|
Bye Weeks: Atlanta, Miami
Grab a Helmet
Pierre
Thomas @ NE: Fantasy pundits were understandably skeptical
of Thomas’ Week 5 explosion against Chicago (21.1 points),
an anomalous effort that seems unlikely to be repeated in the
weeks to come. Fair enough. Can we at least entertain the possibility
that he may become a legitimate double-digit threat in the near
term and possibly for the rest of the season? He’s certainly
produced that kind of consistency in the past (most recently in
2011 with six double-digit days) and there was plenty of competition
then (Darren Sproles and Mark Ingram). Now that Ingram’s
out, the lion’s share of the Saints’ rushing work
should land in Thomas’ lap. Moreover, he’s a better-than-you-think
receiver who’s commanded only one less target than Sproles
– inarguably the best receiving RB in the league –
through the season’s first five weeks. Reconsider your position
on Pierre Thomas lest you miss out on some sneaky production.
The Broncos will get to showcase their
running game this week.
Knowshon
Moreno or Ronnie
Hillman v. JAX: I do love a double-digit dog in the NFL,
but you’d have to be pretty nervy to bet into this current Broncos
juggernaut. Denver’s been installed as almost four-touchdown favorites
this coming Sunday against the Jags, a record-setting spread, and
there’s simply no reason to think the final margin won’t be somewhere
in that neighborhood. If it is, the Bronco running backs will probably
see plenty of opportunities. Knowshon Moreno’s an automatic start
at this point, but in a game that gets out of hand fast, the versatile
Ronnie Hillman should probably be considered a reasonably good RB2
option, as well. Heck, even the seemingly forgotten Montee Ball
could get an extended look this weekend, though I wouldn’t bet my
own fantasy matchups on it. They’re versatile, they play in the
best offense, and they’re playing against a terrible Jacksonville
squad. Sign me up.
Giovani
Bernard @ BUF: Cincinnati is smartly limiting touches for Bernard,
a dazzlingly athletic back who, nonetheless, doesn’t possess great
size and would likely get beat up if he touched it 25 times a game.
15 seems to be the number the Bengals have settled upon of late
and the Law Firm gets the rest, creating what amounts to a 55/45
split in the Cincy backfield. Despite only half the work, Bernard
is averaging a stellar 10.4 points/game, making him the 20th most
valuable player at the position. Only Darren Sproles, in fact, has
fewer touches amongst top 20 running backs. You may curse the opportunities
Bernard bleeds to BJGE, but if you’re honest about what he is (a
highly efficient RB2 option who carries a much lower risk of injury),
I’m sure you’ll understand why he belongs in your starting lineup
most every week and not on your bench.
Grab a Gatorade
Da’Rel
Scott, Brandon
Jacobs @ CHI: You think David Wilson wants to press
Ctrl+Alt+Del on his brief professional career? He finally found
paydirt after a brutal first month of the season and then suffered
a neck injury, causing him to miss the final three quarters of
last Sunday’s contest and also this Thursday’s game. Truthfully,
the entire Giants team could probably use a reboot at this point,
especially after getting drilled at home by a similarly struggling
Eagles squad forced to use backup Nick Foles for half the game
when Michael Vick also succumbed to injury (bad hammy). This is
what rock bottom looks like, New York, and it isn’t likely to
get better until the defense is able to keep opposing offenses
out of the end zone. If there’s one silver lining, it’s this:
You’re only two games out of first place in the NFC East. Wilson
et al. may rebound at some point, but waiting for that to happen
seems prudent.
Chris
Johnson @ SEA: If the extent of your fantasy research consists
of poring over box scores on Monday morning, you’re likely to
have a higher opinion of Johnson than you should. On a play that
wasn’t even designed for him, the Titans’ meal ticket snatched
an improvised shovel pass from Ryan Fitzpatrick last Sunday and
slalomed through traffic for a 49-yard score against the Chiefs,
his very first six-pointer of the season. The rest of the afternoon,
he accounted for just 31 yards (17 rushing), the exact same total
he accumulated against the Jets a week prior. That’s about 40
fewer yards than his own backup has gained in that same stretch,
by the way, a troubling sign with the big, bad (and probably angry)
Seahawks on tap. Chris Johnson says he hates fantasy football.
It’s gonna hate him right back this Sunday in Seattle.
Eddie
Lacy @ BAL: Lacy was back on the field against Detroit and,
rather than ease him back into the Green Bay groove, Coach McCarthy
used the rookie extensively in what turned out to be a dull, low-scoring
affair. The Bama product toted the rock 23 times versus the Lions
and just barely failed to trigger century-mark bonuses with a
healthy 99-yard output. He doesn’t get close to that this
weekend, unfortunately, unless something unusual happens. The
Ravens are currently the second stingiest run defense from a fantasy
perspective (11.9 pts/game yielded to opposing backs) and haven’t
allowed anyone to top the 100-yard mark. And it’s not exactly
like they’ve been facing scrubs. Arian Foster, C.J. Spiller,
Trent Richardson, and Knowshon Moreno, and Lamar Miller are the
five main men they’ve faced to start the season. Not one
of them has topped eight points. Lacy’s not in the same
class just yet, so do the right thing.
Wide Receivers 
|
