Squish (268)
E-roc (127)
Shirley (66)
Jeff (53)
Tommy (53)
Mal (51)
Ken (44)
Amir (40)
TJ (29)
Here are our “Hits” and “Misses” for week eleven, 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 returned to my previous ways of leaving the most obvious players off the list (Drew Brees @ TB, Maurice Jones-Drew vs BUF,) so we’re left with players you may actually have to think about starting or benching this week. In most leagues the playoffs are rapidly approaching, so this could be a huge week for your team and hopefully some of our advice can help you clinch a spot! Anyways, here we go with the hits and misses…
Latest Updates: antonio gates RSS
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Hits & Misses - Week 11: Playoffs approaching
Brandon
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Hits & Misses - Week 10: Thursday Night Football Edition
Brandon
As I mentioned in an earlier post, make sure to check your rosters before the game tonight so that you don’t get screwed with a starter on your bench (or even worse if there are leagues out there that lock rosters after the first game of the week starts!) Anyways, I wanted to get this post out with time to spare before game-time tonight in case any of the 49ers or Bears players made the list. Here are our “Hits” and “Misses” for week ten, 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!) (More …)
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Top Five at Five: Week 3
Matt
Kill me. Now. I was almost done with this post, and then an errant click on the back button wiped it out because I hadn’t thought to save it as a draft yet. Sigh.
The following are my top five picks for the week at the five positions I give a crap about – i.e., everything but the kicker.
Quarterback
- Drew Brees (@BUF) – He’s in a league of his own, and will occupy this position in the weekly rankings regardless of the matchup until I’m given a good reason to change my mind, which doesn’t seem likely to happen.
- Tony Romo (vs. CAR) – He’s the A-Rod of the NFL: He saves his biggest performances for the weakest opponents. (Oh, and he plays for the flashiest team in a shiny new stadium, has dalliances with pop singers, and is alternately exalted and skewered by both the local and national media.)
- Peyton Manning (@ARI) – Arizona’s been good against the pass so far, but their opponents (JAX and SF) don’t have aerial attacks anywhere close to the same class as Indy’s. This will almost surely be a shootout. Speaking of which…
- Kurt Warner (vs. IND) – If it’s a shootout you’re selling, Warner’s buying. If he wasn’t slightly bothered by a shoulder injury, I’d like him a little bit more than Manning this week.
- Tom Brady (vs. ATL) – Rust, the Jets, and Welker’s absence are all valid excuses. But one more off week and he won’t make this list again until he looks like the Brady we used to know. I’m guessing here that the recent Moss injury reports are just a Belichick game of some sort since he was fine all week.
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Top Five WR and TE for Week 2, 2009
Matt
Here’s the second half of my top-five series for this week – the first half was on the QB and RB positions. Normally it would all be one post, but it’s hard to predict when I’ll have free time to write a post with this two-month-old around. Parenthood – you gotta get you some of this!
Wide Receiver
- Andre Johnson (@TEN): Call his week 1 performance (4 catches, 35 yards, no scores) what you will – a blip, early-season rust – just don’t call it a sign of things to come for Andre Johnson and the potent Texans offense. The Titans gave up a whopping 363 yards through the air last week to the Steelers, and Santonio Holmes and Hines Ward both hit the 100-yard mark. With Kevin Walter back in the lineup, the Texans are back in their comfort zone and ready to pounce.
- Steve Smith (@ATL): The Eagles utterly shut the Panthers down in week 1, intercepting three of the 13 passes thrown Smith’s way. If he’s targeted 13 times again this week, he’s in for a monster game in Atlanta. An angry Steve Smith is a dangerous Steve Smith. Let’s just hope he doesn’t punch anybody. Again.
- Calvin Johnson (vs. MIN): The Vikings offense is a force of nature and its run defense is arguably the stoutest in the league. The only way to stay in the game against them (not that the Lions have a snowball’s chance in hell) is to pass the ball, so pass it they will, and Johnson will probably more or less singlehandedly make the score at least somewhat respectable.
- Randy Moss (@ NYJ): Are the Jets really that good? They sure looked it last week, but if I had to bet their track record against that of the Brady-Moss connection, I’ll take the one that set all those records not long ago.
- Larry Fitzgerald (@ JAC): With Boldin’s hammy better but still not quite healed, the Cards offense should start slowly rounding into shape this week. Until Boldin and Breaston are back to full health, though, defenses will still be able to key on Fitz like they did last week. I can’t list him any higher than #5, but there’s also no way he doesn’t get a spot on this list.
(More …)
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Tight end rankings for 2009
Brandon
Here are my tight end rankings for this season. You can check out the other cheat sheets here.
- Jason Witten, DAL – With T.O. distractions out of the way, the Romo-to-Witten connection should be better than ever.
- Antonio Gates, SD – Looking for Gates to rebound from a season where he was hampered by injuries throughout and regain his spot near the top of this list.
- Tony Gonzalez, ATL – It’s hard to tell how Gonzo will do in Hot-lanta, but he gives Ryan a great new target and I can only see things going at least as well as they did in Kansas City for the veteran.
- Dallas Clark, IND – With Marvin Harrison leaving town, expect Peyton Manning to look Clark’s way a lot this season.
- Greg Olsen, CHI – Jay Cutler likes throwing to the tight end and he might have already found a new best friend in Olsen, especially given the weakness at the wide receiver position in Chicago.
- Chris Cooley, WAS – Hopefully they look to him in the end zone a bit more than they did last year when he only had ONE touchdown!
- Kellen Winslow, TB – He’s a “soldier” when he IS playing, but he’s got a new team with quarterback questions and there are always injury concerns. I’m optimistic though that the Bucs will make good use of him.
- Kevin Boss, NYG – With no Plaxico Burress in the picture, hopefully Eli can make better use out of Boss this year. He did have six touchdowns in only his second season, so that’s promising.
- Owen Daniels, HOU – Only two touchdowns last year, but racks up solid yardage.
- Zach Miller, OAK – Needs to become more of a red-zone factor.
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Dear Antonio Gates: I will never, ever trust you again
Matt
Dear Antonio,
Heading into this week’s first-round playoff matchup, I was cautiously optimistic that you would break out of your three-game slump this week when your team hosted the Raiders, against whom you put up a perfectly acceptable 58 yards and one touchdown in week 4. I didn’t watch last night’s game, because frankly, I can think of better things to do than watch your comically poorly-coached team take on the Raiders, who for the last half-decade have come with their own laugh track. But since you’re relatively healthy and the matchup was good, I felt pretty sure that I’d wake up this morning and be pleased with your contribution to my playoff success.
Instead, here’s what I found staring back at me.
That last number on the right? The round one? That’s your fantasy point total. It also happens to be how many passes you caught out of the three that were thrown your way.
I’m the #2 seed. If I lose to the #7 team because of you, I will – to borrow the words of the great Michael G. Tyson – eat your children.
Sincerely,
Someone who will now be benching you against Kansas City next week. KANSAS… CITY. -
Top 5 QB, RB, WR and TE for Week 5 2008
Matt
Why not K and DST? Because screw K and DST, that’s why.
Quarterback
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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?
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Missing in Action: Where are Steven Jackson and others?
Brandon
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 …)
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2008 Tight End Power Rankings
Brandon
Power rankings for other positions
Here are your power rankings for the tight end position this season. If you don’t pull one of the top guys on the list, make sure you don’t rush into any rash decisions to fill the spot. I expect that we’ll see some pretty solid stats from some of the second and third tier guys on this list…guys you can get pretty late in the draft. (More …)
