Every year, names emerge from the waiver wire to become fantasy starters that owners are able to rely on. Players like Miles Austin, Josh Gordon, Jarrett Boykin and Bobby Rainey have become difference makers for active owners. Waiting until these guys emerge can be a risky proposition. While by no means am I saying drop guys you already have to rush out grab these players, if you need to comb the waiver wire, know these names

Falcons: Steven Jackson “Extremely Excited” for Week 1 Steven Jackson has missed all of the preseason thus far due to a hamstring injury, but when asked on Tuesday about his status for Sunday’s showdown against the Saints, Jackson said that he felt very confident and was roaring to go. Hamstring injuries are tricky, and for as old of a guy as Jackson is, they are a little concerning. Any type of injury, but especially anything

It’s the most wonderful time of the year: kickoff of the NFL season, of course! The 2QB team here at FakePigskin will be bringing you weekly quarterback rankings all season, so that you have a baseline for deciding which second- and third-string quarterbacks to start each week. This is our first of the year, with Week 1 QB rankings for 2QB leagues. In our minds, that’s a necessary resource for owners in 2QB and Superflex

There is no perfect strategy for managing a fantasy football team.  The strategies are constantly changing from pre-draft to the playoffs.  With all of the injuries and uncertainty in the NFL, plans can even change on a weekly basis.  That’s where I come in. In this bi-weekly article, I will be giving you some strategies that will give you the best chance to reach at your league’s championship. The first two weeks rarely make or

Standard Rankings | Week 1 QB Peyton Manning – Den vs. Ind Aaron Rodgers – GB at Sea Drew Brees – NO at Atl Matthew Stafford – Det vs. NYG Cam Newton – Car at TB Andrew Luck – Ind at Den Matt Ryan – Atl vs. NO Jay Cutler – Chi vs. Buf Nick Foles – Phi vs. Jac Tony Romo – Dal vs. SF Russell Wilson – Sea vs. GB Robert Griffin –

Chris Meyers (@FantasyChillpony)PPR Rankings | Week 1 RB LeSean McCoy – Phi vs. Jac Jamaal Charles – KC vs. Ten Matt Forte – Chi vs. Buf Adrian Peterson – Min at StL DeMarco Murray – Dal vs. SF Montee Ball – Den vs. Ind Marshawn Lynch – Sea vs. GB Eddie Lacy – GB at Sea Andre Ellington – Ari vs. SD Giovani Bernard – Cin at Bal Shane Vereen – NE at Mia Alfred

Derek Carr will be the starting quarterback for the Oakland Raiders, as first reported by Ian Rapoport, who also says the Raiders are hoping Carr plays well enough that they can start him all year. For the last two weeks, rumors had swirled around the Raiders’ quarterback position, particularly once Matt Schaub began struggling with elbow tendinitis. And today it became official: Derek Carr will be the starter in Week One. In the words of

If you’ve yet to participate in a best-ball league, I’d highly recommend giving it a whirl.  It’s a low-maintenance way to emphasize your drafting skills and show off the under-the-radar evaluation talent you’ve developed over years of playing fantasy football. What is best-ball?  It takes its name, of course, from the golf format in which a player plays two balls per round, then scores whichever produces the best score.  Simply put, it’s a draft-only league, meaning there’s

If you haven’t drafted for your fantasy football leagues already, you’re running out of time. Regardless if you have or haven’t, you more than likely went one of three ways when it came to approaching how you wanted to draft a tight end this year. You went for one of the big three (Jimmy Graham, Rob Gronkowski, Julius Thomas) in the first three rounds. You took a shot on a potential breakout candidate (Dennis Pitta,

Consistency is king in fantasy football — at least in my book — and Denver Broncos’ QB Peyton Manning was the most consistent signal caller on a week-to-week basis in 2013 (admittedly I didn’t think he was when I thought up the idea for the article). Having a fantasy team that is consistent from week to week is like having that long time best friend who is always there for you through all the highs

What Does It Mean to Say You’re Streaming QBs This Year? Tired of seeing quarterbacks like Ben Roethlisberger or Tom Brady on the waiver wire? I was. The NFL doesn’t have a position with any more value than quarterback, but the typical fantasy football league makes the quarterback position an afterthought. “Late-round” QB has become such an accepted strategy in typical leagues that you can often get guys like Russell Wilson, Jay Cutler, and Tony

  The NFL is evolving rapidly, and on the forefront has been the tight end position.  This is no longer a kicker-esque position, a humdrum slot for fantasy owners to reluctantly fill late in drafts; studs like Vernon Davis are now viable (and often necessary) targets early in your drafts.  In fact, very strong cases have been made – including this great take from Justin Winn - that one (or more) of the elite guys should

  The St. Louis Rams’ season – and that of fantasy owners who have already invested in their offense – seemed to end before it started Sunday, when the news broke of Sam Bradford’s ACL tear. After all, the team has already announced it won’t be pursuing significant QB help before the season starts.  Bradford will be replaced in the lineup by 34-year-old career backup Shaun Hill, who hasn’t started a game since 2010 .

The word “backup” is such an ugly word. In sports, it’s used to talk about someone that isn’t good enough to be the starter. As an athlete back in high school, I understand what it feels like and the connotation that accompanies the word “backup,” and believe me it’s pretty discouraging. Perhaps that’s why the fantasy community came up with the phrase “handcuff” to describe players that are technically backups, but to label them as

If you haven’t drafted your fantasy football team yet, kudos to you for waiting this long.  Chances are, however, that you’ll be drafting within the next seven to 10 days. You’ve done your mocks, and you have an idea about where players will fall.  Using FantasyPros.com composite ADP, let’s take a look at some players to avoid in a standard 12-team, 15-round draft, based off of their current ADP. Round 1: Peyton Manning Look, my

Broncos: Wes Welker Suffers Third Concussion in Past Year Denver Broncos’ wide receiver Wes Welker sustained a concussion in Saturday night’s game against the Houston Texans. This is the third concussion for the pass catcher in the past year, and it looks like his 2014 season, and potentially his football career, is in jeopardy. After a second concussion, not only are people more prone to further concussions, but any concussion that they may sustain can have

  Cam Newton took another blow to his fantasy potential after the Carolina Panthers announced he has a hairline fracture in his rib. The injury occurred in Friday night’s loss to the New England Patriots. The Panthers are planning on him being under center come week one. Coach Ron Rivera will hold Newton out of Thursday’s preseason finale, but remains optimistic about his availability for week one. Rivera’s positive outlook has to be a glimmer

  Emmanuel Sanders – Emmanuel Sanders is the Broncos replacement after losing Eric Decker in the off season. Sanders is a talented player who has a golden opportunity. He had an impressive game Saturday night against the Houston Texans. He accounted for 128 yards receiving and two touchdowns. While i typically don’t read a ton into preseason stats, this is a great sign for a player trying to get acclimated to a new offense. Currently

Let me start off by saying that there is not such thing as a “DO NOT DRAFT” list in fantasy football.  There is always a situation when a guy can be drafted.  No matter how much I dislike any player, you better believe I will draft him if he is sitting there in the 15th round.  There comes a point when value outweighs every thing else. I explored this very idea last week when I wrote

Fantasy Football Auction Draft How many times has it happened that the newest member of your league wins it all? You know, the guy who has to ask what a tight end is halfway through the draft. Any fantasy newcomer can walk into a snake draft with his top 200 sheet from an online resource and make it to the championship. In a league with a snake draft format, that is. Trust me, I was that

Social media, Twitter in particular, has been a big part of making fantasy football one of the most popular games there is today. In addition to Twitter, the ease of being able to share one’s thoughts and ideas on the internet through blogs has really made fantasy an enjoyable yearlong event to be apart of. The fantasy community is one of the best at sharing its ideas, even if those ideas can sometimes help the competition.

  The NFL preseason reminds me of one thing: the regular season is not here just yet. But it is so close! And so I have just a few days left to prepare for my favorite draft style: auction drafts. Fantasy football auction drafts are incredibly intense and can be quite complicated. With all of the values and overbids that happen, it is crucial to have a rankings sheet of your auction prices. So that’s why I

The football season is just around the corner, and in the past few weeks, I’ve posted rankings and tiers of quarterbacks, running backs, and wide receivers. Today, for my last official installment of fantasy football previews, I take a look at the tight end position, and I’ll try to provide some insight as to how to approach the position this year. The Elite 1. Jimmy Graham Even during a season in which he was dealing

I am here to tell you about one guy that is deflating my roster boner in nearly every draft I have seen.  That is none other than Julius Thomas, tight end of the Denver Broncos. Right now, Thomas has an average draft position of 30.2 according to Fantasypros.com.  That makes him the number two tight end behind Jimmy Graham, and puts him right in the middle of the third round in a standard 12 team

Per CSN New England, rookie running back James White took first team reps in Patriots’ practice Thursday, while presumed starter Stevan Ridley took the majority of his snaps with the second-team offense.  It’s certainly still early in the preseason, but news like that sends shockwaves throughout the fantasy community as everyone is jockeying for the next sleeper who will bring their team to fantasy glory.  Before we get too carried away, let’s step back and