Player News – Page 61 – FantasySP Blog

Buying Low- Tight Ends

It doesn’t take a smart fantasy owner or even a replacement referee to know that wide outs Kevin Ogletree and Stephen Hill will be hyped prior to week two. But tight ends worth roster consideration are rare but there are a few out there for you this week.

Analysis: Owen Daniels is owned in about eighty percent of leagues but that should be changing very soon. Daniels was targeted eight times Sunday, fifth most among all tight ends. Daniels’ 87 receiving yards led all NFL tight ends on Sunday, so all signs point to buying now before his value rises further. It is rather apparent that Houston has absolutely nothing at wide out outside of Andre Johnson, so this could be another big year for the oft-injured tight end.

Coby Fleener is another tight end you may want to be buying at the moment. Fleener was targeted ten times for six receptions and 82 yards Sunday. The Colts will be trailing in tons of games this year and Fleener will benefit greatly from “second half come-from-behind-junk-yards.” Fleener is available in seventy percent of leagues but his stock will be rising in the weeks to come as well.

PPR Help- Dexter McCluster

Dexter McCluster was one of the most heavily targeted players in football Sunday which continues from his success from late last season.

Analysis: Dexter McCluster caught ten balls and was on the end of twenty carries in the final three contests of the 2011 season. To kick off the 2012 campaign, McCluster was targeted ten times leading all players with running back eligibility. That’s more targets than LeSean McCoy and Darren Sproles, pretty impressive. The ten targets and six receptions led the Chiefs while Dwayne Bowe was only targeted six times, Jamaal Charles was not targeted in the passing game. McCluster lined up in the slot a ton which will eventually earn him wide receiver eligibility, another fantasy plus.

At the moment McCluster is available in well over ninety percent of leagues but the ten targets for a back is the real winner here. As of now he remains a PPR league add only but an injury to Charles or Hillis will see him start to carry the rock again. Remember that it was this time last year that Darren Sproles was one heavily targeted back and his stock has not come down since.

Power Bats On The Wire

There isn’t much left on the waiver wire at this point in the season but there are a few power bats to help get you home.

Analysis: Oakland’s Chris Carter is a first baseman to watch. Carter has hit 14 home runs in just 51 games played this year. He’s went yard four times with nine runs batted in over his last eight games played. Carter is available in well over eighty percent of leagues and is one of the most underrated bats on the wire at the moment.

Another option out there is Jesus Montero. Montero suffers greatly from playing at Safeco Field but he is the real deal. He’s only hitting .259 at the moment but keep in mind his BABIP is an unusually low .290. Montero has 15 homers this year with 53 RBI. He’s available in forty percent of leagues because much of his hype has died down.

A few must owns who are available in a small, small percentage of leagues include: Alex Rodriguez, Garrett Jones(23 HR) and Pedro Alvarez(27 HR).

Streaming Defenses- Week 1

If you did not pick up an elite defense through the draft you may want to consider some interesting options on defense in week one.

Analysis: As good as the Giants DST, Cowboys DST, Raiders DST, and Broncos DST defenses can be, it may not make sense to start them in week one with other solid options out there. The Detroit Lions DST is available in a few leagues and is worth consideration. The Lions have a week one match up with the Rams who only averaged 12.1 points per game last year. Sam Bradford has a career 74.2 passer rating and just loves holding on to the ball.

The widely available team to watch is the Vikings DST. They face the Jags in week one and we all know that Blaine Gabbert can make Tim Tebow look like Warren Moon. The Jags only averaged 15.2 points per game last year even with a healthy and prepared MJD. The Vikes led the league with 50 sacks in 2011 and expect more of the same from Jared Allen and company. Keep in mind that Minnesota is at home and Gabbert’s quarterback rating on the road last year was just 62.4 with only five touchdowns on 209 passing attempts.

Stock Rising- Wilin Rosario

Wilin Rosario is second among all major league catchers with 23 home runs this year. Despite the power from the twenty-three year old, he remains available in seventy percent of fantasy leagues.

Analysis: Wilin Rosario is second in homers, tenth in runs batted in and eighth in runs among major league catchers. He’s putting up great fantasy numbers for a catcher yet he remains available in tons of leagues. It may be that he plays in Colorado or that he still qualifies as a rookie but he does not get much love in the fantasy world. He is on a tear right now, Rosario has homered in three consecutive games and has raised his slugging percentage up to .545 in the process.

I understand that many owners have given up at this point in the fantasy season but putting the best fantasy roster together should remain a priority regardless of the standings. At this point in the season only nine catchers have more than fourteen home runs, so it doesn’t make any sense to stick with a guy like Alex Avila who is owned in more leagues despite trailing Wilin in all five roto categories.