Week 7: Fantasy football rankings -- QB, RB, WR/TE

QB
1. Drew Brees vs. Cleveland
2. Aaron Rodgers vs. Minnesota
3. Philip Rivers vs. New England
4. Joe Flacco vs. Buffalo
5. Ben Roethlisberger at Miami
6. Kyle Orton vs. Oakland
7. Eli Manning at Dallas
8. Tom Brady at San Diego
9. Matt Cassel vs. Jacksonville
10. Tony Romo vs. NY Giants
11. Jay Cutler vs. Washington
12. Matt Ryan vs. Cincinnati
13. Brett Favre at Green Bay
14. Matt Hasselbeck vs. Arizona
15. Carson Palmer at Atlanta
16. Kevin Kolb at Tennessee
17. Josh Freeman vs. St. Louis
18. Donovan McNabb at Chicago
19. Chad Henne vs. Pittsburgh
20. Sam Bradford at Tampa Bay

RB
1. Chris Johnson vs. Philadelphia
2. Ray Rice vs. Buffalo
3. Adrian Peterson at Green Bay
4. Frank Gore at Carolina
5. Steven Jackson at Tampa Bay
6. Rashard Mendenhall at Miami
7. Michael Turner vs. Cincinnati
8. Peyton Hillis at New Orleans
9. Ahmad Bradshaw at Dallas
10. Knowshon Moreno vs. Oakland
11. Marshawn Lynch vs. Arizona
12. Jamaal Charles vs. Jacksonville
13. Cedric Benson at Atlanta
14. Maurice Jones-Drew at Kansas City
15. Matt Forte vs. Washington
16. DeAngelo Williams vs. San Francisco
17. Thomas Jones vs. Jacksonville
18. LeSean McCoy at Tennessee
19. Chris Ivory vs. Cleveland
20. Ryan Torain at Chicago
21. Michael Bush at Denver
22. Felix Jones vs. NY Giants
23. Ryan Mathews vs. New England
24. Brandon Jacobs at Dallas
25. BenJarvus Green-Ellis at San Diego
26. Beanie Wells at Seattle
27. Justin Forsett vs. Arizona
28. Jonathan Stewart vs. San Francisco
29. Mike Tolbert vs. New England
30. Willis McGahee vs. Buffalo
31. Fred Jackson at Baltimore
32. Ronnie Brown vs. Pittsburgh
33. Ricky Williams vs. Pittsburgh
34. Danny Woodhead at San Diego
35. Tim Hightower at Seattle
36. Cadillac Williams vs. St. Louis
37. Ladell Betts vs. Cleveland
38. Brandon Jackson vs. Minnesota
39. Correll Buckhalter vs. Oakland
40. Darren Sproles vs. New England

WR
1. Randy Moss at Green Bay
2. Roddy White vs. Cincinnati
3. Hakeem Nicks at Dallas
4. Anquan Boldin vs. Buffalo
5. Jeremy Maclin at Tennessee
6. Miles Austin vs. NY Giants
7. Brandon Marshall vs. Pittsburgh
8. Greg Jennings vs. Green Bay 

9. Brandon Lloyd vs. Oakland
10. Mike Wallace at Miami
11. Terrell Owens at Atlanta
12. Dwayne Bowe vs. Jacksonville
13. Percy Harvin at Green Bay
14. Larry Fitzgerald at Seattle
15. Steve Smith (NY) at Dallas
16. Hines Ward at Miami
17. Marques Colston vs. Cleveland
18. Johnny Knox vs. Washington
19. Deion Branch at San Diego
20. Donald Driver vs. Minnesota
21. Robert Meachem vs. Cleveland
22. Wes Welker at San Diego
23. Mike Williams (SEA) vs. Arizona
24. Steve Smith (CAR) vs. San Francisco
25. Mike Williams (TB) vs. St. Louis
26. Santana Moss at Chicago
27. Jabar Gaffney vs. Oakland
28. Lance Moore vs. Cleveland
29. Roy Williams vs. NY Giants
30. Patrick Crayton vs. New England
31. Derrick Mason vs. Buffalo
32. Kenny Britt vs. Philadelphia
33. Louis Murphy at Denver
34. Tony Gonzalez vs. Cincinnati
35. Jason Avant at Tennessee
36. Mario Manningham at Dallas
37. Aaron Hernandez at San Diego
38. Vernon Davis at Carolina
39. Lee Evans at Baltimore
40. Davone Bess vs. Pittsburgh
41. Heath Miller at Miami
42. Steve Johnson at Baltimore
43. Dex Bryant vs. NY Giants
44. Zack Miller at Denver
45. Anthony Armstrong at Chicago
46. Danny Amendola at Tampa Bay
47. Demaryius Thomas vs. Oakland
48. Tony Moeaki vs. Jacksonville
49. Sammie Stroughter vs. St. Louis
50. Nate Washington vs. Philadelphia

Week 7: Working the waiver wire

We’ve reached the point in the fantasy football season where it’s perfectly fine to shift into rent-a-player mode. You know, the weekly free agent pick-up who will only play one week for your team before getting shipped back to anonymity. Of course this strategy doesn’t work if you’re paying for each free agent pick-up. Regardless, here’s a list of players you should check out

Matt Cassel – QB Kansas City
A week after torching the Houston Texans for 3 TDs, Cassel is headed for another favorable match-up this week when the Chiefs host the Jacksonville Jaguars. The Jags rank near the bottom of the league against the pass and Kansas City is a difficult place to play. In fact, Cassel makes a pretty good play the next three weeks as the Chiefs began a three-game stretch where they host Jacksonville and Buffalo and then travel to Oakland.

Danny Woodhead – RB New England
Somewhere Bill Belichick is laughing at us. All of us fantasy football players trying to figure out his gameday strategy. It certainly appeared that BenJarvus Green-Ellis would be the lead RB after Laurence Maroney got shipped west. After week 6, it’s clear that Woodhead will continue to see time in New England’s backfield, perhaps even more than Green-Ellis. Woodhead finished with more than 100 yards total offense against the Baltimore Ravens last week, which included a heavier workload in the second half. That tells me the Patriots trust him in crucial situations. If you’re desperately seeking a RB to fill out your roster, Woodhead may be the best option.

Chris Ivory – RB New Orleans
With Pierre Thomas and Reggie Bush both sidelined with injuries, Ivory made a name for himself running for 158 yards against Tampa Bay on Sunday. Ivory is the Saints best option right now with Thomas and Bush out. He’s faster than Ladell Betts and Julius Jones, plus he’s got the big play potential the Saints offense has lacked at times this year. Ivory’s performance in week 6 likely earned him more touches this season, but when Thomas and Bush return, his role will be less clear. He’s got another favorable match-up this week against the Cleveland Browns, but don’t expect too much after that. With a game against Pittsburgh in week 8 and the eventual return of the Saints wounded RBs, Ivory’s days as ‘the guy’ in New Orleans’ backfield may be numbered – at least for this season.      

James Starks – RB Green Bay
I will admit that putting Starks on this list is a stretch at this point, but it might be a risk worth taking. It’s no secret the Green Bay Packers are having trouble running the ball. Brandon Jackson and John Kuhn are barely average and the team's inability to run the ball is having a major impact on the entire Packers offense. Starks is now eligible to play after spending the first six weeks on the PUP list. The Packers will give him a chance; that I can promise you. However, what he does with that opportunity remains to be seen, thus making him a very risky pick right now. Starks has not played at all this season, including during the preseason due to a hamstring injury. Picking him up now would be the ultimate roll of the dice, but it might just pay off (Or it might not. I’d avoid him for now. Scout him).   

Mike Williams – WR Seattle
The departure of Deion Branch in Seattle has opened the door back up for Williams. A hot waiver pick up after week one, Williams landed back on the free agent market after poor performances in weeks 2 thru 5. In week 6, Williams was targeted 14 times by Matt Hasselbeck, catching 10 of those balls for 123 yards. Williams is an excellent option the next two weeks with Arizona and Oakland on the schedule. Plus, Seattle’s schedule the rest of the way has several favorable match-ups for Williams. If you’re going to grab one Seattle receiver, make sure it’s Williams (avoid Deon Butler and Golden Tate).

Deion Branch – WR New England
When New England traded Randy Moss to Minnesota many thought the Patriots were giving up on the season. However, with a win over Baltimore on Sunday and Branch having a big game, people have torn up the Pats' obituary. The Brady to Branch connection tormented a very good Ravens pass defense for 98 yards on nine catches, including a TD. Despite another tough match-up this week against the Chargers in San Diego, Branch is a good player to pick-up. Being Brady’s go-to guy is always going to be worth something.

Week 6: Good calls, bad calls

Now I know how Peter King feels. Nearly every prediction you make, the opposite happens. This week, I played the role of King and now I have fantasy football owners lining up to kick me in the Peter. Here are some of the good calls from week 6, and the absolutely atrocious predictions that went down harder than Jay Cutler on third down. Sports cliché alert: I’m working to get better every week.

Good Calls:

Tony Romo – QB Dallas
The Vikings had a depleted secondary filled with undersized DBs heading into Sunday’s game with Dallas. So it wasn’t a surprise to see Romo, who I had ranked QB #2, put up solid numbers. His 220 yards passing wasn’t spectacular, but his 3 TDs sure were nice for Romo owners. Romo should be considered a top 10 QB the rest of the season, with several favorable match-ups still on the schedule.

Roy Williams – WR Dallas
With three CBs under 5’9” tall, Roy Williams seemed like a good play to me against the Vikings. I thought so highly of the 6’3” WR that I put him at #15 on my weekly WR rankings list. ESPN ranked him at #40. Considering how often the Cowboys are throwing the ball this year, Williams is a very solid WR3 in most leagues, maybe even WR2.

Ryan Torain - RB Washington
After watching Torain run on Sunday night, it’s hard to believe he started the season on the Redskins practice squad. The big bodied RB ripped off 10 yard runs like it was nothing against the Indianapolis Colts. Torain showed he can break tackles and find the red zone. His 100 yards and 2 TDs were a big reward to fantasy football owners who started him. I had him listed as the #16 ranked RB this week and have repeatedly mentioned him on this blog. I’m not saying Torain is the next superstar, but he is a nice guy to have in your starting line-up right now.

Joseph Addai – RB Indianapolis
Once it was clear that Addai would play Sunday night against Washington, I told Addai owners to start him. He’s too valuable to the Colts not to be on the field and he responded with 128 yards rushing and a TD. The Colts are on bye this week, which will allow Addai to get healthy. He is the best option in the Colts backfield and they know it, you should too.

Bad Calls:

DeSean Jackson – WR Philadelphia
Putting Jackson outside of the top 20 on the week 6 WR rankings seemed like a logical thing (I had him ranked as the #22 WR in week 6). He was coming off two mediocre starts and looked like a guy who had zero chemistry with Kevin Kolb. But Jackson’s 2 TDs on Sunday reminded us that top-flight WRs should always be in play. With that said, Jackson is expected to miss this Sunday’s game against Tennessee because of lingering concussion symptoms. After that Philadelphia is on a bye, but in week 9, look for Jackson to be in the top 10 with a very good match-up against Indianapolis.

Randy Moss – WR New England
It’s the closest thing to a sure thing in pro football, Moss ripping the Cowboys (I had Moss ranked #1 WR in week 6). Well, Dallas wasn’t going to let it happen in week 6, using two defenders on Moss the entire game. I predicted 2 TDs for Moss, instead he tallied just 55 yards on 5 catches.

Greg Jennings – WR Green Bay
The Packers were very public last week about their intention to get Jennings more involved in the offense. So far this year, Jennings has been average. Before week 6, Jennings had 14 catches in five games, including a real dry spell where caught just two balls in each of the last three games. Just when fantasy football owners were ready to banish Jennings to the bench (some did), he exploded for 133 yards on 6 catches, including an 86 yard TD. Let’s make sure to keep Jennings in the lineup next time (I had Jennings ranked #19 WR in week 6).

Kevin Kolb – QB Philadelphia
I didn’t even have Kolb ranked in my top 20 for QBs. What does he do? Promptly torches the Atlanta Falcons for 326 yards and 3 TDs. Kolb looks to be in line for another start in week 7 with Michael Vick still nursing a rib/chest injury. This week’s opponent for the Eagles is the Tennessee Titians. Don’t expect Kolb to repeat his week 6 performance, but then again, that’s what I thought last week.

Week 6: Fantasy football rankings -- QB, RB, WR/TE

QB
1. Philip Rivers at St. Louis
2. Tony Romo at Minnesota
3. Eli Manning vs. Detroit
4. Peyton Manning at Washington
5. Jay Cutler vs. Seattle
6. Kyle Orton vs. NY Jets
7. Drew Brees at Tampa Bay
8. Brett Favre vs. Dallas
9. Aaron Rodgers vs. Miami
10. Ben Roelisberger vs. Cleveland
11. Matt Schaub vs. Kansas City
12. Joe Flacco at New England
13. Matt Cassell at Houston
14. Tom Brady vs. Baltimore
15. Vince Young at Jacksonville
16. Mark Sanchez at Denver
17. Matt Ryan at Philadelphia
18. Josh Freeman vs. New Orleans
19. Donovan McNabb vs. Indianapolis
20. Alex Smith vs. Oakland

RB
1. Chris Johnson at Jacksonville
2. Frank Gore vs. Oakland
3. Adrian Peterson vs. Dallas
4. Ahmad Bradshaw vs. Detroit
5. Rashard Mendenhall vs. Cleveland
6. Michael Turner at Philadelphia
7. Maurice Jones-Drew vs. Tennessee
8. LeSean McCoy vs. Atlanta
9. LaDainian Tomlinson at Denver
10. Steven Jackson vs. San Diego
11. Ray Rice at New Engalnd
12. Arian Foster vs. Kansas City
13. Jamaal Charles at Houston
14. Ryan Mathews at St. Louis
15. Matt Forte vs. Seattle
16. Ryan Torian vs. Indianapolis
17. Shonn Greene at Denver
18. Michael Bush at San Francisco
19. Ronnie Brown at Green Bay
20. Jahvid Best at NY Giants
21. Marshawn Lynch at Chicago
22. Ricky Williams at Green Bay
23. Joseph Addai at Washington
24. Felix Jones at Minnesota
25. Peyton Hillis at Pittsburgh
26. Mike Tolbert at St. Louis
27. BenJarvus Green-Ellis vs. Baltimore
28. Brandon Jackson vs. Miami
29. Brandon Jacobs vs. Detroit
30. Willis McGahee at New England
31. Knowshon Moreno vs. NY Jets
32. Chris Ivory at Tampa Bay
33. Earnest Graham vs. New Orleans
34. Marion Barber at Minnesota
35. Darren Sproles at St. Louis
36. Jason Snelling at Philadelphia
37. Thomas Jones at Houston
38. John Kuhn vs. Miami
39. Ladell Betts at Tampa Bay
40. Cadillac Williams vs. New Orleans

WR/TE
1. Randy Moss vs. Dallas
2. Reggie Wayne at Washington
3. Hakeem Nicks vs. Detroit
4. Miles Austin at Minnesota
5. Roddy White at Philadelphia
6. Malcom Floyd at St. Louis
7. Brandon Lloyd vs. NY Jets
8. Antonio Gates at St. Louis
9. Andre Johnson vs. Kansas City
10. Anquan Boldin at New England
11. Percy Harvin vs. Dallas
12. Brandon Marshall at Green Bay
13. Wes Welker vs. Baltimore
14. Roy Williams at Minnesota
15. Calvin Johnson at NY Giants
16. Steve Smith (NY) vs. Detroit
17. Kenny Britt at Jacksonville
18. Dallas Clark at Washington
19. Greg Jennings vs. Miami
20. Austin Collie at Washington
21. Mike Wallace vs. Cleveland
22. DeSean Jackson vs. Atlanta
23. Hines Ward vs. Cleveland
24. Eddie Royal vs. NY Jets
25. Donald Driver vs. Miami
26. Jeremy Maclin vs. Atlanta
27. Zack Miller at San Francisco
28. Johnny Knox vs. Seattle
29. Michael Crabtree vs. Oakland
30. Santana Moss vs. Indianapolis
31. Dustin Keller at Denver
32. Marques Colston at Tampa Bay
33. Jabar Gaffney vs. NY Jets
34. Pierre Garcon at Washington
35. Braylon Edwards at Denver
36. Davone Bess at Green Bay
37. Louis Murphy at San Francisco
38. Dwayne Bowe at Houston
39. Danny Amendola vs. Dan Diego
40. Nate Washington at Jacksonville
41. Lance Moore at Tampa Bay
42. Chris Chambers at Houston
43. Brandon Tate vs. Baltimore
44. Robert Meachem at Tampa Bay
45. Vernon Davis vs. Oakland
46. Santonio Holmes at Denver
47. Mike Williams (TB) vs. New Orleans
48. Mike Sims-Walker vs. Tennessee
49. Brandon Gibson vs. San Diego
50. Aaron Hernandez vs. Baltimore