FANTASY FOOTBALL: WEEK 1O TIPS

Fantasy football can certainly be a cruel mistress. Just ask anybody who spent an early pick people like DeAngelo Williams, Shonn Greene, or Ryan Matthews. It’s around this time of year where we can officially call certain guys busts, and these three certainly fall into that category. It’s probably unfair to call Matthews a full on bust, as he’s a rookie, and rookie running backs are notoriously risky fantasy picks. Either way, if you own any one of these guys I’m truly sorry. Now on to week 10:

Quarterback

BEST:   Mike Vick, PHI

If you had told me before this season started that I’d ever have Vick in my “best” category I would have had you committed. But let’s face it; Vick has been a solid fantasy option this year despite what I may think of his ability to throw the ball. This week he’s getting a very favorable matchup against Washington who has the dubious honor of being the second worst defense in all of the NFL in total yards per game. Vick should have a field day both running and passing, and looks like a nice play in week 10

WORST:Â Matt Ryan, ATL

You may be thinking about using Ryan as your bye week replacement this week, but I wouldn’t necessarily recommend it. He’s been relatively solid this season, but faces a tough matchup in the Baltimore Ravens this week. The Ravens have a top 10 passing defense, and despite Ryan’s very good stats this season I think he’ll have a pedestrian week, and you may be able to find a better option with a guy who has a better matchup this week.

Running Back

BEST:   Ahmad Bradshaw, NYG

He plays the Cowboys, have you seen them play lately? Do I really need to say more? Wait, you really want me to say more? Alright then…Bradshaw will go over 100 yards, as the Giants go up early they’ll be feeding the rock to Bradshaw very often to drain out the clock. If you have him, play him.

WORST:Â Felix Jones/Marion Barber, DAL

The Cowboys have quit, plain and simple. Then add to that these two players who are mired in a committee, you have a recipe for a complete fantasy disaster. Frankly, even if the Cowboys hadn’t quit on this year, the offensive line in Dallas hadn’t looked very good anyway. The big nasties in the trenches are vitally important to any back’s success, and its no different for these two. As for this week, the ‘Boys will likely be down early to the Giants, and will be forced to abandon the run game early in this one. You’d be better off starting pretty much anybody than these guys at this point in the year.

Wide Receiver

BEST:   Calvin Johnson, DET

Megatron certainly had a rough week on Revis Island in week 9, but I find it hard to believe that he’ll be quiet for two weeks in a row. Yes, I do know that Stafford may be out, and that Drew Stanton may be starting this week. I certainly wouldn’t recommend starting Stanton, by any means, or Shaun Hill for that matter if he's healthy, but often times when a backup, or in this case third string, quarterback is forced to play they tend to focus in on their best wide receiver as a sort of security blanket. Stanton will probably force a few balls to Johnson this week, which means he’ll probably throw a few picks, but that doesn’t hurt Megatron’s fantasy numbers. I think Calvin Johnson is going to see plenty of targets this week, which should translate into some solid number.

WORST:Â Hines Ward, PIT

Ward has been a pretty big disappointment this year, even after Big Ben made his return from suspension. Things won’t get any better this week, as he faces of against Nnamdi Asomugha and the Oakland Raiders. The Raiders are only giving up an average of 184 yards per game through the air, and I have a feeling that the bulk of the targets for the Steelers will be going to Mike Wallace, and Ward will get lost in the shuffle. I think Ward will struggle to break 50 yards this week, as he’s smothered by a tough Raider’s defense.

Tight End

BEST:   Marcedes Lewis, JAC

Lewis has quietly put together a very nice season, despite having David Garrard throwing to him. Lewis is a top 10 scoring tight end in most scoring systems this season, and gets a very favorable matchup against the pathetic Houston Texans defense this week. Lewis has already amassed 7 touchdowns this season, which is good enough for second best amongst tight ends. Look for Lewis to see plenty of red-zone looks this week, and find his way into the end zone. Right now he’s only starting in 37% of Yahoo leagues, and is only owned in 83% of Yahoo leagues so if he’s still riding your bench, or is on the waiver wire, make sure to insert him into your lineup.

WORST:Â Greg Olsen, CHI

Olsen seems to have been somewhat lost in the shuffle since his hot start to the season. This shouldn’t come as a shock to anybody who has followed Mike Martz offenses in the past. He isn’t a big fan of utilizing the tight end, and even though Olsen is probably Chicago’s best option in the passing game, it looks like he’s no different from any other Martz TE. Stash him on your bench until either Mike Martz starts designing routes to go to Olsen or Martz gets fired. I know which one I’m betting on happening first.

Defense

BEST:   Tennessee Titans

The Titans have been a top fantasy performer this year, ranking second in most scoring systems behind only the Green Bay Packers for fantasy defenses. This week they’ll be playing the Miami Dolphins, who have been absolutely awful on offense, and it’s rumored that they will be switching to the ancient and weak armed Chad Pennington this week, I’m sure that will make the deep threat Brandon Marshall happy. Look for the Titans to have a great week.

WORST:Â Miami Dolphins

Isn’t symmetry like this nice, having two teams in one game on each side of my list? Frankly I think the Dolphins will have a tough time containing the NFL’s best scoring offense, at 28 points per game, in this one. I really wouldn’t be shocked if the Dolphins actually managed negative fantasy points this week. They shouldn’t be started under any circumstances. Heck, you’d probably be better off literally starting nobody, that’s how much I dislike the Dolphins going into this week.

SLEEPER OF THE WEEK

-Sam Bradford, QB, STL

I know that this is the second time I’ve had him in the sleeper column, but I think he deserves it this week. The 49ers haven’t looked good on defense this season, and Bradford has managed to avoid the major pitfall of most rookie quarterbacks, interceptions. Bradford has thrown 8 picks so far, which is very respectable for a rookie starter. I think Bradford will make a great bye week fill in, especially in a week which sees Philip Rivers, Aaron Rodgers, and Drew Brees all on their byes. If you’re scrambling for a fill-in quarterback this week, go ahead and claim Bradford off of waivers and take a flyer on him this week. Let me frame it this way, would you rather start Bradford or Donovan McNabb, who I think will have similar number, this week if your starter is on bye? I think Bradford has more capability to explode than does McNabb, who doesn’t even have the confidence of his own head coach. If it were my choice, I’d take Bradford based simply on his upside.

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