What we are talking about:
Russell Wilson
A must-start fantasy QB
Ben Tate
Start him while you still can
Tony Romo
What are you talking about?
The Herschel Walker trade happened 25 years ago this week. Which is pretty amazing to think about how that worked out. I have to believe it's one of the reasons why most NFL teams don't make trades anymore. Also because unlike sports like baseball, the worst team in the NFL could end up being a Super Bowl contender the following year.
Well, not you Oakland. I'm not sure it's ever going to happen for you. The Raiders need to find some sort of Billy Beane-type character who can help revive that team. Or wait, was that what "Draft Day" was all about?
But I wish we had more trades in the NFL. Trades are fun. However, I feel like NFL teams look at the Herschel Walker trade as a cautionary tale. Or maybe you could check the less-celebrated Eric Dickerson deal back in 1987 as blockbuster deals gone wrong.
Not that I blame them. There's nothing worse than a trade going horribly wrong against you. Like if you've been sitting on some budding prospect who ends up flourishing for another team. Which I feel like the producers of the "O.C." have to feel like now, knowing they had a young Olivia Wilde on their roster, but instead it was Kelly Rowan and Rachel Bilson who were the stars. Or something like that.
So you don't get a lot of trades anymore. Because of stuff like that. Which is too bad. Because wouldn't it be fun to see some big-name players get dealt at the trade-deadline like Walker did.
Likewise, fantasy enthusiasts operate the same way. Nobody wants to be made to look like a fool in a trade. So most of the time when you get a trade offer in your inbox, it typically borderlines on the insane.
For instance, in one league I received a trade offer from a kid named Young Money. He offered me Chris Johnson, Steve Smith Sr. and Mike Evans for Matt Forte. True story.
The Kidney Stones in my keeper league offered me Matthew Stafford, Bishop Sankey and Larry Fitzgerald for my Andrew Luck and Antonio Brown. True story.
I (expletive) hate fantasy football trades. Or at least the trade offers.
So maybe this is why NFL teams don't make trades, either. Like can you imagine the Cardinals organization calling up the Colts and being all, hey, will give you Jaron Brown and Carson Palmer for Andrew Luck?
Oh shoot, maybe they would seeing that the Colts gave up a first-rounder for Trent Richardson last year.
However, if you've itched to make a trade this year, one potential trade target I would look for would be LeSean McCoy. People are absolutely tripping on this dude. Everybody is in full-blown panic mode and there might be a chance to get him. If you package a credible receiver and a startable running back to the McCoy holder, you might be in business. Just don't be insulting.
Some other potential guys you should probably look for right now would be Brandon Marshall, Jordan Cameron, Drew Brees (it's the bye week and folks are bummed) and maybe Sammy Watkins. Though dudes are super pumped on Watkins.
Let's proceed in what our homepage editor Patrick Crawley called the best use of a soap box in world history. If you ever saw Patrick's name in this space and wondered who he acts like in the real world, he's a lot like the dude from "Undatable". No, not the cool guy; the other guy. Not in a bad way.
A big hand to stats maven Careen Falcone** for dropping the knowledge.
And without further ado ...
If you have Russell Wilson on your team, you no longer need to carry two quarterbacks. He's become a rock-star, must-start quarterback. Part of the reason is his running ability. Nobody is better at knowing when to run, when to pass and how to avoid the big hit. Make sure he's in your lineup each and every week.
But Rank, what if I have Wilson and (awesome quarterback)? Trade one. Immediately.
Matt Ryan has thrown six interceptions this season. All of them have come on the road. Don't bother bouncing out to look it up; the Falcons are at home against the Chicago Bears.
Jay Cutler has played really well. He had three turnovers against Carolina. One was an interception which should have been flagged for illegal contact. The other a fumble at the end of the game during the two-minute drill.
And if I accomplish just one thing in my fantasy life, it would be to find a way to change the scoring when a quarterback kneels down at the end of the game. That's my mission.
Eli Manning has become a competent quarterback in this offense. The amazing thing is the amount of credible pass targets that they have grown. The Giants have a very deep group.
Nick Foles might be the worst quarterback you've ever seen when you watch the tape. So many times he just floats ducks out there. Yet somehow, he continues to put up fantasy points.
I do like Teddy Bridgewater a great deal. A lot of fantasy enthusiasts dropped him during his injury week, but he's somebody who could be a sleeper option when the bye weeks really start to pick up in the coming weeks. Or if you lost Drew Brees this week.
Going back to the Eagles, chill the (expletive) out on LeSean McCoy. Our virtual world is way too over-reactionary when people are tripping about McCoy. He's still getting his opportunities, and he's not giving way to other running backs, so would you please just stop?
Besides, the Eagles keep scoring on special teams which can't keep up. So chill, people.
Alfred Morris is the perfect candidate to trade for. The game plan against the Seahawks wasn't going to involve him a lot. So find a panicky Morris holder who is willing to deal. Morris will be more involved in the game plan this week.
The Broncos running back situation must be addressed, I suppose. To me, you are better off if you were down in the waiver claims and you ended up with either C.J. Anderson or Juwan Thompson. Anderson, the better runner. Thompson, better in pass protection.
ImageBut then again, I always hate the main event guys and tend to like the undercard. Like Dean Ambrose and Damien Sandow. I'd rather bump around New York City instead of tagging with John Cena, so I can feel Ambrose in that situation. He's the (expletive) best. Sandow is going to somehow be the breakout star we've wanted him to be for years. And who knew, it took mimicking the Miz to make that happen. Read the Best and Worst of RAW for more wrestling commentary. Although I like The Rock a bit more than Brandon Stroud does.
Lamar Miller certainly has a great matchup this week, so he's landed in my Top 20 RBs.
The Lions running back situation is in state of flux. Reggie Bush and Joique Bell would be great plays if they were the lone players taking all of the touches.
Fred Jackson is one of the most reliable running backs every year. I think of all the dumb things I did during my drafts, and coming up with Jackson was one of the smart things I did. He's scored three TDs in his last three against the Patriots.
ImageDangerZone:Storm Johnson is going to end up being the running back in Jacksonville. Coach Gus Bradley had high praise for the runner and his time has come.
I meant to talk about Matt Asiata, but I failed. He's still the workhorse running back in Minnesota.
ImageMAJOR SPOILER "Sons of Anarchy" continued to be bananas. Though, I'm surprised the body count was so low this week. Just one innocent hotel manager, a crooked cop and four gang members? You've gone soft Kurt Sutter! Just kidding. Another great episode. I'm on board for all of this (expletive). I literally and openly rooted for Juice to pull the trigger. Had both arms raised. I'm telling you, there will be no more satisfying TV death than Gemma getting her ultimate demise. Because this whole gang war is all on her. ALL. OF. IT.
ImageSTILL SPOILING SORTA My long-time belief has been that Unser survives it all. But I'm starting to move Juice up my survival rankings. Plus, one of Jax's boys is a goner, right? The lone Teller survivor and Juice will be VP/President of the club in, what, 15 years? Maybe 20?
DeAndre Hopkins is the only Texans receiver who I would feel comfortable starting every week.
The scary part of Odell Beckham Jr.'s debut was that it could have been even bigger. ODB was wide open in the end zone and Eli missed him. Plus he ran past the defense and Eli overthrew him. But the dude is a talent who should be on your roster.
I'm still going to go with Victor Cruz, though. At least for this matchup against the Eagles.
I guess the Chargers fall into a similar category with numerous options for Philip Rivers. I still have faith in Keenan Allen to pull it all together and be a force for this team. Don't give up on Eddie Royal, either. The score got out of hand and Royal wasn't really used much in the second half.
Oh dang it, I forgot to mention Branden Oliver here too. I mean, you could have found him in Rank's 11 sleepers. But I can't assume you read both.
ImageAs a reader on Twitter pointed out, there needs to be some sort of cross promotion between Oliver and Bo Dallas. And as Brandon Stroud pointed out, is Dallas a face now? Because he's acting like it. Which would come as great news to my wife who loves Bo Dallas and typically only roots for the faces. The lone exception being Stardust and Goldust. (We have matching shirts.)
ImageEdge and Christian were just on RAW for moments this week, but dang, I still marked out like no other. I don't care for the way Christian's championship run was handled, but it was good to see them on RAW. Good to see they are still in shape, too. In a similar vein, I returned to the DDFP for an appearance.
Mohammed Sanu becomes a decent option if A.J. Green is limited and starting this week. Remember, Sanu just doesn't automatically inherit Green's numbers if the superstar is out.
It's similar to Golden Tate. He's much better when Calvin Johnson is on the field in a limited capacity instead of not at all. I'd start Tate and Sanu if their better halves are playing.
Julian Edelman would be the beneficiary if there is any glimmer to Brady's resurgence. Actually, Edelman has been solid no matter what the situation.
I'm ready for Michael Floyd to join us here in fantasy relevancy at any time. I do really like this matchup for the Cardinals. I like John Brown as a sleeper, too.
Just when we started to talk glowingly about Kelvin Benjamin, he goes out and puts up a bad stat line. The Bengals are going to be a tough matchup, but I will not be deterred.
DeSean Jackson thrived against the Seahawks on Monday night. I see him having some success against the Cardinals who are similarly built.
Roddy White has been a bit of a disappointment. Hey look, here come the Chicago Bears. Solved.
Steve Smith Sr. has a solid matchup this week. Just consider last week a breather after his huge game against the Panthers.
DangerZone: Am I making too much of things to go with Devin Hester in a revenge game after seeing Triple S and DJax go crazy?
Vincent Jackson had 144 receiving yards last week. He loves his new quarterback. Who is actually his old quarterback. He just needs those #ThatHelpsNoOne TDs to go his way.
I know a lot of you folks are down on Brandon Marshall. Though I notice in most of my leagues not down enough to keep you from trading him to me. Marshall is playing through some things but he's going to be fine. Just stop panicking and overthinking this. How about you watch some new TV shows or something?
ImageFinally caught up with "Gotham." Maybe not the most amazing show I've ever seen, but it's pretty good. It's not in the same class as "The Flash" which was amazing as you'd expect. DC Comics has turned out some pretty good TV shows since "Smallville" hit the screen a few years back. So yes, occupy yourself with stuff like this instead of micromanaging your fantasy roster.
ImageI also made sure to push through on "Homeland" on Sunday after the games finished. How bad does Carrie need to be at her job for her to get a demotion? She had the love child of the worst domestic terrorist in U.S. history and she's given her own post in a war zone? Actually, that isn't a great departure from the way things work.
If you are hurting for a tight end this week in the wake of Jimmy Graham's absence, might I recommend Owen Daniels? He knows the offense and has done well in Dennis Pitta's absence.
I will not buy into the nonsense that Martellus Bennett is going to decline because of change in the calendar. The receivers have to get vertical.
ImageWelcome to the new NHL season. Your Los Angeles Kings are your back-to-back full-season champions. And I've joined my friend Eric Young to give a full-go to fantasy hockey this year. I might need help. No, not that kind of help. The other kind of help. As in I'm close to wearing a tinfoil hat during my pursuit of hockey sleepers. Though I'm telling you, Rickard Rakell is going to be awesome this year.
Be good this weekend. And if you celebrate like Madison Bumgarner, please designate a driver. And go Kings!
You will not be playing Tony Romo this week against the Seattle Seahawks. Did you have to ask?
ImageSo is Dodgers pitcher Clayton Kershaw the Peyton or Tony Romo of the MLB? Wow. He got roughed up in back-to-back starts against the Cardinals. Actually, Game 4 was a quality start. But he is certainly unstoppable during the regular season like Peyton. But has the Romo-like, excellence through three quarters of the game and then implodes in the playoffs.
I dislike leagues that award just four points for a touchdown pass, which is the NFL.com standard (for now). It makes running quarterbacks way too valuable. And it kills you when you draft a guy like Cam Newton and he hands off to Chris Ogbonnaya on the 1-yard line.
I don't know who I have to convince here, but touchdown passes should be worth six points in standard leagues. This is my second-most pressing mission I have in fantasy football.
If you drafted Foles, he'd be somebody I would be trying to move this week. Nobody would want to take him straight-up, but I would include him in any trades you make.
Colin Kaepernick is a tough one because he played a bit better last week, as he minimized mistakes. But again, he didn't have the big stat line we've wanted from him.
The one thing that could compel me to start Kaepernick is that they will play in a near literal home game in St. Louis because you know those fans aren't going to show up.
ImageThe St. Louis FC really missed an opportunity when it didn't rename the franchise and choose a red color scheme to mimic the baseball Cardinals. Not that it matters now, seeing that it's probably the worst kept secret this team is returning to Los Angeles.
Zac Stacy should return as the No. 1 runner in St. Louis, but I would keep him on the bench, if you can.
Jerick McKinnon would be a true #DangerZone play this week. The matchup looks so doggone good, but there is going to be a lot of risk to it. Check with me on Saturday. But don't drop him by any means. He's got long-term upside.
Darren Sproles certainly hasn't earned our trust like McCoy has so you can bench him.
I wouldn't start Terrance West or Isaiah Crowell, but both hold value going forward because of Tate's health concerns. At least the Browns did go with one true featured back instead of a terrible rotation. A small consolation of course.
I landed Ronnie Hillman in one league, and instantly hated it. We've been through this previously when Hillman was listed as the starter and he was passed by Knowshon Moreno. Why do I get the feeling I'm watching a (expletive) sequel to the same movie?
Speaking of Moreno, he could return to the Dolphins this week. He's no lock to regain his role as the team's top runner. My guess is that he's going to need at least another week off. I actually hope the Dolphins coaching staff will continue to feed Miller to see if he's capable of being the man in Miami. Perhaps all he needed was a push. And a legitimate push, too. Not Daniel Thomas or some of the other curtain-jerkers they tried to pass off to us in Miami. Maybe this is the one thing Miller needed to be elevated to a star. It's now or never for him.
You might want to check to see if Moreno was dropped and at least get him on your roster.
Stevan Ridley currently ranks in the top 10 among NFL running backs in rushing yards. Yeah, I had the exact same reaction. The Bills are strong against the run, so I don't like this. Shane Vereen would have more upside as a receiver out of the backfield this week.
The outside, sneaky pickup of the week for the Lions would be George Winn if either of the top two running backs are unable to go this week.
C.J. Spiller will probably be this generation's Darren McFadden. Which is weird to say because McFadden still exists. But he's going to be that former first-rounder (I saw him go No. 2 last year) who gets lost in fantasy drafts in the future.
Sadly, we might have come to the point where we can release Toby Gerhart into the wild. I mean can you imagine him having any sort of impact this season?
Bishop Sankey was promised more opportunities, but we didn't see him. I don't trust him or Shonn Greene.
I wish Ken Whisenhunt would throw us a bone here. I've liked him all the way back to his Bird days when he wisely started Kurt Warner at quarterback. I also liked how honest he was when I asked him if he preferred Van Halen with David Lee Roth or Sammy Hagar. We agreed, it's two different bands and it's acceptable to enjoy both. However Ken, you can't have the best of both worlds with your running back situation. Would you please pick one guy? (Oh yeah, and I think we would both agree Gary Cherone was a miserable fit in VH.)
I'm not getting sucked into Justin Hunter just yet, either. I know I was really big on him during the offseason. But I'm going to need to see a little bit more than one great breakout week (and it was good) before I'm going all-in on this guy.
Andre Johnson battling injuries during a short week doesn't instill me with confidence.
Rueben Randle is the one Giants receiver I would avoid this week, which means he scores.
The only member of the Chargers I'm really not too hyper about is Malcom Floyd. He seems to get one big chunk play and that's about it. Although I guess he's due for a touchdown.
I'm not a big fan of the way Pierre Garcon pulled the hair of Richard Sherman. I know players need to do whatever it takes to get open but seriously, dude. Dang, I just realized this is truly hurting my heel status because hair-pulling is another great tactic of the heels. Maybe I would have liked it if he hit Sherman with brass knuckles.
ImageI did get asked about The Rock's surprise return to RAW on Monday. And I'm kind of indifferent. I said earlier I do like The Rock. He's been one of my favorites since I was a kid. I even marked out like no other when he returned to Anaheim years ago. But he did kind of nuke CM Punk's title reign so he could headline WrestleMania and that's always going to kind of bum me out. You could argue The Rock is a bigger star. But CM Punk still gets cheers on RAW, so it's not like he's out of the fan's minds. So I wasn't too swayed one way or the other.
What about Cordarrelle Patterson, eh? This is a tough one. As many of you know, he was my ride-or-die player this year. He's on every one of my fantasy teams. But he's continued to struggle to put it mightily.
There are also those who have said Patterson has had trouble with the playbook. And then there were reports Patterson didn't score too well on the Wonderlic test, and the concerns continue to grow there, too. We might not see Patterson grasp the offense at all this year. That's why we need to watch Jarius Wright, who could become a hot waiver-wire pickup next week.
The other player listed in that article with Patterson is Tavon Austin, who has also struggled to make any real headway in the NFL so far in his career. Just something to think about.
I didn't care for Jim Schwartz being carried off the field. Even as a heel, Schwartz hasn't won anything to deserve such a treatment. If Pete Carroll pulled that move off in Foxboro, that would be a heel moment worth celebrating.
The Packers have been tough against fantasy receivers this year, so it's tough to really trust Mike Wallace this week. I could see it being a shootout but Ryan Tannehill.
I would really like to feed Brian Quick into my lineup, too. But the 49ers have been very tough. I like what I saw from Quick against the Eagles. But it was the Eagles defense.
I see Terrance Williams available in a lot of my leagues (everybody hates the Cowboys). Don't like the matchup this week, but good for the long-term.
Sammy Watkins drew a lot of attention from new quarterback Kyle Orton (who looks like Chibs from "Sons of Anarchy") which is good. But the Patriots have allowed the fewest points to receivers this year. And he's likely ticketed for Revis Island.
What Mike Shanahan did to running backs in our nation's capital, something similar is happening at the tight end position. Jordan Reed's injury history really bums me out.
Why is Jason Witten still wasting space on your roster? He just doesn't look right out there.
ImageI, however, want what Romo is taking that made him say Witten might be the best Cowboy of all-time. I could probably name 20 Cowboys better. Actually, I will. Troy Aikman, Michael Irvin, Emmitt Smith, Charles Haley, Jay Novacek, Darren Woodson, Roger Staubach, Bob Lily, Chuck Howley, Randy White, Tony Dorsett, Don Perkins, Dez Bryant, Deion Sanders, Larry Allen, Drew Pearson, Bob Hayes, Rayfield Wright, Mike Ditka, and Lance Alworth. All right, I need to stop. Erik Williams. Mark Stepnoski. Harvey Martin. Come on Romo. Why do this to yourself?
ImageGoing back to the Dodgers and Angels, it's amazing how Don Mattingly and Mike Scioscia are viewed differently here in the Southland. I don't much care about the Dodgers, so they can keep Mattingly. It's weird, he benched Yasiel Puig and yet kept Kershaw in the game for so long. I mean, didn't you see the meltdown coming in the seventh? But I'd still keep him around.
ImageThe Angels should keep Skip, too. But something must be done with Josh Hamilton who found it hilarious the Angels fans boo'd him. I know it would be a lot of money to eat. But dude, Arte Moreno, you need to do it. Shoot, you can bump up the ticket prices a few bucks to even it out. I'll pay. Don't touch the beer prices, but I'd pay for just about anything else.
ImageMadison Bumgarner has upped his game as he drank five beers after the Giants clinched a berth into the NLCS. Which I don't get. There is too much celebrating after these series. The celebration after the one-game playoff is the most egregious, but celebrations should be limited to winning the division; winning the pennant; and winning the World Series. And that's it.
For the record, you can submit your fantasy questions to NFL Fantasy Live, Michael Fabiano or me on Twitter. But realize, NFL Fantasy Live has 270K followers, and Fabiano has 165K. Me? Just four. See, the odds are better I will answer your question, so hit me up both via Twitter or via Facebook. And if you follow him on Sundays, he'll quote "The Wolf" from "Pulp Fiction" and then it's game on! Although, it's tough to catch me on Facebook. Twitter is your go-to." Plus seriously people, I'm not taking your tweets after Midnight. I'm into the #HashtagWars via @Midnight.
