Category: NFL (Page 274 of 1282)

Injuries create fantasy opportunities

EAST RUTHERFORD, NJ - OCTOBER 17: Mario Manningham  of the New York Giants against the Detroit Lions at New Meadowlands Stadium on October 17, 2010 in East Rutherford, New Jersey. (Photo by Nick Laham/Getty Images)

In this, the last week of byes, there are a few situations that have created opportunity for (somewhat desperate) fantasy owners to pluck a player off the waiver wire and immediately insert them in their starting lineups:

1. Steve Smith 2.0 is out. Mario Manningham is a top 20 play this week. Manningham is available in about 40% of ESPN leagues, so he’s not widely available. But if he’s out there, he’s a pretty solid WR2/flex option with Smith 2.0 sidelined in a great matchup with a very suspect Cowboys’ pass defense. If Manningham is on your bench, consider starting him this week. I have him ranked #19.

2. Owen Daniels is ruled out. Joel Dreessen looks like a sneaky good play. Last week, with Daniels sidelined, Dreessen caught five passes for 67 yards and was the most-targeted Texan receiver (8). He has caught two TDs on the year and has a terrific matchup with Jacksonville, who is among the worst at giving up points to opposing TEs. I have him ranked #14 this week.

3. DeAngelo Williams and Jonathan Stewart are out. Mike Goodson gets the start. Tyrell Sutton is out as well, so Goodson has no competition for carries this week. The Bucs are 30th against the run, so there is some opportunity for Goodson to rack up some yards on the ground. He is also dangerous as a pass catcher, so I wouldn’t be surprised if he gained 120+ yards from scrimmage. I have him ranked #26 this week, so he’s a fringe RB2/flex play.

Eagles to make Michael Vick the long-term fixture at quarterback?

PHILADELPHIA - NOVEMBER 07: Michael Vick  of the Philadelphia Eagles throws a pass against the Indianapolis Colts on November 7, 2010 at Lincoln Financial Field in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The Eagles defeated the Colts 26-24. (Photo by Jim McIsaac/Getty Images)

Michael Vick currently leads all quarterbacks with a 105.3 rating. He has yet to throw an interception, his Eagles are undefeated when he plays the entire game, and he’s rushed for 7.3 yards per carry.

It also appears that his current team is willing to commit to him long term.

According to a report by the Philadelphia Inquirer, the Eagles want to keep Vick for “next season and beyond.” There have yet to be any contract discussions between the two sides, but the team will hold meetings in the next few weeks to talk about the future of Vick, who becomes a free agent at the end of the season.

If Vick continues to play as well in the second half of the season as he has in the first, he’ll have suitors lined up for his services. But he’s already acknowledged that he favors the Eagles because they took a chance on him when he was released from prison last year. Chances are, he’ll stay put if Philly comes to the table with a nice offer.

If the Eagles do sign Vick to a long-term contract, what happens to Kevin Kolb? He signed a two-year, $12.25 million deal in April and with Vick’s penchant for running, the Eagles may want to hang onto Kolb in case there’s an injury. On the flip side, they could almost certainly get a draft pick in a trade for the 26-year-old, so why not deal him and find a backup quarterback elsewhere?

The Eagles have more important things to worry about right now (i.e. making the playoffs), but they’ll have some tough decisions coming up over the next couple of weeks.

Ravens only have themselves to blame for loss to Falcons – not refs

ATLANTA - NOVEMBER 11: Roddy White  of the Atlanta Falcons pulls in this reception against Lardarius Webb  of the Baltimore Ravens at Georgia Dome on November 11, 2010 in Atlanta, Georgia. (Photo by Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images)

Some will focus on Michael Jenkins’ catch on a 3rd and 10 that wasn’t overturned by replay. Others will talk about the pass interference call on Tavares Gooden.

Most will fixate on Roddy White’s push-off.

But they shouldn’t. The Ravens didn’t lose to the Falcons on Thursday night because of the refs. They lost because they were dominated for most of the night and couldn’t catch a break or two down the stretch.

Here’s the way I would tally the final drive of Atlanta’s dramatic 26-21 win:

Jenkins’ Reception: It was a catch. The second replay showed that Jenkins kept a kung fu grip on the ball with his fingers and secured it while getting both feet down.

Pass Interference Call: I’m surprised Gooden didn’t get stopped at the Atlanta airport and picked up for the molestation of Tony Gonzalez. It was a good call – Gooden was draped all over him.

White’s Push-Off: It was clear as day – the ref missed it. I think a stiff wind could have knocked Josh Wilson down, but nevertheless White pushed off and it was a bad no call. He should have been flagged, the Falcons should have been backed up and who knows – maybe Baltimore is 7-2 and Atlanta is 6-3.

But you know what? The Ravens have nobody to blame but themselves and here’s why:

Continue reading »

Jim Mora: Cowboys’ Jenkins committed “high treason”

ATLANTA - DECEMBER 24:  Head coach Jim Mora Jr of the Atlanta Falcons greets John Abraham #55 during a game against the Carolina Panthers on December 24, 2006 at The Georgia Dome in Atlanta, Georgia. (Photo by Marc Serota/Getty Images)

How can you not love the Mora family? The elder gave us “Playoffs? Playoffs?” while the son used to sniff ammonia capsules with his players before games and went on a sports-talk show with a former teammate and said that he would take the Washington Huskies coaching job even if the Falcons “were in a playoff run.”

Adorable – both of them.

Never too shy to speak his mind, Jim Mora (the son) had an interesting take on Cowboys’ cornerback Mike Jenkins, who flat out avoided tackling Packers’ receiver James Jones on the way to the end zone during Green Bay’s 45-7 thrashing of Dallas last Sunday night.

This is what Mora had to say on the NFL Network about Jenkins, uh, effort:

“To me, this is high treason,” Mora said. “An NFL football player does not turn down a play like that. And if I’m Jason Garrett, the first thing that I’m doing when I take over as the head coach of this team, is I’m getting guys like that — number 21, who absolutely committed treason, let his team down by passing up a tackle and let the ball get in the end zone — I’m taking him and I’m getting him out of my locker room.”

What he said was all well and good, even though he went overboard with the whole “high treason” remark. I don’t think a lazy, overpaid, selfish cornerback allowing a receiver a free pass at the end zone is similar to betraying one’s nation, but maybe that’s just me.

That said, I find what Mora said to be a little hypocritical. After all, this was the same man who didn’t bench loudmouth DeAngelo Hall when the brash cornerback tried to pad his interception total at the conclusion of the second quarter in a game against the Saints a couple of years ago and allowed a New Orleans’ receiver to score a fluke touchdown. I also seem to remember Michael Vick starting his next game after giving Atlanta fans the bird while walking off the field during a game in ’06.

But I guess Mora can’t draw any similarities between those instances and Jenkins’ “treason.”

Apparently now that Mora is a member of the media he’s allowed to hold other coaches to a different standard than he did himself. Granted, I don’t disagree with anything he says and Jason Garrett should change the culture in Dallas. But with this coming form Mora, what he said carries as much weight as a feather in a windstorm.

Love ‘Em & Leave ‘Em: Week 10

Baltimore Ravens quarterback Joe Flacco throws a pass as offensive tackle Michael Oher (R) blocks Buffalo Bills defensive end Spencer Johnson (91) during the second quarter of their NFL football game in Baltimore, Maryland October 24, 2010.   REUTERS/Joe Giza (UNITED STATES - Tags: SPORT FOOTBALL)

Every week, I will 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 suggest you bench Drew Brees or Adrian Peterson because they have tough matchups – just go ahead and keep them in your lineup. Instead, I’ll focus on the borderline guys – players you’ll only start under the right circumstances.

As usual, I’ll discuss these players within the context of my weekly positional rankings, so remember — everything is relative.

Joe Flacco (#4) is hot (250+ yds and 2+ TDs in his last three games) and is facing the Falcons’ 26th-ranked pass defense…Last time we saw David Garrard (#6), he was torching the Cowboys to the tune of five TDs (four pass and one rush). The Texans are terrible against the pass, so I think Garrard is in for a big day…Shaun Hill (#10) is back under center for the Lions, and given his play earlier in the season (283 yards, 2.0 TDs in Weeks 2-5), he should be able to post nice numbers against the Bills, who have given up 2.1 pass TDs per game on the season.

Continue reading »

« Older posts Newer posts »