Fantasy Football: “Have A Seat Son”
Choosing to sit Tom Brady on your fantasy football bench may be the prudent decision this week. Mandatory Credit: Denny Medley-USA TODAY Sports
You’re fantasy football week can be decided not only by who you choose to play, but also by who you choose to bench. With that in mind, here’s some players you may want to consider sitting this week.
QB – Tom Brady, New England Patriots
Tom Brady’s struggles have been well documented this season and it looks likely they’ll continue in Week Five. The Bengals possess a “bend but don’t break” kind of defense, so gaining yards is possible. But they also allow the fewest points/game, so getting into the endzone isn’t easy. The Bengals possess a stout slot corner in Leon Hall to match up with Julian Edelman while also possessing Emmanuel Lamur, a converted linebacker from safety, and George Iloka, a 6’4″ safety, to defend Rob Gronkowski. Brady will likely be hard-pressed to find a receiver this week. It’s likely Bill Belichick will want to slow the pace of the game and turn it into a defensive battle, so I expect the Patriots to try and establish the running game early, which also works against Brady’s fantasy value. Week Five looks dicey for the All-Time Great.
RB – Montee Ball, Denver Broncos
Ball has been mildly impressive this year, but I doubt this will be a successful week for him. The Broncos face the league’s fourth ranked rush defense in the Arizona Cardinals. This while Peyton Manning can easily avoid Patrick Peterson by targeting his other 500 options. I expect Manning and the Broncos’ offense to try and pick apart this defense through the air. Best case scenario, Ball gets some goal line touchdowns. Worse case, Manning attempts to exploit the Cardinals’ 18th ranked pass defense while avoiding the challenge of their front seven.
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WR – Jeremy Maclin, Philadelphia Eagles
I’m taking a bit of a leap with this pick, but here’s why. The Eagles possess an extremely talented offense, so benching their top receiving option would seem to be foolish, but here’s the kicker. The Eagles’ passing game has been established this year, but running back Lesean McCoy has really struggled. The Rams have the third ranked pass defense in the league, but the 30th ranked run defense. I would expect Chip Kelly to use this game to get his stud running back going. It makes to much sense not to as the numbers work while it’s important that the Eagles have a confident McCoy later in the year. A quality game could be a huge boost to McCoy while a poor one could really hurt him going forward. Look for Kelly to put his running back in a position to succeed.
TE – Dwayne Allen, Indianapolis Colts
The Colts face an extremely good defense this week when playing the Baltimore Ravens. More than this, the Colts love to flip-flop between Allen and Coby Fleener. Although I do expect a heavy dose of passing because the Ravens possess a really talented run stopping unit, I expect Andrew Luck to spread it around to his outside receivers while staying away from the Ravens’ talented linebackers. Need a different option? Just look across the field to Owen Daniels. He’s only owned in 42% of fantasy leagues and with Dennis Pitta out for the year, he’s bound to see more targets; Joe Flacco loves his tight ends. While Allen can be productive, he’s a “coin flip” week-to-week. There are more viable options elsewhere.
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