Calling Our Shots: Week Two
Fantasy football can at times be a very funny place to seek help when you need it most. One week, a so called “expert” will tell you to start “Player A” because “Player A” is a “can’t miss” starter who will blow up that week. A week later, that expert will deny giving that advice to their readers or followers but will be more than happy to tell you to start “Player B” this week. It would be almost comical in some instances if it wasn’t so tragic for the people who take the advice of these charlatans.
As a staff member of DLF, I can tell you that everyone affiliated with this site both loathes and detests this behavior. Every staff member on the DLF team constantly tries to learn and better ourselves so we may be of better help to you. Part of that process is being accountable for our successes, as well as our failures. We’re doing that each and every week as we’re offering personalized lineup advice as part of our premium content. We’re answering every question posted in a timely manner and helping out as best we can – those answers are public knowledge and we’ll stand by them every week.
We’ve also decided to roll out this new series entitled, “Calling Our Shots.” The premise of this series is to get some predictions for the upcoming week. Some writer’s predictions are bold, some are solid, while others, well, we wouldn’t place too much money on them in Las Vegas!
When we’re right, we’ll share our successes. When we’re wrong, it should present a great way for our loyal readers to give us a good (and hopefully friendly) ribbing. The point is we don’t hide from the advice we give or the predictions we make.
We also want to give you the same chance.
Our community is an essential part of the success of DLF. This weekly series also asks YOU, the readers, to post your own shots in the comments below. We all have that coach in our league who says, “Yeah, I could have told you not to start that guy” and perhaps that’s even you who thinks that! Well, here’s your chance to make those bold predictions when they count – before the games are played. We invite everyone to blow up the comments section again today and make any player predictions you want for the week – this will give you a perfect opportunity to officially say, “I told you so,” or offer a brutally embarrassing piece of ammunition for your opponent to use against you next week. Either way, this is a great way for the community and the writers to have some good old fashioned fun each and every week!
Every person who is featured in subsequent weeks will be put into a drawing after week 17 for a free yearly membership or their renewal to our premium content and a free DLF T-shirt!
So, with one week of NFL play down, what do we know?
Well, we know that CJ Spiller, Stevan Ridley and Alfred Morris are all top ten running backs. We know that Mark Sanchez is an amazing quarterback and Alex Smith, Christian Ponder and Sam Bradford have better quarterback ratings than Drew Brees, Aaron Rodgers and Cam Newton. If we are looking for the number one receiver in football we need look no further than Darren McFadden. Should we decide to overlook McFadden, the names that start to crop up are Kevin Ogletree, Andrew Hawkins and Randall Cobb.
I mean we all saw that coming, right?
Well, don’t feel too bad, not many of us did. Some small gambles paid off for me personally. On several of my low end weekly/daily games I flexed Morris on a whim and earned myself enough money for a decent restaurant meal. However, you know how sure I was about that pick? So sure I didn’t even mention it on last week’s “Calling Our Shots” article when it wouldn’t have cost me a dime.
Enough about the weird first week of the 2012 season – let’s get to the meat of the article. How did things pan out for the staff predictions? Well, here are some nice shots that were called, especially by Steve Wyremski who hit on almost every one:
Jeff Beran – Reggie Bush finishes with 0 TDs and less than 85 total yards because Houston keys on him all game.
Ken Kelly – Julio Jones eats the Kansas City Chiefs defense alive and scores not once, but twice on Sunday.
TheFFGhost – Dexter McCluster emerges as a potent weapon for Kansas City with over 5 receptions
Steve Wyremski – Matt Ryan – 300 yards+ passing and 3+ TDs. Julio Jones – 125+ yards receiving and 1+ TD.
Eric Hardter – Julio Jones will lead all WRs in receiving yards.
Steve Wyremski – Pierre Garcon – 6+ catches, 100+ yards receiving, 1+ TD.
TheFFGhost – Garcon goes for over 100 yards in receiving, he is for real folks!
Jarrett Behar – RGIII will be a Top 10 QB Week 1.
Steve Wyremski – Stevan Ridley – 120 yards+ rushing, 25+ receiving, 1 TD.
Jaron Foster – Four Green Bay receivers will finish with 5+ receptions.
Steve Wyremski – Willis McGahee – 50 yards rushing, 0 TDs.
All in all, some decent predictions and a couple of surprises that came true. Here are a couple of others we just barely missed on:
Eric Dickens – Brandon Marshall has a double-digit reception game in being reunited w/ Cutler.
TheFFGhost – Amendola will post over 6 catches and 70 receiving yards.
We saw some really interesting predictions from our readers, but here is the entry we selected from week one from “Ches:”
- Ryan Tannehill throws for 2 INTs and maybe a TD
- No HOU WR other than Andre Johnson will eclipse 5 fantasy pts (8 in PPR)
- Sam Bradford will throw for 1 or 2 TDs, and put up decent yds, but will remain mediocre enough to keep his WRs fantasy irrelevant in most leagues
- Michael Turner has trouble keeping up with Atlanta’s new fast-paced offense; Jacquizz Rodgers rivals him in fantasy pts and outscores him in PPR leagues
- Greg Olsen puts up solid TE1 numbers; Newton struggles to rush as effectively, rushing 7 times for <25 yds and no rushing TDs
- San Diego will have a hard time rushing; passing won’t be much easier, Carson Palmer will outscore Philip Rivers in fantasy points, not because he is better, but because his weapons are.
He almost hit on this one, too:
- Russell Wilson will provide the win, but disappoint fantasy owners with less than 200 yds passing, less than 25 yds rushing, a passing TD, and 2 INTs
So Ches, congratulations, you’ve been entered in our drawing after your performance in week one. Good Luck at the end of the season!
Now let’s take a look at some of the DLF staff picks for week two:
Kansas City @ Buffalo
Eric Olinger – CJ Spiller will be held under 80 yards rushing.
Eric Dickens – Dwayne Bowe has a nice day with over 100 receiving yards.
Jacob Feldman – Stevie Johnson goes over 100 yards with a score since the Chiefs game plan to take Spiller out of the game.
TheFFGhost – Remember last week when I said McCluster was going to emerge? He’s not done yet with another 5+ receptions in this game.
Steve Wyremski – McCluster continues to be big part of offense with 100+ yards receiving.
Eric Hardter – Jamaal Charles has five receptions this week, after having zero last week.
Cleveland @ Cincinnati
Eric Olinger – Brandon Weeden throws for more yards than Andy Dalton.
Eric Dickens – AJ Green takes advantage of Joe Haden’s suspension and goes for 100+ yards & 2 TD’s.
Jacob Feldman – Cleveland will once again have under 250 yards of total offense, making all of their players fantasy benches.
TheFFGhost – Andrew Hawkins wasn’t a fluke, he posts another 6+ receptions this game.
Eric Hardter – Trent Richardson gets back on track with 90 yards and a TD, in a losing effort.
Minnesota @ Indianapolis
Eric Olinger – Adrian Peterson will break 100 yards rushing and find the end zone.
Jacob Feldman – Andrew Luck suddenly looks like an all-pro again as he lights up the Vikings for 300 yards and multiple touchdowns. He’s going to abuse bad teams, but struggle against good ones. He’s still a rookie.
Ken Kelly – Jared Allen sacks Andrew Luck not once, but twice.
Eric Hardter – Adrian Peterson rushes for 120 yards, with two TD’s.
New Orleans @ Carolina
Eric Olinger – Steve Smith and Greg Olsen both have over 100 yards receiving.
TheFFGhost – New Orleans and Drew Brees trash Carolina with three passing touchdowns.
Dan Hasty – Cam Newton will run for more yards than Mark Ingram.
Eric Hardter – Jimmy Graham has over 100 yards receiving.
Houston @ Jacksonville
Eric Olinger – Maurice Jones-Drew finds no running lanes and is held under 65 yards rushing.
Eric Dickens – The Houston Defense pressures Blaine Gabbert all day, resulting in 5+ sacks, multiple INTs and a fumble.
TheFFGhost – Both Arian Foster and Ben Tate have over 75 yards of rushing.
Eric Hardter – Blaine Gabbert is held to under 200 yards passing, with 2+ INT’s.
Oakland @ Miami
Eric Olinger – Darren McFadden catches 8+ passes for the second consecutive week.
Chris Rohrer – The Raiders offense picks apart the Dolphins. Carson Palmer throws for over 250 yards with 2 TDs. Darren McFadden rushes for at least 100 yards and a TD.
Ken Kelly – Lamar Miller is active for the first time and has at least 30 yards rushing.
Eric Hardter – Carson Palmer exceeds 300 yards passing.
Arizona @ New England
Eric Olinger – Wes Welker catches 7+ passes and at least one touchdown in a “sorry about last week” make-up game.
Jacob Feldman – Wes Welker leads the Patriots in catches this week because Tom Brady heard all of the media talking as well. Use it as a sell high moment though, because it ends up being Welker’s best week of the year as weeks 3-17 end up being a lot like week one.
Chris Rohrer – Patriots defense smothers Kolb and the Cardinals and record at least 3 sacks and 2 interceptions.
TheFFGhost – Stevan Ridley will break the century mark in rushing again this week.
Steve Wyremski – Stevan Ridley with 150+ total yards and 1 TD+.
Dan Hasty – Larry Fitzgerald scores single-digit fantasy points.
Ken Kelly – Kevin Kolb plays so poorly the Cardinals have Ryan Lindley warm up, only to realize they’re in New England down by 20 already.
Eric Hardter – Kevin Kolb is pulled for Ryan Lindley midway through the 3rd quarter.
Tampa Bay @ NY Giants
Eric Olinger – Eli Manning throws for over 300 yards and 3 TDs.
Jarrett Behar – Hakeem Nicks goes for 100 yds, 1+ TDs
Jacob Feldman – Josh Freeman will throw for over 300 yards and 2 touchdowns against the banged up Giants secondary, but the Bucs still lose the game.
TheFFGhost – Hakeem Nicks will be the number three receiver for the Giants in yards and receptions.
Dan Hasty – David Wilson will run for more yards than a mod Bradshaw.
Eric Hardter – Vincent Jackson has over 100 yards receiving, with 1 TD.
Baltimore @ Philadelphia
Eric Olinger – Ray Rice tops 150 total yards and scores at least one TD.
Ken Kelly – Ray Lewis hammers Michael Vick in the ribs midway through the second quarter and Nick Foles enters the game. Vick returns after halftime only to see the Eagles lose. After the game, he complains about being on the ground constantly.
Eric Hardter – Ray Rice exceeds 25 touches, for 140+ total yards.
Washington @ St. Louis
Eric Olinger – RGIII throws for less than 250 yards but has 50+ yards rushing.
TheFFGhost – Aldrick Robinson post over five catches and scores a touchdown.
Ken Kelly – Alfred Morris has more rushing yards than Steven Jackson.
Eric Hardter – Danny Amendola leads all WR’s on either team in receptions and yards receiving.
Dallas @ Seattle
Eric Olinger – Kevin Ogletree comes back down to earth and gets fewer than 5 catches and 50 yards. Zero TDs!
TheFFGhost – Witten recovers more completely and posts better stats than Ogletree.
Steve Wyremski – Dez Bryant has 5+ catches for 100+ yards and 1 TD+.
Dan Hasty – Kevin Ogletree will go back to being irrelevant.
Eric Hardter – DeMarcus Ware tallies another two sacks.
NY Jets @ Pittsburgh
Eric Olinger – Mark Sanchez throws more INTs than TDs.
Jacob Feldman – Jets slip back to near pre-season form and only manage one TD against the Steelers. Greene rushes for under 50 yards.
Chris Rohrer – Antonio Brown has more targets, receptions, and receiving yards than Mike Wallace.
TheFFGhost – With Revis, out both Brown and Wallace score touchdowns.
Eric Hardter – Mark Sanchez is held to under 220 yards passing, with a negative turnover differential.
Tennessee @ San Diego
Eric Olinger – Chris Johnson continues to be the new Chris Johnson and finishes the day under 3.0 YPC. He stinks!
Jacob Feldman – Chris Johnson will have another bad game, averaging under 3.0 YPC once again.
Jaron Foster – Chris Johnson 80+ yards and a TD, Gates with 2 TDs.
TheFFGhost – This is a passing affair as both sides combine for less than 150 yards rushing. Johnson racks up at least 5 receptions as the Titans take note of how the Raiders exposed their Chargers defense by passing out of the backfield.
Steve Wyremski – Jared Cook with 80+ yards receiving and 1 TD.
Eric Hardter – Jared Cook again leads the Titans in receiving.
Detroit @ San Francisco
Eric Olinger – Frank Gore rushes for 100+ yards and a TD while Calvin continues his 100 yards per game streak.
Eric Dickens – Kevin Smith piles up 100+ all-purpose yards against a tough 49ers D.
Jacob Feldman – Megatron goes over 100 yards with a touchdown on a long bomb early in the game. Pettigrew leads the team in catches on lots of underneath routes once they triple team Megatron after the bomb, but everyone else struggles.
Jaron Foster – Pettigrew finds the end zone, Hunter with 100+ total yards.
TheFFGhost – San Francisco find a way to “contain” Megatron, limiting him to less than 80 yards of receiving. Pettigrew picks up the slack by collecting over 6 receptions.
Steve Wyremski – Michael Crabtree with another 5+ catches for 80+ yards.
Dan Hasty – The Lions kick more field goals than score touchdowns.
Eric Hardter – NaVorro Bowman again outplays Patrick Willis, and has over 10 tackles.
Denver @ Atlanta
Eric Olinger – Matt Ryan and Peyton Manning both throw for over 300 yards in a Monday night shootout. No running back breaks 75 yards in the game.
Eric Dickens – Peyton Manning throws for 3+ TD’s & over 300 yards versus the Falcons.
Jarrett Behar – Peyton Manning 300+ passing yards, 3+ TDs.
Jacob Feldman – Roddy White posts more catches and more yards than Julio Jones this week due to Champ Bailey shadowing Julio.
Jaron Foster – Roddy outscores Julio, Peyton with 3 TDs.
TheFFGhost – This is an aerial clinic with over 500 passing yards between Manning and Ryan. Both teams combine for less than 150 yards rushing.
Steve Wyremski – Matt Ryan & Peyton Manning both go for 300+ and 3 TDs+ in a shoot-out.
Dan Hasty – Roddy White will outscore Julio Jones.
Ken Kelly – Michael Turner’s demise gets even worse as he starts actually running the wrong way on offense.
Eric Hardter – Matt Ryan will throw for over 350 yards in the shootout of the week.
So there you have it, the DLF staff’s “called shots.” Post your calls in the comments to see if you can’t beat the DLF experts and join last week’s winner, “Ches.” Remember, entries are judged uniqueness, accuracy and difficulty so try not to sandbag it!
Don’t forget, if we select your entry we’ll enter you into a drawing for a full year of DLF premium content and a free DLF t-shirt!
