Given the events that have gone down this week in the NFL, I have to admit that it feels weird to be talking about fantasy football. I've still been glued to it as usual, and having my leagues brim with satisfaction over Ray Rice floating in the waiver pool for all of fantasy football eternity has at least been a minor respite to all the unpleasantness.
The Sack: SB Nation’s Fantasy Mailbag talks RBs and Week 2 start/sits
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. Today, we talk about new running backs on the fantasy radar, check-in with an acclaimed essay writer, and I try to slip a baseball-themed grindcore song past my editors.
But strictly speaking in comparative terms, I feel more on par to this than ever before:
Except, you know, sub “fantasy football team” in place of “fantasy baseball team.” Whatever, I just wanted to reference Puig Destroyer.
And it goes without saying that yes, I actually do care about your fantasy team, which is why I will open the strings to my bearded mailbag (see: logo) and answer your questions this week and every other week of the season.
@TheSackSBN 14 team league with full IDP. How much of my $100 budget do I spend on Forsett? I have RBush, Murray, West, Woodhead and Dunbar
— Kyle Nelson (@kyle321n) September 10, 2014 Honestly, with your options I wouldn’t even bother. Zero dollars is what I’d bid, especially given that you’re in a deep league with full IDP. One hundred dollars has to go a long way.
Justin Forsett got the lion's share of carries in Week 1, but after some cryptic comments from Head Coach John Harbaugh as to who will lead the backfield on Thursday, I don't have much confidence in Forsett. Keep in mind that he is a journeyman scat-back, who is reliant on a big workload to accumulate fantasy points, and big workloads don't typically go to running backs of his mold. If I want a Baltimore Ravens running back on my roster -- and chances are I don't -- I'm targeting Bernard Pierce for the long run.
@TheSackSBN @SBNationFantasy Crowell or West as a pick up in the Cleveland backfield?
— hashtagsutton (@hashtagsutton) September 10, 2014 Right now, it’s Terrance West. It’s clear that he’ll be getting the bulk of the touches, as evidenced by his 16 to Isaiah Crowell’s five in Week 1. Also, West dominated in the snaps department, getting on the field 37 times to just 14 from his counterpart. Crowell has intriguing talent, but West showed exactly what he needed to last week after an uninspiring preseason, resembling himself in his college days where he routinely steamrolled would-be tacklers on his way to ripping off huge chunks of yardage (I may or may not be a Towson alum and be showing far too much excitement).
But bias aside, the Cleveland Browns will have to be reliant on the run game in Josh Gordon's absence (Maybe not for much longer!), and with Jordan Cameron at less than 100 percent. Fifteen to 20 carries is about the neighborhood we can expect West to maintain in Ben Tate's absence, and even versus the New Orleans Saints front seven, I'd willingly flex him with confidence. It's ground and pound for the Brounds Browns.
@TheSackSBN Gerhart, Jeremy Hill, and Zac Stacy fighting for a flex spot. Think Hill will improve? He put up a huge stinker this week
— Bonesaw (@BoomMcSplode) September 9, 2014 Well the thing you really need to consider is...wait a sec, this looks familiar. “Boom McSplode,” was it?
i paid @BoomMcSplode $1 to write 1000 words about his fantasy football team. it is a wonderful story http://t.co/F5ELoqDDqk
— Jon Bois (@jon_bois) September 4, 2014 I KNEW it. Well, it’s good to be conversing with a fellow professional writer, especially one who taught me in his 1,000-word essay that Toby Gerhart’s first name is actually Tobinbo. What I learned on my own soon after that is Tobinbo’s middle name is Gunnar, and I refuse to be convinced that Tobinbo Gunnar Gerhart has never been the bad guy in an 80’s skiing movie. DON’T CLOSE DOWN THE REC CENTER YOU MONSTER.
I'd actually start ol' Toby-Gun this week versus a Washington defense that allowed over 100 yards on the ground to Arian Foster in Week 1, but make sure to monitor his practice reports. He's been dealing with an ankle injury, however the receiving corps appears to be in worse shape. Marqise Lee exited practice early, and Cecil Shorts is on the mend, but perpetually under 100 percent. As long as Gerhart can play, I'd give him the go.
Let’s talk about Hill, though. His outlook for the season is still fine, but I wouldn’t expect a big role from him in the season’s early goings. It appears he will have to earn his coaching staff’s trust, and they never gave him the chance to do so versus the Ravens. He’ll have to be benched until further notice, but I expect a steady improvement each week. It’s just one of those things Hill owners will have to wait out.
@TheSackSBN @SBNationFantasy 2 wr, 2 rb, 1 flex. Ivory, Moreno, hyde, Sankey. Tate, calvin, maclin.
— Anthony Zupan (@zupanal) September 10, 2014 Let's go down the list. Chris Ivory's playing second fiddle to Chris Johnson, who played a pretty mean fiddle in his New York Jets debut. He wasn't Charlie Daniels-like or anything, but at least as good as a...uh...
(Googles “who plays fiddle?”)
FIDDLER ON THE ROOF. Yeah, that guy. Despite that, Ivory was still pretty involved, getting just three fewer snaps than Johnson despite eight fewer touches. So let’s not dismiss him.
Knowshon Moreno' also in a timeshare, but one where he's getting early down and goal-line work, and it's a hot hand I'd roll with for now. Carlos Hyde's situation is murkier, despite an encouraging NFL debut. As of now, Hyde's role appears only to give Frank Gore a breather instead of having close to an equal share of the backfield duties, although he's been a much more effective runner thus far.
After looking at your receivers all of whom should be just fine this week, Hyde is the one I'm least confident about because of what his usage could be. The Chicago Bears present a great matchup for him, but they'll be better at bottling up the run game than the hapless Dallas Cowboys were. Hyde's got fantastic long-term value, but I would only feel comfortable starting him in the deepest of leagues.
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.
