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Kirk Hollis | Archive | Email |  
Staff Writer


Tuesday Morning Buzz
Week 9 Fantasy Football Recap
11/4/14


Did you survive the first of two brutal weeks of byes? Here’s hoping that you had guys like Ryan Tannehill, Jeremy Hill, and Mike Evans filling in the blanks for you. Six teams off means each game is more important from a fantasy-relevant standpoint, so let’s get right to this week’s action as it unfolded…

New Orleans @ Carolina
This is not the same Mark Ingram that played for the Saints the past few seasons. After 30 carries for 100 yards and two more TDs, it’s safe to say that Ingram is a borderline RB1 moving forward even when Khiry Robinson and Pierre Thomas get back on the field. The Saints have started winning again and it’s no coincidence as to why. The painful watch of the week goes out to Kelvin Benjamin owners who saw double-digit targets for their guy, but only 2 catches, 18 yards, and a couple of dropped TDs. Benjamin appears to have the talent necessary for stardom in the NFL and in fantasy realms, but Cam Newton has clearly regressed this season and he and Benjamin weren’t on the same page Thursday night.

San Diego @ Miami
What is there to say after a beat-down like this one? The Dolphins dominated this game from start to finish and turned guys who started Philip Rivers into likely losers on Sunday. Rivers’ totals (138 yards passing, 3 INTs) were shocking and one can only deduce that A) the Chargers are losing steam, and B) the Dolphins’ defense is really good. Their offense wasn’t too bad either as Ryan Tannehill put up 30 points in most scoring formats and threw touchdowns to three different receivers (Charles Clay, Jarvis Landry, & Rishard Matthews). That meant a quiet day for Mike Wallace, but Tannehill’s progression is still good for Wallace owners in the long run. The Branden Oliver bandwagon is falling apart meanwhile; Ryan Mathews looks set to regain his starting role in Week 11.

Jeremy Hill

Dynamite sub: Jeremy Hill led all fantasy running backs in Week 9 with 154 yards and two touchdowns.

Jacksonville @ Cincinnati
Imagine the Sunday afternoon for the guy who faced Jeremy Hill in their opposing fantasy lineup. Hill injures his knee early in the game. This is usually the kiss of death for one’s fantasy prospects. So, you run an errand…maybe get a quick bite to eat…and you return to find that not only did Hill make his way back onto the field…he actually ran for 154 yards and 2 TDs. If you’re a Hill owner, the story is reversed of course. Either way, Hill was one of the stars of the day and should continue to be as long as Giovani Bernard is sidelined. Nice to see A.J. Green back in this game and nice to see that Green’s presence seems to have little bearing on Mohamed Sanu’s production (95 yards receiving, 1 TD). For Jacksonville, Week 1 Allen Hurns showed up again while Denard Robinson continues to be the real deal at running back (104 total yards, 1 TD).

Tampa Bay @ Cleveland
Exhibit A that we at the Buzz get it wrong sometimes and things in the NFL turn on a dime: It was said here several weeks ago that the Browns could run on anybody. Tampa Bay isn’t just anybody. They’re a bad version of anybody. It should have been a great matchup for Ben Tate and Terrance West…but it wasn’t. In fact, the Browns gained 50 yards rushing on 28 carries. It’s a good thing Brian Hoyer threw for 300 yards and a couple of TDs. The fantasy star of this game, though, was on the other side of the ball as rookie Mike Evans staked his claim amongst the rookie WR standouts for 2014 with 7 catches, 124 yards receiving, and 2 TDs. This has quietly been one of the best rookie wide receiver classes in some time with Evans joining Watkins, Benjamin, Cooks, and the previously mentioned Hurns in that discussion.

NY Jets @ Kansas City
Not sure anyone on Sunday was more disappointed than Chris Ivory owners who saw their guy get fewer carries than Chris Johnson (11-8) and barely more carries than Bilal Powell. The Jets’ backfield now seems like a situation to avoid for fantasy purposes for the foreseeable future. In Kansas City, Jamaal Charles and Travis Kelce (67 yards receiving, 1 TD) continue to be consistent with respect to production while you could do worse than Alex Smith as a fill-in next week for a Luck, Brady, or Rivers. The one positive for the Jets came in garbage time as Percy Harvin piled up 129 yards receiving on 11 catches. Maybe the Jets are going to help him find his happy place after all.

Arizona @ Dallas
Exhibit B that we at the Buzz get it wrong sometimes and things in the NFL turn on a dime: It was said last week that Dallas’s offense appeared to function just as well with Brandon Weeden at quarterback as it did with Tony Romo. Umm…no. The value of the Cowboys’ skill position players cratered in this one, and before you give Arizona credit for that, consider that the Arizona pass defense ranked No. 31 in the league in terms of yardage allowed coming into this game. Arizona, meanwhile, continues to win by stopping the run, running the ball well (Andre Ellington is quietly having a terrific season), and converting on third downs. While Michael Floyd and Larry Fitzgerald owners continue to be disappointed more weeks than not, Ellington has now totaled nearly 900 yards from scrimmage through eight games and has been targeted 47 times in the passing game, catching 32. He’s a PPR star.

Washington @ Minnesota
The return of Robert Griffin III meant improved numbers for Alfred Morris (109 total yards, 2 TDs) as some predicted and continued bad numbers for Pierre Garcon (3 catches, 15 yards). Garcon just doesn’t have a role in this new Redskins offense, while DeSean Jackson is excelling (120 yards, 1 TD) in it. Perhaps the most frustrating scenario of the week came from this game as Jerick McKinnon owners pulled out their hair watching Matt Asiata steal not one, not two, but THREE rushing touchdowns from the supposed “lead runner” on this team. I guess it’s McKinnon’s job between the 20s and Asiata’s job in the red zone. Both teams now exit stage left on a bye week. Aside from Morris and Jackson, few players on these teams will be missed next week.

Philadelphia @ Houston
A lot to digest from this game - a LOT. First, Jeremy Maclin’s year continues to be astounding on many levels. Maclin topped 150 yards receiving for the third time this season and now has 8 TDs through 8 games. There’s a good chance you’ve won the past two weeks if he had Maclin in your starting lineup. Second, Arian Foster had another very good game, but got injured in the third quarter and never returned. That could be potentially huge news as if you have Foster, you’re probably right in the thick of the playoff chase in your league. Third, Nick Foles went down with a broken collarbone and could be out 4-6 weeks…or longer. Whether that’s good or bad for Maclin remains to be seen. We here at the Buzz think it’s actually good for LeSean McCoy owners as he’ll be leaned on heavily with Foles out. Finally, the changing of the guard continued at wide receiver for the Texans as DeAndre Hopkins did 17x better than Andre Johnson in terms of non-PPR fantasy points scored.

St. Louis @ San Francisco
Not much offense in this game aside from a solid effort by Anquan Boldin (6 rec, 93 yards, 1 TD). There are a lot of mouths to feed in San Francisco and at the moment, Boldin is getting the most food, but there’s no guarantee that will continue. Vernon Davis continues to be a non-factor for fantasy purposes and Michael Crabtree isn’t much better. St. Louis, meanwhile, isn’t a place you want to turn for help for your team down the stretch. Injuries have hurt this offense tremendously and if you thought Jared Cook might be a sneaky fill-in start for your “regular” guy yesterday, you guessed wrong (2 catches, 12 yards). Neither of these team did much yesterday to inspire productive confidence moving forward.

Denver @ New England
When I first heard about all the snow and high winds early Sunday afternoon, I thought the forecast of a shoot-out was going to be off. Then, they cleared the field and usual characters showed up with Tom Brady’s star shining brightest. 300-plus yard days with multiple TDs is becoming the norm for Brady who does not resemble in any way the guy from September. Rob Gronkowski (9 rec, 105 yards receiving, 1 TD) is resembling the Gronkowski that dominated the fantasy football landscape just a couple of years ago, and Julian Edelman (2 TDs) showed he’s not ready to bow out of rotation at wide receiver as well. In short, the game was an offensive clinic for a team that’s come full circle. Denver had its share of scorers, too (Manning, Hillman, Sanders, D. Thomas), but in the end, this was more about the continued renaissance in New England than anything else.

Oakland @ Seattle
Seattle got back to what it does best yesterday…that is, give Marshawn Lynch a boat-load of touches and ride him to victory. Lynch touched the ball 26 times and gained 143 yards to go with 2 TDs to register his best game since September. Unfortunately for Russell Wilson owners, Lynch’s success and Wilson’s success, fantasy-wise, appear mutually exclusive. If Seattle is going to ride Lynch like they did on Sunday in the weeks to come, Russell Wilson is only a borderline fantasy starter at best. Aside from Lynch, there weren’t many notable performances in this game. Seattle has no other players worth starting consideration in fantasy football right now and Oakland’s only bright spot was a 2-TD game from Mychal Rivera. I guess if you’re desperate for a tight end down the stretch, Rivera might be worth a flier…

Baltimore @ Pittsburgh
How do you explain what Ben Roethlisberger has done the past two weeks? Sports radio shows spent most of Monday trying to do just that. It appears to defy logic, but in truth, Big Ben has one of the top 2-3 wide receivers in all of football (Antonio Brown) and has two other emerging targets (Martavis Bryant & Markus Wheaton) forcing defenses to play deep. Add in one of the best receiving running backs in the game in Le’Veon Bell and you’ve got a perfect storm of production and efficiency. Roethlisberger should be starting in lineups for the remainder of the year as his 12 TDs in the past two games demonstrates what he’s capable of with a full arsenal of weapons around him. For Baltimore, the slow fade that is Steve Smith (Senior?) continued with only 36 yards receiving. He won you some games early in the year. He won’t be winning you any more.

Indianapolis @ NY Giants
It was a tale of two games in the Meadowlands last night. The opening act lasted three quarters and consisted of Andrew Luck carving up the Giants to the tune of 354 yards passing and 4 TDs, all of which went to a different receiver. The second or closing act consisted of lots and lots of fourth quarter “garbage” points for Giants players with Eli Manning (359 yards passing, 2 TDs) and Odell Beckham, Jr. (8 rec., 156 yards) being the primary beneficiaries. The two quarterbacks in the game combined for 98 passing attempts, underscoring what a different league the NFL is now as compared to even ten years ago. One thing that is for certain: There will be a lot of Colts players missed next week. Luck is getting a whole host of skill position players involved in his brilliance and the result has been fantasy nirvana.

That’s the Buzz for Week Nine. Thanks for all the feedback I’ve been getting on the article from week-to-week. It’s nice to know that many find it informative, helpful, and/or just fun. We aim to please. Until next week…