FSH: SUNDAY NIGHT FANTASY FOOTBALL HEADLINES

November 1st, 2009 8:37pm PST

Sunday Night FF Headlines

Who is now making Fantasy News?
Keep track of which players are making noise….

RB-Ray Rice continues to increase his fantasy value……

The Ravens running back totaled more than 100 yards on Sunday and scored a touchdown, but his five receptions also add great value in PPR leagues.

WR-Devin Hester has become a solid PPR option….

The Bears receiver continues to catch passes with regularity hauling in seven balls on Sunday for 81 yards. Hester has 21 receptions in his last three games; a solid PPR option.

RB-Jonathan Stewart frequents the end-zone….

The Panthers running back scored twice on Sunday while toting the rock 17 times for 87 yards on the ground. Stewart is a solid RB3 or flex option in fantasy.

QB-Matt Hasselbeck still fantasy worthy.....

The Seahawks quarterback had a rough day against the Cowboys defense, but still managed to complete 22 of 39 passes for 249 yards and two touchdowns. Hasselbeck is a solid QB2 in fantasy.

WR-Miles Austin scores in third straight game…

The Cowboys rising star scored a touchdown in his third straight game on Sunday. Miles finished with five catches for 61 yards and a score. He is a legit fantasy starter now.

QB-Toy Romo keeps disproving the critics..…

The Cowboys quarterback was again solid on Sunday tossing another three touchdowns for 256 yards on 21 of 36 passing. Romo continues to play like a low-end QB1 in fantasy.

Some IDP Fantasy Newsmakers…

LB-Keith Brooking racking up IDP points…

The Cowboys linebacker collected 11 tackles on the afternoon and added a sack to his score card. Brooking has been a pleasant surprise in big D with 50 tackles this season.

LB-Andra Davis continues to man the middle…

The Broncos inside linebacker was busy in the middle on Sunday racking up nine tackles and a sack. Davis has been solid this season with 47 tackles.

LB-Shawn Merriman breaks out of slump…

The Chargers pass rush specialist finally got off the ground floor by recording two sacks on Sunday. He also added seven tackles on the day. Merriman’s number are down with just the two sacks and 25 tackles.

LB-Brian Cushing is a machine and a beast……

The Texans rookie linebacker is a tackling machine adding another 10 tackles to his totals and a sack. Cushing has 66 total tackles this season with 1.5 sacks and two interceptions. He’s a solid IDP stud.

By David Ortega

Check back every Sunday for more “Sunday Night FF Headlines!”

FSH: ON THE COVER

October 7th, 2009 11:00pm PST

This Week on the Cover

The New Orange Crush!!

Denver has a New and Improved Defense….
When the big change was made in the offseason with the firing of former head coach Mike Shanahan, many folks in the Denver area knew what was ailing this Bronco team. For the last several seasons under the Shanahan reign, the Bronco’s defense had become worse than mediocre.

So when franchise owner Pat Bowlen pulled the trigger and took a shot on a young up and coming offensive coordinator to be the team’s new head coach, you can imagine what many of the Denver faithful thought. Pat, we need a defensive mind, not a younger version of the old regime.

What many may not have known or seen when Josh McDaniels arrived; he had a plan. The new head coach’s plan included cleaning house, bringing in a defensive minded guru, and establishing a new order. Though many of the local faithful still can’t understand or get past the whole Jay Cutler trade fiasco, one thing that McDaniels has proven thus far, his plan is working.

To his credit, bringing in Mike Nolan as his defensive coordinator has revamped a defense with plenty of new faces and a completely new identity. Nolan has introduced a new 3-4 scheme that seems to not only fit the new faces of Brian Dawkins, Renaldo Hill, and Andra Davis, but it has some familiar faces like D.J. Williams (31 tackles), Champ Bailey (4 passes defensed), and Elvis Dummerville (eight sacks) playing extremely well.

The signature of this franchise over the past decade has not been its’ defense, but with new-comers like Dawkins, Davis, and Hill, this could be changing soon. In the team’s first four games, they limited opponents to just 26 points (6.5 per game), sacked opposing quarterbacks 15 times, recorded 10 takeaways and rank second overall. These guys may not be the Orange Crush of old, but they certainly look familiar.

Check back everyday for more football!

FSH: TUESDAY (FOOTBALL) TALK

May 26th, 2009 8:37pm PST

Defense Reborn in Denver?

Can Dawkins and Company Improve?….
After last season’s tumultuous collapse and ultimate undoing before a national audience on NBC’s Sunday Night Football against the Chargers, the Denver Broncos face many questions in 2009. Their season finale that finished with an embarrassing 52-21 loss to their hated division rivals (Chargers) from Southern California concluded a three game meltdown that cost the team the division, a playoff berth, and ultimately former head coach Mike Shanahan’s job.

A lot has changed since that game. The team has added a new head coach, a new coaching staff, and a new quarterback. One more important thing the team has done this offseason is given the defense a complete makeover, or so it would appear.

Last season the defense was the team’s Achilles heel and biggest culprit in the team’s disappointing finish, allowing 112 points scored and an average of 388-yards of offense in their three game slide to complete their horrid 2008 campaign.

As a result one of new head coach Josh McDaniels tasks was to reinvent the defense, by giving it a new look, a new attitude, and leadership that just might help it find a new identity. Last year the Broncos had one of the leagues best offenses but perhaps one of the worst defenses (ranked 29th overall).

One of McDaniels first moves was to find the heart and soul for the 2009 edition. With the acquisition of former Eagles safety Brian Dawkins, the team may have done just that. Dawkins brings in a winning attitude and the type of give-it-all-you-got relentless style of play the team hopes will be addicting. More importantly he brings the kind of leadership that leads by example.

McDaniels has not wasted anytime lowering the boom on many underachievers and less than stellar performers such as; DL Dwayne Robertson, LB Jamie Winborn, DL John Engelberger, and DB Marquand Manuel. All were average performers at best, but none made the defense any better than mediocre.

The new faces to join Dawkins in Denver include LB Andra Davis, DL Darrel Reid, DB Renaldo Hill, and DB Andre Goodman. With existing talent returning, like LB DJ Williams and DB Champ Bailey, the defense certainly has an improved look.

One of the big keys for the defense will be the big boys up front stopping the run. Last season the defense ranked 27th against the run allowing almost 150-yards/game on the ground. This has been an area of noticeable weakness for the Broncos in season’s past. The team will be counting on the addition of a ball-hawking Dawkins to help fill some gaps and with Davis and Williams adding great speed inside and Boss Bailey and Elvis Dummerville on the edge, the defense is hoping to shore up its duties against the run.

Bailey will do his formidable job on one side locking down the opposing teams big receiving threat, but because this defense is still considered by league standards and averages to be undersized defensive coordinator Mike Nolan will have to find creative ways to pressure opposing quarterbacks.

From 2002-2004 as the Baltimore Raven’s defensive coordinator, Nolan’s defenses averaged over 35 takeaways and more than 39 sacks. The Broncos defense recorded just 26 quarterback sandwiches and just 13 takeaways. The Broncos are a far cry from the Ray Lewis led Ravens, but there’s no question this unit was made to improve. With the ingredients that McDaniels has added, it seems it may have a few of the flavors needed to cook up something sweet in 2009.

After ranking near the cellar in consecutive campaigns, there’s no need to fool oneself into believing miracles can happen overnight, but the fans in the Mile High City have to already like the look of what will take the field this season as compared to 2008.

Already making the move to the 3-4, the Broncos are addressing the biggest deficiency on defense; stopping the run. Not to go too far out on a limb, but if Nolan and Dawkins can get these bad boys in Denver to believe, this defense could be reborn in 2009 or at least improve considerably.

By David Ortega


Check back every Tuesday for more “Tuesday (Football) Talk”