Tag: Darren McFadden

Give Carson Palmer Some Love

Carson Palmer is playing some solid and consistent football yet he’s not getting much love from the fantasy world.

Analysis: Palmer has thrown for an average of 293 yards per game and has 5 touchdowns with 2 interceptions through three games this season. He makes a great QB2 and he’s still available in plenty of leagues out there.

It is becoming rather apparent that Oakland is an unbalanced passing team, Darren McFadden has yet to carry the ball twenty times in one game this year as the Raiders rank second to last in the NFL in rushing attempts per game. With Palmer out there slingin’ it every week and not throwing tons of picks, he makes a better fantasy option than a Kevin Kolb or an Alex Smith. Palmer’s quarterback rating sits at 89.3, just above his career average and his best(at the moment) since his 2005-2007 Cincy days.

The Raiders are simply passing the ball too much and fantasy owners need to take notice. Palmer is second in the league in passing attempts while Ryan Fitzpatrick has thrown 42 fewer balls this year. Palmer is one dangerous quarterback when he’s not making mistakes and at the moment he isn’t making many.

ADP Watch- Darren McFadden

In most leagues Darren McFadden is the fifth back being taken off the board, but in ESPN leagues he is the tenth back.

Analysis: Obviously many, many clueless people play fantasy football through ESPN. Keep in mind that Darren McFadden was going to lead the league in rushing yards last year prior to his injury in week seven. With McFadden this year we have what Matthew Stafford was last year… a great player but injury prone. McFadden should not slip out of the top five to six backs unless he tweaks something in the preseason. His 5.2 yards per carry in 2010 and 5.4 yards per carry in 2011 was fifth and third respectively among backs with at least 100 carries those seasons. He is an absolute game breaker who is going as the fifth back and ninth overall pick on average in leagues across the country.

The ESPN ADP of 24.6 is shocking but when ESPN ranks a back the eleventh best the sheep have trouble forming an opinion for themselves. McFadden finished 2011 as the thirty-fourth back in standard leagues despite missing nine games and having two carries in a week seven contest. That’s right… he put up RB3 numbers last year in six games and change. McFadden is at the point in his career where he could miss four games and still outperform his 24.6 ADP in ESPN leagues. If you are willing to gamble a bit, Darren McFadden just may follow in Matthew Stafford’s footsteps this year.

Draft Impact- Trent Richardson

Trent Richardson is the best running back to come out of college since Darren McFadden. “Experts” have been feeding the hype machine calling this kid the best back since Adrian Peterson.

Analysis: As much as I love Trent Richardson, he just did not end up in the right situation. First off, take a look at the AFC North defenses. The Ravens, Steelers and Bengals all finished in the top ten in the NFL in rushing yards against per game last year. All three divisional rivals also finished in the top ten in the NFL in yards per carry against. Richardson found himself in the worst possible division to rush the ball, plain and simple. To compound the situation the Cleveland quarterback situation is not solid. Any novice can see that you stack the box against the Browns now and make them beat you in the air.

All these negatives don’t mean he won’t have an offensive rookie of the year campaign but don’t go expecting RB1 type numbers. He will be drafted by some impressionable fantasy owner as a RB1 which means he should not be on your fantasy team this year. The real winner here is Cleveland wide out Greg Little. Little amassed over 700 receiving yards in his rookie year. With all the attention Richardson will receive Little could make a run at 1,000 receiving yards in 2012 if he can limit his drops.