Category: NFL

As quick as he was released — free agent LB NaVorro Bowman goes across the bay to the Oakland Raiders becoming the third recent player to do so (Crabtree, Aldon Smith). The deal, which was for 1 yr, $3 million, was a no-brainer for the Raiders who suddenly are looking very vulnerable in the AFC West. After winning the first 2 games, they have suddenly dropped 4 in a row — albeit with a banged up Derek Carr. This leaves them looking from the bottom up to the standings, which includes one of the premier AFC powers.

Embarrassing for a team with such high expectations — the Raiders are looking to follow up their great 2016 season with a dud. They need to figure it out before it’s too late which is why this signing made great sense. Bowman gives the Raiders defense a veteran presence and definitely a strong talent. Will this be the difference the Raiders need? Probably not but definitely a sign of hope for any sort of success before the move to Las Vegas.

The Packers fell to 4-2 on Sunday after a 23-10 loss in Minnesota to the Vikings. Surely a divisional rival loss stings, but the big news of this game — and the weekend, was that Packers’ QB Aaron Rodgers left injured early in the game. The hit from Griffen wasn’t anything over the top but the way Rodgers fell looked early like a shoulder or collarbone injury. As we now know, this was the latter that fell to be true.

The news broke and a broken collarbone is confirmed — NFL Network’s Ian Rapaport reported that he may be able to return in 8 weeks but that seems like a stretch at this point. He opted for surgery but there is no doubt it won’t be an easy road to recovery.  His backup, third-year QB Brett Hundley, came in and looked painfully mediocre. Though against a tough Vikings defense, he went 18-33 for 157 yards, 1 TD, and 3 INT. The Packers will look to tread water as they already are 4-2 but the North is starting to look to be one of the tougher divisions as now even the Bears are starting to look to be up and coming.

This is a huge hit to the Packers in a season where just about everything is up for grabs. Almost mid-way through the season, there is really no stand-out contender in the NFC and the Packers were certainly a favorite. Though their defense is weak, Rodgers was able to always bail them out (see: last week vs. Cowboys). McCarthy has stated that he’s happy with Hundley going forward and has confidence that he’ll be able to hold the fort. Honestly, nobody has seen anything on Hundley since his UCLA days so it’s tough to say how he’ll do but I can’t see the Packers being able to do anything worth a damn. McCarthy is the same coach who has only been able to win one Super Bowl with a generational talent like Rodgers — and I think he’ll be painfully exposed without his star QB to bail him out.

The rumors are floating around the internet on who the Packers will sign — whether it be Romo, Kaepernick, RG3, or even Brett Favre (yeah right). I believe McCarthy here when he says that he wants to stick with Hundley. Bringing in someone who isn’t in football shape during the middle of the season doesn’t seem like something that McCarthy would do — especially if they’re expecting a chance of Rodgers being back by Week 14.

And by the way, I think Mike McCarthy is already done hearing about Colin Kaepernick.

Last week was an absolute brutal week for anybody trying to choose these games. We hope to get back on track for Week 5.

CONSENSUS PICKS:    21-13 (LW: 2-5)

 

CONSENSUS PICKS: NE, BAL, HOU, WSH

After a tough Week 4, all writers managed to keep it above .500 (although barely). A week 5 slate looks to be no better as there are no real clear winners in these match-ups. The week highlights an under-performing Packers team taking on a Cowboys team and the Sunday night highlight is the rejuvenated Texans offense taking on the undefeated Chiefs. Should be a fun week — let’s get to the picks.

 

CONSENSUS PICKS:  19-8  (LW: 4-3)

 

CONSENSUS PICKS: DET, IND, NYG, PIT, LAR, GB, HOU

Week 4 is in the books and what a chaotic weekend it was. All four of our writers managed to finish above .500 (just barely at 8-7) but this week was full of twists, certainly highlighted by Houston’s shellacking of the Titans. Without further adieu, let’s take a look at the highest scoring team of the week.

QB:  Deshaun Watson (1st appearance)

25/34, 283 yds, 4 TD, 1 INT

4 rush, 24 yards, 1 TD

34.72 points

The rookie from Clemson had his coming out party this week against the Titans. A once stale Texans offense looks to be on fire with Watson at the helm. He was able to have his way with the Titans defense sans an interception.  His mobility is also a factor as he was able to rush for 24 yards and a TD. Watson may be a solid option going forward and cracks his way into this week’s team.

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RB: Le’Veon Bell (1st appearance)

35 att, 144 yds, 2 TD

4 rec, 42 yds

34.60 points

The consensus Top 2 running back finally breaks into the team in Week 4 after a slow start to the season. There’s no doubt the hold-out had some effect into his rust factor but the Steelers showed they’re not scared to rely on Bell to bring them production. Bell got the ball often and made some plays against the Ravens. Look for him to continue to hold his RB1 spot throughout the rest of the season.

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RB: Todd Gurley II (3rd appearance)

23 att, 131 yds

7 rec, 94 yds, 1 TD

34.50 points

Gurley continues his absolute monster start to the season with the return (maybe) of the Greatest Show on Turf. These Rams look damn good and Gurley is certainly a huge factor. He’s becoming a fantasy monster again and is making owners look stupid for passing over him. Gurley becomes our first three timer and looks to continue this with a tough matchup against the Seahawks.

 

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WR: DeAndre Hopkins (1st appearance)

10 rec, 107 yds, 1 TD

26.70 points

Only fitting that the QB of the week’s #1 receiver would make the list. Hopkins and Watson look to have made a chemistry connection early in the rookie’s career. In a somewhat slow week for receivers, Hopkins was able to provide a solid statline.

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WR: Devin Funchess (1st appearance)

7 rec, 70 yards, 2 TD

26.00 points

Funchess surprisingly makes the team of the week thanks to an absolute garbage performance from the Patriots’ secondary. We can’t overlook the performance though as Funchess had his way with the defense en route to two scores.

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TE: Tyler Kroft (1st appearance)

6 rec, 68 yds, 2 TD

24.80 points

Tyler Kroft comes out of nowhere and upends Travis Kelce for a spot on the team of the week. The Bengals’ tight end was able to catch two scores against the lowly Browns and snag a spot on the team. Similar to Lewis of last week, Kroft is not worth a grab and should not appear on this team again.

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FLEX: RB Ezekiel Elliot (1st appearance)

21 att, 85 yds, 1 TD

4 rec, 54 yards, 1 TD

29.90 points

No surprise here — Elliot, who fell in drafts due to his impending suspension, has been able to avoid the ban and find a place on the team of the week. Though a losing effort, Zeke showed that efficiency that had him so highly ranked by fantasy players worldwide. He did not crack 100 yards rushing, but his dual-threat ability landed him a solid 29.9 points.

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K:  Greg Zuerlein (1st appearance)

1 20-29 fg, 2 30-39 fg, 4 40-49 fg, 2 PAT

27.00 points

An astouding 27 points from the LA Rams’ kicker after he pounded through seven field goals. The Rams couldn’t really reach the endzone but Zuerlein came through whenever they were counting on him and lands a score higher than both our receivers this week. Not a bad week to be a Zuerlein owner.

 

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DEF: Seattle Seahawks (1st appearance)

16 pts against, 3 sacks, 1 INT, 1 fum rec, 2 TD

20.00 points

The daunted Seahawks’ defense finally came alive against the Colts. Though a slow start, they got absolutely rolling during the second half. Two defensive touchdowns led the way for a demolition of the Colts.  The Seahawks wrap up our TOTW.

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Total Points: 258.22

This week’s team is good for second place in our TOTY standings. An outstanding kicking performance definitely helped vault this team into a good position. Gurley looks to be the fantasy MVP so far, but it’s still early. Onto Week 5.

Week 1 – 254.72

Week 2 – 233.68

Week 3 – 274.52

Late on the Week 4 picks due to some technical difficulties but we’re live now. Last week we saw a ton of upsets and a new leader in overall picks. Week 4 proves to be just as difficult. Let’s take a look.

CONSENSUS PICKS:  15-5 (LW: 4-3)

 

CONSENSUS PICKS:  NO, NE, ATL, TEN, ARI, SEA, KC

This was one of those weeks that reminded everyone why NFL on Sundays is one of the best things ever. We had last second finishes in New England, Detroit, and Philadelphia — all equally as thrilling. This was the hardest week to narrow down to just five plays and we had to leave out some thrilling plays. Here’s our best attempt at the Top 5 for the week.

#5. Ol’ Man Fitz Refuses to Give Up

Larry Fitzgerald refused to give up on this catch and brings it down after the bobble and near interception by the defender. We saw a vintage Fitzgerald performance which was certainly highlighted by this catch. It’s always good to see Fitz in the spotlight and hopefully we’ll see more of this going forward.

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#4. Marcus William Snags the Interception with One Hand

Cam Newton got bullied by a defense that has been proclaimed to be leaky and soft. Marcus Williams was able to snag one of the three interceptions that Newton threw on this play. The focus after the deflection, combined with the one handed catch, brings this play to our #4 spot.

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#3. Jordan Leslie off the Practice Squad

The Browns went into Indy as road favorites but came up just short. The ragtag bunch of WRs that they ran onto the field had 8 (!!) drops and 4 offensive pass interference penalties. Jordan Leslie, newly promoted from the practice squad had a ridiculous catch that set up a goal to go situation — he lands on our #3 spot.

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#2. The Rookie hits from 61 yards

This will probably be the only time a GW FG will make this list but it was impossible to ignore this. Jake Elliot kicked this one from the bird in midfield to send the Eagles out with a W against a heated division rival. This kick sunk the Giants to 0-3 and lands #2 on our list.

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#1. Cooks with the Toe-Tap

Stop me if you’ve heard this one before but Tom Brady got the ball in a 2 minute drill and won the game. He threw a missile to Brandin Cooks for the TD with a fantastic toe tap in the end-zone. Cooks had an excellent day and this is exactly the connection that Patriots fans were waiting for. The Cooks catch was easily the play of the week — perhaps the season.

Dumb Play of the Week

 

 

The completion of Week 3 gives us some standout fantasy stars. We saw a lot of similar faces this week but we also saw the inclusion of players that we would never expect to even crack a roster. Todd Gurley leads our week 3 Team of the Week so let’s meet the rest of the members.

QB:  Tom Brady (2nd appearance)

25/35, 378 yds, 5 TD

35.72 points

We have our first two time appearance in a week that brought us a lot of high scoring performers. Brady took his masterclass in week 2 and improved on it to remind us why he is considered the greatest of all time. Brady absolutely torched the Texans and had a key final drive, highlighted by a 3rd down conversion to Amendola and a highlight reel TD to Cooks. The 40 year old checks in as the QB of the week once again.

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RB: Todd Gurley II (2nd appearance)

28 att, 113 yds, 2 TD

5 rec, 36 yds, 1 TD

37.90 points

Gurley also makes his second appearance on the team of the week with a stunning performance on Thursday night. Gurley worked against the Niners’ defense at will and had already recorded three TDs in the first half. The Niners had no answer for him as he raked up the most fantasy points of the week.

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RB: Jordan Howard (1st appearance)

23 att, 138 yds, 2 TD

5 rec, 26 yds

31.40 points

An NFC North running back occupies the second running back spot for the second straight week — just not the one anybody would have expected after a 0.7 point performance in Week 2. Howard lead the Bears to a victory over the Steelers, including a walk off touchdown. Howard rewarded the owners that drafted him early with a very solid week.

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WR: Stefon Diggs (2nd appearance)

8 rec, 173 yds, 2 TD

37.30 points

Another NFC North member and previous TOTW member makes our team of the week. Diggs had a standout day as the top WR in the league fantasy wise with a monster statline while being thrown at by Case Keenum. As bizarre as this game was, Keenum looked good and that was in no doubt credit to Diggs. Diggs looks to get his QB1 back and continue to churn out TOTW spots.

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WR: Larry Fitzgerald (1st appearance)

13 rec, 149 yds, 1 TD

33.90 points

Ol’ Man Fitz makes his first appearance on the team of the week with 13 (!!) receptions on Sunday night in a losing effort against the Cowboys. This was reassuring due to the fact that he hadn’t been producing at a high level and looked like he lost a step. He had 7 receptions alone in the first quarter and proved that he’s still in the conversation for a solid WR2.

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TE: Marcedes Lewis (1st appearance)

4 rec, 62 yards, 3 TD

28.20 points

If you had Marcedes Lewis penciled in as your overall best TE this week, you’re probably lying. The Jaguar TE racked up a whopping 0 points before going off and grabbing 3 TDs this week. Nobody saw this coming and he’s owned in roughly 1 percent of leagues on Yahoo.  He should remain involved in the offense after this showing but I wouldn’t expect to see him on this list again.

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FLEX: WR Brandin Cooks (1st appearance)

5 rec, 131 yds, 2 TD

32.10 points

A WR finally takes the flex spot in the TOTW and who better than the former Saint who found a nice home in New England. This game was the reason the Patriots went out and traded for Cooks, highlighted by the game winning touchdown on a perfect toe tap in the corner of the end zone. Cooks had his way with the defense and getting on a rhythm with Tom Brady is huge going forward for owners. Cooks finally breaks out and looks to follow it up next week against the Panthers.

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K: Matt Prater (1st appearance)

1 30-39 fg, 1 40-49 fg, 2 50+ fg, 2 PAT

19.00 points

The Lions’ kicker ended up with 19 points, also on par with Buffalo’s Hauschka but we gave Prater the nod on this one for his consistency this season. Prater has been absolutely money from over 50 yards and the way this Lions offense is operating, looks to be a good option going forward.

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DEF: Washington Redskins (1st appearance)

10 pts against, 4 sacks, 2 INT, 1 fum rec

19.00 points

Four defenses tie for this spot (Bengals, Saints, Jets) but we’re going to give the nod to a Redskins defense that absolutely bullied the Raiders around. The Raiders and their high powered offense took a trip to FedEx Field and could not get anything at all going. Carr finished the night with 118 yards and the Redskins were never in doubt of losing this game thanks to their defense. They finish this week’s TOTW.

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Total Points: 274.52

This week’s team shatters the record set by Week 1’s team and it’ll be interesting to see if this can be topped. This was a very draftable team and just goes to show how anything can happen on any given week. We saw multiple returners to this team with some coming up just short of making the list (Kareem Hunt, we’re lookin’ at you). Onto Week 4 of this crazy NFL season.

 

Week 1 – 254.72

Week 2 – 233.68

Mid-week last week, Browns fans were hit with a little nugget regarding the future of one Josh Gordon.  Today via Bleacher Report, we were hit with a bit of news regarding Flash, “Cleveland Browns receiver Josh Gordon reportedly has a “better than 50-50″ chance of being reinstated during the 2017 season”.

FUCK.  I cannot fall for this again.  I can’t do it.  Every single time without fail, I fall for Josh’s charade.

One of Gordon’s mentor’s, Tim Montgomery, has since come to say, “he’s coming”.  I would love Josh Gordon back on this football team.  I think he has a great chance to become a fraction of what he was under Hue Jackson.  Jackson is a questionable in-game coach at best, but he is a fantastic motivator & leader — maybe he can get something out of Josh.  That’s the optimist in me, and the fucking SUCKER who is falling for the Josh Gordon trap again. How do I fall for this on an annual basis?  Glad you asked:

 

2013 Josh Gordon that’s fucking why.  He “flashed” first ballot Hall of Fame potential.  He showed insane athletic ability at such a young age — and did it playing with Brandon Weeden, Brian Hoyer, Alex Tanney, and Jason Campbell.   Josh Gordon finished the 2013 season with 87 catches, 1,646 yards, and 9 touchdowns.  He did this playing in only 14 of 16 games.  He was suspended (shocking)  for the opening two games of the year.

Do I want Gordon back on this football team?  Abso-fucking-lutely.  Gordon has everything it takes to be a great wide-receiver in the NFL.  First, he is a monster –currently he is listed as 6’3″, 225 lbs.  With that massive frame, he is out of this world fast. He can blow by any corner in the league and make it look like he’s not trying a la prime Randy Moss.  He is a great route runner — Gordon has an uncanny ability to see spots in coverage to break his route for whatever shit bag quarterback is playing at the time. Obviously he has stellar hands to compliment his athletic prowess.  Do I think he will be peak Josh if he does comeback?  Absolutely not.  If the Browns can get 50% of 2013 Gordon, that would be a major win. God knows what his contract situation is at this point, so I won’t even bother to go into details on that.   They desperately need play-makers on offense as now they’re effectively down to ZERO.

Reports were out that he was planning on being released from rehab on 9/21.  Josh dropped a hint via his snap chat:  

Who knows what that means?  I take it the reported 9/21 release date was false.  Either way, I just hope that whatever happens both Josh and the fans can get some closure.  All I want is another 10 or so games of him as a Brown. Finish it off right, and he can go off to whatever team he wants to go to.  Come on home Josh.  One last kick at the can.