Week 11: Bargain Hunter
With the fantasy season starting to wind down, the playoffs are rapidly approaching and the matchups become even more important week-to-week this late in the season. This Week 11 Bargain Hunter column is designed to give salary cap owners (and standard fantasy owners to a lesser extent) an edge by helping them find the best bargains in all of salary cap football. All of the dollar values used in this column are based off Yahoo! Salary Cap leagues.
Once again, like I say every week, FFToolbox.com is the ultimate resource to help give yourself the best chance to win in fantasy football. I am a company man afterall. The site has everything, from up to the minute player news throughout the week and on Sunday morning, to weekly rankings that you can customize to your league's scoring system, to strategy articles (like this one) that are designed to give you an edge in your league. Another great feature that FFToolbox provides is the weekly podcast, which is availble to download on ITunes. With the Tuesday podcast already in the books, be sure to check out the Thursday, Week 11 Preview podcast where Ben Standig, Brian Murphy and I will take an in-depth look at every single Week 11 matchup and give you our sleepers of the week.
If nothing else, follow us on Twitter: @fftoolbox or you can follow me @GeorgeBissell to have all of your fantasy football questions answered.
This Week 11 Bargain Hunter article features --Nick Foles, Colin Kaepernick, Jonathan Dwyer, Marcel Reece, Danny Amendola, Cecil Shorts and Aaron Hernandez. --
QB Nick Foles, ---
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The floundering Philiadephia Eagles could not have asked for a better matchup for rookie Nick Foles, making his first NFL start this weekend, than the Washington Redskins (who are ranked 30th against the pass this season and have surrendered the third-most fantasy points per game to opposing quarterbacks this season). Foles is filling in for injured starter Michael Vick (who has been a major disappointment this season and could miss significant time after suffering a concussion last weekend), but he could become the Eagles' permanent solution under center for the reminder of the season if he plays well.
Foles is one of the cheapest starting quarterback options in salary cap football, valued at just $4.94 in Yahoo! Salary Cap leagues, which makes him an attractive one-week fill-in for salary cap owners looking for a bargain. Foles represents a tremendous value with major upside in a matchup against the Redskins' porous pass defense this weekend.
QB Colin Kaepernick, ---
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Over the course of a full season, Colin Kaepernick's propensity to run and make plays with his feet would be both exciting and a major cause for concern about his long-term health, but in a one-week stint Kaepernick is an intriguing fill-in for salary cap owners. Kaepernick has 177 yards and three touchdowns in limited action this season and will have an opportunity to showcase his talent as a runner if he starts in place of Alex Smith, who suffered a concussion last weekend in the 49ers' tie against the St. Louis Rams.
While it is not a tremendous matchup for Kaepernick against the Chicago Bears, his ability as a runner is intriguing and makes him worthy of a look in salary cap leagues, valued at just $5.35 in Yahoo! Salary Cap leagues.
RB Jonathan Dwyer, ---
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Isaac Redman may remain the Pittsburgh Steelers' "starting running back," but if Monday Night's game is any indication, the clear cut workhorse in the Steelers backfield (at least until Rashard Mendenahall returns) will be Jonathan Dwyer. Redman started, but he only had 10 total touches (eight carries, two receptions) for 39 yards, while Dwyer had twice as many total touches, carrying the ball 19 times for 56 yards and added one reception for four yards.
Regarded as an elite defense in the past, the Baltimore Ravens have struggled against the run this season, surrendering the eighth-most points per game to opposing running backs this season and gave up over 100 total yards to Marcel Reece of the Oakland Raiders last weekend. Going up against Baltimore, Dwyer, who is valued at $5.43 in Yahoo! Salary Cap leagues, could be a sneaky play for salary cap owners.
RB Marcel Reece, ---
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Marcel Reece, who was featured in last week's Bargain Hunter column, proved to be a viable fill-in for injured starter Darren McFadden and backup Mike Goodson last weeked against the Baltimore Ravens. Reece racked up 48 yards rushing on 13 carries and showcased his ability as a receiver out of the backfield, reeling in seven passes for 56 yards. There is a chance that McFadden could return this weekend, but that seems like a long-shot at this point. Very rarely in history has any player come back from a high ankle sprain in two weeks, so don't expect McFadden to return.
As long as he is getting a majority of the work out of the Raiders backfield, Reece (who is valued at $7.28 in Yahoo! Salary Cap leagues) is an excellent pickup for salary cap owners in a tasty matchup against the New Orleans Saints, who ranked 31st against the run this season and have given up the second-most fantasy points per game to opposing running backs this season.
WR Danny Amendola, ---
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Danny Amendola made an immediate impact in his first game back after missing three contests with a shoulder injury, catching 11 passes for 102 yards against the San Francisco 49ers. Amendola has been a valuable commodity in point-per-reception leagues for years and as long as he can stay healthy, he is one of the best bargains in all of salary cap football. Amendola is fully healthy, producing at an elite level this season and will cost your team just $7.38 in Yahoo! Salary Cap leagues.
Despite a tough matchup against the New York Jets, who have been a top-10 pass defense this season (mainly because everyone runs all over them), Amendola should be in salary cap owners lineups as an excellent bargain this weekend.
WR Cecil Shorts, ---
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Cecil Shorts received the second-most targets (14) of any wide receiver in the NFL last week and has eclipsed 100 yards receiving in two of the last three games, which makes him worthy of a look from owners in salary cap leagues. Jacksonville has not had an impact fantasy wide receiver (I don't count flash-in-the-pan Mike Sims-Walker) since Jimmy Smith retired at the end of the 2005 season.
Shorts does not have the most appetizing matchup (going up against the Houston Texans top-five pass defense this weekend), but he is a tremendous value at just $8.94 in Yahoo! Salary Cap leagues. I would have no problem picking up Shorts as a number three receiver this week in salary cap leagues, because the Jaguars should be trailing and will be forced to throw against the Texans. The potential for some major yardage in garbage time is there for Shorts this weekend.