Dissenting Opinions: Keen on Keenan?

Group-think can be an especially scary thing when it comes to fantasy football rankings. After all, the unpredictable nature of the NFL game is part of what makes fantasy football so popular, and why some people like to say that the NFL acronym stands for "No F****** Logic." But when one of our Yahoo fantasy football analysts veers particularly far away from the rankings consensus, our curious nature begs for an explanantion. So, with that in mind, I've identified two players from our Week 3 rankings that our Yahoo analysts love/hate significantly more than the rest of us, and have asked them to explain their reasoning. I'll kick things off with a couple of my outliers:

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Love him: Jonathan Stewart, Car, RB - Funston RB rank No. 20 (Y! rank No. 38)

Even with DeAngelo Williams looking like he'll return from a thigh injury this week, I still like J-Stew to push top 20 fantasy RB levels. Without Williams, I would have slapped a guarantee on it. But looking at the dreadful Pittsburgh run defense, you see that it has already allowed three top 24 fantasy running backs thru two games - in Week 1, Isaiah Crowell finished No. 9 and Terrance West finished No. 24, while in Week 2, Bernard Pierce landed at No. 22. And that doesn't even include Justin Forsett's 8/56 rushing performance (7.0 YPC) while backing up Pierce. With Williams not likely to be at 100 percent, I expect Stewart to garner the majority of carries this week. Last week, he finished as a top 20 fantasy RB with 69 yards from scrimmage and a TD. Do I think he can match those totals once again, even on a few less touches? Yes I do.

Hate him: Keenan Allen, SDG, WR - Funston WR rank No. 38 (Y! No. 17)

Allen was on my preseason overrated list, and so far things are going as expected. With Antonio Gates and Malcom Floyd healthy, and with Danny Woodhead still residing in the backfield on passing downs, QB Philip Rivers has gone socialist, with Allen ranking third on the team's target list (15) behind Gates (17) and Eddie Royal (16). Yes. Allen has faced tough competition, thus far, but let's not assume Allen will finally get to enjoy a walk in the park this week at Buffalo. The Bills have allowed just one pass play of 20-plus yards, which is the lowest mark in the league. And that's despite facing quality wideouts like Brandon Marshall, Alshon Jeffery and Mike Wallace - oh, and by the way, the Bills haven't allowed more than 71 yards to a receiver, as well. I have Allen down for five catches and 60 yards (no touchdown) on Sunday. I'm guessing a majority of fantasy owners can find a better option than that.

SCOTT PIANOWSKI

Love him: Keenan Allen, SDG, WR - Pianowski WR rank No. 9  (Y! No. 17)

Allen's 10-92-0 start to the season doesn't look like much, but remember he's been up against Seattle and Arizona in the first two weeks, running many of his routes against elite cornerbacks (Richard Sherman, Patrick Peterson). Buffalo's pass defense has been solid to this point, though it's yet to match up against an elite quarterback (sorry, Cutler and Tannehill, you're not in my Top 10).

And if you want proof that it's a good time to buy on Allen, consider Michael Gehlken of the San Diego Union-Tribune offered me Peyton Manning for Allen in the Yahoo Friends & Family League. Gehlken knows the Bolts inside and out, and that's not a buy-low offer, that's a buy-at-sticker offer. I'll happily sit on my Allen shares; the schedule gets a little easier going forward, and perhaps the Chargers will be throwing more these days with Ryan Mathews out.
 
Hate him: Joique Bell, Det, RB - Pianowski RB rank No. 23 (Y! No. 14)

Bell had a nice afternoon last November against Green Bay, a blowout victory for the Lions that I'll discount on some level, since Aaron Rodgers didn't play. Rodgers has shown no difficulty beating the Lions in his career: 9-1 record over the years. Detroit has scored a modest 71 points in the last five Rodgers-included meetings.

Okay, Rodgers doesn't play middle linebacker, I get it. And the Seattle rushing game had little trouble gouging Green Bay's front seven on opening night. But I'm hesitant to compare Bell (3.5 YPC this year, 3.9 YPC last year) with a back like Marshawn Lynch. And even if Bell is the slight preference in Detroit's backfield, it's not like Reggie Bush completely vanishes (23 touches). In short, Joique Bell is one of those players that's so underrated, he's become an eyelash overrated. He's just a low RB2 or a flex in my current plans.

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ANDY BEHRENS

Love him: Bernard Pierce, Bal, RB – Behrens RB rank No. 15 (Y! No. 29)

To be clear, I would not be totally thrilled to have Bernard Pierce as my hometown team's running back. Even when he delivers a decent yardage total, as he did in Week 2 against Pittsburgh, you can't help but notice that he seems incapable of making a secondary move that results in a huge gain. He's far from my favorite back. However, he's facing Cleveland this week, and I fully expect him to see 18-20 carries against a defense that's already allowed 301 total rushing yards (and 5.0 per carry). It's tough to believe the run won't remain in play for the Ravens throughout the game.
 
Hate him: T.Y. Hilton, Ind, WR – Behrens WR rank No. 28 (Y! No. 16)

The play-calling from the Indianapolis sideline was jarringly bad on Monday night, in the biggest moments. I'm still not over it. Pep Hamilton calls a game as if he receives a bonus check for every 2-yard run. We've learned over the first two weeks of the season that a competent offense can do whatever it wants against Jacksonville, so it's certainly possible for Hilton to have a huge day. I've ranked him as a WR3, so I'm not saying you can't play him. But I expect the Colts to turtle up when they get a lead against the Jaguars, feeding Ahmad Bradshaw and Trent Richardson. I'm expecting this game to feature the dullest second-half in the history of the NFL.

DALTON DEL DON

Love him: Eddie Lacy, GB, RB - Del Don RB rank No. 4 (Y! No. 10)

He's definitely off to a poor start, but that's come in games in Seattle and against a Jets team that has allowed the fewest fantasy points to opposing running backs. The matchup isn't easy this week either, facing a Detroit defense that has ceded an NFL-low 2.5 YPC this season, but the Lions have been vulnerable to backs through the air (105 receiving yards over two games), and Lacy remains a true workhorse (James Starks and DuJuan Harris combined for one touch last week). The over/under in this game (53) is the highest of the week, so plenty of points should be scored.

Hate him: Brandin Cooks, NO, WR - Del Don WR rank No. 37 (Y! No. 23)

I could easily see the Saints bouncing back in a big way and getting right during the team's first home game of the year this week, and this should be a shootout, so I'll probably creep Cooks up my rankings during further updates. But the rookie has a modest 94 receiving yards over two games and might very well be New Orleans' No. 4 option in the passing game.

BRAD EVANS

Love him: Brandin Cooks, NO, WR - Evans WR rank No. 12  (Y! No. 23)

It’s amazing after a one down week how quickly everyone has bailed on Brandin. Back on the fast-track, I fully expect the winless Saints to unleash hell on the Vikings. Brian Quick and Julian Edelman totaled excellent PPR numbers against Minnesota’s rather average secondary. Cooks replicates their success en route to a top-20 Week 3.

Hate him: Frank Gore, SF, RB - Evans RB rank No. 35 (Y! No. 19)

The last time Gore traveled to Glendale he was swallowed whole by a dust storm, compiling a laughable 14 yards on 13 carries. Arizona’s defense up front has played as advertised through the first two weeks, yielding a mere 2.59 yards per carry to RBs. Practically immovable at home, the Cards have given up just 3.71 yards per carry to visiting rushers since Week 1 last year. Put it all together and I see Gore finishing with just 50-60 yards and no scores.