The last few weeks, we have taken a look at where the top 5 experts and the remaining experts disagreed in their weekly rankings. This week, we add a twist. Some experts have a knack for predicting certain positions better than others. Using the top 2 experts at each position, we examine how their week 7 rankings differ from the rest of the field.
As always, the players the top experts “like” are highlighted in green while the guys they “dislike” are marked in red.
RB
Top Experts: Sigmund Bloom (Football Guys) & Pat Fitzmaurice (ProFootballWeekly)
Marshawn Lynch (@ CLE)
Top Two: RB #10
The Field: RB #20
James Starks (@ MIN)
Top Two: RB #28
The Field: RB #23
The last few weeks, we have taken a look at where the top 5 experts and the remaining experts disagreed in their weekly rankings. This week, we add a twist. Some experts have a knack for predicting certain positions better than others. Using the top 2 experts at each position, we examine how their week 7 rankings differ from the rest of the field.
As always, the players the top experts “like” are highlighted in green while the guys they “dislike” are marked in red.
RB
Top Experts: Sigmund Bloom (Football Guys) & Pat Fitzmaurice (ProFootballWeekly)
Marshawn Lynch (@ CLE)
Top Two: RB #10
The Field: RB #20
James Starks (@ MIN)
Top Two: RB #28
The Field: RB #23
Check out that disparity on Lynch! Our top RB experts apparently expect “Beast Mode” Lynch to show up in Cleveland. He does have a TD in each of his last 2 games, but doesn’t ranking him ahead of Earnest Graham, Beanie Wells, Darren Sproles, and Steven Jackson seem a little excessive? It’s tough to question the two most accurate experts at running back this season, but this is Marshawn Lynch we are talking about. I, for one, am very intrigued to see how this plays out (almost intrigued enough to watch a Seahawks vs. Browns game). On the other side, the accuracy leaders expect less from Starks than the remaining field of pundits. They have Starks just 3 slots ahead of Ryan Grant (#28 and #31).
WR
Top Experts: Staff Rankings (Fantasy Football Freaks) & Mike Woellert (FantasyFootball.com)
Santana Moss (@ CAR)
Top Two: WR #15
The Field: WR #21
Mike Thomas (@ BAL)
Top Two: WR #44
The Field: WR #32
Brandon Marshall (vs. DEN)
Top Two: WR #14
The Field: WR #11
Greg Little (vs. SEA)
Top Two: WR #28
The Field: WR #22
We get some juicy results at wide receiver this week. I’m not surprised at the disagreement over Marshall. The guy gets plenty of targets and could have easily scored 2 TDs on Monday night. As a Marshall owner, I don’t know whether to be encouraged by the red zone targets, or discouraged by the drops (and the running out of bounds with a clear path to the end zone). Our top two wide receiver experts place him at a very respectable #14, but the Field likes him at #11. The Top 2 like Santana Moss at #15 this week (1 slot behind Marshall) compared to #21 for their counterparts. Greg Little has emerged as potential top target for Colt McCoy, but our most accurate WR experts don’t trust him as much as the other rankers. Mike Thomas is getting targeted a lot in Jacksonville, but that matchup at Baltimore is enough for the most accurate experts to disregard him in all but the deepest of leagues (#44).
QB
Top Experts: Scott Pianowski (Yahoo! Sports) & Staff Rankings (FFToolbox)
Matt Cassel (@ OAK)
Top Two: QB #16
The Field: QB #13
Curtis Painter (@ NO)
Top Two: QB #21
The Field: QB #17
No Quarterback in the top 12 varied more than 2 slots, so we have to dive a bit deeper to find some compelling ranking disagreements. Cassel seems to get better each week, but the top experts temper their expectations of him at Oakland. Painter finds himself in an intriguing matchup at New Orleans. Chances are he’ll be throwing a lot, but again, the top guys aren’t sold just yet. They would rather roll the dice with Palmer or Moore this week.
TE
Top Experts: Pat Fitzmaurice (ProFootballWeekly) & Andy Behrens (Yahoo! Sports)
Antonio Gates (@ NYJ)
Top Two: TE #5
The Field: TE #9
Dustin Keller (vs. SD)
Top Two: TE #14
The Field: TE #11
Welcome back, Antonio Gates. The Chargers announced he will play this Sunday in New York, although they also said he would likely get some breathers throughout the game. Even knowing he won’t play a full game, our 2 best TE experts rank him 5th this week in front of Pettigrew and Fred Davis. The Field doesn’t feel nearly as comfortable with Gates (9th). Dustin Keller has only caught 5 passes in his last 3 games and the top 2 TE consensus doesn’t expect much from him this week either.
D/ST
Top Experts: Dave Dameshek (NFL.com) and Staff Projections (Fantasy Sharks)
Denver Broncos (@ MIA)
Top Two: D/ST #8
The Field: D/ST #13
San Diego Chargers (@ NYJ)
Top Two: D/ST #12
The Field: D/ST #9
Curiously, our leading D/ST experts like the Denver Broncos this week. Yes, the Denver Broncos. They’ve allowed an average of 28 points per game, but the best D/ST experts like the match-up with Miami. They are not so hot on San Diego this week, dropping them to #12 behind Cleveland (vs SEA) and Oakland (vs KC).
K
Top Experts: Pat Fitzmaurice (ProFootballWeekly) and Kevin Roberts (NFL Soup)
Dan Bailey (vs. STL)
Top Two: K #1
The Field: K #5
Matt Bryant (@ DET)
Top Two: K #6
The Field: K #10
Kickers are a fickle bunch, but fantasy points are fantasy points. The most accurate Kicker experts like Dan Bailey at the top spot overall, and they give Matt Bryant an endorsement against Suh and the Lions.
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I’ll be back again next week for another breakdown of the players the top experts like and dislike. In the meantime, don’t forget to sign up for our (free) Beat the Expert contest vs. Scott Pianowski (Yahoo! Sports). Scott is currently rated as the #1 expert in our accuracy competition so this is your chance to go up against the best of the best. And as if the opportunity to match wits with our top expert wasn’t enough, there’s also a $1,000 prize pool at stake.
Good luck to everyone this weekend!
Photo credits: #1, #2, #3, #4, #5, #6
