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The WESTern Perspective (Week 12 Preview)
Posted 11-18-2008 at 07:22 PM by dannywest
The WESTern Perspective
November 18, 2008
Version 2.17
It’s that time of year when the weather drops, Americans prepare for their Thanksgiving feasts and a couple of days away from work, and fantasy football owners, for the most part, enter a frantic mode of not knowing what to do.
Waiver wires are hit hired as teams swap one mediocre tight end for another, one sub-par kicker for some other sub-par kicker who has at most 5 points more on the season than the one previously owned, and the same is true with defenses. Owners are constantly adjusting their lineups, everyone scared to make even the slightest mistake at this time of the year, with seasons on the line, with glory on the line, with pride on the line, and in some cases, perhaps money on the line.
However, my friends, the truth is that the answer does not lie in some “hidden gem” in your league’s free agency for at this stage of the game there are none left, the secret to winning is already on your roster, it’s just a matter of being able to see it.
This week, with the end of the regular season drawing nearer and nearer, it is of the utmost importance that you start the right players, whether you are attempting to push your way into that final playoff spot, trying to maintain your position high up in your league’s rankings, or even desperately fighting off finishing last, this week is key.
Normally I am not a supporter of giving the “flavor of the week” a starting spot in your lineup, however, Peyton Hillis is one that should be considered. Last week, in the absence of Selvin Young and Michael Pittman, Hillis was able to find the endzone twice on a 70 yard day. This week, Hillis and the Broncos face off against the Raiders, and even while Tatum Bell starts to reemerge within this offense, Hillis should still put up some pretty substantial fantasy points and while his value is certain to not remain high for long, it is recommended that you take advantage of his touchdown scoring ability now while you still have the chance.
A big topic this week within the fantasy boards has been the showing that Matt Cassel put on last week. Cassel threw for 400 yards and 3 touchdowns, and while I maintain that, at best, Cassel is nothing more than a good back up he still has the potential to give your team a winning push. This week the Patriots will take on Miami’s 20th ranked pass defense and if the Dolphins continue to play the way that have in recent weeks, look for the Pats to throw constantly just to stay in this one.
Another hot topic as of late has been the comparison between Ravens runningbacks, Ray Rice and Willis McGahee. And while neither looked particularly good last week combining for less that 40 yards, I think that it is still clear that McGahee is, and will continue to be, the go to guy in Baltimore. As a matter of fact, Rice’s only truly standout performance came in the only week that he was not splitting carries with McGahee, and while he may have rushed for over 150 yards he was unable to find the endzone, something that McGahee did twice the week prior. And while this comparison goes a lot deeper than this, and I do think that Rice has some amazing potential for a fantastic NFL career, I certainly do not think that right now he has a higher value than McGahee and he will be of little assistance to you this late in the year.
Perhaps the player with the best looking matchup this week is Tampa Bay’s Warrick Dunn. Dunn has been putting up solid numbers all season long with 10 yards or more on a single play seemingly a common occurrence. Dunn has spent the year sharing time with one of last year’s biggest surprises, Earnest Graham, however with Graham suffering an injury last week and Cadillac Williams’ role in this offense still unknown, look for Dunn to explode this week against the Detroit Lions, even with Clifton Smith becoming a reliable option for the Bucs.
And finally, one player who I am surely to be in the minority on is Kevin Smith. Smith is coming off of his biggest game of his career, however in the next three weeks Smith will faceoff against some of the toughest run defenses the NFL has to offer, Tampa Bay, Tennessee and Minnesota. Take it from me, no matter how often the Lions get him the ball, Smith will be shut down for the remainder of your fantasy regular season and, not until your playoffs, will he be of any value to you.
As always, I appreciate your time in reading my blog. Please feel free to comment below or email me at danieljameswest@gmail.com
November 18, 2008
Version 2.17
It’s that time of year when the weather drops, Americans prepare for their Thanksgiving feasts and a couple of days away from work, and fantasy football owners, for the most part, enter a frantic mode of not knowing what to do.
Waiver wires are hit hired as teams swap one mediocre tight end for another, one sub-par kicker for some other sub-par kicker who has at most 5 points more on the season than the one previously owned, and the same is true with defenses. Owners are constantly adjusting their lineups, everyone scared to make even the slightest mistake at this time of the year, with seasons on the line, with glory on the line, with pride on the line, and in some cases, perhaps money on the line.
However, my friends, the truth is that the answer does not lie in some “hidden gem” in your league’s free agency for at this stage of the game there are none left, the secret to winning is already on your roster, it’s just a matter of being able to see it.
This week, with the end of the regular season drawing nearer and nearer, it is of the utmost importance that you start the right players, whether you are attempting to push your way into that final playoff spot, trying to maintain your position high up in your league’s rankings, or even desperately fighting off finishing last, this week is key.
Normally I am not a supporter of giving the “flavor of the week” a starting spot in your lineup, however, Peyton Hillis is one that should be considered. Last week, in the absence of Selvin Young and Michael Pittman, Hillis was able to find the endzone twice on a 70 yard day. This week, Hillis and the Broncos face off against the Raiders, and even while Tatum Bell starts to reemerge within this offense, Hillis should still put up some pretty substantial fantasy points and while his value is certain to not remain high for long, it is recommended that you take advantage of his touchdown scoring ability now while you still have the chance.
A big topic this week within the fantasy boards has been the showing that Matt Cassel put on last week. Cassel threw for 400 yards and 3 touchdowns, and while I maintain that, at best, Cassel is nothing more than a good back up he still has the potential to give your team a winning push. This week the Patriots will take on Miami’s 20th ranked pass defense and if the Dolphins continue to play the way that have in recent weeks, look for the Pats to throw constantly just to stay in this one.
Another hot topic as of late has been the comparison between Ravens runningbacks, Ray Rice and Willis McGahee. And while neither looked particularly good last week combining for less that 40 yards, I think that it is still clear that McGahee is, and will continue to be, the go to guy in Baltimore. As a matter of fact, Rice’s only truly standout performance came in the only week that he was not splitting carries with McGahee, and while he may have rushed for over 150 yards he was unable to find the endzone, something that McGahee did twice the week prior. And while this comparison goes a lot deeper than this, and I do think that Rice has some amazing potential for a fantastic NFL career, I certainly do not think that right now he has a higher value than McGahee and he will be of little assistance to you this late in the year.
Perhaps the player with the best looking matchup this week is Tampa Bay’s Warrick Dunn. Dunn has been putting up solid numbers all season long with 10 yards or more on a single play seemingly a common occurrence. Dunn has spent the year sharing time with one of last year’s biggest surprises, Earnest Graham, however with Graham suffering an injury last week and Cadillac Williams’ role in this offense still unknown, look for Dunn to explode this week against the Detroit Lions, even with Clifton Smith becoming a reliable option for the Bucs.
And finally, one player who I am surely to be in the minority on is Kevin Smith. Smith is coming off of his biggest game of his career, however in the next three weeks Smith will faceoff against some of the toughest run defenses the NFL has to offer, Tampa Bay, Tennessee and Minnesota. Take it from me, no matter how often the Lions get him the ball, Smith will be shut down for the remainder of your fantasy regular season and, not until your playoffs, will he be of any value to you.
As always, I appreciate your time in reading my blog. Please feel free to comment below or email me at danieljameswest@gmail.com
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