A sports blog by and for Midwest Sports Fans
After weeks of anticipation, it’s finally here…your fantasy championship game.
Oh, you thought I meant Christmas?
Ideally you’ve been shopping the waiver wire all season long and have picked up some bargains along the way. But just in case you waited until the last minute, there are still a few options out there in your hour of need.
There are many different factors that make fantasy football difficult: bye weeks; injuries; random lucky days for your opponent; and worst of all, Chris Johnson.
In my opinion though, the hardest thing is staying in the present.
What do I mean?
Update: Our Week 10 start em, sit em advice is posted, and this week’s post includes an opportunity for one MSF reader to win free NFL tickets. Make sure you check it out after you finish going through the waiver pickups.
There are no teams on bye in Week 10, but don’t let that lull you into a false sense of security.
The Texans, Colts, Saints, and Steelers are all on bye in Week 11, which means a lot of fantasy firepower will be sitting on benches during one of the final weekends of playoff positioning.
Don’t get caught snoozing; take this opportunity not just to improve your lineup for Week 10 but also to plan ahead for any lineup vacancies impending next week.
Week Eight featured fewer injuries and breakout performances than we’ve seen in recent weeks, but it did provide fantasy owners with a sobering reminder that we live in a world where Drew Brees, in a gift-wrapped matchup against a floundering defense, can be outscored by guys like Matt Moore and Matt Painter.
The good news is that we are through most of the bye weeks, and just four teams (Carolina, Detroit, Jacksonville, and Minnesota) are off in Week Nine. While most of those teams haven’t racked up many wins, there are some big fantasy names on those rosters for which owners may need a replacement.
I’mmm baaaaaaccccckkkkk!
Did you miss me?
Jon has himself a busy schedule this week, so he texted me this morning and asked if I’d be up for reprising my role as the author of our weekly Start/Sit column here at MSF. I have to admit, as soon as I saw his text I was pretty pumped.
Doing these posts every week, week after week, can admittedly be a bit of a grind, as I learned over the last couple of years; so I was happy to let Jon take it over this year and focus my efforts in other areas. But I’ve missed the weekly challenge of poring over matchups and stats and trends to figure out which players to recommend to you as starts and sits.
So it’s good to be back in the saddle.
Anyway, It’s not like I’ve been totally absent. I still offer commentary on Jon’s posts, answer questions in the comment sections, and monitor the @FantasyMSF Twitter account. So I haven’t really given you a chance to miss me even if you wanted to. Now though, for the first time all year, I have to go on record with start and sit picks.
I’m ready. Let’s roll.
Yesterday was a brutal Sunday in the NFL, both in terms of injuries and the quality of play. With so many prominent fantasy players banged up and six more teams on bye in Week Eight (Atlanta, Chicago, Green Bay, New York Jets, Oakland, and Tampa Bay), the waiver wire will once again be a popular destination.
Week Six saw relatively few big fantasy performances, and with some potent offenses among the six teams on bye in Week Seven (Buffalo, Cincinnati, New England, New York Giants, Philadelphia, and San Francisco), that may well repeat itself. The lack of reliable options at some positions, coupled with the bye week crunch, will surely send many owners back to the waiver wire where they will find some intriguing options, particularly at wide receiver.
Compared to the last couple weeks, there were relatively few impactful injuries during Week Five. Couple that with the fact that a number of the teams on bye next week (Arizona, Denver, Kansas City, San Diego, Seattle, and Tennessee) aren’t exactly offensive juggernauts, and you might think there aren’t many worthy pickups on the waiver wire this week.
To a certain extent, you’re right. There are very few must-adds this week, but that doesn’t mean there aren’t guys out there who can help your team the rest of the way, possibly as soon as this week. (For more Week 6 analysis, here is this week’s Start/Sit column.)
As always, the players listed here are owned in fewer than 50% of Yahoo! leagues.
This week in fantasy football the wide world of receivers has blown right open. With guys coming back from injuries, rising stars, and offenses on the move, there are some important news and notes to consider before Sunday morning.
Controversy in the Desert
The Cardinals have some incredible talent in the desert. Kurt Warner prayed that his team wouldn’t suck after he got Anquan Boldin rocked by the Jets and his prayers were answered by Steve Breaston. Breaston proved to fill the spot well and has averaged 98 YPG since week 4. Everyone saw his value hitting the floor, though, when Anquan Boldin bounced back. It didn’t. This week against the Panthers he had 91 yards and made it clear that he was still considered a key part of the offense. Not to mention, sticky contract negotiations with Boldin have Steve Breaston in the front office looking to ink a deal with the Cards.
Even with Anquan Boldin back, look for his value to even out slightly, and Steve Breaston’s to stay consistent. Remember the Cardinals throw the ball 60% of the time and Breaston is a primary kick returner, too. (Even with that, Tim Hightower has been the touchdown hawk for the Cards, so don’t count on blowup numbers for Breaston.)
There are some other key dudes back from injury that will change value around the league:
