Will Jay Cutler's arm survive?
2/1/2010 11:06:01 PM
Mike Martz is now going to call the plays in the offense of the Chicago Bears.
The last time he had success was in St. Louis, where his Greatest Show on Turf make Kurt Warner a star and put the Rams in two Super Bowls.
Only problem is, he hasn't won a thing without that team. He went to Detroit, where he made Jon Kitna hit 4,000 yards passing, but not much else happened. He then went to San Francisco, where he was dumped because his pass happy offense didn't have a quality starter at quarterback, although he had a decent running back.
So is Martz going to make Jay Cutler and Matt Forte fantasy stars?
I say maybe.
A system only works when you have people who can make it work. For the first time since St. Louis, Martz has a decent quarterback and running back. Forte is certainly similar to Marshall Faulk, who was a fantasy stud with Martz. I think Chicago still needs another wide receiver to fill that Torry Holt role, but there might be a little more to think about come fantasy draft day.
The more I think about it, I think Cutler and Forte just moved a couple spots up on my draft board.
-- Jason Collington
Why Tebow should be mad at his coaches
1/26/2010 1:00:26 PM
The draft and fantasy value of Tim Tebow continues to spiral out of control. After just one practice at the Senior Bowl, the draftniks are writing about how the Florida star has all the makings of a great safety.
The fantasy rumor has been this since last summer: the Jacksonville Jaguars need some help. They can’t sell out their stadium and a number of people in the NFL offices would love to have a Mayflower truck show up to move the team to Los Angeles, which is doing everything right finally to earn a team.
To help its relevance and therefore its attendance, the Jags were going to draft Tebow so his worshippers could see him on Sunday like they have every Saturday. The team already has a run-first mindset (what a year for Maurice Jones-Drew) and Tebow would complement the offense by being someone who can run when he needs to and dump off passes.
But here’s the problem with this idea – in all the games and with all the championships, someone forgot to show Tebow the finer skills needed to become a NFL quarterback. You know, little things like getting a snap from a center.
Somehow, Tebow, as some argued the best college football player ever, didn’t get coached on how to be successful against the best football players ever.
I would be just a little upset about that. Because what is sad is that if he had worked on all the things everyone knew he needed help on, he could be a top 5 pick. He could be a fantasy superstar, ala Randall Cunningham. He has everything mentally and physically to be a winner like Peyton Manning or Tom Brady. He has the determination, the will and the smarts.
He just hasn’t worked on the skills. The draftniks are yelling about his unorthodox delivery, his elongated wind up and tendency to pat the ball before releasing. All of these things are fixable – when you are in college. But right now, just months before the draft, it’s too late. And the NFL doesn’t give “projects” very long because of such a small roster.
There is no doubt that if someone – how about his coaches? – would have helped Tebow with all those little things that make a great quarterback he might have won even more than he did, benefiting the Gators and Tebow. But now, all this kid is going to hear about it what his coaches never made time to work on.
And that is sad, because he has so many things already in place to be a winner. JaMarcus Russell wishes he had that kind of moxey.
-- Jason Collington
Meet a winner
1/19/2010 12:20:37 PM
Nathan Wiebe is just one of thousands of people who won a fantasy championship this season.
He's a friend of a co-worker, so I thought it would interesting to see who he won with and his thoughts. If you have your own championship story, leave it on the comments portion of this entry.
Here's Nathan's championship story:
"We played in the ESPN league and it was myself and 11 other fraternity brothers from OSU. The name of my team was Team Wiebe, and the person I beat in the championship was Jason Carver with the team name PePaw's Little Chatlans. We played a standard QB, 2 RB, 3 WR, TE, DEF, and Kicker.
My roster was:
QB: Tony Romo
RB's: Chris Johnson and Maurice Jones-Drew
WR: Brandon Marshall, Lee Evans, and Greg Jennings
TE: John Carlson
D/ST: Baltimore Ravens
Kicker: Nate Kaeding
Bench: Kyle Orton, Jonathan Stewart, Jerious Norwood, Johnny Knox, Davone Bess, David Thomas
I believe the reason I was able to win the league was because of my depth at RB. I used the 4th pick on MJD, and somehow Chris Johnson slipped to #21 overall ... huge steal as he led all of fantasy in points.
My regular season record was 9-4, for third in the league. I won my 2 week semi-final by a score of 252-180 and the 2 week final by a score of 178-159.
I think that probably the biggest surprise as the season went on was Ray Rice of the Ravens who ended up as the #4 overall RB, despite preseason being considered around 30-40 for RB.
I don't really think many other sleepers were out there except for the success of Brett Favre in Minnesota, and the late-season emergence of Jamaal Charles in KC."
I know what you are all thinking: Can I get into Nathan's league if players like Chris Johnson drop to the 21st pick?
Congrats to Nathan on his championship. Have a story to tell, let us know.
-- Jason Collington
MD's fantasy views of '09
1/7/2010 6:27:00 PM
Lingering from the long and overextended stay of old man winter, this soon-to-be old man is still coming to grips with how his fantasy teams let him down this fall.
It's easy to say now that pick up of Mario Manningham you thought so highly of back in mid-September turned out to be a bust by late November. Just as it's easy to say having Wes Welker in a league where you get points for receptions was gold (even though Welker let you down with a four-reception game in your semifinal playoff round).
Here are some views about this season and a peak into the crystal ball about next season:
Stud of the year: Chris Johnson, Tennessee RB: It was he and not Adrian Peterson that broke the 2,000-yard rushing barrier this year (missed on that August prediction on AD). Early predictions for 2010 – Johnson will be the No. 1 player for every mock draft entering next season and will adore every fantasy magazine cover. The Titans back also is an early candidate for biggest disappointment of 2010.
Dud of the year: Matt Forte, Chicago RB: I thought the second-year RB would benefit from Jay Cutler's presence at QB. Instead, Forte suffered a sophomore slump, suffered behind a substandard offensive line and suffered from Cutler's crazy play at times.
Breakout star of the year: DeSean Jackson, Philadelphia WR: Not only was he a big-play performer at wideout, he also produced big plays in the return game. That's bonus points baby!
Player who failed to deliver this year: Tom Brady, Patriots QB: It was a stretch to expect him to have another season like 2007, especially since he was coming off a devastating knee injury in 2008. His health probably factored into this year. A suspect offensive line, a real suspect running game and wondering whether Randy Moss would be a ray of sunshine each week impacted the Patriots' pretty boy.
Trend to watch in 2010, part 1: Teams using multiple running backs in games. For those players who thought Brandon Jacobs or Ronnie Brown or DeAngelo Williams would carry a heavy load, you were annoyed when the aforementioned backs had to share the duties with Ahmad Bradshaw, Ricky Williams and Jonathan Stewart. Now, more than ever, it is imperative to grab that stud running back in the first round.
Trend to watch in 2010, part 2: Pass catching tight ends factored in offenses a lot more than in recent years. If you are in a league that awards points per reception, these guys are worth looking at before drafting a third receiver. Maybe even a second receiver if you can snag Dallas Clark or Brent Celek.
Player on the rise for 2010: Rashard Mendenhall, Pittsburgh RB: I anticipate the Steelers will find a way to run the ball more effectively next season. Mendenhall had a few flashes of brilliance this season. Don't be surprised at this time next year if Mendenhall has a 1,400-yard type season.
Player on the decline for 2010: Steve Smith, Carolina WR: Before he got hurt late in the year, he was hurt by the poor QB play of Jake Delhomme. I'm not sure Matt Moore is the answer for Smith or the Panthers at QB.
Rookie to grab in 2010: C.J. Spiller. The Clemson RB has speed, power and likely will be used on returns by whatever team selects him in April. He will be an impact player.
Rookie to avoid in 2010: Dez Bryant. The tarnished OSU standout WR needs strong organizational support and structure, along with a decent QB, to showcase his skills. Will Bryant come in hungry to show he learned from his mistake that cost him most of 2009 at OSU? Or will he take the money and run off to a short and unspectacular NFL career?
-- Matt Doyle
Looking back on the season
1/7/2010 1:14:49 PM
Well, I shouldn’t do this, because I think I had a lot more wrong than I had right, but let’s look back on some of my preseason predictions this year and see what I got right and wrong, starting with the bad:
Where I went wrong
Matt Forte: The Bears running back was a stud for me as a rookie. This year, he was possibly the biggest fantasy bust of the season. I now hate Matt Forte.
Sidney Rice and Brett Favre: At one point in the preseason, I said I couldn’t get excited about Rice and what Favre would mean to him. Well, Rice turned into a top-10 fantasy receiver, and Favre was a top-five fantasy QB. I now believe that the Brett Favre playing for the Vikings isn’t the real Brett Favre. He’s a robot. There’s no way a 40-year-old QB should be that productive.
Peyton Manning: In our fantasy preview, I said you shouldn’t draft Peyton Manning because the difference in the value you’d get between him and a third- or fourth-round QB would be less than the difference between a RB or WR you could get in the same spot as Manning and the backs and receivers that would be available later. Well, I was wrong. Really wrong. Unless you were taking Aaron Rogers, in which case I was very, very right.
Just about every WR: Calvin Johnson? Bust. Dwayne Bowe? Bust. I only got one guy right, and I’ll get to him in a minute.
What I got right
Vernon Davis: I had him in my top 10 tight ends before the season started even though he had just two TDs last year. He ended up with more TDs than anyone else at his position.
Visanthe Shiancoe: I hate tight ends, but apparently I know good fantasy producers. Shiancoe finished with the second most TDs among tight ends.
Brian Westbrook: I said you should avoid the Eagle running back, and he ended up playing in just eight games with 61 carries and one TD.
Percy Harvin: He was going in the mid-to-late rounds in most drafts, and he ended up as a top-20 player at his position. Since most leagues make you start two, that’s not bad for a player you probably took as your third or fourth receiver. He’s the only receiver I was right about.
Why I hate scorekeepers
The weekend before Christmas, I won my semifinal game in one of my leagues, a league where I finished first in the regular season. I was all set to play for the title, then on Christmas Eve, I log in to check my team, and I was in the third-place game. Turns out, the NFL powers-that-be decided one of Kurt Warner’s touchdown passes the week before was a lateral. Bye-bye touchdown pass for Warner; bye-bye championship for me.
Why I love Adrian Peterson
In the two leagues that I made the championship game (including the one from which I was later ousted), Adrian Peterson was the common factor in my times. Sometimes it pays to have the first pick. He wasn’t the best fantasy back this season, but he was pretty good.
Where I hit and missed this fantasy season
1/4/2010 11:42:56 PM
I shared how I did this year in terms of league play. Now, let me go back to my preseason rankings and share where I hit and missed.
In August, this is what my QB rankings and thoughts were:
1. Drew Brees, Saints: He threw lights out last year without his best wide receiver for most of it.
2. Peyton Manning, Colts: No slow start this year, and he’s talking like he shares thoughts with Anthony Gonzalez.
3. Tony Romo, Cowboys: Without Felix Jones and missing three games, he still made the NFL’s top 10 in touchdown passes, yards per game, yards per attempt, attempts per game and passer rating.
4. Tom Brady, Patriots: Yeah, he threw 50 TDs once. Before that, he topped out at 28. Calm down, people.
5. Kurt Warner, Cardinals: His head coach knows he has a good thing going, so he won’t touch this system too much.
6. Matt Schaub, Texans: Everyone said Kurt Warner couldn’t stay healthy either. Schaub has the system and weapons to be this year’s Warner.
7. Aaron Rodgers, Packers: Only problem is he won’t get in a lot of shootouts with such a good defense.
8. Carson Palmer, Bengals: He will get in a bunch of shootouts because he has a horrible defense.
9. Donovan McNabb, Eagles: He did get benched last year, so he barely makes the top 10.
10. Brett Favre, Vikings: Yeah, why not. Rivers was human before last year, and Favre is back in a system that he threw 28 TDs in two years ago.
11. Philip Rivers, Chargers
12. Trent Edwards, Bills
13. Ben Roethlisberger, Steelers
14. Matt Cassel, Chiefs
15. Matt Ryan, Falcons
16. Jay Cutler, Bears
17. Jason Campbell, Redskins
18. Eli Manning, Giants
19. Daunte Culpepper, Lions
20. Chad Pennington, Dolphins
Hits: Putting Favre in my top 10 got me the most reaction from you all. Going over the emails again, I was called "stupid," "blind" and someone wrote “I am going to tell Mike Strain that he needs to get someone who actually knows fantasy.” Cassel has to go down as the highest-paid and over-hyped QB going into the season.
Misses: I thought Romo was going to seal up 30 TDs minimum. He ended with 26. In that offense, he should be better. Palmer never could find his mojo this year, even with great wideouts. The Bengals became a running team at the beginning and then decided to just stop scoring touchdowns all together. Cutler did better than I thought he would. But what a season to have him as your starter. One week 4 TDs and the next 4 interceptions and no TDs.
In August, this was my list of “Players to steal”:
DeShawn Wynn, RB, Packers
Devone Bess, WR, Dolphins
Laurence Maroney, RB, Patriots
Josh Morgan, WR, 49ers
Larry Johnson, RB, Chiefs
Carson Palmer, QB, Bengals
Anthony Gonzalez, WR, Colts
Earnest Graham, RB, Bucs
Shonn Greene, RB, Jets
Miles Austin, WR, Cowboys
Chris Henry, WR, Bengals
Robert Meachem, WR, Saints
Lee Evans, WR, Bills
Kevin Smith, RB, Lions
Kevin Walter, WR, Texans
Hits: I drafted Austin in two leagues and both times I had people ask “Who is that?” The guy went from third on the depth chart to the Pro Bowl. He was the sleeper of the year and I mentioned him to you because I saw the potential and the opportunity. Meachem pulled off what I think was the play of the year – grabbing the ball out of a guy’s hand after an interception and taking it for six. He also earned his stripes for getting those routes down.
Misses: Too many to count here, but I promise you: Gonzalez would have had 10 TDs this year with the way Peyton Manning played. But he had to go down on the first play of the first game. I was a year early on Greene. Thought old man Thomas Jones wasn’t going to make it.
-- Jason Collington
The fantasy rookie class of 2010
1/4/2010 11:18:04 PM
Now that the fantasy season is over, we here at Fantasy World are going to throw a lot of there to look back and forward to next year.
Here's some thoughts I have on the players who will be called on draft day that might have some fantasy value next season.
Sam Bradford, QB, OU
I say he's going to be a Redskin. And I think he's going to be a good one. OU fans didn't know how good he was until he was hurt. He enters the NFL with the potential to be as accurate as Troy Aikman and have as much moxey as Brett Favre. Injury bug? That's what they said about the last OU superstar to enter the draft. Don't listen to it.
Dez Bryant, WR, OSU
I say he's going to be a Raven. Joe Flacco needs some Dez in his life. Derrick Mason can't keep leading this team in receptions every year. Dez can do things but all wide receivers who think they can rely on their talent alone don't last long. Hopefully Jerry Rice or Cris Carter -- not Deion Sanders -- can let him know what the greats do. It's all about discipline in the NFL.
CJ Spiller, RB, Clemson
If I had to bet, I would say Patriots. And if that is the case he starts immediately and will be successful the fastest. My early pick for rookie of the year. He is like LT but even faster. A lot faster. Has a little Ray Rice in him as well.
Golden Tate, WR, Notre Dame
Let's say the Eagles. He's not a tall one but same goes for that burner they call Mr. Jackson if you're nasty. He's that kind of player who can come in an give you 50 receptions that might be the difference. Maybe not No. 1 material, but certainly No. 2.
Jahvid Best, RB, Cal
Maybe the Texans take another shot at the position. He was on a number of Heisman lists before he got hurt. He could surprise. Steve Slanton concerns are already coming out of Houston. The guys who are backing him up just can't do it.
Tim Tebow, QB, Florida
There is a lot of talk of him saving the Jacksonville franchise. A player can't save a franchise. Only wins can do that. And the Jaguars are on a one-way ticket to Los Angeles. Timmy first has to find a coach who will give him the ball. Scrappy, tough quarterbacks who can make two throws make really good safeties in the NFL.
-- Jason Collington
The winner of the Fantasy World League
12/28/2009 11:30:45 PM
Rules are made to be broken, they say.
Isn't the biggest fantasy mistake drafting all the players on your favorite team?
Well, Gavin Off is the one laughing now.
Check out the lineup that beat us "fantasy" gurus:
Donovan McNabb
Larry Fitzgerald
DeSean Jackson
Knowshon Moreno
Frank Gore
Brent Celek
David Akers
Philadelphia
Yes, count them. Five Philly players littered his lineup for most of the year. During the draft, we wondered if Gavin was going to go after the Eagle deep snapper. But now, after slapping around the Mindbullets (11-3), Gavin's Eagles (yes, that's what he called his fantasy team) finished the year 9-5 and takes the championship in the first year of the Fantasy World league.
Can we say that's another feather in his cap?
-- Jason Collington
P.S. In three leagues, this "guru" made the playoffs in all three and ended up in one championship game, losing by a little (thank you Jim Caldwell and Tony Romo), finished third in another and finished fourth in the Fantasy World league.
Week 16: Start and sit
12/24/2009 12:07:00 AM
Each week, we’ll offer our thoughts on who to start and who to bench. Look for a roundup of our picks in the Tulsa World on Sunday.
Here are this week’s picks:
Start this guy
Cedric Benson, Bengals RB: A hip injury slowed Benson down for the past month. But the sight of Kansas City's downright awful defense should have Benson and the Bengals roaring.
Sit this guy
Reggie Wayne, Colts WR: The fact he is facing Jets cover corner Darrelle Revis and the possibility he may be limited to a certain number of plays by his coach are just two reasons to avoid Wayne at all costs this weekend.
-- Matt Doyle
Start this guy
Alex Smith, 49ers QB: It's not just that the Lions are in town. It's that Smith looks like he can play. He's more of a second round QB than the No. 1 pick, but he's found a little mojo thanks to Michael Crabtree and Vernon Davis. This team will run like it does, but Smith's coach knows how to find a weakness and take advantage.
Sit this guy
Laurence Maroney, Patriots RB: Jacksonville is doing a good job of stopping the run and no team quits on the run as much as New England does.
-- Jason Collington
Start this guy
Jonathan Stewart, Panthers RB: He looked good last week, and DeAngelo Williams is iffy to play, so Stewart makes a pretty good play against the Giants.
Sit this guy
Steve Smith, Giants WR: He's been pretty steady, but the Panthers have been solid against the pass, so it could be tough for Smith to produce.
-- James Royal
Fantasy stock report
12/22/2009 11:44:00 AM
Stock rising
Sam Bradford, Redskins QB: Excuse me? Have I drank too much eggnog? Let me look to next year. Here's me throwing in my thought that Bradford becomes the second QB taken after the Rams take Jimmy Clausen. Bradford has plenty of weapons and a good scheme, since all the coaching candidates are offensive wizards.
Stock falling
Dez Bryant, Chiefs WR: Dwayne Bowe's stupidity makes this a logical pick, since I can't name another Chiefs wideout. But Bryant is not the next Larry Fitzgerald - unless he quickly figures out what Larry did when he came out early to the NFL. You can get by with talent in college. You can't in the pros. Just ask Roy Williams. You have to have discipline in the pros. And Dez hasn't mastered that yet. Maybe his coach, who helped Fitz, can talk some sense into him.
Sell high
Trent Williams, Raiders OT: Add him to the list of reaches for Oakland, who will read All American but never look at the tape.
Buy low
C.J. Spiller, 49ers RB: Frank Gore is about done in an offense built around the run. Enter C.J., who should have taken a seat at the Heisman ceremony. He has even more spark than Ray Rice did coming out of college. And look what Rice can do in the NFL.
-- Jason Collington
Stock rising
Tony Romo, Cowboys QB: Maybe you can blame him for Dallas' shortcomings in past Decembers. But not this year. Very impressive outing in the Big Easy last week and should have an easy time in D.C. this week after seeing how Eli Manning carved up the Redskins.
Stock falling
Brett Favre, Vikings QB: His December is resembling those Romo had in recent years. His little power-play on the sidelines with coach Brad Childress Sunday night at Carolina was weak. Here's hoping for a lump of coal and an early playoff exit in his Christmas stocking.
Sell high
Carson Palmer, Bengals QB: Broke out of his slump with a good showing in San Diego. But the Chiefs come to town this week. Palmer's right arm may get more use in pregame warm-ups than the actual game.
Buy low
Patriot big guns: With unpredictable weather in New England, Tom Brady, Randy Moss and Wes Welker may not be the difference makers you anticipate for your fantasy playoff game this week. But at least they'll be playing a full game.
-- Matt Doyle
Stock rising
Jonathan Stewart, Panthers RB: A lot of people probably benched him against the Vikings and he had a nice game. He’s worth having in your lineup even if he splits carries.
Stock falling
RB Adrian Peterson, Vikings: The Minnesota offense has struggled, and Peterson has been part of it. He’s still a must-start, but owners have to worry which Peterson will show up.
Sell high
Jamaal Charles, Chiefs RB: He’s had great games against Buffalo and Cleveland, but don’t expect more of the same this week with Cincinatti, the No. 3 rushing defense in the NFL.
Buy low
Fred Davis, Redskins TE: He got me into the championship game in one of my leagues, and he’s been hot the last several weeks. If he’s out there, grab him for your title game.
-- James Royal
A peek to next year
12/19/2009 12:45:26 AM
They say you shouldn't look ahead to the next game, but I just checked out the top 20 players in one of my leagues and had some thoughts on what could happen next year.
Owners of the top three players -- Peyton Manning, Drew Brees, Aaron Rodgers -- did not make the playoffs. The one with Brees should have, coming up only a few points short. Take to next year -- the best player doesn't help you win in fantasy. It's the best combination of gamebreakers who have the most favorable matchups.
Jason Campbell, the QB the Redskins have tried to get rid of for two years now, scored more fantasy points than Donovan McNabb, Carson Palmer and Joe Flacco. Take to next year -- the Redskins might go QB in the draft, but Campbell will put up a fight. He was the man behind an undefeated Auburn team in college and has had more offensive coordinators than some players have in a career. Don't bet against this guy.
Adrian Peterson's worst enemy is his coach. With a quarterback, AD was supposed to see fewer defenders in the box on each play. Now, he sees fewer carries, thanks to Brett Favre. He hasn't had the yards this year. He looks to finish third in fantasy points behind Chris Johnson and Maurice Jones-Drew. Could the Vikings take another chance on a great college player with injury concerns from OU?
Chris Johnson overrated for next year? He'll be on the cover of every fantasy mag next year, but can he stay on top? Tennessee will gets its defense in order for next season. A lot of people, including me, laid off of him this year because we were scared that LenDale White (remember him?) was going to steal even more carries and touchdowns. White turned into Casper and Johnson has record holders thinking their time is up. Right now, I say Johnson kills it next year.
-- Jason Collington
Week 15: Start and sit
12/18/2009 10:35:00 AM
Each Friday, we’ll offer our thoughts on who to start and who to bench. Look for a roundup of our picks in the Tulsa World on Sunday.
Here are this week’s picks:
Start this guy
Knowshon Moreno, Broncos RB: The Denver rookie has become a pretty consistent fantasy player here over the last month. With Correll Buckhalter hobbled with a bum ankle and the Broncos facing a bum Oakland defense, expect good things for Moreno.
Sit this guy
LeSean McCoy, Eagles RB: The Philadelphia rookie was expected to be the man when Brian Westbrook got hurt. McCoy, though, did not take advantage of the situation and he's lost opportunities, especially near the goal-line to Leonard Weaver.
-- Matt Doyle
Start this guy
Robert Meachem, Saints WR: He didn’t have a touchdown last week, but he still led his team in receiving yards. Drew Brees will spread the ball around, but expect Meachem to find the end zone against the Cowboys on Saturday.
Sit this guy
Rashard Mendenhall, Steelers RB: Hopefully you’re not counting on him to bring you a fantasy title. The Packers have only given up four TDs this season and have only allowed a back to go for 100 yards on them twice, and the last time was Week 3.
-- James Royal
Start this guy:
The Texans defense: They welcome the St. Louis Rams and a quarterback who played for West Texas A&M last year. There could be blood in the streets on this one. At least one defensive touchdown is up for grabs.
Sit this guy:
Roddy White, Falcons WR: One of the best players you may not know: Darrelle Revis. He's a cornerback for the Jets and he is where wideouts go to die. Revis has chewed and spit out better receivers all year. Plus, the Jets have the No. 1 pass defense and Chris Redman, who somehow still has a job in the pros, will have a lot of attempts but not a lot of completions.
-- Jason Collington
The playoff panic
12/16/2009 11:23:00 PM
Thoughts while not being able to sleep the night before the first week of the fantasy playoffs ...
The Colts starters will play. So says their coach today. So I don't have to worry about Reggie Wayne. But do I trust the coach? Not sure. The Colts have nothing to play for other than determining who else in the AFC is going to the playoffs. Gut thought? Play Wayne.
Tony Romo's holding duties didn't cause flashbacks. On top of all things the job of playing QB for America's team comes with, Wade Phillips wanted Tony to hold on field goals and extra points. Had a feeling last week that would cause Romo to go Missing in Action Chuck Norris style. But it didn't. Yes, the Chargers won and the December record is 0-2. But you can't blame Tony this time -- it's called lack of defense. Now the Cowboys go against the Saints, which have always played well against Dallas, even when they were the Aints. Worried to start him, yes. Should I go Alex Smith against Philly instead? No. Romo starts and I pray.
Ray Rice -- the shake or the bake? I am not sure, but I would really like to get a telegram on whether he or Willis McGahee is going to be the man in a game. I know they have worked well the last two weeks, but I only feel comfortable playing Rice when I know he is the man. He was for a while this season, and then Willis' agent or someone started complaining. So, do I start Rice against Chicago or Maroney against Buffalo. Going to go with Rice.
Larry Fitzgerald's knee -- He says he is OK. But I wonder if the well known fantasy football owner would start himself this weekend against the Lions. I say he would because he's a killer and he didn't even quit when he was injured in the third quarter last week. I say he plays and Kurt Warner doesn't look like old man winter for two weeks in a row.
Feel better. Thanks for letting me get some of that out of my mind.
-- Jason Collington
Yearning for an old-school game
12/16/2009 12:14:00 AM
I know how Da Coach felt a few times. |
Maybe it's the thought about that fast-approaching ascendancy to get over the top of the proverbial hill (a little more than 14 months away) or still coming to grips with the alter-ego yahoo who runs one of the Internet-administered fantasy leagues I participate in.
That team of mine lost a tiebreaker to two other teams for the final two playoff spots in the league. To say I was hacked off would be an understatement.
Think of Mike Ditka going ballistic at Jim Harbaugh on the sidelines after the then-Bears QB threw a horrible interception that was returned for a TD by Minnesota in 1992.
Recall how Da Coach was beet red-faced with veins and blood vessels ready to explode as he tore into Harbaugh? That was me in firing off a league-wide communication expressing my angst how my team got hosed.
The three teams were tied with the same 7-6 record. But even though I beat both teams in our head-to-head contests, the computer tiebreaker rule is total points scored over the season. My team lost out because of that and had its season end.
What happened to old days of fantasy ball, when an actual living and breathing human sacrificed most of his Sunday night and part of Monday to personally pour over the stats and calculate each team's weekly point total?
That person, unless he had a personal vendetta, would not have allowed such an injustice to occur. Those days of fantasy ball are mostly vanished now, replaced by the almighty computer that takes the easy way out instead of allowing head-to-head matchups to matter.
Oh, what the hell. If my team would have made the postseason in this league, it would have experienced a quick and painful exit. My team only tallied 90 points this week. The team whose slot I should have filled scored 166 points and still lost by 13!!!!
Better him than me, I suppose.
-- Matt Doyle
Fantasy stock report
12/15/2009 11:08:00 AM
Stock rising
Jamaal Charles, Chiefs RB: In the midst of a horrible season for the team, Charles has quietly become a bright spot in Kansas City. His impact should continue with Cleveland on the schedule this weekend.
Stock falling
Those boys with the star on the helmet: With another Dallas disappointing December in progress, the pressure continues to mount on Tony Romo, Marion Barber, Miles Austin, Roy Williams and Jason Witten.
Sell high
Kurt Warner, Cardinals QB: It's not the turnovers (3) he committed in Monday's loss at San Francisco that concerns me. The MRI that WR Larry Fitzgerald is getting on his knee is very concerning to owners of Warner's who need the QB for the playoffs.
Buy low
Ben Roethlisberger, Steelers QB: Big Ben can't be as bad as he looked at Cleveland. Can he? He is worth picking up and playing these last few weeks if you are a Peyton Manning owner.
-- Matt Doyle
Stock rising
Brandon Marshall, Broncos WR: He went from a crybaby to a gamebreaker. I like receivers who want the ball. And he is doing now what he should have done in Denver's 6-0 run at the beginning of the season. The guy is a ballhog and that's exactly what I need since the words MRI and Larry Fitzgerald are now in the same sentence.
Stock falling
Jerry Jones, Cowboys Owner: When you spend $1.2 billion on top of the hundreds of millions in salary, you expect something like, oh, you know, winning. You get that when you have leadership. And when you have Captain Kangaroo as coach, you will not get that. Dallas doesn't have a talent problem, although it would be nice to have a fifth rounder contribute every once in a while. It has a coaching problem. And until that changes, fantasy owners will just have keep getting disappointed.
Sell high
Eli Manning, Giants QB: After being quiet for weeks, he comes out and shows he has the talent but not the gameplan to be a consistent fantasy starter. OK, Eli, go back to handing it off to Brandon Jacobs.
Buy low
Randy Moss, Patriots WR: "Practice? Practice! Practice? Practice! We talkin' practice?" Practice is what a game against the Carolina Panthers is like. What is funny is that a couple guys on a losing team called out one of the best wideouts in the history of the game -- and the bored national media, looking for something for Tuesday's paper, picked up on it. I'll take Moss on my fantasy team any day. Please, someone trade me this quiter. This non-team player. Please, let me take such a loser off of your team.
-- Jason Collington
Stock rising
Chris Jennings, Browns RB: The Browns are going to give Jennings a chance to show he can be a solid NFL back over the final weeks, and the next two weeks against Kansas City and Oakland give him great chances to have big games.
Stock falling
Rashard Mendenhall, Steelers RB: Fifty-three yards against the Browns? The Steelers are having problems, and with Green Bay and Baltimore ahead, don't count on Mendenhall bringing you a fantasy title.
Sell high
Frank Gore, 49ers RB: Gore had a great game against the Cardinals. Odds are he won't repeat it against Philadelphia this week. Still, that Week 16 matchup against the Lions looks pretty nice.
Buy low
Randy Moss, Patriots WR: I'm going with Jason here. After the smack talk from the losing Panthers, I have a feeling Moss will be out to show what he can do. He's not the receiver he used to be, but he's still plenty good.
-- James Royal
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