Monday, August 27, 2012

2012 Fantasy Football Updates

I have updates for the 2012 Fantasy Football Season coming out on my website tonight. I realize that many people may already have had their draft. These people are probably already well organized and don't really need my help.

However, many of us are just starting to look seriously at the 2012 Fantasy Football season. Many of the drafts are going to be taking place this week. If this sounds like you, then you should take a look at Fantasy Football Manager to get your updates and player rankings before your draft.

The reason that I often don't start until this late is because there is a lot that can happen during the preseason: people get cut and sign elsewhere, people get injured, people are holding out. All of this effects the rankings before you have your draft. If you are using outdated information, you can probably expect to draft a couple of busts during your draft.

Injuries happen throughout the season; there's nothing you can do if your team gets hit by the injury bug. However, if you also draft a suspect player in the early rounds of your draft, you probably are going to stop playing seriously around week 10.

Drafting Running backs is still important to having a good team. However, we are now seeing that you can get by if you have several of the best in the other fantasy positions.

As I update the website, I will also put the posts for Overall and Positional Player Rankings here.

Friday, September 23, 2011

Beginning 2011 Fantasy Football Notes

So, once again I was a little too busy with my work to finish any of the Fantasy Football lists on my website this year. Sorry about the ones of you who actually are reading this and are bummed that I didn't finish the pre-draft rankings.

I've been so busy recently that I only had time to sign up for 2 leagues this year. I may get back into posting my pickup specials on a weekly basis.

Would you like a couple of freebies? I know you do. You are going to want to pick up both of the RBs if you get the chance: Bernard Scott (Cincinnati Bengals) and DeMarco Murray (Dallas Cowboys).

I have a feeling that Murray is going to have a break out game against the Redskins this weekend. As for Bernard Scott, word from the league is that the starting RB Cedric Benson will be suspended for 3 games because of the off-season incident with the police.

Early 2011 FFL Notes


From now on, I'm going to make it a point to draft the Houston Texans backup running back. Don't waste the pick until the late rounds, but the Texans are slowly becoming the new Denver Broncos with the running game. Ben Tate is poised to take over the starting spot from Arian Foster, which Foster had previously done to Steve Slaton. I wouldn't be surprised if any marginal RB can be a productive starter in the Texans offense.

The new Brandon Lloyd for the Denver Broncos this year is Eric Decker. He is averaging over 20 yards a reception while Lloyd himself is banged up and most likely will not put up numbers close to last year.

Peyton Hillis is for real. I don't know how this is the case but he should have been one of the top 5 draft picks taken this year. I saw him fall to the 3rd round in one of my drafts and I'm kicking myself for not taking him.

Even though Kansas City was awful in their first two games and lost their star RB for the year, this should be a good year for WR Dwayne Bowe because Matt Cassel is still a good QB. The same can not be said for the receivers playing for the Colts. Be prepared for Reggie Wayne, Austin Collie and Pierre Garcon to have seasons much like Steve Smith had last year in Carolina.

Finally, I would like to select my can't miss kicker of the weekend. I have two of them that I like. First, any New Orleans Saints kicker and this week it is John Kasay. My second pick is Rob Bironas from the Tennessee Titans. Denver has a bend but don't break defense that has been giving up a lot of field goals. Even though Bironas has missed two field goals, one of them was from 67 yards and he is essentially 4 out of 5 this year.

Injuries


Obviously injuries can hurt a Fantasy Football team for a week or longer. Last week, my team lost Michael Vick, Malcolm Floyd and Jamal Charles during the game. There wasn't a whole lot of chance for me to win.

This makes picking up backups and replacements a huge part of competing in any league. Do you want a good source to find out the latest FF news?

I always make it a point to visit NFL Blogs every day to see if there is a free agent that you should pop on.

I hope to update my website and keep posting more often on this blog, but life sometimes dictates otherwise and doing something I don't get paid for means it often has to be put on the back burner.

Sunday, October 17, 2010

Week 6 Free Agent Pickups

There is very little to report on as far as free agents pickups are concerned.

I guess the obvious pickup is Deion Branch, who took over the starting position that was vacated by Randy Moss. Deion got 9 receptions for 98 yards and a TD. If he is available in your league, pick him up.

Another player that you should pick up is tight end Heath Miller from Pittsburgh. He has always been one of Big Ben's favorite targets and he had 50 yards receiving and a TD. Definitively a decent second TE for your team.

I told you last week to watch out for Nate Burleson. He got a TD and 50 yards but also had a costly fumble. This shouldn't hurt his rising value, though, because Detroit is going to need him to produce as their 2nd receiver.

If you are in need of a free agent start for either the Sunday or Monday night games, consider picking up Tennessee WR Kenny Britt. He had a decent game against Dallas last week; although his TD catch looked like it was thrown to another receiver.

If anyone got rid of Brandon Jacobs, make sure you pick him up. The Giants have a formidable running game and Jacobs is likely to get most of the goal line carries.

I didn't really have any really good matchup to report as far as kickers or defenses last week, mostly because I did not see any good matchups for free agent kickers and defenses.

For week 7, I see two defensive matchups that I like and these teams should be available in your league. The Seattle Seahawks are at home against the Arizona Cardinals. The Cardinals offense has shown little on the road and Seattle is very good at home.

My second pick would have to be the Washington Redskins playing on the road against the Chicago Bears. The Bears are proving that they are who we thought they were. Their offense is looking just as terrible as they were at any point last season. Worse yet, their defense did not show up (fantasy points wise) and only got points from a return TD.

As far as place kickers go for week 7, Garrett Hartley seems to have New Orleans starting job back and he has a great matchup against the Cleveland Browns. Other than that, you might want to take a look at Detroit Lions kicker Jason Hanson (although he is on a bye this week). The Lions have not been shy about having him kick 50+ yarders and he has been very accurate this year.

Sunday, October 10, 2010

Week 5 Free Agent Pickups

Assuming that your fantasy football leagues are as picked over as all three of mine are, you're probably not going to find much of value available.

Felix Jones is starting to make noise for the Cowboys. Watch for him to take over the starting job from Marion Barber (again). Dallas is going to primarily be a passing team, but Felix might be worth starting in the near future.

One wide receiver to take a chance on is Detroit Lions wide receiver Nate Burleson. He gives the Lions a legitimate 2nd wide receiver and Calvin Johnson got banged up (shoulder) late in the game against the Rams.

In that same game, St Louis Rams WR Mark Clayton looks to have suffered a serious knee injury. You may want to pick up the next best option for the Rams, Danny Amendola.

Another WR to pick up is James Jones of the Green Bay Packers. He is their slot receiver, but is getting as much action as Greg Jennings and Donald Driver. This is especially true now that both of the Packers top two tight ends went out of today's game with injuries.

Keep RB Earnest Graham of Tampa Bay on your radar. He had the best day running for the Bucs and has been the starting running back in the past. I wouldn't be surprised to see him take over.

Wednesday, October 6, 2010

Fantasy Football Stats after Week 4

Top Fantasy Quarterbacks
Name Pass Yrds Rush Yrds Pass TDs Rush TDs Int
Peyton Manning 1365 -5 11 0 1
Phillip Rivers 1328 7 9 0 4
Aaron Rodgers 940 69 8 2 5
Michael Vick 799 187 6 1 0
Kyle Orton 1419 29 6 0 3
Tom Brady 911 12 9 0 2
Drew Brees 1131 -7 7 0 2
Mark Sanchez 711 6 8 0 0
Matt Schaub 978 0 7 0 4
Matt Ryan 978 51 6 0 3

Top Fantasy Running Backs
Name Rush Yrd Rec Yrd Rush TD Rec TD Fum
Arian Foster 537 152 4 1 1
Rashard Mendenhall 411 27 4 0 0
Jahvid Best 174 217 4 1 1
Adrian Peterson 392 85 3 0 0
Darren McFadden 392 162 1 1 0
LeSean McCoy 273 172 4 0 1
Frank Gore 270 263 1 1 0
Peyton Hillis 322 94 4 0 1
LaDainian Tomlinson 341 82 3 0 0
Chris Johnson 354 38 4 0 2
Ahmad Bradshaw 382 61 3 0 3
Matt Forte 134 209 0 3 1
Mike Tolbert 281 33 3 0 1
Jason Snelling 226 74 2 1 0
Steven Jackson 284 116 1 0 0
Maurice Jones-Drew 322 49 1 1 1
Cedric Benson 262 20 2 1 1
Joseph Addai 228 79 2 0 0
Michael Turner 281 46 1 0 0
Jamaal Charles 238 92 1 0 0

Top Fantasy Wide Receivers
Name Receiving Yards Rec TDs Fumble
Austin Collie 398 5 1
Reggie Wayne 456 2 1
Anquan Boldin 355 3 0
Hakeem Nicks 279 4 0
Brandon Lloyd 454 1 0
Roddy White 362 2 0
DeSean Jackson 337 2 0
Terrell Owens 374 1 0
Calvin Johnson 237 3 0
Eddie Royal 299 2 0
Kevin Walter 242 3 0
Braylon Edwards 227 3 0
Mark Clayton 300 2 0
Brandon Marshall 340 1 0
Jeremy Maclin 162 4 0
Malcolm Floyd 285 2 0
Donald Driver 218 3 0
Wes Welker 217 3 0
Miles Austin 308 1 0
Lance Moore 209 3 1
Chad Ochocinco 296 1 0
Greg Jennings 161 3 0
Mike Wallace 211 2 0
Larry Fitzgerald 208 2 0
Santana Moss 290 1 1

Top Fantasy Tight Ends
Name Receiving Yards Rec TDs Fumbles
Antonio Gates 386 6 0
Dustin Keller 254 5 0
Dallas Clark 275 3 0
Zach Miller 278 2 0
Chris Cooley 234 2 0
Jermichael Finley 301 1 0
Marcedes Lewis 138 3 0
Vernon Davis 209 1 0
Tony Gonzalez 205 1 0
Greg Olsen 179 2 1

Top Fantasy Team Defenses
Name Pts Allow Sacks Safe Int Fum TD Blk Ret TD
Pittsburgh Steelers 50 11 0 6 6 1 0 1
San Diego Chargers 65 15 1 7 4 1 0 0
New England Patroits 96 7 0 7 1 3 2 2
Seattle Seahawks 75 11 0 5 3 1 0 2
Tennessee Titans 68 16 1 4 3 0 0 1
Green Bay Packers 73 16 0 5 2 1 0 0
Saint Louis Rams 52 9 0 4 6 0 1 0
New York Giants 78 16 0 5 4 0 0 0
Chicago Bears 68 4 0 4 7 0 1 1
New York Jets 61 8 0 4 5 0 1 0

Top Fantasy Place Kickers
Name Less 40 40-49 50+ PAT Missed
Matt Bryant - ATL 7 3 0 9 1
Mike Nugent - CIN 7 1 2 7 1
Neil Rackers - HOU 5 3 0 12 2
Sebastian Janikowski - OAK 7 1 1 7 4
Matt Prater - DEN 7 0 1 9 0
Nick Folk - NYJ 5 2 0 11 2
Jeff Reed - PIT 7 0 1 8 4
Rob Bironas - TEN 2 3 1 10 1
Graham Gano - WAS 6 2 0 7 2
Mason Crosby - GB 2 2 1 13 1

Fantasy Football Trade Update

It looks like Randy Moss is going to be headed back to the Minnesota Vikings. The Vikings have had problems at wide receiver since the start of the season with nagging problems to Percy Harvin and the hip injury to Sidney Rice. The trade with the New England Patroits has still not been anounced yet, but a source said that Randy Moss is being traded for a third round draft pick.

This shouldn't come as a big surprise as this is the last year of his contract with the Patroits. Randy Moss owners have been a little disappointed with his efforts so far. He does have 3 TDs but has not gotten over 60 yards receiving in any game yet this year. On Monday night, he did not have any receptions and was not the focus of the offense at all.

This move should increase the value of both Randy and Brett Farve, who has not had a deep threat receiver so far this year. If you have a chance to trade for Randy Moss or if anyone has dropped Brett Farve, you would do well to pick them up on the cheap before Minnesota puts the peddle to the metal.

You may also want to pick up New England wide receiver Brandon Tate, because he is most likely going to be the starting WR opposite to Wes Welker.

Also, Marshawn Lynch was recently traded to the Seattle Seahawks. This may increase the fantasy value of both him and fellow running back Fred Jackson, who will probably take the starting RB position for the Bills. If either is available in your fantasy football free agent list, pick them up now.

Tuesday, October 5, 2010

Early Week 5 Pickup

If you are playing the Pittsburgh Steelers defense, your going to need another defense this week. There are two really good matchups this upcoming weekend. The Chicago Bears are playing the Carolina Panthers and the Bears defense may have to take the game over if the offense plays like it did on Sunday night. Also, the Chargers are playing against the Oakland Raiders. Either matchup should be an ideal fantasy matchup.

Week 4 Free Agent Pickups and News

I've kind of been frustrated with a couple of my decisions so far this year. There are two runningbacks that I've seen and had an opportunity to pick up, but didn't pull the trigger because I didn't think would pan out. But when it comes to picking up busts, I'm doing great. Brandon Jackson, Laurence Maroney, Fred Taylor, oh my.

I saw Mike Tolbert putting up numbers after Ryan Matthews injury but ignored him. I actually picked up Ryan Torian of the Washington Redskins last week but dropped him in favor of picking up the injured Reggie Bush.

Ryan Torian is going to be the biggest free agent pickup of this weekend. He is looking primed to take over as starting runningback for the Redskins because Clinton Portis is a little beat up.

I also ignored BenJarvus Green-Ellis because I didn't think any New England Patroit running back was ever worth owning. He is also proving me wrong (at least this week) by getting the majority of the carries and a rushing TD. I doubt either of these players are left to pick up, but make sure you do if either is available.

I wouldn't bother picking up either running back that the Saints ran out there on Sunday. Neither Ladell Betts or Christopher Ivory really did anything productive. If you need a place kicker next week, I would recommend you pick up the Saints John Carney. He was 3 for 3 on field goals and New Orleans plays an Arizona Cardinals team that has given up 41 points twice.

Mike Vick got injured on Sunday, but I wouldn't rush to pick up Kevin Kolb as the Eagles looked completely out of sync with him at the helm. Also, LeSean McCoy has been reported to have fractured a rib in the same game. Look to pick up running back Mike Bell if LeSean McCoy missing next week's game.

It might be time to cut Mike Sims-Walker as he did not have a reception for the second game this season. He also has two catches or less in 7 of his last 9 games, dating back to last year.

Keep an eye out for Santonio Holmes return this week for the New York Jets after a four game suspension. Braylon Edwards is currently the number 1 wide receiver but Santonio may cut into his production. Ben Roethlisberger also comes back from suspension but the Steelers have a bye week this week.

One more thing to keep an eye on is Green Bay's running game. In particular, Marshawn Lynch has been rumored to be drawing intest from both the Packers and Eagles.

Sidney Rice may not be coming back as soon as expected. He is reportedly still on cruches and may not be back any time close to the week 9 projection. You might not want to keep him on your roster if you need help now during the fantasy football bye weeks.

Saturday, October 2, 2010

Current Fantasy Football Player Stats

Top Fantasy Quarterbacks

Name Pass Yrds Rush Yrds Pass TDs Rush TDs Int
Peyton Manning 1013 -4 9 0 0
Michael Vick 750 170 6 1 0
Phillip Rivers 1087 7 7 0 4
Tom Brady 758 6 8 0 2
Aaron Rodgers 759 49 5 2 3
Jay Cutler 870 62 6 0 2
Drew Brees 856 -6 6 0 2
Kyle Orton 1078 18 4 0 2
Mark Sanchez 550 6 6 0 0
Tony Romo 940 -2 4 0 2

Top Fantasy Running Backs

Name Rush Yrd Rec Yrd Rush TD Rec TD Fum
Adrian Peterson 392 85 3 0 0
Arian Foster 406 96 3 0 1
Jahvid Best 124 183 4 1 0
Chris Johnson 301 27 4 0 1
Darren McFadden 345 80 1 1 0
Frank Gore 193 203 1 1 0
LeSean McCoy 209 62 4 0 0
Rashard Mendenhall 332 18 2 0 0
Matt Forte 108 202 0 3 1
Peyton Hillis 220 86 3 0 1
Jason Snelling 195 69 2 1 0
Cedric Benson 202 20 2 1 1
Ahmad Bradshaw 253 47 2 0 2
Jamaal Charles 238 92 1 0 0
Tim Hightower 209 49 2 0 2
Pierre Thomas 147 133 1 0 0
Steven Jackson 214 62 1 0 0
LaDainian Tomlinson 208 60 1 0 0
Michael Turner 231 18 1 0 0
Knowshon Moreno 111 71 2 0 0

Top Fantasy Wide Receivers

Name Receiving Yards Rec TDs Fumble
Austin Collie 359 4 1
Anquan Boldin 287 3 0
DeSean Jackson 318 2 0
Hakeem Nicks 169 4 0
Brandon Lloyd 339 1 0
Jeremy Maclin 147 4 0
Kevin Walter 207 3 0
Roddy White 258 2 0
Reggie Wayne 260 2 0
Miles Austin 308 1 0
Malcolm Floyd 240 2 0
Brandon Marshall 290 1 0
Mark Clayton 228 2 0
Wes Welker 147 3 0
Santana Moss 290 1 1
Randy Moss 139 3 0
Mike Wallace 187 2 0
Andre Johnson 255 1 0
Chad Ochocinco 237 1 0
Louis Murphy 238 1 0
Mario Manningham 238 1 0
Roy Williams 191 2 1
Lance Moore 172 2 0
Steve Smith (Car) 163 2 0
Braylon Edwards 141 2 0

Top Fantasy Tight Ends

Name Receiving Yards Rec TDs Fumbles
Antonio Gates 242 4 0
Dustin Keller 226 3 0
Dallas Clark 207 2 0
Chris Cooley 197 1 0
Jermichael Finley 265 0 0
Tony Moeaki 123 2 0
Marcedes Lewis 116 2 0
Greg Olsen 140 2 1
Tony Gonzalez 164 1 0
Visanthe Shiancoe 169 1 0

Top Fantasy Team Defenses

Name Pts Allow Sacks Safe Int Fum TD Blk Ret TD
Pittsburgh Steelers 33 10 0 5 5 1 0 1
Seattle Seahawks 55 7 0 4 3 1 0 2
Kansas City Chiefs 38 8 0 2 2 1 0 1
Tennessee Titans 42 10 1 3 3 0 0 0
Miami Dolphins 51 6 1 3 1 1 1 0
Indianapolis Colts 61 7 0 3 3 1 0 0
Chicago Bears 51 2 0 4 4 0 1 1
Philadelphia Eagles 62 12 0 5 0 0 0 0
San Diego Chargers 61 6 1 5 3 0 0 0
Green Bay Packers 47 13 0 3 1 0 0 0

Top Fantasy Place Kickers

Name Less than 40 40-49 50+ PAT
Mike Nugent 5 1 2 5
Jeff Reed 7 0 1 6
Neil Rackers 4 3 0 8
Matt Bryant 5 2 0 8
Sebastian Janikowski 6 1 1 4
Graham Gano 5 2 0 5
Mason Crosby 2 2 1 9
Nick Folk 4 2 0 6
Robbie Gould 5 1 0 6
Dan Carpenter 2 2 1 5

Thursday, September 30, 2010

Beware of New Orleans Kicker Situation

New Orleans Saints kicker Garrett Hartley may be the place kicker on one of the most dynamic offenses in the NFL and was once definitely worth owning in a fantasy football league.

That was before he missed 3 of his first 7 field goals, including a chip shot in overtime last week.

Now, he is on a very short leash apparently because the Saints have recently signed John Carney. Make sure you check before game time this Sunday to make sure that Hartley is dressed. Otherwise, you may be starting a benched kicker.