Stat Boy Saturday: Fantasy Points Per Touch

Another week with our honorary stat boy, Zach Fein of Fein Sports. A contributor with as much stat muscle as anyone in the business. You may not understand what he's says and use it for you fantasy leagues, but if you're in the mood to be baffled and confused, then boy does he have you covered. Because life is one big spreadsheet. This week he breaks down how efficient players are with the opportunities they get in their offenses. What's worse: A player who gets all the carries on a team, and underperforms massively; or one who gets the same stats with half the touches on the same team, but won't get any extra carries because the coach wants to stick with the first player? That's what happens every year in Carolina, but that's beside the point. The purpose of this article will be to find players who can become sleepers if they get an increase in touches, or players whose stats are only high due to high number of carries/receptions. I'll use the word "touches" throughout the article, although "touches" really only works for RBs. For running backs, touches is carries plus receptions; for QBs, completions plus carries; and for WRs and TEs, receptions. Here now are the players with the most fantasy points per touch for each position; I used the top 33 quarterbacks in fantasy points, RBs with ten touches, WRs with six touches, and TEs with three touches, so players with one catch for a touchdown were excluded.

Name	FPPT		Name	FPPT
QB			RB
Philip Rivers	1.07		Darren Sproles	1.47
JaMarcus Russell	0.91		Michael Pittman	1.47
Kurt Warner	0.87		Mike Tolbert	1.44
Aaron Rodgers	0.83		Felix Jones	1.43
Jay Cutler	0.82		Ronnie Brown	1.29
Eli Manning	0.75		T.J. Duckett	1.25
Tony Romo	0.73		Michael Turner	1.11
Kerry Collins	0.71		Jonathan Stewart	1.05
J.T. O'Sullivan	0.70		Pierre Thomas	1.04
Donovan McNabb	0.69		Brian Westbrook	1.01
Ben Roethlisberger	0.68		Rudi Johnson	0.99
Jason Campbell	0.66		Marion Barber	0.93
Brett Favre	0.64		Selvin Young	0.91
Drew Brees	0.61		Maurice Jones-Drew	0.90
Jon Kitna	0.61		Tim Hightower	0.86
Trent Edwards	0.60		Brandon Jackson	0.86
Matt Ryan	0.58		Reggie Bush	0.86
Chad Pennington	0.56		Willis McGahee	0.84
Matt Hasselbeck	0.54		Correll Buckhalter	0.84
Tarvaris Jackson	0.52		Jerious Norwood	0.83
Brian Griese	0.50		Frank Gore	0.81
Peyton Manning	0.49		LenDale White	0.79
Marc Bulger	0.48		Earnest Graham	0.79
Kyle Orton	0.48		Kevin Faulk	0.78
Matt Cassel	0.46		Le'Ron McClain	0.77
Tyler Thigpen	0.45		Marshawn Lynch	0.76
Jeff Garcia	0.44		Warrick Dunn	0.74
Jake Delhomme	0.44		Joseph Addai	0.74
Joe Flacco	0.42		Derrick Ward	0.73
Carson Palmer	0.38		Julius Jones	0.70
Matt Schaub	0.37		Darren McFadden	0.69
Derek Anderson	0.34		Sammy Morris	0.69
David Garrard	0.33		Chris Johnson	0.68
			Michael Bush	0.68
Name	FPPT		Willie Parker	0.67
WR			Clinton Portis	0.65
Chris Chambers	6.57		Adrian Peterson	0.62
Isaac Bruce	3.87		Matt Forte	0.62
Terrell Owens	3.73		Steve Slaton	0.61
Anquan Boldin	2.86		Brandon Jacobs	0.60
Roddy White	2.65		Kevin Smith	0.58
Larry Fitzgerald	2.58		Dominic Rhodes	0.58
Chansi Stuckey	2.52		Jamaal Charles	0.56
Santana Moss	2.40		Leon Washington	0.56
Calvin Johnson	2.33		LaDainian Tomlinson	0.55
Hines Ward	2.33		Fred Jackson	0.54
Roy Williams	2.16		Leonard Weaver	0.53
Hank Baskett	2.14		Justin Fargas	0.52
Brandon Lloyd	2.12		Thomas Jones	0.52
Laveranues Coles	2.12		Andre Hall	0.51
Vincent Jackson	2.12		Larry Johnson	0.49
Bryant Johnson	2.11		Chris Perry	0.49
David Patten	2.08		Ladell Betts	0.48
Reggie Wayne	2.07		LaMont Jordan	0.47
Justin Gage	2.06		Chester Taylor	0.45
Lee Evans	2.03		Steven Jackson	0.45
Dwayne Bowe	2.01		Jamal Lewis	0.43
Greg Jennings	1.96		Ricky Williams	0.43
Bernard Berrian	1.95		Ryan Grant	0.42
Randy Moss	1.86		Edgerrin James	0.40
Jabar Gaffney	1.85		Fred Taylor	0.40
Brandon Marshall	1.84		Laurence Maroney	0.37
Plaxico Burress	1.77		DeAngelo Williams	0.37
Billy McMullen	1.77		Rashard Mendenhall	0.35
Eddie Royal	1.74		Ray Rice	0.35
Roscoe Parrish	1.71		Kevin Jones	0.32
Jerricho Cotchery	1.69		Lorenzo Booker	0.24
Kevin Walter	1.66
Torry Holt	1.65		Name	FPPT
Justin McCareins	1.65		TE
Ike Hilliard	1.64		Kevin Boss	3.70
Greg Lewis	1.60		John Gilmore	3.47
Amani Toomer	1.56		Delanie Walker	3.47
T.J. Houshmandzadeh	1.53		Todd Yoder	3.20
Donald Driver	1.51		Martellus Bennett	2.85
DeSean Jackson	0.51		Antonio Gates	2.67
Domenik Hixon	1.48		Tony Scheffler	2.62
Marvin Harrison	1.48		Anthony Fasano	2.45
Santonio Holmes	1.45		Jerramy Stevens	2.42
Antonio Bryant	1.39		Dustin Keller	2.40
Anthony Gonzalez	1.39		Visanthe Shiancoe	2.37
Jason Avant	1.39		David Martin	2.08
D.J. Hackett	1.34		Bo Scaife	1.97
Greg Camarillo	1.33		L.J. Smith	1.82
Patrick Crayton	1.31		Dante Rosario	1.80
Bobby Wade	1.28		Nate Jackson	1.78
Brandon Stokley	1.26		Vernon Davis	1.70
Andre Johnson	1.18		Owen Daniels	1.49
Josh Reed	1.12		Garrett Mills	1.48
Chad Johnson	1.10		Robert Royal	1.46
Matt Jones	1.08		John Carlson	0.40
Antonio Chatman	1.08		Jason Witten	1.37
Derrick Mason	1.08		Heath Miller	1.36
Antwaan Randle El	1.06		Tony Gonzalez	1.26
Arnaz Battle	1.03		Kellen Winslow	1.26
Lance Moore	1.02		Randy McMichael	1.26
Muhsin Muhammad	1.00		Desmond Clark	1.25
Michael Clayton	1.00		Chris Baker	1.20
Ted Ginn Jr.	0.94		Chris Cooley	1.16
Wes Welker	0.94		Dallas Clark	1.10
Joey Galloway	0.93		Marcedes Lewis	1.05
Reggie Williams	0.91		Alex Smith	1.03
Braylon Edwards	0.91		Greg Olsen	0.98
Steve Smith	0.85		Zach Miller	0.97
Mike Furrey	0.73		Jeremy Shockey	0.94
Rashied Davis	0.73		Jeff King	0.92
Shaun McDonald	0.69		Reggie Kelly	0.64
Dante' Hall	0.57		Donald Lee	0.64

Observations

• Kerry Collins is a top-15 quarterback for the rest of the year if he keeps his job.
• J.T. O'Sullivan is top ten.
• I wouldn't touch David Garrard, Derek Anderson, or Matt Schaub at all until they prove they are worth owning in standard leagues.

• I wouldn't pay much attention to goal-line backs such as Michael Pittman and T.J. Duckett being so high up on the list; after all, they only get a couple carries a game and sometimes get a touchdown.
• Remember what I said about Carolina before? Jonathan Stewart is getting almost eight-tenths more fantasy points per touch than DeAngelo Williams.
• If Deuce McAllister is out any longer, keep an eye on Pierre Thomas. He may be a sleeper late in the year.
• Felix Jones is top-20 running back from here on out, and I wouldn't argue if you made him top 15. And Marion Barber might be a top-five RB for the rest of the year—Dallas has one heck of a backfield.

• Wes Welker is low on the WR list, but isn't that expected for a possession receiver?
• Justin Gage does quite well with Kerry Collins as his QB, and he's someone to pick up or buy low on as his health status improves.
• Don't get caught up in the Eddie Royal hype. I'm serious.
• Speaking of Denver WRs, it's amazing how high Brandon Marshall is, with his crazy-high reception numbers this year.
• Although Hank Baskett is getting more than two points per touch, I wouldn't touch him (no pun intended)—he's a deep threat only, which boosts his numbers significantly.

• Donald Lee isn't the sleeper we all thought he'd be, huh? I'd still buy low if you had a sketchy TE situation.
• I'm a big fan of John Carlson, but once Bobby Engram and Deion Branch come back, I don't see big things for him.

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Straight Outta The Man Cave: Week Four Man Crushes

Is there a better activity in the world than chilling down in the man cave discussing football and girls? Red blooded American males say it in unison, "No." Of course not. This is why every Thursday FFWWH will let you all in on our own couch talk about football. And girls. And football playing girls. The down side? Football playing girls don't matter in the type of fantasy football that this site is specifically about. So uhh, we kind of had to improvise and work with what we have. So, umm, this feature will be about our mancrushes. (Ya, ya, cue the "figures, he's from California" jokes, blah, blah.) Moving on. Here's each of our respective man crushes for week 4. A-Koz (who so graciously wrote this approximately 39 hours after his deadline) It's a somewhat obvious choice, but you have to go with Trent Edwards of the Bills. He's playing against the Rams. That right there should be all you need to know. If you've been living under a rock for the past four weeks, the Rams are a complete mess. They just released one of their starting CB's (Fakir Brown) and the team is likely going to start a riot any second now. Edwards has looked much improved this season, and has the potential to be one of the better QB's in this league. Stat Boy (Ain't that cute, Zach and Alex match! I bet they called each other) Any time someone is playing the Rams, they should be started on any and all fantasy teams—including Trent Edwards, who is my mancrush of the week. On the year the Rams have given up 846 yards, seven TDs, and 16 rushing yards to quarterbacks (including no interceptions), which is the most fantasy points given up to QBs by any team this year. Those totals would also be good for the fourth-best QB if the Rams pass defense were a player. Edwards' game-by-game passing totals have increased from 215 in week one, to 239, and then 279 last week. He should be good for 280 yards and two scores this week against the lowly Rams. New Kid Gage Arnold

It's time for Jason Witten to have his breakout game.

Witten is playing the Redskins this week. Yes, those Redskins that are without Jason Taylor and with a player who is coming back early from ACL surgery (that would be Carlos Rogers). And the fact that the Skins don't allow anything deep makes this matchup even more enticing, as that is where Witten roams and dominates. Expect a good game from Witten, somewhere between eight-to-ten catches, 100-125 yards and one-to-two scores. Tosten Burks Anyone care to explain to me what has happened to Champ Bailey and Dre Bly and the "stacked" Denver Broncos secondary? Did John Lynch curse the franchise on his way out of the league? Shanahan's crew has given up 30 more passing yards per game than any other team in the NFL. You know who will benefit this week? Jon Kitna. No miracle will be needed for him to be a great Carson Palmer or Ben Roethlisberger fill in this Sunday. The Lions will be playing from behind, and Kitna and company will air it out often, to what should be quite a bit of success against the supposed top-class Denver corners. Calvin Johnson and Roy Williams should be in your starting line up too.

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Running the Wire

Screwing League Mates Over By Stealing The Missing Pieces Of The Puzzle That They Need 101

If I had to venture a guess, I'd say that after last week's edition of Running the Wire, you were probably sifting through the wire on Friday and Saturday, hoping your league overlooked some highly-sought-after player. And if I had to venture another guess, you probably didn't find that player. Instead, you were leftover with scraps. And for that, I apologize. The injury report didn't exactly take too kindly to my recommendations last week. Koren Robinson and LaMont Jordan caught the injury bug last Sunday. In reality, I should've guessed that Robinson was going to get hurt; he plays for Seattle and he's a wide receiver—how could I have missed it? So I decided to bump back the publishing of this article a day to allow for some extra time on things like the injury report. Anyway, I hope that the guesses I venture this week will be much more accurate than last weeks. If you're in a pinch, here are some guys to whom to turn to.

Gold Wire pickups

(Author's note: Not too may strong "Gold" options out there. A few injuries this week, but there's hardly anyone too noteworthy out there this week. An ominous start to this article.)

- Rashard Mendenhall/RB Pittsburgh: After a very quiet first three weeks—just 10 carries for 28 yards and a couple of kickoff returns—the rookie gets to show what he's made of. Granted, he has a pretty tough matchup against the Ravens, but keep in mind they are without DT Kelly Gregg, and there are a couple of things going for him. Steelers' coach Mike Tomlin stated in his press conference that Mendenhall would be the main back while Parker is out. I'm sure after last week's debacle in the running game, the Steelers would like to get back to their roots and pound the ball. If you want Mendenhall, you better put in your waiver claim ASAP. He's only available in a little over 25-percent of leagues.

- Tampa Bay's #2 WR: Provided that Joey Galloway plays, that guy would be Antonio Bryant. If Galloway is still hobbled by his injury, it'd be Ike Hilliard as the #2 wide receiver for the Bucs. While Green Bay has had a pretty good secondary thus far, Al Harris is out indefinitely. That leaves a big gaping hole at the number-two cornerback spot for the Packers. Bryant came up big last week in Galloway's absence, hauling in 10 receptions and leading the team in targets. Ike Hillard is a consistent and dependable target. Bryant is only owned in 10-percent of leagues while Hilliard has only been picked up in a little over 12-percent of ESPN leagues.

Copper Wire pickups

- Josh Reed/WR Buffalo: Roscoe Parrish is out 4-6 weeks with a thumb injury, and James Hardy hasn't exactly been lighting it up this year. That leaves an opportunity for a guy like Reed to step up. Don't expect him to be spectacular, but with a rising Trent Edwards and a cupcake matchup against the Rams this week, Reed should produce.

- Kerry Collins/QB Tennessee: Justin Gage is back. Good news. The Titans are going against the Vikings pass defense. Even better news. If you're a guy that has no one to replace a Marc Bulger-type, Collins is worth a look. He's only owned in a bit over 17% of leagues.

Chicken Wire pickups

- Trent Green/QB St. Louis: (*Insert concussion joke here*) For whatever reason, the Rams figured that benching Marc Bulger for Trent Green will solve all of the Rams' problems. Note to St. Louis: You have way bigger problems than QB. If you're as desperate as Scott Linehan, show Green a little love.

- Steve Smith/WR New York Giants: Before all the hate mail (actually, I'm fine with hate mail—our inbox here has been bone-dry) and the "You're an idiot!" jabs begin, this isn't a pickup for this week. The Giants are on a bye this week. However, before the crazy rush for Smith pickups next week, try to stash him on your roster if you have the space. Eli has been looking good, and in case you haven't heard, Plaxico Burress has been suspended for Week Five's game for missing a Monday practice.

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The Inagural FFWWH Monday Night Party

Welcome to the first every Fantasy Football Writers With Hair Monday Night Party, a live chat conversation thing that we have no idea how to use yet. Don't worry about the bouncers, you're on the list. Grab a drink and step on in. Talk with us, joke with us, watch the game with us. Ask us questions about life. And maybe fantasy football too. Have fun with it. Stat Boy, A-Koz, New Guy, and I will be here all night. Sort of. Chill with us. We get lonely on Monday Nights. And hopefully we go through this without too many problems.
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Weekend Recap: Week 3

The famous philosopher Socrates once said, "The unexamined life isn't worth living." The same applies to fantasy football. What good is playing it if you don't pay attention to what the heck goes on? If you're not going to examine what happened, is it really worth playing? I know, I know, first the Socrates quote, and now the fantasy football rambling. The nerdiness is at an all-time high right now. Before all three viewers hit the "X", let's examine this past week. - Tyler Thigpen is bad news for Dwayne Bowe and Tony Gonzalez owners. Thigpen started out the game terrible, at one point throwing for negative yards and an INT, and only finished marginally better. If by some chance Herm Edwards starts him over Damon Huard next week, you'd be smart to do your best to sit Bowe and Gonzalez. - Gus Frerotte is a bit more stable of a quarterback than Tavaris Jackson, but he isn't exactly good enough to make you scoop up Bernard Berrian and company. He's still little more than a deep threat; take away Berrian's 48 yard reception, and you have 2 catches for under 40 yards. - Good news Bengals' owners and fans alike. They didn't completely fail this week! Palmer was solid, albeit not great. Houshmandzadeh hauled in twelve passes. However, it seems like Chad Johnson didn't get the memo about showing up. He had a measly three receptions for 29 yards. Cincy has a great chance to keep it up next week as they play the struggling Browns. - Let's get one thing straight: Brian Griese won't throw for over 400 yards again. Nor will he throw the ball 67 times. Take this game with a grain of salt. - Ditto with Ronnie Brown. - On the other hand, I could see more of the same numbers from Drew Brees. He only threw 9 incomplete passes (compared to his 39 completions) and threw for 421 yards. Despite all of that, he somehow managed to only throw one touchdown pass. Still, it's great to see Brees have this great of a start to the season after his rough start the first four games last year. - Could Brandon Lloyd, yes, the same Brandon Lloyd who completely fell off the map in Washington, be making a comeback in Chicago? He's had 11 receptions for over 200 yards the past two weeks. Both came against pretty good defenses, too (Carolina and Tampa Bay). He's someone to keep an eye on, but don't pick him up unless your WR core is thinner than Nicole Richie. - In other Bears news, Matt Forte is looking like the best RB the Bears have ever drafted. Heck, he probably is the best one they've ever drafted in the past decade. Of course, when your competition is Cedric Benson and Curtis Enis, it doesn't take much. - Brandon Marshall, provided he can keep his nose clean (literally, don't hang out with Matt Jones), could be a top WR for years to come in this league. He followed up his 18 catch performance with a 6 catch, 155 yard game. Geez, what a slacker! - Willis who? Ray Rice, who's that? It's all about Le'ron McClain in Baltimore. Seriously. Pick him up if you need a running back in deeper leagues; he's looked good so far. - Paging the Steelers offensive line. Steelers offensive line, you're needed in the game against the Eagles. Yeah, they didn't show up. When that happens, Big Ben and Willie Parker suffer big time.
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Dum Da Dum! Dr. Originality has arrived, and he's brought the HAIRY'S with him!

Well folks, bretherens, and stalkers, here I am, now Introducing the newest member to the FFWWH Blog team... (drum roll please) ...Gage Arnold! I find myself well qualified for this well honored and gracious position, but I won't go any further as none of you want to hear my life story. So I'm all about cutting to the case on my blogs, so I won't fill your head with crazy nonsense and babbling on about how my girlfriend is amazing, or how my awful Vols are the total disgrace of the SEC. Therefore, we head on out for the first edition of the HAIRY'S. Wait, wait, wait, I totally forgot, I should have mentioned what these "HAIRY'S" actually are. These HAIRY'S are awards given to players and coaches during the week who made either great plays or calls or if they just fit the qualification in the little caption under each award. Now that we are set, we'll venture on, readers. Here we go, buckle up—it's going to get crazy. The Sixth Sense Award (for the player who was the biggest surprise) Ronnie Brown, RB, Miami Dolphins No diggity, as he was the obvious choice here. Ronnie put up four rushing touchdowns and threw for another against the Patriots. He also scampered for 117 yards and did most of his damage out of the "Wild Hog" formation that the Arkansas Razorbacks run. This man owned, but too bad he sat on the bench for 75-percent of all fantasy teams. The Last Indiana Jones Movie Whose Title You Can't Remember Because It Sucked So Badly Award (for biggest bust) Derek Anderson, QB, Cleveland Browns/Terrell Owens WR, Cowboys Just when you thought he couldn't get worse, and he would pass on the Ravens, he sucks even worse than he has his two previous games. I mean this man is nearing like Britney Spears level of sucking. (Ed Note: That was not a sexual joke—at least I hope.) Whoa! That was a pretty low shot, but still DA is about to be wanted, D.O.A., if he doesn't get his act together soon. (Ed Note: I apologize for that paragraph—I'll get the new guy up to par on how we define funny in these here parts.) it was hard to put Terrell Owens on here for the sheer fact that he still blocked and made some great behind-the-scenes plays, but TO still only had two catches for 17 yards, and as the number one WR in fantasy, he has to do better, no excuses. Lord, Del's Cup (awarded to the coach who orchestrated the biggest stooges of the week) Lovie Smith, Chicago Bears This was a tough choice, but still Lovie screwed his team. He needed this win as he has the lead on the Bucs, but lets them come back and take it to OT. But wait that isn't the best part, his players while in OT after they stop the Bucs on a 3rd down while the Bucs are on their own 10, Charles Tillman starts a fight with the Bucs and costs his team 15 yards, a first down, and the game. Love you've got to step up and be the leader and stop that stuff from happening. (Ed's Note: This paragraph was left un-edited for hilarity. I don't know what he's saying either.) The Paris Hilton Award (for the player who screwed the most people this week) Calvin Johnson, WR, Detroit Lions Paging Calvin Johnson, paging Calvin Johnson. This man showed up nowhere on the stat sheet against the lowly 49ers. There's a time when a man just needs to step up and play, and Calvin, this was your week. You were expected for a huge week, and we got nothing. This better just be a one-time deal. The Chad Johnson Chad Ocho Cinco Chad Johnson Award (most overblown story of the week) Adrian Peterson's hamstring injury What AP claimed to be "nothing" hindered him the whole game and caused him to run for only 77 yards against the Panthers. I would have expected a much better output, but here's a continual reminder to temper your expectations when AP is injured; if you own him, make sure you own Chester Taylor.
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