Another week of football, another list of those who may (or may not) excel in their upcoming fantasy matchups. I’m also going to start keeping a running tally of hits and misses by the fantasy forum staff here at Views from the Couch. A win if the pick proved correct a loss if the pick was a misfire and a ‘tie’ if the pick had a decent week but didn’t really blow anyone out of the water.
Last week: 2-2-2
Without further adieu (how over used is that saying? But anyway) here are the Views from the Couch week 10 studs and duds.
STUDS
Greg Olsen TE Carolina Panthers vs. Tennessee Titans
Olsen has been a bit of a feast or famine type of player this year, 3 double digit performances and 3 sub-4 point performances, but he has reeled in 4 TD passes from rookie phenom Cam Newton. Newton appears to be leaning slightly towards Olsen in recent weeks though Jeremy Shockey has snaked some of Olsen’s targets from the other TE spot. The stats don’t lie however and Olsen is still the 7th ranked TE according to ESPN scoring and is projected to post 10 points this week against a Titans defense that yields 8.9 PPG to opposing TE’s and has been burned for 5 scores already this year by those TE’s. Start Olsen without fear and expect some big things out of him. I see him in the feast category for this week.
Stats: 5 rec, 73 yards, 1 TD
Maurice Jones-Drew RB Jacksonville Jaguars vs. Indianapolis Colts run defense
The Colts run defense can’t stop anyone even though CJ0K couldn’t crack the 40-yard mark against them 2 weeks ago but I digress. This isn’t about CJ0K and how he sucks this year but rather about how MJD has been a horse for the Jaguars. If you’ve seen Blaine Gabbert play then you’ll understand why MoJo is tied for the league lead in totes at 166. MoJo is also averaging 92.5 YPG which is good for 9 fantasy points guaranteed one a weekly basis without factoring in TD or reception points. The Jaguars give him the rock and often and against a soft Colts defense that’s yielding 21.3 PPG to opposing running games I love this matchup. Expect the Jaguars to take the ball out of Gabbert’s hands and put it into MJD’s to ensure that the Colts continue to ‘Suck for Luck’.
Stats: 26 carries, 115 yards, 1 TD, 1 rec, 7 yards
Dallas Cowboys D/ST vs. Buffalo Bills offense
Since lighting the world on fire in their first three games the Bills offense has slowed down considerably. QB Ryan Fitzpatrick did enough in those games to earn a 5-year extension but in the world of fantasy football, which is all we care about for this posts sake, he has been a dud the past 5 games. In his first three games he racked up totals of 24, 22, and 18 points but since then he hasn’t scored more than 14 points in a single game and has thrown 3 single digit performances out there. As far as the Cowboys defense is concerned these are all things working in their favor as is their phenomenal pass rusher DeMarcus Ware. Ware has already recorded 12.5 sacks through 8 games including 4 in a matchup two weeks ago against Vick and the Eagles. He’s going to be good for a sack or three against a weak Bills O-line. As a whole the Cowboys defense has scored double digits in all of their games against 2 duds: one against the Eagles and one against the Lions. Those two offenses are full of explosive playmakers that the Bills don’t possess. Start the Cowboys defense with confidence.
Stats: 4 sacks, 1 INT, 1 FumRec, 0 TD, 13 fantasy points
DUDS
DeSean Jackson WR Philadelphia Eagles vs. Arizona Cardinals
The past two years Jackson has been Michael Vick’s go to target but this year he seems to have fallen to the number 2 option behind Missouri product Jeremy Maclin. Jackson hasn’t posted higher than 4 fantasy points in his past 3 games, including 0 against the Bears last week, since torching the Bills and 49ers secondaries for 14 and 17 points respectively. Out of the Eagles 8 games this year Jackson has posted three stud performances, week 1 vs. the Rams and the two I just mentioned, with the other five games falling in the dud category racking up 2, 3, 4, 3, and 0 points in those games. For a guy drafted to be a WR1 he has been a major disappointment and become increasingly riskier to start. I know the Cardinals secondary is dicey at best but Patrick Peterson is a prime time player, that ones for you Dick Vitale, and he is going to be covering Jackson. Vick has also struggled to connect with Jackson on their patented fly routes, which has hurt Jackson’s value. Until they get on the same page avoid Jackson.
Stats: 3 rec, 32 yards, 0 TD
Matt Forte RB Chicago Bears vs. Detroit Lions
Forte is going to get his yards against the Lion. Their run defense is nothing special and has been torched recently but the Bears are going to be forced into passing early and often once the Lions jump out to an early lead. This game is a perfect storm for Forte to not be able to take advantage of a Lions run defense that is asking to be sliced and diced for 150 yards and 2 scores. QB Jay Cutler is going to bothered all game since the Lions pass rush is ferocious and pays little to no attention to the running game instead pinning their ears back and heading up field on every play. I wouldn’t call Forte a dud this week as much as I’d say that he’s just not going to get the opportunities to post the big time number we’ve come to expect from the 5th ranked RB. He hasn’t been as big a factor in the passing game the past two weeks and he fumbled on a reception last week. Forte won’t get fully utilized this week though I do expect him to go over a 100 yards but he won’t find the end zone.
Stats: 18 carries, 105 yards, 0 TD, 2 rec, 13 yards, 0 TD
Tiquan Underwood’s high top fade WR New England Patriots vs. New York Jets
With Taylor Price’s hamstring injury and Chad Ochocinco doing a great disappearing act the Patriots this week resigned preseason casualty Tiquan Underwood and his high top fade. Underwood is a former 7th round draft pick of the Jaguars in 2009 and he’s seen the field sparingly since then but really all anyone cares about is whether or not he’ll be rocking the high top fade he sported during this preseason. I’m guessing if he wants to stay relevant he’ll stick with the flat top since that’s probably the only way he’s going to get Tom Terrific to notice him on or off the field. He’s not going to catch a pass and I pray you didn’t add him thinking he’s going to do something in the Patriots high octane offense but look for the guy with the high top fade on the sideline on Sunday night and you’ve found Underwood.
Stats: 0 rec, 0 yards, 0 TD, 1 all-hair team award
There you have it folks this weeks studs and duds list let me know what you think and we’ll see how accurate the prognostications where in a week. Good luck to all in their matchups this week.
Geoff Jablonski
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