NFL Week 4 Fantasy RecapIt was a weekend that included upsets, great plays, big hits, and the ever preset last minute field goal. Unfortunately, you don't get any extra points in Fantasy Football for game winning kicks (note to Yahoo! Sports). Nor do you get a bonus for de-cleating/decapitating an opponent. What you do run is the risk of getting fined and suspended, and while I do agree with the Jets official team statement on the previously unknown Hitman Eric Smith, what I think is the real issue hear is what were the Cardinals trying to prove? Look at the scoreboard - it was 56-35 with under a minute to play, THE GAME WAS OVER. As amazing as Kurt Warner's rise from rags to riches was, the end to his run in the NFL making plays like this is drawing near. The guy is 37 and he knows better. You don't quit, but you also don't go and get your best player killed on a play that means nothing. Starting to sound like Jim Rome...I digress.
On to my Fantasy Fallout segment and recap of the weekend that was, let's go.
Team: MN Fighting Pike
League: Champions08, 10 Team H2H Format
Week 4 Result: Win 67.24-57.20
Standing after the weekend: Locked in a 5-way tie for second at 2-2, tie-breaker standing (total points) has the Pike holding down the 7th seed (if the season finished today, my team like the Vikings would be out of the playoffs - shocker).
For a guy who has never finished worse then 4th in any Fantasy Football League (see image above), my current standing as the #7 seed in my own league is a bit startling to this point. My squad eeked out a 67.24-57.20 victory over the Bangbros, my only saving grace being the other manager (we call him Tiny) failed to get a computer in time to swap out the injured Carson Palmer for Kurt Warner and his 23.44 point performance (472 yards, 2 TD's, 3 INT's, 3 FUM's). *I decided to use a different scoring system this season, and so far it has not worked in my favor (see the Champions08 Scoring post). Since Warner put up a ridiculous yardage total this week, he got a 14 point bonus to otherwise offset the -12 for turnovers (-2x3 INT's + -2x3 FUM's). While 'Tiny' had his problems, I had my own with the thus far disappointing Matt Hasselbeck on the bye, I picked up Jason Campbell last week and Trent Edwards right before game-time Sunday. My thought process went like this - Campbell was facing a decent Cowboys defense and would struggle on the road, thus I went with Edwards against the pathetic St. Louis squad. Campbell was solid, though not spectacular (outscoring Edwards 16.74-10.26), and last season's coming out against the Cowboys should have been my basis for comparison (33-54, 348 yards, 2 TD 1 INT) not his season thus far. My opinion now (hindsight being 20-20), Campbell is on the rise and has the pension to perform in big games and it's going to be hard to bench J.C. in favor of Hasselbeck or Edwards (one of them is getting cut SOON) until they prove otherwise (Seahawks getting healthy at WR, see #4).
Other moves to consider:
While the QB position is up in the air at this point, a lackluster performance from my RB's and WR's almost spelled doom this past week as well. While Terrell "Give me the ball MORE" Owens and DeSean Jackson each scored TD's and put up 12.78 (T.O.) and 10.74 respectively, what is more startling is the 2.48 point-performance from Marion Barber and 3.34 showing for Fred Taylor. Felix Jones failed to score for the first time in his short career (0 points on the bench thankfully), and my other bench backs DeAngelo Williams went for a whopping 3.64 points and Ricky Williams was with his Dolphin teammates on the bye. ANYBODY WANT TO TRADE? The kicker to all this was my WR/RB flex position manned by Donald Driver and his .82 showing. Kevin Walter was on the bench with his 19.04 and I still squeaked out the victory. Oh, and Jacksonville was my D which gave me squat, 0, zip, zilch, nothing. This is all not to mention Burress being one the bye and now suspended for the Washington game. Gonna be scratching my head this week...
Team: Minnesota Maskinoges
League: NFC North 08
Week 4 Result: Lost 82-79
Standing after the weekend: Locked in a 5-way tie at 2-2 for 3rd, currently sitting as the #3 seed (if the season ended today, I would be in the 4 team playoffs).
Not much to say about this squad other then it was mine for the taking (not only the week, but the #1 seed in league play). Lost the matchup thanks to the Pittsburgh D putting up 14 and was ahead 79-68 going into Monday Night. Pigskin Princess had both the Steeler D and Heath Miller (0) going, my team was done for the week. Had Baltimore scored one more time, I might be singing their praises. I am not a Ravens fan.
Moves to Consider:
In this TD heavy league, WR Laveranues Coles and his 3 TD's & 23 point performance were on the bench. Sure could have used that rather than T.J.'s 2 point debacle. RB Chris Johnson putting up 2 TD's and 15 points on the vaunted Vikings defense (I am officially OFF the bandwagon) was also a surprise. Surprise, surprise, he was also on my bench. Jags defense hurt me in both leagues scoring 0, but Larry Johnson was a nice flex option this week (although he should have started over Barber's 4 and Forte's 1, respectively) scoring 2 TD's and rumbling his way to 19 (with bonuses in my other league he put up 26.92). Rounding out the roster, Brees turned in a nice performance against SF scoring 23, Sproles was less then unspectactular with 2, and Marvin Harrison and Ricky Williams were both on the bye.
Moving Forward:
It's going to be hard to bench WR Marshall at any point this season with Cutler lighting fools up, but T.J. is going to get the hook. While Coles put up great numbers last week, he has only accounted for 6 TD's in each of the past two seasons and this week the New York Brett's are on the bye. Thus, Harrison gets the nod on the road at Houston, Johnson (vs. Carolina) and Forte (against the miserable Lions) again compliment Barber in the backfield and/or the flex option. The always steady Witten mans the TE spot, while the Free Agent pick up Carolina Defense (vs. K.C.) supplants the dropped Jags D and Seattle @ NYG.
Team: Ihate Favre
League: SN_17988 - Sporting News, 12 Team, H2H, 3 Divisions
Week 4 Result: Lost 81-47
Standing after the weekend: 1-3, 1 Game back in North division (if playoffs started today, I would be out of the 4 team championship race and could place no better then 9th place).
While my track record in Yahoo! Fantasy Leagues is pretty good (23 teams total managed - including NCAA tourney and weekly picks - 10 Trophies, 68% overall performance), my Head-2-Head teams over on Sporting news have been hit and miss. I placed 2nd this season in Baseball, but my salary cap teams always seem to sputter towards the end (save for last season my salary cap football team placed in the top 3% with a 2.6% percentile rating - not bad).
This team, however, is brutal - draft was conducted in August (rube credit). QB Anderson is off to a slow start, so I supplanted him with J.T. O'Sullivan last week - call it a wash. J.T. went for 12, Anderson 10. McGahee and Turner turned in an identical 5 points with a White TD going for not on the bench. Addai and Morris were on the bye, while Andre Johnson scored 3, Steve Smith 15 (only bright spot on the day), and T.J. once again hurt yet another one of my teams with 3. Coles and his 28 was again on the bench (that's also twice now), whatdoyaknow, Jacksonville 0, and a spot start for Jerramy Stevens was no dice as well, 0.
Moving Forward:
I am at a loss with this team. Public leagues are usually (at least in my experience) easy to snipe players off the wire, but that has not been the case over on Sporting News this season in either Football or Baseball. I do have a claim (I am 4th) for Matt Schaub, but that he is still the starting QB for the Texans. LAIM. Hopefully White can keep punching it in the endzone, Addai shakes off the rust, and T.J. for Pete's sake gets off the schnide, or gets his QB back. Coles for T.J. this week (though I'm sure that will burn me), gonna comb the wire for a QB (Anderson bye, O'Sullivan going against Pats D), and hope Anthony Fasano has another nice game (dropped Stevens to pick up Carlson as well). Jacksonville D is again a wild card, not sure to drop them in this my third league, or pick up Washington (@ PHI) or Seattle (@ NYG), neither of whom present great matchups this week, but possibly down the road. I'm not going to quit, so hopefully my reputation stays intact and I can pull something down the road (Fantasy Football - I have never placed lower then 4th, never won either, Baseball, I have never placed lower then 3rd, again never won either).
That's why we play the game.
Couldn't figure out how to fit this in, but found it interesting nonetheless - Madden aficionados, you might want to check out these cheat codes - M.J.D. is sick. Why must the Jags D make we want to break my computer??
Champions08 Scoring Format:
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