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Fantasy Football: Who’s Next? NFL’s Top Three Surprise Keepers for 2011

August 23rd, 2010

For keeper leaguers, fantasy football isn't just about picking this year's starters. Good drafting means staying one step ahead of the year-to-year surprises that overhaul redraft rankings each offseason.

Granted, some of them really come out of nowhere. You might have been optimistic that Baltimore's Ray Rice would get the majority of touches in a muddled backfield last year, for example, but expecting him to be the fourth-leading scorer among running backs would've been a punch-drunk projection.

In any case, odds are you're keeping him around for 2010.

Rarely do consistent top-tier performers hit the open market in competitive leagues. Like Rice, they start out as mid- or late-round draft picks, make a splash, and stick on one team's fantasy roster for years.

The trick is to anticipate that splash. Amidst the jumble of second-tier talent available in your league, here are three players who'll be jealously guarded in 2011 after they surprise you this year.

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Posted in AFC East, Football, Jay Cutler, Jonathan Stewart, NFC North, NFL, New York Jets, Shonn Greene, fantasy football, nfc south

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Brett Favre Won’t Say It, but He Is Dreaming of the John Elway Ending

August 23rd, 2010

Back in 1998, in a little town called San Diego, California, an old quarterback who couldn't shake the "loser" tag and a mid-career gunslinger coming off of a Super Bowl title went toe to toe. In what I affectionately refer to as XXXII, the 14-point underdogs led by an NFL legend finally took one down.

In hindsight, Pat Bowlen put it best with a simple phrase: "This one's for John."

Brett Favre walked off of the field that day knowing he had been beaten by an opponent who was tired of losing. People forget Elway's best traits were his intangibles. He led so many storied comebacks, but finally, in the end, he wouldn't let himself lose. To anyone.

Not even Brett Favre.

That quarterback matchup was so good that no Super Bowl hosted a similar pair of all stars until this very year when Peyton Manning took on Drew Brees.

And Elway, the man who incredibly took his team to the Super Bowl one third of the seasons he played in (no matter who surrounded him) finally won the big game. And then he went on the next year to obliterate the Atlanta Falcons (in the best Super Bowl that never happened, which should have included the Minnesota Vikings).

Throughout the league, John Elway finally got his ultimate respect. If he had come back for one more season, the Broncos just might have slain the inconceivable three-peat dragon. But Elway retired on top and the rest is history.

Except for the part about Brett Favre; he is the guy who watched a fellow quarterbacking legend walk away with his glory.

Brett isn't going to be caught dead saying it, but he came back, again because he still thinks there is a shimmering hope he can beat the John Elway legend. And I won't lie, even as a Denver Broncos fan, if the Minnesota Vikings win the Super Bowl this year, he will have done it.

Favre still has a lot in the tank.

His Green Bay finale was in the NFC Championship, which is unsurprisingly where he failed last year. But Favre, now wearing such a strangely unfamiliar uniform (I will never be happy with it) truly believes that in this, one last year, he can beat the odds. He can win the Super Bowl.

He wants to out "John Elway" the entire NFL.

It might be doable. It might not.

But all of the people out there who are still hating on Favre for coming back and dragging out this retirement deal for one more season need to give the guy a chance.

As someone who has always held an immense respect for Brett, since he was a guy I grew up watching (and cheered against in XXXII), I hope he can end his career on that spectacular high note.

To my knowledge, only one NFL quarterback ever has, and it was probably the greatest thing I have ever seen in the history of sports.

I wouldn't be opposed to watching it again. Particularly in a season that I know unequivocally will be Brett's last. I believe him this time.

And if he wins and rides into the sunset, the whole retirement saga will finally be over, and no one will be able to say in hindsight that he tarnished his record or made the wrong choices.



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Posted in Brett Favre, Football, Minnesota Vikings, NFC North, NFL, Opinion

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Buffalo Bills Running Back C.J. Spiller: No Line; That’s Fine

August 23rd, 2010

And the 2010 Offensive Rookie of the Year goes to.........

It’s a topic many analysts and fans are fiercely debating right now. It's always one of those preseason questions that people show a lot of interest in. Names like Ryan Matthews and Dez Bryant pop up in the conversation a lot this year. But there’s one name that should be right at the top of the list – C.J. Spiller.

There’s reasons to believe Spiller won’t have much success this season considering Buffalo’s backfield is a crowded one with veterans Fred Jackson and Marshawn Lynch looking for carries. The Bills also enlist one of the worst offensive lines in the league to handle run blocking duties.

Those factors are enough to shed doubt on even the most skilled of players, but sometimes, there are just rare rookies who can persevere through it all.

C.J. Spiller is one of those players.

Spiller is that “other world” type of talent. That type of pure speed and grace that you see once every ten years or so. C.J. Spiller is the best running back prospect we’ve seen this millennium.

Maybe because he played off at Clemson, which is a certainly a big school but it doesn’t necessarily have the cache of some of the more prestigious names of the sport. He was accomplishing so much, but Clemson’s continued failure in the biggest spot of the season –the ACC Championship Game –never allowed Spiller the chance to show off his talents on a BCS Bowl stage.

In this era when we over-analyze every top quarterback prospect ad nauseum, maybe we should have spent a little more time this offseason watching a tape of C.J. Spiller. Instead of watching Tim Tebow’s terrible throwing motion ten times a day in super slow motion, we should have been watching C.J. We should have been giving him his due.

Not an even an invite to the Heisman ceremonies?

For a kid that totaled more than 4,500 yards in his four-year college career.

Shame on us.

But now I have feeling Mr. Spiller has a bit of a chip on his shoulder.

He may have one of the worst lines in the sport, but he also has something else that’s a bit dangerous –something to prove.

“O.K. Seattle, O.K. Cleveland, you guys wanted to pass on me, now it’s time to show you I was worth it.” If that’s Spiller’s type of attitude and motivation for the season, then he could really do some special things.

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Posted in AFC East, C.J. Spiller, Football, NFL, Opinion, buffalo bills

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Tim Tebow Bruised Ribs: Why They’re a Big Concern for Denver Broncos

August 23rd, 2010

Denver Broncos rookie quarterback Tim Tebow has many worried and concerned about his ribs that got bruised on his first NFL touchdown against the Cincinnati Bengals one week ago.

Tebow took a snap from shotgun and ran toward the endzone while getting sandwiched by two Bengals defenders just beyond the goalline.

He did not play in Saturday night's loss to the Detroit Lions due to his ribs still being sore and the Broncos' medical staff playing things safe by taking the precaution to not have Tebow play.

Reports from the Broncos say that Tebow will be back on the field in the third game of the preseason when the Pittsburgh Steelers visit Denver on Sunday August 29 in prime time.

Running the ball is not a new thing for Tebow, since he did not often and was very successful in doing so while playing college ball in Florida, but that was when he was as big or bigger than many of the defenders that were pursuing him.

Now in the NFL, Tebow's 6'3" and 245 pound frame is still rather large for quarterback standards, but he is dwarfed by most defensive lineman and many linebackers too.

With this being said, Tebow needs to be more cautious when running with the ball and looking for contact because the last thing the Broncos want for their precious first round pick.

There are also whispers that some NFL defensive players are looking to hit Tebow as hard as they can possibly hit him due to the high status of his celebrity that he has already attained due to his impressive college performances.

One of those defensive players includes Indianapolis Colts defensive end Dwight Freeney told the media that he wants to hit Tebow really bad when he faces him on the gridiron.

Both Tebow and Broncos coaches need to take notice and be aware that there may be a few who are looking to really hit Tebow and hit him hard.

Even though Tebow is a fierce competitor and will sacrifice his body for the good of the team, he also needs to remember that it is better to have him healthy and able to play over injured and on the Injured Reserve list.

Hopefully, Tebow has already gotten this message because the pro game is much faster and the players are much bigger so the pain received will be a bit more than Tebow is used to receiving.

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Posted in AFC West, Football, NFL, Opinion, Tim Tebow, denver broncos

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2010 Oakland Raiders: Can They Trust The Defense to Win Games?

August 21st, 2010

In a different decade, the Raiders were known for being brutal, with the ability to control a game by either killing the clock on offense, or by using the defense and denying the opposing team a chance to move the ball.

In recent years, the Raiders have had a good secondary, anchored with Asomugha at Cornerback, but a rotating question on who is on the other side. Chris Johnson works to a degree, Michael Huff was drafted in the first round, and most recently, Michael Mitchell and Tyvon Branch both have come along.

Stopping the run in Oakland has been a difficult issue. Part of what makes Asomugha a very lonely player is his ability to cover the man he's on. But it also makes one wonder—what if the opposing team had to choose between throwing or trying to rush against a difficult defensive line?

Oakland, in it's history, has had success in having a strong defense with a decent offense. In 1980, the Raiders won the Super Bowl after having Jim Plunkett take over passing duties, on a defensive network featuring guys like Ted Hendricks, Lester Hayes, and Rod Martin. Other players would help too, with Burgess Owens, Monte Jackson, and Mike Davis played parts, while Plunkett's work with the remaining players that didn't wind up in Houston (Stabler, Tatum, and Casper), turned out well.

Could Oakland imitate that defense?

For one, we already have a Corner with strong skills. Asomugha has proved to be the numbers man and isn't currently holding out like some other guy in New York. We have a run stopper in first round pick Rolando McClain. In terms of blitz potential, you have Lamarr Houston, which in turn bodes well for others on the line. If the opposition centers on Houston, who's going to stop Richard Seymour? Trevor Scott? Even Wimbley might come around for a blitz package, causing quick loss of yardage and giving the Raiders good ball location when they take over.

A lot of details will come to light on Saturday, depending on if the Bears can get anything going. As it is, Jay Cutler can't be looking forward to this game...unless he wants to run around a lot.

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Posted in AFC West, Football, NFL, Opinion, oakland raiders

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