2012 Fantasy Baseball Rankings, Advice & Analysis
 Calvin Johnson (credits below) Let's start with a solemn goodbye to Al Davis. In his later days he was a punchline, but no history of the NFL can exist without devoting a significant portion to Al Davis. To put it simply, he was at times a coach, general manager, and a commissioner, "Just win baby," "Commitment to Excellence" and the "black hole" will live on forever, as will Al's impact on the sport. Moving from the passing of the an NFL legend, to the death of the "Dream Team," thanks for the jinx, Vince Young. The Eagles needed to dream about less flashy toys, like an offensive lineman or two. At some point this season they will be scrapping Michael Vick off the field with a shovel. The Eagles were unable to rebound from last week's demoralizing defeat, but the Niners took that moral boost and took out their new found confidence on the defenseless Tampa Bay Bucs. The triumvirate of the Saints, Pats and Packers faced tougher tests, but continued to march forward. On Monday, the Lions will attempt to match the Packers league-best 5-0 start. The Lions find themselves in a Detroit Renaissance. Between the Tigers post season run, Eminem pimping Chryslers and the Lions first home Monday night football game in a decade, Detroit is the place to be. That might be a stretch, but we are in the midst of a nice little run for formerly down and out Detroit. The Lions will only go as far as Matthew Stafford will take them. He has shown that when he is healthy and able to chuck the ball to Calvin Johnson, he is elite. The Lions are loaded with Offensive talent, but health is an issue for all of them. Stafford, Johnson and Javid Best all have a checkered injury history. What we've seen early this season is that when they are healthy they are a formidable unit. The vaunted Bears defense is giving up the 4th most points against QB's, but middle of the road against running backs and wide receivers, so the Lions offense should have plenty of room to run. Calvin Johnson is a man, a beast, an impenetrable force that nobody should be asked to cover in the open-field. The law of averages says he does not have another two touchdown game, but I'm not sure anyone can stop him. Chicago has not been nearly as impressive as Detroit. Chicago is in the bottom third of the league in passing and rushing offense, as previously mentioned their defense has not been dominant either. Matt Forte "careered" it last week, I think it is safe to say he won't be putting up another 200 yard rushing day. While 200 yards on the ground might be out of the question, he always seems to be good for 125 yards of total offense. The Bears other main weapon is Devin Hester, who has firmly cemented himself as the greatest return man in history, despite all his talent, the Bears have not found a way to put it to use aside from the return game. Leading the Bears, the enigmatic Jay Cutler. If you ask me, his most impressive career feat was landing Kristin Cavallari and she's nothing more than a c-list celebrity. Cutler was recently complaining about the lack of protection from his offensive line, and now he has Ndamukong Suh ready to feast on him. Monday is an important test for these young Lions. It is not the team they will be lining up against that will be testing them so much as the circumstances surrounding Monday's game. The big question is how will the Lions react to being the center of attention on Monday. They've proven a unique ability to comeback from the dead this season, how will they react when the country is watching them bring life back to Detroit? Written by Chris Summers exclusively for www.thefantasyfix.com. Follow The Fantasy Fix on Twitter @thefantasyfix or for Free Fantasy Sports Advice use our Quick Fix to get help with your team! (September 17, 2011 - Photo by Leon Halip/Getty Images North America) Tags: The Fantasy Fix, Fantasy Football Advice, 2011 Fantasy Football, Monday Night Football Preview, Week 5, Detroit Lions, Chicago Bears Add Comment  Josh Freeman (Credits Below) A tale of two teams/organizations heading in opposite directions. The Bucs are a team on the rise; young, talented and hungry. That being said, the Bucs have been a bit disappointing as far as fantasy is concerned. The Colts, even if they can hold on and not completely implode this year, are a team slowly swirling down the toilet bowl. Once Manning went down for an extended period of time, nobody expect a bright fantasy season from the Colts aging stable of stars. Through three games Josh Freeman only has two passing TD's, Mike Williams did not even have a catch last week and Earnest Graham is leading the team in receptions. The question, is this the game they turn things around? The Colts' defense is built to play from ahead and rush the passer. The Colts have been surprisingly good against the pass this year as they are giving up the 6th fewest fantasy points, that list includes Big Ben and Matt Schaub, so they have done that against solid competition. If you are hoping for a Josh Freeman breakout game, this might not be it. Sadly, as Freeman goes, so goes Williams and Kellen Winslow. That being said, the Colts are middle of the road against wide receivers and tight ends and it just feels like Tampa is due for a breakout game and to start playing like an elite team. The Colts will be looking to right the ship, it will be difficult as Peyton Manning will not be walking through the door anytime soon. Further complicating matters is the man who IS walking through that door...Curtis Painter. That name does not inspire confidence. But, it makes sense for the Colts to finally turn to Painter; Kerry Collins, was a borderline corpse. Plus, the Colts need to see if they have anything in Painter. If they do, great, if he turns out to be a zero and they win zero games, the colts could end up with Andrew Luck or at least the value that draft pick would provide. I was worried about all the Colts heading into the season and they have not disappointed. True, heading into the year, big things were not expected, but many still thought Reggie Wayne was a front end receiver and Dallas Clark was the second best tight end in the league, needless to say, that has not been the case. It is hard to imagine that Painter leads the Colts to a victory under the bright Monday lights against a young team that is going to be jacked up to be playing a Monday night game at home. Plus, it is time for Tampa to announce themselves as an elite team, no better place to do it than on Monday night. Written by Chris Summers exclusively for www.thefantasyfix.com. Follow The Fantasy Fix on Twitter @thefantasyfix or for Free Fantasy Sports Advice use our Quick Fix to get help with your team! Tags: The Fantasy Fix, Fantasy Football Advice, 2011 Fantasy Football, Monday Night Football Preview, Week 4, Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Indianapolis Colts, Josh Freeman, Mike Williams, Peyton Manning, (September 24, 2011 - Photo by Al Messerschmidt/Getty Images North America)  Tony Romo (credits below) To the Michael Vick gamblers, like myself, the dice came up snake eyes... reports are coming out that he is uncertain for next week with a bruised right hand. The hopes of a historic fantasy season may turn out to be the wrong type of history...a historic bust. Kenny Britt is this week's Jamaal Charles after a season ending knee injury. The beginning of this year has not been kind to the fantasy heroes of yore, or last year, Arian Foster, Peyton Hillis and Antonio Gates were all inactive this week. None of this would have mattered if you had the foresight to start Torrey Smith (3 TDS and 150 yards)? The mass of carnage is an appropriate introduction to Monday night's clash between the Cowboys and Redskins. The Cowboys enter Monday's game with a quarterback who somehow was able to regenerate tissue and self-heal a punctured lung. He attended the walk-through on Sunday, so he looks like a go, but to be safe make sure you have John Kitna on the bench. Felix Jones and Dez Bryant, the other members of the Dallas trifecta of the walking wounded, were also at the walk through, so it looks like Dallas will be able to field a full squad. Thus far this season, Dallas has been on both ends of 27 - 24 results, including last week's wild comeback against the Niners. This will be the first opportunity for Dallas fans to react to Romo after that clutch victory. The Redskins enter Monday night's game with a chance to remain unbeaten and to put some distance between themselves and the rest of the NFC East. Their early season has been exemplified by Rex "Sexy Rexy" Grossman – both he and the Redskins have gone through the first two games in a sold, unspectacular fashion. They are in the top half of the league in passing yards and rushing yards and their defense has been above average or better in both areas. Santana Moss is a solid start and it would be difficult to sit Fred Davis after the way he played last week. The most interesting fantasy story on the Redskins sideline is how things shake out between Tim Hightower and Ryan Helu. Hightower has received the bulk of the work thus far, and has produced, but Helu had a spectacular introduction to the fantasy world. We know, Mike Shanahan trades running backs like Charlie Sheen trades in pornstars, so it would be no surprise to see Helu become the most own running back in D.C. Monday's game is a difficult one to predict, the Cowboys main offensive weapons are kept together by using MacGyver tricks. Any hit, fall, or sneeze could change the entire outcome of the game. The Cowboys have been very good in keeping their opponents running game in check (59.5 yards per game), unfortunately, their own rushing game has been even worse (54.5 yards per game). Their passing game is ranked number 3, unfortunately, that was with a healthy Miles Austin and Tony Romo; that will not be the case on Monday night. It is tough to imagine that all three of the Cowboys' walking wounded make it through tomorrow unscathed. Expect a lower scoring game in the 20's with one of the Cowboys main offensive weapons not finishing the game. In the end, I think the Cowboys blew their emotional wad last weekend and the Redskins sneak by 24 to 21. (September 17, 2011 - Photo by Jed Jacobsohn/Getty Images North America) Written by Chris Summers exclusively for www.thefantasyfix.com. Follow The Fantasy Fix on Twitter @thefantasyfix or for Free Fantasy Sports Advice use our Quick Fix to get help with your team! Tags: The Fantasy Fix, Fantasy Football Advice, 2011 Fantasy Football, Monday Night Football Preview, Week 3, Dallas Cowboys, Washington Redskins  Eli Manning (Credits Below) Coming into Monday, we already had a very painful fantasy football day. Early in the morning's action a rather innocuous play might have brought an end to Jamaal Charles' season, and the seasons of all those individuals who took him in the first round. Compounding matters is the fact there is no clear back-up, both Thomas Jones and Dexter McCluster will get run, meaning neither will rise above a low level #2 or a flex option. But that was just the warm-up. Following that we witnessed the early departure of Arian Foster. His coach said it was "fatigue," but there is wide speculation that he tweaked his existing injury. Hopefully, Arian Foster fans handcuffed him with Ben Tate. This could be a blessing in disguise, remember last year, Ben Tate was going to be the starter until an injury opened the door for Arian Foster. The Sunday games ended with Mike Kafka trying to lead an Eagles comeback, if you think this means something bad happened to Mike Vick, you are correct. Indeed, Vick was the target of friendly fire when he was concussed by the shoulder pad of one of his linemen. A brutal weekend, for the record, I own Charles and Vick in various leagues, so I feel your pain. Monday's game is further proof that the football season is a battle of attrition. We know the Rams' best receiver, Danny Amendola, and best player, Steven Jackson, are probably out. You know you are in trouble when in week two you are relying on the Cadillac for the bulk of your yardage. Chad Bradford was a popular choice for taking it to the next level, but a quarterback needs to have someone to throw it to. The Rams top, "healthy" receiver is the Cadillac, that ain't gonna cut it. There is a silver-lining, Bradford faces a team that rejuvenated "Sexy" Rexy Grossman to the tune of 300 yards and two touchdowns. The Giants helped bring sexy back via their depleted front line which did not have Justin Tuck or Osi Umenyiora, it is unclear if either will be available on Monday. The Giants may also be without their top play-maker, Hakeem Nicks. He suffered a knee injury last week, he stayed in that game, but additional swelling might keep him out of Monday's affair. If that happens, Mario Manningham and Domenik Hixon should receive a significant bump in looks. The Eagles torched the Rams for over 200 yards on the ground. A lot of that came from Michael Vick; Eli does not present the same challenges. Still, the Rams could not stop LeSean McCoy either. With a banged up wide receiver we could see the Giants really focus on the run. The Giants could very well have some extra pep in there step with the knowledge that Mike Vick was hurt. I know that sounds bad and players always say they do not want anything bad to happen to their competition, but let's be honest, if Vick is out that NFC East opens up like Sharon Stone in Basic Instinct. As for the Rams, even with a beat up team, hope is eternal in the atrocious NFC West. Written by Chris Summers exclusively for www.thefantasyfix.com. Follow The Fantasy Fix on Twitter @thefantasyfix or for Free Fantasy Sports Advice use our Quick Fix to get help with your team! Tags: The Fantasy Fix, Fantasy Football Advice, 2011 Fantasy Football, Monday Night Football Preview, New York Giants, St. Louis Rams, Eli Manning, Hakeem Nicks, Danny Amendola, Steven Jackson, Sam Bradford, Cadillac Williams (September 10, 2011 - Photo by Scott Cunningham/Getty Images North America)  Brady & Crew (credits below) It is the first week of football so I am flying blind on this preview. Did anyone see Cam Newton having a record setting day? Who predicted the Ravens would manhandle the Steelers? Who predicted that Mike Tolbert would have a career day? This is why we love football because it is impossible to predict. That being said, here is my "in the dark" analysis: Patriots v. Dolphins Let's start from the bottom and work our way up. The Dolphins do not appear to have much, trying to find a Dolphin fantasy star is like trying to find a Kardashian without a reality show. There is the semi-washed up Reggie Bush who peaked in college, the QB who couldn't cut it with the Yankees and Brandon Marshall, the superstar wide receiver with a borderline personality disorder. None of that is very inspiring. The Patriots are on the other side of the spectrum. Tom Brady is at the top and it all flows from there. Interestingly, aside from Mr. Bunchon, there is no true blue superstar. The artist formerly known as Chad Johnson would tend to disagree, but he has not been truly elite for the last couple years. But, the same was said about Randy Moss before his record setting year. Brady is Brady. Whether it be a hot wife fantasy league or just plain football, you are starting him no matter what. Fantasy owners hoping for some clarification between Aaron Hernandez and the Gronk, will probably be disappointed, expect the same shuffle as last year. It appears, for now, that Belicheck has found a back he can live with, so for now, feel free to start BenJarvus Green-Ellis. This looks like a Patriots blowout, and despite a wild first weekend, I feel confident in that assessment. Raiders v. Broncos The Raiders are a little interesting, for the first time in his career Jason Campbell has some continuity in his offensive system. I doubt it will make him a world beater, but he is certainly a competent professional Quarterback, a second year in the system can't hurt him. Behind him are two solid running backs. Darren McFadden finally shed his injury label and came through with a great fantasy year, people will be expecting something more this year. His backup, Michael Bush, could start for a lot of different teams. On the outside Jacoby Ford has a lot of promise, the Raiders will likely focus on their strength which is their running game so expect the defenses to stack the line, opening the outside for Ford. The "Chosen One" is not the starter for the Broncos, perhaps he was never meant to play professional football. Maybe all he was meant to do was fix cleft pallets, or whatever he did in Africa, and sell FRS energy drinks. Despite the diety status of Tebow, the Broncos made the right move in going with Kyle Orton. Do not forget, Orton was shaping up to be the fantasy sleeper of the year last season, it's not impossible to think he could do it again. One possible issue is the fact that Josh McDaniel's is now tutoring Sam Bradford, so he will not be there to guide the Broncos Offense. It will be interesting to see the dynamic between Willis McGahee and Knowshon Moreno; Ray Rice owners know how McGahee can vulture touchdowns, we could see a very similar situation here, especially with the smallish Moreno. Give me the Raiders in this game. (August 26, 2011 - Photo by Leon Halip/Getty Images North America) Written by Chris Summers exclusively for TheFantasyFix.com Follow The Fantasy Fix on Twitter @thefantasyfix or for Free Fantasy Sports Advice use our Quick Fix to get help with your team! Tags: The Fantasy Fix, Fantasy Football Advice, Monday Night Football, Week 1, Chris Summers, New England Patriots, Miami Dolphins, Oakland Raiders, Denver Broncos  I hope everyone had a wonderful Christmas and I also hope you are still in the championship hunt with two games to play. Monday night's Falcons vs. Saints game promises to be explosive, with plenty of fantasy stars on display. With a win, the Falcons take the division and home field advantage, but don't forget about the defending champs who are quietly putting together a very strong defense of last year's Super Bowl victory. Drew Brees and Matt Ryan are the fifth and sixth ranked fantasy QB's, respectively. Tonight's game will be a true test for Matt Ryan as he's been nails at home, but the Saints give up the 3rd fewest points to opposing QB's and are ranked first against wide receivers. You are starting a fourth ranked Roddy White at receiver, even if he is a little banged up, but he will be tested throughout the game by that Saints secondary. The best bet for the Falcons is to stick to the ground, with Michael Turner as the Saints are only 19th against the run. Despite the Saints stingy passing defense, the Falcons handled it last time and they are even better when playing at home. In fact, in their first meeting all the Falcons usual suspects had great games; Michael Turner, Roddy White, and Tony Gonzalez all scored. Plus, Matt Ryan threw a couple of touchdown passes. In the championship week, you don't mess around, so you are playing all these guys and hoping for a repeat performance. The Saints' road to fantasy stats is not as daunting. The Falcons do not have the same defensive chops as the Saints. Drew Brees had a great game the first time around with 365 yards and three touchdowns and you can expect much the same tonight. As for the running game, it is really anyone's guess. Chris Ivory filled in admirably while Reggie Bush and Pierre Thomas were nursing injuries, but now he is banged up. There really is no telling how carries will be split if, and I do mean if, everyone is healthy. Considering we don't know the relative health of the three running backs, it's best to stay away. I expect good games from Marques Colston and Lance Moore, as both receive a ton of red zone targets (third and fifth in the league, respectively). This game will serve as a true test of the Falcons. Are they a paper champion or can they close out an excellent team in December? We'll see tonight. Written by Chris Summers exclusively for TheFantasyFix.com Follow The Fantasy Fix on Twitter @thefantasyfix or for Free Fantasy Sports Advice use our Quick Fix to get help with your team! Tags: The Fantasy Fix, Fantasy Football Advice, Monday Night Football, Week 16, Atlanta Falcons, New Orleans Saints, Matt Ryan, Roddy White, Drew Brees  Merry Christmas everyone. As a present, the NFL presents Jon Kitna vs. John Skelton! Who could ask for anything more!? This is definitely the equivalent of coal in the stocking. Thankfully, Christmas Day is normally the "coming out" day for the NBA, so nobody is expecting a top-notch game. Still, Roger Goodell had to be hoping for something better under his tree. For many leagues, we've entered the championship week, and for other leagues, it is the semifinals, so times are tense and there is no room for error. Thankfully, or at least hopefully, you aren't depending too much on the players in this game. Let's start with Arizona...basically nobody is a starter. The revolving door that is the QB situation in Arizona has completely destroyed all value for Larry Fitzgerald (while children around the world go to sleep dreaming about Santa, I'm sure he dreams about the good old days of Kurt Warner, and to a lesser extent, Matt Leinart). Larry Fitzgerald might be the most talented receiver in the league and against a terrible Dallas passing defense, he might be worth a gamble. After a huge Week 14, it looked like Tim Hightower might crack into that semi-starter/flex-player option, but he humiliated himself against a weak Carolina Panthers team, so unless you are desperate, he's out. You can't trust anyone on the Cardinals; if you have Larry Fitzgerald you might feel obligated to start him against the team that gives up the most points to opposing wide receivers. The Cowboys' 31st-ranked defense against QBs brought "Sexy Rexy" Grossman back from the dead, but I'm not sure Skelton has the ability to take advantage of this juicy matchup. This Dallas team is trying to finish strong during a complete train wreck of a season. They started with Super Bowl hopes, and now they are jockeying for draft position and trying out a new coach. The silver lining: the always-smug Jerry Jones doesn't get his "home" Super Bowl game. Jon Kitna has been a revelation this year. Despite a late start to the season, he sits as the 22nd-ranked QB and could finish the season in the top 15. The Cardinals are surprisingly good against opposing QBs as they rank No. 8, but part of that can be attributed to large, early leads built by the opposition, who then turn to the run game. The numbers bear this out, as they are No. 31 against the run. Felix Jones has been surprising consistent since Week 10—receiving enough carries each week to make him a worthy flex option. The problem with the Cowboys though is that Marion Barber and Tashard Choice will also get touches. The Cowboys as a team will probably put up gaudy rushing numbers, but whether or not that will translate into a good fantasy day for any single RB is a pure gamble. Despite huge expectations and lofty draft status, Miles Austin has been more Grinch than Santa, especially after Jon Kitna burst on the scene and decided that Dez Bryant was the better receiver. Well, Dez is gone, and we are waiting for Miles to take advantage as he sits as the 15th-ranked WR. He hasn't had more than nine points in three weeks and hasn't eclipsed four catches in nine of the last 10 weeks—those are not No. 1 receiver stats. Still Miles is tough to sit because he can find the end zone at any time. In a terrible year for tight ends, Jason Witten is a must-start (he's No. 2 in points for TEs for the season) and the Arizona defense is not going to do anything to scare you away. At the end of the day, Dallas has more talent and more fantasy stars, but let's hope you get something nice under the tree, because this game won't be much of a present. Merry Christmas everyone! Written by Chris Summers exclusively for thefantasyfix.com. Follow The Fantasy Fix on Twitter @thefantasyfix, or for Free Fantasy Sports Advice use our Quick Fix to get help with your team! Tags: The Fantasy Fix, Fantasy Football Advice, Fantasy Football, NFL, Chris Summes, Christmas Football, Dallas Cowboys, Arizona Cardinals  Cutler In The Snow Again? I hope tonight's game means something for you, as my fantasy football season came undone yesterday. I watched in utter horror as benched players outperformed stalwarts like MJD, Peyton Hillis, Reggie Wayne, and others. It all culminated with my worst performances of the season, during the least opportune time. All I'm left to hope for is less than 17 points out of the Chicago defense tonight so that my bride-to-be can advance to the finals, with Joe Webb under center for the Vikings, I'm not optomistic, no offense to Mr. Webb. Tonights game is being played at TCF Stadium on the University of Minnesota campus, players are already complaining about how hard the field is and there is a forecast for snow and 13 degrees. With all that swirling around, this game has a chance at history, not for the actual play, but because of all the outside elements. You have to feel sorry for the Minnesota fans, just think of the roller coaster ride from the last year. They were Moments away from the Super Bowl until they were Favre'd. Then more Favreing over the summer only to have him come back, suck the life out of the team and ultimately leave them with nothing more than Joe Webb. Oh, and their last home game isn't even at home. Really is there any better metaphor for their season than the Metrodome popping like a water balloon? Both teams are fairly stout defensively; the Vikings rank #13 against QB's, #9 against RB's and #20 against WR's in terms of points allowed. While the Bears come in at #3 against QB's, #8 against RB's and #14 against WR's. Add those numbers to the hard, slick field and cold temps and you have a recipe for a 13-10 game. Obviously, if you have him, you are starting Adrian Peterson, with Joe Webb at the helm in poor conditions, expect "All Day" to get the rock as many times as he can handle. I know he's been banged up, but he is the #2 RB for the season and #8 overall in points, you can't sit that. If the Bears were a normal team, you'd expect the same usage for Matt Forte, but Mike Martz likes to throw the ball, so settle in the middle with lots of short passes and screens to Forte and Chester Taylor. Really, aside from Peterson and Forte it is difficult to see any other individual player with much value. Cutler has had his moments this year, but none of his receivers scare you and if you take out his good game against Philly, he's had 12 points or less in 3 of 4 games. In a deep league that allows Joe Webb to count as a QB and WR, maybe you are rolling the dice, but chances are if he is in your lineup your best hope is the consolation bracket championship. Joe Webb's inexperience will trickle down to poor games for Sidney Rice, Percy Harvin, and Visanthe Shiancoe. Finally, the only other fantasy worthy option is the Bears defense, sorry Jen, but it is true. We can only hope that the Vikings circle the wagons, decide to protect Joe Webb and rush 60 times. If they go down big early and Webb is chucking it into the snow, she might be joining me in the 3rd place game. Written by Chris Summers exclusively for TheFantasyFix.com Follow The Fantasy Fix on Twitter @thefantasyfix or for Free Fantasy Sports Advice use our Quick Fix to get help with your team! Tags: The Fantasy Fix, Fantasy Football Advice, Fantasy Sports Blog, Monday Night Football, MNF, Week 15, Chicago Bears, Minnesota Vikings, Metrodome, Brett Favre, Adrian Peterson, Jay Cutler, Matt Forte, Chris Summers  Ravens vs. Texans Hopefully, this is a meaningful week/game for you. We are in the first week of the playoffs for most leagues and considering the teams in Monday night's games, more than a few first round games will be decided tonight. This is a must win game for both the Texans and Ravens. The Ravens need to win to remain one game back of the Steelers and the Texans have to win to maintain their already slim playoff chances. Both teams are motivated and should provide fantasy goodness for the holiday season. Nobody is kinder to opposing QB's than Houston, no. 29 against WR's, and no. 18 against opposing RB's which isn't TERRIBLE, but take into account that teams can easily throw on them at will... so why run the ball? On the other hand, the Ravens are no. 5 against QB's, no. 6 against RB's and no. 14 against opposing wide receivers. The Texans have an uphill battle facing that defense. This has been an interesting fantasy year for the Texans. Many people thought this would be a breakthrough year for them and after a first week victory over the Colts it looked like that would come to fruition. Unfortunately, they've crumbled since then and their only hope for a title is for Arian Foster to end the year no. 1 in fantasy football. Matt Schaub was taken as a consensus upper-eschelon QB and Andre Johnson was the consensus top receiver – things haven't worked as planned. Matt Schaub is the 12th ranked QB this year, which isn't terrible, but not what you were expecting. Andre Johnson is the 11th ranked WR and doesn't have any multiple touchdowns in any game so far. But all is not lost as Arian Foster is not only the no. 1 fantasy player this year, he is also the no. 1 surprise of the year. Lots of people had Arian as a sleeper, one had to figure the running back of this explosive offense had to be good, but I don't think anyone expected him to be matchup proof; he's had double digit points in every week but one. That being said, you can't bench Andre Johnson and there is no way you are benching Foster, even against a team as good the Ravens. The Ravens are similar to the Texans – they were supposed to be a playoff team (they've lived up to this) and they were supposed to have a number of solid fantasy players. After last year's dominating performance against the Patriots, Ray Rice was a consensus top-five draft pick, but he is the no. 16 ranked RB and clearly a disappointment. Anquan Boldin is another disappointment, everyone thought he'd take the next step after stepping out of Larry Fitzgerald's shadow but that didn't happen. Joe Flacco was picked by most people to make the jump, but he isn't there quite yet as he is the no. 10 QB this year. Luckily for the Ravens, the Texans porous pass defense has proven to be sweet medicine to passing offenses this year, making the perfect chance for Flacco and company to shine. This is the first week of the playoffs, so you are probably starting most of the players mentioned above, but aside from Arian Foster, you aren't feeling great about it. Rest assured though, the Ravens passing attack should be able to live up to the preseason billing tonight. Finally, due to unexpected weather, there is a twin bill of games tonight as the Vikings and Giants will crash the Monday Night Football party. There is still no confirmation about whether or not Brett Favre will play, but Tavaris Jackson looked good last week and seemed to have some good chemistry with Sidney Rice. Here's hoping Adrian Peterson has a lousy game (I'm facing him this week), but I don't really think that will happen. The Giants are also in a must win game after last night's Eagles victory. I have some more bad wishes for Eli Manning and Brandon Jacobs, I don't want any injuries but my fantasy team will be much better off if Ahmad Bradshaw is the offensive star. That all being sad, it is tough to call this game because of the weather/travel issues that forced its move. The Giants have far more to play for and the Vikings vaunted "Williams Wall," has been anything but this year. So Giants running game should be strong. The Giants passing attack is anyone's guess. We have no idea what to expect from Steve Smith or Hakeem Nicks as they return from injuries. Throw in the always-iffy-Eli plus some weather issues and it could be a circus. Both games look competitive and have a ton of fantasy players, so hold on tight and hope to see you all in the second round. Written by Chris Summers exclusively for TheFantasyFix.com Follow The Fantasy Fix on Twitter @thefantasyfix or for Free Fantasy Sports Advice use our Quick Fix to get help with your team! Tags: The Fantasy Fix, Fantasy Football Advice, Monday Night Football, Week 14, Baltimore Ravens, Houston Texans, New York Giants, Minnesota Vikings, Ray Rice, Joe Flacco, Matt Schaub, Arian Foster, Andre Johnson, Ahmad Bradshaw, Eli Manning, Steve Smith, Hakeem Nicks, Brett Favre, Tavaris Jackson, Adrian Peterson, Sidney Rice  Nothing more needs to be said. In a crazy NFL season, we finally have a game that is everything it was supposed to be. Tonight is the culmination of a series of events that began last season during the Jets playoff run. It built steam with hard knocks, reached an epic level with Rex Ryan comparing his wife to Tom Brady's and will hopefully climax with a classic Monday night battle between the team of the 2000's and the presumptive team of the 2010's. The first game between these two felt a little bumpy. Both teams were trying to figure things out, but tonight the Jets and Patriots are riding four and three game winning streaks, respectively, so no excuses this time. The Pats offense has been rolling with over 30 points in four straight games. Brady hasn't thrown an interception since Week 6, and during that span he has 13 TDs. He is at the the pinnacle of his craft with a passer rating of 117 in three straight games and is the sixth ranked fantasy QB for the season. All this with Deion Branch as his top receiver—this might just be his finest season yet. The vaunted Jets passing defense won't do much to slow down Brady, as the Pats are middle of the road in points allowed to QB's and WR's. The Pats running game is normally "like a box of chocolates," but tonight, against the No. 1 ranked rush defense we know EXACTLY what we are going to get—zero. Although, here's hoping "Hard Knocks" folk hero Danny Woodhead sticks it to his former team. The Jets have won three in a row, but many were very close affairs and ended on long bombs from Mark Sanchez to Santonio Holmes. You could see a few more of these hook-ups in tonight's game; over the last three games, Santonio Holmes has earned the No. 1 receiver spot as he's scored four touchdowns over that span. It's unlikely that the Patriots, 29th in points allowed to QB's and 27th to WR's, will pose much of a challenge to the Jets passing attack, so we might even see Dustin Keller regain his early season form. At the start of this year, Shonn Greene was a trendy pick for a breakout player. What was there not to like? He had a great run in the playoffs, a great offensive line and new WR weapons to take the pressure off of him. What could go wrong? Oh yeah, the hall of famer with a chip on his shoulder. LaDainian Tomlinson burst from the gate and took control of the running game, leaving Greene owners with a gaping hole on their roster. Fear not, Greene owners, a look at the touches over the last four games shows things trending Greene's way. Unfortunately, neither LT nor Greene is putting up huge fantasy numbers over that time span. But this might just be what the fantasy doctor ordered: the Patriots are 25th in fantasy points allowed to running backs. The Jets put up 136 rushing yards in the first game and the Patriots have a bend-but-don't-break scheme, so there are plenty of points to be racked up during the "bend." The Patriots give up yards, points and most importantly, fantasy points. The Jets have been surprisingly generous to opposing teams' passing games, but you can't run on them, so don't even try (sorry Green-Ellis owners). These teams don't really like each other, so I'd expect some chippiness to go along with the scoring. As for the result, late in the season, at home, on Monday night with the division on the line and a hot QB leading the way, it's impossible to bet against the Patriots. Written by Chris Summers exclusively for TheFantasyFix.com Follow The Fantasy Fix on Twitter @thefantasyfix or for Free Fantasy Sports Advice use our Quick Fix to get help with your team! Tags: The Fantasy Fix, Fantasy Football Advice, Monday Night Football, Week 13, New York Jets, New England Patriots, Tom Brady, Mark Sanchez | CategoriesAll  |
RSS Feed