You have questions and I have silly responses that I’ve cleverly disguised as answers. Let’s get the ball rolling on this 2012 fantasy season with our Week 1 edition of the Fake Football Friday Fantasy mailbag. Hopefully those are the only F-words your team makes you say this week.
Do you think Kevin Olgetree is legit after his week 1 performance and can we continue to expect this from him?
-Ross
I can’t wait to scoop up all of the proven players and/or legitimate sleepers that my fellow GMs are going to drop this week in order to pick up Ogletree.
Ogletree had 26 fantasy points combined over his 3 year career going into Wednesday’s game. He almost surpassed that total against the Giants with his 114 yard, 2 touchdown, 23 point performance. To call this an anomaly would be an insult to all other anomalies.
Once Jason Witten is 100%, Ogletree is going to go right back to being the #4 option on that offense. I would let everyone else make a claim on him instead of dropping someone you drafted before they even have a chance to prove you right or wrong.
Which #2 running back should I start this week, Shonn Greene, Peyton Hillis or Mark Ingram?
Even though I don’t trust his skill set enough to think he’s a viable fantasy option, you have to go with Shonn Greene here. He’s going to be the bell-cow for an offense that is going to run a lot, especially against a Bills defense that allowed almost 140 rushing yards a game last year.
You start Hillis and Ingram in hopes they can vulture a touchdown from their spritely counterparts, Darren Sproles and Jamaal Charles. Until they prove that this can happen on a consistent basis, I would go with the guy I know is going to get at least 20 carries in Week 1.
I have Harvin, Decker, Maclin, and Turbin for three spots. Seems obvious, I know, but Seattle’s run blocking is fierce, and if Lynch is a no-go, I like Turbin for 100 yards, maybe a score or two. Are my expectations through the roof here?
-Denny
I actually agree with your expectations and think you should start Turbin, along with Decker and Harvin.
Lynch’s back spasms have plagued him for over four years and they’ve now kept him from participating for the past two weeks. Even if Lynch is a go for Sunday against Arizona, an injury like this could easily flare up after only a few plays. The Cardinals weren’t slouches against the run last year, but they shouldn’t be able to shut down Turbin.
I went for value and landed Adrian Peterson, Ryan Mathews and Maurice Jones-Drew back when MJD was still holding out. Which guy do I trade, or do I just stand pat?
-Kevin
First off, great name. Second off, great draft! There’s obviously some risk in these picks, but if they pan out, you should steamroll anyone in your path (except for Week 1, where you might be screwed).
As for trading, it would depend on the rest of your team. I assume you drafted these three guys in a row during the first three rounds, so you could probably use a top-tier wide receiver. I might be alone in this, but I think the one you should trade is Mathews. He’s the only one who truly worries me out of the bunch when it comes to being injury prone. AP’s injury being a non-issue for me is well-documented and I think the over/under on number of scoreless plays Mike Mularkey watches before reinstating MJD as the feature back is 3.5.
Come week 2, both AP and MJD should be back to being the workhorses for their teams and someone in your league is going to want the overrated Mathews for his return from his broken clavicle (which took him ONE CARRY to suffer). Try and move him for a guy like A.J. Green or Mike Wallace, top tier wide receivers with tough week 1 matchups who might disappoint their owners.
Joe Flacco or Russell Wilson? I’m leaning Flacco because the Bengals’ defense is riddled with injuries and the Ravens’ no-huddle is the real deal, I think.
Seeing as how you’re choosing between two fourth-tier quarterbacks for your starter, I’m assuming the rest of your team is stacked. If this is the case, then you might as well swing for the fences and start Wilson.
You know what you’re going to get out of Flacco. I don’t care if they’re running a no-huddle or not, Ray Rice is still Ray Rice and they only win when he touches ball (8-0 last season when Rice got at least 20 carries). The most you can expect from Flacco is 250 yards, 2 touchdowns and an interception, but considering their facing a stingy Bengals D, that could be on the high end.
However, the sky is the limit for Russell Wilson. We have no idea what he’s going to do, but with what he showed in preseason, he could be something special. He’s facing a middle of the road defense in the Cardinals, but with his ability to break free and gain those fantasy friendly rushing yards, I think it’s more than likely he can outscore Flacco this week.
Which dual threat quarterback is the safer play in week 1, Jake Locker or RG3?
This one really could go either way. RGIII is going against last season’s third worst passing defense in New Orleans, but Locker is going against the second with the Patriots. I like Locker’s weapons more, but Griffin is the better runner. Jake Locker beat out a veteran to win his starting job, but RGIII wears really cool socks. It really is a toss-up!
That being said, I think Locker has the potential to outscore RGIII simply because he’s going to have to keep up with Brady and the high flying Patriots offense. Washington’s defense might be able to keep Griffin in it enough against the Saints that he won’t have to sling it as much. If you’re looking for the higher upside pick, it’s Locker, but I think the “safer” pick is RGIII.
I have to choose between Trent Richardson and Jonathan Stewart this week. Both are banged up. Who do I start?
Trent Richardson seems to be on pace to play week 1, but his carries should be limited since he’s recovering from knee surgery and the Browns don’t want to risk further harm to literally their only offensive weapon.
It seemed like there was no way Stewart would be playing this week since injuring his ankle during the preseason, but reports say Coach Rivera was “encouraged” by his progress and that Stewart was traveling with the team to Tampa.
Regardless of both reports, it’s much more likely that Richardson will get more opportunities than Stewart since Carolina can rest him and still be able to hand the ball off to Deangelo Williams and Mike Tolbert. Cleveland, on the other hand, would have to hitch their wagon to the likes of Brandon Jackson and Montario Hardesty.
I want to wholeheartedly thank those of you who sent in questions this week. Please keep them coming at fakefootballmailbag@gmail.com!
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