Player News – Page 55 – FantasySP Blog

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.

Last Call On JJ Hickson

JJ Hickson is four games into the 2012-13 NBA season and he already has four double digit rebound games under his belt.

Analysis: Hickson has always been a bit of a tweener in the NBA but he has always showed us flashes of brillance throughout his young career. If you recall, Hickson was a must add late last year in the fantasy world due to an April which saw him post 15 PPG, 9 RPG and 1 BPG. This year in four games he’s averaging 11.25 RPG and 10.75 PPG. As a center he’s not going to provide you with tons of blocks but he sure does shine as a fantasy power forward. Hickson is 49% from the field for his career, so if he’s given plenty of minutes we may see him back to scoring fifteen points per game again.

Hickson’s free throw shooting is worth mentioning, he’s 67% from the stripe for his career. While 67% isn’t good, he isn’t going to hurt you at the line like a JaVale McGee will. JJ is available in seventy percent of leagues but he won’t last long on the wire.

Buying Low- Jarrett Jack

Jarrett Jack is averaging 6.7 assists per game through three games this year.

Analysis: Jarrett Jack has always been a fringe fantasy performer but he is getting nearly thirty minutes per game this year. Jack’s line of 6.7 APG, 4.3 RPG and 10.3 PPG is very solid especially for a point guard that is only owned in less than ten percent of fantasy leagues. Jack is a career 85% free throw shooter so he can contribute in other areas as well.

Jarrett Jack may be coming off of the bench but he is the best pure point guard on the Golden State Warriors. Stephen Curry may be starting at the point but he is a combo guard who does not facilitate the offense nearly as well as Jarrett Jack. If Jack’s minutes remain near the thirty minute mark he will have a spot on fantasy rosters nationwide regardless of format. Keep in mind that Jack shoots well from the field for a small guard and he will average nearly one steal and one three per game. He is a reliable lower tier point guard and he makes a perfect buy low candidate at the moment.

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.