Fantasy Football Week 17 Start Em, Sit Em Lineup Advice

Ladies and gentleman, I am proud to inform you that I am a fantasy football champion.

I played in six leagues this year, two of which are keeper leagues I have played in for eight and three years, respectively, and the others of which are more “random” leagues that I play in with family members. In my eight-year league, with many of best college friends, I finished third.

And in my three-year league, with another group of my college friends, I took home the title with a 137.5-126 victory. Despite having turmoil at the QB position all year (Matt Ryan was the guy I drafted to be my starter), my RB trio of Chris Johnson, Maurice Jones-Drew, and Ryan Grant anchored what was a very consistent lineup. Throw in breakout seasons by DeSean Jackson, Vernon Davis, and Steve Smith (Giants), and my team was very good from week to week.

So now the question for all of our consistent readers is: how did you do? Whether your playoffs ended in Week 16 or you are here for help with your Week 17 rosters, please regale us in the comment section with your playoff war stories. We want to hear them.

Also, I want to offer a hearty congratulations to David, from the excellent sports blog Sparty & Friends, who won the first annual Midwest Sports Fans Fantasy Football Challenge.

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Fantasy Football Week 16 Start Em, Sit Em Lineup Advice and Projections

The Week 17 start em, sit em lineup advice post is up.

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While watching the Browns-Chiefs game on Sunday, one thought dominated my mind: WTF?

Who would have thought that in Week 15, when most leagues are in their Final Four, that the best RB you could have had starting would be Jerome Harrison…or that Joshua Cribbs would total 300+ yards and score 2 TDs.

Unbelievable right?

Well, that’s the beauty and the frustration of fantasy football, and last week certainly proved that nothing is a sure thing in this schizophrenic game that we all play and love.

Now we sit here in Week 16, with some leagues in their championship week while others are in their Final Four, and the only real certainty is that someone unexpected will rise up and have a ridiculous Week 16. The only questions are who it will be and whether or not you will have that player on your roster.

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Fantasy Football Week 15 Start Em, Sit Em Lineup Advice and Projections

The Week 17 start em, sit em lineup advice post is up.

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Update 12/19: I am all updated on the questions in the comments as 7:30 this morning. I will do my best to answer questions between now and kickoff, but please have patience if it takes a little while to answer. I’ll be out Christmas shopping and doing all other kinds of running around today. Halelujah for the iPhone.

The playoffs are here (unless, of course, your playoffs started last week), which means that each of us will be agonizing over and obsessing about every lineup decision we are faced with this week.

Before I get into this week’s start ‘em, sit ‘em picks and projections, I want to give you two very important pieces of advice: don’t outthink yourself and remember that stars are stars for a reason.

I tell you this because while taking a glance through the QBs, it dawned on me that Jason Campbell might very well be a better start in Week 15 than Tom Brady.

Sounds crazy right?

Well, Campbell has throw seven TDs over the past three weeks and faces a Giants defense that would probably give up 200 yards passing and a couple of TDs to Navy. Tom Brady, on the other hand, has thrown only three TD passes over the last three weeks and faces Buffalo’s very stiff pass defense.

When you look at the stats that way, it almost looks like a slam dunk that you should start Campbell right?

Well I wouldn’t. And you know what? I wouldn’t sit Randy Moss either.

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Fantasy Football Week 14 Start Em, Sit Em Lineup Advice and Projections

The Week 17 start em, sit em lineup advice post is up.

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The long and winding road of the fantasy football season is now entering its stretch run, with many leagues beginning their playoffs this week or entering their final week of jockeying before the playoffs kick off in Week 16.

And I’m flying high right now after a 5-1 weekend improved my positioning in each of the leagues for which the playoffs is still a possibility for me. Hopefully you all had just as fruitful a Week 13 and are now coming to this post seeking advice to continue your runs to the championship.

As the stakes continue to rise, lets dig into the numbers and matchups to unearth the guys you should start and the guys you sit for Week 14.

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Fantasy Football Week 13 Start Em, Sit Em Lineup Advice and Projections

The Week 17 start em, sit em lineup advice post is up.

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Well, I was not a very good QB prognosticator last week.

I looked at Tony Romo’s struggles and his matchup (OAK) and figured he was a good sit candidate. What I failed to consider was his consistently strong play on Thanksgiving Day. He ended up busting my QB sit ‘em pick.

I looked at Carson Palmer playing the Browns and figured he was about as slam dunk a start candidate as there was, especially after the Browns made Matthew Stafford look like Drew Brees last weekend. Palmer, however, threw only one TD pass and had only 110 yards passing overall. Solid numbers, but probably not top 10 or 12.

Other than the QBs though, I was pretty solid, nailing the Justin Forsett start for the highlight of the week.

We’re now one monster fantasy game (New England-New Orleans on Monday night) away from Week 13, so let’s take a quick peek into the future and answer your burning start ‘em, sit ‘em questions for this week.

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Fantasy Football Week 12 Start Em, Sit Em Lineup Advice and Projections

The Week 17 start em, sit em lineup advice post is up.

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I realized this weekend why I love fantasy sports so much.

As many of you know, I am both an Indiana basketball fan and a Cleveland Browns fan. Thus, my Sunday began with watching the Hoosiers at 9:30 am as they desperately tried to salvage one win in the Puerto Rico Shootout and was then followed by heading to the Browns Backers meetup to watch Cleveland battle the Detroit Lions.

To say that I was desperate to see one of my teams capture a victory would be an understatement.

Unfortunately, both the Hoosiers and Browns did on Sunday what they have proven oh-so-good at doing over the last two years: snatch defeat from the jaws of victory.

Indiana was done in by a banked-in three pointer with five seconds left after relinquishing a five point lead with five minutes to go. The Browns were done in by a pass interference call on Matt Stafford’s desperation Hail Mary pass, which was followed by an un-timed down that resulted in a touchdown.

One Sunday, two excruciating losses for my two beloved teams. And that is why I love fantasy sports. Without my fantasy football teams to track, what reason would I have as a sports fan not to run out and jump off of my balcony right now?

And on that positive not, let’s look ahead to Week 12 of the fantasy football season!

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Week 11 Play ‘Em or Bench ‘Em: Beanie Wells, Knowshon Moreno, and More

Week 10 has passed and fantasy owners are on the grind to get over the top and make a run to either lock up a playoff spot, or are trying to thrash their way into a playoff spot.

Regardless of your position, you are here to see what week 11 has in store, so let’s get to it with our weekly play ‘em/bench ‘em feature here at MSF.

Among the players featured this week: Beanie Wells, Kellen Winslow, Steve Smith (Panthers), Knowshon Moreno, Marshawn Lynch, and Roy Williams.

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Fantasy Football Week 11 Start Em, Sit Em Lineup Advice and Projections

The Week 17 start em, sit em lineup advice post is up.

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I knew that if I stuck with Jamaal Charles long enough that he would come through for me; and come through he did. Not that it should be all that surprising, but Charles carved up the Raiders’ D for 100+ yards and a touchdown.

The question now becomes whether or not Charles is a must-start on a go forward basis. Most weeks he may be, but you certainly have to wonder about him this week with the Pittsburgh Steelers on the schedule.

I’ll tell you one guy I wouldn’t question in Week 11: Ricky Williams. He should be a guy you’re playing most weeks anyway, but with Ronnie Brown’s status in doubt for Thursday night, Ricky’s value skyrockets.

As I try to do every week, I’ll make my best attempt to steer you in the right direction about Charles, Williams, and a host of other players. That’s what this post is all about, so let’s get to it.

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Week 10 Play ‘Em or Bench ‘Em: Steve Jackson, Thomas Jones, Zach Miller, and More

Well, in the fantasy football world we are now in Week 10, which means that it’s “crunch time.”

Including this week you are looking at four more weeks to either maintain your current dominating lead or go on a tear and enter the playoffs hot.

Who should you be playing and benching now that we’re about to hit the stretch run? You’ve come to the right place. We discuss names like SJax, Thomas Jones, and Zach Miller below.

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Fantasy Football Week 10 Start Em, Sit Em Lineup Advice and Projections

The Week 17 start em, sit em lineup advice post is up.

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Week 9 was very interesting for me from a real and fantasy picks perspective.

I went to sleep last night thinking I’d lost by 0.5 points in one league because of Miles Austin’s one catch. But, as so often happens in leagues with IDPs, the stats had changed by Monday morning and I led by 3.5. I’m hoping this holds up once the totals become final tomorrow.

From a picks perspective, last week was unique in that I really went out on a limb picking David Garrard over Matt Schaub. Then the defense opposing Schaub (Indy) lost two key starters and I issued a change to my recommendation regarding the Texans’ QB.

And then, naturally, Schaub went out and had a pedestrian day (311 yards, 1 TD, 2 INTs) that did not eclipse what Garrard was able to do against Kansas City (264 yards, 1 TD, 0 INTs, 29 yards rushing).

In hindsight, I should have stuck with my guns; but, the truth is that I did stick with my principles in issuing my Schaub retraction. It was the right decision. Remember, we’re trying to predict a game in which Chris Chambers can be one of the top scorers at WR during the same week he got cut by San Diego and ended up in Kansas City.

Without much rhyme or reason, all you’ve got is your principles. My principles have me above .500 and in playoff contention in all six of my leagues.

And this is what I always tell people who ask me for advice on tough questions: what are your princples? Go with them.

And if you don’t have them, get them. I’ll be happy to help if I can.

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Attention Fantasy Football Players: Revised Week 9 Outlook for Matt Schaub

Earlier this week in my start em, sit em post, I recommended that you should start David Garrard over Matt Shaub in Week 9. I’ll let you read the post to get the full detail of the reasoning, but it boiled down to the following two points:

#1 – the Colts have the 7th best pass defense in the league in terms of yards given up (180.1 yards per game) and have given up the fewest touchdown passes (three). Thus, I looked at Matt Schaub as a shaky start.

#2 – David Garrard and his Jaguars are at home this week taking on the Kansas City Chiefs and their crappy pass defense. Garrard is only playable when he’s at home and this seems like about as plum a matchup as you’ll get if you’re a Garrard owner.

There is a problem though. A couple of them. And I’m changing my vote to Schaub over Garrard for Week 9.

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Fantasy Football Week 9 Start ‘Em, Sit ‘Em Lineup Advice and Projections

The Week 17 start em, sit em lineup advice post is up.

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Crunch time is upon us.

As enter Week 9 of the fantasy football season, some of us are breathing easy with playoff spots all but assured, some of us are struggling with each decision in our quest to improve playoff positioning, and others are desperately trying to make a late season surge just to have a chance.

And then there are others who are out of it and just playing out the string, although I doubt too many of those owners are bothering to scour start ‘em, sit ‘em posts in preparation for this week.

For the majority of us still scratching and clawing for every point and every win, here is your weekly start ‘em, start ‘em breakdown…and then the endless string of Q&A in the comment section.

Here’s a quick teaser: who would you rather start in Week 9 between Matt Schaub and David Garrard? The answer might not be as clear as you may think.

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Week 9 Fantasy Play ‘Em, Bench ‘Em: QBs and Defenses

Another crazy week of fantasy football is in the books.

Last week’s insanity included the fact that Joseph Addai threw for more touchdowns than Peyton Manning….Ryan Moats had 3 TD’s….Kurt Warner completds 5 passes to Panthers…

And T.O. actually scored a TD.

What does Week 9 have in store? First, the following teams are on a bye: Bills, Browns, Vikings, Jets, Raiders and Rams. Most of these teams being on a bye will not hurt fantasy owners too badly; I have an offensive starting ban on the Browns, Bills and Raiders which still has not been lifted.

For the teams that are taking the field, which QBs and D/ST units offer the best potential value in Week 9? Let’s investigate.

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Fantasy Football Week 8 Start Em, Sit Em Lineup Advice and Projections

The Week 17 start em, sit em lineup advice post is up.

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First of all, my apologies to anyone who asked questions in the comment section last week from Friday afternoon on. I was hoping I’d have time to get some of those answered once I got to Cleveland, but I did not.

I don’t have any more trips planned between now and the NFL playoffs, so that should not be a problem again.

Secondly, my apologies to anyone who started Jay Cutler and Greg Olsen last week. I really miscalculated how the Bears-Bengals game would go — as did most everybody — and had to take my medicine on that one.

Otherwise, Week 7 was relatively prosperous. The good: Laurence Maroney, Austin Collie, and the Patriots D/ST as starts; Donovan McNabb, Jerome Harrison, Zach Miller, and Steve Smith (Carolina…if you needed a TD) as sits. The bad: Cutler and Olsen obviously, and the Pittsburgh D as a sit.

Now let’s look forward and gaze into the crystal ball for Week 8. A little bit different format this week; hopefully you like it.

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PFI’s Week 8 QB and RB Play Em, Bench Em

Week 7 is in the books with an amazing milestone: Peyton Manning did NOT pass for 300 yards (the first time in six games that he had not done so).

Week 7 was also a week of blowouts. Six NFL teams lost this weekend by 28 points or more, and one of those teams was the Bears…at the hands of the Bengals! Unbelievable.

Most of this we all saw coming (Week 7 Start Em or Sit Em), but the Bears game was a shocker.

Let’s break down the fantasy football landscape for Week 8, including which players you should play and which players you should bench. (By the way, week 8 is a bye week for the Bengals, Chiefs, Patriots, Steelers, Buccaneers and Redskins.)

As a side note: My ban on starting any Bills, Browns or Raiders offensive players has not been lifted! This rule is still in effect.

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