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LeSean McCoy probable, Taylor questionable

Fantasy Football, NFL News
October 16, 2015
InjuryWorkload for McCoy unclear

LeSean McCoy: “I just want to go out there and see what I can do. … I look forward to playing.” Says they’ll talk tomorrow about workload. (Mike Rodak on Twitter)

Nerdy Football Analysis: McCoy was able to practice on a limited basis this week. With the team missing Karlos Williams (concussion) and Anthony Dixon being a less than desirable option, McCoy is going to give it a go. It’s going to be hard for fantasy owners to trust him as a RB2 and his risk for re-injury is high. Tyrod Taylor will likely be inactive this week. Expect EJ Manuel to start at quarterback.

Fantasy Football Week 6 Rankings: Projections for Players with Matchups We Love

Fantasy Football
October 16, 2015

One game deep into Week 6, fantasy football owners have a pretty good idea of just how important matchups can be to success.

Thursday’s NFC South showdown between the Atlanta Falcons and New Orleans Saints provided a great example. Saints running back Mark Ingram capitalized on one of the league’s worst defenses against his position for a season-high 17 points.

It’s just the beginning of a long weekend of great matchups. Below, let’s look at player rankings for each position and some of the top matchups to exploit.

Week 6 Schedule

Quarterbacks

It’s almost cheating naming the top-scoring quarterback as a player with a great matchup, but folks might not even realize it’s Cincinnati Bengals quarterback Andy Dalton.

Dalton has been on absolute fire through five outings, with his lowest point total coming in at a solid 17. He’s already gone for more than 20 points three times as he thrives behind one of the league’s best lines and hits targets such as A.J. Green and Tyler Eifert.

Those hoping for a change on the leaderboard won’t get it. Dalton gets the Buffalo Bills next, a team that ranks among the 10 surrendering the most points to the position. The Bills have let up 10 touchdowns to signal-callers, meaning Dalton has a floor in the neighborhood of two scores.

So does Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Sam Bradford.

Bradford had one of the most disappointing fantasy debuts this year. Instead of exploding out of the gates with his new team, he has three double-digit outings in five tries, although it’s now two in a row.

As the offense continues to adjust, Bradford becomes more reliable. He’s next facing the New York Giants in what should be a shootout, and it just so happens his NFC East rivals rank right behind the Bills in terms of leakiness against quarterbacks.

Running Backs

One has to scroll quite a while on the leaderboard to find Green Bay Packers running back Eddie Lacy. Like Bradford, it’s just been one of those starts to the season.

Unlike Bradford, owners know what Lacy can do and shouldn’t have too much concern over a slow start, which includes one score and trip to double digits in five outings.

It’s been a lineup of mostly tough defenses thus far for Lacy, though, and that comes to a screeching halt against the San Diego Chargers. In fact, the Chargers allow the most points to backs on average, so the Lacy of old is perhaps the surest thing of the week.

While he looked timid with 11 points last week as he worked his way back from injury, Houston Texans running back Arian Foster touts a can’t-miss encounter with the Jacksonville Jaguars.

As DraftKings.com’s Adam Levitan captured, Foster seems ready to fully go:

That’s an encouraging sign given the fact the Jaguars allow the fifth-most points to backs this year, including two allowances of 40 or more points.

Tampa Bay Buccaneers’ back Doug Martin just had a resurgence against the unit. Now it’s Foster’s turn.

Wide Receivers

Odell Beckham Jr. of the Giants is just a fun start this weekend.

He’s the top player in the NFC East showdown against the Giants on Monday Night Football, and he’s sure to perform like it. He features just three double-digit outings this year, but in those three games, he’s scored and caught seven passes.

More of the same wouldn’t be a surprise against the struggling Eagles, who have allowed seven scores to wideouts and four trips over 20 points, and three over 30. Those are allowed to entire receiving corps, but it wouldn’t be so surprising so see Beckham flirt with the 20-point mark himself.

He doesn’t need it, but New England Patriots wideout Julian Edelman is stuck in a perfect game this weekend.

An owner of double-digit performances in two of his four games, Edelman is a target monster with at least eight grabs in three games.

The Indianapolis Colts allow the third-most points to wideouts this season, and silly narrative or not, it’s hard to imagine Tom Brady and Co. will stop throwing against the team that kicked off the whole Deflategate thing.

Tight Ends

Greg Olsen doesn’t have the household staying power of say, Rob Gronkowski, but when he’s in a great situation and the Carolina Panthers look to get him involved, he can outscore anyone at the position.

Case in point, Olsen’s 25-point outing in Week 3. Carolina’s leading receiver is Ted Ginn, so it’s a wonder Olsen only has that lone trip to double digits. That will change against the Seattle Seahawks, though, who allow the fifth-most points to tight ends.

Chicago Bears tight end Martellus Bennett sits in much of the same situation, although he’s also had to deal with quarterback injuries. Jay Cutler is healthy now, though, so Bennett shouldn’t have many issues exploding against the winless Detroit Lions—a team that ranks right behind Seattle against tight ends thanks to four touchdowns allowed.

Defense/Special Teams

The New York Jets are back to their defensive powerhouse ways and sit in the best matchup of the week.

Where to start? The Jets have six picks on the year, seven fumble recoveries and have allowed more than 20 points just once to coincide with scoring 10 or more points three times.

No. 4 is on the way. Washington touts one of the league’s most stagnant offenses. The wideout corps hasn’t been healthy, the backfield rotation doesn’t make a ton of sense and Kirk Cousins has thrown more interceptions than touchdowns.

In a low-scoring affair, bank on the Jets.

Kickers

It’s almost impossible to name 16 starting kickers this year, but Nick Novak of the Texans is one name owners should recognize.

Novak posted nine points last week, his best performance of the year, while attempting and making a pair of field goals and extra points.

The funny thing is Novak figures to improve on that season-best performance right away thanks to a game against the Jaguars. Jacksonville allows the most points to the position on average.

Long story short, Jacksonville has allowed at least eight points to kickers in every game and three in a row have scored at least 12. Novak will make it four in a row.

All scoring info courtesy of ESPN standard leagues, as is points-against info and ownership stats as of October 16. Statistics courtesy of ESPN.com. Dallas, Oakland, St. Louis and Tampa Bay on bye.

Follow Chris_Roling on Twitter

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Week 6 Start 'Em, Sit 'Em: Projections for Top 10 Players at Each Position

Fantasy Football
October 16, 2015

Truth be told, it’s impossible to say for certain that a player should start or sit across the board. Every fantasy team is different and calls for decisions that change by the league.

Four teams taking a seat for their bye week and a bevy of injuries, of course, don’t make navigating the fantasy waters for Week 6 any easier. Many owners are scraping the bottom of the barrel during this stretch of the season, leaning on players who aren’t proving consistent and taking a chance on underrated names.

One game is already in the books, as Thursday Night Football has been played, but there are still 13 other matchups worth looking into. Let’s take all of those into account as we predict the top 10 performers at each position.

Quarterbacks

Start: Philip Rivers, QB, San Diego Chargers

The schedule-makers haven’t done the San Diego Chargers any favors, as they travel to Lambeau Field on a short week after losing a heartbreaker to Pittsburgh on Monday. But it won’t do anything to quell the production of Philip Rivers.

The Chargers quarterback is settling in, throwing for multiple touchdowns in four of his five games this year. He’s also averaging around 320 yards per game through the air, and this matchup with the Packers won’t be a defensive struggle by any means.

With Antonio Gates returning in full force, Rivers’ production will only continue to climb.

Sit: Russell Wilson, QB, Seattle Seahawks

A tough start to the season for the Seattle Seahawks only gets tougher in Week 6 with a visit from the Carolina Panthers, a defense that should frustrate Russell Wilson and keep him on his heels.

The Panthers rank in the middle of the pack against the pass, but that number is skewed due to the fact that Carolina has led during the majority of its games so far. A better indication of their defensive prowess are the eight interceptions against four touchdowns allowed.

Each of the Seahawks-Panthers contests over the last couple of seasons have been defensive slugfests. Expect that trend to continue and lead to a below-average fantasy outing from Wilson.

Running Backs

Start: Giovani Bernard, RB, Cincinnati Bengals

Those of us who bet high on Jeremy Hill and snagged him with an early draft pick—I’m raising my hand regretfully—won’t like this, but Giovani Bernard is quickly proving himself worthier of snaps and touches in the Cincinnati Bengals’ surging offense.

Issues with both production and fumbles have plagued Hill throughout the young season, and Bernard has been willing to pick up the slack. The Bengals’ Week 5 win over Seattle signaled a changing of the guard, as Brad Evans of Yahoo Sports noted:

The matchup also bodes well, as the Buffalo Bills have allowed double-digit outings to two straight running backs—Rashad Jennings of the Giants and Antonio Andrews of the Titans. Bernard is more than capable of scoring for the first time this season, or at the very least generating the yardage that makes him a must-start.

Sit: Jonathan Stewart, RB, Carolina Panthers

He’s still getting the ball like the No. 1 option would, but Jonathan Stewart’s inability to find the end zone is quickly turning him from an every-week starter to a flex option.

His 220 rushing yards on the season indicate that he gets his share of touches, but even that number has gone down consistently this season. He’s gone from 18 touches to 17 to 14 to 10 in consecutive weeks this season—all without a touchdown, mind you.

The Seahawks haven’t allowed a rushing score all season and will be intent on forcing Cam Newton to beat them through the air.

Wide Receivers

Start: Brandon Marshall, WR, New York Jets

Many will be scared off this weekend by the fact that the Washington Redskins are playing surprisingly well on defense, plus the other fact that the New York Jets are still the Jets. Thus, the Jets are susceptible to a dud performance offensively.

But that trend is beginning to be bucked with the arrival of Brandon Marshall. Generating double-digit targets per game, his presence in the offense has been steady, and the results have been consistent. He has a streak of three straight games with over 100 yards receiving and also has three scores on the season.

New York’s offense has been surprisingly on point for most of this season and will continue by way of Marshall on Sunday.

Sit: Pierre Garcon, WR, Washington Redskins

Keeping within the same matchup, Washington Redskins leading target Pierre Garcon isn’t due for the same type of outing as Marshall.

Garcon has proved a bit more reliable than last season so far, catching touchdowns in two of his four games. But with that in mind, he’s only broken double-digit fantasy points once.

While the Redskins defense is hit-or-miss, the Jets defense—especially in the secondary—is legit. Don’t expect Garcon to catch a score against a secondary that has allowed three touchdowns to opposing wideouts.

Tight Ends

Start: Richard Rodgers, TE, Green Bay Packers

With a number of his favorite receivers going down to injury, Aaron Rodgers has looked the way of a fellow Rodgers for consistent production. Tight end Richard Rodgers has delivered.

Rodgers has proved himself as a red-zone option with two touchdowns already on the season and has a great shot at making it three—or four—on Sunday. The San Diego Chargers have given up three scores already to tight ends this season, and the Packers gunslinger has a way of exploiting teams’ weaknesses.

Sit: Larry Donnell, TE, New York Giants

Seeing Larry Donnell make that incredible game-winning catch on Sunday Night Football may have fantasy owners looking his way, but expect a quick drop-off from the Giants tight end on Sunday.

His struggles against the Philadelphia Eagles look bound to continue this weekend. Donnell only caught three passes for 32 yards in two contests against Philly last season, and the Eagles have allowed just one touchdown to tight ends this season.

Defense/Special Teams

Start: New York Jets

What’s not to like about a nasty Jets defense coming off a bye and playing at home? New York’s squad will be well-rested and ready to bring the Washington Redskins back down to earth. The Jets should add to their 13 takeaways so far.

Sit: Buffalo Bills

The Buffalo Bills defense has a lot of extra weight on its shoulders, with virtually the entire offense (at least playmaker-wise) on the shelf. They did well last week versus Tennessee but will struggle mightily against Andy Dalton and his multifaceted passing attack.

Follow Steven Cook on Twitter for more fantasy football analysis.

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OBJ misses practice Friday, gametime decision

Fantasy Football, NFL News
October 16, 2015
InjuryGiants vs. Eagles Monday night

If Odell Beckham Jr. is unable to practice at all, does that preclude him from playing Monday night? Said Coughlin: “Does it preclude? No.” (Ralph Vacchiano on Twitter)

Nerdy Football Analysis: Beckham tweaked his hamstring in Week 5 and has yet to practice this week. With the Giants playing Monday night, fantasy owners that have to make a call on Sunday morning should play it safe and the star WR out of linueps. Rueben Randle (hamstring) was able to practice Friday. Dwayne Harris would likely see increased opportunities if OBJ sits.

Santonio Holmes Still Hopes To Continue Career

NFL News
October 16, 2015

Santonio Holmes‘ name hasn’t been mentioned on Nerdy Football since July, when a report indicated he had worked out for the Bengals. While one might assume that the apparent lack of interest since then would discourage Holmes’ desire to continue his playing career, that’s not the case, according to the veteran receiver.

“I’m just waiting for that call,” Holmes tells Joe Starkey of the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review. According to Starkey, the former Steeler said he has been training for the past year in Florida and is in “tip-top shape.” However, despite the fact that he’s just 31 years old, Holmes hasn’t drawn much interest after some underwhelming seasons with the Jets and Bears.

Most recently, Holmes played in nine games for the 2014 Bears, catching just eight balls for 67 yards. Both marks were career-lows, and it was the first time in nine NFL seasons that the former first-round pick didn’t find the end zone.

With Holmes’ on-field production on the decline in recent years, it’s also worth noting that he hasn’t always been viewed as the most positive influence on a team’s locker room. So any interested suitors would have to weigh the potential off-field impact of signing Holmes at a time when his on-field impact seems to be increasingly limited. The Ohio State product clearly doesn’t have retirement plans yet though, so we’ll see if he catches on anywhere in the coming months, or in time for the 2016 season.