Fantasy Football Draft Helper

Just so you know, I like Joe Flacco. I think he was underrated prior to leading his Baltimore Ravens to a Super Bowl victory this past season. And a seemingly better guy couldn’t have been rewarded with one of the more lucrative sports contracts in recent memory. 

All that being said, he still ain’t an elite quarterback. And don’t be fooled into thinking all of his recent accolades will translate into a fantasy boon in 2013.

As far as I am concerned you should still consider these 10 quarterbacks before you reach into your fantasy grab bag looking for a Flacco.

1. Aaron Rodgers, Green Bay Packers. Still the best quarterback on the planet in fantasy and in reality. And about to be its highest paid ever.
2. Tom Brady, New England Patriots. Slightly past his prime, Brady remains a top-three quarterback in the league.
3. Drew Brees, New Orleans Saints. Similar trinkets (a championship ring and a Super Bowl MVP) as the aforementioned Flacco, but far better individual stats.
4. Cam Newton, Carolina Panthers. Despite his lukewarm perception in the court of public opinion, this dude can flat out “ball,” and he’s improving after only two seasons in the league. That’s scary.
5. Robert Griffin, III. Speaking of scary, RG3‘s recent knee injury was scary but his play if/when healthy may be scarier than any player on this list. He and Mr. Newton are already the league’s best dual-threats, which potentially make both men fantasy’s most valuable quarterbacks.
6. Peyton Manning, Denver Broncos. A little bit more past his prime than Brady, but still better than just about every quarterback in the NFL.
7. Matt Ryan, Atlanta Falcons. Matty Ice finally got off the playoff snide in 2013, getting his Falcons within one game of the Super Bowl. And now with his team fully converted into a passing squad, his ascension up this list will continue. He may be poised for a super-human season in ’13.
8. Tony Romo, Dallas Cowboys. I know, I know-Romo evokes words like “choke” and “overrated.” But the numbers and cadre of receiving weapons (i.e. Jason Witten and Dez Bryant) don’t lie.
9. Andrew Luck, Indianapolis Colts. The runner-up for NFL Rookie of the Year, Luck threw a lot of interceptions last year but he also threw a bunch of TDs. Look for that number (TD’s) to rise this year.
10. Matt Stafford, Detroit Lions. Probably the weakest quarterback on this list in terms of talent and consistency, but his TD numbers have been whopping, largely thanks to Calvin Johnson.

With all due respect to the NFL’s highest paid quarterback (Joe Flacco), grab these quarterbacks, and a few others, before him in 2013.

I know it’s really early to be thinking about fantasy football. March Madness is right around the corner, followed by the start of the Major League Baseball season, and then the NBA playoffs. 

Football news, outside of the Manti Te’o online scandal and the NFL Draft Combine, is pretty quiet this time of the year. But when things are quiet and your competition is sleeping, you should be awake preparing to gain a competitive advantage

Fantasy football is no different. In fact, since you are not literally or physically competing against your opponent, the only thing you can do is prepare, research and prepare some more.

With that in mind, take a look at ESPN.COM’s top 50 fantasy players in 2013.

It’s never too early to prepare!

Before I present you with my fantasy MVP’s by the four major positions (quarterback, running back, wide receiver and tight end), I’d be remiss if I didn’t tell you who I thought would be the best players at each position. 

The four fantasy guys to die for, by the numbers, in 2012 are:

Quarterback, Tom Brady, New England Patriots. I predicted it to be Aaron Rodgers heading into the season and I was pretty darn close. Rodgers finished as the number three ranked fantasy quarterback behind Brady and Drew Brees.

Running Back, Adrian Peterson, Minnesota Vikings. The number two guy, Arian Foster, was who I predicted to be number one going into the year. But the number one guy, Peterson, may be Clark Kent when he’s not playing on Sundays. Yes, Peterson has been a Superman of sorts, having his best season as a pro, with a chance to break the single-season rushing record.

Wide Receiver, Calvin Johnson, Detroit Lions. Hooray, I got this one right! I picked “Megatron” to be the best fantasy wideout, and he’s done that and more. Like the aforementioned Peterson, he’s having a record-breaking season. In fact, he broke Jerry Rice’s single-season record for receiving yards last week.

Tight End, Tony Gonzalez, Atlanta Falcons. This may be the biggest surprise on the list. Luckily for me, I was able to land the future Hall of Famer late in my fantasy football draft. But if anyone thought he’d have a better season than the Patriots’ Rob Gronkowski or the Saints’ Jimmy Graham (my pick), they aren’t being honest.

That’s all folks. Happy Holidays, good tidings, good luck next fantasy football season!

Tragedy struck both the Kansas City Chiefs and Cleveland Browns facilities a week ago but both organizations are moving forward in a positive direction. As tough as it is to fight through these circumstances, they are professionals. And both teams picked up meaningful and dedicated wins a week ago.

But on Sunday, they’ll go head-to-head in a damp and dreary Cleveland. NFLWeather.com forecasts an 80% chance of precipitation with a high temperature just shy of 50. And the lake effect will be lingering with winds maxing out around 14 mph.

While the Browns are already 1-0 in rain games this season, the Chiefs struggle with weather on the road. According to NFLWeather.com historical analytics, Cleveland downed the San Diego Chargers 7-6 at home while KC is 0-2 in as many games. Numbers haven’t favored either team all season. While the playoffs aren’t in either side’s immediate future, the Browns are still fighting for an 8-8 finish and both coaches are indeed fighting desperately to keep their jobs making this mud bowl is surprisingly a meaningful one.

With showers expected and the consistent dismalness of both teams’ offenses, the team that can extend its drives the longest and force at least a turnover or two will prevail in this pillow fight. A little luck doesn’t hurt either. In a game where the Browns forced eight turnovers out of the Pittsburgh Steelers, they only managed to hang on for a 20-14 win.

But Cleveland is on a mini-roll with two consecutive wins heading into Sunday’s game that could be enough momentum to get past Kansas City. The guy that has to do that is rookie Trent Richardson. Averaging only 3.6 yards per carry, this is a great chance to beef up that number and more importantly, his seven touchdowns on the season. With a wet field, Cleveland’s starting back could be a very good fantasy start.

Sunday’s top back is still the Chiefs’ Jamaal Charles who’s guided the team to a league’s fifth best rushing attack with 146.7 yards per game. The franchise back should get well over 20 touches if the team can convert third downs and avoid mistakes. Brady Quinn on the road in the rain should be less than 20 drop backs.

Neither team has had much to cheer about this year but a string of wins for either side would bright some sunshine to a gloomy season as strong finish raise eyebrows for next year. In a low-scoring affair, the kickers could be the saviors or the goats. KC’s Ryan Succop is 10-11 behind 40 yards while veteran Phil Dawson is a perfect 11-11 and only missed one FG all season out of 24. But, rain changes everything in the kicking game. The edge has to go to the Dog Pound.

Week 10 of the NFL season has arrived, and with it, brings colder temperatures and tailored game plans. With Hurricane Sandy out of the picture, it is now time to focus on football, even with a Nor’Easter threatening New England.

This Sunday when the Bills travel to Foxboro to take on the Patriots, the forecast all week has been for rain or snow and near freezing temperatures. NFLWeather.com was forecasting a chance of rain showers, possibly mixing with snow, mostly cloudy skies and a low around 31 degrees.

Bostonians know this as sleet, an uncomfortable combination of rain and snow that feels like slush is falling from the sky: hard to stand in, harder to walk in, awful for making quick cuts.

That was until this morning when the skies miraculously cleared over Foxboro. This is not good news for the Buffalo Bills. On paper, this matchup is one sided. Patriots quarterback Tom Brady is 19-2, all-time, against Buffalo and has won the last 12 meetings at home.

Under clear skies, according to NFLWeather.com’s historical analytics, the Bills are 1-7 versus the Pats over the past four seasons. This means adjustments to the game plans and additional routes. Coming off a bye week, Team Belichik will be more than prepared.

The Bills have been struggling. If Buffalo is going to win, they will need running back C.J. Spiller more involved. Last week, Spiller averaged over 6 yards per carry against a stingy Texans defense but was only given six carries. He also caught five passes out of the backfield for 63 yards. His versatility will prove valuable in the rain if weather conditions return.

Bills quarterback Ryan Fitzpatrick has been inconsistent so far this season. Still, Buffalo will be forced to throw the ball if they are down early and they are going up against a Patriots defense that ranks 28^th against the pass. If weather is fair, the possibility of him and receiver Stevie Johnson connecting for a touchdown is fairly likely.

The Patriots offense speaks for itself. The Pats have multiple ways to burn you. The key for deciphering Bill Belichik is to figure out how his offense can keep up the momentum in nasty weather.

Wide receiver Wes Welker is a great fantasy option this week because of his quickness and ability to make strong cuts on Gillette Stadiums Field Turf surface. The Patriots have repeatedly demonstrated their ability to execute the short passing game in any weather.

New England’s rushing attack will also see a heavy workload against a Bills defense that ranks 30^th against the run. The last time these two teams met in Week 4, Steven Ridley and Brandon Bolden each eclipsed 100 yards on the ground while the Pats racked up 52 points.

Bolden is questionable with a knee injury which makes Ridley an excellent fantasy play. Once the Patriots catch their groove, this game has the makings of an all weather blowout.