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Joseph Hutchins | Archive | Email |
Staff Writer


The Shot Caller's Report - Quarterbacks
Your Guide To Fantasy Lineups: Week 1
9/4/14
QBs | RBs | WRs

Nobody needs to be told starting Peyton Manning, Jamaal Charles, or Calvin Johnson is a good idea. Duh, right? You can’t have studs at every position, though, unless you’re in the shallowest of leagues. This is where the Shot Caller comes in. Need help deciding which bargain basement QB to use and which to ignore on Manning’s bye week? Let’s talk. Looking for solutions at running back because Charles is a game-time decision? Look no further. Need to know which of your unproven targets to start and which to sit since you ignored Megatron and went Jimmy Graham-RB-QB in your first three rounds? You get the idea. Past results may not guarantee future success, but ignoring them entirely can ruin your Sundays in a hurry (maybe even your Mondays and Thursdays). Read on for a little history and, hopefully, a little sage advice.

Note: Fantasy points based on FF Today’s standard scoring system.

Bye Weeks: N/A

Colin Kaepernick

Dallas gave up 400+ passing yards to four different QBs last season. Kaepernick belongs in your lineup.


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Colin Kaepernick
@ DAL: The silly season is behind us and that means we can stop talking about breakouts and busts and ADPs and all that speculative mumbo-jumbo and start talking about guys who are going to help us win some fake football games this coming season. Kaepernick, interestingly enough, was also my first start recommendation of the 2013 season and the logic hasn’t changed much in 12 months. He’s an A+ athlete playing with great weapons facing a team that has basically no hope of containing him. He scalded the Pack for 412 yards and three TD strikes to open last year and now he draws a defense that almost every expert agrees will be the league’s worst in 2014. I don’t qualify as an expert but I can certainly make heads or tails of a defensive depth chart. Until further notice, start everyone you have facing the Cowboys.

Ryan Fitzpatrick v. WAS: Hey, there’s a reason they call it “fantasy” football. Long-time readers know I have an unhealthy fascination with the Texans’ bearded brainiac, a career journeyman sporting an underwhelming 27-49-1 record as a starter. Just because he can’t win real football games, though, doesn’t mean he can’t win you some phony ones. Did you know he averaged 20.2 PPG in the nine games he started for Tennessee last year? That’s better than the guy we just talked about and three other guys I’m certain you’d consider more valuable: Tom Brady, Jay Cutler, and Carson Palmer. Fitz was also the 11th best ground-gainer at the QB position (225 yards and three scores) despite starting only half a season. Not bad for a guy clocked at 4.86 in the 40. If you’re in a 12-team two-QB league, he definitely merits consideration as your QB2 against a substandard Washington D.

Jay Cutler v. BUF: Long-time readers also know I have an unhealthy antipathy toward Chicago’s surly signal caller, primarily because I’m a Packer fan but also because I think he’s a crummy teammate and leader, something most clubs want their quarterbacks, above all other players, to be. That isn’t to say Cutler can’t play the position. He’s probably better at it than most if all we’re talking about is physical ability. Though there’s more to the position than having a rifle-like arm, I can overlook some of Cutler’s negative intangibles because A) he’s playing with, arguably, the best and biggest wide receiving tandem in the league, and B) his coach is a certified QB whisperer. Oh, and C) that big right arm. If Cutler’s improved offensive line can keep him upright – no small task against a really good Bills front – he should be able to have his way this first Sunday.

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Andy Dalton @ BAL: Before we put ADP valuations completely in the rearview, would somebody explain how the 3rd best QB in 2013 (look it up) was only considered the 16th best QB prospect in drafts this summer? I mean, I could understand that if A.J. Green had been traded or Dalton was recovering from off-season shoulder surgery, but…16th? Here are six players ahead of him on the ADP list he’ll outscore this season: Colin Kaepernick, Jay Cutler, Cam Newton, Philip Rivers, Russell Wilson, and RGIII. You’re never going to remember I wrote this so I feel pretty confident putting it out there. Oh, and all that aside, I’d probably sit him down this first weekend. He’s missing Marvin Jones, his #2 WR, and is facing a Ravens defense he’s struggled against in three NFL seasons (seven picks in two games last year). Save the Red Rifle for Week 2.

EJ Manuel @ CHI: Quick, name a Buffalo receiver not named Sammy Watkins! Don’t worry if it took you a couple seconds. The Bills’ WR depth chart isn’t exactly stocked with household names, though Mike Williams has had some moderate success and Robert Woods wasn’t a complete stiff as a rookie last year. You know who was kind of a stiff? EJ Manuel. He followed that rather rocky rookie campaign with a pretty underwhelming preseason and now, I think, it’s time to start wondering if he’s really the long-term answer in upstate New York. You don’t get long to prove yourself in this league, after all, unless you have exceedingly rare measurables. Manuel really doesn’t. His comparison on the official NFL.com draft profile? Blaine Gabbert. Yeah, I think I’ve probably said enough. Avoid Mr. Manuel unless you think Watkins is the second coming of Randy Moss (and is actually healthy).

Cam Newton @ TB: We had a heated debate during my final draft this past weekend when Newton was auctioned off for $14 ($200 budget). I considered that a reasonable sum for a running quarterback only months removed from ankle surgery and still needing some quality time with a brand new set of receivers. Several of my league mates strongly disagreed, even going so far as to suggest he might be the steal of the draft. We argued back and forth (it’s what we do) and basically left it unresolved. I’m the one with the weekly column, though, so I’ll be getting in the last word: Newton’s as risky a proposition as you’ll see in 2014. He’s coming off that surgery, recently missed preseason action to nurse damaged ribs, and hasn’t completed a single regular season pass to the five WRs listed on the Panthers’ depth chart. Proceed with caution.

Running Backs