Fantasy Football Start'em Sit'em Week 8

Start 'Em

QB Ben Roethlisberger- I found myself starting several Pittsburgh Steelers this week against the Bengals this week. I hope Cincy will keep it close enough for Big Ben to throw it a few times this week.

RB Steven Jackson- We've seen questionable 'returns' out of running backs like Rudi Johnson and Laurence Maroney, but Jackson might be a different story. Going against the #30 ranked rushing defense, the Browns shouldn't give Jackson any trouble. Could be the easiest week for Marc Bulger yet.

WR Braylon Edwards- A lot of my teams are hurting, so getting Edwards back after the bye will really help. Edwards and the Browns against the Rams, should be able to do some damage. Look for Derek Anderson to have a big week too.

Sit 'Em

Earnest Graham- If you were using Graham to plug in for injuries and bye weeks, it may be time to trade or drop him. He did well against the Lions, but remember, its the Lions. This week in Jacksonville he should get shutdown. After Arizona in week 9, they have the bye week. By then Bennett should be fully understanding of the offense and splitting the bulk of the carries with Graham.

Kenny Watson / Rudi Johnson- Rudi is back to being listed as doubtful, so that leaves Kenny Watson. The Steelers have allowed only 1 rushing TD this season. Along with that, they average only 75 yards allowed per game on the ground. That means trouble for Watson.

What To Do If You Are 0-5

I've always been pretty good with fantasy football, and I usually win the league, or a majority of my games. For the first time I find myself 0-5. Due to draft malfunctions, injuries, and bad starts, my team has been terrible.

My team consists of questionable and injured players like Kurt Warner, Sammy Morris, Marc Bulger, Cedric Benson and Stephen Jackson. I also have good players like Willis McGahee, Joey Galloway, Jason Witten, and Joseph Addai.

What Can You Do?

Trade

Chances are you aren't the only one struggling. What you really want to do is upgrade. If you have a surplus at Running Back or Wide Receiver, package them up and get 1 good player. At this point you don't need depth, you need to win. Say you are holding some handcuffs like Kenny Watson, Michael Turner, or Sammy Morris. Those players aren't worth anything to you when they aren't playing, however they still have value. Adding on a wide receiver to a package someone might bite on a trade for someone who is producing now.

Hit the Waiver Wire

It's time to cut those who aren't producing and you can't trade. I mentioned I still had Bulger, I'm going to get rid of him. He's not doing me any good and he wasn't before either. If you are holding on to players like that.

Prepare for Next Season

This mostly applies to keeper leagues. If you have no hope to win, start preparing for next year. Some leagues allow you to trade future draft picks. If you have a few players on your bench or even starting you may be able to swing deals for mid level picks. Having two picks in a round can make your team more solid.

You may be 0-5 now, but make sure you won't be next year.

Start em Sit em for Week 5

Start

Jon Kitna- With tons of QB injuries Kitna has originally been my QB backup, and now it's time to put him in.

Sammy Morris- If Laurence Maroney can't go again expect another big day for Morris against the Browns. Last week he rushed for over 100 yards and a TD against the Bengals

Earnest Graham- He's been one of the hot pickups of the week with Caddy going down. Last week he had 17 attempts for 48 yards and a TD. Against STL he had 8 attempts for 75 yards and 2 TDs. Not only does he apparently have that breakout ability, he will get the goaline carries.

Braylon Edwards- He has at least one TD in his past three games. Even going against New England I expect him to continue his success. I called him a possible bust early this season, but he has so far proved me wrong. Maybe because of Derek Anderson?

Marques Colston- It's been hard to play him since he has only put up 1 TD this season. If the Saints are going to get anywhere against Carolina it will be through the air and with Colston.

Texans Def- With my Vikings defense on a BYE, the Texans should be a nice fit here. Surprisingly they are the top 10 in fantasy defenses. Against Miami they shouldn't have too much trouble.

Sit

I don't have many sits this week, because my sits are people who are injured. I threw together two though.

Bernard Berrian- No QB, no WR

Vincent Jackson- Being "distracted" isn't helping the Chargers.

Fantasy Football Draft Strategy

Last weekend I did my first live draft of the season. My strategy was simple going with picks 12 and 13 of a 12 team league. Draft running backs!

The league starts 1qb, 1rb, 1 flex, 2 wr, 1 te, def, and of course a kicker. Having two strong running backs is particularly important with a flex. Especially if you start 2 rb and 1 flex you most likely want to draft a running back with your first 3 picks.

My draft went as follows:

#1 R. Johnson
#2 L. Maroney
#3 T. Romo
#4 M. Colston
#5 H. Ward
#6 T. Heap
#7 B. Edwards
#8 T. Bell
#9 Calvin Johnson (108 overall)
#10 Big Ben
#11 Pats Defense
#12 R. Curry (133 overall)
#13 L. Washington
#14 Elam

Analyzing my own draft you can see where I went wrong. I didn't take another running back until the 8th round. Who I drafted isn't a strong running back at that. I reached for Todd Heap way to early and could have used that pick to grab someone who was still on the board like Fred Taylor or Adrian Peterson.

Getting into the later rounds you can see when I started to gamble a bit. I took a chance on several wide receivers like Calvin Johnson and Ronald Curry. Taking them so low I can possibly get great value out of them via trade if they blow up. If they bust, it's not much of a loss there.

I have another draft today, we'll see how that one goes.

Fantasy Football Quarterback Sleepers

A sleeper can really be anyone that you get good value for. If you draft LT in the 2nd round which would never happen, he could be a "sleeper".

It's very difficult to choose sleepers as anyone can potentially become a sleeper. I have chosen 3 possible sleeper quarterbacks.

Jon Kitna

With Kevin Jones out, and a huge wide receiver tandem, there is little reason for Kitna not to do well. I imagine Detroit will be pass first for most of the year. There is endless possibilities at wide receiver. Kitna did well last year and I would definitely pick him for my team.

Joey Harrington

He will take a little time to get going, but he was decent at times last year. He's on a better team even with the Vick 'scandal' going on. Atlanta has been run first for a long time. Warrick Dunn and Norwood will open it up for Harrington. He can then dump the ball off to either RB, Alge Crumpler or Joe Horn. He could definitely serve as a possible backup

Jeff Garcia

He is also being drafted very low. Losman and Campbell both rank above him. Even though he is aging I think you can get value for him so low. Tampa Bay is a better team with Jeff Garcia as the QB.

I will be posting my sleepers for running back, wide receiver, and TE as well as possible busts for each position.

Fantasy Football Rankings for 2007

Michael Fabiano "NFL.com Fantasy Expert" has released his rank list for the off season so far. The list is by position so today I am going to share his top 5 in each position.

Quarterbacks

Peyton Manning
Drew Brees
Carson Palmer
Tom Brady
Marc Bulger

Running Backs

LaDainian Tomlinson
Steven Jackson
Larry Johnson
Frank Gore
Shaun Alexander

Wide Receivers

Steve Smith
Chad Johnson
Torry Holt
Marvin Harrison
Terrell Owens


Tight Ends

Antonio Gates
Tony Gonzalez
Todd Heap
Jeremy Shockey
Chris Cooley

Donovan McNabb may or may not be a steal as the 6th quarterback. Injury prone, yet he had such a huge first half last season I didn't care he got injured. He pretty much got me into the playoffs by himself, and before he went down for the season.

At running back, it is interesting how much Shaun Alexander has slipped, from first overall to 5th in his position. I didn't take the hype and draft him last year. I'd much rather take Frank Gore here as well.

Terrell Owens stock can only go up with Tony Romo as the QB. If he can keep his head on, I think Owens is in for a career season. Is he worth the risk? I'd take him over Boldin and Fitzgerald, you never know what you're getting.

Tomorrow I will post the kickers and defenses.

Steve Smith Signs Contract Extension

Steve Smith is going to be a Carolina Panther for many years to come. Smith added three years to his contract.

Smith agreed to terms on a six year 44 million dollar extension, that includes 17 million in guaranteed money.

This contract extension comes right after the Panthers cut their #2 wide receiver Keyshawn Johnson to make room for the younger talent. Carolina had acquired several young WRs this offseason, and Johnson became expendable. He still remains a free agent.

Steve Smith now becomes one of the top five highest paid players at his position. He definitely plays as a top 5 caliber WR, he deserves to be paid accordingly.

Brace yourself, Its the Superbowl!

The superbowl is coming up, with huge anticipation. The Colts appear to the favorites if your betting with the spread. It will appear to be a high scoring game, but when you think that it doesn't happen. Manning has been shaky at best when it comes to playoff games. Imagine him on Superbowl Sunday!

On the other side, reporters have been asking how much would it take for Rex Grossman to get pulled out of the game in favor of Brian Griese. I find that to be a little extreme, even with considering his recent track record.

The Colts vs Da Bears is not my ideal superbowl, and with fantasy football out of season, I doubt I will catch much of this game. Although I will miss the yearly pools where you bet on the score etc that I used to be involved in.

I should take a picture of the new 46 inch tv my mom bought lol. Superbowl party at her house!

Enjoy the game. Whos your pick?

The Colts pull this one out 24-20 (just throwing out a score)

Winning Team for $300 or less!

No this isn't a sponsored post. NFL.com is offering one of the few fantasy football playoff games where every week you get to buy players to put in your lineup. For all of you newbs out there, it is free they are just assigned a dollar amount so you keep your total salary under the cap (in this case, $300). Each week I'll post my recommended teams, I'll try and give you two or three to choose from.

Here is my favorite lineup:
Quarterback: Matt Hasselbeck $38
Running Back 1: Larry Johnson $66
Running Back 2: Brian Westbrook $56
Wide Receiver 1: Reche Caldwell $17
Wide Receiver 2: Marvin Harrison $43
Tight End: Tony Gonzalez $27
Kicker: Josh Brown $24
Defense: Philadelphia $27
Total Cost: $298

Alternative Lineup #1:
Quarterback: Tony Romo $43
Running Back 1: Larry Johnson $66
Running Back 2: Corey Dillon $32
Wide Receiver 1: Marvin Harrison $43
Wide Receiver 2: Terrell Owens $40
Tight End: L.J. Smith $21
Kicker: Adam Vinatieri $23
Defense: New England $24
Total Cost: $292

Alternative Lineup #2:
Quarterback: Peyton Manning $76
Running Back 1: Larry Johnson $66
Running Back 2: Marion Barber $38
Wide Receiver 1: Laveraneus Coles $32
Wide Receiver 2: Deion Branch $21
Tight End: L.J. Smith $21
Kicker: David Akers $21
Defense: New England $24
Total Cost: $299

I hope you are able to find a winning team out of one of those options, good luck everyone!

Pratt's Starts and Sit for Week 17

Happy Holidays everyone! For those of you who still have one final game to play, here are my starts and sit to try and help you out!

On a sidenote, if you are like me and your favorite team is out of the playoffs, NFL.com has this awesome Bandwagon site that helps you decide which team you should jump on the bandwagon for. Enjoy!

Quarterback: Jeff Garcia (PHI). Since replacing McNabb, Garcia has thrown 10 TDs and only 2 INTs. He is playing for the Division Title and should perform well against Atlanta's 25th ranked passing D.

Running Back: Ron Dayne (HOU). I must admit, I had my doubts last week about him but he shut me right up. It looks like Houston has finally settled on a RB and Dayne is proving why he should be that guy. The Browns are horrible against the run (they are ranked 30th) and have given up 13 rushing TDs this season!

Wide Receiver: Hines Ward (PIT). I would have thought at the beginning of the season this would be a no-brainer, but with Pittsburgh's offense struggling and Ward getting injured he has been a suspect start. This week he should definitely be in your lineup. Cincy is last against the pass, and Pittsburgh is looking to go out with a bang. Expect a high scoring game, with Hines being the main beneficiary!

Tight End: Tony Scheffler (DEN). Hopefully you listened to me before and stuck him in your lineup. He has been a great late season TE upgrade, and this week should be no different. He has 3 TDs in his last 3 games and the 49ers are the 27th ranked passing D.

Defense: N.Y. Jets. This one is pretty surprising considering how horrible they were the majority of the season. The last couple weeks, however, their D has been playing well and now they will be rewarded by playing the worst offense in the league (the Oakland Raiders).

My sit of the week honors belongs to Drew Brees!!! I know I'm going to take a lot of crap for this, but I really think New Orleans is going to not be playing to their potential mainly because they have nothing left to play for. I'm not even certain Brees will play the whole game, they will probably want to rest him. This is the price you pay for having a commish who has the FF Championship in Week 17.

I Won the Championship

Merry Christmas and Happy holidays readers. I took a little break in blogging, and this fantasy football season is pretty much over.

Next year we will have our own domain with this blog continued on it, as well as forums. I got my webhosting so during the 'offseason' we will be building it and growing as big as we can. I'm new to everything so it will take me a while to get it set-up, but I will offer other threads that aren't just football, I may even link up with a baseball something :)

Getting back to the topic, luckily Rattay didn't cost me the game, and I won the championship I was hoping to win. Last year I lost by 1 point! This year I came back again to win the championship. I was the top team all year with a 13-2 record, now 14-2.
I should of went with either Cutler or Campbell, but everyone was big on Rattay with how he played the previous week. Of course I dropped Kitna and he finally shows up.

Jamal Lewis was decent, not a 100 yard game (didn't expect it), but 77yards and a touchdown is respectable against the Steelers.,
Stephen Jackson was a huge start and basically won my game. Player of the week nominations go to him!

Well I was wrong about Andre Johnson, but David Carr came through for his team. Not bad for the Texans. Maybe Carr can keep his job at quarterback for next season.

How many people got to the championship game?

I have another game next week, Ill post about it. Its the two best teams playing off.

PoEts NFL Week 16 Start Em Sit Em

This week is the toughest for me. The players who have gotten me to my top seeds aren't the guys who are playing well right now. There are some tough calls here, I need to make the right ones.

QB Rattay. A lot of people seem to be high on him, and I hope that pays off. Against the Browns he is an okay choice. I am starting Rattay over Cutler and Campbell so this could decide the outcome of my game. I assume it will be close.

RB Jamal Lewis. Only two teams have not allowed a 100 yard rusher this season and one of those teams are the Steelers (Minnesota is the other). With that being said I don't need Lewis to break a 100 for my flex spot, but it would be nice. Starting with Stephen Jackson, my other choices are Tatum Bell and Warrick Dunn. Not too much to pick from, Jamal Lewis is the best choice out of the three.

WR Andre Johnson. Carr has thrown only 1 TD in the past 8 games, I'm looking for that streak to break up a bit. Carr has a lot to play for, like his starting job. If he can at least play decently Andre Johnson could be a nice play. It's a longshot, but in this deep WR league I can't sit him.

Defense Ravens. This is the only defense I've used this year, I got them in most all of my leagues. Staying with that, nice and easy choice.

Sit
McNair- Not sure how much the injury will affect him
Branch- Has been non-existent in the offense
Muhammad- Muhammad who?
T Bell- You never know which Bell is gonna get the ball
Dunn- No success lately, held to low rushing yard amounts

There you have it, my week 16 start em sit em. Good luck to those in the championship this week, I'm excited about my championship game. Last year in this league I lost by one point. Back to back championship appearances, I hope it's not the same!

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Pratt's Starts and Sit of Week 16

Here they are, the much anticipated...Starts and Sit of the week! Without further adieu...

Quarterback: Tim Rattay (TB). I know, I know, he has only played 1/2 a game so far, but he looked great against a tough Chicago Defense. This week he should have a much easier game going against the 17th ranked passing defense, Cleveland Browns. They've allowed 20 passing TDs this season!

Running Back: Travis Henry (TEN). I'm going to give him this last shot to prove himself. Last time I picked him as a starter he only racked up 80 total yards (give or take a few). Buffalo is allowing 137.7 yards/game and has allowed 13 rushing TDs. He and Vince Young should have a good day on the ground.

Wide Receivers: Braylon Edwards (CLE). He has to be one of a dozen players who you debate every week whether or not you should include him in your lineup. Well this week is definitely the week to do it. He has a TD in 5 of his last 7 games, and Tampa Bay has allowed 25 passing TDs this season!!

Tight End: Tony Scheffler (DEN). Scheffler was a HUGE part of the Denver offense last week, and with Walker a little banged up he should have a great game. Cincy is last in passing defense so look for Cutler to be throwing the ball around all day.

Defense: Kansas City. OK this one is a little big of a no-brainer considering their opponent (Oakland), but they are still on many of the waiver wires. The Raiders have been shut out 3 times this year and have only scored 24 points in their last 3 games.

My sit for Week 16 is Terrell Owens!! I might get some heat for this one, but I really believe he will be frustrated and play against the Eagles like he did earlier in the season (only 45 yards receiving). They are going to be all over him like a fat kid on a cake!

Monday Night Review

Week 15: Monday Night
Cincinnati 16, Indianapolis 34

Some of stats I threw out yesterday didn't seem to hold true in the Monday Night game. Although I did correctly predict Palmer might struggle (although I figured at least ONE TD ouch), and the Colts RBs would be held. Rereading my preview I wasn't too far off, just with Rudi and the Bengals winning lol.

Rudi Johnson wasn't as big of hit as he needed to be. He carried the ball 22 tmies for only 79 yards and a TD. Not bad, but Cincinnati needed more out of him. Carson Palmer, apparently didn't get in much of a rhyhm either, on 50% completion, and 176 yards. I definitely didn't expect that from Palmer, but it got me into the finals in one of my yahoo fantasy football leagues (by 5 points).

Peyton Manning revived his Colts throwing 4 TD passes, 3 to Harrison and 1 to Wayne. The running backs weren't much of a factor like I expected, Addai wouldn't of been anything at all, except for the 41 yard run he had. He finished with only 50 yards and Rhodes has 52.