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  Team of the Week - Week 10: Fourth and 2...

  Brandon 9:48 am on 11/16/2009 | 4 Permalink Reply
  Tags: adrian peterson, brandon marshall (36), brent celek (3), chris johnson (29), connor barth, Randy Moss (21), reggie wayne (11), team of the week (9), tennessee (2), Tom Brady (25)

  Here is the fantasy football “Team of the Week” for week ten, listing the players that scored the most points (using standard scoring) over the course of Sunday’s games. This is a sad day for Patriots fans, having to witness yet another come from behind victory by Peyton Manning and the Colts, capped off by an “interesting” call on fourth down at the end of the game! Anyways, today’s list had very little surprises (except the kicker) and is basically a “who’s who” list of fantasy football superstars…

  Pos.	Player	Stats
  QB	Tom Brady (NE)	375 passing yards, 3 TD, 1 INT
  RB	Chris Johnson (TEN)	132 rushing yards, 100 receiving yards, 2 TD
  RB	Adrian Peterson (MIN)	133 rushing yards, 10 receiving yards, 2 TD
  WR	Randy Moss (NE)	179 receiving yards, 2 TD
  WR	Brandon Marshall (DEN)	134 receiving yards, 9 rushing yards, 2 TD
  WR	Reggie Wayne (IND)	126 receiving yards, 2 TD
  TE	Brent Celek (PHI)	47 receiving yards, 1 TD
  K	Connor Barth (TB)	Kicks – 20-29 (0), 30-39 (0), 40-49 (0), 50+ (3), PAT (2) – Who? He made three 50+ yard field goals?
  DEF	Tennessee	17 points allowed, 2 sack, 2 interceptions, 2 TD

   

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  Hits & Misses - Week 8: Happy Halloween!

  Brandon 11:07 am on 10/29/2009 | 39 Permalink Reply
  Tags: adrian peterson, alex smith (12), andre johnson (19), brandon marshall (36), brett favre (34), david garrard (13), deangelo williams (17), derrick mason (8), devin hester (11), donovan mcnabb (26), jeremy shockey (7), Matt Forte (25), matt ryan (19), michael crabtree (9), mike sims-walker (12), ryan grant (21), steve slaton (18), steven jackson (13), tony gonzalez (13), tony romo (26)

  With Halloween right around the corner, hopefully your fantasy teams are in for more treats than tricks! While there is no game on Sunday night due to the World Series, I’m excited for the treat we’ll all get on Monday night when we actually get to see a good football game (Falcons @ Saints), instead of what we were forced to witness last week. Make sure to set your rosters early on Saturday so that you don’t forget while you’re nursing that post-party hangover on Sunday!

  Anyways, here are our “Hits” and “Misses” for week eight, listing players you want to make sure are in your lineup, as well as those you might consider shelving for the week (or at least lowering your expectations!) We start it off with a few big name running backs that you may be concerned about… (More …)

   
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  Hits & Misses - Week 7: New England heads to Old England

  Brandon 12:02 pm on 10/22/2009 | 20 Permalink Reply
  Tags: adrian peterson, brandon jacobs (20), brett favre (34), chad henne (4), deangelo williams (17), heath miller (7), jamal lewis (21), jay cutler (32), ladainian tomlinson (31), Laurence Maroney (9), mark sanchez (11), matt ryan (19), philip rivers (17), Randy Moss (21), roddy white (22), roy williams (9), santana moss (12), terrell owens (21), vernon davis (4), vincent jackson (11), wes welker (7)

  Here are our “Hits” and “Misses” for week seven, listing players you want to make sure are in your lineup, as well as those you might consider shelving for the week (or at least lowering your expectations!) This week I’ve again tried to leave off the most obvious picks, such as Peyton Manning’s dream match-up against the Rams, so that the list only includes players you may have been scratching your head about starting this week. Also, not to get too far off topic, but the Patriots head to London this week to play the Buccaneers, which got me thinking…is the team name “New England Patriots” offensive to the British? I mean, they ARE the nation that we were being patriots against in the first place! Anyways, I guess we’ll let some of our readers from the U.K. comment on that, so let’s get into the hits and misses for the week… (More …)

   
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  2009 Running Back Handcuff Index

  Brandon 3:00 pm on 8/20/2009 | 1 Permalink Reply
  Tags: adrian peterson, brandon jacobs (20), brian westbrook (13), joseph addai (16), ladainian tomlinson (31), marion barber (19), marshawn lynch (19), running backs (11)

  As everyone knows, football is a brutal game and injuries are very common. You may draft an awesome duo of running backs for your fantasy football team, only to have one of them knocked out for the season in week two and if you didn’t have their backup (or were slow on the waiver wire,) you’re screwed. As I did last year, I’ve written up the Running Back Handcuff Index, listing all the starting running backs in the league, along with their primary backup(s). Also, I’ve included how important it is to draft their backup as a handcuff (if you need to draft them at all.) I’ve listed them in groups ranging in level of importance (Very High to Very Low), so you know how important it is to draft them as an insurance policy, so here you go…

  Very High

  Philadelphia Eagles

  Starter: Brian Westbrook
  Handcuff: LeSean McCoy
  Concern(s): Injury / Committee
  Notes: Westbrook has never been Mr. Durable to begin with, but he’s getting up there in age and has a very talented rookie in McCoy waiting for his shot. I’d say this is a mandatory hand-cuff, but you might not be able to get McCoy without giving up one of your early picks as someone else will surely draft him with the hopes of trading him to you or of Westbrook going down.

  Buffalo Bills

  Starter: Marshawn Lynch
  Handcuff: Fred Jackson
  Concern(s): Suspension / Ineffectiveness
  Notes: Lynch is suspended for the first three games of the season, so naturally you would like his hand-cuff on your team so it’s easy to fill the void. However, Jackson looked good in limited playing time last season and could be picked up by another team if you’re not careful in your draft.

  (More …)

   
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  Favre's fantasy impact: Everyone's got an opinion

  Matt 9:09 am on 8/19/2009 | 2 Permalink Reply
  Tags: adrian peterson, bobby wade, brett favre (34), chester taylor (2), Minnesota Vikings (7), percy harvin (3), sidney rice (8), vinsanthe shiancoe

  Since so much has already been said, rather than more analysis, here’s the cut of everyone’s jib:

  Jay Clemons, Sports Illustrated: Favre’s not going to be a startable fantasy QB. Adrian Peterson’s a stud no matter what, Chester Taylor improves, TE Visanthe Shiancoe could be the biggest beneficiary of all, Sidney Rice takes a hit because Favre’s no longer the gunslinger we used to know, and Percy Harvin remains a mysterious wildcard.

  Scott Pianowski, Yahoo! Sports: As far as Favre’s value goes, “we [knowledgeable fantasy footballers] washed our hands of this guy a while ago.” Put him at #23 on the fantasy QB list. Because he’s likely to be relatively ineffective, he doesn’t have a lot of impact on his teammates’ fantasy values.

  (More …)

   
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  Running back rankings for 2009

  Brandon 11:12 pm on 7/30/2009 | 20 Permalink Reply
  Tags: adrian peterson, brandon jacobs (20), brian westbrook (13), cheat sheets (15), chris johnson (29), deangelo williams (17), ladainian tomlinson (31), Matt Forte (25), maurice jones-drew (23), michael turner (24), running backs (11), steve slaton (18), steven jackson (13)

  Following my wide receiver rankings, here is the list for running backs. Keep in mind that this is primarily for non-PPR leagues, but I’ve mentioned in my comments the tailbacks that will be valued higher in leagues that award points for receptions.

  You can check out the rest of our positional cheat sheets here.

  Adrian Peterson, MIN – Unless you’re in a PPR league, A-Pete is top dog and Favre should distract defenses a bit and open more holes. Michael Turner, ATL – As with Peterson, he is spectacular as long as you’re not in a PPR league, and he’s only slightly less than spectacular then. DeAngelo Williams, CAR – Jonathan Stewart continues to show durability issues, meaning plenty of carries again this year for D-Williams! Matt Forte, CHI – I’m digging Forte this season with Cutler in town. Maurice Jones-Drew, JAX – Finally mini-me becomes the feature back…I expect it to pay some dividends Steven Jackson, STL – UPGRADE! The Rams offense scares me…and S-Jax has trouble staying healthy. He is a beast though. LaDainian Tomlinson, SD – He didn’t go from the best in the league to Average Joe over night. Expect LT to surprise the quick-to-be-haters this year. Frank Gore, SF – Taking a leadership role on the team, hopefully it equates to some leader-like stats. Brian Westbrook, PHI – He’s never played a full 16 game season and there are already injury worries. He’s a monster when he plays (especially in PPR leagues), but he’ll be 30 in a few weeks and this could be the year he starts slowing down, LT-style. Ryan Grant, GB – UPGRADE! As long as he stays healthy, Grant should put up decent numbers. Brandon Jacobs, NYG – He’s a beast when not injured, just hope he can stay on his two feet the whole season. Chris Johnson, TEN – He hasn’t been impressing this preseason, but I’ll give him the benefit of the doubt at this point. (More …)

   
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  Week 14 Wrap-Up: Reggie Bush is back

  Brandon 10:47 pm on 12/08/2008 | 0 Permalink Reply
  Tags: adrian peterson, brandon marshall (36), brett favre (34), brian westbrook (13), chris johnson (29), clinton portis (22), darren sproles (6), deion branch (11), ladainian tomlinson (31), lendale white (17), Matt Forte (25), matt schaub (19), maurice jones-drew (23), Peyton Manning (28), philip rivers (17), pierre thomas (20), plaxico burress (5), reggie bush (14), roddy white (22), ryan grant (21), senaca wallace, steve smith (26), Tim Hightower (15), vincent jackson (11)

  With the playoffs in action in many of the fantasy leagues out there, let’s just jump into the action that took place this weekend, starting with the Saints and their resurgent ground game…

  • New Orleans 29, Atlanta 25: This is supposed to be the year that the Falcons win the division (after ending up in last place last season), but with a loss to the Saints, they now find themselves in third place and will be two games behind whoever wins tonight’s game between the Panthers and Buccaneers. For Atlanta, Roddy White put up another big effort with 10 receptions for 164 yards, but it wasn’t enough to counter the Saints dominant passing rushing game (?) Pierre Thomas broke the century mark and scored two touchdowns, while Reggie Bush (106 combined yards, TD) seems to be back in action, which can only mean good things for the Saints. (More …)
   
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  Hits and Misses - Week 14: A-Pete ready to hand out early Christmas gifts

  Brandon 12:00 am on 12/05/2008 | 3 Permalink Reply
  Tags: adrian peterson, brandon marshall (36), brett favre (34), clinton portis (22), deangelo williams (17), frank gore (13), jay cutler (32), kevin smith (9), larry johnson (7), marion barber (19), matt cassel (26), matt ryan (19), peyton hillis (5), Randy Moss (21), roddy white (22), Shaun Hill (10), Tim Hightower (15), tyler thigpen (11), wes welker (7)

  After taking a break for the holidays (although I still put up a brief hit/miss post for Turkey Day), let’s get back into the action for what is most likely week one of the playoffs in many fantasy football leagues out there. This week we kick it off with a regular on the “Hit” list, Mr. Adrian Peterson, who has a great match-up against the Lions.  Last time Purple Jesus played Detroit he rushed for 111 yards and fumbled twice…but this time I think it’ll be a little better…

  Hits

  • Adrian Peterson, RB, Vikings (@ DET): If the Vikings can beat the Lions this weekend they are a near lock to make the playoffs. Because of this, and the fact that it’s the Lions, I have a feeling that Peterson is in for a big game. The Lions are allowing 177 rushing yards per contest, which is the worst in the NFL. They’re also allowing over five yards per carry on the ground and have given up about two touchdowns a game to opposing tailbacks. As I have Peterson in my most important league, I’m hoping that he can rush for those averages without the help of partner-in-crime, Chester Taylor, stealing his thunder. (More …)
   
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  Top 25 scoring fantasy football players through 13 weeks

  Brandon 10:54 pm on 12/02/2008 | 1 Permalink Reply
  Tags: aaron rodgers (30), adrian peterson, andre johnson (19), anquan boldin (15), brandon jacobs (20), brett favre (34), calvin johnson (16), chris johnson (29), clinton portis (22), deangelo williams (17), donovan mcnabb (26), drew brees (25), eli manning (19), frank gore (13), greg jennings (12), jay cutler (32), kurt warner (31), kyle orton (24), lance moore (9), Larry Fitzgerald (18), marion barber (19), matt cassel (26), Matt Forte (25), matt schaub (19), maurice jones-drew (23), michael turner (24), Peyton Manning (28), philip rivers (17), Randy Moss (21), roddy white (22), ronnie brown (17), santana moss (12), steve slaton (18), steve smith (26), terrell owens (21), thomas jones (20), tony romo (26)

  It’s been 13 weeks since the season started and four since my last posting of the top 25 fantasy football players in the game. As I mentioned last time, this is a list of the top fantasy football scorers so far this season, based on a non-PPR league that Matt and I are in, which follows near-standard scoring rules…

  Note: The number in parenthesis is the ranking of the player after week 9.

  1 (4). Drew Brees, QB, Saints: Brees has been a yardage and touchdown machine this year, even with his top receiver from last season (Marques Colston) out for a bit. I’m sure he helped many a team into the playoffs this season.
  2 (3). Kurt Warner, QB, Cardinals: Warner’s stats were pretty close to Brees’ and while he did throw less interceptions, he fumbled the ball a lot more. However, I’m sure he’s on a lot of playoff bound team’s rosters.
  3 (5). Aaron Rodgers, QB, Packers: Packers fans can’t complain about the production they got out of the quarterback after Favre’s departure and they should be happy that they won’t have to worry about the position for another decade or so.
  4 (6). Jay Cutler, QB, Broncos: While I was expecting a bit more out of his “favorite” receiver Brandon Marshall, Cutler has been all that fantasy owners could have wished for.
  5 (1). Philip Rivers, QB, Chargers: He’s dropped off a bit over the past few weeks, but you can’t really complain considering the receivers he’s passing to. (More …)

   
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  Week 13 Wrap-up: Do we have to watch the Lions?

  Brandon 11:39 am on 12/01/2008 | 0 Permalink Reply
  Tags: adrian peterson, brian westbrook (13), cadillac williams (5), chris johnson (29), deangelo williams (17), donovan mcnabb (26), jacob hester (3), jason witten (5), jay cutler (32), ladainian tomlinson (31), lendale white (17), mark clayton (4), matt cassel (26), michael turner (24), peyton hillis (5), Randy Moss (21), roddy white (22), steve smith (26), terrell owens (21), thomas jones (20), Tom Brady (25), tony romo (26)

  Hope everyone had a great Thanksgiving! If you were wishing that the football games would give you reason to ignore your family members and sit on the couch all afternoon, you were probably a bit disappointed with what transpired this past Thursday. In my opinion, this had to be one of the worst weekends of football in a long time, as eight of the fifteen games were near-blowouts, seven were missing a 30 point effort from either of the contestants, and three games featured teams whose leading rusher was either their quarterback or Jacob Hester (who needed one attempt to best LT!) Anyways, it was one of the most important weeks of football from a fantasy perspective, so let’s hope that the right guys had big days for your team, starting with the action from Turkey Day…

  • Tennessee 47, Detroit 10 (Thursday): Is it time to remove Detroit from the Thanksgiving Day football schedule? After another pathetic performance from a team trying its hardest to go 0-16, do they really deserve a national audience every Turkey Day? Either way, the Titans got back to what got them to 10-0 a few weeks ago…the running game, as both Chris Johnson (125 yards, 2 TD) and LenDale White (106 yards, 2 TD) had a field day against the Lions. (More …)
   
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  Week 12 Wrap-Up: King of the Cassel

  Brandon 2:29 pm on 11/24/2008 | 0 Permalink Reply
  Tags: adrian peterson, andre johnson (19), ashley lelie, brady quinn (14), chad pennington (11), clinton portis (22), daunte culpepper (6), derek anderson (9), donovan mcnabb (26), drew brees (25), ed reed, isaac bruce (3), jake delhomme (13), jay cutler (32), Justin Fargas (17), kerry collins (10), kevin walter (6), kurt warner (31), lee evans (8), leon washington (7), marc bulger (13), matt cassel (26), philip rivers (17), Randy Moss (21), ryan grant (21), terrell owens (21), thomas jones (20), Tim Hightower (15), Tom Brady (25), tony gonzalez (13), tony romo (26), trent edwards (5), trent green (2), tyler thigpen (11), wes welker (7)

  Tom who? It’s amazing the job that Matt Cassel (415 passing yards, 4 TD – one rushing, INT) has done this year to keep the depression in New England over Tom Brady’s injury to a minimum. To his credit, the games are a bit more exciting now and as long as they still make the playoffs, you have to give him props for playing his ass off and earning the big contract that is sure to come his way in the off-season. Anyways, let’s dive into the action that took place this weekend, starting with the big Patriots victory over the Dolphins…

  • New England 48, Miami 28: The second straight 400 passing yard performance from Cassel also paid dividends to the dynamic receiver duo, Randy Moss (8 catches for 125 yards, 3 TD) and Wes Welker (8 catches for 120 yards.) Over-shadowed by his team’s loss and the play of the opposing quarterback though, you can’t forget to mention the great effort from Chad Pennington (341 passing yards, 4 TD – one rushing, INT), who’s numbers were nearly as good. (More …)
   
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  Week 11 Wrap-Up: So much for that awesome Ravens defense

  Brandon 10:30 pm on 11/17/2008 | 1 Permalink Reply
  Tags: adrian peterson, andre johnson (19), anquan boldin (15), brandon jacobs (20), deangelo williams (17), donnie avery (15), earnest graham (10), frank gore (13), hines ward (3), j.j. arrington (4), jake delhomme (13), jamarcus russell (12), jonathan stewart (8), joseph addai (16), justin gage (6), kerry collins (10), kevin smith (9), kurt warner (31), kyle orton (24), ladainian tomlinson (31), lance moore (9), Larry Fitzgerald (18), marion barber (19), marques colston (8), matt cassel (26), matt ryan (19), michael turner (24), Peyton Manning (28), philip rivers (17), roddy white (22), Shaun Hill (10), t.j. houshmandzadeh (8), thomas jones (20), Tim Hightower (15), tony romo (26), trent edwards (5), tyler thigpen (11)

  Going into this weekend, the Baltimore Ravens were holding opposing team’s running games to a ridiculous 2.9 yards per carry. One week and a brutal beating by the defending Superbowl champs later, that number is up to 3.4 as they were manhandled in the trenches by Brandon Jacobs and crew. Let’s look at more from that contest and the rest of the action from week 11…

  • New York Giants 30, Baltimore 10: The G-Men continue to show that they’re the team to beat in the NFC as they hand out a pretty serious beatdown to one of the better teams in the AFC. The Ravens were the team that didn’t let up 100 yard rushers…and I guess they can take pride in the fact that none of the Giants running backs hit the century mark. However, if you combine the stats of the three-headed-monster that they employ in their backfield (Jacobs – 73 yards, 2 TD; Bradshaw – 96 yards; Ward – 41 yards), it’s pretty apparent that as a whole (210 yards!), New York was way too much for the Baltimore defense to handle. (More …)
   
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  Week 10 Wrap-up: Keepin' up with the Jones'

  Brandon 8:19 pm on 11/10/2008 | 1 Permalink Reply
  Tags: adrian peterson, andrew walter (3), anquan boldin (15), ben roethlisberger (21), benjarvus green-ellis (4), bo scaife (3), brady quinn (14), brandon jacobs (20), chris johnson (29), dantrell savage, deangelo williams (17), donovan mcnabb (26), eddie royal (13), jay cutler (32), jay feely (2), jerich cotchery (2), joe flacco (15), kellen winslow (4), kerry collins (10), kevin smith (9), kurt warner (31), Larry Fitzgerald (18), laveranues coles (9), lendale white (17), marques colston (8), marques tuiasosopo, matt ryan (19), maurice jones-drew (23), mewelde moore (5), michael turner (24), Peyton Manning (28), reggie wayne (11), ricky williams (16), ryan torain (3), sage rosenfels (4), thomas jones (20), Tim Hightower (15), todd heap (4), tony gonzalez (13), tyler thigpen (11), willis mcgahee (13)

  What a week 10, huh? The Jets and Ravens break the 40 point mark, Brady Quinn makes his big debut…and the Bills drop from first to last in the AFC East! The biggest achievements of the week though by far came from some of the league’s running backs, primarily Thomas Jones of the Jets, and Maurice Jones-Drew of the Jaguars, who both had three touchdown games. In addition to the Jones’, I think an honorable mention is also deserving of Adrian “All Day” Peterson, who broke the 200 yards from scrimmage mark in the Vikings exciting, last minute victory over the Packers. (By the way, all three running backs were on the Hit list this week!) Anyways, let’s jump into the action that took place in week 10…

  • New York Jets 47, St. Louis 3: While I predicted a solid game from Thomas Jones, I was not prepared for what transpired Sunday afternoon when he dominated the Rams defense to the tune of 149 rushing yards and three touchdowns. What’s nearly as amazing as T-Jones’ performance was the fact that Brett Favre, Laveranues Coles nor Jericho Cotchery really contributed much of anything to this slaughter. Rookie tight end Dustin Keller had the biggest game of his short career with 107 yards receiving and a score, but the player who paid off the most for fantasy managers (besides Jones) was kicker Jay Feely, who had five extra points and four field goals, which equated to 21+ fantasy points in most leagues.
  • Jacksonville 38, Detroit 14: My question is how many people started Maurice Jones-Drew this week? MJD has been extremely frustrating to own in fantasy football this season and has really only been worth playing three out of nine weeks the Jaguars have had a game so far (week 3, 6, 10…every third game actually…do I sense a big game in week 13 against the Texans?) So when he goes for 91 combined yards and three touchdowns, how many of you were screaming in joy? And how many in regret? In other news, Lions rookie running back Kevin Smith had a solid game with over 90 rushing yards and a score and is becoming a guy you can feel semi-confident starting as a RB2 or flex play against mediocre or worse defenses. Also, what is going on with Detroit’s quarterback situation? Nevermind…I just remembered that I don’t care.   (More …)
   
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  Guest Post: Adrian Peterson: 2nd Half Fantasy Star?

  Josh 9:34 am on 11/10/2008 | 0 Permalink Reply
  Tags: adrian peterson, bernard berrian (11), fantasy football (7), Minnesota Vikings (7)

  Editors’ note: The following post was written by a guest blogger, Josh from Pro Football 101.

  Coming into the season, the expectations for Adrian Peterson were through the roof. After an extremely impressive rookie season, one in which he broke the NFL rushing record for a game with 296 yards vs. the San Diego Chargers, there was a lot of talk about 2,000 yards in 2008. The reasoning behind this train of thought was that last year, at the midway point, he had already eclipsed the 1,000-yard mark and if not for an injury, which threw off his momentum and kept him out for two games, he might have done it then.

  Fast forward to the midway point of 2008 and it’s a very different story. He’s still one of the elite backs in the game (823 yards, 6 TDs), but circumstances surrounding him have changed and they haven’t necessarily been for the better. (More …)

   
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  Hits and Misses - Week 10: "Purple Jesus" ready to roll at home

  Brandon 10:21 am on 11/07/2008 | 5 Permalink Reply
  Tags: adrian peterson, ben roethlisberger (21), brett favre (34), byron leftwich (2), chad pennington (11), david garrard (13), eddie royal (13), frank gore (13), gus frerotte (5), jay cutler (32), jerich cotchery (2), joseph addai (16), ladainian tomlinson (31), laveranues coles (9), marvin harrison (3), matt ryan (19), maurice jones-drew (23), Peyton Manning (28), rex grossman (2), roddy white (22), ryan grant (21), santonio holmes (9), steve slaton (18), steven jackson (13), thomas jones (20), tony gonzalez (13), willie parker (9)

  It’s pretty amazing the luck (of the bad variety) that I’ve had so far this season with my feature “hit” picks, the latest victim being my own personal favorite, the man who shares my name and plays receiver for the Denver Broncos, Mr. Brandon Marshall (two catches for 27 yards?!!) However, I did end up the week with a decent 13-7-5* record on the big days of quarterbacks Donovan McNabb and Kurt Warner, plus the misfortunes of Bills running back Marshawn Lynch and a few others (even if Marshall, Clinton Portis’ big day receiving, and Kyle Orton’s injury all tried to screw me!)

  Maybe picking the most obvious guy each week that is “supposed” to have a huge game is the wrong approach. If I pick LaDainian Tomlinson to have a big day against the high school players the Chiefs call a defense, is he going to get shut out? This week I’m going to change my approach a bit and go with my gut as to which player will have a big day and not base my pick solely on the numbers. While I’m not going out on a huge limb here, my big play of the week is for Vikings running back Adrian Peterson, aka Purple Jesus, to run wild on the Green Bay Packers…

  Hits

  • Adrian Peterson, RB, Vikings: While quarterback Gus Frerotte tries his best against the vaunted Packers pass defense (see the “Others” section of my misses list below), this will be a game where the Vikings try to run the ball down Green Bay’s throat with Peterson and Chester Taylor. The Pack is allowing nearly five yards per carry to opposing tailbacks and almost 150 yards a game, but you can expect Minnesota to land on the plus side of that average. The first time these two teams met this season (at Green Bay), Peterson, who is averaging around 120 yards per game at home this season, broke the century mark and also scored a touchdown as the team rushed for over 180 yards…and I’m predicting at least those results this time.  (More …)
   
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  Top 25 fantasy football players after nine weeks

  Brandon 5:54 pm on 11/04/2008 | 13 Permalink Reply
  Tags: aaron rodgers (30), adrian peterson, brandon jacobs (20), brett favre (34), chris johnson (29), clinton portis (22), donovan mcnabb (26), drew brees (25), eli manning (19), frank gore (13), greg jennings (12), jason campbell (15), jay cutler (32), kurt warner (31), kyle orton (24), ladainian tomlinson (31), Larry Fitzgerald (18), marion barber (19), Matt Forte (25), matt schaub (19), maurice jones-drew (23), michael turner (24), Peyton Manning (28), philip rivers (17), reggie bush (14), roddy white (22), ronnie brown (17), santana moss (12), tony romo (26)

  It’s been nine 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. At this point, most teams have had their bye, so the stats paint a pretty accurate picture of the players effectiveness this season.

  Note: The number in parenthesis is the ranking of the player after week 6. 

  1 (1). Philip Rivers, QB, SD: It’s pretty amazing, but at the three, six and now the nine week mark, Rivers is STILL the top fantasy football player in the league. 
  2 (7). Clinton Portis, RB, WAS: Portis has been solid all season long and now that all the aberations are starting to fall off the list, the greats are shining through.
  3 (6). Kurt Warner, QB, ARI: Warner keeps getting it done and now that receiver Anquan Boldin is back and in action, Warner shouldn’t stray too far from the top of this list.
  4 (2). Drew Brees, QB, NO: The bye week dropped him down a few spots, but he’ll stay at the top of the list for the duration.
  5 (3). Aaron Rodgers, QB, GB: Rodgers continues to prove that Green Bay made the right decision in letting Favre go. (More …)

   
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  Week 9 Weekend Wrap-Up: Halloween hang-over

  Brandon 5:58 pm on 11/03/2008 | 0 Permalink Reply
  Tags: adrian peterson, ahmad bradshaw (10), anthony gonzalez (5), antonio bryant (18), bernard berrian (11), brandon jacobs (20), brandon marshall (36), braylon edwards (10), brett favre (34), cedric benson (16), chris johnson (29), derick mason (2), derrick ward (5), donovan mcnabb (26), gus frerotte (5), jay cutler (32), jeff garcia (7), kurt warner (31), kyle orton (24), lendale white (17), matt cassel (26), Matt Forte (25), michael jenkins (8), michael turner (24), ocho cinco (8), ray rice (8), rex grossman (2), Tim Hightower (15), tony romo (26), tyler thigpen (11)

  While I wish I could write about something super-exciting that happened this past weekend in the NFL, there just wasn’t a whole lot going on worthy of it. The most interesting thing to happen was probably the Chiefs near-victory over the heavily favored Tampa Bay Buccaneers, so we’ll start there…

  • Tampa Bay 30, Kansas City 27: While the final outcome of this game was pretty predictable (TB beats KC), the score was no where near what we all expected. I’m not sure which stats are more interesting: 1) a non-quarterback for both teams (RB Earnest Graham for the Bucs, WR Mark Bradley for the Chiefs) threw a touchdown pass (with the Chiefs quarterback Tyler Thigpen catching the touchdown from Bradley) or one of the top run defenses in the league let up over 100 yards to a rookie (Jamaal Charles) who plays for the Chiefs. Anyways, in the end it doesn’t matter what the score was, as the Chiefs couldn’t find a way to stop the Jeff Garcia to Antonio Bryant (8 catches for 115 yards and a TD) connection all day long.
  • New York Jets 26, Buffalo 17: I’m surprised that the Jets even won this game, considering the play of Brett Favre (201 yards, 0 TD, 1 INT.) Either way though, as a Patriots fan I can’t complain about how bad either of these teams look these days. Honestly, even though they’re the only team in the division without a winning record, the Dolphins are the team that scares me the most to challenge New England for the division crown. (More …)
   
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  Week 7 Weekend Wrap-up: Running backs gone wild!

  Brandon 1:25 pm on 10/20/2008 | 2 Permalink Reply
  Tags: aaron rodgers (30), adrian peterson, antonio bryant (18), brandon jacobs (20), calvin johnson (16), carson palmer (9), chris johnson (29), clinton portis (22), derek anderson (9), drew brees (25), gus frerotte (5), jake delhomme (13), koren robinson, ladainian tomlinson (31), lendale white (17), marques colston (8), mewelde moore (5), ocho cinco (8), Peyton Manning (28), steve smith (26), willie parker (9), willis mcgahee (13)

  After staying up late to watch my favorite baseball team lose to the Tampa Bay Rays (!) last night, I’m not sure I’ll be able to handle staying up for what will most likely be a disaster of a game tonight when the Fantasy Football Librarian‘s boys from Denver come into Gillette Stadium to take on the Patriots…but I’ll give it a shot. The good news is that even though the Sox are done and the Pats chances tonight are not all that promising, the fantasy football gods seemed to shine down on me this week and I should pull off some solid victories in most of my leagues (although the fact that Jay Cutler and Brandon Marshall having huge games against New England would help many of my teams causes quite the personal conflict!), including a potential victory in which I idiotically started Larry Fitzgerald on a bye. Anyways, enough of my rambling about New England sports and my fantasy teams, let’s get to the action from the weekend that caused my good fortunes, including a few running backs gone wild!

  • Tennessee 34, Kansas City 10: I was pretty pumped about this game for one reason…the Chiefs helped me break the FFGeekBlog Hits/Misses cover curse! Kansas City came into this game allowing 180+ yards per game on the ground and what do you know…the Titans nearly doubled that average with 330+ yards. Hopefully you took my advice and started LenDale White (149 yards, 3 TD) and Chris Johnson (168 yards, TD), as you were rewarded heavily. (More …)
   
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  Top 25 fantasy football players after six weeks

  Brandon 3:45 pm on 10/15/2008 | 2 Permalink Reply
  Tags: aaron rodgers (30), adrian peterson, brett favre (34), clinton portis (22), donovan mcnabb (26), drew brees (25), eli manning (19), frank gore (13), greg jennings (12), jason campbell (15), jay cutler (32), kurt warner (31), kyle orton (24), ladainian tomlinson (31), Larry Fitzgerald (18), marion barber (19), Matt Forte (25), maurice jones-drew (23), michael turner (24), Peyton Manning (28), philip rivers (17), reggie bush (14), roddy white (22), ronnie brown (17), tony romo (26)

  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 …)

   
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  Week 6 Weekend Wrap-up: Expect the unexpected

  Brandon 3:13 pm on 10/13/2008 | 1 Permalink Reply
  Tags: aaron rodgers (30), adrian peterson, andre johnson (19), brandon marshall (36), clinton portis (22), david akers (3), donovan mcnabb (26), drew brees (25), greg jennings (12), jamarcus russell (12), jay cutler (32), josh brown, marion barber (19), marvin harrison (3), matt cassel (26), matt ryan (19), patrick cobbs, Peyton Manning (28), philip rivers (17), reggie wayne (11), roddy white (22), steve smith (26), thomas jones (20), tony romo (26), vincent jackson (11), willis mcgahee (13)

  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 …)