Be sure to stay competitive not just this season but into the future.
New Orleans quarterback Drew Brees throws Sunday against the Oakland Raiders.
For the past couple of weeks, we have hit on a couple of key points for a successful fantasy team. While it is obviously vital to maintain constant vigilance for your current season, it’s also important to make sure you are shaping your roster in a way that keeps you competitive next season and even beyond.
One of the key factors that can derail even the most vigilant fantasy owner is league members who have given up on the season and stopped making pickups, setting lineups, responding to trade requests and so on. Sure, league commissioners may step in and either assume control of the moribund franchise or assign it to a new owner, but neither of these are an ideal situation, and it may not be entirely clear that an owner has given up until it is far too late.
One potential solution to this is a rule that we’ve seen in some leagues (including our own). These leagues end their season one week early and use that time for the teams that have not clinched a playoff spot to compete in a one-week, high-scorer-takes-all contest for the final playoff position. We have found that this greatly decreases the number of inattentive owners. In our opinion, it has been a winning solution because the integrity of the playoff chase has not been compromised by owners who give up halfway through the season. It also prevents those trades we all hate – when a superstar gets sent, at a cost of peanuts, to a competitor, swinging the balance of power in the league.
With Thanksgiving Day games already in the books, here are the smart starts for the rest of this week’s slate:
Quarterback: With so much upheaval at the position due to injuries over the past couple of weeks, there are fewer sure things here than we would like. Despite that, some GMs may try to play the numbers and shy away from starting Drew Brees. We believe that’s a huge mistake. Sure, SF’s defense is killer, but Brees and the Saints are locked in right now. Start him and enjoy the guaranteed 25 to 30 fantasy points he’ll give you.
Running back: Beanie Wells’ return might give you pause about starting LaRod Stephens-Howling. It shouldn’t. Even with Wells grabbing his share of carries, there will still be plenty to go around against the Rams’ terrible run defense. Howling might not reach the century mark in rushing yards, but expect at least 80 yards and a TD.
Wide receiver: We may sound like a broken record by this point, but the Saints’ pass defense is terrible. This week’s beneficiaries are GMs who have 49ers on their squad. Michael Crabtree and Mario Manningham should put up numbers worthy of a starting nod. If you’re incredibly desperate for a WR/Flex guy, look to Randy Moss or perhaps Kyle Williams.
Tight end: Jermaine Gresham needs 80 yards to set a career high, and we figure him to get them this week against the Raiders. Their defense against TEs has been putrid all season long.
The Minority Report: We understand if you’re questioning the “go four deep on SF wideouts” advice from above. It’s certainly likely that the New Orleands defense will give up plenty of yards through the air, but some of us think that the biggest beneficiary from this uptick in San Francisco’s production will be TE Vernon Davis. Start Crabtree, sure, and possibly Manningham. Stop there.
The Fantasy 413 column appears in The Republican and on MassLive each Saturday. The Republican’s Fantasy Guys can be reached at thefantasy413@gmail.com, on Twitter @TheFantasy413 and through the comments section on MassLive.