The Fantasy Football Geek Blog

Latest Updates: anquan boldin RSS

• 

  Attention all ye 0-6 and 1-5 teams: Drop the dead weight

  Matt 5:07 pm on 10/20/2009 | 52 Permalink Reply
  Tags: anquan boldin, anthony gonzalez (5), beanie wells (5), michael crabtree (9), sammy morris (8)

  It always amazes me how quickly the fantasy football season flies by. Given that most leagues’ playoffs start in week 14, next week’s games will mark the midway point of the regular season.

  If your fantasy team is at the bottom of the standings right now, you no longer have the luxury of waiting for high-ceiling players to pan out. Painful as it may be, it’s time to plug the holes in your lineup by trading your prized prospects for players you can start right away. From this point forward, treat every week like it’s your last – because realistically, if you lose, it probably is.

  Here are a few examples of high-potential players you might be hoarding on your bench, along with some potential trades you could offer for less-exciting players who could help you right away. (More …)

   

  Reply Click here to cancel reply.

  
  Name (required)

  
  Email (required)

   
• 

  Brandon 9:14 am on 9/02/2009 | 3 Permalink Reply
  Tags: anquan boldin, brandon marshall (36), matt leinart (6)

  Always fun to wake up and see a tweet like this (by Adam Schefter) in the morning, especially if you skip the “Bogus…” introduction:

  “Bogus…RT @dylansprague: can u confirm? On den radio: Possible 3 way deal sending boldin to kc, marshall to az, leinart to denver.”

   
• 

  Wide Receiver rankings for 2009

  Brandon 9:42 pm on 7/28/2009 | 16 Permalink Reply
  Tags: andre johnson (19), anquan boldin, calvin johnson (16), cheat sheets (15), greg jennings (12), Larry Fitzgerald (18), Randy Moss (21), reggie wayne (11), roddy white (22), steve smith (26), terrell owens (21), wide receivers (12)

  Here is our wide receiver cheat sheet for this season:

  Randy Moss, NE – With Brady back, expect mucho touchdowns again Andre Johnson, HOU – He’s a reception machine and racks up the yards as well. Larry Fitzgerald, ARI – The age of his quarterback scares me a bit, but Fitz is a monster and would probably produce even with Matt Leinart in the lineup Calvin Johnson, DET – The team HAS to do better this year and Megatron should see a boost in his stats Steve Smith, CAR – Injury scare seems to have passed. Reggie Wayne, IND – Should be one of the more consistent options on this list. Roddy White, ATL – He got his money over the weekend and immediately made an impact in the first preseason game. Any scare about White missing practices can be erased now. Greg Jennings, GB – He’ll be Rodgers top target all season long. Anquan Boldin, ARI – Saying all the right things and claims to be focused on helping the team win…not on getting more money. Terrell Owens, BUF – DOWNGRADE! As much as I think he would put up great numbers if healthy all year, I’m wondering if he’ll be able to stay on the field, as he’s already missing practices with a “bum toe.” Dwayne Bowe, KC – After being demoted to third string recently for attitude/weight issues, he had a huge preseason game and there’s no reason to move him down at this point. Marques Colston, NO – In this high-flying, pass-friendly offense, Colston should see the most passes. T.J. Houshmandzadeh, SEA – UPGRADE! Braylon Edwards and Brandon Marshall just keep making the guys right below them on the list look a whole lot more appealing! Chad Ochocinco, CIN – UPGRADE! He’s healthy this year and Housh is gone. I’m optimistic he can make the best out of the situation. Apparently he can even kick extra points! Wes Welker, NE – Last time Brady was at QB, Welker was a Pro Bowler with eight TD’s and almost 1,200 yards. (More …)

   
• 

  Guest Post: Week 14 WR Fantasy Football Rankings

  Josh 9:49 am on 12/04/2008 | 14 Permalink Reply
  Tags: anquan boldin, domenik hixon (5), eddie royal (13), fantasy football (7), greg jennings (12), marques colston (8), Randy Moss (21), reggie wayne (11), roddy white (22), Week 14 (2), wes welker (7), WR (2)

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

  Must Starts:

  1. Randy Moss vs. Seattle Seahawks. The Seahawks have been getting lit up through the air, and until last week, Cassel was torching defenses as well. Look for Cassel to get back on track and for Moss to be the recipient of a lot of medium to deep passes. Strong fantasy play. 100 yards and 2 TDs.

  2. Marques Colston vs. Atlanta Falcons. The Falcons are playing very well this year and are actually only one game out of first in the division. Regardless of that fact, very few teams have been able to stop Brees and his passing attack, and we don’t see it happening this week in the Superdome. Look for Brees and Colston to once again have big fantasy days on Sunday. 100 yards and 1TD. (More …)

   
• 

  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 (32), andre johnson (19), anquan boldin, 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 …)

   
• 

  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 (32), andre johnson (19), anquan boldin, 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 …)
   
• 

  Hits and Misses - Week 11: Turner the Burner ready to blaze!

  Brandon 9:17 am on 11/14/2008 | 4 Permalink Reply
  Tags: anquan boldin, ben roethlisberger (21), bernard berrian (11), brandon jacobs (20), daunte culpepper (6), deangelo williams (17), derrick mason (8), earnest graham (10), gus frerotte (5), hines ward (3), jake delhomme (13), joe flacco (15), joseph addai (16), kurt warner (31), kyle orton (24), ladainian tomlinson (31), Larry Fitzgerald (18), Matt Forte (25), matt ryan (19), michael turner (24), roddy white (22), ronnie brown (17), sage rosenfels (4), steve breaston (8), steve smith (26), tyler thigpen (11), vincent jackson (11), willis mcgahee (13)

  Last week I came through with my second great feature pick of the season (I know, only two through ten weeks is a little embarassing!), as Vikings running back Adrian Peterson absolutely torched the Packers defense to the tune of 225 yards from scrimmage and a touchdown. I ended up the week with a respectable 15-5-3* record, helped out by stellar, three-score games from Thomas Jones and Maurice Jones-Drew, along with a solid performance from Tony Gonzalez and a predictable, lackluster showing by Steve Slaton (could he be hitting the rookie wall?) Although the Jets passing game proved to be non-existant in their demolition of the Rams and Peyton Manning had a huge game against one of the better defenses in the league (ironically, his two best games this season against the Steelers and Ravens…go figure!), I still finished with some fairly good predictions and I hope to do the same this week. For week 11,  my sure bet is for Michael Turner “The Burner” to have a big game against a less than average Broncos defense in Atlanta this weekend, so get him in your lineup!

  * Hits-Misses-Pushes

  Hits

  • Michael Turner, RB, Falcons: I admit, I tried to come up with some clever saying here that some how involved the Broncos, Turner the Burner, and the game being a potential barn burner, but I couldn’t come up with some all that witty, so I ended up with the title you currently see on the post. Anyways though, continuing the trend (big games against bad defenses…poor games against good ones) that he has followed all season, you can expect big things from Turner this weekend as he takes on an Denver defense that is allowing 5.6 yards per carry. This should turn into a barn burner if all goes according to plan…and expect Turner to be right in the middle of the action. (More …)
   
• 

  Week 10 Wrap-up: Keepin' up with the Jones'

  Brandon 8:19 pm on 11/10/2008 | 1 Permalink Reply
  Tags: adrian peterson (32), andrew walter (3), anquan boldin, 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 …)
   
• 

  Hits and Misses - Week 9: Brandon Marshall ready to hand out tricks and treats

  Brandon 9:24 am on 10/31/2008 | 2 Permalink Reply
  Tags: aaron rodgers (30), anquan boldin, brad johnson (2), brandon marshall (36), calvin johnson (16), chad pennington (11), clinton portis (22), derek anderson (9), desean jackson (12), donovan mcnabb (26), earnest graham (10), jamal lewis (21), jason campbell (15), jay cutler (32), kolby smith (3), kurt warner (31), kyle orton (24), Larry Fitzgerald (18), marshawn lynch (19), matt cassel (26), Matt Forte (25), mewelde moore (5), michael turner (24), ronnie brown (17), willie parker (9)

  To all of our devoted readers (and those who just stopped by for their first time), Happy Halloween! Make sure to go out and get some good candy (not the crappy kind that you hated getting as a kid!) to pass out to the kids tonight…or risk having to clean up toilet paper and shaving cream up in the morning.

  Anyways, last week something relatively new happened in the world of FFGeekBlog hits and misses, which was that for the first time of the season, my feature pick did not completely bomb…nor did he do extremely well. For week eight, I recommended that you start Jets running back Thomas Jones at all costs against a Swiss-cheese style Kansas City run defense. If you took my advice, you probably don’t completely hate me…but you’re most likely not making up nicknames for me that include the words “genius”, “psychic” or “super awesome.” Against the Chiefs, Thomas Jones managed a mere 54 yards on the ground and also scored a touchdown, so while his fantasy stats weren’t something to cry about, they also weren’t something to warrant cover space on the revered Hits and Misses column.

  After the dust settled though, even with Thomas Jones earning a “push” rating for the week (and J.T. O’Sullivan playing so badly that he lost the starting gig!), I still finished with a solid 16-4-5 (hits-misses-pushes) record, riding upon the shoulders of huge games from Drew Brees, Clinton Portis, Santana Moss, along with predictable stinkers from the Colts star receivers. This week I’ll try to continue my trend of solid picks, so here we go…

  Hits

  • Brandon Marshall, WR, Broncos: While Marshall’s numbers may have “dropped off” over the past few weeks (only 18 receptions for 200 yards in the last three games), it’s not because quarterback Jay Cutler was not looking his way. Brandon continues to get more looks than almost any other receiver in the league (possibly the most) and this week, following the bye, playing at home, against a fairly bad Dolphins secondary, I expect a huge performance from my doppelganger (in name only.) Cutler will have a big day, but I think it’s Marshall who reaps the most rewards as he hands out tricks to the Dolphins and treats to the fans. (More …)
   
• 

  Week 8 Weekend Wrap-Up: I guess Westbrook wasn't hurt, huh?

  Brandon 11:31 am on 10/27/2008 | 0 Permalink Reply
  Tags: andre johnson (19), anquan boldin, ben roethlisberger (21), brian westbrook (13), cedric benson (16), clinton portis (22), donnie avery (15), drew brees (25), Edgerrin James (4), eli manning (19), j.t. o'sullivan (2), jake delhomme (13), joe flacco (15), kevin faulk (5), kevin walter (6), kurt warner (31), ladainian tomlinson (31), Larry Fitzgerald (18), matt jones (4), matt ryan (19), matt schaub (19), michael turner (24), philip rivers (17), roddy white (22), santana moss (12), steve breaston (8), steven jackson (13), tedd ginn jr., Tim Hightower (15), troy smith, willis mcgahee (13)

  In a weekend where the Saints and Chargers put on a jolly good show for those fortunate enough to witness the game in London, the real star this past Sunday was a guy who was questionable to even play. Philadelphia running back (although calling him just a running back is quite an understatement) Brian Westbrook left his team’s week six match with the 49er’s with what would be confirmed as fractured ribs and coming into this weekend, it was up in the air if he would even play. However, I guess a bye week was just what the doctor ordered to heal those ribs, because Westbrook went off in a big way! For those managers brave enough to plug him into their line-up, you were rewarded heavily after he rushed for 167 yards and two touchdowns, while catching six balls for an additional 42 yards (for a whopping total of 209 yards and two scores!) It’s likely that Westbrook single-handedly beat a few fantasy teams out there. Anyways, enough drooling over Westbrook…let’s get to the rest of the action from the weekend…

  • Philadelphia 27, Atlanta 14: Unfortunately for the Falcons, when they acquired Michael “The Burner” Turner in the offseason, they didn’t realize they were only getting half a player. Turner (58 yards) continued his trend of having difficulty against decent defenses in this one and while the passing game was running on all cylinders (Matt Ryan – 277 yards, 2 TD, 2 INT; Roddy White – 8 catches for 113 yards, 2 TD), the lack of a balanced attack might have cost them this one. (More …)
   
• 

  Ask the Geeks - Week 8

  Brandon 8:47 am on 10/23/2008 | 3 Permalink Reply
  Tags: anquan boldin, bernard berrian (11), brian westbrook (13), correll buckhalter (8), david akers (3), deuce mcallister (4), dominic rhodes (8), jay feely (2), josh scobee, matt bryant, maurice jones-drew (23), reggie bush (14), rian lindell (3), ryan grant (21), sammy morris (8), shayne graham, stephen gostkowski (2), steve slaton (18)

  Here 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).

  Alan asks: Receiving Steve Slaton and Anquan Boldin for Bernard Berrian and Ryan Grant. Yay or nay, fantasy geeks.

  Brandon’s take: Alan, at first glance, it appears you would be getting the better of this trade. In terms of fantasy point average per game, right now Steve Slaton (11*) and Anquan Boldin (16.6) are a good deal ahead of Ryan Grant (7.5) and Bernard Berrian (11.6). However, looking at their schedules for the remainder of the season, Grant and Berrian actually have the easier path to the playoffs. Their schedules, coupled with A) the fear that Steve Slaton could hit the infamous “rookie wall”, B) the question of how effective Boldin will be when coming back from his pretty serious injury a couple weeks ago, and C) the fact that Cardinals wide receiver Steve Breaston has played well in relief of Boldin, leads me to recommend you do NOT make the trade. Last season Ryan Grant came on strong towards the middle of the season and I expect the same to happen this year. I also think the Frerotte-to-Berrian connection in Minnesota should hold up for the rest of the season and pay you solid dividends. Good luck…hopefully this helps!

  *Points are approximations from one of the leagues that Matt and I are in. (More …)

   
• 

  Week 4 Weekend Wrap-up: Favre keeps on truckin'

  Brandon 11:42 am on 9/29/2008 | 0 Permalink Reply
  Tags: aaron rodgers (30), adrian peterson (32), anquan boldin, brandon marshall (36), brandon stokley (5), brett favre (34), coles, eddie royal (13), jay cutler (32), jericho cotchery (5), kurt warner (31), kyle orton (24), lance moore (9), Larry Fitzgerald (18), robert meachem (15), steve breaston (8)

  Before I go into any thoughts on the games from the weekend, I have one question: Has there ever been a week in the NFL where the combined age of the four quarterbacks playing in two games (Jets vs Cardinals, Vikings vs Titans) was greater than this week? This weekend we saw Brett Favre (38), Trent Green (38), Kurt Warner (37), Gus Frerotte (37), and Kerry Collins (35) all out there trying to show young whipper-snappers across the league how the game is played…with varying degrees of success (or failure). Anyways, let’s get into what transpired this weekend, starting with the barn-burner that took place as the Arizona Cardinals came into town to battle the Jets:

  • Jets 56, Cardinals 35: You would never have guessed that the score to this game was 0-0 after the first quarter…but it was. Six Brett Favre touchdowns and 472 Kurt Warner passing yards (or whatever percentage he got after the first quarter) later, you end up with the final score of 56 to 35. Without going into too much more detail (you can see the stats for yourself), let’s just say that anyone who started Laveranues Coles, Jericho Cotchery, Edgerrin James, Larry Fitzgerald, or Anquan Boldin were not disappointed. Nor were the crazy Cardinal homers who started Steve Breaston or Jerheme Urban…if any actually exist (P.S. You’ll find Breaston on the waiver wire list this week…especially if Boldin misses any games after suffering a bad helmet-to-helmet hit.)  (More …)
   
• 

  Top 25 fantasy football players after three weeks

  Brandon 9:58 am on 9/24/2008 | 1 Permalink Reply
  Tags: aaron rodgers (30), adrian peterson (32), anquan boldin, brandon marshall (36), brett favre (34), brian westbrook (13), donovan mcnabb (26), drew brees (25), eli manning (19), frank gore (13), jason campbell (15), jay cutler (32), julius jones (8), kurt warner (31), Larry Fitzgerald (18), marion barber (19), marshawn lynch (19), Matt Forte (25), michael turner (24), philip rivers (17), reggie bush (14), ronnie brown (17), santana moss (12), tony romo (26), willie parker (9)

  Now that the first three weeks of the NFL season are in the books and starting the official bye weeks, I figured it might be interesting to take a look at the top 25 players (based on the scoring system for one of the leagues that Matt and I are in – non-PPR) and see if there were any surprises in the mix…of which there were a few. Keep in mind that it’s only been three weeks, but it’s interesting to note that potential first round picks LaDainian Tomlinson, Steven Jackson, Randy Moss, Peyton Manning, and Tom Brady (a little different situation for Brady than for the others though) are no where to be found…

  1. Philip Rivers, QB, SD – First of two young quarterbacks leading the league so far…
  2. Jay Cutler, QB, DEN – …and the second. And to think, Cutler is here after missing his top receiving option for the first game. Expect to see these two quarterbacks on this list for a while.
  3. Michael Turner, RB, ATL – Turner has been all that you could ever have hoped for through the first three games. While he probably won’t finish this high, I wouldn’t be surprised to see him in the top 15 at the end of the season.
  4. Marion Barber, RB, DAL – The Barbarion is living up to his first round draft pick status.
  5. Aaron Rodgers, QB, GB – Bet you didn’t expect to see Rodgers this high on the list, huh? (More …)

   
• 

  Fantasy football thoughts from Puerto Rico

  Brandon 10:53 pm on 9/08/2008 | 1 Permalink Reply
  Tags: andre johnson (19), anquan boldin, brett favre (34), chris johnson (29), donovan mcnabb (26), felix jones (9), fred jackson (8), marc bulger (13), michael turner (24), nate burleson (4), ocho cinco (8), ricky williams (16), sammy morris (8), steve slaton (18), thomas jones (20), Tom Brady (25), willie parker (9)

  So these past few days have been a bit of an adventure for me, as I was traveling down to Puerto Rico for work and due to some hurricane-induced delays, mixed with the reliability of the Puerto Rican internet, I have not been able to write some much needed analysis of what is shaping up to be a crazy opening weekend in the NFL. Let me just start by saying that while Matt felt it unnecessary to mention Tom Brady’s season ending injury (and it wasn’t even to that stupid foot we kept hearing about!), I have to admit that I am shedding a few tears internally as my favorite team’s Superbowl hopes are now resting squarely on the shoulders of a guy I thought the team was going to cut before the season started…Mr. Matt Cassel. Luckily for my alternate, fantasy football reality, I only had Brady in one league this year and it was my lame EA Sports league that I really don’t care much about, but let’s get to the rest of the action that transpired this weekend…

  • A tale of two teams (who are both missing almost every receiver on the depth chart): When the Seahawks lose all their receivers (Nate Burleson is now out for the season with an ACL injury), the team goes into a tailspin and gets killed by the Bills. Donovan McNabb on the other hand makes the most out of his situation and throws for over 300 yards and 3 TD’s (with a rookie leading the team in receptions and receiving yards) as the Eagles completely dominate the St. Louis Rams. By the way, the Rams offense was bad in the preseason and now that the first team offense was out there the whole game…they may have looked worse? (More …)
   
• 

  Missing in Action: Where are Steven Jackson and others?

  Brandon 11:07 am on 8/20/2008 | 3 Permalink Reply
  Tags: andre johnson (19), anquan boldin, antonio gates (9), greg jennings (12), ladainian tomlinson (31), Peyton Manning (28), plaxico burress (5), ryan grant (21), steven jackson (13), t.j. houshmandzadeh (8), Tom Brady (25), willis mcgahee (13)

  As we approach week three of the preseason, many of you may have been wondering where the star player you plan to draft has been the first two weeks, so I wrote this article to try to put some of your worries to rest. Below are some of the key players that haven’t played a snap so far in the preseason and an explanation of why they haven’t, which will hopefully allow you to sleep a little bit better (or worse I guess, depending on what you expected to hear):

  • Steven Jackson (RB-STL): Where has Steven Jackson been this preseason so far? If you happen to be a Jackson owner in a league where the draft has already taken place, I’m sure that you are well aware that he’s currently holding out, expecting the team to propose a contract extension that will keep him financially sound well into the future. There were rumors over the weekend that these talks had progressed somewhat, but that does not appear to be the case. Coach Linehan stated “It is getting critical to where time now becomes more of an issue for just the physical part of getting ready for the opener…Every day we miss now…does start to factor in as to what the workload will be from the start.” It appears that the team is beginning to plan for a start of the season without Steven Jackson (or at least with a non-100% ready Jackson), which is not a good thing for fantasy owners. If they can work out a new contract and get him into at least the last preseason game for some reps, you should be alright though. You’re still drafting Jackson as a top five running back, but because of these contract questions, and the fact that the offense has looked bad in general this preseason, I’m taking him at #5, behind LT, AP, Addai and Westbrook. (Update 8/20/08: Steven Jackson has ended his holdout! Feel free to take him with the 3rd to 5th pick of the draft.)
  • Ryan Grant (RB-GB): After earning a big contract extension last season, Grant has been nursing a strained hamstring this preseason and the team is most likely protecting their investment at this point. He says that he’d be out on the field if it was the regular season, but he’s just taking it careful. There appears to be no risk at this point of him missing any time to start the year, so draft him as normal, towards the end of the first round or beginning of the second. (More …)