Championship Week: Try Not To Get Cute

For most of us, this week is Championship Week for fantasy football players. In my opinion, this year championship week is a bit different than previously because there seems to be a lot of injuries and players getting benched that have come with last week's results. This may cause fantasy players to try to get "cute" with their lineups by picking players off of waivers based upon last week's performance and these unfortunate injuries and benchings. As my man Matt Berry said at the beginning of the playoffs, this is not the time to get cute. At the same point though depending on the situation you may have to look at alternative options to fill out your roster if you're playing in a championship matchup this week, or even if you're trying to place well overall. I'm going to discuss just a few interesting scenarios that you may have come across due to injuries or players getting benched.

Of course I have to start off with my boy Cam Newton. There's a good chance that if you have Newton you're not playing in the championships unless the rest of your squad is full of studs, like my squad in Coast2Coast Ballers. Because of the way the positions are in this league, I had been starting 3 quarterbacks, one at starting quarterback and the other two at the "offensive player" position. Anyway, as of writing this, it's still unclear if Newton is going to play or not. He did throw the ball in practice on Wednesday and the Panthers' camp are saying that the situation is similar to when he missed week 1 and came back week 2. However, if he doesn't come back, Derek Anderson has actually been a reliable replacement for Newton this season. I used him last week and he didn't put up super numbers, but he got me about average fantasy points, and he got the victory for the Panthers.

Sticking with the quarterback position, on Wednesday the Chicago Bears decided to bench Jay Cutler for Jimmy Clausen. This is exactly what Matt Berry and I are talking about with don't get cute. If you have Jay Cutler you already know he wasn't putting up stellar numbers, and putting in Clausen is not going to make a difference at all. Personally, I didn't know Clausen was still in the NFL, but apparently he is and he's getting the start. I don't intentionally give advice on who to start or who to sit, but in this case I implore you not to start Clausen. Even if he does have a decent game, I'm steering away from Clausen at all cause. Do you remember when he was the starter at Carolina before Cam Newton got there? He didn't do anything, and most will say he didn't have any talent around him. I'm not buying that excuse at all because he had Steve Smith Sr. Also if that was the case he would be starting right?

Somehow, DeMarco Murray broke his hand last week against the Philadelphia Eagles and had surgery on Monday. Amazingly he was back on the practice field on Wednesday, but it is still uncertain if he'll start. Should he not start, the next best option probably would be Joseph Randle, who took first-team snaps at practice on Wednesday. My boy Victor like Lance Dunbar, but to me Dunbar hasn't done enough for me to consider him. You can say that starting Dunbar is another example of getting cute. I know that Dallas has an impressive offensive line that has allowed Murray to go crazy, but out of the two back ups, Randle will be the more reliable of the two.

In San Diego, Keenan Allen is out all of a sudden, I'm not quite sure what the injury is as he's been dealing with a groin and a hamstring for most of the season, but he's out. I think the biggest beneficiary from Allen's injury will be Eddie Royal. Even though Phillip Rivers will most likely be looking for Antonio Gates, don't sleep on Royal. He has been a sneaky play all year. If it doesn't go to Gates or Allen, 9 times out of 10 it's going to Royal. He has a few touchdowns this season and should see more targets with Allen out. There's a similar situation going on in Indianapolis with TY Hilton. He should be out this week but I'm not sure who is going to step up. They still have Reggie Wayne, but it gets interesting when it comes to Hakeem Nicks and Donte Moncrief. Nicks and Moncrief have been competing for snaps over the last month. Nicks has had the upside over the last two weeks, but with Hilton out Moncrief should see some additional snaps. I have Moncrief on the team I have playing in the championship this week, but I'm not sure about starting him, I'm trying not to get cute.

I could say something about Johnny Manziel and RGIII, in which both players are starting this week for players who have been benched. However, we all know what RGIII has done this season, and we definitely know what Manziel did last week. Bernie Kosar ripped the Browns' coaching staff and front office this week, pretty much saying that the coaches and front office personnel have failed to do their jobs thus setting up Manziel for failure. He also mentioned that previous quarterbacks from Tim Couch to Brady Quinn had this same problem while they were quarterbacks for Cleveland. I believe this to be true and I also believe that RGIII is dealing with the same situation in Washington. Manziel and RGIII both are athletic guys with the potential to be deadly at the quarterback position, but things just hasn't gone as planned for either. Some fantasy players may have gotten cute last week and started Manziel which resulted in those players crying with their tail between their legs. The question is, do you risk being cute again this week starting Manziel or RGIII?

And Now, Starting At Quarterback...

Cam Newton's truck protects him better than his offensive line

I've been pretty critical of Cam Newton for most of the season. He has not only disappointed me on that PhantasySteez, but also in the actual game. I'm not a Carolina Panthers' fan, but I am a Cam Newton fan and have been since he won the championship at Auburn (I'm not an Auburn fan either). I've had to stick with Newton throughout the fantasy season in which most of the season his performance has been horrendous, but I've managed to grind it out with him. In the two leagues I have him in, one going to the playoffs the other fighting not to come in last place, I've started him all season. Now during a crucial moment in the fantasy football season, it looks like he's going to sit out this week because of that weird accident that happened on Tuesday. So now I'm trying to figure out who am I going to start this week to keep my interesting playoff journey interesting.

The obvious answer of course is Derek Anderson. Anderson did start for Newton in week 1 and actually played quite well. He had 230 yards and two touchdowns with a fantasy score of 13.6 in standard leagues. Anderson has experience and shouldn't have a problem against the Tampa Bay defense. The problem is that he's available in one of the leagues I need him in, but in the other league, Roughing the Picker where the other players stalk the free agency like vultures waiting to feast, he's not available. Unfortunately, the options are very slim after Anderson.

Looking at the free agency in Roughing the Picker, there are only three, maybe four viable options that I would consider to replace Cam Newton; Derek Carr, Blake Bortles, Teddy Bridgewater, and Geno Smith. This isn't a sexy list to choose from, but times like these you gotta work with what you got. I got a thing against Derek Carr because he plays for Oakland, I don't trust his receivers, and he's burned me once this season already. Carr was on my boy Victor's team and Victor is in the playoffs, but when I had him he put up some unacceptable numbers and I don't think I really want him on the team. Bortles has been interesting to me all season because Jacksonville seems to start off slow then play come from behind. The only thing is like most I haven't watched a Jacksonville game, so I really don't know what I'm getting myself into if I pick Bortles. I like Bridgewater and in my opinion he's been getting better every week, but he plays against the Detroit Lions this week and they have a good defense. Lastly, Smith is an interesting pick, but the Jets offense is horrible. I know he had a good game last week, but once again the Jets offense is horrible.

I also have Ryan Fitzpatrick and Colt McCoy already on my team. In this league you start two quarterbacks and Fitzpatrick is most likely going to get one of the starts, but I don't know about Colt McCoy. I think he got benched or injured last week so I don't know if he or RG3 is going to get the start (RG3 is not available). So I have about five options that I need to pick from. Who would you start? Hit me up on twitter @donofalldons, google+ +Marcus Nickerson.

The Difference Between Making and Not Making the Playoffs

I have asthma, and depending on who you ask it's really bad asthma or it's not that bad but when it hits it's devastating. Last weekend my asthma kicked in and I was forced to go to the hospital. I watched most of the Saints/Steelers game before I left, but that was the only game I was able to see. I spent the rest of my Sunday and most of my Monday in the emergency room where I was placed on 24 hour observation. Yeah, my asthma gets that bad. Anyway, being stuck in a room with nothing to do gave me a lot of time to think about a lot of things. I was thinking about my overall success this fantasy football season and prior to being in the hospital I had pretty much written this season off as not a very good one. I only did five teams this year and I had teams not going to the playoffs, and it bothered me a little bit. I was thinking about my teams that didn't make the playoffs and I noticed that these two teams had one thing in common. The two teams that I did not make the playoffs with, I did not draft these teams.





8th place in the consolation bracket in Roughing the Picker

When I first started this blog, my first two posts were specifically about drafting. In the first post, The Draft, I mentioned that if you draft well your team can pretty much manage itself. This season, I think I've proven that theory with the two teams that I didn't draft myself. I missed two drafts this season both due to technical difficulty, if that's what you want to call it. The first draft I missed was in my most competitive league, Roughing the Picker. In this league we have a live in person draft, which if you haven't been in one of these leagues you should find one to join. It's makes fantasy football way better than online drafts where you don't get to meet your opponents. Anyway, the draft was held in California, but I was stuck in Alabama and I wasn't able to attend. My boy Victor committed to drafting my team for me, and even though I appreciate the effort, I was not excited when I saw the team drafted for me. We actually got into a friendly argument about the quarterback he drafted for me, Cam Newton. I didn't like the make up of this team all season long and because of it I know I made some bad moves trying to improve the team. Overall, right now I'm in eighth place and I missed the playoffs. I'm in the consolation bracket right now fighting not to come in last place which has a consequence of paying the third place winner.

The other league I missed the draft in was in Victor's friend's league. Victor had asked me if I had wanted to join the league and I had accepted. About a week later, after I had accepted the invite, Victor informs me that there was a $50 buy-in which I wasn't willing to pay. So I had told Victor to get me out of the league, and he decided he wasn't going to participate either. The next week I get a phone call from Victor saying he hadn't talked to his friend about dropping us from the league and that we had drafted teams. The cold part about it is he actually participated in the draft while I was thinking I was dropped. So now I had this team that I didn't fully commit to and it was a pretty good team for an auto drafted team, but I just was not interested in properly managing it. I started out strong, but after Nick Foles got hurt/benched my team hit a downward spiral. I'm currently in seventh place missing the playoffs and competing in the consolation bracket.


The three teams that did make the playoffs, I drafted myself. They were all online drafts which agreed with my schedule. I had made it a point to attend these drafts because I wanted to guarantee a good season in these leagues, which were all managed by fellow classmates from Dillard University. In one league, Coast2Coast Ballers, I dominated the draft getting just about every player I wanted. That was due largely to the fact that maybe only 4-6 players actually participated in the draft. Everyone else auto drafted, so when it was my turn, I had many options every pick. When you auto draft, your basically going off of a list that is pre-determined by some "fantasy expert." However when you draft yourself, you do your homework and you pick the players you feel comfortable with. I'm currently second in Coast2Coast Ballers, and even though the playoffs doesn't start until week 14, I'm pretty sure I'll remain playoff bound.



This is the original team I drafted in Coast2Coast Ballers

The last two leagues, who are managed by my boy Mike, are interesting leagues. The first league which was reopened from last season, only has four players in it which meant everyone was automatically headed for the playoffs. All four of us participated in the draft and every team is ridiculously good, not to mention the free agency is unbelievable. However, the team I drafted finished the regular season in first place, and I'm pretty confident I can beat the other three teams to win the league. The other league has fourteen teams in it, which is very difficult to manage. I participated in the draft, but it was challenging as I was arguing with my then girlfriend now ex at the time. However, my squad turned out to be pretty decent. Even though I finished the regular season in fifth place, that team which I drafted is playoff bound, unlike the two teams that I didn't draft.
The draft is probably the most important aspect of your fantasy football teams. Now I see why my boy Michael Smith from ESPN is so adamant when it come to drafting teams. When you auto draft, you're not really taking control of your team. You don't know what you're going to get. When you draft your team, not only are you more comfortable with your team, but you have a better chance at success. As always, you can leave comments on this blog, or you can hit me up on google+ at +Marcus Nickerson , twitter = @donofalldons. Oh, and you google+ users, don't forget to +1 my posts.

One More Week Until Fantasy Playoffs

In most leagues, there's one more week left before the start of the fantasy football playoffs. At this point in the season, there are many very interesting scenarios playing out in the NFL that could have a definite impact on your fantasy team. By now your team probably looks completely different than the team you drafted, or maybe it looks the same just with some minor tweaks. Maybe you're sitting on top of the league or maybe you're fighting for that last playoff spot. This week is crucial and there are some things you definitely should look out for this week...

...Such as that opponent you're facing who is fighting for that last playoff spot. Depending on the make up of your league, this is the guy who started off bad but through good managing and pick ups from free agency, this guy is on multi-game winning streak and could possibly end up winning the league. This happened in my league this year and it's somewhat happening again this season, and it's my fault. I traded Tom Brady after week 4 to the guy who is in currently first place for Ben Roethlisberger. At the time of the trade I was in 8th place and he was in 9th. It worked out fine until two weeks later when the real Tom Brady stood up and has been on fire ever since. I did this with the guy in 4th place too. I wasn't patient with Roethlisberger and I traded him away before the real Big Ben stood up and started throwing mad touchdowns like he was playing Madden. Had I been more patient, I probably wouldn't be fighting not to come in last place (actually, I was patient but with the wrong quarterback, should've traded Cam Newton instead).

There isn't anyone available in my league to help anyone trying to make a playoff push. Everyone in my league are sluts (picking up players they don't necessarily need). My boy Victor picked up Ray Rice yesterday who did get reinstated, but is not on a team and probably won't be on a team this season. However, in many regular leagues there still might be some players available who can help your team out during this oddly stressful time. Some of these guys might not and should not be available in your league, but these guys are definitely worth mentioning because they were not in the picture in the beginning of the season, but they now play a key role in their respective team's success.

If C.J. Anderson is available in your league, you should grab him real quick. I had never heard of this guy until about two weeks ago, but he has a major advantage because he plays with Peyton Manning. Over the last three weeks he has scored an average of 19.76 points in standard leagues, including 25.5 points last week when he rushed for 167 yards. Most running backs can excel in a Peyton Manning offense and Anderson is definitely taking major advantage of this opportunity.

Even though Odell Beckham Jr. plays for the Giants (I'm not a Giants fan), I can't sleep on him on that PhantasySteez. He was injured for the beginning of the season but since then he's been pretty productive, especially since Victor Cruz went out for the season. He's probably not available in your league and by now everyone has seen the catch that has gotten the attention of almost everyone. That was no fluke, the catch was real and Beckham Jr. is definitely one to watch out for as the playoffs is just around the corner and he will definitely have an impact for some lucky players who start him.

Another guy who has came up all of a sudden is Mark Sanchez. I personally didn't think he would do good in Chip Kelly's offense, especially after what happened to him with the Jets. However, Sanchez has used that Jest situation as fuel and has mounted a major comeback, probably the comeback of the season. He's been at the helm for the past three weeks and has put up good numbers. It helps when you got Shady McCoy in the backfield, just like when he had LaDamian Tomlinson back there with the Jets. On Thanksgiving Sanchez had 21.48 points which was well over the 17.47 points that were projected. I know he already played this week, but watch out for teams who has him starting at quarterback.

If I'm going to put Mark Sanchez on this list, I have to also put his favorite target Jordan Matthews on it too. Matthews is a second round pick and since Sanchez has been at quarterback, Matthews' stock has noticeably risen. Even though he plays behind Jeremy Maclin and Riley Cooper, Matthews has proven that he can also be relied on. You'll probably catch him as a WR3 on most squads, but his fantasy point production has major potential.

I think I'm only making the playoffs in one league, but I'm still playing spoiler in the leagues I'm not. Watch out for Mike Evans who has been one of the top receivers over the last month. I also go LeGarette Blount on the squad who had a good game last week back in a Patriots' jersey, but we all know you can't rely too heavily on Patriots' running backs. If you got some sleepers on your radar we should all be looking out for, let me know. Feel free to leave a comment, hit me up on twitter @donofalldons, google+ +Marcus Nickerson, instagram @donspook.

Going into Week 12...

Fantasy Football Playoffs is right around the corner and right now you're either trying to maintain position, trying to build momentum to get into playoffs, or you're tanking. Every move is crucial at this point and even the sexiest lineup can be unpredictable. There are a few names going around this week and while some may be a clear bet to have a good week, others are not what they appear to be.

Jonas Gray had a Patriots' career day last week against the Colts and he is one of the top pick ups for most people in most leagues. I considered dropping Montee Ball who should be out for the next 2-3 weeks for Gray but I decided not too because of two reasons. First, as a Patriots fan I know that a running back can have a career game one week and have a vanishing act game the next week. Secondly, I know that the Patriots will change up their game plan next week. It is well noted that when the Patriots play the Colts, the Patriots pound the ball and expose the Colts weak run defense. It has worked over the past two seasons, but going against the Lions who have a top rated run defense, I expect Gray to not get as many touches and for Tom Brady to take over as he usually does. By the way, LeGarette Blount signed with the Patriots on Thursday, so now Gray has to come behind Shane Vereen and Blount. It's not looking too good for the kid.

Speaking of quarterbacks, one person I wanted to add this week and who I should've added two weeks ago is Josh McCown. I've never been a huge fan of his as I've always thought his success in Chicago last season was a fluke. While his stat line hasn't been off the charts, he's been consistent and has been one of the better fantasy football quarterbacks recently. He has one of the best fantasy football wide receivers to throw it to in Mike Evans. Evans has dominated over the last month and I was lucky to pick him up through free agency. Also, McCown still has Vincent Jackson to throw it to on the other side, but the real advantage is Evans. McCown may not light the board up with yards and completions, but with Jackson and Evans he should get at least two touchdowns a week.

There are a lot of interesting things going on in Cleveland this week. Josh Gordon is expected to come back from his suspension. Doesn't it seem like Gordon is always suspended to start the season? Usually he comes back and scores a lot of fantasy points for us. With the Browns doing so good and Brian Hoyer performing better than usual, he shouldn't have a problem producing on that PhantasySteez right? This could be, but I have to be a little pessimistic because the Browns let go of Ben Tate this week. Tate is now with the Vikings and this could be a good thing for Teddy Bridgewater, but what's going to happen with the Gordon and the Browns' backfield? With Tate's departure it'll be between Isaiah Crowell and Terrence West. I haven't seen either of them play, but if one of these guys don't step up it could be a rough return for Gordon. Well, then again the Browns' running game has always been kind of jacked up and that hasn't stopped Gordon in the past.



Last but not least, RGIII is starting his third game since coming back from injury. He's been in the sports news lately for trying to throw his teammates under the bus, but coach Jay Gruden defended and his players and let it be known that RGIII is the one who needs to get his rep up. I wonder if RGIII will rise to the occasion. Since his return he has had below average production on that PhantasySteez, and it mostly comes from sacks and turnovers. I believe that he has all the weapons he need with DeSean Jackson, Pierre Garcon (who has fallen off), Jordan Reed and Alfred Morris. However, last week he stunk it up against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and this week they play the 49ers who are looking better now that Aldon Smith is back in the lineup. I don't want to start RGIII this week, but unfortunately in a league where free agency is beyond slim, I have no choice.

Feeling Some Kind of Way

As the fantasy football season continues on, I find myself in an interesting position as a fantasy football player. For some reason, this season feels very different than previously. One thing is I'm not having the success I've had in previous seasons, and it has kind of lead me to losing interest in playing the game. For instance, this morning my boy Vic had called me to talk fantasy football, but I was totally not interested in the conversation. I was watching a game at the time, a game that I was upset about having to watch, and none of my players were in the game. Secondly Vic was questioning me about why I haven't picked up Shaun  Hill. At that moment Hill had just threw his touchdown pass to Kenny Britt, a pretty play might I add. I have no interest in Hill, but Victor was pointing out that at the moment Hill had more fantasy points than Cam Newton, which was true at the time but turns out Cam found some way to turn it around and did eventually outscore Hill.

Speaking of Cam Newton, he has been a thorn in my side all season as I'm sure most of you who owns him feels the same way. Last week, I was ready to just get rid of Newton all together. I felt like one of those losers who take fantasy football way too seriously and go off on players' twitter accounts. I didn't resort to that low life behavior though. Instead I tried to trade him to another player in my league but all I was offered in return was a bag of Fritos. In the league Roughing the Picker, I've lost 7 games already and in most of those losses, Cam Newton did not meet his projections. In week 8 he got me 7 points, and he followed that up with 11 and 13 points in weeks 9 and 10 respectively. I already dropped him in another league, Coast2Coast Ballers, but that came back and bit me in the ass because my opponent picked him up this week when Cam decided he didn't want to play like Tim Tebow.

Going forward at this point, I don't know what I'm going to do with Cam. Even though he did okay this week, in most weeks he's been absolutely horrific. I've had opportunities to trade him multiple times but I felt it was dumb to trade him because of his potential. I mean, this is Cam Newton we're talking about. He's bound to come around sometime right?

In this league Roughing the Picker, the last place player pays the prize for the third place and currently I'm in last place. That will change this week as the two players that are in 8th and 9th will lose, but how am I going to maintain that going on? Newton is on a bye next week and my other two quarterbacks are RG3 and Mike Vick (Roughing the Picker is 2 quarterback league). Vick has been not great, but better than expected. RG3 on the other hand, well in a week that he should've dominated against a week Tampa Bay defense, he finished with 207 yards, one touchdown, and 2 interceptions. Honestly, a part of me wants to tank, but as I mentioned earlier the last place guy has to pay the third place guy, we did this to prevent tanking in the first place. Funny thing about it is that I still have an outside chance of making the playoffs, but quite frankly I'm almost to the point to where it's not even worth it. The only thing that's motivating me to keep playing at this point is avoiding finishing in last place and having to pay the third place winner.

I mentioned my other league Coast2Coast Ballers earlier and I should be somewhat satisfied in this league. Even though I should lose this week, I've been dominating throughout the season. Including this week I've lost two out of the last three games but that's mainly because of byes. I'm still in playoff contention and I should rebound sooner rather than later. The reason why I'm not feeling this league though is because it's so quiet. This league in particular is why I play fantasy football. Usually the competitive banter is off the charts. It's a very prideful league and trash talking is usually a constant. This season however, no one is talking. Even the commissioner has been quiet as of late.

This has made this league mad boring. My fantasy football rival Mr. Hindsman is in this league and when we played, there was nothing epic about it. I almost forgot we were playing against each other. He's not doing too good in this league and another league that we're in and it's like he's lost interest because of it. I called him out about this last week on Facebook and his response was simply, I forgot. I FORGOT? He was talking all that good ish during the preseason and now all of a sudden he forgot? I expect more from Mr. Hindsman but I know, the sun don't shine, the sun don't shine. I'll go ahead and win the league, since it was also thrown in my face that I haven't won the league yet, but I'm going to put an asterisk by this victory because it just isn't the same.

How Many?

How many of you started Branden Oliver? He was one of the flavors of the week last week and he came through for those who picked him up. Oliver had 26 carries for 101 yards and a touchdown.  He also had 23 receiving yards. The other flavor of the week didn't do as good. How many of you started Andre Williams? I did and I lost in the two leagues I own him in. Williams had 16 carries for 58 yards and no touchdowns. I might keep Williams though because even though he didn't produce like everyone thought he would,  he's not the main problem to me losing in those two leagues.

Once again I made a benching error.  How many of you benched Larry Fitzgerald? I woke up Sunday morning and felt like I needed to get Fitzgerald out of there ASAP. Sounds familiar right? But I had a valid reason. Fitzgerald was scoring low for my team and it had seemed as if the Cardinals were not going to throw the ball to him just because his name is Larry Fitzgerald. Something happened though, Carson Palmer came back from injury and Palmer knows who his #1 receiver is. Fitzgerald had 6 catches for 98 yards and a touchdown, and I had him on the bench. Worst part is I replaced him for Kendall Wright who didn't do anything against Jacksonville.  I lost by just a few points and starting Fitzgerald definitely would've made up some of the difference.

On the other hand though, it looks like Cam Newton is starting to get back to his old self. I was considering trading Cam and I had been reading everywhere that he should be benched until he started running the football again. How many of you benched Cam Newton? I don't think many of you did, but I know one person in Big Mike's league did and missed out on 284 passing yards, two touchdowns, 107 rushing yards and one rushing touchdown. It's what everyone who drafted Cam had been waiting for. When Cam runs the ball, he's a top 5 quarterback. When he doesn't,  he's like in the late teens to early 20s. Hopefully we can get more of the running Cam for now on.