FSH NOTEBOOK: DAVID'S DAILY DIGEST

Tuesday Edition
October 30th, 2012  

David's Daily Digest

The Week in Review

Breaking Down my Week 8 Picks

As I do each and every week, it’s time to take a look back and see how I did. Each week you have to look back at the past so you can learn from your triumphs and mistakes.

My Week8 Duds

Week 8 produce quite a few names to make this list and for many fantasy owners, this was not good. Tight end Antonio Gates pulled a disappearing act on Sunday against the Browns turning in a two catch effort. Fantasy owners were hit hard with disappointment, but Gates has no apparent injury that would suggest this type of slump will continue.

Like Gates, the Steelers wide receiver Antonio Brown was another disappointment on Sunday. The Steelers wideout snagged four passes for just 38 yards; far below his expected output. Fantasy owners can relax, Brown was still targeted six times and will continue to see plenty of activity his direction. The six targets were a season low, likely because the Steelers were up big and riding the ground game.

The Browns rookie receiver Josh Gordon was a big dud on Sunday after coming off a three-game scoring streak. Gordon was held in check with just three catches for 46 yards. Gordon is second among receivers on the team with 41 targets this season and has been seeing more looks his direction. Unfortunately there is too much inconsistency with the Browns offense at this time to consider Gordon reliable.

My Week 8 Studs

Unfortunately the list here is not long, but it is notable. The Eagles running back LeSean McCoy was his shady self on Sunday finding the end zone twice. McCoy has not had many big games yet this season, but he is the focal point of the Eagles ground attack and has the versatility to be involved in the passing game. Sunday’s performance was just a small taste of more to come.

The Lions quarterback Matt Stafford erupted for a four touchdown performance on Sunday (3 passing, 1 rushing) against a formidable foe in the Seahawks defense. Stafford had not looked very sharp through the first seven weeks, but his monster game on Sunday could be a great indication of what fantasy owners can expect in the second half of the season.

While the Broncos freakish receiver Demaryrius Thomas is grabbing headlines on one side, the Broncos other receiver Eric Decker is quietly holding his own. Against the Saints Decker pulled down just four passes on six targets, but two went for scores. With DT presenting matchup problems for opposing defenses Decker stands to see more games such as this one; he’s a low WR2 going forward.


By David Ortega

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

FSH NOTEBOOK: WATERCOOLER CHAT

Wednesday Edition

October 24th, 2012 

Watercooler Chat

“Just Talking Fantasy”

This Weeks Waiver Wire Wonders

With the injury to Maurice Jones-Drew, running back Rashad Jennings is one of the hot pickups this week off the waiver wire. Jennings will take over the starting duties while MJD is sidelined and could see quite the workload, but if you are not an MJD owner don’t expect him to be a permanent fix to fill any big holes in your lineup. Jennings is averaging just 2.6 yards per carry this season and the Jaguars don’t exactly have the easiest schedule with the Packers (17th against the run) and Lions (16th against the run) up next on the schedule.

The Steelers backfield is a jumbled mess with running back Rashard Mendenhall and Issac Redman still sidelined after missing practice on Wednesday. After his strong 122-yard showing in week 7 running back, Jonathan Dwyer looks like the hot commodity off the wire this week, if both Mendenhall and Redman miss action in week 8, but at the moment that still remains an sticky situation.

The Rams seem to have found themselves a new deep threat and playmaker in wide receiver Chris Givens. If the bye weeks are playing havoc with your lineup and you’re looking for help, the speedy receiver could offer some temporary relief this week when the Rams play host to the Patriots (ranked 29^th against the pass) in London. Givens has posted better than 50 yards receiving in four straight games and has gradually become more and more a part of the team’s passing attack. He’s nothing more than a flex option at best, but through the bye weeks he could be a nice fill and big surprise.

The Jets offense has been in a quagmire all season, but one bright spot for quarterback Mark Sanchez has been the emergence of wide receiver Jeremy Kerley. The second year wideout has hardly lit the world on fire, but he’s slowly making his way up the fantasy ranks; at least some of us know who he is. Better than that, Kerley has turned in some nice efforts on Sunday and Sanchez appears to be looking his way more often; 26 targets over the past three weeks. Kerley won’t offer any big prizes just yet, but he could work his way in as a flex option for some owners.

Trending This Week

The Steelers wide receiver Antonio Brown has not scored a touchdown in his past three starts, but he’s still a favorite in the passing game with 28 targets over the same span. The Steelers host the Redskins (ranked 32nd against the pass) on Sunday and Brown could finally breakout of his scoring slump.

The Cardinals passing game has not had much to speak about this season other than Larry Fitzgerald, but with opposing teams really focusing on taking Fitz out third year receiving Andre Roberts is starting to make noise. This past Sunday Roberts turned in his second 100-yard receiving game this season. His numbers have not been consistent this season, but in his past three games he has been targeted 25 times. With the quarterbacks continuing to look his direction, better numbers seem likely in the future.

With Mohamed Massaquoi sidelined, rookie wide receiver Josh Gordon is suddenly emerging as the Browns leading scoring threat in the pass game. Gordon has scored at least one touchdown in his last three games and has been targeted 22 times. Gordon’s quickly showing his ability to produce and if rookie quarterback Brandon Weeden continues to look in his direction, he looks like a promising candidate to sustain his level of fantasy production.

By David Ortega