Category: NFL

Selling High- Cook/Myers

Jared Cook and Brandon Myers had big games in week twelve but it is unlikely they can sustain it in the future.

Analysis: Jared Cook caught 4 balls on 5 targets for 80 yards and a touchdown against the Bears this week. Cook has not had a five reception game since week three when Sam Bradford was quarterback for the Rams. This was also Cook’s first 50-plus receiving yard game since week one. To make matters worse, Kellen Clemens has only completed 19 passes in the last two games for the Rams. The targets, receptions and yards will not be reliable going forward. Cook is available in 30-50% of fantasy leagues.

Brandon Myers caught a touchdown Sunday afternoon against Dallas and recorded 39 receiving yards. Myers is owned in 20-70% of fantasy leagues despite having an awful year. He has not surpassed 45 receiving yards since week two and has one touchdown(today) since week one. Lower tier tight ends like Brandon Pettigrew and Heath Miller have been outperforming Myers for months yet are available in more leagues.

Week 12 WR Recap

Nate Burleson returns from injury while James Jones and Jarrett Boykin benefit from the Scott Tolzien benching.

Analysis: Nate Burleson was having a solid season up until his arm “injury.” In the three games prior to his injury Burleson caught 19 balls on 23 targets. He was back at it again Sunday posting 7 receptions on 10 targets for 77 yards and a score. He is the clear cut number two option in the Detroit passing game which makes him a must add. At the moment Burleson is available in 65-97% of fantasy leagues.

Matt Flynn stepped in for Scott Tolzien and no one benefited more than James Jones. Jones caught 7 balls on 12 targets for 80 yards. It may not matter if Aaron Rodgers returns this coming week in regards to Jones’ fantasy value as long as Matt Flynn is at the helm. Jones is available in 5-10% of fantasy leagues.

Another wide out getting lost in the Aaron Rodgers/Scott Tolzien/Matt Flynn mess is Jarrett Boykin. Boykin recorded 60 receiving yards and a touchdown on Sunday afternoon against the Vikes. Boykin now has five 60-plus receiving yard days in his last six games, he also has 2 touchdowns in that span. Boykin is still available in 5-50% of fantasy leagues.

Streaming Defenses- Week 12

Week eleven is officially over and now it is time to take a look at our “team to stream” in week twelve.

Analysis: This week we will take the Baltimore defense at home against the New York Jets. The reason… Geno Smith. Smith is sporting an awful 65.1 passer rating this year, but on the road it gets even worse with a 58.5 mark. He’s thrown 4 touchdowns to 10 interceptions on the road and has been sacked 20 times in those five road games. The Jets are 31st in the NFL in points per game, 20th in yards per game and 32nd in turnover margin.

The Baltimore defense has been solid all year with the exception of week one in Denver. The Ravens rank 13th in yards allowed, 8th in points per game allowed and 3rd in sacks. The Baltimore D/ST is available in 40-60% of fantasy leagues.

Another team of note this week is the Texans who are at home against the Jags. Jacksonville is averaging just 12.9 points per game, they have scored more than 20 points in a game just once this season. Houston is 1st in yards allowed this year despite being 28th in points allowed… courtesy of Mr. Schaub and his pick-sixes.

Big Days For Ben/Carson

Ben Roethlisberger and Carson Palmer have played very well in recent weeks despite being ignored on the wire in many leagues.

Analysis: Roethlisberger has 9 touchdown passes to just 3 interceptions in his last three games. During that stretch he has thrown for 971 yards and he has done it against competent defenses(NE/BUF/DET). Although the Steelers are still not running the ball well they remain committed to the run which has made things a bit more manageable for Ben. As it stands now Ben is available in 15-20% of fantasy leagues. Up next for Roethlisberger is the Browns in week twelve followed by the Ravens.

Carson Palmer is on a hot streak of his own. The Cards have won three straight games and Palmer has thrown 6 touchdowns and 2 interceptions in that span. Today he threw for 419 yards against the Jags, completing 30 of his 42 passes. Up next for Palmer is Indy this coming week followed by Philly. Palmer still has the Rams, Seahawks and Niners left which aren’t great match-ups but we will see where his level of play is after the Indy and Philly games. He is available in 50-90% of fantasy leagues.

Week 11 RB Recap

It has been awhile since a handful of widely available running backs got significant touches… but it happened in week eleven.

Analysis: Bobby Rainey carried the rock 30 times Sunday for 163 yards and 2 touchdowns. He will be the “it” player on the wire this week so we won’t spend much time talking about a must add. With Mike James and Doug Martin out, Rainey was next in line and he solidified himself as the man in the Tampa backfield with his performance today. He is available in 40-98% of fantasy leagues.

Rashard Mendenhall ran the ball 13 times for 14 yards and 1 touchdown today while Andre Ellington rushed 8 times for just 3 yards. Mendenhall now has 26 carries in his last two games to Ellington’s 21 carries. The former Steeler is averaging 15 touches per game over that two week span and is available in 25-35% of fantasy leagues.

Rashad Jennings now has 57 carries and 2 touchdowns in his last three games. Darren McFadden is questionable to return next week but it is becoming hard to ignore Jennings and his 5.9 yards per carry average in his last three contests. Jennings is available in 15-55% of fantasy leagues.