• 
• 
• 
• 

• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 

Challenge Contests — by Justin Eleff

Same story this week as last, almost exactly. I'm still first overall in Fanball's Free Fantasy Football. I'm down just slightly (2nd-17th-251st) in the Football Challenge and up (1st-126th) in Fanball's Fantasy Football.

My weak category in the Football Challenge is total scoring, of all things; my guys are piling up the yards but not ... quite ... finding the end zone, as typified most painfully by DeSean Jackson the other night.

(Aside: I don't see that play as completely inexcusable, because I don't see it as completely Jackson's fault. I figure the fantasy gods just gave Brian Westbrook back the TD he lost by taking a knee last December. Dumb play ultimately rewards smart play. To each yin a yang.)

(Second aside: To this day it cracks me up that the Ying Yang Twins misspelled their own name.)

On the bright side, I figure the points will come eventually if I keep the other categories strong.

As revealed in the comments section of the last column, I made two buys after Week 1. Indeed pulled the trigger on Chris Johnson (happily so), and I also picked up Larry Fitzgerald (even more happily so, in retrospect). The Reliant Stadium mess forced the second buy, with Andre Johnson taking his bye early, but I knew I needed another receiver anyway. Devin Hester wasn't going to be used the way I'd hoped, even before his rib injury. And Ted Ginn's Week 1 proved to be no fluke; the guy's just not ready to be anything like a star.

The problem, as ever, is working against the salary cap. I'm thrilled with my receivers now -- I'll ride out Braylon Edwards' drops, even hoping they last another week to get other owners dropping him, and the rest of the crew is Fitzgerald, Johnson, Brandon Marshall, Jerricho Cotchery, Calvin Johnson and Jackson, with Ginn in line to be dropped -- but there's not a playable cheapo among them. Jackson isn't really cheap at $900.

All of which means, albeit in a roundabout way, that I'm completely locked into Aaron Rodgers. I can't sit him without either buying a second cheap QB (J.T. O'Sullivan or unlisted Matt Cassel) or going fully shoestring with my RB budget.

Which matters why, exactly, with Rodgers looking so terrific early on?

Week 3: DAL at GB.

Lost in the barrage of big plays on Monday is that the Cowboys got after Donovan McNabb pretty well, sacking him four times and flushing him from the pocket on any number of occasions. If a savvy, fleet-footed vet like McNabb has trouble with the rush schemes employed by what has again become the NFL's marquee franchise, you have to figure the savvy and fleet-footed but starting-his-third-game-ever Rodgers could be in for a long night on Sunday. Rodgers has a history of holding the ball too long anyway, taking a few too many hits -- it's certainly possible he won't last the game. All things considered, I'd just as soon sit him and ride the week out with my bigger-salaried guys.

Of course, those also happen to be my much-bigger-salaried guys; the next-cheapest QB on my roster is Jay Cutler ($2730 to Rodgers' $940, an enormous step up in salary class).

What to do?

Cassel is home against MIA, O'Sullivan home against DET. Either of them could join my squad before week's end, with no edge either way, really. O'Sullivan wins on consideration of the offensive system without regard to personnel, Cassel on consideration of personnel without regard to system. The Randy Moss / Wes Welker tandem would seal the deal ... except that New England will try not to throw the ball often, while San Francisco throws as often as possible. What I'm really saying is that as of mid-week I can't decide which of the two is the better bet.

What I'm really saying is, no question, this is the better plan:

For this one week, and maybe never again, an all-cheapos backfield could work as well as any more-expensive alternative. I'm on record as believing in matchups and home games -- and look here:

Brandon Jacobs ($1680) gets CIN (30th against the run so far in 2008, 21st in 2007);

Willis McGahee ($1470) gets CLE (24th, 27th);

Marshawn Lynch ($1370) gets OAK (13th, 31st);

Michael Turner ($1220) gets KC (31st, 28th);

Julius Jones ($1200) gets STL (27th, 20th);

Chris Johnson ($1000) and LenDale White ($950) get HOU (29th in just one game, 19th); and

Matt Forte ($900) gets Tampa Bay (T-15th, 17th).

All at home.

All but maybe Forte vs. TB look like genuinely choice matchups. I'll also use Darren McFadden ($1000) on the road in BUF (11th, 25th) -- Justin Fargas' injury makes DMC a first-time full-timer -- and I wouldn't hesitate to play Kevin Smith ($800) in SF (23rd, 22nd) if I owned him.

That doesn't exhaust the possibilities, either. Reggie Bush ($950) is in DEN (21st, 30th). Earnest Graham ($920) is in CHI (8th, 24th).

I happen to own six of the players I just mentioned -- Jacobs, Lynch, Turner, Johnson, McFadden and Graham -- and I'm excited to use all but one of them (Graham). So pencil in five names, and the all-cheapos-or-not question for me comes down to three possibilities:

One, I start Graham despite misgivings over the matchup and the way the Bucs are using Warrick Dunn (10 touches Week 1, 15 touches Week 2). Until the Jeff Garcia / Brian Griese mess sorts out and the offense stabilizes, I'm not inclined to go against my usual rules with Graham, so this is out.

Two, I walk up the salary list, use Marion Barber ($1880) in GB (22nd, 14th) or Adrian Peterson ($2810) at home vs. CAR (19th, 18th). Peterson's obviously the more appealing option, and I'll go with him if I decide to ride Rodgers.

Three, I use another purchase.

On whom?

Bush was on my watch list after Week 1 but sure looked like his old self in Week 2 (2.8 yards per rush, 9.0 per reception).

Forte, on the other hand, looked good again. Averaging even 4.0 yards per rush in CAR is not easy, and now Forte gets his first home game of the season vs. TB. Granted, the Bucs shut down a similar runner (Michael Turner) in a similar offense (shaky QB, shaky line) last week, but that was at home. I'm something like 96% sure I'll own Forte eventually; the question is whether I bite now or before Weeks 5 and 6 (at DET, at ATL).

And so, as so often happens, the question comes down to one tandem (Peterson with Rodgers) or another (Forte with my third choice among Tony Romo, Drew Brees and Cutler).

And so, as so often happens, the question comes down to a coinflip.

You'll almost never see me going away from all of my stud backs in the same week, but LaDainian Tomlinson clearly isn't himself with his turf toe, and Brian Westbrook has an impossible matchup even at home: PIT (3rd, 3rd). It's Peterson or no one. And the Panthers should double-stack the box given the Vikings' putrid passing game.

I'm not saying A.P. will have a bad game; he'll probably score twice and have 100 yards before halftime. I'm saying if I can play the matchups and avoid having to use Rodgers for this one week -- i.e., play the matchups at both RB and QB -- I just may do it. We're unlikely to see so many primo matchups for so many cheapo backs for a long while. You jump at it now or admit that Rodgers' line for the season may comprise as much as 16/51 (31.4%) of your total passing numbers.

I'll let you know how the coin lands.

• Comments [4]

Readers' Comments

Add a Comment

Already a registered user? Please sign in to add comments.

To add comments, you must become a registered user of our site. To register, please click here.