Updates from January, 2010

  • Top 25 fantasy football players after six weeks

    Brandon 3:45 pm on 10/15/2008 | 2 Permalink Reply
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    Well, it’s been six weeks since the season started, and three since my last posting of the top 25 fantasy football players in the game. As I mentioned last time, this list is based on a non-PPR league that Matt and I are in, which follows pretty standard scoring rules. You’ll want to keep in mind that only about half the teams have had their bye week so far, so some of the numbers might be slightly askew, but it still gives a pretty decent representation of the production levels of the players mentioned.

    Note: The number in parenthesis is the ranking of the player after week 3. An asterisk means the player has already had their bye week.

    1 (1). Philip Rivers, QB, SD: Rivers is still the number one fantasy player in the league and you have to give him props considering the receiving corps he’s throwing to.
    2 (9). Drew Brees, QB, NO: Drew takes a pretty good leap forward since week three and he should only get better once he gets Marques Colston and Jeremy Shockey back.
    3 (5). Aaron Rodgers, QB, GB: Brett who? Rodgers has been all that Green Bay could ask for in a Favre replacement…but it’d be nice to see the stats translate into something better than a 3-3 record.
    4 (2). Jay Cutler, QB, DEN: He’s fallen off a bit in the past few weeks, but a big showing against a weak New England defense could work wonders for him.
    5 (18). Tony Romo, QB, DAL: Romo tore the list up the past few weeks, moving 13 spots in the rankings. However, a broken finger that sidelines him for upwards of a month could be enough to take him off the list completely…but maybe he’ll play through the pain. (More …)

     

  • Tony Romo to play this Sunday after all?

    Matt 2:04 pm on 10/15/2008 | 2 Permalink Reply
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    It’s just a rumor at this point, but it sounds like Romo might be throwing some passes in practice today, despite his broken (?) pinky finger. In any case, he’d better play or Brett Favre will think he’s a big pussy.

    This is hardly concrete at this point (really, it’s about as vague as rumors come), but with Roy Williams in town and the Cowboys’ receiving corps now officially in contention with the Cardinals’ wideouts for best-in-class, Romo owners would love to have him back ASAP. At the same time, you’d hate to see him hurt himself worse and miss a long stretch of games. Giving Brad Johnson a receiving corps like that is like dealing me pocket aces in hold ‘em – you know he’s just gonna screw it up.

    (To help illustrate this post, I tried to find a photo of Romo looking sad, but apparently that guy has a smile permanently affixed to his face, perhaps surgically. Or maybe it has something to do with Jessica Simpson.)

     

  • Wide receiver Roy Williams traded to Cowboys

    Brandon 4:34 pm on 10/14/2008 | 1 Permalink Reply
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    After proclaiming that wide receiver Roy Williams was not on the trading block for the past few weeks, it appears that the Detroit Lions have given in and completed a trade that will send Williams to Dallas for a first, third and sixth round draft pick.

    This would have pretty huge news in the fantasy football world if it weren’t for the fact that star quarterback Tony Romo will miss upwards of a month with a broken finger. Instead of having Jon Kitna or Dan Orlovsky throwing Williams the ball, you’ll now have 40 year old Brad Johnson flinging it his way. I honestly can’t see all that much of an improvement in his stats until Romo returns. (More …)

     

  • The Wire: Waiver Wire pickups for week 7, 2008

    Brandon 9:50 pm on 10/13/2008 | 5 Permalink Reply
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    Here’s a look at the players to target on your league’s waiver wire this week. This list is ordered by the percentage of ESPN leagues in which the player is available; even if you’re not a ESPN user, it’s a decent indication of how likely you are to find the player on waivers in your league. We also note here how strongly we feel about this pickup with three categories: Instant Starter, Grab ‘n’ Stash, or Desperation Pickup.

    Brad Johnson, QB, Cowboys (0.5% owned, Instant Starter) – Adding injury to insult, it appears that Tony Romo will be out for up to four weeks with a broken finger that he suffered in the loss to the Cardinals on Sunday. Brad Johnson will start for Dallas while Romo is out and he climbs into the driver seat of a very nice ride…but he hasn’t started in over a year and is 40 years old. If you are a Romo owner, or are just desperate for a quarterback, Johnson could be your man in the short term.

    Donnie Avery, WR, Rams (2.4% owned, Grab ‘n’ Stash) – Avery was the first wide receiver taken in the draft this year, but it took him a few weeks to get his first catch in the NFL. Since week four however, he’s racked up 10 catches for 119 yards. While Torry Holt gets double covered, it seems that Avery is starting to step up and make the best of his opportunities. Don’t start him right away, but in keeper leagues, or in a deep league where you can afford to use a bench spot on him, you might think about scooping up Donnie and hoping this offense can improve a bit over the course of the season. (More …)

     

  • Week 6 Weekend Wrap-up: Expect the unexpected

    Brandon 3:13 pm on 10/13/2008 | 1 Permalink Reply
    Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , josh brown, , , , , patrick cobbs, , , , , , , , ,

    Not that weeks one through five this season were predictable, but week six seemed to continue and possibly enhance the old motto “on any given Sunday, anything can happen.” Who would have expected a Colts team that is struggling to put up big numbers this year to rack up 30+ points on the league’s top defense? How about the Cardinals to beat the Cowboys (especially considering Arizona tried to hand Dallas the game on a silver platter?) Or Miami to beat up on the Patriots and Chargers in consecutive weeks, then lose to the 0-4 Texans? What about the win-less Rams to beat a Redskins squad that was on a four game winning streak (including wins against the Saints, Cowboys, Cardinals and Eagles!) If I’ve learned anything from this season, it’s that sports betting is not a lifestyle for the faint of heart. Anyways, let’s get to the action from this weekend…

    • Indianapolis 31, Baltimore 3: Just when we thought that the Colts were starting to get old and the Ravens were back to their defensively-dominant selves, we get smacked with a dose of reality. Peyton Manning (271 yards, 3 TD) and his boys Marvin Harrison (three catches for 83 yards, 2 TD) and Reggie Wayne (eight catches for 118 yards, TD) were back to their old ways in this lopsided contest. Not much worth mentioning on the Ravens side of the ball, except maybe the fact that their three-headed backfield monster (Willis McGahee, Ray Rice, Le’Ron McClain) is probably making more than one fantasy team manager a little uneasy/angry. On a side note, my emergency play of the Colts defense this week in one of my leagues proved to be a pretty genius move I guess! (More …)
     

  • Desperation is a Stinky Cologne: Extreme Sleepers for Week 6 2008

    Matt 11:27 am on 10/10/2008 | 1 Permalink Reply
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    In a bind? This column is for those of you who, due to injury or other circumstances, find yourselves with a gaping hole at QB, RB or WR. It’s crunch time – let’s head to the free agent pool and see what we can dig up! There’s gotta be a few diamonds in the rough who might be able to help us out this week.

    Remember, this differs from this week’s waiver wire post in that I’m not advising you to pick these players up if you’re seeking long-term production. Thanks to matchups, injuries, or other favorable conditions, these usually useless players are legitimately startable this week if you really need them, but in most cases aren’t worth a long-term roster spot. I’d make some joke about how they’re like the fat chick at the bar – they’re obviously available and they’ll do in a pinch – but that would make me a horrible person so I’ll exercise some restraint. (More …)

     

  • Studs and Duds - Week 6: Cassel ready to break out?

    Brandon 11:25 am on 10/10/2008 | 1 Permalink Reply
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    After taking a sabbatical during week four, I got back on track last week and didn’t fare too badly with my predictions. Although again my title pick didn’t pan out all that great (the Detroit Lions passing game did NOT rebound after the bye week!), and my pick of Clinton Portis to have a rough go of it against the Eagles did not quite work out, big games from Matt Forte and Michael Turner, along with a weak performance (again!) by the Jacksonville running game led me to a pretty decent record for the week. As usual, I’ll be looking to improve again this week, and who better to lead me there but my boy Matt Cassel of the Patriots. So without further ado, here are your studs and duds for week 6…

    Studs

    • Matt Cassel, QB, Patriots: After a few weeks of the main “stud” not living up to their billing (Ryan Grant, Lions), I’m hoping Matt Cassel of the New England Patriots is the one to change my fortunes.  Cassel gave Patriots fans reason to start believing in his abilities with a 66 yard touchdown bomb to Randy Moss last week against a middle-of-the-road 49er’s pass defense. This week his task should be a bit easier as the Patriots play the worst pass defense in the NFL in the San Diego Chargers. The Chargers are allowing 266 yards per game through the air over the first five games of the season and have allowed an average of two touchdowns per game as well. If Cassel can simply get the average, it would be a fairly successful fantasy day. (More …)
     

  • Mid-season keeper league prospects

    Brandon 12:13 pm on 10/09/2008 | 2 Permalink Reply
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    Now that we’ve completed five weeks of the season, there are probably a few of you in keeper leagues who are nearing the point where you already chalk this season up as a loss and move on to preparation for next year. Maybe your team of Jon Kitna, Ocho Cinco, Ryan Grant and Braylon Edwards just isn’t doing it for you (and there’s not a whole lot of reason your luck is going to change anytime soon!) Anyways, as we get closer and closer to the fantasy trade deadline (if your league has one) or the point where teams start clinching the playoffs, it might be time to start considering some names that you’ll want on your roster come next season, so here we go…

    (Note: I didn’t include players such as Chris Johnson, Steve Slaton, or Matt Forte, who are already contributing in a big way for their teams and are almost guaranteed to be on a fantasy roster already this year…but by all means you’ll want to keep them too!)

    Running Backs

    • Felix Jones, Cowboys: I’ll admit, if you’re in a keeper league where everyone is not completely brain-dead, Jones is probably already on a fantasy roster. However, that shouldn’t prevent you from trying to pry him from the unsuspecting grasp of an owner who is focused on winning this year. Jones looks like the real deal and as he’s averaging 9.0 yards per carry at this point, there’s no way the Cowboys can have him riding the pine as much as he has, even with Marion Barber on the team. Next season the team will probably name Barber the starter again, but I expect a pretty even split in the number of carries and they should both put up serviceable fantasy numbers. (More …)
     

  • Sell High, Buy Low: Trade ideas for Week 6 2008

    Matt 2:37 pm on 10/08/2008 | 8 Permalink Reply
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    Last week, I suggested selling high on Kurt Warner (who clearly saved his job for at least one more week by tearing up a dejected Bills defense) and Earnest Graham (who perfectly illustrated my point about his lack of carries being a problem by rushing for just 59 yards on ten carries – a nice average, but a crappy fantasy performance). I advised you to buy low on Calvin Johnson (who remains a buy-low candidate after a very weak day, though the Lions are apparently even worse than I thought they were) and Peyton Manning (who put up respectable numbers – mostly thanks to Sage “Will Never, Ever Be Trusted Again” Rosenfels).

    The general consensus on the value of the following players is just plain wrong, which makes them ripe to trade away (if they’re overvalued) or try to pick up (if they’re undervalued).

    Sell High

    LaDainian Tomlinson - I’d been holding out hope, but it’s officially time to stop the bleeding and trade him away. The clincher for me came in an interview he gave yesterday in which he talked about his injured toe: “You can’t get it better in one week. There is no such thing; nobody can. If you are injured, you are injured. One week is not going to help. If you take one week off, you might as well take three weeks off.” Translation: Expect plenty of subpar games over the rest of the season. Trade him before memory of his two recent multi-TD games fades; I don’t expect a whole lot more of those the rest of the way. The LT name alone should fetch some nice value in return. (More …)

     

  • The Wire: Waiver Wire Pickups for Week 6, 2008

    Brandon 9:56 pm on 10/06/2008 | 2 Permalink Reply
    Tags: , , , , , , , , , sinorice moss,

    Here’s a look at the players to target on your league’s waiver wire this week. This list is ordered by the percentage of ESPN leagues in which the player is available; even if you’re not a ESPN user, it’s a decent indication of how likely you are to find the player on waivers in your league. We also note here how strongly we feel about this pickup with three categories: Instant Starter, Grab ‘n’ Stash, or Desperation Pickup.

    (Due to technical difficulties, only the names of the week 6 players are on the list now…and by technical difficulties I mean I deleted it by accident! Anyways, you should be looking at the week 7 waiver pick-ups now anyways.) (More …)

     

  • Week 5 Weekend Wrap-Up: Will the real contender please stand up?

    Brandon 3:13 pm on 10/06/2008 | 0 Permalink Reply
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    After another crazy week in the NFL where upsets seem to be commonplace, it’s hard to point at any team and say that they are the team to beat (besides maybe the Giants and Titans…but even they have their issues.) Last year it was easy with the Patriots and Cowboys clearly the top teams throughout the regular season, but this year is another story. When Tom Brady went down in week one, it seems to have given every other team in the league the idea that they can beat any team on any given Sunday. Anyways, on the day after the Dolphins beat the Chargers, the Colts should have lost to the Texans, and the Cowboys nearly lost to the Bengals, here are some quick thoughts on what took place this weekend:

    • Dolphins 17, Chargers 10: Are the Dolphins the team to beat in the AFC East now? After beating the Patriots and Chargers in their past two games, opponents better figure out how to stop the Wildcat offense. Those of you who gambled on Ronnie Brown (125 rushing yards, TD) in your draft are pretty proud of yourselves right now, while those of you who went for the “sure bet” in LT (55 combined yards) though…not so much. In one of my leagues (with pretty much basic Yahoo league scoring) Brown now has 10 more fantasy points than LT through the first five games of the season. (More …)
     

  • Carson Palmer: "All systems are go"

    Matt 3:31 pm on 10/03/2008 | 0 Permalink Reply
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    It’s looking safer and safer to assume that Palmer will play on Sunday. If he plays, it’ll be because he’s essentially 100% – so he’s actually a decent start in what could become a shootout with Dallas. From here: 

    Quarterback Carson Palmer threw during practice Friday and barring a setback Saturday morning, head coach Marvin Lewis said “all systems are go” if his right elbow continues to respond.

    “He did well. We’ll see how he is in the morning,” Lewis said. “If things continue as they have, I think all systems are go.”

    Lewis said he threw for all the routes, whether they were short, long or intermediate.

    If he plays, upgrade Tony Romo (if you don’t see him as the #1 QB this week either way), slightly downgrade Marion Barber (since there’s likely to be less garbage time spent with Dallas protecting a big lead), and drop Felix Jones from a low-end flex play (since he’d probably get his share of the garbage-time carries) to your bench. Obviously, a Palmer start would dramatically improve the performance of the entire Cincy offense, so plug ‘n’ play accordingly.

     

  • Top 5 QB, RB, WR and TE for Week 5 2008

    Matt 9:46 am on 10/03/2008 | 2 Permalink Reply
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    Why not K and DST? Because screw K and DST, that’s why.

    Quarterback

    1. Peyton Manning (@ HOU) – The Houston franchise belongs to Bob McNair on paper, but here in the real world, Peyton Manning owns the Texans (last four games: 297.2 yards on average, 10 total TDs, 0 total INTs). This has bounce-back game written all over it. 
    2. Tony Romo (vs CIN) – He’ll be getting T.O. the damn ball as much as he needs to against the atrocious Cincy defense. If Carson Palmer is able to start, move him to #1. Without Palmer, Cincy won’t be able to score much, which means the Dallas offense will mostly go through Marion Barber.
    3. Drew Brees (vs MIN) – The solid Vikings defense remains better at stopping ground attacks than aerial assaults, which suits the pass-happy Saints just fine. Receiver Robert Meachem is an emerging star who has taken advantage of Colston’s absence by gaining Brees’ trust.
    4. Jay Cutler (vs TB) – The Bucs’ secondary has been subpar all season, and they’re likely in for a humbling afternoon in the mile-high city. Drew Brees tore them apart in week 1 to the tune of 343 yards and 3 TDs, and I’d expect something similar out of Cutler.
    5. Philip Rivers (@ MIA) – Sunny skies, an opposing defense that gives up the 7th-most passing yards per game, and the #2 overall fantasy QB through four weeks… what’s not to like?

    (More …)

     

  • Studs and Duds - Week 5: Don't pass on the Lions

    Brandon 10:07 pm on 10/01/2008 | 2 Permalink Reply
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    Well after a good set of predictions for week two, maybe I should have taken another week off before putting up my next Studs/Duds post. In week four I ended up with only a 9-6-7 (correct-incorrect-push) record as the non-existent Jacksonville rushing attack and Selvin Young did their best to sabotage me. David Garrard’s solid day didn’t help either, but luckily a huge day from Greg Jennings and a good game from Earnest Graham helped me stay above water. As always, I’m hoping to do much better this week, so here you go with your “studs” and “duds” for week five:

    Studs

    • Jon Kitna, QB, DET: Coming into this season, I had big hopes for Jon Kitna and his dynamic receiving duo, Roy Williams and Calvin Johnson. However, the first few games didn’t quite live up to my expectations. Luckily the team had a bye week to think about their game play and I expect to see them come out in a big way at home against a Chicago Bears defense that is allowing nearly 250 passing yards a game. A touchdown to each of his favorite targets and 275 yards doesn’t seem out of reach.
    • Roy Williams / Calvin Johnson, WR, DET: See above. (More …)
     

  • Sell High, Buy Low: Trade ideas for Week 5 2008

    Matt 2:44 pm on 10/01/2008 | 1 Permalink Reply
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    SellbuyLast week I advised you to sell high on Reggie Bush, Chris Chambers and Ronnie Brown while you still could. The jury’s out on Ronnie Brown since he was on a bye, but I’m going to pull an “I told you so” on Bush (38 total yards, 0 TD, and Deuce is back in action) and Chambers (2 catches, 45 yards, 0 TD).

    I suggested that you buy low on Ocho Cinco; little did I suspect that Carson Palmer’s injury would turn out to be worse than everyone thought. As long as Palmer’s OK (looks like he is), I still think the OC will be putting up AOK numbers very soon, and could return to elite status by the second half. I advised trading for Ryan Grant, who had another rough game, but I still think he’ll be fine. And Brandon Jacobs had a bye week.

    Here are the players I recommend wheeling and dealing this week:

    Sell High

    Kurt Warner - When does a 472-yard, two-touchdown game spark a debate among fans and commentators over whether you should be benched? When you also throw three interceptions and fumble the ball four times. Warner is the sixth-best QB in the league from a purely statistical perspective, but his shaky play against the Jets has to have the coaches wondering whether they made the right call in benching Leinart. Any trade you offer will look impressive – Warner’s gleaming fantasy numbers are sure to make any owner at least think about it, especially if they’re desperate for QB help. But I’ve got my doubts as to whether Warner will be keeping his job for much longer, so I’d unload him while you still can. The key here is finding an owner who needs a QB so badly that he or she is willing to take the risk that Warner gets benched. (More …)

     

  • Ask the Geeks - Week 5

    Brandon 10:59 am on 10/01/2008 | 1 Permalink Reply
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    Atg ButtonHere are our responses to the first couple of questions for the week. Remember, you can always ask us questions by clicking the Ask the Geeks logo on the left sidebar (or this link).

    Jeff asks: I am in a league where QB TDs count as 6 points. My current QBs are Garrard, Bulger and Griese. I have been offered Aaron Rodgers and Jacksonville DEF for my Tennessee DEF. Should I make the trade?

    Brandon’s take: Jeff, I’m not all that high on your quarterbacks right now and having Rodgers in there (assuming he’s healthy) would be a pretty decent upgrade. However, I just took a look at my league and the difference in fantasy points between the Titans and Jags is pretty staggering. Tennessee leads the NFL with 66 fantasy points through four weeks, while Jacksonville only has 23…a difference of 43 points (over 10 a week!) Looking at the schedules of both “players” (Rodgers/Titans), the Titans seem to have the easier road ahead. I also think David Garrard will rebound from a rough first couple games (he did alright last week) and should hold down your quarterback position. In short, don’t make the trade. Keep the Titans and have faith in Garrard.

    Matt’s take: What are you doing with Bulger still on your roster? I don’t think Rodgers is necessarily a huge upgrade from Garrard, especially since Garrard’s numbers will only improve as his o-line slowly returns to health. (More …)

     

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