flex position: Darren Sproles vs. CHI or Steve Smith vs. GB or Brandon Jacobs vs. STL? Leaning towards Sproles
Opinions please? My team is completely decimated with injuries, these are my likely option for this week 1 QB: Cam Newton, Eli Manning 2 RB: Chris Johnson, Michael Turner, Knowshon Moreno, Marshawn Lynch, Jonathan Stewart 2 WR: Dwayne Bowe, Santonio Holmes, Hines Ward, Plaxico Burress 1 RB/WR Flex:
DeAngelo Williams has less upside because 1. Uh oh, the Panthers can now throw the ball 2. John Fox is no longer there, and 3. Cam Newton is going to be getting goal line carries, not Williams and Stewart. 4. Oh yeah, he still has to time-share with Stewart.
This reason alone should be why Williams(or Stewart) has upside. They haven't had a passing game in several years so it was easier for defenses to zone in on the run. Now that the Panthers can pass the ball it'll open up running lanes eventually.
Manning, CJ, Turner, Bowe, Holmes Flex: terrible options. I'd go with Burress or Lynch. Probably Plax. Can you pick up McGahee and spot start him? (if Moreno is out)
I like how after one game, that featured a number of blown coverages by the Cardinals, means that Cam Newton is now a legitimate passer.
You don't pass for 400+ yards in a game strictly off blown coverages. I do think a lot of his yards were YAC, but he was throwing laser darts that were right on target. I was very impressed.
1. Did you not see the defense the Cardinals were playing? They were playing a Cover 0 which is designed to stop the run and not to mention one of the easier reads for quarterbacks to pick apart. They expected Cam to run when under pressure and he didn't but now other teams will be prepared for this and there will be times, probably many, where the they rely on the run. 2. Rivera's first game as a head coach, let's wait to see what his philosophy will be before anointing this a pass heavy team. 3. They're not going to continue to give Newton goal carries and risk injury not to mention the fact they just paid Williams nicely. 4. That is a legit drawback but how many teams actually have a workhorse that doesn't split carries? Not many.
Based on what Cam did last week, I am seriously considering starting Jonathan Stewart as my flex player. Cam showed that he can burn defenses from anywhere on the field and you HAVE to respect that. I was never a cam believer, thought he was the next vince young, but I am changing my opinion on that. This guy could break the mold as far as QBs are concerned. I don't even know who to compare him to.
wow, it really is a 1 week change i think Cam showed that he might be a top 25 QB right now. That's about it. He's still a rookie, he's still on a mediocre to bad team, and he still won't be ready for the adjustments they'll make with film on him.
After 1 game?? I'm not trying to discount what he did but let's see some consistency, let's see how he handles some more complex defenses like the Packers will throw at him, etc. before anointing him.
I just picked him up, but I'm not gonna start him against that Green Bay defense. Grossman against Cardinals FTW!
