Still digging through the notes from Sunday, not to mention the mental cobwebs after a successful weekend in New Orleans. Thanks for continuing to stop by.
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I missed the first quarter of the Patriots game Sunday night, which means I barely saw Laurence Maroney. Maroney played only 12 snaps against the Bills in a matchup that screamed breakout. And while Maroney finally scored a touchdown, it was the only carry of the night that he ran decisively. With another week of injury uncertainty followed by a Sunday night game, Maroney won't be a fantasy option in Week 12.
The fantasy playoffs will start soon thereafter, and Maroney is going to be difficult to trust unless things change dramatically. The Patriots have always leaned towards the pass, but their 2007 personnel dictates three-and-four receiver sets often until a defense can stop them. Maroney doesn't excel in the pass game, and he can't seem to stay healthy for long. That means more snaps for Kevin Faulk and HeathEvansKyleEckel.
I held out hope for as long as possible, but Maroney looks to be a very useful role player for the Patriots if all goes well. They just don't need more than 30 snaps from him a game. His fantasy owners do.
November 17, 2007
In New Orleans for a wedding, but there is no vacation for the weekly rankings update. Here are some of the highlights of what we moved.
Santana Moss is on the board. I could see using him as a WR3, but he's not a great one. Travis Henry moved down, Selvin Young is up. Henry's status is a mystery. There are differing reports on his availability, but Young might outscore him either way. Shaun Alexander off the rankings, while Maurice Morris moves up. Ahman Green is off the board, possibly for the season. Ron Dayne moved up, and our man Echemandu is back at the bottom of the rankings. Todd Heap is off, Quinn Sypniewski is up, and Byron Leftwich and Joey Harrington are right next to each other in a rare case of a game-time decision at quarterback.
Fantasy Fix Live is at 11E tomorrow, as usual. I'll be calling in - see you then.
November 15, 2007
I'm not sure who is going to get the carries in Denver Monday Night, but I know the Broncos will have a lot easier time running if Albert Hayesworth is out. My favorite for Defensive Player of the Year, Albert Haynesworth, missed a light practice Wednesday and is uncertain about his status.
Travis LaBoy was also out last week against the Jaguars, and Tennessee's stout defense just wasn't the same. Selvin Young and Travis Henry should keep an eye on Haynesworth in addition to Henry in practice reports this week.
November 14, 2007
I'm not sure why I'm so fascinated by the 49ers (obviously not affecting fantasy leagues too much), but I couldn't resist a couple updates after calling them the worst passing offense in NFL history yesterday.
Smith and coach Mike Nolan clearly are having some issues . To me, the weird part of Smith's interview to me wasn't basically calling out his coach. That happens during times like these. It was talking about the season in the past tense. He sounds like he wants to shut it down. Or wants someone to tell him to shut it down. Unhappy days in Frisco.
Continue reading "Alex Smith, 49ers in rift?" »
It doesn't sound good so far for Marshawn Lynch owners. With a Sunday night game, you should look for other options. And I don't mean Anthony Thomas.
It looks like Ricky will probably remain a Dolphin. It's amazing that Ricky has lasted long enough to see three coaching staffs (Dave Wannstedt, Nick Saban, Cam Cameron) and three decision makers in the front office (Rick Spielman, Saban, Randy Mueller - his old New Orleans GM).
It's not a great sign when Williams becomes one of the most stable parts of your organization.
There's something sad about former Vikings teammates openly doubting Daunte Culpepper in the press. It's like they are so confident he can't play, they may as well provide bulletin board material.
We heard similar stories when he was readying to play Miami earlier this year. Maybe they just respect the old Culpepper and miss him. We all do at this point. It looks like Culpepper is going to start this week in Minnesota. Maybe Daunte will get motivated enough to uncork five scores like that Dolphins game.
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First things first. I don't think Ricky Williams will have a major impact on fantasy football this season. He's thirty years old and hasn't played football all year. By the time he's in football shape, the fantasy season will be over. And Williams will probably be a backup no matter where he plays. With that said, he's worth a look in very deep leagues where you can afford a flier. Let's rank my top-five most likely destinations for Williams.
5. St. Louis - Scott Linehan has coached Ricky before and seems open to coaching him again. But do the Rams really need a veteran backup that badly? They'd probably rather develop Antonio Pittman and Brian Leonard.
4. New England - Bill Belichick probably doesn't care about Ricky's negative perception around the league. He knows through Nick Saban and many AFC East games what kind of player Williams can be. With that said, I just don't think the Patriots will feel their need is big enough at running back to bother. Is he really that much better than Corey Dillon?
3. Denver - Mike Shanahan wouldn't relish the P.R. hit he'd take going from Travis Henry to Ricky Williams, but that's never stopped him from taking chances before. The Broncos have shown interest in Ricky in the past.
Continue reading "Ranking the Ricky Suitors" »
This sounds like the most depressing winning locker room I've ever heard of. It would be surprising if it wasn't so ... Norv-alicious. It sounds like the players are trying to get their coaches fired, including some of the big names. As a Patriot fan, I want to send my thanks to A.J. Smith for firing Norv Turner.
The most likely scenario for Travis Henry is that he gets suspended after one more game. And there's a chance Henry plays a backseat to Selvin Young Monday night anyway. I won't rank either player in the top-20 if it looks like Henry will play. Albert Haynesworth's status will also make a difference.
Could Dominic Rhodes or LaMont Jordan get whacked this week? It sounds like Jordan may have taken last weekoff because of health reasons, but that may be wishful thinking on my part.
A former Raider great came out of hiding this week. I'm irrationally excited about this news.
November 13, 2007
1. Tom Brady: 33 TDs, four INTs, two rushing scores
2. Randy Moss: 924 yards, 12 TD
3. Brian Westbrook: 1,129 total yards, 9 TD, 54 catches, one missed game
4. Adrian Peterson: 1,301 total yards, 9 TD
5. Joseph Addai: 980 total yards, 9 TD, one missed game
7. Tony Romo: 2,555 yards, 23 TD, 9 INT, two rushing scores
8. LaDainian Tomlinson: 1,002 total yards, 9 TDs, RB3
9. Braylon Edwards: 752 yards, 10 TD
10. T.J. Houshmandzadeh: 719 yards, 10 TD, 68 catches
11. Derek Anderson: 2,231 yards, 20 TD, 9 INT, two rushing scores
12. Ronnie Brown: still sixth in RB scoring, and opened up roster spot last three weeks.
Continue reading "Somewhat Early Fantasy MVP Watch" »
Well, that Monday night game wasn't too fun. Our guys (D.J. Hackett and Frank Gore), both played great, but Gore was held to only 13 carries because of the score. It still made zero sense that the 49ers went away from Gore early in the second half when he was ripping off chunks of yardage.
Call me stubborn, but I think it's a testament to Gore's skills that he's averaging 4.1 yards-per-carry while playing for the worst passing offense of the decade. That is not hyperbole.
Continue reading "49ers: Worst passing attack of all time?" »
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