Hello all, I've got your Thursday Night Football entertainment if the Chiefs and Raiders fail to keep things interesting tonight. Read on for guest writer Jen's take on injuries, some sleepers for the week, folks to follow on Twitter, and start/sit and rankings links. Lots of good stuff. Enjoy!
Week 11 came and went, and it was another brutal week for
injuries. Some minor, some major. Here are the major:
Ahmad Bradshaw
(RB, IND): Bradshaw’s season is officially over, landing on IR with a broken
leg. Devastating for a veteran who has come back from serious injuries in the
past. Shattering for fantasy owners who were savvy enough to draft him late (or
grab him off waivers). Bradshaw is the
9th overall running back in PPR leagues, arguably one of the biggest fantasy
surprises of the season. He will miss the rest of the season, and I do wonder,
could this be the end of Bradshaw’s career? Dwayne Allen also suffered an ankle injury, though not thought to
be serious.
Emmanuel Sanders
(WR, DEN): Manny Sandy took a brutal (but legal - the flag stirred up some
controversy) hit Sunday, and it was obvious to anyone watching that he was
concussed. He didn’t practice Wednesday or Thursday, and still has to complete
the NFL’s concussion protocol, but I doubt we see him hit the field this week. Julius Thomas also left the game early
with an ankle injury, but early reports suggest he should suit up on Sunday. Montee Ball reaggravated his groin, but
no one really noticed because C.J. Anderson killed it!
Joique Bell (RB,
DET): This one sort of popped up yesterday. It’s unclear if Bell injured
himself in the game Sunday, or if something happened during the week, but he’s
been slapped with the questionable tag. This could spell bad news for the
Lions, with Reggie Bush not being 100%. This could also spell bad news for
fantasy owners, as Bell has a juicy schedule for the rest of the fantasy
season. After the Patriots this week, the Lions face the a trio of run friendly
teams, playing the Bears twice, the Bucs, and the Vikings.
Larry Fitzgerald
(WR, ARI): Fitz himself downplayed this injury big time after the game this
weekend. But today, he didn’t practice, and Bruce Arians stated today that his status
for Sunday is “iffy”. The Cardinals already do not have it easy. They lost Carson Palmer and Karlos Dansby. They have Drew Stanton under center. And they
play the Seahawks in Seattle. If Larry Fitzgerald is not available, they could
find themselves with 2 losses on the season. Fire up John Brown and Michael
Floyd, if you dare.
Here are a few links to help you second guess your roster
decisions even more.
Rankings:
Football Guru's Week 12 Rankings: Armando
Marsal puts together rankings, along with each players opponent.
Blindside Football's Week 12 Rankings: Blindside
breaks it down by position, with links.
Fantasyfix.com's Week 12 Rankings: Standard
and PPR settings, a personal must-have for me!
Start/Sit:
numberFire.com's Start or Sit Week 12: they
use advanced metrics, guys, and I’ve been a huge fan of theirs for a while now,
trust them!
Michael Fabiano's Start 'Em, Sit 'Em Week 12:
I put Fabs’ column in here every week because it’s one I heavily rely on. It
also doesn’t hurt that he is a Cowboys fan :).
USA Today's Start/Sit Week 12: Marc Caviglia’s
got you covered, and is telling you to sit week 11 wonder Jonas Gray.
XNSports Week 12: Their trust and busts are
your starts and sits. There is a ton more information in this link, every
relevant stat you will need.
Bleacher Report's Start 'Em, Sit 'Em Week 12:
There are not a lot of players listed in Bleacher Report’s link, but if one of
your players is in here, there is a good amount of analysis.
A look back at my shameful sleepers from last week:
Kyle Rudolph (TE,
MIN): Whiff, whiff, whiff! I bought into the hype, and it cost me in one of my
leagues. Rudolph wasn’t even targeted, and it was Chase Ford & Rhett
Ellison who saw the action. I’m still rostering Rudolph, but he is on my bench
for the time being.
Theo Riddick (RB,
DET): Another flop. Granted it was a tough match up, but I still expected Riddick
to be more involved. I think he is worth hanging onto (check out the Lions'
schedule for the rest of the fantasy season).
Pierre Garcon (WR,
WAS): 2 targets? Seriously?? I’d like to blame RGIII, but this really felt like
a Garcon game to me. It’s bad enough they were blown out by the lowly Bucs. I
won’t recommend Garcon again, I promise :).
CAUTION: This week's sleepers:
Latavius Murray (RB,
OAK): Murray ran for 43 yards on just 4 touches last week, and also caught 3
passes. MJD and DMC both have proved are nothing short of slow, unathletic
plodders. It appears Oakland may be ready to see what they have in the 2nd year
man, as he saw more reps than normal in practice this week. The Chiefs defense
is no joke, but if Murray gets the start, he could be the spark the Raiders are
desperately looking for. (note from Sara - sorry all that I didn't get this up before the game started but hey, look at what a great start Jen is off to!)
Daniel “Boom” Herron (RB,
IND): With Ahmad Bradshaw done for the year, the Colts will have to rely on
Trent Richardson and Daniel Herron. Pagano is hell bent on getting Richardson
touches, which is why I like Herron this week. Richardson averages a less than
ideal 3.4 yards per carry, and I expect Indy to give Herron at least a few
touches. I think his fantasy value could show in garbage time, if/when the
Colts go up early on the Jaguars.
Cody Latimer (WR,
DEN): Emmanuel Sanders is a long shot to see the field this Sunday, and while
Demaryius Thomas and Andre Caldwell are ahead of him on the depth chart, I do
like the rookie’s upside. He’s a big fella at 6’2, and could be a nice red zone
target for Peyton Manning, especially with Julius Thomas ailing as well.
Kenny Stills (WR,
NO): The Brandin Cooks injury has swung the door wide open for Stills. Drew
Brees loves to spread the ball around, but he also loves the deep throw, which
Stills is ideally suited for. The Ravens are quite susceptible to the long
ball, and I think Kenny has a really good shot at catching a deep touchdown
pass at home this weekend.
And finally….5 people on twitter you should be following if
you aren’t already:
Armando Marsal - If you’ve ever been on Football
Gurus, which you have been if you clicked the above rankings link,
then you are familiar with Armando’s work. Follow him for constant fantasy
information, and check out him out on various podcasts, too.
Allie Fontana - I mentioned her in my first post on here, and
I’ll mention her again. If you aren’t already following her, you need to. Her
timeline is full of good stuff, and her work is all over the place!
Mike Clay - Another person with too many
credentials to list. He’s full of stats that could help your team, and you
shouldn’t make any fantasy decisions with out the stats, they don’t lie!
Renee Miller - If you’re a DFS addict like
myself, she’s all over it. Fantasy Expert, author, and by my count, she writes
for 7 different fantasy sites. Renee know’s what she is doing, go follow her
asap!
Michael Pichan - Michael is an expert and
definitely knows his stuff. He follows the best in the industry, and his timeline
is flooded with all kinds of fantasy information for all fantasy sports,
including football.
As always, you can hit me up anytime!
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