Fantasy football playbook

Week 17: Matchups

2008-12-10T17:33:00.001-05:00

Looking down the road at intriguing matchups in fantasy's last week of the season.

If you're in the playoffs or shooting for the points lead, look ahead.

Week 17 matchups:

Matt Ryan and Michael Turner (vs. St. Louis)
Marshawn Lynch (vs. New England)
Cedric Benson (vs. Kansas City)
Aaron Rodgers, Greg Jennings and Ryan Grant (vs. Detroit)
Matt Forte (vs. Houston)
Willie Parker (vs. Cleveland)
Earnest Graham (vs. Oakland)
Kurt Warner, Larry Fitzgerald, Tim Hightower, Anquan Boldin (vs. Seattle)
LaDainian Tomlinson, Philip Rivers, Antonio Gates (vs. Denver)
Jay Cutler, Brandon Marshall (vs. San Diego)
Clinton Portis, Chris Cooley, Santana Moss (vs. San Francisco)

Houston Showdown

2008-12-10T16:55:00.008-05:00

Flashback to your fantasy league's draft day: You can't pass up Raiders running back Darren McFadden as visions of Adrian Peterson dance in your mind. Poor choice. You instead ignore the temptation and scoop up Chris Johnson, see above right, or Steve Slaton late, way late. You're a shoo-in for the Fantasy Football Hall of Fame. You'll be in the "***-Pull" wing.

Rookie running backs are nightmares to pick from early on draft days. Remember Ki-Jana Carter. Remember Cedric Benson. Remember William Green.

The NFL has it's self a good old-fashioned showdown in Houston on Sunday. Johnson vs. Slaton.

Johnson is second is the AFC in rushing. Slaton is third. The crazy part lies in their rushing averages. According to a press release for the NFL, they could join a rare list of rookies with 1,000 yards rushing (got it) and an average of 5 yards per carry (could get it).

Slaton is right at 5 yards a pop, and Johnson is at 4.9.

The rookies who have done it:

1934: Beattie Feathers, Chicago (119 carries, 1,004 rushing yards, 8.4 per carry)
1971: John Brockington, Green Bay (216, 1,105, 5.1)
1972: Franco Harris, Pittsburgh (188, 1,055, 5.6)
1974: Don Woods, San Diego (227, 1,162, 5.1)
1988: Ickey Woods, Cincinnati (203, 1,066, 5.3)
1989: Barry Sanders, Detroit (280, 1,470, 5.3)
2000: Mike Anderson, Denver (297, 1,487, 5.0)
2002: Clinton Portis, Denver (273, 1,508, 5.5)
2007: Adrian Peterson, Minnesota (238, 1,341, 5.6)

Closing in:

*2008: Steve Slaton, Houston (206, 1,024, 5.0)

*2008: Chris Johnson, Tennessee (222, 1,094, 4.9)

*Through 13 games

PHOTO BY ASSOCIATED PRESS

Week 15: Bell barely tolls in Denver

2008-12-09T23:34:00.006-05:00

If Peyton Hillis, seen above, didn’t go down with a torn right hamstring on Sunday, he may have shared top billing with Terrell Davis, Olandis Gary, Travis Henry and Clinton Portis in coach Mike Shanahan’s feature flick, "Mount Rush-MORE." Mike Anderson and hundreds of other Denver running backs could make cameos in "Mount Rush-MORE II," but Hillis rolled four straight weeks with a rushing touchdown for star status.

He was turning into an ideal No. 3 running back in any league’s format.

After four straight productive weeks, the former Arkansas fullback was tied with All-Pro wide receiver Brandon Marshall for the team lead with six touchdowns. The only hopes left for Broncos fans lie with Selvin Young and Tatum Bell. After the Hillis injury, Bell took the lion share of carries.

Bell is worthy of a pickup, but not a start yet. Young, the former University of Texas star, has been battling a groin injury for most of the season and is probable this week.

Under pressure

With dollars and pride on the line in the weeks ahead, advancing can fall to one player or a last-second decision. Monday night’s game between the Buccaneers and Panthers proved the stress and luck involved in fantasy football playoffs comes in different forms.

In one league, I saw it come down to Antonio Bryant vs. Steve Smith. The epic battle had both wide receivers scoring a touchdown and getting more than 100 yards. Bryant with 200 yards and two touchdowns was the winner.

Monday night’s game this week features the Browns and Eagles.

If you relied on Brian Westbrook, Donovan McNabb or DeSean Jackson throughout the year, you get a great matchup on paper. The trifecta should pull through again, but look out for Kevin Curtis and the Eagles defense too. If you have a Browns starter, chances are you’re out of the playoffs already.

Who wouldn’t be intrigued though by Ken Dorsey vs. McNabb for fantasy glory?

Catch them if you can...

DeShaun Foster, 49ers running back: The former Panthers back filled in for the injured Frank Gore against the Jets with 16 carries for 35 yards. He obviously wasn’t great, but that is a lot of carries. If Gore can’t go this week or next, Foster has Miami and St. Louis on tap to redeem himself.

Derrick Ward and Ahmad Bradshaw, Giants running backs: Brandon Jacobs went down. The severity of the injury is unknown yet. If you’ve been cautious, you’re ready to plug Ward in. If not, hurry.

The fallen...

The Patriots defense: How the mighty have fallen. When Junior Seau has to come out of retirement, you’re in trouble. The only resemblance of hope lies in their matchup vs. Oakland this week. Otherwise, Bon Jovi’s "Livin’ on a Prayer" should be playing when you’re setting your lineup.

Bernard Berrian, Vikings wide receiver: Here’s a quick study if Gus Frerotte is out. Tarvaris Jackson and Phillies pitcher Adam Eaton have the intangibles. Eaton’s career 4.80 ERA and Jackson’s 70.3 career quarterback rating scare fantasy owners, but apparently not the people who employ them.

Four and out

1. Don’t forget to set lineups for Thursday's game between the Saints and Bears. 2. If Matt Hasselback is out, Seneca Wallace is the desperate play of the week vs. the Rams. 3. Joseph Addai vs. the Lions has one last chance to prove the skeptics wrong. 4. Terrible timing award: Clinton Portis blasted his coach and lost left tackle Chris Samuels.

PHOTO BY ASSOCIATED PRESS

Week 14: Rookie soars into The Big Easy

2008-12-03T23:26:00.004-05:00

Oh my, Atlanta! Michael Turner burned his ex-teammates for 130 yards on the ground in the Falcons’ Week 13 win vs. the Chargers.

Meanwhile, Matt Ryan, see above left, keeps proving rookie quarterbacks can prosper. Ryan Leaf, Rick Mirer, Tim Couch, Alex Smith and Akili Smith are probably shaking their heads on a beach.

For fantasy owners, rookie quarterbacks are a lot like the Terry Bradshaw Fantasy Football Journal. They seem worthy, but end up hurting you in the end.

Ryan, a Peyton-like rookie minus the hype, could be different.

With the actual Falcons battling for a playoff spot, fantasy owners get a dream matchup heading into most leagues’ playoff weeks: Falcons vs. Saints in the Superdome.

If you teetered with Saints receivers Marques Colston and Lance Moore in Week 13, let loose. If Rodney White wasn’t your No. 1 receiver before this game, when will he ever be?

The usual suspects (Drew Brees, see above, Turner) are locks, but Ryan may pull through for an owner in desperate times. The Saints’ pass defense is in the bottom five for touchdown passes allowed and is giving up 224.2 yards per game.

Arresting development

With No. 1 Giants receiver Plaxico Burress suspended, Domenik Hixon and Amani Toomer have quickly become top targets on free-agent wires. The pair had five catches each vs. the Redskins in Week 13. Toomer found the end zone for the third time in five games, and Hixon produced his second straight week with more than 60 yards receiving.

Who will be better down the stretch, if Burress doesn’t suit up again?

The Giants, in order, play the Eagles, Cowboys, Panthers and Vikings.

Out of the four defenses, the Eagles have given up the most passing touchdowns while allowing the least amount of passing yards per game. Not one of the particular defenses is a desirable matchup for a wide receiver, but considering Eli Manning’s tendencies go with Toomer.

After watching him play against the Browns, he loves to lock into his targets.

Being the probable No. 1, Toomer would square up against each team’s top cornerback and double coverage. Being the probable No. 2, Hixon would see more man-to-man coverage.
That is one deciding factor for Hixon, but Toomer appears to be the go-to guy.

Catch them if you can …

Tashard Choice, Dallas running back: Marion Barber is day to day, but Choice can shoulder the load if called upon. With Dallas vs. Pittsburgh on tap, he won’t be a solid start this week just a great insurance policy.

The fallen …

Brian Westbrook, Philadelphia running back: He had four touchdowns last week. Seriously, though, he can’t be relied on. He’s usually day-to-day throughout the week, and you’re stuck until game time. Well, you’re stuck with him this season, but he’ll be a second-round pick next year.

Playoff push

Vikings defensive tackles Pat and Kevin Williams suspensions were blocked by the courts yesterday, but they may not play on Sunday. If you have Lions running back Kevin Smith, he suddenly becomes an interesting play for the week. With the Williamses, Minnesota holds opponents to 73.1 rushing yards per game and ranks as the No. 2 defense in the league vs. the run.

Four and out

1. I was wrong last week. Thanksgiving was fun day, and Mother Nature made Sunday dismal for fantasy. 2. Is it time to jump on the Peyton Hillis bandwagon? 3. Cardinals Tim Hightower and Steve Breaston vs. the Rams could score points. 4. The Colts should get back on track vs. the Bengals.

E-mail Francis Bova at fbova@MorningJournal.com.

PHOTO BY ASSOCIATED PRESS

Week 13: Sunday will still be fun day

2008-11-28T15:51:00.007-05:00

WITH Thanksgiving eating up three games of the NFL schedule, most owners have set their lineups for the weekend. Don’t get too comfortable though.

While Thanksgiving's games featured some truly great matchups for owners like Titans running back Chris Johnson vs. the Lions defense or Tony Romo vs. Seattle.

Sunday is still the day to set the DVR.

Who can’t wait to see the Colts light up the Browns defense? Randy Lerner? Bob Golic?

The one thing that could prevent Peyton Manning from three touchdown passes is snow. With the forecast calling for mostly cloudy, Manning can resume his hot streak in former St. Ignatius wide receiver Anthony Gonzalez’s homecoming.

What are the chances Gonzalez gets a better reception from fans than Derek Anderson and Braylon Edwards? Even former Browns starter Spergon Wynn, one of six quarterbacks drafted before Tom Brady in 2000, knows the answer hovers around 100 percent.

Gone baby gone?

Shaun Alexander’s brief stint with the Redskins is over. After Wayne Chrebet retired in 2005, I paid homage on my league’s Web site to the unheralded wide receiver‘s fantasy impact. You have to figure Alexander's days maybe numbered too.

The former No. 1 overall pick in most fantasy leagues only three seasons ago lit up the fantasy world with 27 rushing touchdowns for a then-single season record in 2005. Add the 1,800-plus rushing yards and Alexander was the dream No. 1 back until injury and age took his career downhill.

Is LaDainan Tomlinson heading to the same fate? I’ve heard tales of owners starting LT over Thomas Jones. I’ve witnessed owners trading him away in two leagues. Tomlinson, the record holder for most rushing touchdowns in a season with 28 in 2006, is no longer a bonafide sure thing week in and week out.

But there was one encouraging sign last week. He had 24 touches (a rush or catch) and is averaging 22 a game for the season. With Atlanta up next, barring injury Tomlinson should have his best game of the season.

The bold prediction is because his former backup Michael Turner will be starting for the Falcons. Turner, who is coming off a four-touchdown week, could be a great start too if he did set expectations so high with his last performance.

Catch them if you can

Wes Welker, New England wide receiver: The cupboard’s bare folks. Pickups are hard to find this time of season, but trades could still be an option. For two weeks, Matt Cassel has been on absolute fire. Randy Moss owners aren’t likely to sell any time soon. But Welker is a great option in a points-per-catch league, and he could be dealt for Santana Moss-type players straight up.

Tashard Choice, Dallas running back: Marion Barber left the Thanksgiving contest with an injury and didn't return. Rookie Felix Jones is out for the season, and Choice could shoulder the load if called upon next week. Monitor Barber's status, but pick up Choice as soon as possible.

Chester Taylor, Minnesota running back: For insurance sake. It will be the last time I mention him.

The fallen

Frank Gore, San Francisco running back: His matchups aren’t rosy for the next two weeks (at Buffalo and at home vs. the Jets), but he should bounce back in big fashion in Week 15 and 16 vs. the Dolphins and Rams.

Tyler Thigpen, Kansas City quarterback: It’s hard to get overly excited with the Chiefs standing at 1-10, but owners have taken a chance on the guy after decent games recently. After watching Oakland shut down Jay Cutler last week, what can Thigpen do?

Four and out

1. Don’t expect much from Peyton Hillis. 2. Lee Evans' monster game is coming soon. 3. See ya next year Brady Quinn in Round 6. 4. Be careful if you have a Jets kicker.

For fantasy football questions, e-mail Francis Bova at fbova@MorningJournal.com

2008-11-12T21:00:00.002-05:00

Looking down the road at intriguing matchups in fantasy's last week of the season. If you're in the playoffs or shooting for the points lead, look ahead.
Week 17 matchups:
Matt Ryan and Michael Turner (vs. St. Louis)
Marshawn Lynch (vs. New England)
Cedric Benson (vs. Kansas City)
Aaron Rodgers, Greg Jennings and Ryan Grant (vs. Detroit)
Matt Forte (vs. Houston)
Willie Parker (vs. Cleveland)
Earnest Graham (vs. Oakland)
Kurt Warner, Larry Fitzgerald, Tim Hightower, Anquan Boldin (vs. Seattle)
LaDainian Tomlinson, Philip Rivers, Antonio Gates (vs. Denver)
Jay Cutler, Brandon Marshall (vs. San Diego)
Clinton Portis, Chris Cooley, Santana Moss (vs. San Francisco)

Week 11: Peterson continues fantasy dominance

2008-11-12T20:57:00.003-05:00

After Minnesota running back Adrian Peterson’s dominant 192-rushing yard peformance against the Packers on Sunday, fantasy owners probably jumped in glee.

The former Oklahoma star reclaimed his No. 1 overall pick form and now leads the league in rushing. It also marked his fourth straight 100-plus rushing performance.

He is the new LaDainian Tomlinson.

The Vikings made a huge leap, too.

They positioned themselves for a playoff push with the NFC North win and our tied with "Da Bears."

With fantasy playoffs approaching, let’s glance into the future and pull out the best matchups down the stretch for Peterson and others.

For sanity’s sake, I’ll assume playoffs run from Week 14 to Week 16.

Quarterbacks: Kurt Warner, who reinvigorated hall of fame chat with his recent performances, barring he stays health appears to be an early front-runner for playoff performer of the year. His Week 14 matchup against the Rams at home screams, at least, two to three touchdowns. The next two weeks, Warner and Co. play the Vikings and New England. Neither matchup is ideal, but the Vikings have such a great run defense the Cardinals may just stay in a three-wide receiver set the entire game. The Patriots are so banged up, you would think they have the Browns luck if it weren’t for their Super Bowl rings.

After Jay Cutler crushed the Browns season like John Elway used too, he has, argubably, the best matchup of Week 14 with the Chiefs. Cutler could easily throw 200 yards and two scores by half in the home game. The only thing that could prevent a monster game is some Mile-High snow.

Running backs: Peterson rolls against Detroit (Week 14), Arizona (Week 15) and Atlanta (Week 16). Chances are he slows down against Tampa Bay this week or Chicago in Week 15.
He has the potential to carry a fantasy team down the stretch.

Peterson’s only blemish, though, is scary. In his rookie season, he produced only 107 rushing yards and one touchdown combined in most league’s three most important games.

If you’ve been riding the Titans running backs, you’re in luck. LenDale White and speedster Chris Johnson take on the Browns (Week 14) and Houston (Week 15). They do, however, run into Pittsburgh in Week 16, but anything can happen in championship week. Maybe a backup like Fred Jackson will be starting by then.

Wide receivers: Naturally, Arizona’s trio of Larry Fitzgerald, Anquan Boldin and, somehow, Steve Breaston are potential good starts. But Reggie Wayne, if healthy, could make his return to prominence. The Colts No. 1 guy has the Bengals (Week 14), Detroit (Week 15) and Jacksonville (Week 16) in three-highly favorable matchups. If you had the good fortune to pair him with Peyton Manning, you could win your title.

Catch them if you can ...

Shaun Alexander, Redskins: Both recommended pickups this week, feel like throwbacks to three years ago. Now, they’re more spare parts. Alexander, by default, could start on Sunday night against the Cowboys with Clinton Portis teetering as a game-time decision. For Portis owners, Alexander and/or Ladell Betts are must-haves. For gamblers, Alexander is like going all-in with a three and eight off-suited.

Tatum Bell, Broncos: Peyton Hillis is the probably starter, but the fullback doesn’t play like former Tampa Bay goal-line wonder Mike Alstott. Bell, with or without Rudi Johnson’s luggage, knows the Broncos system well and could fit in down the stretch. But you can’t help after last Thursday and think it is Cutler’s show for the rest of the season.

The fallen ...

Braylon Edwards, Browns: He busted out officially weeks ago, but Brady Quinn’s start gave him another chance. Well, Quinn barely looked downfield for his No. 1 wide receiver. Maybe he attempts it more on Monday night against the Bills, but that is a big maybe.

BenJarvus Green-Ellis, Patriots: The rookie busted out for a 100-yard rushing game and has scored in four straight weeks. He has a cool name, and he earned Bill Belichick’s praise this week. Sammy Morris, though, is back practicing and Kevin Faulk is still around. And he plays the Jets this week.

Four and out

1. Monitor Tampa Bay’s Cadillac Williams. 2. Kellen Winslow is back to must-start status. 3. Willis McGahee is back to being the guy in Baltimore. 4. The Jets defense keeps getting better.

For any fantasy-related questions contact Francis Bova at fbova@MorningJournal.com.

Week 10: It pays to have a backup plan

2008-11-05T23:57:00.004-05:00

Edgerrin James lost his edge. With backup Tim Hightower’s emergence on Sunday, insurance once again cashed in for fantasy football’s most famous strategy. The foresight to handcuff your top players with their backups can make or break a season.

Hopefully, you didn’t lose your edge.

With league playoffs starting in weeks, why not have a plan?

Tonight is the perfect example: Brady Quinn gets his first start as Browns quarterback. If you anticipated the move, you had him sitting on your bench and will plug him in against one of the league’s worst defenses in the Broncos.

Otherwise, he may be playing against your team. If he reignites Cleveland’s once top-flight offense, the results will show up like a Reggie Langhorne appearance at a Browns Backer gathering. If not, he was an insurance policy for a reason.

Some others players to consider down the stretch: Chester Taylor (for Adrian Peterson), Jerious Norwood (for Michael Turner), Ken Darby or Antonio Pittman (for Steven Jackson), Dominic Rhodes (for Joseph Addai), Darren Sproles (for LaDainian Tomlinson) and the new favorite Fred Jackson (for Marshawn Lynch). See more below.

Another thing to consider: Carry two kickers on your roster in the playoffs. If your league bans pickups in the postseason, you don’t want to be blind sided at an overlooked position.

Romo back?

If everything goes to plan, Tony Romo is expected back after this week’s bye. Week 11 was the initial target date and it remains the same after flirtations with bringing the broken-pinkied quarterback back were nothing but rumors.

How much longer can Brad Johnson and Brooks Bollinger keep Terrell Owens’ stats down? Nevermore?

With Romo probably back, the Roy Williams era can unofficially begin again and the Cowboys can remain relevant.

Catch them if you can ...

Ryan Torain, Broncos running back: The rookie looked awesome against the Browns on Thursday night, but is now out for the season with a torn ACL. If you're feeling lucky, relative unknown running back Ken Darby will make his first start for the Rams in place of Steven Jackson. Darby, though, is going against a stout Jets defensive line.

Ray Rice, Ravens running back: If you made it through the pain of the Browns game on Sunday, you already know. The rookie shredded Cleveland’s defense for 154 yards. With a matchup at Houston, he proved he can carry the workload with a career-high 21 carries but will Willis McGahee play and take them away?

The fallen ...

The Bears offense: For one week, Matt Forte and the injured Kyle Orton should be riding the pine against the unbeaten Tennessee Titans and their brick wall for a front seven. Forte, a definite No. 1 back, should only sit though if a Maurice Jones-Drew (against the Lions) or Tim Hightower (against the 49ers) matchup sits on your roster.

Aaron Rodgers, Packers quarterback: He makes his first start in the Metrodome against the Vikings. Brett Favre never performed particularly well there. So by default, Rodgers must prove it with a stellar game on the road against the division foe.

Four and out

1. The Bengals, Cowboys, Buccaneers and Redskins have byes. 2. The byes are over after this week. 3. The Colts travel to Pittsburgh and benching Joseph Addai doesn’t seem like a bad idea. 4. San Diego plays the Chiefs. Consider all Chargers options.

For any fantasy football-related information or questions e-mail Francis Bova at fbova@MorningJournal.com.

UPDATED DEC. 10: Backup plans ...

2008-11-05T23:53:00.003-05:00

Here are some potential handcuffs or backups for players, in case, of injury or suspension. If you have an extra roster spot, it may be worth it for a push down the stretch.

Cardinals
Matt Leinart (for Kurt Warner)
Steve Breaston (for Larry Fitzgerald and Anquan Boldin)
Edgerring James (for Tim Hightower)

Falcons
Michael Jenkins (for Roddy White)
Jerious Norwood (for Michael Turner)

Bears
Kevin Jones (for Matt Forte)

Cowboys
Tashard Choice (for Marion Barber)
Martellus Bennett (for Jason Whitten)

Broncos
Selvin Young (for Tatum Bell)
Eddie Royal (for Brandon Marshall)

Packers
Brandon Jackson (for Ryan Grant)

Colts
Anthony Gonzalez (for Reggie Wayne)
Dominic Rhodes (for Joseph Addai)

Chiefs
Jamal Charles (for Larry Johnson)

Vikings
Chester Taylor (for Adrian Peterson)

Giants
Derrick Ward (for Brandon Jacobs)

Jets
Leon Washington (for Thomas Jones)

Steelers
Mewelde Moore (for Willie Parker)

Chargers
Darren Sproles (for LaDainian Tomlinson)
Billy Volek (for Phillip Rivers)

49ers
DeShaun Foster (for Frank Gore)

Rams
Antonio Pittman (for Steven Jackson)
Donnie Avery (for Torry Holt)

Redskins
Ladell Betts (for Clinton Portis)

Other awards...

2008-10-30T07:41:00.002-04:00

Top Kicker: John Carney, the guy who has been around the league and back, leads all kickers in field goals with 18. Although, he hasn't gone over 50 yards yet. So Matt Prater is the guy so far. John Kasay is on his heels though. Prater's claim to fame was back-to-back weeks with a field goal of equal to or more than 55 yards.

Top Defense: How about the Eagles and Bears? The Bears lack in sacks, but have five defense and special teams touchdowns. The Eagles have three. My personal choice, though, is the Titans. They have given up only 87 points in eight weeks. They lack in sacks, but have a ton of picks.

Top Individual Defense Player: DeMarcus Ware is a sack machine and makes tackles. Joey Porter wants the sack record (he's nearly halfway there with 10.5). James Harrison, the former Kent State product, is playing well. With some time left, Patrick Willis could make the run for the title though.

Biggest bust: Easy to go with Tom Brady, but how about Joseph Addai? He hasn't done anything except find the injury list. If he can get healthy, he may help for a playoff run.

Biggest surprise: Too many. How about Aaron Rodgers and Greg Jennings forming the new dynamic duo in Green Bay? The old was Brett Favre and Antonio Freeman or Brett Favre and Robert Brooks or Brett Favre and Greg Jennings. Another one is lack of production from Braylon Edwards. He seemed on the verge of taking over, but has stepped back.

Week 9: The race for player of the year

2008-10-30T07:36:00.002-04:00

LET'S reflect with more than half the fantasy season in the books. Let's start by figuring out some of the end-of-the-season awards through Week 9.

With quarterback Tom Brady out for the season, he will not have the chance to repeat as fantasy's most valuable player. But numerous players are in the running for 2008's top fantasy football player.

Quarterback Drew Brees is the clear-cut best quarterback and front runner for fantasy's most valuable player with more than 2,500 yards and 15 touchdown passes for the high-octane Saints.

Earlier in the season, it appeared to be a race between Brees and Tony Romo. Then Romo, after a broken pinkie, shattered that notion and numerous owners looking for a replacement in Brad Johnson felt the pain too.

Other quarterbacks making a run, believe it or not, former grocer Kurt Warner (2,089 yards, 14 TDs), former afterthought Philip Rivers (2,038 yards, 19 TDs) and former Brett Favre backup Aaron Rodgers (1,668 yards, 14 passing and three rushing TDs).

With the running backs, Clinton Portis (944 rushing yards and seven TDs) and Marion Barber (877 total yards and seven total TDs) are downright fantasy stars but neither has had a bye yet. That leaves the seemingly venerable Frank Gore (940 total yards and five total TDs) as the top back with a bye week in the past two months.

At wide receiver, Andre Johnson is the most valuable player by default. He has been targeted a league-high 83 times, but has only two touchdowns to go with his league-highs of 56 catches and 772 yards. Right behind Johnson, Roddy White, Santana Moss and Larry Fitzgerald linger with impressive totals.

Before a fractured rib on Sunday, Jason Whitten (46 catches, 549 yards and two TDs) was on his way to finish as fantasy's top tight end. But usual stars Antonio Gates (369 yards and three TDs) and Tony Gonzalez (451 yards and one TD), along with Chris Cooley (451 yards and one TD), could make their way to the top of the tight end heap.

The top offensive rookie has been running back Matt Forte. The Bears' second-round pick has been the model of consistency this season.

With solid receiving numbers to boot, he has gained 515 rushing yards and totaled six touchdowns.Forte's game this week is against the Lions and that should have fantasy owners clapping already. Early in October, he scored two touchdowns against the former Matt Millen-led bunch.

Scrapping for points?

After former Ohio State quarterback Troy Smith entered the Ravens game on Sunday against Oakland, a unique play seemed inevitable. Well, quarterback Joe Flacco split out and caught himself a 43-yard pass from the former Heisman trophy winner. It wasn't the first time a quarterback caught a pass this year, Ryan Fitzpatrick has one catch for negative three yards.

Since 2000, Brees has been the top receiving quarterback. During his time with the Saints and Chargers, he has four catches for 49 yards and one touchdown.

With Brees, already the top fantasy quarterback, owners can always pray for the extremely random play.How random is it though? Since 2003, quarterbacks have 31 catches for 142 yards.

Catch them if you can ...

Donnie Avery, St. Louis wide receiver: Mr. Avery had 163 receiving yards and one touchdown last week against New England. He takes on Arizona this week and for the last two weeks appears to be Torry Holt's future replacement.

Kevin Curtis, Philadelphia wide receiver: Curtis is back. The No. 1 Eagles option had three catches for 45 yards in his 2008 debut. If he is still out there, snag him with games against Seattle and Cincinnati in the next three weeks.

The fallen ...

Matt Schaub, Houston quarterback: He's had three straight amazing performances against ... Miami, Detroit and Cincinnati. If he keeps it up against Minnesota, Baltimore and Indianapolis, pencil him for a trip to Hawaii. Otherwise, reality bites.

Steve Breaston, Cardinals wide receiver: Anquan Boldin came back, but the former Michigan star still accumulated more than 100 receiving yards. Chances are the No. 3 option in the Cardinals lineup will not do that again. Keep him on your roster, just don't start him.

Four and out

1. Carolina, New Orleans, San Diego and San Francisco have byes. 2. Lee Evans is due for one of those Lee Evans monster games. 3. Wait and see if Ted Ginn Jr. can perform like last week again. 4. Leon Washington deserves a spot on fantasy rosters.

Sunday Morning Quarterback

2008-10-26T00:02:00.003-04:00

DOWN to the wire, legit No. 1 running backs are questionable for Week 8. Will Brian Westbrook, Steven Jackson, Clinton Portis and Joseph Addai play?

Chances are Westbrook and Portis will. Jackson will probably start, too. But Addai, if you have him, don't start. Even if he does play on Monday night, he is going against the Titans defense.

Now don't start Santanio Holmes, either. He was deactivated on Saturday night because of an arrest.

Quick fix

"The I have no options and five minutes to pick a player" pull of the week:

Leon Washington, Jets running back vs. Chiefs: Kansas City's run defense, do your best Charles Barkley voice, is terrrrrrribbbbble. Thomas Jones will get the bulk of carries, but Washington could get 10 to 15 touches.

Can of corn

Keep an eye on how the Dolphins continue to use running back Patrick Cobbs. If not for fantasy's sake, then a flashback to the 90s.

For two games, at least, Cobbs is playing like former Cardinals fullback Larry Centers.

Centers once caught 101 passes out of the backfield and rushed for a mere 254 yards in the same season.

Cobbs had eight catches for more than 200 yards and two touchdowns in two games. Ohhh and he had three rushing yards, too.

Now if you truly need Cobbs, you should be preparing for your fantasy basketball draft. The season's over.

Week 8: New England relives the past for a game

2008-10-23T07:19:00.001-04:00

BEFORE training camp, draftniks were loud and clear. Tom Brady and the Patriots play the easiest schedule ever. How has it worked out?

After seven weeks, the verdict was still out.No Brady. So-so Randy Moss. Where did Wes Welker go? Laurence Maroney vanished to the IR.

After eight weeks, the verdict is close.

The defense is still ancient, but safety Rodney Harrison's season-ending injury is a devastating blow.

Once again, though, Monday Night Football's magic brought out a team's best.

The Pats rolled in a 41-7 win vs. the Broncos.

If you had the gusto to start running back Sammy Morris, you may be a true fantasy wizard. If not, get old Sammy while you can. Even though, he is currently listed "day to day" by his coach Bill Belichick.

In all the hoopla, there is one gem.

Morris' current backup, BenJarvus Green-Ellis, has the most intriguing fantasy name since ex-Steelers running back Chris Fuamatu-Ma'afala.With cbssportsline.com posting random fantasy trades, Green-Ellis was actually packaged on Tuesday with T.J. Houshmandzadeh, LaDainian Tomlinson and the Titans defense for Plaxico Burress, Maurice Jones-Drew and the modestly named Josh Morgan.

The deal, which included Titans defensive end Kyle Vander Bosch by default, make break the record for wordiest names and most hyphens traded for this year.

If you still believe in cakewalks and that the Patriots have the easiest schedule ever, dust off Matt Cassel and pencil Green-Ellis into your last roster spot.

Easy on the Cassel-back though. One week ago, Belichick probably wished he had Vinny Testaverde for a hot minute. But, hey, the Patriots play the rejuvenated, but their-still-the-Rams this week.

And the award goes to...

* Colts running back Joseph Addai for "The First-Round Bust With The Most Potential." Addai hasn't done much except hurt his hammy, but Steven Jackson injured his groin last year and bounced back with an admirable stretch run. Mr. Addai can do the same when the Colts and fantasy owners need him most.

* Bengals quarterback Carson Palmer for "The I Can't Believe I Cut Him, Wasn't He Just a Pro-Bowler?" Runners-up include: Marc Bulger and Derek Anderson. Let's face it, Palmer's shoulder injury isn't getting better and either are the hapless Bungles.

* Browns quarterback Brady Quinn for "Put Me In Coach, I'm Ready to Play!" Quinn is a tremendous security blanket for the Browns and any fantasy owner in desperate need of a potential quarterback in their playoffs.

Catch them if you can...

* Antwaan Randle El, Redskins vs. Detroit: The wide receiver is the fourth option in the offense, behind Clinton Portis, Santana Moss and Chris Cooley, but everyone plays well against the Lions. Did you see Matt Schaub threw only five incompletions last week?

* Whoever the Chiefs are playing: Self-explanatory, but last week this space used Chiefs running back Jamaal Charles as a potential down-the-line starter. Coach Herm Edwards must not agree, yet. He gave running back Kolby Smith the keys to one of the worst offenses in the league with Larry Johnson out. If you didn't catch the game, the "Chefs" rolled with three different quarterbacks in an absolute dismal performance on both sides.

The fallen

* Darren McFadden, Oakland: The rookie running back had one bust-out game with more than 160 rushing yards, but his new coach Tom Cable doesn't have a Kiffin' idea how to use him. The "Wildcat" is the most overrated offensive formation since Dennis Miller's hair and beard combo.

* Reggie Bush, New Orleans: Just when it seemed the Texans made a mistake by not drafting him, he is out. The most intriguing image of Sunday wasn't Tony Romo on the sidelines, but Bush's former Southern California backup LenDale White chugging for an 80-yard touchdown run. So who takes Bush's place in The Big Easy: Deuce, Stecker or Pierre?

Four and out

1. There is no Sunday night game because of the World Series. 2. Chicago, Denver, Green Bay and Minnesota have byes. 3. Trent Edwards is a good bye-week replacement. 4. Carolina's defense figured out the Saints in Week 7, but it's unlikely they shut down the Cardinals on Sunday.

With the first pick I select ... Me

2008-10-16T03:57:00.005-04:00

By clicking above you can read The Wall Street Journal's article about the world of NFL players playing fantasy football. It provides some insight, like....

Who would have guessed Jaguars running back Maurice Jones-Drew picked himself first overall?

Or that kicker Jay Feely picked himself up as a free agent?

Week 7: Now is a good time to think trade

2008-10-16T03:30:00.003-04:00

TRADE deadlines for most fantasy leagues are approaching. If you're making a trade look into Week 14 to Week 16. The three-week span when most leagues hold their playoffs is a ripe time to pick off a potential serviceable player or two.

The guys that jump to mind are Minnesota and Arizona players.The Vikings have three favorable matchups in the span.With Adrian Peterson presumably off the trade market, wide receiver Bernard Berrian and backup running back Chester Taylor are guys to consider before your league's deadline passes.

Don't sell a starter for either, but if, say, Peterson goes down you will be ready to reap the benefits.

If Peterson is out, who wouldn't want to start Taylor at home vs. Detroit in Week 14, at Arizona in Week 15 and at home vs. Atlanta in Week 16?

The Cardinals play at home vs. St. Louis in Week 14, followed by Minnesota at home and play on the road against a fading New England squad in Week 16.

Now may be the time to make a move for injured wide receiver Anquan Boldin. His stock has never been lower with the emergence of Steve Breaston.The Cardinals have a bye in Week 7, but Boldin, who had five touchdowns before getting hurt, is expected back next week.

Other guys to consider are wide receiver Larry Fitzgerald and backup running back Tim Hightower. If you own Kurt Warner, think about handcuffing him with backup Matt Leinart for your own peace of mind.

Other teams have truly favorable matchups, too. San Diego has Oakland at home in Week 14 and play at Kansas City in Week 15, while Miami has two easy matchups.At this point, though, the only Dolphins worth trading for are running back Ronnie Brown and tight end Anthony Fasano.

The Dolphins travel to Kansas City in Week 16 and have San Francisco at home in Week 15.

The real trade deadline

The Chiefs' Tony Gonzalez didn't get traded at the NFL's Tuesday 4 p.m. deadline. But Lions wide receiver Roy Williams became an instant curiosity with his trade to Dallas.

With the NFL's leading touchdown tosser Tony Romo out until, probably, Week 11, 40-year-old backup and former pro-bowler Brad Johnson takes over the saddles of the Cowboys' offense.

Johnson is simply a quick fix for a few weeks, but worthy of a pickup and a start if you need a quarterback.He will have Williams, Terrell Owens, Jason Whitten and Patrick Crayton on the outside. Plus, running back Marion Barber for any dump off or screen passes. Rookie running back Felix Jones, though, is out with a hamstring injury.

However, Johnson could best utilized as a No. 3 quarterback on a roster. Why not make another owner angry by snagging him.

The unusual suspects

After Tom Brady dropped in Week 1 and Peyton Manning's slow start, quarterback play in most fantasy leagues is a case of the unusual suspects. After down years, Philip Rivers and Warner bounced back to become reliable fantasy options.

Jay Cutler proved he is the real deal, mainly, by averaging 38 passing attempts per game.

Before Romo's injury, Drew Brees and him were the only No. 1 quarterbacks maintaining their worth.

If you picked up or drafted Aaron Rodgers or started Brett Favre during his six-touchdown week, you should understand the weirdness.

Carson Palmer dropped faster than Chad Johnson's jersey sales, and Ben Roethlisberger put up one good game so far.

At this point, Gus Frerotte and David Garrard are looking like solid options.

What in the name of Bubby Brister is going on?

Catch them if you can...

Jamaal Charles, Chiefs running back: Larry Johnson is in trouble with the law, again. With a potential suspension on the horizon, a 20-carry back down the line for a playoff push may be too hard to pass up.

Dominic Rhodes, Colts running back: Chances are he is already gone, but Joseph Addai's hamstring injury may or may not prevent him from playing in Week 7. Is it just me or is Addai now officially a first-round bust?

The fallen

Matt Cassel, Patriots quarterback: Were you ever sold on him to begin with? Since Week 1, Randy Moss and Wes Welker owners don't know what to do. At best, he is a low-end No. 2 quarterback.

T.J. Houshmandzadeh, Bengals wide receiver: With each passing week, Ryan Fitzpatrick looks less and less like the real deal. If you drafted him, there is still hope only because he's in a walk year. Otherwise, his two-touchdown game against Dallas in Week 5 could be as good as it gets.

Four and out

1. Consider the Jets defense for the next two weeks. 2. Running back Matt Forte is a No. 1 back. 3. Wide receiver Roddy White is a must start in Week 8. 4. Keep an eye on Tampa Bay's backfield. Earnest Graham played a lot of fullback and Warrick Dunn ate up his carries as the primary guy last week.

Tuesday Morning Quarterback

2008-10-14T00:31:00.009-04:00

CLEVELAND -- It appears Derek Anderson is back to his Pro Bowl ways. Boy, what a difference a season-changing win can make.

How do these numbers ring the morning after a 35-14 Browns win against the Super Bowl Giants?

Anderson finished 18 for 29 for 310 yards, two touchdowns and a two-point conversion pass. He also threw zero picks.

Let’s see how many people make the Cleveland quarterback a must-start for Week 7 against the Washington Redskins in Washington. My opinion, sell high on the guy. You might be able to fetch something, in case, Week 6 was a fluke.

After watching the game, Braylon Edwards is back to must-start status as well. If you benched him for last night’s game, ouch.

Edwards had five catches for a career-high 154 yards, one touchdown and a two-point conversion catch.

The Romo solution

Cowboys quarterback Tony Romo is out for, at least, three games with a broken pinkie. The team has a bye in Week 10. So, at best, Romo comes back in Week 11 for fantasy owners. In the meantime, I doubt, any owners handcuffed 40-year-old backup wonder Brad Johnson.

That makes Johnson a semi-desirable pickup for a few games.

The two-time pro-bowler takes control of one of the game’s best offenses. If you watched highlights from the Cowboys loss to the Cardinals on Sunday, running back Marion Barber took a pass for a 70-yard touchdown. With Barber's talent, Johnson will have a solid dump off target.

Rookie Felix Jones can do the same thing, too. But Felix is out for the next few weeks with a hamstring injury.

I don’t like Johnson’s long-term potential, but he will be throwing to Terrell Owens, Jason Whitten and Patrick Crayton.

Scoop Johnson up if you need a quarterback. Maybe a better strategy, though, is to pick him up and prevent another team from potentially cashing in on a quick fix. No. 3 quarterbacks on fantasy rosters sometimes are the best defense.

Tony Gonzalez gone?

The trade deadline for the NFL is today at 4 p.m. The rumors have the future hall of famer and Chiefs tight end Tony Gonzalez heading somewhere. Where? Philadelphia, Buffalo or the New York Giants are destinations reported by the Associated Press.

Let’s break down what it means.

If it’s Philly, L.J. Smith is out of the picture. With Donovan McNabb tossing balls his way, Gonzalez would be a top-notch option and retain his must-start No. 1 status.

Face it: Tyler Thigpen and Damon Huard are not going to help his fantasy stock in Kansas City.

With those guys, Gonzalez could earn or has earned a spot on the bench if you have, say, the Miami Dolphins Anthony Fasano as a backup.

At least, McNabb would give owners some confidence in starting the nine-time pro-bowler each week.

If it’s Buffalo or New York, Trent Edwards and Eli Manning, though not last night’s version of lil’ Peyton, would seem like logical pitch-and-catch mates for the tight end.

But, hey, it’s the NFL. Do teams other than the Browns make trades?

Catch them if you can...

Dominic Rhodes, Colts: Running back Joseph Addai, a first-round bust for many, hurt his hamstring on Sunday. Chances are Rhodes is already gone.

Jets defense: They have produced two straight stellar weeks. They had five sacks, a fumble recovery, but no picks against Cincinnati on Sunday. The week before against the Cardinals: five sacks, five fumble recoveries, three interceptions and a touchdown. The reasons they may keep paying off as a bye-week replacement or starting defense: The J-E-T-S play against Oakland this Sunday and have Kansas City the following week.

Check out Thursday’s Morning Journal for a fantasy column.

Week 6: Stallworth debut?

2008-10-09T23:27:00.001-04:00

I am jumping into the fantasy column realm at an interesting time. Welcome to Week 6.

First, I'd like to wish former Morning Journal columnist and fellow Cleveland Stater Dan Gilles the best of luck in his new endeavors. He has written his last column for Week 6. So, I will lay out a few things on the week, too.

Gilles shared the saga of trying to decide on whether to start a game-time decision at quarterback this past week. It's an agonizing situation, but one that, I agree, revolves around some good old-fashioned luck.

Ben Roethlisberger and Aaron Rodgers kept owners guessing and then produced high-scoring weeks. If you watched "Big Ben" wince in pain since Week 1, you probably wouldn't want to start him either.

At this point in the season, fantasy owners should have a firm grasp on where their teams stand. If you stand at 0-5, why not play the role of spoiler? If you stand at 5-0, you're already making the right choices. If you're on the cusp, you may be one pickup or injury away for making or breaking the season. So here we go.

Browns Town

The Browns are back from the bye and playing on Monday night against the New York Giants. Beware, Kellen Winslow owners. Unspecified "illness" is never a good thing, and hopefully it's just the flu bug.

The big news, though, is Donte Stallworth, a perennial fantasy tease, maybe making his much anticipated debut for the Browns. My advice don't start him. I have two reasons:

1. He is playing on Monday night. If he pulls up lame in warmups again, who are you going to start? Giants backup wideout Domenik Hixon?

2. Let's see him play first. Derek Anderson hasn't had a quality No. 2 wide receiver yet this season. It could be argued, he hasn't had a No. 1 either. Sorry, Braylon.

The Gambles (You may be crazy to start or pick up, but, hey, it may just pay off)

1. Cedric Benson, Bengals vs. Jets: Yes, he is back. With a struggling offense, Benson may just be the Rudi Johnson the Bengals need to get the offense back on track. Sorry, Chris Perry. The days of you being the No. 1 back in Cincy could be over. I see a platoon, but remember this is Benson. The same Benson that many took a gamble on in 2006 and, more so, in 2007. But, hey, the NFL is all about second chances these days. Right Chris Henry?

2. Gustave Frerotte, Vikings vs. Lions: The former Pro Bowler and one-time head rammer has settled nicely into the positon of starting quarterback for Minnesota. So, if you're desperate here is a potential one-week wonder. The Lions defense has given more than 30 points a game and 15 offensive touchdowns so far. Plus, he is always one screen pass to Adrian Peterson away from scoring points.

The Challenge (Other experts told you to sit them, I try to provide reasons why not to)

1. Derek Anderson, Browns vs. Giants: So, cbssportsline wants to remind every one the Giants knocked out Anderson in the preseason. They handed him a concussion and, in return, he has handed fantasy owners pretty much nothing since. Well, Monday night is primetime for a reason. Just ignore, Anderson's Sunday night performance against the Steelers in Week 2. Last week, Frerotte had a touchdown pass and Drew Brees threw for more than 300 yards. They didn't exactly rip it up, but how can you not believe Anderson will be jacked up for this game.

No. 1: He is reportedly on a short leash, but you never know what Romeo Crennel is thinking. Anderson should start fast and get the offense moving against the Super Bowl champs.

No. 2: The Giants may have hurt him before, but the guy who did it, Osi Umenyiora, is out for the season.

No. 3: 70,000-plus fans will be on his side early and often.

No. 4: The "don't start Stallworth" maybe back. Now, if Winslow is cleared to go, the weapons and a bye week of prep will be in his favor. Now, he just needs to avoid any cement walls in celebration.

0-4 Week

2008-09-24T23:37:00.002-04:00

It was only a matter of time, but this week, my teams went completely winless.

Coupled with the Browns' loss to my hated Ravens, and it made for a long and miserable weekend.

The best chance I had at winning was in my work league, where my team has been mediocre for the most part. Starting Ronnie Brown on a whim, with his five touchdowns that translated into 39 fantasy points in my league, I was off to a big lead over my opponent.

However, when the dust settled, I had been beaten, 104-102. I had the second-highest score in the 12-team league, and all I get out of it was another digit in the loss column.

Sad, but that's fantasy.

In my other leagues, terrible performances out of Ben Roethlisberger and Braylon Edwards really did me in. In the league where I was projected to finish in first place, my team had the lowest point total in the entire league and I was beaten soundly by a team that, I thought, would be the patsie of the league.

It's too early to panic, however. Bye weeks seperate the men from from the boys a lot of times, so I'm still confident I can turn the ship around.

Do you have a similar story in your league? Please feel free to post a comment and vent. That's what this is for.

My progress

2008-09-17T23:13:00.002-04:00

Through two weeks of the season, I own two 2-0 teams and two 1-1 teams. I'll take it.

One of the 2-0 teams is the club I co-own with my buddy Kos (the team with all the Cowboys on it). This week, we defeated the current league leader by a handy margin and are now a mere point off the league lead.

The other 2-0 team is in the league I'm in with my family. I've broken the century mark in both weeks, defeating the two teams I thought would be the toughest teams in my conference. My chances are good for a playoff berth and for a Super Bowl berth as well.

The 1-1 teams, one I'm happy to be that record, the other not so much. The first one is in my Morning Journal league (the one where I lost Tom Brady), and I was able to squeak out a victory with Chad Pennington at QB. I made a trade, giving up Willie Parker and Jeff Garcia for Ben Roethlisberger and DeAngelo Williams, so that solidifies my QB position for next week.

The other, I had five players going in the Sunday night game, and only two of them performed decently at all. That cost me, since the team I played had the high score for the week. Hopefully, they turn it around next week.

Folks will also be happy to know that I finally got Internet access at my house, so now I won't have to travel all over the place to update my teams. That should be bad news for my future opponents.

Brady goes down

2008-09-08T17:09:00.002-04:00

So, if you're like me and you spent a first round pick on Tom Brady, you know what today feels like.

In case you've been in a cave, Brady was injured on a pass only 10 minutes into the opening game vs. the Chiefs. It was later determined that Brady will miss the entire season this year.

If you're like me, you probably neglected the QB position for many rounds after snagging Brady in the first round. Right now, my only healthy quarterbacks are Jeff Garcia (mediocre) and Brady Quinn (not playing).

That's not good.

Right off the bat, I will say that it's worth trying to land Matt Cassell off the waiver wire. The cast of characters in New England's offense is still the same, and they did pretty well with Cassell at the helm. Now, I know they're working out Chris Simms, Daunte Culpepper and any other reject QB out there, but Cassell will start unless is completely falters. He knows the offense.

Other QBs to seek out that may be out there include Chad Pennington, Jason Campbell, J.T. O'Sullivan, Matt Ryan, Tarvaris Jackson and Joe Flacco. Pennington is the No. 1 choice at the moment.

Check out Thursday's column for more on this and other happenings in the fantasy world.

Wk. 1 Projections

2008-09-02T21:24:00.002-04:00

Here's my projections for Week 1 (normally, this would be in my normal column. However, my recap of the weekend took up too much space):

FIVE UP
1. Cowboys QB Tony Romo vs. Browns: So, the Browns defense has improved. Well, their secondary seems to be pretty weak, with no depth and injury problems. Romo should come out firing Sunday afternoon in Cleveland, and he should put up some big numbers.
2. Cardinals WR Larry Fitzgerald vs. 49ers: The 49ers do have Nate Clements, but not much else in that secondary. Expect the Cards to throw a lot vs. San Fran, and Fitzgerald should be the recipient of most of those throws.
3. Steelers QB Ben Roethlisberger vs. Texans: Houston's defense has improved, but it's secondary is pretty weak. Its pass rush could have its way over Pittsburgh's revamped offensive line, but Big Ben should still be able to put up big numbers.
4. Giants RB Brandon Jacobs vs. Redskins: Jason Taylor may be out for tomorrow night's game, so that should be huge for Jacobs and New York's run defense. The Giants will be playing with something to prove after not having a lot of respect for winning last season's Super Bowl, and the respect will start with establishing Jacobs.
5. Jets RB Thomas Jones vs. Dolphins: Jones has one of the greatest quarterbacks ever lining up in front of him and he'll be playing a defense that lost it's best players to free agency (and wasn't very good with them). This will be a good game for all you guys who took a flier on Jones, so start him.

FIVE DOWN
1. Packers QB Aaron Rodgers vs. Vikings: The Vikings defense is notoriously stingy. This is Rodgers' first career start. Not a good equation for Green Bay. If you have him, keep him on your bench this week.
2. Buccaneers QB Jeff Garcia vs. Saints: The Saints may be a bit distracted because of the latest hurricane scare, but I don't think it will have an impact on this game. Their defense, plus a lack of Tampa Bay weapons, should make for a long day for this whining quarterback.
3. Bengals RB Chris Perry vs. Ravens: Baltimore will have a terrible season this year, but it still has a defense to respect, especially against the run. If you took a flier on Perry, don't dust him off this week.
4. Dolphins WR Ted Ginn vs. Jets: Ginn is the top target for Miami this season. But that won't mean much this Sunday against New York. With Chad Pennington still getting used to the Miami playbook, leave the pride of Glenville on your bench.
5. Saints RB Reggie Bush vs. Buccaneers: Bush is probable with a quad injury. Even still, quad injuries aren't very good for running backs. Bush may see his time decreased for Pierre Thomas and Deuce McAllister this week, plus the Bucs are a strong run defense. Start him at your own risk.

My drafts

2008-09-02T20:29:00.003-04:00

Here's my round-by-round selections for each of my four drafts. The second draft I did with a co-owner, and I am the "minority partner." Let me know what you think:

Burn Survivors, Lombardi's League of Legends/GridIron Greats (start a QB, two RBs, two WRs, a flex (RB/WR/TE), a K and a Defense. Tight ends are considered receivers. Bench players can be any position. I picked 1st out of 10 teams):
1. LaDainian Tomlinson, RB
2. Braylon Edwards, WR
3. Ben Roethlisberger, QB
4. Jamal Lewis, RB
5. Wes Welker, WR
6. Thomas Jones, RB
7. Hines Ward, WR
8. Roddy White, WR
9. Jonathan Stewart, RB
10. Brett Favre, QB
11. Ricky Williams, RB
12. Vernon Davis, TE
13. N.Y. Giants, Defense
14. Green Bay, Defense
15. Jeff Reed, K

Carribean War Pirates (w/ David Kos), Fantasy Football League of Beers (start a QB, two RBs, two WRs, a TE, a flex (QB/RB/WR/TE), a K, two DLs, two LBs, two DBs and a defensive flex (DL/LB/DB). Have to carry two QBs, four RBs, four WRs, two TEs, two Ks, four DLs, four LBs and four DBs, along with two "practice squad" players) We picked 5th out of 10 teams:
Offensive keepers -- Tony Romo, QB, Terrell Owens, WR, Marion Barber, RB
Defensive keepers -- DeMeco Ryans, LB, Julian Peterson, LB, London Fletcher, LB
1. Torry Holt, WR
2. Matt Hasselbeck, QB
3. Antonio Gates, TE
4a. Ronnie Brown, RB
4b. Jonathan Stewart, RB
5. Roddy White, WR
6. Nick Folk, K
7. No pick
8. Champ Bailey, DB
9. Robert Mathis, DL
10. Elvis Dumvervil, DL
11. Laron Landry, DB
12. Ben Watson, TE
13. Atari Bigby, DB
14. A.J. Hawk, LB
15. Albert Haynesworth, DL
16. Glenn Dorsey, DL
17. Michael Huff, DB
18. Devin Hester, WR
19. Mike Nugent, K
20. Felix Jones, RB
21. Deuce McAllister, RB (practice squad)
22. Brady Quinn, QB (practice squad)

Burn Survivors, Morning Journal Fantasy Football League (start a QB, two RBs, two WRs, a TE, a flex (RB/WR/TE), a K and a defense. Roster consists of two QBs, four RBs, four WRs, two TEs, two Ks, two defenses and two "practice squad" players. I picked 6th out of 12 teams):
1. Tom Brady, QB
2. Maurice Jones-Drew, RB
3. Braylon Edwards, WR
4. Willie Parker, RB
5. Roy Williams, WR
6. Chris Cooley, TE
7. Ronnie Brown, RB
8. Joey Galloway, WR
9. Justin Fargas, RB
10. Ted Ginn, WR
11. Seattle, Defense
12. Felix Jones, RB (practice squad)
13. Jeff Garcia, QB
14. Mason Crosby, K
15. Ben Utecht, TE
16. Baltimore, Defense
17. Martin Gramatica, K
18. Brady Quinn, QB (practice squad)

Burn Survivors, National Football League (start a QB, two RBs, three WRs, a TE, a K and a Defense. Bench players can be any position. You can keep one player taken after the 10th round for next season. I picked 1st out of 12 teams):
1. LaDainian Tomlinson, RB
2. Ryan Grant, RB
3. Ben Roethlisberger, QB
4. Hines Ward, WR
5. Kellen Winslow, TE
6. Dwayne Bowe, WR
7. Santana Moss, WR
8. Chester Taylor, RB
9. Donte Stallworth, WR
10. Chicago, Defense
11. Justin Fargas, RB
12. Josh Morgan, WR
13. Tony Sheffler, TE
14. Stephen Gostkowski, K
15. Pierre Thomas, RB
16. J.T. O'Sullivan, QB

Some Do's and Don't's

2008-08-27T23:13:00.002-04:00

Here's a few helpful tips when you do your draft or drafts this weekend:

1. Don't feel the need to go running back/running back with your first two picks: That theory is about dead. Why take Willie Parker when you could end up with someone like Tony Romo or Reggie Wayne, who will probably outscore "Fast Willie" in fantasy points this season. Chances are, a decent running back can be had in the third, fourth or even fifth round for your No. 2.

2. Don't be afraid to take a quarterback in Round 1: Tom Brady, Peyton Manning and Tony Romo are all legitimate first round selections, even with the injury concerns of both Brady and Manning. If your league's scoring system awards 6 points for TD passes, then pounce on one of these QBs.

3. Don't overvalue rookies, even for you keeper leagues: It happens every year, the hot-shot rookie is taken in the first few rounds so that that owner can keep him for the next few years. In one league I was in, Calvin Johnson went with the first overall pick (after all teams kept three players). This year, it appears Darren McFadden is getting all the hype, and a lot fantasy services have him rated pretty high. Don't fall into that trap. Don't rely on a rookie as your starter unless you absolutely have no other choice. Let him prove himself for a week or two before you rely on him.

4. Avoid kickers until the very end: Even if you have to take two kickers instead of one, use your last two picks on them. If not, then take your kicker with the last pick. Some guy will jump on a kicker in the 10th round, and then every other owner will panic and start the dreaded "run on kickers." Don't be that owner this year. Shore up your bench/depth first at other positions before taking your kicker(s).

5. Wait at least 10 rounds before snagging defense: A great defensive team could be the difference in wins and losses. A defense that consistantly scores 15 points will help you win those close games and could be a difference maker when you reach the playoffs, or in that points race. However, taking a defense early usually seems to bite you in the rear. Wait at least 10 rounds before you snag a defense. Taking a defense that is not only a good unit, but also has a good special teams unit is a must.

6. Know your leagues scoring system and bylaws: Just because ESPN ranks 8 of the first 10 players to be running backs doesn't mean you should, especially in a league where TD passes are 10 points. If your league doesn't award a point per reception, that not only devalues running backs, but also wide receivers. Also, make sure you know before the draft whether your league will be a keeper league or not ... that will be a big difference in whether you take Tomlinson or Peterson with that top pick.

7. Don't oversaturate yourself with too much information: Toting five different fantasy service rankings to your draft defeats the whole purpose. You'll be scrambling through hundreds of sheets to find that No. 3 receiver as the time ticks down. It's good to look at more than one service, but use those to make your own rankings. The guy ESPN says is a stiff could be a stud, according to CBS, or decent, according to NFL.com. Keep it simple, stupid.

8. Be careful how many leagues you join: This year, I am a sole owner in three leagues and a co-owner in a fourth. I try not to go over four leagues per year, because I know my limits. Don't join additional leagues if you don't feel you have the proper time to devote to each. If you are a rookie, stick to one league first until you feel you are comfortable with the game. Then, try to take on additional leagues.

9. Keep it civil: The downfall of many leagues is when trash talk goes overboard. After a while, a draft can become so tension-filled, that you can hear a pin drop. If a guy (or gal) makes a stupid pick, let that person know about it, but don't insult that person's family or hygene or appearance along with it. Fantasy football is what it is, "fantasy." Don't let that fantasy become your reality, or else everyone suffers.

10. Have fun: The draft happens once a year. It's like a party, with food, beverages and friends. It's OK to enjoy it for what it is. Don't take it too seriously, but at the same time, don't take it too lightly. You're in it to win it, remember. But one spoil sport ruins the whole experience, so keep that in mind. Oh, and if you drink some beers, keep it in moderation. Those late-round picks after about six beers get pretty bad.

Have a safe and fun draft!

Updated Rankings

2008-08-27T22:15:00.005-04:00

Here are the updated rankings, as of 8/28. A lot of things have changed in the week since I first posted these. Please keep that in mind as you prepare for your draft.

QUARTERBACKS
1. Tom Brady, New England; 2. Peyton Manning, Indianapolis; 3. Tony Romo, Dallas; 4. Drew Brees, New Orleans; 5. Ben Roethlisberger, Pittsburgh; 6. Carson Palmer, Cincinnati; 7. Derek Anderson, Cleveland; 8. Matt Hasselbeck, Seattle; 9. Donovan McNabb, Philadelphia; 10. Jay Cutler, Denver; 11. Brett Favre, N.Y. Jets; 12. Marc Bulger, St. Louis; 13. Matt Schaub, Houston; 14. Eli Manning, N.Y. Giants; 15. Kurt Warner, Arizona; 16. David Garrard, Jacksonville; 17. Phillip Rivers, San Diego; 18. Aaron Rodgers, Green Bay; 19. Jake Delhomme, Carolina; 20. Jason Campbell, Washington;

RUNNING BACKS
1. LaDainian Tomlinson, San Diego; 2. Brian Westbrook, Philadelphia; 3. Joseph Addai, Indianapolis; 4. Adrian Peterson, Minnesota; 5. Steven Jackson, St. Louis; 6. Frank Gore, San Francisco; 7. Clinton Portis, Washington; 8. Marshawn Lynch, Buffalo; 9. Marion Barber, Dallas; 10. Larry Johnson, Kansas City; 11. Ryan Grant, Green Bay; 12. Willie Parker, Pittsburgh; 13. Jamal Lewis, Cleveland; 14. Maurice Jones-Drew, Jacksonville; 15. Brandon Jacobs, N.Y. Giants; 16. Laurence Maroney, New England; 17. Willis McGahee, Baltimore; 18. Reggie Bush, New Orleans; 19. Michael Turner, Atlanta; 20. Thomas Jones, N.Y. Jets; 21. Edgerrin James, Arizona; 22. Earnest Graham, Tampa Bay; 23. Julius Jones, Dallas; 24. Matt Forte, Chicago; 25. Kevin Smith, Detroit; 26. Ronnie Brown, Miami; 27. Darren McFadden, Oakland; 28. LenDale White, Tennessee; 29. Selvin Young, Denver; 30. Fred Taylor, Jacksonville; 31. Jonathan Stewart, Carolina; 32. Rudi Johnson, Cincinnati; 33. Chester Taylor, Minnesota; 34. DeAngelo Williams, Carolina; 35. Ricky Williams, Miami.

WIDE RECEIVERS
1. Randy Moss, New England; 2. Terrell Owens, Dallas; 3. Reggie Wayne, Indianapolis; 4. Braylon Edwards, Cleveland; 5. Larry Fitzgerald, Arizona; 6. Andre Johnson, Houston; 7. T.J. Houshmandzadeh, Cincinnati; 8. Marques Colston, New Orleans; 9. Torry Holt, St. Louis; 10. Plaxico Burress, N.Y. Giants; 11. Wes Welker, New England; 12. Steve Smith, Carolina; 13. Santonio Holmes, Pittsburgh; 14. Anquan Boldin, Arizona; 15. Chad Johnson, Cincinnati; 16. Greg Jennings, Green Bay; 17. Roy Williams, Detroit; 18. Roddy White, Atlanta; 19. Hines Ward, Pittsburgh; 20. Lee Evans, Buffalo; 21. Dwayne Bowe, Kansas City; 22. Brandon Marshall, Denver; 23. Laveranues Coles, N.Y. Jets; 24. Calvin Johnson, Detroit; 25. Marvin Harrison, Indianapolis; 26. Donald Driver, Green Bay; 27. Santana Moss, Washington; 28. Jerricho Cotchery, N.Y. Jets; 29. Joey Galloway, Tampa Bay; 30. Chris Chambers, San Diego; 31. Bernard Berrian, Minnesota; 32. Anthony Gonzalez, Indianapolis; 33. Donte Stallworth, Cleveland; 34. Nate Burleson, Seattle; 35. D.J. Hackett, Carolina.

TIGHT ENDS
1. Jason Witten, Dallas; 2. Kellen Winslow, Cleveland; 3. Antonio Gates, San Diego; 4. Tony Gonzalez, Kansas City; 5. Dallas Clark, Indianapolis; 6. Chris Cooley, Washington; 7. Heath Miller, Pittsburgh; 8. Jeremy Shockey, New Orleans; 9. Vernon Davis, San Francisco; 10. Tony Scheffler, Denver; 11. Owen Daniels, Houston; 12. Todd Heap, Baltimore; 13. Alge Crumpler, Tennessee; 14. Greg Olsen, Chicago; 15. Donald Lee, Green Bay; 16. Kevin Boss, N.Y. Giants; 17. Benjamin Watson, New England; 18. L.J. Smith, Philadelphia; 19. Zach Miller, Oakland; 20. Ben Utecht, Cincinnati.

KICKERS
1. Nick Folk, Dallas; 2. Stephen Gostkowski, New England; 3. Nate Kaeding, San Diego; 4. Phil Dawson, Cleveland; 5. Adam Vinitieri, Indianapolis; 6. Mason Crosby, Green Bay; 7. Shayne Graham, Cincinnati; 8. Josh Brown, St. Louis; 9. Mike Nugent, N.Y. Jets; 10. Robbie Gould, Chicago; 11. R0b Bironas, Tennessee; 12. Jeff Reed, Pittsburgh; 13. Lawrence Tynes, N.Y. Giants; 14. Josh Scobee, Jacksonville; 15. Neil Rackers, Arizona; 16. John Kasay, Carolina; 17. Kris Brown, Houston; 18. Jason Hanson, Detroit; 19. Ryan Longwell, Minnesota; 20. Martin Gramatica, New Orleans.

DEFENSE/SPECIAL TEAMS
1. Vikings; 2. Chargers; 3. Seahawks; 4. Giants; 5. Cowboys; 6. Bears; 7. Jaguars; 8. Packers; 9. Patriots; 10. Colts; 11. Steelers; 12. Redskins; 13. Eagles; 14. Buccaneers; 15. Cardinals; 16. Ravens; 17. Bills; 18. Browns; 19. Raiders; 20. Titans.

INDIVIDUAL DEFENSIVE PLAYERS
1. Patrick Willis, LB, San Francisco; 2. Jared Allen, DL, Minnesota; 3. DeMarcus Ware, LB, Dallas; 4. DeMeco Ryans, LB, Houston; 5. Mario Williams, DL, Houston; 6. Kerry Rhodes, DB, N.Y, Jets; 7. Sean Jones, DB, Cleveland; 8. Julian Peterson, LB, Seattle; 9. Adrian Wilson, DB, Arizona; 10. Brian Urlacher, LB, Chicago; 11. Patrick Kerney, DL, Seattle; 12. Will Witherspoon, LB, St. Louis; 13. Lofa Tatupu, LB, Seattle; 14. David Harris, LB, N.Y. Jets; 15. London Fletcher-Baker, LB, Washington; 16. Jon Beason, LB, Carolina; 17. Julius Peppers, DL, Carolina; 18. Aaron Kampman, DL, Green Bay; 19. Trent Cole, DL, Eagles; 20. Jason Taylor, DL, Washington; 21. Champ Bailey, DB, Denver; 22. Bob Sanders, DB, Indianapolis; 23. Mike Vrabel, LB, New England; 24. Chris Harris, DB, Carolina; 25. Ray Lewis, LB, Baltimore; 26. James Farrior, LB, Pittsburgh; 27. Adewale Ogunleye, DL, Chicago; 28. Nick Barnett, LB, Green Bay; 29. Keith Bulluck, LB, Tennessee; 30. Gibril Wilson, DB, Raiders; 31. Robert Mathis, DL, Indianapolis; 32. Troy Polamalu, DB, Pittsburgh; 33. Kirk Morrison, LB, Oakland; 34. Aaron Schobel, DL, Buffalo; 35. Adalius Thomas, LB, New England.

Preliminary Rankings

2008-08-20T05:11:00.002-04:00

Hopefully, you enjoyed the first installment of the fantasy football column. So, here is some preliminary rankings by positions for your enjoyment and/or use in your draft. Hope they help.

QUARTERBACKS
1. Tom Brady, New England; 2. Peyton Manning, Indianapolis; 3. Tony Romo, Dallas; 4. Drew Brees, New Orleans; 5. Ben Roethlisberger, Pittsburgh; 6. Carson Palmer, Cincinnati; 7. Derek Anderson, Cleveland; 8. Donovan McNabb, Philadelphia; 9. Brett Favre, N.Y. Jets; 10. Matt Hasselbeck, Seattle; 11. Jay Cutler, Denver; 12. Marc Bulger, St. Louis; 13. Matt Schaub, Houston; 14. Eli Manning, N.Y. Giants; 15. David Garrard, Jacksonville; 16. Phillip Rivers, San Diego; 17. Aaron Rodgers, Green Bay; 18. Jake Delhomme, Carolina; 19. Jason Campbell, Washington; 20. Kurt Warner, Arizona.

RUNNING BACKS
1. LaDainian Tomlinson, San Diego; 2. Brian Westbrook, Philadelphia; 3. Adrian Peterson, Minnesota; 4. Joseph Addai, Indianapolis; 5. Steven Jackson, St. Louis; 6. Frank Gore, San Francisco; 7. Clinton Portis, Washington; 8. Marshawn Lynch, Buffalo; 9. Marion Barber, Dallas; 10. Ryan Grant, Green Bay; 11. Larry Johnson, Kansas City; 12. Willie Parker, Pittsburgh; 13. Jamal Lewis, Cleveland; 14. Maurice Jones-Drew, Jacksonville; 15. Brandon Jacobs, N.Y. Giants; 16. Laurence Maroney, New England; 17. Earnest Graham, Tampa Bay; 18. Reggie Bush, New Orleans; 19. Michael Turner, Atlanta; 20. Edgerrin James, Arizona; 21. Willis McGahee, Baltimore; 22. Thomas Jones, N.Y. Jets; 23. Julius Jones, Dallas; 24. Kevin Smith, Detroit; 25. Matt Forte, Chicago; 26. Ronnie Brown, Miami; 27. Darren McFadden, Oakland; 28. LenDale White, Tennessee; 29. DeAngelo Williams, Carolina; 30. Selvin Young, Denver; 31. Rudi Johnson, Cincinnati; 32. Chester Taylor, Minnesota; 33. Fred Taylor, Jacksonville; 34. Jonathan Stewart, Carolina; 35. Felix Jones, Dallas.

WIDE RECEIVERS
1. Randy Moss, New England; 2. Terrell Owens, Dallas; 3. Reggie Wayne, Indianapolis; 4. Braylon Edwards, Cleveland; 5. Larry Fitzgerald, Arizona; 6. Andre Johnson, Houston; 7. Marques Colston, New Orleans; 8. T.J. Houshmandzadeh, Cincinnati; 9. Plaxico Burress, N.Y. Giants; 10. Torry Holt, St. Louis; 11. Steve Smith, Carolina; 12. Wes Welker, New England; 13. Chad Johnson, Cincinnati; 14. Anquan Boldin, Arizona; 15. Santonio Holmes, Pittsburgh; 16. Roy Williams, Detroit; 17. Greg Jennings, Green Bay; 18. Laveranues Coles, N.Y. Jets; 19. Calvin Johnson, Detroit; 20. Marvin Harrison, Indianapolis; 21. Hines Ward, Pittsburgh; 22. Dwayne Bowe, Kansas City; 23. Brandon Marshall, Denver; 24. Bernard Berrian, Minnesota; 25. Chris Chambers, San Diego; 26. Joey Galloway, Tampa Bay; 27. Jerricho Cotchery, N.Y. Jets; 28. Lee Evans, Buffalo; 29. Roddy White, Atlanta; 30. Donald Driver, Green Bay; 31. Santana Moss, Washington; 32. Kevin Curtis, Philadelphia; 33. Donte Stallworth, Cleveland; 34. Patrick Crayton, Dallas; 35. Nate Burleson, Seattle.

TIGHT ENDS
1. Jason Witten, Dallas; 2. Kellen Winslow, Cleveland; 3. Antonio Gates, San Diego; 4. Tony Gonzalez, Kansas City; 5. Chris Cooley, Washington; 6. Dallas Clark, Indianapolis; 7. Jeremy Shockey, New Orleans; 8. Vernon Davis, San Francisco; 9. Heath Miller, Pittsburgh; 10. Owen Daniels, Houston; 11. Todd Heap, Baltimore; 12. Alge Crumpler, Tennessee; 13. Greg Olsen, Chicago; 14. Tony Scheffler, Denver; 15. L.J. Smith, Philadelphia; 16. Benjamin Watson, New England; 17. Dustin Keller, N.Y. Jets; 18. Zach Miller, Oakland; 19. Kevin Boss, N.Y. Giants; 20. Donald Lee, Green Bay.

KICKERS
1. Stephen Gostkowski, New England; 2. Nick Folk, Dallas; 3. Josh Brown, St. Louis; 4. Phil Dawson, Cleveland; 5. Shayne Graham, Cincinnati; 6. Adam Vinitieri, Indianapolis; 7. R0b Bironas, Tennessee; 8. Nate Kaeding, San Diego; 9. Mason Crosby, Green Bay; 10. Neil Rackers, Arizona; 11. Mike Nugent, N.Y. Jets; 12. John Kasay, Carolina; 13. Kris Brown, Houston; 14. Jason Hanson, Detroit; 15. Ryan Longwell, Minnesota; 16. Jeff Reed, Pittsburgh; 17. Josh Scobee, Jacksonville; 18. Olindo Mare, Seattle; 19. Martin Gramatica, New Orleans; 20. Lawrence Tynes, N.Y. Giants.

DEFENSE/SPECIAL TEAMS
1. Vikings; 2. Chargers; 3. Seahawks; 4. Giants; 5. Cowboys; 6. Bears; 7. Packers; 8. Jaguars; 9. Patriots; 10. Colts; 11. Steelers; 12. Redskins; 13. Eagles; 14. Buccaneers; 15. Cardinals; 16. Ravens; 17. Bills; 18. Raiders; 19. Titans; 20. Browns.

INDIVIDUAL DEFENSIVE PLAYERS
1. Patrick Willis, LB, San Francisco; 2. Jared Allen, DE, Minnesota; 3. DeMarcus Ware, LB, Dallas; 4. Shawne Merriman, LB, San Diego; 5. Kerry Rhodes, DB, N.Y, Jets; 6. DeMeco Ryans, LB, Houston; 7. Mario Williams, DE, Houston; 8. Sean Jones, DB, Cleveland; 9. Julian Peterson, LB, Seattle; 10. Adrian Wilson, DB, Arizona; 11. Osi Umenyiora, DE, N.Y. Giants; 12. Brian Urlacher, LB, Chicago; 13. Patrick Kerney, DE, Seattle; 14. Aaron Kampman, DE, Green Bay; 15. Will Witherspoon, LB, St. Louis; 16. Lofa Tatupu, LB, Seattle; 17. Julius Peppers, DE, Carolina; 18. David Harris, LB, N.Y. Jets; 19. London Fletcher-Baker, LB, Washington; 20. Trent Cole, DE, Eagles; 21. Jason Taylor, DE, Washington; 22. Champ Bailey, DB, Denver; 23. Bob Sanders, DB, Indianapolis; 24. Mike Vrabel, LB, New England; 25. Chris Harris, DB, Carolina; 26. Ray Lewis, LB, Baltimore; 27. James Farrior, LB, Pittsburgh; 28. Adewale Ogunleye, DE, Chicago; 29. Nick Barnett, LB, Green Bay; 30. Keith Bulluck, LB, Tennessee; 31. Gibril Wilson, DB, Raiders; 32. Robert Mathis, DE, Indianapolis; 33. Troy Polamalu, DB, Pittsburgh; 34. Kirk Morrison, LB, Oakland; 35. Aaron Schobel, DE, Buffalo.

Grand finale

2008-01-03T23:17:00.000-05:00

In this week's Wall of Champions in my column, there were three glaring omissions. I'd like to blame our current interim sports editor Matt Goul for those.

Matt himself was the lucky winner of the Morning Journal Fantasy Football League (we give the big prize to the total points winner), while former news editor Jason Sample luckily won the Super Bowl. Also, our newest member to the sports staff, Francis X. Bova III, won two of his fantasy football leagues -- the Westpark Fantasy Football Association and the Lancaster, PA. League. Goul decided to delete them from my column.

"You can give us props in your blog," he said.

Well, here are their props. We were jokingly chiding Goul for his snub of Bova in print all day today. I guess that's what he gets for being the new guy.

Goul's team, Indians Forever (he's an Oberlin High School graduate who loves the old nickname), won his first-ever fantasy crown in ANY league, including baseball and basketball. Goul is very happy with his first prize. He won't shut up about it.

Sample's team, You're In Sample (get it?), rallied from being the No. 7 seed (out of eight teams)to win the big game. This is a perfect example for why the Super Bowl winner should not win your league's main prize, any fluke team can do it.

Bova's teams are the Centenary College Gentlemen (WFFA) and Foreign Exchange (Lancaster). In the WFFA, it was Bova's sixth championship in the last 13 years. I'm already looking forward to his addition to the MJFFL.

As for me, I missed the playoffs for the second-straight year in the MJFFL and finished seventh in points. In my other two leagues, I went from being runner-up to missing the playoffs in one and from runner-up to barely qualifying for the playoffs in the other. It is my first year of not winning any prizes at all after five winning seasons in a row. I chalk it up to rotten luck.

I hope this blog was enjoyable for you readers. This was our first attempt at it. There were some kinks we ironed out along the way, and there will probably be more. I enjoyed writing it, and I look forward to bringing it back. I may do a few posts as the year goes on with some preliminary rankings, so feel free to check back again.

Happy New Year to you all!

Benching Brady?

2007-12-27T02:24:00.001-05:00

This here's a true story. Two weeks ago, in one of my leagues, a guy was going for a chance at the Super Bowl and was playing the best team (points-wise) in the league. This team was also the defending champion. So, in a make or break game, he went against all conventional wisdom and benched Tom Brady.

And it worked!!!

That week (Week 14), Brady had his first really bad game of the year, only scoring one fantasy point. For some inexplicable reason, this owner had the foresight and the cajones to bench Brady and start Kurt Warner against the Saints.

Warner went off with 233 yards passing and three TD passes, good enough for 18 points in that scoring system. His team upset the defending champ, 113-91. Had Brady started, this team would have lost.

Unfortunately for the Brady benchers, his luck ran out in the Super Bowl this past week. He was destroyed, 142-51, He did start Brady again, who preformed well, but the rest of his team blew chowder.

Hope Santa got you everything you wanted this Christmas. All I want for Christmas is a Browns playoff berth (and maybe a win or two when they get there). Come on, Colts!! Help me get my wish granted!!!

If you read my column today, you know I'll be running the roll call of champions once again. Please feel free to e-mail your league's champion (name of owner, name of team, name of league) to my work address (dgilles@morningjournal.com) or post to this blog by Wednesday at 4 p.m., and I will do my best to post them all in the paper.

Thanks for reading, and best of luck in your Super Bowls this week.

Happy Birthday, Me

2007-12-20T18:02:00.000-05:00

Well, Wednesday I celebrated my 34th year of existence. I celebrated it with a week-long series of events in person -- the Browns-Bills game, the Cavs-Bucks game and the OSU-CSU game on back-to-back-to-back days. All went well in those games (except my Vikings gets the wood taken to them by OSU) and I had a good birthday the day after. However, in my one fantasy football playoff game, I lost, despite scoring over 100 points.

It's frustrating when there's only two teams in the entire league that break 100 points, and you're playing the other one. So, that officially ends my last gasp at a payday this season. Throw in a loss in my free Yahoo league as well (one that I decided to bet dinner on with the other team), and it was a not a good fantasy week for this guy.

All I can do now is start focusing on the upcoming baseball season and hope to earn back some money that way, and then prepare for football. Incidentally, it's never too early to prepare for next season. I look forward to the next fantasy season the day after the real Super Bowl is over.

Since I now can put my entire focus on everything else, feel free to shoot me any questions you have as you prepare for your key fantasy matchups. Hopefully, you can have a Merry Christmas with some Super Bowl victories.

Playoffs for me

2007-12-12T23:25:00.000-05:00

Well, it took an amazing 5-game winning streak, but I got one of my teams into the playoffs after all. And, the good news, it's not only in my "big-money" league, but also a league that awards the top prize to the Super Bowl winner.

One roadblock in that league is a team that has both Tom Brady and LaDainian Tomlinson. No surprise that that team (incidentally, owned by a woman ... who says this is a man's game?) not only has a comfortable points lead but also only lost one game, which was two weeks ago. Winning the Super Bowl means I'll have to get through her. My saving grace is if LT or Brady get rested in Week 17, but I doubt it. Hopefully, my squad continues its red-hot play and wins three more games in a row so I can salvage what has largely been my most forgettable fantasy football season.

One tip for you as you prepare for your playoff battles, even your potential championship games in Week 16. The Colts will probably be the only team in either league with nothing to play for in the next two weeks. They've clinched the division, a win this week will clinch a home game and they can't catch New England. Expect Jim Sorgi, Kenton Keith, Aaron Moorehead and others to get lots of playing time, possibly beginning in Week 16. If you have Manning and you are in the Super Bowl, my advice is to pick up Sorgi. If you don't, my advice is to pick up Sorgi. Trust me ... that guy helped me win a Super Bowl a few years ago, and he'll probably do the same for you.

Oh yeah, if you were holding out hope that Marvin Harrison would be back, give it up. Indy will rest him as much as they can and not risk a further injury with its fate already sewn up. Let the dream die.

Top 12 For 2008

2007-12-06T16:33:00.000-05:00

Since I have nothing left to play for (except pride) in two of my leagues, I've already started to look ahead for next year. So, for your viewing enjoyment and to give you a jump start on your preparations, here is a preliminary look at the top 12 players for next year's draft:

1. Adrian Peterson, RB, Minnesota -- Surprised? Peterson should be the top guy, mostly because of his age and the fact that he's been so dynamic this season. He's a big play threat each time he touches the ball and is a reliable receiver as well. Plus, he's got a great offensive line in front of him. If Minnesota gets a decent QB behind him, look out! Caution flags are raised because he is injury prone and he may be a victim of the "sophomore slump."

2. LaDanian Tomlinson, RB, San Diego -- Tomlinson will probably be more of a sure bet than Peterson. This will raise a healthy debate as to who you would pick with your top selection, and it will be a debate that will be held for years between LT and AP. Tomlinson won't score 28 TDs again, but he's going to produce big fantasy numbers both on the ground and through the air, and he'll throw a TD pass or two.

3. Tom Brady, QB, New England -- You can certainly make a case for Brady to be the top pick in your draft, especially after his light's out season this year. He'll more than likely break Peyton Manning's record for most TD passes in a season this year. If he gets Randy Moss back, he should put up great numbers again. If you have a league that awards six points for TD passes, Brady should pass both LT and AP to the top of your list. Plus, the guy is super reliable -- never missing a start due to injury since he took over for Drew Bledsoe back in 2001.

4. Joseph Addai, RB, Indianapolis -- Addai is young, a dual threat with the ball and in a powerful offense. Remember how great Edgerrin James was when he was with Indy? Expect Addai to do the same. Before he was injured, Addai was among the leaders in fantasy points for running backs and overall. He's earned his spot as a top five selection next year.

5. Randy Moss, WR, New England -- This is contingent on if New England gives Moss a long-term contract after this season. Maybe a long-term deal will bring back the old malcontent Moss, but I think as long as he's winning and being a focal part of the offense, he'll be fine and continue to produce. If New England gets rid of him, Moss falls all the way out of the top 12. I honestly believe the only way Moss produces is if he stays with the Patriots.

6. Willie Parker, RB, Pittsburgh -- Parker isn't a glamourous selection. He's not a Larry Johnson or a Reggie Bush, someone who commands attention. But Parker does something those two guys haven't done consistantly -- produce. Parker will always have a great line in front of him and he's playing for a team that is committed to establishing the run. Plus, he's fast and is a reliable receiver.

7. Peyton Manning, QB, Indianapolis -- If we put Brady in the first round, Manning deserves to be mentioned as well. Manning is the modern-day Brett Favre -- he'll deliver the stats, he's a winner and he'll never miss a start. Plus, he's part of a great offense with reliable receivers and a good offensive line. Even if he's missing Marvin Harrison next year, Manning will still produce.

8. Terrell Owens, WR, Dallas -- Like Moss, Owens has behaved himself this year, thanks to being a focal part of a top-notch offense that is winning ballgames. T.O. may finish with the best numbers of his career this season, which is saying something. He loves his quarterback, his coaches and his owner. A happy T.O. will make you a happy owner on draft day and during the season.

9. Tony Romo, QB, Dallas -- I think it's safe to say that Romo is for real. It will be interesting to see what happens if Jason Garrett takes a head coaching job during the offseason, but if he doesn't, Romo should explode again. Owens, Witten and a RB duo of Marion Barber and Julius Jones would make any quarterback happy and perform well. He's earned his first-round spot.

10. Braylon Edwards, WR, Cleveland -- A Brown mentioned in the first round? Seriously? Yep. Edwards is having the season everyone expected of him when he was selected third overall two years ago, and he should only improve as his career goes on. Plus, the Browns finally have a powerful offense, and that should be whether or not Derek Anderson comes back or not.

11. Reggie Bush, RB, New Orleans -- I think everyone who reads me knows that I'm not a big fan of Reggie Bush. I think he's not an every-down NFL back, and he's proving it with Deuce McAllister out of the season. However, in a point-per-catch league, Bush is money in the bank because the Saints use him very wisely as a receiver, and he can still make things happen once he gets out in the open. Maybe it will be his third year where things finally come together for Bush. He stays in the top 12 mostly for his potential.

12. Steven Jackson, RB, St. Louis -- Jackson is redeeming himself with his performance since he finally returned from his injuries. He's showing the owners who drafted him or protected him why he was projected to be the No. 2 player in fantasy prior to this season. If he finishes strong like he did last season, Jackson has earned his spot among the elite fantasy running backs once again. What knocks him down is the unknown status of St. Louis' offense -- who will be QB, will Pace come back, who will be the coach, etc.?

As you can see, the running back myth is about dead. Quarterbacks are proving to be more reliable commodities, and receivers are finally getting respected among fantasy circles again like they were when Jerry Rice was in his heyday. In my opinion, the days of doing running back-running back with your first two picks to guarantee success is just about dead, and anyone who tells you otherwise is a fool.

The complete hindsight draft

2007-11-28T23:07:00.000-05:00

Listed with the number is the actual pick taken back in August. Bolded is the hindsight pick, completely based on players' fantasy performances up to this point. I'm using only four points per quarterback touchdown passes as my gauge.

1. LaDanian Tomlinson -- Tomlinson was everyone's hands-down top pick, especially after his performance last season. He's having a very good year this year and would be worthy of his top pick standing. However, knowing what we know now, Tom Brady should have the top pick instead of falling to the middle of the fourth round, as he did in this league.

2. Steven Jackson -- Jackson has been playing lights-out for the last 3-4 weeks. However, it was those injuries that robbed him of four key weeks and 3/4ths of a fifth. If you held on to him, you're very happy with his recent performance, but chances are your team is probably struggling for a playoff berth. Instead of Randy Moss falling to the end of the fourth round, as he did in this league, the guy who has the second pick probably wishes that's who he would have taken.

3. Shaun Alexander -- Now, this pick was a colossal bust. Alexander has been banged up and just not playing well at all this season. He only has 43 total fantasy points this season. You think this guy would have been happier with Terrell Owens at this pick? Owens is currently the third-highest scoring player in fantasy football right now, and he fell to the first pick of the third round. He was the third WR selected behind Chad Johnson and Marvin Harrison. I took Harrison. Enough said.

4. Larry Johnson -- L.J. had an up-and-down year prior to getting injured three weeks ago. Now, he may not return this season. That has to hurt all of those who jumped on Johnson high in the draft. The hindsight draft says you take T.J Houshmandzadeh, the fourth-highest scoring player in fantasy, at this pick. That would have never happened, since Chad Johnson is more flashy, but if you snagged Housh with the second pick in the fourth round, you're probably the frontrunner for a championship.

5. Joseph Addai -- Out of all the first round picks in this league, only L.T. and Brian Westbrook are outscoring Addai this season. That means that this league had a very poor first round this season. You can't fault this guy for jumping on Addai with this pick, but the hindsight draft says he would have been better off with Tony Romo, the second-highest scoring QB this season. Romo plummeted down to the second pick of the sixth round. This is the same guy who snagged Housh just two picks earlier.

6. Frank Gore -- Just one pick later, Brian Westbrook was selected. Westbrook is the second-highest scoring running back this season and the sixth-highest scoring player in fantasy football. Gore, meanwhile, is playing for a terrible team and is having a bad year. Last week's big performance only boosted him up to 92 points scored, certainly not worthy of a sixth-overall pick.

7. Westbrook -- What a head's up selection of Westbrook this turned out to be. He's been healthy and has been performing very well this season. He's the only bright spot for the Eagles this season, in reality. The hindsight draft says that Westbrook would have been already gone, so that leaves the "ageless wonder," Brett Favre, available for you to draft. Yours truly jumped on Favre with the second pick of the 13th round -- my one and only true value pick.

8. Reggie Bush -- Bush is having a pretty good year, with 132 points scored this season. That is bolstered by his receptions, and if you are a points-per-catch league, Bush is a machine. But the hindsight draft says that Bush shouldn't have even been taken in the first round. Instead, you should have taken Wes Welker, based on his performance. In August, you would have been laughed out of your draft had you done this, but you would have gotten the last laugh now. As it is, Welker wasn't picked until the second-to-last pick in the 11th round of this draft.

9. Laurence Maroney -- What a bust this guy turned out to be. An early injury meant more playing time for Sammy Morris and Kevin Faulk, and since he's returned to the lineup, he's been the only guy in the Patriots' offense that is not a must-start every week. He's only scored 32 points in fantasy this season. This is where hindsight says Tomlinson should have fell, based on his performance this season. L.T. at No. 9 -- what a steal that would have been.

10. Maurice Jones-Drew -- This second-year back has had a very quiet season this year. It's definitely not one worthy of a top-10 selection in a fantasy draft. Drew has just over 100 points scored in fantasy football. In hindsight, you should have been a homer and selected Braylon Edwards with this pick. Edwards, who's been on fire this year, fell to the third pick of the seventh round. This owner took rookie Calvin Johnson with the pick just prior to Braylon getting taken. I wish I was more of a homer.

11. Willie Parker -- After a quick start this season, Parker has cooled off considerably this year. Drew even has more fantasy points than "Fast Willie" does this season. What was once considered a value pick is now a bust. He should have jumped on Chad Johnson with this pick. Instead, Ocho Cinco dropped three picks later to the first pick of the second round. Johnson's big game last week helped bump him up to No. 11 in fantasy points through 12 weeks.

12. Peyton Manning -- Finally, a quarterback was selected. Amazingly, he's not even the best quarterback in fantasy, nor is he the fourth-highest scoring fantasy QB this year (that distinction falls to the undrafted Derek Anderson). While Manning looked like tremendous value here in August, hindsight says this is the time to take Manning's top target, Reggie Wayne. Although, if you award six points for QB touchdown tosses, Manning may have stayed right here.

No Priest?

2007-11-21T05:23:00.000-05:00

What did I tell you about Priest Holmes?

It appears that, just two games into his improbable comeback, the Chiefs running back injured his neck, and doctors have advised him to hang it up. A news conference is scheduled for later today to make this announcement.

Larry Johnson is still out, and rumors are that he won't return this year. So, who does that leave for the Chiefs?

Do yourself a favor and go to your leagues website and type in "Kolby Smith" on your free agent search. Chance are he's still available. If he is, claim him immediately. Smith will be the de facto starter until LJ makes his return, whenever that will be. The Chiefs have a very favorable matchup against the Raiders and their weak run defense this Sunday. If you are hard up for a running back, Smith may be a good sleeper play. If he does well, you could even parlay that into a possible trade.

Claim Smith as soon as you read this.

What happened to the comments and questions? None whatsoever for the last two weeks. Ask me a question, tell me to bring back Off The Turnbuckle, something, anytning. I need some feedback, people.

Here's wishing you a very Happy Thanksgiving to you and your families. If you know me, you know I have a lot to be thankful for this holiday. Enjoy the turkey and the football.

Crazy Season

2007-11-16T05:44:00.000-05:00

I thought this season was pretty nuts, but that doesn't compare to the illogical happenings of last week. For example:

Mnnesota came into last week with the best defense against the run in the NFL. So, of course, little-known Ryan Grant goes over the century mark in Green Bay's victory.
The Redskins have a great defense against the pass. Donovan McNabb had been playing like crap. So, of course, McNabb throws for four touchdowns in the Eagles' victory.
Vince Young, who had apparently forgotten he was a quarterback the last few weeks, finally remembered against the stingy Jaguars, throwing 41 times for 250 yards and a score. He did throw for two picks, but still.

And, last but not least, how about Peyton Manning getting picked off a whopping six times against the Chargers on Sunday night. Six times!!! And, the sad part is, he still finished on the plus side of points because of his yardage and his touchdowns. Amazing, simply amazing.

It's stats like this that makes us fantasy columnists just scratch our heads. I probably told everyone to sit both McNabb and Grant, and yet they go off even when the matchup isn't in their favor. That just goes to show you that statistics don't say everything.

Oh yeah, it seems Ricky Williams was reinstated by the NFL and the hapless Dolphins, because they have nothing else to play for, decided to bring him back. Remember that the Dolphins have nothing else. Plus, they're playing their rookie quarterback, John Beck. You know, the one they liked better than Brady Quinn so they took Ted Ginn instead.

If you claim him, keep him rooted to your bench until he can prove he's back in game shape and has a good game or two.

Go Buckeyes!

Last-second updates

2007-11-11T02:40:00.000-05:00

For your benefit, here's a complete list of today's games, and who I think you should start and bench from every team. If a player isn't mentioned, that means I don't have a feeling about them one way or the other, and you should start them at your own risk. Here goes:

Minnesota at Green Bay: START EM -- Adrian Peterson (Minn.); Brett Favre, Greg Jennings, Donald Driver, Donald Lee, Mason Crosby, Defense (G.B.). SIT EM -- Tarvaris Jackson, Chester Taylor, Sidney Rice, Troy Williamson, Visanthe Shiancoe, Ryan Longwell, Defense (Minn.); James Jones, Ryan Grant, Brandon Jackson (G.B.).

Cleveland at Pittsburgh: START EM -- Derek Anderson, Braylon Edwards, Kellen Winslow (Cle.); Ben Roethlisberger, Willie Parker, Santonio Holmes, Hines Ward, Heath Miller, Jeff Reed, Defense (Pitt.); SIT EM -- Jamal Lewis, Jason Wright, Defense (Cle.); Najeh Davenport (Pitt.).

St. Louis at New Orleans: START EM -- Marc Bulger, Steven Jackson, Torry Holt, Jeff Wilkins (St.L.); Drew Brees, Reggie Bush, Marques Colston (N.O); SIT EM -- Issac Bruce, Drew Bennett, Brian Leonard, Defense (St.L.); Olindo Mare, Defense, Devery Henderson (N.O.)

Denver at Kansas City: START EM -- Brandon Marshall, Tony Scheffler, Jason Elam (Den.); Tony Gonzalez, Priest Holmes, Kolby Smith (K.C.); SIT EM -- Jay Cutler, Brandon Stokely, Selvin Young, Travis Henry, Defense (Den.); Damon Huard, Dwayne Bowe, Samie Parker, Dave Raynor, Defense (K.C.)

Jacksonville at Tennessee: START EM -- John Carney, Defense (Jax.); Rob Bironas, LenDale White, Defense (Ten.); SIT EM -- David Garrard, Fred Taylor, Reggie Williams, Dennis Northcutt, Marcedes Lewis (Jax.); Vince Young, Bo Sciafe, Justin Gage (Ten.)

Buffalo at Miami: START EM -- Marshawn Lynch, Lee Evans, Rian Lindell, Defense (Buf.); None (Mia); SIT EM -- J.P. Losman, Roscoe Parrish, Robert Royal (Buf.); Cleo Lemon, Jesse Chatman, Ted Ginn, David Martin, Defense, Jay Feely, Marty Booker (Mia.)

Philadelphia at Washington: START EM -- Brian Westbrook, David Akers (Phi.); Clinton Portis, Defense, Chris Cooley (Wash.); SIT EM -- Donovan McNabb, Kevin Curtis, Reggie Brown, Defense, L.J. Smith (Phi.); Jesse Campbell, Santana Moss, Shane Suisham, Antwaan Randle-El (Wash.)

Atlanta at Carolina: START EM -- None (Atl.); Defense, DeShawn Foster (Car.); SIT EM -- Joey Harrington, Roddy White, Alge Crumpler, Morten Andersen (Atl); Vinny Testaverde, John Kasay, DeAngelo Williams (Car.)

Cincinnati at Baltimore: START EM -- Carson Palmer, T.J. Houshmandzadeh, Shayne Graham (Cin.); Willis McGahee, Matt Stover, Todd Heap, Defense (Balt.); SIT EM -- Rudi Johnson, Kenny Watson, Chris Henry, Defense (Cin.); Steve McNair, Derrick Mason, Mark Clayton (Bal.)

Chicago at Oakland: START EM -- Defense, Robbie Gould (Chi.); Justin Fargas, Sebastian Janikowski (Oak.); SIT EM -- Brian Griese, Cedric Benson, Bernard Berrian (Chi.); Josh McCown, LaMont Jordan, Jerry Porter, Zack Miller (Oak.)

Dallas at N.Y. Giants: START EM -- Tony Romo, Terrell Owens, Jason Witten, Nick Folk, Defense, Marion Barber (Dal.); Plaxico Burress, Eli Manning, Brandon Jacobs, Jeremy Shockey (NYG); SIT EM -- Julius Jones, Patrick Crayton (Dal.); Amani Toomer, Lawrence Tynes (NYG)

Detroit at Arizona: START EM -- Kevin Jones, Jason Hanson, Roy Williams, Defense (Det.); Edgerrin James, Larry Fitzgerald, Neil Rackers, Anquan Boldin, Kurt Warner (Ari.); SIT EM -- Mike Furrey, T.J. Duckett (Det.); Bryant Johnson, Defense, Leonard Pope (Ari.)

Indianapolis at San Diego: START EM -- Peyton Manning, Joseph Addai, Reggie Wayne, Adam Vinatieri (Ind.); LaDainian Tomlinson, Antonio Gates, Chris Chambers, Nate Kaeding (S.D.); SIT EM -- Marvin Harrison, Aaron Moorehead, Kenton Keith (Ind.); Vincent Jackson, Defense, Michael Turner (S.D.)

San Francisco at Seattle: START EM -- Vernon Davis (S.F.); Defense, Matt Hasselbeck, Bobby Engram, Josh Brown (Sea.); SIT EM -- Arnaz Battle, Joe Nedney, Maurice Hicks, Alex Smith, Defense, Ashley Lelie (S.F.); Nate Burleson, Will Heller (Sea.)

Good luck to everyone this weekend, except if you happen to be playing me in one of my leagues. In that case, you don't need any luck.

Trades

2007-11-07T02:59:00.000-05:00

This one is for all you commissioners out there, you know who you are.

This week, in two seperate leagues I take part in, there was a trade that was agreed upon, but then contested by one of the parties after it was accepted. Here are the two scenarios:

The first one, a guy sent out a whole bunch of proposals. One of the proposals was Hines Ward for LaMont Jordan. The owner who received this proposal accepted it. The guy who offered the proposal suddenly got a case of "buyer's remorse," and text messaged the commissioner saying not to approve the trade yet. Well, the commish approved it anyway. The first owner was, needless to say, a little miffed. He claimed that he didn't want the trade, that the commish screwed him, etc. The commish held his ground, as he should have, and the trade was not rescinded.

The other one was a four-player trade involving LaDanian Tomlinson, JP Losman, Earnest Graham and James Jones for Larry Johnson, Tony Gonzalez, Donovan McNabb and Marques Colston. Shortly after accepting this deal, the guy giving up Tomlinson e-mailed the commish (who also writes the fantasy football column in The Morning Journal) and asked to not approve it yet, that he had received a better offer shortly after accepting the deal and he was going to try to get the first party to reneg. I did him a favor -- I waited for 8 hours. After not hearing another peep, I approved the deal. I let both parties know that the trade was made since it was legal, and if the other guy had a problem with it, let me know. Apparently, he didn't, and the trade was kept. As it is, the guy giving up Tomlinson got the better end of the deal. His team outscored all 11 last week, while the guy with Tomlinson also won, but didn't put up as many points.

In both instances, the commissioner did the right thing. Sure, in most leagues, the commissioner has to approve any and all trades to see if it is fair, but 99 percent of the time, the commish is going to allow the trade to go through. In the first league's case, especially since the guy complaining was the guy who pitched the offer in the first place, he really didn't have a leg to stand on. In the other one, the guy was the accepter of the proposed deal, but, in reality, it's his fault for not waiting to see what else he could get. I gave him a break he probably shouldn't have gotten (I'm a nice guy), but in the end, the trade was approved and both teams were happy.

The moral of this story is, if you make your bed, you better lie in it, regardless of how unhappy you are with the finished product.

Ooops

2007-10-30T03:48:00.001-04:00

When I first started this blog, I was under the impression that any comments that were issued to me would result in an e-mail sent to my account saying that there were comments that needed to be approved. Since I never got any, I never thought any comments were being made. The only comments I saw, actually, were the two that were e-mailed to my account. Well, it took me a week and a half, but I finally figured out what was wrong. So, to all of you who tried to comment and ask me questions, I'm sorry. This blog technology I'm still getting used to. Now that I've figured it out, hopefully I can give you some good advice.

In one of my leagues, I played the best team in the league this week. After Sunday's games, I was only down by six points and I had two players going in the Monday nighter -- DeShawn Wynn and Donald Driver. In the bag for me, right? WRONG!!! Wynn gets hurt on his very first carry and gives me a goose-egg. Favre decides to make heroes out of Jacoby Jones and Greg Jennings, but only throws to Driver (his "No. 1 target") three times for 40-something yards. I didn't watch a lot of the game, so I don't know if Driver had a case of the dropsies. All I know is I prayed that Denver would send the game into OT so Driver could get a couple more catches. Denver tied it up before time ran out (YES!), Green Bay won the toss (DOUBLE-YES!), and Favre proceeds to find Jennings on the first freakin play for an 82-yard touchdown (NOOOOOOOO!!!!!). This is why the fantasy gods do not like me this year. Bringing back Steven Jackson for only a quarter and tantilizing me with 40 yards and a touchdown in that quarter was bad enough. But this just takes the cake! From 3-0 to 0-3. If I didn't have bad luck, I'd have no luck at all.

Hope your weeks were better than mine. Here's to a new week and a clean slate. Bring it on!

Peek-a-boo FREE Tricks & Treats for You! Get 'em!

3-0!!

2007-10-25T03:14:00.001-04:00

For the first time this year, I went unbeaten with my fantasy teams on a weekend. This used to be a fairly common occurance in the past, but it took until Week 7 for it to happen for me. Coincidentally, it occured when the Browns were on a bye, and the Tribe lost Game 7 of the ALCS (I think the Indians need to replace the entire left side of their infield, but this blog is about fantasy football. Forgive me for the baseball tangent). I'd trade the 3-0 performance for a Tribe victory any day of the week, but oh well. Maybe the purging of my struggles in my actual fantasy column helped exorcise the demons that had been plaguing me, I don't know. But it sure seems coincidental. In one league (a league I run with some of my fellow writers), my team was in dead last place, but yet I outscored all 11 other teams (Kenny Watson rules!). Is it a comeback for me? I don't know. But suddenly, I feel much better about my chances at the playoffs and a Super Bowl berth. Plus, I'm finally getting Steven Jackson back.

After two blogs, and one full week of this, I received exactly one question. What gives?? Come on, people. I can help you help yourselves. Just give me a shot.

Back when someone else was writing this fantasy column, I used to joke that if you did everything the exact opposite of what he suggested, your team would be awesome. Most of the time, that was the case. I hope what I say in my column isn't given the same treatment as his was, but you know what, I'm still helping you out with the reverse psychology method. If benching everyone I say to start and starting everyone I say to bench works for you, hey, more power to you. Glad to see it's working. If that's the case, ask me a question, and to exactly what I said not to do. I won't be offended.

Finally, if you are seeking a defense this week thanks to the bye, you might be inclined to pick up the Giants unit (if, for some chance, they are available). Not only are they playing well, but they should excel against the patchwork, pathetic Miami offense. Other defenses to snag are Tampa Bay's vs. Jacksonville, Philly's vs. Minnesota, and Minnesota's vs. Philly.

2007-10-20T03:04:00.001-04:00

If there's anything I hate more than anything, it's late injuries, or injuries that don't get reported during the week but get revealed just 10 minutes before gametime. The NFL supposedly cracked down on this covertness that was perfected by the likes of Mike Shanahan in Denver and our old buddy Bill Belichick in New England, but it's still ongoing. How many people were burned by Santonio Holmes missing the game because he tweaked a hamstring during warmups a few weeks ago? Or, how about Kurt Warner and his injured elbow last week? My only advice on this is be sure to monitor your favorite fantasy football Web site. CBSsportsline, where I have a couple of leagues through, actually post the list of all the inactive players a half-hour before game time (only for the 1 p.m. games, though). If your site provides this service (or actual daily injury updates), please take advantage of this. Especially if injuries are crippling your team, like all of mine, it's a life-saver.

By the way, I'm about tired of Steven Jackson. I hold out hope that he comes back next week against the Browns and their suspect run defense. I hope the Browns win, but Jackson runs for 150 and scores a couple of times.

Blog

2007-10-17T13:45:00.000-04:00

Greetings and salutations.
After playing fantasy football for the last 11 years and writing a column
about it for The Morning Journal for the last three, this will be the first
time I attempt a blog on the subject. I¹m new to this, so bear with me.
What I aim to accomplish with the blog is to give you more information than
I can provide in my usual column format. Also, if you have any fantasy
football-related questions (i.e. Is this trade fair? Would you start this QB
over that one? Etc.), please feel free to post them to me on this blog, and
I will answer them to the best of my ability and knowledge.
Also, you can post comments and tell me how great I am or how much of a bum
I am, but remember to keep it PG-rated. This is a family newspaper, and
anything that ³crosses the line² will be deleted. I¹m just warning you.
As an added bonus today, here¹s something I¹d like to call ³Who¹s Hot and
Who¹s Not²:
Who¹s Hot
Indianapolis tight end Dallas Clark has the second-highest fantasy points
per game average of all the tight ends so far (only behind Antonio Gates).
Before the bye week, Clark has ripped off four straight double-digit weeks.
The Colts using him as a wideout on occasion has really helped his
production.
Patriots wide receiver Donte Stallworth is finally showing his worth to
the New England offense. After four lackluster weeks, Tom Brady is finally
showing confidence in his other free agent wideout, putting up two straight
double-digit weeks. Snap him up if he¹s available, because the more
double-teams Randy Moss draws, the more chances Stallworth will have.
I think it¹s safe to say that, while Chad Johnson is more flamboyant, T.J.
Houshmandzadeh is becoming the more reliable fantasy stud. Housh has put up
four straight games scoring in the 20s, and he doesn¹t appear to stop now.
As Carson Palmer gains more confidence in ³Who¹s-your-mama,² the more you¹ll
be like the guy who drafts him in that fantasy football commercial and says
³Championship!²
Finally, after a slow start, LaDainian Tomlinson is finally back. A huge
game last week had L.T. score in the high 30s or 40s, depending on your
league¹s scoring system. That¹s something L.T. did for a living last season.
Maybe Norv Turner finally got the memo that he has something spectacular in
his backfield. Look for more big weeks from the top draft pick.
Remember when Tom Brady was being compared to Troy Aikman (a great NFL
quarterback but not a great fantasy QB)? Those days are gone. Brady may
threaten Peyton Manning¹s single-season touchdown record the way he¹s been
playing this season. Also, Jeff Garcia and Derek Anderson have really been
heating it up as of late. If either of these guys are dangling on your
league¹s waiver wire, what are you waiting for?
A pair of kickers who probably didn¹t get drafted, or at least drafted
late, are have been red-hot lately, thanks to their team¹s offenses being so
prolific. New England¹s Stephen Gostkowski and our own Phil Dawson now rank
among the high scorers for fantasy kickers. Gostkowski has scored in
double-figures in the last three games, while Dawson is coming off a
12-point game.
Who¹s Not
Vince Young began the season playing great, thanks to his running prowess.
But injuries and an overall poor performance have really led fantasy owners
to sour on him. He¹s scored a total of minus-2 points in the last two weeks.
Matt Schaub was another one who was playing very well as his surprising
Texans were winning, but it appears both he and his team are crashing back
to Earth. Schaub has scored three points in each of the last two weeks.
Tatum Bell is starting to be dropped in many leagues, and for good reason.
Not only is his performance slipping, but he may start losing carries to a
returning Kevin Jones. He started off with a bang, but he¹s been a huge
non-factor in the last three weeks.
Remember Fred Taylor? Jacksonville¹s real starting running back? He had a
decent game last week, but for the most part, he¹s been ice cold this
season. He has the same amount of fantasy points as Browns fullback Lawrence
Vickers. That¹s not good.
Deion Branch started the year with a big fat goose-egg, then rebounded
with three straight double-digit weeks. However, he¹s reverted back to his
Week 1 form in the last two weeks, putting up another goose-egg in last
week¹s loss to New Orleans.
Thanks, and good luck this week in your games. And, Go Tribe!