Updates from January, 2010

  • Happy Halloween, FFGeekBlog Style

    Matt 9:11 pm on 10/30/2007 | 1 Permalink Reply

    Well I can’t speak for Brandon since I definitely wasn’t going to carve a Patriots pumpkin, but here’s my Happy Halloween to all y’alls. This was my best attempt at carving a semi-recognizable Bills logo into a pumpkin without slaughtering it. Of course I have to like a team with a pretty complicated logo to carve. Shoulda been a Bears fan, I guess.

    On second thought, scratch the Bears idea. It’s just not worth having the Grossman/Griese combo at QB (and that’s saying something, coming from a Bills fan in the Edwards/Losman era).

     

  • Packers will need to win without Wynn

    Brandon 9:08 pm on 10/30/2007 | 0 Permalink Reply

    It looks like the injury that rookie running back DeShaun Wynn suffered in Sunday’s game was a little worse than initially though. Wynn will miss the remainder of the season after injuring a nerve in his neck and being placed on the Injured Reserve list. This opens the door for the man who replaced him, Ryan Grant, to prove that he can handle the starting role. He did well against the Broncos, rushing for 104 yards, even though Denver has the worst rush defense in the NFL. If you’re low on running back depth, Grant should be picked up immediately.

     

  • AccuScore: What a waste of time

    Brandon 3:45 pm on 10/30/2007 | 2 Permalink Reply

    After reading an article about the AccuScore Super Computer on ESPN.com, which ran simulations of the Patriots-Colts game, I’m thoroughly convinced that we are already running out of things to talk about with these two teams. Honestly, what is the point of running simulations of a game where the sport’s slogan goes "…anything can happen on any given Sunday"? Unless you’re on your way to your bookie to place a big bet, how can the outcome of computer simulations affect you in any way? The nerd next door might as well run a Madden ‘08 simulation on his XBox and tell you who won…it would have the same bearing on what will happen this Sunday.

    (More …)

     

  • Waiver-Wire Pickups, Keeper Sleepers and Spot Starts: Week 9

    Brandon 2:24 pm on 10/30/2007 | 1 Permalink Reply

    Well, we’re halfway through the regular season in the NFL, which means we’re almost 2/3 of the way done with the fantasy football regular season. If you still have a chance to make the playoffs, but are stuck with some bye week/injury issues, you might consider picking up the following players this week…

    Running Backs

    Ryan Grant (GB): DeShaun Wynn hurt himself during Monday night’s game and Grant replaced him with success, rushing for over 100 yards. He will start at least one more game and if he can rack up another good performance, he could be the new starter in Green Bay.

    Selvin Young (DEN): Did you leave Travis Henry in your lineup this past weekend, hoping that he’d start on Monday? If you did, you were angered to see that he took the night off and one Selvin Young was in the backfield for the Broncos. If he’s available (he should have been hand-cuffed with Travis Henry), you should pick him up. With Henry’s legal/suspension troubles about to rev up, Young could see an increase in playing time soon. (More …)

     

  • Rumblin', Bumblin', Stumblin' - Fantasy Football Player Value Adjustments - Week 9

    Matt 2:20 pm on 10/30/2007 | 0 Permalink Reply

    In this new weekly FFGeekBlog feature, I take a look at the players whose values are on the move. Chris Berman will help guide you as to what the three categories below actually mean. When Chris Berman’s your guide, the world is your oyster… that’s my motto.

    Rumblin'

    Drew Brees/Marques Colston/David Patten, NO: San Fran’s passing D isn’t terrible (15th in passing yards allowed per game), but they looked that way against the Saints.

    Chris Chambers, WR, SD: Scoring in your first game with a new team, especially one in which the QB only threw seven times, is a pretty good sign of things to come.

    Jesse Chatman, RB, MIA: He didn’t score, but his 79 rushing yards came on 16 carries (4.9 ypc), and he also caught three passes for 21 yards, giving him a tidy 100-yard game in a sloppy, rainy contest that didn’t feature a whole lot of offense. With Cleo Lemon® behind center, the Dolphins are going to lean heavily on Chatman and count on him to pick up where Ronnie Brown left off. He appears to be up to the challenge.

    (More …)

     

  • About that Joseph Addai/Kenton Keith "committee"

    Matt 4:29 pm on 10/29/2007 | 0 Permalink Reply

    I told you not to worry about it. Addai had 23 carries to Keith’s six, which officially grants Keith "Breather Boy" status. Those 23 carries went to good use, too; 100 yards and 3 touchdowns made him easily the best RB play of the week.

    As long as Addai’s healthy, he’s a top-5 play at running back regardless of the matchup.

     

  • New England Domination!

    Brandon 10:38 am on 10/29/2007 | 1 Permalink Reply

    Sorry, but before I go into football related topics, I have to give a shout out to the Boston Red Sox for their World Series victory last night. With a 4-3 win, they swept the Colorado Rockies for their second World Series Championship in four years. With most of their talent expected to return next season…do I hear DYNASTY?!

    Not to be outdone though, the Patriots went out and completely destroyed the Washington Redskins 52-7. Fifty-two to seven?! Are you serious? While not the greatest team the NFC has to offer, the Redskins were supposed to be a solid team that could "match-up" well with the Patriots (or at least that’s what I heard at least one commentator say). Letting up fifty-two points is not matching-up well with anyone.

    Tom Brady (QB-NE): 306 yards passing, 3 TD, 14 yards rushing, 2 TD

    (More …)

     

  • Hey Ahman Green... thanks pal

    Matt 9:53 am on 10/29/2007 | 0 Permalink Reply

    I was counting on you as a bye-week plug-in in two leagues this week, and how do you reward my trust? You wait until about 2pm EST, then decide you’re not playing, after being listed as Probable all week. Luckily I was home, but I had to scramble, and managed to plug in Michael Turner (1 fantasy points) in one league, and picked up Ron Dayne, Green’s backup, in the other (he netted me a whopping 5 fantasy points).

    I can’t remember the last time a player went from Probable to Inactive on game day. Ahman Green, I’m officially disgusted that I thought you might be a sleeper this year.

     

  • Ask the Geeks: Week 8

    Matt 10:08 am on 10/26/2007 | 1 Permalink Reply

    Brandon’s off somewhere again, so it’s just me. Again. I’m a latchkey co-blogger.

    Richard asks: long question, trade or not variety. eight team league with two rb, two wr, and two flex. i have as rbs 1. larry johnson 2. westbrook 3. travis (it wasnt me) henry 4. lamont jordan. both henry and jordan are handcuffed with young and rhodes. my wrs are 1. ocho cinco 2. plaxico 3. donte stalworth 4. brandon marshall.

    the offer: randy moss, earnest graham, chatman, and my choice of braylon edwards, tj houzmawhateve, reggie wayne in exchange for plaxico and larry.

    im inclined to do this but our structure is playoffs last two weeks and lj (with kc probably fighting for spot) looks really good those last weeks. what say ye?

    Matt’s take: I have a question for our readers: What kind of leagues are you all in? How does one team wind up with LJ, Westbrook, AND Travis Henry? Those were all first-round guys in every league I’m in this season. Did I miss a memo? Is the new trend to have four teams per league? It seems like almost every question we get comes from a reader with an absolute monster team.

    (More …)

     

  • Five Potential Shockers for Week 8

    Matt 10:42 am on 10/25/2007 | 0 Permalink Reply

    If you haven’t seen my previous “shocker” posts, my definition of a fantasy shocker is a player who comes out of relatively nowhere, has a gigantic, multi-touchdown game, becomes the hottest waiver commodity the following week, and then soon sinks back into the relative obscurity from whence he came. You might even call them “ultra-sleepers,” but you’d be wrong. They’re called “shockers.” Can’t you read?

    Before I get into this week’s shockers, let’s take a look at how I did last week and see if I bagged any big ‘uns. Remember, these are pie-in-the-sky, what-if scenarios, not really predictions per se:

    (More …)

     

  • Patriots vs. Colts can't come soon enough!

    Brandon 12:58 pm on 10/24/2007 | 6 Permalink Reply

    Am I the only one getting sick of the following things?

    1. Tom Brady vs Peyton Manning: Who’s the best quarterback?
    2. Commentators making a reference to the Colts being disrespected because "everyone else" assumes the Patriots are a far superior team (I’m pretty sure I’ve heard every sports anchor on every sports show, as well as at least one writer from every major sports website state this at least once)
    3. Any reference to the Patriots playing teams with losing records and a combined record of 17-28. Is it their fault? Last year, playing the Chargers, Bengals and Cowboys in the first six weeks would have been seen as a lethal schedule.

    Anyways, as a Patriots fan, I am just hoping that both teams make it past this weekend unscathed, so that the "better" team can show itself on the field…instead of the minds of commentators who think they speak the gospel. And don’t even get me started with Mr. Easterbrook’s latest TMQ article on ESPN.com. Colts as "Good" and the Patriots as "Evil"? Give me a break…what does that make the Bengals then?

     

  • Joseph Addai: Sharing the load with Kenton Keith from now on?

    Matt 2:38 pm on 10/23/2007 | 1 Permalink Reply

    First things first: I’m changing Kenton Keith’s name to Keith Kenton. See? Doesn’t that just make so much more sense?

    Gregg Rosenthal of Rotoworld.com succinctly sums up why some Addai owners are more than a little nervous today, and then makes a prediction I don’t agree with:

    Joseph Addai owners looking forward to his return Monday night didn’t enjoy what they saw: Kenton Keith playing early, Kenton Keith playing late, and Kenton Keith stealing a touchdown. Keith wasn’t just coming in for specific situations, rather taking whole series at a time.

    …

    Kenton Keith is no [Maurice Jones-Drew], but I’d expect him to get roughly one-third of the touches moving forward.

    One third? I just don’t see it happening. Keith got 15 carries (to Addai’s 16) largely because the Colts are being careful with their star running back after his return from a chest injury. Understandably, they didn’t want him getting knocked around any more than he had to be, especially against a traditionally brutal Jags rush defense.

    Clearly, Keith has done enough to earn a few carries whenever Addai needs a rest, but I see no reason to believe that he’ll be worked into a timesharing situation. Prior to his injury, Addai was playing more than well enough to earn his rightful place as the feature back, and I’d expect him to regain that status as soon as he’s 100%.

     

  • Studs and Duds: Week 8

    Brandon 1:56 pm on 10/23/2007 | 1 Permalink Reply

    Well, my picks last week didn’t turn out all that spectacular, due to sub-par games from Najeh Davenport and Shaun Alexander, as well unexpectedly big games from Jay Cutler, Ben Roethlisberger and Marion Barber III. Using my un-biased scoring system, I finished the week 12-10-4, only slightly above 50%. This week though, I plan to return to my Nostradamus-like abilities and give you some solid suggestions of who might be worth starting and who might be worth sitting this week…

    Studs

    Donvan McNabb / Kevin Curtis / Reggie Brown (PHI): The Vikings continue to struggle against the pass, giving up over 270 yards in the air to Tony Romo last week. Expect McNabb to take advantage of their secondary and all involved should prosper.
    Lavernaeous Coles / Jericho Cotchery (NYJ): I would have included Chad Pennington here, but I’m not convinced that he’ll even start this game. The Bills have been terrible against the pass, so no matter who is throwing the ball, Coles and Cotchery should have solid starts.
    (More …)

     

  • Cut Your Losses: Players to Drop, Week 8

    Matt 11:43 am on 10/23/2007 | 0 Permalink Reply

    The most injury-laden NFL season in recent memory just kept on rolling in week 7, with top rusher Ronnie Brown going down for the remainder. That’s an adequately depressing way to introduce the week 8 edition of our most depressing weekly column, Cut Your Losses – the players you really need to let go of, especially if you’re clinging to them due to misguided hope or a disturbingly persistent man-crush.

    Tatum Bell, RB, DET: This was expected to happen coming out of Detroit’s bye week, and now it’s confirmed: Tatum Bell is no longer sharing carries in the Detroit offense, he’s just your standard backup. His hissy fit didn’t help matters, I’m sure. I held on to him in two leagues until the trade deadline, hoping he’d wind up back in Denver (to fill in for the soon-to-be-suspended Travis Henry), but no dice. His only remaining value stems from Kevin Jones’ oh-so-breakable body.

    Nate Burleson, WR, SEA: No need to hang on to him during the Seahawks’ bye week; Deion Branch and D.J. Hackett should both return from their respective injuries in week 9, and Burleson will be the forgotten man in this offense. Remember when he was a #1 WR in Minnesota? Me neither.

    (More …)

     

  • Waiver-Wire Pickups, Keeper Sleepers and Spot Starts: Week 8

    Brandon 9:32 am on 10/23/2007 | 1 Permalink Reply

    The biggest prize of this week’s waiver-wire will obviously be Jesse Chatman of the Miami Dolphins. With Ronnie Brown out for the year, Chatman becomes the teams number one running back, and figures to put up some decent fantasy stats for the remainder of the season. However, there are a few other players that may be able to help your team overcome those bye week and injury troubles, so here are your pickups of the week.

    BYE: Arizona, Atlanta, Baltimore, Dallas, Kansas City, Seattle

    Quarterbacks

    Kellen Clemens (NYJ): Even though Pennington had a decent game this past weekend against the Bengals, the fact that the team lost could spell the end of the Pennington era in New York. The team is 1-6 and almost a lock to miss the playoffs. Clemens will be the starter here sooner than later and the Jets have some decent matchups in the second half of the season, starting with this weeks matchup versus the Bills, so if he gets the start, you might consider plugging him in if your starter is on a bye.

    (More …)

     

  • Dear Yahoo: Get a clue, Ronnie's pretty cuttable now

    Matt 4:07 pm on 10/22/2007 | 0 Permalink Reply

    The news that Ronnie Brown is done for the season sucked pretty hard for me, as he was the lynchpin of the best fantasy squad I’ve got going this year. But Yahoo isn’t making the loss any easier to take, as Brown’s still on their no-cut list, so I can’t even drop him. His name is just sitting there on my roster, mocking me. I need a beer.

     

  • Injury Alert: Ronnie Brown done for year

    Brandon 3:45 pm on 10/22/2007 | 4 Permalink Reply

    This afternoon, Ronnie Brown’s agent announced that the Dolphins star running back will miss the remainder of the season due to the knee injury he sustained against the Patriots this weekend. This is a severe blow to Brown owners, as he was the top fantasy running back at this point in the season. If you own Ronnie Brown in any leagues, you should immediately target backup Jesse Chatman, who will become the starter in Miami. Don’t expect Chatman to equal Brown’s stats though.

    Imagine if the Patriots go 16-0 this year…and the Dolphins go 0-16. What will the ‘72 Dolphins drink then?

     

  • Did you win/lose because of Tom Brady?

    Brandon 3:24 pm on 10/22/2007 | 0 Permalink Reply

    Stat line of the week…

    Tom Brady (QB-NE): 21 of 25 for 354 yards and 6 TDs

    In most fantasy scoring formats, Brady’s stats probably equaled around 45-50 points…and probably 45-50% of a teams fantasy points. If can’t imagine a scenario in which an owner had Brady and still managed to lose. If you were playing against Brady (made even worse if that owner also had Randy Moss and/or Wes Welker), I pity you. In all four of my leagues I somehow managed to avoid playing any of those players…so thankfully this week I was able to cheer for 100% of team to dominate the lowly Miami Dolphins.

    Other than the out-of-this-world stats posted by Tom Brady, this week was a rather pedestrian week in the world of fantasy football. However, here’s a recap of a few players who went above and beyond in Week 7:

    Rob Bironas (K-TEN): 8 field goals, plus 2 extra points.
    Set the NFL record for field goals in a game. In standard kicker scoring formats, he had 29 points…a number you’ll most likely never see a kicker get again.

    (More …)

     

  • Maroney to start!

    Brandon 11:36 am on 10/21/2007 | 0 Permalink Reply

    That’s right, you heard it here first. Laurence Maroney will get the start for the New England Patriots today against the Miami Dolphins and makes a great play against a terrible run defense. If you were thinking about starting a Brian Leonard or Najeh Davenport instead of Maroney, time to make the swap. With no true backup, as Sammy Morris is out for a few games, Maroney should get the bulk of the carries.

    In other news, it appears that Cincinnati running back Rudi Johnson will not play this week. He is considered "doubtful" and will be a game time decision, but Kenny Watson will most likely get the bulk of the carries this week. If you have Rudi on your team, get him out of your lineup this week.

    Also, Vince Young will not start for the Titans this week and the team will put veteran Kerry Collins under center to begin the game. Young will be dressed and could make an appearance in the game though, depending on circumstances. However, neither of them should be in your fantasy lineup this week.

     

  • Ask the Geeks: Week 7, Part 2

    Brandon 5:34 pm on 10/20/2007 | 0 Permalink Reply

    John Doe asks: Willie Parker or Larry Johnson in Week 7?



    Brandons’s take:     This is a tough one, as they both have great matchups against weak run defenses (Parker vs. DEN and LJ vs. OAK). I’d be interested to see who the other running back is that’s on your roster preventing you from starting both of them. However, if I had to choose between the two of them, I would go with Larry Johnson. While Denver is letting up mucho yards on the ground (almost 190 a week!), I see backup Najeh Davenport playing a bigger role than normal and stealing some of Parker’s thunder this week. Larry Johnson on the other hand, is basically the only guy in Kansas City at this point, as backup Michael Bennett just got traded and the current backup, Priest Holmes, is just returning from a serious injury and won’t be rushed into battle. He’s playing an Oakland team that is letting up 145 yards and over a TD a game on the ground. Larry Johnson is a near lock for 100 yards and a touchdown this week, so plug him in.

    P.S. Check out Yahoo’s ranks for running backs this week. They seem to agree with my thoughts.

     

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