The playoffs are upon us. Just four teams remain standing in the ultimate XN Sports battle for bragging rights as Sal Stefanile’s league leading Studfeldsville faces Tony Consiglio’s fourth-place Blurred Goal Lines and Rich Hribar’s second-place Fantasy Foundation faces Michael Clifford’s third-place Keepin Heads Ringing in the semifinals. That means there were fewer waiver wire moves than usual this week with many teams out of contention but every move was that much more important since it could be the difference between a slot in the finals and a bus ticket home. Unless you’re already home, in which case you beat the traffic.
Let’s take a look at what the XN experts are planning this week and some lessons you can take away for your own league.
Coconut Pete (Tom Fitzgerald) added Kirk Cousins, dropped Brian Leonard
Cousins isn’t just addable in 2QB leagues, he’s a must-start. He may even be a decent bet in standard leagues with matchups against the Falcons and the Cowboys over the next two weeks. The Falcons are giving up an average of 19.2 fantasy points per game to opposing quarterbacks while the ‘Boys are giving up nearly 23 points per game. The one negative is that tight end Jordan Reed has been shut down for the season with a concussion which takes away a huge target for Cousins.
Blurred Goal Lines (Tony Consiglio) added Charles Clay, dropped Rob Gronkowski
Gronk is out for the season and I breathe a sigh of relief after Tony rejected my attempt to trade for Gronk just two weeks ago. Clay is no Gronk but he’s put up double-digit points in three of his last four games, including 24.5 fantasy points last week as he scored two touchdowns against the Steelers. New England gives up the ninth-most fantasy points to opposing tight ends.
Fantasy Foundation (Rich Hribar) added Robert Woods, dropped Kendall Hunter
In theory Woods seems like a decent bet against the Jags this week since he’s the number two receiver on a team that will face a pretty bad pass defense. On the other hand, he is averaging just 2.5 catches per week over this last six games and hasn’t put up double-digit fantasy points since Week 4. Of course, Rich is missing Wes Welker this week and only has DeAndre Hopkins, who was held to just three catches by the Colts in their last meeting, on his bench.
Make It Wayne (Igor Derysh) added Toby Gerhart, dropped Benny Cunningham
I’m fighting for fifth-place here and I’m the unlucky soul that is rolling without Adrian Peterson this week. Of course, Gerhart is iffy for the game himself so maybe I should have grabbed Matt Asiata, a fullback that may end up being the Vikings lone back.
Studfeldsville (Sal Stefanile) added Matt Flynn, dropped Raiders D/ST
Flynn could start one more game as Aaron Rodgers is iffy for Sunday, and he does have a favorable matchup against the Cowboys. Sal also has Russell Wilson and Jason Campbell, though, so he might just be playing keep-away.
Fifty Shades of Cats (Felipe Melecio) added Marcel Reece, dropped Darren McFadden
DMC remains a walking injury while Marcel Reece had a huge showing against the Jets last week. Of course, that was without Rashad Jennings who’s back this week so I wouldn’t expect another 100+ yards out of Reece against the Chiefs.
Fifty Shades of Cats (Felipe Melecio) added Daniel Thomas, dropped Rams D/ST
Thomas had a big game with Lamar Miller leaving with a concussion but Miller is back this week so another big game seems unlikely for Thomas as well.
Keepin Heads Ringin (Michael Clifford) added Eagles D/ST, dropped Giants D/ST
The Eagles play the Vikings this week, the Vikings without Adrian Peterson. The Vikes are already giving up the ninth-most fantasy points to opposing defenses, one can only imagine what they do without their lone offensive star.
