SBS Show 1: fantasy wr rb pickups/performance

The return of the Silver Bullet show is here!

Shawn breaks down fantasy football and I am awed by his analysis. THE WHOLE EPISODE HERE.

SEGMENTS:

Hear Shawn talk about running back surprises this season… here.

Shawn’s most disappointing wr…. here.

Shawn’s insider tip on best wr to trade for… here.

You’ll want to hear the whole episode… i promise.

Don’t forget we’ll be on Itunes in the coming days. search silver bullet sports show, or Dan Harris. Subscribe to our podcast… It’s free!

-Dan.

Shawn’s Week Two Fantasy WR Pick-ups!!!

Hey gang!!!

Alright, so the first week of football has come and gone and now it is time to reassess you roster! Since the WR position always has the biggest crop of free agent talent, it is usually the position you will have the best chance at bettering your team. Hear are five guys out there you should take a look at.

1. Eddie Royal– This guy is probably all the buzz this week in your fantasy league and for good reason. Not only did he make what experts called a “above average secondary” look silly on Monday night, but he also showed has excellent route running skills which should lead to awsome fantasy production. Even with Brandon Marshall coming off his suspension this week, don’t fear too much of a loss of production from Royal. Monday night Royal showed his versatility buy running short and sharp routes, as well as being a deep post threat. Quarterback Jay Cutler has also shown a tenancy to develop what I call “Favre Fever” where he will focus in on one receiver. Although Marshall was that man last year, taking the reigns from future hall-of-famer Rod Smith, he did so primarily as a deep threat and not so much as an all-around target. Bottom line is that if the “royal rookie” is available in your league snatch him up quick.

2. Mushin Muhammad– Talk about a blast from the past! Now many of you might be questioning this pick-up considering the Carolina WR is 35-years-old and is only owned in about 43% of yahoo leagues, but hear me out. Muhammad had the best year of his career with the Panthers(‘o4- 93 rec., 1405 yards, 16 td’s)  before bailing for three uneventful years in Chicago. But what about Steve Smith?  Smith was on the team in Muhammad’s two best years with the Panthers, although he was injured in all but one game in ’04. But with Smith’s return in week 3 Muhammad will lose one important thing, the double-team. Muhammad manged 6 rec. and 56 yards in week one as the #1 receiver. When Smith gets back on the field, expect those numbers for Muhammad to rise and you can even expect some red zone touches for the big wide-receiver.

3. Devery Henderson-Remarkably this big play receiver is still available in about 65% of yahoo leagues. Although QB Drew Brees throws the ball a lot to his big three play-makers in Colston, Bush and Shockey, he also is very good at spreading the ball to the rest of his offense. In week one Bush was the only one of the big three to record a touchdown while 2nd and 3rd WR’s Henderson and Patton each had a touchdown catch.

4. Matt Jones– This former first round draft pick of the Jaguars has been nothing but a disappointment in previous years. A bad NFL showing compounded with an off-season drug arrest, has had fantasy owners turning their backs on the former Arkansas standout. Jones had 6 catches for 80 yards in week one against a stingy Tennessee defense. With Jerry Porter battling injury and Reggie Williams inconsistent play, Jones is worth a look. The biggest knock on Jones has been his “soft” play. But on Sunday he made catches in traffic and going over the middle which might be a sign that the 6 foot 6 inch receiver might be maturing into an NFL receiver.

5. Greg Lewis– With Donovan McNabb missing his top two receivers in week one he did what any great QB would do, spread the wealth. The Eagles had three receivers with more then 100 receiving yards and Lewis will be in the mix even when Brown and Curtis return from injury. Lewis is currently owned in only about 19% of yahoo leagues.

-Shawn

Shawn’s Week 2 Fantasy WR Pick-Ups

Hey gang!!!

Alright, so the first week of football has come and gone and now it is time to reassess you roster! Since the WR position always has the biggest crop of free agent talent, it is usually the position you will have the best chance at bettering your team. Hear are five guys out there you should take a look at.

1. Eddie Royal– This guy is probably all the buzz this week in your fantasy league and for good reason. Not only did he make what experts called a “above average secondary” look silly on Monday night, but he also showed he has excellent route running skills which should lead to awsome fantasy production. Even with Brandon Marshall coming off his suspension this week, don’t fear too much of a loss of production from Royal. Monday night Royal showed his versatility by running short and sharp routes, as well as being a deep post threat. Quarterback Jay Cutler has also shown a tenancy to develop what I call “Favre Fever” where he will focus in on one receiver. Although Marshall was that man last year, taking the reigns from future hall-of-famer Rod Smith, he did so primarily as a deep threat and not so much as an all-around target. Bottom line is that if the “royal rookie” is available in your league snatch him up quick.

2. Mushin Muhammad– Talk about a blast from the past! Now many of you might be questioning this pick-up considering the Carolina WR is 35-years-old and is only owned in about 43% of yahoo leagues, but hear me out. Muhammad had the best year of his career with the Panthers(‘o4- 93 rec., 1405 yards, 16 td’s) before bailing for three uneventful years in Chicago. But what about Steve Smith? Smith was on the team in Muhammad’s two best years with the Panthers, although he was injured in all but one game in ’04. But with Smith’s return in week 3 Muhammad will lose one important thing, the double-team. Muhammad manged 6 rec. and 56 yards in week one as the #1 receiver. When Smith gets back on the field, expect those numbers for Muhammad to rise and you can even expect some red zone touches for the big wide-receiver.

3. Devery Henderson-Remarkably this big play receiver is still available in about 65% of yahoo leagues. Although QB Drew Brees throws the ball a lot to his big three play-makers in Colston, Bush and Shockey, he also is very good at spreading the ball to the rest of his offense. In week one Bush was the only one of the big three to record a touchdown while 2nd and 3rd WR’s Henderson and Patton each had a touchdown catch.

4. Matt Jones– This former first round draft pick of the Jaguars has been nothing but a disappointment in previous years. A bad NFL showing compounded with an off-season drug arrest, has had fantasy owners turning their backs on the former Arkansas standout. Jones had 6 catches for 80 yards in week one against a stingy Tennessee defense. With Jerry Porter battling injury and Reggie Williams inconsistent play, Jones is worth a look. The biggest knock on Jones has been his “soft” play. But on Sunday he made catches in traffic and going over the middle which might be a sign that the 6 foot 6 inch receiver might be maturing into an NFL receiver.

5. Greg Lewis– With Donovan McNabb missing his top two receivers in week one he did what any great QB would do, spread the wealth. The Eagles had three receivers with more then 100 receiving yards and Lewis will be in the mix even when Brown and Curtis return from injury. Lewis is currently owned in only about 19% of yahoo leagues.

-Shawn

Shawn’s Pre-Draft Tips: 2008 Fantasy RB’s

If you are anything like me you are gearing up for your fantasy football (FF) draft. If you are just like me then you are also gearing up for your fantasy baseball playoffs, sorry, I had to throw that in there! 

Now depending on the league you are in you have to put more of an emphasis on certain positions, and of course I am talking about the RB position. So here are 5 tips on RB’s to take into your draft.

1. Draft Tomlinson!!! Okay, this is a given but there is no doubt that LT is the most consistent RB in football and in FF consistency in that position equals wins! And even though LT has not been the top point-getter in a season ever, he is always in the top five and almost always the top RB. Plus the running back position is the hardest to find a spot start for in any given week so they draw such huge importance. Basically this tip boils down to, if LT is available then you draft him. Last season I saw a draft result where Tomlinson went 5th!?!?!? 

2. Be weary of Steven Jackson. Not only is the Las Vegas born running back in the middle of a very public hold-out which has led him to miss all of the pre-season, but the Rams offense is also suspect if you ask me. Issac Bruce is gone and now no one is going to take that double-team of Torry Holt. Holt himself is entering his 10th season and reports of a stiff back for Holt is coming out of the Rams’ camp. Quarterback Marc Bulger has a banged up knee and shoulder and is coming off the worst statistical year of his career where he threw more interceptions(15) the touchdowns(11) in 2007. The Rams ineffectiveness to spread the field will cause them to run Jackson more, but defenses won’t have to cheat on the pass and running lanes might be harder for Jackson to find.

3. In deeper leagues (20 teams or more) don’t be afraid of the “two-headed monster” when it comes to your RB’s. And in smaller leagues don’t be afraid to hand-cuff your RB’s. I have been playing FF for 6 years now and started off with a mentality that if I had the number one guy I was all good right…WRONG!!! Running back is one of those position where injuries happen all the time (except for LT)! In leagues of twelve teams or less it is not a bad idea to draft your top RB’s back up in the later rounds. Just ask Priest Holmes owners in 2004 & 2005(Larry Johnson, 2,431 yds and 29 TD’s in two years as a back-up/split-back), Fred Taylor owners in 2006 (Maurice Jones-Drew, 941 yds and 13 TD’s while technically starting only one game), and Lamont Jordan in 2007 (Justin Fargas, 1,009 yds and 4 TD’s with 7 starts). For you deep leaguers, if you have one of those dreaded late first-round picks where you feel you have to pick up a second tier RB instead of a Carson Palmer or Plaxico Burress, DON”T!!! With all the coaches going with a two running back system now-a-days, there will be plenty of backs to pick up in the second round especially if you have a snake-style draft format. Here are a few teams that could fit the bill: San Fransisco (Gore & Foster), Miami (Brown & Williams), Seattle(Jones, Duckett & Morris), Jacksonville (Taylor & Jones-Drew), Chicago (Jones & Peterson) NY Giants (Jacobs, Ward & Bradshaw) , and even Minnesota(don’t sleep on Chester Taylor, not with A. Peterson’s injury history).

4. Best late round RB sleeper.Michael Turner has always been one of those guys where you would think “if he just gets his chance.” Backing up LT those chances were slim to none, but not anymore. Turner has the reputation of being a big play back and is now the starter in Atlanta. Against the Colts, in their 2nd pre-season game, Turner was the Falcons’ offense. In the two series that he played, Turner had 4 carriers and 115 YARDS!!! Even though defences will focus in on Turner and the running game, first year head Coach Mike Smith’s smash-mouth style of football will still guaranteeTurner plenty of carries. Combine that with the fact that the Falcons took Matt Ryan with their first-round pick (third overall) shows that Coach Smith will be committed to the passing game and stretching out the field to create more running lanes for Turner. I know Turner comes with risk but that is why I call him the best sleeper, not the best player.

5. Remember when you draft the RB position you are drafting that player’s offense more so then any other position. Running backs rely on a good offense for everything. Even if the game is a blowout, quarterbacks still air-out the ball, maybe even more so, while the runnig back will often become an extra blocker more than a extra reciever.And if your running back is on a good offense then expect a lot more garbage yards late in the game as a team runs the ball to kill the clock.

 

If you have any fantasy questions just leave a comment or e-mail me at shawn@silverbulletsports.com and I will address it in a future post.

-Shawn.