Category: External Sports (Page 532 of 821)

      Waiver Wire Watch, Week 3: How is Mike Williams (TB) still available in 65% of ESPN leagues?

      September 21, 2010 /
      CHARLOTTE, NC - SEPTEMBER 19: Mike Williams of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers breaks a tackle on his way to scoring a touchdown against the Carolina Panthers during their game at Bank of America Stadium on September 19, 2010 in Charlotte, North Carolina. (Photo by Streeter Lecka/Getty Images)

      Every week, I highlight a few players that you should target in waivers. I use the ESPN league data when filtering players, so the only guys eligible for discussion here are those that are available on the waiver wire in at least 50% of ESPN’s leagues. I’ll list each player’s percentage-owned after their name so you have an idea of how available they are in leagues around the country. I’ll always try to mention a few players that are available in 90% of leagues for those of you in 12-team leagues or leagues with big rosters. I’ll rank them in the order I’d pick them up in a league with a high-performance, PPR scoring system.

      Please note that these rankings are for total value through the end of the year. Players with particularly good matchups this week are in bold.

      Kyle Orton (45.9)
      The competition (JAX & SEA) wasn’t the greatest, but Orton absolutely shredded those defenses to the tune of 602 yards and 3 TDs, while throwing just one pick. His upcoming schedule isn’t the greatest, but he has several nice matchups in the second half.

      David Garrard (36.0)
      His outing against San Diego was rough, but three of his next four games are at home (where he plays well) and the only road game is in Buffalo.

      Josh Freeman (5.2)
      Freeman has averaged 180 yards and 2.0 TDs in his first two games. There are a few tough matchups coming up (PIT, CIN, NO), but after that, things get a lot easier, and he has two great matchups in Week 15 and Week 16 (DET & SEA).

      Alex Smith (9.3)
      After a dreadful Week 1, Smith bounced back with a 275 yards and a TD against (with two INTs) against the Saints.

      Shaun Hill (0.4)
      He threw for 335 yards and 2 TDs against a pretty good Eagles defense. With plenty of weapons to throw to coupled with the Lions’ propensity to play from behind, Hill is a good bet to post solid numbers week in and week out.

      Mark Sanchez (22.7)
      Which Sanchize is going to show up? The one that threw for a measly 74 yards in Week 1 or the one that tossed 3 TD against the Patriots. Only use Sanchez in good matchups.

      Matt Hasselbeck (21.5)
      Hass has (try saying that five times fast) always been a decent fantasy player when healthy. This week’s matchup with the Chargers isn’t favorable, but it is at home where the Seahawks seem to thrive.

      Sam Bradford (15.0)
      A favorable upcoming schedule (WAS, SEA, DET) makes Bradford an interesting play in two-QB leagues.

      Bruce Gradkowski (0.0)
      It looks like he’ll be starting as news broke last night that Jason Campbell has been demoted to QB3.

      Derek Anderson (11.1)

      Matt Cassel (11.0)

      Jimmy Clausen (0.5)

      Ryan Fitzpatrick (0.2)
      Trent Edwards is out, Fitzy is in. God help us.

      Continue reading »

      External Sports, Fantasy Football, News, NFL, Rumors & Gossip

      A minute and 19 seconds might as well be a lifetime for Drew Brees

      September 20, 2010 /
      New Orleans Saints quarterback Drew Brees looks to pass in the first quarter against the San Francisco 49ers during their Monday night NFL football game in San Francisco, California September 20, 2010. REUTERS/Robert Galbraith (UNITED STATES - Tags: SPORT FOOTBALL)

      If Alex Smith goes on to have a solid year in San Francisco, people are going to point back to this night as the moment everything turned for the 26-year-old former first round pick.

      The 49ers turned the ball over four times in their 25-22 loss to the Saints on Monday night, yet there they were with just over two minutes remaining in the fourth and a chance to tie the game with a touchdown and a 2-point conversation.

      What Smith did next was exactly what quarterbacks have to do in that situation: he orchestrated a flawless two-minute drive and tied the game. He completed four of five passes for 51 yards and managed to scramble for 24 yards on two carries after New Orleans defenders crashed the pocket. Frank Gore capped the drive off with a 7-yard touchdown run and then Smith found Vernon Davis on a successful 2-point conversation attempt, although the play had to be reviewed because the original ruling was that Davis was stopped short of the goal line.

      Unfortunately for Smith and the 49ers, Drew Brees still had 1:19 left on the clock and three timeouts. With his team only needing a field goal to win, Brees led the Saints on a seven-play, 54-yard drive that ended with a Garrett Hartley 37-yard field goal (which was partially blocked, yet still had enough mustard on it to get through the uprights).

      Smith did what he had to do to give his team a chance to win, but too bad for him Brees has long mastered the art of the game-winning drive.

      It was a significant win for the Saints because in all honesty, it was a game they couldn’t afford to lose. Obviously there’s an entire season yet to be played, but the 49ers handed this game over on a silver platter and had San Fran completed the comeback, we would be looking at a reeling New Orleans team heading into a huge divisional matchup with the Falcons this Sunday. (A game in which they may not have Reggie Bush, who injured his leg on a muffed punt midway through the fourth quarter.)

      But at 2-0, the Saints remain perfect on the young season.

      External Sports, NFL

      Nets leading the Carmelo sweepstakes?

      September 20, 2010 /
      New Jersey Nets new owner Mikhail Prokhorov (L) of Russia sits with his new head coach Avery Johnson during Game 5 of the 2010 NBA Finals basketball series in Boston, Massachusetts, June 13, 2010. REUTERS/Mike Segar (UNITED STATES - Tags: SPORT BASKETBALL)

      The New Jersey Nets have emerged as the frontrunner for Carmelo Anthony’s services, according to ESPN…

      Several league sources on Monday told ESPN.com that they believe the Nets have emerged as the front-runner to secure Anthony. Not only is Anthony willing to sign a contract extension with the Nets, sources say the club is willing to make an intriguing offer of Derrick Favors (the No. 3 pick in this year’s draft), the expiring contracts of Troy Murphy and Kris Humphries, and at least one future first-round pick to Denver to land Anthony.

      A source close to the Nets told ESPN.com that he wasn’t ready to concede that the Nets were the front-runners for Anthony’s services, nor was the source willing to confirm what the Nets would offer. However, the source did acknowledge that New Jersey was in serious consideration based on the Nuggets’ reluctance to trade Anthony to a Western Conference team and the Nets’ combination of expiring contracts, draft picks and a young player with serious upside.

      Hmm. This trade looks familiar, though the Nets don’t have to include Humphries in the deal (unless I’m missing some rule about the extend-and-trade). Favors is obviously the centerpiece, and he’d give the Nuggets and intriguing building block and running mate for Ty Lawson.

      The report makes me wonder if the Knicks have offered Danilo Gallinari and Anthony Randolph (along with Eddy Curry’s contract) or if they are holding to the originally reported Gallinari/Curry deal. It seemed like the Nuggets weren’t too impressed with anything on the Knicks’ roster, so this Favors deal might be enough to get the Nuggets to pull the trigger. They’d get a young prospect, a draft pick, salary cap relief, and they’d trade Carmelo out of the conference. Not bad.

      For the Nets, the trade would open a hole at power forward, but the team could move forward with a core of Melo, Brook Lopez, Devin Harris and Terrence Williams. I’m still confused by the team’s decision to invest $11 million per year in Travis Outlaw and Jordan Farmar when they could have used that cap space to sign someone like David Lee. I guess they were waiting on LeBron, like everyone else, and when he finally decided to ‘take his talents to South Beach,’ they scrambled to do the best they could with what was still out there. I don’t mind the Farmar signing so much, but the Outlaw deal leaves the Nets with zero cap flexibility going forward.

      External Sports, Fantasy Basketball, NBA, News, Rumors & Gossip

      Michael Turner’s groin is fine, should play against Saints

      September 20, 2010 /
      ATLANTA - SEPTEMBER 19: Michael Turner of the Atlanta Falcons walks to the locker room with trainers after injuring his groin against the Arizona Cardinals at Georgia Dome on September 19, 2010 in Atlanta, Georgia. (Photo by Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images)

      I don’t know why I didn’t realize this before, but I just re-read the headline to this piece and it hit me that part of my job is to write about other mens’ groins.

      Mom must be proud.

      Falcons head coach Mike Smith reiterated today what he confirmed yesterday following Atlanta’s 41-7 thrashing of the Cardinals: Michael Turner is fine and barring a setback, will play against the Saints this Sunday.

      After rushing for 75 yards on nine carries in the first quarter against the Cardinals, Turner suffered a groin injury and wasn’t inserted back into the game. But he didn’t need to go back in, as the Falcons built a big lead thanks in part to Jason Snelling’s (24 carries, 129 yards, 3 total TDs) monster day. It would have been foolish had Turner gone back into a blowout and risk further injury.

      With a trip to New Orleans coming up this Sunday, the Falcons will need a healthy “Burner.” The Saints’ biggest weakness defensively is arguably up the gut and with the way Atlanta ran the ball yesterday against Arizona, having the backfield duo of Turner and Snelling is vital. The key to beating the Saints is a) getting pressure on Drew Brees and b) keeping him and his offense off the field. The Falcons can accomplish one of those two goals with a healthy dose of Turner and Snelling.

      That said, this is also a game that Matt Ryan needs to step up. He played extremely well in the win over the Cardinals (21-32, 225 yards, 3 TDs, 0 INTs), but he failed to make plays against the Steelers in Week 1. That’s not to say that he didn’t play well, he just didn’t play well enough. When Pittsburgh shut Atlanta’s running game down, Ryan couldn’t come up with that one play in the passing game to turn the momentum on its head. If he’s in a similar situation this Sunday, it’s time for “Matty Ice” to produce.

      This will be a great test for a team that many consider to be a sleeper Super Bowl contender this season. If Turner is 100%, the Falcons certainly have enough weapons to go toe-to-toe with the most explosive offense in the NFC. The Saints and Falcons played two thrilling games last year (both NO victories), and their first meeting this season should be more of the same.

      External Sports, NFL

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