Saturday, November 07, 2009

NFL Week 9 Preview / Fantasy Ruminations

Okey, I don't deserve the benefit of the doubt for being so far behind on my self-imposed assignments.  I'm writing a script but that's not why I'm late.  I'm behind the 8-ball because I am exhausted by work.  But I'll do better next week.  I'm watching college ball while I write this and my mind might wander a bit.  Like, for instance, Trent Richardson is a total badass at running back for U. Alabama and deserves more carries.  I went 10-3 last week, which a lot of people probably did because there was only 1 legitimate upset.  I'm 33-21 for the year, which would be fine picking against the spread but I'm just guessing the winners.  Maybe I'm improving at this.  I don't re-check my fantasy advice so I couldn't tell you how I'm doing on that front.  Here's this week's garbage, purple teams are the winners.  Hope you enjoy it all:

SUNDAY
Washington at Atlanta - Washington seems really horrible now that I think about it.  I'm playing Fred Davis at TE and I'd give Santana Moss a shot, too.  Clinton Portis?  Maybe if you have a bye-week starter or Matt Forte on your squad.  Atlanta defense seems like a good play but I would probably not start Matt Ryan.  Only maybe on Roddy White.  I think if you have Michael Turner you probably have to play him but I'd be surprised if he has a second good game in a row.  Tony Gonzalez is still a top 5 TE and you probably don't have anybody better than him on your team.
Arizona at Chicago - I like Beanie Wells better as a Cardinals RB than I liked him at Ohio State.  He doesn't get enough carries but he's good.  I would play all the Cards WRs this week and I bet Kurt Warner is worthy of a start, too.  Jay Cutler will throw some INTs this week and Matt Forte is apparently awful.
Baltimore at Cincinnati - Bengals will now commence shocking everyone by how bad they suck.  Carson Palmer is good, Ced Benson has finally become what he was supposed to be coming out of UT-Austin.  Ochocinco is an asshole for changing his name but he's a good WR and a start-every-week kind of guy again.  I don't like any matchups in this game particularly.
Houston at Indianapolis - I hope the score is 74-53 at the end.  Owen Daniels is out so maybe now Jacoby Jones will get some catches.  Everybody other than Daniels and Steve Slaton will do just fine in this game.  If you have Colts, play them.  All of them.
Miami at New England - New England has looked great lately.  New England is an old team.  They shouldn't be able to be great for more than a couple of weeks all season.  You know the drill with New England.
Green Bay at Tampa Bay - Tampa Bay is awful but even they will get sacks here.  Don't play any Bucs players ever.  Aaron Rodgers and Ryan Grant stick out to me as fantasy stars in this game.
Kansas City at Jacksonville - Jamaal Charles is not a good RB.  Don't kid yourself.  MJD might go for 350 yds and 7 TDs against the Chiefs.  Mike Sims-Walker will ligjt it up, too.
Carolina at New Orleans - New Orleans will stay undefeated and Pierre Tomas will have his biggest game of the year.
Detroit at Seattle - The battle of the injured network non-stars.  The Lions might need MegaTron to win.  But I'm guessing this makes the crap cellar a little more full.  Welcome, Seattle!

Tennessee at San Francisco - The inverse of my little game with the Iowa Hawkeyes.  I picked Tennessee until they won a game and now I sort of believe in them, too.  Chris Johnson will not do anything like he did last week but he'll be OK.  Vince Young is a terrible fantasy QB but he is better for the Titans than Kerry Collins.  Frank Gore will go berserk.  Alex Smith is a good backup at QB.  Vernon Davis will keep having good games and Michael Crabtree might score this week.  Somehow San Francisco will lose.
San Diego at NY Giants - I remember telling everyone that Phillip Rivers is the best QB in the draft before Eli Manning went overall #1.  Yep, I'm sticking with that.  Brandon Jacobs will be a good play this week but Eli will keep turning the ball over.  And all the big names in the Chargers passing game will have the same game they have every week.  But the Chargers RBs won't be so great this week.
Dallas at Philadelphia - McNabb will throw for more yds than Romo.  McCoy will have the highest rushing total of any RB in this game.  DeSean Jackson should have some huge yardage.  I don't think much of the Cowboys coaches but it sometimes works out in the NFL that the players rise above horrible coaching to play well.  Don't be surprised when Miles Austin has a crappy game.

MONDAY
Pittsburgh at Denver - I dislike both of these teams.  I think Pittsburgh throws too much when they get into trouble.  They should run the ball 45 times a game but they don't.  Denver is a mirage but they have some nice players.  Brandon Marshall will be a good play in this game, Mendenhall will be good.  Everything else is open to interpretation.

Heisman Land

I've got 5 minutes to write this so it won't be in depth or insightful.  Here's my Top 5 for the Heisman.  MY top 5.  They aren't the guys I think will win but the guys I think should win.

1.) Ryan Mathews, RB, Fresno State - If you have watched him play and don't agree with me then fuck you, you're an asshole.  If you haven't seen him play and you object because of his team/conference then fuck you even more because you are an even bigger asshole.  This guy is Marshall Faulk (who also should have won) reborn.

2.) Case Keenum, QB, Houston - Best QB I've seen this year.  Plays a jackass schedule, as well, but it's ok to be a little protected.  This Houston team plays an offense that is working in the NFL and the SEC so stop saying he's a system QB.  He's got all the tools, as it were.

3.) Jimmy Clausen, QB, Notre Dame - Best QB I've seen this year that has actually played a decent schedule.  Really don't think he should come out this year, though.  He should be ready for the NFL Draft in 2011 and Out in 2014.

4.) Terrence Cody, DT, Alabama - If every offensive starter on the Crimson Tide went down to an injury, their defense would still pull them through.  People who don't understand a nose tackle's job have complained that Cody hasn't "done anything" this year.  Well, he's not a pass rusher.  He's supposed to absorb blockers so that the edge rushers, to some degree, and the MLBs/ILBs have the space to blow up ballcarriers.  Well, Cody has done well enough that Roland McClain has passed him up on the Q Ratings.  B.S.  Cody is the key to 'Bama winning anything memorable this year.

5.) Bernard Pierce, RB, Temple - Give him a shot, OK?  Watch a Temple game.  I didn't realize it until last Saturday but Temple is having their best season in like 40 years.  Did they get a recruiting pipeline going to resurrect (were they ever good to begin with?) the pipeline?  I don't know but this guy is a freshman so it's possible.  He's moved past Noel Devine, Tim Tebow, Golden Taint, Ndamukong Suh, Eric Berry and Kellen Moore to the point where I'm disappointed that I missed a Temple game on Thursday.