Bruno Boys Fantasy Football

- Written by Brad Berreman
- Edited by Marc Caviglia
- Predictions are based on Staff Consensus

The good news about Week 11 is that it’s the last week of byes in the NFL. The bad news, is that the fantasy football season is coming to an end. The Houston Texans, New Orleans Saints, Pittsburgh Steelers and Indianapolis Colts have the week off, so such top tier fantasy options as Arian Foster, Drew Brees, Jimmy Graham, Mike Wallace and Ben Roethlisberger will be unavailable to their fantasy owners this week. Some other usable options like Rashard Mendenhall, Marques Colstonand Darren Sproles will also be unavailable this week and challenge the roster depth of their owners.

If you are struggling to find suitable starting options due to a myriad ofinjuries or if this final bye week particularly hurts your roster, here are our “Fantasy Football Start ‘Ems” for Week 11.

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Mark Sanchez (New York Jets) @ Denver-Thursday Night

Sanchez went 20-for-39 for 306 yards with one touchdown and two interceptions against the New England Patriots in Week 10, and he also had a rushing touchdown in the game. His production has been up and down this season for the most part, but a Week 11 matchup with the Denver Broncos makes two consecutive productive games a possibility. The Broncos have allowed the most fantasy points to opposing quarterbacks (19.3 per game) this season, though they have allowed just one 300-yard passing game over their last five games. That said, they have allowed eight passing touchdowns over their past four games and Sanchez should be able find some success in that regard if nothing else. He has three rushing touchdowns this season as well, second only to Cam Newton among quarterbacks, and Denver has allowed a league-high four rushing touchdowns to quarterbacks thus far. Don’t necessarily expect a huge yardage total, but Sanchez should do enough to be a solid low-end QB1 this week.

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- Written by Cory Steger
- Edited by Marc Caviglia
- Predictions are based on Staff Consensus

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Jay Cutler (Chicago Bears) vs. Detroit

With Chicago Bears quarterback Jay Cutler there is good news and bad news. The good news is that Cutler has cut down on his interceptions, having thrown only six this season compared to eight at the same point last season. The bad news is that he’s not throwing for as many touchdowns or yards as he has in the past. Although Cutler scored well against the Philadelphia Eagles last week, this week’s game with the Detroit Lions will be tougher. Detroit is sixth in the league in passing yards allowed per game and points allowed per game. The Lions are the fifth-best team against quarterbacks in terms of fantasy points, limiting them to an average of just 10.9 points per game. Furthermore the Lions have only had one game where a quarterback threw multiple touchdown passes, and that was against the Dallas Cowboys in Week 4. They also forced three interceptions in that game.

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- Written by Brad Berreman
- Edited by Marc Caviglia
- Predictions are based on Staff Consensus

Fantasy football owners get a one week respite from bye weeks this week, as all 32 teams will be active for the first time since Week 4. That means the only concerns for people are injuries or potential performance when making lineup decisions, which are obviously challenges on a weekly basis.

If you are struggling to find suitable starting options even with everyone on your roster (at least theoretically) available this week, here are our “Bruno Boys Fantasy Football Start ‘Ems”for Week 10.

If you are at a loss for who to plug into your lineup this week due to injuries or other factors, here are our “Fantasy Football Start ‘Ems” for Week 10.

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Matt Schaub (Houston Texans) @ Tampa Bay

Schaub did not have the greatest of games in Week 9 against the Cleveland Browns, as he threw for just 119 yards on just 23 pass attempts as the Texans had 261 rushing yards in the game. Prior to last week he had been fairly productive despite the absence of wide receiver Andre Johnson (hamstring), as he had six touchdowns passes and just two interceptions while averaging 289.3 passing yards per game over the previous four contests. Johnson’s status for Week 11 against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers remains up in the air, but Schaub has a favorable matchup regardless. Tampa Bay has allowed at least 15 fantasy points to an opposing quarterback in four of their last five games, while allowing multiple touchdown passes in three of those games. Houston may continue to run the ball a lot if Johnson has to miss another game, but Schaub should be able to maximize his opportunities and makes for a solid low-end QB1 for Week 10.

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- Written by Cory Steger
- Edited by Marc Caviglia
- Predictions are based on Staff Consensus

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Ryan Fitzpatrick (Buffalo Bills) vs. New York Jets

So if you haven’t already heard, the Jets play some good pass defense. Like, really good. That’s a problem for Buffalo Bills quarterback Ryan Fitzpatrick because he’s got to play against the Jets this week. No doubt Fitzpatrick and the Bills have been good this season, but if they get it done this week it’s going to be on the ground. The Jets are giving up just 197.6 passing yards per game, an average of 6.7 fantasy points per to quarterbacks and have given up just two passing touchdowns in their last six games. In that same six-game stretch the Jets also forced 10 interceptions. New York is just 25th in the league in rushing yards allowed per game, so expect the Bills to attack early and often on the ground. That leaves limited opportunities for Fitzpatrick, and even the ones he does have won’t be good ones.

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- Written by Brad Berreman
- Edited by Marc Caviglia
- Predictions are based on Staff Consensus

As always seems to be the case, the NFL season is moving fast and Week 9 is now upon us. This week finds just four teams with a bye, however that does not mean some top options for fantasy football owners aren’t idle. Adrian Peterson, Cam Newton, Calvin Johnson, Matthew Stafford, Steve Smith and Maurice Jones-Drew all have the week off and it’s possible some fantasy football owners have more than one of those guys on their roster.

If you are at a loss for who to plug into your lineup this week due to injuries or other factors, here are our “Fantasy Football Start ‘Ems” for Week 9.

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Eli Manning (New York Giants) @ New England

Manning went 31-for-45 for 349 yards with two touchdowns and no interceptions against the Miami Dolphins in Week 8, and now hasat least 292 passing yards in four straight games with seven touchdowns and three interceptions in that span. He now gets another favorable matchup this week against the New England Patriots, who have allowed over 300 passing yards in six of seven games this season and the one who did not reach that total, Mark Sanchez of the New York Jets, had two touchdown passes in Week 5. The Patriots have allowed multiple passing touchdowns in five of seven games, so Manning should have some success even if wide receiver Hakeem Nicks (hamstring) is out or limited on Sunday. Fantasy owners can consider Manning a solid QB1 for Week 9, and again with nice upside potential.

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- Written by Cory Steger
- Edited by Marc Caviglia
- Predictions are based on Staff Consensus

Is it possible for a former No. 1 overall draft pick from 2004 to resurrect his career this late in the game? San Francisco 49ers quarterback Alex Smith is trying to do just that. Showing accuracy like he’s never had before and decision making that he’s never done before, Smith is on his way to a career season if he keeps playing like he has been. Beyond that, Smith has led the 49ers to an improbable 5-1 record. Naturally fantasy football teams looking for relief at quarterback are turning to Smith, however the matchup is tough and we are recommending you sit him this week. Of course Smith isn’t the only player we’re writing about in our b>Fantasy Football Week 8 Sit ‘Em article, so be sure to check out who else you should cut from your starting lineup.

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Matt Cassel (Kansas City Chiefs) vs. San Diego

After three consecutive good performances it looked like Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Matt Cassel was back following a poor start to the season. During that three game stretch Cassel threw seven touchdowns against just one interception. Then the bye week happened and in last week’s win over the Oakland Raiders, Cassel was back to his old ways. Cassel was overcast by a Kansas City defense that intercepted six passes, but his stats were ugly as he threw for just 161 yards with no touchdowns and two interceptions. The problem with Cassel this season is you don’t know which player is going to show up. Even with a good matchup against the San Diego Chargers, we could still see the Cassel of last week. There are better bye week fill-ins available.

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- Written by Brad Berreman
- Edited by Marc Caviglia
- Predictions are based on Staff Consensus

Whether it’s the bye week or injuries, there are a lot of tough lineup decisions that have to be made this week. Not available this week because of the bye include Aaron Rodgers, Matt Forte, Michael Turner, Darren McFadden and Greg Jennings, among may others. A rash of fairly significant injuries in Week 7 also stands to make it challenging to fill out a competent lineup for a lot of owners this week and possibly for a few weeks down the road.

If you are struggling to find suitable starters this week, our “Fantasy Football Start ‘Ems”for Week 8 will help you identify which players it’s worth taking that risk on during the dreaded bye weeks.

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Eli Manning (New York Giants) vs. Miami

Manning went 21-for-32 for 292 yards against the Buffalo Bills in Week 6, and he did not throw an interception for the third time in four games prior to the Giants’ Week 7 bye. That yardage was also the lowest he had in the three games preceding the week off, which bodes well for this week against the Miami Dolphins. The Dolphins have allowed the second-most fantasy points to opposing quarterbacks (20.3 per game) and they have only intercepted two passes all season and none in their last three games. The yardage Miami has allowed through the air is not excessively high, but that can be chalked up to facing Tim Tebow, Mark Sanchez and Colt McCoy in three of their last four games as much as anything. Manning is more talented than any of those three and has more talented pass catchers at his disposal as well, so he should have plenty of success through the air this Sunday. He makes for a very solid QB1 with nice upside for Week 8.

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- Written by Brad Berreman
- Edited by Marc Caviglia
- Predictions are based on Staff Consensus

Week 7 looks likely to be a particularly tough bye week for fantasy football owners, as the Philadelphia Eagles, New England Patriots, Buffalo Bills, New York Giants, San Francisco 49ers and Cincinnati Bengals all have the week off. Each of these teams have players that have been very useful to fantasy owners thus far, some surprisingly so, and this made us dig a little bit deeper to find some potential players to get into your lineup this week.

If you are struggling to find suitable starters this week, our “Fantasy Football Start ‘Ems”for Week 7 will help you identify which players it’s worth taking that risk on during the dreaded bye weeks.

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Matt Ryan (Atlanta Falcons) @ Detroit

Ryan went 14-for-22 for 163 yards and a touchdown against the Carolina Panthers last week, and he also added a rushing touchdown in the game. He has not even reached 170 passing yards in two straight games, but that may have to change in Week 7 against the Detroit Lions. Detroit has not been particularly generous to opposing quarterbacks so far this season, but they have allowed at least 13 fantasy points (ESPN scoring) to the position in four of their six games. If the Falcons’ defense struggles to contain the Lions’ offense, Ryan and the passing game may have to carry much of the team’s offensive production. If anything, Ryan is simply too talented to continue to struggle and the fact he could get rookie wide receiver Julio Jones (hamstring) back this week will only help him. He can be considered a solid QB1 for this week.

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- Written by Cory Steger
- Edited by Marc Caviglia
- Predictions are based on Staff Consensus

As we enter the second week of byes we’re starting to see some players who normally wouldn’t get consideration in fantasy football get picked up by teams. One of those players is San Francisco 49ers quarterback Alex Smith. With five touchdowns and no interceptions in the last two weeks Smith is a hot pickup for teams seeking a quarterback for a spot start this week, however Smith is just one of many players we feature as ones to avoid in Week 6. Another hot pickup is New England Patriots running back Stevan Ridley.

To see who else you should consider benching this week continue reading our Fantasy Football Week 6 Sit ‘Em article for in-depth assessments about guys that didn’t make the cut this week.

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Sam Bradford (St. Louis Rams) @ Green Bay

St. Louis Rams quarterback Sam Bradford isn’t being started by many teams any more. However, coming off a bye week Bradford has picked up a bit of momentum with the thought being that now the Rams have had a chance to regroup. That’s not a bad thought either, teams typically do play well coming off their bye week. However, this week Bradford is matched up against the Green Bay Packers. The Packers do give up a lot of yards through the passing game but that’s because opponents are often behind early and need to throw. Green Bay generates a ton of pressure defensively, and that’s evidenced by their 10 interceptions already. The Packers defense has also progressively gotten better against opposing quarterbacks this season, including limiting Atlanta Falcons quarterback Matt Ryan to just six fantasy points last week. Look for them to bottle up Bradford and make it a miserable afternoon for the second year signal caller.

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- Written by Brad Berreman
- Edited by Marc Caviglia
- Predictions are based on Staff Consensus

Week 6 is the second week of byes on the NFL schedule, and the second of four weeks in a row with six teams idle. This could be a tough week for some fantasy owners, with top tier starters like Philip Rivers, Larry Fitzgerald, Vincent Jackson, Ryan Mathews, Chris Johnson and Dwayne Bowe all having the week off.

If you are struggling to find suitable starters this week, our “Fantasy Football Start ‘Ems”for Week 6 will help you identify which players it’s worth taking that risk on during the dreaded bye weeks.

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Ryan Fitzpatrick (Buffalo Bills) @ New York Giants

After starting the season with nine touchdown passes over the first three games of the season, Fitzpatrick has thrown just one touchdown pass over the last two games and failed to throw for 200 yards in either contest. Week 6 brings a chance for a rebound against the New York Giants, who have allowed over 300 passing yards in three of five games this season. That includes 315 yards to Tarvaris Jackson and Charlie Whitehurst of the Seattle Seahawks in Week 5, and it’s safe to say Fitzpatrick is more talented than that duo and has better receivers at his disposal even with Donald Jones (ankle) out. The Giants have only allowed five passing touchdowns so far this season, but they have allowed two touchdown passes in a game twice.Fitzpatrick should easily be able to bounce back this week, and thus makes for a very solid QB1.

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