Dan's Sack (Fantasy Football Mailbag): Week 5

Man, I am glad to not have to write this column with a 101.9 fever again. That was brutal last week. Did I even give out decent advice? I don’t remember. Was there a .gif involved in one of my responses? I feel like there was a .gif. Anyways, let’s just get to this week’s batch of questions so I don’t have to dwell on that whole thing.

Parks Smith writes:

Shonn Greene or Jackie Battle this week? And yes, this is a depressing question to ask.

Yeah, it is. Play Shonn Greene. As an overly optimistic Ryan Mathews owner, I’m not buying completely into the whole timeshare with Jackie Battle that we saw versus the Chiefs. Even though Mathews didn’t put up great numbers when he saw the field, he was still far and away the best running back the Chargers put in the backfield last Sunday. I’m not quite sure Mathews owners have to worry just yet about Norv Turner being Todd Haley 2.0, but it’s a situation that bears monitoring rather than one that can have too many conclusions drawn from it. That said, check the waiver wire for Thomas Jones, Curtis Enis or Bernie Parmalee-- they might be better options this week.

JASPI55 from the Hogs Haven community writes:

Tom Brady and Michael Turner for Drew Brees and MJD... who wins this trade?

Just when I thought the wheels were going to fall off Michael Turner, he has an absurd fantasy week and almost makes himself relevant again. Almost. The truth is, despite his monster game, “The Burner” runs more like an AC Gremlin with Hans Moleman driving it.

To be fair, we’ve seen players with far less talent succeed in worse situations, and there’s no doubt that Turner still has a few good weeks left in him. The thing is, it’s nowhere close to what Maurice Jones-Drew can give his team. MJD is still an elite talent who is a lock for 25 touches every game, and that’s worlds more than what Turner can give at this point in his career. I would absolutely take Drew Brees and Jones-Drew over Tom Brady and Turner.

@mkearns7 writes via Twitter:

Facing Rodgers. I have Nelson AND James Jones. Would you start both over Brandon [Lloyd] or DeSean [Jackson] to neutralize Rodgers? We play 3 WRs

I would start Jordy, but there is zero chance that James Jones outscores both or even either of Brandon Lloyd and DeSean Jackson. It’s a nice strategy to cancel out your opponent’s best player, but James Jones isn’t a credible enough threat to do that effectively and at the end of the day you have to go with a player who has the highest ceiling in this case. Jones’ ceiling is nowhere near the ones of Jackson and Lloyd, even against the lowly Colts defense. Just stick with your studs.

Munson21502 from the Hogs Haven community writes:

Who to flex? Julio Jones, Reggie Bush, MJD.

Got AJ.green and Harvin as my starter WRs. And Foster and Lynch as my RBs

OH HO HO! Look at us with our multitude of fantasy football options! We just have so many to choose from, whatever should we do?

What other questions shall we need answered today? Do we perhaps try the filet mignon for dinner tonight or the diamond-stuffed lobster? Shall we take the private jet to the secret awesome island or just hop aboard Fred Smoot’s yacht instead? Need insight on choosing between Brooklyn Decker on a pogo stick and Kate Upton on a trampoline??? Because I don’t even know the answer to that one.

Start Maurice Jones-Drew and let me at least hold the pogo stick afterwards. Deal? Deal. I hate you.

FREAKIN’ HALFTIME!

@antonio_RA writes via Twitter:

TE B. Celek or Fred Davis ?

I never thought I’d say this, but as far as the Eagles receiving options go, DeSean Jackson is the only one I feel good about. Brent Celek had a couple of awesome weeks, but keep in mind that it was when Jeremy Maclin missed time or was on the field at nowhere close to 100 percent. Now that Maclin is getting back up to speed, Celek hasn’t been in the picture as much and I expect that trend to continue.

As for Fred Davis, he’s starting to finally emerge in a new-look offense after a lethargic start to the season. There will be tons of points scored on Sunday when the Redskins face the Falcons, and there’s no reason to think Davis couldn’t find pay dirt himself. Give Davis the nod.

Jorge Villadiego of the Hogs Haven Community writes:

M. Bennett (Giants Tight End) do you see him continuing his success? And Pitta is still available. Should I get him?

As long as Hakeem Nicks is ailing—which could be for awhile-- Eli Manning will look to spread the ball around while Victor Cruz garners most of the attention. This is a big reason why Bennett has had success so far, however, consistency will be an issue. This could be a fantasy situation somewhat reminiscent of the New Orleans Saints in years past, where there weren’t many reliable fantasy players despite a high-flying offense. Eli Manning and Victor Cruz will still put up points, but the rest of those fantasy numbers could come from any of Domenik Hixon, Ramses Barden or Bennett, much like fans were uncertain over who among Devery Henderson, Robert Meachem or Pierre Thomas were going to get points in a given week.

And sure, grab Dennis Pitta. Don’t read too much into the goose egg he put up last week, but understand that he-- like Bennett-- will disappear from time to time. He’s still worth a stash.

MacKenzieRivers from the Hogs Haven Community writes:

Garcon ready? I’ve been waiting to start my man Pete Waiter for the past few weeks now. Is this week the week? (My other options are Desean Jackson at Pittsburgh and Fitzgerald at St. Louis.)

I think if you really need a wide receiver, then you start Pierre Garcon. But since you already have two very safe options with immense upside in DeSean Jackson and Larry Fitzgerald, you have the freedom to wait and see if Garcon’s foot really is at the point where he can put up great numbers once again.

But to those that aren’t as deep at the position, I say go ahead and start him. He’s not likely going to be on a “pitch count” this week like he was versus the Buccaneers, and like I said earlier, there could be a ton of points put up during his game.

So it definitely looks like Garcon will (puts sunglasses on) serve his fantasy owners this weekend.

CCastle94 from the Hogs Haven Community writes:

I have Ben Roethlisberger and Jay Cutler and I am not sure who to start. I know Roethlisberger had a great game before the bye week, however, Cutler just had a very good game but has been rather inconsistent through the past four weeks. Who should I start?

Dude, if consistency was what you wanted out of your quarterback, then Jay Cutler was literally the worst possible option you could have taken. That’s like taking a vacation to Aspen because you really wanted to see the beach.

Cutler is a quarterback I really like from an upside standpoint, but be prepared to take lumps week-to-week when you gamble with someone like him. The good news is that this week, Cutler should be more on par with what he did versus the Cowboys instead of other vomit-worthy performances this season. The Jaguars have a vulnerable secondary that could get torched by Brandon Marshall and company, and that is a much more favorable situation than the one Ben Roethlisberger is approaching this week.

The Philadelphia Eagles defense has been fantasy poison to opposing quarterbacks this season, and while Roethlisberger is capable of thriving despite that, it’s just too risky to bank on that while Cutler has such a cushy matchup. So I’ll leave you this week with the three most famous last words of any fantasy football writer: Start Jay Cutler.

If anyone has any more questions, feel free to post them in the comments section and I will answer as many as I can. Or, just reach me on Twitter @PFF_Dan .

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