DBs (Defensive Backs)
Free Safety Sean Jones (PHI) gets San Diego and this will be a true shootout game and a very high action one to watch. I'm not sure if Quinten Mikell is on very many people's waiver wire, but he is a nice play in this one also.
S Bryan Scott (BUF) is back. And he was a stud before he got injured. He'll face Tennessee in his first game back and get plenty of tackle chances against Chris Johnson and INT opportunities vs. whichever mediocre Titan QB starts..
The Entire St. Louis Secondary vs. NO. I know Atogwe & Ron Bartell on not on many people's waivers, but strong safety James Butler & CB Quincy Butler definitely are and might be worth a flyer if you're desperate for around 4 tackles and the potential of some pass deflection points. And any secondary facing Brees always has plenty of room for upside. I'm pretty happy about it since I'm an Atogwe owner.
SS Abram Elam (CLE) gets Baltimore on Monday Night Football week 10. His biggest game of the year with 10 tackles was against Baltimore this year. Good player + good matchup = good opportunity.
CB J. Wilson (SEA) gets Kurt Warner week 10. All he did in week 9 was put up 5 solos, 2 pass deflectionss and a 61 yard interception return for a TD. He'll get plenty of tackly opportuties vs. the Cardinals.
My DB PICKUP OF THE WEEK is NE safety Brandon McGowan vs. Indy. He keeps getting stronger every game and he has a strong chance of surpassing his 7 solos and 3 assists that the got against Miami last week in the week 10 Colts matchup.
LBs (Linebackers)
LB D. Hawthorne(SEA) IS THE REAL DEAL. 9 solos & 2 INTs week 9 makes me a very happy Hawthorne owner! He's not my pick up of the week because I don't know what to think of him vs. Arizona week 10. They're not exactly a traditional run team. Yet linebackers continue to put up big numbers against them like in week 9 when Briggs put up 9 solos and even Hillenmeyer got 5 solos & 5 assists against them. The way Hawthorne is playing, you have to start him in this one. If it gives you any indication, I'll need to think long & hard whether to start Hawthorne vs. the Cards or Jerod Mayo vs. Indy week 10.
LB Calvin Pace (NYJ) gets Jacksonville week 10. I notice many people drop guys who are on bye and Pace might be available in your league. If you're league allows him to play as your DL guy, he's fantasy gold at that position, but he's still fantasy "silver" as an LB, especially when he's always a threat to put up 2 sacks in a game in addition to his 5 or more tackles that he puts up.
LB G. Hayes (TB) had a solid game week 9 with 7 tackles and he gets Miami week 10. That's a nice upside play and you get the feeling Miami will be ahead and there should be no need to abandon their running game.
LB AJ Hawk (GB) continues to look solid and could be a sneaky play vs. Dallas week 10. He's been adding sacks and INTs to his tackle #'s lately. I can't fully recommend him because he has let us all down in the past so that's why I call him a sneaky play. He's sorta like a Lawrence Maroney on the defensive side of the ball. He's easily glanced over on the wire, but just might be your best play in some cases. I know I wish I would have gone Maroney over Portis week 9 like I was thinking about doing.
MLB Dhani Jones (CIN) follows the same pattern as Hawk. And I like him even better than Hawk week 10 vs. Pittsburgh. Nice rivalry and Jones has had success against them in the past. Also keep in mind that Keith Rivers has a vendetta to pay back since it was Steelers Hines Ward who broke his jaw last year. So he gets a slight bump also based on his extra motivation, but I still feel Jones is the safer play than Rivers at this point in the season.
LB Keith Brooking (DAL) gets GB week 10 and I really like his chance for a sack in this one. If not, he's known for his pass deflections and has been putting up the biggest tackle #'s out of all the other Dallas LBs this year.
My MLB PICK UP OF THE WEEK is ILB Kaluka Maiava (CLEV) vs. Baltimore on Monday Night Football. He now plays DQ's & Eric Barton's spot. Hopefully, he doesn't follow in their footsteps and also get a season-ending injury, but the USC rookie finds himself in the perfect scheme and perfect position to put up big numbers. Now all he has to do is make it happen. That's the risky part of this move. Can he continue the 9 solos a week that the other guys were putting up? He certainly has the potential to do so. Naiava is a "true" waiver wire pickup, but if Hawthorne is also available, I'd grab him Hawthorne over Maiava.
DLs (Defensive Line)
The ENTIRE Cowboys Line, specifically NT Ratliff & DE Marcus Spears(DAL) has GB week 10. Even Tampa Bay got 6 sacks against this line. That's insane!! There's simply no doubt that you must start any and all DLs against GB. The problem is predicting which guy. Obviously, if Demarcus Ware can't get at least 2 sacks in this next game, he needs to have his big contract taken away. If he's not a DL in your league, I'd take a flyer on Igor Olshansky in this one. If your Grandma was playing on the Dallas line, I'd recommend her too vs. GB.
DE's Kyle Vanden Bosch & William Hayes(TEN) are sneaky plays vs. Buffalo, who is the second highest sacked team behind Green Bay. Only if your desperate with your NYG linemen on bye in week 10.
C. Kelsay(BUF) vs. Tennessee is not a great matchup, but Kelsay is a good player and has the potential to do well despite the matchup.
Brian Orakpo(WAS) now has 7.5 sacks on the year and is only getting stronger. He plays OLB, but is counted as a DL in many peoples leagues. Obviously, you want to go with a Calvin Pace over him as a DL, but he's becoming more and more tempting.
MY DL Pick Up of the Week Stylez G. White(TB) who gets Miami week 10. Not only did he come through against Green Bay week 9 1.5 sacks, but it's the third game in a row that he got a sack. Miami gives up a decent amount of sacks and runs enough off the edge to make White a busy man.
71 comments:
Lost Owen Daniels last week..now My man Thomas Davis goes down *SIGH* He's been my best most consistent LB this yr...SO..I snatched up Keith Ellison off waivers, anybody else to look for going foward? Maiava, Pace instead of Ellison?
Hey Monk,
Thx for the Mayo advice last week he was solid.
Which 2 of these 4 LBS should I play this week?
Patrick Willis
Hawthorne
Witherspoon
Mayo
Also I picked up Wilkerson for my DL spot last week and he didn't produce. I only have 4 moves left in my league and really need a solid DL pick up for the rest of the year... any suggestions?
Thanks,
You Rule!
Thomas Davis done for year, who replaces him and are they a good pickup?
I have Karlos Dansby, James Farrior, EJ Henderson and Hawthorne available in my league, I currently own London Fletcher.
Who do you think is the best play at LB from here on out?
Thanks!
I have Karlos Dansby, James Farrior, EJ Henderson and Hawthorne available in my league, I currently own London Fletcher.
Who do you think is the best play at LB from here on out?
Thanks!
Monk,
Who would you take- Ruud or Hawthorne this week?
Thanks again!
Hey Monk love the website...a few quick questions...
1) Just picked up Darren Sharper and dropped George Wilson (Bryon Scott is returning is my reasoning behind this??? is that correct???)
2)Picked up Dwight Freeney (Sack in every game so far and decent amount of points)...is that a good pickup or can i do better
3)I have Sharper and Dashon Goldson, Terreance Newman and Charles Woodson...which 3 should I start (Ive got sharper, goldson, and newman starting right now)...If I remember correctly its better to start 2 safties and cb...
Hope it's not to much for you and I appreciate all the help I can get
Thanks in advance
Hey Monk love the website...a few quick questions...
1) Just picked up Darren Sharper and dropped George Wilson (Bryon Scott is returning is my reasoning behind this??? is that correct???)
2)Picked up Dwight Freeney (Sack in every game so far and decent amount of points)...is that a good pickup or can i do better
3)I have Sharper and Dashon Goldson, Terreance Newman and Charles Woodson...which 3 should I start (Ive got sharper, goldson, and newman starting right now)...If I remember correctly its better to start 2 safties and cb...
Hope it's not to much for you and I appreciate all the help I can get
Thanks in advance
Maiava or wimbley?
Monk
I have lofton, D harris and hawthrone at LB which 2 should i start
I have T suggs, J allen, Stylez white and Brian Orakpo
which 3 should i go with.
Thanks
Thoughts on Landon Johnson (taking over for Davis)? Also what about David Bowens will he play LB with all the injuries?
@ Bperiod
Same boat man. And I really need O. Daniels because Calvin Johnson has been a ghost and my second RB Portis is a huge loser this year so I know what you mean.
As far as your sleeper LB, I got Hawthorne and he put up 30 points for my team last week. Helped me win this week by 1/2 point. Out of those 3 you listed, it's Pace if you get a ton of points for sacks and Ellison has been pretty solid. Maiava is extremely intriguing and is in the perfect position to succeed. I think any of those guys are nice fill-ins, but if Hawthorne is available, he's the one you want.
@ Sean
I like Hawthorne's matchup vs. Arizona. I keep seeing high LB numbers every week for teams who play Arizona.
I'm in the same boat as you. How do I bench Mayo for Hawthorne? But does Indy really that deadly for LBs (let me look over the box scores, I'll brb)
Last week when Houston played Indy:
B. Cushing 10-2 0.0
B. Pollard(SS) 9-3 1 INT
D. Ryans 7-2
Week 8, when SF played Indy:
P. Willis 6-2
Week 7, when STL played Indy:
J. Laurinaitis 4-0
(The worst part about this STL game was Indy was up by 40 points and still didn't run the ball)
So I just don't feel good about Mayo in this game. ILBs appear to be mediocre. That being said, Indy may choose to play the Pats differently because the Pats can be run on. Especially if they have Donald Brown back. The other question is if Mayo will cover Dallas Clark. Overall this just doesn't feel like a good matchup so I think you have to go Hawthorne over Mayo. I really don't like doing that, but Hawthorne has been amazing these past 3 weeks and Arizona allowed "lowly" A. Pierce to go 7-3 during week 7. Week 8, Arizona helped Carolina's J. Beason lead the box scores with 8-3. Then last week Arizona gave Bears L. Briggs 9 solos, Hillenmeyer 10 total tackles and even Nick Roach threw in 4 solos.
Your other starter has to be Patrick Willis vs. Chicago. If for no other reason because Middle linebacker and now coach Mike Singletary is facing his Bears for the first time and he's going to transfer some of that crazy eyed magic into Willis and Patrick's going to make his coach proud. And, oh yeah, he's the best linebacker in football no matter what his stats have said over a couple "slow games".
I'd go his partner Stylz White the rest of the way. He's the one consistently producing. Gotta ride the guy on the hot streak and Wilkerson has gone cold while White has really heated up. As for "the rest of the way", nearly impossible to pick with DLs, but I hope White stays on fire for you.
@Derick
Karlos Dansby and EJ Henderson are both very solid. I love the upside of Hawthorne so far though. He's literally averaging 23 points a game in my league in his 3 games played and got me 30 points week 9. I'm lovin him, but you have to think he'll come back down to Earth at some point. Until that point though, I have to say Hawthorne. He's like the David Harris of a couple years back so far.
@ Jack
No matter how much I've loved Hawthorne so far, you have to go Ruud over Hawthorne this week vs. Miami.
Miami's a sure thing for LBs and Ruud is one of the very best. Hawthorne is still so new, you just don't know how hard or how fast he could crash. That's just the pessimist in me. He's like the Miles Austin of LBs. And you can average 160 yards receiving for the entire season and he proved last week vs. PHI that he was human. I think Hawthorne will do the same, but even if he has an off game, that still might be 10-12 ff points instead of his 20-30 that he's been getting.
To answer your questions
1) Sharper is a good player and I don't think you did the wrong thing dropping George Wilson. Unfortunately, neither FS has a good matchup this week with one facing STL and the other TEN. Sharper always has that chance to return one for a TD.
2)You picked up one of the best DE's in football with Freeney. It's solid pickup!
3)I have Sharper and Dashon Goldson, Terreance Newman and Charles Woodson...which 3 should I start (Ive got sharper, goldson, and newman starting right now)...If I remember correctly its better to start 2 safties and cb...
(You've got this exactly right! I think Newman gets a sack on a CB blitz in this one too)
Maiava or wimbley?
That's a terrific question.(I'll assume you mean this week)
Earlier in the year, when Baltimore & Cleveland met K. Wimbley got 5 solos and 1 sack. In that game D. Jackson went 9-2. Maiava is no Jackson so let's take that down to 6-1 with the potential to go 7-2 (I don't think he goes higher than that). So now you have to decide if you're going to "go for it" and gamble on whether Wimbley will get a sack in this one, but still be happy with 5 tackles or so if he doesn't or go slightly safer with Maiava since he plays on the inside and has a better chance at more tackles. If it were me, I'd go Wimbley this week because we still haven't really seen Maiava yet. I'd be a little surprised to see Wimbley on the waiver wire and not as surprised to see Maiava. I think that tell the whole story for me on who to start. But Maiava definitely has the potential there.
Out of lofton, D harris and hawthrone and you have to choose 2 this week.
Lofton is the definite vs. Carolina and Harris/Hawthorne is such a tough call this week. Harris gets MJD who is the Jacksonville offense yet Arizona is giving LBs so many points this year.
I tell you what, if you want to be safe and go with the proven ff vet, start Harris, but if you need to swing for the fences and go for the potential big score Hawthorne is your guy. All he's done is put up huge scores in all 3 games he's played and matchup is good week 10. You have a good problem because you'll be fine either way. Don't sweat it whichever you decide.
Allen is a the definite vs. Det. Stylez White is next vs. sackable & run heavy Miami and T. Suggs is your other
You're really digging deep looking at Landon Johnson (taking over for Davis) and David Bowens
I'll be honest, I have no thoughts on these guys until I see them contribute fantasy worthy numbers. I understand you're looking for hidden gold and Landon Johnson might just be it, but for now I say he's the equivalent to Paris Lenon taking over for Will Witherspoon in STL. Serviceable if you're in a real pinch, but not a guy you hang you hat on when there's guys like Clint Session, Hillenmeyer, & even Keith Ellison floating around out there. Perhaps you're in a very deep IDP league and if that's the case and competition is stiff, then scoop Landon Johnson up if you have the room. But I'm going Maiava, Dhani Jones and maybe even Keith Rivers over over Landon Johnson at this point.
I have hawthorne, mayo and atogwe. My league plays 2 D players with 1ppt and 0.5 ppa, 3pp sack/int. Who should I start this week and going ahead for the year. I am behind in my league and need to make up some ground fast and compensate for other positions.
Thanks in advance.
Hi Monk, i have the following 6 players, we have 2 DBs, 2 DLs and 2LBs.
David Harris
Hawthorne
Calais Campbell
Stylez White
Sean Jones
Brandon McGowan (both just picked up?
These are some of my options on the waiver:
DBs: Coleman, Branch, Decoud, Cedric Griffin, Mikell, Wilson, Elam.
LBs: Session, Keith Ellison, Pierce, Hayes, Hawk, Timmons or Pozlushny.
DLs: Biermann, Kelsay, Orakpo, Ratliff, Little, Schobel, Ray Edwards.
Would you replace any of my players with one or more of these?
Both for week 10 or in the future.
Thx a bunch, you do a great job. I'm reading you all the way from Denmark.
Hey Monk,
I have a dilemma. I am pretty much out of the playoff race and now looking forward to next year. But I am in a keeper leauge so I need to make a decision.
Some guy offered me Jones Drew for Rice and a few other players. Now I really dont care about the other players because like I said, I wont make the playoffs. Keep in mind that im in a PPR league.
Now I realize Jones Drew is such a beast. But there is something special I see in Rice. And he is sooo young. Add that to the fact he is now the goal line back so I can potentially see him having a HUGE year in 2010. The ravens pass a lot and really dont have a great WR so they use him a ton.
I dont know what to do. Would really appreciate your insight.
Thanks again.
Joe
I currently have Curtis Lofton, Stephen Tulloch, and Paul Posluszny and need to start two.
Paul Posluszny seems healthy again and has been looking pretty good lately, any thoughts on him?
Heres the rub with David Bowens, hes listed as a DL (CBS) and I look for the LB playing but listed as a DL. Perfect example was Torbor last week filling in for Crowder, he did me well. The DL slot is the hardest to find consistent production, so i go with the sneaky play if available
Which 3 LB's to start this week:
Henderson, Vilma, Hawthorne or Laurinitis?
What do you think of Jay Ratliff this week?
Monk,
Instead of telling me which ones to play instead of who I have, can you tell me if you see any weakness in this lineup for week 10?
DT - Avril
DT - Starks
DE - A. Brown
DE - Stylez
LB - P. Willis
LB - K. Fox
LB - K. Maiava
CB - Jarius Byrd
CB - Josh Wilson
S - Atogwe
S - Weddle
Based on your comments, I seem safe with Stylez, Willis, Maiava and Weddle. But what about the others?
Thank you
@Ward
You go Hawthorne & Atogwe. They have the best matchups and best chance of scoring you the most points.
@Steffen
I love it Steffen. You are really playing those matchups for week 9 well here. The only change I even see is wondering if SS Mikell might get you more opportunity than S. Jones in that SD game. Jones is playing great though and this will be a shootout with the Eagles so I think I'd stay put with exactly what you have at every position. You'll drive yourself nuts swapping when I think you've got yourself a great team right now. I can tell you that I wouldn't even blink if you went with R. Edwards or Schobel over Campbell, but he is facing Seattle so that's a nice matchup too. No, stay put. I don't want to screw up the good thing you've got going. Keep that team just the way you've got it for this week. Very good work! As for the future. Just keep playing the matchups. Come back and read my blog, I'll be with ya the rest of the season. Any matchup questions, I'll do my best to answer. I guess the wrong guys all the time. Especially at DL. But when there facing GB, Buffalo, Pittsburgh or Houston and some more, you plug those DLs in there. Just like strong safeties facing Baltimore do well, Free Safeties vs. NO, ARIZ, INDY and LBs vs. Miami, NE, the Jets and some others do well. Gotta keep playing those matchups if you want to be the Champ!
David Harris
Hawthorne
Calais Campbell
Stylez White
Sean Jones
Brandon McGowan (both just picked up?
These are some of my options on the waiver:
DBs: Coleman, Branch, Decoud, Cedric Griffin, Mikell, Wilson, Elam.
LBs: Session, Keith Ellison, Pierce, Hayes, Hawk, Timmons or Pozlushny.
DLs: Biermann, Kelsay, Orakpo, Ratliff, Little, Schobel, Ray Edwards.
Would you replace any of my players with one or more of these?
Both for week 10 or in the future.
Thx a bunch, you do a great job. I'm reading you all the way from Denmark.
@ Joe
I see where you're coming from, but it's MJD you want. Ray Rice is not a "between the tackles" guy like MJD. MJD is the full package and, besides AD, you want him above all others. Do it while Rice is hot!
MJD has plenty of tread left on those tires and it's a little closer than I thought it would be, but I'd make the move. Come next year, MJD will be a more valuable name than Rice. And, if nothing else, he is higher trade value to be on your team. You could literally trade MJD to someone else in your league for 2 quality starting RBs or a stud RB & stud WR. Unless he gets injured this year, he will easily be known as the #2 guy to have in ALL the league, if not #1 in PPR.
@ IDP Fan
Curtis Lofton & Paul Posluszny without a doubt!
@ Anonymous
Ahh, well David Bowens as a DL is a whole other story. Sure, I see your strategy. I say if he's definitely starting on game day, do it. Obviously, there's a cutoff point where if you can get a DE like DeMarcus Ware facing GB this week or even NT Ratliff vs GB. Those guys are easily going to get 2 sacks each. But, yes, a DL/LB is safer if you think he can get at least 4 tackles. But if you don't think he'll get a sack, then a Stylez White is a better option because he gets about 3 or 4 tackles and has a better shot at a sack.
@ Highlander
Man, seeing the word Vilma immediately translates to the word Shit in my head. And if Vilma is Shit, then Crowder translates to Crap. So that leaves Mario Williams translating roughly to the phrase Lazy Bastard.
Does that answer your question about which 3. haha Henderson, Hawthorne & Laurinitis are you starters.
Lovin the nose guard Jay Ratliff this week!!!! Love the grunt he makes when he slams QBs to the turf and I estimate at least 2 grunts and possibly even an double-arm muscle man pose this weekend! Obviously, I only mean this if your league requires a DL. But I wouldn't play Ratliff in place of an LB spot, but I assume you mean for a DL spot. I really like him a lot!
@ Michael
I can tell it's a deep league and I can tell you are enjoying showing off this killer team. For the depth of your league, you are in TERRIFIC shape this week! Wow! I feel sorry for your opponent. Obviously K. Fox is a bit of a reach. Maiava is a little bit of an unknown, but I have strong feeling he won't be after this week. And, even though P. Willis doesn't have a great matchup on paper, I think he plays extra hard for Mike Singletary facing his old team for the first time. So I would give him an extra bump from what could be a 6-3 game to a 8-3 and some extraz like pd & ff type of game. Maybe even an INT off Cutler for a TD game. He's due for a big one. He's been a little quiet. Good luck! I'll be checking the box scores to see how your team did!
DT - Avril
DT - Starks
DE - A. Brown
DE - Stylez
LB - P. Willis
LB - K. Fox
LB - K. Maiava
CB - Jarius Byrd
CB - Josh Wilson
S - Atogwe
S - Weddle
Based on your comments, I seem safe with Stylez, Willis, Maiava and Weddle. But what about the others?
Thank you
Monk, thanks for the advice for a fill in. BUT...I'm needing a long term solution. (My league has a transaction limit, and I need to save moves) SO...here's what I have available to replace Thomas Davis:
C. Session
S. Phillips
A. Pierce
Andra Davis
Bart Scott
K. Wembley
Maiva
Again, more long term suggestion. Thx!
I start 2 safeties.
O.Atogowe
M. Coleman
G. Wilson
J. Byrd
D. Goldson
Which 2 DB's to start this week? Ed Reed, Mikell, Coleman or Polamalu.
I think Polamalu for sure but then ...................
Alright so my D/ST (i.e., the Packers) collapsed when being clobbered by the Bucs, for god's sake (still in disbelief about that game... thank you espn projections! :p). My other D/ST is the 49ers, who are hot and cold and playing the Bears this Sunday. The best projections for an available team on my wire are for the Chiefs (@ Oak). They have a better projection than the 49ers but they have a lot of crap weeks vs. decent teams AND Oak seems random to me at times. In your humble opinion, should I go for the Chiefs just for the week or stick with the 49ers?? I really need a decent showing with my D/ST since my opponent, who BTW has the Saints D/ST that is playing the Rams this week, looks really tough this week. Our league plays all available point opportunities and positions (e.g., coaches, punters, etc.).
I also had McNabb implode on me last week. Miraculously, I won last week. Now I have to choose between Rivers & McNabb this week. Needless to say, that one makes me oh so comfortable as well (not).
@Bperiod
Judging by this list, I assume Hawthorne was already scooped up. Bummer. He's definitely the one I would have told you to get for the rest of the season.
This is an very gutsy call because we haven't seen him do it yet, but your best bet as a replacement for Thomas Davis numbers is Maiva. The Cleveland ILB steps into a system that potentially gives any guy who plays the postion 7-9 solos a week. There is some risk though because his rookie buddy next to him could be a star as well. Going into the unknown is always scaring, but Maiva has the most potential to do what Hawthorne has done over the last 3 weeks. I can completley understand if this is too much risk, but he's my gut for the most potential on your list.
The safest and most consistent guy is Clint Session. He's proven it all year and keeps getting stronger. He as a ceiling of around 7-8 tackles a game, but he's an "extras" guy who gets PDs and the occasional sack or INT. He's safe & solid. Not a lot of upside for a 25 point game there, but you can count on him for about 12 every week (standard tackle heavy scoring points).
The others are a little too inconsistent for my taste "long term". Bart Scott, Andra Davis and K. Wimbley are the next group I'd look at, but each have had either 3 tackle weeks or Wimbley has some injury concerns as he's missed a few games this year.
long term solution. (My league has a transaction limit, and I need to save moves) SO...here's what I have available to replace Thomas Davis:
C. Session
S. Phillips
A. Pierce
Andra Davis
Bart Scott
K. Wembley
Maiva
Again, more long term suggestion. Thx!
@Anonymous
This week is Atogwe & Goldson (but Coleman is close). Long term, Atogwe & E. Coleman.
I start 2 safeties.
O.Atogowe
M. Coleman
G. Wilson
J. Byrd
D. Goldson
Monk,
Last week you told me I could be doing better that Shaun Rogers and Kiwi as my DLs, so I dropped S Rog. and picked up your boy Stylez G...you were absolutely right, thats the best output from my DL all year! I get to drop Kiwi this week and available names include Docket, Geathers, Greg Ellis, Shaun Ellis, and Ray Edwards...any of those guys worth while?
Thanks Monk,
JSmoke
@Anonymous
I think you're right about Palamalu. I'll admit I'm usually kinda leary of him for FF because he can be inconsistent, but he's too exciting to leave on your bench. However, if you go with a slightly risky guy like him, I can't recommend Ed Reed beside him who's also very similar. I would balance him with a solid guy and I think Mikell vs. SD is your man this week. Facing Phillip Rivers in a shootout and everyone knows to pass to the TE vs. Philly. Mikell could have 10 tackles in this one between screens to Sproles, slants from Floyd and, of course, passes to Antonio Gates, who should have a HUGE role in this one.
So Mikell & Polamalu. I don't see the Skins having the ball much vs. Atlanta's time eating ground game. And Campbell might go deep some, but I see a lot of 3 & outs in that pathetic offense. The opportunity isn't their for that matchup for Coleman. Of course, now that I say that he'll have a monster day! haha
@Captain Concerned
That is a very tough decision.
I have a little extra plan for you though in this one. You are probably not going to reach the Saints potential, regardless, but I have you thought about taking a second look at your kicker. Sometimes they are forgot about. I like Kaeding or Akers if available in that shootout. Or a sneaky one is Bironas this week vs. Buf. Bironas leads the league in kicks over 40 yards and if you get extra points for deep kicks, Tennessee has a really good chance of putting up points on Buffalo.
As far as your defense, it really is a 50/50 between the 49ers and the Chiefs. I could see Mike Brown or those KC corners getting some INTs off OAK. I can also see a sack out of Tamba Hali vs. Jamarcus. I don't see Oakland scoring many points. No more than 10 or 13 so that keeps your point total down.
Unfortunately, Chicago has a real shot at winning that one vs. SF. And although the SF defense will be fired up for Singletary playing his old team, they have injuries in their secondary and Cutler really looked good last week. I don't think Greg Olson was a fluke and he could repeat his good play. Owen Daniels tore SF up at TE when everyone said he'd get stuffed.
I think the odds point to KC vs. Oak and try to get extra points from a good kicker matchup this week. Last week, I swapped out Matt Prater for NE's kicker before the game. It won me the week. NE's kicker got me 16 points and Prater ended up with 5 points in my league. I won by 1.5 points thanks to DJ Williams on MNF.
I think you have to go McNabb because the Philly secondary is better and Philly's pass rush is outstanding. SD's secondary is weak and Philly's line can stop SD's pass rush. Also, Philly is purely a passing team and he was REALLY missing Westbrook last week. Celek will have a bigger game than Gates. Asante Samuel will be on VJax. D. Jackson, Maclin, Westbrook, McCoy and even some Avant, OH MY. Sproles has not got it done lately and Malcolm Floyd is learning how to be a #2 in the pros and hasn't figured out "separation" yet. Perhaps a long summer in the weight room will teach him the trick.
It does highly depends on "which McNabb" shows up. "Throw everything at their feet" McNabb or "Scramble and throw picture perfect 60 yard bombs" McNabb. I think "good" McNabb will show up in this one. He'll get pass protection and his WRs will get open. SD is the worst in the whole league defending the TE. Lucky Celek owners!
Thanks for the considerate and great response! While those kickers are claimed, I have Longwell (facing the Lions who yield the most points in the league to kickers, who I will probably start/choose, and Stover.
I guess I will grab the Chiefs for this week and grab the Bill D/ST for the rest of the season since they have a weak schedule for a while after this week.
Good news for me: I own and will start Celek. This gives me a share of some of McNabb's action already. Without a real running game, I'm reluctant to sit Rivers, esp. since he's usually solid and every time I bench him he outdoes McNabb (the odd and unlucky timing that I have). However, I will heed your Philly secondary defense warnings and strongly consider "Please god don't aim at their feet, ya goober" McNabb.
Everyone keeps looking at the 2 rookie linebackers for Cleveland, but what about David Bowens?
He's listed as a DL and I heard he might play LB
Isn't Coleman facing the Panthers not the Skins? Still a better choice than Reed or Mikell?
Just saw they moved Witherspoon to WLB and Gocgon (prob spelled that wrong) to the MLB what kind of effect do you see for my Witherspoon?
Monk,
Which 1 LB of Posluszny @ TEN, Hawthorne @ ARI, Beason vs ATL.
Which 3 DBs of Branch vs KC, Harris vs ATL, Jackson @ MIA, DeCoud @ CAR, Lewis vs CHI.
Thanks as always.
@J Smoke
That's great. I'm glad I helped you upgrade. And Stylez is a fun name to say and look at so that's always an extra bonus. haha
If only we could get the good DLs that face GB every week! I gotta say I like Ray Edwards in that matchup. It's definitely not as sure of a thing as Stylez was, but he's a good DE facing a poor team so that's always a good combo.
@ Captain Concerned
I know man, it's very close. You're right. You don't see Rivers implode as often as McNabb does so he is safer overall. But it's for the exact reason you just said that I'd go the other way. SD does not have a running game. I you can't establish a running game, you can't establish play action that allows an already blitz happy defense to pin their ears back and fly at the QB. It does mean dump offs to Gates and maybe Sproles, but it makes the long balls to VJax few and far between. Where as SD is notorious for mediocre corners and DJax on the other side of the ball can fly. The SD pass rush has big names, but they are still not living up to their potential. For me, all the details point to McNabb succeeding in this one, but I do feel the threat of Westbrook is necessary. Just his presence on the field makes blitzing defenses respect the draw and screen and seems to add a "calm" to McNabb having his long-time Mr. Everything out there with him. I say if Westbrook plays, switch to McNabb. If not, stick with Rivers. How's that for a roll of the dice play.
@ Anonymous
You right, Bowens is a very nice sneaky DL play.
But we look at the rookie linebackers because there has been such an incredible amount of success for FF LBs playing there. That's why the extra focus on potential 9 tackle LB.
I think many of us are looking at the new toy and forgetting about Wimbley too. He could end up being the most successful of all with his sacking numbers included. It's just fun to speculate right now and we'll see who's hunches were right when the dust clears in the box scores.
You're absolutely right. I'm sorry, my head cold is messing with me. Coleman is facing the Panthers. Yes, I'm sorry, I would go Coleman. Dumb codeine. haha
@ Anonymous
You sust saw they moved Witherspoon to WLB and Gocgon (prob spelled that wrong) to the MLB?
WOW, great catch. I missed that. So where the heck is Akeem Jordan now!?? Did they put him at SLB. Let me go study and I'll brb
Ahh.. so I see Akeem Jordan hyperextended his knee and I'll assume he's out for this weekend if they're doing this move. Since he's the best LB on the team. They certainly won't bury Jordan at SLB.
Well, it definitely gives Gocgon a boost. And there's no way around it. Witherspoon will take a slight hit. Unless they plan on blitzing him a lot more and he makes up for a few less tackles with a few more sacks or perhaps they plan on using him to cover Gates and he gets a lot of tackles and even some pass deflections. Regardless he's still more valuable than Gocgan, but if someone's in a pinch I'd consider Gocgan as a sleeper with some upside now. Think Dhani Jones numbers is my guess. We'll see.
QUESTION:
Which 1 LB of Posluszny @ TEN, Hawthorne @ ARI, Beason vs ATL.
Monk's ANSWER:
So tough. I can tell you it's between Beason & Pozluszny. Man it's so close and you'll be good either way. It's like choosing between Laurinitis, Mayo or DJ Williams this week, ya know. I think you go Posluszny because because you know that all Ten will do is run. Where Atlanta could pass and give Beason a few less chances. Plus, Beason lost his partner in crime and sometimes that's a bad thing for LBs, rather than good.
QUESTION:
Which 3 DBs of Branch vs KC, Harris vs ATL, Jackson @ MIA, DeCoud @ CAR, Lewis vs CHI.
Monk's ANSWER:
Well Lewis was just injured and you always worry about a guy leaving the game so I'll take him out.
Definitely go TJax vs. Mia. loving him in that one.
Go Branch vs. KC
And I would go DeCoud @ Car. The matchup is ideal for his style of play. Harris is really tempting so if you swapped DeCoud for Harris, I wouldn't blink, but I'm feeling DeCoud vs. CAR.
What do you think about J.Durant this week against the Jets?
Besides Willis which LB would you start this week - J.Durant, D. Hawthorne or D.Harris?
Week 6 Hawthorne only had 4 tackles against AZ. Do you see a repeat performance?
Do you like Tanard Jackson this week against MIA or would you pick up R.Bartell?
D.Bowe, D.Henderson or M.Sims-Walker this week?
Hi Monk! thanks for putting in all the work for this blog. a couple questions...
This week I'm planning to start A. Elam and E. Coleman at DB, leaving T. Branch on the bench. What do you think? Which two would you keep going forward?
at LB I'm starting C. Lofton, P. Posluszny, and K. Maiava while benching S. Tulloch. I dropped Merriman for Maiava earlier this week, even though I think Merriman may be on the verge of a return to form. I feel like Maiava is worth the risk and start this week.
at DL I have Wilkerson and Stylez. I've been tempted to drop Wilkerson for Vanden Bosch, R. Smith, M. Douglas or Olshansky (dropped Avril for Stylez). I'm in a competitive league and likely won't get him back. Would you keep these two? Mainly, I don't like having multiple IDPs starting on the same team...but as you can tell I already have 3 same-team pairs starting (ATL, CLE, TB's DEs)! What's your take on this? Do IDPs take plays away from each other?
Weddle or Atogwe this week? Based on my settings, Atogwe is the answer. What do you think?
@swamp408
QUESTION:
What do you think about J.Durant this week against the Jets? Great
Besides Willis which LB would you start this week - J.Durant, D. Hawthorne or D.Harris?
ANSWER:
I like every single one of those guys. Obviously, I'm a Hawthorne guy, but Durant vs. the Jets is a perfect matchup and D. Harris vs. the MJD is very nice. You literally can't go wrong. Common consensus would go D. Harris. I would go Hawthorne because I'm a fan and the matchup says go Durant. Don't lose sleep over it. To give you my scenerio: I have Laurinitis, DJ Williams, Lofton, Mayo, Hawthorne. I can only start 3. I'm not going to lose any sleep over it because I'm set no matter what. I'm benching Mayo vs. Indy on that list based on the matchup. I could be wrong, but I should still be fine with all those other guys being studs.
QUESTION:
Week 6 Hawthorne only had 4 tackles against AZ. Do you see a repeat performance?
ANSWER:
Note that in Week 6 L. Tatupu was the starting MLB during that week and had 7-1. Hawthorne got 4 tackles coming off the bench to relieve Tatupu. Hawthorne is the MLB now in place of Tatupu and will ALL those tackles to himself.
QUESTION:
Do you like Tanard Jackson this week against MIA or would you pick up R.Bartell?
ANSWER:
Bartell vs. Drew Brees
QUESTION:
D.Bowe, D.Henderson or M.Sims-Walker this week?
ANSWER:
You have to go D. Henderson. There's not doubt Sims-Walker & D. Bowe get shutdown by the 2 best corners in all of football. Henderson always has a legitimate shot of getting you 70 yards and a TD. Especially vs. STL. He's due for a TD and Brees will look for him this week to show him some love since he's been giving Meachem the endzone love. That's how good he is. He can actually pick and choose who he wants to give touchdowns to. Remember Shockey vs. the Giants. That's how insanely good Brees is.
@ Ir0nman
Your welcome!
QUESTION:
This week I'm planning to start A. Elam and E. Coleman at DB, leaving T. Branch on the bench. What do you think?
ANSWER:
That's tough. I like Elam better this week, but I'd want Branch going forward. And Branch should be fine this week if that helps your decision.
QUESTION:
at LB I'm starting C. Lofton, P. Posluszny, and K. Maiava while benching S. Tulloch. I dropped Merriman for Maiava earlier this week, even though I think Merriman may be on the verge of a return to form. I feel like Maiava is worth the risk and start this week.
ANSWER:
I like it. I don't trust Merriman and the odds all point to Maiava being successful. Very nice lineup. The 2 guaranteed solid guys and 1 swing for the fences guy.
One thing to keep in mind. LBs are actually not as successful as one would think vs. Baltimore. That stats consistently show this. But don't give up on Maiava if he has a mediocre week this week. If he pulls off 5-2 and maybe an extra, that's a success vs. the Raven O. Strong safeties tend to get most of the tackles vs. Balt. But Cleveland gets Detroit week 11 where Hawthorne just finished giving me 30 points after facing the Detroit Kitty Kats.
QUESTION:
at DL I have Wilkerson and Stylez. I've been tempted to drop Wilkerson for Vanden Bosch, R. Smith, M. Douglas or Olshansky (dropped Avril for Stylez). I'm in a competitive league and likely won't get him back. Would you keep these two? Mainly, I don't like having multiple IDPs starting on the same team...but as you can tell I already have 3 same-team pairs starting (ATL, CLE, TB's DEs)! What's your take on this? Do IDPs take plays away from each other?
ANSWER:
Believe it or not, I love the strategy because your covered. Wilkerson or Stylez will get a sack vs. Buf. Maybe even both. But this way you're not mad at yourself for choosing the wrong one. DLs are so finicky and it's so hard to get even 1 sack out of one of them. You're covered now. Trent Edwards missed a ton of time and is still ranked near the tippy top of most sacked QBs. I'd stay with both guys in this case.
To answer your last question, YES. I do get frustrated having Atogwe & Laurinitis on the same team. Like this week vs. NO, I feel great about Atogwe vs. Brees, but I'm wondering if that means Laurinitis gets less LB opportunities. It worked out very well for me when it was Lofton & E. Coleman vs. Brees so I'm hoping I get the same effect. Now if I had Mayo & McGowan this week vs. Indy, I think I do get more concerned about McGowan having a crazy good game and Mayo having a slow one. I saw this effect when I had Bethea and Gary Brackett. Bethea would go off and Brackett would get about 4 tackles. But, yes, I like that you have both facing Buffalo. Takes the frustrating guess work out of it. At least one of them has a very good chance of getting a sack. This same strategy would work great for teams facing GB. Like when J. Allen & R. Edwards faced them a week or so ago.
@ Maze
Question:
Weddle or Atogwe this week? Based on my settings, Atogwe is the answer.
Yes. The best FS in football facing Dree Brees equals good stuff. Obviously anything can happen in a game, but the numbers don't like for safeties facing Brees.
Hello Monk,
I found your site about a month ago, has really improved my IDP stats! My question is do you think Bryan Scott practicing/playing at LB for Ellison this week will improve his numbers. Or should I look elsewhere for a DB?
Pick 2 DB's for me please ...
Bethea vs. NE - currently ranked #2 DB in my league
Delmas vs. MIN - currently ranked #14 DB in my league
McGowan vs. IND - currently ranked #7 DB in my league
Monk I'm debating playing Bryan Scott this week, or picking up Melvin Bullit against NE, I've read that Scott (SS) might be filling in at OLB and I'm not sure what type of tackle numbers that might produce compared to Bullit. What are your thoughts. Thanks for all your help this year!!
Monk thanks for help
jarius Byrd or Erik Coleman this week
pick one dl out of four
Marques Douglas
cliff Avril
William Hayes
Jason jones
John Abraham
Great work Mr. Monk, been readin' all season and hope for seasons to come
if you could pick one DL, LB, and DB to start this week (assume shallow league but no jared allen) and were willing to take a zero for the biggest upside week, who would they be?
what do you think of Bryan Scott, BUF, starting at WLB?
Thanks!
Hi monk,
I'm up in my league so I am playing for the playoffs, and need to figure out my line up. In a league with solo=1pt, assist=1/2 pt, sack=3 and int=3, who would be your top 5 by LB/DB/DL for weeks 16 & 17? We have a super small bench, so I need to acquire them for the rest of the way, and I don't mind them having bad matchups before those two weeks.
Currently I have T Branch (CLE & BAL in those 2 weeks) for DB, but I could swap for Atogwe (AZ & SF).
At DL I have Schobel (ATL & IND), but thinking about switching to A. Carter (DAL & SD) or even Tuck (CAR & MIN) because of week 17 for Schobel.
LB is Durant (NE & CLE), Ruud(NO & ATL) & Fletcher (DAL & SD). Feeling good, but wondering if one of those three might be someone I should worry about for those two weeks or go out and try to acquire.
@ Todd
I'm up in my league so I am playing for the playoffs, and need to figure out my line up. In a league with solo=1pt, assist=1/2 pt, sack=3 and int=3, who would be your top 5 by LB/DB/DL for weeks 16 & 17? We have a super small bench, so I need to acquire them for the rest of the way, and I don't mind them having bad matchups before those two weeks.
QUESTION:
Currently I have T Branch (CLE & BAL in those 2 weeks) for DB, but I could swap for Atogwe (AZ & SF).
ANSWER:
That is close because T Branch is an SS who has an opportunity for more tackles, but Atogwe is a proven Pro Bowl Safety. If for not other reason, Atogwe has NO this week and you know AZ is an even better matchup. So I would go Atogwe.
QUESTION:
At DL I have Schobel (ATL & IND), but thinking about switching to A. Carter (DAL & SD) or even Tuck (CAR & MIN) because of week 17 for Schobel.
ANSWER:
This is good thinking ahead on your part. I like Tuck for the simple reason that he is the only guy out of the other 2 that will probably still have something to play for and will be motivated to play hard. And Car & Min are actually pretty good DL matchups.
QUESTION:
LB is Durant (NE & CLE), Ruud(NO & ATL) & Fletcher (DAL & SD). Feeling good, but wondering if one of those three might be someone I should worry about for those two weeks or go out and try to acquire.
ANSWER:
I'm slightly worried about Fletcher lately. Obviously, he's still the best and if you can hold off for one more week, maybe even 2 to watch him, I'd wait and see if any new studs emerge from the pack. The first guy that pops up to me is Hawthorne, but we have to see if he can stay anywhere near this pace and if Fletcher gets back on track.
@ anonymous
Glad I've helped. Bryan Scott playing at LB this week is intriquing. It's a fantastic matchup, but he's unproven as an LB. I guess Ellison was too and he sure exploded. It really depends on how tackle heavy your league scoring is. If you get 2 for solos and 1 for assists, I'd take the risk, but if it's just 1 and .5 or something like that, you go a DB who can get you PD points as well as chance for INT and some decent tackle chances. But tackle heavy, I think it's a very sneaky and nice way to get up on your competition. He could get 8 tackles this week.
@ Jeremy
QUESTION:
Pick 2 DB's for me please ...
ANSWER:
Bethea vs. NE - currently ranked #2 DB in my league
McGowan vs. IND - currently ranked #7 DB in my league
@Anonymous
QUESTION:
Monk I'm debating playing Bryan Scott this week, or picking up Melvin Bullit against NE, I've read that Scott (SS) might be filling in at OLB and I'm not sure what type of tackle numbers that might produce compared to Bullit. What are your thoughts. Thanks for all your help this year!!
ANSWER:
EXTREMELY TOUGH QUESTION! Wow. Honestly, I don't think it's worth the gamble at this point in the season to take a flyer at Scott playing a brand new position. You know what you have in Bullit and the matchup is VERY nice. Go Bullit. You'll sleep better.
@Anonymous
QUESTION:
Monk thanks for help
jarius Byrd or Erik Coleman this week
ANSWER:
Neither has a nice matchup passing wise. I'd go Coleman as potentially more tackles and more INT potential off Delhomme who's second behind Cutler in INTs. And Delhomme throws half as much as Cutler so his ratio of INT per pass is juicy for a DB. Steve Smith will be begging for the ball vs. his old foe ATL.
QUESTION:
pick one dl out of four
Marques Douglas
cliff Avril
William Hayes
Jason jones
John Abraham
ANSWER:
Tough list. Farve is getting sacked more than people think and Avril is tempting, but how much will Farve need to drop back in this one. I think you go Marques Douglas because at least he's know for getting a few more tackles than most DLs. Is David Bowens available and listed as a DE in your league? I'd try him over any of these guys this week.
@Anonymous
Great work Mr. Monk, been readin' all season and hope for seasons to come
THANK YOU SO MUCH! That's a very nice compliment. I appreciate that!
QUESTION:
if you could pick one DL, LB, and DB to start this week (assume shallow league but no jared allen) and were willing to take a zero for the biggest upside week, who would they be?
what do you think of Bryan Scott, BUF, starting at WLB?
ANSWER:
If I'm understanding your question correctly, your asking me for a "dream team" this week? I'm not understanding your "willing to take zero for biggest upside" comment so I may be answering this wrong, but judging by you telling me that no Jared Allen available, I'll assume no Patrick Willis at LB and no Weddle or Roman Harper at DB.
This week at LB, my top guys would be Lofton vs. Car, Ruud vs. Miami, Posluszny vs. Ten & Jon Beason vs. ATL.
DB would probably be Weddle vs. Philly, Atogwe vs. NO (love the matchup), Bethea vs. NE (love the matchup), Tanard Jackson vs. Miami (cause he's been on fire)
DL Dumervil vs. Was, Julius Peppers vs. ATL, Trent Cole vs. SD, Terrell Suggs as a DE vs. Cleveland, Calvin Pace as DE vs. Jacksonville
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