Now that Travis Henry is reasonably healthy and has avoided suspension, he has only one mountain left to climb: Play a halfway decent football game.
The last time that happened for Henry was Week 4. Last week, the Broncos planned for Henry to play a minor role behind Selvin Young. Young got hurt, Henry scored twice, and all his fantasy owners were happy. The Broncos probably weren't.
Henry's two fumbles, and 3.26 average against the worst rush defense in the NFL contributed greatly to Denver's killer loss at Oakland.
Continue reading "Henry Threat Level: Orange" »
I've noticed that Alge Crumpler is available in a surprising amount of leagues. I think he could be picked up and played over a handful of usual TE1s this week, such as Ben Watson.
There are a few reasons for this. Crumpler is coming off his best game of the season (7-65-1), and three of those catches came in one quarter with Chris Redman. Another catch with Redman was overturned by penalty. The coaching staff in Atlanta believes that Redman's quick release frees up Crumpler to go out for passes rather than block.
Continue reading "Crumpler " »
It's one of those weeks where I fell behind on my routine Sunday night and haven't caught up yet (the week ends Friday night, almost there). That's partly why the blog has been quiet, and the emails are mostly unanswered - although I have a lot of stuff planned for this afternoon.
Let's start today's fun with a philosophical question for everyone. You are in a three-week, total points fantasy playoff. You are stuck with Marc Bulger and Jason Campbell as your quarterbacks, with no pickups allowed.
All signs point towards Bulger starting against the Bengals, but there is a hint of doubt. Let's call him 90% likely to play the game, and you've decided he's a superior play to Campbell. Campbell is intriguing, but too inconsistent. Similar choices are happing all over Fantasy Nation tonight with Marshawn Lynch owners. You make the call: Go for glory or play it safe?
December 05, 2007
When the Associated Press starts penning articles slamming you, the tide has officially turned. It's been a rough season for Reggie Bush in New Orleans, and the natives are restless. The Biloxi Sun-Herald ran an incisive article this week about the disconnect between Reggie and his teammates, focusing on Bush's attempt to leave the field early Sunday.
I'm surprised that this story didn't get bigger. When Randy Moss left the field early while a member of the Vikings, the story made headlines for days. Bush was walking out when there was still an offensive play left in a one-score game. And the play was designed for him! Sean Payton tracked Reggie down, but the damage to his image locally was done.
I am not that concerned with all the whispers about Reggie's "Hollywood" attitude. I am more concerned that his quarterback clearly isn't happy with him. And that his head coach felt forced to turn to Aaron Stecker to help salvage the running game after losing to Houston. In a rough season for Saint Reggie, that's more damning than any botched trick play.
Dr. Z has a terrific breakdown of all things Patriots-Ravens. He lays the loss mostly at the feet of Rex Ryan, and not because of the timeout.
I know the news cycle has moved on, but it's great stuff. As a Patriots fan, I think a team stacked with two big, physical lines will give them the most trouble. Jacksonville would not be an easy Divisional Round opponent.
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This is the last time I'll talk about the Lions receivers, but figured I'd include one final update. They will all wind up playing roughly equal snaps, so it's much about about little. I have all three Detroit receivers ranked in the thirties this week, so they are iffy WR3 plays. I worry about Detroit's offensive line handling Dallas' pressure when the Cowboys get ahead.
Torry Holt owners everywhere should be breathing a huge sigh of relief following the news that Marc Bulger will return this week. With Gus Frerotte out, we were faced with having to sit Holt in the fantasy playoffs against Cincinnati because of the Brock Berlin effect.
It's occasionally felt like a disappointing year for Holt, but he's coming on strong when it counts - like many former fantasy stars (More on that later.).
With 478 yards and three scores in his last five weeks, Holt is back in the top ten fantasy wideouts for the season. Holt is trying to finish that high for the seventh time in eight years. With Marvin Harrison falling off a cliff, only Terrell Owens can approach that sort of consistency.
December 04, 2007
Busy at work today with some extra videos and meetings, so the blog may be light. Following up on yesterday's post, however, I wanted to point out that Calvin Johnson is now expected to replace Roy Williams in the starting lineup.
This makes sense on a number of levels. The commenters yesterday had some good reasons, and Johnson is the most similar player to Williams on the team. The Lions should give him a chance to develop this month. Mike Furrey will still start, with Shaun McDonald playing out of the slot. Furrey and Johnson are the big winners here, but it's hard to trust any aspect of the Detroit offense right now. Using Johnson or Furrey this week against Dallas would require a leap of faith or a relatively weak playoff roster.
December 03, 2007
With a little help from the officials, Braylon Edwards set a career high in yards on a day when he was a game-time decision. It's a reminder that we should play our very best players if they are in the lineup, regardless of midweek scuttlebutt.
This has happened a few times this year with Brian Westbrook barely practicing during the week, and then going off. Many Adrian Peterson owners considered benching the Purple one Sunday because he was splitting carries.
I'm not going to pretend this is a hard-and-fast rule without exceptions. Javon Walker is clearly not Javon Walker right now. But there is an elite level of fantasy option that must be played if they are active. Edwards' emergence to that status has been one of the most enjoyable storylines of the season.
Furrey, not Johnson, may start with Williams out
Mike Furrey has been one of the quieter disappointments in fantasy football this season with only 522 yards and a touchdown. But owners who have hung on all season might have a decent WR3 in points-per-reception leagues for the fantasy playoffs now that Roy Williams is likely out for the season.
After a shaky Thanksgiving day performance, Calvin Johnson appeared to be back in the doghouse against Minnesota. He was in-and-out of the lineup even after Williams' injury, and was only targeted three times all day. On one pass to him, Johnson didn't appear to know he was the hot read on the play and wasn't paying attention.
Furrey is available in nearly three-quarters of all fantasy leagues and looks more likely to enter the starting lineup than Johnson. He caught seven passes on nine targets against Minnesota for 57 yards. I worry about Detroit's pass protection against Dallas and San Diego, but Furrey could catch plenty of underneath routes in those games. Johnson will pick up targets, but he's hard to play at this point in fantasy leagues. Even can't-miss prospects can miss - at least for one season.
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