FSH NOTEBOOK: MY RANKINGS QB (WEEK 15)

Saturday Edition
December 15th, 2012  

My Rankings

(Does not include Thursday’s Game)

Quarterbacks 

1. Drew Brees
2. Aaron Rodgers
3. Eli Manning
4. Cam Newton
5. Tom Brady
6. Peyton Manning
7. Matt Schaub
8. Josh Freeman
9. Matthew Stafford
10. Andrew Luck

11. Russell Wilson
12. Matt Ryan
13. Tony Romo
14. Jake Locker
15. Philip Rivers
16. Jay Cutler
17. Sam Bradford
18. Ben Roethlisberger
19. Joe Flacco
20. Carson Palmer

My notes: 

I like Buccaneers quarterback Josh Freeman this week against the Saints 30th ranked defense. The Saints are also allowing the most fantasy points to quarterbacks. 

Panthers quarterback Cam Newton has been on a roll and will face the leagues 22nd ranked pass defense; a good road matchup against a Chargers defense that allows the 11th most fantasy points to quarterbacks.

Despite facing one the leagues stingiest defenses, I still like Patriots quarterback Tom Brady to post solid numbers. Brady is mistake prone with 29 touchdowns this season and just four interceptions.

Andrew Luck is still a top ten this week; facing the Texans defense he’s going to put the ball in the air early and often. He may fall victim to a couple of miscues, but he’ll still throw for a lot of yards and should pick up a couple of scores to help out fantasy owners.

The Broncos quarterback Peyton Manning has been pretty consistent this season and I don’t expect things to change much on Sunday against the Ravens 23rd ranked pass defense. Peyton has 30 passing touchdowns and 3,820 passing yards this season and will be looking to improve on those numbers greatly this week. The Ravens can be stingy, but Peyton has many weapons and spreads the ball well.

I am not putting a lot of faith in Falcons quarterback Matt Ryan this week although he is at home against the Giants. Ryan has been dodging bullets the past several weeks and facing one of the league’s best pass rushes (31 sacks this season) could make for a long afternoon.

Drew Brees tops my chart this week facing the Buccaneers 32nd ranked pass defense. Brees has been off the past couple of weeks with just one passing touchdown and seven picks, but Sunday he’ll take his shots at a secondary that has allowed 23 touchdowns this season; a great matchup to rebound.


By David Ortega

FSH NOTEBOOK: DAVID'S DAILY DIGEST

Friday Edition
December 14th, 2012  

David’s Daily Digest

Sunday Favorites

Alexander Worth Starting
The Chargers and quarterback Philip Rivers have found themselves a new go-to receiver in Danario Alexander. With his 6’5”, 217-lb frame, Alexander is bolting his way up the fantasy receivers charts; over his last five games he’s caught 30 passes for 494 yards receiving and five touchdowns. Alexander seems to be making Charger fans quickly forget about Vincent Jackson and with his current play, he’s becoming a favorite of fantasy owners. Alexander has been targeted 47 times over his past five games and is clearly on Rivers’ radar as a go-to option; Alexander is a borderline WR1/WR2 every week.

McFadden Ready to Bounce Back
Running back Darren McFadden has not had the type of season many fantasy owners were expecting when they drafted him during their fantasy drafts back in August. Through 14 weeks McFadden has missed four games and only rushed for more than 100 yards on two occasions. Last week in the Raiders loss the Broncos Run-DMC did manage to score for only his third time this season. This Sunday against the Chiefs 27th ranked run defense McFadden will be looking to bounce back; Run-DMC certainly has the potential to break out and the Chiefs are primed to crack. The Chiefs allow 4.6 yards per carry, over 130 yards per game and 17 run plays of 20 yards or more (most in the league); this is a good week to start McFadden.

Wilson the Hot Flavor this Week
The Giants will be without running back Ahmad Bradshaw (ruled OUT) this Sunday against the Falcons, opening the door for the speedy rookie running back David Wilson. Last week Wilson impressed on special teams and with a tasty matchup this week against the Falcons 23rd ranked run defense he looks ready to impress in the starting role. The Falcons allow almost 5 yards per carry and have surrendered 14 rushing touchdowns this season; Wilson is the hot start off the waiver wire this week.

Beast-mode Returns to Buffalo
The Seahawks running back Marshawn Lynch returns to Buffalo on Sunday where his career began. Lynch was drafted in the first round by the Bills in the 2007 draft. This Sunday he brings his beast-mode to Ralph Wilson Stadium where he’ll face the 28th ranked run defense. Lynch has seven 100-yard rushing games this season and looks like a good bet to make it eight on Sunday. He’s a Top-10 fantasy start.

Madden-Curse no match for Megatron
Despite being on the cover of the famous Madden Game, Calvin Johnson continues to defy the infamous curse. It’s been a lean year for touchdowns this season for Megatron, but he continues to post big numbers each week. Johnson has posted six straight 100-yard receiving games (averaging 151 yards per game) and has 9 total this season. Johnson has also scored in four of his last five contests (5 touchdowns this season). This Sunday he matches up against the Cardinals 5th ranked secondary, but these days averaging nearly 15 targets per game (over his last five starts) it makes little difference who Megatron faces; he’s a must start every Sunday.

Morris Ready to Carry the Load
The Redskins rookie running back Alfred Morris has been running well for the Redskins this season with six 100 yard rushing games under his belt, including three straight. With the Redskins set to square off versus the Browns, Morris will have a great chance to make it four straight against the 17th ranked run defense. Morris is also averaging more than 22 touches over his last four starts, so fantasy owners have to like his chances at hitting the century mark on Sunday. Morris is a top-15 fantasy start.

More takes for week 15.


By David Ortega

FSH NOTEBOOK: THE FOUR HORSEMEN

Sunday Edition
December 9th, 2012

  

The Four Horsemen

My week 14 fantasy picks…

Quarterback (Eli Manning)
The Giants are at home today and quarterback Eli Manning has a prime matchup against the Saints 32nd ranked pass defense. The Saints allow the most fantasy points to quarterbacks and with wide receiver Hakeem Nicks set to play today, it’s a great chance for a big game from Eli; 300 yards passing, with multiple touchdowns.

Running Back (Alfred Morris)
The Redskins rookie running back Alfred Morris has been rolling of late tied for 3rd in the league with 1,106 yards rushing, he’s coming off consecutive 100-yard rushing efforts. Today he’s matched up against the Ravens 23rd ranked run defense and will look to make it three in a row.

Wide Receiver (Dez Bryant)
The Cowboys wide receiver has been playing at an extremely high level of late scoring in each of his last four games (six touchdowns total). He’s having a great 2012 campaign on the verge of surpassing the 1,000 yard receiving mark this week. He’s matched up against a pretty good Bengals defense, but one that was beat last week by Danario Alexander for 6 grabs and 102 yards; I expect at least those type of numbers from Dez today.

Tight End (Jermichael Finley)
Tight end Jermichael Finley has not been having a great 2012 by his standards and expectations of football prognosticators, but against the Lions 17th ranked pass defense his fortune could change. The Lions allow the 5th most fantasy points to tight ends and with Jordy Nelson sidelined, Finley could see more targets tonight. I like his chances this week.

By David Ortega

FSH NOTEBOOK: SFFL WEEK 14

Sunday Edition
December 9th, 2012

  

Suicide Fantasy Football

Week 14

With the season winding down, my team is gearing up each week to make a run. Last week we posted a score of 118.52 points led by Bryce Brown’s (34.30 fantasy points) big game on Sunday night against the Cowboys and Cecil Shorts (20.70 fantasy points) effort against the Bills. 

The climb to the top is still steep, but there is light at the end. My SSFL team has climbed inside the top 10, for the moment and there’s no time to look back now.

Here’s my week 14 picks;

My Line-up 

Quarterback:
The Buccaneers quarterback Josh Freeman is having a solid 2012 with 23 touchdowns and 3,003 passing yards. Freeman is a top 10 quarterback this week facing the Eagles 31st ranked pass defense. In his last two starts his numbers have been modest, but this week he faces a defense that allows the 2nd most fantasy points to quarterbacks. This is the ideal week to start Freeman is you don’t have better options.

Running Backs:
On Thursday I played Broncos running back Knowshon Moreno and 119 yards rushing with a touchdown I was not disappointed. His 26.70 points have my fantasy team on the right track for week 14.

My other ball carrier this week is the Jets running back Shonn Greene. The Jets running game has not been much to get excited about this season, but this may be one of its best matchups this season facing the Jaguars (ranked 31st against the run). Greene is not a candidate for a huge output today, but he could record his third 100 yard effort this season and find himself making a trip or two to the end zone.

Wide Receivers:
With the Giants on the slate this week for the traveling Saints, I am expecting quarterback Drew Brees to attack the secondary deep and often. There’s no question his best weapon this season has been wide receiver Marques Colston (61 receptions, 828 yards receiving). Facing the Giants 22nd ranked pass defense, Colston should be able to take advantage of a secondary that allows the 4th most fantasy points to wide receivers.

On the other side out wide I am rolling with the Packers wide receiver Greg Jennings. This is Rodgers most trusted and reliable receiver, so you know the quarterback will have plenty of confidence looking his direction. Facing the Lions in what looks to be an aerial fest, I expect Jennings to see as many if not more than the 8 targets he saw last week, especially with Jordy Nelson on the sidelines.

Tight End:
I took a shot with the Raiders tight end Brandon Myers, coming off a career game a week ago. The Raiders offense has typically been pass happy, but on Thursday night the Broncos took away one of quarterback Carson Palmer’s favorite targets limiting Myers to just one catch for 7 yards.

Place Kicker:
The Buccaneers offense has been a bit of surprise this season and with a nice matchup at home against the Eagles defense. I expect to see the Bucs set up many scoring chances today, but will not be surprised to see them lean on kicker Conner Barth to convert a handful of opportunities.

Team Defense:
With the Buccaneers at home this week facing a rookie quarterback making only the third start of his career, I like their defense to play well. The Buccaneers are number one against the run and should keep rookie quarterback Nick Foles in third and long most of the afternoon. The Eagles are prone to mistakes and give up the most fantasy points to opposing defenses; I’m starting the Buccaneers.


These are my picks for week 14.


By David Ortega

FSH NOTEBOOK: (SATURDAY'S) FRIDAY FOOTBALL FIXX

Saturday Edition
December 8th, 2012

  

(Saturday’s) Friday Football Fixx

Fantasy Player News

Taking a look around the National Football League at fantasy football players for Sunday with the latest news and takes;

Nicks Questionable for Sunday
The Giants wide receiver Hakeem Nicks is listed as questionable for Sunday against the Saints, but the explosive wide out did practice on Friday. Nicks has been battling injuries all season and has yet to get back to 100%, but despite being limited this week he is still expected to play on Sunday. Nicks play has been improving over the past couple of weeks since his return from injury, but this little setback could be cause of concern for fantasy owners. His status is still up in the air, but if he is active against the Saints shaky secondary, he needs to be in fantasy lineups.

Nelson Ruled OUT for Sunday
Wide receiver Jordy Nelson has been ruled out for Sunday night against the Lions and will not play. With Nelson on the sidelines, fantasy owners for wide receivers Greg Jennings, Randall Cobb, and James Jones can expect a bump in fantasy value this week. Jennings will be playing only in his second game since returning from injury, but he is expected to fill the role of Nelson and should do just fine. With the Lions up next, Jennings should be in your lineups this week.

Sunday is Wayne’s World
The Colts veteran wide receiver Reggie Wayne has been having a prolific 2012 campaign and his current 88 catches and 1,156 yards receiving have him on pace to set career highs in both categories. Wayne is without question rookie quarterback Andrew Luck’s security blanket and has been targeted a league high 153 times this season. On Sunday the Colts have a very favorable matchup against the Titans 25th ranked pass defense, so fantasy owners can expect Luck to look Wayne’s way quite often.

Ivory Unlikely to Play Sunday
The Saints are likely to be without the services of running back Christopher Ivory (doubtful) on Sunday against the Giants. The Giants defense is ranked 21st against the run and even without Ivory, the Saints backfield remains crowded and convoluted. With the Saints being primarily a passing team, running back Darren Sproles remains the only reliable running back with any real fantasy value (in PPR leagues only).

With Harvin OUT All-Day Must Carry the Load
The Vikings have been riding the legs of running back Adrian Peterson (1,446 yard rushing in 2012) most of this season and with the loss of wide receiver Percy Harvin, it looks like he will have to carry the offensive load the rest of the way. Peterson is averaging just over 20 carries in his last six games and has rushed for more than 100 yards in each (he’s also scored in 5 of his last 6), including 210 yards last week. Fantasy owners can expect to see a heavy dose of All-Day the rest of the way and similar success on the ground, despite who Peterson faces

Turner to Play Sunday against Panthers
The Falcons will have running back Michael Turner in the lineup on Sunday against the Panthers, which is good news for fantasy owners. Turner has yet to really break out this season recording just two 100-yard rushing efforts, both at home with the last coming in week 9. This Sunday on the road against the Panthers could be his third facing the league’s 25th ranked run defense. The Panthers are allowing nearly 130 yards on the ground, 4.4 yards a pop, and have surrendered 10 rushing touchdowns. If you a looking for a big game from Turner this week, this matchup could not come at a better time; he’s a safe play this Sunday.


By David Ortega