Originally published at The Definitive Dmbosstone. Please leave any comments there.

Aw man scoring all those touchdowns must make a top draft pick hungry. The rookie quarterback for The Jets found himself in some lukewarm water as he was caught eating a hot dog in the final seconds of this past Sunday’s game against the Raiders:

I hope that was a good frankfurter, Sanchez’s snack attack became the fodder for quite a few blogs. He made amends today by donating 1,000 hot dogs and hamburgers to a local soup kitchen. Now that hot-dog gate is over on to Week 7.

Patriots Pride

Heading into last weekend people looked at the International match-up of the Patriots and the Buccaneers and predicted blow-out. They were right as the Pats took it to the Bucs 35-7. Tom Brady is continuing to look more and more like the Tom Brady we all know and love with his 308 yards and 3 touchdowns; however the 2 interceptions were a surprise for a QB who only threw eight picks in 2007. I’d write it off as a fluke and move on.

With Sammy Morris and Fred Taylor out of the Patriots running back stable, we looked to Laurence Maroney once again to hopefully produce some points for our fantasy teams. Given his spotty hit-or-miss history, you had to pick him up knowing there was a good chance he’d still do nothing despite getting the majority of the carries. 13 carries for 43 yards sounds like an L-Mo bust but luckily he found the end zone to minimize the usual disappointment owners get when they start Maroney. I picked him up for a team this week and stuck him in my flex spot- and I dusted off my Patriots jersey (a Laurence Maroney one) to wear this past Sunday. I’m happy for the 10 points he scored me but the 3.3 yds/carry tells me I should start shopping for another jersey.

It’s no surprise that the Patriots surprised everyone a previously undisclosed injury, Bill Belichick will do that for you. With the emergence of Julian Edelman put on hold with a forearm injury, names like Brandon Tate and Terrance Nunn were thrown around as possible candidates to become 3rd in line to Moss and Welker. The ball was instead thrown to Sam Aiken and he caught it (twice ) for a total 66 yards and a touchdown. However before you go rushing to pick him up, realize he only had three total targets and with two stars ahead of him- I’d write it off as a fluke unless we see something more.

Reading The Box Scores & Watching The Highlights

• Ryan Grant looked good and has consistent in the points he scores but maybe now is the time to sell high looking at his schedule down the road.
• Donald Driver continues to look better over Greg Jennings. Jennings is still getting the targets, but does that mean you should buy low on Jennings or sell high on Driver?
• Mohamed Massaquoi maybe young, talented, and the team’s #1 target; but it doesn’t make Derek Anderson a better quarterback. I’d let him be somebody else’s problem
• It’s funny that Michael Crabtree (5 receptions/1 game) already surpassed Darius Heyward-Bey (4 receptions/7 games), I’m not ready to say Crabtree is ready to be the top pick he was drafted to be- I always have a bad feeling on holdouts.
• I’m getting tired of the Shaun Hill or Alex Smith debate, at least fantasy owners can stay away from both. Too bad Mike Singletary has to pick one.
• Vernon Davis already has a career high in TDs and is close to racking up more receiving yards than last year. However how much of his 3 TD game part of Alex Smith? He’s looked respectable in his last four games and could be worth a pick-up.
• Why did Philip Rivers and Vincent Jackson look so good last weekend? Because of the fantasy death of LT.
• LJ needs to stop tweeting. It won’t be long before Charles is in charge.
• Steven Jackson continues to be a beast. You may look at him and complain about the lack of TDs but I blame it all on the terrible Rams offense.
• Favre looked good in the passing game but it his turnovers that cost him the game, now this is the gunslinger Minnesota needs to watch out for.
• Sydney Rice stepped up in Berrian’s absence and looked great. I love him as a pickup this week.
• Mike Wallace is another name that looks like a hot pick-up but he’s still 3rd on the depth charts, maybe for deeper leagues but it all depends on who you already have.
• Last week I employed a new strategy: pickup the defense that plays Jake Delhomme. So far so good.
• A typical TO stat line this season: 3 rec for 27 yards- wasn’t this the same way Torry Holt died?
• Today was a day of QB switches, Gradkowski came in and showed why he’s Bruce Gradkowski.
• When I hear Fibula poking through leg, I think your season is over. Shonn Greene was a big sleeper because we thought Thomas Jones was done this year (he isn’t yet) but Greene is now going to get some time with Washington done for the year.
• Carson Palmer flashed some leather against a weakened Chicago secondary, he threw TDs to Ochocinco, Coles, Henry, Foschi, and I believe the ball boy.
• Cedric Benson also took it to his former team, I can’t believe he already has a league leading 720 yards and 5 TDs.
• In other news Matt Forte is having quite the sophomore slump.
• Despite what I wrote, it looks like Miles Austin is for real.
• Felix Jones looks like he’s ready to eat more time away from Barber and to make Tashard Choice irrelevant.
• Eli finally came back to earth- just in time for his annual 2nd half collapse.
• Hakeem Nicks is quickly making people wonder if he’s the guy you want after Steve Smith.
• In a shootout, the Saints look like they could seriously run the table, which makes me afraid for the Pats.
• Ricky Williams is still a viable RB2 compared to his fantasy season last year, as long as he’s playing in the Wildcat he will always have a good chance to score.
• Mike Bell got a lot of mop up time in the 2nd half of the game so I’m not going to say he’s the guy you want, but will he end up being the goal-line back?
• As someone that lives in DC, I can tell you that we all think that the Redskins are a mess, but it doesn’t mean they are totally fantasy irrelevant.
• Remember in previous years when Brian Westbrook would get injured and people would scramble for Correll Buckhalter? Well it’s the same thing but replace Correll Buckhalter with LeSean McCoy.

I Rock At Fantasy Football

After Week 7 I went 3-2 in my leagues.

4 Sport Boston League: W (4-3)

DC-Boston League: W (4-3)

Couch League: W (5-2)

James Bond League: L (5-2)

Fantasy Football Librarian League: L (4-3)

Tags: fantasy football

Originally published at The Definitive Dmbosstone. Please leave any comments there.

Last weekend Adam and I decided to catch the Falcons/Patriots match at Summers Restaurant in Court House instead of Ballston. It was a good crowd and the food was ok, and we were able to snag a booth right in front of a TV showing the Foxboro matchup.

However it wasn’t the only big game going on at the time.

Right next to the TV with the Patriots game was another big screen showing the Redskins/Lions match. After a Week 2 win over the Rams that many treated as a loss due to the terrible play from Washington, many thought that the Lions could finally break a two year losing streak on a Redskins team that was getting worse by the moment.

I was in the camp that history would be made last weekend and it was.

Right after the final whistle blew on the Patriots game my attention instantly shifted to the neighboring screen and I saw the Lions get their first victory since December 23, 2007.

I was cheering both for the terrible Lions to get that gorilla off their back… and laughing at the level of suck that the Redskins have reached.

The local football team isn’t really looking good so far this season, and I’m interested to see how things will shake up- will Jim Zorn get fired? Will Jason Campbell grow into the QB we have always expected. Time will tell.

Time will also tell if the Lions can build up their win total- I think they are actually not a bad team as most people will write off. I think they have a great nucleus in place with Matthew Stafford at QB, Calvin Johnson at WR, and Kevin Smith at RB. Maybe the Victory formation will be something they’ll be doing again later this year.

Ok on to Week 4!

4 Sport Boston League

Donte’s 17 Games Off (1-2)

After starting out 0-2 I too finally find my first victory in week 3.

Who did it for me last week: The only bright thing on the Redskins side of the ball last week was Santana Moss‘ 178 yards and a touchdown.

Who let me down last week: Frank Gore ran 4 yards and then decided to hurt his ankle. Luckily I was able to pick-up his backup Glen Coffee this week.

Looking ahead:I’ll be counting on Pierre Thomas and Glen Coffee to drive lead my team to a .500 record this weekend.

DC-Boston League

Beltway Bandits (2-1)

I was able to beat out Carolyn to improve to a winning record last week, however I saw my secondary RB Kevin Smith go down with an injury.

Who did it for me last week: MJD went for 119 rushing yards and 3 TDs in the winning effort.

Who let me down last week: I picked up kicker Lawrence Tynes since he looked to have a good matchup vs.  Tampa Bay- he only scored 1 point last week. This is why kickers don’t matter, so unpredictable.

Looking ahead: This weekend I hope to continue my dominance by rolling over Mike. He has a couple of Vikings however that could win him the game on Monday if the Favre to Berrian connection is working.

The Couch League

Pho 75 (1-2)

I was looking good coming into Sunday night Colts/Arizona game… but my opponent’s tandem of Reggie Wayne and Joseph Addai led him to victory and I fall to 1-2.

Who did it for me last week: Sticking with Matt Schaub was the right choice- he earned me 25 points last week.

Who let me down last week: Not that I wanted to root for Roddy White against my Patriots last weekend, but I thought he’d do more than only 2 points again the Pats. Maybe the Patriots D is better than I thought.

Looking ahead: My team is suffering quite a few bye-week absences, I’ll be lucky if I can field an entire team much less win.

The James Bond League

Thunderballz (2-1)

Again another opponent with another Colts stud (Peyton Manning) finished me off Monday night.

Who did it for me last week: While Mario Manningham was the popular pickup last week, I managed to get Steve Smith of the Giants and he’s turning out to the be real top target in New York.

Who let me down last week: Zach Miller isn’t really working out, and with JaMarcus Russell throwing the ball in Oakland, I’m begging to look elsewhere in leagues where I made Miller my go-to tight end.

Looking ahead: What I’ve come to learn in leagues where you start a large amount of players- is that they are often more unpredictable that other leagues. The match-up looks to be in my favorite but I already have a pessimistic view on my teams this year.

The Fantasy Football Librarian League

Beltway Bandits (1-2)

In the deepest league I’ve ever played in I got my butt handed to me on a platter.

Who did it for me last week: In a league as deep as this, I’m glad I was able to snag a so-far dependable QB option in Ben Roethlisberger.

Who let me down last week: I thought last week would be a good week to start Derrick Ward and bench Fred Taylor. I was wrong.

Looking ahead: I have a bad feeling about my team as long as Wes Welker continues to sit out games.

Ok well I’m off to another film shoot before getting back home to watch the Ravens/Patriots game- thank goodness it’s local!

Tags: fantasy football

Originally published at The Definitive Dmbosstone. Please leave any comments there.

While trying to keep five fantasy football teams straight my mind, one of the interesting questions I ask myself on Sunday is which game am I going to watch. After looking at my lineups I own at least one player on 31 of the 32 teams in the NFL; sorry Cleveland- you are that bad this year.

So when it comes down to Football Sunday, which game am I watching? Well first of all, if I am able to watch my Patriots, my hometown team supersedes my fantasy football games any day. I would be tempted to put the Redskins up there as well but the local favorite might step aside if I got a stake in another game.

After looking at my rosters, here’s my preference list of teams I’d watch so I can root on my fantasy players:

1. New England Patriots: They are my hometown team but I only have Wes Welker and Fred Taylor on my teams to root for.
2. Dallas Cowboys: I own Tony Romo, Marion Barber, and Roy Williams. It’s essential that America’s team scores lots of points for me every week.
3. Pittsburgh Steelers: Ben Roethlisberger, Willie Parker, Rashard Mendenhall, and Hines Ward are all scoring points for me on a given week.
4. Atlanta Falcons: Turner the Burner? Owned. Roddy White? On Two Teams. I even own Jason Elam, too many players to root for during today’s Patriots game.
5. Buffalo Bills: Thanks to owner both Marshawn Lynch and Fred Jackson on multiple teams, I have a lot of interest in the games. Lee Evans is also hanging around on one of my squads.
6. Houston Texans: After sitting Matt Schaub for Brett Favre last week, I would tune in knowing that I’ll never sit Schaub again. Someone else I’m never sitting is Andre Johnson, who is my WR1 in a couple of leagues.
7. Baltimore Ravens: Joe Flacco was a quick pickup on two of my teams after his rosy start, I’m a believer that he’s going to have a breakout year this season.
   
8. Green Bay Packers: I’m kind of excited to own Aaron Rodgers after what he did last year, I just hope he can get back to speed soon. It’s good to see Donald Driver doing well though.
9. New Orleans Saints: I own most of the Saints running backs with Pierre Thomas and Mike Bell on my teams.
10. Detroit Lions: They may not have won a game in years, but Calvin Johnson and Kevin Smith are still productive in fantasy.
11. Carolina Panthers: Proud to own DeAngelo Williams, not proud to have Jake Delhomme as a backup QB.
12. San Francisco 49ers: Frank Gore and Patrick Willis are two studs on a couple of my teams.
13. Jacksonville Jaguars: It’s cool to own a player with three initials: MJD.
14. Washington Redskins: I really liked Chris Cooley to have a bounce back season, and I got stuck with Santana Moss in a league.
15. New York Giants: After two games I made sure I picked-up both Mario Manningham and Steve Smith on my teams, hoping one of them pans out to be the top target for Eli Manning.
16. Indianapolis Colts: In my DC-Boston league, I own the entire Colts running attack. I know I’m shocked too.
17. Arizona Cardinals: Besides owning kicker Neil Rackers, I’d probably tune in to see how the Greatest Show on Turf is doing at age 38.
18. Oakland Raiders: Sure I own Darren McFadden and Kirk Morrison on some teams, however I’d watch because I made Zach Miller my tight end on three teams. I really like him this year.
19. Tennessee Titans: It was great to see Chris Johnson score me a lot of points last week, I also have big fat LenDale White but he may get cut loose soon…
20. San Diego Chargers: Happy to own Antonio Gates and Nate Kaeding ended up being my kicker on a couple of teams and Eric Weddle and Quentin Jammer are out to score me points in the James Bond league.
21. St. Louis Rams: Steven Jackson, Chris Long, and James Laurinaitis are all out to score points for me every week.
22. Philadelphia Eagles: I thought Donovan McNabb was a good play in the mid-rounds. Stupid broken ribs…
23. Kansas City Chiefs: Dwayne Bowe and IDP Mike Brown give me a reason to tune in.
24. Tampa Bay Buccaneers: The third team where I own their entire running game: Carnell Williams and Derrick Ward.
25. Seattle Seahawks: I got Nate Burleson on a few of my benches as well as Julius Jones.
26. Miami Dolphins: Ricky Williams and Yeremiah Bell are both owned.
    
27. Chicago Bears: Devin Hester sits on the bench of my Fantasy Football Librarian team.
28. Denver Broncos: I was hoping Eddie Royal would be a bargain draft pick in one of my leagues but it’s just a mess with Kyle Orton at the helm.
29. Minnesota Vikings: They are known for their defense so I own not just one, but two IDPs from the Vikings. I also have Favre backing up Schaub… I’ll get into how that was a stupid mistake later.
30. New York Jets: Sure I own Leon Washington and Chansi Stuckey, however I officially hate this team right now and I hope we beat them to the ground in November.
31. Cincinnati Bengals: I made Antwan Odom a pickup in one of my IDP leagues after seeing him get five sacks in a game.
32. Cleveland Browns

It’s just amazing how fantasy football adds interest to almost every NFL game. Now on to my teams:

4 Sport Boston League

Donte’s 17 Games Off (0-2)

I’m feeling like the Patriots as I kick off my season to a 0-2 start.

I wanna give you a pat on the back too Frank Gore

Who did it for me last week: Thanks Frank Gore for 36 fantasy points, those 207 yds and 2 TDs were great…

Who let me down last week: … however it would have been nice if any of my Redskins on the team contributed. A six point loss means if Santana Moss just caught a few balls- I’d have a win.

Looking ahead: I have better running backs than my opponent but he also owns Drew “Touchdown” Brees. I think I’m going to feel like the Detroit Lions after this week.

DC-Boston League

Beltway Bandits (1-1)

Losing in the league I pay attention to the most always hurts, Wendi whipped me with the 45 point performance of Chris Johnson and 24 points from Dallas Clark.

Who did it for me last week: Andre Johnson looks like he’s back to normal with 149 yds and 2 TDs.

Who let me down last week: Is Tony Romo missing Jessica? I hope not and I hope he can bounce back this week and throw a couple less interceptions.

Looking ahead: I am playing Carolyn this week, somewhat confident I can walk away with the win.

The Couch League

Pho 75 (1-1)

Thinking Matt Schaub would have a tough matchup against Tennessee, I decided to bench him for Brett Favre. Schaub ended up scoring over 32 fantasy points with a 4 TD day. Despite my bad call I still walked away with a victory over Corey to improve to 1-1 in the league I paid the least attention to.

If I only started you last week....

Who did it for me last week: Schaub and Willie Parker really did it for me last week…

Who let me down last week: … if I only started them. Last week as a bad week for my decisions with this team.

Looking ahead: I should do better this week as long my opponent doesn’t do anything too clever with his lineup.

The James Bond League

Thunderballz (2-0)

Coming into Monday night last week I was hoping for Craig to stay down despite Dallas Clark scoring him lots of points on the first play of his game. I managed to squeak away a win despite Clark earning 31 points for Craig.

Who did it for me last week: God bless Andre Johnson.

Who let me down last week: Thank goodness I had a big lead because I ended up with a big fat zero from Zach Miller in week 2.

Looking ahead: I’m shaping up to be the underdog in my matchup this week- but I’m confident my squad to potentially squeak out a win.

The Fantasy Football Librarian League

Beltway Bandits (1-1)

You would thinking owning Chris Johnson and his 55 points would win your game for the week. Well despite Johnson’s performance I still lost and drop to 1-1.

Who did it for me last week: I was glad to own Chris Johnson on the week he blows up for 55 fantasy points…

Who let me down last week: …however I was surprised to see my PPR stud Wes Welker sit out in last week’s games. I certainly suffered with that decision.

Looking ahead: I just checked pout my opponent’s roster, I have no chance against him.

Well here’s to another great week of football, I hope to catch the Falcons/Patriots game in Ballston with Adam later today.

Tags: fantasy football

Originally published at The Definitive Dmbosstone. Please leave any comments there.

Last week the NFL pre-season started, and you know what that means.

Fantasy Football!

Earlier this week I already started talking to Sean about our annual Yahoo! league with Boston friends and my recruits from DC. I’m also participating in a 96-team league organized by The Fantasy Football Librarian. I don’t know if TMG Football is coming back- a lot of the fantasy players in the office are gone but we’ll see if the commish of that league decides to bring it back.

That being said I’m probably going to play in 2-3 leagues this year, which is plenty enough. I already bought my copy of the Football Outsiders Almanac 2009 and I can’t wait to start prepping.

That being said I wanted to know who else is excited for Fantasy Football? Maybe I should start a DC blogger league.

Tags: fantasy football

Originally published at The Definitive Dmbosstone. Please leave any comments there.

The NFL season is 17 weeks long.

With each team having a bye week that means each team plays 16 games, however that last week is nothing like the other 16.

Football is a grueling sport and at the end of the day teams that won’t be going to the playoffs have little to play for. Teams that already have locked their place into the playoffs have little to play for- they don’t want to risk injuries to their stars before the playoffs. Take the case of Pittsburgh, who saw their star quarterback suffer a concussion in a meaningless Week 17 game- now they might have to enter the post-season with backup Byron Leftwich under center, not a comforting thought.

So this means that the players you have counted on all season to take you to the promise land may not be playing in the last game of the season or worse, they may play for a little bit then take the rest of the day off- like Peyton Manning always does. I will say however, it was really funny to watch Peyton on the sidelines with a headset, yelling at his backup Jim Sorgi. Imagine what it’s like to backup one of the greatest quarterbacks of all-time. At least he knows that he’ll get to play in at least one game every year- the last one.

The point is you don’t know who’s going to play and who’s not going to play- so trying to pick players for Week 17 is really tricky and unlike anything you’ve had to do any other time in the Fantasy Football season. Dave Richard over at CBS Sports and Matthew Berry over at ESPN know it. Most leagues only have their season run til Week 16 to avoid the chaos. 2 of my 3 leagues were done after Week 16, with only my Yahoo! league going til Week 17. As great as it was to play in the championship game, I couldn’t believe I was trying to pickup terrible Torry Holt because I thought he might actually play compared to my other stars.

All in all it’s the end to a very successful fantasy season for me, let’s see how I did:

TMG Sportsline League (13-3)

We don’t play for money but to me it’s all about the bragging rights. Maybe next year we should put some money on the line. But til next season, I can now walk around the office as the fantasy football champion. Last week I questioned my choice to start Tyler Thigpen over Tony Romo in the championship game- and the decision paid off. Once again I had great running back depth but struggled to pick the winners as I must of left a lot points on my bench. Larry Johnson is terrible and I’ll never draft him again. I’ve also learned that whoever I draft in the first round in this league will also be a bust. Thank goodness I banked on Tony Romo once again to throw my team to victory. I also made sure to take a chance rookies like Matt Forte and it’s always nice to have one of the two receivers in Arizona, last year I had Larry Fitzgerald and this year I had Anquan Boldin. I already can’t wait to start analyzing players for next year.

Yahoo! League (9-4-1)

While I was the loser in the Week 17 championship, I’m still happy to do well in what a league that was very competitive compared to last year. While my friend Sean is the comissioner in this league, I am pretty much the head recruiter. I am thrilled that Falkor and Wendi had fun playing in the league and I already have a few more people to try and get into the league for next year. I’m hoping to fill out the league with competitive managers and maybe next year we can even hold a live draft.

Diet Yahoo! League (9-5)

I ended the season as the top seed but finished 4th thanks to a disappointing playoff run, but like I said before, things are so ridiculous in a six team league that it only makes sense. This was the first team that was a clever pun on my name, and I think I’ll have to start thinking of cool names like that for future leagues. I particularity enjoyed how I actually drafted Donte Stallworth with my last pick only to drop him an hour after the draft. If this league decides to play again next year I think I’ll have to help them recruit some more players.

Well that’s it for fantasy football in 2008, I already printed out the rosts, draft results, and stats from these leagues for my archives. They might come in handy if I have to look back to see how certain leagues play out and how certain managers draft players. Til next year it’s time to sit back and enjoy the playoffs but it’s only a couple of months til April and Baseball season!

Tags: anquan boldin, byron leftwich, dave richard, donte stallworth, fantasy football, larry fitzgerald, larry johnson, matt forte, matthew berry, peyton manning, tony romo, tyler thigpen

Originally published at The Definitive Dmbosstone. Please leave any comments there.

It’s no longer crunch time.

It’s championship time.

I am now deep into the playoffs in all my leagues- and today I will be playing the Championship game of my TMG Sportsline league.

When playoffs come around players often have a decision to make: do you start the players you’ve been using all season or do you consider picking up someone off the waiver wire that might help you out more?

Usually you play to win but now you have reached the final game people are often nervous about using players off the wire that may be better choices than the players on your team.

I had to make a number of choices like those as we enter Week 16:

TMG Sportsline League (12-3)

Pho Sho. vs Caroline’s Crew

Coming into last night I had a tough choice: Tony Romo or Tyler Thigpen? At the beginning of the season it was a choice nobody would ever thought would come up but Thigpen has managed to look good enough to warrant this question. Romo was set to go up against a tough Ravens defense and Thigpen, whom I recently picked up to backup Romo, would be home against a Dolphins team that is not good or bad, but would be a better matchup. Romo is a stud, and as I wrote before and you have to start your studs. However he’s shown that he’s not good against tough defenses and Baltimore’s D is itself a stud.

The choice was made for me as I drove back home from DC. I didn’t make it to a computer and the Saturday Night Ravens/Cowboys game started with me leaving Romo on the bench. As I saw that in the first quarter he only had a handful of yards and an interception I was beginning to feel like I made the right choice. At the end of the night he’d end up with about 252 yards and 2 TDs thanks to some last minute drives. Will those 18 points come back to haunt me as I play Caroline in the league championship? Will Tyler Thigpen perform and make me look like a fantasy genius? We will see today.

Yahoo! League (9-4-1)

Pho Shizzle vs. Falkor’s Misfits

Different league, same quarterback question- I also own Romo and Thigpen in this league. However I left Romo active in this league and I benefited from his performance. No many other questions here, I started the season rather thin at running back but thanks to picking up Ryan Grant and Pierre Thomas I have some great flex options for this week. This week I’m playing Falkor and whoever wins goes to the Championship game.

Diet Yahoo! League (9-5)

Donte’s $37 Million vs. ChrisIsaTrannyName

Last week I wrote about how fitting it would be if Brian Westbrook scored no points when I finally start him after he scores billions of points on my bench. Well that’s exactly what happened. I lost the first game of my playoffs by 4 points thanks to a single point game from him and I now battle this week for 3rd place. It only makes sense. Well this week I make another tough decision with my studs. As I write this I am about to bench my start quarterback Kurt Warner. Outside my window here in Massachusetts it is snowing and has been all weekend. With snow and rain fore casted for the game in Foxboro, it doesn’t look like Warner will be throwing much or effectively. Plus I really don’t want to root against the Patriots by any means. Now watch him throw 3 TDs. Also guess who I have as my #2 quarterback- you guessed it, Tyler Thigpen.

Who knew that I would be counting on a guy name Tyler Thigpen to win my playoff games?

Tags: fantasy football

Originally published at The Definitive Dmbosstone. Please leave any comments there.

Last week I posed the question, whether or not to sit Brian Westbrook. In week 13 I left him on my bench due to injury concerns and he punished me by racking up 130 total yards and scoring 4 touchdowns. That’s 37 points I left on my bench. Performances like that don’t happen every week- so when week 14 came I saw that he was playing the Giants, a stout run defense that currently ranks 5th against the run only allowing 89.6 rushing yards per game; no runs over 40 yards; and at the time only 6 rushing touchdowns. It didn’t look like a great matchup and I did have other options (I own Westbrook in the ridiculous six-team league where I own an all-star team of RBs.) So I gave him a ride on the bench and he got angry. Last week he scored 2 touchdowns while earning over 200 total yards.

I have been clearly punished for breaking a cardinal rule of David Dorey (author of my bible, Fantasy Football The Next Level: How to Build a Championship Team Every Season.) The rules is this: The top players at each position are bigger than the schedule.” That means I even though it’s a tough matchup for Westbrook- he’s a stud and he’s a stud because he’ll perform in the toughest of situations. He clearly did last week.

However I’m quick to start hot players on my bench. That’s a lesson I learned from benching Adrian Peterson last year. This week you’ll see Brian Westbrook front and center as I enter the playoffs… now watch him score zero points.

TMG Sportsline League (11-3)

Pho Sho vs. Washington Generals

I decided to open today with a rant on Brian Westbrook- but this story came in a close second.

Last week’s matchup with Peter looked dire as the last game of week 14 started. I was down 24 points and I only had my kicker Matt Bryant and wide receiver Antonio Bryant left to play. I thought there was no way I was going to win this matchup. I didn’t even bother to watch the game. At midnight Monday night I decided to log on and see how bad I lost and I was pleasantly surprised. While the kicker Bryant only racked me 5 points, Antonio had a monster night scoring 2 touchdowns on 200 receiving yards. the 37 points I scored from those two players helped me topple my intern.

Now I’m in the playoffs with the best record in the league playing against my other intern, David. Right now things are going ok but once again I left major points on my bench. Pierre Thomas, a pickup to bolster my playoff roster scored a cool 25 points in the Thursday Night Game. Good thing I kept him on my bench- those points will certainly not hurt me in the end.

If I’m lucky I’ll be able to move on to the championship game- I say luck cause you never know what other points I’ve already left on my bench.

Yahoo! League (8-4-1)

Pho Shizzle vs. Victorious Secret

Last week of regular season play in this league and I’m going up against Wendi. Last time we played we tied in a McNabb like performance. It was the battle of the NO wide receivers in this matchup- I am playing Lance Moore and she played Marques Colston. She won this battle as Colston scored a TD and 84 yards. Moore stunk with only 5 receptions for 27 yards. Oh ya had Pierre Thomas on the bench in this league too.

I’m kinda nervous about Tony Romo, despite his secret relationship with Jason Witten that’s got T.O. mad, he has tough matchups for the rest of the season. I picked up Tyler Thigpen (I guess I’m wiggy for Thiggy) as a backup. Now is Romo a stud that will perform in the face of the Giants, Ravens, and Eagles?

Diet Yahoo! League (9-5)

Donte’s $37 Million vs. FantasyFB Is Stupid

Despite losing big last week (guess who had to play against Antonio Bryant as well as own him) I am in the playoffs with the first seed. This appears to be the league where I get punished for decisions I make in other leagues. Last week I started Antonio Bryant to win a game in one league and I play against him to lose a game in this league. This week I sat Pierre Thomas in two leagues and now I’m down 38 points thanks to playing the guy who started him in this league.

Once again with a 6 team league you never know what’s going to happen, too many people own too many stars that may or may not perform.

My respects this week go out to Matt Cassel’s family, I hope if he does decide to play this week he has a great game in memory of his father.

Tags: fantasy football

Originally published at The Definitive Dmbosstone. Please leave any comments there.

What do you do when you have NFL content all day, every day?

You watch it.

Now I haven’t been glued to the TV recently but ever since I made the choice to get Verizon FiOS in my home, I have thoroughly enjoyed the NFL Network. I’ve also enjoyed swimming through hundreds of other channels- 4 of which are dedicated to selling stuff.

When I whip up dinner at home I used to tune into evening news or listen to some podcasts but now that I have NFL Network I can feed my hunger for NFL knowledge as well as my mouth.

It’s also cool to be able to watch Thursday/Saturday night football but unless it’s the Pats or I’m suddenly bored on a Thursday night, I won’t be sitting on my couch all night long.

I was watching NFL Playbook yesterday and I really enjoy being able to see clips from the coaches film and Brian Baldinger and Sterling Sharpe appeared to really know their stuff. Of course everyone on that network is probably a former player.

I also got up to setting up my other computers- including my old laptop. I’m going to use it as a “server” so I can compile my real-time scores without tying up my computer- something I’ve been bad about doing.

So it’s almost playoff time in my leagues let’s see how this week matches up:

TMG Sportsline League (10-3)

Pho Sho vs. Belichick Is Watching You

I easily took care of Janice’s team last week thanks to a strong performance from Thomas Jones. It’s getting really hard to have to sit a running back between Brandom Jacobs, Matt Forte, and Thomas Jones. Meanwhile my cursed first rounder Larry Johnson is doing ok and stays in the picture. He’s kinda like LaMont Jordan- he’s good once in awhile but mostly mediocre and manages to stay in the picture .

Talking about Thursday Night Football, the trash talk between Peter and I this week included his prediction of a Raiders victory vs San Diego. He even picked up the Raiders defense to play against me. Unfortunately Peter’s pick of a Raiders victory didn’t come to fruition. Right now I’m tied for first and I own the tie-breakers so it appears that I have clawed my way up to the top of the most competitive division in the league.

Yahoo! League (8-3-1)

Pho Shizzle vs. SoniSamurai Spartans

LT has scored me some solid numbers this past Thursday but I can’t help to think how he’s fallen from the consensus #1 pick in fantasy football- I wonder where he’ll get drafted next year. I’m playing Adam but I don’t think he’s changed his lineup since August- not that he needed to, he has a great team… but he’s still playing Plaxico Burress in his flex, who has a bit of a shot leg problem. He probably also has a jail problem too. It goes without saying I hope to get the W this week.

Right now I’m trying to clinch a playoff spot with my third place standing in this league, I have been really happy with the competitiveness of the league this year. There are a couple of deadbeat managers but next year I think with a live draft this league will be a really fun place to play.

Diet Yahoo! League (9-4)

Donte’s $37 Million vs. ChrisIsaTrannyName

Oh to sit or not to sit Brian Westbrook. That is the question. Playing in this ridiculous league means that I have plenty of options to go with. Last week I sat him and he made me pay for it.

Well I have a few decisions to make, better get to making them.

Tags: fantasy football

Originally published at The Definitive Dmbosstone. Please leave any comments there.

Daunte Culpepper wasn’t the only one playing football on Thanksgiving.

I got up early on Thanksgiving to play a little football on my own- 11 on 11 full tackle. I’m still hurting as we speak.

However I don’t think I’m hurting as much as Culpepper after the Titans defense sacked him 4 times, while also scoring an interception and 2 fumble returns in a 47-10 blowout. It was a good day to own the Titans defense. I happen to own them in a league but I am also playing against them in another league.

With a few football games already in the books for this week let’s take a look at where my teams stand coming into this Sunday.

TMG Sportsline League (9-3)

Pho Sho vs. Clarie’s Bears

I’m off to a good start thanks to 30 point performance from Tony Romo against the Seahawks. I’ll be watching the pre-game reports to see if Brandon Jacobs makes it in- otherwise I have to roll Larry Johnson for another week- and I hate Larry Johnson.

Yahoo! League (7-3-1)

Pho Shizzle vs. American Terrorists

I got whipped in the worst possible way last week thanks to Mike’s wise choice of playing Matt Cassel. Now he’s rolling over against other teams in an effort to get them into the playoffs- and try and beat me and Sean. Talk about playing spoiler- however I’m confident I got the team to take me deep into the playoffs. This week’s match should be no problem- playing the team that’s still starting Tom Brady- talk about giving up after Week 1.

Diet Yahoo! League (8-4)

Donte’s $37 Million vs. Emo Prairie Dogs

The two first place teams are playing each other this week in a fight that will help establish who’s going to be king of the ridiculously shallow league. I’m kicking myself in the ass for sitting Brian Westbrook in a game where he scored 4 TDs. What happened to his injury concerns? Apparently he should be good to go for my team for the rest of the season. I’m still off to a good start thanks to those Titans defense.

Well it’s great to be back in Massachusetts on a Sunday- I’ll be able to enjoy a Patriots game with some friends and not weirdos in a bar.

Tags: fantasy football

Originally published at The Definitive Dmbosstone. Please leave any comments there.

It’s week 12 of the NFL football season.

With 5 weeks left to go there’s plenty of football left to play before playoffs. However for most of my fantasy leagues there’s about 3 weeks left before playoff starts- and for many that means playing to win that last playoff spot. For those still in the race, it’s crunch time.

So let’s see where my teams stand:

TMG Sportsline League (8-3)

Pho Sho vs. Washington Generals

I barely hung on to win last week against Neal. All my running backs had great games… on my bench. I decided to put Matt Forte and Larry Johnson (I hate him so much) into the game and they both scored the lowest amount of points amongst all my RBs. That’s just my luck.

But luckily luck was on my side- going into Sunday night’s Cowboys/Redskins match up I had Tony Romo and Chris Cooley left to play. Neal had Marion Barber and Terrell Owens on his team. He quickly ran up a lead as Barber ran for the game of his life. However a Romo touchdown to Martellus Bennett (not TO) put me ahead and with all the yardage Barber put up after the Cowboys got the lead- Neal fell one point short and I won the match. I was in my room yelling at the TV telling Barber to stop running. Looks like it worked a little bit.

So here’s where my TMG league stands:

I’m playing David who’s running away with the division. His team looks like the team to beat this year and I am going to have to throw everything I got at him (maybe even Peyton Hillis?) Peter is on my tail and I gotta keep him off if I want to clinch that last playoff spot.

Yahoo! League (7-2-1)

Pho Shizzle vs. LastYearNvrHappened

I my record has looked  weird ever since I got that tie against Wendi but at least I know that you can tie in football.

Here’s how the playoff picture looks like in this league:

Things are looking good to get into the playoffs, I’m feeling good about this team the most. I think I have the right players and depth to take me pretty far. It’s good to see that Sean is still fighting for a playoff spot- he’s terrible despite being the comish and also crazy about fantasy football.

Diet Yahoo! League (8-3)

Here’s the playoff picture in the ridiculously small league:

Only 2 teams will not make it in- I am not worried at all about this league.

So now that I live only 2 blocks away from Mr. Days- I think I found a great spot to walk to every Sunday to catch the Patriots. Here’s hoping we don’t get wildcat’ed

Tags: chris cooley, cowboys, fantasy football, larry johnson, marion barber, martellus bennett, matt forte, peyton hillis, redskins, terrell owens, tony romo

Originally published at The Definitive Dmbosstone. Please leave any comments there.

It’s an awful start to week 11.

I walked down to my local sports bar to watch the Thursday Night Jets/Patriotsgame with a couple of friends. I am always excited to be able to watch my Patriots down here in the DC area and the Jets game is one of those rivalry type games that gets everyone extra excited.

In preparation of the game I had to make some tough fantasy football decisions. I own Thomas Jones in all of my leagues plus I was using Brett Favre in place of the injured Tony Romo. I also own Jerricho Cotchery in two leagues as well. As much as the Patriots fan in me doesn’t want to root for the other team, you can’t bench the players that give you the best chance to win.

Luckily I could reason that the matchups weren’t in T.Jones favor. New England has a stout run defense and he didn’t run very well during their last matchup. I benched him in my TMG league. Also Brett Favre hasn’t been playing very well in recent weeks and Tony Romo is back in action- so I benched him as well.

Well the game was certainly exciting to watch as the Pats climbed back to tie the game in the second half… only to lose it in overtime. Favre’s 20+ points and T.Jones’ 100 yd/1 TD performance didn’t make things any better. I definitely left some points on the bench in my TMG league but luckily I earned some in my other leagues where I left T.Jones in. It was great to see Matt Cassel perform really well despite the loss- did anyone start him in their leagues? He probably scored around 35+ points as he passed for 400 yards/3TDs. He was also the team’s leading rusher. During the game I texted my friend Mike- the only guy I know that owns him and he benched him an hour before the game. As much as it appears to be the bad decision he made at the time the right choice. This was Cassel’s breakout game and nobody saw it coming.

Now on to the rest of week 11:

TMG Sportsline League (7-3)

Pho Sho vs. Large Benjamin

Last week was a great week for me in this league. I rolled Lisa’s team in whopping 142 point performance. This week I hope to do well and continue to fight for a playoff spot. I am a little concerned about how Tony Romo will perform off his injury- I hope he does well so I won’t be regretting sitting Brett Favre. Also by sitting Thomas Jones I have decided to start Larry Johnson… and I hate Larry Johnson… However I am excited that I was able to grab Chris Cooleyoff the waiver wire (he was on a bye last week.) I think my team is in ok shape to get me through the playoffs.

Yahoo! League (6-2-1)

Pho Shizzle vs. Change

Bye weeks are over and my team is at full strength. Last week’s acquisition of Ryan Grant helps me out at RB but I still have a mess at WR. I still don’t trust Braylon Edwards-it seems that every time I start him he’ll drop 10 passes and catch 1. But when I bench him he’ll go off and rack up some yards and a TD.

Diet Yahoo! League (7-3)

Donte’s $37 Million vs. Oh Hey You!

My opponent this week also plays me in my other Yahoo! league- however this is the one he actually pays attention to. Also off to a good start thanks to the crummy Jets…

So with the Patriots already done for the week I can pay some more attention to the Cowboys/Redskins game Sunday night. As much as I’d love to see the local team win- I need Tony Romo to score major points… oh the conflicts of fantasy football!

Tags: fantasy football

Originally published at The Definitive Dmbosstone. Please leave any comments there.

I walked in late to a happy hour this week and my co-worker Mallory asked what took me so long. Kristen suggested that I couldn’t get away from my desk because I was too busy working on Fantasy Football.

Is it sad that she was right?

I don’t spend all day working on my team but like Facebook or Google Reader- it’s something I check on a daily basis. In the mornings and evenings I like to see what activity is happening on the waiver wire. As I read and learn breaking news from Google Reader I like to check my sites to see if I can take advantage of an injury or promotion.

I have my fantasy football obession down to a weekly routine:

Monday

There’s still some football left to play but I’m already analyzing the week that just finished- who were the top performers? What injuries might come into play for the upcoming week? Who is out there that I can pick up to improve my team?

Tuesday

The week in football is officially over and my victories and losses have been officially tallied in my leagues. The big goal on Tuesdays is to look at my team and the upcoming week- where am I going to be strong, where am I going to be weak? This is also the day I’ll make all my waiver wire claims in my work league (my Yahoo leagues let me add/drop at will, so by Tuesday I’ve already picked up all the players I need.)

Wednesday

Now that Thursday Night Football is back in style I make all my picks for the week. Both for my money pick’em pool and the side competition I have with my intern Peter. I also do a quick look at my lineup make some preliminary changes.

Thursday

By Thursday all the podcasts I regularly listen to have posted their thoughts on the upcoming week. It makes great listening material when you are on the Metro or in the gym.

Friday

I will look at my lineup and the rankings out there and make and adjust my lineup for Sunday. Using a lot of the rankings I read I will make choices on which kickers/defenses I should add/drop. I always play matchups with those positions. If I have time I’ll post my weekly rant on football on my blog as well.

Saturday

Am I caught up on those podcasts? Just getting excited about the next week in football!

Sunday

The big day! If I have a lazy Sunday I’ll have time to watch some of the pre-game shows for some last minute news and prep. I will have set my final lineups set and I have my computers ready to crunch scores as I watch the games! I cross my fingers and hope I win my games; if not I know that tomorrow I get to start all over again.

So maybe football does take a lot of my day- but to me it’s a fun obsession hobby and hey it only lasts 16 weeks.

Now on to week 10!

TMG Sportsline League (6-3)

Pho Sho vs. Wide-Eyed Pumas

Thanks to soild performances from Brandon Jacobs, Matt Forte, and even my kicker Rob Bironas; I was able to take out Josie last week. There are a few more weeks to go and it’s definitely crunch time in my league as I hope to clinch the wild card spot and make the playoffs! This week I play Lisa in what I hope to be another victory. Hopefully this will be the last week before Tony Romo (he’s my quarterback) can get back into the game.

Yahoo! League (5-2-1)

Pho Shizzle vs. Roondogs

Last week wasn’t so great in this league- my team was weakened due to the bye weeks and I had no chance as Falkor rolled me like a lollipop. I now owe him a case of beer. My team is back at full strength with LT and I should be able to take on Sean and his Favre-led team. Trust me I know what it’s like to have Favre on your team, wasn’t as great as I thought. In this league I’m also waiting for Romo to return and I am handing the ball to Chad Pennington, the quarterback I used in my first fantasy football team. Problem is that two years ago he really sucked but now he’s looking really good. Let’s hope I see more of the new Chad and less of the old one.

Diet Yahoo! League (7-2)

Donte’s $37 Million vs. CoolMyTeamSucksNow

I got the L last week in this league too. I was kinda surprised to see my opponent go up really quick but taking a second look at his team I saw that I clearly underestimated his receivers. Now I am tied for first place in this league and I hope to stay up there with another win. But no promises in a league where everybody such ridiculous rosters.

I was hoping to be able to watch some of the Patriots this week but I’ll be in the middle of moving my life- more on that soon.

Tags: brandon jacobs, chad pennington, facebook, fantasy football, google, ladanian tomlinson, matt forte, metro, rob bironas, tony romo

Originally published at The Definitive Dmbosstone. Please leave any comments there.

Well it’s halfway through the NFL season and more than halfway through the fantasy football season. I thought I’d take this moment to take a closer look at my players at the halfway point:

TMG Sportsline League (5-3)

Pho Sho vs. Zorntown Gorillaz

Right now I am second in my division and David is running away with the division title but I should be able to get into the playoffs if I can keep the wins coming. This week will be a challenging matchup against Josie Josie’s husband. He’s been a monster in our work league but like the Indianapolis Colts, he hasn’t started out great this season. I’m going up a really stud lineup including a WR core of Larry Fitgerald, Plaxico Burress, and Greg Jennings. I’m lucky that LT is on a bye or else I’d have no chance.

My team this season is off to a better start than last year- where I lost a whole string of games in the first half. Owning Tony Romo has been clutch and I’ll be leaning on him after he comes back from that pinky injury. While Larry Johnson has fulfilled my expectations of being a terrible first round pick, Brandon Jacobs has done a servicable job and Matt Forte as been a pleasant surprise. Thomas Jones is also doing ok- not exactly the breakout play that was hyped in the preseason but he’s already doing better than last season.

I owned Larry Fitgerald last year and this year I own Anquan Boldin- I can’t tell you how much I enjoy owning one of the two Cardinals recievers. Roddy White has to be my late round pick of the year- he’s really shaping up to be a top 10 reciever. Santonio Holmes has been a dissapointment, leaving me in a constant shuffle to fill that 3rd roster spot. Heath Miller has also dissapointment- and still sits on the waiver wire after I dropped him for Zach Miller.

Yahoo! League (5-1-1)

Pho Shizzle vs. Falkor’s Misfits

This will be another staunch matchup against Falkor, this week we put a sidebet on the game and I suspect I will have to go and buy him a case of beer after this week. Without LT on this team to play, my depth at RB is exposed. Falkor on the other hand has the power duo of Marion Barber and Clinton Portis. I should just got to the store now and have the case ready.

This team has been getting by- like I said my RB depth is terrible, besides LT and TJ I’ve been trying to build depth off the wire. I also have what should be a great roster of WRs: Braylon Edwards, Santonio Holmes, and Torry Holt- three names which are bigger than their actual performance this season. I am second in this league and Falkor is third- that will probably change as I expect to take the L (maybe Donnie Avery can score me 3 TDs.)

Diet Yahoo! League (7-1)

Donte’s $37 Million vs. ChrisIsATrannyName

Bye weeks aren’t really hitting this team so I will be at full strength this week. McFadden is still battling injuries- which caused me to pick up Justin Fargas and now once again I own all the RBs in Oakland. Darren McFadden is a bit of a bust for me so far and I really gotta find a chance to dump him. I am happy to grab Tim Hightower- I’ve been watching him all season and I think he’s going to have a breakout 2nd half.

I love this team because the league is so ridiculously shallow- I feel like I drafted pretty good and it’s shown. My RB core is anchored with Brian Westbrookand Marshawn Lynch while Satana Moss, Reggie Wayne, and T.J. Houshmandzadeh have done me well. There’s a lot of add/dropping in this league so I was able to bolster this lineup with Wes Welker & Torry Holt (man I love having Holt- but he’s still sucking.) Drafting Carson Palmer and Big Ben hasn’t really worked out but since this league is so shallow- I just picked up Kurt Warner and once again I have a top 5 QB. Right now I am in first and I’m trying to hold on.

Very excited to watch the Patriots tongiht- it’s going to be a really tough match and I’m already nervous about our chances to win. I also picked up Kevin Faulk in a couple of leagues so I’ll have one more player to root for tonight.

Tags: anquan boldin, brandon jacobs, colts, fantasy football, greg jennings, heath miller, ladanian tomlinson, larry fitzgerald, larry johnson, matt forte, plaxico burress, roddy white, santonio holmes, thomas jones, tony romo, zach miller

Originally published at The Definitive Dmbosstone. Please leave any comments there.

Now I know how the 49ers feel.

Like it or not- I’m coming out now and saying that Alex Smith is a bust. He was the first overall pick in the 2005 NFL Draft and since then he hasn’t become the next Steve Young. In fact this year he’s riding the pine with a broken shoulder. He’s probably going to be released next season.

Now like the 49ers, I know what it feels like to spend that first pick on someone who later fails to meet expectations. It seems to happen to me every year.

In the three years of playing Fantasy Football in my work league here are my first round picks:

• 2006: Clinton Portis - I drafted him the day that he busted his shoulder in the pre-season
• 2007: Shaun Alexander -  Performed horribly and battled injury all year
• 2008: Larry Johnson - Also performing horribly and has trouble keeping his hands off women.

Luckily that’s why I always believe in RB depth- because I always seem to mess up the first pick.

Now on to Week 8:

TMG Sportsline League (4-3)

Pho Sho vs. Brooklyn Zoo

After losing two straight this is a must win for me- I’m counting on 2008 Brett Favre to be like 2007 Brett Favre, not 2006 Brett Favre. I’m now suddenly thin at WR- stupid Anquan Boldin. However this matchup looks to be in my favor.

Yahoo! League (4-1-1)

Pho Shizzle vs. Pasadena Mudslides

Again I’m coming off a loss but also like my work league I am facing a weaker opponent this week.

Diet Yahoo! League (6-1)

Donte’s $37 Million vs. Emo Prairie Dogs

My team in this league appears to be at full strength but I am not under estimating my opponent here. I will be rooting for Kurt Warner and hoping Drew Brees has some jet lag over in England.

Tags: fantasy football

Originally published at The Definitive Dmbosstone. Please leave any comments there.

90-90

That was the at the end of Week 6 in my Yahoo! league. First time I tied- but at least it’s not a loss. The tie coupled with other losses around the league catapulted me to 1st place in the league- but I’m sure that won’t last for long.

I kicked ass in my Diet Yahoo! League but I got my ass handed to me in my TMG Sportsline League. I sat Thomas Jones who decided to score three TDs. Man I could of used those TDs.

Now I got a different problem. Thanks to Tony Romo’s broken pinkie I now have to find a new QB in two of my leagues. In my Sportsline league I was able to pull a trade using another Cowboy- the newly traded Roy Williams. In exchange for Williams I got Brett Favre- a suitable guy for the time being, at least he’s better than Jeff Garcia. In another league I saw Kyle Orton sitting on the waiver wire- and quickly snatched him up. Now I should be alright while Romo decides whether or not he wants to play.

Now let’s see how Week 7 is going to shape up:

TMG Sportsline League (4-2)

Pho Sho vs. Redneck Phantoms

This game doesn’t look great for me. The loss of Romo along with bye weeks for Anquan Boldin and Roddy White has left me with a lot of holes to patch.

Yahoo! League (4-0-1)

Pho Shizzle vs. No Kevin Here

This might be a win for me if I can play the right squad. Key pickup for me this week was Dominic Rhodes and Mewelde Moore- two guys that are now starting.

Diet Yahoo! League (5-1)

Donte’s $37 Million vs. Glad Taylors Here

This is also shaping up to be a tough matchup- lots of trash talk being said my way so I’m especially interesting in showing who’s who in this game.

Once again I’ll be working through most of the football- I can’t wait til I get a weekend to myself.

Tags: fantasy football

Originally published at The Definitive Dmbosstone. Please leave any comments there.

When playing Fantasy Football it’s always good to have choices- we call this depth.

Sometimes I feel like I have too much depth when it comes to certain positions- while it’s great with bye weeks and injuries, it’s sometimes tough to choose when all none of your choices stand out. Take a look at my Week 6 previews:

TMG Sportsline League (4-1)

Pho Sho vs. Caroline’s Crew

Brandon Jacobs scored 25 points in Week 5… however he sat on my bench as I won my matchup against Len. My main RBs consist of Brandon Jacobs, Matt Forte, Larry Johnson, and Thomas Jones. Luckily LJ is sucking and I think I’m good with the combo of Jacobs and Forte most weeks- with some TJ plucked in there when needed.

Caroline has been rolling the league this season and I’m nervous about this matchup- but I got my best lineup out there so we can only hope.

Yahoo! League (4-0)

Pho Shizzle vs. Victorious Secret

I have no depth at Running Back: Just LT and TJ. However I seem to have enough wide recievers for 2 NFL teams: Braylon Edwards, Jerricho Cotchery, DeSean Jackson, Bobby Engram, Roy Williams,
Santonio Holmes, Donald Driver… and I may get Torry Holt off the wire. Great list right? It would be if any of those players played to their expectations. None of them really have thus I play receiver roulette every week.

Diet Yahoo! League (4-1)

Donte’s $37 Million vs. Gold. Pants. Bitch.

I took the loss I thought I was going to have last week, but I hope to bounce back with a soft lineup that LJ is going to throw at me. I have ok depth on this team but when you play in a six-team league, depth doesn’t matter so much to me- I can pick up almost anybody I think will be hot off the wire.

Ok well that’s the football for this week- I’m excited to be watching the Patriots on Sunday Night Football back in Massachusetts- go Pats!

Tags: bobby engram, brandon jacobs, braylon edwards, desean jackson, donald driver, fantasy football, jerricho cotchery, ladanian tomlinson, larry johnson, matt forte, patriots, roy williams, santonio holmes, thomas jones, torry holt

Originally published at The Definitive Dmbosstone. Please leave any comments there.

Fantasy Football isn’t the only game I play during football season.

I also take part in a Pick’em pool with some 50+ people. Every week we all make picks and the winner every week gets some cash as well as the top three at the end of the season. Last year I won a week but so far I’m doing terrible at 30th place.

Let’s take a look at my picks for Week 5:

Bears vs. Lions: Lions

Falcons vs. Packers: Packers

Chargers vs. Dolphins:Chargers

Seahawks vs. Giants: Giants

Redskins vs. Eagles: Eagles

Chiefs vs. Panthers: Panthers

Titans vs. Ravens: Titans

Colts vs. Texans: Colts

Buccaneers vs. Broncos: Buccaneers

Bills vs. Cardinals: Cardinals

Patriots vs. 49ers: Patriots

Bengals vs. Cowboys: Cowboys

Steelers vs. Jaguars: Jaguars

Vikings vs. Saints: Saints

Now on to the games!

TMG Sportsline League (3-1)

Pho Sho vs. Hawaiian Shirt Misfits

This is the first week I’m plugging in Matt Forte- he’s been playing well and has a great matchup this week. I’m very nervous about my receivers. I made some great pickups off the wire- taking a chance on Roy Williams and Bobby Engram.

Yahoo! League (3-0)

Pho Shizzle vs. SoniSamurai Spartans

I feel ok with this matchup but not very confident, once again plugging in Williams and also taking a chance on Mewelde Moore since Thomas Jones is on bye. I have no RB depth on this team.

Diet Yahoo! League (4-0)

Donte’s$37 Milion vs. Why Get Married?

I have yet to plug in a kicker for the week but I am pretty much chalking up a loss this week. The other team is just stacked and I’m playing Philip Rivers at QB. Maybe he’ll score me a few TDs. I’m psyched however to get Wes Welker off the wire during his bye week. Thanks to bye weeks I’m also plugging in unknown TE Visanthe Shiancoe.

It might be a shaky week for me in Fantasy Football but I’ll be rooting for something bigger- my Patriots!

Tags: fantasy football, nfl

Originally published at The Definitive Dmbosstone. Please leave any comments there.

Once again my weekly football post is late thanks to a business trip weekend.

I was winning 2 out of 3 leagues coming into Monday Night last week. In my Yahoo! league Mike was beating me by 21 points. The last hope I had was LaDanian Tomlinson and Thomas Jones. As I was watching the Jets/Chargers game I was rooting for my running backs to catch up. Jones only ended up scoring me one point but LT managed to close the gap from 21 points to 2. By the 4th quarter San Diego was up 41-22 and LT was being used to run out the clock- but would he run the 20+ yards I’d need to score? I was chatting with my pal Sean online:

Dmbosstone (11:13:50 PM): dude are you seeing the game between me and Mike?
smr12 (11:13:58 PM): yea!
smr12 (11:14:00 PM): its crazy

**San Diego rushes all the way to the New York 2-yard line**
Dmbosstone (11:14:15 PM): omg
Dmbosstone (11:14:19 PM): give LT the goal line carry
Dmbosstone (11:14:21 PM): and i’ll win
smr12 (11:14:27 PM): haha i know

**Tomlinson runs in for the TOUCHDOWN**

Dmbosstone (11:14:55 PM): YES
Dmbosstone (11:14:56 PM): YES
Dmbosstone (11:14:58 PM): YES
smr12 (11:15:00 PM): hahahaha
Dmbosstone (11:15:03 PM): LT IS MY BABY
That is why I play fantasy football.

Ok here’s where I stand after Week 4:

TMG Sportsline League (3-1)

I’m now tied in my division after a total domination of Corey’s team. Larry Johnson came through for me after many experts doubted ability to perform against Denver.

Yahoo! League (3-0)

I’m pulling out wins but I’m growing concerned with Braylon Edwards- I hope starts to perform soon. I actually have lots of depth for wide receivers but I am bone dry at Running Back. After LT and TJ- I got nothing. I’m hoping to grab some depth off the waiver wire.

Diet Yahoo! League (4-0)

I have a lot of my studs on bye this week- luckily I have been able to pick up some suitable replacements thanks to the shallowness of the league. Carson Palmer hasn’t been doing anything for me so far this year- unfortunately he might be my starter unless I can find somebody else off the wire.

Even though I’m having a great fantasy season- my pick’em season has been just terrible. I guess I can pick the players but I can’t call the games.

Tags: braylon edwards, carson palmer, chargers, fantasy football, jets, ladanian tomlinson, larry johnson, thomas jones

Originally published at The Definitive Dmbosstone. Please leave any comments there.

It was shaping up to be a depressing week 2 in fantasy football.

I was losing 2 out of 3 of my leagues, the worst being my 93-117 deficit I had in the TMG league. I was being mocked by opposing co-workers at work that Monday morning.

I knew there was one chance left. That chance was Tony Romo. My opponent had all their players done for the week come Monday, all my players were done too including a disappointing 2 points from Larry Johnson. I didn’t like him after I drafted him and I hate him even more. After a disappointing 12 carry/22 yard performance, LJ was pulled in the third quarter. After game he proceeded to complain on how he wasn’t getting enough carries. LJ I think you need to perhaps break the 30 yard point and maybe you’ll get some more touches… maybe…

Anywho I still had Tony Romo to play but who knew if he alone could score the 25 points I needed to win, that was a lot to ask but I had to.

Tony Romo is you are my only hope.

So as I tuned into the Eagles/Cowboys game that night I was hoping to see Romo in prime form. What I first saw was dropped balls and interceptions. It wasn’t looking good so far.

However things picked up and all of a sudden Tony racked up 3 TDs and over 300 yards. The live scoring said I was in a 117-117 tie. Well it was better than a loss.

I checked my other leagues I saw that Romo (whom I own on another team) helped me turn around another game. Things were looking up.

Things got even better when DeSean Jackson came along. In the 4th quarter DeSean Jackson caught a 61 yard pass and would of had a touchdown… however he celebrated too early and flicked the ball away before crossing the end zone.

Sure he’s a rookie and he got excited about his first touchdown- however this isn’t the first time he’s done something like this- check him out in this high school all-star game.

Well after the Jackson’s touchdown was taken away Brian Westbook ran it in for the TD- and Westbrook is on my team.

By the end of the day I went from leading in only 1 game to sweeping all 3.

I felt like Matt Cassel after his first win.

Ok now on to Week 3.

TMG Sportsline League (1-1)

Pho Sho vs. Belichick Is Watching You

I’m playing my intern Peter this week and our quarterbacks are going head-to-head. He has Aaron Rodgers and of course I have Tony Romo. They are playing each other on Sunday Night Football this week. We’ll prolly hit up the game together at a bar so we can smack talk each other live.

Yahoo! League (1-0)

Pho Shizzle vs. LastYearNevrHappened

LT is injured so I picked up Darren Sproles just in case, but this matchup is going to be tough.

Diet Yahoo! League (2-0)

Donte’s $37 Million vs. Emo Prairie Dogs

In a league where everyone starts so many players, and everyone has so many stars, you never know what is going to happen.

Tags: fantasy football

Originally published at The Definitive Dmbosstone. Please leave any comments there.

I’ve already talked about perhaps the most devastating injury in the NFL this year ever, but you can help but notice all the other names that made the injury lists:

• Vince Young is suffering an MCL sprain and general lack of will to play.
• Marion Barber has something wrong with his ribs.
• Dallas Clark hurt his knee.
• Marques Colston is out for the season.
• Shawne Merriman is out for the season.

It’s something I forget about football season- people get hurt quick. Ok now let’s take a look at my leagues this week:

TMG Sportsline League

Pho Sho vs. Clares Bears

After a Week 1 loss I’m looking to quickly get a W on the board. The preview gives me the edge- for me the key this week will be Heath Miller. Is he going to perform or do I need to go Tight End shopping?

Yahoo! League

Pho Shizzle vs. Change

The preview is not in my favor but I have a feeling about Santonio Holmes going up against the Browns. Also nervous for my Tight End as well. Always worried about my Tight End.

Diet Yahoo! League

Donte’s $37 Million vs. GiveMeMcNabbNow

This guy razzed me for sleeping on Tight Ends and this guy now has to find a replacement for Dallas Clark. He still has better TEs than me but I hope to show him who had the better draft. Also love the fact this guy loved McNabb and had his targeted pick vulture by someone else.

I’ll be in Boston for the weekend- always good to actually be in the market for Patriots games.

Tags: boston, browns, dallas clark, donovan mcnabb, fantasy football, heath miller, marion barber, marques colston, patriots, santonio holmes, shawne merriman, vince young