Fantasy-Football-First

Archive for October, 2009

John Charles Last Week:  9-3-1

John Charles Season:  63-39-1  ( 61.7% )

Reader’s Last Week:  7-5-1

Reader’s Season:  58-44-1  ( 56.8% )

My record last week in these picks against the spread was 9-3-1.  I have to carry the “and 1″ around with me for the rest of the season.  I hate ties.  There should always be a winner and a loser except if it’s a 5 year old soccer game.  There was no joy in my living room Sunday because I broke even on a game ( Yeah, I got my money back ! ).  Ties just mess everything up whether it is betting parlays or figuring out wild card playoff scenarios.

I watched the new show  “The League” last night on FX.  I had been looking forward to it because on paper it sounded like a good premise.  A sitcom based on the relationships surrounding members of a fantasy football league.  I did laugh.  Once.  It was a scene where someone was going to be late to the draft and they threatened to give him either a kicker or the Detroit Defense with the first pick.  That was the only time I laughed.  It just wasn’t funny and borderline unbearable in parts. 

 Loading ...

Vegas is throwing us some challenges this week as they take the point spreads up, up and away.  We have 5 double digit spreads including the highest of the year at 16.5 .  Let’s dive right in.

Let’s do this.

Denver at Baltimore ( -3.5 )

One team is undefeated and the other team has lost 3 in a row.  Both teams are coming off their bye week which is interesting.  Denver is getting no respect from Vegas as they continue to enter these games as underdogs to average teams.  Baltimore may win the game but covering a 3.5 point spread?  I’ll take the team that has won 6 in a row over the losers of 3 straight and if you want to give me 3.5 points to do it, that’s fine with me.  Take Denver.

Cleveland at Chicago ( -13.5 )

This is the year that the favorites are not just winning the games but they are covering as well.  Vegas is going on the defense in games like these by increasing the point spreads.  13.5 points?  Chicago is a .500 team that has been outscored by 15 points this season.  This feels like a 10 point win for Chicago but I am going to roll with the momentum of the heavy favorite covering.  Take Chicago.

Houston at Buffalo ( +3.5 )

The only game of the week with the road team as the favorite.  This is actually a huge game for both teams as they hang around in playoff contention.  Both have won 2 in a row.  Andre Johnson has a bruised lung.  I’m not a doctor but that just doesn’t sound good.  However, I like Houston to move the ball here and pull away just enough to cover late.  Take Houston.

Minnesota at Green Bay ( -3 )

This is the game of the week on FOX !  Forget all the Brett Favre hype, this game is huge for Green Bay.  You just have a feeling that this game is going to come down to the last play.  I have gone back and forth on this pick all week and when I am convinced both teams are equal, I go with the home team.  Take Green Bay.

San Francisco at Indianapolis ( -12.5 )

This game concerns me enough that I didn’t select Indianapolis as my Survivor Pool pick this week even though I still have them available.  I just have a feeling San Francisco is going to hang around in this game.  If Frank Gore can get anything going running early, I think they have a shot.  The heavy favorites have been covering all season but I am going to make this my Upset Pick of the Week.  Take San Francisco.

Miami at NY Jets ( – 3 )

I love revenge games and this is one of those.  Last week the Jets travelled cross country, in a game I was worried about for them, and took care of business.  Miami, on the other hand, had a devastating 4th quarter collapse.  In the preseason, I started calling the Miami wildcat offense as the Prevent Offense.  It may get you a lead but it prevents you from winning.  We saw that in perfect fashion last week.  Take NY Jets.

St. Louis at Detroit ( – 4 )

If it wasn’t for Detroit beating those darn Redskins, my dreams of this being the Toilet Bowl would have come true.  Now it looks like the Lions are going to play themselves right out of a top 5 pick.  Or are they?  Ron Pitts and John Lynch get to call the action and I see a Steven Jackson field day.  Take St. Louis.

Seattle at Dallas ( -9.5 )

Yesterday the stock market went up 200 points and CNBC was calling it the end of the recession.  Today it is down 230 as of this writing and the same people are calling it the beginning of a Depression.  That reminds me of the Seattle Seahawks.  One week they are winning 41-0 and the next losing by double digits.  Which is it going to be this week?  Dallas looked good last week against Atlanta and are suddenly back in the NFC East race.  Take Dallas.

Oakland at San Diego ( -16.5 )

Here it is.  Your 16.5 point spread.  Remember these teams played a 4 point game in Week 1 although it did end around 2:00am east coast time so you may not.  You have to really really like San Diego to spot the 16.5 or really really not like Oakland.  Take San Diego.

Jacksonville at Tennessee ( -3 )

Hey Jacksonville, you get to play an 0-6 team coming off a 59-0 game against their backup quarterback  and Vegas calls you a 3 point underdog. Now go out there and cover so I can call this my Upset that’s not really an Upset Pick of the Week.  Take Jacksonville.

Carolina at Arizona ( -10 )

Just when I thought Carolina was starting to put things together they went out last week and lost at home to Buffalo.  Now they get to travel cross country to play Arizona who is on a roll.  I like Arizona in this one big.  This is my Back the Brinks Truck Up Pick of the Week.  Take Arizona.

NY Giants at Philadelphia ( PK )

Be careful calling the Eagles a top team right now.  Go look at their schedule and tell me who have they beaten that warrants them being classified as a top team.  Now look at my email box fill up from angry Eagles fans.  Take NY Giants.

Atlanta at New Orleans ( -10 )

New Orleans could be our first 20 point favorite in a few weeks when Tampa Bay rolls into the Superdome.  In the mean time, let’s cash in on some low 10 point spreads.  Take New Orleans.

Good Luck in Week 8.

Who should I start as my # 2 running back?  What about my #2 wide receiver?  Which quarterback should I go with?  What tight end is going to score this weekend?  Which one of my flex players are going to do well?

These are the questions that fill up my email box each week.  These are the questions that I struggle with on my own fantasy teams as well.  In this new Thursday column, 5 Up and 5 Down, I identify 10 players that are “on the bubble” of being a Start or a Sit for the week. 

I pick 5 players that should perform better than average this week ( Up ) and 5 that should perform less than average ( Down ).  But then we take it to another level and let you vote for which of the UP players you think will have the best week.

In other words, we are all in this together.

Quarterbacks

UP:

1. David Garrard- Did you see what Tom Brady did to Tennessee? 
2. Tony Romo- Mr. Austin, just go deep.
3. Jay Cutler- going against Cleveland.
4. Marc Bulger- Detroit gives up 260 yards a game passing.
5. Matt Ryan- I have a hunch this game against New Orleans might be high scoring.

DOWN:

1. Brett Favre- Green Bay allows 174 passing yards a game.
2. Eli Manning- Giants are going to run.
3. Alex Smith – one half wonder?
4. Mark Sanchez- should hand off 40+ times
5. Chad Henne- Avoid wildcat QB.

 Loading ...

Running Backs

UP:

1. Kevin Smith- up against St. Louis
2. Joseph Addai- will see most of carries
3. Ray Rice- getting better each week
4. Pierre Thomas – ready to break out?
5. Ryan Grant- Vikings give up 4 yards per carry

DOWN:

1. Shonn Greene- how many carries?
2. Julius Jones- bad O line.
3. Jamal Lewis – Bears will dare Browns to pass.
4. Felix Jones- limited touches.
5. Knowshon Moreno- Ravens D.

 Loading ...

Wide Reciever

UP:

1. Lee Evans – the real #1 in Buffalo
2. Nate Burleson- Seattle will look to air it out.
3. Pierre Garcon- against San Francisco in a shoot out.
4. Steve Breaston- will get his looks.
5. Torry Holt- due for a TD.

DOWN:

1. Eddie Royal- only 1 good receiving game.
2. Michael Crabtree- Indy looking to shut down.
3. Mario Manningham-Eagles don’t give up long pass.
4. Mark Clayton- Denver D.
5. Johnny Knox- Bears look to run.

 Loading ...

Tight End

UP:

1. Vernon Davis- last week he was huuuuge.
2. Jeremy Shockey – N.O getting everyone involved.
3. John Carlson- due for a big game.
4. Marcedes Lewis- up against Tennessee.
5. Todd Heap- goal line looks against Denver.

DOWN:

1. Kevin Boss- Giants will be running.
2. Zach Miller- hit or miss.
3. Dante Rosario- Carolina passing struggles.
4. Bo Scaife- disappearing act.
5. Tony Scheffler – Baltimore D.

 Loading ...

Note – Week 8 Player Rankings are updated for all positions and available under the Week 8 Player Rankings page at the top of the page.

Week 8 is upon us and for the first time this season, there are going to be some tough choices in your Survivor Pools.  Six teams are out on byes and some of the big favorites this week might have been your selections earlier in the season.  I narrowed my choice down to 3 selections:

Indianapolis:  For many of you, Indianapolis has already been chosen this season.  For me, I am the only person left in my league that hasn’t used the Colts.  There are many things to like about Indianapolis.  They are undefeated.  They are playing at home.  San Francisco comes into town losers of two straight.  However, this isn’t the same 49′ers team of two weeks ago.  Alex Smith looked great in the 2nd half last week and seemed to have a nice connection with Michael Crabtree.  A runner like Frank Gore has given the Colts trouble in the past.  I am concerned about this game.

San Diego:  A big favorite playing at home against the Raiders who have only two wins on the season.  But Oakland did play them tough in week 1 losing by only 4 points. 

Arizona:  Arizona looked great last week in beating the Giants while Carolina looked terrible playing Buffalo and could be on the verge of a QB switch.  Many reasons to like Arizona except they aren’t blowing people out this season.  Despite a 4-2 record, their point differential is only +27.

Tough choices. 

If you asked me yesterday I would have picked Indianapolis as my top pick but the more I am thinking about San Francisco the more concerned I am getting about it.  I am going with San Diego.  They are at home playing a division rival that they clearly don’t like so I don’t see a letdown in this game.  Rivers, L.T., Sproles, V.Jackson and Gates are just too tough for Oakland to contain. 

Below are my rankings for what would be the safest picks this week in Survivor Pools.

1. San Diego
2. Indianapolis
3. Arizona
4. Chicago
5. New Orleans
6. Dallas
7. NY Jets
8. Houston
9. Detroit
10. Green Bay
11. Jacksonville
12. Denver
13. Philadelphia
14. NY Giants
15. Baltimore
16. Tennessee
17. Minnesota
18. St. Louis
19. Buffalo
20. Miami
21. Seattle
22. Atlanta
23. Cleveland
24. Carolina
25. San Francisco
26. Oakland

Good Luck in Week 8.

The polls for this week’s Point Spread Picks are now open below. Please make your selections below and check out our POINT SPREAD PICKS page for the consensus and picks by our very own John Charles later in the week. John Charles went 9-3-1  last week against the spread and the consensus of our Readers went 7-5-1 . For the season John Charles is 63-39-1 ( 61.7% ) and our Readers are 58-44-1 ( 56.8 % ).

 Loading ...

 Loading ...

 Loading ...

 Loading ...

 Loading ...

 Loading ...

 Loading ...

 Loading ...

 Loading ...

 Loading ...

 Loading ...

 Loading ...

 Loading ...

Can you believe we are to Week 8 ? We are already half way through another fantasy football season assuming you make it to the final week.

We have an interesting week on the Waiver Wire. Remember, even though we might recommend you pick up these players that doesn’t mean they go right into your starting line up. Check back Wednesday afternoon for our full player rankings. Picking up a player off the Waiver Wire provides you with depth to your roster and most importantly, out of your opponent’s hands.

Week 7 was a crazy week. Check out our Week 7 All-Star Line Up:

QB- Carson Palmer
RB- Ricky Williams, Shonn Greene
WR- Miles Austin, Chad Ochoconco
TE- Vernon Davis
K- Nick Folk
D- Pittsburgh

If you had this line up, you would have put up a stunning 196 points last week. The amazing thing about this line up is that none of these players went in the top half of your fantasy draft. Who says luck doesn’t play a factor in fantasy football?

In this week’s Waiver Wire, chances are that most of these players will be on some one’s team in your league. However, if they aren’t, get the one’s that you can at the position your opponent this week is the weakest. It’s crunch time.

Quarterback

• Alex Smith:  What he did on Sunday was impressive.  However, there isn’t much pressure coming into a game like that.  We’ll see how he does this week against Indianapolis to see if he warrants a start next week against Tennessee.

Running Back

• Shonn Greene:  I drafted Greene in the 13th round of a 20 round draft this summer and almost cut him two weeks ago for a bye week defense.  I am glad I didn’t as he has some good match ups ahead and could be a factor down the stretch.  Don’t get too excited, he’s not a starter but he’s worth the pick up.
• LeSean McCoy:  If the owner of Brian Westbrook wasn’t smart enough to handcuff him, grab him and make a deal.
• Mike Bell:  Some cut him when Pierre Thomas returned a few weeks ago.  Get him back as New Orleans trusts him more than anyone else at the goal line.
• Beanie Wells:  In the preseason, I recommended you to stay away from Wells and Tim Hightower as it was impossible to predict how this would play out.  It’s now Week 8 and time to get Wells.  He could take you to the playoffs with back to back weeks against St. Louis and Tennessee coming up.
• Benjarvis Green- Ellis:  New England has Laurence Maroney on a short leash.   Very short.

Wide Receiver

• Kevin Walter:  A big disappointment so far this season.  Numbers should improve if Andre Johnson is less than 100%.
• Sam Aiken:  New England desparately is trying to find a # 3 wide receiver.  It’s Aiken’s turn to see what he can do.  Showed nice speed last week.
• Michael Crabtree:  Get him if you can.  They are throwing him right into the mix.

Tight End

• Ben Watson:  If you have owned Watson in the past, as I have, I know you are bitter.  However, he’s healthy for the first time in a long while and I think he has some huge games coming up.
• Fred Davis:  Chris Cooley broke his ankle Monday night and is likely done for the year.  I have never been a fan of Cooley although his wife is very impressive.  However, Davis is now the starter in Washington and although he is slower than Cooley, he is bigger and stronger.  Take a flier on Davis.

John Charles Last Week:  5-9

John Charles Season:  54-36  ( 60.0% )

Reader’s Last Week:  7-7

Reader’s Season:  51-39  ( 56.6%  )

One of the ads that has been running on my web site this week is promoting a new show on FX called “The League”.  From what I have read , it’s a comedy that centers on the lives and relationships of a group of guys in a fantasy football league.  Brilliant.  It’s already secured Season Pass status on my DVR and I haven’t seen any commercials or promos for it yet.

Fantasy football is high comedy.  It starts at the draft when we remind each other of every bad hook up each of us had 15 years ago in college ( remember that girl who wouldn’t leave?  we had to tell her we were getting our place fumigated in an hour. cue laughter ).   It continues throughout the football season through emails.  When we found out that the owner of Mike Sim-Walker, who was benched a few weeks ago, was never pulled from a starting line up the rest of the league needed to know why.  We finally got him to admit that he was out apple picking with his girlfriend.  Many were shocked that he was out picking apples on a Sunday afternoon, I was more shocked that he had a girlfriend.

Speaking of shocking, I need to recover from last week’s 5-9 record.  I am still running at 60% against the spread on the season so there’s no reason to panic.  Yet.

Let’s do this.

San Diego at Kansas City ( +5 )

We start Week 7 with the classic confrontation.  The underachieving team going on the road against a poor team playing at home.  There are many reasons to not like San Diego in this game.  Short week, coming off a  devastating loss, poor head coach, some players have the flu.   Let’s take the points on a home field.  Take Kansas City.

Indianapolis at St. Louis ( +13.5 )

I can’t wait to see what Peyton Manning is going to do in this game.  Coming off a bye and sitting at home watching Tom Brady throw 6 td’s last week, he can’t wait to get on the field.  This is my Back the Brinks Truck Up Pick of the Week.  Take Indianapolis.

Chicago at Cincinnati ( -1 )

Cincinnati is a good team.   I am starting to really believe that.  I can’t wait to bet against them in the playoffs.  But for now, Take Cincinnati.

Green Bay at Cleveland ( +8.5 )

I know many people will take Cleveland based solely on the fact that they are getting a home team and 8.5.  I agree that’s tempting.  However, Green Bay is the superior team and should beat Cleveland by 2 scores.  Take Green Bay.

Minnesota at Pittsburgh ( -5.5 )

Minnesota has never lost a game with Brett Favre as their quarterback.  This will be the last week I write that sentence.  Pittsburgh wins and covers this game which will be a track meet.  Take Pittsburgh.

New England vs. Tampa Bay ( +15 )

If this game was played before last weeks 59-0 win by the Patriots, the spread would have been around 8-9 points.  Pushing 15 points is huge and it’s on a neutral field.  The NFL loves these London games because it gives them a chance to sell jerseys.  I am guessing the Tom Brady jersey will see more sales than the Josh Johnson ones.  Take New England.

San Francisco at Houston ( -3 )

Quick question- which player has scored the most fantasy points this season?  Congrats Matt Schaub owners.  Look for the big numbers to continue in this game .  Take Houston.

NY Jets at Oakland ( -6 )

An interesting game.  Will the Jets be the 2nd team in a row to travel cross country and lose to the Raiders?  Will Mark Sanchez feel more comfortable on the West Coast this week in front of friends and family?  This is the game to avoid but if you must, and I must, look for Thomas Jones to run wild.  Take New York.

Buffalo at Carolina ( -7 )

Carolina is starting to get on a little roll here.  Winners of 2 straight, they get Buffalo at home.  I look for them to hand the ball off about 40-45 times and cover.  Take Carolina.

New Orleans at Miami ( +6.5 )

The last time we saw Miami, it was on Monday night where they beat the Jets in a thriller.  If you remember that game, they made Mark Sanchez look pretty good.  How do you think they are going to make Drew Brees look?  Take New Orleans.

Atlanta at Dallas ( -4 )

Vegas wants to give us 4 points to take Atlanta.  Uh OK.  If I have to.  Atlanta is better than Dallas at the QB, RB, WR and TE positions.  I’ll take those 4 points and call this my Upset ( that’s not really an upset ) Pick of the Week.  Take Atlanta.

Arizona at NY Giants ( -7 )

Arizona has the best run defense in the league.  The Giants will look to air it out.  Kurt Warner vs. Eli Manning should be a good battle.  If Vegas wants to spot us a touchdown, we’ll say Game On.  Take Arizona.

Philadelphia at Washington ( +7 )

Monday Night Football’s run of great games comes to an end so let’s play the MNF drinking game !  You need to take a drink anytime the announcers refer to the NFL as the ” National Football League”, they refer to Michael Vick in a positive manner or mention the words ” Jim Zorn” and “fired”  or “vote of confidence” in the same sentence.  You’ll be passed out at half time and won’t be around to see the end of the blowout.  Take Philadelphia.

So what do you think?  Participate in our Point Spread Picks Polls by clicking here.  Check back Sunday morning for the consensus of our Reader’s to be posted to the Point Spread Picks page above.

Good Luck in Week 7.

John Charles

.

Change is good. Seriously.

Each Thursday I have been doing a Start Em / Sit Em column in which I  list 5 players that should perform better than normal ( Starts ) and 5 that should perform worse than normal ( Sits ). I am still going to do that but we’re going to change it up a bit and make it interactive.

The new name for this column is 5 Up and 5 Down. At each position I am going to pick 5 players that should have an UP week and 5 that should have a DOWN week. I leave out the Studs and focus on the players that most are trying to decide whether to start them or not.

To make it interactive, I am including polls so you can see how everyone feels about these players chances for the week. Vote for who you think will have the best and worst weeks.  Lets dive in.

Quarterbacks

UP: Eli Manning, Matt Ryan, Jay Cutler, Matt Cassel, Shaun Hill
DOWN: Carson Palmer, Brett Favre, Chad Henne, Mark Sanchez, Jason Campbell

 Loading ...

 Loading ...

Running Backs

UP: Thomas Jones, Cedric Benson, Ryan Grant, Joseph Addai, Laurence Maroney
DOWN: Cadillac Williams, Ahmad Bradshaw, Steve Slaton, Jamal Lewis, Marion Barber

 Loading ...

 Loading ...

Wide Receivers

UP: Hines Ward, Donald Driver, Wes Welker, Dwayne Bowe, Chad Ochocinco
DOWN: Donnie Avery, Kevin Walter, Terrell Owens, Roy Williams, Michael Crabtree

 Loading ...

 Loading ...

Tight Ends

UP: Heath Miller, Brent Celek, Vernon Davis, Ben Watson, Kellen Winslow
DOWN: Donald Lee, Dante Rosario, Kevin Boss, Zach Miller, Anthony Fasano

 Loading ...

 Loading ...

Note – Week 7 Player Rankings are updated for all positions and available under the Week 7 Player Rankings page at the top of the page.

Week 7 is upon us and we finally had that major upset we have been waiting for.  Last week Philadelphia travelled to Oakland as 14 point favorites and lost.  Biggest upset of the season but it didn’t cause the major damage to Survivor Pools as one might have thought.  Many had picked Philadelphia earlier in the season and that worked out well for you.

I normally don’t look ahead in Survivor Pools but I did glimpse at next week’s schedule and it is going to be a very difficult decision.  We’ll cross that bridge in a week but for now we have only 3 teams that I would consider.

New England:  I can’t believe it’s Week 7 and I haven’t really considered the Patriots up until now.  They dominated last week and get to play win-less Tampa Bay.  The only concern I see is that it’s a game in London so you never know how a team will react on a long trip.  And you would have to imagine some sort of a let down after winning 59-0.

Indianapolis:  The Colts hit the road as 13 point favorites and travel to St. Louis which is 0-6 on the season.  The Colts are going to be a popular pick this week no doubt.  Not much to worry about except the fact that it’s a road game but Indy to St. Louis is one of those flights where the plane is coming down before you get your Coke.

Green Bay:  Green Bay travel to Cleveland as a 7 point favorite.  If you are looking for another team other than the Colts and Patriots, I would have to say Green Bay would be in that next group.

My pick for the week is the Patriots.  I don’t see 0-6 Tampa Bay beating the New England team I saw last week on a neutral field.  Indianapolis would be my 2nd choice and it’s nice to know I still have them to choose from in the weeks ahead.  Survive and advance.

Below are my rankings for what would be the safest picks this week in Survivor Pools.

1. New England
2. Indianapolis
3. Green Bay
4. Philadelphia
5. NY Jets
6. Carolina
7. New Orleans
8. San Diego
9. NY Giants
10. Houston
11. Pittsburgh
12. Cincinnati
13. Atlanta
14. Dallas
15. Chicago
16. Minnesota
17. San Francisco
18. Arizona
19. Kansas City
20. Miami
21. Buffalo
22. Oakland
23. Washington
24. Cleveland
25. St. Louis
26. Tampa Bay

The polls for this week’s Point Spread Picks are now open below. Please make your selections below and check out our POINT SPREAD PICKS page for the consensus and picks by our very own John Charles later in the week. John Charles went a shocking 5-9 last week against the spread and the consensus of our Readers went 7-7. For the season John Charles is 54-36 ( 60.0%) and our Readers are 51-39 ( 56.6% ).

 Loading ...

 Loading ...

 Loading ...

 Loading ...

 Loading ...

 Loading ...

 Loading ...

 Loading ...

 Loading ...

 Loading ...

 Loading ...

 Loading ...

 Loading ...

Monday Night Blues.

That’s what I have tonight. As I write this column, at halftime of the Monday night game, I put myself in a position where I beat myself this week ( no high school pun intended ). I had my line up set last Friday as always and then I went and made wholesale changes to it Sunday morning. Every change I made backfired.

I saw the weather forecast for snow in New England, knew it would be high scoring, and replaced Ahmad Bradshaw for Sammy Morris. Bradshaw scored 10.80 points and Morris 0.30. BOOM.

I had Eddie Royal in my starting line up with Reggie Wayne out on a bye and replaced him with Kevin Walter because I read a stat that said Cincinnati has given up the most 20+ yard passing plays this season. Walter scored 2.60 points and Royal has two special teams touchdowns at halftime tonight for 12.00 points and counting. BOOM.

I cut Rian Lindell when I saw there were 15 mph cross winds at the Meadowlands and picked up Josh Scobee who  I thought would be in a high scoring game. Lindell finished with 10.00 points and Scobee 5.0.
POW.

Why did I do that? I never do that type of line up switches. I spend several hours a week formulating the player rankings on my web site and then I went and second guessed myself and it cost me a win.

The bright side is that I have the roster to field a highly competitive team each week. The down side is that I screwed it up. Never again.

Here’s this week’s Waiver Wire Pick Ups. It’s a short list this week as there were not many injuries on the offensive side of the ball. These players are worthy of a roster spot right now and should provide nice depth to your roster.

Quarterbacks

• Marc Bulger:  Bulger is back in the starting line up and performed OK in Week 6.  He should get his chances throwing the ball as St. Louis usually is trailing at the coin flip. 
• Vince Young:  If you have an extra roster spot, you may want to take a flier on Young.  He should be starting soon and it’s now or never in his career.

Running Backs

• Laurence Maroney:  Running backs are dropping like flies in New England and it’s Maroney’s time to be the top back. It looks like Sammy Morris got hurt Sunday and could be out for awhile and the Patriots play Tampa Bay this week.
• Justin Fargas:  Oakland handed him the ball 20+ times Sunday.  That makes him worthy of a roster spot.  If Oakland gets the lead, a big if, they seem content to hand the ball off all day long.

Wide Receivers

• Michael Crabtree:  If available, grab him and look to trade right after he scores his first touchdown.
• Steve Breaston:  With Boldin hurt, Breaston immediately becomes a top 25 wide receiver.
• Hakeem Nicks:  The Giants are passing enough to warrant starting their 3 wide receivers.

Tight End

• Jermichael Finley:  Green Bay is not running the ball in the red zone or even on the 1 inch line.  This makes Finley very valuable as he is emerging as a top red zone target.

Week 6 All Star Line Up:

QB- Tom Brady

RB- Maurice Jones-Drew, Ray Rice

WR- Randy Moss, Wes Welker

TE- Zach Miller

K- Ryan Longwell

D- Green Bay

If you had this line up in Week 6, you put up an incredible 219 points.  I don’t think anyone could have drafted that team as I doubt you could have gotten MJD, Brady and Moss with your first 3 picks but maybe there is a Patriots fan out there somewhere that put that line up together. 

And now a Parting Shot:

I have read many message boards today that once again are focusing on the New England Patriots as a class-less team that ran up the score yesterday on Tennessee in winning 59-0.  I watched the game  and I totally disagree.  The game got out of hand very quickly in the 2nd quarter when Tennessee all of a sudden couldn’t tackle, snap the ball to the quarterback or keep up with New England’s wide receivers without falling down.  The Patriots scored 5 touchdowns in the last 10 minutes of the 2nd quarter.

So what should the Patriots have done differently?  They came to play football.  Should they not have just because Tennessee didn’t?  The Patriots were out on the field trying different types of footwear and gloves for 90 minutes prior to the game while the Titans came out to do a brief warm up and then went back to the locker room when the rain turned to snow 30 minutes prior to the game.  Guess which team blamed the outcome of the game on “bad footing”? 

At half time, you have to assume that whatever points you scored could be scored on you so you need to play the game into the 3rd quarter which is what they did.  They took Brady out and went with their back up quarterback which is an undrafted rookie.  The Titans still couldn’t do anything.  This game could have easily been 82-0 as the Patriots scored a safety that went uncalled and could have put together 3 more scoring drives. 

This is professional football where the average wage  is over 800,000 a season.  If you have a problem with a team scoring on you, get players to stop it.  My parting shot is that it wasn’t the Patriots play that ran up the score, it was the Titans.

What do you think?

 Loading ...