Tag Archives: Fantasy Football

Week 5 Fantasy Football Update

Posted by kstafford32 on

The Know-It-All’s Fantasy Prep

 

Week 5 Weekend Player Updates

 

Kyle Stafford – @Kstafford32

As Week 5 approaches, I feel the need to mix it up a little. I am going to lay out the top 5 free agents for each position. Here we go:

Quarterback:

Matt Hasselbeck, TEN:  As I predicted, another great week 3 TDs 200+ yards. Faces a Pittsburgh Defense that has had a lot of holes this season.

Broncos will pick between Brady Quinn and Tim Tebow soon

Mark Sanchez, NYJ:  Did not look good against Baltimore, but who does? Faces New England and Miami Secondaries the next two weeks. Should bounce back.

Kevin Kolb, ARI:  Is going up against a Vikings Defense that let Matt Cassel beat them deap many times last week.

Donovan McNabb, MIN:  This is one of the few times you will see something positive written about him from me. I favor his matchup this week. The Cardinals secondary is young and careless.

Tim Tebow, DEN:  Ya, I went there. If Orton can’t get the job done this week you could see a change at the QB postion. Now before you bash his throwing mechanics look at what he did in 2010 (2010 Game Stats). In the final 2 games he had a rushing TD in each game, threw for 300 in one game and rushed for 94 in the other. He is atleast Tyler Thigpen 2.0.

Running Backs:

Ryan Torian, WAS:  You never know who Shanahan will hand the ball off to, but you can almost count that they will be productive.

Dexter McCluster, KC:  Looks to be getting the bulk of the carries. We will see how long he holds up. Has a favorable matchup against Indy.

Former LSU Star Stevan Ridley is showing up strong in New England

Isaac Redman, PIT: With Mendenhall and Moore injuryed, Redman should see the bulk of the carries in Pitt for Week 5.

Stevan Ridley, NE:  Has came out of nowhere and is giving Ben J-G-E a run for his carries. BUT  New England has never been consistant with their running backs over the years.

Montario Hardesty, CLE:  Has not forfilled his full potential, but did a decent job in Hillis’s absence

Wide Receivers & Tight Ends:

Jacoby Jones WR, HOU:  With Andre Johnson out, you can expect his targets to go up

Preston Parker is emerging as a threat in Tampa

Jared Cook TE, TEN:  With Kenny Brit gone, Cook is now Hasselbecks favorite target. Look for his fantasy numbers to spike.

Antonio Brown WR, PIT:  Pittsburgh’s run game has been ineffective. Look for Brown’s role to grow as they expand the passing game.

Jermaine Gresham TE, CIN:  As Andy Daulton develops, he will rely more on his pass catching TE.

Preston Parker WR, TB:  Nobody is paying attention to this kid in Yahoo/ESPN leagues. He is owned by less than 6%. He is getting the targets and as Freeman becomes more comfortable in this offense look for his production to rise. Tampa is built to be a passing team if Freeman can take hold of it.

***I do get responses/questions about my articles from the readers of Can of Corn and I thank you for them. For my week 6 article, I would like to answer questions from readers on any general fantasy questions. You can ask questions below in the comment box or tweet me on twitter @KStafford32

 

Questions? Comments? Follow Me on Twitter @KStafford32

The Know-It-All’s Fantasy Prep

Posted by kstafford32 on

The Know-It-All’s Fantasy Prep

 

Week 4 Weekend Player Updates

 

Kyle Stafford – @Kstafford32

You are either one of two people at the moment. You are sitting high and mighty at 3-0/2-1 or you are in a state of panic and disbelief at 0-3/1-2. I have been in both situations in the past. It can be easy for the team at the top to get complacent about their place in the standings and not work their team hard enough. You can also reach a level of discouragement being the guy at the bottom and want to just stop working your team.  The Fantasy Season is about 25% of the way thru. Don’t give up and don’t get complacent. There is a hard lesson I am learning in my Fantasy Baseball League at the moment, It’s not how you start, It’s how you finish……..

Digging for Gold:

Ending Week 3, injuries continue to be the trend. There are still players in the Free Agent Pool that can help, but in some cases you can’t fix a stab wound with a band aid…example Jamaal Charles owners.

Quarterback:

Matt Hasselbeck, TEN- Hasselbeck has put up very consistent fantasy numbers this season. He is averaging 300 yards a game and has two games of 20 or more fantasy points scored. You could see a drop in production with the news of Kenny Britt tearing his ACL and landing on the IR. Hasselbeck faces Cleveland, Indy, and Cincy over the next 5 games.

The Jets are turning into a passing team with Sanchez under center

Mark Sanchez, NYJ-  Sanchez is quietly having a solid start to the fantasy year. He has passed for over 330 yards twice, has thrown for 2 touchdowns in every game, and has a QB rating of 90.0 for the year. The only big negative for Sanchez is Interceptions. If he can cut down on the turnovers I can see him as a valuable start if the matchup is favorable.

Running Back:

Steve Slaton, MIA- It is still a mystery what happened to this former fantasy 1st round talent. Now that he was claimed by the Dolphins, he is worth a look. Slaton seems to have overcome his injury problems, but was the low man in a crowded Houston backfield. With Reggie Bush as an hourly injury concern, Slaton could pick up some valuable carries and targets behind rookie Daniel Thomas. Remember he once rushed for 1,282 yards, 9 Touchdowns with only 268 attempts. He also caught 50 balls that year.

Roy Helu could overtake the starting spot in Washington

Roy Helu, WAS- In a Mike Shanahan backfield, you never know who will emerge. Helu seems to be splitting carries with Tim Hightower, but it is a matter of how many touches he gets. He is a nice handcuff for Hightower owners, and could emerge as the #1 option.

 Wide Receivers:

David Nelson, BUF-  It’s time to drink the Kool Aid in Buffalo. Nelson has been a consistent target. If Buffalo could find him in the endzone more then he would be a top fantasy sleeper pick. He has had back to back 80+ yard performances, scoring 24 fantasy points in week 2.

With Kenny Britt on Injured Reserve, Nate Washington will be the #1 Wideout

Nate Washington, TEN- With Kenny Brit out for the year, Washington takes over the #1 Wideout spot. Titans have proven that they are not afraid to throw the ball, so Washington should receive an above average amount of targets. He has favorable matchups 3 of the next 5 games, and blasted Denver for 8 receptions, 92 yards, and a touchdown.

Antonio Brown, PIT- Last week I had Brown on my list for players that were on the decline. In Week 3 I noticed a trend. If you look at Brown’s targets, they have increased every week. He has 22 totals targets this year, more than Hines Ward at 18. He has also clearly out-performed Emmanuel Sanders the past 2 weeks. I am not a fan of Pittsburgh Wideouts, but Brown is worth keeping an eye on.

Tight Ends:

Todd Heap, ARI-  He has passed Jeff King as Kevin Kolb’s favorite Tightend. The Cardinals offense looked horrible Sunday, but Heap was able to grab 6 balls for 61 yards. He is not going to put up huge numbers. If you are looking for some low consistency to get you by, Heap is worth the look.

Brandon Pettigrew, DET- Finally broke out for 11 receptions and 112 receiving yards. As Stafford continues to grow this year, I see this connection becoming stronger.

 

The Ups & Downs:

Three weeks of football has displayed to us some valuable trends that show us a lot about how players are developing.

Players on the Rise:

Matt Schaub QB, HOU: After a disappointing week 1, Schaub has improved the last two weeks. He posted 373 yards and 3 touchdowns against the Saints on Sunday. As long as Andre Johnson is running routes for the Texans, Schaub will always have the chance to score big.

 

Manning carved up the Eagles for 4 touchdowns Sunday

Eli Manning QB, NYG: Against a stacked Eagle Secondary, Manning threw for 250+ yards and 4 TD’s. He was mediocre the previous 2 weeks, but he is starting to move on without Steve Smith.

 

Ryan Mathews RB, SD: Mike Tolbert is not stealing Mathews spotlight as of late. The second year back is finding his was into the endzone and racking up plenty of yards in the process. Mathews has all the tools to do his best LT impersonation in San Diego, but has Norv Turner finally put his trust in him?

 

Wes Welker WR, NE: Count them up… 20 targets in one game! Wow… some #1 Wideouts have that many for the season so far. The Welker-Brady connection continues to thrive in New England and the sure handed Welker is putting up “off the chart” numbers. 16 catches/216 yards/2 touchdowns on Sunday. He is by far the top Receiver option in Fake Football at the moment.

 

Players on the Down:

 

Santonio Holmes WR, NYJ: He has been decent at best. Bothered by a sore quad in week 2, and too many forced balls his way have given Holmes a slow start to the season. He has the talent to bounce back, but currently Plaxico Burress is showing him up.

 

Santonio Holmes has not lived up to his potential this year

Steven Jackson RB, STL: The Rams have overloaded Jackson with carries since he was drafted and it is catching up to him. When he is 100%, he is easily one of the Elite Backs in the game, but with a lingering quad injury and a poor team around him, there is not much hope for this star.

 

DeAngelo Williams RB, CAR: Carolina was thought to be a run centered team in preseason. The emergence of Cam Newton has changed that. With less carries and Jonathan Stewart being the favored back, Williams should be stored away on your bench until fate turns in his favor.

 

Reggie Bush RB, MIA: With no Drew Bress throwing him the ball and no Sean Payton drawing up plays for him, Bush has looked below average at best in Miami. Rookie Daniel Thomas has taken over the #1 spot, and newly acquired Steve Slaton could also steal the show from Bush. High Powered Passing attacks is what appeals to his skill set and Miami just doesn’t have it.

Sam Bradford QB, STL: The trend of Spread Offense Quarterbacks coming out of the college is normally not good. Bradford seems to be following that trend this season. Granted, his team around him has not improved, but his costly mistakes are what have made him a Non-Fantasy Option.

 

Buy or Sell:

You should always be looking to buy low off another team’s rosters and sell high on your roster. Just don’t get trade happy. The goal is to upgrade your current position.

 

Buy Low:

Josh Freeman QB, TB-                        Freeman has a favorable schedule, and has shown improvement

Jimmy Graham TE, NO-          Is becoming the option Shockey never could fill

Phillip Rivers QB, SD-              Stock is down a little, a chance to buy low. He will produce

Reshard Mendenhall RB, PIT- Has had a slow start, but will come around

 

 

 

Sell High:

Darren Sproles RB, NO-          Top 7 RB, value will never be higher

Is Mike Vick worth the injury risk for your team?

Steve Smith WR, CAR-              Rookie QB, and tough schedule ahead

Antonio Gates TE, SD-             2nd season of foot problems, cannot stay on the field

Robert Meachem WR, NO-    Colston is on his way back, sell him before his targets disappear    

Mike Vick QB, PHI-                 When he is good, he is elite… BUT can’t stay healthy. See if you can get good value in return

 

 THE GOLDEN RULE:

Fantasy Sports is all about Perseverance. When you are down you have to work 10x harder than the rest of the league to get to the top…..and when you are at the top you have to work 20x harder or someone might catch you by surprise.

Questions? Comments? Follow Me on Twitter @KStafford32

The Know-It-All’s Fantasy Football Prep: The Perfect Draft Formula… and DON’T MESS WITH IT!

Posted by devandignan on

 

Kyle Stafford – @KStafford32 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

IDENTIFY THE FIELD:

The Great Unknown, aka the 1st Round of a Fantasy Football Draft. Here is where the foundation of a team can be built, or a foundation of jokes about the guy who takes Brett Favre with #1 overall pick are built. The average team owner is in the dark when it comes to making that first round selection. A lot of guessing and man crushes for players become exposed in the top half of a draft. You can take advantage of this glorious opportunity.

While the rest of your league is blindly selecting their team, you can already have your team set before the first sticker is tagged on the board. Your first move is to look at your league rules and scoring. Determine if your scoring is based on Points Per Reception (PPR), Touchdowns + Yardage, or my personal favorite PPR + TD + Yardage. Once you identify your scoring, you can now decide how you will draft.

Remember when you are drafting, you are drafting for production. The goal is to put together the most complete team that will put you in the best chance to win throughout the season.

WRITE IT DOWN:

This is not Rocket Science. This is about numbers. If you can identify numbers than you can put together a successful draft formula. Here are 3 areas pay attention to:

Position Scarcity: What position is the least depth found? If you look at the previous years stats this is a no-brainer, it’s Running Back. There is a huge gap after the Top 15 players. There is a larger gap after the Top 20. Quarterback is the sexy pick in the 1st round, but look at the Top 20 overall in 2010:

PLAYER, TEAM POS  

PRK

PTS
Tom Brady, NE QB  

1

361
Aaron Rodgers, GB QB  

2

348
Peyton Manning, Ind QB  

3

345
Michael Vick, Phi QB  

4

342
Philip Rivers, SD QB  

5

330
Drew Brees, NO QB  

6

329
Arian Foster, Hou RB  

1

313
Josh Freeman, TB QB  

7

296
Matt Ryan, Atl QB  

8

294
Matt Schaub, Hou QB  

9

285
Eli Manning, NYG QB  

10

283
Matt Cassel, KC QB  

11

271
Joe Flacco, Bal QB  

11

271
Carson Palmer, Cin QB  

13

264
David Garrard, Jac QB  

14

254
Jay Cutler, Chi QB  

15

242
Kyle Orton, Den QB  

16

240
Ben Roethlisberger, Pit QB  

17

235
Adrian Peterson, Min RB  

2

232
Ryan Fitzpatrick, Buf QB  

18

231

Notice only two Running Backs are in the Top 20. Quarterback is so deep Ryan Fitzpatrick made the Top 20. You should be looking nothing but Running back in Rounds 1 & 2. If you are in a straight PPR league you should consider a Top Wide Receiver in later part of the 1st Round, but the pass catching Running Backs are gold. When evaluating PPR don’t look at receptions, look at how many targets a player is getting.

Quarterbacks can be found late, Ryan Fitzpatrick was a top fantasy scorer last season.

Consistency: You want players that are going to contribute positively all season long. A player that can’t keep himself on the field is dead to you. This should be your mindset when selecting any starters. The more consistent players also tend to be on the more successful teams. Know the players you are drafting, for more information take a look at my previous article on “Player Evaluation”.

Actual Value:  If you can draft the same type of player in the 2nd round that you can get in the 6th round why waste the pick? My example for this is Quarterback. Sure everything would love to have Aaron Rodgers, but what if I told you that you are better off with Josh Freeman? Now you think I am crazy. The stats do not lie. Rodgers averaged 21.8 pts in 2010 while Freeman put up 18.5 pts a game. That’s only 3.3 points per game between the two. Let someone else feed their mancrush and waste a pick on Rodgers so you can draft your pass catching running back in the 1st round or stud wideout in the late second, early 3rd round. You will come out of the draft with the more complete team, while the rest of the league still has holes to fill and questions unanswered.

What Does It Look Like?

1st Round: Target the pass catching, high production Running Backs

2nd Round: Do the same, but if your friends also read this article go after a Top Wideout

3rd-5th Rounds: Standard Rosters have 2 RB, 2 WR, and 1 Flex. I would draft best available player between RB & WR until you fill those starting spots.

6th Round: Here is where you take your Quarterback. There is a good chance you will see names like Freeman, Cassel, Flacco, and Cutler. Take your choice.

7th Round: Here is where you pick your TE. Todd Heap, Pettigrew, Keller, Hernandez are all nice options here

8th Round & Beyond: I would stack heavy on RBs on your bench, and then look for quality WRs. I would not take a backup QB cause you normally can find one off FA the first 3 weeks of the season. Do not draft backup TE, Defense, or Kicker.

I always make a list of probable players to look for in each round. It helps me judge if I am reaching or getting a steal at that particular pick.

THE GOLDEN RULE

Thou Shall Not Take a Kicker till the Final 2 Rounds! Kickers are as irrelevant in fantasy football as they are in real life.

Be on the lookout for more Draft Prep Articles as we get closer to the season.

Questions? Comments? Follow Me on Twitter @KStafford32

The Know-It-All’s Fantasy Football Draft Prep

Posted by devandignan on

 

 

 

Kyle Stafford – @KStafford32 

FACT:

How you draft in your fantasy football league will be at least 75% responsible for how you finish.  The other 25% is based on lucky free agent pick-ups, trades in your favor, and staying focused on the goal.

Everyone in your league will be listening to this guy. Do your own homework.

You can sell out and get your Draft Prep from the popular talking heads, example: Matthew Berry. The problem with that is that you and nine other guys are sitting together on draft day with the same draft sheets and player evaluations. I am not selling that Matthew Berry doesn’t make a good point every once in a while, but I would like to think that you are smart enough to make your own fake football choices.

WHERE DOES IT BEGIN? 

Player Evaluations, Player Evaluations, Player Evaluations…. did I mention Player Evaluations??? My example would be the master mind in New England Bill Freaking Belichick. Only certain players and draft picks “fit” Belichick’s player standards. You need to have standards when it comes to who is on your team. If you don’t you might as well have your wife/girlfriend draft your team for you because of the color of the teams jersey look cool, or Tom Brady looks nice in spandex. I’m not saying… I’m just saying. Here are a few key areas I look at when I am drafting any player:

  • Injury History
  •  Age
  •  Team Success
  • Role in the Offense

There are also key areas to look at for each position

Quarterback:

Type of Offense, Completion %, Receiving Talent, Offensive Line

Running Back:

Does he split carries, Receiving Threat, over or under 30

Wide Out:

Targets, Quarterback, Offensive Scheme

A rookie like Mark Ingram could be a low-risk high reward pick late in your league's draft.

A few unknowns to look for are Rookies and Coaching Changes. For the most part Rookie Wide Receivers and Running Backs are safe bench picks. Rookies can turn out like Texans RB Adrian Foster, or the flip side Chargers RB Ryan Mathews. Coaching changes can change how many targets a wideout receives or how many handoffs a running back carries.

I hate to mention Herman Edwards, but when he took over the Kansas City Chiefs in 2006 he let RB Larry Johnson carry the ball for an NFL record 416 times. Previously Johnson had only carried the ball no more than 336 times in a season. Another great example is the Mad Scientist Mike Martz. Whatever offense he is reinventing, (Currently the Chicago Bears) you can expect his Quarterback to throw 40+ times, Wideouts to have their targets increase, and high paid running backs become glorified pass blockers.

WRITE IT DOWN… NOW!

Now is the time to set your teams formula. Here are a more few in-depth tips.

 

Injuries: I never draft a player that has a history of injuries or is coming back from a major injury. The risk/reward is not high enough. Let your competition draft Ronnie Brown with his 2nd Round pick and in week 4 he will be the one desperate for a lucky Free Agent or Trade.

Age: Age increases the chance of injuries. Running Backs are a no-brainer on this. They die off approaching age 30. Wideouts are productive in their 30’s but they tend to drop off in yardage and are more venerable to a rookie taking their job.  Quarterbacks with small injury history become safe with age. Be careful with Peyton Manning this season. If you are in a keeper league trade your aging players a year early instead of a year late.

Team Success:  Success is contagious. Players on top teams or high powered offenses have a higher rate of return. Tom Brady wears a ton of bling and he made fantasy studs out of guys like Deion Branch, David Patten, and David Givens?!?  Success is contagious.

These are the top 3 areas I look at when drafting any player. You would be wise to do the same.

THE GOLDEN RULE:

Never Fall In Love With Your Players. You should always be looking to upgrade your team. Nobody is untradeable and to a degree undropable. Just because you took a player in the first round doesn’t mean he has earned a spot to start on your team. Your goal is to beat your dumb friends at fake football, not harbor your man crush for Peyton Manning while he is on the IR all year….prediction?

Be on the lookout for my next FFB Draft Prep Article: The Perfect Draft Formula and Don’t Mess with It!

 

Questions? Comments?

Follow Me on Twitter @KStafford32

All views submitted in this article are solely those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views and opinions of Can of Corn.