Category: Fantasy Football (Page 163 of 324)

      Brady Quinn ready for NFL starting debut

      November 6, 2008 /

      Brady QuinnTonight marks the much-anticipated NFL debut of Brady Quinn as the second-year quarterback will make his first career NFL start when his Cleveland Browns host the Denver Broncos on the NFL Network at 8:15 PM ET.

      Quinn has been given a fantastic opportunity to succeed tonight. Not only does he make his first start in the comforts of the Dawg Pound, but he’s also facing a Broncos’ defense that has been shredded by air, ground and sea this year, and will also be without cornerback Champ Bailey, who continues to nurse a torn groin muscle.

      Some feel that starting Quinn is a final desperation move by Romeo Crennel to save his job. That might be, but former starter Derek Anderson didn’t give him a lot of choice either. He was plagued by dropped passes (see Edwards, Braylon) and injuries (see Winslow, Kellen), but outside of a great game against the Giants and a decent first half against the Ravens, DA flat out hasn’t made as many plays as he did last year.

      Quinn is going to be fine…at least tonight. The Browns have done a nice job building a solid offensive line and if they can get the running game going with Jamal Lewis, it’ll allow Quinn to take what the Broncos give him (which should be a lot) in the passing game. As long as offensive coordinator Rob Chudzinski doesn’t ask him to do too much, Quinn shouldn’t have any problem moving the ball.

      Looking ahead, Quinn has both favorable and nasty defensive matchups. Buffalo will be a decent test next week, but after that he faces two mediocre defenses in Houston and Indianapolis before getting his first huge challenge in Tennessee. He’ll also face Jim Johnson’s blitz-happy Philadelphia defense, as well as the Steelers at the end of the year so we’ll see what kind of mettle the young man has over the next two months.

      But the thing to remember over the final eight weeks is that Quinn is still a pup. The torch has been passed, but everyone should give him time to develop. He might have a dazzling performance tonight, but fizzle next week; that’s just what you get from young quarterbacks. Regardless, the Browns have presented a great opportunity for him to succeed tonight. Let’s hope for Quinn’s sake that the offensive line opens holes for Lewis and the onus can be off of their young quarterback. As long as he doesn’t turn the ball over, he should be fine.

      Fantasy Football, NFL

      Fantasy Football Podcast: Week 10

      November 6, 2008 /

      Listen in as Anthony Stalter and I discuss all of the Week 10 happenings, including the DeAngelo Hall release, Brady Quinn’s first start, the Denver and Baltimore running games, and Larry Johnson’s possible return to action. I also throw out a few waiver wire quarterbacks that would be good pickups this week.

      Click here to listen to the podcast.

      (The opening and closing music is Devo’s “Girl U Want“)

      Fantasy Football, NFL, Podcasts

      Love ‘Em & Leave ‘Em: Thursday Night Game

      November 5, 2008 /

      Since Denver and Cleveland square off on Thursday night, I thought I’d throw out a few recommendations of some Browns and Broncos that you’ll want to start (or sit) this week. My regular “Love ‘Em/Leave ‘Em” post will go up Friday morning as usual.

      LOVE ‘EM

      Jamal Lewis has a great matchup with a Broncos rush defense that is 26th against the run. On average, they allow 5.1 ypc (2nd worst in the league) and 1.3 rush TD per game. The Browns are likely planning to establish the running game to help Brady Quinn get settled in his first game as the starter. Lewis should gain 80-100 yards and find the endzone at least once…Braylon Edwards is also a solid start against the Denver pass defense, which is 27th in the league…Brandon Marshall and Eddie Royal are both worth starting against a Browns secondary that hasn’t been great against opposing WRs. On the whole, the Browns have a pretty good pass defense, but they allow quite a few fantasy points to wideouts…Ryan Torain looks like a sneaky good start against a Browns rush defense that is 28th in the league and yields an average of 148 yards and 1.1 rush TD per game. Be warned, Mike Shanahan is just as likely to pull a free agent off the street and go with a RBBC as he is to give Torain a full load.

      LEAVE ‘EM

      There are no players that I would bench based on the matchup, but I’m not feeling good about the chances of Tony Scheffler returning this week. He’s listed as questionable and didn’t sound positive earlier in the week when asked about the injury.

      Fantasy Football, NFL

      Michael Turner may not be consistent, but at least he’s predictable

      November 5, 2008 /

      I’ve been beating this drum on our weekly fantasy football podcasts, but Michael Turner doesn’t run well against teams with good (or even mediocre) run defenses. That may seem intuitive, but he really doesn’t run well against good run defenses. Take a look at his first eight games. (The opposing team’s rank in average rush yards per game is in parenthesis.)

      Week 1 – DET (31st): 220 yards, 2 TD
      Week 2 – TB (13th): 42 yards
      Week 3 – KC (32nd): 104 yards, 3 TD
      Week 4 – CAR (14th): 56 yards
      Week 5 – GB (27th): 121 yards, TD
      Week 6 – CHI (6th): 54 yards
      Week 8 – PHI (8th): 58 yards
      Week 9 – OAK (30th): 139 yards

      So against the Lions, Chiefs, Packers and Raiders (average rank: 30th), Turner posted an average of 146 yards rushing (5.7 ypc) and 1.5 TD. Against the Bucs, Panthers, Bears and Eagles (average rank: 10th), he rushed for an average of 53 yards (2.8 ypc) and zero TD. (Home versus away doesn’t seem to be much of a factor because he has had big games on the road – GB and OAK – as well as at home.)

      What does this mean going forward? Well, here is Turner’s upcoming schedule:

      Week 10 – NO (18th)
      Week 11 – DEN (26th)
      Week 12 – CAR (14th)
      Week 13 – @ SD (16th)
      Week 14 – @ NO (18th)
      Week 15 – TB (13th)
      Week 16 – @ MIN (2nd)
      Week 17 – STL (29th)

      Turner has a great matchup in Week 11 against the Broncos, but that enticing matchup against the Rams in Week 17 doesn’t really help most fantasy owners since the playoffs generally wrap up in Week 16. The Panthers and Bucs have already proven they can shut him down, while the Minnesota matchup in Week 16 is especially worrisome assuming the Vikings don’t lose their stud defensive tackles to suspension. That leaves two games against the Saints and one game against the Chargers, two teams that are mediocre against the run. And Turner hasn’t done particularly well against mediocre run defenses.

      I just traded Turner away in one league because I’m not optimistic about his chances over the second half of the season. I packaged him with Larry Fitzgerald and Kellen Winslow for Marion Barber (whom I believe will get back on track once Tony Romo is back under center), Donald Driver and Antonio Gates. I feel like I’m getting an upgrade at RB and TE for a downgrade at WR. Since I also have Reggie Wayne, Dwayne Bowe, Wes Welker and DeSean Jackson at wideout, I feel like I can afford to lose Fitzgerald.

      Depending on your league’s trade deadline, you may want to think about selling high on Turner as well. He might post good numbers this week against the Saints and he’ll probably run wild against the Broncos in Week 11, so I think he’ll have his highest value after that game. Of course, that won’t help you if your trade deadline is before then.

      Fantasy Football, NFL

      Give Devin Hester a break

      November 5, 2008 /

      Devin HesterDevin Hester hasn’t looked good this year. He hasn’t looked good returning kicks, punts and his transformation from full-time special teams player to wide receiver has been slow to say the least.

      That said – give the guy a break.

      There’s a swelling of local writers in Chicago that are breaking their necks leaping off the Devin Hester bandwagon. One writer from the Chicago Tribune recently wrote that the Bears look awfully smart for not handing Hester a huge contract this offseason and for the most part, he’s right.

      Obviously Hester doesn’t look anywhere close to being a No. 1 receiver. But maybe that’s because he was a freaking cornerback when he was drafted and had no concept on how to run proper routes or how to read coverages.

      Hester is still learning how to become a good wideout and it’s not surprising that his return skills have taken a back seat as he tries to focus on becoming a receiver (something the Bears wanted him to become don’t forget). If the Bears weren’t so cheap and actually went out and got some real receivers in the offseason, maybe Hester could focus more on his return skills and less on becoming the team’s deep threat. But Jerry Angelo and the rest of Chicago’s front office never wants to pony up so in turn they (as well as the media) need to relax while Hester learns the nuances of the position.

      Also, is it so far-fetched to think that the rest of the league has finally wised up to how to defend Hester on kick returns? The NFL is a copycat league and if one team has success defending him, than others catch on and implement similar tactics. It’s not rocket science.

      He was the entire Bears offense for two full seasons. But because he’s struggled for eight games this year people are ready to call him ordinary. Anyone who watched the Falcons game knows that he has the talent to become a decent wideout. Give him a chance.

      Fantasy Football, NFL

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