Player News – Page 85 – FantasySP Blog

Stock Rising- TJ Yates

Houston quarterback TJ Yates is now 2-0 in two career starts with a 82.3 passer rating.

Analysis: In deeper leagues you have to take TJ Yates over guys like Colt McCoy, Rex Grossman and even Alex Smith. Yates threw for 300 yards Sunday in Cincy and did so only throwing one pick with two touchdowns in forty-four attempts. Tack on thirty-six rushing yards and you have yourself one versatile quarterback. Yates could not be in a better situation- he has Arian Foster and Ben Tate pounding the rock and one Mr. Andre Johnson who should be returning very soon.

You also have to love Yates’ next two matchups- Carolina and at Indy. Carolina and Indy both rank in the bottom third of the NFL in yards allowed per game and they are also in the bottom four of the NFL in points per game allowed. The matchups don’t get any better for a rookie that led his team to a road victory against a tough Cincy defense. This rookie from North Carolina is athletic enough to get some yards on the ground and in some deeper leagues he can certainly serve a purpose.

Varlamov And Others Available

After allowing six goals in Vancouver Tuesday, Semyon Varlamov’s fantasy value took a hit.

Analysis: Prior to the six goal game against Vancouver, Varlamov tallied an impressive four wins in six games and did not allow more than two goals in any contest in that span. On the year Varlamov is sporting a .900 save percentage and a goals against average of just 3.02. His current hot streak has him firmly in the driver’s seat of the goaltender situation in Colorado.

Varlamov is available in over twenty percent of fantasy leagues nationwide. As long as the young Russian continues to get the majority of the starts in Colorado he is a top twenty fantasy netminder. There was a reason he was traded for a first and a second round pick and he’s finally proving it. If Colorado is to make the palyoffs, Varlamov must continue to get the majority of the starts and continue to play at the level he is at the moment.

There are other options on the wire- Al Montoya has been playing well for the Islanders and Ondrej Pavelec continues to rack up wins in Winnipeg. At the moment there are plenty of quality goalies on the wire.

Two Underrated Wide Outs

Santana Moss and Antonio Brown are going under the radar as week fourteen starts Thursday night in Pittsburgh.

Analysis: Antonio Brown has caught sixty or more receiving yards in six straight games now and in four of those six games he has caught five or more balls. That is impressive for a wide out who is only owned in about sixty percent of fantasy leagues nationwide. Yes, he only has one touchdown on the year and at 5’10” he isn’t the best red zone target, but he is being targeted heavily as of late. At this point Antonio Brown is more of a valuable fantasy commodity than a Nate Washington or a Johnny Knox.

With Santana Moss you have a wide out primed to put up big numbers coming from behind this week against New England and in week fifteen against the New York Giants. Like Antonio Brown, he is available in a good chunk of leagues and when healthy he always produces. Moss is coming off of a five reception, twelve target, forty-two yard game in a touch matchup with the Jets. With tight end Fred Davis suspended for the rest of the year, Santana Moss should see tons of targets and needs to be owned in all leagues.

Buying Low- Jermaine Gresham

After a three reception, thirty-seven yard game Sunday against the Steelers, Jermaine Gresham’s fantasy value continues to take a hit.

Analysis: There are still tons of positives when it comes to Jermaine Gresham’s fantasy value. Gresham was still targeted seven times Sunday and keep in mind that the Steelers don’t give up many fantasy points to opposing tight ends. For the year Gresham has five receiving touchdowns in just ten games which is tied for sixth most in the NFL among tight ends. His downfall is his yardage total of 407 which puts him twentieth among tight ends. Still, these numbers warrant a roster spot in most leagues but he is widely available in both ESPN and CBS leagues.

Gresham is a TE2 in every sense of the word but his touchdown potential makes him a fantasy threat every week you start him. Considering that Owen Daniels has not scored a touchdown since week four and the quarterback situation in Houston is suspect- why is Daniels owned in ninety percent of leagues but Gresham only in twenty-four percent of ESPN and sixty-seven percent of CBS leagues? Either way, it’s the perfect time to buy Gresham on the cheap.

Forte Out, Barber In

Chicago running back Matt Forte sprained his right MCL Sunday in a loss to the Kansas City Chiefs. Forte is expected to miss two to four weeks which will leave fantasy owners scrambling for a replacement.

Analysis: Marion Barber carried the rock thirteen times Sunday against the Chiefs. Although he only managed forty-four rushing yards, his fantasy outlook going forward looks solid. He now has double digit carries in back to back weeks and four in nine games this year. He also has a surprising five touchdowns in those nine games and expect more over the next few weeks. He definitely isn’t a threat to catch the ball but he should have even more of a monopoly on the rock in goal line situations.

Other possible replacements don’t make as much sense nor do they have the touchdown potential of Marion Barber. Kansas City’s Thomas Jones has carried the ball twenty-nine times in his past two contests but he only has seventy-three yards to show for it. Donald Brown is still widely available and he has at least fourteen carries in four consecutive games.