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      Waiver Wire Watch, Week 5: Skeletor chooses Torain!

      October 5, 2010 /
      Washington Redskins running back Ryan Torain (46) scores a touchdown in front of teammate Chris Cooley and Philadelphia Eagles defender Ellis Hobbs (31) during the first quarter of their NFL football game in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, October 3, 2010. REUTERS/Tim Shaffer (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 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.

      Bruce Gradkowski (5.1)
      He doesn’t have the greatest matchup this week (SD), but Week 6 (@SF) and Week 7 (@ DEN) get easier. He has thrown for 533 yards, 3 TDs and 3 INTs in the last two weeks.

      Sam Bradford (23.1)
      He’s not setting the world on fire, but with a per-game average of 236 yards and 1.5 TDs, he’s playing very well for a rookie. He has the Lions this week as well, which makes him an interesting pickup for Mike Vick owners.

      Matt Hasselbeck (29.2)
      Hass has been solid, but he didn’t do much in a good matchup with the Rams. The Seahawks are on bye this week and have the Bears in Week 6, so if you need a QB in the next two weeks, look elsewhere.

      Josh Freeman (13.4)
      Coming off his bye, Freeman has a bad matchup with the Bengals this week, but things get back to normal with the Saints, Rams and Cardinals after that.

      Ryan Fitzpatrick (1.1)
      Need a fill in for Week 5? Fitzy has a nice matchup at home against the Jaguars, who are coming off an emotional win over the Colts. He has tossed four TDs over the last two weeks and even ran for 74 yards against the Jets in Week 4.

      Kevin Kolb (57.8)
      Kolb breaks my under-50%-owned rule, but I thought I’d include him given the magnitude of Michael Vick’s injury in the world of fantasy football. Kolb threw for 201 yards and a TD in a good matchup against the Redskins, and has a pretty good matchup with the 49ers in Week 5. I’m not terribly optimistic about his chances for fantasy success over the next three weeks.

      David Garrard (24.2)
      Garrard looked like his old self against the Colts, but he has a tendency to play worse on the road. Still, the Bills are a good matchup.

      Alex Smith (11.7)
      Spotty is the word that I’d use to describe Smith this season. Who knows how he’ll play against the Eagles in Week 5.

      Matt Cassel (10.2)
      Cassel was pretty dreadful in the first two weeks, but tossed three TDs against the 49ers in Week 3. Coming off his bye, he has the Colts, Texans, Jaguars and Bills, so he could be a decent spot starter for fantasy owners in need.

      Shaun Hill (2.8)

      Jimmy Clausen (1.3)

      Max Hall (0.4)

      Seneca Wallace (0.9)

      Continue reading »

      External Sports, Fantasy Football, News, NFL

      Tom Brady notches 100th win as Dolphins take the night off

      October 4, 2010 /
      New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady (L) takes aim as Miami Dolphins linebacker Koa Misi (R) pursues in the first quarter during their NFL football game in Miami, Florida October 4, 2010. REUTERS/Hans Deryk (UNITED STATES - Tags: SPORT FOOTBALL)

      It’s rather amazing to think about how Tom Brady has evolved. He went from a nobody to an American underdog to, “Man I really hate that Tom Brady. Cut your hair, hippie.”

      But whether you love him or hate him, as a football fan you have to respect what the man has accomplished over the course of his career.

      Thanks to the Patriots’ 41-14 lambasting of the Dolphins on Monday night, Brady notched his 100th win to become the 11th NFL quarterback to reach the milestone. He also needed less starts to accomplish the feat than any other signal caller who has 100 wins in his career.

      Dan Marino and Jim Kelly needed 157 starts to reach 100 wins. Peyton Manning needed 154, Brett Favre needed 153 and Terry Bradshaw needed 147. The only QB to come close to Brady’s mark of 130 was Joe Montana, who needed just 139 starts to reach 100 career victories.

      Perhaps the best part for Brady tonight is that he didn’t even have to break a sweat to earn his 100th. With his team trailing 7-6 at halftime, Brandon Tate took the second half kickoff 103 yards to give the Pats a 13-7 lead. Then, after New England blocked a punt on Miami’s first possession of the second half, BenJarvus Green-Ellis rushed for a 12-yard touchdown to put the Pats up 20-7.

      Adding insult to insult, the Pats then blocked a Dan Carpenter field goal attempt at the start of the fourth quarter. Kyle Arrington scooped up the loose ball and went 35 yards for the touchdown to essentially put the game away. A Patrick Chung 51-yard interception return for a touchdown capped the scoring at 41-14 and ended an embarrassing night for the Dolphins, who could do nothing right the entire night.

      Despite throwing for 302 yards and two touchdowns, Chad Henne was picked off three times, including twice in New England territory. And the two touchdown passes were more a testament to Davone Bess and Ricky Williams work after the catch than Henne’s throws. (The screen to Williams was an outstanding play call and well executed on all fronts.)

      It’s easy to kick a team while it’s down, but how good does Miami’s two wins look now? They barely beat a horrendous Bills team 15-10 in the opener and then dropped a lifeless Vikings squad 14-10 in Week 2. The past two weeks, they struggled against divisional opponents and tonight they showed little fight after Williams’ touchdown early in the third quarter. There they were down three touchdowns and with over nine minutes left on the clock and they displayed zero sense of urgency.

      Enjoy the bye next week, Miami. Because after that you play at Green Bay, home against Pittsburgh, at Cincinnati, at Baltimore and home against the Titans. We’ll certainly find out what this Dolphins team is made of over the course of the next five weeks.

      External Sports, NFL

      Vick, McCoy injured as Eagles inquire about Marshawn Lynch

      October 4, 2010 /
      PHILADELPHIA - OCTOBER 03: LeSean McCoy of the Philadelphia Eagles runs the ball past Rocky McIntosh of the Washington Redskins on October 3, 2010 at Lincoln Financial Field in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Jim McIsaac/Getty Images)

      According to the Philadelphia Inquirer, quarterback Michael Vick does not have broken ribs but he was diagnosed with a rib cartilage injury. The newspaper also reports that running back LeSean McCoy suffered a rib injury in Sunday’s loss to the Redskins.

      “We’ll see how he feels,” Reid said. “This is going to be one of those day-to-day, week-to-week things … Rick [Burkholder] and our docs will keep a close eye on it.”

      Reid said Vick is “sore” today.

      “We’ll see how Michael does here,” Reid said. “If he is as sore as he is today, then Kevin will take the snaps [Wednesday].”

      Vick at least was not grimacing as he walked from the NovaCare cafeteria to a meeting. Walking seemed painful for him yesterday. “Better,” Vick said when asked how he felt.

      Meanwhile, running back LeSean McCoy has a broken rib suffered in the second quarter. “He played through it,” Reid said. “He’s a pretty tough kid. We have to see. It’s a comfort thing. They are doing a couple of other things.”

      In related news, Reuben Frank of the Burlington County Times reports that the Eagles have inquired about the availability of Bills’ running back Marshawn Lynch. According to Frank, Philly contacted Buffalo after receiving word about McCoy’s injury.

      There’s no doubt that McCoy’s injury leaves the Eagles thin at running back. Mike Bell is listed behind McCoy on Philly’s depth chart and he didn’t play a down on Sunday against the Redskins. He has just 20 yards on 12 carries through four games and could struggle mightily against the 49ers next Sunday.

      Maybe Buffalo GM Buddy Nix will get that third rounder after all. It just depends on how desperate the Eagles are.

      External Sports, NFL

      For all intents and purposes, Sam Bradford has been perfect so far

      October 4, 2010 /
      ST. LOUIS - OCTOBER 3: Sam Bradford of the St. Louis Rams looks to pass against the Seattle Seahawks at the Edward Jones Dome on October 3, 2010 in St. Louis, Missouri. The Rams beat the Seahawks 20-3. (Photo by Dilip Vishwanat/Getty Images)

      Outside of cutting down on his interceptions, if you’re the Rams what more could you ask for out of rookie quarterback Sam Bradford to this point?

      After completing 34 of 41 passes for 289 yards with two touchdowns and one interception in the Rams’ 20-3 blowout of the Seahawks on Sunday, Bradford is now 2-2 as a starter and has led St. Louis to back-to-back wins (for the first time since Regan was in office, I think). He’s also 28-of-49 for 350 yards with two touchdowns and two interceptions on third downs and has thrown five red zone touchdown passes in his first four games.

      Again, outside of his interception total (six), the Rams couldn’t have asked for a better start out of their No. 1 draft pick.

      Granted, he hasn’t faced the most prolific of defenses to this point, as most quarterbacks will rack up good numbers against the likes of Arizona, Oakland, Washington and Seattle. But Bradford is only playing who’s on the Rams’ schedule and thus far, he’s been impressive.

      And let’s give a little credit to his receivers, too. The Rams arguably have the worst collection of wideouts in the league and yet look at their average yards-per-catch from Sunday: Mark Clayton 14.4; Brandon Gibson 16.7, Danny Amendola 9.5; and Daniel Fells (who is a tight end, not a receiver) 11.7. Bradford obviously has a hand in those numbers, but he isn’t afraid to check the ball down and let his receivers pick up yardage after the catch (which they did plenty of yesterday).

      The Rams have a long ways to go, but they play in the worst division in football so who knows? Maybe they can continue to surprise. With teams like the Lions, Bucs, Panthers and 49ers coming up before their Week 9 bye, Bradford and Co. may continue to rack up victories.

      External Sports, NFL

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