Author: TJ Streett

Stock Rising- DeAndre Hopkins

DeAndre Hopkins recorded 6 receptions on 11 targets for 69 receiving yards in week ten against the Arizona Cardinals.

Analysis: Hopkins is putting together a solid rookie campaign. He has five 60 plus receiving yard games thus far to go along with 2 touchdowns in nine games. Hopkins has 12 receptions on 21 targets for 199 receiving yards over his last three games. With Arian Foster out for the rest of the season Houston will pass a bit more which should translate into more targets and receptions for the former Clemson Tiger.

Hopkins isn’t a PPR stud nor will his touchdown production blow anyone away but he is on pace for nearly 1,000 yards. He makes a solid depth add when considering six teams still have bye weeks which include Philly, Cincy and Dallas. Hopkins is available in 30-50% of fantasy leagues.

Another player of note this week is James Jones. The Packers have problems at quarterback at the moment but Jones is worth stashing if he’s available. Jones caught 4 balls on 7 targets for 44 yards from two quarterbacks today and most importantly he looks healthy. Jones is available in 3-10% of fantasy leagues.

Selling High- Tavon Austin

Tavon Austin caught 2 receiving touchdowns and returned a punt for a touchdown Sunday afternoon against the Colts.

Analysis: There are tons of legitimate question marks regarding Tavon Austin’s fantasy value. Austin was targeted just 3 times Sunday and only 8 times in his last three games. Even fringe fantasy wide outs are getting more looks. With Kellen Clemens at quarterback the Rams are not a pass heavy team. The Rams have run the ball 24 more times than they have passed in Clemens’ last three starts. Even when the Rams aren’t pounding the rock Clemens is completing just 52% of his passes.

Tavon Austin may be the next big rookie playmaker but he simply will not get enough touches to be a reliable fantasy option. Austin’s 8 targets in his last three games are fewer targets than what Kendall Wright and Jarrett Boykin had in their games today.

Austin is available in 25-60% of fantasy leagues. His stock this year cannot get any higher and now is the time to sell high on the 5’8″ rookie who will have Kellen Clemens throwing him the ball the remainder of the season.

Streaming Defenses- Week 10

Week nine is officially over and now it’s time to take a look at our “team to stream” in week ten.

Analysis: The Tennessee Titans are at home this week against the lowly Jacksonville Jaguars. Chad Henne will continue to start at quarterback for the 0-8 Jags. Henne is sporting a 75.3 passer rating this year and has 5 interceptions to only 3 touchdowns. The Jacksonville offense did get a bit of life when Justin Blackmon returned from suspension but once again he is suspended and will enter a rehab facility for substance abuse.

The Jags are 32nd in the NFL in yards per game, 32nd in points per game(10.8), 27th in plays over forty yards and they have allowed the 6th most sacks. The Titans defense is pretty solid. They rank 9th in points per game against, 11th in yards allowed, 17th in sacks and 2nd in fumble recoveries. The Titans D/ST is available in 60-80% of fantasy leagues.

Another team to take a look at this week is the Miami defense against the Tampa Bay Bucs. Miami has played good defense in their last few games against solid offenses(CIN,NE) and rank 9th in interceptions and 10th in sacks. The Miami D is available in 80-90% of fantasy leagues.

Week 9 WR Recap

Keenan Allen and Riley Cooper had monster games in week nine but are they legit?

Analysis: Keenan Allen is quickly becoming a fantasy stud. He caught 8 balls on 11 targets for 128 yards and 1 touchdown Sunday afternoon against Washington. He now has three 100 plus receiving yard games in his last four games. Allen has 38 targets in that four game span and that many targets cannot be ignored. Allen’s fantasy availability is mixed, he’s available in 3-60% of fantasy leagues.

Riley Cooper scored 3 touchdowns Sunday in Oakland but he was only targeted 6 times. With Nick Foles now running the show in Philly maybe Cooper’s numbers will bump up consistently, but who knows? He’s worth a “stash and store” but he’s a better sell high option at this point. Cooper is available in 80-90% of fantasy leagues.

There was also a Dwayne Bowe sighting in week nine. He caught a season high 7 receptions on a healthy 12 targets for 67 yards. Bowe has just 2 touchdowns this year and zero games over 70 yards. He cannot be trusted but he is available in 4-15% of fantasy leagues.

NBA Week One Recap

Week one in the NBA is almost over and it did not come without surprises.

Analysis: Obviously Michael Carter-Williams, Trevor Ariza, DeAndre Jordan and Miles Plumlee are the hottest players on the wire. They are on fire right now and are unavailable in most leagues. Then you have the somewhat proven guys that received very little love in the draft that are playing well- JJ Hickson, JJ Redick, Iman Shumpert and Mario Chalmers. But the big surprise here is Vitor Faverani.

Faverani has 9 blocks and 21 rebounds through two games, averaging 32 minutes per contest. Faverani shot 59% from the field last  year for Valencia and was a 79% free throw shooter. He wasn’t much of a shot blocker but a 6’11” big with thirty plus minutes per game is bound is fill up the stat sheet. He is available in 93-99% of fantasy leagues.

Michael Kidd-Gilchrist is another player to watch. He’s not going to be that twenty point per game stud you want him to be but he will do the little things which include high percentage field goals and free throws. Thus far this season MKG is averaging 28 minutes per game. What that means is the rebounds, steals and blocks should be very respectable for a fantasy small forward. He is available in 75-85% of leagues.