Roundup: Cutler, Nicks give predictable results

Posted: October 17th, 2010 | Adam Rank | Tags: Jay Cutler, DeSean Jackson, Matt Cassel, Marques Colston, Ben Roethlisberger, Drew Brees, Dwayne Bowe, Matt Schaub, Drew Stanton, Shaun Hill, Matthew Stafford, LeSean McCoy, Jeremy Maclin, Hakeem Nicks, Brent Celek, Danario Alexander, Jahvid Best, Ryan Mathews

Even the greatest of fantasy matchups does not always mean a big payout. And yes, that headline is totally facetious.

The Seahawks ranked 31st in passing defense and looked horrible on the road. So it totally makes sense that Bears QB Jay Cutler would be without a touchdown. (And I started him.)

Giants WR Hakeem Nicks has been awesome of late, looking like the second coming of Plaxico Burress at times on the field. So against the Lions leaky secondary, there was every reason to believe that Nicks was going to have three receptions for eight yards — and no points. (Or .8 if you play in one of those fractional leagues.)

Here are some other highlights of the — what I call — 10 a.m. games.

Eagles WRs DeSean Jackson and Jeremy Maclin were expected to have their value hurt because QB Kevin Kolb likes to check down to TE Brent Celek and RB LeSean McCoy. Jackson and Maclin each had two touchdowns, though it was not enough to save Kolb’s grasp on the starting job.Steelers QB Ben Roethlisberger is far from rusty, putting up a huge fantasy number in his return to the NFL. Roethlisberger had a pair of touchdown passes, and WR Mike Wallace is going to be a fantasy star — yet he had 90 yards and a touchdown.Saints QB Drew Brees had a pair of touchdown passes, but where have you gone WR Marques Colston? Fantasy enthusiasts everywhere miss you.Raise your hand if you had St. Louis WR Danario Alexander as the guy who will most benefit from Mark Clayton‘s injury. The rookie from Missouri had 72 yards and a touchdown. Did you ever think you were to see a week where Alexander was a better start than Nicks?The Chargers wins and losses do not mean much from a fantasy perspective, per say. But can we blindly believe that the Chargers are just going to turn it around this season? Many are invested in RB Ryan Mathews, but is he ever going to have the training wheels removed?Were we too quick to bury Texans QB Matt Schaub and Chiefs WR Dwayne Bowe? Both had respectable games. But it was Chiefs QB Matt Cassel who was the real star, tossing three touchdown passes. That would have been a better bold pick as opposed to saying that Cutler was going to have three touchdowns.

Lions RB Jahvid Best still a must-start? His recent games certainly do not indicate that is the case. The Lions also need QB Matthew Stafford to return something fierce. Because Drew Stanton is not anybody’s fantasy fan. Even though Stanton was somewhat decent in relief of injured starter Shaun Hill.
– Adam Rank

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Giants WR Nicks says chill out, he’s got this

But that headline is just paraphrasing, of course.

Giants WR Hakeem Nicks wants to let all fantasy enthusiasts — and probably Giants fans, too — know that there is no way he is missing the big stage of Monday Night Football.

Nicks caused quite a stir when he spent Friday’s practice on a stationary bicycle, but quickly quelled all fears by saying that he is definitely playing (via the Newark Star-Ledger). Even going so far as to say that he is likely to return to work on Saturday.

“Oh I’m definitely playing. There’s no question about that,” Nicks said. “It’s Monday Night Football.”

Nicks said that he was just resting. Yes, that’s good Hakeem. You don’t want to fall into the trap of overtraining syndrome, which has brought down some other NFL players.

“Nothing serious. Probably more fatigue, just a lot of running, a lot of reps, that’s all. … I’ve dealt with this before so I know how to approach it now. I just want to make the right decisions.”

Yes, it’s prime time Hakeem, so get ready. You owe us for that donut last week. (And no, I do not play those fractional points.)

– Adam Rank

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Giants WR Nicks misses practice, be ready

Posted: October 22nd, 2010 | Adam Rank | Tags: New York Giants, Hakeem Nicks, Mario Manningham

Giants WR Hakeem Nicks spent Friday’s practice on the sideline riding a stationary bike, according to the Newark Star-Ledger. Who does Nicks think he is, LaDainian Tomlinson during a crucial playoff game?

But if I can be serious for a second, this kind of concerns me. Nicks was not on the team’s injury report on Thursday, so there is no need getting into a panic by speculating what is going on. But come on. Nicks is currently the top ranked receiver for Week 7, according to NFL.com.

Still, I must channel my inner Chip Diller and remind myself, “all is well.”

The Giants do play on Monday night against the Cowboys, so there is extra time. However, that is also troubling because most of your bench has already played by the time the Giants will have to make a decision.

The solution? Be ready to add Giants WR Mario Manningham if you have Nicks in your league. Manningham is available in 45 percent of NFL.com fantasy leagues. Protect yourself in case you need to move quickly on Monday.

UPDATE: Coach Tom Coughlin says that he is “hopeful” that Nicks can play. That’s an understatement.

– Adam Rank

Tweet your fantasy questions to @nflfantasy. Your Tweet might end up on the air on NFL.com Fantasy LIVE.

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