better than 70 percent completions. Rivers is rolling this season (11 touchdowns) and should keep his fire burning on Sunday against Oakland.

Avoid Rams Running backs

There is too much cloud cover and confusion surround the Rams backfield. First of all the offense has been bad this season, in particular the run game. Until something evolves from the Rams ground attack that is worthy of watercooler chat, all Rams running backs should be avoided.

Start Knowshon Moreno

After watching Knowshon Moreno bounce back in week 4 with a solid performance against the Eagles, I have learned my lesson and he needs to be in my lineup every week, especially this week. The Cowboys defend the run well, but with the Broncos passing as well as they do I expect to see Moreno finding plenty of room to run.

I like the Saints

One of the biggest surprises this season has been the Saints defense. The Saints defense is ranked 6^th overall (22^nd versus the run, 5^th against the pass) and they are playing very well at the moment. The defense has created 10 turnovers and recorded 12 sacks (tied for 12^th) thus far and will really test the Bears offensive line (only 6 sacks allowed this season). I am expecting Rob Ryan to dial up plenty of pressure on Sunday; I am starting the Saints.

That’s my take.

~David Ortega

FSH NOTEBOOK: DAVID'S DAILY DIGEST

Sunday Edition

September 29th, 2013 

 

David’s Daily Digest

(Week 4) Sunday Notes

It’s Game-Day again and after four weeks, you would think this would get easier. It does and it doesn’t, just with three weeks of data to sort through things can get a little confusing. So with today’s kickoff only hours away, I have a few notes and opinions I will share regarding today’s matchups.

First, let’s start at the top with the quarterbacks. With 15 line-ups set for this week, I have had a chance to consider many, but when setting my perfect line-up there’s only one that fits; Peyton Manning. There’s little doubt anyone would be sitting Peyton today, but let me add a couple of names to the top of this list to consider.

The Cowboys are traveling to San Diego today and I really like quarterback Tony Romo’s matchup. The Chargers allow the most fantasy points to opposing quarterbacks and Romo is coming off a strong week 3 performance. And with wideout Miles Austin OUT, I expect to see Romo really work to get the ball into the hands of his wide receiver Dez Bryant; Chargers allow the 6^th most fantasy points to wide receivers.

In  a game abroad that offers little interest, I expect to see plenty of fantasy influence in the Vikings-Steelers matchup. Other than running back Adrian Peterson, the Vikes really have little fantasy appeal, but with quarterback Matt Cassel under center, the results could be interesting (interesting, not favorable).

On the other side however, I think the matchup for quarterback Ben Roethlisberger is favorable. Big Ben will face the Vikes secondary that allows the 12^th most fantasy points to opposing quarterbacks, as well as the second most passing touchdowns this season (only the Rams are worse). Big Ben is also coming off a huge Sunday night showing a week ago, so he and his favorite target wide receiver Antonio Brown (13 targets last week) could be looking for an encore performance. To note, the Vikings are tied for the 9^th most receptions allowed to opposing wide receivers.

Speaking of the wide receiver position, I will be sitting Andre Johnson today. He’s a little banged up and I really don’t like his matchup this week against the Seahawks. That doesn’t mean quarterback Matt Schaub won’t try to get him the ball and that he won’t have a nice out-put, but I do think if he’s lining up against defensive back Richard Sherman, tight end Owen Daniels (start) and wide receiver DeAndre Hopkins (flex start) could see an increase in looks today. Another busy Texan in the pass game could be running back Arian Foster. I am hearing some folks shying away from Foster, but I think he’s a start for you in PPR leagues.

Moving along to a couple of final notes for today, I am staying away from the Broncos Defense; too much offense and too many plays. Even if the Broncos get up big, the second half could be a lot of garbage time filled with a lot of yards and some late scores.

Lastly, for today’s matchups I have quarterback Tom Brady in one of my perfect lineups. Manning is the safe pick of course, but we can’t forget about Tom Terrific. All of the great things we say about Manning time and time again apply to Tom as well. Brady is without a running game, he’s on the road in a dome tonight; it just feels like a matchup where we could see him throw for a ton. The Falcons also do allow the 11^th most fantasy points to opposing quarterbacks and have surrendered 7 touchdowns; keep an eye on wide receiver Aaron Dobson. If you are thin and desperate, he could be a nice sleeper play this week.

That’s my take.

~David Ortega