Category: Fantasy Football (Page 314 of 324)

Andy Reid released the following statement when updating the media on the status of WR Terrell Owens:

Terrell Owens has been suspended by the team for four games for conduct detrimental to the team. He will not return to play for the team even after the conclusion of that suspension. The league has been notified by the player’s union that they will be grieving a right to take that action. Therefore, there is nothing more I can say at this point.

This situation is similar to Keyshawn Johnson’s suspension with Tampa Bay two seasons ago. That ultimately resulted in a trade for KJ to Dallas, where he was reunited HC Bill Parcells. Something similar will probably happen here during the offseason. I would love to be a fly on the wall in war rooms across the league as personnel executives discuss the possibility of trading for Owens. He’s a phenomenal talent, but seems to wear out his welcome wherever he goes.

At the beginning of the NFL season, a group of us at Bullz-Eye decided to pick one overrated team and one underrated team. I picked last, so I wound up picking St. Louis as my underrated team (they need to win out in order to live up to my prediction of 12 wins). Just to be perverse, I chose Philadelphia as my overrated team, claiming:

“…the entire organization has made the fatal mistake of relying on enfant terrible Terrell Owens, the most self-centered player in football, to save them. Which means the team is one (inevitable) temper tantrum away from complete and utter chaos.”

Complete and utter chaos happened this week in an interview with ESPN.com’s Graham Bensinger. T.O. pointed fingers far and wide (though never at himself, of course), and burned every single bridge that ever existed between him and Eagles management and teammates. His apology was hilarious in its cluelessness, saying, “It has been brought to my attention that I have offended the organization and my teammates. Therefore, I would like to apologize for any derogatory comments toward them.” Someone had to bring it to your attention, T.O.? Wow, dude, you’re even dumber than I thought, and I already thought you were pretty dumb.

I never thought I’d say these words, but the battery-throwing Philadelphia fans deserve better than this.

Every week, I highlight a few marginal fantasy players, three to start and three to sit. Let’s see how I did last week:

START

Drew Brees, SD – 324 yards, 3 TDs, 1 INT (HIT)
Brees was great against Kansas City, slicing and dicing his way to a big day – thanks to Antonio Gates.

Ronnie Brown, MIA – 118 total yards (HIT)
Brown shredded the Saints defense on his 23 carries but failed to score. Still, it was a good day for the rookie.

Jimmy Smith, JAX – 2 catches, 27 yards (MISS)
Smith continues his midseason lull. The Jaguars have a favorable schedule coming up, but if Smith can’t get more than two catches against the Rams, he may be in trouble.

BENCH

Eli Manning, NYG – 146 yards, 1 TD, 1 INT (HIT)
The Giants didn’t need Manning to beat the Redskins and it’s a good thing because he was inaccurate completing only 12 of his 31 pass attempts.

Steven Jackson, STL – 200 total yards, 1 TD (MISS)
Boy, I was wrong about this one. I overestimated Jacksonville’s defense, which looked awful letting Jackson go off on his career day.

Derrick Mason, BAL – 7 catches, 91 yards (MISS)
He didn’t score, but he did enough to be productive in a league that awards one point per receptions so I’ll give myself a miss on Mason.

On to this week’s picks:

START

QB – Eli Manning, NYG
The Giants play San Francisco. Start Manning.

RB – Fred Taylor, JAX
Assuming he doesn’t come down with a mysterious ailment, Taylor should have a nice game against a Houston defense that is allowing 165 yards and 1.4 TDs per game on the ground.

WR – Braylon Edwards, CLE
HC Romeo Crennel has said that he’s going to give Edwards more opportunities and he should be able to have some success against a Tennessee pass defense that yields an average of 203 yards and 2.1 TDs through the air. Don’t bench a stud for him, but he should make a good #3 WR this week.

BENCH

QB – Aaron Brooks, NO
Brooks faces a stingy Bears pass defense that has only allowed 178 yards and 0.9 TDs per game. He’s a decent start if you have no other options, but if you have another good QB, it would be wise to bench Brooks.

RB – Curtis Martin, NYJ
Martin has a tough assignment against the Chargers run defense, which is only allowing 78 rushing yards per game. Hopefully for him, the Jets can keep the game close so they don’t abandon the run altogether.

WR – Keenan McCardell, SD
The Jets are pretty tough against the pass, only allowing 163 yards and 0.7 TDs per game through the air. McCardell might catch a few balls, but I think the Jets will keep him out of the endzone.

KEY INJURIES:

Aaron Stecker – Q
Andre Johnson – Q
Anquan Boldin – O
Antwaan Randle El – P
Az-Zahir Hakim – Q
Bobby Engram – P
Brandon Jacobs – Q
Brandon Jones – Q
Bubba Franks – P
Chad Johnson – P
Charles Woodson – O
Chris Cooley – P
Chris Perry – P
Corey Dillon – Q
Curtis Martin – P
Darrell Jackson – O
David Givens – Q
Domanick Davis – Q
Donovan McNabb – Q
Dre Bly – O
Drew Bennett – O
Ed Reed – D
Eric Parker – Q
Ernie Conwell – Q
Hines Ward – P
Jerome Bettis – D
Jevon Kearse – Q
Josh McCown – P
Justin McCareins – P
Ken Dorsey – P
Marcus Robinson – Q
Mark Brunell – P
Michael Jenkins – Q
Michael Pittman – Q
Mike Williams – Q
Preist Holmes – Q
Randy Moss – Q
Ray Lewis – O
Reggie Williams – P
Robert Ferguson – D
Roy Williams – Q
Rudi Johnson – P
Santana Moss – P
Stephen Davis – P
T.J. Duckett – Q
Terrell Owens – Q
Tom Brady – P
Vinny Testaverde – P
Willie Parker – P

This week, the undefeated Indianapolis Colts visit Foxboro to face the New England Patriots on Monday Night Football. The Colts are favored by 3 points and I think the number is too low. Sure, the Pats won the Super Bowl last year and are playing at home, but their secondary is banged up, resulting in a defense that is 24th in the league in passing yards allowed. Oddly enough, they are 24th in the league in rushing yards allowed per game, so the Colts should be able to move the ball with relative ease on the ground or through the air. In previous years, the Colts defense would keep the games close, but this season they are 4th in total defense and 1st in scoring defense.

A lot of people want to point to Bill Belichick and say that the Pats have a definite coaching advantage, but Tony Dungy is an underrated leader and I think he’ll have the Colts ready to play on Monday night. New England has struggled a bit with loss of former coordinators Romeo Crennel and Charlie Weis, and even if Belichick is the best preparation coach in the league, I don’t think preparation alone is going to get them a win against the Colts. The game could be close, but I think the Colts will cover the spread without too much of a problem.

Fantasy wise, look for big games from the Colts offensive players while the New England rushing game may struggle a bit. Since he’ll probably be playing catchup, Tom Brady should have a decent day through the air, but I don’t think it will be enough to keep the game within a touchdown.

On Sunday, Daunte Culpepper’s nightmarish season came to a nightmarish end and Marion Barber (who?) ran roughshod over the Cardinals. What does all this mean for your fantasy team? Post all of your roster questions here.