NFL's 2016 Regular Season

I have to get a fantasy lineup set but I still have one more draft to do tonight. Considering what has happened in the past week with Romo, Teddy Bridgewater and several other big name players, not to mention deals that moved Sam Bradford from Philadelphia to Minnesota this late breaking draft is actually coming at the perfect time. I have maintained since I started playing fantasy football that the draft should not be held until after the 3rd preseason game in case of injuries to starters. It never seems to fail that some high profile players get season ending injuries in the 3rd preseason "rehearsal" game and sure enough it happened again with Tony Romo among others who bit the big one and will at very least be lost for a big chunk of the coming season.

 

Final cuts also present odd problems. On Saturday the Ravens cut RB Justin Forsett who had a big breakout season for the Ravens last year. It was a surprising move to say the least all things considered but the Ravens had ulterior motives behind the move. Forsett was slated to make $3MM this season so resigning him would indicate he will make less than that so in the end it was all about the Benjamins. It should be noted that Terrence West had a very good preseason and could be much more involved in the offense this season.

 

Check your fantasy rosters because the Eagles threw a big monkey in the wrench over the weekend. First, the concluded a deal with Minnesota that sent their starting QB to the Vikes for a 1st and conditional 4th round picks. This was done a mere week before the season starts which is an unprecedented move by a football team. Then, the Eagles, instead of naming veteran Chase Daniel as the starter they came out and announced the Eagles 1st round pick, 2nd overall, Carson Wentz was going to be the starter in Week 1. This is totally crazy town stuff because Wentz suffered a cracked rib in the 1st preseason game and he hasn't played a down since. That's like grabbing a 5 year old by the seat of the pants and chunking him into the water to teach him to swim. Good luck Carson, you're going to need it.

 

The Bears dropped veteran kicker Robbie Gould after he gave them the best years of his career. Gould will be leaving Chicago and the Bears all time leading scorer, and that's for a franchise that's been around since 1920, and the most accurate kicker in franchise history. Gould struggle some last season and his struggles continued this summer with him missing several field goal attempts and even a couple of extra points. The Bears have signed Connor Barth who has spent time in Tampa Bay and New Orleans in his career. How many of you picked up Gould on your fantasy team?

 

Back from the legion of the missing Arian Foster will be the starter over Jay Ajaya in Miami. Foster has now made a successful comeback up to this point from the torn Achilles tendon he suffered early in the season while with the Texans last season now it's time to complete the comeback. Unfortunately, it is coming against one of the toughest defenses in the league in Seattle this weekend.

It's about to begin. The 6 month odyssey to Super Bowl LI is about to begin with a rematch of Super Bowl 50 between the Carolina Panthers and Denver Broncos in Denver. It sure seems like it's been longer than the 7 months it's been since the Broncos won an unlikely victory allowing legendary QB Peyton Manning walk off into the sunset of his NFL career with a Super Bowl Ring in one of the few storybook endings to a sure fire Hall of Fame career. The Broncos have pretty much the same cast as last year except for Manning and his backup Brock Osweiler who left for Houston as a free agent. The Broncos will be trying to defend their title with 2nd year player Trevor Siemian under center and the Broncos highly touted 1st round draft pick Paxton Lynch waiting in the wings. Cam Newton and the Panthers feel they have some unfinished business that has nothing to do with tonight's game. What they want is a SB ring of their own and tonight is just the first step in that quest. The ballyhoo over the rematch of the Super Bowl is fun for the media but the Broncos and Panthers are probably looking at this game as Week 1. Still, it will be interesting to see what happens and it I won't delay the start any more. I'm going to watch some football people, It's finally here!

Anyone pick up Trevor Siemian in your fantasy league? It's looking like he is going to be a good play for both the Broncos and fantasy team owners. He threw for 178 yards and a TD and added another 20 yards on 5 carries for a decent fantasy night. That line score is not bad considering the Carolina Panthers have a pretty darn good defense. CJ Anderson was the Broncos fantasy star last night gaining 92 yards on 20 carries and a TD and he added another 47 yards receiving on 4 catches with another TD. Emmanuel Sanders led the Broncos in receiving with 5 grabs for 49 yards with Demaryius Thomas next with 4 catches for 48 yards. You could easily see the Broncos offense be even more effective against teams who don't have a defense as good as Carolina. It's a testament to the job John Elway has done building this team that they can lose their starting QB to retirement and his backup to free agency along with LB Danny Trevathan and others to free agency and they are still this good. For those who were ruling the Broncos out as division and playoff contenders should rethink that notion. If someone else wins the AFC West they are going to earn it because Denver is here to play. The Broncos 21-20 win over the Panthers was not just a really good game to kick off the 2016 season it was yet another case where the "experts" don't necessarily know what the hell they are talking about.

 

That's the high point and why we all love pro football. This article that was sent to me by boy Boomer talks about the ugly underbelly of the NFL as the teams routinely use a drug called toradol is used to keep players on the field even though they probably shouldn't be. The article comes from SBNation.com and talks extensively about the drug and it is a warning to all athletes who take this drug because it is likely not just confined to the pros. It could very well be a prevalent presence in college and maybe even high schools.

 

http://www.sbnation.com/2016/8/3/12310124/comfortably-numb-the-nfl-fell-in-love-with-a-painkiller-it-barely-knew

The original intend of this thread way back when was to give fantasy football advice. I can and will give my humble opinion from time to time but I figured I would give you a snippet of info from some other locales. This week comes some definite starts in the ever-so-humble opinion of none other than the New York Times.

 

 

http://www.nytimes.com/2016/09/08/sports/football/fantasy-football-week-1-players-to-start.html?_r=0

 

There is some news, like the fact that Rob Gronkowski will miss the game vs the Cardinals tomorrow. The Steelers WR Markus Wheaton is also out.

 

There is a lot of politics going on this week to talk about including remembrances of 9-11. This is the 15th anniversary of 9-11 and there will be memorials to the fallen across the NFL. One such remembrance has become a bit of a cause celebre centering around Tennessee Titans LB Avery Williamson who plans to wear a special pair of cleats memorializing the victims of 9-11. In a show of support several Police Unions have offered to pay any reasonable fine levied on Williamson for wearing the cleats. The NFL has a strict dress code that they will not budge from for any reason. Case in point, the Dallas Cowboys wanted to wear decals on their helmets honoring the 5 slain police officers in Dallas but the NFL league office refused their request. This is a good story and I hope Williamson does go through with wearing the cleats tomorrow. BTW, Williamson intends to auction off the shoes after the game and donate the proceeds to Operation Warrior Wishes. Nice move Mr W.

 

http://bleacherreport.com/articles/2662802-police-unions-offer-to-pay-avery-williamsons-potential-fine-for-911-cleats

 

On the other side of the coin protests continue by athletes to kneel during the playing of the National Anthem. There is a report from the Ft Lauderdale Sun Sentinel that some Miami Dolphins players may do something during the National Anthem. The paper is also reporting that the Dolphins' opponents, the Seattle Seahawks may be planning some sort of protest but there has not been any news of a common protest with each team considering it's own agenda in the pregame ceremonies. I'm sure there will be others around the NFL who will also join in this protest. I hope the steam runs out of this boycott of the Anthem loses steam soon, I am really tired of this agenda which is basically an indictment of police related shootings in America. I support their right to do it but I absolutely disagree with the spirit of it.

 

http://www.sun-sentinel.com/sports/miami-dolphins/sfl-dolphins-might-take-a-stand-during-national-anthem-in-seattle-20160909-story.html

 

On the Seahawks side they are planning something that is a positive message of peaceful protest. As this article from Bleacher Report reports the plans of the Seahawks is a show of unity and respect for justice, the National Anthem and the fallen who have died protecting this country at home and abroad. This is a form of protest I can get behind. Unless I missed the point it is not a bashing of authorities or the country we live in, it is a call for a peaceful solution to our problems. Yep, I can definitely get behind something like this.

 

http://bleacherreport.com/articles/2662515-doug-baldwin-says-seahawks-will-take-part-in-pregame-demonstration-of-unity

 

Here's is NFL.com's Cheat Sheet listing injuries to be on the lookout for and who may or may not play tomorrow. There is also a brief 'what to watch' for every game tomorrow.

 

http://www.nfl.com/news/story/0ap3000000697716/article/week-1-cheat-sheet

Edited September 11, 2016 by eagle eye

Here's todays injury report including the debut of Chicago Bears 1st round pick in 2015 Kevin White out of West Virginia was drafted #7 overall last year but he missed all of the 2015 season with a stress fracture in his leg. Also, Kansas City will be without RB Jamaal Charles as he is still rehabbing from yet another knee injury last year which obviously makes Charcandrick West the play today. It depends on how things go but Spencer Ware could see some touches as well.

 

http://www.nfl.com/news/story/0ap3000000698127/article/injury-roundup-bears-kevin-white-set-to-make-debut

 

Another move fantasy team owners may want to consider is putting TJ Yeldon in since it is being reported that Chris Ivory checked into a hospital last night for an unknown health reason which means Yeldon is getting the start today for Jacksonville against Green Bay.

 

My super sleeper pick for today would be Saints tight end Colby Fleener. He is an athletic receiver with good hands taylor made for Sean Payton's offense and with Drew Brees at QB. He's no Jimmy Graham but Jimmy Graham hasn't been Jimmy Graham since he left Brees and Saints which means he is the best tight end prospect in NOLA since the last time Graham was actually healthy. Last season, which was not a great season for Brees big, plodding TE Benjamin Watson was 2nd in receptions for the Saints gaining 825 yards and scoring 6 TDs. Fleener can do much better than that if he can stay healthy.

Yesterday was the day that featured QBs almost to the exclusion of all others. On the one hand you had more than a half dozen brand new starters for their teams. Some, like RGIII and Brock Osweiler had started elsewhere but they made their first starts for their new teams. They you had the rookies like Carson Wentz and Dak Prescott with varying degrees of success. Wentz led his Eagles to a victory while Prescott and the Cowboys were not able to overcome their own issues to beat the Giants. You had New England's Jimmy Garopollo who made his first NFL start subbing for a suspended Tom Brady. His test was the most daunting of any of the first time starters because there really aren't any clear cut stars on the offensive side of the Patriots team and they were facing one of the best defenses in the NFL and they were able to prevail in large part because Garoppolo played his ass off. Throw in the absence of the Pats best offensive player, Rob Gronkowski, because of injury and the fact the Patriots were on the road in Phoenix Arizona. There were just plain stellar performances as well with KC's Alex Smith, Oakland's Derek Carr, Andrew Luck and all were led by the old man of the NFL, Drew Brees, who threw for 423 yards in a losing effort if you believe that! There were also a couple of significant injuries. Cleveland's RGIII suffered a severe left shoulder injury that has him off to the IR/Scheduled to Return list. The Browns say they will not trade for a QB but they will ride with veteran Josh McCown who has only gotten better with age with yet another rookie Cody Kessler from USC as his backup. The Seahawks Russell Wilson injured his ankle late in yesterday's win over Miami in what was a tough defensive game in which only 22 points total scored in the game with the 'Hawks winning 12-10. Wilson claims he will play in next week's game against the Rams but players always say stuff like that. The truth is, it is being reported that Wilson's availability is very much in question.

 

Yesterday of the 13 games played 3 of those games were decided by just one point. 7 others were decided by 7 points or less. Only three games were so-called easy victories and that would be the Texans who beat the Bears by 9, Philly's 19 point win over Cleveland and Minnesota's 11 point victory over Tennessee. All in all it was a great beginning to the season unless you favorite team lost. There are still two games left and the first, Washington vs Pittsburgh is already in progress with the Steelers owning a 7-6 lead with 2 minutes left in the first half. The second game of this MNF doubleheader will be between the Rams and 49ers.

 

For fantasy football fans only one RB rushed for 100+ yards so far and that would be Houston's Lamar Miller who rushed for 105 yards on 28 carries. Matt Forte was next with 96 yards followed by Denver's CJ Anderson who had 92.

 

As for WR's the top of the list so far was AJ Green (180 yds) , and two Saints (Willy Snead (178 yds) and Brandin Cooks (143 yds)), with six other receivers topping 100 yds for the game.

 

TE Zack Ertz is out with a dislocated rib and Chargers lost Keenan Allen for the year with a torn ACL. Here's some more injuries that may be of interest.

 

http://www.nfl.com/news/story/0ap3000000701166/article/injuries-eagles-zach-ertz-dealing-with-displaced-rib

The Texans won largely because their defense shut the Bears down in the second half of the game. The halftime score was 14-10 Chicago but that was just the Texans teasing the Bears. The defensive coaches made some adjustments and the result was Jay Cutler was battered by the relentless pressure brought be the Texans. Houston only recorded one sack in the game but they must have knocked Cutler down a dozen times. They also shut down the Bears run game holding the Bears to 73 yards rushing for the game. All this without Brian Cushing who left the game on the first defensive series with what was later learned was a torn MCL. The injury will not require surgery but it will mean Cush will miss 8-10 weeks at worse.

 

The offense was efficient with Osweiler passing for 231 yards, 2 TDs and a pick. Lamar Miller led the rushing attack with 106 yards on 28 carries as he led all rushers up to this point in the NFL. Rookie Will Fuller V led the receivers with 105 yards on 5 catches but he dropped a sure TD on a long pass from Osweiler in the first half. The ball couldn't have been placed any better as Brock continues to show he has a strong and accurate arm when he goes downfield. Fuller knew he blew a great opportunity but that was the scouting report on him when he was at Notre Dame. Fast, dynamic receiver with so-so hands. Hopefully, he gets better with time.

 

Yesterday the Texans showed what I suspected. They are a strong team with an offense that is only going to get better as Osweiler and the receiving corp get to know one another better and the talented rookies gain more NFL experience. Also, as much as the ESPN Blitz guys diss the Texans O-line they got after it yesterday paving the way for Miller's 100 yard plus day. I'm confident when Houston takes the field this season for the first time ever that they can beat anyone who lines up against them. That's how I used to feel about the Cowboys when they were actually good. I am loving it because Houston is long overdue for a team like this.

Edited September 15, 2016 by eagle eye

Last night the Steelers proved they don't need Martavis Bryant who is on IR or Le'Veon Bell who is suspended 4 games they have a good enough team to step on the field with anybody. I don't know how the Steelers do it and I both hate them and I am jealous of them for their consistency. They kicked the crap out of the Redskins last night and they are poised to roll through yet another season as a playoff contender. The final score, in case you didn't hear was Pitt 38 Wash 16 and folks it wasn't even that close.

At the opposite end of the spectrum the folks at MNF gave us two teams who likely won't even smell a .500 record this year. The Rams and 49ers faced off against each other in what I like to call "The Overrated Coach Bowl". I think both Jeff Fisher and Chip Kelly are overrated and I don't like either one of them. I sort of like the Rams as a franchise, don't ask me why because I don't know but I do but it's clear that Fisher doesn't know what the hell he is doing. I still can't explain how he led the Titans to the Super Bowl and was just a half yard short of winning the thing over, ironically enough the Rams team known at the time as the greatest show on turf. My dislike of Fisher as a head coach was cemented when I saw Hard Knocks. Fisher and his staff never really showed any great leadership qualities. The best they could do was threaten players jobs and drop F-bombs all over the place. The Cardinals and Seahawks are going to just beat both of these teams to a pulp this season and personally, I will be glad to watch the carnage. It's one of the reasons that makes have Directv and NFL Sunday Ticket worth having so I can see these two overrated gentlemen get their asses handed to them.

 

It looks like Jacksonville is finally getting it's money's worth out of TE Julius Thomas. After Thomas signed with the Jags a couple of years ago he hasn't been a factor for them at all because he has been injured. This season began with him finally healthy and you could see the difference as the Jaguars gave the Green Bay Packers they wanted before finally losing 27-23. Thomas caught 5 balls for 65 yards and a TD in his best game since he left Denver. He was the third leading receiver for the Jags behind the Allen brothers, Robinson and Hurns. TJ Yeldon may get another week as the bell cow because the status, like his mysterious illness, of Chris Ivory is up in the air. The Jags have said only that Ivory checked into the hospital on Saturday night with a general health issue and that's as far as the explanation goes. Yeldon wasn't much of a factor in the run game because the Packers sort of negated the Jags run game. Yeldon gained just 39 yards on 21 carries but he did score a TD rushing. He also added 30 yards receiving on 4 catches. The road doesn't get any easier as they play San Diego who blew a 2nd half lead to lose to Kansas City on Sunday.

 

If you keep track of such things in the NFC East the Giants and Eagles won while the Cowboys and Redskins both lost. In the AFC South every team but the Texans lost but Houston can't enjoy the win and the division lead too long because those aforementioned Chiefs will be coming in to play the them on Sunday. As for the Colts, are they really that bad or is Detroit suddenly that good? We'll see as Indy will play Denver in Denver on Sunday.

Last night the Steelers proved they don't need Martavis Bryant who is on IR or Le'Veon Bell who is suspended 4 games they have a good enough team to step on the field with anybody. I don't know how the Steelers do it and I both hate them and I am jealous of them for their consistency. They kicked the crap out of the Redskins last night and they are poised to roll through yet another season as a playoff contender. The final score, in case you didn't hear was Pitt 38 Wash 16 and folks it wasn't even that close.

At the opposite end of the spectrum the folks at MNF gave us two teams who likely won't even smell a .500 record this year. The Rams and 49ers faced off against each other in what I like to call "The Overrated Coach Bowl". I think both Jeff Fisher and Chip Kelly are overrated and I don't like either one of them. I sort of like the Rams as a franchise, don't ask me why because I don't know but I do but it's clear that Fisher doesn't know what the hell he is doing. I still can't explain how he led the Titans to the Super Bowl and was just a half yard short of winning the thing over, ironically enough the Rams team known at the time as the greatest show on turf. My dislike of Fisher as a head coach was cemented when I saw Hard Knocks. Fisher and his staff never really showed any great leadership qualities. The best they could do was threaten players jobs and drop F-bombs all over the place. The Cardinals and Seahawks are going to just beat both of these teams to a pulp this season and personally, I will be glad to watch the carnage. It's one of the reasons that makes have Directv and NFL Sunday Ticket worth having so I can see these two overrated gentlemen get their asses handed to them.

 

It looks like Jacksonville is finally getting it's money's worth out of TE Julius Thomas. After Thomas signed with the Jags a couple of years ago he hasn't been a factor for them at all because he has been injured. This season began with him finally healthy and you could see the difference as the Jaguars gave the Green Bay Packers they wanted before finally losing 27-23. Thomas caught 5 balls for 65 yards and a TD in his best game since he left Denver. He was the third leading receiver for the Jags behind the Allen brothers, Robinson and Hurns. TJ Yeldon may get another week as the bell cow because the status, like his mysterious illness, of Chris Ivory is up in the air. The Jags have said only that Ivory checked into the hospital on Saturday night with a general health issue and that's as far as the explanation goes. Yeldon wasn't much of a factor in the run game because the Packers sort of negated the Jags run game. Yeldon gained just 39 yards on 21 carries but he did score a TD rushing. He also added 30 yards receiving on 4 catches. The road doesn't get any easier as they play San Diego who blew a 2nd half lead to lose to Kansas City on Sunday.

 

If you keep track of such things in the NFC East the Giants and Eagles won while the Cowboys and Redskins both lost. In the AFC South every team but the Texans lost but Houston can't enjoy the win and the division lead too long because those aforementioned Chiefs will be coming in to play the them on Sunday. As for the Colts, are they really that bad or is Detroit suddenly that good? We'll see as Indy will play Denver in Denver on Sunday.

Man, when you talk trash and get paid a butt load of money it doesn't take long for people to throw you under the bus when you lose a game because a player you would normally cover goes off and burns you for an entire game. I'm talking about the way Steelers WR Antonio Bryant torched the Redskins on Monday and the fact that everyone is bashing Redskins CB Josh Norman. It's a bit shocking that there are so many New York Giants players chiming in on the Josh bashing. Odell Beckham Jr, Victor Cruz and even fellow defensive player and Giants CB Janoris Jenkins are critical of Norman referring to the $70MM deal Norman got in the offseason from Washington and he didn't even cover the other team's best receiver. As for Norman he responds to questions by the media by saying he did what the coaches asked him to do all the while Bashaud Breeland was getting torched by Brown. Did the Redskins not give Breeland any help? Why would you not play Norman on Brown if you weren't going to double team Brown while Norman took away the other side by himself? This sounds like a Washington coaching failure that Norman is taking the heat for. Do I care? Hell no, because Norman is an abrasive, cocky so and so who has no problem talking smack when he does well. My hope is Washington continues to depend on Bashaud Breeland this week and he plays Dez Bryant. The Redskins don't like to have their CBs "travel" meaning they don't focus one guy on an opponent's guy because it gives away how they are playing. They don't want to give away whether they are playing zone or man in the secondary so I look for Dallas to isolated Dez on Breeland and throw away from Josh Norman. If that's what happens and the Cowboys beat the Redskins look for Norman to continue to be bashed but some of that venom should start to spill over on to Jay Gruden and the rest of the Washington coaching staff. For the record, Nate Newton a guard during the Cowboys great 90's teams, said the way Dallas used Deion Sanders was to put him on the other team's second best receiver and he took away one side of the field. The other team's best receiver would get double covered. It didn't hurt that Dallas had a top 5 defense and a fierce pass rush. That's something the Redskins don't have so it may be just a bad ride for Norman in Washington. Isn't that the history of the Redskins under Daniel Snider? Pay a player a crap load worth of money and misuse him and he ends up a total bust. No offense, but as a Cowboys fan I hope that continues.

 

What generally happens when a player holds out in a contract dispute? I know, right? That player almost always gets injured when he comes back and it's almost always is the player's hamstring. That's what happened to Chargers #1 pick, third overall, Joey Bosa. Bosa and Chargers finally ironed out his deal and got into training camp with about 10 days left in the preseason and he hurt him hamstring about 2 days later. You would think Bosa would have helped the Chargers avoid a 17 point forth quarter collapse that allowed Kansas City for force the game into overtime but we'll never know. Bosa didn't get to play last Sunday because of the hamstring and it looks like he will be a scratch in Week 2 against Jacksonville and there is some doubt he will be available in Week 3. Bosa is probably pretty happy because one of the things he held out for was a fully guaranteed contract so he's getting paid while the Chargers who gave in to Bosa's demands have to be wondering what the hell happened.

 

Here's what you don't want your starting QB to say the week after his team didn't score a point in a regular season game, "I think I was seeing ghosts," Keenum said of his struggles against the 49ers," via The L.A. Times. "I was seeing things that weren't there. I wasn't trusting myself and my abilities." Isn't your first thought that Keenum needs to go get tested for drugs saying something like that? Especially not a veteran guy who has played in enough NFL games to not hallucinate like that. The fact that a Jeff Fisher coaching staff has failed to mentor a young QB in his entire tenure is tangible proof that Fisher is highly overrated as a coach.

 

If you need to know how your fantasy players ranked this past week and look for free agent pickups here's the list of the top ranked players from last week. The first page lists the best QB performances in Week 1. There are links at the top of the page to check out the top RBs, receivers and any other category you like. I would prefer if the wide receivers and tight ends had their own tab but you take what you can get. It is worth noting that a RB, Spencer Ware from Kansas City, was top five in receptions last week with 7 grabs for 126 yds. He didn't have a TD so that is one down to this guy's numbers.

 

http://www.espn.com/nfl/statistics/player/_/stat/receiving

 

Broncos defensive players, Brandon Marshall and Darian Stewart were fined by the NFL for helmet to helmet hits on Panther's QB Cam Newton. Marshall was fined $24,309 while Stewart has to pay $18,231. What would have been more meaningful was if the refs in the game had flagged both players for illegal hits. That would have been a more satisfying outcome because the Panthers would have gotten 15 yards and a 1st down in both cases which is a much more tangible benefit than seeing the Broncos fined after the game is long over. There was an argument that big, strong QBs like Cam and Ben Roethlisberger don't get protected under the rules the way other QBs get protected. On Mike and Mike this morning Greeny had a stat that it had been well over a year, 662 days to be exact, since there was a penalty called for a roughing the passer on Cam Newton, when the Broncos did actually get flagged last Thursday. Greeny also pointed out that Cam went the entire 2015 season without one single roughing penalty called for him. That is a truly unbelievable stat. There are concerns over Cams health and considering evidence like that I would tend to agree.

 

Week 2 begins tonight with the Jets and Buffalo. Last week the Jets were edged out by Cincinnati 23-22 in NY while Buffalo lost to the Ravens in the 2nd most boring game of the week 13-7. Neither team was impressive on either side of the ball, it was just a nice game to take a nap to. The Bills are playing at home but you wonder if they have enough firepower to keep up with the Jets. Chicago decide to let Matt Forte go and the Jets used him in much the same way as the Bears did. He ran for 96 yards and added another 58 receiving. He was the Jets leading receiver on the day with 2nd year WR Quincy Enunwa second with 7 catches for 54 yards and a TD. The Bill can counter with LeSean McCoy but he didn't do much against the Ravens and Sammy Watkins is dinged up both personally and with a so-so QB in Tyrod Taylor. Rex Ryan is proving he is an equal opportunity loser. He took a good roster put together by Eric Mangini with the Jets and ran them into the ground and he's doing the same thing in Buffalo.

 

Here's the starts and sits from NFL.com for Week 2. The main article is about QBs but there are links at the bottom of the page to the other position as well along with the top 11 sleepers from Adam Rank.

 

http://www.nfl.com/news/story/0ap3000000702047/article/start-em-sit-em-week-2-quarterbacks

Edited September 16, 2016 by eagle eye

Man, when you talk trash and get paid a butt load of money it doesn't take long for people to throw you under the bus when you lose a game because a player you would normally cover goes off and burns you for an entire game. I'm talking about the way Steelers WR Antonio Bryant torched the Redskins on Monday and the fact that everyone is bashing Redskins CB Josh Norman. It's a bit shocking that there are so many New York Giants players chiming in on the Josh bashing. Odell Beckham Jr, Victor Cruz and even fellow defensive player and Giants CB Janoris Jenkins are critical of Norman referring to the $70MM deal Norman got in the offseason from Washington and he didn't even cover the other team's best receiver. As for Norman he responds to questions by the media by saying he did what the coaches asked him to do all the while Bashaud Breeland was getting torched by Brown. Did the Redskins not give Breeland any help? Why would you not play Norman on Brown if you weren't going to double team Brown while Norman took away the other side by himself? This sounds like a Washington coaching failure that Norman is taking the heat for. Do I care? Hell no, because Norman is an abrasive, cocky so and so who has no problem talking smack when he does well. My hope is Washington continues to depend on Bashaud Breeland this week and he plays Dez Bryant. The Redskins don't like to have their CBs "travel" meaning they don't focus one guy on an opponent's guy because it gives away how they are playing. They don't want to give away whether they are playing zone or man in the secondary so I look for Dallas to isolated Dez on Breeland and throw away from Josh Norman. If that's what happens and the Cowboys beat the Redskins look for Norman to continue to be bashed but some of that venom should start to spill over on to Jay Gruden and the rest of the Washington coaching staff. For the record, Nate Newton a guard during the Cowboys great 90's teams, said the way Dallas used Deion Sanders was to put him on the other team's second best receiver and he took away one side of the field. The other team's best receiver would get double covered. It didn't hurt that Dallas had a top 5 defense and a fierce pass rush. That's something the Redskins don't have so it may be just a bad ride for Norman in Washington. Isn't that the history of the Redskins under Daniel Snider? Pay a player a crap load worth of money and misuse him and he ends up a total bust. No offense, but as a Cowboys fan I hope that continues.

 

What generally happens when a player holds out in a contract dispute? I know, right? That player almost always gets injured when he comes back and it's almost always is the player's hamstring. That's what happened to Chargers #1 pick, third overall, Joey Bosa. Bosa and Chargers finally ironed out his deal and got into training camp with about 10 days left in the preseason and he hurt him hamstring about 2 days later. You would think Bosa would have helped the Chargers avoid a 17 point forth quarter collapse that allowed Kansas City for force the game into overtime but we'll never know. Bosa didn't get to play last Sunday because of the hamstring and it looks like he will be a scratch in Week 2 against Jacksonville and there is some doubt he will be available in Week 3. Bosa is probably pretty happy because one of the things he held out for was a fully guaranteed contract so he's getting paid while the Chargers who gave in to Bosa's demands have to be wondering what the hell happened.

 

Here's what you don't want your starting QB to say the week after his team didn't score a point in a regular season game, "I think I was seeing ghosts," Keenum said of his struggles against the 49ers," via The L.A. Times. "I was seeing things that weren't there. I wasn't trusting myself and my abilities." Isn't your first thought that Keenum needs to go get tested for drugs saying something like that? Especially not a veteran guy who has played in enough NFL games to not hallucinate like that. The fact that a Jeff Fisher coaching staff has failed to mentor a young QB in his entire tenure is tangible proof that Fisher is highly overrated as a coach.

 

If you need to know how your fantasy players ranked this past week and look for free agent pickups here's the list of the top ranked players from last week. The first page lists the best QB performances in Week 1. There are links at the top of the page to check out the top RBs, receivers and any other category you like. I would prefer if the wide receivers and tight ends had their own tab but you take what you can get. It is worth noting that a RB, Spencer Ware from Kansas City, was top five in receptions last week with 7 grabs for 126 yds. He didn't have a TD so that is one down to this guy's numbers.

 

http://www.espn.com/nfl/statistics/player/_/stat/receiving

 

Broncos defensive players, Brandon Marshall and Darian Stewart were fined by the NFL for helmet to helmet hits on Panther's QB Cam Newton. Marshall was fined $24,309 while Stewart has to pay $18,231. What would have been more meaningful was if the refs in the game had flagged both players for illegal hits. That would have been a more satisfying outcome because the Panthers would have gotten 15 yards and a 1st down in both cases which is a much more tangible benefit than seeing the Broncos fined after the game is long over. There was an argument that big, strong QBs like Cam and Ben Roethlisberger don't get protected under the rules the way other QBs get protected. On Mike and Mike this morning Greeny had a stat that it had been well over a year, 662 days to be exact, since there was a penalty called for a roughing the passer on Cam Newton, when the Broncos did actually get flagged last Thursday. Greeny also pointed out that Cam went the entire 2015 season without one single roughing penalty called for him. That is a truly unbelievable stat. There are concerns over Cams health and considering evidence like that I would tend to agree.

 

Week 2 begins tonight with the Jets and Buffalo. Last week the Jets were edged out by Cincinnati 23-22 in NY while Buffalo lost to the Ravens in the 2nd most boring game of the week 13-7. Neither team was impressive on either side of the ball, it was just a nice game to take a nap to. The Bills are playing at home but you wonder if they have enough firepower to keep up with the Jets. Chicago decide to let Matt Forte go and the Jets used him in much the same way as the Bears did. He ran for 96 yards and added another 58 receiving. He was the Jets leading receiver on the day with 2nd year WR Quincy Enunwa second with 7 catches for 54 yards and a TD. The Bill can counter with LeSean McCoy but he didn't do much against the Ravens and Sammy Watkins is dinged up both personally and with a so-so QB in Tyrod Taylor. Rex Ryan is proving he is an equal opportunity loser. He took a good roster put together by Eric Mangini with the Jets and ran them into the ground and he's doing the same thing in Buffalo.

 

Here's the starts and sits from NFL.com for Week 2. The main article is about QBs but there are links at the bottom of the page to the other position as well along with the top 11 sleepers from Adam Rank.

 

http://www.nfl.com/news/story/0ap3000000702047/article/start-em-sit-em-week-2-quarterbacks

Jets beat Bills in what was a better game than I expected. It was a see-saw game that featured a lot of big plays. I can't decide if either team is really good or just good against each other. I guess that will have to be decided when they play more games. The 37-31 featured a lot of fantasy worthy players the chief among them was Ryan Fitzpatrick who threw for nearly 400 yards last night. He had two 100+ yard receivers in Eric Decker and Brandon Marshall but the Jets also have another really nice receiver in Quincy Enunwa who put up some nice fantasy numbers, 6 catches for 92 yards. It would have been nice if he got a TD in there but the guy is good and he made some nice catches last night. Matt Forte had a great fantasy night with 100 yards even on 30 carries with 3 TDs!

The Bills Tyrod Taylor bounced back from a lousy game against the Ravens in Week 1 to throw for 297 yards and 3 TDs. Buffalo's LeSean McCoy didn't do much for fantasy owners but two new WRs were pretty good. Marquise Goodwin (2/112/1TD) and Greg Salas (4/89/1TD) were the main targets for Taylor on the night. Sammy Watkins, who is still limping around after offseason foot surgery, didn't get but 2 catches for 20 yards. McCoy had 4 catches for 31 yards to pad his fantasy stats a little. The fact is Buffalo is probably better than they've shown the last couple of weeks but the Ryan brothers, Rex and Rob just area that great as coaches. Unless Buffalo comes back strong and makes the playoffs I look for the blowhard twins to get fired.

 

Here's a very incomplete injury roundup from NFL.com. The one thing of note is that RB Chris Ivory is out again this week meaning TJ Yeldon will again be the featured back when Jacksonville travels to San Diego to face the Chargers.

 

http://www.nfl.com/news/story/0ap3000000703573/article/injury-roundup-jaguars-ivory-amukamara-ruled-out

 

The Chargers, by the way, lost Keenan Allen in the first half last Sunday to a torn ACL which means the Chargers lost their best WR for the season. For Allen it sucks and there's nothing more to say about that. You have to feel bad when these players go down. It sucks for fantasy owners of Allen because a player as productive as he is aren't readily available so you have to take chances for you would've had to draft well. Obviously, the sure choice is somebody on the Chargers roster who will have to step up. Would that be Travis Benjamin who had 7 catches for a meager 32 yards or go with fantasy guru's newest hot ticket, Tyrell Williams. You choose, I tried to replace Allen with either one and they were both gone. You could try to pick up the Jets Quincy Enunwa or Pittsburgh's Markus Wheaton who is slated to return from injury soon or Eli Rogers who had 6 catches for 59 yards and a TD as the second best receiver for the Steelers on Monday night against Washington. Rogers may just replace Martavis Bryant who did get a lot of touches last season.

 

Want an upset this week? How about Cleveland over the Baltimore Ravens? Josh McCown has shown he can be an effective QB in the NFL and I don't think anyone was terribly impressed with the Ravens in their 13-7 win over Buffalo in Week 1. There may be some legit fantasy prospects with McCown under center. No offense to RGIII but he wasn't really impressive in preseason and I just feel like McCown is fully capable to making Cory Coleman, Andrew Hawkins and Terrelle Pryor viable fantasy options. Isaiah Crowell and Duke Johnson Jr can be better too. I'll throw this out there -- Cleveland over Baltimore on Sunday.

NFL.com's cheat sheet is an injury roundup for the coming games. In this edition of Week 2's cheat sheet includes items like Panther's RB Jonathan Stewart will play for Carolina. There is also a weather report for today's games which is helpful when you are deciding who to bet on and a brief preview of today's games. Just a little fun facts and a way to help you set your fantasy lineup.

 

http://www.nfl.com/news/story/0ap3000000703253/article/week-2-cheat-sheet-can-cowboys-find-dez

 

This start 'em and sit 'em from NFL.com is linked below. They are saying Eli Manning should have a big day against the Saints after the way Derek Carr and the Raiders lit the Saints up last week. What you have to remember is that Drew Brees led all passers last week throwing for over 400 yards. The Giants confused and pressured rookie Dak Prescott of the Cowboys but I doubt if the G-men can do the same thing to Brees. There is a menu bar that you can choose any position you need to find out about. In running backs a note worth start is Chicago's Jeremy Langford who struggled against Houston last week. He is facing the Philadelphia Eagles this week and they allowed some running room to the Browns (the Browns?) last week. Chicago is my 3rd favorite team this week behind Dallas and Houston. I am also a Saints fan today as well. The biggest news at WR is Miami's Jarvis Landry as the Dolphins play the Patriots. NFL.com points out that NE allowed a lot of fantasy points to Arizona's WRs. Hello, NFL.com, that was Arizona who are really good. Miami is not Arizona talent-wise and this is a play that needs to be thought about. The rest of the article is linked below to help you decide what your fantasy lineup should be.

 

http://www.nfl.com/fantasyfootball/story/0ap3000000702047/article/start-em-sit-em-week-2-quarterbacks?icampaign=fantasy_editorial-dropdown-startemsitem-quarterbacks

 

Sam Bradford will start today for the Vikings so there could be some Minnesota players that will be more in play for fantasy owners today.

 

Rams #1 pick Jared Goff will be the backup to Case Keenum when the Rams face the Seahawks today so if Keenum stinks it up like he did last week in an embarrassing loss to the 49ers then Goff might get his first NFL experience. Nice, that is what most guys want to do, make their official NFL debut against the Legion of Boom.

 

The biggest news is how NFL.com's staff thinks that the biggest upset of the weekend won't be Louisville over Florida State it will be Cleveland beating the Ravens. These and other bold predictions from NFL.com are linked below.

 

http://www.nfl.com/news/story/0ap3000000703082/article/bold-predictions-browns-to-upset-ravens-in-gritty-win

 

Week two is 4 hours away. Don't forget to set your fantasy lineups and good luck, that is of course if you are playing me then you and suffer like a dog!

The Bears will likely be without QB Jay Cutler for what being called a lengthy bit of time, whatever that means. There is talk of the possibility of surgery which should shut the haters up about Cutler's toughness for a little while.

 

Along the same lines the Eagles are preparing for life without without OT Lane Johnson for up to 10 games for violating the NFL performance enhancing drug policy. His appeal is scheduled to take place during the Eagles Week 4 bye. Johnson can play until the appeal is settled but if things don't go their way the player the Eagles selected him with the 4th pick in the 2013 draft will be out until Week 16. Bad for the Eagles, great for Cowboys fans.

 

Sam Bradford has been with the Minnesota Vikings for 15 days but it was long enough for him to get his first win as a starter vs the Green Bay Packers on Sunday Night Football. The Vikes beat Aaron Rodgers and the Packers by a score of 17-14. It wasn't without a cost though because Adrian Peterson will be out for several weeks at least with a torn meniscus.

 

Josh McCown was hurt. You could see it if you watched the game between the Browns and the Ravens. Something was wrong with his left shoulder, you could tell by the way he carried it when he walked. It turns out the Browns have reported that McCown has a sprained shoulder and will be out for an undetermined amount of time. A side sidebar to the story is poor old Cleveland will be starting their 5th different QB in their last five games dating back to Week 6 of last year. Week 16 the Browns started pre-meltdown Johnny Football and in Week 17 it was Austin Davis to close out the Browns 2015 season. Week 1, just 9 days ago Robert Griffin III started for Cleveland but he injured his shoulder in the game against Philadelphia. RGIII is slated to miss 10-12 weeks so the Browns have placed him on the IR/Scheduled to return list. This past Sunday McCown led the Browns to an early 20-2 lead before the injury rendered him totally ineffective in a 25-22 loss to Baltimore. This week the Browns 3rd round pick out of USC will get the start on Sunday which makes 5 QB's in 5 games. If that isn't a record it should be and it's another testament to the black hole that is the Cleveland QB position. Kessler joins fellow rookies Carson Wentzm Dak Prescott and New England's Jacoby Brissett as yet another rookie starter in the NFL. The Browns should have beaten the Ravens but the whole game started going to hell when Cleveland just scored their 3 TD of the game, all in the first quarter, and were lining up to kick the extra point when the Ravens broke through and blocked the PAT attempt and rookie DB Tavon Young scooped up the ball and raced the length of the field for the 2nd ever 2 points scored off a blocked extra point in NFL history. The first 2-point defensive score came in New Orleans last December when the Saints blocked a PAT against Carolina and scored on the play. It remains to be seen if Kessler will join the likes of Brady Quinn, Johnny Manziel, Connor Shaw, Brandon Weeden, Colt McCoy and Tim Couch as high Cleveland draft picks who ended up on the scrap heap of failed Browns QB's. I can tell you, Shaw was no great shakes at USC and Collin Cowherd is right when he says the 6'1" 215 lb SoCal young man is just not built right to play in a cold, windy stadium like the one in Cleveland, and Baltimore, and Pittsburgh and Cincinnati. When the wind comes out of the north and the temps plunge into the 20's and 30's we'll see how great an arm Kessler really has. I still have a soft spot in my heart for the Browns and I really hope Kessler or somebody can come in and save this team from perpetual mediocrity. On Mike and Mike this morning the boys were talking about Kessler starting when they said the Browns will sign "Clipboard Jesus, Charlie Whitehurst" as his backup.

 

KC's Andy Reid is accusing the Texans of "flopping" to get a call on what would have been a kickoff return for a TD in the Texans 19-12 win over the Chiefs last Sunday. I will agree the call was a bad call but blame the ref not the flop. C'mon Andy, you're better than that.

 

The Chargers lost a major weapon last Sunday in their big win over Jacksonville. RB Danny Woodhead tore his ACL and will be lost for the rest of the season. The Chargers have signed former Kansas City Chief Dexter McCluster to try to fill Woodhead's shoes. We'll see if McCluster has anything left in his tank quick, fast and in a hurry. Woodhead lead all Chargers in targets, catches, receiving yards and TD's so his loss will be huge if McCluster can't cut the mustard. For fantasy purposes you may take a chance on McCluster but you could also take a flier on rookie RB out of Houston Kenneth Farrow who did a nice job in preseason. Tough call here but I would probably lean towards the veteran player.

The Bears just keep getting one great item of news after another. First, they get pummeled by the Eagles on Monday Night Football and during the course of the game Jay Cutler injures his thumb bad enough they are considering surgery to fix it. Next LB Danny Trevathan injures his thumb and it will require surgery and on top of that LB Lamarr Houston found out he has a torn ACL and is done for the season. On the offensive side of the ball T Eddie Goldman suffered a high ankle sprain and will miss 4 weeks or more. Losing 2 starting LB's in Eddie Fangio's 3-4 defense is a huge blow to the Bears defense. One thing the Bears were doing right is rushing the passer as they had recorded 8 sacked in the first two games. Now, there's no telling if the Bears have the quality of depth behind Trevathan and Houston to keep the sack train rolling. It doesn't help that the Bears are facing a top O-line in Dallas this week as the Cowboys try to build on their road win in Washington last Sunday. Who knows what the Bears are getting with Brian Hoyer at QB. Will they get good Brian Hoyer who helped lead the Texans to the playoffs last year or will they get evil Brian Hoyer who threw 5 INT's in Houston's playoff loss to Kansas City in January? The key will be whether or not Dallas can put pressure on Hoyer for if they don't they will get gashed the way Kirk Cousins did to them on Sunday throwing for 364 yards and a TD. Hoyer can be a pretty good QB and almost any NFL QB will look good if the defense lets him sit in the pocket and pick them apart. Dallas did step up in big ways against Washington but you'd rather see Brian Hoyer buried under a sea of Cowboys humanity. That is if you're a Cowboys fan.

 

The Patriots are being their usual tight-lipped selves when talking about their injury situation. The Pats reported that both Jimmy Garoppolo and Rob Gronkowski were limited in practice yesterday. Now you know when I say the Patriots are tight lipped I'm really talking about Bill Belichick? A block of granite has more personality than Belichick shows in media interviews and he's about as informative as granite when it comes to his team's injury report. At one point Bill responded to a question of what was wrong with Garoppolo by saying he's not a medical staff guy and he doesn't perform surgery and the medical staff doesn't call plays and it has worked out pretty well like that. Best guess is Garoppolo is out, Gronk is a maybe and the Texans better start preparing for Jacoby Brissett.

 

The Chargers signed RB Dexter McCluster yesterday to replace Danny Woodhead who was lost for the season with a torn ACL. McCluster has been in the NFL for 6 years prior to 2016 and he's played for the KC Chiefs (2010-2013) and the Tennessee Titans for 2 seasons (2014-2015). The Titans waived McCluster with their final cut down on Sept 2. McCluster is well suited for filling the Woodhead role. He can run from the backfield and he's good in the passing game. He's fast and elusive but probably not as tough a runner as Woodhead. Woodhead is fearless to the point that the Chargers were comfortable running Woodhead in short yardage and goal line situations. I don't think McCluster is that guy but he's faster than Woodhead so it makes him more of a breakaway threat. I'm not sure how much he will be able to grasp of the Chargers offense in just a few days but RB is a position you don't necessarily need a lot of time to prepare for. McCluster is an experienced player so he should pick up his assignments pretty fast and he will know how to work in pass protection. This could be a great fantasy pick up considering how important Danny Woodhead was to San Diego prior to being hurt.

Edited September 21, 2016 by eagle eye

Adrian Peterson is done for 2015. Not only does he have a torn meniscus in his knee as first reported he also has a torn LCL ligament in the same knee. He scheduled to be operated on today. Peterson will count $12MM against the Vikings cap this year meaning the Vikes are pretty much just throwing away all that money because they will get no return on their investment. Peterson wasn't exactly lighting the NFL up in the 1 and half games he played. He is currently ranked the 46th best RB in terms of yards gained with just 50 total yards. There is speculation in the sports world about whether AP will even play another down for the Vikings going forward. Peterson will turn 32 next March which is ancient for an NFL RB. Add in the fact that his cap hit in 2017 is a whopping $18 MM and you can see why the Viking might choose to let him go. As a matter of fact AP is due a $6 MM roster bonus if he's on the roster 6 days after the official beginning of the 2017 NFL year on March 9th. We may see the Viking announced that one of two things have happened. 1) Peterson agrees to restructure his contract to lower his cap hit which will probably involve a pay cut or 2) the Vikings announced they given AP his outright release. Pretty sad to see a guy who has been a shoe-in top 3 fantasy draft pick for the last 10 years finally be the next victim of father time. Speaking of fantasy, the Vikings have announced Jerick McKinnon is going to start for Minnesota this Sunday but don't carve McKinnon's name in stone on your fantasy roster because the Vikings have also signed former Bronco's RB Ronnie Hillman. Hillman is a good back and if McKinnon doesn't step up this could be Hillman's job to lose. Matt Asiata isn't the bell cow type. Minnesota will keep him for short yardage and goal line carries. Hillman is an experienced back who is good at running the back inside and outside, he is good in the passing game and he's excellent in pass protection. The only reason Hillman isn't still a Bronco is because the Broncos only decided to keep 3 backs, CJ Anderson, DeVonte Booker and 2nd year man from Colorado State, Kapri Bibbs. If McKinnon fails to preform Ronnie Hillman will take over the reins.

 

The Browns have lost WR Cory Coleman for a few weeks after he suffered a broken hand in practice yesterday. Some franchises seem to never catch a break.

 

The injury report came out yesterday for tonight's game between the Texans and Patriots. Jimmy Garoppolo is listed as doubtful but Rob Gronkowski is listed as questionable which means there's a chance he could play tonight. The Patriots will likely go with rookie QB Jacoby Brissett but there isn't another QB on the Pats roster meaning that WR Julian Edelman could be the starting WR AND the backup QB. How's that for kick in the pants?

 

Houston will be without LT Duane Brown (Quad), Brian Cushing (knee) and WR Braxton Miller who hurt his hamstring in the Chiefs game.

 

Another fantasy hit this week came when news that Tampa Bay RB Doug Martin will miss 3 weeks with a pulled hamstring suffered in last Sunday's game. Charles Sims will take over for Martin the next 3 weeks with former Atlanta Falcon's back Jacquizz Rodgers his backup. Even if Martin was still healthy the matchups over the next 3 weeks isn't easy. The Bucs will face the Rams, Broncos and Panthers so it likely wouldn't matter who was carrying the rock that guy was in for some rough sledding.

 

The Dolphins were without Arian Foster in the second half of the game vs the Patriots last Sunday and it looks like he will be out for a few weeks more. Last week during practice Foster was dealing with a sore hamstring and he injured his groin in the game Sunday. It's like Texans owner Bob McNair said last season when Foster had a hamstring and groin issue that Foster was prone to soft tissue injuries and nothing has changed since Foster relocated to Miami. Great back when he's on the field but getting to the field is the big challenge with him. Don't think you can plug in 2nd year back Jay Ajaye because he has not lived up to expectations coming out of The U at all. You might be better served taking a risk on either Damien Williams or Kenyon Drake. Drake scored his first NFL TD last week against the Patriots.

The Vikings officially ended Adrian Peterson's season by placing him on IR. Teams don't have say for sure if a player on IR will be designated for return but with a torn meniscus and a torn LCL it seems unlikely AP will be able to come back. But, he's amazed us before with his recuperative powers but it seems like a stretch that he will be back. If he is able to return it won't be until November because he will have to miss 8 games at minimum before he is allowed to return. That would be Week 11 if you're counting your fantasy chickens.

 

New England only has to get through 1 more week until Tom Brady returns to the field. It makes you wonder who might be playing QB in that one week because Jacoby Brissett suffered a sprained thumb (isn't that happening a lot this season?) in the game against Houston. Of course the Pats had Jimmy Garoppolo as the backup on Thursday despite his bad shoulder. He could be well enough to play next Sunday with these extra 3 days of rehab available. Garoppolo-Brissett-Brissett-Garoppolo, it doesn't matter because talk about Boston is after smacking down the Texans on Thursday night this could be 2007 all over again with the Patriots going undefeated. In Week 4 the Patriots will face the Bills at home and with the Bills looking like crap and having fired their offensive coordinator this past week you have to figure the Boys from Bahston are likely to win. How many people would have given the Patriots a chance to go 4-0 with Tahmmy suspended? Not many I'll bet. It's incredible because the road hasn't been easy with unexpected wins over Arizona and Houston and a tough division game against Miami it's just a testament to Bill Belichick and "The Patriot Way". Maybe this team can go 16-0 again. One key is keeping LeGarrette Blount healthy. He now has 3 straight 100 yard rushing games under his belt and honestly, the running lanes should open up even more when Brady gets back and teams actually fear the passing game. I have Blount in one of my leagues and I just missed getting him in another and I'm glad-sad I did.

 

Philly beat two bad teams the past couple of weeks in Cleveland and Chicago but they face the Pittsburgh Steelers this week and they claim they want to get WR Dorial Green-Beckham involved in their offense. The Eagles obtained DGB in a deal in the offseason because they were, and in many people's opinion still are, but as yet he hasn't been much of a factor in the Eagles offense. DGB lost favor in Tennessee after the Titans selected him with the 40 pick in the draft, early 2nd round, because of his poor work ethic and effort. At 6'5" DGB should be a weapon for any offense but if he's lazy and unmotivated his size is not all that special. DGB could be available in some fantasy leagues because of how much of a disappointment he has been since he was drafted last year but, he might be worth a stash if he finally does start producing.

 

Here are a couple of injury reports from NFL.com. One is from Friday and the other is from today. Most notable is that Packers LB Clay Mathews has been ruled out of tomorrow's game. If you're a betting man or lady you may want to note in the second article that two of Atlanta's starting LB's are out this week against the Saints.

 

http://www.nfl.com/news/story/0ap3000000708071/article/injury-report-roundup-ertz-to-return-after-bye

 

http://www.nfl.com/news/story/0ap3000000708430/article/injuries-julio-questionable-packers-matthews-out

 

This NFL.com Cheat Sheet is a more comprehensive injury report listing all 30 teams that are playing this week. It also gives a weather forecast of all the games which would make a difference in both fantasy and the betting line as well as a short preview of all the games. Keep in mind the players listed as anything but out could still be in play until the final status report is put out tomorrow morning.

 

http://www.nfl.com/news/story/0ap3000000708263/article/week-3-cheat-sheet

 

In one final note today the Tampa Bay Bucs have released TE Austin Seferian-Jenkins as of yesterday. ASJ was drafted in 2016 with the 6th pick in the draft and he was supposed to be the Bucs answer at tight end. In 2014 he only played 9 games before an injury landed him on season ending IR. In 2015 it was the same song, different verse. He played in just 7 games before landing again on IR. On Thursday ASJ was arrested for a DUI and on Friday Tampa Bay cut him.

Here's your guide for starts and sits from NFL.com. The first page is for QB's and there is a drop down menu to select the other positions.

 

http://www.nfl.com/fantasyfootball/story/0ap3000000706364/article/start-em-sit-em-week-3-quarterbacks

 

One guy who has been questionable this week is Chicago's Alshon Jeffrey. He's not questionable any more, he will be playing.

 

The Vikings-Panthers game will be played today. The reason for the reassurance the game will be played is because there has been a lot unrest in Charlotte, North Carolina because of a police related shooting. While I'm sure there is still a lot of sensitivity still over the issue the anger has calmed down and the Charlotte mayor has done a good job in helping to defuse a potentially bad situation.

 

There will be one game cancelled today and that is the game between the Miami Marlins and the Atlanta Braves in Miami after the breaking news that beloved Marlins pitcher Jose Fernandez was killed early this morning in a boating accident. Fernandez was only 24 years old. I'm sure there will be tributes around all the baseball parks today out of respect for this young man. It has already been announced that there will be a moment of silence today prior to the Cleveland Browns - Miami Dolphins game in Miami.

 

Okay, take this with a grain of salt but the Packers have said that they plan to use heretofore unused WR's Ty Montgomery and Trevor Davis. So far this season neither player has been a very big part of the Packers offense but the word is the Packer plan to showcase both of them because of their speed.

 

http://www.nfl.com/news/story/0ap3000000708581/article/packers-aim-to-showcase-speed-of-ty-montgomery-trevor-davis

 

Okay, here's a last minute pick up that could pay big dividends. The Dolphins will not have Arian Foster today because of injury and they have been very disappointed in 2nd year RB Jay Ajaye so NFL.com is reporting that rookie Kenyon Drake from Alabama as their starter. They are reporting they will mix in other runners but he looks like he will get a big chunk of the Dolphins carries. It's not a bad time to jump on this rookie as they face the Cleveland Browns and that means just about any competent RB should do well for the Dolphins today.

 

That's about it. Kickoff is in about 1 hour and twenty minutes so get your fantasy lineups set and get ready to kick back and watch some football. The Texans won't be on today and the Cowboy don't play until tonight so we'll all get to watch a lot of other teams for a change. Good luck unless you are playing me!

Lord, you just can't help feeling sorry for the Cleveland Browns, can you? Last Sunday the Browns played pretty darn well behind yet another rookie QB in Cody Kessler and they should have beaten the Miami Dolphins except the Browns kicker, Cody Parkey had six field goal attempts in the game and he missed 3 of them including a 46 yarder as time in regulation expired costing the Dolphins a well deserved victory. The Browns were in a quandary when their regular kicker, Patrick Murray, suffered a season ending knee injury in last Friday's practice. Parkey came in at the last minute to fill the void left by Murray. Parkey was an undrafted free agent by Indianapolis in 2014 but he was traded to the Eagles prior to the start of the season. Parkey set a record 150 points in 2014 breaking Kevin Butler's 29 year old record of 144 points in a season and he ended up in the Pro Bowl but he missed the whole of the 2015 with a groin injury and he was released on September 3rd by the Eagles. The Browns front office called the notion ridiculous that they signed Parkey when a veteran like Robbie Gould was available because Parkey they could get Parkey cheaper than Gould. The fact is, the Bears released Gould because he had ceased being reliable beginning all the way last season and he was missing kicks in the preseason and the last time Parkey played he was excellent. It's just the Browns. They are the "Charlie Brown" of the NFL. All that's missing is Lucy to yank the ball away just as Charlie is about to kick the ball.

 

The Browns also utilized former Ohio State QB Terrell Pryor at QB for some plays running the Wild Cat and most of those plays were successful. Pryor also had 8 catches as a receiver for 144 yards to go along with his 4 carries for 21 yards and a TD. If he is available, which is unlikely by now, Pryor is definitely somebody you should try to pick up from the free agent list or by trade. Kessler's game Sunday should give the Browns and their fans hope that maybe they have a good QB at last. Kessler 21/43 for 244 yards which isn't bad for a first ever start in the NFL. The most important part of his stat line was that he didn't throw a pick in the game. As for other fantasy players emerging in Cleveland Duke Johnson Jr got more work than he's seen so far in this season. He had 10 carries for 69 yards with another 5 catches for 12 yards. Isaiah Crowell has found an offense he likes as he has blown up so far this season. He is tied for 2nd in the NFL in rushing yards with Ezekiel Elliott with 274 yards in the first 3 games of the season. They trail No 1 LeGarrette Blount by 24 yards as he has 298 yards rushing through 3 games.

 

Drew Brees has to shake his head in exasperation as he's led the Saints offense to 34 and 32 points in the past two games and they have lost both games. In Week 2 they lost to the Raiders 35-34 in the waning moments of the game and last night they were pretty much pummeled by the Falcons who scored 45 points. The Saints are near the lead the NFL in points scored but they are also 2nd worst in the league in points allowed. At some point the Saints need their defense to step up and play better. In the mean time it's not a bad thing to play your fantasy players against the Saints and other teams like Tampa Bay, Indianapolis and Washington.

 

One more thing about the Saints, a couple of weeks ago I said that TE Colby Fleener was a definite sleeper pick. At the time I was wrong but my prediction came true last night as Fleener had a breakout game catching seven balls for 109 yards for a TD and he was the Saints leading receiver against the Falcons. If he stays healthy he may be a nice pickup if he's available in your league.

 

The Steelers were humbled by the Eagles last Sunday who picked the Steelers apart for 34 total points while only allowing 3 -- 3 -- to the Steelers high powered offense. The Steelers have really gotten a lot of good production from RB DeAngelo Williams but he will get to take a seat as Antonio Brown, who was suspended for the first 3 games for substance abuse issues will be back and Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin says there won't be any "working him into action" as he will step right back into his bell cow roll. So, just a heads up to Bell's fantasy team owners the Bell is back and ready to start ringing. It has to be a comfort to Tomlin and the Steelers to have a productive guy like Williams waiting in the wings. Another thing is you'd figure Pittsburgh is going to be pretty salty after being embarrassed in Philadelphia.

 

Who's the best coach so far in the NFL? Bill Belichick who keeps winning despite no Tom Brady? Gary Kubiak whose Denver Broncos haven't missed a beat since winning the Super Bowl despite starting a 2nd year man for the first time in his career who earned his bones by being the best QB in training camp? Or is it Minnesota's Mike Zimmer who lost his starting QB a week before the regular season was to begin and he's done it with a 37 year old QB in Week 1 in Shaun Hill then in the past two weeks behind the newest Viking Sam Bradford who has been with Minnesota about 18 days. The Vikings travelled to last season's NFC rep in the Super Bowl the Carolina Panthers and they put a smackdown on them. Bradford was very efficient last week going 18 of 28 for 171 yards and a TD and no picks. He spread the ball around to seven different receivers and he got some good run production from Jerick McKinnon and Matt Asiata. McKinnon was the only one to have a fantasy impact. There was no advantage gained by either team via turnovers because there were none. Minnesota fumbled once but they recovered it. It was two teams in a slugfest that the Vikings won.

 

So if I polled you before the season began how many would have said the division leaders after 3 weeks in the NFC would be Philadelphia, Minnesota, the Rams (tied with Seattle) and the Falcons? The AFC is a little more predictable with the Broncos, Patriots at the top of their divisions with the surprises being Houston and Baltimore. Pretty strange things going on.

 

The article linked below from NFL.com features the best free agent pickups in this past offseason. The most notable to me is WR Marvin Jones who has put the Lions on his back in this first 3 weeks of the season. The Lions needed a WR after a huge void was left when Calvin Johnson unexpectedly retired and the Lions saw the potential Jones had shown as the 3rd or 4th man in Andy Dalton's receiving corps. Jones wanted to prove he was the a #1 receiver and the Lions were happy to give him a chance. The Lions are glad they did as Jones and Matthew Stafford have developed a good chemistry to the end that Jones is the leading receiver in the NFL.

 

http://www.nfl.com/news/story/0ap3000000710862/article/marvin-jones-sam-bradford-among-best-new-additions

 

Another big surprise at the top of the best receivers is Stefan Diggs from Minnesota who is in second place 83 yards behind Marvin Jones.

 

The Bears have a new bell cow going forward for two reasons. One reason is this individual is just running better than the guy who was the bell cow, Jeremy Langford. The second reason Jeremy Langford is now going to out for 4-6 weeks after he injured with an ankle injury. The guy I'm talking about is rookie RB Jordan Howard out of Indiana who was the Bears 5th round pick this past April.

Edited September 27, 2016 by eagle eye

The Seahawks needed a backup RB and CJ Spiller was available after being cut by New Orleans so they both agreed to hook up. Starting RB Thomas Rawls is dealing with a fibula injury and rookie CJ Prosise has a cast on his injured hand for 3 more weeks. All this means is that Spiller could see some playing time sooner rather than later. I'm not saying he's a fantasy option but if Christine Michael gets hurt enter CJ Spiller stage left.

 

So here's the skinny on La'Veon Bell. Antonio Brown is healthy. Check. Martavis Bryant is suspended for the season. Dammit. Markus Wheaton has issues catching the ball (3 drops in last week's loss to Philly). Dammit. Sammie Coats is not good at the moment. Dammit. TE Heath Miller's replacement, Ladarius Green hasn't played a snap in 2016. Dammit. Slot receiver Eli Rogers is injured. Dammit. This was a dynamo of an offense the past two seasons but all the cogs were spinning and the only dammit on the list was Bell's suspension last season. Bell was suspended for 3 games again this season for yet another dammit. Is it any wonder the Eagles made beating the Steelers look so easy? Word is Bell will be back this week and the Steelers plan to use Bell as a receiver which would put both he and DeAngelo Williams on the field together. Now we're talking a little dymanics here. Bell will carry the ball but his biggest contribution may be as a pass catcher.

 

If you were disappointed in Ryan Fitzpatrick's performance last week join the crowd. Fitz has a game like this every season, maybe not as bad as throwing six INTs in last week's game, but bad nonetheless. The Jets have been bad in the Red Zone so far this year converting just 6 of 16 in trips inside the 20 for TD's. Brandon Marshall thinks it's because the coaches are overthinking strategy in the RZ. Time will tell is this 'come to Jesus' moment from Marshall will yield benefits but I'll guarantee you Fitz won't be even close to as bad as he was against Kansas City last week. I would expect a bounce back game this week against the Seahawks.

 

http://www.nfl.com/news/story/0ap3000000711662/article/marshall-jets-must-stop-trying-to-be-scientists

 

Speaking of Seattle, Russell Wilson suffered a knee injury last week and his status for this week's game is in question. The Seahawks offense has shown little so far outside of Christine Michael's breakout performance so far this season and they are lucky to be 2-1 when they should be been beaten by Miami in Week 1. The Jets defense has enough talent to give the Seahawk fits and with Wilson's knee an issue, even the 'Hawks are the home team, you'd almost have to give the edge to New York.

 

Tonight is Thursday Night Football time and they have a pretty good game lined up for the fans. The Cincinnati Bengals will take on the Miami Dolphins in Cincy. There will be a loto fantasy football players on display tonight as you might get a big jumpstart to your Week 4 matchup.

Miami is coming into tonight's game lucky to be 1-2. They were a bad kick away from being 0-3 last week against Cleveland. You could argue they were a scosh away from being 2-1 after losing to Seattle 12-9 in Week 1. Cincinnati could very easily be 0-3 too if they hadn't squeaked out a 23-22 last second win over the Jets in Week 1. Lot of weird crap in that Week 1. The Bengals still have some fantasy weapons like the 5th ranked QB in yardage. Then there's WR AJ Green #6 in receiving yards. Or K Mike Nugent who is ranked 3rd but he's tied with 6 other kickers. On the Miami side Ryan Tannehill is the 9th ranked QB while Jarvis Landry is the #3 ranked WR. Neither team is all that great on defense so there are better options I'd take them. The main item of interest is neither team has a running back in the top 40 ranked players which is a bit surprising since the Bengals have Jeremy Hill and Giovani Bernard. The Dolphins are hurting right now at RB but the Dolphins will be leaning on Kenyon Drake even though Jay Ajaye and Isaiah Pead will get some carries. Whatever you're going to do you'd better hurry up because it's damn near game time.

The Bengals beat the Dolphins last night and the only thing we know for sure is that Miami isn't very good. They are better on defense than they are on offense which is weird because their head coach was an offensive coordinator prior to being hired as the Dolphins head coach. It could be the Dolphins just have better personnel on that side of the ball. Who knows and, more importantly, who cares outside of Miami? Miami not only played worse than Cincinnati they didn't play smart football. Now I know that Miami's coach Adam Gase inherited this team when he was hired this past offseason so the entire makeup of the team isn't his doing but could somebody at least tell the players before the game it's a bad thing to push a punter down well after he's kicked the ball? Miami has had those shoot yourself in the foot moments in every game so far and the only reason Miami isn't winless is because Cleveland's kicker had like the worst day ever missing half of his six attempts against the Dolphins. This version of the Miami Dolphins looks decent on paper but the way they are playing they may not win another game this season.

 

As for the Cleveland Browns, could we have seen the future reveal itself last Sunday? If Cody Parkey doesn't miss those 3 field goals Cleveland wins by 9 instead of going into overtime and losing by 6. Heck, just make the last kick at the end of regulation and Cleveland gets it's first win in the Hue Jackson era. I saw nothing about the Browns firing Parkey this past week so I suppose the Browns figured that Parkey had a reason for his inconsistency. After all, the last time he was healthy he made the Pro Bowl. Parkey was an emergency signing the Friday before Cleveland played the Dolphins in Miami so he didn't even go to Cleveland or if he did he didn't have time to find a place to live. His residence is likely the Marriot Hotel near the stadium. Jackson understood that he uprooted a guy who was on the street on the Friday before a game and the team had to travel to Miami to play the game. He's had almost no time to work with his snapper and holder so things didn't work out for him. I'll lay money on Parkey being much better this week after having a whole week to settle into Cleveland the city and Cleveland the team. The Browns have to travel for the second week in a row but they will be playing a Washington team that did beat the Giants late last week but having been impressive at all. The Browns should have beaten the Ravens especially getting up 20-2 in the first half. This was the prevailing upset of the week and it almost came true. The Browns got derailed late in the game when Terrell Pryor was flagged for the biggest BS unsportsmanlike conduct penalty I have ever seen. Pryor made a catch in the Red Zone and when he got up he was going to flip the ball to the ref but it slipped out of his hand and hit a Ravens player in the shoulder pad and Coleman got flagged for it. He wasn't flagged by the ref he was trying to toss the ball to, it was the head linesman who was running up as the play unfolded. An absolutely bogus call and it literally cost the Browns the game. The 29-10 score in the loss to the Eagles in Week 1 looked like the Eagles dominated the Browns but in reality the turning point came in the middle of the 3rd quarter when a bad snap resulted in a safety that extended the Eagles lead from 13-10 to 15-10 and on the ensuing possession the Eagles scored a TD and the momentum was completely on the Eagles side. Last week you know about so my point is this Cleveland team isn't a terrible team. They have just run into some bad luck. They could easily be 2-1 instead of 0-3 right now. The biggest ray of hope for the Browns is their current starting QB. A guy who was third string when the season began. That would be former USC QB Cody Kessler. Kessler came out and did really nice job and he led the Browns to what should have been a victory. He looked better against Miami than either RGIII or Josh McCown did in previous games. Kessler is the QB of the future in Cleveland. That's why he was drafted and he certainly played up to the caliber of the other rookie and first year starters have done so far. Kessler had no picks, he was accurate (63% CP) and he kept the chains moving. You throw a little wildcat actions from former Ohio State QB Terrell Pryor and the Dolphins had a decent attack. There are legit fantasy players on this team as well. RB Isaiah Crowell is 2nd in the NFL in rushing yards and Pryor has stepped up in light of the injury to Cory Coleman's hand and he was a force for Cleveland as a receiver (144 yds/8 catches) and he was effective in his wildcat snaps. TE Gary Barnidge did some nice things as the safety valve for Kessler gaining 66 yards on 5 catches. Rookie RB Duke Johnson got into the act with 10 carries for 69 yards and another 5 catches but for only 12 yards. Johnson was targeted a total of 7 times. The Redskins had better watch their asses because this Browns team isn't the joke it's been in the last couple of years.

 

One other Browns note, troubled WR Josh Gordon, who the Browns could really use in a big way has checked himself into rehab claiming he wants to "gain control of my life". Good for him, I hope he is able to do just that. Gordon, who is serving a 4 game suspension by the NFL for substance abuse issues would have been eligible to come back in Week 5 against the Patriots but who knows how long getting control of his life is going to take. The important thing is for Gordon to get his life in order and if he does then the Browns will get a helluva player whom they can trust away from the team. Both are very good things.

The Bills WR Sammy Watkins has been put on IR with a lingering foot injury. He could come back but not until after 8 weeks pass which means he can't come back until Week 12.

 

Jamaal Charles come make his 2016 debut tomorrow. Charles has not played a game since Week 5 of last season due to a torn ACL. He returned to practice Wednesday and even though he is listed as questionable on the injury report NFL.com is reporting that Charles is expected to play. I would think he will be on a very limited snap count if he does. That means that KC will feature Spencer Ware at RB because Charcandrick West is out with a bum ankle.

 

The Giants will play the Vikings on Monday night but the G-men will be without rookie CB Eli Apple who was injured last week in the Redskins game.

 

The Colts will play an AFC South game tomorrow against Jacksonville but they will be short handed on the offensive side of the ball as WR's Donte Moncrief is out with a shoulder injury. Another WR, Phillip Dorsett is listed as questionable with an ankle injury.

 

The following links are from NFL.com and they are concerning the injuries of note for tomorrow and the other link is the weekly NFL Cheatsheet. Both are helpful for fantasy team owners as they set their lineup for Week 4.

 

http://www.nfl.com/news/story/0ap3000000712229/article/twentytwo-things-to-know-about-week-4-injury-report

 

http://www.nfl.com/news/story/0ap3000000712356/article/week-4-cheat-sheet

 

Here's a link to NFL.com's starts and sits. The first page is QBs and there is a drop down menu for the other positions in the article.

 

http://www.nfl.com/fantasyfootball/story/0ap3000000710861/article/start-em-sit-em-week-4-quarterbacks

 

I really think the Browns are due and even though they gagged in Week 2 against Baltimore with a little help from the refs and they missed their chance against Miami last week because of poor kicking I can see the Browns finally breaking through. It will be tough for Cleveland especially since their best CB Joe Haden is listed as questionable for the game but what I saw from Cody Kessler last week I think he may be one of the rookie wunderkinds that have emerged. I've been wrong before about Cleveland but it wasn't my fault the Browns ran into lousy luck.

 

The most interesting game tomorrow might be between the Tampa Bay Bucs and the Denver Broncos in Denver. It's just a guy feeling but I could see Jameis Winston giving the vaunted Broncos D some trouble. The Broncos will also be without DeMarcus Ware.

The Patriots are going 16-0! That was the cry after they beat Houston 27-0 last Thursday night and this past Sunday with Jacoby Brissett under center and get shut out themselves 16-0. Don't dance on the Patriots grave just yet because Tom Brady is no longer suspended and he will be back with a vengeance this week. The Patriots travel to Cleveland this week and I would be willing to bet the Patriots hang 40 on the Browns. In fact, I wouldn't be surprised if they don't try to hang 40 on everyone.

 

Here's a list of players who are coming off suspension along with Brady this week.

 

http://www.nfl.com/news/story/0ap3000000714739/article/brady-among-notable-players-back-from-suspension

 

Tennessee fired their special teams coach Bobby April after yesterday's loss to the Texans. It comes on the heels of that unit giving up a game winning 67 yard punt return by Will Fuller in the 2nd half of the game. Steve Hoffman, who used to be the kicking coach at Dallas, will take over as the ST coordinator.

 

The Atlanta Falcons are 4-0? WTF is going on around here. It's been a weird year so far but nobody seems to be able to stop the Matt Ryan-Julio Jones connection. Jones has more yards receiving than most QBs have passing! Don't believe it's a weird season through the first month? Check this out; the Carolina Panthers are the defending NFC Champions who went 15-1 in 2015. This year they are 1-3. The Minnesota Vikings lost their starting QB a week before the season started and they lost their HOF RB in Week 1 and they traded for a QB with a history of injuries and they are 3-0 with a home game against the Giants tonight. What about all these rookies and first year starters that have been ripping the NFL apart with the high quality of their play. Carson Wentz, Dak Prescott, Trevor Siemian and Cody Kessler have played way better than anyone could have expected. The Saints are averaging 28.5 points per game but they are only 1-3 because they allow 32.5 PPG. The one win came yesterday with a last minute TD to edge the San Diego Chargers 35-34. This comes two weeks after the Saints lost to the Oakland Raiders by the very same score in the same last minute manner.

 

Cam Newton suffered a concussion yesterday and he will be going through the concussion protocol this week. Trevor Siemian injured his shoulder and came out of the game giving way to Broncos 2016 1st round pick Paxton Lynch. The Broncos didn't lose a beat beating the crap out of the Tampa Bay Bucs 27-7 in Tampa. Jameis Winston is playing like he has a concussion. The 49ers have lost their best defensive player, LB Navarro Bowman, to a suspected torn Achilles tendon. Will have more on injuries tomorrow.

 

Giants-Vikings tonight and in this part of the country we should rooting for the Vikings to win.

 

Only two teams on bye week this week, Philadelphia and Green Bay.

 

The Bears defense has been terrible so far this season except for the Texans game. With all the injuries that have decimated the Bears on defense you would have thought Detroit would have just gone off on them but just the opposite happened. The Bears won their first game of the season in an old fashioned Black and Blue division defensive struggle that Chicago won 17-14. I have a couple of Lions players who I figured would just go nuts for my fantasy team and I was nothing but disappointed.

I was thinking last night as I watched the Vikings beat the Giants that Sam Bradford may finally be in the right place at the right time. He's on a good team, with good coaching in a city that actually needed him. I believed he was doomed when the Rams drafted him because Jeff Fisher is an overrated coach and he has never, ever successfully developed a young QB. The best chance he had was with Vince Young but he pretty much ruined VY in the NFL. Bradford then went to Philadelphia where Chip Kelly tried to get him killed running his offense. Bradford isn't durable enough to run the read-option without getting knocked for loop or tearing an ACL. BTW Bradford suffered both a concussion and a torn ACL in Philly. Bradford may have been okay playing for Doug Pederson in Philly this year and he was on the way before Minnesota came a-knockin' and offered too much for Bradford for the Eagles to turn down. Bradford was probably very happy anyway because he was pretty pissed when the Eagles traded away 2 or 3 drafts to move up to take Carson Wentz. Bradford has to feel wanted and happy in Minneapolis even though he came to the Great White North (I know that's technically Canada but it fits Minnesota too.) just 8 days before the season began. He sat and watched in Week 1 as Shaun Hill guided the Vikes to an opening win over Tennessee but the last 3 weeks Bradford has been driving the car and he's 3-0 so far after last night's win. He's in a place that wants him and he has really good coaches to play for, maybe the best he's had yet as a pro. Mike Zimmer is a really good defensive coach who seems to be a good head coach. He took the Vikes to an NFC North division win and the first playoff appearance since 2012. The Vikings hosted the Seahawks in the Wild Card round of the playoffs which the Vikings lost because K Blair Walsh missed a 27 game winning field goal with seconds left in the contest. All this with a rookie QB in Teddy Bridgewater. Bradford also has a premier offensive coordinator in Norv Turner. Turner hasn't had much luck as a head coach in the NFL but he's a really a good OC and he's also a bit of a QB guru. Instead of getting pummeled like he did in St Louis and Philadelphia he's able to stand in a pretty clean pocket and deliver passes. Bradford is still learning the playbook which is a little scary considering the Vikings are beating up the teams they face with a conservative offense. At some point in time though the Vikings will run into a team that will require Bradford to pass the ball down the field some. He's got good outside targets in Corderelle Patterson and Stephon Diggs and he's got a reliable TE in Kyle Rudolph. The Vikings need a little more out of their running game and they seemed to get it last night in the person of Jerick McKinnon. When Adrian Peterson went down the Vikes signed Ronnie Hillman who was good in Denver both in the run and passing game. Hillman has yet to be active game day roster yet but I look forward to when he does. Yep, it seems like Bradford has found a home. If he does well enough will he make everyone forget about Teddy Bridgewater? THAT is an interesting question.

 

A guy I didn't mention who was concussed yesterday was Cardinals QB Carson Palmer. He was tackled hard in the Cardinals loss to the Rams and he got a sort of whiplash concussion when he head snapped to the ground on impact during a sack by the Rams' Aaron Donald. There is still a chance Palmer plays on Thursday night but he is in the concussion protocol and it is a short week so....................................................

 

Has the confrontations with CB Josh Norman given the CBs in the NFL a way to take Odell Beckham out of football games? The confrontations with Norman when he was with both the Carolina Panthers and now with the Washington Redskins has gotten Beckham into trouble on and off the field. Norman has found ways to push Beckham's buttons enough that Beckham has gotten unsportsmanlike conduct penalties and he's been fined by the NFL for his on-field behavior. Last night the Vikings CB Xavier Rhodes hit Beckham out of bounds in what Beckham considered a late hit and he went off on Rhodes drawing an unsportsmanlike penalty for getting in Rhodes' face after the play was over. Beckham was a non-factor in the Giants loss to Minnesota mainly because he was so upset he lost focus on the game. Seems like a recipe for disaster as other CBs around the NFL know they can get to Beckham and take him out of his game that's exactly what is going to happen. Beckham needs to grow up and learn to shake things off and burn smack talkers with his play, not his mouth. You have to wonder if he really gets it because he's blaming the refs for using a different standard when dealing with him than everyone else. It sort of sounds like a bit of self denial is going on there.

 

http://www.nfl.com/news/story/0ap3000000715281/article/odell-beckham-gotta-know-that-its-all-against-me

 

I think this story is supposed to be a cute tale from Steve Young's new book due out soon but it sure sounds like a bit of an indictment of how biased a referee can be when he wants to. It's a bit of a disturbing story IMO even though the ref's bias didn't affect the eventual outcome of the game, it could have.

 

http://www.nfl.com/news/story/0ap3000000715157/article/steve-young-had-weird-encounter-with-cupid-referee

 

Despite being the lead runner last season for the Ravens Justin Forsett hasn't had the same success this season. Has he lost a step or is there just a new sheriff in town? Either way, Forsett was replaced as the lead back by Terrence West when the Ravens narrowly lost to the Oakland Raiders last Sunday. West was the first 100 rusher for the Ravens this season. There is speculation that when rookie RB Kenneth Dixon, who has been out with an MCL sprain could, in fact, cause Forsett to lose his job altogether. Still Ravens coach Jim Harbaugh is reluctant to name West the starter going forward. For fantasy owners, my money would be on West right now.

 

Finally, did anyone see Bill Belichick throw his ipad into the Patriots bench out of anger at circumstances surrounding the Patriots loss to Buffalo last Sunday? You just don't see that very often. I'm going to have to go all Mr T by saying, "I pity da fool who plays the Patriots next." The Cleveland Browns are being offered up as sacrificial lambs to the vengeance of Belichick and Brady. The Browns only hope is that Brady is too rusty to be deadly. Despite the fact that Cleveland has been good enough to win 3 of the first 4 weeks of the season if not for some self inflicted damage it won't matter this week. The Emporer Belichick and Darth Brady will be looking to wreak vengeance on anyone in their way. This won't be pretty on Sunday.

 

https://www.boston.com/sports/new-england-patriots/2016/10/02/watch-bill-belichick-throw-his-tablet-in-a-moment-of-frustration-against-the-bills