So I'm two weeks deep into my explorations of the world known as Twitter
(@BradMorgan27), and aside from giving me yet another tool to help me lose the battle against procrastination, I've noticed a couple things. The first is simple and essential: less is more. Not even 14 days into Twittering and my hand has already been forced multiple times to nix people I was following who couldn't stop tweeting -- and those who couldn't decipher between interesting and meaningless minutia (I'm looking at you Joe Rogan, I had such high hopes…). Another fairly obvious thing I've noticed is that small details are not only relevant on Twitter, but they are fundamental. You could argue Twitter exists solely to magnify the small things.
Fantasy Football is very similar to Twitter in this respect: seemingly unimportant details are indispensible. Think about it: most of us in fantasy playoff races are separated by anywhere from 10 to 50 points. Only a few points extra each week are responsible for those tiny gaps in scoring.
A better example is how Monday night's blowout win for the Saints resulted in a nail-biting victory for my squad (The Redeem Team). Up by just 4 points with Brees and the Saints driving with 5 minutes left in the fourth quarter, I was praying that Drew wouldn't rack up all-important touchdown number 6. As a tightly thrown spiral flew over
Devery Henderson's head and past the endzone, I was on the brink of having a fantasy-induced heart attack. Thankfully, the sixth touchdown never happened. And while it would've meant close to nothing for everyone in attendance at The Superdome, it would've ruined my entire week.
We all know how important that morning-after feeling in Fantasy Football is, and in the interest of making sure you have more good ones down this stretch run, I'm going to look at players this week who are probably on your waiver wire, and can help you today (many because of injuries to teammates).
Hi, I'm here about your Help Wanted signJason Avant, Eagles WR Avant has always had excellent potential, but due to a combination of inconsistent performances and insufficient opportunity, he's never fully cashed in. Recently, however, Avant has looked pretty good. Over his last three games he's been targeted with 20 passes, and caught an astounding 17 of them, averaging 12 fantasy points over those games. In addition, Avant is 3rd on the Eagles with 10 RZ targets (
DeSean Jackson has 11,
Brent Celek has 19), and gets his fair share of scoring chances.
If that wasn't enough to convince you to go grab Avant, Jackson said today that it's extremely unlikely he'll be able to play this weekend (concussion). Jackson's injury could so much as move Avant into the #1 WR spot on the Eagles, and result in more solid fantasy days over the next few games.
Owned in less than 3 percent of ESPN standard leagues, Avant is available in virtually every league. If you see him on your waiver wire, he is a must pickup. Facing Atlanta's awful pass defense this weekend, Avant is a great WR3 play and potential WR2 if you're desperate.
Jerious Norwood, Falcons RB I wrote a few weeks ago, with
Michael Turner on the shelf, that I'd take
Jerious Norwood over
Jason Snelling (assuming both were healthy). Norwood, unfortunately, wasn't quite healthy enough to play in Week 11, leaving Snelling the chance to have a big fantasy day. Although 76 yards and 2 touchdowns are fantasy gold, his 3.0 ypc average on 25 carries wasn't impressive from a real-football standpoint.
This past weekend, Norwood showed why I thought he was a better option than Snelling -- he is an incredibly explosive runner. Even with Turner in the lineup, Norwood produced a solid 11 fantasy points, on just 8 touches.
Now, in light of Turner hurting his ankle again and teammates speculating Norwood will get the start (although coach
Mike Smith hasn't ruled out Turner), Jerious looks like he's in line to see a good amount of touches (think around 15) this Sunday. Even if Turner plays, he'll be limited and the Falcons will be forced to share the rushing load with Norwood and Snelling. Norwood is clearly the more effective runner, hence his
Chris Johnson-esque 5.7 career yards per carry (CJ's career avg is 5.6).
Owned in just 25% of ESPN standard leagues, Norwood MUST be picked up in any league. Assuming Turner's ankle doesn't get back to 100% overnight, Norwood is a great flex play, and a low end RB2.
Larry Johnson, Bengals RBTwo weeks ago, Johnson was left out of the
Cedric Benson replacement committee (
Bernard Scott and
Brian Leonard shouldered the load). This past Sunday, however, Johnson was a huge part of the Bengals' offensive game plan, and performed quite well (107 yards on 22 carries). Clearly, Johnson showed he still had something in practice. What a difference a few weeks and a decent offensive line can make. In addition, LJ got every RZ carry for the Bengals (4) and even picked up a RZ target. Much like Week 11,
Bernard Scott was taken out of the game in scoring situations.
This week Cincinnati faces every Fantasy owner's dream: the Lions. Although Marvin Lewis has already said Benson will start and be the dominant back, he may again be listed as questionable (just like last week, when he was a late inactive). In addition,
Bernard Scott was seen Monday with crutches and in a walking boot. Even assuming Benson plays, Johnson should be in line to see a good amount of touches as the Bengals backup RB.
LJ has been dropped in a ton of leagues (hard not be dropped in fantasy, when you're dropped in reality), and is a decent flex option against Detroit regardless of the Benson's status. Despite Coach Lewis' comments, there is very little incentive to give Benson a ton of work against the Lions. If CedBen is a late sit again, I would start Johnson as an RB2 with confidence.
Fred Davis, Redskins TEOnce you get outside the Top 5 (
Vernon Davis,
Dallas Clark,
Antonio Gates,
Tony Gonzalez, and
Brent Celek) Tight Ends have been little bit of a gamble this season. But they can make all the difference if you guess right.
Fred Davis looked like he would become a decent TE option once
Chris Cooley went down, but that didn't quite materialize. This past week, however,
Jason Campbell threw to him 9 times, including 3 times in the RZ (resulting in TD).
Owned in just 4% of ESPN standard leagues, Davis is definitely available. If you're in need of a TE, give Davis a look against the Saints this weekend. The Redskins will be throwing early and often.
So I'm two weeks deep into my explorations of the world known as Twitter
(@BradMorgan27), and aside from giving me yet another tool to help me lose the battle against procrastination, I've noticed a couple things. The first is simple and essential: less is more. Not even 14 days into Twittering and my hand has already been forced multiple times to nix people I was following who couldn't stop tweeting -- and those who couldn't decipher between interesting and meaningless minutia (I'm looking at you Joe Rogan, I had such high hopes…). Another fairly obvious thing I've noticed is that small details are not only relevant on Twitter, but they are fundamental. You could argue Twitter exists solely to magnify the small things.
Fantasy Football is very similar to Twitter in this respect: seemingly unimportant details are indispensible. Think about it: most of us in fantasy playoff races are separated by anywhere from 10 to 50 points. Only a few points extra each week are responsible for those tiny gaps in scoring.
A better example is how Monday night's blowout win for the Saints resulted in a nail-biting victory for my squad (The Redeem Team). Up by just 4 points with Brees and the Saints driving with 5 minutes left in the fourth quarter, I was praying that Drew wouldn't rack up all-important touchdown number 6. As a tightly thrown spiral flew over
Devery Henderson's head and past the endzone, I was on the brink of having a fantasy-induced heart attack. Thankfully, the sixth touchdown never happened. And while it would've meant close to nothing for everyone in attendance at The Superdome, it would've ruined my entire week.
We all know how important that morning-after feeling in Fantasy Football is, and in the interest of making sure you have more good ones down this stretch run, I'm going to look at players this week who are probably on your waiver wire, and can help you today (many because of injuries to teammates).
Hi, I'm here about your Help Wanted signJason Avant, Eagles WR Avant has always had excellent potential, but due to a combination of inconsistent performances and insufficient opportunity, he's never fully cashed in. Recently, however, Avant has looked pretty good. Over his last three games he's been targeted with 20 passes, and caught an astounding 17 of them, averaging 12 fantasy points over those games. In addition, Avant is 3rd on the Eagles with 10 RZ targets (
DeSean Jackson has 11,
Brent Celek has 19), and gets his fair share of scoring chances.
If that wasn't enough to convince you to go grab Avant, Jackson said today that it's extremely unlikely he'll be able to play this weekend (concussion). Jackson's injury could so much as move Avant into the #1 WR spot on the Eagles, and result in more solid fantasy days over the next few games.
Owned in less than 3 percent of ESPN standard leagues, Avant is available in virtually every league. If you see him on your waiver wire, he is a must pickup. Facing Atlanta's awful pass defense this weekend, Avant is a great WR3 play and potential WR2 if you're desperate.
Jerious Norwood, Falcons RB I wrote a few weeks ago, with
Michael Turner on the shelf, that I'd take
Jerious Norwood over
Jason Snelling (assuming both were healthy). Norwood, unfortunately, wasn't quite healthy enough to play in Week 11, leaving Snelling the chance to have a big fantasy day. Although 76 yards and 2 touchdowns are fantasy gold, his 3.0 ypc average on 25 carries wasn't impressive from a real-football standpoint.
This past weekend, Norwood showed why I thought he was a better option than Snelling -- he is an incredibly explosive runner. Even with Turner in the lineup, Norwood produced a solid 11 fantasy points, on just 8 touches.
Now, in light of Turner hurting his ankle again and teammates speculating Norwood will get the start (although coach
Mike Smith hasn't ruled out Turner), Jerious looks like he's in line to see a good amount of touches (think around 15) this Sunday. Even if Turner plays, he'll be limited and the Falcons will be forced to share the rushing load with Norwood and Snelling. Norwood is clearly the more effective runner, hence his
Chris Johnson-esque 5.7 career yards per carry (CJ's career avg is 5.6).
Owned in just 25% of ESPN standard leagues, Norwood MUST be picked up in any league. Assuming Turner's ankle doesn't get back to 100% overnight, Norwood is a great flex play, and a low end RB2.
Larry Johnson, Bengals RBTwo weeks ago, Johnson was left out of the
Cedric Benson replacement committee (
Bernard Scott and
Brian Leonard shouldered the load). This past Sunday, however, Johnson was a huge part of the Bengals' offensive game plan, and performed quite well (107 yards on 22 carries). Clearly, Johnson showed he still had something in practice. What a difference a few weeks and a decent offensive line can make. In addition, LJ got every RZ carry for the Bengals (4) and even picked up a RZ target. Much like Week 11,
Bernard Scott was taken out of the game in scoring situations.
This week Cincinnati faces every Fantasy owner's dream: the Lions. Although Marvin Lewis has already said Benson will start and be the dominant back, he may again be listed as questionable (just like last week, when he was a late inactive). In addition,
Bernard Scott was seen Monday with crutches and in a walking boot. Even assuming Benson plays, Johnson should be in line to see a good amount of touches as the Bengals backup RB.
LJ has been dropped in a ton of leagues (hard not be dropped in fantasy, when you're dropped in reality), and is a decent flex option against Detroit regardless of the Benson's status. Despite Coach Lewis' comments, there is very little incentive to give Benson a ton of work against the Lions. If CedBen is a late sit again, I would start Johnson as an RB2 with confidence.
Fred Davis, Redskins TEOnce you get outside the Top 5 (
Vernon Davis,
Dallas Clark,
Antonio Gates,
Tony Gonzalez, and
Brent Celek) Tight Ends have been little bit of a gamble this season. But they can make all the difference if you guess right.
Fred Davis looked like he would become a decent TE option once
Chris Cooley went down, but that didn't quite materialize. This past week, however,
Jason Campbell threw to him 9 times, including 3 times in the RZ (resulting in TD).
Owned in just 4% of ESPN standard leagues, Davis is definitely available. If you're in need of a TE, give Davis a look against the Saints this weekend. The Redskins will be throwing early and often.
Quick Reads Eldra Buckley, Eagles RB In one of the weirder happenings of Week 12,
Eldra Buckley was given all 3 cracks (1 carry was called back) at the endzone from the 1-yard line in a crucial spot for the Eagles. This must have driven
LeSean McCoy owners insane. Why give a guy with 5 career carries coming into this game such important touches? Unfortunately, this doesn't make Buckley relevant -- it only serves to hurt McCoy's value.
If it was one freak carry on the 1, that would be easier to swallow, but 3 in a row means that coach Andy Reid really wanted to give Buckley the ball there. If you have McCoy you're still most likely starting him, but if you have another decent option, you now have to worry about McCoy possibly not getting GL carries.
Chris Brown, Texans RBClearly, Brown is the Texans' choice in scoring situations, and that makes sense if you just look at his size (6-3 235). But Brown really isn't an impressive runner. He's probably good for about 10 carries a week, and will get the Texans' easy TD opportunities. If you want to gamble on a TD, he's a low end flex play. Personally, I don't like to rely on TD vultures who have better size than talent.
Justin Forsett, Seahawks RB Jim Mora has said
Julius Jones will be thrust back into the starting lineup upon returning, but I think that's just a Coach being loyal to a veteran. Forsett has been electrifying, and has gotten virtually all of the Seahawks RZ and GL carries since getting the starting gig. Count me among those that believe in the little guy. It doesn't hurt that he faces Houston and Tampa Bay in Weeks 14 and 15.
Tim Hightower, Cardinals RBAll Hightower seems to do is put up solid fantasy weeks. No one will ever accuse him of being an explosive player, but he is consistent and fundamentally sound. Good pass blocking and receiving skills have given Hightower constant opportunities throughout the season. Once again Hightower got both RZ carries and the sole GL carry in Week 12, and cashed in another easy scoring opportunity.
Chris Wells is the more talented player, and will be drafted higher in fantasy leagues next year, but for the rest of the season Timmy is the Cardinals back to have.
Ray Rice, Ravens RB Did it suck to watch Rice, who carried the Ravens to the Goal Line, get a touchdown vultured by
Willis McGahee last week? Yes. But Rice owners have known since Week 1 that those freak incidents could happen. Since McGahee's awesome first two weeks, Rice has had over 80% of the Ravens RZ carries and the majority of GL carries. Rice's true value lies in his ability to gain large chunks of yardage on the ground and through the air. Don't be concerned.
Pierre Thomas, Saints RBThomas again played very well on Monday Night Football, but still didn't get the touches he should get. However, he was able to break a
Drew Brees dump off pass for a 23-yard touchdown, pleasing his owners. Also, Thomas got 4 of the 5 RZ carries against the Patriots, proving that
Mike Bell's 6 in Week 11 were fluky. Continue to start Thomas as a RB2 with confidence.
Laurence Maroney, Patriots RB There was a big question mark surrounding Maroney entering Week 12: How would
Sammy Morris' return affect him? As you may remember, Morris was the dominant runner in the Patriots backfield before getting hurt. Bill Belichick showed great faith in Maroney, giving him 5 of 6 RZ carries, and all 3 GL carries (resulting in 2 TDs). Maroney remains a solid RB2 for the stretch run, and I'd call him a RB1 when he plays Carolina and Buffalo in Weeks 14 and 15.