Tag Archives: Fantasy Football News

Ten for Tuesday: Week 9 Fantasy Football Review

Posted on by

Unfortunately, this is the Wednesday version of 10 for Tuesday, this one took a back seat to some other articles I had to throw up for Tuesday’s publishing, but don’t you worry, like cheese and Barry Bonds, it only got better with time….

no banners

6 to 7 coaches need to watch Peyton Manning and the Colts execute a game plan on any given week. Maybe then guys like John Fox, whomever is calling plays in Buffalo, Jack Del Rio, Tom Coughlin and company, and a couple other team decision makers can see what it’s like to stick to a plan. If anything, the Colts know who they are and they go after it. Watching Peyton break out into a no-huddle, so a linebacker would have to continue guarding Dallas Clark, was awesome. What a smart team….    The Giants use of Brandon Jacobs pissed me off more than anything else. How can you be at the end of a close game and looking at a box score that shows Jacobs has just 11 carries for 67 yards? Who is the tool shed that decided Jacobs’ 6 yards per carry were just too damn efficient to be used 15 more times? I just don’t get it…..   How about the Cowboys forcing the ball to Roy Williams all day in Philly? I wish that had backfired. That kind of middle school, make everybody happy by giving them the ball, get everyone in, type of crap, especially in the freaking NFL, is a joke. Fortunately, Miles Austin didn’t mind one bit and when the game was on the line, Austin did work and won the game for Dallas. It’s still clown work…..

Vince Young is a winner, sorry if you don’t like it. You have to give a guy his credit, and Vince, from the very start, came in and won football games. Sure, he’s had his troubles, he might not be the most mentally tough player in the league, and he might feel as entitled as a spoiled little rich kid, but when it comes to football, VY wins games. Even his accuracy has been solid. He’ll never blow you away with numbers, but he is a threat to run and teams have to be aware of that. That’s one more thing to think about, and so far, it’s one too many things for opponents to think about…. The Green Bay Packers offensive line is good at run-blocking. They are bad at pass blocking. Aaron Rodgers is an accurate missile thrower but he holds the ball too long. What does all that add up to? Run the damn ball. If the Packers ran to set up the pass, or at least ran the ball consistently early in games, Aaron would be able to use the play action pass to his advantage. He could hold the ball long and probably live a long productive life. The way it’s going now, he’s going to be in a cast or two watching Matt Flynn running the show….   That whole Chad Johnson business is ridiculous. That’s right, I’m just going to call him Chad Johnson like I’d call Drew Bledsoe, chump – because it makes me feel better than typing incorrect Spanish mashed together into one awkward name. He probably knew he’d get fined. He definitely didn’t think a dollar was getting him anywhere. He obviously was just having a good time with it. But this is the no fun league. What really gets my taco-loving-goat is that it’s his interview afterward, using the word “BRIBE” that is the main reason why he’s going to be disciplined. Holy shit. What the hell do you call what he was pretending to do? The fact that grown men can be so butt-tossed over the use of a no-no word sounds a little too much like “The Village” to me, or if you’re looking for a good move, “Harry Potter” will do. So if he had said, “I just wanted to hand the official a dollar to see what I could get for a dollar” he’d be okay? The fine would be cut in half? Dumb….

If Vernon Davis walked up to me and said “Click, Clack” I might pull out my wallet and “See what I could get for a dollar”. The guy is nasty. He takes hits like it’s his job to prove how much bigger and badder he is then the next guy. And you know what, that is his job. And you know what, he is probably bigger and badder than the next guy. It has been refreshing to see his transformation into a big time NFL player. People always gave him a really hard time, but the kid has always been super competitive and a very hard worker, he just needed a little help with directing his attitude. Done and done…. Mike Sellers was the Redskins leading receiver against the Falcons. You heard me. A team that has traded, drafted, and signed receiver after receiver went to Mike Sellers enough to make him the leading receiver. What else, Jason Cambell probably attempted one pass over fifteen yards. The kid has a big arm, they have a speed demon that is known for making big plays down-field in Santana Moss. They have Devin Thomas who is one big, fast, s.o.b. They have Malcom Kelly who can make some plays in single coverage. And Randle El has been known to make a thing or two happen down field. This team has no idea what they are….. I’m pretty sure JaMarcus Russell and Derek Anderson had a QB competition during the bye and Russell lost. Anderson’s reward? He doesn’t have to play in front of people anymore. JaMarcus Russell’s response, “I did pretty good, completed a couple passes, I really can’t ask for more than finishing second, second is pretty solid. You know, it’s hard when you have to look through a tunnel.” True…..  Cedric Benson, I’m sorry for anything bad I ever said about you. You win. Just before the season, some schmuck in my Dynasty Fantasy Football league traded Steve Slaton away to get Cedric Benson. That was it. Benson for Slaton. I was outraged. “How could you be so dumb?” I asked again and again. Well, I think Slaton is a stud, and I’m sorry that Gary Kubiak has gone all Mike “Splinter” Shanahan on the poor kid, but even if Slaton wasn’t being benched for the elite services of Ryan Moats and Chris Brown, I think I would take back the whole, “How stupid can you be?” question. The question I’m asking now is, “How did you know? And what else do you see in that crystal ball?”

Sunday Observations: Week 7 NFL Football

Posted on by

“My buddy Josh had this great idea, take some of our best comments to each other from Sunday’s action, the group’s best and worst textual masterpieces, and put them together in one article for all to see. Sometimes our day-time observations can be priceless, other times hilarious, and every once in a while even useful.” That’s basically what you need to know. This week, Red Red Ryan joined the text-party and he had a few funny observations as well. Here’s some stuff to read…

no banners

Josh Arsenault

1. Two kick return TDs against me last week by Eddie Royal and Denver’s brutal special teams unit. Two long-ass defensive TD returns by slow F***ing Steelers’ defensive players this week. Pretty much amazing. I hate fantasy football.

2. Sydney Rice is a beast. I wonder why it took an old man with a beard to get everyone to finally realize that.

3. If you listen carefully you can hear that very last drip of last season’s mixture of Tim Hightower cool-aid going down the drain. Beanie runs hard and fast.

4. Adrian Peterson just decleated Randall Gay, then stepped on him as he ran for 15 more yards, and that was on Gay’s attempted tackle attempt on Peterson’s grab. Is anybody better than him?

5. TO had more catches than drops. 3-2. First time in a long time.

no banners

Lucky Lester

1. Somebody needs to tell Tony Dungy that there are no ghosts in the NBC studio, no murderers either. Could he look more frightened? (Red Red Ryan’s answer: Seriously. It looks like he went #3 in his pants.)

2. If Austin Miles is not for real, he has been one hell of a Dan Brown novel the last two weeks. (Red Red Ryan’s response: I’d read that just to find out that Romo is really trying to MF him in the end.)

3.  I’m pretty sure Reggie Bush just jumped from the 12 yard-line into the end-zone. Nuts. The movie IT has nothing on Reg in the open field.

4. This is the Eli Manning I was talking about prior to the season when I said, stay away! Ellie, if you will.

5. Carolina’s thinking down 7-2 after half: “We don’t have much time, the sun is setting on us, the alarm clock is about to go off, I don’t know if we can get back in the game, the hour glass, the sand, it’s falling… Lets throw, hurry, lets throw early and often, it’s our only chance!!! Unreal.

no banners

Papa Weimer

1. Cedric Benson > Jay Cutler in Cincinnati today. And it’s not close. I’m willing to bet Chicago didn’t see that coming.

2. I started Steve Breaston over Anquan Boldin because I didn’t want the Cardinals to F me like teams usually do when they say a player might play when they have a high ankle sprain. Now I F’d me. Great.

3. Mark Sanchez is eating a hot dog on the sidelines in the middle of a game… well kind of, the Jets are playing Oakland. How big of a crap would the media take if JaMarcus Russell was doing the same thing on his sideline? (Lucky’s response: One hot dog for JaMarcus is like one skittle for a normal guy, and I imagine the media’s bowel movement wouldn’t be nearly as big as your average Russell poo.)

4. I hope that stupid Fox Robot gets stuck out in the rain this week. If his stupid ace can get all rusty, maybe they won’t have him do stupid ish every time they’re trying to show some stupid statistic during football games. (Arse’s response: He’ll pull out a robo-umbrella.)

5. Wow, Jeremy Shockey absolutely beasted that corner. I wonder if he was saying, “Bit**, Pu**y, Wuss, I own you, you suck, want another stiff arm, how about a shot to your face mask, a slap to your head, i’ll kick you and step on your soul if you fall down…” He had about that much time.

no banners

Red Red Ryan

1. Go ahead and add Jake Delhomme to the FML club with Kerry Collins. And go on ahead and throw JaMarcus Russell in there too. (Lucky’s response: They are both already co-owners of that website. I’m pretty sure Jake designed it, JaMarcus tried to eat it, so Jake made him pay for half, now co-owners…)

2. I wish the Bears game was on TV so I could see Cutler’s face after all of his turnovers. It’s just not the same on ESPN play by play. (Papa’s response: I’m watching it right now and it’s that goofy half-drunk face he makes as if it’s everyone’s fault but his own.) (Red’s new response: I would feel better about hating Jay if I was at all sure that he didn’t have fetal alcohol syndrome as a baby.)

3. Receivers are dying in Dallas right now. Atlanta Falcons receivers got blown up on back to back plays. Matt is buying everyone’s dinner tonight. (Josh’s response: Miles Austin lives!)

4. Wow. Carolina is using all their time outs with 6 minutes left in the game. Either they’re drinking what Cutler is drinking or they are… nope, they are drinking Cutler’s magic moon shine.

Fantasy Football Picks Ten for Tuesday

Posted on by

“I bet Braylon Edwards thinks he’s died and gone to career heaven.” At least that’s what Josh Arsenault says, and right now I believe him 100%. He’s probably writing thank you letters, sending fat Man-jina sandwiches, and going out to punch little kids as we speak. Dude is celebrating big, and why shouldn’t he? He knows the new offense he’s in, he has a quarterback with a shiny bright future, and a new lease on his football life. Career heaven. Haha. Indeed….    Derek Anderson, Brady Quinn. You say tomato, I say shitty. Everyone was wondering why that donkey Man-jina took so damn long to pick a starting quarterback this year; now you know why. He probably would have rather punched his own face numerous times than anoint one of those over-hyped signal caller’s his starting quarterback. Now we see why Braylon dropped so many balls in Cleveland, he was so damn surprised to see a ball get anywhere close to his hands he didn’t know what to do with the pig skin. 2 for 17, Derek Anderson, are you kidding me? 1 interception? And you win the game? Well, I guess on the bright side he had twice as many completions to his team than to the opponent. The situation in Cleveland is giving JaMarcus Russell something to smile about, at least he’s not a 2 for 17 QB like that guy. You’ve got to start somewhere….   Tom Brady has to be pissed, or maybe he’s to blame? whatever it is, the Patriots draw calls late in the game were pathetic. One of the most accurate passers in the game, with Randy Moss and Wes Welker running routes, ends up handing the ball to Kevin Faulk on back to back plays in hopes of a first down, and what happens? No first down, they have to punt, it goes into overtime, and Josh McDaniel’s Broncos get the win. I may be bitter because I took the Patriots, but there’s just something painfully “careful” about the way the Patriots have been playing, and I don’t like it one bit. When did Mike Holmgren get in Belichick’s ear anyway? After this game, I expect the Patriots to get back to their rifleman way…..    It was pointed out to me that the Washington Redskins have yet to play a team coming into a game. They may be just 2-3, and they go up against yet another winless team on Sunday, but even if they get to .500, you’d have to think they have a very tough road ahead. After this Sunday, their days of playing winless teams is likely over, and I imagine their shot at .500 has the same fate. If you can get somebody that believes in Clinton Portis or Santana Moss, you might entertain their offers….   I would be pretty stunned if St. Louis wins a football game this year. I know there are lots of terrible teams this season, and in fact four teams have started 0-5, which is pathetic in and of itself. The Raiders aren’t even one of them. But Kansas City has shown me some promise, and I think they win a couple games. Even Tampa Bay, who most think are hapless, will win a couple by just pounding it out against poor run defenses, they have the talent on the line and in the backfield to run the ball successfully. And Tennessee is just too good to lose more than 10 games, they should finish around .500 (at least) the rest of the way. But the Rams? Where’s their gimmie game? If they don’t win at Jacksonville this week (and I don’t think they have a chance) or in Detroit in Week 8 (I think the Lions kill them), then they will only find a win next to the pot of gold at the end of the freaking rainbow. They are brutal. They have been outscored 146-34 on the season: brutal…..   Speaking of the Lions, how good was Daunte Culpepper this weekend? Really good. When you consider that the only real pass threat, and the teams best player, Calvin Johnson, went down with an injury right off the bat, and the fact that Pittsburgh blitzed and hit him all day long, and his running back had 20 carries for 53 yards, that he got his team within a score late in the 4th quarter was flat out amazing. 23 for 37 for 282 yards and a touchdown, for the Lions, without Calvin – please. The Lions best chance to win now is with Pep in at Q. Unfortunately, they still don’t have a great chance to win, and thus Stafford will be back at the helm in no time….     Denver and Cincinnati are good teams. I told you at the beginning of the season, and I’ll tell you again now. Will they continue to win at the rate they are right now? I can’t promise that, but I will say this, both teams will be in nearly every single game this year. Just like Mike Singletary found out this Sunday against Atlanta, every team can have a down game and get blown out, but the Broncos, Bengals, and 49ers for that matter, will be in the thick of things all season long. The tides, they are a changing….    Miles Austin goes big league chew on me (and the Chiefs) this Sunday, and the Cowboys need every one of those yards to walk out of Kansas City with a win? You’ve got to be kidding me. But Miles wasn’t the only Austin to kill me this week. I went into the week starting Anquan Boldin, Steve Smith, and Randy Moss as my receivers over two guys with Austin in their names (Miles and Collie), and a rookie that had 6 catches and no touchdowns to his name prior to Week 5, one Jeremy Maclin. And I was stupid enough to think I had a huge advantage. How huge was my advantage? Those three Week 5 super heroes beat my entire fantasy team all by themselves. Maclin put up 146 and a couple scores, Collie scored twice as well, and Miles broke out for 250 yards with 2 scores on 10 catches. Miles Austin > Roy Williams and his ribsies….  Speaking of huge games, Miles just barely beat out Roddy White this week. Roddy had a couple fewer catches and 40 fewer yards, but 210 and 2 scores on 8 catches isn’t too shabby. White was bound to break out, and while I though that would come in a week where he wasn’t being guarded by one of the league’s top corners, Nate Clements, I was dead wrong. Roddy big brothered the Niners all day long, and Matt Ryan put on big boy pants getting his man the ball all day long. Michael Turner’s return to 4+ yards per carry helped as well. With the 49ers struggling to stop the run, that play action pass did wonders for Matt and the Falcons…..   Andre Johnson’s play to score his second touchdown will have a place in my eyes as one of the Top 10 plays of the season. As if the catch wasn’t nice enough, he reacted quick enough to run over Karlos Dansby instead of getting trucked himself, he then waived off another tackler, before big brothering the Cardinals safety into the end zone. Dirty. Andre Johnson is an absolute beast…..   Brett Favre is on pace to accrue the highest completion percentage of his career. Now I know it’s just Week 6 we’re coming up to, but Brett has the best rushing attack he’s ever had, he gets all the time in the world to throw, and he’s taking fewer Favre-chances than ever before. He’s as accurate as ever, and it wouldn’t surprise me at all if he kept up his end of the bargain all season long. What has me a little worried is that Adrian Peterson and that ‘Sota running game hasn’t looked nearly as good as it has been over the last couple seasons…. Yeah, you counted right, that’s 11! See you next week!

Fantasy Football Analysis: Ten For Tuesday

Posted on by

“Brett Favre looked like the much better quarterback all night long, but in the end his fantasy points were very similar to Aaron Rodgers’ totals. Ridiculous.” That’s what a buddy posted on my fantasy league’s message board after Monday Night’s game. So what, the people out there that want to believe great fantasy numbers make you the best player is confused. This is fantasy football, where team wins matter little, and garbage time is tacked on just the same. Rodgers put up 380+ yards, more than a 100 more than Brett. He gave up a couple turnovers, but those high numbers kept the fantasy night close. You can’t score points based on how good you looked, it’s all about numbers in this one….    Rashard Mendenhall looked like the beast I thought he would be since he decided to leave Illinois. Now he runs a little high, and that could subject him to some big hits, but he hits the hole hard, runs with power, and often spins or bounces off that first tackle. If he continues to get touches, he’s a nice find for those owners that either picked him up or kept him during his early woes. When he came out, I thought Mendenhall would be the best back in his class. That was saying a lot considering he came out with guys like McFadden, Jon Stewart, Chris Johnson, Felix Jones, Matt Forte, Kevin Smith, Ray Rice, Steve Slaton, Tashard Choice and others. I’m not positive he’ll pan out as the best of that stellar bunch, but I still like his future….    Speaking of last year’s draft, it has been nothing short of amazing. The amount of gamebreaking players that are tearing up the league right now as sophomores is amazing, even in the fantasy realm. I count 20 guys that have been fantasy relevant this year, just in the first 4 rounds – that’s not normal…..  The 49ers dominated the St. Louis Rams on Sunday, proving once again that their “need” for Michael Crabtree isn’t as pressing as the former Texas Tech star expected. Stories have surfaced that Crabtree and his agent are ready to get back to the bargaining table. It’s about damn time. I’ve now dropped the kid in both the leagues I’ve owned him in, and I’m keeping him on the waiver wire, but if you’re looking for a chance to take, he’s a deep shot in the dark….     Eli Manning has been worth every single dollar the Giants paid him this off-season, and yes, that took a lot for me to say. He’s going to have to really bite the dust hard if he wants to have the “normal Eli year” and I don’t think it’s going to happen. But things like his little heel problem throw, are part of the reason why I’ll never like this guy. He dropped back, landed weird on his foot, lost his balance, regained it, only to try and throw and fall down in the process like someone shot him in the foot. And what happened? Dude’s heel is bruised. Please……    I predicted a huge year from Ronnie Brown, and so far he’s looking pretty good to me. The guy is a beast, his vision is perfect, his all around game is impressive, and his team will be relying heavily on him to win ball games. He’s averaging just over 90 yards per game and a touchdown per. But this might be the height of his fantasy stock for a while. The guy is legit, but he goes up against the Jets (twice), and the Saints, in the next three games. It gets easier after that, but I’m just saying, get ready for some tough sledding ahead….    The Raiders offense sucks! 6 points against the Texans, come on….   Now the Saints running attack had a pretty solid outing against one of the best run defenses in football this Sunday, Pierre Thomas is the real deal; but it’s that stellar defensive transformation that continues to amaze me. The Saints really know how to bring pressure, often fooling teams into mishaps that leave open rushers despite rushing fewer people than offensive blockers. If you can get pressure on 6 blockers with 4 and 5 rushers, often going unblocked, you’re going to win a lot of football games….     Now this is the David Garrard I know and love. His accuracy, mistake free football, and efficiency has been great over the last two games. His 5-1 TD to INT ratio is consistent with his ability, and I think he’ll continue to put up solid numbers all season long. He got Torry Holt in the off-season, and that was huge, but seeing Mike Sims-Walker become a go-to guy will do wonders for this whole team. It’s just nice to finally see Garrard not running for his life every snap, his O-line is getting better every week….    I’d like to congratulate Denver for their awesome start to the season. I warned a lot of people that the Broncos weren’t as bad as everyone thought, but not even I thought they’d be this solid. Defensively they have gotten very tough, and Kyle Orton might be starting to figure out the talent he has on the outside (though he still hasn’t discovered Eddie Royal). Knowshon Moreno is going to be a special player, and it’s beginning to look like this McDaniels guy knows what he’s doing afterall, huh? I’ve liked him from the start, and his 4-0 beginning, the way he went and gave Marshall a hug after that game winning catch and run, and his overall passion and respect for the game is encouraging. Not only is his future bright, but I expect it to be long as well.

Trick or Treat?

Posted on by

Welcome to Red Red Ryan’s weekly “Trick or Treat” section, where I, Red Red Ryan, break down some of the performances from the previous week and tell you whether or not you are being tricked or if you can expect the same treat the rest of the way.

Joe Flacco: 24 year-old Joe Flacco had the best game in his young career last Sunday. He set career highs in attempts (43), yards (307), and touchdowns (3). The most important stat that leads me to believe you can expect top 15 fantasy QB numbers this year are those attempts. Joe attempted an average of 26 passes a game last year. Baltimore has said they are opening up the playbook and the entire field to Flacco, and that already shows in Week 1. This means more passes to the middle of the field to Todd Heap, opening up more big plays to the sideline. Heap already matched his high catch game from 2008, and had more receiving yards in Sunday’s game than any time last year. Baltimore has been more of a traditional running team in the past, but I think those days will stay there. Expect great numbers from the young QB the rest of the year.
Judgement: TREAT!

Julius Jones: First I will start off by saying it is always a treat to lineup against the Rams if you are an RB. The rams were 4th worst in the NFL last year in rush defense giving up 154 yards a game. Last year in week 3 at home at Quest Field Julius Jones ran for 140 yards and a TD, very close to his Week 1 total (117 and a TD). The 140 yard performance was Jones’s best game of the year in 2008 and I hate to say it, but his latest game against the softest defense in football might be his best of the 2009 season as well, at least until he plays against the Rams again in Week 12. I do expect Jones to have a better season this year than last. A new run scheme should help Jones and the Hawks offensive line stretch the field. But I believe he is still at best a #3 RB. Keep playing him in good match-ups, just like you should with most of your non-elite players.
Judgement: TRICK!

Tim Hightower: This was more of a difficult call for me. It is much tougher making a prediction for me on a young player, especially a young player with new offensive coordinators. Tim didn’t have a great day rushing the football, only 8 rushing attempts for 15 yards. However, he caught 12 balls for 121 yards. Before Sunday’s game against the 49ers Tim’s career high in receptions in a game were 6 and his previous high for receiving yards: 34. The Cardinals trailed for majority of the game and the 49ers played great defense forcing Kurt Warner to check the ball down to Hightower. I don’t see too many defenses shutting down Larry Fitzgerald and Anquan Boldin and I don’t see the Cardinals playing too much catch up this season. This means you have to rely on Tim running the football. Something he hasn’t been able to do on a consistent basis yet in his career averaging just 2.8 yards per carry, and oh yeah, they drafted a beast of a running back named Bennie Wells who averaged 4.1 yards per carry in his first NFL game. I don’t see Tim getting majority of the hand offs for too long. I see his role turning more into a Chestor Taylor type role, catching passes out of the backfield on third down and getting every 5th series to rest the teams real horse.
Judgement: TRICK!

Carson Palmer: This may surprise you. Carson Palmer is better than 247 yards 0 TD’s and 2 INT’s. It’s tough to only be able to throw the ball to one side of the field. That’s what happens when you play against Champ Bailey. Not only was Carson playing against one of the toughest cover corners in the game he was playing without his favorite target now playing in Seattle. Expect Carson to target big bodied Chris Henry more this week, to take over for TJ as a possession receiver. One big thing I take from Week 1’s game against the Broncos that shows me Carson is just a couple of games away from returning to his fantasy stud form are is his completion percentage. Carson’s 63.6 CMP% match his career mark of 63.7 CMP%. This tells me that Carson is just as efficient now against a difficult pass defense as has been throughout his career. Now what I see is that he is going to have to throw the ball a lot for Cincy to have a shot at winning games, those two things together make last week’s poor fantasy output a trick, he’ll be just fine.
Judgement: TRICK!

Santonio Holmes: Santonio is quickly becoming Big Ben’s favorite target. He may not need to be Ben’s #1 WR this year to still score lots of fantasy points, and make those that have believed in Holmes since coming out of “The Ohio State University” 4 years ago, look like a genius. I, being one of the aforementioned. The fact is Pittsburgh is having a difficult time rushing the football and have now lost one of the best defensive football players in the NFL.

More points given up + A bad rush offense = More passing plays
I hope you all could follow my math. This means good things for the sticky fingered Holmes. He has already proven he can be a big play guy, leading the NFL in yards per reception already once in his career. But in the last two games the Steelers have played, Holmes has been the most targeted receiver in both cases. Expect a career year and a top 12 WR at seasons end.
Judgement: TREAT!

Week 1 Fantasy Football News: Ten for Tuesday

Posted on by

Here we are, breaking down Week 1’s action and how it’s going to effect you moving forward. Here are 10 things that caught my attention in this weekend’s entertaining action…

The Giants did alright throwing the ball sans Mr. Burress. But things aren’t quite how I thought they’d be coming out of Week 1. Dominik Hixon caught one pass while Hakeem Nicks looks to be out after injuring his foot early in the contest. There goes my #2 and #3 options going into Week 1, or so I figure. Who does that leave? Well, Steve Smith got plenty of targets, but he’s probably taken. Mario Manningham however, well, he looked explosive to me. He’s worth a shot going forward. Young, fast, athletic, no sure fire starters keeping him off the field, promising first round pick out a couple weeks? Yes please…..   Richard Seymour was a beast on Monday Night Football action in a Raiders uniform. Many think that was a dumb trade by the Raiders, sending out a first round pick for Seymour, but this guy is a difference maker. He’s going to give the Raiders huge plays, make their run defense better, and keep their secondary from having to cover receivers any longer than 5 seconds. He takes pressure off of everyone. Now that might not mean much to you, because the Raiders aren’t getting many defensive starts this season, however, with Jerrod Mayo going down for the Patriot, and Seymour getting traded, I think the Patriots are becoming more and more vulnerable defensively. They got a first round pick in 2011, but what about winning a championship this season? What about the Patriots as a fantasy DST? I’m looking for better options…..   Two of the biggest off-season movers, Terrell Owens and Jay Cutler, both had pretty forgettable opening day’s for their new squads. TO dropped a pass (weird) and had his team fall in last minute fashion to the Patriots while Jay Cutler did Jay Cutler things, managing 4 interceptions to his single touchdown pass – a nice one to Devin Hester. I would buy low if you have the chance, but if you own these guys, hold tight, both have better days to come. Trent Edwards looked solid, and there’s a good chance Jay’s receivers will get on his page soon enough….   After Week 1, Adrian Peterson leads all running backs in fantasy land – that isn’t crazy, what is crazy is that Tim Hightower, Thomas Jones, Julius Jones, Fred Jackson, and Willis McGahee finish off the Top 6. Of those four, I’m not sure if Fred Jackson, or McGahee have a chance to keep it up, considering their future situations sharing time in the backfield, but both could be decent spot starters – Fred because he’s only done good things when given the chance, and McGahee because he’s seemingly getting goal line action. And my spidey senses tell me that Tim Hightower won’t be racking up double digit catches game in and game out, but I’ve said for a while, he’s a steal and he’ll be a solid contributor. Thomas and Julius, the brothers’ Jones, have a chance to keep racking up big time fantasy points. Every week Julius will get more comfortable with Seattle’s new blocking scheme, and Thomas will get his chances behind that very solid Jets offensive line….    Jake Delhomme pulled off the amazing this Sunday against Philadelphia, he managed to get double digit fantasy points… In the negative. Yes, Jake turned the ball over enough times to get him in -11 in one of my leagues. Now, most leagues he probably got closer to -8, but still, brutal. Jake took a seat in the second half, and Steve Smith owners can only hope that Jake’s last two performances (accounting for 9 interceptions and just 1 TD) are back to back outliers. I’m thinking they are, and these two should get back to decent totals next week against the Falcons. But maybe that’s because I’m a Smith owner…..  Drew Brees has one of the quickest releases in football. His accuracy is amazing, and his eye for the game, the way he plays defenses like puppets, is almost poetic. But dirty and tough and footbally. For a guy that has absolutely no physical advantage, the whole thing truly is amazing. The way Drew can escape pressure for a second, turn his body, reset his feet, and release the ball with pin-point accuracy is amazing. Never known as a speedy guy, I’m not sure there’s another guy that is quicker resetting and throwing than Brees. Those that reached out and grabbed Drew early, I’m sure you’re happy with your Week 1 win…..  Laurence Maroney tallied more carries than any other Patriot RB despite being 4th on the depth chart. He didn’t kill it though, averaging just over 3 yards per carry on 10 attempts. Fred Taylor had 9 carries for 28 yards and a touchdown. Kevin Faulk carried the ball once or twice. Sammy Morris didn’t get an attempt. I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again, Maroney is the upside play, and worth a roster spot most likely, but I’m not sure having any Pat running back is a dreamy situation…..   Donovan McNabb broke a rib on Sunday when a defensive player kneed him in the back about 2 seconds after he got into the end-zone. Personally, I think he’ll play, but we’ll see. I still think the Eagles will be productive in his absence, but Jeff Garcia’s signing makes me think that those of you holding on to Mike Vick really need to find a new person to fill that roster spot. I’m not a Vick hater, quite the contrary, I think the guy deserves a second chance and definitely hope he gets his career back on track. However, if the Eagles have Kevin Kolb, and in a week will get Vick back, why would they go get Garcia? I know, because they don’t think Vick will be able to run this team from the QB position, even if McNabb goes down for a considerable period of time. Let Vick go non-dynasty-leaguers, let him go…..   Byron Leftwich, Joe Flacco, and Mark Sanchez really impressed me this week, but only one of those guys really surprised me. Flacco is quite good, a much better thrower than many people think, and I think he puts up solid numbers this season, but I thought that all along. Sanchez has very mature feet, especially for a young kid with 1 year of college starting experience, and he’ll keep the Jets in winning situations, but I thought that all along. Byron Leftwich is tough as hell, stares into the face of defenses, and will step up to complete a ball in the face of the rush, and while I knew that, I didn’t think he’d throw the ball as well as he did against the Cowboys. He’s always been a winner, but I think Byron can be a fantasy contributor this season. Why? Well, that offensive line is very good, the running backs are equally as talented, and very deep – and a group of pass catchers that include Antonio Bryant, Kellen Winslow, Michael Clayton, and Sammie Stroughter is good enough when teams have to pay so much attention to the run. Byron is rosterable….    Ten of the Top 16 pre-ranked fantasy receivers (ESPN) managed single digit fantasy points, that means guys like Andre Johnson, Anquan Boldin, Eddie Royal, Steve Smith, Roddy White, Terrell Owens and more didn’t help fantasy owners in Week 1. This is why picking receivers high isn’t the best move in fantasy land. Receivers are a fickle and inconsistent bunch. I still like these guys, but on any given week the best receivers will get you next to nothing – where even mediocre running backs will keep you in the game. Until next week!