Eli Manning Practices Friday, Likely to Play on Sunday

As I, and everyone other football fan, expected, Eli participated in practice Friday, which virtually guarantees that he will be under center when the New York Giants take on the Oakland Raiders on Sunday.

He remains questionable on the injury report, but that is a mere formality to document Eli’s missed practices during the week.  In my humble opinion, wild horses could not keep Eli from extending his streak of 75 consecutive regular season starts.

The Star Ledger notes that Eli took the majority of the snaps out of the shotgun, which would reduce the amount of moving around in the pocket for Eli.  It would also afford Eli some extra time in the pocket to reduce the hits from the aggressive Raiders defensive front.

I also assume that the Giants will use a heavy dose of Brandon Jacobs and Ahmad Bradshaw for a number of reasons.  Naturally, the more the focus is on the running game, the less falls on the shoulders, or foot, of Eli.  Secondly, the Raiders struggle against the run allowing 146.3 yard per game on the ground, which is good for 26th in the league. Meanwhile they are 11th in the league with just 211 passing yards per game.

Like I suggested in my first analysis of this situation (click here to read), if you have a solid alternative for Eli on your fantasy team, you may want to go in that direction.  Aside from a heavy reliance on the running game, Eli could have an early exit if the Giants get a big lead on the over-matched Raiders.

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A Tale of Two Divas

It must be Wide Receiver Day in the NFL as a pair of disgruntled WRs is in the news.  First up is Diva Rookie Michael Crabtree.  San Francisco’s 3-1 start and 35-0 drubbing of St. Louis must have made Crabtree realize that the Niners were doing fine without him, and weren’t going to be the first one to blink.  Now that he has missed so much time, it is unlikely that Crabtree will make much of an impact, especially on a team that relies on the running game and defense.  It is good news to those fantasy owners who took a chance on him, and especially to those in dynasty leagues who intend to have him as part of their long-term plan.

In other news, Braylon Edwards punched his ticket out of Cleveland (pun intended).  He is heading to the Jets for Chansi Stuckey, Jason Trusnik, and a couple of draft picks.  Edwards’ fantasy value takes a jump as he’ll likely be more motivated escaping the misery of Cleveland.  Stuckey could see a slight bump in value, but the real bump should go to last week’s breakout player Mohamed Massaquoi, who had a great rapport with Derek Anderson last week in a loss to Cincinnati.

As far as the QBs go, Mark Sanchez takes a step forward by adding a big play threat, assuming his drops and attitude don’t get in the way.  I don’t see much change from Derek Anderson as Braylon’s heart wasn’t in it.  He didn’t even catch a pass last week.

Originally published at LestersLegends.com.

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Eli Manning: Likely Game-Time Decision

Eli Manning will not take part in practice until the end of the week at the best as he will get treatment on his foot with hopes that he can play through the plantar fascia injury he suffered on Sunday.

Eli’s chances of playing will depend on his pain tolerance, which—if you have evidenced by the time when he played with a separated shoulder in 2007—is quite high.

Peyton Manning has never missed a start in his career and Eli has a 75-game consecutive start streak going (82 if you count his seven playoff games). Those Manning boys are tough. It’s in their blood. Archie Manning took a beating playing for some awful teams, but kept getting up.

My guess is if it were an injury where playing could worsen the condition, Eli would be more likely to sit out. However, since it’s just a pain tolerance thing, the Giants would have to lock him up to keep him off the field.

That doesn’t mean that you have to play him in fantasy, though.

If you have a solid alternative, you may want to go in that direction. After all, Oakland is 11th against the pass, allowing just 211 yards per game, and that includes tilts with Philip Rivers and Matt Schaub, who happen to be two of the best quarterbacks in the league.

On the flipside, Oakland is 26th in the league in run defense, allowing 146.3 yards per game. It would appear to me that, even if Eli plays, this is the week that you hand the keys over to Brandon Jacobs and Ahmad Bradshaw.

We’ll continue to monitor this situation as game time approaches, but as of now, I’d say plan on playing him if you must, but look for an alternative. Leave a comment if you want a second opinion on which alternative to go with.

Originally published at LestersLegends.com.

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Fantasy Football Pitfalls: Week Five

I’m going to look at NFL matchups each week and pick five fantasy starters that could be in for a tough week. Here’s a look at players who could struggle this week.

With the bye weeks upon us, you can’t necessarily sit the guys on this list unless you have great depth, but expect a drop in production.

Carson Palmer, QB, Cincinnati Bengals—The Ravens don’t have as nasty of a defense as they’ve had in years past, but they still have a pretty darn good one.

Palmer has been slightly worse historically on the road, so facing the Ravens in Baltimore makes it a bit more of a challenge.

Brian Westbrook, RB, Philadelphia Eagles—I know what you’re thinking. The Eagles are playing Tampa Bay this week out of a bye. Westy should run wild.

Hear me out.

Yes, they are coming out of a bye, which gives Westbrook a chance to get healthy.  However, they should pound the Bucs, which should lead to an early departure as LeSean McCoy finishes them up.

Donovan McNabb will likely also make his return, and the Eagles will look to knock some of the rust off before they let Kevin Kolb finish up.

Ronnie Brown, RB, Miami Dolphins—Brown is facing Rex Ryan’s blitzing defense.

Do you recall what Baltimore did to him in the Wild Card game last year?

He had 12 carries for 19 yards. He did manage 43 yards and a TD on six receptions, but that was with Chad Pennington at QB. Don’t expect much out of Mr. Wildcat.

Santana Moss, WR, Washington Redskins—Moss is a guy who will go for 170 one week and under 50 the next.

He’s facing a desperate Panthers team coming off a bye. They are struggling to run the football. The other WRs are offering little help.

John Fox is smart enough to know if you take Santana away, the Redskins will have a hard time moving the chains.

Mario Manningham, New York Giants—Eli Manning’s status is questionable against the Raiders. If he does play, I wouldn’t expect them to air it out.

If David Carr gets the start, all bets are off. Either way, the Giants will likely rely on the ground game this week.

Originally published at LestersLegends.com.

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NFL Week Four Fantasy Fill-Ins

Putting the final piece of your fantasy football puzzle together

I’ve uncovered some guys you can plug in if you are dealing with an injury or tough matchups.

Shaun Hill, QB, San Francisco 49ers—Frank Gore is banged up so Mike Singletary will likely lean on his passing game a bit more this week. Going up against the lowly St. Louis Rams makes Hill an interesting play, especially if your starter is on a bye.

Brett Favre, QB, Minnesota Vikings—This is the one Favre has been waiting for. He gets to take on the Packers. The ones that wronged him. On Monday Night Football. The stage is set for one of Favre’s vintage games.

Glen Coffee, RB, San Francisco 49ers—Coffee should also have a nice game against the Rams filling in for Gore. He struggled against Minnesota last week, but had plenty of time to prepare to start. I am also using Coffee in my Fantasy Football Out on a Limb game. Click here to see who he’s matched up against.

Cedric Benson, RB, Cincinnati Bengals—Benson is quickly becoming an every week starter. He had a nice game against Pittsburgh last week, and should be able to shred the Bears.

Ahmad Bradshaw, RB, New York Giants—The G-Men should get up big on Kansas City and let Bradshaw finish them up. If you have a running back on bye this week, Bradshaw is a great fill-in.

Percy Harvin, WR, Minnesota Vikings—Favre is likely to use his favorite new toy as he takes on his former team. Harvin has scored in the Vikings’ first three games, and has a strong likelihood of extending that streak.

Kevin Walter, WR, Houston Texans—Walter had a great game (7-96, TD) against Jacksonville last week in his 2009 debut, and should be able to get free against the Raiders. Andre Johnson will draw the attention of Nnamdi Asomugha, which should present Walter with more targets.

Santana Moss, WR, Washington Redskins—Normally when Santana Moss has a big game he goes in a shell for a couple of weeks. I don’t think that will be the case this week as Tampa Bay presents a great opportunity for the diminutive WR. Look for another big game from Moss.

Heath Miller, TE, Pittsburgh Steelers—Anthony Fasano bucked the trend in a bad way, but Heath Miller should continue the trend of tight ends producing against San Diego.

Vernon Davis, TE, San Francisco 49ers—We’ll see if Vernon Davis is ready to take the next step as a top tier TE or if he’ll be a disappointment once again. Facing the Rams works in his favor.

Shaun Suisham, K, Washington Redskins—Suisham has the perfect combo of playing in an offense that sputters in the red zone (his long FG is 28 yards) and going up against Tampa Bay, who has allowed 7 FGs already.

San Francisco 49ers DST—I’ve picked on the Rams extensively this week, so what’s one more jab. The Niners D should be licking their chops awaiting St. Louis.

Cincinnati Bengals DST—After upsetting both Green Bay and Pittsburgh, maybe Cincinnati should started to be taken seriously. They should have no problem pounding the Browns this weekend.

Originally published at LestersLegends.com.

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Fantasy Football: Out on a Limb 2009, Volume Four

Time for another edition of Fantasy Football Out on a Limb, in which I scour the rosters to select a player who I feel will outperform a higher profile player in that given week.

I base my decisions on matchups, how the players are trending, and the ever-important hunch. To mix things up I’ll occasionally do some two-on-one matchups or even pit RB or WR duos against each other. Sometimes I’ll spot a player some points.

Scoring
6 points for rushing or receiving TD
4 points for a passing TD
0.1 points per yard for rushing or receiving
0.05 points per passing yard.

Last Week:
Trent Edwards vs. Matt Ryan – Loss.  Edwards 9.1, Ryan 9.85
Fred Jackson vs. Frank Gore – Win.  Jackson 9.7, Gore 0.4.  Injuries are part of the game.
Willis McGahee vs. Cedric Benson – Win. McGahee 18.7, Benson 14.1
Roy Williams vs. Dwayne Bowe – Incomplete.  Bowe didn’t play.
Eddie Royal vs. Jerricho Cotchery – Loss.  Royal 0.4, Cotchery 16.8
SS:  Anthony Fasano +2 vs. Owen Daniels – Loss.  Fasano 2, Daniels 9.8

Regular Picks:  2-2
Super Stretch Picks: 0-1
Overall:  2-3

Season Record
Regular Picks: 5-9
Super Stretch Picks:  0-3
Overall: 5-12

Week 4 Picks

Quarterback
 
Carson Palmer over Philip Rivers
These young QBs possess two of the best arms in the game.  When healthy they both can make all of the throws.  While Rivers is the better of the two, his matchup against a bitter Pittsburgh team on primetime leads me to believe that Palmer, who is facing Cleveland, will win this battle.

Running Backs
 
Glen Coffee over Willie Parker
Coffee struggled a bit replacing Frank Gore, but he was taking on one of the top run defenses in the league without much prep time.  Now that he has a week to work with the first team offense, and a much better matchup against St. Louis, I think he’ll have a nice week.  Willie Parker is coming off a big game, but he’ll face a tough test against San Diego.

 
Cedric Benson over Steven Jackson
Benson should also rip the Brownies apart.  Largely taken as a RB3, Benson is solidifying his role as a legit RB2.  S-Jax is a one man wrecking crew in St. Louis, but there’s only so much he can do, especially when facing a good Niners D.  They will stuff the box and force Boller to beat them without his top WR.

Wide Receivers
 
Donald Driver over Marques Colston
Driver has been hot the past couple weeks and will get plenty of looks in what should be a shootout in the Packers’ Grudge Match against Minnesota on MNF.  Colston is also off to a fast start, but will be blanketed by Darrelle Revis this week as the Saints take on the Jets.

 
Kevin Walter over Braylon Edwards
Walter goes up against Oakland and should get plenty of looks with Andre Johnson garnering Nnamdi Asomugha’s attention and Owen Daniels working the middle of the field.  Braylon looked like a cream puff matchup at the beginning of the year, but my have things changed.  The Bengals are playing great D and Leon Hall has been playing lights out.

SUPER STRETCH
 
Josh Johnson over Matt Cassel
The Super Stretch picks have failed miserably this year, but I’m heading back out there anyway.  Johnson unseated Byron Leftwich and will get a shot at Washington, who is in complete disarray.  He didn’t look good in relief of Leftwich last week, but should look better with practice time under his belt.  Cassel is finding life a bit more challenging outside of Foxboro. Going up against the Giants, even at home, is a tall order.

Originally published at LestersLegends.com.

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Bye Week Alternatives—Week Four

Week Four Byes:  Atlanta, Arizona, Carolina, Philadelphia

High-end Alternatives:
Jay Cutler—Possibly your starter, but if he’s not you’ll want to play him against Detroit
Carson Palmer—Same boat, only against Cleveland

Solid Alternatives:
Mark Sanchez—Rookie will have to air it out to keep up with New Orleans.
Trent Edwards—Matchup isn’t great against Miami, but a decent option.
Brett Favre—Green Bay comes to town. Enough said.
Shaun Hill—Hill has the luxury of facing St. Louis.
Kyle Orton—Orton will have to throw to hang with Dallas.
Joe Flacco—Flacco will have to make some plays against New England.
Jason Campbell—Tampa’s D is pretty bad. Could have another decent one.

Running Backs
Michael Turner, Brian Westbrook, and DeAngelo Williams present the biggest challenge to replace. Jonathan Stewart, Beanie Wells, and Tim Hightower are flex guys or RBs that you’d like to use in bye weeks. LeSean McCoy and Jerious Norwood likely aren’t being counted on, but worth mentioning.

High-end Alternatives:
Cedric Benson—Benson makes a strong play against Cleveland.

Solid Alternatives:
Jamal Lewis—Lewis should be able to produce against Cincinnati if healthy.
Julius Jones—Jones should find room to run against Indy.
Willis McGahee—New England is not the defense it once was.
LenDale White—Perhaps LenDale can get going against Jacksonville.
Marshawn Lynch/Fred Jackson—We get to see how this situation plays out.
Knowshon Moreno/Correll Buckhalter—Both could be counted on against Dallas.
Leon Washington—The Jets will need their playmakers against New Orleans.
Felix Jones—Too explosive to stay on the sidelines.
Glen Coffee—With Gore out, Coffee should be brewing against St. Louis.

Desperation Time:
Donald Brown—Could get his opportunity against Seattle.
Ahmad Bradshaw—If the Giants bury Kansas City, he could close it out.
Chester Taylor—You can hope Favre hits him on a screen he takes to the house.

Wide Receivers 
Larry Fitzgerald, Anquan Boldin, Roddy White, Steve Smith, and DeSean Jackson present the biggest challenge. Steve Breaston and Muhsin Muhammad are depth guys that limit your alternatives.

High-end Alternatives:
Steve Smith/Mario Manningham—Could already be your starters, but should have nice game against Kansas City.
Patrick Crayton—Not a bad play against Denver.
Bernard Berrian—Favre may go to the deep pass more often after his heroic victory.

Read more NFL news on BleacherReport.com

Bye Week Alternatives—Week Four

Week Four Byes:  Atlanta, Arizona, Carolina, Philadelphia

High-end Alternatives:
Jay Cutler—Possibly your starter, but if he’s not you’ll want to play him against Detroit
Carson Palmer—Same boat, only against Cleveland

Solid Alternatives:
Mark Sanchez—Rookie will have to air it out to keep up with New Orleans.
Trent Edwards—Matchup isn’t great against Miami, but a decent option.
Brett Favre—Green Bay comes to town. Enough said.
Shaun Hill—Hill has the luxury of facing St. Louis.
Kyle Orton—Orton will have to throw to hang with Dallas.
Joe Flacco—Flacco will have to make some plays against New England.
Jason Campbell—Tampa’s D is pretty bad. Could have another decent one.

Running Backs
Michael Turner, Brian Westbrook, and DeAngelo Williams present the biggest challenge to replace. Jonathan Stewart, Beanie Wells, and Tim Hightower are flex guys or RBs that you’d like to use in bye weeks. LeSean McCoy and Jerious Norwood likely aren’t being counted on, but worth mentioning.

High-end Alternatives:
Cedric Benson—Benson makes a strong play against Cleveland.

Solid Alternatives:
Jamal Lewis—Lewis should be able to produce against Cincinnati if healthy.
Julius Jones—Jones should find room to run against Indy.
Willis McGahee—New England is not the defense it once was.
LenDale White—Perhaps LenDale can get going against Jacksonville.
Marshawn Lynch/Fred Jackson—We get to see how this situation plays out.
Knowshon Moreno/Correll Buckhalter—Both could be counted on against Dallas.
Leon Washington—The Jets will need their playmakers against New Orleans.
Felix Jones—Too explosive to stay on the sidelines.
Glen Coffee—With Gore out, Coffee should be brewing against St. Louis.

Desperation Time:
Donald Brown—Could get his opportunity against Seattle.
Ahmad Bradshaw—If the Giants bury Kansas City, he could close it out.
Chester Taylor—You can hope Favre hits him on a screen he takes to the house.

Wide Receivers 
Larry Fitzgerald, Anquan Boldin, Roddy White, Steve Smith, and DeSean Jackson present the biggest challenge. Steve Breaston and Muhsin Muhammad are depth guys that limit your alternatives.

High-end Alternatives:
Steve Smith/Mario Manningham—Could already be your starters, but should have nice game against Kansas City.
Patrick Crayton—Not a bad play against Denver.
Bernard Berrian—Favre may go to the deep pass more often after his heroic victory.

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Get ’em or Don’t Sweat ’em: Week 3

There were some unusual heroes on Sunday. There always are. Let’s take a look at them and see if they are worthy of your fantasy rosters.

Jason Campbell, QB, Washington Redskins 

Campbell had a monster game against Detroit with 340 yards, two TDs, and 21 rushing yards. Every now and again Campbell has an outburst like this and then he disappears.  Couple that with the fact that they lost to the Lions. 

Heads could roll in D.C., leaving this situation too risky. It’s one I’d rather avoid.

Ruling: Don’t Sweat ‘em.

Glen Coffee, RB, San Francisco 49ers

He only managed 54 yards on 25 carries (2.2 yards per carry), but it was against the Minnesota Vikings tough run D. Frank Gore (ankle) is going to be on the shelf for a couple of weeks. You have to pick him up.

Ruling: Get ’em

Bryant Johnson, WR, Detroit Lions 

He had a nice game (four catches, 73 yards TD, 11 targets) against Washington, but there is no telling when his next good game will come. Too risky.

Ruling: Don’t Sweat ‘em.

Kelley Washington, WR, Baltimore Ravens 

Washington put up another solid effort with five catches for 66 yards.  He has outproduced Mark Clayton the past two weeks now. Plus, the Ravens have averaged 34.3 points per game so far this year. 

With the bye weeks coming, Washington is worth grabbing.

Ruling: Get ‘em.

Mike Siims-Walker, WR, Jacksonville Jaguars

If you didn’t grab him last week, and he’s still available, you better do so soon. He is the go-to guy for the Jaguars. He had six catches (10 targets) for 81 yards as the Jags beat Houston.

Ruling: Get ‘em.

Mike Wallace, WR, Pittsburgh Steelers

I like Wallace as a player, but I don’t see him being a fantasy force on a regular basis despite his seven catch (eight target), 102 yard effort.

Santonio Holmes was held to one catch. That’s not likely to happen again. Unless Holmes or Hines Ward goes down, you can leave Wallace on the wire.

Ruling: Don’t Sweat ‘em.

Andre Caldwell, WR, Cincinnati Bengals 

How about those Bengals? Caldwell had his second nice game with six catches (nine targets) for 52 yards and a score. Laveranues Coles and Chris Henry aren’t meeting expectations. 

If Carson Palmer’s trust in Caldwell continues to build, he could be worth a roster spot.  Right now, I’d probably hold off though.

Ruling: Don’t Sweat ‘em.

Originally published at LestersLegends.com.

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Fourth & 1 Debate: Which Surprise WR Is for Real?

Time for another Fourth & 1 Roundtable Debate.  Junkyard Jake came up with this week’s topic.  Click here to see the full article.

Every year there are Wide Receivers that get off to quick starts. The key is sniffing out if they are contenders or pretenders. 

The obvious choices early on are the Giants duo of Mario Manningham and Steve Smith and St. Louis’ Laurent Robinson.  I would endorse those three, especially the Giants duo first and foremost, but I decided to dig a little deeper.

A name that comes to mind is Seattle’s Nate Burleson.  He started the season with a bang with 7 catches for 74 yards and a TD in a win over St. Louis. He followed that up with 4 catches for 46 yards in a loss to San Francisco. 

Aside from the production, the encouraging aspect was the number of targets.  He led the Seahawks in targets both games, with 11 and 10, respectively.

The key for his continued success is his health.  Though Matt Hasselbeck is questionable with a fractured rib, Seneca Wallace is a capable replacement.

With T.J. Houshmandzadeh and John Carlson receiving most of the defensive focus, Burleson makes a solid fill-in player during the bye weeks.

Panelists
Junkyard Jake of www.junkyardjake.com
Ryan Lester of www.lesterslegends.com
Paul Greco of www.fantasypros911.com
Bryce McRae of www.kffl.com
Kurt Turner of www.top-fantasy-football.com
Eric Stashin of www.rotoprofessor.com
Lee of www.footballjabber.com
Smitty of www.fantasyfootballxtreme.com

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