With Week 14 in the books, the fantasy season is officially winding down. Top performances down the stretch prove crucial when playoff spots and championships come into play. For the second straight week Westbrook owners rejoiced as he turned in an MVP-worthy showing against the Giants in a rivalry game.

The Colts looked like the Colts of seasons past as they routed Cincinnati, and Brett Favre and the Jets fired a blank in a Week 14 loss to Mike Singletary’s revitalized 49ers. Read more »

Indianapolis Colts quarterback Peyton Manning was admittedly rusty at the start of 2008, prompting a myriad speculation that his career was beginning to end. There were more setbacks than usual, granted, but the outlook has looked a whole lot brighter with Manning throwing for 7 touchdowns and no interceptions during Indianapolis’ 3-game winning streak.

While Manning’s vital statistics - 61.3 percent completions, 9 interceptions, 86.6 rating, 6.8 yards per attempt - remain near career-low levels, the futility is weighted by a few minor blowups. Manning and the Colts have a favorable schedule down the stretch, especially against the pass with San Diego (No. 31 pass defense), Cleveland (No. 22) and Detroit (No. 23) among the team’s last six opponents. His struggles appear to be over. Read more »

The free fall continues. I ended Week 8 with a 4-8-2 record. At 51-61-4 on the year, my goal of a .700 win percentage may seem like a pipe dream, but I wouldn’t go away just yet. Read more »

Time to shake it up.

No more standing by and watching top dogs Adrian Peterson and LaDainian Tomlinson get out-produced by the likes of Clinton Portis, Frank Gore and Marion Barber. That trio is no doubt a placeholder until A.P. and L.T. break out of their funks, but the body of work still deserves the recognition.

Philosophically, we’ll be treating this poll just like an AP Top 25 in college football. Just because a team keeps winning, it doesn’t mean it has chance after chance to retain the No. 1 ranking. Peterson was the equivalent of, say, Georgia eking past Alabama-Birmingham, Jacksonville State and Troy: while he technically didn’t lose a ton of ground, he didn’t gain any of it, either. Read more »

NFL quarterbacks are dropping faster than bad guys in a cheesy Sly Stallone movie. Only, instead of bringing disgrace to the box office, these walking wounded are exiting games early, being scratched from starts late, and piling up losses for fantasy owners.

The Big 3 have been at the front of the line, obviously highlighted by Tom Brady’s season-ending knee injury in Week 1. Peyton Manning is only now himself after two offseason knee surgeries contributed to an uncharacteristic slow start, and Tony Romo is on the shelf for the next month with a broken pinkie finger. Read more »

Week 6 of NFL action is in the books and “exciting” doesn’t quite do Sunday’s events any justice. Six games were decided by one score or less; 11 guys had at least 100 yards receiving; and multiple first place teams fell to lesser opponents.

MJD won MVP honors, and for the third week in a row I’ll attempt to pick a Waiver Wire Special to help the collective fantasy world limp through the NFL’s Week 7 schedule. And with all the last-second heroics witnessed throughout the league, this week’s highlight reel is a can’t miss.

Big Bertha’s back to reward the worthy with Week 6 hardware. Read more »

Last week we told you to expect big things from RBs Steve Slaton, Michael Turner and Matt Forte. They all delivered. We also told you not to start RBs Julius Jones, Rudi Johnson, WR Anthony Gonzalez and QB Matt Hasselbeck. You guessed it, they all floundered in Week 5. How did we know this? Playing the matchups.

Here is a look at some of the most intriguing Week 6 matchups. It’s all about starting quality players when they have a favorable matchup, and the most savvy owners know when it’s time to take a chance on lesser players facing softer defenses. Take the first step here – in the fifth edition of The Good, Bad and Ugly.
Read more »

We’re just about a quarter of the way through the season already and many leagues are beginning to take shape. If you are comfortable at the top of your league, or embarrassed while at the bottom, just remember there is still a long way to go. All it takes is some good management and your team could go from pretender to contender, or the other way around, in a matter of weeks. Just make sure you have the right players in every week.

Here is a look at some of the most intriguing Week 5 matchups. It’s all about starting quality players when they have a favorable matchup, and the most savvy owners know when it’s time to take a chance on lesser players facing softer defenses. Take the first step here – in the fourth edition of The Good, Bad and Ugly.
Read more »