Fantasy football strategy, rankings, and podcasts

Time for a little mini-rant!

The Cowboys are playing the Cardinals this week in a battle of two of the NFC’s best teams. After taking a shot in the back last week, Tony Romo’s status for the game is up in the air and will more likely be a game-time decision. Obviously this will play into our decision on what line to put either team. BUT, because we have a game every Thursday, the pools are locked at kickoff.

I don’t get it! Why can’t the one line you use on the Thursday game be locked leaving the other lines available for editing up until their kickoff? Makes sense to me! So to those that run the Fantasy Football sites on Yahoo and CBS, since, you know, they are avid readers of mine, it’s time to change your system!

OK, I’m off my soapbox and ready for a new week of football!

WEEK 9! HERE WE GO!!!

(HOME TEAM IN CAPS)

13 – SEATTLE over Oakland – Do…do you need an explanation?

12 – SAN FRANCISCO over St. Louis – The Rams defensive line is starting to live up to their pre-season expectations. Unfortunately the Rams offense has been hit by the injury bug and will have no chance of putting up enough points against a fresh San Francisco team.

11 – CINCINNATI over Jacksonville – The Bengals have been struggling a bit, but the Jags are still the Jags. AJ Green could be making his return this week. Even if he doesn’t, you shouldn’t have any worries over putting Cincy this high.

10 – KANSAS CITY over New York Jets –Alex Smith is hurting a bit, but the Chiefs offense doesn’t really need a quarterback anyway. The Jets won’t be able to stop Jamaal Charles, which means they won’t be able to stop the Chiefs.

9 – CLEVELAND over Tampa Bay – I know that I have been talking about the Browns a bit the last few weeks, but it does still feel a little odd to put them this high. The fact that it’s a home game against Tampa makes it a lot easier.

8 – PITTSBURGH over Baltimore – Welcome back to relevance Big Ben! I’ll go out on a limb and say that Roethlisberger won’t put up another 500 yards/6 touchdown game, but he will be able to do enough to get a huge divisional win.

7 – Indianapolis over NEW YORK GIANTS – The week ends in Jersey with a Colts team coming to town that has something to prove after giving up the previously mentioned 500 yards/6 touchdown game.

6 – San Diego over MIAMI – The Chargers have looked good despite losing two big division games recently. The second half of the season has traditionally been San Diego’s time to shine. The Dolphins should be able to put up a good fight but the Chargers should be able to hold on and win a close game.

5 – DALLAS over Arizona – We already talked about this one before. Dallas at 5 is based on Tony Romo playing. I think he will and the Cowboys should fight behind him.

4 – CAROLINA over New Orleans – The week starts off in Charlotte with two teams who have three wins…and are playing for first place? The NFC South has seen better days. We’ll make this week’s BOLD PREDICTION that the winner of the NFC South will NOT have a record above .500. Cam needs a bounce back game and he gets it against the Saints defense.

3 – HOUSTON over Philadelphia – This could be the sleeper Game of the Week. The Eagles have looked solid all year but Arian Foster may just be too much for them to handle this week.

2 – NEW ENGLAND over Denver – Brady vs Manning in a rematch of last year’s AFC title game. The change in venue will be enough for the surging Patriots to get a bit of retribution.

1 – Washington over MINNESOTA – It was announced today that RGIII will be back and start. I didn’t have too much faith in him when he was healthy let alone coming back from (another ) injury.

We almost lost our top line game last week when the Raiders nearly pulled off the comeback to beat the Seahawks in Seattle. This brings up an interesting point though. As most of you who read this know, I am a HUGE Raiders fan (pause for sympathy). Watching Oakland pulling closer and closer to the defending champs last week, I wasn’t thinking about losing my top line game. The only thing that was on my mind was the potential of my team pulling off one of the biggest upsets in recent memory.

Whether it is with your confidence pool or your fantasy team, I think that your actual team should come first. It just makes both the fantasy game and the real game a lot more fun to watch. Use it as justification if you want, but don’t openly cheer for your fantasy quarterback to throw a touchdown against your favorite team. It only sets yourself up for a lose-lose situation.

Alright – Week 10 – HERE WE GO!!!

(HOME TEAM IN ALL CAPS)

13 – Denver over OAKLAND – Once again my Raiders are on the wrong side of the top line. Hard to argue that when they play last year’s two Super Bowl teams in back to back weeks.

12 – SEATTLE over New York Giants – Seattle just squeaked by the Raiders last week. They may just squeak by again, but it is hard to think of a scenario where the Giants come out on top.

11 – ARIZONA over St. Louis – Both teams are coming off of big road wins last week. The luck will run out for the Rams though. The Cardinals are a much tougher home team to play.

10 – GREEN BAY over Chicago – One team spent the bye week giving their coach an extension and one team spent the bye week explaining reports that their coach doesn’t have control of the locker room. Green Bay will be ready for this game, the Bears won’t.

9 – BALTIMORE over Tennessee – The Ravens are sitting in last place in a division without a team under .500. Every win is crucial. Lucky for them they get a home game against the Titans.

8 – Dallas over JACKSONVILLE – The Jags make their yearly trip to London and take the Cowboys with them. Just like last week, this game depends on Tony Romo’s availability. They’ll still win, but if Romo doesn’t play they should be dropped down a few lines.

7 – Pittsburgh over NEW YORK JETS – Logic would tell you that there is no way that Ben Roethlisberger will have a THIRD consecutive six touchdown game…although I don’t think logic realizes that Big Ben is playing the Jets this week.

6 – NEW ORLEANS over San Francisco – A pre-season possible NFC Championship preview turns into just another week 10 game. Not only will the 49ers not make it to a fourth straight title game, but my BOLD PREDICTION is that the 49ers will not make the playoffs this season.

5 – DETROIT over Miami – Calvin is expected to make his long awaited return after the bye week. The Dolphins have been hot as of late but they won’t be able to stop a Lions offense that includes Megatron.

4 – PHILADELPHIA over Carolina – Well, the potential for a butt-fumble sequel has returned with Mark Sanchez filling in for the injured Nick Foles. This bumps the Eagles down a few lines but they should still be able to beat the struggling Panthers.

3 – BUFFALO over Kansas City – The Bills are still fighting for a playoff spot. This will be a close one, but game-manager sensation Kyle Orton should be able to find a way to get a win against a hungry Chiefs team.

2 – TAMPA BAY over Atlanta – Yes, I do realize that the Falcons treated Tampa like a high school JV team in their first meeting. Even with that, there really is just no reason to have faith in Atlanta – especially on the road.

1 – CINCINNATI over Cleveland – The week starts off with a strong AFC North game that both teams need to win. A full healthy offense would give me more confidence in the Bengals, but they should still be able to pull this one out.

Not too much to talk about this week – other than we hit on the top six lines last week. That is definitely worth mentioning.

No time to waste! Week 11! LET’S GO!!

(HOME TEAM IN CAPS)

14 – SAN DIEGO over Oakland – The Raiders get a rematch of the game that they came closest to winning. Unfortunately it’s now on the road against a fresh Chargers squad.

13 – Denver over ST LOUIS – Denver showed last week what they can do when they turn on the juice. The Rams just don’t have the offense to keep up with the Broncos.

12 – WASHINGTON over Tampa Bay – This is definitely more confidence in a team losing than a team winning. Tampa has showed us this year that changes are needed again. This time, make it more than just the uniforms!

11 – NEW ORLEANS over Cincinnati – Boy oh boy what has happened to the Bengals? It’s gotten so bad that it seems the old “Bungles” name may need to be dusted off and brought back out. Like the Rams against Denver, the Bung…no, not yet…the Bengals just don’t seem to have the offensive fire power needed to keep up with the Saints in the dome.

10 – MIAMI over Buffalo – The week starts with an AFC East matchup that may have the most meaning since the old Jim Kelly vs Dan Marino days. Both teams are fighting for a playoff spot and the Dolphins should be able to take advantage of playing at home.

9 – GREEN BAY over Philadelphia – A lot of the Eagles success can be attributed to points put on the board by their defense and special teams. Aaron Rodgers won’t give Philly the opportunity.

8 – CLEVELAND over Houston – Cleveland needed a big road division win last week and they got it. Look for them to use that momentum to top a team starting a new quarterback.

7 – Pittsburgh over TENNESSEE – The Steelers were brought back down to earth in a big way in New York last week. It is hard for me to think the Pittsburgh can lose two straight against a lowly opponent, even if it is another road game.

6 – KANSAS CITY over Seattle – The champs simply have not been playing like the champs as of late. They almost lost to the Raiders and Giants at home in consecutive weeks and now have to go on the road to one of the toughest stadiums to play in. This week’s BOLD PREDICTION is that the Seahawks will NOT make the playoffs this year.

5 – Detroit over ARIZONA – Detroit heads to the desert at a very opportune time. Carson Palmer led the Cards to the best record in the NFL, signed a $50 million extension, and then tore his ACL days later. Drew Stanton won’t be able to keep up with a healthy Calvin and friends.

4 – CAROLINA over Atlanta – Everybody is wondering what is going on with Cam these days. He’s been struggling, but still should be able to pull out a home win against a weak Falcons offense.

3 – INDIANAPOLIS over New England – Wouldn’t be surprised to see this as the AFC Championship this year. Andrew Luck has been the MVP so far this year and to take the next step, he needs to win big games like this.

2 – NEW YORK GIANTS over San Francisco – Two straight weeks of the 49ers traveling to the eastern half of the country, this time all the way to Jersey, will prove to be too much.

1 – Minnesota over CHICAGO – Give me one good reason why I should have any confidence in the Bears right now? It’s a home game? Nope! They haven’t won a game at Soldier Field yet!

Week 11, well we don’t really need to dwell on that too much!

Luckily last week was so topsy-turvy that it would’ve taken a DeLorean to get a high score. Some people in your league may have been able to call one of the upsets, some maybe two, but it is hard to imagine someone having too high of a score last week.

No point in spending too much time looking at the past – time to go back to the future!

WEEK 12 – HERE WE GO!!!

(HOME TEAM IN CAPS)

15 – INDIANAPOLIS over Jacksonville – New England may have found some kinks in the Colts’ armor. Lucky for them they get a home game against the lowly Jaguars to work the kinks out.

14 – PHILADELPHIA over Tennessee – Philly made the mistake of heading into Lambeau to take on possibly the hottest team in the league right now. Hosting the Titans should help the Eagles get back on track.

13 – SAN DIEGO over St. Louis – After pulling off what some could call the upset of the year, the Rams head west to take on the Chargers. It may be close, like the Chargers vs Raiders last week, but the Rams don’t have it in them to pull off two big upsets in a row.

12 – BUFFALO over New York Jets – The Bills are offering $10/hour and game tickets to come out and help shovel out Ralph Wilson Stadium. Geno Smith might want to head to Buffalo early to get in on that, he may need to pad his nest egg.

11 – SAN FRANCISCO over Washington – Washington was kind enough to allow the Bucs back to the NFL and their prize is a cross-country trip for a game that they can’t win.

10 – DENVER over Miami – Peyton had an off day last week. Do you really think he will have two in a row?

9 – Green Bay over MINNESOTA – So Ben Tate goes from one crowded backfield to another. It’s a bit of an upgrade for the Vikes but not nearly enough to stop a team that is playing as well as the Pack are right now.

8 – CHICAGO over Tampa Bay – Lovie returns to Soldier Field and brings with him a gift win for the Bears. Mike Evans should be able to continue the tear that he has been on but the Tampa D won’t have enough to stop the Bears offense.

7 – NEW ENGLAND over Detroit – Tom Brady is playing like Tom Brady again. When that happens the Patriots are hard to top in Foxborough.

6 – Dallas over NEW YORK GIANTS – The Giants have had a chance to win a few more games, but Eli just keeps throwing it away … literally and figuratively!

5 – NEW ORLEANS over Baltimore – Quite honestly this game SHOULD be a lot higher, but the Saints have not given us any real reason to have real confidence in them this year.

4 – Arizona over SEATTLE – A huge battle for the NFC West in Seattle. The Cardinals are legit even with Drew Stanton at quarterback. The Seahawks have just too many questions this year.

3 – Cleveland over ATLANTA – With Ben Tate gone, the Browns will have a more focused running attack that should be able to run over the Falcons defense.

2 – Cincinnati over HOUSTON – A Bengals win will rest on the offense. AJ Green started the process of showing the league he is indeed back last week, but to solidify that fact my BOLD PREDICTION for this week is that AJ Green will have a 200 yard receiving day.

1 – OAKLAND over Kansas City – This may be just a fan with a hunch (and does not deserve to be anywhere higher than the one point line) – but with the national lights on bright and the Black Hold going crazy, this may be the week the Raiders finally get a W.