Five weeks into the Fantasy Football season, a lot is running through your mind.
Your peers have probably been burning up your phone lines about trying to get a deal done, giving you a window to really cash in.
It goes back to my favorite Jerry McGuire line: “Help me, to help you.”
That’s not just a classic, it’s the mentality that you need to have whenever you’re involved with fantasy sports negotiations.
I didn’t say that you had to be sincere, but just that it was the way to approach the deals.
You may very well find yourself with too many players excelling at one position. Not a bad problem to have though. Whenever you do run across that much expendability, you have to cash in.
The only way you win championships in fantasy sports is by constantly putting on your general manager’s hat and making the deals that count. I’m just saying, you should be working those text lines harder than anyone else in your league.
For some strange reason, every since I’ve become a fantasy analyst, no one in my leagues wants to deal with me anymore. You don’t have that problem, so take advantage of it.
I don’t care if you own Drew Brees. If you have a hot ticket like that, you better cash it in.
The name of the game is balance. If you don’t have balance, you shouldn’t even be thinking about making the playoffs.
Pick up that cell phone and start building for the long run before it’s too late.
In the meantime, let’s take a look at the waiver gems that can balance out your team…
James Jones (21% owned) Does this surprise you? It shouldn’t. Green Bay has a ton of weapons, but the recent loss of Greg Jennings has to open up an opportunity for someone to shine. Jennings suffered a groin injury against the Saints last week, leaving him doubtful for their trip to Indy this week. The Colts sport one of the most patched up secondaries in the league with the like of Vontae Davis covering, so James Jones will have a great opportunity to shine. He’s caught at least four to five passes and 50+ yards in three of his four games, scoring two touchdowns last week against the Saints. I’m not sticking up for the Saints defense, but they’re at least better than the Colts. Jones has been the second-most consistent receiver for the Packers this season and he can be a great flex option to help you out during this crucial BYE week for some of your key players.
Davone Bess (7 % owned) Why isn’t Brian Hartline on this list? Well a couple of reasons: 1. Someone probably picked him up because of the overhype two weeks ago, 2. He’s not a sure thing, 3. Defenses will start to focus on him. That third one is a key feature. Someone has to get open after defenses single out Hartline, and his name is Davone Bess. This guy is a workhorse that has been underutilized during the entire Tony Sparano era in Miami. He’s got three games of catching five passes or more, coming off of his best game against the Cardinals when he had seven for 123 yards. One factor to look at is the matter of Bess had a five catch day with 86 yards in the previous week against the Jets, while Hartline squeaked out one catch for 41 yards. The moral of the story is that Hartline was coming off of a monster week against Oakland with nine catches for 111 yards, then failed to even be relevant the next week. Bess on the other hand has produced back-to-back quality weeks of at least five catches for 80+ yards. This is a matter of looking deeper than the hype. I guarantee that everyone in your league is going after Hartline, so be the smarter owner and get Bess.
Vikings Defense/Special Teams (4% owned) The Purple People Eaters? Not exactly. The Vikings defense hasn’t been relevant for about two seasons, when they were one of the must-own options. After surrendering 23 points in their first two games to the Colts and Jags, Minnesota has turned it around and turned some heads in the process. They have only allowed 13 points per game these last two weeks, racking up a total of four turnovers and two touchdowns on kick returns. I’m not saying that their special teams are elite, but they did stand tall against two prolific offenses in Detroit and San Francisco. The key reason for their success is because of the balanced success by their offense with AP and Christian Ponder. If you look back to why they haven’t been good these past two seasons, it’s primarily because they haven’t had a lot of balance on offense. Unless you were drinking the Seahawks kool aid, entering the draft, you’re probably searching for a favorable defensive matchup. The Vikings play the banged up Titans this week, so consider them as a viable option going forward.
WATCHLIST
Jahvid Best (1% owned) With only being owned in one percent of leagues, that means there’s a pretty good chance he’s available in yours. Unless you’re that owner that drafted him late and have been hanging onto him all these weeks, you should be good to go. Best is set to return next week against the Bears, after being on the PUP list all season. Unless there’s a crazy injury to Mikel Leshoure during the BYE week, you can expect Best to be eased back into action. Once he’s a full time contributor, expect the Lions to split carries between Leshoure and Best. He’s a dual threat whenever he’s healthy, but comes with that mark of being injury prone. He’s a home run hitter, capable of breaking off long yards through the air or ground, so view him as a flex option initially with upside towards being a number two option. Go ahead and pick him up this week, since you need help at running back and no one else is thinking about doing the same thing.
