Interesting match up tonight between two teams who have been playing pretty well recently, as the Vikings are in the thick of the playoff hunt with a 4-2 recrd. The Bucs, on the other hand, got off to a very slow start this season, but the offense has been playing great as of late. And then you have AP up against a top 5 run defense in the Bucs. So who do you play tonight? Let’s discuss:
Starts:
AP: I don’t care who the Vikes are playing, you can’t sit AP this week, even against a very good run D. The only way you sit him is if you have two stud guys who you could start in his place, but even then, you clearly won’t have a Flex option better than AP. I think AP will be very involved in the offense and is important to the Vikes’ success as his hard running will take pressure off Christian Ponder and the passing game. I see AP scoring a TD, but his yardage output will be <80.
Josh Freeman: This is more a gut call than anything else. I mean, he’s rolling right now and it’d be hard to sit him. If you have a higher ranked QB, then I can understand sitting him. But I’ll give you an example: I play in a 2 QB league and I have Freeman and Cam Newton. Had this been a one team league, I think I’d roll with Freeman instead of Newton based on how hot Freeman is and how bad Newton’s match up against the Bears is. So I think it says a lot about how well Freeman is playing that I’d play him over a guy like Newton (although I could just be an idiot too). Prediction: 2 TDs, 250 yds, 1 INT
Christian Ponder: I think he has a solid game throwing the ball, getting two TDs on the outside to Harvin and Jerome Simpson (yup, I went there). Play Ponder this week.
Percy Harvin: I don’t have to tell you to play Harvin. He’s a must play every week.
Vincent Jackson: I think he’ll build upon last week’s monster game, but it won’t be quite as good. I see him with 5-7 catches, 90-100 yards with a TD
Kyle Rudolph: He’ll be involved in the offense, and if I’m wrong about Jerome Simpson (you’ve read this blog right? pretty good likelihood), then Rudolph will be the beneficiary.
Sits:
Doug Martin: I don’t see this being a big game for Martin and the Bucs run game. I can see this being a 40 yard, 12 touch type of game. I think the Bucs will be playing catch up early on and will use Freeman’s arm more than Martin’s legs. If you have a similarly ranked guy, go with the other guy.
Mike Williams: I see this being a Vincent Jackson type of day, as the Vikings seem to do a pretty good job taking away the middle of the field, which is where Williams thrives. I think Williams will get some targets, but don’t expect more than a 3-4 rec, 50 yard day.
Tampa Bay Defense: After the stinker that the Vikes’ offense put up last week, I expect a big bounce back game. Look for them to score 24+ against the Bucs D, and I think Ponder won’t turn the ball over.
Good luck tonight and in your Week 8 match ups. This is where fantasy leagues start really taking shape. Hope you made the right moves
Ziad Dahdul 