Week 11 RB Recap

It has been awhile since a handful of widely available running backs got significant touches… but it happened in week eleven.

Analysis: Bobby Rainey carried the rock 30 times Sunday for 163 yards and 2 touchdowns. He will be the “it” player on the wire this week so we won’t spend much time talking about a must add. With Mike James and Doug Martin out, Rainey was next in line and he solidified himself as the man in the Tampa backfield with his performance today. He is available in 40-98% of fantasy leagues.

Rashard Mendenhall ran the ball 13 times for 14 yards and 1 touchdown today while Andre Ellington rushed 8 times for just 3 yards. Mendenhall now has 26 carries in his last two games to Ellington’s 21 carries. The former Steeler is averaging 15 touches per game over that two week span and is available in 25-35% of fantasy leagues.

Rashad Jennings now has 57 carries and 2 touchdowns in his last three games. Darren McFadden is questionable to return next week but it is becoming hard to ignore Jennings and his 5.9 yards per carry average in his last three contests. Jennings is available in 15-55% of fantasy leagues.

Streaming Defenses- Week 11

Week ten is officially over and now it’s time to take a look at our “team to stream” in week eleven.

Analysis: This week we will take the New York Giants at home against the Green Bay Packers. The Packers will start third-string quarterback Scott Tolzien this week. Tolzien threw two interceptions and recorded a 70.5 passer rating in week ten against the Eagles after Seneca Wallace left with a groin injury.

The Giants are allowing just 11.3 points per game over their last three games. They have recorded double-digit fantasy points in each of those three games and have been a top ten fantasy defense in the last month of action. The Giants also have 9 sacks in that three games span, they had just 5 sacks in their previous six games. The Giants rank 12th in the NFL in yards allowed per game, 19th in interceptions and 12th in fumble recoveries. The Giants D/ST is available in 90-97% of fantasy leagues.

Another widely available team of note is the New York Jets who are in Buffalo this week. Rookie EJ Manuel has not recorded a passer rating north of 75.0 in his last four games and the Bills are just 24th in points per game this season. The Jets D/ST is available in 85-95% of fantasy leagues.

Stock Rising- DeAndre Hopkins

DeAndre Hopkins recorded 6 receptions on 11 targets for 69 receiving yards in week ten against the Arizona Cardinals.

Analysis: Hopkins is putting together a solid rookie campaign. He has five 60 plus receiving yard games thus far to go along with 2 touchdowns in nine games. Hopkins has 12 receptions on 21 targets for 199 receiving yards over his last three games. With Arian Foster out for the rest of the season Houston will pass a bit more which should translate into more targets and receptions for the former Clemson Tiger.

Hopkins isn’t a PPR stud nor will his touchdown production blow anyone away but he is on pace for nearly 1,000 yards. He makes a solid depth add when considering six teams still have bye weeks which include Philly, Cincy and Dallas. Hopkins is available in 30-50% of fantasy leagues.

Another player of note this week is James Jones. The Packers have problems at quarterback at the moment but Jones is worth stashing if he’s available. Jones caught 4 balls on 7 targets for 44 yards from two quarterbacks today and most importantly he looks healthy. Jones is available in 3-10% of fantasy leagues.

Selling High- Tavon Austin

Tavon Austin caught 2 receiving touchdowns and returned a punt for a touchdown Sunday afternoon against the Colts.

Analysis: There are tons of legitimate question marks regarding Tavon Austin’s fantasy value. Austin was targeted just 3 times Sunday and only 8 times in his last three games. Even fringe fantasy wide outs are getting more looks. With Kellen Clemens at quarterback the Rams are not a pass heavy team. The Rams have run the ball 24 more times than they have passed in Clemens’ last three starts. Even when the Rams aren’t pounding the rock Clemens is completing just 52% of his passes.

Tavon Austin may be the next big rookie playmaker but he simply will not get enough touches to be a reliable fantasy option. Austin’s 8 targets in his last three games are fewer targets than what Kendall Wright and Jarrett Boykin had in their games today.

Austin is available in 25-60% of fantasy leagues. His stock this year cannot get any higher and now is the time to sell high on the 5’8″ rookie who will have Kellen Clemens throwing him the ball the remainder of the season.

Streaming Defenses- Week 10

Week nine is officially over and now it’s time to take a look at our “team to stream” in week ten.

Analysis: The Tennessee Titans are at home this week against the lowly Jacksonville Jaguars. Chad Henne will continue to start at quarterback for the 0-8 Jags. Henne is sporting a 75.3 passer rating this year and has 5 interceptions to only 3 touchdowns. The Jacksonville offense did get a bit of life when Justin Blackmon returned from suspension but once again he is suspended and will enter a rehab facility for substance abuse.

The Jags are 32nd in the NFL in yards per game, 32nd in points per game(10.8), 27th in plays over forty yards and they have allowed the 6th most sacks. The Titans defense is pretty solid. They rank 9th in points per game against, 11th in yards allowed, 17th in sacks and 2nd in fumble recoveries. The Titans D/ST is available in 60-80% of fantasy leagues.

Another team to take a look at this week is the Miami defense against the Tampa Bay Bucs. Miami has played good defense in their last few games against solid offenses(CIN,NE) and rank 9th in interceptions and 10th in sacks. The Miami D is available in 80-90% of fantasy leagues.