FSH NOTEBOOK: SFFL WEEK 8

Saturday Edition
October 28TH, 2012  

Suicide Fantasy Football

Week 8

Before looking ahead to Sunday, here’s a quick look back at week 7. It’s been a steady year thus far, with my team averaging 116 points per week, but in week 7 we fell off the pace a bit scoring just 108 points.

The highlight of my week 7 lineup was undoubtedly the Jackson 2. Running back Fred Jackson was solid last week against the Titans totaling 26 fantasy points which was powered by his 8 receptions a touchdown and 120 yards from scrimmage. The other Jackson, Bucs receiver Vincent Jackson was even greater with 7 receptions for 216 yards and a score.

If my team is going to make any moves this week, I’ll need efforts like this from more than just two players, so let’s take a look at who I am turning to in week 8.

My Line-up

The season is long and there are still plenty of weeks to play, but after falling a couple of spots last week, it’s time to make a big jump up the board and get back into this race. Here’s a look at my lineup for week 8 and the players that will get the job done;

Quarterback:
This week under center it will be “Big Ben” Roethlisberger against the Redskins. Big Ben has faced two teams ranked 25th or higher against the pass and he’s averaged 373 yards passing with 5 touchdowns and just one pick. The Redskins rank 32 versus the pass and allow the 6th most fantasy points to opposing quarterbacks.

Running Backs:
I am saddling up with a couple of horses that should run pretty ragged this Sunday. The first is Ryan Matthews; the Chargers ball carrier is looking at the league’s 25th ranked run defense (Browns) that allows the 13th most fantasy points to opposing backs. The Chargers are coming off a horrid collapse on Monday night in week 6; they got away from the run and it hurt them. This week lots of Matthews should lead to a road win.

My other tailback for Sunday is LeSean McCoy versus the Falcons. The Eagles running back currently ranks 16th in fantasy scoring among ball carriers. Fantasy owners are waiting for the real “Slim Shady” McCoy to arrive and this week could be the week. The Falcons defense ranks 28th against the run, allowing seven rushing touchdowns this season, and giving up the 12th most fantasy points to running backs. Look for Shady to break loose this Sunday.

Wide Receivers:
Leading the good hands people in week 8 is the Packers “Mr. Excitement” wide receiver Randall Cobb. With Jennings out, quarterback Aaron Rodgers has had to call on his other weapons to step up and over the past several weeks Cobb has been one to answer that call. Since week 5 Cobb leads the team in receptions (19-tied) and receiving yards (273). This week Cobb should enjoy more success against a Jaguars defense that ranks 24th against the pass.

Also lining up out wide this week is wide receiver Antonio Brown. It only makes sense if Big Ben is going to have a big Sunday, than his targets are in line to do the same. With Wallace always a threat to go deep on the other side, Brown has been seeing lots of opportunities averaging better than 9 targets per contest. The Redskins give up the most fantasy points to receivers; Sunday should be a very good day for Brown.

Tight End:
The Browns defense is ranked 26th against the pass this season which should spell good news for Chargers tight end Antonio Gates. The Brown may only allow the 8th fewest fantasy points to tight ends this season, but Gates is no ordinary tight end. He is coming off his best performance of the season, scoring twice in week 6 against the Broncos, and should be a focal point in the Chargers passing attack.

Place Kicker:
This week I am entrusting the foot of Raiders kicker Sebastian Janikowski. On the road the Raiders offense could stall in the red zone and Janikowski has the leg to hit it from anywhere. I am expecting at least three field goals on Sunday.

Team Defense:
The Chargers defense has not been much to get too excited about this season ranked 13th overall, but facing a rookie quarterback is always a nice prospect. The Chargers defense ranks 17th in fantasy scoring with 10 sacks, 7 interceptions, and 6 fumble recoveries this season. Sunday they will look to improve upon these numbers.


These are my picks for week 8.


By David Ortega

FSH NOTEBOOK: MNF QUICK TAKES

Monday Edition
October 15th, 2012  

David’s Daily Digest
MNF Quick Notes

Monday Night Football Fantasy Takes

Tonight the Broncos will showcase on Monday Night Football their biggest prize from the offseason, quarterback Peyton Manning. Through five games this season Manning has not let his new team down, playing at a high level and leading one of the league’s best offenses; 6th rank passing and 8th in the league in scoring. Manning’s number speak for themselves; 66% passes completed, 1,499 yards passing, and 11 touchdowns; tonight could be a lot more of Manning against the leagues 22nd ranked pass defense.

With Manning spreading the ball all-around the field tonight, the focus will undoubtedly be on his big target DeMaryrius Thomas; enter wide receiver Eric Decker. Decker is second on the team with 44 targets, just two less than Thomas. He can be expected to be just as involved and productive in the pass game. With Thomas pre-occupying the defense the team’s second leading receiver Eric Decker (28 catches, 343 yards, 2 touchdowns) should see plenty of opportunity tonight to post solid fantasy numbers for owners.

Running back Ryan Matthews saw plenty of work last week in the Chargers Sunday night loss to the Saints. Now that Matthews is healthy (18 touches last week), he’ll quickly become a staple in the Chargers run game and tonight could be a very good start against a questionable run defense. The Broncos run defense was sliced and diced a week ago by the Patriots for over 200 yards on the ground, tonight Matthews will try and do the same. Matthews rushed for 80 yards on 12 carries last week and facing the Broncos r21st ranked run defense he looks to improve on those numbers.

IDP Special

On the other side of the ball, another Bronco that should make plenty of noise is linebacker Von Miller. The speed rushing linebacker leads the team with five sacks in five games. Miller has also become one of the league’s most menacing and disruptive pass rushers in the game today and is equally effective in the run game with 23 total tackles this season. He’s an IDP favorite for tonight.


By David Ortega

FSH NOTEBOOK: FANTASY FIVE

Friday Edition
October 12th, 2012  

FSH Fantasy Five

Week 6 Fantasy Picks (all positions)

Now that we have reached the bye weeks with another four teams on the sideline Week 6 presents some interesting and favorable matchups for fantasy owners and once again the trick will be sorting through the smoke and mirrors to find those weekly gems…..

Kevin Kolb, QB
The Cardinals quarterback Kevin Kolb has not been a fantasy starlet this season, but he has not been all bad either. In four starts this season Kolb has 6 touchdowns with only two interceptions while averaging 244 yards passing per game; not exactly big numbers but steady. This week the Cards will play host to the Buffalo Bills and Kolb should have plenty of opportunity for big numbers against the league’s 24th ranked pass defense.

Darren McFadden, RB
There’s little reason to think that the Raiders will suddenly change their way of thinking, but if they believe in numbers as we do then we should see quite a bit of running back Darren McFadden on Sunday. The Raiders travel to Atlanta this week and will line up against the league’s 28th ranked run defense. The Falcons are allowing not only 142 yards per game, but over 5 yards per carry; the best recipe for a big fantasy Sunday for an elite running back. If McFadden is going to be elite, this would be the time to make a statement.

Andy Dalton, QB
The Bengals quarterback Andy Dalton has been quote the past couple of weeks, but he and the Bengals offense should catch a break this weekend when they meet the Browns this weekend in Cleveland. The Browns 25th ranked secondary has been lit up for 12 touchdowns this season and over 280 yards in the air per game; an inviting week 6 matchup for Dalton and the Bengals.

Roddy White, WR
It seems every week there is a flavor of the week in the Falcons passing attack. When the Raiders come to town on Sunday, this will be good news for wide receiver Roddy White and the Falcons aerial attack. The Raiders pass defense is ranked 27th in the league surrendering 283 yards per game and their secondary has yet to record an interception in 2012. White is always a favorite in the pass game and figures to do some damage this week.

Demaryrius Thomas, WR
The Broncos young wide out is quickly becoming a fantasy household name and he could become even bigger, if he can just hang on to the ball. Despite his three fumbles this season, Thomas is still a fantasy favorite with 505 receiving yards (3rd in the league) and 30 receptions this season with two scores. On Monday night he will face the Chargers pass defense that has allowed 11 touchdowns this season and 4 pass plays of 40 yards or more; it could be a big night for Thomas.

By David Ortega

FSH: DAVID'S DAILY DIGEST

November 30th, 2010 Tuesday

David’s Daily Digest

My Fantasy Notes:

MAQUES COLSTON REMAINS TOP RECEIVING THREAT
The Saints all-pro receiver has been looking strong especially as of late, during the teams four game winning streak. Colston caught six passes for 105 yards last Thursday in the Saints win over the Cowboys. It was another solid performance for Colston over the past month and a half. My Fantasy Read:
Since week five Colston has been the one consistent Saints receiver that fantasy owners can trust. In his last five games he has surpassed 100-yards receiving in three of those games while scoring four times. With fantasy playoffs near, he might be the only safe Saints receiver to start every week.

BRIAN WESTBROOK GETS HIS SHOT
The former Eagle’s running back got his first shot at extended action Monday night when Niner’s starter Frank Gore went out with a hip injury. In relief Westbrook carried the ball 23 times and scampered his way to 136 yards rushing and a touchdown.
My Fantasy Read:
Now that the news has broke running back Frank Gore is done for the season, Westbrook will be the hot “pick up of the week.” The Niners are predominately a running team and will likely give Westbrook enough ground work and with his pass receiving skills it’s hard to imagine him spending too much time on the sideline. After his showing Monday night fantasy owners should feel confident about Westbrook’s upside.

PEYTON MANNING ON A HUGE SLIDE
The Colts have dropped their last two games and one of the biggest reasons has been the play of quarterback. Last Sunday against the Chargers, Manning tossed four picks in the teams’ week 12 loss. The last time he threw as many was in 2007 against the same Chargers when he tossed six. Manning finished the night with 285 yards passing and two touchdowns.
My Fantasy Read:
Manning appears to be in one of his worst slumps of his career and there’s no question his seven turnovers have played pivotal in the team’s consecutive losses. He’s still a number one fantasy quarterback and eventually he’ll snap out of his funk. This week looks like good timing too with the Cowboy’s 23rd ranked pass defense coming to town.

DANARIO ALEXANDER RETURNS TO ACTION
After being sidelined for several weeks with a knee injury, the Rams wide receiver Danario Alexander returned to action on Sunday. The Rams wide out was targeted six times and grabbed four balls for 95 yards to lead the club in their big road win over Denver. Sunday was only the third game Alexander has played in this season, but in his short stint he’s already turning heads.
My Fantasy Read:
Alexander has real big play ability and should continue to see more action on the field, if he can stay healthy. With the young rookie quarterback making strides every week, Alexander looks like a great sleeper pick for the nearing fantasy playoffs.

FSH: FOOTBALL DIARY

December 19th, 2009 1:45pm PST

Football Diary

[Saturday Edition]

Dear Diary

The Pursuit of Excellence

One down and one more to go! Earlier this week on Thursday night the Colts continued their pursuit of excellence remaining undefeated. It took a late 4th quarter drive by Peyton Manning the Colts to hold off the upstart Jaguars, but that has been characteristic of this team all season long. Now tonight we'll get to see act two with the Saints and the Cowboys.

Like the Colts the New Orleans Saints have been making it fashionable to pull out late game comebacks and rallys, and for fantasy owners it has truly been a committee responsible for the work. Drew Brees (3,832-yards, 32 touchdowns) is the only constant in the Saints offensive attack and has proven to be one of the best fantasy players the past couple of seasons. This season in the team's run for perfection, Brees has used a committee of receivers to get the job done that include' Marques Colston (9 touchdowns), Robert Meachem (8 touchdowns), Devery Henderson (43 receptions), Jeremy Shockey (48 receptions), Dave Thomas (22 receptions), and Reggie Bush (39 receptions).

The committee does not stop there with both running backs Mike Bell (598 yards rushing) and Pierre Thomas (713 yards rushing) being significant contributors on the ground this season. Not only is it difficult for fantasy owners to know which Saints dice to roll, but tonight for the Dallas Cowboys their defense will face a monumental task in trying to stop this Saints offense.

Brees has been spectacular that past couple of weeks, passing for 296-yards, 419-yards, and 371-yards, while throwing a total of 10 touchdowns. The Cowboys secondary had fits trying to cover the Charger's receivers last week and they won't catch any kind of a break this week. This one could get ugly fast.

Fantasy Notes:

The Broncos super-stud receiver Brandon Marshall has gone from the doghouse to the outhouse and has now arrived in the penthouse. In his last three starts he has 34 receptions for 380 yards and three touchdowns and will have a good matchup on Sunday against the Raiders. In the first meeting Marshall caught five balls for 67 yards and a score.

The Chiefs running back Jamaal Charles has been running the ball well over the past month. In his last five games Charles is averaging 91 yards rushing and over five yards a carry. He has also scored a touchdown in his last three starts and has five totaled in his last five starts. He has a favorable matchup this week against the Browns 29th ranked run defense.

10 Things on

My Sunday Watch-List

1. The only chance the Bills will have Sunday, they have to get the ball into the hands of Terrell Owens, can they?

2. Last week against the Steelers Josh Cribbs and Chris Jennings combined for 160 yards on the ground; how will they do against the Chiefs?

3. The Jets running back Thomas Jones has been solid in 2009 and will undoubtedly be featured on Sunday against the Falcons; will he top 100-yards for the sixth time this season?

4. Last week an injured Matt Schaub stepped up and tossed for 365 yards. Can the Texans quarterback do it again?

5. The Titans running back Chris Johnson has been on a tear with Vince Young under center. Young will play Sunday and I will be watching Mr. Johnson.

6. On Monday night Kurt Warner and the Cardinals passing game could not get off the ground. I expect to see great redemption on Sunday against the Lions 32nd (last) ranked pass defense.

7. The Broncos rookie running back Knowshon Moreno has yet to top 100-yards this season; he should get plenty of carries to do just that on Sunday against the Raiders.

8. With Westbrook and Maclin, can McNabb and Jackson light up the Niners secondary just as they did the Giants last week?

9. Last week the Steelers dropped their five game in a row, can Aaron Rodgers and the Green Bay offense make it a six-Pack!

10. And like all of the NFL nation I too will be watching Ochocinco and the Bengals on Sunday as we all remember Slim!!

Check back every week for more “Football Diary”

FSH: THIS WEEK'S KNUCKLE-HEAD

September 6th, 2009 10:37pm PST

This Week’s Knuckle-Head

"that's turrible"

Men aren’t the only Ones

Merriman is keeping poor company
On Sunday morning while tweeting my way through the internet, I came across a tweet from ProFootballTalk.com stating that the Charger’s linebacker Shawne Merriman had been arrested.

When the story broke, sure our first reaction was to believe the worst. Despite his successful run last season with FOX Sports and his short prolific career in San Diego, amidst the stories of his past use of steroids, it would only make sense for the most prudent of people to jump to conclusions.

We’re not going to do that here. Merriman has too much as stake to do something so blatantly damaging to not only his football career, but also his future as a professional in any related field. Merriman contends he was only acting in the best interest of celebrity acquaintance Tila “Tequila” Nguyen. He claims she was intoxicated and intended to leave his residence operating a motorized vehicle.

This may be a story of he said, she said, but the authorities did acknowledge that she was intoxicated. I’m not close to any sources, but I have seen enough MTV to believe that she was under the influence.

I can certainly sympathize with Merriman and for his sake I hope his actions will not be misconstrued. I believe he was acting in good faith and if you ask me, Tila “Tequila” is the “knucklehead” here. Hats off to the little lady for getting sauced, trying to drive drunk, and getting her friend (Merriman) arrested. All in days pay for your average knucklehead.

Congratulations Miss Tequila you have clearly lived up to this week’s hype and take the honors;

“This Week’s Knucklehead”

Check back every week for more of “This Week’s Knuckle-head”