FSH: DAVID'S DAILY DIGEST

November 19th, 2009

David's Daily Digest

[My Take]

More Football news and happenings from aroudn the league; here's the latest I am hearing, reading, and following and my take on things and their fantasy impact this coming Sunday...

Player News and Notes from Across the Wire...

Brown Placed on the IR.....

With Brown on the injured reserve the Dolphins turned to running back Ricky Willams Thursday night and he delivered. As the featured back in the Wildcat and the running game Williams eclipsed the century mark and scored three times in the team's big week 11 road win. This could become a common reoccurrence.

Raiders Finally Bench Russell....

This was probably a move best made during training camp, but better late than never. Despite all his ability and potential Russell has been a disaster. In nine starts this season Russell has 14 turnovers with a passer rating of 47.7.

Bills want Shanahan....

This comes as little shock with the recent firing of Dick Jauron. There's no doubt Shanahan's influence could create a few fantays studs with players like Jackson, Owens, and Evans, but his demand for full control could be a huge stepping block.

No Westbrook for Now....

The good news is there appears a chance that Eagles running back Brian Westbrook can make a full recovery. The bad news for fantasy owners is it does not appear Westbrook will be returning anytime soon. In fact it's more likely that if he continues playing, he won't play again until next season (just speculation).

Broncos offense in bad shape...

When Orton went down on Sunday, so did the team's chances to win. After a fast start against the Redskins, the Broncos offense struggled badly and failed to score a single point in the second half. Backup quarterback Chris Simms was not sharp and played very poorly passing for only 13 yards in relief on Sunday. With Orton questionable the Bronco's options are not looking very promising.

Check back everyday for more of David's Daily Digest...

FSH: MONDAY MORNING HUDDLE

October 6th, 2009 2:37pm PST

[Tuesday Edition]
Monday Morning Huddle

So What I Saw in Week 4

Brandon is still a Bad Man….

After a tumultuous training camp that was highlighted with a suspension, many owners had their doubts about the future of Marshall in Denver. With talks of trade and the scare of a potential holdout, it looks like the hardline stance the organization took may be paying off now and in the long run.

After a slow start that saw limited action the first couple of games, Marshall is once again a bad man on the filed of play. In his last two games Marshall has come up with big catches and scored twice, including a decisive and spectacular 51 yard catch and run last Sunday. With nine catches for 158 yards over the past two weekends has Marshall quickly becoming a fantasy favorite again.

Steve Smith is coming of age….

Few can argue how far along the Giants third year receiver Steve Smith has developed this season. In the wake of the loss of Plaxico Burress many football people believed the Giants passing game would struggle with out a true go-to option. Over the teams last three games Smith has really come of age catching 28 passes for 331 yards and four touchdowns. It looks like the Giants have filled the void.

Worst of the Worst

After his poor performance in week 3 when he passed for only 156 yards, threw one pick, and no touchdowns quarterback Trent Edward's encore showing was even worse. Last Sunday against the Dolphins Edwards completed only 14 passes and threw three more interceptions, bringing his season total to five. With a pair of wideouts like Lee Evans and Terrell Owens it's hard to pinpoint why he is struggling, but clearly after four games this season Edwards has been one of the worst.

Thus far this season, clearly no quarterback has looked as bad or performed as poorly as the Raider’s JaMarcus Russell. In four games this season Russell has completed less than 40 percent of his passes, thrown just one touchdown and has four interceptions. He is averaging only 4.7 yards per pass and has a paltry 42.4 passer rating; not much else can be said.

Jury is still Out

When the season openend, this was supposed to be his breakout year, but after four games this season running back Darren McFadden’s 2009 campaign has been marred with turnovers and injury. Much like his freshman year in the NFL (missed three games, fumbled three times) his sophomore season has been anything but memorable. Through four games McFadden is averaging a very pedestrian 3.1 yards per carry and has turned the ball over four times. The kids appears to have the skill set to be dynamite, but this shaky start leaves the jury still out.

Many folks believed this would be LaDanian Tomlinson’s comeback year, but a slow start and early injury have derailed any prospect of that happening for the moment. After his disappointing return Sunday night, just seven carries and 15 yards many folks may now be questioning whether or not L.T. has enough anything left in the tank. Regarded as one of the leagues elite just a few short seasons ago, it appears Tomlinson is showing his age and wear. It may be a bit too premature to count him out, by the jury won’t deliberate too long on this one if we don’t see some of the old L.T. soon.

10 Things I Remember From
Sunday (Week 4)....

1. Matt Forte Breaks out; the Bears running back had his best game this season racking up 121 yards on the ground with a score.
2. Brandon Marshall is a stud; with his electric 51 yard catch and run to lift the Broncos, he showed he is a playmaker making plays.
3. Derrick Mason is still clutch; despite their week four loss the Raven’s savvy veteran receiver still performs at a high level grabbing seven passes and a score.
4. Mohamed Massaquoi is a rising star; his eight catches for 148 yards on Sunday against the Bengals was evidence of his arrival.
5. Trent Edwards looked bad; his three interceptions pretty much sealed the fate of the Bills, especially the pick six.
6. Welcome to the NFL Mark Sanchez; the Jet’s rookie quarterback had a small taste of a different reality (four turnovers) with his first setback losing to the Saints on the road.
7. Rashard Mendenhall looked sharp; so far this season Fast Willie Parker has not looked like his old self and it may not matter if Mendenhall can play like he did Sunday night (165 yards rushing, two touchdowns).
8. The new Orange Crush defense is here; the Bronco’s defense continued to be a difference maker and make plays with five more sacks and two more takeaways on Sunday.
9. Pierre Thomas is making it tough; with another solid performance (132 yards of offense, one touchdown) the Saints running back is making it tough for head coach Sean Payton to decide who to start.
10. The Saints defense came to play; surprisingly it was the defense that made the biggest difference on Sunday recording four sacks and four turnovers in its’ win over the Jets.

Remember to check back for more "Monday Morning Huddle!"

FSH: THE FANTASY SPORTS ZONE (STUDS & DUDS)

September 23rd, 2009 11:15pm PST

EARNER'S AND BUMS

(STUDS & DUDS)

DON 'SHULA' LOMBARDI

(Courtesy of the Fantasy Football Gang)

Today's economy not only affects the regular hard working folk, but even the great peeps over at the Fantasy Football Gang are keeping a tight budget. That's why they have Don 'Shula' Lombardi to collect and keep the cash flowing. Each week he travels to the 32 cities of the NFL making his rounds of collections.

After checking out the action of week 2 in the NFL, here is his weekly collections and assessments of some of fantasy footballs Earners (Studs) and Bums (duds);

The Earners (Studs)

In week two Chargers quarterback Philip Rivers led all quarterbacks with 436-passing yards. He completed 25 of 45 passes and added two touchdown-throws to bring home to fantasy owners the big bucks.

The Sunday night game was highlighted by little brother Eli Manning who passed for 330-yards and threw two touchdowns. Eli also completed 25 of 38 passes, good for nearly 66 percent to lead the G-men to a big win over the Cowboys.

Leading all the fantasy ground gainers with some big yardage deposits, the Niner’s running back Frank Gore racked up 207-yards against the Seahawks defense. He also added some bonus long runs for scores; a 79 and 80-yarder.

Bouncing back from a slow week one to earn some major kudos was the Texans quarterback Matt Schaub who passed for 357-yards against a tough Titan's defense. Schaub completed 25 of 39 passes and tossed four touchdowns on his way to earning fantasy green.

The Bills running back Fred Jackson earned him some warranted weekly fantasy accolades. After a solid showing in week one, Jackson is quickly becoming a solid moneymaker. Against the Buc's defense in week two Jackson totaled 188-yards on 34 touches.

Despite his team's losing effort on Monday night, the Dolphins running back Ronnie Brown was a real fantasy football cash cow, scoring two touchdowns and rushing for 136-yards.

More of week two's money-men....

The Giants had a pair of receivers that played extremely well Sunday night; Mario Manningham caught 10 passes for 150-yards with a score and Steve Smith reeled in 10 balls of his own for 134-yards and a score of his own. The Buc's quarterback Byron Leftwich passed for 296-yards on Sunday and added three touchdowns with two interceptions in a losing cause. Jaguar quarterback David Garrard passed for 282-yards and threw two scores in his team's loss. Vikings running back Adrian Peterson scampered his way to 92-yards on the ground with a score and added four receptions for another 24-yards. The Saints wide receiver Marques Colston hauled in eight passes for 98-yards and two touchdowns. The Eagles wide receiver Jason Avant caught seven balls for 79-yards and a touchdown.

The Bums (duds)

The Raiders quarterback Jamarcus Russell was inaccurate for most of the game completing only seven passes for 109-yards. Fortunately this bum did not get thrown out; instead he played well enough down the stretch to help win the game.

The Cowboys quarterback Tony Romo may want to forget about his Sunday night performance. Romo only completed 13 of 29 passes (44%) and threw three interceptions in a losing cause.

For the second consecutive week, running back Earnest Graham was unproductive hardly earning even half his fantasy value. In week two Graham touched the ball just three times and total only 19-yards.

Despite his team winning on Monday night running back Joseph Addai hardly pulled his weight gaining just 39-yards from scrimmage on seven touches.

Considering he was a top selected fantasy draft pick, running back Matt Forte has yet to live up to his end of the bargain. In week 2 Forte netted just 62-yards and no touchdowns.

More Bums from week 2….

Wide receivers Donnie Avery (STL), Chris Henry (Cin), Patrick Crayton (Dal), and Robert Meachum (NO) each caught just a single pass, none for more than 11-yards. Running back Carnell Williams (TB) and running back Julius Jones (Sea) each averaged less than 2-yards per carry in week 2.

Check back every week as Don ‘Shula’ Lombardi breaks it down and gives it to you straight!

FSH: SUNDAY NIGHT FOOTBALL STUFF

April 26th, 2009 11:07pm PST

Sunday Night Football Stuff

And That’s a Wrap!

The 2009 Draft is complete....
Now that the draft has concluded, there will be plenty written (if not already) about what teams did and how they all fared, but what will likely be written most are those that surprised. To say surprised could just be a nice way to put it.

Early in the first round….

Probably the first surprise came with the third pick, when the Chiefs chose LSU’s Tyson Jackson over Aaron Curry (Wake Forest). Jackson is considered a good pass rushing defensive end which clearly addresses a need, but many folks thought the Curry was the pick. At number four, the Seahawks were expected to be in the neighborhood looking for possibly a receiver or quarterback, but when Curry fell past three he became their first pick.

Shortly after, the next surprise of the day, but one that some may have seen coming with the activity that was being reported was the Jets move up to number five via a trade with Cleveland to select quarterback Mark Sanchez. There was a lot of talk back-and-forth over the wire and on the internet the past several days regarding the value of Sanchez. Despite what has been said, good and bad about the former Trojan, he was wanted and the Jets got their man.

The Bengals made a questionable call with Andre Smith at number six, only because with so many questions about his work ethic, there were clearly other options available at six.

The Raiders shook a few heads when they chose Darius Heyward-Bey with the seventh pick, but if you had talked to ESPN’s Chris Mortenson you may have seen it coming. Heyward-Bey was the fastest timed player at the combine, and this was something noted that has historically attracted the Raiders. Though it was a surprise, the pick does make sense with Heyward-Bey’s speed and Jamarcus Russell’s big arm, the two go together.

Perhaps the most intriguing move of the day came at number 12 with the Bronco’s first selection in the first round. Since his arrival, McDaniels has been criticized for his moves to reshape the offense, when the team’s biggest deficiencies are on defense. At 12, McDaniels and the Broncos selected running back Knowshon Moreno (Georgia), once again ignoring their most glaring needs.

Middle of the first round….

A couple of gifts in the first round came at number 10 and 13, when both wide receiver Michael Crabtree (Texas Tech) and defensive end Brian Orakpo fell to their new homes of San Francisco and Washington respectively. With the Raiders making their surprise move, Crabtree was still available and fell into the laps of Singletary and the Niners. Orakpo’s journey down the board was similar, especially with Denver bypassing the Texas defensive playmaker.

A possible stretch pick I saw in the first round was the Vikings choice of wide receiver Percy Harvin. Some would suggest some questionable character flaws, enough that might discourage teams risking so much with a 1st round pick. There’s no question the Vikes got talent and great speed and they certainly addressed a specific need, but only if their pick pans out.

I’ve been seeing a lot of criticism focused on the Eagles camp leading up to the draft and while there is still work to do, I thought their move up to 19 to grab wide receiver Jeremy Maclin was a good move. The addition gives Donovan McNabb another possible playmaker to go along with wide receivers DeSean Jackson and Kevin Curtis.

Late in the first round….

The Dolphins immediately addressed their needs in the defensive secondary with cornerback Vontae Davis (Illinois) at number 25. After losing a couple of players via free agency, Davis gives the team much needed help at the corner. A great value pick and one that should pay dividends immediately.

With their second pick in the first round the Packers followed up their earlier pick (DL-B.J. Raji) with another defensive player selection, linebacker Clay Matthews (Southern Cal). The selection gives the Pack two players that could easily be opening day starters in 2009.

One of the last picks in the first round came with the Cardinals pick at 31 when they chose running back Chris “Beanie” Wells (Ohio State). The selection addressed a strong need in the backfield with both James and Hightower not providing the type of production HC Whisenhunt needs at the position. Wells is a gifted runner with size and speed and will certainly be expected to compete for the starting position in camp. This move almost guarantees James departure from the team. It’s just a matter of time.

The two day event concluded on Sunday with a total of 256 players being chosen. With the draft complete it’s now time to take a look and evaluate the players that will be arriving to camp this summer and those that could make a splash in fantasy this season.....don't worry folks, there's plenty more to come.


Check back every day for more "Sunday Night Football Stuff!”