Author: TJ Streett

Forte Out, Barber In

Chicago running back Matt Forte sprained his right MCL Sunday in a loss to the Kansas City Chiefs. Forte is expected to miss two to four weeks which will leave fantasy owners scrambling for a replacement.

Analysis: Marion Barber carried the rock thirteen times Sunday against the Chiefs. Although he only managed forty-four rushing yards, his fantasy outlook going forward looks solid. He now has double digit carries in back to back weeks and four in nine games this year. He also has a surprising five touchdowns in those nine games and expect more over the next few weeks. He definitely isn’t a threat to catch the ball but he should have even more of a monopoly on the rock in goal line situations.

Other possible replacements don’t make as much sense nor do they have the touchdown potential of Marion Barber. Kansas City’s Thomas Jones has carried the ball twenty-nine times in his past two contests but he only has seventy-three yards to show for it. Donald Brown is still widely available and he has at least fourteen carries in four consecutive games.

Blake Wheeler Is Heating Up

Winnipeg right winger Blake Wheeler has been a top fifty fantasy player over the last two weeks.

Analysis: Blake Wheeler has been huge for the Jets over the past few weeks and a few fantasy owners are taking notice. Wheeler has amassed five assists, two goals and a plus six rating in his last seven games. Throw in sixteen shots in that seven game span and you have yourself one hot forward. Despite his recent hot streak he is still available in about seventy percent of fantasy hockey leagues and not many people are giving him much attention.

It feels like Wheeler has been around forever but he is just twenty-five years old. He had an excellent rookie season with twenty- one goals but he has yet to play up to his top five pick potential until recently. Since he is so widely available it cannot hurt to add Wheeler and see how long it lasts. He has been getting some serious minutes as of late and he has always been a solid plus/minus guy. It just may be his break out year and now is the time to pick him up.

Williams, Ingram, Branch Available

Tampa’s Mike Williams along with Mark Ingram and Deion Branch are still available in a small percentage of fantasy leagues. These three guys are all must owns in all formats.

Analysis: Tampa’s Mike Williams has not been the touchdown machine he was last year, but as of late he has been special. Williams now has back to back eighty plus yard games and he has scored in both contests. Tack on twenty-two targets in those two games and you have yourself a WR2(again) available in ten percent of ESPN and ten percent of CBS leagues.

Mark Ingram is coming off of a thirteen carry, eighty yard performance against the Giants in week twelve. Ingram now has four touchdowns in nine games played this year, that’s pretty good. Ingram is available in seven percent of ESPN and ten percent of CBS leagues. Whether he is a RB3/Flex option or just another depth back… he should be owned.

Deion Branch is another interesting case. I find it hard to believe that a wide out with four touchdowns and 628 receiving yards(22nd among NFL wide outs) is still available in eighteen percent of ESPN leagues and six percent of CBS leagues. There is plenty of talent available on the wire regardless of league format. These three playmakers are just a small sample of what is out there for you.

Week Thirteen Defenses- New England

The New England Patriot defense has struggled at times this year but they have been playing well as of late.

Analysis: After great fantasy performances against the New York Jets and the Kansas City Chiefs, the Eagles torched (from a fantasy perspective) the Patriots in week twelve. The Patriot D is owned in a little more than half of fantasy leagues nationwide and now is the time to pick them up. New England hosts the Colts in week thirteen and it could not get any better. Expect the Colts to trail early and expect the Patriots to get their fair share of sacks and interceptions. The Pats are scoring the third most points in the NFL while the Colts are thirtieth in scoring offense.

The Colts haven’t scored more than nineteen points in a game since week five. Curtis Painter’s passer rating is now 66.6 and with nine picks on the year we shouldn’t expect much from the backup. Painter has also been sacked sixteen times in eight games started and he has also fumbled five times, losing three. In short, this is another great week to stream a defense against a winless Indy squad.

Donald Brown Is Available

With another fine rushing performance against the Panthers Sunday, Donald Brown is quietly putting together a solid four weeks of fantasy numbers.

Analysis: Although the Colts are awful, Donald Brown has been relatively impressive recently. Brown rushed for eighty yards on fourteen carries with a score Sunday. Brown now has double digit carries in his last four games with two scores. On the other side of the coin, Joseph Addai only managed seven carries for twenty-three yards against Carolina in his first game back from a hamstring injury.

As of Sunday, Brown is only owned in about ten percent of fantasy leagues. Backs who are this fresh this deep into a season who are getting double digit carries need to be seriously considered. He may be a fringe RB3/FLEX play but he is certainly worth owning at the moment. Meanwhile, Joseph Addai looked old and slow in the first quarter on Sunday. Donald Brown is the hot hand in Indy and in standard leagues we may not have seen his peak in terms of numbers this year.

Keep expecting double digit carries going forward from Donald Brown while Joseph Addai continues to look fifty-six years old in running back years. Brown is widely available and the touches are there.