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Joseph Hutchins | Archive | Email |
Staff Writer


The Shot Caller's Report - Quarterbacks
Your Guide To Fantasy Lineups: Week 5
10/2/14
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: Miami, Oakland

Ben Roethlisberger

Ben Roethlisberger: The Jags have given up the most fantasy points to quarterbacks through 4 weeks.


Grab a Helmet

Carson Palmer / Drew Stanton @ DEN: We’ve reached the quarter pole of the 2014 season and there are only two undefeated teams left in the NFL, neither of which has even played four games thanks to early bye weeks. One is Cincinnati. The other is Arizona. If you’ve been circling the sun longer than, oh, eight years, that should pretty much sum up how crazy these first four weeks have been. Palmer’s Cardinals probably won’t carry that unblemished record past Week 5, but they’re certainly good enough to go down swinging against a ticked off and well-rested Broncos team. Way back in Week 1, Andrew Luck lit Denver up to the tune of 370 yards, albeit in a losing effort. I have a sneaking suspicion Palmer or Stanton will similarly, be throwing a bunch on Sunday to keep up with Peyton Manning and Co. If he’s back under center Sunday, you use Palmer.

Ben Roethlisberger @ JAX: I disagreed with none other than our FF Today editor-in-chief about Roethlisberger’s prospects of finishing 2014 as a top 10 QB (I was bearish and he was bullish). So far, I’m winning the argument (he’s 13th), but that could change in a hurry when Big Ben takes on a Jacksonville pass defense that’s currently yielding over 29 fantasy points and about 321 yards per game to opposing passers. That sounds pretty bad, right? It’s way, way worse than it sounds. If the Jaguars continue surrendering yards at that ridiculous pace, they will obliterate the NFL record for most passing yards given up in a season (Green Bay in 2011 with 4,796). And if Roethlisberger’s not top 10 material after facing them and an almost-as-crummy Buccaneers pass defense, it might be time to start gloating. Take advantage of this veteran’s right wing while the getting’s still good.

Eli Manning v. ATL: We’re too quick to acclaim in this hyper-connected, media-saturated age, but we’re also too quick to condemn. After a Week 1 bomb and a follow-up dud against the Palmer-less Cards in Week 2, most had written Manning’s kid bro off completely. It’s barely two weeks later and the numbers, unequivocally, tell us rumors of his demise were greatly exaggerated. Eli’s thrown as many TD passes as Philip Rivers and Aaron Rodgers and he’s actually tallied more fantasy points than the Pack’s head cheese. Not that Rodgers should feel so bad. Only five quarterbacks HAVEN’T been outscored by the younger Manning through four weeks of action. He runs hotter and colder than the average NFL signal caller, granted, but I like his chances of besting an Atlanta secondary that’s yielding 276 passing yards/game and just allowed Teddy Bridgewater’s first career 300-yard outing…in Teddy Bridgewater’s first career start.

Grab a Clipboard

Teddy Bridgewater @ GB (Thursday): The good folks of Minneapolis/St. Paul are positively giddy about young Bridgewater and that’s really saying something when you consider A) he isn’t even certain to play Thursday night; B) he’s got exactly one career start under his belt; and C) the Vikes just lost the best running back in franchise history, probably forever. Talk about being too quick to proclaim someone the next big thing. Maybe Minnesotans are just desperate for good news after a couple weeks of really, really bad news. Bridgewater looked good, for sure, and certainly showed more than Matt Cassel or Christian Ponder have in many, many more opportunities. Nevertheless, let’s not discount whom he was facing and where. Playing the Falcons at home is a far cry from playing the opportunistic Pack at Lambeau. Even if he’s healthy, the matchup and condensed week of preparation should give you pause.

Andy Dalton @ NE or Tom Brady v. CIN: I called Dalton and Brady the two most disappointing QBs in last week’s Report and nothing’s happened since that makes me feel that was a particularly hasty judgment. Dalton didn’t play, of course, but Brady sure did and very poorly at that. Tom Terrific headed into the Monday night showdown at Arrowhead having scored an un-terrific 14.4 points per game and came out of that matchup averaging 13.8. I’ll wait while you do the math…. He’s now averaging fewer points per start than every other full-time QB in the league. Yup, that includes guys like Jake Locker (and Charlie Whitehurst), Josh McCown (before he got hurt), Austin Davis, and E.J. Manuel (before he got demoted). It’s a good thing Brady’s teammates defend the pass better than any other squad or the Pats would really be hurting. Don’t expect fireworks Sunday night.

Kirk Cousins v. SEA (Monday): Just to drive this whole rushing to judgment point home, I submit the curious case of Kirk Cousins. Exactly one week ago, Washington’s substitute signal caller was the toast of DC, having scorched the Eagles’ leaky secondary to the tune of 427 yards and three scores. Who needs RGIII when you’ve got this guy, right? Naturally, he followed that up with a disastrous 257-yard, four-pick effort against the G-Men just four days later. Whoops. Maybe we could make a guy string together a couple of good games before enshrining him in Canton? Next up is the defending Super Bowl champ Seahawks and the very best secondary in the league, one that’s had the added benefit of a bye week to break down tape of Cousins’ miserable performance. I’m guessing there were some stifled yawns or, worse, stifled laughter in Seattle’s film sessions this past week.

Running Backs