Fantasy Football “MUST ADDS” for Week 15

This will be you on Sunday

Who doesn’t want an added edge for the playoff run? I will help give you that edge with players that are under the radar so far and can help you BIG TIME in crunch time.

I am going to give you my top 3 players at each position that are available and that can make an impact for you in your championship run.

Well Start at Quarterback:

 

1.)    Jake Locker, Tennessee Titans – With Hasselbeck out, Locker will step in, and step into a great situation. The Titans will play the winless and pathetic Colts this Sunday. With Chris Johnson behind him, the Colts will obviously try to put 8 in the box to stop the run. Mathis and Freeney do concern me, but not enough to not make me not pickup Locker. The Colts have given up the 6th most fantasy points to Quarterbacks this season, in addition, he is avaible in 97% of  Yahoo Leagues, so he should be an easy pickup. If you are worried about Hasselback, I would not; early indications consider it a stretch to see him play this week. Also, Kerry Collins had a similar injury last season for Tennessee and missed two games.

2.)    T.J Yates, Houston Texans – Yates has a solid two-headed monster behind him in Foster and Tate, so that is a good start. Carolina also is one of the WORST defenses in the league, letting up 11th most fantasy points to Quarterbacks and will put all their attention on stopping the run this weekend. I REALLY like Yates this week; he threw for 300 yards and 2 TD’s against one of the more stout defenses in league in Cincinnati. I also see Houston’s Defense having a good day and giving Yates good field position all game. Yates is avaiable in 94% of Yahoo leagues. He is a good fit this weekend and is without question the starting quarterback, Yates is a solid pickup this week.

3.)    Tim Tebow, Denver Broncos – Tebow Mania gets a crack at the WORST DEFENSE in the league. Tebow, is tougher to get (available in only 31% of yahoo leagues) but if it happens to be your league he is available in, GET HIM. Tebow has been steadily getting better in the passing game, and his running ability cannot be ignored. He is a dual threat and a goal line BEAST. Don’t expect 300 yards passing, but I definitely think a 180 yard passing day along with 50 rush yards and 2 TD’s is a possibility.

Honorable Mention: Rex Grossman @ NYG, sounds crazy I know, but he did put 22 Fantasy Points against them in the season opener; this is if you are DESPERATE.

Running Backs:

1.) Felix Jones, Dallas Cowboys – With Demarco Murray out of the picture, Felix Jones is the unquestioned starting running back, therefore he is fantasy gold. Felix is in a dynamic offense with playmakers on the outside, he will get all the opportunities to carry the ball, and going against the worst run defense in the league in Tampa Bay does not hurt. Felix is also a reliable receiver out of the backfield, this to me is a no brainer, if he is available you get him immediately.

2.)    Roy Helu Jr. Washington Redskins – He is my favorite pick this week, the Giants are awful against the run. If the Redskins have any chance in winning this game, Helu will need to have a huge day, which is very possible. Also being on the road helps, teams tend to try to control the pace of a game when they are on the road, hence running the ball becomes much more of a necessity. Also Helu is a GREAT receiver out of the backfield; he did have 10+ Receptions in ONE GAME earlier in the year. He is available in 31% of yahoo leagues, so he may be tougher to find, but if he is available, do not hesitate, pick him up.

3.)    Ryan Grant, Green Bay Packers – With Starks still not 100%, Grant seems to be getting most of the work load. Last week Grant showed he can still be effective when used; Grant rushed for 85 yards and two touchdowns proving he is still a viable fantasy option. Rodgers does spread it around, but with Jennings out I could see Green Bay maybe try to establish a run game for the playoff run. Kansas City got run all over on by Shonn Greene and the Jets. With the Chiefs trying to stop the Packers pass, I could see big running lanes for Grant and a big day. My prediction; 90 yards and 2 Touchdowns.

Honorable Mention: Sammy Morris, Dallas Cowboys @ Tampa Bay.

Wide Receivers

1.)    Donald Driver/James Jones, Green Bay Packers – I could not decide between the two, both guys can and should have productive games for the Packers.  Although Kansas City has given up only the 24th most Fantasy points to Wide Receivers, do not let the numbers fool you. Green Bay shows no signs of slowing down and with Jennings out, look for these two guys to have productive days this Sunday. As long as Aaron Rodgers is throwing the ball, expect good things. Jones is available in 47% of yahoo leagues and Driver is available in 84% of yahoo leagues, if you need wide outs, Green Bay should help you this week.

2.)    Nate Washington, Tennessee Titans – Washington had six catches for 130 yards and a touchdown this past game, and I do not see him slowing down against a bad Colt secondary that has given up the 7th most fantasy points to wide receivers this season.  Also with 8 men in the box, Washington will have a lot of one on one opportunities that I think he will win. Nate is available in 28% of Yahoo leagues, so he could be a tough find, but if he is there, pick up him before your opponent does.

3.)    Kevin Walter, Houston Texans – With Andre Johnson out, Carolina stacking the box to stop the run, Walter should have a productive game. Do not be fooled by Carolina allowing the 19th most Fantasy points to Wide Receivers, again the stats can be misleading. Walter is the #1 Wide Receiver in the passing game, and with a lot of one on one matchups, this can also be a big score for your fantasy team. Walter is available in 89% of yahoo fantasy leagues, if you are desperate for Wide outs and the names listed above are not available, Walter is your guy.

Honorable Mention:  Titus Young, Detroit Lions, Mario Manningham, New York Giants, and Demaryius Thomas, Denver Broncos.

Tight Ends:

1.)    Owen Daniels/Joel Dreessen, Houston Texans – What is a rookie quarterback’s best friend? TIGHT ENDS. Houston has two of them at their disposal. Daniels is coming of his best game and leads the team in catches with 51, and has 644 yards with 3 TD’s.  Dreeseen on the other hand, has been coming on as of late. Dreessen has had a touchdown grab in each of his last 3 games. In addition, out of Dreessen’s 19 catches, six of them were for touchdowns.  Also it helps that Carolina (like I said earlier) has one of the WORST defenses in the NFL. Both these guys are good options; Dreessen is available in 97% of Yahoo leagues, while Daniels is only available in 16% of Yahoo leagues.

2.)    Jake Ballard, New York Giants – Ballard is a bit of a gamble with his wrist injury (does not seem serious), but he is the starting Tight end on an offense that is clicking on all cylinders at the moment. Ballard is available in 54% of yahoo leagues and faces a Redskin defense that cannot cover the tight end (2nd most fantasy points allowed against TE). With Eli Manning in full command of the offense and using all of his weapons, look for Ballard to have a productive game (50 yards, touchdown).

3.)    Brent Celek, Philadelphia Eagles – This is a deep sleeper pick. The Jets have been bad against the tight end in the Rex Ryan Era, couple that with the loss of Jim Leonard, this could be a good matchup for Celek. The Jets do not have the speed at Linebacker to matchup with Celek, and even with Leonard in the lineup the Jets were still vulnerable across the middle, now might as well put a huge X in the middle of the field. Also I see the Jets playing a lot of combo coverage’s (man on the outside, zone in the middle) this really favors Celek when you add the fact that Vick can run.

Honorable Mention – Visanthe Shiancoe, Minnesota Vikings VS. New Orleans Saints.

Defense:

1.)    Tennessee Titans – Curtis Painter is the Quarterback; the Colts offense has been a train wreck all year. Titans’ defense had 18 fantasy points against the colts earlier in the year, and that was in Indy. With the Titans playing at home, I just don’t see how you don’t start the Titans Defense. Titans Defense is available in 69% of yahoo leagues; this is your best bet on defense, if you see them, GET THEM.

2.)    Cincinnati Bengals – Steven Jackson does scare me, but the Bengals have shut down the run all year long, and with Bradford struggling mightily this is another great matchup for fantasy owners. The Rams have given up the most points to defenses all year;  the Bengals defense is available in 42% of yahoo leagues, another no brainer here.

3.)    Seattle Seahawks – The Bears have looked awful since Cutler has been out, their offense is a disaster, and also stud running back Matt Forte is out. This is a very underrated pick in my opinion, Seattle’s Defense has not been bad this year, Although they have not been the same defense on the road, the Bears offense is just that bad. Seattle’s defense is available in 57% of Yahoo Leagues.

Honorable Mention: Atlanta (Home against Jacksonville)

Let The Children Play: Top Rookies in The NFL

The 2011 season has been one full of key injuries to top veteran players.

Kenny Britt went down early in the season giving room for Nate Washington and Damian Williams to step in and make an impact.

Peyton Manning hasnt played a snap all season giving Curtis Painter a chance to….go win less.

Andre Johnson has missed a chunk of the season along with Arian Foster and Matt Shaub. Matt Forte just went down last week with a knee injury, and Miles Austin has missed a majority of the season with a hamstring injury.

I can probably go on and on with this list, but lets discuss the more impressive part of the season, the rookies.

This is who I believe are the top rookies of 2011:

Julio Jones

In the 2011 draft, the Atlanta Falcons traded away multiple draft picks for an early first round pick to grab Julio Jones.

His Performance in the combine was simply amazing, and he did it all with a broken bone in his foot. He has been one of Matt Ryan’s most reliable receivers catching 30 passes for nearly 500 yards and is Atlanta’s main deep ball threat.

I am sure you all remember the show he put on against the Colts a couple of weeks ago.

5.WR  Torrey Smith: Baltimore Ravens

Remember what Torrey Smith did to the St. Louis Rams in week 3?

In the first quarter he caught 3 passes, all for touchdowns and a total of 130 yards. These were his FIRST three catches of his career. Talk about a confidence booster.

This rookie has topped 150 yards TWICE this season. He made himself into one of the most feared deep ball threats in the league, and i am sure Mr. Flacco loves having him on the squad.

4. RB Demarco Murray: Dallas Cowboys

Demarco Murray made his first appearance when Felix Jones went down in the middle of the season. He seems to break a 50 plus yard run every game he’s played.

He is very fast and agile which makes him extremely tough to wrap up. He hits the holes better than any rookie running back that I have seen in a while. He’s rushed for over 100 yards in three games, and in his first start as a running back, he surpassed 250 yards rushing.

Not to mention Murray broke Emmitt Smiths Total rushing yards in a single game record.

3. LB Von Miller: Denver Broncos

Von Miller

VON MILLER IS NASTY!

The rookie linebacker in Denver can easily win defensive player of the year. He along with Champ Bailey make up an extremely dangerous defense. With 11 sacks and 58 tackles, Von Miller is becoming the Ray Lewis of the Denver Broncos defense.

Its simple, Von Miller is a huge part of Tim Tebow’s success.

2. WR AJ Green: Cincinnati Bengals

AJ Green is the top receiver on the Bengals, pairing up with another amazing rookie QB that I haven’t mentioned yet.

He has 745 yards and 6 touchdowns, leading all rookies in both categories. You can easily mix those stats up with that of an 8 year vet. He has developed  very strong and early chemistry with his quarterback.

Can you say Peyton Manning/Marvin Harrison?

AJ Green can be compared to Julio Jones and other rookie wide receivers, but what puts him on a different level is his consistency. He is a FREAK OF NATURE and he dares any corner back to line up in front of him.
 
1. (a) QB Cam Newton: Carolina Panthers  (b) Andy Dalton: Cincinnati Bengals

(b)  Thanks to Carson Palmer and his stubbornness, Andy Dalton has himself a starting position as the Bengals quarterback.

He lead the team to a 7-4 record, and has played some very impressive games. Like I mentioned before, He has an amazing relationship with wide-receiver AJ Green and it seems like they will be tearing the NFL up for the next 10+ years.

Dalton is so dangerously accurate and has been doing it consistently. With Green and Dalton being so consistent, all NFL fans should be excited to watch the next best duo.

Congrats to Dalton on becoming the future of the Bengals organization.

CAM NEWTON SHOCKED THE FOOTBALL WORLD:

Cam Newton

Who would have thought that the College style quarterback would be 7th in the league in passing yards. Last week he broke the record for most rushing touchdowns for a quarterback in a single season in NFL HISTORY. When you make history as a rookie, you should be recognized.

He does have more interceptions than touchdowns and turns the ball over a lot, but so did Peyton Manning in his rookie year. His ability to tear up defenses as a rookie is just boosting his confidence.

I would bet any amount of money that in the near future Cam Newton will be making a run towards the Superbowl, possibly seeing Andy Dalton on the other sideline. I have a good feeling they will be seeing each other in a couple of big games.

My only problem with Cam Newton is that he does run a lot and he tends to lower his shoulder at linebackers. If he doesn’t change this habit, he eventually will run into one of the leagues bad ass linebackers and lose his head.

Just slide dude!

As a colt fan this season has obviously been a huge disappointment, but I do enjoy watching the future class of the NFL tear it up in their rookie year.