BY: Chad Kirby

We have completed week number 3 of the 2011 fantasy football campaign.  Things begin to look more clearly now.  You should begin seeing your team with a somewhat clear cut-starting lineup.  You should also begin to see a few players that can safely be dropped to make room for more promising talent via the waiver wire.  Also, you should find yourself realizing that this particular year is going to be a very wild, and very unique year.

Earlier this year in this very column, I made a prediction that this year could possibly be muddled with injuries due to the very short time that players were given to hone their skills and get into football playing shape.  There is no doubt that the lockout has attributed to the numerous inclusions to the injured reserve.  However, there are some players, while not injured, which have started very slow.  Some of these players are notorious slow starters, while for others, this is new terrain.  It would be very helpful to your fantasy team if you had a crystal ball to see which of these players will recover and which ones will not.  I am going to give my opinions on what players you may want to give up on and trade away for better options before their stock is useless; and what players you want to hang on to, or trade for while their stock is low.  We’ll call this buy low, sell low….

Chris Johnson RB Titans-Just be patient.  Not only did CJ have a short training camp due to the lockout, but also his was cut even shorter due to the fact he held out for a contract extension.  CJ is still very, very young and still very, very fast.  He is still the same guy who rushed for 2000 yards 2 years ago, and while that may not happen again he will get back on track for plenty more trips to the pro bowl.  If you don’t have him, then it’s my suggestion to go out and try to trade for him.  If you can get him for a number 2 receiver, then you’d be foolish not to pull the trigger on that deal.

DeAngelo Williams RB Panthers-I’m concerned here.  The good news is that I am concerned every year for Williams who is a notoriously slow starter.  He has always turned things around and turned in a solid fantasy year.  However, this year he got a brand new shiny contract.  So did Chris Johnson, you say?  But Johnson has always played hard, Williams has those lazy moments in his career already.  I do feel that he will have one shining game in the next couple of weeks as all things will come together and he will put out some good fantasy stats.  When that happens, I suggest selling high and trying to get a replacement like Fred Jackson out of the deal.

Ryan Fitzpatrick QB Bills-So far Fitzpatrick has look golden.  The Harvard grad has looked like a genius tearing up NFL defenses, especially this week against the Patriots.  He led the Bills over the Brady boys for the first time in forever and up until then I had my questions about him.  However, I’m all in now.  If you have another QB that you drafted to start, unless it’s Brady, then trade that one and roll with Fitzpatrick.  I’m also in on the rest of the Bills gang; Fred Jackson, Stevie Johnson, and David Nelson.  Roll with them all.

Cam Newton QB Panthers-This one is hard for me to say because Newton has been nothing short of phenomenal this year.  I do have to say that now may be a good time to sell high.  It’s not that I don’t believe in Newton, I think that one day he will be a Fantasy stud but I don’t think he can be that for his entire freshman year.  It’s a long season, and you will begin to see defensive coordinators trying to confuse Newton.  Sooner or later, he will struggle. Right now, you could get a lot of value in a trade with Newton.

 

BY: Chad Kirby

This week, I am going to offer my advice on a few waiver wire picks.  With key injuries to Jamaal Charles, Mike Vick, and Tony Romo, there are many concerns on many team’s rosters this week.  Let’s get this ball moving.

Thomas Jones and Dexter McCluster, RBs, Kansas City Chiefs -There are fantasy values in both RB’s after the devastating injury to Jamaal Charles.  Those of you who have him on your roster can only hope that old man time has been kind to Jones.  He has proven more than once, that he has one more year left in him, but I’m afraid he may be out of lives.  That’s where McCluster comes in.  Similar in size to Charles, McCluster could be the most value left in the Chiefs backfield.  Most of you UT fans will remember McCluster best for the thrashing he gave the Vols when he was at Ole Miss.  The only problem is that many leagues only allow him at wide out.  Either way, if you have Charles, try to get both of these guys until the carries are sorted out, but if you only get one my vote goes to McCluster, especially in points per reception leagues.

Vince Young and Mike Kafka, QBs, Philadelphia Eagles- If, and that’s a BIG if at this point, Michael Vick is going to be out any games at all, I feel Young is the only one of these guys worth picking up for him.  If Kafka has to go due to Vince not being healed enough from a nagging hamstring injury, I don’t feel your fill-in needs to come from the Eagles.  Look elsewhere for guys like Ryan Fitzpatrick and Rex Grossman who may still be available.  If Vince is able to go, he might do a nice job of filling in in a pinch.  I know VY wore out his welcome in Nashville, but nobody can deny his ability.  With rush yards at a premium in the QB slot, Vince could give you a nice fantasy week with all of the weapons around him.  My advice for all of you Vick owners is to handcuff Young anyway.  This could be a reoccurring event.

Jon Kitna, QB, Dallas Cowboys- If you have Tony Romo you have to go out and secure Kitna.  He is a great fantasy QB in himself but if you have Romo, he’s a must have.  Kitna may be getting old but he can still sling the ball around as well as anybody, for a few games at a time.  Again, you could also get Fitzpatrick or Grossman but in this case, I think Kitna is the best play.  Again even if Romo is back this week, you may want to handcuff Kitna until Romo’s rib and lungs heal.

Hopefully I covered the main concerns for those of you who lost first and second round picks.  If you got one of these guys, it will take some luck to recover and win a championship if they miss major time.  Maybe one of these guys will do the trick; if not keep your eyes and ears open for other injuries that may open up playing time to somebody who’s destined for a breakout year.

BY: Chad Kirby

The first week of NFL football is in the books and that means everyone has gotten a chance to see their fantasy teams in action.  There were some surprises like the play of Cam Newton who quiet possibly looked more poised than any rookie quarterback in the history of the NFL and their were some disappointments, like the realization that we may be watching the first season of football without Peyton Manning in 13 years.  For those of you who gambled and drafted Cam Newton, congratulations.  For those of you who gambled and drafted an injured Peyton Manning, suck it up.

There will always be ups and downs to a fantasy football season.  When a wrench is thrown in the cog of your machine you must work fast, via the waiver wire or by making a trade, to repair the machine. This week I am going to give you some options on how to do that if you drafted Peyton Manning.  There are a couple of ways to try and fix this.  Hopefully, many of you who drafted Peyton, knowing that he was injured, took the extra step to draft a capable backup fairly early, but for those of you who didn’t I am going to give you some possible fixes.

First you could search the waiver wire and look for a replacement.  My top choices for Quarterbacks who just might be available are:

1. Cam Newton QB, CAR-Sure he’s just a rookie, and even with his top notch showing in week one most everyone would rather a rookie be a fantasy backup at best.  But extreme times calls for extreme measures.
2. Ryan Fitzpatrick QB, BUF-Fitzpatrick had a really good year last year and has a very capable supporting cast with Stevie Johnson at Wide Receiver, and a very underrated Fred Jackson at Running Back.
3. Rex Grossman QB, WAS-Last week I told my readers how Grossman could be sleeper material.  After week one, he did nothing but wake up some savvy fantasy owners.

Now for your second option, and quiet honestly your best option;  Look at your roster and see what positions that you are deepest in and try to trade for someone that is another team owner’s backup.  My top choices for those who could be poised for a breakout year, but are still stuck behind another QB on many rosters include:

1. Jay Cutler QB, CHI-Cutler has been so close to becoming a top tier quarterback, however, most people still choose to draft him as a very capable backup.
2. Kevin Kolb QB, ARI-Kolb has superstar talent and in Arizona he also has Larry Fitzgerald to throw the ball to.
3. Joe Flacco QB, BAL-Last season everyone in the fantasy world predicted Flacco would take that next step into stardom but it didn’t happen.  My opinion is that all those experts were one year off on Mr. Flacco.

Next week, we will look at other injuries, top waiver wire pickups, and fantasy news.

BY: Chad Kirby

This week, it’s time to focus more on the actual draft for the “who’s”

and the “where’s”. The first few rounds are pretty much cut and dry,

with the overall rankings featured in the major magazines, all being

very similar in their suggestions on where to draft the “elite”

players that will be taken in these rounds. However, it’s the deeper

rounds where you routinely find players that can ultimately win you a

championship. It takes lots of homework to find these diamonds in the

rough, but I’m going to let you in on a few that I feel could have huge years.

QB’s – Sam Bradford, St. Louis – Last year’s rookie campaign broke the

rookie records set by Peyton Manning. Enough said.

Rex Grossman, Washington – Now wait a minute, don’t stop reading, because I know what your thinking; but Grossman has been phenomenal this preseason, and Mike Shanahan and son loved him enough to run Donovan McNabb off to

Minnesota. The guy has never been short on talent; he’s only 30, and

if he can finally pull it all together, we could have the second coming

of Rich Gannon.

 

RB’s – James Starks, Green Bay - Ryan Grant is back from an ankle

Injury, but the word is, he doesn’t look the same as before his injury. That should put him on thin ice given the way Starks put Green Bay on his back and ran them all the way to the Lombardi Trophy. If Starks does take over as a feature back in Green Bay’s potent offense, he could produce like a top five fantasy back.

Reggie Bush, Miami – I know, I know, but given Bush’s competitiveness, I’m

sure that he feels like there’s something to prove. So far, so good, as

he’s been nothing short of Trojan-like in the pre-season, running like a

man possessed, even making bruising runs between the tackles. Miami

let Ricky Williams and Ronnie Brown walk and although they did draft

rookie Daniel Thomas, so far he hasn’t looked like the runner that

they hoped he would be. Bush can be even more valuable if you play in

a league that rewards points for pass receptions, especially with the

still-unproven Chad Henne looking for short outlets under pressure.

WR’s – Chad Ochocinco, New England – Let’s see, a perceived “past

his prime” receiver and renowned troublemaker is picked up by Bill

Belichick and put under the tight spirals of Tom Brady. I’ve heard

this story before, and the last time it happened, history was made. I’m in.

Mike Sims-Walker, St. Louis – Sims-Walker showed signs of sheer brilliance

during his tenure in Jacksonville, hauling in seven touchdowns each of the

last two seasons despite being targeted by the under-achieving David Garrard. Sims-Walker’s career is still in its infancy and it was given a booster shot when St. Louis went out and got him for second year QB Sam Bradford, who was starved for a capable receiver to catch his brilliantly thrown missiles. If they get on the same page early on, they could be destined for a big breakout season.

TE’s – Jimmy Graham, New Orleans - Graham and Drew Brees got on the same page after the Saints bye week in 2010. Graham played basketball in

College, a la Antonio Gates. Who made Antonio Gates a superstar? Drew

Brees. Get the picture? Also, Brees had no problem allowing the

Saints to get rid of injury prone fan favorite, Jeremy Shockey. Graham

is a huge target and could become Brees’ second option behind

Marques Colston, which means “production a plenty” for Graham.

Hopefully, these players will at least get you thinking outside the

box and realize how important the later rounds of a fantasy draft can

be in winning a championship. See you next week for more tips, injury

updates, and waiver wire action.

BY: Chad Kirby

Fantasy sports has become such a backbone and driving force in the overall popularity of sports, that there is now a fine line between reality and fantasy. Every year, more and more people are becoming hooked on fantasy sports. Some are big fans that incorporate it into their overall arsenal in which they root for their favorite players and teams; others aren’t big fans at all, but merely want to be included in office place “goings-on.” By doing so, the NFL and other pro sports profit from the possibility of those people become reality fans due to the fantasy game.

If you are still reading this article, then we are going to assume that you fall into one of the two aforementioned categories. We are going to spend this week trying to prepare you for what you can expect if this is your first draft, or if you are an old pro at the fantasy game, this might possibly get you to rethink your approach going into this year’s draft.

First, you want to come to the draft somewhat prepared by purchasing a Fantasy Ranking magazine or, at the very least, printing off fantasy rankings from a reputable website. Once that is done, we would encourage you to go through and mark through those players that for some reason you just wouldn’t want on your team.  Remember, this needs to be fun and it won’t be if you get stuck with a roster full of people that you don’t even like. It’s hard to pull for players that you hate.

Now, in saying that, we would leave players on the rankings that you are indifferent to, simply due to the fact that a breakout season with them on your roster could cause you to find a new favorite player.  Try not to concentrate so much on one team, even if that is your favorite. If you live and die by their overall season, you might cost yourself a chance at rooting for teams you might not even watch, if it wasn’t for a player on your roster.

Finally, you may find yourself torn on what positions you should draft and in what order. Typically, not always, running backs fill the first round and become even more difficult to locate starters as the draft continues. So, keep them on the radar in the beginning and make sure you don’t get left without a quality runner.  As for the other positions, QB’s, WR’s and TE’s can be taken in any order, and all are relatively decent options after a quality back is taken. Just make sure that your defense and kicker are chosen after you have filled all other starting positions.

The last rule of thumb is have fun and don’t fret if you miss out on Peyton Manning if he is your favorite player. This is exactly why Fantasy has become so popular. It makes you look at players and games that normally you wouldn’t have any interest in.

Next week, we will dive more into the draft with our sleepers and can’t miss picks. Good luck.