Standard twelve-team head-to-head league on ESPN, except 0.5 points per reception. My roster is below; am I crazy for wanting to drop Ahmad Bradshaw outright to pick up Andre Hall as a handcuff/vulture?
Other comments welcome too, of course.
QBs
Drew Brees
Matt Schaub
RBs
Frank Gore
Selvin Young
Ahmad Bradshaw
DeAngelo Williams
Maurice Morris
WRs
Andre Johnson
Anquan Boldin
Brandon Marshall
Anthony Gonzalez
Ronald Curry
Kevin Walter
TE
Vernon Davis
DEF
Jacksonville
K
Josh Scobee
Hey, this is a good idea. Let’s keep this thread alive and bounce random fantasy questions off one another. Might be helpful.
For your question, well, after tonight, Bradshaw’s not looking like such a good hold. I had anticipated maybe a time-share, but tonight, at least, it was all Jacobs and Ward was the clear backup. Even if Jacobs goes down at some point, you’re still only going to get a Bradshaw/Ward platoon.
On the other hand, if Selvin Young gets hurt or is ineffective, Andre Hall is going to get a lot of carries, and in Denver, that means a lot of yards.
So no, I vote: not crazy.
Now, my turn: if your choices were Derek Anderson and Matt Hasselbeck to start this week, which would you pick?
I’d definitely drop Bradshaw for Hall and I’m not just saying this because I’ve got Hall in one of the SDMB leagues. Bradshaw seems to be the 3rd string back after tonight.
Tough choice but I’d start Hasselbeck. Seattle has no running game and they’re going to have to throw. I know that they don’t have any healthy receivers and the ones that are healthy are Nate Burleson and Courtney Taylor but I still like him more than Anderson. Anderson was hurt in the pre-season, the Dallas D was 6th in the league in INTs last year, and the Browns stunk in the pre-season. I don’t normally put on weight on exhibition games but they were atrocious.
I’m surprised you weren’t 100% expecting this. I was stunned at how much I heard about “Jacobs and Bradshaw” by all the pundits, and even yahoo default rankings had Bradshaw as the handcuff with Ward way down the list. Bradshaw can’t block for shit, which is why he won’t even sniff the field unless somebody goes down. Plus, Ward is every bit the monster Jacobs is as a runner, only a little smaller. He carries piles on his back instead of trying to bowl people over. Ward is basically Tiki Barber Lite.
The Giants under Coughlin have always prized versatility. That’s why when they had Jacobs, Ward, Bradshaw and Ryan Grant on the roster and had to cut one, it was so easy to cut Grant. Grant was the only one of the four who didn’t contribute on special teams. In the same way, Ahmad “Can’t Block” Bradshaw has a strangle-hold on #3.
I expect Anderson and the Browns to get their shit pushed in by the Cowboys. Old man Hasselback’s gimpy with a bad back, but he opens at home – where the Seahawks are always strong – against the 49ers. Neither will score 40, but I’d say Hasselback is the better bet.
Hasselbeck. Buffalo’s pass defense is much worse than Dallas’s.
Thanks for the advice, storyteller. I agree that this would be a good catch-all FF thread.
One follow-up: you see anyone else on my roster it would make more sense to cut for Hall, rather than Bradshaw?
Edit: Bah…just tried, and I can’t cut Bradshaw until this week’s slate of games is over, since the Giants played tonight. 
How risky would it be to cut, say, Ronald Curry for Hall, picking Curry up again after Monday night?
Not sure why I thought Seattle was playing the 49ers instead of Buffalo. Doesn’t change my advice any, though.
Great idea for a thread.
My league is head-to-head, 10 teams. Scoring is set up so QB, WR, and RB are all roughly of equal value. My team:
QB
Brees
Garrard
RB
Addai
E. Graham
D. McFadden
Ray Rice
WR
Andre Johnson
A. Boldin
Santana Moss
D. Hester
TE
Shockey
K
Josh Brown
J. Kasay
D
Dallas
We start 8, with 1 QB, 1 K, 1 D, 1 WR, 1 RB, 1 TE, 2 Flex (RB/WR)
My question this week is about my Flex guys. Addai and A. Johnson are my starters. I need 2 of these guys:
Boldin
McFadden
Graham
Rice
I’m leaning towards Boldin and Graham, as they are more established. I think McFadden will be good, but his first game may not be the best spot to play him. Rice is only an option if McGahee isn’t starting.
I’d always start a feature back over any other player, so I would do Graham and McFadden.
I agree with you. Peterson success as a rookie was the exception, not the rule.
How bout Garrard or Farve week 1?
I love Favre this week. No better way to launch his Jet career than a thrashing over the hated Dolphins. They’ll keep the game plan simple for him this week. These games tend to be high-scoring too.
So I’ve seen a lot of anti-Browns backlash lately… lots of experts and pundits et al calling them over-rated. Ellis, you didn’t exactly say that, but your comments on the game this weekend would seem to imply that you’re less than impressed with the Browns, too.
I’m not sure I get it. They have a top flight offensive line, a dependable power back, and two first-rate receiving targets. Their defense may not be the best in football but their offense seems likely to be productive. Where I am going wrong?
In addition to looking abysmal this preseason, they faded down the stretch last season. Late season performance for non-playoffs teams is often viewed as a predictor for the following season. For example, despite being a mediocre 8-8 the 2006 Packers won their last four games. This led many to speculate that they might be good in 2007.
Love this thread and I’ll be back often (both to request and to give advice). Here’s my team in my big money league (of which I’m the defending champion - and considering how much smack I post on the league’s message board I better be good!!).
It is a 12 team head-to-head format. We start 8 - 1 QB, 1 RB, 1 WR, 2 Flex (WR/RB), 1 TE, 1 DEF, 1 K. Pretty standard scoring except we award 0.5 pts for a catch to WRs and RBs and 1 pt per catch to TEs.
QB
D. Garrard (JAC)
M. Schaub (HOU)
RB
S. Jackson (STL)
W. Parker (PIT)
E. James (ARI)
R. Mendenhall (PIT)
C. Taylor (MIN)
WR
R. Moss (NEW)
B. Marshall (DEN)
M. Harrison (IND)
A. Gonzalez (IND)
TE
D. Clark (IND)
**
DEF**
Tampa Bay
K
J. Scobee (JAX)
The only real issue I have for Week 1 is Garrard or Schaub, otherwise I’m starting Jackson, Parker, Moss, and Harrison and the others. I lagged a bit on grabbing a QB in the draft and as you can see. Brady, Manning, and Romo were all drafted by my first pick (8th) and Brees was gone by the end of the second round - which is how, I suppose that I ended up with Jackson (1st pick) and Moss (2nd pick). Anyways, once they were gone I knew I wouldn’t go for a QB until late because the overall point difference between the 5th ranked QB and the 12th isn’t much. And with the QBs flying off the board I was able to stable a pretty good mix of established production and potential.
So, Garrard has Tennessee on the road and Houston in in Pittsburgh. Right now I have Schaub as my started because I think that he has better (and healthier) receivers than Garrard, Houston will likely be playing from behind, and Jacksonville’s offense is run-centered. However, I think the Pittsburgh defense is quite a bit better than Tennessee’s and Schaub doesn’t really have the potential to pick up running yards while Garrard does. So, any thoughts?
For my RB#2 am I crazy considering starting Selvin Young over Ryan Grant? From what I’ve heard, Minnesota has a pretty good run defense, and Oakland’s run defense is “pray the other team doesn’t run the ball.” There are a lot of question marks of course - will Green Bay trust Aaron Rodgers to win the game in the air? Will Selvin Young even be a good running back?
Tough matchups this week for both those guys, although I think they’ll both have good years if healthy. Since I have Andre Johnson I’m hoping Schaub is the better choice.
Shanahan’s system usually makes Denver’s backs over-achieve, but GB is going to rely on the run quite a bit too. Gut instinct says Young this week.
Should I start Ricky Williams or Darren McFadden this week?
My #1 back is Edge, so I"m starting him for sure. I’m thinking of going with Williams the first week.
Williams is starting and McFadden is the #2 guy this week. What that ctually translates to, production-wise, is tough to tell. I’d go with Williams and avoid a rookie letdown.
Full disclosure: I am starting McFadden this week, but as my Flex back, behind starters Addai and Ernest Graham.
No. I’m not convinced that Bradshaw will remain the #3 back in NY for long, but Andre Hall will be productive whether or not he becomes the starter. Do eet now.
Williams. He won’t be worth much to you after Week 8 or so, so get him in the lineup while you can. Also, the Jets’ run defense was poor last year and won’t be any better - Jon Vilma.
No. You’d be crazy if you started any back against the Vikings, who had the best run defense in the NFL last season by some distance. I wouldn’t start an RB against them unless I had no other starter available; add in Grant’s sore hammy, and this is a no brainer.
Drop Josh Scobee. He was very inconsistent before last year, and I expect him to go back to being inconsistent.
If David Akers or Kris Brown are available, add them (if Kaeding, Folk, Crosby and Gould are taken).
Great thread. Let me bounce some ideas off you guys…
(BTW, I’m in a 12-team league which is mostly* TD-only; 1QB, 1RB, 2WR, 3 flex, 1K, 1 DEF/ST)
QB
J. Cutler
D. Garrad
RB
M. Barber
M. Forte
R. Mendenhall
B. Jackson
TE
T. Scheffler
T. Heap
WR
Andre Johnson
L. Coles
J. Porter
S. Rice
A. Bryant
K
J. Scobee
DEF/ST
CIN
Barber and Johnson are no-brainers, but choosing between Cutler and Garrard has got me flipping a coin, and I’ve got a lot of mediocrity at my other WR/flex spots. I’m pretty sure I’ll also start Forte (rookie, but unquestioned starter), and I’m leaning towards Mendenhall (not starting, but should get goal-line carries) and Coles (on a crappy team, but a #1 WR is a #1 WR). Thoughts?
*My league has small bonuses for yardage, but only if you top 100 yards rushing/receiving or 300 yards passing. For example, 99 yards rushing = 0 points.
And Really Not All That Bright? I sure hope you’re wrong about Scobee…