Happy post-Halloween everyone! In the world of football, there was plenty to be scared of on the year’s spookiest weekend. No one was likely more frightened than the Seahawks’ fan base, which saw their team fall behind 21-0 against the winless Buccaneers before rallying to hand Greg Schiano’s kids eighth straight loss to open the season.
Still, the Seahawks’ early woes against the hapless Bucs can’t hold a candle to Nick Foles’ performance for the “no one saw that coming” moment of the week (though I did write about his rising stock a few weeks ago and will be glad to take a bow). The Eagles’ quarterback (for now) tossed a record-tying 7 TDs and posted a perfect passer rating of 158.3 and it still wasn’t enough to grant him any job security. It’s hard to decide which is more unbelievable — that Foles threw 7 touchdowns or that Bill Belichick actually got in the Halloween spirit.
That said, fantasy football season is rapidly approaching a climax as only a few weeks remain until the playoffs begin in most leagues. It’s the time of year where every point counts and I’m here, as always, to help out. We’re finally getting a high five in this week’s trends.
Dylan Sinn is a freelance contributor for CraveOnline Sports. You can follow him on Twitter @DylanSinn or “like” CraveOnline Sports on Facebook.
Week 10 Who's Up Who's Down
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Darren McFadden RB - Oakland
McFadden has been one of the most frustrating players in the league for fantasy owners ever since he entered the league in 2008. The Oakland running back has had flashes of brilliance (over 1,100 rushing yards in 2010) and has averaged 4.3 yards per carry over the course of his career, but has failed to play in more than 13 games in any of his six seasons in the NFL, due to a variety of injuries.
The former Arkansas star is now injured again, after tweaking his hamstring in Week 9 against the Jets. It’s unclear how long he’ll be out, but given his history it’s difficult to be optimistic. Ailments aside, however, McFadden simply hasn’t performed at the level of a fantasy stud this season.
The 26-year old has only carried the ball 15 times per game and hasn’t done much with his limited opportunities, averaging just 3.6 yards per carry and only cracking the 100-yard barrier once. This comes a season after he averaged only 3.3 yards per rush, so his subpar performance is definitely becoming a trend. I would try to trade McFadden once he is healthy again because he might not have much value if he continues to struggle as he has in the recent past.
Arrow Pointing: DOWN
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Eddie Lacy RB – Green Bay
It’s time to recognize Lacy for what he is at the moment -- one of the most effective power running backs in football. The Packers’ principal runner has split carries with James Starks for much of the season (and also missed a game with a concussion), but that hasn’t stopped him from ranking ninth in the league in rush yards per game with 74.9.
In recent weeks, Lacy has outperformed even those solid numbers, rushing for over 90 yards four times in his last five contests, including a monster 150 yard performance against the Bears on Monday. Even better for fantasy owners, the former Alabama star has been handed the ball at least 22 times in five straight games; he has clearly separated himself from Starks in the Packers’ backfield.
With Green Bay’s rash of injuries at wide receiver, the team has had to rely on the run game as never before in Aaron Rodgers’ tenure at quarterback, so Lacy is even more valuable than in normal circumstances. He’ll get some of the most consistent carry totals in the NFL over the next few weeks.
Arrow Pointing: UP
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Marvin Jones WR – Cincinnati
Everyone jumped on the Marvin Jones bandwagon after he exploded for four touchdowns against the Jets in Week 8, but the former Cal Bear’s play has been trending upward for a while. He only caught four passes the week after his breakout games, but he averaged 16.5 yards on those catches and Andy Dalton targeted him seven times.
The 23-year old Jones has caught a touchdown pass in three of his last four games and has become a favorite secondary target of Dalton’s in recent weeks alongside AJ Green. Green’s presence on the field means that it will difficult for teams to double Jones and he will likely continue to find space in the defense as the season progresses. The budding second-year star is still only owned in 60 percent of leagues, so certainly pick him up if you need a boost at receiver before the playoffs.
Arrow Pointing: UP
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Matt Ryan QB – Atlanta
The case against Ryan’s fantasy value is unfortunately very simple right now -- in the three games since Julio Jones was lost for the season with a foot injury, the quarterback has thrown seven interceptions and just five touchdowns, three of which were against Tampa Bay in Week 7.
The former Boston College star threw four picks against Arizona in Week 8 and followed that up with three more against Carolina on Sunday. This cluster of completions to the wrong team comes after Ryan threw just three INTs in the first six games of the season combined
With Jones and Roddy White out and the run game struggling (Steven Jackson is averaging just 3.7 yards per carry this season), Ryan doesn’t have a whole lot to work with on offense. Harry Douglas has tried to fill some of the void left by his all-pro counterparts at WR, but he only caught three passes on Sunday and isn’t a true no. 1 target, despite being currently pressed into that role. Ryan is a star, but the lack of weapons around him at the moment means you should probably move on at quarterback. Bench him or drop him as soon as possible as a date with the tough Seattle defense looms next.
Arrow Pointing: DOWN
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Zac Stacy RB – St. Louis
In the first two games of the season, Stacy carried the ball a grand total of…once. Times have certainly changed since then. The rookie has toted the rock 53 times combined in his two most recent games and has made the most of his dramatically increased workload, rushing for 134 and 127 yards in Weeks 8 and 9, respectively.
The fifth-round pick has seemingly become The Man in the Rams rushing attack, as Daryl Richardson continues to be inactive, so his carry totals will likely remain high in the coming weeks, especially if he performs as he has recently. On top of that, Stacy has become a threat catching passes out of the backfield for St. Louis; he reeled in six passes for 51 yards in Week 9 as a sorely-needed outlet for the inexperienced (at least in actual games) Kellen Clemens.
The former Vanderbilt standout is still only owned in 64.3 percent of leagues, so he might be on the waiver wire in your league if you hurry. Stacy found the end zone twice against the vaunted Seattle defense, so those complaining about his lack of touchdowns have been appeased. He could be a breakout star for the second half of the season.
Arrow Pointing: UP
