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| I'm ready for the NFL to kick off on Thursday, though I may be ready for the season to end before Monday night. |
Well, kinda. As I mentioned last week, I'm in the early stages of turning around last season's worst fantasy football team, and--as luck would have it--I'm facing off against my pick for league champion this year in the first week. Yay, Zombies!
Right now, I just have to hope that he doesn't notice that his kicker, Garrett Hartley, is expected to be out 6-10 weeks. But even without a kicker, I'm pretty sure his team can still whoop up on my team. He's got Tom Brady, Greg Jennings, Larry Fitzgerald, Darren McFadden, and so many more. In the predictions for this week, I predicted his team to win.
So no one would blame a Zombie of being overly confident. But who knows? Maybe we'll overwhelm The (Tom) Brady Bunch (as they're called) with our numbers and mindless ambition. Maybe.
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My team made a couple pick-ups this week. First, we acquired LB-Casey Matthews, Phi and dropped DB-Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie, Phi. I've already got Kurt Coleman as a Philly D-Back, who I expect to have higher tackle totals throughout the season. Plus, I decided to take a shot on a young MLB in Matthews who may (or may not) end up being a young piece of my defense moving into the future (because Ray Lewis and D.J. Williams surely aren't spring chickens).
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| Is Casey Matthews Zombies material? He's got long hair and a vacant stare. |
The other pick-up was more of a knee jerk reaction which may or may not pay off. I dropped WR-Terrell Owens, FA and replaced him with RB-Keiland Williams, Det (newly acquired by the Lions, in fact).
When I first saw that Williams was acquired by Detroit, I thought he would make a better complement to Jhavid Best than Jerome Harrison or Maurice Morris. Then, I saw their coach make the same comment. As a result, I decided to take a chance on him since Owens isn't a part of my long-term plans, especially since I learned that Demaryius Thomas of Denver is back and practicing two months early. (Brian Robiskie, Cle and Steve Smith, Car are both on the bubble too, because I'm feeling pretty good about my WRs now.)
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Last week, I promised some super sleepers, so here are mine. These are players that are probably not on a roster at the moment and really don't belong on a roster, but they are great players to follow through the early part of the season.
QB: Ryan Fitzpatrick, Buf. He's in a tough division, but I think he's got a better than expected defense that will help keep games honest. Plus, he has a good running game with underrated Fred Jackson and CJ Spiller. Most owners are overlooking him because of Buffalo trading away Lee Evans, but Fitz still completed nearly 62% of his passes during the preseason.
QB: Jason Campbell, Oak. This is a QB I've always liked, but he's always been put in tough situations (with a new offensive coordinator every season since like high school). However, I think he's got a real shot at making hay with his WRs this season. Plus, he's got a killer 1-2 combination at RB between Darren McFadden and Michael Bush.
RB: Justin Forsett, Sea. Last season was the first time Marshawn Lynch played an entire season, but he did it between two teams. So for him to play an entire season, Lynch needs to be traded. Either way, it benefits the second RB in Seattle: Justin Forsett, who reminds me a lot of Jamaal Charles. Everyone's always dissing his size, but he still always seems to produce.
RB: Isaac Redman, Pit. Pittsburgh plays Baltimore twice every year, including in Week 1. There are always broken bones in these games (or at least, it seems that way), so grabbing Mendenhall's back up is not the worst move an owner could make, especially when you consider that Redman averaged more than 5 yards per carry during the preseason.
RB: Derrick Ward, Hou. I don't care what people say about Foster playing in Week 1; there's still a Q next to his name. Plus, if they push Foster back into action too soon, Houston may end up losing his services for the rest of the season. Either way, Ward is a smart investment, whether you already have Foster or not.
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| Arian Foster's infamous MRI tweet could end up helping or hurting owners who take a risk on him this season. |
At WR, keep an eye on these guys (though don't pick any up this week unless you're really depleted at the position): Jerome Simpson, Cin; Emmanuel Sanders, Pit; Anthony Armstrong, Was; Jacoby Ford, Oak; Nate Washington, Ten; Deion Branch, NE; Earl Bennett, Chi; Harry Douglas, Atl. At least one or two of these guys is going to have a good season if things break the right way.
TE: Jeremy Shockey, Car. I actually dropped Shockey from my roster, so this might come as a bit of a "shock" (get it? His last name? It's sort of "shocking?" Oh, forget it.), but I won't be surprised if Carolina uses a lot of double TE sets to help Cam Newton succeed early on. Many owners have already jumped on Greg Olsen, but I think Shockey's numbers might get a jolt (again, kinda playing off his last...nevermind) too.
I'd give you the names of some great kickers, but the team I'm playing this week is in need of one, and I don't want to be the reason he kicks (okay, enough of the puns) my Zombie brains in.
If you have any suggestions (any position or team), share them below. I sure could use the help myself. Good luck, everyone!
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Follow me on Twitter @robertleebrewer. By Sunday evening's games, I should be tweeting all manner of agonizing and self-loathing comments about my team's diminishing chances to win even one game this season. Should be fun stuff (if you aren't me, that is).
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Need a jersey to watch the game? Here are the Top 10 most sought after jerseys (according to NFLshop.com):
- Peyton Manning jersey
, Indy
- Tom Brady jersey
, NE
- Michael Vick jersey
, Phi
- Drew Brees jersey
, NO
- Clay Matthews jersey
, GB
- Aaron Rodgers jersey
, GB
- Eli Manning jersey
, NYG
- Mark Sanchez jersey
, NYJ
- Philip Rivers jersey
, SD
- Troy Polamalu jersey
, Pit
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