Fantasy football strategy, rankings, and podcasts

Seven months. Seven…long…months. We’ve had to go seven months without football!

No more though! Football is back!

We are just days away from the Super Bowl Champion Patriots kicking the season off against the Chiefs. With the return of football comes the return of the confidence pool! Have no fear, we are back for another year of picks to help you win your pool…you’re welcome, by the way!

We’ve been waiting long enough, so let’s get to it!

Week 1 – HERE WE GO!!!!

(HOME TEAM IN CAPS)

15 – NEW ENGLAND over Kansas City – Patriots play game…Patriots win game. Stiiiiiiil waiting for this process to stop!

14 – HOUSTON over Jacksonville – Football is obvious not on the top of the priority list in Houston right now. But you can be that those fans will be rocking as they will finally have a positive break for a couple hours.

13 – Atlanta over CHICAGO – Did you know that the Falcons had a sizeable lead in the Super Bowl last year? Did you know that they didn’t hang on to that lead and lost the Super Bowl? Yeah, they remember too.

12 – BUFFALO over New York Jets – These two teams are just going to be BAD this year. Unfortunately for the Jets, they just traded away their one hope of stopping LeSean McCoy, the only person who will be able to move the ball forward on a consistent basis this game.

11 – WASHINGTON over Philadelphia – The Redskins are a dark horse to win the tough NFC East this year. The Eagles won’t have enough to slow Kirk Cousins down.

10 – Pittsburgh over CLEVELAND – Ben Roethlisberger flirted with retirement this off-season. Martavis Bryant might not have been reinstated this off-season. Le’Veon Bell’s holdout might go into the regular season! Well, Big Ben is back, Bryant is reinstated and Bell signed his tender…sorry Cleveland.

9 – GREEN BAY over Seattle – Week 1 gives us a potential NFC Championship to some with this matchup. Not me know, I think Seattle is starting to slip.

8 – MINNESOTA over New Orleans – Adrian Peterson comes home and has a point to prove against his old team. Unfortunately, his new team can’t stop an offense to save their lives.

7 – DENVER over Los Angeles Chargers – It was hard enough last season remembering that there was a Los Angeles now – now I have to remember to put the team name too? Geez this is hard! Denver will take this battle of the bottom half of the AFC West.

6 – Oakland over TENNESSEE – I had mentioned earlier that the Patriots pattern of winning needed to stop…it will in January. My first BOLD PREDICTION of the 2017 season is that THE OAKLAND RAIDERS WILL WIN THE AFC AND GO TO THE SUPER BOWL.

5 – Carolina over SAN FRANCISCO – Some are saying that the 49ers should be favored in this game. What did I miss? I understand that there is a new regime in San Fran but it won’t be enough to stop the Panthers and their new toy Christian McCaffrey.

4 – DALLAS over New York Giants – This pick is based on Ezekial Elliot NOT playing. If, for whatever reason, Elliot plays, bump the ‘Boys up a few lines.

3 – CINCINNATI over Baltimore – If either of these two teams want to show that the division is just “Pittsburgh and Friends” they will need to do so right off the bat. The Bengals get the nod here with the game being played in Cincinnati.

3 – Tampa Bay over Miami – Sooooooooo I would put thought into the reasons for my pick here. But there’s a good chance that this game won’t be happening Sunday. Thanks a lot Irma!

Editor's Note: The NFL has officially moved the game to Week 11, and so you can disregard this pick.

2 – DETROIT over Arizona – Matthew Stafford is now the highest paid player in the league. He will need to start showing why against top teams like the Cardinals.

1 – LOS ANGELES RAMS over Indianapolis – Thanks to a horrible defense and an Andrew Luck injury, the Rams should look like a legitimate professional football team this week.

We are so close to the end of yet another year! Playoff spots are beginning to fill up and divisions will be decided this week. This is arguably the most exciting part of the season! So let’s get to it!

Week 16 – HERE WE GO!!!!!!!!!

(HOME TEAM IN ALL CAPS)

16 – NEW ENGLAND over New York Jets – The Pats still have home field advantage to play for…and you know they won’t take it easy on the Jets.

15 – GREEN BAY over Minnesota – We are finally starting to see the Packers that we thought they would be, which isn’t good news for the NFC.

14 – SEATTLE over Arizona – I really don’t know what happened to the Cardinals this year.

13 – DALLAS over Detroit – Yes the Lions are a division leader right now, but what have they done this year to make you think they stand a chance against the Cowboys?

12 – HOUSTON over Cincinnati – With how hot the Titans have been, Houston is lucky they get a home game against the Bengals.

11 – PITTSBURGH over Baltimore – It’s hard to see the Ravens slowing down the Steelers offense, especially with the AFC North on the line.

10 – Tennessee over JACKSONVILLE – The Titans have a legitimate chance to win this division! What should be an easy win against Jacksonville would set up week 17 home game against Houston for the AFC South!

9 – OAKLAND over Indianapolis – For the first time in 14 years, the Raiders are heading to the playoffs! Jack Del Rio will definitely make sure that his players still has a lot to play for this Sunday.

8 – New York Giants over PHILADELPHIA – The week starts off with an NFC East matchup that would have been a lot more exciting if it were a couple months ago when the Eagles mattered.

7 – CAROLINA over Atlanta – The Panthers showed some signs of life last week. I think they should be able to keep that momentum going against the Falcons.

6 – San Diego over CLEVELAND – While this will probably be their last chance for victory, it just won’t happen this year for the lowly Browns.

5 – KANSAS CITY over Denver – With last week’s collapse against the Titans, the Chiefs are now battling to stay in division contention.

4 – BUFFALO over Miami – The Bills are actually still fighting for a playoff berth! They should be able to squeak out the mild home upset.

3 – Tampa Bay over NEW ORLEANS – Tampa Bay almost pulled it out in Dallas. While I’m sure they would rather be playing at home, the Saints just aren’t enough to scare me against this hungry Bucs team.

2 – LOS ANGELES over San Francisco – This game will happen…that’s all that needs to be said.

1 – CHICAGO over Washington – With a team looking to the future, the Bears could probably use better draft positioning more than a win here, but it is what it is. My BOLD PREDICTION for this week is that MATT BARKLEY WILL BE THE BEARS STARTING QUARTERBACK TO START THE 2017 REGULAR SEASON.

Fantasy Football is now in their playoff season. Things are just as intense in the confidence pool world as well. For those that are hanging on to hope for the season long pool, you need to end the season strong.

The best way to end the season strong? Well, just read on!

Week 15 – HERE WE GO!!!!!!!!!

(HOME TEAM IN ALL CAPS)

16 – ATLANTA over San Francisco – Funny to think that this was the matchup in a recent NFC Championship game.

15 – SEATTLE over Los Angeles – Every team gets one prime time game a year. The Rams, having just moved to LA, get theirs on the road. So that makes sense.

14 – HOUSTON over Jacksonville – The Texans picked up a huge win in Indy last week. They should easily be able to keep that momentum going with a home game against the lowly Jags.

13 – BUFFALO over Cleveland – The Bills are this high based on who they are playing, not necessarily for how they have been playing themselves.

12 – DALLAS over Tampa Bay – The Bucs are on a roll, but they are standing in the way of an angry Cowboys team with a quarterback with something to prove now.

11 – WASHINGTON over Carolina – The disappointing season for the Panthers can’t end soon enough.

10 – Pittsburgh over CINCINNATI – Just hand the ball to Bell and get out of his way!

9 – Green Bay over CHICAGO – The league’s greatest rivalry is renewed on the lakefront. The Bears may have their answer at quarterback, but it won’t show this week. My BOLD PREDICTION for this week is that MATT BARKLEY WILL BE THE BEARS STARTING QUARTERBACK WEEK 1 NEXT SEASON.

8 – KANSAS CITY over Tennessee – The Titans aren’t pushovers anymore! It will be a good game but the red hot Chiefs should be able to keep rolling.

7 – Oakland over SAN DIEGO – Playing in San Diego has been a bit of a second home for the Raiders as of late. The fact that Melvin Gordon will be out only helps their road cause.

6 – NEW YORK GIANTS over Detroit – The Giants apparently have the Cowboys number. Now they need to take that momentum and top a division leader to bolster their playoff hopes.

5 – DENVER over New England – This heated rivalry seems to go to the home team as of late. I don’t see things being any different this time around.

4 – BALTIMORE over Philadelphia – The Ravens are still cleaning on to playoff hopes. They need an easy win like this to stay alive.

3 – Indianapolis over MINNESOTA – If the Colts still want a chance at winning the AFC South, they NEED this road win!

2 – ARIZONA over New Orleans – This should have been a game of the week contender. Now…meh.

1 – NEW YORK JETS over Miami – The Jets should be able to take advantage of a Dolphins team with fresh quarterback issues.

No more bye weeks! Gone are the days where we got a condensed Sunday of football to hold our attention! Plus, now we get a chance to score more points to make up some ground in the season long pools that we are in!

Week 14 – HERE WE GO!!!!!!!!!

(HOME TEAM IN ALL CAPS)

16 – DETROIT over Chicago – After a win at home against the 49ers, the Bears will get back to their losing ways – which is how they need to take the rest of the season to get a better draft pick.

15 – MIAMI over Arizona – Yes, it’s weird to see the Dolphins this high, but they are fighting for a playoff spot…a spot they have a legit chance of getting.

14 – TAMPA BAY over New Orleans – Speaking of surprising playoff contenders, the Bucs are just that! And with the way that they are playing, my BOLD PREDICTION for the week is that TAMPA BAY WILL WIN THE NFC SOUTH.

13 – Atlanta over LOS ANGELES – Yes it’s a cross country trip, but it’s a cross country trip to play the Rams. Eric Dickerson will show more respect towards Jeff Fischer than the Falcons will show to the Rams.

12 – Cincinnati over CLEVELAND – A game against the Browns is always the cure for what ails you and the Bengals have been ailing something strong.

11 – NEW ENGLAND over Baltimore – Baltimore has seen success in Foxboro winter games…won’t happen this time though.

10 – GREEN BAY over Seattle – The Packers need this game. Plain and simple, they need this win.

9 – INDIANAPOLIS over Houston – This game will go a long way in deciding the AFC South. Lucky for the Colts its being played in Indy.

8 – BUFFALO over Pittsburgh – The Bills are still clinging on to playoff hopes. They need a win against a playoff caliber team to get them over the hump.

7 – JACKSONVILLE over Minnesota – My computer had a very hard time putting the Jags in bold letters this early. But a home game against the Vikings right now will do that.

6 – CAROLINA over San Diego – At least the Panthers have the benefit of being an East coast team hosting a West coast team.

5 – TENNESSEE over Denver – The Titans could be something special in the next year or two. Big wins like this would help them reach that next step.

4 – SAN FRANCISCO over New York Jets – Ugh…

3 – Washington over PHILADELPHIA – This would have been an exciting matchup a month or two ago.

2 – KANSAS CITY over Oakland – A potentially frozen field in Kansas City could slow down the high-octane Raider offense.

1 – NEW YORK GIANTS over Dallas – Anytime you pick the Cowboys to lose, make sure it is with a low number.