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Chris Ivory

Fantasy Football: Bye-week saves seasons

by Jermaine Lockett October 5, 2016

written by Jermaine Lockett

bye-week

Fantasy Football: Bye-week saves records

You’re probably wondering where I’ve been fantasy-wise this season? Well, I’ll be honest with you. If I have not been having success, how can I tell you how to win? In both of my leagues, I am bombing big time and have one combined victory. That one victory was against someone who I share a bed with if that tells you anything. You’re probably wondering why I am leaking all of this information to you even though it hurts my credibility as a fantasy football guru. I am sharing this with you because of one word, resiliency.

Resiliency is the ability to bounce back. I have that ability. This season is not the first season I have come out the gates slow or in this case not at all. However, I am here to tell you that through the ashes, I shall rise. Would you like to know why?

Bye Weeks kill all except the already wounded. What I mean by that is the following notable people have bye weeks this week.

QBs

Russell Wilson
Blake Bortles
Alex Smith
Drew Brees

RBs

Jamal Charles
Spencer Ware
Mark Ingram
Christine Michael
John Kuhn
Chris Ivory
T.J. Yeldon

WRs

Allen Robinson
Doug Baldwin
Allen Hurns
Jeremy Maclin
Michael Thomas
Brandon Cooks
Willie Snead
Tyler Lockett

TEs

Jimmy Graham
Coby Fleener
Julius Thomas
Travis Kelce

DEF

Seattle
Kansas City

K

Steve Hauschka
Wil Lutz
Jason Myers
Cairo Santos

Sure, I could have just said there were four teams with a bye this week, but I felt the need to let you know how much your opponents will be hurting and scrambling for the wires to replace this production somehow. You see the position groups and what to look for. Here are some names to scoop up as they are being targeted everywhere to replace production.

Couch Change Pickups:

Terrance West – All the way up until last week Terrance West was nothing but a handcuff. Now, with Forsett gone, he is the bell-cow for the Ravens. I was probably the only one in the world to hang onto him, so he should be available in your adds. He will face a defense that let Isaiah Crowell go off for 120-yards and a TD this past weekend. Don’t wait, buy now!

Kenjon Barner – I have always been a fan of former Ducks as long as their name is not Marcus Mariota. With 42 yds and a TD last week, you need to take a look at this guy. It’s not like Philly’s starting spot is concrete. Pick up now or pay later. CAUTION: Wendell Smallwood might be the hot hand but stash KB for now.

Fozzy Whitaker – I am honestly not high on this guy, but when you get 86 rec yards as a Back, I can’t ignore it. After getting spanked by ATL, The angry Carolina Panthers are about to take it all out on TB, who’s defense is bottom-feeder trash.
Brian Quick – Quick has three TDs on the season already. While he is still the #2 receiver for Case Keenum, he still sees the deep shot throws. This guy is boom or bust, but as Keenum continues to develop confidence, his numbers will go up. The Bills are next on the schedule and have given up an average of 6.3 FPS per game to number two receivers. I know that is nothing to write home about but combine that 6.3 with a TD, and we’re talking about a player who goes from mediocre to something nice with 12.3 FPS now.

Steve Smith Sr. – For some reason, this angry old vet is hanging around waiver wires. Anyone who gets targeted 11 times a game two weeks in a row deserves a shot. Joe Flacco is building the chemistry once again with the feisty little guy.

Sammie Coates – No TDs but led the team in targets with eight. Yall know how I feel about them targets. Antonio Brown will be busy on Revis Island this week, so be ready to snag this talent off the wire for immediate reward.

John Brown – Apparently someone told Larry Fitzgerald what his real age was and that he should not be doing the things he was in week 2 and two for the Cardinals. John Brown has since stepped up into a bigger role. I believe he is going torch SF in a couple of days.

Stay away from (Gum between cushion):

Victor Cruz – There are too many mouths to feed with the G-MEN. Odell Beckham was targeted like crazy but failed to translate in the stat column. Sterling Shepard sees 7-targets a game, and so is Cruz. You’ll never know who is the hot hand the next week. Also, I’m betting with the way GB has been letting the #1 WR go nuts against them lately. Odell will get all of the love.

Vincent Jackson – Look there is not going to be much thought into this guy. Just know that any uptick he has is the anomaly and not the standard. Stay far far away from this roster killer.

Hopefully, this information reaches you in time for your waiver wire pickups. Best of luck to us all and Happy National Taco Day!

Jermaine Lockett is a Writer and CEO for Couch Rider Report. Follow us on Instagram, Facebook or Twitter.

October 5, 2016 0 comment

AFC South Green Bay Packers Jacksonville Jaguars NFC North NFL

Packers vs Jaguars: A closer game than you think

by Ryan Cole September 7, 2016

written by Ryan Cole

Packers vs Jaguars-Wikimedia images

Packers vs Jaguars: A closer game than you think

It’s 2016 and a brand new season of NFL action! People are wanting to hear what professionals have to say about their teams and who they are going up against week one. Well, if you’re a true Green Bay Packers fan like myself, you know that their week one match-up against the Jacksonville Jaguars isn’t going to be a walk in the park, and I’m here to tell you why!

Battle of the O’s

This match-up is the story of two teams that figure to improve on the offensive side of the ball in 2016. Blake Bortles and the Jaguars ranked 18th in total offense in 2015 with 348.8 yards of offense as a unit. On the opposite side of the field, Aaron Rodgers and company ranked a dreadful 23rd with just 334.6 total yards per game. That stat for Green Bay, however, was heavily due to the absence of wide receiver Jordy Nelson. Having him back and at full strength this year will vastly improve the aerial attack.

Offensively for the Jaguars, Blake Bortles will lead the way, and he has a very dependable supporting cast. For starters, wideout Allen Robinson hauled in 80-passes for 1,400-yards and 14-touchdowns in 2015. Jacksonville will be expecting him to be their number one option in the 2016 campaign. Opposite Robinson on the field will be the other Allen, Allen Hurns who is also in his third season. Hurns had 64 receptions for 1,031-yards and 10-touchdowns last season.

These two stud receivers are not alone. Bortles also has more weapons in Marqise Lee, as well as veteran Tight End’s Julius Thomas and Marcedes Lewis.

If these attractive targets weren’t enough, they just signed running back Chris Ivory in the off-season to pair with second-year back, T.J. Yeldon who had 740-yards and two touchdowns in his rookie campaign. Let’s also not forget about Denard “Shoelace” Robinson. These three running backs could end up being a huge factor for this offense with Ivory getting most of the red zone carries with the big body he has.

If the offensive line can protect Bortles better than they did last season in which he led the NFL in times sacked with 51, then this offense will be Elite.

As far as the Packers are concerned, they have gone through changes as a team during the off-season. It will be interesting to see how they respond come Sunday and throughout the rest of the regular season.

On offense, Green Bay lost two key players in the veteran fullback and outstanding blocker, John Kuhn, to the New Orleans Saints. Wide Receiver James Jones also left via free agency and signed with the San Diego Chargers. However, he since has been released by the Bolts. They had an excellent draft, however, selecting offensive tackle Jason Spriggs from Indiana. He will most certainly help keep Aaron Rodgers upright.

Basically what I’m trying to say is, the first main reason why this game could be closer than expected is that this game has the potential to be a shootout.

Jag’s new defensive faces

Defensively, Jacksonville was dreadful in 2015, ranking 24th. They allowed 375 total yards to opposing teams. Green Bay ranked middle of the pack at 15th while allowing 346.7 total yards per game.

In this year’s draft, the Jaguars selected Florida State cornerback, Jalen Ramsey with the number five overall pick. Then they went out and got a steal late in the second round with the 36th pick, drafting linebacker Myles Jack to shore up two huge needs on the defensive side of the ball.

This team also added Dante Fowler Jr. with their first pick in the 2015 draft, but he got injured before even getting a chance to play a game. If this team can stay healthy in all phases of the season, I like their chances to make some noise in the AFC South.

Defensively for the Green Bay Packers, they lost nose tackle B.J. Raji in the off-season when he stepped away from the team. They went out and drafted 6’3″, 314 pounds, monster defensive tackle, Kenny Clark with the 27th overall pick in the 2016 draft. They hope Clark’s presence and production will help replace what they will surely miss from Raji. Inside Linebacker Blake Martinez, Defensive End Dean Lowry and outside linebacker Kyler Fackrell were also smart draft picks by Green Bay and have incredible upside to them.

Both these teams have drafted well defensively the last couple years to form the formidable defenses they have now.

Bortles is on the rise

We know Aaron Rodgers is capable of as he enters his 12th season in the NFL, ninth as the starting quarterback for the Packers. Some may say he’s out of his prime, but some may argue that. None the less, he can still throw the ball and still move out of the pocket without issue. Rodgers had somewhat of a down year last year with the absence of Jordy Nelson. He threw for 3,821-yards and 31-touchdowns and had a season quarterback rating of 92.7. Any quarterback would be lucky to have those numbers at the end of the season, but for Aaron those were mediocre.

Blake Bortles is entering his third season in the league and just last year he threw for 4,428-yards and 35-touchdowns and 18-interceptions in his sophomore season. That’s tremendous growth from his rookie year in which he had 2,908 yards to go with a touchdown to interception ratio of 11/17. That’s a huge improvement from season to season. He will only continue to get better.

Final thoughts

If you saw this week one match-up a couple of years ago on paper, you’d laugh because Green Bay would be the heavy favorites. Not so much in 2016. This Jacksonville Jaguars team could contend for a division title if healthy, and the offense is capable of lighting up scoreboards week after week.

I’m going to give the edge to Green Bay in this one because of the return of Jordy Nelson, but the Jags will give it their all and could squeak this one out.

FINAL SCORE:

GREEN BAY: 31 JACKSONVILLE: 28

Ryan Cole is a Writer for Couch Rider Report. Follow us on Facebook or twitter

September 7, 2016 0 comment

AFC South Houston Texans Indianapolis Colts Jacksonville Jaguars NFL Tennessee Titans

5 Reasons Jags Win the AFC South

by Jermaine Lockett May 22, 2016

written by Jermaine Lockett

Jags-Keith Allison Flickr

5 Reasons The Jacksonville Jaguars will rule the AFC South

If you are a huge fan of underdogs in the NFL, it may be time to find another team because the Jacksonville Jaguars are now favored to win the AFC South in 2016. You may feel puzzled as I say this, but as you view the following reasons, you may find yourself nodding in agreement. If you are shaking your head in disgust, it can only mean one thing. You are a fan of one of the other three AFC South teams

#5 Texans have some growing to do

The Houston Texans had a pretty good draft and a solid offseason but even the pickup of Brock Osweiler is not going to be enough to help this team secure the South. They will need at least a year to get chemistry between a QB who has only played 7 NFL games in his career, new RB Lamar Miller, star WR DeAndre Hopkins and the other rookie WRs (Will Fuller and Braxton Miller). There are just too many new shiny pieces to this puzzle for head coach Bill O’Brien to put to a scheme that works for all parties involved, before the start of the season.

#4 Face it! The Colts Suck!

The Indianapolis Colts had a great Draft according to Bucky Brooks, but who is going to come in and make an immediate impact other than first round center Ryan Kelly? This team allowed 47-TDs last year, ranking them 25^thin all of football. Did they do much, other than go after Clemson Safety T.J. Green to fix that? NO! Additionally, they’re expecting Frank Gore to shoulder the load on the ground? No offense, this guy has been awesome and has a great work ethic but he is too long in the tooth to be shouldering the load. Him just missing the 1000-yd mark is proof of a slight drop-off. ESPN even had this to say:

“…The Colts did very little to add to their backfield, leaving Gore in a potential every-down role. The additions of first-round C Ryan Kelly and third-round OT Le’Raven Clark and return of Andrew Luck to full health will help loosen things up for Gore.”

Without much turnover, I believe this team will finish third in the South.

#3 Allen Hurns and Allen Robinson NUFF SAID!!

These are guys who just know what to do after the catch. Their combined 24 TDs from 2015 speak to this. One has been revealed so far on the top 100 players list for a reason and is only getting better. There is not a corner in the division that can consistently hold Hurns and Robinson. Some of you will be yelling VONTAE DAVIS and JONATHAN JOSEPH to the top of your lungs, however with Hurns, Robinson and Julius Thomas all healthy, this squad is going to continue to put up the points.

#2 The Jacksonville D

This Unit was so bad in 2015 they could have simply stayed on the bench for the same result. I am not sure what is going on in the front office, but the team has made some bold moves this offseason. Signing Malik Jackson was the first of those many bold moves and then shoring up the secondary with the best CB in college football in Jalen Ramsey (yes, I know he just got hurt) is a huge improvement. Adding Veteran Tashaun Gipson and former first-round pick Prince Amukamara helps a great deal as well. Not only did they get first-round talent in the first round they got a first-round talent in the second round of this year’s NFL Draft in UCLA’s Myles Jack. There has been controversy over his knee, but I am in full belief this guy will be worth the gamble. As long as Monte Kiffin (76 YEARS OLD) doesn’t kill over before deploying his Tampa-2 Style defense on the team, this unit is going to be solid.

#1 Blake Bortles

I have said this before, and I’ll say it again. Derek Carr and Blake Bortles will run this league, in a few years. Bortles has all of the intangibles to be the biggest star in this league. He has constantly drawn comparisons to Ben Roethlisberger but I believe he is more accurate with intermediate passing. I have never seen a more confident passer in the pocket. This young man had 37 TDs (2 rushing) on the 2015 season and will probably open it up for more in 2016.

Add all of these factors to a pretty good stable of RBs in Chris Ivory, T.J. Yeldon and Denard Robinson and you might as well (in the words of Dennis Green) “crown their ***” right now!

Tune in as Jermaine Lockett chimes in on the NFL Draft briefly in his latest podcast. He did terrible in his MOCK Draft. He owns it here. Sorry for leading y’all down the wrong path.

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Jermaine Lockett is a Writer and CEO for Couch Rider Report. Follow us on Facebook or twitter.

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May 22, 2016 0 comment