An estimated 27.1 million Americans take part in an exploding fantasy sport culture. Over twenty million Americans are playing fantasy football this season according to the Fantasy Sports Trade Association. While to Vikings fans the season prospects may look dismal, in fantasy football it is only the beginning.
Fantasy leagues present fans with a chance to “walk the walk.” As many fans feel they could run their favorite professional team better than the management in place, fantasy football presents a unique opportunity to prove they are in fact smarter than the coaches.
Time now for this week’s Love ‘em/Hate ‘em. This list has three players to love for the remainder of the season and three players to hate for the remainder of the season. As a fantasy owner you should be eyeing players who have underperformed and staying away from those who have artificially over-performed through the first two weeks. It is these loved players you need to have on your championship fantasy roster.
Love ‘Em
An estimated 27.1 million Americans take part in an exploding fantasy sport culture. Over twenty million Americans are playing fantasy football this season according to the Fantasy Sports Trade Association. While to Vikings fans the season prospects may look dismal, in fantasy football it is only the beginning.
Fantasy leagues present fans with a chance to “walk the walk.” As many fans feel they could run their favorite professional team better than the management in place, fantasy football presents a unique opportunity to prove they are in fact smarter than the coaches.
Time now for this week’s Love ‘em/Hate ‘em. This list has three players to love for the remainder of the season and three players to hate for the remainder of the season. As a fantasy owner you should be eyeing players who have underperformed and staying away from those who have artificially over-performed through the first two weeks. It is these loved players you need to have on your championship fantasy roster.
Hate ‘Em
Cam Newton, QB, Carolina Panthers: Don’t be fooled. Weeks one and two are an aberration. Cam Newton is not an elite quarterback in real football or fantasy football. Do not ditch your proven fantasy stud quarterbacks for Newton. Drew Brees will outperform Cam Newton over a 16 game season because he has done it before. How many quarterbacks have been successful as a rookie? None. ZERO. As a rookie starting quarterback Peyton Manning through 11 interceptions in the first four weeks of the 1998 season. There is a reason the Panthers were able to draft Newton first overall, they were the worst team in the NFL last year. Cam Newton may become a great NFL quarterback someday just as Peyton Manning did, but temper your expectations over the next 15 weeks.
Arian Foster, RB, Houston Texans: Foster missed week one of the season with a hamstring injury and after the hamstring “tightened” in the second half Foster had to leave the Texans’ week two game. This injury is very relevant to Foster’s production, but that is not the only reason he should be hated. Gary Kubiak, the Texans’ head coach, comes from the coaching family tree of Mike Shanahann. Shanahann was notorious for ruining fantasy football teams, as he would plug in numerous running backs into his team’s backfield role: remember Reuben Droughns, Mike Bell, Tatum Bell. They had one good year when they were on Shanahann’s good side in Denver. I’m not suggesting Foster will become irrelevant in Houston but with two other serviceable running backs (Ben Tate and Derrick Ward) behind Foster on the depth chart it is very possible that Foster’s production takes a steep drop back to that of a mediocre running back.
Dwayne Bowe, WR, Kansas City Chiefs: They say you find a pot of gold at the end of a rainbow, but at the end of Dwayne Bowe’s season you will find a pot of coal. Dwayne Bowe was the best wide receiver in Fantasy Football in 2010. In 2011 he will not be. Bowe and the Chiefs just lost their offense’s best weapon, Jamaal Charles, to a torn ACL in week two. This comes a week after the Chiefs lost their best defender, safety Eric Berry to injury and two weeks after losing starting tight end Tony Moeaki. The Chiefs will be bad this year. Week one they lost to the Buffalo Bills 41-7 and week two managed to lose by even more as the Detroit Lions handled them 48-3. While the Chiefs will likely be losing almost every week and in need of receiving yards every opponent will double or triple team Bowe because the Chiefs do not have any other weapons. Go for gold, say no to Bowe.