This will likely be the last thing I'll post in awhile because of my test (Dec. 5th), so here goes:
Shonn Greene: With Leon Washington on IR, the skilled Greene takes over in a semi RB2/committee. The Jets won't get 50 carries a week or whatever, but 8-15 touches per week depending on opponent isn't unrealistic at all. Scoop him up if you can.
Mike Hart: With Donald Brown out 2-3 weeks, Hart may be in line for some touches, because I feel like the Colts staff doesn't want to lean on Addai fully and have him wear out like he has in past seasons. Worth a look 'til Brown is back.
Fred Davis: With Cooley out anywhere from 4 weeks to the season, Davis makes a nice TE2 or TE1 in deep leagues. He receives really well and Campbell looked his way often on Monday. He actually dropped another TD and still had an 8/80/1 line.
Alex Smith: Still got Delhomme, Shaun Hill or Trent Edwards as your QB2? Take a QB with alot more upside in Smith. Maybe this coaching regime will finally bring about what was expected of him.
Jamaal Charles: LJ is in a major doghouse in KC, and Charles is both a decent runner and pass catcher with fumbling problems. That said, since Kolby Smith is on IR, he'd take over as featured back in KC if/when LJ sits out.
Sam Aiken/Brandon Tate: Aiken for shorter term prospects, Tate for longer term with return yardage. The Pats have a seriously tough schedule ahead of them, but they'll still pass and pass often. I suspect if Tate shows more as he gets healthier, he make take over more WR3 snaps as the season progresses.
Sammie Stroughter: Regardless of Freeman or Johnson at QB, things won't look good in TB. That said, Stroughter has been on the field more and more, and is worth a speculative play in deeper leagues.
Brian Hartline/Davone Bess/Greg Camarillo: It remains to be seen who will benefit most from Ginn's decreased snap counts, but all make better plays now, especially Bess in PPR formats. I don't have any insight as to who will benefit the most since it's so random in Miami at WR, so watch how they play NYJ and see (also don't discredit whoever Revis covers).
Malcolm Floyd: He should overtake Chris Chambers at WR real soon in SD. Bigger, faster, younger, better than Chambers.
Dammy Amendola: Desperate in a deep league with points for return yardage? He's your man, and Keenan Burton sure isn't anything special in STL. (Not saying Amendola is either, but those return yards...!)
Jason Snelling: Worth a look in deeper leagues with Norwood still out. A better pass catcher than Turner, and he's actually a decent talent, he might see 5-10 touches a game here and there.
Arizona D: Playing Carolina and Jake DeLOLhomme this week.
Matt Moore: Speaking of Jake Delhomme, this guy could be worth a stash in deep dynasties or something. When the notoriously loyal John Fox starts souring on you, you're in trouble.
That's all for now, good luck all...see you in awhile!
Tuesday, October 27, 2009
Thursday, October 22, 2009
Week 7: Waiver Wire Wonders
I'll try to get this segment out by Wednesday each week, but as we get closer and closer to December, I may be skipping a week here and there because of a test I'm taking. But for now, onwards to some WW considerations.
Laurence Maroney: Of course it's because of injuries, but if he's available, worth a snag because of who he's playing. We know Taylor is out awhile, and if Morris's injury is serious, he could very well see 20+ touches a game.
BenJarvus Green-Ellis: For you deeper league people, this is a pretty speculative play. LoMo hasn't been the most healthy guy in the world, and even in Week 7, The Law Firm could see 8-12 touches if there's garbage time like last week, and potentially some GL carries. Someone to consider in desperation.
Justin Fargas: Will carry the majority of the load this week since Mcfadden is out and Bush hurt his noggin. NYJ's run D weakens considerably with the loss of Kris Jenkins, and he did see 23 carries last week.
Indianapolis D/Carolina D/New England D: Indy plays STL, Carolina plays BUF with Ryan Fitzpatrick starting, NE plays TB in an 'away game' in London in which I bet the Pats get more fans than the Bucs. 3 solid matchups.
James Jones: Jordy Nelson is hurt, so he's the sole #3 in Green Bay. Worth a look against softer matchups, including this week.
Sidney Rice: Likely gone in any decent league, but Favre has been heaping praise on him all year, and he's a big target. I was able to snag him in a 12 teamer, which surprised me.
Kevin Faulk: PPR only, but if he's not snagged, definitely worth a look. The Pats don't really have a 3rd WR right now, so he could see an increase in checkdowns in the interim.
Mohamed Massaquoi: He'll be inconsistent as heck, but if an impatient owner (like me) dropped him after a terrible Week 5, now's the chance for another flier.
Andre Caldwell: Again, another inconsistent performer, but in a pure numbers point of view, he's the #2 in Cincy right now.
Jermichael Finley: Nab him if he's available and you don't have a solid TE. Like now.
Chaz Schilens: And thus, on October 25th, 2009, the Schilens Era was born. And all ye Jamarcus Russel's be free! (Speculative play)
Justin Forsett: Mommmm?!!! Julius Jones is becoming Julius Jones again! (Speculative play)
Sam Aiken/Brandon Tate/Terrence Nunn: This might be the most speculative I get all year. Watch this week and see who looks the best. Nunn/Tate may not even play, but if they do, consider them in super deep leagues (ie, my 20 teamer). Aiken isn't a great WR, but he may get the #3 spot by default because the other two haven't had time with Brady yet. Either way, one of the three could make for a decent pickup for the cheapest you can find someone.
Chris Brown: Apparently he's still the closer til he breaks something.
Again, remember some of these are speculative, some aren't, and it all depends on league size/competitiveness. Happy Week 7 all.
Laurence Maroney: Of course it's because of injuries, but if he's available, worth a snag because of who he's playing. We know Taylor is out awhile, and if Morris's injury is serious, he could very well see 20+ touches a game.
BenJarvus Green-Ellis: For you deeper league people, this is a pretty speculative play. LoMo hasn't been the most healthy guy in the world, and even in Week 7, The Law Firm could see 8-12 touches if there's garbage time like last week, and potentially some GL carries. Someone to consider in desperation.
Justin Fargas: Will carry the majority of the load this week since Mcfadden is out and Bush hurt his noggin. NYJ's run D weakens considerably with the loss of Kris Jenkins, and he did see 23 carries last week.
Indianapolis D/Carolina D/New England D: Indy plays STL, Carolina plays BUF with Ryan Fitzpatrick starting, NE plays TB in an 'away game' in London in which I bet the Pats get more fans than the Bucs. 3 solid matchups.
James Jones: Jordy Nelson is hurt, so he's the sole #3 in Green Bay. Worth a look against softer matchups, including this week.
Sidney Rice: Likely gone in any decent league, but Favre has been heaping praise on him all year, and he's a big target. I was able to snag him in a 12 teamer, which surprised me.
Kevin Faulk: PPR only, but if he's not snagged, definitely worth a look. The Pats don't really have a 3rd WR right now, so he could see an increase in checkdowns in the interim.
Mohamed Massaquoi: He'll be inconsistent as heck, but if an impatient owner (like me) dropped him after a terrible Week 5, now's the chance for another flier.
Andre Caldwell: Again, another inconsistent performer, but in a pure numbers point of view, he's the #2 in Cincy right now.
Jermichael Finley: Nab him if he's available and you don't have a solid TE. Like now.
Chaz Schilens: And thus, on October 25th, 2009, the Schilens Era was born. And all ye Jamarcus Russel's be free! (Speculative play)
Justin Forsett: Mommmm?!!! Julius Jones is becoming Julius Jones again! (Speculative play)
Sam Aiken/Brandon Tate/Terrence Nunn: This might be the most speculative I get all year. Watch this week and see who looks the best. Nunn/Tate may not even play, but if they do, consider them in super deep leagues (ie, my 20 teamer). Aiken isn't a great WR, but he may get the #3 spot by default because the other two haven't had time with Brady yet. Either way, one of the three could make for a decent pickup for the cheapest you can find someone.
Chris Brown: Apparently he's still the closer til he breaks something.
Again, remember some of these are speculative, some aren't, and it all depends on league size/competitiveness. Happy Week 7 all.
Saturday, October 17, 2009
Week 6 Booms, Busts and WW Wonders
BOOMS:
Green Bay Packers players: I'll start off with a gimme. Detroit will be playing without Stafford and Calvin, meaning the starting skill players will include fearsome names such as Culpepper, Northcutt and Bryant Johnson. This means you start Rodgers, Grant, Jennings, Driver and the Packers D with confidence.
New England passing players: Brady, Moss, Welker are absolute 'duh's this week. I know you'd be batty to sit them on almost any given week, but I actually had 2 people ask me if they should bench Moss because of his performance this year. No. Tennessee will be without both starting CBs, and even with those CBs, Tennessee has allowed 13 TDs and 288 YPG through the air.
David Garrard: One, he plays St. Louis. Two, you'd think he'd be motivated after last week's disgraceful performance by all the Jags to come out and stick it to a team. Luckily for the Jags, that team happens to be the Rams.
Brian Westbrook/Lesean Mccoy: As most people know, Oakland has a serviceable pass D. As most people know, Oakland has a run D about as effective as a drunk Ryan Leaf at QB, so we may be able to expect Westy to get slightly more touches while the game is competitive, then Mccoy to get more as it starts to get away.
Donnie Avery: Jacksonville's pass D is bad bad bad, as you no doubt witnessed last week if you had a Seahawk. Keenan Burton isn't an NFL caliber WR in my opinion after watching him, so the passing game should feature Avery a ton.
Nate Burleson: This may be a close game, but the Cardinals have a pretty rancid pass D, and Hasselbeck seems to have nice rapport with him.
Knowshon Moreno: Buckhalter may play, but Moreno should be the feature back, and SD is banged up and playing pretty cruddy D. He's got RB2/flex status this week.
Thomas Jones: Reverse psychology baby. The Bills have an awful D, this should be a blowout, Jones is an awful runner with all the opportunties, you get the idea.
Cedric Benson: The NFL's leading rusher (man that feels weird to say) shouldn't have much trouble against a D that has given up 8 combined TDs to Thomas Jones, Chris Johnson, MJD and Hightower.
Santana Moss: I'd like to present you with stats of some WRs against KC this year: Miles Austin, 10 rec 250 yds 2 TD. Steve Smith, 11 rec 134 yds 2 TD. Desean Jackson, 6 rec 149 yds 1 TD. Mark Clayton, 5 rec 77 yds 1 TD. Of course, to their credit, KC played well against Oakland's stellar, vaunted, grade-A WR corps.
New York Jets D: Oh, they'll be angry. And oh, they'll be playing the Bills o-line. The same Bills team that scored 3 points against the Browns.
BUSTS:
Marques Colston: And now I'd like to present you some stats of #1 WRs against NYG. Santana Moss, 2 rec 6 yds. Roy Williams, 1 rec 18 yds. Antonio Bryant, 1 rec 6 yds. Dwayne Bowe, 1 rec 11 yds. Oakland WRs, typical Oakland WR stats. You get the idea...tough to bench, but expect less than usual.
Eli Manning: The Saints have allowed pass TDs in exactly 1 game this year. 1. Eli Manning will be the best QB they've faced, but this may actually be less of a shootout than people think.
Kevin Smith: I hate putting my own players as busts, but the Detroit offense looks absolutely 1 dimensional this week. The Packers contain Smith and they absolutely coast.
Willis Mcgahee: Ray Rice seems to be becoming the clearcut #1, and he plays Minnesota. Scary stuff.
Jamal Lewis: The Browns will be down early. He can't catch the ball. This should be an amusing game.
Terrell Owens: He'll be playing a pissed off Revis (he's overrated, but he's for sure a top 5 CB) who got smoked by the Dolphins. And let's face it...he sucks in Buffalo.
Jeremy Maclin: I THINK Nnamdi is covering his side of the field. I wish I could get verification from somewhere, but regardless, last week was probably his best week all year.
Waiver Wire Wonders:
This is my favorite part of this writeup now btw.
Dennis Northcutt: With Calvin Johnson out, he'll see targets, as Culpepper looked his way alot last week. A decent PPR plugin for desperate owners.
Jake Delhomme: It's scary starting a guy like Jake, but they should win the game, and Tampa Bay is pretty cruddy against the pass.
Chaz Schilens: This isn't a play for now, but rather a more speculative play in deeper leagues. There's an outside chance he plays this week, and he's got the talent to succeed in the league. His main problem is obviously Jamarcus, so look and see how Jamarcus looks at Schilens the first week or 2 that he's back, and that will dictate his rosterability as the season goes on.
Todd Heap: You'll be HEAPING the praise on Todd when he gets you a nice bye week fillin, specially in PPR leagues. (I'm sorry, I had to.)
Washington D: Cassel doesn't throw many INTs, but KC fumbles here and there, and their o-line is definitely crappy. Washington had better come out and play motivated, otherwise some jobs are absolutely gone.
Keenan Burton: I mentioned Keenan Burton isn't an NFL caliber WR, and I stand by what I said. That said, he's still the #2 WR in STL, and assuming they're playing from down, having a crappy skillset doesn't mean you can't catch 4-6 passes given enough targets. Deep leaguers, take consideration.
Josh Freeman: Again, a completely speculative add for deep leaguers only. Josh Johnson actually put up decent fantasy stats last week, and assuming Tampa Bay goes into their bye winless, the coaching regime has stated they might make the change to Freeman.
Chad Henne: He's likely gone in your league by now, but in case he isn't, this guy looked like a legit NFL QB against a really good D. You could do worse in a deeper league for a backup QB.
Carolina D: 2 solid plays in Week 6 and 7 facing TB and BUF.
Mushin Muhammad: If he's available, he's usually good in PPR leagues for 8-12 points. Tampa's pass D, as aforementioned, is pretty cruddy.
Hakeem Nicks: He's still rotating at WR right now, but he's got the skills to succeed. More of a longer term play than a Week 6 play.
Vince Young: Again, a similar situation to TB. With TEN's season all but over, they need to either see what they have with VY or 'showcase' him in case they can get a cheap trade. Won't happen this week, but wouldn't be surprised if it happened in a few weeks.
Good luck this week.
Green Bay Packers players: I'll start off with a gimme. Detroit will be playing without Stafford and Calvin, meaning the starting skill players will include fearsome names such as Culpepper, Northcutt and Bryant Johnson. This means you start Rodgers, Grant, Jennings, Driver and the Packers D with confidence.
New England passing players: Brady, Moss, Welker are absolute 'duh's this week. I know you'd be batty to sit them on almost any given week, but I actually had 2 people ask me if they should bench Moss because of his performance this year. No. Tennessee will be without both starting CBs, and even with those CBs, Tennessee has allowed 13 TDs and 288 YPG through the air.
David Garrard: One, he plays St. Louis. Two, you'd think he'd be motivated after last week's disgraceful performance by all the Jags to come out and stick it to a team. Luckily for the Jags, that team happens to be the Rams.
Brian Westbrook/Lesean Mccoy: As most people know, Oakland has a serviceable pass D. As most people know, Oakland has a run D about as effective as a drunk Ryan Leaf at QB, so we may be able to expect Westy to get slightly more touches while the game is competitive, then Mccoy to get more as it starts to get away.
Donnie Avery: Jacksonville's pass D is bad bad bad, as you no doubt witnessed last week if you had a Seahawk. Keenan Burton isn't an NFL caliber WR in my opinion after watching him, so the passing game should feature Avery a ton.
Nate Burleson: This may be a close game, but the Cardinals have a pretty rancid pass D, and Hasselbeck seems to have nice rapport with him.
Knowshon Moreno: Buckhalter may play, but Moreno should be the feature back, and SD is banged up and playing pretty cruddy D. He's got RB2/flex status this week.
Thomas Jones: Reverse psychology baby. The Bills have an awful D, this should be a blowout, Jones is an awful runner with all the opportunties, you get the idea.
Cedric Benson: The NFL's leading rusher (man that feels weird to say) shouldn't have much trouble against a D that has given up 8 combined TDs to Thomas Jones, Chris Johnson, MJD and Hightower.
Santana Moss: I'd like to present you with stats of some WRs against KC this year: Miles Austin, 10 rec 250 yds 2 TD. Steve Smith, 11 rec 134 yds 2 TD. Desean Jackson, 6 rec 149 yds 1 TD. Mark Clayton, 5 rec 77 yds 1 TD. Of course, to their credit, KC played well against Oakland's stellar, vaunted, grade-A WR corps.
New York Jets D: Oh, they'll be angry. And oh, they'll be playing the Bills o-line. The same Bills team that scored 3 points against the Browns.
BUSTS:
Marques Colston: And now I'd like to present you some stats of #1 WRs against NYG. Santana Moss, 2 rec 6 yds. Roy Williams, 1 rec 18 yds. Antonio Bryant, 1 rec 6 yds. Dwayne Bowe, 1 rec 11 yds. Oakland WRs, typical Oakland WR stats. You get the idea...tough to bench, but expect less than usual.
Eli Manning: The Saints have allowed pass TDs in exactly 1 game this year. 1. Eli Manning will be the best QB they've faced, but this may actually be less of a shootout than people think.
Kevin Smith: I hate putting my own players as busts, but the Detroit offense looks absolutely 1 dimensional this week. The Packers contain Smith and they absolutely coast.
Willis Mcgahee: Ray Rice seems to be becoming the clearcut #1, and he plays Minnesota. Scary stuff.
Jamal Lewis: The Browns will be down early. He can't catch the ball. This should be an amusing game.
Terrell Owens: He'll be playing a pissed off Revis (he's overrated, but he's for sure a top 5 CB) who got smoked by the Dolphins. And let's face it...he sucks in Buffalo.
Jeremy Maclin: I THINK Nnamdi is covering his side of the field. I wish I could get verification from somewhere, but regardless, last week was probably his best week all year.
Waiver Wire Wonders:
This is my favorite part of this writeup now btw.
Dennis Northcutt: With Calvin Johnson out, he'll see targets, as Culpepper looked his way alot last week. A decent PPR plugin for desperate owners.
Jake Delhomme: It's scary starting a guy like Jake, but they should win the game, and Tampa Bay is pretty cruddy against the pass.
Chaz Schilens: This isn't a play for now, but rather a more speculative play in deeper leagues. There's an outside chance he plays this week, and he's got the talent to succeed in the league. His main problem is obviously Jamarcus, so look and see how Jamarcus looks at Schilens the first week or 2 that he's back, and that will dictate his rosterability as the season goes on.
Todd Heap: You'll be HEAPING the praise on Todd when he gets you a nice bye week fillin, specially in PPR leagues. (I'm sorry, I had to.)
Washington D: Cassel doesn't throw many INTs, but KC fumbles here and there, and their o-line is definitely crappy. Washington had better come out and play motivated, otherwise some jobs are absolutely gone.
Keenan Burton: I mentioned Keenan Burton isn't an NFL caliber WR, and I stand by what I said. That said, he's still the #2 WR in STL, and assuming they're playing from down, having a crappy skillset doesn't mean you can't catch 4-6 passes given enough targets. Deep leaguers, take consideration.
Josh Freeman: Again, a completely speculative add for deep leaguers only. Josh Johnson actually put up decent fantasy stats last week, and assuming Tampa Bay goes into their bye winless, the coaching regime has stated they might make the change to Freeman.
Chad Henne: He's likely gone in your league by now, but in case he isn't, this guy looked like a legit NFL QB against a really good D. You could do worse in a deeper league for a backup QB.
Carolina D: 2 solid plays in Week 6 and 7 facing TB and BUF.
Mushin Muhammad: If he's available, he's usually good in PPR leagues for 8-12 points. Tampa's pass D, as aforementioned, is pretty cruddy.
Hakeem Nicks: He's still rotating at WR right now, but he's got the skills to succeed. More of a longer term play than a Week 6 play.
Vince Young: Again, a similar situation to TB. With TEN's season all but over, they need to either see what they have with VY or 'showcase' him in case they can get a cheap trade. Won't happen this week, but wouldn't be surprised if it happened in a few weeks.
Good luck this week.
Saturday, October 10, 2009
Week 5 Booms and Busts
BOOMS:
David Garrard: Jacksonville really got their passing game going last week, and it propelled them to an easy win. Seattle's pass D isn't that great, so I'd expect solid #s here. Not the 323/3 from last week, but unless MJD takes all the scores (which I'm absolutely fine with), he'll put in a decent line for those who need him to come through in a bye week or people using a QB rotation.
Colts receivers: I won't tell you to start Wayne or Clark, because if you have them, you already are. That said, Garcon and Collie could make serviceable WR3/4's or flex players, simply because as seen last week, the Titans pass D is absolutely putrid right npw, and Peyton Manning is playing better than any QB in the league right now (sorry Brees owners, that's not debatable).
Jerome Harrison: Harrison did serviceable against the Bengals, and this time, goes against a much worse D in the Bills. However, as with some of my picks, this relies on Lewis sitting. If Lewis starts, don't expect 30 touches for Jerome like last week, and his value declines a bit. He'll still get his though, unless Mangini is a TOTAL idiot (which he could be based off the Braylon robbery)
Clinton Portis: That's right, the bum I avoided in all my drafts might have his best week to date. Carolina is coming off a bye, but they're really bad against the run, and Zorn finally fed Portis the ball a decent # of times last week. If Washington can stay in this game, look for another 20+ touches (and then quiver in fear as he breaks down after week 8 again)
Beanie Wells: Houston is a bad run D against pure runners, and Wells is a better pure runner than Hightower. I don't expect Beanie to see anything more than 12 touches depending how the game goes, but if the cards fall in his favor (look at that pun baby.), he could see a serviceable 50-60 yard, 1 score game, and at this point, you're certainly not using him as an RB1 or RB2. All that said, go Hightower, rah rah rah.
Matt Schaub: Arizona has played respectably against the run this year (ask Frank Gore), so Schaub will need to do his thing for Houston to succeed.
Kevin Walter: Along the similar vein of above, Walter SHOULD be matched up against DRC. DRC has played really bad this year, and is prone to gambling too much, especially against bigger WRs like Walter. If he (DRC) keeps it up, Walter will do well.
Ben Roethlisberger/Rashard Mendenhall: They play Detroit. Ben will chuck the ball all over the place the first half, Mendenhall will run the ball all over the place after Pittsburgh is up by 500 since Detroit is likely starting Culpepper. Getcha roll on homeboy.
Nate Burleson: Derek Cox and the Jacksonville CBs have been playing like butt, and Burleson should get better thrown targets with Hasselbeck back. The o-line is totally banged up, but hopefully he'll still get his.
Brandon Jacobs: With Eli Manning likely out, David Carr is the QB. Therefore, if the Giants want to win, they'll stuff Jacobs like a turducken. Look for plenty of carries against a soft Oakland run D.
Fred Jackson: The Bills have to get the run game going if they want to win. As of now, Fred Jackson is their best runner, and Cleveland has given up 8 TDs on the ground in 4 games. You can take it from here Squanto.
Minnesota D: That front 4 against the Rams o-line and either Kyle Boller or Marc Bulger. I'm depressed thinking about this.
Knowshon Moreno: I'm almost scared to do this with Mayo (<3) potentially back, but with that weather and that QB, Denver needs to run it and get screen games going.
Dustin Keller: There are reports Cotchery might not play, and Miami hasn't been able to cover the TE for about 8 decades now. He'll definitely be Sanchez's safety outlet considering in this scenario, Cotchery would be out, Stuckey is gone, and Edwards is a new face.
BUSTS:
Steven Jackson: All Minnesota has to do is stack the box while Allen and the Williams wall terrorizes the passing game. Game over.
Thomas Jones: Every week I've predicted a bust, he's got awful numbers and a random score. THIS STOPS THIS WEEK. I feel like I hate this guy for no reason. Miami has allowed 1 RB score and 240 yards on the ground this year.
Michael Turner: He's coming off a bye, but he's put up pretty stale #s so far this year, and I expect that to continue. San Fran is pretty good on the ground D, and their crutch is allowing opposing RBs to catch the ball, and since Turner can't catch...
Jamarcus Russell: Haha....hahahaha....hahahahahahaha.
Tom Brady: What? Predicting my favorite player, the QB of my favorite team as a bust? The weather in Denver is frigid, and Denver's pass D is playing its head off. I'm not saying he's going to go for 100 and 3 INTs, but I wouldn't be surprised with a low 200s, 1 score type of line.
Steve Smith NYG: I'll assume Nnamdi covers him. If so, I'll also assume he doesn't go for 11 receptions, 134 yards and 2 TDs again. I know, bold. That's how I roll. Oh yeah, and David Carr, lol.
Ted Ginn Jr., of the Ted Ginn family: See above, replace Nnamdi with Revis. Oh, also Chad Henne is the QB against the Jets D with Calvin Pace back. I lol'd.
Donnie Avery: Antoine Winfield is playing his head off. Again, this ties into the whole Minnesota/StLouis/LOL theme. Stay away.
Derrick Ward: Until further notice, keep him on your bench. The coaching staff has officially announced they want to feature Caddy the most.
Joseph Addai: Tennesee's run D has been solid (and that's the only thing that's been solid there), and he's a bit banged up. I'd expect Brown to get the better #s of the 2.
NEW SEGMENT: WAIVER WIRE WONDERS:
Ok, they won't really be wonders, but it's been requested I add a section about potential bye week plugins who normally may not start on a team. You got it.
Randy Mcmichael: For whatever reason, Minnesota is atrocious against tight ends, at least up to this point.
Steve Heiden: See above. Minn is worst against the TE, the Bills are the second worst, and DA completed 5 passes to Heiden last week.
Kevin Curtis: Tampa Bay's pass D is plain bad, Mcnabb has liked Curtis over the years. If Curtis doesn't play for some reason, Maclin or even Avant in super-deep leagues can be considered.
Bryant Johnson: The rapport with Culpepper remains to be seen, but in all likelihood, Detroit will need to throw often in the 2nd half (my poor Kevin Smith), and since Calvin is snagged in every league, the 2nd WR here is worth a look.
Sam Hurd/Miles Austin: I'm not sure who will have the better day, but they make for okay WR3's in deep leagues since Roy Williams is sitting out and KC is bad against the WR.
Visanthe Shiancoe: Minnesota may be done throwing by the 3rd quarter, but in the meantime, he's Favre's 2nd best goal line target behind Rice.
Austin Collie: See way up there for my thoughts on the Colts receivers. Garcon is likely gone in your league, but Collie may not be.
Derek Anderson: Not the ideal situation, but you could do worse I guess. Incidentally, I found Hasselbeck on the wire in one of my money leagues with Cutler on bye for me. Make sure no one has done anything like that, because I'm starting Hass in a pinch despite his o-line.
Dallas/Miami D: They play KC and BUF, respectively.
Good luck this week.
David Garrard: Jacksonville really got their passing game going last week, and it propelled them to an easy win. Seattle's pass D isn't that great, so I'd expect solid #s here. Not the 323/3 from last week, but unless MJD takes all the scores (which I'm absolutely fine with), he'll put in a decent line for those who need him to come through in a bye week or people using a QB rotation.
Colts receivers: I won't tell you to start Wayne or Clark, because if you have them, you already are. That said, Garcon and Collie could make serviceable WR3/4's or flex players, simply because as seen last week, the Titans pass D is absolutely putrid right npw, and Peyton Manning is playing better than any QB in the league right now (sorry Brees owners, that's not debatable).
Jerome Harrison: Harrison did serviceable against the Bengals, and this time, goes against a much worse D in the Bills. However, as with some of my picks, this relies on Lewis sitting. If Lewis starts, don't expect 30 touches for Jerome like last week, and his value declines a bit. He'll still get his though, unless Mangini is a TOTAL idiot (which he could be based off the Braylon robbery)
Clinton Portis: That's right, the bum I avoided in all my drafts might have his best week to date. Carolina is coming off a bye, but they're really bad against the run, and Zorn finally fed Portis the ball a decent # of times last week. If Washington can stay in this game, look for another 20+ touches (and then quiver in fear as he breaks down after week 8 again)
Beanie Wells: Houston is a bad run D against pure runners, and Wells is a better pure runner than Hightower. I don't expect Beanie to see anything more than 12 touches depending how the game goes, but if the cards fall in his favor (look at that pun baby.), he could see a serviceable 50-60 yard, 1 score game, and at this point, you're certainly not using him as an RB1 or RB2. All that said, go Hightower, rah rah rah.
Matt Schaub: Arizona has played respectably against the run this year (ask Frank Gore), so Schaub will need to do his thing for Houston to succeed.
Kevin Walter: Along the similar vein of above, Walter SHOULD be matched up against DRC. DRC has played really bad this year, and is prone to gambling too much, especially against bigger WRs like Walter. If he (DRC) keeps it up, Walter will do well.
Ben Roethlisberger/Rashard Mendenhall: They play Detroit. Ben will chuck the ball all over the place the first half, Mendenhall will run the ball all over the place after Pittsburgh is up by 500 since Detroit is likely starting Culpepper. Getcha roll on homeboy.
Nate Burleson: Derek Cox and the Jacksonville CBs have been playing like butt, and Burleson should get better thrown targets with Hasselbeck back. The o-line is totally banged up, but hopefully he'll still get his.
Brandon Jacobs: With Eli Manning likely out, David Carr is the QB. Therefore, if the Giants want to win, they'll stuff Jacobs like a turducken. Look for plenty of carries against a soft Oakland run D.
Fred Jackson: The Bills have to get the run game going if they want to win. As of now, Fred Jackson is their best runner, and Cleveland has given up 8 TDs on the ground in 4 games. You can take it from here Squanto.
Minnesota D: That front 4 against the Rams o-line and either Kyle Boller or Marc Bulger. I'm depressed thinking about this.
Knowshon Moreno: I'm almost scared to do this with Mayo (<3) potentially back, but with that weather and that QB, Denver needs to run it and get screen games going.
Dustin Keller: There are reports Cotchery might not play, and Miami hasn't been able to cover the TE for about 8 decades now. He'll definitely be Sanchez's safety outlet considering in this scenario, Cotchery would be out, Stuckey is gone, and Edwards is a new face.
BUSTS:
Steven Jackson: All Minnesota has to do is stack the box while Allen and the Williams wall terrorizes the passing game. Game over.
Thomas Jones: Every week I've predicted a bust, he's got awful numbers and a random score. THIS STOPS THIS WEEK. I feel like I hate this guy for no reason. Miami has allowed 1 RB score and 240 yards on the ground this year.
Michael Turner: He's coming off a bye, but he's put up pretty stale #s so far this year, and I expect that to continue. San Fran is pretty good on the ground D, and their crutch is allowing opposing RBs to catch the ball, and since Turner can't catch...
Jamarcus Russell: Haha....hahahaha....hahahahahahaha.
Tom Brady: What? Predicting my favorite player, the QB of my favorite team as a bust? The weather in Denver is frigid, and Denver's pass D is playing its head off. I'm not saying he's going to go for 100 and 3 INTs, but I wouldn't be surprised with a low 200s, 1 score type of line.
Steve Smith NYG: I'll assume Nnamdi covers him. If so, I'll also assume he doesn't go for 11 receptions, 134 yards and 2 TDs again. I know, bold. That's how I roll. Oh yeah, and David Carr, lol.
Ted Ginn Jr., of the Ted Ginn family: See above, replace Nnamdi with Revis. Oh, also Chad Henne is the QB against the Jets D with Calvin Pace back. I lol'd.
Donnie Avery: Antoine Winfield is playing his head off. Again, this ties into the whole Minnesota/StLouis/LOL theme. Stay away.
Derrick Ward: Until further notice, keep him on your bench. The coaching staff has officially announced they want to feature Caddy the most.
Joseph Addai: Tennesee's run D has been solid (and that's the only thing that's been solid there), and he's a bit banged up. I'd expect Brown to get the better #s of the 2.
NEW SEGMENT: WAIVER WIRE WONDERS:
Ok, they won't really be wonders, but it's been requested I add a section about potential bye week plugins who normally may not start on a team. You got it.
Randy Mcmichael: For whatever reason, Minnesota is atrocious against tight ends, at least up to this point.
Steve Heiden: See above. Minn is worst against the TE, the Bills are the second worst, and DA completed 5 passes to Heiden last week.
Kevin Curtis: Tampa Bay's pass D is plain bad, Mcnabb has liked Curtis over the years. If Curtis doesn't play for some reason, Maclin or even Avant in super-deep leagues can be considered.
Bryant Johnson: The rapport with Culpepper remains to be seen, but in all likelihood, Detroit will need to throw often in the 2nd half (my poor Kevin Smith), and since Calvin is snagged in every league, the 2nd WR here is worth a look.
Sam Hurd/Miles Austin: I'm not sure who will have the better day, but they make for okay WR3's in deep leagues since Roy Williams is sitting out and KC is bad against the WR.
Visanthe Shiancoe: Minnesota may be done throwing by the 3rd quarter, but in the meantime, he's Favre's 2nd best goal line target behind Rice.
Austin Collie: See way up there for my thoughts on the Colts receivers. Garcon is likely gone in your league, but Collie may not be.
Derek Anderson: Not the ideal situation, but you could do worse I guess. Incidentally, I found Hasselbeck on the wire in one of my money leagues with Cutler on bye for me. Make sure no one has done anything like that, because I'm starting Hass in a pinch despite his o-line.
Dallas/Miami D: They play KC and BUF, respectively.
Good luck this week.
Tuesday, October 6, 2009
WINS:
Mike Sims-Walker: He's probably snatched in every league by now, but he's clearly the #2 option behind MJD in that offense now. Which is a good thing for you MJD owners btw. A very good week with almost 30 PPR points.
Brandon Marshall: One of the best TD scores you'll ever see. With Buckhalter hurt, he and Moreno are really the only 2 fantasy players you'll want to use consistently.
Jay Cutler: 3 TDs and 1 on the ground (which was an awesome Cutlercopter...bonus points!)
Jerome Harrison: Got plenty of yardage, and as expected, made for a nice, cheap flex option last week.
Cincy D: A solid showing that included a TD
San Francisco D: Holy cow, hope you listened on this one. Funny story...I was debating between Cincy and SF in one league, and I couldn't decide, so I flipped a coin. The coin landed on Cincy. I lost by single digit points. BAH.
Mewelde Moore: Yardage totals stunk, but he had 2 TDs, and all we care about is the points, not how he got them.
Ronnie Brown: Triple digit yards, multiple TDs. Easy peasy.
Steve Slaton: Hey, his first nice week! Multiple TDs, flashed the ability from last year.
Ladainian Tomlinson: Stick a fork in him, and maybe the SD run game as a whole if last week is any indication. The more San Diego stinks, the happier I am, so keep it up LT!
Marshawn Lynch: That pathetic o-line is going to severely limit his value, and the fact that Buffalo will be playing from behind alot limits it even more. Tread lightly.
Fred Taylor: I love the Pats RBs, but like I just said, don't expect any consistency at all on a week-to-week basis. A putrid fantasy showing this week.
Dwayne Bowe: 1 catch, 11 yards for your WR1. That, folks, is a bust on the week.
Marques Colston: I'm telling you...being matched up against Revis or Nnamdi is trouble. Both of Colston's 2 receptions came when Revis wasn't on him. Scary stuff.
TIES:
Cedric Benson: Didn't exactly boom, but he almost had 100 total yards or something.
Willis Mcgahee: Got the TD, but the yardage was a stinker. Keep in mind Wilfork didn't sit, which I specifically mentioned as a caveat.
Thomas Jones: This guy and his random TDs. He's a horrible back (12 carries for 33 yards without his 15 yard TD), but I guess if he gets opportunities, it is what it is.
LOSSES:
Darren Mcfadden: An injury and an o-line that let him get touched in the backfield every time he had the ball. This is gonna become ugly.
Keenan Burton: Well, apparently Kyle Boller played his best football in week 3.
Joe Flacco: Baltimore is totally comfy letting Flacco pass way more than they run, which is a good thing for his owners.
Matt Cassel: Hooray for 2 garbage time TDs.
Bernard Berrian: Couldn't watch the game, so can't comment on the performance, but this definitely could have been his best week we'll see all season.
14 wins, 3 ties, 5 losses. I'll take it. And starting this week, I'll also do a bye week plugin section with some slightly more obscure names to consider.
Mike Sims-Walker: He's probably snatched in every league by now, but he's clearly the #2 option behind MJD in that offense now. Which is a good thing for you MJD owners btw. A very good week with almost 30 PPR points.
Brandon Marshall: One of the best TD scores you'll ever see. With Buckhalter hurt, he and Moreno are really the only 2 fantasy players you'll want to use consistently.
Jay Cutler: 3 TDs and 1 on the ground (which was an awesome Cutlercopter...bonus points!)
Jerome Harrison: Got plenty of yardage, and as expected, made for a nice, cheap flex option last week.
Cincy D: A solid showing that included a TD
San Francisco D: Holy cow, hope you listened on this one. Funny story...I was debating between Cincy and SF in one league, and I couldn't decide, so I flipped a coin. The coin landed on Cincy. I lost by single digit points. BAH.
Mewelde Moore: Yardage totals stunk, but he had 2 TDs, and all we care about is the points, not how he got them.
Ronnie Brown: Triple digit yards, multiple TDs. Easy peasy.
Steve Slaton: Hey, his first nice week! Multiple TDs, flashed the ability from last year.
Ladainian Tomlinson: Stick a fork in him, and maybe the SD run game as a whole if last week is any indication. The more San Diego stinks, the happier I am, so keep it up LT!
Marshawn Lynch: That pathetic o-line is going to severely limit his value, and the fact that Buffalo will be playing from behind alot limits it even more. Tread lightly.
Fred Taylor: I love the Pats RBs, but like I just said, don't expect any consistency at all on a week-to-week basis. A putrid fantasy showing this week.
Dwayne Bowe: 1 catch, 11 yards for your WR1. That, folks, is a bust on the week.
Marques Colston: I'm telling you...being matched up against Revis or Nnamdi is trouble. Both of Colston's 2 receptions came when Revis wasn't on him. Scary stuff.
TIES:
Cedric Benson: Didn't exactly boom, but he almost had 100 total yards or something.
Willis Mcgahee: Got the TD, but the yardage was a stinker. Keep in mind Wilfork didn't sit, which I specifically mentioned as a caveat.
Thomas Jones: This guy and his random TDs. He's a horrible back (12 carries for 33 yards without his 15 yard TD), but I guess if he gets opportunities, it is what it is.
LOSSES:
Darren Mcfadden: An injury and an o-line that let him get touched in the backfield every time he had the ball. This is gonna become ugly.
Keenan Burton: Well, apparently Kyle Boller played his best football in week 3.
Joe Flacco: Baltimore is totally comfy letting Flacco pass way more than they run, which is a good thing for his owners.
Matt Cassel: Hooray for 2 garbage time TDs.
Bernard Berrian: Couldn't watch the game, so can't comment on the performance, but this definitely could have been his best week we'll see all season.
14 wins, 3 ties, 5 losses. I'll take it. And starting this week, I'll also do a bye week plugin section with some slightly more obscure names to consider.
Saturday, October 3, 2009
Week 4 Booms and Busts
Hectic week last week, but I'm back with my shenanigans.
BOOMS:
Mike Sims-Walker: Tennessee's pass D as a whole has been playing pretty terribly, including the horribly overrated safety duo. Cortland Finnegan is doubtful this week, meaning Nick Harper is likely on Holt, leaving who-knows-who on Sims-Walker. Jacksonville may also be playing from behind at the end of it. I like him as a WR3/flex this week.
Brandon Marshall: I've seen Dallas play their last 2 games, and in each game, the pass D was beatable. It scares me to put a Broncos WR as a boom, but Marshall seems to be getting more confortable with the offense (while my boy Eddie Royal is apparently a 'decoy'.......). Anyways, I think the play-from-behind factor could figure in here too.
Jay Cutler: Detroit's pass D has allowed the 2nd most yards and 10 TDs in 3 games. And now they face a cannon-armed QB. Good luck.
Jerome Harrison: With Jamal Lewis likely out, Harrison makes for a nice flex play, especially for PPR peeps. James Davis hasn't shown squat in the regular season, so he'll probably see at least 20 touches, and even if Cleveland is getting trounced, he can still catch the ball.
San Francisco/Cincy D's: I'm a big fan of streaming D's, and this is why. I'm in 12 leagues, and in all 12, a D like one of these 2 was available. San Fran plays STL, Cincy plays CLE, and that's pretty much all you need to know. I'll play those percentages/matchups any week for my D.
Ladell Betts: Tampa Bay's run D has been awful, and there's a likelihood Portis sits out this week. If he does, Betts will see plenty of touches and numbers. But again, only if Portis sits.
Mewelde Moore: Parker is likely out Sunday Night, so most people are plugging in Mendenhall. I personally think Moore should see double digit touches and all the pass catching situations, making him a good PPR flex. Plus, I think Mendenhall is overrated and a bad runner.
Willis Mcgahee: Vince Wilfork may be sitting out for my Pats, and if he is, the middle will clear up a LOT for Baltimore RBs. It's kind of a crapshoot between Rice and Mcgahee, but McG has been seeing the redzone touches. And I really hope Myron Pryor steps up and proves me wrong since he's played admirably, but it's near impossible to play at a level like Big Vince does.
Ronnie Brown: Miami bringing in Henne should mean they want to bring him in slowly. And that means Ronnie should see plenty of Wildcat and touches.
Steve Slaton: Now is the time, sir Slaton. Oakland's run d is still nothing special, and he's got something to prove. Still waiting for Chris Brown to break himself btw.
Darren Mcfadden: On the flipside, Houston's run D is last in the league in yardage and has allowed the most TDs (8) on the ground. If Tom Cable is smart, he feeds Bush and Mcfadden like they're Gerber Babies.
Cedric Benson: He actually looks like a good runner. Cincy looks like a good team. Wat? Anyways, Cleveland's run D sucks, Cincy will play from ahead, etc.
Keenan Burton: Boller's gotta throw to someone when the Rams are down by 70, and most people will think Avery, which is why I'm mentioning Burton. Laurent Robinson went to IR (#@$^%$), and Burton immediately stepped in and caught 3/37 in about a half when Robinson went down last week. Consider him in deeper leagues.
BUSTS:
Ladainian Tomlinson: He's rusty, plays Pitt's run D, and I think SD realizes they need to involve Sproles more frequently to not bend Old Man LT. A flex play at BEST, simply because he's always a threat for a random goal line scamper, but I think his overall #s will be weak.
Marshawn Lynch: Everyone's ecstatic! Your 5th round draft steal is back! Meh. Miami's rush d has played well, and Fred Jackson will still see a big portion of the carries both now and in the future, especially since Lynch needs to get game-speed acclimated again.
Thomas Jones: He sucks as a runner, and NO's rush d is top 5 in the league. I hate it when crappy running backs get starting spots on teams that make them look good.
Fred Taylor: Since I'm a Pats fan and I do this thing, a few people have asked me if Fred Taylor is the feature back because of last week's great performance. No. NE is still playing matchup to matchup every week, and you need to see this for a few weeks before whiffinf anything about a feature back. Baltimore's rush D is also tops in the NFL.
Dwayne Bowe: He's supposed to play this week, but with a hammy hurting and matched against Corey Webster, I can't expect much.
Joe Flacco: For all the talk of NE's defense before the season, they've actually played quite well. Matt Ryan was shut down thanks to good D and a solid gameplan, and if Wilfork is out like I mentioned, Baltimore has plenty of reason to run the ball a bunch. If you have other decent options, consider them.
Marques Colston: New York loves to challenge WR1s on opposing teams with Revis (a great CB) and help over the top. Brees is totally willing to spread it around, so unless Revis stops shadowing Colston or slips on a play or something, I can't expect much.
Matt Cassel: You really don't want to do this to yourself. NYG's pass rush, etc.
Bernard Berrian: Berrian has averaged less than 2 catches a game against GB the last 3 years. No thanks.
This week in one of the leagues I care about, due to byes and injuries, my starting lineup looks like this: Joe Flacco, Wes Welker (if he plays), Davone Bess, MJD, AARON BROWN (????) (if KSmith doesn't play), Dustin Keller, Eddie Royal. Here's to my starting QB, 2 of my starting WRs and 2 of my RBs on bye. You don't have it bad yet kids. Good luck.
BOOMS:
Mike Sims-Walker: Tennessee's pass D as a whole has been playing pretty terribly, including the horribly overrated safety duo. Cortland Finnegan is doubtful this week, meaning Nick Harper is likely on Holt, leaving who-knows-who on Sims-Walker. Jacksonville may also be playing from behind at the end of it. I like him as a WR3/flex this week.
Brandon Marshall: I've seen Dallas play their last 2 games, and in each game, the pass D was beatable. It scares me to put a Broncos WR as a boom, but Marshall seems to be getting more confortable with the offense (while my boy Eddie Royal is apparently a 'decoy'.......). Anyways, I think the play-from-behind factor could figure in here too.
Jay Cutler: Detroit's pass D has allowed the 2nd most yards and 10 TDs in 3 games. And now they face a cannon-armed QB. Good luck.
Jerome Harrison: With Jamal Lewis likely out, Harrison makes for a nice flex play, especially for PPR peeps. James Davis hasn't shown squat in the regular season, so he'll probably see at least 20 touches, and even if Cleveland is getting trounced, he can still catch the ball.
San Francisco/Cincy D's: I'm a big fan of streaming D's, and this is why. I'm in 12 leagues, and in all 12, a D like one of these 2 was available. San Fran plays STL, Cincy plays CLE, and that's pretty much all you need to know. I'll play those percentages/matchups any week for my D.
Ladell Betts: Tampa Bay's run D has been awful, and there's a likelihood Portis sits out this week. If he does, Betts will see plenty of touches and numbers. But again, only if Portis sits.
Mewelde Moore: Parker is likely out Sunday Night, so most people are plugging in Mendenhall. I personally think Moore should see double digit touches and all the pass catching situations, making him a good PPR flex. Plus, I think Mendenhall is overrated and a bad runner.
Willis Mcgahee: Vince Wilfork may be sitting out for my Pats, and if he is, the middle will clear up a LOT for Baltimore RBs. It's kind of a crapshoot between Rice and Mcgahee, but McG has been seeing the redzone touches. And I really hope Myron Pryor steps up and proves me wrong since he's played admirably, but it's near impossible to play at a level like Big Vince does.
Ronnie Brown: Miami bringing in Henne should mean they want to bring him in slowly. And that means Ronnie should see plenty of Wildcat and touches.
Steve Slaton: Now is the time, sir Slaton. Oakland's run d is still nothing special, and he's got something to prove. Still waiting for Chris Brown to break himself btw.
Darren Mcfadden: On the flipside, Houston's run D is last in the league in yardage and has allowed the most TDs (8) on the ground. If Tom Cable is smart, he feeds Bush and Mcfadden like they're Gerber Babies.
Cedric Benson: He actually looks like a good runner. Cincy looks like a good team. Wat? Anyways, Cleveland's run D sucks, Cincy will play from ahead, etc.
Keenan Burton: Boller's gotta throw to someone when the Rams are down by 70, and most people will think Avery, which is why I'm mentioning Burton. Laurent Robinson went to IR (#@$^%$), and Burton immediately stepped in and caught 3/37 in about a half when Robinson went down last week. Consider him in deeper leagues.
BUSTS:
Ladainian Tomlinson: He's rusty, plays Pitt's run D, and I think SD realizes they need to involve Sproles more frequently to not bend Old Man LT. A flex play at BEST, simply because he's always a threat for a random goal line scamper, but I think his overall #s will be weak.
Marshawn Lynch: Everyone's ecstatic! Your 5th round draft steal is back! Meh. Miami's rush d has played well, and Fred Jackson will still see a big portion of the carries both now and in the future, especially since Lynch needs to get game-speed acclimated again.
Thomas Jones: He sucks as a runner, and NO's rush d is top 5 in the league. I hate it when crappy running backs get starting spots on teams that make them look good.
Fred Taylor: Since I'm a Pats fan and I do this thing, a few people have asked me if Fred Taylor is the feature back because of last week's great performance. No. NE is still playing matchup to matchup every week, and you need to see this for a few weeks before whiffinf anything about a feature back. Baltimore's rush D is also tops in the NFL.
Dwayne Bowe: He's supposed to play this week, but with a hammy hurting and matched against Corey Webster, I can't expect much.
Joe Flacco: For all the talk of NE's defense before the season, they've actually played quite well. Matt Ryan was shut down thanks to good D and a solid gameplan, and if Wilfork is out like I mentioned, Baltimore has plenty of reason to run the ball a bunch. If you have other decent options, consider them.
Marques Colston: New York loves to challenge WR1s on opposing teams with Revis (a great CB) and help over the top. Brees is totally willing to spread it around, so unless Revis stops shadowing Colston or slips on a play or something, I can't expect much.
Matt Cassel: You really don't want to do this to yourself. NYG's pass rush, etc.
Bernard Berrian: Berrian has averaged less than 2 catches a game against GB the last 3 years. No thanks.
This week in one of the leagues I care about, due to byes and injuries, my starting lineup looks like this: Joe Flacco, Wes Welker (if he plays), Davone Bess, MJD, AARON BROWN (????) (if KSmith doesn't play), Dustin Keller, Eddie Royal. Here's to my starting QB, 2 of my starting WRs and 2 of my RBs on bye. You don't have it bad yet kids. Good luck.
Monday, September 21, 2009
Week 2 Booms/Busts Results
At first glance, seems like a really mediocre week, specially when compared with Week 1's stellar picks. Let's take a closer look.
Wins:
Percy Harvin: Scored a TD, caught 5 passes. Pretty solid day for someone who's no better than a flex, and had the best receiving performance of anyone in that game not named Calvin.
Darren Mcfadden: This is a cross between a tie and a win, but as always, I judge performances based off PPR, and he caught a few passes, scored a TD. Rushing #s were totally stale though...the TD kept this from being a bust.
Terrell Owens: He would have had a 100 yard day if he didn't have dropsies. Whoops.
Chris Johnson: Wow. Just wow. 50something in PPR leagues? Hope you won if you started him :P
Laurent Robinson: I say the guy will boom and leave in on the bench for scrubby Davone Bess who barely saw the field. Serves me right. Very solid 17 pts from someone no better than a WR3/flex in deep leagues. At least I had him going in my 20 teamer.
Ronnie Brown: 2nd most TDs he's scored in a game since 2008 started...heyo.
Philly D: Well that was a nice crash back to Earth.
Willie Parker: This just in - he officially stinks.
Julius Jones: I'm aware he scored a TD, but he also had 9 total yards. 9. NINE.
Laveranues Coles: Like Julius, he had a TD, but 9 total yards. Phail.
TIES:
Lee Evans: Scored a good sized TD, but only 1 catch. I'll call 10 points a tie, close to a win.
Larry Johnson: No TDs, but more yardage than I expected. And when did he learn to catch more than 1 pass a game?
Washington D: Likely a tie depending on your league settings...couple sack, fumble reception, and 7 points or something.
LOSSES:
Santana Moss: Campbell constantly looked at Cooley it seems...don't know why, but I guess Moss will just be one of thise inconsistent performers.
Leon Washington: Could have been a tie, but lost a fumble. Shocked the Jets didn't try to get him at least 4-6 screen passes, but they won, so what do I know.
Michael Bush: 9 carries doesn't get you a win. Unless you're Lendale White against Detroit.
Michael Clayton: Much like Santana's situation, the TE got all the looks. He's droppable again if Bryant returns anytime soon.
Brandon Jacobs: He's pretty much totally reliant on TDs to boom since he doesn't catch passes, much like Turner, Lendale, etc. Didn't score a TD, so a loss here.
Zach Miller: Apparently the Chiefs gameplanned specifically to stop him in the passing game. Guess it worked.
Donald Brown: That random TD scamper sealed the deal. More importantly though, I feel like he'll slowly start to see more carries than Addai as the year goes on, so hang onto him if you have him.
Dwayne Bowe: My logic was absolutely sound. The problem was, Nnamdi got taken off the field due to some minor injury for a portion of the game. And of course, the series he came off, Bowe scored a TD against Stanford Routt. Funny how that works.
Anquan Boldin: Caught 8 catches, and since I'm PPR biased, he had a decent week, so a loss here.
Matt Schaub: Annnnd Tennessee's D has taken a step backwards. First Ben, now Schaub putting up gaudy #s. Finnegan and that safety duo overrated?
10 wins, 3 ties, 10 losses. This would have been one of my worse weeks of last year too, so a bounceback is hopefully forthcoming. Hope you all didn't get screwed over by Monday Night like I did...onto week 3!
Wins:
Percy Harvin: Scored a TD, caught 5 passes. Pretty solid day for someone who's no better than a flex, and had the best receiving performance of anyone in that game not named Calvin.
Darren Mcfadden: This is a cross between a tie and a win, but as always, I judge performances based off PPR, and he caught a few passes, scored a TD. Rushing #s were totally stale though...the TD kept this from being a bust.
Terrell Owens: He would have had a 100 yard day if he didn't have dropsies. Whoops.
Chris Johnson: Wow. Just wow. 50something in PPR leagues? Hope you won if you started him :P
Laurent Robinson: I say the guy will boom and leave in on the bench for scrubby Davone Bess who barely saw the field. Serves me right. Very solid 17 pts from someone no better than a WR3/flex in deep leagues. At least I had him going in my 20 teamer.
Ronnie Brown: 2nd most TDs he's scored in a game since 2008 started...heyo.
Philly D: Well that was a nice crash back to Earth.
Willie Parker: This just in - he officially stinks.
Julius Jones: I'm aware he scored a TD, but he also had 9 total yards. 9. NINE.
Laveranues Coles: Like Julius, he had a TD, but 9 total yards. Phail.
TIES:
Lee Evans: Scored a good sized TD, but only 1 catch. I'll call 10 points a tie, close to a win.
Larry Johnson: No TDs, but more yardage than I expected. And when did he learn to catch more than 1 pass a game?
Washington D: Likely a tie depending on your league settings...couple sack, fumble reception, and 7 points or something.
LOSSES:
Santana Moss: Campbell constantly looked at Cooley it seems...don't know why, but I guess Moss will just be one of thise inconsistent performers.
Leon Washington: Could have been a tie, but lost a fumble. Shocked the Jets didn't try to get him at least 4-6 screen passes, but they won, so what do I know.
Michael Bush: 9 carries doesn't get you a win. Unless you're Lendale White against Detroit.
Michael Clayton: Much like Santana's situation, the TE got all the looks. He's droppable again if Bryant returns anytime soon.
Brandon Jacobs: He's pretty much totally reliant on TDs to boom since he doesn't catch passes, much like Turner, Lendale, etc. Didn't score a TD, so a loss here.
Zach Miller: Apparently the Chiefs gameplanned specifically to stop him in the passing game. Guess it worked.
Donald Brown: That random TD scamper sealed the deal. More importantly though, I feel like he'll slowly start to see more carries than Addai as the year goes on, so hang onto him if you have him.
Dwayne Bowe: My logic was absolutely sound. The problem was, Nnamdi got taken off the field due to some minor injury for a portion of the game. And of course, the series he came off, Bowe scored a TD against Stanford Routt. Funny how that works.
Anquan Boldin: Caught 8 catches, and since I'm PPR biased, he had a decent week, so a loss here.
Matt Schaub: Annnnd Tennessee's D has taken a step backwards. First Ben, now Schaub putting up gaudy #s. Finnegan and that safety duo overrated?
10 wins, 3 ties, 10 losses. This would have been one of my worse weeks of last year too, so a bounceback is hopefully forthcoming. Hope you all didn't get screwed over by Monday Night like I did...onto week 3!
NE/NYJ, BAL/SD, DAL/NYG thoughts
NE/NYJ:
-First and foremost, Brady was the biggest part of the loss for the Pats, and anyone who disagrees wasn't watching the game. I'll detail other reasons below, but he missed about 6 to 10 wide open passes, including a TD pass to Edelman that would have totally changed the game complexion. I expect him to be rusty/have off timing for at least a couple more weeks (a la Peyton last year after his surgery), but if Brady is the biggest problem, I'm not too worried.
-Edelman had a very admirable game, but Welker was sorely missed. He's basically Brady's 'Oh Sh1t' receiver, and you could tell Brady and Edelman didn't have the timing and communication Brady and Welker do.
-The Pats should have run the screen/run the ball more. My favorite beat writer, Mike Reiss, is going to ask Belichick for me tomorrow why the screen wasn't incorporated more into the game, but I'm expecting a Belichickian answer ;P
-Revis played a great game, but don't kid yourself that he's better than Nnamdi or anything. The interception he made was stellar, but he had way more help over the top than Nnamdi ever did...why do you think Galloway was targeted so much?
-Speaking of Galloway, he seems pretty expendable to me. He's lost whatever he once had.
-11 penalties? You'll never win with that...and the delay of games were inexcusable
-The Pats really need a dynamic returner...we won the field position battle in the first half, but I feel like it's an accomplishment when a kickoff is returned past the 25. Shouldn't be like that.\
-With a defensive minded coach and solid personnel, the Jets might have the best D in the league right now.
-After the fumble in the first part of the game, the pass rush downright sucked. I know the Jets have a good OL, but the rush shouldn't be that invisible.
-Jonathan Wilhite has the potential to be a very good corner, but he needs to cut down on some boneheaded mistakes.
-For the first time I can remember, I saw no fire in the Pats team, and that worries me. They almost looked complacent/nonchalant, and Pats teams of old would have been motivated as hell losing to the Jets for all of the 2nd half. If the swagger is gone, this team has no shot at the Bowl.
-Whoever calls the offensive plays (Bill O'Brien?) should probably be fired. The playcalling is insanely predictable, and a 100/43 pass/run ratio is plain stupid.
-I'm still iffy on Mark Sanchez. He looked poised when he had time, but if his o-line wasn't one of the best in the league, he wouldn't look even half as good. People are overrating him.
-Leon Washington is still a better back than Thomas Jones.
-Dustin Keller should become Sanchez's #2 option...just as consistent as Cotchery, and a bigger target too.
BAL/SD:
-Joe Flacco is poised for a nice sophomore leap, and that's saying something.
-The Ravens D is missing something, because they should have been all over that o-line yesterday. That said, credit to The Biggest Douche in the League...err...Philip Rivers, for playing well with a patchwork o-line.
-San Diego's lines are heading to a bad place. They need to fix stuff in a hurry. Merriman will need to revert to his old self again if SD wants to win the Bowl.
-I almost feel like SD is better off without LT...he's no longer a special back, and when he's out, they aren't forced to feed him the ball at least 15 times a game. Maybe they should use Sproles between the 20s and LT as a redzone back. Sproles isn't an all down RB. But he is amazing on screens/etc.
-The San Diego offense would be 5 times worse without Vincent Jackson. If he keeps it up, he's going to be mentioned in the top 10 WRs in the league conversations.
-Kelley Washington has the best touchdown celebration ever. Sorry Ochocinco. I love that squirrel dance.
-Like New England, San Diego's inability to get TDs instead of FGs cost them the game.
-Ray Lewis is still a big playmaker.
DAL/NYG:
-Every time Tony Romo screwed up, the world became a better place. He cost his team the game, and you can't argue this. At all. And it was a wonderful thing.
-However, if Romo actually plays well, that running game is downright scary. And to be fair, that INT off Witten's foot was really fluky, but was still a terrible throw.
-The Giants d-line looked a LOT worse when Tuck got hurt. Is he more important to the line than Osi? I'd debate that if I had a bigger sample size.
-For all the talk of the Giants needing a #1 WR, they completely exploited the Cowboys secondary, which is both praise for the WRs and a knock on the Cowboys secondary. Steve Smith could be the next Derrick Mason/Torry Holt...amazing routes. That corps will be good when Nicks is healthy and playing at full potential.
-Very solid job of holding Ware in check by the Giants o-line...as most people know, one of the best lines in the league.
-The Cowboys dared Eli to beat them, and he did. He did make some total bonehead throws, but looked pretty good overall. The big thing is...he needs to do it consistently.
-I took a nap at halftime and woke up halfway through the 3rd, so if I missed something in that part of the game, my bad. The nap was worth it :P
-The Giants are a good team, but they've played 2 division opponents really close now. I thought they'd beat the Skins handily and the Cowboys by at least 7, if not 10.
-Corey Webster is good, but he's not a top 5 CB like I've seen stated before. Not yet anyways.
Ok, I'm sure I forgot some stuff...I really need to write this on Sunday night, not a day after :P MIA/IND thoughts to come.
-First and foremost, Brady was the biggest part of the loss for the Pats, and anyone who disagrees wasn't watching the game. I'll detail other reasons below, but he missed about 6 to 10 wide open passes, including a TD pass to Edelman that would have totally changed the game complexion. I expect him to be rusty/have off timing for at least a couple more weeks (a la Peyton last year after his surgery), but if Brady is the biggest problem, I'm not too worried.
-Edelman had a very admirable game, but Welker was sorely missed. He's basically Brady's 'Oh Sh1t' receiver, and you could tell Brady and Edelman didn't have the timing and communication Brady and Welker do.
-The Pats should have run the screen/run the ball more. My favorite beat writer, Mike Reiss, is going to ask Belichick for me tomorrow why the screen wasn't incorporated more into the game, but I'm expecting a Belichickian answer ;P
-Revis played a great game, but don't kid yourself that he's better than Nnamdi or anything. The interception he made was stellar, but he had way more help over the top than Nnamdi ever did...why do you think Galloway was targeted so much?
-Speaking of Galloway, he seems pretty expendable to me. He's lost whatever he once had.
-11 penalties? You'll never win with that...and the delay of games were inexcusable
-The Pats really need a dynamic returner...we won the field position battle in the first half, but I feel like it's an accomplishment when a kickoff is returned past the 25. Shouldn't be like that.\
-With a defensive minded coach and solid personnel, the Jets might have the best D in the league right now.
-After the fumble in the first part of the game, the pass rush downright sucked. I know the Jets have a good OL, but the rush shouldn't be that invisible.
-Jonathan Wilhite has the potential to be a very good corner, but he needs to cut down on some boneheaded mistakes.
-For the first time I can remember, I saw no fire in the Pats team, and that worries me. They almost looked complacent/nonchalant, and Pats teams of old would have been motivated as hell losing to the Jets for all of the 2nd half. If the swagger is gone, this team has no shot at the Bowl.
-Whoever calls the offensive plays (Bill O'Brien?) should probably be fired. The playcalling is insanely predictable, and a 100/43 pass/run ratio is plain stupid.
-I'm still iffy on Mark Sanchez. He looked poised when he had time, but if his o-line wasn't one of the best in the league, he wouldn't look even half as good. People are overrating him.
-Leon Washington is still a better back than Thomas Jones.
-Dustin Keller should become Sanchez's #2 option...just as consistent as Cotchery, and a bigger target too.
BAL/SD:
-Joe Flacco is poised for a nice sophomore leap, and that's saying something.
-The Ravens D is missing something, because they should have been all over that o-line yesterday. That said, credit to The Biggest Douche in the League...err...Philip Rivers, for playing well with a patchwork o-line.
-San Diego's lines are heading to a bad place. They need to fix stuff in a hurry. Merriman will need to revert to his old self again if SD wants to win the Bowl.
-I almost feel like SD is better off without LT...he's no longer a special back, and when he's out, they aren't forced to feed him the ball at least 15 times a game. Maybe they should use Sproles between the 20s and LT as a redzone back. Sproles isn't an all down RB. But he is amazing on screens/etc.
-The San Diego offense would be 5 times worse without Vincent Jackson. If he keeps it up, he's going to be mentioned in the top 10 WRs in the league conversations.
-Kelley Washington has the best touchdown celebration ever. Sorry Ochocinco. I love that squirrel dance.
-Like New England, San Diego's inability to get TDs instead of FGs cost them the game.
-Ray Lewis is still a big playmaker.
DAL/NYG:
-Every time Tony Romo screwed up, the world became a better place. He cost his team the game, and you can't argue this. At all. And it was a wonderful thing.
-However, if Romo actually plays well, that running game is downright scary. And to be fair, that INT off Witten's foot was really fluky, but was still a terrible throw.
-The Giants d-line looked a LOT worse when Tuck got hurt. Is he more important to the line than Osi? I'd debate that if I had a bigger sample size.
-For all the talk of the Giants needing a #1 WR, they completely exploited the Cowboys secondary, which is both praise for the WRs and a knock on the Cowboys secondary. Steve Smith could be the next Derrick Mason/Torry Holt...amazing routes. That corps will be good when Nicks is healthy and playing at full potential.
-Very solid job of holding Ware in check by the Giants o-line...as most people know, one of the best lines in the league.
-The Cowboys dared Eli to beat them, and he did. He did make some total bonehead throws, but looked pretty good overall. The big thing is...he needs to do it consistently.
-I took a nap at halftime and woke up halfway through the 3rd, so if I missed something in that part of the game, my bad. The nap was worth it :P
-The Giants are a good team, but they've played 2 division opponents really close now. I thought they'd beat the Skins handily and the Cowboys by at least 7, if not 10.
-Corey Webster is good, but he's not a top 5 CB like I've seen stated before. Not yet anyways.
Ok, I'm sure I forgot some stuff...I really need to write this on Sunday night, not a day after :P MIA/IND thoughts to come.
Friday, September 18, 2009
Week 2 Booms and Busts
Amazing week last week with something like 20 wins and 4 losses...don't know if that's repeatable, but as always, simply throwing another opinion out there to help with your decisions. Good luck this week!
BOOMS:
Washington D vs STL: You already know most any D against the Rams is spot start worthy. However, take a look at Washington's next 5 matchups: vs STL, @DET (pressure on a rook QB), vs TB (offense is nothing special), @CAR (if Delhomme keeps it up or Feeley isn't starting yet), vs KC (see how Cassel looks). All of those matchup have potential for solid points provided you stay active on goings-on with things like QB situations in CAR/KC, whether Bryant is playing for TB, etc. If you like streaming defenses like I do much of the time, this D may be worth a multiple week play.
Santana Moss vs STL: Had a cruddy week 1, and the coaches came out and said they needed to get him more involved. Here's me putting my trust that this isn't just talk and they'll try to back it up.
Percy Harvin @DET: The coaches say Berrian will get more involved, but unlike above, why? Harvin is a better weapon than Berrian in my opinion, and AP actually historically doesn't have 200 yd, 3 TD games against Detroit all the time, contrary to popular belief. Minnesota will still need to throw the ball, and if Detroit plays Minnesota like they did last year, the game will be close, and the passing game will be active all 4 quarters.
Leon Washington vs NE: Shonn Greene still doesn't have a role, and Thomas Jones is still a bum in my mind. Fred Jackson torched the NE D last week, and without Mayo, Leon should have a solid game, especially for you PPR guys. Maybe no TD since TJ is still around, but yardage from screen passes, etc should come.
Michael Bush/Darren Mcfadden @KC: The Ravens dismantled the Chiefs something like 500 to 180 total yards, so that D isn't ready to show up just yet. Total crap shoot as to who gets the TD (I'd say 60% Bush, 40% Mcfadden chance), but both should be flex worthy at the least, especially since Bush is 'officially' the #2
Terrell Owens/Lee Evans vs TB: If Miles Austin and Patrick Crayton can torch this D, I'm willing to guess they can too. NE played solid in the secondary last week and purposely doubled these guys alot of the time. I don't think TB is quite up to that task yet.
Chris Johnson vs HOU: Lenwhale looked like he was still on Patron last week, and CJ averaged about 4.8 YPC last year against Houston in 2 games. Who knows how the redzone will look, but I'd expect at least 20 touches from him, which should lead to a solid game.
Michael Clayton @BUF: This scares me to type. Like, really scares me to type. But Bryant is likely out, and if the TB staff can take a page from New England, SOMEONE needs to be able to run all over the middle against Buffalo. Might be Sammie Stroughter, but I'll gamble with this guy.
Brandon Jacobs @DAL: Dallas gave up 175 yards rushing last week. Brandon Jacobs has the best o-line in football. You do the math.
Laurent Robinson @WAS: Bulger has to throw to someone when they're getting whooped, and Robinson looked decent last week minus the drop. Eventual #1?
Ronnie Brown vs IND: If Sparano isn't dumb and actually gives him 20+ touches, he should be able to do damage against Indy. But hey, if he doesn't, go blame Sparano, not me.
Zach Miller @KC: I feel like listing 3 Raiders means I'm destined to fail. Oh well. Jamarcus's only reliable target (unless we're relying on dropped passes, in which case DHB is your man)
BUSTS:
Julius Jones @SF: Julius was much better at home last year, and San Fran's D looked really solid last week. Julius also fluked into a big play, otherwise he would have had his typical Lendale White-esque line, minus the touchdowns.
Donald Brown @MIA: I'd imagine Miami is pissed, and I'm aware Addai scored last week, which he's always a threat to do I guess, but he also had 2.5 YPC. Donald Brown showed nothing special last week either, and since Addai had the GL carries, he's always a threat to have a semi-decent week. Brown, maybe not so much.
Laveranues Coles @GB: He might bounce back, but Caldwell put up ok stats, and Coles looked lost and had the Braylon Edwards hands syndrome. GB's D also played well last week, and their secondary has always been solid.
Larry Johnson vs OAK: That D has changed with Big Sey coming in, especially that front line. Another dud week for a dud player.
Dwayne Bowe vs OAK: NNAMDI GIVE UP TD TO VINCENT JACKSON. NNAMDI MAD. NNAMDI GIVE UP ABOUT 25 YARDS LAST TIME HE SAW DWAYNE BOWE. NNAMDI SMASH DWAYNE BOWE.
Anquan Boldin @JAC: I almost feel like he's a decoy until Breaston gets better, and let's face it: he's no Tim Hightower, amirite? I'd have reservations about him until I either saw his explosiveness back or a big game from him.
Philly D: They're playing New Orleans. I'd bet my house they don't score 35 points again.
Willie Parker @CHI: No Urlacher, but there's a big old committee, and he looked about as fast as Peyton Manning with a broken leg.
Matt Schaub @TEN: Schaub had a line of 188 yds, 0 TDs and 3 INTs at Tennessee last year. His home game against Tennessee saw 1 TD. His o-line looked decrepit last week. I'd stick him on the bench this week, unless you have better options. He looks even worse if Walter can't play btw.
BOOMS:
Washington D vs STL: You already know most any D against the Rams is spot start worthy. However, take a look at Washington's next 5 matchups: vs STL, @DET (pressure on a rook QB), vs TB (offense is nothing special), @CAR (if Delhomme keeps it up or Feeley isn't starting yet), vs KC (see how Cassel looks). All of those matchup have potential for solid points provided you stay active on goings-on with things like QB situations in CAR/KC, whether Bryant is playing for TB, etc. If you like streaming defenses like I do much of the time, this D may be worth a multiple week play.
Santana Moss vs STL: Had a cruddy week 1, and the coaches came out and said they needed to get him more involved. Here's me putting my trust that this isn't just talk and they'll try to back it up.
Percy Harvin @DET: The coaches say Berrian will get more involved, but unlike above, why? Harvin is a better weapon than Berrian in my opinion, and AP actually historically doesn't have 200 yd, 3 TD games against Detroit all the time, contrary to popular belief. Minnesota will still need to throw the ball, and if Detroit plays Minnesota like they did last year, the game will be close, and the passing game will be active all 4 quarters.
Leon Washington vs NE: Shonn Greene still doesn't have a role, and Thomas Jones is still a bum in my mind. Fred Jackson torched the NE D last week, and without Mayo, Leon should have a solid game, especially for you PPR guys. Maybe no TD since TJ is still around, but yardage from screen passes, etc should come.
Michael Bush/Darren Mcfadden @KC: The Ravens dismantled the Chiefs something like 500 to 180 total yards, so that D isn't ready to show up just yet. Total crap shoot as to who gets the TD (I'd say 60% Bush, 40% Mcfadden chance), but both should be flex worthy at the least, especially since Bush is 'officially' the #2
Terrell Owens/Lee Evans vs TB: If Miles Austin and Patrick Crayton can torch this D, I'm willing to guess they can too. NE played solid in the secondary last week and purposely doubled these guys alot of the time. I don't think TB is quite up to that task yet.
Chris Johnson vs HOU: Lenwhale looked like he was still on Patron last week, and CJ averaged about 4.8 YPC last year against Houston in 2 games. Who knows how the redzone will look, but I'd expect at least 20 touches from him, which should lead to a solid game.
Michael Clayton @BUF: This scares me to type. Like, really scares me to type. But Bryant is likely out, and if the TB staff can take a page from New England, SOMEONE needs to be able to run all over the middle against Buffalo. Might be Sammie Stroughter, but I'll gamble with this guy.
Brandon Jacobs @DAL: Dallas gave up 175 yards rushing last week. Brandon Jacobs has the best o-line in football. You do the math.
Laurent Robinson @WAS: Bulger has to throw to someone when they're getting whooped, and Robinson looked decent last week minus the drop. Eventual #1?
Ronnie Brown vs IND: If Sparano isn't dumb and actually gives him 20+ touches, he should be able to do damage against Indy. But hey, if he doesn't, go blame Sparano, not me.
Zach Miller @KC: I feel like listing 3 Raiders means I'm destined to fail. Oh well. Jamarcus's only reliable target (unless we're relying on dropped passes, in which case DHB is your man)
BUSTS:
Julius Jones @SF: Julius was much better at home last year, and San Fran's D looked really solid last week. Julius also fluked into a big play, otherwise he would have had his typical Lendale White-esque line, minus the touchdowns.
Donald Brown @MIA: I'd imagine Miami is pissed, and I'm aware Addai scored last week, which he's always a threat to do I guess, but he also had 2.5 YPC. Donald Brown showed nothing special last week either, and since Addai had the GL carries, he's always a threat to have a semi-decent week. Brown, maybe not so much.
Laveranues Coles @GB: He might bounce back, but Caldwell put up ok stats, and Coles looked lost and had the Braylon Edwards hands syndrome. GB's D also played well last week, and their secondary has always been solid.
Larry Johnson vs OAK: That D has changed with Big Sey coming in, especially that front line. Another dud week for a dud player.
Dwayne Bowe vs OAK: NNAMDI GIVE UP TD TO VINCENT JACKSON. NNAMDI MAD. NNAMDI GIVE UP ABOUT 25 YARDS LAST TIME HE SAW DWAYNE BOWE. NNAMDI SMASH DWAYNE BOWE.
Anquan Boldin @JAC: I almost feel like he's a decoy until Breaston gets better, and let's face it: he's no Tim Hightower, amirite? I'd have reservations about him until I either saw his explosiveness back or a big game from him.
Philly D: They're playing New Orleans. I'd bet my house they don't score 35 points again.
Willie Parker @CHI: No Urlacher, but there's a big old committee, and he looked about as fast as Peyton Manning with a broken leg.
Matt Schaub @TEN: Schaub had a line of 188 yds, 0 TDs and 3 INTs at Tennessee last year. His home game against Tennessee saw 1 TD. His o-line looked decrepit last week. I'd stick him on the bench this week, unless you have better options. He looks even worse if Walter can't play btw.
Tuesday, September 15, 2009
OAK/SD thoughts
-Jamarcus Russell seriously needs to work on his short/medium accuracy. That deep bomb to Murphy was nice, but they wouldn't have needed that if he could have throw just a few of his passes in the area of receivers.
-As I said before the season, Murphy is a better WR than DHB. Yesterday just enforced that.
-Why on Earth did the Raiders coaches deviate from the run game when it was working so well?
-It bears repeating: Philip Rivers is a classless prick. One day, someone is going to hit him a little too low for all the mouthing off, taunting, etc. I might hate this guy more than anyone else in the NFL (including Peyton, who I hate, but have utmost respect for.)
-The SD o-line is in trouble if they don't get people healthy.
-Richard Seymour is going to help the d-line in Oakland in a big way. Not only did he get constant pressure, but allowed others on the line to come through as well. He's going to get a big check from someone if he keeps it up.
-The San Diego skill players bailed Philip Rivers out. He led a nice game ending drive, but other than that, he threw several passes that receivers bailed him out on, and couldn't do much with great starting position several times. I'm aware he was under alot of pressure, but for someone who just got 100 million bucks, he needs to step up more.
-Antonio Cromartie has fallen off a cliff since his 10 INT year. What happened?
-Merriman isn't the same guy he was. At least not yet. I'm sure injuries are still affecting him, and maybe his mind is still on the assault thing.
-Nate Kaeding still looks like a turtle.
-Jamarcus Russell wouldn't be starting if it wasn't for Zach Miller. A TE is a QB's best friend indeed.
-Mcfadden and Bush are going to provide a really nice speed/power combo this season, provided they stay healthy.
-The Raiders need Chaz Schilens back. Maybe I'm abnormally high on this guy, but they have NO ONE besides Louis Murphy, and he really only fits the speed type mold.
-Good to see Antonio Gates do alright...one of the few SD players who has an ounce of class.
-San Diego seems to have no chemistry or team pride, and I'm pretty sure everyone will attribute this to Norv Turner, and I agree. He seems so dull, and just kind of shrugs things off at times when he should be energetic.
-The Raiders are morons for playing the LBs so deep on that 3rd and long to Sproles. I've never understood why more teams don't spy a solid, speedy pass catching RB in those situation. Same thing happened with NE and Fred Jackson yesterday. If there's a long bomb/hail mary type thing, trust your 3 DB's in the area to beat the 1 WR.
-LT might be close to done. He had solid stats, but showed no burst, no explosiveness that we're all used to, and he's already injured? If Norv is smart, when LT comes back, he'll RBBC to preserve LT.
-Legedu Naanee needs to overtake Chris Chambers on the depth chart. Dude is done.
-As I said before the season, Murphy is a better WR than DHB. Yesterday just enforced that.
-Why on Earth did the Raiders coaches deviate from the run game when it was working so well?
-It bears repeating: Philip Rivers is a classless prick. One day, someone is going to hit him a little too low for all the mouthing off, taunting, etc. I might hate this guy more than anyone else in the NFL (including Peyton, who I hate, but have utmost respect for.)
-The SD o-line is in trouble if they don't get people healthy.
-Richard Seymour is going to help the d-line in Oakland in a big way. Not only did he get constant pressure, but allowed others on the line to come through as well. He's going to get a big check from someone if he keeps it up.
-The San Diego skill players bailed Philip Rivers out. He led a nice game ending drive, but other than that, he threw several passes that receivers bailed him out on, and couldn't do much with great starting position several times. I'm aware he was under alot of pressure, but for someone who just got 100 million bucks, he needs to step up more.
-Antonio Cromartie has fallen off a cliff since his 10 INT year. What happened?
-Merriman isn't the same guy he was. At least not yet. I'm sure injuries are still affecting him, and maybe his mind is still on the assault thing.
-Nate Kaeding still looks like a turtle.
-Jamarcus Russell wouldn't be starting if it wasn't for Zach Miller. A TE is a QB's best friend indeed.
-Mcfadden and Bush are going to provide a really nice speed/power combo this season, provided they stay healthy.
-The Raiders need Chaz Schilens back. Maybe I'm abnormally high on this guy, but they have NO ONE besides Louis Murphy, and he really only fits the speed type mold.
-Good to see Antonio Gates do alright...one of the few SD players who has an ounce of class.
-San Diego seems to have no chemistry or team pride, and I'm pretty sure everyone will attribute this to Norv Turner, and I agree. He seems so dull, and just kind of shrugs things off at times when he should be energetic.
-The Raiders are morons for playing the LBs so deep on that 3rd and long to Sproles. I've never understood why more teams don't spy a solid, speedy pass catching RB in those situation. Same thing happened with NE and Fred Jackson yesterday. If there's a long bomb/hail mary type thing, trust your 3 DB's in the area to beat the 1 WR.
-LT might be close to done. He had solid stats, but showed no burst, no explosiveness that we're all used to, and he's already injured? If Norv is smart, when LT comes back, he'll RBBC to preserve LT.
-Legedu Naanee needs to overtake Chris Chambers on the depth chart. Dude is done.
Monday, September 14, 2009
Week 1 Boom/Bust Wins and Losses
Wins:
Frank Gore: His yardage total was garbage, but multiple TDs is a win almost every time.
Mike Bell: For the slot you used him, you'll likely take the 143 yardage. Can't imagine he was more than an RB3/flex play for anyone, if that.
Tim Hightower: I'm a PPR advocate, so this is a win in my book. Those catching #s were insane, but unlikely to be repeated.
Drew Brees: Wow.
Matt Hasselbeck: Did have 2 picks, but also good yardage and 3 scores. Good points overall for someone who's a QB2 for most people.
Randy Moss: PPR beast week.
Steve Slaton: Didn't do squat against a Jets D that was swarming all over.
Chris Johnson: No real commentary, just bad #s against a great D
Larry Johnson: See above. Except LJ is over the hill.
Willie Parker: Hope you all listened! A dreadful week.
Jason Campbell: About what I expected...2 turnovers, about 200 yards, 1 score.
Bernard Berrian: A nice, fat, goose egg in all formats. You're welcome.
Terrell Owens: More like Terrell Owned.
Lee Evans: And the trend against NE continues.
Antonio Bryant: He got hurt, but bad #s are bad #s in fantasy. And Leftwich was pressured alot, for the record.
Ties:
Ray Rice: Didn't have a score as expected. A tie simply because his catch total wasn't as high as I liked, but still had about 120 total yards.
Losses:
Eddie Royal: Didn't see this coming at all. I think he's a great buy low candidate. Marshall still had dropsy problems, and as Orton clicks more, his targets/receptions should increase.
Trent Edwards: New England played him interestingly and allowed him to dink and dunk, which led to 2 scores for him.
Matt Ryan: Happy he was a loss, since I had him. Solid #s.
Aaron Rodgers: No turnovers, but mediocre yardage and TD counts for someone I expected more from.
Overall, a good week,.
Frank Gore: His yardage total was garbage, but multiple TDs is a win almost every time.
Mike Bell: For the slot you used him, you'll likely take the 143 yardage. Can't imagine he was more than an RB3/flex play for anyone, if that.
Tim Hightower: I'm a PPR advocate, so this is a win in my book. Those catching #s were insane, but unlikely to be repeated.
Drew Brees: Wow.
Matt Hasselbeck: Did have 2 picks, but also good yardage and 3 scores. Good points overall for someone who's a QB2 for most people.
Randy Moss: PPR beast week.
Steve Slaton: Didn't do squat against a Jets D that was swarming all over.
Chris Johnson: No real commentary, just bad #s against a great D
Larry Johnson: See above. Except LJ is over the hill.
Willie Parker: Hope you all listened! A dreadful week.
Jason Campbell: About what I expected...2 turnovers, about 200 yards, 1 score.
Bernard Berrian: A nice, fat, goose egg in all formats. You're welcome.
Terrell Owens: More like Terrell Owned.
Lee Evans: And the trend against NE continues.
Antonio Bryant: He got hurt, but bad #s are bad #s in fantasy. And Leftwich was pressured alot, for the record.
Ties:
Ray Rice: Didn't have a score as expected. A tie simply because his catch total wasn't as high as I liked, but still had about 120 total yards.
Losses:
Eddie Royal: Didn't see this coming at all. I think he's a great buy low candidate. Marshall still had dropsy problems, and as Orton clicks more, his targets/receptions should increase.
Trent Edwards: New England played him interestingly and allowed him to dink and dunk, which led to 2 scores for him.
Matt Ryan: Happy he was a loss, since I had him. Solid #s.
Aaron Rodgers: No turnovers, but mediocre yardage and TD counts for someone I expected more from.
Overall, a good week,.
NE/BUF thoughts
Wow, that game was a rollercoaster for my emotions. Onto some objective thoughts.
-The Pats playcalling was putrid at times. What was with all the draws on 3rd and 4? You have the best QB in the league. I'm aware he's rusty, but that's how you shake it off. And those 6 OL formations SCREAMED run, which is why all those plays got stuffed.
-The Pats 3rd down D was dreadful for alot of the game. The pressure was not good at all til late in the game, in which I assume the Bills OL was tired or jittery or something.
-The loss of Mayo seriously hurt the Pats, especially the ability to cover Fred Jackson. We need Mayo back, or we're toast against even more explosive backs who can catch passes.
-Tommy Boy looked really rusty the first half, but I'm really glad he played well in the second half. If the rust is almost gone already, that's good news for us, and bad news for the rest of the league.
-This wouldn't have been a game if we had the ability to finish drives. 2 or 3 4th and short stalls, FGs instead of TDs up until late...that needs to change.
-Why don't the Pats ride the hot RB? Maroney looked great his first 4 runs, then randomly came out, and he sure didn't look hurt because he was right back out there on the kickoff.
-Matt Light needs to fix whatever suck he had in the first half. I know Schobel is a great DE, but wow. You're a Pro Bowl LT. Act like one.
-Welker looked rusty as well, but I'm assuming this is because he didn't play with Brady in the preseason and had the knee issue.
-Tully Banta Cain was the best pass rusher. That was fine over the short term, but won't be for the longterm.
-The Bills OL played extremely well in actual game situations considering their raw nature. Penalties killed them.
-Trent Edwards looked pretty decent, especially with time in the pocket.
-The Pats need Galloway to free up...he was invisible the whole game. We're lucky we have Faulk and that Watson showed up that game, otherwise teams will just be doubling Moss/Welker all day.
-Sebastian Vollmer is going to be an animal in this league.
-Yesterday, I said the Jets are likely #2 in the East. Now, it could be a race between the Bills and Jets. I still think the Dolphins were an overrated fluke.
-Between the Wilfork call, the no-call on the Schobel play and the questionable call on Adalius (I'm aware he suplexed Edwards, so I guess I can live with it), the officiating sucked bigtime. I know I'm biased, but wow.
All I can think of for now...back to SD/OAK.
-The Pats playcalling was putrid at times. What was with all the draws on 3rd and 4? You have the best QB in the league. I'm aware he's rusty, but that's how you shake it off. And those 6 OL formations SCREAMED run, which is why all those plays got stuffed.
-The Pats 3rd down D was dreadful for alot of the game. The pressure was not good at all til late in the game, in which I assume the Bills OL was tired or jittery or something.
-The loss of Mayo seriously hurt the Pats, especially the ability to cover Fred Jackson. We need Mayo back, or we're toast against even more explosive backs who can catch passes.
-Tommy Boy looked really rusty the first half, but I'm really glad he played well in the second half. If the rust is almost gone already, that's good news for us, and bad news for the rest of the league.
-This wouldn't have been a game if we had the ability to finish drives. 2 or 3 4th and short stalls, FGs instead of TDs up until late...that needs to change.
-Why don't the Pats ride the hot RB? Maroney looked great his first 4 runs, then randomly came out, and he sure didn't look hurt because he was right back out there on the kickoff.
-Matt Light needs to fix whatever suck he had in the first half. I know Schobel is a great DE, but wow. You're a Pro Bowl LT. Act like one.
-Welker looked rusty as well, but I'm assuming this is because he didn't play with Brady in the preseason and had the knee issue.
-Tully Banta Cain was the best pass rusher. That was fine over the short term, but won't be for the longterm.
-The Bills OL played extremely well in actual game situations considering their raw nature. Penalties killed them.
-Trent Edwards looked pretty decent, especially with time in the pocket.
-The Pats need Galloway to free up...he was invisible the whole game. We're lucky we have Faulk and that Watson showed up that game, otherwise teams will just be doubling Moss/Welker all day.
-Sebastian Vollmer is going to be an animal in this league.
-Yesterday, I said the Jets are likely #2 in the East. Now, it could be a race between the Bills and Jets. I still think the Dolphins were an overrated fluke.
-Between the Wilfork call, the no-call on the Schobel play and the questionable call on Adalius (I'm aware he suplexed Edwards, so I guess I can live with it), the officiating sucked bigtime. I know I'm biased, but wow.
All I can think of for now...back to SD/OAK.
Sunday thoughts: HOU/NYJ, GB/CHI
I paid most attention to the two games mentioned, so here are a couple thoughts:
TEXANS/JETS:
-The Houston o-line and offense downright sucked, which is evident by the boxscore and statistics. Slaton got nowhere, AJ was shut down, Schaub looked uncomfortable alot, and you could tell they missed Kevin Walter taking some of the coverage off of AJ.
-Coupled with the above, the Jets D looked amazing, and that was without 2 starters. The LBs (especially Harris and Scott) were flying around, pressure was good, coverage was good. This team will be the #2 in the AFC East barring another bomb dropping on my dear Pats.
-The Houston D wasn't terrible. They shut down the run game almost all day, except for two big plays by Thomas Jones. Leon Washington looked like the better back, though the stats don't show it.
-Dustin Keller is more WR than TE.
-Mark Sanchez looked great as the game went on. Initially, he threw a few balls that should have been picks. But once the jitters were gone, he looked poised, and was an animal on 3rd down. He also looked enthusiastic as heck too, which is something Jets fans need. This team might finally show signs of life and energy on the field and the sidelines. And all this was on the road.
-Chansi Stuckey's stat line was way overrated. A 30 yard TD reception came on a blown coverage that Freddie Mitchell could have scored on.
-Jerricho Cotchery's line was not overrated. Sanchez looked to him often, and these two could be a solid tandem for years.
BEARS/PACKERS:
-It's obviously too early to judge, but Jay Cutler's 4 picks could have easily been 6. A night to forget in Chicago.
-Both defenses looked really good, but Urlacher's loss could really hurt.
-Nathan Vasher got plain destroyed by Greg Jennings on the TD catch. This guy should never be in a 1 on 1 situation against cream of the crop wideouts.
-Ryan Grant only had 3.8 ypc, but looked alot better than last year
-On the other hand, Matt Forte totally lacked explosiveness when he had the ball, and Cutler rarely looked his way on passing situations. The Bears must find a way to use Forte effectively again if they're going to win, because if Cutler is flinging stuff around randomly like yesterday trying to win games, the Bears season will be done by Week 10.
-Same goes for Greg Olsen. Cutler needs to look his way more.
-Earl Bennett's stuff was mostly dinky dunky or screen passes. I didn't see anything really gamebreaking or explosive from him.
-Allen Barbre shouldn't be in the NFL. One of the worst performances by an OL in recent memory, and a big part of why Rodgers's #s looked so pedestrian.
-Rodgers had at least 3 or 4 passes that should have been caught that were dropped by Jordy Nelson and Donald Driver. Can't have that happen when they play a team who isn't giving them gifts once a quarter.
-Cullen Jenkins looked like a beast in the 3-4. The Green Bay D as a whole looks much improved, and some questions about the front 7 were answered yesterday.
-Brandon Chillar's sack was pretty fun to watch.
Thoughts from NE/BUF and SD/OAK will come tomorrow.
TEXANS/JETS:
-The Houston o-line and offense downright sucked, which is evident by the boxscore and statistics. Slaton got nowhere, AJ was shut down, Schaub looked uncomfortable alot, and you could tell they missed Kevin Walter taking some of the coverage off of AJ.
-Coupled with the above, the Jets D looked amazing, and that was without 2 starters. The LBs (especially Harris and Scott) were flying around, pressure was good, coverage was good. This team will be the #2 in the AFC East barring another bomb dropping on my dear Pats.
-The Houston D wasn't terrible. They shut down the run game almost all day, except for two big plays by Thomas Jones. Leon Washington looked like the better back, though the stats don't show it.
-Dustin Keller is more WR than TE.
-Mark Sanchez looked great as the game went on. Initially, he threw a few balls that should have been picks. But once the jitters were gone, he looked poised, and was an animal on 3rd down. He also looked enthusiastic as heck too, which is something Jets fans need. This team might finally show signs of life and energy on the field and the sidelines. And all this was on the road.
-Chansi Stuckey's stat line was way overrated. A 30 yard TD reception came on a blown coverage that Freddie Mitchell could have scored on.
-Jerricho Cotchery's line was not overrated. Sanchez looked to him often, and these two could be a solid tandem for years.
BEARS/PACKERS:
-It's obviously too early to judge, but Jay Cutler's 4 picks could have easily been 6. A night to forget in Chicago.
-Both defenses looked really good, but Urlacher's loss could really hurt.
-Nathan Vasher got plain destroyed by Greg Jennings on the TD catch. This guy should never be in a 1 on 1 situation against cream of the crop wideouts.
-Ryan Grant only had 3.8 ypc, but looked alot better than last year
-On the other hand, Matt Forte totally lacked explosiveness when he had the ball, and Cutler rarely looked his way on passing situations. The Bears must find a way to use Forte effectively again if they're going to win, because if Cutler is flinging stuff around randomly like yesterday trying to win games, the Bears season will be done by Week 10.
-Same goes for Greg Olsen. Cutler needs to look his way more.
-Earl Bennett's stuff was mostly dinky dunky or screen passes. I didn't see anything really gamebreaking or explosive from him.
-Allen Barbre shouldn't be in the NFL. One of the worst performances by an OL in recent memory, and a big part of why Rodgers's #s looked so pedestrian.
-Rodgers had at least 3 or 4 passes that should have been caught that were dropped by Jordy Nelson and Donald Driver. Can't have that happen when they play a team who isn't giving them gifts once a quarter.
-Cullen Jenkins looked like a beast in the 3-4. The Green Bay D as a whole looks much improved, and some questions about the front 7 were answered yesterday.
-Brandon Chillar's sack was pretty fun to watch.
Thoughts from NE/BUF and SD/OAK will come tomorrow.
Saturday, September 12, 2009
Quick season ranking predictions
I have a way more extensive post coming in the next couple days, but in the meantime, preliminary picks and stuff (no record predicting in this one, just standing order)
NFC East:
Eagles (2)
Giants
Cowboys
Redskins
NFC North:
Packers (3)
Vikings (6)
Bears
Lions
NFC South:
Falcons (1)
Saints (5)
Panthers
Bucs
NFC West:
Niners (4)
Cardinals
Seahawks
Rams
AFC East:
Patriots (1)
Dolphins
Jets
Bills
AFC North:
Steelers (4)
Ravens (5)
Bengals
Browns
AFC South:
Colts (3)
Texans (6)
Titans
Jags
AFC West:
Chargers (2)
Raiders
Chiefs
Broncos
Wild cards: Saints, Vikings, Ravens, Texans
WC Round:
Packers (3) > Vikings (6)
Saints (5) > Niners (4)
Colts (3) > Texans (6)
Ravens (5) > Steelers (4)
Div round:
Falcons (1) > Saints (5)
Eagles (2) > Packers (3)
Patriots (1) > Ravens (5)
Chargers (2) > Colts (3)
Conf round:
Falcons (1) > Eagles (2)
Patriots (1) > Chargerhomos (2)
SB:
Patriots > Falcons, 38-24
Apparently I think the Falcons are going to the Bowl, which is news to me. Hm.
NFC East:
Eagles (2)
Giants
Cowboys
Redskins
NFC North:
Packers (3)
Vikings (6)
Bears
Lions
NFC South:
Falcons (1)
Saints (5)
Panthers
Bucs
NFC West:
Niners (4)
Cardinals
Seahawks
Rams
AFC East:
Patriots (1)
Dolphins
Jets
Bills
AFC North:
Steelers (4)
Ravens (5)
Bengals
Browns
AFC South:
Colts (3)
Texans (6)
Titans
Jags
AFC West:
Chargers (2)
Raiders
Chiefs
Broncos
Wild cards: Saints, Vikings, Ravens, Texans
WC Round:
Packers (3) > Vikings (6)
Saints (5) > Niners (4)
Colts (3) > Texans (6)
Ravens (5) > Steelers (4)
Div round:
Falcons (1) > Saints (5)
Eagles (2) > Packers (3)
Patriots (1) > Ravens (5)
Chargers (2) > Colts (3)
Conf round:
Falcons (1) > Eagles (2)
Patriots (1) > Chargerhomos (2)
SB:
Patriots > Falcons, 38-24
Apparently I think the Falcons are going to the Bowl, which is news to me. Hm.
Season predictions (long post)
Basically gonna predict every game, add up the wins/losses, predict playoffs, see what happens. I'm bored apparently. My predicted winner in CAPS and on the lefthand side.
For the record, most of the end results are downright silly. I don't think Miami will be that bad. I don't think GB will be that good. There's alot of weird records, but whatever, more for entertainment's sake than anything. Enjoy.
Week 1:
PIT (1-0) vs ten (0-1)
ATL (1-0) vs mia (0-1)
BAL (1-0) vs kc (0-1)
CAR (1-0) vs phi (0-1)
CIN (1-0) vs den (0-1)
MIN (1-0) @ cle (0-1)
HOU (1-0) vs nyj (0-1)
IND (1-0) vs jax (0-1)
NO (1-0) vs det (0-1)
DAL (1-0) @ tb (0-1)
ARI (1-0) vs sf (0-1)
NYG (1-0) vs was (0-1)
SEA (1-0) vs stl (0-1)
GB (1-0) vs chi (0-1)
NE (1-0) vs buf (0-1)
SD (1-0) @ oak (0-1)
Week 2:
ATL (2-0) vs car (1-1)
PHI (1-1) vs no (1-1)
NE (2-0) @ nyj (0-2)
KC (1-1) vs oak (0-2)
JAX (1-1) vs ari (1-1)
TEN (1-1) vs hou (1-1)
GB (2-0) vs cin (1-1)
MIN (2-0) @ det (0-2)
WAS (1-1) vs stl (0-2)
BUF (1-1) vs tb (0-2)
SF (1-1) vs sea (1-1)
BAL (2-0) @ sd (1-1)
CHI (1-1) vs pit (1-1)
DEN (1-1) vs cle (0-2)
NYG (2-0) @ dal (1-1)
IND (2-0) @ mia (0-2)
Week 3:
PHI (2-1) vs kc (1-2)
GB (3-0) @ stl (0-3)
MIN (3-0) vs sf (1-2)
TEN (2-1) @ nyj (0-3)
NE (3-0) vs atl (2-1)
HOU (2-1) vs jac (1-2)
NYG (3-0) @ tb (0-3)
WAS (2-1) @ det (0-3)
BAL (3-0) vs cle (0-3)
CHI (2-1) @ sea (1-2)
NO (2-1) @ buf (1-2)
SD (2-1) vs mia (0-3)
OAK (1-2) vs den (1-2)
PIT (2-1) @ cin (1-2)
IND (3-0) @ ari (1-2)
CAR (2-1) @ dal (1-2)
Week 4:
WAS (3-1) vs tb (0-4)
TEN (3-1) @ jax (1-3)
HOU (3-1) vs oak (1-3)
CLE (1-3) vs cin (1-3)
IND (4-0) vs sea (1-3)
NYG (4-0) @ kc (1-3)
CHI (3-1) vs det (0-4)
BAL (4-0) @ ne (3-1) (I think maybe 1-3 teams in the league can beat us right now, and this is one)
MIA (1-3) vs buf (1-3)
NO (3-1) vs nyj (0-4)
SF (2-2) vs stl (0-4)
DAL (2-2) @ den (1-3)
SD (3-1) @ pit (2-2) (No Polamalu)
MIN (4-0) vs gb (3-1)
Week 5:
BAL (5-0) vs cin (1-4)
STL (1-4) vs min (4-1) (Favre is tired)
NYG (5-0) vs oak (1-4)
PHI (3-1) vs tb (0-5)
DAL (3-2) @ kc (1-4)
PIT (3-2) @ det (0-5)
BUF (2-3) vs cle (1-4)
CAR (3-1) vs was (3-2)
SF (3-2) vs atl (2-2)
ARI (2-2) vs hou (3-2)
SEA (2-3) vs jac (1-4)
NE (4-1) @ den (1-4)
TEN (4-1) vs ind (4-1)
MIA (2-3) vs nyj (0-5)
Week 6:
JAC (2-4) vs stl (1-5)
WAS (4-2) vs kc (1-5)
PIT (4-2) vs cle (1-5)
NO (4-1) vs nyg (5-1)
TB (1-5) vs car (3-2)
CIN (2-4) vs hou (3-3)
BAL (6-0) @ min (4-2)
GB (4-1) vs det (0-6)
SEA (3-3) vs ari (2-3)
PHI (4-1) @ oak (1-5)
NYJ (1-5) vs buf (2-4)
NE (5-1) vs ten (4-2)
ATL (3-2) vs chi (3-2)
SD (4-1) vs den (1-5)
Week 7:
IND (5-1) @ stl (1-6)
CHI (4-2) @ cin (2-5)
SD (5-1) @ kc (1-6)
PIT (5-2) vs min (4-3)
NE (6-1) @ tb (1-6)
HOU (4-3) vs sf (3-3)
GB (5-1) @ cle (1-6)
CAR (4-2) vs buf (2-5)
OAK (2-5) vs nyj (1-6)
ATL (4-2) @ dal (3-3)
NO (5-1) @ mia (2-4)
NYG (6-1) vs ari (2-4)
WAS (5-2) vs phi (4-2)
Week 8:
DAL (4-3) vs sea (3-4)
BUF (3-5) vs hou (4-4)
BAL (7-0) vs den (1-6)
NYJ (2-6) vs mia (2-5)
CHI (5-2) vs cle (1-7)
IND (6-1) vs sf (3-4)
DET (1-6) vs stl (1-7)
GB (6-1) vs min (4-4) (this should be fun)
TEN (5-2) vs jax (2-5)
SD (6-1) vs oak (2-6)
PHI (5-2) vs nyg (6-2)
ARI (3-4) vs car (4-3)
NO (6-1) vs atl (4-3)
Week 9:
BAL (8-0) @ cin (2-6)
NE (7-1) vs mia (2-6)
IND (7-1) vs hou (4-5)
GB (7-1) @ tb (1-7)
ATL (5-3) vs was (5-3)
CHI (6-2) vs ari (3-5)
JAC (3-5) vs kc (1-7)
NO (7-1) vs car (4-4)
SEA (4-4) vs det (1-7)
SF (4-4) vs ten (5-3)
NYG (7-2) vs sd (6-2)
PHI (6-2) vs dal (4-4)
PIT (6-2) @ den (1-7)
Week 10:
CHI (7-2) @ sf (4-5)
DET (2-7) @ min (4-5) (played em close twice last year)
DEN (2-7) @ was (5-4)
MIA (3-6) vs tb (1-8)
TEN (6-3) vs buf (3-6)
NO (8-1) @ stl (1-8)
JAC (4-5) @ nyj (2-7)
PIT (7-2) vs cin (2-7)
CAR (5-4) vs atl (5-4)
OAK (3-6) vs kc (1-8)
GB (8-1) vs dal (4-5)
PHI (7-2) @ sd (6-3)
ARI (4-5) vs sea (4-5)
NE (8-1) @ ind (7-2)
BAL (9-0) @ cle (1-8)
Week 11:
CAR (6-4) vs mia (3-7)
PIT (8-2) @ kc (1-9)
IND (8-2) @ bal (9-1)
CLE (2-8) @ det (2-8)
TB (2-8) vs no (8-2)
ATL (6-4) @ nyg (7-3)
JAC (5-5) vs buf (3-7)
DAL (5-5) vs was (5-5)
MIN (5-5) vs sea (4-6)
GB (9-1) vs sf (4-6)
STL (2-8) vs ari (4-6)
NE (9-1) vs nyj (2-8)
OAK (4-6) vs cin (2-8)
SD (7-3) @ den (2-8)
CHI (8-2) vs phi (7-3)
HOU (5-5) vs ten (6-4)
Week 12:
GB (10-1) @ det (2-9)
DAL (6-5) vs oak (4-7)
NYG (8-3) @ den (2-9)
BUF (4-7) vs mia (3-8)
STL (3-8) vs sea (4-7)
TEN (7-4) vs ari (4-7)
HOU (6-5) vs ind (8-3)
CIN (3-8) vs cle (2-9)
MIN (6-5) vs chi (8-3)
CAR (7-4) @ nyj (2-9)
ATL (7-4) vs tb (2-9)
PHI (8-3) vs was (5-6)
SD (8-3) vs kc (1-10)
SF (5-6) vs jac (5-6)
PIT (9-2) @ bal (9-2)
NO (9-2) vs ne (9-2) (2nd best throwing team our secondary sucks right now...total shootout)
Week 13:
BUF (5-7) vs nyj (2-10)
CHI (9-3) vs stl (3-9)
ATL (8-4) vs phi (8-4)
WAS (6-6) vs no (9-3)
TEN (8-4) @ ind (8-4)
PIT (10-2) vs oak (4-8)
KC (2-10) vs den (2-10)
CAR (8-4) vs tb (2-10)
HOU (7-5) @ jac (5-7)
CIN (4-8) vs det (2-10)
SD (9-3) @ cle (2-10)
NYG (9-3) vs dal (6-6)
SEA (5-7) vs sf (5-7)
ARI (5-7) vs min (6-6)
NE (10-2) @ mia (3-9)
GB (11-1) vs bal (9-3)
Week 14:
PIT (11-2) @ cle (2-11)
ATL (9-4) vs no (9-4)
TEN (9-4) vs stl (3-10)
JAC (6-7) vs mia (3-10)
MIN (7-6) vs cin (4-9)
BAL (10-3) vs det (2-11)
CHI (10-3) vs gb (11-2)
KC (3-10) vs buf (5-8)
NE (11-2) vs car (8-5)
IND (9-4) vs den (2-11)
HOU (8-5) vs sea (5-8)
TB (3-10) vs nyj (2-11)
WAS (7-6) @ oak (4-9)
SD (10-3) @ dal (6-7)
NYG (10-3) vs phi (8-5)
SF (6-7) vs ari (5-8)
Week 15:
JAC (7-7) vs ind (9-5)
NO (10-4) vs dal (6-8)
CLE (3-11) @ kc (3-11)
HOU (9-5) @ stl (3-11)
ATL (10-4) @ nyj (2-12)
TEN (10-4) vs mia (3-11)
PHI (9-5) vs sf (6-8)
NE (12-2) @ buf (5-9)
ARI (6-8) @ det (2-12)
PIT (12-2) vs gb (11-3)
BAL (11-3) vs chi (10-4)
DEN (3-11) vs oak (4-10)
SD (11-3)vs cin (4-10)
SEA (6-8) vs tb (3-11)
CAR (9-5) vs min (7-7)
WAS (8-6) vs nyg (10-4)
Week 16:
TEN (11-4) vs sd (11-4)
NO (11-4) vs tb (3-12)
ATL (11-4) vs buf (5-10)
PHI (10-5) vs den (3-12)
CIN (5-10) vs kc (3-12)
MIA (4-11) vs hou (9-6)
GB (12-3) vs sea (6-9)
CAR (10-5) @ nyg (10-5)
CLE (4-11) vs oak (4-11)
NE (13-2) vs jac (7-8)
PIT(13-2) vs bal (11-4)
ARI (7-8) vs stl (3-12)
SF (7-8) vs det (2-13)
IND (10-5) vs nyj (2-13)
WAS (9-6) vs dal (6-9)
CHI (11-4) vs min (7-8)
Week 17:
SF (8-8) vs stl (3-13)
MIN (8-8) @ nyg (10-6)
JAC (8-8) @ cle (4-12)
MIA (5-11) vs pit (13-3)
NE (14-2) @ hou (9-7)
TB (4-12) vs atl (11-5)
CAR (11-5) vs no (11-5)
NYJ (3-13) vs cin (5-11)
DAL (7-9) vs phi (10-6)
IND (11-5) @ buf (5-11)
DET (3-13) vs chi (11-5)
SD (12-4) vs was (9-7)
BAL (12-4) @ oak (4-12)
DEN (4-12) vs kc (3-13)
ARI (8-8) vs gb (12-4)
SEA (7-9) vs ten (11-5)
I DID PLAYOFF TIEBREAKERS TOTALLY RANDOMLY, SINCE I'M WAY TOO LAZY TO CHECK ACTUAL TIEBREAKERS.
NFC East:
Phi Eagles 10-6 (3 seed)
NY Giants 10-6
Was Redskins 9-7
Dal Cowboys 7-9
NFC North:
GB Packers 12-4 (1 seed)
Chi Bears 11-5 (6 seed)
Min Vikings 8-8
Det Lions 3-13
NFC South:
Atl Falcons 11-5 (2 seed)
NO Saints 11-5 (5 seed)
Car Panthers 11-5
TB Bucs 4-12
NFC West:
SF Niners 8-8 (4 seed)
Ari Cardinals 8-8
Sea Seahawks 7-9
Stl Rams 3-13
AFC East:
NE Patriots 14-2 (1 seed)
Mia Dolphins 5-11
Buf Bills 5-11
NY jets 3-13
AFC North:
Pit Steelers 13-3 (2 seed)
Bal Ravens 12-4 (5 seed)
Cin Bengals 5-11
Cle Browns 4-12
AFC South:
Ind Colts 11-5 (4 seed)
Ten Titans 11-5 (6 seed)
Hou Texans 9-7
Jac Jaguars 8-8
AFC West:
SD Chargers 12-4 (3 seed)
Den Broncos 4-12
Oak Raiders 4-12
KC Chiefs 3-13
WC Round:
BEARS (6) @ Eagles (3)
SAINTS (5) @ Niners (4)
TITANS (6) @ Chargers (3)
RAVENS (5) @ Colts (4)
(Haha wtf...every low seed/road team winning...weird)
Div Round:
PACKERS (1) vs Bears (6)
SAINTS (5) @ Falcons (2)
PATRIOTS (1) vs Titans (6)
STEELERS (2) vs Ravens (5)
Conf Round:
SAINTS (5) @ Packers (1)
PATRIOTS (1) vs Steelers (2)
SB:
Patriots > Saints, 38-31 (Redemption from week 12 apparently)
For the record, most of the end results are downright silly. I don't think Miami will be that bad. I don't think GB will be that good. There's alot of weird records, but whatever, more for entertainment's sake than anything. Enjoy.
Week 1:
PIT (1-0) vs ten (0-1)
ATL (1-0) vs mia (0-1)
BAL (1-0) vs kc (0-1)
CAR (1-0) vs phi (0-1)
CIN (1-0) vs den (0-1)
MIN (1-0) @ cle (0-1)
HOU (1-0) vs nyj (0-1)
IND (1-0) vs jax (0-1)
NO (1-0) vs det (0-1)
DAL (1-0) @ tb (0-1)
ARI (1-0) vs sf (0-1)
NYG (1-0) vs was (0-1)
SEA (1-0) vs stl (0-1)
GB (1-0) vs chi (0-1)
NE (1-0) vs buf (0-1)
SD (1-0) @ oak (0-1)
Week 2:
ATL (2-0) vs car (1-1)
PHI (1-1) vs no (1-1)
NE (2-0) @ nyj (0-2)
KC (1-1) vs oak (0-2)
JAX (1-1) vs ari (1-1)
TEN (1-1) vs hou (1-1)
GB (2-0) vs cin (1-1)
MIN (2-0) @ det (0-2)
WAS (1-1) vs stl (0-2)
BUF (1-1) vs tb (0-2)
SF (1-1) vs sea (1-1)
BAL (2-0) @ sd (1-1)
CHI (1-1) vs pit (1-1)
DEN (1-1) vs cle (0-2)
NYG (2-0) @ dal (1-1)
IND (2-0) @ mia (0-2)
Week 3:
PHI (2-1) vs kc (1-2)
GB (3-0) @ stl (0-3)
MIN (3-0) vs sf (1-2)
TEN (2-1) @ nyj (0-3)
NE (3-0) vs atl (2-1)
HOU (2-1) vs jac (1-2)
NYG (3-0) @ tb (0-3)
WAS (2-1) @ det (0-3)
BAL (3-0) vs cle (0-3)
CHI (2-1) @ sea (1-2)
NO (2-1) @ buf (1-2)
SD (2-1) vs mia (0-3)
OAK (1-2) vs den (1-2)
PIT (2-1) @ cin (1-2)
IND (3-0) @ ari (1-2)
CAR (2-1) @ dal (1-2)
Week 4:
WAS (3-1) vs tb (0-4)
TEN (3-1) @ jax (1-3)
HOU (3-1) vs oak (1-3)
CLE (1-3) vs cin (1-3)
IND (4-0) vs sea (1-3)
NYG (4-0) @ kc (1-3)
CHI (3-1) vs det (0-4)
BAL (4-0) @ ne (3-1) (I think maybe 1-3 teams in the league can beat us right now, and this is one)
MIA (1-3) vs buf (1-3)
NO (3-1) vs nyj (0-4)
SF (2-2) vs stl (0-4)
DAL (2-2) @ den (1-3)
SD (3-1) @ pit (2-2) (No Polamalu)
MIN (4-0) vs gb (3-1)
Week 5:
BAL (5-0) vs cin (1-4)
STL (1-4) vs min (4-1) (Favre is tired)
NYG (5-0) vs oak (1-4)
PHI (3-1) vs tb (0-5)
DAL (3-2) @ kc (1-4)
PIT (3-2) @ det (0-5)
BUF (2-3) vs cle (1-4)
CAR (3-1) vs was (3-2)
SF (3-2) vs atl (2-2)
ARI (2-2) vs hou (3-2)
SEA (2-3) vs jac (1-4)
NE (4-1) @ den (1-4)
TEN (4-1) vs ind (4-1)
MIA (2-3) vs nyj (0-5)
Week 6:
JAC (2-4) vs stl (1-5)
WAS (4-2) vs kc (1-5)
PIT (4-2) vs cle (1-5)
NO (4-1) vs nyg (5-1)
TB (1-5) vs car (3-2)
CIN (2-4) vs hou (3-3)
BAL (6-0) @ min (4-2)
GB (4-1) vs det (0-6)
SEA (3-3) vs ari (2-3)
PHI (4-1) @ oak (1-5)
NYJ (1-5) vs buf (2-4)
NE (5-1) vs ten (4-2)
ATL (3-2) vs chi (3-2)
SD (4-1) vs den (1-5)
Week 7:
IND (5-1) @ stl (1-6)
CHI (4-2) @ cin (2-5)
SD (5-1) @ kc (1-6)
PIT (5-2) vs min (4-3)
NE (6-1) @ tb (1-6)
HOU (4-3) vs sf (3-3)
GB (5-1) @ cle (1-6)
CAR (4-2) vs buf (2-5)
OAK (2-5) vs nyj (1-6)
ATL (4-2) @ dal (3-3)
NO (5-1) @ mia (2-4)
NYG (6-1) vs ari (2-4)
WAS (5-2) vs phi (4-2)
Week 8:
DAL (4-3) vs sea (3-4)
BUF (3-5) vs hou (4-4)
BAL (7-0) vs den (1-6)
NYJ (2-6) vs mia (2-5)
CHI (5-2) vs cle (1-7)
IND (6-1) vs sf (3-4)
DET (1-6) vs stl (1-7)
GB (6-1) vs min (4-4) (this should be fun)
TEN (5-2) vs jax (2-5)
SD (6-1) vs oak (2-6)
PHI (5-2) vs nyg (6-2)
ARI (3-4) vs car (4-3)
NO (6-1) vs atl (4-3)
Week 9:
BAL (8-0) @ cin (2-6)
NE (7-1) vs mia (2-6)
IND (7-1) vs hou (4-5)
GB (7-1) @ tb (1-7)
ATL (5-3) vs was (5-3)
CHI (6-2) vs ari (3-5)
JAC (3-5) vs kc (1-7)
NO (7-1) vs car (4-4)
SEA (4-4) vs det (1-7)
SF (4-4) vs ten (5-3)
NYG (7-2) vs sd (6-2)
PHI (6-2) vs dal (4-4)
PIT (6-2) @ den (1-7)
Week 10:
CHI (7-2) @ sf (4-5)
DET (2-7) @ min (4-5) (played em close twice last year)
DEN (2-7) @ was (5-4)
MIA (3-6) vs tb (1-8)
TEN (6-3) vs buf (3-6)
NO (8-1) @ stl (1-8)
JAC (4-5) @ nyj (2-7)
PIT (7-2) vs cin (2-7)
CAR (5-4) vs atl (5-4)
OAK (3-6) vs kc (1-8)
GB (8-1) vs dal (4-5)
PHI (7-2) @ sd (6-3)
ARI (4-5) vs sea (4-5)
NE (8-1) @ ind (7-2)
BAL (9-0) @ cle (1-8)
Week 11:
CAR (6-4) vs mia (3-7)
PIT (8-2) @ kc (1-9)
IND (8-2) @ bal (9-1)
CLE (2-8) @ det (2-8)
TB (2-8) vs no (8-2)
ATL (6-4) @ nyg (7-3)
JAC (5-5) vs buf (3-7)
DAL (5-5) vs was (5-5)
MIN (5-5) vs sea (4-6)
GB (9-1) vs sf (4-6)
STL (2-8) vs ari (4-6)
NE (9-1) vs nyj (2-8)
OAK (4-6) vs cin (2-8)
SD (7-3) @ den (2-8)
CHI (8-2) vs phi (7-3)
HOU (5-5) vs ten (6-4)
Week 12:
GB (10-1) @ det (2-9)
DAL (6-5) vs oak (4-7)
NYG (8-3) @ den (2-9)
BUF (4-7) vs mia (3-8)
STL (3-8) vs sea (4-7)
TEN (7-4) vs ari (4-7)
HOU (6-5) vs ind (8-3)
CIN (3-8) vs cle (2-9)
MIN (6-5) vs chi (8-3)
CAR (7-4) @ nyj (2-9)
ATL (7-4) vs tb (2-9)
PHI (8-3) vs was (5-6)
SD (8-3) vs kc (1-10)
SF (5-6) vs jac (5-6)
PIT (9-2) @ bal (9-2)
NO (9-2) vs ne (9-2) (2nd best throwing team our secondary sucks right now...total shootout)
Week 13:
BUF (5-7) vs nyj (2-10)
CHI (9-3) vs stl (3-9)
ATL (8-4) vs phi (8-4)
WAS (6-6) vs no (9-3)
TEN (8-4) @ ind (8-4)
PIT (10-2) vs oak (4-8)
KC (2-10) vs den (2-10)
CAR (8-4) vs tb (2-10)
HOU (7-5) @ jac (5-7)
CIN (4-8) vs det (2-10)
SD (9-3) @ cle (2-10)
NYG (9-3) vs dal (6-6)
SEA (5-7) vs sf (5-7)
ARI (5-7) vs min (6-6)
NE (10-2) @ mia (3-9)
GB (11-1) vs bal (9-3)
Week 14:
PIT (11-2) @ cle (2-11)
ATL (9-4) vs no (9-4)
TEN (9-4) vs stl (3-10)
JAC (6-7) vs mia (3-10)
MIN (7-6) vs cin (4-9)
BAL (10-3) vs det (2-11)
CHI (10-3) vs gb (11-2)
KC (3-10) vs buf (5-8)
NE (11-2) vs car (8-5)
IND (9-4) vs den (2-11)
HOU (8-5) vs sea (5-8)
TB (3-10) vs nyj (2-11)
WAS (7-6) @ oak (4-9)
SD (10-3) @ dal (6-7)
NYG (10-3) vs phi (8-5)
SF (6-7) vs ari (5-8)
Week 15:
JAC (7-7) vs ind (9-5)
NO (10-4) vs dal (6-8)
CLE (3-11) @ kc (3-11)
HOU (9-5) @ stl (3-11)
ATL (10-4) @ nyj (2-12)
TEN (10-4) vs mia (3-11)
PHI (9-5) vs sf (6-8)
NE (12-2) @ buf (5-9)
ARI (6-8) @ det (2-12)
PIT (12-2) vs gb (11-3)
BAL (11-3) vs chi (10-4)
DEN (3-11) vs oak (4-10)
SD (11-3)vs cin (4-10)
SEA (6-8) vs tb (3-11)
CAR (9-5) vs min (7-7)
WAS (8-6) vs nyg (10-4)
Week 16:
TEN (11-4) vs sd (11-4)
NO (11-4) vs tb (3-12)
ATL (11-4) vs buf (5-10)
PHI (10-5) vs den (3-12)
CIN (5-10) vs kc (3-12)
MIA (4-11) vs hou (9-6)
GB (12-3) vs sea (6-9)
CAR (10-5) @ nyg (10-5)
CLE (4-11) vs oak (4-11)
NE (13-2) vs jac (7-8)
PIT(13-2) vs bal (11-4)
ARI (7-8) vs stl (3-12)
SF (7-8) vs det (2-13)
IND (10-5) vs nyj (2-13)
WAS (9-6) vs dal (6-9)
CHI (11-4) vs min (7-8)
Week 17:
SF (8-8) vs stl (3-13)
MIN (8-8) @ nyg (10-6)
JAC (8-8) @ cle (4-12)
MIA (5-11) vs pit (13-3)
NE (14-2) @ hou (9-7)
TB (4-12) vs atl (11-5)
CAR (11-5) vs no (11-5)
NYJ (3-13) vs cin (5-11)
DAL (7-9) vs phi (10-6)
IND (11-5) @ buf (5-11)
DET (3-13) vs chi (11-5)
SD (12-4) vs was (9-7)
BAL (12-4) @ oak (4-12)
DEN (4-12) vs kc (3-13)
ARI (8-8) vs gb (12-4)
SEA (7-9) vs ten (11-5)
I DID PLAYOFF TIEBREAKERS TOTALLY RANDOMLY, SINCE I'M WAY TOO LAZY TO CHECK ACTUAL TIEBREAKERS.
NFC East:
Phi Eagles 10-6 (3 seed)
NY Giants 10-6
Was Redskins 9-7
Dal Cowboys 7-9
NFC North:
GB Packers 12-4 (1 seed)
Chi Bears 11-5 (6 seed)
Min Vikings 8-8
Det Lions 3-13
NFC South:
Atl Falcons 11-5 (2 seed)
NO Saints 11-5 (5 seed)
Car Panthers 11-5
TB Bucs 4-12
NFC West:
SF Niners 8-8 (4 seed)
Ari Cardinals 8-8
Sea Seahawks 7-9
Stl Rams 3-13
AFC East:
NE Patriots 14-2 (1 seed)
Mia Dolphins 5-11
Buf Bills 5-11
NY jets 3-13
AFC North:
Pit Steelers 13-3 (2 seed)
Bal Ravens 12-4 (5 seed)
Cin Bengals 5-11
Cle Browns 4-12
AFC South:
Ind Colts 11-5 (4 seed)
Ten Titans 11-5 (6 seed)
Hou Texans 9-7
Jac Jaguars 8-8
AFC West:
SD Chargers 12-4 (3 seed)
Den Broncos 4-12
Oak Raiders 4-12
KC Chiefs 3-13
WC Round:
BEARS (6) @ Eagles (3)
SAINTS (5) @ Niners (4)
TITANS (6) @ Chargers (3)
RAVENS (5) @ Colts (4)
(Haha wtf...every low seed/road team winning...weird)
Div Round:
PACKERS (1) vs Bears (6)
SAINTS (5) @ Falcons (2)
PATRIOTS (1) vs Titans (6)
STEELERS (2) vs Ravens (5)
Conf Round:
SAINTS (5) @ Packers (1)
PATRIOTS (1) vs Steelers (2)
SB:
Patriots > Saints, 38-31 (Redemption from week 12 apparently)
Thursday, September 10, 2009
Week 1 Booms and Busts
This is something I did on a few forums last year...I'll stick them on here too.
BOOMS:
Frank Gore @ARI: Gore put up over 250 total yards and a score last year in his 2 games against Arizona, and he's supposed to see more touches this year than ever. If that's the case, Singletary will want to showcase him right away, especially while Shaun Hill gets comfy again. Look for another solid line.
Ray Rice vs KC: This guy is basically the starter this week. Even though he's in a committee, he may make for a decent RB2 play with KC's rebuilding D and the likelihood that Baltimore will clobber the Chiefs and run it a ton in the 2nd half. Flacco also looked for him at dumpoffs and flats several times in the preseason, and I see no reason that changes here. A score may not be in the cards because of the 2 fat cats behind him, but yardage and catches should be.
Mike Bell vs DET: As of writing this, it looks like Pierre Thomas won't play. If he does, obviously Bell isn't startable, but he makes for a nice flex play in this matchup if Thomas sits. Bell showed solid stuff in preseason, and had a decent rookie year with a nose for the endzone in Denver. If you're desperate, you may still find him on the FA list in even deep leagues (he was available in my 20 teamer and I snatched him up just in case).
Tim Hightower vs SF: We still don't know how the RB situation will shake out here, so I'm hesitant to call Hightower's number here in a sense. That said, he'll likely see at least double digit touches, is still 'the starter', and as far as we know, is the goal-line back. All that sets up for a decent flex play in deeper leagues.
Aaron Rodgers vs CHI: Chicago has been known for having a good D, but their top CB may be out/is definitely hampered this week, and Rodgers is still out to prove something after good stats but a failed year last season. He had 2 TDs in both games against the Bears last year, but given that this may be a shootout with an improved Bears O and retooling Packers D, he should get at least that and more yardage, if not more TDs.
Drew Brees vs DET: Look at the matchup. I know this is like me telling you AP against Cleveland will be a boom, but come on. Come on.
Matt Hasselbeck vs STL: His o-line is in absolute shambles, but the Rams are one of the best D's in the league to test a junky o-line out, and I think he'll do alright, especially since his RBs are an Old Man and a guy who runs about as well as Cedric Benson with a hangover. He'll have plenty of attempts and will want to play with his new toy.
Randy Moss vs BUF: The last time Moss had Brady in a season, he had about 250 yards and 6 TDs in 2 games against Buffalo. Just stop it.
Eddie Royal @CIN: This guy is going to have so many catches with Orton at the helm. Even with a lacerated finger, Orton/Marshall's rapport likely isn't strong yet, so he'll be looking at Royal a ton. Feast, my PPR pretties. Feast.
BUSTS:
Steve Slaton vs NYJ: Even with old whatshisname suspended on the Jets (this is how I'm referring to all players on teams I don't like from now on), the Jets still have a decent D, and a good defensive schemer in Rex Ryan, and the Jets need to keep the score so they don't have to engage in a shootout with a rookie QB. Besides, if Chris Brown really is the goal-line back, this is his annual "I'm Healthy Before I Break My Leg" Game. Expect RB2/RB3 #s from your #1 guy this week.
Chris Johnson @PIT: Remember how the Titans trashed Pittsburgh in Tennessee last year with 31 points and Johnson still had like 60 yards? Yeah, they're in Pittsburgh, and Pittsburgh is mad. He may get several catches, but I expect slim rush totals.
Larry Johnson @BAL: Start him if you have to, but don't expect a whole lot. The one piece of good news for him is that IF Cassel is out, they might feed him the ball alot and hope to get lucky. Of course, once they're down by a ton, his rush totals quickly diminish. Run like a girl from this matchup if you can.
Jamal Lewis vs MIN: He's old and playing the best run D in the league, and as far as I know the Williams Wall is playing. Run. Run!
Not-So-Fast, Willie Parker! vs TEN: See what I did there? Anyways, Tennessee mauled him last year, and even with Big Al gone, Jason Jones is a decent replacement.
Trent Edwards @NE: 3 of his o-line starters haven't played yet, and Buffalo has lost something like 87 straight games to us. The NE secondary looks like junk right now, but so does Edwards, and he's on the road. Oh, and TO just proclaimed he doesn't like the no-huddle. Sounds like good chemistry to me.
Matt Ryan vs MIA: He is at home, but Miami's secondary is looking fairly solid this year, and Ryan has the flu. He's a warrior, but even though I'm starting him in a couple deeper leagues, I wouldn't be surprised with a totally pedestrian low 200s 1 TD type line.
Jason Campbell @NYG: Campbell had 1 TD against the Giants last year, and in New York, he coupled that with 133 yards in the air. You can hopefully do better.
Bernard Berrian @CLE: When your rancid, old, needs-to-retire QB says you're way off the same page, you know you might not produce right out of the gate. Especially when your game relies on speed and your hammy is hurting.
Terrell Owens @NE: See Trent Edwards for details. Oh, and historically, Shawn Springs owns him.
Lee Evans @NE: Go look at Evans' stats against New England. Any year. I'm aware TO should free up space for him, but no team shuts down a WR like NE shuts down Lee Evans (I don't know why, it just happens).
Antonio Bryant vs DAL: Leftwich is slow, and Dallas sacks QBs alot. Unless Bryant leads the league in catching wounded ducks, he might not put up a whole lot this week.
Good luck this week all...I'll be back shortly with some season predictions!
BOOMS:
Frank Gore @ARI: Gore put up over 250 total yards and a score last year in his 2 games against Arizona, and he's supposed to see more touches this year than ever. If that's the case, Singletary will want to showcase him right away, especially while Shaun Hill gets comfy again. Look for another solid line.
Ray Rice vs KC: This guy is basically the starter this week. Even though he's in a committee, he may make for a decent RB2 play with KC's rebuilding D and the likelihood that Baltimore will clobber the Chiefs and run it a ton in the 2nd half. Flacco also looked for him at dumpoffs and flats several times in the preseason, and I see no reason that changes here. A score may not be in the cards because of the 2 fat cats behind him, but yardage and catches should be.
Mike Bell vs DET: As of writing this, it looks like Pierre Thomas won't play. If he does, obviously Bell isn't startable, but he makes for a nice flex play in this matchup if Thomas sits. Bell showed solid stuff in preseason, and had a decent rookie year with a nose for the endzone in Denver. If you're desperate, you may still find him on the FA list in even deep leagues (he was available in my 20 teamer and I snatched him up just in case).
Tim Hightower vs SF: We still don't know how the RB situation will shake out here, so I'm hesitant to call Hightower's number here in a sense. That said, he'll likely see at least double digit touches, is still 'the starter', and as far as we know, is the goal-line back. All that sets up for a decent flex play in deeper leagues.
Aaron Rodgers vs CHI: Chicago has been known for having a good D, but their top CB may be out/is definitely hampered this week, and Rodgers is still out to prove something after good stats but a failed year last season. He had 2 TDs in both games against the Bears last year, but given that this may be a shootout with an improved Bears O and retooling Packers D, he should get at least that and more yardage, if not more TDs.
Drew Brees vs DET: Look at the matchup. I know this is like me telling you AP against Cleveland will be a boom, but come on. Come on.
Matt Hasselbeck vs STL: His o-line is in absolute shambles, but the Rams are one of the best D's in the league to test a junky o-line out, and I think he'll do alright, especially since his RBs are an Old Man and a guy who runs about as well as Cedric Benson with a hangover. He'll have plenty of attempts and will want to play with his new toy.
Randy Moss vs BUF: The last time Moss had Brady in a season, he had about 250 yards and 6 TDs in 2 games against Buffalo. Just stop it.
Eddie Royal @CIN: This guy is going to have so many catches with Orton at the helm. Even with a lacerated finger, Orton/Marshall's rapport likely isn't strong yet, so he'll be looking at Royal a ton. Feast, my PPR pretties. Feast.
BUSTS:
Steve Slaton vs NYJ: Even with old whatshisname suspended on the Jets (this is how I'm referring to all players on teams I don't like from now on), the Jets still have a decent D, and a good defensive schemer in Rex Ryan, and the Jets need to keep the score so they don't have to engage in a shootout with a rookie QB. Besides, if Chris Brown really is the goal-line back, this is his annual "I'm Healthy Before I Break My Leg" Game. Expect RB2/RB3 #s from your #1 guy this week.
Chris Johnson @PIT: Remember how the Titans trashed Pittsburgh in Tennessee last year with 31 points and Johnson still had like 60 yards? Yeah, they're in Pittsburgh, and Pittsburgh is mad. He may get several catches, but I expect slim rush totals.
Larry Johnson @BAL: Start him if you have to, but don't expect a whole lot. The one piece of good news for him is that IF Cassel is out, they might feed him the ball alot and hope to get lucky. Of course, once they're down by a ton, his rush totals quickly diminish. Run like a girl from this matchup if you can.
Jamal Lewis vs MIN: He's old and playing the best run D in the league, and as far as I know the Williams Wall is playing. Run. Run!
Not-So-Fast, Willie Parker! vs TEN: See what I did there? Anyways, Tennessee mauled him last year, and even with Big Al gone, Jason Jones is a decent replacement.
Trent Edwards @NE: 3 of his o-line starters haven't played yet, and Buffalo has lost something like 87 straight games to us. The NE secondary looks like junk right now, but so does Edwards, and he's on the road. Oh, and TO just proclaimed he doesn't like the no-huddle. Sounds like good chemistry to me.
Matt Ryan vs MIA: He is at home, but Miami's secondary is looking fairly solid this year, and Ryan has the flu. He's a warrior, but even though I'm starting him in a couple deeper leagues, I wouldn't be surprised with a totally pedestrian low 200s 1 TD type line.
Jason Campbell @NYG: Campbell had 1 TD against the Giants last year, and in New York, he coupled that with 133 yards in the air. You can hopefully do better.
Bernard Berrian @CLE: When your rancid, old, needs-to-retire QB says you're way off the same page, you know you might not produce right out of the gate. Especially when your game relies on speed and your hammy is hurting.
Terrell Owens @NE: See Trent Edwards for details. Oh, and historically, Shawn Springs owns him.
Lee Evans @NE: Go look at Evans' stats against New England. Any year. I'm aware TO should free up space for him, but no team shuts down a WR like NE shuts down Lee Evans (I don't know why, it just happens).
Antonio Bryant vs DAL: Leftwich is slow, and Dallas sacks QBs alot. Unless Bryant leads the league in catching wounded ducks, he might not put up a whole lot this week.
Good luck this week all...I'll be back shortly with some season predictions!
Thursday, September 3, 2009
My top draft day targets
It's been awhile, but here's something a bit different. And of course, this is always subject to change. And this is for PPR.
- Maurice Jones-Drew. I've mentioned this countless times, but this guy is a good deal at any position, even at the #1 spot. Revamped/healthy o-line, upgraded passing attack, full load as a back. I can see arguments for taking AP or Forte #1 as well, but all the reasons are there for MJD to have a monster year, and this seems like a safe choice as any to stay in the top 5 of RB.
- Kevin Smith. I don't think people realize how solid he was once he got the featured back role in week 10 of last year. Here are his stat lines from week 10 on: 23-96-1, 24-112, 16-86, 12-22 (TEN owned DET), 21-64, 20-88-1, 24-111-1, 28-92-1. He's a featured back, which is rare for an RB2, and if Stafford starts, he'll likely check down alot.
- James Davis. He'll be the RB1 by the end of the year. Jamal is old and simply doesn't have much left in the tank. Great in dynasty leagues.
- Eddie Royal. I was shocked he made it to me in several PPR leagues around pick 60. He caught 91 passes last year, he has a dink and dunking QB, and a pass-happy coach in Mcdaniels. Even if Marshall sits out, he'll still be moved around enough to get his. Wes Welker-like #s incoming.
- Brandon Marshall. More a trade target than a draft target per se, but see if the owner is panicking and scoop him up for cheap. He'll play somewhere.
- Chad Ochocinco. He'll be back unless Carson bites the dust again, but even so, JTO is a big upgrade over Noodlearmed Fitzpatrick. He's being drafted in the same area as Braylon, and with Cleveland's QB situation and Braylon's hands, I'll take Ochocinco over him any day of the week. Primed for a bounceback year, and I'm liking him more each week that passes.
- Josh Morgan. Each week that Crabtree holds out means more rapport and time put in for SF's real #1 guy.
- Derrick Mason. For where he's being taken, he's a solid PPR guy, there's no clear #2, and Flacco should improve.
- Davone Bess IF STARTING. This situation seems to be oddly fluid, but if he starts, he'll be a PPR stud for the position he's being taken.
- Chaz Schilens. With the foot break, he's completely off people's radars. You may not need to draft him unless your league has decent sized benches, but hopefully he's up to speed by Week 4 or 5.
- Aaron Rodgers. I'd much rather have him over Rivers considering Rivers' TD/throw % was abnormally high last year and I think LT will have better #s this year. That said, I still hate taking QBs early, but he's an exception I might make in some cases.
- Jay Cutler. If he was still in Denver, he'd be taken above Romo right now. He'll find a way to make it work, just as he'll find a way to throw INTs. I'd take him over Matt Ryan and Carson at this point.
- Trent Edwards. Needs to cut down on some dumb decisions and oline will be an issue, but if TO still has it, he makes for a fine QB2.
- Chris Cooley. 1 TD seems like a fluke, and he still caught a ton of passes, yet he's dropping to the 9th in some drafts.
- Visanthe Shiancoe. Favre needs to outlet somewhere when he can't chuck a deep bomb.
- Dustin Keller. Rookie QB with a strong oline spells recipe for a safety blanket.
Monday, August 17, 2009
The next draft I care about: 14 team PPR, money league
Was supposed to be 16 teams, but went to 14 since some people are cheap and some couldn't make the draft day, and this was the only day that worked. BAH. Anyways, here's the team:
QB: Matt Ryan
WR: Wes Welker, Eddie Royal
RB: Maurice Jones-Drew, Kevin Smith
TE: Dustin Keller
W/R: Desean Jackson
K: David Akers (I usually rotate kickers though)
D: New England
BN: Joe Flacco, Davone Bess, Chaz Schilens, Hakeem Nicks, Lesean Mccoy, Tim Hightower
And remember...it's a PPR. There's a reason I have Welker, Royal and Bess :P
QB: Matt Ryan
WR: Wes Welker, Eddie Royal
RB: Maurice Jones-Drew, Kevin Smith
TE: Dustin Keller
W/R: Desean Jackson
K: David Akers (I usually rotate kickers though)
D: New England
BN: Joe Flacco, Davone Bess, Chaz Schilens, Hakeem Nicks, Lesean Mccoy, Tim Hightower
And remember...it's a PPR. There's a reason I have Welker, Royal and Bess :P
Cleveland Browns Player Analysis
Brady Quinn and Derek Anderson:
I expect Quinn to win the QB battle (unless the Browns are stingy and give DA majority of snaps to save 5 million bucks), but that's not saying much. His primary target is renowned for dropping passes, and the first preseason game showcased exactly that. He lost a nice target in Winslow, and his stats in his limited starts last year really weren't impressive. I'm staying away from this situation regardless of who wins, and you would be wise to do the same.
Braylon Edwards:
Coming into training camps, I had hopes that Edwards would rebound a bit from last year's dismal campaign. Now, I'm not so sure. He's been nicked up all camp, and apparently he still has the same stone hands that caused headaches last year. He could still do better than last year, but I don't think he'll come anywhere near his monster 2007 campaign. I initially had him around Ochocinco and Roy Williams, but now he's more on the Lee Evans, Anthony Gonzalez type level to me. Draft as a WR2, but be prepared for bumps.
Brian Robiskie:
I considered him the most pro-ready WR coming out of the draft, but apparently he's done nothing to show he's ready to start. I know training camp is just training camp, but for a rookie, he must shine because he's still fighting for a starting spot. Robiskie has the potential to be a nice asset in PPR leagues as a lowend WR3 type guy, but as of now, he's a bench stash.
Mohammed Massaquoi:
Not even sure why I'm mentioning him other than to put him on your radar if he's not. Apparently he's looked better than Robiskie in camp, and he can theoretically play either split end or flanker if need be. Keep him on your radar, store him in pretty deep leagues, and see if he gets a starting spot and how he does this preseason.
Jamal Lewis:
The starter for now, he's worth an RB3 pick simply because he's not entrenched in a huge committee like some of the people being drafted around him. That said, he's not the most talented guy any more, and his role could easily be reduced this season. He's around the Lendale/Felix/Benson territory for me (remember, always PPR).
James Davis:
Note that I'm leaving Jerome Harrison off my big list and keeping James Davis on here. Davis has apparently been a monster in camp, and has been on my radar even before then. Probably not draftable in 12 or even 14 team leagues, but he's someone to watch in deep leagues, and someone to draft in dynasty leagues for sure. See how this RB trio shakes up in the coming weeks, because it could get interesting. I'm guessing we see Harrison as the 3rd down RB and Lewis getting the majority of the carries in the early goings of the season, with Davis getting more and more as the season progresses, especially as the Browns fall out of the playoff picture.
I'm not considering the Cleveland D, and neither are you.
Potential sleepers:
I listed a couple up above. I don't really consider Jerome Harrison a sleeper, I just didn't feel he warrants a writeup. One to note is Martin Rucker, entrenched in the TE depths of Cleveland for now. He's by far more skilled than Robert Royal or Steve Heiden, but whether the opportunity is there yet or not is debatable. Mike Furrey could be a sneaky PPR play if there's an injury to a WR or two out there as well, and may likely see time in the slot regardless (don't forget he had a 100 catch campaign in 2006).
I expect Quinn to win the QB battle (unless the Browns are stingy and give DA majority of snaps to save 5 million bucks), but that's not saying much. His primary target is renowned for dropping passes, and the first preseason game showcased exactly that. He lost a nice target in Winslow, and his stats in his limited starts last year really weren't impressive. I'm staying away from this situation regardless of who wins, and you would be wise to do the same.
Braylon Edwards:
Coming into training camps, I had hopes that Edwards would rebound a bit from last year's dismal campaign. Now, I'm not so sure. He's been nicked up all camp, and apparently he still has the same stone hands that caused headaches last year. He could still do better than last year, but I don't think he'll come anywhere near his monster 2007 campaign. I initially had him around Ochocinco and Roy Williams, but now he's more on the Lee Evans, Anthony Gonzalez type level to me. Draft as a WR2, but be prepared for bumps.
Brian Robiskie:
I considered him the most pro-ready WR coming out of the draft, but apparently he's done nothing to show he's ready to start. I know training camp is just training camp, but for a rookie, he must shine because he's still fighting for a starting spot. Robiskie has the potential to be a nice asset in PPR leagues as a lowend WR3 type guy, but as of now, he's a bench stash.
Mohammed Massaquoi:
Not even sure why I'm mentioning him other than to put him on your radar if he's not. Apparently he's looked better than Robiskie in camp, and he can theoretically play either split end or flanker if need be. Keep him on your radar, store him in pretty deep leagues, and see if he gets a starting spot and how he does this preseason.
Jamal Lewis:
The starter for now, he's worth an RB3 pick simply because he's not entrenched in a huge committee like some of the people being drafted around him. That said, he's not the most talented guy any more, and his role could easily be reduced this season. He's around the Lendale/Felix/Benson territory for me (remember, always PPR).
James Davis:
Note that I'm leaving Jerome Harrison off my big list and keeping James Davis on here. Davis has apparently been a monster in camp, and has been on my radar even before then. Probably not draftable in 12 or even 14 team leagues, but he's someone to watch in deep leagues, and someone to draft in dynasty leagues for sure. See how this RB trio shakes up in the coming weeks, because it could get interesting. I'm guessing we see Harrison as the 3rd down RB and Lewis getting the majority of the carries in the early goings of the season, with Davis getting more and more as the season progresses, especially as the Browns fall out of the playoff picture.
I'm not considering the Cleveland D, and neither are you.
Potential sleepers:
I listed a couple up above. I don't really consider Jerome Harrison a sleeper, I just didn't feel he warrants a writeup. One to note is Martin Rucker, entrenched in the TE depths of Cleveland for now. He's by far more skilled than Robert Royal or Steve Heiden, but whether the opportunity is there yet or not is debatable. Mike Furrey could be a sneaky PPR play if there's an injury to a WR or two out there as well, and may likely see time in the slot regardless (don't forget he had a 100 catch campaign in 2006).
Wednesday, August 12, 2009
Cincinnati Bengals Player Analysis
I know, the updates aren't exactly daily, but they're coming along. Studying for the CFA test has been kicking my butt. Anyways, the full slate of preseason games is about to start, which is a good thing for us true fantasy gamers, as we get to see which of our potential later round picks might end up with starting gigs, who looks better in a game situation, etc. Onto the Bungles!
Carson Palmer:
People seem to be scared of him to this day because of his injury problems. However, keep in mind that before last season, his TD totals were 33, 28 and 26, respectively. As with any other Qb who might face an injury scare for a fantasy owner, you'll want a decent QB2. However, Palmer seems to be damn good value at this point in time. An ADP calculator I'm looking at his him being taken at 8.03 in 12 team leagues, just behind the likes of Ryan, Schaub and Cutler. I actually have him pencilled in right around that range, but I doubt Ryan or Cutler have 4,000 yard, 30+ TD potential like Palmer does. If he drops behind the likes of Big Ben, Cassel, etc, snag him immediately and watch the dividends pay, even as trade bait if/once he regains form. He'll be a solid QB1 if healthy, and though he lost Housh, still has an attractive second option in Coles, and a couple other intriguing players I'll discuss here in a sec.
Chad Ochocinco:
Coming into last season, I never valued Chad as high as other people did. This is because of the consistency factor. He would produce a couple monster games a year (150 yard, 2 TD performances) that would likely spur you to victory, but in many other weeks, he would average around 4 receptions and 45-60 yards. As a WR1, those aren't numbers I want. However, this year, he's being drafted as a WR2, and you can be damn sure I'll take a WR2 that has the potential to win me a week with a monster game. He may be a little nutty in the head, but at least you'll have an entertainer on your squad if you do take him, and he's currently being drafted around the likes of Vincent Jackson, Braylon, Marshall, Roy Williams and Desean. Since I'm a PPR devotee, I'd likely take him over any of those names I just listed. Take him as your WR2 and have some good depth and if Palmer is healthy, you'll be happy you did at year end.
Laveranues Coles:
Why are all the Bungles seemingly undervalued this year. Coles is not a flashy receiver at all, but he should fill in adequately as the Bengals 2nd option very well. In his 4 years with the Jets, he averaged 6 TDs a season, and that was with some cruddy QB action going on. He's one of those guys will relatively little upside, but seems safer to me than some of the guys being taken near him (Lance Moore, Berrian, Avery, etc.) A fairly safe if unspectacular low-end WR2, or high-end WR3. Just remember my thoughts on low upside, proven guys: you'll typically want a couple high upside, high risk/reward guys on the bench to kind of even the flow of things.
Chase Coffman:
To be honest, I don't know much about how much time he'll get now that Reggie Kelly is out for the year. Obviously he'll see more snaps, but at this point in time, he's no more than a mid to low level TE2 in my eyes. Take a wait and see approach in the weeks leading up to the regular season if you have late drafts.
Cedric Benson:
This guy is very polarizing in fantasy circles. Some say he's a great pick because he's not in an RBBC, which is rare to find in the middle/late draft rounds. On the other hand, some say he's Cedric Benson (you know, the guy with Cedric Benson-like skills). Benson makes for a good RB3 or low-end RB2 provided you're solid at the WR position (ADP in the 7th round, where I think he's worth it). I say he's worth the shot simply because he does have the lion's share of the carries. For now. But I don't like him in dynasty leagues, and there's one reason for that. His name is...
Bernard Scott:
The AFC North has 2 rookie backs that make me salivate in dynasty leagues. This guy is one of them. The verdict is still out as to whether he'll be able to see time this season. He's currently at the #3 spot since the team released Kenny Watson (a good sign for Scott owners), and no one is delusional enough to think Brian Leonard will hold this guy off for seasons to come as the #2 back. Pick him in dynasty drafts, pick him in dynasty rookie drafts, pick him in leagues with BIG benches in redrafts (I'm okay with him on the WW in a standard 12, 14 teamer with smaller benches...for now). Just watch this guy closer than you'd watch your kids in a shark pool. Because all of a sudden, he might bite (NYUK NYUK NYUK).
The Bengals D: Oh, shutup. You're not in a 26 team league.
Potential sleepers:
I already mentioned Coffman and Scott. The other two of relevance are Andre Caldwell and Chris Henry, both WRs. Right now, Caldwell has the #3 job, but Henry is very likely to rotate in at various spots to spell all the WRs. Henry has MUCH more potential (Carson Palmer called him the next Randy Moss...haha, good luck kid), but as of now, Caldwell has the playing time. At the late stages in the draft I always take potential over a mediocre option on a team unless it's Brandon Stokley on the Colts, but whatever suits your team better, do it if you must.
(By the way, there's a WR on the Bengals with the last name 'Purify'. That's awesome.)
Carson Palmer:
People seem to be scared of him to this day because of his injury problems. However, keep in mind that before last season, his TD totals were 33, 28 and 26, respectively. As with any other Qb who might face an injury scare for a fantasy owner, you'll want a decent QB2. However, Palmer seems to be damn good value at this point in time. An ADP calculator I'm looking at his him being taken at 8.03 in 12 team leagues, just behind the likes of Ryan, Schaub and Cutler. I actually have him pencilled in right around that range, but I doubt Ryan or Cutler have 4,000 yard, 30+ TD potential like Palmer does. If he drops behind the likes of Big Ben, Cassel, etc, snag him immediately and watch the dividends pay, even as trade bait if/once he regains form. He'll be a solid QB1 if healthy, and though he lost Housh, still has an attractive second option in Coles, and a couple other intriguing players I'll discuss here in a sec.
Chad Ochocinco:
Coming into last season, I never valued Chad as high as other people did. This is because of the consistency factor. He would produce a couple monster games a year (150 yard, 2 TD performances) that would likely spur you to victory, but in many other weeks, he would average around 4 receptions and 45-60 yards. As a WR1, those aren't numbers I want. However, this year, he's being drafted as a WR2, and you can be damn sure I'll take a WR2 that has the potential to win me a week with a monster game. He may be a little nutty in the head, but at least you'll have an entertainer on your squad if you do take him, and he's currently being drafted around the likes of Vincent Jackson, Braylon, Marshall, Roy Williams and Desean. Since I'm a PPR devotee, I'd likely take him over any of those names I just listed. Take him as your WR2 and have some good depth and if Palmer is healthy, you'll be happy you did at year end.
Laveranues Coles:
Why are all the Bungles seemingly undervalued this year. Coles is not a flashy receiver at all, but he should fill in adequately as the Bengals 2nd option very well. In his 4 years with the Jets, he averaged 6 TDs a season, and that was with some cruddy QB action going on. He's one of those guys will relatively little upside, but seems safer to me than some of the guys being taken near him (Lance Moore, Berrian, Avery, etc.) A fairly safe if unspectacular low-end WR2, or high-end WR3. Just remember my thoughts on low upside, proven guys: you'll typically want a couple high upside, high risk/reward guys on the bench to kind of even the flow of things.
Chase Coffman:
To be honest, I don't know much about how much time he'll get now that Reggie Kelly is out for the year. Obviously he'll see more snaps, but at this point in time, he's no more than a mid to low level TE2 in my eyes. Take a wait and see approach in the weeks leading up to the regular season if you have late drafts.
Cedric Benson:
This guy is very polarizing in fantasy circles. Some say he's a great pick because he's not in an RBBC, which is rare to find in the middle/late draft rounds. On the other hand, some say he's Cedric Benson (you know, the guy with Cedric Benson-like skills). Benson makes for a good RB3 or low-end RB2 provided you're solid at the WR position (ADP in the 7th round, where I think he's worth it). I say he's worth the shot simply because he does have the lion's share of the carries. For now. But I don't like him in dynasty leagues, and there's one reason for that. His name is...
Bernard Scott:
The AFC North has 2 rookie backs that make me salivate in dynasty leagues. This guy is one of them. The verdict is still out as to whether he'll be able to see time this season. He's currently at the #3 spot since the team released Kenny Watson (a good sign for Scott owners), and no one is delusional enough to think Brian Leonard will hold this guy off for seasons to come as the #2 back. Pick him in dynasty drafts, pick him in dynasty rookie drafts, pick him in leagues with BIG benches in redrafts (I'm okay with him on the WW in a standard 12, 14 teamer with smaller benches...for now). Just watch this guy closer than you'd watch your kids in a shark pool. Because all of a sudden, he might bite (NYUK NYUK NYUK).
The Bengals D: Oh, shutup. You're not in a 26 team league.
Potential sleepers:
I already mentioned Coffman and Scott. The other two of relevance are Andre Caldwell and Chris Henry, both WRs. Right now, Caldwell has the #3 job, but Henry is very likely to rotate in at various spots to spell all the WRs. Henry has MUCH more potential (Carson Palmer called him the next Randy Moss...haha, good luck kid), but as of now, Caldwell has the playing time. At the late stages in the draft I always take potential over a mediocre option on a team unless it's Brandon Stokley on the Colts, but whatever suits your team better, do it if you must.
(By the way, there's a WR on the Bengals with the last name 'Purify'. That's awesome.)
Sunday, August 9, 2009
Baltimore Ravens Player Analysis
Joe Flacco:
Flacco will be interesting this season. It'll be hard to repeat his real-life success from last season, Mason is a year older, Clayton is currently sidelined 4-6 weeks...it seems like things are in chaos, but things will settle down. That said, he's still a QB2 because the Ravens will be a run-first, defensive, low scoring game type team, as always. They won't be out of that many games, so Flacco won't get much garbage time yardage. He'll get you 250/2 at BEST on any given week, and an average week will likely be something like 175 yards and 1 TD. You do the math...his ceiling is likely the low 3000s in yardage and mid to high teens in TDs.
Derrick Mason:
Old man Mason back again...he scared a ton of people with his 'retirement', but he should be back to the same old tricks, and those tricks are a PPR asset as a WR2/3 or a WR3 in non-PPR. I mentioned he's a year older, but he's extremely savvy (is that word used too much?), and has the tools that most older successful WRs have: toughness, good hands, and good routes. Expect 70+ receptions and yardage approaching 1,000 once again.
Mark Clayton:
Ugh. This injury could be pretty ugly if Demetrius Williams can stay healthy, since Clayton is out virtually all of preseason and is no lock for the WR2 slot anymore. Funny how he went from WR1 on the team to a potential WR3. Anyways, you know what to expect from Clayton provided he still starts: most weeks will consist of 3 catch, 30 yard performances, with a random big game sprinkled in every 6 weeks or so. That should tell you what you need to know about him.
Demetrius Williams:
I only mention him because he has a chance to supplant Clayton as the 2nd WR, as aforementioned. I think he's a better receiver in many ways than Clayton and has more potential, but he needs to stay healthy. He'll never be a PPR dynamo, but has big play ability, and relatively decent size at 6'2 to be a potential help in the redzone. Monitor what happens in the preseason closely.
The Three Headed Monster (Ray Rice, Willis Mcgahee, Leron Mcclain):
Let me say I was a genius for avoiding Mcgahee in every draft last year. That said, this could be a fantasy owner's nightmare, or Rice could win a good chunk of the carries. So here's how this breaks down: Draft Rice with the knowledge that if any one back breaks from the pack, it will be him. He's also a plus in PPR leagues, and has by far the most potential of the three backs. Mcclain is still a bruiser and will likely see goal-line carries, but noise that he might play fullback more does scare me a bit. Regardless, invest in him sooner than you'd invest in Mcgahee. Mcgahee does make a good late round flier in that if he stays healthy, he CAN succeed somehow/somewhere, but for now, I think he's just a change of pace guy without a specific priority. I took him late in a dynasty league as a flier as well (some round in the high teens), because maybe he gets traded if Rice works out well in BAL. Who knows. Aren't RBBC's the best?
Todd Heap and LJ Smith:
Who knows how this shakes out. They're both solid TEs when healthy, but Heap seems to be regressing fast, and LJ Smith is just way too random for my liking. Neither should be your starting TE.
The Baltimore defense is ranked 2nd in my books behind Pittsburgh (for now). They did lose Rex Ryan and a couple key players, but they have the same mentality and leadership they've always had. Don't be surprised if there's a bit of regression, but a top tier D in all likelihood.
Potential sleepers:
Only a couple people here to note. Justin Harper and Marcus Smith need to be monitored in deep leagues or dynasties. They've both got appropriate skills to be an asset at some point in their careers, and PT could be likely for them since Clayton is hurt and Demetrius is almost always hurt at some point in the season. If Clayton/Demetrius do go down, these guys would be serious steals.
Flacco will be interesting this season. It'll be hard to repeat his real-life success from last season, Mason is a year older, Clayton is currently sidelined 4-6 weeks...it seems like things are in chaos, but things will settle down. That said, he's still a QB2 because the Ravens will be a run-first, defensive, low scoring game type team, as always. They won't be out of that many games, so Flacco won't get much garbage time yardage. He'll get you 250/2 at BEST on any given week, and an average week will likely be something like 175 yards and 1 TD. You do the math...his ceiling is likely the low 3000s in yardage and mid to high teens in TDs.
Derrick Mason:
Old man Mason back again...he scared a ton of people with his 'retirement', but he should be back to the same old tricks, and those tricks are a PPR asset as a WR2/3 or a WR3 in non-PPR. I mentioned he's a year older, but he's extremely savvy (is that word used too much?), and has the tools that most older successful WRs have: toughness, good hands, and good routes. Expect 70+ receptions and yardage approaching 1,000 once again.
Mark Clayton:
Ugh. This injury could be pretty ugly if Demetrius Williams can stay healthy, since Clayton is out virtually all of preseason and is no lock for the WR2 slot anymore. Funny how he went from WR1 on the team to a potential WR3. Anyways, you know what to expect from Clayton provided he still starts: most weeks will consist of 3 catch, 30 yard performances, with a random big game sprinkled in every 6 weeks or so. That should tell you what you need to know about him.
Demetrius Williams:
I only mention him because he has a chance to supplant Clayton as the 2nd WR, as aforementioned. I think he's a better receiver in many ways than Clayton and has more potential, but he needs to stay healthy. He'll never be a PPR dynamo, but has big play ability, and relatively decent size at 6'2 to be a potential help in the redzone. Monitor what happens in the preseason closely.
The Three Headed Monster (Ray Rice, Willis Mcgahee, Leron Mcclain):
Let me say I was a genius for avoiding Mcgahee in every draft last year. That said, this could be a fantasy owner's nightmare, or Rice could win a good chunk of the carries. So here's how this breaks down: Draft Rice with the knowledge that if any one back breaks from the pack, it will be him. He's also a plus in PPR leagues, and has by far the most potential of the three backs. Mcclain is still a bruiser and will likely see goal-line carries, but noise that he might play fullback more does scare me a bit. Regardless, invest in him sooner than you'd invest in Mcgahee. Mcgahee does make a good late round flier in that if he stays healthy, he CAN succeed somehow/somewhere, but for now, I think he's just a change of pace guy without a specific priority. I took him late in a dynasty league as a flier as well (some round in the high teens), because maybe he gets traded if Rice works out well in BAL. Who knows. Aren't RBBC's the best?
Todd Heap and LJ Smith:
Who knows how this shakes out. They're both solid TEs when healthy, but Heap seems to be regressing fast, and LJ Smith is just way too random for my liking. Neither should be your starting TE.
The Baltimore defense is ranked 2nd in my books behind Pittsburgh (for now). They did lose Rex Ryan and a couple key players, but they have the same mentality and leadership they've always had. Don't be surprised if there's a bit of regression, but a top tier D in all likelihood.
Potential sleepers:
Only a couple people here to note. Justin Harper and Marcus Smith need to be monitored in deep leagues or dynasties. They've both got appropriate skills to be an asset at some point in their careers, and PT could be likely for them since Clayton is hurt and Demetrius is almost always hurt at some point in the season. If Clayton/Demetrius do go down, these guys would be serious steals.
Thursday, August 6, 2009
Tennessee Titans Player Analysis
Kerry Collins:
A year older with slightly upgraded weapons. In reality, you and I both know that means less than a TD per game on average and likely a total yardage range from 2500-2800. You don't need him sniffing your roster in anything but a deep league.
Justin Gage:
Seemed to be Collins's go-to guy last year, for whatever that's worth. He won't approach 1,000 yards or anything, but makes for a decent bye-week filler WR3/4 type guy. At the very least, he sees targets, and even with Washington on the team, will be capable of weeks approaching 80-90 yards. He's been injured here and there in his career too though, so keep that in mind.
Nate Washington:
I'm not a huge fan of Washington, but I guess they needed anything they could get at WR. Like Gage, he won't be that reliable, and in fact might be a slight negative in a PPR league, but he can definitely get you some 2 catch, 70 yard type weeks, and will see more targets than he did in Pittsburgh. Draftable slightly after Gage in my opinion.
Chris Johnson:
Last year in my 16 team league, people scoffed at me taking him in the 5th round. Ha. HAH. Anyways, Johnson should be in line for more touches, he can catch, and hopefully Lendale vultures less stuff from him. Jeff Fisher has been quoted as wanting to use him more as well, and he still has a great o-line intact for him. I have him at #6 right now (PPR rankings, as always), so definitely draftable in the top 10. A solid dynasty league first rounder obviously.
Lenwhale White (om nom nom):
Why is it whenever I see his name I want a cheeseburger? Anyways, he's supposedly in better shape (not hard to do), but he's not the future of the team. He'll definitely get his vultures in, but I'll bet he won't get 15 TDs again. Maybe high single digits or something. Downgrade in PPR, upgrade in TD heavy leagues...you know the drill.
Bo Scaife:
A fairly decent tight end (can be boom or bust considering he had lines of 6/105, 10/78/1, and multiple 1 catch games). I assume Jared Cook might get in on some of the action, so a TE2 at best for now.
The Tennessee D gets a drop due to Haynesworth leaving, but people are underrating what Jason Jones will be able to do in his place. Not only will he make a solid DT IDP'er (which I rarely comment on since it's not my thing), but he makes it so teams won't start destroying the Titans with the run game without Big Al. I have them as the 7th best D for now, draftable in all league formats.
Potential sleepers:
Kenny Britt stands out as the biggest one, but I don't think he has much value in a redraft unless it's a deep league or dynasty. Considering he plays in a run-first offense with Collins at the helm and 2 WRs ahead of him on the depth chart, don't look for much this year. We all know who Vince Young is, but who knows how that situation will play out. Monitor, but do not draft. Not much else in terms of sleeper potential here since they have an RB for the future and it's not really a passing team.
A year older with slightly upgraded weapons. In reality, you and I both know that means less than a TD per game on average and likely a total yardage range from 2500-2800. You don't need him sniffing your roster in anything but a deep league.
Justin Gage:
Seemed to be Collins's go-to guy last year, for whatever that's worth. He won't approach 1,000 yards or anything, but makes for a decent bye-week filler WR3/4 type guy. At the very least, he sees targets, and even with Washington on the team, will be capable of weeks approaching 80-90 yards. He's been injured here and there in his career too though, so keep that in mind.
Nate Washington:
I'm not a huge fan of Washington, but I guess they needed anything they could get at WR. Like Gage, he won't be that reliable, and in fact might be a slight negative in a PPR league, but he can definitely get you some 2 catch, 70 yard type weeks, and will see more targets than he did in Pittsburgh. Draftable slightly after Gage in my opinion.
Chris Johnson:
Last year in my 16 team league, people scoffed at me taking him in the 5th round. Ha. HAH. Anyways, Johnson should be in line for more touches, he can catch, and hopefully Lendale vultures less stuff from him. Jeff Fisher has been quoted as wanting to use him more as well, and he still has a great o-line intact for him. I have him at #6 right now (PPR rankings, as always), so definitely draftable in the top 10. A solid dynasty league first rounder obviously.
Lenwhale White (om nom nom):
Why is it whenever I see his name I want a cheeseburger? Anyways, he's supposedly in better shape (not hard to do), but he's not the future of the team. He'll definitely get his vultures in, but I'll bet he won't get 15 TDs again. Maybe high single digits or something. Downgrade in PPR, upgrade in TD heavy leagues...you know the drill.
Bo Scaife:
A fairly decent tight end (can be boom or bust considering he had lines of 6/105, 10/78/1, and multiple 1 catch games). I assume Jared Cook might get in on some of the action, so a TE2 at best for now.
The Tennessee D gets a drop due to Haynesworth leaving, but people are underrating what Jason Jones will be able to do in his place. Not only will he make a solid DT IDP'er (which I rarely comment on since it's not my thing), but he makes it so teams won't start destroying the Titans with the run game without Big Al. I have them as the 7th best D for now, draftable in all league formats.
Potential sleepers:
Kenny Britt stands out as the biggest one, but I don't think he has much value in a redraft unless it's a deep league or dynasty. Considering he plays in a run-first offense with Collins at the helm and 2 WRs ahead of him on the depth chart, don't look for much this year. We all know who Vince Young is, but who knows how that situation will play out. Monitor, but do not draft. Not much else in terms of sleeper potential here since they have an RB for the future and it's not really a passing team.
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