By MATT DOYLE Staff Writer on Sep 4, 2012, at 11:39 PM Updated on 9/04 at 11:39 PM
FANTASY WORLD
The playoffs are ready to culminate or already have concluded for virtually all fantasy leagues.
If you are lucky, you ...
Well, there is someone out there who feels I am worthy enough to dole out fantasy football advice – and accept it.
Greg ...
*** Thursday night NFL games are great for fans that cannot get enough of the game on Sunday afternoons and Sunday and Monday ...
On the eve of a new season, change awaits. Of course, that line can be said about every season.
As it applies to professional football 2012, and most importantly fantasy football players, it is so true.
From now until the final week of the season in late December, there will be a Thursday night game (well it’s Wednesday this week because of the Democratic National Convention). Make sure you set your lineups in time to include (or not include) the participants in those games.
The biggest change fantasy players may or may not be concerned about is the use of replacement referees. The ongoing squabble between the NFL and the officials will not be resolved for the start of the season. The lack of negotiations presently likely means at least another week or two of using replacement officials.
Some fantasy experts believe the replacement refs won’t greatly impact the game from this perspective. Sure, there’s always the one player in every league who will point to some egregious penalty midway through some game that wiped out a long-yardage play by the one of their fantasy players. They will whine about that play (and the fantasy points they would have attained from it) being the difference in the fantasy team losing instead of winning.
There is another train of thought suggesting the replacement refs will have a greater impact on the game by not trying to impact it.
“My concern is that the replacement referees get too cautious. In other words, the easiest way for them to disappear is to keep the flag in their pocket,” NBC Sunday Night Football analyst Cris Collinsworth, a former receiver with the Bengals, told the Associated Press. “I think that even the players are starting to get a little sense of that right now, that maybe they can push the envelope just a little bit more than what they’ve done in the past. And if that’s the case, then maybe we get players who get a little more aggressive than we would’ve seen otherwise.”
Translation of Collinsworth’s message: The replacement refs are going to let them play – until the expected round of concussions and severe injuries occur.
Ultimately, a resolution is needed and it will come, one way or another. When real NFL teams get jobbed by what they perceive are hideous officiating calls that costs their teams real games, real NFL owners will let NFL commissioner Roger Goodell know enough is enough. If only us fantasy owners could have such power to sway our fantasy commissioners.
Wednesday’s pick to click: Martellus Bennett, Giants tight end. Dallas invested heavily in cornerbacks Brandon Carr and Morris Claiborne in the offseason to negate opposing passing games. They will pose issues for Eli Manning’s top two targets in Hakeem Nicks and Victor Cruz. But Manning has developed a good rapport in the preseason with Bennett, a former Cowboy. Look for the former Cowboy to be extremely motivated to have a big game in the opener versus his ex-team.
Wednesday’s pick to not click: DeMarco Murray, Cowboys running back. Tough test to open the season for the former Oklahoma player. It’s not his fault his offensive line is a major work in progress and that two of Tony Romo’s top receiving targets either will not play (tight end Jason Witten) and or will play with a lingering injury issue (wide receiver Miles Austin). It’s also not his fault the Giants are motivated to shore up a run defense that was porous at times a year ago.
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