Unfamiliar with the SAP Player Comparison Tool? Well it's about time you get acquainted! The tool can be a great asset for those tough roster decisions, whether you're dealing with start/sit conundrums, trade comparisons, or decisions on which players to pick up on the waiver wire, you can benefit by learning the ins and outs of the customizable tool. This week in what we like to call Fantasy Football Audibles, we take a look at three player comparisons to help you take some of the guesswork out of those mind-boggling roster determinations.
Here's a quick primer in the factors that the SAP Player Comparison Tool takes into consideration when analyzing players:
»Performance:player performance (NFL statistics and Fantasy points) from the current season
»Matchup:opponent-specific fantasy points against (FPA) data and matchup analysis
»Consistency:stability of historical player fantasy point production
»Upside:potential for significant fantasy point performance
»Intangibles:additional factors including injury status, weather, game location, team support and player rest
Who should I start at RB: Tim Hightower or Denard Robinson?
Welp, the Player Comparison Tool is no help here. Let's break it down.
Tim Hightower assumed Mark Ingram's role as the Saints feature back in Week 14. He ran 28 times for 85 yards, not a great yards per carry average, and scored a rushing touchdown on a three-yard plunge. Hightower was likely the top waiver wire pickup in your league this week because of the volume he saw and his status as the Saints go-to runner over C.J. Spiller. And that's all fine and dandy. But when a running back needs 28 carries to gain 85 yards, well there isn't much good to say about that. Of his 28 rushes, 10 of them went for zero, one or negative yardage. We'll cut him some slack because the Bucs run defense is stingy (94.1 rush ypg) and Hightower, when he had some room to run, looked good doing his thing and was hitting holes with speed and vigor. There's a real chance that if given 15 carries against Detroit, Hightower can produce for fantasy owners in a similar fashion or even better than he did last week. But when it comes to Hightower versus Denard Robinson, well that's a different story.
On Wednesday, we learned that T.J. Yeldon has a sprained MCL and will likely sit out of the Jaguars Week 15 game against the Falcons. And as we saw last week when Yeldon went down, the next man up in Jacksonville is Denard Robinson. The team is clearly not afraid to use him as an every-down back and in the red zone as he saw 14 touches for 75 yards and a touchdown against the Colts last week. We know that Robinson will get the touches and he has the talent and toughness to produce great fantasy numbers, as evidenced by his successful run as the Jaguars feature back last season. From Week 7 through Week 10 last year, Shoelace averaged 18 rushes per game, 97.2 rush yards per game, scored four touchdowns and averaged 15.9 fantasy points per game in that span. That's RB1 production, and with the state of the position in fantasy right now, you'd be hard-pressed to find better value. When you also consider the matchup against a Falcons run defense that allowed 166.3 rush yards per game over the last three contests and 15 rushing touchdowns this season, this decision should be cake.
Which Patriots RB should I start: Brandon Bolden or James White?
Again, the Player Compairson Tool is doing us no favors.
LeGarrette Blount is out for the season, and that leaves the Patriots backfield open for Brandon Bolden and James White to see an uptick in usage. Unfortunately, Bill Belichick is still coaching in New England which means #Belitricks abound. But let's try to pin down who the better running back is for Week 15 fantasy purposes.
Since Week 9 (Dion Lewis was injured that week), James White has seen more playing time but fewer touches than Bolden. White touched the ball on 18 percent of his snaps while Bolden touched the ball on 37 percent of his snaps. Granted, this is with Blount getting more work than either of them. But this committee will have a different look Sunday as Bolden projects as the between-the-tackles runner while White will likely stick to his pass-catching role. Bolden has a little more mass to him and saw a career high 16 carries after Blount left the game last week.
Belicheck isn't helping matters either. He said in an interview this week, via NESN.com, "It might vary from game to game. I'm not sure it'll be the same every week, which it's hard to find anybody's role on our team that's the same every week."
Thanks Bill, you're about as helpful as the Player Comparison Tool on this one.
To be honest, there's no real way to tell how this backfield will shape up, so all we can do is make educated guesses. You should only be starting these running backs if you're absolutely out of other options anyway. There are also reports that former Rams and Falcons running back, Steven Jackson, worked out for New England this week, which would surely cloud things even more. Sure, Bolden, White or some other running back we never saw coming may have a great fantasy day, but playing one of them is not worth the risk in such a crucial Week 15 fantasy playoff week. But if I had to pick one, I'd side with White. He's the guy who's been scoring touchdowns (four since Week 11) and his role as a pass-catcher has been consistent with five, 13 and six targets in his last three contests.
Who should I start at TE: Delanie Walker or Jordan Reed?
Reed and Walker are the TE5 and TE6 in standard fantasy scoring this season. So if you had to choose, which one are you rolling with in Week 15? The Player Comparison Tool likes Walker, but can you trust the tool after the results it gave us for the running back decisions above? Didn't think so. Let's break it down.
Since Week 11, Walker has been the most productive tight end in the NFL and ranks first among all tight ends in targets (43), receptions (29), yards (363) and plays of over 25 yards (4). He also leads the Titans in all three receiving categories for the season with 74 receptions 871 yards and four touchdowns. He owns 27 percent of his team's 3,171 receiving yards. That kind of output is undeniable and it feels wrong to have a player of Walker's caliber hanging out on your fantasy bench. Even when the Titans are struggling on offense, like they did last week, Walker still puts up viable fantasy numbers (13 targets, seven receptions, 71 yards against the Jets). Plus, with Kendall Wright (ribs) likely sidelined for the second straight week, Walker should be his team's leading receiver again.
Reed has been a legitimate TE1 this season too, which makes this a hard decision. He has registered 67 receptions for 694 yards and seven touchdowns this season. He clearly has the touchdown upside over Walker and has finished as a top 10 fantasy tight end in seven of 14 weeks this season. Washington's offense has been much better at home, averaging 24.4 points per game and 382.4 yards per game at FedExField this season. Kirk Cousins loves looking for his tight end in the red zone too. Reed has collected 16 targets inside the 20-yard line, the most of any Washington pass-catcher by a wide margin, and all seven of his receiving touchdowns have come inside the red zone. So, because of his touchdown upside, I'm going to go against the Player Comparison tool and roll with Reed over Walker for Week 15.
Matt Franciscovich is an associate fantasy editor at NFL.com. Check out the song "Stranger In A Room" by Jamie xx. You won't be disappointed. Hit Matt up on Twitter **@MattFranchise** for music recommendations and fantasy advice.