Julio Jones. Brian Hoyer. Owen Daniels. The fantasy-relevant names are piling up and, tragically, we have seen the first superstar of the season go down with injury.
Hey look, that’s the NFL. It’s a violent league.
This is the time of year when depth comes into play, when late-round draft picks and waiver adds start to have a serious impact on the success of your fantasy team. Injuries have begun to mount around the league and the byes are in full swing. Lineups start to become… interesting.
To me, this is the true test of the fantasy owner. It begins now. It doesn’t take much talent to draft Adrian Peterson first overall or to play Peyton Manning after his 7-touchdown week 1. When things get rough, well, that’s when you earn your bacon. I can come up with more cliches or aphorisms but I think you have probably reached the point by now: we’re in it. The thick of it. Welcome.
There are some things in fantasy that simply have no place, that will not serve you well. These mistakes are to be avoided at all cost and will harm your lineup, team and final league standing. Avoid them at all costs! I call them “The Seven Deadly Sins of Fantasy:”
1) Fear. Never be afraid to pull the trigger. I’ve received a myriad of mid-day texts, all in the same vein of “Should I do this? Help!” There are a million “What ifs?” in every possible scenario. Fantasy football is a game of “What ifs”. Don’t let them bog you down and cement you in inaction. Fear to move to improve your team can lead to stagnation.
2) Loyalty to team. Normally a valiant trait, loyalty to your favorite team has absolutely no place in the world of fantasy football. I’ve heard of owners benching studs because they’re playing against their NFL rooting interest. Nonsense! Fantasy is a separate game from professional football. Your fantasy team’s result does not in any way affect your actual team’s score. Remember that. Act accordingly.
3) Loyalty to player. Many owners recall past glories. A player who “saved” their fantasy team in seasons past holds a special place in their heart even if that player is only a shell of his former self. Not only can this sin cause irrevocable damage on draft day it can also factor into lineup decisions late in the season. Loyalty is nothing. Talent, production, trends, and matchup.
4) Hesitation. Believe in yourself and your choices. Don’t hesitate to play the player you believe in on gameday. Don’t hesitate to take a flier on a player you love on the waiver wire even if it’s weeks before he’s on anyone else’s radar. Contemplation and consideration is wise. Hesitation can be fatal.
5) Sloth. Oh ho! A classic, but equally applicable here. Staying on top of your player information is critical. Being up to date is a necessity. Laziness in setting a lineup is an obvious faux-pas, but being behind the times on injury or usage information can be equally problematic.
6) A sense of justice. Fight dirty! Sense weakness, and prey on it. If your rival just lost Julio Jones for the year lowball him with one of your WR2s. When they’re hurting, go for the knockout blow. Fantasy is not a game for the weak, but…
7) Scroogery. ...fantasy does remain a game, after all. Be fun. Enjoy it. Light up your league message boards. Come up with creative team names. Be sneaky, be smart, be underhanded, use cloak and dagger, kick them when their down, but remember: this is a game of fun, often amongst family and close friends. Negative attitudes and vindictive actions have no place. Enjoy it, even if you enjoy it over the molten rubble of an opponent’s smoldering team that you have left in your wake.
And with that said…
Week 6 Top 75
1. Adrian Peterson
2. Jamaal Charles
3. Arian Foster
4. Matt Forte
5. Lesean McCoy
6. Marshawn Lynch
7. Dez Bryant
8. Jimmy Graham
9. Demaryius Thomas
10. Demarco Murray
11. AJ Green
12. Doug Martin
13. Brandon Marshall
14. Wes Welker
15. Calvin Johnson
The Big Boys
Let’s be clear: I have no idea if Calvin Johnson plays. Nonetheless, his inactive last week wasn’t a huge surprise, he hadn’t practice at all. If he plays, I must assume health. As it is, he nudges Knowshon Moreno barely out of the top-15, or else there would be three Broncos in the highest group. Amazing, but they clearly are the best show on turf. I think this is the week AJ Green gets right. The Bills can be beaten through the air. It’s possible Arian Foster should be the number one overall flex play as the Rams are awful against, well, everything, but particularly opposing rushers. Oh and hey! Two Cowboys! Let’s just say I don’t see Washington really stopping anybody in the Big D.
16. Knowshon Moreno
17. Ray Rice
18. Pierre Garcon
19. Randall Cobb
20. Alfred Morris
21. Trent Richardson
22. Frank Gore
23. Julius Thomas
24. Reggie Bush
25. Jason Witten
26. Eddie Lacy
27. Jordy Nelson
28. Victor Cruz
29. Torrey Smith
30. CJ Spiller
Teammates
Yes, I think if I had the choice I’d play Eddie Lacy over Jordy Nelson, but likely you are using them both. Lacy is the safer play. The Packers want to run. We’ll see a lot of Lacy and Ray Rice in this one, I expect. Pierre Garcon at 18? And above Alfred Morris to boot? Look, Peyton Manning obviously skewed the numbers a bit, but even before the Cowboys-Broncos masterpiece last week, Dallas was in the bottom-5 in fantasy points allowed to opposing QBs. This is not a strong secondary. In a shootout, I like the oft-targeted Pierre Garcon. Oh yeah, and as mentioned previously, Washington’s defense if the definition of porous. Jason Witten should have a nice week. Finally, I realize I am still in the extreme minority in ranking CJ Spiller over Fred Jackson. Call it a hunch.
31. Fred Jackson
32. Chris Johnson
33. Eric Decker
34. Giovani Bernard
35. DeSean Jackson
36. Antonio Brown
37. Alshon Jeffery
38. Martellus Bennett
39. Josh Gordon
40. Le’Veon Bell
41. Rob Gronkowski
42. Darren Sproles
43. Danny Woodhead
44. Andre Johnson
45. Willis McGahee
Earn Your Bacon
This week, things get interesting right at number 32. Starting here, I suspect a room full of “experts” would disagree or find something to argue with just about every single rank. It’s a matter of preference. A few names of particular interest to me:
- -Giovani Bernard is still chock full of talent and has a nice matchup.
- -The same can be said for Alshon Jeffery, and no I’m not worried about the Giants “scheming” for him. There’s still Matt Forte and Brandon Marshall.
- -Willis McGahee is getting all the work and all the goal-line work.
- -Martellus Bennett, if healthy, goes up against a bad Giants team he used to play for. I think Chicago does everything they can to find him a touchdown.
- -I don’t know what to make of Houston’s quarterback, but I’m downgrading Andre Johnson accordingly.
- -I think Rob Gronkowski plays but I don’t know how many snaps. I’m being cautious.
46. Reggie Wayne
47. Vernon Davis
48. Jordan Cameron
49. Marques Colston
50. Deangelo Williams
51. Larry Fitzgerald
52. Vincent Jackson
53. Bilal Powell
54. Cecil Shorts
55. Antonio Gates
56. Anquan Boldin
57. Maurice Jones-Drew
58. Stevan Ridley
59. Greg Olsen
60. Garrett Graham
61. Hakeem Nicks
62. Justin Blackmon
63. TY Hilton
64. Danny Amendola
65. James Jones
66. Zac Stacy
67. Coby Fleener
68. Denarius Moore
69. Greg Jennings
70. Steve Smith
71. Dwayne Bowe
72. Julian Edelman
73. Kenbrell Thompkins
74. Andre Ellington
75. Dwayne Bowe
Final Thoughts
I may be too low on some of the names in this final tier, notably Jordan Cameron and Marques Colston. I think both could have big games. Andre Ellington intrigues me greatly, but let’s hope the same is true for the Cardinals coaching staff. I think Cecil Shorts and Justin Blackmon are both going to put up numbers once Jacksonville is well behind and Vincent Jackson might have a nice week despite the lack of an NFL-caliber quarterback in Tampa. I like all the Packers weapons including James Jones, but excluding Jermichael Finley. Oh, and Garrett Graham should be just fine as a replacement for Owen Daniels. He was involved in the game plan already and that role should obviously increase.
Best of luck in week 6! As always you can tweet me: @petethegreekff
_PDK