Happster's Market Report: Week 14

Buying:

Marion Barber, RB – Chicago Bears

Tulane: Now accepting applications for Head Coach

Marion the Barbarian is back! Be prepared for frightfully middling performances and disappointment all around! The Bears have been all Forte this year, which has been fantastic for my Tulane pride, but now that Forte is down for the rest of the fantasy season someone is going to have to step up and play, and, the only option in Chicago is Barber. Now, will he be great? Probably not, because frankly, he’s not nearly as skilled as Forte is and will not give them the dynamic options that the former Green Waver could bring. However, he will be the primary back and he has shown some life this season, so definitely grab him if he’s still available. He could be just what you need to get to your league’s Championship game.

Brandon Saine, RB – Green Bay Packers

I’m not huge on Saine simply because the Packers are an atrocious run team and no Green Bay running back can be claimed to have “won” you a game this season. However, with Starks down and Ryan Grant being a perpetual disappointment, Saine could be the man to have as the Pack look to lock down a perfect season. What makes Saine even more interesting is that Rodgers stated that he had the “best hands on the team”. Those are some big words from a quarterback who has a ton of good targets.

Selling:

Chris “Beanie” Wells, RB – Arizona Cardinals

This is only for this week, so don’t cut him, but find someone else to run the ball. The Niners have been absolutely ferocious in stopping opposing rushers and despite some decent performances by Wells in the last couple of weeks, this one could look something like: 45 yards, 1 TD. Not exactly exciting.

Penny Stocks:

Rashied Davis, WR – Detroit Lions

The Lions are wounded after losing three out of four games since their bye. They need this win in a big way and the Vikings are just the team to give it to them. The Vikings secondary has been one of the worst in the NFL this season, mostly due to injury, but nonetheless, their pain is your gain. Assuming that both Calvin Johnson and Nate Burleson are both taken in your league, than Rashied Davis is your guy. He is most definitely going to be the slot receiver this week with Titus Young being disciplined for last week’s errors. Definitely worth a flyer if you need a WR3.

Washington Redskins Receivers

Sorry, he's not an option...

I normally don’t do this; but, because of the size and makeup of the various leagues out there, I felt it would be best to remind fantasy players: that yes, there is a professional football team in the greater Washington, DC area; and yes, they do have wide receivers. This week, they are playing the Patriots, who have the league’s worst passing defense. Therefore, your targets, in order are: 1) Santana Moss, 2) Jabar Gaffney, 3) Anthony Armstrong, and 4) Terrance Austin. Now I wouldn’t normally recommend Austin, but Fred Davis is out for the rest of the fantasy season and Grossman will be forced to ineffectively utilize all of his available targets. But honestly, for anyone south of a 16-team league, Austin is probably too expensive at any price. 

Happster's Market Report: Week 14

Buying:

Marion Barber, RB – Chicago Bears

Tulane: Now accepting applications for Head Coach

Marion the Barbarian is back! Be prepared for frightfully middling performances and disappointment all around! The Bears have been all Forte this year, which has been fantastic for my Tulane pride, but now that Forte is down for the rest of the fantasy season someone is going to have to step up and play, and, the only option in Chicago is Barber. Now, will he be great? Probably not, because frankly, he’s not nearly as skilled as Forte is and will not give them the dynamic options that the former Green Waver could bring. However, he will be the primary back and he has shown some life this season, so definitely grab him if he’s still available. He could be just what you need to get to your league’s Championship game.

Brandon Saine, RB – Green Bay Packers

I’m not huge on Saine simply because the Packers are an atrocious run team and no Green Bay running back can be claimed to have “won” you a game this season. However, with Starks down and Ryan Grant being a perpetual disappointment, Saine could be the man to have as the Pack look to lock down a perfect season. What makes Saine even more interesting is that Rodgers stated that he had the “best hands on the team”. Those are some big words from a quarterback who has a ton of good targets.

Selling:

Chris “Beanie” Wells, RB – Arizona Cardinals

This is only for this week, so don’t cut him, but find someone else to run the ball. The Niners have been absolutely ferocious in stopping opposing rushers and despite some decent performances by Wells in the last couple of weeks, this one could look something like: 45 yards, 1 TD. Not exactly exciting.

Penny Stocks:

Rashied Davis, WR – Detroit Lions

The Lions are wounded after losing three out of four games since their bye. They need this win in a big way and the Vikings are just the team to give it to them. The Vikings secondary has been one of the worst in the NFL this season, mostly due to injury, but nonetheless, their pain is your gain. Assuming that both Calvin Johnson and Nate Burleson are both taken in your league, than Rashied Davis is your guy. He is most definitely going to be the slot receiver this week with Titus Young being disciplined for last week’s errors. Definitely worth a flyer if you need a WR3.

Washington Redskins Receivers

Sorry, he's not an option...

I normally don’t do this; but, because of the size and makeup of the various leagues out there, I felt it would be best to remind fantasy players: that yes, there is a professional football team in the greater Washington, DC area; and yes, they do have wide receivers. This week, they are playing the Patriots, who have the league’s worst passing defense. Therefore, your targets, in order are: 1) Santana Moss, 2) Jabar Gaffney, 3) Anthony Armstrong, and 4) Terrance Austin. Now I wouldn’t normally recommend Austin, but Fred Davis is out for the rest of the fantasy season and Grossman will be forced to ineffectively utilize all of his available targets. But honestly, for anyone south of a 16-team league, Austin is probably too expensive at any price. 

Happster's Market Report: Week 11 (sort of)

I must apologize to all of my readers for my tardiness this week. It has been a surprisingly busy week, mostly do to the fact that I've been recovering from an epic meltdown after Monday Night Football this week, that was perfectly imitated by this girl:



So lets just say it's been a tough week and leave it at that...

Because of the short week and the fact that most of you have already picked up your free agents this week (and if you haven't all the good ones are gone...trust me, they're gone), I'm going to pass on an actual market update this week. To make it up to you I plan on having a larger column next week for Thanksgiving with tips for the rest of the season.

To tide you over I'll leave you with a picture of a forgotten hero:

This gentleman was named Brett Favre! Ask your father about him...

Happster's Market Report: Week 10

Buying

Laurent Robinson, WR – Dallas Cowboys

As most of you have no doubt heard, Miles Austin looks to be out of action for another 2-4 weeks. Which, for those playing at home, means that he might not be back until the fantasy playoffs begin for most leagues. The Cowboys are probably not going to stop throwing and we all know Dez Bryant is liable to go down at any moment so who’s left? That would be Laurent Robinson. The fifth year wide receiver out of Illinois State looks to step up and fill the vacancy. He’s a talented wide receiver who has already been the Cowboy’s leading receiver once this season (week 9). So go out and grab him if he’s still available.

Roy Helu, RB – Washington Redskins

I’m sorry. I really am. Seriously, this guy is going to totally burn you, or more precisely he’s going to Shanahan you. But his situation is just too good to pass up. Ryan Torain is still very much in the mix despite only getting two touches last week and he’s likely to be the lead rusher next week (and Helu the week after that). So pick him up if you need him, because he is very talented and could bust out a huge game every week, but don’t expect consistent numbers.

Selling:

Beanie Wells, RB – Arizona Cardinals

I’m actually a big fan of Beanie, but he is hurt and playing like it. He doesn’t have that burst of speed that he normally had and was held in check by the Rams, the 32^nd ranked rushing defense. If you can, it would be worth it to trade Wells now while his trade value is still pretty high, especially, considering that the best thing for Wells would probably be a week or two out of the lineup.

Chris Johnson, RB – Tennessee Titans

Oh yeah, still trading this guy for anyone with a pulse. After last week’s performance you might actually get an accepted offer too…

Penny Stocks:

LaRod Stephens-Howling, RB – Arizona Cardinals

When Wells finally goes down, someone will have to run the ball for the Cardinals, and Stephens-Howling is that guy. He has not had much in the way of opportunities this year, but has done pretty well when given the opportunity (6.5 YPC). If you have extra roster space he might be worth holding onto. At the very least, keep an eye on him.

Christopher Ivory, RB – New Orleans Saints

Sean Peyton is very similar to Mike Shanahan in that he never seems to give any one running back on his roster the starting amount of carries. Well trading Reggie Bush and losing Mark Ingram to injury leaves Peyton with only Chris Ivory or Pierre Thomas, and considering Sean Peyton hates Thomas, Chris Ivory might just be a great pickup for the discerning manager who is looking for a running back with high upside. Consider Ivory a great flex option.

Happster's Market Report: Week 10

Buying

Laurent Robinson, WR – Dallas Cowboys

As most of you have no doubt heard, Miles Austin looks to be out of action for another 2-4 weeks. Which, for those playing at home, means that he might not be back until the fantasy playoffs begin for most leagues. The Cowboys are probably not going to stop throwing and we all know Dez Bryant is liable to go down at any moment so who’s left? That would be Laurent Robinson. The fifth year wide receiver out of Illinois State looks to step up and fill the vacancy. He’s a talented wide receiver who has already been the Cowboy’s leading receiver once this season (week 9). So go out and grab him if he’s still available.

Roy Helu, RB – Washington Redskins

I’m sorry. I really am. Seriously, this guy is going to totally burn you, or more precisely he’s going to Shanahan you. But his situation is just too good to pass up. Ryan Torain is still very much in the mix despite only getting two touches last week and he’s likely to be the lead rusher next week (and Helu the week after that). So pick him up if you need him, because he is very talented and could bust out a huge game every week, but don’t expect consistent numbers.

Selling:

Beanie Wells, RB – Arizona Cardinals

I’m actually a big fan of Beanie, but he is hurt and playing like it. He doesn’t have that burst of speed that he normally had and was held in check by the Rams, the 32^nd ranked rushing defense. If you can, it would be worth it to trade Wells now while his trade value is still pretty high, especially, considering that the best thing for Wells would probably be a week or two out of the lineup.

Chris Johnson, RB – Tennessee Titans

Oh yeah, still trading this guy for anyone with a pulse. After last week’s performance you might actually get an accepted offer too…

Penny Stocks:

LaRod Stephens-Howling, RB – Arizona Cardinals

When Wells finally goes down, someone will have to run the ball for the Cardinals, and Stephens-Howling is that guy. He has not had much in the way of opportunities this year, but has done pretty well when given the opportunity (6.5 YPC). If you have extra roster space he might be worth holding onto. At the very least, keep an eye on him.

Christopher Ivory, RB – New Orleans Saints

Sean Peyton is very similar to Mike Shanahan in that he never seems to give any one running back on his roster the starting amount of carries. Well trading Reggie Bush and losing Mark Ingram to injury leaves Peyton with only Chris Ivory or Pierre Thomas, and considering Sean Peyton hates Thomas, Chris Ivory might just be a great pickup for the discerning manager who is looking for a running back with high upside. Consider Ivory a great flex option. 

Market Crash...almost

For those of you, who have Ahmad Bradshaw on your team, today must have felt like a terrible roller-coaster ride. Initial reports this morning indicated that the New Jersey Giants' running back had broken a bone in his foot and was out indefinitely.

However, it seems that this is just not true. The reality of situation is that Bradshaw did break a bone in his foot...but he is still slated to play in Week 9.

Giants' coach Tom Coughlin said that "He [Bradshaw] has played that way in the past. I don’t know what the determination is just yet. We’ll have to wait and see."

It is, obviously, a great time to acquire Brandon Jacobs if he happens to be in your league's free agency pool. Another very interesting name is Danny (DJ) Ware, the 3rd RB on the Giants' roster. Ware is an undrafted, fourth-year player out of Georgia who has only rushed for 206 yards in his career. So why get him? Because Brandon Jacobs couldn't be an every down back if the defense wasn't allowed to tackle. The guy just does not have it in him. Therefore, if Bradshaw does miss any time, Ware becomes a very interesting prospect. Consider him a penny stock with high upside.

In any case, if you do have a share or two in Bradshaw, it would be very interesting to see if he practices on Friday. Worst case scenario: You’ll need a late-starting backup to put in for him. The Giants play the Patriots at 4:15 EST on Sunday.