Oct
The fifth week went in the books with a Ryan Longwell game-winning field goal Monday night and more hardware seems necessary to cap off another exciting week of NFL action. With blowouts in Carolina, New York and Arizona and a classic comeback served up by Peyton Manning, there were plenty of commendable efforts put forth on the gridiron Sunday.
Aaron Rodgers took a big step after filling Favre’s spikes by finding himself on a Dream Lineup that was led by his predecessor in Week 4. And two Eagles find themselves on our Nightmare Squad after a lackluster showing at home against the ‘Skins. And after Week 4’s Waiver Wire Special Steve Slaton went for nearly 100 yards rushing and two scores, be sure to check out who took home the honors this time around as Big Bertha’s back to dish out some Week 5 hardware. Read more »
Sep
With their first win of the year, the San Diego Chargers can finally build towards a promising season. Brett Favre and the New York Jets may be heading in the opposite direction.
Philip Rivers stole the show with three touchdown passes on a beautiful Monday Night in southern California, as the Chargers defeated the Jets 48-29. Although these teams put up only one less point (77) than the Eagles and Cowboys (78) last Monday Night, this game felt over long before the final seconds expired. Read more »
Sep
Some big-name playmakers are hurting going into Week 3, leaving many fantasy owners scrambling for replacements. Among the most valuable fantasy assets banged up heading into the third weekend, Adrian Peterson, LaDainian Tomlinson, and Braylon Edwards are all on teams that face the NFL abyss that is 0-3.
Some of the top fantasy athletes in this young season may be on the shelf this weekend, so their owners had better beware in several of these cases: Read more »
Sep
Fantasy football is truly a humbling pastime. Just when you think you’ve mastered your draft and are set up to dominate your league, Bernard Pollard lands on Tom Brady’s leg and your chances are shot. And just after you go unbeaten during the regular season, fantasy playoffs come and a team that limped in with a .500 record knocks you off. You never know what will happen, but you can always make good, educated guesses.
It’s important to consider the context in which things occur and notice the bigger trends behind a player’s week-by-week performance.
Start with the Brady situation, where Matt Cassel started in his place and led the Patriots to a 19-10 win over their division rival New York Jets. How did the team’s passing game change? Who benefited? Did they run more? Keep your eyes on these big picture developments, and fewer things will come as surprises. Read more »
Sep
After Week 1 was complete, many NFL teams saw big-name guys go down. Some are gone for the season, altering the 2008 landscape permanently. Others are harboring smaller bumps and bruises affecting their status for only a week or two.
Below are the 10 injuries to guys not named Brady or Colston that will have the greatest impact on the fantasy world in Week 2. Obviously a lost season from the NFL’s poster boy and 4-6 weeks without Drew Brees’ No. 1 wideout have clear and lasting impacts. However, there are quite a few more that can affect fantasy owners’ decision-making for Week 2. Read more »
Aug
Rookie fullback Jacob Hester proved himself a worthy backup to LaDainian Tomlinson and a threat at the goal-line, carrying 13 times for 49 yards and 2 touchdowns. According to the San Diego Union-Tribune, Hester made an even bigger mark when he threw his first career block.
Right now, Hester is the best bet to fill in for L.T., should an unfortunate injury occur, but may have the same kind of struggles as Rams’ hybrid halfback/fullback Brian Leonard had last season. These guys have enough size to be effective in small doses, but not enough speed or agility to be full-time backs. Read more »
Aug
The basic list form of our preseason top 200 rankings. We also feature the same list, equipped with notes for each and every player and completely free of charge, on FantasySports101.net. Once the regular season begins, we’ll narrow the list down to the top 101 players and do the same thing every week.
Some highlights on the list:
Rookie Darren McFadden’s debut at No. 36, largely because of the lesson we learned from Minnesota’s Adrian Peterson last season. That kind of talent needs to, and usually does, find a home before the fifth round of standard drafts.
Jason Witten overtakes Antonio Gates, who has question marks about his own health and the health of quarterback Philip Rivers’ knee, as the first tight end off the board.
Two less heralded rookie running backs, Chicago’s Matt Forte and Denver’s Ryan Torain, can be found in the middle rounds with a realistic expectation that both will win starting jobs. Read more »