Fantasy Fallout, Week 12: QBs
Posted by John Paulsen (11/30/2009 @ 9:00 am)
- Vince Young (387 yards, TD) continues to play well. He threw the game-winning TD in the fourth quarter to Kenny Britt.
- Josh Freeman (250 yards, 2 TD) has played well since taking over as the starter. He’s still a rookie, so he’s going to struggle against the better teams, but when he has a nice matchup he’s borderline startable.
- Matt Ryan (15 yards) left the game with a toe injury and was unable to return. Chris Redman (243 yards, 2 TD) played pretty well in his place.
- Ryan Fitzpatrick (246 yards, TD, INT, rush TD) is playing well and showed some wheels on a 31-yard TD scamper in the second quarter.
- Jason Campbell (231 yards, 2 TD, 2 INT, rush TD) had a big fantasy day against the Eagles.
- Matt Hasselbeck (102 yards) had a surprisingly quiet game against a pretty bad Rams secondary.
- Alex Smith (232 yards, 2 TD) had yet another solid fantasy outing. He has had at least two pass TD in four of his six starts this season.
- Brett Favre (392 yards, 3 TD) torched a bad Chicago secondary.
- Kurt Warner was a surprise scratch, and Matt Leinart (220 yards) was rather pedestrian in his place.
Photo from fOTOGLIF
Fantasy Fallout, Week 12: RBs
Posted by John Paulsen (11/30/2009 @ 8:40 am)
- Michael Turner (12 carries, 33 yards) probably should have sat out another week. He was largely ineffective and reinjured the ankle that kept him out last week.
- Fred Jackson (20 touches, 116 yards, 2 TD) dominated the touches in the BUF backfield. Marshawn Lynch (4 touches, 15 yards) was ineffective.
- Rock Cartwright (18 touches, 64 yards) got most of the work, but didn’t do much.
- LeSean McCoy (21 touches, 101 yards) got the lion’s share of the carries for the Eagles, but it was Eldra Buckley who got the goal line work.
- Julius Jones didn’t dress, and Justin Forsett (22 carries, 130 yards, 2 TD) took full advantage. He didn’t catch a pass, however.
- Steven Jackson (28 touches, 116 yards, TD) didn’t practice this week, but that didn’t stop him from having a nice fantasy day.
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Fantasy Fallout, Week 12: WRs
Posted by John Paulsen (11/30/2009 @ 8:20 am)
- Antonio Bryant (3-91-1) is starting to play like his old self. Josh Freeman looks pretty good, so feel free to use Bryant when he has a good matchup.
- Michael Jenkins (7-80) has posted 13-156 over the past two weeks and merits consideration in PPR leagues.
- Terrell Owens (5-96-1) seems to like Ryan Fitzpatrick more than Trent Edwards. Fitzpatrick says he is more willing to throw the ball downfield and let his wideouts make a play.
- Jason Avant (5-94) has posted 17-276-1 over the last three weeks and has filled the void left by Brian Westbrook in the passing game. DeSean Jackson (2-40-1) left the game with a head/neck injury.
- Donnie Avery (4-48-1) had a TD early, but was quiet for much of the day until the Rams went into catch up mode.
- Steve Smith (1-5) had a TD catch that was called back due to lack of control over the ball. He’s never going to be consistent with Jake Delhomme as his QB.
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Fantasy Fallout, Week 12: TEs
Posted by John Paulsen (11/30/2009 @ 8:00 am)
- There weren’t a lot of yards or catches to go around in the Seattle passing game, which is why John Carlson (2-14) posted such an anemic line.
- Dante Rosario (4-62) has 8-102 over the last two weeks. Owners who need a TE (in a PPR league) should give him a look.
- Dallas Clark (9-63-1) had another monster day and has been great all season.
- With Owen Daniels sidelined, neither James Casey (2-17) nor Joel Dreessen (1-14) did enough to warrant a pickup.
- Antonio Gates (7-118-2) had just his second monster day of the season. The first came in Week 4 against the Steelers (9-124-2). He has four TD in two games, and zero in the others.
- Visanthe Shiancoe followed up his 8-78-1 performance in Week 11 with a 5-51-1 outing against the Bears. He is a solid start in most formats.
- Bo Scaife (5-68) put up a decent PPR line, as usual.
Check back in a bit for the WR, RB and QB positions.
Dixon’s only mistake costs Steelers in loss to Ravens
Posted by Anthony Stalter (11/30/2009 @ 12:34 am)

For all intents and purposes, Dennis Dixon only made one mistake on Sunday night but unfortunately for him and the Steelers, that one mistake cost them a potential victory.
Dixon’s interception in overtime set the table for the Ravens to kick a game-winning field goal in a 20-17 victory. The win helped Baltimore improve to 6-5 on the season and kept its playoff hopes alive, while Pittsburgh fell to 6-5 and has now lost three in a row.
Dixon, a third stringer making his first career start, gave the Steelers a chance to win in the second half when he broke off a 24-yard touchdown run early in the fourth quarter. He also threw a 33-yard touchdown pass to Santonio Holmes in the second quarter and had a 31-yard run called back due to a holding call.
But on the possession following his fourth quarter touchdown run, the Ravens converted on a 4th and 5 from their own 46-yard line when Joe Flacco hit Ray Rice on a 44-yard completion. The drive ended in a field goal, which potentially forced overtime with the score tied 7-7.
Take away Dixon’s interception and the Steelers’ offense played pretty good – ultra conservative, but good. It was Pittsburgh’s defense that yielded several big plays, including Rice’s fourth down reception and a 54-yard reception by Mark Clayton late in the second half that set up a 10-yard Derrick Mason touchdown. If the Steelers had limited the big plays, Dixon’s effort would have been enough.
Pittsburgh needs a healthy Troy Polamalu back in the lineup if it has any chance of making another run at a Super Bowl, nevertheless the playoffs. Without him, Pittsburgh’s defense is good but certainly not great, which has been evident the past couple weeks.
Posted in: NFL
Tags: 2009 NFL Week 12, 2009 NFL Week 12 scoreboard, Baltimore Ravens, Dennis Dixon, Dennis Dixon interception vs. Ravens, Joe Flacco, Pittsburgh Steelers, Ravens beat Steelers Week 12, Ravens Steelers Week 12 score recap, Santonio Holmes, Troy Polamalu

Questions for Tiger Woods
Posted by Gerardo Orlando (11/29/2009 @ 9:36 pm)
In a column on Fox Sports, Brooks from SPORTSbyBROOKS.com has a list of 20 questions he’d like answered regarding the bizarre incident. Here’s several of them.
Five days in the somehow-intertwined lives of Tiger Woods, his wife Elin Nordegren and Woods’ alleged mistress Rachel Uchitel have left me with more questions than answers. Twenty, actually.
1. Tiger’s official Web site characterized the incident as a “minor car accident,” yet his wife told police she needed to smash out the back window of his 2009 Escalade in order to rescue him. Does that sound like a “minor car accident”?
2. Why did the Florida Highway Patrol wait 11 1/2 hours to report anything about the incident to the public? The report came, perhaps not coincidentally, after Woods had received treatment and exited an Orlando hospital.
3. If the National Enquirer story of Woods’ alleged affair with Rachel Uchitel is untrue, which Uchitel maintains, why did TMZ.com report that Woods’ wife scratched his face and smashed his SUV in an apparent fit of rage over the Enquirer’s report?
4. Why are Woods and Nordegren stll refusing to formally talk to police about the accident? If you know you’ve been truthful with the police and have nothing to hide, why wait.
When the story of the accident came out, the explanation seemed ridiculous. Today, Tiger refused to speak to police for the third straight day. It looks like Team Tiger is doing everything possible to control the damage here, but his reputation is taking a serious hit.
Brooks is all over the story, with great photos Rachel Uchitel and constant updates on the story.
Posted in: General Sports, Golf
Tags: Elin Nordegren, Elin Nordegren and Tiger Woods, Elin Nordegren and Tiger Woods photo, Elin Nordegren image, Elin Nordegren photo, Elin Nordegren pic, Florida Highway Patrol, Rachel Uchitel, Rachel Uchitel alleged affair, Rachel Uchitel and Tiger Woods, Rachel Uchitel pics, Tiger alleged affair, Tiger car crash, Tiger Florida Highway Patrol, Tiger police, Tiger Woods, Tiger Woods alleged affair, Tiger Woods image, Tiger Woods pic, Tiger Woods wife

Could the Titans actually make the playoffs?
Posted by Anthony Stalter (11/29/2009 @ 9:23 pm)

Seven weeks ago, the Titans resembled a rotting carcass on the side of the road. At that time, they had just been run over (might as well stick with the road kill them) by the Patriots in a 59-0 rout and fans wanted Jeff Fisher’s head on a stake.
Then Fisher made the decision to bench the highly ineffective Kerry Collins and replace him with Vince Young, who had gone from franchise quarterback to draft blunder in a matter of a season. What happened next was shocking, as Young led the Titans beat the Jaguars after the team’s bye week, then the 49ers, then the Bills, and then the Texans on Monday night.
On Sunday, Young orchestrated an 18 play, 99-yard scoring drive with just under three minutes remaining to lift Tennessee to a 20-17 win over the Matt Leinart-led Cardinals. The drive was capped off by a 4th and 10 play in which Young hit rookie Kenny Britt in the back of the end zone for the game-winning score. Both the game-winning catch and the game-winning drive were remarkable, just like the Titans’ latest five-game winning streak.
At 5-6, the Titans are very much still on the outside looking in when it comes to the postseason. They’re currently behind the Steelers, Ravens (depending on the outcome of tonight’s game), Jaguars and Broncos in the Wild Card hunt, and are tied with the Dolphins, Jets and Texans.
But what if they ran the table? Outside of games against the undefeated Colts and the surging Chargers, they have winnable games against the Rams, Dolphins and Seahawks in the final month of the season. Wins over Indy and San Diego seem unlikely for the Titans, but so did their five-game winning streak after their disastrous start. Young has the hot hand, Chris Johnson (who finished with 154 rushing yards and also had an 84 yard TD scamper) is a touchdown waiting to happen on every play and they’re defense is playing better than it did earlier in the year – what’s stopping them from making a run?
If they lose to the Colts next week, then the Titans’ slim playoff hopes will likely vanish. But winning is contagious and if they can beat Indy next week, there’s no reason to write Tennessee off.
Posted in: NFL
Tags: 2009 NFL Week 12, 2009 NFL Week 12 scoreboard, Arizona Cardinals, Cardinals vs. Titans Week 12 score recap, Kenny Britt game-winning touchdown catch Cardinals, Tennessee Titans, Titans 2009 winning streak, Titans beat Cardinals Week 12, Titans playoffs 2009, Vince Young, Vince Young Kenny Britt, Will the Titans make the playoffs in 2009?

Vikings crush Bears, Favre showing zero signs of fatigue
Posted by Anthony Stalter (11/29/2009 @ 8:44 pm)

If Brett Favre is wearing down, then he has everybody fooled because the guy is playing like a freaking maniac.
Favre completed 32-of-48 passes for 392 yards with three touchdowns and no inceptions in the Vikings’ 36-10 win over the Bears in Week 12. Minnesota attacked Chicago repeatedly through the air, throwing the ball 31 times to just 12 rushes in the first half. When the dust settled, the Vikings had a 24-7 halftime lead and the game was never in doubt from that point forward.
Minnesota is now 10-1 and will be rooting hard for New England to beat New Orleans on Monday night. The Vikes have the inside track on a first round bye, but they’ll have their eye on earning the top seed in the playoffs entering the final month of the season.
As for the Bears, their disastrous season continues. All of their defensive problems were on full display today as Favre and the Vikings went up and down the field with the greatest of ease. Chicago was out gained in first downs (31 to eight) and total yardage (537 to 169).
It was the same story today as it has been all season: They were outplayed in the trenches, they couldn’t run the ball and Jay Cutler turned the ball over multiple times. Nothing has changed about this team in over a month.
Posted in: NFL
Tags: 2009 NFL Week 12, 2009 NFL Week 12 scoreboard, bears, Bears Vikings Week 12 score recap, Brett Favre, Brett Favre Vikings, Chicago Bears, Jay Culter Bears, Jay Cutler, Minnesota Vikings, NFC Playoff Picture, Vikings

Hines Ward calls out Ben Roethlisberger for not playing
Posted by Gerardo Orlando (11/29/2009 @ 8:19 pm)
I just watched Hines Ward on the NBC pregame show and was pretty shocked to hear him discuss the Ben Roethlisberger situation. Roethlisberger won’t play against the Ravens tonight due to a concussion that he suffered last week, leaving the Steelers with third-string quarterback Dennis Dixon, who will make his first NFL start.
Hines was surprisingly candid, as he acknowledged that the Steeler locker room was basically split as to whether Roethlisberger should play. He never came out and clearly said he supported the decision to have Big Ben sit, and Bob Costas tried his best to get Ward to acknowledge that head injuries like concussions should be treated differently.
In his defense, Ward was trying to explain the mentality of players who want to be on the field if they can walk. Frankly, it’s that mentality that necessitates a new policy on concussions, particularly in college and high school where this has become a real problem.
Posted in: NFL
Tags: Ben Roethlisberger, Ben Roethlisberger concussion, Ben Roethlisberger image, Ben Roethlisberger photo, Ben Roethlisberger pic, Big Ben, concussions, football concussions, Hines Ward, Hines Ward calls out Big Ben, Hines Ward concussion, Hines Ward image, Hines Ward photo, Hines Ward pic, Hines Ward vs Big Ben, NFL concussions

Tiger breaks silence on website
Posted by Christopher Glotfelty (11/29/2009 @ 7:22 pm)
Tiger Woods’ late-night car accident and his (alleged) affair with Rachel Uchitel sadly continues to be the top story in the sports world. There are plenty of other places to get your fill of this sordid mess, but I’d rather just point you to what Tiger is currently acknowledging:
Per his website:
As you all know, I had a single-car accident earlier this week, and sustained some injuries. I have some cuts, bruising and right now I’m pretty sore.
This situation is my fault, and it’s obviously embarrassing to my family and me. I’m human and I’m not perfect. I will certainly make sure this doesn’t happen again.
This is a private matter and I want to keep it that way. Although I understand there is curiosity, the many false, unfounded and malicious rumors that are currently circulating about my family and me are irresponsible.
The only person responsible for the accident is me. My wife, Elin, acted courageously when she saw I was hurt and in trouble. She was the first person to help me. Any other assertion is absolutely false.
This incident has been stressful and very difficult for Elin, our family and me. I appreciate all the concern and well wishes that we have received. But, I would also ask for some understanding that my family and I deserve some privacy no matter how intrusive some people can be.
I feel like this will evolve into a grueling ordeal, one in which Tiger will probably end up with a tarnished reputation. Regardless of what happens, at least he’s safe. Adulterer or not, the guy could have either been killed or injured in a way as to ruin his career.
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