FSH: FRIDAY FANTASY WATCH

December 17th, 2010, Friday

Friday Fantasy Watch

Jon Kitna: Ready For Another Solid Outing

The Cowboys will play host to what can only be described as a completely dysfunctional Washington Redskin team. The Redskins come to town on the heels of a major announcement; McNabb will be benched in Sunday’ matchup in favor of quarterback Rex Grossman. That can only be good news for the Cowboy’s offense, as the defense could be in for a big fantasy scoring day as well.

The Redskins have been struggling mightily on offense in the recent weeks (averaging less than 14 points per game in their last four), but this change at quarterback would hardly seem to bode well (looking in from the outside). Grossman has only thrown 7 passes all season and does have one turnover in very limited action. If the Redskins do continue to struggle on offense, quarterback Jon Kitna and the entire Cowboy’s offense should see plenty of opportunity and good field position most of the day.

Facing the 29th ranked pass defense and a pass rush that has mustered up just 23 sacks (ranked tied for 26th) all season, the prospects of a good day for Kitna look very good. One big key to Kitna’s success could be wide receiver Miles Austin, who torched the Redskins back in week one for 146 yards on 10 catches; look for the two to find similar success.

Sunday’s projections against the Redskins
(20 of 34 passes, 280 yards passing, three touchdowns, one interception)

Owen Daniels: Finally Healthy and Ready To Go

On Monday night fantasy owners were given a nice preview of what tight end Owen Daniels is capable of when healthy. Against the Baltimore Ravens Daniels caught five passes for 91 yards and easily could have done much more damage. Daniels had a few drops in the game, clearly showing some rust from all the action he has missed.

Daniels is back and looked good running routes against the Ravens, as he continues to shake the rust his hands will get better; as will his numbers. This Sunday Daniels will square off against a Titan’s secondary (ranked 26th against the pass) that has had their share of trouble covering the tight end spot. Daniels missed the first matchup in week 12 due to injury, but he’s healthy now and should be a factor.

Last season in his only matchup with Tennessee Daniels caught six passes for 72 yards and a score; we could see very similar results on Sunday.

Sunday’s projections against the Titans.
(6 catches, 90 yards receiving, one touchdown)

Jacoby Ford: Could Be A Quiet Surprise On Sunday

The Raiders will be welcoming to the Black Hole on Sunday a Bronco’s team that looks to be in disarray. The last time these two teams met, the Raiders put a serious hurt on the Orange men 59-14, enough to turn them black and silver.

This Sunday with the Bronco’s facing the prospect of having to go into Raider Nation without their starting quarterback Kyle Orton, it can only mean good things for bad boys of football. The Raider’s quarterback Jason Campbell hasn’t become a household name yet, but over the past couple of weeks he has been solid and could be a cause for concern if you are the Denver secondary. In recent weeks Campbell has been having a lot of success throwing to wide receiver Louis Murphy. With the Broncos expected to shadow (with Champ Bailey) or at least pay close attention to Murphy, rookie receiver Jacoby Ford could see some favorable coverage on Sunday.

Ford has been quiet the past several weeks, but against one of the league’s worst defenses (ranked 19th against the pass) that has allowed 24 passing touchdowns he could be ready to make a lot of noise.

Sunday’s projections against the Broncos
(4 catches, 75 yards receiving, one touchdown)

Just my take.

By David Ortega

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

September 17th, 2009 11:37pm PST

“Diamonds in the Rough”

(Fantasy Sleepers)

Players you should watch and a few to grab!
As the season progresses every week we’ll be watching for those potential studs in the making, not to be confused with the one night stand or the dreaded flash in the pan. Each year owners are constantly being burned by that player who blows up one week, then decides to hibernate the rest of the year. While there are no guarantees in life or fantasy football, we’re doing our homework so you don’t have to. After 16 games in week one, we’ve pinpointed a number of worthy candidates that appear ready to blossom at a moments notice.

In New Orleans….
While Mike Bell was never slated to start for the Saints, he's no longer a well kept secret in New Orleans. The former Denver Bronco and fourth year running back earned himself some playing time this preseason by impressing head coach Sean Payton with some purposeful hard-nose running. Once the Saint's projected starter Pierre Thomas went down, Bell was elevated to the starting lineup and answered the call with a big week one performance; 28 carries for 143 yards. Even with Thomas set to make his return, Bell should still be in line to see his share of carries. Bell was originally slated to be the team's designated goal line back, add to the mix a regular slot in the rotation and he’s a keeper. Bell is still not owned in many leagues and should be grabbed, he's going to be a regular producer.

In St.Louis…
The Rams offense has not been much to speak of since the Warner-Holt-Faulk days, but with an equally awful defense, the team is going to play a lot of catch-up this season. One bright spot has been the arrival of wide receiver Laurent Robinson. As early as the preseason Robinson began to show promise and in week one, while not spectacular he did turn in a credible job with five catches for 87 yards. The real secret that makes Robinson so appealing, it’s clear he has quickly developed chemistry with the Ram’s passer, but he’s quickly emerging as the team’s favorite and go-to receiver. Avery was the preseason favorite on the squad, but it was Robinson who led the team with 10 targets on Sunday. If you are in need, Robinson’s numbers look to only get better.

In Seattle….
It was T.J. Houshmandzadeh who made the biggest fantasy news this past offseason in Seattle, but perhaps something owners should have been paying attention to was the return of wide receiver Nate Burleson. The former Vikings wideout is coming off an injury shortened 2008 season and it’s easy to forget that in 2004 and 2007 he caught at least 50 balls, including nine touchdowns (each season). In the offseason Burleson showed great explosiveness and he’s always had very good hands. This will be his fourth season with Seattle and now healthy he’s primed to have a very good season. In week one he led the team with seven receptions and 11 targets. Overshadowed by the presence of Housh, Burleson could sneak his way to a nice 2009 season. He’s a nifty grab if you can get him now.

In Chicago…..
Well this certainly looked like a match made in heaven once the Bears acquired the rights to quarterback Jay Cutler via trade. The arrival of Cutler would unite the Bears new stud quarterback with his former teammate and go-to receiver at Vanderbilt, Earl Bennett. The 2nd year receiver played in 10 games last season, but failed to record a single catch. We can already see the Cutler affect after one game. In Week one Bennett not only caught seven passes, but he was looked for often. Bennett saw a total of 13 tosses in his direction. While his week one numbers were lacking, the fact Cutler will look to him so often is more than promising. Bennett entered the 2009 season virtually irrelevant, but Jay is quickly making him a mainstay. He’s worth grabbing now for future play that figures to improve.

Worth keeping your eye on for now….

One game does not make a career, but while the Jets rookie quarterback appears stead fast to be a playa in this league, give him a couple of starts before you commit the farm.

The Raiders appear to have something going with quarterback JaMarcus Russell and rookie wideout Louis Murphy. The rookie receiver with blazing speed already appears to be a favorite, but be cautioned when Chaz Schilenz returns the team could shake up the line-up.

The Titan’s passing game looked pretty healthy in week one against a good Steelers defense. This week they will face a suspect secondary that was lit up by a rookie last Sunday. Keep an eye on wideout Nate Washington who should be close to full-speed. Washington was signed in the offseason and has the tools to be an explosive downfield receiver, but he needs to be healthy.

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