Month: September 2015

Nick Shook on fantasy football: Weird week leaves little in the way of suggested moves

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By Nick Shook
Beacon Journal copy editor
Read full column on Ohio.com

What an odd week it was in the NFL.

The Philadelphia Eagles, left for dead by everyone including me, stunned us all by earning their first win of the season against a New York Jets team that looked surprisingly strong after two weeks.

Ryan Mathews, starting in place of injured and beleaguered DeMarco Murray, rushed for 108 yards and caught a touchdown pass. Sam Bradford was pedestrian but didn’t hurt the Eagles’ chances like in weeks prior. It was a weird win for the Eagles, epitomized by Brandon Marshall’s inexplicable attempt to lateral the ball after catching a pass with the Jets trailing 17-0.

That play alone explained Week 3. Continue reading →

Nick Shook on fantasy football: Forget about Washington running game and look ahead to better days

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By Nick Shook
Beacon Journal copy editor
Read full column on Ohio.com

I loved the way the Washington Redskins were running the ball the first two weeks.

Then Thursday night happened.

The Redskins were an atrocity to professional football, epitomized by Matt Jones’ fumble as he soared toward the end zone, resulting in a touchback. It was depressing for someone who had bought a considerable amount of stock in the hype surrounding Jones.

And Alfred Morris scored one point for my team.

Let’s all take a moment to let our frustrations out before we look closer at our lineups before Sunday’s kickoff.

Feel better? Good. Time to salvage your week. Continue reading →

Nick Shook on fantasy football: So I was wrong, mostly, about Peyton Manning, it’s on to Week 2

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By Nick Shook
Beacon Journal copy editor
Read full column on Ohio.com

I told you to play Peyton Manning in Week 1. I was wrong.

Manning showed the same glaring issues that were present in his late-season decline in 2014. He couldn’t throw a deep pass effectively, and the Baltimore Ravens took away the short side of the field, forcing Manning to complete short passes to the long side of the field in what NFL.com’s Marc Sessler called “a blueprint for other teams to follow.” Continue reading →

Nick Shook on fantasy football: Decisions to be made before opening kickoff

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By Nick Shook
Beacon Journal copy editor
Read full column on Ohio.com

Sunday is upon us. I’m hoping you read your morning paper with your coffee, well before the 1 p.m. kickoffs, or online with a second tab open with your fantasy football lineup, because I’m about to drop some knowledge.

Setting your lineup is vital to fantasy football, for obvious reasons. But that doesn’t mean we can see the future. We can, however, use statistics to project who will perform well. Continue reading →

Nick Shook on Fantasy Football: Last-minute picks and some surprises

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By Nick Shook
Beacon Journal copy editor
Read full post on Ohio.com

Week 1 is just about here, finally, which means it’s time to set your lineups. If you’ve yet to draft, you still have time, and I still have some advice for you, for both now and a few weeks later.

We’ll keep this opening section brief this week, because you won’t struggle too much with setting your lineups. Your drafts, projections, and countless hours of studying will help you with that. Continue reading →