Sep 30 2008
Be afraid. Be very very afraid. Whatever virus that has infected college football, has now apparently infected the National Football League. The Dolphins slamming the Patriots last week, was only a precursor of things to come. The NFL and fantasy football worlds were turned upside down this weekend. Hopefully, someone can find a cure for this and find it fast or the Browns and that person that knows nothing about football in your office will be champions in the end.
Stars:
Brett Favre - Its not surprising that Favre had a great week, but it is surprising that he threw 6 TD passes while he was questionable going into the contest. Maybe its the change in uniform (those NY Titans jerseys look sharp) or maybe Brett is finally getting comfortable in the offense. Whatever the case may be, Favre is looking good and so is his schedule after this upcoming bye week. Cincy, Oakland, KC, Buffalo and St Louis all await him in the coming weeks. We will probably see Favre on here more often than not.
(Photo by Bill Kostroun / AP)
Larry Johson - A couple weeks ago, LJ owners were leaving him for dead after running for just 22 yards against the Raiders. Since then, he's hit the 100 yard mark twice and almost hit the 200 yard mark Sunday. I'm not ready to say LJ is back, but this is a nice confidence boost for him. Based on his upcoming schedule, he'll need it.
Laveranues Coles - With Favre bombing the Cardinals, all of his receivers had monster games, but none bigger than Coles. He finished with over 100 yards and caught half of Favre's TD passes.
Steven Jackson - You would've thought a change from Marc Bulger to Trent Green would be a huge step back wards for this offense. Well, it didn't really help the team, but it helped Steven Jackson. For the first time this year, he played like a back that deserves a big contract, recording 188 total yards and 1 TD. It was only a matter of time before he got on track. Too bad his coach wasn't given that long of a leash.
Matt Schaub - After grilling him in my "Stumblers" section last week, he deserves to be listed in the Stars section this week. Over 300 yards and 3 TD's against a good Jacksonville defense on the road. Last week, I said he didn't look like he belonged in the NFL. This week, Schaub looked like the second coming of Dan Marino. It was that kind of week in the NFL.
Stumblers:
Marion Barber - Wow, you know it was a bad week for fantasy football when MY number one draft pick shows up under stumblers. Marion Barber shop of horrors, horrified his owners this week with a 8 carry, 26 yard performance.
Marshawn Lynch - The excuse for Lynch after the first few week was that he was matched up against tough run defenses. Well, he played the Raiders last week and the Rams this week and failed to break 100 yards. Lynch's owners were counting on a big game from the big back and wound up with 5 points.
Reggie Bush - The hot pickup of the week in salary cap leagues, fizzled in the showdown, "Bush vs Gore 2: This time its football". The Saints leading receiver caught 5 passes for a whopping 7 yards. He also ran for 31 yards, but the big story was the return of Deuce McAllister, who hasn't played in a meaningful football game since early last year.
Maurice Jones-Drew - Matched up against the road weary Texans, MJD and Fred Taylor both should've lit up the world. Instead both put up awful numbers and neither managed to score a touchdown. It was like watching Ronnie Brown and Ricky Williams before the Patriots game.
Carson Palmer - I hate to keep picking on the guy, especially since he didn't even play this week, but deciding to sit out at the last minute when you're matched up with the Brownies? I'm sure that killed a lot of fantasy teams out there. Maybe he was just afraid to show his face at work after his Trojans got upset by TJ Houshmandzadeh and Chad Ocho Cinco's alma mater, Oregon State.
Sep 26 2008
Its going to be a tough week for some of you salary cappers out there that like to pick players matched up against soft defensive teams. The Lions, Colts, and Dolphins are on bye weeks. The Seahawks, Giants and Patriots are as well, so be aware of who's on your team. Now its time to look at who is actually playing this week:
Cleveland Browns vs Cincinnati Bengals
Browns: With the Brownies starting the season 0-3, they return to the scene of the crime. Last year, the Browns lost a heartbreaker to the Bengals in Cincy and it clinched the division for our Steelers. In that game Anderson threw 4 picks. He can't afford to throw one these days with Brady Quinn breathing down his neck. This is do or die for Anderson. If he doesn't look good this week, he'll be holding the clipboard next week.
Bengals: The Bengals showed a lot of heart last week against the defending Super Bowl champs. If they can match that intensity this week, all of their offensive weapons should have a big day. Yes, even Carson Palmer.
Fantasy Factors: Kellen Winslow (9), Carson Palmer (8)
Houston Texans vs Jacksonville Jaguars
Texans: The Texans are having a really tough year and its only going to get worse as they draw the Jaguars this week. Matt Schaub looked lost last week and Andre Johnsons' numbers suffered because of it. On the plus side, Steve Slaton gave them something to be optimistic about.
Jaguars: The MJD / Fred Taylor attack ran all over the Colts last week and its hard to imagine them being stopped at home by the Texans. Both backs have good value going into this week, but MJD is more of a sure thing.
Fantasy Factors: Andre Johnson (7), Maurice Jones-Drew (8)
Atlanta Falcons vs Carolina Panthers
Falcons: Michael Turner and his owners enjoyed another monster week, but once again will be brought back down to Earth as they take on the Panthers on the road. Unfortunately, Turner is the only Falcon really worth owning. The rest of the team is average at best.
Panthers: Finally the Panthers offense catches a break and will get to show off a little against the Falcons. Jake Delhomme hasn't had that big breakout game as of yet, but that'll change this week. Steve Smith should also have a big day in his second game back from suspension.
Fantasy Factors: Michael Turner (6), Jake Delhomme (9)
Denver Broncos vs Kansas City Chiefs
Broncos: The Mile High offense takes its aerial assault to Arrowhead this week. Jay Cutler remains the top fantasy option at QB and Brandon Marshall should continue his tear. The Chiefs inability to stop the run though could affect Cutlers' and Marshalls' numbers a bit and give them to Selvin Young.
Chiefs: The only good news coming out of their loss to the Falcons is that Larry Johnson appears to have finally gotten on track. The Broncos don't have a great defense, so LJ could very easily have a nice performance this week as well. The only problem is their defense is so dreadful, the game will most likely get out of hand real fast, forcing the Chiefs to abandon their running game.
Fantasy Factors: Brandon Marshall (9), Larry Johnson (7)
San Francisco 49ers vs New Orleans Saints
49ers: Each week, the Niners offense has gotten better and better and this week it should continue that trend in the Big Easy. Frank Gore had a big game against the NFL practice squad last week and JT O'Sullivan is looking more like he belongs in the NFL. This will be a fun shootout matchup to watch.
Saints: Another week gone by, another Saints receiver is out. Jeremy Shockey will join Marques Colston on the sidelines and Drew Brees will have to depend on Reggie Bush even more. He's already averaging more than 8 receptions per game and is around 100 total yards every week. The new Brian Westbrook should run wild Sunday.
Fantasy Factors: Frank Gore (8), Reggie Bush (9)
Arizona Cardinals vs New York Jets
Cardinals: In what will be an interesting battle of the former league MVP's, Warner vs Favre, Warner has a huge edge in weapons. Larry Fitzgerald and Anquan Boldin are both flying high and I don't see the Jets shooting them down this week.
Jets: Favre's bad ankle may limit him in this week, which means we may get a heavy dose of Thomas Jones. That may not be a bad idea anyways with Arizona surrendering an average of 105 yards on the ground this season.
Fantasy Factors: Larry Fitzgerald (9), Thomas Jones (7)
Green Bay Packers vs Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Packers: Unfortunately, this game won't be as exciting as it would have been if Favre had been traded to the Bucs instead of the Jets. Instead we have a simple Battle of the Bays matchup. I don't like the Pack's options in this one. Rodgers will have to deal with another tough defense and I don't see the running game making things easy on him.
Buccaneers: They may not have Favre, but they do have a guy that loves to throw a lot and throw wildly in Brian Griese. Griese threw 67 passes last week against Da Bears. Yes, 4 of them were picked off, but he did hit the 400 yard mark.
Fantasy Factors: Greg Jennings (7), Brian Griese (7)
Minnesota Vikings vs Tennessee Titans
Vikings: The switch to Frerotte appears to have worked, at least for one week. AP failed to reach 100 yards for the first time this season, but the Vikes did win. This week, Gus and Co head to Nashville to play against another tough, physical defense, but last week gave up over 100 yards on the ground to Steve Slaton. Peterson should have no trouble duplicating that.
Titans: Like the Vikings, the Titans have benefited from a change at quarterback and are looking to go 4-0. Chris Johnson who has been great so far this season, except for the stolen TD's by White, will have his toughest test yet. Nobody runs on the Vikings and this week won't be any exception.
Fantasy Factors: Adrian Peterson (8), Rob Bironas (8)
San Diego Chargers vs Oakland Raiders
Chargers: The San Diego Super Chargers got their first win of the season on Monday night and win number two shouldn't be too far off either. With LT back at 100% and Rivers playing like I knew he would, all Charger offensive weapons are a good play this week.
Raiders: The Chargers defense hasn't been great so far this year, but they shouldn't have any trouble stopping the Raiders offense. They simply won't let JaMarcus Russell throw the football and that is limiting what they can do on offense. McFadden and Michael Bush will have very little room to run once again.
Fantasy Factors: LaDainian Tomlinson (8), Darren McFadden (6)
Buffalo Bills vs St. Louis Rams
Bills: They haven't been pretty, but the Bills are 3-0 and unless they miss their flight to St. Louis, they should be 4-0 on Sunday. Marshawn Lynch looks to have another big game this week against a Rams defense that is dead last in the NFL.
Rams: Just when you thought things couldn't get any worse, the Rams bench Marc Bulger. Maybe the team does need a shake up and a switch at QB might do it, but not when your backup QB is 38 year old Trent Green. So the Rams offense is going to get better by putting in worse players... hmmmm
Fantasy Factors: Marshawn Lynch (10), Steven Jackson (7)
Washington Redskins vs Dallas Cowboys
Redskins: After getting beat down by the G-Men in Week One, the Redskins have come out and won two straight. Unfortunately, for them, that's as far as that streak will go. Santana Moss is quietly putting together another great season and did really well against the Cowboys twice last year.
Cowboys: The Boys should keep the ball rolling this week. Marion Barber has scored at least once in each of their first three games. With the Skins defense looking good against two good passing offenses in the Saints and Cardinals, Dallas will most likely keep it on the ground giving more value to Barber and less to Romo and Owens.
Fantasy Factors: Santana Moss (8), Marion Barber (9)
Philadelphia Eagles vs Chicago Bears
Eagles: Brian Westbrook is questionable for this Sunday, but he's optimistic about being ready by game time. If you have any other options, I would go with it. Even if Westbrook is able to play, he's up against the Bears, which doesn't bode well for him.
Bears: Assuming the Bears will know to use screen passes and draw plays to counter the blitz, Matt Forte should have another solid outing. Last week, he finished with 155 total yards and TD.
Fantasy Factors: Donovan McNabb (7), Matt Forte (8)
Baltimore Ravens vs Pittsburgh Steelers
Ravens: Believe it or not, the team with the Div II college QB is 2-0 and has a chance to be 3-0 this upcoming Monday Night. Yes, they have a chance, no, I don't believe they'll do it. The Ravens' wins are against the Bungles and Browns. Let's throw a ticker tape parade. They'll need to rely heavily on their running game, however with big Casey Hampton out of the lineup, that sounds like a pretty good strategy. The Ravens defense is also a great option this week with Fast Willie on the shelf and Ben Roethlisberger dealing with multiple injuries.
Steelers: With Willie out of the lineup, the Steelers will need to Big Ben to carry this offense on his shoulders... or maybe just one shoulder. As long as the Steelers give Ben more than 2 seconds to throw the ball and don't look like they're trying to reenact "Necessary Roughness", Ben and his receivers should have decent fantasy value.
Fantasy Factors: Willis McGahee (8), Ben Roethisberger (7)
Sep 24 2008
Here are the top 15 defensemen going into the 2008-2009 NHL season:
1. Nicklas Lidstrom - When you can make an argument for this guy to be one of the best ever to play this position, you have to put him first on the rankings. He's won the Norris Trophy (Best Defenseman) 6 of the last 7 years. Lids is at the top or near the top of the scoring for defensemen each year and he's a monster in the plus/minus category. He's the best in the business and you can justify spending a high draft pick on him.
(Photo by Getty Images)
2. Dion Phaneuf - The "Sidney Crosby of defensemen" just keeps getting better and better each year with Calgary. He's posted 17 goals in each of the last two years and point total should be around 60-70. Once Lidstrom retires, Phaneuf will own the Norris Trophy.
3. Chris Pronger - I've never been a big fan of Pronger. For me, he's always been the defenseman version of Eric Lindros, but you can't argue with the results. He's won the Hart Trophy (Leauge MVP), led the Blues to a President's Trophy (Best Reg Record), led an undermanned Oilers team to the Finals and won a Cup with Anaheim. He's done it all and can do it all for your fantasy team's defense. Great, hard pointshot, plays the PP, records lots of assists, lots of shots, good plus/minus and has been known to get a lot of PIM as well.
4. Sergei Gonchar - Sarge is the catalyst of the Penguins powerplay. Last year, he enjoyed one of his best seasons as a professional and with players like Crosby and Malkin on his team, he'll continue to post great numbers, especially on the power play, each season. This past Saturday he suffered an injury and its still really unclear, how serious it is, but until you hear that he'll be out for awhile, I wouldn't change your draft strategy.
5. Brian Rafalski - Serving as the other half of the Nick Lidstrom pairing, Rafalski had a career year statistically in addition to winning the Stanley Cup. He and Lidstrom make up the deadliest powerplay blueline combo in the NHL. If you can't get Lidstrom, Rafalski is the next best thing to owning him.
6. Brian Campbell - He was the most sought after defenseman in the NHL this past offseason before landing with the Blackhawks. His stock has been rising fast since 06 and he got his big payday this summer. He's a fast skating, slick passing defenseman that can play a little physical sometimes.
7. Dan Boyle - The Sharks desperately needed a powerplay quarterback and they landed a really good one in Boyle. In 06-07, Boyle finished with 20 goals and 43 assists for the TB Lightning. His presence on the Sharks blueline will do a lot for them and for his value.
8. Scott Niedermayer - I would have him much higher on this list since he planning on playing the whole season this year, but his age is creeping up on him (35) and it could affect his numbers. But make no mistake, he's still a top 10 defenseman and he'll still post really good offensive numbers for the Ducks.
(Photo by Mark Avery / AP)
9. Mike Green - Talk about coming out of nowhere, most people had never heard of Mike Green until last year when he burst onto the scene with 18 goals and 38 assists. Green also took an incredible numbers of shots (234) which increases his value if your league counts shots on goal.
10. Kimmo Timonen - His first season in the city of brotherly love wasn't what everyone was hoping for. Kimo only recorded 8 goals and 36 assists. Not bad numbers, but not what he did in Nashville. With Simon Gagne healthy again, Daniel Briere looking to bounce back from last year and Mike Richards being... well Mike Richards, Timonen should get back to his better numbers and have a great season.
11. Andrei Markov - For the last couple years the Habs powerplay has been great and one of the biggest reasons for that success has been Andrei Markov. He has a cannon for a shot and is a great all around powerplay quarterback. Markov should have another fantastic season at their point position, but it'll be interesting to see who takes the spot the departed Mark Streit.
12. Zdeno Chara - Its hard to imagine a 6' 9" defenseman being a good fit in on your fantasy hockey team, but Chara is. Zdeno had a career high in goals (17) and assists (34) last year for the Bruins. Unlike most defensemen, Chara plays in front of the net due to his size and just blocks the goalie's view and knocks in some garbage goals now and then. Chara is one of the best defensive defensemen as well and has decent plus/minus numbers almost every year.
13. Bryan McCabe - His move from Toronto to Florida has a lot of people unsure on McCabe, but here's all you need to know, he'll be playing alongside Jay Bouwmeester, who is a very solid defenseman as well, and should have a typical Bryan McCabe type season (40 assists). The Panthers don't have a lot of scoring, but that just means that McCabe will get the green light more often to blast the puck on the powerplay. McCabe's not a bad source for PIM either.
14. Lubomir Visnovsky - Since Chris Pronger left, the Oilers have been having some serious trouble getting a dependable powerplay quarterback. I think those problems have been solved with the acquisition of Visnovsky. With the Kings, Visnovsky posted some very good numbers recording 67 points in 06 and 58 points in 07 (69 games). Last year, was a bit of an off year for him, but now he's on a young, offensive minded Oilers team that should help him regain his old form.
15. Tomas Kaberle - Without Mats Sundin in the lineup, the Leafs are going to have to find different ways to generate offense. One of the ways to do this is to utlize your defensemen and have them pinch in more. Kaberle will most likely act like a 4th forward and try to help jumpstart the offense. This could drastically hurt his plus/minus numbers, but if your league doesn't use that category or if you just don't care, Kaberle is a solid pickup.
Sep 22 2008
The unpredictability of the NFL took yet another wild turn. A turn I don't think any one of us envisioned. The Miami Dolphins blow out the New England Patriots. Wow, that felt really good to type, let me do it again... The Miami Dolphins BLOWOUT the New England Patriots! I don't think anyone, even in Miami's wildest dreams, could have imagined a Dolphins win, let alone a Dolphins embarrassing blowout in New England. They looked pathetic in every facet of their game, while the Patriots seemed like they were just going to move along without Tom Brady and still be a force in the AFC East. One game changed it all. Just one game has the Patriots doubting themselves again and has the rest of the NFL laughing their heads off. Here are your Week Three stars:
Stars:
Ronnie Brown - Let me see a show of hands of people that had Ronnie Brown in their lineup going into this week. Yeah, that's what I thought. Now that's not to say he's a "nobody", Brown is a great player, but after two dismal performances against two average defenses, what prayer would he have against the stingy Patriots. Brown ended up being the one man show as he ran for over 100 yards, scored 4 TD's and actually THREW a 19 yard TD pass as well. Along with this being one of the bigger upsets in football, this performance by Brown is one of the best in any fantasy sport ever.
(Photo by AP)
Michael Turner - The Chiefs continued their pursuit of the number one overall pick in the 2009 NFL draft Sunday. As expected, Michael Turner absolutely smashed through the Chiefs defense for over 100 yards and 3 TD's. After seeing the highlights of this game, I just want to say one thing... can someone PLEASE show the Chiefs how to tackle, they're embarrassing themselves. They made Turner look like the second coming of Earl Campbell.
Reggie Bush - No this isn't a typo, Reggie Bush was a big star this past Sunday. The injury to Marques Colston is the best thing that ever happened to Bush. His rushing yards are still not impressive, but his receiving yards are through the roof. This week Bush caught 11 passes for 75 yards and a TD. He finished with 148 yards and 2 TD's total. It really is only a matter of time before he lines up at wide out as he continues to follow in the footsteps of Eric Metcalf.
Frank Gore - As predicted, Frank the Tank rolled over the NFL practice squad, racking up over 160 total yards and TD. Those of you looking to beat up on the Lions next week, you're out of luck, they're on a bye.
Maurice Jones-Drew - NEWS FLASH: The Colts defense is officially back to its 2006 form where they probably couldn't even stop my 2 year old daughter from running down the field. MJD and Fred Taylor both racked up over 100 yards as they defeated the Colts. MJD finished with over 160 yards and a TD. Next week, the two headed monster of Jones-Drew and Taylor take on the Texans. Stay tuned...
Stumblers:
Randy Moss - This should have been like shooting fish in a barrel, instead Moss couldn't get his gun out of the holster, shot himself in the foot and danced around like a fool to the tune of "4 catches for 25 yards". This marks the second straight week Moss and Cassel haven't connected. They have a bye week coming up to figure out how to build one.
Matt Schaub - Odds are nobody has him on their fantasy team anyways, but in case you were thinking about it, don't. He didn't even look like he belonged in the NFL, completing only 45% of his passes, 3 INT's and a QB rating of 27.8. Yikes!
Brandon Jacobs - The Bengals decided they are going to play football this year after all and really put together a solid performance. Good for them, bad for Jacobs owners. He only ran for 35 yards against a Bengals team that isn't very good at stopping the run. He did manage to score a TD however, which helped soften the blow a little bit.
Derek Anderson - Three games, three really bad performances. Yes, he played against three tough defenses, but I would think with the weapons he has in that offense, he could do a little better. Mr Anderson threw 3 INT's Sunday and finished with a 22.9 QB rating. If you listen, off in the distance, you can start to hear the chanting for the Mighty Brady Quinn.
Willie Parker - I really hate to put a Steeler on here, but Parker, much like the entire Steeler offense, did nothing. 20 yards on 13 carries isn't going to get the job done. Next week he'll get to run against the Ravens defense, so things are getting real bad, real fast for Fast Willie.
Sep 19 2008
Week two in the NFL showed just how unpredictable the league can be from week to week. The Patriots were thought to be dead, only to have Matt Cassel lead them to victory on the road against the Jets. The Chargers were Super Bowl favorites going into the season and LT looked ready to make a serious run at the MVP award. They're now 0-2 and LT has yet to reach the century mark in rushing yards and is questionable for Monday. Ben Roethlisberger and Willie Parker should have had a HUGE game against the Brownies, but the weather did its part to keep things close. And Jay Cutler, who wasn't even mentioned as one of the top QB's in football is the hottest pickup in salary cap leagues. What kind type of craziness can we expect this week?
Kansas City Chiefs vs Atlanta Falcons
Chiefs: After getting humiliated at home by their rivals, the Raiders, the Chiefs will try to get back on track against the Falcons. LJ didn't look good at all against the Raiders and will once again have another RB friendly defense to run against. Hopefully, for his owners, he'll get back into form, but odds are the Falcons will load up the line and force QB Tyler Thigpen, who's making his first NFL start, to beat them.
Falcons: Michael Turner owners were brought back to reality as he was stuffed all day long by the Bucs defense. This week, however, Turner owners will get blasted back into outer space as the Chiefs own the second worst run defense in football. We could easily see a repeat of Week One here.
Fantasy Factors: Larry Johnson (5), Michael Turner (10)
Oakland Raiders vs Buffalo Bills
Raiders: They got a much needed boost against the Chiefs last week and they'll need it heading into this matchup. Don't be fooled by McFadden's big day against the Chiefs. Everyone will tear them up. This will be a very tough, physical matchup and I don't see McFadden breaking the 100 yard mark here and with Michael Bush sneaking in as the goaline back, he may not come away with a TD either.
Bills: Marshawn Lynch has been having a tough time running it so far this year. The Seahawks and Jaguars defenses were not exactly helping either. This week, Lynch gets a breath of fresh air and hopefully some breathing room as he gets the Raiders this week. I really like this matchup for Lynch and I believe he will finish as one of the top 3 RB's this week.
Fantasy Factors: Darren McFadden (6), Marshawn Lynch (9)
Cincinnati Bengals vs New York Giants
Bengals: Just when the Bengals thought things couldn't get any worse, they get to play the defending champs on their field. I don't even know where to begin to analyze this offense. The Bungles will probably get blown out again and I'm not sure if Palmer will even be able to get the ball to Ocho Cinco or TJ for cheap points at the end of the game.
Giants: The Giants train will keep it rolling this week against the Bengals. Jacobs should have a monster yardage game, Eli should have a big day passing and the defense will feast on the stumbling bumbling Bungle offense.
Fantasy Factors: Carson Palmer (5), Brandon Jacobs (9)
Miami Dolphins vs New England Patriots
Dolphins: Yet another matchup that is beyond the classification of "Mismatch". The Dolphins only hope in this one is that the Patriots forget to show up. Ricky Williams and Ronnie Brown have been dreadful against average defenses and Chad Pennington will get batted around in the pocket like a pinata. They need to pray for the upset / unpredictably factor to help them this week.
Patriots: For a team that lost just one game last year, they sure have a cakewalk schedule. Matt Cassel will get another week to learn the offense and make mistakes without having to worry about the consequences. The Dolphins have one of the worst pass defenses in the NFL and Randy Moss will take full advantage of that.
Fantasy Factors: Chad Pennington (4), Randy Moss (9)
Houston Texans vs Tennessee Titans
Texans: The bad news is that the Texans had two weeks to think about their loss to the Steelers. The worse news is that Hurricane Ike damaged their stadium and they won't play their first home game till October. The good news.... ummm... well Reliant Stadium isn't destroyed and they didn't lose a football game last week. I don't expect much from the RB's but Matt Schaub and Andre Johnson should hook up quite a few times in this one.
Titans: Rookie Chris Johnson, who runs a lot like Fast Willie, will try to duplicate Parker's performance at home against the Texans. As long as White doesn't steal his goaline carries, and that's a big IF, Johnson should have a big fantasy day.
Fantasy Factors: Andre Johnson (9), Chris Johnson (9)
Tampa Bay Buccaneers vs Chicago Bears
Buccaneers: Brian Griese will get to play against his old teammates this Sunday. Unfortunately for Griese, his old teammates are the Chicago Bears defense, one of the best in the NFL. The Bucs offense will have a really tough time both passing and running. The Tampa defense actually looks to be the best fantasy option here.
Bears: Like the Bucs, the Bears defense looks to be the best fantasy option in this contest. Robbie Gould could have a big game as well. Not exactly the game you want to be watching this Sunday.
Fantasy Factors: Bucs D/ST (7), Bears D/ST (8)
Arizona Cardinals vs Washington Redskins
Cardinals: The first place, 2-0 Cardinals take their aerial assault to the nations capital. Nobody really has a feel for either team at this point. The Cards will once again rely on their passing game and while the Skins did a decent job containing Drew Brees last week, I don't see who is going to stop Larry Fitzgerald and Anquan Boldin.
Redskins: Jason Campbell gave Skins fans and Campbell owners (the few of you out there) some hope after last week, but I think his great performance had everything to do with the Saints poor secondary. Sorry to burst your bubble. Clinton Portis is still their best offensive weapon and should score at least once.
Fantasy Factors: Larry Fitzgerald (9), Clinton Portis (7)
Carolina Panthers vs Minnesota Vikings
Panthers: The Panthers are sitting pretty at 2-0 and get yet another tough defense, this time the Purple People eating Vikings. But they'll get help this week as Steve Smith is back from suspension. The Vikings have a very strong run defense, so I expect to see Delhomme go to the air a lot, which should produce big numbers for his receivers.
Vikings: The big news in Minny this week was the switch at QB from T-Jack to Gus Frerotte. If Frerotte can give the Vikes any respectability through the air, Purple Jesus will run wild. Peterson has gone over the 100 yard mark twice already and should do it again this week.
Fantasy Factors: Steve Smith (8), Adrian Peterson (9)
New Orleans Saints vs Denver Broncos
Saints: I'm expecting this one to be the fantasy football game of the week. Neither team has a great defense and both teams have great QBs. Brees will get into a shootout with Jay Cutler and it'll be a spectacle to behold. Brees should hit over 300 yards and throw at least two TDs. Reggie Bush could have his second 100 yard receiving game and Jeremy Shockey will have his best game as a Saint.
Broncos: Jay Cutler made a big statement last week, against the Chargers and looks to make an even bigger statement this Sunday against the Aints secondary. Brandon Marshall could very well go for 19 or 20 receptions this Sunday. For any Saints fans in Denver, here you'll need these. Cutler is a must pickup in salary cap leagues.
Fantasy Factors: Drew Brees (9), Jay Cutler (10)
Detroit Lions vs San Francisco 49ers
Lions: The NFL's practice squad heads to Matt Millen's old stomping grounds, San Francisco, to get their brains beat in once more. As usual, Roy Williams and Calvin Johnson should have solid performances while the Niners play prevent. Kitna may not be a bad choice for this one either.
49ers: For those of you that are waiting for Frank the Tank to explode this year, this is your week. The Lions have the worst rush defense in football and Gore will easily have over 100 yards. Former Lions, JT O'Sullivan and Mike Martz will have no problem showing their old team just how much they like their new one. For those of you already giving up on Vernon Davis, I wouldn't just yet. Lions this week and then the Aints next week. If he's still a dud after that, dump him.
Fantasy Factors: Roy Williams (8), Frank Gore (10)
St. Louis Rams vs Seattle Seahawks
Rams: The good news for the Rams is that there's only one way to go at this point. The Rams offense is last in offense, next to last in rushing and last in defense. Steven Jackson looked better running the ball last week, but the game got out of hand too fast to keep the ball on the ground effectively taking him out of the game. I don't expect this to be a blowout so Action Jackson should see plenty of action this week.
Seahawks: The wide receiver situation keeps getting worse and worse. 4th string WR, Logan Payne, got injured last week forcing the Hawks to look elsewhere for wide out help. They picked up Koren Robinson and traded for Keary Colbert, but its way too soon to expect anything from them in a fantasy sense. Julius Jones gave his owners and the Seahawks offense a big boost last week. Jones should have another good one against the Rams this week.
Fantasy Factors: Steven Jackson (7), Julius Jones (8)
Pittsburgh Steelers vs Philadelphia Eagles
Steelers: The Battle of Pennsylvania will be the first tough test of the season for the Steelers and they'll have to face it without Big Ben at 100%. The Steelers will need to lean on their running game a lot this week and Parker and even Mendenhall should have pretty good value. If Ben's passes are limited, he'll try to make the most of the few passes he throws and Santonio Holmes will be the target for these big plays.
Eagles: Coming off a short week, the Eagles will need to regroup and get ready for another big matchup. McNabb, Westbrook and company will face a Steelers defense that is clicking on all cylinders right now. You shouldn't count on Westbrook to be spectacular, but it wouldn't be too much to expect 60-70 yards rushing, 40-50 receiving and a TD. Once again, this is why he was second on my RB preview, great consistency.
Fantasy Factors: Willie Parker (8), Brian Westbrook (8)
Cleveland Browns vs Baltimore Ravens
Browns: It's the old Browns versus the new Browns, part one. The new Browns had high expectations going into this season, but those expectations have been squashed after the first two weeks of the season. Derek Anderson looks like a backup, Jamal Lewis is showing why the Ravens didn't want him anymore and Braylon Edwards couldn't catch glue. I think the Browns will eventually put it all together, but not on the road against a team that is coming off a bye.
Ravens: They don't have a lot on offense, but the Browns, as I said last week, have NOTHING on defense. The unscheduled bye week helps Willie McGahee, but how much of a workload he'll carry is still uncertain. I think this game will be used as a competition between McGahee and Rice and the winner gets the majority of the carries next week.
Fantasy Factors: Kellen Winslow (8), Ray Rice (7)
Jacksonville Jaguars vs Indianapolis Colts
Jaguars: Good news for all you Fred Taylor / Maurice Jones-Drew owners out there, the Jags won't have a play against a tough run defense this week. Even better, the Colts are having the same run stopping problems that they had two years ago. The same year Taylor and MJD both ran for 100 yards in a game against them. And even better news for the Jags, strong safety Bob Sanders, who is a major part of the Colts run defense, is out for the next 4-6 weeks. This will be a telling sign of whether the Jags run offense will get it going this year or if its going to be sluggish all season.
Colts: The Colts get their third tough physical team in a row and that isn't good for Joseph Addai owners. The Colts offensive line is getting dominated physically by their opponent and as long as this happens, Addai will have trouble running. This game will once again rest on Peyton's shoulders. This is good news for Manning, Wayne and Gonzalez, not Harrison, owners. Anthony Gonzalez is getting a lot more looks from Peyton this year and its leading to some big numbers.
Fantasy Factors: Maurice Jones-Drew (9), Peyton Manning (8)
Dallas Cowboys vs Green Bay Packers
Cowboys: Last Monday, the Cowboys hit the fantasy football jackpot for me. Romo's TD pass to Marion Barber and Nick Folk's two 46+ yard field goals blasted me past my competition. Hopefully this week, I won't be in the same predicament I was last week (down by 20 points going into Monday night) because the Packers have a solid defense and probably won't yield a ton of points like the Eagles. I still expect Barber to score a TD or two and Romo should approach 300 yards.
Packers: A-Rod 2 helped everyone forget all about Brett Favre last week, but that was the Lions people. Lets not blow this up too much. Rodgers has good chemistry with Greg Jennings, giving Jennings good fantasy value for this contest. The Packers though will need to rely on the run to set up the pass this week and Ryan Grant isn't looking too stellar.
Fantasy Factors: Marion Barber (8), Greg Jennings (9)
New York Jets vs San Diego Chargers
Jets: After last week's disappointing loss to the Patriots (never thought I'd hear myself say that), the Jets look to rebound against a win-hungry Chargers team. Fortunately for the Jets, the Chargers are having big problems on defense right now, especially in the secondary and Brett Favre is just the guy that can take advantage of those weaknesses. Don't give up on Jerricho Cotchery because of one bad game; he'll be back after this one.
Chargers: The biggest concern in San Diego right now is the health of LT. He's questionable to play this week and said he doesn't want to see the doctor because he doesn't want to know the diagnosis. That doesn't sound good. If you haven't already, you may want to pick up Darren Sproles and stash him away, just in case. I would wait until the last possible to second on Sunday to decide on whether or not LT should be in your lineup. In the meantime, Philip Rivers, who has been carrying this offense all season anyways, should have another strong showing.
Fantasy Factors: Brett Favre (9), Philip Rivers (9)
Sep 17 2008
The most important part of any hockey team is the goalie. It doesn't matter how many goals you can score, if you can't keep the puck out of your net, you're going to have a hard time winning. As it relates to fantasy hockey, depending on your league setup, goalies can be just as critical to your success as in real life. In head to head leagues where you compete for categories, these 2-4 players on your team control 4 out of 10 categories. If just a few players control almost half of the scoring categories, you're going to want to make sure you have guys you can count on. There's a lot of different ways you can go about doing this. You could use 2 of your first 3 picks on goaltenders, making you a virtual lock for those 4 categories and then draft guys that get lots of assists and/or PIM. You could also think offense first, draft the best scorers and then down the line pick a goalie that plays on a good defensive team or pick a tandem that plays for a good defensive team (ex: Osgood / Hasek). Of course, you could always get lucky too, pick scorers in the beginning, then find a hot goaltender during the season. A risky strategy, but one that I've used many times when dominating my league. Here are the Fantasy Factor's top 15 goalies for 2008:
1. Evgeni Nabokov - This one was a tough one to pick, but I have to give the edge to the Vladislav Tretiak disciple, Evgeni Nabokov. Nabby had a career year for the Sharks in 07-08 with a 2.14 GAA, 46 wins and 6 shutouts. Not that he needs it, but Nabokov has a lot of help in front of him too. The Sharks boast one of the best shot blocking defenses in the NHL and in this past off season this defensive unit got even better with the additions of Rob Blake and Dan Boyle.
2. Jean-Sebastien Giguere - Assuming the NHL doesn't shrink down the equipment this season, Giggy should have another outstanding season for the Ducks. Since Scott Niedermayer and Chris Pronger joined the team, Giggy has won 35+ games in just 56-58 games. His GAA has been in the low 2's and his save percentage is consistently near 92%. Like Nabokov, his production has a lot to do with the team in front of him. As long as Anaheim continues to be a defense first (sucker punch second) team, Giguere will always benefit.
3. Martin Brodeur - Marty is a lock for the hall of fame and you could make a good case for him as the greatest goalie in the history of the NHL. But here's the thing, he's 36 years old and he's played in over 70 games every year since the 97-98 season. 75 or more in 3 of the last 4 seasons. Quite frankly, I'm surprised he's been able to keep it going for this long. Fatigue is bound to start setting in at some point and he doesn't have the Stevens', Niedermayers' and Daneykos' that he used to. Brodeur is a solid option at goal, but the two guys above have a lot more help and are more likely to succeed than Marty.
4. Henrik Lundqvist - Before writing this post, I gave some serious consideration to ranking King Henry number one. Then I remembered he was a Ranger and every year I have the tendency to overrate the blue shirts. Lindros, Bure, Jagr, Gomez, Drury, just to name a few, were all high on my list in years past. There's a lot to be optimistic about for Ranger fans and Lundqvist owners. The Rangers are taking a page out of the Red Wings playbook and putting together a solid puck moving/defensive responsible unit to play in front of him. The addition of Wade Redden is a big one. It gives the Rangers a solid number one defenseman that can log a lot of minutes, which they haven't had since the Brian Leetch years. Lundqvist has been knocking on the Vezina door for several years now and this could very well be the year he breaks that door down.
5. Marc-Andre Fleury - This past off season the Penguins were raided by the NHL and lost a lot of key components to their playoff run. However, they didn't lose their most important part, goaltender, Marc-Andre Fleury. As impressive as Ty Conklin was while Fleury was injured, MAF was even better. A 1.44 GAA in Dec and March, a 1.51 GAA in April and lost just two games in the final three months of the season. Fleury lead the Pens to the Finals and finished with a 1.97 GAA and .933 save percentage. This is why he was taken first overall and why he deserves serious consideration as your top goalie on your fantasy team. It doesn't matter that the Pens lost scoring in the off season. The Pens' success had more to do with preventing goals, than scoring them.
6. Miikka Kiprusoff - Since winning the Vezina in 2006, Kipper's numbers have steadily gotten worse and worse while the number of games played has increased. This could be a cause of concern for his owners. Calgary doesn't have a reliable backup goalie and will once again rely on Kiprusoff to carry the load and as he has proven over the past couple years, fatigue is a problem for him. Because of this downward trend, making Kiprusoff your number one goalie is a little risky, but if he can make any kind of a rebound, he could steal the Vezina this season.
7. Roberto Luongo - Most experts have ranked Luongo in the top 3, but I just don't see it this year. The Canucks don't look all that impressive this year and he's starting to get that Florida Panther feeling again... 40-50 shots a night. Roberto put up some great numbers despite playing on some very average / very bad teams his whole career. Unless he gets traded, he'll continue to fight for those good numbers.
8. Marty Turco - One of the most underrated goalies in the NHL. Turco has been very solid and very consistent for the Stars since taking over for Eddie Belfour 5 years ago. The only knock against him was that he wasn't a good playoff goalie. I think he finally put those "gargoyles" to rest after leading the Stars to the Western Conference Finals this past May. He probably won't win any awards this year, but he will win a lot of games and put up All Star numbers once again.
9. Chris Osgood / Ty Conklin - For those of you that know me, you're probably surprised I lasted this long before placing a Red Wing goalie into these rankings. Ozzie may not "look" like one of the greatest goalies of all time, but his stats say differently and this is due mostly to the Wings suffocating defense. Nobody plays team defense better than the Red Wings and this makes life very easy for whomever plays between the pipes. At age 36, Osgood probably won't play more than 55 games, meaning that Ty Conklin will play around 30 games and giving him good fantasy value. If decide to go with Osgood, make sure you pick up Conklin as well. If you decide to go with this two headed monster, it may hurt you in wins if you're only allowed to start two goalies per day, but they should give you great numbers in every other category.
(Photo by Paul Sancya / AP)
10. Niklas Backstrom - The Fin with the Swedish last name. Backstrom has been great in his first two years for the Wild. Statistically, he's one of the best, if not the best goalie in the league. Plus, the Wild have one of the best defenses in the game. Why so low then? Because he's only playing in 50 some games. Like the situation in Detroit, if you own Backstrom, you should probably pick up Josh Harding as well.
11. Tomas Vokoun - As it stands right now, Vokoun will be playing behind one of the best defensive corps in the NHL. Jay Bouwmeester, Keith Ballard, Bryan McCabe, and Nick Boyton, just to name a few names. Don't be fooled by Vokoun's stats from last year. He faced more shots than any other goalie in the league and only played in 69 games. Nobody could've played behind that team and been successful. With a rebuilt defense, Vokoun will once again, look like an elite goaltender.
12. Cristobal Huet - The Blackhawks made a couple big splashes this past off season and one of them was kind of odd. Despite already having a $6 million goalie (Nikolai Khabibulin) on the roster, the Hawks went out and grabbed Cristobal Huet for another $5 mil. Now this obviously shows that the Hawks are eager move on and will most likely deal Khabibulin, but until then, there may well be a platoon between these two. My guess is that Huet will get most of the games and will put up great numbers behind the Blackhawks rebuilt defense.
13. Pascal Leclaire - The 07-08 season was a breakout year for the French Canadian goalie. He finished second in the NHL with 9 shutouts and finished with the 7th best GAA (2.25). Playing behind coach Ken Hitchcock's "defense first" system, Leclaire will have every opportunity to do it again. Of course, playing for the Blue Jackets, his wins will be limited, but then again... they have to start winning sooner or later, right?
14. Carey Price - This is a bit of a gamble pick on my part considering how badly Price got knocked around in the playoffs. But I think he'll rebound into the goalie that knocked Cristobel Huet out of the starting position in Montreal. Price finished the regular season very strong, winning 15 of his last 20 games. With the Habs strong defense in front of him, he should put together another solid season... assuming the pressure of the Canadian media and the pressure of being the Canadiens goalie on their 100th year anniversary doesn't get to him.
15. Martin Biron - Yeah I know, "Boooooo Flyers". But when you play any fantasy sport, you have to put your team allegiances aside and pick guys that you can win with. Biron finished the regular season very strong last year and looked really good in the playoffs until a certain local Pittsburgh hockey team slapped him around. The Flyers didn't make any big moves this past off season, but they will get Simon Gagne back and they looked like a team that could win the division until they hit that 10 game losing streak (which was my second favorite part of the 2008 hockey season). The Flyers should once again be contending for the division and Biron will be the man leading the way.
Sep 16 2008
In Week Two of the NFL season a lot of young players and relative unknowns took the spotlight. With fantasy football superstar LaDainian Tomlinson rushing for only 26 yards on 10 carries due to a bad toe, the Chargers didn't miss a step after plugging backup, Darren Sproles, into the lineup. Sproles finished the game with 317 all purpose yards including a 103 yard kickoff return and a 66 yard TD reception late in the Chargers loss to the Broncos. If LT remains on the shelf, Sproles should put up some big numbers in the coming weeks as the Chargers face the Jets, Raiders and Dolphins in the next three games. Also the rumors of the Patriots' demise appears to have been greatly exaggerated. Matt Cassel looked very efficient leading the Pats in a 19-10 win over the NY Jets. Maroney and Morris both looked bad, but Lamont Jordan looked very good grinding out yards and running off clock. I was kind of hoping the Pats wouldn't realize what they had in Jordan. He's a power runner, that is a good blocker in pass protection and has pretty good hands for a big guy. His performance yesterday, may be the start of Jordan's revival.
Fantasy Stars:
Jay Cutler - Determined to prove that last week wasn't a fluke, Cutler cut up the injury depleted San Diego defense for 350 yards and 4 TD's. Aside from the INT in the end zone and the ridiculous bad call at the end of the game (which was a fumble, recovered by the Chargers, the end), Cutler played a perfect game and has a very very VERY friendly schedule the rest of the way. Cutler will face the Saints next Sunday and the Chiefs after that. Then after the bye week in Week 8, the Broncos face the Dolphins, Browns, Falcons, Raiders, Jets and Chiefs. With targets like Brandon Marshall, Eddie Royal, Brandon Stokely, Darrell Jackson and Tony Scheffler on the field, Cutler figures to have a lot of great games like this one.
(Photo by Reuters Pictures)
Brandon Marshall - Speaking of Cutler targets, Marshall took his game to new heights Sunday. He caught, a Broncos record, 18 passes. After missing Week One due to suspension, Marshall now leads the NFL in receptions. You can't expect Marshall to catch 18 each week, but all signs are pointing to him playing this entire season the way he finished last year which is pulling down double digit numbers in passes.
Philip Rivers - On the other side of the field in the Broncos' game, Philp Rivers had himself another solid fantasy performance. With LT out of commission, the offense fell square on the shoulders of Rivers and he made the most of it with 377 yards and 3 TD's. Like the Broncos, the Chargers have a very soft schedule this season and there's no reason to think Rivers won't be on this list of Fantasy Stars each and every week.
Anquan Boldin - He may not be happy in Arizona, but he's making Arizona and all his fantasy owners happy with his performance. Boldin did, what we all figured he would do and that's tear up the Dolphins secondary. Boldin caught 3 TD's and finished with 140 yards receiving.
Darren McFadden - Going into Week Two, Run DMC wasn't even listed as the starter. By the end of Week Two, I don't know how you could put him on the bench. McFadden ran all over the hapless Chiefs for 164 yards and TD. McFadden has to be considered the Raiders feature back now till the end of the season.
Calvin Johnson - One of the two bright spots on the Lions shined brightly yesterday hauling in 2 TD's for 129 yards. The Lions get blown out, they throw the ball a lot, and Johnson and Williams rack up cheap points. Its probably not the way you envision scoring big points, but it works. This week it was Calvin's turn.
Fantasy Flops:
Carson Palmer - Yep, here he is again. Two weeks in a row now, Mr Overrated 2007 has looked bad. It may seem like I'm picking on poor Carson, but until he plays better or at least until people stop saying he's better than Ben Roethlisberger, he's going to find himself on the flops list. But hey, at least his Trojans beat his home state Buckeyes that he hates so much, last Saturday. That's something. Right?
Larry Johnson - 12 carries... 22 yards... at home... against the Oakland Raiders. Are you kidding me? Is the Chiefs offense so bad that Larry Johnson can't get more than 22 lousy yards against the Raiders defense. Everybody runs on the Raiders. Something needs to change in KC or it'll be a long year for LJ and his fantasy owners.
Ryan Grant - Now Grant only had 15 carries against the Lions, but to finish with only 20 yards on those carries is embarrassing. Its the Lions for goodness sakes. For Grant's sake, I hope it had to do with his sore hamstring, but even if that is the case, if Grant owners can't get more than two points out of him against the Lions, its not looking good.
Dolphins offense - I was just going to put Ricky Williams or Ronnie Brown, but there's so many people that contributed to their performance and I didn't want to leave anyone out. Brown and Williams had a combined 53 yards rushing against the Cardinals, 6 more yards than they had last week. Hey, they're getting better... sort of. The preseason star, Ted Ginn Jr flopped for yet another week and Chad Pennington looked as pathetic as ever. Hey guys, its the Cardinals defense, not the 85 Bears. This offense got dominated for the second straight week and I would refrain from owning any of them the rest of the year. Next week, the Phins play in New England. It just keeps on getting better.
Sep 12 2008
Just one week into the 2008 NFL season and the fantasy football world has been turned upside down. The Tom Brady injury is going to kill anyone who picked him in the first round, as well as any Randy Moss and Wes Welker owners. However, Matt Cassel owners can rejoice this week... all two of them (Cassel and his Mom probably), as he'll get thrust into the spotlight in a big divisional road battle against the Jets. Don't you kind of feel bad for the Pats though? They already had a bullseye on them from the start, their best player is lost for the season and the rest of the NFL is going to pound on them for the next 16 weeks. Its really not fair. Its almost as unfair as video taping the other teams' sidelines and stealing signals. Anyways, onto the match-ups...
Tennessee Titans vs Cincinnati Bengals
Titans: The Titans may have lost their QB, Vince Young, for the next few weeks, but the strength of this team is in its running game anyways. Last Sunday, Chris Johnson really showed up incumbent starter, LenDale White and looked very impressive against a tough Jacksonville defense. This week, Johnson gets to strut his stuff against a team that hasn't been good against the run in 20 years.
Bengals: Not much went right for the Bengals in Week One. Wait, let me rephrase that... Nothing went right for the Bungles in Week One. Palmer threw for less than 100 yards, Chris Perry took a step closer to be yet another Bungle first round bust and Chad Ocho Cinco only caught one pass. There is hope for them in this one though. Big run stopper, Albert Haynesworth suffered a concussion last week and is questionable for Sunday. He is a big part of their defense and without him Perry or hopefully Watson, could have a big game.
Fantasy Factors: Chris Johnson (8), Kenny Watson (7)
Buffalo Bills vs Jacksonville Jaguars
Bills: The Bills should be feeling really good about themselves after pounding the Seahawks last week, but they'll get a tougher challenge this week in Jacksonville. Marshawn Lynch only ran for 76 yards and a TD last week and will be happy if he can get that high again this week. However, if Edwards can continue to be somewhat of a passing threat, Lynch's numbers should get better and better.
Jaguars: The Jags bread and butter is their running game and it wasn't happening for them last week. They're going to have a tough time running the ball this week as well. Former Jag, Marcus Stroud anchors that big Bills defensive line and MJD and Right Said Fred Taylor won't have a lot of room to run in this one either. It'll be up to David Garrard once again.
Fantasy Factors: Marshawn Lynch (7), David Garrard (7)
Oakland Raiders vs Kansas City Chiefs
Raiders: This match-up can't come fast enough for the Silver and Black. Any momentum or confidence this team had got absolutely crushed by the Broncos on Monday Night Football. Justin Fargas and Darren McFadden looked good, but the defense and JaMarcus Russell were far from it. The Raiders haven't had a lot of success against the Chiefs at Arrowhead, but Fargas and Run DMC should put up good numbers once again this week.
Chiefs: The good news is they almost beat the Patriots on their field. The bad news was it was all because Tom Brady got injured and really had nothing to do with them. Earlier I had mentioned LJ was a good play certain weeks because they'll be matched up against soft run defenses. This week is one of those weeks. LJ may not have a memorable season, but he should have a very good game at home against the Raiders.
Fantasy Factors: Darren McFadden (7), Larry Johnson (9)
Indianapolis Colts vs Minnesota Vikings
Colts: After being shocked by the Bears, the Colts will play another tough defense from the NFC North, the new Purple People Eaters. The Vikings have an extremely tough run defense and with reliable center, Jeff Saturday on the shelf, it'll be even more difficult for Addai and Rhodes to find room to run. This game will need to be about Peyton Manning or the Colts will drop to 0-2.
Vikings: If the Colts had a very tough time stopping a team with a good RB (Forte) and an average QB (Orton), how are they going to handle this week on the road? Adrian Peterson didn't have a breakout game, but he did put up good numbers (103 yards, 1 TD) at Green Bay and should do slightly better at home against the Colts.
Fantasy Factors: Peyton Manning (8), Adrian Peterson (8)
Chicago Bears vs Carolina Panthers
Bears: Matt Forte showed the world why the Bears picked him in the first round of this years' draft. He rumbled for 123 yards and TD in his first NFL game. This week he gets a tougher test with the Panthers, but we initially thought that the Colts would be a tough test for him. Orton looked adequate last week, but nothing worth noting fantasy wise. The Bears defense looks as good as ever and should be considered a top five defense going forward.
Panthers: The Panthers pulled the upset last week, up ending the SB hopeful Chargers in San Diego on a last second TD pass. The offense looked good, even without Steve Smith. This time they will get another tough test against the Bears. Mushin Muhammad will want to show up his old team and will probably get more end zone looks than any other week. The Panthers defense looks to be a solid play against the Bears offense.
Fantasy Factors: Matt Forte (7), John Kasay (7)
Green Bay Packers vs Detroit Lions
Packers: A-Rod 2 had a successful debut against one of the premiere defenses in the NFL. This week, he'll get a much softer test in Detroit. Based on what happened to the Lions last week, all Rodgers will really need to do is turn around and hand the ball to Ryan Grant. The rest should take care of itself.
Lions: After giving up over 300 rushing yards to the Falcons last week, one question comes to mind... how is it Matt Millen still has a job? I think he's pretty much run this team as far down into the ground as it can go. Superstars like Roy Williams and Calvin Johnson are the lone bright spots on one of the most dreadful teams in football. The good news for them is that the Lions will always be trailing in games and should see a lot of passes each week.
Fantasy Factors: Ryan Grant (10), Calvin Johnson / Roy Williams (8)
New York Giants vs St Louis Rams
Giants: The defending champs showed last week that they won't go quietly into the night just because two of their defensive stars are gone. Brandon Jacobs looked impressive and will look even more impressive against the Rams. Eli Manning should have another solid outing as well.
Rams: Hopefully, for the Rams, last weeks' blowout loss will be a wakeup call. The Rams will have had a long sleepless week thinking about last Sunday and should come out ready to play in this one. Also, Steven Jackson should look more like himself this week than last.
Fantasy Factors: Brandon Jacobs (9), Steven Jackson (8)
New Orleans Saints vs Washington Redskins
Saints: The Saints offense (as well as my own) was dealt a heavy blow this week when they found out they would be without the services of their top receiver, Marques Colston, for the next 4-6 weeks due to a thumb injury. This hurts Brees' value a bit, but he still has plenty of targets to throw to including his new favorite target, Eric Metcalf: The Next Generation, Reggie Bush. Bush caught 8 passes for over 100 yards last week.
Redskins: Not much worked for the Skins dysfunctional offense last week, but the Saints are not really known for their toughness in stopping the run, making Portis a good play for this week at home.
Fantasy Factors: Drew Brees (9), Clinton Portis (8)
Atlanta Falcons vs Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Falcons: All of you Michael Turner owners out there are probably still buzzing over his 220 yard, 2 TD performance, but this week you'll be brought back to reality. Turner is still the best fantasy option on the Falcons, but the Buccaneers defense isn't the Lions defense.
Buccaneers: With Jeff Garcia out of the lineup, the Bucs figure to depend a lot more on Earnest Graham, which really isn't a bad option. Last year, Graham ran for 181 yards and 3 TD's in their two match-ups.
Fantasy Factors: Michael Turner (7), Earnest Graham (8)
San Francisco 49ers vs Seattle Seahawks
49ers: In Week One, Frank Gore showed he's ready for the season. The rest of the team... not so much. The Niners get a much tougher test on the road against the Seahawks this week. Seattle is having some injury problems right now, so if they want to turn things around fast, this is the week to do it. The Niners defense should look good in this one. If they don't, they never will.
Seahawks: First Bobby Engram, then Deion Branch and now Nate Burleson. Hasselbecks' targets are dropping like flys and so is his value. The Niners have a couple good cover corners, so Hasselbeck will need to rely on other options (TE's, RB's) and hope the running game can carry this offense until he can get some healthy targets to throw to.
Fantasy Factors: Frank Gore (8), Seahawks DT/ ST (7)
New England Patriots vs New York Jets
Patriots: The Matt Cassel era begins this week in the Meadowlands. The same place that Spygate began and the home of the team that defeated them in the Super Bowl. Laurence Maroney owners should feel pretty good about these turns of events. The Run and Shoot type offense they were playing will join Brady on the inactive list and the Patriots figure to run the ball a lot more now.
Jets: First they get Brett Favre for practically nothing, now they get to play the Pats at home without Tom Brady. Everything seems to be falling into place for the J-E-T-S JETS! JETS! JETS! JETS! All of their offensive weapons look to have another strong game against a defense that will spend a lot of time on the field this year.
Fantasy Factors: Laurence Maroney (7), Brett Favre (8)
San Diego Chargers vs Denver Broncos
Chargers: After a disappointing loss in Week One, the Chargers will be fired up for this one. LaDainian Tomlinson is currently hobbled a bit by turf toe, but is expected to play this week. Too bad for the Broncos, that was their only hope of stopping him. The Broncos have the best one-two cornerback punch in football, so expect to see a lot passes going in Antonio Gates' direction.
Broncos: Don't be fooled by the Broncos offensive explosion this past Monday. Their offense is good, but not that good. The loss of Chargers linebacker, Shawne Merriman and the addition of Brandon Marshall to their lineup though, should help Jay Cutler and Selvin Young post some solid numbers.
Fantasy Factors: LaDainian Tomlinson (9), Jay Cuter (8)
Miami Dolphins vs Arizona Cardinals
Dolphins: After last week's dismal offensive performance, there's only one way to go. Ricky Williams, Ronnie Brown, Ted Ginn Jr were all busts in Week One, while Chad Pennington was serviceable. If the Dolphins have a repeat performance this week against the Cardinals, its hard to imagine this offense getting it going at all this year.
Cardinals: Arizona didn't look like world beaters last week in SF, but they did pull out a "W" and the offense put up some nice stats (100 yard rusher, just under 200 yards passing). I expect to the Cardinal offense to really kick it into high gear this week. It'll be open season for Warner against the Dolphins secondary. Look for Warner and Fitzgerald to have BIG games.
Fantasy Factors: Ricky Williams (6), Kurt Warner (10)
Baltimore Ravens vs Houston Texans
Ravens: While I don't expect the Ravens offense to be as effective against the Texans defense as the Steelers were, I do think they should have a pretty easy time running the football. The problem you'll face as a fantasy owner is which back do you pick up? McGahee is healthy again and going to start in Week 2, but probably won't get the workload he would typically get. It'll probably be a 50/50 split between him and Ray Rice, making each of them a risky start.
Texans: Things don't get easier for the NFL's youngest franchise as they get another tough AFC North defense. Matt Schaub looked very uncomfortable last week and while Steve Slaton looked decent in his first NFL game, he's hardly the answer at running back and you don't want a RB against the Ravens anyways. Which means Andre Johnson is once again the lone source of fantasy points from the Texans. Get used to it. It'll be their theme all year.
Fantasy Factors: Willis McGahee (7), Andre Johnson (9)
Pittsburgh Steelers vs Cleveland Browns
Steelers: I don't expect the Steelers to rack up another 30-40 points in this one, but I can't think of one reason why they can't. The Brownies have NOTHING on defense. At least the Texans had a couple stars on defense. Willie Parker should have no problem hitting the century mark again and <gasp> will score another TD or two this week. Ben figures to have another big game as well. Last year, he threw 6 TD's and 1 INT against the Brownies.
Browns: For all the press and attention the Browns offense gets, it didn't do a lot in Week One against the Cowboys. After going 8/11 on the first drive, Anderson didn't complete another pass until the 3rd quarter (0/9). I expect Anderson to be better this year, but not against the Steelers defense. The Browns will fall behind and need to pass the ball a lot, just like the Texans last week.
Fantasy Factors: Willie Parker (9), Kellen Winslow (8)
Philadelphia Eagles vs Dallas Cowboys
Eagles: Despite not having a playmaking receiver, Donovan McNabb still threw for over 300 yards and 3 TD's. Okay, so it was against the Rams, nevertheless, it was still impressive. The Eagles face a much tougher test this week in Dallas. Westbrook will be relied on heavily in this one.
Cowboys: After decimating the Browns in Week One, the Cowboys are ready to entertain the hometown fans on Monday Night Football. Marion Barber left last week's game with bruised ribs, but is expected to be fine by Monday. Tony Romo had an awful game last year at home against these same Eagles, but that was the infamous "Jessica Simpson game". Hopefully his mind will be on football this time.
Fantasy Factors: Brian Westbrook (8), Marion Barber (9)
Sep 11 2008
My feelings on the upcoming NHL season
I just kept asking myself when is it going to get here. It always seemed so far away and never getting any closer. Then all of a sudden hockey season is upon us and it's time to start brushing up on who to pick for your fantasy hockey team. This is my favorite and my most successful of all the fantasy games. I started playing in 1998 and I've never finished lower than 2nd in draft leagues. If you need help with your hockey team, there will be plenty of fantasy hockey info throughout the season here on the Fantasy Factor.
Starting next week, I will be posting the postion previews and display rankings of the NHL's top players. Of course, if you're draft is before the previews come out and have a question about someone, leave me a comment or send me a message.
WE WILL NEVER FORGET 9/11
Sep 09 2008
One of the best things about fantasy football, and really all sports in general, are the unpredictable twists and turns. The ups and downs of each season. By the end of it, you feel like you spent the last 4 months riding the Steel Phantom non-stop. This week had it fair share of surprise, but none more surprising than this... Tom Brady injured in the first half of the first game of the season and lost for the year. Wow! Didn't see that coming. Then again, with all the "success" the Patriots have had over the last seven years, some backlash was bound to happen and boy did it ever. Brady's injury not only cripples the Patriots, but its devastating for fantasy owners. The only screams louder than Bradys' on Sunday were those coming from his owners. In most leagues, Brady was a first round draft pick. As someone that has had first round pick misfortune, let me tell you, its extremely difficult to come back from. You're counting on your first rounder to be one of your top three players on your team. You're not going to pick up someone off waivers to fill that gap. This is when you hope you picked a good backup QB because let's face it, picking up Brady's backup, Matt Cassel off waivers isn't going to do you any favors. In addition to Brady owners getting hit hard, Randy Moss and Wes Welker owners will suffer now as well. Moss proved in his years in Oakland that he needs a QB to be successful and Welker may revert back to his old form of when he was with the Dolphins. Many fantasy teams are going to suffer from this injury, but let's not forget, it is only Week One. There's a long way to go. I've always said "there's a gold mine out there on the waiver wire, you just have to know the real gold from the fools gold". Find a QB that has a stretch of games with favorable matchups, make a trade, pay close attention to WR's and RB's that could become starters due to injuries or are just playing better. Plus, you have the best fantasy sports blogger in Pittsburgh willing to help you fight to salvage your damaged team. I will fight to help you become a force in your league. I will fight to get you into the playoffs where anything can happen. Stand up and fight. Nothing is inevitable here. We’re sports fans and we never give up. We never quit.
Thank You and God Bless America. I'm Nick Fruscello and I approve this blog post.
(Photo by Winslow Townson / AP)
Fantasy Stars:
Michael Turner - Now that he's out from under the shadow of LT, Turner was ready to spread his wings and fly and he did just that in Week One aganist the defensively challenged Detroit Lions. Turner ran for 226 yards and 2 TD's in his Falcons debut. To be able to do that, at this level, is impressive, but I wouldn't go trading away my team for him now. Turner's backup, Jerious Norwood ran for 93 yards and a TD himself, which to me, shows that Turner's success had more to do with the Lions inability to stop the run, than his talent. He'll get a much tougher test next week in Tampa Bay. But for you salary cappers out there, Turner does play KC at home in Week Three. Just a little something to keep in mind.
(Photo by Dave Martin / AP)
Willie Parker - For at least one game, Fast Willie looked more like his did in 2006 when he jumped into the end zone 13 times. I don't expect to see Willie score 3 TD's every game, after all it was the Texans, but this is a very positive sign for his owners for this year. It was good to see Parker score his first TD by sprinting to the pylon and out running everyone else like a certain fantasy sports guy has been calling for since last year.
Marion Barber - Before leaving the game with bruised ribs, Marion Barber was smashing Brownies like Grave Digger at a monster truck rally. He punched in his first two TD's of the year in the first half and finished with 80 yards rushing, 101 total. X-Rays on his bruised ribs were negative and should be able to suit up for next Sunday at home against the Eagles.
Donovan McNabb - It was only the Rams, but McNabb looked like an MVP on Sunday with 361 yards passing and 3 TD's to lead all fantasy QB's this week. Considering the Eagles don't really have a threat at the receiver position that says a lot about McNabb... or the Rams defense.
Drew Brees - The pass happy Saints stuck to their guns and Brees had a big first game against the Bucs tough defense. Brees racked up 343 yards and 3 TD's. This is probably the toughest test they'll face before playing Minnesota next month. Expect more of the same in the coming weeks.
Philip Rivers - Even though the Chargers season started with a thud, Philip Rivers showed a little bit of what I expect from him this season. Rivers hooked up with Chambers, Jackson and Gates each for TD's. The Chargers get the Broncos, Jets, Raiders and Dolphins on their schedule next. Rivers should keep it going for a while.
Chris Johnson - The rookie from East Carolina took a big step towards winning a spot in the starting lineup Sunday. Both he and White carried the ball 15 times. White gained 40 yards while Johnson ran for 93. Johnson also caught three passes for 34 yards and scored a TD. Johnson looks ready to be the man now, so if he's available in your league, pick him up now.
Fantasy Flops:
Carson Palmer - Mr Overrated 2007 has gotten off to a great start in defending his title and is a front runner yet again to win this award after his dismal performance against the Ravens. 10/25 for 99 yards and 1 INT. Seriously? Ravens QB, Joe Flacco, who was playing for a division II school at this time last year looked better in his first NFL start.
Chris Perry - Sticking with the Bungles, the Chris Perry bandwagon lost a wheel, rolled off the road, crashed into a tree and exploded Sunday. The "hot pickup" ran for 37 yards on 18 carries and lost a fumble. In other news, Kenny Watson ran for 13 yards on just two carries. I think its safe to say that Marvin Lewis is trying to get fired.
Steven Jackson - This is just one of many examples as to why its important to get that contract stuff out of the way in the off season and be ready to play when pre season starts. No-Action Jackson produced 74 total yards as his team got whooped 38-3. But what's really important is that Steven is happy with his new contract, not the performance of the team.
Ronnie Brown / Ricky Williams / Ted Ginn Jr - Are the Jets that good on defense or are the Dolphins that disorganized on offense? There was a lot of talk about which back would get more carries. It didn't matter. Brown and Williams ran for a combined 47 yards. Ted Ginn Jr who looked really good in pre season disappeared in this contest catching 2 passes for 17 yards.
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