Wednesday FAABnalysis -- 9/26/12

Do I really need to do an intro for this thing now?

$97 spent today on 21 claims.  8 of those were $0 claims, so on the 13 money claims we saw a $7.46 average.  Of course, that average was inflated greatly by yet another flailing overbid by yours truly...

Greg Olsen -- $21 to Kendall
dropped: Coby Fleener (tuesday drop) / other bids: $10 to Paul, $7 to Ben, $5 to Norris, $2 to Joe
I'm embarrassed.  Once was a mistake.  Twice... is a disturbing trend.  But listen, I went out and got my guy.  Everybody knows Greg Olsen is a talent, and everyone who saw last Thursday's game knows he's a part of that Panther offense, when he's not needed to stay in and block.  I'm beyond happy I got him, and I don't care that I overpaid.  I think Olsen finishes the season as a top-10 tight end, and I view him as a flex starter for the Nightmare.  I just love the guy.  I think my team just got a lot better today, 21 bucks be damned.

Meanwhile, I thought I'd flush some FAAB money out with the Tuesday drop of Coby Fleener.  Turns out, everyone else saw what I saw: Fleener blocking to help the putrid Colts' o-line while Luck picks defenses apart using his wide receivers.  Only 34 receptions in 13 games with Luck at Stanford in 2011 should have been a major tip-off to Fleener's low ceiling as a rookie.  2.5 catches per game does not make for a star tight end.  *sigh*

Daniel Thomas -- $16 to Rookie
dropped: Kevin Smith / other bids: $13 to Patrick, $13 to Ben, $11 to Norris, $7 to Kirk, $6 to Joe, $2 to Mark, $1 to Nathan
I'll admit, this market surprised me quite a bit.  With Reggie Bush set to not miss any much time and Lamar Miller coming on strong, I thought Thomas was really feeling the pinch in that Miami backfield.  Buuuuuuuuuuut, the guy is young and I think he's pretty talented; he's built like a bellcow and the Dolphins want/need to run.  Still, this is $27 Rookie has sunk into the Dolphins offense, when you consider last week's $11 Hartline purchase.  Wise investments?  I'm not sure.  But gambling on youth and upside always works for me.  I loved the guy coming out of K-State, and his fumbling problems and dumbassery on Hard Knocks can be overcome.  Meanwhile, I love seeing Kevin Smith kicked to the curb.  That guy sucks, and can eat a bunch of nerds out of my asshole.  Joique Bell 4eva!

Tashard Choice -- $13 to Patrick
dropped: Mohamed Sanu (redshirt burned!) / other bids: $13 to Norris, $4 to Derrick, $2 to Mark, $1 to Nathan, $0 to Kendall
I'm going to come right out and say it: Tashard Choice is a fucking bum.  I get the whole concept of opportunity knocking, but there is zero chance of this guy taking over that Buffalo backfield and emerging as a star.  He's an injury stopgap, and that's it.  There's no upside.  Derrick, Mark, and Nathan's bids were more appropriate.  That said, the two guys bidding hard are the two guys with a stake in the Bills backfield -- Patrick with F-Jax and Norris with Spiller.  So I get it.  Gotta fill that hole.  I understand.  But to me, that's treading water as opposed to trying to swim upstream toward a championship.

Ramses Barden -- $12 to Russ
dropped: Davone Bess / other bids: $9 to Norris, $8 to Ben, $7 to Joe, $5 to Kendall, $4 to Mark
Ignoring the fact that Russ played the homer role and has now sunk $31 into the Giants in a seven day span, THIS is the kind of egg you need to be investing in -- one that has a chance to hatch into a fighting cock.  Consider Barden's 9-for-138 performance on Thursday night (as seen below), coupled with Hakeem Nicks' rickets-style frailty, coupled with Mario Manningham's history of fantasy goodness in the Giants' #3 role, coupled with the fact that his name is fucking "Ramses" (seriously, how badass is that?), coupled with the fact that the dude is 6-foot-fucking-6 and 224 pounds and in that year 3/4 wide receiver breakout zone...  Well, this is a FAAB claim that I like very, very much.  I would have been right there with Russ, throwing $12-15 at the guy, if I didn't want Olsen so much and didn't need Powell so much.  RAMSES BARDEN SONIC BOOOOOOM!

Bilal Powell -- $7 to Kendall
dropped: Mark Ingram / other bids: $6 to Joe, $6 to Mark, $5 to Derrick, $5 to Norris, $4 to Paul, $2 to Nathan, $1 to Kirk
Proof that I know how to play the FAAB game and don't have to overbid $10+ to get the guys I want, Powell represents a nice bit of vindication.  Three weeks ago, I said this: "I like Powell, liked him a lot at Louisville. Remember Adrian Murrell? He's a bit of a clone. Still, the current Jets offense is going to doom all of its players, I'm afraid. I'd personally rather have Powell than Shonn Greene, and Joe McKnight is dead to me."  I stand by those statements.  Numbskull Rex Ryan continues to sink time, effort, and energy into the black hole that is Shonn Greene, when it's obvious to everyone that Powell is the better, more dynamic, more explosive, higher upside back.  I needed Mark Ingram off of my roster because I was tired of looking at him and watching him suck (hate you, Alabama backs), so I needed a RB with which to replace Ingram.  Powell seemed to be the best of the available litter, so $7 for the win.

Shaun Hill -- $6 to Joe
dropped: Ryan Broyles (redshirt burned!) / other bids: none
One of the best backups in the league, Hill is Joe's handcuff to the hamstrung Matt Stafford.  I have no problem with this bid or the claim -- Joe needed him and couldn't risk missing out.

Armon Binns -- $4 to Joe
dropped: Rueben Randle (tuesday drop) / other bids: $0 to Kendall
Here's what you need to know: Binns is Cincy's #2 wide receiver.  Not Baby Hawk, Andrew Hawkins.  Hawk is the slot machine.  Binns is in the process of beating out Brandon Tate and Mohamed Sanu at flanker, and he's a self-made battler of a wide receiver.  A Marty Booker type.  I'm beyond happy with the Bengals' passing game right now, and Binns' 3-63-1 line against the Redskins is just the start of a productive season for him.  Best of all?  He took Chad Johnson's #85, and then publicly declared that he'll be better than Ochocinco while wearing the number.  Kid's got confidence.  Nice claim for Joe.  I predict he'll be very happy with Binns down the line.

Andre Roberts -- $4 to Ben
dropped: Laurent Robinson / other bids: $0 to Joe
I have two problems with Roberts:  1) Kevin Kolb.  2) Michael Floyd.  Otherwise, this is a nice young [productive!] receiver, fine for any CKL team's bench.

T.Y. Hilton -- $3 to Joe
dropped: Jonathan Dwyer / other bids: $1 to Nathan, $0 to Kendall
With Fleener and Dwayne Allen in to block, Andrew Luck is free to explore options down the field... including rookie speedster T.Y. Hilton.  Austin Collie is finally dead and Donnie Avery's glass bones will shatter soon enough, leaving Hilton to serve the #2 role beside Grandpa Reggie Wayne.  Hell, it's not too hard to imagine Hilton emerging as the #1, go-to receiver in Indy, despite the fact that his routes are terrible. I love this claim for Joe.

Jacoby Jones -- $3 to Paul
dropped: Blaine Gabbert / other bids: $1 to Joe, $0 to Kendall
Jones seems very involved in that new hurry-up downfield passing offense in Baltimore, doesn't he?  I'm thinking Paul made this move as Torrey Smith insurance, but either way I think it's a nice claim.

Joique Bell -- $0 to Nathan
dropped: Austin Collie / other bids: $0 to Joe, $0 to Kendall, $0 to Norris
This should probably be listed in the "Dumpster Diving" section, but I want this on record: Joique Bell ends up leading the Lions in rushing and rushing touchdowns this season, and enters 2013 as their franchise-type workhorse back.  Just a hunch.  But I love the way this guy runs.  See for yourself:

Dumpster Diving...

DeAngelo Hall, $3 to Mark -- As passes are completed in front of his sorry ass, he'll rack up the tackles.

DeMarcus Ware, $3 to Rookie -- Sacks from your linebacker means a high ceiling... and a low floor.

Chris Clemons, $2 to Joe -- We all saw him dominating the Packers' o-line on Monday night.

The rest were low-end IDPs, kickers, and really nothing special.  I'm giddy that the Bengals' bookend pass rushers (Carlos Dunlap and "The Giraffe" Michael Johnson) are both on CKL teams.  I think Tynes and Graham should both be starting kickers in a 14-team fantasy football league, so good work there.  Kurt Coleman is a safety I am very high on -- well done Rookie.  And the sands topple down through the hourglass in surreal slow motion.

Meanwhile, more inaction from Alan, along with nothing from Chad.  Is this intentional?  Are you guys just that happy with your teams?  I don't see anyone obvious to drop, so maybe you are.


Remaining Budgets:
Barclay Street Bruisers -- $96
Juris United -- $94
Jesus the Moose -- $92
Blackpool Penguins -- $91
Double-O Daddy -- $86
The Champeens -- $85
Achilles Heels -- $84
THUNDER BEAR -- $77
Glitterfist Lasersnakes -- $76
Kick Azz Giants -- $74
The Magic Stick -- $67
Nth Degree -- $61
Roo Tang Clan -- $55
Pink Nightmare -- $38

I think we need a new trophy for the first to run out of cash.  Maybe "The Blown Load" or something like that.


Biggest Claims to Date:

#1 - Kevin Ogletree, $26 to Kendall on 9/12

#2 Greg Olsen, $21 to Kendall on 9/26

#3 - Andre Brown, $19 to Russ on 9/19

#4 Daniel Thomas, $16 to Rookie on 9/26

#5 - Jeremy Kerley, $13 to Derrick on 9/12

#5 - Daryl Richardson, $13 to Derrick on 9/19

#5 - Tashard Choice, $13 to Patrick on 9/26

#8 - Ramses Barden, $12 to Russ on 9/26

#9 - Dexter McCluster, $11 to Nathan on 9/12

#9 - Brian Hartline, $11 to Rookie on 9/19

#9 - Sidney Rice, $11 to Joe on 9/21 (Friday FAAB Rebound!)


That's it for this week. But as always, remember...

GOTTA SPEND TO WIN!