Category: Fantasy Football (Page 156 of 324)

      Thanks to underrated defense, the Bucs may still be the best team in the NFC South

      November 16, 2008 /

      Tampa Bay BuccaneersTama Bay’s 19-13 win over Minnesota on Sunday was yet another example of how Monte Kiffin’s unit is the most underrated defense in the NFL.

      The stats are one thing – the Bucs held Gus Frerotte to only 138 yards passing and Adrian Peterson to only 85 yards rushing – but you have to remember that Tampa has the most conservative offense in the league, too. They don’t score a ton of points and they don’t have many explosive playmakers, either. Jon Gruden’s offense relies on the running game and Jeff Garcia not turning the ball over. That’s it. The rest is in the defense’s hands to win the game.

      At 8-2, Carolina has been awfully impressive and Matt Ryan has made Atlanta an instant contender in just his rookie season. But with how good the Bucs’ defense is playing, I wouldn’t be surprised if they win the NFC South again this year.

      Tampa might be the blandest team in football, but they play their game better than anyone. They keep their game plan simple, don’t turn the ball over and play outstanding defense. They’ve also beaten the Panthers and Falcons earlier in the year and match up incredibly well against both of those teams. The only drawback is that they have to face each of those teams on the road over the next couple months.

      The Bucs probably don’t have enough offensive firepower to make a deep postseason run, but barring a collapse they’ll make the playoffs and they’re going to be incredibly tough to beat. (Especially if they get a home playoff game.)

      Fantasy Football, NFL

      The Eagles are far from a playoff team

      November 16, 2008 /

      Donovan McNabbWhat a pitiful performance by the Eagles on Sunday. They were fortunate to come away with a 13-13 tie in Cincinnati. If the Bengals had anything remotely closely resembling a football team, they would have beaten Philadelphia by two touchdowns.

      Donovan McNabb doesn’t get enough credit for how good he is and he takes a ton of undeserved criticism. But he was absolutely atrocious on Sunday. He may have thrown for 339 yards, but his three interceptions and one fumble killed scoring drives and cost the Eagles an opportunity to come away with a much-needed win instead of a sister-kisser.

      I realize the Bengals have played much better the past couple weeks than they did earlier in the season, but Philly has to win this game. They were coming off a huge loss at home against the Giants and needed a victory to keep pace in the NFC playoff race. Instead, they played uninspired and allowed Ryan Fitzpatrick to complete 29 of 44 passes for 261 yards and a touchdown.

      The Eagles are too inconsistent to be a legit playoff contender. The Giants are running away with the division and the NFC South will produce at least one of the Wild Card teams, if not both. Philly really needed a win against the hapless Bengals.

      Fantasy Football, NFL

      Ravens, Falcons fail huge tests

      November 16, 2008 /

      Michael TurnerJust when everybody and their mother come out with the, “these guys are for real articles” about the Ravens and Falcons, both teams failed huge tests in Week 11.

      Baltimore definitely had the tougher challenge playing in New York against the defending champs, but the Giants’ defense made Joe Flacco look every bit like the rookie he is in their 30-10 victory. The Ravens fell behind so quickly that they had to abandon the run, which certainly didn’t help Flacco’s cause, and the Baltimore defense was atrocious in allowing 206 yards on the ground.

      Even though Atlanta’s loss was more closely contested than Baltimore’s was (Denver won 24-20), the Falcons played with little fire. The defense that picked off Drew Brees three times last week allowed Jay Cutler (19 of 27 for 216 yards, 1 TD, 0 INT) and the Broncos’ receivers to do whatever they wanted. Matt Ryan also floated a pass to Dre’ Bly for an interception, which is something the rookie quarterback has struggled with this season. And Mike Murlarkey’s game plan to attack Denver’s banged up defense was highly questionable to say the least. (Jason Snelling in the Wild Cat formation, Mike? Really?)

      That said, the Broncos’ defense deserves a ton of credit, too. This was a unit that was missing six starters (including Champ Bailey) and they held a pretty good Atlanta offense relatively in check. Outside of two big runs, they did a fantastic job against Michael Turner and if they get this kind of defensive effort every week, the Broncos can compete with anyone.

      Back to the Ravens and Falcons – maybe this is the week where reality sets in. These two teams have been a great story this year, but Atlanta plays in a stacked NFC South and Baltimore has only beaten one team with a winning record (Miami). It’s easy to root for Flacco and Ryan, so hopefully these teams learn from these defeats and continue to push for a playoff spot. But these were two tough losses for teams trying to prove that they’re legit contenders.

      Fantasy Football, NFL

      NFL Week 11 Primer

      November 16, 2008 /

      John HarbaughSunday’s Best: Ravens (6-3) at Giants (8-1), 1:00 PM ET
      Who would have thought this game would be the best matchup of the week with the Chargers playing the Steelers and Cowboys taking on the Redskins in the same weekend. The job first-year head coach John Harbaugh and his staff has done with rookie quarterback Joe Flacco has been amazing and the rest of the Baltimore players have really bought into the new regime’s system. They’ll get their biggest challenge this season on Sunday, however, as no team outside of the Titans is playing better than the Giants right now. There are a couple of great matchups within this game, but none bigger than New York’s power running game vs. the stingy Baltimore run defense. One advantage the Giants have is that this will be the Ravens’ fifth road game in six weeks and they might start to wear down. Flacco will face a ton of pressure from a quick Giants’ front seven, but getting Willis McGahee, Ray Rice and Le’Ron McClain going will help neutralize what New York does best defensively. This will be the most physical matchup of the weekend.

      Upset Watch: Rams (2-7) at 49ers (2-7), 4:05 PM ET
      Everyone is scrambling to be the first to predict the Jaguars to upset the Titans this weekend, but people have been waiting for Tennessee to fall for weeks and still they remain unbeaten. It’s hardly a huge upset to predict one 2-7 team will beat another, but after their strong showing on Monday night, football pundits might assume this game will be an easy victory for the Niners. While there’s nothing to like about the Rams following their abysmal performance last week against the Jets, this is a better team than what they’ve shown and San Fran is a bit dysfunctional right now after their debacle on Monday Night Football. Jim Haslett is still fighting for a head coaching job (as is Mike Singletary) and there’s no doubt he’ll have his team more prepared than they were last week in New York. Of course, a win for the Rams would mean that Marc Bulger has to get his head out of his ass and someone has to find Torry Holt. But as usual with my “Upset Watch”, I won’t predict an outright win for St. Louis, but I say they at least cover the 5.5-point spread.

      Tony RomIntriguing Matchup: Cowboys (5-4) at Redskins (6-3), 8:15 PM ET
      Tony Romo will be back in action this week, but will he need a game or two to shake off the rust? Unfortunately for him, Dallas can’t afford to lose any more ground in a stacked NFC East. The Redskins are also fighting to keep pace in the division and will look to avenge their ugly loss to the Steelers on Monday Night Football two weeks ago. They’ll have to do it without Clinton Portis, however, as he currently is sidelined with a MCL injury. Jason Campbell has been solid this season, but he’ll need to make plays without Portis in the backfield. If the Cowboys are going to walk away with a win, they’ll do so because of a strong defensive effort – not the play of Romo.

      Other Notable Games:
      Titans (9-0) at Jaguars (4-5), 4:15 PM ET
      As previously noted, everyone is waiting for the Titans to slip and this very well could be the weekend they do. But they don’t seem like the team that gets ahead of themselves and every one of their wins has been a dogfight. The Jaguars rebounded with an impressive win over the Lions last week, but let’s not forget that they lost to the Bengals and Browns in two games prior to that.

      Bears (5-4) at Packers (4-5), 1:00 PM ET
      This is a must win for both teams because the Vikings are right back in the division hunt again. If the Packers lose, they might be able to kiss the playoffs goodbye. Kyle Orton is expected to play for the Bears.

      Vikings (5-4) at Bucs (6-3), 1:00 PM ET
      We’ll find out a lot about Minnesota this Sunday and whether or not they’ve returned from the grave. A win over a solid Tampa team would go a long way in proving they’ve rebounded from earlier seasons struggles.

      Broncos (5-4) at Falcons (6-3), 1:00 PM ET
      The legend of Matt Ryan continues this week in the Georgia Dome. Ryan is 4-0 at home this year and will have plenty of opportunities to make big plays against a horrible Denver defense. But Jay Cutler as lit opposing defenses up this year and there could be a wild finish to this game in the making.

      Fantasy Football, NFL

      Has the power shifted in the AFC East this season?

      November 14, 2008 /

      Brett FavreBrett Favre gets traded to Jets + Tom Brady goes down for the season in Week 1 = Jets AFC East Champions. Right? Yes, although it certainly hasn’t been that easy.

      Despite Patriots’ QB Matt Cassel throwing for a career-high 400 yards and three touchdowns, Jay Feely’s 34-yard field goal in overtime gave the Jets a thrilling 34-31 victory Thursday night in Foxboro. With the win, the Jets took over sole possession of first place in the AFC East at 7-3 on the year.

      While watching the game (yes, I am one of the 34 people who have the NFL Network), I got the impression that the power has shifted a bit in the division. Not to say that New England is out of it because clearly Cassel is more than capable of leading the Pats to the playoffs, but Jet Favre has provided a spark in New York that had been missing at the quarterback position.

      After the Jets decided to make the game interesting by allowing Cassel and the Patriots to march right up the field for a game-tying touchdown with only seconds remaining in regulation, New York won the opening toss and marched right up the field. I don’t want to get into all of the “vintage Favre” crap, but the drive was indicative of what Brett has done throughout his entire career. He made plays when the game was on the line and propelled his team to victory. Even though he has resurrected the Dolphins this season, I doubt Chad Pennington would have lead the Jets in the same fashion Thursday night.

      The Jets face their toughest test of the season next week when they travel to Tennessee to take on the Titans. If they can muster a victory, they should be on easy street the rest of the year: vs. Denver, at. San Fran, vs. Buffalo, at Seattle, vs. Miami. Of those games, the Jets get the Bills and Dolphins – two division opponents – at home.

      With their victory over the Pats, the Jets have now set themselves up to win the division. But obviously Bill Belichick and New England won’t go quietly so this is shaping up for a great battle down the stretch.

      Fantasy Football, NFL

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