By Dalton Del Don
If Felix Jones remains in the mix after returning from injury it would hardly be the first time a coach plays a less deserving veteran over a superior younger player, so a timeshare can’t be ruled out, but I’d have a hard time not treating DeMarco Murray as a top-10 fantasy back right now, especially if his involvement as a receiver Sunday is a sign of things to come. Dude looks like an absolute stud, and while Dallas’ offense has been hugely disappointing, it should improve moving forward. Jones has reached 5.0 YPC in two of his past 16 games played. Murray has got 6.3 or better in each of his past three, including against the team that entered with the NFL’s top run defense last week. Murray’s 3.9 YPC after contact leads the NFL (minimum 75 rushing attempts). Having him on zero of my fantasy teams is killing me…I have no idea where that came from, Marshawn Lynch…Is it good or bad news that it’s Miles Austin’s other hamstring now pulled?…My love for Dez Bryant hasn’t been lost, but it’s certainly been tested.
Police car crashes into plane during drug bust.
Like A.J. Green, Julio Jones is already a star and a future superstar. What a ridiculous catch on that 50-yard touchdown Sunday while triple-teamed. And while the Colts’ secondary is a joke and took terrible angles trying to make a tackle, his 80-yarder wasn’t too unimpressive either. It’s not a no-brainer or anything, but I’d prefer Jones over Roddy White in fantasy leagues moving forward. I bet my friend $100 before the season who has the better career, Jones or Green. If both make the Hall of Fame, we’ll call it a wash…After posting a 4:0 TD:INT ratio while getting 9.8 YPA over weeks 3 and 4, Curtis Painter has a 1:5 TD:INT ratio with a 4.7 YPA over his past four games. Also, pretty sobering news about Peyton Manning this past week, as it now appears there’s about a 25 percent chance he never plays again, which would be a shame. Although it’s hard to feel bad for a franchise that might transition from Manning to Andrew Luck…Indy’s secondary has allowed a 112.1 QB rating to opposing passers, which would go down as the worst in NFL history.
Awesome homage to one of the best scenes in the history of cinema by Tony Reali and Around The Horn.
The Bills simply don’t match up well with the Jets. It might be the difference between them making the playoffs and not…Good to see Fred Jackson’s injury wasn’t serious. It’s hard not to root for his story…Plaxico Burress came within inches from scoring Sunday, and it was pretty impressive, as he drove/carried multiple defenders a few yards just to come up a bit shy of the end zone…I still don’t understand why New York doesn’t involve Santonio Holmes more (he’s the only receiver in football to play at least 450 snaps and not drop a single pass this season)…Mark Sanchez is not the best blocker.
Bride answers text message during marriage.
Ben Tate doesn’t have a catch since Week 3 and has had a fumbling problem this season, but he’s obviously quite talented and plays in the NFL’s best rushing system. Without question he’d be a top-five fantasy back if Arian Foster were to go down, but even as is, he’s averaged 75.5 rushing yards over his past four games – all while acting as a backup. He’s a decent flex play even with Foster healthy…Greg Little gets the targets, but he’s raw, and the team’s offense makes him nothing more than a desperation fantasy play at the moment. It’s too bad, since he’s actually tied (with Dwayne Bowe) for the league-lead among WRs with 10 broken tackles. I was wrong about Colt McCoy possibly developing into a useful quarterback this season. He’s not even close to the answer as Cleveland’s future franchise QB…Chris Ogbonnaya was brutal Sunday, but he’s not the worst flex option in deep leagues in Week 10 against a Rams team that struggles against the run. The volume should be there at least…The Texans have allowed a 66.9 QB rating to opposing passers this season, which is the lowest in the NFL.
Burly rugby player has a stroke after freak gym accident, wakes up gay and becomes a hairdresser.
It’s rare to have a quarterback for a 7-1 team throw for more than 201 yards just once all season, but so is the case with Alex Smith and the 49ers. I still can’t believe it looks like I’m going to be able to go to a home playoff game this year. And it might even come after a bye. Unreal…Roy Helu with 14 catches on 17 targets, wow. Washington’s offense is definitely worse with John Beck starting over Rex Grossman, but Helu looks like an RB3 at minimum for fantasy purposes moving forward. Good thing I blew a bunch of FAAB on Ryan Torain earlier this year…When Graham Gano made a 59-yard field goal at the end of the first half Sunday, it marked his first ever from beyond 50 yards in his career and also the team’s first points over its last six quarters…San Francisco hasn’t allowed a 100-yard rusher in its past 30 games.
Come for the record-setting jump roping but stay for her facial expression.
Mike Williams has averaged 9.8 yards-per-catch this year, good for 98th among all wide receivers…Make no mistake, Darren Sproles has been one of the most valuable skill position players in the NFL this season…Drew Brees has bounced back with a 7.9 YPA mark this season and currently has the second-highest QB rating in football, and while interceptions have remained a problem, it’s also worth noting he’s the only quarterback in the NFL yet to fumble in 2011…It’s too bad Gerald McCoy can’t stay healthy. He’s a really good player when on the field.
I’m all about following the Andrew Luck situation, but to say teams are tanking for him is laughable. The Dolphins had lost by three points or fewer in three of their previous five games, so while Sunday’s 31-3 outcome in Kansas City was certainly a surprise in how it played out, the win itself wasn’t overly shocking. Although I certainly can’t say I saw Reggie Bush’s last two games coming. He’s totaled 262 yards, averaging 7.5 yards-per-touch…Anthony Fasano has more touchdowns on his last three catches as Brandon Marshall has total this season (of course, that’s a silly stat, and I remain a big Marshall believer moving forward. Week 9 was obviously a good start)…After I called Jonathan Baldwin’s impressive Week 8 performance a killer for Steve Breaston’s fantasy value, naturally, the latter led KC with seven catches and 115 yards in Week 9.
Pretty cool Halloween costume.
Nice to see Chris Johnson still has a pulse, but it’s pretty crazy we are now in Week 10, and he’s received 15 carries just twice this season. And can someone explain to me the logistics about the rumors of him possibly being released at the end of the year. I mean, the $30 million he was guaranteed, is well, guaranteed, right?…I must say, I loved the Bengals under six wins before the season started, and the only reason I didn’t bet it was because Vegas apparently agreed, accompanying it with an extreme vig. I couldn’t have been more wrong. A relatively easy schedule has helped, but that’s a legit defense, and A.J. Green is a playmaker. Andy Dalton has been way better than he looked in the preseason and is doing my name proud. Cincy isn’t a fluke at all, but unfortunately they have to deal with Baltimore and Pittsburgh in its own division.
This deer might like tacos as much as I do.
I like Hue Jackson’s willingness to be aggressive when it comes to tactical decisions, but his benching of Darrius Heyward-Bey will never be forgiven nor forgotten as long as I live. Of course, this is coming from someone who started DHB in multiple fantasy leagues (and it literally cost me my game in my home league), but even in real football, “wha happened?” Heyward-Bey averaged 96.3 receiving yards over his previous four games entering Week 9, so while I can respect a benching for an unreported off field issue such as him imbibing in purple drank, don’t tell me it had to do with packages and offensive sets. Really, T.J. Houshmandzadeh saw more snaps. Give me a break Jackson…Jacoby Ford and Denarius Moore certainly become interesting as a result. And despite Carson Palmer being on pace to throw 64 interceptions over a full season, he exhibited enough arm strength Sunday to ease concerns there and got 9.5 YPA…The whole “anything” > Tebow meme was pretty funny this past week, but apparently the latter had the last laugh. His leash just got a lot longer. Tebow has averaged 73.2 rushing yards as a starter during his brief career. Michael Vick has averaged 54.0 in his…Good thing I benched Willis McGahee in one of my leagues. I have actually been high on him in 2011 but had no clue he had that breakaway speed on his 60-yard TD run. The presence of Tebow (as a running threat at the QB position) could really be a boon to McGahee’s fantasy value down the stretch.
Of course this “fake girlfriend” idea would never be needed by any of my readers, but it’s still pretty funny regardless.
The Giants/Patriots game had the highest over/under of Week 9, so naturally, it was the first 0-0 game at halftime in the NFL this season. Of course, the fireworks started shortly thereafter, in what turned into a terrific game. It’s a bit anecdotal, but Eli Manning does actually appear to be “clutch.”…Sunday’s loss was Tom Brady’s first at home over his past 32 regular season starts…What a horrible fumble on a fair catch by Aaron Ross…At first, Wes Welker’s injury looked severe. Good to see him bounce back. He’s still on pace to finish with 132 receptions and 1,920 yards, which would rank second and first in NFL history, respectively…As long as Ahmad Bradshaw is out, Brandon Jacobs remains a must-start. And Jake Ballard has become a TE1 for fantasy purposes as well.
There’s nothing to be ashamed about with this dancing ability. And to be fair, it’s tough not to when listening to “Smooth Criminal.”
While it was nice to see Beanie Wells catch his first pass Sunday since Week 1, he’s clearly hobbled by his knee injury, and it was discouraging to see him gain 20 rushing yards on 10 carries versus one of the league’s weakest run defenses. He’s now got 3.2 YPC over his past four games. I have Wells on a few teams, and I’d trade him (and another part) for DeMarco Murray in a second…Just when Greg Salas looked like he might emerge as a true PPR asset, he’s now out for the year with a broken leg…The Rams became the first team in the history of the NFL on Sunday to score four points in a quarter. Speaking of safeties, shouldn’t they be worth more than two points in fantasy leagues? I mean, not only are they rare, but the accompanying field position gain in real football isn’t reflected in the scoring in fantasy terms. I say they should be worth at least four points…First off, Patrick Peterson absolutely shouldn’t have tried to return that OT punt from the 1-yard line. Secondly, it tied for the longest touchdown in overtime in NFL history.
I can’t decide if this is the most disturbing or best music video of all-time. Probably both.
In case you have $27,500 burning a hole in your pocket, here’s a giraffe for sale.
I keep waiting for the Packers to have a letdown game (and even bet on San Diego’s ML last week), but even with a suspect defense, this team is quite clearly the best in football and their ability to stay focused week-to-week (especially after winning the Super Bowl) has been highly impressive. Aaron Rodgers is making a mockery of the NFL right now. He’s got 10.5 YPA with a 16:2 TD:INT ratio over his past five games. I understand the reluctance to overrate the “now” sports culture, but it’s not a stretch to give him a 25 percent chance of going down as the best player in NFL history. He’s certainly the most valuable commodity in professional sports right now…Philip Rivers (and the Chargers) remains confounding. Halfway through the season, he already has more interceptions than he did all of last year and is just one away from tying his career-high. And two Sunday were returned for touchdowns. Yet he also tossed four touchdowns and got 8.4 YPA while making a valiant comeback attempt (making Vincent Jackson owners happy as well). While Rivers may not lead the NFL in YPA for a fourth straight season, his 8.1 mark is still elite, so I’ll take his not being injured stance at face value. Interceptions have a lot to do with random variance anyway…What was Charlie Peprah thinking trying to return that interception at the end of the game? Unbelievable.
The man who pressed his luck…and won. This was truly insane.
Vancouver restaurant bans men from peeing standing up.
With Pittsburgh entering 4-0 at home and Baltimore just 1-2 on the road, and the Steelers seemingly motivated after being embarrassed during their first matchup in which they committed seven turnovers, I fully expected them to win Sunday night in primetime. After all, this was a Ravens team that had to come back from being down 24-3 to a bad Cardinals team the week before. Obviously, I was wrong. Great final drive by Joe Flacco, who also had to deal with a terrible drop by (later hero) Torrey Smith and a Ray Rice 78-yard TD run on the game’s first play that was negated by a highly questionable holding penalty…Antonio Brown is legit and was robbed of a touchdown by a pass that was clearly intended for him that Mike Wallace stole in the fourth quarter. Of course, Ben Roethlisberger owners won’t complain either way.
I typically keep this column light-hearted, with ridiculous links and whatnot. The only time I get real serious is when a coach punts at an inopportune time, or something to that effect, but I’d be remiss not to mention the Penn State issue, which has rocked the sports world this week. I actually don’t have much to add, other than it’s sickening and horrible beyond belief. I will say this – the saddest part is that it took more than 13 years to come to light. What a disgrace. It’s not a stretch to call this the most reprehensible and lowest moment I’ve ever experienced as a sports fan.
While the first 28 minutes resulted in just 10 points total, Monday night’s matchup turned out to be an entertaining game. Fumbles had a lot to do with it, and the consequent benching (albeit fairly brief) of Matt Forte seemed a bit ridiculous. For two teams that struggle with pass protection and/or quarterbacks who like to hold onto the ball, it’s safe to say it was shocking that they totaled just one sack…The fake punt called by the Eagles was brilliant, but the pass was beyond pathetic. I get it’s a pressured situation on MNF, but come on, Chas Henry simply has to make that throw…The Eagles have been outscored by 36 points in the fourth quarter this season, which is the worst point differential in the NFL…Brent Celek is officially back on the fantasy radar. The same could be said about Earl Bennett…Jay Cutler’s 6.5 YPA doesn’t tell the story. He suffered from numerous drops, as he was slinging it all over the field Monday night, showing the type of upside when he’s on his “A” game. There’s now no question Matt Forte is a star running back, but the Bears have a bottom-three WR corps. Cutler is turnover-prone, but as Monday showed, he also possesses quite a bit of upside.
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