Courtesy of: rotoprofessor.com
Last week, team TSC retook the season lead in our weekly competition with I Hate JJ Redick. My victory over Ross Dunham was a fairly balanced effort, but led primarily by Philip Rivers of “Philip Rivers? You mean that Philip Rivers?!” This week, I plan to put some distance between us, and take a two game lead heading into week 6*. And now for the picks.
*Note: These picks were made prior to the start of Thursday night’s game; the same game that saw the Browns DEF rack up points while Brian Hoyer left the game injured in the first quarter…ugh.
(This week’s preview was compiled by Jim Chaney of The Sports Column.)
Ross (1st Pick)- QB: Sam Bradford- I could be wrong, but we have probably picked at least one guy every week that is going up against the Jaguars. I might as well continue the trend this week as Bradford and the sack-ridden Rams welcome Jacksonville to St. Louis. To be honest, I won’t even bother watching this game because it will most likely be terrible, but I certainly have a feeling that Bradford will get his offense off the schnide and put up good fantasy numbers.
Jim- QB: Brian Hoyer- Since taking over as starter in Cleveland, Hoyer has opened up the passing game with Jordan Cameron and Josh Gordon. He’s posted back to back weeks of 18 fantasy points and now takes on a Bills defense that gave up 347 yards to Joe Flacco last week. I’ll roll the dice here.
Jim- RB: Bilal Powell- He’s the full time starter for the Jets; which in the weeks of multiple teams on bye is a major leg up. He may not be a special talent, but the fact is, you can run on the Falcons. Considering the Jets can’t do a whole lot else, I expect the volume to produce enough fantasy points to make this pick worth it.
Ross- RB: David Wilson- Unlike Powell, Wilson is a special talent, he just hasn’t shown it yet in 2013. The kid can scoot and is by far the best back on the team. Now that New York cut Da’rel Scott, Wilson will see more opportunities on the field. And he’s up against one of the worst defenses in the league in the Eagles, could this be the breakout game we’ve all been waiting for?
Ross- WR: Marques Colston- Colston hasn’t produced like a top wideout this year compared to other years. He’s been relatively quiet so far in 2013 and I fully expect that to change against a tested Chicago Bears defense.
Jim- WR: Josh Gordon- In all the years I’ve been playing fantasy football, I don’t recall ever relying on multiple Browns’ players, yet here I go taking a QB and WR. After watching what Torrey Smith did last week in Buffalo however, I’m confident in the Hoyer to Gordon connection at least once in this game. Gordon has been receiving a ton of a targets since coming back from suspension and I expect that to continue against a porous Bills defense.
Jim- TE: Jared Cook- He hasn’t found the endzone since week 1, but he remains the biggest target on the field for Sam Bradford and against the Jags this week, I think he finds pay dirt once again. This is both a gut pick as well as a strategic one. With Ross relying on the Rams QB this week, I’m willing to bank on some of those yards and possibly TDs coming Cook’s way.
Ross- TE: Kellen Winslow- The Jets receivers are dropping like flies, and Winslow is already one of rookie Geno Smith’s favorite targets, so this week I could see him putting up big numbers. Yes, Geno is bad, but the Falcons have allowed a touchdown to a TE in three of their four games this year.
Ross- DEF: Browns- We have all seen how putrid offenses play on Thursday night, it’s been a relevant trend. The Browns have a solid defense and an even better defensive coordinator in Ray Horton. He finds a way to develop pressure and I don’t expect anything different against a rookie quarterback.
Jim- DEF: Panthers- Coming off the bye and facing a patchwork Cardinals offensive line seems like a great recipe for success. The Panthers defensive ends will get plenty of pressure on QB Carson Palmer and I’m thinking a handful of sacks in this game. I also think this game is controlled by the Panthers as far as time of possession goes and not very high scoring.
Year To Date:
Team TSC: 2-1-1
Team IHJJR: 1-2-1
