Denver Post fantasy football expert Cecil Lammey is a senior writer for and an “NFL Insider” for Denver sports radio station The Ticket, 87.7-FM.
E-mail your questions to lammey@footballguys.com. Please mention your question is for “Denver Post Fantasy Football.”
Now that the Vikings have fired head coach Brad Childress, what will the fantasy implications be? I drafted Brett Favre, Adrian Peterson, and Sidney Rice earlier this year but have been disappointed with them most weeks. Will they start to play up to their potential?
— Tyler
Cecil Lammey: Leslie Frazier was named the interim head coach for the Vikings and I expect the team to come out fired up this week against the Washington Redskins. Frazier promptly named Favre his starting quarterback for the rest of the season, and as long as Favre is healthy he should have a resurgence in the last month of the season.
With Favre playing better, that means good things for Rice. The big wideout returned to the lineup last week, and took some big hits on his injured hip. Rice was sore after the game (and during this week in practice) but it didn’t change the level of his play. One of the biggest reasons why Brad Childress was fired was the fact that he wouldn’t run the ball enough with Peterson. The big back has been disappointing his fantasy owners in recent weeks but I expect that to change under the new head coach. Running the ball more will help keep defenses true, and open things up in the secondary for Favre and the passing game.
Which two running backs would you choose out of the following for week 12? Should I start Steelers RB Rashard Mendenhall, Packers RB Brandon Jackson, Bills RB Fred Jackson, or Cardinals RB Beanie Wells?
— Zach
Fantasy football often comes down to who you can trust from week to week. I can’t trust Wells because he’s splitting time with Tim Hightower. I can’t trust Brandon Jackson either because the Packers are built to pass and not grind it out on the ground. So you should go with Mendenhall and Fred Jackson here, Zach.
The Steelers and Bills are playing each other this week, but both should have good games. It’s tough to run against the Steelers, but Fred Jackson should get plenty of yards as a receiver out of the backfield. The Bills have a “never say die” attitude, and will keep firing even if they get down early in the game. The weather may be a factor in Buffalo now that we’re almost in December. This could mean more running and less passing from the Pittsburgh Steelers. I fully expect them to control this game from the start by running the football with Mendenhall.
I am a concerned owner of Chargers TE Antonio Gates. I recently picked up Cowboys TE Jason Witten, but don’t think he’s very consistent. Saints TE Jimmy Graham is available on the waiver wire, so should I pick him up and drop Witten?
— John S.
Lammey: John, I am a concerned Gates owner as well. His injury likely needs surgery, but he’s going to try and play with the pain for the rest of the year. This means he should be considered a game-time decision every week, and cannot be relied on as an every week starter.
I like the Saints’ Graham more than Witten of the Cowboys. Dallas has played well under interim head coach Jason Garrett, but quarterback Jon Kitna has not really focused on throwing to Witten. Graham had a rough game on Thanksgiving but the targets from Drew Brees were there for him to have a productive day. I see him as the next Gates because he was a basketball star at the University of Miami. Graham is extremely athletic and knows how to “box out” defenders in the red zone. The Saints drafted him to be the replacement to Jeremy Shockey, and Graham should be their primary tight end for the rest of the season.
I want to know your thoughts on Titans sixth-round rookie QB Rusty Smith. Will he help jump start the Tennessee passing game and Randy Moss?
— Colin
Lammey: The matchup against the Texans’ 32nd-ranked secondary is a good one, but Smith was a late-round pick for a reason. I watched Smith up close during the week of practice for the Texas vs The Nation Game earlier this year in El Paso and came away unimpressed. Smith does not respond well to pressure in the pocket. He will feel pressure even when there’s none there, and starts to abandon the play before going through his progressions. Smith also throws flat footed which makes most of his passes over 15-yards off the mark. Moss should be able to get open at will against the Texans, but because of Smith I wouldn’t rely on him as anything more than a flex wide receiver this week.
What do I do with Giants RB Ahmad Bradshaw now that he’s been replaced in the starting lineup by Brandon Jacobs? I heard Giants head coach Tom Coughlin may even get third-string RB Danny Ware more involved in the future. Is Bradshaw even worth rostering or plugging in as a flex play?
— Lance
Lammey: Fantasy owners should not drop Bradshaw. We’ve seen him be productive as a reserve running back before, and that’s what I expect to happen now that he’s behind Jacobs again. Bradshaw just needs to hold on to the football if he wants to get back into the good graces of Coughlin.
Ware played at Georgia with Broncos RB Knowshon Moreno and is a talented runner because of his field vision, strength, and footwork. However, he’s not more dangerous than Bradshaw and may only get a few carries. The Giants are going to play without WRs Steve Smith and Hakeem Nicks, so Bradshaw may even be split out as a slot receiver to help out their passing game.
Now that Vincent Jackson is back in the starting lineup for the Chargers should I start him over Cardinals WR Steve Breaston this week?
— John H.
Lammey: I expect Jackson to have a big game in his season’s debut against the Colts on Sunday night. He’s been practicing with the team for a few weeks now, so I don’t expect to have that much rust on his game.
The Chargers need Jackson more than ever with the injury to TE Antonio Gates and WR Patrick Crayton. Jackson has already earned the trust of QB Phillip Rivers, and I anticipate the dynamic duo will pick up where they left off. I like Breaston as a reserve fantasy receiver for the rest of the season, but I need to see better consistency from QB Derek Anderson before I recommend him as a starter over a guy like Jackson.
I am very concerned about QB Eli Manning over the next few weeks. What are the Giants going to do at wide receiver with both Steve Smith and Hakeem Nicks hurt? Should I pick up any of the guys that will replace them? Finally, should I bench Eli for Broncos QB Kyle Orton?
— Derrick
Lammey: This is a huge concern for me as well Derrick. Eli will be playing without two of his biggest weapons, and I believe the Giants will start running the football more while Smith and Nicks are out. New York wants to win games with a strong ground game and solid defense. We could see them move away from Eli, and more towards players like Brandon Jacobs, Bradshaw, and Ware.
The Giants signed free agent Derek Hagan last week, and free agent Michael Clayton this week. Hagan is physically talented, has a good vertical leap, and has the quickness to get separation in his routes. However, his hands have always been a problem throughout his career. Clayton had a great rookie season back in 2004, but failed to live up to his potential since then. He has good size and straight line speed but his hands are also quite suspect. I do not recommend picking up either of these players.
If I win this week I will get a first-round bye for the fantasy playoffs. Should I start Packers QB Aaron Rodgers, or Eagles QB Michael Vick?
— Mike
Lammey: It’s a big game for both of these quarterbacks Mike, but I’m rolling with Vick this week. Vick can rack up yards as a runner or passer, and is always a threat to score when the Eagles get inside the red zone.
The Packers may start using reserve running back Dimitri Nance more when they get near paydirt. This takes away opportunity from Aaron Rodgers, and this development tips the scales in favor of Vick in my eyes.
I have three power backs, but can only start two of them. Should I start Rams RB Steven Jackson, Buccaneers RB LeGarrette Blount, or Chargers RB Mike Tolbert?
— Bobby
Lammey: Bobby, I would go with Jackson against the Broncos and Tolbert against the Colts.
We’ve seen the Broncos defense have trouble against strong inside runners. While they’ve shut down guys like Jamaal Charles and Chris Johnson, Denver struggled to stop Chargers FB Mike Tolbert. The Rams will need to lean on Jackson if they want to improve their chances of winning against the Broncos.
San Diego wants a big win against the Colts on Sunday night football. Indianapolis has a small defense, and the Chargers should be able to pound them into submission with Tolbert up the middle. The Colts defense will be focused on shutting down Rivers, Jackson, and the Chargers’ passing game. This means wide open rushing lanes for Tolbert.
