FanHouse

Five Underrated Fantasy Running Backs

Ryan Dembinsky — 2009-06-05T16:20:00 00:00

One of the secrets to successfully navigating a fantasy football draft is sorting through the noise that comes out of the various media sources and uncovering the hidden values. Every season, fantasy football pundits will sway the general consensus in a particular direction, making forgone conclusions that cause a good percentage of players to rethink what they already know, thus causing some stalwart players to become significantly underrated. Over the next couple of weeks, Fantasy FanHouse will provide a rundown of our perceived five most underrated players at the key fantasy skill positions, starting today with the five most underrated running backs.

Get an Early Start: Play FREE Fantasy Football at Fleaflicker

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Marques Colston Undergoes Microfracture Surgery: Fantasy Spin

Ryan Dembinsky — 2009-05-26T11:00:00 00:00

by Ryan Dembinsky

Filed under: Draft Advice, NFL Injury Report

In what was originally thought to be a simple arthroscopic knee surgery, it turns out that during the offseason, Marques Colston underwent a more complicated knee procedure known as microfracture surgery. The news of the surgery comes as no surprise, given Colston missed six games in 2008 due to injuries (though mainly due to a torn ligament in his thumb). But the increased severity of a microfracture surgery -- as opposed to a simple scope -- calls into question whether Colston's fantasy value should take a dip in 2009.

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Offseason Fantasy Value Conundrums

Ryan Dembinsky — 2009-05-17T16:00:00 00:00

by Ryan Dembinsky

Filed under: Draft Advice

Sure, it may be a little early for most normal people to start thinking fantasy football draft, but for us derelict diehards, keeping abreast on the developments of the offseason can provide peace of mind and an advantage in watching things progress as we head into the summer. While the news coming out of the NFL these days is far overshadowed by two wildly entertaining playoff series, there are some pretty critical players to keep an eye on.

A small handful of elite fantasy stars are in the midst of a serious value conundrum. On one hand, they provide an opportunity to nab otherwise surefire first-rounders on the cheap, but not without taking on big-time risk. It is question of "how far do we let them drop before it is critical to pull the trigger?"

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Lions Select Matt Stafford, Fantasy Owners Don't Care

Ryan Dembinsky — 2009-04-25T16:30:00 00:00

by Ryan Dembinsky

Filed under: Dynasty Diaries, NFL Position Rankings, NFL Draft Analysis

With the first pick of the 2009 NFL Draft, the Detroit Lions surprised nobody by inking a deal with the former Georgia Bulldog quarterback, Matthew Stafford. Long before the draft began at 4 pm this afternoon, Detroit and Stafford agreed on Friday night to a six-year deal worth $78 million with $41.7 million guaranteed.

While most young quarterbacks might be tempted to pull the Elway and start singing, "I gotta get out of this place, if it's the last thing I ever do," Stafford, on the contrary, seems genuinely excited to be a Lion and up to the challenge of turning this team around under his leadership. This, combined with a pretty savvy contract by the Lions that puts a lot of that $78 million in incentives based on playing time, looks like a recipe for success. So, the question remains, does Matt Stafford have fantasy value for the upcoming season in Detroit as a rookie?

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Tony Gonzalez Deal Gives Values Boost

Ryan Dembinsky — 2009-04-25T10:30:00 00:00

by Ryan Dembinsky

Filed under: NFL Bust a Move

In maybe the biggest pre-draft shakeup thus far, the Atlanta Falcons nabbed ten time Pro-Bowl tight end, Tony Gonzalez on the cheap for a mere 2nd round draft pick in the 2010 draft (presumably a late round one at that, the way the Falcons are shaping up). Gonzo made it no secret in recent months that having pretty much solidified his claim as the best tight end of all time - at least for the next five years or so while that other fella from San Diego works through the second half of his career - that he wanted to play for a contender.

This trade should provide immediate fantasy implications, which bode well for just about everybody involved.

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Fantasy Spin: Fred Taylor to Patriots

Ryan Dembinsky — 2009-03-03T18:00:00 00:00

by Ryan Dembinsky

Filed under: NFL Bust a Move

The Fred Taylor situation is already biting at me from both sides. The good side of the conscious is dressed in white, perched on the left shoulder, and saying, "Dude, it's freaking Fred Taylor. You know he will be hurt by week five and New England's running game will be stuck centering on shuffle passes to Kevin Faulk." On the flip side, the other half of the conscious is dressed in black leather with a pack of cigarettes rolled in his sleeve, sitting on his Harley, saying "Jump on it, man. This is the next genius move by New England. He is going to dominate just like Corey Dillon did when he came into to town and scored 39 touchdowns in three seasons. It's a system that has been missing the key guy, and Taylor is that guy."

In other words, this is a tough call that could really go either way. One thing we know for sure is that this has wide reaching fantasy impact, so let's take a look at the winners and losers in the wake of this bold signing.

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Adding Coaches to Fantasy Football Rosters, Crazy?

Ryan Dembinsky — 2009-02-15T13:30:00 00:00

by Ryan DembinskyThings that make you go "hmmmm." I've been tossing this idea around ever since watching the Super Bowl and considering what a great job both Ken Whisenhunt and Mike Tomlin have done with their short tenures in Arizona and Pittsburgh, respectively; would it make sense to add coaches to the fantasy football roster?

Before you start thinking of all the reasons that this does not make sense, hear me out, because there certainly exist a lot of those -- the most obvious being that it's pretty impossible to measure a coach's individual contribution. That said, a lot of coaches have discernible habits and bad lineups that can, in theory, lead to some level of predictability in their outcomes. Thus, the more I think about this, I'd like to see coaches in the fantasy lineup. They have to be at least as predictable as the kicker, which has to be the silliest element in fantasy sports, that we try to predict outcomes from on a weekly basis.

So, enough prepping, let's look at some of the stats that I think could be included in the coaches' fantasy stats and you tell me if it makes sense. I'm already sold ...

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Fantasy Football Decision Time: Up for Grabs, Down for Keeps

Ryan Dembinsky — 2009-01-16T13:00:00 00:00

by Ryan Dembinsky

Filed under: Dynasty Diaries, Fantasy Football

I must admit, I am not entirely certain that "Up for Grabs, Down for Keeps" is a universal reference. It refers to the hot open-market exchange that is the elementary school lunch table. "Up for grabs" means that the Fruit by the Foot is in play if you can come up with a fat sack of Nutter Butters, or perhaps a goat cheese sandwich if you're from Scarsdale. "Down for keeps" means you changed your mind or pulled the fake-out move and decided to hang onto it for personal consumption.

Anyway, today's segment deals with the decision of determining who should be stashed away "down for keeps" versus who is better off being placed back on the market "up for grabs" in those keeper leagues as we head into the off-season.

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Offensive Line Breakdowns: The Rewind

Ryan Dembinsky — 2009-01-09T18:34:00 00:00

by Ryan Dembinsky

Filed under: Fantasy Football

You might recall that during the preseason, I concocted a relatively thorough analysis of the offensive line of all 32 teams. The crux of the project -- and what I thought would crack the secret to fantasy success wide open -- was that by determining where the talented offensive lines resided, the picks for skill positions would be made much more intelligently. Well, today we finally get to test that thesis and put the rubber to the road. If you recall, the the offensive lines for each of the league's 32 teams were broken down into five tiers with regard to quality: the creme de la creme, the highly competent, the serviceable, the grim, and the bunk.

The Creme de la Creme

Teams: the Dallas Cowboys, the Cleveland Browns, the Minnesota Vikings, the New England Patriots, and the New York Giants

The Skinny: The glaring error here was calling the Browns offensive line the best in the game and hyping Jamal Lewis for a big season. Still, our creme de la creme group performed quite well averaging 34 sacks on the season and 4.4 yards per carry. The Giants also led the league in yards per carry. The creme de la creme group was definitely solid, but this clearly did not make anyone's season by focusing their drafts here.

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Interview with Shane Schroeder, the World's First Fantasy Football Millionaire

Ryan Dembinsky — 2008-12-24T20:31:00 00:00

by Ryan Dembinsky

Filed under: Fantasy Football

Forget winning the lottery; Shane Schroeder just set the new standard for the American Dream -- well, at least for any warm-blooded male in the coveted 18-45 demographic. This past weekend, Shane became the first ever fantasy football millionaire by winning the Fantasy Football Open Championship at the famed Bellagio Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas. He bested the fifteen remaining finalists of literally thousands of entrants, earning a cool million dollars and the title of the world's best fantasy player. Not a bad way to celebrate the holidays. Amidst the whirlwind of publicity, Shane was kind enough to answer a few questions from Fantasy FanHouse. Move over Trey Anastasio, I think I have a new idol.

Ryan Dembinsky: Who would you say was your team's MVP this season, the guy who delivered every time you needed him?

Shane Schroeder: I have to say DeAngelo Williams. His epic performance during the Sunday night game is what put me in a position to win it all and he was really great down the stretch. Besides, you can't really argue with more than 1,300 yards and 18 TDs.

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Waiver Wire Wonders: Week 15

Ryan Dembinsky — 2008-12-15T15:19:00 00:00

by Ryan Dembinsky

Filed under: Fantasy Football, NFL Waiver Wire

Weeding through those unwieldy waiver wires requires a keen eye and a quick trigger. Thus, Waiver Wire Wonders provides a weekly snapshot of players worthy of consideration who should be available on a good portion of league waiver wires. Enjoy those pickups...

If you are like me and surrounded by a glass case of emotion after two lousy games that ended your championship hopes in two leagues, making waiver wire moves is not exactly your top priority. Instead, that honor goes to talking yourself off of the ledge and convincing yourself that fantasy basketball is actually sort of fun. Since we all know that is a lie, let's take it for the team and plow on for another round of waiver wire wonders for the lucky few who get to compete for the title next weekend -- and for the rest of us to go out with a bang in the lousy third-place game, or worse, the consolation bracket.

Matt Schaub (QB, Texans) - I'm guessing if you are still reading this column, you probably have a guy named Manning, Warner or Brees on your roster, so at this point, you probably are not scouring the waiver wire too much at your quarterback slot. In the event that you do want a little padding for your QB situation, Schaub is coming off two very formidable performances. He helped propel the vast majority of Andre Johnson owners to a victory and should continue the trend with Oakland this week. After seeing what Cassel did Sunday to the Raiders defense, Schaub looks like a mighty fine start against Arizona.

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Fantasy Backfield Shakeups

Ryan Dembinsky — 2008-12-09T10:45:00 00:00

by Ryan Dembinsky

Filed under: Fantasy Football, NFL Injury Report

Just in time for the fantasy playoffs, Week 14 provided fantasy owners with plenty of heart palpitations and an awful lot to think about. Going into Week 15, the most nerve-racking of all fantasy weeks in my opinion, we have no less than five superstar running backs with totally uncertain futures after suffering injuries.

At this point, we at Fantasy FanHouse do not know much more than you about these situations, but we will attempt to shed some light on how to approach them (with more definitive updates coming later this week).

Broncos: Peyton Hillis / Tatum Bell - You can't paint a turd. Sure, Peyton Hillis is officially on the injured reserve, which will inevitably lead many fantasy players to jump all over Tatum Bell, but the problem with this situation is you are still talking about Tatum Bell -- the same guy who got cut by the Detroit Lions. It is conceivable that cutting Bell was another event in a long line of boneheaded moves by the Lions, but I wouldn't stake my fantasy playoffs on Bell if I were you. He may have looked decent against the Chiefs, but temper the expectations against better run defenses in Carolina and Buffalo. In fact, if you insist on starting Bell, I have a red hot investment portfolio for you that includes sub-prime mortgages and Lehman Brothers stock that I'd like you talk to you about as well.

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Waiver Wire Wonders: Week 14

Ryan Dembinsky — 2008-12-07T20:55:00 00:00

by Ryan Dembinsky

Filed under: NFL Waiver Wire, Fantasy Football

Weeding through those unwieldy waiver wires requires a keen eye and a quick trigger. Thus, Waiver Wire Wonders provides a weekly snapshot of players worthy of consideration who should be available on a good portion of league waiver wires. Enjoy those pickups...

With the holiday season and the first big week of the fantasy playoffs in full effect, let's kick things off with a little scene from 'A Christmas Story'.

Mr. Parker: It's a Major Award!
Swede: Shucks I wouldn't know that. It looks like a lamp.
Mr. Parker: What is a lamp, you nincompoop? It's a Major Award. I won it!
Swede: Damn, hell, you say won it?
Mr. Parker: Yeah, mind power, Swede; mind power.

As we learned from Ralphie's old man, beauty is in the eye of the beholder. When it comes to waiver wire decisions in the fantasy playoffs, most rosters are pretty stable by now, but there are always a few holes to fill. This week, for those of you looking to fill specific needs, there are a few major prizes out there.

Derrick Ward (RB, Giants) - Derrick Ward looked like a decent add coming into this week's game against the Eagles, but with Brandon Jacobs leaving the game with an injured knee, he is officially this week's leg lamp -- a major award. Coach Tom Coughlin says he is hopeful that the injury is nothing big, but Jacobs did not return to action after injuring the knee early, so snag Ward now in case Jacobs misses some time. Jacobs has struggled this season with injuries, so it is very conceivable that this might be more problematic than the coaches are leading on at this point. In Jacobs' absence, Ward carried the ball eight times for just 39 yards. Hence, this payoff only comes to fruition if Jacobs misses action, but I think it is worth the add if you can spare a roster spot.

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Fantasy Football Playoff Report: AFC North

Ryan Dembinsky — 2008-12-03T13:00:00 00:00

by Ryan Dembinsky

Filed under: Fantasy Football

The playoffs are either upon us or one week away in the majority of fantasy football leagues. With this in mind, Fantasy FanHouse is examining what you can expect from the fantasy relevant players on each team.

Baltimore Ravens

The opposing defenses: vs. WAS (7th against pass, 7th against run), vs. PIT (1st against pass, 1st against run), at DAL (11th against pass, 10th against run)
The skinny: Baltimore really got the short end of it when it came to scheduling weeks 14 through 16. With three staunch defenses, nothing is looking very safe in terms of offensive starters. The backfield is a committee at this point and the passing game is in the hands of a rookie. Joe Flacco has three multiple touchdown games in his last four outings, but his yards and attempts are still low and the consistency is not there to risk a playoff start. The Ravens do expect a bigger role from Willis McGahee down the stretch, so he could return to form soon. The only true every-game starter on the Ravens, when it comes to the fantasy playoffs, is the defense.
The must-starts: D/ST
The likely start: Willis McGahee
The spot-start: Joe Flacco, Le'Ron McClain, Mark Clayton, Derrick Mason
The no-starts: Ray Rice, Todd Heap
The D/ST: The Ravens defense is just owning fantasy land as the season winds down. Start them every week without question from here on out

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Fantasy Football Playoff Report: AFC East

Ryan Dembinsky — 2008-12-03T09:00:00 00:00

by Ryan Dembinsky

Filed under: Fantasy Football

The playoffs are either upon us or one week away in the majority of fantasy football leagues. With this in mind, Fantasy FanHouse is examining what you can expect from the fantasy relevant players on each team.

New York Jets

The opposing defenses: at SF (28th against pass, 16th against run), vs. BUF (14th against pass,17th against run), at SEA (32nd against pass, 22nd against run)
The skinny: Something tells me the Jets investment in improving the offensive line paid off, because Thomas Jones went from two touchdowns all last season to 11 touchdowns in just 13 games this season. The scary part is that the running game just keeps getting better. In his past four games, Jones has six touchdowns and 487 yards rushing.The passing game has been less reliable, but Favre still has six multiple touchdown games. As a Cotchery owner, I'll tell you, it never feels very safe starting him and I would only insert either him or Laveranues Coles in dire situations -- neither are very consistent. Finally, start Dustin Keller at will as he has an unbelievable 27 catches in the past four games.
The must-starts: Thomas Jones
The likely start: Dustin Keller
The spot-start: Brett Favre, Jerricho Cotchery, Leon Washington, Laveranues Coles
The no-starts: Chansi Stuckey
The D/ST: The Jets defense is one of the best in the league against the run (30th) and worst against the pass (4th). After getting torched by the Broncos last week, I'd say you're better off with an all-around solid defense, but you could do worse than starting them against the sputtering Seahawks.

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Waiver Wire Wonders: Week 13

Ryan Dembinsky — 2008-11-30T21:55:00 00:00

by Ryan Dembinsky

Filed under: NFL Waiver Wire, Fantasy Football, NFL New Studs

Weeding through those unwieldy waiver wires requires a keen eye and a quick trigger. Thus, Waiver Wire Wonders provides a weekly snapshot of players worthy of consideration who should be available on a good portion of league waiver wires. Enjoy those pickups...

At first glance, this week's options on the waiver wire look a bit like Michael Strahan's teeth: few and far between. Not to worry though, because upon digging a little deeper, we have uncovered a few nice pickups despite the slim pickings. This week's list of waiver wire wonders illustrates a couple of nice noobs on the list, but the better part of our list consist of repeat offenders who solidified themselves as legitimate options given surrounding injuries or changing situations that favor their output for the rest of the regular season.

Domenik Hixon (WR, Giants) -- Clearly, the absence of the Thuggish Ruggish Burress leaves a big void in the Giants passing game, which today looked to benefit Amani Toomer and Domenik Hixon about equally. Although Toomer scored the touchdown, going forward, Hixon looks like the guy with the most upside. He has consistently worked his way into a bigger role in New York and Plaxico's impression of David Silver's friend, should seal the deal. Today, Hixon caught five passes for 71 yards and we can expect bigger games to come.

Mark Clayton (WR, Ravens) -- Don't get your hopes up, this isn't one of those acid flashbacks we've all been patiently awaiting. Despite the fact that it might seem like 1985 given all the talk this season about Dan Marino and now Mark Clayton, this is the new Mark Clayton and today he caught five passes for 164 yards and a long 70-yard touchdown. If that wasn't quite enough, he threw his own 32-yard touchdown pass to really juice the fantasy numbers. Clayton also caught a long touchdown last week, so he might be an interesting add at this point as he is establishing himself as a big-play receiver.

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Sunday Morning Tailgate: Live Fantasy Football Chat, Circa 10:30 AM Eastern

Ryan Dembinsky — 2008-11-30T09:00:00 00:00

by Ryan Dembinsky

Filed under: Sunday Morning Tailgate, Fantasy Football, Expert Chats

Good morning good folks. Hopefully, everybody is off to a good start this week after the Titans read the Lions the riot act on Turkey Day and Brian Westbrook singlehandedly destroyed some opponents' hopes and dreams. Personally, I was hoping for more out of Anquan Boldin, but everybody has an off day now and again.

Moving forward, we'll be here from 10:30 ET all the way up to kickoff in an attempt to guide your fantasy football teams to victory.

Check out up-to-the-minute player notes for injury updates.

We have already completed positional rankings for quarterbacks, running backs, wide receivers, tight ends, D/STs, and kickers. Yes, it's true; we are so awesome that we actually rank kickers.

We'll be happy to tackle flex position starts, trade situations, shady commissioner activities -- pretty much anything else under the sun, including unrelated questions about Lost and Heroes, .

See you at 10:30!

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Injuries to Watch: Turkey Day

Ryan Dembinsky — 2008-11-26T19:00:00 00:00

by Ryan Dembinsky

Filed under: Fantasy Football, NFL Injuries

Be careful folks; don't let that Tryptophan spin you into a snooze on Thanksgiving Day before carefully setting that fantasy lineup. There are a couple of critical injuries to keep an eye on for Thursday, so take note as you prepare your for your last hurrah before the fantasy playoffs. As always, please feel free to chime in with opinions, updates, and rumors in the comments.

The Arizona Cardinals

The Cardinals are sitting pretty from a fantasy perspective. Everybody is good to go.

The Dallas Cowboys

Tony Romo - Tony Romo went back to wearing a splint on his finger during practice on Tuesday, but he will play on Turkey Day. Whether or not he plays with the splint is unknown at this point, but regardless, after last week's gigantic numbers, start him no matter what, because he should pick apart the porous Seattle defense.

Jason Witten - Witten continues to nurse his sore ribs, but he will definitely play on Thursday. The real question is do fantasy owners stick with Witten despite his one catch per game average over the past four games? I would say yes, start Witten on Thursday, because the Seahawks have a below average pass defense and he should return to form. Witten also has a tendency to score touchdowns on Turkey Day (two TDs in three years), so keep him in there.

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Injuries to Watch: Turkey Day

Ryan Dembinsky — 2008-11-26T15:33:00 00:00

by Ryan Dembinsky

Filed under: Fantasy Football, NFL Injury Report

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Waiver Wire Wonders: Week 12

Ryan Dembinsky — 2008-11-23T21:42:00 00:00

by Ryan Dembinsky

Filed under: NFL Waiver Wire, Fantasy Football, NFL New Studs

Weeding through those unwieldy waiver wires requires a keen eye and a quick trigger. Thus, Waiver Wire Wonders provides a weekly snapshot of players worthy of consideration who should be available on a good portion of league waiver wires. Enjoy those pickups...

It looks like a pretty slow week for the waiver wires, but depending on needs, there are definitely some promising propositions out there. Since most leagues have passed the dreaded trade deadline, these guys are about the only options at this point to fill any unproductive holes. Thus, from here on out, playing the waiver wires wisely is of the utmost importance.

J.J. Arrington (RB, Cardinals) - While Arrington's numbers were pretty much sub par, his workload is steadily increasing and he looked very good against the Giants this afternoon, particularly on screen passes (5 catches for 38 yards). At this point, he is not startable, but he might be a valuable pickup down the stretch, so keep an eye on Arrington for a potential fantasy playoff pickup.

Maurice Morris (RB, Seahawks) - Earlier in the season, the bulk of the workload looked to be going to Julius Jones, but after a steady descent since his hot start to the season, Jones may have lost the privilege. After Jones went down with an early calf injury, a healthy Maurice Morris carried the ball 14 times for 103 yards and caught three passes for 10 yards and a touchdown. With this performance, Morris looks to see an expanded workload and makes for a compelling add.

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