Fantasy Football Out on a Limb Volume 5


LestersLegends.com presents Fantasy Football Out on a Limb.  I scour the rosters to select a player who I feel will outperform a higher profile player in that given week.  I base my decisions on matchups, how the players are trending, and the ever-important hunch.  To mix things up I’ll occasionally do some two on one matchups or even pit RB or WR duos against each other.  Sometimes I’ll spot a player some points. 


Scoring
6 points for rushing or receiving TD
4 points for a passing TD
0.1 points per yard for rushing or receiving
0.05 points per passing yard. 

Last Week
Donovan McNabb
(16.6) beat Carson Palmer (DNP – Thanks Carson) WHICH I LOST.
Jamal Lewis (15.4) beat  Michael Turner (5.5) WHICH I WON.
Jonathan Stewart (11.2) beat Darren McFadden (3.7) WHICH I WON.
Robert Meachem (15.9) beat Santonio Holmes (12.1) WHICH I WON.
Isaac Bruce (11.4) beat Hines Ward (5.7) WHICH I WON.
Super Stetch:  Jason Campbell (19.85) beat Kerry Collins (10.15) WHICH I LOST.

Regular Picks:  4-1
Super Stretch Picks:  0-1 
Overall:  4-2
Breakdown: QB: 0-2, RB 2-0, WR: 2-0
Season Record
Regular Picks:  13-7
Super Stretch Picks:  1-3
Overall:  14-10
Breakdown: QB: 3-2, RB: 7-3, WR: 4-5

Quarterback
    
Peyton Manning over Jay Cutler and Philip Rivers
I’ll take the Old Guy to take down not one, but two of the young, upstart QBs that have taken the league by storm.  Manning should have had time in bye week to continue to heal and get on page with his wideouts.  I see him reminding the leauge that he’s the top dog with Brady out.  Cutler faces Tampa, which should provide a tougher matchup than Houston for the Colts.  Rivers faces Miami, and I’m guessing it will be run-heavy.  Just to spell it out, Peyton isn’t taking on the combo, he’s just facing two opponents.

Running Backs
  
Steve Slaton
over Ronnie Brown
Yeah, I’ll do it.  I’ll take on Mr. 5 TDs with a Rookie.  Brown will not do that agasint San Diego.  It ain’t happening.  San Diego knows they need this game to get back in the hunt, and they will come to play.  Meanwhile, Slaton gets to face Indy without Bob Sanders.  They are a completely different Defense without him.  The thing I like about Slaton is that he gets yardage on the ground and through the air.

  
Matt Forte over Reggie Bush
I’ll go with another rookie in this matchup.  I expect a heavy dose of Forte vs. Detroit this week to keep Megatron and Roy Williams off the field.  Minnesota is stout against the Run, but that’s not where I see Reggie doing his work this week.  With Deuce back, he’ll get the bulk of the carries.  I see about 30 rushing yards for Reggie.  He’ll probably catch around ten passes, but will only muster up 70 yards.  The Vikes will keep him out of the endzone so if Forte can score, he’ll only need 40 yards or so to win.  Of course, the Vikes and Saints battle in primetime so Bush and AP could get in a shootout, leaving me with a big, fat L.  We’ll see.

Wide Receiver
  
Terrell Owens
over Brandon Marshall
Brandon Marshall has been an absolute beast.  I may be crazy to pick against him.  He’s facing Tampa though, who could slow him down.  Meanwhile, Dallas is coming off its first Loss.  T.O. started whining a bit.  In an effort from T.O. becoming a distraction, I see a heavy workload for the league’s biggest Wide Re-Diva. 

  
Marvin Harrison over Roy Williams
I think the bye week allowed Peyton and Marvin the time to get their chemistry back.  With Reggie Wayne, Joseph Addai, and now Anthony Gonzalez drawing the attention, Marvin will be able to slip into holes in Houston’s D and get some production.  Roy Williams is clearly second-fiddle to Megatron in Detroit and I’m not expecting a real strong showing from the passing attack.  I can see Detroit using Rudi and Kevin Smith to try and win the time of possession battle.

SUPER STRETCH
 
Mewelde Moore over Edgerrin James
With Willie Parker banged up and Mendenhall out for the year, Mewelde gets the chance to shine.  They probably won’t run a ton without their top two backs, but Moore should factor in heavily in the passing attack.  Edge has a tough matchup vs. Buffalo.  Plus, he’s yielding the TDs to Tim Hightower.

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