The Fantasy Factor

Fantasy Hockey Notes 11/03/2009

Nick Fruscello — Tue, 03 Nov 2009 14:12:00 GMT

- Don't look now, but the Flyers suddenly have even more good young talent. James van Riemsdyk and David Laliberte are playing on the top line with Jeff Carter and looking very impressive. While Laliberte has only played in two games, he has three points (2 goals) while highly touted winger van Riemsdyk has 2 goals and 11 assists in 10 games. Its too early to tell if these two will continue this hot streak throughout the season, but odds are they're both on the waiver wire right now and both will get considerable playing time while Simon Gagne is out. Gagne is expected to remain out of the lineup till January.

(Photo by AP)

- First Evgeni Malkin, now Alexander Ovechkin. The best hockey player in the world is not day to day, but week to week due to an upper body injury. The Caps are being pretty secretive about this injury, which is never good.

- Predators defenseman Shea Weber will be out of the lineup for the next week or two with a foot injury. Weber is currently leading the Preds in goals and this comes as a big hit for a team struggling to find offense.

- As the saying goes, when it rains, it pours. Jonathan Ericsson, Niklas Kronwall and Brian Rafalski all sat out practice on Monday due to the flu. The next two Wings games are at the Joe, but against Boston and then the Sharks on Thursday.

- Mike Modano returned to practice and is expected to play on Wednesday. Jere Lehtinen also returned and is expected to play on the Stars top line tomorrow.

- Senators center Jason Spezza is doubtful to play against the Lightning on Thursday. The first line center has been dealing with an upper body injury and has missed two games already because of it. If you're looking for a suitable replacement, you won't have to look far as Mike Fisher has been filling in admirably. Fisher has 3 goals and 4 assists in his last 6 games.

- The Kings top line of Anze Kopitar, Ryan Smyth and Justin Williams continued to roll last night in Phoenix. They factored in on 4 of the 5 goals in their 5-3 win.

- The Lightning has shaken up their lines a bit moving Vincent Lecavalier to the second line with Drew Miller and Stephane Veilleux, while Martin St Louis and Steven Stamkos have been reunited. Alex Tanguay has also been moved back down to the third line. Call me crazy, but putting your franchise center on a line by himself and moving Tanguay to the third line isn't a good way to get them going.

- Blues forward Andy McDonald crashed hard into the boards this weekend going head first. It looked pretty serious but McDonald is saying he's okay. No word on how much time, if any, he'll miss.

2009 Week Eight Wrap Up

Nick Fruscello — Mon, 02 Nov 2009 13:46:00 GMT

Stars

Chris Johnson - For the second time this year, Johnson racks up over 200 total yards and for the second time, he gets the first star for the week. Johnson ran for 228 yards and 2 TDs including an 89 yarder in the 4th quarter. The Titans have a pretty favorable schedule the rest of the way, so it wouldn't surprise me to see Johnson up here a third time.

Ryan Moats - Yep, you read it right. Ryan Moats. Some people didn't even know he existed until this week. The Texans third string running back came out of nowhere and rushed for 126 yards and 3 TDs against the hapless Bills. He'll be the hot waiver wire pickup of the week, but it'll be interesting to see if he stays the starter over Steve Slaton.

Maurice Jones-Drew - MJD only carried the ball 8 times in this game, but came away with 177 yards and 2 TDs. Both of his TDs were for long runs of 80 and 79 yards. Next week he'll be up against the KC Chiefs. Let the good times roll!

Brett Favre - In his return to Green Bay, Favre played like Lambeau field was the fountain of youth. He looked like he did in his prime throwing for 244 yards and 4 TDs in the Vikings 38-26 win.

Reggie Wayne - Turning in his best performance of the season, Wayne caught 12 passes for 147 yards and TD pass from Joseph Addai. So much for that groin injury slowing him up.

Stumblers

Steve Slaton - Where there's a fantasy surprise, you won't have to look far for a fantasy disappointment. Slaton was benched after his first carry when he fumbled. It was his 7th lost fumble of the year and it was enough to give him the hook. With Ryan Moats running far better than Slaton has all year, will his role change? For Slaton owners, this is a nightmare. Not only did he let you down in a big way this week against a soft opponent, his job is in jeopardy.

Donnie Avery - Its no secret, the Lions are terrible against the pass... and the run... and in pretty much every aspect of the game. Avery had just one catch for 15 yards. One catch against Jacksonville two weeks ago, one catch this week in Detroit... I think its time to give up on Donnie if you haven't already.

Wildcat Offense - Last time these two met up, the Wildcat went wild on the Jets defense. This week, Rex Ryan showed that his defense learned a thing or two from their previous encounter. The best rushing team in the league ran for just 52 yards and neither Ronnie Brown nor Ricky Williams scored a TD.

Kurt Warner - The Cardinals and the Panthers got together yesterday and did a little reenactment of their playoff game from last January except this time Arizona played the part of the Panthers and Kurt Warner did his best Jake Delhomme impression. Warner turned the ball over 6 times (5 INT, 1 lost fumble) as the Cardinals were dominated at home 34-21.

JaMarcus Russell - Just when you thought the worst QB in the league couldn't get any worse... Russell threw for only 109 yards, an INT, fumbled, was sacked 5 times and threw for an average of 5 yards per completion. You haven't heard the best part yet... after the game Russell said he "did a pretty good job". He barely threw for over 100 yards. His QB rating was 56.8 He was picked off and fumbled. What part of that is "pretty good"? The only way he could be worse would be if he literally handed the ball to the defense and started blocking for them.

Fantasy Football 2009: Week Eight

Nick Fruscello — Fri, 30 Oct 2009 16:00:00 GMT

Denver Broncos vs Baltimore Ravens

Broncos: The Ravens defense isn't what it used to be. While I don't expect Knowshon Moreno to run all over them, I do expect Kyle Orton and Brandon Marshall to hook up often.

Ravens: Sitting at 3-3 and playing the undefeated Broncos, the Ravens will hit their panic button aka Ray Rice very often. Another 200 total yard performance is doable this weekend

Fantasy Factors: Brandon Marshall (8), Ray Rice (9)

Houston Texans vs Buffalo Bills

Texans: With all the injury problems the Bills have had on defense lately, this should be easy pickens for Schaub, Slaton and Johnson. Johnson was unquestionable earlier in the week, but he'll be fine to play.

Bills: Its not a big improvement, but at least one of the WRs on the Bills now is being productive. Ryan Fitzpatrick and Lee Evans hooked up a couple times last week against the Panthers showing that the Bills passing game is still has a faint heartbeat. The Texans improved run defense will be tested again this week when they get Marshawn Lynch.

Fantasy Factors: Matt Schaub (9), Marshawn Lynch (7)

Cleveland Browns vs Chicago Bears

Browns: The Bears pass defense has been weak this season, but I don't think Derek Anderson is the kind of guy that can take advantage of something like that.

Bears: This game should be known as Matt Forte's last chance. If he can't make it work at home against the Browns, its never going to happen this season. If Forte struggles, expect a 400 yard passing game from Jay Cutler. After the pounding they got in Cincy, they'll have no mercy for the Browns.

Fantasy Factors: Derek Anderson (5), Jay Cutler (10)

Seattle Seahawks vs Dallas Cowboys

Seahawks: The good news is the Cowboys pass defense is weak. The bad news is the Seattle offensive line couldn't protect Matt Hasselbeck from a pack of 1st graders, much less the Cowboys defensive line that beat the bejesus out of him last season. If they can't protect him, TJ Houshmandzadeh should see plenty of short passes.

Cowboys: This offense is just now starting to hit its stride with WR Austin Miles exploding. Seattle's defense is vulnerable in many ways, but one thing is for sure, Romo to Miles will happen very frequently.

Fantasy Factors: Matt Hasselbeck (7), Tony Romo (9)

St. Louis Rams vs Detroit Lions

Rams: If the Rams are going to win a game this year, it'll be this weekend against the Lions. This is the game Steven Jackson owners have been waiting for and the game that it wouldn't be a bad idea to take a chance on Marc Bulger and Donnie Avery.

Lions: Matthew Stafford is expected to be back, we're still not sure about Calvin Johnson. The Rams defense isn't anything special so getting Lions players in your lineup isn't a bad thing for a change.

Fantasy Factors: Steven Jackson (9), Kevin Smith (7)

San Francisco 49ers vs Indianapolis Colts

49ers: The Niners have a new QB and its one that should have taken over years ago, Alex Smith. The golden boy made a successful return to the lineup last week, throwing 3 TDs against the Texans. It won't be that easy this week in Indy though. Frank Gore should be a solid play against a Colts defense that is still struggling against the run.

Colts: After failing to pass for 300+ yards in a game last week, the Peyton Manning should be back on track this week although Reggie Wayne is dealing with an strained groin and could possibly not be available. This could mean big things for guys like Dallas Clark, Pierre Garcon and Austin Collie. Also, Donald Brown will be out, leaving all the RB duties to Joseph Addai.

Fantasy Factors: Frank Gore (7), Peyton Manning (8)

Miami Dolphins vs New York Jets

Dolphins: Last time the Phins played the Jets, Ronnie Brown the Wildcat a ton and ran for 74 yards and 2 TDs in rout to a 31-27 win. We should see plenty more of the Wildcat this weekend and the Jets will be without run stopper Kris Jenkins.

Jets: It was only 3 weeks ago these two teams met up in Miami, but since then Mark Sanchez has thrown 5 INT and just 1 TD. The Dolphins secondary isn't great, but Sanchez isn't playing well enough to beat anyone. The running game has been carrying this team. Thomas Jones and Shonn Greene should see plenty of carries, however Miami has one of the tougher run defenses.

Fantasy Factors: Ronnie Brown (9), Thomas Jones (6)

New York Giants vs Philadelphia Eagles

Giants: The G-Men will attempt to halt their losing streak in Philly with the division on the line. Eli Manning has been awful the last couple weeks and he'll have a tough time getting back on track. With Ahmad Bradshaw injured (but still playing), Brandon Jacobs should see plenty of carries.

Eagles: The Giants are susceptible to the deep ball and DeSean Jackson is 100%, however Donovan McNabb has been in a bit of a slump lately and this will be a tough matchup to break out of it. Brian Westbrook will be out and LeSean McCoy will get all of the carries.

Fantasy Factors: Brandon Jacobs (7), DeSean Jackson (8)

Oakland Raiders vs San Diego Chargers

Raiders: Back in Week One, the Raiders pushed around the Chargers and nearly won. This week, won't be anything like that one. The Raiders o-line isn't what it was back then, but the Chargers defense isn't what it used to be either. Justin Fargas will see a lot of carries and get around 100 yards.

Chargers: LT keeps saying he wants to prove himself again, but rushing for just 71 yards on 23 carries against the Chiefs isn't the way to do it. The Raiders defense is awful against the run, but LT hasn't proven he can take advantage. The bulk of the offense this week will come on the arm of Philip Rivers.

Fantasy Factors: Justin Fargas (7), Philip Rivers (9)

Jacksonville Jaguars vs Tennessee Titans

Jaguars: Maurice Jones-Drew turned in a clunker last time these two met and the Jags still won big on the arm of David Garrard. Until the Titans secondary can slow people down, even mediocre QB's like Garrard will light them up.

Titans: So Vince Young is finally the Titans QB again. It was really only a matter of time. Not having seen VY play in awhile is somewhat a cause for concern, however this is a soft pass defense and don't forget Young loves to run the ball too. It could be the rebirth of VY's career... or just another bad move by the winless Titans.

Fantasy Factors: David Garrard (8), Chris Johnson (8)

Minnesota Vikings vs Green Bay Packers

Vikings: Its the day Brett Favre has been dreaming about for months (maybe years). Its the day he goes into Lambeau field as the visitor. Favre destroyed the Pack in this first encounter. There's little reason to think he won't do it again. He's developed a strong chemistry with Sidney Rice and Percy Harvin and the running game looks as strong as ever.

Packers: Aaron Rodgers may do a lot of memorable things in his career, but in the eyes of Packers fans nothing will be bigger than having him beat Favre in Green Bay. The Vikings secondary is in shambles right now and if their tattered offensive line can keep Vikings defenders off his back, we'll have ourselves a heck of a shootout.

Fantasy Factors: Brett Favre (8), Aaron Rodgers (7)

Carolina Panthers vs Arizona Cardinals

Panthers: When turnovers are becoming a problem big enough to cause you to lose to the Bills, there's a problem. Only DeAngelo Williams should be considered when thinking about Panthers fantasy options and even that is sketchy this week as the Cards have the leagues' best run defense.

Cardinals: While the Panthers will have trouble doing what they do best, the Cards will have a similar problem as the Panthers have the NFL's best pass defense. I don't think that should cause anyone to shy away from Cardinals players this week though. The Panthers couldn't stop Larry Fitzgerald in the playoffs last year in Carolina, why would now be any different?

Fantasy Factors: DeAngelo Williams (6), Larry Fitzgerald (9)

Atlanta Falcons vs New Orleans Saints

Falcons: The Falcons have been playing great this year, but they showed some chinks in their armor last week in Dallas and this week they'll be in hostile territory on Monday Night Football. I'm not expecting a big game from Ryan or Turner, but they won't turn in clunkers either.

Saints: The unbeaten Saints, at home, on national television, its hard to imagine them losing this game. The Saints offense can crave up good defenses, just imagine what they'll do to the Falcons.

Fantasy Factors: Michael Turner (7), Drew Brees (10)

Bye Week: Cincinnati Bengals, Kansas City Chiefs, New England Patriots, Pittsburgh Steelers, Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Washington Redskins

Fantasy Football Notes 10/28/2009

Nick Fruscello — Wed, 28 Oct 2009 16:00:00 GMT

- For those of you that are hoping that Larry Johnson will someday return to being an elite RB in the NFL, he's not going to do it with the Kansas City Chiefs. After blasting the coach, fans and media Johnson has been told to stay away from all team activities. If I was a betting man, I would bet that LJ has played his last game with the Chiefs, if not the entire league. He'll hit the dreaded 30 years old mark next month, he's a disruption in the locker room, he's overpaid, and he's had some absolutely brutal performances over the past couple years (7 rushes for 2 yards against the Panthers and 21 rushes for 37 yards against Dallas to just name a couple). Backup Jamaal Charles will take over and should see plenty of touches which will skyrocket his fantasy value, but remember he's still on the Chiefs.

- Jets speedster Leon Washington will be out for the remainder of the season with a compound fracture of his right leg. This injury, however, will not increase Thomas Jones' workload as 3rd round pick Shonn Greene proved last week that he's more than capable of picking up the slack left by Washington.

- Thanks to Titans' owner Bud Adams, Jeff Fisher has a QB controversy on his hands. Adams told the Tennessean that he wants Vince Young to start now. I can't blame him. He's paying VY a ton of money to sit on the bench, meanwhile the team is 0-6 behind "never was" Kerry Collins.

- Redskins TE Chris Cooley had ankle surgery and could return in 4 weeks. Not bad for a guy that was looking like he might be gone for the season.

- Joseph Addai owners, this is the break you've been looking for. Donald Brown is expected to miss the next 2-3 weeks with a shoulder contusion. The Colts have the 49ers, Texans and Patriots all at home during that time.

- Despite dealing with a concussion, Brian Westbrook has not yet been ruled out of his matchup against the Giants this Sunday. I wouldn't count on him playing however. The doctors are saying it doesn't look good and concussions are something you don't mess around with.

- Lions rookie QB Matthew Stafford looks as though he'll start Sunday against the Rams. The same cannot be said for Calvin Johnson who is still missing practice.

- Andre Johnson and his owners can briefs a sigh of relief as it appears as though he'll play this week. Johnson was suffering from a bruised lung, but he is said to be feeling much better now.

- 49ers right tackle Tony Pashos was placed on injury reserve and will be done for the season. This is bad news for Frank Gore owners. While Pashos isn't exactly a pro bowl caliber tackle, he is considerably better than what they have now.

- Anquan Boldin is expected to play this weekend against the Panthers. His injury didn't keep him off the field last Sunday and he's increasing his workload in practice now.

FF Hockey League Trade 10/27/2009

Nick Fruscello — Tue, 27 Oct 2009 11:00:00 GMT

Xtreme Machine acquires Ryan Getzlaf and Nikolai Khabibulin:
Before the Dany Heatley trade, I had Ryan Getzlaf ranked in my top 5 forwards. Seeing him get off to a slow start was just what I needed to make a "Buy Low" offer. Getzlaf got off to a slow start last year as well, but caught on fire the rest of the way and with the improved offense in Anaheim, I'm expecting a 100 point season. Along with Getzlaf, I get a replacement for Backstrom, Nikolai Khabibulin. Edmonton has a lousy defense and Khabby will see a lot of rubber, but that can end up being a good thing in fantasy if he stops most of them. The Oilers have a much better offense than Minnesota, so he'll get plenty of goal support and that should translate into more wins.

Mark Bell's Sponsor acquires Andy McDonald and Niklas Backstrom:
Andy McDonald is a first line center for the St Louis Blues. He has a nice shot, great play making skills and a pretty good linemates. He won't rack up a ton of PIM and playing for the Blues, his plus/minus will be down, but he really excels on the powerplay and takes a lot of shots. Last year, Backstrom was one of the best goalies in fantasy hockey. However, this year the Wild have changed their system and have moved away from a defensive style to more of an up-tempo one. As a result, the Wild are giving up more scoring chances than Backstrom is used to seeing, but so far he's been up to the task.

Trade Analysis:
On my team's goaltending depth chart, Craig Anderson moved ahead of Niklas Backstrom with his strong play, so I didn't really see a reason to keep him around and I knew I could get a nice return for a goalie like Backstrom. So originally I offered Backstrom for Ryan Getzlaf straight up. MBS countered with this trade. I really didn't like trading away Andy McDonald, but I figured, I would rather have Getzlaf than McDonald and I was already set on trading Backstrom. In some ways I feel like I overpaid for Getzalf, but in other ways, I feel like I upgraded my team by trading away depth for a guy I would've drafted in the first round had I picked late in the draft. Right now, I have Crosby, Heatley and Getzlaf and in my opinion, all three are first rounders. The addition of Nikolai Khabibulin was just a bonus. If Khabibulin has a solid season, that may tip the scales of this trade in my favor.

For MBS, this gives him two solid options at goaltending and a forward that when at his best, posts number very similar to Getzlaf's. If the Wild can start scoring some goals for Backstrom, he will once again be one of the top fantasy goalies in the game. As for McDonald, I think as long as he stays healthy, he'll have a 25-30 goal season with 50-60 assists easily.

Now I'll turn it over to the Fantasy Factor jury. I know the Moe Masher's (my brother) thinks it was a "rip off" in my favor as he's stated in the league forum. What do you guys think?

2009 Week Seven Wrap Up

Nick Fruscello — Mon, 26 Oct 2009 11:57:00 GMT

Stars
Carson Palmer - Its been well documented that I don't like Carson Palmer. I've dubbed his as "Captain Overrated" and I think everything he does gets overblown to make people think the Bengals are good. However, this week I must say he was the top star in fantasy football. He was nearly perfect passing completing 20 of 24 passes, for 233 yards and a whopping 5 TD passes against the Bears.

(Photo by Getty Images)

Ricky Williams - Of all the RBs in football, who do you think would have the best fantasy week? I bet it would be awhile before you said Ricky Williams, but that was the case yesterday. The former Saints first rounder ran the ball 9 times for 80 yards and scored 3 TDs.

Miles Austin - The "Romo"-ance between QB Tony Romo and receiver Miles Austin continued to flourish. Romo connected with Austin 6 times for 171 yards and 2 TDs. Next week, they take on Seattle.

Vernon Davis - Yesterday morning, I watched ESPN's Fantasy Football NOW show and they experts on the show must have said at least a half dozen times, "Do not play Vernon Davis against the Texas!" Davis caught 7 passes for 93 yards and 3 TDs. Whooops!

Steelers D/ST - Pittsburgh's defense has been catching a lot of flack this year for softening up at the end of games. This week, was not the case. The Steelers defense scored two TDs in the final 6 minutes of the game to give the Steelers the thrilling 27-17 win over the unbeaten Vikings. This is a defense that should NEVER be benched no matter who they play. Every week, they come up with big plays and earn you plenty of fantasy points.

Stumblers

Frank Gore - Gore's return to the Niners lineup was less than memorable. Against a soft Texans run defense, Gore only ran for 32 yards on 13 carries and failed to score a TD.

Eli Manning - Another week, another QB that fails to take advantage of one of the league's worst pass defenses. While the Yankees were clinching a spot in the World Series, the football team in NY was watching their franchise QB get picked off 3 times in a 24-17 loss to the Cardinals.

Lance Moore - After breaking out against the Giants last week, Moore barely factored in the Saints 46-34 win over the Dolphins. Moore caught just two passes for 18 yards.

Matt Forte - I think at this point, its official... Matt Forte is in a sophomore slump. For the third time this year he's failed to rush for more than 30 yards and has just one TD. Next week, the Bears play the Browns. If he's in the Stumblers section again, its time to do the unthinkable and drop him because its not going to get any easier than Cleveland.

Oakland Raiders offense - Shut out, franchise QB benched, couldn't even get close enough to ATTEMPT a field goal... the only way they could be worse would be if they started doing quick kicks on 1st down..

Fantasy Football 2009: Week Seven

Nick Fruscello — Fri, 23 Oct 2009 15:28:00 GMT

Green Bay Packers vs Cleveland Browns

Packers: Last week, it was the Lions. This week, it'll be the Brownies. Aaron Rodgers, Ryan Grant, Greg Jennings and even the Packers D/ST are ready to roll in Cleveland.

Browns: At least the Browns are getting creative on offense, using Josh Cribbs in the Wildcat offense is interesting and may give Cribbs some fantasy value down the line, but not this week.

Fantasy Factors: Aaron Rodgers (9), Josh Cribbs (6)

San Francisco 49ers vs Houston Texans

49ers: The Niners get their battering ram back with Frank Gore. The Texans have been bad against the run this year and their small front four could get manhandled by San Fran's big o-line.

Texans: The Niners defense was gashed two weeks ago by the Falcons. The Texans offense shouldn't be any different. Andre Johnson will have a tough matchup with Nate Clements, but he'll still get plenty of passes his way and if not, Slaton, Walter and Daniels will go wild.

Fantasy Factors: Frank Gore (9), Matt Schaub (8)

San Diego Chargers vs Kansas City Chiefs

Chargers: San Diego is in trouble and they need to win. LT is mad that he's not getting the ball. None of this is good news for the Chiefs who eeked out their first win of the season last week. LT should see plenty of carries and have around 100 yards this week, but Philip Rivers will be their most deadly weapon.

Chiefs: Larry Johnson showed some signs of life last week against the Redskins and could have another fine day against a Chargers defense that's allowing an average of 141 yards on the ground. I wouldn't get too excited though, every time he looks like he's making a comeback, he disappoints.

Fantasy Factors: Philip Rivers (9), Larry Johnson (7)

Minnesota Vikings vs Pittsburgh Steelers

Vikings: This will be a big test for the Vikes. They proved that they could run against the Ravens last week, but I don't see them repeating that success against the Steelers in Pittsburgh. Once again, Minnesota will have to rely on Favre for the offense. The Steelers have been having trouble getting pressure on the QB this year and against this offensive line, it'll be even tougher. 40 years old or not, if Favre gets time he'll have a big day.

Steelers: The Vikings defense hasn't been as tough this year as it was last and the Steelers should have some success on the ground, but Pittsburgh should just keep going with what works, passing. Ben Roethlisberger is looking at another 300+ yard game. That is as long as he can avoid the Vikings relentless pass rush.

Fantasy Factors: Brett Favre (8), Ben Roethlisberger (9)

Indianapolis Colts vs St. Louis Rams

Colts: Coming out of the bye week fresh and ready for the second half, the Colts should have no problem steamrolling the Rams. Peyton Manning will have no problem passing for over 300 yards for his 6th straight game.

Rams: The team is hoping that Donnie Avery's injury isn't too serious and that he'll play this Sunday. If not, Steven Jackson should have another big day both rushing and receiving. Jackson led the team in receptions last week in their loss to Jacksonville.

Fantasy Factors: Peyton Manning (10), Steven Jackson (7)

New England Patriots vs Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Patriots: If you thought what the Patriots did to the Titans last week was bad, wait till you see what they have in store for the Bucs this week. Brady, Moss and Welker will all have huge days while decimating the Bucs secondary. How is it that the Patriots get two winless teams in a row?

Buccaneers: They're 0-6 and showing no signs of hope. Their goal for this Sunday should be to keep the Patriots under 60 points. If they do that, it'll be the only victory of the year... a moral one.

Fantasy Factors: Tom Brady (10)

Buffalo Bills vs Carolina Panthers

Bills: Their may actually be some hope for Terrell Owens this week as the Bills have switched quarterbacks. Now granted Ryan Fitzpatrick probably isn't what TO had in mind, but anyone has to be better than Trent Edwards. Unfortunately, the Panthers are really good against the pass and really good in general at home.

Panthers: DeAngelo Williams returned to his '08 form last week against the Bucs and should keep it rolling against a Bills team that gave up 318 yards on the ground last week to the Jets. Williams and Jonathan Stewart are both strong plays.

Fantasy Factors: Marshawn Lynch (7), DeAngelo Williams (10)

New York Jets vs Oakland Raiders

Jets: Last week they ran for over 300 yards and lost because Mark Sanchez didn't understand he's not supposed to give the ball to the guys in the other jerseys. This week, he'll be handing off to Thomas Jones and Leon Washington and seeing similar results. Now if he just stops himself from "sharing" with the other team...

Raiders: Coming off what will probably be their biggest win of the year, the Raiders will get the first crack at playing a full game against a Jets defense that is significantly weaker against the run than it was at this time last week with the injury to Kris Jenkins. Justin Fargas, you're up!

Fantasy Factors: Thomas Jones (9), Justin Fargas (7)

Chicago Bears vs Cincinnati Bengals

Bears: During the bye week, the Bears said they wanted to throw to the TE more often. Last week, they threw 8 passes to their TEs. The Bengals were killed last week by Owen Daniels and the week before by Todd Heap. Cmon guys, do I have to draw you a diagram? The Bengals have also lost their top pass rusher, so Jay Cutler will have all day to pick this defense apart.

Bengals: Its funny how everything changes in one week. The Bengals were in first place and an "up and coming" team. They lose to the Texans and they're the Bungles again. Cedric Benson will be running extra hard for this one and is probably their best option this week.

Fantasy Factors: Jay Cutler (8), Cedric Benson (7)

Atlanta Falcons vs Dallas Cowboys

Falcons: They're proving that last year wasn't a fluke, but now they have a tough couple of games coming up. This week they'll get a rested Cowboys team that has been preparing for them for two weeks. Next week they have a first place showdown with the Saints. Dallas hasn't been good against the run or the pass this season so it'll be interesting to see what they do.

Cowboys: Injured receiver Roy Williams is back to 100% percent, but Tony Romo may have found a new favorite WR in Miles Austin. As I mentioned in my notes earlier this week, Marion Barber is still the starter, but Tashard Choice should see an increase in touches as the coaching staff has been impressed with his explosiveness.

Fantasy Factors: Matt Ryan (7), Tony Romo (8)

New Orleans Saints vs Miami Dolphins

Saints: Sitting at 5-0, they head to the city with the only undefeated team in league history. The Phins have been a little soft against the pass this year and after this Sunday, they'll look really vulnerable against the pass. Brees and company will have another all out aerial assault as long as they don't get caught looking back or ahead.

Dolphins: If the Dolphins are going to be successful, they'll need to keep Drew Brees off the field. To do that, they'll need to run the football. With Chad Pennington gone for the season, they're relying on Ronnie Brown a lot and will have him running the Wildcat a lot more than usual.

Fantasy Factors: Drew Brees (9), Ronnie Brown (8)

Arizona Cardinals vs New York Giants

Cardinals: Kurt Warner will need to get some tips from Drew Brees on how he sliced and diced the NY secondary last week and he'll most likely have to do it without Anquan Boldin, who is a game time decision, but if he's that bad, how effective will he be. This will be a Larry Fitzgerald game.

Giants: With the exception of last week, the Cards have been awful against the pass. Eli Manning with his young group rising star receivers should be salivating with this matchup.

Fantasy Factors: Larry Fitzgerald (8), Eli Manning (9)

Philadelphia Eagles vs Washington Redskins

Eagles: The media is on Donovan McNabb's back again after his loss to the Raiders last week. How many times have we seen this before? McNabb has a bad game, media says McNabb stinks, he comes out the next week and lights the world on fire. As long as Michael Vick doesn't steal red zone plays from him, he'll be an "MVP candidate" again after this one.

Redskins: The Redskins have been very sketchy this year having lost games to the Lions and Chiefs. I don't see things getting much easier or any better. The offense is a disaster right now. Portis is playing like he's hurt, Campbell isn't playing like a starter and the receivers simply are not making many plays.

Fantasy Factors: Donovan McNabb (8), Clinton Portis (6)

Bye Week: Denver Broncos, Detroit Lions, Tennessee Titans, Seattle Seahawks, Jacksonville Jaguars, Baltimore Ravens

Fantasy Football Notes 10/22/2009

Nick Fruscello — Thu, 22 Oct 2009 11:00:00 GMT

- The Jets D/ST were dealt a heavy blow this weekend when they heard that DT Kris Jenkins will miss the remainder of the season. The Jets now have a huge hole in the middle of their defensive line and that doesn't bode well for them with Miami, Jacksonville and Carolina on the schedule soon.

(Photo by AP)

- Cardinals receiver Anquan Boldin is questionable for the Sunday night showdown against the Giants. Boldin is dealing with a sprained right ankle and its unclear just how quickly it will heal. Q is a tough guy and all, but he really shouldn't jeopardize his season playing on it.

- Donnie Avery of the Rams had an MRI on his hip done this week and the results came back negative. They're not sure if he'll be back this week, but his owners should only care about his availability for next week when they play the Lions.

- The Patriots are not saying much about Sammy Morris and his injured knee, but considering his missed the entire game on Sunday and he's missing practice can only lead me to believe he's out for this week against the Bucs. This gives Laurence Maroney a big opportunity to win the starting role again.

- Despite Marion Barber being back up to speed now, Tashard Choice is expected to get a bigger workload.

- Raiders RB Darren McFadden is expected to be back by Week 9.

- Eddie Royal didn't catch a single pass on MNF, yet came away with 12 fantasy points after returning a kickoff and punt for TDs. As neat as it is to have a receiver that can do that kind of thing for you, you really would like to see him catch a few passes.

- New England has seen enough of Joey Galloway. I kind of expected him to be somewhat of a sleeper this year, but he never really learned the offense and never got in sync with his teammates. While a lot of teams could use his services, up to this point, no one has contacted him.

Fantasy Hockey Notes 10/20/2009

Nick Fruscello — Tue, 20 Oct 2009 11:00:00 GMT

- You know the hockey world is upside down when the Phoenix Coyotes are not only tough to beat, but almost impossible to score against. Ilya Bryzgalov leads the league with a 1.14 GAA, a .953% and is 5-1. He was recently named the NHL's first star of the week. This won't last forever, but if you own Bryzgalov ride it out as long as you can, maybe even do a little bit of selling high.

(Photo by AP)

- Another surprise (sort of) in early part of the season is the play of Craig Anderson of the Avs. I've been a Craig Anderson fan for a couple years now and to me its not really that surprising. He posted a .935% two years ago and a .924% last year, both with the Panthers. This guy has proven he can handle a lot of rubber and is proving it again so far this year with a 6-1 record to go along with his 2.09 GAA and .935%.

- Staying with goalies, Ty Conklin posted his first shutout of the year against Anaheim on Saturday. How long can this guy split time or be a backup before someone finally gives him the reigns? As good as Chris Mason played for the Blues at the end of last year, Conklin should be their man.

- Probably the hottest line in hockey right now is the Anze Kopitar, Ryan Smyth, Justin Williams line. People that have followed me through from the chat to this blog know that I'm a big fan of Kopitar and have been singing his high praises for years. He's finally on a line that he has some chemistry with and is putting all that raw talent to good use.

- TB Lightning forward Alex Tanguay has been dropped to the third line after getting just one assist in seven games on Vincent Lecavalier's line. I doubt this move will last and they'll try to get him back on the top line again, but ultimately I see him being traded at the deadline at which his value could really rise.

- Speaking of Vinny, he has zero goals in 7 games thus far. Buy low, he'll turn it around at some point.

- Young blueliner Erik Johnson has been moved off the top power play unit for the Blues. Its still pretty early in the season so this move could be just to see how well the others do in that spot.

- We have a possible goaltending controversy in Chicago right now. Cristobal Huet is playing about as good (or bad) as we thought he would opening the door for rookie Antti Niemi. Niemi has drastically outperformed Huet to this point and if it continues, the Hawks will once again have their $5 mil goalie riding the pine.

- Its still really early to tell, but Scott Clemmensen looked good in his first game with the Panthers and Tomas Vokoun is looking at a timeshare already. If Clemmensen plays as well as he did last year with NJ, he'll get the majority of the starts.

- Bruins forward Milan Lucic has been placed on long term IR with a broken finger.

- I don't know what's going on with Wojtek Wolski, but its not good for him or his owners. For the second time this year he was benched by coach Joe Sacco. No reason has been given, but considering he has 7 points in his first 8 games, something has to be very wrong to be getting benched.

- After missing the last two games for Detroit, Pavel Datsyuk should be back in the lineup Thursday against the Coyotes.

- When your star goalie is struggling, you'll look for anything positive. Roberto Luongo gave up just one goal in a 2-1 win on Saturday. Okay, so he only faced 18 shots and it was the Wild. His owners should take whatever they can get out of him right now.

2009 Week Six Wrap Up

Nick Fruscello — Mon, 19 Oct 2009 12:53:00 GMT

Stars
Tom Brady - Everyone on the Stars list this week scored 30+ on a day that was a points fest in fantasy football. In a snow blizzard, Tom Brady racked up 380 passing yards and threw 6 TD passes. Five of those TD passes were in the 2nd quarter. The '07 Brady is back and next week they'll play the Buccaneers.

(Photo by AP)

Maurice Jones-Drew - For awhile it looked as though MJD was going to have another clunker, then he exploded. Jones-Drew finished with 133 yards rushing, 45 yards receiving and 3 TDs. Its a real simple equation for Jacksonville's OC, Jones-Drew + more touches = big points.

Ray Rice - Speaking of more touches leading to big points, Ray Rice had yet another big game yet only touched the ball 20 times (10 rushes, 10 receptions). He made the most of his chances though, rushing for 77 yards and 2 TDs while tacking on 117 receiving yards. He's currently on pace to break 2000 total yards.

Drew Brees - Going up against the vaunted undefeated Giants defense, I don't think anyone was expecting a big game. However at one point I thought to myself, "Geeez, is he going to get 600 yards?" Brees only ended up with 369 yards passing and only 4 TDs. Next week, the Saints head to Miami who has one of the poorer pass defenses in the league.

Randy Moss - With Brady having a big day, you know that Moss did as well. Moss caught 8 passes for 129 yards and 3 TDs in the Patriots rout of the Titans.

Stumblers

Matt Hasselbeck - Going up against the worst pass defense in football, Hasselbeck completed less than half of his passes, barely threw for over 100 yards, got picked off and fumbled. Now granted, his offensive line didn't do him any favors, but its the Cardinals. They were giving up an average of 300 passing yards.

Donnie Avery - After reappearing last week against Minnesota, Avery disappeared this week against Jacksonville. The erratic WR caught just one pass for 17 yards. Fortunately for his owners, it was for a TD.

Mark Sanchez - There's losing a game, giving away a game and then there's what Mark Sanchez did on Sunday. He was 10 for 29 for 119 yards and 5 INTs. He now has 1 TD and 8 INT in his last three games. Yikes

Eagles offense - Last week, they looked like Super Bowl contenders. This week, well... they lost to the Raiders. They're barely a football team. They failed to score a TD and David Akers missed two field goals that was the difference. Its the Raiders guys. Really?

Titans D/ST - 59 points allowed... need I say more?