Category: NFL

Selling High- Danario Alexander

Danario Alexander put up 134 receiving yards on 5 receptions with 1 touchdown Sunday against Tampa Bay.

Analysis: Danario Alexander now has 195 receiving yards in his last two games with the Chargers. He is available in virtually every fantasy league so he will be the hot commodity on the wire this week. But I’m not sold on Alexander yet and neither should you. He’s put up the 195 yards on just 8 receptions which is 24.3 yards per catch. Only one player in the league has a yards per catch average over 20.0 with more than 30 receptions this year. Thus, all signs point to Danario coming back down to reality. We must also consider that 8 receptions over two weeks is not much and the same goes for the 10 targets he’s been on the end of in that span.

I’m not saying that Danario Alexander won’t be productive from here on out but he cannot be relied upon as the fantasy season gets more serious by the week. As good as Danario has been he’s been playing against Kansas City and Tampa’s defensive backs which should put things back into persepctive. Up next for the Chargers is Denver, Baltimore, Cincy and Pittsburgh. Maybe after that we will see if he’s legit and if he can hold off a healthy Robert Meachem for snaps but now it’s time to sell.

Is Sidney Rice Legit?

Sidney Rice caught a touchdown against the Minnesota Vikings and now has three touchdowns in his last four games.

Analysis: Sidney Rice is producing in the touchdown department but he is only averaging 3.75 receptions per game over his last four contests. That simply does not cut it in PPR leagues especially when he does not have an 85 plus yard receiving game this year. His targets have been suspect and it should not come as a surprise since the Seattle Seahawks attempt the fewest passes per game in the NFL. Rice has only been targeted 22 times in his last FOUR games while guys like T. Y. Hilton have been targeted 17 times in the past two games and even Josh Morgan has been targeted 20 times in his last two games.

As previously stated, Sidney Rice does perform well in the touchdown department as he ranks 21st in the NFL with 4 touchdown grabs. His teammate Golden Tate has played nearly as well this year(less yards but 5 TDs in 8 games) and is available in ninety-five percent of leagues. So, is Sidney Rice legit? Kind of, but here is the key stat- he’s only had 60 or more yards twice in nine games and he’s also only had five or more receptions twice in nine games this year.

Blackmon Back On Radar

With two consecutive solid games under his belt, Justin Blackmon is back on the fantasy radar.

Analysis: Justin Blackmon had his best fantasy game of his young NFL career posting 5 receptions for just 32 receiving yards and an all important touchdown Sunday against the Detroit Lions. Blackmon added to his previous best fantasy game last week(4 rec, 67 yards) as he finally seems more acclimated to the pro game.

The Oklahoma State product has been targeted 17 times over the past two weeks which is a postive sign considering he only averaged 5 targets per game in the first month of the season. I’m not saying Blackmon has turned the corner but he is improving which is what we saw from Michael Crabtree in his wasted rookie year.

At the moment Blackmon is available in over half of fantasy leagues and he is worth roster consideration. His targets seem to be stable and if he can limit his drops and be on the end of more accurate passes he may even have some value in PPR leagues… although I wouldn’t hold my breath. There aren’t many wide outs available on the wire that will be targeted as much as Blackmon but he is far from reliable as he lands back on the fantasy radar.

Streaming Defenses- Week 9

For the second week in a row the San Diego Chargers are the team of choice to stream.

Analysis: Whether you are looking for a defense to stream or need a fill in for the Niners or Jets, the Chargers have a great matchup Thursday against the Kansas City Chiefs. The Kansas City offense ranks 28th in points per game and 32nd in turnover margin. The Chiefs have only scored more than 20 points just twice in seven games this year. In short, the Chiefs are just plain awful on offense.

Meanwhile, the Charger defense has been solid this year. The San Diego D ranks 10th in yards per game, 9th in points per game, 13th in interceptions, 4th in forced fumbles and 6th in fumble recoveries. This is a defense that is still widely available in fantasy leagues while squads like the Cowboys and Bengals still get plenty of love in the fantasy world. The Chargers do need to step it up in the sack/pressure department but they are solid and have only had two bad fantasy games this year which were against the Saints and Falcons.

Last Call On Titus Young

Titus Young is set to break out as he steps into the number two wide out role in Detroit.

Analysis: Nate Burleson is out for the year with a broken leg and Titus Young is the unquestioned number two in Detroit. With that in mind, Titus Young came to play Sunday. The second year wide out had the first 100 yard game of his career and his second two touchdown game as a pro on Sunday. We all know the Lions love to sling the rock and Titus Young recorded nine receptions on nine targets Sunday. He may only be owned in about half of fantasy leagues but he is a WR3/FLEX option with the potential for more. Young has caught 15 balls for 181 receiving yards over the past two games and in doing so made himself a PPR league stud. Prior to week seven Young had only one game where he caught more than two balls(week three).

With what is out there on the wire you have to like your chances with Titus Young over guys like Cecil Shorts and even Sidney Rice. It’s last call on Titus Young.