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11-16-06, 09:20 PM
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Seven Days Without Gambling Makes One Weak 
Join Date: Aug 19, 2005
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Fantasy Football News 11/16/06
Two Kinds of Questionable
Between increased media coverage and reality television, there isn't much that happens to celebrities these days that isn't caught on camera. All of which makes it especially sad that perhaps the single hardest-blowing confrontation in the history of mankind somehow took place this week while avoiding a camera. The Charlotte Observer reports that Keyshawn Johnson had a "talk" with Joe Theisman regarding some comments the Monday Night Football announcer made years ago. Johnson, who was apparently upset that Theisman once called him an "idiot" for his behavior in Tampa Bay, said he "just told him that's not acceptable." Then, in a comment that's just begging to be mocked, Johnson added: "I'm a guy with a degree from the University of Southern California. Idiots don't get degrees." Lastly, Johnson warned that he's "not going to be so nice" next time Theisman calls him an idiot, which shows a surprising amount of self-awareness in at least acknowledging that the opportunity is likely to present itself again. While we try to make sense of a world that has a dozen cameras focused on Paris Hilton at any given time, yet can't catch Keyshawn Johnson scolding Joe Theisman, here are some other notes from around football * Matt Hasselbeck and Shaun Alexander were both upgraded to questionable on the injury report after practicing Wednesday, but their actual chances of playing in Week 11 appear to be much different. Hasselbeck worked with the scout-team defense at practice, while Seneca Wallace took first-team reps, and reportedly showed a noticeable limp at times when trying to move in the pocket. Coach Mike Holmgren said he'll make a decision on the team's starter Friday, which seemingly makes Wallace an excellent bet to get the call for at least one more week. Holmgren did indicate that Hasselbeck could serve as Wallace's backup even if he's unable to start, which opens the door for a mid-game change if the Seahawks happen to struggle against the 49ers. Meanwhile, Alexander practiced fully and Holmgren said afterward that "there's a good chance he'll be active" and "can do most of the stuff." However, Holmgren also indicated that Alexander will likely split carries with Maurice Morriswith Alexander more likely to get any goal-line chanceswhich means he won't be a legitimate RB1 play until at least Week 12. * Willis McGahee was pleased to be "walking upright" Wednesday, but coach Dick Jauron told reporters that McGahee "won't get on the field for us this week, even in practice." Barring a miraculous recovery, it looks like McGahee's broken ribs will keep him out for at least two more weeks, giving Anthony Thomas an extended chance to revive his declining career. Thomas rushed for 95 yards and a touchdown on 20 carries after relieving McGahee in Week 9 and looked very solid starting in his place last week, carrying 28 times for 109 yards. Of course, a 100-yard effort is slightly less impressive when it comes against the historically bad Colts run defense, but Thomas has another favorable matchup against the Texans in Week 11. Two-Minute Drill: Albert Haynesworth returned from his suspension for stomping a helmetless Andre Gurode and has already begun working with the first-team defense in practice A scoring change has given Donovan McNabb credit for a passing touchdown on the odd Week 10 play that involved Correll Buckhalter grabbing a ball that "deflected" off Reggie Brown and taking it in for a 55-yard score Coach Art Shell reportedly won't officially name a starting quarterback for Week 11 until Sunday, which would be interesting if anyone actually wanted to play either Andrew Walter or Aaron Brooks on their fantasy team Always a keeper-league sleeper, Brandon Jones has been promoted to the Titans' starting lineup for the remainder of the season. Red Zone: T.J. Houshmandzadeh (concussion) is awaiting medical clearance to practice, but is expected to play Sunday Chris Cooley revealed Wednesday that he's been playing through a separated shoulder for six weeks Tiki Barber is not on the injury report and said he's "not worried" about his thumb injury Tatum Bell (toe) is likely to start this week despite being listed as questionable, but probably won't get a full workload Byron Leftwich will reportedly rest for a week before making a decision regarding season-ending ankle surgery After sitting out Week 10, Jerious Norwood (knee) returned to practice Wednesday Terry Glenn (knee) practiced Wednesday and is listed as questionable for Week 11 Vernand Morency (back) may be ready to steal touches from Ahman Green after returning to practice Wednesday Despite being listed as questionable, coach Mike Nolan said Frank Gore (concussion) is "probable" to play this week Washington officially ended Clinton Portis' season Wednesday, placing him on injured reserve. |
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11-16-06, 09:20 PM
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Moderator
Seven Days Without Gambling Makes One Weak
Join Date: Aug 19, 2005
Location: Orlando, Florida
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Re: Fantasy Football News 11/16/06
GLS: Week 11 Rankings
Remember all the preseason stories that claimed the Rams would finally run a balanced offense? The writers didn't do their homework on Scott Linehan. Few coaches love to throw more in running situations, especially in the red zone. Linehan has always been the type of coach who will choose to throw a difficult slant to a rookie tight end on a crucial fourth-quarter fourth and one play. The Rams are currently fourth in the NFL in pass attempts, but only 23rd in rush attempts. So there's your balance. Mike Martz's pass: rush ratio in his last full season was 1.52:1. Linehan is at 1.42:1. Marc Bulger and Torry Holt keeper league owners should be smiling. The Rams will continue to chuck the ball down the field throughout Linehan's tenure. They will pass from any situation. That's why I'm not bent out of shape about the loss of LT Orlando Pace. First of all, this isn't the Orlando Pace of 2001. He's a Pro Bowler, but Pace's play has slipped from Hall of Fame level to mortal since he signed his long-term contract. The Rams will keep talented tackle Alex Barron on the right side, which makes sense this week against Julius Peppers. Adam Goldberg will play left tackle. For what it's worth, Bulger was 17-for-29 for 138 yards and an interception in just over 30 minutes after Pace was hurt against Seattle. The Rams face a few cupcake pass rushes like San Francisco, Arizona, and Washington in the second half, which will help Goldberg out. Bulger, Holt, and Isaac Bruce owners can be confident that the Rams will keep winging the ball in an effort to win shootouts. Their defensive line can't stop the run and the secondary is giving up big plays. It's almost as if Martz never left. Week 11 Quarterbacks
QB Notes: I tried to convince myself that Jon Kitna was a top-tier QB1. He's too inconsistent from quarter-to-quarter, and that was apparent in his miserable first half against the 49ers. That's a game that a top fantasy quarterback crushes. Kitna belongs to a valuable second-tier of QB1s that are mostly consistent week-to-week, but lack some of the monster efforts that Peyton Manning, Bulger, Vick, and McNabb make. Kitna's saving grace is that he eventually puts up 200 yards even during an off-game because they throw downfield so much. I'd put Kitna in the same category as Tom Brady, Philip Rivers, Tony Romo, and Brett Favre. They probably won't win most weeks for you, but they won't lose them either. NFL Network posed an interesting question Wednesday (non-fantasy topic alert!). If the 2004 draft was played out today, which quarterback would be drafted first between Philip Rivers, Eli Manning, and Ben Roethlisberger. Adam Shefter implied that the league consensus would go with Rivers. I'd still take Roethlisberger and then Rivers over Manning. As rough as 2006 has been, Roethlisberger is still fifth in the league in yards-per-attempt. He finished first last season. Ben will be helped the rest of the season by Pittsburgh's sagging secondary. I can see the Steelers getting in to more shootouts. This week's matchup against an improved Cleveland secondary won't be one of them though. Denver is a lot more susceptible to the pass than the run. Only two teams have given up more passing yards in the last five weeks, even though Denver does buckle down in the red zone. Philip Rivers won't put up 49 points, but he can have another solid game. Alex Smith's production has slowed down appreciably since his hot start. He's making progress overall, but he telegraphs a few bad passes a week and is lucky he doesn't have more interceptions. The 49ers offense is better, but it's not explosive enough for Smith to be a serious option down the stretch despite a good schedule. If Matt Hasselbeck misses another game, which looks likely, Seneca Wallace is a fine option against the 49ers. I'm not sure what to make of San Francisco's two solid defensive efforts back-to-back. Let's call it a fluke for now. Drew Brees gets Joe Horn back this week and faces a beleaguered Bengals secondary that could be without Dexter Jackson and Deltha O'Neal. Tom Brady has struggled in recent weeks, but has a juicy matchup against one of the worst pass defenses in football. The Packers have survived the last two games because they played Brad Johnson and J.P. Losman. The Colts don't give up a lot of passing yards, partially because teams run the ball all day on them. Expect more of the same Monday, which could lead to the weakest Tony Romo effort of the season. Eli Manning isn't likely to break out of his slump against one of the top five pass defenses in football. Until I hear otherwise, let's assume Aaron Brooks will be back behind center for the Raiders. His skills probably won't be enough to overcome that system. Give Trent Green a few weeks to shake off the cobwebs before using him again in fantasy leagues. Expect Donovan McNabb to go for 300 yards and a few scores against the last-ranked Titans defense. Week 11 Running Backs
RB Notes: The Rams rush defense is playing so poorly, even DeShaun Foster is a reasonable RB2 against them. Maybe the Rams lost their confidence after Larry Johnson and LaDainian Tomlinson got through with them. Pisa Tinoisimoa is late getting to plays and the defensive line is getting pushed around. Maurice Morris may have been the first running back in NFL history to run for 120 yards without making a cut. After DeAngelo Williams struggled in his first game back, Foster should have 20 productive touches this week. Just don't count on him every week. One positive way to spin last week's Seahawks-Rams game is that the Seattle offensive line is finally coming into it's own without Steve Hutchinson. They also dominated the Raiders. It's all good news for Shaun Alexander and his fantasy owners. Look for Alexander and Maurice Morris to roughly split carries this week. Since the matchup is against the 49ers, I see Alexander as a decent RB2, but not unbenchable on a strong roster. The rest of Alexander's schedule has some difficult matchups (Denver, San Diego), but he starts the fantasy playoffs with two easy ones (Arizona, San Francisco). Congratulations if you own Alexander and have survived with a winning record. The season may not turn out so poorly. One play that bothered me in the Patriots game was seeing Jets S Kerry Rhodes pick up and throw down Laurence Maroney like he was a scat back. I wrote about Maroney's disappointing production (now five scoreless games in a row under 70 total yards) and part of his problem is the inability to get yards-after-contact consistently. He will eventually, but it was no mistake that Corey Dillon had a better day in muddy conditions Sunday. Chicago is giving up a lot of rushing yards lately, but it's hard to get excited about Kevan Barlow or Leon Washington if they are splitting carries. Barlow had his best game as a Jet last week and should remain a factor. The 49ers are using Maurice Hicks in more situations than Michael Robinson lately, including some short-yardage work. Robinson can be dropped if you need the roster spot. It's easy to forget how much shake and bake Frank Gore has because of his size and power. Gore looked at home on artificial turf last week and added to his league-leading number of rushes over 20 yards. Seattle remains a good matchup for Gore despite improved play the last two weeks. They still give up a lot of yards on the ground. Jacksonville's rush defense has only been average this season, but they may get Marcus Stroud back this week. That's not good news for Tiki Barber. Reuben Droughns is questionable and was in a walking boot Wednesday. I'll adjust the rankings Saturday if it looks like he won't play, but the potential Jerome Harrison/Jason Wright two-headed monster should be avoided. Droughns is down to 3.1 yards-per-carry and could be in danger of losing his starting job this offseason. Droughns has a history of fading in the second half of seasons. Ronnie Brown is tough to bench, but he has a difficult matchup against the Vikings. Make sure he practices later in the week before setting your lineup. Marion Barber is starting to cut in on Julius Jones' carries, but there should be enough to go around this week against the Colts. One concern Evan Silva pointed out for Thomas Jones owners is that the Bears could clinch home field advantage early. It probably wouldn't affect anything until Week 16, but Jones has been worked hard this year and will need a breather. I trust Ladell Betts. He's going to get 20+ touches against a soft rush defense. Edgerrin James showed some life last week getting to the corner on runs against the Cowboys. If he was ever going to put together 100 total yards and a touchdown, this week against the Lions would be the time. Tough spot for Travis Henry owners against Philadelphia. The Eagles are going to pass all day on the Titans secondary, leading to less rushing attempts for Tennessee if the Titans fall behind early. I wouldn't drop Lamont Jordan, but he's dead to me as a weekly option unless there are drastic changes in Oakland. Wali Lundy isn't nearly as a safe a start now that Samkon Gado is getting carries. That situation could change week-to-week. Jerious Norwood is expected to be back for Atlanta, hurting Warrick Dunn's sliding value. Week 10 Wide Receivers
WR Notes: Chad Pennington is a magician, but I'd stay far away from the Jets against Chicago this week. The degree of difficulty on most of Pennington's passes is so high because of his limitations stretching the field. A top defense like Chicago should be able to handle New York. Reche Caldwell has become Tom Brady's most consistent target. He's a decent WR3 option this week against a leaky Packers secondary. Don't give up on Antonio Bryant yet. He's on pace for a similar season to his 2005 campaign. More importantly, the 49ers are still looking to find him deep. Bryant stepped out of bounds on a sideline catch last week that could have gone for forty yards. He then came up a few inches short of catching a 45-yard touchdown on a play in which he beat Dre Bly deep by two steps. Alex Smith overthrew him. Norv Turner isn't going to give up on the deep ball and the 49ers have an easy schedule. Terry Glenn is expected to start this week, which ruins Patrick Crayton's value. I'd hang on to Crayton in deep leagues because Glenn may not stay healthy. Terrell Owens has a tough matchup against the Colts. Indianapolis is quietly near the top of most defensive statistics against the pass, and it's not just because teams run straight at them (although that helps). The Colts are seventh in yards-per-attempt allowed. This is also the first Tampa 2 defense Dallas has faced all season. Watching tape of the Bills-Colts, I don't understand why every team doesn't just double team Reggie Wayne and Marvin Harrison. Let Ben Utecht, Joseph Addai, and Dominic Rhodes beat you. Bill Parcells has a lot of confidence in Terrance Newman and Anthony Henry, though, so the Colts may see single coverage. Not that you'd consider benching the Colts anyhow. Look for the Broncos to test San Diego's safeties with a lot of deep looks to Javon Walker. The Chargers' front seven isn't getting the same amount of pressure without Shawne Merriman and it's exposing the team's secondary as the mediocre unit it's always been. With Tatum Bell hurting, Denver is going to ask for a big game from Jake Plummer. Malcom Floyd is reportedly more likely to play than Eric Parker. We'll update both their rankings on Saturday. The top ranked Eagles pass attack faces the No. 32 defense in the league - Tennessee. Reggie Brown and Donte' Stallworth look like safe plays. ... Joey Galloway has nearly proved Bruce Gradkowski-proof. A matchup against the Redskins is one week to use him. Sean Taylor continues to give up big plays, and starting Troy Vincent is a desperate move. Santana Moss is questionable for this week. I don't think the switch to Jason Campbell will hurt him that much. It's not like Mark Brunell was getting the ball to Moss deep. Campbell can throw a hitch pass, like any NFL quarterback. Eric Moulds has been a quiet disappointment this season. While he helps the Texans, the explosive ability just isn't there. He's not an option most weeks. Week 11 Tight Ends
TE Notes: Vernon Davis may return this week, ending Eric Johnson's reign of terror across Fantasy Nation. The Broncos give up a lot of yards to tight ends, but haven't allowed a touchdown to one all season. They haven't been the same in coverage since Kennoy Kennedy left. Chris Cooley is playing with a separated shoulder and a first-time quarterback. He's unlikely to explode down the stretch. Keep an eye on Alge Crumpler, who is questionable. He finished last week's game, which is usually an indication that he'll play. I'm not giving up on David Martin yet. The Patriots don't do a great job against tight ends, so this is a decent matchup. Week 11 Kickers
Week 11 Team Defense |
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11-16-06, 09:21 PM
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#3 |
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Moderator
Seven Days Without Gambling Makes One Weak
Join Date: Aug 19, 2005
Location: Orlando, Florida
Posts: 52,423
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Re: Fantasy Football News 11/16/06
Chief Concerns Clinton Por |
