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      2010 NFL Power Rankings: Week 7

      October 19, 2010 /
      New York Jets coach Rex Ryan yells from the sidelines in Indianapolis, Indiana in this January 24, 2010 file photo. It could prove to be a perfect match should tough-talking Ryan deliver on his promise of a return to football glory for a New York Jets team whose history was founded on a Super Bowl guarantee made good. To match Feature NFL-JETS/RYAN REUTERS/Shaun Best/Files (UNITED STATES - Tags: SPORT FOOTBALL)

      Two teams in the top 5 fall from last week, while the Packers continue to slide and the Giants continue to climb.

      Let’s get nasty…

      Check out Week 6’s Power Rankings

      1. Pittsburgh Steelers
      Previous Week: 1
      After shaking off the rust in the first half, Big Ben threw three touchdowns in his return to action last Sunday. If he’s already playing at the top of his game, this is the team to beat for the foreseeable future.

      2. Indianapolis Colts
      Previous Week: 2
      That wasn’t a very convincing performance in Washington on Sunday night, but a win is a win in the NFL. That said, something tells me the Jets will be moving into this spot within the next couple of weeks.

      3. New York Jets
      Previous Week: 4
      The Jets certainly didn’t dominate the Broncos last weekend and they were bailed out by Renaldo Hill’s pass interference call inside the 5-yard line in the closing minutes. But it’s never easy for East Coast teams to travel cross-country and beat the Broncos in Denver. Yet, that’s exactly what Rex Ryan’s team did.

      4. New England Patriots
      Previous Week: 7
      Tom Brady wasn’t sharp until late in the Pats’ win over the Ravens, but he was efficient when it mattered most. Deion Branch isn’t Randy Moss, but he proved on Sunday that he doesn’t need to be in order to help New England win.

      5. Baltimore Ravens
      Previous Week: 3
      Tough loss for the Ravens in New England last Sunday. I wouldn’t say they dominated the Pats for most of the game, but they were definitely in control. In the end, they got Tom Brady’d.

      6. New Orleans Saints
      Previous Week: 8
      I guess the Saints answered the question of whether or not the Bucs were for real. That’s the performance everyone has been waiting for out of this team.

      7. New York Giants
      Previous Week: 11
      I held off bringing the G-Men back into the top-10 until they proved they could stop beating themselves with costly turnovers. They’ve done that over the last three weeks and they might be the most confident team in the NFC right now.

      8. Philadelphia Eagles
      Previous Week: 10
      The Eagles’ win on Sunday over the Falcons was one of the most dominating performances I’ve seen from a team against a playoff-caliber opponent. The only blemish on an otherwise perfect day was the injury sustained by DeSean Jackson. Get better soon, DeSean.

      9. Atlanta Falcons
      Previous Week: 5
      When a team starts 4-1 and has as much talent as the Falcons, not many people get fixated on how that team won those games. When a team travels Philly, allows Kevin Kolb to throw for over 300 yards and then gets dominated in every phase of the game, people start throwing the term “overrated” around when two of said team’s wins were courtesy of a missed field goal and a fluke fumble. The Falcons still have a lot to prove.

      10. Green Bay Packers
      Previous Week: 6
      Three weeks ago the Packers were sitting atop these rankings as the clear-cut best team in football (in my eyes, anyway). But an ugly Monday night loss to the Bears and 40,034 injuries later, this team is on the verge of dropping out of the top-10.

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      External Sports, NFL

      Fantasy Football Q&A: Week 7

      October 19, 2010 /

      Wondering who to add/drop or whether or not a trade is fair?

      I’m here to help.

      After checking out our Waiver Wire Watch, you can post your questions here, and unless you say differently, I’m assuming your league has a standard (non-PPR) scoring system.

      If you are wondering who to start in a standard scoring league, please wait until later this week (usually Wednesday or Thursday) when I’ll release my official Week 7 rankings.

      And if you’re a regular visitor, please take a moment to rate my advice at Fantasy Pros (under Member Rating). I’d appreciate it.

      External Sports, Fantasy Football, NFL

      Cliff Lee, one of the postseason’s best ever, puts the Yankees in deep hole

      October 19, 2010 /
      Cliff Lee of the Texas Rangers pitches to the New York Yankee in the first inning during game three of the ALCS at Yankee Stadium on October 18, 2010 in New York. UPI/Monika Graff Photo via Newscom

      I wonder what was going through Cliff Lee’s mind on Monday night when Josh Hamilton reached out and poked a two-run homer off Andy Pettitte out of Yankee Stadium to give the Rangers a 2-0 lead in the first inning of Game 3 of the ALCS.

      “Thanks offense – that’ll do.”

      Coming into Game 3, Lee owned a postseason record of 6-0 with a 1.52 ERA. Believe it or not, he actually lowered his ERA last night in yet another magnificent outing, throwing eight scoreless innings and striking out 13 in Texas’ 8-0 win over the Bombers. He overwhelmed Yankee hitters the entire night and even when the Rangers broke out for six runs in the top of the ninth, you already had the sense that the game was over because Lee was set to come out in the bottom half of the inning.

      Lefty Gomez is the only other pitcher to have a perfect win-loss percentage in the postseason and he pitched 14 less innings than Lee. Mariano Rivera has the best ERA in the postseason, is third for win-loss percentage at .889, is first in saves and third in WHIP. Because he’s done it over 92 games and 137.2 innings, you can make an argument that the Yankee closer is the greatest postseason pitcher of all-time. But if Lee continues to do what he’s doing, then Rivera will have some company soon enough.

      Speaking of Rivera’s club, they’ve got some work ahead of them now. Lee has put them in a 2-1 hole and while they’re still two losses away from elimination, they’ll start a shaky A.J. Burnett tonight in essentially a must-win situation (it’s not “must-win” in that they don’t have to win to stave off elimination, but no team wants to go down 3-1 and have to win out).

      If ever there was a time when Burnett wanted to silence his critics, it’s now. A win won’t only tie the series, but will also shift the momentum back in the Yankees’ favor.

      A loss and the Bombers may be watching Texas play in the World Series in two weeks.

      External Sports, MLB

      HeavyMMA.com interviews Brendan Schaub

      October 19, 2010 /

      Jeremy Botter of HeavyMMA.com recently sat down with fighter Brendan Schaub to discuss the Gabriel Gonzaga fight and the grudge between Shane Carwin and Roy Nelson.

      Heavy: This is your pay per view debut for the UFC. How does it feel to be the guy that made the leap from fighting on the Spike prelims to the pay per view based almost solely on your performances?

      Schaub: It feels just like where I should be, man. You know how hard I work. And the hard work I’ve put in the Octagon these last few fights, it’s just an honor. It feels like I’m finally here, and I plan on staying here. This is why I work as hard as I do.

      Heavy: Gabriel Gonzaga was once in the position you’re in: on his way to the top, but not quite broken through yet. And then he knocked out Mirko Cro Cop and got a title fight. Do you view this as your moment to break through into the upper class of the division?

      Schaub: Yeah. I think so. You beat a guy like Gabriel Gonzaga and they can’t help but put you in the top five. As far as a title shot right away? No. I definitely need some more ring time. But I feel like I can compete with any of those guys up there, and I think with a convincing win over Gonzaga, I’ll shoot up there with those guys.

      Read the full interview.

      External Sports, Mixed Martial Arts, UFC

      Waiver Wire Watch, Week 7: Where Danny Woodhead stands tall

      October 19, 2010 /
      New England Patriots running back Danny Woodhead carries the ball against the Baltimore Ravens in the first quarter of their NFL football game in Foxborough, Massachusetts October 17, 2010. REUTERS/Adam Hunger (UNITED STATES - Tags: SPORT FOOTBALL)


      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 guys eligible for discussion here are those that are available on the waiver wire in at least 40% 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 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 (22.7)
      Shaun Hill has a broken arm, so the Lions are planning to bring Stafford back after the team’s Week 7 bye. His upcoming schedule is very favorable (WAS, NYJ, BUF, DAL, NE), so he should make an excellent backup/borderline starter for the stretch run.

      Chad Henne (62.6)
      Henne has thrown 2 TDs in each of the last three weeks. His schedule gets tougher before it starts to ease up in Week 12 (@ OAK).

      Josh Freeman (13.8)
      Yesterday on Twitter, I mentioned that Freeman is the master of the garbage TD. He has thrown for six scores in five games, and his schedule is pretty reasonable the rest of the way.

      Matt Cassel (10.5)
      It’s not so much Cassel’s play of late, which has been better. It’s more about how favorable his schedule is over the next several weeks. He has JAX, BUF, OAK, ARI, SEA and DEN twice. He makes a decent QB2 going forward.

      Sam Bradford (30.3)
      With Mark Clayton out, I don’t feel as good about Bradford as I did a couple of weeks ago. That said, his schedule starting Week 10 is pretty favorable.

      Matt Hasselbeck (17.8)
      Except for the St. Louis game, Hasselbeck has thrown for at least 220 yards and one TD or for two TDs in the four other games.

      Ryan Fitzpatrick (5.6)
      It’s tough to argue with seven TDs in the last three weeks, but his schedule gets pretty tough over the next three weeks (BAL, KC, CHI).

      Kevin Kolb (58.4)
      He’s playing well and a Week 7 matchup with the Titans isn’t bad, so if you need a spot starter, you could do a lot worse. But his long-term status as a starter is very much up in the air.

      Bruce Gradkowski (2.5)
      Gradkowski should be the starter once that shoulder is healthy. Hopefully, he’ll return this week in time for a matchup with the Broncos.

      Alex Smith (15.9)
      He has five TDs in the last two weeks and eight TDs on the season. His Week 7 matchup (@ CAR) isn’t the greatest, but things ease up down the stretch.

      Colt McCoy (1.2)

      Matt Moore (1.2)

      Max Hall (1.0)

      Trent Edwards (0.6)

      Continue reading »

      External Sports, Fantasy Football, NFL

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