It’s lunch time on Thursday, which means it’s time to answer your fantasy questions in another edition of The Sack. Heck, you could even think of this as your sack lunch, which would actually just be really sad. That means there are probably uneaten sandwiches. Think about it.
The Sack: SB Nation’s fantasy football mailbag answers your Week 9 questions
Got fantasy football questions? Come to SB Nation’s Fantasy War Room or tweet @TheSackSBN for answers. Every Thursday, a few will be pulled and answered here. This week, we talk about new running backs in the fold, quarterback trades and reflect on early 90’s music videos.
And when you're done pondering your lunch prospects, maybe there will some time left over to consider your fantasy lineups. Those have to be set before tonight's Saints vs. Panthers game, so let me help out with that. When I'm done, then you can get back to thinking about less depressing ways to spend your lunch break.
@TheSackSBN pick two:colston, Baldwin,Michael Floyd,Terrance Williams, Harvin (standard)
— halloween Jesse (@jetnee) October 29, 2014 You have Michael Floyd, huh? Not that you need me to tell you, but do you want to know how much fun it's been deciding whether to start him? Larry Fitzgerald and John Brown owners, this applies to you too. Take a look at this:
So this has been a blast so far... pic.twitter.com/8mvkBJ7QOv
— Rich Hribar (@LordReebs) October 28, 2014 It's a crapshoot every week. Someone in that receiving corps is bound to go off, but it's anyone's guess as to which it will be. And of all of them, Floyd's actually had the lowest ceiling, despite fantasy owners anticipating that he could put up fringe WR1/WR2 numbers with the Arizona Cardinals this season. Instead, the ball is getting spread around, and the Cardinals passing offense isn't prolific enough to send every receiver home with a ton of fantasy points each week.
With all of that headache considered, I'd still start Floyd this week, and I'll get to that. My first choice is Doug Baldwin, who has been surprisingly commanding a big share of targets since Percy Harvin's departure (11 in Week 7, eight in Week 8).
Under normal circumstances, I'd start Terrance Williams. provided Tony Romo plays. Williams has one of the best matchups a receiver could ask for versus the Cardinals, but it's no slam-dunk that his quarterback plays. If he does, start him, but for now, I'd have Floyd penciled into your second WR spot. Marques Colston can be an afterthought while Jimmy Graham's healthy, and Percy Harvin still needs a little more involvement in his new offense to warrant a start over your current group.
@TheSackSBN Have Wilson and Philips and always play the wrong guy and watch the other guy go off. Who's the best bet this week?
— Craig P. Ephraim (@heyeph) October 29, 2014 2. I'm guessing you mean Philip Rivers, because he's the only fantasy-relevant player with a Philip in his name. Either way, thank you very much for managing to put that Wilson Phillips song in my head for the rest of the month.
I like how they’re on a mountain when they sing this song. That’s a good move by the director of the music video, because it makes their message of the song, which is “hold on,” mandatory. Because if you don’t hold on, you’re gonna fall off that mountain, and buddy, you don’t wanna find out what’s at the bottom.
But I think the real solution for your fantasy team isn’t determining which quarterback to start, but looking for a QB-needy trade partner. It’s going to do you no good having one of those guys on your bench each week, and you’re right at how ridiculous it’s become choosing between one or the other:
Rivers gives you the least variance, but Wilson’s ceiling is too high to ignore. And it’s not as if Wilson’s not going to keep you competitive more often than not, and that coupled with his running ability make him the quarterback I want to own going forward.
If you can't work out a trade before Sunday, Wilson is the quarterback I'd start this week. He faces a cake matchup versus an Oakland Raiders defense that ranks 15th in fantasy points allowed to quarterbacks, but the closest it's come to being tested by a quarterback of Wilson's caliber was back in Week 3 by a then-slumping Tom Brady. Philip Rivers, meanwhile has one of the stingiest matchups of the week to a Miami Dolphins defense that has allowed the fourth-fewest fantasy points to quarterbacks so far.
You have to say Sims at this point. He's expected to get at least 10 touches in his season debut, and the other situations don't bode well. Andre Holmes versus the Seahawks secondary on the road spells disaster. Donte Moncrief is a monster in the making, but the volume won't be there for him as long as Reggie Wayne is back in the lineup. Knile Davis will always see a limited upside with Jamaal Charles in the fold.
However! I don't think the Bengals have any clue what the deal is with their starter, Gio Bernard. There hasn't been much information at all given on his availability this week after he sat out the end of his team's Week 8 showdown with the Baltimore Ravens due to a hip pointer. It subsequently kept him out of practice on Wednesday, and it remains to be seen if he will be in the lineup again this week. Should he sit, it's a no-brainer to start Jeremy Hill versus a Jacksonville Jaguars run defense that is improving, but still isn't there.
As much as I want to say that Robert Griffin III needs to be inserted into lineups, I can't. We know his potential, but we also know he can singlehandedly tank an entire lineup. There's simply too much variance in his performance to make him an advisable start over a consistent but unspectacular Carson Palmer.
The thing to keep in mind with Griffin isn’t so much his health, but the mental aspect. He hasn’t taken a meaningful snap in seven weeks, and he is facing a Mike Zimmer defense that is completely capable of stymying a young, and potentially rusty quarterback. Keep in mind that Zimmer went against Jay Gruden’s offense every day in practice when both coached for the Bengals. That works both ways, but it’s still something to consider. At the end of the day there are just too many “what ifs” to feel comfortable starting Griffin over a guy like Palmer this week. Since upside is still there with RG3, I’d consider starting him for teams in bye-week hell, but that’s pretty much it.
Hey, guys, thank you for reading this week’s edition of The Sack. If you would like to be in next week’s The Sack, please post your fantasy questions in the comments or tweet me at @TheSackSBN. Be sure to also visit SB Nation’s Fantasy War Room so I can pull questions from there as well.
