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      Are the Carolina Panthers the most dangerous team in the NFC?

      December 9, 2008 /

      Carolina PanthersAnybody catch the Panthers’ 38-23 win over the Buccaneers on Monday night? If you didn’t, you missed ESPN’s Monday Night Football crew waxing poetically about how Carolina could wind up being the No. 1 seed in the NFC. (Seriously, I know it’s their job to create storylines but I thought the trio of Mike Tirico, Tony Kornheiser and Ron Jaworski were going to fall out of the booth trying to make love to the Panthers.)

      Carolina’s win over NFC South Division rival Tampa Bay was impressive. They ran the ball extremely well (like, 299 yards well) against one of the best defenses in the NFC, Steve Smith made big plays and for the most part, the defense was solid.

      But before we even remotely toy with the idea that the Panthers will leapfrog the New York Giants in the NFC, maybe we should slow down and take dose of reality.

      Yes, the Panthers’ win over the Bucs to capture first place in the NFC South was imposing and dare I say, dominant. But NFC South teams are now 0-10 on the road against other NFC South teams, so while Carolina’s victory was a nice statement, it wasn’t necessarily shock.

      Tampa has often struggled on the road throughout this season. If it weren’t for double-digit come from behind wins against Kansas City and Detroit, the Bucs would be 7-6 right now. They’re currently allowing close to 24 points a game on the road this year, compared to just 12.6 at home. For as good as Monte Kiffin’s defense has looked this season, it’s simply been a different unit on the road than it has been at home.

      But let’s get back to Carolina. The Panthers are currently atop the exciting NFC South at 10-3 and are home against the Broncos this Sunday, then at the Giants and at the Saints to end the year. Those are three winnable games, but a daunting final stretch to say the least. Assuming they can beat the Broncos this week (which won’t be easy coming off a short week and with Denver trying to clinch the AFC West), does anyone see this team beating both the Giants and Saints on the road? New Orleans might be knocked out of the playoff race by then, but they would certainly love the opportunity to play spoiler against a division rival.

      The Panthers are definitely a playoff team and one that could make noise when the postseason starts. They have a veteran quarterback, an unbelievable playmaker in Smith and a running game that could shred any opponent. But let’s relax a little on the idea of them earning home field advantage throughout the postseason. The Giants are still the best team in the NFC (if not in the league) and the Bucs and Falcons still have a shot to upend Carolina in the division. And teams can look vastly different from game to game in the NFL.

      Fantasy Football, NFL

      Waiver Wire Watch: Week 15

      December 9, 2008 /

      Every week, I highlight a few players that you should target in waivers. I use the ESPN league data when filtering players, so the only players eligible for discussion here are those that are available on the waiver wire of at least 50% of ESPN’s 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.

      QUARTERBACKS

      Shaun Hill (35.7)
      Kerry Collins (44.4)
      Seneca Wallace (2.6)
      Tarvaris Jackson (3.0)
      Marc Bulger (40.4)
      J.T. O’Sullivan (11.9)
      Ryan Fitzpatrick (6.5)

      RUNNING BACKS

      A number of starter-quality RBs went down with injuries this week, so this list is dependent on their ability to come back and play in Week 15. I’m going to loosen the percent-owned requirements to account for some fringe guys.

      Tatum Bell (15.5)
      With Peyton Hillis out, it looks like Bell gets first shot at RB1.
      LeRon McClain (59.1)
      Both McGahee and Rice left the Sunday night game with injuries, so McClain is the last man standing right now.
      DeShaun Foster (4.8)
      Frank Gore’s ankle injury is something to watch this week. Foster’s matchup this week isn’t great (MIA), but he would have a great matchup in Week 16 (STL) if Gore is unable to return.
      Maurice Morris (20.9)
      Julius Jones didn’t play at all on Sunday, and Morris has a nice matchup this week (STL).
      Dominic Rhodes (54.7)
      The Colts are saying that Addai should be “OK” for Week 15, but Rhodes would be a great play against Detroit if Addai can’t go.
      Tashard Choice (13.0)
      Apparently, it was Barber’s calf (not his toe) that kept him out against the Steelers. MBIII should be able to go on Sunday, but if not, Choice is a solid fill in.
      Ladell Betts (21.0)
      The word is that Portis wasn’t benched due to injury. It will be interesting to see how this plays out this week with the mediocre Bengals on tap.
      Chester Taylor (54.4)
      Cedric Benson (39.7)
      Carnell Williams (36.9)
      Selvin Young (35.6)

      WIDE RECEIVERS

      Deion Branch (13.7)
      Davone Bess (23.0)
      Amani Toomer (57.2)
      Domenik Hixon (37.5)
      Devin Hester (43.0)
      Donnie Avery (52.6)
      Antwaan Randle El (37.4)
      Michael Jenkins (27.8)
      Matt Jones (39.2)
      Nate Washington (25.1)
      Justin Gage (42.0)
      Bryant Johnson (17.4)
      Bobby Engram (28.6)
      Mark Clayton (24.1)

      TIGHT ENDS

      John Carlson (45.5)
      Zach Miller (57.5)
      Donald Lee (46.3)
      Visanthe Shiancoe (53.8)
      Todd Heap (48.2)
      Marcedes Lewis (20.8)
      L.J. Smith (18.5)
      Steve Heiden (2.5)
      Jerramy Stevens (16.5)
      Anthony Fasano (47.4)

      THINKING DEFENSIVELY (DTBWW)

      Welcome to the world of Defensive Team By Waiver Wire (DTBWW). Each week, you pick up a defense, usually one playing at home against a bad offense. And each week, you get pretty good numbers out of your DT position. All teams are available in at least 40% of ESPN fantasy leagues.

      I’m moving this feature up from it’s normal slot in my Love ‘Em & Leave ‘Em feature because I realize that a lot of owners are playing the waiver wire right now trying to find a defense, so the earlier you can put your bids in the better.

      This week’s picks:

      Patriots (@ OAK)
      Redskins (@ CIN)

      (I’d grab the Colts, Dolphins and Cardinals – in that order – before the Pats and Redskins, but they are owned in more than 40% of ESPN fantasy leagues, so they aren’t eligible for DTBWW this week.)

      Last week’s picks:

      Colts: 3 PA + 5 SK + 3 INT + 1 INT RET TD + 1 FR = 23 fantasy points
      Chargers: 7 PA + 3 SK + 3 INT + 1 FR = 13 fantasy points

      Fantasy Football, NFL

      CC Sabathia wants to be a Dodger

      December 9, 2008 /

      According to general manager Ned Colletti, free agent pitcher CC Sabathia wants to be in Dodger blue next season.

      CC SabathiaDodgers general manager Ned Colletti told ESPN.com’s Jayson Stark on Monday that he ran into the free agent on Sunday night in a hotel lobby and the left-hander told him that he wants to be a Dodger.

      Although the New York Yankees and Milwaukee Brewers have made offers to the prize of the free-agent class, speculation continued that Sabathia would want to play near the home he is building in Southern California.

      Sabathia did meet with the Yankees on Sunday and Monday, and his representatives spoke with the Brewers on Monday.

      According to a baseball man with knowledge of the meeting, Sabathia wanted to meet with the Yankees on Sunday because he’s “trying to gather information” about the franchise and New York.
      Sabathia and his agent, Greg Genske, met for about 2½ hours on Sunday with Yankees GM Brian Cashman, manager Joe Girardi and adviser Reggie Jackson. And the main focus of the conversation, the source said, was whether Sabathia wants to be a Yankee.

      Cashman met alone with Sabathia and his representatives on Monday.

      Many insist that Sabathia will eventually take the money and wind up in New York, but his desire to hit and play in his home state seem to be more appealing at this point. The Dodgers seem like a perfect fit for the three things Sabathia wants – his home state, money and the opportunity to hit. The other two California teams that have shown interest – the Angels and Giants – only seem to be trying to drive up the market value for the ace with the Yankees and Dodgers being the two main players in the Sabathia sweepstakes.

      Fantasy Baseball, MLB

      Mets expect to sign K-Rod to three-year deal

      December 9, 2008 /

      The New York Mets are about to land one of the best closers in baseball.

      The Mets appear on the verge of simultaneously interrupting a sluggish baseball market and solving their biggest winter issue. They are closing in on a deal to sign star free-agent closer Francisco Rodriguez.

      “It’s going to get done,” said a person familiar with the talks.

      It almost had to. The Mets badly needed a big-time closer to replace injured star Billy Wagner and anchor what was one of the worst bullpens ever attached to a contender. To accomplish their goal, they focused on K-Rod as their closer of choice over the past couple weeks.

      The contract is a very reasonable one for the Mets in that Rodriguez will make only about $3 million more than he was offered by the Angels in spring training, before he set the single-season record for saves in a season with 62. It is also $6 million less over its term than the Mets paid to Wagner three winters ago.

      The deal makes sense for K-Rod, too, since he knew he couldn’t top that type of deal in those smaller markets. he is also thought to want to be in a big market, anyway. His first choice appeared to be to go back to the Angels, but they have suitable replacement in Jose Arredondo and Scot Shields and put him way on the back burner while pursing top target, free-agent first baseman Mark Teixeira.

      This Mets team has to succeed this year. The club spent beaucoup bucks on ace Johan Santana last year, have plenty of quality hitters and are now adding one of the top closers in the game. Of course, everything comes down to execution, which has been the Mets problem over the years. It’ll be interesting to see how much noise the Mets continue to make during the winter meetings.

      Fantasy Baseball, MLB

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