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T.Y. Hilton, Donte Moncrief, Andre Johnson Post-Week 6 Fantasy Advice

Fantasy Football
October 18, 2015

The Indianapolis Colts failed to enact any revenge on the New England Patriots for their AFC Championship Game loss in Sunday’s anticipated rematch, but the passing game was on track from the opening quarter.

Andrew Luck (shoulder) returned after missing multiple contests and proceeded to throw for 312 yards with three touchdowns and zero interceptions against the New England secondary. Fantasy owners who were relying on T.Y. Hilton and Donte Moncrief for late boosts Sunday were thrilled that Luck returned, although Andre Johnson was again an afterthought in the box score.

Here is a look at the final tallies from the three Indianapolis receivers as well as some reactions for each player.

T.Y. Hilton

Hilton dealt with injury concerns earlier in the season, but he is healthy and finally found the end zone for his first touchdown of the year Sunday. Although he has yet to crack 100 yards in a game in 2015, he looked like a true No. 1 with Luck under center.

Backup Matt Hasselbeck doesn’t have the arm strength to consistently hit the speedy Hilton downfield on go routes and deep balls, but Luck does.

Hilton and Luck have been together with the Colts since 2012, and the No. 1 receiver has established a rapport with the signal-caller. Hilton topped the 1,000-yard barrier in each of the last two seasons and could do so again if he and Luck continue to improve moving forward.

This was also the fourth game this season, and third in a row, in which Hilton was targeted at least nine times. He is a major part of this offense, and Sunday’s impressive fantasy showing was a sign of things to come.

Donte Moncrief

The scary thing about Moncrief is that he’s only 22 years old and will continue to improve as he grows accustomed to NFL defenses and playing with a healthy Luck.

Moncrief notched a team-high 11 targets Sunday, which is reassuring for fantasy owners after he saw only three in the victory over the Houston Texans last week. It is important to note Johnson tallied 77 receiving yards and two scores in that contest against his former team, and there seemed to be a forced effort to get him the ball in scoring situations.

As a result, last week’s game was an aberration for Moncrief, especially since Sunday was the second time he tallied double-digit targets this year. Moncrief also has four touchdown catches in 2015, and at 6’2″, 222 pounds, the Colts trust him to make plays near the goal line.

Teams must pay attention to Hilton, given his track record as the top option in Indianapolis, which means Moncrief will have single coverage a number of times this year. He will take advantage for your fantasy team.

Andre Johnson

Johnson has had only one big game this season, and it came against his former team, the Texans.

As mentioned, Indianapolis seemed to make a point of getting the football to him against the squad that released him in the offseason, and it was the only time in 2015 that the veteran has scored a touchdown and tallied more than 35 receiving yards. In fact, Johnson has had two games without a single catch this year.

Johnson’s track record will likely put him in the Hall of Fame, with seven 1,000-yard seasons, but he is 34 years old and overshadowed by the other weapons on the Colts. There is no reason to think his diminished role will change with Hilton healthy and Moncrief consistently putting up impressive numbers.

Johnson is an all-time great, but he is not a viable fantasy option this season.

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Extra Points: St. Louis, Rice, Trades, JPP

NFL News
October 18, 2015

The NFL is looking into St. Louis’ plan for a new stadium, but even if the proposal meets all of the league’s criteria, Stan Kroenke doesn’t have to make his team play any games at the site, Jason La Canfora of CBSSports.com reports.

According to La Canfora, the city could present a stadium deal that would make moving difficult for the Rams. But Kroenke could counter that maneuver by continuing to play in the Edward Jones Dome and address the situation year by year while waiting for another market to open up rather than entering into a long-term commitment with a new St. Louis stadium.

Had certain NFL protocols not been in place, Kroenke would have already moved the Rams to Los Angeles this year, per La Canfora. But many in the league doubt the Rams owner would go into Al Davis mode and move his team anyway with a state-of-the-art structure ready.

Here are some other items from the league.

  • Although he hasn’t been given a tryout since the video of his domestic assault surfaced, Ray Rice now has strong support from the league, which could expedite the former Ravens Pro Bowler’s potential comeback, La Canfora reports. Should a team eventually give Rice a tryout, NFL VP of football operations Troy Vincent would indicate the league’s stance to that team. While unable to make pitches on behalf of Rice, Vincent and other representatives in the league office have been impressed with Rice’s community-based work since the incident.
  • Earlier today, we heard the Giants would meet with Jason Pierre-Paul on Tuesday to re-assess his hand injuries. Since JPP is a free agent having not signed the franchise tender, such a summit would be the last the Giants could have with the sixth-year defensive end due to league rules, reports Tom Rock of Newsday. The Giants would be able to sign Pierre-Paul at a later date but couldn’t re-evaluate his injury again after Tuesday since free agents can only make two in-person visits to the same team’s facility. Rock reports the Giants hope to have Pierre-Paul, who will play for far less than the $14.8MM franchise tag that was initially proposed in March, back for the final four games of the regular season, though some in the organization are skeptical he’ll play this year.
  • With the Nov. 3 trade deadline just more than two weeks away, Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk examines the types of teams that will be ready to sell assets, tabbing first-year coach-led organizations like the Bears, led by a new coach and GM, being more inclined to deal than the Lions, who have Jim Caldwell in his second season and GM Martin Mayhew in his seventh.

Colin Kaepernick, Anquan Boldin, Torrey Smith's Post-Week 6 Fantasy Advice

Fantasy Football
October 18, 2015

The San Francisco 49ers (2-4) picked up ground on the Seattle Seahawks (2-4) and Arizona Cardinals (4-2) with Sunday’s 25-20 victory over the Baltimore Ravens, but it was the performance of Colin Kaepernick that stood out.

For the second straight week, the dual-threat signal-caller put up impressive throwing numbers for fantasy owners and continued a bounce-back effort after he threw zero touchdowns and five interceptions in Weeks 3 and 4. Kaepernick wasn’t the only San Francisco playmaker to finish with formidable numbers, as receivers Anquan Boldin and Torrey Smith also provided fantasy boosts.

Here is a look at the final tallies for each and some reaction.

Colin Kaepernick

In theory, Kaepernick’s ability to run is where his fantasy value comes from compared to other quarterbacks, but he did it all with his arm Sunday. It was an encouraging follow-up to the 262 passing yards, two touchdowns and zero picks in his last outing after two disastrous efforts in the previous contests.

It is boom-or-bust at this point for the former Nevada star, which is a risky proposition for fantasy owners.

While Kaepernick is often criticized for his tendency to make mistakes, he topped 3,000 passing yards in each of the last two seasons and is a threat to put up solid rushing numbers any given week.

Still, that feast-or-famine nature of his game this season means he is far from a guaranteed start in fantasy circles, but you could do much worse as a bye-week replacement or injury insurance at quarterback than a rushing threat with two consecutive 3,000 passing-yard seasons.

Anquan Boldin

Boldin made a career of consistent production and put up at least 837 receiving yards in each of the last 10 seasons. He also boasts seven different campaigns with more than 1,000 receiving yards and flashed some of the talent that led to such an impressive resume during Sunday’s game.

The team-high nine targets from Sunday’s victory are also encouraging for fantasy owners. Like Kaepernick, Boldin is bouncing back after disappointing showings in Weeks 3 and 4, when he combined for 28 receiving yards. He cracked the century mark in the last two outings.

With the uptick in production and the incredible track record in place, it is easier to trust Boldin than Kaepernick after inconsistent production in the first six weeks. The fact Kaepernick targeted Boldin so many times and it worked in victory means the pass-catcher will likely see plenty of looks moving forward.

That is music to the ears of fantasy owners.

Torrey Smith

Smith doesn’t have the tenure of Boldin, but he already compiled an impressive fantasy track record of his own with at least 767 receiving yards in each of his first four seasons and a 1,128-yard campaign under his belt.

The problem for Smith in 2015 is the lack of targets. The six he saw Sunday marked the second most of his entire campaign behind the seven he notched in Week 2. It is not much of a surprise that those were his two best weeks from a fantasy perspective, with a combined 216 receiving yards and both of his touchdowns.

He only tallied a combined 107 receiving yards in San Francisco’s other four games.

It is difficult to trust the 2015 version of Smith as a must-start for fantasy purposes until he receives consistent targets.

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Philip Rivers, Keenan Allen, Malcom Floyd Post-Week 6 Fantasy Advice

Fantasy Football
October 18, 2015

The San Diego Chargers passing offense, led by star quarterback Philip Rivers, made history in Sunday’s Week 6 loss to the Green Bay Packers.

Rivers’ fantasy owners had to be pleased to see him set franchise records for completions, attempts and yards en route to a 503-yard performance through the air with two scores.

Although Rivers didn’t find No. 1 receiver Keenan Allen on either of the touchdown tosses, Allen was extremely productive. Malcom Floyd was targeted often by Rivers as well, yet he didn’t manage to find paydirt, either.

Check out some individualized fantasy advice for the San Diego trio below, along with the final numbers from the 27-20 thriller at Lambeau Field.

Philip Rivers

Injuries across the offensive line and the absence of a rushing attack haven’t stopped Rivers from producing this season.

Even before Sunday’s monster outing, Rivers was completing 71.3 percent of his passes on 8.58 yards per attempt. That’s a stunning combination of precision and proficiency.

Rivers is a QB1 no matter what the fantasy format is. As long as he’s able to stay healthy and has the likes of Allen, stud tight end Antonio Gates and a decent No. 2 pass-catcher on the field with him, there’s no reason to believe Rivers’ level of play will drop off against any opponent.

Even in bad fantasy matchups, Rivers will have no choice but to throw the ball often to keep the Chargers close. That makes him a must-start player every week.

Keenan Allen

The chemistry Allen and Rivers have is uncommon. To be such a clear go-to option yet still manage to get open, secure the catch and produce to the degree Allen did Sunday shows how excellent he is in only his third year as a pro.

Allen should be regarded as a WR1 by any fantasy measure. His route running is among the best in all of football, and he has an elite signal-caller throwing him the ball to help the cause.

Although his lack of top-end speed will limit Allen’s fantasy upside and explosive plays, he is the ultimate possession receiver with a big enough frame to be a factor in the red zone. Gates and Floyd threaten to take away targets in the scoring area, but Allen is as reliable as it gets and should only become more consistent as his career goes on.

Malcom Floyd

Unlike Allen, Floyd is a downfield threat whose fantasy production is of the boom-or-bust variety as a result.

Now that Gates has returned from a suspension, Floyd can’t be considered more than a flex play in standard leagues or a daily fantasy flier. Fantasy owners can only deploy Floyd with any confidence if Allen’s status is questionable heading into a matchup.

But if Allen is able to continue stringing together strong performances, opposing defenses will have no choice but to account for him more. With secondaries fearing Allen and Gates, Floyd could see numerous one-on-one looks and use his 6’5″ frame to create leverage and expand his fantasy potential.

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Russell Wilson, Marshawn Lynch, Jimmy Graham Post-Week 6 Fantasy Advice

Fantasy Football
October 18, 2015

The Seattle Seahawks don’t look like a playoff team through six weeks, let alone the group that reached the last two Super Bowls from the NFC.

Despite their 2-4 record after Sunday’s loss to the Carolina Panthers, Seattle’s offensive playmakers at least provided impressive fantasy numbers for owners relying on a late-afternoon boost. Russell Wilson, Marshawn Lynch and Jimmy Graham all turned in solid fantasy performances in what was otherwise a dismal performance from Seattle.

Here is a look at their final totals and some reactions for each player.

Russell Wilson

Carolina sacked Wilson four times in Sunday’s loss and forced him to run for his life on seemingly every dropback. That is a concern for fantasy owners who are hoping he stays healthy all year, especially since Football Outsiders ranked the Seahawks offensive line dead last in the league in pass blocking through five weeks.

Health concerns aside, unless you are in a league that penalizes quarterbacks for taking sacks, the fact that Wilson has to scramble on a consistent basis opens up fantasy scoring opportunities. His legs make him dangerous, and he already has 251 rushing yards in six games.

What’s more, the pressure is not forcing him into crippling mistakes, with only three interceptions on the season.

Wilson boasts a trustworthy track record with more than 3,000 passing yards and at least 20 touchdown tosses in each of his first three seasons. The fact that Seattle’s defense appears vulnerable this season has also forced the Seahawks to air it out more often in the early going.

In fact, Wilson has thrown at least 30 times in four of his team’s six contests this year, which has provided him with opportunities to rack up consistent fantasy production. He will continue to do so in 2015, regardless of his team’s record.

Marshawn Lynch

Seattle’s offensive line has been better in the rushing attack, as Football Outsiders ranked it 13th in the league through Week 5.

Still, that hasn’t resulted in big numbers for Lynch. Sunday’s 54 rushing yards were his most since he posted 73 in Week 1. At least, he finally scored his first touchdown of the year, which rescued fantasy owners from another lackluster outing.

Lynch’s track record, with six seasons of more than 1,000 rushing yards and double-digit touchdown totals in each of the last four years, is why he is largely considered to be one of the best players in the league. However, that doesn’t do fantasy owners any good in 2015.

Lynch dealt with injury problems earlier this season and is 29 years old, with more than 2,000 carries in his career. Perhaps the wear is finally taking its toll on the star.

Fantasy owners should give Lynch the benefit of the doubt as he gradually becomes healthy, given his past, but the mediocre offensive line, age and workload concerns are causing owners to hesitate for the first time in years.

Jimmy Graham

Speaking of trustworthy track records, Graham topped 1,200 yards in two of the last four seasons and posted double-digit touchdown totals three times in that span.

He took some time to grow accustomed to his new role in a Seattle offense that doesn’t spread the ball around as much as Drew Brees used to for the New Orleans Saints, but Graham finally looked like his superstar self in Sunday’s contest.

What’s more, his 12 targets were eight more than anyone else on the team saw, and Wilson trusts him when plays break down because of poor protection.

Like Lynch, Graham should earn the benefit of the doubt in fantasy circles, especially at the tight end position, which doesn’t have as many consistent contributors as running back and wide receiver. The fact that he finally looked like the superstar fantasy owners have seen in recent years is more reason to insert him into your lineup every week.

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