RotoRant: Rants, Raves, Reviews

F. Liriano (BN)

2011-05-04T03:09:00.001-05:00

Well, after a month of ruining my WHIP, giving me nearly no K-production and just overall killing my SP's few good starts - Francisco Liriano threw a no-hitter on the day I had finally benched him.
Yes, this is more than a little annoying. But, in the end, I can't be mad. I had decided after his last start to start keeping the roto-category-vampire on my bench until he proves he can be trusted again. My rotation isn't exactly untouchable (D. Price, T. Hanson, M. Cain, T. Lilly, C. Zambrano - 14-team league), so the already iffy SP's couldn't keep absorbing Liriano's season of futility.
So, now it'll be decision time. Next start, he sits. Just because I am stubborn. And, if he has a quality outing, then I'll reconsider future starts. But, if he has a stinker, then I'll feel a little less sick to my stomach about this no-play-no-no.
In the meantime, I'll still be shopping my disappointing sixth round soft 'ace'.

Waiver Friday

2011-04-15T18:25:00.001-05:00

Out of almost-nowhere, the waiver wire in the RotoRant Friends and Family Rotisserie league was busy.

Successful Bids:
D. Murphy ($20), M. Aviles ($15), J. Peralta ($2)
Outright FA Adds:
T. Helton, B. Sanches, B. McCarthy, J. Carroll

*** Breakdown ***
D. Murphy and T. Helton go to the same team. They bolster a lineup struggling with V. Wells/D. Lee/A. Callaspo as everyday starters. Essentially, if Murphy fills in admirably for J. Hamilton, then it buys the manager time for V. Wells to right the ship (at least partially). T. Helton is simply an add to put some numbers up while he's healthy, if he's ever healthy anymore.
M. Aviles becomes a super-sub for my team. I lost my Chipper back-up plan, and with B. Roberts and J. Rollins as my imaginary double-play-duo, I need someone serviceable at the ready. I think he's a lock for .290, even with the slow start, and unlike some of the other batting average FA adds, he has the potential for at least some counting numbers.
J. Peralta was the other intriguing add. He's next-in-line in Tampa, supposedly, and the manager needs saves sources desperately. For $2, in a league where almost all setup men are already taken, it's a very healthy price.

2011-04-15T01:46:00.001-05:00

Problem Solved?

Well, maybe. After all the CWS bullpen blowouts, I had to choose to stick it out or move on. I moved on. I traded S. Santos/C. Sale/M. Thornton for L. Gregorson/B. League/C. Zambrano.

Basically, Gregorson gives me stability. League gives me a temporary shot at saves I wasn't getting from the Chicago terrible-trio. And, Zambrano was a way to make me feel like I am still getting enough ammo to do future trades, just in case this all doesn't work out.

For now, I'll set-it-and-forget-it at RP. We'll address the need again in a couple weeks.

But, just as one problem is being addressed, I get word on Baseball Tonight that I'm going to be without J. Mauer because of one of the more mysterious injuries in recent memory.

I scrolled through the FA Wire, and I wasn't liking what I found. A total of 4-5 starting catchers. I had decided to go with the WAS youngster W. Ramos, but I knew then I wouldn't get a ton of at-bats with him as they allowed Pudge to keep in the mix.

But, all that had to wait until the nightly system refresh. Then, I got two trade offers. Vultures.

Trade 1: M. Cain for M. Napoli
Trade 2: E. Encarnacion for C. Ianetta

So, I had three options. W. Ramos/I. Rodriguez for free (except the extra rosters spot), or take one of these two trades.

Trade 1 is big. Too big for me right now. Napoli is very good, but the average and loaded roster scare me. Plus, currently only Cain is pitching well for me. And, if Mauer does come back, I don't think playing Napoli at UT is getting near full value.
Trade 2 is tiny. And, in the end that's what I wanted. A small trade, where I can hopefully use Ianetta as a stopgap for the short-term.

For the record, both players (Ianetta and Encarnacion) could end up being super-post-hype-sleepers. They were taken in the 23rd round, two picks apart. One was a luxury pick, the other was Chipper-insurance. Both have 20-hr potential and both have significant flaws. I basically decided I needed Mauer-insurance now, Chipper-insurance can wait.

2011-04-14T14:28:00.001-05:00

Well, the draft is over - and there's actually a few games of baseball not being postponed. While many teams are piling up stats, a few are stacking up the headaches. Mine comes in closer-form.
I usually don't get in on the closer runs on draft day, taking 2-3 'bargain' types. This year, I neglected OF to the point that I felt I needed to bolster my offense when the closers were starting to be selected.
So, I went with one 'safe' option - R. Franklin. And one gamble, M. Thornton.
Franklin was supposed to give me 20-30 saves, with a decent ERA/WHIP and not much else. He was just a category filler that wouldn't kill me.
Thornton was a gamble that would give me his usual K-upside with the added bonus of 20-plus saves.
To insure both, I also took J. Motte, C. Sale, and S. Santos (with M. Boggs added off of the FA wire).
We count HOLDS, so handcuffs aren't wasted roster spots, but actually a reliable way to get your setup category tidy.
Two weeks later, I have been devastated. My gamble on the White Sox bullpen has failed in epic proportions, and my back-up/sure-thing in Franklin has been anything but what I expected.
So, I'm stuck with the dilemma of trading players at their lowest points - just to cut bait and try to salvage my categories while they are still salvage-able. Or - hold on to the failed plan and hope that it'll be corrected the way most of baseball stats are - through repetition.
I still think Franklin/Motte/Boggs can get me 20-30 saves without a horrible ERA/WHIP.
But, the Thornton/Sale/Santos combination worries me. I usually trust Thornton, but I wonder if the season is lost for him now. He's been misused and even if he does get recast, he might show the effects of these poor decisions the rest of the year.
C. Sale is too young to trust, and he's a lefty being thrust into the closer discussions. And, S. Santos 'could' be C. Marmol - a converted infielder with an electric arm. Or - he could be S. Santos from the fall of last year, raising his WHIP with each appearance. In fact, I think his career path might mirror J. Hanrahan more than C. Marmol (meaning immediate success, followed by a fairly significant rebound to normalcy - with a shot at finding that immediate success again by harnessing his 'stuff' later in his career).
So, that's been my 2011 in fantasy baseball so far. A giant headache because I made one gamble without an absolutely fool-proof backup plan. But, the offense is producing, and the headaches (or fixing them, or trying to) are what makes fantasy transactions so fun.

We're still here!

2010-05-03T12:17:00.001-05:00

Happy Monday RotoRanters! Though the blog content has halted for the last month or so, we make our presence known on TWITTER every day. Join us there for constant fantasy baseball updates and injury news. And feel free to tweet us with any lineup, waiver or trade questions you have! See ya there!

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2010 Fantasy Baseball Sleepers: Relief Pitchers

2010-03-24T16:47:00.000-05:00

Quick Predictions Rundown

Saito: 2-5 W-L, 17 SV, 76 K, 2.52 ERA, 1.21 WHIP

Perez: 6-3 W-L, 33 SV, 82 K, 2.44 ERA, 1.04 WHIP

Gregerson: 3-4 W-L, 13 SV, 90 K, 3.15 ERA, 1.22 WHIP

Chris picks: Takashi Saito (ATL)
All the closers in a competitive league will be drafted and serve at least some vital role on their fantasy team. But, instead of scavenging through the necessary evils of the closer ranks, you could end up bolstering your high-end reliever with a guy like T. Saito. His WHIP and K’s should get a slight bump with the move to the NL. And even though he’s an injury risk himself, he’s in a great chance to close considering who he’s behind. Best yet, if Wagner does falter or tweak something, Saito has the ability to wrestle permanent end-game duties away from his peers.
Prediction: 2-5 W-L, 17 SV, 76 K, 2.52 ERA, 1.21 WHIP

Jeff picks: Chris Perez (CLE)
Opportunity is one of the main factors to consider when identifying a good bullpen sleeper. Often times when a closer goes down a new one steps in and does the job better than the guy he just replaced. I think that could be the case this season with my sleeper Chris Perez of the Cleveland Indians. Projected closer Kerry Wood is expected to miss at least the first two months with a shoulder issue and Perez looks to be the first man up for the job. Perez was a highly regarded prospect in the St. Louis Cardinals organization before he was acquired last June via trade for Mark DeRosa. Perez excelled in the minors but was unable to gain traction with the big club and thus became a movable piece. He has the potential to put up great numbers across the board and should provide owners with a nice K/9, WHIP and ERA. The save chances could be an issue in Cleveland as they are still a team on the mend but if he has early success I think he will hold down the job if and when Wood comes back.
Prediction: 6-3 W-L, 33 SV, 82 K, 2.44 ERA, 1.04 WHIP

Pat picks: Luke Gregerson (SD)
My prediction is based on the assumption that Heath Bell gets traded in July. Gregerson has to be the next in line to close. He racked up the K's in the Padres bullpen last year, with 93K in 75 IP and a 3:1 K/BB ratio. He had 27 holds last year too, where he eventually settled into the set-up role he will resume this year. I read this at Sports Illustrated, and they said it best "Think of him as Heath Bell, circa 2007." He has great stuff, isn't too wild and most importantly will have an opportunity. Enjoy the strikeouts and holds for a few months, then enjoy the saves after that.
Prediction: 3-4 W-L, 13 SV, 90 K, 3.15 ERA, 1.22 WHIP

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2010 Fantasy Baseball Sleepers: Starting Pitchers

2010-03-22T17:11:00.000-05:00

Quick Predictions Rundown

Baker: 16-9 W-L, 0 SV, 171 K, 3.93 ERA, 1.18 WHIP

De La Rosa: 17-7 W-L, 0 SV, 205 K, 3.75 ERA, 1.23 WHIP

Davis: 12-8 W-L, 0 SV, 160 K, 4.03 ERA, 1.29 WHIP

Chris picks: Scott Baker (MIN)
I usually don’t go for AL starting pitchers unless they are the obvious aces, like say CC Sabathia. But, I am a slave to the WHIP, and Scott Baker really knows how to keep his under control. He was under-rated last year, with his numbers ballooned by a terrible start. This year, while I’m wary of Target Field and the lack of a true home-field advantage it will bring the Twins, I think Baker will get it going much faster. The AL Central is wide open, and if Minnesota is going to get to the playoffs they’ll need to have a pitcher have some semblance of an ace-like season. That pitcher will most-likely be Baker. And, if not, hey, you can count on that WHIP.
Prediction: 16-9 W-L, 0 SV, 171 K, 3.93 ERA, 1.18 WHIP

Jeff picks: Jorge De La Rosa (COL)
Jorge De La Rosa a pitcher I have had my eye on since the middle of last season. He struggled at the beginning of the year but came on strong after the all-star break finishing with a record of 16-9 with 193 k's in 185 innings pitched. Over his last 15 starts he went 10-2 with 92 k's in 84 innings pitched. He'll have to battle the stigma of pitching in Colorado but over the course of season I think it will balance out enough that won't be that big of a factor. Also it appears that he has picked up right where he left off as so far in spring training he's gone 1-1, 1.93 ERA, 11 strikeouts, three walks in 14 innings. He's a great late round sleeper and his value is likely to go up as the season opener draws closer.
Prediction: 17-7 W-L, 0 SV, 205 K, 3.75 ERA, 1.23 WHIP

Pat picks: Wade Davis (TB)
For Davis to even have a chance to prove me right, he needs to win the 5th spot out of spring training. He had a nice audition at the end of last year, starting six games and finishing with 3.72 ERA and a 1.27 WHIP. The WHIP isn't the flashiest, as he walked 13 in 36 IP. Plus he does have good strikeout potential, with a great curve and mid-90's fastball. It also helps he has a good team on the field too. I like him in the 5th spot, with less pressure and he has room to grow. My prediction numbers don't jump out at you, but I think if he has the confidence Davis can be a serviceable 5th starter on your fantasy team in deep leagues
Prediction: 12-8 W-L, 0 SV, 160 K, 4.03 ERA, 1.29 WHIP

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2010 Fantasy Baseball Sleepers: Outfield

2010-03-22T07:55:00.000-05:00

Quick Predictions Rundown

Bruce: .268, 76 R, 33 HR, 97 RBI, 5 SB

Davis: .302, 95 R, 5 HR, 74 RBI, 68 SB

Bradley: .285, 76 R, 20 HR, 75 RBI, 4 SB

Chris picks: Jay Bruce (CIN)
He’s not a post-hype sleeper, as he never really failed. He’s been a decent player since his first game, but the batting average and injuries of last year really eroded fantasy owner’s confidence levels. Despite hitting well below .250, Bruce still managed to at least hit 22 HR in under 400 at-bats. Basically, he was an ailing Adam Dunn. What makes him a sleeper in 2010 is his health. He should get 500-plus at-bats, and if you couple that with a healthier-happier Joey Votto, there’s a lot of room for growth in all of his numbers. The batting average can’t get much worse, and I am chalking much of it up to lingering injuries and the absence of lineup protection. It’s another buy-low opportunity on draft day, and you won’t be able to get him for this price again.
Prediction: .268, 76 R, 33 HR, 97 RBI, 5 SB

Jeff picks: Rajai Davis (OAK)
For my OF sleeper I'm going with Rajai Davis of the Oakland Athletics. Davis has bounced around since 2006 but last year was able to find a stable home in the Oakland outfield. Davis got off to a nice start last season but really turned it on after the all-star break batting .325 with 42 RBIs and a league leading 30 SBs. The stolen base category is really where you'll find the value with Davis as it looks like he has improved his ability to get on base and is likely to have the green light all season. All-time stolen base leader and part time coach Rickey Henderson recently said he thinks that Davis could still 70-80 bases. Henderson is a little crazy but if he knows one thing it's the art of base stealing and he obviously sees something in Davis. If he continues to progress I could see Davis creeping into the top 45 of outfielders making him someone to target in the later rounds and giving you a nice edge in the stolen base category.
Prediction: .302, 95 R, 5 HR, 74 RBI, 68 SB

Pat picks: Milton Bradley (SEA)
Don't laugh. You know how hard this was as a not-so-secret die-hard Chicago Cubs fan? But this is fantasy, can't let that give me a bias. Fact is, Bradley is good hitter when he is healthy and focused. A small market team like the Mariners will be good for him and really, they are depending on him for some production. It also helps he'll be able to play some games at DH when Griffey isn't feeling it and keep his ailing parts fresher. Milton will hit cleanup or 5th in a lineup with guys like Chone Figgins and Ichiro in front of him---both of whom can get on base. Expect plenty of RBI opportunities and again IF, a huge IF, Milton can keep his head in the game and not let himself become a distraction, he'll be good for the Mariners and your fantasy team.
Prediction: .285, 76 R, 20 HR, 75 RBI, 4 SB

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2010 Fantasy Baseball Sleepers: Third Base

2010-03-17T08:19:00.003-05:00

Quick Predictions Rundown

Glaus: .259, 63 R, 29 HR, 95 RBI, 0 SB

Headley: .294, 74 R, 18 HR, 78 RBI, 12 SB

Fox: .265, 65 R, 25 HR, 85 RBI, 1 SB

Chris picks: Troy Glaus (ATL)
Troy Glaus is no longer playing third base. But, for at least one more year you can gamble on the injury prone power hitter for your fantasy hot corner. He’s a one-dimensional player, but I like him for a few reasons. He is moving to a position that could help his knack for injuries. He is a proven commodity, with a skill set that is actually more likely to stay intact with age. For the most part Glaus has been off the radar for fantasy owners for quite a while, making him a buy-low for those that can’t wait for the season to start.
Prediction: .259, 63 R, 29 HR, 95 RBI, 0 SB

Jeff picks: Chase Headley (SD)
For my sleeper third baseman I’m going with Chase Headley of the San Diego Padres. Headley has been near the top of the Padres prospect list since 2005 when he was drafted in the second round. In 2007 he hit .330 with 20 homeruns and 82 RBIs in Double-A, further enhancing his profile as a potential starter. Last season he spent the entire season with the big club but struggled adjusting to the outfield hitting only .262 with 12 homeruns and 62 RBIs. This past off-season the Padres traded former third baseman Kevin Kouzmanoff, clearing the way for Headley to come back to his natural position, which could lead to an offensive resurgence. If Headley feels more comfortable at third, fantasy owners can expect his numbers to improve. At this point he’s a late round pick at best, but the at-bats are going to be there. If he has a good spring he could be a nice find.
Prediction: .294, 74 R, 18 HR, 78 RBI, 12 SB

Pat picks: Jake Fox (OAK)
Jake Fox is a former Cubs catching prospect whose bat bought him playing time at the major league level even if there wasn't a position for him. He hit 11 HR and drove in 44 in 216 AB. That's good production if you stretch it out over 500 AB. But with huge contracts jamming the OF and Aramis Ramirez and Derrek Lee at the corners, the Cubs traded Fox in the off-season to Oakland. There he'll see most of his time at DH and his bat will be able to be kept in the lineup when spelling the regulars at both first and third. Fox is unproven, but if we know anything about Oakland, a low average will not put a guy on the bench as long as he has some power (see Cust, Jack). Don't plan on Fox being your starting third baseman, but he's a good power play if you have a CI or UT opening.
Prediction: .265, 65 R, 25 HR, 85 RBI, 1 SB

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2010 Fantasy Baseball Sleepers: Shortstop

2010-03-15T08:37:00.001-05:00

Quick Predictions Rundown

Escobar: .290, 83 R, 6 HR, 58 RBI, 29 SB

Aybar: .309, 88 R, 11 HR, 78 RBI, 25 SB

Hardy: .275, 72 R, 21 HR, 74 RBI, 2 SB

Chris picks: Alcides Escobar (MIL)
I absolutely love the way the shortstop position is looking this year in fantasy baseball. There’s decidedly some great players bunched up in the top-tier, but after that it’s an absolute free-for-all. In my mind, if you don’t get a stud, you can wait out the rest of your league’s choices and still snag a solid SS.
So who is my ‘sleeper’ then? Well, Elvis Andrus and Asdrubal Cabrera are too good to be sleepers, so I guess I’ll just hop on the Escobar bandwagon. All reports are he can hit, and everyone already knows MIL has a couple of very good run producers in-house. If he’s given the opportunity, and he will be, he is going to excel.
Prediction: .290, 83 R, 6 HR, 58 RBI, 29 SB

Jeff picks: Erick Aybar (LAA)
Sometimes it takes a while for highly touted prospects to break through, and it looks like that time has finally come for Angels' shortstop Erick Aybar. Aybar's name has been out there for several years as someone to keep an eye on but playing time and injuries have suffocated his growth. That is until last season, when Aybar took over the shortstop position and put together his best season to date. Aybar's .312 batting average placed him fourth among all shortstops, and he placed in the top ten in OBP, SLG and OPS. He likely won't provide you with much power, but he did manage nine triples, second most in all of baseball. I expect his homerun and RBI totals to go up if he manages to stay healthy and play 150-plus games. After an off-season departure by one of his own, expect Aybar to hit near the top of the lineup and fill the void in the stolen base department left by Chone Figgins. As for fantasy implications: if you miss out on the shortstop you're targeting, then Aybar could be a nice find in the later rounds. He could end up providing your team with a quality starting shortstop at much lower cost than other alternatives.
Prediction: .309, 88 R, 11 HR, 78 RBI, 25 SB

Pat picks: J.J. Hardy (MIN)
My pick for shortstop sleeper is a name you may not have heard: Hanley Ramirez. Kidding. My pick is a name that you know but may have forgotten. J.J. Hardy is a former All-Star but completely tanked in 2009, batting .229 with 11 home runs and 47 RBIs in 115 games for the Brew Crew while also getting demoted to Triple-A in August. Did you even know the brewers traded him? Yup, in one of the first trades of the off-season, he was sent packing to Minnesota, to bat in a lineup that features Joe Mauer and Justin Morneau. Not a bad landing spot. Many fantasy owners have a "what have you done for me lately" mindset and it needs to be taken advantage of. I don't expect an All-Start revival but let him fall and grab yourself a serviceable SS later in the draft.
Prediction: .275, 72 R, 21 HR, 74 RBI, 2 SB

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2010 Fantasy Baseball Sleepers: Second Base

2010-03-10T17:34:00.002-06:00

Quick Predictions Rundown

Hudson: .286, 12 HR, 69 RBI, 91 R, 11 SB

Prado: .313, 15 HR, 81 RBI, 90 R, 5 SB

Kendrick: .295, 17 HR, 86 RBI, 95 R, 19 SB

Chris picks: Orlando Hudson (MIN)
O-Dog is my pick for sleeper at second base. He's in another new situation, in another decent lineup, but even though you've heard his name for years as a fantasy-also-runner, he isn't as old as most assume.
This year, hitting in front of contact-happy Joe Mauer, Orlando could easily outpace his career high in Runs. It's still unknown how Target Field will affect the Twins, but I just can't see Hudson not producing at or above his pace from last year. He's already a solid option for those not getting the elite second basemen, but this year his situation, skill set and career arc may point to one or more career high spikes, making him much more than a stopgap starter for a fantasy team.
Prediction: .286, 12 HR, 69 RBI, 91 R, 11 SB

Jeff picks: Martin Prado (ATL)
For my second base sleeper, I’ve decided to go with Martin Prado of the Atlanta Braves. A crowded infield last year forced Prado to show his versatility by playing first, second and third during the season. But going into this season, second base is all his, and it should be for foreseeable future. Prado is coming off a surprisingly strong season given the limited amount of at-bats he was able to receive. In 450 AB’s Prado was able to place among the top 7 in all of baseball in OBP, SLG and OPS. Pair those numbers with the eleven homeruns he hit and you start to see the potential of the young second baseman. Another bonus is that he carries multi-position eligibility at first, third and second, allowing owners to move him around to compensate for injuries, off days and other roster restrictions. He should hit somewhere near the top of Atlanta’s lineup, providing the run producing opportunities fantasy owners are looking for.
Prediction: .313, 15 HR, 81 RBI, 90 R, 5 SB

Pat picks: Howie Kendrick (LAA)
This is a classic case of post-hype sleeper. Kendrick was a prospect who showed flashes of greatness in 300 AB sample sizes before he was given the everyday job. Finally he entered 2009 expecting to get his first 500 AB season under his belt but he struggled out of the gate-- so much the Angels optioned him to Triple-A. Much like a minors trip paid off for Ricky Nolasco last year, a motivated Kendrick was recalled and went to hit .358 in the second half. Kendrick will begin 2010 as the everyday 2nd baseman for the Angels and at age 27, I expect his potential to finally shine for fantasy owners. He has power, speed and he can be had later in drafts than most second basemen.
Prediction: .295, 17 HR, 86 RBI, 95 R, 19 SB

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2010 Fantasy Baseball Sleepers: First Base

2010-03-10T08:26:00.001-06:00

Quick Predictions Rundown

Loney: .310, 19 HR, 107 RBI, 76 R, 6 SB

Butler: .306, 26 HR, 105 RBI, 86 R, 4 SB

Atkins: .270, 21 HR, 76 RBI, 57 R, 1 SB

Chris picks: James Loney (LAD)
First let me state, I’ve pretty anti-James Loney for a while. I viewed him as Lyle Overbay but younger. And, I’m not completely changing that stance, but I think this year he is actually undervalued. He’s just entering his prime as a hitter, and after two productive yet uneventful seasons as a starter, he could be in-line for a breakout year.
I won’t lie, his power will leave you short when compared to nearly every other starting first base option in your league. But, he certainly will help you in every other category. His mild speed will even give you an extra SB over some.
Manny is over-rated, over-exposed and over-appreciated. And he’s also just another year on the wrong end of his career arc. However Los Angeles should still be fine, as Loney will help pick up some of the slack. I expect a moderate power bump, but the AVG and RBI should spike. He has .300-plus potential, and this is the year he makes good on it for a full 500 at-bats.
Prediction: .310, 19 HR, 107 RBI, 76 R, 6 SB

Jeff picks: Billy Butler (KC)
For my sleeper at first base this season, I’m going with Billy Butler of the Kansas City Royals. Butler is coming off career highs in both homeruns (21) and RBI (93), while also hitting .301. He had 51 doubles, which was the second most in all of baseball. What really stands out is how he finished the season post all-star break, hitting .314 with 13 HR and 55 RBI. Provided Butler stays healthy, I don’t see any reason why he won’t improve his numbers across the board. Currently Butler is on the verge of a pre-season top 15 ranking, which would make him an excellent late round option in most leagues. He could also be valuable as a starting utility player while providing depth at first base for fantasy owners. I think by the end of the season he could put up top 10 numbers among all first basemen, which would be a great find in the later rounds.
Prediction: .306, 26 HR, 105 RBI, 86 R, 4 SB

Pat picks: Garrett Atkins (BAL)
From 2006-2008, Atkins averaged 25 HR, 106 RBI and a .305 AVG. Sure these numbers might be skewed by the Coors pre-humidor effect, but looking at his splits, Atkins power didn’t diminish all that much away from home, though his average did take a hit.
Then the disaster that was 2009 happened. He started off pedestrian in April and just flat-lined in May. He rebounded a bit in June but was never the same, eventually losing his job after being a fixture in the Rockies lineup for the previous three years.
2010 brings a change of scenery and new opportunities. Atkins signed with the Baltimore Orioles in the off-season to be their first baseman, after the team brought in old shortstop stud Miguel Tejada to man third base. The Orioles lineup is filled with young hitters like Adam Jones, Nick Markakis and Matt Wieters. And don’t forget they still have Brian Roberts on top of the order. All should present Atkins with plenty of RBI opportunities. Atkins was too good for too long to be as bad as he was in 2009 again. While I don't expect a full revival, but a decent enough output to warrant fantasy consideration as a utility starter or comforting fall back option if you’re elite first baseman gets hurt.
Prediction: .270, 21 HR, 76 RBI, 57 R, 1 SB

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Joe Nathan Reactions

2010-03-10T07:38:00.000-06:00

Joe Nathan's elbow has been bothering him and he left spring training to get a MRI. Early word is Tommy John surgery is in his future. For those of you who own him in keeper leagues, or for you save vultures out there, RotoRant takes a look at the options in the Twins bullpen. Here they are in alphabetical order:

Jesse Crain

Crain is the type of guy who can makes batters whiff when he's not missing the plate himself. You can't tell it by his numbers because he's walking too many in the process. I don't see him getting any saves opportunities, as he's better more suited for 7th inning duties.

Matt Guerrier

Guerrier excelled last year in his set-up role. He finished 2009 with 33 holds, a 2.36 ERA and a WHIP below 1.00. Great numbers, problem is he doesn't strike anyone out. He had just 47 K in 76 IP last year. Closers need to have strikeout ability to get out of jams and I'm not sure Guerrier has the "stuff" to close.

Jose Mijares

Mijares was another guy who did well in the Twins bullpen last year. He had 27 holds, a low ERA and good WHIP. He can strike people out, with 55 K in 61 IP in 2009. Still, I don't see Gardenhire making him the guy.

Pat Neshek

Neshek missed 2009 with an injury but has been a great option in the bullpen for the Twins when he was last healthy in 2007. He gets strikeouts and keeps the walks down but the Twins aren't about to hand over closing duties to a man that hasn't pitched since early 2008.

Jon Rauch

This is the guy who just saw his ADP jump up a little bit. Rauch has closed before with both the Nationals and the Diamondbacks, and he has had a good strikeout rate in his career. He really excelled in Minnesota after coming over from the D-Backs last year, appearing in 17 games for the Twinkies - getting 5 holds and 5 wins. A lot of closing is mental toughness, and, I think Gardenhire goes with the guy with experience closing before any alternatives.

2010 Fantasy Baseball Sleepers: Catchers

2010-03-05T12:53:00.001-06:00

Quick Predictions Rundown

Soto: .269, 18 HR, 81 RBI, 70 R, 0 SB

Santana: .270, 16 HR, 90 RBI, 78 R, 5 SB

Doumit: .265, 20 HR, 75 RBI, 80 R, 4 SB

Chris picks: Geovany Soto (CHC)
Mike Napoli doesn't count as a 'sleeper' pick. So, I would have to go with Soto. If you're picking a C late, and he's still available, I'd prefer him over about 2/3 of the league's starting catchers. Why? Well, there are negatives for sure. Last year he was awful. He had a marijuana-tainted media relations nightmare coupled with lax conditioning and a slow start. He doesn't have a track record to support his amazing rookie year. And, as a resident of IL, I'm always fearful of the 'homer'-tendencies that cause inflated draft values of fan favorites.
Why will this year be different? First a lot of 'shoulds'. The Cubs offense should be better without Bradley and with a somewhat healthy Soriano (batting somewhere outside of the leadoff spot). He should be relied on less. Also, he should be motivated to erase last year's questions by starting hot. Even when slumping last year, he still showed an ability to draw walks, and in a better offense that could translate well into better RUNS numbers.
And, while he doesn't have a track record pointing to the level of production he had in his rookie campaign, he is still young and has already proven once that in the right situation he could be a top-tier C option.
Realistically, a season somewhere between his last two is not hard to fathom at all. In fact, I believe 2010 will treat Soto well, giving him the chance to resemble 2007's goodness more than the tanking of 2008.
Prediction: .269, 18 HR, 81 RBI, 70 R, 0 SB

Jeff picks: Carlos Santana (CLE)
For my catching sleeper I’m going with someone who currently isn’t expected to start the season in the majors, but I think could still contribute for the big club as well as for fantasy owners. You’re probably thinking Buster Posey of the Giants, but I’m going with Carlos Santana of the Cleveland Indians. He was acquired in the Casey Blake trade with the Dodgers back in 2008 and is a switch-hitting, converted third basemen. Last season at Double-A Santana hit .290 with 23 HR and 97 RBI, which led Baseball America to rank the 23 year old the 10th best prospect in all of baseball regardless of position. He’s coming off of December hand surgery, which has opened the door for Lou Marson to grab the starting gig. Marson was acquired in the Cliff Lee trade with Philly last season but has not shown much as a hitter and should be overtaken by Santana at some point early in the season. At this time Santana is probably not draft-able, but if he is given the starting spot before the end of spring or if he gets an early call-up he should be scooped up. For what’s it worth, noted stats guru Bill James projects Santana to play 128 games hitting .270 with 16 HR and 90 RBI.
Prediction: .270, 16 HR, 90 RBI, 78 R, 5 SB

Pat picks: Ryan Doumit (PIT)
Doumit only played in 75 games in 2009 due to injury but still was able to go double digit in home runs and bring in 38 RBI. He hit 15 HR in 2008 in 116 games so his 20+ potential over a full season is nice power for the catcher position. He'll drive in runs too, even in the Pirates lineup, who now feature the soon-to-be fantasy stud Andrew McCutchen and late bloomer Garrett Jones. Doumit won't hit .300 despite his .318 average from 2008, expect the line of 2009 when he batted .250, perhaps a little higher around .260-.270. So a potential .260, 20 HR and 75 RBI from your catcher? I'll take it, and you can probably get Doumit way late in drafts too.
Prediction: .265, 20 HR, 75 RBI, 80 R, 4 SB

Thanks for reading, check back soon for more fantasy baseball sleepers!

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Chris: @shmmrname

Jeff: @j5556b

Pat: @plamorte

2010 Pre-Season Rankings: Closers

2010-02-26T08:07:00.004-06:00

2010 Pre-Season Rankings: Closers

Is being on the Royals keeping Soria from being a top 5 closer?

Things We Agree On:
1.) The top-tier of every list is nearly identical. Yes, some of the names are jostled between 1-6, but for the most part, it's the same cast of characters in every ranking. What does this mean? There are true elite guys that you can depend on near the top, and they are the only difference makers you need to reach for.
2.) The position is highly volatile, and opportunity and team makeup affect the results much more than talent alone. The elite guys have it all (minus maybe Joakim Soria, as KC can't compete), but the rest have at least a couple holes. We have a mid-tier of mid-level-talent guys in somewhat steady ground, but just behind those everyone has a breakout candidate or two that could give you much more production for your pick. There will be turnover here, so only the elite closers can avoid potential disaster.

Can Heath Bell repeat last years breakout?

Things We Disagree On:
1.) Heath Bell's ranks are pretty wildly varied. He's 6, 9, and 15 on our lists. Pat ponders if he can keep up last years success, Jeff assumes he will, and Chris thinks the SD squad is just too bad to gamble on.
2.) David Aardsma's made a believer out of Jeff, but Chris and Pat both don't agree. Known as "Double-A Aardsma" for his ability to get it done in the minors and barely survive in the majors, both assume he will eventually regress to what he has been throughout his career. And, if he does, you've spent pretty dearly considering he's going before half the other CL's in the league.

RotoRant Conclusion:
RP's are an extremely risky bunch. They, like maybe 3B, have a tier of truly elite, but then there are fairly significant question marks to be had with every other option. Turnover, team successes and failures, injuries and spans of ineffectiveness plague the ranks every year, and the only way around this is with the top talent.

Thanks for reading, check back soon for more on the 2010 Fantasy Baseball season!

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Chris: @shmmrname

Jeff: @j5556b

Pat: @plamorte

2010 Pre-Season Rankings: Starting Pitchers

2010-02-23T08:17:00.000-06:00

2010 Pre-Season Rankings: Starting Pitchers

Lincecum hopes to add to his Cy Young collection.

Things We Agree On:
1.) Lincecum is a first-round pick, and he's essentially replaced Santana as the most fantasy-friendly SP option out there. If you're picking outside of even just the top-5, it becomes a question of getting a truly elite ace versus getting very-good-but-not-great hitters
2.) There are 20-plus SP's that could be penciled in as 'soft-aces' with very few doubts. Plus, the emerging young SP's like Scherzer and Hanson could make that group even larger. You could realistically miss out on true #1's for your fantasy rotation and still fill up your staff with some very solid arms that will fill just about every category.

Can Greinke keep past personal issues away?

Things We Disagree On:
1.) Greinke is 2, 5, and 9 on the lists. That's a pretty big discrepency, of probably more than a couple rounds in many leagues. He's clearly talented, but Chris can't see a pitcher on the KC Royals that has more bad years on his record than good, and with very public personal battles being counted on as a 1st or 2nd round true ace pick. In a similar way, Chris and Pat agree that an older Halladay, even without great strikeout rates, is just too proven to be outside of the top 3. They both have him at number 2, whereas Jeff has him barely in his top-10.
2.) Garza is a little high on Chris' top-40 out at 25, whereas he's just barely on the other lists. Likewise, Oswalt continues to decline on both Pat and Jeff's list, but remains an almost-soft-ace for Chris.

3.) The bottom of all the lists are pretty varied, with a few names being peppered on and off each of the ranks. Brett Anderson, Danks, Buchholz each offer generous upside, but not enough to make a believer out of 100% of RotoRant.

RotoRant Conclusion:
The aces, those that offer almost no negatives, along with consistent help in all areas, are going to go high. But, everyone agrees that there are many other options for those that pass early on starting pitching. It's simply a matter of league makeup and draft strategy on whom will be fielding your staff, but even if you're at the tail end of an early SP-run, you can probably still field a competitive unit a couple rounds later with the many young guns and aging vets that fill the 2-3 SP slots well.

Thanks for reading, check back soon for the 2010 Closers rankings!

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Chris: @shmmrname

Jeff: @j5556b

Pat: @plamorte

2010 Pre-Season Rankings: Outfielders

2010-02-16T20:29:00.000-06:00

2010 Pre-Season Rankings: Outfielders

Ryan Braun: offensive weapon, defensive liability

Things We Agree On:
1.) Ryan Braun is a horrible outfielder, defensively. He's an elite power hitter already, and he's even got youth and potential. He is the front-runner of an impressive 4-6 names that should be locks for production as any fantasy team's number one outfielder.
2.) BJ Upton still has upside, but this year that won't translate into a first or second round pick. Though Justin Upton would be taken in the top five for Jeff, most of the top twelve lists are certified no-risks. After that things get muddled with injuries and age being great factors in how who falls where.

Justin Upton: Stud or more to prove?

Things We Disagree On:
1.) The Arizona Upton is in Jeff's top five, but Patrick and Chris have him as an below-average 1-OF option. He's got amazing upside, but is it enough to justify a gamble versus the other sure-things in the top of the ranks?
2.) Adam Dunn is significantly higher on Patrick's ranks than both Chris and Jeff's. He sees the consistent power as a fringe 1-OF or legitimate 2-OF, where as the others see him bumped down at least one starting spot.

RotoRant Conclusion:
The outfield can be a defining position for fantasy teams. Category-killers like Crawford and Ellsbury can allow you to abandon focus on speed for the rest of your draft. But, multi-tool studs like Granderson and Sizemore will always put in enough production across the board to fill holes other single-dimensional players might lack. With the mix of styles, your league's first few choices of outfielders will determine much of the game plan going forward.

Thanks for reading, check back soon for the 2010 Starting Pitchers rankings!

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Chris: @shmmrname

Jeff: @j5556b

Pat: @plamorte

2010 Pre-Season Rankings: Third Basemen

2010-02-10T07:54:00.000-06:00

2010 Pre-Season Rankings: Third Basemen

Things We Agree On:
1.) A-Rod is still the top of 3B, and this year he won't come at a discount at all. Longoria is cemented as the 2nd option primarily because of Wrights power problems.
2.) Chipper is no longer a top-end 3B on draft day. He's bunched up with other productive-but-not-great players in a crowded field of above average options.

Big power potential: Chris Davis

Things We Disagree On:
1.) Chris Davis isn't on two lists. If you're picking the 13-20 best 3B's on the board, Chris can't see passing on that much upside.
2.) Jeff likes the depth the position offers, but both Patrick and Chris agree that there are only enough difference makers to field half of a fantasy league. That means the other half of the league will be filling their starting lineups with average-at-best players. Couple that with the injury-prone players like Rolen/Ramirez/Jones, and some of the guys outside of the top-20 might be getting playing time in roto-leagues.
3.) Jeff and Patrick both have P. Sandoval no lower than 4th, whereas Chris has him at 8. Chris has little to support the lack of love, but just can't sign off on a player that slow, on that bad of a offense, and in that big of a pitchers division to be guaranteed 2009-like numbers.

RotoRant Conclusion:
Unlike other positions, there is a feeling that 3B is a bit cloudier top-to-bottom. It could be a big determining factor in many fantasy leagues. Position scarcity and overall values aren't quite as easy to discern as they are at the other positions we've ranked, making this a big time area to capitalize in with sound judgement come draft day.

Thanks for reading, check back soon for the 2010 Outfield rankings!

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Chris: @shmmrname

Jeff: @j5556b

Pat: @plamorte

2010 Pre-Season Rankings: Shortstop

2010-02-06T13:32:00.002-06:00

2010 Pre-Season Rankings: Shortstop

Things we agree on:
1.) The top-5 is clear-cut; they are steady fantasy producers that should continue to outpace their peers to justify their higher ADP. Hanley Ramirez is a bonafide premier pick. Jimmy Rollins and Jose Reyes are risks that are still worth taking, while Derek Jeter still clings to fantasy baseball's Hall-of-the-Very-Good-but not-quite-Great. Tulowitzki's upside along with past performance keep him easily top-5, maybe only being passed by HanRam.
2.) Rafael Furcal was a dud, and he will continue to be. We don't trust him in the slightest, and even as a end-game solution at SS, you might be better off gambling on one of the many younger, unproven (but healthy) options. And, as long as we're picking on older, formerly reliable shortstops, we might as well double up on Miguel Tejada. The now non-enhanced former MVP is holding up semi-well despite his advanced age. Unlike him though, his numbers don't lie. He's a fringe starter in most leagues and again, you might be better served gambling on young talent.
3.) One category wonders aren't represented in our top-15, with both Everth Cabrera and Ryan Theriot on the outside looking in. Theriot actually scores runs, and is fairly important to his team's offense, but he still is a mirage as a fantasy player. And, Cabrera is a lightweight in a hitter's hell that might get even worse with the eventual departure of Adrian Gonzalez. Steals are valuable, but are the ADP and lack of further production really worth it?

"What, wrong Elvis?"

Things we disagree on:

1.) Two players of note are absent on the lists of at least one-third of RotoRant. Pat gives no love to Elvis Andrus, who ranks in as barely starter worthy for the rest of RotoRant. In addition, Jeff omits J.J. Hardy from his ranks. Their situations are completely different, but in both cases two-thirds of RotoRant see them as a possible success, whereas a lone member thinks they aren't draft-worthy.

RotoRant Conclusion:
Like Catchers, SS options are easy if you're taking them early. There are simple answers in the early rounds that insure you have quality for the year, but if you miss out (or choose another strategy), you'll likely be forced to gamble on the next 10-15 players whom may or may not end up being a fantasy starter months after the draft.

Thanks for reading, check back soon for the 2010 third basemen rankings!

Follow RotoRant and its contributors on Twitter!

@RotoRant
Chris: @shmmrname

Jeff: @j5556b

Pat: @plamorte

NFL Picks - Super Bowl XLIV: Colts vs. Saints

2010-02-04T11:57:00.000-06:00

As we dive right into the upcoming Fantasy Baseball season, let's switch gears real quick and get RotoRant contributor John Canton's thoughts on the Super Bowl!

NFL Picks - Super Bowl XLIV: Colts vs. Saints

The Super Bowl already? Come on, it's only been five months since the start of the season. I want more football, damnit! That's what I tell the people (women mostly) that complain about football "consuming" my life. Are you serious? There are only 21 Sundays that matter in the NFL season. There are also Monday nights and some Thursdays, but it's the shortest professional sports season of them all. If you're like me and you're tired of the haters saying you watch football all the time, remind me of the grueling seven month offseason we have to endure. Seven months without the NFL for me is the worst part of the year. Summer? Pfft, who needs it? I'd rather watch a game with the boys with a beer in my hand and some nachos on the table. That's what I like.

You see that speech right there? It was passion. It was from the heart. Keep in mind that I'm a lifelong St. Louis Rams fan, as a 6 year old boy in 1986 watching Eric Dickerson's jheri curl flapping in the wind, that watched his team win 6 games in three years. You should have seen me when my team was actually good! When they actually mattered! I was happier than Rex Ryan in a buffet line. Now I feel as uncomfortable as Jim Caldwell doing standup comedy. (Have you heard the man talk? No? Me neither.) That's when I REALLY loved the game. Now? I have other things like fantasy sports as well as gambling to keep me entertained. Speaking of, I look forward to Super Bowl Sunday in the afternoon when I spend a good hour or two laying down prop bets on the most ridiculous things. Good times. Oh, I should get to the game huh? Might as well.

New Orleans Saints vs. Indianapolis Colts @ Miami (6:25pmET CBS)

I think this is a great Super Bowl matchup. Any time you get both #1 teams in the Super Bowl you have to be happy with that because you have to admit that they deserve it. Sure, the Vikings outplayed the Saints and should have won had they not had 5 turnovers to the Saints 1, but the fact is the Saints did win. They didn't impress me as much as I thought they would (that second half they played was poor), but I admire their ability to come up with the big plays when they needed it. As for Indy, they throttled the Jets like I thought they would even though they started a bit slow. When they got it going they couldn't be stopped even by a defense that was arguably the best in the league. That's pretty scary when you think about it. If you're going on momentum alone, it's hard to go against the Colts. With that said, the Saints had a much tougher opponent on Championship Sunday because the Vikings are a better team than the Jets. Being battle tested does matter and in the case of the Saints, the fact that they survived that game two weeks shows a lot about their heart. They could be the "team of destiny" or the team of luck considering that ball that should have been picked by the Vikings safety when Colston bobbled it. Can you tell I bet on the Vikings or what?

To the Saints credit, they really moved the ball well offensively and they did force those turnovers. It's not like Minny just dropped the ball. They really went after it. The Saints defense reminds me of my Rams' defense from 1999 to 2003 when they weren't great defensively, but they were instinctive and made plays when needed. If you have a great offense like the Saints do, all the defense really needs to do is to get the offense back on the field. I love watching Drew Brees orchestrate the offense. As great as Manning is at spreading it around, Brees gets even more people involved. He's got three different running backs (sometimes even four), two tight ends and five receivers that he throws to. It's hard to stop ten guys. Some of them are going to make things happen. There isn't much a defense can do. That's why they can absolutely win this game even as 4.5 point underdogs. If you can put points up on the board on a consistent basis you can win any game in the NFL, especially when your offense is as good as New Orleans. I like the Saints a lot, don't get me wrong. It's just that only one team can win and I happen to like the other team more.

Like? No, I REALLY like the Colts in this game. I think Peyton Manning is the best quarterback in the history of the NFL whether he wins this game or not. I might be biased because I've seen his whole career from start to finish whereas with a guy like Montana my only memories are as a kid. He's playing at such a high level right now and at such a high level that he's going to be hard to stop. Think about it. He's 16-0 this year in games that matter. The last two weeks of the regular season were exhibition games basically. Nobody's beat him this year. The teams he played against for the most part are familiar with him from being in the AFC. The Saints? They only play the Colts once every four years. They don't know how to stop Peyton Manning. (Conversely, you can say the same thing about the Colts not really knowing Brees.) They also don't have a very good defense. It's okay, sure, but they also gave up 450 yards to a Vikings team at home. You think they're going to slow down Manning? I don't. When the Jets took away Wayne and Clark, his two favorite targets, he unloaded to Collie and Garcon. Not exactly household names. That's why Manning is great. The key to stopping him, or at least slowing him down, is getting pressure. I give the Saints credit for getting pressure on Favre. They beat him up big time. Can they do that to Manning? I'm not sure. Nobody really gets to Manning, even great defenses like the Ravens or Jets. He destroyed them. Every blitz they did, he had a counter. Every zone scheme, he found the hole. I've never seen a QB play as well as Manning is right now. I know I'm going on gushing about him, but what else is there to talk about? The team goes as far as he carries them. He's the MVP. Hell, sometimes I think he's the coach too. Best QB ever, kids. And I think he'll prove it again on Sunday night.

I think the game is going to be exciting. The QB play, much like last year, will be exceptional. It's a QB driven league. We have the two best QBs in the NFL right now playing in this game. (Tom who?) Things like experience don't matter too much to me. Sure, sometimes that can mean the less experienced starts out slow, but that's not always a bad thing. It's better to finish strong than start strong and finish slow like the Saints did against Minnesota. Look at the Cards last year. Other than Kurt Warner, they were inexperienced in the Super Bowl setting, but they sure showed up in that second half. That's what tends to happen. I think of the Cards last year as well as the Panthers in the Nipple Game aka SB38. Ultimately, it comes down to who the better team is. I like Indy because of #18, but also because I think their defense can put up more defensive resistance than the Saints can when they have to.

After all is said and done, after The Who breaks a hip trying to move on stage, what's the score going to be?

Colts 34-Saints 24

JC's Money Picks

Every week I'll pick four games against the spread or using the over/under. This week with only one game on the schedule I'll only be picking the spread and the over/under. I was 2-2 in championship week. These odds come from pinnaclesports.com as always.

COLTS -4.5 over Saints - I think they win by 10, but the last two Super Bowls have been very close.

Colts/Saints OVER 56.5 - I have it at 58, so I'm just barely over.

Playoffs: 5-7
Season: 38-28-2 (.576)

I may write a quick recap post Super Bowl on my blog Sunday night or Monday morning. Other than that, no more previews till next year.

Enjoy the game.

John Canton

oratoryjohn@gmail.com

johnreport.wordpress.com

2010 Pre-Season Rankings: Second Basemen

2010-02-03T08:16:00.005-06:00

2010 Pre-Season Rankings: Second Basemen

Things we agree on:
1.) Chase Utley is in a class by himself, with only Ian Kinsler in position to overtake him in 2010 as the best fantasy 2B option.
2.) Robinson Cano has officially been cemented as a sure-thing. He is top-five on all of our lists. If you add the lack of injury concerns, a case could easily be made that he slips closer and closer to the top.
3.) Brian Roberts and Dan Uggla have slipped a little in their values. Both were fantasy darlings, but Roberts is having trouble breaking any of our top-five, and Uggla is borderline starting material in a twelve-team league according to our ranks.

Things we disagree on:
1.) Brandon Phillips is a clear-cut top talent on two lists, but Patrick has him as a below-average starter at best. Cincinnati's offense is streaky-at-best and alot rides on Votto's effectiveness, but Jeff and Chris both don't see a situation where 'the franchise' doesn't flash enough speed and power to finish as a near-top-tier player.
2.) We all are still waiting on the emergence of Howie Kendrick. The young 2B has been anointed as a future batting average champion by MLB's Fantasy 411 podcasters, but only Jeff and Chris still believe he'll prove to be a fantasy commodity. Patrick sees in him what he's shown in the past, naming him a 'sleeper' at-best, pointing out that he couldn't even stick in the majors last year.
3.) Chris doesn't believe Rickie Weeks will be anything more than an eventual free agent addition for a possible hot streak. Both Patrick and Jeff at least admit it's possible he can become a solid lower-end starter or bench player, but Chris thinks his inconsistency is too much to stomach a roster spot for on draft day.

RotoRant's Final Thoughts:
The position has become less about speed this year, and much more about production. Many of the top 10 are run-producers hitting in what used to be typically CI/OF spots in the batting order. Also, unknowns like Ben Zobrist and Aaron Hill make deeper 2B picks a difficult task. Lack of solid track records for both make them less-than-locks, but there upside and one good year still make them better than some of the vanilla options that others may snag. It will be interesting to see how these high picks work out. Are they potential difference makers at a discount, or are they a waste of a high pick on a one-year-wonder?

Thanks for reading, check back soon for the 2010 shortstop rankings!

Follow RotoRant and its contributors on Twitter!

@RotoRant
Chris: @shmmrname

Jeff: @j5556b

Pat: @plamorte

2010 Pre-Season Rankings: First Basemen

2010-01-29T16:41:00.004-06:00

2010 Pre-Season Rankings: First Basemen

Things we agree on:

1.) Albert Pujols is unquestioned as the best player at the premier position in fantasy baseball. He's the elite of the elite.

2.) The top remains pretty well-stocked with studs that can carry your offense. Five of the 1B that aren't Albert can still be more than sufficient to anchor your team around. And, even after those marquee players, there are still plus players to be had.
3.) Those players that have both 1B eligibility and another position are almost always more valuable at their other position. Martinez, Dunn, and Youkilis are all much more valuable at their other positions, and they should only fill 1B temporarily in your lineups.

Things we disagree on:
1.) Carlos Pena's elite power does not simply make him an elite 1B fantasy option. He's a starter, but a fringe one by all of our rankings.
2.) Adrian Gonzalez is a top-flight player on two lists, but Jeff has him further down than Pat or Chris. Clearly everyone can agree however that in a perfect world (for fantasy owners) an early trade would occur that would get Gonzo out of Petco.
3.) Joey Votto is hard to place. He's very close on all three projections, but Pat hints that he may actually deserve to be even higher. Chris however wonders if a possible Greinke-like temporary-bust may be in order if he doesn't start out on a tear.

RotoRant Final Thoughts:
Once again, the field for quality fantasy 1B is quite deep. Half of any league should have absolute pendulum swingers, and there's enough depth to supply most lineups with a UT hitter as well. Best yet, most of these sluggers are still in their prime (or about to enter it), making this position more of a no-brainer than most.

Thanks for reading, check back soon for the 2010 second basemen rankings!

Follow RotoRant and its contributors on Twitter!

@RotoRant
Chris: @shmmrname

Jeff: @j5556b

Pat: @plamorte

2010 Pre-Season Rankings: Catcher

2010-01-27T12:44:00.003-06:00

2010 Pre-Season Rankings: Catcher

Things we agree on:

A.) The elite-tier of Catchers are well-defined and immovable objects on draft day. The top 3 are all proven studs, and the next tier of C options shouldn't be thought about until more than a few rounds after Mauer, Martinez, and McCann are long gone. If you must have a top-tier C, then there is only three guaranteed guys to get, and they'll be gone early.

B.) If you're picking your C late, then you could actually end up with a proven player. No, he won't have upside, but you also might end up not being burned by the younger, less-proven options taken rounds earlier.
C.) After the top three, it becomes cloudy really quickly, but while that's something we agree on, it's actually more of a disagreement.

Things we disagree on:

A.) Matt Wieters is an unknown still. Patrick has him 9th, while Jeff and Chris both place him in their top 5. That's a pretty big discrepency when you consider just how many players will be picked in that time span. If Pat's right, and you're getting barely top-ten production out of a guy you had to reach for right after the big-three were taken, then you've really been undersold.
B.) Mike Napoli is a surprise as a top-5 C for Chris. He's not even in Pat's top-10, and just barely in Jeff's. The power is legitimate, but only Chris sees it as a good bet that he'll become more than just a 1-trick player.
C.) Russell Martin's decline from grace is more permanent in Jeff's outlook. Chris and Pat both have him as a top-half of the league C option, where as Jeff has him as the 12th C overall. To put that into perspective, that could be undrafted in many 10-12 team leagues.

RotoRant's Final Thoughts:
If you want elite numbers from your fantasy backstop, there are three options. The rest of the players available have clear weaknesses, and you really need to keep those in mind when you're balancing your roster. Also, you shouldn't get too bogged down in ADP after the top-tier are gone, as there could still be consistency in a less exciting pick waiting for you much later in the draft.

Thanks for reading, check back soon for the 2010 first basemen rankings!

Follow RotoRant and its contributors on Twitter!

@RotoRant
Chris: @shmmrname

Jeff: @j5556b
Pat: @plamorte

John's NFL Picks - Conference Finals

2010-01-22T14:12:00.000-06:00

NFL Picks - Conference Finals

The final four. Saints? Yep. Vikings? Yep. Colts? Yep. Charg…err…Jets? Huh? Three of the teams playing this week are ones we thought would be there from the start of the year because they've been consistent all year long (aside from benching starters later in the year). The Jets are the one that don't belong…at least from the outside. If you watched the playoff games, though, they definitely belong. I found it amazing this week when I learned that the last time the two #1 seeds faced off in the Super Bowl was way back in the 1992 season when the Cowboys destroyed the Bills. Eighteen years. Pretty crazy if you think about it. You would think that the two best teams in the regular season would meet in the Super Bowl more often. The Colts and Saints can do it this year. Also, the last time the league MVP won the Super Bowl in the same season? Kurt Warner of my St. Louis Rams in the 1999 season. Is it wrong that I know that the Rams beat the Titans on January 30, 2000? I remember the exact date. God, I miss when my team was relevant. Anyway, this isn't about me reminiscing about the past. It's about the present. Let's get to the picks.

All game times are Eastern.

New York Jets @ Indianapolis Colts (3pm CBS)

Anybody else find it hilarious when Jim Nantz starts the broadcast with "Hello friends" and that goofy smile of his. It's not exactly the best catchphrase ever, is it? I hear he has to pay $100,000 per month in divorce settlements to his ex. I know I'm off topic, but does he say "hello friends" when he writes that check monthly too? These are the things I wonder. Oh right, a football game.

The Jets remind me of the Giants of two years ago except with a less experienced quarterback, but still a quarterback that I'm shocked has played so well (how did Eli Manning go four games without a pick anyway?). They run the ball with two guys in Jones & Greene, they pass when they need to and defensively they are very sound. Their pass defense is great because of Darrelle Revis, their blitzing is good thanks to the exotic schemes that Rex Ryan comes up with and the run defense is solid simply because they don't miss tackles. The other key is they don't turn it over. That's the biggest stat in playoff football. The team that wins the turnover battle wins the game. I don't know the percentage, but I'd say it's at least 70% of the time. As for Indy, we know what they are: Peyton Manning. It's on him. Their running game sucks. The wide receivers, aside from Wayne and TE Dallas Clark, were unknowns going into the year. Now, they have to step up. If Revis matches up with Wayne as expected it's going to be hard for Wayne to have a big day although I do see him making some key plays because he's hard to totally shut down. The key thing is can Indy's run defense slow down the Jets rushing attack? I'm not sure if they can. I think this will game will be like Indy/Baltimore last week: Low scoring with Manning making the key plays when he has to. The Jets do belong in this game. They have impressed me. I simply like the Colts more. This a QB driven lead and if I have to pick between the guy who I think is the best QB ever and a rookie playing in a tough environment I'm going to roll with the best ever. That's just me. No disrespect to the Jets. Hell, you Jets fans should be happy I pick against them considering my track record of late. You're welcome, in advance. Colts 24-13

Minnesota Vikings @ New Orleans Saints (6:30pm FOX)

I don't have any announcer rants here except that I want to punch Joe Buck in the face for generally being a douchebag while Troy Aikman will say "heckuva" way too many times during the three hour broadcast. I love this game. Two best teams in the NFC all year. Yes, the Cowboys impressed me enough last week to pick them over the Vikings (foolishly, I admit), but these are the two that have stood out from the pack all season. My hope is that the game lives up to the hype. I want to see big plays on both sides of the ball, deep passes and big runs. They have the teams to make it happen. It could be a classic. Or one of the teams, like their opponents last week, could lay an egg and not be in the game at all. Who really knows?

For the Vikings, I think they need to look at the tape of when Dallas went into New Orleans and beat the hell out of them by pressuring Brees. That's what the Vikings have to do in order to win the game. If you give him time he will kill you. You have to get up in his face. The Vikings defense looked amazing last week against the Cowboys, so if they can channel at least some of that momentum going into this game they're going to have a lot of success. The thing is Brees doesn't get hit very often because his offensive line protects and he spreads the ball around to so many people. To me, that's the biggest story in this game. Can they get to Brees? I think they can, at least enough to win the game. I also think by the end of the game instead of the Favre/Brees talk we're going to remember that Adrian Peterson guy in the Vikings backfield that is arguably the best RB in the NFL. I can see him breaking loose here. He's almost fallen under the radar, but against a small Saints D that could get overpowered by the Vikings big OL he could have one of those 150 yard, 2 touchdown kind of games. If the Saints pay too much attention to Sidney Rice going deep, which might happen, it could free up a situation where Peterson's running against nickel defenses more often. I think if that happens the Vikings can win by running the ball rather than relying on the old guy at QB. I hope this game lives up to the incredible hype. I really do. The playoffs have disappointed in terms of good games (aside from Cards/Pack and Jets/Chargers in the 4th Q at least), but I hope this one doesn't. I just realize I wrote all that without mentioning that Brett Favre fellow. He's on the Vikings? Who knew? Vikings 31-24

JC's Money Picks

Every week I'll pick four games against the spread or using the over/under. I was 1-3 last week. These odds come from pinnaclesports.com as always. Can't say I have that much confidence in these bets.

Colts -7.5 over Jets

Colts/Jets under 39

Vikings +3.5 over Saints

Vikings/Saints over 52.5

Playoffs: 3-5

Season: 38-28-2 (.576)

Thanks for reading. See you in two weeks for this little thing the NFL does called the Super Bowl.

Enjoy the games.

John Canton

oratoryjohn@gmail.com

johnreport.wordpress.com

Free Agent Team

2010-01-21T13:40:00.001-06:00

Pat's All-Free Agent Team

I was stricken with a case of boredom, so I compiled an All-Free Agent team for consideration in the AL. A few years ago, minus a couple exceptions, this would pass for a decent fantasy team too!

C: Yorvit Torrealba
1B: Hank Blalock
2B: Orlando Hudson
SS: Orlanda Cabrera
3B: Miguel Tejada
LF: Johnny Damon
CF: Reed Johnson

RF: Xavier Nady
DH: Jermaine Dye
Bench: Ryan Garko
Bench: Felipe Lopez
Bench: Ramon Martinez

Bench: Eric Brynes

SP: Ben Sheets
SP: Pedro Martinez
SP: Erik Bedard
SP: Jarrod Washburn
SP: Noah Lowry
RP: Kiko Calero
RP: Guillermo Mota
RP: Duaner Sanchez
RP: Joe Beimel
Long-Reliever: Chan Ho Park
Closer: John Smoltz

The one problem, just about all the guys are injury risks and old! Hope the Triple-A team is stocked!

John's NFL Conference Semifinals Picks

2010-01-15T11:25:00.000-06:00

John's NFL Conference Semifinals Picks

The interesting thing about round two in the playoffs is that in the 90s a lot of the time the home teams won these games. This past decade, though, it didn’t happen. Just last year we saw three of the four teams that had byes lost (Titans, Giants, Panthers) while only one of the teams (Steelers) won. Home field doesn’t mean as much anymore. Before I get started I should say that this is my favorite weekend to be a fan of the NFL. You’ve got the top eight teams (at least we think so) playing double headers in back to back nights. These games are usually very good. I’m excited. Let’s get to the picks.

All game times are Eastern.

Arizona @ New Orleans – Saturday 4:30pm
This should be a fun game to watch due to each team having explosive offenses. The Cardinals showed last week, just as they did last year, that they can turn it up come playoff time. Kurt Warner looked phenomenal while all of his receivers did a great job in getting open. Defensively they stunk, though. There’s no other way to say it. If you blow a 31-10 lead like they did you have to be worried. The Saints, meanwhile, haven’t been great for over a month. Who knows what we’ll get from them? My thinking is they might come out slow for the first one or two drives, but once they get in that groove they will be very hard to stop. I really think Drew Brees is going to have a huge game here. They had to have watched how the Packers threw on the Cards the last two weeks. Considering he’s got plenty of weapons to go to, both at WR and RB, the Saints are going to put up a lot of points. The question is whose defense will be better? I like New Orleans. It’s a tough building to play in and they’re the fresher team. The key is getting pressure on Warner. You need to get in his face or he’s going to hurt you. As advertised, it’s going to be an offensive game. Not as many points as last week’s Packers/Cardinals game, but still plenty to go around. Saints win and cover. Saints 37-27

Baltimore @ Indianapolis – Saturday 8:15pm
I think if you’re a Colts fan this is a matchup that should worry you. The Ravens play the kind of physical style defensively that the Colts have had trouble with in the past. Offensively they’re built to run. The Ravens OLine is dominating lately while the tandem of Rice & McGahee have been giving defenses fits. We know Indy’s defense against the pass is very good thanks to the pressure they get from DE’s Freeney & Mathis, but can they slow down the running game? To me, this is a bigger story than Manning against that defense. I think it’s more important for the Colts defense to have a big game then it is for the offense. That’s because it’s hard for me to see the Colts putting up 30+ on the Ravens. If they do, they probably win the game. I know Baltimore has had some shootouts this year, but they’re peaking right now. It’s tough to score on them. Indy needs to minimize turnovers, force Flacco to make some mistakes and capitalize on the short fields if they get them. Ultimately, I like Indy to win because of Peyton Manning having a really strong game. I think the middle of the field will be open, so look for Dallas Clark to have a big night while Wayne might be seeing double teams all game. I don’t think the Colts will be hurt that much by not having a meaningful game for four weeks. With Peyton Manning leading the team, they should be fine. Colts win, but the Ravens cover the 6.5 points they’re getting. Colts 28-23

Dallas @ Minnesota – Sunday 1:00pm
I have to say that this has been the hardest game for me to pick all week. For the other three, I made up my mind as soon as I saw the matchups. For this game I’ve gone back and forth all week. On the one hand, the Vikings were the team I picked to make the Super Bowl just last week. On the other hand, I think Dallas is the most complete team in the NFL with the most momentum as well. It’s hard to go against that. I’d rather go against my own prediction because frankly I wasn’t even sure of myself last week when I made it. I said then as I do now that whoever wins this game is going to represent the NFC in the Super Bowl. I think they’re the most complete teams. The Vikes have an elite QB, RB, OL, a very good WR group and a strong defensive line that shuts down the run. Pass defense? I’m a little leery. The Cowboys have an elite QB, an excellent trio of RBs especially with Felix Jones emerging, a strong OL, very good WRs, strong run defense and probably the best pass rush in the NFL right now. Both secondary’s worry me a little bit although the Vikings secondary worries me a bit more. That’s the difference, to me. I had to find an edge. I found one. The Vikings top corner, Antoine Winfield, is still banged up while the rest of that group is just average. With the way Tony Romo is finding people I really think he’s going to expose them. Yes, the Vikings pass rush can be very good thanks to Jared Allen, but Romo’s one of the best QBs at throwing on the run. He’s played excellent football over the last six weeks. Does the fact that the Vikings are 8-0 at home this year matter? Not really. The Pats were 8-0 last week too and they got hammered by the Ravens. The better team is going to win. To me, in this game, the Cowboys are the better team because of their defense more than anything. I think DeMarcus Ware is going to wreak havoc on old man Favre leading to the mistakes that Dallas will capitalize on. Should be a classic game. Cowboys 27-20

NY Jets @ San Diego – Sunday 4:40pm
Congrats to the Jets on continuing to surprise me. I didn’t see much of the game last week, but their running game was dominant last week against a good Bengals defense. Defensively they did a phenomenal job against the pass although their run defense was suspect. I think the Chargers present a big problem to them because they’re so diverse on offense. They can beat you with Tomlinson slashing up the middle, Sproles on the outside, Rivers throwing it deep or looking for Gates over the middle. In the past couple of years the Chargers have had injury concerns in the playoffs. Teams were able to expose them. Not this year. The defense has looked very good during this incredible streak they’ve been on for the past three months. I know Mark Sanchez was sharp last week. This week’s a different challenge. I think most of the games of the weekend will be close except this one. I like the Chargers comfortably. They’re better then the Jets in too many different areas. The player of the game? Darren Sproles. I can feel it. Chargers 23-10

JC’s Money Picks
Every week I’ll pick four games against the spread or using the over/under. I was 2-2 last week. These odds come from pinnaclesports.com as always.

Season: 40-30-2 (.571)

SAINTS -7 over Cardinals. I think they can win by more than one TD.
CHARGERS -7 over Jets. Same as above.
Colts/Ravens OVER 44. Not sure why, just feels like there’ll be lots of points.
Cowboys +2.5 over Vikings. Very leery of this.

Thanks for reading. See you next week for the conference finals, which is my favorite week because the top eight teams in the league (we think) are left.

Enjoy the games.

John Canton
oratoryjohn@gmail.com
johnreport.wordpress.com/

John's NFL Wild Card Weekend & SB Pick

2010-01-08T12:04:00.000-06:00

NFL Picks – Wild Card Weekend & SB Pick

In my preseason preview I got 8 of the 12 playoff teams correct. I almost got Houston and Pittsburgh, both of whom came oh so close. The biggest AFC surprise to me were the Bengals. I did not see a playoff team in them, so kudos to them for overachieving at least to me. In the NFC I went for a bit of the reach in picking the Seahawks to win the NFC West, which wasn't even close. On the plus side, at least I was right in predicting that 3 of last year's 4 top seeds (Giants, Titans, Panthers) would all miss the playoffs. I remember getting criticized for that one. Turns out all four of them missed out, including the Steelers. If somebody would have said that before the year they'd be ripped for it. This league is crazy, people. By the way, my worst preseason pick? Picking my Rams to go 7-9. The team did play hard and they lost their share of close games, but I guess I was too optimistic, huh?

My preseason Super Bowl pick was Patriots over Packers. Both are in the playoffs now, but I'm not going to pick either to make it. Of the two, I really do like the Packers a lot and I think they can absolutely make the Super Bowl just as any of the six NFC teams can make it. The QB play in the NFC is fantastic. I'd say it's the best group of QBs in one conference in the history of the playoffs. There's no Grossman this year, that's for sure. Any one of those six can carry their team to a title with the way they're playing. In the AFC, I think it's either the Chargers or Colts. The other four seem a level below them to me. Considering the Chargers have the Colts number especially in the playoffs I'm going with San Diego out of the AFC. I think they're peaking at the right time, they've got an excellent QB in Rivers, two solid RBs in LT & Sproles, elite players at WR/TE with Jackson & Gates, a dominant OL and a defensive unit that is finally playing up to their standards because they're healthy. With Indy, can you really count on that defense? I don't think so. In the NFC I've thought about it a lot trying to decide between the Saints, Vikings, Cowboys and Packers. Ultimately, since the QB play is pretty similar for all teams, I tried looking more at the running games as well as the defenses. The Vikings stand out to me. My worry with them is that their star MLB EJ Henderson is out and their defense hasn't been great without him. They still have the best DL in the league, though. I also think come playoff time Adrian Peterson will be the difference maker.

This is my Super Bowl pick: Chargers over Vikings. I doubt I'll get both right, but if I get one I'm happy. If Dallas gets by Philly in round one like I think, whoever wins Cowboys/Vikings in round two is making it. I don't like the Saints. Sorry.

Last week: 13-3
Season: 168-88 (.656)

I'm proud of that record. Any time you can hit close to 67% for the season is pretty good. I think I've hit over 70% just once in my life and I've kept track for at least a dozen years now.

NY Jets at Cincinnati 4:30 PM (SAT NBC)
Make no mistake about it, the Bengals laid down last week. The only people that think otherwise are Jets fans, who should feel lucky that their team got to play two teams that didn't care the last week of the year. The Bengals would have played the Texans if they won this game. What happened against the Texans earlier in the year? They got smoked by them. The Jets pulled out all the stops to beat the Bengals, they celebrated the win like they won the Super Bowl while the Bengals sat there thinking, "we got you." And I think they do. The Jets aren't a good passing team and the Bengals know that, so they'll put eight in the box to make Mark Sanchez beat them. You think a rookie QB with over 20 picks is going to win a road playoff game in a tough environment? I don't. Yes, the Jets defense is very good and they can run the ball, but the Bengals too. The difference is when it comes to making plays you need the QB to do that. In Carson Palmer, the Bengals have somebody that did it all year, especially late in games. He won't even be the story, though. The Bengals unheralded defense (no Pro Bowlers?) will be. But hey, at least you celebrated last week, Jets. Bengals 24-10

Philadelphia at Dallas 8:00 PM (SAT NBC)
I'm writing this one Jon Gruden style: "You see, when THAT GUY Tony Romo has played in past playoffs he had this nervous energy about him. He's different now. Why? Because of THIS GUY Miles Austin at wide receiver being the target he needed. The entire offense opens up making THAT GUY Jason Witten more of a threat in the middle of the field and the backs are more dangerous because they're a pass first team. They like to run out of the shotgun a lot, making THAT GUY Felix Jones more explosive than in a regular formation. The Eagles have a tough time matching up with them. That's why they've lost to them twice already and the big question is can the Cowboys beat the Eagles three times in one season? If that Cowboys defense can frustrate Donovan McNabb like I think they can then THAT GUY McNabb is going to have a long day. I think THIS GUY Demarcus Ware and THAT GUY Jay Ratliff are going to wreak havoc in the Eagles backfield all day. One other thing: Is Brett Favre playing in this game? THAT GUY can play. THAT GUY loves football. And I love THAT GUY." No Gruden, he's not playing. Thanks for the preview, though. Cowboys 27-20

Baltimore at New England 1:00 PM (SUN CBS)
If Wes Welker was playing in this game I would be taking the Pats. He's the guy that makes that offense go. Without him their drives will stall, they will have problems finding Moss deep and despite what they say you simply can't replace a Pro Bowler with a guy like Julian Edelman that barely plays. You can't. The Ravens have the experience of winning road playoff games last year (two of them) while also having the kind of defensive toughness that intimidates people. I like the makeup of that team. On offense, I think their RB combo of Rice & McGahee are really thriving. They're going to give the Pats defense some problems. I'm calling the upset here although I wouldn't that surprised if the Pats beat them by 20 points either. I think it'll be close, though. Very close. Ravens 24-23

Green Bay at Arizona 4:40 PM (SUN FOX)
I've been on the Pack all year and I will be this week too. I'm a little nervous about it, though. Last week's game didn't matter that much, but what matters were the injuries to key Cards players like WR Anquan Boldin and CB Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie. They're two of their best players. If both play they'll be limited. If that happens then the Packers defense can focus in on Larry Fitzgerald even more while the offense can try to expose the backups playing CB trying to replace DRC. The key for the Packers in the last two months has been their defense, which has been phenomenal aside from the Pittsburgh game. They can stop the run, they can pressure the QB and they can cover in the secondary. They are a complete team. At least they're more complete than the Cards. Give me the road team here in a shootout. Packers 33-24

JC's Money Picks
Every week I'll pick four games against the spread or using the over/under. I was 2-1-1 last week. I'll keep doing it through the playoffs even though I don't love betting on playoff games as much. These odds come from pinnaclesports.com as always.

Season: 38-28-2 (.576)

Packers PK over CARDINALS. There's no favorite. Lots of people picking the Pack all week because the Cards opened up as the favorites.

BENGALS -2½ over Jets. People overrate week 17 too much.

Cowboys/Eagles OVER 45. I have it barely over at 47, but I think it might be even higher.

Ravens +3 over PATRIOTS. Toughest one to pick.

Thanks for reading. See you next week for the conference semis, which is my favorite week because the top eight teams in the league (we think) are left.

Enjoy the games.

John Canton
oratoryjohn@gmail.com
thejohnreport.wordpress.com

Questions for 2010

2010-01-05T07:46:00.002-06:00

Now that the 2009 Fantasy Football Season has come and gone, I think the best way to past the time until pre-draft homework begins (which is sooner for some than you'd think- as in it's already started!) by having some discussions on the 2010 season and I am looking for your thoughts specifically! Reply to me on twitter (@RotoRant) or in the comment section!

What position players will go higher in 2010 drafts than they will actually produce?

I know this happens with many guys every year. But think about players who finished strong to 2009 and how fresh they will be in the minds of fantasy owners. Players that come to mind are Fred Jackson, Jerome Harrison and Jamaal Charles. Charles certainly looks like he'll be a late 1st round pick next year but is that too high? What about the other guys?

What rookie will have an impact?

This year we saw a few rookies thrown into starting positions, some excelling (Harvin) and some with growing pains (Sanchez). Well since the draft is still months away, we won't really know who will be in position to make a fantasy difference in their first year. But for you college football fans, what guys entering the draft do you think could have an immediate impact on the fantasy scene?

What second-year players will blossom into fantasy starters?

This year we saw the likes of Mike Sims-Walker and Ray Rice become major fantasy contributors after showing some promise in their rookie years. What rookies from 2009 become major steals in the 2010 drafts?

Which players make the jump to stud status?
This year we all saw Chris Johnson become the best fantasy player out there after a great year in 2008. (Also his rookie year) What guys do you think make that jump to RB1 or WR1 status after good but not elite 2009 years? Could it be Moreno or Beanie Wells? Who else?

Thanks for reading and I look forward to your thoughts!

John's NFL Picks for Week 17

2010-01-02T15:12:00.000-06:00

NFL Picks for Week 17

RotoRant is pleased to bring you this weekly guest post from John Canton of SportsOratory.com! The Sports Oratory is an excellent site for insight on the NFL, NCAA, UFC and more! You can check out John's personal blog where he has NFL insight as well as his weekly columns on the world of sports entertainment. Those columns are re-posted all over the web, so if you're a fan of wrestling, you've read his work at some point.

It's the worst week to pick games when only a handful of them really matter. Throw logic out the window and grasp at straws here. I'll bet on the four things that I mention at the end, but other than that it's a quiet betting week for me. I'm not THAT stupid. Am I? Note that there are no more Monday night games this year. That's a bit of a letdown. After all, who is going to tell me that "THIS GUY" or "THAT GUY" is a heck of a player like Jon Gruden does? I'm going to be so lost the rest of the way without knowing the skills of THAT GUY.

Last week: 10-6
Season: 155-85 (.646)

All game times are Eastern. Note that there's no Monday nighter this week. The regular season ends on Sunday.

Indianapolis at Buffalo 1:00 PM
I have little faith in the Colts backups to win even against a crappy team like the Bills. By the way, how funny is it that the Bills are so excited this week about moving forward with a new GM and the guy they hire is 70 years old? Moving forward…slowly. Bills 24-13

Jacksonville at Cleveland 1:00 PM
I don't know here. The Browns have shown a lot of heart of late while the Jags have faded after being in the driver's seat for a playoff spot. I'll go Jags in one of those high scoring, no defense kind of games where everybody lets loose in the last game of the year. Jaguars 31-27

Chicago at Detroit 1:00 PM
You know what? I'm going Lions. No reason. I just am. Bears will have a new head coach next year too. My boy Lovie Smith (former DC on the Rams) is out. Lions 24-23

San Francisco at St. Louis 1:00 PM
Thank God, the worst season in Rams history is over. I've never seen a team blow more close games in the fourth quarter. They really should have four or five wins. Me and the 13 other people that watch all the Rams games know this. Niners 31-10

Pittsburgh at Miami 1:00 PM
Pittsburgh will win, but the Ravens and Jets will also win meaning the Steelers will miss the playoffs after winning the Super Bowl for the second time in the last four years. Way to defend the crown, Men of Steel. To be fair, if Alge Crumpler didn't crumple Troy Polamalu's knee in week one they're probably in the playoffs. I think he's the most valuable defensive player in the NFL and his absence this year proved that. Steelers 24-20

NY Giants at Minnesota 1:00 PM
The Vikes want to win this game to get the #2 seed that was in their grasp the whole way. I think they'll do it in part because the Giants have given up weeks ago. I'd love to see Adrian Peterson have a big day too just because I've got him in a fantasy NFL league where we count playoffs and I need him to get hot during January. So do the Vikings. Vikings 31-17

Atlanta at Tampa Bay 1:00 PM
Congrats Falcons, two straight winning years. Too bad that doesn't mean a playoff berth. And if not, who cares. If you're out of the playoffs that's what matters. The Bucs could win here. They are playing with a lot of heart, I give them that. Falcons 34-24

New Orleans at Carolina 1:00 PM
With Drew Brees relegated to #3 QB status this week, the starting QB for the Saints? Mark Brunell. That would be great…in 1996. They are not going into the playoffs on the right note. By the way Panthers, you'll end the year at 8-8 after this win. Why wouldn't you pull Jake Delhomme earlier in the year when he was playing so bad? I'll never understand. Panthers 28-13

New England at Houston 1:00 PM
Great, another meaningless game. The Pats are the 3 or 4 seed. It really doesn't matter where you end up because you get a home game in playoff week one and have to travel in week two. Do you want to go to Indy or San Diego? Bigger question is do you want to risk the health of your guys? I say no. The Pats have said that Brady will play, but I have my doubts. There are no greater liars in the NFL than the Pats. This is the team that has had Brady on the injury report listed as "probable (shoulder)" for like six years now. You trust them to start their guys all game? I don't. Texans 31-20

Philadelphia at Dallas 4:15 PM
The winner of this game doesn't matter that much in the sense of home field advantage like most people think. What's so great about home field when 3 of the 4 teams that had byes last year got bounced in their first playoff game? The important thing is momentum. Both of these teams are playing well over the last month and considering that they'll be playing hard in this game bodes well for them should they play the slumping Saints or Vikings in playoff week two. It's all about the big MO, momentum. Win or lose, they both have it. I'll go Cowboys here. Cowboys 27-20

Kansas City at Denver 4:15 PM
How many teams have started 6-0 and then missed the playoffs? I don't know, but even after they win this week you can add Denver to that list. Of course if you told a Broncos fan they'd be 9-7 before the year they'd think you're insane, so they have overachieved in that sense. The Chiefs, despite their best efforts, just aren't very good on the road. Broncos 24-10

Baltimore at Oakland 4:15 PM
If Baltimore wins this game they get in the playoffs. I know the Raiders are a pesky team and they've knocked off some pretty good teams this year. Not this week. The Ravens are the better team. They've been erratic a little bit, but they know what's at stake and with a lot of veteran leaders on both sides of the ball I see them getting up for this game big time. Too much of Ray Rice for the Raiders to handle. Ravens 24-17

Green Bay at Arizona 4:15 PM
Who cares less about winning this game? I have no idea. I'll go Packers just because I think they believe in that whole momentum thing and they might want to win this game to keep their hot play going. It would be fun to see this game next week too. Packers 23-17

Washington at San Diego 4:15 PM
I think Washington's so bad that even the Chargers backups are going to beat them. Then on Monday morning at about 9am you'll read: "Redskins fire Zorn; hire Mike Shanahan to be new head coach." They may do it after the game. Maybe DURING the game. That's how much they dislike Zorn right now. Go Redskins! Chargers 17-13

Tennessee at Seattle 4:15 PM
If Chris Johnson gets 146 rushing yards he eclipses the 2000 yard mark (252 to break my boy Eric Dickerson's 2,105 from 1984). That means the Titans will do everything possible to get him that number of yards. Bad news for the Seahawks although do you think they even care at this point? I don't. Titans/Chris Johnson 31-20

Cincinnati at NY Jets 8:20 PM
If the Jets win they get in the playoffs. The Bengals will have Palmer at QB, Jordan Palmer – the backup that's the brother of Carson Palmer. I'm sure the Jets are scared. The Jets will limp into the playoffs after a hot start, a mediocre middle and then having the luck of playing against two playoff teams that lay down for them in weeks 16 and 17. What a way to get in. That's like having pocket twos, you go all in, another guy has pocket aces, he flops an ace, then you get your two on the turn and river to suck out the win. Congrats on the pocket twos, Jets. Jets 23-10

JC's Money Picks
Every week I'll pick four games against the spread or using the over/under. I was 2-2 last week. These odds come from pinnaclesports.com as always.

Season: 38-29-1 (.567)

Titans -4 over SEAHAWKS. Betting against Seattle more than anything.
Niners -9 over RAMS. And against my Rams. Not like home field matters.
TEXANS -8 over Patriots. The Pats don't care despite what they say.
COWBOYS -3 over Eagles. I wanted at least one pick on a game that matters.

Thanks for reading.

I'll see you next week for wildcard weekend. Like I said last week, I will continue doing the picks all the way through to the Super Bowl.

Enjoy the games.

John Canton
oratoryjohn@gmail.com
johnreport.wordpress.com

John's Week 16 NFL Picks

2009-12-26T20:58:00.000-06:00

NFL Picks for Week 16

This week is full of home teams as the favorites. The only two road favorites are the ones in the Sunday night and Monday night games. It feels like an easy week is coming, which probably means a lot of upsets. Who knows anymore? Last week’s 8-8 straight up record for me was very disappointing. I’m hoping for a big time bounce back week with double digits in wins. Of course, going against a red hot Chargers team on Christmas Day wasn’t a great start for me.

Last week: 8-8
Season: 145-79 (.647)

All game times are Eastern.

Buffalo at Atlanta 1:00 PM
The Falcons get to face the #3 QB of the Bills on the road. I think that should mean an easy win for a team that probably would be a playoff team had they not been bit by the injury bug. I think it’s a comfortable win for them too. Falcons 24-10

Kansas City at Cincinnati 1:00 PM
You see the Chiefs give up nearly 300 rushing yards to an average RB at home last week? This week on the road against a Pro Bowl RB like Cedric Benson is going to be a disaster for the Chiefs. Cincy’s playing for the #3 seed, so they’ll have come out of it with a convincing victory. Bengals 30-13

Oakland at Cleveland 1:00 PM
Picking a tie is stupid, so I’ll go with the coin toss. Heads it is. Browns 23-17

Seattle at Green Bay 1:00 PM
One of my worst preseason picks this year was picking the Seahawks as the NFC West division champs. I knew they were hurting, but I didn’t realize they’d be THIS bad. The Packers, my NFC Super Bowl pick (not a bad choice at this point), are going to destroy them here. Packers 37-13

Houston at Miami 1:00 PM
Tough game. They’re both erratic teams, which is why they’re 7-7. Home field doesn’t seem to matter to either of them and neither one has a trend that really sticks out in terms of giving them an advantage. What do you roll with: The Texans with their pass first offense or the Dolphins with their Wildcat based attack? I just hope it’s an entertaining game. I’m going with the Texans for two reasons: 1) I picked them to make the playoffs before the year and 2) I picked too many home teams this week. What? You expected some kind of deep analysis? Are you insane? This is in the NFL. Don’t overthink it. Go with your gut. And in this holiday season when our guts are full of too much food you need to trust it more than ever. Texans 31-28

Jacksonville at New England 1:00 PM
I hate New England so much. It goes back nearly 8 years now when they beat my Rams in the Super Bowl, but it’s moved on to this year. Tom Brady killed a first place fantasy team for me with his terrible performance last week. Not even 150 yards at home to the Bills? Ridiculous. I lost by 6. If I started Flacco I would have won easily. So yeah, fuck you Patriots. I will be even more pissed about it when Brady throws for 350 with 3 TDs this week. I know it’s coming and I will still hate it. With that said, I like the Jags covering the points here. Patriots 27-23

Tampa Bay at New Orleans 1:00 PM
John: Hey Tampa, have fun travelling to face the best offense in the NFL a week after they played like crap. Good luck. Saints 51-10

Carolina at NY Giants 1:00 PM
One of my best preseason predictions was picking each of these two teams to miss the playoffs. I remember getting heat for it at the time considering they were 1-2 in the NFC last year. I just wasn’t that impressed with either of them and it looks like I’ll be right although the Giants are still alive. I have no idea what to expect in this game. The Panthers looked amazing against the Vikes. Can they do that on the road? I’m not sure. I’ll go with the Giants because Eli Manning’s playing really well and I think they can slow down the Panthers running game enough to get the win. Giants 23-13

Baltimore at Pittsburgh 1:00 PM
Game of the week. I love when these teams play because it’s such a hard hitting game. The problem is that unlike last year’s three classics, the defenses are not nearly as good this year. The star safeties, Ed Reed and Troy Polamalu, are both out while the offenses have become passing teams first. Instead of the low scoring games we’ve come to expect, I feel like there will be a lot of points. I also think Baltimore’s the better team, so I’m rolling with them. That’s probably a good thing for you Steeler fans out there. Ravens 27-24

St. Louis at Arizona 4:05 PM
My team has won six games in three years. Six fucking games! I say it every week because it boggles my mind. Every September I start the year with such false hope because I forget how bad the team is in games like this. I’m glad I suffer from that annual memory loss. Cardinals 41-7

Detroit at San Francisco 4:05 PM
Lions on the road? No thanks. Niners 28-10

NY Jets at Indianapolis 4:15 PM
I’m not picking the Jets on the road here. Indy says that 16-0 doesn’t matter, but I doubt that. They’re going to destroy a fading Jets team here. Colts 34-13

Denver at Philadelphia 4:15 PM
The loss to the Raiders has to be demoralizing to the Broncos. Meanwhile, the Eagles are in their annual late season surge. They’re playing their best ball of the year. Gotta roll with the homers. Eagles 27-13

Dallas at Washington 8:20 PM
Enough of the Redskins in prime time! I’m so tired of this team. I avoid them on Sundays during the year as much as I can, but I can’t avoid them when they’re the only game on. What’s sad is that next year they’ll be on in prime time just as much because the media loves this team. I’ll pick the Cowboys here because they’re in the playoff push and they’re simply the better team. I like the Skins to cover because the history of this series says that they have close games. Cowboys 23-20

Minnesota at Chicago 8:30 PM (Mon)
A lot of people are writing off the Vikings for getting destroyed by the Panthers and Cards in recent weeks. I’m not about to write them off. I think this is big for them, though, because they need to win this one convincingly in order to convince me that they can make the Super Bowl. The Bears COULD raise their game here in prime time, but I don’t think they’re good enough. The Favre/Peterson combo will be too much for an average Bears defense to handle. Plus, I really don’t like Jay Cutler this year. Vikings 31-14

JC’s Money Picks
Every week I’ll pick four games against the spread or using the over/under. I was 2-2 last week. These odds come from pinnaclesports.com as always.

Season: 36-27-1 (.571)

BENGALS -13½ over the Chiefs. I like the Bengals to win comfortably.
FALCONS -9 over the Bills. This is against Buffalo more than anything. I like Atlanta with Ryan starting.
COLTS -5½ over the Jets. Not enough points. They won’t let it be close.
Steelers/Ravens over 42½. I feel like this will be high scoring.

Thanks for reading. I’ll see you next week for week seventeen. Also, in case you’re wondering I will continue doing the picks all the way through to the Super Bowl.

Enjoy the games.

John Canton
oratoryjohn@gmail.com

Week 16 Sleepers

2009-12-23T15:30:00.000-06:00

Week 16 Sleepers

We're back with Week 16 sleepers. We've been good the last couple picks in our picks, going 6-2. As always, go with your gut! Enjoy & follow us on Twitter @RotoRant, send us your fantasy questions!

QB: Alex Smith- San Francisco 49ers vs. Detroit Lions
Smith has struggled his last two games, throwing 5 picks. But the bad teams in the league serve as good medicine. Expect him to spread the ball around with a healthy dose of Frank Gore for good measure. Don't depend on him for a championship, as Gore will run pretty well, but you could do worse if he's all you got.

Prediction: 200 yards, 2 TD, 1 INT

RB: Jason Snelling-Atlanta Falcons vs. Buffalo Bills
I think its easy just to use whatever RB is facing the Bills as my sleeper. Turner is hurt again so Snelling and Norwood will share carries. Snelling has gotten at least 10 carries in the last 3 games, so expect him to use them wisely.

Prediction: 76 rushing yards, 1 TD, 3 catches for 15 yards

WR: Michael Crabtree-San Francisco 49ers vs. Detroit Lions
Crabtree has played in 9 NFL games, averaging 4.5 catches and 55 yards per game. That's very good for a rookie WR with one of the best RB in the league on the team. Doesn't it just feel like the right moment for him to break 100 yards and let the NFL know he's arrived? Here's my reach sleeper, a huge day for Crabtree.

Prediction: 6 catches for 103 yards, 1 TD

TE: David Thomas- New Orleans Saints vs. Tampa Bay Buccaneers
With Shockey hurt last week, Thomas stepped in and nabbed 8 balls for 77 yards in the Saints first loss of the year. If Shockey is out again, Thomas should be part of the passing plans again (and your PPR leagues), as Brees and company should respond nicely to their first loss, much to the (un)delight of Bucs fans.

Prediction: 6 catches for 56 yards, 1 TD

Our Twitter followers chime in with their sleepers: (added as they come in)

@bryanbrackney: "Jason Snelling, 49ers defense, Alex Smith"

Follow @RotoRant and its authors @plamorte & @shmmrname

Week 15 Sleepers Revisited

2009-12-23T14:35:00.005-06:00

Week 15 Sleepers Revisited

Enjoy & follow us on Twitter @RotoRant, send us your fantasy questions!

QB: Matt Cassel- Kansas City Chiefs vs. Cleveland Browns
Prediction: 220 yards passing, 2 TD, 1 INT
Actual: 331 yards passing, 2 TD

In what turned out to be a shootout, Cassel turned around his woeful December with a great performance in a losing effort.

RB: Laurence Maroney- New England Patriots @ Buffalo Bills
Prediction: 92 rushing yards, 1 TD, 2 catches for 12 yards
Actual: 81 rushing yards, 1 TD

Maroney was able to get 81 off the ground and a trip to the endzone in a game in which Tom Brady only completed 11 passes. I'll take it.

WR: Dwayne Bowe- Kansas City Chiefs vs. Cleveland Browns
Prediction: 5 catches for 72 yards, 1 TD
Actual: 4 catches for 56 yards

Bowe dropped a pass in the endzone that was sure TD, but other than that he played about as expected for his first game back and the attention he got opened up Chambers for some big plays.

TE: Fred Davis- Washington Redskins vs. New York Giants
Prediction: 4 catches for 41 yards, 1 TD
Actual: 5 catches for 65 yards, 1 TD

The Redskins got mopped by the Giants but a bright spot was Davis, as the Giants continue to give up production to TE's, Davis scored for the 4th straight week.

Week 15 Sleeper Results: 3-1

Follow @RotoRant and its authors @plamorte & @shmmrname

John's NFL Picks for Week 15

2009-12-19T12:38:00.000-06:00

NFL Picks for Week 15

This has been a weird season for me. My favorite team, the Rams, are having the worst season in the history of the franchise (and that's saying something). However, this is by far the greatest fantasy season of my life (and I've been at it for about 15 years now) and gambling wise it's been the best of my last five years without question. I think maybe I'm paying more attention to fantasy and gambling because my team sucks so much. I don't know what it is, but at least I've had something salvageable this season. For the record, I had Indy on Thursday, which means I'm 1-0 to start this week.

Last week: 13-3

Season: 137-71 (.659) - If I can make it up to the .667 mark I'll be very pleased.

All game times are Eastern.

Dallas at New Orleans 8:20 PM (Sat)

I'm not picking against the Saints at home. Maybe in the playoffs I will if they're home to the Vikes and if Minny looks good the week before, but other than that I think they have the best home field advantage in the NFL. Dallas is still trying to find themselves, which is not a good thing to be doing on the road against an undefeated team like this. Drew Brees continues his MVP march with a dominant performance here. I like the Saints to win and cover the number pretty handily. Saints 37-20

New England at Buffalo 1:00 PM

Last year I went to Pats at Bills. It was so windy that when the Bills attempted a 25 yard field goal, it missed wide by about 5 feet because the wind carried the ball so far to the left. We left midway through the third and I spent the next three days curled up in a blanket because I was so sick from it. The Pats won 12-0 I believe. Worst sporting event of my life, no question. This year it's going to be cold there again although not as windy, so while I expect the Pats to win I think the Bills will cover. Patriots 24-20

Arizona at Detroit 1:00 PM

What Cards team will show up? The dominant one that beat the Vikings in impressive fashion or the one that got destroyed by the Niners? I guess it doesn't matter that much against a terrible Lions team that is playing in the confines of a dome, which will suit the Cards passing attack just fine. Cardinals 34-14

Miami at Tennessee 1:00 PM

This is a game with two defensive, running type teams fighting for the playoffs. I like how Miami's playing lately. The defense seems to be improved from earlier in the year, Ricky Williams is running well and Chad Henne's confidence grows by the week. For fantasy purposes I hope Chris Johnson has a fantastic game again for the Titans, but I'll pick against them. I like what the Fish are doing right now. Dolphins 23-20

Cleveland at Kansas City 1:00 PM

Chiefs are decent at home, and I'm betting on them. "Hi, my name is John and I have a problem. I bet on the fucking Chiefs/Browns game!" Hey, in the name of gambling, there's no bad game. Chiefs 24-10

Houston at St. Louis 1:00 PM

My Rams are done. Backups at QB, backups on the OL and Steven Jackson might be out with the H1N1 flu. I hate this season. The Rams have little chance with Jackson. They have no chance without him. The Texans should win rather convincingly. Texans 37-10

Atlanta at NY Jets 1:00 PM

I'm going Atlanta. No rhyme or reason, I just am. It's one of those games that jumped out at me as a good underdog pick. The fact that it's cold and might be snowy in the Jersey area means it'll be a low scoring, ugly type of game. Injuries don't matter as much in games like that. Plus, I really don't believe in the Jets. Falcons 14-13

San Francisco at Philadelphia 1:00 PM

I made a mistake underestimating the Niners last week at home. They're pretty good when they play at the Stick. On the road is a different story. I think Alex Smith gets rattled a lot more. He's not experienced enough to have good games away from home in a tough environment like Philly. The Eagles are playing for a division as well as a potential first round bye if the Vikings slip up, so I think they'll have an impressive outing here. They're notorious for playing well in December too. Eagles 27-14

Chicago at Baltimore 4:05 PM

The snowstorm that's devouring the eastern US right now is supposedly the worst in Baltimore, which is why they've moved this game from 1pm to 4pm. The reason is because they want to have more time to clean the roads to allow people to get to and from the game. Low scoring game here. Baltimore's the better team, though. Ravens 13-6

Oakland at Denver 4:05 PM

Picked the Raiders last week. Never again. I don't think Brandon Marshall will catch 21 again going against the great Nnamdi of the Raiders, but they are too good defensively at home for the Raiders to do much. Broncos 24-10

Cincinnati at San Diego 4:05 PM

This is the battle for the #2 seed in the AFC. I liked the Chargers the minute I saw the game. However, with the passing of Chris Henry this week there's a chance that the Bengals overachieve a bit especially on offense. Maybe they up their game in memory of their deceased teammate to the point where they pull out the win. Could happen. They are talented. I just like the Chargers more. Phil Rivers is playing at such a high level right now that it's hard for me to go against them at home. Chargers 31-14

Green Bay at Pittsburgh 4:15 PM

I'm tired of picking the Steelers and losing. I the Packers are one of the five best teams in the NFL (after the Colts, Saints, Vikes and Chargers in some order), so I'm going to pick them to continue their hot streak. The Steelers secondary is banged up. Against a good passing attack like the Packers have that's going to be a problem. Packers 24-20

Tampa Bay at Seattle 4:15 PM

Long flight for Tampa. They're not any good at home. They're even worse on the road. I'll go with Seattle rather comfortably. Seahawks 31-10

Minnesota at Carolina 8:20 PM

Matt Moore against this defense? No thanks. Panthers have pretty much quit on coach John Fox, who is going to get fired in about three weeks. The Vikes need wins to clinch the two seed, so they should roll here as the Brett & AP Show continues to produce. Vikings 27-13

NY Giants at Washington 8:30 PM (Mon)

I like the Skins here. Wait, I should rephrase that. I don’t like the Giants very much right now. That defense has become below average after being the best for most of last year. Even the Redskins should be able to pick it apart because they're passing the ball a lot better since bingo man Sherm Lewis has been calling the plays. Also, remember, Jason Campbell's playing for a contract and he's been decent the last few weeks. Redskins 20-17

JC's Money Picks

Every week I'll pick four games against the spread or using the over/under. I was 3-1 last week (stupid Cards!). These odds come from pinnaclesports.com as always.

Season: 34-25-1 (.576)

Ravens/Bears UNDER 39½. By Sunday this number will probably be 33 or 34, so I'll gladly take the under at this number.

CHIEFS -1 over the Browns. Yes, I already know I'm a degenerate for betting on this game.

CHARGERS -7 over the Bengals. Wish it was 6½, but I think SD should be fine at 7.

Dolphins +4 over the TITANS. Rolling with the road underdog. I think they're the better team.

See you next week for week sixteen. Merry Christmas and if you're not celebrating happy holidays anyway.

Enjoy the games.

John Canton

oratoryjohn@gmail.com

Please visit my blog: http://johnreport.wordpress.com/

Week 15 Sleepers

2009-12-16T16:44:00.003-06:00

Week 15 Sleepers

We're back with Week 15 sleepers. Hopefully we'll have more luck like last week, where we went 3-1 in our picks. As always, go with your gut! Enjoy & follow us on Twitter @RotoRant, send us your fantasy questions!

QB: Matt Cassel- Kansas City Chiefs vs. Cleveland Browns
Cassel has been horrible in December, throwing 6 INT's to ZERO touchdowns. And he hasn't been better any other month for that matter. But if he's going to bounce back at all, the 25th ranked pass defense of the Browns should help. The Chiefs have established a good running game with Jamaal Charles, who also has been a factor for PPR leagues. Wouldn't be shocked if Cassel dumps one off to Charles, who then runs it in for a score this week. Cassel shouldn't be used over the obvious QB's but if you're in a hole, give him a deeper look.

Prediction: 220 yards passing, 2 TD, 1 INT

RB: Laurence Maroney- New England Patriots @ Buffalo Bills
The Patriots backfield has been a headache for fantasy owners this year, but lately Maroney has stepped up as the clear guy. He ran for 94 yards vs Carolina last week and he has to be licking his chops to carry the rock vs the Bills defense, who have been burned on the ground by Jamaal Charles and Thomas Jones in recent weeks. Start Maroney with confidence as a flex or low end RB2.

Prediction: 92 rushing yards, 1 TD, 2 catches for 12 yards

WR: Dwayne Bowe- Kansas City Chiefs vs. Cleveland Browns
Two Chiefs on my sleeper list? Yup! Bowe is back after a 4 game suspension and some may have forgotten about him or even dropped him. Chiefs coach Todd Haley raved about Bowe's conditioning while he was out and was taking reps with the first team offense in practice this week. And what a matchup he gets in his first game back--the Browns. Welcome back back Mr. Bowe!

Prediction: 5 catches for 72 yards, 1 TD

TE: Fred Davis- Washington Redskins vs. New York Giants
Since Chris Cooley hit the IR earlier this year, Davis was thought to be an admirable replacement. He struggled at first but really came on in late November and now in December as a favorite target of Jason Campbell. He has TD's in 3 straight games and on Monday night, the Giants come to town with a defense a shell of its former self and they do give up production to TE's. Can Davis make it 4 straight games with a TD? His chances are good!

Prediction: 4 catches for 41 yards, 1 TD

Follow @RotoRant and its authors @plamorte & @shmmrname

Week 14 Sleepers Revisited

2009-12-16T08:31:00.001-06:00

Week 14 Sleepers Revisited

Enjoy & follow us on Twitter @RotoRant, send us your fantasy questions!

QB: David Garrard- Jacksonville Jaguars vs. Miami Dolphins
Prediction: 215 yards, 2 TD, 1 INT, 26 yards rushing
Actual: 139 yards, 26 yards rushing

The injured Mike Sims-Walker played decoy and Garrard didn't have much to work with through the air in the Jags loss to the Dolphins. But I get a pat on the back for the rushing yards prediction!

RB: Jamaal Charles- Kansas City Chiefs vs. Buffalo Bills
Prediction: 100 rushing yards, 1 TD, 2 catches for 13 yards

Actual: 143 rushing yards, 1 TD, 7 catches for 38 yards

The Bills squeaked by with a win vs the Chiefs but Charles ran all over them--including that big 76 yard TD run. He really made PPR league owners happy too, with 7 catches.

WR: Derrick Mason- Baltimore Ravens vs. Detroit Lions
Prediction: 6 catches for 90 yards, 1 TD
Actual: 5 catches for 94 yards, 1 TD

The Ravens beat up on the Lions, winning 48-3. With Clayton out at WR, I was right to think Flacco would look Mason's way more often. Good numbers for most fantasy teams WR3.

TE: Heath Miller- Pittsburgh Steelers @ Cleveland Browns
Prediction: 6 catches for 74 yards
Actual: 5 catches for 59 yards

Miller was right around where I thought he'd be. Helped move the ball down the field but the Steelers were punchless in the Browns upset win.

Week 14 Sleeper Results: 3-1

John's Week 14 NFL Picks

2009-12-12T10:32:00.001-06:00

John's Week 14 NFL Picks

Welcome to my picks for week fourteen. I went 10-6 last week for the second week in a row, which is fine, but I would love a 13 or 14 pick week as we head into the final four weeks. Starting out 0-1 thanks to the Steelers losing doesn't help, though.

Last week: 10-6

Season: 124-68 (.646)

All game times are Eastern.

New Orleans at Atlanta 1:00 PM

Too many injuries to roll with the Falcons. To beat the Saints you're going to need to put up 30 or more and they can't do that with Chris Redman at QB. The Saints continue their incredible run. Saints 34-14

Green Bay at Chicago 1:00 PM

This is a tough game for Green Bay because it's a divisional road game against a team coming off a win. The Pack were my Super Bowl pick, though, so I'm not going to turn on them while they're on a 5 game win streak. Notice how I mention that almost every week now, but when they struggled I never did? I'm shameless like that. Anyway, I think the difference will be the Packers defense, which has sprung to life and proven that they can keep the team in games. That's all that awesome Aaron Rodgers-led offense needs. Packers 21-13

Denver at Indianapolis 1:00 PM

I like Indy too much to pick against them right now at home. Especially with Kyle Orton on the road. Yeah, he's been better, but am I going to pick him to beat an undefeated Peyton Manning team? No thanks. I'll also state here that if Indy sits starters while they are undefeated then they will probably regret it in January. I'm just saying. Colts 27-13

Buffalo at Kansas City 1:00 PM

I pick the Bills. It's probably foolish on my part because KC's actually good at home with some of the best fans in the league. Not like the game really matters aside from sorting out draft position. Bills 17-16

Cincinnati at Minnesota 1:00 PM

The Vikings looked like shit last week. The Cards beat them in every way possible. The Bengals have their division pretty much locked up although they're fighting with the Chargers for the 2 seed and the playoff bye, so they definitely care about winning this one. The thing is, they don't have the offense to really expose the Vikings weak secondary. They really only have WR in Chad Johnson and we know you can't run on the Vikes, so how are they going to beat them? Their best chance is to slow down the Vikes offense. I think that's hard for a non-conference team to do because the Vikes can beat you in a lot of ways. I think Minny gets the job done. Vikings 24-10

Carolina at New England 1:00 PM

Matt Moore on the road? No thanks. I think the Pats are due to absolutely destroy somebody and make everybody realize they are still dangerous at least as an offensive unit. The Panthers should be able to run, though. I see a lot of points here. Patriots 37-20

NY Jets at Tampa Bay 1:00 PM

This won't be pretty to watch. I'm not picking the Bucs although they are competitive sometimes at home. It's not like the Jets can kill them with their offense. Jets 21-17

Miami at Jacksonville 1:00 PM

Gotta love Jacksonville, eh? They're 7-5 right now, the 5th seed in the AFC and they can't even sell out a game against a rival Florida team. Move that team to a city that will actually go to meaningful games since JVille doesn't seem to care. I'm going with the Dolphins because I think they're coming off a high in beating the Pats and they will carry that momentum into this game. Dolphins 20-17

Detroit at Baltimore 1:00 PM

Hey Baltimore, draft a big play WR. You need it. Somebody to stretch the field and run some reverses. Aside from Ray Rice it's a very methodical offense. Go find a playmaker. The Lions show spunk, but this isn't a favorable matchup for them. Ravens 24-10

Seattle at Houston 1:00 PM

Seattle at home? Competent. Seattle on the road? Trash. Of course, I have a strong dislike for Houston and their roller coaster like play. I guess I'll go with the Texans although I have little confidence in this one. They're way too erratic. Texans 23-20

St. Louis at Tennessee 4:05 PM

The Titans are coming off a tough loss, which they should be able to bounce back from. As for my Rams? I'd rather they bench Kyle Boller to see what rookie Keith Null can do because it's already proven that Boller is useless. I have one name for the future: Ndamukong Suh. Look him up. Defensive tackle from Nebraska. Need a run stuffer. Please. Plus, I want to cheer for a guy named Ndamukong for the next decade. Titans 27-10

Washington at Oakland 4:05 PM

Bad teams, bad game. Bad all around. Hey, at least the Raiders have a QB that can actually complete a pass over 5 yards now. That's something. Four weeks till Zorn gets fired. How fast after the year will it be? I got the over/under on one hour after the last game. Raiders 20-17

San Diego at Dallas 4:15 PM

We all know about Dallas' tendency to collapse in December while we also know that the Chargers have been hot in December the last couple of years. All this means go against logic and pick the Cowboys, right? No, I don't want to. Chargers are playing too well. Remember what I said, though. Going against logic this season has been gold. I might regret it. Chargers 24-20

Philadelphia at NY Giants 8:20 PM

Ah, the Giants. My enemies in the prediction game all season. I believe in them and they lose. I go against them and they win. Who knows what Giants team will show up week to week? I'm going with Philly because I think they're the better team with a more consistent offense. It'll probably be a turnover game too, so with Eli Manning in a cold weather game that makes me like the Eagles just a bit more. Eagles 20-17

Arizona at San Francisco 8:30 PM (Mon)

The Cards are a good road team. They should be fine here even though it's the biggest game of the Niners season. I think the Cards defense has stepped it up a notch that makes it hard for me to believe a pedestrian offense like the Niners is going to be able to do much against them. Plus, Warner's looking really sharp and he should be able to lead them to the win here as they try to fine tune their machine heading into the playoffs. Cardinals 24-13

JC's Money Picks

Every week I'll pick four games against the spread or using the over/under. I was 1-3 last week. That sucks. I really want to get back to that .600 win percentage mark in these last four weeks of the regular season, so hopefully I can go on a bit of a run. These odds come from pinnaclesports.com as always.

Season: 31-24-1 (.554)

Chargers +3 over COWBOYS.

Cardinals -3½ over 49ERS

TITANS -13 over Rams

VIKINGS -6½ over Bengals

Thanks for reading.

Enjoy the games.

John Canton

oratoryjohn@gmail.com

Please visit my blog: http://johnreport.wordpress.com/

John's Week 14 Thursday Night NFL Picks

2009-12-10T09:28:00.000-06:00

John's Week 14 Thursday Night NFL Picks

RotoRant is pleased to bring you a weekly guest post from John Canton of SportsOratory.com! The Sports Oratory is an excellent site for insight on the NFL, NCAA, UFC and more! You can check out John's personal blog where he has NFL insight as well as his weekly columns on the world of sports entertainment. Those columns are re-posted all over the web, so if you're a fan of wrestling, you've read his work at some point.

This is my pick for the one Thursday game in week 14. The full column will be up tomorrow.

Pittsburgh at Cleveland 8:20 PM (Thu)
The Steelers are favored by ten right now even though they’ve lost four straight games with the two of them being against the Chiefs and Raiders. Their last three losses were all by 3 points. They are the masters of losing the close games. Those are two really bad teams. Thing is, the Browns are probably worse. Everybody talks about the Steelers trying to get in the playoffs, but what about the Browns? They’re in a three way tie for first pick in the draft and at this point they are in the #1 position based on tiebreakers. They don’t want to lose that! There’s no question that the biggest issue for the Steelers is their defense, which really misses Troy Polamalu, who has proven in his absence that he’s the best defensive player in football. At least he’s the most valuable. You see how many guys are open deep in that secondary and you realize just how good Polamalu is at dictating things when he’s back there. Still, the offense is above average again with Roethlisberger looking like himself and I don’t think they’re going to lose a game on a short week to a pedestrian Browns offense. This will be a low scoring, December football game in a cold city. Not pretty to watch, but the Steelers will pull through. I like the Browns for the cover, though. Steelers 24-17

I’ll be back Friday for the rest of this week’s games.

Week 14 Sleepers

2009-12-09T16:35:00.001-06:00

Week 14 Sleepers

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QB: David Garrard- Jacksonville Jaguars vs. Miami Dolphins
In the battle of Florida, Garrard and the Jags welcome the Dolphins to town, who are fresh off a win vs New England. Miami is a bit stingy vs. the pass but this year Garrard has been much better at home. Jags should use a healthy dose of MJD but Garrard won't be completely left out

Prediction: 215 yards, 2 TD, 1 INT, 26 yards rushing

RB: Jamaal Charles- Kansas City Chiefs vs. Buffalo Bills
Larry Johnson who? Charles has filled in very well for the newest Bengal Johnson. And what treat do his owners get in what is for most the 1st round of the playoffs? The Buffalo Bills and their embarrassing run D. I like Charles to have a low end RB1/high RB2 day.

Prediction: 100 rushing yard, 1 TD, 2 catches for 13 yards

WR: Derrick Mason- Baltimore Ravens vs. Detroit Lions
Mason was held in check by the Packers on Monday night, limited to 2 catches for 13 yards. He's only surpassed 100 yards twice this season and I'm not saying he will this week, but with Mark Clayton a bit hobbled and add in it's the Lions pass D, Mason should have nice week for PPR leagues and even find paydirt.

Prediction: 6 catches, 90 yards, 1 TD

TE: Heath Miller- Pittsburgh Steelers @ Cleveland Browns
The Steelers has dropped 4 straight and visit the Browns on Thursday night. After losses to Oakland and Kansas City, Steelers presumably will be doing everything they can to not lose to the lowly Browns. With Hines Ward questionable for the game and looking more like he won't play, look for Big Ben to use his trusty target Miller more often after being held to one catch each of his last two games. Expect nice TE numbers for PPR leagues.

Prediction: 6 catches for 74 yards

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Week 13 Sleepers Revisited

2009-12-08T18:22:00.000-06:00

Week 13 Sleepers Revisited

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QB: Carson Palmer- Cincinnati Bengals vs. Detroit Lions

Prediction: 237 yards, 2 TD's

Actual: 220 yards, 1 RD, 2 INT, 1 fumble lost

Bengals stuck with the run game again, but Carson awful, but I expected better. I'd call it a push but the turnovers dampered it.

RB: Shonn Greene- New York Jets @ Buffalo Bills (in Toronto on Thursday night)
Prediction: 54 rushing yards, 1 TD
Actual: 58 rushing yards

The Jets ran all over the Bills and Greene did get his fair share but no endzone trip.

WR: Pierre Garcon- Indianapolis Colts vs. Tennessee Titans
Prediction: 6 catches for 72 yards
Actual: 6 catches for 136 yards

I was spot on with the catches but man did I under estimate the yards! Garcon exploded for 136 yards vs the still shaky Titans pass D.

TE: Zach Miller- Oakland Raiders @ Pittsburgh Steelers
Prediction: 6 catches for 54 yards
Actual: 4 catches for 43 yards

In the Raiders upset win over the reeling Steelers, QB Bruce Gradkowski threw for over 300 yards. Miller got into some of that action with a nice TE effort.

Week 13 Sleeper Results: 2-1-1

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Week 13 Rankings and Projections Links

2009-12-04T07:27:00.001-06:00

Week 13 Rankings and Projections Links

Enjoy & follow us on Twitter @RotoRant, send us your fantasy questions!

ESPN Rankings

FF Toolbox Rankings and Point Projections

Fantasy Sharks Projections

The Fantasy Football Report Projections

Honestly, for the best collection of Fantasy Football links every week, a MUST bookmark is the Fantasy Football Librarian.

John's Week 13 Thursday Night NFL Picks

2009-12-03T12:20:00.000-06:00

John's Week 13 Thursday Night NFL Picks

This is my pick for tonight’s game. I’ll have the rest of the 15 games this week posted tomorrow like usual.

NY Jets @ Buffalo 8:20 (Thursday in Toronto)
I picked the Bills last week to beat Miami and they did. I’m picking them this week too. Forget about the first nine game and look how hard they played in the last two. They quit on Dick Jauron early in the season. Now with their new coach Perry Fewell they are busting their ass and they want to win for him. I never understood why it took them so long to realize Terrell Owens is their best weapon. The last two games he dominated. Once that happens, it opens the field up for Lee Evans and their running game with Fred Jackson. I’m still not impressed by the Jets to pick them on the road. Make no mistake, this is a home game for the Bills. They’re in that building because they’re getting paid $10 million by the Toronto group to host it. Why turn out guaranteed money like that? And I think they’ll do it thanks to that offense that is finally showing the potential we thought it had way back in week one. Bills 24-14

I’ll see you tomorrow for the rest.

Week 13 Sleepers

2009-12-02T11:10:00.001-06:00

Week 13 Sleepers

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QB: Carson Palmer- Cincinnati Bengals vs. Detroit Lions
The Bengals have had an easy schedule the last couple weeks, yet they lost to the lowly Raiders and Palmer has just been blah through the air. In his last 4 games, Carson has averaged 179 yards passing and has only thrown 2 TD's. This week he welcomes the Detroit Lions to town. The same Lions who have allowed 7 TD's through the air the last 2 games. Palmer should have a nice bounce back day.

Prediction: 237 yards, 2 TD's

RB: Shonn Greene- New York Jets @ Buffalo Bills (in Toronto on Thursday night)

Greene was a popular waiver wire pickup after his 144 yard and 2 TD explosion vs. the Raiders in week 7. He has done nothing since. The Jets travel to Canada this week to face the Bills. With Mark Sanchez struggling, the Jets should play it safe and run it against a team who's giving up an average of 165.1 rushing yards per game, worst in the NFL. This is a reach pick, as Greene fumbled last week, but here's to hoping the Jets show a little confidence in him against a terrible run D.

Prediction: 54 rushing yards, 1 TD

WR: Pierre Garcon- Indianapolis Colts vs. Tennessee Titans
The Titans are on a roll but they still give up a lot through the air and well- they face Peyton Manning. Wayne and Clark should get their fair share as usual but Manning has been looking Garcon's way the last couple games. I'm not sure he'll see the endzone but he should be good for PPR leagues.

Prediction: 6 catches for 72 yards

TE: Zach Miller- Oakland Raiders @ Pittsburgh Steelers
The Raiders have played better since they made the switch at QB to Bruce Gradkowski. Miller has benefited from this as well, catching 10 passes these last 2 games. The Raiders go to Pittsburgh to face what I imagine is a pissed off Steelers team that has lost 3 games in a row. Gradkowski cant do much but I do see him at least looking Miller's way often. He won't be too bad for PPR leagues.

Prediction: 6 catches for 54 yards

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Week 12 Sleepers Revisited

2009-12-02T08:38:00.000-06:00

Week 12 Sleepers Revisited

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QB: Matt Hasselbeck- Seattle Seahawks @ St. Louis Rams
Prediction: 247 yards, 2 TD's, 1 INT
Actual: 102 yards

With Julius Jones out again, the Seahawks handed the ball over to Justin Forsett...and that's about all they did. He ran for 130 yards and 2 TD's. Add in a pick six and some FG's and there's your 27 points, no help from Hasselbeck because they didn't need him.

RB: Fred Jackson- Buffalo Bills vs. Miami Dolphins
Prediction (if Lynch sits): 64 rushing yards, 4 catches for 33 yards, 1 TD
Actual: 73 rushing yards, 2 TD's, 5 catches for 43 yards

It's been said new Bills head coach Perry Fewell prefers Jackson over Lynch and on Sunday vs Miami, Jackson made it a little easier. Lynch got 3 carries for 6 yards and Jackson totaled 116 yards and 2 TD's.

WR: Brandon Gibson- St. Louis Rams vs. Seattle Seahawks
Prediction: 6 catches for 81 yards
Actual: 3 catches for 18 yards

Looks like the beneficiary of Boller at QB will not be Gibson but Danny Amendola, who caught 7 balls.

TE: Jermichael Finley- Green Bay Packers @ Detroit Lions
Prediction: 5 catches for 62 yards, 1 TD
Actual: 3 catches for 25 yards

Finely was hit hard on the first pass that came his way and left the game. He did come back and make 3 catches, but it was other TD, Donald Lee, who got a TD.

Week 12 Sleeper Results: 1-3

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John's Week 12 NFL Picks

2009-11-28T14:53:00.000-06:00

John's Week 12 NFL Picks

There are only six regular season weeks left. Time flies, eh? I'm Canadian, I can say eh. I went 11-5 last week with three of my losses coming in games that I flip flopped on all week. Hopefully I can nail them this time around. I went 2-1 on Thanksgiving, so let's see how I do on the remaining 13 games this week.

Last week: 11-5

Season: 104-56 (.650)

All game times are Eastern.

Tampa Bay at Atlanta 1:00 PM

I like the Falcons big here. It's pretty basic. The Falcons are 4-0 at home and 1-5 on the road. The Bucs are 1-5 at home and 0-4 on the road. By week 12 trends start to develop. Don’t overthink it. Falcons win big here even if Michael Turner doesn't play again. Falcons 27-10

Miami at Buffalo 1:00 PM

I'm feeling an upset here because I tend to like home dogs in divisional games. The Bills actually played with heart last week for their new coach and realized that Terrell Owens is still a very good player if he touches the ball. In Miami's case, Ricky Williams is really running the ball well and they could definitely put some points on the board if the establish the run. The problem is I don't have enough faith in Chad Henne to pick him to win on the road in a tough environment. I've been in that stadium in Buffalo. There's a lot of wind. It's tough to adjust to sometimes. If the Bills make some plays on defense they should score enough to get the win. Bills 27-21

Cleveland at Cincinnati 1:00 PM

The Browns are atrocious in every way. The Bengals pissed me off big time last week by losing to the Raiders. I didn't even need them to cover. Just a win, that's all. That's what they'll get this week. One week late for me. Bengals 20-3

Seattle at St. Louis 1:00 PM

My Rams are 0-5 at home while the Seahawks are 0-5 on the road. Somebody has to win, right? You thought I'd predict a tie there, didn't ya? Nah, I'm going Rams. I know Steven Jackson's questionable, but I think he'll play. He doesn't need practice. Give the man the ball. He'll make it happen…unless Kyle Boller throws it away. Wouldn't be the first time. Rams 23-20

Carolina at NY Jets 1:00 PM

The Jets, losers of 6 of 7, are three point favorites. Um, what? Mark Sanchez is a mess at this point. The defense isn't stopping the run and the pressure seems to be getting to Rex Ryan, who needs to stop talking as much as he does. It's not helping. The Panthers will win thanks to their excellent running attack and because they've finally realized how much Jake Delhomme sucks. Welcome to the club, Panthers. Panthers 24-23

Washington at Philadelphia 1:00 PM

There are a number of bad teams in the league that are pesky at home, but they're absolutely garbage on the road. The Redskins fall into that garbage category although after looking at their scores they really haven't been blown out away from home. I think they'll keep it close while they lose. They know the Eagles well, so they should cover the nine points. As for the Eagles, they're destined for close games because they're a predictable offense that doesn't run the ball enough. Teams know how to defend them. Eagles 24-17

Indianapolis at Houston 1:00 PM

They played three weeks ago with the Colts winning 20-17. Houston missed a field goal late. Last week Houston lost again because Kris Brown missed another field goal late. They are either going to play the best game of their lives and win or completely implode. I'm going with the implode route. The Colts are focused, hungry and sure of themselves. The Texans are probably wondering what kind of team they are. In a situation like this you have to like the undefeated team here because you know what you're getting with Peyton Manning at the helm. Colts 27-20

Kansas City at San Diego 4:05 PM

The Chiefs absolutely fall into that "pesky at home, garbage on the road" category. The Chargers have figured it all out. They're a very dangerous team right now. It'll be a comfortable win here. Chargers 34-10

Jacksonville at San Francisco 4:05 PM

The 4-6 Niners need this one if they have any hope of making the playoffs while the 6-4 Jags need to keep winning to get in the tough AFC. It's tough to forecast a game when you've got two teams that play only once every four years. They don't know eachother, so to me when that happens I like going with the better offense. I think the Niners will have a tough time stopping Jones-Drew, Sims-Walker, Garrard-Quarterback and…wait a second. Team hypen tricked me. That's okay, though, because I'm picking them. Jaguars 17-16

Arizona at Tennessee 4:15 PM

With the way Chris Johnson is running right now (1200 yards and a ridiculous 6 yards per carry) I'm not picking against him. Can't do it. Vince Young is playing well enough that he's making those key plays on third and short that Kerry Collins had trouble converting earlier in the year. If they had benched Collins in week three instead of week six they might be in a playoff race right now. The Cards are good team on the road as their 5-0 road record shows, but I think that's an inflated number due to their easy road schedule. I'll roll with the Titans. I'm a believer. Titans 30-21

Chicago at Minnesota 4:15 PM

The Vikings are playing as well as anybody right now while the Bears are playing as poorly as some of those 1 or 2 win teams out there. Cutler's completely off his game. Now he's on the road against the best defensive line in football? I really don't like Chicago's chances. When (not if) Cutler turns it over the Vikes will capitalize like the always do thanks to the lethal Favre/Peterson combo. I like Minny to roll here. Vikings 34-17

Pittsburgh at Baltimore 8:20 PM

This is a tough call. The Steelers beat them three times last year, but I think it's fair to say that neither team is as good as last year. The 5-5 Ravens are in must-win mode because you're probably going to need 10 wins to get in the AFC playoffs. The 6-4 Steelers are in the same boat. They need this one after dropping a game to the woeful Chiefs last week. I read a stat the other day that the Steelers haven't lost three straight since Mike Tomlin started coaching them three years ago. I think that stat will hold up here even with Ben Roethlisberger dinged up. The Ravens offense hasn't been good the last four weeks. They don't have enough threats in the passing game and Flacco's regressed since the start of the year. Both teams are reeling. I'm going to go with the champs in a typical low scoring Steelers/Ravens game full of hard hits and great defensive play on both sides. Steelers 17-14

New England at New Orleans 8:30 PM (Mon)

I'm feeling like this will be a shootout. When two amazing offenses aren't familiar with eachother I like to think that there are going to plenty of points. If it's hard for teams that play them regularly to stop them, how are they going to stop eachother when they're unfamiliar? To me, the Saints are going to feel more pressure here, which could lead to some mistakes on their end. Of the two QBs, I think Brees is more prone to making mistakes. I'm fully aware that Darren Sharper has been great for the Saints at safety all year, but they also haven't faced a duo like Moss and Welker. I think they will be too much for the Saints. All week I've been leaning towards the Pats. I just think they're better than the 3 losses that they have and the Saints aren't as good as the 0 losses they have. I don't see myself betting on the game or rooting for anybody in particular. All I know is that when I watch the game I'm going to enjoy watching two elite QBs going head to head on a big stage like Monday Night Football. If people ask you why you love the NFL tell them to watch on Monday and say, "for games like this." Patriots 34-31

JC's Money Picks
Every week I'll pick four games against the spread or using the over/under. I was 2-2 last week for the second week in a row. I'm still looking for that 4-0 week. I've hit 3-1 a bunch, but I want that 4-0. Maybe this week. These odds come from pinnaclesports.com as always.

Season: 27-20-1 (.574)

CHARGERS -13½ over Chiefs. Beat them 37-7 earlier in the year. I think it happens again.

VIKINGS -10½ over Bears. Chicago's terrible right now. Vikes are on fire.

Panthers +3 over JETS. I like the road dog against one of the worst home favorites you could find.

Bills/Dolphins OVER 40. I feel like there will be a lot of points. Not sure why. Just a gut feeling more than anything.

Enjoy the games.

John Canton

oratoryjohn@gmail.com

Week 12 Sleepers

2009-11-24T18:15:00.001-06:00

Week 12 Sleepers

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QB: Matt Hasselbeck- Seattle Seahawks @ St. Louis Rams
The Seahawks are struggling, losing 4 out of their last 5. Hasselbeck did throw for over 230 yards and completed 19 of 26 passes last week in the Vikings 35-9 beatdown and had thrown for over 300 yards his previous two games. He should have a nice game vs the Rams.

Prediction: 247 yards, 2 TD's, 1 INT

RB: Fred Jackson- Buffalo Bills vs. Miami Dolphins
Marshawn Lynch was injured in the Bills loss to Jacksonville and if he misses this weeks game vs Miami, Jackson's value goes up. Remember how he prospered the first 3 weeks with Lynch out, so much many thought Lynch would be returning to a timeshare. The Bills offense has been struggling to score even if T.O. did blow up last week.

Prediction (if Lynch sits): 64 rushing yards, 4 catches for 33 yards, 1 TD

WR: Brandon Gibson- St. Louis Rams vs. Seattle Seahawks
Gibson caught 5 balls last week for 61 yards and was targeted an astounding 17 times. Bulger is expected to miss at least 3 games if not the whole year with a fractured tibia. There's no reason to expect the Rams won't continue to throw Gibson's way with Bulger out. It helps he faces the Seahawks, who rank in the bottom 10 in passing defense and the Rams are usually playing from behind. Gibson should be a decent play in deeper PPR leagues.

Prediction: 6 catches for 81 yards

TE: Jermichael Finley- Green Bay Packers @ Detroit Lions
Finely returned from an injury last week and chipped in right away with 7 catches for 54 yards. Rodgers targeted Finley 10 times. And there's nothing like following it up with a Thanksgiving trip to Detroit, a team that just gave up 37 points to the BROWNS. Finley shouldn't have a problem getting open if they stick to the pass for a bit.

Prediction: 5 catches for 62 yards, 1 TD

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Week 11 Sleepers Revisited

2009-11-24T14:03:00.003-06:00

Week 11 Sleepers Revisited

QB: Joe Flacco- Baltimore vs. Indy
Prediction: 247 yards, 2 TD, 1 INT
Actual: 256 yards, 0 TD, 1 INT

The yards were there but Colts held the Ravens to 5 FG's in the 17-15 win.

RB: Kevin Smith- Detroit vs. Cleveland
Prediction: 104 rushing yards, 1 TD, 3 catches for 32 yards
Actual: 45 rushing yards, 4 catches for 104 yards, 1 TD

In the surprise game of the week, the Lions and Browns went nuts on each other and Smith was huge in the passing game.

WR: Davone Bess-Miami @ Carolina
Prediction: 5 catches for 81 yards, 1 TD
Actual: 6 catches for 63 yards

It was all Ricky for Miami on Thursday night. Bess continued to be decent for PPR leagues but no score, I'll call it a push.

TE: Benjamin Watson- New England vs. New York Jets
Prediction: 4 catches for 37 yards, 1 TD
Actual: Zip. Nada.

Seems like there's a weekly dud for me and here it is. Just felt like a Watson type of game but the Jets D was tired, after Sanchez put them on field a lot sooner after 4 picks. Brady went to Welker pretty much.

Week 11 Sleeper Results: 1-2-1

John C.'s Week 11 Picks

2009-11-21T14:02:00.000-06:00

John's Week 11 NFL Picks

RotoRant is pleased to bring you a new weekly guest post from John Canton of SportsOratory.com! The Sports Oratory is an excellent site for insight on the NFL, NCAA, UFC and more! You can check out John's personal blog where he has NFL insight as well as his weekly columns on the world of sports entertainment. Those columns are re-posted all over the web, so if you're a fan of wrestling, you've read his work at some point.

The bye weeks are done. All 32 teams are playing every week for the next seven weeks until we get to the playoffs. You’d think that means we would have some kind of handle on who’s going to win the games, right? I’m not so sure. The NFL remains unpredictable as always.

Last week: 8-7

Season: 93-51 (.646)

All game times are Eastern.

Washington at Dallas 1:00 PM

I refuse to pick the Redskins the rest of the way although to their credit their offense has improved since Jim Zorn gave up playcalling duties. Still, they’re the inferior team. Dallas ran into a hungry Packer team last week. I think they can bounce back here in a defensive style game. Cowboys 20-10

Cleveland at Detroit 1:00 PM

Maybe the worst game of the year. I’ll pick the Lions because they have the best player on the field, Calvin Johnson. Lions 23-13

San Francisco at Green Bay 1:00 PM

The Packers finally showed up defensively in impressive fashion against a good Cowboys team. The Niners won an ugly game against the Bears. For some reason I think this is going to end up being something of a shootout because I don’t think either team is that good defensively. The Pack are the better team, though. They should prevail. Packers 31-20

Pittsburgh at Kansas City 1:00 PM

The Chiefs seem like one of those teams that tries hard week after week, but they really don’t have the personnel to succeed. The Steelers need the win to stay in the playoff hunt and they’ll get it because the Chiefs won’t be able to put up much resistance. Steelers 33-13

Seattle at Minnesota 1:00 PM

Vikings continue to roll with Favre and Peterson playing incredibly well. The Seahawks are a bad road team. Easy win here. Vikings 34-13

Atlanta at NY Giants 1:00 PM

The Giants have lost four straight after being 5-0, but now that they’ve had two weeks to sit at home to prepare they have to figure things out? I think so. Throw in the fact that the Falcons are likely without their best player in Michael Turner and they’re not a good road team makes me really likes the Giants. Of course, Atlanta could definitely win if they throw the ball downfield against a Giants secondary that is playing very poorly these days. Thing is, Matt Ryan’s really not playing well either. I like the rested GMen here. Giants 24-14

New Orleans at Tampa Bay 1:00 PM

My Rams came close to upsetting the Saints last week because they have the right personnel for it. They have a dominant running back in Steven Jackson. The Bucs don’t really have that, so it’s going to be a challenge for them to put up enough points to get the wins. I like Brees and company to continue putting up the points in sunny Florida. Saints 37-14

Buffalo at Jacksonville 1:00 PM

The Jags have figured things out. Give the ball to Maurice Jones-Drew, then when the defense keys on him too much look for Mike Sims-Walker down the field. The hyphenated dudes on offense are working. They are playing hard defensively too. The Bills have a new coach and a rumor that Mike Shanahan is going to meet with management next week. That doesn’t translate to wins on the field. I like the Jags to roll. Jaguars 24-13

Indianapolis at Baltimore 1:00 PM

I was very tempted to pick against the Colts in this game until I looked closer at the play of Ravens QB Joe Flacco of late. In his last three games he’s thrown only 1 TD while throwing 2 INTs. That’s not good. I’m not sure what happened. Maybe teams are figuring him out. It’s not like the Ravens have a lot of options at WR for him to go to. They’re a predictable team to defend against. With a defense that is still very good, but is not great, I like the Colts here in another close game. The Colts have won their last three by a combined total of just 8 points. I see another nailbiter for the Manning crew here. Colts 23-20

Arizona at St. Louis 4:05 PM

The last three home games for my Rams? Minnesota, Indianapolis and New Orleans. Combined record of 26-1. Now they get a break by playing the 6-3 Cardinals who, by the way, are a great road team. I hate this season. Warner always does well at the Ed Jones Dome and I think that will continue this week although the Rams will put up their fair share of points too thanks to one of the top five RBs in the game, Steven Jackson. Cardinals 31-24

San Diego at Denver 4:15 PM

I thought Denver overachieved a lot early this year, which is why I picked against them so much during their 6-0 start. Now that they’ve lost three straight I feel vindicated a bit. With Kyle Orton so banged up that they might have to start Chris Simms it’s really hard for me to pick the Broncos in this game. The Chargers are playing at a high level earlier than normal, which should scare the shit out of the rest of the league because that team has talent. Chargers 24-10

Cincinnati at Oakland 4:15 PM

To give you an idea of how bad Jamarcus Russell is I want to point out that their new starter Bruce Gradkowski has been released by the Bucs, Browns and Rams in the past three years. This is his fourth stop in his fourth year. Russell, a number one overall pick, is worse than a journeyman that didn’t even journey to good teams. That’s really bad. Bengals 24-3

NY Jets at New England 4:15 PM

The Pats are pissed off after last week’s debacle. Let’s look past the Belichick thing for a second. My question is what happened to the Pats offense in that fourth quarter? They have to close out a game better than that. I don’t like rookie QBs on the road against pissed off teams. Sorry Jets. Patriots 42-13

Philadelphia at Chicago 8:20 PM

The Eagles are road favorites in this game despite the fact that they’re 2-2 on the road and lost to the Raiders in Oakland (I think I bring that up weekly because I was so mad I lost that bet.) Their problem is they have no running game and everybody knows that. You’d think that one of these weeks they’d go into the game with the plan to run the ball 60% of the time instead of their usual 30%. But no, they keep throwing. That’s fine for teams like the Colts or Pats. It’s not fine for the Eagles. McNabb’s good, but he’s not Manning or Brady. The Bears are a tough team to figure out. They started out well with everybody thinking Cutler was one of the best QBs in the game. Lately, though, they’ve struggled big time. I don’t know what’s going to happen here, so from a betting perspective I’m staying away from this one. For the sake of making picks, I’ll go Bears just because there’s something about home dogs in primetime games that I like. Bears 23-20

Tennessee at Houston 8:30 PM (Mon)

You know what’s crazy? If the Titans win this game they would be only a game back from a playoff spot if things went their way. After a 0-6 start they’ve shown a lot of life since inserting Vince Young at QB (it was at least two games too late, in my opinion). They have a special weapon in Chris Johnson in the backfield. When they’re not running it with him they’re throwing it to him and if he’s covered they’re finding other ways to move the ball down the field. Then there are the Texans sitting there at 5-4. Before the year I had them in the playoffs. I think this is the year they find a way to put it all together to get that coveted first ever playoff berth. They have to win a game like this. Get that ball to Andre Johnson on the outside, let him make some plays and find some way to slow down Chris Johnson to get the victory. I think they’ll do it. Barely. Texans 27-26

JC’s Money Picks

Every week I’ll pick four games against the spread or using the over/under. I was 2-2 last week. These odds come from pinnaclesports.com as always.

Season: 23-16-1 (.590)

Chargers -3½ over BRONCOS – The Chargers are heading in the right direction while the Broncos are not.

PATRIOTS -10½ over Jets – Over 10 is a little tough, but I think they’ll win this one comfortably.

Bengals -9½ over RAIDERS – Loving the Bengals defense right now.

DETROIT -3½ over Cleveland – Hey don’t judge me for betting on this game. Betting against the Browns is a smart move!

Thanks for reading.

Enjoy the games.

John Canton

oratoryjohn@gmail.com

Attention Web Designers

2009-11-20T10:40:00.002-06:00

Hey folks, @plamorte here. We're really looking to revamp the site design, it's pretty basic now, we just needed something to get us by as we re-launched. I don't have the time or skills to do it myself, so if you're young designer who will make us a design for cheap, hit me up on Twitter! Thanks!

Week 11 Confidence Picks

2009-11-19T11:08:00.000-06:00

Week 11 Confidence Picks

Winners highlighted followed by the confidence number. No spreads or anything, just straight up confidence picks, 1- 16, for Week 11. Based on my hunches, injuries, wild guesses, etc. For entertainment purposes only, duh.

Enjoy & follow us on Twitter @RotoRant, send us your fantasy questions!

Miami Dolphins at Carolina Panthers 2

San Francisco 49ers at Green Bay Packers 6

Buffalo Bills at Jacksonville Jaguars 9

Washington Redskins at Dallas Cowboys 12

Atlanta Falcons at N.Y. Giants 8

Seattle Seahawks at Minnesota Vikings 10

Pittsburgh Steelers at Kansas City Chiefs 16

New Orleans Saints at Tampa Bay Buccaneers 15

Cleveland Browns at Detroit Lions 5

Indianapolis Colts at Baltimore Ravens 1

Arizona Cardinals at St. Louis Rams 14

N.Y. Jets at New England Patriots 7

San Diego Chargers at Denver Broncos 11

Cincinnati Bengals at Oakland Raiders 13

Philadelphia Eagles at Chicago Bears 4

Tennessee Titans at Houston Texans 3

Week 11 Links

2009-11-18T18:43:00.000-06:00

Week 11 Links

Instead of our usual Top Tens, how about a collection of my favorite sources around the web. Some are straight rankings, others include projections as well!

Enjoy & follow us on Twitter @RotoRant, send us your fantasy questions!

ESPN Rankings

FF Toolbox Rankings and Point Projections

Fantasy Sharks Projections

The Fantasy Football Report Projections

Honestly, for the best collection of Fantasy Football links every week, a MUST bookmark is the Fantasy Football Librarian.

Week 11 Sleepers

2009-11-18T18:32:00.001-06:00

Week 11 Sleepers

Enjoy & follow us on Twitter @RotoRant, send us your fantasy questions!

QB: Joe Flacco- Baltimore vs. Indy
Flacco had a great start to the 2009 season, but has looked more like the 2008 versions of himself since the Ravens came off their bye. In his last 3 games he has yet to pass for more than 195 yards while throwing only one 1 TD to 2 INT. The Ravens get the unbeaten Colts this week and I can see him putting up numbers similar to his performance on week 4 vs the Patriots.

Prediction: 247 yards, 2 TD, 1 INT

RB: Kevin Smith- Detroit vs. Cleveland
Smith was a popular reach pick in drafts this year after a strong finish in 2008. He's been a disappointment, with only one 100 yard game all year and he hasn't scored since week 4. What better medicine than the Cleveland Browns. Expect a good day from Smith as the Lions actually have a chance at win #2.

Prediction: 104 rushing yards, 1 TD, 3 catches for 32 yards

WR: Davone Bess-Miami @ Carolina
Bess has been getting more involved the last two games, grabbing 10 catches for over 120 yards. With the news that Ronnie Brown is lost for the season, Ricky Williams becomes the feature back with Pat White getting more wildcat snaps. I do think this means the Dolphins will rely more on Chad Henne as well. He's shown good chemistry with Bess and even though they face a tough passing D in Carolina, he should have a good game Thursday night.

Prediction: 5 catches for 81 yards, 1 TD

TE: Benjamin Watson- New England vs. New York Jets
Watson has always been a TE that doesn't necessarily warrant a starting job on a fantasy team but always seems good for a TD every now and again. This feels like one of those weeks. The Jets D has softened since the last time these two teams played but you know they'll play hard in this huge division game. The Jets won't shut down Moss or Welker but the pressure could lead Brady to look Watson's way more than usual.

Prediction: 4 catches for 37 yards, 1 TD

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Your D. Bowe Problem

2009-11-18T15:22:00.001-06:00

D. Bowe was still being counted on as a fantasy producer at 3rd WR or Flex spot in many leagues, even after it had become apparent that KC really was a fantasy sports graveyard. Now, the underachieving B. Edwards-wannabe has created an even more difficult situation for his owners. They can't really trade him, as his value is basement-low. Hopefully they've realized he's not a 1 or 2 WR option by now, so at least they've replaced that value already.

But, I would like to stress that you shouldn't drop him, unless you absolutely must have a FA that's available. He won't help you do anything to make the playoffs in your league at this point. And, he won't help you win that first game. But, depending on your format, he'll be back and motivated (one can assume) against CLE and CIN in weeks 15/16. CIN is much improved, but CLE is just plain hot-garbage-horrible.

During that span, it's possible that KC becomes a bit more viable offensively, as J. Charles is more versatile than his predecessor, and C. Chambers actually looks like he has a pulse now that he's off the Chargers roster. Plus, 4 more weeks of starting for M. Cassel might actually get the KC passing game to a more-respectable level.

So, basically he's a one or two week FA wonder for you, that you won't have to actually pay for when the time comes. The question is, can rosters that were relying on him to produce actually survive this long without him. I think it's more likely he wins more 3rd and 5th place games in week 16 for fantasy managers than championships.

Week 10 Sleepers Revisited

2009-11-17T08:49:00.001-06:00

Week 10 Sleepers Revisited

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QB: Jake Delhomme- CAR
Prediction: 274 yards, 2 TD, 2 INT

Actual: 195 yards, 2 TD, 0 INT

Delhomme has now gone 3 straight games without throwing an INT, miracles do happen. Would have liked to see more yards but 2 TD and no picks helps your team.

RB: Lendale White-TEN
Prediction: 52 rushing yards, 1 TD

Actual: 6 rushing yards, 0 TD

Even against a terrible rush defense like the Bills, the Titans gave White no opportunities. Chris Johnson steamrolled the Bills for 132 yards on the ground and 100 more in receiving. He ran for a long TD and got another on a goal line carry. White continues to pull a complete 180 this season from 2008.

WR: Andre Caldwell-CIN
Prediction: 4 catches for 56 yards, 1 TD
Actual: 4 catches for 23 yards

The catches were there, not the yards or score. Two of his catches were for key first downs, so he helped more for his real team than a fantasy team. Both defenses played great as both offenses did little. The lone TD was scored on a kick return.

TE: Jeff King-CAR
Prediction: 3 catches for 19 yards, 1 TD

Actual: 2 catches for 22 yards

I thought for sure if King didn’t score, he’d go catchless but he did end up with 2 grabs for more yards than I thought he’d get but again, no score. I warned that this was a stretch and for good reason.

Week 10 Sleeper Results: 1-3.

Week 10 Injury Fallout

2009-11-16T10:55:00.007-06:00

Week 10 Injury Fallout

Week 10 was not so pleasant to some fantasy managers. My apologies if you played against Chris Johnson, Randy Moss, Brandon Marshall, Tom Brady or Peyton Manning. They were just a few of the fantasy studs this week. But the bigger picture from Week 10 were the injuries to some key fantasy players. Let’s take a look at the injuries and who the waiver-wire add is for each case.

Ronnie Brown-MIA

Miami’s two-headed RB monster just lost one of its heads. Brown went down in the 3^rd quarter with an ankle injury after fumbling the ball. Up to that point, he rushed for 82 yards and a TD. He has an MRI scheduled for today and word is he is most certainly out for Thursday night’s tilt at Carolina. If you drafted Brown, let’s hope you also grabbed Ricky Williams. Ricky’s been a nice flex play all year and will comfortably be a RB2 with Brown out, Williams responded well on Sunday, rushing for 53 yards with Brown out (102 yards total), including a 27 yard run than set up the game winning FG. He is most likely not available in your league, but if he is, I’d put that claim in for him, especially if you’re a Brown owner—but you already knew that!

Michael Turner-ATL

On his way to another solid performance, Turner rushed for 111 yards in the first half vs Carolina before leaving with a high ankle sprain. Like Brown, he also has an MRI scheduled for today, so we won’t know the extent of the injury until then. With Jerious Norwood already out the last 3 weeks with a hip injury and Aaron Stecker cut from the team on Friday, Atlanta called upon FB Jason Snelling, who didn’t receive a single carry the last two weeks. He finished with 61 yards on the ground with a TD and caught 3 passes for 32 yards. It was a pedestrian 3.4 YPC but Atlanta was playing from behind most the game and passing. If the Turner injury is causes him to miss some time, with no other options, Snelling would be the add for now. But keep an eye on the Norwood’s progress or even if Atlanta re-signs Stecker.

Cedric Benson-CIN

This year’s surprise fantasy stud went down with a hip flexor strain after rushing for only 22 yards early in the game. Benson did attempt to re-enter the game but was unable to continue. Perhaps that’s a good sign he felt he could go and Marvin Lewis was just being cautious with his workhorse. In Benson’s place, Bernard Scott rushed for 33 yards and caught a 21 yard pass. He also scored the lone TD of the game, running back a kickoff 96 yards to paydirt. The Bengals official website says the strain doesn’t look serious so there may be no need to worry. If you want to add Scott as insurance, go ahead, but don’t pay too much for him.

*UPDATE*: ESPN's Adam Schefter reports on Twitter that former Chiefs RB is expected to sign with the Bengals. This could mean Benson's injury is more serious than previously thought. Wait to hear about Benson before claiming Johnson (assuming he was released in your league) but if Cincy rejuvenated Cedric Benson, who knows what it could do for Larry Johnson, don't forget how good this guy was, maybe there's something left in the tank. It's a low-risk chance for the Bengals and your fantasy team.

*2nd UPDATE*: The Bengals official Twitter account posted these tidbits:

"Lewis says LJ has no affect on current RBs & that if they do sign him he'd be inactive"

"Lewis says it has no affect on benson scott or leonard and that if do sign him he d be inactive

"Lewis says he has talked to benson and assured him his role won t change"

Interesting to say the least, why go through all the trouble of the backlash of signing a guy like LJ just to have him ride the pine. More to come as it develops.

Brian Westbrook-PHI

If you drafted Westbrook, you had to know there would be a few missed games for him on the year. He just can’t seem to stay healthy. After missing the previous two games with concussion symptoms, Westbrook left the game in third quarter Sunday with another concussion. Fantasy world aside, it’s unfortunate. The NFL has been very cautious with concussions lately, as they should. Don’t expect Westbrook back anytime soon, if at all this year. For fantasy purposes, hopefully you handcuffed LeSean McCoy. He only had 3 carries vs. the Chargers, but Eagles were throwing all day as McNabb finished with 450 yards passing in the loss. Going forward, he’ll be the feature back, so put your claim in for him. You can expect lower RB2/flex numbers as the Eagles may ease him into the heavier workload and they clearly are passing a ton right now.

Julius Jones-SEA

Not like your fantasy teams season was going to make or break on Julius Jones, he was a starter nonetheless. In Sunday’s game vs the Cardinals, Jones had 2 carries before he broke a rib and left the game. It got more serious after that, the rib was causing bleeding in his lungs and he was hospitalized in Arizona. Seahawks head coach Jim Mora said, "He's not in any danger, but we're going to play it safe." With Edgerrin James recently released, backup RB Justin Forsett stepped up in a big way. He carried the ball only 17 times for 123 yards and a score. He also caught 5 balls for 26 yards. I don’t see why Forsett won’t be given every opportunity to succeed as the starter and because the likelihood that Ricky Williams and LeSean McCoy are already rostered in your league, I’d say he is the #1 Waiver Wire add this week.

Kyle Orton-DEN

Good old neckbeard got off to a roaring start vs. the Redskins Sunday, throwing for 193 yards and 2 TD’s. Not so much surprising because it was neckbeard but surprising because Washington had the league’s best passing defense coming into Week 10. Though Orton probably wasn't starting for many fantasy teams on a regular basis, he was at least filling in admirably for teams with Matt Schaub or Eli Manning. He was forced out of the game with an ankle injury at halftime and the ball was handed over to Chris Simms, who was not so fortunate. Simms completed 3 of 13 passes, 4 completions if you count the one to D’Angelo Hall, for a total of 13 yards. The Denver Post wrote the sense was Simms would begin the week as the expected starter for Sunday’s huge division matchup vs. the Chargers. Stay away.

Week 10 Top Tens

2009-11-12T10:54:00.002-06:00

A look at the top ten players at each position for Week 10 of NFL Action

Byes: Giants, Texans

QB:
1. Drew Brees

2. Tom Brady
3. Peyton Manning

4. Aaron Rodgers

5. Phillip Rivers

6. Kurt Warner
7. Brett Favre

8. Donovan McNabb
9. Ben Roethlisberger

10. Joe Flacco

RB:

1. Chris Johnson
2. Ray Rice
3. Adrian Peterson
4. Michael Turner
5. D'Angelo Williams
6. Maurice Jones-Drew
7. Frank Gore
8. Thomas Jones
9. Ronnie Brown
10. Pierre Thomas

WR:

1. Larry Fitzgerald
2. Reggie Wayne
3. Randy Moss
4. Marques Colston
5. Vincent Jackson
6. Wes Welker
7. Roddy White
8. Chad Ochocinco
9. Austin Miles
10. Sydney Rice

TE:

1. Dallas Clark
2. Antonio Gates
3. Vernon Davis
4. Tony Gonzalez
5. Brent Celek
6. Jason Witten
7. John Carlson
8. Jeremy Shockey
9. Visanthe Shiancoe
10. Kellen Winslow

DEF:

1. New Orleans Saints
2. Minnesota Vikings
3. Denver Broncos
4. Baltimore Ravens
5. Miami Dolphins
6. New York Jets
7. Arizona Cardinals
8. Pittsburgh Steelers
9. Atlanta Falcons
10. Dallas Cowboys

(Note: I don't rank kickers, in 12-14 team leagues, you should be rostering a decent enough kicker where it won't be a dilemma on who to start!)

Bear with us for the next couple weeks or so as we will be playing around with designs and formats!

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Week 10 Sleepers

2009-11-11T09:57:00.001-06:00

Week 10 Sleepers

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QB: Jake Delhomme- CAR
It’s Week 10 and I still don’t think Delhomme has recovered from his 2008 playoffs meltdown. Don’t look now but he has quietly gone two games without throwing an INT. That will end this week, but Delhomme faces the Atlanta Falcons, whom in his last 3 meetings he has thrown at least 294 yards against. I don’t see him passing 300 yards, but I do see him putting up numbers that could help fantasy owners as a bye week fill in, say if you have Schaub or Eli.

Prediction: 274 yards, 2 TD, 2 INT

RB: Lendale White-TEN
Who would of thought that come Week 10, Lendale White would be on a sleeper list. After rushing for 15 TD’s and 773 yards in 2008, White has been a virtual non-factor in the Titans offense, hitting paydirt only once to go with 198 yards on the ground. The reason for his lackluster year can be attributed to the Chris Johnson Show, as the sophomore back has rushed for 959 yards and 6 TD’s, one of the lone bright spots for the Titans this year. In Week 10, Tennessee welcomes the Buffalo Bills to town. Expect White to see a few more opportunities vs. the last-ranked run defense of the Bills.

Prediction: 52 rushing yards, 1 TD

WR: Andre Caldwell-CIN
It’s not often you see a suggested sleeper the week he’s playing the Steelers. With Chris Henry lost for the year after fracturing his left forearm, it moves Caldwell up the depth chart. Lavernaues Coles will benefit as well but this week I like Caldwell to sneak in some good stats with a lot of focus on Ochocinco and Benson. I’ll stick with the same stat line I offered up for Mike Thomas last week, who was a complete dud!

Prediction: 4 catches for 56 yards, 1 TD

TE: Jeff King-CAR
Two Panthers on the Sleepers list? Am I crazy? Atlanta is actually ranked in the bottom 5 of the league in passing defense so Carolina should be able to get into the redzone and that’s where Jeff King comes in. With Dante Rosario possibly missing another game, King starts at TE. I don’t think he helps in PPR leagues this week, but TD heavy ones, he MIGHT just come away with a score. This one is a real stretch so be careful.

Prediction: 3 catches for 19 yards, 1 TD

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Alternative Sleepers - Results In

2009-11-09T22:01:00.001-06:00

M. Cassell proved to be effective, to the tune of 200+ and 2 td's, while J. Campbell was decent when given time, at 190/1, with a tipped INT. In the end, Cassell's game could have helped a fantasy team win, and Campbell wouldn't have been too much of a drag.

J. Charles love was premature, as he had only 50-ish yards total, but the 3 catches might help in PPR-heavy formats.

J. Nelson wasn't cleared to play. Big time strike-out there.

Overall, I'd say 1-2-1, W-L-Push...

Week 9 Sleepers Revisited

2009-11-09T07:40:00.002-06:00

Week 9 Sleepers Revisited

QB: Alex Smith- SF
Prediction: 267 yards, 2 TD, 1 INT
Actual: 286 yards, 2 TD, 3 INT

I was pretty close on this one, as Smith showed how vulnerable Titans pass D was by throwing for near 300 yards and 2 TD's. He also somehow brought out their play-making ability, getting picked off 3 times.

RB: Ryan Grant-GB
Prediction: 112 rushing yards, 1 TD, 2 catches for 23 yards
Actual: 96 rushing yards, 1 TD

In the upset of the week, the Bucs defeated the Pack. Grant had a decent game though, finishing with his 3rd highest rushing total of the year and an endzone visit. He didn't catch a pass though. But close to 100 yards and with that TD, I consider this pick a semi-success.

WR: Mike Thomas-JAX
Prediction: 4 catches for 56 yards, 1 TD
Actual: 1 catches for -2 yards, 18 rushing yards

Wow. I'm sorry about this one. I really thought after catching 13 passes the last 3 weeks, Thomas would continue to be part of the Jags offense. Instead, Garrad hit Sims-Walker for a few big plays and as a team they ran the ball 60% of the downs. Jags still won, but no help from Thomas.

TE: Bo Scaife-TEN
Prediction: 5 catches for 55 yards, 1 TD
Actual: 2 catches for 20 yards

Here's another dud. Titans stuck to the running game as Chris Johnson ran the ball 25 times and Vince Young attempted only 19 passes.

Week 9 Sleeper Results: 2-2.

Week 9 Sleepers (Alternatives)

2009-11-05T22:24:00.001-06:00

QB - A. Smith MIGHT post those numbers, but I doubt it. He's fairly safe when you think about the bottom 1/3 of horrid inconsistencies. Still, I'm saying 200/1 TD is more reasonable.

J. Campbell/M. Cassell are both high-risk-minimal-reward type team-leaders that will usually be only worth a bye-week fill-in. Well, this week they can be used for just that, as both head south to get their numbers a little healthier. I see the JAX/KC game as a unique chance for KC to put up decent passing numbers. Charles will help, as LJ is a plodder now, and MJD might put KC down big early. Meanwhile, I think Campbell has a chance to get catch a hung-over ATL team sleeping when they play them in their dome. I see at least one S. Moss long TD on the turf.

RB - R. Grant isn't a sleeper. He's an average back without a timeshare... making him a week-to-week starter in almost all formats. I'd expect 75/1 TD, maybe more this week against a horrible TB team.

J. Charles will be useful this week. I predict 90 Total Yards, and possibly 2 TD's. Plus, 2-4 catches will help those in PPR formats. He should be owned, even pre-LJ-Twitter-troversy. But, this is the week it starts to actually pay to use him.

WR - M. Thomas is a friend of a few sleeper-friendly writers, but I don't buy it. I don't like JAX passing game at all, and I wouldn't touch anything but MJD on the team.

J. Nelson has a shot at a long TD against a terrible team. That's all you can usually hope for with sleeper WR's.