We’ve officially hit the halfway point of the 2014 NFL regular season, which is more than halfway through your Fantasy season. And if you have more than one of these stars, you’re likely sitting pretty at this point.
Quarterbacks
Andrew Luck – 22 Touchdown Passes / 9 Interceptions, 2,731 pass yards
Peyton Manning – 22 TD / 3 INT, 2,136 yards
Philip Rivers – 20 TD / 5 INT, 2,213 yards
Running Backs
DeMarco Murray – 7 Touchdowns rushing, 1,054 rush yards / 26 receptions, 239 yards
Arian Foster – 7 TD, 766 rush yards / 24 rec., 166 yards 2 TD
Matt Forte – 3 TD, 562 rush yards / 58 rec., 490 yards 3 TD
Wide Receivers
Antonio Brown – 7 Touchdowns receiving, 60 receptions, 852 yards
Demaryius Thomas – 6 TD, 47 rec., 767 yards
Randal Cobb – 9 TD, 40 rec., 578 yards
Tight End
Rob Gronkowski – 7 TD, 40 rec., 558 yards
Antonio Gates – 9 TD, 32 rec., 417 yards
Julius Thomas – 9 TD, 30 rec., 327 yards
However…
There’s plenty of football left and all it takes is making the playoffs to contend for your league’s title. Who knows? You could get a Ben Roethlisberger 6 TD, 500 yard day…
or you could be screaming into nearest inanimate like this guy.
Lindsey Sikula-Hutagalung on Facebook: “Will he be ok to play or do I need to pick someone up?…Ben Roethlisberger or Alex Smith?”
The latest on Tony Romo is that his head coach is optimistic he will start on Sunday. Romo hasn’t practiced yet this week and it’s looking like a game-time decision to see how he handles the pain. If you have a roster spot to spare, you should still pick up a backup plan in case Romo is ruled out.
I don’t think Ben Roethlisberger is going to be throwing 6 touchdowns and 500 yards again anytime soon, nor do I think he’s going to be doing it against the Ravens. In 10 games against Baltimore, Roethlisberger has only thrown more than one touchdown twice. The Ravens have also allowed the fewest passing touchdowns this season, less than 1 per game…Alex Smith, on the other hand, hasn’t thrown a touchdown pass to a wide receiver yet this season. That can change against the Jets who just let Kyle Orton throw 4 touchdowns on them. Should have been 5…
Considering what Jamaal Charles and Kniles Davis can do after the catch as well, Smith will be the safer bet.
Emmet Fairfield on Facebook: “W/R/T spot: Jonathan Stewart or Dwayne Allen?”
Jonathan Stewart is finally healthy again, but it looks like Deangello Williams will be getting the start tonight. Had Stewart gotten the backfield to himself tonight, I would have recommended him to start…However, the Giants have allowed 4 touchdowns to tight ends in their last 3 games. Start Dwayne Allen who should be keep the trend going.
Ryan Suarez on Facebook: “Flex spot: Doug Baldwin, V-Jax, or Bobby Rainey?”
While Doug Baldwin is getting plenty more usage lately following the Percy Harvin trade, his offense doesn’t really make him a primary target as Russell Wilson likes to spread the wealth…Go with Bobby Rainey this weekend against a bad Cleveland defense that is allowing the 2nd most yards per carry and nearly a touchdown per game to running backs. Rainey is also the only one in Tampa’s backfield, so he’ll be getting plenty of work.
John Hayes on Facebook: “Brandin Cooks or Mohamed Sanu?”
Two decent options, but who will be the most reliable? Brandin Cooks played great last week, and he usually does at home. Cooks averages 8 catches and 75 yards per game at home. Much like the rest of the Saints though, there’s a drop off in production on the road as Cooks averages 4 catches and 37 yards away from the Superdome. However, Panthers have allowed the most touchdowns to opposing receivers…It looks like AJ Green will be back to play this week. Some suggest he could be used as a decoy like Calvin Johnson had been weeks ago, but I don’t buy it. Andy Dalton is better throwing to more options so that should take some targets away from Mohamed Sanu…Go with Cooks tonight as the Saints offense seems to be clicking after beating the Packers.
Brennan Casey on Twitter: “Flex spot: Doug Baldwin or Branden Oliver?”
I’ve already given my thoughts on Baldwin, but I would still go with Branden Oliver between these two. Oliver is still the feature back with Ryan Matthews out another week and he is also a factor in the run game. Take into account the Dolphins allowed over 100 yards rushing to Denard Robinson last week, Oliver could have a solid day for you.
Feel free to ask more questions on Twitter or Facebook through the weekend.