Fantasy Football Stress: Ride or Die Week 9

Fantasy football stresses me out. I don’t mean to complain, except I do mean to complain otherwise why else would I be complaining. It can be too much. There are football games three days a week. One of the days is consumed in its entirety. Then I need days for fantasy. In some leagues I can’t even pick up players until Wednesday. So now, no matter what I am doing in my life, on Wednesday I need to carve out a little time to look at my roster(s). Oops, sorry kids. You’ll have to wait for your eggs, I need to make sure I pick up Tre Mason before the intern Manny does.

It doesn’t end there. Of course not. Nooooo. I have to receive text after text, Facebook message after Facebook message arguing about trades. I don’t know why he want to trade LeSean McCoy for Stephen Jackson. Ask him.

Then there’s the decision I made to be a writer in the fantasy sports world. Take something I love and maybe turn into a job? Sure. Absolutely. Then I did it every week. It’s not easy writing three articles a week about the same topic and still be witty and entertaining. I do more research than the average fan and even I get things wrong from time to time.

Quarterbacks to Ride With:

Hey, thanks for getting the score to where I need to throw the ball on every single play.

Andrew Luck, @NYG – I don’t think there is another player that has out-performed their draft position this year more than he has. He owns four of the top five fantasy weeks this season. His worst game was 24 points in week 2 but has five games of 30 or more points. I like the Giants defense but that isn’t enough for me to have any illusions about a sub par game out of Luck. More Luck being Luck this week. And it’s in Prime Time.

Tom Brady, vsDen – I have been so wrong about him this year. Well, I guess you could say I was right about him all along. In the summer I was all ‘Tom Brady is the man and he will perform accordingly.’ Then, he lost that gruesome game on Monday Night to the Chiefs. So I turned all ‘Tom Brady is dead. He is ruining lives everywhere!’ Tom is truly the man. We tend to be reminded of that when he faces off against Peyton Manning.

Nick Foles, @Hou – I don’t have a real strong feeling here but there really aren’t a ton of awesome match-ups for quarterbacks this week. Houston is OK on defense. They do tend to struggle on the deep ball, but the Eagles haven’t shown a real consistency there. Take this call with a grain of salt. I think he could be top three just because this game measures up to be about two pretty influential offensive minds in Chip Kelley and Bill Bradley. At least Foles has better weapons.

Teddy Bridgewater, vsWas – I told you. There aren’t a bunch of great match-ups this week. A lot of byes. If you’re desperate, maybe because you dropped Tom Brady four weeks ago then you might want to look for the guy facing the second worst pass defense. Again, only if you did that.

Quarterbacks to Die With:

Tony Romo, vsAri – I don’t know what they were thinking putting him back in there in the fourth quarter. He looked feeble after returning from the back contusion. I would like to go on record saying I think the Cowboys would have won the game had they left Brandon Weeden in the game. We already know that Romo won’t practice all week. Weeden will practice with first team that entire time. With Romo being a game time decision it is at least worth exploring a handcuff with Weeden. The good thing is this is a 1 PM game and we will know early. That way, if he is starting you can drop Weeden.

Andy Dalton, vsJax – Has anyone else noticed how tough the Jaguars have been on quarterbacks the last four weeks? Since allowing over 30 to Philip Rivers in week 4 they haven’t allowed a QB over 16 points. With any real solid numbers to add here I just leave you with one question.. How confident are you that Dalton scores more than 16 points? I hope you answered quickly.

Ben Roethlisberger, vsBal – People really do like having a short memory. I’d rather remember his 6 touchdowns last week at home versus the Colts, than remember his mere 6 point performance in week two against this very same Ravens defense. Good for those of you who got to play him last week. Two record style performances back-to-back.. Well, that’s a little tougher to do in this scenario.

Running Backs to Ride With:

Thanks for being the only guy we have left to hand the ball of to.

Mark Ingram, @Car – It has been a joy watching his (finally) emergence as premier back in this league. Here’s scored a touchdown in three of the four games he has played in. This being a Thursday Night contest and the Saints have some injuries in that back field he will see much of the work load again, if not all of it. The only real question is how much the 27th ranked Carolina Defense will give up to the past Heisman Trophy Winner.

Alfred Morris, @Min – The word is RGIII will start this Sunday. I think that’s a good thing for Morris owners. First, Minnesota has allowed the 10th most points to opposing running backs. The Washington football club is going to need to run the ball anyway in order to set up the pass and keep their injury prone QB on his feet. I might be going out on a limb here but there’s a good possibility that Morris gets his first 100 yard rushing day for the season.

Ahmad Bradshaw, @NYG – You know I love redemption games. Especially those on a Monday Night. I realize he only had six rushing attempts last week in Pittsburgh but that mostly had to do with the score. This week, the Colts are probably the team doing most of the scoring. Even if you aren’t lucky enough to get a score from Bradshaw he’ll be the guy running the ball all second half trying to use up that clock.

Marshawn Lynch, vsOak – He hasn’t had a 100 yard rushing day since week one against Green Bay. This week, he has a real good chance of getting his second against the 3rd worst rushing defense in the league.

Running Backs to Die With:

Giovani Bernard, vsJax – As of Thursday he still wasn’t practicing. It’s his hip. Maybe the Bengals coaching staff is just keeping him fresh or letting him heal up a little bit. Maybe he’s not healthy enough to play. Even if he does I don’t feel like he would have any sort of god game here. The Jags have allowed the 13th most points to running backs. They were at one point the worst so they are getting tougher. If it is Jeremy Hill and there is no Bernard I feel the same. Maybe worse.

Jonas Grey, vsDen – I don’t know if you know this or not so I am just going to say it. The Patriots running backs are crazy frustrating to own in fantasy. That, compiled with a defense who is top 10 against the rush tells me I want no part of the New England back field. Shane Vereen should be OK in PPR leagues, however.

Branden Oliver, @Mia – I don’t know if I am dropping him yet but the honeymoon is obviously over for the Chargers back. First, the Dolphins aren’t the best team for running backs. Even with them up in the air, Ryan Matthews is expected back after the bye week and, oh yea there’s a bye week. Over the next three weeks you’re not getting much out of him.

Wide Receivers to Ride With:

Kelvin Benjamin, vsNO – Let’s go with the receiver who’s facing the 28th best secondary in the league. Benjamin IS Cam Newton’s favorite weapon. He wanted to be a Panther and the Panthers wanted him. If you own him in a Dynasty league then.. Well.. Good for you!

Jeremy Maclin, @Hou – One thing is for sure in Philly. LeSean McCoy isn’t giving us 2013 numbers in 2014. That’s just fine for Maclin owners. He’s been the best Eagle to own this year. He’s scored less than 10 points only twice so far this season. Once was in a match-up versus the Giants where he wasn’t needed, so to speak. If you are desperate, Jordan Matthews is available in 80% of leagues out there and since week two he hasn’t seen less than six targets.

Bradin Cooks, @Car – Finally! Last week Cooks owners got a glimpse of what they hoped they were drafting back in August. He’s still looking for that first 100 yard receiving game but the Saints have a plethora of ways to use the former Oregon State Beaver. He managed two of his three scores in last weeks contest and signs are pointing up. He is second on the team in targets and with the 5th worst passing defense on the other side I see a pleasant Halloween for Cooks and his owners.

Terrance Williams, vsAri – Stop benching him. That’s all I really wanted to say about him. I know it’s not the best match-up against the Cardinals. They are going to be focused on Dez Bryant and stopping the run. So, like he has all year Williams will probably see three targets, catch two of them and have two touchdowns for 125 yards. He has a touchdown in all but three games this year. If Tony Romo is a ‘no go’ I still have faith Brandon Weeden can get the ball down the field to him.

Wide Receivers to Die With:

With out really knowing it’s a sure bet this play wasn’t in the first three quarters.

Pierre Garcon, @Min – I don’t know if RGIII coming back will help him or not. It just seems as if he’s not that important to the offense. I watch the entire game Monday Night and never noticed him getting double teamed. Maybe he did at times but he wasn’t most of the game. He caught a majority of his balls in the final drive of the fourth quarter moving Washington into field goal range. Minnesota doesn’t scare you on defense, on the other hand neither does Garcon.

Brandon LaFell, vsDen – Last week he caught all 11 of his targets. Chances are he doesn’t do something like that this week against a Denver defense with Aqib Talin and Chris Harris. Yes, I still think he is the best receiver option on the Patriots not named Gronkowski. However, that doesn’t mean he turned into Randy Moss.

Vincent Jackson, @Cle – He was targeted a season low five times last week against Minnesota. He caught only one of them. A week prior he caught only four of his 13 targets. There appears to be a downward trend here. If I owned him in a league I would be trying to move him. I don;t think it’s a freak out, but when I ask myself if I can win a championship with him as one of my receivers I begin to shake nervously.

Tight Ends to Ride With:

Glad to have you back!

Jimmy Graham, @Car – I needed to see it. Well, last week I saw it. He caught five of his six targets and found a way to get in the end zone. Seems like a healthy Jimmy Graham to me. As long as he is such he is in your starting line up.

Dwayne Allen, @NYG – The Giants are allowing the 8th most FP/G to tight ends this year. Allen has found his way into the end zone in all but two games in ’14. I’m taking this match-up all day.

Larry Donnell, vsInd – The Colts are very much like the Giants if you consider how well tight ends do against them. His usage spiked again last week when he caught all seven of his targets for 90 yards. There’s a good chance he can have that kind of game again.

Tight Ends to Die With:

Heath Miller, vsBal – I have seen this happen the last couple of years now. Miller has a big game and the following week he is one of the big waiver wire pick ups. If he was such a ‘got to have him’ sort of player then why was he available in week nine? Baltimore is not the Colts. They may not keep him out of the end zone.. Hard to predict that kind of stuff. However, I don’t see him being the offensive weapon he was last week against a Ravens defense that has given up the fourth least FP/G to opposing tight ends.

Redskins Tight Ends, @Hou – Both are heathly. The team likes the both of them. This isn’t like Gronkowski and Aaron Hernandez. It’s hard to predict who’s the guy this week so just steer clear. If you can.

Defense/ Special Teams to Ride With:

San Francisco, vsStL – Don’t get confused. I still believe the 49ers are not a defense I am starting each and every week. Even if I ignore the Denver game in week seven they still have only three games where they scored 10 or more fantasy points. Like 90% of the league they are a match-up play. This week’s match-up, the St. Louis Rams are allowing 14 points per game in seven games this season. I say, take the match up. You could do worse.

Seattle, vsOak – Last week in Carolina we saw a glimpse into a defense we saw a year ago. Kept the game close enough to give their offense a chance to win. Oakland shouldn’t show them any problems. You can start with confidence again. Assuming you were losing some.

Philadeplphia, @Hou – Surprisingly, they have been one of the better defenses this year. I would still consider them a match-up play but I understand the difficulty in dropping them. They are an opportunistic defense. These are my favorite defenses to play in fantasy. It’s why I always like the Bears each year and also why I am so high in the Patriots this season. It’s hard to tell if a defense will or won’t allow a lot of points. It is easier to figure out who can make plays because of a quick pass rush and decent enough coverage in the secondary. I believe this defense will burn owners out there one game. Just not this one.

Washington, @Min – It looks as though someone has been practicing. Their pass rush is improving, evident in their five sacks last week. This allows the players behind that pass rush more opportunities to make plays. In the last two games the Washington football club has one interception and three fumble recoveries. Get that ball!

Defense/ Special Teams to Die With:

Cleveland, vsTB – Since their week four bye they have played four games and have scored double digit fantasy points in all but one match-up. They scored eight that other week. That isn’t too bad. Tampa Bay has allowed opposing defenses to score 14.7 FP/G. Even without Joe Haiden this should be fine in a match-up where the team they’re facing is using their second QB, third RB and none of their WR’s.

New England, vsDen – I still believe in them but I mean.. It’s the Broncos. C’mon man.

Oakland, @Sea – I see you over there. You think you’re sneaky because the Seattle defense hasn’t look that good since coming off the bye in week four. The just allowed 12 points to a Carolina defense that is struggling at best. Why not? Nope. Don’t do it. You are risking more than you even realize. Even if you’re desperate, don’t be the guy who has to reminded he played the Raiders against the Seahawks.

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