Jake's FF Mid-season Suggestions

Entering Week 8 of the NFL, 6 different teams head into their bye week. This week is crucial from a fantasy standpoint, as most leagues are halfway through their seasons, and owners are trying everything in their power to ensure that their team is victorious. With so many holes in your line-up, it will be critical to look at the waiver wire to see what is available to pick up. Let me give you a few suggestions as you prepare for Week 8 of your fantasy league:

Suggestion #1: STAY AWAY FROM ANY VIKINGS PLAYERS. Minnesota has been in shambles this whole season. The team is not playing anywhere near their potential. Even their best player, RB Adrian Peterson, has only got 12 points in the last two weeks. This is a guy who last year scored 307+ points in the standard 15 week league, (over 20 points per week). His team is struggling. The offensive line is struggling, they have started 3 different QB's this year (and announced two different starters this week). Don't pick up a MN QB. Don't pick up a MN WR. Stay the heck away from the defense. This team has no momentum, and even NFL Analysts are making fun of them. Not to mention, they are killing their most loyal fans one by one. If you Skol Vikings this week, you will Skull Vikings this week.

Suggestion #2: Look at players with increases in carries and receptions over the last two weeks. In the middle of the NFL season, there are a ton of injuries. Sometimes, it get tough to keep track of all teh injuries and what player is replacing who. I suggest that you pick up a few back-up players who have begun to get more looks on the field at this point in the season: Riley Cooper has had 4x the amount of receptions and yards in the last two games, and I don't see his contributions slowing down for the Eagles; Jarrett Boykin is a number 3 receiver for the Packers who had more targets by Aaron Rogers last week then any other Packer, and with Cobb and Finley out again, he will put up large numbers against a struggling Minnesota defense; Chris Ivory rushed the ball 34 times last week! That's over 3 times his average this year. While he only averaged just over 3 yards per carry, he will continue to get the majority of the carries this week, as the Jet's have no other options at RB.

Suggestion #3: While this suggestion won't necessarily help you this week in your match-up, this suggestion will help you get your team ready for the upcoming fantasy playoffs. Look for players that are currently injured or are not playing that your fantemies (Fantasy Football Enemies or opponents) have dropped this week! Barreling down the last half of the season, everyone wants to win NOW. However, lots of owners overlook upcoming schedules, player projections, and real time injury updates from around the league. This could be very valuable, especially if you are able to pick up guys like Percy Harvin, Randall Cobb, or Andre Brown who may be playing in the next week or two. Be a smart owner who thinks ahead in the chess match of the season. FF is a marathon, not a sprint!