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Streaming Defenses- Week 2

With week one officially over it’s time to take a look at the best available defenses to stream for week two.

Analysis: Although the Baltimore defense got smoked to the tune of 49 points last Thursday it isn’t the end of the world. Baltimore is at home in week two against the Cleveland Browns. The Browns turned the ball over three times Sunday at home against Miami. All three turnovers were interceptions thrown by Brandon Weeden, he was also sacked six times. Weeden now has a 15-20 TD to INT ratio for his career with an awful 70.3 passer rating. Tim Tebow’s career passer rating is 75.3. Hell, even Quincy Carter and Tim Couch have a higher passer rating than Brandon Weeden.

The Baltimore D/ST is available in 30-60% of fantasy leagues. Another interesting but more so risky option this week is the Oakland defense. The Raiders held Indy to 21 points in week one on the road. They have Jacksonville at home this week who only managed to “score” 2 points on Sunday. Chad Henne will get the start for the Jags, he’s sporting a career 74.9 passer rating. The Oakland D/ST is available in 99% of fantasy leagues.

Target Watch- Tight Ends

It was a solid week one for fantasy tight ends and here we will take a look at a few of the lesser owned ones.

Analysis: Jordan Cameron caught 9 balls for 108 yards and a score Sunday. He was targeted a team high 13 times, that’s more targets than Jimmy Graham, Vernon Davis and Jason Witten. Teams will make the Browns pass the ball this year and it appears that Jordan Cameron will be Brandon Weeden’s go to check down option. Josh Gordon will be back from suspension in week three and that will hinder Cameron’s production a bit, but the twenty-five year old will remain fantasy relevant. Cameron is available in 8-60% of fantasy leagues.

Moving on from one awful team with quarterback issues to another- the Jets. It appears that Geno Smith is relying on his tight end early this year as well. Smith targeted Kellen Winslow 8 times on Sunday afternoon, catching 7 balls for 79 yards and a score. Expect a solid amount of targets(especially in the second half) from a healthy Kellen Winsow in week two as the Jets take on the Pats on Thursday night. Winslow is available in 97-99% of fantasy leagues.

PPR Help- Hartline

Brian Hartline is flying under the fantasy radar after a 2012 campaign which saw him put up 74 receptions and 1,083 receiving yards.

Analysis: Hartline was targeted a team high 15 times Sunday, five more targets than anyone else on the Dolphins. Hartline caught 9 balls for 114 yards and a score. Considering he is one year removed from 74 receptions and 128 targets(both top 20 for wide outs) he is in high demand right now.

The acquisition of Mike Wallace may deter some fantasy owners from Hartline but he does seem to have good chemistry with second year starter Ryan Tannehill. Currently, Hartline is available in 40-75% of fantasy leagues. His targets and receptions are reliable but the drawback here is the touchdowns. The 6’2″ Hartline only had one touchdown last year, he suffers from what is called “Jason Witten Syndrome.” We must keep in mind that Tannehill only threw for 12 touchdown passes last year and that number is expected to increase in 2013.

The former Ohio State Buckeye can be a bit of a question mark in standard formats but he holds tons of value in PPR leagues.

Stock Rising- Pryor

Terrelle Pryor threw for 217 yards and rushed for 112 as he put together a solid fantasy performance in week one against the Colts.

Analysis: Pryor may not ever make it as a successful quarterback in the NFL but he does have a future as a deadly fantasy threat for the time being. On Sunday afternoon Pryor completed 19 of 29 passes with one passing touchdown and two picks. He added a ridiculous 112 rushing yards which will be his fantasy calling card all year long. From a fantasy perspective we can accept the interceptions and some sacks if he can consistently rush for 70 plus yards and throw for another 200.

At the moment Terrelle Pryor is available in 85-95% of fantasy leagues. He may not be stable enough to be trusted as an every week fantasy starter but he can add some depth at little to no cost. The risk of picking up Pryor far outweighs the rewards of a guy like Alex Smith.

After his solid performance on the road Pryor’s week two matchup is with the Jags at home. Oh, the possibilities.

Streaming Defenses- Week 1

It’s about that time to start thinking about your week one lineup… so let’s get it started.

Analysis: If you didn’t grab an elite defense it’s not the end of the world. While other guys drafted the Niners and Hawks way too early hopefully you stashed away some running backs.

Our week one “best team to stream” has to go to the Tampa Bay Bucs. Streaming isn’t about great defenses it’s about decent ones playing awful quarterbacks. Tampa has the New York Jets in week one and this match up is a tasty one. Rookie Geno Smith should get the start for the Jets and he is expected to struggle mightily. The Jets have one proven offensive threat in the oft-injured Santonio Holmes. Even if the Jets do manage to score thirty points do we really expect Geno not to throw multiple picks/get sacked/fumble? This is where drafting fantasy defenses too high will cost you. For example- the Packers are the 9th defense being taken in drafts this year and they have an unfavorable week one match up with the Niners on the road who lit them up with 45 points in the playoffs last year.

So… the Bucs D is looking like a better choice and you didn’t have to burn a more valuable pick to get them. The Bucs D/ST are available in 70% of fantasy leagues.