As no one probably noticed, i was on a bye from the new Fantasy Football Blog last week. Having a kid and having to go back to work gave me little time to focus on football. Although i was able to go 3 and 1 in my 4 leagues. I lost by two points, and had Rodgers as my Qb.

So picking up from there if youre someone looking for a replacement I think you should look at Tyrod Taylor. Trod has a great schedule going forward. He's got a good match up with a low ranking Tampa Bay defense this week. I'm starting him this week and will do so in a number of others the rest of the way. I would do the same with the Bills D. They've been double digits in every game. 

 Another couple guys I like this week are:

Eric Decker: He's healthy and he's heating up. Cleveland D is fairly week against secondary receivers. I think he gets into the end zone as. Titan for the first time. But he is more of a plug and play guy as he is on bye next week and then Corey Davis will be back.

All Saints: The Green Bay D still cant stop anyone. Saints are heating up. Start'em all!

Guys im not sold on but might play if I had to are:

Dion Lewis: Seems like he has the hit hand right now in New England and may have surpassed Gillislee. That said it will probably be the Rex Burkhead show this week.

Cooper Kupp: Non-number 1 receivers have done ok vs AZ. If youre short on WRs Kupp is an upside play this week.

Kenny Stills: Parker is doubtful.  Stills is another dart throw of play this week. Could hit bullseye could hit triple 3's and hear Crickets. Get it? 

Guys im sitting down include:

Ty Hilton: I know it's hard to sit him but Jacksonville is about as good as it gets in shutting down WRs. 

Orleans Darkwa: it was nice to see someone from the Giants backfield do well, and it was against the Broncos. But i'm not sold on a repeat performance.

Jets Rbs: This situation is worse than then the Patriots these days. Forte, Powell and Mcguire all are in the mix, which means they should all be on your bench. 

Final thoughts and shit im wondering:

Brett Hundley has a lot on his shoulders now, and a lot to prove. I looking forward to seeing how he performs.  

The Giants play the Seahawks in Ny. The hawks are like 4-8 in their last twelve road games. Could the Giants somehow be better (at least record wise) without their top two receivers? 

Week 5 takes: from the road...

Likes: 

• Demarco Murray and Derrick

Henry. Most people are down on these two this week but Miami is coming back from London. Did you see what happened to the Jags run D after they got back? Sliced up by the Jets RBs. While the Miami Run D os better than the Jags run D, Demarco and Derrick are better than the Jets Rbs. I like both to score close to 10 points. 

• Ive heard no one talk about the Ravens D this week after the beat down in England. They are like a leper  no one wants to touch. Despite this they are playing the now EJ Manuel led Raiders. I think the Ravens D bounces back. 

Frank Gore: in his first revenge game versus the 49ers. "Don't call it a come back!". No...really...don't. But he will have double digits. 

Worries:

• Packers backfield. Ug what a mess. Even if Ty suits up we know he wont be 100%, and who knows if he he will last the whole game. J. Williams has done nothing but plunge into the back of the line. Adam ... is more dynamic but how much PT will he get?

• Bears RBs: Wih Trubisky starting and MNs good secondary, i expect the Queens to stack the box to stop the run. Im concerned about starting either back but think Cohen could do more in open space on check downs.

• Melvin Gordon's knee. I'm worried about it and thus his production. Hope he gets the rock more, but can he hold up?

Dislike:

 Kelvin Benjamin: Detroit's D is pretty good, and he's and every other week player. This one is the down one.

Amari Cooper: ...and now Ej Manuel is throwing to him. If you can afford to bench him; i would. 

Eddie Lacy: Don't drink the Kool Aid. The name is better than the player. Eddie has done nothing for years. Don't expect much.

Wondering;

• a few weeks ago I mentioned Jalen Richard. With Beast Mode performing so poorly, when do they give the rock to Richard more? Richard also catches passes, something Lynch doesnt do a lot of. 

• Can Martellus Bennett score more than 5 fantasy points in a week? Cowboys could finally be the victim. Hoping so. 

• Will cutting Youngho Koo result in a win for the Chargers. These guys are like 0-100 in close games!

Rothman’s Fantasy Take’s Week 4:

With the Packers having played on Thursday night, I realize my excitement for Sunday’s games has diminished significantly. Also my family is in town to see the little one, so Im going with quick picks for the week:

Guys I like this week:

·        Deshaun Watson: Although the Texans have a fairly tough match up with the Tennessee D, they have been fairly lenient to quarterbacks. He’s low end TE1 today.

·        Chris Carson: At home versus a perennially weak D, and he has taken over at the starter. I like him as high end RB2.

·        Golden Tate: He won’t match up against Xavier Rhodes. Start him with confidence.

Guys that give me heartburn thinking about who to play:

·        Allen Hurns: Playing the Jets…and you should always play guys against the Jets right? But can he find some consistency?

·        Derrick Henry: Is he this year’s Tevin Coleman, in that he is start-able despite not being a starter? We shall find out!...but do you find out with or without him in your line up???

·        Carson Wentz: He is throwing more than just about everyone except Rodgers. That should equal production, but he is on the road against a decent Chargers secondary. Who would you start, him or Rivers?

Guys I don’t like:

·        Martavis Bryant: On the road, Big Ben and Bryant are different players. Ravens D is pissed off and at home. Risky start this week.

·        Bilal Powell: He is starting this week with Matt Forte out, but he might share carries with some guy I’ve never heard of…and the Jags D is legitimate.

·        Isaiah Crowell: I wanted no part of this guy on draft D. He is proving me right. Cinci D gets Burfict back today. Crowell is just a flex.

Shit I’m wondering:

·        Is Jared Cook a number 1 TE for the rest of the year?

·        Will the Giants and Eli keep feeding Sterling Sheppard in the slot? Did they find something that works for that awful offence? Sheppard a guy you might want to pick up, especially in PPR.

·        Why did the Lions not draft a RB this year? This team would be much better with a running game. They are the like the Packers but don’t have Rodgers.

Last week Round up:

Hits: J

ü  Raiders D was Awful

ü  DJax had a TD and a good game.

ü  Frank Gore put up good numbers as an RB2.

ü  Witten was a questionable start.

ü  Alshon Jeffery was just ok.

ü  Delanie Walker was held to just over 3 points.

ü  Terrance West not looking like a guy I want on my team.

Misses: L

• Ø  Drew Brees…had a great game! What was I thinking? Although he isn’t putting up too good of numbers today! Maybe I was just a week off.
• Ø  Jay Culter over Jamies Winston…dumb idea. #NeverCutler
• Ø  Golladay didn’t nothing, and hasn’t since week 1. And if you have just fyi he is injured.

Tip of the week:

§  Drafting extra RB’s is always a good idea. Look at the rosters your jealous of, they probably have a bunch of RB’s on their bench. 

Rothman’s Fantasy Take’s Week 3:

Better late than never? Procrastination or busy? Both? Games start now in less than 12 hours thanks to the London game. So here are my last minute Week 3 fantasy takes. As well as a look at how I did in my picks last week.

Previous Week Round Up:

Hits: J

- Kerwynn Williams WASN’T the guy in AZ and Chris Johnson is gonna be the starter.

- Cobb had a nice game, until he got hurt. Tevin Coleman had a nice game, as did Freeman, I wonder how that would have changed had Daniels played the whole game.

- Alshon Jeffery made me nervous in the first half but had a nice second half to get in a good stat line.

- New Orleans backfield is am mess. I want no part of it with the exception of Kamara at the end of my bench.

- It wasn’t a good week for Johnathan Stewart.

- It wasn’t a good week for Terrelle Pryor.

Misses: L

- Kupp didn’t do much as much vs the Redskins as I thought. After another dud vs the 49ers on Thursday his stock is way down. If Watkins isn’t too hurt and starts to heat up he will require more attention and hopefully continue to open things up for Kupp. That said I was surprised at the number of receivers, tight ends and backs that caught passes from Goff on Thursday. I’m keeping him stashed.

- The Packer – Falcons game wasn’t much closer than the NFC Championship. One of my league commish’s asked our league if there was replay of last years game for some reason.  With Jordy and Cobb out DeVante picked up the slack. Austin Hooper oddly was nowhere to be found.

- Cameron Brate: Full time share now with OJ Howard. Droppable if you have him in my mind.

- Jacksonville D: Returned to the version of yester-year. Will be interesting to see how they do vs the Ravens.

- Thomas Rawls failed to take the starting RB job in Seattle as I thought he would. Guess all those injuries are adding up.

Guys I like this week:

·        Desean Jackson: If he can replicate What Martavis Bryant did last week he could have a big day. With Xavier Rhodes on Mike Evans, DJax has to the be the guy. He was open on a couple of long routes but Winston missed him. I think the rust comes off and they connect this week.

·        Jalen Richard: I’m probably not starting him unless I’m in a bind, but the tape of the game versus the Jets wowed me. Another guy I’m trying to stash if I have the space.

·        Frank Gore: Frank the Tank…for one game at least. While the Browns D is improved (kinda maybe) I think Frank is very start-able. Solid RB 2 this week.

Guys that give me heartburn thinking about who to play:

·        Jason Witten: Simply because it seems almost too good to be true. Can he really keep it up? Dak sure does like him. He’s the No. 1 TE thus far, but gets no love from the pundits.  

·        Alshon Jeffery: He appears here again. Another touch match up for him vs the good NY Giants secondary. I have him in two leagues and I’m starting him in one and sitting in another.

·        Kenny Golladay: I like him this week in what could be a shoot-out with ATL. But could you put him in your starting line up? High upside…low floor. BTW, as hard as it is to cheer on a team in the same division as the Packers, I hope Detroit kicks their ass. Kind of on a F the Falcons tip right now. They have the Packers number like the Cowboys did in the 90’s.

Guys I don’t like:

·        Raiders D: They gave up multiple passing TD’s to the Jets. The Jets. While the Redskins might not be much better, I wouldn’t trust in the Raiders being a good D to roll with this week.

·        Delanie Walker: Seattle doesn’t let TE’s do much. I’m sitting him I have I can. I’d start Witten over him.

·        Drew Brees: Outside, on grass, versus a Top 5 D, in their building… I’m not expecting more than 20 fantasy points. Hard to sit him, but I think I’d start Stafford over him if I had him.

Shit Im wondering:

- After last weeks added usage, how long until DontA Foreman is the lead back in Houston? I want him on my bench but don’t have room.

-  How viable will Terrance West be going forward? I trade him this week for Martellus Bennett in a league where I'm thin at TE. I have him and Buck Allen in another league and was going to start Buck thinking West wouldn’t play but now it seems he may. And now I'm stuck with a mess, unless Buck could get a 3:1 time share cause with injuries on the O-line not sure how well their interior running game will be.

- Will I regret starting Jay Cutler over Jamies Winston this week? I am really hoping not! #GoFins ? 

( :-o)

Tip of the week:

Play as many players as you can vs the Jets and Bears…all year!

Rothman’s Fantasy Take’s Week 2:

I’ve always wanted to write my own fantasy column, especially since I think some of the fantasy advice columns are junk and some of the guys that get paid to do it have horrible takes. Just an Eastside guy who knows sports. Here is the start of what might be a weekly thing.

Here are some of my Fantasy Football Takes for Week 2:

·        I watched Arizona’s 3^rd pre-season game. Chris Johnson started. And he looked good, busting a number of 10 yard runs. But then he fumbled. Then he fumbled again. After Chris Johnson came in it was Andre Ellington’s turn. Ellington looked good too, especially catching wheel routes out of the back field. It wasn’t until almost the second half that Kerwynn Williams aka The Painter got in. The reason that Chris Johnson got cut was cuz he had fumbling issues and as a veteran, if he was on a roster week 1 his contract was guaranteed. It wasn’t because Kerwynn Williams was so much better. While Kerwynn might produce more fantasy points than Johnson in week 2, I think Johnson is the back you want to replace Johnson. I think Ellington actually is the best of the three backs in Week 2, especially in PPR’s.

·        The Washington Redskins Defense sucks. Kerrigan is good and Norman shuts just about everyone down; but then who do they have? No one. That’s why even the Rams with Jeff Goff will have the opportunity to put up points; with the exception of Sammy Watkins. Nelson Agholor put up huge numbers last week for Philly. I expect Connor Kupp to do the same.

·        The Packers – Falcons game is gonna be awesome, it’s gonna be closer than the NFC championship game, which totally sucked for Packers fans, and hopefully it will be high scoring. Two guys I like more than others do are; Tevin Coleman, Austin Hooper and Randall Cobb. I have a feeling Cobb has a bounce back year, and DeVante Adams comes back to earth. On the other side of the ball, the Packers are still hella weak at linebacker; and Ahmad Brooks is likely out this week with the concussion. I don’t think they have been able to cover a tight end for, actually I can’t remember what linebacker we had who could cover a TE. Maybe Chuck Cecil? Hooper has game, scores a TD and has four or five catches. Also I like Tevin Coleman out of the backfield more than I like Freeman. I think as long as we have Daniels in there we will be stout against the run. (#PackerNation)

Other guys I like:

- Tarik Cohen: Dude looks like the real deal. Hella Explosive.

- Cameron Brate: People forget how many TD’s he scored last year. Bears didn’t look good covering the middle of the field against Atlanta. I expect opportunities to be there for Brate this year, especially with Mike Evans and now DJax on the outside.

- Philip Rivers: Dude doesn’t get enough respect and has lots of weapons. Dolphins D unproven.

Guys that give me heartburn thinking about who to play:

- Alshon Jeffery: Eric Berry is done for the year for the Chiefs and their main cover corner stays on one side of the field. This give Jeffery some more opportunities, but what about when he is on the other side of the field?

- Mark Ingram: I’m not sure how New Orleans will use this guy in comparison with the other backs they have. I like Alvin Kamara to score. I think AP might get goal line carry just to shut him up. So where does that leave Ingram?

- Jeremy Maclin: He caught a big bomb last week. Is he this year’s Mike Wallace or last weeks Mike Wallace? Does Wallace catch the big one this week, and Maclin gets 8 yards? It’s shooting dice to me.

Guys I don’t like:

- Mariota: The Titans offense still is not clicking despite all their weapons. They are not meeting expectations. Straight up. Sacksonville had 10 sacks last week! They smell blood in the water. Worried about the Titans who were my sleeper pick this year starting 0 – 2.

- Johnathan Stewart: He will have more good games in the coming weeks. I just don’t think it will be this week against the Bills D which is better than you think.

- Terrelle Pryor: Pryor has no chemistry with Kirk Cousins. Not sure anyone has chemistry with Cousins, especially when he is under pressure which I expect to happen with Aaron Donald back in the fold for the Rams. I’d start a lot of receivers over Pryor.

Shit I'm wondering:

- How will Julius Thomas do? He has his old coach from Denver and has Jay Quitler throwing him the ball. Quitler made fairly regular use of the TE in his previous quitting days. Thomas might have a bounce back year.

- Bilal Powell: Are any Jets worth having on your team. Even Bilal Powell? I said F it and cut him.

- Will Thomas Rawls step up and retake the starting RB gig in Seattle? Personally I think he does.

Tip of the week: Mike Glennon, never do a bootleg. Your legs go up to your shoulders making you donkey slow. Safe yourself. No more bootlegs. 

#GoPackGo