Author: John Paulsen (Page 452 of 937)

      Fantasy Quick-Hitters: Gonzalez, LT, Pierre and more

      September 17, 2009 /

      A. Gonzalez hopes to return Week 7. Well, it could have been worse. Fantasy owners who drafted Gonzalez in the 4th or 5th round expecting him to be a solid WR2 are going to have to weather the storm until he returns. Austin Collie is the Colts’ WR3 and figures to see the biggest jump in targets, though Pierre Garcon could eat into those as well. Neither player did much of anything against the Jaguars on Sunday. The Colts signed Hank Baskett as well. Gonzalez’s absence probably helps Dallas Clark the most since they both work the short game pretty well.

      Tomlinson not practicing; ankle in a boot.             This is so demoralizing for LT2 owners who drafted him in the first round expecting a bounce-back season. It is especially demoralizing for owners who didn’t draft Darren Sproles in the middle rounds to back Tomlinson up. Regardless, the Chargers have a tough matchup against the Ravens this week, though if LT2 doesn’t play, Sproles is a solid start in PPR leagues due to his ability to rack up catches in the passing game.

      Pierre Thomas practicing, still may not play. Fantasy owners that have both Thomas and Mike Bell would like to see Thomas sit until he’s healthy. Those owners who have Thomas but don’t have Bell are rooting for Thomas to return ASAP. The best thing for those owners might be for Thomas to sit out another week and hope Bell struggles against a very solid Eagles defense. The Saints offense is prolific, but I don’t know that it can support three starting fantasy RBs.

      Jamal Lewis limited by neck injury. Don’t cut James Davis yet. Davis sat out of practice with a shoulder injury, but Lewis’s neck injury is pretty worrisome considering his age and mileage.

      S. Smith tells Delhomme, “I never really liked you as a quarterback.”             Of course, the NFL has pulled the video from YouTube. Sigh.

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      The 10 Dumbest Things in Sports

      September 17, 2009 /

      I love sports, but that doesn’t mean they’re perfect. Here are ten things that drive me crazy on a regular basis, in order of increasing stupidity:

      10. The scoring system in tennis
      Love? 15? 30? 40? Deuce? Actually, I kind of like “deuce.” But why not just go to four, win by two. It’s the exact same thing and a lot easier to follow when you’ve already thrown back a couple of Bloody Marys.

      9. The overkill of NASCAR
      Does it really take 500 laps to figure out which car and driver are the fastest? Here’s an idea: Make every race 50 to 100 laps and limit the number of pit stops. Every decision will be magnified and second-guessed and strategy will become an even bigger part of the sport.

      8. Offsides (in soccer and hockey)
      Anytime that you have defenders trying to encourage offsides calls by pulling up as they run/skate back to protect their goal, it’s not a good thing. There’s no offsides in basketball and it works just fine. When Randy Moss outruns a cornerback, play doesn’t stop because he has a clear path to the endzone. Why not reward anticipation and speed, and make soccer and hockey that much more exciting by creating a flurry of one-on-one situations between the striker/forward and the goalie?

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      Auto Racing, College Basketball, College Football, Humor, March Madness, MLB, NBA, NFL, NHL, Soccer, Super Bowl, Tennis

      Defensive Team By Waiver Wire (DTBWW): Week 2

      September 16, 2009 /

      The idea is that each week, you pick up a defense, usually one playing at home against a bad offense. And each week, you get pretty good numbers out of your DT position. (All teams are available in at least 40% of ESPN fantasy leagues.)

      Last week, I recommended three DTBWW picks. Let’s take a look at how they performed:

      #1: Saints (vs. DET) = 1 SK + 3 INT = 4 fantasy points
      #2: Seahawks (vs. STL) = 0 PA (10) + 3 SK + 1 FR = 14 fantasy points
      #3: Cardinals (vs. SF) = 4 SK + 1 FR = 5 fantasy points

      The Saints and Cardinals didn’t play up to expectations, but when the Seahawks are included, the trio averaged 7.7 fp, which is solid.

      Here are my picks for this week:

      Pick #1: Atlanta Falcons (vs. CAR)
      The Eagles created seven turnovers against the Panthers last week and Jake Delhomme looked awful. No matter who Carolina has at QB, the deck is sacked against them as they face a Falcons defense that posted 14 fp against the conservative Dolphins.

      Pick #2: Washington Redskins (vs. STL)
      The Rams were brutal last week, and while the Redskins haven’t historically been able to generate a lot of turnovers, they should be able to handle the Rams after going toe to toe with a pretty good Giants’ offense last week.

      Bonus Pick: Denver Broncos (vs. CLE)
      The Broncos played well against a Bengals offense that has some firepower. I’d expect they’ll fare even better at home against Brady Quinn and the Browns.

      Other defenses to consider: SEA (@ SF), SF (vs. SEA), IND (@ MIA)

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      Fantasy Quick-Hitters: Warner, McNabb, Cassel and Pats DT

      September 16, 2009 /

      Kurt Warner suffered a stinger in Week 1. This actually limited the feeling he had in his throwing arm and could contribute to lost velocity on his passes. Fantasy owners with an open roster spot in big leagues might want to pick up Matt Leinart as a high upside flier.

      HC Andy Reid: Kolb will start if McNabb can’t go. The Eagles have yet to rule McNabb out for Week 2, but they signed Jeff Garcia and have Michael Vick once his suspension is over. None of these guys are good options right now.

      Jerod Mayo has an MCL sprain. This is a blow to the Pats’ defense, which looked pretty good in Week 1 against the Bills.

      Matt Cassel looking better, status still unclear. Brodie Croyle surprisingly had a good outing against a tough Ravens devense, but Cassel is the team’s starter. He wouldn’t be a bad start against the Raiders at home.

      Fantasy Football

      Examining the RBBCs: AFC

      September 16, 2009 /


      To see the NFC RBBCs, click here.

      Baltimore Ravens
      The Ravens were fourth in the league in rushing last season, so this is one of the most interesting RBBCs in the league. The touches broke out this way: 21 for Ray Rice (19 carries, two catches), 14 for Willis McGahee (10 carries, four catches) and nine for LeRon McClain (six carries, three catches). Rice looked strong all day, but it was McGahee who scored twice, once on a 3-yard reception and once on a 1-yard plunge. It should be noted that Rice got two carries inside the 5-yard line before McGahee scored on the reception. Rice also had a 22-yard scamper that set up the McClain 1-yard TD. I don’t think that the Ravens are going to necessarily pull Rice in the red zone, so he should have an opportunity to score 7-10 TD this year. However, it’s clear that Willis McGahee is still a viable fantasy player and the Ravens’ strong running game can support two fantasy backs.

      Indianapolis Colts
      Looking at the stat sheet, Joseph Addai had 22 touches (17 carries, five catches) compared to Donald Brown’s 13 (11 carries, two catches), but nine of Brown’s carries came in the second half after Addai lost a fumble. Clearly, the Colts aren’t married to the idea of Addai as their RB1, but as long as he doesn’t turn the ball over and stays productive, he should still get the lion’s share of the carries.

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