FanHouse

Passed Out at Your Desk: Chiefs-Chargers Shootout?

R.J. White — 2009-11-25T22:00:00 00:00

Filed under: NFL Sleepers, NFL Waiver Wire

Everyone loves fantasy football sleepers, but they change depending on league size and availability. We're here each and every week to give you a look at good plays for all types of leagues.

We featured Beanie Wells last week, and he came through with 85 yards and a touchdown. Considering his great fantasy playoff schedule, he should be owned in every league and started most, if not all, weeks. Make sure to check your waiver wire and pick up Wells, especially if you have a bruised back like Brian Westbrook or Ahmad Bradshaw still on your team.

We're coming at you with another shortened sleeper column this week. Breeze through it, and enjoy your holidays in a safe manner.

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Fantasy Football Week 12 Rankings: WR

R.J. White — 2009-11-25T14:40:00 00:00

by R.J. White

Filed under: NFL Position Rankings

The top five WR list includes three old stalwarts and the two biggest breakouts of the 2009 campaign.

A few people took a gamble on the potential of Sidney Rice near the end of their drafts. Heck, I've been holding on to him for two years in a dynasty league hoping he'd one day fulfill that potential. That day finally arrived this year, as Rice has emerged as a near WR1 and a must-start every week.

Conversely, Mike Sims-Walker came out of nowhere to emerge as the best pickup at the position this year by far. Those that frequent our chats know the love we have for MS-Dub, and that love parade continues this week.

Week 12 Rankings: QB | RB | WR | TE | DEF | K | Player Notes

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Fantasy Football Week 12 Rankings: QB

R.J. White — 2009-11-25T14:30:00 00:00

by R.J. White

Filed under: NFL Position Rankings

The grueling grind of the season is beginning to take its toll on a number of QBs, as several starters have suffered injuries and could potentially miss this week's game. I've tried to factor each injury into these rankings, but we'll likely need a few updates once we have a clearer picture on the health of Ben Roethlisberger and Kurt Warner for Sunday's games, and Kyle Orton and Matthew Stafford for Thursday's games (though I'm almost certain Stafford won't play).

1. Aaron Rodgers, GB at DET
2. Brett Favre, MIN vs. CHI
3. Tom Brady, NE at NO
4. Kurt Warner, ARI at TEN
5. Matt Schaub, HOU vs. IND

Week 12 Rankings: QB | RB | WR | TE | DEF | K | Player Notes

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'House Check: Blowout Week

R.J. White — 2009-11-24T23:00:00 00:00

by R.J. White

Filed under: NFL Waiver Wire

Every Tuesday night, we'll give you an update on our FanHouse fantasy football league. Who hit on their sleepers? Who made the shrewd pickups? Who's practicing what they preach? In 'House Check, you'll find out.

In our first of three divisional-play weeks to close out the season, blowouts dominated the weekend. Three games were decided by more than 50 points, while only one contest had a single-digit scoring margin.

That game featured Matt Snyder taking control of Division 1 with a close victory over Ori Schwartz, Fleaflicker guru. Ori's now one of four teams sitting at 5-6 and on the outside looking in for the playoff race. At 6-5 and currently holding the last wild card spot is Knox Bardeen, who's one game behind Snyder for the division lead (more on that to come).

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Fantasy Football Waiver Chat Recap

R.J. White — 2009-11-24T17:30:00 00:00

by R.J. White

Filed under: Expert Chats

Rock Cartwright will be the big add this week (I just snagged him in a 16-teamer with a last-second bid), and for anyone hurting at the RB position, he's a must-add. T.O. also jumped right back on the fantasy radar, though his huge game against the league's worst secondary needs to be taken into context.

Who else are you planning on claiming this week? Fantasy Football FanHouse's crew answered all of your waiver and lineup questions in a marathon chat Tuesday night. Check out what we had to say in the recap below.

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Fourth and 26: Ram-tastic

R.J. White — 2009-11-22T08:00:00 00:00

by R.J. White

Filed under: NFL Sleepers

Need a last-minute fill-in for this week? 4th and 26 is here to throw you a couple deep sleepers, guys available in at least 90 percent of Fleaflicker leagues that could give your fantasy football team a big boost.

Deep sleeper, thy name is Brandon Gibson. We touted Gibson as a deep sleeper last week, and he came through big, with nearly 100 yards in his first extended action of his career. Many deep league owners have snatched the rookie up already, but if he's still available in your 14-team or 16-team league, the time to act is now. He should be a big part of the offense for the rest of the season and is obviously a great deep sleeper yet again this week.

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Fantasy Football Over/Under: Week 11

R.J. White — 2009-11-21T12:30:00 00:00

by R.J. White

Filed under: NFL Start 'Em Sit 'Em

Here's how it works. We throw some intriguing matchups at the FanHouse staff and ask whether each player will be over or under a certain point total. The result? Fantasy Football Over/Under. Makes sense, right?

Brett Favre or Matt Ryan? Pierre Thomas or Justin Forsett? Kevin Walter or Terrell Owens?

These are just a few of the dilemmas we tackle in this week's Over/Under. If your tough decision wasn't included in the following chart, don't worry. We'll be here from 10:30 AM ET up through kickoff on Sunday for our weekly Sunday Tailgate chat. Come join us and bring your questions, and we'll help you as best we can.

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Ballhawkin': The QB-Sacking Rookie

R.J. White — 2009-11-20T22:00:00 00:00

by R.J. White

Filed under: IDP Leagues

Think IDP leagues are the way to go? Then Ballhawkin' is for you. Here, we pick out a few Individual Defensive Players that could have huge weeks and are possibly sitting in your free-agent pool.

From last week's column, David Hawthorne turned in an 11-tackle (10 solo) performance and is now owned in about a quarter of Fleaflicker leagues. Sadly, we won't be featuring him anymore, but he's still a great add if available in your league.

Also in last week's column, Jairus Byrd picked off another ball, his eighth interception of his rookie campaign. The Bills found themselves a great centerfielder for years to come. Teammate Bryan Scott posted a 10-tackle day (all solo) from the LB position.

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The Housies: Your 2009 Fantasy Baseball Awards Ceremony

R.J. White — 2009-11-20T15:00:00 00:00

by R.J. White

Filed under: MLB New Studs, MLB Sleepers, MLB Value Machine

Major League Baseball announced the winners of its prestigious awards this week; now, FanHouse is following suit. We voted on winners in five categories (MVP, Cy Young, Rookie of the Year, Draft Day Bargain, Draft Day Bust), the results of which are revealed below. Remember, this awards show deals strictly in fantasy baseball. I'll also throw in a few awards I'm personally doling out for performances that made the 2009 season what it was.

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Fantasy Football Chat Recap

R.J. White — 2009-11-19T17:40:00 00:00

by R.J. WhiteThe second of our bi-weekly chats leading up to the Sunday Tailgate is upon us, and there's much to discuss this week.

Many of you are likely suffering with the loss of a starting RB in one of your leagues, with Ronnie Brown, Michael Turner, Cedric Benson, Julius Jones and Clinton Portis likely on the shelf. Who do you start -- one of their backups or a guy like Jamaal Charles, Shonn Greene or Justin Fargas?

Check out our answers to all of your lineup questions in the chat wrap below.

More Coverage: Dolphins-Panthers Fantasy Preview | Week 11 Rankings

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Fantasy Football Week 11 Rankings: WR

R.J. White — 2009-11-19T08:15:00 00:00

by R.J. White

Filed under: NFL Position Rankings

Sidney Rice, come on down! You're the next contestant on ... Who Wants to Be a WR1!

Rice, you've joined a list of relatively unheralded wideouts that have emerged as fantasy superstars in 2009, along with the likes of Steve Smith (not the one you drafted in the first five rounds in August), Mike Sims-Walker, and most recently, Miles Austin.

What brought you to this point? How about a 201-yard performance on just seven catches; does that do anything for you?

Moving forward, Rice is a clear-cut WR2 that will flirt with bouts of WR1-dom. If he can throw WR1 numbers up on a consistent basis, my Ronnie Brown-less season might be saved.

On to the rankings ...

Week 11 Rankings: QB | RB | WR | TE | DEF | K | Sleepers | Player Notes

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Fantasy Football Week 11 Rankings: QB

R.J. White — 2009-11-19T07:45:00 00:00

by R.J. White

Filed under: NFL Position Rankings

Your No. 1 QB overall isn't Tom Brady or Peyton Manning. It isn't Drew Brees or early-season hero Matt Schaub either. It's the one and only Aaron Rodgers.

Rodgers presents the perfect example of why it's unnecessary to draft a QB in the first two rounds. He was a late-third or early-fourth round pick in most leagues and he's performing just as well as the big boys.

Sure, Brady and Manning offer you peace of mind, but with the RB and WR rankings constantly in flux, it's a much better idea to load up on talent at each of those positions, then snag a QB like Philip Rivers, Ben Roethlisberger, Kurt Warner, Donovan McNabb or Tony Romo a bit later. You could probably win your league with one of these guys and a good group of RBs and WRs. Teams with Manning or Brady and a weaker group of RBs and WRs will likely have more trouble in the playoffs.

Week 11 Rankings: QB | RB | WR | TE | DEF | K | Sleepers | Player Notes

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Passed Out at Your Desk: Buy One, Get The Next One Free

R.J. White — 2009-11-18T08:00:00 00:00

by R.J. White

Filed under: NFL Sleepers, NFL Waiver Wire

Everyone loves fantasy football sleepers, but they change depending on league size and availability. We're here each and every week to give you a look at good plays for all types of leagues.

We're shortening up the sleeper column a bit this week. Fear not, because the benefit to the shorter column is ... more sleepers! First we'll take a look at players available in most shallow leagues and some normal-sized leagues. Next, we'll move on to players available in many normal-sized leagues and a few deep leagues. Lastly, we'll throw out some sleepers for your deep league owners.

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'House Check: Divisonal Showdown

R.J. White — 2009-11-17T22:15:00 00:00

by R.J. White

Filed under: NFL Waiver Wire

Every Tuesday night, we'll give you an update on our FanHouse fantasy football league. Who hit on their sleepers? Who made the shrewd pickups? Who's practicing what they preach? In 'House Check, you'll find out.

Only one team is better than 6-4. Only one team is eliminated from the playoffs (and one other is darn close). No one has clinched a playoff spot, and now we enter the best part of the season: divisional play.

Matt Snyder has ridden a three-game winning streak into first place in Division 1, but with a 1-2 division record, the three teams sitting a game back from him all would win the division if they could win out.

More Coverage: Check FanHouse League Standings

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Fantasy Football Waiver Chat Wrap

R.J. White — 2009-11-17T18:00:00 00:00

by R.J. White

Filed under: Expert Chats

If you ever picked a week to be on top of your waiver game, it would be this one. The list of wounded players stretches almost as long as a TD pass against the Redskins: Ronnie Brown, Michael Turner, Cedric Benson, Julius Jones, Brian Westbrook, and on it goes. You probably won't be able to snag Brown's backup -- after all, Ricky Williams was a top-12 back heading into Week 10 -- but what should you do about the other situations?

Check out the chat wrap below to find out.

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So Long, Suckers: Hurt and Out of Work

R.J. White — 2009-11-17T00:30:00 00:00

by R.J. White

Filed under: NFL Waiver Wire, NFL Stash or Trash

Fed up with one of your players? Eyeballing a player on the wire, but don't know who to drop? So Long, Suckers examines a few widely-owned players that probably shouldn't be.

Last week we suggested owners in shallow leagues dump Brian Westbrook. This week, after suffering another concussion, it's safe for teams in all but the deepest of leagues (i.e., leagues where this week's waiver wire darlings Justin Forsett and Jason Snelling were owned heading into Week 10) to cut the Philly back.

Absolutely best case for Westbrook in my mind is to miss two weeks, play sparingly in Week 13, and start against the Giants, 49ers and Broncos during your fantasy playoffs. Would you really rely on him at that point? I know I wouldn't.

Who else deserves a pink slip this week? All the following players are owned in 60 percent of Fleaflicker leagues.

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Fantasy Football Tailgate: Week 10

R.J. White — 2009-11-15T11:00:00 00:00

by R.J. White

Filed under: Fantasy Football Tailgate, Expert Chats

It's Sunday morning again, and we're about a half-day of football away from Brady-Manning XIII: This Time It's Personal! (Note: I've lost track of the count, but it definitely feels like we're in the teens there.) You're obviously starting all your early-round picks in that game, but you probably have questions with the rest of your lineup. Do you trust the Jaguars passing game in New York? What about the two Philly backs in San Diego?

Please join us at 10:30 AM ET, and stay with us through the opening kickoff. We're answering fantasy football questions, hopefully doing a little barbecuing, and enjoying some pleasant conversation, as always. We'll also each have an Obscure Player Long Touchdown of the Week, which has been hitting with surprising frequency for everyone but me. I think I have it this week, though!

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Fourth and 26: Arrowhead Arsenal

R.J. White — 2009-11-15T09:00:00 00:00

by R.J. White

Filed under: NFL Sleepers

Need a last-minute fill-in for this week? 4th and 26 is here to throw you a couple deep sleepers, guys available in at least 90 percent of Fleaflicker leagues that could give your fantasy football team a big boost.

Last week we hit on Rashad Jennings, who scored a 28-yard TD on his first touch of the Jacksonville-Kansas City game, and Josh Freeman, who had a debut better than anyone could have anticipated. This week I'm going back to the well to again choose a player from that Jaguars-Chiefs game, as well as one of his teammates. I also have a player likely unowned in all your leagues that could have value in the next couple weeks.

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Fantasy Football Over/Under: Week 10

R.J. White — 2009-11-14T12:00:00 00:00

by R.J. White

Filed under: NFL Start 'Em Sit 'Em

Here's how it works. We throw some intriguing matchups at the FanHouse staff and ask whether each player will be over or under a certain point total. The result? Fantasy Football Over/Under. Makes sense, right?

Will there be 1,000 points scored in the New England-Indianapolis battle Sunday night? As you'll find below, we really don't think so, as we're high on the usual suspects but a little low on Austin Collie and the running backs in the game. We're also not buying a big game from a Fantasy FanHouse hero this week, thanks to a super-tough matchup.

And what do you do if you have Ladell Betts? If you have him, you likely added him this week, and you're probably itching to play him before he loses value. We'll tackle his case and many others in this week's Over/Under.

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Ballhawkin': Tampa Bay Talent

R.J. White — 2009-11-13T20:00:00 00:00

by R.J. White

Filed under: IDP Leagues

Think IDP leagues are the way to go? Then Ballhawkin' is for you. Here, we pick out a few Individual Defensive Players that could have huge weeks and are possibly sitting in your free-agent pool.

Half of last week's picks were huge. One has emerged as an every-week start, an LB1 that fell into a great opportunity due to injury. We're picking him again this week, so more on him later.

The other two hits were both Buccaneers. Tanard Jackson is the best IDP DB in the league, on average, yet his early-season suspension has likely buried him in your free agency pool. He's managed an interception in three of his four games, returning two for TDs (including one in Week 9). Stylez G. White abused the poor Packers line for 1.5 sacks.

Can we unearth more unknowns this week? Let's find out.

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