Week 2 Shuffle: Running Back

Listed are the Top 60 RBs for the upcoming week.  Rankings are based on the projected mean performance without any specific team context on who you should start.  Sometimes you need to start the lower of two players due to upside or a high floor, so things are fluid.  As always, players can move up or down as we approach kickoff.  So please indulge yourself & dissect our list from top to bottom.  Let's Go!

Tier 1:
1. LeSean McCoy vs SD
2. Doug Martin vs NO
3. Adrian Peterson @CHI
4. Jamaal Charles vs DAL
5. Matt Forte vs MIN
6. Alfred Morris vs GB
7. C.J. Spiller vs CAR
8. Maurice Jones-Drew @OAK
9. Reggie Bush @ARI
10. Steven Jackson vs STL
11. Stevan Ridley vs NYJ
12. Arian Foster vs TEN

 - San Diego has an above average defense, but watching Chip Kelly & Co. slice up Washington makes me giddy to see what McCoy is capable of.  Minnesota just let Reggie Bush toast them from outside the backfield & the Chicago offense is the exact same skill set (fine QB/elite WR/pass catching RB).  Ridley has the lowest floor out of all the RB1s, but Vereen's injury should give him a second chance.  Something makes me think that the Patriots won't be all systems go with LeGarrette Blount on a short week.

Tier 2:
13. David Wilson vs DEN
14. Eddie Lacy vs WAS
15. Darren Sproles @TB
16. DeMarco Murray @KC
17. Trent Richardson @BAL
18. Chris Johnson @HOU 
19. Marshawn Lynch vs SF
20. Ray Rice vs CLE
21. Darren McFadden vs JAC 
22. Lamar Miller @IND
23. DeAngelo Williams @BUF
24. Ryan Mathews @PHI

- David Wilson sure knows how to lose fumbles during Week 1 & nothing kills your fantasy outlook like that.  Even though his long-term status is in question, there is no way Brandon Jacobs or Da'Rel Scott come in and take his touches this week & there are plenty of them coming vs Denver.  Lynch & Rice did nothing in Week 1 to make their Week 2 matchups look friendly and they're ranked accordingly.  Think of them as safe floors with low ceilings, low big points potential this week.  Maybe there should be a Week 1 overreaction, but Lamar Miller still has RB1 upside in my mind and should bounce back vs Indianapolis.

Tier 3:
25. Frank Gore @SEA
26. Rashad Mendenhall vs DET
27. Knowshon Moreno @NYG
28. Bilal Powell @NE
29. Daryl Richardson @ATL
30. Ahmad Bradshaw vs MIA
31. Ben Tate vs TEN
32. Givani Bernard vs PIT
33. Fred Jackson vs CAR
34. LeGarrette Blount vs NYJ 
35. Pierre Thomas @TB
36. BenJarvus Green-Ellis vs PIT

- Seattle has too tough of a defense to make Frank Gore look like he has an attractive matchup.  Powell & Moreno look to take control of their backfields with relatively friendly matchups.  Blount got 7 touches in Week 1 & with Vereen out he could be a garbage time miracle worker.  All of us fantasy owners want the Cincinnati RB situation solved, lots of potential points being split right now the middle.

Tier 4:
37. Isaiah Pead @ATL
38. Isaac Redman @CIN
39. Joique Bell @ARI
40. Alfonso Smith vs DET
41. Ronnie Brown @PHI
42. Chris Ivory @NE
43. Montee Ball @NYG
44. Bryce Brown vs SD
45. Daniel Thomas @IND
46. Bernard Pierce vs CLE
47. Brandon Jacobs vs DEN
48. Da'Rel Scott vs DEN

- Plenty of intriguing upside in this group but nothing that says anyone will get over 6 points.  Pead has the most mystery since he was suspended Week 1, but he did next to nothing in the pre-season to suggest he deserves 10+ carries.  Bolden & Ivory both could be sneaky plays to lead their teams in carries, but they falterd in Week 1 and have a long road ahead to clinch the top spot on the depth chart.

Tier 5:
49. Jackie Battle @HOU
50. Kendall Hunter @SEA
51. Mark Ingram @TB
52. Jacquizz Rodgers vs STL
53. Ronnie Hillman @NYG
54. Danny Woodhead @PHI
55. Michael Bush vs MIN
56. Donald Brown vs MIA
57. Robert Turbin vs SF
58. Justin Forsett @OAK
59. Mike Tolbert @BUF
60. Andre Ellington vs DET

- No one here should be played unless you are in a 14+ league.  Everyone has limited upside or needs an injury in order to make their presence truly felt.  Still, everyone projects to see the field and garner a few touches which is half the battle, the Jackie Battle.  #BadFantasyPuns Update: Brandon Bolden is officially listed at out & removed from the rankings. Vick Ballard tore his ACL and is out for the year & removed from the rankings.

Check out all our Week 2 Rankings: QB RB WR TE D/ST K LB DL DB


As always, read & discuss.  You can reach me on Twitter @ClevRocks_James or comment your (dis)agreements below.  Thanks for reading.

Brandon Jacobs Rises like a Phoenix from the Ashes

Reports of Brandon Jacobs resurfacing with the New York football Giants began making the rounds on Twitter around 1:00 PM EST.  Shortly after these reports became confirmed and that leads us to the disgusting question we must all be asking ourselves: "My waiver claim on Brandon Jacobs?  I... I can't this guy can I?"

You can't and you shouldn't.  The former Southern Illinois plodder by way of Auburn is over a year from his last fantasy relevance.  Strictly speaking, Jacobs is a true street Free Agent.  He wasn't in camp learning any of the new complexities of the playbook or picking up valuable reps with his offensive line.  He is Eli & Tom's old buddy who they desperately needed to bring back, but he isn't ready to head between the hashes and start Week 2.  The old Brandon Jacobs isn't walking through that door.

The most likely scenario is Jacobs practices hard for the coming week with Coughlin surmising his
status "we'll see" and "he's working hard."  Come Sunday, Jacobs takes 7 handoffs for a meager 23 yards and suggests the rust will be gone soon enough.  In reality though, we are talking about a running back who has injured for the majority of last season and left the locker roomer in a fire drill after the bomb he set off on his way out.  Don't forget his last stint in the City that Never Sleeps didn't exactly end on good terms either.

Jacobs has as much fantasy value as Da'Rel Scott.  He might touch the ball a few times, but he isn't going to do anything with it.  Don't get caught in the hype game heading into Week 2, Jacobs isn't worthy of a fantasy roster spot right now and if Father Time has his way Jacobs won't be worthy of an actual roster spot at the end of the year.



As always, read & discuss.  You can reach me on Twitter @ClevRocks_James or comment your (dis)agreements below.  Thanks for reading.

Week 2 Shuffle: Quarterback

Listed are the Top 25 QBs for the upcoming week.  Rankings are based on the projected mean performance without any specific team context on who you should start.  Sometimes you need to start the lower of two players due to upside or a high floor, so things are fluid.  As always, players can move up or down as we approach kickoff.  So please indulge yourself & dissect our list from top to bottom.  Let's Go!

Tier 1:
1. Drew Brees @TB
2. Aaron Rodgers vs WAS
3. Peyton Manning @NYG
4. Michael Vick vs SD
5. Cam Newton @BUF
6. Matt Ryan vs STL
7. Robert Griffin III @GB
8. Tom Brady vs NYJ 
9. Eli Manning vs DEN
10. Matthew Stafford @ARI
11. Andrew Luck vs MIA
12. Tony Romo @KC

- Brees, Rodgers, Manning & Vick are all in the "elite" section of Tier 1. Some people are going to think I am reading too much into Vick & the Eagles Week 1 performance. I think it's more reading into San Diego's hapless second half defense against Matt Schaub then anything Philadelphia showed me.  ESPN made a huge deal about Romo with his injury being somewhere between"having the wind knocked out of him" and "dying from internal bleeding."   I like to think its somewhere between the two, probably bruised ribs.

Tier 2:
13. Terrelle Pryor vs JAC
14. Joe Flacco vs CLE
15. Russell Wilson vs SF
16. Carson Palmer vs DET
17. Colin Kaepernick @SEA
18. Philip Rivers vs PHI
19. Alex Smith vs DAL
20. Josh Freeman vs NO
21. E.J. Manuel vs CAR
22. Sam Bradford @ATL
23. Jay Cutler vs MIN
24. Andy Dalton vs PIT
25. Ben Roethlisberger @CIN

- Pryor looks like the next Tyler Thigpen.  If he can continue run around all day while trailing he is going to be a serious asset.  Wilson suffered from some serious fantasy blues Week 1 against the Panthers mediocre defense & I can't give a strong endorsement with San Francisco coming to town.  Kaepernick's rating is solely out of respect to the Seahawks D.  I'm expecting a low scoring punt fest in the Northwest this week.  This is a fantasy situation to avoid wherever possible.

Check out all our Week 2 Rankings: QB RB WR TE D/ST K LB DL DB


As always, read & discuss.  You can reach me on Twitter @ClevRocks_James or comment your (dis)agreements below.  Thanks for reading.

Shane Vereen on the shelf; LeGarrette Blount & Brandon Bolden on your bench

This is the type of seismic aftershock that comes after a full slate of NFL games.  Bill Belicheck has always been known as a man with a fluid roster situation (remember poor Tiquan Underwood before Super Bowl XLVI?), so get ready to click & add owners.

Shane Vereen, the man who amassed more rushing yards in Week 1 then any running back not named Shady McCoy has been sent to the IR with a Designated to Return tag.  This means Vereen is the Patriots active roster until Week 11.  This also means Vereen and the massive potential that he carried heading into this season has been sent off to another back.

Enter LeGarrette Blount & Brandon Bolden

Blount earned 7 sneaky carries after Stevan Ridley was sent to the pine following his fumbling issues.  Those carries were sneaky because he was only able to gain 15 yards, rendering him virtually useless in the fantasy world.  He does, however, have a pedigree for success having rushed for 1,000+ yards in Tampa Bay a few years back.

Bolden made fantasy waives last year with a surprising 16 carry 137 yard performance vs the hapless Buffalo Bills in Week 4.  Owners scrambled to the waive wire last year to add the Buzzy Brandon Bolden alliteration.  A 4-game suspension soon followed at this undrafted rookie was forgotten.  Week 1 he was on the sideline dealing with a knee issue, but even an OUT designation Week 2 shouldn't keep him off your roster.

Both of these guys are available in over 99% of ESPN standard leagues & both have a clear path to touches.  Even more, if Ridley's fumbling issues continue both have a clear path to 1200 yards from scrimmage.  Owners need click and add fast before Thursdays kick.  There are major rewards to be won here. 

Click and add people.

Week 2: Analyzing the Waive Wire

Each week Cleveland's Rocks will review top Free Agents owned in under 50% of ESPN leagues.  Worthy eligible players will get lumped into three teams: "Full Season Endorsement" "Future & Upside" and "Plug & Play"

All teams consist of a QB, two RB and WRs with a TE, K, DEF and FLEX.  All "Plug & Play"s need to be rostered in less then 25% of leagues.  For each FLEX, players can only be owned in 15% of ESPN leagues.

Read.  React.  Improve.  Let's do this gamers.


Full Season Endorsement

QB Alex Smith (19.5%) - Kansas City manhandled Jacksonville like every talking head predicted, with Smith playing to his typical "maybe franchise QB" self.  Completing 21 of 34 passes for 173 yards and two endzone visits isn't the type of performance legends are made of, but when you consider the full game domination the Chiefs showed it's a performance fantasy owners should take.  When the pass/rush split is right down the middle (55% to 45%) these consistent performances out of the former #1 pick are to be expected.  If you are looking for nice bye week plug home to a mild upside/high floor, Smith should be your QB of choice.

RB Bilal Powell (31.9%) - Just like with Jackson, every pundit predicted the Jets to slice open the Buccaneers to start 1-0.  Oh... wait... that isn't what the world predicted?  Frankly, Powell didn't look good on the ground.  His 12 carriers for 29 yards wasn't what gamers looking for in an RB, but his passing game performance was something they should take note of.  Four catches for 35 yards on 5 targets is a sneaky important stat line for a RB on a losing team.  The Jets will trail often entering the 4th quarter and check downs should come in bunches, especially when you know downfield targets Santonio Holmes & Kellen Winslow just chased in their AFC North AARP cards.  With fellow back Chris Ivory puking up a 1.5 YPC on 10 touches, Powell's connection to the pass game should keep him on the field for the foreseeable future.  Powell needs to see his ownership numbers double come Week 2.

RB Pierre Thomas (16.6%) - It is truly hard to fathom why PT Bruiser's ownership numbers are under 20%.  It leads me to believe fantasy owners think his "not Mark Ingram" disease will result in long-term fantasy suffering.  The former Ron Zook running back (yeah I didn't know Illinois produces NFL products either) comes to work every Sunday and collects his 12-20 touches with a typical 4.0 YPT.  Yes I know 59 yards aren't going to pay the fantasy bills every week but should the upside if Sproles or Ingram get dinged up is present.  Even without it, Thomas is a strong flex play week-in and week-out.  There is significant value in knowing your RB2 is home to a five point floor and will get some Red Zone touches.  His ownership levels need to rise above a DNP-CDs (I'm looking at you Mikel LeShoure owners)

WR Andre Roberts (30.3%) - Roberts is tied to a Cardinal team that is will be perpetually losing, with an all time great garbage time QB.  Mix in an elite WR named Larry Fitzgerald being doubled teamed across from him and suddenly Roberts looks like a player with a nice upside.  Sure Michael Floyd has the "sexy" upside with the former first round pick with "room for growth" label, but Roberts is the guy I want on my roster.  Expect a workman-like flow of Week 1 performance clones (8 catches, 97 yards).  Nearly everyone could use WR tied to this type of opportunity, we all remember the love affair with Steve Breaston right?  His ownership level needs to rise above the Mendoza Line in this type of setting.

WR Brian Hartline (29.7%) - Hartline's ownership level is far off of where it should be.  The Dolphins may be knocking on an over .500 season and if that's the case someone has to do help out in our game of stat accumulations.  Mike Wallace isn't that guy, and was clearly frustrated post-game by answering all questions with an "ask coach".  I'm guessing he was unhappy with his 5 targets, but I'm also guessing that 5 targets are going to remain status quo.  Hartline is still going to be the same player he was last year, boom or bust tied to a learn on the job QB.  Still, Hartline seems like a classic "stash-&-cash" WR that an owner can return a profit on in a bye week trade.  Even if you hold off on trading him, you could do a whole lot worse than having a 1,000 yard receiver as your WR4.  Profits are to be made here gamers.

TE Jordan Cameron (41.0%) - I was given the unfortunate burden of being born in Cleveland & being subject to watching their games each Sunday.  If the Browns keep playing like they did in Week 1, they will find themselves with 50+ pass attempts every week.  Sure, Brandon Weeden will struggle to complete 50% of them, but some basic math helps us realize nearly 25 catches will still be made.  With Josh Gordon still suspended for sipping on too much lean, Cameron has a prime opportunity to earn a significant rapport with BW3.  Greg Little continues to prove can't catch, so garbage time passing stats will be the norm.  The upside 9 grabs for 108 yards & a score has already shown itself, but a weekly floor of 50 yards is what's most appealing here.  Cameron is better then anything Brandon Pettigrew can ever provide.  Plug the trigger gamers.

FLEX WR Doug Baldwin (1.5%) - Every Russell Wilson believer thinks the quarterback will be a top 6 option by years end.  If so, where are all the yards going?  Sidney Rice hasn't been healthy since 2009.  Percy Harvin is far more optimistic then his coach on his return.  Golden Tate can't accumulate every yard, can he?  Sure they could  try to run the ball every play, but.... they can't actually run the ball every play, right?  Right?  Cue Baldwin, he accumulated a sneaky 7 catches for 91 yards Week 1 in a game that featured only one combined touchdown.  I highly suspect Baldwin will remain unowned in under 95.0% of leagues heading into Week 2, but another strong game and that number is going to skyrocket.  Beat your fellow gamers to the punch, Ronnie Hillman or Kendall Wright owners hoping for the best should look to Baldwin to make some long term gains.

K Dan Bailey (42.8%) - The Cowboys looks like a team that is going to be scoring points in bunches.  They also look like a team that could at any moment have their offensive momentum destroyed by a few sacks.  This environment bodes well for th kicker.  Bailey plays his half his games in a dome and is going to be a safe floor kickers, and that is all you should really care about.  Just look at Stephen Gostkowski's ownership numbers & try and justify their ownership gap.

DEF Miami Dolphins (19.6%) - There aren't any defenses owner in under 50% of leagues that I would recommend for year long ownership.  That being said, this Dolphins unit has a fairly easy schedule and doesn't house glaring weaknesses.  If you want to play the same defense every week..... well, don't.  But if you do employ this strategy, you could do worse then starting the 'Phins.



Future & Upside

QB Carson Palmer (32.3%) - This section is called "Future & Upside" so including Carson Palmer seems pretty ironic.  Arizona fans might be shocked to learn this, but Kurt Warner isn't going to be walking through that door.  Instead I'll just restate what we all know:  The Cardinals are going to be losing, Palmer is going to be throwing, and the RB game is putrid.  Palmer was in essentially the same situation last year, except with receivers.  If you own Ben Roelthisberger cut your losses (this is a preemptive suggestion).  One that you should follow, immediately.  Like right now.  Click.  Add. Feel better.

RB Andre Brown (25.9%) - Andre the Brittle is going to be out for at least 5 more games, but that might not stop Tom Coughlin from putting him on the field anyways.  Ball security is what this cranky old man covets, and there are few arguments to be made that David Wilson has it.  Brown is a primer candidate for a "stash-&-cash" profit during the bye weeks.  You don't need to play the waiting game with Bernard Pierce or Mark Ingram, since their is no definitive cash-in date.  Add Brown, wait for the leg to heal, then reap the bye-week rewards.

RB LeGarrette Blount (1.3%) - Bill Belicheck rules with an iron fist when it comes to his running backs and fumbling.  Stevan Ridley has experienced the playing time rollercoaster ride that comes with fumbling, as he was promptly bench for the rest of the game after coughing up the rock Week 1. Shane Vereen took over to impressive results, but is now sidelined multiple weeks after wrist surgery.  In comes Blount, a former 1,000 yard rusher in Tampa, who is built like former Belicheck man-crush BenJarvus Green-Ellis.  It would not be a stunner if Blount took over backfield duties entirely in Week 2, and with Vereen out he is a high-end handcuff that owners should covet.

WR Justin Blackmon (33.1%) - Blackmon should be universally owned.  There is no reason why someone with this much upside should be sitting on the Waiver Wire at any point during the season.  Blackmon will miss exactly 1 week where bye weeks are in play.  Every team has extra bench slots during the early weeks to roster upside plays.  I literally cannot state how much upside this guy has.  Roster him and just wait for the rewards people.  When Week 8 rolls around, Blackmon is going to be the more desired then fellow WRs Tavon Austin, Greg Jennings or Sidney Rice.  These guys all have universal ownership.  Blackmon should be at "owned in 100% of leagues" status.  Please, for your sake, for mine & for your ability to be the competition, add him.  Now.

WR Stephen Hill (1.2%) - Hill is the most talented receiver on the Jets roster.  Much like every other team in the NFL, players will be catching balls that are thrown by the quarterback during Jets football games.  Sure, Geno Smith is going to be throwing a whole of these balls, but they will still be thrown.  There will be a lot of rookie road blocks for Smith, but Hill has by far the best receiving talent on the club.  Everyone remembers his amazing combine, but for some reason (re: Smith, Geno) he doesn't have any sophomore year hype.  In my eyes, there isn't much of a fantasy difference between him and Cordarrelle Patterson.  Hill should be owned in roughly a third of leagues, not 1 in 100.

TE Tyler Eifert (10.1%) - Somewhere, a rookie first round pick puts up 5 catches for 47 yards while being tied to one of the highest profile offenses in the league.  That somewhere is Cincinnati, where they still mask a top TE talent behind A.J. Green.  I don't know who these fantasy owners are who think Heath Miller, Brent Celek and/or Fred Davis should be rostered over this guy, but these people need to comprehend that your TE2 should have upside.  Eifert has top 5 TE talent.  His ownership numbers should be hovering around 50% off that alone.  Once we hit bye weeks, there isn't going to be a better TE available.  Click & add in advance gamers, that's how you win leagues.

FLEX RB Robert Turbin (3.4%) - Christine Michael had all the buzz with his electric preseason, but Turbin was always the numero dos running back in Seattle.  I'm not suggesting he is a premium handcuff who should have near universal ownership.  Instead, I am suggesting Turbin should be owned in more leagues then Michael, and that currently sits at 51.7%

K Caleb Sturgis (3.1%) - Sturgis is in the same situation as St. Louis' Legatron was last year.  He is going to make nearly all the field goals his offense leaves him.  His quarterback is going enough to get across the 50 yard line, but not quite good enough to cash the majority of opportunities in for 6.  If you can use the word "upside" and "kicker" in the same sentence, you'll probably find the word "Sturgis" too.  Make the add if you want to look long term at kicker because, well, why the hell not?

DEF Cleveland Browns (9.9%) - The Browns stuffed the Dolphins for 0.87 YPC on 23 attempts.  That is really good.  Yeah, that's is like really really good.  There are plenty of holes in the secondary, which is what kept Cleveland from getting the lead all game, but the run stop on this unit is really good.  Did I say it was really good?  There is no defense with more upside then the Browns & should Norv Turner figure out how to keep the offense on the field longer then 4 failed plays, this defensive unit could put up top 10 numbers.


Plug & Play

QB Terrelle Pryor (8.2%) vs JAC
RB Ronnie Brown (0.4%) @PHI
RB Brandon Bolden (0.3%) vs NYJ
WR Julian Edelman (8.5%) vs NYJ
WR Rod Streater (1.9%) vs JAC
TE Dallas Clark (7.6%) vs CLE
FLEX WR Harry Douglas (0.7%) vs STL
K Kai Forbath (5.3%) @GB
DEF Oakland Raiders (0.6%) vs JAC



Honorable Mentions: 

 Josh Freeman (20.7%), E.J. Manuel (14.4%), Danny Woodhead (20.8%), Da'Rel Scott (0.5%), Robert Woods (5.2%) Nate Burleson (3.4%), Marlon Brown (1.5), WR Brandon Gibson (1.2%), Fred Davis (46.5%) Zach Sudfeld (44.7%), Jermaine Greshem (18.1%), Garrett Harley (23.9%), Rob Bironas (3.0%), Dallas Cowboys (43.0%), and Atlanta Falcons (11.2%)