Category: NFL (Page 308 of 1282)

      Waiver Wire Watch, Week 6: Where Danny Amendola reigns supreme

      October 12, 2010 /
      ST. LOUIS - NOVEMBER 22: Danny Amendola #16 of the St. Louis Rams carries the ball against the Arizona Cardinals at the Edward Jones Dome on November 22, 2009 in St. Louis, Missouri. The Cardinals beat the Rams 21-13. (Photo by Dilip Vishwanat/Getty Images)

      I’m going to change things up on the Waiver Wire Watch and start including players that are available on the waiver wire in at least 40% (instead of 50%) of ESPN leagues.

      I’ll list each player’s percentage-owned after their name so you have an idea of how available they are in leagues around the country. I’ll always try to mention a few players that are available in 90% of leagues for those of you in 12-team leagues or leagues with big rosters. I’ll rank them in the order I’d pick them up in a league with a high-performance, PPR scoring system.

      Please note that these rankings are for total value through the end of the year. Players with particularly good matchups this week are in bold.

      Matthew Stafford (23.4)
      He’s not quite back yet, but in 12-team leagues it’s time to start thinking about picking him back up if you are past your QB’s bye. Starting in Week 8, the Lions’ schedule gets pretty favorable for the next eight games.

      Josh Freeman (11.9)
      Throwing out that game against the Steelers’ suffocating defense, Freeman has thrown for at least 280 yards or two TDs in three of his first four games. He’s a solid start against all but the toughest pass defenses, and his remaining schedule is very favorable (including WAS, DET and SEA during the fantasy playoffs).

      David Garrard (40.8)
      I used to think he was one of the most underrated fantasy QBs playing today. Then he posted a total of 278 yards, one TD and five INTs against the Chargers and Eagles. I was done with him. Then he threw for 341 yards, five TDs and one pick against the Colts and the Bills. Now I don’t know what to think. His upcoming schedule isn’t bad, but it isn’t terribly good either.

      Matt Hasselbeck (21.1)
      Hasselbeck’s schedule the rest of the way is largely mediocre, making him a middle-of-the-road fantasy QB2.

      Alex Smith (10.6)
      If the 49ers let him be himself (i.e. run the offense out of the shotgun) then Smith will continue to post good fantasy numbers. I don’t know if he’s going to win any games, but he will continue to post good numbers. His upcoming schedule should get easier.

      Kevin Kolb (58.8)
      He played pretty well in a good matchup against the 49ers, but I wouldn’t want to start him against ATL or TEN in the next two weeks. (Though it should be noted that neither matchup is dreadful.)

      Sam Bradford (39.1)
      Things were looking good for the rookie, with four straight games of at least 235 passing yards or two TDs. But Mark Clayton’s knee injury is going to knock him down a few pegs in my rankings. And he has a rough matchup with SD this week.

      Shaun Hiill (12.2)
      There’s no arguing that Hill has been on fire of late, but with Calvin Johnson possibly out for a Week 6 date with the Giants (who just shut down the Texans’ offense), he’s not a good pickup this week.

      Matt Cassel (9.9)
      Had Dwayne Bowe held on in the endzone, Cassel would have finished with respectable numbers. With HOU, JAX and BUF coming up, Cassel is a sneaky good (yet undependable) play.

      Ryan Fitzpatrick (6.3)
      He’s going on his bye, but Fitzy has averaged 198 yards, 2.3 TDs and 0.7 INT since taking over as the starter. He has a rough upcoming schedule (BAL, CIN, PIT, MIN in his next seven games), but a great matchup in Week 16 (NE).

      Jason Campbell (4.2)
      Campbell filled in for an injured Bruce Gradkowski and threw for 159 yards and a TD in a pretty tough matchup with the Chargers. With SF, DEN and SEA coming up, he’s a decent start in two-QB leagues.

      Max Hall (1.0)

      Jimmy Clausen (1.5)

      Colt McCoy (0.4)

      Continue reading »

      External Sports, Fantasy Football, News, NFL, Rumors & Gossip

      Lord Favre giveth and he taketh away

      October 12, 2010 /
      Minnesota Viking wide receiver Randy Moss (R) and quarterback Brett Favre butt heads together on the bench before their NFL football game against the New York Jets in East Rutherford, New Jersey, October 11, 2010. Moss was playing in his first game with the Vikings after being traded by the New England Patriots earlier in the week. REUTERS/Mike Segar (UNITED STATES - Tags: SPORT FOOTBALL)

      Was it just me or did anyone else hope that Brett Favre would snap his femur when he threw that touchdown pass to Randy Moss in the third quarter and then pranced around the field like a G-damn ballerina for six minutes?

      I realize what the moment meant to him. It was his 500th touchdown pass of his career, it was thrown to the receiver he has wanted to play with for years and it got the Vikings back into a game that the Jets had dominated up until that point.

      But I’m sorry, was it not Favre who almost single handily gave the Jets a 12-0 lead with his shoddy play in the first half? Was it not Favre who looked like he was trying to handle a greased pig when he lost two fumbles earlier in the game? Was it not Favre who couldn’t hit water if he threw a rock into the middle of an ocean before he dropped that beautiful rainbow to Moss late in the third?

      Again, I know why he was excited and this has been Brett’s style ever since he came into the league, but I can’t be the only one who’s tired of his cartwheel act after every passing touchdown. His act is as old as he is and while I’m still amazed at what the man can do on a football field, if you’re the one that has put your team in a whole, just give Moss a high-five and get back to work. I may be completely overreacting, but enough is enough already.

      Of course, in the end, Favre was Favre. With the Vikings trailing by only two points with under two minutes left to play, Brett threw a frozen rope to Jets’ safety Dwight Lowery, who returned the gift 26 yards to seal a 29-20 Jets’ victory. It was classic Favre, who gave his team a chance to win with three second half touchdowns, only to doom them with one enormous mistake when the game was on the line. (Maybe he had something else on his mind.)

      The Vikings’ offense did show signs of life late in the third and throughout the fourth quarter, however. It’s going to take a few weeks before Moss can learn the nuances of Brad Childress’ offense, but he’ll eventually get up to speed and then Minnesota could be dangerous down the stretch.

      If Favre doesn’t bury them in the meantime, that is.

      External Sports, NFL

      You’re starting, Colt McCoy! Really?! Against who?! Pittsburgh. Ah, crap.

      October 11, 2010 /
      TAMPA, FL - SEPTEMBER 12: Rookie quarterback Colt McCoy of the Cleveland Browns warms up just prior to the start of the game against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers at Raymond James Stadium on September 12, 2010 in Tampa, Florida. (Photo by J. Meric/Getty Images)

      Nothing has been confirmed yet, but Browns head coach Eric Mangini said Monday that rookie Colt McCoy might make his pro debut on Sunday because Seneca Wallace has a high ankle sprain and Jake Delhomme is still dealing with an ankle injury himself. (Not to mention he’s also Jake Delhomme, which will always continue to hold him back.)

      That’s the good news for McCoy. The bad news is that the Browns’ opponent this Sunday is a well-rested Pittsburgh team that will no doubt be fired up with the return of quarterback Ben Roethlisberger.

      The Steelers have the second ranked defense in the league in terms of yards allowed with 1,156 (Miami has given up the fewest yards at 829). They also have the best run defense in the NFL, which is a problem considering the Browns like to pound the ball on the ground. So if the hope was to feed the ball to Peyton Hillis (who is banged up himself) and Jerome Harrison (whom Mangini apparently never wants to see get another carry the rest of the year) in order to take the pressure off young Colt’s hands, that may backfire.

      The Browns are hoping that they can start Wallace this week, but high ankle sprains can be tricky. Andre Johnson of the Texans just had one and despite his best efforts, he had to miss Houston’s game against Oakland two weeks ago.

      It’ll be interesting to see whether or not McCoy is thrust into action this week against arguably the best defense in the league.

      Update: According to Chip Brown via his Twitter page, McCoy has been told he will start this Sunday at Pittsburgh. Hold onto your nuts…

      External Sports, NFL

      Aaron Rodgers may miss Week 6, Jermichael Finley out three weeks

      October 11, 2010 /
      Green Bay Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers is hit by Washington Redskins Brian Orakpo after throwing the ball in the second half of their NFL game in Landover, Maryland, October 10, 2010. REUTERS/Larry Downing (UNITED STATES - Tags: SPORT FOOTBALL)

      The Packers received some bad news on Monday when it was announced that tight end Jermichael Finley would miss at least the next three weeks and could possibly be out six weeks after having surgery on his knee. Green Bay has a bye in Week 10, so that means Week 11 will likely be his return to action.

      In other injury related news, head coach Mike McCarthy said that quarterback Aaron Rodgers will miss some practice time this week after suffering a concussion on the final offensive play in Green Bay’s 16-13 loss to the Redskins on Sunday. There’s a chance Rodgers could miss Week 6, although it’s too early to determine his playing status at this point.

      One player who is certain to miss Week 6 is middle linebacker Nick Barnett, who will undergo wrist surgery on Wednesday. Once he has the surgery, the team will decide whether or not to place him on IR and effectively end his season.

      The last bit of injury news for the Packers is that Clay Matthews hasn’t been ruled out of Week 6 after suffering a hamstring injury on Sunday. Again, the team won’t know his playing status until later in the week.

      If Rodgers can’t play, Matt Flynn would start against the Dolphins on Sunday.

      External Sports, NFL

      Favre’s non-denial pretty much confirms it, right?

      October 11, 2010 /
      NEW ORLEANS - SEPTEMBER 09: Quarterback Brett Favre of the Minnesota Vikings looks on during warms up against the New Orleans Saints at Louisiana Superdome on September 9, 2010 in New Orleans, Louisiana. (Photo by Ronald Martinez/Getty Images)

      In Kevin Seifert’s NFL Nation post, he outlines what response Brett Favre has given the Jenn Sterger story.

      Favre has fueled the story by passing on two opportunities to deny involvement. Asked for comment last Thursday, Favre said: “I’m not getting into that. I’ve got my hands full with the Jets and am trying to get some timing down with our guys, so that’s all I’m going to discuss.”

      Asked again Sunday night during an ESPN production meeting, Favre said: “My main focus is the New York Jets. They are a tough team; as good as they are, that has been my focus. I hate in any way if this has been a distraction. As I said Thursday, we are here focused on trying to beat the Jets.”

      Favre was asked point-blank if the original Deadspin.com report was accurate. His response: “That will take its course.”

      Look at it this way — if Favre didn’t do what he’s accused of doing, what’s the downside of denying the story? The only reason (I can think of) that he’d issue these evasive non-denials is that he doesn’t want to get caught in a lie when the allegations are proven to be true.

      Jenn Sterger (pics) apparently does not want to discuss the story, and for good reason. She told the editor of Deadspin about Favre’s advances in the winter of 2009 before she landed her television gig on the Versus show “The Bottom Line” in the spring of 2010. She left the Jets in the summer of ’09, so when she spoke to Deadspin, she probably wasn’t sure she’d make it as a legitimate sports personality. (The original reason for the meeting was to discuss a “Deadspin Swimsuit Project,” after all.) Now that she has a gig, she doesn’t want to backpedal into Rachel Uchitel territory. Anyone who wants to make her out to be Mother Theresa is delusional, however, because this wouldn’t be a story if she hadn’t kept those voicemails and photos and told Deadspin about them.

      But back to Favre — right now, he’s doing the non-denial thing and the story is only getting bigger, as two more women have (sort of) come forward with their own allegations. I think even his most fervent supporters can see that he’s being evasive about Sterger, and the only reason that he’d do so is because he’s guilty.

      External Sports, Fantasy Football, NFL

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