Tag Archives: Fantasy Football Review

Fantasy Focus Review: Week 14 Fantasy Football Rankings

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The first week of the playoffs saw me win playoff match-ups in all 3 of the leagues in which I went to the post season. It didn’t see me get the top spot in the fantasy rankings, though, as Josh Arsenault grabbed the top spot while predicting each of the Top 4 RBs in his Top 5 list. We misses a lot of guys this week, and blew it on some players for sure. This is how Week 14’s Fantasy Focus went down.

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Elite Starters: Guys picked early that I love this week…

1. Drew Brees – A point out of 1st placed amongst QBs, 29 big ones… A+
2. Ray Rice – Just like I figured, the Ray Rice and the Ravens did work – #3 RB this week. A+
3. Sidney Rice – 19th WR in Week 14, not too shabby, not the awesomeness I was hoping for. B-
4. Ben Roethlisberger – UGH…. F
5. Chris Johnson – You can’t leave this guy off your Top 5, the best RB again in Week 14 – A+

Solid Starters: Guys picked in middle rounds that should outplay their ranking/draft position this week…

1. Terrell Owens – Owens got a touchdown, but still just 9 fantasy points. D+
2. Mike Sims-Walker – A calf injury the day after I wrote this had him out on game day. F
3. Thomas Jones – 22 fantasy points for TJ, doing work, Top 10 RB in Week 14. A
4. Ricky Williams –Ricky kept his stellar play going with 16 points, ranking him 14th. A-
5. Percy Harvin –A migraine had Harvin out for Week 14, tough on fantasy owners. F

Sleeper Starters: Guys ranked low, drafted low or not at all, but I still like them this week…

1. Justin Forsett –Despite a terrible day for Hawks, Forsett was the 21st RB, not a bad play. B-
2. Michael Crabtree – Could be a big week for Crabtree, he’s been getting the targets, he’ll cash in soon.
3. Vince Young– “He’s rated as the 25th QB in ESPN this week, I think he cuts that in half. At least.” Come on, the guy was ranked 11th – perfect. A
4. Jamal Charles– #2 RB in Week 14, and officially escaping sleeper status. A+
5. Daunte Culpepper– Tough day for Pep, Stafford didn’t play and still had 2 fewer points than Daunte… Whoops… F-

Sit ‘Em Son: I don’t care where they were drafted, I don’t like these guys starting this week…

1. Matt Forte– 25 carries for 55 yards earlier this year, only 12 carries for 51 yards this time around, but that’s it, four catches for 17 yards gave him 10 and ranked him 29th. A-
2. Steve Smith– 16th overall this week, he caught a couple deep balls, whoops. F
3. Frank Gore – 7th rated rusher and he straight dominated one of the better run defenses in the league, whoops… F
4. Eli Manning – Eli didn’t struggle in score-fest 2009, he put up the #1 points this week. F
5. T.J. Houshmandzadeh– 29th overall this week, not the worst ever, but not good either. C-

***It turns out I was right about DeSean Jackson, Michael Turner, and DeAngelo Williams, and the first was definitely a chance worth taking. ***

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Week 14 Fantasy Rankings

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Who did we miss? Good question, this week we missed a lot of guys. Here’s the position by position breakdown:

Quarterbacks: Eli Manning (#1), Donovan McNabb (#4) and Jason Campbell (#5) made it three guys in the Top 5 nobody ranked. Kyle Orton, Tony Romo, Jay Cutler, and Chris Redman finished 6,7,8, and 9. Whoops.

Running backs: Ryan Grant, Reggie Bush, Frank Gore, Quinton Ganther finished 5-8 and Willis McGahee was 10th amongst running backs to round off the Top 10. Amazingly, Josh Arsenault grabbed 1-4 in this week’s rankings. Doing work.

Wide Receivers: Andre Johnson had a huge week, 42 fantasy points, but that’s right, he finished 2nd. 2nd to Brandon Marshall whom nobody had in their top 5. Marshall would have finished tied for 4th with just his catches alone. The kid grabbed 21 balls. His 53 fantasy points were legit. DeSean Jackson played, and finished 3rd amongst receivers. Devin Aromashodu tied for 4th with Hakeem Nicks and Wes Welker. Derrick Mason, Austin Miles, Vincent Jackson, and Johnny Knox rounded out the Top 10 receivers. Only 2 of the Top 10 were represented in our rankings.

Tight Ends: Kevin Boss and Fred Davis, both tied for 2nd with 20 fantasy points. Brent Celek was 5th and Algae Crumpler went old school on us and finished 5th tied with Antonio Gates. Ben Watson and John Carlson were 8th and 9th.

DSTs: The 49ers and Texans finished 2 and 3. The Browns shut down the Steelers in dominant defensive fashion and garnered a tie for 5th with the Eagles.

Fantasy Focus Review: Week 13 Fantasy Football Analysis

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And I came in last. Yeah, just like that, a last place finish. Nobody looked great in Week 13, not from our lists anyway – but it was a crazy week, a real eye watering nose bleeder. There’s only so much a guy can do. Red Red Ryan pulled a quick one, found out DeAngelo Williams was not going to play around 9 am so he called me and asked if he could change it. Despite my better judgment, I allowed him to make the switch. What can I say, I have a soft spot in my heart for red-bags. On with the show, this is how it went down…

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Elite Starters: Guys picked early that I love this week…

1. Chris Johnson– How can you not put this guy atop this list, especially against a hurting Colts D.
2. Reggie Wayne – Reggie had one of his worst fantasy weeks of the year, bummer, 8 fantasy points. F+
3. Peyton Manning – Peyton had 16 despite the good match-up. An early lead had the Colts running. C
4. Ray Rice – I expected a huge day from Ray Ray and the entire Ravens club just crapped out on me. F
5. Tom Brady– Despite playing a terrible 2nd half, Tom had 22 fantasy points. Not too shabby but 10 guys outscored Mr. Brady this week. Hey, at least his wife didn’t bash in his windows. It could be worse. B

Solid Starters: Guys picked in middle rounds that should outplay their ranking/draft position this week…

1. Rashard Mendenhall – Rashard was the 10th rated RB in Week 13, 100 yards and a TD, but a Pitt L. A
2. Ricky Williams – 25 guys finished ahead of Ricky, 9 points for him, but the Dolphins sniped the Pats. C-
3. Miles Austin – Miles continues to be the best receiver in Dallas, his 26 fantasy points made him #10. A
4. Knowshon Moreno –Moreno continued his late season push, finishing as the 4th RB. A
5. Percy Harvin – Percy had 23 fantasy points as he was the 14th receiver in Week 13. He has been great. A

Sleeper Starters: Guys ranked low, drafted low or not at all, but I still like them this week…

1. Jeremy Maclin –I expected more from Maclin, but his 13 points were solid. B-
2. Michael Crabtree – Crabtree finished just out of the top 30 with 12 fantasy points. Not too shabby. B-
3. Jason Avant – I had Avant, but I learned he might be better off as a #3 in this offense. 6 points… D-
4. LeSean McCoy– McCoy had just 5 fantasy points, very unimpressive and disappointing for the rook. F
5. Chris Chambers–He was bound to put up a stinker sooner or later, I was hoping for later, snake-eyes. F

Sit ‘Em Son: I don’t care where they were drafted, I don’t like these guys starting this week…

1. Julius Jones– Only 20 RBs were better than JJ. But he was still gross. 20 carries for 67 yards and 5 catches for -3 yards… That’s good for 11 fantasy points in a PPR league. Gross. B
2. Matthew Stafford– Stafford was 27th amongst QBs, not startable. Freeman was worse though. A-
3. Ben Roethlisberger – Ben had a good day, finished 13th, but the Steel-show lost, to the Raiders. B-
4. Santonio Holmes– Holmes was one of the 8 guys tied for 2nd with 28 fantays points. A big miss here. F
5. Terrell Owens– To was held in check by Revis, hopefully you listened and kept him on the bench. A

***”I think Big Ben and Kurt are A-Okay, but Turner is off my list, and DeAngelo Williams is a guy I would worry about and check twice before starting.” Right I was, right I was…  ***

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Week 12 Fantasy Rankings

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Who did we miss this week? Well, besides everyone, here’s a list of trouts we flopped out on and just neglected to include in any of our Top 5 lists…

QB: We obviously didn’t learn from last week as Tony Romo was #1 this week as well. #2 and #3 were left off the list as well, but who is starting Bruce Gradkowski and Jason Campbell if they get a chance?

RB: Nobody put Jerome Harrison in their Top 5, and he was #1. Joseph Addai was #2, and Brandon Jacobs started to turn it around a little as he was #3.

WR: Devin Thomas snagged the top spot this week, there there were 8 guys tied at #2, 7 points behind the 2nd year Washington Redskin. Devonne Bess, Anquan Boldin, Robert Meachem, Louis Murphy – those were the 4 tied at 2 that didn’t make a Top 5 list.

TE: Jason Witten was left off everyone’s list, but Tony found the big guy against the Giants, he went for 29 fantasy points. Jermichael Finley was #2. Fred Davis and Bo Scaife tied for 5th.

DST: The Broncos finished high on everyone’s list again, 3rd this time. The Packers also made the top 5 this week.

Fantasy Focus Review: Week 12 Fantasy Football

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It happened again… I came in last. Not back to back or anything, I mean last week I pulled out another win – but this week Ryan got his first taste of 1st place, but fresh in the spirit of Thanksgiving, both Josh and Ryan shared top honors. The fat old man finished just ahead of me, winning the family battle for one of the few times this year. It was close, and we all had some pretty poor picks, but Ryan had some great QB selections to go with his solid RBs while Josh consistently stayed in the middle and got a nice TE win to push him over the top. With Thanksgiving over and done with, I’m getting back down to business in Week 13 – here’s Week 12’s review!

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Elite Starters: Guys picked early that I love this week…

1. Adrian Peterson– Peterson was okay, 15th RB this week, 15 fantasy points – Vikes aren’t over-using him. In fact, Chester Taylor outscored AP by 5 fantasy points this week. B-
2. Ricky Williams – Ricky was in AP’s boat, and while that’s not too bad at all, it’s not great this week. B
3. Larry Fitzgerald – Leinart didn’t look Larry’s way all that often, and no big chances – Larry had a bad week. F
4. Randy Moss – Tom missed Randy a few times, and a lot of yards and fantasy points were left on the table. F
5. Aaron Rodgers– #3 QB this week, a great thanksgiving for Mr. Rodgers neighborhood… A

Solid Starters: Guys picked in middle rounds that should outplay their ranking/draft position this week…

1. Wes Welker – Wes had a down day, 6 catches, sure, but just 32 yards, finished 32nd amongst WRs. D+
2. Joe Flacco – 16th QB this week with 15 fantasy points, not bad, but not a great solid start really. B-
3. Kellen Winslow – Winslow finished 6th, he’s still one of the most talented TEs in the league. A-
4. Donald Driver –Tied with Miles Austin as the top receiver in Week 12. A+
5. Sidney Rice –Tied with a bunch at #18 WR this week, not a bad day for the consistent standout. B

Sleeper Starters: Guys ranked low, drafted low or not at all, but I still like them this week…

1. Justin Forsett –#3 running back this week as Julius stayed out another week. Can’t wait for Mora to sit him. A
2. Michael Crabtree – 45th ranked receiver this week, not good enough, not terrible though. C-
3. Donnie Avery – 18th WR this week, a pretty good day for Mr. Avery tallying 14 fantasy points. B+
4. LeSean McCoy– Right there with AP and Ricky Williams and MJD – a pretty solid week for the rookie. A-
5. Chris Chambers– 6th WR this week, where did this guy disappear to over the last few years? A+

Sit ‘Em Son: I don’t care where they were drafted, I don’t like these guys starting this week…

1. Matt Forte– 34th running back this week with 9 fantasy points, his 4 receptions were almost half his points. A
2. Steve Smith– 1 catch for 5 yards, I ended up starting him in a league, my options were bad. Not this bad. A+
3. Rashard Mendenhall – Mendenhall actually ran really tough, he was the 24th ranked RB, not too bad. B-
4. Roy Williams – 45th rated receiver, not a # I would have wanted in my starting line-up. B+
5. Chad Henne– Only 4 starting QBs were worse than Henne, but hey, one was Tom Brady. A

***Hope you didn’t start Turner or Big Ben, but I know I took one on the chin starting Kurt Warner – they tricked me!***

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Week 12 Fantasy Rankings

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Who did we miss this week? Quite a few guys… Here are the guys we missed from the Top 5 in each positional breakdown….

QB: Ryan Fitzpatrick and Tony Romo both tied with Philip Rivers for 4th place amongst quarterbacks. Phil got picked, Fitzy and Romo didn’t.

RB: Fred Jackson finished 1st amongst RBs, Jamal Charles 4th, and Laurence Maroney tied Steven Jackson for 5th. Red Red Ryan made one hell of a pick taking Forsett.

WR: Donald Driver (by Kauffman again) was the only guy in the Top 5 that saw a spot in any of our Top 5s. Miles Austin (1), Percy Harvin (3), Kenny Britt (4), and Marques Colston (5) filled out the Top 5.

TE: Together, we didn’t miss a single TE in the Top 5. The next highest guys we didn’t select was Fred Davis (8th overall).

DST: Here’s a list of the Top 5 defenses: Jets, Packers, Chargers, 49ers, Broncos. I can’t remember right off hand who got picked, and who didn’t, but I imagine nobody picked the 49ers and Broncos, and I think the Jets were left off everyone’s list as well.

Fantasy Focus Review: NFL Week 10 Fantasy Football

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Oh, it was too good of a start for me – this week was an all time low for Ol’ Lucky Lester – it was also an all-time “Team Lucky Lester” low in the fantasy rankings as I swept the 4th spot in every single category. Tough week indeed! Josh took 1st place, Red Red Ryan (despite his inability to communicate with anyone during his new Modern Warfare game’s release month) managed to wrap up 2nd place, while Papa Weimer and then Me, definitely in that order, came in 3rd and 4th. I’ll try to get back on track next week, but for now, this is how Week 10 went down – and I do mean DOWN!

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Elite Starters: Guys picked early that I love this week…

1. Ray Rice– 16th RB in Week 10, 18 fantasy points, the Browns shut him out of the passing attack. C
2. Chris Johnson – #1 overall fantasy player. A+
3. Michael Turner – Hurt in the 2nd quarter, had 111 yards on 9 carries. B
4. DeAngelo Williams – DeAngelo was rested a bit, as Jon Stewart carried more of the load. Will had 120 yards from scrimmage, but no touchdowns and was just the 21st RB in Week 10. C-
5. Thomas Jones– Thomas Jones didn’t carve up the Jags like I thought he would, 77 yards and a TD. C-

Solid Starters: Guys picked in middle rounds that should outplay their ranking/draft position this week…

1. Carson Palmer – No offensive TDs in this game, Palmer was 23rd QB in Week 10. F
2. Percy Harvin – 40th WR overall in Week 10, 9 fantasy point, obviously Rice was getting Brett’s passes. C
3. Pierre Thomas – Reggie Bush was the productive runner of choice in Week 10, he was 8th, PT out of Top 30. F
4. Devin Hester – 29th WR in Week 10, not great, not too shabby. Maybe if Cutler didn’t throw 5 to the Niners…  B-
5. Sidney Rice –4th WR this week, one of the greatest receiving days in Viking history with 201 yards. No TDs… A

Sleeper Starters: Guys ranked low, drafted low or not at all, but I still like them this week…

1. Reggie Bush – Bush suprised everyone (besides me) and busted 6 rushes for 86 yards and two total TDs. A+
2. Beanie Wells – “Call it a feeling, Beanie might have his best game as a pro.” Got it right! #3 RB in Week 10. A+
3. Steve Breaston –Ta-tas gets 16th WR spot in Week 10, awesome for a #3 receiver. A
4. Mark Sanchez– Sanchez was 21st amongst QBs in Week 10, 10 fantasy points – he hurt the Jets… D+
5. Ricky Williams – Ricky had 100 yards rushing, getting 20 carries when Brown went down. 24th RB. B-

Sit ‘Em Son: I don’t care where they were drafted, I don’t like these guys starting this week…

1. Joseph Addai– Addai was 13th RB in Week 10. Through 3 quarters he had done nothing. But in the 4th Addai totaled 2 touchdowns. He had just 68 total yards in Week 10. Still, his 2 TDs made his day nice. F
2. Wes Welker– I was close on the catch prediction, but wrong on the yards, Wes had 9 for 94- a good week. F
3. Matt Forte – Forte had 20 carries for 41 yards. A. Oh wait, 8 grabs for 120 yards too? Shoot. F
4. Mike Sims-Walker– 3 catches for 49 yards and a score. Not great, but pretty decent against Revis. C-
5. Julius Jones– He got hurt, but I’ll take my A+ – I need it this week! A+

***The Giants and Texans finished off the byes, now only injuries keep players out of your line-ups, you needent mind the gap any longer!!!

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Week 9 Fantasy Rankings

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Who did we miss in Week 10, from QB to DST, here’s a short list and their respective rankings.

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QB – Marc Bulger (5), Philip Rivers (6), Jake Delhomme (7) – weird, nobody had the balls to pick Marc and Jake.

RB – Steven Jackson (2), Justin Forsett (3), Chris Wells (3), Jamal Charles (5), Matt Forte (6), Reggie Bush (8) – I mentioned Wells’ having a big day, but I didn’t pick him. I’ve been writing Jim Mora all season sending him hate mail about continuing to ignore Justin Forsett, his hand was forced on Sunday with Jones out, and look what happened. Jamal Charles had a nice week after barely getting any looks a week ago. Matt Forte was terrible running but had 8 grabs for 120 yards despite Jay Cutler throwing 5 picks. Reggie made the most of his 6 carries and 2 catches, scoring twice and accruing 100+ yards.

WR – T.J. Houshmandzadeh (5), Jason Avant (6), Donnie Avery (7), Wes Welker, (8) Lee Evans (9), Maclin (10) – It’s no wonder that we all left Avant and Avery off the list, but both played big time on Sunday. Housh was open all day, again, but only this time Matt Hasselbeck actually threw him the ball. Wes Welker had 9 grabs for 90+ yards, Lee Evans managed to find two touchdown passes from Trent Edwards, that’s magic in and of itself. Maclin kept his strong rookie season going with 6 grabs, 76 yards, and a touchdown.

TE – Brent Celek (2), Will Heller (5), Dustin Keller (6), John Carlson (7) – It was probably a mass oversight that we left Carlson out, maybe we all thought he’d be blocking all day, at least I did. Celek continues to have awesome days, he was a great value TE pick this year. Heller, come on, how do we predict that? Dustin Keller has been solid, and was a big part of the Jets passing attack on Sunday.

Def/ST – Packers (2), 49ers (3), Bengals (5) – Apparently last time the Bengals all but shut down the Steelers, none of us believed. I have a feeling you’ll see “Bengals” in most Top 5s from here on out. The Packers absolutely dominated the Cowboys, and that was great, Dallas didn’t even score until the 4th quarter near end-game. The 49ers caught balls from Jay Cutler all night, 5 to be precise, that’s how they finished 3 for the week.

Ten for Tuesday: Week 9 Fantasy Football Review

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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….

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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?”

Ten for Tuesday: Week 8 NFL Football

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It is nice to see Eli Manning switch back to the pouty-faced Ellie that I’ve known and loved for so long. Ellie is back to his inaccurate throws, shame-faced box crab looks, and more importantly, the Giants losing games. Not only did they lose on Sunday, but the Eagles just absolutely destroyed them. The Giants have fallen in love with this Eli guy, the guy they gave more money too than any other team pays any other quarterback, but with Eli you get Ellie, and that’s the guys playing right now…..   I had forgotten, but Steven Jackson is one of the best players in football. How do I know that? Well, while everyone else in America was watching a good football game, I was viewing the car-wreck that was Detroit hosting St. Louis. There’s something about it, I just couldn’t keep my eyes off of this game. Nobody should have to see something like that, but here I was, in awe. Steven Jackson was straight beasting everybody on the Lions team. I think he even had time to boo Matthew Stafford. While watching the game I learned a couple more things…    Marc Bulger is a terrible quarterback. Despite not getting much offensive line help, it’s hard for me not to tear into this guy. He steps backward every time he throws, setting his receivers up to get blasted, he’s gun shy, he’s basically the opposite of everything good. His best day isn’t close to Ellie’s saddest tear-filled outing….    And once again, the all stars from these two teams couldn’t get together to win more than 5 games. Steven Jackson would still be trying to carry the team on his back while a poor quarterback option failed to get the ball to Calvin Johnson. The offensive line would be a little better, but still not good. The Defensive line would have a couple players to rush the pass, but still get eaten up on the ground, and the Ramlion secondary would still get eaten up by opposing quarterbacks. All that and they would not get to play each other, what car-wreck of a game would I watch then?

It’s hard for me to say that Shawn Merriman is back, but at least he’s got a couple sacks to his name. The “Lights Out” dance artist himself was back in action. It seems like playing against the Raiders shouldn’t even count for season stat totals, but the bottom line is that the NFL still recognizes the Raiders as a team, and Merriman’s two sacks against “NFL Starting QB” Jamarcus Russell were his first sacks of the season…..     Speaking of JaMarcus Russell, I can’t even stand behind this kid anymore, it’s not his poor ability to see the field (see tunnel vision), or his consistent practice of overthrowing receivers, it’s not even his lack of mobility and terrible footwork, I don’t even think it’s his hideous work ethic and carelessness, but his absolute lack of reality kills me. After the game this guy had the mental clown work to claim that he played well. If you play crappy, at the very least you can keep your mouth shut and just try harder. JaMarcus obviously has problems keeping his mouth shut…..

Marques Colston is borderline unguardable. Drew Brees likes to get everyone involved, hitting open receivers all over the field, but when things get tight and Drew needs that 15 free yards, he just throws a ball about 12 feet in the air in the direction of Colston. Colston has great jumps for a big guy, and even more impressive are his ball skills. He always grabs the ball at the height of his jump, and his timing is perfect….   The Titans finally got a win, and I have to be honest, Vince Young had something to do with that. He may have looked uncomfortable at times, and his 15 for 18 passing performance may look better than it actually was, but his 12 rushes for 30 yards were bigger than they looked. Defenses have to pay attention to him. But even more important than anything Vince did was how the Titans called plays with Vince in there. They went back to being a run-centric team, throwing just 18 times while rocking 49 attempts on the ground. If it takes Vince to get that coaching staff to commit to what makes this offense good, then Young’s presence is more important than anyone gives him credit for……

I really appreciate John Fox pulling his own head out of his tail pipe just in time to eliminate me from a survivor pool, but what took so long? You have an overpaid game-managing quarterback with two great running backs and an offensive line that consistently mauls opposing defensive lines. Yet this guy fell in love with throwing the ball when he was down a few points. Maybe it was his offensive coordinator, but that is the head coach’s fault too. If I have Jake Delhomme at QB, and DeAngelo Williams and Jonathan Stewart running the ball, I’m running the ball 70% of the time at the very least….  Speaking of offenses that don’t know who they are, how long can Bills coaches have jobs in Buffalo? Their game against Houston was a situation where their run game was working. They were up for 3 quarters, have two very good running backs, have no good quarterbacks, and yet you have Lynch and Jackson getting just 9 rushes each. Ridiculous. It makes me sick.

Fantasy Focus Review: Week 5 NFL 2009

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Week 5 saw some huge games from some relatively unknown stars, a couple big games from guys that everyone expected to be great all season long, but they hadn’t gone big prior to Week 5, and a quarterback that completed 2 of 17 passes to lead his team to victory, or I guess they won in spite of him. Here’s the review!

Elite Starters: Guys picked early that I love this week…

1. Peyton Manning – #4 quarterback in Week 5, it was free money, 300+ 3 TDs, Reggie Wayne’s drop could have gotten him to #1, but 28 fantasy points from your QB is nice. A
2. Adrian Peterson –  #7 for AP, the Vikings didn’t feel like wasting their best player, he didn’t carry the ball all that much. B
3. Maurice Jones-Drew – The Jaguars were sleeping in this one, MJD had little room. F
4. Matt Schaub – 371 yards, 2 TDs, tied Matty for 6th amongst QBs this week. A
5. Reggie Wayne – 14th overall for Reggie, not a bad game, but not quite Miles, Roddy, or Maclin either. B-

Solid Starters: Guys picked in middle rounds that should outplay their ranking/draft position this week…

1. Julius Jones– 45th overall? Yikes, the Seahawks threw early and often, and didn’t do much on the ground. F
2. Santana Moss – 40th WR, not a great game, not a bad output, I expected a little more. C
3. Tim Hightower– 14th RB, Tim caught passes, has few rushes, and scored a TD, sounds about right. B+
4. Carson Palmer – 271 yards and a TD, the Bengals relied on Benson more than I expected, Palmer was OK. B-
5. Hines Ward –11th receiver, you bet. Hines is one of the most consistent receivers ever. A

Sleeper Starters: Guys ranked low, drafted low or not at all, but I still like them this week…

1. Tashard Choice – 14th RB overall with just 8 rushes, this kid is a stud. A
2. Jerome Harrison – They said he’d run a lot, he didn’t Jamal Lewis carried the rock 31 times, JH not much. F
3. Mohamed Massaquoi –He had the most targets, most yards, and most catches for the Browns.  2 fantasy points. That’s how bad it is in Cleveland right now. F
4. Steve Breaston– 34th receiver, 10 fantasy points, a TD would have made this a great pick. C+
5. Eddie Royal – 12th overall, 15 targets, 10 catches, 90 yards, Eddie is back baby!!! A

Sit ‘Em Son: I don’t care where they were drafted, I don’t like these guys starting this week…

1. Ray Rice – Rice was huge this week! This was a tough week for me in Sit’em section. F
2. Steven Jackson – 23rd RB overall, just 10 fantasy points, outscored by lots of guys ranked below him. B
3. Matt Ryan – Ryan ate up the 49ers, tossing TDs to Roddy White like it was his job. It is his job. F
4. Roddy White –Best day he’s ever had, used Nate Clements and company like his own highlight film. F
5. Larry Johnson – 45th RB this week, he averaged something like 1.7 yards per carry. A

PS – Bye weeks are back, and here for some time, recognize! Mind the gap!

Week 5 Fantasy Final Rankings

[TABLE=2]
[TABLE=4]
[TABLE=6]
[TABLE=5]
[TABLE=8]

Kickers
Lawrence Tynes, Rob Bironas, Olindo Mare, and Jay Feely all had solid outings on Sunday…
[TABLE=9]

Red Red Ryan brought up the rear this week, probably because he can’t get out from under the boss’s finger and write his damn article any single day during the week. Josh finished 3rd, I finished second by a single spot as Papa Weimer took the title for the 2nd week in a row. What can I say? At least it’s staying in the family. Papa pulled off 3 wins this week, taking QBs, WRs, and TEs, and a second place finish in WRs despite Sims-Walker being a late scratch, quite the impressive week from the old man. He killed the QB rankings! Who did we miss this week? From bottom to top, we all missed the Seahawks, finishing Week 5 as the top ranked D. Cleveland was 4th with a huge day leading their offense to victory. Nobody saw room for Kellen Winslow in their Top 5 rankings, but he decided to go ballistic on us, putting up nearly twice as many points as the 2nd rated TE. Heath Miller, Visanthe Shiancoe, and Anthony Fasano finished 4, 5, 6… Five out of the top six receivers didn’t see a Top 5 selection. Andre Johnson was 4th, but 1, 2, and 3 went to Austin Miles, Roddy White, and Jeremy Maclin. 5 and 6 went to Austin Collie and Nate Burelson. Nobody picked a RB in the Top 6, 1-6 went as follows; Ahmad Bradshaw, Micheal Turner, Ray Rice, Joseph Addai, Ronnie Brown, and Cedric Benson. Maybe we’re picking the wrong Giant??? We all had a pretty solid day in the quarterback race, but none of us selected #1 signal caller Matt Hasselbeck nor did any of us pick #3 QB Matt Ryan. Other than that we had the Too 10 pretty well represented.

Stay tuned for Week 6’s Fantasy Focus!

NFL Fantasy Focus Review: Week 2

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One more week down in the NFL, one more fantasy title in the bag for me. That’s right folks, I fought off Red Red Ryan, his awkward red hair, and that allergy riddled red skin, and took home the top spot amongst the staff for the second straight week. If I ice the game for three weeks in a row, you can bet I’ll be talking hat trick once again. This is the review of my fantasy picks for Week 2, hope you enjoy the Fantasy Focus!

Elite Starters: Guys picked early that I love this week…

1. Michael Turner – Turner carried 28 times for a buck-0-five and a touchdown. But was just ok. C
2. Tom Brady – Tom was brutal this week, making me look like a rookie at this game. F
3. Marques Colston – 8 catches, 98 yards, 2 TDs, huge day. Those Eagles can’t guard big WRs. A+
4. Steve Smith – I told you week 1 was a fluke, Steve caught 8 balls for 131 yards in Week 2. B+
5. Brian Westbrook – Westbrook wasn’t as big a part of the offense as I thought. D

Solid Starters: Guys picked in middle rounds that should outplay their ranking/draft position this week…

1. Eddie Royal – Eddie is killing me. I’m not giving up on him yet. F-
2. Ronnie Brown – 4th amongst backs, Ronnie had a huge day on the ground against the Colts. A+
3. Joe Flacco– His second straight multiple TD game of the season, but only 190 yards. B-
4. Joseph Addai – Addai was hurt by the Colts quick strike offense, getting only 6 carries and 31 yards. F
5. Leon Washington – Leon didn’t do much in a low scoring game. F

Sleeper Starters: Guys ranked low, drafted low or not at all, but I still like them this week…

1. Michael Bush – The Raiders are dealing with 8 in the box, Bush had 9 carries for 35 yards. Ugh. D
2. David Garrard – 9th overall, that’s more like it, I think Garrard will have a quietly solid year. A-
3. LenDale White – Chris Johnson put on a show, and White got just 6 carries for 25 yards, tough deal. F
4. Mike Bell– Mike looked good again, and despite getting hurt, put up 85 yards and a TD on 18 touches. A
5. Nate Burleson – Four catches for 46 yards, no scores. The Hawks looked lost when Matt went down. D+

Sit ‘Em Son: I don’t care where they were drafted, I don’t like these guys starting this week…

1. Jay Cutler – Cutler played well, giving his team a chance even though they couldn’t run at all. F
2. Reggie Bush – 13 touches for 75 yards and a touchdown, better than I thought. D
3. Steven Jackson – 17 carries for 104, 4 grabs for 15 yards. Not bad, better than I expected, not great. C+
4. Julius Jones – He may have snuck in a short TD catch, but Julius had 11 yards on 8 carries. I was right. A
5. Patrick Crayton – 3 fantasy points in a PPR league. This one I got one right on the money. A

PS – If you started Wes Welker, it probably hurt you. I know I won a league because of it…

Week 2 Fantasy Rankings

Josh Arsenault		Ryan Kauffman		Papa Weimer		Lucky Lester

QBs----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

1.Drew Brees 2   	1.Drew Brees 2		1.Drew Brees 2		1.Tom Brady 28
2.Peyton Manning 7	2.Peyton Manning 7	2.Tom Brady 28    	2.Kurt Warner 9
3.Aaron Rodgers	14	3.Tom Brady 28     	3.Tony Romo 23    	3.Peyton Manning 7
4.Kurt Warner 9   	4.Kurt Warner 9		4.Matt Hasselbeck 31	4.Joe Flacco 17
5.Matt Schaub 1  	5.Aaron Rodgers 14	5.Kyle Orton 18		5.Drew Brees 2
RBs-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

1.Adrian Peterson 8	1.Adrian Peterson 8	1.Adrian Peterson 8	1.Michael Turner 15
2.Maurice Jones Drew 25	2.Chris Johnson 1	2.Michael Turner 15	2.Brian Westbrook 33
3.Brian Westbrook 33	3.Maurice Jones Drew 25	3.Darren McFadden 21	3.Adrian Peterson 8
4.Ronnie Brown 4	4.Clinton Portis 33	4.Maurice Jones Drew 25	4.Frank Gore 2
5.Clinton Portis 33	5.Brian Westbrook 33	5.Thomas Jones 41 	5.Chris Johnson 1

WRs-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

1.Greg Jennings	109	1.Reggie Wayne 54   	1.Larry Fitzgerald 27	1.Randy Moss 54
2.Larry Fitzgerald 27	2.Larry Fitzgerald 27	2.Reggie Wayne 54	2.Larry Fitzgerald 27
3.Reggie Wayne 54  	3.Randy Moss 54		3.Steve Smith 7   	3.Marques Colston 3
4.Andre Johnson 1	4.Roddy White 16	4.Jericho Cotchery 30	4.Andre Johnson 1
5.Steve Smith 7  	5.Greg Jennings 109	5.Calvin Johnson 16	5.Steve Smith 7

TEs-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

1.Jason Witten 8 	1.Jason Witten 8	1.Tony Gonzalez 3	1.Dallas Clark 1
2.Chris Cooley 6	2.Dallas Clark 1	2.John Carlson 13 	2.Jason Witten 8
3.Tony Gonzalez	3	3.John Carlson 13	3.Dallas Clark 1 	3.Zach Miller 49
4.Jeremy Shockey 18	4.Tony Gonzalez	3	4.Owen Daniels 4 	4.Kellen Winslow 2
5.Zach Miller 49  	5.Owen Daniels 4  	5.Jason Witten 8	5.Chris Cooley 6

DSTs-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

1.Steelers 18		1.Vikings 4		1.Vikings 4		1.Steelers 18
2.Ravens 18		2.Steelers 18		2.Steelers 18		2.Packers 12
3.Vikings 4		3.Redskins 3		3.Ravens 18		3.Falcons 12
4.Seahawks 24		4.Patriots 16		4.Packers 12		4.Redskins 3
5.Falcons 12		5.Packers 12		5.Cowboys 31		5.Vikings 4

Kickers-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Kickers be damned, but here's the Week 2 Rankings:
1. Rian Lindell 2. Lawrence Tynes 3. Dan Carpenter 4. Nate Kaeding

Looking back at the week's action... For the second straight week, I had higher rated
players in my Top 5 lists than anybody else on the site. Josh took QBs, Ryan took the TEs
pretty easily, and I had running backs, receivers, and defenses taken care of. Ryan had lots
of second place finishes, but his terrible WR picks kept him in 2nd place, keeping me on
top. It feels good to win, always. Papa Weimer pretty much pooped the bed, but he's old and
basically needs help getting up at night to use the toilet, so that kind of thing is
expected now and again. Josh was the only writer that had the balls to take Matt Schaub,
plus he left Tom Brady off his Top 5, those two things gave him an easy win. We missed a lot
of good quarterbacks in Week 2, Carson Palmer, Philip Rivers, Byron Leftwich, and Eli
Manning finished 3-6 respectively - not one writer picked any one of those guys. As for RB,
nobody picked Darren Sproles, Marion Barber, Fred Jackson, or Willis McGahee - those guys
finished 3, 5, and tied for 6 on the week. Felix Jones and Carnell Williams also did work
rounding out the top 10. In the receiver area, I had numbers 1, 3, and 7 in my top 5, seeing
big games from Andre Johnson, Marques Colston, and Steve Smith. Plus, I didn't put Greg
Jennings in my Top 5 like Red Red Ryan and Josh, his 0 point night put them in a tough spot.
We left out Mario Manningham, who made a big name for himself with a great Sunday Night
performance. A couple more Top 10 guys that didn't get picked, Steve Smith (NYG), Vincent
Jackson, Mike Sims-Walker, Donald Driver, Ted ginn Jr., and DeSean Jackson. Jason Avant
and Johnny Knox also had big games out of nowhere.  Ryan took the TE list with 1, 3, 8, 4,
and 13 all making his Top 5. Brent Celek, Marcedez Lewis, and Kellen Davis all made the top
10, and none of us picked them. The Broncos and Cardinals finished atop the defensive
rankings, and went unpicked in any of our Top 5s. That's how it was, one more week for
Lucky Lester!!!

Keeping score for week 2! This is the positional breakdown based on Week 2's rankings:

Josh Arsenault		Ryan Kauffman		Papa Weimer		Lucky Lester

1.QBs 1         	1.QBs 2		        1.QBs 4  		1.QBs 3
2.RBs 3		        2.RBs 2	   	        2.RBs 4                 2.RBs 1
3.WRs 3		        3.WRs 4		        3.WRs 2         	3.WRs 1
4.TEs 4  		4.TEs 1          	4.TEs 2         	4.TEs 3
5.DST 3         	5.DST 2         	5.DST 4         	5.DST 1

Week 2 Fantasy Football News: Ten for Tuesday

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After two weeks, Drew Brees is on pace to throw 72 touchdown passes while gaining one million yards (but is still second to Phillip Rivers in the yardage area). His QB Rating is 132.9, damn near perfect. However, it’s not Brees and his 9 touchdowns that has me amazed. It’s second year studs, Matt Ryan and Joe Flacco that have me impressed. These guys haven’t heard of sophomore slump, both have their teams undefeated, and are tied for second in QB TDs behind Drew….   Three offensive coordinators were fired right before the season started, of the three, it looks like only the Chiefs little fella has had any effect, and that might be pushing it. See Buffalo is moving the ball and putting up points despite cutting their OC, Trent Edwards is Top 5 in passer rating and tied for 4th with four touchdowns thus far. Byron Leftwich has also tossed 4 touchdowns while Tampa’s running game has put up some solid totals as well. The Chiefs have been brutal, but it’s hard to see KC being much better with Bill Walsh calling plays….    Brett Favre has the highest completion percentage in the NFL, and has yet to toss an interception. So much for him being too much of a gunslinger, and starting off the season a little rusty after spending more time throwing to high school receivers than pro guys. It has to be nice handing the ball to Mr. Peterson……  The 2007 Draft class is beginning to look like a quarterback bust. So far, the best season has to be given to Tyler Thigpen for his performance down the stretch last year. Trent Edwards is probably the best player of the bunch, especially given that Tyler couldn’t beat out Brodie Croyle for the Chiefs #3 job. Maybe Troy Smith would be getting the nod if he had not gotten hurt before the 2008 season, but Joe Flacco has that job on lock down so we may never see. The two first round picks, Brady Quinn and JaMarcus Russell (not in that order) have been guys I’ve tried to like, but they are making it very difficult to do so….    Matthew Stafford is not ready to be an NFL quarterback. I don’t know how else to put it. I know his first name is Matt, and last year a guy named Matt was a first year stud, but it’s not that kind of copycat league. He throws the ball really hard, and will pull an amazing toss out of his ace here and there, but the kid has a guy named Calvin Johnson on his team, of course he’s going to look good now and again. The Lions have lost nearly 20 straight football games, I know they’re not going to win a lot this year, but they might want to get Culpepper in there so they have a chance to break that streak before it gets into the 30s….   Speaking of that class, it may not have been QB heavy (to say the least) but there are some absolute freaks of nature (from that group) taking the league by storm. Adrian Peterson, beast. Calvin Johnson, freak. Patrick Willis, machine. Darrell Revis, stud. And there’s more pro-bowlers from that group. It may be top heavy, but you could argue that those four guys are either the best but no lower than Top 5 at their positions…..   Marc Bulger is brutal. Somebody tell me how Jeff Garcia can just get signed last week when Marc Bulger can have a starting gig and millions of dollars getting paid to him to do what he does. Brutal. If they lose 16, they need to get the nod for worst team of all time….    It’s hard to write a weekly fantasy re-cap without mentioning Mario Manningham, it’s not fair to you guys and it’s not fair to him. Manningham looked like a beast in college, but he looks frail in the NFL. But looks can be deceiving, because all you have to do is ask the Cowboys to understand how tough this guy is to tackle. Apparently Elly Manning knew something when he told everyone that he expected big things from mini-Mario. He’s fast enough to get open, runs good routes, and has shown fearlessness when catching the ball in traffic. Steve Smith has been solid, but I don’t expect this to be Mario’s only good week. And I don’t know if the Giants are going to have a mediocre receiving corps for long. A trio of Hakeem Nicks, Mario, and Smith – with Hixon as a 4 – that is going to be a good group…..   Julius Jones in Week 1 or Julius Jones in Week 2? Somewhere inbetween. It’s tough to fault him completely for his 8 carry for 11 yard performance against the 49ers. The Hawks will start getting offensive linemen back this next week, and should get better as the season moves forward. That being said, they only play the Rams one more time – still, Jones will be alright…..   Felix Jones is still averaging over 8 yards per carry, which is just disgusting. I know he only has 13 carries this season, and barely over 40 for his short career, but he might get real carry numbers next week, and here’s to hoping he continues to bust carry’s off for 8.9 per clip. He might be the only RB in the history of the NFL that averages more yards per run than he does per catch….   Brandon Jacobs, Darren McFadden, and Kevin Smith: 3 guys I thought would have big years, are all averaging less than 4 yards a carry through 2 games. Kevin Smith has had a tough time early, but Sunday’s 85 yard performance against a stout Vikings defense makes me think he’ll be just fine. Jacobs should start to see more running room with Elly and his receivers looking good enough for the girls he goes with. And McFadden, well, unless Russell starts showing defenses that he can complete more than half his passes, he’s going to struggle to find room. Still, if you’re paying a running back that much cake, get him the ball at least 20 times a game. Yeah, that’s 11, not 10, so sue me.

Fantasy Focus REVIEW: Week 1

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This is where I review everything I predicted from my fantasy focus article every week. It’s pretty easy to follow, always feel free to write in if you have any questions. As for my fantasy predictions in Week 1, some good, some bad, just like my fantasy teams. I’ve graded out each fantasy pick, and as you’ll see, I killed my sleeper picks for Week 1.

See how everyone did with Week 1’s overall positional rankings (PPR) listed next to each player’s name from Team Lucky Lester’s Week 1 projections below. Some hits and misses for all, no doubt, but naturally, I came out ahead of the group…

Elite Starters: Guys picked really early that I love this week…

1. DeAngelo Williams – He finished 10th prior to Monday Night’s action, 17 fantasy points, they got way down early…. B-
2. Tom Brady – Tom started slow but ended up with 376 yards and 2 TDs. The guy is a sniper. A
3. Larry Fitzgerald – 6 catches for 71 yards and a TD: Not terrible, but worst than I expected, that offense was bad on Sunday. B
4. Randy Moss – Randy may have not caught any TDs, but his 12 catches for 141 yards totaled 26 fantasy points. Not bad. A
5. Brian Westbrook – Westy had just 15 fantasy points in a decent amount of action. The Eagles D was scoring too much for Eagle offensive players to light up the fantasy boards. B-

Solid Starters: Guys picked in middle rounds that should outplay their ranking/draft position this week…

1. Eddie Royal – I thought he’d grab 10, he grabbed 2. F
2. Reggie Bush –Reggie had 7 fantasy points, not getting into the scoring fun against the Lions. F
3. Ray Rice – Ray didn’t get involved in the passing game too much, but still had 13 fantasy points after rushing for over 100. B
4. Joseph Addai – He wasn’t too efficient, but scored and had just under 80 total yards. 5 catches were nice to see. 16 pts. B+
5. Matt Hasselbeck – Matt was #4 overall going into Monday, tossing for 279 yards and 3 TDs (2 ints as well). 22 pts. A

Sleeper Starters: Guys ranked low, drafted low or not at all, but I still like them this week…

1. Donnie Avery – Donnie had 6 receptions for 46 yards, but lost a fumble too, finishing with 8 fantasy points. C-
2. Julius Jones – Jones was huge today (117 rushing yards and a score to go with 2 catches for 19 yards), most of it came on one huge run, but you can’t really take that away from him. A
3. Tim Hightower – I’m glad I got my hands on Hightower in some leagues, he caught 12 balls for 121 yards – 25 pts. A
4. Mark Sanchez – 272 yards, a TD and an INT – nice game for the rookie in a big win. Decent fantasy day. B
5. Nate Burleson – 2 fantasy points like ESPN projected? Ha. 7 grabs for 74 yards and a TD. Nate posted 20 pts for my team. A

Sit ‘Em Son: I don’t care where they were drafted, I don’t like these guys starting this week…

1. Carson Palmer – 247 yards, 0 TDs, 2 ints… You’re welcome for this sit. A
2. Clinton Portis – 16 rushes for 60 yards. 1 catch for 10 yards. Could have been worse, but are you angry I told you to sit him? B
3. Willie Parker – 13 rushes for 19 yards. 1 catch for 5 yards. You’re welcome for this one too. A
4. Devin Hester – 4 catches for 90 yards and a nice long touchdown. Yeah, I was dead wrong about Devin. F
5. Hines Ward – 8 grabs for 103 yards was a good day, and even with the fumble he still put up 16 pts. Solid day. Sorry. F+

PS – I hope you didn’t start Marshawn Lynch like 33% of ESPN Leagues….

Week 1 Fantasy Rankings

Josh Arsenault		Ryan Kauffman		Papa Weimer		Lucky Lester

QBs----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

1.Peyton Manning 9	1.Tom Brady 4		1.Drew Brees 1		1.Tom Brady 4
2.Drew Brees 1		2.Drew Brees 1		2.Peyton Manning 9	2.Drew Brees 1
3.Tom Brady 4		3.Matt Ryan 8		3.Chad Pennington 26	3.Peyton Manning 9
4.Jay Cutler 25		4.Aaron Rodgers	13	4.Donovan McNabb 7	4.Aaron Rodgers 13
5.Phillip Rivers 15	5.Peyton Manning 9	5.Kyle Orton 14 	5.Matt Schaub 31

RBs-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

1.Adrian Peterson 1	1.Adrian Peterson 1	1.Michael Turner 46	1.DeAngelo Williams 11
2.DeAngelo Williams 11	2.DeAngelo Williams 11	2.Adrian Peterson 1	2.Brian Westbrook 15
3.Steven Jackson 43	3.Matt Forte 48		3.LaD. Tomlinson 30	3.Maurice Jones Drew 6
4.Ray Rice 20		4.Reggie Bush 31	4.Frank Gore 10		4.Adrian Peterson 1
5.Willie Parker	65	5.Knowshon Moreno 69	5.Ryan Grant 19		5.Ronnie Brown 34

WRs-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

1.Andre Johnson	52	1.Calvin Johnson 35	1.Steve Smith 61	1.Randy Moss 3
2.Reggie Wayne 1	2.Terrell Owens	56	2.Reggie Wayne 1	2.Larry Fitzgerald 10
3.Randy Moss 3		3.Steve Smith 61	3.Marques Colston 33	3.Reggie Wayne 1
4.Vincent Jackson 18	4.Andre Johnson 52	4.Randy Moss 3		4.Andre Johnson 52
5.Calvin Johnson 35	5.Wes Welker 8		5.Eddie Royal 77	5.Greg Jennings 4

TEs-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

1.Antonio Gates	12	1.Jason Witten 13	1.Dallas Clark 21	1.Dallas Clark 21
2.Jason Witten 13	2.Antonio Gates	12	2.Tony Gonzalez	4	2.Antonio Gates 12
3.Dallas Clark 21	3.Dallas Clark 21	3.Antonio Gates	12	3.Jason Witten 13
4.Greg Olsen 40		4.John Carlson 1	4.Owen Daniels 16	4.Zach Miller 7
5.Dustin Keller	12	5.Brandon Petitgrew 00	5.Jason Witten 13	5.John Carlson 1

TEs-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

1.Ravens 21		1.Ravens 21		1.Giants 3		1.Vikings 8
2.Steelers 9		2.Cowboys 29		2.Ravens 21		2.Ravens 21
3.Giants 3		3.Seahawks 4		3.Chargers 16		3.Cowboys 29
4.Patriots 24		4.Redskins 26		4.Saints 13		4.Giants 3
5.Bengals 12		5.Patriots 24		5.Steelers 9		5.Bengals 12

Kickers-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

We still don't care about kickers, but these guys were the Top 5 point producers...

1. Neil Rackers 2. Lawrence Tynes 3. Nick Folk 4. Jason Hanson 5. Joe Nedney

Looking back at the week's action.. Drew Brees was the #1 overall QB if averaged
out amongst our picks. The #1 overall running back was Adrian Peterson. So, as a
group, we got two right on the button. The #1 overall receiver, Reggie Wayne, was a
Top 3 receiving options on 3 writer's lists, making him the highest pre-rated receiver
on our boards as well. So, while none of us picked everything right, our highest
averaged players at the 3 key positions all finished #1 for the week. Now that's good
work. TE was a little bit different as only one guy, Red-Red Ryan Kauffman even had
John Carlson, this week's #1 TE, on his board. As for defenses, we all missed out on
the Eagles, who just happened to put up one of the all time great defensive point
scoring shows of all time on the unsuspecting Panthers. At least we didn't expect it.
What about the worst picks on our lists? Papa Weimer's WR chart had some issues as #1
Steve Smith had a terrible day, almost as bad as his #5 Eddie Royal. Arse's picks of
Steven Jackson and Willie Parker hurt his RB respect, and Andre Johnson as his #1
busted him, and everyone besides Papa. Ronnie Brown sure looked average in my Top 5,
and Matt Schaub finished well out of the Top 15 as well. Papa, Arse and I took big
chances putting Orton, Pennington, and Schaub in our Top 5 lists, none of which pay
off, making us look bad with 9, 8, and 4 points a piece. Obviously I looked the worst
in that gong show. We all picked the Ravens to finish either 1 or 2, they finished 21.
Who did we miss? Tony Romo and Joe Flacco went 2 and 3 for QBs in Week 1. Both went
unpicked by our four fantasy writers. Hasselbeck and Trent Edwards finished 5th and
6th respectively. Nobody picked the top defense (Philadelphia) to finish in the Top 5.
Nobody picked the second ranked defense (Atlanta) either.

Keeping score for week 1! This is the positional breakdown based on Week 1's rankings:

Josh Arsenault		Ryan Kauffman		Papa Weimer		Lucky Lester

1.QBs 2         	1.QBs 1		        1.QBs 3  		1.QBs 4
2.RBs 3		        2.RBs 4	   	        2.RBs 2                 2.RBs 1
3.WRs 2		        3.WRs 4		        3.WRs 3         	3.WRs 1
4.TEs 4  		4.TEs 3          	4.TEs 2         	4.TEs 1
5.DST 2         	5.DST 4         	5.DST 1         	5.DST 3