Nobody needs to be told
starting Aaron Rodgers, Adrian Peterson, or Calvin Johnson is
a good idea. Duh, right? You can’t have studs at every position,
though, unless you’re in the shallowest of leagues. This
is where the Shot Caller comes in. Need help deciding which bargain
basement QB to use and which to ignore on Rodgers’ bye week?
Let’s talk. Looking for solutions at running back because
Peterson is a game-time decision? Look no further. Need to know
which of your unproven targets to start and which to sit since
you ignored Megatron and went RB-QB-Jimmy Graham in your first
three rounds? I’m your huckleberry. Past results may not
guarantee future success, but I believe ignoring them entirely
can ruin your Sundays in a hurry. Read on for a little history
and, hopefully, a little sage advice..
Note: Fantasy points
based on FF Today’s default scoring system.
Bye Weeks: Baltimore, Chicago,
Houston, Indianapolis, San Diego, Tennessee
Grab a Helmet
Robert
Griffin III @ DEN: An exact body count hasn’t been confirmed
yet, but we know this much about the Week 7 carnage: It was extensive
and couldn’t possibly have come at a worse time. Week 8’s slate
is one of the lightest of the season, meaning fantasy GMs will
be scrambling to fill sudden vacancies with a dangerously shallow
pool of free agents. Kinda makes you appreciate a guy like RGIII,
doesn’t it? Despite all the consternation about his reconstructed
knee, Griffin has missed only one regular season game since he
entered the league (Week 17 of last year). Unless your championship
is played very late, that means you’ve never had to worry about
him missing a scheduled start. He’s been a little more error-prone
this year and less successful, sure, but he’s still a top 10 QB
(23.8 points/game) and only Dallas has been worse against opposing
QBs than Denver.
It's all about matchups and Eli has a good
one against the Eagles.
Eli
Manning @ PHI: Peyton’s kid brother has been quite a bit more
error-prone and a whole lot less successful than RGIII thus far.
He’s thrown a league-leading 15 interceptions already and was only
this past Monday able to steer the Giants to their first victory
of the season. It would stand to reason you should be wary of him,
then, correct? Well, yes and no. He’s currently on pace to throw
34 picks, a pace that would put him in historic company (only George
Blanda, Vinny Testaverde, and Frank Tripucka have thrown more in
a season) and could, theoretically, earn him the hook at some point.
On the other hand, he’s still a two-time Super Bowl MVP who’s also
on pace to best his career average for fantasy points/game, despite
the copious turnovers. He notched 24.7 in his last outing against
Philly (just three weeks ago), so hang in there with Eli for now.
Colin
Kaepernick v. JAX (in London): San Francisco’s seeming experiment
to turn Colin Kaepernick into a pocket quarterback was mercifully
suspended last Sunday in Tennessee, meaning we finally got a glimpse
of the dual-threat dynamo we thought we were getting when the season
began. Kap ran the zone read extensively in the victory over the
Titans and, as a result, tallied 68 yards and his first rushing
TD of 2013. That’s five more rushing yards and one more score than
he’d tallied in the previous four games combined. It’s unclear what
caused Coach Harbaugh and Co. to steer away from this fruitful wrinkle
(fear of injury, anticipation of defensive adjustments), but we
can only hope those concerns have been permanently alleviated. The
Niners draw Jacksonville next, one of the worst NFL teams in a generation,
and Kaepernick could be in line for a very big day if given license
to ramble.
Grab a Clipboard
Mike
Glennon v. CAR: Tampa’s falling out with Josh Freeman is still
the hot topic at One Buccaneer Place, meaning Glennon’s OJT as
the team’s new signal caller has been only lightly discussed so
far. That’s kind of a shame, actually, because the kid hasn’t
been too bad. After a predictably rough debut against Arizona
in Week 4, Glennon settled down for two near identical performances
in Weeks 5 and 6 (26 completions and two TD strikes against both
Philly and Atlanta) and now sets his sights on division rival
Carolina in Thursday’s primetime matchup. So much for flying under
the radar, huh? Good or bad, Glennon’s gonna have the spotlight
all to himself against the Panthers. My guess is he’ll be longing
for sweet anonymity after Carolina’s elite defenders have their
way with him and the Tampa offense. Keep Glennon in your long-range
plans but forget about him in Week 8.
Jason
Campbell @ KC: If you’ve read this far, you’ve obviously pardoned
me for recommending Brandon Weeden against the Pack last Sunday.
That or you happened to miss last week’s column and still harbor
delusions I occasionally know what I’m talking about. I do, for
the record (key word: “occasionally”), but that definitely wasn’t
my finest hour. Weeden was an abomination in Week 7, completing
just 17 of 42 passes against Green Bay’s below-average secondary
for 149 yards, a score, a pick, and one signature under-handed
fling that has come to symbolize his brief career as a failed
starter. Next up for Cleveland is…the guy who wasn’t good enough
to beat out Weeden OR get promoted when he initially succumbed
to injury back in September. Yeesh. Campbell may be the last man
standing for the Browns, but that’s only because he hasn’t had
a chance to stink or get hurt yet. Ignore him completely.
Kellen
Clemens v. SEA: The Duck fan in me wants to believe Clemens
– an Oregon alum/native from the tiny community of Burns
– will rise and shine in the Monday night spotlight against
Seattle’s vaunted Seahawks. The realist in me knows he isn’t
going to. If you’re not familiar with Clemens’ NFL
oeuvre, here’s what you need to know: 1) He’s started
12 games in seven seasons, winning only 4 of them; 2) He’s
never thrown for 300 yards in a game; and 3) He’s never
thrown for more than one TD in a game. If those numbers aren’t
uninspiring enough, consider the outfit Clemens will be trying
to best on Monday. Seattle’s defense has already tallied
11 picks this year (second in the league) and 23 sacks (tied for
fourth) and is also limiting opposing QBs to just 6.2 yards per
pass attempt (second). Clemens and a hobbled St. Louis O v. Richard
Sherman and Seattle’s wicked D = epic mismatch.
Running Backs 
|
