Player News – Page 53 – FantasySP Blog

Last Call On Patrick Patterson

Patrick Patterson is not rebounding the ball particularly well but he is producing.

Analysis: Patrick Patterson is on a tear right now and he is still available in about half of fantasy leagues which will not last long at all. Patterson has three 20 point games over his last four contests and he’s averaging over thirty minutes per game in the last week. On his current five game streak he’s putting up 19.6 PPG, 5.0 RPG and he’s shooting 56% from the field. He’s also hitting over one three per game as his attempts from beyond the arc have increased dramatically this year.

Everyone is in love with Patterson now but it is rather disappointing that he is receiving so many minutes(29.7/g) yet he’s only averaging five rebounds per game. It’s just something you are going to have to live with from the power forward as the fantasy season moves along. He does pick up steals and blocks around a 0.5 per game clip, so he does contribute but not significantly in those areas. Keep in mind that Patterson is the hot power forward on the wire at the moment and he’s been playing great ball for over a week so many people are starting to catch on.

Buying Low- Rashad Jennings

Rashad Jennings was on the end of double digit carries for the fifth time in six weeks Sunday against the Titans.

Analysis: Just one week after a three carry game Rashad Jennings carried the rock 16 times for 43 rushing yards and 1 touchdown. With Maurice Jones-Drew still out for a few weeks it appears the Jags will give the majority of the touches to Jennings despite his 2.8 yards per carry average this year. Jennings is having an extremely underwhelming season as he receives yet another opportunity to prove to the NFL he can be a feature back.

Although Rashad Jennings has not played well this year he did carry the rock 16 times Sunday which merits a fantasy pick-up at least until MJD returns in a few weeks. The Jags have Buffalo and then the New York Jets in the next two weeks, so the Jacksonville running game should not disappear in second half blow outs. It really is hard to pass on a back who should receive 15 carries next week and potential goal line carries but nothing about his play has been impressive thus far. Pick Jennings up at your own risk or to prevent desperate owners starting him against you next week because he has “potential” for a big fantasy game.

Kyle Rudolph Is Surging

Kyle Rudolph caught 5 balls on 9 targets for 55 yards and 1 touchdown Sunday against the Chicago Bears.

Analysis: Kyle Rudolph has had at least 55 yards, 5 receptions, 9 targets and 1 touchdown in each of his last two games. It does help that Percy Harvin is out with an ankle injury but Rudolph has an impressive 7 touchdowns this year.

Even if Harvin plays next week the Vikings will have to rely heavily on their passing game. The Vikes have Green Bay twice, Chicago again and Houston on their upcoming schedule. These are not games they can simply get by letting Adrian Peterson pound the rock. Keep in mind that Rudolph does have more touchdown receptions this year than Heath Miller, Owen Daniels, Vernon Davis, Jason Witten and Antonio Gates. Rudolph may not be lighting it up in PPR leagues and is benefiting from Harvin’s absence but he does score touchdowns which cannot be ignored. He’s available in half of leagues and it makes more sense to start him over Antonio Gates and own him over Dennis Pitta(how is he still owned).

Who Is Tristan Thompson?

Tristan Thompson is an impressive athlete but can he be relied upon going forward this fantasy basketball season?

Analysis: Tristan Thompson is one streaky player and this week has certainly had its ups and downs. Despite his sporadic play Thompson has still managed to average 9.2 RPG to go along with 9.4 PPG over his last five games. Although the rebounding has been great Thompson only managed two blocks and zero steals in that five game stretch. His season average of .9 SPG and .3 BPG is absolutely unacceptable in the fantasy world. This is the type of athlete that can and should be averaging over one block and one steal per game quite easily. His struggles at the line this year(56%) is also killing his fantasy value but he just may be a double-double machine in the making.

It is too early to tell what the season holds for Thompson but if the blocks are not there he isn’t worth anyone’s time. He is in a similar situation to the one Derrick Favors was entering his second year in the league. In Derrick’s case, he really didn’t start playing consistent ball until last April and it may be the case with Thompson this year. Either way it goes his blocks and steals will ultimately tell his fantasy story this year because the rebounding is there.

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.