http://sports.yahoo.com/fantasy/blog/roto_arcade/post/juggernaut-index-no-9-the-dallas-cowboys
Injury Wrap: Tony Romo in limbo; Beanie Wells a game-day callThrowing Darts: Fright night for Mark Sanchez and the JetsDeep Posts: Seven lightly owned fantasy options, for the watch listThe Fantasy Freak Show Podcast: Vol. 2, Episode 4Opening Time: Is Petco Park big enough for Harang and Billingsley?Busy day for Bengals: Jerome Simpson, Cedric Benson in the newsOpening Time: Brett Myers coming on; Marlins punt Leo NunezFantasy 46 Podcast: Previewing Week 3, writing off the ChiefsLames: Gore â??The Boreâ?? to make guest appearance in CincyTarget Practice, Week 2: Chargers and ex-Chargers at the top
Injury Wrap: Tony Romo in limbo; Beanie Wells a game-day callThrowing Darts: Fright night for Mark Sanchez and the JetsDeep Posts: Seven lightly owned fantasy options, for the watch listThe Fantasy Freak Show Podcast: Vol. 2, Episode 4Opening Time: Is Petco Park big enough for Harang and Billingsley?Busy day for Bengals: Jerome Simpson, Cedric Benson in the newsOpening Time: Brett Myers coming on; Marlins punt Leo NunezFantasy 46 Podcast: Previewing Week 3, writing off the ChiefsLames: Gore â??The Boreâ?? to make guest appearance in CincyTarget Practice, Week 2: Chargers and ex-Chargers at the top
There are two prevalent themes in the NFL as we meander into autumn â?? passing stats are through the roof, and the injury count is crazy. Take out your insurance card, get your copay ready, and let's look at the bumps and bruises as we prepare for Week 3. And above all else, make sure you do a thorough cross-check on Sunday, just to make sure no one listed here had a setback. There are no guarantees in this game, especially when it comes to the walking wounded.
We'll do our customary injury lap by position: quarterbacks take the lead, followed by running backs, wide receivers and tight ends.
â?¢Â Tony Romo (ribs) didn't practice Friday and might come down to a game-day decision for Monday's showdown against [Washington]e|Redskins . Keep in mind the Cowboys are one day behind the normal practice cycle since they've got the MNF game."I don't think we can say anything 100 percent right now," Romo told the Fort Worth Star-Telegram . "But if it's just about the pain side of it, I think we'll be good to go. I'm obviously planning mentally on going out there."
Jon Kitna is the fallback plan; say what you want about Kitna, but he's one of the better backup quarterbacks in the league. He posted a 98.7 quarterback rating in the second half of 2010.
â?¢Â Michael Vick (post concussion) has been practicing and should be fine for Sunday's game with the Giants. "I feel great, I feel ready to play," Vick said after Friday's work .
â?¢Â Cam Newton (ankle) is listed as probable and did fine Friday. Lock and load.
â?¢Â Mark Sanchez (elbow) is listed as probable for the Heidi Game at [Oakland]e|place . He'll start.
[ Get the latest injury news and set your lineups with Yahoo! Sports' Fantasy Football app ]
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Still treading water here after a 2-2-1 week. But at least we're doing big-boy handicapping in this space; we're picking against the spread. Nothing's more annoying than a football scribe who makes all of his picks straight-up, then boasts of his win/loss record all over the Internet. You called Pittsburgh over Seattle last week, eh? Nice call â?? your best since you gave us Globetrotters over Generals.
Never mind the bollocks, here's the Week 3 slate. As usual it's heavy in underdogs, which is how I've styled my handicapping for as long as I've been doing this. We're looking for value at all times, and we're not afraid to go against a public team or saddle up to a team that looks awful. As always, the numbers below are culled from Yahoo! Pro Football Pick'Em .
[ Manage your teams from your phone or tablet with Yahoo! Sports' Fantasy Football app ]
Raiders +3.5 vs. Jets: The 2-0 record obscures a lot of holes with the Jets, especially on offense. Mark Sanchez is off to an inconstant start. The offensive line has issues all over the place, and not merely with the loss of star center Nick Mangold. And Shonn Greene is not a back who forces the issue on his own; he's really just a gaping-hole runner, someone who needs perfect blocking if he's going to hurt you. It's Halloween every night in [Oakland]e|place , a difficult trip for any East Coast team. If the Raiders have done their homework, they'll unleash Darren McFadden as a receiver against a Jets linebacking group that struggles in coverage. (Or I could just fall back to Lisa Simpson's logic: Take the Raiders, because they always cheat.)
Bills +8.5 vs. Patriots: This sleek and efficient Bills offense should move the ball every week, not that the New England defense has been stopping anyone. And you're paying an extra point or two merely for siding with the Pats, probably the biggest public team in the game today. I'm expecting this to be a competitive game decided by seven points or less, but the beautiful thing is that Buffalo should still be in covering range even if it plays poorly for the opening three quarters.
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Just so we're clear from the beginning: None of the players I've listed below are must-adds in standard leagues (with maybe one exception, the last dude on the list). I'm not telling you to rush to the player pool in pursuit of these names. But these players are all under-discussed, and each is available in over 95 percent of Yahoo! leagues. They belong on your radar, if not necessarily on your roster...
RB Joe McKnight, NYJ (1 percent)
Maybe there's no reason to fret about Jets running back Shonn Greene. It's possible that we'll eventually look back on his 2011 season and say this was the buy-low moment, with Greene coming off a pair of fluky disappointing efforts. He's about to face a Raiders defense that's allowed 130.5 rushing yards per game and 7.1 YPC through two weeks, so, if he's legit, he'll put up a big fantasy total in this match-up.
But if Greene gives us another three-something yards per carry, then it's time to get serious about the other names on New York's depth chart. That team might reasonably choose to give a few more touches to LaDainian Tomlinson, as the Jets did last season when Greene fumbled away the featured role in Week 1. And we shouldn't forget McKnight's 32-carry, 158-yard effort in Week 17, either. (We all know Funston hasn't ). It's not difficult to imagine a non-injury scenario in which McKnight's role increases. Rookie fourth-rounder Bilal Powell could enter the mix, too; he was a monster at Louisville last year, rushing for 1,405 rush yards at 6.1 per carry. ( Check the highlights from Powell's 209-yard effort vs. Cincinnati. The best run begins at the 1:18 mark).
[ Update your roster without leaving the couch with Yahoo! Sports' Fantasy Football app ]
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It's been a brutal first two weeks. Saddled with injuries, poor performances and unpleasant matchups against LeSean McCoy (notes) , Miles Austin (notes) and, of all people, Cam Newton (notes) , your team currently stands at 0-2. A relaxing evening of top-notch California green, "Half Baked" and multiple bags of Cheetohs at Jerome Simpson's smoke palace probably wouldn'tÂ numb the pain. But The Freaks came, saw, conquered and, hopefully made your troubles disappear.
[ Manage your team from your phone or tablet with Yahoo! Sports' Fantasy Football app ]
On this week's awe-inspiring program, freakazoids Craig Shemon, Brad Evans and Brandon Funston discussed the Dandy-Cam's greatness, provided the latest on dinged QBs Michael Vick (notes) and Tony Romo (notes) , exchanged blows over Felix Jones (notes) , played a game of over/unders and, of course, answered your pressing questions live on-air. Couldn't step away from the bar? No sweat. Listen to the podcast below:
LISTEN TO THE FREAK SHOW PODCAST HERE
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Image courtesy of US Presswire
You should know the September drill by now, gamers. First we look at the upcoming pitching form (tomorrow's starters are today's pickups), then we see what else is going on. Do not go gentle into that good night.
And please keep in mind that every starter listed below carries the "probable" tag, especially at this time of year. Teams routinely change starting assignments at the end of September, for a variety of reasons. Let's be careful out there.
Probable Starters, Saturday Sept. 24
1. Justin Verlander (Bal): Clear off some mantle space
2. Ian Kennedy (SF): Lights out against TMBG (0.87/0.84, 31 Ks)
3. Zack Greinke (Fla): Two runs or less in 13 of 14 turns
4. Ricky Romero (at TB): He's owned Tampa this year (28 IP, 2.25/0.93)
5. Felix Hernandez (at Tex): Career in Arlington: 3.87/1.25
6. Brandon Beachy (at Was): ERA bloated of late but strikeouts are sublime
7. Kyle Kendrick (at NYM): A very solid support arm of late
8. Kyle Lohse (ChC): He's been a key part of their late rally
9. Jeremy Guthrie (at Det): The best pitcher no one ever talks about
10. Jason Hammel (at Hou): Back in rotation, sleeper value versus poor opponent
11. Aaron Harang (LAD): Just don't throw any strikes to Matt Kemp
12. J.A. Happ (Col): Don't laugh, he's been sharp for a month
13. Jeff Niemann (Tor): Struggles under the catwalk (4.34/1.37)
14. Alexi Ogando (Sea): September rally, but ERA is still 4.70 since break
15. Chad Billingsley (at SD): Such a tease, can't even trust him here
16. Jerome Williams (Oak): Has been a sneaky, serviceable fill-in
17. Everett Teaford (at CWS): Two solid turns but not stretched out yet
18. Guillermo Moscoso (at LAA): Not fun on road: 4.82/1.44
19. Travis Wood (at Pit): Coming off a scoreless five-inning start
20. Eric Surkamp (at Ari): ERA isn't supported by deeper numbers
21. Alex Sanabia (at Mil): In a different park, maybe we'd try him
22. Chien-Ming Wang (Atl): Hasn't been great, but still a nice comeback
23. Rodrigo Lopez (at StL): Don't mess with the Cards in St. Louis
24. Scott Diamond (at Cle ): Diamond Dogs are vultures, hide behind trees
25. Francisco Liriano (at Cle ): I stopped trusting a long time ago
26. David Huff (Min ): Five messes in last six turns
27. Dillon Gee (Phi): Wendell Gee would be preferred
28. John Danks (KC): Crash landed down the stretch
29. Tim Wakefield (at NYY): Wrong spot to dial up aging knuckleballer
30. Brad Lincoln (Cin): You shouldn't have to look this deep
31. Mitch Talbot (Min ): Wasn't doing anything special in minors
99. A.J. Burnett (Bos): Don't let him decide your championship fate
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On Thursday morning, many of us awoke to reports that a loaf of marijuana had allegedly been delivered to the home of Cincinnati Bengals receiver Jerome Simpson.
Here are a few key details, from the Cincinnati Enquirer:
So, um ... 8.5 pounds of marijuana seems like enough to get a fella through the winter. Apparently the 2.5-pounder had crossed multiple state lines prior to delivery, so someone is facing some serious charges here. Simpson was excused from Thursday's practice; his status for Sunday's game against San Francisco is not yet known. His status for eating seven frozen burritos at 2 am is, "[Expletive] YEAH!"
On Thursday afternoon, another member of the Bengals offense made some news â?? or rather, the NFL made news via running back Cedric Benson.
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First we hit the pitching form, and then onto some news of the day.
Probable Starters for Friday, September 23
1. Jered Weaver (Oak): He's a homeboy: 1.81 ERA, 1.03 WHIP
2. Cole Hamels (at NYM): Unlucky with recent wins, but this looks good
3. David Price (Tor): Like all Rays, dancing for his life
4. Stephen Strasburg (Atl): Davey Johnson is amenable to another start
5. Yovani Gallardo (Fla): Big strikeout numbers soothe other problems
6. Ted Lilly (at SD): Soft serve works in SoCal
7. Jon Lester (at NYY): A nation turns its worried eyes to you
8. R.A. Dickey (Phi): Butterfly keeps flitting, darting
9. [Chris Carpenter]e|/mlb/players/8970 (ChC): Inning horse came through when needed
10. Brett Myers (Col): Don't laugh, he's been money last month (1.39/0.80)
11. Gio Gonzalez (at LAA): Likes it in the OC: career 2.72/1.13
12. Matt Harrison (Sea): He's been super against the Ms (three Ws, 1.27/0.89)
13. Justin Masterson (Min): Still struggles to get lefties out (.288 BAA)
14. Drew Pomeranz (at Hou): Highly-touted kid, favorable assignment
15. Ryan Dempster (at StL): Road starts have been the problem (5.83/1.63)
16. Rick Porcello (Bal): Orioles have been pesky in September
17. Tim Hudson (at Was): Like most of the Braves, gasping for air
18. Josh Collmenter (SF): Nothing special but favored to win
19. Bruce Chen (at CWS): Rough patch hit in September
20. Eric Surkamp (at Ari): Secondary stats don't support the ERA
21. Carl Pavano (at Cle): He's hurt us too often before
22. Chris Volstad (at Mil): Recent rally but won't trust him here
23. Freddy Garcia (Bos): Tiring to the stretch
24. Brandon Morrow (at TB): Strong last start but too much bad blood
25. Zach Stewart (KC): A project, it's going to take time
26. Alfredo Simon (at Det): Strikeout numbers decent but otherwise, pass
27. Edinson Volquez (at Pit): Needs rebuild on mechanics and confidence
28. Wade LeBlanc (LAD): No park is safe for him
29. Jeff Locke (Cin): Locked after dark
30. Anthony Vasquez (at Tex): Good luck in Arlington, kid
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In this week's episode, we actually managed to clock in around 46 minutes, give or take. We hit all the Week 3 match-ups, we discussed the smoldering ruins of the 2011 Kansas City Chiefs , and we dismissed Andy Dalton (notes) as if he were Cade McDalton.
Please enjoy the rich, full-bodied taste of some podcast...
The Fantasy 46, Episode 4
As always, many thanks to our friends at WSCR . Feel free to contact Brendan McCaffrey if you have questions of a medical, theological, financial, oceanographic, romantic or ornithological nature: @bmac670 . For fantasy issues, try this: @andybehrens .
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And another thing: If you're interested in playing some Salary Cap Football, head over to the sign-up page , click "Join a Group," and find ID# 6025. The password for The Roto Arcade Open is "bammorris."
Other popular stories on Yahoo! Sports:
â?¢ Brewers clinch first division title in 29 years
â?¢ Man impersonating Eagles QB Vince Young arrested
â?¢ See Phil Mickelson's amazing trick shot demo
Each week the Noise highlights six unobvious names who he believes are destined to morph into human torpedos. For those playing the Lames home edition, each playerÂ must be started in at least 50 percent of Yahoo! leagues to qualify. As an accountability advocate, results, whether genius or moronic, will post the following weekÂ using the revamped scoring system listed here . If you're a player on TEAM HUEVOS, list your Week 3 Lames with projections in the comments below. Finally, in honor of three decades of great music from the now defunct R.E.M. , forced references to the band have been included for your enjoyment.
Ben Roethlisberger, Pit, QB (Week 3 Noise QB Rank: 16, 62-percent started)
Matchup: at Ind
The two-time Super Bowl champ recovered from the Ravens' vicious Week 1 attack, throwing for 298 yards and a touchdown against the sorrowful Seahawks in the followup. Off that high, most would automatically assume he's must-start material at Indy. The Colts, who are neck-n-neck with the Seahawks and Chiefs in the Andrew Luck sweepstakes, are an abomination in just about every facet of the game. However, it's quite conceivable, this contest could unfold similarly to the Colts/Texans clash in Week 1. Recall in that game, Matt Schaub executed well early, but, once the Texans built an insurmountable lead, he became a victim of circumstance, finishing No. 25 among QBs that week in scoring (230-1-2). Plus, the Colts could again be without the services of LBs Gary Brackett and Ernie Sims, softening an already vulnerable run defense. Rashard Mendenhall is bound to be the centerpiece of the Steelers offense, limiting Ben's scoring opportunities. Yes, Indy has allowed an uncharacteristic 7.7 yards per attempt through the first two weeks, but, this week, look for Mike Tomlin to follow a ground-heavy approach. Sorry No. 7 zealots, Week 3 could be the end of the world as you know it .
Fearless Forecast: 19-28, 206 passing yards, 1 touchdown, 0 interceptions, 14.3 fantasy points
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Important programming note: Beginning today, Matt Buser is publishing year-to-date info on targets, touches, and red zone opportunities . Try to think of Matt's piece as an useful companion to Target Practice; I give you a weekly snapshot, Matt gives you the full season, plus all the inside-the-20 data. Two great tastes that taste great together. It's more information than you can process, and you don't even need to upgrade your subscription.
Now let's review to the Week 2 target leaders, beginning with the RBs...
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