Monday, December 29, 2008

Wrap Up - Week 17

Start’em or Sit’em

*Did not make any player picks for NFL Week 17, 2008

2008 Overall Total: 90-62-5


My Picks

Wins: Raiders, Steelers, Colts, Rams, Bengals, Cardinals, Chargers
Losses: Bills, Bears, Vikings, Panthers, Jaguars, Jets, Cowboys
Push: Lions, Redskins
Total: 7-7-2

2008 Overall Total: 134-114-8 (with a point spread)

Saturday, December 27, 2008

NFL - Week 17

My Picks

@Buccaneers -13 Raiders - Raiders
@Steelers -10.5 Browns - Steelers
Titans -3 @Colts - Colts
@Falcons -14.5 Rams - Rams
Patriots -6.5 @Bills - Bills
@Packers -10 Lions - Lions
@Texans -3 Bears - Bears
@Bengals -3 Chiefs - Bengals
@Vikings -6.5 Giants - Vikings
Panthers -3 @Saints - Panthers
@49ers -3 Redskins - Redskins
@Ravens -12.5 Jaguars - Jaguars
@Cardinals -6 Seahawks - Cardinals
@Eagles -1.5 Cowboys - Cowboys
@Jets -2.5 Dolphins - Jets
@Chargers -9 Broncos - Chargers

Tuesday, December 23, 2008

Wrap Up - Week 16

Start’em

Matt Schaub, Texans. Just when you think that you have the NFL figured out, a week unfolds like Week 16. Teams that should have played well lost their games. Schaub was 19-36 for 255 yards with one interception. He probably killed a lot of Fantasy owners that played him as the hot quarterback. The Raiders secondary shut down Andre Johnson as well.

Cedric Benson, Bengals. The Bengals only threw the ball nine times in the entire game. That was a perfect set up for Benson to have a great game. He ended up with a career high 171 yards on 38 carries. A fumble cost him a Fantasy point, but he still ended up with 10 total Fantasy points.

Pierre Thomas, Saints. Many analysts were picking the Lions to upset the Saints this week, but the Saints’ offense was unstoppable. They converted 11-12 on 3rd down conversions. Thomas was a big part of the offense with 13 carries for 77 yards with a touchdown and a fumble. He also had 3 catches for 26 yards.

Tashard Choice, Cowboys. The Cowboys have been struggling, but they are playing Choice who is their third string tailback. Choice did not even see the field in the early part of the season. He was great against the Steelers and Ravens in the past two weeks. He had 17 carries for 90 yards and a touchdown. He also chipped in with 7 catches for 25 yards. He had 13 total Fantasy points.

Kevin Curtis, Eagles. I thought Curtis would be able to play even with his injured calf. He has struggled all year with injuries and a concussion. The Eagles threw the football a ton on Sunday, so Curtis might have been able to get some yards if he was healthy. This was probably my worst pick of the season.

Sit’em

Aaron Rodgers, Packers. Rodgers finished the game 24-39 for 260 yards and 2 touchdowns with one interception. Rodgers lost another game, but he had a great year in Fantasy football. He scored 14 Fantasy points in the game last night, and that was actually a below average game for him. Rodgers will be one of the first QBs taken in next year’s draft.

Eli Manning, Giants. In a typical performance, Manning played mistake free and made some clutch plays. He was 17-27 for 181 yards and a touchdown. He also converted a clutch 2-point conversion to wide receiver Domenick Hixon. His 12 Fantasy points is an average game for Manning this season.

Clinton Portis, Redskins. Portis was supposed to play this type of game last week after he had a little war of words with Coach Jim Zorn. There was a question if he would play against the Eagles. He played and played very well. Portis had 81 combined rushing and receiving yards and a touchdown for 11 Fantasy points—a loss for me.

Ronnie Brown, Dolphins. When the score of this game flashed on the screen, I figured that Brown had a monster game. The Dolphins scored 38 points in the game. Brown played a role in the Wildcat formation, but he only had 53 combined rushing and receiving yards.

Santonio Holmes, Steelers. Whenever Roethlisberger throws for over 300 yards, it seems like the Steelers lose the game. They lost to the Titans, but both wide receivers had big games. Holmes came up with his best game of the season. He had 5 catches for 93 yards and a touchdown.

Totals: 4-6 (Overall 90-62-5)

My Picks

Wins: Bengals, Saints, Patriots, Giants
Losses: Jaguars, Cowboys, Chiefs, Buccaneers, Niners, Steelers, Jets, Broncos, Eagles, Vikings, Texans, Packers
Total: 4-12 (Overall 127-107-6)

Saturday, December 20, 2008

Start'em or Sit'em - Week 16

Byes: No byes for the rest of the season!

Start’em

Matt Schaub, Texans. The Texans are holding true to form. They play themselves out of contention, then they string a few wins together at the end of the year. Look for them to win again this week against the hapless Raiders. Schaub has the offensive weapons around him—he has a big time receiver, a sure-handed tight end, and a multi-dimensional running back in Steve Slaton. He should have a big day in Oakland.

Cedric Benson, Bengals. Your Fantasy playoff game is not the best time to make risky roster moves; but if you are looking for a replacement for Brandon Jacobs or Reggie Bush, Benson is worth a hard look this week. He is coming off a big game last week. He had opportunities in the Bengals’ rushing and receiving attack. Benson’s match up against Cleveland is great this Sunday.

Pierre Thomas, Saints. Another below average season for Reggie Bush has paved the way for the emergence of Thomas as the Saints starting running back. I am sure Thomas is making Deuce McCallister look old in practice as well. Thomas is the kind of player that is so hot right now; he can lead a Fantasy team to a league championship. Look for him to have over 120 yards from scrimmage this week and at least one touchdown.

Tashard Choice, Cowboys. Any running back this has success against the vaunted Steelers’ defense earns respect around the NFL. With Marion Barber still hobbled with a dislocated toe, Choice will start this week. His match up against the tough Ravens’ defense is troubling, but the Cowboys are at home, and he is really the only healthy option at running back for O-Coordinator Jason Garrett.

Kevin Curtis, Eagles. Contrary to what that brilliant blonde Kendra from the show “The Girls Next Door” says Kevin Curtis can catch the fade pass. In fact, he caught a touchdown from Donovan McNabb last week. McNabb is brimming with confidence after Monday night’s win versus Cleveland. The Eagles could have scored several more touchdowns in that game. Against the fading Redskins, look for lots of points from the Eagles and a big Fantasy game from Curtis.

Sit’em

Aaron Rodgers, Packers. Rodgers has played heroically this year. He has handled the pressure, played with pain, and performed great under pressure. All of that has not translated into wins for the Packers. Their season is over. If the Bears start quickly in this game, Packers’ back up quarterback Brian Brohm may see some action for evaluation purposes.

Eli Manning, Giants. This game is another great Sunday night match up for NBC. The Giants and Panthers still are contending for home field advantage throughout the playoffs. Eli deserved his Pro Bowl selection for his performance this season, but the Panthers pass rush has started to dominate games. Eli and the Giants can win this game, but the game shapes up as a low scoring battle.

Clinton Portis, Redskins. Last week, Portis was simply being himself when called Coach Jim Zorn a “genius”. After the controversy, I figured he would come out and have a monster game against the Bengals. That didn’t happen. You have to give credit to Portis he will play injured and play through pain. The problem this week is that this is not a very good time to play a surging Eagles team. No touchdowns for Portis this week.

Ronnie Brown, Dolphins. I am not sure how Ronnie Brown made the AFC Pro Bowl team. The Wildcat formation is one of the most fun stories of the year in the NFL, but he has not really played that well except for a few isolated games. The Chiefs’ defense totally shut down Ladainian Tomlinson and the Chargers for almost 55 minutes of last week’s game. Look for them to contain Brown as well. The final score for this game might be something like 8-5 in favor of the Chiefs.

Santonio Holmes, Steelers. Holmes needs to have a couple of break out games for the Steelers to win games in the playoffs. For some reason, he tends to disappear in road games. Add to that fact that the Titans’ secondary is one of the best in pro football and you have a recipe for a low Fantasy scoring game for Holmes. If the Steelers can get home field in the playoffs, he can make a name for himself this post season.


My Picks

Colts -6.5 @Jaguars - Jaguars
@Cowboys -4.5 Ravens - Cowboys
@Browns -3 Bengals - Bengals
Saints -7 @Lions - Saints
Dolphins -4 @Chiefs - Chiefs
@Buccaneers -3 Chargers - Buccaneers
@Patriots -8 Cardinals - Patriots
Niners -5 @Rams - Niners
Steelers -1.5 @Titans - Steelers
Jets -5 @Seahawks - Jets
@Broncos -7 Bills - Broncos
Texans -7 @Raiders - Texans
Eagles -5 @Redskins - Eagles
@Vikings -3 Falcons - Vikings
@Giants -3 Panthers - Giants
@Bears -4.5 Packers - Bears

Monday, December 15, 2008

Wrap Up - Week 15

Start’em

Philip Rivers, Chargers. Despite San Diego’s terrible record, Rivers has put up some huge stats this year. He has 28 touchdowns on the season. Against the Chiefs, he was 34-48 for 346 yards 2 touchdowns and 1 interception. The Chargers’ 4th quarter comeback was unbelievable. It was so improbable that Terry Bradshaw on Fox gave the game to the Chiefs when he was doing the highlights.

Chad Pennington, Dolphins. In this game, Pennington became the 3rd quarterback in Dolphins’ history to pass for over 3,000 yards in a season. He finished the game 12-19 for 156 yards and 2 touchdowns—13 Fantasy points which is way over his weekly average. He had a 61 yard touchdown to TE David Martin. Pennington is having an MVP type season.

Ryan Grant, Packers. This game was just another disappointing Sunday for Ryan Grant and for the Green Bay Packers. Grant had 21 rushes for 56 yards and 3 catches for 32 yards. 5 total Fantasy points is not bad for a third tier running back, but Grant was a 1st round pick in many Fantasy drafts. Packers’ GM Ted Thompson might have some explaining to do after the Packers’ finish the season under .500.

Lendale White, Titans. Maybe Lendale was distracted by the nickname controversy he stirred up this weekend. The Titans have come back down to Earth after their amazing start to the season. White ended up with only 8 carries for 26 yards. A bad loss for me this week.

Marvin Harrison, Colts. Okay, I take back my comments about Harrison. He has lost a step. Two seasons ago, you never would see this kind of performance from Harrison. He had 2 catches for 22 yards. The Colts keep winning games, but it is hard to figure out how they are doing it.

Sit’em

Joe Flacco, Ravens. I have been accused of only picking players to sit based on if they are playing the Steelers’ defense. That seems like a good philosophy this year. Flacco was 11-28 for 115 yards and two interceptions. He ended up with -1 points in Fantasy football this week. The Steelers’ defense is having one of the best years in the history of the NFL.

Ben Roethlisberger, Steelers. Big Ben moved the football up and down the field against the Ravens, but he could only muster up one score for the offense. He was 22-40 for 246 yards and a touchdown. He also had 21 yards rushing for a total of 13 Fantasy points. A solid game against the tough Ravens’ defense.

Steve Slaton, Texans. The Titans kept Slaton in check for most of the day, but he was able to break a big run in the last five minutes of the game. He had good yardage totals, but he still had a below average game for his standards. Slaton finished the game with 24 carries for 100 yards and 3 catches for 15 yards. His 7 Fantasy points is way below his weekly average.

Marshawn Lynch, Bills. You have to feel terrible for the Bills and Head Coach Dick Jauron. They lost this game on a freakish J.P. Losman fumble that the Jets returned for a defensive touchdown. Lynch had a big game and finished with 140 combined rushing and receiving yards for 9 Fantasy points.

Terrell Owens, Cowboys. Owens finished the game with 3 catches for 38 yards. You almost have to start him every week, because he can explode for huge Fantasy point totals. The problem is that Owens rarely delivers a big game .

Totals: 5-5 (Overall 86-56-5)

My Picks

Wins: Lions, Seahawks, Niners, Texans, Vikings, Patriots, Steelers, Panthers, Cowboys, Eagles
Losses: Saints, Jets, Packers, Chargers, Redskins
Push: Falcons
Total: 10-5-1 (Overall 123-95-6)

Saturday, December 13, 2008

Start'em or Sit'em - Week 15

Byes: No byes for the rest of the season!

Start’em

Philip Rivers, Chargers. The statistics say that Rivers is a top 5 Fantasy football quarterback, but his play has been erratic all season. Playing him every week is like riding a roller coaster. There is no evidence for this, but I feel like the Chargers are going to make a run in these last three games and have a chance to make the playoffs. Look for Rivers to have over 250 yards and maybe a touchdown this weekend.

Chad Pennington, Dolphins. Pennington is one of a handful of NFL players that should be mentioned as an MVP candidate. What if the Dolphins had Chad Henne or John Beck playing quarterback? They would be in deep trouble. The Niners have been playing better since the promotion of Mike Singletary to head coach, but the cross country trip to Miami and the South Beach night life should give the Dolphins an edge. Look for Pennington to continue his MVP caliber play with a 300 yard game this week.

Ryan Grant, Packers. Have you ever heard the term Fantasy kryptonite? That is a specific player that you keep playing or keep drafting that never plays well enough for you to win. The kind of guy that in real life plays just well enough to get the coach fired. I stayed with Grant all year and finished with a mind numbing .500 record. You know that means that Grant is going to play great these last three weeks. Combine that knowledge with his match up against the weak Jaguars run defense and you have a recipe for a big day for Grant.

Lendale White, Titans. Coach Jeff Fisher has pushed all the right buttons this year for the Titans. He has used rookie running back Chris Johnson with Lendale White to form a formidable one-two punch. Maybe White was right a couple of weeks ago when he complained about not getting the ball enough against the Jets. He had a touchdown last week and should score again this week. Even at home, the Texans always give up a lot of yards and points.

Marvin Harrison, Colts. The naysayers have been killing Marvin Harrison all year about how he has lost a step. He is coming off a severe knee injury and those injuries usually take two years to come back to full strength. Harrison is kind of like the Colts in that he has quietly started to catch touchdown as the Colts have quietly won six straight games. Everyone on the Colts’ offense should put up big numbers against the Lions. The big fear is that if the game is a blowout, Coach Dungy will pull the starters.

Sit’em

Joe Flacco, Ravens. Rookie quarterbacks have been money this year. Two weeks ago, I was burned by Flacco and Matt Ryan. The problem for Flacco is that he has a terrible match up this week against the Steelers. The Steelers’ defense has not allowed any team to gain 300 total yards in a game this season. Flacco might play well enough to lead the Ravens to a win, but he will not pass for over 200 yards.

Ben Roethlisberger, Steelers. This Steelers versus Ravens game is guaranteed to be a low scoring affair. Check the weather for this game in Baltimore before setting your line up. In cold, snowy weather, ranks your running backs higher than your quarterbacks and wide receivers. Additionally, the Ravens’ secondary has been all over the field the past two games. Baltimore’s defense only gives up an average of 7 Fantasy points to quarterbacks each week. Safety Ed Reed has about a fifty percent chance of taking an interception or fumble recovery back for a touchdown.

Steve Slaton, Texans. For a very low Fantasy draft pick, Slaton has emerged as one of the ten best rookies in 2008. Barring a late season injury, he probably will be a first or second round Fantasy pick in 2009. But, I still would not play him this week against the Titans. The Titans are going to shut down the Texans’ running attack. The only way that the Texans can win this game is if QB Matt Schaub has a monster game and throws over 40 times.

Marshawn Lynch, Bills. Lynch has not been able to get into the end zone lately. He is getting some yards for the Bills in the rushing and passing attack, but he has not scored any touchdowns. The Jets’ defense is still underrated. If you take out road trips to the West Coast, the Jets are having a great year. Another problem for Lynch is the unsettled quarterback position for the Bills. J.P. Losman is terrible and Trent Edwards has lost his confidence. Look for the Bills to lose another game at New York this week.

Terrell Owens, Cowboys. After watching Owens bail out on Tony Romo’s first interception against the Steelers, I understand why Romo does not count on Owens in crunch time. Romo does not know for sure that T.O. is going to run the correct pass route. Owens actually stopped running his pattern against Pittsburgh. Forget about the Cowboys for 2008—a loss to the Giants on Sunday night ends their season.

My Picks

@Bears -3 Saints - Saints
@Jets -8 Bills - Jets
@Panthers -7.5 Broncos - Panthers
@Colts -17 Lions - Lions
Packers -2 @Jaguars - Packers
@Ravens -3 Steelers - Steelers
Chargers -5.5 @Chiefs - Chargers
Seahawks -2 @Rams - Seahawks
@Dophins -6.5 Niners - Niners
@Falcons -3 Buccaneers - Falcons
Titans -3 @Texans - Texans
Redskins -6.5 @Bengals - Redskins
@Cardinals -3.5 Vikings - Vikings
Patriots -7 @Oakland - Patriots
@Cowboys -3 Giants - Cowboys
@Eagles -14 Browns - Eagles

Monday, December 8, 2008

Wrap Up - Week 14

Start’em

Donovan McNabb, Eagles. When he stays healthy like this year, this guy is one of the best quarterbacks in the NFL. McNabb was 19-30 for 191 yards and a touchdown. He finished the game with a total of 11 Fantasy points, but more importantly for Eagles’ fans he beat the Giants to keep the team’s hopes for a playoff berth still alive.

Gus Frerotte, Vikings. I knew this pick was in trouble when the highlight of Frerotte was him getting his back stretched on the training table. Frerotte left the game in the 2nd quarter with a back injury. He was 7-10 for 70 yards and two interceptions. Count this as a loss.

Frank Gore, Niners. Gore was on his way to a monster game for the Niners against the Jets. When he hurt his left ankle early in the 3rd quarter, he already had 14 rushes for 52 yards and 3 catches for 13 yards and a touchdown. Even though he did not come back into the game, his touchdown was enough to make Gore a solid start this week in Fantasy football.

Wes Welker, Patriots. When the book is written about the 2008 Patriots, Welker is going to be their team offensive MVP. He is leading the NFL in receptions and yesterday was a perfect example of how important he is to young quarterback Matt Cassell. Welker was open all over the field and finished the game with 12 catches for 134 yards. He also scored a clutch 2 point conversion for 10 total Fantasy points.

Steve Breaston, Cardinals. Something happened in the 2nd half to the Cardinals’ offense. They were moving the ball all over the place in the 1st half. Maybe, they eased off in the 2nd half. Breaston was able to score above his weekly Fantasy average this week with 7 catches for 90 yards.

Larry Johnson, Chiefs. The AFC West is the most unpredictable conference in the NFL. This is probably because all of the teams are so inconsistent. LJ was terrible against Denver on Sunday. He finished the game with 11 carries for 36 yards.

Sit’em

Jake Delhomme, Panthers. Before tonight’s Monday night game, I saw a graphic that Delhomme is 7-2 in his career against Tampa Bay. Delhomme finished the game 14-20 for 173 yards and a touchdown and 2 interceptions. That is a meager total of 5 Fantasy points. The Panthers rushed for over 300 yards as a team, so Delhomme could afford an off night.

Matt Schaub or Sage Rosenfels, Texans. Forgive me, Schaub fans. After four weeks off, Schaub looked great in leading the Texans to a huge road win. He was 28-42 for 414 yards for 2 touchdowns and 1 interception. That is a whopping 21 Fantasy points and probably the best day of any quarterback this week. He found Kevin Walter for almost 150 of those yards.

Willie Parker, Steelers. The cold weather and poor field conditions doomed Parker to a limited role in his game versus the Cowboys. Mewelde Moore carried the biggest load in the Steelers’ running attack. Parker needs a week off to get back to close to 100%. He had 12 rushes for 25 yards and this was a good week to sit him on your bench.

Jamal Lewis, Browns. You can put a fork the Cleveland Browns—their season is done. These guys are just playing out the season. With Ken Dorsey now at quarterback, Lewis is the only player that defenses have to stop. The Titans killed him yesterday and held him to 7 rushes for 7 yards and 2 receptions for 3 yards. Sit all Browns for the rest of the Fantasy playoffs.

Total: 7-3 (Overall 81-51-5)

My Picks

Wins: Chargers, Titans, Bears, Saints, Chiefs, Vikings, Eagles, Dolphins, Niners, Steelers, Cardinals, Ravens
Losses: Bengals, Packers, Patriots, Buccaneers
Total: 12-4 (Overall 113-90-5)

Fantasy Games. My 2008 Fantasy Football season is over. I was not able to make the playoffs in either of my leagues. I finished right in the middle of the pack in a season doused with mediocrity. I really made some bad decisions in one league. For example, one week I played Jeff Garcia over Kurt Warner. Garcia had won me a game the week before and I thought he was on a hot streak. Secondly, early in the year, I had Edgerrin James and I took him out of the line up against the Jets. The Jets’ game was Edge’s best game of the year! With my last hope at a playoff berth riding on yesterday’s results, Hines Ward could not even get a point! Luckily for me, the Steelers continue to make this a great regular season.

Friday, December 5, 2008

Start'em or Sit'em - Week 14

Byes: No byes for the rest of the season!

Start’em

Donovan McNabb, Eagles. Everyone is expecting McNabb and the Eagles to plummet back down to Earth this week against the Giants. The exact opposite is going to happen. The Eagles and McNabb are going to break through against their rivals with a 30 plus point game. Brian Westbrook and the receiving corps is finally healthy. Coach Andy Reid is great in weeks after byes and the Eagles have had a few extra days to prepare, because they played on Thanksgiving Day.

Gus Frerotte, Vikings. With injuries and quarterback shuffling, you might be looking for a quarterback this week to fill in for your normal starter. Frerotte deserves a hard look as a starter, because of his match up against the Lions. This game is on the road for the Vikings, but with the apathy in Detroit, there might be more Vikings’ fans at the game. Look for Coach Brad Childress to open up the offense a little more and allow Frerotte to throw a couple of deep passes.

Frank Gore, Niners. Gore is one of these guys that gets stronger towards the end of the season when other players are breaking down and making vacation plans. For some reason, the Jets have not played well on the West coast in two previous trips this season. This game shapes up to be a low scoring affair and Gore will score two touchdowns—one rushing and one on a screen pass.

Wes Welker, Patriots. Undoubtedly, you saw the devastating hit that Welker took last week against the Steelers. He did not come back into the game after the hit, but he should be good to go this week against the Seahawks. Look for the Patriots’ offense to get back on track against a pourous Seattle defense. Welker should get plenty of targets from Matt Cassel and Offensive Coordinator Josh McDaniel—maybe a touchdown this week will ease the pain of being jacked up on every TV highlight package last Sunday.

Steve Breaston, Cardinals. The Cardinals are a two touchdown favorite against the Rams and that might be a conservative estimate. My prediction is that Kurt Warner is going to throw almost 50 times in this game. The short passing game will actually set up the downfield passing game. Even though Breaston is the third wide receiver, he actually is targeted for longer passes. In this game, start Breaston and any other Cardinals offensive players that you have.

Larry Johnson, Chiefs. If LJ is on your team, ride him for the rest of the Fantasy season and the playoffs. He had a monster game against the Broncos with almost 200 yards rushing when these teams played the first time. This week will be no different. Johnson is flying under the radar and playing with a chip on his shoulder. When this guy has something to prove, he plays his best football.

Sit’em

Jake Delhomme, Panthers. In Week 6 when these teams played in Tampa, Delhomme threw 3 interceptions. Last week, the Buccaneers held Drew Brees in check. It has been awhile since the Panthers played in nationally televised big game, while Tampa was in the playoffs last year. The prediction here is that the Buccaneers are going to harass Delhomme into some mistakes and they will become the first road team to get a win in the tough NFC South division.

Matt Schaub or Sage Rosenfels, Texans. Whoever starts at quarterback for the Texans should not be starting for your Fantasy team this week. According to a Houston Chronicle report, Schaub participated fully in practice and is going to start on Sunday. I think switching quarterbacks at this point is going to back fire on the Texans. Both of these guys probably take some snaps in a terrible road loss to the Packers.

Willie Parker, Steelers. Fast Willie’s wheels still are flat—his knee is bothering him and its affecting his running ability. He is going to split carries with Mewelde Moore and the Steelers are going with running back Gary Russell in short yardage situations. Because both defenses are playing well and Heinz Field is in terrible condition, this game is probably a low scoring contest. Sit Parker out this week.

Jamal Lewis, Browns. The Browns might not score a point this week. The only way they score is if Josh Cribbs runs back a punt or a kickoff for a touchdown. Everything is against Lewis: the Titans’ defense is great against the run; the Browns are starting the rusty Ken Dorsey (calling Dorsey a journeyman quarterback would be a compliment); the Titans’ crowd gives them great homefield advantage; and the Titans have had an extra week to get ready for the game. Sorry Browns’ fans, Titans win this game 31-0.

My Picks

@Chargers -9 Raiders - Chargers
@Saints -3 Falcons - Saints
@Colts -13.5 Bengals - Bengals
@Titans -14 Browns - Titans
@Packers -5.5 Texans - Packers
@Bears -6.5 Jaguars - Bears
@Lions Pick Vikings - Vikings
@Giants -6.5 Eagles - Eagles
@Broncos -9 Chiefs - Chiefs
@Bills -1 Dolphins - Dolphins
Patriots -4.5 @Seahawks - Patriots
Jets -3.5 @Niners - Niners
@Steelers -3 Cowboys - Steelers
@Cardinals -14 Rams - Cardinals
@Ravens -5 Redskins - Ravens
@Panthers -3 Buccaneers - Buccaneers

Monday, December 1, 2008

Wrap Up - Week 13

Start’em

Trent Edwards, Bills. Losing to the Niners on Sunday was costly for the Bills. They had a chance to make up some ground in the AFC East. The Bills also lost Edwards for the second half with a groin injury. Before the injury, Edwards was 10-21 for 112 yards and 3 Fantasy points. Edwards only played in the first half, but that is still a loss.

Larry Johnson, Chiefs. The Chiefs only have won twice in the past twenty games or so, but they were able to beat the Raiders behind LJ’s running and a botched fake field goal attempt by the Raiders. Johnson had a solid day with 24 carries for 92 yards and a touchdown. The Chiefs could play a spoiler role in the final games of the season.

Steve Slaton, Texans. Not sure that anyone else was watching this game tonight, but Slaton put on a show against Jacksonville. The Jaguars are up there with the Chargers as the most disappointing teams in the NFL this year. Slaton had a monster game with two long touchdown runs on back to back carries in the 4th quarter.

Ricky Williams, Dolphins. The Dolphins won this game, but it was not pretty. The offense was unable to score against the Rams who were giving up a ton of points. Ronnie Brown had the only goal line opportunity and he scored. Williams finished the game wit only 12 carries for 54 yards.

Antonio Gates, Chargers. The Chargers are one of the most disappointing teams in recent memory. These guys were a couple of big plays from reaching the Super Bowl last season. Gates looked gimpy and Philip Rivers was off target all day long. Gates had 3 catches for 27 yards.

Sit’em

Matt Ryan, Falcons. Ryan just keeps proving doubters like me wrong. He was great on Sunday in San Diego. He was 17-23 for 207 yards and 2 touchdowns. He hit on almost 75 % of his passes and that was with a couple of dropped passes. The Falcons are a team to be reckoned with over the next four weeks, and Ryan is a big reason why they would be in the playoffs if the season ended today.

Joe Flacco, Ravens. The rookie quarterbacks were on their games this week. Flacco was 19-29 for 280 yards and 2 touchdowns. He picked up another point with 15 rushing yards. The 70 yard touchdown pass to Mark Clayton was a laser. Depending on his weekly match up, Flacco is a solid starting option.

Ryan Grant, Packers. Grant owners have to be frustrated with his performance this season. The Panthers defense bounced back and held Grant to only 12 carries for 39 yards. The Packers have yet to find the offensive balance of running and passing the ball. They were ahead in the 4th quarter but could not hold the lead.

Brandon Marshall, Broncos. Marshall finished the game with 5 catches for 55 yards. The Broncos had a huge win, but the main wide receiver in the game was Eddie Royal. For some reason, Marshall has fallen off in the past month. He still is a great wide receiver option, because the Broncos are going to throw the football a lot.

Lance Moore, Saints. 2 catches for 15 yards, but one catch was for a touchdown. Moore was not able to get open against the tough Buccaneers’ defense, but he was able to catch a 13 yard touchdown strike over the middle from Drew Brees. Moore’s touchdown gave him a total of 7 Fantasy points which is an average game for him this season.

Totals: 4-6 (Overall 74-48-5)

My Picks

Wins: Cowboys, Eagles, Browns, Giants, Panthers, Steelers, Chiefs, Vikings, Texans
Losses: Lions, Bills, Bengals, Dolphins, Buccaneers, Jets, Chargers
Total: 9-7 (Overall 101-86-5)