FSH: THE FANTASY SPORTS ZONE (DIAMONDS IN THE ROUGH)

October 2nd, 2009 1:37pm PST

The Fantasy Sports Zone

“Diamonds in the Rough”

(Fantasy Sleepers)

Players you should watch and few to grab!

As we continue to follow the games from week to week, we see the subtle sparkle of those players on the verge of shinning bright. Every Sunday provides the hope of a new football savior rising tall above the rest taking your fantasy team to greater heights.

With week four fastly approaching the search for these potential candidates continues. As we find every week, there are some interesting matchups that could prove to be the key for some of this weeks gems glittering like diamonds in the sky.Now that we've entered the fourth week of the NFL, let’s have a look at some of this week’s best possibilities;

In San Francisco….
This week the Niners have two sleepers that could emerge as two of this weeks’ best fantasy plays and it’s no accident it comes against the lowly Rams. Quarterback Shaun Hill has been steady this season averaging 180 yards passing and a touchdown per game while completing 63 percent of his passes. On Sunday he’s facing the Rams 25th ranked pass defense, so his numbers could greatly improve this week.

Another Niner that should benefit from their week four matchup with the St. Louis Rams is running back Glenn Coffee. This Sunday he’ll get a chance to start against the Rams soft run defense (ranked 27th) for an injured Frank Gore. Coffee looked dynamite in the preseason rushing for 249 yards (5.9 yds/carry) and facing a Rams defense that allows 4.3 yards per carry this Sunday will make him a fantasy favorite for this Sunday.

In Indianapolis….
It has not taken the Colt’s rookie receiver Pierre Garcon very long to make an immediate impact. With so many weapons in Indy, it’s easy to forget some of the secondary pieces, but Garcon is doing his best to make sure folks remember his name. He has scored in each of the Colts past two games and last Sunday he was targeted six times finishing the day with three catches for 64 yards and a score. Garcon is coming along slowly, but already he’s shown the knack for the big play and in an explosive Manning led offense, he’s a good prospect to produce.

In Baltimore….
Whenever you have a running back by committee it’s always a tough call, but after three games of solid play expect Willis McGahee to remain a major contributor. Thus far this season, McGahee has flourished in relief coming off the bench. The former Hurricane has scampered his way to 190 yards on the ground with five touchdowns. The Ravens runner has also shown some versatility as a pass receiver with six catches and another score. He’ll undoubtedly be a big part of the rushing attack this Sunday against the Patriots and should see plenty of opportunity in the Redzone.

In Cleveland….
The Browns offense has been nothing more than a stigma in 2009, but this Sunday at home they’ll have a shot at redemption with a new quarterback against a familiar foe. While Derek Anderson will not be anyone’s fantasy favorite this Sunday, his presence could once again elevate wide receiver Braylon Edwards to the forefront of fantasy wideouts (at least for one week). Anderson has historically put up large numbers against the Bengals and Edwards has typically been the recipient. The last time these two played together at home against the Bengals (in 2007) Edwards finished the game with eight receptions for 146 yards with two scores.

Worth keeping your eye on for now….

In the same Ravens-Patriots matchup in week four, another running back could catch some eyes. Last week against the Falcons running back Fred Taylor produced the team’s first 100-yard rusher this season while toting the rock 21 times. Against the Ravens this Sunday he may not hit the century mark, but he’ll likely be the featured back once again and worth watching going forward.

Off to a slow start this season wide receiver Brandon Marshall has unquestionably fallen far from the fantasy apple-tree. His sweet success in Denver may seem to be a thing of the past, but after last Sunday’s nice five catch, 67-yards receiving, and a touchdown performance, let’s not be too hasty. The Bronco’s “Patriot’s West” offense is still a work in progress, but Marshall is clearly a big key to its success in the future. On Sunday he was targeted eight times and it appears going forward he will become more prominent in the passing game. He’s not a must play yet, but each week he’s a step closer, so keep watching.

Remember to check back for more "Diamonds in the Rough!"

FSH: WEDNESDAY WATERCOOLER CHAT

September 30th, 2009 10:15pm PST

WATERCOOLER CHAT

The Weekly Waiver Wire

Wayne "The Wire" Bosco

(Courtesy of the Fantasy Football Gang)

With three weeks complete and in the books the Waiver Wire is alive and fine. Taking a look across the league, our buddy Wayne tells us once again which players are those to target for your week four waiver wire options;

Week Four

After an impressive 2-1 start for the Niners, quarterback Shaun Hill has yet to explode into a fantasy favorite, but his 548 yards and three touchdowns make him a serviceable back up. With the bye weeks set to begin, averaging 180 yards passing and a touchdown Hill can give fantasy owners the one week relief they might be looking for.

In a week that the team finally commits to the run and features running back Fred Taylor, he responds with 21 carries and 105 yards on the ground. The Patriots are not typically one of the leagues better running teams, but this past Sunday they proved along with Taylor they can still get the job done. Taylor looks to be the primary weapon in the run game and appears to have something left in the tank. He’s not going to be your starter, but he could provide some relief and needed help to get through the bye weeks.

Another waiver wire option that looks like a hot pick for week four has to be the Texans receiver Kevin Walter. The number two receiver in Houston had been slowed by injury, but a breakout week three performance (7 receptions, 96 yards, one touchdown) has him a hot fantasy commodity looking ahead. Quarterback Matt Schaub looked Walter’s direction eight times on Sunday and with Andre Johnson lining up on the other side this should continue.


“Wayne’s Word”

Always with each week that we look at the waiver wire with good ole Wayne, we’ll take a closer look at his pick ups for the week. Wide receivers Steve Breaston and Pierre Garcon are going to be two of the hottest pick ups this week if each are available. Breaston is getting healthy and being targeted regularly by quarterback Kurt Warner. .

Playing the Fantasy GM

Don-Pietro "The GM" Zamboni

Time to cut’em loose

Always a tough play for any fantasy owners is knowing when to let dead weight on your roster go. Looking at some of this season’s slow starts, it’s time to make some tough decisions;

The GM Game
With too much competition and simply an over-crowded backfield in New England, it’s time to let running back Laurence Maroney loose on the free market. In three games Maroney has totaled only 81 yards of offense this season and has yet to find the endzone.

The Browns offense is in disarray without a reliable quarterback. This season running back Jamal Lewis has only rushed for 95 yards in two games. With an inept offense and rookie running back James Davis looking like a stronger play, it’s time to go in another direction.

With the Raven’s running game getting plenty of production from its new 1-2 punch of Ray Rice and Willis McGahee, running back LeRon McClain no longer has the fantasy appeal as he did last year. This season McClain has only seen one play inside the 5-yard line and only two plays all season in the red zone. It appears he’s just taking up space on your roster this season.

This could be jumping the gun a bit, but it appears the Patriot’s West offense in Denver features more of a running game and short passing game that excludes the use of a tight end. In three games this season the tight end position has caught just nine balls and Tony Scheffler has only three of those. It looks like it’s time to move Scheffler for a more productive option if available and let the other guy wait it out.


Keep checking back for more football....

By David G. Ortega

FSH: DAVID'S DAILY DIGEST

July 13th, 2009 10:30pm PST


David's Daily Digest
[My Take]

More football news and happenings from around the league; here’s the latest I am hearing, reading, and following with my take on things and how they will impact the coming fantasy season……

My Take...

QB ALEX SMITH STILL IN THE MIX IN FRISCO
My Fantasy Read: The Niners head coach is putting a large vote of confidence in his 5th year quarterback, but it still remains to be seen if Alex Smith has enough to overtake Shaun Hill this summer. Smith played well during the OTAs, but he’ll have to show a lot more in training camp. He’s a long shot to win the job and won’t hold much fantasy value otherwise.

RB LEON WASHINGTON A POSSIBLE NO-SHOW?
My Fantasy Read: It’s sounding more and more like Washington could hold out this summer. With entire Jets backfield unhappy rookie running back Shonn Greene could slide to the forefront this summer. That could be a bit of a stretch but something worth watching, as the Jets will no doubt be a run first team this season with first year head coach Rex Ryan and a rookie quarterback.

WR DERRICK MASON RETIRES AFTER 12 SEASONS
My Fantasy Read: The Raven’s leading receiver the last two seasons announced his intent to retire this offseason and while nothing has been made official the imminent loss of Mason could be huge for the Ravens offense. Last season Mason proved to be rookie quarterback Joe Flacco’s security blanket, but with a lot of inexperience at the position his absence this season will be sorely and noticeably missed by fantasy owners.

RB FRED TAYLOR EXPECT TO START FOR PATRIOTS
My Fantasy Read: The Patriots appear to have a full house in there backfield and on paper it would seem to be a crap shoot to figure out exactly who will be relevant and who won’t. Early indications are Laurence Maroney could be odd man out, with Fred Taylor tabbed as the team’s starter. Even if Taylor starts, he’s likely to lose a lot of work to the team perennial versatile scat-back Kevin Faulk and significant fantasy value along the way.


Check back with "Your Fantasy Sports Home" for more Football to digest....

FSH: FANTASY FIXX

June 9th, 2009 9:37pm PST

THE FANTASY FIXX

The “Mojo” Rider.


Maurice Jones-Drew#32, RB-(Jacksonville Jaguars)….
The former UCLA Bruin running back is considered one of the leagues most exciting runners, because of his explosive nature and dynamic versatility. Last season MJD or Mojo, led the team with 824-yards rushing and 12 rushing touchdowns to go along with his 62 receptions (second on the club).

Defenses fear Mojo, because of his low center of gravity and aggressive style of running. The human wrecking ball plowed his way through defenses in 2008 at 4.2 yards per carry and tallied 1,739 all-purpose yards.

With Fred Taylor no longer sharing time in the backfield, Mojo figures to see a significant increase in touches this season. MJD has always been a middle of the road type of fantasy back while splitting time with Taylor, but this season he could be a solo act. There doesn’t appear to be any visible threat currently in the Jags backfield that will likely steal any significant amount of touches from Mojo’s plate. Only full-back Greg Jones seems a likely threat to share some short-yardage and goal-line carries.

What to expect in 2009…
With Taylor vacating the Jag’s backfield this past offseason, it appears MJD will inherit the role of featured back in head coach Jack Del Rio’s system. It’s no secret Del Rio is a fan of smash mouth and ball control will become a priority for the Jaguar’s offense in 2009. Fantasy owners can expect to see Jones-Drew leading this battle cry and seeing a lofty increase in his fantasy numbers for 2009. (2009 predictions: 262 carries, 1,166-yards rushing, 13 rushing touchdowns, 49 receptions, 456-yards receiving, 2 touchdowns)


Check back every Monday for more “Fantasy Fixx”