Sunday Morning Huddle: Week Ten
Let’s face it, there’s an enormous amount of information out there this morning. We’re not going to waste your time by repeating the news and notes about who’s in or out this week, since that’s really not what you visit us for. We’re also not going to do another article on starts or sits this week – we already have the personalized lineup advice for you on the premium content. Again, there are 100 places you can go for that, so we do something different on Sundays for our Premium Content subscribers every year.
The Sunday Morning Huddle goes through each game and states what we’re looking to see from a dynasty perspective. We’ll pick one player from each team who we have our eye on and describe why their weekend performance is a key one for them in relation to their dynasty value.
Early Games
Philadelphia at Green Bay
Nick Foles was amazing last week as he threw for an NFL record-tying seven touchdowns against the helpless Raiders. Will we see that Foles or the one who went 11-fo-29 for 80 yards against the Cowboys his prior start. Chances are we see something in between obviously, but another positive performance will further solidify his place as the future starter for the Eagles.
The Packers have lost Aaron Rodgers for a bit and Seneca Wallace is squarely in the spotlight. If Wallace can’t do any better after a week of practice than he did against Chicago last week, all the Packers skill position players are going to get a downgrade in their short term value. On the plus side, Eddie Lacy is looking like a bona fide RB1 at the moment.
Jacksonville at Tennessee
We’re focusing our attention on Denard Robinson, who has been elevated to the backup position behind Maurice Jones-Drew. The Jags seem to be excited to get him the football more, but that would also mean they’re actually in the game to do so and not down by double figures. Let’s see if they hold true to getting him the ball, especially since it could further deflate the value of MJD.
Dynasty league owners are hoping and praying the Chris Johnson we saw last week for the Titans shows up again today. After all, he posted his first 100 yard game of the season with 150 against the Rams. Add in his first two touchdowns of the season and you had a monster fantasy day we simply haven’t seen much from him over the past few years. He has a cake matchup today, so let’s see if it was just a mirage.
Buffalo at Pittsburgh
The Bills welcome back EJ Manuel today, who should provide a spark to an offense that also features a healthy CJ Spiller for the first time in weeks. The Steelers were shredded by the Patriots last week, so they’re ripe for the picking today. Can Manuel pick up where he left off and continue to look like a franchise quarterback for a team who has been searching for one since the days of Jim Kelly?
Rumors are swirling that Ben Roethlisberger is angling for a trade out of Pittsburgh. We already know what his value is in a dynasty league, but let’s focus on his demeanor today. Does he look like a man that frustrated? If he does want out, all bets are off for the future of the Steelers.
Oakland at NY Giants
In a shocking development, Darren McFadden is hurt again. Rashad Jennings gets the nod again at running back and he’s been pretty effective thus far. He should get a healthy dose of carries today and could conceivable start to eat away at McFadden’s carries whether he’s healthy or not.
For the Giants, it’s time for this offense to step up and Eli Manning is squarely in the cross hairs. Manning will likely never be a QB1 in fantasy leagues, but he’s always been a reliable and high-end QB2. However, this year has been a disaster as he’s thrown for ten touchdowns and 15 interceptions, derailing some dynasty teams in the process. He has a matchup against the secondary the Eagles tore up last week, so if there’s a day for him to re-emerge, this has to be the one.
St. Louis at Indianapolis
Zac Stacy has been great lately and he’ll look to keep it rolling against the Colts today. Over his last two games, Stacy has 261 rushing yards and two scores to go along with seven catches for another 45 yards. Stacy is showing versatility, explosiveness and power along the way and quickly rising up the ranks of dynasty league running back assets. The world will be watching again today to see if we really do have a stud on our hands.
The Colts are saying they’re dedicated to getting Trent Richardson more involved. We’re saying he is what he is at this point. Â Something’s gotta give!
Seattle at Atlanta
The Seahawks offense has looked putrid over the past two weeks as they’ve struggled against the likes of the Rams and Bucs. Marshawn Lynch is coming off his best rushing game of the season and look for the Falcons to see a healthy dose of Lynch today against an Atlanta team just trying to play out the string. The Seahawks are traditionally awful in early road games, so don’t just assume this is a blowout.
For Atlanta, Matt Ryan is pressing. The return of Roddy White today is a huge story as he could provide Ryan with a much needed security blanket. White claims he’s back to 100% and able to plant, cut and run better than he has all season. Many owners out there are counting on Ryan and White for the stretch run, so today is a big day. If they can be successful against one of the best secondaries in the league, it will be a good sign for the last part of the season since we know the Falcons are going to be trailing thanks to that swiss cheese defense they have.
Cincinnati at Baltimore
The Bengals have found a gem in Giovani Bernard and he’s expected to play even though he’s a little banged up. At some point, the Bengals are going to have to get him the football more as good things seem to happen when he has it. Bernard comes off his first two touchdown game last week and seems to be rounding into form. Hopefully he’s healthy enough today to make a few more plays and solidify his status in dynasty leagues.
The Ravens are terrible and Ray Rice isn’t helping. There’s no doubt the offensive line isn’t blocking anyone, but Rice isn’t looking like the same player and it’s shocking. Has Rice hit the wall this early in his career?
Detroit at Chicago
Reggie Bush will be counted on this week as he takes on a team he destroyed early in the year with 173 yards and a touchdown on just 22 touches. We know what Calvin Johnson can do, but Bush may just be the key as the Lions try to keep the ball away from the Bears. Bush has been fantastic this season and as long as he stays healthy, dynasty owners are going to be rewarded.
The Bears welcome back Jay Cutler from a groin injury today. Cutler was on pace for his best season in years (maybe ever) before going down and he’ll need to be on target today in order to keep up with the Lions offense. Cutler has a good matchup and should return to his early season form if he doesn’t re-injure himself in the process.
Late Games
Carolina at San Francisco
The Panthers welcomed back Jonathan Stewart last week and he actually looked pretty good with nine carries, 43 rushing yards, three catches and 22 more receiving yards in their win over the Falcons. If Stewart can stay healthy, he certainly has the ability to really start eating into the carries of DeAngelo Williams, making him more irrelevant in fantasy leagues. The running back position in Carolina is a mess and it’s not looking pretty from a fantasy perspective.
This is going to be a tough game for the 49ers and Colin Kaepernick needs to step up. He’s been effective this year, but not magical as many owners expected him to be. On the season, he still has just two games where he’s posted at least 200 yards passing. He may need to today, so let’s see just how much he’s evolved and how he performas against an underrated defense.
Houston at Arizona
With Arian Foster on the shelf for the season, it’s time for Ben Tate to show the world what he can do. An impending free agent, Tate now has a golden opportunity to show other teams he should be coveted in the off-season. With the future of Foster in the air, it’s time for Tate to take this chance and run with it – let’s just hope his ribs can hold up.
For the Cardinals, Andre Ellington is being promised more time and his owners are rejoicing. Ellington has been an absolute rookie draft steal this season and he should get his chances against Case Keenum and the Texans today.
Denver at San Diego
The Broncos return to action today and the fantasy eyes of the dynasty community continue to be on Knowshon Moreno. For more on Moreno, click here.
The Chargers found their own rookie draft gem in Keenan Allen, who is quickly becoming one of the most coveted assets in all dynasty leagues. Over his past five games, Allen has posted 31 catches, 497 receiving yards and three touchdowns. If you take those numbers and extrapolate them over an entire season, we’re looking at a player capable of posting 99 catches, 1,590 yards and ten touchdowns over a the course of a season. Let’s see what Mr. Allen has in store for us this afternoon.
Sunday Night Football
Dallas at New Orleans
The Cowboys’ Dez Bryant has been fantastic this season, but reports are he’s hurting and actually received an Epidural injection this week. No, he’s not pregnant. The Cowboys are in trouble if Bryant isn’t playing well, so he’ll be in focus tonight for sure. His health and performance are paramount to the success of the Cowboys.
Can anyone stop Jimmy Graham? No, probably not.
Ken is on Twitter at DLF_KenK
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