Day: October 25, 2007

      Week 8 Preview

      October 25, 2007 /

      Every week, I highlight a few players to start and a few players to sit at each position. I’m a firm believer in starting your studs, so I won’t tell you about how Carson Palmer or LaDainian Tomlinson has a tough matchup – just go ahead and start them. I’ll focus on the borderline guys – players you’ll only start under the right circumstances. It’s important to note that depending on your roster and situation, you may not be able to follow these recommendations. For example, if I suggest you bench a solid starter like Ben Roethlisberger, only do so if you have a clearly better option on your bench.

      START ‘EM

      QB: Brian Griese has been putting up monster stats and has a terrific matchup against the Lions this week. Detroit is 30th against the pass, allowing 269 yards and 2 TD per game…For those in desperate at QB, Alex Smith is practicing fully this week and he has a nice matchup with the Saints, who are 27th against the pass…Jay Cutler and Brett Favre both have pretty favorable matchups in that Broncos/Packers tilt.

      RB: Cedric Benson has a terrific matchup against the Lions, who have yielded an average of 116 rush yards and 1.2 rush TD per game this season…LenDale White is worth another start against the Raiders, who are 29th against the rush…Surprisingly, Kevin Jones is worth a start against the Bears who have been uncharacteristically bad against the run this season…Whoever the starter is in Cleveland – Jason Wright or Jamal Lewis – is a good fantasy play against the Rams, who have given up 130 yards and 1.3 TD on the ground this season…Thomas Jones is also worth a start against the Bills, who are 25th against the run.

      WR: Both Chicago WRs – Bernard Berrian and Muhsin Muhammad – should be solid starts this week as they face a very bad Detroit secondary…Santonio Holmes should definitely be in the lineup against the Bengals, who have yielded 249 yards and 2.7 TD through the air this season…Kevin Curtis has a nice matchup against the Vikings, who are terrific against the run, but are last in the league against the pass…Ronald Curry faces the Titans, who are 9th against the pass…Kevin Walter and Andre Davis have a pretty nice matchup against the Chargers, who have allowed an average of 240 yards per game through the air this season.

      SIT ‘EM

      QB: I still like Jason Campbell, but he faces a very good Pats defense this week and should be benched if possible…Even if Vince Young suits up, he should be benched against the Raiders, who are 12th against the pass and have only allowed six pass TD all season…David Carr should be avoided. He faces the Colts, who have given up a league-best 162 pass yards per game (and just five pass TD) this season.

      RB: Don’t expect much from Kenny Watson (or Rudi Johnson, if he plays) against the Steelers. They are the league’s 3rd best rush defense (though Watson should be able to catch some passes)…LaMont Jordan faces a tough test against Tennessee’s stingy front seven, who have yielded a league-best 60 yards per game on the ground…Ahman Green has several nice matchups coming up, but this week’s game against the Chargers isn’t one of them.

      WR: Ted Ginn and Marty Booker should be benched this week. They face the Giants, who are on fire defensively right now…Ike Hilliard has been playing well, but this week he faces the Jags, who have allowed a league-best four pass TD thus far this season.

      THINKING DEFENSIVELY

      Last week, my top three picks were Tampa Bay, Seattle and the NY Giants. The Seahawks and Giants were terrific, but the Bucs defense laid an egg in Detroit. Here are a few defenses that have nice matchups this week and are available in at least 40% of ESPN leagues (in order of strength of play):

      TEN, IND, HOU, OAK and NO

      SLEEPER OF THE WEEK

      Marc Bulger, Rams
      It’s strange to see Bulger’s name mentioned as a sleeper, and I know he’s been pretty awful, but if he can’t put up good stats against the Browns (who have allowed an average of 264 yards and 2.8 TD through the air), then he’s in serious trouble. For some owners, this will be Bulger’s last chance.

      TOUGH SLEDDING

      Adrian Peterson, Vikings
      He’s a must-start these days, but the Eagles have a pretty stingy rush defense that has allowed just 88 yards and 0.3 TD per game on the ground this season. At some point, teams are going to bring nine guys into the box and dare Tarvaris Jackson to throw the ball…aren’t they?

      Fantasy Football, NFL

      Bonds bitter about Giants ‘firing’ him

      October 25, 2007 /

      There’s only one way Barry Bonds knows how to do things, and that’s to make everything about Barry Bonds. While attending a recent special speaking forum, Bonds was introduced by a host who listed of all his on-field accomplishments. Afterwards, a radio host asked Bonds if he had really accomplished everything the host had listed, to which Barry replied, “I did, and then I got fired. Shame on me, huh?”

      Bonds wasn’t finished:

      “I told (Giants owner) Peter Magowan, ‘If I’m a part-time player, I’m still better than your full-time player, and it’s a wise idea to keep me,”‘ Bonds said. “We still have time. Things might change.”

      Bonds also said that if he were running the franchise, the Giants would have won a World Series by now. They fell five outs short in 2002, and one thing the slugger is still missing on his remarkable resume is a championship ring.

      “They’ve been here since 1958,” Bonds said. “We’d win a World Series. I know the game so well. I can see talent. I know exactly what I’d be looking for.”

      Is the club any closer to winning it all?

      “I can’t answer that. I don’t work there anymore,” Bonds quipped, then howled in laughter. “My philosophy in sports is you don’t break things up. You add to it.”

      1. If the Giants bring him back next year as a bench player, he’d complain about not getting enough playing time.

      2. If he were running the franchise the Giants would win a WS? Wasn’t he already running the franchise? I mean, he might have well been with all of his absurd demands and special privileges, not to mention the fact that GM Brian Sabean had to build the team around him for years.

      3. The Giants don’t have a core group of players to add to, Barry. Besides the pitching staff, they need a complete upheaval and they can’t rebuild with a part-time player with creaky knees and a slowing bat commanding $16 mil a year.

      It’s over Barry. Let the Giants break away from all the distractions and daily grind of trying to make you happy.

      MLB

      Heat, T-Wolves swing trade

      October 25, 2007 /

      In a recently finalized trade, the Heat sent Antoine Walker, Michael Doleac, Wayne Simien and a conditional 2008 first round pick to Minnesota for Ricky Davis and Mark Blount.

      Miami is selling this as a salary cap move that upgrades the team’s perimeter scoring, but Blount’s remaining contract (3 years, $22.1 M) is worse than Walker’s (2 years, $17.8 M), so there is definitely more going on here. The article mentions Walker’s problems with conditioning:

      But Walker’s second season with the Heat was marred by his struggles to meet Riley’s rigid conditioning standards. Riley’s dissatisfaction with the 6-9 Walker’s weight and body-fat percentage led to a four-game suspension last season, and more problems in training camp.

      Walker, 31, was held out of the opening practice of camp and benched for three exhibition games, including Tuesday’s finale.

      Also playing into the trade is the performance of Dorell Wright, who outplayed Walker at small forward last season. With Dwyane Wade missing the first part of the season, Davis will step in at shooting guard and Wright will get most of the minutes at small forward. Once Wade returns, Davis will likely provide scoring off the bench.

      Blount will give the Heat some security in the middle when Shaq inevitably misses a bunch of games due to injury.

      Fantasy Basketball, NBA

      World Series Recap: Game 1

      October 25, 2007 /

      Red Sox 13, Rockies 1
      Thanks to a seven-run fifth inning and another classic pitching performance by Josh Beckett, Boston steamrolled Colorado 13-1 in Game 1 of the World Series. Dustin Pedroia led off bottom of the first inning with a solo shot over the Green Monster in left field and the Red Sox never looked back. They collected 13 runs on 17 hits, and had three players finish with three-hit performances at the plate (David Ortiz, Manny Ramirez and Julio Lugo). Throw in another masterful performance by Josh Beckett (7.0 innings, 6 hits, 1 ER) and the Rockies never had a chance.

      So the question (at least for Colorado) now becomes: Was the layoff between the NLCS to the WS too much? With how hot the Rockies were entering the series, I would say yes, the layoff killed them. When a team gets on a roll, the worse possible thing that could happen is any kind of a layoff, not to mention one that carries on past a week. It’s like in football when an offense is in rhythm and marching down the field, the last thing it wants is for the defense to call a time out. However, this is also the World Series – this is it, folks. Layoff or no layoff 13-1 is a massacre. Hopefully for general baseball fans, the Rockies can make a series out of this and keep it interesting.

      MLB

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