-->
Looks like some good conference championship match ups. Can the lately disappointing Vikings' running game take advantage of the poor Saints' run defense to give Favre some breathing room? Can the Jets continue to run the ball well against the "always better in the playoffs" Colts run D? Should be a couple good games to watch. Good luck as always!
QB
Tier 1
Brees
Tier 2
Favre
Manning
Tier 3
Sanchez
Brees will have to throw even more than usual since they will have a hard time running on the always stout running defense of Minnesota. Favre and Manning appear to be interchangeable this week. I give an edge to Favre in what could be a shootout in New Orleans. Manning will have his hands full, but he will still get plenty of yards and a touchdown or two to be a good option as usual. Sanchez won't be called to do much. The Jets showed last week that they are unafraid to stay with the game plan even when down in the second half.
RB
Tier 1
A. Peterson
S. Greene
Tier 2
J. Addai
T. Jones
R. Bush
Tier 3
P. Thomas
C. Taylor
D. Brown
L. Hamilton
Peterson is an easy call for top back this week against a Saints defense that hasn't been too good at stopping the run. S. Greene has really skyrocketed up the rankings this postseason and should continue to run well against the Colts. It will be interesting to see where he gets drafted next year(3-4 round?). The Jets run D is
their "weak" area on defense so the Colts will need to run enough to keep all the pressure off Manning all game. T. Jones has seen his carries dip a bit but will still get plenty of opportunities still. Bush seems to be the key to victory this week against Minnesota. I see a lot of dump passes in the Saint's game plan in place of them trying to run Pierre Thomas much at all.
WR
Tier 1
Colston
S. Rice
Meachem
Tier 2
Wayne
Garcon
Cotchery
Tier 3
Henderson
Edwards
Harvin
Wide receiver sure looks like a weak position this weekend. Colston has a solid matchup against Minnesota's secondary. S. Rice won't have a big game again, but should still see plenty of passes come his way. Meachem seems like the sneaky receiver play of the weak coming off a zero catch performance last week. Wayne is hard to keep off the top of the list, but I thinkeveryone is aware of the Revis factor. Revis was amazing last week and if he covered Jackson the whole game I doubt he would have had more than a catch or two. Garcon shoots up the list as Manning willhave to pass to him and Clark the most to take advantage of the weaker areas in the Jets' pass defense. Edwards and Cotchery aren't safe plays at all, but between the two Cotchery matches up better thisweek and obviously doesn't drop as many balls that will drive you crazy.
TE
Tier 1
Clark
Shockey
Tier 2
Keller
Shiancoe
Clark is an easy #1 even with the solid defense they are against. They will find ways to get him open for a lot of catches I assume, especially if they don't throw Wayne's way too often. Shockey should put up solid numbers as tight ends usually do against the Minnesota D just as Witten did last week as the only one on Dallas to be able to move the ball. Keller has had a very impressive postseason so far and I assume Sanchez will continue to look for him the same way this week. Shiancoe is a toss-up if you think he gets a TD or not, but the Saints did pretty well against tight ends this year and I see a lot of Peterson in the red zone when they get down there.
Not listing defenses or kickers this week. There appears to be no advantage of any defenses left. I would just go with who you have the strongest feeling will win the games in a time like this.
Tuesday, January 19, 2010
Monday, January 18, 2010
Enjoy the 2010 Fantasy Season
There might not be a 2011 season. Here is a great update from Peter King in his Monday Morning Quarterback article in Sports Illustrated.
The negotiations for a new labor agreement couldn't be going any worse.
If the past few days, I've spoken to sources on both sides of the labor talks, and I've come to the conclusion that it'll be an upset if there isn't a work stoppage that either delays or cancels the 2011 season. Many of us in the media have speculated about the chances for a lockout and predicted one is coming, but the total lack of progress over the nut issue in 11 bargaining sessions tells me unless there's a sea-change by one side or the other, you'd better savor the 2010 season because it could be the last football we see for a while.
At the core of the problem is ownership's demand for players to bear an equal part of the cost for stadium construction, debt service and upkeep -- and the players saying it's not their problem. In NFL Players Association executive director DeMaurice Smith's recent e-mail to player representatives, he startled player leaders by saying ownership wanted to cut player compensation by 18 percent per year in the new CBA.
I thought the 18 percent number might be an exaggeration, a scare tactic to get players' attention. It's not. The owners, one management source said, have asked that the players' pool of revenue against which the salary cap is calculated be reduced by 18 percent.
The players' response, a union source told me, is that they're not prepared to take a penny, or a percentage point, less. While Smith, in his letter to players, didn't dismiss the possibility of negotiating on the issue, he wrote that there has been no compelling information presented to players to justify such a major reduction in what players make.
You wonder what 18 percent means. So did I. The management source said the owners want $1 billion a year credited to ownership and not subject to being part of the pie that the players divide. "There's obviously been an enormous shift from public financing of stadiums to private funding,'' the management source said. "Those costs are not recognized in the current CBA, and we feel that has to change.''
The league has beat this drum for several years. I wouldn't be surprised if there is some give-and-take in the owners' demands, because this is collective bargaining, but I would be surprised if the owners drop this as a demand altogether. They're just too dug-in on it.
But from the players' perspective, it's got to be a tough sell to union leaders. Imagine Smith going into a union meeting at a team and telling the players that the average compensation to the men in this room is about $1.8 million this year in salary and bonus payments, and explaining to them in a time of bountiful success for the NFL, each of the players is going to have to take, on average, a $324,000 pay cut. The players will never go for that, absent the owners being able to prove they're losing money in a time of unparalleled wealth in the league.
At some point, serious talks will start, with each side compromising. But I can't see the two sides bridging this chasm anytime soon.
Read More: http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2010/writers/peter_king/01/17/mmqb/1.html#ixzz0d1OoMRdc
Get a free NFL Team Jacket and Tee with SI Subscription
The negotiations for a new labor agreement couldn't be going any worse.
If the past few days, I've spoken to sources on both sides of the labor talks, and I've come to the conclusion that it'll be an upset if there isn't a work stoppage that either delays or cancels the 2011 season. Many of us in the media have speculated about the chances for a lockout and predicted one is coming, but the total lack of progress over the nut issue in 11 bargaining sessions tells me unless there's a sea-change by one side or the other, you'd better savor the 2010 season because it could be the last football we see for a while.
At the core of the problem is ownership's demand for players to bear an equal part of the cost for stadium construction, debt service and upkeep -- and the players saying it's not their problem. In NFL Players Association executive director DeMaurice Smith's recent e-mail to player representatives, he startled player leaders by saying ownership wanted to cut player compensation by 18 percent per year in the new CBA.
I thought the 18 percent number might be an exaggeration, a scare tactic to get players' attention. It's not. The owners, one management source said, have asked that the players' pool of revenue against which the salary cap is calculated be reduced by 18 percent.
The players' response, a union source told me, is that they're not prepared to take a penny, or a percentage point, less. While Smith, in his letter to players, didn't dismiss the possibility of negotiating on the issue, he wrote that there has been no compelling information presented to players to justify such a major reduction in what players make.
You wonder what 18 percent means. So did I. The management source said the owners want $1 billion a year credited to ownership and not subject to being part of the pie that the players divide. "There's obviously been an enormous shift from public financing of stadiums to private funding,'' the management source said. "Those costs are not recognized in the current CBA, and we feel that has to change.''
The league has beat this drum for several years. I wouldn't be surprised if there is some give-and-take in the owners' demands, because this is collective bargaining, but I would be surprised if the owners drop this as a demand altogether. They're just too dug-in on it.
But from the players' perspective, it's got to be a tough sell to union leaders. Imagine Smith going into a union meeting at a team and telling the players that the average compensation to the men in this room is about $1.8 million this year in salary and bonus payments, and explaining to them in a time of bountiful success for the NFL, each of the players is going to have to take, on average, a $324,000 pay cut. The players will never go for that, absent the owners being able to prove they're losing money in a time of unparalleled wealth in the league.
At some point, serious talks will start, with each side compromising. But I can't see the two sides bridging this chasm anytime soon.
Read More: http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2010/writers/peter_king/01/17/mmqb/1.html#ixzz0d1OoMRdc
Get a free NFL Team Jacket and Tee with SI Subscription
Friday, January 15, 2010
Fun fantasy sports site for cash players
Here is a fun site I have tried and enjoyed. Fantasy Sports Live is like having a fantasy sports tournament in one day where you register and compete against one, five, or nine other opponents for cash winnings in return. They have many different amounts($1 all the way up to $266) to play for and salary cap choices to fill your team.
I have used this for basketball and football and it definitely adds excitement for the events just as fantasy football does during the year. If you are looking for a little extra fantasy sports enjoyment in the football games this weekend I would suggest this. Maybe I will be playing against you this weekend.
Fantasy Sports Live
I have used this for basketball and football and it definitely adds excitement for the events just as fantasy football does during the year. If you are looking for a little extra fantasy sports enjoyment in the football games this weekend I would suggest this. Maybe I will be playing against you this weekend.
Fantasy Sports Live
Monday, January 11, 2010
Playoff Fantasy Football Second Round Rankings
Lots of interesting matchups this week. This weekend has to be better than last weekend's games.
Rankings updated 1/15/10
QB
Brees
Romo
Warner
Manning
Favre
Rivers
Sanchez
Flacco
Brees should have his way with Arizona's defense unless the Cardinals magically received Revis in a trade I didn't hear about. Speaking of Revis, Rivers will have a rough time with the #1 pass D of the Jets and I think a few turnovers by Rivers will happen along with it. Romo will need to pass a lot and well to beat Minnesota since they won't be able to move the ball much on the ground at all unless Felix breaks one. Manning will be the reason the COlts will or won't win so I expect him to get his as usual. Flacco won't be called upon much to do anything again this week since Indy's run D is bad enough for the Ravens to take advantage of and Flacco being at least slightly injured.
RB
R. Rice
Peterson
T. Jones
Wells
Addai
Tomlinson
McGahee
P. Thomas
S. Greene
F. Jones
Barbar
R. Bush
Hightower
Sproles
M. Bell
Rice, Peterson, and Jones are studs on teams that will run the ball a lot for their teams to have a chance to win. Wells is running hard lately and I am guessing will be the Cardinals biggest chance at upsetting the Saints. The Jets run D is their weak link as shown by Benson last week. We will see if Tomlinson still has what it takes to make them pay for teeing up on Rivers. F. Jones has a better chance to break one against the Minny D then Barbar of getting much of anything.
WR
Fitzgerald
Colston
Wayne
S. Rice
D. Mason
Austin
Floyd
Breaston
R. Williams
Edwards
Meachem
V. Jackson
P. Harvin
Garcon
Cotchery
Henderson
Boldin
Collie
Clayton
Even though the Saints do very well against opposing #1 receivers, you know Fitzgerald will get his points. Colston has a nice matchup; as you saw last week with Jennings, Arizona has a tough time with stud receivers. Wayne will need to be a focal point of the Ravens D, but Manning will have to get him the ball too. D. Mason should get a lot of balls his way if Baltimore gets down and need Flacco to get them back in it. Floyd is a sneaky play this week as Rivers will need to pass it to win and Revis will be on Jackson the whole day. Breaston should own the middle of the field on the Saints again as the Saints try their best to shut down Fitz and get pressure on Warner.
Boldin not looking like a good option. He probably will play, but not a lot or effectively.
TE
Witten
Clark
Shockey
Shiancoe
Gates
Keller
Heap
Patrick
Minnesota has always been bad against tight ends this year and Witten should take good advantage. Clark will get plenty of Manning's attention as usual and Baltimore's D against tight ends is nothing special. Shockey and Shiancoe I am guessing both get nice redzone targets that could lead to touchdowns. Gates will struggle to put up stats like the rest of the Chargers.
Sticking with Shockey and Shiancoe ahead of Gates. Not a popular choice I am sure but feeling like it will work out.
K
Hartley
Rackers
Longwell
Kaeding
Stover
Suisham
Cundiff
Feely
D/ST
Jets
Chargers
Vikings
Ravens
Cowboys
Saints
Colts
Cardinals
Cowboys have the potential to have a big week but I am being conservative in my ranking. Jets and Chargers should be a defenseive battle with how good the Jets are on D and average on offense.
Good luck in Round 2!
Rankings updated 1/15/10
QB
Brees
Romo
Warner
Manning
Favre
Rivers
Sanchez
Flacco
Brees should have his way with Arizona's defense unless the Cardinals magically received Revis in a trade I didn't hear about. Speaking of Revis, Rivers will have a rough time with the #1 pass D of the Jets and I think a few turnovers by Rivers will happen along with it. Romo will need to pass a lot and well to beat Minnesota since they won't be able to move the ball much on the ground at all unless Felix breaks one. Manning will be the reason the COlts will or won't win so I expect him to get his as usual. Flacco won't be called upon much to do anything again this week since Indy's run D is bad enough for the Ravens to take advantage of and Flacco being at least slightly injured.
RB
R. Rice
Peterson
T. Jones
Wells
Addai
Tomlinson
McGahee
P. Thomas
S. Greene
F. Jones
Barbar
R. Bush
Hightower
Sproles
M. Bell
Rice, Peterson, and Jones are studs on teams that will run the ball a lot for their teams to have a chance to win. Wells is running hard lately and I am guessing will be the Cardinals biggest chance at upsetting the Saints. The Jets run D is their weak link as shown by Benson last week. We will see if Tomlinson still has what it takes to make them pay for teeing up on Rivers. F. Jones has a better chance to break one against the Minny D then Barbar of getting much of anything.
WR
Fitzgerald
Colston
Wayne
S. Rice
D. Mason
Austin
Floyd
Breaston
R. Williams
Edwards
Meachem
V. Jackson
P. Harvin
Garcon
Cotchery
Henderson
Boldin
Collie
Clayton
Even though the Saints do very well against opposing #1 receivers, you know Fitzgerald will get his points. Colston has a nice matchup; as you saw last week with Jennings, Arizona has a tough time with stud receivers. Wayne will need to be a focal point of the Ravens D, but Manning will have to get him the ball too. D. Mason should get a lot of balls his way if Baltimore gets down and need Flacco to get them back in it. Floyd is a sneaky play this week as Rivers will need to pass it to win and Revis will be on Jackson the whole day. Breaston should own the middle of the field on the Saints again as the Saints try their best to shut down Fitz and get pressure on Warner.
Boldin not looking like a good option. He probably will play, but not a lot or effectively.
TE
Witten
Clark
Shockey
Shiancoe
Gates
Keller
Heap
Patrick
Minnesota has always been bad against tight ends this year and Witten should take good advantage. Clark will get plenty of Manning's attention as usual and Baltimore's D against tight ends is nothing special. Shockey and Shiancoe I am guessing both get nice redzone targets that could lead to touchdowns. Gates will struggle to put up stats like the rest of the Chargers.
Sticking with Shockey and Shiancoe ahead of Gates. Not a popular choice I am sure but feeling like it will work out.
K
Hartley
Rackers
Longwell
Kaeding
Stover
Suisham
Cundiff
Feely
D/ST
Jets
Chargers
Vikings
Ravens
Cowboys
Saints
Colts
Cardinals
Cowboys have the potential to have a big week but I am being conservative in my ranking. Jets and Chargers should be a defenseive battle with how good the Jets are on D and average on offense.
Good luck in Round 2!
Saturday, January 9, 2010
Weekly Playoff Fantasy Football Rankings - Wildcard Weekend
Here are some ranking for the Wildcard Weekend for those like me needing to pick between players for lineups today. This is for non-PPR standard scoring leagues.
QB
Tier 1
Rodgers
Warner
Brady
McNabb
Romo
Tier 2
Flacco
Palmer
Sanchez
It is no coincidence that the Packers-Cardinals game and Jets-Bengals game are at the top and the bottom of the list respectively. The Packers-Cardinals game should be a shootout with two very good run defenses. The Jets and Bengals will be low scoring with a lot of running the ball and trying to avoid turnovers.
RB
Tier 1
Grant
T. Jones
R. Rice
Benson
Tier 2
Barbar
Westbrook
Wells
F. Taylor
F. Jones
McCoy
McGahee
S. Greene
S. Morris
Hightower
Big gap between tier 1 and tier 2 because of the questionable running backs and tough run defenses. Westbrook never fares well against Dallas because Dallas is so fast on defense. Philly's tough run D should hold Barbar in check as well, but F. Jones might be able to break a long one. McGahee is anyone's guess if he scores touchdown(s) or not. Feeling is that Morris and Taylor will be seeing a lot of the work for New England today and Faulk is a sneaky play in a PPR league.
WR
Tier1
Fitzgerald
Jennings
Austin
R. Moss
D. Jackson
Tier 2
Edelman
D. Mason
Driver
Breaston
Cotchery
Tier 3
Edwards
R. Williams
Ochocinco
Maclin
L. Coles
Fitzgerald always finds a way to get his points even if GB is good against #1 receivers. Edelman should get plenty of catches doing his best Wes Welker impression. Breaston should fill in nicely for Boldin as he always does. Cotchery and Coles will both benefit from their quarterbacks throwing away from stud cornerbacks which is why Ochocinco and Edwards aren't big plays this week.
TE
Tier 1
Celek
Witten
Finley
Tier 2
Watson
Heap
Keller
If you need to throw anything in such as Baker or Ben Patrick you are in trouble. Finley sneaks into tier 1 because of the nice matchup he has. Celek and Witten will be big parts of the offense. Watson should step in nicely and fill in partly for Welker being out.
D/ST
Jets
Eagles
Packers
Ravens
Ravens
Cowboys
Patriots
Bengals
K
Crosby
Akers
Rackers
Stover
Suisham
Gostkowski
Feely
Graham
QB
Tier 1
Rodgers
Warner
Brady
McNabb
Romo
Tier 2
Flacco
Palmer
Sanchez
It is no coincidence that the Packers-Cardinals game and Jets-Bengals game are at the top and the bottom of the list respectively. The Packers-Cardinals game should be a shootout with two very good run defenses. The Jets and Bengals will be low scoring with a lot of running the ball and trying to avoid turnovers.
RB
Tier 1
Grant
T. Jones
R. Rice
Benson
Tier 2
Barbar
Westbrook
Wells
F. Taylor
F. Jones
McCoy
McGahee
S. Greene
S. Morris
Hightower
Big gap between tier 1 and tier 2 because of the questionable running backs and tough run defenses. Westbrook never fares well against Dallas because Dallas is so fast on defense. Philly's tough run D should hold Barbar in check as well, but F. Jones might be able to break a long one. McGahee is anyone's guess if he scores touchdown(s) or not. Feeling is that Morris and Taylor will be seeing a lot of the work for New England today and Faulk is a sneaky play in a PPR league.
WR
Tier1
Fitzgerald
Jennings
Austin
R. Moss
D. Jackson
Tier 2
Edelman
D. Mason
Driver
Breaston
Cotchery
Tier 3
Edwards
R. Williams
Ochocinco
Maclin
L. Coles
Fitzgerald always finds a way to get his points even if GB is good against #1 receivers. Edelman should get plenty of catches doing his best Wes Welker impression. Breaston should fill in nicely for Boldin as he always does. Cotchery and Coles will both benefit from their quarterbacks throwing away from stud cornerbacks which is why Ochocinco and Edwards aren't big plays this week.
TE
Tier 1
Celek
Witten
Finley
Tier 2
Watson
Heap
Keller
If you need to throw anything in such as Baker or Ben Patrick you are in trouble. Finley sneaks into tier 1 because of the nice matchup he has. Celek and Witten will be big parts of the offense. Watson should step in nicely and fill in partly for Welker being out.
D/ST
Jets
Eagles
Packers
Ravens
Ravens
Cowboys
Patriots
Bengals
K
Crosby
Akers
Rackers
Stover
Suisham
Gostkowski
Feely
Graham
Friday, January 8, 2010
Playoff Fantasy Football Draft Results
Here is the entire draft results from a recent 8-team playoff fantasy football pool I am in. This has QB-RB-RB-WR-WR-TE-K-D-WC(QB, RB, WR, or TE) as roster settings which means QB's go early so everyone gets one and some want to grab a second one quick too. Basic scoring of no points for receptions, 4 points for TD pass, and 6 points for all other touchdowns. I am Team 2 and will explain my picks each round and other analysis. I will try not to downgrade picks just because I feel they won't play many games but stick to a team's strategy with their current roster instead.
Round 1
Team 1 - Manning
Team 2 - Rodgers
Team 3 - Brees
Team 4 - Romo
Team 5 - Brady
Team 6 - Rivers
Team 7 - McNabb
Team 8 - Warner
Analysis - All quarterbacks were taken and was not too surprising. It was surprising that McNabb and Warner were taken before Favre though considering the high seed the Vikings have and Favre can put up big numbers.
My pick - I took Rodgers and will ride the Packer train starting with their engine.
Round 2
Team 8 - Peterson
Team 7 - Grant
Team 6 - Tomlinson
Team 5 - T. Jones
Team 4 - Favre
Team 3 - Addai
Team 2 - Jennings
Team 1 - R. Rice
Analysis - Running back round was pretty clear with all the studs being taken. Not bad if they feel those teams will be playing multiple games. Was disappointed and surprised to see T. Jones go so early since I doubt that team even thinks the Jets will go far.
My pick - It was importnat to me to take Jennings and get my QB-WR combo for the top team I am banking on. I plan on investing in 2-3 teams but wanted the Packers to determine my ultimate fate which this pick does.
Round 3
Team 1 - Flacco
Team 2 - R. Moss
Team 3 - Wayne
Team 4 - Austin
Team 5 - V. Jackson
Team 6 - S. Rice
Team 7 - D. Clark
Team 8 - Fitzgerald
Analysis - Very solid round of picks with mostly stud receivers going. Flacco was a nice pick as the last QB off the board as his WC position. D. Clark has the potential to have a monster amount of points if the Colts get to the Super Bowl. If I had the Colts playing three games, I would be drafting Clark in the second round.
My pick - I took Randy Moss and it was my least favorite pick of the whole draft. I have two leagues and am going with the Ravens in one and the Patriots in this one. That is how much of a toss-up I feel that first round game is but also how much I like both of those teams that I think the winner can win the next one too.
Round 4
Team 8 - Gates
Team 7 - D. Jackson
Team 6 - Shiancoe
Team 5 - Driver
Team 4 - Barbar
Team 3 - Colston
Team 2 - Finley
Team 1 - Harvin
Analysis - Still plenty of solid players being taken with lots of potential in the early fourth round. Shiancoe and Finley aren't the best players in the round, but must assume that they are riding those teams.
My pick - I did take Finley as my tight end to keep riding the Packers and because I feel he will have a solid game at least against the Cardinals because they couldn't match up against him. I wanted Driver as a possible WC roster spot but was still happy with grabbing a TD scorer in Finley.
Round 5
Team 1 - Witten
Team 2 - Sanchez
Team 3 - P. Thomas
Team 4 - Ochocinco
Team 5 - Benson
Team 6 - Palmer
Team 7 - Edelman
Team 8 - D. Mason
Analysis - Last 2 quarterbacks left were taken to fill WC roster spots. Also seemed like people were frantically filling in WR or RB spots before the average players were gone.
My pick - Sanchez seemed like a decent gamble as a WC over some average RB or WR that might not play much or score more than single digit points. Bengals might force Sanchez to win this game instead of the running attack and put up big numbers either way in the process.
Round 6
Team 8 - C. Wells
Team 7 - F. Jones
Team 6 - R. Williams
Team 5 - Celek
Team 4 - Dallas D
Team 3 - Hartley K
Team 2 - Crosby K
Team 1 - Ravens D
Analysis - Teams starting to grab defenses and kickers to match the same team as some of their other players.
My pick - Crosby was another no-brainer in the Packers all-in strategy. I feel kickers are more important than defenses because they will get consistent points and defenses aren't playing the same crappy offenses they played in the regular season any more to pile up fantasy points.
Round 7
Team 1 - Longwell K
Team 2 - Jets D
Team 3 - Shockey
Team 4 - Suisham K
Team 5 - Vikings D
Team 6 - Gostkowski K
Team 7 - Packers D
Team 8 - Kaeding K
Analysis - Boring round of kickers and defenses.
My pick - Loving the Jets D in that first matchup and with multiple games I presume.
Round 8
Team 8 - Colts D
Team 7 - Akers K
Team 6 - Bengals D
Team 5 - Stover K
Team 4 - Heap
Team 3 - Saints D
Team 2 - Westbrook
Team 1 - McGahee
Analysis - Same boring round continued with kickers and defenses. Odd to have half the league waiting to draft their last running back which seems pretty dry at the moment.
My pick - Late round gamble on Westbrook. I didn't want to have multiple Eagles in both leagues I am in but it was too much of a low-risk, high-reward pick to pass up.
Round 9
Team 1 - Breaston
Team 2 - McCoy
Team 3 - Garcon
Team 4 - Sproles
Team 5 - Maroney
Team 6 - Bush
Team 7 - Bell
Team 8 - Hightower
Analysis - A lot of garbage running backs picked to fill the last spots on rosters including possibly my pick.
My pick - Took McCoy as a potential high reward/insurance for Westbrook pick. Not crazy about the pick, but wouldn't have been crazy over any pick at this point.
Overall Rosters
My roster
QB -Rodgers
WC -Sanchez
RB - Westbrook
RB - McCoy
WR - Jennings
WR - Moss
TE - Finley
D - Jets
K - Crosby
I like the overall makeup of the team. Banking on the Packers as my team and the Jets and Eagles as my 2A and 2B teams. Would have loved to see Grant fall to me in the second round to get the ground and air attack for the Packers but will settle for the QB-WR and QB-TE connections.
Other teams analysis -
Team 1 - This team is solid on Ravens which is a nice team to back but seems to be all over the place otherwise.
Team 3 - This team is split evenly among Saints and Colts and not quite sure how this team was able to pull off getting both one seeds like that. No points in the first round, but has most likely two favorites to win in the second round and possibly beyond.
Team 4 - This team drafted pretty nice and will take first or second if the Cowboys can put together a run in the playoffs which seems very possible.
Team 5 - This team is all over the board and hasn't really given themselves a real chance to win anything. They need all the games to go their way and their players to play very well to have a shot at first. Good example of how not to draft I believe.
Team 6 - This team is not as much spread out as Team 5 and they will have a decent shot at making a run backing the Chargers and a couple Vikings.
Team 7 - This team has their fair share of Eagles which gives him a chance but also even has a Cowboy on his team which 95% of the time is a big no-no.
Team 8 - Put a lot of faith in the Cardinals and other value picks so this team does have a decent shot if their team pans out.
Hopefully this can help someone see how people draft, where players are getting drafted, and some insight on setting up a strategy to win a league. Good luck to everyone still doing their drafts and watching their teams in the playoffs.
Round 1
Team 1 - Manning
Team 2 - Rodgers
Team 3 - Brees
Team 4 - Romo
Team 5 - Brady
Team 6 - Rivers
Team 7 - McNabb
Team 8 - Warner
Analysis - All quarterbacks were taken and was not too surprising. It was surprising that McNabb and Warner were taken before Favre though considering the high seed the Vikings have and Favre can put up big numbers.
My pick - I took Rodgers and will ride the Packer train starting with their engine.
Round 2
Team 8 - Peterson
Team 7 - Grant
Team 6 - Tomlinson
Team 5 - T. Jones
Team 4 - Favre
Team 3 - Addai
Team 2 - Jennings
Team 1 - R. Rice
Analysis - Running back round was pretty clear with all the studs being taken. Not bad if they feel those teams will be playing multiple games. Was disappointed and surprised to see T. Jones go so early since I doubt that team even thinks the Jets will go far.
My pick - It was importnat to me to take Jennings and get my QB-WR combo for the top team I am banking on. I plan on investing in 2-3 teams but wanted the Packers to determine my ultimate fate which this pick does.
Round 3
Team 1 - Flacco
Team 2 - R. Moss
Team 3 - Wayne
Team 4 - Austin
Team 5 - V. Jackson
Team 6 - S. Rice
Team 7 - D. Clark
Team 8 - Fitzgerald
Analysis - Very solid round of picks with mostly stud receivers going. Flacco was a nice pick as the last QB off the board as his WC position. D. Clark has the potential to have a monster amount of points if the Colts get to the Super Bowl. If I had the Colts playing three games, I would be drafting Clark in the second round.
My pick - I took Randy Moss and it was my least favorite pick of the whole draft. I have two leagues and am going with the Ravens in one and the Patriots in this one. That is how much of a toss-up I feel that first round game is but also how much I like both of those teams that I think the winner can win the next one too.
Round 4
Team 8 - Gates
Team 7 - D. Jackson
Team 6 - Shiancoe
Team 5 - Driver
Team 4 - Barbar
Team 3 - Colston
Team 2 - Finley
Team 1 - Harvin
Analysis - Still plenty of solid players being taken with lots of potential in the early fourth round. Shiancoe and Finley aren't the best players in the round, but must assume that they are riding those teams.
My pick - I did take Finley as my tight end to keep riding the Packers and because I feel he will have a solid game at least against the Cardinals because they couldn't match up against him. I wanted Driver as a possible WC roster spot but was still happy with grabbing a TD scorer in Finley.
Round 5
Team 1 - Witten
Team 2 - Sanchez
Team 3 - P. Thomas
Team 4 - Ochocinco
Team 5 - Benson
Team 6 - Palmer
Team 7 - Edelman
Team 8 - D. Mason
Analysis - Last 2 quarterbacks left were taken to fill WC roster spots. Also seemed like people were frantically filling in WR or RB spots before the average players were gone.
My pick - Sanchez seemed like a decent gamble as a WC over some average RB or WR that might not play much or score more than single digit points. Bengals might force Sanchez to win this game instead of the running attack and put up big numbers either way in the process.
Round 6
Team 8 - C. Wells
Team 7 - F. Jones
Team 6 - R. Williams
Team 5 - Celek
Team 4 - Dallas D
Team 3 - Hartley K
Team 2 - Crosby K
Team 1 - Ravens D
Analysis - Teams starting to grab defenses and kickers to match the same team as some of their other players.
My pick - Crosby was another no-brainer in the Packers all-in strategy. I feel kickers are more important than defenses because they will get consistent points and defenses aren't playing the same crappy offenses they played in the regular season any more to pile up fantasy points.
Round 7
Team 1 - Longwell K
Team 2 - Jets D
Team 3 - Shockey
Team 4 - Suisham K
Team 5 - Vikings D
Team 6 - Gostkowski K
Team 7 - Packers D
Team 8 - Kaeding K
Analysis - Boring round of kickers and defenses.
My pick - Loving the Jets D in that first matchup and with multiple games I presume.
Round 8
Team 8 - Colts D
Team 7 - Akers K
Team 6 - Bengals D
Team 5 - Stover K
Team 4 - Heap
Team 3 - Saints D
Team 2 - Westbrook
Team 1 - McGahee
Analysis - Same boring round continued with kickers and defenses. Odd to have half the league waiting to draft their last running back which seems pretty dry at the moment.
My pick - Late round gamble on Westbrook. I didn't want to have multiple Eagles in both leagues I am in but it was too much of a low-risk, high-reward pick to pass up.
Round 9
Team 1 - Breaston
Team 2 - McCoy
Team 3 - Garcon
Team 4 - Sproles
Team 5 - Maroney
Team 6 - Bush
Team 7 - Bell
Team 8 - Hightower
Analysis - A lot of garbage running backs picked to fill the last spots on rosters including possibly my pick.
My pick - Took McCoy as a potential high reward/insurance for Westbrook pick. Not crazy about the pick, but wouldn't have been crazy over any pick at this point.
Overall Rosters
My roster
QB -Rodgers
WC -Sanchez
RB - Westbrook
RB - McCoy
WR - Jennings
WR - Moss
TE - Finley
D - Jets
K - Crosby
I like the overall makeup of the team. Banking on the Packers as my team and the Jets and Eagles as my 2A and 2B teams. Would have loved to see Grant fall to me in the second round to get the ground and air attack for the Packers but will settle for the QB-WR and QB-TE connections.
Other teams analysis -
Team 1 - This team is solid on Ravens which is a nice team to back but seems to be all over the place otherwise.
Team 3 - This team is split evenly among Saints and Colts and not quite sure how this team was able to pull off getting both one seeds like that. No points in the first round, but has most likely two favorites to win in the second round and possibly beyond.
Team 4 - This team drafted pretty nice and will take first or second if the Cowboys can put together a run in the playoffs which seems very possible.
Team 5 - This team is all over the board and hasn't really given themselves a real chance to win anything. They need all the games to go their way and their players to play very well to have a shot at first. Good example of how not to draft I believe.
Team 6 - This team is not as much spread out as Team 5 and they will have a decent shot at making a run backing the Chargers and a couple Vikings.
Team 7 - This team has their fair share of Eagles which gives him a chance but also even has a Cowboy on his team which 95% of the time is a big no-no.
Team 8 - Put a lot of faith in the Cardinals and other value picks so this team does have a decent shot if their team pans out.
Hopefully this can help someone see how people draft, where players are getting drafted, and some insight on setting up a strategy to win a league. Good luck to everyone still doing their drafts and watching their teams in the playoffs.
Thursday, January 7, 2010
2010 Playoff Fantasy Football Rankings
Here are my 2010 Playoff Fantasy Football Rankings. This is based on the projections of games in the previous blog entry. If you are looking for the traditional Colts, Viking, Chargers, and Saints
on top of all the rankings just because they are high seeds then you won't find that here. You can go to any other rankings list on the web to get that. I am providing my insight and will basically be targeting
Packers, Ravens, and Chargers along with an occasional value pick.
QB
Rodgers
McNabb
Rivers
As the only three quarterbacks I feel will play more than three games, it makes sense that they top the list in the first tier. Rodgers has a nice first round matchup and will have to pass well and often to beat Arizona. McNabb and Rivers will benefit by the amount of games and will be able to put up nice numbers in the process.
Flacco
Favre
Manning
Brees
Warner
Brady
Romo
Sanchez
Palmer
Flacco and Sanchez(although won't put up great numbers anyway) are the only members of the group I feel will play two games. The rest are in an order based on how well they should play against their predicted matchups. Palmer should be avoided like a plague going against that great Jets defense. I am a little worried about Romo as well, even if he put together a few random good games lately.
RB
Grant
T. Jones
Both get a lot of carries and touchdowns while playing multiple games I am predicting(hoping).
Tomlinson
R. Rice
Westbrook
McCoy
Tomlinson isn't the same back he used to be, but with an extra game he should be a valuable early running back. Rice is a stud and they will use him plenty to beat the Patriots. Westbrook and McCoy will
most likely split a lot of carries but the extra games will make them both valuable.
Peterson
Sproles
McGahee
Addai
Benson
Peterson, Benson, and Addai make this list because they can do so much damage in one game. Peterson and Addai will most likely be drafted early, but Benson could be a nice value pick late if no one likes the Bengals.
Barbar
P. Thomas
Greene
Wells
Hightower
Bell
Bush
Patriots RB of your choice
Basically best of the rest in this group and doubt any of these end up on any teams of mine anyways.
WR
Jennings
D. Jackson
Driver
V. Jackson
Stud receivers on teams that should play many games. D. Jackson has the potential to have a huge playoffs.
Mason
Austin
Fitzgerald
Edwards
Cotchery
S. Rice
Mason will benefit from extra games and decent matchups. Edwards and Cotchery aren't exciting picks but nice late steals if you feel they win a couple games.
Austin, Fitz, and Rice have the potential to have big games in losing causes.
Wayne
Moss
Colston
Harvin
Ochocinco
I would stay away from all of these, but especially Wayne and Ochocinco because of their matchup nightmare with Revis.
TE
Gates
Celek
Finley
Premier tight ends with multiple games. Arizona had no one that could cover Finley and he is heating up in the second half of the season. Celek and Gates are big parts of offenses and could be playoff fantasy studs as well.
Clark
Witten
Heap
Keller
Clark and Witten can have monster one game playoffs making them still valuable. Heap and Keller will just benefit from extra games hoping to get a touchdown in one of them.
Shiancoe
Watson
Shockey
K
Crosby
Kaeding
Akers
Cundiff
Feely
Longwell
Hartley
Gostkowski
Suisham
Stover
Rackers
Graham
Kickers are all about games and tie-breakers go to dome teams.
D/ST
Chargers
Jets
Packers
Eagles
Ravens
All good defenses and multiple games. Chargers special teams give them a little boost and Jets D can be dominant at times
Vikings
Cowboys
Saints
Colts
Patriots
Cardinals
Bengals
Feel free to leave comments or questions. Tomorrow I will be posting my two drafts I did with all the picks made.
on top of all the rankings just because they are high seeds then you won't find that here. You can go to any other rankings list on the web to get that. I am providing my insight and will basically be targeting
Packers, Ravens, and Chargers along with an occasional value pick.
QB
Rodgers
McNabb
Rivers
As the only three quarterbacks I feel will play more than three games, it makes sense that they top the list in the first tier. Rodgers has a nice first round matchup and will have to pass well and often to beat Arizona. McNabb and Rivers will benefit by the amount of games and will be able to put up nice numbers in the process.
Flacco
Favre
Manning
Brees
Warner
Brady
Romo
Sanchez
Palmer
Flacco and Sanchez(although won't put up great numbers anyway) are the only members of the group I feel will play two games. The rest are in an order based on how well they should play against their predicted matchups. Palmer should be avoided like a plague going against that great Jets defense. I am a little worried about Romo as well, even if he put together a few random good games lately.
RB
Grant
T. Jones
Both get a lot of carries and touchdowns while playing multiple games I am predicting(hoping).
Tomlinson
R. Rice
Westbrook
McCoy
Tomlinson isn't the same back he used to be, but with an extra game he should be a valuable early running back. Rice is a stud and they will use him plenty to beat the Patriots. Westbrook and McCoy will
most likely split a lot of carries but the extra games will make them both valuable.
Peterson
Sproles
McGahee
Addai
Benson
Peterson, Benson, and Addai make this list because they can do so much damage in one game. Peterson and Addai will most likely be drafted early, but Benson could be a nice value pick late if no one likes the Bengals.
Barbar
P. Thomas
Greene
Wells
Hightower
Bell
Bush
Patriots RB of your choice
Basically best of the rest in this group and doubt any of these end up on any teams of mine anyways.
WR
Jennings
D. Jackson
Driver
V. Jackson
Stud receivers on teams that should play many games. D. Jackson has the potential to have a huge playoffs.
Mason
Austin
Fitzgerald
Edwards
Cotchery
S. Rice
Mason will benefit from extra games and decent matchups. Edwards and Cotchery aren't exciting picks but nice late steals if you feel they win a couple games.
Austin, Fitz, and Rice have the potential to have big games in losing causes.
Wayne
Moss
Colston
Harvin
Ochocinco
I would stay away from all of these, but especially Wayne and Ochocinco because of their matchup nightmare with Revis.
TE
Gates
Celek
Finley
Premier tight ends with multiple games. Arizona had no one that could cover Finley and he is heating up in the second half of the season. Celek and Gates are big parts of offenses and could be playoff fantasy studs as well.
Clark
Witten
Heap
Keller
Clark and Witten can have monster one game playoffs making them still valuable. Heap and Keller will just benefit from extra games hoping to get a touchdown in one of them.
Shiancoe
Watson
Shockey
K
Crosby
Kaeding
Akers
Cundiff
Feely
Longwell
Hartley
Gostkowski
Suisham
Stover
Rackers
Graham
Kickers are all about games and tie-breakers go to dome teams.
D/ST
Chargers
Jets
Packers
Eagles
Ravens
All good defenses and multiple games. Chargers special teams give them a little boost and Jets D can be dominant at times
Vikings
Cowboys
Saints
Colts
Patriots
Cardinals
Bengals
Feel free to leave comments or questions. Tomorrow I will be posting my two drafts I did with all the picks made.
Wednesday, January 6, 2010
Playoff Fantasy Football Strategy 2010
Football season is over and it is time for the much anticipated second season to begin. If you haven't played it before, you will become addicted and love it just as much as fantasy football as well.
If you can't get enough fantasy football like me, then you have joined at least one playoff fantasy football league to extend the season just a few more weeks.
The key to drafting your playoff fantasy football team is obviously picking players from teams that you think will win and play the most games. I have included a few more extra tips beyond that to help plan your draft.
Tip 1 - Figure out who you think is going to win each matchup before thinking about the players. Get a good idea of how many games you think each team will play and it will help guide where you rank all your players.
Tip 2 - Play to win. Don't take a bunch of "solid" value players from a wide range of teams. You are bound for third place and out of the prize money. Take good players from two to three teams and when you were right you will get rewarded. Having mainly one team will deplete your talent too much and you will have no back-up plan for when your main team is out.
Tip 3 - Finding a value wild card weekend team is a huge boost. It can get you extra games and it is easier to guess if they will win because you know their first round matchup.
My aggresive guesses/predictions for games:
Packers 4
Chargers 3
Eagles 3
Jets 3
Ravens 2
Rest of field 1
I see a Packers-Chargers Super Bowl to go along with the Eagles and Jets making upset runs to the conference championship games. I will have rankings up shortly with those predictions in mind.
If you can't get enough fantasy football like me, then you have joined at least one playoff fantasy football league to extend the season just a few more weeks.
The key to drafting your playoff fantasy football team is obviously picking players from teams that you think will win and play the most games. I have included a few more extra tips beyond that to help plan your draft.
Tip 1 - Figure out who you think is going to win each matchup before thinking about the players. Get a good idea of how many games you think each team will play and it will help guide where you rank all your players.
Tip 2 - Play to win. Don't take a bunch of "solid" value players from a wide range of teams. You are bound for third place and out of the prize money. Take good players from two to three teams and when you were right you will get rewarded. Having mainly one team will deplete your talent too much and you will have no back-up plan for when your main team is out.
Tip 3 - Finding a value wild card weekend team is a huge boost. It can get you extra games and it is easier to guess if they will win because you know their first round matchup.
My aggresive guesses/predictions for games:
Packers 4
Chargers 3
Eagles 3
Jets 3
Ravens 2
Rest of field 1
I see a Packers-Chargers Super Bowl to go along with the Eagles and Jets making upset runs to the conference championship games. I will have rankings up shortly with those predictions in mind.
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