Week 3 Wrap up

NYG vs. TEN
The Giants look like they can't do anything right, lots of turnovers and penalties do not a win make.  However, as bad as they have been undervalued guys like Manningham have had value (over 75 yards receiving each game).

Although they give their fans headaches, there is value in NY.

CIN vs. CAR
Another Pitiful performance by the Carolina offense.  Have we finally found a QB who can hurt Steve Smith's value?  Keep in mind DeAngelo started off slow last year too and still finished well.

PIT vs. TB
It appears PIT will keep rolling with Mendenhall, I expect his value to stay the same or even increase when Big Ben returns.  On the TB side the wheels continue to fall off for Cadillac (<-  See what I did there).  He's averaging 2.5 YPC.  Look for TB to begin to get LeGarrett Blount involved in this offense over the bye week.  He could be a sneaky grab off the waiver wire this week.

BUF vs. NE
who would have thought the mighty Bills would put up 30 on the Pats this week?  They have given Lynch a majority of the touches in the backfield the past two weeks.  He should clearly be owned in all leagues now, but I'd have to be pretty desperate to put him in our starting lineup.

CLE vs. BAL
Anquan Boldin's clearly the WR to own in this offense.  Now that he is on a team without Fitz and Ray Rice is a little banged up maybe he'll put up a career year.  Speaking of Ray Rice, it seems like Baltimore was treating him like glass and that could continue with the nagging injury.  Peyton Hillis seems to have gained some long term value by being named the starter.  If I could think of a player to compare Hillis to it might be Thomas Jones.  Although he isn't electric or exciting he'll pile up yards if given the opportunity, even when his less .

SF vs. KC
Is KC really 3-0, or am I dreaming?  Looks like the glory days of Arrowhead are coming back. Meanwhile SF fired their offensive coordinator.  My brother asked me about trading Michael Crabtree.  My advice on Crabtree is to sit tight.  Maybe the new coordinator will get him more involved and I can't see his value getting much lower.  Bench him for better options until he proves he can get it done.

Say it with me now MO-ACK-EE.

DAL vs. HOU
Does it say how much I love Dez Bryant that Roy Williams had a huge game (5 rec 117yds 2 TDs), and I still like Bryant more.  He just appears to be so special whenever on the field.  He is fearless of the NFL game and speed, a terrific high ball catcher, and just plays the game violently.  I told our producer Eric Page that if I could compare him to one player it would be Anquan Boldin.  Acquire him while he is putting up these 50 yard games because he is ready to explode.  Coming out of the bye he should be rested and even more involved in the offense.

Dez Bryant looks the part of a prototypical NFL wideout

DET vs. MIN
Brett Farve looks like the quarterback we thought he'd be last year.  Jahvid Best has turf toe and could turn into what McFadden did his rookie year.  One big performance and then falls off the earth.

ATL vs. NO
Where ever you had Roddy White on your draft board in the preseason, it probably wasn't high enough.  It also seems that Lance Moore will resume his 2008 role as long as Reggie Bush is out.  I would try and pick him up and then sell in a few weeks before Reggie returns.

WAS vs. STL
Steven Jackson's pull came back as a mild pull, so he could make it back by next week.  If he doesn't the rams offense goes from mediocre to bad and Ken Darby is nothing to get excited about.

PHI vs. JAC
Maclin and Jackson seem to have cemented themselves as Vick's favorite targets, while Celek appears to have been forgotten.  Celek could still have a big game, but his owners would be wise to start making other plans in case this becomes a trend.  Some suggestions from our staff have been John Carlson, Tony Moeaki, and Jermaine Gresham.

IND vs. DEN
Wow Austin Collie!  Kyle Orton is surpassing even my expectations.  If you are weak at QB (ie you drafted Kevin Kolb and didn't make other plans) then try to snag him from an owner that has him on the bench.

Fantasy Owners who snagged Kyle Orton like their QBs to party.

OAK vs. ARI
Just another pedestrian (kidding of course) day for old Darren McFadden.  If someone has him sitting on their bench I would definitely probe them for his value.

SD vs. SEA
Two words:  Justin Forsett.  Thank you Pete Carroll for finally listening to me and featuring this guy.  Keep this up and you may actually win a lot of games this year.  I don't have to tell the wise fantasy owner about this guy.  This SHOULD be the first of many 20 touch games for Forsett.

NYJ vs. MIA
Yea, so you needed a WR and you didn't try and trade for Marshall last week...well told you so (Podcast).

Well, that's it for this week folks,

-Trip Maschmeyer

Episode 3 - Chris Johnson's Face

Take a listen as we discuss our favorite fantasy players at each position. Trip and Stuart break down their elite and Chase discusses his typical night at the club. Fun times.

Listen by adding us to iTunes or another subscriber! Over there on the right---->

Keep your pods tuned to our cast.
-HS

Trip Talks: You're drafting pros, so why not draft like one?

     Ok guys, since we just finished our mock draft two weeks ago I’m going to talk to you about some drafting philosophy.  We spoke on our podcast last week about the obvious things like not drafting a kicker until the last round and not drafting a defense too early.  A prime example of how this can work to your advantage came last year when I drafted Steve Smith NYG in the 14^th round, long after most people took their defense.  It seems like no matter how much I preach against these practices, the top four or five defenses will come off the board before round nine.  Don’t be that fool, depth at wide receiver and running back is more important.

     Now let’s talk about the different mindsets I like to have for different draft positions.  For our purposes we’ll break the draft into three separate segments 1-4, 5-8, and 9-12.  First, let’s talk about positions 1-4.  Most years I feel like drafting in these spots gives one a distinct advantage towards winning a championship.  You are almost guaranteed to get a player who will produce at a high level all year.  Because I would have one of the best players to build around, I would make sure that my following selections (rounds 2-9) have a high “floor” of production, but maybe not as high of a “ceiling.”  I’ll label these types of players as Low risk/low reward and some examples in my mind this year would be Peyton Manning, Marion Barber, and Hines Ward.  These players are relatively safe picks that will help prevent your opponents from making up that talent gap that you established in the early rounds.  In the later rounds you can draft for upside like others.

     Next, we’ll talk about drafting in spots 5-8.  It generally takes a more competitive and well studied player (or maybe just plain lucky) to succeed when drafting from these spots.  It’s all about value in the middle of the draft.  You pick the talents and situations that fall to you, but in order to do so you must have spent considerable time on your cheat sheets.  Almost as important is being aware of who everyone else has drafted so you can predict who should fall as the value picks.  Keeping track of these picks can be done with a simple table including all the teams in your league.  It also helps to mock before your draft to help you know who might fall to you when you are one of the middle picks.

     Finally, let's talk about drafting from the bottom of the draft, picks 9-12.  Here is where the high risk/high reward players need to be targeted.  Players like Jamaal Charles, Joe Flacco, and Johnny Knox need to be in the crosshairs.  Only by making picks like these will one be able to make up the talent gap that the earlier picks have over them.  If you drafted late last year and landed CJ2K and Ray Rice, who each had some question marks about their role, you probably made the playoffs and maybe even won your league.

Well that’s all for today folks good luck, and most of all have fun.

-Trip