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Streaming Defenses- Week 6

The New England Patriots have been playing solid defense this year while their offense gets all of the attention.

Analysis: The Patriot D isn’t a great unit but they are significantly more athletic this season. Expect New England to get an early lead on Seattle in week six and expect a solid performance from their defense in the process. Seattle won’t be able to keep up with the Patriots. The Seahawk offense ranks 27th in yards per game, 28th in points per game and 31st in passing yards per game. Simply put… Seattle will make offensive mistakes as Russell Wilson will try to keep up with the high powered Patriot offense which leads the NFL in points per game.

The Patriots don’t have crazy good numbers in the sack department or in interceptions but they do lead the NFL in fumbles forced and fumbles recovered. The unit may not be special but they have only had one down fantasy game this year to Baltimore. The defense is available in well over half of fantasy leagues and they are the choice to stream in week six.

The Dilemma- Brandon Bolden

In most years adding a Brandon Bolden to your fantasy roster would be a no-brainer but it isn’t that simple.

Analysis: Brandon Bolden has carried the rock 30 times for 191 rushing yards over the past two weeks. That is 15 carries per game but there are plenty of reasons why his touches may drop off in the coming weeks. Aaron Hernandez is close to game action and his involvement in the New England offense cannot be underestimated. Hernandez is a near elite weapon and add him to Welker, Lloyd and Gronkowski and there are only so many touches Bolden will receive. We must also consider that feature back Stevan Ridley is the Patriot workhorse and it doesn’t appear that his carries will be the first to go.

Bolden is available in seventy percent of leagues but his role in the Patriot offense is extremely uncertain. It makes the most sense to sell high and try to trade Bolden while his value is still high. His fantasy stock isn’t going to increase much more than it is at the moment yet in a week it could all be gone.

Buying Low- Kendall Wright

Kendall Wright was one of the most heavily targeted wide outs Sunday which led to yet another solid game from the rookie.

Analysis: Kendall Wright was targeted 11 times for 9 receptions and 66 yards Sunday against the Vikings. Wright now has a total of 20 receptions over his past three games on 30 targets between multiple quarterbacks. He may not be ready to produce consistently in standard leagues but he just may have a place in PPR leagues considering his reception total and his two touchdowns in his last four games.

Kenny Britt is struggling with an ankle injury and he has yet to post a solid game this year. Add that to the fact that the Titan ground game is garbage and you have yourself a rookie wide out getting ready to post some productive numbers. Wright is available in over eighty-five percent of leagues but his stock will be rising in the coming weeks. He leads all rookies in receptions with 27 this year and is justifying his 20th overall draft selection. Keep in mind that he has a week six matchup with the Steelers on Thursday.

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.