Fantasy football strategy, rankings, and podcasts

When you correctly predict an 0-10 team to get their first win against a team that came into the game 7-3, you know it’s going to be a good week!

The Raiders made sure that the Lions remain alone in football misery’s history. No winless season in the bay…at least not this year. And if you read this post and used my picks, you impressed a lot of people last week!

Not only did you have the Raiders getting their first win but you correctly picked 13 of the 15 games! What a week it was!

Let keep the momentum going!

Week 13 – HERE WE GO!!!

(HOME TEAM IN ALL CAPS)

16 – INDIANAPOLIS over Washington – Colt McCoy is back under center as RGIII takes a seat. McCoy has been the most productive of the Redskins quarterback merry-go-round, but there is just no way he can pull out a win in Indy.

15 – HOUSTON over Tennessee – I feel like the Texans are an offensive volcano about to burst and the eruption will come Sunday.

14 – BALTIMORE over San Diego – The Ravens look like the top team in the toughest division in the league. The Chargers have been struggling and this cross-country trip comes at a very inopportune time.

13 – DETROIT over Chicago – Thanksgiving day starts in Ford Field with a classic NFC North battle. The Lions need to get back on track and should be able to do so easily against a team that just can’t seem to find their identity.

12 – PITTSBURGH over New Orleans – I said before that the Saints have been hard to figure out this year. Well it seems like figuring this year’s team is getting easier to do…and it’s not good.

11 – Miami over NEW YORK JETS – The Dolphins nearly pulled out a win in Denver. There is no reason they shouldn’t be able to win in New York against a team that is playing a quarterback that the coach doesn’t want to play.

10 – DALLAS over Philadelphia – My initial BOLD PREDICTION was that the Cowboys would win the East. This is the game where they prove that one to be true.

9 – MINNESOTA over Carolina – While the Vikings showed signs of life against a red-hot Green Bay team last week, this pick is more of a lack of faith in Carolina than confidence in Minnesota.

8 – GREEN BAY over New England – Possible game of the year here. The fact that this game is in Lambeau is a HUGE advantage for the Pack. This week’s BOLD PREDICTION is that this game will be this year’s Super Bowl matchup.

7 – Cincinnati over TAMPA BAY – The Bengals seem to be back on track now. With a healthy AJ Green and a healthy running game whether its Bernard or Hill, they should be able to continue Tampa’s woeful season.

6 – Arizona over ATLANTA – The Falcons round out a clean sweep of NFC South losses this week. If you thought a 7-9 Seahawks team in the playoffs a few years ago was bad, could we see a 6-10 team this year?

5 – Seattle over SAN FRANCISCO – Thanksgiving ends with what has been one of the best rivalries in the last few years. It does seem to have lost a bit of its luster as both team’s haven’t lived up to expectations this year, but the Seahawks have definitely been the lesser of two evils here.

4 – ST. LOUIS over Oakland – Coming off of their first win of the year, the Raiders have to make a bit of a trip this week. The only real interesting question with this game is which of these team’s will end up in LA first?

3 – BUFFALO over Cleveland – It looks like the snow will let up enough for the Bills to have their home field advantage back this week. This game could go a long way in deciding playoff spots down the road and the Bills won’t let that chance pass them by.

2 – KANSAS CITY over Denver – Any time you think the Broncos are going to lose, make sure to have it down pretty low on your list.

1 – JACKSONVILLE over New York Giants – Conversely, any time you think the Jaguars are going to WIN a game, make sure it is on the one point line.

We’re winding down the regular season. For most fantasy football leagues, playoffs start off this week. You could say the same about the confidence pools as well. While there is no set tournament format, those that are just a few points away from the top spot are running out of time to make their move.

So let’s get the final push started off on the right foot!

WEEK 14 – HERE WE GO!!!!

(HOME TEAM IN ALL CAPS)

16 – GREEN BAY over Atlanta – The Packers are rolling. Atlanta is coming off of a big home win against the Cardinals, but they won’t have nearly enough to do the same this week.

15 – DETROIT over Tampa Bay – The Lions looked to be back in sync on Thanksgiving. A game against the Bucs is always a good way to fine-tune any and all kinks in the system.

14 – DENVER over Buffalo – Denver showed last week that they are not going to just let the Patriots take the top spot in the AFC. Buffalo is right on the cusp of a playoff spot but they are in the wrong place at the wrong time.

13 – MINNESOTA over New York Jets – Teddy Bridgewater looks to be making a small turn around the corner now. Lucky for him the Jets come to town. The Vikings defense has been playing well as of late which gives me confidence to say that my BOLD PREDICTION this week is that Geno Smith will have a second consecutive sub-100 yard passing day.

12 – NEW ORLEANS over Carolina – The NFC South is one of the most wide open divisions in the league. The Panthers keep showing that they want to just close their door.

11 – Houston over JACKSONVILLE – Ryan Fitzpatrick made coaches realize that he deserves the starting job he started the season with after six touchdowns last week. The Texans should have no issues helping the Jags make their claim for the number one pick in the draft.

10 – TENNESSEE over New York Giants – The Giants have shown some signs of life this year, but not on the road.

9 – CINCINNATI over Pittsburgh – The Steelers have been an up and down team this season. Seems like they are on the downward slope right now.

8 – WASHINGTON over St Louis – Ugh…

7 – San Francisco over OAKLAND – Well the Raiders were brought back down to Earth pretty quickly after a 52-0 drubbing at the hands of the Rams. San Francisco hasn’t been themselves this year, but at least they get the equivalent of a second bye week this week.

6 – Indianapolis over CLEVELAND – If the Browns decided to go with Johnny Manziel this week then they would have deserved to be sitting home during the playoffs. They at least have a chance with Brian Hoyer this week, but not a very good one.

5 – Dallas over CHICAGO – The week starts on the lakefront with two teams playing in their second consecutive Thursday game. Both teams were embarrassed last week. The Cowboys seem like the team to be able to rebound better.

4 – PHILADELPHIA over Seattle – Clash of the Titans this week with the Eagles offense going up against the Seahawks defense. Offense wins games and defense wins championships…lucky for the Eagles this one is just a game!

3 – MIAMI over Baltimore –Two more AFC teams trying to put some separation in the cluttered wild card picture. The Dolphins should just be lucky that this game is played in Florida and not Baltimore.

2 - 05B5259097     ARIZONA over Kansas City – The Cardinals, and Drew Stanton in particular, need to win this game to show that they are still contenders in the NFC. They should be able to squeak out a win.

1 – SAN DIEGO over New England – This one is a toss-up. Both teams have been playing great recently. I’m Giving the nod to the Chargers simply because it’s a home game that the Pats have to travel cross-country for.

Welcome gamblers to another section geared towards winning the big $$$ on Fanduel.  Taking a different approach this week by going with two high priced running backs vs. looking for the bargain backs with high volume potential.  This may hurt my wide receiver selections, but I couldn't pass up on the running back matchups.  Good luck to you all!

QB – Drew Brees, NO ($9,400): Brees should be up for a huge performance at home this week going up against a Carolina defense that averages 2 touchdowns allowed through the air per game.  Expect Brees to top that average in what looks to be a high scoring affair. 

RB – Arian Foster, HOU ($8,700): Foster is healthy coming into this dream matchup so I can't pass up on this one.  Jacksonville gives up 129.4 rushing yards per game and at least 1 touchdown per game.  Foster should hit those numbers on the ground and add to them since he is involved in the passing game as well.

RB – Eddie Lacy, GB ($8,500): Taking another high ticket RB this week since Lacy has a great matchup against a Falcons defense giving up 118.3 yards per game on the ground.  As we start getting into more cold weather games expect the Packers to lean more on the ground game vs. their norm of airing the ball out.

WR – Kenny Stills, NO ($6,400): Great price for someone who has stepped up to be the number 1 receiving option for the Saints.  I love pairing my quarterback with one of their receiving options for Fanduel tournaments as well.

WR – Robert Woods, BUF ($5,900): Should be a decent play for the price as Buffalo will inevitably need to be throwing for touchdowns to keep up or catch up to the Broncos.  Throw in Orton returning to Denver where he had success and Sammy Watkins being banged up adds some more incentive.

WR – James Jones, OAK ($5,400): Breaking a rule of never playing anyone from Oakland, but going high on other positions this week makes the receiver selections limited.  Strictly went off of who has been averaging the most fantasy points in this price range for this selection.

TE – Antonio Gates, SD ($5,600): New England has been shutting down opposing teams outside receivers but tight ends and slot receivers have had success.  This game has potential for high scoring and if it does expect Gates to be involved in that.

K – Phil Dawson, SF ($4,800): Looked to be the best priced kicker not playing in a cold weather location.  Oakland also gives up the 5th most fantasy points to opposing kickers.

DEF – Houston Texans ($5,300): I love playing any defense against the Jaguars and especially love playing an elite fantasy defense against them.  Good chance for some touchdowns coming here.

We’re getting down to the wire!

Teams are playing for their playoff lives, teams are starting to consider benching players to rest them for the playoffs, and some are making roster changes to start looking towards the future. All of these factors need to be kept in mind when making picks from here on out.

So let’s get to it!

WEEK 15! HERE WE GO!!!

(HOME TEAM IN CAPS)

16 – BALTIMORE over Jacksonville – The Jags just lost their biggest offensive weapon, Denard Robinson, for the year. The number one pick in the draft may now be theirs, and this week starts that road to being “on the clock”.

15 – NEW ENGLAND over Miami – I picked the Dolphins to beat the Pats in week 1 and said that this would be the beginning of the end of the New England dynasty. Won’t make that mistake twice!

14 – DETROIT over Minnesota – Teddy Bridgewater has shown signs of life the last few weeks. The Lions give the kid a test this week that he just may not have enough experience to pass.

13 – SEATTLE over San Francisco – The Seahawks seem to be getting back on the tracks that the 9ers seem to be running off of.

12 – INDIANAPOLIS over Houston – Houston is a consistent quarterback away from this being one of the top rivalries in the league for years to come. They’re not there yet and the Colts should be able run away with this one.

11 – KANSAS CITY over Oakland – It was just a couple weeks ago that the Raiders held on and beat the Chiefs for their first win of the season. The Chiefs haven’t forgotten that night.

10 – Pittsburgh over ATLANTA – The Steelers are going to go as far as Le’Veon Bell will take them – and this week that could be pretty far.

9 – CAROLINA over Tampa Bay – This game would be a little higher if not for Cam Newton’s car accident but the Panthers should still be able to handle the Bucs and stay alive in the lowly NFC South.

8 – Green Bay over BUFFALO – Green Bay almost let one get away last week against the Falcons. We’ll see this week if the Pack have learned from their mistakes… my money’s on yes!

7 – TENNESSEE over New York Jets – Second straight week the Titans host a team from New York. Lucky for them the AFC version has a lot less talent.

6 – Denver over SAN DIEGO – If the Chargers want to keep their AFC West hopes alive, they need this game. Don’t think they’ll get it and it may end up being the start of the fall out of the playoffs all together.

5 – Dallas over PHILADELPHIA – Dallas is desperate. They were blown out at home against these Eagles on Thanksgiving. That and the fact that their division title hopes are fading should be enough to fuel them to a big road win.

4 – New Orleans over CHICAGO – The week ends with what surely seemed like a solid battle of two NFC contenders…before the season started. Tony Romo dissected the Bears defense last week so what do you think Drew Brees can do?

3 – Cincinnati over CLEVELAND – Johnny Manziel is going to have to win a game before I even think of predicting him to win a game. My BOLD PREDICTION for this week is that Johnny Manziel will NOT be the starting quarterback for the Browns week 1 of next season.

2 – NEW YORK GIANTS over Washington – The NFC East’s other teams meet up because the schedule says they still have to. The Giants are the home team so they get to win.

1 – ST. LOUIS over Arizona – Week 15 kicks off with a battle in the NFC West. The Rams have being pretty solid lately and should be able to pull off the big upset.