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Joseph Hutchins | Archive | Email |
Staff Writer


The Shot Caller's Report - Quarterbacks
Your Guide To Fantasy Lineups: Week 10
11/6/14
QBs | RBs | WRs

Nobody needs to be told starting Peyton Manning, Jamaal Charles, 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 Manning’s bye week? Let’s talk. Looking for solutions at running back because Charles 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 Jimmy Graham-RB-QB in your first three rounds? You get the idea. Past results may not guarantee future success, but ignoring them entirely can ruin your Sundays in a hurry (maybe even your Mondays and Thursdays). Read on for a little history and, hopefully, a little sage advice.

Note: Fantasy points based on FF Today’s standard scoring system.

Bye Weeks: Houston, Indianapolis, Minnesota, New England, San Diego, Washington

Jay Cutler

Jay Cutler had a modest showing against GB in Week 6 (256 yds, 2 TDs). He's 6th among QBs in FPts/G.


Grab a Helmet

Jay Cutler @ GB: Loyal readers know I’m not the biggest Jay Cutler fan in the world, but they may not know that wasn’t always the case. Back in 2008 – when I was taking an extended hiatus from Shot Caller duties – I drafted the Broncos’ emerging gunslinger in my most important league and put him to work. 4,500+ yards, 25 touchdowns, and 22.4 fantasy points per game later, he’d taken me to the brink of championship contention. I was officially a Jay Cutler fan. Alas, Denver’s shot callers weren’t. They dealt him to Lovie Smith’s Bears prior to the 2009 season, where he quickly became a sworn football enemy and a fantasy untouchable. Why am I telling you all this? Because Cutler, despite plenty of negative pub, is averaging 23.7 points per game this season, a career best. His struggles against the Pack notwithstanding, you’ve gotta start him Sunday night.

Zach Mettenberger @ BAL: The SEC rules the college football roost, but it sure isn’t because of hotshot, NFL-ready quarterback play. Since Cutler, a Vanderbilt alum, entered the league in 2006, only two SEC products, Matthew Stafford and Cam Newton, have managed to secure starting QB positions for an extended period of time (Ryan Tannehill doesn’t count because A&M wasn’t a league member when he attended). Mettenberger could, in theory, become the third despite, oddly enough, being drafted behind three other SEC triggermen in April’s draft (Johnny Football, Aaron Murray, and A.J. McCarron). Will he? I doubt it (inaccurate, bad feet, questionable ‘tude), but he’s got a cannon for an arm and some weapons to work with in the Music City. Plus, he’ll be playing from behind a lot. If you’re desperate, the bigger/slower version of Jake Locker may just see you through against a Baltimore secondary that’s in disarray.

Mark Sanchez v. CAR (Monday): I attempted to put Sanchez on your long-range radar way back in August, suggesting he might become really valuable somewhere down the line should Nick Foles succumb to injury. Week 10 is officially “somewhere down the line.” With three of the top five QB producers on bye, Foles likely out for the year, and Tony Romo in danger of missing his London start vs. Jacksonville, fantasy GMs everywhere are scrambling for help under center. Beat your league mates to Sanchez and you may just position yourself for a deep playoff run. While everyone zigged on the former Jet this off-season (too inaccurate, too error-prone), Chip Kelly zagged, still enamored of the five-star prospect he’d been distantly tracking for a decade. I don’t know about you, but I like doing what the iconoclastic Kelly does…and I’ve got a sizeable dent in my FAAB to prove it.

Grab a Clipboard

Austin Davis @ ARZ: You’ve already guessed Kelly’s my favorite NFL coach, but I can’t publicly confirm that as a Packers shareholder (awkward), so let’s just say this: He’s ONE of my very favorites. You know who else is? Jeff Fisher. Despite that USC pedigree (yuck!), he’s got a refreshing sense of humor, a world class moustache, and gets more out of his players than any other coach in the league. How else do you explain this decimated Rams team – missing its best defender (Chris Long), its best WR (Brian Quick), and its franchise QB (Sam Bradford) – hanging divisional losses on two championship contenders in the span of three weeks? It sure isn’t because Austin Davis is a great quarterback. Give Coach Fisher credit where it’s due, but avoid employing his players. They simply aren’t that good and a trip to the desert isn’t the picnic it used to be.

Ryan Tannehill @ DET: Tannehill’s been on quite the tear (25.4 points/game) since Coach Philbin stubbornly refused to endorse him prior to Week 4. His completion percentage is way up (68.8%), he’s using his legs more frequently/consistently (about 45 rushing yards per), and the Fish are winning ballgames (four out of their last five). In other words, everything’s hunky dory in South Florida and this seems like an odd time to be recommending a leap off the Tannehill gravy train. I don’t disagree, but I also know that nobody’s ever as good as they appear (see Peyton Manning v. NE) and nobody’s ever as bad as they appear (except Geno Smith). Put another way, Tannehill seems to have caught several struggling squads in a row, but now draws a well-rested and exceedingly stingy Detroit defense in a hostile environment. Expect a regression to the mean at Ford Field this Sunday.

Josh McCown v. ATL: I’ve offered up some desperation options for you this weekend and I really think they have the potential to bear fruit. Nobody’s this desperate, however, except (apparently) the Buccaneers. Seriously, Lovie Smith? Josh McCown gives you the best chance to win a ballgame? I’m highly dubious of that, though it’s definitely a plus matchup, and highly suspicious of the team’s motives. If they’ve decided Glennon’s not the long-term answer (they have) and that McCown’s merely a middle-aged stopgap (he is), could Tampa Bay secretly be hoping for a 1-15 finish and a legit shot at the best QB prospect in the 2015 draft? As a gigantic fan of said prospect, I’ll only say this: The Bucs are a lot closer to being competitive/relevant than the Raiders, Jags, or Jets are. I guess that means I fully support their decision to “suck for the Duck.” GO DUCKS!!!

Running Backs