Fantasy Sports Review

This division lacks a little up front, and the effort trickles down from there. Subpar efforts and lack of healthy players on the line and in the backfield have created an uphill battle for these West Coast teams. That said, Seattle and St. Louis have been the most successful teams from this division, and that success is tied to the guys up front. Consider how much the loss of Orlando Pace hurt the Rams last year.

Seattle Seahawks (1st in NFC West, 7th in Conference)
If you want a safe bet on draft day, then grab whoever emerges as the lead runner for the Seahawks. The lack of production last year had more to do with the decline of Shaun Alexander than it had to do with the linemen.

LT Walter Jones
LG Mike Wahle
C Chris Spencer
RG Ray Sims
RT Sean Locklear

St. Louis Rams (2nd in NFC West, 8th in Conference)
Obviously a healthy Orlando Pace will go a long way toward improving the play of his unit from a year ago, but a healthy quarterback (Marc Bulger) and running back (Steven Jackson) need to return to form this year for the team to turn the corner on offense.

LT Orlando Pace
LG Mark Setterstrom
C Brett Romberg
RG Richie Incognito
RT Alex Barron

Arizona Cardinals (3rd in NFC West, 13th in Conference)
This group is still finding his way as they try to build around Levi Brown, but expect marked improvement from this unit in 2008 with Russ Grimm leading the way.

LT Mike Gandy
LG Reggie Wells
C Al Johnson
RG Deuce Lutui
RT Levi Brown

San Francisco (4th in NFC West, 15th in Conference)
They seem to have solid tackles in Joe Staley and Jonas Jennings, though Jennings has had a hard time staying on the field due to injury. They should improve from another year of playing together as a unit, but who they will be blocking for is a guess with quarterback Alex Smith and running back Frank Gore both needing to prove they can stay healthy.

LT Joe Staley
LG Adam Snyder
C Eric Heitmann
RG Daavid Baas
RT Jonas Jennings

This is another post in a series in which we go division by division looking at and ranking the most overlooked factor in the success of your fantasy football squad, the offensive line. So you might want to keep an eye out over the next few weeks - which by the way, I have made it easy for you to do because…

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This Fantasy Football Start’em Sit’em could be one of the most important of the season for many of you. You could be one of the fringe owners looking to earn a spot in your leagues first round of playoffs next week. There is no room for error and its a loooooong offseason.

With that said you probably have a lot to go over before you finalize your starting roster, so lets get right to it. Here are this weeks picks:

Start’em if you got’em
Thomas Jones RB (NYJ) - Jones has been pretty inconsistent running the ball this year but I have a feeling he will get it going this weekend against Miami like he did in their last meeting (110 yards on the ground). The Dolphins are ranked 30th in the league because they are allowing 148 yards per game as well as allowing the second most rushing touchdowns in the league with 13. Hell, Willie Parker had to run through a swamp on Monday night and still posted 81 yards on them. Put Jones down for 125 and a at least 1 touchdown.

Final stats: 75 yards and a touchdown.
Final thoughts: Leon Washington was a factor in this one as well. Leon posted 68 yards and 2 touchdowns of his own.

Minnesota defense - These guys looked great last week when they shut down the Giants and took three of four picks to the house. Better yet they will be playing at home with a ton of confidence against a Lions team that has allowed a league high 47 sacks this season and likes to turn the ball over (14 picks and 11 lost fumbles). Not good when your playing a Vikes team that can make you pay for those turnovers. The last time these teams met they had three picks. Look for the Vikes to give up 20 points but get 4 sacks, 4 turnovers and at least 1 touchdown this week against the Lions.

Final stats: 10 points allowed, 3 sacks, 2 turnovers and, if your league counts special teams touchdowns, 1 TD.
Final thoughts: Solid performance for the Vikes. Their offense controlled the ball for a little over 37 minutes which kept the defense fresh.

Sit’em if you’ve got em
Shaun Alexander RB (SEA) - He practiced Wednesday and is most likely going to return from injury this week. But, the only thing he will be successful at is taking carries away from Maurice Morris. Not only did Coach Holmgren state that they will split carries but I just bet Morris will get the majority of the third down duties akeeping Alexander virtually dormant on the passing game. Combine all that with the fact that Phili is a top ten defense in the rushing category and he will be lucky to get more than 50 yards and as far as touchdowns go, look for Weaver to get the carries at the goal line.

Final stats: 20 carries for 65 yards and a TD.
Final thoughts: The touchdown had more to do with Phili turning the ball over deep in their territory than anything. Also, Morris had almost identical stats (64 yards and a TD) with 15 less carries.

Phillip Rivers QB (SD) - In the last meeting with the Chiefs he had 211 yards, 0 touchdowns and 2 picks. And that was at home in his own stadium. This week expect to see a repeat performance of the his last game against the Chiefs top ten passing defense.

Final stats: 10 for 21 for 157 and a TD.
Final thoughts: It was all LT in this one.

Sleepers: don’t be surprised if…
…Travis Henry RB (DEN) plays and has a big game against the Raiders. I’m not sure he is a true sleeper but he’s been out for awhile and you might be leery of putting him in. Don’t be. Kolby Smith and Chester Taylor both posted 150 plus on Oakland the last two weeks. Even Ron Dayne put up a 122 on them four weekends ago. There is no reason a rested and healthy running back in a Broncos uniform can’t put up big numbers versus the Raiders. I’ll say 125+ and two touchdowns.

…Chad Johnson WR (CIN) gives a repeat of his last performance against the Steelers. Back in week eight the Steelers held him to 5 catches for 51 yards.

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.

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.