The Neverending Week 15 Start/Sit Mailbag
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Before I get into the mailbag, I have been checking a lot of different sports blogs and mailbags recently, and I am shocked at how little investigation people do. For instance, there was the Boston Globe fantasy advice section this week where they referred to the Chicago Bears run defense as "pretty good." What about 123 yards/game (24th), 4.2 YPC (22nd), and 14 TDagainst (29th) is "pretty good"? I would call that a lot of things—among them awesome for me this week—but "pretty good" is not one of them. One other fantasy commentator recommended sitting Larry Fitzgerald because he is not 100%. Are you kidding me? The guy plays with a girdle and puts up 80+ yards and a TD the week before. Were you paying attention? Anyways, there must be some form of accountability and I am happy to take over. With that, here is the best mailbag in fantasy sports.
Polite Brian weighs in with questions about his matchup:
Dear Shimmering T,
Thanks for the advice. I picked up the Bengals Defense and someone also dropped the Chargers Defense. Now I have both. I have a dilemma in both the league I play in. Who would you start this week: Team 1 QB (Pick 1) Carson Palmer vs SF Kurt Warner vs NO DEF (Pick 1) Indy vs OAK New England vs NYJ Team 2 WR (Pick 1) Plaxico Burress vs WAS Bobby Engram vs CAR Donald Driver vs STL DEF (Pick 1) San Diego vs DET Cincinnati vs SF Thanks for all of you help. I really appreciate it.
Hey Brian,
On to your questions...
For your QB, I would go with Kurt Warner. He's been consistently at or above 15 fantasy points the last couple weeks, while Carson Palmer has been surprisingly inconsistent. Warner also has the better matchup going against the 29th-ranked pass defense of the Saints. It should also be a shootout between the Cardinals and Saints, which will be good for Warner and his yardage.
For your defense, I would probably go with the Patriots. They will likely be up by a lot and it could be snowing in Foxboro, which means a lot of turnovers and a generally sloppy game. The Pats will also be up by a lot, forcing Kellen Clemens to throw, which is good for opposing defense.
For the WR pick, I would go with Plaxico Burress. He showed a lot more life last week and has a solid matchup against the Redskins 23rd-ranked pass defense. Eli has been more consistent the past two weeks, too, which helps out a lot.
For your second defense question, I would go with the Chargers. While the Bengals do have a solid matachup, they do not have a good defense, so you are relying purely on the 49ers putrid offense for your fantasy points. In these situations, particularly around playoff time, I like to go with the better defense, which is clearly the Chargers. They should also be able to pick up a lot of sacks against the Lions offensive line, leading the league in sacks allowed, even if they are missing Shawn Merriman.
Hope this helps and best of luck this week,
Shimmering T.
Corey, coming of a dominant fantasy week in which he swept his competition faces an arch-rival this weekend: Burress really bailed me out last week and showed everyone he can still play, so I think its safe to say hes secured his spot on my roster. Although he wasn't starting Evans had a big week as well. And lets not forget about Donald Lee. But now with Burress solidifying his postion, Housh is slipping. So the usual question of the third WR is the main topic of the week. Housh vs Evans vs Gage vs Brown vs Waivers (I need 2) Also, I figure Ill ask so theres no doubt in my mind: Lee vs Shockey Thanks again!!
Hey Corey,
I'm going against Andre Johnson this week and I don't like what I've seen so far. 34 yards on the 1st drive (He ended up with 86 and a TD). The intensity level goes up with each week, both with your own players and following others.
As for your matchups, I definitely think you should still go with Housh. Evans is really the only other WR you could consider going with over TJ, but we both know how much we can trust him to come through. Besides, he relies far too much on the long TD pass for fantasy points, which is not how you win in the playoffs. Even last week, Housh caught 8 passes, which is what you want—consistent touches (Evans on the other hand had 2 catches, both for TDs, 70 yards and 9). The Bengals should have quite a few scoring chances in the 49ers red zone, and that is where TJ thrives. So my advice would be to go with him.
As for your TE situation, I go with Donald Lee, too. Shockey hasn't reached the 5 fantasy point threshold in the past four weeks, while Lee is always a threat in the Packers offense. You should get a good week from him against the Rams defense.
Based on the matchups you have, it should be a good week. I hope to hear from you next week, as it will mean you have beaten your arch-nemesis and moved on in the playoffs. I've got the defending champ in my league. Should be fun.
Take it easy and best of luck this weekend,
Shimmering T.
