MY MISSION STATEMENT
(or, to read more about how I detest mission statements, click here)
What frustrates me above all else are so-called fantasy advice columns that fit into one of two categories:
1) They refuse to stray from conventional wisdom, often until it’s weeks too late to save or help your season or
2) They only offer rankings commentary on the “big-name” guys that everyone knows to play anyway. Gee, Adrian Peterson will have a bounce back week and I shouldn’t bench him for Danny Woodhead? Thanks!
Each week I will examine what I consider to be the most pressing issues facing fantasy owners. I will try to focus only on issues that you may actually be concerned with, namely: marginal flex players, tough matchup decisions, and above all else, how to assimilate new information from the previous week. This is a column of the people, by the people, for the people (thanks, Abe). And as long as I’m offering oaths, I promise to always tackle the difficult questions as I see them, not be chained by conventional wisdom, and not allow traditional or draft-position bias to affect my weekly rankings.

1. Ray Rice
2. LeSean McCoy
3. Darren McFadden
4. Adrian Peterson
5. Arian Foster
6. Matt Forte
7. Fred Jackson
8. Calvin Johnson
9. Wes Welker
10. Greg Jennings
11. Maurice Jones-Drew
12. Michael Turner
13. Mike Wallace
14. Frank Gore
15. Ahmad Bradshaw

The Big Boys
This week’s top-15 should show, fairly clearly, the separation of 2011 running backs into fairly clear tiers, or at least one fairly clear tier: the top one. I think backs 1-7, above, are definitely a level above all others. I was very tempted to rank Calvin Johnson as no. 1 overall in my flex rankings this week, but I can’t help feeling that sooner or later someone will get to Matthew Stafford or at least figure out to triple-team Megatron. Maybe not. And probably not this week. Mike Wallace has been consistent, and looking at those directly below him, I feel fairly confident ranking him as highly as I have. I am low(ish) on Gore this week simply because of the matchup. I think this game could be ugly. How interesting that just a year or two ago we’d be playing any fantasy back against the Lions, and ranking them highly. I just have a sensation that this might get out of hand, and while Gore could stay involved in the passing game, keep in mind he still has Alex Smith throwing to him, even if it is on a short dump-off.

16. Cedric Benson
17. Hakeem Nicks
18. Steve Smith
19. Peyton Hillis
20. Jahvid Best
21. Jimmy Graham
22. Miles Austin
23. Steven Jackson
24. Darren Sproles
25. DeSean Jackson
26. Steve Johnson
27. BenJarvus Green-Ellis
28. Roddy White
29. Jeremy Maclin
30. Dez Bryant

Early Trends
Apart from the “Ocean” game with Jacksonville, Steve Smith has scored in double digits every week. With Newton at the helm, we have to recognize his production will continue. Same with Jimmy Graham: he is arguably the number one threat in the Saints offense, one of the best offenses in football. A quick check of what Jackie Battle did to the Colts last week should explain my ranking of Cedric Benson. While I don’t think he’s a stud, comparing him to similar backs of the same tier, I don’t like anyone else’s chances enough to rank them ahead of Benson. I’m not convinced I have the Eagles receivers in the correct order. Maclin is receiving plenty of targets and will likely cash them in for a big day sooner rather than later. While my ranking of Peyton Hillis really feels like a “name” rank, I also recognize Oakland can be run on, and what else does Cleveland have to do with the ball?

31. Jason Witten
32. Felix Jones
33. A.J. Green
34. Marques Colston
35. Jermichael Finley
36. Santana Moss
37. James Starks
38. Daniel Thomas
39. Pierre Garcon
40. Anquan Boldin
41. Aaron Hernandez
42. Reggie Wayne
43. Owen Daniels
44. Shonn Greene
45. Tony Gonzalez
46. Rashard Mendenhall
47. Santonio Holmes
48. Jordy Nelson
49. Victor Cruz
50. Rob Gronkowski

The Year of the Tight End
Go ahead, make it the thirteenth symbol of the Zodiac. 2011: the year of the tight end. If only Antonio Gates was healthy. Tony Gonzalez was held out of the endzone last week but still had six catches for 60 yards. Owen Daniels should continue to pick up the slack for Andre Johnson. Aaron Hernandez didn’t have a monster week, but if you watched the game tape you would see Tom Brady looking for him numerous times on long, down-the-field routes. If he converted one of those passes (several were simply overthrown by Brady, who will be more accurate as the two get back on track), Hernandez would have had a huge day. Also, Dallas-New England has the potential to be a shootout. I think Cruz has officially surpassed Manningham in terms of fantasy relevance. While I would rather not rank Mendenhall this low, he has too many questions. More importantly, he has not been very productive this year to-date. With Curtis Painter starting, Pierre Garcon has 7 catches for 271 yards and four touchdowns. Uhhh… wow.

51. DeAngelo Williams
52. Percy Harvin
53. Plaxico Burress
54. Earnest Graham
55. Ryan Torain
56. Tim Hightower
57. Brandon Marshall
58. James Jones
59. Deion Branch
60. Mike Thomas
61. David Nelson
62. Greg Olsen
63. LaDanian Tomlinson
64. Johnathan Stewart
65. Mark Ingram
66. Delonte Carter
67. Robert Meachem
68. Vernon Davis
69. Ryan Grant
70. Mike Williams
71. Julio Jones – officially ruled OUT for week 6
72. Jacoby Jones
73. Darrius Heyward-Bey
74. Brandon Pettigrew
75. Lance Moore

Question Marks
What will Ryan Grant’s role be in Green Bay? I think sadly he is moving into fantasy obscurity. Julio Jones would and should be much higher- I think last week was a blip- if not for questions about his hamstring. Even if he plays, he could be limited or tweak it and be done. Usually I stay away from such scenarios if I have reasonable alternatives. Delone Carter might be ranked far too low, especially if Joseph Addai is indeed out, which I expect to be the case. In a similar case, Earnest Graham may deserve moved up a few notches, especially since he is on the field in passing situations anyway. Meanwhile, where has Mike Williams gone? I’m not sure, but if this trend continues he may also soon be gone from these ranks. I don’t know what to make of the Redskins backfield, and perhaps neither does Mike Shannahan. They have three usable backs, all with talent, all who could help your fantasy roster if they were guaranteed the most of the carries. Since none of them are, we can’t trust any of them. Best of luck if you have to play them.

As always, you can tweet lineup questions to @petethegreekff. Enjoy week 6!

_PDK

One of those aspects is the transition back to a passing league. Now this is to be expected every few years, but the interesting portion of this trend is the increased value it has brought to the pass-catching runningbacks of the league (Mike Tolbert for example).

Another interesting aspect has been the emergence of a few players who fantasy owners are now being forced to either keep an eye on, or add them altogether, even if it is for a spot fill.

Three WRs standout in my mind—many more exist, some of them veterans—that I think deserve to be highlighted today.

David Nelson – BUF:
Week 3 matchup against New England
Last week: 10 catches for 83 yards, 1 TD

Nelson has emerged as the new and true slot receiver for a Buffalo passing offense that is led by the red-hot Ryan Fitzpatrick.  At 6’5, 220 pounds, Nelson is the perfect target for any quarterback over the middle, but what separates him from the chaff is his athleticism and speed—uncommon aspects found in players of his size.

New England has shown that they have significant issues dealing with sizable receivers, and even if New England tries to jump all over Buffalo early—a given, to be honest—Fitzpatrick will still be playing from behind, making this a win-win for those of you willing to gamble on Nelson this week.

My only concern is if Steve Johnson gets sidelined with that groin injury, which could allow New England to have a much easier time keying up on the rookie receiver,which could limit his potential.

Titus Young – DET:
Week 3 matchup against Minnesota
Last week: 5 passes for 89 yards

Conversely to Buffalo, who now has a 6’5 SLOT receiver, the Lions have finally got their rookie sensation Titus Young up to speed, and Matthew Stafford is now enjoying a brand new 5’11, 172 pound WIDE-OUT, who has already been compared to Eagles receiver DeSean Jackson.

The point to notice here is that the Lions have been craving for years to feature a viable three-wide set, and with the addition of Young, they felt as if they were going to be able to do so by “at least” Week 6 or 7.

Well, it’s only Week 3 and the Lions have finally go their wish. But the addition of the speedy and athletic Young has a few other fantasy effects you should consider:

• The longer Young shows himself to be a down-field threat, the more defenses have to respect his presence which will take away coverage from Calvin Johnson—jumping Jesus on a pogo-tick can you imagine that?
• With so much focus on Johnson and Young on the outside, Nate Burleson’s fantasy value significantly increases, and we’ve already begun to see it with his 12 catches and 153 yards receiving through two games.
• Owners of Matthew Stafford now have all the reason in the world to consider him a QB1 for the remainder of the season.

If you don’t yet own Young, grab him if he is available. If he isn’t available, try your hand at acquiring Nate Burleson, if you are in the market for a WR 3 who has borderline WR 1/2  potential.

Eric Decker – DEN:
Week 3 matchup against Tennessee
Last week: 5 catches for 113 yards and 2 TDs

Another team that has begun to reap the benefits of a young rising star is the Denver Broncos, thanks to their new interim wide-out Eric Decker.

Decker is a guy who is believed to posses enough skills to usurp the job of injured receiver Eddie Royal, and through two games, he has the performance to back it up (8 catches for 166 yard and two scores).

The Broncos will run the ball more when they are indeed healthy, and that has put a small dent into the value of the Broncos receivers. But aside from Brandon Lloyd—and prior to the emergence of Decker—there wasn’t much for the passing game to get excited about anyway.

Now with Decker in the mix, and a banged up backfield, coach Fox will inevitably allow the passing game to air things out a little more moving forward.

Decker is worth the waiver wire add, but his matchup this week against the Titans’ third ranked passing defense may hamper his output a bit. The good news is who he faces afterwards:

• @ Green Bay – ranked 32 against the pass
• Home versus the Chargers – ranked 15th against the pass
• @ Miami, couldn’t stop a tricycle with a brick wall
• Home versus Detroit who is ranked 7th against the pass. Great potential for a shootout here
• @ Oakland – ranked 27th against the pass (3 catches for 53 his first time around the May Pole).

If Eric Decker is available, then you must run out and grab him now, I know in every league that I’m competing in, all three of these receivers are being gobbled up the minute the WW opens, so act now while supplies last!

Looking for more advice?

QB – rankings / WR – rankings / RB – rankings / TE – rankings – / Week 3 IDP / Our Top 75

Looking more like John Locke from LOST, Matt Hasselbeck hasn't lost his touch on a new team.

Week One is never usually a good gauge to say whether or not your fantasy players are going to have a great season, or fall flat on their faces. Week Two is a bit premature as well, but we are now starting to see how players are falling in line with their respective offenses. Week Three is the week to start looking over your rosters and possibly adding new talent that is still on the waiver wire, while trimming the fat and dumping guys that simply aren’t living up to the standards we set on them in the preseason.

Here are a few risers and fallers through the first two weeks of the season. Like I wrote last week, saying Tom Brady is a riser is taking the easy way out of having to do some research and digging down deep when finding those less-than-obvious players who have outperformed or performed well below their preseason value. While I would love to give Cam Newton more love after another huge performance, I’d like to reserve his spot for another deserving playing who wasn’t listed last week.

RISERS
Quarterbacks
Matt Hasselbeck – Tennessee: Many of us had Hasselbeck on the scrap heap coming off a couple down years in Seattle. But it seems that Hass has found new life when he is actually surrounded by strong weapons, something he didn’t have much of in his last year as a Seahawk. Through two weeks, Hasselbeck has averaged 310.5 passing yards a game, with three touchdown passes to two interceptions. One of the biggest reasons for his success is the offensive line giving him a chance to throw. He could slowly move up the fantasy football rankings as the weeks go on.

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Running Backs
Ben Tate – Houston: Arian Foster owners be damned. Tate has stolen much of his thunder over the last two weeks. And just when we thought Foster owners were safe going into Week Two, his pesky hamstring tightedn up, allowing Tate to rack up yet another 100+ yard day against the Dolphins. With Tate playing strong, it sounds like the Texans have no problems sitting Foster for as long as possible until he is completely healthy.

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Wide Receivers
Deion Branch – New England: Branch seemed to have found the fountain of youth. His 222 receiving yards is second only to Mike Wallace. And while a touchdown would be nice, Branch is clearly creating great chemistry with Tom Brady. This could change, however, if Chad Ochocinco ever picks up the offense. But for right now, Branch is playing lights out.

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Tight Ends
Dustin Keller – NY Jets: It’s amazing that with all the weapons at Mark Sanchez’s disposal, that Keller is still getting his fair share of targets. Keller clocked in his first 100-yard game in Week Two, while also adding his second touchdown of the season. The biggest plus from Week Two was Keller caught all six of his targets, which was a team high. As long as Sanchez has confidence in Keller, he will be a weapon this year.

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FALLERS
Quarterbacks
Matt Cassel – Kansas City: Cassel’s Week-One performance against the Bills was bad, but his zero touchdowns and three interceptions against the Detroit on Sunday was atrocious. It doesn’t get any better now that Jamaal Charles is out for the year after tearing his knee. He was one of the only bright spots.

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Running Backs
Shonn Greene – NY Jets: I really thought this was going to be Greene’s year after a disappointing start to 2010, but so far Greene’s play has been anything but promising. Through two games, he’s averaging a measly 2.9 yards a carry and is still giving way work to LaDainian Tomlinson on third downs. Greene finally scored a touchdown in Week Two and he has been given the majority of the snaps. But with center Nick Mangold out with a high ankle sprain, Greene might continue to plod along.

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Wide Receivers
Percy Harvin – Minnesota: Harvin’s 2011 has been dismal so far, but a lot of it isn’t his fault. Donovan McNabb isn’t the answer at quarterback and the Vikings’ shaky offensive line hasn’t done much to improve the passing game. In fact, Harvin was only on the field for 30 of the 68 offensive snaps in Week Two, which is ridiculous for a guy who is clearly the team’s best weapon in the passing game. Those who took Harvin as a WR2 are in for a world of hurt if the coaching staff doesn’t make changes. There is absolutely no reason Harvin shouldn’t be on the field for 95% of the snaps.

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Tight Ends
Dallas Clark – Indianapolis: Much like Austin Collie’s falling status from last week, Clark is the product of an offense that doesn’t have much of an identity. Mainly used as a blocker, Clark has racked up only eight catches for 71 yards. As long as Kerry Collins is the quarterback, Clark won’t see much time as a pass catcher. He is going to have his hands full with the Steelers in Week Three.

After a strong Week-One performance against the Saints, Aaron Rodgers is our No. 1 fantasy quarterback this week.

Your usual fantasy guru Ray Tannock is taking a break from the rankings this week, so I am here to give you the lowdown on what’s going to go down in Week Two. We had a lot of surprises at quarterback in Week One. The biggest one, obviously, being Cam Newton’s breakout performance against the Cardinals. Things should settle down this weekend, but we could have a surprise or two that pop up out of nowhere.

Before I start, I would like to congratulate Ray for coming in first place in Fantasy Football Crystal Ball’s Week One Accuracy Score for Quarterbacks last week. Way to go RAY!!!!!!!

Below are my quarterback rankings going into Week Two.

TOP FIVE WEEK-TWO MATCHUPS (MUST START)

1. Aaron Rogers (GB) @ CAR: Is there any reason to not put Rodgers at No. 1 this week? I know Tom Brady had that huge game against Miami, but my money is on Rodgers to lead the charge against a Carolina Defense that gave up 309 yards and two scores against Kevin Kolb.

2. Tom Brady (NE) vs. SD: Putting Brady any lower than No. 2 would be ridiculous. The guy simply doesn’t stop at putting up big games. Hell, he even made Deion Branch look like a stud Monday night. The Chargers Defense will come back down to Earth after facing Donovan McNabb in Week One.

3. Michael Vick (PHI) @ ATL: Vick didn’t throw for very many yards (187) against the Rams, but his two passing touchdowns and 98 rushing yards made up for it. Vick showed he still has plenty left in the legs. He will need that in, what figures to be, a very emotional game against his old team the Falcons in their house.

4. Matthew Stafford (DET) vs. KC: Stafford had a huge Week One, throwing for three touchdowns against the Bucs. Kansas City didn’t have an answer for Ryan Fitzpatrick. And after losing Eric Berry to a torn ACL, Stafford should have his way with the Chiefs’ secondary.

5. Philip Rivers (SD) @ NE: The Chargers’ receivers were held in check by the Vikings, but Rivers still had a huge fantasy day, using both Mike Tolbert and Ryan Mathews in the passing game. If Chad Henne can look like a Pro Bowler against the Patriots D, Rivers should have a field day in Foxboro.

Kevin Kolb had an excellent regular-season debut.

Despite throwing for two scores in Week One against the Bengals, Colt McCoy is better off on your bench.

BEST OF THE REST:

THE BOTTOM FEEDERS:

I wish everyone the best of luck this week. If you have any questions or comments, please feel free to post below.

So without further ado, here is Week One’s top 50 players:
Standard Scoring: 4 points per passing TD, 6 points per rushing and receiving and PPR.

As with everything fantasy and pop-culture related, it remains important not to overreact. Remember the popped-collar-polo phase you thought was “the bomb” a few years ago? Remember using phrases like “the bomb?” Or how about as recently as last spring when everyone was convinced zubaz were making a comeback? Yeah. You’ll thank me later, surely, for this golden nugget: don’t go mortgage the proverbial farm for the “Fantasy Hall of Fame” Carolina passing attack. Hey, Cam Newton could certainly have a great first year- and I do like his chances to outperform expectations- but he will have his down weeks, too, as will the ageless Steve Smith (Green Bay brings a formidable secondary to town next week and the Panthers visit Soldier Field in week four).

But, we have much to attend to. Cue the music! As with The Rocks from the Schoolhouse, the best part, the start, the intro, that which we must begin with is of course the funky…

Week 1: The Funky
One nation, under a groove, gettin’ down just for the funk of it. -George Clinton

Sadly, unlike Mr. Clinton and the Parliament Funkadelic, some of the happenings in this week’s batch of games were anything but smooth and soulful. In fact, watching Dallas’ 4th-quarter self-destruction was harder to stomach than an episode of Toddlers and Tiaras. You want funky? Consider this: it’s one thing to blow a lead. It’s another entirely to be up fourteen with the ball inside your opponent’s five in the fourth quarter and lose without scoring any more points. Speaking of which, the play that led to the just-mentioned scenario? Tony Romo hit Jason Witten in the seam and Witten took it to the house… almost. It was the longest reception of his career and a few more yards would have made it a monster day for Witten, Romo, and the Dallas Cowboys. Instead, Witten remembered how slow he was and found a way to get caught just shy of the goal line, erasing an additional four points from Romo’s fantasy day. The Dallas Quarterback then fumbled three plays later, costing some owners even more. As for the rest of the team? It’s more of what we already knew: Miles Austin and Dez Bryant will be starter-worthy, and Felix Jones will get his touches (what he will do with them is another question entirely).
Oh, and then there’s this guy named Plaxico Burress. 72 yards and a score on nine targets. Nine targets. If you watched the game, Mark Sanchez looked his was when it counted. I think Plax is for real. LaDanian Tomlinson might be, too. Let’s not forget, Tomlinson had the better 2010 fantasy season between the two Jets rushers. I’m not saying Shonn Greene won’t show up and be who we think he will be- maybe he will. But if this game is any indication, he wasn’t worth his average draft position.
Yeah, I think Burress could and probably will have a decent year- at least I wouldn’t want to bet against it. He doesn’t look like he’s lost much… and you can’t teach size. Dare I say it? I dare: the Jets offense looks like something you want a fantasy part of. We even had a Dustin Keller sighting.

More funk:
-Michael Vick’s two kneel-downs angered plenty of owners, especially those in leagues who award bonuses for eclipsing 100 yards. Hey, it’s fantasy folks. But seriously, how ’bout them Eagles?
-Anyone care to explain why the Bears almost exclusively threw the ball during a possession with under eight minutes remaining in the fourth quarter, leading 30-6? This brilliant strategy resulted in a pick-6 for the Falcons’ defense. I wonder how many fantasy hopes and dreams that brilliant move crushed?
-The Steelers Defense, or as I like to call them, “Ray Rice’s former Kryptonite” (cool funk band name- take notes) looked like they could have used a few more OTA’s and perhaps another, oh, decade’s worth of training camp. Nah, I’m not worried too much about the unit as a whole. I think what this shows us more than anything is that Baltimore. is. for. real. P.S. Rice’s explosion is a perfect example of why you always, always play your studs. No matter the matchup. Rule no. 2 of fantasy football: you don’t talk about fant… I mean: rule no. 2 of fantasy football: don’t get cute.

Week 1: Edumucation
As your body grows bigger your mind must flower. It’s great to learn, ’cause knowledge is power! -Schoolhouse Rocky

This is the part of the program where little bits of a rainbow begin to form on your mostly-black television screen and a celebrity voice comes on and says, “The more you know!” and you get that happy feeling inside.

Actually, this is where I extol the virtues of Mike Tolbert. Assuming he is as “fine” as Norv Turner claims, he just may be the true Fantasy Hall of Famer for 2011. Yes, he had a monster three-touchdown day, which may be his best output of the season. But, let’s look a little closer at the numbers. Tolbert:
-Received an equal number of carries as Ryan Mathews (12) but got the score.
-Was targeted nine times in the passing game and caught all nine passes, including two scores
That’s 21 total touches on a competent offense with plenty of weapons. Obviously, a lot of the passes were dump-offs, but Tolbert did something with them.

As for Minnesota? Nothing to see here. Move along.

In other news, Beanie Wells put together a nice day. I’ve heard grumblings and in fact have personally received several phone calls offering Wells as a “sell-high.” I took him in trade in every instance but one (No, I’ll not part with Michael Vick, thank you). I believe in Wells this year (can we get a T-shirt made to that effect?) and here is why:
-He’s on an offense with stars at the skill positions. Kevin Kolb was a great acquisition and Todd Heap was a nice pickup, too.
-He’s not in a time-share of any kind. Remember, Tim Hightower is on the other side of the country now.
-He does things with his touches, to the tune of 90 yards on 18 carries.
Again, don’t fall victim to overreaction. Things are in place for Wells to have a nice season in Arizona, yes, but it’s still only week one.

Three is a Magic Number

1. Amongst quarterbacks, Jay Cutler and Matthew Stafford had arguably the most to prove on opening day. The Chicago offensive line held up and Mike Martz’s playcalling seemed spot-on all day (minus the fourth quarter blip). If his schedule wasn’t so murderous, I could buy Cutler as top-10 this year, fantasy-wise. Stafford, on the other hand, looked terrific. It helps that he has freak of nature Calvin Johnson doing whatever he pleases to opposing secondaries, but Stafford spread the love, completing passes to eight different receivers for over 300 yards and three scores.
2. Sticking with the Lions, their defense was impressive. The lovable Buccaneers were held to only 56 total yards on the ground. No, I’m not worried about LeGarrette Blount… yet. Though it is troubling he was not involved in the passing game.
3. The Bengals-Browns game was interesting on several fronts. Yes, we had a Cedric Benson sighting. But more interesting was the play of Colt McCoy, who also connected with eight different receivers for 213 yards and two scores. That’s starter material. And next week the Browns get the Colts… just saying. If you’re thin at quarterback, in a deep league, or just enjoy rolling the dice, McCoy is worth a look. Oh, and Peyton Hillis should feast mightily.

Until next time,
keep it funky.

_PDK
follow me on twitter! @petethegreekff