Below you’ll see a table for each position with a list of team names on the left. If a square is pink, it means that the matchup is tough. If it’s green, it means it’s a favorable matchup. On the far right, the column “R16″ shows the average SOS for the remaining weeks.
It’s important to note that this is NOT straight fantasy points allowed. I removed the bias of schedule by looking at the opponents of each defense and how they fared in their other games. For example, if a particular defense faced a series of great QBs, then that is taken into account in these tables.
How do I use these tables?
Generally speaking, I use strength of schedule as a tiebraker between two similarly ranked players. Let’s say I’m trying to decide between starting BenJarvus Green-Ellis and Ronnie Brown. All else being equal, these two players are very close in my mind. But if BGE has a great matchup and Brown has a bad matchup, the choice is clear. In fact, if BGE just has a mediocre matchup while Brown has a bad matchup, I’d probably go with the Law Firm.
Be careful not to read too much into these tables. You aren’t going to bench Chris Johnson in a bad matchup unless you somehow have Arian Foster waiting in the wings.
Note: I apologize for the size of the text, but there really is no other way for me to present this data, at least not at this point.
Cornerback Aqib Talib is one of the many bright young stars on the Buccaneers’ roster. His six interceptions tie him for second in the league behind the Eagles’ Asante Samuel (who has seven), and Talib continues to play at a Pro Bowl level this season.
But he can’t help the Bucs if he’s suspended, which may be the result of his actions following last Sunday’s game against the Ravens.
The St. Petersburg Times is reporting that the NFL is looking into a run-in that Talib had with a game official following Tampa’s 17-10 loss at Baltimore. Talib was furious with field judge Boris Cheek during the game about a pass-interference call on teammate Myron Lewis. Per the report, Talib lobbed a couple of expletives at Cheek as he left the field.
As the story goes, a member of the officiating crew told Talib, “You play like a (expletive).” To which Talib intelligently replied: “I’ll (hit) you in your (expletive) mouth.”
This isn’t the first time that the young corner has been in trouble. He’s already hit a teammate with a helmet in practice and he also punched a taxi driver in August of this year (which earned him a one-game suspension earlier this season). One more strike against him and it’s not unrealistic to think that he could be suspended for multiple games.
Of course, the league can’t have officials taunting and cursing at players. Talib was wrong to say what he did, but part of an official’s job is to keep the peace. How can a referee be trusted not to be biased if he’s verbally fighting with players after a game?
However the situation turns out, Bucs coach Raheem Morris would be wise to sit Talib down and express to him how much Tampa needs him on the field. I don’t see how this (below) helps Talib grasp the situation:
“He didn’t do anything wrong,” said Morris. “He was just in conversation, so I’m not going to sit here and act like Aqib did anything wrong toward the official because I’m not into that. That’s between those two men, and whatever happened happened.”
Morris has done a great job in his second year and who am I to tell him how to run his team? That said, I’ve seen coaches play the role of friend with players before and it never works out. Teams can fracture when it’s perceived that one player is getting special treatment, especially when he acts like an idiot.
The Bucs have a good young team and it would be unfortunate if things were to unravel for Morris, who has transformed the Bucs into a competitor in only his second year. He has to find a way to get through to Talib so that these types of issues don’t keep surfacing.
Meticulous in his preparation, Spoelstra spoke with several past coaches, and league sources said a clear and unequivocal picture appeared on how to proceed: End the cycle of enabling with James and hold him accountable.
And surprise, surprise: LeBron James has responded with a test of his own organizational strength, pushing to see how far the Heat will bend to his will.
Even within a month of the season’s sideways 9-8 start, the NBA witnessed a predictable play out of the James-Maverick Carter playbook on Monday morning. They planted a story and exposed themselves again as jokers of the highest order. They care so little about anyone but themselves. Still, no one’s surprised that they’d stoop so low, so fast into this supposed historic 73-victory season and NBA Finals sweep of the Los Angeles Lakers. They want Spoelstra – and Pat Riley – to bend to them, to bow to the King the way everyone has before them.
You have to love Wojnarowski, who never seems to hide his disgust with LeBron and his camp. As you might imagine, he had a veritable field day after “The Decision.”
But here, he’s alleging that Carter is behind the Spoelstra panic story, but it doesn’t appear tha the accusation has any real basis. In his post, Dwyer just crossed out Carter’s name whenever referring to the source, because he obviously believes that Carter is Chris Broussard’s source. He doesn’t offer any proof, but just writes the piece with a “everybody knows who’s talking to Chris…” vibe.
This is fine for a sports blog because it’s funny and everyone knows it’s tongue-in-cheek, but Wojnarowski took it a step further by saying that LeBron’s camp planted the story as if it were established fact.
And it’s not. At least not yet. Broussard hasn’t revealed his source, and probably never will. The Yahoo writers are just making educated guesses.
It will be interesting to see what comes of this, if anything.
The 2010 Atlanta Falcons can thank the 2009 New Orleans Saints for why people aren’t completely sold on their status as best team in the NFC, even though they currently own the best record in the conference.
Fans like it when one team blows its opponents out every week. The Saints led the league and/or NFC last year in passing yards, passing yards per game, rushing yards, rushing yards per game and points scored. It was easy to make claims that they were the best in the NFC (if not the league) when they were routing teams 38-7.
Points and big win margins make people feel all warm inside. But the Falcons don’t win big. In fact, three of their games came down to the final seconds and countless others came down to the fourth quarter before they were able to secure victory.
The Falcons aren’t the 2009 Saints. They don’t put up absurd offensive numbers and their only win by more than 10 points came in a 41-7 rout of the hapless Cardinals in Week 2. They lost to the Big Ben-less Steelers in the opening week of the season and were crushed by the Michael Vick-less Eagles in Week 6. They also were incredibly fortunate to beat the Saints in Week 3 after Garrett Hartley missed a field goal in overtime that would have won the game, as well as when Roddy White stripped Nate Clements when the cornerback was heading for the end zone after picking off Matt Ryan in the closing minutes of a Week 4 game against the 49ers. (In both cases, the Falcons took the gifts and drove down the field to win both games.)
But how many times do you hear someone ask, “Who have they beaten?” Well, the Falcons have already beaten playoff contenders like the Saints (on the road), Bucs, Ravens, Rams (on the road) and Packers, as well as everyone’s underdog of the year, the Browns (also on the road). They didn’t blow any of those teams out and they’re certainly not the most talented squad in the league, but they know how to win.
The strategy behind DTBWW is that each week you pick up a defense that is playing against a bad offense (preferably at home). And each week you get pretty good numbers out of your DT position.
Last season, my top pick averaged 9.8 fantasy points per game. My second pick averaged 9.1 and my third pick averaged 7.3. On the whole, DTBWW averaged 9.3 fantasy points per game, which equate to DT5 numbers — all for the price of a few waiver wire pickups. In 2008, my top two picks averaged DT6-type numbers. (Note: To calculate fantasy points, I use this scoring system.)
Unlike Defensive Team By Committee (DTBC), which is for those owners who prefer low maintenance teams, DTBWW strategy allows fantasy owners to virtually ignore DTs on draft day and focus on picking up an extra RB/WR flier instead.
To be eligible, defenses have to be available on the waiver wire in at least 40% of ESPN fantasy leagues.
1. New England Patriots Previous Week: 1
The game was close at halftime but Tom Brady took over in the second half as the Pats destroyed the Lions on Thanksgiving Day. The win was significant because it showed that New England didn’t overlook a bad team with the Jets on deck.
2. Atlanta Falcons Previous Week: 5
The 2009 Saints are the reason why people are still reluctant to call the Falcons the best team in the NFC. New Orleans steamrolled over everyone last year, but Atlanta wears teams down until they can win it in the fourth quarter (sometimes late in the fourth quarter). They’re not the most talented team (at least defensively), but they’re consistent and with their win over the Packers last Sunday, the Falcons have now beaten four straight playoff contenders (Bucs, Ravens, Rams and Packers). Argue with that.
3. Pittsburgh Steelers Previous Week: 2
The Steelers beat the Falcons without Big Ben in Week 1, but the only reason they’re still ranked this high is because Steve Johnson dropped that touchdown pass in overtime. Every team is allowed a mulligan or two throughout the year and that was the Steelers’ last week. They got caught looking ahead to Baltimore a week early.
4. New York Jets Previous Week: 4
If the Jets want the No. 1 spot in these rankings, I’ll give it to them if they can beat the Patriots on Monday night next week. They’ve already beaten the Pats once this year but to do it in Foxboro is another story.
5. New Orleans Saints Previous Week: 8
What should scare every team in the NFC is that nobody is talking about the Saints right now. Sure, they could have easily lost to the Cowboys had Malcolm Jenkins not run down Roy Williams in the final minutes on Thanksgiving. But let’s not overlook the fact that the Saints are getting healthy and could head into the playoffs with a full head of steam. Who would want to play this team in January?
6. Baltimore Ravens Previous Week: 9
Their win over the Bucs last Sunday was highly unimpressive from an offensive standpoint. But with the Steelers coming up this week, it was good to that Baltimore wasn’t caught looking ahead.
7. Chicago Bears Previous Week: 13
This isn’t the same team that took the field in the first six or so weeks of the season. The offensive line has greatly improved over the last three weeks and Jay Cutler is starting to put some quality games together. If Mike Martz can stop taking unnecessary chances and rely more on his running game, then the Bears are going to be tough to beat down the stretch. That said, they have a tough schedule coming up, which includes a date with the Packers in Green Bay.
8. Philadelphia Eagles Previous Week: 3
I think the Eagles started to read their own press clippings after beating the Giants. That was when everyone started to talk about how this team was the best in the NFC and then smack! They met a determined Bears team in Chicago. This may not be the team to beat in the NFC, but they’re still the team to beat in the NFC East.
9. Green Bay Packers Previous Week: 6
It would be a shame if a 7-9 or 8-8 team in the NFC West makes the playoffs and the Packers (who know doubt will have a better record) don’t. This is a good team led by an elite quarterback. Now they just have to figure out ways to win close games so they’re not nipped come playoff time.
10. San Diego Chargers Previous Week: 11
I wonder if the Raider fan who left a comment on my rankings two weeks ago that Oakland should be ahead of San Diego will come back to eat crow. Doubtful.
Wondering who to add/drop or whether or not a trade is fair?
I’m here to help.
After checking out our Waiver Wire Watch, you can post your questions here, and unless you say differently, I’m assuming your league has a standard (non-PPR) scoring system.
If you are wondering who to start in a standard scoring league, please wait until later this week (Wednesday) when I’ll release my official Week 13 rankings.
And if you’re a regular visitor, please take a moment to rate my advice at Fantasy Pros (under Member Rating). I’d appreciate it.
In a recent interview with AOL Fanhouse’s Thomas George, Broncos’ owner Pat Bowlen said that head coach Josh McDaniels will be back in 2011. But quickly after that report was published, the team issued a statement that contradicts Bowlen’s comments.
When asked if McDaniels would be back in 2011, Bowlen told George, “Yes he will. I am not interested in making a coaching change.” He even went on to say that he was “very happy with Josh” and that McDaniels was doing a “good job.”
But after news started to spread about Bowlen’s comments, the Broncos issued a written statement that stated the following:
“This has been a very trying and disappointing season for all of us,” Bowlen said in a written statement. “We haven’t had the success we had hoped to achieve. Josh McDaniels is the head coach of the Broncos, and you always strive for stability at that position. However, with five games left in the 2010 season, we will continue to monitor the progress of the team and evaluate what’s in the best interest of this franchise.”
Read between the lines and Bowlen is essentially saying that McDaniels has five weeks to campaign to keep his job. But given the talent level of the Broncos’ roster, is it fair for Bowlen to expect anything than more inconsistency from this team? Even after blowing out the Chiefs a couple of weeks ago, it was evident in a recent MNF game that Denver can’t hang with the likes of San Diego or other playoff teams in the AFC. So is Bowlen creating a situation where he knows McDaniels will fail?
Of course, the current state of the Broncos is do in large part because of McDaniels’ shoddy decision making. He pissed off Jay Cutler to the point where he had no choice but to trade him, then he sent Brandon Marshall packing last offseason. He also traded Peyton Hillis for Brady Quinn, which could go down as one of the worst deals in NFL history if Hillis continues to play as well as he has, and traded multiple picks in order to draft Tim Tebow (a major project at quarterback) in the first round last April. (Oh, and there was also that little issue of McDaniels getting fined because a member of his video staff was caught video tapping one of the 49ers’ walk-through practices.)
The Broncos are what they are because of McDaniels. Now it’s up to Bowlen to decide whether or not to allow McDaniels to finish what he started or send him packing after only two years. If he fires him, then he just creates a new set of problems. Will the new coach want to work with Tebow? Because if not, then what do you do with him? The Broncos can’t afford to have that pick wasted on a backup or an H-back (assuming the new coaching staff would move him to another position).
It wouldn’t be a Cardinals’ prime time television event without one of their coaches or players going off on the media following the game.
During the closing minutes of Arizona’s embarrassing 27-6 loss to the 49ers on Monday Night Football, television cameras showed quarterback Derek Anderson (who was atrocious…again) and guard Deuce Lutui sharing a laugh on the sidelines. When confronted about the moment in his post-game press conference, Anderson went off.
In some respects I feel for Anderson. We’ve all been there; things aren’t going your way so a friend tosses out a, “Hey, things could be worse – you could be Jake Delhomme” comments to make you laugh. It’s not that you feel any better about the situation, but you share a laugh and it helps breaks up the tension for that moment.
But I don’t blame fans for being upset. The prices of NFL tickets these days are absurd and to watch your team look as pathetic as the Cardinals did on Monday night is bad enough. You don’t want to see/hear that your quarterback was on the sidelines yucking it up with another teammate on top of having to endure the on-field product. It’s not fair, and in defense of the reporter, he gave Anderson the opportunity to explain himself and Anderson instead got defensive.
Either way, this situation won’t matter soon enough. Anderson isn’t a part of Arizona’s future and given how bad he looked last night, he may not be a part of their present either.
The 49ers better hope that Brian Westbrook has found the fountain of youth because their chances of making the playoffs just took a major hit.
NFL Network’s Jason La Canfora reports that Frank Gore will miss the remainder of the season with a fractured right hip. He suffered the injury in the first half of the Niners’ 27-6 victory over the Cardinals on Monday night, although what’s interesting is that he returned to the game after initially heading to the locker room for treatment. He did not receive X-rays during that time, however, and he eventually carried the ball once more before leaving the game for good.
While the team has yet to make an official announcement on his timetable to return, it’s probably safe to assume that his season is over. Westbrook and rookie Anthony Dixon will now split carries in the Niners’ backfield.
It came against the Cardinals’ shoddy front seven, but Westbrook looked great on Monday night. He rushed for a season-high 136 yards on 23 carries with one touchdown and showed some of the cutting ability that made him popular in Philadelphia. Considering how well he ran, it makes you wonder why Mike Singletary and his coaching staff didn’t get him more involved until now. (He had just five carries coming into the game.)
With the win, the 49ers find themselves back in contention in the worst division in football. And seeing as how they play the Rams and Seahawks (two teams with one more win than San Fran) in December, it’s not unrealistic to think that Troy Smith and Co. can win the NFC West. But losing Gore was a major blow and it puts even more emphasis on Smith getting up to speed with the offense so that the Niners can open things up in the passing game.
