Fantasy Focus Review: Week 7 Football Analysis

It was a tie for first for the first time this season, but it still stayed in Family. Papa and I both went big and finished a top the rankings, tied, with Josh finishing third and Red Red Ryan was Red Red Last. Some decent performances all week, some big sleeper guys going huge – here’s how the week of 7 went down.

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

1. Peyton Manning –Peyton had a nice week, finishing 5 overall, but the Rams weren’t close enough to go huge. B+
2. Drew Brees – Drew was okay, not great, Top 10 but he needed rushing scores to get on this board. B
3. DeAngelo Williams – Despite being forgotten in the second half, D-Lo was 4th in Week 7. A
4. Ben Roethlisberger – 12th overall, not really startable – how the Steelers won is beyond me. C-
5. Roddy White – Roddy was 11th amongst WRs, that’s not too shabby, but it wasn’t as wonderful as I wanted. B+

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

1. Eli Manning – Some big dropped passes hurt Eli, but a really lucky tip catch TD helped him. Ellie was bad. D-
2. Steve Smith – 18th overall, on way to a good finish to the season if they can figure it out. B+
3. Marshawn Lynch – He was 15th overall, but didn’t have as good a game as I expected. B-
4. Joseph Addai– 13th overall, not a good point per touch day, but a decent performance fantasy wise. B
5. Ryan Grant – 7th amongst RBs, Grant had a great day running the ball. 147 yards and a score. A+

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

1. Laurence Maroney – 21st overall, the Patriots were back to throwing the ball. But not a bad day for LM. B-
2. Cadillac Williams – 28 receiving yards, 29 rushing yards – yeah, missed on this one… F
3. Chris Henry – Henry only had 2 catches, but they went for 26 yards and a TD, not bad for a waiver guy. B-
4. Jeremy Maclin – 38th overall, Maclin has been solid, he was targeted often, was close to a big day. C+
5. Sydney Rice – #6 overall, you betcha! A

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

1. Matt Forte – 8 fantasy points, and only because he caught 4 short passes, another brutal day for Forte. A
2. Antonio Bryant – 24th overall, 13 fantasy points, definitely a decent option. Not great though. C-
3. Donnie Avery –Just 7 fantasy points, that’s about what I expected. A
4. Mark Sanchez – 11th overall, good day for Mark, despite the whole hot dog eating thing – nice sleeper. D-
5. Chad Henne – Henne had a bad day, and for that he can thank the 5 drops by Dolphins, and the early lead. A

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***Big Bye Week in Week’s 7 and 8: this week don’t play Ravens, Broncos, Lions, Jaguars, Seahawks, or Titans! Mind the Gap!!!

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A short “Who did we miss” section this week, because I’m a busy man. How about the Top 2 Running backs in the league this week, a shout out to Ricky Williams and his highest number of touchdowns in any one game in his career, 3 in a loss to the Saints. And Shonn Greene, he went in for Leon Washington when the little back broke his leg, and Shonn went crazy for 144 yards and 2 TDs on fewer than 20 carries. In the QB rankings, everyone missed Carson Palmer (#1 by a long shot) and Tony Tomo (the 2nd highest ranked QB by 4 fantasy points). Alex Smith, yes, the former #1 pick, also came in in sub-duty and finished 7th amongst QBs this week. Austin Miles reminded everyone that maybe last week wasn’t a fluke, as he took the top spot for the 2nd straight week, putting up 35 fantasy points. Chad Johnson finished 2nd. DeSean Jackson was 4th overall, and Sindey Rice and Devin Hester finished a close 6th and 7th – how about Sydney Rice’s move up the charts?

Ten for Tuesday: Week 7 Fantasy Football Analysis

“JaMarcus Russell, thank you for making an appearance on my fantasy team this week. I thought I was being a good owner, finding the only quarterback on the waiver wire that was starting, and giving Week 7 my best shot despite some tough bye weeks for my squad. But when it comes right down to it, my team had a better chance if I had not picked you up at all. Your stay will be brief, in fact I’ll cut you right now. Be gone!” Red Red Ryan couldn’t find a stop gap, he found a grenade…. 

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 Paul Simon may have diamonds on the soles of his shoes, but Adrian Peterson has William Gay’s pride on the soles of his shoes. If you haven’t seen it, and you like football at all, (or if you just like to see what happens when you mess with the bull) check this out! AP Gives William Gay the Horns! The kid truly is special, if the Vikings weren’t so worried about AP’s physical running style and the way it effects his health, he’d touch the ball 40 times a game. And that wouldn’t be enough…..

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Chad Henne threw a dime to Ted Ginn Jr. that was going to go for about 35 yards, and put the Fins that much closer to a kill shot on the Saints this week. But wait, Ted Ginn Jr. decided to tap the ball up into the air instead of just catching it, then he fell down, the ball just happened to go right into Darren Sharper’s hands, and he did what he does, scoring a touchdown, getting the Saints back in it, and highlighting that one thing that Ted Ginn Jr. just can’t seem to figure out – catch the damn ball. I can see Henne losing some confidence in Ginn, and then, that elite speed and Henne’s big arm will see fewer and fewer long distance get-togethers. Oh Ted, stick-em man, stick-em….   

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I have something to say about Vernon Davis, WOW! That guy is really, really talented. He took a shot near the goal line this Sunday that would put almost every single skill player right on their aces, but not Vernon, he kept his balance and walked into the end zone. Everybody, and probably rightfully so, labeled Mr. Davis a bum, err, a bust after his first couple seasons in the league, but I hope everyone realizes what Mike Singletary’s leadership has done to this kid’s game. He’s always had the ability, and he’s always worked hard, but he’s focused every snap on Sunday’s and he could be something special for a long time…..  

Speaking of amazing plays by a tight end, has anyone seen somebody hold onto a ball after a hit better than Kevin Boss? If you missed it, Boss grabbed a ball with his finger tips then got absolutely obliterated by the Cardinals’ safety. He flipped all the way around and landed in a fashion that should have jarred the ball loose. But he’s tough. As nails. And he held on. Ted Ginn Jr., TO, go ahead and take a note or two on Boss’s catch….. 

Can somebody please tell me how John Fox, or his offensive coordinator, at the very least, still has a job? Down 7-2 at half, the Panthers come out throwing the damn ball. Why? Well, despite running effectively throughout the first half, they wanted to go back to their strength, interceptions. The Panthers are a running team, even Fox will tell you that, but somehow they always end up relying on the pass. Last time I checked, 7-2 to start the 3rd doesn’t eliminate the run from the playbook….. 

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Don’t look now, but the Packers might actually pull their heads out and start handing Ryan Grant the ball 20+ times a game. I know it was Cleveland, a runner’s dream, but 27 carries for the big guy turned into 147 yards, and the Packers’ second blowout of the season (both 20+ carry games for Grant). Even against St. Louis, they didn’t start pulling away until they started feeding Grant the rock in the 2nd half. Grant runs really hard, straight down hill, and he could open a lot of play action for Jennings and Driver if they commit, this game might allow them to realize what that means….  

I wonder if, when the Bears dropped Cedric Benson, they ever thought he’d come back in a couple years, go up against them, and basically beast them all day long. Hmmm. I wonder if they thought Benson would be the best player on the field after they signed Jay Cutler to a big contract 2 year extension earlier in the week. Hmmm. I’m going to go on ahead and guess no on both accounts. Ced went balls out on Sunday, turning Chicago into a sieved. He wanted the ball, and he got it, 37 times. Nasty…..  

Yes, you can go ahead and mark it down, Shonn Greene and Miles Austin are both for real. Now Miles is going to be the sure thing heading forward, he’s going to start, and I don’t care how much money Roy Williams Jr. is getting paid, Austin is going to be the #1 in Dallas, and you all saw what Tony Romo can do when he has a sure thing guy out wide. But Greene, he’s a guy that many people might see as a one-game fixer. Listen, the Jets are going to run the ball early and often from here on out. Thomas Jones is a good back, yes, but he can’t carry the ball 25-30 times a game and stay healthy, not even with those huge freaking arms – so Green will get touches, and he’ll continue to show his worth. He was a beast in college, and he’ll be a beast for the Jets….. 

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Nobody can stop Vincent Jackson! It’s not like the Chiefs were a ferocious foe, but it needs to be said. This guy doesn’t get the kind of credit he deserves, but he’s in that Top 10 group of receivers. He has elite speed, elite size, good jumps, and his hands have turned into sure things. He does it all, truly, and Phillip Rivers will continue to aim his marshmallows in Vincent’s general direction. If you can, get him quick!!!

NFL Free Picks Review: Week 7 2009

9-3-1… That is a record I would love every single week of the year. We could all be rich off that type of pick production and I’m going to do my best to make that happen the rest of the way. Of course, I’m always doing my best, making my picks, assessing the sitch-e-ation, and get the right side against that dreaded line. This week I missed on the Cowboys/Falcons game, and I didn’t give the Cardinals enough credit and might have given Eli a little too much after a nice start to the season, so those two games I fully accept as losses. But the Vikings? Please. They cover that game 8 of 10, and if it wasn’t for two freakish defensive touchdowns in the last 6 minutes of that game, the Vikings cover anyway. That being said, I must say I probably shouldn’t have covered the Saints/Dolphins game. So I guess 9 is right after all. Regardless, I won 9 games in a 13 game week, that’s good stuff, here’s the business….

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Philadelphia Eagles (-7) @ Washington Redskins: (WINNER) The Eagles were playing awfully poorly to be up 20-7 in this game, then on 3rd and 24 Donovan threw a bomb to DeSean Jackson for a touchdown to go up 27-7. It was over at that point, basically, because everyone knew there was no way the Redskins were going to score 20 points from there forward. The Eagles tried to dissolve their easy cover, but Washington just couldn’t do enough – lucky me. The Skins D was solid, despite some big plays they allowed, if they only had an offense…

Arizona Cardinals @ New York Giants (-7): (LOSS) Eli looked more like Ellie in this one, missing on passes, getting them tipped, having that pouty face, getting some drops from a couple of those young receivers, just having an all around tough go of it. And of course they forgot to run the ball despite the success they had early. Oh the Giants, this is what they’ll do to you every once in a while, can’t dominate for all 16 games. Kurt Warner and company played solid football, definitley, but it was Arizona’s secondary that stole the show.

New York Jets (-5.5) @ Oakland Raiders: (WINNER) “Unlike the Eagles, the Jets won’t forget the run, in fact, I think they’ll rely more heavily on it than any game this season. The pressure won’t be on Mark Sanchez’s arm, but the offensive line and a talented running back group. That should spell certain doom for a Raiders team looking to make it two wins in a row.” Well, the Jets lost one third of their talented running tree, but Shonn Greene came in and showed what he can do as the Jets had two runners bust well over the 100 yard mark. The Jets just flat out dominated, getting the Raiders to pull JaMarcus Russell, and think how bad he’s played this year while never getting the yank. Yeah, it was that bad.

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Atlanta Falcons (+4) @ Dallas Cowboys: (LOSS) Hey, I’ve always been here to take it when I lose, and I definitely underestimated the Cowboys in this one. That defensive front came to play, giving Matt Ryan trouble all day long, proving that you can still frazzle the young quarterback if you put the pressure on. With the Cowboys up big early, the Falcons pretty much abandoned the running game, taking away their strength on the ground with Turner and also Ryan’s most accurate part of his game, the play action. Kudos to the Boys. Great game for Mr. Romo as well.

Chicago Bears @ Cincinnati Bengals (-1): (WINNER) “The Bengals, favored at home, against a mediocre NFC team – yeah, I like my chances. Now, the Bears shot themselves in the foot all week long against the Broncos, and the game was still very close – but that doesn’t mean it’s going to carry over here. The Bengals also have a very good defense, a secondary that preys on mistakes by opposing quarterbacks, often baiting them into poor throws. Cedric Benson will have something to prove in this game, and I think he’ll get his teammates to climb on his back for this victory. He’s been running angry so far this season, and I think he’s been looking forward to this match-up for a long time.” Well, the Bengals preyed on Jay Cutler, baiting him into bad Jay Cutler-ish throws, and Cedric Benson stomped all over Chicago’s couches. It was a fun one to watch.

New Orleans Saints (-6.5) @ Miami Dolphins: (WINNER) I really want to take the Dolphins here. I know the public is going to be jocking the Saints like nobody’s business, and Vegas is on pace to hit a few like that coming up. But I can’t buy enough into the Dolphins in the match-up. Why? The Saints have been too good against the run, and more importantly, too good running the ball. That’s right, you heard me. Lost in Drew Brees’s amazing season thus far is the glue that’s truly making this team great, the running back by committee approach. While Drew has been on fire, people forget to realize that this rushing attack has out-rushed every single opponent they’ve gone up against this season. That means two things, the offensive line has been dominant, and also, the defensive front has been stellar. You don’t out-rush every single opponent unless you can stop the run when you’re not on the field. That single aspect of this Saints defense makes me think the Wildcat might have met their match. I’d love to see the upset here, I just don’t think it will happen.

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Minnesota Vikings (+4) @ Pittsburgh Steelers: (LOSS) This should have been a cover. If you watched the game, you feel me. If you didn’t, just believe me. The Vikings were the side in this one, but sometimes you lose games you should win, and other times you win games you should lose – this time I was un-LuckyLester…

Green Bay Packers (-6.5) @ Cleveland Browns: (WINNER) “Big spreads for road favorites can often backfire with a pass happy team struggling to complete passes. But I see the Packers running the ball more this Sunday, holding the ball longer, and covering by at least a touchdown in Cleveland. Vegas or the people? Who wins this Sunday? Damn the man!” Hooray us, damn the man is right! Like I predicted, the Packers finally gave a good number of chances to the guy that should be their work horse, Ryan Grant. It kept Rodgers off the turf, and the ball in Green Bay’s hands. With that kind of attack, the Browns never stood a chance.

New England Patriots (-14.5) @ Tampa Bay Buccaneers: (WINNER) When you have a great team against a crappy team, at least this season, the chances are really low that the crappy team is covering, even with a big bad spread like this one. The Patriots throw 5 touchdowns in a quarter, or anything like that, but this game was in hand very early. All these big favorites are covering, that goodness I had a bunch of them this week.

Buffalo Bills (+7) @ Carolina Panthers: (WINNER) “I don’t see what the Panthers have done to be a touchdown favorite against anybody in the NFL.” Regardless of what anybody thinks about these two teams, the bottom line was just as I wrote it, the Panthers shouldn’t be favored by 7 over anyone. The Bills didn’t do anything offensively, couldn’t really run it, and didn’t have great passing numbers, but they didn’t need to. The Panthers give points away weekly, and if you can just let them beat themselves, you’re in.

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San Francisco 49ers (+3) @ Houston Texans: (PUSH) The 49ers fell down early, 21-0, and the Texans were definitely in charge. A quarterback switch, an inspired defense, and some big plays from Vernon Davis got the Niners right back in it, but they fell short a field goal, getting me a push. I’ll tell you what, being down 21-0 at the half, without an explosive offense, and still getting a psu – if that’s what bad looks like, I’ll be alright.

San Diego Chargers (-4.5) @ Kansas City Chiefs: (WINNER) I was right on here, loved the Chargers by a touchdown or more, and they followed through and made me look good. The bottom line was that SD’s defense played very well last week, despite what most people remember from that Broncos’ game, and they continued that inspired play against the Chiefs, giving away absolutely nothing all day long. They won easily. Me too.

Indianapolis Colts (-13) @ St. Louis Rams: (WINNER) Just a gimmie, a no doubter, the Rams facing two weeks of prepared Peyton Manning – it was 42-6, and I don’t think it was that close, I’ve got to be honest.

Sunday Observations: Week 7 NFL Football

“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…

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.