Aaron Rodgers or Kyle Orton?
Should I start Aaron Rodgers or Kyle Orton this week? I'm leaning towards Orton because Rodgers would be playing in the Superdome on Monday, where the Saints usually play pretty well. They were able to keep Adrian Peterson in check earlier this year on Monday Night Football. Do you think Orton's performance last week was just because he was playing against a top pass defense? Thanks. Kris Russo
Dave: You should start Rodgers this week. I know that last week was Orton's first game back from injury and that it's only natural to expect him to struggle upon return, but Rodgers isn't a player you want to bench right now, not with things starting to click for the Packers and their running game. Orton's performance last week was partly because he had to shake off rust from the ankle injury and partly because he faced a tough Packers pass defense. I have no doubt that Orton will improve this week against the Rams and that he'll eventually get back to his previous level of pre-injury play, but Rodgers is a must-start here as far as I'm concerned. The Saints' pass defense allows 235 yards per game on average and has allowed 16 passing touchdowns through the air this year. The Rams have a weak pass defense as well, with similar stats, but I trust Rodgers more than I do Orton right now. I know this is nitpicking, but the performance of the Saints' run defense against Peterson earlier in the year has no bearing on how the Saints' pass defense will perform against Rodgers.
I play in the ESPN Gridiron Challenge and we're all really close in the standings in my league. I have the feeling I need to create some separation now by making some moves. My most difficult decision this week is at quarterback and wide receiver. I want to pick up Peyton Manning this week before his salary starts to increase due to good performance. I really like Manning's schedule down the stretch, but to grab him I need to give up either Jay Cutler or Kurt Warner. I'm leaning towards giving up Warner since I'm not crazy about the upcoming Giants game. However, I don't have a lot of confidence in Cutler long-term either. Since I'm uncertain about Warner playing the Giants, it's making me rethink things with Anquan Boldin too. I need to make some moves now to separate myself from the pack. Thank you. Jim
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Dave: I like the idea of grabbing Manning, which is pretty smart thinking on your end, considering his matchups ahead. However, I wouldn't let Warner go, not with his averaging more than 20 Gridiron points each week, which is first among all quarterbacks. Nor would I cut ties with Boldin, who has already eclipsed his seasonal career touchdown total (10) and also carries the highest Gridiron point average among wide receivers at 17.5 points a week. Just to give you an idea, the closest receiver to Boldin is Larry Fitzgerald, who is averaging 12.6 points a week. Not bad for someone who missed two games this year because of injury, huh? The thing about Warner this season is that he's putting up numbers against all defenses, weak and strong. He's given no indication that he'll slow down, either, and when you've got Fitzgerald and Boldin in your corner, you're going to be successful more times than not. I'm a huge Cutler guy, but I really like the strategy play in Manning, even if Manning's Gridiron salary (7.3) is higher than Cutler's (7.0). With Manning's schedule ahead, he's a must-add in my eyes. So if someone has to go, it's Cutler. Unfortunately, you'll need to make up the difference in salary elsewhere on your roster since you're taking on the extra 0.3 by dumping Cutler to grab Manning. This shouldn't be an issue, though, since there are plenty of good values still to be found this late in the season.
Can you shed some light on this situation? I thought I had lost my Week 11 match up 159-158. I was pretty upset about the narrow loss because there are playoff implications on the line. However, there were some recent stat adjustments and now the score was corrected in my favor giving me a 160-159 victory. My opponent is now pretty upset, as you can imagine, since now the win has propelled me into the playoffs while almost certainly eliminating my opponent from postseason play. Our scoring system includes a point-per-reception, along with 1 point per 10 rushing/receiving yards. Here is a list of our Week 11 starting lineups for reference:
His team: Philip Rivers, Frank Gore, Steve Slaton, Steve Smith, Wes Welker, Vincent Jackson, Dallas Clark, Miami and Ryan Longwell.
My Team: Jake Delhomme, Joseph Addai, Chris Johnson, Donny Avery, Marques Colston, Roddy White, Titans and Josh Scobee.
Thanks in advance. JJ Streck
Dave: The first thing to keep in mind here is that fantasy scores are not official until the Saturday after a game has been completed. Although unlikely, a statistical change could occur almost a full week later, but most changes are updated the Tuesday after the game by the Elias Sports Bureau.
With that in mind, these were the official statistical changes that affected the outcome of your matchup:
• Jake Delhomme: from 98 to 102 passing yards.
• Steve Smith: from 59 to 63 receiving yards.
• Dolphins defense: from 6 sacks for 40 yards to 5 sacks for 27 yards.
You didn't list your complete league scoring settings, so I can only assume that you gain two points from Delhomme's passing-yardage increase. It looks like your opponent received a one-point positive adjustment for Smith, but he also lost a point with the decreased Miami sack total. I would suggest pulling up your league rules/settings to match with the adjusted stat corrections if there is a league issue with your Week 11 opponent.
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