by Sam Spiegelman
Lights Out (7-1)
With a playoff spot and presumably top seed essentially cemented, you really can’t ask for much more. This is by far the best team in the league now that Big Ben has solidified the quarterback position. The emergence of Ahmad Bradshaw and Hakeem the Dream were key components to this season’s success, so keeping them on their torrid paces will be make or break your season. It’s hard to trust Run DMC, but he’s essentially your RB3 and bye week fill-in, which is more an attribute to your depth. You may want to look elsewhere for your back-up quarterback – I don’t know if Ryan Fitzpatrick is necessarily the answer, although the dude’s been balling real hard lately. As long as health does not become an issue, it’s lights out for the rest of the league.
THE SHOCKER (5-3)
With a two-game cushion in the Maize Division, it appears as if you’re set for the postseason. Your lineup on paper is potentially the best in the league; it’s simply a lack of consistency and depth holding you from going bazerk every week. Stump the Schaub and Arian Foster have been up and down all season long, which nobody who have foreseen. Larry Fitzgerald and Brandon Marshall are going through struggles due to their lack of elite quarterbacks, although Derek Anderson definitely gives Fitz a better shot of producing bigger numbers, and Chad Henne has shown some flashes at times. I hate to see Davone Bess starting with the Marshall Plan in the lineup, and Heath Miller is more of a TE2 – but you can live with that. Try and find some waiver wire depth – move number on: forget Forsett.
Old School (3-5)
Perhaps the most inconsistent lineup in the league belongs to Old School who is employing a quarterback-by-committee approach, essentially going into each week by matchup or hot streak. In my opinion, Matthew Stafford is going to give you the best shot to win – the running game is a problem with the Lions, and believe it or not but the Lions have a lot of talented weapons to make plays for Stafford. Aside from Mike Wallace and LeSean McCoy, the rest of the team is more up-and-down than a hooker on a poll. Santonio Holmes, Stone Cold Miles Austin, Ray Rice, even DeSean Jackson have yet to perform well on a weekly basis. Let’s just say the talent is definitely there; it’s not necessarily paying off though.
Calbears aka Team Gunze (3-5)
There’s not a 3-5 team in the league I want more than Calbears. Once again, this is a team on paper (other than Steve Johnson, what?) that you would think is on top of the league. Philip Rivers is a man playing out of his damn mind; the Burner is just getting revved up; Greg Jennings is a stud; and Gonzo and T.O. are who you thought they were (no, you did not let them off the hook though). I was a guy high on Marshawn Lynch’s move to Seattle, but the dividends have really yet to show; until and if they do, Thomas Jones has to be the RB2. And with Dallas Clark out for the year, I love Austin Collie to take on an even bigger role in the slot, giving you added depth (and perhaps a start over Steve Johnson…yeah). If there’s one team that pull a 180-degree turn, it’s the Calbears.
Boom Goes The Dynamite (2-6)
Drew Brees, Steven Jackson, Beanie Wells – all the names were there to start off the season, but it’s just a matter of the team not gelling together at the right time. Brees and Jackson have been the most consistent of the bunch, but it’s Wells who is just coming on of late (and not too well). The same goes for Dwayne Bowe and Vernon Davis, as opposed to Donald Driver and Braylon Edwards who started off hot but cooled down in recent weeks. Once again, if I looked at this team in the preseason I would have surely assumed this is a postseason-caliber team; sorry for the disappointment, but at 2-6 you are too far gone.
Pain Curve (5-3)
Pain Curve is a team ravaged by injuries – Michael Vick, Antonio Gates, Malcolm Floyd; and the fact that the team is above .500 is impressive. Donovan McNabb is beyond disappointing for fantasy owners, and it is the same story for Maurice Jones-Drew, Cedric Benson and Matt “I’m a Man, I’m” Forte. By the way – those names two years ago would earn you a Super Bowl trophy for sure. Aside from Gates and Anquan Boldin, the receivers are just not there. Wes Welker has cooled off considerably since Randy Moss’ departure; Danny Amendola and Jabar Gaffney are simply not adequate options. I expect this team to slip down the stretch of the season, and a postseason appearance may be a reality at this point.
Ben Riback (5-3)
A real under-the-radar team in the playoff hunt is Ben Riback. With A-Rodge, Rashard Mendenhall, Andre the Giant and Ochocinco, there’s a serious core four developing. What will make or break this season – Percy Harvin continuing his surge without Randy Moss lining up opposite him, and perhaps Michael Vick at quarterback to get the ball into Brent Celek’s hands. Fortunately there’s a lot of depth – Joseph Addai (if healthy), Pierre Thomas (if he ever sees the field again for the Saints) and Brandon Lloyd, who I continue to warn owners against trusting but has yet to prove me right this season. This team has some serious star power; it would not shock me to see them make some noise in the playoffs.
Ron Mexico’s Pit Bullls (4-4)
The lone .500 team in the league – and a lineup that represents that record perfectly. Wacko for Flacco at quarterback, Marques Colston at wideout and leaning on Jacob Tamme to fill in at tight end – it doesn’t get more 4-4 than that. With DeAngelo Williams hurting, Brandon Jackson can be a productive backup, and Danny Woodhead is a potential touchdown each week for the Pats. You love to see Mike Williams (Bucs) breaking out as a rookie, but in his first season he may not be the stud yet to bring you to the promised land. Jeremy Maclin improves with Michael Vick’s return to the lineup. But much like the NFL, fantasy football is a quarterback-driven game; I simply do not trust Flacco to lead this team the playoffs.
Paydirt (3-5)
You can never count out a Peyton Manning-led team from making the playoffs, but there can only be so much pressure put on number 18 and his number one wide receiver to carry a team. LT and the Law Firm are both filling in well for their offenses – Tomlinson has returned his an exceptional level of play, it’s just a matter of how long it can last; and Green-Ellis is starring for the Patriots, who without Moss have devolved into a 2002-like version of the team where the offense flowed through the running game and Tom Brady simply making plays when they need him to. But Steve Smith is dealing with his share of quarterback troubles – same story, different year, and Visanthe Shiancoe just has not be the 2009 version we all see break out. I can’t say the postseason is feasible option this season.
Buttercup (3-5)
The All-Potential Team – Jamaal Charles, Ryan Mathews, Johnny Knox, LeGarrette Blount, Shonn Greene and Ryan Torain. It’s a collection of talent for sure, just not a matter of them breaking loose as well as they were expected to. Charles has come on of late for the Chiefs, and Blount made his presence noticed last week as Tampa Bay secured a last-second win. We thought Mathews was going to be a Rookie of the Year candidate; we thought Knox was going to emerge as Jay Cutler’s go-to guy and we all waited for Torain and Green to seize their team’s starting gigs. There is a lot of disappointment with this talent-loaded roster, which is why a turnaround is not out of sight. I think making the switch for Kyle Orton over Tom Brady is a bold but smart first move, and then getting Mathews out of your starting lineup until he shows he can make a difference. We’ll see how Randy Moss fits in with the Titans, and who comes out of the bye week getting carries for the Skins. With that said, the next few matchups will make, or break this season, Buttercup.
No comments:
Post a Comment