Squish (268)
E-roc (127)
Shirley (66)
Jeff (53)
Tommy (53)
Mal (51)
Ken (44)
Amir (40)
TJ (29)
Steve Slaton fulfilled all of his fantasy owners’ worst nightmares today and might have fumbled away his starting gig to Ryan Moats, who took full advantage of the opportunity to run the ball against the NFL-worst Bills rushing defense. Slaton finished with 11 total yards and a lost fumble (good for negative points in most leagues), while Moats burned Buffalo for 123 yards and three scores and is pretty much a lock as this week’s hottest waiver wire commodity. No word yet as to whether Slaton’s demotion is permanent, but it was pretty telling that he spent the entire game on the bench after the fumble.
Latest Updates: steve slaton RSS
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Matt
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Hits & Misses - Week 8: Happy Halloween!
Brandon
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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Ask the Geeks: Mendenhall vs Parker
Brandon
Here are the first few Ask the Geek questions for week six. Hopefully you guys continue to dominate your leagues, but if not, all the more reason to get questions in so we can help! Remember, you can ask the geeks here or simply leave them as comments on our posts and we’ll try our best to respond to them as soon as possible.
Matt asks…
Hey guys! I’m leading my league and I want to stay undefeated. I have both Mendenhall and Parker and I don’t know who is going to produce more in my lineup… little help? Also I have Ochocinco, Colston and Brandon Marshall…What two would you keep in your lineup consistently… please help!
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Matt
A few quick thoughts on yesterday’s games from a fantasy perspective…
- Maybe the real QB controversy in Philly is Kolb-McNabb… but yeah, not really. Reid’s going to start McNabb as soon as he’s healthy, and the good news for his fantasy owners is the emergence of DeSean Jackson as a truly elite receiver. McNabb hasn’t had a target of this caliber since T.O. left town.
- I’m not usually one to say “I told you so,” but I’m feeling pretty good about my MJD pick.
- Joe Flacco looked good again, but I’ll wait to declare him an every-week fantasy starter until I see how he does in New England this Sunday.
- Matt Schaub and Co. are rounding into shape pretty nicely, wouldn’t you say? Slaton didn’t exactly have a breakout game fantasy-wise, but his owners should be relieved to see him look effective when he touched the ball (and to see his vulture Chris Brown fumble in the red zone). If you own him, hold onto him; if you don’t, see if his owner might be willing to trade him.
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Hits & Misses - Week 2: Vikings ready to pillage
Brandon
Now that week one is in the record books, we’re starting to get a better idea of how the teams will look this season. It’s obvious that Adrian Peterson is the best running back in the league and he’s being rewarded for his spectacular play in week one with a Detroit Lions defense that was complete owned by the Saints last week. While you would think that that would earn him a spot on the Hit list this week, I had to leave him off for reasons mentioned in my week one post. However, that does not prevent me from including his quarterback, who starts off this edition of the Hits & Misses… (More …)
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Ask the Geeks: Countdown to Opening Day
Brandon
With opening day rapidly approaching, it’s high time for some more Ask the Geeks. Send us your burning questions here.
Brian asks: Hey Geeks, I have two flex positions to fill with six choices and am stuck. 12 man league and we get individual return yards keep in mind. Players are Ryan Grant, Santonio Holmes, Felix Jones, Willie Parker, Joseph Addai and X-factor Stefan Logan who is doing punt and kickoff returns for Pitt. Which two do you recommend?
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Brandon
Coach Kubiak says Texans’ backup running back Chris Brown will vulture some of Steve Slaton’s red-zone work this season, which isn’t a good sign for those of you who have already drafted Slaton. He’s still a great pass catcher though and will score touchdowns when he breaks open for longer runs or receptions (and when Brown gets hurt, as he always does) though, just try to make him your RB2 if possible so you don’t have to rely as heavily on him to carry your team.
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Running back rankings for 2009
Brandon
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.
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Hits and Misses - Week 16: Take a ride in the PT Cruiser!
Brandon
Of all the cars out there to get a nickname from (see: Cadillac Williams), I’m not sure I would want people calling me the name of one of the worst new vehicles to come out this century, but whatever works I guess! It apparently IS working for Saints running back Pierre Thomas, who has put up some great fantasy numbers over the past few weeks in an offense that is traditionally pass-first (and made a lot of fantasy team managers very happy in the process.) This weekend you should have the PT Cruiser parked right in the RB1 or RB2 slot on your roster when the Saints head to Detroit, helping your team cruise to a fantasy football championship!
Hits
- Pierre Thomas, RB, Saints: Although I recommend a few of our readers sit the PT Cruiser last week, this week my tune has changed a bit. The Saints head to Detroit on Sunday to play a Lions team that has been absolutely dreadful against the run this year, allowing 169 yards per game (4.9 ypc) to opposing tailbacks, while allowing them to rack up 26 touchdowns. With Reggie Bush out of the picture, expect a big day for Thomas.
- Antonio Bryant, WR, Buccaneers: For all of you who snagged Antonio Bryant off the waiver wire in the middle of the season, you have to be loving your decision at this point. In most leagues, Bryant has now racked you up around 300 yards and a couple touchdowns through the first two rounds of the playoffs, and I’m predicting that he’ll continue that trend against a bad San Diego Chargers defense. You know those commercials that ESPN had for the Fantasy Football Hall of Fame? If Bryant comes through this weekend, I think you need to add him for next year’s ads. (More …)
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2009 Pro Bowl rosters announced
Brandon
If you haven’t seen them yet, the 2009 Pro Bowl rosters were announced today and you can see the entire teams here. I’ve already been reading articles mentioning Panthers running back DeAngelo Williams (2nd in NFL for rushing touchdowns, 4th in NFL for rushing yards), Chargers quarterback Philip Rivers (leads the NFL in passer rating and touchdown passes) and Texans rookie running back Steve Slaton as the biggest snubs, while listing Jets quarterback Brett Favre (leads NFL in interceptions) and Dolphins running back Ronnie Brown (17th in NFL for rushing yards, got 4 of 10 touchdowns in one game) as the most undeserving of a roster spot. After reviewing the stats, a few other snubs, who will probably make it anyways after guys drop off due to injuries/injury worries/laziness, include Chicago rookie running back Matt Forte and Lions wide receiver Calvin Johnson (tied for 2nd in NFL in receiving touchdowns.) I’ll open it up to the forum for anyone else’s opinions on the selections…
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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 …) -
Hits and Misses - Week 12: Peyton ready for a playoff run
Brandon
Although the Patriots lost a close one to the Jets, last week ended up being a pretty good week for me in all areas of the fantasy football world. Not only did I win in nearly all of my leagues, but my predictions ended up with a stellar 19-4-5 record, led by great games from Turner the Burner, the Arizona passing game and DeAngelo Williams, along with sub-par efforts from Kyle Orton and Willis McGahee (even with Jake Delhomme doing his best to submarine me and one of my fantasy teams!)
With the playoffs fast approaching though, and me still needing a win or two more to clinch the playoffs in a few leagues, let’s move on to my picks for this week. I’ll start with the man who should help many a fantasy team make the playoffs in week 12 by handing out a good ol’ fashioned beatdown to San Diego…Peyton Manning.
Hits
- Peyton Manning, QB, Colts: This weekend Indianapolis will head to San Diego to take on a Chargers defense that has been one of the worst in the league against the pass (possibly due to the absence of their top pass rusher in Shawne Merriman?) For all those managers who drafted Manning with a top pick in their league and have been disappointed so far (although the past few weeks he’s been pretty good), this game should serve as redemption. The Chargers are allowing 267 passing yards on average to an assortment of signal callers across the league…and this weekend they take on one that is slightly better than your “average quarterback.” I don’t think it’s unreasonable to expect 300 yards and at least two scores from Peyton this week.
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Guest Post: Week 12 RB Fantasy Rankings
Josh
Editors’ note: The following post was written by a guest blogger, Josh from Pro Football 101.
Must Starts
1. Willie Parker vs. Cincinnati Bengals. Parker came back with a strong effort vs. the Chargers this past Sunday, and on Thursday he gets the Bengals. Got to love that matchup.
In what could be frigid conditions at Heinz field Thursday night, look for the Steelers to get back to playing Pittsburgh Steelers football and pounding away on the ground. And as the line begins to gel together, this all bodes very well for Parker. 100 yards and two TDs.
2. Matt Forte vs. St. Louis Rams. Ok, the game by the Bay (San Francisco) last Sunday convinced me that the Rams have officially mailed the season in.
After a few nice efforts that led to upsets over Washington and Dallas, the bottom has fallen out and this defense has given up 40 and 35 points respectively in the first halves alone of each of the past two games.
Look for the Bears to get back on track after the debacle in GB and for Forte to be a major focal point of the offensive attack. 100 yards and two TDs. (More …)
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Hits and Misses - Week 10: "Purple Jesus" ready to roll at home
Brandon
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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Ask the Geeks - Week 8
Brandon
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 …)
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Hits and Misses - Week 7: Calling all Titans running backs
Brandon
So it looks like the FFGeekBlog cover curse lives on as Matt Cassel and the Patriots receivers managed to fall flat on their face last weekend against the Chargers. I’m not sure what it is that causes every player I mention in the headline to go out of their way to play terribly, but we’re switching it up a bit in hopes that it doesn’t continue. You’ll notice that the post has been renamed Hits/Misses, instead of Studs/Duds (maybe it was the use of the word “stud” or something), so we’ll continue using this new name and hope that my luck can change.
Anyways, along with the Patriots offense hitting a brick wall last weekend, the revival of the Brownies offense didn’t help my cause. However, I was saved by some big time performances by Thomas Jones (3 TD…not too shabby), Clinton Portis, and the failure of the Panthers running game leading me to a 11-7-3 (hits-misses-pushes) record. This week the Patriots tried to trick me into putting them on the list again as they take on a terrible Broncos defense at home, but as the saying goes, “Fool me once, shame on you…fool me twice, I’m an idiot.” Even as a Patriots fan, there’s no way I can honestly put Cassel on here and expect him to put up stats I’d want anywhere near my fantasy roster. I have a really good feeling though that all my picks this week will be correct, so let’s jump right in, starting with those Tennessee Titans running backs…
Hits
- Chris Johnson (RB) / LenDale White (RB) Titans: Over the course of just five games, the Kansas City Chiefs are allowing an incredible 182 yards per game on the ground, which is even more crazy considering two of the teams they played have little to no running game (Patriots, Broncos). Worried that your running back might not find the end zone? Fear not…they’ve also allowed eight rushing touchdowns already. Chris Johnson and LenDale White are sure bets to go huge as the Titans and the NFL’s only remaining undefeated record head to Arrowhead this weekend. (More …)
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Ravens vs Texans game rescheduled
Brandon
Due to Hurricane Ike, the game between the Baltimore Ravens and Houston Texans has been postponed to week 10, meaning that the Ravens and Texans have an emergency bye week this week (click here to get the full description of the rescheduling and how it affects even the Bengals). Anyways, make sure these players (and all others that you might consider playing on these two teams) find a nice cozy spot on your bench:
- Matt Schaub, QB, HOU
- Andre Johnson, WR, HOU
- Kevin Walter, WR, HOU
- Ahman Green, RB, HOU
- Steve Slaton, RB, HOU
- Owen Daniels, TE, HOU
- Willis McGahee, RB, BAL
- Ray Rice, RB, BAL
- Derrick Mason, WR, BAL
- Todd Heap, TE, BAL
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Fantasy football thoughts from Puerto Rico
Brandon
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 …)
