Author: John Paulsen (Page 123 of 937)

      2010 Fantasy Football: Week 13 Rankings

      December 1, 2010 /

      I’m pleased to report that with a #5 finish in Week 12, I am still holding on to the #1 overall spot in FantasyPros’ accuracy contest.

      The beat goes on for John Paulsen (The Scores Report) as he continues to hold down the #1 spot as the most accurate expert in our contest. Paulsen has been the overall leader for so long that the Lions, Titans and Dolphins have each gone through 3 starting QBs since he last trailed someone else in the standings. In other words, this makes it 8 consecutive weeks at #1. In week 12, Paulsen had another strong showing (#5 overall), marking the fourth time this season he has finished in the top 5 of the weekly standings. And for the season, Paulsen continues to shine at each of the positions that factor into our overall scoring: RB (#2), WR (#2), TE (#4), and QB (#9).

      Four more weeks to go!

      Below is my first stab at Week 13’s rankings. Be sure to check back because they will definitely change throughout the week as news trickles in.

      Updated Sunday, December 5.


      If you can’t see the FantasyPros widget (they’ve been having heavy traffic issues leading up to kickoff the last couple of weeks), then look below for text rankings. Just a warning though — I can’t update these as easily as the widget.

      Quarterbacks

      1. Michael Vick (PHI vs. HOU)
      2. Aaron Rodgers (GB vs. SF)
      3. Peyton Manning (IND vs. DAL)
      4. Matt Cassel (KC vs. DEN)
      5. Drew Brees (NO @ CIN)
      6. Philip Rivers (SD vs. OAK)
      7. Kyle Orton (DEN @ KC)
      8. Tom Brady (NE vs. NYJ)
      9. Jay Cutler (CHI @ DET)
      10. Eli Manning (NYG vs. WAS)
      11. Sam Bradford (STL @ ARI)
      12. Mark Sanchez (NYJ @ NE)
      13. Josh Freeman (TB vs. ATL)
      14. Matt Ryan (ATL @ TB)
      15. Ryan Fitzpatrick (BUF @ MIN)
      16. Matt Schaub (HOU @ PHI)
      17. Jon Kitna (DAL @ IND)
      18. Joe Flacco (BAL vs. PIT)
      19. Ben Roethlisberger (PIT @ BAL)
      20. Matt Hasselbeck (SEA vs. CAR)
      21. David Garrard (JAC @ TEN)
      22. Chad Henne (MIA vs. CLE)
      23. Carson Palmer (CIN vs. NO)
      24. Donovan McNabb (WAS @ NYG)
      25. Kerry Collins (TEN vs. JAC)
      26. Brett Favre (MIN vs. BUF)
      27. Troy Smith (SF @ GB)
      28. Jake Delhomme (CLE @ MIA)
      29. Derek Anderson (ARI vs. STL)
      30. Jason Campbell (OAK @ SD)
      31. Drew Stanton (DET vs. CHI)
      32. Jimmy Clausen (CAR @ SEA)

      Running Backs

      1. Arian Foster (HOU @ PHI)
      2. Peyton Hillis (CLE @ MIA)
      3. Jamaal Charles (KC vs. DEN)
      4. Chris Johnson (TEN vs. JAC)
      5. Adrian Peterson (MIN vs. BUF)
      6. Michael Turner (ATL @ TB)
      7. Steven Jackson (STL @ ARI)
      8. LeSean McCoy (PHI vs. HOU)
      9. Matt Forte (CHI @ DET)
      10. Knowshon Moreno (DEN @ KC)
      11. Maurice Jones-Drew (JAC @ TEN)
      12. Mike Tolbert (SD vs. OAK)
      13. Ray Rice (BAL vs. PIT)
      14. Felix Jones (DAL @ IND)
      15. Fred Jackson (BUF @ MIN)
      16. Rashard Mendenhall (PIT @ BAL)
      17. Ahmad Bradshaw (NYG vs. WAS)
      18. Cedric Benson (CIN vs. NO)
      19. Darren McFadden (OAK @ SD)
      20. Donald Brown (IND vs. DAL)
      21. LaDainian Tomlinson (NYJ @ NE)
      22. Maurice Morris (DET vs. CHI)
      23. Thomas Jones (KC vs. DEN)
      24. Jonathan Stewart (CAR @ SEA)
      25. Christopher Ivory (NO @ CIN)
      26. Brian Westbrook (SF @ GB)
      27. Mike Goodson (CAR @ SEA)
      28. LeGarrette Blount (TB vs. ATL)
      29. BenJarvus Green-Ellis (NE vs. NYJ)
      30. Brandon Jackson (GB vs. SF)
      31. Brandon Jacobs (NYG vs. WAS)
      32. Ronnie Brown (MIA vs. CLE)
      33. Marshawn Lynch (SEA vs. CAR)
      34. Toby Gerhart (MIN vs. BUF)
      35. Shonn Greene (NYJ @ NE)
      36. Danny Woodhead (NE vs. NYJ)
      37. Tashard Choice (DAL @ IND)
      38. Anthony Dixon (SF @ GB)
      39. Ricky Williams (MIA vs. CLE)
      40. Chris “Beanie” Wells (ARI vs. STL)
      41. Justin Forsett (SEA vs. CAR)
      42. Keiland Williams (WAS @ NYG)
      43. Aaron Brown (DET vs. CHI)
      44. Ryan Mathews (SD vs. OAK)
      45. James Davis (WAS @ NYG)
      46. Darren Sproles (SD vs. OAK)
      47. Reggie Bush (NO @ CIN)
      48. Mike Hart (IND vs. DAL)
      49. Carnell “Cadillac” Williams (TB vs. ATL)
      50. Tim Hightower (ARI vs. STL)

      Wide Receivers

      1. Dwayne Bowe (KC vs. DEN)
      2. Roddy White (ATL @ TB)
      3. Brandon Lloyd (DEN @ KC)
      4. Andre Johnson (HOU @ PHI)
      5. DeSean Jackson (PHI vs. HOU)
      6. Reggie Wayne (IND vs. DAL)
      7. Greg Jennings (GB vs. SF)
      8. Santonio Holmes (NYJ @ NE)
      9. Mario Manningham (NYG vs. WAS)
      10. Jeremy Maclin (PHI vs. HOU)
      11. Mike Williams (TB vs. ATL)
      12. Larry Fitzgerald (ARI vs. STL)
      13. Calvin Johnson (DET vs. CHI)
      14. Steve Johnson (BUF @ MIN)
      15. Marques Colston (NO @ CIN)
      16. Terrell Owens (CIN vs. NO)
      17. Wes Welker (NE vs. NYJ)
      18. Johnny Knox (CHI @ DET)
      19. Pierre Garcon (IND vs. DAL)
      20. Mike Wallace (PIT @ BAL)
      21. Braylon Edwards (NYJ @ NE)
      22. Chad Ochocinco (CIN vs. NO)
      23. Mike Thomas (JAC @ TEN)
      24. Sidney Rice (MIN vs. BUF)
      25. Santana Moss (WAS @ NYG)
      26. Dez Bryant (DAL @ IND)
      27. Miles Austin (DAL @ IND)
      28. Percy Harvin (MIN vs. BUF)
      29. Anquan Boldin (BAL vs. PIT)
      30. Davone Bess (MIA vs. CLE)
      31. Derrick Mason (BAL vs. PIT)
      32. Danny Amendola (STL @ ARI)
      33. Deion Branch (NE vs. NYJ)
      34. Blair White (IND vs. DAL)
      35. Hines Ward (PIT @ BAL)
      36. Ben Obomanu (SEA vs. CAR)
      37. Danario Alexander (STL @ ARI)
      38. Michael Crabtree (SF @ GB)
      39. Steve Breaston (ARI vs. STL)
      40. Brian Hartline (MIA vs. CLE)
      41. Mike Williams (SEA vs. CAR)
      42. Eddie Royal (DEN @ KC)
      43. Jacoby Ford (OAK @ SD)
      44. Randy Moss (TEN vs. JAC)
      45. Brandon Marshall (MIA vs. CLE)
      46. Nate Burleson (DET vs. CHI)
      47. Malcom Floyd (SD vs. OAK)
      48. Nate Washington (TEN vs. JAC)
      49. Lance Moore (NO @ CIN)
      50. Jabar Gaffney (DEN @ KC)
      51. Lee Evans (BUF @ MIN)
      52. Steve Smith (CAR @ SEA)
      53. James Jones (GB vs. SF)
      54. Jordan Shipley (CIN vs. NO)
      55. Jason Avant (PHI vs. HOU)
      56. Robert Meachem (NO @ CIN)
      57. Seyi Ajirotutu (SD vs. OAK)
      58. Derek Hagan (NYG vs. WAS)
      59. Earl Bennett (CHI @ DET)
      60. Devin Hester (CHI @ DET)

      Tight Ends

      1. Jacob Tamme (IND vs. DAL)
      2. Jason Witten (DAL @ IND)
      3. Antonio Gates (SD vs. OAK)
      4. Tony Gonzalez (ATL @ TB)
      5. Marcedes Lewis (JAC @ TEN)
      6. Dustin Keller (NYJ @ NE)
      7. Vernon Davis (SF @ GB)
      8. Kellen Winslow (TB vs. ATL)
      9. Kevin Boss (NYG vs. WAS)
      10. Todd Heap (BAL vs. PIT)
      11. Rob Gronkowski (NE vs. NYJ)
      12. Visanthe Shiancoe (MIN vs. BUF)
      13. Chris Cooley (WAS @ NYG)
      14. Brandon Pettigrew (DET vs. CHI)
      15. Brent Celek (PHI vs. HOU)
      16. Greg Olsen (CHI @ DET)
      17. Benjamin Watson (CLE @ MIA)
      18. Joel Dreessen (HOU @ PHI)
      19. Tony Moeaki (KC vs. DEN)
      20. Jermaine Gresham (CIN vs. NO)
      21. Jimmy Graham (NO @ CIN)
      22. Zach Miller (OAK @ SD)
      23. Anthony Fasano (MIA vs. CLE)
      24. Aaron Hernandez (NE vs. NYJ)
      25. Heath Miller (PIT @ BAL)

      Kickers

      1. David Akers (PHI vs. HOU)
      2. Adam Vinatieri (IND vs. DAL)
      3. Mason Crosby (GB vs. SF)
      4. Josh Brown (STL @ ARI)
      5. Dan Carpenter (MIA vs. CLE)
      6. Nate Kaeding (SD vs. OAK)
      7. Nick Folk (NYJ @ NE)
      8. Garrett Hartley (NO @ CIN)
      9. Matt Bryant (ATL @ TB)
      10. Olindo Mare (SEA vs. CAR)
      11. Josh Scobee (JAC @ TEN)
      12. Ryan Longwell (MIN vs. BUF)
      13. Rob Bironas (TEN vs. JAC)
      14. Sebastian Janikowski (OAK @ SD)
      15. Robbie Gould (CHI @ DET)
      16. Ryan Succop (KC vs. DEN)
      17. Shaun Suisham (PIT @ BAL)
      18. Lawrence Tynes (NYG vs. WAS)
      19. Matt Prater (DEN @ KC)
      20. Billy Cundiff (BAL vs. PIT)

      Defense

      1. Green Bay Packers (GB vs. SF)
      2. Chicago Bears (CHI @ DET)
      3. Seattle Seahawks (SEA vs. CAR)
      4. New York Giants (NYG vs. WAS)
      5. San Diego Chargers (SD vs. OAK)
      6. New Orleans Saints (NO @ CIN)
      7. Tennessee Titans (TEN vs. JAC)
      8. St. Louis Rams (STL @ ARI)
      9. Baltimore Ravens (BAL vs. PIT)
      10. Minnesota Vikings (MIN vs. BUF)
      11. Miami Dolphins (MIA vs. CLE)
      12. Indianapolis Colts (IND vs. DAL)
      13. Pittsburgh Steelers (PIT @ BAL)
      14. Detroit Lions (DET vs. CHI)
      15. New York Jets (NYJ @ NE)
      16. Philadelphia Eagles (PHI vs. HOU)
      17. Washington Redskins (WAS @ NYG)
      18. Cleveland Browns (CLE @ MIA)
      19. Arizona Cardinals (ARI vs. STL)
      20. Atlanta Falcons (ATL @ TB)

      External Sports, Fantasy Football, NFL

      Grizzlies hand Lakers third-straight loss

      December 1, 2010 /

      And according to ESPN’s John Hollinger, they can thank rookie Xavier Henry for slowing down Kobe Bryant for much of the game.

      Memphis’ Xavier Henry checked the Lakers’ superstar for most of Tuesday night with little help, and the result was a 9-of-25 shooting night for Kobe and a 98-96 win for the Memphis Grizzlies.

      While he wasn’t on the floor at the end for L.A.’s deja vu final possession — for the second season in a row in Memphis, Kobe kicked out to Ron Artest for a 3-pointer that missed at the buzzer — Henry was the protagonist during a stretch of 11 straight misses by Bryant midway through the game that allowed the Grizzlies to build a double-digit lead.

      Henry wasn’t getting double-team support, either. He was one-on-one against Bryant for much of the night and, thanks to his size and discipline, largely held his own. The effort was so good Henry’s coach compared him to another player who has been known to limit Bryant.

      “I remember when we interviewed [Henry] in Chicago,” Grizzlies coach Lionel Hollins said, “and I went away saying, ‘That’s Shane Battier all over again.’ He’s poised, he’s mature [and] he understands the big picture of what’s going on. That’s what you like to see in all your players coming into the league.”

      It was a sweet win for the Grizzlies, who have been been the butt of jokes since the dreadful trade that sent Pau Gasol to L.A. and allowed the Lakers to win consecutive titles. Owner Michael Heisley continued his unintentional comedy act by trying to nickel and dime Henry after this year’s draft.

      The Grizzlies are now 8-10 on the season and are sitting in the #10 spot in the West. The Lakers’ third loss sends them to 13-5 and the #4 spot in the conference.

      External Sports, Fantasy Basketball, NBA

      Strength of Schedule (SOS): Week 13

      November 30, 2010 /

      What am I looking at?

      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.

      Continue reading »

      External Sports, Fantasy Football, NFL

      LeBron’s camp behind Spoelstra ‘panic’ story?

      November 30, 2010 /
      Miami Heat forward LeBron James looks to the referee as he points towards the other side of the court after a foul against the Boston Celtics in the second half of the opening night game at the TD Garden in Boston, Massachusetts on October 26, 2010. UPI/Matthew Healey Photo via Newscom

      Yes, according to longtime LeBron-critic Adrian Wojnarowski, who referred to a Ball Don’t Lie piece by Kelly Dwyer. He alleges that LeBron’s camp planted the story to distract attention away from the hate-fest that’s about to occur upon LeBron’s return to Cleveland on Thursday night.

      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.

      External Sports, Fantasy Basketball, NBA, Rumors & Gossip

      Defensive Team By Waiver Wire (DTBWW): Week 13

      November 30, 2010 /
      SEATTLE - DECEMBER 20: Running back Derrick Ward #28 of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers rushes against Aaron Curry #59 and Darryl Tapp #55 of the Seattle Seahawks on December 20, 2009 at Qwest Field in Seattle, Washington. The Buccaneers defeated the Seahawks 24-7. (Photo by Otto Greule Jr/Getty Images)

      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.

      Let’s see how my Week 12 picks fared:

      Continue reading »

      External Sports, Fantasy Football, NFL

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