If you looked at my rankings last week, you may recall that I lost in all three leagues in Week 5. Well, Week 6 was much better for me. I won by 3 points in one league, lost by 3 points in another, and won by nearly 100 in my ESPN league (not a typo). But that one loss stings, mainly because it's in my big money league. It also annoys me because I feel like I just can't seem to play the right guy between Steve Smith and Jordan Matthews. Here's a quick breakdown by week with those two (feel free to skip this and head on down to the rankings...I won't blame you):
Week 1: I played them both, and Steve Smith had his worst game to start the season. Matthews did just fine, but I could have played others on my bench (instead of Sr.) and won that week.
Week 2: I sat Steve Smith and he put up 150 yards in Oakland. Matthews was in my lineup and had his best game of the year (80 yards and a TD). I won anyway.
Week 3: I got one right! Sweet! Steve Smith is in my lineup as he puts up over 30 fantasy points, while Jordan stinks it up on my bench. Oh, but I lost 152.50-147.73. So it didn't matter...
Week 4: I play them both and they COMBINE for just over 7 fantasy points. Go figure this is a week I actually win but only put up 63.47 fantasy points. In Smith's defense, he did get injured in this game against Pittsburgh.
Week 5: Steve Smith doesn't suit up due to the back injury, so it's Jordan Matthews scoring 4.4 in my starting lineup. Not much of a choice for me, but another one in the L column.
Week 6: I saw that Steve Smith was going to be active against the 49ers, but I was worried about getting him back into my lineup so soon after the injury. It turns out I was wrong. Had I played him, he would have easily given me the win. Instead I played Matthews, who
could have helped my cause if it weren't for a fumble, a drop, and some bad throws from Bradford.
Week 7: I'm benching Matthews against Carolina and rolling with Steve Smith in Arizona. I don't like either matchup, but I have to go with the guy who has been getting it done, right?
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| I've had enough, Jordan! |
My other WR is Julio Jones, so I'm obviously playing him every week. At this point, I'll just hope that Jordan will start producing in the second half of the season (after his Week 8 bye). But until then, he'll ride my bench!
OK. Enough about Steve Smith versus Jordan Matthews. At this point in the season, it seems like a no-brainer to play the old man. But I guess we'll have to wait and see what happens this week.
And with that, let's do the rankings!
BYES: Bears, Bengals, Broncos, Packers
3.Tom Brady
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15.Derek Carr
Last week I was high on Sam Bradford (ESPN #14, ME #7) and down on Joe Flacco (ESPN #15, ME NOT RANKED). I was wrong on both counts. That Monday night game was downright sloppy, and Bradford finished outside of the top-20 QBs in Week 6. As for Flacco, my pick was looking good after a miserable first half for Joe. But he actually finished strong (albeit in a loss) and wound up as a top-15 play. I won't be ranking Flacco again this week, but I hope I'm wrong for the second week in a row. I'm sure I'll need some points from Steve Smith on Monday Night Football to pull out a much-needed win as I sit in 8th place in my money league (a win last week would have had me in 3rd place right now...dang it!).
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I'm high on: Derek Carr (ESPN #20, ME #15)
This was a tough one because my rankings were so similar to ESPN's this week. But here's one guy I ranked inside my top-15 that only one ESPN expert agreed with me on. Derek Carr struggled in his two starts this season against tough defenses (Denver and Cincy), but he threw at least 2 TDs in his other three starts (Baltimore, Cleveland, and Chicago). I don't see the Chargers as having a solid pass defense, as they've given up the 11th most TD passes in the league this season. I like for Derek Carr and Amari Cooper to both have decent fantasy days as they come off their bye week and travel to San Diego.
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| I don't think you'll see this in Week 7... |
I'm down on: Tyrod Taylor (ESPN #12, ME NOT RANKED)
Let's assume for a minute that Tyrod does play in this game (which I don't think he will). If he does, I'm sure he'll be somewhat limited as he's coming back from an MCL sprain. What gives Tyrod value as a fantasy QB? His legs. What body part is banged up for him currently? One of his legs. If he plays in this game (and that's a BIG "if"), not only do I think his rushing yards will be extremely limited, but his best healthy receiver will be his tight end (Clay). I'd look for another option this week if I'm a Tyrod owner.
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RBs |
1.Devonta Freeman
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2.Le'Veon Bell
3.Todd Gurley
4.Adrian Peterson
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5.Arian Foster
6.Chris Ivory
7.Marshawn Lynch
8.Mark Ingram
9.LeSean McCoy
10.Frank Gore
11.Lamar Miller
12.Latavius Murray
13.DeMarco Murray
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14.Justin Forsett
15.Dion Lewis
16.Doug Martin
17.Chris Johnson
18.Carlos Hyde
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19.Charcandrick West
20.Jonathan Stewart
21.Alfred Morris
22.Danny Woodhead
23.Rashad Jennings
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24.LeGarrette Blount
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25.Duke Johnson
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26.Christine Michael
27.Melvin Gordon
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28.Toby Gerhart
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29.Antonio Andrews
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30.Charles Sims
31.Theo Riddick
32.Joseph Randle
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33.Matt Jones
34.Isaiah Crowell
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35.Ameer Abdullah
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I was 1 for 2 with my RB picks versus the ESPN experts as I was high on Isaiah Crowell (ESPN #33, ME #24) and down on Matt Jones (ESPN #33, ME NOT RANKED). None of the Browns had much fantasy value on Sunday against the Broncos (except for the Barnyard Dog...more on that later). Crowell finished outside of the top-30 RBs in Week 6. As for Matt Jones, I pointed out on Wednesday that he left the game against Atlanta with a toe injury and was unable to return. He was limited in practice all week, and I said I wasn't sure he'd even suit up. Well, he didn't. The Redskins could have used him, but I'm not sure he would have done much more than Morris against that Jets defense.
I'm high on: Charcandrick West (ESPN #28, ME #19)
I realize the Steelers are giving up less than 100 yards on the ground per game. I also realize they've only conceded 1 rushing touchdown this year. But Jeremy Maclin is not guaranteed to play in this game, as he's currently in the league's concussion protocol (I'm not ranking him). Meanwhile, the Steelers are likely to start Landry Jones at quarterback with both Vick and Big Ben still banged up. I think this game could be a 13-10 slugfest, and I also think the Chiefs could end up running the ball with Charcandrick 20+ times. If you look at teams who have faced the Steelers this year, I think the lack of running sometimes comes down to style and game plan. For instance, the last couple of weeks, QBs like Rivers and Palmer have thrown the ball over 45 times each against Pittsburgh. But other teams like Baltimore had no problem running all over the field against the Steelers. I don't see Alex Smith throwing all day to Travis Kelce and receivers like Albert Wilson. They're going to run early and often, and Charcandrick West is primed for a breakout game.
I'm down on: Shane Vereen (ESPN #32, ME NOT RANKED)
Here's a guy who has had one double-digit fantasy day on the season, and that came against the lowly 49ers defense. And aside from that game, in his last 4 contests he's had a grand total of 5 fantasy points. I didn't consider ranking Vereen this week, and I think Jennings should have another solid fantasy day against Dallas (not Shane).
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WRs
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1.DeAndre Hopkins
2.Julio Jones
3.Larry Fitzgerald
4.Odell Beckham, Jr.
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5.Brandon Marshall
6.Calvin Johnson
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7.Julian Edelman
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8.Keenan Allen
9.TY Hilton
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10.Allen Robinson
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11.John Brown
12.Amari Cooper
13.Allen Hurns
14.Antonio Brown
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15.Donte Moncrief
16.Steve Smith
17.Jarvis Landry
18.Mike Evans
19.Eric Decker
20.Travis Benjamin
21.Willie Snead
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22.Martavis Bryant
23.Golden Tate
24.Vincent Jackson
25.Brandin Cooks
26.Pierre Garcon
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27.Jordan Matthews
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28.Anquan Boldin
29.Michael Crabtree
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30.Terrance Williams
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31.Kendall Wright
34.Tavon Austin
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Last week I was high on Leonard Hankerson (ESPN #36, ME #27), and I was down on Jordan Matthews (ESPN #20, ME #26). Well, Hankerson lost some looks (and even a TD) to Roddy White, who had been MIA through the first part of the season. As for Jordan, I feel like I already talked about him enough at the beginning. I'll just say he finished well outside of the top-50 WRs in Week 6. So disappointing...
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| (SPLOOSH!) |
I'm high on: Allen Hurns (ESPN #21, ME #13)
He has a touchdown in each of his last 4 games, and he has averaged 9 targets/game in his last 3 contests. Blake Bortles seems to be getting better each game, and the Bills are giving up a ton of fantasy points to WRs this year. I like Hurns to go for 100 yards and a score in jolly ole England on Sunday.
I'm down on: Mike Wallace (ESPN #31, ME NOT RANKED)
Stefon Diggs is the only Viking WR I could bring myself to rank this week. Mike Wallace has had 3 or fewer catches in 3 of his 5 games this year. He only managed 23 yards on 9 targets last week against a Chiefs defense that gives up the MOST fantasy points to WRs. I just don't see him doing much against Detroit, kind of like the first time he played against them this year.
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TEs
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1.Rob Gronkowski
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2.Antonio Gates
3.Greg Olsen
4.Gary Barnidge
5.Jimmy Graham
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6.Travis Kelce
7.Charles Clay
8.Delanie Walker
9.Jordan Reed
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10.Julius Thomas
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| Shake out the cobwebs, and get back in there, Reed! |
I was high on Gary Barnidge last week (ESPN #11, ME #7), and he scored two more TDs on his way to a top-3 finish. I was down on Jordan Cameron (ESPN #10, ME #NOT RANKED), who had two catches until a meaningless TD with less than 2 minutes to go in the game. Garbage time points matter though, and he finished as the #11 tight end in Week 6. Still, I felt like it was a good call and I'll continue to keep him out of my top-10. I'm high on Barnidge again this week (ESPN #7, ME #4), but otherwise my rankings are pretty similar to the ESPN experts. You'll notice Jordan Reed is back into the top-10, as he says he's back to "100 percent". If that's true, look for Cousins to go back to his favorite target against the Bucs. Hopefully my Redskins can go into their bye week with a W!
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DEF
1.Seahawks
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2.Cardinals
3.Rams
4.Panthers
5.Bills
6.Vikings
7.Patriots
8.Dolphins
9.Falcons
10.Steelers
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Last week my defensive rankings were nearly the same as ESPN's, but I did call out the Houston Texans. I said if they couldn't get it done against the Jags, it's time to stop thinking of them as a top defense. Well, they did well in a victory in Jacksonville, and they even had a defensive touchdown. They'll have to wait another week for me to rank them in my top-10 though because I have trust issues.
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| I'm scared... |
I'm high on: Seahawks (ESPN #4, ME #1)
This week in my money league, I'm playing against a guy whose high score came in Week 1 and was 82.13 fantasy points. He has Matt Forte on a bye, and I should be feeling good about my matchup, right? Well, yes. I should be. But I'm not. The way things have gone so far this season, I'm not taking anything for granted. And he has Seattle's defense playing against Kaepernick and the 49ers tomorrow. That kind of terrifies me. I'm worried the Seahawks are going to put up like 30 fantasy points on their own. San Francisco has given up the most fantasy points to opposing defenses this season, and I think Seattle is going to embarrass them tomorrow night. I'm actually pretty surprised the ESPN experts didn't all rank them at the top spot.
I'm down on: Washington Redskins (ESPN #6 ME #NOT RANKED)
I like the vote of confidence, and our defense is playing about 100 times better than our offense...BUT I just can't rank my team in the top-10 this week (or really any week). I understand more than anyone that our defense has done well, but I can't do it. Tampa Bay is coming off their bye week, and I can see them putting up points on Washington. I'm staying away from this one, but I sure hope I'm wrong.
Good luck to everyone in Week 7!
(Except you, Terry...)
Cheers,
Bart
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