Fantasy Football Picks Week 12

Since I don’t usually post on the weekends, unless something awesome happens in college football, I’m going to post some of my fantasy football picks for week 12. Some sleepers, some locks. My team is 6-5 and fighting for a play off spot. I am playing the team in first place in my division this week and a win for the Mini Ditkas (my team) would put me in first place. I know we already had 2 games on Friday, but most of the fantasy players are going Sunday. Hopefully none of you started Kevin or Julius Jones

Quaterback lock of the week – Payton Manning. Can’t go wrong with this pick. Monday night vs. the Steelers. Should be a shootout.

Quarterback sleeper of the week- Byron Leftwich. Had 4 touchdowns last week vs. Tennessee and plays an equally bad team in Arizona. Zona likes to run it up, so look for Leftwich to put it in the air often.

Running back lock of the week- Larry Johnson. Everyone scores on New England this year. Johnson should be good for 140 yards and 2 tds. Anything less is unacceptable.

Running back sleeper of the week- Ciatrick Fason. He’s been getting the goaline carries in Minnesota and has already racked up a few td’s. The Vikings are playing Cleveland this week and should be able to pound the ball on them. Fason is an awesome back, and might get the rock 10+ times.

Wide Receiver lock of the week- Steve Smith. I could put him in as the lock every week. The man has never disappointed. No tds last week for him, but he still got the yards.

Wide Receiver sleeper of the week- Reggie Brown. He’s been a nice pick up since T.O. left, but hasn’t put up a 100 yard game yet. This could be the week as the Eagles face Green Bay and that mess of a defense.

Well there you have it. Sorry I didn’t pick Defenses, Tight Ends, and Kickers. It’s all hit or miss with them. For me, I’m going with the Minnesota Vikings this week for Defense. I will also be starting Randy McMichael (yikes!) at Tight End because I have no other options. My kicker has been Tynes, not too flashy but solid.

Good luck to everyone looking to make the playoffs. Root for me because I need to money!

Florida State vs. Florida

One of college football biggest rivalries, Florida State vs. Florida, is set to kick off this weekend. According to Forbes magazine, Florida State vs. Florida is the best college football rivalry in the last 9 years. Both teams hate each other. Every player looks forward to this day since they signed their intent letter. Despite the intense history between these two teams, something just doesn’t seem right. The magic is not in the air this year.

Both teams are 7-3 and barely making the top 25 list. Florida State is still a lock for the ACC Championship game (the first one ever, being held in Jacksonville). FSU has lost 2 in a row, and could very well lose 5 in a row, which hasn’t happened since like the 70s. Florida State is an underdog heading into the Swamp this weekend. With a loss here, another loss to Virginia Tech in the ACC Championship game, and possibly another loss in a Bowl game… it’s not looking good for Seminole fans.

The Gators are coming into this game 4 pt favorites, and should win because of the home field advantage. Despite the poor record, no shot at an SEC Championship, and an awful Bowl game, Florida fans will still come into the Swamp and scream their asses off. They don’t call the Swamp the hardest stadium to play in for nothing. It will be loud and hostile. Florida won last year at FSU, and will look to reclaim their home this Saturday. FSU’s last win in Gainesville came in 2003 with a lot of controversy. The refs were absolutely horrid blowing about 5 fumble calls among others. Urban Meyer needs to win this game more than Bowden needs to win his. Only 3 times in the history of the Gators has a coach beaten Tennessee, Georgia, and Florida State all in the same year. Meyer has a chance to make history with a victory over Florida State. Not to mention, the Gators haven’t lost at home all year, which is something Zook failed to accomplish.

Why have these two powerhouse football schools suddenly been on the decline? Is it due to poor recruiting? Is it because Florida has had 3 different coaches in the last 5 years? Is it because other schools in the conference are finally catching up. Teams that used to be at the bottom during the Spurrier days are now coming back. LSU, Auburn, and Alabama to name a few. While these teams rise, Florida and Tennessee are falling. Can we attribute FSU’s poor record to the simple fact that they play in a real division now with real opponents? They’ve always play Miami every year, but now you have to throw in Virginia Tech and Boston College. Winning in the ACC won’t be easy anymore.

My prediction: Florida 28 Florida State 17

Terrell Owens Suspension Upheld

Arbitrator Richard Bloch ruled against Eagles wide receiver Terrell Owens this afternoon. Despite early rumors flying around this morning from Newsday, Owens will remain suspended the 4 games and kept inactive the remainder of the season. Newsday reported that Owens won the fight and would have his suspension reduced to two games and ultimately released by the Eagles. Whoever came out with that report needs to get fired.

Owens will still get paid for the remaining games after his suspension is served. I hope he has enough money to buy his family christmas presents. I wonder if someone should set up a Terrell Owens Fund to provide gifts and canned food for him and his family. Surely Owen's lifestyle can not be maintained with this 4 game pay cut.

Sorry for the way you've been treated T.O. You are a great entertainer. People tune in to watch you, and thats what the NFL is all about. Entertainment. You will be given every opportunity to make a living next season. Some team will pick Owens up. Miami perhaps. Seattle or San Diego might use him. Who knows. This should be the last T.O. post for the remainder of this season. If you want more up to date info on T.O. you can always visit his website www.terrellowens.com

Mets to Acquire Delgado

Breaking News just came in reporting the New York Mets have reached a deal with the Florida Marlins to acquire Carlos Delgado. The Marlins will send the Mets Delgado and $7 million in return for Mike Jacobs and pitcher Yusmeiro Petit. Delgado hit .301 with 33 homeruns and 115 rbi’s last season for the Marlins.

This is just another step in the conspiracy theory of the Marlins getting out of Florida. They just signed Delgado last year, and now they are paying 7 million to get rid of him. Delgado could have signed with the Mets last season who offered him a contract with a no-trade clause. Why sign a guy, keep him for one year, then trade him to a division rival! You aren’t supposed to make trades like this to division rivals. Man the Marlins are going to be bottom feeders for a long time now.

The Marlins are up to no good this off season. Thank god they don’t have any fans or some one might actually care about what’s going on. This is like the third time Marlins management has done something like this. They just trade away their whole team. Is Dontrelle Willis next? Will they trade him to another division rival like the Braves? What is going on here? Perhaps Miguel Cabrera will be traded to the Washington Nationals for a couple single A short stops.

Now this deal isn’t final yet, but it will be soon enough. Can anyone who is a Marlins fan (if they exist) please explain to me why this is happening. Are they just showing the city of Miami that they aren’t putting up with this? Are they showing the size of their balls? If they want a new stadium, they need to acquire players to make them competitive, not players that will make them younger and less experienced.

Thanks for Football

Thanksgiving is a time to be grateful for all the things we have. We should be thankful for the food on the table, our health, our family and friends, and the internet access you have on the computer (after all, without that you wouldn’t be visiting my site). Every Thanksgiving us football fans are blessed with two recurring things, and no I’m not talking about Grandma’s runny stuffing. I am talking about NFL Football!

Every Thanksgiving we are blessed with the Detroit Lions (which is not so much of a blessing this year and really hasn’t been since Barry Sanders left) and the Dallas Cowboys. The Detroit Lions will take on the Atlanta Falcons in this year’s early game at 12:30 PM EST. The Dallas Cowboys will host the Denver Broncos in the later game at 4:15 PM EST. It’s clearly the later game that will draw the most interest. My family generally starts eating around 3:00 PM, so I should be good to watch most of the Cowboys game. Real quickly, I’m going to share my picks and thoughts with you about our two games tomorrow.

Having never lived in Dallas or Detroit, I can’t really express to you how big this game is to fans of those two teams. My most clear description is an episode of Home Improvement when the Taylor family was invited to the Thanksgiving Lions game. It was a big deal to them, and they had turkey, stuffing, and potatoes, at the stadium. Not sure if that is TV or reality. Detroit always plays tough on Thanksgiving and should put up a good match against the Falcons. Do we know who is starting at quarterback for the Lions yet? I love the guessing games. The Lions offense is a mess, especially their running game. Kevin Jones has been a huge disappoint especially as of late because of the Lions weak schedule. Atlanta lost a tough one to Tampa Bay last week (who always seems to have their numbers) and should be pumped to get back on track. Atlanta is on the outside looking in at this point and need to put some wins on the board. Game 1 pick – Atlanta 31-21

The Denver Broncos have been steaming rolling as of late and are clearly the number 2 team in the league. Dallas is no slouch either having won 3 in a row. I’m thinking this will be a low scoring game. Denver has a tough defensive line that should be able to put pressure on Bledsoe all day. Bledsoe is a pocket passer and is less effective when pressured. Both teams have great running games, with the edge slightly going to Denver. The combo of Julius Jones and Marion Barber seems to be working (yah I know it sucks for us fantasy players when teams use a rbbc). Denver is not as effective when playing on the road, and might have trouble playing Astroturf. One of our two Thanksgiving teams has to win on Thanksgiving. Game 2 pick – Dallas 17-10

Florida Marlins to Relocate?

It’s no secret the Marlins have had horrendous attendance records despite winning two World Series in the past 10 years. Hispanic people love baseball don’t they? It doesn’t make sense that a city full of Cubans can’t sell out a baseball game. Marlins President David Samson is fed up saying the club will “explore the relocation of the Marlins”. He thinks the Marlins will try to stay in a Florida market, but I don’t see that happening.

The Marlins have wanted a new stadium since the day they became a franchise. They’ve been sharing a stadium with the Dolphins since 1993. It’s not like there isn’t enough money in South Florida. It’s not like there aren’t enough people. Baseball in Florida just doesn’t seem to work (see the Tampa Bay Devil Rays). In a state where the game can be played year round and a state that produces many pros, it just doesn’t make sense that a pro team can’t survive. Do they really think a new stadium will cure attendance problems? It won’t. The sure fire way to increase attendance is to win, right? That’s not the case in Miami.

"This does not mean that the Marlins are necessarily leaving South Florida," Samson said. "It does, however, mean that we're going to seriously explore all of our options, including those in other markets. As part of this process, I do anticipate that will be engaging in discussions with other cities."

I think the Marlins should just leave Florida all together and move to a city that will support them. Are they looking at moving to West Palm Beach and trying to bank in on the growing geriatric population? How about the tourist market in Orlando? No cities in Florida can house this team. So you ask what cities can support a Major League Baseball team? I’ll run down the top 5 contenders.

1. Portland
2. Las Vegas
3. Oklahoma City
4. Memphis/Nashville
5. New Orleans (just kidding)

You would think Vegas would be an attractive market, but there’s no way MLB will associate itself with the gambling that goes on in Vegas.

Tim Duncan's Afro

Does anyone want to place bets on how big Tim Duncan’s afro will get? I know he’s had longer hair before, but it’s starting to grow out of control. Cut your hair Duncan! You’re starting to look like Robert Horry. That is not a look to be proud of. Can Duncan grow his afro as big as Ben Wallace or Dr. J? I doubt he has the balls to do it. Maybe it is unseasonably cool in San Antonio this year and Tim needs the extra head warmth. It almost looks like he has one of those Russian fur hats on his head.

Don’t let the picture fool you. His afro is already bigger than that. Just turn on NBA Fastbreak and watch some highlights. I say he grows it all through the holiday season and into mid January. I’ll say he shaves the afro around January 10th. What say you?

College Basketball (Texas, Kentucky, and Florida)

West Virginia’s men’s basketball team has no one to blame but themselves for their loss yesterday to No. 2 ranked Texas. I don’t want to hear excuses about a foul that should have been called on the last play of the game. WV lost because of their miss free throws. Here’s a team that needs to recruit the guy on that commercial who made some 5,000+ free throws in a row. Even if the ref would have called a blocking foul as Gansey went up for what seemed to be an open lay-up, odds are he would have missed the free throws. Texas snuck out with a win last night and will face Iowa tonight in the Guardian’s Classic Final.

The Iowa Hawkeyes (No. 18) of course reached the final tonight by beating the No. 7 Kentucky Wildcats. I didn’t watch any of this game but the last minute (isn’t that pretty much the only minute you have to watch in all bball games?). Kentucky is always a good defensive team, but it look like they were outmatch against the Hawkeyes. I don’t want to get to off topic, but being a Gator fan has instilled a certain hatred for the Kentucky basketball team. Why is it no one can ever pronounce the names of the players on their team? Patrick Sparks is the only one you can say, and he’s the player I can’t stand the most. Does this guy think he’s the $%@ or what? Constantly running around like a little gnat and throwing up 3s. Wait till you coming to Florida!

Speaking of Florida Gators basketball, guess who finally got some respect? The Gators went from unranked to 15th in the coach’s poll and should see similar jumps in all other polls. Their next game is at home vs. FSU. FSU has a decent basketball team, but in no way can they match up against the Gators. Look for Florida to keep moving on up.

And about the picture... Even though I hate Kentucky Basketball, I will post a picture of Ashley Judd whenever given the opportunity.

Red Sox/Marlins Trade

Late Monday night the Boston Red Sox acquired Josh Beckett and Mike Lowell from the Florida Marlins in exchange for shortstop Hanley Ramirez and two pitching prospects. When I first heard this I was in my car listening to the radio. The radio show host said something along the lines of “Red Sox trade Ramirez for Beckett and Lowell”. I was like “Holy Crap! That’s the biggest blockbuster of the off season”. Too bad it turned out to be Hanley Ramirez and not Manny. Oh the tricks that host played on me.

The Red Sox won big time in this trade. I don’t know what it is about the Marlins and their constant fire sales. Every year they dump big name players. Why did they sign Delgado last season only to destroy their pitching this off season. Losing AJ Burnett and Josh Beckett is going to crush the Marlins. Now I’m not an ESPN Insider so I am not sure of the reasoning behind this deal. I can only imagine that it is to clear up cap room. Maybe the Marlins are after some one this year. Too bad there are no big name pitchers on free agency.

There is no way the Marlins can compete next year in the already tight NL East. The Red Sox, however, have bolstered their rotation by adding Beckett and improved their lineup with Lowell. Lowell struggled last season only hitting 8 homeruns, but he is usually a lock for 20 hrs 80 rbis and a .280 avg. With the added protection from the Boston lineup (assuming they don’t lose Damon and Manny), Lowell should have a productive year.

picture taken from espn.com

Are Running Backs a Premier Position?

There was a time when the running back was the premier position on a football team. The time to say that RBs are no longer a premium is now. Over the past few years we have begun to see the trend. A trend of running backs being the product of a system rather than producing numbers on sheer talent. Of course there are always exceptions to every rule and trend; Barry Sanders, Marshall Faulk, and Ladanian Tomlinson are our modern exceptions.

Denver is the prime example of how a system can make any back look good. Terrell Davis, Mike Anderson, Clinton Portis, and Tatum Bell have all performed exceptionally well in the past years under the Shanahan offensive system. You could plug Kevin Jones in there and he would rush for 1500 yards and 15 tds. Seattle and Kansas City are a few more examples. Shaun Alexander is a good back, and probably one of the best backs in the league, but playing behind the Seattle offensive line inflates his stats. Just look at the holes Walter Jones can open up for Alexander. Any running back can fit through one of those holes. The Seattle line makes Alexander look so much better than he really is. Kansas City, even without Roaf, can produce insane rushers. Dee Brown, Larry Johnson’s back up, could rush for 5 yards a carry if given the opportunity.

Every year a new crop of RBs comes out of college and into the NFL. These backs are just as talented as the ones already there (except the few exceptions). What makes a running back appear better is not how fast his 4.0 time is, it’s how well he fits into the system. The system is more important than the player you put in it. That’s why I am saying running backs are no longer a premium. The days of taking a running back number 1 overall should be over. Last years draft was flooded with running backs and they all went high too. In my opinion high draft picks should be spent on defense.

Today’s running backs need to have something that RBs of old didn’t necessarily need, and that is soft hands. Running backs must be able to catch the ball out of the backfield in today’s NFL. Tomlinson and Faulk are the perfect examples of what a running back of the future will possess. Speed, vision, and hands.

Quarterbacks and receivers have always been a premium in the NFL. QBs are usually the highest paid players, and solid WRs are very hard to come by. Each team can have 2,3, or 4 WRs on the field at one time, but they will only have 1 back at a time. Have great WR depth is much more important than having RB depth. Any capable back can step on the field and run through a hole. The RB market is saturated and should see a decline in value within the next few years.

image taken from nfl.com

Tony Stewart Wins the Cup Title

I am not a big NASCAR Fan by any means. In fact, this is my first post regarding NASCAR since I created my blog. The only race I ever watch is the Daytona 500. I suspect I am not alone when it comes to this either, but I wanted to write a quick post about Tony Stewart in case I have any racing fans reading. No. 20 deserves this much after what he has accomplished on the track.

Tony Stewart won his second Cup Title this weekend (is it still called the Nextel Cup or is it the Sprint- Together with Nextel Cup). It’s nice to see some excite from the world of NASCAR, a sport which features its main events at the beginning of the season instead of the end. Tony Stewart stuck it out Sunday at Homestead and can now be considered one of the elite drivers.

"I couldn't be any prouder of Tony," Zipadelli (Tony Stewart’s Crew Chief) said. "That's probably the biggest thing -- this kid's been through the ups and downs but he's matured and we won this championship because of him. Because of his attitude. Because of his winning ways, his efforts. He can win in any car out there and we're just proud to be a part of it."

image taken from nascar.com

Week 11 Fantasy Football MVPs

Now I know there is still the Minnesota Vikings vs. Green Bay Packers Monday night match-up, but does anyone honestly think someone on one of those teams will surpass any of these player’s stats? No, I didn’t think so. This weeks NFL Fantasy MVPs are:

QB- Drew Brees’ performance with 339 yards passing, 4 touchdowns and 0 interceptions wins the quarterback fantasy MVP award for week 11. Sure they were playing Buffalo who has one of the worst defenses in the league. I swear they give up 30+ every game. On a team when Tomlinson is the featured touchdown machine, Brees managed to post up 4 on his own without the help of LT. Runner Up – Byron Leftwich 258 yards and 4 total touchdowns.

RB- Larry Johnson put up a show against Houston (but doesn’t everyone?). Johnson rushed for 211 yards, caught for 6 more yards, and ran in 2 touchdowns. Do we really expect anything less from Johnson? Priest put up sick numbers and now Johnson has taken over. Kansas City just knows how to run the ball. Johnson made some swift cuts and what was more impressive is his longest run of the night was only 30 yards. Runner up – Mike Anderson 129 total yards and 3 touchdowns.

WR- Chad Johnson almost reached the 200 yard mark with 189 yards receiving and a touchdown. Too bad his amazing performance didn’t amount to a Bengals win. Johnson almost has 1000 yards on the year which will lock him in for his fourth consecutive 1000 yard season. CJ is quickly becoming the best WR in the NFL. Runner Up – Jerry Porter 142 yards and 1 touchdown.

TE- Dallas Clark wins this one easily. He put up career numbers with 125 yards and a touchdown. This is about the first week in the last five that Gates hasn’t won the MVP award. Clark was targeted by Manning like 10 times this game. If Clark didn’t have that mustache it would be much harder to root for him. Runner Up – Antonio Gates 77 yards and 1 touchdown.

Colts Remain Undefeated

The Indianapolis Colts remained the only undefeated NFL team by defeating the Cincinnati Bengals 45-37. Peyton Manning had a huge game comprised of 365 yards and 3 touchdowns. I was a tad bit upset to see that none of his td’s and very few of his yards were thrown to Marvin Harrison who just so happens to be a member of The Mini Ditkas, my fantasy football team. Harrison has been somewhat of a disappointment from a fantasy perspective this season. It’s hard to complain when a WR has 8 touchdowns, but he only has 624 yards, including the 9 yards he caught on Sunday. 9 yards for my number 1 wide receiver. Why do the colts throw to Wayne so much? Is Wayne really that much better than Harrison or is Marvin getting double and triple teamed?

The Colts have a tough remaining schedule. They still have Pittsburgh, Jacksonville, Seattle, and San Diego, all of which are playing some good football. The Colts could potentially win all 4 of these games, but odds are they won’t. So who will beat the Colts? Which lucky team will ruin their undefeated season? Will it be the upstart Jaguars? The high powered Chargers? Or the NFC’s best Seattle Seahawks. My bet is on the Jaguars and Steelers. I figure the Colts will end their season with a 14-2 record and home field advantage in the playoffs. This very well could be their year to win the Superbowl. With the big game being played in a dome, you have to figure the Colts have a huge advantage if they win home field throughout the playoffs.

Palmer put up a good fight against the Colts, but it wasn’t enough to pull out the win. Chad Johnson had an insane day, and will probably mark a check under the “No” column on his famous list. Cincy is such a fraud. 7-3 and their 3 losses are from the Jaguars, Steelers, and Colts. Every team they have beaten has a losing record and most of them are like 3-7 or 2-8. It’s pathetic how everyone has jumped on the Bengals bandwagon, and for what? They like the new fancy uniforms? They like watching Chad Johnson’s touchdown dances? The Bengals suck. There is nothing new about them this year except a more mature quarterback and an inflated record.