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      Week 2 Preview

      September 16, 2005 /

      Every week, we suggest a few marginal players to start or bench based on their match-ups and situations. If you are still troubled by your fantasy roster this week, feel free to post a question on our Q&A.

      First, let’s see how we did last week:

      START

      Tom Brady – 306 yards passing, 2 TDs
      Mike Anderson – 4 carries, 5 yards (injured in first quarter)
      Willie Parker – 209 total yards, 1 TD
      Isaac Bruce – 3 catches, 61 yards, 1 TD

      BENCH

      David Carr – 70 yards passing, 3 INTs, 1 fumble, 40 yards rushing, rush TD
      Reuben Droughns – 100 total yards
      Rod Smith – 7 catches, 90 yards
      Ashley Lelie – 2 catches, 17 yards

      On to this week’s picks:

      START

      QB – Carson Palmer
      Palmer is coming off of a fine game against the Browns and faces a questionable Minnesota defense this week. I expect that the Vikings offense will bounce back, so this should be a high scoring affair.

      RB – Ahman Green
      There may be a few owners out there considering benching Green this week. Don’t do it. He’s facing the Browns and Javon Walker is out for the year, which means he’ll even be a bigger part of the gameplan.

      WR – Eddie Kennison
      With the Chiefs playing the Raiders, this is the week to start Kennison. Just like the CIN/MIN matchup, this one should be a high scoring affair.

      BENCH

      QB – Chad Pennington
      The Jets QB had a horrible game last week and struggled with velocity on his throws. This week, he’s facing a tough Miami pass defense – bench him.

      RB – Carnell Williams
      The rookie blew up last week for 148 yards rushing, but this week he’s facing a tough Bill defense that shut down Domanick Davis last week. Bench him if you have decent RB depth.

      WR – Eric Moulds / Lee Evans
      Buffalo didn’t throw much last week and Losman was efficient but not terribly impressive at QB. The Bills are going up a against a stout Tampa Bay defense, who made Daunte Culpepper look like a fool last week.

      KEY INJURIES

      Jamal Lewis – P
      Kyle Boller – O
      Cedric Benson – Q
      Lee Suggs – Q
      Mike Anderson – Q
      Jason Hanson – Q
      Javon Walker – O (for season)
      Dallas Clark – Q
      Mewelde Moore – Q
      Duce Staley – Q
      Jerome Bettis – Q
      Eric Johnson – Q
      John Hall – Q

      Fantasy Football, NFL

      College Football Smackoff – Florida Gators vs. Tennessee Volunteers

      September 15, 2005 /

      The biggest game of the week involves the SEC showdown between #6 Florida and #5 Tennessee. Urban Meyer has Gator fans giddy again, while Tennesse opened with a not-so-impressive win over UAB. I’ve compiled some perspectives on the game from “experts” around the web.

      John Harris of CollegeFootballNews.com sees Florida winning a close one. Money quotes:

      “Typically, Florida comes into this game with a powerful offense and a ho-hum defense. Even though they’ve tangled with Wyoming and La. Tech, you can see that this might be the most talented unit since the 1998 bunch that featured Jevon Kearse and Fred Weary. LB Brandon Siler is a beast inside and he’ll have it out for Gerald Riggs all game long. The Tennessee secondary, on the other hand, got sliced by Leak last year and the revamped unit got shredded in the second half against UAB. The implication is that Gator WR Chad Jackson has to be licking his chops. Although UT has left Gainesville the last two times with a W, the Gators should end that short streak on Saturday. Florida – 29 vs. Tennessee – 27”

      Yet Harris sees Casey Clausen as an asset for the Vols:

      “Since Clausen became the starter late in the 2004 season, he’s been tremendous, even when he’s come into the game in a relief role as he did against UAB. The one trait that Clausen seems to have over Erik Ainge and even over his older brother is the ability to see the whole field and find the mismatch, if one exists. He uses the whole field and will find any of his versatile wide receivers anywhere on the field. The senior doesn’t seem to get rattled and he seems to have the respect of the entire offense. Now, he’s going to see a much more athletic and better defense than Ainge saw last year in Knoxville, and he’ll have his hands full with that bunch. But, Clausen has a guy named Riggs that can help take some of the focus off of the nifty lefty, so keep an eye on how much play action the Vols use and how successful he is in finding the open man in the intermediate to deep areas of the field.”

      The Palm Beach Post questions whether Chris Leak can get it done for the Gators:

      “Quarterback Chris Leak might never fit Urban Meyer’s offense as well as Alex Smith did at Utah last season. Leak is off to a so-so start, despite a school-record 17 straight completions, which featured four shovel passes and two screens, in the opener against Wyoming. On Saturday, he floated several throws into coverage that a team better than Louisiana Tech might have intercepted. Leak’s longest run was 5 yards, and he’s averaging less than half a yard on 17 carries. He should improve, but must do so against Tennessee, Alabama and LSU.”

      The Gators are favored by 6.5 points. That seems high to me. The game is just too close call.

      College Football

      Homers more important than integrity

      September 13, 2005 /

      Barry Bonds returned to the lineup Monday after being activated from the DL earlier in the day. Giants fans gave him a massive standing ovation. The headline on MLB.com read, “Bonds’ return worth the wait.” Even ESPN’s Peter Gammons said, “It’s a great thing to see him back.”

      Um…did I miss something? Didn’t this guy admit to taking steroids? Hasn’t he blamed everyone but himself for the mistakes he’s made? Last time I checked, Barry Bonds was a liar, a cheater and a prick. Last time I checked, liars, cheaters and pricks didn’t deserve praise, support and adulation. The fact that several members of the media have repositioned their noses squarely up Bonds’ tight ass despite everything that’s happened is deplorable.

      I suppose none of this should surprise me. After all, sports fans are notorious for their selective memory and tunnel vision, and as long as Barry comes back and jacks a few (like he nearly did Monday night), most fans and writers, especially those in San Francisco, will forgive and forget.

      Meanwhile, Rafael Palmeiro is in exile as he “rehabs” his knee and ankle injuries after going 2-for-26 upon his return from a 10-game suspension. Why have fans and the media been so much tougher on Raffy? Because Palmeiro tested positive? Bonds admitted to a grand jury that he took steroids during the 2003 season, and if you believe that he did so “unknowingly” (as he claimed), you’re either naive, foolish or stoned.

      Maybe fans have been harder on Palmeiro because he lied to Congress and to sports fans worldwide. Then again, Bonds has been lying to us for years, but for whatever reason he was spared the congressional appearance. Make no mistake — Bonds would’ve pulled a Big Mac had he been up there with Raffy, Schilling, Sosa and McGwire, refusing to answer any questions about his steroid use and looking just as guilty as McGwire looked then and Palmeiro looks now.

      Instead, we’ll be subjected to a public love-fest for Bonds over the remainder of the season. Why not just reinstate Steve Howe or welcome Pete Rose back with open arms? Bonds cheated the game and spit in the face of its fans. But judging by what I’ve seen the past couple of days, most people don’t care about any of that.

      MLB

      LeBron vs. Wade? No contest

      September 13, 2005 /

      Tim Russo from Cleveland Scores says with the offseason moves made in Cleveland and Miami this year, we may have heard the last of the “Dwayne Wade is better than LeBron James” idiocy:

      “The Miami Heat have undergone a complete overhaul this offseason, some of it to the benefit of the Cavs, losing point guard Damon Jones to the Cavs last week. Shaq is downplaying it. It’s hard to imagine Shaq’s game going down. But I’m damn sure of one thing…Lebron James’ numbers will go up, and Dwayne Wade’s numbers will go down.”

      Read more of Tim’s post here.

      NBA

      Waiver Wire Watch: Week 2

      September 13, 2005 /

      The waiver wire is a great place to strengthen your team, especially early in the season. Each week we’ll break down the wire and point out a few players that you might want to add to your squad.

      QUARTERBACKS

      Drew Bledsoe, DAL: 226 yards, 3 TDs
      If you protect him, he will perform. Don’t expect numbers like this every week, but with several offensive weapons, Bledsoe would make a good backup as long as the Cowboys can give him solid protection.

      Joey Harrington, DET: 167 yards, 2 TD
      The offensive line doesn’t look very good, but Harrington was reasonably efficient against the Packers. He’s another guy benefiting from a nice surrounding cast and should make a decent backup.

      Others:

      Gus Frerotte, MIA: 275 yards, 2 TDs, 1 INT
      This may be an aberration, but Frerotte looked good running the Miami offense against a relatively good Denver defense.

      Trent Dilfer, CLE: 278 yards, 1 TD, 2 INTs
      Cleveland looks like they may be playing from behind a lot this year, and Dilfer will have an opportunity to air it out to a nice receiving corps.

      Tim Rattay, SF: 165 yards, 2 TDs
      Rattay was efficient for the 49ers, but with emerging WRs Brandon Lloyd and Arnaz Battle, he might have some big days.

      Anthony Wright, BAL: 214 yards, 1 TD, 2 INTs
      With Boller out for a bit, Wright will finally get his chance to shine in Baltimore. Let’s see what he can do with a week to prepare.

      RUNNING BACKS

      Assuming Tatum Bell, Willie Parker and Stephen Davis are not available in your league, there doesn’t appear to be a whole lot of immediate help at the RB position on the WW this week.

      Others:

      Frank Gore, SF: 38 total yards
      Most reports indicate that Barlow had a very bad outing, so move Gore up a tick and add him if you have room (and don’t need help at another position).

      Brandon Jacobs, NYG: 39 yards, 1 TD
      Looked good during his six carries and appears to be the goal line back for the Giants. A must add if available and Tiki Barber is one of your starters.

      WIDE RECEIVERS

      Joey Galloway and Antwaan Randle-El may be available in some leagues, but here are three guys that are likely on your league’s waiver wire:

      Robert Ferguson, GB: 1 rec., 4 yards
      With Javon Walker’s season-ending knee injury, Ferguson steps into the #2 WR position in GB, which is usually good for 60+ catches and 850+ yds. He should make a very solid #3 WR.

      Arnaz Battle, SF: 5 rec., 59 yards, 1 TD; -3 rushing yards; 27 passing yards
      A former QB, Battle threw, ran and caught the ball Sunday. Until TE Eric Johnson fully returns from his injury, he and Lloyd appear to be the only viable options for the 49ers in the passing game.

      Patrick Crayton, DAL: 6 rec., 89 yards, 1 TD
      Also a former QB, Crayton is in his second year, had a fine preseason and carried it over to Sunday. He is listed as the #3 WR behind Keyshawn Johnson and Terry Glenn, and with the recently added Peerless Price waiting in the wings, it is tough to gauge Crayton’s value going forward.

      Others:

      Bobby Engram, SEA: 8 rec., 79 yards
      With the departure of Koren Robinson, Engram moves into the #2 WR role behind Darrell Jackson. Engram will probably have a lot of games like the one he had on Sunday.

      Frisman Jackson, CLE: 8 rec., 128 yards, 1 TD
      Those are eye-popping numbers, but it will be tough for Jackson to repeat playing behind Antonio Bryant, Dennis Northcutt and rookie Braylon Edwards. Keep an eye on him.

      TIGHT ENDS

      Marcus Pollard, DET: 5 rec., 58 yards, 1 TD
      If teams try to double-cover Roy Williams and Charles Rogers on the outside, Pollard will make a living this year over the middle. Still, don’t expect numbers like this every week with all the offensive weapons in Detroit.

      Chris Baker, NYJ: 7 rec., 124 yards, 1 TD
      Everyone thought Doug Jolley would be the guy for the Jets, but it was Baker who shined on Sunday. He was one of the only bright spots on a rather dismal day for the Jets.

      Others:

      Jerramy Stevens, SEA: 3 rec., 41 yards
      Possibly still available in your league, Stevens appears to have locked up the starting TE position in SEA.

      Ben Watson, NE: 2 rec., 55 yards
      Watson started Thursday night on fire, but then wasn’t heard from the rest of the night. He looks like he is very talented, but with the way the Patriots spread the ball around, it’s tough to say how many targets he will get week to week. At the very least, he’s the best TE option in NE.

      Ben Troupe / Erron Kinney, TEN
      Troupe caught four passes for 28 yards and a TD for the Titans, and he wasn’t even supposed to play. The other TE, Erron Kinney, caught five passes for 58 yards, so it’s clear that Tennessee plans to use their tight ends as their #2 option in the passing game.

      Alex Smith, TB: 4 rec., 34 yards, 2 TD
      Tampa Bay’s other rookie looks big, strong and fast and could emerge as the team’s #3 option in the passing game.

      Courtney Anderson, OAK: 3 rec., 18 yards, 2 TDs
      Anderson benefited from all the attention the Patriots gave to Randy Moss, Jerry Porter and Lamont Jordan. It’s unclear if he’ll get these types of looks game to game, but the guy is talented.

      If you have any questions, feel free to post them in our Fantasy Football Q&A section.

      Fantasy Football, NFL

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