FSH NOTEBOOK: MONDAY'S FANTASY HEADLINES

Monday Edition

November 5th, 2012 

David's Daily Digest

Monday’s Fantasy Headlines

Dougie Keeps Getting Down

The Buccaneers running back Doug Martin was at it again, breaking tackles and busting off long runs for scores. On Sunday against the Raiders Martin broke loose for 251 yards rushing and four touchdowns; just an awesome performance. Martin is quickly turning into a fantasy owner’s dream come true with big Sundays becoming a regular occurrence. Martin is a must play every week from here on.

The Steelers Ground Game Keeps Rolling

It looks as those it doesn’t matter who the Steelers line up in their backfield, their line offensive line just gets the job done. With the backfield ailing the Steelers turned to running back Issac Redman against the Giant and the offensive line registered their third consecutive game with a 100-yard rusher. Fantasy owners are going to have to pay attention to who starts and who is healthy when choosing one of the three-headed monster (Redman, Dwyer, & Mendenhall).

Luck Keeps Playing Chuck Strong

The Colts rookie quarterback Andrew Luck is having an amazing run this season and on Sunday he continued his magic with a 433 yard passing effort and a win. The Colts are playing inspired ball this season and Luck is leading the way with his great play; 2,404 yards passing and a team record of 5-3. If Luck continues at this rate, fantasy owners in deeper leagues will find it difficult to keep him on their bench. With favorable matchups he definitely warrants consideration from week-to-week.

McFadden is a McBust

Fantasy owners must be gnawing at the bit filled with frustration with the inconsistent play of Raiders running back Darren McFadden. Run-DMC has hardly been the fantasy factor owners were counting on this season with just one 100-yard rushing game in his last five starts. His injury and early exit this past Sunday just adds to the frustration for owners. McFadden has not been ruled out for week 10, but given his recent poor play he hardly looks like an attractive option for Sunday.

All Day is All World

Even coming off a major injury, the Vikings running back Adrian Peterson is still All-World. Peterson broke free for 182 yards rushing on 17 carries; an impressive 10.7 yards per carry. Peterson just gashed the Seahawks defense for big run after big run. He’s certainly shown fantasy owners there’s no reason for concern regarding his injury from last season. Peterson is a monster and must start regardless of who he faces.

Cobb Stays Hot, Scores Twice

The Packers wide receiver Randall Cobb continued his hot hand with a pair of scores on Sunday against the Cardinals. Cobb now leads the team with 45 receptions and 6 touchdowns. He’s an every week start (as a solid flex or low end WR2 in deeper leagues) when the Packers return from their bye in week 11.

By David Ortega

FSH NOTEBOOK: QUICK TAKES

Monday Edition
November 5th, 2012  

David’s Daily Digest

MNF Quick Notes

Tonight’s matchup between the Eagles and Saints will offer plenty of lineup options. If you get’em, start’em…

These are my takes for tonight’s Monday Night Matchup.

The Eagles wide receiver DeSean Jackson should be licking his chops as he prepares the meet the Saints defense on Monday night. Jackson is the team’s leading receiver this season, but he has yet to get it going; just one 100-yard game this season. Tonight’s contest is a prime matchup for Jackson to get it going. The Saints are ranked 30th versus the pass and allow the most fantasy points to wide receivers; Jackson should have a big night.

Running back LeSean McCoy is a no-brain start tonight. The Saints defense will have plenty of trouble tracking down Shady McCoy this evening. McCoy has just tow 100-yard games and two rushing touchdowns this season; expect both to improve tonight versus the Saints (ranked 31st against the run).

Like Jackson, quarterback Michael Vick has to be excited about his matchup tonight. The Saints pass defense has allowed 15 passing touchdowns this season and they are giving up well over 300 yards in the air per game. Vick has not had an easy road thus far turning the ball over at an alarming rate, but the Saints defense appears to be even more generous. Vick looks set to breakout this evening.

On the other side, the Saints are still the Saints and quarterback Drew Brees is not going to go down without a fight. The Eagles 14th ranked pass defense will have all it can handle with Brees in the pocket. This matchup has all the makings of a regular fireworks show in the Dome, Brees will be big tonight with all the weapons he possesses and he’ll need to put points on the board in this one.

While the Eagles defense is well aware of Brees’ most lethal weapon, wide receiver Marques Colston (a nice WR2 fantasy starter) look for one of his other targets, Lance Moore to play a big role. Moore is crafty and is second on the team with 53 targets this season. Even with all the weapons the Saints have on offense, Moore will see plenty of passes his direction; he’ll be a nice flex insert tonight.

Tight end Jimmy Graham finally appears healthy and will give the Eagles plenty of fits tonight. He’s one of Brees favorite targets in the red zone, and you can be sure the Saints are going to be frequenting that part of the field tonight. Graham is a must start and should pay-off nicely.

The Eagles have themselves a pretty good tight end (Brent Celek) that they can boast, but with so many holes in the secondary downfield, Celek may take a back seat. If there is anything the Saints secondary can do well, they have managed to play tight ends with some degree of success. The Saints defense allows the 7th fewest fantasy points to tight ends. Play Celek with caution. 


By David Ortega

FSH NOTEBOOK: SUNDAY MORNING GAMETIME

Sunday Edition
November 4th, 2012  

Sunday Morning Gametime

Inactives/Actives

The Packers will have Jordy Nelson (active) today, if you have Randall Cobb on your roster and have the room in your flex spot start him. With Nelson available, the Cardinals cover man Patrick Peterson will be busy locking him down and opening up opportunities for Cobb.

Megatron will be active today, but how effective will he be. There’s been indications he would be limited today. If you have him, you are almost forced to start him unless you have better options.

Quarterback Ryan Tannehill will start. If he’s playing you have to figure he will be fine moving around the pocket and getting rid of the ball. Tannehill faces the leagues number 7 pass defense, but the Colts struggle with the run; expect a lot of play-action and Brian Hartline.

In the same game running back Donald Brown will play today versus the Dolphins; with running back Vick Ballard figuring in the equation today and Brown dealing with knee issues, he probably a better options to avoid today.

Wide receiver Kenny Britt is active today and will start today against the Bears. The Titans passing offense has been mostly ineffective this season and facing the Bears secondary that allows the 13th fewest fantasy points to wide receiver, Britt is one play that is likely better to avoid today.

The Texans will have tight end Owen Daniels (active) in the lineup today. There was no real worry here, but it should be noted that the Bills are poor against the pass (ranked 22nd), but allow the 14th fewest fantasy points to tight ends. While that may worry some, Daniels has regained his old form and is a focal point in the passing offense; start him with confidence.

By David Ortega

FSH NOTEBOOK: DAVID'S DAILY DIGEST

Sunday Edition
November 4th, 2012

  

David’s Daily Digest

Fantasy Notes, Predictions, and Matchups we like

As well as the Broncos defense has played this season, they have had trouble covering opposing tight ends. With Champ Bailey sure to shadow the Bengals wide receiver AJ Green, tight end Jermaine Gresham looks to keep this stat in tack. The Bronco’s allow the 4th most fantasy points to tight ends and have surrendered 6 touchdowns. Gresham should be in line for a nice game; look for a couple of grabs for some nice yards, and a score.

The Texans have been able to run the ball well all season, but it appears their passing game has had some struggles. Quarterback Matt Schaub has yet to pass for more than 300 yards this season and has four games in which he has tossed one or fewer touchdowns. Much of this could change today when he faces the Bills defense that has allowed the 2nd most fantasy points to quarterbacks, including 14 touchdowns this season. The Texans passing game still has all the necessary weapons for a big day, so expect Schaub to make many owners happy today.

The Bears quarterback Jay Cutler has put up few big games this season, just one 300 yard game this season, but today he will face Tennessee. The Titans defense is ranked 29th against the pass this season and have only 11 sacks this season. If the Bears “O” line can protect Cutler today, he’s going to have his second 300-yard game this season. The Titans secondary allows the 3rd most fantasy points to quarterbacks and has surrendered 17 touchdowns (tied for 2nd most in the league). Cutler is a safe start today.

Even with a limited Calvin Johnson the Lions offense will go through quarterback Matt Stafford, but he could get some real help today from his ground game. Facing the Jaguars, the Lions running back Mikel Leshoure has a good chance at posting some solid numbers. The Jags allows the 4th most fantasy points to running backs and have allowed 8 touchdowns (6 rush, 2 rec). Leshoure will see the lions share of carries and should be highly productive. Leshoure may not break out into to beast mode, but he’s worth starting today as a flex or bye week fill


By David Ortega

FSH NOTEBOOK: THE FOUR HORSEMEN

Sunday Edition
November 4th, 2012  

The Four Horsemen

We are going to ride again and for this week I am saddling up some big boys that should have some very big performances in week 9.

My week 9 fantasy picks…

Quarterback (Peyton Manning, DEN)

It appears the Bronco’s have found their missing piece or so it would seem with the way quarterback Peyton Manning has played of late. Last week against the Saints, Manning was able to get the offense out of the gate early and often. Manning has looked effective and is putting up phenomenal numbers this season. With the Bengals (ranked 17th versus the pass) next on the slate, Manning looks set to keep the Broncos rolling. Manning has five straight games of 300 yards passing or more and four straight with three touchdowns. The Bengals defense allows the 11th most fantasy points to opposing quarterbacks.

Running Back (Arian Foster, Hou)

This pick is a no-brainer. The Bills defense has done a porous job this season against the run, ranked 31st and with Ben Tate already ruled out this sets up running back Arian Foster for a huge day. Foster is not only a threat on the ground, but he can be exceptional out of the backfield in open space. I look for the Texans to not only hand him the rock today, but Foster should be good for 4-6 receptions; he’s going to blow up today. The Bills allow the most fantasy points to running backs.

Wide Receiver (DeSean Jackson, PHI)

The Eagles speedy and big play receiver DeSean Jackson has done very little of that (big plays) this season. Jackson leads the team with 34 receptions and 524 yards receiving this season, but through 7 games he has just one touchdown and just one reception of 40 yards or more (5 in 2011, 8 in 2010). On Monday night Jackson will line up against a Saints defense that is ranked 30th versus the pass, has surrendered 15 touchdowns (just three picks), and allow the most fantasy points to wide receivers. This has the making of a breakout game for Jackson and company.

Tight End (Jason Witten, DAL)

The Cowboys tight end Jason Witten and quarterback Tony Romo have really been in sync the past several games. Witten has been heavily targeted and has posted four straight games with no fewer than 6 receptions and 7 targets. Witten is coming off a monster game last Sunday and with the Falcons up next (Sunday night) he should continue the hot hand. The Cowboys are plagued with injuries at the receiver position; Witten is going to be Romo’s safety blanket all evening. 


By David Ortega