Category: NFL

Streaming Defenses- Week 5

The Minnesota Vikings are 3-1 and their defense is a big reason why they are atop the NFC North.

Analysis: The Vikings have a week five matchup at home against the 1-3 Titans. The Vikes’ defense ranks 9th in total defense, 7th in points per game, 7th in sacks and 5th in fumble recoveries. They are only owned in about ten percent of leagues thus making them the most underrated D in fantasy football. They have absolutely dominated the Niners and Lions in consecutive weeks and now take on the lowly Titans.

On the other side of the ball you have the Titan offense which ranks 23rd in total offense, 23rd in points per game and is second to last in the NFL with a minus 6 turnover margin. Jake Locker is banged up at the moment so it appears Matt Hasselbeck will be the starter come this Sunday. Hasselbeck threw two picks in week four in relief of Jake Locker.

Minnesota is on a roll right now and should make life miserable for the Titan offense in week five. Keep in mind that the Viking D just may be a long term fantasy defense with games against Arizona, Seattle and Tampa in the near future.

Greg Olsen Is Producing?

Don’t look now but Greg Olsen has put together a solid quarter of a season and it is going largely unnoticed.

Analysis: Greg Olsen put up 89 receiving yards and a touchdown Sunday on 7 targets in a loss to Atlanta. Olsen now has 187 yards and 13 receptions over his last two weeks. He ranks 4th among tight ends in receiving yards and 4th in receptions yet he is only owned in a quarter of leagues out there. It really is time to add him to your roster over guys like Marcedes Lewis and Kyle Rudolph and even a Jacob Tamme. Olsen is also in the top ten in targets among all NFL tight ends and although the sample size is still a bit small all signs point to Olsen having his best season to date.

How many other tight ends are on pace for 1,000 yards and are available in three-quarters of fantasy leagues? Perhaps the best stat that I can give you is that Olsen is the most heavily targeted Carolina Panther with 31 targets on the year to Steve Smith’s 25. Yes, Greg Olsen is producing.

Sticking With Blackmon?

Justin Blackmon is one of the most dropped fantasy wide outs over the past few weeks but a solid game in week four may have you thinking otherwise.

Analysis: Justin Blackmon was targeted 10 times Sunday, twice as many as any other Jacksonville wide out or back. His 6 receptions and 48 receiving yards also led the Jags. Considering Blackmon was only targeted an average of 5 times per game in his previous three contests it isn’t hard to see why he hasn’t been putting up numbers. In order to make a contribution in the fantasy world you have to score touchdowns and it doesn’t appear Blackmon will be lighting up the scoreboard any time soon.

At this point in the season Blackmon will make a solid depth addition in PPR leagues but in standard leagues he just isn’t going to have many 85 yard days or reach the end zone enough. The only reason to keep him around in standard leagues rests with the health of one Laurent Robinson. Robinson left Sunday’s game with a head injury just one week after suffering a concussion in week three.

Streaming Defenses- Week 4

There are a few solid options to stream in week four and of course the obvious choice is the Arizona Cardinals.

Analysis: The Arizona defense is available in two-thirds of fantasy leagues but the defense should be picked up for long term usage. They face Miami in week four who start rookie quarterback Ryan Tannehill. Tannehill is sporting a 58.3 passer rating this year with only one passing touchdown on 102 attempts. Arizona’s next four games look like this- vs. Miami/@ St. Louis/vs. Buffalo/@ Minnesota. None of the next four match ups strike fear when it comes to offensive potential. But let’s get away from the obvious choice here and focus on another D to use if the Arizona defense is unavailable.

The Tampa D has been impressive two of the three weeks this season. Even when giving up 41 points in New York to the Giants they still picked off Eli three times. The Tampa D is first against the run in the NFL only giving up 47 yards on the ground per game and a ridiculous 2.3 yards per carry average against. Tampa is also tenth in the NFL in sacks while their week four opponent Washington is seventh in sacks allowed, giving up nine sacks in three games this year.

Under The Radar- Jacquizz Rodgers

Jacquizz Rodgers was on the end of fifteen touches Sunday against the Chargers as he continues to make his case in PPR leagues.

Analysis: Jacquizz Rodgers was targeted five times in the Falcon passing game and caught five balls for 35 yards and a score. Rodgers also carried the rock ten times for just 32 rushing yards. I’m not really concerned with the yards per carry or even the rushing yards at the moment, so long as he continues to eat away at Michael Turner’s carries.

Whatever happens with Michael Turner’s DUI situation… he still looked solid Sunday. Turner put up 80 rushing yards on just fourteen carries and scored his second touchdown of the year against the Chargers. The Falcons have so many weapons in the passing game that it does make life easier for the aging Turner. This leaves very few consistent carries for Jacquizz Rodgers and certainly very few if any carries near the goal line. Regardless, Rodgers is available in over ninety percent of leagues and at the moment he is certainly a very interesting PPR back to watch. If he continues to carry the ball ten times a game and pull in five receptions, he will have a home in PPR leagues nationwide.