Listen in as John Paulsen and Anthony Stalter talk about the fantasy implications of NFL Week 1. They discuss the Giants/Redskins game on Thursday, along with Sunday’s Browns/Cowboys, Bucs/Saints and Vikings/Packers matchups. They also throw out a few sleepers at each position.
(Opening and closing music is Tomoyasu Hotei’s “Battle Without Honor or Humanity,” which was featured prominently in “Kill Bill: Vol. 1”)
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 Tom Brady 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.
As far as the matchups are concerned, we’re working off of last year’s data.
START ‘EM
QB: Jon Kitna (@ ATL) has a nice matchup against a Falcons defense that is traditionally pretty bad against the pass… In leagues that start two QBs each week, Matt Ryan (vs. DET) and Joe Flacco (vs. CIN) are both playing at home against suspect secondaries… I’d rather wait a week or two to see how the Redskins look in their new West Coast Offense, but Jason Campbell (@ NYG) has a pretty nice matchup against the defending Super Bowl champs.
RB: Selvin Young (@ OAK) faces a Raiders defense that was awful against the run last season… Look for Ricky Williams (vs. NYJ) to have a solid game while Ronnie Brown continues to work himself back into the lineup… Willie Parker (vs. HOU) is worth a start in most leagues. The Texans struggled against the run last season.
WR: Derrick Mason (vs. CIN) faces a Bengals defense that was pretty bad against the pass in 2007… Patrick Crayton (@ CLE) should be able to take advantage of the openings created when the Browns turn their attention to Terrell Owens and Jason Witten… Dwayne Bowe (@ NE) figures to clean up in garbage time when the Chiefs are playing from behind. Don’t forget that the Pats have new starting corners this season… I think Jericho Cotchery (@ MIA) is going to be a must-start this season, but he definitely should start against the Dolphins this week.
SIT ‘EM
QB: Trent Edwards (vs. SEA) and Chad Pennington (vs. NYJ) both have fairly tough matchups this week, though they are playing at home… On the stud front, Derek Anderson (vs. DAL), Jay Cutler (@ OAK), Drew Brees (vs. TB) and Matt Hasselbeck (@ BUF) all have poor matchups, though I wouldn’t bench any of them unless I had a much better option on the bench.
RB: I like Chris Perry this year but his matchup with the Ravens is a bad one. He’s probably not going to score much in the ground game, but he’s still a decent start in PPR leagues… Ryan Grant (vs. MIN) faces a very stout Minnesota defense. Grant is a solid RB2, so start him unless you have a better option.
WR: It’s not a good week to experiment with Vincent Jackson (vs. CAR) in your starting lineup. The Panthers’ secondary is pretty solid… It’s probably wise to stay away from the Denver WRs (Eddie Royal, Darrell Jackson and Brandon Stokley) as they face a formidable Oakland secondary that features Nnamdi Asomugha and DeAngelo Hall at corner.
DTBWW
One way to approach the defensive team position is to scour the waiver wire to find a mediocre defense with a good or great matchup week to week. I call this strategy Defensive Team By Waiver Wire (DTBWW). Mediocre defenses usually play better at home, so focus on those teams with a home field advantage. Here is a list of defenses that should fare pretty well this week:
ATL (vs. DET), SF (vs. ARI), PHI (vs. STL) and DEN (@ OAK)
The new NBA Oklahoma City franchise (formerly the Seattle Supersonics) has settled on the “Thunder” as its nickname.
As Oklahoma City’s NBA team prepared to reveal its name and logo, the NBA’s Web site showed “Thunder” as the name and the color scheme as blue, yellow and orange.
The franchise planned to formally reveal the team’s nickname, colors and logo at 5 p.m. CDT.
I’m not too keen on the Thunder, as I’m not a big fan of nicknames that don’t end in a “s.” It’s tough to say that Dwight Howard is the best Magic (?) ever or that Kevin Durant will go down in history as the best Thunder ever.
Over the last few weeks I heard several names bandied about; the Bison, the Barrons, the Tornadoes, the Marshalls and the Outlaws, just to name a few. I personally like the Outlaws, but given its tarnished reputation, the NBA is probably shying away from anything associated with criminal activity. Of that list, I think the Marshalls is the next best option.
It’s also a little strange that they settled on blue, yellow and orange colors. I thought they might do maroon and orange to tie in the Oklahoma Sooners and the Oklahoma State Cowboys.
You can see the logo at NBA.com and at the official team website, which, oddly enough, is still is tagged as “Seattle SuperSonics.”
Golden State guard Monta Ellis, who recently signed a six-year contract worth $66 million, recently underwent ankle surgery to repair a torn ligament that he claims he sustained while playing basketball in Mississippi.
There were reports that the Warriors were suspicious of Ellis’ story, and we now may have an idea why.
League sources have told ESPN that there were cuts and abrasions on Ellis’ leg that are not consistent with the way Ellis said he injured the ankle.
Just over a month after receiving one of the biggest pay raises in NBA history, Ellis underwent ankle surgery to repair the torn ligament last Wednesday in Alabama and will likely be sidelined until December at the earliest.
Two experts in sports medicine consulted by ESPN.com, granted anonymity because they aren’t privy to the specifics of Ellis’ condition, said that a torn deltoid ligament is rarely seen in basketball. The deltoid ligament, the sources explained, is on the medial (big toe) side of the ankle while the structures typically involved in a high ankle sprain are on the opposite (lateral) side of the ankle. Involvement of the deltoid suggests a more serious rotational injury than those commonly associated with the NBA, the sources said.
If Ellis is found to have sustained his injuries by taking part in non-basketball activities prohibited in his contract, Golden State could theoretically attempt to void the new six-year, $66 million deal signed by the 22-year-old on July 24. But such a drastic step is considered highly unlikely as long as the injuries cause no lasting damage, given Ellis’ standing as perhaps Golden State’s most prized asset in the wake of Baron Davis’ free-agent defection to the Los Angeles Clippers.
The more likely punishments — assuming Ellis makes a full recovery from his injuries — are a fine or, at worst, a suspension.
This keeps getting more interesting by the minute. It’s may be telling that Ellis has yet to speak to the media to confirm his side of the story. If he is being truthful, you’d think that he’d have no problem doing an interview about how he injured the ankle. There’s something more going on here.
In the end, it all depends on the severity of the injury. If he was involved in non-basketball activities when he tore the ligament, and the injury will negatively impact his game, then the Warriors have every right to seek to have the contract terminated. But if he’s expected to recover completely, it is highly doubtful that it will go that far.
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