So how many of you tuned in at half time on Sunday to see the Philadelphia Eagles score and say 'WHAT THE HELL!!!' Tell the truth, don't lie. I'll admit it. I'm one of the people that watched that game and was absolutely blown away by Donovan McNabb, and the Eagles' performance on Sunday.
The most surprising thing was that Kevin Curtis went off like a rocket. In the preseason I had a feeling that he would be the best receiver in Philly, yet through the first two weeks of the season he had done exactly jack squat. Then Sunday against a Detroit Lions' Defense that looked completely inept and lost out there, McNabb, Curtis, and Westbrook put on an offensive show in the world's most hideous looking uniforms. I've seen NASCAR race jackets that were less annoying than those things.
Another wrinkle that the Eagles threw at us on Sunday was that Westbrook had the possibility of not even playing on Sunday. If you had to set your lineup early or just had healthier options on your bench chances are you missed out on all of those fantasy points put up by those 3 Eagles. I know I had Curtis benched in all the leagues I have him in. Which is like four leagues in all. The one league I had Westbrook I had him started, only because I didn't have access to a computer over the weekend.
So what can we expect from the Eagles offense heading forward? Is it going to be common place that McNabb will put up respectable numbers each week and help out Curtis, and Westbrook? Current wisdom would suggest that this is most likely a flash in the pan show of greatness, and that you shouldn't chase the box scores. Derek Andersen lit up the Bengals 2 weeks ago, and struggled some against the Raiders last week. I know some people sat down some good quarterbacks, to start Andersen based on the Cincinnati game.
If you drafted Westbrook and McNabb as your number ones at their position, you shouldn't hesitate to start them. (As of this writing Westbrook is Day to Day with an abdominal strain.) However, the question comes to Curtis. If you have other under-performing wideouts (see: Evans, Lee) then go ahead and start Curtis. If you have solid WRs, don't hesitate to leave Curtis on your bench. It is highly unlikely he'll put up another 220 yards with 3 TDs again.
Monday, September 24, 2007
Tuesday, September 18, 2007
Hitting the Panic Button (and when to)
After 2 weeks you should know where your squad stands. Whether you are 2-0, 0-2, or coasting with a 1-1 record. Chances are if you started out with an 0-2 record, you are thinking about blowing your team up. However, there are steps you should take before doing so. You need to take a good hard look at the reason you are winless. Below are 3 reasons why you could be "O-fer" and the actions you may need to take to rectify it so you can make your push to the playoffs.
I've got a good team, but I'm just getting stomped.
This problem is spotted by seeing that your team is scoring well. It's good enough that you would beat more than half the teams on that given Sunday, except the one you played. Many on-line services have a 'power ranking' feature that tells you how powerful your team is if you played everyone in a week. If you are in the top of this listing, and are still winless, you might not want to make many changes to your core lineup. Especially with the bye weeks starting in week 4. The lower you are in this standing the more moves you may want make. Perhaps you can trade that big name, under-performing RB for a lower tier one, or a better performing WR. Trades matter on how creative you can be, and how gullible your trade partner is.
I've got a big name team that should do well, they are just performing like crap!
There are many high ranked draft picks from the pre-season that are total under-performing their draft position. Players from San Diego (excepting Antonio Gates) have struggled mightily early this season. Is that because SD sucks, or because they have played really good defenses? Also, New Orleans has been VERY disappointing this season. They had the most explosive offense in the pre-season, and now they look worse than the Vikings on offense. Your job, if you are 0-2, is to figure out where your players are on this scale? Once you figure out where you are, you need to then figure out if those players will improve, or continue to suck. If you think they will improve, then you need to toughen up and weather the storm. If you think they will continue to suck, then find some gullible tool in your league talk your guys up and unload them for better merchandise. This situation lends itself more to being patient than hitting the panic button. Week 3 should be a good show of where certain players are at, either overrated or underrated.
I drafted overrated hacks that aren't doing jack squat!
If this is your situation, then you need to find your panic button, hit it hard, hit it repeatedly. When you start 0-2 because your team isn't scoring, or injured or worse, it is time to move on. You should overhaul your roster as much as you possibly can. Perhaps hang on to a few guys that are actually performing and trade or cut the rest. Every year serviceable players emerge from nowhere that you may be able to pick up off the waiver wire. (See: Ward, Derrick, and Wynn, DeShawn.) Perhaps you can trade your hacks for different hacks with more upside.
The one thing you don't want to do, is give up completely. Even if your team sucks you need to stick it out and try and learn a thing or two, and keep fielding a "competitive" team. Update your lineup weekly, and not start injured or suspended players. If you are going to get beat, you should let it happen straight up, and not give the teams you play an unfair advantage in your league. Players HATE it when other players bail on the league halfway through the season. Don't be that guy. You owe it to your league, and your fellow players to stick it out and try and improve your team as much as possible.
Strange things happen in the game of Fantasy Football. For example 2 years ago or so I had a team I hated. It started 3-4 and was buried in my division. The WRs I drafted high were crap. The RBs were okay, but couldn't put up enough points to cover the Wide Outs slacking. After a couple trades and waiver pickups, the team came around and finished 10-4. I made the playoffs and took 3rd place in the league. It's just an example of how things can turn around if you don't give up.
Starting 0-2 isn't a death sentence in Fantasy Football. It does make things more difficult on your quest to win the championship, though. However, identifying your team's problems and establishing a plan to fix them will go a long way in turning your team around. The only problem that can't be fixed is apathy in your team. As long as you are trying, things will get better. If nothing else, it gives you a reason to develop some nifty grudges against players. I will never draft Nate Burleson again, simply because he cost me too much with high draft picks two years in a row.
I've got a good team, but I'm just getting stomped.
This problem is spotted by seeing that your team is scoring well. It's good enough that you would beat more than half the teams on that given Sunday, except the one you played. Many on-line services have a 'power ranking' feature that tells you how powerful your team is if you played everyone in a week. If you are in the top of this listing, and are still winless, you might not want to make many changes to your core lineup. Especially with the bye weeks starting in week 4. The lower you are in this standing the more moves you may want make. Perhaps you can trade that big name, under-performing RB for a lower tier one, or a better performing WR. Trades matter on how creative you can be, and how gullible your trade partner is.
I've got a big name team that should do well, they are just performing like crap!
There are many high ranked draft picks from the pre-season that are total under-performing their draft position. Players from San Diego (excepting Antonio Gates) have struggled mightily early this season. Is that because SD sucks, or because they have played really good defenses? Also, New Orleans has been VERY disappointing this season. They had the most explosive offense in the pre-season, and now they look worse than the Vikings on offense. Your job, if you are 0-2, is to figure out where your players are on this scale? Once you figure out where you are, you need to then figure out if those players will improve, or continue to suck. If you think they will improve, then you need to toughen up and weather the storm. If you think they will continue to suck, then find some gullible tool in your league talk your guys up and unload them for better merchandise. This situation lends itself more to being patient than hitting the panic button. Week 3 should be a good show of where certain players are at, either overrated or underrated.
I drafted overrated hacks that aren't doing jack squat!
If this is your situation, then you need to find your panic button, hit it hard, hit it repeatedly. When you start 0-2 because your team isn't scoring, or injured or worse, it is time to move on. You should overhaul your roster as much as you possibly can. Perhaps hang on to a few guys that are actually performing and trade or cut the rest. Every year serviceable players emerge from nowhere that you may be able to pick up off the waiver wire. (See: Ward, Derrick, and Wynn, DeShawn.) Perhaps you can trade your hacks for different hacks with more upside.
The one thing you don't want to do, is give up completely. Even if your team sucks you need to stick it out and try and learn a thing or two, and keep fielding a "competitive" team. Update your lineup weekly, and not start injured or suspended players. If you are going to get beat, you should let it happen straight up, and not give the teams you play an unfair advantage in your league. Players HATE it when other players bail on the league halfway through the season. Don't be that guy. You owe it to your league, and your fellow players to stick it out and try and improve your team as much as possible.
Strange things happen in the game of Fantasy Football. For example 2 years ago or so I had a team I hated. It started 3-4 and was buried in my division. The WRs I drafted high were crap. The RBs were okay, but couldn't put up enough points to cover the Wide Outs slacking. After a couple trades and waiver pickups, the team came around and finished 10-4. I made the playoffs and took 3rd place in the league. It's just an example of how things can turn around if you don't give up.
Starting 0-2 isn't a death sentence in Fantasy Football. It does make things more difficult on your quest to win the championship, though. However, identifying your team's problems and establishing a plan to fix them will go a long way in turning your team around. The only problem that can't be fixed is apathy in your team. As long as you are trying, things will get better. If nothing else, it gives you a reason to develop some nifty grudges against players. I will never draft Nate Burleson again, simply because he cost me too much with high draft picks two years in a row.
Saturday, August 18, 2007
Updating the Lists, (QBs) - 2007
Here we have the top 25 QBs. The top 5 changed slightly, as well as the bottom 5. The middle stays fairly stable.
Marc Bulger moves into the top 5 bumping Rivers to 6th. Bulger has signed his contract, is in camp, and supposedly happy. He has some of the best supporting cast in the NFL with my #1 WR, and #2 RB. Bulger, if he stays healthy, could be the best QB this year.
Additions: T. Jax, and J. Heatherton. Jackson is looking competent in camp and preseason games. Williamson is looking like he can catch this year, and he could be great as a last round flier. Joey - well, he's a veteran starter.
Byron Leftwich moved up. He's got good receivers and great backs, and he is looking determined to be the long term starter in Jacksonville. He could be an acceptable back-up QB for your squad.
Donovan McNabb looked great in his first start, answering questions about his new knee.
Jason Campbell, in Washington could be interesting. But I don't know what he will do. Redskins are just annoying to try and figure out this early. The last fw years they have been terrible, but Campbell is showing flashes. Can he be a fantasy starter? No. Last round backup? Sure.
Chad Pennington looked brutal in his game against the Vikings. Is that a trend or mirage? I'll think it to be a mirage, until there is more evidence to convince me otherwise.
You don't want to deal with the Tampa Bay Quarterbacks. Garcia looks bad. Simms is rumored to be traded. Their offensive line looks brutal too. You just don't want anything to do with them.
JaMarcus Russel hasn't signed yet, and won't be the starter. Daunte Cullpepper signed in Oakland and is taking a crash course in their offense. He could be the starter, but you don't want to dabble in Oak Town, until someone proves they are worthy.
Tom Brady is looking rusty in the Pre-Season. Although I still believe he will be better than Peyton Manning this year. Manning is still the first round 'safe' pick. Whereas I'm seeing Brady go later in drafts. Around round 4 as an average.
| 1. Tom Brady - NE |
| 2. Peyton Manning - |
| 3. |
| 4. Drew Brees - NO |
| 5. Marc Bulger - STL |
| 6. Phillip Rivers - SD |
| 7. Donovan McNabb - PHI |
| 8. Matt Hasselbeck - SEA |
| 9. Jon Kitna - DET |
| 10. Matt Leinart - ARI |
| 11. Jay Cutler - DEN |
| 12. Jake Delhomme - CAR |
| 13. Brett Favre - GB |
| 14. Eli Manning - NYG |
| 15. Vince Young - TEN |
| 16. Ben Roethlisberger - PIT |
| 17. |
| 18. J.P. Losman - BUF |
| 19. Byron Leftwich - JAX |
| 20. Rex Grossman - CHI |
| 21. Tony Romo - DAL |
| 22. Jason Campbell - WAS |
| 23. Steve McNair - BAL |
| 24. Joey Harrington - ATL |
| 25. Tarvaris Jackson - MIN |
Marc Bulger moves into the top 5 bumping Rivers to 6th. Bulger has signed his contract, is in camp, and supposedly happy. He has some of the best supporting cast in the NFL with my #1 WR, and #2 RB. Bulger, if he stays healthy, could be the best QB this year.
Additions: T. Jax, and J. Heatherton. Jackson is looking competent in camp and preseason games. Williamson is looking like he can catch this year, and he could be great as a last round flier. Joey - well, he's a veteran starter.
Byron Leftwich moved up. He's got good receivers and great backs, and he is looking determined to be the long term starter in Jacksonville. He could be an acceptable back-up QB for your squad.
Donovan McNabb looked great in his first start, answering questions about his new knee.
Jason Campbell, in Washington could be interesting. But I don't know what he will do. Redskins are just annoying to try and figure out this early. The last fw years they have been terrible, but Campbell is showing flashes. Can he be a fantasy starter? No. Last round backup? Sure.
Chad Pennington looked brutal in his game against the Vikings. Is that a trend or mirage? I'll think it to be a mirage, until there is more evidence to convince me otherwise.
You don't want to deal with the Tampa Bay Quarterbacks. Garcia looks bad. Simms is rumored to be traded. Their offensive line looks brutal too. You just don't want anything to do with them.
JaMarcus Russel hasn't signed yet, and won't be the starter. Daunte Cullpepper signed in Oakland and is taking a crash course in their offense. He could be the starter, but you don't want to dabble in Oak Town, until someone proves they are worthy.
Tom Brady is looking rusty in the Pre-Season. Although I still believe he will be better than Peyton Manning this year. Manning is still the first round 'safe' pick. Whereas I'm seeing Brady go later in drafts. Around round 4 as an average.
updating the lists (WRs) -2007
Here are the updated WR rankings.
Enjoy!
Dennis Northcutt is added to the list this time. Rumors out of Jacksonville, is that he will be the #1 WR there. He has been getting a majority of the looks this preseason.
Wes Welker has moved up nicely in my rankings. He looks to be the #3 in NE, but that's the slot/underneath receiver. Which could be helpful in the dump off and run game. Especially if the NE O-Line continues to struggle.
Joe Horn stays on the list mainly for name recognition. I wouldn't draft him. Atlanta looks terrible this year.
DJ Hackett is listed above Deion Branch in Seattle. Words out of Seattle is that Hackett has been the best player in camp. Nate Burleson is also getting praise in Seattle this year, although I'm still not going to give up a high draft pick on him. Let other owners draft Branch too high, and take Hackett on the discount.
I believe this is the year that Reggie Wayne takes over as the #1 receiver in Indy. Marvelous Harrison is still going to be a great fantasy play, but I feel that Wayne will be the better one of the two overall.
Randy Moss is falling in my eye because he continues to be hurt. The history has not looked good for Moss, so I have to move him down some. Stallworth has moved up in NE as well because of that.
Kevin Curtis could be the number 1 Receiver in Philly this year. If that officially happens, then Brown and Curtis would swap positions. If your draft is sooner rather than later, I'd take Curtis before Brown.
Enjoy!
| 1. Torry Holt - StL | 2. Steve Smith - CAR |
| 3. Larry Fitzgerald - ARI | 4. Roy Williams - DET |
| 5. | 6. Reggie Wayne - |
| 7. Javon Walker -DEN | 8. Marvin Harrison - |
| 9. Terrell Owens - DAL | 10. Anquan Boldin - ARI |
| 11. Lee Evans - BUF | 12. Marques Colston - NO |
| 13. Donald Driver - GB | 14. TJ Houshmandzaden - CIN |
| 15. Hines Ward - PIT | 16. Randy Moss - NE |
| 17. Calvin Johnson - DET | 18. Andre Johnson - HOU |
| 19. Chris Chambers - MIA | 20. Darrell Jackson - SF |
| 21. Plaxico Burress - NYG | 22. Braylon Edwards - CLE |
| 23. Laveranues Coles - NYJ | 24. Vincent Jackson - SD |
| 25. Jerricho Cotchery - NYJ | 26. Reggie Brown - PHI |
| 27. Greg Jennings - GB | 28. DJ Hackett - SEA |
| 29. Donte Stalworth - NE | 30. Kevin Curtis - PHI |
| 31. Joey Galloway - TB | 32. Santana Moss - WAS |
| 33. Muhsin Muhammad - CHI | 34. Matt Jones - JAX |
| 35. Terry Glenn - DAL | 36. Santonio Holmes - PIT |
| 37. Mike Furrey - DET | 38. Wes Welker - NE |
| 39. Bernard Berrian - CHI | 40. Drew Bennett - StL |
| 41. Robert Meachem - NO | 42. Mark Clayton - BAL |
| 43. Brandon Jones - TEN | 44. Troy Williamson - MIN |
| 45. Deion Branch - SEA | 46. Jerry Porter - OAK |
| 47. Brandon Marshall - DEN | 48. Joe Horn - ATL |
| 49. Ronald Curry - OAK | 50. Dennis Northcutt - JAX |
Dennis Northcutt is added to the list this time. Rumors out of Jacksonville, is that he will be the #1 WR there. He has been getting a majority of the looks this preseason.
Wes Welker has moved up nicely in my rankings. He looks to be the #3 in NE, but that's the slot/underneath receiver. Which could be helpful in the dump off and run game. Especially if the NE O-Line continues to struggle.
Joe Horn stays on the list mainly for name recognition. I wouldn't draft him. Atlanta looks terrible this year.
DJ Hackett is listed above Deion Branch in Seattle. Words out of Seattle is that Hackett has been the best player in camp. Nate Burleson is also getting praise in Seattle this year, although I'm still not going to give up a high draft pick on him. Let other owners draft Branch too high, and take Hackett on the discount.
I believe this is the year that Reggie Wayne takes over as the #1 receiver in Indy. Marvelous Harrison is still going to be a great fantasy play, but I feel that Wayne will be the better one of the two overall.
Randy Moss is falling in my eye because he continues to be hurt. The history has not looked good for Moss, so I have to move him down some. Stallworth has moved up in NE as well because of that.
Kevin Curtis could be the number 1 Receiver in Philly this year. If that officially happens, then Brown and Curtis would swap positions. If your draft is sooner rather than later, I'd take Curtis before Brown.
Updating the lists (RBs) - 2007
Here are the new RB rankings...
There are some significant moves made.
There are some significant moves made.
| 1. Ladanian Tomlinson - SD | 2. Steven Jackson - StL |
| 3. Rudi Johnson -CIN | 4. Shaun Alexander - SEA |
| 5. Larry Johnson - KC | 6. Frank Gore - SF |
| 7. Brian Westbrook - PHI | 8. Laurence Maroney - NE |
| 9. Ronnie Brown - MIA | 10. Joseph Addai - |
| 11. Reggie Bush - NO | 12. Thomas Jones - NYJ |
| 13. Willie Parker - PIT | 14. Maurice Jones-Drew - Jax |
| 15. | 16. Travis Henry - DEN |
| 17. Edgerrin James - ARI | 18. Willis McGahee - BAL |
| 19. Cedric Benson - CHI | 20. Marion Barber - DAL |
| 21. Duece McAlister - NO | 22. Brandon Jacobs - NYG |
| 23. Carnell Williams - TB | 24. LaMont Jordan - OAK |
| 25. Marshawn Lynch - BUF | 26. DeAngelo Williams - CAR |
| 27. Adrian Peterson -MIN | 28. Jamal Lewis - CLE |
| 29. Ahman Green - HOU | 30. Jerious |
| 31. | 32. Chris Henry - TEN |
| 33. Fred Taylor - JAX | 34. DeShaun Foster - CAR |
| 35. Tatum Bell - DET | 36. Julius Jones - DAL |
| 37. Verand Morency - GB | 38. Brandon Jackson - GB |
| 39. Ladell Betts - WAS | 40. Warrick Dunn - ATL |
| 41. Michael Turner - SD | 42. Mike Bell - DEN |
| 43. Kevin Jones - DET | 44. LenDale White - TEN |
| 45. Leon Washington – NYJ | 46. Reuben Droughns - NYG |
| 47. TJ Duckett - DET | 48. Ron Dayne - HOU |
| 49. Dominic Rhodes - OAK | 50. Anthony Thomas - BUF |
The Atlanta backs both fell a bit... Warrick Dunn has fallen dramatically, and Norwood has either stayed the same or fallen a bit. Dunn is hurt, and Atlanta has a silly QB. You can take a chance on Norwood, but I'd just rather avoid the Falcons altogether.
Chris Henry of the Titans, is falling. The signing of Chris Brown hurts his value and he isn't doing anything with his opportunities in the preseason. I'd rather avoid this backfield as well.
There are few other notables, such as Kevin Jones, and Thomas Jones... Kevin is a flier, and Thomas might be making strides into the top ten. Leon Washington would be a mandatory handcuff to Jones, Washington looked nice against a stout Vikings rushing defense.
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