NFL Newslinks 10/28

Posted on 28. Oct, 2009 by Jesse in NFL Newslinks

Seven weeks of action in the books, and there’s still lots of exciting NFL news to cover. We’ve got a fresh installment of Newslinks for you to dive into, especially if you love laughing at Larry Johnson’s stupidity.

• Several credible websites are citing a “team source” is saying that the Chiefs will sever ties with Larry Johnson in the very near future. Upon hearing this, I’m guessing Johnson threw a drink in a woman’s face and dropped some inappropriate slurs.
• Eli Manning said his foot injury is not affecting his accuracy and he was not listed on Wednesday’s pre-practice injury report.
• Jets GM Mike Tannenbaum said Tuesday that he expects Thomas Jones to be with the Jets “now and into the future.”
• According to the Eagles’ former team physician, Brian Westbrook “is probably out at least a few weeks” because he was knocked unconscious and experienced memory loss. LeSean McCoy will start in his place.
• Chris Cooley’s brother has tweeted that Cooley’s ankle surgery is over and it “went well.” Cooley is out for the season – like his head coach Jim Zorn should be.
• Though he was held out of Tuesday’s practice, Calvin Johnson (knee) said he feels “a lot better” than he did a week ago.

Must Start: Pierre Garcon

Posted on 10. Oct, 2009 by Jesse in Articles

Ok, so I admit, the first four weeks of this column were an abject failure. I called out Ray Rice in week one, and McGahee blew up. I called out LenWhale White in week two and Chris Johnson goes crazy. Week three was the Felix Jones prediction, and Jones promptly gets hurt. I then tabbed Rashard Mendenhall as the guy I’d write about in week four, but busyness sidetracked me, and I never wrote the piece. I did, however, tell you a while ago that Mendy was going to be the man. Does that count?

Well anyway, I’m back to attempt my hand at a weekly column one more time. The premise is still the same: I pick a guy who is likely on your fantasy bench today, and tell you why you should start him tomorrow. With both fingers crossed, I give you Pierre Garcon, Colts WR.

For those of you who haven’t heard yet, Peyton Manning is a very good NFL quarterback. He’s also on fire this season, passing for more than 300 yards in all four of the Colts games so far this season. Manning is playing at an MVP level yet again, tossing nine TD’s and just three picks while getting the Colts off to a 4-0 start. Yes, Peyton produces.

But it takes more than just opportunity to get me to dub Garcon as my “Must Start” of the week. Pierre ain’t no softie. Since Anthony Gonzalez’ injury, Garcon has made the most of limited opportunities. He’s scored twice in a three game stretch, and has also posted 30+ yard receptions each week. At 6-foot, 210 pounds, Pierre has a great NFL body. Honestly, the guy kinda reminds me of Anquan Boldin. Big, powerful legs propel him, and single coverage seems inevitable with Dallas Clark and Reggie Wayne attracting all attention. I’m going to be bold here, but I see Garcon pushing Gonzalez back into the slot when he does return. Pierre is just solid.

Of course, I love Garcon this week because the Colts play the Titans in prime time. Tennessee is a mess in the defensive secondary, ranking dead last in yards allowed, and yeilding 10 passing TD’s through four games. Peyton Manning should embarrass them thoroughly, especially on national TV. Get Garcon into your lineup this weekend, and enjoy him. After all, his value will take a hit when Gonzalez returns a few weeks from now.

Others I considered: Marshawn Lynch against the Browns, LeSean McCoy against the Bucs, Miles Austin against the Chiefs, and Jerome Harrison against the Bills.

Lets all cross our fingers together.

Must Start: Felix Jones

Posted on 26. Sep, 2009 by Jesse in Articles

Ok, we’re not off to the best of starts with this Saturday night tradition. Ray Rice wasn’t a bad option in week one, but I whiffed big time on LenDale White last week. I’ll try harder here, and hopefully week three will yield a better result. The premise remains the same: I pick a guy who is probably sitting on your bench right now and explain why you should start him over players you currently have in your lineup.

Without wasting any more time, I give you the third name in this weekly column: Felix Jones, RB Cowboys.

If you haven’t watched Jones closely, let me fill you in on his game. The former Razorback has blinding speed, great moves in the open field, hits the hole with authority, and has been waiting for an opportunity to get extra touches. With Marion Barber looking more and more doubtful with each passing day, Monday night could be Felix’s coming-out party. The fact that Jones is playing the beatable Panthers defense makes this a huge plus, as does the back-to-the-wall nature of this game for the Cowboys. Dallas needs to win badly, and will run the ball a lot to do so.

Jones is an amazing athlete. At 6′0″and 220 pounds he’s big enough to run inside, but has the wheels to beat defenders to the corner with ease. Jones put up 96 yards and a TD last week against a staunch Giants D, and he did so on just seven carries. Jones is averaging over nine yards per carry this season, and should be looking at 15-20 total touches on Monday night. Even if Barber is active, Jones will see a dramatically increased role, and should capitalize. Doubters will quickly point out the presence of Tashard Choice, but Jones will get the goal line work and will be a better fantasy play. Plus, his home-run ability could easily see him rip off a 60+yard TD run like he had last year in week three against the Packers.

You drafted Felix in case Barber got hurt and he had a great matchup. Both cases are true here on Monday night, so don’t let yourself be scared off… Jones is about to pop in a major way. Start him confidently.

Honorable mention: (so far the names listed here each week have tremendously outproduced the headliner in this column, so take note) Ahmad Bradshaw vs Tampa Bay, LeSean McCoy vs Kansas City, Beanie Wells vs Indy, Ray Rice vs Cleveland.

Best of luck to you all this weekend, and thanks for stopping by GoHuddleUp!

NFL Newslinks 9/25

Posted on 25. Sep, 2009 by Jesse in NFL Newslinks

The NFL world keeps turning, and we are monitoring the latest developments. As we head into week three, a few stories we’re watching are as follows:

• Saints WR Lance Moore continues to disappoint. Not only is he being outplayed by both Robert Meachem and Devery Henderson, but he’s likely going to miss another game with a sore hamstring.
• Titans coach Jeff Fisher is concentrating on getting the ball to Chris Johnson in space so he can make plays. Fisher saw a tremendous difference in his offensive output over two games when focusing on CJ’s touches.
• Beastly Rams RB Steven Jackson thinks the team should give him more opportunity offensively. He’s calling for more carries against the Packers this weekend, and knows Cedric Benson roasted GB in week two.
• LaDainian Tomlinson “seems destined to miss his second straight game Sunday” after sitting out practice on Thursday. LT continues to battle an ankle injury he suffered in the opener. And he’s washed up.
• ESPN.com’s Matt Mosley says at this point he would be “a little surprised if the Cowboys decided to play” Marion Barber on Monday night. Barber suffered a quad injury while running hard against the Giants last Sunday night. Felix Jones might be about to go off against the Panthers.
• Jamal Lewis (hamstring) sat out practice Thursday for the second straight day. The team is now considering starting rookie RB James Davis in week three. Davis sat out last weekend, but looked explosive in preseason.
• Though Mike Bell has not been ruled out for Sunday’s game, the New Orleans Times-Picayune expects him to miss 3-4 weeks with his sprained MCL. Reggie Bush, Pierre Thomas and some other dude named Lynell Hamilton will fill in.
• Wes Welker returned to practice on Thursday, and hopes to play in week three. The Pats offense didn’t look the same last weekend with Welker watching from the sidelines.
• Brian Westbrook (ankle), DeSean Jackson (groin) and Donovan McNabb (ribs) all missed Thursday’s practice. Jackson is the most likely of the three to play on Sunday, and McNabb has basically been ruled out. Westbrook would be replaced by rookie LeSean McCoy if he were to rest.

Small ball has arrived

Posted on 21. Sep, 2009 by Jesse in Articles

I’m sure you’ve noticed that the landscape is changing. A shift is underway in today’s NFL, and it’s modifying the way fantasy football players view their traditional cornerstones. The days of the big back are ending (just ask Larry Johnson), and a smaller/shiftier/quicker brand of RB is emerging as part home-run hitter, part multi-purpose threat, and weekly starter in fantasy leagues everywhere.

Chris Johnson of the Titans is the picture perfect example of this trend. Johnson, a pint-sized powerhouse at just 198 pounds, had a monster day on Sunday. Johnson posted a gaudy 284 yards from scrimmage against Houston, and crossed the stripe three times on plays of 57, 69, and 91 yards. That will rack up the fantasy points in a major way.

Big play ability and long TD’s are precisely why the smaller backs are getting more love of late.

Darren Sproles’ fantasy owners know this (that 81-yard catch was beautiful, wasn’t it?), but so does the front office of the Chargers. The fact that SD made Sproles, who stands 5′-6″ and weighs in at just 185 pounds, their franchise player is all you need to know.

DeAngelo Williams proved last year that despite a size defeciency, these explosive players can excel when used in the correct scheme. Williams himself has gotten off to a decent start despite Carolina’s 0-2 record, but rest assured, his best games are yet to come. The same should be said about Steve Slaton of the Texans, although I’ve been thinking for a while that his numbers would decrease in ‘09.

Other small guys that should have some monster games this season are: Leon Washington, Ray Rice, Ahmad Bradshaw, Tashard Choice and LeSean McCoy.

Players like these are so enticing because they offer a special hope: the big play. One long TD can swing the momentum towards a team (real NFL, or fantasy) tremendously. So, until defenses figure out a way to limit the big plays, watch for more gaudy numbers from the small guys while the large guys continue to look slow and tired.

Small ball has arrived gentlemen, so plan accordingly.

Get a winner, GoHuddleUP!

Posted on 04. Sep, 2009 by Jesse in Articles

I play in a lot of fantasy football leagues. In fact, everyone who knows me basically identifies me as the “fantasy guy” around this time of year. Now I don’t really mind, because I do love football, but I must admit it can get overwhelming through the last two weeks of August and the first week of September. During this run, I’m busy trying to draft my own teams, help guys I know get their league management tools set up properly (even if I’m not even in the leagues), write on this website, and even help people I know draft winning teams. Now my boys (nine and seven) are in a league too, and of course they want dad to help them win. Yes, fantasy draft season often overwhelms my very existence.

Just last night I was on a conference call with my uncle, a fantasy rookie, and I coached him step by step through his first draft. His team ended up being a monster, as many of the other guys in his online draft were also relatively inexperienced. But Uncle Dave had an ace up the sleeve… and it won’t just end here.

As we wrapped up our post-draft conversation, I went through his team with him sharing some parting thoughts. In a twelve-teamer, we nabbed him a starting lineup of AP, Westy, Randy, Colston, Ochocinco, McNabb, and J Carlson. Then we cuffed him up by landing both Chester Taylor and LeSean McCoy, which I thought was a masterful stroke for preventing disaster with a newbie. Then, we added value picks in Derrick Ward, Leon Washington, Rashard Mendenhall and Hakeem Nicks to round out his bench. Finally, after snagging a top echelon defense like Minnesota and a solid kicker in Adam Vinatieri, I was able to smile. See, Dave plays in this league against a bunch of his upper-management work buddies. Yeah, money is on the line, but so is manhood. Needless to say, I think Dave is thrilled. Dude might watch three football games annually, but his team makes him look like a grizzled pro.

I share this nugget with you for one reason, and it’s not to stoke my own ego. I’m just a normal guy like you, but I’ve been doing this for a very long time. I don’t get paid at all for this website, but that doesn’t matter. I honestly enjoy helping people win. I want to help you win too.

So with that said, I emplore you to do just like my Uncle Dave did. Use me as your secret weapon this season. Not that I’m always right, because as my wife will tell you, I’m not. But, I’m more than willing to help you make lineup decisions on a weekly basis, shop for trades in your league, or just give you my takes. I’d also like to hear your takes, because I’ve found interacting with people in this manner only helps me keep a better track on current sentiment and player values. I’m always interested to hear in how my readers are doing in their respective leagues, so don’t be bashful.

GoHuddleUp.com hasn’t been around for very long, but we’re growing. As we do, I want to build the site on interactivity with people. A LIVE weekly fantasy chat is in the works, as is a “hotline” so I can get your audio takes posted in the mix on the podcasts. In the meantime, you should drop me a line at Jesse@GoHuddleUp.com (or follow me on Twitter.com/GoHuddleUp) and just let me know you’re out there.

Dynamic Duo

Posted on 06. Aug, 2009 by Jesse in Articles

Fantasy football freaks all around the country were put on tilt earlier this offseason when the Eagles announced that Brian Westbrook would have surgery to fix the ankle he injured last season. Many pundits speculated that Westy may not be ready for the start of the season, and his value in fantasyland started to plummet immediately. Coupled with the presence of impressive rookie LeSean McCoy, many started to doubt that BW may be a high impact player again in ‘09. That may have been a rush to judgement.

Westbrook returned to the field on Wednesday for the first time to test the surgically repaired ankle, and by all accounts, he was his normally amazing self. While the drills didn’t involve contact, Westbrook looked great. He ran routes and caught passes for 10-15 minutes, and was able to “cut on a dime” according to observers. Since the season opener is more than a month away, it sure looks like BW will be more than ready for week one now.

In the meantime, many around the team have asserted that McCoy has been the star of training camp so far. The impressive rook from Pitt is a Westy clone, and has drawn rave reviews for his on-field action. Coaches have even bragged McCoy up as a solid pass blocker, which should help him see the field early in the season. Given Westbrook’s penchant for injury and his own upside, McCoy has become the most important handcuff player in fantasy football this season.

Andy Reid must be thrilled. In a perfect world, McCoy will be able to play several series a game to keep Brian fresh and healthy. The team won’t even have to change their packages or playcalling. Such an approach worked wonders for the NFC East rival Giants last season, and their is no reason to believe a tandem approach wont succeed in Philly as well. All signs point to Westbrook and McCoy being a very dynamic duo this season, and with this latest update on BW, it’s now safe to say: the show starts in week one.