FSH NOTEBOOK: DAVID'S DAILY DIGEST

December 3rd, 2011, Saturday

David’s Daily Digest

Fantasy Notes:

Frank Gore: A Gold Rush of a Niner
Thus far through 12 weeks of football this season the Niners running back Frank Gore has remained a relatively steady fantasy start for owners throughout, especially over the past month and a half (with the exception of his week 10 early exit). Last week the Niners starting ball carrier was limited to just 39 yards on the ground and 48 yards of offense overall, but that was facing the Baltimore Ravens number three ranked run defense (probably a game you may have considered sitting Gore).

Prior to that the former Miami Hurricane had been running extremely well topping the 100-yard rushing mark in 5 of his last 7 starts and scoring no fewer than 9 fantasy points in six of those games; standard scoring. Gore is the number six leading rusher in the NFL with 909 yards on the ground to go with his 101 receiving yards and 5 rushing touchdowns. He’s averaging a very nice 4.5 yards per carry and has shown great reliability with well over 200 touches this season and just two turnovers. On Sunday Gore will be showcasing his talents against the St. Louis Rams and their 32nd ranked run defense, that allow a league worst 159 yards on the ground.

My Analysis: Gore has been solid this season and on Sunday he has a fantastic matchup against the Rams. Quarterback Alex Smith has been a little shaky turning over the ball over lately with three of his five interceptions this season coming in the last three games. The Niners will likely stick with the ground assault against the league’s worst run defense. In his last two games against the Rams Gore has averaged 142 yards of offense, including 97 yards rushing; he also has three rushing touchdowns. Expect the trend to continue and look for a big game from Gore once again.


By David Ortega

FSH NOTEBOOK: DAVID'S DAILY DIGEST

December 1st, 2011 Thursday

David’s Daily Digest

Fantasy Notes:

Matthew Stafford: A Young Lion Ready to Roar
The past three weeks for quarterback Matt Stafford and the Lions have not been too kind; the team is 1-2 and Stafford has turned the ball over nine times. After staring out strong this season and coming off a three touchdown and no interception effort against the Broncos in week 8, Stafford has been inconsistent and unlucky. His accuracy may be in question, but with a 65% completion rate, it’s more about decision making than accuracy.

Stafford has also been playing with a fractured index finger on his throwing hand, so his nine picks and any inaccuracy from the pocket would be understandable (although he has refuted any notion). Whether is has been his hand or not, something has been wrong with Stafford as of late. Maybe it’s a confidence issue with some of his throws or lack of, but this Sunday night against the Saints it could all change.

Stafford will shed the protective glove and splint he has been wearing over the past several weeks and hoping to return closer to the form that has led him to 26 touchdowns and over 3,000 yards passing. In week 13 he faces a secondary ranked 27th against the pass and a defense that has also allowed 18 touchdowns to just six picks. With an array of weapons like Megatron, Pettigrew, Burleson, and Scheffler, Stafford could be looking at a huge night of passing with lots of success.

My analysis: The Saints defense played from in front most of Monday night allowing the Giants and quarterback Eli Manning to spray the ball around the field to the tune of 400 yards in the air. One thing to note is the defense also had to rely on a lot of blitzing to create pressure, something the Lions will surely be looking for. This Sunday night’s matchup is likely to take on the same look and could lead to a very big passing night for Stafford. The Lions, just like the Giants of late struggle with the ground game (ranked 22nd) and will rely heavily on attacking the Saints suspect secondary. Start Stafford with a lot of confidence.


By David Ortega

FSH NOTEBOOK: DAVID'S DAILY DIGEST

November 30th, 2011 Wednesday

David’s Daily Digest

Fantasy Notes:

ANDRE JOHNSON: To Start or Not-To Start
The Texans All-Pro receiver, Andre Johnson (knee) finally made his return to the field last Sunday against the Jaguars, after missing the past six games. His return was far from triumphant (just two catches for 22 yards), but it was a good sign for fantasy owners who will be hoping to see him return to form in week 14 (during the fantasy playoffs). That’s the good news.

The bad news for fantasy owners hoping to play Johnson now and into the playoffs; who will be under center for the Texans? Following their week 10 in over the Buccaneers, the Texans lost their starter Matt Schaub for the season with a foot injury and just when it looked “all systems go” with back up quarterback Matt Lienart under center, he went down in week 12 with a broken collarbone. Now the Texans are left with an inexperienced rookie quarterback at the helm.

We know that rookie T.J Yates (North Carolina) will be taking the snaps on Sunday, but what we don’t know is how this is going to impact the offense and the passing game for fantasy owners. For those of us that have been riding all season long without one of our biggest weapons (Johnson), we could be submitting our lineups on Sunday with one of our biggest guns firing blanks or will he.

I am always the optimist and when I consider how high I drafted Johnson back in August, I can’t imagine sitting him on Sunday and seeing my fantasy team go down without all of my best players. For some it may look like fantasy-suicide, but is it really. On Sunday when Yates entered the game Johnson had only been targeted just once, a play in the first half that was nullified because of a penalty. In the second half Yates would look for #80 three times connecting twice for 22 yards.

While these numbers are nowhere near staggering it should be mentioned also that the Texans where well in control leading 20-10 and did not have to lean much on the pass. So if you project these numbers some, if Yates had started the game and the Jaguars offense been a little more effective in the early going, Johnson may have had a chance to see as many as six to seven targets (maybe a couple more in the early going) throughout the game.

My Analysis: This Sunday’s matchup with the Falcons would appear to pit the Texans up against an offense that could force them to be a little less conservative and have to keep pace. I would not expect a shoot-out of any sort, but the Falcons will certainly be more capable of putting up more than 13 points. Yates is going to have to stand in the pocket and make some throws and from we saw in week 12, he is more than capable of finding AJ. I would not expect a big game necessarily from Johnson, but I would not be surprised to see as many as 7-9 targets would come mean a very decent fantasy out-put; especially with this fantasy beast. Start him!


By David Ortega

FSH NOTEBOOK: DAVID'S DAILY DIGEST

October 21st, 2011 Friday

David’s Daily Digest

Fantasy Notes:

Is it Tebow Time in Fantasy?
The consensus in Denver may suggest yes it is Tebow time, but if you are a fantasy owner with options you may want to steer the conservative route for the moment. After watching quarterback Tim Teebow inject some life into the Broncos offense two weeks ago, it’s not a long stretch to think he could have a big impact this week in Florida. There will be a lot of pressure going back to Florida so his passing numbers could suffer a bit, but he’s a gamer and will more than likely make it up with his legs. He’s probably better served on your bench for now, but if you had Kyle Orton and need a spark this week too, maybe it is Tebow time.

Carson Palmer unlikely to Start
After six months with a TV clicker in his hand it would be a stretch to expect quarterback Carson Palmer to walk right on the field and have a huge positive impact. This is likely why the Raiders appear to be pulling back the reigns a bit. The most recent update is suggesting that Palmer is not expected to start against the Chiefs on Sunday. This makes great sense with a week 8 bye coming up, the extra time would allow Palmer to get closer to football shape, learn the system and quickly develop some rapport with his receivers. He could be a good stash, but fantasy owners won’t likely see any return on this investment for several weeks.

Where does Brandon Lloyd rank now?
With Sam Bradford iffy for Sunday, I still wouldn’t worry too much about wide receiver Brandon Lloyd. The former Bronco is familiar with McDaniels system and should be on the field plenty against the Cowboys. The Rams aerial attacking has been lacking all season and Lloyd is definitely a huge upgrade. It’s a lot to ask for a huge game out of the gate, but Lloyd should be good for a decent outing and might even find the end-zone against the Cowboys secondary (especially if Bradford plays).

Is Kyle Boller Fantasy worthy?
There are too many available options ahead of Kyle Boller to consider if you need a quarterback this week in fantasy. With the Carson Palmer ERA on hold for the moment, the Raiders are going to try and not let Boller lose their matchup with Kansasy City this week, so they will likely be featuring a heavy-run game-plan. Running back Darren McFadden (must-start) and Michael Bush (a good flex option) should see plenty of action on Sunday.


By David Ortega

FSH NOTEBOOK: SUNDAY GAMETIME

October 16th, 2011 Sunday

Sunday Morning Gametime

My quick notes:

Who to Watch

The Falcons may get caught up in a shoot-out today, something they have not been proficient at this season, but I am expecting a more explosive team that we have yet to see. With their explosive rookie receiver Julio Jones OUT today, it will be a no-brainer for quarterback Matt Ryan to decide where to go with the ball; expect a big game from wide receiver Roddy White, 10+ targets today will net him some big numbers and lots of fantasy points.

The Cowboys wide receiver Miles Austin makes his return today against the Patriots and you have to love his matchup against the league’s worst secondary. Expect Romo to take a couple of shots deep to Austin and connect; Miles should be big today for fantasy owners.

With the Falcons and Panthers putting up huge numbers today, fantasy owners better keep their eyes on Panthers rookie quarterback Cam Newton and wide receiver Steve Smith. The Falcons have had their issues in the secondary and with pressure on the quarterback. Newton has been a fantasy beast this season and week six will prove to be no different. Smith will of course benefit greatly today from Cam’s success.


Who to Avoid

For most fantasy owners this may go without saying, but after coming off a very poor week five performance and loss the Bills, expect the Eagles defense to take out their frustrations on Redskins quarterback Rex Grossman. They may concede a few yards on the ground to the Redskins running game, but when they have their opportunities they will get to Grossman and force some mistakes.

The Colts backfield is in for a long day against one of the league’s stingiest defenses. The Bengals are ranked 7th against the run allowing just 3.2 yards per carry and today they could improve on both of those numbers; avoid running backs Delone Carter and Donald Brown. They won’t see a lot of opening or yards on the ground today.


My Picks Today

My “Four Horsemen”

I haven’t been having my best season thus far, but I am looking for week six to really get things turned around.

Tony Romo; win or lose today in Foxboro, the Cowboys gunslinger is going to put up some big numbers today against the league’s 32nd ranked pass defense. Romo will see the return of wide receiver Miles Austin and he’ll also have (TE) Jason Witten and (WR) Dez Bryant to throw to today.

Ryan Torain; the Eagles defense struggles with the ground game and could see a lot of Torain early and often. As long as the Redskins take care of the ball and keeps this close, Torain could see a hefty workload and some very good rushing numbers. He should make at least one trip to the house today.

Roddy White; the Falcons could be gearing up for a shoot-out today in the dome, something that will favor White fantasy owners. Roddy is averaging just 11 yards per catch and has just two scores; against the Panthers 14th ranked secondary expect those numbers to improve.

Aaron Hernandez; The Cowboys secondary is very thin and has been quite suspect this season ranked 13th against the pass. With receivers like Welker and Branch to contend with expect Brady to exploit matchups with his tight ends, especially Hernandez. The Patriots often like to split Hernandez wide and in the slot; he could be hugely effective in the red-zone today.