Weekly Twitter Observations

Luke Wetta

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Each week I will be walking through the Twitterverse extracting some of the best commentary from trusted fantasy football minds. Twitter can be overwhelming with the amount of information that streams live, but it also proves to be one of the fastest and easiest ways to communicate. In 140 characters or less you can learn something about a player you may have never thought of from trends, stats or analysis.

Quote of the Week

Great post from John Paulsen that both makes you laugh while still offering some self-examination as well. Here’s to making every day the best possible.

Carson Palmer, QB ARI

The backup quarterback situation in Arizona last year was awful to say the least. After Palmer was lost to a torn ACL, the fantasy production of every remaining skill player suffered. Seven months later, Palmer is saying he “feels great” and is faster and stronger than ever. With the start of OTA’s and Carson’s health apparently in top form, the fantasy prospects of all Cardinals are again on the rise. Adam Levitan shared his sentiments on Palmer’s situation this season tweeting,


Larry Fitzgerald, Michael Floyd and John Brown serve as a solid core of receivers for Carson. As Adam pointed out, the running game is also led by guys not known for taking handoffs into the line time and again. So while his health and players around him appear to point towards fantasy success this year, what can you really expect from him in 2015 and beyond? In 2013 Palmer threw for the most yards of his career for just under 4,300 (solid, but not elite any more ). This was with both Fitz performing well and Floyd having his strong sophomore campaign. Palmer also threw for 22 interceptions that year in addition to his 24 touchdowns. His 2014 season had a much better TD/INT ratio, but Palmer has shown tendency to get picked off frequently. Caron’s age and injury history also increase the probability of him not making it through a full season. If he can play 16 games the 4,300 yards seems about right, but Palmer has also thrown for more than 30 touchdowns once in his career. For the immediate future I am not buying him being an every week starter unless you are in 2QB leagues. Looking ahead as well there is just not much to rely on long-term despite his favorable supporting cast.

Joique Bell, RB DET

There has been some decent chatter lately regarding Detroit’s Joique Bell, and most of it has not been positive as seen below.


[inlinead]As Nick mentioned, when your team is kicking the tires on other team’s castoffs at your position you might want to get your affairs in order. Of course, Ben Tate’s visit was followed up with concerns regarding Bell’s conditioning, which is not a surprise after his off-season surgeries. To top all of this off, the Lions selected rookie running back Ameer Abdullah in the second round of this year’s draft. In 2014, the Lions ranked 25th in total rushing attempts as the running backs only managed 338 attempts in total. Even if Bell were to remain healthy and get 60% of the carries in the offense, logging 200 carries may be tough. At his recent yards per carry as well he would not even hit 800 rushing yards for the season. While he has shown ability in the receiving game, Theo Riddick is around for his third season and I see him gaining a larger role in the passing game. If recent history continues I see Ameer continuing to steal more touches as the season wears on leaving you with nothing better than a Flex play in Bell. Looking at running back rankings I would rather have a player like Frank Gore despite being four years older in dynasty than Joique. If you remain a big believer in Bell, I would suggest touching base with Evan Silva who normally has daily reminders why Joique Bell should be avoided in fantasy.

Matt Cassel, QB BUF

There is little debating the quarterback situation in Buffalo is abysmal. Matt Cassel entered the off-season as the frontrunner for the starting job but after reports earlier this week from OTA’s that may not remain the case for long.

Normally you get nothing but fluff and well wishes during this time of year, but the media reports on Cassel have been nothing close. Unless you are playing in leagues that allow you to start three quarterbacks, Matt Cassel is not even on your draft sheets. This situation unfortunately affects all of the other skill players on the team. I already spoke last week on how LeSean McCoy may struggle in Buffalo partially due to quarterback play, but you also need to consider the receivers and their value. Personally I do not want any shares of Sammy Watkins in fantasy and how long do you think Percy Harvin will keep his cool when whoever is playing quarterback can’t get him the ball? The Bills still have offensive line problems as well and if the quarterback play is already being called into question the fantasy returns of all skill players should be downgraded.

Davante Adams, WR GB

Opportunity often times trumps talent in fantasy football. Just because you may like the quickness or abilities of young player does not mean he is set for football greatness. Davante Adams is one of those players whose sightline to playing time and targets is not as clear as you might hope. While he may not be the fastest guy on the field, Adams’ athleticism and size are indicators for success. His quarterback has even been gushing over his improvement and looks for him to have a solid second year. The only problem for Davante remains the opportunity. Jordy Nelson was already signed through the 2018 season and when Randall Cobb received his extension as well, Adams’ stock dropped hard. With three years left on his rookie deal Davante is not going to be able to free himself of the starters currently ahead of him. There is one tactic I would endorse though that Adam Levitan commented on recently,


I expect Levitan was referring more towards redraft leagues, but I think in dynasty the play makes even more sense. If you are a Nelson or Cobb owner, seeing if you can acquire Adams at his depleted value could be a great insurance policy. Davante could go from WR4 to clear WR2 status in minutes. I also have seen rankers value Davante all over the board so every Adams owner may not be equal. If you have the room and like the assurance he can provide I would be making offers today.

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