The Weekend of the Rookie Running Backs
Let’s get right down to business because I have a date with some Chicago deep-dish pizza later today.
Side Note: Any Chicago residents/fans know of some good restaurants/watering holes to check out? Local celebrity Matt Bowen has offered no help on this subject.
GET ‘EM IN YOUR LINEUP
Beanie Wells RB Arizona Cardinals: His playing time is on the rise (29 rushes over the past two games), and he’s averaging over 5.3 yards per carry in that same span. As Wells continues to inch his way toward establishing a stranglehold on the starting running back position in the desert oasis known as Phoenix, owners should start feeling more comfortable about getting him in their starting lineup. A Week 11 date with the St. Louis Rams (28th in rush defense, 142.3 yards per game) is another opportunity for the former Ohio State standout to showcase his abilities.
Brett Favre QB Minnesota Vikings: The least talked about player in the history of the NFL has been a beast at home this season. Favre is 4-0 at the Metrodome this season with a stellar average of 298.5 passing yards per game. The statistics get better: The “Gunslinger” has thrown nine touchdowns and only one interception in the Land of 10,000 Lakes and is completing a solid 65.9 percent of his passes. This weekend, the Vikings welcome the Seattle Seahawks, who bring a passing defense that ranks 22nd in the NFL (233.0 yards per game). It’s a match made in heaven.
Lee Evans WR Buffalo Bills: Let’s not kid ourselves, the Buffalo Bills are a mess right now. But there’s a silver lining in the rubble that is the AFC East’s worst football team: Lee Evans. The sixth-year vet out of Wisconsin has been very effective with quarterback Ryan Fitzpatrick under center, catching 11 passes on 22 targets for 172 yards and two touchdowns in three games. With Trent Edwards running the show, Evans was been an afterthought, hauling in 16 passes on 33 targets for 209 yards and three scores in nine games. Add Jacksonville Jaguars’ 26th-ranked passing defense (238.9 yards per game) to the mix and you’ve got yourself a Week 11 fantasy wideout.
Eli Manning QB New York Giants: Peyton’s younger brother has struggled since he injured his foot against the Chiefs at the beginning of October, throwing only seven touchdown passes with six interceptions in five games. Not to worry in Week 11 as Big Blue plays host to the Swiss cheese secondary that hails from Atlanta. The Falcons defense has been victimized for an average of 264.4 passing yards over the past five games while giving up 10 touchdowns with just four interceptions. Is it any surprise that during that five-game span the Dirty Birds have gone 2-3 after starting the year an impressive 3-1?
LeSean McCoy RB Philadelphia Eagles: If anyone wants Twitter updates from this game, you can hit me up at @JoeFortenbaugh as I can offer you a 17-percent chance that I’ll receive cell phone service at Soldier Field this Sunday. As for the fantasy analysis, “Shady” has found paydirt two times in the three games he’s started in place of the aging Brian Westbrook, so you should consider getting him in this weekend as a solid flex option. You should also consider coming to the Soldier Field parking lot and helping me drink all of Matt Bowen and his boy Bubba’s beer without paying for it.
Three more you should roll with…
Laveranues Coles WR Cincinnati Bengals: 11 receptions for 139 yards on 18 targets over the past two weeks has Coles on the rise.
Kevin Smith RB Detroit Lions: Cleveland ranks 30th against the run (165.8 yards per game) and has given up 13 touchdowns via the ground .
Kellen Winslow TE Tampa Bay Buccaneers: In the two weeks that rookie quarterback Josh Freeman has been running the show, Winslow has caught 11 passes for 159 yards and one score on 16 targets.
These defenses will lock it down in Week 11…
1. Minnesota Vikings
2. Green Bay Packers
3. Cincinnati Bengals
KEEP ‘EM ON YOUR BENCH
LaDainian Tomlinson RB San Diego Chargers: LT has racked up four touchdowns in his last three games but heads to Mile High this Sunday to take on a Broncos defense that held him to 70 rushing yards on 18 carries (3.9 YPC) and no scores the last time they met on Oct. 19. Outside of that three-game span, Tomlinson has scored just one touchdown in the four games he was able to play without battling an injury. The Broncos have struggled since coming off the bye (0-3) but still rank 12th against the rush this season (105.6 yards per game).
Michael Crabtree WR San Francisco 49ers: After a relatively hot start to his young career (11 receptions for 137 yards in two games), the former Texas Tech monster has cooled off considerably, catching just seven passes for 78 yards over his past two outings. He still has yet to find the end zone and travels to Green Bay on Sunday to take on a defense that ranks sixth in the NFL against the pass (189.2 yards per game). Look for a more reliable option.
Matt Ryan QB Atlanta Falcons: In his last four games, the second-year signal caller out of Boston College has tossed five touchdown passes with a head-scratching eight interceptions while being sacked 10 times. To make matters worse, Ryan has eight interceptions and a QB Rating of 69.9 in five road games. Even though the G-Men have lost four consecutive games, they still rank second in passing defense this season, allowing only 168.0 yards per game through the air.
Jamaal Charles RB Kansas City Chiefs: Everyone who was savvy enough to pick up Charles and start him last weekend (103 rushing yards, one touchdown) deserves a pat on the back. Now, take your prize waiver-wire acquisition and send him to the sidelines in Week 11. Why? Because Charles has no shot at getting you a respectable fantasy point total when he goes up against the NFL’s best run defense (69.3 yards per game) in the Pittsburgh Steelers. Keep in mind, Blitzburgh has allowed just two rushing touchdowns in nine games this year. I know, I thought the same thing when looking at that statistic. Since when do the Steelers play good defense?
Devin Hester WR Chicago Bears: He’s only scored one touchdown since the end of September and plays on an offense that has lost four of its last five games. The good news? There is none. Sorry, Bears fans, but as lousy as the Eagles have been the last few weeks, they’ve held star receivers Steve Smith (Giants), Miles Austin and Vincent Jackson to a combined 10 catches for 127 yards and one touchdown the past three weeks.
Three more guys you should not invite to the party…
Ryan Grant RB Green Bay Packers: If there’s one thing the 49ers are good at, it’s stopping the run. San Francisco ranks third in the NFL (87.7 yards per game) against the run this season.
Matt Hasselbeck QB Seattle Seahawks: No statistics needed. He’s playing in the noisy-as-hell Metrodome against a front four that loves to harass the quarterback. Expect Hass to have a rough outing this weekend.
Braylon Edwards WR New York Jets: Assault charges aside, Edwards has caught only 11 passes for 207 yards and one touchdown in his past four games. Remember, the Patriots are out for revenge this weekend.
Three defenses to bail on Sunday…
1. New York Jets
2. Baltimore Ravens
3. Denver Broncos
Hit me up on Twitter: @JoeFortenbaugh
