Category: Fantasy Football (Page 152 of 324)

      Love ‘Em & Leave ‘Em: Week 12

      November 20, 2008 /

      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 Drew Brees 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 Tony Romo, only do so if you have a clearly better option on your bench.

      The “love ‘em” players are listed in the order that I’d start them this week.

      LOVE ‘EM

      QB: Jason Campbell faces the Seahawks, who are 31st in the league against the pass (265 yards, 1.5 pass TD per game), so he should be in store for a nice day…Brady Quinn has a great matchup with a Houston defense that is tied for third in most passing TD allowed on the season. Quinn had a great first start, but didn’t throw a TD against the Bills last week. I’d feel more confident in this play if Kellen Winslow is healthy enough to play…Gus Frerotte faces a Jaguars defense that has allowed the 2nd most passing TD in the league. Frerotte has been a solid fantasy QB since he took over in Minnesota but many fantasy owners are still scared to use him..Kerry Collins has posted good fantasy numbers in the last two games as teams try to gang up on LenDale White and Chris Johnson. This week, he faces a Jets defense that has allowed 240 passing yards and 1.4 pass TD per game…Jeff Garcia faces a Detroit defense that is 23rd in the league against the pass. They played pretty well against the Panthers last week, but on the season the Lions have been dreadful.

      RB: Matt Forte (@ STL), Marshawn Lynch (@ KC), Marion Barber (vs. SF) and LaDainian Tomlinson (vs. IND) all have great matchups and should be in your starting lineup…Jamal Lewis faces a Houston defense that has yielded an average of 133 rushing yards and 1.5 rush TD per game this season. He has had a rough schedule thus far, but he should be able to find the endzone this week…It’s always dicey starting a Denver running back, but Peyton Hillis seems to be Mike Shanahan’s current favorite and he has a great matchup with the Raiders’ 30th-ranked rush defense…With Earnest Graham on IR and Cadillac Williams working his way back, Warrick Dunn is a sleeper this week against a Lions rush defense that gave up more than 200 yards to the Panthers last week. They’re so bad that they’ve overtaken the Chiefs as the worst rush defense in the league.

      WR: The Giants pass defense is pretty good on the whole, but they’ve given up some points to wide receivers, so don’t think about benching Anquan Boldin or Larry Fitzgerald…Santana Moss has been spotty at times, but give him a start this week against the Seahawks, who have given up the second most yards in the passing game this season…Given the Jaguars propensity to give up pass TD (18 on the season), Bernard Berrian should be in lineups this week even though he’s been quiet the last couple of games…Plaxico Burress has only 10 catches in the last four games, but the Giants will need him against a Cardinals team that should put up some points. It doesn’t hurt that Arizona has given up a league-leading 19 pass TD on the season…Greg Jennings is a no-brainer this week against the Saints, but try to find room for Donald Driver in your lineup as well, assuming he’s able to practice this week…Antonio Bryant should start this week as he faces a Lions defense that has allowed some big games to receivers this season…Andre Johnson is a weekly must-start, but Kevin Walter is also startable against a Browns pass defense that is 19th in the league…Torry Holt has had a rough season, but he has an outside shot at a big game against a Bears defense that has struggled against the pass.

      LEAVE ‘EM

      QB: Matt Ryan has been solid this season, especially for a rookie, but this week he faces the 5th-ranked Panthers pass defense that has yielded an average of 185 yards and 0.8 TD per game, so Ryan may find the going rough…Minnesota’s pass defense isn’t that great yardage-wise (21st-ranked), but they have only given up eight TD in 10 games, so the odds are against David Garrard having a multiple-TD day…I’d leave Matt Hasselbeck on the bench another week. The 10th-ranked Redskins pass defense has been solid all year and Hass didn’t look that great in his first game back…They’re still startable, but Phillip Rivers and Brett Favre have tough matchups against the Colts and the Titans, respectively, so lower those expectations…If you’re desperate, don’t turn to the likes of Daunte Culpepper (vs. TB) or Ryan Fitzpatrick (@ PIT) as neither guy has a good (or even decent) matchup.

      RB: I’d try to stay away from Cedric Benson this week as he faces the #1-ranked Pittsburgh rush defense…Kevin Smith also has a bad matchup against a Bucs defense that has only given up ONE rush TD all season…Julius Jones may be getting most of the carries in Seattle, but with the Redskins’ 5th-ranked rush defense coming to town, he’s not a good start this week…Sammy Morris seems like he’s all the way back, but the Dolphins have the league’s 9th-ranked rush defense, so I wouldn’t expect a big game…These guys are still startable, but they have bad matchups so adjust your expectations accordingly: Tim Hightower (vs. NYG), Michael Turner (vs. CAR), Brandon Jacobs (@ ARI, assuming he plays) and Brian Westbrook (@ BAL).

      WR: While Roddy White is pretty much a must-start every week, I wouldn’t start Michael Jenkins as the Falcons face a pretty tough Carolina pass defense…None of the Jacksonville receivers are worth starting this week. The Minnesota pass defense may give up some yards, but they have only allowed eight pass TD all season…I’d leave Vincent Jackson and Chris Chambers on the bench this week. The Colts pass defense has been excellent this season…It’s not the week to gamble on any of the Seattle wideouts. The Washington pass defense is in the top 10 in both yards and TD allowed…They’re still startable, but lower your expectations for the Jets’ and Saints’ WRs, who face the Titans and Packers, respectively.

      DTBWW

      Welcome to the world of Defensive Team By Waiver Wire (DTBWW). Each week, you pick up a defense, usually 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.

      This week’s picks:

      DAL (vs. SF)
      DEN (vs. OAK)

      (I feel a LOT better about Dallas than I do Denver.)

      Last week’s picks:

      Dolphins: 15 PA + 6 SK = 8 fantasy points
      49ers: 16 PA + 4 SK + 2 INT + 1 FR = 9 fantasy points

      DTBWW got back on track this week.

      Fantasy Football, NFL

      Fantasy Football Podcast: Week 12

      November 20, 2008 /

      Listen in as Anthony Stalter and I discuss the Chargers/Steelers debacle, Brandon Jacobs’ knee, Deuce McAllister’s possible suspension, the Tampa Bay running game, and much, much more. I’ll also throw out a few QB and RB sleepers for fantasy owners in need.

      Click here to listen to the podcast.

      The opening and closing music is AC/DC’s “It’s a Long Way to the Top (If You Want to Rock & Roll)”

      Fantasy Football, NFL, Podcasts

      Chad Johnson deactivated for game against Steelers

      November 20, 2008 /

      The roller coaster ride that is the Cincinnati Bengals’ 2008 season continues as Chad “Ocho Cinco” Johnson will be deactivated for tonight’s game against the Pittsburgh Steelers for violating a team rule.

      Chad JohnsonThe Bengals made the announcement in a terse statement delivered here from the team’s downtown hotel and said there would be no other announcement until after the game.

      With wide receiver Antonio Chatman on injured reserve, the Bengals are looking at starting Chris Henry or Glenn Holt in place of Ocho Cinco, and it looks like rookie Andre Caldwell could get some time after practing Tuesday for the first time since he got injured against the Steelers Oct. 19.
      Ocho Cinco couldn’t be reached for comment.

      Even he has seemed surprised at times at how well he has behaved and has said all the right things despite the most frustrating season of his career that began with arthroscopic ankle surgery and has continued with a separated shoulder.

      As late as Tuesday he said, “Regardless of who the opponent is, my mind is really set to approach each game the same way, in the same positive manner and when the opportunities come, just make the plays.”

      The Bengals must not have filled their quota this year for suspending players. This team needs to break out the biggest broom they can find and do some major cleansing this offseason. Blow the whole thing up and start over.

      Clearly, this is an upgrade for T.J. Houshmandzadeh and Chris Henry, and probably a downgrade for Ryan Fitzpatrick. Housh is a solid play, but I wouldn’t want to start Henry against a very good Pittsburgh pass defense. Still, if you’re desperate, Henry became a viable spot starter with Ocho Cinco out.

      Fantasy Football, NFL

      Edgerrin James wanted release but Cards denied request

      November 20, 2008 /

      According to ESPN.com Arizona Cardinals’ running back Edgerrin James wanted his outright release but the team denied his request.

      “We spoke with [general manager] Rod Graves because Edgerrin still believes he is a 1,000-yard back and he is healthy and he is still capable of being a 1,000-yard back for a team,” Rosenhaus said. “He is not playing now, and there are teams that are banged up at the running back position that he could help. We didn’t get the answer we were hoping for.”

      Graves said on Wednesday evening that Rosenhaus asked if the team would consider releasing James “and we declined it as a consideration.”

      “I explained to him that we still saw Edgerrin as a valuable member of our football team,” Graves said.

      “Edgerrin isn’t trying to cause any problems,” Rosenhaus said. “He has had a Hall of Fame career and he has enjoyed his stay in Arizona. But it’s apparent that he’s probably not going to be back with the Cardinals next season. If that’s the case, he can move and help another team and get a start now.”

      The writing was on the wall for James in Arizona when there were rumors in April that the team wanted to draft a running back. And now that Tim Hightower has emerged as a quality starter (he has been more effective than James has), there’s just no room for James. I don’t blame the team for wanting to hang on to him throughout the year for insurance, but it would be fair to James if the Cards parted ways at the end of the season to give him another opportunity to start somewhere.

      Fantasy Football, NFL

      Correcting Rick Reilly, Part 1: Rick should stop trying to be funny

      November 19, 2008 /

      Regular readers might be familiar with my ongoing series, Correcting Bill Simmons. Now that I’m forcibly exposed to Rick Reilly’s back page column in ESPN The Mag, it’s time to start a new series with Reilly as the star.

      This week, he wrote a somewhat touching piece about how Jay Cutler’s dealings with Type 1 diabetes has affected children all over the country. Reilly isn’t bad at the heart-warming stuff, but when he tries to be funny, he just comes off as stiff. Take this paragraph:

      Shy and mop-haired, he led the league in shrugs. He looked like he had terminal influenza. The bags under his eyes had bags. And yet he’d sleep 10 hours at night and three more after practice. He lost 35 pounds in the 2007 season alone. He couldn’t concentrate. He was starting to look like the biggest bust since Lindsay Lohan. And that’s when he found out he had diabetes. Or rather, it had him.

      All right, there are two problems here. The first is the statement that Cutler was a bust when he hit the league. I don’t know if Reilly is talking about Cutler’s first or second season, but he played pretty well even prior to getting diagnosed with diabetes. In 2006, he played in five games and threw for an average of 200 yards, 1.8 TD and 1.0 INT. In 2007, he played in all 16 games and finished with 3497 yards, 20 TD and 14 INT. What about these numbers says “bust”?

      When I found out that a pre-diagnosed Cutler was still able to be a decent fantasy QB despite losing 35 pounds and much of his strength, I put him at the top of my sleeper QB list heading into 2008. Needless to say, that has paid off.

      Then there’s the comparison to Lindsay Lohan.

      He was starting to look like the biggest bust since Lindsay Lohan.

      What does this mean? Is he saying that Lohan was a bust in that she was destined for big things but has since fallen from grace? Or is he saying that she has big knockers? If it’s the former, I don’t know how relevant it is to refer to actors as “busts.” They weren’t drafted in the first round and they weren’t given big contracts before playing in the big leagues. If it’s the latter – which is far less likely considering Reilly’s typically PG-rated fare – I could think of a dozen well-endowed starlets that would make for a better joke. (There’s Pamela Anderson, Scarlett Johansson, Jennifer Love Hewitt, Penelope Cruz, Salma Hayak, Jennifer Tilly, Catherine Bell, just to name a few.)

      Then there’s this attempt at humor, referencing Cutler’s regular blood tests, which require him to prick his fingers over and over…

      What Cutler wants to be is a normal QB, but he never will be. From now on, he’ll have more holes than a Jessica Simpson movie.

      Really? More holes than a Jessica Simpson movie? Reilly can’t find another “actress” to kick around. Simpson hasn’t been in a major motion picture in two years (2006’s “Employee of the Month”), which I haven’t seen. She was in “Dukes of Hazzard” in 2005, but I don’t really remember it being filled with plot holes. (It was just a bad, bad movie.)

      Maybe Reilly should take a shot at Kate Hudson, who has been in no fewer than six horrid romantic comedies in the last five years. I’m thinking of “How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days,” “Alex & Emma,” “Raising Helen,” “You, Me & Dupree,” “Fool’s Gold” and “My Best Friend’s Girl.” If you’re a big-wig Hollywood studio exec and you’re about to greenlight a bad rom-com, Kate Hudson should be on speed dial.

      This is just a case of Rick Reilly trying to be Bill Simmons. He thinks that if he shoehorns some pop culture reference in as a joke that it will make his stuff seem fresh and funny. But it just makes him look tired.

      He should stick to the sappy, sentimental stuff. The world only has one Bill Simmons, and that’s plenty.

      Fantasy Football, Humor, NFL

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