Calling All Sharks.. (1 Viewer)

[varmint cong]

playoffs are the times when the cream rises to the top, so just wondering if anyone had any stories where they sat thier "stud" for a more favorable match up and was successful.

 

[Harry Beanbag]

Doubtful you will get a ton of people posting in this one

 

[pigskinliquors]

Last week I sat Rudi J. against BALT and put R. Bush in against SF (PPR league). That worked out pretty well for me

 

[Warhogs]

I think it all depends on your definition of stud. I tend to usually have pretty good depth and play matchups a lot and feel I do better. I do not consider this to be sitting my studs though. My defination of a stud is the touple couple of QB, the top 4 or 5 RB, the top 4 or 5 Wr and that is about it. I think the stud term is way over used on this site.

 

[LordHusker]

I think it all depends on your definition of stud. I tend to usually have pretty good depth and play matchups a lot and feel I do better. I do not consider this to be sitting my studs though. My defination of a stud is the touple couple of QB, the top 4 or 5 RB, the top 4 or 5 Wr and that is about it. I think the stud term is way over used on this site.

I don't know if any WR studs actually exist. For example, Holt against the Chicago D this week -- particularly with Bulger dinged -- looks to me like a good example of a time to test the theory. He could have two catches for 20 yards.

 

[Resident A]

I think I have the type of story are looking for.

I was lucky enough to be an LT owner last year. He helped me dominate for most of the season, but really started to slow down around week 13 (by LT standards). Our playoffs started in Week 14 & he went for 75 yards & no catches or TDs. I managed to squeak out a win, but was scared LT was done. He had another crappy 76yd performance in my 2nd round game & I again barely managed a victory.

Next up was the Championship game. Could I possibly bench LT? Could I go to the title game w/o my best player? I knew I'd never live it down if I lost the title because I benched LT.

After pulling out my hair for days, I decided to take a huge gamble & started Ricky Williams who I plucked from the WW, once I heard he was getting the start & Ronnie Brown was out that week. Ricky went off for 172 yards & a TD. LT had the worst game of his career, 47yd rushing/18 yd receiving. Ricky's points were the difference in a narrow win. I won the title with the #1 overall pick on my bench and started guy off the waiver wire who was retired a few weeks earlier.

 

[Warhogs]

I think it all depends on your definition of stud. I tend to usually have pretty good depth and play matchups a lot and feel I do better. I do not consider this to be sitting my studs though. My defination of a stud is the touple couple of QB, the top 4 or 5 RB, the top 4 or 5 Wr and that is about it. I think the stud term is way over used on this site.

I don't know if any WR studs actually exist. For example, Holt against the Chicago D this week -- particularly with Bulger dinged -- looks to me like a good example of a time to test the theory. He could have two catches for 20 yards.

I am not sure this is a test because 1) a game is too small a sample size and 2) I am not sure Holt is a top 4/5 WR anymore (he is very close)? Holt Ranks 6th in receptions, 11 in receiving yards, 5th in receiving td).

 

[Warpig]

Week 14, 2002 -- first round of the playoffs. I had Vick as my QB and he was absolutely dominating fantasy football that year. My league has major bonuses for out-of-position TDs, so Vick was far and away the #1 player in the league.Week 14 he was playing Tampa Bay. My gut told me to bench him because Tampa had the #1 defense. But I couldn't get the "never bench your studs" mantra out of my head.I started Vick, he had a HORRIBLE game, and I lost. I would have won the Superbowl had I started ANY other QB on my roster or the waiver wire that week.P.S. I have a similar story about Billy Volek if anyone wants to listen.

I have the Yang to your Ying. Just last week I was torn between starting the new, hot thing in Dallas known as Tony Romo or Vick, whom I've been starting every week up until this point. This past week was a pivitol game with division championship and first round byes on the table. I went with the "up and comer" Romo. Romo scored 5 points and Vick got 12 on my bench. Luckily the guy I was playing had a horrid week and I ended up winning by 5. Had I went with my gut feeling I would have went with the following lineup:Vick (2 passing TD's and 69 yards rushing)McGahee (squat as far as yards but he atleast hit paydirt)Betts (130+ yds rushing and a TD)Plax (40+ yds and a TD)Santana Moss (100+ rec yds and a td)Heap (crap)Graham ( :melloBears Pretty good lineup in most cases. But instead I went with the "golden rule" ALWAYS START YOUR STUDS and this is the lineup I went with:Romo - (250+ yds passing 0 tds = 5 pts)Chester - (99 rush yds and 33 rec yds = 4 pts)McGahee - (see above)Boldin - (crap)Plax - (see above)Heap - (see above)Graham - melloBears - Hindsight is 20/20 and like I said either way I still won. But I was sweating it out Monday night because my opponent had LJ Smith and the Philly D and my players were done. I was nursing a 7 point lead going into Monday night. Thank God Smith fell off the radar and Philly only got 2 INTs.

 

[salmonstud]

I think I have the type of story are looking for.I was lucky enough to be an LT owner last year. He helped me dominate for most of the season, but really started to slow down around week 13 (by LT standards). Our playoffs started in Week 14 & he went for 75 yards & no catches or TDs. I managed to squeak out a win, but was scared LT was done. He had another crappy 76yd performance in my 2nd round game & I again barely managed a victory.Next up was the Championship game. Could I possibly bench LT? Could I go to the title game w/o my best player? I knew I'd never live it down if I lost the title because I benched LT.After pulling out my hair for days, I decided to take a huge gamble & started Ricky Williams who I plucked from the WW, once I heard he was getting the start & Ronnie Brown was out that week. Ricky went off for 172 yards & a TD. LT had the worst game of his career, 47yd rushing/18 yd receiving. Ricky's points were the difference in a narrow win. I won the title with the #1 overall pick on my bench and started guy off the waiver wire who was retired a few weeks earlier.

I have just the opposite story. I had LT last year and pulled my hair out right before kickoff due to LT being banged up and a muddy field had some people speculating that Turner would be use more and put up better stats than LT. I had Turner in my lineup and then changed it at the last minute with the "If you bench LT in the playoffs & he goes off you will never forgive yourself" voice replaying in my head. I lost the Superbowl by 2 points....when I would have won by 3 or 4 with Turner in the lineup. Sometimes you do need to sit a stud player depending on the situation. This week...in the playoffs...I'm benching Javon Walker in 2 leagues for A.Bryant & Caldwell due to not trusting Cutler will get him the ball.

 

[Upchuck]

No. But last week I should have benched ALL of my starters and gone with my bench. I'd have won handily!

 

[varmint cong]

some great stories, i guess you try to leverage benching studs with many factors, match ups, ect , but in LT's case, last yr, the trend was downward with a string of bad games, any scenarios this wk people can think up?

 

[salmonstud]

Like previous noted: Javon Walker. I started another thread on the topic.

 

[Brother Mouzone]

I think I have the type of story are looking for.I was lucky enough to be an LT owner last year. He helped me dominate for most of the season, but really started to slow down around week 13 (by LT standards). Our playoffs started in Week 14 & he went for 75 yards & no catches or TDs. I managed to squeak out a win, but was scared LT was done. He had another crappy 76yd performance in my 2nd round game & I again barely managed a victory.Next up was the Championship game. Could I possibly bench LT? Could I go to the title game w/o my best player? I knew I'd never live it down if I lost the title because I benched LT.After pulling out my hair for days, I decided to take a huge gamble & started Ricky Williams who I plucked from the WW, once I heard he was getting the start & Ronnie Brown was out that week. Ricky went off for 172 yards & a TD. LT had the worst game of his career, 47yd rushing/18 yd receiving. Ricky's points were the difference in a narrow win. I won the title with the #1 overall pick on my bench and started guy off the waiver wire who was retired a few weeks earlier.

that's awesome

 

[Loomba]

Sat the Ravens D in favour of the Jags D this past weekend an gained a few extra points. Not much of a stretch considering the matchups though.

 

[raidergil]

(Remember players but looked up exact stats here) In 2003 I drafted Fred Taylor as my #2 but he put up stud like numbers of over 1500 yards rushing and 7 total TDs. Entering semi finals he had run for over 118 yards in 4 of 5 games and had just smoked Hou for 163 and a TD but he was facing NE on the road. I knew Taylor had tendency to disappear against tough Ds. On my bench I had Thomas Jones who had just been given starting gig the previous week over Pittman in TB. In last 3 games Jones ran 37 times for 117 yds but was facing Hou team Taylor just crushed. I benched Taylor and went with Jones. Taylor ran for 57 yards and Jones went for 134 & TD. I advanced and started Fred the following week against NO and road his 194 yd game to championship.

Different league, different yr I was riding Robert Smith the yr he won rushing title. Believe he was facing GB who had decent D and Smith had been slowing. I was considering Warrick Dunn on my bench with a great matchup (think it was 2000 - last season with TB) but I had ridden Smith all year. Smith tanks, Dunn goes for 4 TDs (think I even had Tony Richardson on bench go for 4 TDs) and I lose semi by 2 & woulda won title following week.

Philosophically, I have no problem benching a stud but replacement better have great matchup and have skills to take advantage.

 

[[scooter]]

Different league, different yr I was riding Robert Smith the yr he won rushing title. Believe he was facing GB who had decent D and Smith had been slowing. I was considering Warrick Dunn on my bench with a great matchup (think it was 2000 - last season with TB) but I had ridden Smith all year. Smith tanks, Dunn goes for 4 TDs (think I even had Tony Richardson on bench go for 4 TDs) and I lose semi by 2 & woulda won title following week.

Dunn had 2 MONSTER games in in the 2000 playoffs -- one for 210 yards/2 TDs, and the other for 145/3. I remember because he was part of my 3-headed RB unit that year (with James Stewart and Lamar Smith) and I pulled my hair out every week trying to figure out which 2 to start. Luckily, I started Dunn in both those games and won my Super Bowl.Good times. Wasn't invited back to that league either.

 

[Koya]

Stud = LT2 and to a far lesser extent, LJ.

In today's Fantasy reality, that's IT.

 

[bonesman]

I think I have the type of story are looking for.I was lucky enough to be an LT owner last year. He helped me dominate for most of the season, but really started to slow down around week 13 (by LT standards). Our playoffs started in Week 14 & he went for 75 yards & no catches or TDs. I managed to squeak out a win, but was scared LT was done. He had another crappy 76yd performance in my 2nd round game & I again barely managed a victory.Next up was the Championship game. Could I possibly bench LT? Could I go to the title game w/o my best player? I knew I'd never live it down if I lost the title because I benched LT.After pulling out my hair for days, I decided to take a huge gamble & started Ricky Williams who I plucked from the WW, once I heard he was getting the start & Ronnie Brown was out that week. Ricky went off for 172 yards & a TD. LT had the worst game of his career, 47yd rushing/18 yd receiving. Ricky's points were the difference in a narrow win. I won the title with the #1 overall pick on my bench and started guy off the waiver wire who was retired a few weeks earlier.

that's awesome

yea... good story... but that wasn't LT's worst game. He had a real stinker (7 yards i think) in week 8 or 9 vs Philly last year. I wonder what else is exagerated there.