Fantasy Sports Review

If you are reading this weeks edition of the fantasy football start’em sit’em, congratulations. You have made it to the post season and are that much closer to your ultimate goal.

Whether its more cash or good old fashioned bragging rights, you are almost there. But, before we get ahead of ourselves, we have some business to take care of, here are this weeks picks:

Start’em if you got’em
Ryan Grant RB (GB) - Wanna keep your banged up, legend for a quarterback healthy? Then run the ball right? After all, not only are the Raiders allowing 148 yards per game but they have given up 20 touchdowns in 2007. This week look for Grant to continue his late season surge with 100 yard, two touchdown performance against the Raiders.
Final stats: 156 yards, 1 touchdowns and 2 catches for 6 yards.
Final thoughts: If the game didn’t get so out of hand he may have had an even bigger day.

Jamal Lewis RB (CLE) - Funny how everyone, including myself, was down on him during the preseason. Bad offense. He’s getting slow. So much for that. Forward ’til now and here I am recommending that you start him this week during your fantasy football playoffs. It’s an easy call considering he is facing a Jets defense that is ranked 29th in the league. Be glad that you were “stuck” with him on draft day when he posts 125 and a touchdown.

Final stats: 118 and a TD rushing, 3 for 19 and a TD receiving.
Final thoughts: Great day for Lewis and his owners.

Sit’em if you’ve got em
Kurt Warner QB (ARI) - This isn’t any easy call but it is just to hard to recommend him at this point. He takes on a Seattle defense that has only allowed a league leading seven touchdowns through the air. Add to that the fact that the Cardinals receiving corp is hurting. He may be without both Anquan Boldin and Larry Fitzgerald. This week he’s a low-end QB2 in larger leagues. If he makes it through the entire game, he only puts up somewhere in the neighborhood of 225, 1 td and 2 interceptions.

Final stats: 337, 3 touchdowns and 5 interceptions.
Final thoughts: Little off on my prediction here. But, he struggled until they were down and had to pass every down.

Frank Gore RB (SF) - Unless you don’t have any one else worth a damn on your team I would suggest you sit him down this week. He can’t be trusted with your fantasy football title hopes especially against the number one, run smothering Vikings. Oh and did I mention the Vikings have only allowed five rushing touchdowns all year? Yeah…not good. Don’t get stuck with his 55 yards and 0 td’s.

Final stats: 68 yards rushing and 8 for 49 receiving.
Final thoughts: Owners in points per reception leagues have a little to smile about.

Sleepers: don’t be surprised if…
…Roddy White WR (ATL) has an overall solid game versus the Saints on Monday Night Football. Last time he faced them he caught 8 balls for 110 and a touchdown. And that was with two different quarterbacks throwing to him. Expect something similar this week.

Final stats: 3 catches for 75 yards and a TD.
Final thoughts: I really thought they would look his way a little more but it was almost like they cashed it in when they couldn’t stop Brees.

…Jerious Norwood RB (ATL) posts solid numbers this week. I know, I know, two Falcons? Are you crazy? Well sometimes… but, hear me out. The coach mentioned earlier this week that they needed to get him more touches. Also, last week he had 8 carries for 94 yards to go with 3 catches for 21 against a defense just as suspect. When he is healthy, he is a threat to score any time he gets the ball. If you are looking for a solid RB3 or maybe even a sleeper at RB2, this is your man. Be looking for 170 all purpose yards and at least one touchdown.

Final stats: 21 yards rushing and 2 catches for 57 yards receiving.
Final thoughts: They were down quickly and never really tried to establish the running game.

Be sure to check out my Fantasy Football Waiver Wire post because you may be able to pick out a sleeper or two on your own.

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.

If you are reading this post you are either getting ready for the first round of your fantasy football playoffs, are looking for that one players to help put you in the playoffs or you are in a no playoff league. Either way, congrats because you are still in it!

The good thing about fantasy football sleepers and waiver wire pick-up this time of year is that there isn’t much competition for them. You, my friend, get the pick of the litter because half your league either isn’t looking for anyone because they are out of it or some of the other teams in the playoffs may be satisfied to just roll with what they have. You shouldn’t be.

Look this list over and make sure you aren’t missing an upcoming match up that could give you an edge

May be available now…
Ladell Betts RB (WAS) - Portis injured his ankle against the Bills late in the game and didn’t return. The Redskins have a short week and play the Bears at home Thursday night. Not much time for Portis to recover. Betts would be a great start against a Bears defense that gives up a lot on the ground this year.

Chris Brown RB (TEN) - LenDale White suffered a shoulder injury and Brown finished the game with 46 yards and a TD. If White misses this week Brown should be a solid starting at home against a so-so Charger rush defense.

Fred Jackson RB (BUF) - He showed that he could carry the load if Lynch or Thomas miss any more time. If he gets another start next week he will be a great start against Miami.

Bryant Johnson WR (ARI) - Fitzgerald missed Sundays game and now Boldin looks like he is injured as well. Bryant is very good in relief and easily a solid number two or three receiver on any fantasy team if either of Fitz or Boldin are out. Versus Cleveland he had 6 for 56 and a TD. He should’ve had another TD but dropped it.

Amani Toomer WR (NYG) - With the injuries mounting, Burress seems to get less and less effective with each passing week. Toomer is getting more and more looks from Manning. Against the Bears he had 6 for 69 and a TD.

Roddy White WR (ATL) - Not sure if he would be available but if he is he could be worth a shot this week against the Saints. He has been surprisingly consistent this year despite the rotating QB’s. He went 10 for 146 and a TD versus the Rams. He play a bad Saints passing defense next Monday at home.

Justin Gage WR (TEN) - He posted 5 for 64 and a TD. Four solid weeks in a row means he could be considered for a WR3 spot this week against San Diego.

Dallas defense - Not only are they playing better and better each week but They get to play Detroit this week. I’m not sure they are going to be available this late but just in case.

Trent Edwards QB (BUF) - He could be worth a start in deeper leagues. He had 257 against the Skins. Next up, Miami.

Keep an eye on…
Luke McCown QB (TB) - Word on Garcia is all over the place. Reports on his injury vary greatly. If it is serious and he misses more time, McCown would a decent option in deeper leagues. He had a solid game against the Saints throwing for 313 and 2 TD. Tampa next three games are against Houston, Atlanta and San Fran. Very good match-ups!

Gus Freotte QB (STL) - Likes to throw interceptions but he does have some great players to get the ball to. He went for 311 yards and 2 TD’s against Atlanta. If Bulger can’t go again this week, he gets another start this week he will play against a soft Bengals defense.

Chris Redman/Byron Leftwich/Joey Harrington QB (ATL) - Deep league special. Who know who will play this week but whoever does should be able to have success against the Saints on Monday night (just ask Luke McCown).

Sage Rosenfels QB (HOU) - Schaub went down and he did alright. Keep an eye on the situation. He doesn’t have the greatest match-up this week in Tampa Bay but he does have a few good receivers to throw to.

Aaron Rodgers QB (GB) - It looks like Favre will start this week but at least keep an eye on the situation because you never know. Rodgers isn’t Favre but it is a pretty goo offense to be at the head of.

Notable performances…
Leon Washington RB (NYJ) - 10 carries for 68 yards, 2 TD’s and 2 catches for 35 yards.

Roydell Williams WR (TEN) - Decent performance against Houston with 5 for 74 and a TD.

Sidney Rice WR (MIN) - He has three touchdowns in his last four games. Quietly, Sidney and Tavaris are developing a connection in Minnesota.

A few other resources you should check out are Fantasy Football Librarians waiver wire report and the Bruno Boys week 14 waiver wire report.

There was a lot going on yesterday so there is a lot for you to choose from. Here are a bunch of not so obvious waiver wire and sleeper picks for you to consider:

Roddy White WR (ATL) - I think I mentioned him last week too but here’s a reminder. I don’t care what team your on or who your quarterback is, if you get 7 catches for 127 and a touchdown you should be on someones roster. Why not yours.

Mike Furrey WR (DET) - If Calvin Johnson is out for an extended period of time Furry should see an increase in action on this high powered passing attack.

Greg Jennings WR (GB) - He might be available if previous owners dumped and forgotten about him in the first few weeks. He had pretty darn good return with 4 for 82 and a TD and Favre is hot.

Samkon Gado RB (HOU) - You may not need to pick him up quite yet but keep your finger on the trigger by keeping a close eye on the status of the guys ahead of him on the depth charts. As of now I am not sure of Ahman Greens status but he hurt his knee and left the game. Also, Ron Dayne was out yesterday with bruised ribs.

Sammy Morris RB (NE) - Could be a decent bye week replacement if you are in a pinch. He gets the goal line opportunity’s and we all know that there are plenty of them now-a-days.

Reuben Droughns RB (NYG) - Speaking of goal line opportunities, Brandon Jacobs will be out for a few more weeks and Reuben had two TD’s yesterday on 3 carries. Can you say TD vulture? Not a huge pick-up but if you are scraping the bottom for someone to throw in, you could do a lot worse.

Tampa Bay D - They are starting to look similar to the Tampa defense of old. They are causing turnovers and holding opponents to low scores. Plus, next week they play at Carolina and may get a have a chance to get a few sacks against David “hold the ball to long” Carr.

Kyle Boller QB (BAL) - McNair’s groin injury is an ongoing issue and besides Boller hasn’t looked to bad. Might make for a nice bye week replacement down the road.

Brian Griese QB (CHI) - Keep an eye on the Bears quarterback situation. Grossman seems to be getting worse (if thats possible). How much longer can they let him lose games.

**Update** Brian Leonard RB (STL) - Whether you need him or not, go grab him. Stephen Jackson is going to miss at least one week with a partially torn groin muscle (sounds like something that could linger).

Also, check out the Bruno Boys week four waiver wire report because it lists some of the more obvious picks that I didn’t feel the need to list twice.

Waiver wire picks were a little trickier this week than last but there is some value out there. Here is the Bruno Boys week two waiver wire report.

Also, here are a few more that didn’t make the Bruno Boys list. Depending on your teams needs, here’s a few more that I think you should consider now or at the very least keep an eye on:

Kellen Clemons QB (NYJ) - He didn’t look too bad against the mighty Ravens defense. In fact he almost brought them back to win late before throwing a pick. Pennington could have played in last weeks game but the coach kept him out. I’m sure Mangini was being cautious but with all of the buzz going on about getting Clemons involved, maybe a part of him wanted to see what Clemons could do.

Jeff Garcia QB (TB) - If there is any chance that he is a free agent, grab him now. He looking pretty good after 250+ and two TD’s on Sunday. He also has a pretty favorable schedule throughout the rest of the season if you need him for some spot duty. Next week, he gets the porous Rams defense at home.

Roydell Williams WR (Ten) - Vince Young seems to have picked out a favorite target. He went 4 for 72 with a TD against the Colts and has an upcoming game in prim time against the porous New Orleans defense. Is there any room on your roster?

Roddy White WR (ATL) - He has been Harrington’s favorite target and after playing two very tough defenses thing will start to lighten up.

Joe Jurevicius WR (CLE) - He’s not the only guy on the team but he was the first Anderson looked to early in the redzone during Sundays score-a-thon.

Kevin Jones RB (DET) - If for some reason this guy is laying around on your waiver wire you should consider picking him up. He is expected to play next week against the Eagles. He may not produce right away but could be a pretty valuable guy on the Lions high flying offense down the line.

**Update** Jason Avant WR (PHI) - In two games he has 9 receptions for 109 yards and a TD. Not stellar by any means but McNabb has been looking to him quite a bit in the two games I watched. McNabb has been pretty inconsistent but when he gets it going Avant could as well. If you start three receivers you might want to keep an eye on him.