It’s easy to make the obvious calls, i.e starting Chris Johnson every week, heres a look at some of the not so obvious calls.
Play ‘em:
Cadillac Williams – He is far from an every week start at this point, but given the match up against the 5th worst rushing defense in ’09, it is hard to go wrong. The Browns allowed 4.6 yards per rush last season, and given the fact that the Browns offense is weak (15.3 points per game, good for 29th in the NFL in ’09), Cadillac should be able to continue to run going into the latter part of the game.
Kevin Kolb – If you missed the first and second run of QBs in your draft and landed Kolb, you probably picked up another formidable QB to start. Pull the trigger on Kolb this week, despite the Packers having the 5th lowest passing yards allowed in the NFL, they allowed 29 passing touchdowns, almost 2 per game. They led the league in interceptions with 30, but in most leagues interceptions don’t hurt enough to draw too many red flags and with Bigby and Harris out for the first 6 weeks, their secondary should drop down a peg or two. Kolb has plenty of weapons in his arsenal including DeSean Jackson (Kolb seemed to find him just fine in his 2 starts last season), Jeremy Maclin, and Brent Celek. Kolb should be good for at least 1 long touchdown given his burner wide outs and the very aggressive style in which Green Bay’s secondary plays.
Falcon’s Defense – They were much stronger against the run than the pass last season, and with Dennis Dixon starting, they need not worry about the pass much. The game where Dixon saw the bulk of his playing time in the pre-season was against the Broncos, he showed he is not ready to make good decisions the NFL level in this game. Dixon threw an interception to Perrish Cox in the red zone, there were two defenders in position to pick off that pass. He also threw an ill-advised pass that turned into a pick-6, he has a long way to go. They should be able to focus in on the running game, which should shut down Mendenhall, and capitalize on a mistake or two made by Dixon.
Shelf ‘em:
Justin Forsett – I am high on Forsett this season, he also just got the official starting nod, but don’t expect much in week 1. The Seahawks are playing against the 49ers, the 49ers allowed a dismal 3.6 yards a carry last season. The Seahawks defense didn’t change much from last season and they allowed 24.4 points per game (tied for 7th worst in league), that leaves them playing from behind early most likely. If that doesn’t scare you from starting him, Patrick Willis should, he is a beast.
Saints and Viking’s D – They will both be a solid start in many weeks this season, but this game has shoot out written all over it. Brees will undoubtedly go to the air early and often, he has too many weapons for just about any defense to stop him, and if Favre has anything left in the tank, he will lay it out on the line to avenge his post-season loss. There is also a guy named AP in Minnesota, you might of heard of him, I would stay away from defense in this prime time game.
Anquan Boldin – Just in case anyone has forgotten two important words from last year’s fantasy football, I feel I need to remind everyone of “Revis Island”. Revis may be coming off a long holdout, but they are saying he will start. It may be tempting to start Boldin given the position you drafted him, but Revis Island doesn’t care where you drafted him, the numbers don’t lie, he shuts it down. If you have a wide out on your bench with upside and a solid match up, give him a shot.
Drop ‘em:
Kenny Britt - Britt’s upside is limited by the fact that the Titans are a run first team, and rightfully so with Chris Johnson running wild last season. Now Britt is limiting his upside further with a dismal pre-season (7 catches for 54 yards, 0 TDs). Coach Fisher has also said that Britt has had focus issues and may not be on the 45-man roster on game days if these focus issues continue. There are plenty of players in most free agencies with higher ceilings and have the will to play the game to the best of their ability.
Marshawn Lynch – It’s hard to cut talent, that’s why the Bills won’t do it, but he will have little relevance this season in fantasy football unless Jackson and Spiller both sustain long-term injuries. Even as the #2 back most of last year, he contributed very little to the offense, there are plenty of other fish in the sea.
Jeremy Shockey – His name is much bigger than his numbers have been in recent memory. If you want him as your bye week tight end, he will probably still be there, or at least someone that will match (or surpass) his numbers. He has had consistent injury issues, so by the time your starting tight end’s bye comes around, he may not be available. Injuries tend to get worse with age, and he is 30 years old going into this season. If you take away his two touchdown performance in week 1, he only had one other score last season, look elsewhere.
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I still have faith in britt, hopefully that doesn’t come back to bite me
I liked Britt as a late round flyer going into the pre-season, but given his performance in and Fisher’s concerns, I just lost my faith in him.
good article, i agree with all of the play ems, they were good choices. drops, especially Lynch. I can easily see his playing time going down, since Spiller was made starter. Won’t be surprised if he is traded. As for your shelf ems, I agree with both except Boldin. Not only do I see him doing well, I think Baltimore wins that game and think Revis will be a little bit rusty. Other than that, good picks
Fun info. I also found very much similar and Fun yesterday.