Dissenting Opinions: Carolina on our mind

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 explanation. So, with that in mind, I've identified two players from our Week 10 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. 17 (Yahoo rank No. 25)

Carolina has been a bankrupt backfield this season, but Stewart has given the Panthers running game some hope of recovery over the past three games, checking as as the No. 25 fantasy RB in per game production over that span. For the year, he ranks among the RB best in yards after contact and missed tackles, and it was heartening to see him cash in on a goal line carry at Philly on Monday night. If you watched that game, you saw that Cam Newton was struggling with pain in his right foot (which was obvious, despite the denials of head coach Ron Rivera). Given Newton's diminished rushing capacity (which is likely to mean more work for the backfield) and the ground-game generosity of the Atlanta defense that the Panthers will host this week, I think J-Stew can definitely burst through the RB2 bubble that he has been orbiting in recent weeks.

Hate him: Doug Baldwin, Sea, WR - Funston WR rank No. 52 (Yahoo No. 34)

Baldwin produced his best game of the season in Week 7, right after Seattle traded Percy Harvin to the Jets. I think that impression (that Baldwin was suddenly Seattle's clear go-to wideout) has subsequently led to him being ranked regularly as a WR3. And that's just negligent thinking, as we are talking about a team that uses the pass as merely a change of pace to the running game. Seattle's current set-up is no different than it was last season, when Baldwin finished outside the top 45 receivers (min. 10 games) in per game fantasy production. Other than his big effort in Week 7 (7/123/1), Baldwin has averaged 3.8 catches, 39.6 yards and has failed to score a TD in his other eight contests. Those numbers make Baldwin unownable, especially against one of the best pass defenses in the league (KC).

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DALTON DEL DON

Love him: Brandon Lafell, NE, WR - Del Don WR rank No. 14 (Yahoo No. 19)

Lafell has scored four touchdowns over the past four games and has seen a whopping 24 targets over the past two. He's clearly emerged as New England's most explosive wide receiver, and this game's (vs. Indy) over/under (58) is the highest I can ever remember. I can't see not projecting LaFell as a top-15 fantasy wideout in Week 11.

Hate him: Jonathan Stewart, Car, RB - Del Don RB rank No. 38 (Yahoo No. 25)

Atlanta has allowed the most fantasy points to opposing running backs, but Stewart has averaged 42.7 rushing yards per game this season and has scored two touchdowns over his past 14 games (and three over his past 21). Admittedly, he's broken an impressive 26 tackles while playing just 280 snaps, but Carolina's offensive line has been a major problem.

SCOTT PIANOWSKI

Love him: Fred Jackson, Buf, RB - Pianowski RB rank No. 21  (Yahoo No.  27)

Maybe I'm headed down a dead end with Jackson, an old running back, off an injury, into a short week, against a strong defense. My sense is the Bills will want to lean on Jackson in the critical game at Miami, after Bryce Brown fumbled away last week's win against Kansas City (I'm still mad about it, too). Boobie Dixon is the ultimate "just a guy." If Jackson is ready to handle 15-20 touches, he'll get them. Running back gets ugly quick in 2014, which is why I'm considering this dice throw on Thursday night.

Hate him: Andre Johnson, Hou, WR - Pianowski WR rank No. 38 (Yahoo No. 24)

As soon as I finish this blurb, I'll probably go move Johnson down even further on my ranks. What's the long-running fascinating with this guy? He has one touchdown the entire season and he's currently No. 45 in Yahoo scoring at receiver. The Browns pass defense has been outstanding all year. And the only good thing I'll say about Ryan Mallett is this: he's not Ryan Fitzpatrick. I'll be shocked if he's some miracle worker here. There's a reason he's our No. 26 fantasy QB in a week with 28 starters.

We want numbers. We shouldn't care about the names.

BRAD EVANS

Love him: Golden Tate, Det, WR -  Evans WR rank No. 10 (Yahoo No. 16)

The demise of the Golden Domer was greatly exaggerated. Many pundits and advanced fantasy players predicted doomsday numbers for the WR once Calvin Johnson was activated. However, his 13-11-109-0 output against a rock solid Miami secondary hushed critics. His stupendous skills working underneath should again provide fruits for his believers. Arizona's secondary is finally starting to deliver on its enormous promise, but Patrick Peterson and friends are still allowing the eighth-most fantasy points to WRs. Because of AZ's unyielding play in the trenches, another 10-plus targets are on tap for Tate.

Hate him: Ben Roethlisberger, Pit, QB - Evans QB rank No. 17 (Yahoo No. 11)

After setting the fantasy world aflame in Weeks 8 and 9, Big Ben cooled off considerably last week, reaching the end zone only once against the hapless Jets. At home, he's been nearly unstoppable, but averaging a mediocre 251.4 passing yards and 1.0 passing touchdowns per game away, he's not exactly been a road warrior. Tennessee is exploitable, but off a game in which it held another AFC North QB, Joe Flacco, under 200 yards, I suspect Roethlisberger's Week 11 numbers will taste rather bland.

ANDY BEHRENS

Love him: Darren Sproles, Phi, RB – Behrens RB rank No. 21 (Yahoo No. 25)

OK, maybe it seems a bit aggressive to rank a player as a solid RB2 if he received only two offensive touches the prior week. I get it. But my expectation is that Philly will get back to giving Sproles the 7-15 touch workload he saw early in the season, before the knee tweak. Also, he's a ridiculously explosive player (6 TDs), the No. 24 scorer at his position on a per-game basis. This week, he's facing a run defense that ranks No. 30 in the league. In a week with Murray, Ivory, D-Rob and Forsett on bye, he's a solid play in any format.
 
Hate him: Vernon Davis, SF, TE – Behrens TE rank No. 17 (Yahoo No. 11)

I mean ... the man has 169 receiving yards in seven games. His highest single-game yardage total this season is 44. Over Davis' last five games, his average week is two catches for 17.2 yards and zero TDs. Interested? Me either.