When I wasn't screwing over my readers last week by telling them to bench Malcom Floyd and Kyle Orton (my bad), I was engineering a couple of trades in the fantasy league that I own and operate.
Remember the league I told you about a couple of months ago in which I drafted three wideouts in the first three rounds? Well I used that surplus at wide receiver and a pair of late-round draft hits to acquire Ray Rice and Michael Turner (and I already have Arian Foster).
In the first deal, I traded LeSean McCoy and Brandon Marshall (expendable because I still have Andre Johnson and Marques Colston) to my b colleague, Wesley Case, for Rice and Giants receiver Steve Smith.
As you are all well aware, Rice had a monster game against the Broncos on Sunday — I still had faith in Rice, even if others didn't — and Wesley ended up losing because he sent Rice my way. Of course I had to talk some trash after two weeks of tense negotiations (I refused to give him Johnson and Foster), and the fake b cover to your right (a remix on Monday's real cover) was the exclamation point.
God, fantasy football is fun.
Anyway, an hour later I traded Darren McFadden and Donald Brown to another owner for Turner and Owen Daniels, who I think will have a strong second half. Not a bad day for the Mississippi Wafflers, no?
And thanks to Rice, the Wafflers won again, putting me in first place in five of my six leagues. I'm in dead last in the other, partially because I benched Floyd this week. So yeah, I screwed myself over, too.
Fantasy penthouse:
Philip Rivers (431 passing yards and two passing TDs), Matt Forte (166 rushing yards, two touchdowns), Malcom Floyd (213 receiving yards and one score), Marcedes Lewis (54 receiving yards, two touchdowns)
Fantasy doghouse:
Matt Schaub (196 passing yards, one interception, one lost fumble), Arian Foster (25 rushing yards), Anquan Boldin (one catch for eight yards), Dustin Keller (two catches for 14 yards)
Start 'em or sit 'em:
Ahmad Bradshaw, Giants: Start 'em. The Lions have been so bad against the run this season, I'd consider playing Brandon Jacobs, too
Peyton Hillis, Browns: Sit 'em. The Brown are playing the Steelers -- and starting rookie QB Colt McCoy -- so Hillis' production should be limited
Dwayne Bowe, Chiefs: Start 'em. Bowe's season has been abysmal, but with Bowe playing the Texans, you can get some usage out of him this weekend
Kevin Kolb, Eagles: Sit 'em. Kolb put up decent numbers against the 49ers, but count on a couple of interceptions against the Falcons
Vince Young, Titans: Start 'em. Whether it's on the ground or through the air, Young should pile up points against the Jaguars on Monday night
The wire:
Michael Bush is still worth starting with Darren McFadden expected to be out again Sunday. ... Nate Burleson is worth a look if Calvin Johnson sits out. ... Don't forget about Pierre Garcon, who should play his way back to fantasy relevance in the next few weeks. ... Need a receiver? Try Tampa Bay rookie Mike Williams, who has already had his bye week. ... Roy Williams keeps putting up surprising numbers. I'll never trust him again, but you can. ... How is Marshawn Lynch still available in some leagues? ... With Randy Moss back in Minnesota, Brandon Tate will get a chance to do his best Moss impersonation in New England. ... Was that a Felix Jones sighting Monday night?
More bad news on the injury front for the Packers: QB Aaron Rodgers will probably miss Sunday's game with a concussion, and TE Jermichael Finley (knee) is reportedly out 3-6 weeks. ... Jay Cutler (concussion) should start Sunday. ... LeSean McCoy (rib) looks to be OK, but his quarterback, Michael Vick, will probably still be sidelined with his own rib injury. ... Mark Clayton busted up his knee last weekend, in the process busting up Sam Bradford's fantasy value, too. ... Calvin Johnson (shoulder) might miss Sunday's game. ... Add another injury (wrist) to Maurice Jones-Drew's medical chart, but he should keep on trucking. ... Joseph Addai (shoulder) missed practice Monday, but Donald Brown (hamstring) was able to practice. Both are fantasy non-factors at this point. ... Arian Foster has a sore knee, but he is OK.
You make the call:
Which player would you rather have going forward this season: Kyle Orton or Philip Rivers?
Reader question of the week:
No question this week, folks. I guess the whole Floyd-Orton fiasco scared everyone away.
Extra point:
I can't believe I'm saying this, but after watching Brandon Lloyd torch the Ravens for 135 receiving yards and two touchdowns, it looks like Lloyd is legit. I mean, was this guy drafted in a single fantasy league? I doubt he even drafted himself. But Lloyd has been a fantasy beast — ditto for Kyle Orton and Eddie Royal — which makes me wish I hadn't underestimated what the Broncos offense could do in its second year under Josh McDaniels. Now, I'm not saying that Lloyd will continue to put up 20-plus fantasy points each week, so feel free to shop him while he's hot. But after Sunday, I wouldn't sweat it if this guy was stuck on my roster.
My weekly Fantasy Fodder column will run in some fashion on the Virtual Vensanity blog every Wednesday. E-mail your fantasy questions to matt@btheite.com, Tweet them to twitter.com/mattvensel or leave them in the comments section below. Carrier pigeons are also acceptable.