Monday, September 29

FFWWH Monday Night Party

Welcome to the Fantasy Football Writers With Hair Monday Night Party, a live chat conversation thing that we have yet to fully understand. Don't worry about the bouncers, you're on the list. Grab a drink and step on in. Talk with us, joke with us, watch the game with us. Ask us questions about life. And maybe fantasy football too. Have fun with it. (Whoever shows up out of) Stat Boy, A-Koz, New Guy, and I will be here all night. Chill with us. We get lonely on Monday Nights.
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Weekend Recap: Week 4

"If not A, then B". Those words were spoken by Mike Greenberg, and it holds true for certain things. If only fantasy football was that simple. There is rarely ever a "One or the other" type of situation. You're always dealing with tons of choices, each with their own pro's and con's. That's what makes fantasy football interesting. (And sometimes, stressful, frustrating, and maddening) Hopefully, a look back at week four will help you narrow down you choices for week five and beyond. - Matt Schaub and David Garrard both started playing to their potential this week. Still, I'd hold off on starting either of these guys. Let's see if they can keep it up. - I believe I said to deal MJD after I predicted he was going to have a big game against the Colts. Not to toot my own horn, but *toot toot* -- looks like I could be right. - Kudos to the Chiefs. They finally gave LJ the rock, and look what happened: they won! Keep it up Kansas City - in both the long and short-run, you'll make your organzation and fantasy owners happy. - The Titans' run defense could be the nastiest in the league. Take away AP's 28 yard touchdown run, and you have 17 carries for 52 yards. That's a 3 YPC. - Another kudos, this time to Oakland. It's about time you got Zach Miller, your only viable threat in the passing game, involved. - Subtract Brett Favre's number (4) from the number of touchdown passes he threw yesterday (6), and you get the number of times Cardinals' defensive coordinator Clancy Pendergast threw down his headseat on Sunday after watching the Brett's pick apart Zona's pass defense. Who says math isn't fun? - Greg Jennings has surely emerged as Aaron Rodgers favorite target. - We at ffwriterswithhair.blogspot.com would like to extend our sincerest condolences to Matt Bryant and his family for their loss. - I never thought I'd say this but Kyle Orton played surprisngly well against the Eagles last night. Still, he doesn't have the weapons nor the skill set to deserve much of a look in most leagues. - Santana Moss: Another deep threat turned dependable. Jason Campbell is taking huge strides. Both his and Moss' fantasy value are doing the same.
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Saturday, September 27

Stat Boy Saturday: Fantasy Points Per Touch

Another week with our honorary stat boy, Zach Fein of Fein Sports. A contributor with as much stat muscle as anyone in the business. You may not understand what he's says and use it for you fantasy leagues, but if you're in the mood to be baffled and confused, then boy does he have you covered. Because life is one big spreadsheet. This week he breaks down how efficient players are with the opportunities they get in their offenses. What's worse: A player who gets all the carries on a team, and underperforms massively; or one who gets the same stats with half the touches on the same team, but won't get any extra carries because the coach wants to stick with the first player? That's what happens every year in Carolina, but that's beside the point. The purpose of this article will be to find players who can become sleepers if they get an increase in touches, or players whose stats are only high due to high number of carries/receptions. I'll use the word "touches" throughout the article, although "touches" really only works for RBs. For running backs, touches is carries plus receptions; for QBs, completions plus carries; and for WRs and TEs, receptions. Here now are the players with the most fantasy points per touch for each position; I used the top 33 quarterbacks in fantasy points, RBs with ten touches, WRs with six touches, and TEs with three touches, so players with one catch for a touchdown were excluded.
Name FPPT Name FPPT
QB RB
Philip Rivers 1.07 Darren Sproles 1.47
JaMarcus Russell 0.91 Michael Pittman 1.47
Kurt Warner 0.87 Mike Tolbert 1.44
Aaron Rodgers 0.83 Felix Jones 1.43
Jay Cutler 0.82 Ronnie Brown 1.29
Eli Manning 0.75 T.J. Duckett 1.25
Tony Romo 0.73 Michael Turner 1.11
Kerry Collins 0.71 Jonathan Stewart 1.05
J.T. O'Sullivan 0.70 Pierre Thomas 1.04
Donovan McNabb 0.69 Brian Westbrook 1.01
Ben Roethlisberger 0.68 Rudi Johnson 0.99
Jason Campbell 0.66 Marion Barber 0.93
Brett Favre 0.64 Selvin Young 0.91
Drew Brees 0.61 Maurice Jones-Drew 0.90
Jon Kitna 0.61 Tim Hightower 0.86
Trent Edwards 0.60 Brandon Jackson 0.86
Matt Ryan 0.58 Reggie Bush 0.86
Chad Pennington 0.56 Willis McGahee 0.84
Matt Hasselbeck 0.54 Correll Buckhalter 0.84
Tarvaris Jackson 0.52 Jerious Norwood 0.83
Brian Griese 0.50 Frank Gore 0.81
Peyton Manning 0.49 LenDale White 0.79
Marc Bulger 0.48 Earnest Graham 0.79
Kyle Orton 0.48 Kevin Faulk 0.78
Matt Cassel 0.46 Le'Ron McClain 0.77
Tyler Thigpen 0.45 Marshawn Lynch 0.76
Jeff Garcia 0.44 Warrick Dunn 0.74
Jake Delhomme 0.44 Joseph Addai 0.74
Joe Flacco 0.42 Derrick Ward 0.73
Carson Palmer 0.38 Julius Jones 0.70
Matt Schaub 0.37 Darren McFadden 0.69
Derek Anderson 0.34 Sammy Morris 0.69
David Garrard 0.33 Chris Johnson 0.68
Michael Bush 0.68
Name FPPT Willie Parker 0.67
WR Clinton Portis 0.65
Chris Chambers 6.57 Adrian Peterson 0.62
Isaac Bruce 3.87 Matt Forte 0.62
Terrell Owens 3.73 Steve Slaton 0.61
Anquan Boldin 2.86 Brandon Jacobs 0.60
Roddy White 2.65 Kevin Smith 0.58
Larry Fitzgerald 2.58 Dominic Rhodes 0.58
Chansi Stuckey 2.52 Jamaal Charles 0.56
Santana Moss 2.40 Leon Washington 0.56
Calvin Johnson 2.33 LaDainian Tomlinson 0.55
Hines Ward 2.33 Fred Jackson 0.54
Roy Williams 2.16 Leonard Weaver 0.53
Hank Baskett 2.14 Justin Fargas 0.52
Brandon Lloyd 2.12 Thomas Jones 0.52
Laveranues Coles 2.12 Andre Hall 0.51
Vincent Jackson 2.12 Larry Johnson 0.49
Bryant Johnson 2.11 Chris Perry 0.49
David Patten 2.08 Ladell Betts 0.48
Reggie Wayne 2.07 LaMont Jordan 0.47
Justin Gage 2.06 Chester Taylor 0.45
Lee Evans 2.03 Steven Jackson 0.45
Dwayne Bowe 2.01 Jamal Lewis 0.43
Greg Jennings 1.96 Ricky Williams 0.43
Bernard Berrian 1.95 Ryan Grant 0.42
Randy Moss 1.86 Edgerrin James 0.40
Jabar Gaffney 1.85 Fred Taylor 0.40
Brandon Marshall 1.84 Laurence Maroney 0.37
Plaxico Burress 1.77 DeAngelo Williams 0.37
Billy McMullen 1.77 Rashard Mendenhall 0.35
Eddie Royal 1.74 Ray Rice 0.35
Roscoe Parrish 1.71 Kevin Jones 0.32
Jerricho Cotchery 1.69 Lorenzo Booker 0.24
Kevin Walter 1.66
Torry Holt 1.65 Name FPPT
Justin McCareins 1.65 TE
Ike Hilliard 1.64 Kevin Boss 3.70
Greg Lewis 1.60 John Gilmore 3.47
Amani Toomer 1.56 Delanie Walker 3.47
T.J. Houshmandzadeh 1.53 Todd Yoder 3.20
Donald Driver 1.51 Martellus Bennett 2.85
DeSean Jackson 0.51 Antonio Gates 2.67
Domenik Hixon 1.48 Tony Scheffler 2.62
Marvin Harrison 1.48 Anthony Fasano 2.45
Santonio Holmes 1.45 Jerramy Stevens 2.42
Antonio Bryant 1.39 Dustin Keller 2.40
Anthony Gonzalez 1.39 Visanthe Shiancoe 2.37
Jason Avant 1.39 David Martin 2.08
D.J. Hackett 1.34 Bo Scaife 1.97
Greg Camarillo 1.33 L.J. Smith 1.82
Patrick Crayton 1.31 Dante Rosario 1.80
Bobby Wade 1.28 Nate Jackson 1.78
Brandon Stokley 1.26 Vernon Davis 1.70
Andre Johnson 1.18 Owen Daniels 1.49
Josh Reed 1.12 Garrett Mills 1.48
Chad Johnson 1.10 Robert Royal 1.46
Matt Jones 1.08 John Carlson 0.40
Antonio Chatman 1.08 Jason Witten 1.37
Derrick Mason 1.08 Heath Miller 1.36
Antwaan Randle El 1.06 Tony Gonzalez 1.26
Arnaz Battle 1.03 Kellen Winslow 1.26
Lance Moore 1.02 Randy McMichael 1.26
Muhsin Muhammad 1.00 Desmond Clark 1.25
Michael Clayton 1.00 Chris Baker 1.20
Ted Ginn Jr. 0.94 Chris Cooley 1.16
Wes Welker 0.94 Dallas Clark 1.10
Joey Galloway 0.93 Marcedes Lewis 1.05
Reggie Williams 0.91 Alex Smith 1.03
Braylon Edwards 0.91 Greg Olsen 0.98
Steve Smith 0.85 Zach Miller 0.97
Mike Furrey 0.73 Jeremy Shockey 0.94
Rashied Davis 0.73 Jeff King 0.92
Shaun McDonald 0.69 Reggie Kelly 0.64
Dante' Hall 0.57 Donald Lee 0.64
Observations
  • Kerry Collins is a top-15 quarterback for the rest of the year if he keeps his job.
  • J.T. O'Sullivan is top ten.
  • I wouldn't touch David Garrard, Derek Anderson, or Matt Schaub at all until they prove they are worth owning in standard leagues.
  • I wouldn't pay much attention to goal-line backs such as Michael Pittman and T.J. Duckett being so high up on the list; after all, they only get a couple carries a game and sometimes get a touchdown.
  • Remember what I said about Carolina before? Jonathan Stewart is getting almost eight-tenths more fantasy points per touch than DeAngelo Williams.
  • If Deuce McAllister is out any longer, keep an eye on Pierre Thomas. He may be a sleeper late in the year.
  • Felix Jones is top-20 running back from here on out, and I wouldn't argue if you made him top 15. And Marion Barber might be a top-five RB for the rest of the year—Dallas has one heck of a backfield.
  • Wes Welker is low on the WR list, but isn't that expected for a possession receiver?
  • Justin Gage does quite well with Kerry Collins as his QB, and he's someone to pick up or buy low on as his health status improves.
  • Don't get caught up in the Eddie Royal hype. I'm serious.
  • Speaking of Denver WRs, it's amazing how high Brandon Marshall is, with his crazy-high reception numbers this year.
  • Although Hank Baskett is getting more than two points per touch, I wouldn't touch him (no pun intended)—he's a deep threat only, which boosts his numbers significantly.
  • Donald Lee isn't the sleeper we all thought he'd be, huh? I'd still buy low if you had a sketchy TE situation.
  • I'm a big fan of John Carlson, but once Bobby Engram and Deion Branch come back, I don't see big things for him.

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Straight Outta The Man Cave: Week Four Man Crushes

Is there a better activity in the world than chilling down in the man cave discussing football and girls? Red blooded American males say it in unison, "No." Of course not. This is why every Thursday FFWWH will let you all in on our own couch talk about football. And girls. And football playing girls. The down side? Football playing girls don't matter in the type of fantasy football that this site is specifically about. So uhh, we kind of had to improvise and work with what we have. So, umm, this feature will be about our mancrushes. (Ya, ya, cue the "figures, he's from California" jokes, blah, blah.) Moving on. Here's each of our respective man crushes for week 4. A-Koz (who so graciously wrote this approximately 39 hours after his deadline) It's a somewhat obvious choice, but you have to go with Trent Edwards of the Bills. He's playing against the Rams. That right there should be all you need to know. If you've been living under a rock for the past four weeks, the Rams are a complete mess. They just released one of their starting CB's (Fakir Brown) and the team is likely going to start a riot any second now. Edwards has looked much improved this season, and has the potential to be one of the better QB's in this league. Stat Boy (Ain't that cute, Zach and Alex match! I bet they called each other) Any time someone is playing the Rams, they should be started on any and all fantasy teams—including Trent Edwards, who is my mancrush of the week. On the year the Rams have given up 846 yards, seven TDs, and 16 rushing yards to quarterbacks (including no interceptions), which is the most fantasy points given up to QBs by any team this year. Those totals would also be good for the fourth-best QB if the Rams pass defense were a player. Edwards' game-by-game passing totals have increased from 215 in week one, to 239, and then 279 last week. He should be good for 280 yards and two scores this week against the lowly Rams. New Kid Gage Arnold
It's time for Jason Witten to have his breakout game.
Witten is playing the Redskins this week. Yes, those Redskins that are without Jason Taylor and with a player who is coming back early from ACL surgery (that would be Carlos Rogers). And the fact that the Skins don't allow anything deep makes this matchup even more enticing, as that is where Witten roams and dominates. Expect a good game from Witten, somewhere between eight-to-ten catches, 100-125 yards and one-to-two scores. Tosten Burks Anyone care to explain to me what has happened to Champ Bailey and Dre Bly and the "stacked" Denver Broncos secondary? Did John Lynch curse the franchise on his way out of the league? Shanahan's crew has given up 30 more passing yards per game than any other team in the NFL. You know who will benefit this week? Jon Kitna. No miracle will be needed for him to be a great Carson Palmer or Ben Roethlisberger fill in this Sunday. The Lions will be playing from behind, and Kitna and company will air it out often, to what should be quite a bit of success against the supposed top-class Denver corners. Calvin Johnson and Roy Williams should be in your starting line up too.

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Wednesday, September 24

Running the Wire

Screwing League Mates Over By Stealing The Missing Pieces Of The Puzzle That They Need 101
If I had to venture a guess, I'd say that after last week's edition of Running the Wire, you were probably sifting through the wire on Friday and Saturday, hoping your league overlooked some highly-sought-after player. And if I had to venture another guess, you probably didn't find that player. Instead, you were leftover with scraps. And for that, I apologize. The injury report didn't exactly take too kindly to my recommendations last week. Koren Robinson and LaMont Jordan caught the injury bug last Sunday. In reality, I should've guessed that Robinson was going to get hurt; he plays for Seattle and he's a wide receiver—how could I have missed it? So I decided to bump back the publishing of this article a day to allow for some extra time on things like the injury report. Anyway, I hope that the guesses I venture this week will be much more accurate than last weeks. If you're in a pinch, here are some guys to whom to turn to.
Gold Wire pickups
(Author's note: Not too may strong "Gold" options out there. A few injuries this week, but there's hardly anyone too noteworthy out there this week. An ominous start to this article.)
- Rashard Mendenhall/RB Pittsburgh: After a very quiet first three weeks—just 10 carries for 28 yards and a couple of kickoff returns—the rookie gets to show what he's made of. Granted, he has a pretty tough matchup against the Ravens, but keep in mind they are without DT Kelly Gregg, and there are a couple of things going for him. Steelers' coach Mike Tomlin stated in his press conference that Mendenhall would be the main back while Parker is out. I'm sure after last week's debacle in the running game, the Steelers would like to get back to their roots and pound the ball. If you want Mendenhall, you better put in your waiver claim ASAP. He's only available in a little over 25-percent of leagues.
- Tampa Bay's #2 WR: Provided that Joey Galloway plays, that guy would be Antonio Bryant. If Galloway is still hobbled by his injury, it'd be Ike Hilliard as the #2 wide receiver for the Bucs. While Green Bay has had a pretty good secondary thus far, Al Harris is out indefinitely. That leaves a big gaping hole at the number-two cornerback spot for the Packers. Bryant came up big last week in Galloway's absence, hauling in 10 receptions and leading the team in targets. Ike Hillard is a consistent and dependable target. Bryant is only owned in 10-percent of leagues while Hilliard has only been picked up in a little over 12-percent of ESPN leagues.
Copper Wire pickups
- Josh Reed/WR Buffalo: Roscoe Parrish is out 4-6 weeks with a thumb injury, and James Hardy hasn't exactly been lighting it up this year. That leaves an opportunity for a guy like Reed to step up. Don't expect him to be spectacular, but with a rising Trent Edwards and a cupcake matchup against the Rams this week, Reed should produce.
- Kerry Collins/QB Tennessee: Justin Gage is back. Good news. The Titans are going against the Vikings pass defense. Even better news. If you're a guy that has no one to replace a Marc Bulger-type, Collins is worth a look. He's only owned in a bit over 17% of leagues.
Chicken Wire pickups
- Trent Green/QB St. Louis: (*Insert concussion joke here*) For whatever reason, the Rams figured that benching Marc Bulger for Trent Green will solve all of the Rams' problems. Note to St. Louis: You have way bigger problems than QB. If you're as desperate as Scott Linehan, show Green a little love.
- Steve Smith/WR New York Giants: Before all the hate mail (actually, I'm fine with hate mail—our inbox here has been bone-dry) and the "You're an idiot!" jabs begin, this isn't a pickup for this week. The Giants are on a bye this week. However, before the crazy rush for Smith pickups next week, try to stash him on your roster if you have the space. Eli has been looking good, and in case you haven't heard, Plaxico Burress has been suspended for Week Five's game for missing a Monday practice.

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Monday, September 22

The Inagural FFWWH Monday Night Party

Welcome to the first every Fantasy Football Writers With Hair Monday Night Party, a live chat conversation thing that we have no idea how to use yet. Don't worry about the bouncers, you're on the list. Grab a drink and step on in. Talk with us, joke with us, watch the game with us. Ask us questions about life. And maybe fantasy football too. Have fun with it. Stat Boy, A-Koz, New Guy, and I will be here all night. Sort of. Chill with us. We get lonely on Monday Nights. And hopefully we go through this without too many problems.
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Weekend Recap: Week 3

The famous philosopher Socrates once said, "The unexamined life isn't worth living." The same applies to fantasy football. What good is playing it if you don't pay attention to what the heck goes on? If you're not going to examine what happened, is it really worth playing? I know, I know, first the Socrates quote, and now the fantasy football rambling. The nerdiness is at an all-time high right now. Before all three viewers hit the "X", let's examine this past week. - Tyler Thigpen is bad news for Dwayne Bowe and Tony Gonzalez owners. Thigpen started out the game terrible, at one point throwing for negative yards and an INT, and only finished marginally better. If by some chance Herm Edwards starts him over Damon Huard next week, you'd be smart to do your best to sit Bowe and Gonzalez. - Gus Frerotte is a bit more stable of a quarterback than Tavaris Jackson, but he isn't exactly good enough to make you scoop up Bernard Berrian and company. He's still little more than a deep threat; take away Berrian's 48 yard reception, and you have 2 catches for under 40 yards. - Good news Bengals' owners and fans alike. They didn't completely fail this week! Palmer was solid, albeit not great. Houshmandzadeh hauled in twelve passes. However, it seems like Chad Johnson didn't get the memo about showing up. He had a measly three receptions for 29 yards. Cincy has a great chance to keep it up next week as they play the struggling Browns. - Let's get one thing straight: Brian Griese won't throw for over 400 yards again. Nor will he throw the ball 67 times. Take this game with a grain of salt. - Ditto with Ronnie Brown. - On the other hand, I could see more of the same numbers from Drew Brees. He only threw 9 incomplete passes (compared to his 39 completions) and threw for 421 yards. Despite all of that, he somehow managed to only throw one touchdown pass. Still, it's great to see Brees have this great of a start to the season after his rough start the first four games last year. - Could Brandon Lloyd, yes, the same Brandon Lloyd who completely fell off the map in Washington, be making a comeback in Chicago? He's had 11 receptions for over 200 yards the past two weeks. Both came against pretty good defenses, too (Carolina and Tampa Bay). He's someone to keep an eye on, but don't pick him up unless your WR core is thinner than Nicole Richie. - In other Bears news, Matt Forte is looking like the best RB the Bears have ever drafted. Heck, he probably is the best one they've ever drafted in the past decade. Of course, when your competition is Cedric Benson and Curtis Enis, it doesn't take much. - Brandon Marshall, provided he can keep his nose clean (literally, don't hang out with Matt Jones), could be a top WR for years to come in this league. He followed up his 18 catch performance with a 6 catch, 155 yard game. Geez, what a slacker! - Willis who? Ray Rice, who's that? It's all about Le'ron McClain in Baltimore. Seriously. Pick him up if you need a running back in deeper leagues; he's looked good so far. - Paging the Steelers offensive line. Steelers offensive line, you're needed in the game against the Eagles. Yeah, they didn't show up. When that happens, Big Ben and Willie Parker suffer big time.
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Dum Da Dum! Dr. Originality has arrived, and he's brought the HAIRY'S with him!

Well folks, bretherens, and stalkers, here I am, now Introducing the newest member to the FFWWH Blog team... (drum roll please) ...Gage Arnold! I find myself well qualified for this well honored and gracious position, but I won't go any further as none of you want to hear my life story. So I'm all about cutting to the case on my blogs, so I won't fill your head with crazy nonsense and babbling on about how my girlfriend is amazing, or how my awful Vols are the total disgrace of the SEC. Therefore, we head on out for the first edition of the HAIRY'S. Wait, wait, wait, I totally forgot, I should have mentioned what these "HAIRY'S" actually are. These HAIRY'S are awards given to players and coaches during the week who made either great plays or calls or if they just fit the qualification in the little caption under each award. Now that we are set, we'll venture on, readers. Here we go, buckle up—it's going to get crazy. The Sixth Sense Award (for the player who was the biggest surprise) Ronnie Brown, RB, Miami Dolphins No diggity, as he was the obvious choice here. Ronnie put up four rushing touchdowns and threw for another against the Patriots. He also scampered for 117 yards and did most of his damage out of the "Wild Hog" formation that the Arkansas Razorbacks run. This man owned, but too bad he sat on the bench for 75-percent of all fantasy teams. The Last Indiana Jones Movie Whose Title You Can't Remember Because It Sucked So Badly Award (for biggest bust) Derek Anderson, QB, Cleveland Browns/Terrell Owens WR, Cowboys Just when you thought he couldn't get worse, and he would pass on the Ravens, he sucks even worse than he has his two previous games. I mean this man is nearing like Britney Spears level of sucking. (Ed Note: That was not a sexual joke—at least I hope.) Whoa! That was a pretty low shot, but still DA is about to be wanted, D.O.A., if he doesn't get his act together soon. (Ed Note: I apologize for that paragraph—I'll get the new guy up to par on how we define funny in these here parts.) it was hard to put Terrell Owens on here for the sheer fact that he still blocked and made some great behind-the-scenes plays, but TO still only had two catches for 17 yards, and as the number one WR in fantasy, he has to do better, no excuses. Lord, Del's Cup (awarded to the coach who orchestrated the biggest stooges of the week) Lovie Smith, Chicago Bears This was a tough choice, but still Lovie screwed his team. He needed this win as he has the lead on the Bucs, but lets them come back and take it to OT. But wait that isn't the best part, his players while in OT after they stop the Bucs on a 3rd down while the Bucs are on their own 10, Charles Tillman starts a fight with the Bucs and costs his team 15 yards, a first down, and the game. Love you've got to step up and be the leader and stop that stuff from happening. (Ed's Note: This paragraph was left un-edited for hilarity. I don't know what he's saying either.) The Paris Hilton Award (for the player who screwed the most people this week) Calvin Johnson, WR, Detroit Lions Paging Calvin Johnson, paging Calvin Johnson. This man showed up nowhere on the stat sheet against the lowly 49ers. There's a time when a man just needs to step up and play, and Calvin, this was your week. You were expected for a huge week, and we got nothing. This better just be a one-time deal. The Chad Johnson Chad Ocho Cinco Chad Johnson Award (most overblown story of the week) Adrian Peterson's hamstring injury What AP claimed to be "nothing" hindered him the whole game and caused him to run for only 77 yards against the Panthers. I would have expected a much better output, but here's a continual reminder to temper your expectations when AP is injured; if you own him, make sure you own Chester Taylor.
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Saturday, September 20

Week 3 Name Calling

Name Calling Is Our Weekly Feature where we help you figure out which name to call for that flex position, #3 wideout spot, or any other lineup conundrum you may be faced with. Our goal is to help you decide on borderline starters by revealing who will hit pay dirt and who will implode. None of this "start Peyton Manning" or "sit Derek Hagan" nonsense. No loving, hating, flaming, or video gaming either. Just a bit of name calling is all. Often in a neatly sealed package delivered late Saturday Night when I finally get to it because, umm, I want it to be fresh and current for you on Sunday morning.
My journey to Cooperstown continues. My success percentage was bumped up to 42%, giving me a .420 average. Take that Ted Williams. I'm sorry if you started Damon Huard only to watch all your points go to some guy named Tyler Thigpen after Huard went down. Or if you slipped in Ronald Curry, who unfortunately wasn't the recipient of any one of JaMarcus Russell's six completed passes. Or Cotchery. Or Cassel. Or if you sat DeSean Jackson. I'm not sorry if you benched Isaac Bruce though. I did too, so don't come crying to me. But don't worry, San Francisco wide receivers will be taken off the ignore list.
Now for my crappy predictions for this week.
Who You Gonna Call
Michael Turner - I really hope you did not sell him high coming off his huge week two letdown. BT will be back to Burner Turner form against the Kansas City Chiefs. They surrendered 300 rushing yards to an Oakland team that had no passing attack. They knew what was coming and could not stop it. Turner has a big game coming for him.
Larry Johnson - He is still alive. His heart is still beating. I think. But I know that his mouth is still running. He wants more carries. I am hoping that translates to him being more motivated to make the most of the touches he does get than to him turning into a three-year-old. The Chiefs play the Falcons on Sunday, who gave up 164 rushing yards on only 28 carries to the Bucs last week, so at least you should play him based strictly on the matchup. [Ed's note: 68 of those yards came on one play, and 98 yards on 27 carries is a 3.56 YPC.]
Matt Hasselbeck - As hard as it is to start a quarterback tossing the pork to Keary Colbert and John Carlson, it is even harder to sit a quarterback playing St. Louis. Eli Manning and Donovan McNabb have combined to drop six touchdowns on the Rams so far this season. Despite the blatant bald, put him in your lineup in normal-sized leagues.
Michael Pittman - The knock against goal line backs like this are that you can't predict touchdowns, they are too inconsistent. I am predicting them this week. Clinton Portis found pay dirt twice against New Orleans last week. Both scares came at the goal line. He never busted a run bigger than 13 yards. Selvin Young won't be exploding for 50-yarders against the Saints, and Pittman will reap the benefits when Denver gets their offense down in the red zone. Solid flex option. [Ed's note: Until Mike Shanahan gives Anthony Aldridge the goal-line carries.]
On Speed Dial (Names you should always, always call, using discretion of course. I don't want idiots saying I told them to start some dude over LDT): RB's against Detroit, WR's against St. Louis, TE's against San Diego, QB's against Atlanta
Who You Not Gonna Call
Marion Barber III - Remember when I said you usually can not predict touchdowns? Well, you can predict not touchdowns. Or something. Barber had 63 yards Monday Night against Philly. Now the Cowboys are facing a Packers team that brought Kevin Smith back to Earth with a 40 yard performance. With no scores. Adrian Peterson had 100 and 1, which as crazy as it sounds are mediocre numbers for him, at Green Bay in week one. Barber doesn't have the yard output to make up for the touchdown deficiency I expect from him this week.
Earnest Graham - Graham didn't live up to the expectations people had for him week two against the Falcons after seeing Michael Turner tear Atlanta up the week before. His numbers have been inflated thus far by a 46 yard run week one and a 68 yarder last week. He's not a speed demon, but a downfield back, so I cannot expect him to do that very often. He scares me. Warrick Dunn is stealing more touches than people think, and making just as much if not more out of them than Graham has. Chicago ain't a cakewalk either; they have shut down Joseph Addai and contained the Panther Pals yardage-wise so far this season. Sit Graham in medium sized leagues.
Brett Favre - Ed Hochuli is not reffing the game and Chargers opponents have already gotten all their impossible leaping catches at the back of the end zone out of their system. Without those two factors, the Bolts have a shut down defense and are Super Bowl contenders. Plus Tony Kornheiser will repeatedly jinx Bretty Boy during the MNF broadcast by predicting 11 touchdowns and 932 yards, causing Favre to embarrassingly flop on national television. He is an average option at best, so I hope you don't have to depend on him this week.
Not On Speed Dial (Names you should always, always caller ID check and ignore, once again, using discretion of course. I don't want idiots saying I told them to sit Randy Moss) - RB's against Tennessee, Kyle Orton, Atlanta WR's, QB's against Pittsburgh

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Straight Outta The Man Cave: Week Three Man Crushes

Is there a better activity in the world than chilling down in the man cave discussing football and girls? Red blooded American males say it in unison, "No." Of course not. This is why every Thursday FFWWH will let you all in on our own couch talk about football. And girls. And football playing girls. The down side? Football playing girls don't matter in the type of fantasy football that this site is specifically about. So uhh, we kind of had to improvise and work with what we have. So, umm, this feature will be about our mancrushes. (Ya, ya, cue the "figures, he's from California" jokes, blah, blah) Moving on. Here's each of our respective man crushes for week 3. A-Koz
While he has struggled so far and I wasn't big on him entering the year, I really like Maurice Jones-Drew this week. Jacksonville needs to get back to their bread and butter, and that means a heavy dose of the running game. Though the loss of both their starting guards hurts, the Colts are without two key run-stoppers, DT Ed Johnson and safety Bob Sanders. Johnson's loss showed last week as Adrian Peterson racked up 130 yards on the Colts' defense. Look for MJD to bounce back this week, and if he does, that'd be the perfect time to deal him. Stat Boy
He’s playing a team that’s given up more than 200 yards per game on the ground this year, and almost 120 YPG last year. That’s right (Ed Note: Don't worry, I don't know why he said that either.)—Brandon Jacobs is my week two man crush. Jacobs has averaged more than 100 yards than this year (don’t forget, he was third last year in terms of rushing yards per game), and as Chris Berman says, this guy is going to be rumblin’, bumblin’, stumblin’ to a 100 more yards and a score this week against the lowly Bengals’ defense. Hey, I picked Kurt Warner last week, and he had 360 passing yards. (Ed Note: No one cares. Especially not morons who for some reason said to start Ryan Grant.) New Guy (Who Still Has Not Officially Been Christened Into This Brotherhood Yet Due To The Fact That His Couch Is Really Comfortable And Apparently Has Kept Him From Sitting In Front Of His Computer For 30 Minutes To Post At Least Once A Decade)
You would be crazy this week not to take Frank Gore. Gore is facing the Lions—do I even need to say anything else? The last time Gore went up against the Lions was in his 2006 breakout campaign where he torched them for over 100 yards and two scores, and I see nothing but the same in this matchup. With the passing game still working its way into the San Fran offense, I see Gore running all over the Lions as well as grabbing five-to-seven passes and turning in the best RB performance for week three. If you don't have this man on your roster now, you're probably too late, because his stock is already hotter than Rachel McAdams in a swimsuit. Tosten Burks Football Fun Toy For Week 3, Name Unknown (but really wanted): Photobucket
It took a hamstring injury and an Al Davis pulse check for it to happen—the hamstring injury was not sustained by Davis but by Justin Fargas just as an FYI for all you temporarily ecstatic Raiders fans—but I am finally jumping on the Darren McFadden bandwagon. Fargas is out for a period of time that ESPN's John Clayton so helpfully described as "a few weeks."
McFadden can run 40 yards in 4.33 seconds; think how much the fourth overall pick can do in 21 days. Enough to carry a fantasy team or two, especially this week at Buffalo. The Bills have been somewhat decent against the run thus far, but does the Jacksonville offensive line or Leonard Weaver really scare anyone? Let's see how Dick Jauron and company do against Kiffin's crew.
LL Cool J killed his brief performance at the VMA's. Count Run DMC in to do the same during week three.

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Stat Boy Saturday: Fantasy Rank vs Real Life Wins

Another week with our honorary stat boy, Zach Fein of Fein Sports. A contributor with as much stat muscle as anyone in the business. You may not understand what he's says and use it for you fantasy leagues, but if you're in the mood to be baffled and confused, then boy does he have you covered. Because life is one big spreadsheet. This week he deals with the connection between a player's fantasy ranking and his team's win total. Sorry, Marc Bulger owners. Sorry, Derek Anderson owners. And sorry, Carson Palmer owners. Can a quarterback on a bad team finish among the top-10 fantasy QBs? What about running backs, wide receivers, and tight ends, too? How often does a player on a below-.500 team finish in the top-10 and top-15 in his position? Those stats can be the difference of a Marc Bulger finishing in front of a David Garrard, a quarterback on a lousy team ahead of one playing for a playoff team. So without further ado, here are the stats. For each year from 2002-2007, the top-10 QBs and TEs, and the top-15 RBs and WRs, were compared with their team's win total. The table also shows how often a player made the playoffs (abbreviated as "P-Off" in the table). [Ed. Note: The 2002 tie between the Steelers and Falcons was counted as half a win and half a loss, as the NFL counts ties.]
Correlation of fantasy rank and team wins
position madeP-Off missP-Off %P-Off Avg.W Avg.L
Quarterback 33 27 55% 9.94 6.06
Running Back 42 48 47% 8.94 7.06
Wide Receiver 41 49 46% 8.85 7.15
Tight End 29 31 48% 8.99 7.01
Here are some more nuggets for each position: Quarterback
  • Only two players that finished inside the top-10 had a team record lower that 7-9: Jon Kitna in 2006 (team record: 3-13), and Daunte Culpepper in 2002 (6-10). Without those two, the average win total rises from 9.94 to 10.13.
  • From 2002-2007, there were 64 teams that went 6-10 or worse, out of the 192 teams in that period, or exactly one-third. Only two QBs finished with a record 6-10 or worse, or equal to 3% of those 64 teams. What does that mean? Don't expect any QB on a team worse than 7-9 to finish in the top 10.
Running Back
  • Of the 90 players to finish in the top-15, only 13 had a team win total of more than 14 or less than five. That means that 86% of all 90 running backs in the pool had a team win total between five and 13 wins. So sorry, Larry Johnson owners. And sorry, Steven Jackson owners.
Wide Receivers
  • Similar to the RB stat above, only 11 WRs of the 90 in the pool had a team win total of more than 13 or less than five. In other words, 88% of all WRs had a team win total of between five and 13 wins. So sorry, Dwayne Bowe owners. And sorry, Roddy White owners. (Here's to hoping you didn't think they were top-15 wide receivers in the first place, by the way.)
Tight Ends
  • Out of the 60 tight ends in the pool, 86% (52 out of 60) had a team win total higher than five. And 72% (43 out of 60) had a team win total greater than or equal to eight.
Conclusion The 300 QBs, RBs, WRs and TEs in the pool averaged 9.1 wins on the season. More than half of them (155) made the playoffs, good for 52%. The stats show that the better the team that player is on, the better the chance of him making the top-10 or top-15 for his position. Only 70 players out of the 300 in the pool had a team win total of less than eight, meaning that 77% of all players had a team record or .500 or better. On the other end of the spectrum, more than half of all players (152) had a team win total of ten or more.
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Tuesday, September 16

Running the Wire

Screwing League Mates Over By Stealing The Missing Pieces Of The Puzzle That They Need 101
Another week of frantic panic for fantasy owners. Lose another Seattle WR? Who hasn't? They've been dropping like rumors of Lane Kiffin being fired. Your high draft pick still unable to put up the numbers in back-to-back week (*coughCarsonPalmerandJosephAddaicough*)? Here are a few guys that you can turn to in a pinch.
Gold Wire Pick Ups:
Isaac Bruce/WR 49ers: After a poor showing in Week 1, he came out of nowhere last week and posted some more than solid numbers. This week he gets the joy of going up against the Lions' defense. And if you haven't heard, the Lions' are terrible against the pass. The Packers lit it up against them last week with Aaron Rodgers throwing for three touchdowns. Josh Morgan hasn't really been a factor either. He doesn't seem to be a threat to cut into Bruce's playing time. He's currently available in over 40% of leagues.
Justin Gage/WR Titans: Vince Young out (for the time being), Kerry Collins in. When that happens, the Titans win. My rhyming skills are comparable to that of Dr. Seuss. Seriously though, Gage had a much more productive week with Collins under center. Granted, it was against the Bengals' defense, but Houston's isn't that much stronger. Gage is currently available in over 70% of leagues.
Michael Bush/RB Raiders: I'll repeat what I said in a previous article: Who needs to pass in Oakland? No one, that's who. Over 300 yards of running played a big role in getting Oakland the win last week against the Chiefs. Justin Fargas got hurt, giving Bush a chance to show what he can do. 90 yards and a touchdown later, I'm writing about him. It's currently unclear if and how much time Fargas will miss, but if he is out for any period of time, Bush is a guy to scoop up. He's only owned in a mere 6% of ESPN leagues.
Copper Wire Pick Ups:
Amani Toomer/WR Giants: Similar to Bruce, Toomer had a quiet week 1. He bounced back from that nicely in Week 2, putting up nearly 70 yards and a score against a pitiful Rams' defense. He gets to have a chance of a repeat performance this week as he matches up against a weak Bengals pass defense. This defense is even weaker with the losses of Dexter Jackson and possibly Jonathan Joseph for Week 3. Plaxico Burress is likely to be getting a lot of attention this week, and while I do expect him to have a good week, Toomer should have just as many opportunities. He's available in about 70% of leagues.
Koren Robinson/WR Seahawks: Hot off the press, Robinson was just signed by Seattle to help add depth after the Seahawks lost Logan Payne for the year and Seneca Wallace for possibly a month. You know things are bad when your QB/WR may no longer be an option. Robinson knows the offense a little bit, as he's an ex-Seahawk. That'll give him an advantage over Keary Colbert, for whom Seattle just traded. With Courtney Taylor's struggles so far this year, Robinson could get moved into the starting lineup. At the very least, he should be the #2. After a rough first two weeks, Seattle should be able to take its anger out on the Rams defense. Honestly, who couldn't beat up that defense? Robinson is only owned in .1% of leagues. I'd like to know who in the world stashed him on their bench before this week? Jerious Norwood/RB Falcons: Atlanta isn't too shabby against scrub teams (See: Week 1, Detriot) and they get another this week, as they play Kansas City—the same Chiefs defense that gave up over 300 yards last week to the Raiders. Funny, Atlanta rushed for over that mark against the Lions. Seeing how Atlanta could have a field day, Norwood could again see more playing time. He may wind up as the Michael Bush of this week. Chicken Wire Pick Ups
Brian Griese/QB Tampa Bay: Not too many other QB options out there, and Griese has again gotten the starting nod at QB this week. He gets a chance at revenge against his former team, the Bears. Not the greatest of pickups, but if you're desperate, you're desperate. Right now, he's owned in under 3% of leagues. LaMont Jordan/RB Patriots: Jordan ran well last week against the Jets. He was showing off that bruising style he had a few years ago before the Oakland debacle. Now with the Patriots, he's slowly starting to reinvent himself. Miami is the Pats next victim...er, I mean opponent. (Come on—Brady or not, the Pats are still a force to be reckoned with. And the Dolphins are still acting very "Miami-like".) I like Jordan over Morris mainly because Sammy is little more than a TD vulture, which can be unpredictable. Jordan has the opportunity for carries and yards. LaMont also has a good track record against Miami: In 2004, Jordan rushed for 115 yards and a score against the Dolphins, and in 2005, he rushed for nearly 100 yards and two scores. Jordan is owned in under 20% of leagues.

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Monday, September 15

Weekend Recap: Week 2

And oh what a week it was. Drama, controversy, and records—all in one game! (I'm talking about the Denver/San Diego game for those who are sitting at their computers with blank stares.) Who were this weeks studs and duds? Let's recap, shall we? - Eli Manning looked great Sunday. Much better than Week 1. Of course, this was against the Rams, so don't put too much stock into it. - The only Rams WR you should own is Torry Holt. He had 6 receptions; the rest of Rams' wide receivers? Just four. - David Garrard had three interceptions last year. He has three two weeks into this season. Looks like he isn't so dependable anymore. - Kerry Collins means good news for fantasy owners. He made a WR relevant (Justin Gage), something Vince Young could never do, and Chris Johnson rushed for over 100 yards. It looks like he could be the real deal. - Some thought Carson Palmer would struggle this year, but did anybody think he'd be this bad? 134 yards and 2 INT's Sunday. A whopping three fantasy points in two weeks. Palmer owners everywhere collectively ugh. - So much for Aaron Rodgers folding under the Brett Favre pressure. Even if it was against the Lions, he looked very impressive. Almost a little ... dare I say it ... Favre like? - In Oakland, who needs quarterbacks? Just run, run, run with Run DMC. (Oh yes, the pun was intended.) - Note to Kansas City: Take the Raiders approach. Seriously, why isn't LJ getting the ball more often? [Ed's Note: That LJ love isn't looking to great thus far, Alex.] - Although he's only played one game, Brandon Marshall is leading the league in receptions with 18. Don't expect an 18 catch performance every week, but he should be a big factor in Denver's passing attack. - Miami's pass defense is worse than terrible. Not that that is breaking news or anything. - Matt Cassel was solid in real life, but wasn't anything special for fantasy. Time share in New England? Laurence Maroney got hurt and missed a good chunk of the game, so Sammy Morris and LaMont Jordan jumped on the chance, rushing for a TD and 62 yards respectively.
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Saturday, September 13

Week 2 Name Calling

Name Calling Is Our Weekly Feature where we help you figure out which name to call for that flex position, #3 wideout spot, or any other lineup conundrum you may be faced with. Our goal is to help you decide on borderline starters by revealing who will hit pay dirt and who will implode. None of this "start Peyton Manning" or "sit Derek Hagan" nonsense. No loving, hating, flaming, or video gaming either. Just a bit of name calling is all. Usually in a neatly sealed package delivered late Saturday Night when I finally get to it because, umm, I want it to be fresh and current for you on Sunday morning.
Hmm... Let's see here. Looking back at the scoreboard from last week, how did I do? Start Willie Parker, ok check. Sit Marques Colston, yep that turned out well. Bench Tom Brady's cologney piece of balogney, (shooting myself in the temple for that as I speak, don't you worry) alright. Oh, and here's this one, start Dante Rosario, yep that was a winner. What? You don't remember me saying that stuff? I swear, I swear. Right here on page... ok. That's bull crap. Who knew Rashard Mendenhall wasn't a goal line back? Who knew Eddie Royal was a stud? Who knew Robert de Niro and Al Pacino would suck so bad? Not me.
So take these name calls with a grain of salt. Season your lineups with your own research and input; do not simply regurgitate what I say onto your roster. Because most of the time, that's exactly what it will be, regurgitation. Ralph. Vomit. I said to sit Donovan McNabb. Seven days later he's the best quarterback in football. Plug in Laurence Maroney? Please. Belichick doesn't hate him any less than last year. Every single schmoe fantasy advice giver has said some variation of this exact same sermon, and I probably ripped off about 38 different guys's format for said post, but it's important that you understand. Be confident, not fixated with me. But back to the non-sappy, non-preachery, non-waste-of-time-retarded stuff that you hopefully didn't already know.
My current winning percentage is 40%. I'd be a hall of fame baseball player! Chad Pennington was genius and I didn't see him on any other experts radar. The MoJo and Taylor predictions were money. Derrick Mason? The Carolina 5 letter abbreviation nickname wrecking crew duo of DWill and JStew? Call me whatever names you want about that. Call and ignore these people for week 2. Who You Gonna Call
Eli Manning - I hate Eli Manning. He's not good at football. He's not good at double stuffed racing. Plus his hair is funny. He's a good Trent Dilfer with a better last name, ok. Shoot me. But this week he plays the early season least-favorites, the St. Louis Rams. They got crushed by McNabb and all his tendinitis glory. With Plax looking as good as any wideout in the league, don't hesitate to put this bad actor into your starting lineup. Damon Huard - Here is a spot start for ya. Oakland let the likes of Eddie Royal, Darrel Jackson, and Brandon Stokely help Jay Cutler drop 300 passing yards against them. Larry Johnson will be the defensive focus of the Raiders so Dwayne Bowe will have some room to run around and do his thing. Rex Ryan has gray; Huard will have gold this week. Or at least some bronze. A touchdown or two.
Willie Parker - I'm not sure if I believe he's Fast and Wily Superman Willie Parker again, but for week two he will be. Pittsburgh is playing Cleveland in primetime Sunday Night and the Browns gave up three rushing touchdowns to the Cowboys in their first game. Big Ben is hurting a bit, so Tomlin will rely on the run more. Parker will benefit and can not be benched even in the smallest of leagues.
Reggie Bush - With Colston out, Bush is the number two pass catcher on the debth chart behind Shockey. He proved he's still the explosive, shifty, make plays type of guy that we saw Chris Berman make sound effects for in college. He has huge opportunities now. He'll make the most of them and is a must start in every league format.
Jerricho Cotchery - He's real. Last week was not a fluke. 2007 was his warm up season, 2008 is when he breaks out. Cotchery is Favre's number 1 option in the passing game, and Coles, if he even plays after being limited in practice all week, has been quoted as saying he doesn't yet "have a feel" for Favre. Don't let the New England match up scare you. Their secondary is actually a bit weak. You can't pass on Cotch in a 12 teamer.
Ronald Curry - Lost in the Tom Brady injury madness in the first Pats game of the season was the fact that Randy Moss was still a monster, putting up 116 and a score against Kansas City. That was with Matt Cassel throwing him the ball. Oakland plays the Chiefs this week and coming off a game in which Jamarcus Russel actually looked solid, dropping two scores, the passing game should click. It's tough to read who the number one receiving option is right now, but Ronald Curry supposedly had the leg up all pre season and is the best looking wideout of the bunch. I'd take a risk on him in a standard 12 team league.
Matt Cassel - If Chad Pennington and Greg Camarillo can do it, anyone can do it. A week later and the New York Jets still have injury issues in the secondary. Cassel has the little guy named Randy Moss who probably has the ability to dominate fill in backup cornerbacks. The best part though? How do you gameplan against someone who hasn't played in a game in about 38 years? Cassel has not started since high school. What, the Jets are going to check that tape out and figure out how to scheme based on how he did when he was 16? From one mediocre QB to another, take a flyer on Cassel if you are a non Brady owner who managed to snag him off waivers and Brady handcuffers, be confident this week in your karaoke singing hail mary.
On Speed Dial (Names you should always, always call, using discretion of course. I don't want idiots saying I told them to start some dude over LDT): RB's against Detroit, WR's against St. Louis, TE's against San Diego, QB's against Atlanta
Who You Not Gonna Call
Drew Brees - Ya, ya. He's the number one quarterback in fantasy football right now. I don't buy that he keeps that up, at least at first, without Marques Colston. David Patten, Devery Henderson, and Robert Meachem are not the wide receiving corps of a top fantasy option.
Steven Jackson - It took stud rusher Clinton Portis 23 carries to just get to a measly 84 rushing yards, an average of 3.6 a touch, against the Giants last weekend. SJax and the Rams look horrible already and if you can, I'd pass up starting Jackson against a New York defense that looks very solid against the run. Aww first round picks...
Desaun Jackson - Let's not dub him Jerry Rice just yet. The Eagles played the super bowl least-favorite St. Louis Rams week one. Whoop dee doo. I'm not jumping the McNabb and friends train just yet. Especially not with them playing a Browns team that shut down the high powered Cleveland Browns passing game last week.
Derek Anderson - Think Anderson's bad streak at the end of last season was a fluke? Look at his week one totals against the 'Boys. Now look at his matchup this Sunday, Pittsburgh. Mat Schaub was less than good against the Steelers last week and don't expect a slumping DA to do much better.
Not On Speed Dial (Names you should always, always caller ID check and ignore, once again, using discretion of course. I don't want idiots saying I told them to sit Randy Moss) - RB's against Tennessee, Kyle Orton, San Francisco WR's

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Stat Boy Saturday: TOM BRADY DIED AND OMG MY SEASONS OVER AND LT SUCKS AND...

Another week with our honorary stat boy, Zach Fein of Fein Sports. A contributor with as much stat muscle as anyone in the business. You may not understand what he's says and use it for you fantasy leagues, but if you're in the mood to be baffled and confused, then boy does he have you covered. Because life is one big spreadsheet. This week he gets the dirt on the legitimacy of week 1 numbers. ...Shut up Look, you shouldn’t be trading away Peyton Manning for Jay Cutler or Donovan McNabb, LaDanian Tomlinson for Michael Turner, or Torry Holt for Eddie Royal after Week One. And I’m sure you know that, too. There is always a week one surprise (See: Holcomb, Kelly, 2002; Ismail, Qadry, 2002; and Jordan, LaMont, 2007) that doesn’t always pan out. And then there’s also the week one bust, the first-round pick who puts up less than five points. The question is, How do those players perform for the rest of the year? The following tables show the comparison of the Week One points-per-game and Season PPG of various groups of the end-of-season top 30 or 50, depending on the position, since 2002. (Tight Ends and Quarterbacks are split up into groups of five based on the top 30, while running back and wide receivers are split into groups of ten based on the top 50.) The average percent error column is the absolute difference of that group’s Season The following tables show the comparison of the Week One points-per-game and Season PPGPPG and week one PPG, then divided by the season PPG and finally multiplied by 100 to get the percent out of 100. (Ed. Note: Players who were in the top-30 or top-50 in the end-of-season ranks but not in that same range for week one points were marked with having a zero for week one.]
Top-30 Quarterbacks
RankSeasonPPGWeek1PPGAvg.DifferenceAvg. % Error
1-517.416.85.73.5
6-1014.712.15.418.1
11-1512.912.36.04.3
16-2010.810.55.62.3
21-258.99.87.19.8
26-306.85.65.717.5
Top-50 Running Backs
RankSeasonPPGWeek1PPGAvg.DiffAvg. % Error
1-1016.716.96.41.4
11-2011.410.76.85.8
21-308.96.75.224.1
31-406.65.94.710.9
41-504.72.93.739.2
Top-50 Wide Receivers
RankSeasonPPGWeek1PPGAvg.DiffAvg. % Error
1-1012.210.36.515.5
11-209.49.15.52.7
21-307.86.94.312.3
31-406.55.04.823.1
41-505.65.05.212.1
Top-30 Tight Ends
Rank SeasonPPG Week1PPG Avg.Diff Avg. % Error
1-5 7.7 6.5 4.9 15.6
6-10 5.5 5.6 4.0 2.8
11-15 4.3 9.6 8.2 123.6
16-20 3.4 3.6 2.9 7.1
21-25 2.8 2.5 2.4 10.6
26-30 2.4 1.7 2.4 30.3
  • Quarterbacks have little variance in their week one and season PPG, with the exception of the sixth- to tenth-ranked quarterbacks.
  • Various under-performers such as Carson Palmer and Matt Hasselbeck, and over-performers such as Donovan McNabb and Jay Cutler, were among those ranked in the preseason to be in that range.
  • You see the Top-20 running backs have a low Average Percent Error, but after that, it's unpredictable.
  • Matt Forte, I'm looking at you.
  • Each wide receiver group did worse in week one than their season PPG.
  • Braylon Edwards, I'm looking at you.
  • Look at those tight ends! The 11th- through 15th-ranked TEs more than doubled their season PPG in week one, while the top five TEs did much worse than their season PPG.
  • Dante Rosario and Tony Gonzalez, I'm looking at y'all.

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Thursday, September 11

From the Man Cave Sofa Chronicles: Man Crush Thursday!

Is there a better activity in the world than chilling down in the man cave discussing football and girls? Red blooded American males say it in unison, "No." Of course not. This is why every Thursday FFWWH will let you all in on our own couch talk about football. And girls. And football playing girls. The down side? Football playing girls don't matter in the type of fantasy football that this site is specifically about. So uhh, we kind of had to improvise and work with what we have. So, umm, this feature will be about our mancrushes. (Ya, ya, cue the "figures, he's from California" jokes, blah, blah) Moving on. Here's each of our respective man crushes for week 1. A-Koz With Marques Colston out 4-6 weeks and consequently it opens the door for new players to shine in the Saints' high-powered offense (plus it makes Tosten totally screwed in the 20 team league we're both in).
One of those is David Patten. This week, Patten gets to go against the depleted Washington secondary, who got torched last week. Plaxico Burress put up big numbers against them, having 10 receptions for over 130 yards. Patten in the #1 WR this week and there really isn't a true #2 on the team with Colston out, similar to New York. Robert Meachem has struggled with route-running and wasn't even active yet, and Devery Henderson is more hit-or-miss than my jokes.
Stat Boy I’ll start my mancrush analysis with a comparison of two players, with their stats from last year (both prorated to 515 pass attempts). Player A: 65% completion percentage, 4040 yards, 31 touchdowns, and 14 interceptions Player B: 60% completion percentage, 4010 yards, 35 touchdowns, and 18 interceptions You might recognize Player A as Peyton Manning. But Player B? Those are the stats allowed by the Miami Dolphins’ passing defense last year, and those would have been good for third among all quarterbacks last year. Which is why my week two mancrush is Kurt Warner. Last year from week 10 on, nobody had as many touchdowns as Warner (not even Tom Brady), plus his passer rating at home was 18 points higher than on the road (and in case you were wondering, this week the Cards are at home). Besides the obvious Tony Romo and Peyton Manning, there is no other quarterback I'd rather have this week.. New Guy Call me a bandwagoner (Ed note: oh don't worry, we will), but I'm going Chris Johnson. Johnson proved he's here to stay with his coming out party against the "highly" touted Jaguars defense. Now that he's facing a defense that gave up 100 yards to Le'Ron McClain, I think Johnson has a field day and easily surpases 100 yards rushing, as well as a few receiving yards and a TD. And trust me, the best is yet to come with this kid, and if you don't grab him while you can, he'll be more coveted than Elisha Cuthbert's phone number. Tosten Burks Tiffany Toth. No question about it. You thought I was gonna start a column, "Is there a better activity in the world than chilling down in the man cave discussing football and girls?" and not provide some gorilla biscuits? You underestimate me. But seriously, this week you have got to start Ryan Grant. He's playing the Lions. Last week, Michael Turner put up 200 yards and two scores against Detroit. Lost in the BT madness was Jerious Norwood, who also put up 93 rushing yards and one touchdown. That's 300 and three. By the Falcons. Ryan Grant's totals are gonna be higher than Mario Chalmers this week.

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Wednesday, September 10

The Weekly Post of Irrelevance

If Jerry Seinfeld was a fantasy football blogger... This is where I ramble about bull crap that may or may not have anything to do with fantasy football. Link postage, yo momma jokes, reviews; anything is valid. Because I know you get tired of reading fantasy info all day during work and are in need of some mindless relief. Video of the Week Or Something Link Dump The most reasonable thing I've heard all week. Football Guys Blog Aren't social networking sites designed to meet chicks? I don't think these will help out a whole lot. Rotomania and Football Jabber Locker Room Bill Simmons is back. So are his haters. The Sports Hernia Cue a group moan. Jay Glazer A Dallas Cowboy in the top two at every position except running back. Marion Barber was four. Super Bowl favorites? Roto Arcade From the Bad Joke Department Heard of Dead Baby jokes? Vince Young almost became one. 1000 Words
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