Fantasy Football: Titan Sized Staff Predictions – Week 6
By Jason Peters
Hey peoples. Welcome to another round of completely accurate Fantasy Football predictions from the staff here at Titan Sized. As usual, David Fleming, Matt Ward, and myself, Jason Peters, are here to lead you through the murky waters of fantasy troubles and help steer you towards the path to victory. Also, we will now be highlighting our PPR player of the week, for those of you that indulge. As always, let’s take a look back before we look forward.
Week 5 Recap
David Fleming:
Geoff Burke-US PRESSWIRE
Start ‘em – Robert Griffin III – 3 points
Sit ‘em – BenJarvus Green-Ellis – 1 points
Sleeper – Domenik Hixon – 5 points
Waiver Wire Pickup – Brian Hartline – 5 points
PPR Player – Percy Harvin – 30 points
Jason Peters:
Start ’em – Maurice Jones-Drew – 5 points
Sit ’em – Mike Vick – 12 points
Sleeper – Brain Hartline – 5 points
Waiver Wire Pickup – Kevin Kolb – 9 points
PPR Player – Danny Amendola – 4 points
Matt Ward:
Start em – Ryan Mathews – 19 points
Sit em – CJ Spiller – 2 points
Sleeper – Kyle Rudolph – 8 points
Waiver – TY Hilton – 3 points
PPR – Eric Decker – 12 points (in PPR league)
Week 6 Projections
Start ‘em
Tim Heitman-US PRESSWIRE
Jason: DeMarco Murray @ Baltimore Ravens – The Cowboys play the Ravens this week, and conventional wisdom would tell you that the Ravens, with their superior defense, would do well at containing running backs. However, while Baltimore has a great pass defense and makes a number of plays on that side of the ball, they actually have given up 17 points per game to running backs this season. Owners have been waiting for Murray to have a huger game, and this could be the one.
David: Reggie Wayne @ NY Jets – At the seasoned age of 33, Reggie “Bruce” Wayne has still got it. That’s right, you get a new nickname when you post this stat line: 13 receptions for 212 yards and 1 TD. Wayne is having his best start to any season in his career, averaging 9 receptions and over 125 yards per game. Wayne and Luck continue to establish a solid rapport, and the veteran has been the main reason for Luck’s early success. This week Wayne will be heading to Gotham to face a Jets team without Revis. While Cromartie played well against the Texans’ Andre Johnson on MNF, he was also badly burned by TE Owen Daniels on a 34-yard TD. Wayne is one of the savviest receivers in the league, so expect another Batman-esque performance from him this week.
Matt: Antonio Brown vs. Tennessee Titans – Antonio Brown is looking like he is worth every bit of that big money contract he was given in the off-season. He began having great chemistry with Big Ben last year which has steadily grown this year. Every week is a must start week for most Antonio Brown owners, but this week in particular he is facing a Titans team that gives up huge point totals every week. I would look for him to get plenty of targets with an increased chance of finding the end zone this week. Look for 7 receptions, 100 yards, 1 TD.
Sit ‘em
Scott Kane-US PRESSWIRE
David: Steven Jackson @ Miami Dolphins – I said it last week, and I’ll say it again: teams just can’t run the ball on the Dolphins. Last week Green-Ellis puttered for 14 yards on 9 carries, and so far in 2012 the Dolphins are allowing a league-low 61.4 rushing yards per game. However, the Dolphins are allowing the 6th most passing yards per game, so teams are finding ways to move the ball. As the Rams are without their best receiver Danny Amendola, they will try to establish the run, but it will be to no avail.
Matt: Robert Griffin III vs. Minnesota Vikings – America seems to have a love affair with RG3 as you look around and see his face on Subway commercials and every popular sports program. His popularity is going to end up rivaling that of, dare I say it, Tim Tebow! He has been a phenom in his young rookie season, but he was knocked silly last weekend. He left with a concussion and reportedly could not remember what time it was or what the score was. Going from a concussion to playing a nasty defensive line in the Minnesota Vikings, I would not bet the farm on him putting up big numbers. Look for RG3 to have some regression, if he is able to play. I would guess 200 yards, 1 TD, 2 INTs… and those rushing totals are going down if Mike Shanahan has anything to say about it.
Jason: Ryan Fitzpatrick @ Arizona Cardinals – FitzMagic has been one of the more consistent performers thus far in fantasy football, much to people’s surprise (the one’s that are paying attention anyways). He was currently the fifth highest scoring QB in fantasy points coming into last week. However, last week he posted a mere 3 points, and that trend should continue against a staunch Arizona defense. Also worrisome is that Fitzpatrick had an amazing start to last year, and started to decline about the halfway point. You have to wonder if this is the beginning of that decline.
Sleeper
Matt: Andrew Hawkins vs. Cleveland Browns – Hawkins busted onto the scene this year after nobody had ever heard his name. He is a small, quick-footed receiver that works primarily out of the slot. He is a nice target for the average-armed Andy Dalton to hit over the middle, and he is fast enough to get some good yards after the catch. Hawkins is playing against a Browns defense that will have Joe Haden back on the outside. Haden will look to slow down AJ Green, which means more targets might be flying in the direction of their other receivers. Look for Hawkins to catch 5 receptions, 65 yards, 1 TD.
Raj Mehta-US PRESSWIRE
Jason: Mikel Leshoure @ Philadelphia Eagles – Leshoure had a great first game in the NFL, putting up 100 yards and a touchdown, and treating fantasy owners to 19 points. Last week, though, he disappointed owners looking for the start of something special, producing only 3 fantasy points. The ups and downs will be had throughout the season, but he is facing an Eagles defense that has been far from intimidating this year.
David: Jacquizz Rodgers vs. Oakland Raiders – While Jacquizz was a popular sleeper RB going into the 2012 season, he has only posted double-digit carries in one game thus far. The Falcons appear to be hell-bent on using Turner as the lead back (81 touches to 41 for Rodgers), but Rodgers is 8 years younger and a much more versatile receiver. With Matt Ryan’s ascension to elite quarterback status, Rodgers will increasingly factor into the passing game. This week the Falcons host a Raiders team that has allowed the 3rd most points per game, and Rodgers could benefit from some garbage-time action.
Waiver Wire Pickup
David: Alex Green, RB Packers (owned in 0.8% of ESPN leagues) – Last week Cedric Benson suffered the dreaded Lisfranc injury and is expected to miss at least 8 weeks of the season. Backup James Starks has been sidelined all year with a turf toe injury, but he may be returning this week against Houston. Mike McCarthy hinted that the carries will be split between Starks and Green moving forward, but Green looked impressive last week while ripping off a 41-yard gain after Benson went down. Solid running backs are hard to come by in fantasy, so Green could be worth your time if you need depth at the position.
Matt: Brandon Gibson (owned in 12.5% of ESPN leagues) – Danny Amendola and Sam Bradford had some sort of love connection going, and the vast majority of Bradford’s passes floated in his direction. One wrong landing for Amendola meant that his season has been put on hold until they can figure out his shoulder separation. It is looking like at least 6 weeks. Brandon Gibson should be the beneficiary of all those extra targets going around. If you are hurting at WR, or you have some stars on their bye week, Gibson is a great fill-in candidate.
Jason: Andre Roberts, WR Arizona Cardinals (owned in 36.2% of leagues) – Roberts is another player who has excelled at his position despite no one knowing his name. In week 4 against Miami he put up 2 TD’s and 23 fantasy points. If the Cardinals can continue their progression on offense, and if Michael Floyd fails to step up at the next level, he could continue to be a featured player.
PPR Player
Jeff Curry-US PRESSWIRE
Jason: Brandon Gibson @ Miami Dolphins – Last week I had Danny Amendola in this spot, and he responded by breaking his collarbone. Now, Brandon Gibson stands to take his place as the most heavily targeted receiver on the field, for no other reason than the Rams have nobody else to throw to at this point.
Matt: Heath Miller vs. Tennessee Titans – I hate to pick two receiving options for the Pittsburgh Steelers this week, but the Titans just haven’t been able to stop the flow of the ball. They have given up large totals all year, and they have had big problems covering quality tight ends. Big Ben Roethlisberger has gone on record saying that he is going to get Heath Miller into the Pro Bowl this year, and a weak Titans defense is just the place to keep that trend going. Miller has had great success this year, so I look for it to continue this week with 6 receptions, 80 yards, 1 TD.
David: Kendall Wright vs. Pittsburgh Steelers – Kendall Wright has been one of the few bright spots on a 1-4 Titans team, and he’s currently 17th in the league with 27 receptions. Wright continues to get open, and he’s seen a team-high 44 targets already (16 more than Cook). Now with Hasselbeck at QB, the Titans will focus on the short to intermediate passing game, where Wright truly excels. The Steelers will be without Polamalu and Woodley Thursday night, and Wright should capitalize to the tune of 6-8 catches.
Now of course none of this would be as fun for any of us if you didn’t let us know what you think about our picks, or curse us for a blown recommendation, so be sure to note the following Twitter-related contact info:
Follow Jason Peters @TitanSizedJason
Follow David Fleming @dfleming22
Follow Matt Ward @titanchaps
We love when you hit us up, so feel free to send anything you want our way, and good luck to everyone in Fantasy Football Land.