Don’t overlook the fantasy football depths
Anything else you’d like to share, Richard Seymour? Yikes.
Some observations I’ve been developing became clearer in Week 7. The Raiders being a playoff team wasn’t one of them.
What you should also have seen before – and was confirmed in – Week 7:
- Miles Austin is the Cowboys’ No. 1 wideout, but see if you can inflate his value a bit on the trade market.
- Ricky Williams has come out of the fog but probably won’t be that clear a producer for the rest of the season.
- Ryan Grant has a pulse, but can he thrive against a non-Browns team?
You want better odds than the Raiders not making the playoffs? The NFL and Las Vegas may be panicking over the amount of horrible teams throwing off The House’s plans, but even eyesore squads have some overlooked fantasy football options that can help you cash in with three bye weeks remaining. They’re lined up to have more than one week of staying power, too.
There is one Raider you shouldn’t ignore. Remember, Darren McFadden will have a mixture of offerings whenever he returns (a la Felix Jones), but Justin Fargas probably will remain the one receiving most of the between-the-tackles work. I’ve wavered on this character for some time, and for as uninspiring as I think he is, Fargas, who remains a free agent in ample leagues, has backing from Tom Cable because of his prowess in zone-blocking setups.
Fargas still a tandem option
In this case, it makes sense – who knows how effective McFadden will be? They’re probably going to use both extensively, as it looks like Michael Bush will be getting the shaft.
The Raiders probably won’t have much time to throw in the second half, but sometimes, as long as the opportunity for touches is there, you can’t discriminate players from being on your roster because of their team. Not only that, but I’m considering starting him as a flex in one league against the Chargers’ run D.
Deep leaguers should stop ignoring Sammie Stroughter. He’s the best bet to receive targets in the Bucs receiving corps outside of Antonio Bryant. With Josh Freeman now starting, you should still expect a heavy dose of Kellen Winslow (besides the run, of course), but Stroughter has the ability to turn short passes into big gains, which should help him remain a steady object of affection. He presumably has some familiarity with Freeman since Stroughter was buried in the depth chart not too long ago. Stroughter earns points in the return game, too, if that helps your league.
Watch Brian Hartline, also. He knows all three conventional wideout positions for Miami, and Ted Ginn Jr. is falling out of favor for frequent work. Miami likes to throw different wideout patterns at their opponents, and Hartline’s positional flexibility helps his cause of being out on the field. Hartline also has a rapport with slinger Chad Henne from their days on the backup string.
And if you think Jamaal Charles will be able to handle a full workload for a non-Larry Johnson Chiefs squad, think again. Kolby Smith is their best between-the-tackles option (i.e.: goal line) outside of Johnson, and he recently split first-string reps with Charles in practice. Smith will start out as the No. 2 with LJ suspended until after Week 9. If you’re hurting for backups, grab him now and hang onto him. Will the O-line make it easy? No, but if and when Smith comes back from the PUP, you can bet they’ll reincorporate him.
A tangent to close things out: You probably still have some time to buy low on Greg Jennings. I’ve held onto him in one expert league. The Pack is making more of an effort to get the ball in his hands sooner and let him make plays – similar to what is happening with Lee Evans in Buffalo. Obviously, you have to put more stock into Aaron Rodgers helping with this feat than Ryan Fitzpatrick. Go commit larceny, now!
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