Lose a game and it is no big deal; lose a couple and you start to worry. Lose and only score 10 points in those two games and it’s panic mode.
Last week, I felt like how Colin Kaepernick has played recently – anchored down by a coach who is not flexible and surrounded by wide receivers glued to their coverage guys like Miley Cryus on old men. At least, that is how I was until I started comparing the rankings charts. When in doubt, ask the experts. Seek the opinions of many and find the consensus. With that said, here are the week 4 consensus rankings for Yahoo, CBS and ESPN to help guide your path to fantasy glory.
QUARTERBACKS
QB Notes – Peyton Manning is on fire and he’ll be in a shootout this week… Brady is consistent…How bad is the Dallas defense if Philip Rivers is ranked so high? Roll the dice and go big… Until Kaepernick gets the look of a scared deer out of his eyes even a 9th spot seems high.
RUNNING BACKS
RB Notes – Conspicuously absent is Bernard Pierce, who is ranked high on CBS and ESPN but not Yahoo. If he is indeed playing, expect big results for the Ravens running back who is replacing the injured Ray Rice… Bilal Powell of the Jets is another eye opener. He is owned in less than half of the Yahoo leagues…The only way Darren McFadden was able to score any points last week was by throwing a TD… After what DeMarco Murray did last week, expect similar results from Frank Gore this week (he barely missed this list).
WIDE RECEIVERS
WR Notes – Give a round of applause for Andre Johnson for getting hurt but still playing this week… Left off is Hakeem Nicks, who got a big ol’ goose egg last week. I haven’t seen that kind of ineptitude since those feds tried to cover Skyler White…Julio Jones keeps being listed as ‘probable’ but keeps showing up to play… I like DeSean Jackson against the questionable Denver secondary… Stevie Johnson and Rod Streater popped up on some lists pretty high but not others – worth the risk if you need to gamble… Raise your hand if you were worried about Calvin Johnson after week 1. (If you raised your hand, you are a bad, bad person).
TIGHT ENDS
TE Notes – Jordan Cameron keeps being praised and Jordan Cameron keeps producing. You’re welcome if you benefited from his 3 TD performance. He’s still unowned in 11% of Yahoo leagues… Heath Miller snuck on to the list (owned in less than one-third of Yahoo), but Seattle’s Miller may repeat this week too…The Gronk is back; all hail the Gronk!
KICKERS
K Notes – When in doubt take the kicker who’s offense is struggling (Bailey in Baltimore) or who’s offense is on fire (Hauschka in Seattle). Yahoo and CBS doesn’t project much difference between their top kicker and the tenth. Personally, if I’m doing the kicker shuffle, I try to choose one not playing on Sunday or Monday night. I hate having my fantasy week come down to a guy who doesn’t even wear a full helmet. It’s dumber than letting the AT&T “more is better” guy babysit your kids.
DEFENSE
DEF Notes – As much as I am a Seahawks fan, they played a couple of bad teams. They may be a tad over-projected here. Of course… the teams above them are all playing bad teams this week. After how bad Eli Manning was made to look last week, no wonder everyone is high on the Chiefs. The Jets, Jaguars and Bills are all walking, talking turnovers waiting to happen … and the Titans, Colts and Ravens are hungry customers.
Good luck out there… and when in doubt, always bet against the Jaguars.
Brian Reddoch is a CraveOnline reporter and rabid fan of all teams Seattle. You can follow him on Twitter @ReddReddoch or “like” CraveOnline Sports on Facebook.
Photo Credit: Getty
