Sports Blog

It took 10 weeks but finally fans of the National Football League have gotten what they wanted — another day of football. NFL fans will agree with me when I say that watching football all day on Sunday is the perfect way to end the week. I’m sure they will also agree that Monday Night Football, as the many commercials for it suggest, doesn’t make going to work on Monday any easier but it does give people something to look forward to. But what are fans of the NFL supposed to look forward to the other five days of the week?  

Thankfully, the NFL has an answer for just that question. To help satisfy people’s insatiable appetite for all things NFL-related, week 10 of the season was kicked off with a Thursday night game between the San Francisco 49ers and Chicago Bears. As I was watching the game, two things came to mind.

1) Jay Cutler is a turnover machine.

2) Oh my goodness, it’s week 10. The fantasy football playoffs are just around the corner!

For many fantasy footballers, there are only a few weeks left before the playoffs begin. It is rapidly becoming do-or-die time and if you are on the outside of the playoff picture looking in you might feel that all is lost. To that I say, in the immortal words of Journey, don’t stop believing!

If you have players out due to injury, not playing as well as you hoped, or are the victim of some untimely bye weeks, there is still hope. It ain’t over ’till it’s over and it is still possible to salvage your season. It will take a lot of cunning to pull off the necessary trade(s) and a lot of guts to pickup and start a player that other people in your league may scoff at, but desperate times call for desperate measures.

The following three players — one quarterback, running back, and wide receiver — are either not owned in a decent amount of leagues or should be easy to acquire in a trade. Keep in mind that I am not recommending you start any of these guys over obvious studs. However, if you find yourself struggling at a particular position for whatever reason, the following three guys are worth taking a look at.

QB David Garrard, Jacksonville Jaguars: Garrard has scored at least 12 fantasy points in five of his eight games this year and has scored more total fantasy points than both Donovan McNabb and Matt Cassel. Many owners have been quick to pick up Alex Smith and Josh Freeman the last two weeks to fill their backup QB needs, but I would feel much safer with Garrard now that he has a legit wide receiver in Mike-Sims Walker.

RB Justin Vargas, Oakland Raiders: Thanks to franchise killer JaMarcus Russell the Raiders have been the black hole of fantasy points this season, but Vargas has very quietly put together a nice string of games. In Darren McFadden’s absence over the last three weeks Vargas has put up 9, 8 and 13 fantasy points. It is not stellar by any stretch of the imagination but it makes him a solid RB3/flex, especially in deeper leagues.

WR Mike Wallace, Pittsburgh Steelers: Wallace has put up double digit fantasy points the last two weeks and four of the last six. In fact, during that time span he has put up a total of 58 fantasy points, which is 23 more than Steelers starting wide receiver Santonio Holmes. While opponents continue to focus on Holmes and Hines Ward, you can bet that Wallace will continue to get open looks.

Want more fantasy football or basketball advice? Send your questions to my twitter account, @davidcarrillo.

Image Source: ESPN

GOLD

Antonio Gates, SD, TE, VS. Miami

Forecast: 8 catches, 113 yards, 2 Tds (25 points)
Yes, I know if you own him you are starting him anyway, but I think he is for a huge game against TE friendly Miami. Miami has already been torched by Tony Gonzalez and Dallas Clark and now they have to deal with Gates. Even better for Gates is that LT might not play again meaning Rivers is going to throw the ball a lot. Expect a huge game from Gates.

Tim Hightower, ARI, RB, VS. Indianapolis
Forecast: 17 carries, 96 rushing yards, 3 catches, 21 yards, 1 TD (19 points)
The Colts run defense has been horrible of late, that bodes well for Hightower who has been surprisingly solid so far. Whether it’s been running or receiving he has made an impact. I expect solid number against this weak defense.

Matt Forte, CHI, RB, @ Seattle
Forecast: 23 carries, 103 yards, 3 catches, 22 yards, 1 TD (21 points)
Forte has struggled in the first two games this season and has disappointed some owners. Well this week he should go off. Did you see what Frank Gore did to this defense? Well I expect something similar from the talented Forte.

Brandon Jacobs, NYG, RB, @ Tampa Bay
Forecast: 22 carries, 115 rushing yards, 1 catch, 8 yards, 2 Tds (24 points)
Like Forte, I see a struggling player getting right against a weaker opponent. Jacobs has not been over 20 carries in any of the first to games, well I see that changing this week. With more opportunities he will go off this week.

Brent Celek, PHI, TE, VS. Kansas City
Forecast: 6 catches, 76 yards, 1 TD (15 points)
With McNabb out and Kevin Kolb as QB, I see another big performance from Celek. Kolb looked for him a lot last week and Celek ended with 8 catches and over 100 yards. I see another big game coming against the Chiefs

Mario Manningham, NYG, WR, @ Tampa Bay
Forecast: 6 catches, 96 yards, 1 TD (16 points)
Tampa Bay have been giving up huge plays in the passing game so its only right that Mario goes off again this week after coming up huge against Dallas. He has been the Giants big play receiver so far this season and I don’t see it changing against Tampa.

Felix Jones, DAL, RB, VS. Carolina
Forecast: 17 carries, 98 yards, 2 catches, 17 yards, 1 TD (17 points)
With Marion Barber being out for the game, Jones should get more opportunities to run wild this week. He is a threat to go all the way on every touch. He should have a couple big plays in this game so start him with confidence.

Byron Leftwich, TB, QB, VS. New York Giants
Forecast: 305 passing yards, 3 Tds, 2 Int, 10 rushing yards (21 points)
Leftwich has had to throw a ton in the first two weeks and it doesn’t look it’s going to change. The Giants should take a early lead forcing Tampa to pass all day. I could see Leftwich throwing for around 300 yards and a couple TDs. But be careful he could have some turnovers also.

COLD
Willie Parker, PIT, RB, @ Cincinnati
Forecast:15 carries, 38 rushing yards, 0 Tds (3 points)
The Steelers have struggled to run the ball and there has been talk that Parker has lost a step. Against a solid defense I don’t see him improving this week. It might be time to give up on Parker for this season if Rashard Mendenhall has a good game this week.

Adrian Peterson, MIN, RB, VS. San Francisco
Forecast: 24 carries, 47 rushing yards, 1 catch, 8 yards, 1 TD (11 points)
I know your thinking I’m crazy right now but I think the 49ers will keep Peterson in check this week. The last time they played they held him to his worst game ever 3 yards on 14 carries. Now there defense is better and Peterson has not been practicing because of a bad back. I don’t think he will have a huge game this week but your probably starting him anyway.

Darren McFadden, OAK, RB, VS. Denver
Forecast: 14 carries, 43 rushing yards, 2 catches, 15 yards, 0 TD (6 points)
Last week I thought Bush would get the goal-line carries but it was McFadden. The Denver defense has been solid so far this season and I think it will be hard for McFadden to duplicate last week against the Chiefs.

Hines Ward, PIT, WR, @ Cincinnati
Forecast: 4 catches, 41 yards, 0 TD (6 points)
Last year in this game he broke the jaw of Keith Rivers on a blind side hit that is now illegal. This week he has talked about doing it again if he gets the opportunity. I think he is going to have a huge target on his back. Besides that he looks like he has lost a step this season.

Brandon Marshall, DEN, WR, @ Oakland
Forecast: 3 catches, 37 yards, 0 Tds (4 points)
Two words “Nnamdi Asomugha.” he should be shadowed on Marshall all day making it tough for him. Even worse he still hasn’t made a strong connection with Kyle Orton. I guess missing practice will do that.

SCORING BENCHMARKS
QBs: 12+ fantasy points
RBs: 12+ fantasy points
WRs: 10+ fantasy points
TEs: 8+ fantasy points
*Scoring system:
4 PTs/Pass TD
1 PT/25 pass yards
6 PTs/Rush-Rec TD
1 PT/Reception
1 PT/10 Rush yards
1 PT/20 Rec yards
-2 PT/INT or FL

GOLD
Michael Bush, OAK, RB, @ Kansas City                                                                LOSS
Forecast: 15 carries, 65 rushing yards, 2 catches, 15 yards, 1 TD (14 points)
Actual: 9 carries, 35 rushing yards, 1 catch, 17 yards, 0 Tds (4.3 points)
Santana Moss, WAS, WR, Vs. St. Louis                                                                  LOSS
Forecast: 7 catches, 95 yards, 1 TD (17 points)
Actual: 3 catches, 35 yards, 1 Fumble Lost, 0 TD (2.75 points)
Ben Roethlisberger, PIT, QB, @ Chicago                                                               WIN
Forecast: 301 passing yards, 2 TDs, 2 TO, 10 rushing yards (17 points)
Actual: 221 passing yards, 1 TD, 1 Int, 6 rushing yards, 1 rushing TD (17.5)
Steve Smith, CAR, WR, @ Atlanta                                                                             WIN
Forecast: 8 catches, 120 yards, 1 TD (20 points)
Actual: 8 catches, 131 yards, 0 TD (14.5 points)
Leon Washington, NYJ, RB, Vs. New England                                                    LOSS
Forecast: 15 carries, 75 rushing yards, 5 catches, 40 yards, 1 TD (20 points)
Actual: 14 carries, 58 rushing yards, 2 catches, 18 yards, 1 Fumble Lost (6.8 points)
Bernard Berrian, MIN, WR, @ Detroit                                                                  LOSS
Forecast: 5 catches, 113 yards, 1 TD (16 points)
Actual: 6 catches, 46 yards, 0 TD (8.3 points)
Vernon Davis, SF, TE, Vs. Seattle                                                                            LOSS
Forecast: 6 catches, 55 yards (8 points)
Actual: 2 catches, 32 yards (3.6 points)
Philip Rivers, SD, QB, Vs. Baltimore                                                                        WIN
Forecast: 265 passing yards, 3 passing TDs, 1 Int (20 points)
Actual: 436 passing yards, 2 passing Tds, 2 Int, 10 rushing yards (22.4 points)
                      ___________
Last Week: 3- 5 (37.5%)
Season: 8- 8 (50%)

COLD
Mike Bell, NO, RB, @ Philadelphia                                                                  LOSS
Forecast: 12 carries, 43 rushing yards, 1 catch, 5 yards, 0 TDs (5 points)
Actual: 17 carries, 86 rushing yards, 1 catch, 9 yards, 1 TD (16 points)
Roy Williams, DAL, WR, Vs. New York Giants                                              WIN
Forecast: 3 catches, 46 yards, 0 TDs (5 points)
Actual: 1 catch, 18 yards, 0 TD (1.8 points)
DeSean Jackson, PHI, WR, Vs. New Orleans                                                 LOSS
Forecast: 3 catches, 22 yards, 1 carry, 14 yards (5 points)
Actual: 4 catches, 101 yards, 3 carries, 15 yards, 1 TD (16.5 points)
Julius Jones, SEA, RB, @ San Francisco                                                          WIN
Forecast: 20 carries, 49 yards, 2 catches, 10 yards, 0 TDs (6 points)
Actual: 8 carries, 11 yards, 3 catches, -3 yards, 1 TD (9.8 points)
Tin Hightower, ARI, RB, @ Jacksonville                                                        LOSS
Forecast: 12 carries, 44 yards, 3 catches, 15 yards, 0 TDs (7 points)
Actual: 15 carries, 72 yards, 3 catches, 12 yards, 1 TD (16.7 points)
____________
Last Week: 2- 3 (40%)
Season: 6- 4 (60%)

Image Source: Getty Images

Here are those who made a difference this weekend. For once, there won’t be Patriots player on this list, only because they play tonight.

• Tony Romo helped put the Cowboys above the rest in the NFC by defeating the Packers with 309 yards and 4 touchdowns.
• Terrell Owens chipped in 7 catches for 156 yards and a touchdown.
• Adrian Peterson didn’t show any signs of rust after missing a few games, rushing for 116 yards and 2 touchdowns.
• Andre Johnson of the Texans caught 9 passes for 116 yards and a touchdown.
• Stephen Jackson had a good overall game with 96 yards on the ground with a touchdown and 71 yards receiving.
• Looks like that hamstring didn’t bother Braylon Edwards at all, catching 7 passes for 149 yards and a touchdown.
• LaDainian Tomlinson ran for 177 yards and 2 touchdowns.
• Kevin Curtis caught 6 passes for 111 yards and a touchdown for the Eagles in a losing effort.
• Despite having no touchdown grabs, Joey Galloway hauled in 7 passes for 159 yards.
• Hines Ward had 11 catches for 90 yards and 2 touchdowns.
• Falcons receiver Roddy White had 10 catches for 146 yards and a touchdown.
• The San Diego Chargers Defense had 3 interceptions and 8 sacks, including 3 from Shawne Merriman.
• Eagles running back Brian Westbrook did it all against the Seahawks, running for 93 yards and a touchdown, returning a punt for 64 yards and 46 yards receiving.
• Peyton Manning passed for 4 touchdowns and connected with Reggie Wayne for 2 of those who also finished with 158 yards receiving.
• Tony Gonzalez finished with 10 catches and 140 yards for the Chiefs.

Photo Source.