With attention spans dwindling, we forgo full game-by-game previews to give you the essentials you need to know about every contest this glorious NFL weekend. We call it The Once-Over.
With attention spans dwindling, we forgo full game-by-game previews to give you the essentials you need to know about every contest this glorious NFL weekend. We call it The Once-Over.
The Early Games
New York Giants (5-2) at Philadelphia (4-2): The Giants are supposed to have one of the best pass rushes in the league, but they just haven't shown up in the past two games, with zero sacks over that time. They must get pressure on Donovan McNabb to have a chance on Sunday. Eli Manning also must figure out how to rebound from his four interceptions over the past two games.
Fantasy FanHouse's "Bust a Move" segment provides quick-hitting insight on the most popular adds and drops across Fleaflicker fantasy leagues between Tuesday and Wednesday of each week. Knowing who is on the move during this 24-hour period often provides a valuable edge with regard to outperforming or underperforming players, injuries and depth chart shifts. So do as the man says, "Don't just stand there..."
The Adds Shonn Greene (RB, Jets, 3,866 adds) - No secret here as the Irish eyes smiled upon Shonn Greene this past weekend. Just as it looked like Greene's odds at making an impact in his rookie season were getting close to nil, Leon Washington suffered a broken leg and headed off to the old sawbones. Given his chance, Greene earned his keep with 144 yards and two touchdowns in a rout of the hapless Raiders. Miami should prove a better test in Week 8 as to Greene's real worth, but for now he represents a must-add in all formats.
Sunday Evening Wrap checks out players who increased or decreased their value during the Sunday afternoon games.
Risers of the Week: Alex Smith and Vernon Davis were first-round picks of the 49ers in consecutive seasons (Smith was first overall in 2005, Davis went sixth overall in 2006). They were supposed to be the main building blocks of a highly successful passing attack in the Bay Area for years to come. Instead, each was a colossal bust for several years. Sunday, 49ers fans -- and fantasy owners of Davis -- were treated with a much-belated version of what was originally planned.
Once Smith took over for the struggling Shaun Hill, he threw three touchdown passes, all to his dreadlocked tight end. Davis is clearly a must-start every week at this point. Smith wouldn't be a QB1, but would certainly be worth owning if handed the keys. Wait and see.
Sunday Evening Wrap checks out players who increased or decreased their value during the Sunday afternoon games. Faller of the Week: Everyone on the Oakland Raiders. The Houston Texans entered the game as one of the league's worst defenses. They were the worst in the NFL against the run. Sunday, the Raiders gained just 165 yards and only a single first down on the ground against those same Texans. I'm done with Darren McFadden. Michael Bush and Justin Fargas shouldn't be considered viable fantasy contributors in any format, and I'd even give up on Zach Miller (which isn't his fault, but he's not going to put up stats for this embarrassingly inept offense). This team is dead to me, and they should be to you, too.
Cut-N-Go is Fantasy Football FanHouse's weekday roundup of the NFL news with fantasy football impact.
When Chad Pennington went down Sunday with a season-ending shoulder injury, an injury that may end his NFL career as well, the Miami Dolphins felt they had to scramble a bit.
Backup quarterback Chad Henne will step up and take the reigns, but the Dolphins felt that Pat White wasn't ready to be the backup just yet. To remedy this issue Miami made a trade for Tyler Thigpen, who will come in and be Henne's backup. Armando Salguero of the Miami Herald feels that this move may make Pat White obsolete.
Weeding through those unwieldy waiver wires requires a keen eye and a quick trigger. Thus, Waiver Wire Wonders provides a weekly snapshot of players worthy of consideration who should be available on a good portion of league waiver wires.
It never ceases to amaze me that every week there is so much material for our Waiver Wire Wonders column. It just goes to show how fast things change in the NFL. A star player gets injured after one carry; a longtime underachiever finally earns his stripes; and the worst franchise in NFL history wins a game on a solid performance by the No. 2 wide receiver. Nothing stays put in the NFL for long, so there's no time for slacking off. Week 3 offers up a whole new round of hot pickups.
Everyone loves fantasy footballsleepers, but they change depending on league size and availability. We're here each and every week to give you a look at good plays for all types of leagues.
I encouraged you last week to add some Buccaneers, and my main sleeper pick for the week, Byron Leftwich, came up big in his game against Buffalo. Leftwich threw for nearly 300 yards and three TDs, scoring 21.8 points in my Fleaflicker league. Cadillac Williams did most of his damage through the air, catching seven passes for 56 yards and a TD. I also gave you deep-leaguer Pierre Garcon, who caught a 48-yard TD in the Monday night game. The rest of the sleepers didn't come up big, but we'll try and do better right now.
For all the Parrotheads out there who consider themselves football fans -- and there must be a few -- tonight is your Woodstock. The Miami Dolphins host the Indianapolis Colts on Monday Night Football in revamped and renamed Land Shark Stadium, a moniker taken from Jimmy Buffett's personal beer. And Buffett himself may take the stage at some point, if rumors are true. If nothing else, 600 Parrotheads (the nickname for Buffett's heartiest fans) will dance to Buffett's song "Fins" during the halftime show. Dolphins part-owners Serena and Venus Williams, Gloria and Emilio Estefan, Marc Anthony and Jennifer Lopez are all expected to show, as well.
Oh, and then there's that football game. If it doesn't get lost in all the Sunshine State hoopla, it could be a dandy.
For those who may use a different term or are new to fantasy football, "handcuff" is the term used when you own insurance for one of your players in the form of owning his real-life backup. It's usually a running back, but you could conceivably handcuff a quarterback. The theory is that some or all of the production is automatically replaced should you lose a high draft pick to injury, meaning you need to insure a high draft pick by grabbing his backup.