Fantasy Football Week 10: Soft Defenses For Your Stars To Exploit
Fantasy football's Week 10 may already be underway, but don't let that keep you from taking one last look at your roster before the majority of games on Sunday.
After all, while your Baltimore Ravens and Atlanta Falcons may be locked, in most leagues there is still time to replace just about anyone else, which means it's time to look at some cupcakes.
For those who don't know what cupcakes have to do with fantasy football, they're the soft, sweet defenses that you can exploit to get the most points possible out of your team. These 10 guys are going up against the worst defenses the NFL has to offer. Five of them will help your receiving game, five will help your rushing game, but all of them will definitely provide your team with the boost you need to get you over the top.
Passing Cupcake Eater 5: Andre Johnson, WR, Houston Texans
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Why He’s a Cupcake Eater: As the best wide receiver in the NFL, Andre Johnson is capable of lighting up even the stingiest of defenses. But he does some of his best work against the league's softies.
Who’s the Cupcake: Jacksonville ranks dead last against opposing wide receivers in 2010, and the Jaguars have been unable to contain even the most mediocre of passing attacks this season.
Cupcake Meter: 5/10. Under normal circumstances, Johnson would top this list, but the ankle injury he's battling makes him a game-time decision, and hurts his value. If he plays, expect a huge day from him.
Rushing Cupcake Eater 5: Adrian Peterson, RB, Minnesota Vikings
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Why He’s a Cupcake Eater: Peterson has found success against some of the toughest defenses in the league this season, but we've seen him truly shine against the NFL's softer foes.
Who’s the Cupcake: The Bears defense ranks 14th in the NFL in 2010, but Chicago has yet to face anything resembling an elite running back this season.
Cupcake Meter: 5/10. Chicago could prove a stiff challenge to AP, but we've seen him rise to the occasion against other, more talented defenses. For him, this one should be little trouble.
Passing Cupcake Eater 4: Tony Moeaki, TE, Kansas City Chiefs
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Why He’s a Cupcake Eater: Moeaki's role is slowly growing in the Kansas City offense. While he hasn't found the end zone since Week 3, with a soft matchup this week, he seems primed to do it again.
Who’s the Cupcake: The Denver Broncos rank 24th against opposing tight ends in 2010. Based on what we've seen from guys like Zach Miller, Marcedes Lewis, Dustin Keller and Todd Heap, Moeaki should have little trouble finding space to run.
Cupcake Meter: 6/10. Moeaki should find the end zone this week and add more pain to the Broncos' defensive woes this season.
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Rushing Cupcake Eater 4: Cedric Benson, RB, Cincinnati Bengals
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Why He’s a Cupcake Eater: One need look no further than Benson's Week 5 explosion against Tampa Bay to see that one of the league's most powerful runners loves him some cupcakes.
Who’s the Cupcake: Indianapolis, which has struggled to contain even mediocre running backs in 2010, although the Colts have improved in that department recently.
Cupcake Meter: 6.5/10. Benson is a big, punishing back who's sure to get plenty of work. While he doesn't average many yards per carry, he's sure to have a strong day.
Passing Cupcake Eater 3: Reggie Wayne, WR, Indianapolis Colts
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Why He’s a Cupcake Eater: Wayne's performance versus cupcakes this season: Houston (Week 1 and Week 8) 11 catches, 138 yards, two touchdowns; Jacksonville (Week 4) 15 catches, 196 yards; Washington (Week 6) six catches, 71 yards; Philadelphia (Week 9) 11 catches, 83 yards. I'd say Mr. Wayne enjoys his cupcakes.
Who’s the Cupcake: Cincinnati ranks 19th in the NFL against opposing wideouts in 2010, and has given up 19 points, 47 points, 17 points, and 28 points to the position in its last four contests.
Cupcake Meter: 7/10. Wayne is the only reliable, healthy wideout in Indianapolis right now, and with Cincy's secondary banged up and ineffective in recent weeks, he should see plenty of holes to exploit. Look for a big day from him.
Rushing Cupcake Eater 3: Rashard Mendenhall, RB, Pittsburgh Steelers
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Why He’s a Cupcake Eater: With Ben Roethlisberger back, Mendenhall's not getting quite as many chances to enjoy cupcakes as he did early in the season. But he's making the most out of what he's given, as last week's gashing of the Bengals (22 carries, 99 yards and a touchdown) would indicate.
Who’s the Cupcake: New England's defense has faded badly against the run in recent weeks, ranking 25th against opposing running backs in 2010. It has allowed 30-or-more points in two straight games, and has yet to give up fewer than 11 to a running game this season.
Cupcake Meter: 7.5/10. Mendenhall is the only real back in Pittsburgh, and with a defense this soft, he's sure to take advantage and have a huge day, even if he doesn't get 25 carries.
Passing Cupcake Eater 2: DeSean Jackson, WR, Philadelphia Eagles
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Why He’s a Cupcake Eater: Jackson is lightning fast and he can burn even the sturdiest of pass defenses if not careful. When he goes against a soft defense, he's downright unstoppable, as we saw against Detroit in Week 2 (four catches, 135 yards and a touchdown) and Jacksonville in Week 3 (five catches, 153 yards and a touchdown).
Who’s the Cupcake: Washington ranks 28th against opposing wideouts, and while it shut down Jackson in Week 4, that was as much a product of quarterback Michael Vick's injury than anything the Redskins did defensively.
Cupcake Meter: 8.5/10. Jackson has got the speed to smoke Washington's ball-hawking secondary, and now he's got a quarterback with the arm to get him the ball over the top. Look for a big-time performance from the speedy wideout.
Rushing Cupcake Eater 2: Arian Foster, RB, Houston Texans
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Why He’s a Cupcake Eater: Foster has been sensational across the board in 2010, but he's made a living off of feasting on the league's softest, chewiest, most cake-like defenses. He put up big numbers against Indianapolis (33 carries, 231 yards, two touchdowns in Week 1 and 15 carries,102 yards and a touchdown in Week 8), Oakland (16 carries, 131 yards and a touchdown in Week 4) and Dallas (17 carries, 106 yards), three of the softer defenses in the league.
Who’s the Cupcake: Jacksonville comes into this week's matchup ranked 23rd against opposing running backs in 2010. The Jaguars have allowed 10 touchdowns to opposing backs, and they have given up less than 10 points only once, despite also having the league's worst pass defense.
Cupcake Meter: 9/10. Foster is fully capable of cracking the 100-yard mark, even if Houston throws the ball for most of the game and only gets him 15 carries. He should go off again this week.
Passing Cupcake Eater 1: Hakeem Nicks, WR, New York Giants
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Why He’s a Cupcake Eater: For proof that he loves cupcakes, one need look no further than his games against Houston (12 catches, 130 yards, two touchdowns), Dallas (nine catches, 108 yards, two touchdowns) and Seattle (six catches, 128 yards and a touchdown), along with his performance against Carolina (four catches, 75 yards, three touchdowns). He can go off on anyone at any time, but he's most dangerous against the least-dangerous defenses.
Who’s the Cupcake: The Cowboys rank second-to-last against opposing wide receivers in 2010, and they look like a team that has quit trying. Injuries and poor play have turned Dallas' secondary into a joke. It has given up 20-or-more points to wideouts in seven straight games and it has given up 30 or more to the position in three straight. It gave up 50 points to the Giants' wideouts three weeks ago.
Cupcake Meter: 10/10. Nicks went off against Dallas three weeks ago, when it still had a little bit of hope left. Now that it has given up on 2010, who knows what he could do?
Rushing Cupcake Eater 1: Jamaal Charles, RB, Kansas City Chiefs
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Why He’s a Cupcake Eater: Charles is one of the most explosive, dynamic runners in football, but he also loves cupcakes. One need look no further than Buffalo in Week 8 (22 carries, 177 yards) for proof of what he's capable of doing to a soft defense.
Who’s the Cupcake: The Denver Broncos rank dead last against opposing running backs in 2010. They've given up 18 or more points to each of their last four opponents, including a 66-point day to Oakland's runners and a 41-point day to the Ravens' backs.
Cupcake Meter: 10/10. Sure, he's splitting carries with Thomas Jones. But Oakland's backfield was splitting carries, and you saw what they did to Denver's defense. Charles will have a huge game this week, regardless of Jones' workload. Roll him with extreme confidence.
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