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 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 
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