2013 Fantasy Football Pickups

2013 Week 6 Fantasy Football Pickups

stevenlourie 2013 Fantasy Football, 2013 Fantasy Football Pickups, Uncategorized

RB Zac Stacy (St. Louis)

Percent owned (ESPN): 0.6%

5th round rookie Zac Stacy was the lead back for the Rams this week, after they benched Daryl Richardson mid-week following a pathetic showing against the 49ers week 4. He carried the ball 14 times for 78 yards. He won’t always get to face the Jaguars’ putrid defense, but he showed enough that he should continue to be the lead back going forward, as Richardson had just 48 yards on 13 carries. He needs to be picked up in all formats.

RB Willis McGahee (Cleveland)

Percent owned (ESPN): 22.2%

Willis McGahee isn’t very good anymore, but he’s the Browns only option and he ran for 72 yards and a touchdown on 26 carries against the Bills. That’s a pretty bad average, but he should continue being the lead back going forward and any running back who gets at least 15-20 touches per game is automatically worth a flex look, especially as we get deeper in the bye week section of the season.

RB Andre Ellington (Arizona)

Percent owned (ESPN): 4.0%

Andre Ellington didn’t lead the Cardinals in carries, but he led them in rushing yards, with 52 yards on just 7 carries. Lead back Rashard Mendenhall rushed for just 43 yards on 17 carries, so Ellington who has 120 yards on 18 carries this season, should push for more carries going forward. He’s also a big part of the passing game, catching 13 passes for 144 yards and a touchdown this season in limited action. He’s definitely worth a bench stash.

RB Marcel Reece (Oakland)

Percent owned (ESPN): 3.7%

Darren McFadden is supposed to be out for another week and Rashad Jennings left last week’s game with a hamstring injury and is questionable going forward. Marcel Reece should be the feature back if both don’t play this week. He has a huge impact in the passing game, in addition to running the football.

RB Pierre Thomas (New Orleans)

Percent owned (ESPN): 15.6%

Thomas led the Saints in carries this week, rushing for 36 yards on 19 carries. He’d be higher on this list if I didn’t recommend Khiry Robinson last week, only to watch him rush for 9 yards on 3 carries this week. Thomas had just 1 rushing yard on 4 carries the week before so he’s risky, but Mark Ingram is no longer part of the plan in New Orleans and Thomas contributes in the passing game even when he’s not getting carries, with 28 catches for 166 yards on the season. He’s probably the New Orleans back to own.

RB LeGarrette Blount (New England)

Percent owned (ESPN): 16.8%

With Stevan Ridley out this week, LeGarrette Blount rushed for 51 yards on 12 carries. He was also getting action with Ridley in the lineup and now he has 180 rushing yards and a touchdown on 35 carries in his last 3 weeks. I’m concerned that he fumbled, but he’s worth rostering in case Ridley’s injury turns out to be a multi-week deal.

WR Keenan Allen (San Diego)

Percent owned (ESPN): 1.2%

It’s tough to count on rookies, but Philip Rivers is playing well right now and someone has to catch his passes. With Malcom Floyd out, that someone has been Keenan Allen, who has caught 11 passes for 195 yards and 1 touchdown over the past 2 games. He’s worth a flier.

RB Brandon Jacobs (NY Giants)

Percent owned (ESPN): 1.4%

Brandon Jacobs is not good at all, but David Wilson hurt his neck against the Eagles and isn’t expected to be able to go on a short week against the Bears this week. The Giants have brought back Da’Rel Scott to play passing downs, but Jacobs will be the lead runner this week against a Chicago defense that isn’t as good as it was under Lovie Smith. There are worse desperation plays.

TE Garrett Graham (Houston)

Percent owned (ESPN): 3.4%

Owen Daniels is not expected to play against the Rams’ putrid defense this week. Garrett Graham would get the start. He’s been decently productive as the #2 tight end, catching 15 passes for 141 yards and 3 touchdowns in 5 games this season. He could be a nice plug and play option for guys with tight ends on bye or Owen Daniels owners.

RB Brandon Bolden (New England)

Percent owned (ESPN): 5.6%

Brandon Bolden also got more action with Ridley out, rushing for 24 yards on 5 carries and catching 6 passes for 40 yards. He’s just 2 weeks removed from a 100 yards from scrimmage performance. He’s worth rostering in deep leagues because Ridley is hurt right now and Blount fumbled.

WR Terrance Williams (Dallas)

Percent owned (ESPN): 1.3%

Terrance Williams had 151 yards and a touchdown against the Cowboys. Tony Romo won’t throw for 500+ yards and 5 touchdowns every week and Williams’ targets are going to be inconsistent. He was actually only targeted 4 times in this game and Miles Austin could be back any week. Most likely, this was just a Kevin Ogletree type performance. He’s worth snatching up in really deep leagues though.

TE Sean McGrath (Kansas City)

Percent owned (ESPN): 0.5%

Alex Smith loves intermediate targets, including tight end and Sean McGrath is all he has right now. He’s impressed as an injury fill-in, catching 9 passes for 118 yards and a touchdown in his last 2 games. In deep leagues, you could do worse as a bye week filler at tight end.

WR Harry Douglas (Atlanta)

Percent owned (ESPN): 2.1%

Julio Jones is done for the season. Matt Ryan is still going to throw for plenty of yardage and Harry Douglas, who has had some nice performances as the #3 receiver this year (4/93/0, 5/68/0), will be the #2 wide receiver now. He’ll be Matt Ryan’s 3rd option after Tony Gonzalez and a hobbled Roddy White. He could be fantasy relevant based on pure volume.

[switch_ad_hub]

[switch_ad_hub]

[switch_ad_hub]

2013 Week 5 Fantasy Football Pickups

stevenlourie 2013 Fantasy Football Pickups, Uncategorized

TE Heath Miller (Pittsburgh)

Percent owned (ESPN): 24.4%

After returning in limited fashion week 3, Miller played essentially the whole game week 4, catching 6 passes for 70 yards. Ben Roethlisberger is more comfortable throwing to him than anyone else and he had a 71/816/8 line in 15 games in 2012. He’s a low end TE1 going forward.

RB Willis McGahee (Cleveland)

Percent owned (ESPN): 24.5%

McGahee isn’t very good any more, but he’s the Browns’ starting running back. He had his first start this week after his first full week of practice and rushed for 46 yards on 15 carries. He’ll have easier matchups going forward, starting with this week in Buffalo, and you pretty much want to own any NFL starting running back you can.

WR Nate Washington (Tennessee)

Percent owned (ESPN): 16.0%

Nate Washington now has back-to-back 100+ yard weeks and a 19/332/2 line on the season. He’d be higher on this list if Jake Locker wasn’t expected to miss at least a month, but he’s the Tennessee receiver you want to own if you’re into that kind of thing.

TE Coby Fleener (Indianapolis)

Percent owned (ESPN): 19.7%

Andrew Luck and offensive coordinator Pep Hamilton love utilizing the tight end, but with Dwayne Allen out for the season, all they really have left at the position is Coby Fleener, Luck’s college teammate who played for Hamilton as well at Stanford. He also had 11 catches for 152 yards and 2 touchdowns in the last 3 weeks. You can do worse is a bye week tight end filler and he’s a low end TE1 in deeper leagues.

RB Rashad Jennings (Oakland)

Percent owned (ESPN): 0.8%

Surprise, surprise Darren McFadden suffered his annual injury. His hamstring problem could keep him out of this week’s game against the Chargers. Backup running back Marcel Reece is also out with an injury and his might be even more serious. Jennings is tentatively expected to get the start this week. He had 129 total yards on 23 touches this week, though 71 of those came on 8 catches.

TE Charles Clay (Miami)

Percent owned (ESPN): 17.4%

Charles Clay had another good game and now has 20 catches for 245 yards and 2 total touchdowns in 4 games. If you need a bye week filler at tight end, you can do a lot worse than Clay, especially in deeper leagues where Heath Miller and Coby Fleener are already owned.

RB LeGarrette Blount (New England)

Percent owned (ESPN): 2.1%

Blount led the Patriots’ in rushing yards for the 2nd straight week. He’s somehow a more explosive and more ball secure runner than Stevan Ridley and will continue eating into his carries in a significant way until he proves otherwise. He’s rushed for 129 yards and a touchdown in the last 2 weeks combined. He’s worth a bench stash.

RB Khiry Robinson (New Orleans)

Percent owned (ESPN): 0.1%

With Mark Ingram out, Khiry Robinson, not Pierre Thomas, was the Saints’ lead back, rushing for 37 yards on 12 carries. He now has 75 yards on 16 carries in 2 games and could be New Orleans’ best back. He’s worth picking up in case this continues going forward.

QB Brian Hoyer (Cleveland)

Percent owned (ESPN): 1.2%

Brian Hoyer might not be great, but he’s done a good job of utilizing Josh Gordon and Jordan Cameron in two starts, throwing for 590 yards, 5 touchdowns, and 3 picks. He’s pretty much stolen Brandon Weeden’s starting job at this point and isn’t a bad option as a bye week fill-in depending on the matchup.

[switch_ad_hub]

[switch_ad_hub]

[switch_ad_hub]

2013 Week 4 Fantasy Football Pickups

stevenlourie 2013 Fantasy Football Pickups, Uncategorized

WR Santonio Holmes (NY Jets)

Percent owned (ESPN): 8.8%

In his 3rd game back from injury, Santonio Holmes caught 5 passes for 154 yards and a touchdown, showing great rapport with Geno Smith. His quarterback situation isn’t ideal and he’s not the most reliable receiver anyway, but he could be back and he’s worth a bench stash for that reason. He’s only 29 years old and had a 1000 yard season in 2009.

TE Charles Clay (Miami)

Percent owned (ESPN): 11.9%

Clay had another solid week, catching 4 passes for 40 yards, bringing his season total to 14 catches for 203 yards and he also has a rushing touchdown. He’s put up at least 4 fantasy points in all 3 games. He’s a low end TE1 and worth a pickup.

RB Jason Snelling (Atlanta)

Percent owned (ESPN): 14.6%

Jacquizz Rodgers is Steven Jackson’s direct backup, but it looks like Jason Snelling is going to get plenty of work with Jackson out as well and it looks like Jackson will be out until at least week 7. Snelling totaled 101 yards and a touchdown on 15 touches, including 4 catches for 58 yards and a touchdown.

QB Ryan Tannehill (Miami)

Percent owned (ESPN): 1.2%

Tannehill seems to be having a leap year in his 2nd year in the league. He’s completing 66.4% of his passes for an average of 7.7 YPA, 4 touchdowns, and 2 interceptions. This week, he plays New Orleans in what could be a shootout that will produce plenty of fantasy points. If your starting quarterback has a week 4 bye (Aaron Rodgers, Cam Newton), Tannehill is a very solid pickup.

WR Stephen Hill (NY Jets)

Percent owned (ESPN): 2.8%

Santonio Holmes wasn’t the only Jet with a big week. Stephen Hill caught 3 passes for 108 yards and a touchdown, bringing his season totals of 13 catches for 233 yards and a touchdown. He’s not going to be that reliable going forward, especially if Holmes can continue playing this week, but he’s worth a stash in deeper leagues.

WR Nate Washington (Tennessee)

Percent owned (ESPN): 7.2%

Nate Washington caught 8 passes for 131 yards this week. Kenny Britt isn’t doing anything and rookie Justin Hunter is still too raw. If Jake Locker can continue a solid level of play, Washington could be a startable option because of how much Locker trusts him, but I don’t think Washington has much upside.

RB Brandon Bolden (New England)

Percent owned (ESPN): 0.4%

Stevan Ridley is starting to fall out of favor with the coaching staff. LeGarrette Blount is taking most of the ceded carries, but Brandon Bolden has become the new passing down back and even totaled 100 all-purpose yards against the Buccaneers. He’s worth a look in deep leagues and PPR leagues to see if he can keep this up.

RB LeGarrette Blount (New England)

Percent owned (ESPN): 1.8%

As I mentioned, Stevan Ridley is starting to fall out of favor with the coaching staff. Blount actually led the team in carries against New England, rushing for 65 yards on 14 carries. That could continue going forward, though it’s tough to trust him because of how inconsistent Bill Belichick is with running backs and because of Blount’s own inconsistent nature.

WR Donnie Avery (Kansas City)

Percent owned (ESPN): 4.6%

Alex Smith doesn’t seem to be looking downfield to Dwayne Bowe very much. He has middling arm strength and has thrown 20+ yards downfield just 4 times all season. Instead, he’s been targeting guys like running back Jamaal Charles, fullback Anthony Sherman, and slot receiver Donnie Avery. Avery, who caught 7 passes for 141 yards against the Eagles, could be a big part of the offense going forward.

[switch_ad_hub]

[switch_ad_hub]

[switch_ad_hub]

2013 Week 3 Fantasy Football Pickups

stevenlourie 2013 Fantasy Football Pickups, Uncategorized

RB James Starks (Green Bay)

Percent owned (ESPN): 0.2%

James Starks is going to get the start this week with Eddie Lacy out with a concussion. Starks exploded for 132 yards and a touchdown on 20 carries after Lacy went down early last week, along with 4 catches for 36 yards. He’s not fortunate enough to play the Redskins’ defense every week and Cincinnati this week represents a much tougher defensive test, but he’s still worth a flex play for this week if you need someone for that.

WR Eddie Royal (San Diego)

Percent owned (ESPN): 4.4%

Eddie Royal somehow has 5 touchdowns in 2 games. That won’t continue, but he also has 10 catches for 114 receiving yards and will continue to be a preferred target for Philip Rivers, especially with Malcom Floyd out at least a week and possibly longer with a neck injury. Royal is worth a pickup.

TE Coby Fleener (Indianapolis)

Percent owned (ESPN): 5.4%

Fleener had a big game with 4 catches for 69 yards and a touchdown against the Dolphins last week and earned the coaching staff’s praise after the game. Even better news for his fantasy value, Dwayne Allen, who was working as the starting tight end for his blocking ability, is out for the season so Fleener should be as close to an every down player as a tight end can be going forward.

QB Ryan Tannehill (Miami)

Percent owned (ESPN): 7.9%

Tannehill has completed 47 of 72 for 591 yards, 2 touchdowns, and an interception in the first two weeks of the season and could be on his way to a much improved 2nd season in the NFL. With bye weeks coming up, Tannehill is worth adding as a QB2, especially for teams whose quarterbacks have a bye week 4. Tannehill gets a New Orleans defense that is still very susceptible to giving up big fantasy days week 4.

WR Marlon Brown (Baltimore)

Percent owned (ESPN): 7.9%

Marlon Brown continues to work as the starter in Jacoby Jones’ absence and is putting up decent numbers. He has 8 catches for 110 yards and 2 touchdowns in 2 games. He’s worth a look in deeper leagues.

TE Charles Clay (Miami)

Percent owned (ESPN): 5.0%

Charles Clay had a big game against Indianapolis with 5 catches for 107 yards and the collegiate fullback also stole a goal line carry and scored on a one yard rush. He won’t get to play Indianapolis’ defense every week and he probably won’t continue stealing goal line carries, but he also had 5 catches for 54 yards the week before so he could be worth a look.

[switch_ad_hub]

[switch_ad_hub]

[switch_ad_hub]

2013 Week 2 Fantasy Football Pickups

stevenlourie 2013 Fantasy Football, 2013 Fantasy Football Pickups, Uncategorized

WR Julian Edelman (New England)

Percent owned (ESPN): 4.2%

Julian Edelman caught 7 passes for 79 yards and 2 touchdowns in the Patriots’ opener. Someone needs to catch passes for Tom Brady and he seems more comfortable throwing to Edelman than any of the rookies. Edelman is worth picking up going forward solely because he’s a starting wide receiver in New England, but he has a lot of upside if Brady continues to look his way.

TE Julius Thomas (Denver)

Percent owned (ESPN): 19.4%

Thomas caught 5 passes for 110 yards and 2 touchdowns in the Broncos’ opener. He’ll probably see inconsistent week to week production behind Demaryius Thomas, Wes Welker, and maybe Eric Decker for targets and Peyton Manning won’t usually play as well as he did against Baltimore, so I’m not as high on Thomas as most, but he’s worth a pickup.

WR Leonard Hankerson (Washington)

Percent owned (ESPN): 0.4%

Leonard Hankerson was Robert Griffin’s favorite target in the opener, especially around the end zone, as he scored twice to go with just 6 catches for 80 yards. He’s a talented 2011 3rd round pick who has flashed at times and he could be putting it all together in his 3rd year in the league, a frequent breakout year for receivers.

QB Terrelle Pryor (Oakland)

Percent owned (ESPN): 7.2%

Pryor isn’t a very good real quarterback, but he’s an intriguing fantasy quarterback because of his rushing ability. Pryor 112 yards rushing are still 2nd in the NFL through 1 week and he also added 217 yards through the air, though with just 1 score and 2 picks. Few QB2s have more upside so he’s worth a bench stash.

TE Kellen Winslow (NY Jets)

Percent owned (ESPN): 1.6%

Someone has to catch passes for the Jets and Geno Smith seemed very comfortable throwing to his tight end Kellen Winslow, who caught 7 passes for 79 yards and a touchdown. Winslow is a proven veteran. He looked done last year, but he’s only 30. He’s worth a look in deeper leagues.

[switch_ad_hub]

[switch_ad_hub]

[switch_ad_hub]