Week 13 fantasy football recap

Week 13 was most notable for:

Rookie QBs. Andrew Luck managed gave his Colts a win over the Lions by throwing his career high 4^th touchdown as time expired. Russell Wilson, of the Seahawks made the vaunted Bears defense look foolish to the tune of 293 passing yards and 71 rushing yards and a 23-17 overtime win. RG3 led the Redskins to a victory behind his 101.9 QBR and 72 rushing yards. Nick Foles threw for 251 yards and put the Eagles in a position where they could have won the game which is more than could have been said about Vick in several games this season. The oldest rookie, Brandon Weeden, 29, even managed to throw for 364 yards and a td in the Browns win over the Chargers. And Finally, Ryan Tanehill had a solid day in a loss to the Patriots.

Studs:

Andrew Luck, Bryce Brown, Adrian Peterson, Calvin Johnson and Texans Defense. Luck managed to lead all QBs in scoring by throwing 391 yards and four tds. What Can Brown do for you? Well Bryce Brown, getting his second start in place of Lesean McCoy rushed for 169 yards and two tds providing fantasy owners with a second-straight huge game. In just two games as the starter Brown has 347 yards rushing and 4 tds which compares favorably to the 750 yards and 5 tds it took McCoy 11 games to accumulate. Adrian Peterson managed 210 yards rushing with an 82-yard td. Calvin Johnson was a one-man show against the Colts catching 13 passes for 171 yards and a td while no other Lion receiver caught for more than 55 yards. The Texans D had six sacks, generated six turnovers and held the Titans to 10 points.

Duds:

Drew Brees, Matt Ryan, Ryan Matthews, Larry Fitzgerald and Roddy White.

Brees, in the surprising Thursday night game, threw 5 interceptions and managed to pretty much single-handedly sink the Saints and his fantasy owners. Matt Ryan also had a a poor game Thursday, throwing for only 165 yards. Ryan Matthews managed only 26 rushing yards and 25 receiving marking the sixth game in a row he failed to score double digit points. Fitzgerald continued a disappointing trend with only one catch and Roddy White also only managed a single catch.

Surprise of the week:

Brandon Myers. The Raiders Tight End, who many picked to be the best replacement for Rob Gronkowski delivered a Gronkowski-esque performance catching 14 of 15 targets for 130 yards and a td leading all tight ends in scoring for the week by a wide margin.  

An Unspeakable Tragedy

Every once and a while, tragedies occur that remind fans that life is so much bigger than sports. Today is one of those days. According to police, Kansas City Chiefs Linebacker Jovan Belcher shot his girlfriend early this morning and then drove to the Chiefs practice facility and killed himself. Before killing himself, he was talking with GM Scott Pioli and Coach Romeo Crennel while pointing a gun to his head. Belcher was allegedly thanking Pioli and Crennel for all they had done for him and they reported that they never felt they were in any danger. After he talked to them, Belcher walked in the opposite direction and pulled the trigger. Belcher and his girlfriend leave behind a 3-month-old daughter.

This horrific incident calls to mind two other tragedies that occurred this year involving current or former NFL players. The first, was when former Chargers and Patriots Linebacker Junior Seau killed himself at his home in May. That incident took many by surprise as he had always appeared upbeat and was at the USC spring game just a few weeks before playing the ukulele. The other is when former Titans wide receiver O.J. Murdock shot himself in July after calling a former coach and apologizing as well as thanking a reporter.

I cannot imagine the pain that is currently being felt by the families of Belcher and his girlfriend as well as all the members of the Chiefs organization. My heart and prayers go out to all of them and will continue to do so.

Week 12 Fantasy Football Recap

Week 12 was most notable for:

Controversy. It all started with the 49ers choosing to go with Colin Kaepernick over the steady Alex Smith even after Smith had recovered from his concussion. On Thursday, the Lions-Texans game featured a Texans touchdown that should have, and would have been called back had lions coach Jim Schwartz not thrown his challenge flag negating the replay review. This mistake would prove costly as the Texans won 34-31 in overtime. Also in the game, Lions defensive tackle Ndamukong Suh kicked Quarterback Matt Schaub in the groin while Suh. Surprisingly, this was not Suh's first Thanksgiving incident as he was suspended two games last year for stomping on a Packers' offensive lineman. Finally, starting corners Brandon Browner and Richard Sherman of the Seahawks and Eric Wright, of the Buccaneers, are facing four game suspensions for PEDs.

Studs:

Cam Newton, Tom Brady, Browns D, Pats D and Dez Bryant. Cam Newton managed to account for 4 tds and over 350 yards of offense in easily his best game of the season. Tom Brady was his usual brilliant self tossing for 323 yards and 3 tds as well as rushing for a td. The Browns defense managed 8 turnovers against the Steelers and held them to 14 points. The Patriots defense embarrassed the Jets returning fumbles for touchdowns on consecutive plays. Dez Bryant continued his strong play catching 8 passes for 142 yards and 2 tds.

Duds:

Matt Forte, Aaron Rodgers, Victor Cruz, Antonio Gates and Vernon Davis. Matt Forte managed only 42 rushing yards before exiting early in the second half with an ankle injury. He is quickly approaching Phillip Rivers territory as he has strung together several poor games. Aaron Rodgers only managed only managed 10 points in a game dominated by the Giants no doubt leaving many fans asking what happened to the magic from 2011. Victor Cruz had his fourth straight down week although he did manage to break 10 points for the first time in that span. Antonio Gates managed only two points for the second straight week in what has truly become a down season for the once dominant tight end. Davis, after a promising Monday night game where it looked like he had chemistry with Kaepernick found himself with zero catches for the second time this season.

Pleasant Surprise of the week:

Bryce Brown. In his first NFL start, Brown led all rbs in scoring. This came as a surprise because The Eagles starter, Lesean McCoy has been ineffective for much of the season.

Week 11 Fantasy Football Recap

Week 11 was most memorable for:

Injuries. For the second week in a row, several prominent players were injured including Rob Gronkowski, Willis Mcgahee and Lesean Mccoy. Gronkowski fractured his forearm on New England’s final extra point of their 59-24 beat-down of the Indianapolis Colts. He will be out 4-6 weeks. Mcgahee's injury is a torn MCL and leg fracture that will keep him out 6-8 weeks. Mccoy suffered a concussion and is currently listed as day to day.

Studs:

Andre Johnson, Matt Schaub RG3 and Rob Gronkowski. Johnson had a game for the ages managing to catch 14 passes for 273 yards and a touchdown. His quarterback, Matt Schaub throwing for 527 yards and 5 touchdowns tying the second-highest passing performance of all time. RG3 was up to his usual tricks rushing for 84 yards but managed to add 4 touchdown passes with only one incomplete pass. Gronkowski managed to catch all 7 of his targets for 137 yards and two touchdowns before leaving the game late after being injured.

Duds:

Matt Ryan, Joe Flacco, Matt Stafford, Tony Gonzalez and Antonio Gates. Matt Ryan threw 5 interceptions, managing to almost single-handedly keep the Cardinals in the game. He finished with an embarrassing 7 points but did become the first QB to throw 5 picks and still win since Bart Starr. Joining his 2008 draft-mate Flacco only managed 6 points in a game against the Steelers who were without Troy Polamalu and Ben Roethlisberger. Gonzalez followed his huge week 10 up with a very disappointing 3 catches for 33 yards. Gates continued his disappointing season with two catches for 17 yards. Phillip Rivers received a pass on this list because poor performances have been regular instances this season.

Pleasant Surprises:

Marcel Reese, LaRod Stephens-Howling, Chad Henne and Justin Blackmon. Reese was one of the few Raiders who played well against the Saints racking up 103 yards on 19 carries as well as 4 catches for 90 yards. Stephens-Howling also had a great game with 22 rushes for 127 yards and a score. Chad Henne the former “heir apparent” of Dan Marino may have found new life in the NFL throwing for 354 yards and 4 touchdowns. His receiver, Justin Blackmon, came into the game with 250 receiving yards on the season and was nearly able to double that catching 7 passes for 236 yards with an unbelievable 33.7 yards/catch.  

The Lost Season

Its official, USC's season just became a full-blown disaster. The team that many experts picked as number one before the start of the season has now lost four games, all within the PAC-12. The most excruciating loss came today, as the Trojans not only dropped one to their arch-rival UCLA, but they lost any hopes of playing in the PAC-12 title game and getting a chance to avenge their loss against Oregon or Stanford.

This is not what was supposed to happen. After last season, when many felt by the end of the year USC was  one of the top teams in the country the thought was Barkley would come back and they would win the title. When he confirmed that he would be returning, optimism soared for Trojans fans. As the season got closer and closer expectations and hype built up to unreasonable levels. A title seemed certain.

As it turns out, things were not that simple. The wheels began to fall off at Stanford. Teams saw that USC could be beaten by strong physical play. Things got worse at Arizona when mistakes and a defense that could not get stops cost them the game. Against Oregon, it was clear USC simply did not have the personnel to stop their explosive fast-pace offense and USC did not have enough firepower to keep up. Finally, the game today showed that these Trojans simply do not have the fight required to get through adversity.

A win versus Notre Dame would help salvage the season as they would beat a rival and a highly ranked team, but no matter what this season is a disappointment. Fans can only wonder how this season could have played out and how far their team could have gone had things been different.

Goodbye Torii Hunter...

So, it is now official, Torii Hunter will not be wearing an Angels uniform next season. It was a reality that fans had been expecting for weeks but it was not official until the Tigers signed him earlier today.

Despite having one of the best seasons of his great career last year, the Angels decided they were no longer willing to commit big money to the 37 year-old outfielder. They plan to go with a younger outfield of Mike Trout, 21, Mark Trumbo, 26, and Peter Bourjos, 25. Vernon Wells, and his albatross of a contract is set to be the fourth outfielder.

This moves make sense as outfield is a very demanding position and none of this trio even makes a tenth of what Torii Hunter did last season. Also, these players are still young and developing so the Angels believe they will not lose much production by getting rid of Hunter to give Trumbo and Bourjos more playing time.

However, as any fan knows, when a player leaves the team loses much more than his production. Torii Hunter was not your average player, for several years he was the face of the Angels team and easily their most marketable player.

Fans loved Torii from the moment the team signed him. He brought a different dynamic to the Angels. He was not just a star player, he was full of charisma and humor. He was the rare star with a personality the fans loved as well as a blue-collar approach to the game.

Another thing fans loved about him was he was willing to do anything for the team. He made spectacular catches sacrificing his body seem like routine plays. He also recruited upcoming free agents to come to the Angels. Furthermore, rookie phenom Mike Trout publicly stated how Hunter has been a great mentor for them. On top of all this, he even said he would take a pay cut to stay with the club he has done so much for.

Unfortunately, when it came down to the decision the team decided that they no longer wanted the man who, for five years, gave everything he had to them. That is what upsets me most about this move and I know it upsets fans. That is why I will also root for Torii next year, even though he will be wearing a different jersey, because underneath that jersey, is the same man every Angels fan loved for the last five years.

Fantasy Football Week 10 Recap

Week 10 was most notable for:

Injuries to Ben Roehtlisberger, Mike Vick and Jay Cutler

Studs:

Jimmy Graham/Tony Gonzalez

These tight ends managed to combine for 18 catches for 268 yards and 4 touchdowns.

Calvin Johnson

The receiver looked like he flipped the cloack back to 2011 catching 12 balls for 207 yards and finally his first touchdown from starting QB Matt Stafford.

Joe Flacco

After several god-awful outings he righted the ship and accounted for four tds including one rushing.

Duds:

Victor Cruz

Only 3 catches for 26 yards when your team is getting blown out! Unacceptable!

Eli Manning

Really most Giants belong on this list other than Andre Brown and Hakeem Nicks, that is how truly awful their game was.

Matt Forte

The usually consistent back was not himself sunday only managing to get 5 fantasy points letting down those who picked him in the early rounds.

Unsung Hero of the Week:

Carson Palmer

The Raiders QB may not be racking up the wins for his team but he has been doing great for his fantasy owners. This week he provided me a top 5 QB performance while Aaron Rodgers was on bye. And for that, I am grateful. 

New Coach In Town

Late Sunday night, it was Mike D'Antoni, not Phil Jackson who was named the head coach of the Los Angeles Lakers. Monday Morning it was made clear that Phil Jackson was prepared to return to the team but shockingly, management decided to go with D'Antoni instead. D'Antoni is well known for his stints with the Phoenix Suns and New York Knicks. During his time with the Suns they were consistently one of the better teams in the league but they were never able to win a title. His time with the Knicks was less successful as he eventually resigned in March from a talented but under-performing team featuring Carmelo Anthony, Tyson Chandler and Amar'e Stoudemire.

I will be the first to admit this decision surprises and upsets me. I mean why would a team ever pick a coach with no championships over the coach who has won the most championships in the history of the league? Also, the fans definitely wanted Phil Jackson as evidenced by the "We want Phil" chants at the last few Lakers games. However, the move does make some sense because Steve Nash, the current Lakers point guard had his best seasons under D'Antoni. Also, Phil Jackson's offense of choice is the Triangle which does not get the best out of Nash's talents. Ultimately, we will have to wait and see how this move works out. However, if the season ends with anything other than a title my first question will be what would have happened if we had brought Phil Jackson back instead?