Sport Chit Chat

Sorry for the off week last week. Got swamped with work…. On to the pick-ups.

Dallas Cowboys QB Brad Johnson: Well, out with Romo’s pinkie, Felix Jones, Pacman Jones and punter MrBriar, in Brad Johnson & Roy Williams. With Romo down, Johnson steps into the starting role on the most potent offense in the league. If he hasn’t already been grabbed, Johnson is a must pick-up for anyone with a sketchy QB situation. With Witten, T.O. and Roy Williams now offensive options, all Johnson has to do is be sound and effective int he short game to gain the numbers necessary. Look for anywhere from 150-250 yards + a TD.

Denver Broncos RB Ryan Torain: This is not a pick-up for now. But there are rumors that the Broncos are just keeping the starting RB job warm until Torain is fully healed from injury. This pick-up could really help down the road in playoff weeks. If you have the empty bench spot, do it!

Houston Texans QB Matt Schaub: If he’s out there think of adding him for his match-up with the Lions this week. Schaub has back-to-back 300 yard games and is going up against a winless, shotty defense in the Lions.

Atlanta Falcons QB Matt Ryan: Another, “if he’s there, grab him” guys. He has shown that he is a legit QB in the NFL. He won’t help this week as he has a bye but if you need a QB for the stretch run, snag him!

New England RB Sammy Morris: Maroney is not preforming up to par. Morris has stepped in and taken over the majority of the work load. If you need a low end RB or RB3 or are in a deep league, take a look if Morris can help you out.

P.S. Don’t feel too bad for Romo. 4 Weeks at home with Jessica Simpson is not such a terrible consolation prize!

-Maxmillien the Fantasy Guru

Straight to the pick-ups…

Philadelphia Eagles WR Kevin Curtis: If he’s available still, grab him. If he was dropped at some point this season by a frustrated owner, then snag him and stash him. He could pay HUGE dividends if him and McNabb rediscover their rhythm.

Chicago Bears WR Devin Hester: Hester is a definite 50-50 crap shoot each week. But if your in a league that counts all purpose yards then Hester is clearly your man. If Orton and him ever begin to connect in the passing game, it’s only up from here.

Philadelphia Eagles RB Correll Buckhalter: Well, he’s back on the radar. With Westbrook’s broken ribs Buckhalter will have to step in an take the snaps. If you need a bye week fill in or are desperate for a RB2, then Correll is your man!

New England Patriots QB Matt Cassell: After some pretty awful starts, the owner who added him after Tom’s injury may have given up and dropped him.After showing some deep ball skills last week with a deep throw to Moss, Cassell looks more like a real QB. For the Pats to win, Moss will have to be involved and Cassell will have to air it out from time to time, leading to some scores for the QB. If you need a desperate/bye week fill in, or you just want some ack-up QB security, look at Cassell.

Denver Broncos WR Brandon Stokley: Eddie Royal left with an injury and that’s all you need to know. If Royal misses any time then Stokley will benefit from Cutler and the Broncos passing game.

-Maxmillien

Another week in the books. A huge week from my man Brett Favre, a career day of 6 TD’s! It also looks like Lavereus Coles is finally in the mix catching 3 of the 6 TD passes. In addition, I hope Carson Palmer’s game day sit down didn’t screw you as it did someone in my league. Anyways, onto the pick ups…

Pittsburgh Steelers RB Mewelde Moore: Ok so I had Mendenhall here last week but that ended badly and I’m sorry if you started him. But he’s done for the season with a shoulder injury and now Moore emerges with some value. If your in desperate need of a low low low end RB2 or an ok bench RB grab Moore, he may help in a bye week down the road if Parker is unable to return.

St. Louis Rams QB Marc Bulger: Now clearly he was drafted in all leagues but after a terrible first 3 games, and then a benching for Trent Green he may have made his way onto your leagues waiverwire. The Rams could turn it around a little and at least turn out to have a semi-competent offense. If you need a back-up QB with a high ceiling, see if Bulger was dropped and is out there.

Carolina Panthers WR Mushin Muhammad: He may be gone in your pool already, in fact he may have been swiped up several weeks ago. But I was able to grab him in my 10 team pool so maybe you can do the same. I’m using him as bye week fill in, but with 147 yards, 8 receptions and 1 TD he is a legit 3rd WR on a good team. Scour your waiver wire and see if he’s still out there.

Philadelphia Eagles WR Kevin Curtis: Now this pick-up won’t help you this week, or maybe even next. But when Curtis returns he’s sure to regain his starting job. The Eagles have shown that they are contenders this year and if McNabb stays healthy Curtis could show to have some value. Sure, DeSean Jackson may have taken over #1 duties but Curtis will get he ball for sure.

-Maxmillien, Fantasy Guru at your sercive

An interesting week 4 is behind us. I hope you started Ronnie Brown as my opponent this week did not. His 4 rushing TD’s, 1 passing TD and 113 yards rushing may be the fantasy line of the season. Also, some solid performances from Michael Turner (104 yards, 3 TD’s), Reggie Bush (73 rush yards, 75 receiving yards, 1 TD) and LT showed he is still alive (67 rush yards, 20 recieving yards, 2 TD’s).

On to the pick-ups….

Tampa Bay Bucs QB Brian Griese: Sure, his week was up and down. He threw for 2 TD’s but also got picked 3 times. However, the 407 passing yards are something that can’t be messed around with. Yes, it is true that the Bucs will not be passing as many times as they did last week but if you need a decent back-up QB to use during your starters bye week Griese could be worth a look.

Pittsburgh Steelers RB Rashard Mendenhall: Willie Parker has been ruled our for week 4’s Monday Nighter (click above link). It is likely that Rashard was drafted in your league, but following 10 carries in week 1 and none in week 2 and 3 he was probably dropped by a frustrated owner. If he’s on the wavier wire grab him. He’ll be a decent RB2 this week as he’ll get a bulk of the workload. Also, try to grab him before Parker’s owner and trade him to that owner. Finally, if you have Parker yourself grab him for some insurance if the injury to Parker lingers.

New York Giants WR Amani Toomer: I’m just as shocked as you are but it’s true. Toomer is worth a look. It has been reported that Plaxico Burress has been suspended for one game by The Giants for not reporting to a team meeting during this weeks bye. Sure, this pick-up won’t help you during week 4 but grab him now, stash him on your bench and use him in week 5. He’ll be one of Eli’s main targets as he really doesn’t have many others.

New York Jets WR Chansi Stuckey: With Brett behind center in New York the Jet’s offense is spreading the ball around in a big way. Cotchery has emerged as Favre’s favorite target, while Coles finally caught his first TD pass in week 3. But under the radar is Brett’s 3rd WR Chansi Stuckey He has emerged as one of Favre’s options and has a TD catch in each game this season. The Fantasy Football Geek agrees with me as Stuckey has become a red zone target. The Geek also suggests some other pick ups you may want to look at.

-Maxmillien The Fantasy Guru

Hello all. Sorry for my fantasy hiatus but I have been busy with my NFL pool and am currently preparing for my NBA Keeper League. This is it’s first year so all the picks are very important for now and the future. I will be writing an NBA Fantasy Preview article in the upcoming weeks following my draft. But back to the reason we are here, some NFL Week 3 Pick-Ups.

Philadelphia Eagles WR DeSean Jackson: I’m going to assume that he has already been swiped up in your pool or he was drafted to begin with. However, in the off chance he’s still out there get on it. Jackson broke a rookie record by posting back-to-back 100 yard games to start his career. Sure, he got a little cocky and threw the ball away on the one yard line during a celebration, but he’s a kid. There are worries that the Eagles will struggle to contain Jackson’s ego, but after being publicly embarrassed on Monday Night Football in front of the whole nation, I think that Jackson will be well behaved from this time onward. Go grab him if you still can.

Seattle Seahawks WR Koren Robinson: Well, Koren is back. After being let go by the Seahawks several years ago due to drug issues, Koren bounced around with the Packers before being released again. He comes back to Seattle with all the chance in the world. It is reported that Robinson will start at WR and will also do some kick returning for the Seahawks. If your league counts all purpose yards, or your in a really deep league with more than 3 starting WR’s Koren is worth a look.

New England Patriots RB Sammy Morris: Things are only getting worse for the Patriots. Laurence Maroney is the next Patriot to get hit by the injury bug. ROTOworld reports that the Patriots usually do not use players in games who don’t practice during the week. This opens the door for RB Sammy Morris to get the start versus the woeful Dolphins this week. PROTrade supports Morris as the starter as well. Morris has already accumulated two TD’s this season and has been used in both the running and passing game. If you need a low level RB2 or solid RB3 in your league go and grab Morris for this week. Additionally, Maroney’s injury could linger making Morris the starter for New England, a team that not matter what will find a way to compete. The running game could be this answer, and thus, Morris time!

Buffalo Bills QB Trent Edwards: I know this is a reach. I know that many people do not trust The Buffalo Bills are for real, but Edwards’ numbers are good and as Gregg Rosenthal reports, Edwards stated his case as franchise starter in completing a 3rd and 6 versus the Jags on Sunday. Last week he massed 239 passing yards and a TD. With the Bills possibly being a legit team this year Edwards will be lenon to make some plays. If you are in need of a back-up QB for your team, Edwards could be a good start when your starter has a bye or sustains an injruy.

Good Luck in Week 3 and remember, anything can happen!

-Maxmillien The Fantasy Guru

Yahoo! Sports has reported that New England Patriots QB Tom Brady may be out for the season with a torn ACL. Apparently a team source said “It’s Bad.” Who knows how to interpret that but it is clear that Brady will not be back in action any time soon. If you just drafted him in the first round of your fantasy pool I’m sorry. It’s time to scramble and make up for it by going out and adding Matt Cassel the back-up for New England. Who knows how long Brady will be out and it’s worth it to cover your ass. Also, if you need a QB, give Cassel a look as someone will have to throw the ball to Randy Moss. Hope I got to you soon enough!

-Maxmillien

As another seriously disappointing Blue Jays season comes to a pitiful end, the Jays participated in some house cleaning and contender building. The Jays traded the bat of Matt Stairs to the Phillies for a lefty reliever Fabio Castro. This is a sad move for Stairs who always said he enjoyed playing in Toronto, and thusly in this native country of Canada. However, as The Toronto Star reports, Stairs is excited for his move to a contender and attests that he has always hit well in the Phillies home park. Consider picking him up if your in a deep league and Stairs manages to get a solid spot in the lineup and gets a hot bat going. As a Jays fan this move is bittersweet. On the one hand, it’s sad to see a fan favourite and good hitter leave the club, but it’s also a smart move for a club looking to shed some pay roll. Sure Stairs wasn’t hitting great, but he can be streaky and could be a great left handed bat for the Phillies to have going into the post season. The post season, something the Jays have not even had the taste of in quite some time.
Going into this season with over $100 Million in payroll the Jays were hoping for a playoff run and important games in September. neither of these came through and now the Jays are in shambles, dealing with potential managerial firings and a team that looks like it doesn’t have what it takes, nor will it ever. Sure there have been some bright spots such as the great pitching the Jays have received, as well as the rise of youngster Adam Lind. But it has been overall a sad season for the boys in blue. They have a bunch of over paid, under performing players who are not enough to compete with. Let’s just hope they can turn it around for next season before their great pitching staff dissipates.

-Maxmillien

P.S. Sucks if you have Josh Beckett going into your fantasy stretch run. Maybe consider waiting to see who take a spot start, maybe Masterson or Bucholz.

Hello all you fantasy maniacs out there. As many of us are days, if not mere hours away from our NFL fantasy drafts, it is time to do the diligent research and preparation that is needed to come out on top. Sure, you have the classic ways of getting prepared; using magazines, websites and sleeper suggestions. However, I have found a great way to get yourself in the fantasy groove and that strategy is doing a Mock Draft. A mock draft is a draft just for fun, but it helps a lot in getting a feel for where certain marquee players will go, and also, how late your super sleeper will fall. The greatest part is, mock drafts are free as ROTOworld is offering free mock drafts off their website. Click here to access the mock draft home page. The only stipulation is that you don’t time out, this is annoying and Rotoworld will lock you out of the draft. If the draft doesn’t fill, don’t worry as the computer takes the highest ranked player at their pick. This turns out to be goo because if people are staying away from a guy it is nice to see when the rankling system thinks said player should be off the board.

Ok, so I did a mock draft. You can view it by clicking here. Print it and use it as a depth chart or help if you wish. I elected to have last pick to see who would slip to the last pick in a 10 team draft. My team name is “Maxmillien.” The league is QB, RB, RB, WR, WR, WR, TE, K, DEF with standard scoring. The draft was 15 rounds long. My team turned out as follows:

1st Round:WR Terrell Owens (DAL)
2nd: RB Frank Gore (SF)
3rd: RB Brandon Jacobs (NYG)
4th: WR Steve Smith (CAR)
5th: WR Laveranues Coles (NYJ)
6th: WR Jerricho Cotchery (NYJ)
7th: TE Ben Watson (NE)
8th: RB Chester Taylor (MIN)
9th: RB Ahmad Bradshaw (NYG)
10th: QB Brett Favre (NYJ)
11th: Dallas Defense
12th: TE Alge Crumpler (TEN)
13th: QB Aaron Rogers (GB)
14th: WR Devin Hester (CHI)
15th: K Nick Folk (DAL)

If this were my team going into the season I would feel fairly good about the situation. I have two solid running backs as Gore eats up a lot of yards and Jacobs is good because the NYG are a very run defendant team. I grabbed Bradshaw late to avoid injury loss of Jacobs and especially like my nabbing of Chester Taylor in the 8th round as Adrian Peterson is an obvious injury risk. I may be forced to drop one of the back-up running backs at some point but I think there good to go into the season with. I would also dangle Taylor in front the team that chose Adrian Peterson and see what he’d give up to have the RB insurance. I think my faults in the draft may be the WR spot, but not by much. I have a very strong #1 wide out in Terrell Owens and if Steve Smith can gain back any of his previous prowess I’d have a solid #2. In hindsight I probably should have taken New England WR Wes Welker, but having a former 1st rounder available in round 4 was too much to pass on. As for my #3 reciever, I have the chosen to pick from whichever Jet’s receiver becomes Favre’s go to guy. Brett has to throw to someone, and with both Coles and Cotchery I’m guaranteed that production. I also nabbed Hester as a sleeper in the 14th round. Coming off a career year and new contract I think low risk (late round choice) high reward (possible #1 receiver).

I also ended up with a decent TE core of Ben Watson and Alge Crumpler. I didn’t plan on taking another TE, but when Crumpler was still on the board in round 12 I had no other choice. A back-up TE is not necessary but I think with Crumpler there it becomes worth it. When drafting I always think about possible post-draft trades. A motto I always go with is if you’re not sure what you want with a pick, just grab the best player available, you can always trade them later. (For example, in this mock draft two teams picked TE’s very late, 15th and 13th round. I would offer them Crumpler and upgrade another one of my positions in a 2 for 1 swap.)

Finally, the quarterback. QB’s went early and then sporadically with Brady going at 4th pick by the computer and Manning and Romo going in mid to late second round. Brees went in the 3rd round with Big Ben and Palmer going in the 5th. Derek Anderson went next in the 6th and then Garrard fell off the board in the 8th round. Then came the flury. In the next two rounds Hasselbeck, McNabb, Favre, Cutler & Bulger were selected. They were followed by Schaub, Young, Delhomme, Eli Manning, Aaron Rogers, Jason Campbell with Rivers, Kitna and Tavaris Jackson dropping to the last round. From this information one could draw the conclusion that decent to good quarterbacks are available in the late rounds. If you don’t take one of the elite QB’s, Brady, Payton and Romo (in my eyes) then it is worth it to sit on a taking a QB and making the RB and WR positions stronger. I think Romo in round 2 is a large stretch and would stay away from making that pick. I grabbed Favre and Rogers a back-up (fancy them meeting up again). Favre is a risk-reward type guy as he could put up great numbers with the Jets. His INT’s are a bit frustrating so I can understand staying away from Mr. Favre. I also like Rogers as a risk-reward kinda guy. He has tremendous up-side as the Pack could win the division and with wins will come some decent throwing games. Sure the Pack will lean on the run this year but Rogers will have to throw to make the Packer offense effective.

As for Defense and Kicker I went both Dallas. Folk is on a team that will score a lot and so those Extra Points could add up. Additionally, the Dallas defense is nothing to mock at and should not be a hindrance to my team. I did take them high, in round 11 and could have just waited and taken a different defense later. The top ranked Minnesota D went in the 9th round in case anyone gunning for them was interested.

After completing the mock draft I think a solid strategy is to sure up the RB position first, unless T.O. or Moss slips to you in a late first round pick situation. There is more depth at WR and not as much in the starting RB position. Also, QB’s fell and you could consider just holding off and take a late flier on Favre, Bulger, Vince Young or the like as all QB will put up similar numbers from week to week (200 yards, 1-2 TD’s, 1 INT). Young does help in the running yards area so his versatility could be useful.

As for sleepers, I found that Steve Smith in the 4th was a good pick, as well as Michael Turner in a starting role is a good pick in the same round. Marvin Harrison slipped to the 5th round as did Anquan Boldin (although recent trade rumors makes me want to stay from him). Tony Gonzalez was the 8th TE taken and not until the 8th round. Todd Heap also fell to a 9th round pick. Someone grabbed Patrick Crayton (2nd Dallas WR) in round 11 which I think was a fantastic pick. Good Luck with your draft and remember, don’t take a kicker till the last round!

-Fantasy Guru Maxmillien

After some initial hesitation, MLB Umpires have agreed to use instant replay to help them make home run calls. As Tim Kurkjian of ESPN writes, “The era of instant replay will represent a fundamental shift in the way the game is called.” Baseball, through the use of the strike zone is grounded in the idea that the umpires make the calls, even if they are subjective. Now this has changed slightly. With the addition of computers to make the calls on home runs the subjectivity of umpiring has decreased. This is similar to the use of computers in tennis that track the landing of a ball to decide if it is out or not. The difference here is that it is not challenge based, the upms can just use the computers.

I see this as a good step for the MLB, the only league without instant replay. What would hockey be if refs had to make the call for pucks crossing the goal line, or if basketball refs had to just guess if the last second shot went in. I know that instant replays can be anti-climactic as decisions are made well after celebrations, but is it not better to have the true and right decision made as opposed to the one that suites the moment. It’s good to know that when I watch a ball game, I’ll know that the right call is made.

My one reservation to the whole idea is that I hope this does not spread to the rest of baseball. Home runs are a hard-fast type of thing. Either it went over or it didn’t. Things like the strike zone are more subjective as each player has a different strike zone dependent on height and stance. I hope the day never comes when the strike zone is automated or replays are used on base stealing. Those things need to be the umps call not only to preserve the purity of the game, but to keep the game moving. Baseball is a game that takes time and surly does not need even more long pauses for replay checks. I’m excited to see how this pans out and I hope Derek Jeter can have some solace in his called back dinger.

-Maxmillien

Another season ending surgery, another opportunity arises. Texas Rangers RP C.J. Wilson has decided to undergo season ending arthroscopic elbow surgery. Wilson’s season was up and down as he struggled at times and was rumored to be on the edge of losing the closers role, Wilson managed to put up some decent numbers. Although handicapped by the Rangers’ potential to blow out teams, Wilson posted 24 saves with a 1.64 WHIP, his ERA however, was an awful 6.02. With Wilson out of the picture now, enter Eddie Guardado. Guardado has offically been given the closers role says Yahoo! Rotoworld also reports the closer role to Guardado but to suggest to keep an eye on Frank Franscisco as he may work his way there as he is potentially the closer of the future for Texas. Hope I got to you soon enough and were able to grab Guardado and as always, good luck in the August stretch run.

-Maxmillien