Matchup of the Week

Sunday is fast approaching. With plenty of good matchups on the bill for the weekend, there are a myriad of fantasy quandaries that have owners scratching their heads. The biggest matchup of the weekend is the clash of unbeatens: The NY Giants @ The NO Saints.

As i have expressed vehemently, i am not 100% sold on the giants credibility because four of their wins have come over the Redskins, the Cheifs, the Raiders, and the Bucs. Their lone win against a team with a winning record is against the up and down Cowboys, and that game came down the wire, in a high scoring affair (so much for NY's #1 Defense). I really do think that defense is going to be the biggest factor in this game. However i think it is the Saints underrated defense that will come out on top. Greg Williams is a defensive mastermind and he has this team playing some really inspired football. The saints rank number 11 against the pass, and number 7 against the run. Coming into their bye week they led the NFL in turnovers created. Darren Sharper looks like he is twenty five out there, making the early case for defensive mvp, with 5 picks in 4 games. Contrary to popular belief, i do not think this game will be a shootout. I believe with Manning's foot still possibly an issue, the Giants will look to the running game. The saints have not yet faced a rushing attack like this, so i think Brandon Jacobs remains a low number 1, high number 2 type running back, while Bradshaw should also be a start at flex in most deeper leagues. On the other side of the ball, today Pierre Thomas was listed as questionable. Coming into the season, Pierre Thomas was banged up, so former Denver back Mike Bell got the nod, after two good outings Bell got injured just as Pierre returned to the line up, now three weeks later, with Bell set to return from injury, Pierre continues the cycle by getting hurt himself. Watch this as we get closer to game time because less Pierre Thomas means sleeper days for both Reggie Bush (as they will try to ease bell back) and mike bell. I like Brees to have a bounce back game but nothing too spectacular, however he remains a must start. Same with Manning. The only WR i like between the two teams is Steve Smith. He has proven himself so far as Manning's most reliable target and i like that trend to continue this weekend. I do not like Colston, he has pretty much disappeared all year and i don't think he gets back into form against the number one passing defense. I do like shockey to have a good day against his former team. Revenge is a big motivator and i know he feels like he has a lot to prove.

So for this game my starts are-

Jacobs

Bradshaw

Bell

Bush

Brees

Manning

Smith

Shockey

and my sits are

Colston

Either D if you can avoid it

Manningham

Nicks- between him and manningham one of them may have a decent outing, but its hard to tell which, probably more likely Nicks if i had to chose, but id stay away from both.

Pierre Thomas -this is assuming that his injury is legit and holds him back this weekend.

in leagues deeper than 12, Nicks and Manningham become good options, same with Colston, and Devery Henderson.

Prediction for the game-

NO-26 NYG- 21

Email me at donofdynastys@gmail.com

the dismay-ders

i think thats going to be the most fun part of this blog (ok def not but still), creating sports related puns is a great deal of fun. but at number four on my mock draft: The Oakland Raiders. The cancer in Oakland has taken roots in the front office of the organization and is much deeper than just a problem with getting talent on the field. Al Davis is ridiculous. He has treated hiring a coach like trying on a dress before the prom (an experience i am sure we can all relate to). With Kiffin he tried to phone in plays during the game, nobody knew who was in control of the defense and it was all a mess. The Cable experiment has not been much better, especially with the wave of the off the field controversy he has found himself immersed in. Just a horrible owner all round, and i cannot see the raiders improving until they get rid of him (Al Davis not Cable, although they could probably do without him as well). That being said they are on pace to land another top 5 pick this year, and there is a lot available. The last 3 games the raiders have been absolutely abhorrent, not only are they a far cry from the team that was 1-1 and had almost beaten San Diego on MNF, but their uninspired play leaves little hope for the rest of the season. With holes on most of the defense, and no OL worth the pick, i think the Raiders must go with the defensive BPA. This happens to be Taylor Mays, preseason i would have said Dunlap here, but despite a weak schedule so far he has only amassed 2 sacks and 3 tfl, one of his sacks coming against charleston, the other sack against kentucky. Mays, however is an electric prospect. One thing is certain, Al Davis loves speed. That makes this pick a no brainer. Mays did the right thing in continuing his education, and his draft stock has soared as a result of it. Mays is a smart guy with his head on his shoulders, and has a great work ethic, something that the Oakland Raiders need DESPERATELY.

1. STL- Sam Bradford- Oklahoma

2. TB- Ndamukong Suh- Nebraska

3. KC- Russell Okung- Oklahoma State

4. OAK- Taylor Mays-Safety- 6'3'' 230 lbs USC- Sr.

The Chiefs

Continuing the mock draft, next on the clock is the KC Chiefs. One question most fans have been wondering most of the year is, what exactly is it that this team is "chieffing" on (weed joke). Their defense is a mess. They allowed Miles Austin to break a dallas cowboys record (and there have been some good dallas wr's ). The chiefs' collapse the other night has reminded me of so many deals i have failed to close in my life, all the times my plans have been upended by a Miles Austin virtually out of nowhere. I digress. The Chiefs signed their future QB in Cassel this past summer, and while Larry Johnson has looked like shit, it looks like J.Charles, the second year rb out of Texas, could be a reasonable replacement, at least for the time being. I think their most glaring need is still on the O Line....Albert can be moved to guard or RT, and they can take a stud that will surely anchor their offense for years to come. Without further ado the Chiefs' pick in the 2010 draft, Russell Okung from Oklahoma State. This kid has tremendous upside, he is viable in both the run and the pass. He will be pivotal in providing Cassell some throwing time and whoever their running back is going to be some lanes to run through, because this season there has been none (both time to throw and running lanes, LJ is averaging 2.4 yards a carry through 100 carries....2.4 yards people. I agree a lot of that is due to larry, but come on).

1. Stl - Sam Bradford- Oklahoma

2. TB- Ngdamukong Suh- Nebraska

3. KC- Russell Okung- LT- 6'6'' 305 Oklahoma State Sr

Next on the clock...The Yuckaneers!

Pick # 2 in my mock draft goes to the struggling buccaneers of tampa bay. They are another team that needs help all over the board. Lets face it there are about 6 teams in the nfl that have glaring needs in more than one area. With most football games being won and lost in the trenches, improving that area is crucial this offseason. On the defensive side, the ends look alright, Gaines Adams, while under performing, should not be counted as a bust yet, and on the other end Wilkerson has been a pleasant suprise, he has already matched a career high in sacks (5) that he set last year, and he is 4 tackles away from a career high only 5 games in. I do not know if he is the future at the position but he definitely has been more sound thus far than either Hovan or Ryan Sims. Both former high draft picks themselves neither have had stellar careers and neither has given the bucs any semblance of an attack up front. I like Gerald McCody the DT out of Oklahoma a lot, however i see them taking the safe route and going with who many consider the best defensive player in the draft: Ndamukong Suh

Remember to email me your fantasy questions too, i can tell you who to sit and who to start and what trades will bolster your roster in time for the playoffs (donofdynastys@gmail.com)

1. Stl- Sam Bradford- Oklahoma

2. TB- Ndamukong Suh, 6'4'' 305lbs Nebraska SR

1st up the St. Low-is Rams (i tried)

Ok, so i decided to go ahead and start on my mock draft. I will try and cover one pick each day for the first round, thats all i plan on doing as of now, depends how this goes and how you guys like it. For the draft order i am going to use the Week 6 ESPN Power Rankings...at week 10, 14, and after the super bowl i will adjust the orders accordingly.

Pick 1. Stl Rams- The Rams have plenty of needs (OL/S/WR/SLB) though the position that most fans are clamoring for is Quarterback. When thinking QB there is one name that comes to mind when thinking 2009 College Football, and that is.......Tim Teb--- hahah got ya, theres no way Tebow is goingto be a good qb at all, we all know i am talking about Oklahoma stud Sam Bradford.

Bradford Should have a lock on this pick assuming that he is able to show that his injury was a fluke and that he is fully recovered. He looked great throwing the ball 47 times last week against Baylor in a game that really allowed him to shake off the rust from 4 weeks of riding pine. The world will be watching at noon et this saturday as he looks to avenge his sooners against the hated longhorns.

Please email me your thoughts and comments or suggestions for anything at donofdynastys@gmail.com or just leave a comment at the bottom of the article.

Sam Bradford- QB- 6'4'' 233 Jr

A monday night party

After a long day, one thing was sure. I was most definitely ready for some football. It turned out to be quite a showing and some interesting storylines emerged throughout the divisional showdown. For starters, Braylon Edwards is one of a small handful of offensive players in the last 40 years to start for one team one week and another the next, a feat he not only accomplished, but did in style, snatching 5 catches 64 yards and a touchdown (almost 2). The Jets and Browns have similar systems and similar terminology, which enabled Braylon to crack the starting line up only 2 days after joining the team. He made an absolutely acrobatic catch on that 34 yard reception that reminded fantasy owners of his 2007 campaign. I was unaware that Edwards was also an acting major at Michigan, after dropping a huge reception he was able to draw a bogus pass interference call on the fins 5 yard line. This play enabled the Jets to go ahead with about 5 minutes left in the game. Overall he had a great game and it was remarkable how quickly he was able to do so.

Probably an even bigger story line was the emergence of Henne. He was a solid 4 year starter at Michigan, though he never lived up to the potential he flashed during his freshman campaign. A second round draft pick only in his second year, Henne has been thrown into the starting position due to the injury of veteran Chad Pennington. In Henne's previous start he looked shaky at best. The dolphins did not seem to trust him either, favoring the wild cat and the two headed monster that Ronnie Brown and Ricky Williams have become. However tonight, against a strong Jets team, the fins knew they would have to open it up a little with their neophyte quarterback. Henne shined tonight. He found open receivers, he was accurate (20/26...and 241 yards 2 tds), he got Ginn involved on that long play. Fasano looked like a new man. It was a great day to be a Dolphins fan after seeing their offense so far this year.

There were some other players of note involved in tonights matchup:

1. Ronnie Brown- 74 yrds rushing, 2 tds, 14 yrds receiving (and 23 passing). Kid is a beast. Each week is proving why he should be considered part of that top tier of running backs. He looked good spearheading the wildcat attack, and came up huge on that touchdown in the final seconds of the game. He has shown he is still going to get his touches, and is definitely a must start fantasy running back. On a forum that i post on, somebody asked if they should start Braylon Edwards over Ronnie Brown....are you joking people...top 5 running back or wr that has just switched teams 2.5 days ago (it turned out that braylon put up some numbers, but ronnie was just too real).

2. Ricky Williams - 138 total yards- prior to the season i doubted the legitimacy of Ricky Williams as a fantasy player. He has definitely proven me wrong. He's a good weekly option in flex or 3 rb leagues. And he could spot start during your stars' bye weeks without much drop off. Despite Henne's performance i still expect the dolphins to be mostly a run oriented team. Look for Ricky and Ronnie (or Rail Road as i like to call them) to continue their success.

3. Ted Ginn Jr.- 2 rec 57 yds td...not the greatest game, but he finally got on the map after posting back to back miserable performances. I still do not know how confident i am in him becoming Henne's number 1 target, he is available in 35% of ESPN leagues, i would go ahead and pick him up if you can, and monitor how he does in the coming weeks as Henne continues to grow as a quarterback.

4. Mark Sanchez- 12/24 172 td....solid performance for the rookie. Do not expect too much out of him fantasy wise even though he has a new toy in Braylon Edwards. He can probably fill in for bye week quarterbacks most weeks, just avoid starting him starting him in tough matchups (ie. week 11 against @ the pats)

5. Thomas Jones- 42 yards 2 tds...not a flashy game by the veteran, but he got 13 touches including the goal line ones, and was able to find the promised land not once but twice. He has continued to put up decent numbers and could be a pretty consistent flex start (just avoid him in bad match ups as well, you saw how he did against the titans run D, 15 carries, 20 yards)

thats it for now, thanks all and have a great night

College prospects

I really love college football. Sadly i am a noles fan so no love there. For anyone who is interested on how i feel about the Bobby Bowden situation, stay tuned i am going to have a post on that. I really enjoy watching players that i watched in college, tear it up professionally. That being said i am going to try and get a mock draft going on here. I am going to work on compiling a list of team needs (if anyone could help me by emailing me with your team and positions that you think they need help and why?) and going from there. So until i have that ready i am going to rank my top 10 offensive players in the 2010 draft:

1. Sam Bradford- qb- oklahoma

2. Dez Bryant- wr- ok state

3. Jake Locker - qb- washington

4. Jahvid Best - rb- cal

5. Cj Spiller- Clemson

6. Jonathan Dwyer- FB- GT

7. Damian Williams- wr- USC

8. Colt McCoy- qb- Texas

9. Brandon Lafell- wr- lsu

10. Eric Decker- wr- minnesota