Limping down the stretch in fantasy football
Written by SportsBem, Sunday December 06 2009
A number of key players will be sidelined today in the NFL. Listed below are some of the injuries and some advice on how to compensate for those missing players as your fantasy football league approaches the end of the regular season.
Owners that drafted Eagles wide receiver DeSean Jackson this season have been pleasantly surprised by his big-play ability. I know my fantasy team would not be leading my 10-team Yahoo league without Jackson's 769 yards and six touchdowns.
However, Jackson is slated to miss Sunday's game after suffering a concussion last week. With concussions being treated very seriously by the NFL, it is possible Jackson could miss more than just the next game. So owners will need to scan the waiver wire for a good matchup.
A player with a very good matchup is Bengals WR Laveraneus Coles. Coles is only owned in 48 percent of yahoo leagues and is going against a Lions' defense that allows around 280 passing yards per game.
Another player is Bucs WR Antonio Bryant. He is coming off a big week and I think that he and QB Josh Johnson are starting to develop some chemistry. Carolina will crowd the box to stop the Bucs' run game and I expect Bryant to create matchup problems.
A few other players to consider are Rams WR Donnie Avery against the Bears and Chris Chambers against the Chiefs. The Bears give up a lot of yards and points so Avery isn't a bad option. Chambers should be a last-ditch option going against the Broncos, but Chambers has put up 7 points or more in every week since Week 10. So, your team could do worse.
The injuries to Arizona QB Kurt Warner and Giants QB Eli Manning are worth noting. Warner's status is up in the air with that concussion, though I am not sure I would start him anyway. Manning is battling a heel injury and is going against an aggressive defense in Dallas. You should consider benching both guys.
Other QBs out this week are Falcons QB Matt Ryan and Carolina QB Jake Delhomme. Here are some QBs to start in place of these injured signal callers.
Jags QB David Garrard is only owned in 61 percent of leagues and is being started in 30 percent. The Jags are playing Houston this week and I expect a ton of points to be scored in that game. Start Garrard with confidence against the Texans' 14th-ranked pass defense.
Broncos QB Kyle Orton should definitely be given a shot this week. He is only owned by 64 percent of teams in Yahoo, so pick him up if he is available. Denver is playing Kansas City and the Broncos torched the Giants last week.
You could also start Niners QB Alex Smith or Titans QB Vince Young. I would say Smith is a solid start. He really impressed me last week against the Jaguars. He made some really good throws on third downs. He also has Vernon Davis, who is an absolute beast.
As much as I loved Young's performance last week, I would shy away from starting him if you have other options. The Colts defense is very opportunistic this season and that could mean a lot of picks.
That is all for this week. Be sure to check back later for my thoughts on the BCS and why I think Boise State should be given a shot.
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