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Week 5 Fantasy Q&A. Let's dive right in.
Q: I'm desperate for receivers, I've had injuries (Laurent Robinson), flops (Torry Holt, Dwayne Bowe), is there any hope for Michael Crabtree making an impact this year? - Josh
A: Nope. Not until the Niners are playing against kids when they face the Lions and Rams at the end of the season, at the earliest.
That said, snap up Crabtree if you're in a keeper league. He was a top draft pick for a reason (hopefully that reason is not just that he made the game-winning catch against Texas on national TV. Because that dramatic catch reminded me of a dramatic catch made by another former Big 12/8 star receiver who was a top NFL pick. You know, the guy who sucker-punched Stephen Davis and only showed up for one year in an eight-season NFL career). And with Vernon Davis emerging, once Crabtree gets the offense down and gets in game-shape, he should see plenty of single-coverage and zone defenses.
Q: Which two of these four would you start this week?
B Jacobs vs. Oak
C Benson @ Balt
J Addai @ Tenn
R. Brown vs. Jets
-Jack
A: I would roll with Jacobs and Brown. Here's why: As long as Jacobs is healthy, he is a must-start. The Giants get inside the red zone often and love to let Jacobs plow it home. So even if he's not running for a lot of yardage, he's a good threat to score. The Giants are also facing the Raiders. At home. The spread -- 16 points - resembles the line in an early-season college game between LSU and Louisiana-Monroe. And it's probably too low. You think the Giants may score some points on Sunday?
Brown is developing into a must-start as well. He is averaging 105 yards from scrimmage per game with four scores, and with Miami now starting a quarterback who can throw it further than 40 yards, that should open up more room for him. The Jets are not a great match-up for Brown, but if anybody on Miami scores a touchdown this week, who do you think it will be?
As for the other two: Joseph Addai is still in the NFL? Seems like he's soon to be next in line on the Colts' carousel of cast-off running backs.
And as good as Cedric Benson has been this year, the Bengals are playing the Ravens in Baltimore. The Ravens' defense has not been great this year, but has been much better at home. And now they're angry after the NFL made them play two-hand-touch against Tom Brady and the Patriots last week. A motivated Ray Lewis is a frightening thing, especially if you're an NFL running back.
Q: I have Braylon Edwards on my roster, is there any hope I can actually use him on gameday now that he's in New York? Maybe not the first week, but in the future? - Stephen
A: News of the trade that sent Edwards from Cleveland to the Jets reached the Carolina Panthers' locker room after their practice Wednesday. At least one Panther was amused. "The Jets finally got a big-time receiver," he said aloud, to nobody in particular. Then he could no longer suppress a laugh. He added: "Every time they show the highlights, he's dropping balls."
Does that answer your question?
Q: What do you think Braylon Edwards will do for the value of Mark Sanchez? And will Chansi Stuckey be worth anything in Cleveland? - Ben
A: This Edwards trade reminds me of Jerry Jones' swap for receiver Roy Williams last season. Like Jones, the Jets must think Edwards can adjust well to a new team in the middle of the season. You saw how well that worked for the Cowboys last year (Williams caught 19 passes for 198 yards and 1 score in 10 games, and got along so poorly with Terrell Owens that the two could not even discuss their favorite childhood cartoons without getting icy).
I can't see Edwards helping the Jets offense, and by extension Sanchez, too much this year. This move will probably help Edwards and Sanchez in the long run on the field, although off the field it won't help Edwards (LeBron James and his friend will likely follow him to New York next year).
As for Stuckey, well, if he were on my Fantasy team, I'd be banging my head against the desk right now. Let's see, since the 2008 season ended, the Browns have traded away Kellen Winslow Jr. and Edwards, and Jamal Lewis has aged another year. What exactly do they have left? As I wrote before, it doesn't matter who they start at quarterback. They can't move the ball much or score many points. So, No. I can't see Stuckey doing too much in Cleveland. Trade him now, before his value really slides.
More Week 5 Mailbag
We are a quarter of the way through most fantasy football seasons. There's still plenty of time to make a playoff push. There's still plenty of time to blow it. With that in mind, let's get to this week's mailbag. New rule of the mailbag, all questions sent in by the ladies get first priority--I have been thoroughly impressed with the quality of the questions asked by the female readers.
Q: I play in a head-to-head league and the last three weeks I have lost three times by a total of 15 combined points to the highest scoring team of each week. Twice I left the win on my bench. It seems silly to ask, but is there anything I can do from a lineup strategy standpoint to increase my chances? - Laura
A: Laura, I can sympathize with your situation. It happens to everyone. But you are in luck, because I do have two suggestions for you. Most leagues allow you to change your lineup up to 5 minutes before kickoff. So my first suggestion would be to try and leave yourself some roster options for the late Sunday games--to the extent you can manage this. Based on the performance of your 1 o'clock players, decide what kind of risks you are willing to take with your players in the late games. If you think you have the win in the bag, don't play an extra defense that could lose you points. If you are behind and need to take some chances, go with a player who would otherwise be relegated to your bench. Streaky players, running backs who rotate in the proverbial running back-by-committee, and young wide receivers who could break out are all considerations when you are rolling the dice to go for the win. Keep in mind, this is a dicey strategy. It's kind of like changing your answer on a standardized test when you're unsure...chances are your first answer was the right one. My second idea would be to try and hedge yourself against some of your opponent's better players. If you are able to, start a wide receiver you know your opponent's quarterback will be relying on. Start a running back that shares carries with your opponent's running back. In a tight week, this could keep you close enough to take the win with a standout performance by one of your own studs. Good luck Laura.
Q: Which wide receiver is going to have a better second half of the fantasy season: Braylon Edwards or Michael Crabtree? - Don
A: I am going with Edwards here, which is kind of a safe bet, but I would love to have Crabtree for my fantasy playoff run. In the Jets, Edwards gets a player's coach with Rex Ryan, an offensive scheme that he can contribute to right away and a team that is playoff-worthy. All of these things should contribute to Edwards behaving and doing his best to fit in. Mark Sanchez will get him the ball often and if Edwards can make a few spectacular catches early, these two will be fantasy studs. Even though Crabtree is late to the party, he is a sick talent. They will rush him onto the field and put him in situations where he can show off his abilities. The main difference between these two receivers is that Edwards will be asked to be "the guy", while Crabtree will be worked in more gradually.
Q: Is Kyle Orton worth making a regular starter now or is he still just a guy to fill in on bye weeks or for injuries? - Lance
A: Lance, in most 12-team leagues, you can only start one guy and Orton is simply not a top-12 quarterback. Orton has New England, Baltimore and Pittsburgh coming up on his schedule so let's not get too worked up about him yet. That said, he does have six touchdowns and zero interceptions on the season. It might not be time to call him a fantasy stud just yet, but it is time to change our perception of him. Brandon Marshall is going to make him a compelling option on your bench but wait until he gets through some of these tougher matchups before relying on him weekly.
Oct 07 8:13p by Ken Meringolo - 0 comments