Sneaky Starts

Thomas Jones, New York Jets (vs. Bengals) - I haven’t exactly been Jones’ biggest supporter over the years. I’ve always considered him to be a rather low-ceiling runner. But when boring backs like Jones get the Bengals on the schedule, it could end up being a big day. Cincy ranks next to last in rushing yards allowed and is not much better in rushing touchdowns allowed. Jones will get his 20 carries and is worth a start over ailing players (LaDainian Tomlinson, anyone?) or underperforming ones (Ryan Grant, anyone?).

Edgerrin James, Arizona Cardinals (vs. Cowboys) - Maybe it’s the week for old, boring running backs. James takes on a Dallas defense that will surely be distracted by the potent Cardinal passing game. James has three scores over the last two weeks and he should get at least another this week. Okay, his yardage numbers are pitiful and there’s no reason to expect a sudden jump to more than four yards per carry, but Kurt Warner will propel the offensive unit inside the red zone, which is where James gains his value.

Correll Buckhalter, Philadelphia Eagles (@ 49ers) - With Brian Westbrook suffering two consecutive injuries, it’s time, once again, to roll the dice with Buckhalter. With Westbrook ailing in Weeks Three and Four, Buckhalter totaled more than 170 total yards and two scores. Also, Donovan McNabb will probably put the Eagles on his back, which means whoever the running back is, they probably won’t see 20 carries. Still, a touchdown or two is definitely possible.

Justin Fargas, Oakland Raiders (@ Saints) - With Darren McFadden dinged up, it looks like Fargas will be given the lion’s share of carries for the Raiders. The Saints aren’t really good at stopping anything defensively, so they probably welcome backs to run for “only” 4.5 per carry against them. Since a veritable plethora of backs are on bye this weekend, Fargas makes for a nice second, but preferably flex, fill in.

Surprising Sits

LaDainian Tomlinson, San Diego Chargers (vs. Patriots) - It truly saddens me to have Tomlinson in this section. Unfortunately, the injury has almost completely neutered his fantasy value. I do think he will come around after the Charger bye week, but that’s down the road. For now, it’s okay to bench Tomlinson if you have a legitimate back-up option.

Roddy White, Atlanta Falcons (vs. Bears) - Alright, I know you’ll all probably start White, but there’s reason to be worried about this one. The Bears have been very good against passing TDs, ranking seventh overall. They do give up yardage, but that’s mainly because they’ve been ahead a lot and have the most pass attempts against in the league. White has been remarkaby good, but has faltered slightly against the better defenses. So, go ahead and start him (I guess), but don’t expect a huge game.

Good luck in Week Six.

October 11th, 2008
Categories: Andy Goldstein, FOOTBALL, Prepare Thyself . Author: Andy Goldstein . Comments: No Comments

And the 2008-09 RotoRob NBA Draft Kit rages on as Andy checks in with his Sixers report.

I might be somewhat biased (okay, very biased), but there are few teams as compelling this season as the Philadelphia 76ers. Last season was supposed to be a rebuilding process after the team traded away all-world guard Allen Iverson. In fact, it started off just that way with the squad limping to an 18-28 record through January. Coach Maurice Cheeks, at the urging of new General Manager Ed Stefanski, inserted some youngsters into the lineup. Thaddeus Young, Louis Williams, and Rodney Carney were given some burn not to win games, but to assess their value. But something funny happened. They kept outplaying opponents. February started with a five game winning streak. The fledgling Sixers ran opponents into submission. Then they started taking games from legitimate contenders like Orlando, Phoenix, and Boston. Then they clinched a playoff spot with a 22-12 record to close out the campaign. Then they took two of the first three from heavily favoured Detroit.

Okay, so the Pistons got their heads on straight and the Sixers were dispatched. If the team did nothing in the offseason, they’d still be getting plenty of hype. But they didn’t rest on their laurels at all. In fact, Stefanski and the Sixers made the biggest move of the offseason by signing (pilfering?) Elton Brand from the Clippers. A healthy Brand, of course, gives the Sixers a low-post scoring presence they desperately need in playoff basketball. It also gives an already solid, swarming defense, which was ranked eighth in efficiency last year, another dominating inside presence. Sure, Philly has some potential issues with outside shooting and figuring out where exactly to play Young, but it has the potential to make a run to the top of the Eastern Conference standings.

Projected Starting Lineup

PG: Andre Miller
SG: Andre Iguodala
SF: Young
PF: Brand
C: Samuel Dalembert

Key Bench Players: G Williams, G Willie Green, F Reggie Evans, F Donyell Marshall, F-C Marreese Speights (Rookie)

Position Battles

The Sixers are relatively set, especially in the starting rotation. I think the biggest “battle” will be how many minutes Young gets and where exactly he gets them. The Sixers can play big with Dalembert, Brand, and Young in together. Or they can play small with Brand at centre and Young at power forward, where he was most of the time last year. A lot depends on how Young does on both ends of the court. He held his own defensively last year, but if he can’t keep up with the quicker shooting forwards around the league, he could see his minutes dwindle.

The back-up centre position is interesting because Speights is pretty much the only guy thanks to Jason Smith’s knee injury which will cost him the entire season. Dalembert found himself in foul trouble often last season and Brand is coming off an injury plagued year. Speights will have to develop quickly to give both breathers. Other than that, expect a similar rotation as the Sixers used in the playoffs last year. Evans won’t see as much action as Young or Marshall, but he’s still their energy spark from the bench.

Stud: No need to get cute here as Brand has always been around 20 and 10 his whole career. Both numbers could go down a little with so many talented players around, but he should still be plenty effective. The biggest worry is really whether last year’s injury is truly behind him.

Dud: It’s hard to find a “dud” per se, but I’ll pick Miller as being somewhat overrated. His scoring shot up almost four points per game because he had to score during many stretches last season. The goal this year will be for Miller to revert back to his normal “pass first, shoot second” role. Again, he’s not really a bust waiting to happen, he just won’t help out the scoring category as much as he did last season, and that’s an important consideration when assessing his fantasy value.

Sleeper: Oh lord, Young or bust. His combination of size, lankiness, and quicks make him an absolutely compelling weapon for Cheeks and the Sixers. In the playoffs against the Pistons, he played out of position and contributed 10 and 5 per game. He also had better than a steal per game. Did I mention he just turned 20 a few months ago? Those that follow the Sixers know that Iguodala is a scorer and Brand is an alpha force. But they also know Young can become a superstar. There were times during those Piston playoff games last season (did I mention he was 19 then?) where Young was the best player on the court. In three or four years, if he progresses well, this could be his team.

Rookies to Watch: As mentioned above, there’s a feeling that the Sixers got a steal with Speights in the draft. He was one of the more dominant forces in the Summer League, which should of course be taken with a grain of salt. Mainly, it looks right now like he’ll have to get minutes at centre, and that could lead to a number of rebounds.

Fantasy Stories to Watch

The Sixers are such a deep squad, some talented guys are not going to get enough playing time or shots. It’s just bound to happen. So early on, closely check the box scores. Iguodala, Miller, and Dalembert could all see their scoring go down with Young and Brand taking chances away. Of course, Cheeks could choose to play smaller and Young could be left out of the mix for stretches. I think the early games will be a good indicator of where exactly the franchise plans to get its scoring from.

October 7th, 2008
Categories: 2008-09 NBA Draft Kit, Andy Goldstein, BASKETBALL . Author: Andy Goldstein . Comments: 1 Comment

For the second week in a row, the most compelling mid-week NFL story line is something that happened off the field. Al Davis and the Raider organization planned a little presser for Tuesday. Here’s my reaction in real time:

“Okay, Lane Kiffin is gonna be fired. It’s crazy what was going on, but it’s kind of been brewing for a while. Nothing unexpected. Alright. There’s Al. He actually looks good compared to the last couple times I’ve seen him. Okay, he seems a bit mad. Oh, a letter. That sounds nice…Holy Crap.

(23 minutes later)

Holy Crap.”

After digesting the full briefing (and re-watching it about six times, purely for research purposes, of course) I think I can give my honest assessment. People will come down pretty hard on Davis and say, well, things like this or this. I understand those reactions. Davis has been a comical train-wreck for some time now. That said, I think both sides should take equal blame. I think it’s obvious Davis was telling the truth about a lot of what he said. Kiffin wanted Brady Quinn and not JaMarcus Russell. Kiffin wanted the Arkansas coaching job and probably never got over the fact that Atlanta allowed Bobby Petrino to leave mid-season and Davis didn’t let him do the same.

At the end of the day, Davis is still off his rocker, but at least he has a passion for the Oakland Raiders. It was clear to me that Kiffin wanted no part of that team or his job. So, Davis may never be able to rebuild a winning organization, but he was right to part ways with Kiffin. Just my two cents. On to Week Five.

Sneaky Starts

Steve Breaston and Jerheme Urban, Arizona Cardinals (vs. Bills) – Yes, we all saw the hit that Anquan Boldin took last week. I was obviously inconsolable and, yes, I’ve been doing Google news searches for Boldin about 20 times a day this week. He should be okay, eventually, but probably won’t play this weekend. That means Breaston and Urban are both interesting plays. Buffalo has a solid defense all around, but Kurt Warner can chuck the ball. Breaston will assume the starter role, and I expect a solid 60 receiving yards from him.

Rudi Johnson, Detroit Lions (vs. Bears) – I have no idea why the Lions need so many running backs, but if any of them have a chance to succeed this week, it’s Johnson. You can’t expect a huge day against Chicago’s somewhat stingy defense, but a cheap score could be in order. Also, Johnson flashed some receiving potential as well, something the Bengals never afforded him. In this bye-stricken week, Johnson could be a decent plug in.

Jerious Norwood, Atlanta Falcons (@ Packers) – This is another bye-week-only kind of guy. If you’re deciding between Norwood and someone like Selvin Young, go with Norwood. The couple games where Michael Turner went ballistic, Norwood went for more than 100 total yards both times and scored once. Again, it’s a risk since Norwood isn’t the top option, but it’s a decent risk against the Packers’ woeful run defense.

Bo Scaife, Tennessee Titangs (@ Ravens) – With the Browns, Jets, and Raiders on bye, the position most hurt is probably tight end. That’s sort of an indictment of the teams that aren’t playing this week, but it does mean that I have to find a sneaky start at the position. Scaife has been streaky with two good games and two bad ones, but this game should result in a cheap score. Besides, you don’t get many chances to start a guy named ‘Bo’ anymore.

Good luck in Week Five.

October 3rd, 2008
Categories: Andy Goldstein, FOOTBALL, Prepare Thyself . Author: Andy Goldstein . Comments: No Comments

Well, the big news this week has nothing to do with Week Three or Ronnie Brown and the Dolphins. Nope, it’s all about Matt Millen’s departure in Detroit. I have no fan-connection to the Lions beyond my enjoyment of watching the way Barry Sanders used to run around hapless foes. That said, I have a warm spot in my heart on behalf of Detroitites (?) everywhere. Millen, who was actually very good as a broadcaster, has been a scourge on the Lions. It goes beyond his personnel moves, which included drafting three first round wide outs and zero first round lineman (offensive or defensive) — It was his maddening 1984-esque approach that things were always improving. Just the other day, Millen was commenting about how the team looked better in practice, which turned me into Allen Iverson.

Basically, I feel sorry for you, Lion fans. But at least your basketball and hockey teams have won titles recently. I’m a Philly fan, for heaven’s sake. I got nothing! On to Week Four. And I promise to actually find a surprising sit, since that mysteriously didn’t happen last week. I promise I’m not drinking while I write these. Okay, a little homemade limoncello, but that’s to be expected!

Sneaky Starts

Trent Edwards, Buffalo Bills (@ Rams) – As I detailed last week, it’s the Rams. You can start anyone and everyone against them. It doesn’t hurt that Edwards has quietly turned in a solid, safe season so far, a la David Garrard from last year.

Jason Campbell, Washington Redskins (@ Cowboys) – Quarterbacks have fared well against Dallas this season, with Donovan McNabb and Aaron Rodgers turning in good fantasy performances. Not only has Campbell been strong this season, but he lit up the Cowboys last year (348 yards and two scores in Week 11) as well. Santana Moss and Chris Cooley are playing well, so there’s no reason to expect a down game for the Washington passing offense.

Maurice Jones-Drew, Jacksonville Jaguars (vs. Texans) – Despite the offensive line woes, I’ve maintained a certain amount of optimism for Jones-Drew and the Jaguar running backs. That worked out nicely last weekend, so I hope everyone was listening to me out there in series-of-tubes land. The Texans have struggled against the run and have had a tumultuous season for sure. Jones-Drew should not only have a decent rushing day, but the aggressive Texan pass rush will lead to more than a few dump offs to the diminutive back in space.

Chris Perry, Cincinnati Bengals (vs. Browns) – Much like the Rams against, well, everyone, the Browns allow fantasy owners start running backs at will. They have twice given up more than 150 rushing yards and Perry should benefit. He has increased his yard-per-carry each week and with a little effort and little luck, might just get that number to about 4.0 this week. You can do it, Chris! I believe in you!

On Second Thought

New Orleans Wide Receivers - Well, last week I said that David Patten was the Saint wide out worth watching and that ended rather poorly for me. Robert Meachem also got some love from experts and, while he has a touchdown and a long reception this season, his total of three receptions is unimpressive. Now Jeremy Shockey has been lost for three-to-six weeks and Patten is out in the short term with an injury. Everyone will jump on the Meachem bandwagon. I just don’t buy it. Lance Moore got more looks from Drew Brees than Meachem, Patten, or Devery Henderson. I’m actually significantly worried the Saint passing game can stay afloat with the injuries to Shockey, Patten and Marques Colston. Meachem might be worth a waiver wire flyer (if he’s still available), but I’m still a little tepid on what he can actually bring to the table.

Good luck and, as always, email me any questions about your Week Four roster predicaments. Actually, you can e-mail me any question you like. I’m opening the floor up to dating advice, discussion about The Hills, or whatever floats your boat.

September 25th, 2008
Categories: Andy Goldstein, FOOTBALL, Prepare Thyself . Author: Andy Goldstein . Comments: 3 Comments

Chances are, you didn’t have former VT star Eddie Royal in your lineup in Week One; he wasn’t quite as studly in Week Two, but found the endzone again.

Week Two was a welcome change for wide outs. While Week One saw plenty of good producers, many weren’t in any starting fantasy line ups. We’re looking right at you, Eddie Royal and DeSean Jackson. This past slate of games, however, was different. And the torch bearer was Anquan Boldin, my pick for greatest human being ever on Earth (GHBEE) . He scored three times, pulled in 140 receiving yards, and I think delivered a baby on the way home from the game. Good stuff all around. But that’s in the rear view now, so let’s find some sneaky starts and surprising sits for all you pesky and voracious fantasy freaks.

Sneaky Starts

Matt Hasselbeck, Seattle Seahawks (vs. Rams) - Honestly, I don’t even care who is playing the Rams. Every quarterback playing them every week will be a sneaky start. Yes, even Tyler Thigpen would qualify. I don’t even like Hasselbeck. He’s gimpy and the team brought back Koren Robinson and traded for Keary Colbert. I don’t think there’s a proper way to convey how desperate a team has to be to bring back Robinson, but I will say that even Chris Henry and the Bengals feel badly for them. But, at the end of the day, it’s the Rams. RotoRob could be started safely against them, and he only follows the CFL!

Jake Delhomme, Carolina Panthers (@ Vikings) - Two big keys to why Delhomme is worth starting consideration this week: Steve Smith is the obvious one. Delhomme has done an okay job with his depleted wide out corps, which isn’t a ringing endorsement, but it really could have been worse. The other big point to keep in mind is that Carolina is facing the Vikings, which means it can just give up on the run right now. The Vikings stymied Joseph Addai and really looked like the run stuffers of old. If the Panthers attempt more than 15 runs, they will lose. I’m stating it right now.

Larry Johnson, Kansas City Chiefs (@ Falcons) - Well, it’s the Falcons. And if you were dense enough to ignore our constant warnings about LJ over the last two seasons, you might as well start him here since it’s basically your last chance to. Enjoy it!

LenDale White, Tennessee Titans (vs. Texans) - In its only game this year, Houston allowed 4.7 yards per carry and three scores. The Titans’ top back is undoubtedly Chris Johnson, who will certainly get his and should be in every teams starting line up this week. White, however, will also get enough touches to be relevant. Don’t expect a huge yardage total, but he should get at least one cheap touchdown.

David Patten, New Orleans Saints (@ Broncos) - With Marques Colston out, Reggie Bush finished with the most catches and Robert Meachem scored the only touchdown through the air. The most telling stat, however, has to be targets (or looks) and Patten
won out. Sure, he only converted half of his looks into catches, but if he improves that just a tad, he could be a seven- or eight-catch for 80-to-100-yard wide out.

Mark Clayton, Baltimore Ravens (vs. Browns) - I’m not giving up on Clayton. The Browns defense couldn’t even hold the Steelers to under 185 passing yards while playing in Hurricane Ike. Assuming the winds stay under 50 miles per hour, Clayton and the Ravens should be in for a big game.

Good luck in Week Three and, as always, you can e-mail me any fantasy football questions.

September 19th, 2008
Categories: Andy Goldstein, FOOTBALL, Prepare Thyself . Author: Andy Goldstein . Comments: No Comments