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1. parlinhall said:

   September 10th, 2009 at 4:28 am

   Buckhalter is the guy who can stretch out the ball for those last couple of precious yards near the end-zone.

2. Trips Right said:

   September 10th, 2009 at 7:37 am

   I’d like to get your thoughts on this lineup in my big pay league. It’s a QB, 2 RB, 3WR, TE, DST, K lineup with pretty standard scoring rules for yardage and TD’s.

   Peyton Manning
   DeAngelo Williams
   Larry Johnson
   Roy Williams
   Anquan Bolden
   Santonio Holmes
   Dallas Clark
   Titans D

3. bateshorn said:

   September 10th, 2009 at 8:11 am

   “You can dance across a river of crocodiles if you know what turtle to ride before it submerges.”

   You’re beginning to push your rhetorical luck a bit here.

4. Vasherized said:

   September 10th, 2009 at 8:19 am

   Scipio,

   I’m surprised this is the first fantasy post this year considering we dedicated pages of space on everything from sleeper D’s to dedfischer’s flyfishing auction leagues last year.

   I agree with the premise. Assuming a basic competence at drafting, the waiver wire is where you make your money (along with weekly coaching decisions on targeting matchups). I load up on WRs and RBs early and draft QBs late. It’s a proven formula in any league.

   McCoy, Rice, Brown, Fred Jackson, Cadillac, and Leon Washington were all drafted in our league. It’s RB heavy though (you can start a 3rd RB over a TE) so that’s not surprising. I really like Rice and Donald Brown, who is a perfect fit for Indy’s system and Addai is injury prone. I think Nicks could become Eli’s #1 target by the end of the season considering who he has to beat out (Smith/Hixon). Rodgers loves Finley. He’s probably available in every single league that didn’t have a Longhorn homer who needed a TE late, and most of those guys already drafted Scaife. Your Vernon Davis pick I’ll forgive for proximity.

   The only QB sleepers I agree with are Flacco and Pennington. Miami has a very good OL this year. Flacco will never get you 35 points but he’s solid for 17-20 which often is all you need out of your QB to get the win. Denver is headed toward a nightmare season.

   A few guys I picked up in lates rounds:

   Maclin
   Harvin/Sidney Rice (one of these guys will benefit from Favre’s deep ball)
   Jerious Norwood
   Antonio Bryant (14th round, total headcase, injured, but still Bucs #1 WR)
   Steve Smith (Giants)
   Nate Washington

   Trips,

   That has the potential to be a very good team, just as Sam Bradford has the potential to become fully healed in the next 7 days.

   Actually it’s pretty solid but question marks abound — does DeAngelo hit the ground running where he left off? He was hot and cold last year. Can LJ survive a season without injury? Presuming he can, will he even have room to run? Can Roy stay healthy and if so, does he catch more than 5 TDs? Probably not. Does he give a shit if he doesn’t? I don’t think so. The Cowboys generally look to Witten/Barber in the red zone.

   Holmes, Clark and Titans D are all solid.

   That said, my team in a similar league has plenty of questions too. We can start 3 WRs instead of a TE.

   Matt Hasselbeck
   Brian Westbrook
   Ryan Grant
   Larry Fitzgerald
   TJ Housh
   Laveranues Coles
   Redskins D
   Rackers

5. Steve Nebraska said:

   September 10th, 2009 at 8:29 am

   Manning to Clark is going to be a nice combination for you.

6. uthookem said:

   September 10th, 2009 at 9:18 am

   Alright, I have no clue what I’m doing in FF, and here is my list:

   Starters:
   Romo
   Fitzgerald
   Bryant, Antonio
   Slaton
   Moreno, Knowshon
   Cooley, Chris
   Royal, Eddie

   Bench:
   McClain, Le’Ron
   Morris, Sammy
   Pettigrew, Brandon
   Orton, Kyle
   Charles, Jamaal
   Finley, Jermichael

   Should I drop Orton to pick up Delhomme?

   Any help is appreciated, I’ll hang up and listen.

7. uthookem said:

   September 10th, 2009 at 9:19 am

   And, should I drop either Morris or McClain to pick up Hakeem Nicks?

8. Scipio Tex said:

   September 10th, 2009 at 9:27 am

   Trips:

   How many teams are in your league? I’d also offer that my key point in this write-up is that your current starters won’t define your season’s success as much as you’d think. Particularly when you’re counting on a Larry Johnson at a key RB position and you play in a 3 WR format where, at minimum, each of those guys will face a bye week and you’ll still need to win. You’re obviously set at QB, TE, one RB spot, one WR spot (Boldin). Now your job is to amass as much quality depth as possible and play matchups and wait for one or two guys on your bench to blow up.

   Vasherized:

   I’m not recommending “sleepers” at QB. That suggests that I think these guys will surprise. Quite the opposite. I’m recommending a talent maximization strategy of QB surfing for all of the guys who feel compelled to draft both Aaron Rodgers and Matt Schaub to the exclusion of having another quality WR or RB starter. It’s as simple as putting all of those guys into a scout team tracker and looking at their matchups three games out. If they face a bottom 5 pass defense, you’ve got a guy worth starting in case of starter injury or bye week who you can immediately discard when they are no longer useful to you.
   Amusingly, you can often trade them for decent guys if they experience a brief value inflation.

   Harvin was owned north of 75% in Yahoo leagues, so he didn’t make my cut, but I agree that he has a great upside. Sidney Rice is a good depth pick for the reasons you mention. Antonio Bryant had no business hanging around until the 14th in your league. That’s surprising.

   I always like taking vulture picks: Jerious Norwood, Chester Taylor, Darren Sproles because they have so much value if The Man gets injured in front of them.

   Wow, you drafted an entire Team of Questions and Larry Fitzgerald. To start a WR like Coles over a RB surprises me. I’d dedicate my efforts to finding another guy who can carry the mail, not only for the flex spot but because Westbrook and Grant are injury risks.

9. richut said:

   September 10th, 2009 at 9:40 am

   I’m in a 14 team league. Other than J-Mike, every single player on your list was drafted. Good times.

10. Scipio Tex said:

    September 10th, 2009 at 9:53 am

    uthookem:

    First, you have too many TEs. Having 3 is absurd and it’s costing you real players. I never carry more than one unless it’s a bye week or I have a short time injury to my starter.

    Second, you have a Big 12/State of Texas bias that you need to monitor. You’re drafting players that are familiar to you to your detriment.

    Third, you’re posing a false question about Delhomme/Orton. The idea is to QB surf matchups. Ride a wave until it stops and then jump on another. See my comments to Vasherized. You probably shouldn’t have drafted Orton to begin with – or at least where you did – because there were quality guys at RB/WR still available to you.

    The good news for you is that your starters are OKish, but your bench is weak and lacks versatility. So you’ll be dead by Week 8 with bye week blues and injuries. Several of the players I listed above are probably available to you.

    Also, Knowshon Moreno isn’t going to get big work early. So you need to find some better answers at RB.

    richut:

    Sorry man. That happens in the deeper 14-16 team leagues. Still, I would offer that someone like Ray Rice has big value and you might be able to obtain him with a familiar “name” who won’t have half of his production.

11. Trips Right said:

    September 10th, 2009 at 10:03 am

    Alright, I hear ya.

    I’m in a twelve teamer and here are my players.

    Starters

    Peyton Manning
    DeAngelo Williams
    Larry Johnson
    Roy Williams
    Anquan Bolden
    Santonio Holmes
    Dallas Clark
    Titans D

    Bench

    Carson Palmer
    L. Maroney
    J. Charles
    Shonn Greene
    Nate Washington
    Donald Driver

12. Trips Right said:

    September 10th, 2009 at 10:09 am

    Scratch Shonn greene. I just replaced him with Buckhalter.

13. Vasherized said:

    September 10th, 2009 at 10:19 am

    Scipio,

    It’s a 12 team league where you can only start two RBs (flex is either a WR/TE) so you better get two good ones and Westbrook and Grant were both value picks after landing Fitz early. I think Grant has a huge year if he can stay healthy. We’ll see. There’s always a early run on WRs so Coles at the 3 spot was the best available. I think he’ll fare well if Palmer bounces back, which I expect him to.

    Factoring in the obvious injury risk to Westbrook, I picked up McCoy as a backup to Westbrook and also landed Benson and Beanie Wells late. Ced will be good for an occasional start against weak run D’s. Also, Westbrook is one of the tougher backs in the league. He plays hurt all the time and still cranks out consistent production. Hopefully the 18 surgeries he had in the offseason has him feeling refreshed.

    Yes, there are plenty of of questions but they can all be addressed over the course of the season on the waiver wire.

    Let’s see one of your lineups.

14. Trips Right said:

    September 10th, 2009 at 10:20 am

    Here’s my work league. The entry is only $100 so I’m not as worried, but I’d love to win because cheeseheads are insufferable bastards when they win. Anyway, you have to have one backup at each position. It’s a 12 teamer QB, 2 RB, 2 WR, TE, K, DST. Scoring is quirky in that you get 1 point per reception and the QB gets 1 pt for every 25 yards passing. With that in mind I waited around for a QB and tried to get backs and receivers that get alot of action regardless of yards. Main reason I picked Hines Ward. Love to hear your thoughts on this team.

    Starters
    Matt Ryan
    Chris Johnson
    Kevin Smith
    Andre Johnson
    Hines ward
    Jason Witten
    Vinateirri
    ‘Skins

    Bench
    Trent Edwards
    Reggie Bush
    Felix Jones
    Donny Avery
    Antonio Bryant
    Celek
    Tynes
    Sea Hawks

15. Scipio Tex said:

    September 10th, 2009 at 10:29 am

    Trips:

    You have trade bait to work with at QB. Manning is a very healthy QB and Palmer has the potential to put up numbers in several stretches. The probable deficiency in your lineup is your #2 RB.

16. uthookem said:

    September 10th, 2009 at 10:39 am

    Alright, thanks for the tips.

    I dropped Jamaal Charles to pick up Hakeem Nicks, and I dropped Pettigrew to pick up the highest rated RB I could get – Laurence Maroney…should I start Maroney over Moreno?

17. Vasherized said:

    September 10th, 2009 at 10:41 am

    Trips,

    For a 12 team league, that’s pretty solid across the board.

    One of these years Reggie Bush will toughen up his labia and finish a whole season. He’s a wild card but one that can pay off big if you guess right. He and Felix are perfect for PPR leagues. I like Avery and Celek as sleepers as well. Andre Johnson is a veritable freak of nature, science, and religion.

    Edwards has two big weapons in TO and Evans and two guys that can get first downs in Lynch/Jackson. Edwards will be a good situational start but I generally try to avoid guys in anemic offenses like Buffalo, Oakland, St. Louis, and KC.

18. Vasherized said:

    September 10th, 2009 at 10:44 am

    uthookem,

    I would start just about anybody over Moreno. He’s injured and Denver’s offense is a mess. Don’t necessarily drop him if you have room on the bench. I’m not big on NE running backs because Belichick isn’t really either but Maroney is your best bet there.

19. Trips Right said:

    September 10th, 2009 at 10:52 am

    Vash, thanks. I like my second team better than my first no doubt.

    I picked 6th in my first draft and 12th in my second. The later the better if you ask me.

20. ATXsouthsider said:

    September 10th, 2009 at 10:53 am

    It is FF time… awesome-

    12 team league, question re: RB’s week 1-
    I have Slaton/F. Gore as starters,
    R. Rice and J. Addai as backups

    Would you start R. Rice over Slaton? Slaton has the tough Jets run D. (revised in Rex Ryan Era) and Rice has a lot of buzz and faces the diarrhea consistency KC Run D.

    Agree with you on the QB strategy. In one of my leagues have M. Shaub (8th round) and Dirty Sanchez from NY.

    I made an exception in my other league- I’m willing to bank on T. Brady/Randy Moss combo if you have the last pick in round 1/first in round 2. The value there is almost second tier RB’s and top WR’s so I go for the potential of a repeat in 2008.

    This shit is like a bong hit of awesome for me.

21. Scipio Tex said:

    September 10th, 2009 at 11:02 am

    Vash:

    Your bench is in better shape than I thought. I thought the guys you’d listed earlier were your bench guys for that team. Must be for another league.

    I’m in two pay leagues and my lineups are thus:

    League #1 – 2 RB/3 WR

    QB Matt Schaub
    WR Steve Smith
    WR Anquan Boldin
    WR Chad Ochocinco
    RB Brian Westbrook
    RB Ray Rice
    TE Greg Olsen
    K Jason Elam
    DEF New England
    BN Reggie Bush
    BN Leon Washington
    BN Chris Henry
    BN Hakeem Nicks
    BN Fred Jackson
    BN Robert Meachem
    BN LeSean McCoy

    League #2 – 2 WR/2 RB/1 Flex

    Palmer, Carson QB
    Jackson, Steven RB
    Tomlinson, LaDainian RB
    Rice, Ray RB
    Jennings, Greg WR
    White, Roddy WR
    Daniels, Owen TE
    Graham, Shayne K
    Cowboys DST

    Schaub, Matt QB
    Bush, Reggie RB
    Jackson, Fred RB
    Taylor, Chester RB
    Gonzalez, Anthony WR
    Henry, Chris WR

    In League #2, I honestly feel like a wolf among sheep. Everyone was scared of LT and Steven Jackson’s health so I took both. Then I flat out stole Greg Jennings and Roddy White. It’s amusing to me that I have Reggie Bush on both of my teams since I’m no great fan, but his value has been depressed too much and he was available shockingly late.

    I like my depth a lot in both leagues. And you can tell that I like Ray Rice and Matt Schaub relative to where they were being valued.

22. The Bobs said:

    September 10th, 2009 at 11:03 am

    I’m wondering…

    I’ve got Pierre Thomas sitting there hurting, and I’m wondering if Mike Bell would be a good pickup – particularly for Game 1 vs. Detroit. Problem is… I’ve got to drop someone, and I’ve got Jonathan Stewart, Donald Brown and Derick Ward (I’ve also got Forte, but he’s obviously not in the conversation for dropping…). I think Stewart and Brown just will be better later in the year, but would it be worth it to drop Ward to pick up Bell, considering TB is starting Cadillac over him now?

23. Scipio Tex said:

    September 10th, 2009 at 11:13 am

    ATXsouthsider -

    First, congratulations. You’re absolutely stacked at RB so that’s a good dilemma to have. If I were you, I’d shop Addai hard. I might start Rice over Slaton given the matchup but the Jets are also missing two starters from their front 7. When you’re concerned whether to start one guy that will go for 80 and a TD vs the other guy that will go for 100 and a TD, it’s a good place to be.

    Why would you have Sanchez at all? Why do people feel the need to draft a marginal backup at QB? You could use that spot for a speculative flyer or a stud’s quality back-up (Taylor, Sproles, Norwood) that might just pan out. My urging is this: keep marginal backups where they belong – on the waiver wire.

    Though I wouldn’t do it, the Moss/Brady combo isn’t crazy, but that depends largely on your scoring system as well. I’d make my next three picks RBs, that’s for sure.

24. Vasherized said:

    September 10th, 2009 at 11:17 am

    It’s never a bad time for a bong hit of awesome, an unprovoked slight against HenryJames, or fantasy football ruminations at the expense of actual work.

    I’d start Rice against KC over Slaton. The Jets are solid up the middle.

    I went for the poor man’s Brady/Moss combo drafting Rogers/Jennings in one league and Hasselbeck/Housh in another. Ryan/White isn’t a bad tandem either but I think Gonzo takes some TDs away from Roddy this year.

25. Scipio Tex said:

    September 10th, 2009 at 11:19 am

    The Bobs:

    Interesting dilemma. You can’t drop Brown or Stewart, obviously. I’d advise a little patience on Ward to see how things shake out in Tampa, but Bell vs. Detroit is a reasonable match up for one game. Without picking him up, you have a pretty glaring hole at one RB spot. Could you win anyway? If not, you might have to suck it up, drop Ward and then pray that he clears waivers for you to snatch him up again when Pierre Thomas gets right.

26. ATXsouthsider said:

    September 10th, 2009 at 11:28 am

    Fair enough on the Dirty Sanchez- I picked him up on a whim off the waiver wire and dumped Trent Edwards. I probably will end up dumping him soon but wanted to see what the first couple of weeks hold… He may be Matt Ryan this year or he could be another Leinart, it’s worth a shot anyways. Late in the Baltimore preseason game he had some good throws under pressure and a TD.

    In that league I’m solid at RB. I may shop Addai if he gets hot. In the other league I went heavy on WR and hoped for sleepers/scorers to get the depth at RB. Have Boldin, Jennings, and Marshall (who I picked up on waivers after some dunce dropped him). RB’s are R. Grant, R. Brown, Lendale White, and F. Jones. Jones is another sleeper particularly in the PPR format.

    I wish my bong hit of awesome could involve some of Romance Taylors stash… but as a victim of the economy I’m playing it clean.

27. Vasherized said:

    September 10th, 2009 at 11:36 am

    ATX,

    Come by Trips Right’s tailgate on Saturday. It’s downright stashtastic and you never know who you may run into.

28. ATXsouthsider said:

    September 10th, 2009 at 11:37 am

    NIce. Maybe I’ll have a job by TTech time…

29. Steve Nebraska said:

    September 10th, 2009 at 12:46 pm

    Just drafted in a PPR league with 12 teams. Bonuses also awarded for 100 yard games, 300 yards passing, long tds, etc. Must start 2rb, 2wr, 1wr/rb, 1 wr/te, 1te, 1dst, 1k. Had the third pick, and drafted thusly. I’m pretty pleased with the results.

    Brees
    Megatron
    Kevin Smith (accidentally autopicked, but I can live with it)
    Run DMC
    Vincent Jackson
    Desean Jackson
    El Ced
    Cotchery
    Lance Moore
    Shockey
    Julius Jones
    Rashard Mendenhall
    Cowboys DST
    Nate Burleson
    Shaun Hill
    J-Mike
    John Carney

30. The Bobs said:

    September 10th, 2009 at 1:07 pm

    Scipio -Thanks!
    That’s what I ended up doing… hopefully once Pierre is healed up Ward will either still be available or his circumstances will not warrant a real heartbreak. Also by then who knows, Brown and/or Stewart may be getting lots of touches and I wouldn’t start him anyway.

    Funny thing, I got the confidence to take a flyer and possibly lose Ward when I checked the waiver wire and found several good players still available – such as Julius Jones. In fact, although I don’t like him that much, I almost went for Julius vs. St. Louis over Bell vs. Detroit. Decided on Bell because I fear the Walter Jonesless line, and because… hell, it’s Julius Jones. Plus I guess Bell is a handcuff for Pierre if that leg is slow to heal. Which brings up another question – what are your thoughts on handcuffs? I wonder about the value, unless it’s just someone I really wanted anyway – if I’d had Addai, for instance, there’s no question I’d take Brown, but that’s less about the handcuff and more about I just really like Brown…

31. Scipio Tex said:

    September 10th, 2009 at 1:23 pm

    I know they won’t have Walter Jones but I might have grabbed Julius Jones. He could have value beyond Week 1. They also get SF next week. New regime and Mora is going to give him a chance. I understand the Bell play though.

    I like handcuffs if the guy behind the star is actually a stud – Sproles, Taylor, Norwood, McCoy – or if the team’s running game is just damn good. If it’s just some guy who is #2 on the depth chart, then you usually end up with a committee and diluted value.

    I also tend to evaluate the OL and total offense. The New York Giants are going to get production out of whoever totes the rock for them.

32. Karl Vornsand said:

    September 10th, 2009 at 1:38 pm

    Scipio,

    Are you going to do a defensive breakdown for FF pickups? Our league rules are even if not slanted towards defensive points.

33. Scipio Tex said:

    September 10th, 2009 at 2:24 pm

    Karl:

    I play Defense week-to-week and look for bad offenses. I generally mock the guys in my fantasy leagues who take the Steelers in round 7.

    I’d look to teams like Washington and Green Bay for situational plays with a chance to break out as an every week defense. That happened for me last year with Tennessee.

34. karlvornsand said:

    September 10th, 2009 at 2:40 pm

    In our league we don’t pick a team’s defense, we actually pick defensive players. We have two DL, two LB and two DB. Any suggestions in those areas?

35. kevwun said:

    September 10th, 2009 at 2:42 pm

    My league has a flex play and our scoring system is such that you have to start 2 quarterbacks if you want to win. It’s a 12 team league. So it’s:

    2 qb
    2 rb
    2 wr
    1 te
    1 k
    1 defense

    My roster is:

    Kurt Warner
    Trent Edwards
    Kerry Collins
    LT
    Ronnie Brown
    Lendale White
    Mike Goodson
    Dwayne Bowe
    Bernard Berrian
    Antonio Bryant
    Steve Smith (Giants)
    Davone Bess
    Kevin Boss
    Anthony Fasano
    Nate Kaeding
    Baltimore D

    I’m counting on Warner and LT having 1 more good year while staying healthy. If that doesn’t happen, I’m screwed. My receivers aren’t great, but they should be solid. Our draft order is determined by the random drawing of odd numbered rounds, with the even round being a reverse of the previous round. I drew 12th in the first round, so I had the 1st pick in the second. There are approx 4 really productive tight ends and they went in an early run between my picks. I said screw it and waited until much later in the draft to pick mine up since there wasn’t much of a difference among the players were left.

36. Vasherized said:

    September 10th, 2009 at 3:10 pm

    Scipio,

    I missed the post above where you listed your lineups. Both teams are pretty damn solid and I’m similar in that I usually end up with a few of the same guys on each team, because I either targeted them before the draft or it was a value play.

    When you look back each year at the team that won the league it’s usually because it had a few studs that consistently put up big numbers and harvested reliable points out of the bench when needed. You have that in spades with Washington, Taylor, Bush, Gonzalez, Nicks, and Henry. All of those guys will put up starters’ numbers at some point this season, you just have to hope you guess right on which week it happens.

37. Minnesotahorn said:

    September 10th, 2009 at 4:17 pm

    Great and funny stuff. This will be my second year ever playing with the first being when I was 18 and basically just selected the 1998 Vikings. At least I made it to the Super Bowl you choking quaifs. I fully expect to experience several mockable moments and I’ll certainly share them as they come up. Like karlvornsand my league does individual defensive players with any four of your choosing.

    Here’s what I’ve got and any of you are free to point and laugh where appropriate:

    Drew Brees, NO QB

    RB/WR Frank Gore, SF RB

    RB/WR Ryan Grant, GB RB

    RB/WR DeSean Jackson, Phi WR

    WR/TE Hines Ward, Pit WR

    TE Visanthe Shiancoe, Min TE

    DP DeMeco Ryans, Hou LB

    DP Osi Umenyiora, NYG DE

    DP Brian Orakpo, Was DE

    DP Brandon Meriweather, NE S

    K John Kasay, Car K

    Bench Joe Flacco, Bal QB

    Bench Ted Ginn Jr., Mia WR

    Bench Lofa Tatupu, Sea LB

    Bench Will Blackmon, GB CB Q

    Bench Bo Scaife, Ten TE

    Bench Kyle Vanden Bosch, Ten DE

    Bench Mathias Kiwanuka, NYG DE

    Bench Correll Buckhalter, Den RB

38. sizzlechest said:

    September 10th, 2009 at 5:26 pm

    What is the rationale for not starting Reggie Bush Week 1? I think it’s a no brainer.

39. panchoclaus said:

    September 10th, 2009 at 5:41 pm

    I disagree with the advice to start Hill against the Chiefs instead of McNabb at the Ravens. I lost a lot of games with a better playing having a great game on my bench because I was afraid of the matchup. Then someone gave me sage advice… “Always start your studs.”

    They’re studs for a reason. Meaningless 4th quarter TDs count just as much as game winners. Dwayne Bowe scored a LOT of the former for me last year. He was garbaggio in the first half.

    Anyway, I have three teams but here’s my favorite league…must start 2 RB or 1 RB 1TE, 3WR/TEs
    QB1: Romo
    QB2: Eli
    RB1: D Williams
    RB2: Lynch
    RB3: Cedric
    RB4: F Jackson
    RB5: Maroney (waiting to be released)
    WR1: Ochocinco
    WR2: Ward
    WR3: D Bowe
    WR4: Chambers
    Flex (WR/TE/RB): Dallas Clark
    Flex (WR/TE/RB): Shockey
    K: Gould
    D: Titans

    Here are my waiver wire guys…
    J Davis, Cleveland… will be starting sooner or later
    Cadillac Williams – named the starter after most drafts
    Cincy D – looks MUCH improved, very good DL, new linebacker, despite evil Roy
    J Shockey – rated below a lot of other TEs, but should be in the top 5 based on his preseason and talent, and QB situation
    K Britt – I am not sure why people take a hurt Nate Washington or the mythical Justin Gage when Britt will be starting in the near term and eventually overtake both players with his size and speed – looked good in the preseason
    Q Cosby – I see him running back 3 kicks in week2… just kidding

    My league is pretty big so most of the guys others have named were long gone.

    Jesus Clemson sucks.

40. wallybanger said:

    September 11th, 2009 at 6:57 am

    Currently, I am starting Darren Sproles against Oakland (in OAK), instead of Ronnie Brown vs. Atl (in ATL). Thoughts?

41. Vasherized said:

    September 11th, 2009 at 8:33 am

    wally,

    In week 1 I would go with a proven starter like Brown over a backup like Sproles. Once you see more trends in distribution of carries over the course of the season then you can play matchups with stud backups like Sproles/Felix Jones. Miami also has an improved offensive line and a healthy Brown should have a big year when factoring Parcells’ lifelong commitment to ball control.

    pancho,

    Clemson covered after an impressive second half comeback. As for your team, the starters are decent but I don’t see any one stud that can go off for 35 points other than Romo and Williams. I would start over with your approach to the waiver wire.

42. ballrific said:

    September 11th, 2009 at 8:34 am

    wally, that’s a tough one b/c the sad thing those are both my starters, so im playing them as my 2 RBs. My other RB is LJ and im sure as shit not starting him and his 17 carries for 40 yards against the Bmore D.

43. macktripper said:

    September 11th, 2009 at 9:48 am

    I will second James Davis as a sleeper RB. He’ll start by mid-season.

    Here’s my team (12 team league; 1QB, 2RB, 2WR, 1Flex, 1TE, 1K, 1 Def):
    QB: Aaron Rogers
    RB: Chris Johnson
    RB: Ray Rice
    WR: Steve Smith (Car)
    WR: Marques Colston
    Flex: Cedric Benson
    Def: Philly
    K: R. Longwell
    Bench: RB Knowshon Moreno
    Bench: WR Anthony Gonzalez
    Bench: WR Devin Hester
    Bench: QB Trent Edwards
    Bench: RB Leon Washington
    Bench: WR Steve Smith (NY)
    Bench: RB James Davis

    Question: Should I replace Ced with Leon Washington at Flex this week?

44. Scipio Tex said:

    September 11th, 2009 at 10:55 am

    macktripper:

    That’s a good problem to have as Cedric has a good matchup and exclusively gets red zone carries and Leon is too dynamic for the Texans to contain. Cedric Benson is the safe play.

    Good call on James Davis RB from Cleveland. The Browns are dissatisfied with Jamal Lewis and he’s showing his age. I’d expect Davis to be a 15 carry guy soon enough and I liked him at Clemson.

    wally -

    Vasherized is right. You’ve got to go Ronnie Brown. He’s a potential top 10 back.

    pancho:

    McNabb is a good player, not an elite one. If we were discussing Adrian Peterson, you’d be right. I chose McNabb for a very specific reason to illustrate my point.

45. panchoclaus said:

    September 11th, 2009 at 3:12 pm

    Vasherized – my comment came when Clemson was down 21-0 or so. They still lost.

    As for my team, virtually no one of any consequence is left on the waiver wire. It’s a 12 team league with 15 spots. Hell, I have Maroney on my team and he’s worthless.

    I took two TEs b/c I can start one at RB and my backup RBs are not great. I am banking on Shockey having a great year and if Ochocinco has even a decent year I should win 10 games. Bowe was a top 15 WR last year with no one at QB… Hines Ward still has some gas left in the tank and I have the #2 TE.

    So while I only have two guys who can put up huge numbers the other guys are all steady performers.

46. The Bobs said:

    September 11th, 2009 at 5:13 pm

    you know, one problem with picking up talent that’s buried or sharing time right now, but that you feel confident about over the course of the season came home to me last night…

    I ended up with Chris Johnson and Willie Parker starting (sat McFadden, Ahmad Bradshaw and Donald Brown). And basically spent the whole second half railing at the coaches for both teams… I’m pretty new to this whole fantasy thing, so maybe the old hands have figured out how to deal with the frustration, but watching Chris Johnson sitting in the backfield pretending to look for someone to block so that we could watch Kerry Collins try to win the game by going downfield to his stellar receivers, instead of, I don’t know, maybe throwing a short pass and getting their fastest and most elusive player into space… man, if Greg Davis pulled that crap, we’d be treating him like… well, Greg Davis. And same thing with Fast Willie, they kept running him into the teeth of the defense, and waited until they put Moore in to throw some short ones to him. Can Willie not catch those???

    So yeah, I should have played McFadden… as for Brown and Bradshaw, should I wait and see how their touches develop? I have the same issue in all 3 of my teams, I seemed to go for both runners and receivers that may not be starters now, but that I thought had more talent than other more full-time players that were available. I’m still hoping it all works out that way, but injuries and bad matchups may cost me this week for sure…

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