Fantasy Sports Review

We are past the midpoint of the season and before you know it your fantasy football play-offs will be in full swing. Every start becomes even more critical from this point forward if you expect to be in the playoffs. That is why my friend I took a little extra care in choosing my seven players for this weekends games.

Real quick, here’s a little reminder of how I have things set up. I list two players who I think deserve a start and two players that I think should ride the pine. Also, I have another section that will deal with some of the gray area associated with some players.

This section is called Sleepers: Don’t be surprised if. It will deal with players who, regardless of stature, will perform better or worse than expected. Rather than tell you that you should start or sit these players - since I do not know every circumstance surrounding your team in particular - I am just offering up a little food for thought for those of you who have tough decisions to make this weekend. So lets get to it.

Start’em if you got’em

Edgerrin James RB (ARI) - Don’t let the Bucs defense fool ya, they aren’t that great against the run. Even though they are 8th in total defense they are a below average 22nd against the run. They also allow one touchdown per game on average. With a healthy quarterback Edgerrin has been solid this year. He should be solid this weekend in Tampa with 90 plus and a touchdown.

Final stats: 9 carries for 14 yards and a TD.
Final thoughts: Wow, Tampa Bay controlled the clock in this one. Time of possession for Arizona was 16:53.

Shaun Alexander RB (SEA) - He is no longer a must start on a week to week basis but this week he should actually be worth something. With the exception of one, every running back that has faced the Browns this year has posted a 100 yard game. The only one that didn’t was Stephen Jackson but he was injured and had 8 for 41 with a touchdown in just under a quarters work. Look for 100 and a TD this week.

Final stats: 14 carries for 32 yards, 0 TD’s and 1 catch for 1 yard.
Final thoughts: Is it over for Alexander? If not it is getting damn close. I watched the game and he didn’t look good at all. In fact Maurice Morris looked much better with 9 carries for 55 yards and 2 catches for 43 so it wasn’t the D. I will be recommending Morris in this weeks waiver wire post.

Sit’em if you’ve got em

Steve McNair QB (BAL) - Not only does he struggle throwing the long ball but I am really not even sure he can make it through a whole game without pulling something. There are worries among NFL insiders that he will be rusty after not playing for 3 weeks. Then you couple all that with the fact that he is playing the Steelers fourth ranked defense on their turf; not good. Don’t put your playoff hopes in the hands of someone starring down a 175 yard and 0 touchdown performance.

Final stats: 63 yards, a pick and no touchdowns
Final thoughts: He did worse than I thought.

Ryan Grant RB (GB) - Boy, he sure looked pretty solid against Denver the other night in primetime. Hell he’s even a great pick-up this week. However, unless you need a third running back, or you are decimated by the bye week, stay away. Remember the Broncos have struggled mightily against the run this year and aren’t a good measuring stick in this case. Better yet, the Chiefs defense is always tough at home and since the return of Jared Allen they have turned it up even more. Don’t be hypnotized by the Monday night hype, he will struggle to get 75 and won’t sniff the endzone without divine intervention.

Final stats: 19 for 55, 0TD’s and 4 catches for 37.
Final thoughts: Heard a Packer commentator mention the fact that he looked better than his stats showed. Good to see him involved in the passing game too. Should be a decent low end RB2 option going forward.

Sleepers: don’t be surprised if…

…Vernon Davis TE (SF) has a solid outing against a poor Atlanta pass defense. I know this is the San Fransisco offense we are talking about but right now he is about all they have and Atlanta has been pretty shaky vs the pass as of late. 75 and a TD on a bad San Fran offense is worthy of the sleeper tag.

Final stats: 7 catches for 77 yards, 0 touchdowns.
Final thoughts: He is about the only thing that the Niners have going right now. Tough season for them.

…JP Losman QB (BUF) and Lee Evans WR (BUF) hook up over and over against the Bengals. I think it is a pretty safe bet considering Cinci has allowed 18 touchdowns through the air (which is tied for the most in the league). Thats 18 touchdowns in 7 games, you do the math. Also, Losman knows his opportunities are becoming more and more limited. He needs to make the best of every start. J.P. Should go over 250 with 2 TD’s and Lee “Late Season All-Star” Evans should get his 100 and at least one touchdown.

Final stats: Losman - 24/34 for 295, 1 TD and 1 int. Evans - 9 catches 165 yards and 1 TD.
Final thoughts: Leave it to the Cinci defense to breath life into any offense. What a day for the Bills who are now at 4 and 4.

As always, that is not all my friend. There are a few other stops you should make before finalizing your starting lineup.

First, make sure you stop by and see how the Fantasy Football Librarian can help you. Every week she posts all of the start’em sit’em articles, player ranking posts and waiver wire lists that she can find so that you don’t have to hunt for them yourself. Check her out and tell her the Goat says hi.

Second, you can get more in-depth NFL player projections throughout the week by checking out the Bruno Boys website over on MVN.com.

Third, be on the lookout for the weekly fantasy football start’em sit’em podcast I co-host with Marc Caviglia.

Week four is here and you are probably wondering if there is anyone else, beside the obvious, that you should start or sit this week. Well I’m here for you. I have scoured mountains of information and listened to countless hours of NFL talk radio to find four unlikely players that I think can help or hurt you this Sunday.

Lets get right to it.

Start’em if you got’em

Trent Green QB (MIA) - I almost can’t believe I’m saying this but what the hell. If you need a bye week filler, Trent is your guy. Before you start laughing, let me explain.

If there is anything that the Dolphins have done consistently this year it is pass the ball. They are currently 7th in the league in that category and are going up against a unit that is 25th defending it. Shouldn’t be to hard for him to get at least 250 and 2 TD’s.

**Final stats - 14 of 25 for 158 and a TD with 2 interceptions.
Final thoughts - Last time I show a little faith in Trent Green. However, in fairness to both of us, perhaps the pre-game monsoon had something to do with the low passing numbers on both sides of the ball. How about Ronnie Brown though. Wow!

Owen Daniel TE (HOU) - If some guy named Jeff King could put up 56 yards and a TD against the Dirty Birds, why not Mr. Daniels? Plus with the loss of Andre Johnson, and now Jacoby Jones, the Texans are running out of receivers. Kevin Walter and Andre Davis should do enough to give Daniels room to work. Put him in Sunday and watch as he post 5-7 receptions for 75+ yards and a TD.

**Final stats - 5 Catches for 69.
Final thoughts - Pretty much what I expected minus the TD. Schaub doesn’t look like he can be stopped.

Sit’em if you got’em

Marc Bulger QB (STL) - I know, I know. You’re thinking it would be foolish to sit him down considering that he will be playing catch-up all day long. Hell, he will have to pass until his arm falls off. Under normal circumstances I couldn’t agree with you more. However, these are not normal circumstances.

Marc lost his all-pro left tackle a few weeks ago, now he has lost another lineman in guard Mark Setterstrom (for the season) and his center is day-to-day with a high ankle sprain. Not the type of situation you want going into Texas Stadium against an improving Dallas pass rush. And there is more. Now that Stephen Jackson is out, he will have less of a running game to keep Dallas honest. He will also have a rookie in the backfield with him in charge of picking up the blitz. And to round it all off, Mr. Bulger has two broken ribs and a bad ankle. How many hits can the man possibly take before having to leave the game? I bet he gets between 150 and 200 yards passing and 0 touchdowns.

**Final stats - 11 of 24 for 114, 0 TD’s, 1 interception.
Final thoughts - He didn’t get knocked out but we did get a chance to see ole Gus sling it for awhile. The fork is pretty much all of the way in for the Rams this year.

Edgerrin James RB (ARI) - You don’t have to look to hard for evidence to build a case to sit this guy down. Here are the stats of the last three opponents the Steelers faced: Jamal Lewis 11 for 35 yards, Marshawn Lynch 18 for 64 yards and Mr. Frank Gore a whopping 14 for 39 yards. And that is not all.

Last week against Baltimore the Cards were down late because they couldn’t control the ball for long (a likely scenario this week as well). They were down and began to run a hurry-up offense which all but nullifies the need for his skill set. Look for the for Edge to get something similar to last week just over 50 yards 0 touchdowns and 1 reception for around 10 yards.

**Final stats - 21 rushes for 77 yards and a TD, 1 reception for 7 yards.
Final thoughts - I missed on the TD but who knew he was going to be playing with a lead. Props to the Arizona defense.

And that is not all my friend. You can get more in-depth NFL player projections throughout the week by checking out the Bruno Boys website over on MVN.com. Also, be on the lookout for the weekly fantasy football start’em sit’em podcast I co-host with Marc Caviglia.