Week 9 Rankings: Friday Update

Well last night didn't quite go as expected, did it?

Oh I'm not talking about the Halloween stuff.  That went according to script.
There were cute little kids trick or treating with parents standing at a safe distance in the background.  Then there were the older kids with little to no costume and pillowcases.  At least say "trick or treat", dammit!  (That's what I should have said to them.)  There's always at least one kid who acts disappointed when you give him FREE CANDY.  "I wanted a Snickers..."  Dude!  I know you wanted a Snickers because it's the greatest Halloween candy ever.  But it's also MY favorite, so you will take your 3 Musketeers and you'll like it.  Again, FREE candy...

Sorry, Rod.  I'll catch you next time you're in RVA.

I probably sound like some sort of Halloween grinch, but of course I'm kidding.  I love Halloween.  I think the kids are hilarious and I always enjoy giving out candy.  I felt a little old last night though because I actually skipped out on going to a J Roddy show in order to not be out until 1am on a "school night".  Pretty sure my wife and I were in bed by 10:30.  Yep, old.

But it did mean that I got to watch all of the Dolphins/Bengals game, as I fought sleep at the end to see the game-winning safety in overtime.  I'll get into how things shook out in the game from a fantasy perspective, followed by some injury updates, and of course...the updated rankings!

QBs: Like the experts, I ranked Andy Dalton in my top-10 this week.  And much like his hair, the dude had  been on fire!  But last night the turnovers killed him.  That, and his receivers dropped a ton of easy ones.  He fumbled in his own red zone in the first quarter, and he threw 3 picks (one of which went 94 yards the other way for a touchdown).  He ended up with a ton of yards but no TDs (and all of those turnovers).  A poor fantasy day for him and a loss to boot.  Ryan Tannehill performed about as expected, getting his standard 13 fantasy points or so.  He hasn't broken the 20 point barrier yet this season, and he remains a solid fill-in for some guaranteed, if not average points.

RBs: The entire time I was watching the game last night, all I could think was "why aren't these teams giving the ball to Giovani and Lamar more often"?  And I don't mean just for that game, but rather more often in respect to the other running backs on their teams.  Daniel Thomas and The Law Firm just don't have the same burst that Bernard and Miller do.  Every time I watch these teams, that's all I see.  It's frustrating if you own either of these guys in fantasy because you know they can get the points if they just get the rock!  Last night was a perfect example, as Gio looked like Barry Sanders on one of his two TD runs (see below) and Miller got over 100 yards on just 16 carries.  Maybe their coaches will start getting them more touches after those performances, but we'll have to wait and see.

WRs: Andy Dalton didn't have a good game, but like I said, he still racked up the yards in the air.  A.J. Green saw a season-high 19 targets, and he had well over 100 yards receiving.  Week 9 waiver wire darling Marvin Jones had 4 catches on 7 targets for 66 yards, but that doesn't include the 50-yard touchdown that was called back due to a very questionable hold on Jermaine Gresham.  Aside from a 1-yard Tannehill rushing touchdown, the Dolphins didn't have any other offensive TDs.  So no end zone celebrations for any receivers last night, but Mike Wallace and Brian Hartline did manage a few fantasy points on yardage alone.

TEs: With Tyler Eifert getting about the same amount of targets as Gresham, I don't think either is a serviceable fantasy tight end right now.  For the Dolphins, Charles Clay continues to get some touches in that offense, but he was mostly a non-factor in last night's game too.

DEF: Surprisingly it was Miami who had the big fantasy night on the defensive end, not Cincy.  I already mentioned the turnovers from Dalton, one of which was the INT that went to "da" house.  They might actually end up as the #1 fantasy defense this week, but we'll see after all of the other games.  The bad news for the Bengals is that Geno Atkins may have torn his ACL in the first half of last night's game.  The injuries are piling up for Cincinnati's D, and they might be getting waived from the Pig Newtons.

Speaking of all of the injuries on my money league team, let's update that list and see what's going on with those guys...

Week 1, Shane Vereen: Practicing this week and should be healthy for Week 11!
Week 2, Reggie Bush: Only missed his Week 3 matchup with the knee injury
Week 3, Chris Ivory: Thought he'd break out against the Bills. Instead he injured his hamstring.  It was thought he'd miss a month, but he only missed his Week 4 game.  Either way, I had to waive him due to byes.
Week 6, Cecil Shorts: Injured on the first series against Denver, but only missed that game (in which I played him).
Week 7, Jermichael Finley: Still has no timetable for a return to football (waived).
Week 8, Michael Vick: I picked him up for what I thought would be a decent insurance option at QB down the stretch, but he re-injured his hamstring and now will probably miss a few games.  It was back to the waiver wire for him.
Also in Week 8, Zac Stacy: Since finally getting his chance at the starting job in Week 5, Stacy has been averaging 11 fantasy points/game.  Then at the end of the game last week against Seattle, he injures his ankle.  It sounds like he'll be good to go against Tennessee, but we'll have to wait and see how it affects him.
Week 9, Geno Atkins: Whatever, I'm counting it.  He's literally a huge part of that defense!

Hopefully no one else goes down for me this week, but after all of the others, I won't be surprised.  Here are some other guys who have been banged up recently and their status as of right now.

For realsies this week, right DeMarco...???

1. DeMarco Murray: He's practicing this week, and he should be good to go for a nice matchup at home against the Vikings.

2. Arian Foster and Ben Tate: Head coach Gary Kubiak said both of these guys would be "end of the week" decisions, but both were at practice on Thursday.  Foster took full reps, but Tate took it easy with his cracked ribs.  Both will probably be game time decisions on Sunday night, so if you have the bench space you might want to have a backup plan like Donald Brown or James Starks just in case.

3. Zac Stacy: He was back to practice on Thursday as a full participant, so I don't see why the ankle would keep him from playing on Sunday.  This is a tough choice for me as I'm debating between him and Torrey Smith at my Flex position (not a bad problem to have, I know).

4. CJ Spiller: Head coach Marrone says he "feels good" about Spiller's chances to play this week.  I've added him to the rankings, and I've lowered Fred Jackson a bit more.

5. Jonathan Stewart: Barring a setback, it sounds like Stewart will suit up this Sunday for the first time in 11 months.  I've added him to the bottom of my RB rankings, but this has me moving DeAngelo and Tolbert down slightly as well.

6. Roddy White: He wasn't at practice on Wednesday, and he watched from the sidelines on Thursday.  He did finally return to practice today, but we'll see if he plays against Carolina on Sunday.  I'm not ranking him because I think he either doesn't play or is limited.  I was planning to add Drew Davis to the bottom of my WR rankings, but this development now has me leaving him off due to Roddy's unknown status.

I think Harvin will be a non-factor until Week 13.

7. James Jones: He also was not at his team's practice on Wednesday, and he was officially listed as limited in Thursday's practice.  This game is on Monday night, so it's extremely risky to count on Jones.  I'm ranking Boykin as though Jones sits out one more week.

8. Percy Harvin: He's officially been ruled out for this week, and as of right now he's still on Seattle's PUP list.  A team is given 21 calendar days from the time a player starts practicing with the team to activate him from that list, so Harvin needs to be moved to the active roster by Week 11 based on when he got back to the practice field.  I'm sure Seattle will make that move, but I'd be surprised to see them rush Harvin into a game before that Week 11 matchup (which just so happens to be against his former team, the Minnesota Vikings).  I doubt I'll be ranking Harvin until after his team's Week 12 bye, but I'm sure the experts will continue to jump the gun and rank him the same way they did with Gronk earlier this season...

That's all of the major injury news I can think of, so let's do the rankings!

BYES: Broncos, Lions, 49ers, Giants, Cardinals, Jaguars

QBs 1.Aaron Rodgers 2.Cam Newton 3.Tony Romo 4.Drew Brees 5.Philip Rivers 6.RGIII 7.Russell Wilson 8.Terrelle Pryor 9.Andrew Luck 10.Jake Locker 11.Matt Ryan 12.Alex Smith 13.Tom Brady 14.Nick Foles 15.Joe Flacco 16.Josh McCown 17.Ben Roethlisberger 18.Geno Smith 19.Case Keenum 20.Jason Campbell I'd like to put Ponder or Freeman at the bottom of my rankings, but I don't know who's starting in that mouth-watering matchup against Dallas.  Jason Campbell it is.  Hey, someone has to be #20.  The new man at #19 is actually interesting though.  Case Keenum is playing in a primetime matchup Sunday night against Andrew Luck and the Colts.  I already mentioned how Foster and Tate are game time decisions, but his receivers are all healthy!  He'll have to throw a bit if this game ends up being high-scoring (like I think it will), and he looked decent two weeks ago in his first start at Kansas City. I'm high on: Jake Locker (ESPN #15, ME #11) Don't look now, but in his last 3 starts, Locker is averaging about 25 fantasy points/game.  Granted, two of those starts came in Weeks 2 & 3, as Jake missed some time due to injury.  But in his first game back in Week 7, he posted good numbers against a tough 49ers defense.  This week, he's coming off a bye and playing a much more middle-of-the-road defense in St. Louis.  I like Locker to get the Titans to a 4-4 record this week, and I think he could up top-10 numbers doing it. I'm down on: Drew Brees (ESPN #1, ME #4) I'm also down on Matt Ryan again, and I always seem to be a little down versus the experts on Andrew Luck and Russell Wilson, but I've talked about all of those guys before.  Let's get crazy with this one!  I actually had Brees at #3 on Wednesday, but I've changed my mind and put Romo and his point-friendly matchup against Minnesota ahead of him.  Only Peyton Manning has put up bigger numbers than Brees this year, but let's take a look at the numbers based on my league's scoring.  His fantasy points per game at the Superdome is 34.1, while his average on the road is just 17.7.  I'm no mathematician, but it looks to me like he's putting up nearly twice as many fantasy points at home.  This week he's playing at the (New) Meadowlands, and while it is  Drew Brees, he's just not the #1 fantasy QB for me this week.   RBs 1.Jamaal Charles 2.Adrian Peterson 3.Marshawn Lynch 4.Eddie Lacy 5.LeSean McCoy 6.Matt Forte 7.Arian Foster 8.DeMarco Murray 9.Darren McFadden 10.Alfred Morris 11.Le'Veon Bell 12.Ray Rice 13.Stevan Ridley 14.Chris Johnson 15.Ryan Mathews 16.Zac Stacy 17.Fred Jackson 18.Danny Woodhead 19.Trent Richardson 20.Steven Jackson 21.CJ Spiller 22.Mike James  23.Darren Sproles 24.DeAngelo Williams 25.Pierre Thomas 26.Chris Ivory 27.Bilal Powell 28.Brandon Bolden 29.Shonn Greene 30.Willis McGahee 31.Mike Tolbert 32.Roy Helu, Jr. 33.Donald Brown 34.James Starks 35.Daryl Richardson 36.Jacquizz Rodgers 37.Ben Tate 38.Marcel Reece 39.Chris Ogbonnaya 40.Jonathan Stewart I'm high on: Steven Jackson (ESPN #25, ME #21) Look, I realize the Panthers are only giving up 79 rushing yards/game.  I understand they've only allowed 2 rushing TDs all season.  I also saw that Steven Jackson had 14 touches for a grand total of 13 yards last week against Arizona.  I realize all of these things.  But with 6 teams on bye this week, there aren't a lot of workhorse running backs after the top-20 or so.  The Falcons are desperately in need of a win, and I think they'll at least be in this game.  Maybe you like the upside of a guy like CJ Spiller or perhaps you trust one of the Saints RBs more, but I'm taking the guy who I'm confident will get 20 touches and any goal line work (if they can get that close against Carolina's D). I know you've been good, Fred.  But top-10 good this week...??? I'm down on: Fred Jackson  (ESPN #8, ME #15...now 17) Speaking of teams who have only given up 2 rushing TDs all season, the Kansas City Chiefs fit that description.  They've also given up the fewest points per game (12.2), and that's who old Fred Jackson will be facing this Sunday at Ralph Wilson Stadium.  But I'm sure Buffalo's high-powered offense should have no problem with the Chiefs.  Ha!  Jackson is still dealing with that sprained MCL of his, and now it sounds like Thad Lewis is doubtful to play this week.  That doesn't bode well for the explosiveness of their offense.  Fred Jackson is averaging just over 10 fantasy points per game in his last 3 contests, and I see him as more of a potential flop this week rather than having top-10 numbers.  If you have him, you're probably starting him.  But I like him much less than the ESPN experts appear to. WRs 1.Dez Bryant 2.Jordy Nelson 3.Josh Gordon 4.Brandon Marshall 5.Antonio Brown 6.DeSean Jackson 7.Andre Johnson 8.Keenan Allen 9.Pierre Garcon 10.Harry Douglas 11.Denarius Moore 12.Terrance Williams 13.TY Hilton 14.Steve Smith 15.Jarrett Boykin 16.Vincent Jackson 17.Torrey Smith 18.Kendall Wright 19.Alshon Jeffery 20.Golden Tate 21.Stevie Johnson 22.Marques Colston 23.Danny Amendola 24.Dwayne Bowe 25.Nate Washington 26.Darrius Heyward-Bey 27.Lance Moore 28.Emmanuel Sanders 29.DeAndre Hopkins 30.Marlon Brown 31.Kenny Stills 32.Jeremy Kerley 33.Vincent Brown 34.Dexter McCluster 35.Brandon LaFell 36.Greg Jennings 37.Doug Baldwin 38.Rod Streater 39.Riley Cooper 40.Aaron Dobson I'm high on: Keenan Allen (ESPN #18, ME #8)  You already know I'm high on Jake Locker, so I'm also high on his receivers this week: Kendall Wright (ESPN #31, ME #19) & Nate Washington (ESPN #32, ME #27).  But I want to talk about Keenan Allen again because apparently I didn't talk him up enough back in Week 7 before the Chargers had their bye.  Now they're coming off a week of rest and face my Redskins right out of the gates.  Washington is giving up the 3rd most fantasy points to WRs this season, and we're in the bottom-5 for most defensive categories that exist...period.  Keenan Allen is averaging over 12 fantasy points per game in his last four, and he's averaging over 8 targets/game in those matchups.  I look for him to easily get double-digit targets and fantasy points against the Skins, and I wouldn't be surprised to see over 100 yards and a touchdown. I'm not head over heels for Sanders like ESPN seems to be. I'm down on: Emmanuel Sanders  (ESPN #27, ME #33) I'm also down on Vincent Jackson again (ESPN #10, ME #17), but that's obvious with a matchup at Seattle.  I've been down on him before though, and I've also been wrong.  He's going to get his targets, and it may even come in garbage time, but I think the Seahawks will keep him to a modest day.  As for Sanders, I just like several other WRs more to keep him out of my top-30 this week (note: with all of the Thursday night guys off the list, it's now ESPN #22, ME #28).  Anyway, I'd much rather have a guy like Kendall Wright, who has quietly been a pillar of consistency for the Titans (ESPN has Wright 4 spots below Sanders).  I just feel like Emmanuel belongs in the mid-30s with his inconsistency.  He's only had 11 catches in his last 3 games, and 7 of those came last week!  Bottom line: there are several guys I like more than him who I consider to be more of a "sure thing". TEs 1.Jimmy Graham 2.Rob Gronkowski 3.Jordan Cameron 4.Antonio Gates 5.Jordan Reed 6.Tony Gonzalez 7.Greg Olsen 8.Jason Witten 9.Martellus Bennett 10.Coby Fleener 11.Heath Miller 12.Kyle Rudolph Once again, my tight end rankings are virtually identical to ESPN's.  I will say that without knowing whether or not Ponder gets the start again for Minnesota, it's tough for me to put Kyle Rudolph in my top-12.  If Freeman starts, gets put in at halftime, or whatever...I definitely like Rudolph less.  But he's the easy pick, especially against a Dallas defense that is giving up the 5th most fantasy points to tight ends this season, so I'm putting him at #12.  I also considered Tim Wright and Garrett Graham, who are just on the outside looking in on my list. Personally, I'm hoping for more of this on Sunday night! DEF 1.Seahawks 2.Chiefs 3.Saints 4.Patriots 5.Panthers 6.Ravens 7.Titans 8.Raiders 9.Cowboys 10.Packers  11.Colts 12.Browns T Sizzle, scariest gums in the league. I'm high on: Ravens (ESPN #14, ME #7)  In their last 4 games, opponents have been averaging over 20 points per game against Baltimore (but that's about average).  Meanwhile, the Ravens have consistently put up double-digit fantasy points on the defensive end since their Week 1 debacle against Denver (at least based on my money league scoring system).  This week they travel to Cleveland to face Jason Campbell and company.  Campbell was solid last week, but I think he'll struggle to put up points in what should be a low scoring affair (notice I also added the Browns defense at #12 with Cincy off after last night).  I think the former Redskin signal-caller has huge potential for a crucial fumble or pick-6 this week, and Baltimore will be there to jump all over it. I'm down on: Colts (ESPN #6, ME #12) Another team who has put up double-digits every week but one is Indy, and surprisingly the only single-digit game wasn't  against Denver.  Also fresh off a bye, the Colts travel to Houston to play the Sunday night game against the Texans.  You're probably thinking this is a tasty matchup with a rookie QB, but as I mentioned above, I actually like Case Keenum to do OK in this one.  I think there could be a lot of scoring in this game, and I just have a feeling that Houston might turn the page after their bye week and pull off the upset.  Obviously I like Indy as a top-12 play, but I just think they'll be near the bottom of the list this week. That's it, folks.  Good luck to everyone in Week 9! Cheers, Bart