Week three proved to be yet another exciting one in the 2014 NFL season. The undefeateds lost more than half of their prestigious club as four teams dropped to 2-1 while only three moved on to 3-0. The Eagles, Bengals and Arizona Cardinals are all that’s left in the NFL that are undefeated. I am sure that is a sentence no one ever imagined to be spoken. The Oakland Raiders and Tampa Bay Buccaneers can’t buy a win as Tampa does not look like they are in lovie with Smith in their first season.
Week four is the first of those pesky byes and six teams have off for the weekend. There will be no Peyton Manning or Russell Wilson this week, nor will there be any of the surprising high-powered Cleveland Brown rushing attack of Terrance West and Isaiah Crowell. The Austin Davis led Rams will have a week to get their injury-plagued heads straight, and we have one guarantee. The Cardinals and Bengals will remain undefeated heading into week five, but if there is a way to lose a game on your week off, there is no doubt in my mind that Marvin Lewis would find out how to do it.
Don’t worry, folks. There is still plenty of football action going down. I will toot my own horn a little bit. The last two weeks I have been on fire with my mini-predicitions. That means this week, it should all come crumbling down.
Well, folks, after a the NFL brought a whirlwind of chaos last week, things simmered down a bit this week leaving it a bit less wacky than we like here at Wayniac Nation. Simply because criminal activity has simmered down doesn’t mean there is any less to report on the week of sports that was. While some teams have locked up their divisions down the MLB’s final stretch the Wild Card race, especially in the AL, is still wide open. The US of A locked down a World Cup title, however it wasn’t done with their feet. And, as usual, Roger Goodell stayed prevalent for doing and saying all of the wrong things.
Wayniac Nation put a rough week one behind us and looked better on our starts and sits for week two. Unfortunately for J.D. who is a huge Atlanta Falcons fan, he was dead on about sitting Matt Ryan against a tough Cincinnati Bengals defense. Ryan registered roughly 12 points which is not going to win you many fantasy games in today’s NFL. I was on point in telling you to sit both RGIII and Reggie Bush. Bush tallied 32 total yards while seeing less touches than Joique Bell for the second week in a row. RGIII‘s injury woes continued and it appears he may be a sit for the rest of the season. He tallied three points before leaving Sunday’s bout. I will admit I swung and missed on sitting Antonio Gates, but if you saw a seven catch, 96 yard, three touchdown output from the 34-year old against the league’s best defense, please let me know below and come write for us!
The big news was the rash of fantasy mega-stars who are now out for the foreseeable future due to injury or suspension. Zygi Wilf sure made it sound like Adrian Peterson will never play in a Vikings uniform again. Jamaal Charles suffered the dreaded high-ankle sprain and appears to be sidelined for a at least a month. A.J. Green, DeSean Jackson, Doug Martin, Mark Ingram, Ben Tate, Ryan Mathews and Jordan Cameron highlight a list of players that have been absent already with injury and very little insight on when they will return. And Toby Gerhart straight up stinks.
So with significant fantasy stars already on the pine, who can you turn to this week? Week three is a pivotal point in the fantasy season. If you are 0-2, you need a win. If you are 2-0, a 3-0 start puts you at a huge advantage for a playoff spot. This week, we hope to bring you some help in solidifying your run for the playoffs.
Dum dum dum… another week bites the dust. Unfortunately for sports fans, this week was full of lowlights that overshadowed the highlights. Not much light has been shed in the MLB Wild Card race, and college football had another drab week with only a few solid games being played. The NFL, however, continues to make more news off the field than they are doing on it. It’s quite the sad state of affairs for America’s most profitable sport.
Well, folks, if you read Wayniac Nation’s first attempt at Starts and Sits last week, you must be thinking we are fantasy morons and not experts. It was a rough first stab, but in our defense, it was a bizarre week for fantasy. I don’t think anyone expected Jamaal Charles to get seven touches. Nor did most expect Darren Sproles to outscore the terrible tipping LeSean McCoy (who apparently redefines Shady on a daily basis).
I had a few starts that made me look pretty good. Jeremy Maclin had 20 to 22 points depending on your scoring format. Brady wasn’t a complete bust as he still grabbed 15 to 17 points. Antonio Gates came out and threw up 14 points. Aside from Cam Newton, if you started who I said to sit, you were golden! Le’Veon Bell dropped 30, Kendall Wright had 20 and Martellus Bennett had 21.
It’s a new week which brings new life to our expert picks. Without further ado:
Starts: Michael Floyd, WR – He’s going against a weak Giants defense and for that matter you should start Carson Palmer as well.
Dennis Pitta, TE – He’s a strong option against a Steelers defense that struggles with the tight ends and the Ravens are seriously lacking a run game.
Sit:
Cam Newton, QB – We know he is playing this week, but I don’t trust his timing with his new wide receivers and Detroit’s defense looked somewhat decent against the Giants this past Monday. He needs to prove himself healthy this week.
J.D. Start:
Kendall Wright, WR – The Cowboys are a mess. They could hardly move the ball on offense and can’t stop anyone on defense, so take advantage of this while you can! This week, the improved Titans offense with Ken Whisenhunt will have their way with the Dallas defense. If you don’t have Manning, Brees, or Rodgers, consider Jake Locker in what could be an offensive shootout. He could put up top five production this week. Get Kendall Wright in your lineup immediately and expect a Megatron performance!
Sit: Matt Ryan, QB – Sit Ryan after a franchise record setting passing record in week 1?! As much as I love the Falcons, last week was an emotional come-from-behind victory that relied on timely turnovers and 2 clutch 50-plus-yard field goals. Traveling to Cincy, I see a huge let down against the Bengals. The Falcons don’t expect to have Jake Matthews back for this matchup against a tough defensive front, so expect Cincy to take advantage! Ryan will get pressured and hurried alot and I expect Dirk Koetter to utilize his four dynamic running backs to allow Ryan to get the ball off quickly. I don’t expect more than 200 yards from him this week. Besides Julio, I would be cautious of starting any of Atlanta’s offense this week. I hope I’m wrong!
Ted Reed: Start: Golden Tate, WR – I think the Panthers will be all over Megatron (as if that matters) giving Tate some opportunities.
Sit: Jay Cutler, QB – If he can’t beat the Bills at home how is he going to beat the 49ers in San Francisco?
The Wayniac: Starts: QB: Jake Locker – I have to agree with my partner JD here. Locker shredded a very good Chiefs defense for 266 yards and a touchdown before shutting things down with the run for most of the fourth quarter in the Titans upset blowout at Arrowhead. Now, Whisenhunt makes his Nashville debut and with the arsenal Locker has to play with against the Cowboys, I can see a 30 point day on the horizon.
RB: Carlos Hyde – Hyde kicked off his NFL career against the horrid Cowboys defense and looked good – better than old-man-Frank Gore good. Hyde had the touchdown last week and averaged 7.1 yards a carry. The Bears allowed 193 yards rushing to the Bills as three different backs piled up over 50 yards each. Hyde is going to be the touchdown guy. I can see a 13-15 point week on the low end in this Sunday Night match-up.
Photo credit: ESPN
WR: Reggie Wayne – Monday Night Football is going to be a shootout between the Eagles and the Colts. Wayne showed this past Sunday he is fully healed from last year’s injury and at 35, just as reliable as ever. Wayne snagged nine receptions for 98 yards against a Broncos defense that was supposed to be vastly improved from last year. There should be little defense played Monday night, so start the old man with confidence.
TE: Zach Ertz – Ertz had one of the better games of his career in the comeback victory over the Jaguars snagging three passes for 77 yards and a touchdown. Nick Foles needs a safety net in their spread, fast moving offense, and Ertz looks like he is establishing quite the rapport with Foles. There will be a lot of points dropped Monday night, and Ertz will be in the hunt for a bunch of them.
Def: Tampa Bay Bucs – I have two words for you as to why the Bucs are a good start this week. Austin Davis. That is all.
Sits: QB: RGIII – He had all sorts of trouble with J.J. Watt in Houston and just didn’t look right. The Jaguars had a vicious first half attack last week in Philly, one which looked like it would give RGIII the same trouble Watt did. Maybe he is adjusting to a new offense, maybe he is still shaky from his injury, or maybe he just stinks.
RB: Reggie Bush – Joique Bell carried the ball six more times and ran better than Bush. Bush is quickly becoming a slot wide receiver in this high-flying Lions offense. The Panthers defense is heads and shoulders better than the Giants. This is a bad week for Bush.
WR: Keenan Allen – The Chargers had trouble passing against a Cardinals defense missing The Honey Badger. Now they have the Legion of Boom. Add the toughest DBs in the business with the dropsies the Chargers receiving corps had last week and this is a recipe for disaster.
TE: Antonio Gates – Last week, I told you to start him and he had a good week. This week, like his cohort Allen, he goes against the Legion of Boom. The Seahawks dismantled the Packers, I don’t expect much less against the Chargers. Sit them all!.
Def: Rams – This offense is not going to be good enough to keep their opponents off the field for too long. Throw in an injured Chris Long and this once Top Ten defense is suddenly middle-of-the-road.
The NFL provided a hell of an opening weekend for football junkies out there. The Eagles, Dolphins and Falcons led inspired comebacks to claim victories, while the Bills rolled into Chicago and upset a team that many touted as a Super Bowl contender with an MVP candidate in Jay Cutler at the helms. The lowly Browns showed tremendous poise in a monstrous comeback that fell just short against the Steelers while the defending champs look like they have the moxie to be the first back-to-back Super Bowl winners since the Pats did it a decade ago.
Two of the biggest stories of the upcoming week have to do with off the field issues. I’ve already told you my thoughts on the Ray Rice issue (which you can see here if you missed it), so to see how this further unravels will be quite interesting. Elsewhere, the 32 player reps have yet again put off the vote about the hefty punishments from the league’s drug policy. Josh Gordon and Wes Welker anxiously await the results in hopes of returning to the field.
How do the boys of autumn follow up a weekend like that? It will be a tough act to follow, but there are some highly intriguing games on the slate for the coming week. The week kicks off Thursday night, when arch rivals square off as Ben Roethlisberger takes his Steelers to Baltimore in a match-up with Joe Flacco. It should set the tone for an action-packed weekend.
September 1, 2006. That was the day Roger Goodell took the reigns of the NFL and replaced Paul Tagliabue as Commissioner. His main goal was made clear from day one: to clean up the NFL and impose a fierce player conduct policy. He was known as the man who was here to “protect the shield.”
Goodell has since become a fine-bearing, suspension-levying authoritarian beast. He rules the NFL much like Drew Carey “judged” Who’s Line is It Anyway? with no rhyme or reason behind his judgements. It started in 2007 with Pacman Jones and has reached his all-time low Monday with the Ray Rice elevator video leak. It’s time for the NFL to reexamine their leadership.
What a weekend, folks. The NFL’s kick off to its 2014 season was chock full of surprises, comebacks, upsets and fantasy football let downs. The Wild Card standings in the MLB shifted once again as the Seattle Mariners and Pittsburgh Pirates are making their push. College football had an overall soft week as less than a handful of significant games were played. And it was all overshadowed by Ray Rice and the complete ineptitude of Roger Goodell.
It’s here, IT’S here, IT’S HERE! When the Seattle Seahawks and Green Bay Packers kick off that pigskin at 8:30 Thursday night, millions of fantasy geeks will release an orgasmic sigh of pure ecstasy. The next 13 weeks will be spent endlessly researching the right players to bench and to get into your line-up so you can play some December Fantasy Football in weeks 14, 15 and 16. Well, folks, we’re here to help.
Each week, you will get a few Starts of the Week and Sits of the Week from the Wayniac Nation fantasy experts (if you forgotten who they are, get familiar with them here). We’re not going to waste your time like some so called experts telling you that Peyton Manning and Dez Bryant are good starts. Nor are we going to sit here and tell you to bench the likes of Adrian Peterson or Aaron Rodgers because of the defenses they are playing. Let me give you a little hint: unless they are injured or on a bye, if you invested a first, second or third round pick on a player… you start them. How simple is that?
Not everyone is a Top 35 player though, and that’s where we come in. So, take out your lineups, open up those waiver wires and get ready for:
WEEK ONE STARTS AND SITS:
Saucy T: Start of the Week: C.J. Spiller– Some of the shine has come off of Spiller after last year’s injury-plagued season, but he is an elite talent going up against a weak Bears defense. This will definitely help validate those owners that took a 3rd or 4th round chance on him. Sit of the Week:
49ers Defense – Hard to come up with a sit for week one, since you should be starting your studs even with bad matchups. The 49ers though aren’t the 49ers without NaVorro Bowman and Aldon Smith, and Dallas has a ton of offensive weapons. Those fantasy owners that made SF the 2nd defense off the board will regret it starting in week 1.
Fee: Start of the Week: Nick Foles or Jay Cutler. Both have a lot to prove and should have great Week 1 starts against mediocre defenses. Sit of the Week: Mike Wallace. He shouldn’t be a starter on most fantasy teams in the first place, but if you drafted him as one, you probably have a crappy team anyway. Don’t make it worse by starting him against Revis Island and the revamped Patriots defense.
So, what does The Wayniac think?
Starts of the Week:
QB: Tom Brady. He had a rough season last year for Brady standards, But, at least for Week 1, he has a healthy Danny Amendola, Shane Vereen and Rob Gronkowski for the first time in a while. Throw in the fact that Miami has a bottom five defense and over the past three seasons, Brady has performed remarkably well in Miami (1119 yards passing, 7 touchdowns and just three interceptions) it’s a perfect set-up for a repeat 2011 Brady performance. That day, when the Pats opened the season in Miami, Brady went off for 517 yards and four touchdowns.
RB: Frank Gore. Nuts, right? But here is the way you need to look at it. The Dallas Cowboys defense will vie with the 2012 New Orleans Saints for one of the worst of all-time. Frank Gore will most likely be hurt or replaced by Carlos Hyde in a few weeks. Why not take advantage of Gore’s one big matchup and then bench him for the remainder of the year?
WR: Jeremy Maclin. The Eagles are playing the Jaguars at home. The Jaguars offense may be on the field for ten total minutes and Chip Kelly doesn’t believe in stepping on the brakes. Maclin will probably see about ten targets.
TE: Antonio Gates. That’s right. Frank Gore and Gates are both starts for me this week. Arizona’s secondary is silly good and they are going to do their best to take Keenan Allen, Malcolm Floyd and Eddie Royal out of this game (which in reality isn’t all that difficult, I mean when was the last time Eddie Royal had a fantasy relevant game?). Philip Rivers will have to check down to his backs and find Gates in the middle of the field. He may be old and lost a step, but he’s still good a getting open.
Defense: Basically, I will pick this team each week the same way I do my survivor pool: whoever is playing the Jaguars. Until Blake Bortles takes over, I can’t see this team hanging with any team true playoff contender. Start the Eagles all day.
Sits of the Week:
Courtesy of the Gatorade Superhero collection. Awesome!
QB: Cam Newton. The Bucs may have lost Darrelle Revis Island, but they are still pretty stout. I don’t like a mobile quarterback with a shoddy rib against a Top Ten defense, especially when Tampa is at home and starting the new Lovie Smith Era.
RB: Le’Veon Bell. Cleveland was already an up and coming defense and now they have Karlos Dansby and Donte Whitner (or is it Hitner?). Throw in LeGarrette Blount as one of the league’s premiere touchdown vultures, and this doesn’t look good.
WR: Kendall Wright. I think Wright has a huge season on the horizon in 2014. But it will start in Week 2 against the Cowboys. The Chiefs defense, led by Justin Houston and Tamba Hali, is going to fluster Jake Locker all day and their secondary will be too much for the new look Titans. Whisenhunt will get this offense flying, but don’t expect it to start in Week 1.
TE: Martellus Bennett. The Bills secondary may be questionable but their front line is pretty stout. Bennett may have to stay in more often than usual to keep Super Mario Williams and Marcell Dareus off of Cutler, who is going to look to shred that Bills secondary going to Brandon Marshall and Alshon Jeffery all day.
Defense: The Baltimore Ravens. I’m not sure how these guys are still fantasy relevant and in the Top Ten on several charts. It has to be name recognition, I guess. The Ravens do thrive at home, but Andy Dalton has a huge chip on his shoulder as the entire world is still confused as to how this guy is making the money he gets. Ravens may win the game, but it won’t be because of their defense. A.J. Green is going to have a fun opening day.
Kickoff is so close. I have all three of my rosters drafted and ready to roll and by now, most of you should as well. We have already discussed MVPs, breakouts, busts and top rookies to keep an eye on, but what else can we look forward to in the 2014 Fantasy Football Season? Today, The Wayniac Nation Fantasy Report explores FIVE BOLD PREDICTIONS FOR THE 2014 FANTASY SEASON.
5. The Oakland Raiders will produce FIVE fantasy relevant players in 2014.
I know what you’re saying. The Wayniac must have been out for a joyride with Le’Veon Bell. Well, I wasn’t. The Raiders have been virtually fantasy irrelevant since their 2002 Super Bowl season where the were led by former Delaware Fightin’ Blue Hen Rich Gannon. In fact, they haven’t had a winning season in the 11 years since then. This season, they have made some big changes. The Raiders have been led by these award winning quarterbacks over the last 11 years: Kerry Collins, Carson Palmer, Andrew Walter, Daunte Culpepper, JaMarcus Russell, Jason Campbell, Terrelle Pryor and Matt McGloin. Over that same amount of time Darren McFadden and Marcel Reese have the best passer rating out of that whole bunch. Derek Carr is already a huge improvement. This team got bigger and faster in the offseason. Maurice Jones-Drew is a rumbling back who loves the end zone. Now that he doesn’t need to be relied on for every play of the offense like he was on the Jaguars, he and McFadden will have lesser loads and more potent seasons than they have in a long time. Newly acquired James Jones is fast and can spread the field. Now he won’t have Aaron Rodgers chucking him the ball, but he has certainly proved an affinity for the end zone over the past few years. And you can never rule out Sebastian Janikowski. This guy can get you 15 points in a game with three 58-yard field goals. I’m not implying this is a playoff ready team or has elite week-to-week fantasy players on it, but they are vastly improved from last season. Keep them on your radar.
4. Philip Rivers will prove to be the biggest steal of the draft.
No, that doesn’t mean he will be the 2014 Fantasy Football MVP, nor does it mean he will necessarily finish in the Top 5. Looking at the overall average of where most experts have Rivers ranked, he is about the 15th best quarterback. His average draft position is about the 99th pick. This is a steal and if you can lock him down in the eighth to tenth round, you’ve probably built an offensive power house and now have a pretty reliable guy at QB. Rivers has one season in the past five that he has thrown below 4,200 yards. His lowest touchdown total over that same time frame is 26. He has a five-year average of 4,334 yards passing and 29 touchdowns. I’ll take that all day from my ninth round pick. I think Rivers outperforms Colin Kaepernick, Cam Newton, Tony Romo and possibly Nick Foles this season. All of those names have a reasonably higher ADP than Rivers. Yes, Whisenhunt is gone, but Frank Reich takes over as OC. He has a ton of weapons, including the speedy Keenan Allen, three good receiving threats out of the backfield in Ryan Mathews, Danny Woodhead and Donald Brown, and has two monster targets in the red zone in Antonio Gates and Ladarius Green. Rivers is ready for another solid fantasy year.
3. Devonta Freeman will be the top scoring rookie.
I love Mike Evans and in The WN MVP, Breakthrough, Busts and Rookies article, I picked the standout wide receiver from Texas A & M as the top rookie. The more I think about it, and the more I watch his explosiveness, the fourth rounder Devonta Freeman has a huge chance to put up big numbers. The Falcons beefed up their offensive line and Julio Jones and Roddy White are healthy. Steven Jackson is not, and most likely never will be again. Jacquizz Rodgers can not carry the load of a full time back, so that leaves Freeman as the Falcons lead back. This offense is one year removed from being an explosive dynamo. Freeman can be a pretty big cog in that offense if the Falcons return to those heights.
2. Eddie Lacy will finish a Top Three back in fantasy.
Eddie Lacy will do so well this season that you are going to have a hard time not picking him number one overall in 2015. Last year, Aaron Rodgers played a total of nine games. Lacy, without the services of one of the elite QBs in the NFL, still had nearly 1,200 yards on the ground as a rookie while gaining almost 300 more through the air. Rodgers return doesn’t take away from what Lacy can do, it adds to it. Rodgers has never had a premier running back to take the pressure off him and has still always produced. Lacy hasn’t had the chance to have defenses focus on much other than him in his short NFL career and he succeeded in lieu of it. Lacy is going to gain close to 2,00 total yards this season and score 12 to 15 touchdowns. He will enter elite status and, as I said, be a consideration for top overall pick next year.
1. Matthew Stafford is the number one QB in fantasy football in 2014.
Is it crazy talk to put Stafford over Drew Brees, Aaron Rodgers and quite possibly the all-time greatest quarterback ever, Peyton Manning? Maybe, but then again, maybe not. Manning lost Eric Decker and now, molly-loving, concussion-prone Wes Welker is gone for at least four games pending he doesn’t go off on a Walter White binge. Knowshon Moreno is gone to Miami, leaving an unproven Montee Ball in the backfield. He has great weapons in Julius Thomas and Demaryius Thomas, but this is going to be way more of a control offense than last season. Matthew Stafford has all of the pieces in place. Calvin Johnson is the best receiver in the Milky Way. People hate to admit it, but when healthy, Reggie Bush is one of the best receiving backs the NFL has ever seen. When he isn’t healthy Joique Bell is not much of a downgrade. Eric Ebron with no NFL experience at all is already a better option at tight end than Stafford has ever had and Golden Tate is unquestionably the best wing man Megatron has ever seen. Gone also is Jim Schwartz who could have easily been the worst head coach in the NFL. Pass happy head coach Jim Caldwell and new offensive coordinator Joe Lombardi won’t show any hesitation in putting the Lions’ season in Stafford’s arm. This is a guy who already has a 5,000 yard season under his belt and has a guaranteed 1,500 yards passing to Megatron. The sky’s the limit for Stafford, and if you have him, you may be carrying home that trophy at season’s end.
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