The Kurse came off Drew Brees' bye and re-announced its presence with authority. Deion Branch out for a couple weeks, Shaun Alexander's fullback retired, Drew Brees crapped the bed...again, and the very injury that Kurse watch predicted in the beginning of the year, and reiterated last week, happened. The Kurse went through Cadillac Williams and knocked out Michael Pittman for a good portion of the season. So, here are this weeks rankings with some bonus comments at the end.
Start planning your retirement.
Drew Brees. It's all over, and I personally apologize to all Saints fans. My brother says he hates Drew Brees, but he only has himself to blame. He should have drafted all Patriots, then he might have had a chance.
Quick, fake an injury!
Shaun Alexander. He's already been severely average. He's playing with a broken hand. His fullback was just forced to retired due to a spinal injury. All not good signs with the kurse running out of targets.
1-2, he's comin' for you...
Travis Henry stays right here this week. I think we all agree that it's only a matter of time at this point.
Safe...for now
Deion Branch! Nice job suffering that "minor" injury in order to avoid more serious damage.
I'm a Survivor!
Randy Moss had an off day, but it's not enough to remove him from this spot. Also, Braylon Edwards is very close to joining him here.
We could be in the midst of the most destructive year in the history of the Kurse. It's not pretty, and shows no signs of letting up, but let's finish up with something a little more positive...
Maybe it's the celebrations, or the endearing "me first" attitude, but I've always been partial to WRs. I always pay special attention to them and here are some observations on a few of the young (3rd year in the league or less) potential breakout WR's over the next season or two:
FYI, this is more "Who's Next", than "Who's Now" so don't expect to see Braylon Edwards/Marques Colston types.
-Dwayne Bowe is a man. I didn't see this coming, and I have a hard time complimenting anything about the Chiefs, but he's far and away the best rookie wide receiver right now (apologies to The Ginn Family), and he would be even if Calvin Johnson was healthy. I'm not simply basing this off of his one huge game against the Chargers, watch him play and you'll see it too. He catches everything, demands the ball, and has a blend of size, strength, and speed that would remind you of Luke Staley.
-Brandon Marshall: He's another one that looks to be pretty solid. He's got the measurables and is in a better situation than Bowe, but Cutler hasn't exactly been the dream QB many pegged him to be. As far as talent/ability goes, I see him as more of a #2 and put him behind Bowe. But his fantasy value is probably similar , maybe even slightly higher, because Denver should end up being less inept on offense than KC and Javon Walker is never on the field to take looks away from him.
-Santonio Holmes: He proved, at least for one week, that he could be a number 1 guy. He was pretty consistent and productive throughout most of his rookie season as well. I wasn't sold on Holmes when he came out, but I certainly think Pittsburgh is getting the most out of him for their offensive style. I'm not sure I'd want him as my #1, or how successful he'd be somewhere else, but in Pittsburgh, as an afterthought to most defenses - perfect fit. A significant upgrade talent wise over Randle El in that same role.
-Vincent Jackson: He finished strong last season and a lot of people were excited about his potential coming into his third season on a loaded Chargers team. His numbers are decent so far, but I have trouble taking him seriously for a number of reasons. First, he even says he's out there to run block more than anything. Second, I've seen him drop too many catchable balls over the last season+. Third, the Chargers just don't throw to people not named Antonio Gates that often. So, what you're getting right now is probably the best you can hope for. About 4 catches for 60-75 yards. If he gets a TD and/or breaks 100 yards, consider yourself fortunate for the week.
-Roddy White: He's had some atrocious drops over his first three seasons, but is making the most of his chances this year. Believe me, I watched Joey Harrington over throw Chris Chambers countless times, so while the number of receptions is discouraging (aside from the Carolina game), I'm sure it's not entirely his fault. That being said, he struggled mightily his first two seasons, and it could be tough for him to flourish in that offense, without a QB. I'd stay away from him this season and next until the Falcons showed some stability and he showed some consistency.
-Demetrius Williams: I've said it before, and I'll say it again. Williams is the real deal. It's almost to the point where I'm even wanting Kyle Boller to start just so there's someone that can reach Demetrius (from his knees even!). If the Ravens had an offensive line that could buy just a little time for a capable QB to throw downfield, their offense would make a much bigger jump than awful to adequate. They have a group of weapons that fit nicely together in Williams, Mason, Clayton, Heap, McGahee, but they're all being wasted right now.
Others I'm keeping an eye on, but want to see more of:
Greg Jennings, James Jones, Jacoby Jones, Sidney Rice, Ted Ginn Jr., Calvin Johnson, Anthony Gonzalez, Robert Meachem, and of course - Chad WOLFEGANG Jackson! Chad was my next big thing at WR coming out of Florida, then he got stuck on the Patriots and tore his ACL. I'm still rooting for him, but it's not going to be easy.
Here are some that I think cannot be successful in their current situations:
Reggie Brown, Devery Henderson, Troy Williamson, Matt Jones, Brandon Jones, Derek Hagan
That's all for now, maybe some baseball tomorrow before the weekly NFL picks on Friday.
Showing posts with label fantasy football. Show all posts
Showing posts with label fantasy football. Show all posts
Tuesday, October 9, 2007
Thursday, October 4, 2007
Kurse Watch - Week 5 Fantasy Focus
I was thinking about talking some baseball playoffs, but there's not a heck of a lot to be said - certainly nothing you won't read elsewhere a million times. The pitching was phenomenal, and the teams with the better pitching won. I was surprised to see Carlos Marmol play the goat for the Cubs though, he's got nasty stuff and I'd kill to have him in the Mets bullpen.
So that's that, onto the Kurse watch...
Mostly good things coming from the Gecko camp this week. It seems the Kurse may have taken week 4 off. With Drew Brees on a bye, team Gecko won their fantasy matchup and Keith went to Giants Stadium to see his team beat the Eagles. During which, he also witnessed his favorite play in football (Donovan McNabb getting sacked) a record number of times. And at the end of the day, Brian Leonard was still standing. That being said, week 4 was not without it's casualties and week 5 is certainly not lacking for story lines.
Start planning your retirement.
A bye week is not enough to move Drew Brees out of this spot. He should be grateful he's still in one piece, and pray the Kurse has moved on.
Quick, fake an injury!
Brian Leonard. Ok, so you survived the first week, but look at your offensive line. It's missing three starters, you're QB is out with broken ribs and his replacement is best known for slamming his head into a wall. Oh yea, and the RB ahead of you on the depth chart is out with a torn groin. You'd be pretty much screwed WITHOUT the curse, so it might be wise to limp off the practice field this week.
1-2, he's comin' for you...
We got two sitting here this week.
Travis Henry has rushed for 128 yards or more in three of his four games this season. And the one game he didn't, he found the end zone to make up for it. But, he's seen hobbling around the practice field these days with all sorts of ailments and you know Shanny won't wait to make Selvin Young, or some other guy he picks up off waivers this week, the next big thing.
Michael Pittman makes the list for the second time this year. Last time he was here after Caddy got banged up and I jokingly mentioned the Kurse has become so evolved it's going through people just to get to Keith's players. Well, Caddy is now done for the season, maybe for life, and Pittman will have a bigger role. Oh, and Keith is starting him this week. Michael, those footsteps you hear are not Dwight Freeney's...it's far worse.
Needless to say, I'm giddy about having Earnest Graham on my bench. It shouldn't take long for the Kurse to make him an even more viable option.
Safe...for now
Braylon Edwards - 375 yards and 4 TDs in four games? With Derek Anderson throwing the ball? Ravens, Steelers, Raiders defenses involved? I'm almost sold...
I'm a Survivor!
Randy Moss - Durden put it best sometime during Moss' weekly field day, this time on Monday Night. The Raiders should be forced to forfeit their #1 pick for trading Moss to the Patriots for a 4th rounder.
This week's NFL picks will be up Friday morning.
As for the MLB Postseason, I don't have much rooting interest (aside from rooting against the Phils and Yanks), but I wouldn't mind seeing something like this:
Rockies sweep Phillies
D'backs over Cubs in 5
Sox over Halos
Indians sweep Yanks (ARod 0 for the series)
Indians over Sox
Dbacks over Rockies
Dbacks over Indians (Byrnes and Valverde played a big role in my fantasy baseball championship this year, I owe them this much)
And if 'Zona could do it while scoring less runs than their opponents in the postseason as well, that would make it even better.
So that's that, onto the Kurse watch...
Mostly good things coming from the Gecko camp this week. It seems the Kurse may have taken week 4 off. With Drew Brees on a bye, team Gecko won their fantasy matchup and Keith went to Giants Stadium to see his team beat the Eagles. During which, he also witnessed his favorite play in football (Donovan McNabb getting sacked) a record number of times. And at the end of the day, Brian Leonard was still standing. That being said, week 4 was not without it's casualties and week 5 is certainly not lacking for story lines.
Start planning your retirement.
A bye week is not enough to move Drew Brees out of this spot. He should be grateful he's still in one piece, and pray the Kurse has moved on.
Quick, fake an injury!
Brian Leonard. Ok, so you survived the first week, but look at your offensive line. It's missing three starters, you're QB is out with broken ribs and his replacement is best known for slamming his head into a wall. Oh yea, and the RB ahead of you on the depth chart is out with a torn groin. You'd be pretty much screwed WITHOUT the curse, so it might be wise to limp off the practice field this week.
1-2, he's comin' for you...
We got two sitting here this week.
Travis Henry has rushed for 128 yards or more in three of his four games this season. And the one game he didn't, he found the end zone to make up for it. But, he's seen hobbling around the practice field these days with all sorts of ailments and you know Shanny won't wait to make Selvin Young, or some other guy he picks up off waivers this week, the next big thing.
Michael Pittman makes the list for the second time this year. Last time he was here after Caddy got banged up and I jokingly mentioned the Kurse has become so evolved it's going through people just to get to Keith's players. Well, Caddy is now done for the season, maybe for life, and Pittman will have a bigger role. Oh, and Keith is starting him this week. Michael, those footsteps you hear are not Dwight Freeney's...it's far worse.
Needless to say, I'm giddy about having Earnest Graham on my bench. It shouldn't take long for the Kurse to make him an even more viable option.
Safe...for now
Braylon Edwards - 375 yards and 4 TDs in four games? With Derek Anderson throwing the ball? Ravens, Steelers, Raiders defenses involved? I'm almost sold...
I'm a Survivor!
Randy Moss - Durden put it best sometime during Moss' weekly field day, this time on Monday Night. The Raiders should be forced to forfeit their #1 pick for trading Moss to the Patriots for a 4th rounder.
This week's NFL picks will be up Friday morning.
As for the MLB Postseason, I don't have much rooting interest (aside from rooting against the Phils and Yanks), but I wouldn't mind seeing something like this:
Rockies sweep Phillies
D'backs over Cubs in 5
Sox over Halos
Indians sweep Yanks (ARod 0 for the series)
Indians over Sox
Dbacks over Rockies
Dbacks over Indians (Byrnes and Valverde played a big role in my fantasy baseball championship this year, I owe them this much)
And if 'Zona could do it while scoring less runs than their opponents in the postseason as well, that would make it even better.
Tuesday, September 25, 2007
Has the Kurse gone too far?
If you aren’t up to speed on the Kurse of Keith (KoK), it’s highly recommended that you skim the following four posts before proceeding to read about how badly Keith got KoK blocked this week.
Intro to the Kurse
Kurse Watch 1
Alexander's Mysterious Injury
Kurse Watch 2
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
“I don’t even know what to say. I mean, this is ridiculous.”
- Keith
That was my brother’s Yahoo! Smack talk on this somber Tuesday morning, and that pretty much sums up the feeling of everyone who’s been around the Kurse of Keith.
By now, you know the history of the Kurse and the names it’s taken out in the past (Shaun Alexander, Steve Smith, Deuce McAllister, Priest Holmes, just to name a few), and you know what it’s done to Drew Brees and the Saints this year.
If you recall, on opening day Keith was ready to shred all history of the Kurse. He was optimistic and proclaimed “Drew Brees is going to score so many fantasy points that he’s going to break stat tracker!” We all know how that turned out.
So, put yourself in Keith’s shoes for a minute. Here we are in week 3. You’re 0-2 (thanks in large part to Brees), and the Kurse has clearly established itself. The last time you had positive words for Brees in your smack talk was a complete disaster. You’re leading your fantasy matchup 98.48 to 95.59 and you still have Brees to play. Your opponent has Chris Brown. Even if Brown finds his way to the end zone (he didn’t), you would still likely have the upper hand as long as Brees didn’t totally implode (he did).
Even so, the obvious approach is to lay low, expect the worst, and just hope you are fortunate for once and eke out a win somehow, right? Well Keith, ever the King of Wishful Thinking, offered up the following smack talk throughout the day on Monday.
That line from Keith prompted this Gmail chat exchange before kickoff where I, too, tried to talk myself into Keith winning, before coming to the realization that he didn’t have a prayer.
5:09 PM Durden: I think Keith doesn’t understand the kurse
5:11 PM Mazzone: why not?
5:12 PM Durden: haha, he’s talking about a win being in sight
Mazzone: yea, but he wins a few games a year and even made the playoffs once, in spite of the kurse…
(thinking…thinking…)
5:13 PM Mazzone: but damn, you have to figure Brees for negative points tonight, no?
Durden: well, that's what I’m saying...if I’m Keith, I do not think a win is "in sight" until I actually see it
So, while the train wreck that ensued was not exactly a surprise, it was still painful to watch. So much so, that I turned away at half time and left NFL.com game cast and Durden to update me on the happenings. It was especially brutal for me, even though I wasn’t involved in the fantasy matchup, because I had seen this before.
Last year, I had a sizeable lead in a matchup going into MNF and I started Rex Grossman over Matt Leinart in the “They are who we thought they were!” game. The Sex Cannon lost me the matchup with this line: 14 for 37, 144 yards, 4 INTs, 2 sacks, 2 fumbles. I told Durden after just two Saints offensive possessions that it felt like that night all over again. Brees’ line wasn’t as bad as Sexy Rexy’s, but it will still make you cringe: 29 for 45, 225 yards, 4 INTs, 1 sack, 1 fumble.
To make matters worse, my brother's fantasy matchup was going back and forth all night. With 5 minutes left in the game Keith took the lead on six consecutive Drew Brees completions. Only to see the 7th pass attempt of the drive result in an interception, putting him behind again with just three minutes left. Believe it or not, the good news was that the pick went to the house so, instead of the Titans killing the clock, Brees would get the ball back with one last chance to salvage a win for team Gecko.
This time, Brees rattled off five consecutive completions and Keith had regained the lead with a mere 1:25 to play! When Lance Moore dropped the next pass it seemed like a minor setback to the average person, but those of us who know Keith and the Kurse, knew better. That drop signaled the beginning of the end. And on the next play, Brees’ pass found the Titans KEITH Bullock for the 3rd time in the game. Bringing new meaning to the Kurse of Keith and providing a fitting end to the night, as that 16th incompletion and 4th interception dropped team Gecko to 0-3.
It truly is amazing, and if you aren’t a believer by now then you’re just being stubborn. So, without further ado it’s this week’s Kurse Watch, with an interesting developing story line NOT involving Drew Brees…
As always, adjust your rosters accordingly…
Start planning your retirement.
Drew Brees’ family, friends, pets, teammates, high school classmates… At this point, no one is safe. Just ask Deuce McAllister who tore his ACL trying to haul in a Brees pass. It’s the second time McAllister has fallen victim to the Kurse.
Quick, fake an injury!
It might be too late for Lee Evans (occupied this spot last week), who has 5 catches for 29 yards on the season, but it’s not too late for Jay Cutler. Jay - Drew Brees is on a bye this week, and you’re Keith’s backup QB. Do yourself a favor and tweak a hamstring in practice. Or maybe, sprain an ankle?
1-2, he's comin' for you...
A little background on this one: Everyone in our fantasy league is from New Jersey, Keith completed grad school at Rutgers and owns a #23 Scarlet Knights Jersey. Long a fan of Brian Leonard, Keith drafted him this year - only to have to cut him after the first couple weeks. Naturally, SJax goes down after Keith cuts Leonard.
Fortunately for Keith, not so much for Brian, team Gecko added Leonard to the mix off waivers this morning. This IMMEDIATELY sparked a “FREE BRIAN LEONARD” campaign in our league chat. No one is excited about the impending doom hovering over the Great White Hope from New Jersey. Here’s a copy of what’s transpired so far:
________________
Poor Brian Leonard
Posted by: Dave (White WRs/Black QBs) Sep 25 1:29pm
On a day that should be so exciting for Brian Leonard, he suffers the misfortune of being picked up by Keith. Any chance of Brian stepping in for Steven Jackson and performing well has now gone out the window. Keith, I know that you love some Brian Leonard, but sometimes when you love something, you have to let it go. Let Brian go. It's his only chance of becoming a player in the National Football League. If you keep him on your roster, he will surely be cut prior to next season after disappointing with a 1.2 ypc average and at least 7 fumbles lost. Things can only be worse for him if you decide to play him, as a career ending injury is sure to follow. So Keith, I ask you, as a fellow fan of Brian Leonard, the Great White Hope for Running Backs, LET HIM GO, Please, let him go.
Re: Poor Brian Leonard
Posted by: Rory (BoobieTassles) Sep 25 1:40pm
I second Dave's heartfelt plea.
Wow
Posted by: durden (Makin It Reign) Sep 25 2:14pm
I've never encountered something like this as commish before...is this a FREE Brian Leonard campaign?!
Do t-shirts need to get made?
Re: Poor Brian Leonard
Posted by: Mazzone(Tropical Storm Chris) Sep 25 2:14pm
I didn't want to be the first to say it but Durden and I talked about this after hearing of SJax's injury. The initial hope was that since Keith cut Leonard he would be penalized by the Kurse in that Brees would do just enough to win last night so Keith couldn't get Leonard in waivers...
Since that didn't happen I've already begun mourning the upcoming Brian Leonard injury. Terrible news.
________________
So there you have it, Brian. We’re all rooting for you, but be careful, be very very careful.
***Update*** There are rumors coming from an anonymous source close to the situation that Keith is attempting to trade Brian Leonard before the weekend in hopes of saving his career. I’ll keep you posted.
Safe...for now
Shaun Alexander: You know it’s bad when the person appearing under “Safe for now” is a running back playing with a broken wrist. 300 yards and 2 TDs isn’t Shaun Alexander-like, but it’s not terrible with a broken wrist and we’re not going to give up on him just yet as he seems determined to beat the Kurse.
I'm a Survivor!
Randy Moss: On his way to 17 consecutive weeks here.
I have nothing left to say. I can’t even really blame Keith if he doesn’t believe in football anymore…
Wednesday, September 19, 2007
Fantasy Focus (Kurse Watch)
We’re back with another week of Kurse watch ’07, where Keith has taken on the role of Roy Williams declaring “Yeah, I’m 0-2, but I’m the BEST 0-2 team in the [fantasy] league.” Which is technically true. Somehow, he’s salvaged enough points to be able to make that claim, but don’t let that positive spin fool you, the Kurse of Keith has only just begun.
As always, adjust your rosters accordingly…
Start planning your retirement.
Drew Brees: I really don’t need to say much here, but one Saints fan did get in touch with me pleading for me to take action. He’s never met my brother and only knows me through fantasy leagues, but clearly understands what’s happening (screen name changed for privacy purposes)…
*SaintsFan* (9:53:00 PM): get brees off keith's roster
*SaintsFan* (9:53:07 PM): for the love of god
Quick, fake an injury!
Lee Evans: I know I gave him a pass after week 1, but 4 catches for 22 yards – no, that’s not last game, that’s for the season. Sure, he’s played the Broncos and Steelers, but the schedule doesn’t exactly turn into a cake walk the next few weeks (Patriots, Jets, Cowboys, Ravens). Evans might be wise to fake an injury before the Kurse teams up with an errant J.P. Losman pass to take him out for good.
1-2, he's comin' for you...
Shaun Alexander: Keith drafted him first overall last season and the Kurse wasted little time going to work. This year he took him a little later and it seemed he might be safe. That is, until last week when Alexander showed up at practice with an unexplained cast/brace on his wrist. Alexander had just 75 total yards (only 3.75 yards per touch) in the loss to the Cardinals, but he did find the endzone.
Safe...for now
Travis Henry: Is it possible for Henry, a runningback who’s struggled with injuries, consistency, and sharing carries most of his career to overcome not only Mike Shanahan’s RB history, but also Keith in the same season? His 5.4 yards per carry and 319 total yards in two games would suggest so. It seems too good to be true, I mean Henry was an obvious choice to be afflicted by the kurse before the season began. Well, he’s safe for now, but it’s a long season, and he has yet to score a touchdown…
I'm a Survivor!
Randy Moss – sigh. F the Patriots.
A couple guys you’ll probably bench that I like in Week 3 :
Bernard Berrian: I know, I know, as long as Rex Grossman is involved the Bears offensive players should probably be off limits, but I’ve seen Jacque Reeves and that Cowboy secondary and I’m ready to go against them every week for fantasy purposes until Terrence Newman proves he’s healthy.
DeShaun Foster: Look there’s no way DeAngelo Hall and everyone else on the Falcons isn’t going to be keying on Steve Smith this week. Will they stop him? I’m not sure that’s possible at this point, but the Panthers would be wise to get Foster involved, just in case. Adrian Peterson destroyed the Falcons without any semblance of a passing game to help, and even Fred Taylor averaged over 4 yards per carry for a Jags running game that looks downright awful. Foster is averaging 4.5 ypc this season and is getting a few more touches than DeAngelo Williams right now.
As an added bonus, neither of these players have any ties to Keith.
That’s all for tonight. It’s time to finish up some work for my actual paying job and hope sports and I can resolve our lover’s quarrel in time for the Mets to take care of business.
Tuesday, September 18, 2007
Tuesday Musings:
- The Texas Longhorns are petitioning the NFL Commissioner to become the Bengals farm team.
- I think we should focus more on the positive of the Pats cheating, than the negatives. For example, Charlie Weiss and Romeo Crennel both were made out to be geniuses and landed head coaching jobs because of it. Now they're back to just being overweight clowns as their failures provide enjoyment to most everyone. So, with that, I say... Leave Bill Belichick alone!
- I'm still annoyed that the Dolphins defensive front 7 was Romophobic and barely got near him on Sunday. The way Romo is playing reminds me a lot of a healthy, productive McNabb right now - except he's white, so if he struggles he won't be criticized nearly as much.
- I watched this guy pitch against the Padres yesterday. I hope someday we get to see someone who's name on their jersey makes a complete circle around their number.
- I had to upgrade the Texans bandwagon to a party bus this week, but Andre Johnson's knee injury, if serious, would be more than a flat tire...more like a shot transmission.
-I think Petrino is smart to talk to Leftwich and make it seem like he's trying to find a way to improve the team this year, but don't be fooled. I'd bet he's already helping Brian Brohm look for housing in Atlanta.
-I know this is the second straight week that Jason Campbell's numbers were less than stellar, but I think he could be solid over the long haul. He's in a good situation with the right talent around him and a solid offensive line to protect him. He's shown a lot of poise and throws a nice ball, but he needs to find some consistency. Missing Moss on that deep ball was unacceptable and there were a few other erratic throws as well. It seems like the pieces are there, and it's just a question of if it will all come together.
-I'll leave you with the story of Jon Kitna, the miracle worker.
"Indy can have Peyton and New England can have Tom, but we wouldn't trade this guy for anyone in the world. He's the best quarterback in this league right now. I'm saying as far as a quarterback. I'm not saying passer or runner or anything. When you're making plays like that and you're playing so unselfishly, it's unbelievable." - Dan Orlovsky, 3rd string QB, Detroit Lions
- I think we should focus more on the positive of the Pats cheating, than the negatives. For example, Charlie Weiss and Romeo Crennel both were made out to be geniuses and landed head coaching jobs because of it. Now they're back to just being overweight clowns as their failures provide enjoyment to most everyone. So, with that, I say... Leave Bill Belichick alone!
- I'm still annoyed that the Dolphins defensive front 7 was Romophobic and barely got near him on Sunday. The way Romo is playing reminds me a lot of a healthy, productive McNabb right now - except he's white, so if he struggles he won't be criticized nearly as much.
- I watched this guy pitch against the Padres yesterday. I hope someday we get to see someone who's name on their jersey makes a complete circle around their number.
- I had to upgrade the Texans bandwagon to a party bus this week, but Andre Johnson's knee injury, if serious, would be more than a flat tire...more like a shot transmission.
-I think Petrino is smart to talk to Leftwich and make it seem like he's trying to find a way to improve the team this year, but don't be fooled. I'd bet he's already helping Brian Brohm look for housing in Atlanta.
-I know this is the second straight week that Jason Campbell's numbers were less than stellar, but I think he could be solid over the long haul. He's in a good situation with the right talent around him and a solid offensive line to protect him. He's shown a lot of poise and throws a nice ball, but he needs to find some consistency. Missing Moss on that deep ball was unacceptable and there were a few other erratic throws as well. It seems like the pieces are there, and it's just a question of if it will all come together.
-I'll leave you with the story of Jon Kitna, the miracle worker.
"Indy can have Peyton and New England can have Tom, but we wouldn't trade this guy for anyone in the world. He's the best quarterback in this league right now. I'm saying as far as a quarterback. I'm not saying passer or runner or anything. When you're making plays like that and you're playing so unselfishly, it's unbelievable." - Dan Orlovsky, 3rd string QB, Detroit Lions
Monday, September 17, 2007
It was over before it began...
I could listen to Charles Barkley talk about anything, but aside from that it was another mundane Monday Night game, in my opinion.
Pardon me for not thinking the Monday Night Football game was all that exciting - even though the score says otherwise. You see, I knew well before the last pass was broken up by Laron Landry that the Eagles weren't scoring to tie it up. Here's the long drawn out reason why:
I knew Philly wasn't going to run it in which meant it would be up to Donovan to get it done. If you've read my earlier entries, you know I don't have anything against McNabb. You also know I have him on two fantasy teams and picked the Eagles to win tonight.
So, you're probably wondering why I felt so sure McNabb couldn't get them into the endzone. Was it because he struggled in week1 and the passing game was sub par through most of this game? Nope. Was it because he didn't have one receiver I felt confident could catch a pass with the game on the line? Nope. Was it because, even if they did score, they'd still have to find a way convert the 2 pointer? Nope.
Here it is. I have two primary fantasy football leagues. A 10 team re-draft league with friends/family and a 12 team keeper league with a bunch of guys that I also play fantasy baseball with (also 12 team keeper that's been going for over 10 years now). Both leagues have some real quality owners. You know, the type that don't read the crap that "fantasy experts" like Brad Evans spew out on yahoo and other sites for advice, but rather to laugh at the idiocy of it all.
Since 2002, in the two leagues combined I have finished worst than 4th only twice - with 3 second place finishes and a first. So, while I'm by no means a dynasty, I'm also not a complete hack and yet as the final whistle blew tonight I managed to accomplish something I thought was impossible.
With a roster that was completely healthy, during a week where there were no byes, and one NFL game accounted for 96 - NINETY SIX- points, my starting lineup (11 total players including a kicker and a defense) had ZERO touchdowns. Zero passing TD's, zero rushing TD's, zero receiving TD's, and no love from the def/special teams either.
And, it's not like I started the wrong guys (I actually nearly had my optimal lineup), there were only two touchdowns to be had on my bench (both by Romo, who I wouldn't ever start against my Dolphins).
So, as the Eagles marched down the field for the potential tying score and McNabb being my last hope for avoiding fantasy football infamy, all I was trying to figure out was how the Redskins would ice it.
Fittingly, it was one of my wide receivers, "White Lightning", who was unable to hang onto the ball that could have kept the Eagles alive.
To put a positive spin on it, I like to pretend that each guy has a predetermined number of TD's they are going to score for the season and the fact that none of my guys wasted any of their's this week bodes well for future weeks. Of course I know that's complete nonsense to 99% of the people out there, but that's not going to stop my wishful thinking.
So, there you have it:
16 games
695 points scored in week 2 of the National Football League
16 players on one fantasy roster accounting for 0 touchdowns
1 Fantasy Football name change (the team formerly known as Hurricane Chris has been downgraded to Tropical Storm Chris)
Sports and I are still in a fight, but things are never as bad as they seem and hope is only a few days away...
Pardon me for not thinking the Monday Night Football game was all that exciting - even though the score says otherwise. You see, I knew well before the last pass was broken up by Laron Landry that the Eagles weren't scoring to tie it up. Here's the long drawn out reason why:
I knew Philly wasn't going to run it in which meant it would be up to Donovan to get it done. If you've read my earlier entries, you know I don't have anything against McNabb. You also know I have him on two fantasy teams and picked the Eagles to win tonight.
So, you're probably wondering why I felt so sure McNabb couldn't get them into the endzone. Was it because he struggled in week1 and the passing game was sub par through most of this game? Nope. Was it because he didn't have one receiver I felt confident could catch a pass with the game on the line? Nope. Was it because, even if they did score, they'd still have to find a way convert the 2 pointer? Nope.
Here it is. I have two primary fantasy football leagues. A 10 team re-draft league with friends/family and a 12 team keeper league with a bunch of guys that I also play fantasy baseball with (also 12 team keeper that's been going for over 10 years now). Both leagues have some real quality owners. You know, the type that don't read the crap that "fantasy experts" like Brad Evans spew out on yahoo and other sites for advice, but rather to laugh at the idiocy of it all.
Since 2002, in the two leagues combined I have finished worst than 4th only twice - with 3 second place finishes and a first. So, while I'm by no means a dynasty, I'm also not a complete hack and yet as the final whistle blew tonight I managed to accomplish something I thought was impossible.
With a roster that was completely healthy, during a week where there were no byes, and one NFL game accounted for 96 - NINETY SIX- points, my starting lineup (11 total players including a kicker and a defense) had ZERO touchdowns. Zero passing TD's, zero rushing TD's, zero receiving TD's, and no love from the def/special teams either.
And, it's not like I started the wrong guys (I actually nearly had my optimal lineup), there were only two touchdowns to be had on my bench (both by Romo, who I wouldn't ever start against my Dolphins).
So, as the Eagles marched down the field for the potential tying score and McNabb being my last hope for avoiding fantasy football infamy, all I was trying to figure out was how the Redskins would ice it.
Fittingly, it was one of my wide receivers, "White Lightning", who was unable to hang onto the ball that could have kept the Eagles alive.
To put a positive spin on it, I like to pretend that each guy has a predetermined number of TD's they are going to score for the season and the fact that none of my guys wasted any of their's this week bodes well for future weeks. Of course I know that's complete nonsense to 99% of the people out there, but that's not going to stop my wishful thinking.
So, there you have it:
16 games
695 points scored in week 2 of the National Football League
16 players on one fantasy roster accounting for 0 touchdowns
1 Fantasy Football name change (the team formerly known as Hurricane Chris has been downgraded to Tropical Storm Chris)
Sports and I are still in a fight, but things are never as bad as they seem and hope is only a few days away...
Wednesday, September 12, 2007
Fantasy Focus
Nothing really earth shattering on the fantasy front in week 1 (aside from the dismal performance from most of the elite RB’s). Sure Romo, Eli, Burress and some others had great numbers, but they’re not exactly strangers to that.
I’m not wasting this space talking about the usual suspects since you’re not sitting LDT, Frank Gore, or the like whether they’re playin’ the Rams or the Bears. Instead, we’ll talk about later round picks that stood out in week 1 and some other lesser guys I like in week 2.
Before I get into my week 1 surprises and my week 2 sleepers I want to kick off a new feature here at TPS where we'll monitor the previously mentioned Kurse of Keith. We’ll take a look at a handful of guys on Keith’s current roster and place them into one of 5 categories from most likely to be cursed, to least likely. You should adjust your roster accordingly. Let’s get started…
Start planning your retirement.
I know Lee Evans was shut down and Deion Branch didn’t catch a ball (we’ll get to those two), but this week the honor goes to Drew Brees. With three turnovers and most of his yardage in garbage time, he looked a shell of his former self. His agent reportedly contacted Keith and demanded a trade, but to no avail. Drew’s performance against Tampa should give us more of a clue as to where this is headed. For now, it might not be a bad idea for Saints fans and Drew Brees owners to start a prayer group.
Quick, fake an injury!
Deion Branch! He’s a number 1 receiver on a playoff bound team that scored 20 points and won the game fairly easily…and he had ZERO fantasy points. He was only targeted three times and, after the game, Holmgren actually confirmed Branch was the #1 receiver and claimed the Bucs just focused on stopping him. Oh really? Teams are game planning that much for Deion Branch now (never had 1000 yards or more than 5 TDs in a season)? Maybe that’s why the Bucs are so bad? You could argue him for the top spot this week, but Drew Brees is more significant.
1-2, he's comin' for you...
Michael Pittman - This would be unprecedented, even for Keith. He may go through Cadillac Williams (went down with a rib injury again last week), just to get to Pittman.
Safe...for now
Lee Evans – I’m giving him a pass because the Denver DB’s are among the best, and Keith has actually had great success with Evans before, despite J.P. Losman being prominently involved - knock on wood.
I'm a Survivor!
Randy Moss – I’ve tried in the past to get Keith to jinx the Patriots (Tom Brady) but they are even more powerful than he is. Maybe Goodell can break the seemingly impenetrable shield with the upcoming punishment for cheating.
Geico Gecko - In a long running league joke, Keith’s mascot and team name is Gecko. The Gecko is safe, despite rumored threats from “Kid with the toothpick.” Reports have come out that despite his tough exterior, Kid with a toothpick is actually pretty soft and said in a recent interview, "I wish the Gecko was my dad." And who can blame him? I mean, who doesn’t love the Gecko, that’s like asking who doesn’t want free pie and chips!
We’ll tackle the Kurse update again next week with a different group of guys (at least Drew Brees hopes so), but now it’s onto Studs and Sleepers…
Week 1 Surprise Studs:
Josh McCown, the first of THREE Oakland Raiders to appear in this section. If you started Josh McCown last week you’re probably either in a 14/16 team league that forces you to start 2 QB’s or you’re Josh McCown. After a slow start and the home crowd cheering him on by chanting for his backup, McCown completed 75% of his passes and threw for 313 yards and 2 TDs. Most people probably won’t feel comfortable taking a risk on McCown yet, but he does have Cleveland at home week 3, and goes to Miami in week 4. Of course, he also may not have a job after Denver gets through with him this week…
Chris Brown’s 175 yards rushing probably stood out to a lot of people, and it is a big number, but not finding the end zone hurt his overall value. Even so, most of us know the Titans running game was strong last year, and in 2004 Brown put up monster numbers (11 games, 1214 total yards, 4.9 ypc) as a full time starter before missing five games to injury and going on to struggle the next two seasons, so success shouldn’t be too surprising. That being said, he might be a guy you want to sell high on with his injury history and a couple of young backs waiting in the wings. If the Brandon Jacobs owner in your league wasn’t able to grab Ward he may be interested in someone like Brown as a stop gap.
Lamont Jordan also returned to fantasy relevance with a nice little game (159 total yards and a touch). He’s one I would hang onto. Despite the Raiders being bad and likely trailing in games, Lamont won’t lose touches. Lane Kiffin has clearly decided to include Jordan in the passing game where he was so successful two years ago. He had 70 catches during his career year in 2005 (15 games played) and not once did he catch 9 passes or have 89 yards like he did this past Sunday. If Jordan is catching just 5 or 6 balls a game he’s in for a solid year.
Antwaan Randle El is always intriguing because he’s got BPP (Big Play Potential). You may not get the consistency you’d like but you know he’s one big reception, punt return, end around, or passing touchdown away from having a good week. He's more likely to break off that big play than your average waiver wire/borderline fantasy starter type guy. There aren’t too many quadruple threat’s out there. If you have the room, pick him up and stash him away on the bench for a week or two. That should be enough time to tell if what we saw last Sunday (162 yards and a TD) was chemistry between he and Campbell or just the product of an abysmal Miami secondary.
Ronald Curry gets honorable mention for being a former UNC point guard. Oh yea, and he had 133 yards and a TD, but I’m sick of talking about Raiders, so…
Who I like for Week 2:
It might not be a bad idea to take a flier on Michael Pittman if Caddy (bruised ribs) can’t go. The Saints run d was exposed last week and Pittman’s proven to be a capable runner in Gruden’s offense before. The last three times he had more than 10 carries in a game for the Bucs – 6.1 ypc, 5.4 ypc, 8.5 ypc (286 rushing yards, no fumbles, 2 tds). He also had 47 catches last season despite being a backup and had five receptions against the Seahawks last week. (side note: He’s currently on Keith’s bench, not in the starting lineup. If he starts him, all bets are off)
At tight end, I like Eric Johnson. Brees struggled last week, but seemed to find Johnson quite a bit, and Johnson’s been reliable and productive in the past, when healthy. Also, the Bucs gave up 43 yards to Marcus Pollard on 5 catches last week. Johnson should surpass that this week.
At wideout I like Chris Chambers against a banged up Cowboy secondary that struggled last year and last week. I don’t care what early reports from Cowboy’s camp say, Terrence Newman will not be close to 100 percent even if he steps on the field this weekend. Plantar fasciitis is a big deal and lingers for quite a while, and when you think it’s resolved, it resurfaces. Also, now feels like a good time to mention that Roy Williams is over rated and Anthony Henry has never been that good. If the Dolphins can keep Trent Green upright (easier said than done), they’ll be able to pass the ball on the Cowboys. Oh, and last time Chambers saw the Cowboys, he lit them up for 3 TD’s with Jay Fiedler throwing him the ball.
I also like Demetrius Williams against the Jets. Demetrius and I have a history that goes back to his college days which I’ll get into in another post. For now, just know that he’s the real deal and if McNair (or Boller) can get the ball in his vicinity, he’ll come down with it.
Lastly, I love Kellen Clemens/Chad Pennington against the Ravens. This has nothing to do with fantasy football, I just can’t wait to see that...
That's all for now, check back later in the week as the against the spread picks will be posted in time for you to waste your companies money by reading them first thing Friday morning...
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