Fantasy football strategy, rankings, and podcasts

The weeks in the middle of the season that include the bye weeks are always crucial in a confidence pool. There aren’t as many points to get during the week so every game and every point are crucial.

Lucky for you, you are following my picks! After a week that saw 12 of 14 games picked correctly you should be close to if not on top of your league.

Let’s keep it going!

WEEK 9 – HERE WE GO!!

(HOME TEAM IN ALL CAPS)

13 – NEW ENGLAND over Washington – Ho-hum, what do you know? The Patriots are at the top of our list again. Probably something you should just get used to.

12 – CINCINNATI over Cleveland – The Bengals are undefeated…and are playing at home…against the Browns…who will have Johnny Manziel starting…need anything else?

11 – NEW ORLEANS over Tennessee – Drew Brees tied the NFL record last week with seven touchdown passes. His reward? A game against the Titans.

10 – NEW YORK JETS over Jacksonville – The Jets were completely shut down last week in Oakland. They need a game against the Jaguars to get some confidence back.

9 – MINNESOTA over St. Louis – Minnesota is really solidifying their spot as a playoff contender in the NFC. They may have what it takes to slow down the unstoppable tank known as Todd Gurley.

8 – Atlanta over SAN FRANCISCO – Blaine Gabbert is under center for the Niners and Pierre Thomas is now in the backfield after spending the first eight weeks of the season without a team…best of luck with all that.

7 – BUFFALO over Miami – A healthier Bills’ team gets a home game against a team that they blew out on the road just a few weeks ago.

6 – SAN DIEGO over Chicago – After this game, ESPN will be working feverishly on a logistical way to move the flexing ability from Sunday night games to Monday night.

5 – Denver over INDIANAPOLIS – Peyton Manning came as close to the old Peyton as he has this season last week against the Packers. I expect more of the same as he heads back to his old stomping grounds.

4 – Green Bay over CAROLINA – Speaking of the Packers, after reaching their low point of the season last week (by far!) they have a lot of aggression to take out on the unbeaten Panthers. No more unbeatens in the NFC.

3 – Philadelphia over DALLAS – Dez Bryant should have more balls thrown his way this week – unfortunately those balls will still be thrown by not Tony Romo.

2 – Oakland over PITTSBURGH – Another HUGE game for the Raiders after a big win last week. My BOLD PREDICTION this week is NOT ONLY WILL THE RAIDERS MAKE THE PLAYOFFS, BUT THEY WILL WIN A PLAYOFF GAME.

1 – New York Giants over TAMPA BAY – Tampa seems to play their best only when they’re on the road against the division…this game is neither of those.

Boy do I love this league!

Every week seems to leave you with a fresh set of questions that you just cant wait those seven days until the next set of games to answer. “Any Given Sunday” isn’t just for Willie Beaman! Still, with all of these questions, we are still managing to come out with positive weeks. If you are following my picks this season, you should be looking good in the quest for a season title. Let’s keep it going!

WEEK 8 – HERE WE GO!!

(HOME TEAM IN ALL CAPS)

14 – NEW ENGLAND over Miami – The Dolphins have hit a bit of a surge after their coaching change. But that surge was against the Texans and Titans…not the Patriots.

13 – CAROLINA over Indianapolis – At the beginning of the season this would be a big game for the Panthers to prove their worth. In the middle of the season its just another home game against a mediocre team.

12 – ATLANTA over Tampa Bay – Tampa Bay already has a divisional road win on their resume this year. It’s hard to see them getting another one though.

11 – ST LOUIS over San Francisco – The reported locker room turmoil with the 49ers is just more reason to have less and less confidence in them this season.

10 – Arizona over CLEVELAND – The Cardinals need a win like this. I think they will have the needed motivation to get it.

9 – Minnesota over CHICAGO – With a win last week in Detroit, the young Vikings confirmed that they have what it takes to get a divisional road win. Why not get another?

8 – KANSAS CITY over Detroit – The Lions just seem out of it. A team like the Chiefs should welcome the chance to host them for a week.

7 – Seattle – over DALLAS – Even if Dez Bryant returns for the Cowboys, it won’t be enough. Though I will say that my BOLD PREDICTION is that if Bryant plays, he will have over 100 yards receiving.

6 – NEW ORLEANS over New York Giants – The Saints showed signs of life last week on the road. I can see them carrying that momentum through another week.

5 – OAKLAND over New York Jets – What to think of the Raiders? Maybe it’s a fan’s bias, but I don’t think another team has created more intrigue in the league this season. If they want to hold on to playoff hope, they need to win this game.

4 – BALTIMORE over San Diego – A week after taking the Packers to the limit in Green Bay, the Chargers give up 30 first half points to the aforementioned Raiders. Another hard to figure out team.

3 – PITTSBURGH over Cincinnati – Big Ben coming back should be enough to knock one team from the ranks of the unbeaten.

2 – DENVER over Green Bay – But if the Steelers don’t, we are guaranteed to lose one undefeated team here as two undefeateds go head-to-head. Regardless of who you think will win, there is no reason to have one team or the other higher than this on your sheet.

1 – HOUSTON over Tennessee – We go from Broncos/Packers to Texans/Titans…minus Arian Foster. Not worth talking about.

We are now pretty much at the midway point!

We are just over six months removed from the 31^st installment of The Showcase of the Immortals and, coincidently, six months away from the 32^nd. With recent incidents within the WWE like injuries, returns, LOA’s, it seems like a lot of creative ideas have been shuffled…and possibly shuffled again. This could mean that the writing staff could start the process of building angles for this year’s WrestleMania.

I’ve noticed over the years and some top angles have started at, or around, November’s Survivor Series so it’s not too farfetched to think about now. It would also make sense to start building solid angles for another major reason.

We all have the immortal words of “Mean” Gene Okerlund etched in our minds as he announced the “brand new indoor attendance record of 93,173” back in 1987 at WrestleMania III. With WrestleMania 32 being held in “Jerry World,” AT&T Stadium in Dallas, Texas, reaching a six digit attendance number is not an impossibility.

To do so, Vince McMahon needs to put together an all-hands-on-deck card. From top to bottom, the matches on this year’s show need to be enough to attract a record amount of people to make the trip down to the Lone Star State.

Can it be done? Oh absolutely! With the right combination of solid young talent and established veteran stars, expect good ol’ “Mean Gene” to make a similar record setting announcement.

There are several ways that the writing staff can go. Based on some rumors I have been hearing and, well, my expert opinion, here is how I can see the card shaping up.

Intercontinental Title – Ladder Match

Ryback vs Neville vs Stardust vs Tyler Breeze vs Rusev vs King Barrett vs Dolph Ziggler vs Baron Corbin

Sticking with the good ol' “if it worked once” method here. Just like last year, the show opens by killing two WrestleMania birds with one stone – an exciting match to start the show to get the crowd going and a multi-man match to get as many superstars on the show as possible.

I had Hideo Itami in this match, but thinking about it, with his injury I can see him spending a little extra time down in NXT before coming to the main roster. If he does make the jump, he would probably take the place of King Barrett since WWE never seems to want to do anything with him. I still feel that Breeze and Corbin can provide a solid infusion of youth from the current NXT roster though. It’s exciting to think that Dolph Ziggler would be the veteran in this match.

This match provides a solid combination of strength (Ryback, Rusev, Corbin) technical skill (Stardust, Barrett) and high-flying ability (Neville, Breeze) to get the crowd ready for what should be built as the biggest WrestleMania of all time.

Randy Orton vs Kevin Owens

Once again Randy Orton is tasked with putting on a great match with an up and coming star. Last year, Orton and Seth Rollins had one some considered to be the match of WrestleMania 31 – capped off with the most “outta nowhere” RKO I personally had ever seen! Rollins obviously did not need to win that match though, as we found out just hours later and he cashed in and became the world heavyweight champion.

Owens, on the other hand, DOES need to win this match. After a strong three-PPV program with John Cena, the love for Owens has seemed to die down drastically. Owens thrives in high-level matches and has the personality and charisma to be one of the most entertaining superstars on the mic. He needs a boost and a win at WrestleMania over a future hall of famer would be a big one for him. The seeds were laid for this one a few months ago when Orton threw out his “are you losing weight?” crack at Owens. It was subtle but still could be used as a starting point.

Roman Reigns vs Dean Ambrose

The former Shield-mates have spent most of 2015 as a couple of good buddies who would just do whatever they could when the other is in need! Wrestling 101 – they’re gonna hate each other soon! The heel turn for this one will inevitably come from Reigns as he is overdue for a turn. The foundation on how this turn will come about (in my opinion) will be laid out as I take a look at another match on my card.

The two have had solid chemistry as a team it makes sense that they would have solid chemistry as opponents. This would have potential to steal the show and possibly set the two up for a huge 2016.

Divas Championship

Charlotte vs Sasha Banks vs Becky Lynch vs Bayley

The Divas Revolution has hit a HUGE road block. After an enormous initial reaction, the Divas division has returned to those that have actual in-ring talent jobbing to those that have a look and have a more marketable character.

Charlotte winning the Divas title (hopefully a part of the revolution is the return of the Women's Championship) is an obvious big step in that process but she is still going up against the likes of the Bellas and Alicia Fox. The revolution came about with how Charlotte, Becky Lynch, Sasha Banks and Bayley have performed in NXT. To create maintainable credibility to the Divas division, this needs to be the WrestleMania match.

Tag Team Championship – TLC Match

Dudley Boyz vs New Day vs (Insert NXT team here) vs Hardy Boyz

I am, much like I’m sure the writing staff is, hesitant to have multiple ladder based matches on the same card. BUT, hard to pass this opportunity up. The Dudley’s are back where they belong. As soon as the pyro hit the night after SummerSlam, the thought of another TLC matchup started dancing around the heads of the WWE Universe. Their first program has been with The New Day of have seemed to have gotten over with the over-the-top celebration style. So much so that they might have enough momentum to take them to WrestleMania – something that is a little hard to imagine for anyone in the tag team division.

NXT has a few options at this point that would work well in this situation – Blake & Murphy, Enzo Amore & Big Cass and current champs The Vaudevillians. Take your pick, they could all put on a good show! Then we come to a bit of a bold prediction with that fourth team listed. Call it a hunch, but with Bubba Ray and D-Von back in the WWE, I can see Matt and Jeff following suit soon. Just like the Dudley’s, if the Hardy’s do come back, how could you not do something like a TLC?

Bray Wyatt vs Finn Balor

Just take a second now and think about the build-up that could come from this one. The New Face of Fear against The Demon! I mentioned in my WrestleMania 31 piece that the build-up for Wyatt vs The Undertaker was so well done…and it was all done by Wyatt! Imagine that kind creepy Halloweeny feeling but with TWO superstars engaged.

Another amazing aspect of this matchup – the WrestleMania introduction of The Demon character! Balor wowed us all when his Demon alter-ego made its debut at NXT’s TakeOver : R-Evolution in December with a simply jaw dropping entrance. My friends and I would also have a small pool every WrestleMania based on different things that would happen. One part of the pool every year was an over/under guess on The Undertaker’s entrance – I think Balor may be taking The Deadman’s place in the next generation.

US Title

John Cena vs Sami Zayn

If you are reading this, there is a very good chance that you remember Sami Zayn answering John Cena’s open challenge for the US title earlier this year. Unfortunately Zayn jacked his shoulder up right before the match which has sidelined him since. But before he hit the sidelines, he STILL managed to put on an amazing match with Cena.

More than that, do you remember the reaction that Zayn’s introduction got? That Montreal crowd is very similar to the crowd that will likely fill most of Jerry’s Playground. Cena has done an amazing job raising the credibility of the US title this year by giving title shots to any and all comers and then having five-star matches with the likes of Seth Rollins, Kevin Owens and even an injured Zayn. The crowd would be enthralled in this match and a Zayn win would blow the roof off the building.

The Undertaker vs Sting

Is there really a reason to explain this one? It’s the matchup that we have been waiting for since Sting decided to go Crow on us in 1996. While the technical aspect of the match may not be as sharp as it would be if it were still the late 90s…it’s still The Undertaker and Sting…it HAS to be seen!

Daniel Bryan vs Shawn Michaels

Student vs teacher in its most exciting form! Something tells me that Daniel Bryan will be making his return as a surprise entrant in the Royal Rumble match in January. I’m starting to think that all of the hype about WWE doctors not clearing Bryan but other doctors are is just a work – I have no doubt that he’ll be back. The biggest challenge in this one would be to convince HBK to get back into the ring. When he left in 2010, he still looked like he had a few years left in him.

And what a way to come back!

When Bryan started his battles against Triple H and The Authority, one of the biggest blows came when Shawn Michaels, the guest referee for a Daniel Bryan vs Randy Orton title match and man who ran the wrestling school that Bryan attended, hit Bryan with the SuperKick to cost him the match. Other than an entertaining exchange the next night, that was pretty much forgotten. But now it could be used as the jump-off of what could have potential to be a top 5 match in WrestleMania history!

Brock Lesnar vs Stone Cold Steve Austin

This is one that is simply based on the rumors that are going around. A lot of people were saying that the likelihood of this match happening would be made clearer with what would happen with Lesnar’s recent appearance on Austin’s Podcast. Well the podcast came and went with no real altercation happening let alone something like the way Austin’s Podcast with Lesnar’s manager Paul Heyman ended a few months ago.

I’m not buying it though.

I have a hunch (there’s that word again) that a friendly discussion between the two was WWE’s response to the internet determining that something happening between the two was inevitable. It is hard to imagine the biggest WrestleMania being held in Texas without a major appearance from Stone Cold.

The Rock vs Triple H

Simply put – The Rock NEEDS to have a match on this show! The foundation has been laid over the last year. First, we had the comical face to face altercation backstage at a SmackDown taping this time last year. Next, Triple H comes out at the end of this year’s Royal Rumble showing his displeasure at The Rock helping Roman Reigns with the Rumble match. Finally, we had the surprise appearance of The Rock at WrestleMania 31 confronting Triple H and Stephanie McMahon…with the help of Ronda Rousey.

I will say that I am SO glad that it doesn’t look like they will be doing the mix tag match rumored between the four. Luckily Dana White is…well…Dana White and can’t stand the fact that his little promotion will never be on WWE’s level and is blocking Rousey from a match. That and movie commitments Rousey now has as well. You can’t put two of the biggest names of the last 20 years in a gimmick mixed tag on this show. The final showdown between these two longtime rivals should attract a lot of mainstream attention and additional ticket sales.

WWE World Heavyweight Championship

Seth Rollins vs Cesaro

Obviously this is probably the most far-fetched possibility. Hear me out though – if this happens, and done in the right way, it could give us a memorable WrestleMania moment to end the show of shows.

The main event matchup last year was a bit of a flop because the WWE Universe was told who they had to think was the best, it didn’t just naturally happen. It did happen the year before though. The end of WrestleMania XXX was electric because it was the culmination of the man the crowd wanted to be given a chance finally had his chance, and made it count. Sound like someone on the roster now? (ok, I know Daniel Bryan is still on the roster, but you know what I mean!)

Here is Cesaro’s path to relevance…

First, a tournament is held to determine a #1 contender to Seth Rollins at Survivor Series. Cesaro wins the tournament but loses the title match to Rollins in an all-time classic – which both Rollins and Cesaro can provide. Cesaro then goes on to the Royal Rumble having the crowd firmly behind him only to be the last one eliminated after a 5-7 minute solid fight with the man who eliminates him and wins…Roman Reigns. Reigns is booed out of the building as the crowd is upset that Reigns wins the Rumble twice in a row and he finally snaps and turns heel. Cesaro keeps hinting that Reigns has no business in the main event until Reigns puts the title match on the line at February’s FastLane show. Cesaro wins that match and goes on to the main event of the biggest Granddady of the All!

Yes I may be stretching it a bit there, but if it happens, the crowd would give it the reaction that it would deserve. I strongly believe that if you give Cesaro the ball, he will run with it. And with his international appeal, he will literally run all over the world with it.

So there you have it. That card, thrown in with appearances by several other legends and Hall of Famers throughout the night, would sell the necessary tickets. We still have a way to go. But we are now in the car and getting ready to leave the neighborhood. Before you know it, we will all be on the Road to WrestleMania!

So what do you think? What matches excite you? What matches do you think we will see to help draw the expected 100,000+ crowd. Let me know on Twitter @Tadigity24

Another solid week as we draw closer to the midway point of the season.

If you’re like me, your fantasy season is pretty much shot, but at least we still have our confidence pool to give us…well…confidence for the rest of the season! (see what I did there?) No time to waste, another week is so close to kicking off!

Week 7 – HERE WE GO!!!!!!!!

(HOME TEAM IN ALL CAPS)

14 – NEW ENGLAND over New York Jets – The Pats have been running roughshod over the entire league to this point. Add in the fact that they love beating up on the Jets and this could get ugly.

13 – ARIZONA over Baltimore – The Cardinals have hit a bit of a slow spot on their way to the playoffs but apparently a game against the Ravens is something that every team in the league looks forward to – just ask the 49ers.

12 – INDIANAPOLIS over New Orleans – It seems like Andrew Luck may have just needed a little time off to heal his shoulder. I am back on the bandwagon…until viciously thrown off again like I was last time.

11 – SAN DIEGO over Oakland – Phillip Rivers threw for over 500 yards last week in Green Bay. Against the Raiders secondary, there is a legit chance that Rivers might reach 800 yards…ish.

10 – CAROLINA over Philadelphia – The Panthers showed last week that they are no fluke with a win in Seattle. Look for them to continue their momentum to roll over another division leader.

9 – NEW YORK GIANTS over Dallas – No Romo and possibly still no Dez for the Cowboys means no chance of winning in Jersey.

8 – Seattle over SAN FRANCISCO – The week starts with what was one of the hottest rivalries in the league just a few years ago. Now, while the rivalry is still there, its to try and stay out of the basement of the division.

7 – ST LOUIS over Cleveland – Todd Gurley is legit and has shown that he was worth the top 10 pick the Rams used on him. Look for Gurley to continue running over the league this week.

6 – Atlanta over TENNESSEE – Speaking of running over the league, his name is Devonta Freeman.

5 – Buffalo over JACKSONVILLE (in London) – The league continues to shove the Jaguars down the throats of Europeans. This year it is the Bills that try to make Jacksonville stay across the pond.

4 – WASHINGTON over Tampa Bay – Bringing back an old gem for this one – the Skins will pull this out simply because they are the home team.

3 – KANSAS CITY over Pittsburgh – If Ben Roethlisberger returns for this game then flip this one around – the Steelers will win. But without him, the Chiefs will need to win this game and establish a new running game without Jamaal Charles. This week’s BOLD PREDICTION is that CHARCANDRICK WEST WILL HAVE THE FIRST 100 YARDS RUSHING GAME OF HIS CAREER. (even if it doesn’t happen, at least I still successfully typed Charcandrick)

2 – DETROIT over Minnesota – The Lions are off the schnide! No 0-16 season this year! One division win could provide the momentum needed to get another one.

1 – Houston over MIAMI – Two teams that have disappointed this year. Don’t let Miami’s big win last week fool you, it was against the Titans.