Fantasy Football Love/Hate Week 7: Word of the Week is Trade

It’s the midway point of the fantasy season. (In my best Jersey accent …) So how you doin’?

By now you have assessed, reassessed, let your ego take over at how good a fantasy player you are, been ready to quit this game and never play again, thrown a Diet Coke at the dog, hugged your Uncle Larry when that guy you almost sat on the bench scored his second touchdown and ticked off the wife 147 times for screaming at the television. (She’s right, you know, they really can’t hear you.) And yet, assuming you play 13 regular-season games, we’re just now hitting halftime.

So while most of the big free-agent acquisitions already have been made, now is the time to focus on trading. While this is always easier in keeper leagues, it’s just as important in non-keepers. And it goes without saying that making a deal with those teams inching closer toward being out of the running is important as ever now, because soon they either won’t care or any move made with them will be under a greater deal of scrutiny among other league members. In other words, spend some time identifying your targets and then go out and pull the trigger.

This goes for the 5-1 team – your guys aren’t THAT good – and for the 2-4 team – these scabs aren’t THAT bad. Well, maybe they are that good or that bad, but being proactive is half the battle. As a commissioner for 23 years, I have seen 6-0 teams miss the playoffs and once had an 0-5 come back and win the whole dang thing. I have also seen a real NFL team blow a 24-0 lead on Monday night and have my starting fantasy quarterback turn the ball over 42 times, but that’s another story, and no, I’m not bitter. … Damn you, Philip Rivers. Stop it. Stop talking to yourself while writing your blog. Where’s the backspace key? Ah forget it, I don’t have time.

Bottom line is you owe it to yourself to not take a week off. That means setting your lineup isn’t your only chore as a potential successful fantasy owner – with a strong emphasis on the word “potential.”

Now let’s get back to your lineup.

LOVE

QUARTERBACK
Josh Freeman, Bucs vs. Saints (26th vs. pass)
While the Saints defense has shown signs of improvement, so has Freeman. He seems to be settling in with this offense, hooking up big time with Mike Williams and Vincent Jackson last week in a rout of the Chiefs. I picked him up three weeks ago looking ahead to both my top two QBs on byes in Week 7, and I suggest if he’s on your waiver wire and you’re in a similar spot, you do the same.
Honorable mention: Matt Hasselbeck, Titans at Bills (The old man looks comfortable)

RUNNING BACKS
Montario Hardesty, Browns at Colts (29th vs. run); Ben Tate, Texans vs. Ravens (26th vs. run)
The waiver wire has been going crazy all week with pickups of Hardesty. While 3 percent of CBS owners had him on a roster previous to Monday, that’s up to 43 percent on Thursday. We’re buying this one. Even though it looks like Trent Richardson will play Sunday, Hardesty will be a huge factor for the Browns if they want to continue on their momentum of recent better play. Also, only one team (Buffalo) has allowed more rushing touchdowns (eight) than the Colts. … While Tate’s injury is a concern, it seems like he’s ready to roll. With the Ravens defense in a serious state of flux, there will be plenty to go around for both Arian Foster and Tate.
Honorable mention: Steven Jackson, Rams vs. Packers (It’s time for him to get out of the doghouse); DeAngelo Williams, Panthers vs. Cowboys (Their only chance is an early and often dose of Williams)

WIDE RECEIVERS
Stephen Hill, Jets at Patriots (28th vs. pass); Domenik Hixon, Giants vs. Redskins (32nd vs. pass)
With Santonio Holmes, Hill is taking over a larger role in this offense. While the goal is still to run, you can expect the Jets to try and free up Hill and Jeremy Kerley a bit. While Kerley has the better numbers, I have a hunch Hill will become the top option for (I hate to even type this name in a fantasy blog) Mark Sanchez. … Hixon’s targets have gone up from a combined six the first two weeks of the season to 25 over the past three weeks. Although he has yet to catch a touchdown pass, he is due, especially with a nicked up Hakeem Nicks. If Hixon, who is available in 51 percent of CBS leagues, can continue his 82.3 yards-per-game average since Sept. 30, he’s worth having even without a trip to the end zone.
Honorable mention: Lance Moore, Saints at Bucs (With two weeks off, he’s getting healthier and should be ready to roll); Nate Burleson, Lions at Bears (When other teams triple-team Megatron, Burleson’s gotta be open)

TIGHT END
Jared Cook, Titans at Bills (20th vs. pass)
OK, so it’s no secret I like Cook, but I like this matchup too much to let it go by. The Bills are absolutely abysmal against opposing tight ends, and that streak should continue against a veteran quarterback who probably will look to get the ball down field little chunks at a time.
Honorable mention: Martellus Bennett, Giants vs. Redskins (Thought Eli forgot about him, didn’t you?)

KICKER: Greg Zuerlein, Rams vs. Packers (The kid’s going to bounce back)

HATE

QUARTERBACK
Cam Newton, Panthers vs. Cowboys (1st vs. pass)
Call it a sophomore slump or something else I can’t type in a blog on a family website, Newton has been anything but stellar. He is barely among top 20 fantasy QBs, and he is behind the likes of Christian Ponder, Andrew Luck and even Alex Smith and Kevin Kolb. And this week, he gets a shot at the top-ranked defense against the pass. No thanks.
Not-so-honorable mention: Jay Cutler, Bears vs. Lions (What does Cutler do in primetime? Choke, choke, choke)

RUNNING BACKS
Mikel Leshoure, Lions at Bears (1st vs. run); Matt Forte, Bears vs. Lions (12th vs. run)
After his first week in action in Week 3 at Tennessee, the Lions’ coaching staff wisely cut back on his touches. Last week, he was down to 15 carries and did well, gaining 70 yards. But against this ferocious rushing defense, you can bet Matt Stafford will have to look downfield to his receivers. … Like Chicago, Detroit has allowed just one rushing touchdown. While scoring is no longer Forte’s, well, forte, that might not seem to be a huge factor. But the Lions have allowed less than 100 rushing yards per game combined among all backs, and there’s little doubt the winner here is the one who has more success passing.
Not-so-honorable mention: Ray Rice, Ravens at Texans (Obviously, you can’t sit him, but just know Texans have yet to allow a rushing TD); Shonn Greene, Jets at Patriots (Loved him last week, he goes back to being Shonn Greene this week)

WIDE RECEIVERS
Larry Fitzgerald, Cardinals at Vikings (10th vs. pass); Percy Harvin, Vikings vs. Cardinals (9th vs. pass)
Just as Kolb was settling in, shocker, he gets nailed in the ribs and is now expected to miss a bit of time. Fitzgerald owners lose out most of all, as he has been on quite a roll, catching nine, eight, eight and six passes over his past four games as opposed to five combined in the first two. You have to start him if you have him, but be prepared for a tough day. … Just as you would with Fitz, you really can’t bench Harvin, but it’s another case of this being more of a warning. The Cardinals have allowed just five passing touchdowns all season, and Harvin isn’t really a receiving TD kind of guy anyway. Overall, they’ve allowed just 216 yards through the air per game. You get the sense I think this one is going to be low-scoring?
Not-so-honorable mention: Steve Smith, Panthers vs. Cowboys (Hard to catch ‘em if Newton can’t get ‘em there.); Anquan Boldin, Ravens at Texans (Houston’s weakness is big plays, and that certainly isn’t Boldin’s strength)

TIGHT END
Jermichael Finley, Packers at Bengals (6th vs. pass)
The time has come, my friends, to place Mr. Finley on the bench. It’s a tough thing to do, especially after watching Jordy Nelson come back from the dead last week, but it’s Week 7, and Finley shows no signs of being able to separate and score. While he still is owned in nearly every fantasy league, his starting percentage is down to 33 on CBS. If you’re in that number, let go. Just let go.
Not-so-honorable mention: Jermaine Gresham, Bengals vs. Steelers (Don’t let last week fool you)

KICKER: Rob Bironas, Titans at Bills (Cold and rainy in Buffalo on Sunday)

MY WEEK 7 LINEUPS (as of Thursday)

FINKS FOOTBALL LEAGUE (touchdown-heavy scoring, 3 pts passing TD, no PPR, 20-team keeper league with two separate conferences – which have separate drafts — of 10 teams)

MojoXpress (4-2, won 47-28)
Starters: JFreeman, MLynch, ABradshaw, PHarvin, CalJohnson, JNelson (flex), JGresham, SGraham
Bench: MVick, PRivers, ABradshaw, LMcCoy, BTate, JStewart, DAmendola, RMoss, JFinley, DAkers

WHO DAT LEAGUE (mostly standard scoring, 6 pts passing TD, no PPR, 12-team keeper league)
Squirrel Pool (2-4, lost 85-56)
Starters: MStafford, TRichardson, MLynch, VCruz, MikeWilliams, KBritt (flex), DPitta, Bengals Def, BWalsh
Bench: PRivers, ABoldin, AntBrown, AlexGreen, DBess, RMoss, JFinley, Dolphins Def