Okay, I am a fantasy football God. I have been running my own league for the last four years and I have won two championships and been to the final game one other time. I have a unique ability to understand football better than most people, because I'm just that good. Don't believe me? I don't give a shit. I am a God and will remain a God.
So, for all of you none-fantasy football God's out there, take some tips from me about your upcoming season. Here are a few tried and tested tools to help you dominate your group of friends, alienating them forever for a meaningless trophy that only shows up when you check your fantasy sports profile. And you know what? It is freakin worth it. Friends come and go. Fantasy Glory is priceless.
Tip 1: Reggie, Reggie, Reggie.
I'm telling you, by the end of this season we will be talking about Reggie Bush as a potential 2 or 3 pick next year. He is gonna be that good. Why? Because he has the most talent at the position since Marshal Faulk and as good a back as Deuce McAllister is, Bush's explosive speed, his ability to receive and play wide receiver, and his ever growing comfort level with running the ball as a straight running back in the NFL make it impossible for The Saints not to utilize him as much as humanly possible. Think about it this way: Bush, by the end of the season last year, had already established himself as a viable number 2 back on almost all fantasy rosters. He was good for a decent amount of rushing yards, a decent amount of receiving yards, and, at the end, you could tell he would find his way into the endzone enough to bring home the points. So, right now, Bush is a viable #2 and a legit contender to be taken in the second round. That's if Reggie Bush doesn't improve from last year AT ALL and his involvement in the offense doesn't improve At ALL. Think that's a possibility? Look at Reggie's numbers last year from week 10 on: week 10 at Pit, 90 total yards, 1 TD, week 11 home to Cinci, 109 total yards, no scores, week 12 at Atlanta, 45 total yards, no scores, week 13 against San Fran, 168 total yards, 4 scores, week 14 at Dallas, 162 total yards, 1 score, week 15 against Wash., 33 total yards, no score, week 16 at NYG, 149 total yards, 1 score, week 17 against Carlolina, 33 total yards and 1 score, playoff game against Phillie, 74 total yards and 1 score, playoff game against Chicago, 151 total yards, 1 score.
Look at those lines. Except for the game against Atlanta and the game against Washington, from week 10 on Bush was a top line running back putting up outstanding numbers. His rushing number are well below his receiving numbers, but if anything those rushing numbers look to go up this year rather than down, with his ability to catch the ball out of the backfield remaining the same. Think of Bush this year, more comfortable in the offense, more relaxed in who he is what he does, and more plays bein run for him. His 160+, 1 to 2 score games should become the norm for him in that offense. If that's the case, he becomes a legit stud fantasy performer that will go, more than likely, anywhere between the second and third rounds. If he's there for you, pick his ass up.
Tip 2: Beware the Gore
Everyone loves confidence. Women flock to it. Men envy it. In athletes, it becomes essential. Lack of confidence can be devastating. Frank Gore doesn't have that problem. This year, he set his sights high for anyone, saying he wants to break Eric Dickerson's single season rushing record. Okay, nice goal. Problem is this; what Frank Gore says he wants to do, and what Frank Gore will actually do may very well be two completely different things.
Gore has the explosiveness to be one of the best backs in the league, and every fantasy book you read has him ranked WAY up there. I'm calling bullshit on him. He's gonna be a fine back, but I'll bet you anything, come the end of the season, the guy I just talked about, Reggie Bush, will vastly superior numbers to Gore. Here's a couple of reasons why: Gore broke his hand in the offseason and still has not recovered. More than likely he will be ready to go for the opener, but this is a broken hand we're talking about, There aint no guarantee that Gore is gonna feel completely healthy when he starts the season, and if he is babying the hand, it might affect how he carries the ball. The broken hand leads into the other reason, the main reason, why Gore seems to be overrated. The fuc*er can't hang onto the ball. Last year he had 6 lost fumbles. He began to correct that problem towards the end of the season, but a broken hand could restablish old, bad habits. Plus, as good as Gore can be I am not completely sold on San Fran's offense line. I believe Alex Smith will be better, I believe Darrel Jackson will be good, but the 9ers won't be sneaking up on anyone this year. Gore is a worthy first round pick, but some people are suggesting him as the choice over Larry Johnson or Shaun Alexander. Ummm.................that would be stupid. Gore is a very, very good back, but he isn't an elite just yet.
Tip 3: Call me crazy for Campbell.
Okay, this is a weird one, but I'm telling you, sleeper QB for this year is going to be Jason Campbell for the Redskins. Who? That's right, his name is Jason Campbell and though you maye have never heard of him, I'm telling you he's gonna be pretty good. Why? Because the Skins offense is pretty good. Because Campbell has a big arm and one of the best deep threats in the game, Santana Moss. Because the team's running game is stellar this year with a healthy Clinton Portis and an emerging Ladell Betts. Because Campbell has one of the best tight endin Chris Cooley to throw to once he gets down to the Red Zone. Because Joe Gibbs makes it a point to max protect his QB's as much as possible, giving them time to throw the ball. And because Jason Campbell went from throwing pick after pick in his first few games at starting QB to throwing none in his last 4.
No, I'm not telling you this kid is gonna surpass any of the big QB's. He isn't your third option behind Peyton and Brady. What he is, however, is a really good option for someone who will be looking to load up on RB's early in the draft and may be scrambling for his QB's at the end. Campbell has the chance to rake up a decent amount of points this year, should have plenty of opportunities to put the ball in the endzone, especially with the deep threat of Moss. The Redskins promise to be better this year, both offensively and defensively, and while Campbell won't put up huge numbers, there's a good chance he will end up being a decent number 2 QB for any team. Joe Gibbs QB's usually protect the ball very well and it appears the one thing Campbell needed to correct was his decision making ability. If he has, Campbell could be steal for yah.
Tip 4: This is gonna hurt me more than you
I am a Giants fan. I drafted Eli Manning on my most recent fantasy team. Still, I think Eli could be in for a very difficult season. Now, that's not saying that Eli won't put up good numbers. Think of him as a John Kitna type. Eli has too many weapons and will be asked to throw way too much for him NOT to put up numbers. Plus, there is no chance of him losing his job, unless he is injured, and even over the last few years, when Eli has become a favorite whipping boy of the NY media and fans, his numbers have made him a viable option at QB. Here is the problem. Eli will be looked at as a possible #1 QB, he will be expected to BE that #1 QB for the Giants, and I just don't see it happening. The loss of Tiki Barber is going to be more extreme than anyone could imagine, and while that means ELi will be asked to throw a lot more, it also means Eli will be asked to do the one thing that makes him such a shaky NFL QB to this point; it will force him to make consistent good throws, with tight spirals, and it will force him to make good decisions with the ball. Teams are gonna make Eli beat them. They are gonna come after him as much as possible and put the Giants O-line and running backs to the test. Eli, to this point, has not shown the ability to be a consistent QB. The touchdowns will be there but so will the mistakes and so will the killer games where Eli single handedly destroys your team.
Now, here is the one caveat. Eli has the talent to be a very good QB. He doesn't have the talent to be what the Giants drafted him to be, or what the Mannings advertised him to be, namely one of the top, elite QB's around, but he certainly has the talent to be in that second tier of field generals. If it is ever gonna happen for Eli, this might be the year. He is gonna be asked to throw and throw often. He has the weapons he needs to succeed all over the field. The season will be put in his hands. If he takes the next step he will easily be a #1 QB. If he isn't, he could bring your fantasy team down. It's your choice. High risk, High reward.
Tip 5: Not Calvin time yet
Calvin Johnson was so damn good for Georgia Tech and then in his combine workouts that some projected him as a can't miss combo of Jerry Rice meets T.O. Not too freakin bad. But beware of drafting Johnson as a number 1 WR. Rookies, as we know, tend to take a while to get into the swing of things. Johnson is going to be utilized right off the bat but remember this; the QB for the Detroit Lions is going to be John Kitna. Kitna certainly isn't a bad QB but you have to go a long way on the leap-of-faith trail to convince yourself he's an elite QB. The Lions' O-line isn't special, the team will start their season with Tatum Bell as the starting RB while they await the return of Kevin Jones by the middle of the season, and the Lions already have a Superstar receiver in Roy Williams who will probably be the main beneficiary of Johnson this year. So while Johnson's talent, and his promise are very tantalizing, I think it might be a good idea to skip the rookie this year. Go for the more established receivers, the guys you KNOW will put up their team's big numbers, and if you have a chance to pick up Roy Williams, do it.
No comments:
Post a Comment