Archive for December, 2007

One of the biggest tricks to playoffs is being smart about match ups. Watch the trends on what kind of scoring opposing defenses are giving up, and don’t be afraid to bench a stud if he is destined for failure. Even the greatest players have rough weeks and substituting a nobody could save you playoff run–just don’t make silly moves like benching a Tom Brady, Joseph Addai or L.T., okay?

If you are having a tough time making a call this week, check the rankings from Fantasy Football Xtreme. While there might be risky plays at WR, there may be potential in playing any WR playing the Browns (Lee Evans), Lions (Antonio Gates) or Bengals (Arnaz Battle, Vernon Davis). I could also say to start any RB facing the Raiders (Joseph Addai), Dolphins (Willis McGahee) or Bears (Adrian Peterson, Chester Taylor), but unfortunately for you, most of those names I just mentioned are studs and not sleepers.

Well, it’s probably round 2 of the playoffs for most of you. Some of you may already be drowning your sorrows in a bottle of fine liquor–or a jar of Papa’s moonshine.

For the sober ones, it’s beyond time to start plotting next week. What studs does your opponent have? Who will have a big week to save you? If you have studs in a big match up, you are set–and we all hate you. If you are lacking in a few key areas, you may need to take some risks to put down the Tom Brady or Randy Moss owner in your future.

First, some pretty obvious things. Several studs are lined up to have big games and should stay on your starting roster.

STUDS THIS WEEK

• Joseph Addai  against OAK
  He’s my pick of the week to have a big game against the worst run defense in the NFL.

Don’t run out the door like Petrino when your team takes an injury late here in the playoffs–or just stinks. There’s a few sneaky plays this week that could still save you and win your championship.

RB Help

Darius Walker, RB HOU
Word is that Ron Dayne will be out week 15. If that happens, there will probably we a running back committee setup, but Darius Walker is likely to be the head of any committee. He got close to 100 yards in his relief role after Dayne went down this week, and the match up for week 15 is the ever-tricky Denver run defense.

Samkon Gado, RB MIA
With Jesse Chatman hurting, Samkon Gado will take the hand offs from Cleo Lemon. Unfortunately, even if Chatman doesn’t start, he is up against Baltimore, who could shut down the running game of Miami even if it is the only offensive weapon they have.

I don’t know if any of you noticed while you were painting your ‘Tebow 4 Prez’ signs, but we have now posted up our first contribution to the college sports commentary arena.

Although you probably didn’t listen to our statistical berating, Mr. Heisman voter, you should have. You heard me.

Look for more stuff you should know from the Cam man, Cameron, as he continues to contribute, and I continue to justify to myself in the mirror why I help other people get better at fantasy football.

Who’s that sly mug right there? Oh right, that’s me.

This year’s Heisman chase is coming down to what looks like a two-man race. Most pundits have either Tim Tebow of Florida or Darren McFadden of Arkansas as the eventual winner. In their eyes, these are the only two players worthy of such an award. Making use of a trite and overused saying, especially if you have played NCAA ‘02 through ‘08, “Not so fast my friend.”

I’m not saying that Tebow or McFadden shouldn’t win the award; I’m merely stating that other candidates should be looked at as well. Here is a list of some of the candidates that are or should be up for the award.

THE SHOE-INS

Tim Tebow: The Cannonball

If there is one thing that you can’t ignore about Tim Tebow, it’s the numbers: 29 passing touchdowns, 22 rushing touchdowns. That will grab anyone’s attention, especially the voters. There is just one number I can’t ignore: 3, as in 3 losses.

We will do something a little different this week.

Considering that you are probably either entering the playoffs or crying with the stall door closed in the men’s (or women’s) restroom, we are just going to take a look at the players that could replace your injured starters.

Of those players that are starting, just look back through previous week’s waiver pick ups to see who you might have missed, but I would assume the names are probably familiar to you if you have been doing your research all season. These guys might not be on your radar.

WIDE RECEIVERS

Bryant Johnson, WR ARI
Everyone is hurting in Arizona WR group. Watch the injury reports, but Johnson should be one of the two starters come Sunday. He has already been involved in the offense and should continue to be.