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News-Herald Assistant Sports Editor Kevin Kleps doesn’t just write headlines and stories. He also checks on his fantasy sports teams. A lot. See if the moves and news from the world of sports affect your fantasy teams.

Tuesday, December 6, 2011

Fantasy football: Week 14 waiver-wire picks

If you have made it this far, you should be in your league's postseason.

If so, congrats. And I hope you don't have Matt Forte.

As always, the following list is comprised of players who are available in more than 50 percent of the leagues on ESPN.com. This week's group is available in more than 61 percent of the ESPN formats.

1. Brad Smith, WR, Bills (owned in 0.2 percent of the ESPN leagues): He has quickly developed into the Bills' second-best receiver behind Stevie Johnson. Smith had four receptions for 77 yards and a TD in Week 12, and seven catches for 72 yards on Sunday. David Nelson, by comparison, has a combined nine receptions for 81 yards in his last three games.

Also in Smith's favor is Buffalo's schedule the next three weeks: at the Chargers (No. 6 vs. the pass), home against the Dolphins (No. 24) and vs. the Broncos (No. 23). The three teams have allowed a combined 62 TD passes in 36 games (22 each by the Chargers and Broncos). Smith is at best a No. 3 receiver in a deep point-per-reception league, but if you're desperate, he's a decent play this week.

2. Marion Barber, RB, Bears (17.3 percent): We're not high on him, as we explained Sunday night, but we understand the value of adding a starting running back this late in the season.

3. Ricky Williams, RB, Ravens (38.7 percent): He had 16 rushes for 76 yards and a TD on Sunday against the Browns. OK, everyone runs well against the Browns. The game was also Williams' first with more than nine carries since Oct. 2.

Well, consider this: In the next three weeks, the Ravens will play the Colts (Sunday) and Browns (Week 16) at home, along with a Week 15 matchup at San Diego. The Colts are the league's third-worst at stopping the run and have given up 17 rushing TDs, the Chargers rank 26th in rushing yards allowed (seven TDs) and the Browns are 31st (10 TDs).

That's great news for Ray Rice owners, and decent news if you need to take a flier on a back who might get 12 to 18 carries and score a TD in garbage time.

4. Davone Bess, WR, Dolphins (17.9 percent): He has scored a TD in two of his last three games, but has had 52 receiving yards or fewer in every game but Miami's opener. Bess was a decent PPR starter in 2009 and '10 (a combined 155 receptions), but he's been disappointing this season (40 catches for 441 yards and two TDs).

Don't expect him to continue his TD trend -- Bess had all of seven scores during his 155-catch stretch in 2009 and '10. But the schedule is favorable. Miami will play host to the Eagles in Week 14 (Philly ranks 13th vs. the pass, but has given up 22 TDs through the air), then play at Buffalo (No. 19, 21 TDs) and at New England (No. 32, 18 TDs).


5. Darrius Heyward-Bey, WR, Raiders (29.5 percent): He had three receptions for 23 yards and a TD last week, his first score since Week 5. In his last three games, Heyward-Bey has 11 receptions, but he was shut out in Weeks 9 and 10. In Weeks 4 through 7, he had a combined 22 catches for 385 yards.

Translation: You have no idea what he's going to give you. All I can help you with here is Oakland will play Sunday at Green Bay, which ranks 31st vs. the pass, has allowed 22 TDs through the air and will mean a lot of throwing for Carson Palmer and company after they trail by three scores.

Past waiver-wire picks who remain undervalued: Matt Moore, QB, Dolphins (owned in 5.4 percent of the ESPN leagues); Alex Smith, QB, 49ers (36.3); Toby Gerhart, RB, Vikings (32.3); Donald Brown, RB, Colts (25.0); Dexter McCluster, RB, Chiefs (20.4); Nate Burleson, WR, Lions (19.6); Riley Cooper, WR, Eagles (1.1); Steve Breaston, WR, Chiefs (29.1); Damian Williams, WR, Titans (10.2); Greg Little, WR, Browns (10.2); Demaryius Thomas, WR, Broncos (1.8); Brent Celek, TE, Eagles (23.3); Jermaine Gresham, TE, Bengals (24.3); Jake Ballard, TE, Giants (29.5).

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Thursday, November 18, 2010

Fantasy football: Start-and-sit for Thursday's Bears-Dolphins game

START 'EM

Bears:
RB Matt Forte, K Robbie Gould, defense and special teams

Dolphins:
WR Brandon Marshall, K Dan Carpenter, defense and special teams

Quick slants:
Forte has rushed for only 159 yards and been held out of the end zone in his last three games, but he has six TDs overall and is an asset in PPR leagues (30 receptions for 324 yards and three scores). ... Gould has 59 points in nine games, but scored nine last week and should have a few field-goal attempts in what could be a low-scoring game. ... The Bears' defense ranks fourth in total yards (301.9 per game), second in points (16.2) and second against the run (82.3 yards per game). ... Marshall, as we pointed out yesterday, hasn't scored a touchdown since Week 3. He has 18 catches for 185 yards in his last four games and has been limited to 71 yards or fewer in eight of nine contests with Miami. He's due (we can only hope). ... The Dolphins' defense ranks eighth in total yards (314.1 per game), 13th in points allowed (21.3) and sixth against the pass (204). ... Carpenter, with 80 points in nine games, is fantasy's best kicker. Not counting bonuses for field goals of 40 yards or more, he has scored 11 or more points in four of his last five games and has 58 points in that span.

SIT 'EM

Bears:
QB Jay Cutler, RB Chester Taylor, WR Johnny Knox, WR Devin Hester, TE Greg Olsen

Dolphins:
QB Tyler Thigpen, RB Ronnie Brown, RB Ricky Williams, WR Davone Bess, WR Brian Hartline, TE Anthony Fasano

Quick slants: Cutler has five touchdowns in his last two games, but had as many interceptions (seven) as touchdown passes in his first six contests. ... Taylor has a combined 21 carries the last two weeks, but has 306 total yards and one TD on the season. ... Knox has 32 receptions for 617 yards, but he's scored only one TD and has had four or fewer receptions in six of nine games. ... Hester, with 24 catches for 243 yards and two TDs, continues to prove he's much better as a returner than receiver. ... Olsen has a TD in two consecutive games, but has had 43 yards or fewer in all but one game and has nine receptions in his last five. ... Thigpen, who is making his first start since 2008 because of injuries to Chad Henne and Chad Pennington, was pretty good two years ago with the Chiefs (2,608 yards passing, 18 TDs, 386 yards rushing, three TDs), but I wouldn't play him against a Bears defense that has 14 interceptions and has allowed just six TD tosses. ... Brown has a score in two straight, but he has three TDs on the season and has rushed for 65 yards or fewer in seven of nine games. ... Williams, with 452 total yards on 36 fewer touches than Brown (137 to 101), has been more effective than his backfield mate, but you can't play him until he gets more opportunities. ... Bess has 48 catches, but has had 53 receiving yards or fewer in six of nine games and is averaging 44 yards with zero TDs in his last three. ... Hartline had five catches for 98 yards last week, but you don't want to take a chance on a No. 3 receiver who hasn't had a TD since Week 2 -- even if he is a former Buckeye. ... Fasano had a big Week 10 (five catches for 107 yards and one TD), but had a combined nine catches for 111 yards and zero scores in the three games prior to that.

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Wednesday, November 10, 2010

Fantasy football: Quick snaps from Week 9

Once in a while (OK, a lot), real life gets in the way of our fantasy lives as wanna-be general managers.

For that reason, we are getting to the usual quick takes from the week that was -- two days later than usual.

Let's take stock of what we've seen thus far ...

Stock up

-- Nate Burleson, WR, Lions: Yes, Matthew Stafford is out, but Stafford has been out for all but two games this season. Burleson has 20 receptions and two TDs in his last three games, and 14 catches for 160 yards in his last two. In four games since returning from injury, he has 24 catches for 266 yards and three scores.

-- Brandon Marshall, WR, Dolphins: Chad Pennington replacing Chad Henne at quarterback certainly can't hurt. Marshall has one TD all season, and it was in Week 3. In his last three games, he has 15 catches for 151 yards.

-- Bernard Berrian, WR, Vikings: At least until Sidney Rice returns and Berrian moves to third on the depth chart. Berrian had nine receptions for 89 yards last week -- the Vikings' first game post-Moss Take II. If you need a third receiver, he's a decent play as long as Rice is on the PUP list.

-- Dwyane Bowe, WR, Chiefs:
That's now six TDs in his last four games after he had nine receptions and one TD in his first four.

Stock down


-- Ricky Williams, RB, Dolphins: You probably weren't playing him anyway, but you might have held on to him, figuring Ronnie Brown would go down with an injury at some point. Instead, Brown had a productive Week 9, against the Ravens of all defenses (while he lingered on many of our benches), and Williams had all of one carry. What do with Brown from here on out is a mystery, but I'm inclined to play him, since he had 14 touches to Williams' one last week, and he had 99 total yards with the TD.

-- Miles Austin, WR, Cowboys: He hasn't scored in his last four games, he has 38 receiving yards or fewer in three of his last four, and Jon Kitna is his quarterback. Kitna has thrown for 562 yards in two starts in place of Tony Romo, but he's been picked off six times and thrown only two TD passes.

Two-point conversion

-- Seyi Ajirotutu is a great name, and the Chargers receiver had a great game in Week 9 (four receptions for 111 yards and two TDs), but it was against Houston. The Texans are allowing a league-worst 298 passing yards per game, and the opposition has thrown for 20 touchdowns, with only five interceptions. There's also the fact that when Vincent Jackson returns from his suspension (Week 12) and Malcom Floyd returns from injury (possibly Week 11), Ajirotutu will be San Diego's No. 4 receiver, behind Jackson, Floyd and Patrick Crayton.

-- We'll be back Thursday with a start-and-sit list for the game between the Ravens and Falcons.

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