We're gonna cover fantasy football all season long here at Bird's Nest by answering five questions every week about various fantasy-related topics. FLESH FOR FANTASYYYYYY. Let's roll.
1. Will Greg Jennings' injury hurt Aaron Rodgers' fantasy playoff prospects? Yes. He's not gonna have Jennings to throw to anymore. And while Rodgers has completed passes to half the free world this season, Jennings remains his best target. Now, this isn't gonna matter next week, because the Packers have the Chiefs and the Chiefs are horrible. But the following week, they get the Bears. You and I both know that the Bears are finished. HOWEVAH, they still have all their horses on defense, and they would have held the Broncos to a mere touchdown had Marion Barber not coughed the game away. I think the Packers could easily win that game 16-3 and sit Rodgers for the entire second half. They're going to try a kind of balancing act, shooting for 16-0 but resting their starters in the second half of games if they have the chance to. You watch. There's no way that Jennings' injury hasn't at least caused them to reconsider the notion of going all out, no matter what they say publicly.
2. Is Eli Manning the most important fantasy QB coming down the stretch? He's most certainly one of them. Little Eli has gone for over 400 yards in two of the past three games, and the Giants are still fighting for their playoff lives. He's gonna be throwing the ball all over the joint for the next three weeks and YOU, Mr. Eli Drafter, are about to see a nice little return on your investment. Because no one ever drafts Eli Manning with much confidence. It's always, "Uh oh, I forgot to draft a QB in the first four rounds. I guess I gotta take Eli." That's Eli for you: perpetually under appreciated. I bet he goes in the fifth round of your fantasy draft next year, too. Such is your lot in life when you win a Super Bowl but still look like you're 12 years old.
3. Is Roy Helu a keeper? He is. In fact, it's a damning indictment of the Shanahan administration that they turned to Helu full-time only when it was absolutely necessary. It's time to end the myth that Mike Shanahan is some kind of whiz with running backs. When he had offensive line coach Alex Gibbs in Denver, the line was good enough to help their backs flourish. But not with this Redskins line. You need a REAL back to flourish with such minimal personnel up front, and Shanny has proven of late to be a horrible evaluator of backfield talent (See: Clarett, Maurice and Bell, Tatum). He lucked into Helu, just like you Helu owners did.
4. Can anyone stop the Gronk? They cannot. Here's a fun little fact: In standard scoring leagues, Rob Gronkowski has outscored EVERY WIDEOUT. In fact, only four running backs have more total fantasy points than the Pats' tight end. He's even outscored Mike Vick. That's nuttiness. I'm absolutely terrified of him.
5. Now that Todd Haley is gone, should I draft Jamaal Charles next year? You should!
