Sports360AZ
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Each week NFL Network and NFL.com Fantasy Football Editor Michael Fabiano joins Sports360AZ.com’s Brad Cesmat to share his insight on building and developing your fantasy team for success.
Here are some hi-lights from our most recent conversation (November 20th) with the Fantasy Sports Writer’s Association Hall of Famer as we get ready for Week 12 which starts Thursday night with the Falcons hosting the Saints in Atlanta.
What are some tips you have for fantasy owners to optimize their roster as we near most fantasy playoffs? “Make sure that you are handcuffing your stud running backs. Now, that goes so far as to picking up a Knile Davis for Jamaal Charles. Now, if you already have really good depth in your backfield than you really don’t need to do this but if you’re carrying a third quarterback or a second tight end…or a second kicker or a second defense which you should never do nine times out of 10, pick up your top running back’s backup. Bryce Brown for LeSean McCoy. James Starks for Eddie Lacy. Roy Helu for Alfred Morris. God forbid any one of these big-name running backs go down. We’ve already lost a bunch of them. You are insured.”
Who makes more sense to pick up this week off my waiver wire: Carson Palmer or Mike Glennon? “I really like Glennon. Look at the Detroit Lions and what they’ve been giving up to quarterbacks lately. Ben Roethlisberger went off against that defense last week in Pittsburgh. I think Glennon’s a big-time sleeper. Now I know Carson Palmer had a big game [but] I don’t like his matchup as much. I’m going with Mike Glennon.”
What’s the latest you’re hearing about Aaron Rodgers return date? “I’d really say it’s 50-50 for him to come back on Thanksgiving against the Lions and if he’s not back Week 13 I’d expect him to come back Week 14. If he’s not back in Week 14 Brad than that injury is a lot worse than they’re letting on because I actually talked to our resident fantasy doctor here Neil Ghodadra, who has worked with the Bulls and White Sox, and he told me that if this is just a cracked collarbone Rodgers can come back in a few weeks. If this is more than just a crack in that collarbone, he’s going to miss more time. Right now he’s running, throwing. He has no pain at all. The problem is that he is at a high risk of injuring this even worse and until that risk diminishes he’s going to be on the bench.”
Who gets the fantasy start Sunday between the Patriots Stevan Ridley and Shane Vereen? “If you’re in a standard league it’s Ridley.It was good to see him come back in the game on Monday night and what a game that was against Carolina but boy, every time he fumbles you just cringe up and say, ‘Oh, now we’re going to see LeGarrette Blount.’ Ridley to me is still the better fantasy option in standard league. You get into PPR and that gap closes. Vereen is a guy, first game back, eight catches. This is what he’s going to do. He’s not going to put up gigantic yardage totals. That’s just not the player he’s going to be because it is a committee…but if you’re in a PPR league Shane Vereen is going to help you down the stretch.”
To hear the rest of the interview click here.
