Fantasy playoffs right around the corner

The fantasy football playoffs are almost here! This means that teams are especially taking notice of this week to see who they should start for the playoffs. This week is an odd one, as there are many players to pick-up that have tons of up-side. They also happen to mainly be wide receivers and running backs. These players are available in many leagues, so we suggest that if you need a running back or wide receiver, pick them up now!

Ryan Broyles, Wide Receiver Detroit Lions. Not many people are sold yet on Broyles, yet we think you should give him a shot. He got 12 targets last week and got 12.6 points because of it. His targets keep increasing each week, so he should be able to continue his excellence. He is playing the Indianapolis Colts, who have given up the 4^th most fantasy points to wide receivers this year. All of this adds up to a big game this week, and he has the potential to continue his hot streak to help you in the playoffs.

Knowshon Moreno, Running Back Denver Broncos. Many people were wondering who would emerge as the starting running back for the Broncos now that Willis McGahee is out for the rest of the regular season. Now, we have our answer: Knowshon Moreno. He got 11.1 points last week and he should continue to be the starter for your remaining Fantasy Football games. Anytime you can pick up a starting running back off of the waivers, it is a great pick-up. If he is available in your league, make sure to get him!

Brandon LaFell, Wide Receiver Carolina Panthers. Last week, LaFell tied for the most receptions on the team and now has the most receiving touchdowns. He is averaging 14.65 points the last two weeks, and he gets to face the Kansas City Chiefs this week! He is on fire right now, we recommend that you pick him up and start him while he continues his dominance.

Beanie Wells, Running Back Arizona Cardinals. After a whopping 16.8 points, Beanie Wells finally seems to be back in the driver’s seat as a top running back. He is facing the Jets this week, who have given up the 6^th most points to running backs this season. Arizona will run a lot this game, so Wells should be good for another great game.

Bryce Brown, Running Back Philadelphia Eagles. Here is the “pick-up of the week” as some people are calling it. With a mediocre quarterback situation at best, the Eagles rely on their rushing attack as a primary mode of scoring. With LeSean McCoy out for at least a couple of weeks, Bryce Brown will look to get a tremendous amount of carries. He looked unstoppable last week, gaining an astounding 26.9 points. This former 5 star recruit is looking to be a huge difference make in fantasy leagues everywhere; make sure you are the one that take advantage of it.

Now that we have your fantasy football team in good shape, how about getting yourself in good shape?  While it is too late to join most fantasy football leagues, it is never a bad time to start Fantasy Healthball.  You can compete in our health/exercise game up to and including the Super Bowl and beyond.  Check us out.  — Fantasy Healthball

Week 3 – Championship Round – Steelers and Cardinals Move On

The good news is I moved up this week about 20,000 spots!  The bad news is that puts me in 131,778th place!

Before Sunday’s games, I had received a tip about my fantasy opponent for the week – named “Bears58.”  I heard he (Jeff’s team) went heavily on the Cardinals and Ravens.  Since my own NFL Fantasy Playoff Team is full of Steelers and Eagles, I thought this could be the deciding weekend on which of us is going to finish with more points.  So of course the Cardinals and Steelers move on and each of us find ourselves replacing some players going into the final week.  As you read in my prior post, my grand strategy was to still have 3 moves left over for the Superbowl.  So I can replace some of those Eagles on my team.  My only hope is that Bears58 is out of moves and he will go into the Superbowl with some Cardinals and some empty spots (formerly held by Ravens).  Week 3 result:  Jeff finished first in our league with a 98 and I came in second with a 74.  A big improvement over my prior week but not enough to pick up with win so I fall to 1-2 and Jeff is 2-1. 

I slipped a little this week on the health side because I had a couple lunch meetings where I did not keep to “adequate portion size” and I missed a couple exercises because I had to work late one day and stay with a sick kid another, but I still posted my Fantasy Healthball score in triple digits which was enough to beat Jeff’s fantasy team’s 98 points.  That puts me at 3-0 in the playoffs on Healthball and going strong into the Superbowl. 

So my intuition is that, going into the fantasy Superbowl, Jeff has a few Cardinals and some empty slots.  But if you are going to have some slots filled, the Cards seem to be the way to go.  I dismiss them on a weekly basis only to be surprised by their performance each week.  I keep thinking they are all pomp and no circumstance.  But I know I’ll need a great healthy week to beat them.  3TDs to one receiver?

Since there is no game this Sunday, my league is using this week as a “tune up” and training week for next week.  We’ll keep track of our health challenges this week but only use our scores for trash talking leading to the big game.  Next week, it is for real! 

I currently have Big Ben at QB, Willie Parker and Brian Westbrook at RB, Hines Ward and Larry Fitzgerald at WR (okay, so I did take advantage of those 3 TDs as well, can’t completely pass on those guys!), LJ Smith at TE (what a mistake that has been), my kicker slot open, and the Ravens on Defense/Special Teams.  I can replace 3 of those.  Send any advice my way – I need it as the fantasy rookie going against the fantasy juggernaut!  I’m thinking I need to replace Westbrook and Smith (Eagles out) and my defense (Ravens out).  Good luck to you as well!  (in football and in health)– Jim Ballard