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 thirteen, 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!) With the playoffs right around the corner, you most likely need a win badly this week to clinch that first round BYE (or to even get a playoff spot!) Hopefully our list this week can help you get over the hump and into your league’s tournament, where you will surely bring home the bacon because you frequent such an awesome and knowledgeable fantasy football website! Alright, enough tooting of our own horn, let’s get to the hits and misses for this week and GOOD LUCK!
Latest Updates: drew brees RSS
-
Hits & Misses - Week 13: Win or Go Home
Brandon
-
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 …)
-
Brandon
Drew Brees’ touchdown pace through four weeks:
- 96
- 72
- 48
- 36
- …
I guess he won’t be questioned too much as long as the team is winning, but I’m sure some fantasy team managers are wondering what the heck is going on with their star quarterback. I’d say we can kiss good bye the thought that he’d beat Tom Brady’s 50 touchdown record.
-
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.
-
Brandon
Just a few thoughts off the top of my head based on the performance of my fantasy teams (and those that were against me)…
- Drew Brees is ridiculous. This was one of those match-ups that seemed too good (or bad, if you were playing against him like I was) to be true, but in the end somehow Brees played even better than expected and pretty much won the week for a team that had him playing.
- With Pierre Thomas out, Reggie Bush ran the ball just seven times. What?
- After his awful first half performance, Jay Cutler looked 200% better in the second half (besides that last interception!) I was regretting having drafted him for most of the game, but I was able to sleep a bit better after he at least threw one touchdown pass.
- Devin Hester and Earl Bennett should have solid seasons with Cutler…but what happened to Greg Olsen?!
- Felix Jones underwhelmed in the first game of the season.
- Carson Palmer couldn’t throw a touchdown pass against the Broncos?
- Is Julius Jones that good? Or is St. Louis that bad?
- Jake Delhomme is making my Steve Smith draft pick look pretty scary right now.
- While the Jets defense looks solid, the Eagles defense went crazy. (In one of my leagues, my opponent had Philly DEF, Drew Brees and Julius Jones. I lost.)
- Randy Moss needs to go HUGE tonight so the Patriots can beat T.O. and the Bills…and I can pull off the win in my other league!
-
Hits & Misses - Week 1: Let the games begin!
Brandon
With tomorrow already being opening day of the 2009-10 NFL season, it’s time for the first Hits & Misses post of the year. I’m trying a new table-based formatting this year, which should make it a little easier to distinguish between players at each position, so let me know what you think. With the Hit list, I usually try to pick players that aren’t the most obvious, so you’ll rarely see a player with the name Adrian Peterson, Randy Moss, or Tom Brady (although I did include Drew Brees this week!) For the Misses list I try to include only players that are fantasy relevant, so while it’s probably a given that a fourth string receiver on the Raiders will have a bad day, you won’t see his name on the list. Anyways, let’s get to the good stuff… (More …)
-
Ask the Geeks: What to do with the #2 pick?
Brandon
In case you’re not familiar with our site, throughout the year we answer any fantasy football related questions you may have in our weekly (or bi-weekly, depending on how many we get) “Ask the Geeks” feature. Questions can range from who to start, who to pick up off waivers, when will Brett Favre sign with the Vikings, or anything else you can dream up that may help your fantasy team climb to the top of the standings. So without further ado, let’s get into the first question(s) of the season, a question regarding the #2 pick in the draft:E-Roc asks: Gentlemen, my 2009 FF season has officially started with the unveiling of my league’s draft order. I have the #2 pick in this year’s draft. Any suggestions? My guess is the #1 will pick AP… then I’m going to chug a beer and throw a dart at a page with 5-10 names on it. We have a very QB-friendly-scoring league which leads me to wanting to draft Drew Brees or Tom Brady (yes, I’m a believer).
On a side-note, can you guys remember the last time a franchise QB (i.e. Jay Cutler) was traded in the middle of his prime? Sounds like a question for the Stump the Schwab on ESPN. (More …)
-
Matt
Could things be lined up any more perfectly for Drew Brees to have a season for the history books? Colston’s 100% healthy and looking great in camp. Bush is healthy (false alarm on the knee). Shockey doesn’t have any nagging injuries for what seems like the first time in years, and could be a sleeper now that everyone’s finally given up on him.
After a season in which Brees racked up over 5,000 passing yards despite injuries to Bush and Colston, it’s hard to be any more bullish on him. He’s the only fantasy QB without any notable caveats. Brandon might put him at #2, but my lack of a Brady man-crush enables me to see the world as it truly is; thus, for me he’s on his own in Tier 1, with Manning and Brady below him in Tier 2.
-
Quarterback rankings for 2009
Brandon
Here are our quarterback rankings for this season. Don’t forget to check out the rest of our cheat sheets here.
- Tom Brady, NE – He looked great this past weekend and seems to have no lingering issues from the shoulder injury. Draft him with confidence and watch attempt to break the records again.
- Drew Brees, NO – Brees tops a lot of other site’s quarterback rankings, but maybe it’s a little Patriots-bias that puts him in the #2 spot on my list.
- Peyton Manning, IND – He’s still Peyton Manning and he’s still got Reggie Wayne (and others.)
- Philip Rivers, SD – Decent receivers, pass-catching tailbacks and Antonio Gates make for a lot of targets.
- Kurt Warner, ARI – As long as he remains healthy, he’s throwing to a pair of Pro-Bowlers (unless Anquan Boldin gets shipped out of town) and will continue to put up solid stats.
- Aaron Rodgers, GB – He’s got a great target to throw to in Greg Jennings.
- Donovan McNabb, PHI – Wide receivers still somewhat suspect, but McNabb will make the most with what he has.
- Matt Schaub, HOU – He gets the joy of throwing to Andre Johnson…one of the best receivers in the NFL.
- Tony Romo, DAL – DOWNGRADE! Roy Williams has been a disappointment so far and the rest of the receiving corps worries me.
- Matt Ryan, ATL – He’s primed for another solid year throwing to Roddy White and crew.
- Jay Cutler, CHI – His main target is a reformed kick returner, but I have enough faith in Cutler’s abilities to believe he can get it done with anyone running routes.
-
Guest Post: Week 16 QB Fantasy Football Rankings
Josh
Editors’ note: The following post was written by a guest blogger, Josh from Pro Football 101.
Must Starts
1. Peyton Manning vs. Jacksonville Jaguars. As long as the AFC East teams keep winning, the Colts must do so, too. At least for one more week. And there’s nothing that Peyton and his teammates want more than to bury their rival in the process. Look for a big effort on Thursday night and at least 250 yards and 2TDs. Great fantasy start.
2. Drew Brees vs. Detroit Lions. The Lions are just two games away from immortality, and one thing we know about them is that if they are going to pull off a win during the season, it won’t be because of their defense. Look for Brees to go gangbusters in this one and locate Colston, Moore, and Shockey throughout the game. (More …)
-
Top 25 scoring fantasy football players through 13 weeks
Brandon
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 …) -
Guest Post: Week 14 QB Fantasy Football Rankings
Josh
Editors’ note: The following post was written by a guest blogger, Josh from Pro Football 101.
Must Starts
1. Kurt Warner vs. St. Louis Rams. Warner and his offense have had a tough go of it these past two weeks, as they were beaten by better football teams from the NFC East, but this is the week that we begin to hear the Warner MVP chants again.
Heading back to Arizona, the hapless Rams come to town and bring with it its suspect defense. Look for Warner to locate his talented trio on the outside and eclipse the 300-yard mark with at least three TDs.
2. Peyton Manning vs. Cincinnati Bengals. I’m not sure what happened on Sunday, but Manning certainly disappointed many fantasy owners with his 125 yard, two INT performance vs. the Browns. And since his defense couldn’t get off the field, he had very little time in which to work with.
This week, back at home, we like Manning and his offense to bounce back against the Bengals and for the QB to throw for at least 250 with a couple of scores. (More …)
-
Week 12 Wrap-Up: King of the Cassel
Brandon
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 …)
-
Guest Post: Week 12 QB Fantasy Football Rankings
Josh
Editors’ note: The following post was written by a guest blogger, Josh from Pro Football 101.
Must Starts
1. Drew Brees vs. Green Bay
Once again, Drew Brees heads the list. This week the Green Bay Packers come to town in what should be a high-scoring affair. Brees has been a fantasy star the whole season and is on pace to break Dan Marino’s all-time passing record from 1984.
And in this one, he gets his favorite short weapon back in the fold: RB Reggie Bush. This should open up the underneath passing game which in turn will open up the deep ball to Colston and Moore. Look for another stellar performance out of Brees and the offense. (More …)
-
Guest Post: Week 11 QB Fantasy Rankings
Josh
Editors’ note: The following post was written by our new guest blogger, Josh from Pro Football 101.
Must Start:
1. Donovan McNabb vs. Cincinnati. These are the types of games that #5 relishes. No pressure, no problem. The Eagles, still fuming from their 36-31 loss to the Giants, will look to come out and put a hurtin’ on the Bengals. And since the Bengals can’t stop anyone on the ground or through the air, look for McNabb and his receivers – in particular DeSean Jackson – to do some real damage with the deep ball. 250+ yards and two, possibly three TDs.
2. Peyton Manning vs. Houston. Not sure exactly what it is, but something just isn’t right with Indy’s running game this season. I’m not basing that statement off last week’s game, as no one runs well on Pittsburgh, but the Colts have yet to have a dominating effort on the ground in ‘08. This is making fantasy owners happy, though, as it’s forcing Peyton to do more with his arm. If Joe Flacco just lit up Houston this past weekend, then it’s scary to think what Peyton will do. 250+ yards and three TDs. (More …)
-
Guest Post: Week 10 QB Fantasy Rankings
Josh
Editors’ note: The following post was written by our new guest blogger, Josh from Pro Football 101. We’re happy to welcome Josh as a guest blogger – he definitely knows his fantasy football. -Matt and Brandon
Must Starts:
1. Kurt Warner vs. San Francisco. Most people around the NFL know how good Warner and this offense is, but this Monday, when the 49ers come to town, the entire country will find out on a national stage. Warner has been lighting it up through the air of late and we see that trend continuing this week back in the desert. While the Niners are pretty strong against the run, they have trouble vs. the pass, and with Boldin and Fitzgerald lining up on the outside against Clements and Harris, look for Arizona to exploit these mismatches all night long. Warner will eclipse the 300-yard mark for the third consecutive game and throw for at least two TDs. (More …) -
Top 25 fantasy football players after nine weeks
Brandon
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 …) -
Week 8 Weekend Wrap-Up: I guess Westbrook wasn't hurt, huh?
Brandon
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 …)
-
Hits and Misses - Week 8: T-Jones up next to abuse the Chiefs
Brandon
After weeks of mediocre results, last week I hit the jackpot with my picks (must have been the renaming of the post!) I finished up 17-7-6 (hits-misses-pushes) for the week, carried there by the stellar play of the Titans running game versus the joke that is the Kansas City Chiefs defense. I also got some help from a few other running backs including Ryan Grant, who finally found the endzone, and Dominic Rhodes, who filled in quite nicely for the injured Joseph Addai and rewarded fantasy managers with two touchdowns. While the Jets passing game failed pretty miserably against what I thought was supposed to be a weak Raiders pass defense, it wasn’t enough to keep me from my best week of the season.
This week I’m going to continue my trend of hating on the Chiefs defense by recommending all the Thomas Jones owners out there get him in your lineup this week. While I’m usually not too keen on picking against a team twice in a row (you figure they’ll try to make SOME adjustments), it’s just too good to pass up at this point. Anyways, here’s the rest of your hits and misses for week 8:
Hits
- Thomas Jones, RB, Jets: T.Jones has come alive the past two weeks (much to the enjoyment of his owners…like me!) with possibly the two best games of his career in terms of touchdowns (week 6) and yards (week 7.) As a reward for his hard work, this week he gets to take on a Chiefs defense that was absolutely annihilated by the Titans running game last week. If starting a running back at home against a defense that is allowing 5.6 yards per carry, 207 yards per game and has allowed 12 rushing touchdowns already this season is something you’re interested in (it better be), get Jones in your lineup ASAP! (More …)
-
Week 7 Weekend Wrap-up: Running backs gone wild!
Brandon
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 …)
