Your league is either in the playoffs are right at the end of the regular season, it is crunch time. Hopefully, your team is still alive and you are in position to make a run at the title. If so, I am here to help you make the right decisions to go after that 1st place spot in your league. Let's get started
Go For It
Quarterback
Matthew Stafford Det- Stafford has not been very consistent for his fantasy owners this season. He has had his ups and downs but there is no doubt that the leader of this Detroit offense is a very solid fantasy option. I like him a lot this week against the Vikings who have allowed the most fantasy points to opposing quarterbacks in the NFL. Go For It! Honorable Mention- Phillip Rivers, Tony Romo, and Matt Ryan.
Running Backs
Rashard Mendenhall Pit- Mendenhall has been very disappointing this season. Most weeks he would be in the Stay Away side of this piece. Tonight, his Steelers face the Cleveland Browns on Thursday Night Football. The Browns are one of the worst teams against the run this season, and one of the best against the pass. I think that Pittsburgh will look to run early and often in this one. It could be a very nice game for Mendenhall this week.
Ryan Matthews SD- Well, it is December. Therefore, it is time for the Chargers to actually start playing to their abilities. They seem to finish strong every season, and as we saw last week, this season may not be any different. Matthews looked very good last week and against the Bills, who have struggled against the run, I like him in a repeat performance this week. I am starting Matthews with confidence this week. Honorable Mention- Micheal Turner, Reggie Bush, Shonn Greene.
Wide Receivers
Dez Bryant Dal- Miles Austin and Laurent Robinson both practiced today and I expect them both to play on Sunday. That being said, Bryant is the number one guy for Tony Romo. I love him this week in a matchup with the Giants that could turn into a shootout. Go For It!
Santana Moss Was- I think the Redskins passing game will be in for some decent production in garbage time this week against the Patriots. Moss could be a very big beneficiary of that. The Patriots have given up the most fantasy points in the league this season to opposing Wide Receivers. I think Moss is a decent #2 Wide Receiver option and a very good Flex play this week. Honorable Mention- Anquan Boldin, Jordy Nelson, and Damian Williams.
Tight End
Dustin Keller NYJ- Tight End is a very tough position to project. After your top tier guys (Graham, Gronkowski, Gates, Witten, Finley, etc) it is very hard to expect much, and I try not to mention obvious starts like those guys. I have found myself starting Keller in a few leagues this week in his great matchup against the Chiefs. He seems to stumble on some big scoring games, and I think this could be a week for one of those. Honorable Mention- Kellen Winslow, Jared Cook, and Jake Ballard.
Stay Away
Quarterback
Andy Dalton Cin- Dalton is a guy, as I have mention before, that I think has a very bright NFL future. I just do not think he is a great fantasy option. I think he will grow into a pretty good fantasy quarterback, I just do not ever expect Tom Brady like production out of him. Anyways, he faces the Texans this week, who are one of the best defenses in the league. I think Dalton has a decent game, but nothing too great. In the playoffs, you want more. Stay Away. Dishonorable Mention- Ben Roethlisberger and Matt Moore.
Running Backs
Beanie Wells Ari- Wells has been very good this year. He faces San Francisco this week. The 49ers are the best defense in the league against the run. While San Francisco may be without their stud middle linebacker Patrick Willis, I still stay away from Wells if at all possible.
Jonathan Stewart/DeAngelo Williams Car- The Panthers split their carries as much as anybody else in the league, so I decided to group these guys together here. I am not a big fan of either back in this game against the Atlanta Falcons. The Falcons have been very solid against the run this season, not to mention Cam Newton stealing all of the goal line scores. Stay away from Carolina running backs if you can. Dishonorable Mention- Peyton Hillis, Micheal Bush, and Cedric Benson.
Wide Receivers
Mike Wallace Pit- I realize that if you have Wallace you are probably starting him, I just do not like the matchup for him. As I mentioned when I talked about Mendenhall, I think we see a heavy dose of the run tonight. Also, Wallace will probably be matched up with Joe Haden. If I have other options, I try staying away from Wallace.
Dwayne Bowe KC- Hard to like anybody on the Kansas City offense these days. Bowe will be on Revis Island this week and has Tyler Palko throwing him the ball. That does not equal up to much fantasy production out of him. Stay Away. Dishonorable Mention- Deion Branch, Pierre Garcon, and Marques Colston.
Tight End
Jermaine Gresham Cin- If you are thinking about starting Gresham this week, there are probably better choices out there. This one has everything to do with the matchup. The Texans have allowed the 3rd fewest fantasy points to opposing Tight Ends. Stay Away, look elsewhere. Dishonorable Mention- Owen Daniels and Greg Olsen.
There you have it, a handful of guys that you should Go For It and some that you should Stay Away. This is the biggest time of the year for fantasy football. If you are still alive, you have a chance. Any team can win on any given week. Just manage your team to the best of your abilities. If this piece did not answer the questions that you had, do not hesitate to send me a tweet @FfootballQA. Good luck, and go get that championship!
No comments:
Post a Comment