What we are talking about:
DeAndre Hopkins
He'll be good to go, even in a tough matchup
Jeremy Maclin
Less opportunities, more three-and-outs for KC
MLB Playoffs
Let's go Cubbies!
I really don't like fantasy trades. I once played in a league that had no trades, and one re-draft in Week 9. It was heaven. I'm kind of bummed I'm no longer in that league, to tell the truth. But I loved the no-trade aspect of it.
For starters, I fall in love with players way too easily. I become attached to them. When I play in connected-franchise of EA Sports "NCAA 14," I often don't jump from the mid-major I'm coaching because I'm too fond of the kids I have recruited to the school. I mean, if this four-star quarterback forgoes attending UCLA in order to come play for me at UNLV, well, then I need to stick it out.
So I become easily (and irrationally) attached to players.
And then there is the whole notion that you're not getting the best deal possible. It's the reason why it took me like 85 hours to purchase a car. I will take every pain-staking moment to make sure I'm getting the best possible deal. So when it comes to fantasy trades, I want to make sure that I am getting the best possible deal. Can I hold out for the extra WR4? Am I giving up too much?
The only trade I ever felt great about made in a matter of moments was when this guy in my keeper baseball league kept haranguing me for Desmond Jennings. This was back in April of 2012. He kept sending me these three-for-one offers. I finally looked at his roster and said, "I'll take Mike Trout." The deal was done, and I'm forever holding it over that guy.
Actually, how can you continue in a fantasy league after that? He's always going to be known as the "traded Mike Trout in a keeper league" guy. I also traded Anthony Rendon for Francisco Lindor in the same league this year. Shoot, I guess I like baseball trades (even though I had some moments of regret when I first made that deal).
So I'm emotionally attached to players, I'm always scared about making a bad deal and then there is stuff like this. My buddy Madden (no relation to John) invited me to be a part of his Chicago-San Diego league. I know him and his buddy Steve. And that's it. You might remember the snafu I went through when I worked out a draft-deal to send Le'Veon Bell for Antonio Brown (this is why I hate trades, too!) that almost ended up poorly. I did eventually get Brown (I know, right?) and I stacked a pretty good roster.
I have Drew Brees (and Tyrod Taylor), Dion Lewis, Arian Foster, Chris Ivory, Doug Martin, Brown, A.J. Green, DeAndre Hopkins, Allen Robinson, Allen Hurns and Greg Olsen. Before you ask, it's just 10 teams as you would imagine.
So I wanted to make some deals because, as you can see, I'm hording most of the talent in the league. One owner, Shane, has Aaron Rodgers and Cam Newton. The rest of his team is awful. So I tried to offer a two-for-one for Rodgers. I told him the only guy I wasn't interested in dealing was Nuk Hopkins.
He sent me a Nuk for Cam Newton offer.
Uh, yeah. I already have a better quarterback. Shoot, I'm not sure I'd want Newton over Taylor for the rest of the season. So yeah, that was rejected. Quickly. I even tried to be polite and say, "Hey, fair trade offer. But I'm going to stick with Brees." When I really wanted to say, "Go (expletive) yourself with this offer." But I would like to tell him to start C.J. Anderson this week. He's going to rebound!
But then I got this offer from some dude named Tommy.
For starters, unless you're 12 years old or the drummer of Motley Crue, you should have dropped the "Tommy" moniker about 20 years ago. And second, I can't even.
This is why I hate trades. I'm all for trying to test the water to see if you could get the best deal. But this is the kind of (expletive) that makes me think of you as a clown and never even want to deal with you ever. It's like when somebody tells you "Die Hard" isn't a Christmas movie. It becomes a little hard to ever take anything else they ever say seriously.
A quick programing note. The Like/Dislike television segment will not be on television this weekend. Instead, you should program your DVRs for "Madden NFL Live." Or both, I'm cool with either way.
A big hand to stats maven Careen Falcone for dropping the knowledge.
And without further ado ...
There aren't many quarterbacks I'd start over Andy Dalton. Tom Brady, Aaron Rodgers and that's about it. Dalton has at least 18 fantasy points (NFL.com standard) in every game this year. I'm a huge believer in him.
It would be a tossup if you had Carson Palmer and Dalton this week. Hey, it could happen. I do like the Cardinals matchup this week, but West Coast in the 10 a.m. game is always a concern.
Notice Andrew Luck was not on that short list. I would certainly give him a start if he plays this week. I expect him to get a lot of garbage time points in a blowout loss.
Blake Bortles had a career-high four touchdowns against the Bucs on Sunday. He's had at least 19 fantasy points in three of his last four games.
Eli Manning has 10 touchdowns in his last four games and has averaged 21.54 fantasy points over that stretch.
ImageThe New Day are internet darlings, but for a good reason. They are clearly the best thing on WWE television at the moment. That even includes NXT. I always have appreciation for performers who are given (expletive) gimmicks but make the most of them. I never thought I would see the day where Kofi Kingston was one of my favorite parts of RAW. It's Jamaican me crazy, that's for sure.
T.J. Yeldon has scored at least 10 points in back-to-back games. Plus there is so much talent on this team, he's not going to see a lot of stacked boxes. He's on the injury report though so tread with caution.
Duke Johnson is a sneaky play in daily fantasy leagues. Especially if they are PPR-driven. He's had at least six receptions in three consecutive games.
Frank Gore had some tough matchups at the top of the season. But now he's found a groove as he's scored three rushing touchdowns in his last three weeks.
The Patriots will feature a lot of LeGarrette Blount given his past success against the Colts. But Dion Lewis has carved a big enough niche to keep him in your lineup.
DeMarco Murray got a ton of looks against the Saints last week and, not surprisingly, had his best game of the season. Funny how that works. Feed him the ball.
The Browns have allowed the most fantasy points to running backs this year. That is good news for C.J. Anderson. A perfect time for him to breakout.
Image Leonard Fournettte is my favorite running back this year. And I don't care if he's not in the NFL for another two years; the dude is amazing to watch right now. If you appreciate him for his talent, well, you are about to admire a little more, too. Fournette, a New Orleans native, said that he empathized with those in South Carolina and he offered his jersey for auction to help raise money for the victims. Seriously, this guy is a stud.
Julian Edelman has averaged close to 100 yards per game this year, with 8.5 receptions. That's huge if your daily fantasy league defaults to PPR scoring.
DeAndre Hopkins has recorded at least 100 receiving yards in three consecutive games, with at least 15 points scored in four of his last five.
Martavis Bryant would be the best Steelers receiver to play if Mike Vick is still the quarterback of the Steelers. Problem is, I loaded up on Antonio Brown this year.
DeAndre Hopkins has a tough matchup against the Jaguars. I don't care. Hopkins is on the cusp of being the best receiver in fantasy. Even better than Julio Jones.
Allen Robinson has been streaky, but I love his matchup. But it's been Allen Hurns who has been the most consistent of the duo.
A.J. Green has kind of struggled the past few weeks. He had a long touchdown called back against Seattle. This is going to be a monster game for him this week.
I would start Alshon Jeffery if he is ready to go this week. If not, Marquess Wilson is a pretty good option. The Lions have allowed a lot of points this year.
Image I'm waiting for MLB to crackdown on bat flips the same way the NFL has cracked-down on fun. But if Jose Bautista's bat flip was the last bat flip in the history of baseball, well, we've done pretty well.
Image Playoff baseball, though. I really love it. There is nothing like a major sporting event going on during the day. Especially the Cubs. The only Chicago team I fully support is the Chicago Bears. But I believe most folks who support AL teams (I'm an Angels fan) not in the playoffs still are pulling for the Cubs to win this whole thing. Though it does make me a little verklempt to think about how the Angels passed on Joe Maddon for Mike Scioscia.
Antonio Gates really established re-established himself as one of the top tight ends in the game immediately. Whomever you kept ahead of him for the past month, trade him. Unless it is Rob Gronkowski.
I don't like a lot of the Panthers skill players this week. But I'm going with Greg Olsen, regardless. Seriously, Cam could toss for just 198 yards and a TD; that's cool as long as Olsen is in the mix.
The Lions have allowed the sixth-most fantasy points to tight ends this year and Martellus Bennett has averaged close to 100 receiving yards in his last two against Detroit.
ImageI love the new season of "Last Man on Earth." Will Forte is amazing and Kristen Schaal is pretty great as well. Plus, I love Jason Sudeikis as well. I even watch "We're the Millers" whenever it's on the pay channels. But the only way his cameo can end on LMOE is Tandy accusing him of stealing a potato chip, right?
Image Scott Van Pelt is the best. He called out E! for their comments about Lamar Odom. And while I was never a big "Sports Center" guy because I live where most of my teams play, I've found myself watching SVP on the reg. Seriously, you should watch because it's pretty terrific.
I really do believe Tom Brady is up for an epic day on Sunday. Although, the last time the Patriots played a team who cost them a draft pick (the Jets in 2007), it was a low-scoring affair. But this just feels different. Anything less than 70 points from the Patriots is going to feel like a disappointment this week.
Josh McCown has played so well for the Browns, I expect him to be benched at any time for committing the cardinal sin of Cleveland quarterbacks: Winning.
Although some credit should be given to McCown (it is Josh, right? Hard to keep them straight) as he's made us forget about Johnny Football for at least a week.
Philip Rivers has played poorly on the road and his offensive line looked non-existent on Monday night. The Packers defensive line has been much improved.
The Seahawks have allowed the twelfth fewest fantasy points to quarterbacks this season, so I keep Cam Newton on the bench.
I'm not sure if Matthew Stafford can ever turn it around. And I don't expect a lot this week because of a brutal matchup against the Bears. Chicago has allowed just over 12 fantasy points to quarterbacks over the last two weeks.
Colin Kaepernick looked good against the Giants on Sunday. I hope it's a precursor of things to come. But I'm keeping him on the bench until I have further proof.
Some dude on Twitter wanted to crow about how great Colin looked on Sunday. Man, the 49ers have come a long way if their fans get excited for moral victories.
ImageRAW was awful on Monday night. I don't ever want to see a situation where Charlotte has to job out to Brie Bella. It made absolutely no sense. I also wanted to like the John Cena acknowledged the marriage proposal that happened during his match. But Brandon Stroud (I like him) made the point in his weekly column that while cool, it was another example of where Cena didn't take his opponent seriously. Though, I would point out that Joe Montana geeked out over John Candy being in the stands during the Super Bowl. So I see both sides here.
Although I would like the Patriots to stop during the middle of their game with the Colts to acknowledge somebody in the crowd this week, just for grins. Could you imagine Brady if he grabbed the ref's mic and just started to cut a promo out there during the game? That would be pretty awesome the more I think about it.
I hope you didn't get sucked into the Ronnie Hillman is the new hotness in Denver thing. Seems like we go through that every year. And every year he falls flat. Yes, C.J. Anderson wasn't great against the Raiders. Hillman managed to be worse.
I would stay away from all of the Bills skill players if Tyrod Taylor is out. That includes any of the running backs that might or might not play this week.
Giovani Bernard has a rather tough matchup this week. The Bills have allowed the seventh-fewest points to running backs this year. It could also be a case where the Bengals get up early and the team tries to get Jeremy Hill's confidence back.
I'm going to bench all of the Washington running backs this week. The Jets have allowed the second-fewest points to RBs this year. And I don't know why you're lauding Chris Ivory. Washington has allowed the third-fewest.
Image Brett Bielema is the worst. Here he flops to get a penalty against Alabama. Doing the deed makes you a bad person. Your celebration of the feat makes you the absolute worst.
Image Good luck to coach Steve Sarkisian. I wish him nothing but the best. I can't help but have some disdain for USC and athletic director Pat Haden who really botched this whole thing from the start. I find it difficult to comprehend how Haden still has a job. He clearly didn't do his due diligence when he made the hire. He clearly didn't take the proper actions after the "Salute to Troy" incident. He's had to make two embarrassing fires in two years. I just don't get it.
Image Southern California is going to have a tough time finding a coach, too. I'm not sure if you caught the "30 for 30" on USC (it's on my DVR right now), but the hiring of Pete Carroll was a happy accident. Most alumni I knew were kind of disappointed with it. So if you look at the last 20 years of coach hires, the myth that USC can pay for just about anybody it wants is just that; a myth.
I would start Calvin Johnson in traditional fantasy leagues. I wouldn't not waste the money in daily fantasy leagues. The Bears defense is starting to come together. The Bears have allowed the fourth-fewest points to fantasy WRs the last two weeks.
I almost feel like Andre Johnson should have just walked off after that game last week. He can't duplicate that again.
I'm a huge fan of Dan Campbell and I can't wait to see what the Dolphins do this week. That doesn't mean I'm in a rush to get Jarvis Landry into my lineup.
The Chiefs offense is going to be awful without Jamaal Charles. I would avoid Jeremy Maclin because of that. I know some might see it as more targets for Maclin. I see it as more three-and-outs.
The Packers have packed a pretty solid punch against opposing receivers this year. So Keenan Allen is a tough call this week.
Vincent Jackson has scored fewer than six fantasy points in three of the last five games. He's had two TDs in his last 17 games. TWO!!!
Image I loved "The Final Countdown" by Europe and long felt it would be the perfect run-in music for a high school basketball team. This commercial has completely killed that notion.
Image BTW, I don't get people who think apartments should come with refrigerators. Is this common places? This sounds like a joke. It would be like handing a hobo your lunch to hang on to. No thanks. You want a fridge provided? How about a car? Want your own helicopter? Here's my rule of thumb, if Best Buy sells it, you provide it yourself. It's not that hard.
Image I'm really starting to hate the Kansas City Royals. Most of my friends and family who are Royals fans appreciate that. Mostly because they matter again. I'm too young to remember the famed Angels and Royals rivalry of the old AL West. But I've started to dislike them retroactively because of it.
Image There is no reason to throw debris on the field during a sporting event. NONE. That being said, officiating has become so awful, incidents like the one in Toronto are going to become more common. How is it possible replay has made everything worse? The NFL botched the clock on Monday night. The whole seventh inning in Toronto. Here's the thing, if you're not going to perfect it, just get rid of replay all together. Yes, I want every call to be correct. But here's the rub; they aren't always getting it correct. I would just rather have trained officials making a call instead of making (expletive) up as they go along and still getting things wrong.
For the record, you can submit your fantasy questions to NFL Fantasy Live or me on Twitter. But realize, NFL Fantasy Live has 300K followers. Me? Just 14. See, the odds are better I will answer your question, so hit me up both via Twitter or via Facebook (if you're RG3). And if you follow me on Sundays, I'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. I've started to mute people who ask me questions at that time.
