Must Starts for Week 4

Quarterbacks:

1) Aaron Rodgers, Green Bay Packers: The reigning MVP hasn’t played up to his caliber this season but playing against the disaster known as the Saints defense, expect Rodgers to have huge numbers. The Saints defense has given up the most fantasy points to opposing quarterbacks and with a healthy Greg Jennings, Rodger’s weapons will be just too much for the Saints to handle.

2) Matt Ryan, Atlanta Falcons: Ryan has been amazing this season; he has thrown multiple touchdowns passes in each of the first three games he has played this season. The Panthers haven’t been able to stop anyone and I don’t expect them to start this week, so Ryan is a must start.

3) Phillip Rivers, San Diego Chargers: The Chiefs defense is prone to giving up a lot of passing yards because they have a bend but not break philosophy so expect Rivers to have a big game. Malcom Floyd and Robert Meachem should be able use their height advantage to have big games. After a terrible game last week I suspect that the Chargers should bounce back in a big way.

4) Peyton & Eli Manning, Denver Broncos/New York Giants: The Manning brothers should both have big games; Peyton is playing against an Oakland defense that has been shredded this season. Eli has been a monster so far this season, already having over 1000 yards passing, granted half came against Tampa Bay. I think both will put good numbers and the Manning’s usually don’t disappoint.

Will they stick around?

Michael Ferraro has compiled a list of top performers in the first two weeks of the season and discusses why  they have a chance to stick around.

1) Andre Brown, running back, New York Giants: Ahmad Bradshaw should be worried after the performance Brown had this week. When Bradshaw is healthy don’t expect Brown to put up the kind of numbers he posted today but he is good back running back that should get a lot of touches instead of David Wilson.

2) Alfred Morris, running back, Washington Redskins: Morris took Roy Helu’s starting job but he looks like he might be the real. I would continue to check his performances because Mike Shanahan is notorious for changing running backs.

3) Martellus Bennett, tight end, New York Giants: Leaving Dallas was the best thing that could have ever happened to Bennett, being the starting tight end he has already eclipsed his 2011 season total with 3 receiving touchdowns in as many games.

4) Kevin Olgetree, wide receiver, Dallas Cowboys: After having a monster week 1, Olgetree cooled off in Seattle but it wasn't just him, it was the entire Dallas offense.

5) C.J. Spiller, running back, Buffalo Bills: Fred Jackson might lose his job by the time he returns from his ankle injury. Spiller has been an absolute fantasy beast and I only see good things from him to come.

6) Stevan Ridley, running backs, New England Patriots:  Ridley is a nice surprise with the law firm leaving for the Bengals and he should continue to have solid numbers.  He is a smart pick up and his workload will likely increase.

7) Danny Amendola, wide receiver, St. Louis Rams: Had a career day last week against the Redskins and one would suspect he will only get better as the year progresses.

8) Dennis Pitta, tight end, Baltimore Ravens: Pitta has become Joe Flacco’s new favorite target and will figure to get a lot of targets and receptions, he is a definite waiver wire pick up.

9) Donnie Avery, wide receiver, Indianapolis Colts: Without Austin Collie, Donnie Avery is quickly becoming Andrew Luck’s second favorite target behind Reggie Wayne. Expect a breakout season from him.

10) Reggie Bush, running back, Miami Dolphins: Bush exploded last week against the Raiders and should be taken in most leagues but I figure that his success should continue.

11) Brian Hartline, wide receiver, Miami Dolphins: Without Brandon Marshall, Hartline is the clear No.1 receiver in Miami.

12) Alex Smith, quarterback, San Francisco 49ers: Finally having the same offensive system seems to have really helped Smith this season. He is a underrated quarterback and should put solid numbers with a much improved offense.

13) Matt Cassel, quarterback, Kansas City Chiefs: While the Chiefs are 0-2, Cassel when healthy is a solid back up fantasy quarterback. If the Chiefs continue to get down early his numbers should be a nice boost.

14) Brandon Gibson, wide receiver, St. Louis Rams: He is the clear No.2 receiver for the St. Louis Rams behind Danny Amendola. Expect his targets and numbers to rise and could be a good solid fantasy player.

15) Dante Rosario, tight end, San Diego Chargers: Rosario might be a tempting pick up for some people but I would avoid him at all costs. He is a illusion, if Gates is healthy we might not see him get a target in week 3, he is a fluke of the week player that might cause more damage than good.

By: Michael Ferraro

Week 2 Injury Report

One of the big fantasy question marks this week is Pierre Garcon and if his foot is ready to go against the Rams he should have a monster game.  If Garcon is unavailable, which is looking more and more likely, Aldrick Robinson should get the start and will be a nice fantasy pickup.

Panthers coach Ron Rivera said that both Steve Smith and Jonathan Stewart should play this week, even though both were limited in practice this week. Smith will have a huge game this week seeing how he lit up the Saints last year and their pass defense didn’t look good at all last week against Robert Griffin III and the Redskins.

Packers vs Bears Fantasy Preview: TNF

With Green Bay and Chicago having a Thursday night game, it makes for a short week for teams and fantasy owners alike.  There are a few more things for fantasy owners to consider when exploring the idea of starting a player on a short week.

Must Starts for Green Bay: Aaron Rodgers, Jermichael Finley, Jordy Nelson, Randall Cobb, Mason Crosby.

Must Starts for Chicago: Jay Cutler, Matt Forte, Brandon Marshall, Alshon Jeffery.

Aaron Rodgers should have a big game: Rodgers torched the Bears in Week 16 last year for five touchdowns after coming off a loss to Kansas City.  This time around, Brian Urlacher is back but the Packers again are coming off a loss in which Rodgers did not play all that bad against San Francisco.  Look for Rodgers to have a big game like he usually does against the Bears in Lambeau.

Sit Greg Jennings: Usually I would have a start next to his name but Jennings has a strained groin.  Even if the Packers decide that Jennings can go, groin injuries are a risky thing to go against.  The most biggest thing working against Jennings is the short week, which gives him only three days to get healthy as opposed to a full week in most cases so in all cases. 

Pick up Randall Cobb and start him: The Packers introduced a new package with Cobb last week against San Francisco that got him the ball as a receiver more.  The situation is that they will line him up more in the back field and use him on short screen passes and if they get to the goal-line, it could result in a touchdown.  Also he is a threat on special teams any time he has room to return.

2012 WR Ranks

Here is Michael Ferraro's WR Rankings for the upcoming season.  Come back tomorrow for the grand finale; Tight Ends!

Wide Receivers

1) Calvin Johnson, Detroit Lions: Calvin Johnson is near unstoppable as a receiver averaging 17.5 yards a reception and he had 96 last season with 16 touchdowns. While I don’t think Johnson will have as many touchdowns, expect him to have around 90 receptions and 1500 yards receiving. No one has been able to stop Megatron, not even the dreaded Madden curse.

2) Larry Fitzgerald, Arizona Cardinals: Without an elite quarterback, Fitzgerald will still have 80-plus receptions and nearly 1400 receiving because like Johnson no one has been able to stop Fitzgerald since he has been a pro. He is a money in the bank receiver and will continue to be so even with Skelton as his quarterback.

3) Andre Johnson, Houston Texans: The real question with Johnson is if he can remain healthy because he only played in 7 games last season so his numbers should resemble Fitzgerald’s numbers as he is the main target of Schaub. As long as Johnson remains healthy which has been his biggest problem he will be a monster.

4) Roddy White, Atlanta Falcons: White had 100 receptions last season, only second to Wes Welker and you might want to take White ahead of Johnson in points per reception league. One of the few downsides to White is he drops way too many balls and will now have to deal with Julio Jones, who is another stud receiver.

5) Greg Jennings, Green Bay Packers: Jennings had 67 receptions and 949 yards receiving last season without the benefit of playing the final month of the season with a sprained knee. Even with the rise of Jordy Nelson last season, Jennings should have 70-plus receptions and 1100 yards with close to 10 touchdowns, a definite fantasy starter.

2012 RB Ranks

This is Mike Ferraro's second installment of 2012 position ranks.  Today is running backs.  Be sure to check back tomorrow for WR's, K, and team D.

Running Backs

1) Ray Rice, Baltimore Ravens: Rice has been a money running back since his rookie season, he should get 1300-1400 yards rushing with a dozen or so rushing touchdowns. Where Rice really pays off is in the receiving game where he averages 70 catches a season and averages almost 10 yards per catch.

2) Arian Foster, Houston Texans: The main concern with Foster is if he can stay healthy.  He will be a dominant back in both the rushing and receiving games. You can’t go wrong with either Foster or Rice, either one would make an excellent No. 1 pick in your fantasy league and a great play in our daily games.

3) LeSean McCoy- Philadelphia Eagles: McCoy was an absolute fantasy beast last season with 17 rushing touchdowns and 1294 rushing yards. This season he should have another great season but I don’t believe he will have 17 rushing touchdowns, more like 12 and he wont get as many receptions as Rice or Foster.

4) Chris Johnson, Tennessee Titans: Last season was Chris Johnson’s worst season even though he still eclipsed 1000 yards rushing but did so in the last game of the season. He should rush for a little over 1300 yards and get at least 6 rushing touchdowns and is still a threat to get 30 to 40 receptions on the season.

5) Maurice-Jones Drew- Jacksonville Jaguars: Even though he has missed all of preseason and training camp, and not starting week 1, Maurice-Jones Drew is still a top five fantasy running back. He should easily get 1200 yards rushing and have anywhere between 5-10 rushing touchdowns.

See the rest of the list after the jump!

NFL Kickoff: Game 1 Fantasy Recap

The Dallas Cowboys defeat the New York Giants 24-17 in a game where Kevin Olgetree is the breakout fantasy star of the game.  The game was very slow to start as the Giants took an early 3-0 lead after a Tony Romo interception gave the Giants first and goal from the inside the 5-yard line. Romo then connected with Olgetree for his first touchdown to give Dallas the 7-3 halftime lead.

            During the first drive of the second half, Romo again connected with Olgetree on a big 40-yard touchdown reception to make it 14-3. The Giants answered with an Ahmad Bradshaw 10-yard rushing touchdown to cut the lead to 14-10.  Then DeMarco Murray showed up and created a 48-yard run that should have been a 5-yard loss and that set up a 33-yard field goal from Dan Bailey.

            The Dallas defense was able to hold the Giants on the next drive and then on 1^st and 30 from the Giants 34, Romo connected with Miles Austin for a touchdown reception to make it 24-10. The Giants scored a late touchdown to M.  Bennett but never recaptured possession.

            It was fitting that Olgetree made the game clinching reception as he now is the Cowboys No.3 receiver and he had a career game with 8 receptions for 114 yards and 2 TDS. Romo had an amazing game with 307 yards and 3 TDS that made up for his earlier interception. Murray carried the ball 20 times for 131 yards rushing, not bad for a makeshift offensive line. The Giants secondary was torched and it was clear that Dallas’ defense has vastly improved with the additions of Carr and Claiborne.

            Hakeem Nicks and Victor Cruz weren’t factors in the game as they were effectively shut down. Nicks had only 4 catches for 38 yards receiving and Victor Cruz had 6 receptions for 58 yards but dropped at least three balls. Ahmad Bradshaw was a non-factor aside from a 33-yard run on the last Giants drive. Manning had 213 yards in the air and had the one touchdown to Bennett with 2:36 remaining in the 4^th quarter. This can only be a good sign for Dallas and they should get a much healthier Jason Witten in week 2 against the Seahawks. The Giants have Tampa Bay in week 2. 

By: Michael Ferraro

2012 QB Ranks

This is part 1 of a 4 part series where our fantasy expert, Mike Ferraro, will be releasing his official position rankings for the upcoming season.  Check back tomorrow for his RB rankings.

Quarterbacks

1) Aaron Rodgers, Green Bay Packers: There is no surprise here; Rodgers was an absolute fantasy machine last season and this season should be no different. He is expected to have around 4500 yards passing with at least 40 touchdowns and under 10 interceptions on the season. Rodgers is able to scramble and run the ball effectively so 5 rushing touchdowns would also be a reasonable number.

2) Drew Brees, New Orleans Saints: It’s hard to put the man that broke the single season passing yards as the second ranked quarterback, but Rodgers is more mobile than Brees and Brady.  I expect Brees to throw 4500-5000 yards and have anywhere from 40-45 touchdowns with 10-15 interceptions.

3) Tom Brady, New England Patriots: Barring a season ending injury, Brady will have another All-Pro season, he is money in bank; New England is not a rushing team so Brady could easily reach 5000 yards passing this season. With the addition of Brandon Lloyd and the departure of BenJarvus Green-Ellis, Brady will not lose many touchdowns to the running backs.

4) Matthew Stafford, Detroit Lions: The third 5000 yard passer of 2011, Stafford should have another monster season with Calvin Johnson but I don’t expect him to hit 5000 yards again. Stafford is on a younger team than Rodgers, Brees or Brady and thus I suspect he will be more prone to interceptions but Stafford is clearly a top five-fantasy quarterback.

5) Cam Newton, Carolina Panthers: While Newton will not have as many passing yards and touchdowns he will certainly make it up for in his rushing attack. He should have close to 400 yards passing with mid-low 20’s passing touchdowns. He will have close to 1:1 touchdown to interception ratio. Newton will rush for at least 700 yards and with around 7 rushing touchdowns, not bad for a sophomore year.

Click the link find the rest of his QB rankings after the jump!

Welcome

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Good luck this season,

        The AmpedFantasy team.

                                                                 Don't be this guy.