2006 Fantasy Football Review – Week 11

This Week’s Top Team: Lookin’ Bad. How’d I do? The points say, 80 something, I stopped counting at my donkey 0 point having kicker whose supposed to be my MVP!

QB: Carson Palmer: Carson blew up on Sunday, taking down the Saints with a little help from his number-named friend at the WR slot. Palmer’s 3 touchdowns and 275 yards passing had him good for 3rd in the QB list, with 27 fantasy points.

RB: Thomas Jones: TJ had a nice game, but like many of my other picks, he couldn’t find the end zone, so his 120 yards were only good for 12 fantasy points.

RB: Brian Westbrook: Westy had 140+ total yards without a score, good for 14 points, unless you were in a reception league, then Westy broke out another 12 for you. Either way, not a bad game for the man whose going to be the focal point of the offense for the rest of the season. Or as long as he can stay healthy.

WR: Terrell Owens: TO had 4 catches, but couldn’t find the end zone on any of them, and only carried them for 70 yards. Good for, or bad for, 7 fantasy points.

WR: Steve Smith: S-Squared had a nice game, 90 yards after 4 catches and a touchdown. Stevey ranked out it he Top 10, good for 15 points on Sunday.

TE: Kellen Winslow: KWII only dug in for 3 fantasy points after catching 4 balls for 36 yards in a losing effort against the Steelers. Thanks soldier!

K: Jeff Wilkins: Zero? No fantasy points, not even one. Gross. Jeff, I know it’s not your fault, but kick the ball at your teammates next week in practice, or I’m not picking you again.

D: Eagles: The Eagles could only manage 7 points, and unlike the offensive unit, they can’t blame their struggles on Donovan McNabb’s injury, so this performance was gross.

LUCKY’S Week 11 SLEEPERS

Tony Romo: Romo didn’t do much, he won the game for his squad, and all the intangibles were there, but the fantasy production was notta, 5 points. F

Charlie Frye: Charlie Brown got screwed out of a win over the Steelers, but maybe if he had more than 8 fantasy points, the football gods would have pushed the Brownies over the edge. Too bad for me, and my mand Charles. F

Julius Jones: JJ had 90+ total yards, but didn’t’ score once again, as Marion Barber got all the goal line touches, and ended up with 2 scores on 35 yards. Jones gets a raw deal on the goal line, no joke about that. C

Frank Gore: Can you say 212 yards and 26 yards receiving? Sure, Gore’s yardage totals without a touchdown are amazing, and his fumble wasn’t sweet, but Frank carried the 49ers in a huge win over Seattle. A

Laveraneus Coles: Coles went for 80 yards on 8 catches, but was held without a score once again. 8 points. C

Donald Driver: DD’s 44 yards made me a little sick to my stomach about almost every single one of my picks in my sleepers’ column. Besides Frank of course. Kid had a game! F

Jeremy Stevens: Jeremy needs to stop abusing women and start catching some footballs during the week. Didn’t register a point, very similar to the kicker in my starting lineup. F

Buffalo Bills DST: Only 8 points against the Texans, freaking yucky! D

LUCKY’S Week 11 Moss’S

Mike Vick: Mike had 16 fantasy points in a losing effort against the Ravens, but his 16 fantasy points made him a fantasy average player, not a Randy little moss bag.

Warrick Dunn: WD40 had 5 fantasy points. Told ya so.

Santana Moss: Moss didn’t play.

Randy Moss: Randy moss might as well have not played. And on the week when the wussies was renamed after him, what a good guy for being a good sport about it.

2006 Fantasy Football Week 12 theRUNDOWN

This Week’s Top Team: Bad, bad week in week 11, this week will be much better. On my way to 140+ fantasy points, Ya’ll!

QB: Tony Romo: Tony will dominate a struggling Buc defense while the Cowboys will ride off into the Thank Giving sunset with a big win.

RB: Larry Johnson: Denver’s defense isn’t as good against premium talent opponents as you’d think, so expect the only guy you can compare with LT to have a huge day against the Broncos. LJ will get a donkey’s load of carries and he’ll produce too.

RB: Brian Westbrook: I know the Eagles will have a tough time against Indy, but Westy will get the most carries in the 1st half that he’s had all season. And when he gets chances, he uses them to show the world how good he is. Look for the Eagles to try and run clock by keeping the ball in Brian’s hands.

WR: Terrell Owens: I like Tony, and that means I like TO. No one on the Buccaneer team can get close to guarding Owens, so if he has a tough game, expect it to be because of some drops.

WR: Braylon Edwards: I love BE’s skill set, and against a chatty team like the Bengals, Edwards has never felt more at home. Expect him to work extra hard to try and prove he’s on the same level as Chad Johnson. He’s not, but look for him to have a better fantasy day than OCHO.

TE: Kellen Winslow: I like MR. Soldier boy for the 2nd week in a row. His Hurricanes finally beat a good team when they ousted Boston College on Thursday Night, so KII should play like a solider from THE U.

K: Jeff Wilkins: One more chance Jeff. You give me that 0 point effort again, I’m trading you for Morten Anderson and his 75 year old boot.

D: Panthers: Championship! Just watch this shizzy.

LUCKY’S Week 12 SLEEPERS

Jake Delhomme: Jakey has struggle all year. On Sunday, he goes up against the Redskins. Hooray for his fantasy stock. If he somehow made it to the waiver wire in your league, pick him up pronto!

David Carr: Carr has thrown the ball well, and I’m sure the Jets will try to make him beat them. He might very well just do that, and make me a smart man.

Marion Barber: I finally have learned that Barber gets goal line touches, making him more valuable in FF than the starter in Dallas, Julius Jones.

Maurice Drew: When he gets touches, he make the most of them. He’ll get his chance to carry some of the load against Buffalo, and my guess is he has a big day.

Arnaz Battle: I’m really walking on thin limbs here, but Battle has tons of skills, and his strength and size makes him a nice target against the Rams’ secondary. You need to fill a spot, take a chance on this guy.

Michael Jenkins: Mike’s not a popular start, but sooner or later, Mike Vick will have a decent game through the air, and Big Mike plans to be on the receiving end of a bomb or two.

Owen Daniels: The Jets’ defensive troubles are well documented. Daniels is one of Carr’s favorite targets. He’ll get his chances on Sunday.

San Diego Chargers DST: At Oakland… Are you kidding me? No way these guys score less than 20 fantasy points.

LUCKY’S Week 12 Moss’S

Aaron Brooks: He’s lucky Shawn Merriman is out one more week, or he could have very well not made it out of this game with all his limbs.

Edgerrin James: Edge has played better of late. He’ll go back down the hill against the Vikings on Sunday.

Eddie Kennison: Trent Green hands the ball off to LJ, that’s what he does best. A couple catches for Eddie won’t prove worthy or a start this week.

Randy Moss: He has to be on the list, it’s his list until he proves he’s not just a ball dropping extraordinaire.

Free Football Picks 06-07 Week 11

After the worst week of my season, I’m dedicated to making it happen in Week 11, pulling myself right our of the gutter and into high society. I just keep telling myself, “Don’t fret, Week 11 sits ahead, and that is where Champions make their claim for greatness!”TOP 5 Bets

1. Indianapolis Colts (-1) at Dallas Cowboys
2. New England Patriots (-5.5) at Green Bay Packers
3. Seattle Seahawks (-3.5) at San Francisco 49ers
4. St. Louis Rams (+7.5) at Carolina Panthers
5. Tennessee Titans at Philadelphia Eagles (-13)
Atlanta Falcons at Baltimore Ravens (-4): The Ravens have found ways to win when times are tough, while the Falcons have found tough times and a variety of ways to lose. I don’t know what happened to Mike Vick, but the fact that Atlanta did this last season, and Vick often struggles when criticized, has me taking Baltimore at home.

Buffalo Bills (+2.5) at Houston Texans: David Carr is questionable, but I don’t know if that helps or hurts the Texans? What I do know is Buffalo can play tough, and even with McGahee out, the Bill rushing attack is worth something. Houston at home has never impressed me. Expect a big play from Lee Evans that dumps the non-Cowboy club in Texas.

Chicago Bears (-7) at N.Y. Jets: Chicago won’t have problems with the Jets. Thomas Jones will give them the old Wham Bam Thank You Mam, surprise, and New York won’t have a swinging chance in this showdown. Rexxy Grossman is inconsistent, but this looks like a good match up for the young gun slinger.

Cincinnati Bengals at New Orleans Saints (-3): It’s not like me to pick the Saints, but at home, and with a winner like Drew Brees, it’s time for even me to turn the corner. Against the Bengals, we might be watching Reggie Bush’s first dominate performance of his career. We also are going to see a point scoring fiesta in New Orleans, so get ready to Tivo this one, it’s going to be the Ultimate Highlight!

Indianapolis Colts (-1) at Dallas Cowboys: The Colts are better than the Cowboys, even with Drew Bledsoe stuck on clipboard duty. Dallas’ defense struggles to defend the pass, Peyton Manning is the ultimate passer. 1 and 1 makes 2 right? Peyton kills Dallas all game long and the Colts win number 10. 10 straight wins is tough to come by, but a loss against the Cowboys just won’t happen.

Minnesota Vikings at Miami Dolphins (-3): Miami has turn the corner? I wouldn’t go that far, but the Vikings sure have. Soon to be passed up by the freaking Packers, Minnesota needs to hurry up and make a Quarterback change before Brad Johnson dies on the field of old age. Okay, seriously, I don’t know how either of these teams is as bad as they are, but Miami has shown they are a second half team, while Minnesota hasn’t shown me jack lately. Dolphins at home in this one.

New England Patriots (-5.5) at Green Bay Packers: How about them Packers? About 4 games ago, this would have been a 10 point spread, but the Pats have really struggled, and the Packers have found a couple victories. I love how that works out. Look for Tom Brady to get his “Top Quarterback” game show down, and terrorize the Packers pass defense that struggles against veteran QBs. Patriots on the road in a laugher.

Oakland Raiders at Kansas City Chiefs (-9): The Chiefs are a decent squad, and if they get back to giving Larry Johnson the ball every other offensive play, they’ll down the Raiders, even if Aaron Brooks plays quarterback. Hell, if Payton Manning played QB in Oakland, the Chiefs would still win, and the Raiders would still suck.

Pittsburgh Steelers at Cleveland Browns (+3.5): Pittsburgh found their quarterback last week, but can they put two together? Every time I start thinking “now they’ve got it” they come back and blow an easy one. This week the Browns host Pittsburgh, and Cleveland isn’t going to roll over and take it from Big Ben and his boys. The Browns will be ready, a young team, with some pesky Vets, getting better as the season goes forward.

St. Louis Rams (+7.5) at Carolina Panthers: The Panthers never cover, yet they did last week. Are they on to something? I think not. The Rams have enough fire power to stick close, and when they lose for the second week by way of a field goal, I will still win! HAHAHA!

Tennessee Titans at Philadelphia Eagles (-13): The Titans walk into Philly getting 13 points, but I don’t think tat will be enough. The Eagles usually dominate the “lesser” teams in the NFL, and Tennessee falls into that “young, maybe next year” category. Expect little out of the Titans passing game, because Philly loves to force mistakes against young hurlers. Eagles are good, they will win easily.

Washington Redskins at Tampa Bay Buccaneers (-3): The Redskins are starting Jason Campbell at QB, never seen NFL action before, and lost their best offensive player for the season. Tampa Bay hasn’t played well, but it’s nice when they get to play against a Skins team that has seemingly thrown in the towel. Expect Cadillac Williams’ best game of the season.

Detroit Lions (+2.5) at Arizona Cardinals: The Lions are the better team here, even on the road, and even after getting canned but the 49ers. Detroit has an explosive offense, and Jon Kitna, while the Cardinals are surprisingly pathetic offensively considering their talent, and have a rookie running the show. (Which might explain why they’ve struggled so. Expect Kitna to have a nice bounce back performance against the Cards, and a Lion win.

Seattle Seahawks (-3.5) at San Francisco 49ers: The Hawks can run their schemes with Wallace at quarterback, as they’ve shown the last few games. He brings a nice rushing component to the game, something he’ll use more against the 49ers, because they tend to leave wide open lanes while pass rushing. Don’t be fooled by the line being so close, this game shouldn’t be.

San Diego Chargers at Denver Broncos (-1): The world thinks pretty highly of the Chargers, let me tell you what. And after their trying comeback win over the Bengals, they should, but Denver only favored by a point at home. I don’t think the Broncs have played well of late, but they deserve more than that. Right now, as always, they find ways to win. Expect that trend to continue this Sunday.

N.Y. Giants at Jacksonville Jaguars (-3): I saw the Jaguars get smacked around last week by the Texans, and their real starting quarterback is probably going out for the year, but David Garrard is a gamer, and his receivers will step up for Monday Night Football. That being said, the Giants are physically hurting on both sides of the ball, especially defensive line, and Jacksonville has plans to run all over the Giants at home.

Week 10 NFL Pick Review – 2006

I just can’t seem to put a winning streak together as I broke down and lost more games this week than any other week this season. It’s going to be a tough hole to climb out of, but what can I do? Gotta keep climbing till I get to the top! At least I won the majority of my Top 5 bets…

TOP 5 Bets

1. Jacksonville over Houston Loss
2. Chicago over New York Giants WIN
3. Philadelphia over Washington WIN
4. Jets over Patriots WIN
5. Tampa Bay over Carolina Loss
Baltimore (-7) at Tennessee: LOSS! The Ravens didn’t come out swinging like the Titans, and if it wasn’t for a late game missed field goal, the Titans would have broken the mighty Ravens, but isn’t that they way it goes. Ravens didn’t cover, but they won. Count how many times that happened this weekend.

Buffalo at Indianapolis (-11.5): LOSS! Colts win, don’t cover, looked terrible in the process, and gave up 1billion rushing yards to the A Train. That’s right, the A Train.

Chicago (+3) at N.Y. Giants: WIN! Chicago got me one of my few victories, as they dominated the 2nd half in their win over New York.

Cleveland at Atlanta (-7): LOSS! “The Falcons sure struggled last week against the Lions.” And much to my betting dismay, those freaking scraggly birds did me in again. I can’t believe the fall from grace Mr. Vick has taken. Kind of like mine. Ugh, with Vick goes Lucky…

Green Bay at Minnesota (-5): LOSS! Oh Vikings, take a hint from the Redskins, bench father time and go with a young gun, your season is caput.

Houston at Jacksonville (-10.5): LOSS! The Jaguars didn’t cover, that’s for sure. They lost to a bad Texan team in Jacksonville. What’s that I heard about Byron Leftwich being worse than David Garrard? Byron wins that game.

Kansas City (E) at Miami: LOSS! I hope Miami’s on a run very similar to last season, as this week I’m riding the train they may or may not be on.

New Orleans +4 at Pittsburgh: LOSS! New Orleans looked awfully good early, but I pick an entire game, not a half. And that tends to hurt me, never more than this week… Ugh umm…. Bengals/Chargers!

N.Y. Jets (+12) at New England: WIN! Not only did the Jets prove that they can compete with the Patriots, they beat those darn Pats and fled Foxboro in a close second place within the division.

San Diego at Cincinnati (+1.5): LOSS! What can Cincinnati do to win a ball game? Chad Johnson flat out dominated the game, yet the Bengals couldn’t hold on late, as LaDainian Tomlinson found his running mate, Phillip Rivers, and together they solved all the crime in Cinci, oh, and beat the Bengals like a bunch of rotten thieves.

San Francisco at Detroit (-5.5): LOSS! Detroit, Detroit, Detroit…. What can I do with you donkeys? Talk about a team that changes their complete identity as soon as I put money on them. I’m not taking them next week… (wink, wink – maybe they’ll read this and win – cackle)

Washington at Philadelphia (-6.5): WIN! The Redskins suck, and the Eagles are very good. It’s nice when that works out to an easy win, why couldn’t the Jaguars, Chiefs, Colts, Ravens and Broncos follow through like that? Bugger me!

Denver -9 at Oakland: LOSS! “I hate picking Denver with any more than 3 points to cover,” And since I already said that, I will never do it again, for eternity. Or until Jake Plummer pulls a Drew Bledsoe and watches young Culter run the team.

Dallas at Arizona (+7): LOSS! What was I thinking here? Maybe I thought Dallas would come out thinking they’d easily beat the struggling Cards… Well, they didn’t think it, they just did it.

St. Louis (+3.5) at Seattle: WIN! The Hawks pulled out another game winning field goal, and the Rams covered. I have to be honest, this was the best of both worlds for me.

Tampa Bay (+11) at Carolina: The Panthers fought their kryptonite, and pulled out over the spread, but don’t bet on them to do that two weeks in a row… Next week is St. Louis, and another big spread is no good for the Panthers.

Free NCAA Football Picks Week 12 – 2006

Perfection…. Do I hear you lifting your beautiful head? I like these picks this week, so much so that I found if very difficult to differentiate between my Top 5 and the rest. So, stay tuned, see if I find a big winner on my hands at weeks end.

TOP 5 Bets

1. Iowa Hawkeyes
2. Maryland Terrapins
3. Duke Blue Devils
4. Oregon State
5. Wake Forest

West Virginia Mountaineers (-11) @ Pittsburgh Panthers: I’m sick and tired of losing Thursday Night games, but with Pitt hosting the Mounties, I think this is my time to shine. WV killed Pitt last year, and generally, that Panthers suck towards the end of the season. Offensively, Pitt doesn’t, and won’t have a clue how to stop the Mounties, which should prove entertaining if you like 4 game losing streaks by Pittsburgh.

Maryland Terrapins (+7.5) @ Boston College Eagles: I actually like the Terps to pull this one out in Boston. Maryland fought through a tough emotional rollercoaster game last week against the Hurricanes, so this week should be a relief if anything. I like the Terps to win the ACC, is that crazy?

Iowa Hawkeyes (+3) @ Minnesota Golden Gophers: Last week Iowa fell in a close battle with the Wisconsin Badgers, but if you are expecting a let down game, good luck. Drew Tate didn’t play that well, and he’ll be out to prove he’s still go it, like Uncle Ricco. Expect him to have it, very unlike Uncle Ricco.

Duke Blue Devils (+1) @ Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets: Duke is 0-10, and this won’t make them 1-10, but I imagine they’ll be ready to play their 2nd to last game of the year. That and the fact that they’ve only lost 2 games by more than 25 points, and Georgia Tech has only 1 win by more than 25, makes me take the freaking Blue Devils. Finally, I found a line I like with Duke. We’ll see how this works out.

Oklahoma Sooners (-19.5) @ Baylor Bears: The Bears haven’t played a team on Oklahoma’s level since they got pasted by Texas 21-63. Last week against OK State, the Bears allowed 66 to their 24. I’m not trying to pull the this team beat this team by this many so this team will win by this…. But I know the Sooners, and they can shut down a poor team with ease. They can also put up some mean points, (5 times over 30), so expect an easy cover by the Sooners.

Arkansas Razorbacks @ Mississippi State Bulldogs (+14.5): I love what the Razorbacks have done, but I have to take the points and the home team in this match up. The Bulldogs have played pretty well all season, and while the Razorbacks have dominated most of their games, coming down to the wire with only 1 loss often manages to tense up players. The Bulldogs will put up a fight.

Michigan Wolverines @ Ohio State Buckeyes (-6.5): The game is in Ohio, the Buckeyes are the better team, and Troy Smith is a tougher and better quarterback than Henne. Oh, and Tressell is the better coach. I guess I’ll take the Buckeyes, and god help us not to see a rematch for the National Championship!

Buffalo Bulls (+38.5) @ Wisconsin Badgers: The Bulls have lost by more than 38 points once this year. They won’t play close with the Badgers, but with a 38 point lead to start the game, sure, I’ll take the Bulls, no problem. With Michael Jordan, that team was unstoppable!

Oregon State Beavers (-14) @ Stanford Cardinal: Home field advantage is a pile of brown smelly lies in the PAC 10. Stanford may have fooled you into believing they are a real football team, ala that long nosed kid and being a real boy, but don’t fall under the trap. The Beavers screwed it up last week just so the line would shrink on this game. Take the sure thing cover and win from the Beave in this one.

Auburn Tigers (-3) @ Alabama Crimson Tide: Kenny Irons has to get on track, the Tigers defense has to step up their game, and Brandon Cox must stop his turnover baking. My guess, if one of those things happen, Auburn throttles Alabama. Auburn is too good to blow it for the 2nd week in a row.

Virginia Tech Hokies @ Wake Forest Demon Deacons (+2): Sure, Tech has a nice record, 8-2, and they’ve won 4 straight, but lets really get into their season. They’ve played 3 tough teams, (Miami doesn’t count – Clemson, Boston College, and Georgia Tech) and are 1-2 in those games. Wake Forest is very good, they are playing at home, and remain a damn underdog besides beating every team on their schedule sans Clemson. That’s got to piss off some Deacons. And so they’ll say, “Basketball school our nuts!”

Week 11 College Football Picks Review: 2006

I fumbled. Like Louisville, I lost my championship hopes. Like Iowa, I struggled at home. Like Maryland, I didn’t cover the close wins. And just like Fresno State, I couldn’t even cover the easy ones. It was a tough week, this is the score…

TOP 5 Bets

1. Oklahoma Sooners (win)
2. Maryland Terrapins (loss)
3. Fresno State Bulldogs (loss)
4. Vanderbilt Commodores (loss)
5. Cincinnati Bearcats (win)

Louisville Cardinals (-6.5) @ Rutgers Scarlet Knights: Loss. The Game I was expecting happened in the first 20 minutes. The game that gave me an early college week loss happened during the next 25 minutes. After halftime I was thinking, ha, exactly what I expected. After the game I was thinking…. What the hell just happened?

Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets (-13.5) @ North Carolina Tar Heels: Loss! This game was disgusting. I wouldn’t take $50 in payment to watch this thing again. I don’t know what happened to Tech’s offense, but Reggie Ball isn’t a passer. He’s been brutal lately. 7-0. Gross!

Cincinnati Bearcats (+19.5) @ West Virginia Mountaineers: WIN! I just barely got by in this one, it was close, but the way the last few weeks have been going,

Wisconsin Badgers @ Iowa Hawkeyes (+1): Loss! The Hawkeyes have won 4 straight in this rivalry, and are very tough at home. All signs point to Wisconsin, but lets not forget the importance of home field advantage in a divisional rivalry like this one. Iowa has struggled lately, but a big win over Wisconsin here would get them right back in the Bowl picture. Look for Iowa to surprise a lot of people on Saturday.

Vanderbilt Commodores (+2.5) @ Kentucky Wildcats: Loss! I love betting on the Commodores. (6-3 ATS) You can see why. The Wildcats are coming off a huge win over Georgia, so they should struggle out of the gates. The Commodores love to take advantage of squads who expect an easy win when they come to town. Vanderbilt will win this game in Kentucky!

Miami Hurricanes @ Maryland Terrapins (-2.5): Loss! I should have thrown this game out the window because of the shooting, but I let it roll. The Canes came out with fury in their hearts. It was a tough game, and in the end Maryland came out on top, but not by enough to get me a much needed win.

New Mexico State Aggies @ Fresno State Bulldogs (-11): LOSS! The Bulldogs aren’t even close to as bad as their record insists. The Aggies, they’re just as bad. New Mexico won’t stat close in this one, as finally the bounces will play fair with the Bulldogs as they dominate from 1 to 4. Since 1987 the Bulldogs haven’t beaten the Aggies by less than 2 touchdowns.

Oregon State Beavers (-2) @ UCLA Bruins: Loss!

Washington State Cougars (-1) @ Arizona State: Loss!

Texas Tech Red Raiders @ Oklahoma Sooners (-8.5): WIN!

Wake Forest Demon Deacons (+9) @ Florida State Seminoles: WIN! “I don’t know how the cappers came up with this number, but honestly, lets look at some game film. Lets see, yes, that’s right, ah, there it is. The Seminoles haven’t beaten any of the Top 5 ACC teams this season, while their only wins have come against Miami, Duke, Troy, Rice, and Virginia. The Deacons have yet to get any street credit from going 8-1 on the season, with their only loss coming in a close one against Clemson. Yeah, after review, I’ll roll the dice on the Deacons and 9 freaking points. Unbelievable.” It’s nice to pick an upset like this and have it go even better than ou expected.

Tennessee Volunteers @ Arkansas Razorbacks (-5.5): WIN! The Razorbacks haven’t lost since an opening whooping put down by the USC Trojans. You can understand why they started off kind of slow, they’re a team with a new offense and a freshman quarterback. He’ll only get better. Darren McFadden has been great this season, averaging over 100 yards per contest, and scoring 11 touchdowns. The Volunteers are a great group of kids, and they are undefeated on the road this season, but Arkansas keeps finding a way to win. Something they’ll continue to do this week at home, where they too are undefeated thus far.

2006 Fantasy Football Review – Week 10

This Week’s Top Team: 104 points… Not my best week! Week 11 will be better, guaranteed!

QB: Donovan McNabb: Donovan didn’t get the totals I was looking for, but his 15 fantasy points were decent enough I guess.

RB: Larry Johnson: LJ just didn’t get enough touches, 18 carries, 2 receptions, for the Chiefs to win, and for him to compete with LT for this weeks top RB. LJ still had a TD and nearly 90 total yards for 14 fantasy points.

RB: LaDainian Tomlinson: LT showed the Bengals how the legs of one man can move mountains. LT busted out for 4 touchdowns, 104 yards, and 54 yards receiving. Championship! LT was the top fantasy performer in Week 10. 39 points.

WR: Terrell Owens: To had 96 yards and a touchdown, I like what I see from this guy, he seems to be rolling with Romo quite nicely. 15 points.

WR: Anquan Boldin: Even with Fitz back in the playbook, Boldin had another ho hum game, collecting 5 fantasy points, and that’s it.

TE: Desmond Clark: Clark had 1 catch for only 2 yards, but when that catch is a touchdown, that means Clark was in the Top 10 for TE’s in week 10. 6 points. Wow this is a week position.

K: Neil Rackers: One field goal and one extra point. Thanks for stepping up Neil… My god. 4 whole points. I should have stuck with Wilkins, he had 10.

D: Ravens: The Ravens had only 6 points, while the Bears busted out for 22 big ones against the Giants. Whoops!

LUCKY’S Week 10 SLEEPERS

Tony Romo: ToRo had 24 points, good for 7th overall, not a bad job for a guy who wasn’t even picked in fantasy football drafts all over the globe. A

David Garrard: David broke me down, and flat out got screwed in the stat sheet because of his teammates. At least 2 of his picks were easy catches that bounced off his teammates’ hands and turned into picks. But David’s fantasy score gave me an F!

Steven Jackson: Steven Jackson finished 4th in this weeks rankings, right behind LT, Fast Willie Parker, and Frank Gore, but he almost single handily won the game for his Rams, carrying 100 guys into the end zone for the go ahead score. They lost via a Josh Brown field goal, but SteJack doesn’t play defense, tough to blame him. 19 fantasy points gave me an A here.

Frank Gore: As mentioned earlier, Frank Gore was 3rd overall, rolling for 159 yards and a score on route to 22 fantasy points. A

Tim Carter: I don’t think this panned out. Carter didn’t make the top 60, so I won’t even look any farther. I’ll just take the F.

Lee Evans: Lee only had 5 catches for 70 yards, big fat average. C

Jason Witten: Witten posted 5 catches for 58 yards and a spot in the top 10 this week with 5 points. B

Jaguars DST: The Jags defense had only 9 fantasy points, which puts them in the lower half of the league. However, even though 9 wasn’t in the bottom 10, I’m still taking an F because they lost to the damn Texans.

LUCKY’S Week 10 WUSSIES

Brett Favre: Brett blew up the Vikes, making me look like a dumby for putting one of the toughest signal callers of all time in my wussies section. Never happen again Mr. Favre.

Edgerrin James: Edge had 15 carries for 68 yards, his most productive yards per carry average this season. Gross. He still fumbled, how’s 5 fantasy points for your number one pick?

Plaxico Burress: 4 points for Plax…. Nice job killer. Way to let them Bears know how bad they are!

Randy Moss: Randy against Champ. Randy 1 catch for 8 yards, the Champ = Last Laugh. Here’s laughing at you Mosster Mash.

2006 Fantasy Football Week 11 theRUNDOWN

This Week’s Top Team: After a “slow” performance last week (don’t want to hurt my teams’ feelings) I’m looking for big things from this bunch of angry playmakers. Lets see how they do.

QB: Carson Palmer: I like Palmer against the Cowboys. I don’t think Dallas has enough fire power to load up and rush Carson, so he’ll have just the right amount of time to find a suddenly scary bunch of receivers.

RB: Thomas Jones: Even the Browns looked good running the ball against the Jets. Thomas Jones will get fed the rock, and I’m ready to reap the benefits of his best game of the season. Can’t pick LT and LJ every week.

RB: Brian Westbrook: He hasn’t been LT of late, but Westbrook will get the ball more with Andy Reid handing over his play calling duties. A big show from Westbrook is about to begin. If he gets 20+ touches, he’ll do huge things on Sunday.

WR: Terrell Owens: I like TO against the Colts, because the Cowboys will need to throw to stay in it, and unlike Drew Bledsoe, Tony Romo knows who the best receiver in Dallas is, and Terrell will get the rock.

WR: Steve Smith: Steve is about to blow up, you can just feel it coming. This week in St. Louis, during a game that should be relatively high scoring (for these two squads) Steve will be the game breaker we all know him to be. I’m ready to catch those points!

TE: Kellen Winslow: I’m ready for Winslow to go ballistic on the Steelers this week, 100+ yards and a score or two. I’m talking old school Tony Gonzalez type shizzy. Let it ride U Soldier U.

K: Jeff Wilkins: Jeff, my man, it’s nice to have you back. Sorry for cutting you for last years’ champ, Neil Rackers. The thing is, you’re back in the line up, and you are about to get it done this week against a defense just tough enough to allow you to kick 4 field goals.

D: Eagles: The Eagles really know how to take advantage of young signal callers, they’ll do Vince dirty this week at home against the Titans.

LUCKY’S Week 11 SLEEPERS

Tony Romo: I’ll stick with Romo as my sleeper, and don’t be surprised if he sticks with Peyton in the fantasy category on Sunday.

Charlie Frye: God knows the Steelers will easily shut down the Browns rushing attack, which means big things, or ah, lots of throws for Charlie Frye. The Steelers have struggled in pass defense… Will it happen again this week?

Julius Jones: The Colts run defense is second to none, er, I mean, second to everyone else in the league. Seriously, if the Cowboys know what’s good for them, they’ll feed JJ the ball and watch him slam the Colts defense. DO they know? That is the question.

Frank Gore: Gore is a flat baller ready to tap into the Seahawks defense for yards by the bundles. Seattle loves to give up the big play, Frank will find a way.

Laveraneus Coles: Coles hasn’t been doin’ it and doin’ it and doin’ it well for the last few games, but I have an inkling, a crazy Lucky feeling, that against the Bears, Coles will boast a big total.

Donald Driver: DD Driver has been hooking it up over the last few weeks, expect more of that against a suspect Patriot secondary. A big game for this DD is on the road right ahead.

Jeremy Stevens: Girl beater finally caught a touchdown pass last week, very different from drop TD pass, which he had done a few times thus far. Stevens will get in Wallace’s good graces this week with a couple more key catches.

Buffalo Bills DST: The Bills will put it all together this week against the Texans.

LUCKY’S Week 11 Moss’S

Mike Vick: Sure, with his rushing yards, he’s always a decent play, but I’m putting him here thinking he might not touch 15 fantasy points, so put your back up in if the match up is right.

Warrick Dunn: I was going to put Rudi in here, but I remembered my promise, and Dunn is a better option for a tough week anyway. Vick hasn’t been throwing well, which means the Ravens will come out as honest as a hooker in church. Yes, they’ll be ready for Mr. Dunn.

Santana Moss: With Jason Campbell in, I think Moss’ production will be effected in a bad way.

Randy Moss: Randy against Ty Law. Boy, I just don’t think Randy is on his way off my wussy list, I’ve got to be honest. With a ‘tude like that, this donkey might change the name of this section, what do you think, “Lucky’s Week 10 Moss’s”. I like it. Hell I’m doing it.

Free Football Picks 06-07 Week 10

It was nice to get in the green last week, in a must win week for Good ol’ Lucky Lester. In-between sweating out a couple big wins, eating fresh salsa, and drinking an assortment of frosty cold beverages, I was picking Week 10’s games. With bye weeks out the window, this is the time to get back on track with a huge week right off the bat. How will I manage? Like this…TOP 5 Bets

Jacksonville over Houston
Chicago over New York Giants
Philadelphia over Washington
Jets over Patriots
Tampa Bay over Carolina

Baltimore (-7) at Tennessee: The Ravens have been pretty good on the road all season long, 3-1 with two 13+ point wins, and they’ve been playing well lately with back to back wins over New Orleans and Cincinnati. Tennessee has played decent at home, a close loss to the Jets and a win over Houston, and they had two wins in a row going in to Week 9. But they promptly came back to reality last week in Jacksonville. Baltimore has that kind of defense (like Jax) so I don’t see a rookie, Vince Young, doing to well against the Ravens. Tennessee won’t be able to run, so expect some tough mistakes from Vince.

Buffalo at Indianapolis (-11.5): I know Buffalo just won a game 24-10, but Green Bay doesn’t count, and this week they’ll have to stop Peyton Manning, who is by far the best regular season quarterback in the game. Buffalo’s defense hasn’t been consistent enough to warrant taking them under a 14 point spread against a Colts team that looked very good on defense last week against the Patriots. Without Willis McGahee (broken rib) running the ball, Buffalo doesn’t stand a chance.

Chicago (+3) at N.Y. Giants: Chicago has played very well the week after a bad game all season long…. After close Minnesota win, killed Seattle… After barely beating Arizona, killed San Francisco, and this week, after getting rocked by… Miami, the Bears will come back and play a very good game against a Giants squad without their two best pass rushers, and maybe even Plaxico Burress. Eli Manning will struggle in this game, in the limelight, as he often does. Even at home, New York will make too many mistakes to win this contest.

Cleveland at Atlanta (-7): The Falcons sure struggled last week against the Lions. Detroit threw all over Atlanta, which was nice, because DeAngelo Hall turned quiet in a hurry, always nice. However this week, Atlanta will take out their frustrations on a rather slow Cleveland defense. Vick, Dunn, Norwood, and Ashlie Lelie are all a couple steps ahead of the Brownies, so expect an early lead to get bigger throughout. I like Braylon Edwards, but he doesn’t have Roy Williams’ speed, so Hall shouldn’t have as much trouble. Darn.

Green Bay at Minnesota (-5): I guess I just don’t see Minnesota playing as terribly as they’ve played over the last few weeks. They aren’t a bad football team, and especially defensively, they’re strong. The play well in a gross Metro Dome, while Brett and the Packers are often terrible in Domes. The Packers haven’t played well, aren’t very good, and are even worse when matched up against a stout run defense. That, the Vikings have.

Houston at Jacksonville (-10.5): Jacksonville is more consistent eith David Garrard at quarterback, making wins against lesser teams easy for the Jaguars. Without a pure passer in there, they do what they should have been doing all along, and rely on the ground game. Fred Taylor still has plenty of yards left in him, and Maurice Drew has been one of the most promising young backs in football. With a couple big plays through the air, Jacksonville will roll at home against Houston.

Kansas City (E) at Miami: Kansas City has been flawless in the air, and naturally, as dominant as ever on the ground. Larry Johnson has his step back after a slow start, and he’ll be able to use that step to smash a fragile Dolphins’ defense. That defense won’t be as hard on Huard as they were on Grossman, because Damon isn’t the mistake prone gun slinger that Rexxy is. Kansas City has really improved defensively under Herman Edwards, something they’ll use to take their second road game in a row.

New Orleans +4 at Pittsburgh: The Saints shouldn’t be getting 4 points against a Steeler team that can’t buy a win. I’ve lost my fair share of games betting against Drew Brees. I’ve lost plenty this year, and in his first big year with the Chargers, I poured plenty of green into the bucket watching him prove himself week in and week out. Even though Pitt is tough at home, I have to go with Brees and his boys. With New Orleans getting all the right bounces, and the Steelers imploding to a point where they are nearly eliminated from playoff contention half way through the season, my money is on those resilient New Orleans boys.

N.Y. Jets (+12) at New England: 12 points is just too many for me. I know New England is tough at home, and I’m sure they’ll come back strong after getting dumped last week in Foxboro by the Colts, but 12 is still too many. The Jets don’t have a strong defense, and their offense hasn’t been great lately, but they’re coming off a bye, which in my book, helps their cause. The Jets will find ways to get their playmakers, Laveraneus Coles and Leon Washington, the ball, and they’ll put up a tough fight in New England.

San Diego at Cincinnati (+1.5): The Bengals have had a tough go of it lately, in the clubhouse and on the football field. With the team looking happy go lucky this week, I’m going with the stunner, a San Diego loss here. It almost seems unfair, betting against LT when he’s playing against any defense besides the Bears, but I have a feeling this week won’t be as grand for Mr. Tomlinson. The Bengals’ defense is talented, and finally, this week, they’ll show their true colors. With Shawn Merriman out, the Charger pass rush will be less of a factor, giving Palmer just that much longer to complete the pass. Take the home team in this powerful showdown.

San Francisco at Detroit (-5.5): The Lions will have too much offense for the 49ers. Both defenses are less than stellar, or just downright giving on Sundays, but San Francisco can’t put up points like the Lions. Wow. Think about that statement. A couple years, maybe 5, ago, you’d get laughed at for a statement so ridiculous. Now, with the fiery Lions and their high scoring offense, Detroit can play in a shootout. At home, the Lions take this one.

Washington at Philadelphia (-6.5): Those Eagles have to be sick of playing down to the level of their opponents and losing close games at the end. And Washington has to hit a trench the week after pulling out a quickie against the Cowboys. I expect a huge performance from Brian Westbrook, as he’s faster and more explosive than any defender in Washington. (Maybe not more explosive that Sean Taylor, but a much better citizen anyway) Donovan looks like he gets Donte Stallworth and Reggie Brown this week, that should help him crush Washington’s hopes early. The Eagles at home will be way too tough for the Skins.

Denver -9 at Oakland: I hate picking Denver with any more than 3 points to cover, but against an Oakland team that couldn’t even get close to scoring against a Hawks defense that had given up an average of 27 points a game for the 3 games prior to Monday Nights’ match-up, that’s just disgusting. And because of that sickness that Oakland seems to have offensively, I must choose Denver to score at least 10 points while shutting out the Raiders in Oakland. Will that get Tom Walsh fired? For my eye’s sake, I sure hope so.

Dallas at Arizona (+7): The Cardinals play well at home, and with Dennis Green’s job on the line, expect another performance from the Cards like the one they had against the Bears. The Cardinals have powerful offensive players, and while Edgerrin James will most likely struggle again, short precise passes out of Matt Leinart could do just enough to upset the Cowboys.

St. Louis (+3.5) at Seattle: 12th man taken to heart, I still believe the Rams have a passing attack that is too efficient and a running attack that’s too powerful to lose to the Hawks without Matt Hasselbeck and Shaun Alexander. Even if the Hawks do pull this one out, it’ll be by a field goal or less, and that would make me a winner anyway. Seattle doesn’t have enough firepower to stick with the Rams, and don’t expect the kind of defensive performance that the Hawks had on Monday Night, this week they don’t play the Raiders. I know Hawks fans, Seattle has been lobbying for that since Oakland won the Super Bowl, it’s just that no other team believes that would be fair.

Tampa Bay (+11) at Carolina: I love Carolina, love them as a team, love their players, and their coach seems like a great guy. Hell, taking them to win here is nearly a guarantee, but a spread that larger is kryptonite to the Panthers. Carolina always struggles against the spread, because they’re always a big favorite, and they love to play down to the level of their opponent. It’s a sickness, one I hope they don’t cure before Monday Night.

Week 9 NFL Pick Review – 2006

While it wasn’t a killer start to the second half of the season, it was good enough to get me a winning week. 8-6 isn’t something to do ached Johnson Touchdown dance about, but it’s good enough to make me feel a little better about the goings on in the NFL. This is how the games panned out…

Atlanta (-5) at Detroit: Loss! “Riding Michael Vick’s rainbow ride might get me in trouble here,” Ah, trouble, yeah, I’d say that’s safe. Atlanta struggled form the get, and after half time the shit hit the fan. Mike Vick turned in to just another quarterback, Atlanta’s running game was limited, and Detroit’s Jon Kitna picked apart a Falcon defense like he was Peyton Manning. All in all, I got my first loss.

Cincinnati at Baltimore (-3): Win! “Because of Carson Palmers’ inability to throw the ball accurately when he’s under pressure, something I’m sure the Ravens will put on him, I have to take Baltimore.” Yeah, I said it. Palmer’s struggles showed early, and Cincinnati fumbled the game away early. Where is Chad Johnson lately? I celebrated my first win.

Dallas (-3) at Washington: Loss! The Cowboys really messed this one up. They dominated the game for the most part, yet they let Washington hang around. With a 35 yard field goal about to win the game for the Cowboys, I was already thinking about what I was going to write about my push. So you could imagine how I felt when Vanderscrewit’s field goal was blocked. Actually, I lost a little dough, but the Cowboys looked ridiculous losing a game they had all along. So, basically, I felt great!

Green Bay at Buffalo (-3): Win! They didn’t look good doing it, but I’m not looking for style points these day. A wins a win, and the Bills ousted the Packers in 24-10 fashion on Sunday, getting me my second win while covering easily.

Houston at N.Y. Giants (-13): Loss! David Carr played well, easily well enough to cover, which made me a loser. I can’t figure out the Texans, though I often expect blunders like this from the Giants. I just hate that those Yorkies won and didn’t cover. A stab in the chest and a kick in the butt.

Kansas City (+3) at St. Louis: Win! An upset I’ve got to love. I had the underdog beating the home team, and the Chiefs have been terrible away from Kansas City. But, everything went as planned, LJ had a huge day, Damon Huard played well, and the Chief defense, the much improved Chiefs defense, made just enough plays to win.

Miami at Chicago (-13.5): Loss! “To start with, let me tell you that the Dolphins have yet to lose a game by more than 11 points all season long.” Mark that up as another week that the Dolphins didn’t lose by more than 11 points. I just couldn’t justify picking the Dolphins. However, I need to follow the old gut feeling a little more these days, it’s games like this that break my balls.

New Orleans at Tampa Bay (+1): Loss! I don’t know what happened to the Bucs, maybe Coach Jon Gruden has lost his club. The Saints remain a top team, and I fail to pick them as winners again. This Saints club reminds me of Drew Brees’ first good season with the Chargers. I had the same trouble with them. Another loss via the hands of New Orleans.

Tennessee at Jacksonville (-9): Win! Jacksonville thundered the Titans like they were a high school club. David Garrard has taken a step forward, and to be honest, I don’t know if Byron Leftwich will sniff his job anytime soon. It’s tough to see, as a Leftwich fan, but Garrard has been running that team the way they should be run.

Minnesota (-6.5) at San Francisco: Loss! How does Brad Childress justify playing Brad Johnson for an entire game against the 49ers, a terrible defensive secondary, when he is making them look like the Steel freaking Curtain. Johnson is making Mark Brunell look youthful. Two words, Tevaris Jackson. Two more words, Big Loss!

Cleveland Browns (+14) at San Diego: Win! “The Browns looked much better under Romeo Crenell’s new offensive mindset, and Charlie Frye won’t have to deal with Shawn Merriman, so I’m rolling with the Browns and two touchdowns. Cleveland has a talented team, and with a new approach on offense, Frye should be able to pass efficiently enough for Cleveland to give San Diego a scare on Sunday.” And a scare they got. The Brownies played tight, and if it weren’t for LT’s 3 touchdowns, a big upset would have been completed by the Browns. I got a big win from the Browns.

Denver (+3) at Pittsburgh: Win! “I don’t see the Steelers’ season turning around here. A week after getting Manning’ed by the Colts, Shanahan’s crew will bounce back in Pittsburgh.” What can I say? Despite 400+ yards from Big Ben, the Steelers lost their 6th game, all but eliminating them from any chance at the post season. The Big Turnover completed 3 passes to the Broncos, and Denver gave me another big one.

Indianapolis (+1) at New England: Win! Peyton played very well, never making the big mistake that hurt his squad, and often putting the ball where only his receiver could make the catch. And make the catch Marvin Harrison did. If you didn’t see Marv’s catch for a touchdown when he one handed Peyton’s pass, and then snuck two feet in before falling out of the end zone. Watch Week 9 highlights, because that play won this game for me. The Colts big win put me in the Green for Sunday, with the Hawks going for my 8th win on Monday Night.

Oakland at Seattle (-8): “Without Matt Hasselbeck, without Shaun Alexander, without God’s good graces, the Seahawks will still dominate the Raiders. Oakland comes in winners of their last two games, sure, but there is no way they get that lucky 3 times in a row. Their team is terrible, and the Hawks defense isn’t as bad as it has been lately. Expect a drumming,” LL. That about sums it up. The Hawks got out to an early lead and then just made sure they didn’t make any mistakes. Because, that’s the only way the Raiders can score. With that game-plan set, the Hawks covered easily, shutting out the Raiders, and bringing me to 8-6. Not too shabby.