Category: NFL

Streaming Defenses- Week 12

The St. Louis Rams have a favorable match-up with the Arizona Cardinals in week twelve.

Analysis: The Arizona Cardinals only managed to put up a measly 19 points on the Atlanta Falcons despite forcing SIX turnovers. If you cannot light up the scoreboard after forcing six turnovers chances are your offense is ridiculously awful. The Arizona offense ranks 31st in total yards per game, 26th in passing yards and have allowed a league high 44 sacks. The Cardinals have not scored more than 19 points in their last six games which coincides with their six game losing streak. This is clearly a recipe for disaster.

When the Cardinals and Rams met in week five the Cardinals only managed 3 points and the Rams had 9 sacks. These trends do not show any signs of changing as we head into week twelve and fortunately the Rams D is available in eighty percent of leagues. The St. Louis defense is 7th in the NFL in sacks, 9th in forced fumbles and 11th in yards per game. Week twelve appears to be another solid week for streaming defenses.

Last Call On Danny Amendola

Danny Amendola is once again racking up the receptions as he continues to put up huge numbers since his return from a clavicle/joint injury.

Analysis: Danny Amendola is up to his old tricks going for 7 receptions on 11 targets and 41 yards Sunday against the New York Jets. This now gives Amendola 18 receptions on 23 targets in two games since his return. Amendola is only owned in eighty percent of leagues despite another huge game Sunday. He does have value in standard formats as a WR3 with huge upside when considering the amount of targets he gets. He may not be a touchdown machine but when healthy he does put up a decent amount of yards and his upside really cannot be ignored. As a side note- Marques Colston was only targeted 6 times Sunday, Torrey Smith 7 times, but they score consistently unlike Amendola.

Another wide out that has been catching tons of balls that is not universally owned is Anquan Boldin. Boldin has 17 receptions on 22 targets over his last three games to Torrey Smith’s 7 receptions on 22 targets. Obviously Smith is a big play guy but Boldin has sneaky good value in PPR leagues as of late.

T. Y. Hilton Is Emerging

T. Y. Hilton caught six balls for 100 receiving yards and two touchdowns Sunday against the New England Patriots. It is the rookie’s third 100 yard game of the 2012 NFL season.

Analysis: T. Y. Hilton now has two 100 plus yard receiving games in his last three games as he emerges as one of Andrew Luck’s favorite targets in Indy. Hilton was targeted nine times Sunday and has twenty-one targets in his previous three games. He may not be a reliable must start type of receiver but his numbers cannot go unnoticed.

The Colts attempt forty passes per game so we know Hilton will get his fair share of targets. He’s available in over ninety percent of leagues but his stock is on the rise. With Donnie Avery’s concussion in week eleven it opens the door for Hilton to put up some solid numbers. Keep in mind that Indy does play Houston twice and Detroit so we can expect plenty of passing attempts the rest of the season.

Other widely available players that seem to be emerging include Davone Bess(more consistent) and Marcel Reece(PPR stud).

Streaming Defenses- Week 11

The Cincinnati Bengals are on the road in week eleven as they take on the lowly Kansas City Chiefs.

Analysis: This is one really good match-up this week for the Cincinnati Bengals. They played extremely well against the New York Giants in week ten and  show no signs of slowing down against one awful Kansas City squad this coming week. The Bengal D is not an elite unit but they do rank well in some key defensive categories this year. They rank 19th in total yards allowed, 8th in forced fumbles, 5th in fumble recoveries, 4th in sacks and 18th in interceptions.

When you contrast those numbers to Kansas City you find yourself very confident in the stream this week. Kansas City’s offense ranks 30th in points per game, 32nd in turnover margin and 1st in interceptions thrown… it really is a no brainer this week. The Cincinnati defense is available in over eighty percent of leagues but they will be a hot unit to pick up this week.

Carson Palmer Is Streaking

Carson Palmer is still available in one-third of fantasy leagues as he continues to rack up the numbers.

Analysis: The Raiders may have been thumped in week ten but Carson Palmer continues to light up the fantasy scoreboard. He’s now passed for 6 touchdowns and 782 passing yards over the past two games. He put up 368 yards and two scores against Baltimore Sunday and now has the Saints in week eleven. The Saints can score in bunches so expect Palmer to be airing it out as the Oakland defense continues to struggle.

Palmer now ranks 3rd in the NFL in passing yards, 10th in touchdown passes and 2nd in passing attempts. This is all a recipe for fantasy success but Carson continues to fly under the radar. I’m sure there will be stories this week on how great Christian Ponder is and how Colin Kaepernick is a fantasy revelation in the wake of Alex Smith’s concussion but Palmer simply has the numbers to back it up. With a week eleven matchup at home against the Saints you have to like Palmer for 300 plus yards and two touchdown passes or you could roll the dice with Cam Newton and hope for the best.