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Saturday, November 29, 2008

The Guru Gridiron Report: Week 13 Bench/Start Wide Receivers


Hey everyone. Thanksgiving has caused us to be a little late with our weekly picks. do apologize for that, so I will get them out as quick as possible. We will not be including any players from the Thursday games.
Don't forget to catch our LIVE podcasts on Blog Talk Radio The Fantasy Football Scouting Report - http://www.blogtalkradio.com/Football-Scout every Tuesday at 9:30pm EST and The Fantasy Football Gurus Show - http://www.blogtalkradio.com/The-Fantasy-Gurus every Wednesday at 6:30pm EST. If you can't catch us live, catch the podcast, just click on the link to here the latest show!

TOP 20 WIDE RECIEVERS YOU MUST START

  1. Reggie Wayne
  2. Andre Johnson
  3. Greg Jennings
  4. Jerricho Cotchery
  5. Brandon Marshall
  6. Roddy White
  7. Lavernues Coles
  8. Braylon Edwards
  9. Lee Evans
  10. Chris Chambers
  11. Eddie Royal
  12. Dwayne Bowe
  13. Steve Smith
  14. Marvin Harrison
  15. T.J. Houshmandzadeh
  16. Rashied Davis
  17. Lance Moore
  18. Santonio Holmes
  19. Randy Moss
  20. Marques Colston

TOP 5 WIDE RECEIVERS TO BENCH

  1. Hines Ward
  2. Santana Moss
  3. Plaxico Burress
  4. Bernard Berrian
  5. Jerry Porter

TOP 5 SLEEPER WIDE RECEIVERS

  1. Donnie Avery
  2. Wes Welker
  3. Chad Johnson
  4. Reggie Williams
  5. Ted Ginn Jr.

Good luck. Next are our Tight Ends!

The True Guru

posted by The True GURU at 1:02 AM 0 Comments

Friday, November 28, 2008

The Guru Gridiron Report: Week 13 Bench/Start Runningbacks


Hey everyone. Thanksgiving has caused us to be a little late with our weekly picks. do apologize for that, so I will get them out as quick as possible. We will not be including any players from the Thursday games.
Don't forget to catch our LIVE podcasts on Blog Talk Radio The Fantasy Football Scouting Report - http://www.blogtalkradio.com/Football-Scout every Tuesday at 9:30pm EST and The Fantasy Football Gurus Show - http://www.blogtalkradio.com/The-Fantasy-Gurus every Wednesday at 6:30pm EST. If you can't catch us live, catch the podcast, just click on the link to here the latest show!

TOP 15 RUNNINGBACKS YOU MUST START

  1. Joseph Addai
  2. LaDainian Tomlinson
  3. Marshawn Lynch
  4. Maurice Jones-Drew
  5. Thomas Jones
  6. Steve Slaton
  7. Larry Johnson
  8. Frank Gore
  9. Jamal Lewis
  10. Ryan Grant
  11. DeAngelo Williams
  12. Darren McFadden
  13. Brandon Jacobs
  14. Peyton Hillis
  15. Reggie Bush

TOP 5 RUNNINGBACKS TO BENCH

  1. Clinton Portis
  2. BenJarvous Green-Ellis
  3. Willis McGahee
  4. Pierre Thomas or Duece McCallister
  5. Willie Parker

TOP 5 SLEEPER RUNNINGBACKS

  1. Jonathan Stewart
  2. Mewelde Moore
  3. Justin Fargas
  4. Ray Rice
  5. Cedric Benson

Good luck. Next are our Wide Receivers!

The True Guru

posted by The True GURU at 7:41 PM 0 Comments

The Guru Gridiron Report: Week 13 Bench/Start Quarterbacks


Hey everyone. Thanksgiving has caused us to be a little late with our weekly picks. do apologize for that, so I will get them out as quick as possible. We will not be including any players from the Thursday games.
Don't forget to catch our LIVE podcasts on Blog Talk Radio The Fantasy Football Scouting Report - http://www.blogtalkradio.com/Football-Scout every Tuesday at 9:30pm EST and The Fantasy Football Gurus Show - http://www.blogtalkradio.com/The-Fantasy-Gurus every Wednesday at 6:30pm EST. If you can't catch us live, catch the podcast, just click on the link to here the latest show!

TOP 10 QUARTERBACKS YOU MUST START

  1. Peyton Manning
  2. Drew Brees
  3. Philip Rivers
  4. Aaron Rodgers
  5. Jay Cutler
  6. Brett Farve
  7. Derek Anderson
  8. Eli Manning
  9. David Garrard
  10. Jeff Garcia

TOP 5 QUARTERBACKS TO BENCH

  1. Matt Cassel
  2. Gus Frerotte
  3. Kyle Orton
  4. Ryan Fitzpatrick
  5. JaMarcus Russell

TOP 5 SLEEPER QUARTERBACK

  1. Tyler Thigpen
  2. Sage Rosenfels
  3. Shaun Hill
  4. Chad Pennington
  5. Marc Bulger

Good luck. Next are our Runningbacks!

The True Guru

posted by The True GURU at 7:11 PM 0 Comments

Patience is a Virtue

On Thanksgiving we all had great meals and spent wonderful time with our families. In my opinion the best part of turkey day is the football. We get treated to three games across the day and man was it w great day for football and fantasy football alike.

I titled this post "patience is a virtue" because so many stud players came out to play in day and in only 3 games. Many of the players that turned up big like Tony Romo, Larry Fitzgerald, DeSean Jackson, and Brian Westbrook have largely been let downs in recent weeks or for most of the season. If you had patience, if you had the strength to hold onto LenDale White, Donovan McNabb, and even Steve Breaston than you got the pay off you were waiting for.

Here are the numbers from some of the fantasy players who haven't been as good recently, who looked very good on Thanksgiving and paid off big if you started them:

LenDale White - 106 yards, 2 TDs
Chris Johnson - 125 yards, 2 TDs
Robironas - He put up zero nothing over the past two weeks - 4 field goals, 5 XPs
Tennessee defense - 10 points, DTD, INT, 2 FF, and 4 sacks.

Tony Romo - 331 yards, 3 TDs, INT
Jason Witten - 9 rec, 115 yards, TD
Terrell Owens 5 rec, 98 yards, TD

Donovan McNabb - 260 yards, 4 TDs
Brian Westbrook - 130 yards, 4 TDs
DeSean Jackson - 6 rec, 76 yards, TD
Larry Fitzgerald - 5 rec, 65 yards, 2 TDs
Steve Breaston - 6 rec, 45 yards, TD

Even though Kurt Warner had a bad night for his team, overall it was a great fantasy night with 235 yards, 3 TDs, and 3 INTs.

I know there are a few people out there who benched Brian Westbrook. Guys who benched Jason Witten, or even DeSean Jackson. If you didn't, you got redemption for at least 1 week. For my leagues, I started all the players involved in Thanksgiving Day games and let's just say my opponents woke up Friday morning a little fatter and looking up at a mountain of a score to overcome. I hope the same goes for the rest of you out there who owns these players.

posted by The True GURU at 6:51 PM 0 Comments

Wednesday, November 26, 2008

The True Guru Souting Report: Buyer Beware on Derek Anderson

With Brady Quinn out the rest of the year with a broken finger, Derek Anderson will get one more chance to prove his worth to other teams for the 2009 season. From a fantasy perspective, owners who have him now or decide to pick him up have a tough schedule to face with Anderson with a few games that could be worthy of a start.

Starting next week against the Indianapolis Colts. That is a great matchup for Anderson and if his receivers are healthy he could put up some good fantasy points in front of the home crowd. After that, for the first two weeks of most leagues playoffs, he faces stiff competition on the road from Tennessee and Philadelphia. Two games we would not recommend starting him under any circumstance.

Ten for the Superbowl matchup in many leagues is a good one for Anderson. Cincinnati at home. It will probably be snowing, but if the weather is good, Anderson should be good. Could that be a tie when you'd use him. In your league playoffs or Superbowl. Tough call for any manager, but you will have three weeks of games to review to help make your decision, so we can cross that bridge then. The week 17 matchup is against Pittsburgh IN Pittsburgh, so no start there.

We like some of the prospects fr Anderson, but beware who you cut just to pick him up. He hasn't been very good this year and we don't have that much confidence that he will all of a sudden break out of the year long funk he has been in. After getting benched, there is motivation for him and you would have to hope that is enough.

If you are desperate for a QB for week 13, then start Anderson and cross your fingers. He is likely to be without Winslow and that is not good for the quarterback.

posted by The True GURU at 1:12 PM 0 Comments

The Guru Gridiron Report: Week 12 Review Wide Receivers & Tight Ends



Week 12 was an outstanding week for offense. according to the numbers, the NFL put a 800 point week, so translates into alloy of fantasy points. There were 7 games that broke 50 points and many more that broke over 42. As we ready to transition into the playoffs soon, hopefully the players that sprang to life this week were your players. Here's a review of the some the quarterbacks who impacted week 12.

Wide Receiver & Tight Ends

Terrell Owens UPGRADED FVR: 8.9
Owens unleashed a can of whoop as on the San Francisco 49ers. We aren't saying he's back, but this is a good sign. You have to start him. He has never stopped being a #1 WR, and games like this are why.


Larry Fitzgerald DOWNGRADED FVR: 9.1
Second week in a row that Fitzgerald has been downgraded. With Boldin taking TDs and Breaston taking catches his numbers are slipping. He still is a automatic start. We think this week will be big for him.


Lance Moore UPGRADED FVR: 8.5
2 Moore (Get it?) TDs. He is becoming a big target for Brees. Let's watch him the rest of the season, but for now he is a strong #2 WR.


Marques Colston UPGRADED FVR: 8.8
He barely gets an upgrade cause he got 1 catch for 70 yards and a TD. Not bad, but he's losing favor to Lance Moore.

Reggie Wayne DOWNGRADED FVR: 9.2
Wayne has had to tough week sin a row, but don't worry. We see Wayne having good game with great matchups for the Colts coming up the rest of the season.

Randy Moss UPGRADED FVR: 8.9
Wow, what a game for Moss. We expect to see more of this as Cassel seems to be finding his touch and Moss is reaping the benefits.

Wes Welker UPGRADED FVR: 8.9
We like him as much as Moss. We say this primarily for a PPR league. He carries allot of value and is a stellar #2 WR.

Benard Berrian DOWNGRADED FVR: 7.8
Frorotte is killing him. He hasn't done much in 2-3 weeks and we don't see him getting better. At this point we cannot recommend starting him.

Reggie Williams UPGRADED FVR: 7.9
Williams caught a TD and 3 passes. He finally made an appearance. He has ll the ability in the world to score big fantasy points, but him and Garrard have to get on the same page. At this point, you just can't start him.

Amani Toomer UPGRADED FVR: 8.0
He's very inconsistent, but he got 4 catches and a TD week 13. If Burress is out again, Toomer makes a solid #3 FLEX WR.

Tight Ends

Tony Gonzalez UPGRADED FVR: 8.8
Great game after great game. His young QB is looking for this veteran TE constantly. We think he is the #1 TE in 2008 so far.

John Carlson UPGRADED FVR: 8.4
2 catches and 14 yards isn't the best, but add on a TD and it looks good. He's a low-end #1 TE.

Jason Witten DOWNGRADED FVR 8.4
Witten is still playing hurt and didn't do much again. He is killing owners, but the choices out there aren't better then playing a hurt Witten. Its pick your poison right now. We think Thanksgiving could be a game to redeem himself.

Dustin Keller UPGRADED FVR: 8.0
No TDs this week, but 8 catches for 87 yards. When Farve is in the red zone, he's looking for his rookie TE.

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posted by The True GURU at 1:47 AM 0 Comments

The Guru Gridiron Report: Week 12 Review Runningbacks


Week 12 was an outstanding week for offense. according to the numbers, the NFL put a 800 point week, so translates into alloy of fantasy points. There were 7 games that broke 50 points and many more that broke over 42. As we ready to transition into the playoffs soon, hopefully the players that sprang to life this week were your players. Here's a review of the some the quarterbacks who impacted week 12.


Runningbacks

Steve Slaton UPGRADED FVR: 8.9
Big upgrade for Staton. Not because he had an overwhelming big game, but Ahman Green is out for the year and Slaton will see more action.

Leon Washington UPGRADED FVR: 8.3
Another 2 TDs for Washington. One sealed the game and the other was junk. Still, two TDs. I started him last week, and if you need a good FLEX player, Washington is your man.

Joseph Addai DOWNGRADED FVR 8.6
For Addai to be effective, he has to score. failed to do that or anything else for that matter.

Michael Turner UPGRADED FVR: 9.1
Turner has gone crazy and is super hot. Add another 4 TDs to his totals. He is single handily winning matchups for fantasy managers.

Thomas Jones UPGRADED FVR: 9.1
The whole Jets offense gets the upgrade. He also did get a 117 total yards and a TD. He is a #1 RB now.

Marshawn Lynch UPGRADED FVR 8.7
Another great game for Lynch. 104 total yars and a TD. Very good. He seems to be back and stronger then ever.

Adrian Peterson UPGRADED FVR: 9.2
Peterson had a solid game, but overall he been hot lately and for owners out there like me who were losing faith in the guy, he seems to back. Start AP with confidence.
Matt Forte UPGRADED FVR: 9.5
132 yards and 2 TDs, outstanding. Matt Forte has quickly turned into one of the best runningbacks in the league and s playing as well as two running backs right now. Continue to see him dominate.

Derrick Ward UPGRADED FVR 8.5
We think Ward is a great start RB in deep leagues and a solid FLEX guy in smaller leagues. He get 10+ touches a game an has been outstanding.

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posted by The True GURU at 1:23 AM 0 Comments

Tuesday, November 25, 2008

The Guru Gridiron Report: Week 12 Review Quarterbacks


Week 12 was an outstanding week for offense. according to the numbers, the NFL put a 800 point week, so translates into alloy of fantasy points. There were 7 games that broke 50 points and many more that broke over 42. As we ready to transition into the playoffs soon, hopefully the players that sprang to life this week were your players. Here's a review of the some the quarterbacks who impacted week 12.

Quarterbacks
Eli Manning - UPGRADE FVR: 9.2
240 yards and 3 TDs was outstanding. We really liked him this week and he did not let us down. He even did it without Plaxico Burress. Jacobs will be back and his numbers should fall a bit.
Tony Romo UPGRADE FVR: 9.3
He still has the splint, but he threw three touchdowns and made Terrell happy. Thanksgiving should be just that for Romo. He will look eve better.

Kurt Warner DOWNGRADED FVR: 9.4
We are only downgrading him for the mistakes and the fact that they show they are more willing to run in TDs. Other than that it was the Giants.

Matt Cassel UPGRADED FVR: 8.9
Another 400 yards and 3 TDs. He got a big upgrade, but we think his current FVR is inflated a bit..

Tylet Thigpen UPGRADED FVR: 8.0
Another great game for the rookie QB. 2 TDs and 235 yards against the Saints. He isn't the greatest, but in a league of failing QBs he can be a savior.

Brett Farve - UPGRADED FVR: 8.4
A very nice game for the 39 year old quarterback. He scored 2 TDs and racked up 258 yards. He is still plagued with inconsistency, but he is getting into the time of the year where he dominates.

Shaun Hill UPGRADED FVR: 8.5
Hill had a great game with 3 TDs (1 running). He has had two straight good games and we see him having more. He was our pick at the beginning of the year to start and we think he will have several more great starts this year. Dallas in week 12 looks good for him.

Trent Edwards UPGRADED FVR: 8.0
We still aren't sure about Edwards, but he came alive against Kansas City for the tune of 273 yards and 2 TDs. We still don't recommend starting him, but keep an eye out.

Drew Brees UPGRADED FVR: 9.7
Brees is a monster. 5 TDs and 373 yards. He will win the Tom Brady Fantasy Stud of the year award for 2008. He is unbelievable and always start him with a smile.

Donovan McNabb DOWNGRADED FVR: 8.7
We don't know what's wrong with McNabb. He's good one week, bad the next two. You simply cannot start him and expect him to do well for you. Bench him unless Ryan Fitzpatrick is on your bench. I'd start any of the other guys in this list before McNabb.


Derek Anderson UPGRADED FVR: 8.0
Brady Quinn broke his finger, so for the rest of the year its the Derek Anderson show starring Derek Anderson. Lets see how he can do for the next 4 weeks. I wouldn't start him just yet.

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posted by The True GURU at 4:57 PM 0 Comments

Monday, November 24, 2008

A Stable & Agressive Strategy Leads The True Guru To a 5-1 Week 12

Leagues: 6 (3 Yahoo!, 2 CBS Sportsline, 1 ESPN)
Total Record: 48-24 (.667 Winning Percentage)

* Clinched Playoff spot
** Clinched BYE week in first round of playoffs

The great comeback is still going strong. After going 3-3 or worse 4 straight weeks, I've now had 2 consecutive 5-1 weeks and I've now clinched playoff berths in 5 of the 6 leagues I'm in and I'm looking at BYE weeks in at least 3, maybe 4. The strategy I turned to late in the season after 4, and really 5 miserable weeks was to swap out injured players for some hot, but proven free agents, I made trades to solidify my roster, and stuck to the game fan about not taking risks with my suds by benching them. I also did not make any crazy roster moves like picking up a second tight end for Jason Witten. He will be back sooner than later and I didn't want to give up a good bench player for a fill in tight end. Here are the results from week 12:


Coast 2 Coast League *
LV Cowboys 77.5 , Sassy Raiders 79.4
This league is burning me up. I thought I won last week, but a Yahoo! score correction cost me the game and now I lost this week. The failure to win was due to 7 of my 9 players. Guys like Frank Gore, Larry Fitzgerald, Miami defense, Reggie Wayne, and Jason Witten did nearly nothing. The big lose was Reggie Wayne. I went into the Sunday night game down by 4 points and still lost! Reggie Wayne couldn't get me 5 stinking points. I've now lost 3 games in a row in a league I was 9-0 and I'm now 9-3. I need to win one of the last two games to clinch a BYE week.

Football Dynasty VI - (SCORED LEAGUE HIGH SCORE)*
LV Cowboys 371, Coming Back For More 255
I had a huge game this week in the Dynasty league. I scored the league high score in a dominating performance for my team in which it needed it. Michael Turner, Terrell Owens, Tony Romo, Lance Briggs were the stars here. All around my team was just great. I scored the second most points for a team next to my week 3 performance were I laid 375 points the same team. I have a feeling he doesn't want to see me again. I did finally and officially clinch a playoff spot in this league. If I win 1 more game or some teams lose I will clinch the BYE week in this league.

J.A.I.L. League*
The True Guru 99, Sin City Rebels 78
I faced off against my older brother Chris and the match was tougher than it looks. I almost thought I blew it when at the last minute Jay Glazer (FOX) said that Jacobs was going to suit up and start and everything I read said differently. So, I benched Derrick Ward and started LenDale White and the difference was a 16 point loss. Brett Farve, Andre Johnson, Dwayne Bowe, and the Bears defense bailed me out. This game went down to Monday. I was all done and held onto a 42 point lead, but Sin City had Ryan Grant Marques Colston, and Donald Lee. Whew. I clinched a playoff berth in this league. There is no BYE week, so my work in done for now.

Vegas Vs Texas League (SCORED LEAGUE HIGH SCORE)**
Lv Cowboys 199, Brontis Bombers 169
This was a big week. A win and I clinch the BYE week. Plus I got to face-off against a rookie in the league who will make the playoffs, but I needed to make sure he didn't beat the wily veteran. This game looked like a blowout early, but then Kurt Warner and Michael Turner went Ballistic in points and managed to make it somewhat close. The game was up for grabs on Monday night as I was done and had Green Bay's defense, but we know what happened there. MY big performers were Minnesota defense, Tony Gonzalez, and Eli Manning. The rest of my team did average. The last game of the season no longer matters as I have my BYE week secured.

NSP Experts League (SCORED LEAGUE HIGH SCORE)*
FF Search 144, Bruno Boys 128
A big win this week in the NSP Expert League. With Lucky Lester losing, my win puts me in second place and in firm control of my destiny and the coveted BYE week. Larry from Bruno Boys put up a helluva a fight scoring the second highest score of the week, but just came short to my highest score of the week. I had a huge night from Drew Brees, Joseph Addai, Bears defense, and Wes Welker. This league was also my start of the week. I benched Brain Westbrook as I recommended to my readers and started Leon Washington. What a move as Washington poured in 19 points. great matchup and a great week for The True Guru. If I win next week against my buddy Mike from Xtreme Fantasy Football or Lucky Lester loses I get the BYE week. Stay tuned.

Fantasy Football Search Expert League
Fantasy Football Search 125, Nooffseason.com 118
I've had allot of big wins this year, but this one was one of my biggest. I have to win out and others have to lose for me to make the playoffs in this league. I went into Monday nights game down 118-96 and I had only Lance Moore left. He got the job done and did it quickly. Thomas Jones and Tony Romo also got the job done. I still need to win next week and if a couple of other teams lose I'm in the playoffs. I should get Reggie Bush back as well and that could be big for my final stab at a playoff berth.

posted by The True GURU at 11:19 PM 0 Comments

Monday Brunch: Don't know much about history

I really liked this article by Scott Pianowski. I like the theory of not depending too much on historic matchups. I found this article at Yahoo! Sports, Check it out.

Monday Brunch: Don't know much about history
By Scott Pianowski
I know they're on your computer somewhere, tucked away in your favorite links. Fantasy history, player versus team, pretty numbers on a spreadsheet. And it's time to do the right thing, my friends: select and delete.
A short memory is the best friend of a goalie or a defensive back, and it's also something you want as a fantasy owner. Players improve or regress, some schemes jell while others fall apart, adjustments are made, roles change. And this point really gets hammered home when we look at all the Week 12 results that defied the historical trends between player and opponent.
Remember Week 4, when Ronnie Brown struck the Patriots with the Wildcat while Matt Cassel and Randy Moss looked like a couple of schmucks? It all reversed in Miami Sunday. The Dolphins single-covering Moss was an unexpected bonus for the Pats, but Cassel's improved significantly since September. And the Patriots, to their credit, have tightened up their run-stopping after a messy first month.
Michael Turner couldn't do a thing against the Panthers the first time around. Sunday he almost tore a rotator cuff from all the end zone spiking. Eddie Royal abused the Raiders on the first Monday of the year. Sunday, you couldn't even tell he was on the field. Hines Ward had a history of success against the Bengals into Week 12. Thursday night, he wasn't a factor (though he did lose one big catch on a penalty). DeAngelo Williams didn't get much in Carolina's earlier win over Atlanta. Sunday, he went off in a loss.
I'm not suggesting that you should completely blow off matchups as you make your fantasy decisions, but make sure you're staying in the here and now. Games played two years ago or even two months ago just don't matter very much for projection purposes (the 2007 Patriots and Giants can tell you that). And looking back to previous seasons might be the biggest waste of time in this fantasy racket; the teams might not change uniforms, but just about anything else is in a state of flux. Look back 3-4 weeks at most, and use that as the foundation for your projections.
With that rant off my chest, let's look around the Week 12 landscape and talk some football:
• Leon Washington has hit double-digit touches just once in the last two months, and he had just nine at Tennessee, albeit two touchdowns followed. Would 4-5 more touches a game be too much to ask, New York? It's so difficult to flex-start a player who sees the ball this infrequently, but Washington's explosive skills can't be ignored. He's the type of player who should give Denver fits next week.
Sticking with the Jets, it would be nice if they'd drop the coy act on their kickers so we could roll with Jay Feely (51 points in four weeks) and not have to worry about it. Mike Nugent seems healthy enough to kick now, but how can the team go away from Feely while he's dialed in? Unfortunately, they refuse to say much about it until game day.
• Imagine the day when Calvin Johnson plays with a star quarterback, or heck, an average one. He's basically had one no-show all year, no matter that he's doubled all over the field and his teammates can't deliver the ball to him accurately.
• I'm all for Chris Johnson and he'll go off against Detroit Thursday, and Steve Slaton is a nifty player, but it's time to concede that Matt Forte is the best rookie back for fantasy purposes. It doesn't mean he's the best player, mind you, but he's definitely got the best setup.
• Kevin Walter can play on my team anytime. He understands how to set up defenders, and he catches the ball in stride just very well.
• Accept that the LaDainian Tomlinson we saw Sunday night is who he'll be for the rest of the year. Still a useful, handy, solid player, someone you start every week. But the second gear is gone, the ability to plant a foot and embarrass a defender, the ability to turn 11-yard runs into 50-yard runs. Between the career workload and the dings of this year, he's not at full throttle. To say anything else at this point is closing both of your eyes and taking a leap of faith.
• Philip Rivers played more than well enough to beat the Colts (24-for-31, 288 yards, two touchdowns, 9.3 YPA, 126.8 rating). I didn't like Norv Turner's endgame, how about you?
• Dwayne Bowe rarely goes bananas, but he's doing something just about every week. My kind of fantasy player, and he's going to get better.
• Shaun Hill won't overwhelm anyone with his physical gifts, but he understands what's going on out there. A shame he's not a little taller, or the arm couldn't be a little stronger. But there's a playmaker here.
• Terrell Owens has an extra gear when he sniffs the end zone, and he certainly abused the Niners for three hours Sunday. That said, didn't it look like Nate Clements was playing in ski boots?
• The Giants don't need Plaxico Burress, and I'll be surprised if he's there next year.
• Jamal Lewis probably had a big game coming if the Browns didn't lose their way against the Texans. Still, it's funny that a back that's used as much as Lewis can still be without a 90-yard rushing game as we hit Thanksgiving week.
• I never had a problem with Maurice Jones-Drew, it was more an issue with the team's play calling and the spotty play of the line. It's great to see the first concern no longer applies.
• They don't come any tougher than Clinton Portis, who's willing himself to yardage these days while he's clearly not 100 percent healthy. In a lot of cities the running back spot is fungible, but if you take Portis away from this Redskins team, they're going nowhere.
• You have a better chance hitting Powerball than you do figuring out the matrix that is the Baltimore backfield. Willis McGahee and Ray Rice got their chances Sunday and couldn't get it done; they left the door wide open for Le'Ron McClain.
• I don't blame Andy Reid for wanting to see Kevin Kolb play eventually, but asking the unproven kid to enter a hornet's nest at Baltimore, that didn't make any sense.
• A tip of the cap to my buddy Brad Evans, who keeps finding production for you, buried at the bottom of the barrel. Another hit this week, as Fred Jackson collected 76 yards on 11 touches. Anyone can tell you the obvious in this numbers racket, but it takes skill to find hidden stats in the trenches.
• Tyler Thigpen's numbers were a lot better than his actual play. We can live with that from a fantasy perspective, but he definitely took a step back against Buffalo.
• Get Davone Bess on your radar, he's been progressing nicely and Greg Camarillo, sadly, is out for the season. If you can run reliable routes, Chad Pennington will find you.
• Josh McDaniels is going places. And if I'm Cassell, I want to be in the same city.
• It's hard to go wrong with Buffalo Tom. Enjoy today's musical selection.

posted by The True GURU at 11:14 PM 0 Comments

Bush scratched for Packers game

NEW ORLEANS (AP)—Reggie Bush was scratched for the New Orleans Saints’ home game against the Green Bay Packers on Monday night.
Bush, who had arthroscopic surgery Oct. 20 to repair a torn meniscus in his left knee, has practiced intermittently the past two weeks and said last Thursday he hoped to be ready to play soon.
However, he rested on Friday and coach Sean Payton listed him as questionable. Saints officials confirmed before the game that Bush was going to be one of New Orleans’ inactive players, meaning he would miss his fourth straight game.
The Saints went 2-1 in their first three games without Bush and were 3-4 when he played. Even after missing three games, Bush remained second on the club in receptions with 42 for 366 yards and three touchdowns. He has 294 yards and two TDs rushing this season and has returned three punts for touchdowns, including two the last time the Saints played on Monday night, when they lost 30-27 to Minnesota on Oct. 6.

posted by The True GURU at 4:55 PM 0 Comments

Sunday Snide Remarks Week 12

By Andy Benoit, www.NFLTouchdown.com

Thanksgiving Games Note
There is a scheduling flaw in the Thanksgiving games. Both the Cowboys and Lions had home games on Sunday. That’s not fair because their opponents this Thursday will have to travel. The NFL should force the Cowboys and Lions to play on the road before their Thursday game, that way both teams facing off Thursday will have had to travel in some form on the short week.

Baltimore Ravens 36, Philadelphia Eagles 7
By far the biggest news of the week came when Andy Reid shockingly benching Donovan McNabb. Watching this was like seeing a couple you’ve been friends with for years abruptly get divorced after you thought they had already survived the rocky parts of their marriage. Deep down you’re not necessarily surprised that the divorce came because there was a time, awhile back, that you were certain it would. But now that it actually has (seemingly), you’re absolutely floored. After 10 years, it just seems weird even thinking about Andy Reid ad Donovan McNabb not being together.

By the way, what in the world is Reid thinking? The stingy Ravens defense was giving his 10-year veteran problems, so to ameliorate the situation, he asks his callow second-year quarterback to make his debut and save the team’s playoff hopes in the process? And what does Reid do now? The Eagles have a short week….does he keep Kolb in there and hope for the best? There’s absolutely no way Reid thought this one through.

Other quick notes from this game….

Jarret Johnson was a beast for the Ravens, recording 1.5 sacks and disrupting about a half dozen more plays.

Ed Reed finally had another record-setting interception return. It had been a long time since the star safety took a pick back 100-plus yards.

The Eagles still can’t convert in short-yardage situations.

Joe Flacco was far from spectacular, completing less than 50 percent of his throws. But because he has a coach who puts him in positions to succeed (you listening, Andy Reid?) he managed to avoid any turnovers and toss two touchdowns.

New York Jets 34, Tennessee Titans 13
Great loss for the Titans. This unlikeliest of winning streaks had to come to an end at some point – might as well have it happen before any distractions stir up. And with a short week before playing Detroit, there’s virtually not time for anyone to dwell on this loss. The Titans will be 11-1 and under the radar before the holiday shopping season begins.

Chris Carr will be noted for his costly pass interference penalties in this game, which is too bad. The versatile defensive back has played extremely well since being forced into the starting lineup a few games ago.

Albert Haynesworth has been known to play with concussions, and sure enough, he was on the field in the second half after taking a shot to the head early on. Haynesworth now has 8.5 sacks on the season and remains, in my opinion, the NFL MVP.

Leon Washington is more than just an X-factor. He’s the best playmaker on New York’s high-scoring offense.

Back-to-back road wins against the Patriots and Titans is impressive, but I don’t know if the Jets want to be talked about as the AFC’s best team. When you have Brett Favre and play in New York, that creates a lot of added pressure – especially with the possibility of a subway Super Bowl being on the table.

Dallas Cowboys 35, San Francisco 49ers 22
Dallas is back, thanks in large part to a re-energized defense. Terence Newman did not have his best game Sunday, but a furious front seven helped make up for it, sacking Shaun Hill four times and limiting a Niners passing attack that started hot early on.

Terrell Owens did his thing, both during the week when he ran his mouth, and on Sunday, when he backed it up. Facing man coverage that looked more like “boy coverage”, Owens torched his former 49er team for seven catches and 213 yards. As obnoxious as T.O. can be, it’s hard to argue with his logic when he says that when he gets the ball, good things happen. Besides Calvin Johnson, there’s not a more unstoppable wide receiving when it comes to running downfield with a full head of steam.

One mistake Wade Phillips made was leaving Tony Romo and Marion Barber in the game down the stretch. Dallas had a comfortable lead and should have been thinking about preserving key players for Thanksgiving.

It was in a losing effort, but Isaac Bruce showed that he hasn’t slowed down much at all. The Reverend caught eight passes for 125 yards and a touchdown. True, Bruce’s numbers are down this year – he’s on pace for about 700 yards receiving – but that has more to do with San Francisco’s instability at quarterback.

Pacman Jones will be reinstated in time for the Pittsburgh game in a few weeks, but I’m not sure what Dallas will do with him. Newman and Anthony Henry are both playing well at corner, and the Cowboys are smitten over fifth-round rookie Orlando Scandrick in the slot. And don’t forget, sharing time with Scandrick at nickel back has been first-round rookie Mike Jenkins.

To read Snide Remarks from all Week 12 games, visit www.NFLTouchdown.com

posted by The True GURU at 4:43 PM 0 Comments

Sunday, November 23, 2008

Consider Benching Westbrook Week 12

I know its not the popular thing to suggest, but this is aiming to be a very bad week for Brian Westbrook. First he is dealing with two injuries that have plagued most of the season. The first is a high ankle sprain that he hurt earlier in the year. Then he has some swelling in his knees, which is fairly normal for Westbrook. Let's not forget the broken ribs that have healed, but are still very sore.

Now factor in the very good Ravens run defense that has been awesome against the run this year. If Westbrook plays and we think he will, it will be a limited roll with Buckhalter taking allot of touches away from him. Also, if he does play he will get his points in the the air, so if your league is not PPR than you are probably screwed.

If you have a decent backup, this would be the week to rest Westbrook. Keep an eye on the news Sunday morning cause he may not even suit up.

I am benching him in all three leagues I have and I'd recommend you doing the same if your backup is DECENT.

Todd "The True Guru" Farino

posted by The True GURU at 1:49 AM 0 Comments

BOYCOTT Blog Talk Radio's Fantasy Sports Channel & Here's Why

Here we go again, more complaining from Todd Farino right? How about more abuse from Paul Greco and his gang. I had a rough year in the industry last season due to my relationship with Paul Greco. Anyone who reads our blogs or listens to our shows clearly knows most if not all of the details. However, now things have gotten worse and again it's Paul Greco and his new found ally Tony Cincotta who are trying to silence The True Guru further.

The latest assault on me was them keeping me out of the Fantasy Sports Channel on Blog Talk Radio. They told Blog Talk Radio that if Todd "The True Guru" Farino was on the Channel that they ALL would not be and they would split. I was as shocked as you probably are to hear that grown men would actually lower themselves to tactics that can compromise another person's business just because of personal arguments. Especially in an industry that requires everyone to work together and my track record of running web sites that for 4 years solely did just that, work together. Helping young, old, and new sites get exposure was my main goal and still is. I even helped Paul Greco get discovered. I found his blog site after it first launched in 2007 and I invited him to have a link on the home page of http://www.fantasybaseballsearch.com/ and to become our site's official blog. He accepted and within weeks he went from a zero Google page rank to a 4 and according to him my impact was huge in bringing in new visitors to a site that was only months old. Our relationship turned into a friendship and in April of 2007 I started appearing on Greco's radio show every week with the great Lenny Melnick. I was on nearly every show and even guest hosted a few times before I left the show in October. I only left because I had football to focus on and fantasy baseball was over. We even did football shows together later that year and I met Paul when he came to Vegas that summer of '07.

So what went wrong? I hate to rehash old garbage, but basically Paul was not happy when I decided in 2008 to launch The Fantasy Baseball Gurus Show, which I informed him in January, 2008. He then invited me to the now over discussed and tiresome Fantasy Baseball Mock Draft.

Here is a breakdown of what has happened since and then I'll give you the reasons for the boycott. Footnotes for sources are present at the bottom and marked with an asterisk in the article.




  1. February 25, 2008 - Paul trashed me badly at the Mock Draft*. I requested an apology, he refused. Maybe he did it cause I was the least known expert in the drat, maybe cause I left his show. He bashed no one but me.


  2. Early March, 2008 - I went on Paul's show** to defend my picks and Paul and Lenny teamed up on me further attacking me and asking me flat out false questions about Ryan Braun, like, "Do I still think he will steal allot of bases NOW that he is batting in front of Prince Fielder now?" Well, in 2007 he stole 18 of his 19 bases while batting in front of Fielder*. Apparently Greco didn't do his homework to know that.


  3. We did move on as Paul was part of my Fantasy Baseball Search expert league and I thought we had buried the hatchet since he sorta apologized in private.


  4. April 29th, 2008 - After listening to Talking Baseball and hearing Lenny Melnick say, "you were stupid to draft closers in the 4 or 5 rounds" (not verbatim) and feeling that comment was directed at me, I posted my thoughts on the value of closers in a blog post titled, "Closer Wars Heat Up: Us Vs. Them"***. This post heavily upset both Paul and Lenny because I challenged their theories and they felt I was not in the position as a lowly industry analysis to dare match wits with the great Melnick and Greco. LOL.

  5. In June I had a phone conversation with Paul and in part of the conversation I asked him why he keeps inviting mu co host on his show, but not me or RC. His answer, "Patrick is published. We consider him an expert. We do not consider you an expert." Wow, I was an expert when I did his show and when we were going to run expert leagues together, but now I'm not an expert? This is coming from a man who's claim to fame is scrounging off of Lenny Melnick's reputation and losing in Gillette's Rookie Reporter contest. I thought Paul was a veteran reporter, not a rookie! Talk about a step backwards!


  6. July 1, 2008 - Patrick DiCaprio leaves my show after Paul Greco asked him to work on their new web site launching in January 2009. Part of the deal was Patrick must leave my show ASAP. Why would Patrick not be able to stay on till September with the site not launching till January? I do not know, but I can guess Paul's immaturity and 4th grade tactics were involved.


  7. During the All-Star break Paul Greco quits my expert league posting about it with the hopes more would follow. It was more like the scene out of Jerry McGuire, but not even his secretary Patrick DiCaprio went with him. Nobody else quit. After I told him off, he posted taped messages I left on Patrick's voice mail after we got in a heated argument. Paul ALSO had attacked me several times in the expert league on the message board and accused my of all sorts of improper actions. All proven false of course and all ended up being very embarrassing for Paul. In fact, who takes a recorded message and posts it on his site and solicits people in the industry to listen to it. How childish and 4th grade level is that! Really?


  8. August 6th, 2008 After we went back and forth, I agreed to stop it at the request of my co hosts cause the fight was childish and a waste of my time. Patrick DiCaprio didn't think so and he put up a harsh post in his blog titled, "The Fall Of Jacoby Ellsbury"****. This article was posted while Jacoby Ellsbury was in a slump and also begged the question, "Did I qualify as an expert or should I even be called that anymore?" Well, Ellsbury got hot after that and ceased Patrick's worthless post and argument. I did not retaliate, trying to stop this BS and move on like an adult.


  9. In August my good friend Johnny Archive and I were viciously attacked on our show rating comments and chat rooms by a listener called R.A. Dickey, who we later found out through IP address chasing and other sources was Tony Cincotta. Tony is the man with a thousand aliases and at the time he was not getting along with either of us, so of course it was him. Tony also attacked my radio shows by giving them 1 star ratings on Fantasy Baseball Search, and after I banned his Yahoo! IM account from contacting me, he asked to join my friend list under the alias edorfred38, saying he was a iTunes listener named Ed H. He asked me baseball related questions and never said he was Tony. Why would he do that?


  10. In September the Fantasy Sports Channel launched on Blog Talk Radio and Johnny Archive and I were never invited. After several conversation with BTR customer relations and Tony Cincotta I found out that Paul was friends with Alan Levy (CEO Blog Talk Radio) and was put in charge of getting the shows for the channel. Him and Tony waged a campaign to keep Johnny and my shows out of the channel basing it on our relationship and saying I would cause problems. They even said that if I were allowed in tehy would leave the Fantasy Sports Channel. That's right me. I'd cause the problems, Not Paul and the man with a thousand alias'! I hadn't done anything in months, and if I did it was normally in response, not an attack. I had absorbed attacks by Tony and Patrick without doing anything. Hmmm. Those actiosn clearly showed that they care more about themselves and their own egos than they do the listeners or Blog Talk Radio. Even without the channel, my show is still one of the highest rated.


I left allot of details out cause I don't want this post to be a book, but you get the idea. I am asking for a boycott of Blog Talk Radio's Fantasy Sports Channel until they let us in and cease control of it from Paul and Tony. We deserve to be in there. I've been broadcasting on BTR since April of 2007 and they launched in January of 2007. I helped build the fantasy sports audience on the web site creating 4 shows and making guest appearances on countless others. My shows constantly remain in the top 20 shows (podcasts) in the sports section on Blog Talk Radio out of over 13,000+ shows! It is an injustice that I was kept out. With over 64,000 total listeners, 1.5 years in service, and 4 seasons of broadcasting I deserve to be in the Fantasy Sports Channel I helped build. Email BTR at service@blogtalkradio.com and tell them you are boycotting the Fantasy Sports Channel until The True Guru and others are let in. Blog Talk Radio is a great company and I have a tremendous amount of respect for them and what they are doing. However, they dropped the ball on this one and letting bad people like Paul Greco and Tony Cincotta make the decisions they did is just bad business. Especially when they base their decisions on prejudices and not what is right.


Check out our radio shows on Blog Talk Radio that are not in the Fantasy Sports Channel for all you Fantasy Football and Fantasy Baseball needs:


The Fantasy Football Gurus Show - http://www.blogtalkradio.com/The-Fantasy-Gurus


The Fantasy Football Scouting Report - http://www.blogtalkradio.com/Football-Scout


The Fantasy Baseball Gurus Show - http://www.blogtalkradio.com/the_true_guru


The Fantasy Baseball Scouting Report - http://www.blogtalkradio.com/Fantasy-Gurus-Networ


Footnotes and Sources:


* Mock Draft Central's Expert Draft February 25, 2008 hosted by Paul Greco


** Talking Baseball Live March 5, 2008 - hosted by Paul Greco


*** Closer Wars Heat Up: Us Vs. Them April 29th, 2008 written by Todd Farino


**** The Fall of Jacoby Ellsbury August 6, 2008, written by Patrick DiCaprio

posted by The True GURU at 1:47 AM 0 Comments

Thursday, November 20, 2008

The Guru Gridiron Report: Week 12 Bench/Start Defenses


Hey everyone. With things getting very busy we are changing our weekly picks to our top 10 players in each position, the bottom 5 you must bench. We will base our numbers on our formula and the players FFS Fantasy Value Rating. (FVR).
Don't forget to catch our LIVE podcasts on Blog Talk Radio The Fantasy Football Scouting Report - http://www.blogtalkradio.com/Football-Scout every Tuesday at 9:30pm EST and The Fantasy Football Gurus Show - http://www.blogtalkradio.com/The-Fantasy-Gurus every Wednesday at 6:30pm EST. If you can't catch us live, catch the podcast, just click on the link to here the latest show!

TOP 15 DEFENSES YOU MUST START (Includes Special Teams)

  1. Pittsburgh - Always start them at home in the snow.
  2. Philadelphia - They will ground Flacco.
  3. Tampa Bay - The Tampa two will eliminate the passing game.
  4. Chicago - Will dominate and over power the Rams
  5. New York Jets - Will excel against Tennessee.
  6. Minnesota - Jacksonville's O-line is a mess.
  7. Green Bay - They are solid from top to bottom.
  8. Miami - Tough rival match they know very well. At home.
  9. New England Tough rival match they know very well.
  10. Tennessee A slug fest against the Jets. INTs and a TD will likely happen.
  11. Denver- Bad defense, but they are playing the worst offense Oakland at home.
  12. Washington - Playing well, but beat up. Seattle will make mistakes.
  13. Buffalo - They need to redeem themselves
  14. New York Giants - They will be in a shootout, but Warner will likely get sacked and throw INTS.
  15. Oakland - They have a great secondary and Denver has runningback issues.

TOP 5 DEFENSES TO BENCH

  1. New Orleans
  2. Houston
  3. San Diego
  4. St Louis
  5. Indianapolis

TOP 5 SLEEPER DEFENSES (Includes Special Teams)

  1. Cleveland - They looked great lst week, try them again this week for some turnovers and possible scores.
  2. Jacksonville - They need the win badly.
  3. Dallas - The defense is gelling and they are at home against San Francisco.
  4. Atlanta - They can and will show up bg in a divisional matchup.
  5. Seattle - They have Hasslebeck back, they are at home, and they are getting better. We think they can upset Washington and they will need allot from the defense.

Good luck. Next are our Runningbacks!

The True Guru

posted by The True GURU at 8:30 PM 0 Comments

The Guru Gridiron Report: Week 12 Bench/Start Tight Ends


Hey everyone. With things getting very busy we are changing our weekly picks to our top 10 players in each position, the bottom 5 you must bench. We will base our numbers on our formula and the players FFS Fantasy Value Rating. (FVR).
Don't forget to catch our LIVE podcasts on Blog Talk Radio The Fantasy Football Scouting Report - http://www.blogtalkradio.com/Football-Scout every Tuesday at 9:30pm EST and The Fantasy Football Gurus Show - http://www.blogtalkradio.com/The-Fantasy-Gurus every Wednesday at 6:30pm EST. If you can't catch us live, catch the podcast, just click on the link to here the latest show!

TOP 10 TIGHT ENDS YOU MUST START

  1. Dallas Clark
  2. Antonio Gates
  3. Kevin Boss
  4. Tony Gonzalez
  5. Dustin Keller
  6. Bo Scaife
  7. Greg Olsen
  8. Jason Witten
  9. Heath Miller
  10. Donald Lee

TOP 5 TIGHT ENDS TO BENCH

  1. Kellon Winslow - He's out this week, so bench him.
  2. L.J. Smith
  3. Dante Rosario
  4. John Carleson
  5. Jeremy Shockey

TOP 3 SLEEPER TIGHT ENDS

  1. Marcedes Lewis - Jacksonville will throw often and Lewis is a favorite target.
  2. Anthony Fasano - We think this is a big game for him and a great matchup.
  3. Zach Miller - Denver can't stop anything in the air, so he's worth a try and should have a very good game.

Good luck. Next are our Defenses!

The True Guru

posted by The True GURU at 8:18 PM 0 Comments

The Guru Gridiron Report: Week 12 Bench/Start Wide Receivers


Hey everyone. With things getting very busy we are changing our weekly picks to our top 10 players in each position, the bottom 5 you must bench. We will base our numbers on our formula and the players FFS Fantasy Value Rating. (FVR).
Don't forget to catch our LIVE podcasts on Blog Talk Radio The Fantasy Football Scouting Report - http://www.blogtalkradio.com/Football-Scout every Tuesday at 9:30pm EST and The Fantasy Football Gurus Show - http://www.blogtalkradio.com/The-Fantasy-Gurus every Wednesday at 6:30pm EST. If you can't catch us live, catch the podcast, just click on the link to here the latest show!

TOP 15 WIDE RECIEVERS YOU MUST START

  1. Larry Fitzgerald - He has the skills to break away from Giants defenders
  2. Andre Johnson - Big game Andre will be back this week.
  3. Reggie Wayne - Wow, a cream matchup for Wayne owners.
  4. Anquan Boldin - He'll get plenty of catches and should score once.
  5. Bradndon Marshall - He's talking allot, but will he score allot?
  6. Greg Jennings - Big Monday night game for Jennings.
  7. Plaxico Burress - He could have a 2 TD day if a shoot out happens.
  8. Braylon Edwards - He should have a breakout game against Houston at home.
  9. Terrell Owens - Hasn't done much lately, but you have to start him and he can explode.
  10. Chris Chambers - If he is 100% healthy he will have a big game.
  11. Dwayne Bowe - Should be active all day with a big passing game.
  12. Jerricho Cotchery - Farve will need him and use him in this game Vs. Tennessee.
  13. Randy Moss - Its a must win for the Patriots and Moss will do his part.
  14. Roddy White - He'll get a TD and 85 yards.
  15. Eddie Royal - He's becoming a top target of Cutler's. He should get a TD.
  16. Lance Moore - Quickly becoming a personal favorite for Brees.
  17. DeSean Jackson - He's too fast for the old Baltimore defense.
  18. Steve Smith - Great matchup for Smith. Could have a monster day.
  19. Rashied Davis - He's been quiet lately, but look for him to bust out of that week 12.
  20. Justin Gage - He's landed on the Radar! Start him.

TOP 5 WIDE RECEIVERS TO BENCH

  1. Vincent Jackson - As long as Chambers is back all the points go to the big three in San Diego.
  2. T.J. Houshmandzadeh - Pittsburgh will stuff the passing game
  3. Chad Johnson - Refer to player above.
  4. Calvin Johnson - The Tampa two will eliminate him.
  5. Lee Evans - Until he shows life, you can't trust him.

TOP 5 SLEEPER WIDE RECEIVERS

  1. Donnie Avery - He's lulled us all back to sleep, now watch him step up in week 12.
  2. Lavernues Coles - He is the target for Farve when they get to the red zone. He just needs to get open.
  3. Devin Hester - He is so overdue my spline is about to rupture.
  4. Donte Stallworth - With Winslow out he because the #2 man in Cleveland.
  5. Hank Basket - He has a gorgeous new fiance and next he will add another TD.

Good luck. Next are our Tight Ends!

The True Guru

posted by The True GURU at 4:53 PM 0 Comments

The Guru Gridiron Report: Week 12 Bench/Start Runningbacks


Hey everyone. With things getting very busy we are changing our weekly picks to our top 10 players in each position, the bottom 5 you must bench. We will base our numbers on our formula and the players FFS Fantasy Value Rating. (FVR).
Don't forget to catch our LIVE podcasts on Blog Talk Radio The Fantasy Football Scouting Report - http://www.blogtalkradio.com/Football-Scout every Tuesday at 9:30pm EST and The Fantasy Football Gurus Show - http://www.blogtalkradio.com/The-Fantasy-Gurus every Wednesday at 6:30pm EST. If you can't catch us live, catch the podcast, just click on the link to here the latest show!

TOP 15 RUNNINGBACKS YOU MUST START

  1. Joseph Addai - He is back and looking to control the game against Indianapolis.
  2. Matt Forte - Playing a week Rams defense on turf.
  3. LaDainian Tomlinson - You can run all day on Indianapolis.
  4. Marion Barber - They will run with him 25 times. Should have a big game.
  5. Marshawn Lynch - Look for him to follow up his last game with another good one against Kansas City.
  6. Clinton Portis - If he is healthy he's a great start this week.
  7. Steve Slaton - If he is healthy look for a big game against Cleveland.
  8. Michael Turner - He will score and be used often in week 12.
  9. Ryan Grant - We like him late in the season at home. It his tie to shine.
  10. Adrian Peterson - He's magic and will find the holes in the Jacksonville defense.
  11. Frank Gore - Dallas has a solid run defense, but Gore will find some holes.
  12. Derrick Ward & Ahmad Bradshaw- If Ward & Bradshaw start for Jacobs they both can have very good games and both could easily score.
  13. Brian Westbrook - He's playing hurt, but he will play and he should put up some points against Baltimore.
  14. Willie Parker - Him and Moore will have tons of carries.
  15. Chris Johnson - They will need him to keep the Jets honest and he could break a big one.

TOP 5 RUNNINGBACKS TO BENCH

  1. BenJarvous Green-Ellis - Back to being a backup
  2. Willis McGahee - Philly won't give him anything to run with.
  3. Pierre Thomas or Duece McCallister - Neither will find any success against Green Bay in Lambeau.
  4. Tim Hightower - Look to start J.J. Arrington again cause Hightower may not get 5 carries!

TOP 5 SLEEPER RUNNINGBACKS

  1. P.J. Pope - One of the runningbacks filling in for the Denver Broncos. Could have a big game against Oakland.
  2. Peyton Hillis - He gets carries, but the carries are mainly goal line. You have to love that.
  3. Jamal Lewis - He hasn't done much lately, but should be very active against Houston's defense. 100+ should occur.
  4. Jerious Norwood - He'll find the end zone against Carolina this week. 70+ yards and 1 TD.
  5. Leon Washington - The Jets will need him to win and they will use him often.

Good luck. Next are our Wide Receivers!

The True Guru

posted by The True GURU at 3:43 PM 0 Comments

Felix Jones Out For The Year, T. Choice Now #2

Reports out of Dallas are that Felix Jones is out for the year due to a toe injury he sustained while rehabbing his tweaked hamstring. Look for Tashard Choice to take his place on the depth chart.

This is bad for fantasy owners who were hoping to get Jones back for the playoff run. Now is the time to make your moves, so cut him if you got him. The Cowboys will not chance their #1 pick.

Todd "The True Guru" Farino

posted by The True GURU at 2:02 PM 0 Comments

The Guru Gridiron Report: Week 12 Bench/Start Quarterbacks


Hey everyone. With things getting very busy we are changing our weekly picks to our top 10 players in each position, the bottom 5 you must bench. We will base our numbers on our formula and the players FFS Fantasy Value Rating. (FVR).
Don't forget to catch our LIVE podcasts on Blog Talk Radio The Fantasy Football Scouting Report - http://www.blogtalkradio.com/Football-Scout every Tuesday at 9:30pm EST and The Fantasy Football Gurus Show - http://www.blogtalkradio.com/The-Fantasy-Gurus every Wednesday at 6:30pm EST. If you can't catch us live, catch the podcast, just click on the link to here the latest show!

TOP 10 QUARTERBACKS YOU MUST START

  1. Philip Rivers - Big matchup, big game. 3 TDs.
  2. Peyton Manning - Same matchup vs San Diego, 2-3 TDs
  3. Eli Manning - We are assuming Jacobs won't play. 260 yards and 2-3 TDs if he doesn't.
  4. Drew Brees - He's always big for scores. 300 yards and 2-3 TDs
  5. Kurt Warner - He will be in a shootout with Manning. Look for 300 yards and 2 TDs
  6. Aaron Rodgers - Great Monday night matchup. Big game for him, 275 and 2 TDs
  7. Tony Romo - His pinkie feels better and he's in Dallas. 240 yards and 2 TDs
  8. Jay Cutler - Continue the comeback. He'll hit two receivers against Oakland and strike for 225 yards.
  9. Sage Rosenfels - His receivers over match Cleveland's secondary. Look for 225 yards and 1-2 TDs
  10. Brett Farve - He will beat Tennessee. They need him to come up big. 210 yards and 2 TDs.

TOP 5 QUARTERBACKS TO BENCH

  1. Ryan Fitzpatrick - No chance against Pittsburgh defense.
  2. Gus Frerotte - Jacksonville will overpower his offensive line.
  3. Ben Roethlisberger - Depends on the weather.
  4. Joe Flacco - Philadelphia will blitz all day
  5. Shaun Hill - The Cowboys will come to play at home.

TOP 5 SLEEPER QUARTERBACK

  1. David Garrard - Big game for the Jaguars. Garrard will tear up the pass defense of Minnesota for 250 yards and 2 TDs, maybe 3.
  2. Brady Quinn - He has a great matchup and he's looked
  3. Matt Cassel - Look for him to get 180-200 yards and 2 TDs.
  4. Marc Bulger - Great start. He will have to pass against the Bears and can score.
  5. Kerry Collins - They will need to pass, so expect Collins to do so and get 200 yards and a TD or 2.

Good luck. Next are our Runningbacks!

The True Guru

posted by The True GURU at 11:43 AM 0 Comments

NEW IDEA FOR NFL OVERTIME

NEW IDEA FOR NFL OVERTIME
By Andy Benoit, www.NFLTouchdown.com

You hear two common complaints about the NFL overtime format. The first, which has risen to the surface this week, is that games shouldn’t end in a tie. The second, which has been prevalent for many years, is that the sudden death format is unfair. Before getting to how the NFL can improve this situation, let’s first be willing to understand the situation.

Why does the NFL have ties? The main issue is player safety. League officials believe that an elongated game of such violence can lead to excessive injuries. They’re probably right. But if you don’t care about that, or you don’t believe the NFL when they say this, consider this: tie games are not unfair – they’re just not fun. Don’t mistake a bad game for an unfair game. If two teams remain neck-and-neck for five quarters of play, does either really deserve to lose? How about if two teams stay tied for six quarters? What about seven quarters? Eight quarters? Nine? What about 100?

People will say that a tie game results in nothing. That’s not true. It results in a half-game difference in the standings. This serves as an excellent playoff tiebreaker – a tiebreaker that one could easily argue is fairer than a divisional record or head-to-head record (which can sometimes decide a final playoff spot). Let’s get hypothetical. Say the Eagles and Saints are tied for the last playoff spot, but Philly beat New Orleans earlier in the season in a game that Drew Brees sat out. How fair would it be to award the Eagles the playoff spot on these merits? My point here is, a tie game isn’t any more unfair than certain playoff tiebreaking scenarios – a tie game is just not climactic in the short run.

The overtime situation could be worse – the NFL could implement the ridiculous Kansas City Overtime rule (like you see in college). Any true football fan would rather see a tie game than a game decided by what amounts to “halfcourt football.” The K.C. O.T. format eliminates special teams, field position and the deep ball from the equation. It makes for an entirely different sport.

This is the point where people say, “Okay, fine, but I’d still rather see teams play a second overtime rather than just walk off the field undecided.” Or, this is the point where people might say, “What does the NFL care about fairness if they’re willing to let overtime be decided by a coin flip?”

Well, you’re not going to outright solve both problems because the NFL is not going to abolish ties (for the reasons we just discussed). But you can eliminate the coin flip problem by having the first possession be determined by which team has either the most total yards or the most yards per play in that game.

Now, before you rebut, let me explain. A lot of people will say, “Why not keep it simple and just guarantee each team one possession? Why not allow a team to have a shot at matching an opponent’s score?” Because doing this would significantly increase the number of tie games. What happens if a team scores a touchdown after a five-minute drive, then the next team matches it after their own four-minute drive? Now the teams are still tied, only instead of 15 minutes to play, there are six. Yes, I find ties to be a necessity; that doesn’t mean I want to see more of them.

Visit www.NFLTouchdown.com to continue reading

posted by The True GURU at 11:42 AM 0 Comments

True Guru Scouting Report: Matt Cassel & Brett Farve



We wanted to cover these three players, especially before week 12 because they are changing in value rapidly. We've done allot of scouting on these guys this season and recently and this is what we have for you.

Matt Cassel QB, New England Patriots FVR: 8.4 - @ Miami week 12. This will be a tough matchup for Cassel. He has been rapidly improving, so allot of owners are considering starting him. Our view is to be very careful in your selections. Cassel will certainly get some points, but he is still relatively unknown as to what he will do and is still inconsistent. Back in week three the much less expereinced Cassel only threw for 131 yards and a TD and 1 pick. We expect much better numbers this week, but don't expect some huge game. We are looking for 180, and 1-2 TDs. He's a solid start, but won't explode. We do like Cassel's matchups weeks 14-16 (Playoff weeks) where he faces Seattle, Oakland, and Arizona. He could help you win a championship. Maybe everything will be OK in the world with a New England quarterback leading you to a championship?

Brett Farve QB, New York Jets FVR: 8.4 - @ Tennessee. If anyone can beat the Titans, it's the NY Bretts. We were very high on Farve coming into the season and he's been wild most of the year and somewhat inconsistent. The good thing is in many cases its not his fault. Take the St. Louis game. That game was over 10 minutes in and passing wasn't really much of an option at 40-0. He has also under performed because he wasn't quite on the same page in the playbook with his team. However, that has now changed and Farve is sparkling. We expect 250 yards and 2 TDs from Farve. The Titans will limit Jones's production forcing Farve to pass. He also has a nice playoff schedule with @ San Francisco, Vs. Buffalo, and week 16 @ Seattle. He's could start all 3 games for you fantasy team.

posted by The True GURU at 3:13 AM 0 Comments

The Fantasy Football Search Expert League Playoff Update

We have some very exciting tight race in the West division, but the East Division looks much more clear as far as the playoffs are concerned.

In the West division, Big Game Fantasy Sports, Scout Fantasy Football, and Pro Fantasy Games currently hold the three playoff spots at 6-5. Only 1 game back at 5-6 are three more teams, Fantasy Foootball Starters, Fantasy Football Search, Archive Nation (Johnny Archive).


In the East, Xtreme Fantasy Football has clinched the only playoff spot so far. Junkyard Jake (8-3) can clinch a playoff spot this week with a win or with a Nooffseason.com loss. Owners Box Sports is in great shape for the final playoff spot in the East Division at 7-4. If he wins and Nooffseason.com loses he clinches as well. Nooffseason.com faces Fantasy Football Search (me) in week 12. Obviously I need a win badly, but I have a feeling the top guys in the Eastern Division are rooting for me to win so they can wrap things up.

The West Division will go down to the final game. To check out the league and this weeks matchups, visit the FFS Expert League page at http://www.fantasyfootballsearch.com/2008_fantasy_football_expert_league.asp

You can also see the live league page on ESPN at
http://games.espn.go.com/ffl/leagueoffice?leagueId=84789

Todd "The True Guru" Farino

posted by The True GURU at 12:59 AM 0 Comments

Tuesday, November 18, 2008

The True Guru Wants to Hear From You with Comments

Hey readers. First off I want to thank all of the visitors who stop by and read my blog. Hopefully it has been of great help to you. Now we are ready to start hearing from you. We have changed our policy to allow anyone to post any comments they want as long as the comments are clean, not advertising a site, and not just irrelevant attacks. If you disagree with us, we want to know. If you agree with us, we want to know.

Thank you and we look forward to hearing from you,
Todd "The True Guru" Farino

posted by The True GURU at 6:06 PM 0 Comments

Bucs could be without Graham for remainder of season

Article By Associated Press

TAMPA, Fla. -- Tampa Bay's Earnest Graham injured his right ankle during a victory over the Minnesota Vikings, and Buccaneers coach Jon Gruden said the running back's season "could be in jeopardy."
Sam Greenwood / Getty Images
Buccaneers RB Earnest Graham is leading the team in rushing this season with 563 yards.
Graham was hurt on his only carry in Sunday's 19-13 win, limping off after landing awkwardly when he was tackled after a 3-yard gain.
"His status for the rest of the season is very much in question right now," Gruden said Monday. "I don't have the exact medical terms, but I will say right now, it doesn't look like he'll play any time soon."
Warrick Dunn took over as the featured back when Graham left, finishing with 53 yards on 20 carries to move ahead of Ricky Watters for 19th place on the NFL's career rushing list with 10,657 yards. He also had four receptions for 65 yards against the Vikings.
Graham's injury also figures to accelerate Carnell "Cadillac" Williams' comeback from an injury that kept him from playing since tearing the patellar tendon in his right knee in September 2007. The fourth-year pro was moved from the physically-unable-to-perform-list to the 53-man roster last week, but he was inactive Sunday.
"Obviously we brought Cadillac up with the understanding he's ready to go," Gruden said. "We're very disappointed for Earnest. He means a lot to us. He's done so much for us here in the last couple of years. He's a key reason why we are where we are."
Graham started 10 games in 2007 and rushed for 898 yards and 10 touchdowns in helping the Bucs win the NFC South.



The True Guru's Take: Get Warrick Dunn and/or Cadillac Williams right now. This team can run and those RB's can produce if healthy.

posted by The True GURU at 5:59 PM 0 Comments

The Guru Gridiron Report: Week 11 Review & Recap




Week 11 was a telling week with some players failing, some players excelling, and some player emerging. Let's cover some of them. IN the past for our Week in review report we've covered popular players and some not popular. From this point on we are going to treat this report as more of a scouting report. We will key in on players that either did real bad, or guys that emerged and you should consider getting off of waivers. Here is our week 11 report:



Quarterbacks

Jay Cutler - UPGRADE FVR: 9.1
He had a solid game and hopefully this is a view of the rest of the season for Cutler.


Tony Romo EVEN FVR: 9.1
Romo had a poor game fantasy wise, but he looked great and his team won. As he pinky heals he will get better and next week he should put up big points.


Donovan McNabb DOWNGRADED FVR: 8.5
Consistency is exactly the reason we would never want McNabb on our team. Last week three TD's, this week 1 in 5 quarters.


Matt Cassel UPGRADED FVR: 8.4
Another great game for Cassel on Thursday. 3 TDs and 400 yards. He is still inconsistent, but worth a start now.



Tylet Thigpen UPGRADED FVR: 8.0
Another great game for the rookie QB. 2 TDs and 235 yards against the Saints. He isn't the greatest, but in a league of failing QBs he can be a savior.

Brett Farve - UPGRADED FVR: 8.4
A very nice game for the 39 year old quarterback. He scored 2 TDs and racked up 258 yards. He is still plagued with inconsistency, but he is getting into the time of the year where he dominates.

Eli Manning DOWNGRADED FVR: 8.2
Eli s failing to get TDs because of his running game. He also has less then effective WRs except for Burress. Either way, week 12 is a big week for him and he will throw 3 TDs.



Shaun Hill UPGRADED FVR: 8.5
Hill had a great game with 3 TDs (1 running). He has had two straight good games and we see him having more. He was our pick at the beginning of the year to start and we think he will have several more great starts this year. Dallas in week 12 looks good for him.



Kerry Collins UPGRADED FVR: 8.3
What can you say about the guy? He managed the game right. He has been great lately and with the running game no longer working cause defenses are keying on it, Collins is throwing to the tune of 230 yards and 3 TDs. Get him if you need a QB. He is still considered inconsistent, but he is getting better.


Runningbacks

Marion Barber UPGRADED FVR: 9.1
Barber dominated the 4th quarter against Washington and had a big game with 100+ yards and a TD. He looks back and has a much better matchup week 12.

Steve Slaton UPGRADE FVR: 8.5
After some tough weeks, Slaton ripped off a 1 TD run on his way to a 2 TD 150+ yard day. Start him and start him often.

J.J. Arrington - EVEN FVR: 7.7
2 offensive touch downs got everyone's attention. Even the President couldn't ignore that. we are still a bit sketchy on his role, but it looks like you will see him splitting time with Hightower and that gives him allot of chances.

Leon Washington UPGRADED FVR: 8.1
A return TD and a receiving TD. This guy is a free agent in 65% of leagues. GET him and start him. He is becoming a scoring machine with blazing speed.


Joseph Addai UPGRADED FVR 8.8
Addai got back in a hurry with a huge game. He had 2 TDs and over 150 total yards. The Colts need a running game to succeed, so they will lean on Addai the rest of the season.

Michael Turner UPGRADED FVR: 8.8
Another good game for Turner and that is rare to see back-to-back good games. He is without a doubt one of the best runningbacks in the league and a must start. He should keep the roll going.

Thomas Jones EVEN FVR: 9.0
Another huge day for Jones. Keep him in as your #1 RB.


Marshawn Lynch UPGRADED FVR 8.4
Lynch had a monster game and nearly scored 2 TDs, but only got 1. He is back and the Bills will need him if they want a playoff spot.



Peyton Hillis UPGRADED FVR 7.9
Hillis got 2 TDs, but only 44 rushing yards. He is a player to watch, but not a must start yet. However, if Denver gets near the goal line he's their man to run it in.


Wide Receiver & Tight Ends

Terrell Owens DOWNGRADED FVR: 8.6
Even with Romo back, teams have figured out how to eliminate Owens. He is still a top flight WR and can score big, but he's now a liability. We did trade him in 2 of the 4 leagues we had him in.


Jerricho Cotchery UPGRADED FVR: 8.3
A very good game for Cotchery and he needed it. He made great catches all night and is without a doubt Farve's favorite target with Keller.

Steve Breaston DOWNGRADED FVR: 7.9
He is still getting catches, but not TDs and not as many catches. He's a low end #3 WR at this point.

Larry Fitzgerald DOWNGRADED FVR: 9.3
10 catches for 150+ yards, but no TDs. Boldin is stealing allot of Fitz's thunder and we don't see it stopping anytime soon. We think there is a conspiracy on the part of Warner to give Boldin big stats and tons of TDs so the Cardinals will resign him or hell get a big payday. They must be BFF's.


Lee Evans DOWNGRADED FVR 8.2
Having a career year, then his QB gets a concussion and Evans has all but vanished. Evans can still make the big plays, but Edwards isn't throwing it. You have to consider benching him at this point.




Dwayne Bowe UPGRADED FVR 8.6
Bowe had a huge day with 2 TDs. Thigpen is on fire and throwing strikes. Bowe and Gonzalez are his only targets, and Bowe nearly caught a 3rd TD pass from him.

Tight Ends

Kevin Winslow DOWNGRADE FVR 8.5
Only a few catches in a game where he should have caught more. It was a tough game and we expect Winslow to rebound in week 12.

Jason Witten DOWNGRADED FVR 8.7
Witten is playing hurt and hasn't done much in 4-5 weeks. Week 12 will be a big week for him and he must rebound to get back in the good graces of his owners.

Dustin Keller UPGRADED FVR: 8.0
No TDs this week, but 8 catches for 87 yards. When Farve is in the red zone, he's looking for his rookie TE.

posted by The True GURU at 1:58 PM 0 Comments

NY Giants RB Jacob's Knee Injury, Will He Miss Week 12?

Source: New York Daily News and Yahoo.com

The New York Giants have their collective fingers crossed after running back Brandon Jacobs was sent for an MRI on his injured left knee. He appeared to hurt it Sunday on his second touchdown run in the first quarter of the Giants' 30-10 win over the Ravens according to a report in the New York Daily News.
Monday, Tom Coughlin didn't sound worried and was hopeful of a quick recovery for Jacobs in time for this weekend's trip to Arizona. He said Jacobs had "a little swelling" and was "walking well."
A source familiar with the MRI results said, "The injury isn't too serious," but that the swelling is still a cause for concern.
"We've been down this road before and hopefully this is not going to keep Brandon out at all," Coughlin said. "But we have some people that are prepared."
In fact, some Ravens didn't even think that Jacobs, who had 73 yards on 11 carries, was that important to the Giants' offense, especially considering the strength and talent of the Giants' offensive line.
"I actually think that Ahmad Bradshaw (nine carries, 96 yards) ran better than Jacobs did," Baltimore defensive tackle Trevor Pryce said Sunday. "The holes they were running through were so big. The holes were gaping. Gaping. If you give any NFL back holes like that he's going to look like Gale Sayers."
Maybe that's true, but there's no doubt that losing Jacobs would be a blow to the NFL's top-ranked rushing attack, which has three straight 200-yard rushing games, five overall, and is averaging 172.7 yards per game. The 6-4, 264-pound Jacobs missed five games last year and parts of two others with first a sprained MCL in his right knee and later a pulled hamstring.

The True GURU's Take: First, get Derrick Ward right now. I agree with Jacob's. With the division all but wrapped up and Bradshaw and Ward to take his spot, the Giants won't take a chance on Jacobs if he knee is hurting at all. Ahmad Bradshaw would also be worth getting as well. Ward could have a huge day against Arizona in week 12.

posted by The True GURU at 1:54 PM 0 Comments

The Guru Gridiron Report: TTG goes 6-0 In Week 11, Clinches 2 More Playoff Spots!

Leagues: 6 (3 Yahoo!, 2 CBS Sportsline, 1 ESPN)
Total Record: 44-22 (.667 Winning Percentage)
* Clinched Playoff spot
** Clinched BYE week in first round of playoffs

Wow, what a week for me. After 4 straight weeks of going 3-3 to 1-5, I broke out of my slump with a huge week. In week 12 I think I did it all. First I broke three 3-game losing streaks in the J.A.I.L., Dynasty, and FFS Expert league. I also had a game decided by less then .03 points or in fantasy football terms, 3 yards. Then I had a crucial must win matchup against a top division foe and soon to be rival and edged him out by 2 points. Overall, it was the best week of t year for me and one I must savor. Let's go into detail about the games.
Here are my six matchups for week 12:


Coast 2 Coast League **
LV Cowboys 101.17 , The Scorpions 100.89
What a tight matchup. The difference in this game was two plays. On the side of The Scorpions it was the last minute INT by the Cardinals defense that gave him a nearly 3 point lead and his day was over wit that score. All that I had left in this NON-PPR league was Jason Witten Sunday night. He barely eked out not even 3 points for the win. I admit The Scorpions needed the win more then I do, but I cruised to my 10th win and I've already clinched a playoff spot in this league at 10-1. The key for this victory was I clinched a BYE week with the win.


Football Dynasty VI
LV Cowboys 246, Ugly Roster 204

After losing three games in a row after winning 6 of my first 7 I admit my team was on Suicide watch. This week we got back Tony Romo and next week hopefully Reggie Bush. This week I took on a tough competitor and for most of the game I was losing. Then my defensive players turned it on and Romo can in and got enough to take me over the top. Shaun Hill and Micheal Turner also did awesome jobs leading my team to victory. Duece McCallister did nearly nothing, but get a TD. I did bench Peyton Hillis in his spot, and that was my lone mistake.

J.A.I.L. League
The True Guru 108, Jersey Hitman 106
I now consider Jersey Hitman a rival and of course a friend. What a tight matchup. This one went all the way to the Sunday night game. I was down 106-100 with Witten and Shaun Suisam left and I got 8 points from the two. Not only was this a huge win in a league where I was on a 3-game losing streak, but it pretty much clinched a playoff berth. There are 8 playoff spots and only 10 (of 14) teams left to get them. I should clinch next week. My key performances were Dwayne Bowe, Larry Fitzgerald and Steve Slaton. That trio got me 61 points.

Vegas Vs Texas League *
Lv Cowboys 147, TITS 102
This was a playoff clinching win for me and it also gave me back the division lead with LV Ravens losing. I had a huge day from Marshawn Lynch and really that was it. Eli Manning did poorly for me and so did Brain Westbrook. The rest of my team did its job and secured enough points to win. My bench nearly outscored my team as I decided to start Andre Johnson or Brandon Marshall over Marion Barber. I out thought myself this week in this league, but managed to win against the worst team in the league THIS SEASON.

NSP Experts League *
FF Search 114, WinningAngle.com 90
This is the only league I won last week and I remained strong this week. I clinched a playoff berth in my 3rd league with this win. Joseph Addai was huge for me and really won this game with a 30 point day. My WR core of DeSean Jackson, Wes Welker, and Brandon Marshall managed to scored 41 points total without a TD catch. Overall it was a completely strong performance from my team. I'm tied for a BYE week in this league, but I'm losing the tie-breaker. So the last two games matter big time.

Fantasy Football Search Expert League
Fantasy Football Search 100, Mock Draft Central 93
Another 3-game losing streak ended. I had a huge day with Thomas Jones, Lance Moore, and the Eagles defense. I needed this win badly. I'm still in the playoff hunt, but I must win out and others must lose to make it. Next week should separate the pack a bit so we can see more clearly. Right now I'm tied for 2 place with three teams tied for first. Technically, I'm in 6th place, but only 1 game out of first. That's how tight our division is.

posted by The True GURU at 12:23 PM 0 Comments

Monday, November 17, 2008

Utility/Backup Runningbacks Are Gaining Fantasy Value

We have been witnessing some big changes in football that have directly effected fantasy football. In the case of utility runningbacks we are seeing it big time. A utility runningback is a player that is listed as runningback, plays on special teams, and comes in to rest the starter, replace injured starters, or in as a 3rd down back. Over the past several weeks we've seen utility and backup runningbacks getting big points. Even the Wildcat formation has been a big factor in giving guys like Ricky Williams some big points. As in every year, injured starters give these guys extended playing time, making them a must to be on your roster and to start even if they are not the starting runningback because of the points they can score with limited touches. Here is a list of utility players with solid fantasy stats:

  1. Leon Washington (NYJ) - 240 rushing yards, 226 receiving yards, 4 TDs. 1009 return yards, 1 TD. Add in a 2-pt conversion. He is in our mind the top utility runningback in fantasy football. Every game he can score three different ways, run, pass, and return. Overall, 5 Tds this season. Get him on your roster if you need a RB. He's owned in 35% of leagues.
  2. J.J. Arrington (ARI) - 123 rushing yards, 121 receiving yards, 2 TDs. 268 return yards, 1 TD. Since the demise of Edgerrin James, Arrington has gotten allot more playing time. Get him on your roster. Owned in 4% of leagues.
  3. Felix Jones (DAL) - 266 rushing yards, 10 receiving yards, 4 TDs. 434 return yards, 1 TD. He has been hurt the last 4 games, but is expected back in week 12. He is a threat to score every time he touches the ball. Owned in 56% of leagues
  4. Mewedle Moore (PIT) - 376 rushing yards, 204receiving yards, 6 TD. 152 return yards. He filled in well for Willie Parker, but now that Parker is back his touches will go down. However, he will still get plenty of touches and worth a roster spot. Owned in 69% of league.
  5. Derrick Ward (NYG) - 531 rushing yards, 266 receiving yards, 1 TD. 21 return yards. Doesn't return much anymore and doesn't score allot, but he plays a ton. He spells Jacobs regularly and has over 500 rushing yards. Owned in 36% of league.
  6. Dominick Rhodes ( IND) - 338 rushing yards, 171 receiving yards, 4 TDs. He filled in for Addai and did awesome. He is still getting plenty of playing time and is still scoring even with Addai in there. The Colts are not happy with their running game and will play Rhodes who kick started it and play him often. Owned in 35% of league.
  7. Darren Sproles (SD) - 161 rushing yards, 221 receiving yards, 1 TD. 977 return yards, 1 TD. He's been hurt this season and most of his damage was early in the season. Still, with LT playing hurt he will spell him and could come in at any moment if LT gets hurt. He is a threat to score anytime he touches the ball. Owned in 27% of league.
  8. Joshua Cribbs (CLE) - 72 rushing yards, 18 receiving yards, 2 TDs. 816 return yards, 1 TD. This guy is a monster. He scores from every way possible. He is fast, deadly at the point of attack and comes in as the 3rd down back for Cleveland and returns kickoffs and punts. Outstanding player. The key to Cribbs is if Cleveland falls behind, more Cribbs less Lewis. He was hurt earlier in the year, so his numbers could be much better. Owned in 6% of league.
  9. Kevin Faulk (NE) - 319 rushing yards, 263 receiving yards, 3 TDs. 117 return yards. He is the ultimate backup runningback. He nearly starts and averages about 14 touches per game (receptions included). He should start nearly every week, even with Sammy Morris. Owned in 40% of league.
  10. Jerious Norwood (ATL) - 383 rushing yards, 248 receiving yards, 3 TDs. 740 return yards. This guy has come up big, but its inconsistent. He plays behind Michael Turner, but gets the goal line carries. He returns as well and has tremendous speed. Owned in 43% of league.

Others worth consideration; Ahmad Bradshaw, Warrick Dunn, T.J. Duckett, Michael Bush, Correll Buckhalter, Chester Taylor.

At this point in the season, runningbacks are playing hurt or getting injured. If you have roster spots, you should carry a couple of these guys on your roster, especially to backup your runningbacks. They carry allot of value for your team and are really worth starting if you are in need of a runningback. They won't have the HUGE game very often, but they will give you points and keep your matchups close allowing your other players to win the matchups for you.

Todd "The True Guru" Farino

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posted by The True GURU at 6:33 PM 0 Comments

The True Guru Scouting Report: Tony Romo

UPGRADED: FVR: 9.1

Tony Romo is back from a 4 week vacation with a broken pinky. In his Sunday night game against the Washington Redskins he wore a lightly taped brace. He is clearly still healing and the brace effected some of his passes. Overall we'd say he looked better than expected. Allot of people are complaining about the fact that he had a poor fantasy performance with 198 yards, 2 INTs, and a TD. We think it was a fantastic performance even know it was his lowest socring output of the season. Here's the reasons why:




  1. It was The Washington Redskins at FedEx Field - This is a division rival game. It one of the toughest division rival games and the Redskins have a great defense. So expecting too many points was crazy. If you look back at the last meetings between the teams the Cowboys are lucky to get into the twenties especially in Washington. Earlier in the year they got 24 points in DALLAS! So regardless of Romo's health and effectiveness a ton of points weren't expected.

  2. Romo was rusty - You have to consider the fact that he was going to be rusty after not playing for 4 weeks. It was expected and it showed.
  3. One INT wasn't his fault - One INT popped out of Terrell Owens hands and had nothing to do with Romo.
  4. The pinkie will heal - We all know the pinkie is still healing and next week it will be stronger. For now, he can't throw deep or at least often, so his yards will go down and the Cowboys will keep all plays 20 yards for less for the most part.
  5. Marion Barber - Marion Barber was great last night and he dominated the 4th quarter, so Romo wasn't needed late in the game.
  6. Jason Witten - Witten is hurt with broken ribs. They are healing and each week he will get stronger and more dependable for Romo.

Next week is a huge test for Romo. He will take on the 49ers in Dallas and he should have a big game. His pinkie will still be a factor, but should feel much better. Have no fear in starting Romo next week.

Todd "The True Guru" Farino

posted by The True GURU at 5:32 PM 0 Comments

The True Guru's Take J.J. Arrington HOT WAIVER PICK UP

UPGRADED FVR: 7.9


JJ Arrington has quickly became a star in the waiver world of fantasy football. He is a guy we've been paying attention too since the demise of Edgerrin James. We expected Tim Hightower to take over like he has, but you cannot forget about the #2pick for the Cardinals from 2005. He was the man to take the job in 2005 after Emmitt Smith retired, but he failed to impress and eventually Edgerrin James was signed. Since then he has had mainly a special teams roll retuning kicks and punts.

Now, J.J. Arrington has developed into a very fast and agile runningback. He has also become all-purpose, improving his catching abilities. Since they added him to the offense he had to great games. Remove the week 10 game where it was a passing frenzy and the running game was voided. In weeks 9 and 11 he has a total of 15 carries for 101 yards, 7 receptions for 89 yards, and 2 TDs.

We thing his role will grow and he will be used by committee in Arizona as the Cardinals are simply not ready to hand the job to rookie Tim Hightower. That was actually never Hightower's role to begin with. He was brought in as the powerhouse goal line, get a tough 1 yard back. He has been great, but the wear of starting for a rookie is showing. Get Arrington. We have no doubt he will get 8-10 carries a game with a 4-6 receptions. In the Cardinals offense that can be deadly.

Todd "The True Guru" Farino

posted by The True GURU at 4:09 PM 0 Comments

NFL Touchdown Sunday Snide Remarks Week 11

NFL Touchdown Sunday Snide Remarks Week 11
By Andy Benoit, NFLTouchdown.com

Dallas Cowboys 14, Washington Redskins 10
Marion Barber gave one of the great running back performances in the NFL this season. He rushed for 66 of his 114 yards in the fourth quarter and touched the ball on Dallas’s final 11 plays to ice the game. It was a season-saving effort from a gutsy leader.

Terrell Owens had five receptions for 38 yards in this game. The physicality of the Washington defensive backs got to him a bit, but more than that, there was a lack of continuity between Tony Romo and all of his wide receivers. It’s worth noting that Owens has now gone five straight games without topping the 40-yard mark.

Jason Witten’s rib injury is really bothering him. He’s dropping passes he normally holds on to.

Jason Taylor, who hasn’t been healthy all season, was a non-factor in this game.

As well as Chris Horton is playing for Washington, the story of the secondary may be LaRon Landry. He’s simply not making enough game-changing plays.

The Redskins failed to take advantage of Dallas’s undersized interior front seven by not feeding Clinton Portis the ball often enough.

Those of you who get on me for touting Terence Newman as God’s greatest gift to the cornerback position, I ask, Did you watch this game?

Pittsburgh Steelers 11, San Diego Chargers 10
It’s the first time in NFL history that a game has ended with this particular score. And somewhat ironically, it shouldn’t have. That last touchdown scored by Troy Polamalu should have counted. The missed call triggered a $65 million swing in Vegas.

The one week that San Diego’s defense shows up, the offense disappears. The reason? The playing surface in Pittsburgh is a quagmire. It’s maddening that the NFL hasn’t stepped in and ordered the team to install field turf.

Was anyone else surprised to learn that the Steelers franchise record for a pass-rushing duo’s combined sack total is only 24.5? That record, held by Joey Porter and Jason Gildon, is about to be broken by James Harrison and LaMarr Woodley.

No player in football is as good when his feet leave the ground as Troy Polamalu. The All-World safety makes plays diving that you wouldn’t even think would be “diveable” in the first place.

Two players who have drawn criticism as of late both played well Sunday: Ben Roethlisberger, who was 31/41 with 308 yards (his first 300-yard game since 2006) and, even though the numbers don’t show it, LaDainian Tomlinson, who conjured up a lot of additional rushing yards that simply weren’t there against this stifling Steeler D.

In addition to a superb Furious Norv Face at the end of this game, we were also treated to several You League Officials Love Screwing Us Tomlin Face. The You League Officials Love Screwing Us Tomlin Face is the face that the Steelers head coach makes when he rips off his headset, widens his already enormous eyes, tilts his head up a bit, paces back and forth and starts yelling something to the refs along the lines of “you league officials love screwing us!”

Tennessee Titans 24, Jacksonville Jaguars 14
Second week in a row that Tennessee has won on the arm of Kerry Collins. The Titans averaged 10.0 yards per pass play in this game, as Collins completed 13/23 for 230 yards and three scores.

Is it fair to say that Chris Johnson and LenDale White form a better one-two punch than Fred Taylor and Maurice Jones-Drew? Individually, the Jacksonville duo may have more talent (i.e. Taylor is better than White), but as a two-headed monster, the fellas in Tennessee have a sounder identity.

Any team that surrenders 147 yards and two touchdowns to Justin Gage deserves to be 4-6.

What’s up with David Garrard? He was a paltry 13/30 for 135 yards against a Tennessee defense that was without starting cornerback Nick Harper and top pass-rusher Kyle Vanden Bosch.

Speaking of Vanden Bosch, it should be noted that his replacement, Dave Ball, has been very solid filling in for him. Ball terrorized Khalif Barnes in this game. (By the way, this upcoming offseason, the Jaguars need to find a replacement for Barnes.)

For Sunday Snide Remarks on all the Week 11 action, visit www.NFLTouchdown.com

posted by The True GURU at 2:59 PM 0 Comments

Friday, November 14, 2008

Fighting Chance Fantasy's Start/Sit Week 11

Quarterbacks

Start: Matt Ryan, Atlanta Falcons vs. Denver Broncos. This is not your usual rookie quarterback folks. This team won four games all last season, and they have already won more games than in 2007 and are in serious contention for a division title. Given the turmoil and distractions this team faced last year, owner Arthur Blank better be kneeling down and thanking God for this kid every night before he goes to sleep. The Broncos have proven week after week that their defense is what is stopping them from being serious contenders. They couldn’t stop Quinn and the Browns last week, and they won’t be able to stop Ryan, Roddy White and the Falcons in Week 11.

Start: Tyler Thigpen, Kansas City Chiefs vs. New Orleans Saints. OK, if your choice is Drew Brees or Tyler Thigpen, I’m still saying Drew Brees. But if you choice is let’s say someone like Eli Manning or Jake Delhomme, you might want to give this kid a look. I’ve been able to watch the Chiefs some the past couple of weeks (Thank God for DirecTV), and he actually has shown a good deal of ability, poise, and swagger. I’m not saying he’s Johnny Unitas or anything, but against a bad defense he certainly has the ability to put up some numbers. And he faces a bad Saints defense this week. Matt Ryan spent last week torching the Saints like he was at a pyromaniacs convention, and I expect Thigpen to throw two scores this week, one to Tony G, and the other to Mark Bradley or Dwayne Bowe.

Sit: David Garrard, Jacksonville Jaguars vs. Tennessee Titans. Anyone who has been with me all season long knows I am not at all a fan of David Garrard. I think he is a decent (at best) real quarterback, and a below average fantasy QB. The guy has taken every snap for his team this year and has thrown eight touchdown passes, four of which came in two games. That means he has two in the other nine games his team has played. Yuck! He did get two last week which might make people think he is decent again, but please stay away from this guy. He will have you rooting for him to just throw one touchdown pass, and if he was to get two you should be dancing in the street. The Titans are bad news for Garrard and your fantasy team.

Sit: Brady Quinn, Cleveland Browns vs. Buffalo Bills. All the talk radio and the media had a field day second guessing putting Quinn in as the starter despite the short week of practice to face the Broncos. I hope they are all eating their words now, because even though the Cleveland defense got undressed by Jay Cutler, Quinn still had a very impressive debut. However, this week he won’t be facing a Broncos defense who had most of their defensive playmakers in street clothes watching the game. Granted, the Bills have underperformed this year, but they still have a good defense, and playing a game up in Buffalo on the road is usually no joke. I expect the Bills to come prepared for a Monday Night game, and for Quinn to throw for a max of 225 yards and one score.

Running Backs

Start: DeAngelo Williams, Carolina Panthers vs. Detroit Lions. Everyone, including me, expected to see this guy riding the pine by this point of the season, but due to his own great play and ineffectiveness and injury to Johnathan Stewart, Williams has all of a sudden become a valuable fantasy back. For those of you who showed patience, or just happened to be lucky that someone cut ties with him early, be ready to get him into your lineups as the Panthers face the Lions. Do I need to say any more? Williams is 10th in the league in rushing, and should pad those stats against perhaps the worst defense ever put on the field. Look for another 100 yard game and a score.

Start: Joseph Addai, Indianapolis Colts vs. Houston Texans. I know a lot of you are concerned about Addai’s health after he missed almost three full games and then has thrown up two total stinkers since he came back. But let’s take a closer look at things. He did face the Patriots and the Steelers, two teams in the top ten in defense against the run. So even if he was healthy he could have had these two poor games. This week he gets the Texans who are NO where near the top 10 in any defensive category. If Addai struggles again, then I will sound the alarm, but right now I feel pretty confident starting him in Week 11. He had 71 yards rushing and a touchdown in the first meeting against the Texans.

Sit: Ryan Grant, Green Bay Packers vs. Chicago Bears. Grant has finally started to look like the guy that we all thought he would be coming into the season. His last four games have all been over 75 yards and he has scored twice. He rushed good against the tough Vikings run defense, but I don’t see it happening again against the Bears defense. Chicago allows only 75 yards a game, and look for Grant to run for less than that and not reach the end zone.

Sit: BenJarvis Green-Ellis, New England Patriots vs. New York Jets. Ok, so part of me just wanted to type out BenJarvis Green-Ellis. It is one of my favorite names of all time. When I think of great football names, BenJarvis comes right to the top of my head. But seriously, Green-Ellis has become a legitimate fantasy option due to the string of injuries to the Pats rushing attack. Well, this week they have a grudge match against the rival Jets. Unfortunately for BJGE the Jets are fifth best in the NFL against the rush, so unless you are at the point where you don’t have any other options, sit Green-Ellis this week.

Click here for the rest!

posted by Ryan Hallam at 3:57 AM 0 Comments

Thursday, November 13, 2008

The Guru Gridiron Report: Week 11 Bench/Start Defenses

NO MORE BYE WEEKS! We may be rid of the BYE weeks, but the new challenge is weather. Since we can only check forecasts, we cannot truly determine the weather until game time. We always tell our readers to examine the weather very closely and start/bench according. We do make our recommendations based on expected weather, but that can change. Also keep an eye on your injured players. This is the time of the year where guys play hurt and don't play good. We will let you know who those guys are. Good luck in week 11.

DEFENSES AND YOU MUST START
We like Atlanta this week. They are a bit risky, but they play very well at home and they will force Cutler to make mistakes. The Carolina defense should man-handle the Detroit Lions in what we think will be a blowout. The New York Giants should have no problem hammering Joe Flacco and company. That is great matchup for them. You have to like Buffalo on Monday night football in a must win scenario. Start them. The Green Bay Vs. Chicago game will be a battle of defenses and we figure a relatively low scoring games with sacks and turnovers. Without a doubt we figure on at least 2 defensive/Special Teams TDs. We are just not sure who gets them. Finally, the San Francisco defense plays the beat up Rams at home and should be able to rack up some big points against Bulger and company. A great slide in start if you can get them.

Others: Chicago, Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, Miami

Other DEFENSES To Consider Starting With Some Risk
Tennessee is a bit of a risk this week. This game has upset written all over it. Jacksonville needs a win badly, they are at home, and gelling very well. You have to start Tennessee if you own them, but temper your expectations cause it just won't be there. On the flip side, we like Jacksonville, but they are a risk. They need to able to stop Collins. If they do that they make a great defense and we say start them. Arizona is a risky defense that won't start this week. After getting pushed around by San Francisco at home we don't have the confidence to start them on the road against Seattle. Of course on paper its a good matchup, even with Hasselbeck coming back.
Others: Minnesota, Dallas, Washington

Please Bench These DEFENSES

Atlanta, New Orleans, Houston, Denver, Seattle, Oakland, Detroit, Kansas City, Baltimore, Cleveland, San Diego

Sleeper Defenses

We really like Bob Sanders and the Indianapolis defense this week at home against Houston. We expect them to keep the game somewhat low scoring and force some turnovers and sacks. A deep sleeper defense is the St. Louis Rams defense. They can force some turnovers and confuse Shaun Hill. However, it is a deep deep sleeper with lots of risk.

The True Guru



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posted by The True GURU at 10:34 PM 0 Comments

NFL Fantasy Playbook Adds New Chapter: Strength Of Schedule Weeks 14-16


AJ Pelletier Of http://www.nflfantasyplaybook.com/ and a Guru at heart has given our readers some extra analysis for the fantasy football season. He has added a new chapter to the NFL Fantasy Playbook called Strength of Schedule NFL Weeks 14-16.


The chapter focuses on the games that all NFL teams will play for the fantasy playoff weeks of weeks 14-16. If gives you the analysis necessary for figuring out the matchup and the players you need to start. Check out the NFL Fantasy Playbook today!
While you are there, sign up for AJ's weekly emails with all his great picks to help you get the wins you need.



Todd "The True Guru" Farino

posted by The True GURU at 10:21 PM 0 Comments

Fantasy Playoffs Weeks 14-16 NFL Strength of Schedule Analysis

Written By AJ "The Guru Eh!" Pelletier

Here is the Strength of Schedule for weeks 14-16 (17) I am going to explain how I came up with the numbers. A team is rewarded 1 point for a win, 2 points for a high scoring offensive output and 1 point if the game is played in a warm weather climate or venue. If I predict the team is to score an average or below average amount of points in the game then they will only receive 1 point. A perfect game is 4 points and what you will soon see is that the Indianapolis Colts have a perfect schedule for those weeks.
IMPORTANT: If a team has a very low number it doesn’t mean that the running backs don’t have great value. Check comments on the Buffalo Bills. Check the spreadsheets for all the numbers broken down week to week for each team

TOP 5 SCHEDULES
COLTS = 12: The Colts I predict have the easiest schedule and with two home games back to back in week 14 and 15 against the Bengals and Lions. Trust me neither cat will keep this game close as for the first time in a long while the Manning and crew has to win games late in the year to make the playoffs. In week 16 a game in sunny Jacksonville will mean a lot more to Indy than to the Jags.
CARDINALS = 11: They too have aback to back home games on week 14 and 15 against the Rams and the Vikings followed by a cold weather game in New England.
SAINTS = 10: The high scoring Saints will be at home to the Falcons, then in chilly Chicago and the in Detroit on week 16.
VIKINGS = 10: Starting on the road for the first two in Detroit and then Arizona they then continue their quest for the playoffs with a game at home against Atlanta.
49ers = 10: In week 14 the 49ers host the Jets and then travel to Miami and then to their division rival the St. Louis Rams.

THE REST OF THE NFL

FALCONS = 8 – 3 tough games against teams with playoffs hopes; 2 divisional match ups and 2 on the road.
RAVENS = 7 – 3 very tough games against 3 highly ranked teams with great defenses.
BILLS = 3 – 2 cold weather games and another in week 17. Lynch will see a lot of carries.
PANTHERS = 7 – 2 home games and then playing the Giants when they might be on glide.
BEARS = 6 – All 3 games at home in the cold against the well tanned Jags, the boyz on Mardi gras and the cheese heads.
BENGALS = 6 – Ugly Schedule for all 3 games
BROWNS = 7 – 2 away games and then home to the Bengals.
COWBOYS = 8 – In very tough as they start with a road game in Pittsburgh and then home to the Giants and Ravens.
BRONCOS = 9 – Decent teams to score against and should look to surpass team scoring records.
LIONS = 6 – Will lose all three in ugly fashion.
PACKERS = 9 – Average schedule with the only question being can Rodgers close out the season.
TEXANS = 9 – Two road games finishing in Oakland in week 16.
JAGUARS = 6 – From winning the super bowl (predictions were they would to finishing close to 500% while teams they play continue to play beyond week 17.
CHEIFS = 8 – week 13 in Oakland, 14 Denver and home to San Diego in week 15. With everyone scoring against the AFC WEST the chiefs will do the same.
DOLPHINS = 9 – Very soft schedule as they do play in cold but against 3 teams not going to the playoffs.
PATRIOTS = 9 – Soft start in Seattle then Oakland, finishing in Arizona while the Cards will be already preparing for their playoff berth.
GIANTS = 9 – Tough match ups against Philly, on the road in Dallas and then home to Carolina.
JETS = 9 – In San Fran and Seattle while week 15 splits them at home to the Bills
RAIDERS - 6 – Lose, lose and lose. Enough said baby.
EAGLES = 8 – 2 divisional games on the road with a home game against the Browns.
STEELERS = 7 – games against 3 playoff hopefuls.
CHARGERS = 9 – Games against the Raiders, Chiefs, and then they travel to sunny in Tampa Bay. A very good schedule to score points for fantasy teams and pick up some needed late season fantasy wins.
SEAHAWKS = 7 – Home to the Pats and Jets with a road game against the lowly Rams.
RAMS = 8 – In Arizona then home for two division battles against Seattle and San Fran.

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posted by The True GURU at 9:17 PM 0 Comments

The Guru Gridiron Report: Week 11 Bench/Start WRs & TEs


NO MORE BYE WEEKS! We may be rid of the BYE weeks, but the new challenge is weather. Since we can only check forecasts, we cannot truly determine the weather until game time. We always tell our readers to examine the weather very closely and start/bench according. We do make our recommendations based on expected weather, but that can change. Also keep an eye on your injured players. This is the time of the year where guys play hurt and don't play good. We will let you know who those guys are. Good luck in week 11.

WIDE RECEIVERS YOU MUST START
Brandon Marshall and Eddie Royal will score like mad this week. Marques Colston should make an appearance this weekend strike for 2 TDs. have very active games this week and should each get a TD this week. This week is Larry Fitzgerald chance to shine and he will with 2 TDs. Steve Smith owners will get justice this week as he will score. Watch for Braylon Edwards to find the end zone for the only TD that Quinn throws. Dwayne Bowe has the potential for an outstanding game against New Orleans. Wes Welker will be thrown to all day, so start him.

Others: Andre Johnson, Anquan Boldin, Greg Jennings, Santonio Holmes, Roddy White, Reggie Wayne, Terrell Owens, Santana Moss

TIGHT ENDS YOU MUST START

Kellen Winslow, Bo Scaife, Dustin Keller, Donald Lee, Tony Scheffler, Jason Witten, Chris Cooley, Kevin Boss, John Carleson

Other Wide Receivers To Consider Starting With Some Risk
Lavernues Coles and Jerricho Cotchery will be a big risk this week against the New England defense in the rain. The defenders can fall down against the fleet footed Cotchery, but a very risky start on both. Greg Camarillo and Ted Ginn Jr. could both have an excellent game this week, but most likely only 1 will catch a TD. We think it will be Ginn Jr. With the wind and rain in New England, Randy Moss is a risk, but its hard to bench him on national TV. Sidney Rice and Bernard Berrian will fight for the ball this week and e have no idea who will get it. Its a tough match for both and we would consider benching them if you have better options. Welcome Mark Bradley to the list. He is still a risk because he hasn't proven himself with a track record, but we like him this week.

Others: Donald Driver, Justin Gage, Plaxico Burress, Hines Ward, Steve Smith (NY), DeSean Jackson, Lance Moore, Justin Gage, T.J. Houshmandzadeh, Kevin Walters, Bobby Engram, Torry Holt, Rashied Davis, Lee Evans, Donte Stallworth

Other Tight Ends To Consider Starting With Some Risk

Marcedes Lewis, Greg Olsen, Desmond Clark, Anthony Fasano, Owen Daniels, Zach Miller, Greg Olsen

Please Bench These Wide Receivers
Donnie Avery has vanished and we don't see him resurfacing this week, so bench him. Reggie Brown is no longer the man in Philadelphia, so forget starting him. Isaac Bruce is getting pushed aside and look for Amani Toomer to not get many targets this week either. We do no like Calvin Johnson or Chad Johnson this week, so bench both if you can.

Others: , Brandon Jones, Bryant Johnson, Derrick Mason, Bobby Wade, Brandon Lloyd, Vincent Jackson, Chris Chambers (If he plays)

Please Bench These Tight Ends

Todd Heap, Alge Crumpler

Sleeper Wide Receivers
Michael Jenkins makes for an intriguing sleeper this week against Denver. He should easily get 1 TD, but could get allot more. Brandon Stokely is getting healthy and should have a huge impact on this game. Jason Hill has 7 catches last week and we expect his role to grow with Shaun Hill. Start him if you can. Devin Hester makes our sleeper list again. Not only for the quick strike bomb, but for a potential TD run back. Marvin Harrison hasn't had many good games this year, but expect a big game from all Colts receivers in week 11. Kevin Curtis will be the TD man this week in Philly, start him. Roy Williams will have a good game now that he has Romo and more time to practice. Start him.

Good luck. Next are our Defenses!

The True Guru

posted by The True GURU at 2:27 PM 0 Comments

The Guru Gridiron Report: Week 11 Bench/Start Runningbacks


NO MORE BYE WEEKS! We may be rid of the BYE weeks, but the new challenge is weather. Since we can only check forecasts, we cannot truly determine the weather until game time. We always tell our readers to examine the weather very closely and start/bench according. We do make our recommendations based on expected weather, but that can change. Also keep an eye on your injured players. This is the time of the year where guys play hurt and don't play good. We will let you know who those guys are. Good luck in week 11.

RUNNINGBACKS YOU MUST START
LenDale White was a must start last week and he failed us. He is this week as well and we like him. BenJarvus Green-Ellis is another very good start along with his counterpart Thomas Jones in what proves to be a weather ridden game. Matt Forte will continue his incredible rookie campaign with a big game against the division rival Packers. Finally, we really lik Frank Gore to have a huge day against St. Louis.

Others: Brian Westbrook, Michael Turner, Ronnie Brown, Brandon Jacobs, Marshawn Lynch, Joseph Addai, Marion Barber, DeAngelo Williams

Other Runningbacks To Consider Starting With Some Risk
Duece McCallister is a fine start this week if Reggie Bush doesn't play. Check Bush's status and start the RB that plays. Larry Johnson is back and should have no problem racking points on New Orleans, but he is a risk because he hasn't played in a awhile. but he always brings risk with his health and other runningbacks. Steve Slaton faces Bob Sanders, but should still find some holes against the Colts defense and catch some passes from the backfield. We like Willie Parker and Mewelde Moore. Obviously we prefer the guy who starts, but they should each get significant touches and put up some solid fantasy points. LaDainian Tomlinson is a huge risk this week. He's still a bit hurt and playing against Pittsburgh IN PITTSBURGH. We'd say bench your stud, but its your call. Clinton Portis and Brian Westbrook are both hurt and will not see a full compliment of carries. Portis may not even start. They are both a risk to start, but if they start, you have to play them. We like Leon Washington this week. He's simply too fast for the aging New England defense.

Others: Jamal Lewis, Adrian Peterson, Frank Gore,Willie Parker, Peyton Hillis, Kevin Smith, Chris Johnson

Please Bench These Runningbacks
Dominic Rhodes Should fall to the bench this week as Addai is healthy and the Colts are looking to get their running game on track. Cedric Benson is another bad start against Philly. Ryan Grant will get chopped up by the Bears linebackers. Finally, Johnathon Stewart is still playing hurt, so we recommend benching him till he is healthy. The carries just won't be there.

Others: Rudi Johnson, Edgerrin James, Darren McFadden, Julius Jones, Ahman Green, Willis McGahee, Justin Fargas, Ray Rice, Le'Ron McClain, Tatum Bell, Darren McFadden

Sleeper Runningbacks
We made some great sleeper calls last week for you and this week we only have 2. Again, we will call Ricky Williams to do some damage against the Oakland Raiders defense. He is too strong for them and likely can get more points then Ronnie Brown. We also like Derrick Ward. We think the Ravens game will be a blowout and late in the game look to Ward to clean up the mess. He can put up 100 yards and a TD or 2.

Receivers and Tight Ends!

The True Guru

posted by The True GURU at 1:41 PM 0 Comments

The Guru Gridiron Report: Week 11 Bench/Start Quarterbacks


NO MORE BYE WEEKS! We may be rid of the BYE weeks, but the new challenge is weather. Since we can only check forecasts, we cannot truly determine the weather until game time. We always tell our readers to examine the weather very closely and start/bench according. We do make our recommendations based on expected weather, but that can change. Also keep an eye on your injured players. This is the time of the year where guys play hurt and don't play good. We will let you know who those guys are. Good luck in week 11.

QUARTERBACKS YOU MUST START
We only have a few must start quarterbacks this week because of the tough defensive matchups. We do love Matt Ryan this week against Denver. Him and Jay Cutler should be in a shootout, so start them both. Donovan McNabb will throw at will against Cincy's defense in a must win situation for Philadelphia. Our risky call of the week is a must start of Tyler Thigpen against New Orleans. The Chiefs are at home and Drew Bree will be putting up points that Thigpen must match.

Others: Peyton Manning, Jake Delhomme, Drew Brees, Kurt Warner

Other Quarterbacks To Consider Starting With Some Risk
Sage Rosenfel was a risk last week and he is a risk this week. You almost have to start him if he is your #1 quarterback. He should have a solid game against the Colts. Brett Farve and Matt Cassel will both have average games, but don't expect much out of either. Feel good about starting David Garrard. He is a solid matchup against the Titans and he is at home. Tony Romo is back and we expect him to have a good game, but there is risk that its him first game back and a tough defense in Washington. We would start him.

Others: Eli Manning, Kerry Collins, Chad Pennington, Jeff Garcia, Ben Roethlisberger

Please Bench These Quarterbacks
We have a few must bench quarterbacks and the biggest of them all is Phillip Rivers. Going west to east coast is bad enough, but he is going to Pittsburgh and its weather. Bench him. Kerry Collins will have a below average game Vs. Jacksonville, he's not worth starting. Brady Quinn looks good last week, but the honeymoon is over. Bench him this week against an angry Buffalo defense.

Others: Joe Flacco, Jason Campbell, Aaron Rodgers, Joe Flacco, Gus Frerotte

Sleeper Quarterbacks
We feel that Matt Hasselbeck will be playing this week and if he does we think he can have a huge game against Arizona on the road. Keep an eye on his status, but so far it looks very good for him to start.

Good luck. Next are our Runningbacks!

The True Guru

posted by The True GURU at 12:31 PM 0 Comments

Tuesday, November 11, 2008

The Guru Gridiron Report: Week 10 Review & Recap



Week 10 was a an exciting week with players coming out of the woodworks and playing well. Others under performed and left allot of managers wondering what to do at the trade deadline. Check out the values we've given the players and make the necessary moves.

Quarterbacks


Jay Cutler - UPGRADE FVR: 9.1
He had a solid game and hoepfully this is a view of the rest of the season for Cutler.

Philip Rivers EVEN FVR: 9.4
He had a solid game with over 300 yards and 2 TDs, but the picks hurt him.

Tony Romo UPGRADE FVR: 9.1
Romo is back and all the Cowboy players owners couldn't be happier.


Aaron Rodgers DOWNGRADED FVR 8.2
Aaron si playing hurt and was ineffective against the Vikings. It was a hard game, but Rodgers should have done better.

Jake Delhomme DOWNGRADE FVR: 8.0
Delhomme had a miserable game against a nasty Seattle defense. LOL. Ok, I got my joke in.

Drew Brees DOWNGRADE FVR: 9.3
He needs Reggie Bush back. He is still one of the best QBsd in fantasy, but 3 INTs in unacceptable.

Donovan McNabb UPGRADED FVR: 8.9
3 TDs against the Giants defense. You have to like that.

Jason Campbell DOWNGRADED FVR: 7.9
Brutal game vs. the Steelers. He has the BYE week to think about what happened.

Matt Cassel EVEN FVR: 7.8
He played about what we expected. 200 yards and an INT.

Kurt Warner EVEN FVR: 9.5
Another great game for Warner.

Matt Hasselbeck EVEN FVR 7.2 LOOK TO TRADE
Injured.

Brett Farve - DOWNGRADED FVR: 8.0
This was another bad fantasy week for Farve. Granted Buffalo was a stiff defense to face, Farve should have gotten his owners at least 1 TD.

David Garrard UPGRADE FVR: 8.1
Garrard continues his inconsistency with a great game for fantasy owners.

Runningbacks

Marion Barber UPGRADED FVR: 9.0
All Cowboy players get an upgrade with Romo back.

Steve Slaton DOWNGRADE FVR: 8.1 Look To Trade
He's sharing time and not doing much lately.

Reggie Bush EVEN FVR: 9.0
Could be very helpful to owners if he is back this week. The Saints need him.

Tim Hightower DOWNGRADED FVR: 8.3
He looked pedestrian against the San Francisco defense.

Ronnie Brown - EVEN FVR: 8.4
66 total yards and a TD was a bit of a letdown, but again solid.

Matt Forte EVEN FVR: 9.0
Very nice game with a receiving TD. He's a must have RB.

Kevin Smith UPGRADED FVR 8.3
Another very good game for Kevin Smith. He is without a doubt the starter in Detroit.

Michael Turner UPGRADED FVR: 8.7
A very good game for Turner, but he needs to do more to reach the next level.

Ryan Grant UPGRADED FVR: 7.9 LOOK TO TRADE
This is the part of the season where Grant can excel. Let's see if he does it.

Thomas Jones UPGRADED FVR: 9.0
Jones had a monster game and is now a top tier RB. A must start.

Steven Jackson DOWNGRADED FVR: 8.0 LOOK TO TRADE
He was out this week and injured.

Marshawn Lynch DOWNGRADED FVR 8.2
Don't worry about Lynch, he has some great match ups coming up and should be fine.

Chris Johnson DOWNGRADED FVR 8.5
Chalk this up as a bad week that will never happen again.

LenDale White DOWNGRADE FVR 8.4
No yards, but a TD. He is going down slowly.

Wide Receiver

Terrell Owens EVEN FVR: 9.2
Romo is back, automatic upgrade.

Donnie Avery DOWNGRADED FVR: 7.5
As fast as he came, he has vanished.

Kevin Walters UPGRADE FVR: 8.3
Very nice game, 85 yards and a TD. Maybe Sage likes him?

Jerricho Cotchery DOWNGRADED FVR: 8.0
He's in and out, but overall bad.

Plaxico Buress DOWNGRADED FVR: 7.7 Look To Trade
Wow, 1 catch for a TD. Trade him like we've been saying for weeks.

Benard Berrian DOWNGRADED FVR 8.1
ZERO catches. Very bad.

Andre Johnson DOWNGRADED FVR: 9.0
His first game with Sage, not good.

DeSean Jackson UPGRADED FVR: 8.2
We like Jackson allot still. He gets allot of looks from McNabb and can run a punt back.

Greg Jennings DOWNGRADE FVR: 9.1
Jennings has had two rough weeks in a row. Look for him to bounce back.

Donald Driver EVEN FVR: 8.6
Driver is developing into ROdgers safety net and goto guy. Just like he was for Farve.

Braylon Edwards DOWNGRADED FVR 8.0
He's getting booed in Cleveland. 1 catch, but he dropped a few nice ones.

Wes Welker UPGRADED FVR: 8.4
Welker is a catching machine. We knew he'd be great with Cassel. No TD, but 10 catches.

Larry Fitzgerald DOWNGRADED FVR: 9.3
He got the TD, but no yards this week!

Lavernues Coles DOWNGRADED FVR 8.0
1 catch, very bad week.

Chad Johnson EVEN FVR 7.9
BYE WEEK

Tight Ends

Kevin Winslow UPGRADE FVR 8.8
2 TDs from Quinn. Are we seeing the start of something great?

Mercedes Lewis EVEN FVR: 7.6
OK game for a TE.

Antonio Gates EVEN FVR: 9.5
Still one of the best. Great game.

Jason Witten UPGRADED FVR: 8.8
He's feeling better and has Romo.

John Carlson UPGRADED FVR: 7.9
5 catches and 54 yards is respectable for a TE.

Tony Gonzalez EVEN FVR: 9.1
What a game for Gonzalez. 2 TDs from Thigpen. Look for better days for Gonzo.

Chris Cooley EVEN FVR: 8.8
BYE WEEK. Big game aginast Dallas coming up.

Visanthe Shiancoe UPGRADED FVR: 7.7
Caught 1 ball for 25 yards and a TD.

GURU SCOUTING REPORT

Brady Quinn UPGRADED FVR 8.2
Great game for Quinn. 2 TDs in his first NFL start. We like what we see so far.

Gus Frerotte EVEN FVR: 7.7
He threw to TDs, but 3 INTS. That is Gus for you.

Shaun Hill EVEN FVR: 8.0
He looked good, then bad. We will keep an eye on him, but for now he's ok.

Leon Washington UPGRADED FVR: 7.8
Got allot of garbage points. He continues to get a fair amount of carries and looks in each game.

Benjarvus Green-Ellis UPGRADED FVR: 8.3
This kid has been a stud since hitting the seen. Even when Morris comes back, Green-Ellis should reamin the starter.

Cendric Benson EVEN FVR 8.0
BYE WEEK

Antonio Pittmen DOWNGRADED FVR 5.5
He got the bulk of the carries and 70 total yards, but we expect Jackson back and no more Pittman.

Selvin Young UPGRADE FVR: 8.0
With Torain out the rest of the year, Young is the man. He's not healthy, but the best option in Denver.

Ricky Willaims UPGRADE FVR: 8.0
He had a huge run and a great game. We expect more from him and liked him over Brown at the opening of the season. Pick him up if you can.

Derrick Ward UPGRADE FVR: 8.2
Derrick is getting more carries and now is a 1-2 punch with Jacobs. He's a safe start in deeper leagues. He can score on any carry.

Peyton Hillis UPGRADE FVR: 7.8
If Young can't go, Hillis will get the start. We are not concerned with Denver bringing in Bell.

Roy Williams UPGRADED FVR: 7.6
He now has Romo.

Steve Breaston UPGRADED FVR: 7.8
Not only does he catch allot of passes, but he returned kicks and punts. Very nice player.

Dustin Keller UPGRADED FVR: 7.1
Had a huge game. Its only one game, so temper expectations, but this is what we expected from him at the start of the season.

posted by The True GURU at 2:23 PM 0 Comments

Monday, November 10, 2008

NFL Touchdown Sunday Snide Remarks Week 10

By Andy Benoit, www.NFLTouchdown.com

New York Giants 36, Philadelphia Eagles 31
Andy Reid plain got out-coached by Tom Coughlin in this game. Besides calling failed back-to-back handoffs on Philadelphia’s final possession, Reid made the inexcusable error of wasting his first challenge out of desperation on the first Brandon Jacobs non-fumble near the goal-line. I’ll never understand why some coaches challenge out of sheer hope for a miracle.

Speaking of Jacobs’s non-fumble, how many guys fumbled after being down by contact in this game? It seemed like every other play there was a non-fumble.

When Brandon Jacobs gets a full head of steam, he is the most difficult player to stop in all of football.

Not enough credit went to Philly’s offensive line. The front five held the Giants to no sacks. Jon Runyan was particularly effective working against Justin Tuck.

The rule about the quarterback’s entire body having to be across the line of scrimmage for it to be an illegal forward pass absolutely stinks. Guys can throw from a yard-and-a-half past the line. The NFL should change the rule and treat the line of scrimmage like the sideline, requiring both feet to stay behind it.

The thought before the season was that Brian Dawkins had one good year left in him. So far, he looks like he has at least three good years left.

The Eagles did not do enough to get Brian Westbrook involved, particularly in the passing game. You wonder how healthy he really is.

San Diego Chargers 20, Kansas City Chiefs 19
Well, I guess a win’s a win, right San Diego?

The Chargers have to be extremely concerned about their secondary. Not only is it failing to make plays – remember when Antonio Cromartie got interceptions? – but it’s failing to stop plays. Tyler Thigpen, who was working without the threat of a run game behind him, was 27/41 for 266 yards and three touchdowns.

Kudos to Chiefs president Carl Peterson for signing Mark Bradley. The oft-injured ex-Bear has tremendous speed and, if healthy, an underrated burst. Bradley had nine catches for 81 yards in this game.

I love seeing San Diego get screwed by the refs at the end of games (it happened again in this one with an interference call against Clinton Hart on Tony Gonzalez). The reason I love it is because we get to see the Furious Norv Face. Turner’s contorted redness makes him look like he’d literally spit venom. The Furious Norv Face is peerless when it comes to sideline anger.

Just a guess…CBS play-by-play announcer Gus Johnson (America’s favorite screamer) was using an old roster Sunday. Every time Chiefs linebacker Rocky Boiman made a player, Johnson credited current Vikings linebacker Napoleon Harris. Boiman is wearing the No. 50 jersey that Harris wore before getting cut by Kansas City a few weeks ago.

Indianapolis Colts 24, Pittsburgh Steelers 20
Luck does not exist when you go on the road and defeat a tough Steelers team. But if it did, you would have seen it favor Indy several times in this game, most notably on Peyton Manning’s first touchdown strike, in which Ike Taylor, in perfect coverage, tipped the ball to Reggie Wayne.

The Colts got the win, but they didn’t look sharp most of the time. Three things are missing from this offense:
1. guard Ryan Lilja – his absence hurts most in the run game
2. Marvin Harrison – he has little burst left and no longer gets under deep balls or makes tough snags in traffic.
3. The stretch play – Indy’s not running it as often or executing their play-action pass from it. My guess is Manning’s knee has something to do with that.

Ben Roethlisberger’s turnovers are becoming a problem. If he doesn’t throw two interceptions in this game (we won’t count the last one on a desperation heave), the Steelers probably win. Big Ben needs to focus less on making big plays and more on managing the offense.

Mewelde Moore found the end zone twice on Sunday, and thanks to fantasy football, the public opinion will be that he’s every bit as good as Willie Parker. But the reality is, Moore gained just 57 yards on 24 carries, with his longest run going for nine yards.

Troy Polamalu deserves to be mentioned in Defensive Player of the Year discussions, though not before teammate James Harrison.

Indy’s Pro Bowl safety Antoine Bethea has been mediocre the past few weeks, but he deserves much praise considering he’s spent a great deal of time at cornerback.

Carolina Panthers 17, Oakland Raiders 6
The Panthers were not sharp in this contest. Jake Delhomme had just seven completions and four ugly interceptions – and it could have been worse. DeAngelo Williams had 140 yards rushing, but 69 of them came on one, albeit great, play.

I’m not going to trash the Raiders this week. They all played hard and hung in there against an elite club, despite being short-handed.

How good is Nnamdi Asomugha? Matched up one-on-one against Steve Smith, the superstar corner caught as many balls as the superstar receiver: one.

If the Raiders linebackers classify as “a liability” against the run, then the Raiders safeties classify as “a joke.”

For the rest of Week 10 games, visit www.NFLTouchdown.com

posted by The True GURU at 12:32 PM 0 Comments

Saturday, November 08, 2008

DeAngelo Hall Joins Redskins

By JOSEPH WHITE, AP Sports Writer

ASHBURN, Va. (AP)—DeAngelo Hall didn’t stay unemployed for long.
Less than one day after clearing waivers, the cornerback agreed Friday to a one-year contract with the Washington Redskins.
“He’s excited to be coming home, he’s a Virginia Tech guy,” said his agent, Joel Segal.
Hall should suit up for Washington’s next game, on Nov. 16 against Dallas. The Redskins, who have had injury problems in the secondary, have a bye this week.
Hall was released by Oakland earlier this week after playing just eight games with the Raiders. Oakland acquired Hall in the offseason for two draft picks, then signed him to a seven-year, $70 million contract. But he lasted only a half-season with the Raiders, and several players expressed disappointment that was released.
But Hall did struggle in coverage early in the season; he had shown signs of improvement in recent weeks, but was let go anyway following a 24-0 loss to the Falcons that dropped Oakland to 2-6 on the season.
In his eight games in Oakland, Hall was beaten 40 times for 552 yards on 66 passes thrown his way, according to data compiled by STATS. He gave up more yards than any defender this season and was tied for third worst in catches allowed.
In Washington, he joins a 6-3 team that needs help in the defensive backfield. The Redskins also hope cornerback Shawn Springs can return against Dallas after being sidelined with a calf problem.
Hall was one of the first players new general manager Thomas Dimitroff and coach Mike Smith moved out of Atlanta when they took over earlier this year.
In a 2007 game against Carolina, Hall lost his temper in the third quarter while covering Steve Smith, which resulted in three penalties totaling 67 yards. That drive ended with a Panthers touchdown and Carolina won the game.
Hall was fined $100,000 after the game for his sideline outburst with former coach Bobby Petrino.
Expecting to making a fresh start in Oakland, Hall now will do so in Washington.

posted by The True GURU at 2:39 AM 0 Comments

Friday, November 07, 2008

MIDSEASON ALL-PRO TEAM

Defense
Every team with a top-10 defense this season has won at least five games. In other words, defense is where it’s at. Teams that can generate pressure with their front four are nearly impossible to contain. The best example of this in the NFC is the New York Giants. That’s why I’ll take Justin Tuck as one of my DE’s. And the best example of this in the AFC is the Tennessee Titans. So give me league MVP Albert Haynesworth at DT.
As for the other two spots, I have to give 10-sack DE John Abraham his due. Atlanta has turned things around and he’s a big reason why. Playing DT next to Haynesworth is Shaun Rogers. The Browns have been terrible, but not Rogers. I realize he’s a 3-4 NT, but that’s okay, because as you’re about to learn, I’m actually going to take the liberty of running a 4-4-4.
There are simply too many pass-rushing OLB’s these days to use a 4-3. DeMarcus Ware of the Cowboys has been a force. It’s hard choosing just one other OLB – Joey Porter, LaMarr Woodley and James Harrison are all deserving (by the way, not a bad commentary on the Steelers, huh?). Harrison is the most versatile of the bunch.
At ILB, I continue to fall deeper in love with Carolina’s Jon Beason (a natural MLB). And London Fletcher has been a beast for the Redskins.
In the secondary, CB play has been huge this season. Just ask the Titans – they wouldn’t be undefeated without the emergence of Cortland Finnegan. Finnegan is easily the No. 1 CB in football this season. Playing opposite him…how about Washington’s Carlos Rogers? The man surprisingly returned from an ACL this year and has broken up a league-leading 17 passes. True, about six of those 17 have been dropped interceptions, but corners are here to stop plays first and foremost.
At SS, Troy Polamalu has been himself, which is why Pittsburgh’s D ranks first in the league. And at FS, you still can’t ignore what Ed Reed means to that dominant Ravens defense.

Special Teams
A good kicker can make a world of difference for a team. No one talks about John Kasey, but the man hasn’t missed yes this season. And he still has power. For punter, Philadelphia’s Sav Rocca is netting over 41 yards per boot, and he’s downed 14 inside the 20 (with just one touchback).
Devin Hester hasn’t been himself in the return game this year. Darren Sproles has been the most dangerous player when you factor in both kicks and punts. I’d still take Hester if I’m building a team, but in terms of awarding people through the first half, Sproles is most deserving. And finally, for a special teams maven, Melvin Bullitt has been superb for the Colts. Plus, he was great filling in when Bob Sanders was hurt.
Click here for the Offense

posted by The True GURU at 11:35 PM 0 Comments

Thursday, November 06, 2008

The Guru Gridiron Report: Week 10 Bench/Start Defenses


Week 10 is a week allot of Dallas Cowboy player owners have been waiting for, but at this point that is good cause it means Romo is back next week. Hopefully the ailing Cowboys will heal and get ready for the stretch run. This weeks BYE teams are the Dallas Cowboys, Cincinnati Bengals, Washington Redskins, and Tampa Bay Buccaneers. This is not only the last week for BYEs, but it marks the week we call "The Stretch Run". It also begins with a series of Thursday games, which means you need to watch your teams much closer and sooner then you will be use too. This Thursday's game is Denver at Cleveland. Here are our picks for week 10:

DEFENSES AND YOU MUST START
We love the NY Jets this week against St. Louis at home. Bulger will be on his back all day. We also like Houston this week as well against Baltimore, start them. Arizona is another must start against San Francisco at home. Green Bay is another team you have to start this week against Minnesota. Jacksonville has been bad lately, but if Culpepper starts for Detroit, start them!

Others: Chicago, Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, New England, New York Giants, Carolina, Tennessee

Other DEFENSES To Consider Starting With Some Risk
This week there are a few risk starts on defense. One is the Cleveland defense. They are playing the train wreck Broncos and they are very good at home, so we like the start. It is a risk though. Baltimore is a solid start against Houston, but Houston can put up some points. San Diego has a good matchup, but they are San Diego, so beware if you decide to start them. Detroit is at home against Jacksonville and can produce some nice points on defense assuming they play well. Its a deep start, but worth the risk.
Others: Minnesota, Buffalo, New Orleans

Please Bench These DEFENSES

Atlanta , St. Louis, Kansas City, Seattle, Indianapolis, San Francisco, Oakland

Sleeper Defenses

We have two great sleeper defenses for you. The first is the Miami defense vs. Seattle. They are at home and could very well shut Seattle out. Great start if you need it and one of the best of the week. The other is a deep sleeper for week 10 and its Denver's defense against Cleveland. If Quinn comes out nervous and weak, Denver can exploit that for some big points. This matchup will be decided by Quinn and not the Bronco's defense as far as points are concerned.

The True Guru



posted by The True GURU at 4:02 PM 0 Comments

The Guru Gridiron Report: Week 10 Bench/Start WRs & TEs


Week 10 is a week allot of Dallas Cowboy player owners have been waiting for, but at this point that is good cause it means Romo is back next week. Hopefully the ailing Cowboys will heal and get ready for the stretch run. This weeks BYE teams are the Dallas Cowboys, Cincinnati Bengals, Washington Redskins, and Tampa Bay Buccaneers. This is not only the last week for BYEs, but it marks the week we call "The Stretch Run". It also begins with a series of Thursday games, which means you need to watch your teams much closer and sooner then you will be use too. This Thursday's game is Denver at Cleveland. Here are our picks for week 10:

WIDE RECEIVERS YOU MUST START
Is this the week for Brandon Marshall? We think he will find the end zone once at the very least against Cleveland. Marques Colston is back. Play him without reserve. His thumb is healed and he will produce. Matt Jones isn't suspended yet and the Jaguars will need him all day. Look to Lee Evans to catch his trademark bomb this week against New England and some more. Lavernues Coles and Jerricho Cotchery will have very active games this week and should each get a TD this week. Benard Berrian has caught TDs in 4 straight games and we see him doing it in a 5th straight game. Big Game Larry Fitzgerald will catch the TDs this week.

Others: Andre Johnson, Anquan Boldin, Greg Jennings, Santonio Holmes, Steve Smith, Greg Jennings, Greg Camarillo, Roddy White, Eddie Royal, Braylon Edwards, Dwayne Bowe

TIGHT ENDS YOU MUST START

Kellen Winslow, Anthony Fasano, Owen Daniels, Zach Miller, Bo Scaife, Dustin Keller, Donald Lee, Tony Scheffler

Other Wide Receivers To Consider Starting With Some Risk
Lance Moore will lose targets to Colston, but should still be somewhat effective. Calvin Johnson is a major risk if Culpepper starts. I wouldn't start him this week until you see him with Culpepper. We like Devin Hester this week. Chicago will go to the air and he should land one long TD reception. Kevin Walters has an ailing back and knee. We don't recommended starting him based on that risk, but if he plays you may have too. We are not high on Reggie Wayne this week. In fact, the one league I own him in, I'm benching him. Its just not a week we like him, but we cannot recommend benching Wayne, just noting its a very high risk start. Reggie Williams could trip and fall into the end zone. Randy Moss is a tough start this week, but you simply cannot bench him.

Others: Donald Driver, Justin Gage, Nate Washington, Ted Ginn Jr., Donald Driver, Donnie Avery, Reggie Brown, Plaxico Burress, Hines Ward

Other Tight Ends To Consider Starting With Some Risk

Kevin Boss, John Carleson, Marcedes Lewis, Greg Olsen, Desmond Clark

Please Bench These Wide Receivers
Bench Javon Walker for the normal reasons, but also for the fact that he could be cut shortly. Devery Henderson will fallout of favor with Colston coming back 100%. Rashied Davis is not a good start against Tennessee and with Grossman throwing POSSIBLY. Bobby Wade is a must bench this week as well. Vincent Jackson will see a decrease in his role with Chambers coming back and with LT getting healthier.

Others: Michael Jenkins, Brandon Jones, Marvin Harrison, Sidney Rice, Torry Holt, Bryant Johnson, Koren Robinson, Derrick Mason

Please Bench These Tight Ends

Todd Heap, Alge Crumpler

Sleeper Wide Receivers
Steve Smith (NYG) has been impressive on 3rd downs and last week he caught his first TD of his career. We think he can do it again against a very agressive blitzing Philadelphia defense. We love DeSean Jackson this week. He will be McNabb's big target this week. Steve Breaston will catch a TD this week for Arizona, bank on it. Josh Morgan will also have a nice game as a DEEP sleeper for Shuan Hill and the 49ers. Chansi Stuckey will show up for Farve and catch a TD from Farve if Cotchery stays out of the game. He's a risky start, but we think Farve has 2-3 TDs to offer and 4 guys to hit. Start Stuckey if you are desperate. Brandon Stokley will have a nice game for Denver and should get a TD. start him.

Good luck. Next are our Defenses!

The True Guru

posted by The True GURU at 1:45 PM 0 Comments

The Guru Gridiron Report: Week 10 Bench/Start Runningbacks


Week 10 is a week allot of Dallas Cowboy player owners have been waiting for, but at this point that is good cause it means Romo is back next week. Hopefully the ailing Cowboys will heal and get ready for the stretch run. This weeks BYE teams are the Dallas Cowboys, Cincinnati Bengals, Washington Redskins, and Tampa Bay Buccaneers. This is not only the last week for BYEs, but it marks the week we call "The Stretch Run". It also begins with a series of Thursday games, which means you need to watch your teams much closer and sooner then you will be use too. This Thursday's game is Denver at Cleveland. Here are our picks for week 10:

RUNNINGBACKS YOU MUST START
LenDale White will be the Tennessee RB who will have a big game this week against Chicago and that is only for his touchdown potential. We also think Maurice Jones-Drew is a must start as the Jaguars will get back to basics and pound the ball between the tackles. Thomas Jones will be a big piece of the plan as the Jets try and rout the Rams at home. DeAngelo Williams is a huge start this week especially if Jonathan Stewart cannot play. Either way, both runningbacks will run against Detroit. Finally, Tim Hightower is a must start against the 49ers on Monday night. He is the starter in Arizona and will be for a longtime.

Others: Brian Westbrook, Michael Turner, Ronnie Brown, Brandon Jacobs, LaDainian Tomlinson

Other Runningbacks To Consider Starting With Some Risk
Duece McCallister is a fine start this week, but he always brings risk with his health and other runningbacks. Steve Slaton faces another tough defense this week, but we like the matchup and feel that he will get over 100 total yards and find the end zone. BenJarvus Green-Ellis should start for the Patriots and should have a fine game. He should get a TD like he has in his three previous games, but he won't break 75 yards. Justin Fargas is a big risk like the Raiders are. However, we like him this week and think he can perform against Carolina. Asking for a TD is a stretch, but possible. Finally, Chris Johnson will not have a spectacular game this week against Chicago. They have fast linebackers and will spy Johnson and pack the box most of the game. We don't recommend starting him unless your other options aren't as good this week.

Others: Jamal Lewis, Adrian Peterson, Le'Ron McClain, Frank Gore, Marshawn Lynch, Willie Parker, Joseph Addai

Please Bench These Runningbacks
Dominic Rhodes might get 8-10 carries, but won't find allot of room against the Steelers defense. Ryan Grant won't find anything against the brutal run defense of the Vikings. Ryan Torian will start for the Broncos, but he won't carry the ball much in this game. Look for Cutler to try and win it with a weak running game. This is not the week to start Matt Forte, bench him. Jonathan Stewart is hurt and currently has a boot for what he calls a sharp pain in his heel. He's too risky to start this week and Williams should pick up the slack for him.

Others: Rudi Johnson, Edgerrin James, Darren McFadden,, Selvin Young, Julius Jones, Mewelde Moore, Ahman Green, Willis McGahee

Sleeper Runningbacks
Kevin Smith is our first sleeper of the week. He is at home and has the potential to rip off a serious game vs the Jaguars. Look for 100+ and a TD. Ricky Williams has a great matchup vs. the Seahawks and should get 15 carries and a TD. We expect one of his best games of the year. Kevin Faulk is a great start this week. He will get plenty of action with Green-Ellis, and could get a TD. Leon Washington overpowers the Rams special teams. He may not score on offense, but a punt return is possible. Finally, a deep sleeper is the emerging Peyton Hillis. He's the FB in Denver. As long as Scheffler is out he can continue to get lots of action as a safety valve for Cutler.

Good luck. Next are our Wide Receivers and Tight Ends!

The True Guru

posted by The True GURU at 1:01 PM 0 Comments

The Guru Gridiron Report: Week 10 Bench/Start Quarterbacks


Week 10 is a week allot of Dallas Cowboy player owners have been waiting for, but at this point that is good cause it means Romo is back next week. Hopefully the ailing Cowboys will heal and get ready for the stretch run. This weeks BYE teams are the Dallas Cowboys, Cincinnati Bengals, Washington Redskins, and Tampa Bay Buccaneers. This is not only the last week for BYEs, but it marks the week we call "The Stretch Run". It also begins with a series of Thursday games, which means you need to watch your teams much closer and sooner then you will be use too. This Thursday's game is Denver at Cleveland. Here are our picks for week 10:

QUARTERBACKS YOU MUST START
There are some very good must start QBs this week. First let's start with Aaron Rodgers vs. division foe Minnesota. Its on the road, but a must win against a weak pass defense. Brett Farve is coming off a big win, but a poor fantasy day. He will make up for it with 2-3 TDs this week against St. Louis. He is familiar on the road in St. Louis and should have little problem playing there. Matt Ryan will get in a shootout with Drew Brees, so look for Matt Ryan to get lots of garbage points and some real points as well. Finally Philip Rivers is back from a week off and will go nuts on Kansas City.

Others: Peyton Manning, Jake Delhomme, Kurt Warner

Other Quarterbacks To Consider Starting With Some Risk
Several QBs fall into the risk category this week starting with Jay Cutler. He's not been playing well lately, but as usual you have to start him. Scheffler still appears out, but with Stokely and Peyton Hillis becoming active participants it might take pressure of the WRs. Either way Cutler needs a running attack to balance the offense, so look for Ryan Torian to see lots of action. We also like Gus Frerotte. The risk this week is he's Gus Frerotte, but he can hold is own and will likely be playing from behind most of the game, so he will throw allot. Everyone is hyped up about Sage Rosenfel, but e have to say that this is not a good matchup for him. Baltimore has an aggressive pass defense and its effective even on the road. Start him if you have no other choice, but consider others over him in this category. Finally, Shaun Hill is a big risk, but we like him and we say start him if you need a BYE week or injury replacement. He was our pick from the beginning of the year, so we are high on him.

Others: , Trent Edwards, Donovan McNabb,, Kerry Collins, Chad Pennington, Matt Cassel

Please Bench These Quarterbacks
If Culpepper starts, bench him. Its not even a consideration. Marc Bulger will be on his back all day against the Jets, so bench him. Finally, our bench QB of the week goes to Eli Manning. He is on the road against the Eagles. Not good for him. He will put up some points, but at best 1/3 if what you would expect.

Others: Joe Flacco, Seneca Wallace, Byron Leftywich(If he starts), JaMarcus Russell

Sleeper Quarterbacks
We have three great sleepers for you. David Garrard is coming off a rough week. Look for him rebound against the Detroit Lions on the road. We expect 240 yards and 2 TDs. Brady Quinn is getting his first start of his career and its against a beaten down injured defense of the Denver Broncos at he's at home. Quinn is a deep sleeper because of his inexperience, but he could perform very well. Tyler Thigpen has a great matchup against San Diego. He will be playing from behind and without LJ, so we expect 2-3 TDs and 235 yards.

Good luck. Next are our Runningbacks!

The True Guru

posted by The True GURU at 3:05 AM 0 Comments

Tuesday, November 04, 2008

The Guru Gridiron Report: Week 9 Review & Recap



Week 9 was a killer week for allot of teams. Offense was down and allot of star players failed to perform for their teams. Add in some big BYE week players and week 9 had to be a tough week for teams across fantasy football. Alot of players will be downgraded, but we think most of those players will have big finishes to the season.


Quarterbacks


Jay Cutler - EVEN FVR: 8.9
Hopefully the BYE will help him with the nagging injuries, but he has been in a slow decline since week 2. There is talk of benching him for others in some fantasy leagues.


Derek Anderson DOWNGRADED FVR: 4.5
No longer the starter in Cleveland. Likely played his last game for the Browns.


Brady Quinn UPGRADED FVR 7.2
Lets see what he can do. We think he will have success with the offense around him, but there will be a learning curve.

Gus Frerotte UPGRADE FVR: 7.7
He threw 3 TDs and was very sharp. He's still a liability because of his consistentcy, but you have to like the results.

Philip Rivers EVEN FVR: 9.4
BYE WEEK


Tony Romo EVEN FVR: 8.9
Inured. Out till week 11.


Aaron Rodgers EVENFVR 8.9
Aaron had a very good game and remains even. He has a favorablr matchup week 10 and week like him as a must start in most leagues.

Jake Delhomme EVEN FVR: 8.4
BYE WEEK

Drew Brees EVEN FVR: 9.6
BYE WEEK

Donovan McNabb UPGRADED FVR: 8.8
Another fantastic game for McNabb. Can he put together two in a row?

Shaun Hill UPGRADED FVR: 8.0
At the beginning of the year he was our pick to start for the 49ers. Now we get our chance.

Jason Campbell DOWNGRADED FVR: 7.9
Brutal game vs. the Steelers. He has the BYE week to think about what happened.

Matt Cassel EVEN FVR: 7.8
He played about what we expected. 200 yards and an INT.

Kurt Warner EVEN FVR: 9.5
Another great game for Warner.

Matt Hasselbeck EVEN FVR 7.2 LOOK TO TRADE
Injured.

Brett Farve - DOWNGRADED FVR: 8.0
This was another bad fantasy week for Farve. Granted Buffalo was a stiff defense to face, Farve should have gotten his owners at least 1 TD.

David Garrard DOWNGRADED FVR: 7.7
Garrard's biggest problem is consistency. He must have it to win, e must have it for fantasy relavence.

Trent Edwards UPGRADED FVR: 8.0
289 yards and a TD isn't a bad performance. He should contue to have OK games, but don't expect great games from him as Buffalo will focus on the running game.

Runningbacks

Marion Barber DOWNGRADED FVR: 8.7
Has a BYE week and Romo coming back. Barber needs some big games and should get it with some of the matchups coming up, plus he gets Romo back week 11.

Steve Slaton EVEN FVR: 8.7
Not much change. Had a solid game against a tough run defense in Minnesota.

Reggie Bush EVEN FVR: 9.0
Injured for 2 to 4 weeks.

Tim Hightower UPGRADED FVR: 8.7
What a great game. He is the starter in Arizona whether you like it or not.

Ronnie Brown - EVEN FVR: 8.4
89 total yards and a TD was a bit of a letdown, but solid.

Matt Forte UPGRADED FVR: 9.0
Great game against Detriot, but no TDs. Still a top tier runningback.


Kevin Smith UPGRADED FVR 8.0
He's get the majority of the carries for Detriot. He even got a TD. Keep an eye on him.

Michael Turner UPGRADED FVR: 8.6
Broke the 100+ barrier in a big way and was removed in a blowout. NO TDs, but great game.

Ryan Grant UPGRADED FVR: 7.4 LOOK TO TRADE
He is getting the yards, but no receiving or TDs.

Thomas Jones UPGRADED FVR: 8.7
Jones had another solid week with 107 total yards, 6 catches, and scored another TD.

Jonathon Stewart EVEN FVR: 6.9
BYE WEEK.

Steven Jackson DOWNGRADED FVR: 8.2 LOOK TO TRADE
He is still hurting, but only managed 17 yards on 7 carries.

Leon Washington UPGRADED FVR: 7.7
Caught a 40 yard pass and didn't do much else. He did get 9 touches and returns punts, so he has value.

Sammy Morris DOWNGRADED FVR 7.4
Out with Knee injury.


Marshawn Lynch DOWNGRADED FVR 8.7
He has all the skills in the world, but has failed to matchup against tough defenses.



Chris Johnson UPGRADED FVR 8.8
He has been outstanding and scored again and aded 89 yards.


Cendric Benson UPGRADED FVR 8.1
He had a great game against Jacksonville and is the clear starter in Cinncinati.


LenDale White EVEN FVR 8.7
77 yards, but no TDs. He leads the league in rushing TDs, so start him.

Wide Receiver

Terrell Owens EVEN FVR: 8.9
Finally caught a TD. After the BYE week gets Romo back.


Donnie Avery DOWNGRADED FVR: 7.8
3 small catches against a tough Arizona defense.

Kevin Walters EVEN FVR: 8.3
Very inconsistent, but his QB went down. 4 catches and 42 yards.


Jerricho Cotchery DOWNGRADED FVR: 8.4
Had a solid game, but no TDs AGAIN.

Plaxico Buress DOWNGRADED FVR: 7.9 Look To Trade
With Steve Smith emerging, Buress is vanishing.



Benard Berrian UPGRADED FVR 8.6
4 catches, 104 yards and a 4th straight game with a TD.

Andre Johnson EVEN FVR: 9.2
Very nice game anda touchdown.

DeSean Jackson DOWNGRADED FVR: 8.0
He is slipping big time. He need s abig game in week 10.

Greg Jennings DOWNGRADE FVR: 9.4
Ok week, but we expect more from Jennings.

Roy Williams DOWGRADED FVR: 7.0
He needs more targets. Until he gets more you cannot start him.


Donald Driver UPGRADE FVR: 8.6
Great week with 136 yards and a TD, but is it an apparition or is it a show of things to come. We will see.

Braylon Edwards EVEN FVR 8.7
He had a great game, but enter Brady Quinn. We will wait to see how the chemistry works.


Randy Moss DOWNGRADED FVR: 8.1 LOOK TO TRADE
Another tough game for Moss. He still has potential, but the end result doesn't look good.

Larry Fitzgerald DOWNGRADED FVR: 9.4
No TDs and not much yards. He needs to find the endzone.

Steve Breaston DOWNGRADED FVR: 7.1
There are allot of hands in Arizona and not enough for Breaston to be a fantasy play except in deep leagues.



Lavernues Coles DOWNGRADED FVR 8.3
He's the red zone target for Farve, but when Farve struggles he is useless.



Chad Johnson UPGRADED FVR 7.9
Every year Johnson hs one multi Touchdown game. Enjoy it.

Tight Ends


Kevin Winslow UPGRADE FVR 8.2
At least he is playing and 5 catches for 64 yards is solid. We expect him to get lots of attention from Quinn.

Mercedes Lewis DOWNGRADE FVR: 7.6
The whole Jacksonville offense is downgraded.

Antonio Gates EVEN FVR: 9.5
BYE WEEK

Jason Witten DOWNGRADED FVR: 8.3
Injured Ribs, so not much play. Now he has the BYE week to heal.

Dustin Keller EVEN FVR: 6.1
Not much action in week 9.

John Carlson DOWNGRADED FVR: 7.7
Wallace is doing this guy no favors.

Tony Gonzalez EVEN FVR: 8.6
A solid game, but no TDs. Still a great Tightend to start.


Chris Cooley EVEN FVR: 8.8
8 catches for 86 yards. Great game, but no TDs again.

Visanthe Shiancoe UPGRADED FVR: 7.7
Caught 1 ball for 25 yards and a TD.

posted by The True GURU at 3:04 PM 0 Comments

The Guru Gridiron Report: Team Evaluations, TTG goes 2-4 In Worst Week

Leagues: 6 (3 Yahoo!, 2 CBS Sportsline, 1 ESPN)
Total Record: 37-17

This was the worst week of the season and my first losing week. I have to say I was lucky to win an matchups this week. First and foremost injuries have taken a toll on many of my teams as the evaluations would show. The silver lining in the cloud is that we are still in playoff contention in 4 leagues and clinched a playoff berth in 1 league. In the C2C league, where I remained undefeated I clinched my first playoff berth of the season. However, in the FFS expert league I have fallen to 4-5 and may not make the playoffs in my own expert league.
Here are my six matchups for week 9:


Coast 2 Coast League
This was probably my best performance of the week and I managed a big win. This is one of my best teams this season and is packed with powerful players and a deep bench. I'm currently 9-0 and I clinched a playoff berth in this league. My only goals for this league is to remain undefeated and hope my team stays healthy. Week 10 is another tough matchup, but I can easily see 10-0.

Football Dynasty VI

A big loss, but overall not a bad one. First I loss to the best team in the league (8-1) and I'm still in 2nd place and should easily qualify for a playoff spot with 1 more win. Currently I'm 6-3 in this league where 6 teams make the playoffs and I hold a BYE week playoff spot. My goal here is to get healthy and hold a playoff spot. With 5 games left in the season I hold a 3 game lead + tiebreaker on the playoffs, so a win for me and some well placed losses I could clinch a playoff berth next week. What is critical is I get back Tony Romo and Reggie Bush. I also lost Matt Schaub this week, so winning in week 10 might be hard and I might lose my 3rd straight game, but after that I should win the remainder of my games.


J.A.I.L. LeagueThis was a very surprising loss and a devastating one at that. I really was a favorite to win this week, but instead I dropped my second straight game in this league and fall to 6-3. I'm two games back from the division lead. I have to get back to my winning ways as 3 of the 4 teams I play the rest of the season have a combined record of 20-7. I do have one soft spot in the schedule. I have all the confidence in the world that my team will be able to win. I need Terrell Owens and DeSean Jackson to start playing again and things should get better.

Vegas Vs Texas League
This was a very nice win against a rival who has a career 1-7 record against me. My team absolutely did nothing except for a Cleveland TD and a Andre Johnson TD. Nothing more and I still managed to win. With 4 games left in the season I am now in first place in the division with all the tiebreakers. All that needs to happen next week is a lose from Tripods or if I win and I clinch a playoff berth. This is my strongest team, and this week I made two trades to power up my team. I acquired Tony Gonzalez for Eddie Royal and Terrell Owens for Steve Slaton. I also picked up Kevin Smith from waivers. DeAngelo Williams will fill in for Steve Slaton, but Barber and Westbrook are my keeper league starting runningbacks.


NSP Experts League
I attribute this loss to the BYE week and the fact that I just can't beat AJ Pelletier. Drew Brees and Antonio Gates were on the BYE and that definitely hurt with Farve having a terrible day. Overall I'm still in 3rd place in this league at 6-3 and I hold a playoff spot by 2 games and a tiebreaker. More good news is I'm only 1 games out of second place and a BYE week in the playoffs. My remaining schedule puts me up against 3 teams with losing records and one very good 6-3 team. I should

Fantasy Football Search Expert League

I have no Romo and I have no Reggie Bush. I've dropped 3 straight games and things are looking very bad. I played the best team in the league this week and still got crushed. Here is the news on this league. Its the only league I don't hold a playoff spot in. With 4 weeks left I'm 1 game out of the playoffs, so I still have a chance, but I need to win. At the very worst, I get Bush and Romo back next week, but I have to win this week. I did pickup Reggie Brown, but he needs to do more. My next matchup is against the 2-7 Fighting Chance Fantasy. its a game I can and must win. I did lose Michael Pittman for the season.

posted by The True GURU at 12:28 PM 0 Comments

Monday, November 03, 2008

NFL TOUCHDOWN SUNDAY SNIDE REMARKS - WEEK 9

Indianapolis Colts 18, New England Patriots 15
Classic Colts-Patriots: you had New England eating up the clock and controlling the tempo, Peyton Manning making all the big plays through the air, Adam Vinatieri deciding it with a 52-yard field goal and Bill Belichick barely shaking Tony Dungy’s hand afterward.

The Patriots lost this game, but a huge positive that stood out was the confidence Matt Cassel displayed. He is growing each week. And while he’s still not making his third and fourth reads from the pocket, he’s at least diagnosing defenses on the presnap and showing a presence in the huddle.

The tendency is to think that the Colts got gashed by New England’s inside run. They did, but in exchange, they kept Randy Moss and Wes Welker in check. If these teams square off again, expect Indy to keep their safeties back deep again.

The Colts rushing attack is still not there. I think this team really misses guard Ryan Lilja.

It’s a shame that this thoroughly well-played game came down to a boneheaded penalty by a pedestrian player. David Thomas’s 15-yard personal foul was one of the most costly infractions we’ve seen in the NFL this season.

Only one time did I see Dwight Freeney truly disrupt the pocket in this game. I still respect the double teams he commands, but the Colts will come to regret making him the highest paid defensive player in the league.

New York Giants 35, Dallas Cowboys 14
It wasn’t even as close as the score indicates.

Have we ever – EVER – seen a team as befuddled and downtrodden by their quarterback situation as Dallas? At one point, Brooks Bollinger started to go into the game and was called back. Not a soul in this organization believes in Brad Johnson or Bollinger. I can’t remember ever seeing such a high quality team become utterly deflated from losing its quarterback for a few weeks.

We get on Terrell Owens’s case all the time; to be fair, we need to praise his leadership this week. Owens did his best to uplift Brad Johnson on the sidelines, and after the game he remained positive. (Contributing to the offensive catastrophe with a rare fumble may have helped humble the man.)

I still can’t get over the job Steve Spagnuolo is doing with this Giants defense. He has made stars out of role players like Danny Clark, Fred Robbins (who is playing at a Pro Bowl level in his own right), James Butler and Jason Webster.

If you asked me what I’d rather have, New York’s trio of running backs or Adrian Peterson, I’d take the former…mainly because I love Brandon Jacobs.

Dallas is really missing cornerback Terence Newman, but more than him, they’re missing a complimentary pass-rusher to DeMarcus Ware. Anthony Spencer can’t stay healthy, and Greg Ellis has gotten old.

Miami Dolphins 26, Denver Broncos 17
I hope a lot of people had the opportunity to watch this game – it was a genuinely hard fought contest. These teams went at each other like long-time division rivals. Amplifying the drama was the fact that Brandon Marshall spent the afternoon sulking (like a child), Joey Porter was ruthless in his trash talking, Tony Sparano was as animated as an end zone seat fan and Jay Cutler was downright pissy by the fourth quarter.

Here’s a very revealing – and truthful – quote from Joey Porter about Brandon Marshall: "He's one of those guys that if he don't get the ball in the first two series in the first quarter, he's out of it. He had 18 catches in a game before. So he's not used to going the whole first half with no balls. We got in his head and he pretty much was done."
Porter went on to say, "I didn't get inside his head, we just were talkin'. He got in his own head. He was done,. He's one of those soft receivers, where he has to have the ball all the time. If he don't get it, he's going to mope and cry. He did it to himself."

The Dolphins defense outperformed Denver’s offense in every fashion. It started with taking away the run game. Miami loaded the box with eight, sometimes nine defenders, and held the Broncos to 14 yards on 12 carries. The defensive backs, particularly the corners, were extremely physical with the wideouts.

On the bright side for Denver, rookie left tackle Ryan Clady had another outstanding game. He has outperformed Jake Long this season. Clady, in fact, might already be a Pro Bowler.

Without Champ Bailey, Denver’s defense is worthless. Karl Paymah led the team with 13 tackles on the day…most of them against Greg Camarillo, the diminutive Dolphins receiver who turned the Broncos into dog food.

Tennessee Titans 19, Green Bay Packers 16
This may have been the best game of the day, and nearly half the people who watched it did not get to see the ending because FOX took them to their local market broadcast of New York vs. Dallas. This begs the question: if FOX has the doubleheader for the day – which they did – then why can’t the NFL just push back the start time of the Cowboys-Giants game by 15 minutes or so and give the Titans-Packers audience a chance to see a great ending to a great game? The people who didn’t get to see this ending got screwed out of three hours of their Sunday afternoon. There’s no reason not to delay the Cowboys-Giants start time. Making the 80,000 people at the Meadowlands wait is better than screwing the millions of viewers at home. Plus, if we’re lucky, the late game will start so late that FOX will cancel that pathetic post game show they call The OT.

As for the game itself….

Chris Johnson is one of the league’s elite running backs. Few guys can change directions going full speed north and south like him. He has some of the best hip swivel I’ve seen.

Helping matters is the fact that LenDale White is thriving in a complimentary role.

Titans center Kevin Mawae is performing at an All-Pro level once again.

Although they lost, the Packers are in pretty good shape. Aaron Rodgers is playing like a star (this game included), which is good because he just got paid like one (over $20 million guaranteed). Al Harris and Atari Bigby are back healthy, which means the secondary can be stifling again.

Also, the Green Bay offensive line is starting to round into shape. Left guard Daryn Colledge has been more consistent this season. On Sunday, Colledge slid outside to left tackle to replace an injured Chad Clifton and did a very commendable job. (It should be noted that Kyle Vanden Bosch missed all but three plays.)

Cortland Finnegan vs. Greg Jennings was a first-class matchup. Finnegan won it, just barely.

Stephen Tulloch is blossoming into a very fine middle linebacker for Tennessee. Playing behind Albert Haynesworth helps.

Click here to read all Week 9 Games

posted by The True GURU at 12:05 PM 0 Comments