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2012 NFL Draft First Round – Impact Players

April 27, 2012 By Leave a Comment

Last night’s NFL Draft featured little of the usual drama, with the top 2 picks effectively locked down for almost a month leading up to draft day. Sure enough, standout QBs Andrew Luck and Robert Griffin III made the headlines as they took their rightful places on Thursday night, but while there may not have been any bombshells, there were some unexpected surprises, including some interesting selections that fantasy owners should note.

Here is a look into the first round picks that should make the most impact this fantasy season:

- Thanks to last year’s trade with the Atlanta Falcons, the Cleveland Browns drafted the blue chip RB in this year’s class in Trent Richardson (Alabama).  With the number of touches he should receive, Richardson has the potential be a playmaker and point machine.

- Doug Martin (Boise St.) is a complete RB, and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers know it’s not a stretch that he could unseat LaGarrette Blount as a number 1 back. Martin has a great set of hands, and as a double threat, could cause havoc for opposing defenses.

- WR Michael Floyd (Notre Dame) will give the Arizona Cardinals’ QBs a viable second strong option downfield. Look for him to be targeted early and often to draw some attention off of Fitzgerald. The Cards’ passing game should benefit greatly from this pick.

- WR Kendall Wright, RG3’s teammate at Baylor, was an excellent value for the Tennessee Titans at no. 20 overall. Not only is he a threat in the slot, he could also be a solid return man. Wright has huge potential.

- The biggest boost to team defense came in the form of the New England Patriots trading up twice in the first round to bolster the front seven, selecting Chandler Jones (Syracuse) and Dont’a Hightower (Alabama). This should indicate the Pats’ commitment to improving their D, which was dismal in 2011.

Following the top 2 picks, who will be obvious fantasy contributors, the QB class in the first round was a general letdown. Cleveland Browns pick Brandon Weeden (Oklahoma State) and the Miami Dolphins’ choice Ryan Tannehill (Texas A&M) don’t even seem like true starters, let alone viable fantasy producers.

Now that the first round has come and gone, fantasy owners have to step back and evaluate which rookie players will merit a look come fantasy draft time. Stay tuned to the blog for more insights from scoutPRO on this year’s draft class!

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RG3 Has More than Luck

April 19, 2012 By Leave a Comment

At this juncture, it is widely speculated that after the Indianapolis Colts select Andrew Luck to succeed Peyton Manning and revive the dreams of Circle City football fans, Robert Griffin III will play second fiddle, “falling” to the Washington Redskins. However, while Luck is the safe bet, billed as “NFL-ready,” Griffin is a much more intriguing player, and actually may have a far greater value for fantasy owners.

Although it would be unfair to expect him to produce like Cam Newton did a year ago, RG3 has the same elite skillset as his Heisman Trophy predecessor and will be surrounded by the type of offense that will let him show his talents off. Much like Newton in 2011, the formula could make Griffin a top 10 fantasy producer, even in his rookie season. For that reason scoutPRO has tabbed the dynamic QB as the better choice for fantasy owners.

Stay tuned following the NFL Draft for more in depth analysis of scoutPRO’s rankings and why RG3 is way ahead of the pack, including the likely #1 pick.

 

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March is for Madness

March 19, 2012 By Leave a Comment

Howdy fantasy footballers!

I hope all of y’all had a great St.Patty’s Day weekend! For those of you who forgot and were pinched repeatedly, well now you know better! And for those of you who cannot remember much of Saturday night, well good for you! Let’s begin by talking briefly about March Madness 2012: my bracket is dead. Thanks to Duke and Missouri (I had Missouri in the Final Four) my bracket is on life support and needs Kentucky vs. Kansas in the Finals for any sort of redemption. The main issue with Duke this year was talent. There was not enough talent to make them a strong candidate for March. Coach K did an amazing job in his coaching to lead Duke to a fantastic record and being ranked week in and week out. But March is where coaching can only do so much. There needs to be some level of higher talent to prevent a second round exit. Which is exactly what happened. In the Mizzou game, it was just Norfolk State outplaying Mizzou for the whole game. It was the perfect upset. Another unexpected upset? UNC G Kendall Marshall suffered a wrist injury. He will not play this Friday and depending on recovery from the surgery, he could miss the whole tournament.

But the biggest news of the hour isn’t Peyton Manning securing a contract with the Denver Broncos since they were one of the finalist (among the Titans and 49ers). The biggest news is where does Tebow end up. Reports are coming out saying Tebow will most likely be traded. But where and for what in return? At this point the Broncos would love to leverage Tebowmania to maximize a good return on a Tebow trade. With Manning coming on board, there is not much more the organization can do to boost fan support. Unless they play Tebow at fullback. Now the 49ers, Cardinals, Titans, and Miami have to work on their existing QBs to find someone to bring in. With Manning and Flynn out of the picture, time and talent are running out for these teams. But if I could ask Manning anything, it would be: why did you turn down the 49ers? They were one game away from the Super Bowl. But hey, Manning is a Super Bowl winner so I guess he knows what’s best. In other news the Cowboys are still flying under the radar this off-season so that there is not high expectations for the team when the season starts.

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The Quiet Before the Storm

December 14, 2011 By Leave a Comment

Welcome back fantasy footballers!

It is finally Wednesday. For some odd reason, this week has been going by extremely slow.  Anyway, let’s talk sports. Yesterday my roommates and I were having an odd, rare, thought-provoking conversation. We were talking about the best invention of all time. From the car, refrigerator, the Internet, and printing press we had some good debates about the best invention that has changed humanity. Until someone said the ball. Not just a sphere, but a skeleton of a ball-shaped object filled with air. And that is the greatest invention ever. What engineering marvel has caught the attention of more people than a sports ball. Billions of people might live on less than a dollar a day, but I am sure if you go to parts of Central Asia and Africa, they have a soccer ball (legit or makeshift). Same for the basketball. Think about it.

Anyway, I would like to congratulate all the college football players who were selected to be All-Americans. It is a great honor and those players selected have had an outstanding season. Alabama is the team with the most players selected for the All-American 1st team. As college finals wind down, that can only mean two things: college basketball players can finally focus back on basketball and bowl season is right around the corner. So do not forget to buy the beer, the chips, and cookies. Enjoy.

In the NFL, it is finally Week 15. Basically this is the final week of classes. This is where you need to make sure you are in class (bring your A-game), try to learn everything as professors review the material again (make sure players are focused), and make sure you do not have any missing assignments (make sure everyone that can play is healthy to play). Next week would be a reading week period where all the cramming takes place. Those students that did not pay attention in class or skipped classes (teams in the hunt for playoffs) are stressed. Those teams that were prepared for every exam just need to look at some notes and refresh with little stress (division/conference leaders). And of course Week 17 is finals week. This is where you put it all on the table and see if you can pull off that A or B (playoffs).

This week starts with the Jags facing a Falcons team that needs to win out to win division.  The Falcons might have the better record, but the Jags defense is allowing less total yards and passing yards than the Falcons. Look for Matt Ryan to break that defense with Roddy White and his clone Julio Jones. But the Jags had a great game last week as they dismantled the Bucs. But with their level of play the Falcons can end with 10 wins. Now I am sure everyone is still talking about Tebow’s win streak. So is Bill Belichick. When asked about Tebow he said he is as good of a QB as anyone out there. Tom Brady is thinking only one thing: own the Broncos. I have a feeling there will be much media support for Tebow to pull off the impossible and win against the Pats. They do have a horrible defense. It is a disaster. But they also have Brady. This game (at least the 4th quarter depending on the score) could go down to be one of the most watched games of the season. You know what also has been a great hit? Everyone talking about how Eli Manning could also beat Dan Marino’s single season passing record. Did everyone forget this is Eli and not Peyton? Might as well add Tebow to the picture. But in reality, he will go down as having the least amount of passing yards in a game on average. It’s like those Most Interesting Man in the World commercials: “I don’t always throw the ball, but when I do I make sure it is in the 4th quarter.” I would rather have this than Romo’s: “I don’t always play good (no fumbles/INTs) but when I do, I lose regardless.” Boom!

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Difference Between Right and Fair

December 4, 2011 By Leave a Comment

Howdy fantasy footballers!

It is finally here. The bowl selections are out (cue: crazy fans from across the nations) and it is time to debate, scream, protest, and Occupy BCS. LSU and Alabama will play each other (again) in the BCS National Championship Game early next year. I can go into how Bama should or should not get a chance to play in the game and whether OK State should be the number 2 team in rankings after dumping OU earlier this weekend. But what is the point? The decision has been made. It’s like when people argue over who should really have won American Idol or Dancing With the Stars – the decision will not be changed. And as a nation with strong opinions, I am going to move on and talk about other things. Like the list of awesome games that will be played in bowl seasons. First and foremost, I want to watch Cal play Texas in which could be a great game with lots of talent and an enormous fan base. I will watch FSU take on Notre Dame in the Champs Sports bowl. I think the Fighting Irish could definitely use a win here to end a season with many good games and close finishes. I want to see what RG3 (Baylor) does against Washington that will definitely come out fighting. A total of 6 people (including myself) across the nation will probably tune into the Cinci/Vandy game; this game will showcase a strong Vandy team against the Big East great. The Outback bowl will showcase Michigan State against UGA. This is one game I cannot miss. It will be a great game with two great teams that went (and lost) in their conference championships. Look for UGA’s defense and running game to make a difference against the Spartans. I think the Capital One bowl with Nebraska and South Carolina will be a good game. I will not watch the Gator bowl (why should I?). The Cotton Bowl is going to be a good game and I would love to see how KState can take on the Arkansas team that had Nation Championship dreams. Obviously I will be watching all the BCS bowls. But the one game that I think could catch many by surprise is the Boise/ASU game. It could be a strong performance by ASU. Just watch, it is the holiday season: anything can happen.

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Does It Really Matter?

December 2, 2011 By Leave a Comment

Welcome back fantasy footballers!

It is going to be a crazy week in football. Absolutely nuts. First and foremost, you have all eyes on the OK State/OU game. Why? For the National Championship game. If OK State can make a statement, they will jump an idle Bama team to goto the BCS NC game. But how big of a statement do they have to make to sway voters? Or if OU wins this game, will it be the biggest upset for the season? This game could have bigger implications than the Iowa State game did for OK State. LSU will face UGA in Atlanta this weekend and from the looks of it, LSU just needs to show up and they will still be securing a spot on the NC game. Let’s talk about Bama. You have two strong opposing sides explaining how LSU/Bama should happen again or not happen again. The pro game say that they are the two best teams in college football and hence should have a chance to play. The opposite say LSU/Bama is just a rematch, will not play in a conference championship game, and if Bama wins than LSU 1 Bama 1, so it gets us no where. I am not going to agree or disagree but I just want to make one point: OK State and OU will not play in a conference championship game. In terms of rematches you have Michigan State/Wisconsin, VTech/Clemson this weekend. Both are rematches. Anyways, it has been a great college football season and whoever ends up playing LSU in the NC game better bring an NFL-ready team because LSU sure is on that level. Who wouldnt want to see the Philly Eagles play LSU? Speaking of the Eagles did you hear they lost again? Yeah, I didnt bother to watch either. The Pats will play the Colts as a 21 point favorite. That line is like a college game line. 49ers face the Rams after losing to Ravens on Thanksgiving; look for San Fran to post a lot of points. the Jags face off against the Chargers in a game that will showcase which team is bad and which team isn’t as bad as the other. Lions and Saints will play in what could be a shoot out. Bengals face the Steelers as the Bengals attempt to make a strong statement in the AFC as a contender. Giants will face an undefeated Packers team in which I see no issues for the Packers to win again. Texans, with a QB situation, face a Falcons team that has been inconsistent on defense but still look for the Falcons to play mismatches and pull off a win. And lastly look for Romo to throw long balls to Larry Fitz. Yeah, thats right. November is over Romo, lets see how you do now.

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Desperation

November 29, 2011 By Leave a Comment

How’s it going fantasy footballers!

As we head into December two things are for sure: weather gets much colder outside and football teams (both NCAAF and NFL) pull into desperation mode. For college, bowl season is right around the corner and teams will do anything to make sure they are ranked well enough to secure a spot in a lucrative bowl. You have Bama which will be hoping OK State does not do so well against Oklahoma so the Cowboys do not have a shot at jumping them in BCS rankings. But this team did not allow a ranked Auburn team to score a single offensive point. You have V.Tech which is hoping they can move up or atleast stay the same to secure a BCS bowl. Stanford, Oregon, Wisconsin, Houston, Michigan State, and even Michigan are crossing their fingers hoping pollers and the computers are generous enough to allow them to have  a legit shot at some BCS bowl. With LSU perfect again in the BCS ranking, it is hard to think the Tigers are not going to the big game even when they lose to the Bulldogs (note: key word is lose). In the NFL you have the Packers which are still undefeated. But are they really playing lights out football? Not really. Yeah Rodgers is stunning at QB but as a team, they need to improve to remain undefeated. This is why I do not think the Packers will remain undefeated. Desperation. If you clinch your conference by Week 15, why would you even take a risk of any injuries that late into the season, especially when you are playing your last two games of the season against teams that will be trying and fighting tooth and nail to get a spot in the playoffs. At home in Wisconsin. If the teams dont make you reconsider, than the weather will. Snow, ice, etc will increase your shot of injuring Rodgers on a scramble, or Woodson on a interception. It is too risky if you are trying to make another shot at the playoffs. You know who doesnt have much of a shot to go anywhere? The Giants. Did you see them play last night? Jets of the NFC. Ironic how they play the same football (losing) and are big rivals in their own towns. They should just hug it out, make one team, and do what they do best: command media attention and whiff in the national spotlight. Ouch!

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Best.Weekend.Ever

November 23, 2011 By Leave a Comment

Welcome back fantasy footballers!

First I just want to tell all of you (I like to imagine I have a national following on this blog like Bill Simmons) to have a great, safe, and fun Thanksgiving break. So officially, the weekend starts today (or yesterday depending on your life priorities and levels of procrastination) and this means one thing: the best week of football is here. Up until now you have seen college and professional games between teams. But now is where it all comes into play. FOr college, its rivalries weekend. Winners here dictate their futures in terms of the rivalry and for post-season bowl action. Thanksgiving day we have Texas/Texas A&M in what could be their last game for many seasons to come. It has been a great rivalry with passion, hatred, and a desire to smack the other school in the mouth. Both teams could have been good this year, but in hindsight,  I do not know why anyone would make that conclusion. But nonetheless, it will still be a great game with a lot of fan support. Friday we have some key games. Houston plays Tulsa (their hardest opponent for the season) and a win here makes the path to a BCS bowl game even clearer for Keenum and his Krew. But again, Tulsa is no GSU and Keenum and his defense have to be on point for this game. LSU/Arkansas, a game that has been all over the media (I mean you ESPN), which has major implications for the BCS National Championship game. If LSU wins they will most definitely head to the BCS National Championship game, regardless of what happens in the SEC Championship game. With a ‘Bama win, they will face LSU. But is Arkansas wins, LSU will have to see if ‘Bama wins their game, and if they do you could still see both those teams in the BCS National Championship game. Arkansas needs a ‘Bama loss and a win against LSU to goto the National Championship game. Confusing but I love the thrill. The Iron Bowl (Bama/Auburn) and the Civil War (Oregon/Oregon St) are on Saturday along with UGA/Georgia Tech, ND/Stanford, Penn St/Wisconsin, Michigan/Ohio St, South Carolina/Clemson. Man I love football. All these games will be watched this weekend by me. It’s like Christmas morning with some hot chocolate, some candy, and warm pajamas. Can’t get better than that. But lets make one thing clear: UGA will win, Bama will roll, Oregon will destroy, Stanford will win in a close match, Wisconsin will win in a shootout, Michigan will win barely, Clemson will not pull off the upset. There is also NFL on Thanksgiving day! The Ravens will face another coach with the same last name who is leading a red hot 49ers team to an improbable start. Will the Ravens be able to pull off a win here? Nope. Will Dallas have its hands full facing a dangerous Miami team? Yes. And will the Lions pull off a win against an undefeated Packers team? I hope so! It’s not that I dont like the Packers, its just that I like the Lions better. And who wouldn’t love an underdog during the holiday season trying to make it to the playoffs in so long. Only the Grinch. And Goodell. Burn!! That was for you players that should not have been fined but still got fined because if you said anything negative about the fine you would be fined some more. Happy Turkey day!

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Rise and Fall

November 21, 2011 By Leave a Comment

Happy Monday fantasy footballers!

What a fantastic weekend! Since Friday night we have had some great games for our viewing pleasure. Lets get down to it. OK State was upset by Iowa State which in turn snowballed into a major upset day the next day. With Oregon, Nebraska, Oklahoma, Clemson being upset and we saw (for a couple of minutes) Stanford and KState on upset alert. That chaos led us to one conclusion: the SEC West (I’m not talking about the whole conference right now) is the best division in college ball. It’s top three teams are also ranked….1 to 3 in national polling and the BCS. I am sure if you put these three teams in the AFC West, we would have great games every weekend and Philip Rivers would still choke. Now I know all of these experts are making their BCS Bowl game projections but I am going to make my BCS Wish List. These are the teams I would love to see play in the BCS Bowls come the Holidays: for the Championship – LSU/Bama, Rose Bowl-Wisconsin/Oregon, and Fiesta Bowl-Oklahoma/Stanford. I have to wait and see if LSU loses in the SEC Championship game, which would create three open spots for the SEC in BCS bowls. That’s right, UGA is going to the SEC Championship game. I’m sure good ol’ Mark up in Athens is telling all of his critics off right now. What a drama! Moving on to Sunday, you had the Lions come out with an impressive game by Stafford to light up Cam Newton’s Panthers. In addition the Bears are rolling! Winners of 5 straight, they are looking at the Packers dead in the eyes and saying, so what if you have A.Rodgers, we have our scary defensive that will take on anyone that moves too much. The Packers were on alert when they faced a Bucs team that would not go down (till the last minute of course) which could have exposed many weak points for the Packers. But they are still undefeated. The Falcons are winning again because Tony G is catching TDs. The Bengals had a chance at the Ravens which would have made the Ravens season even more mind-bloggling. And Romo came through for the Cowboys to win in OT. Did anyone watch the Jags/Browns game? Yeah, me either. As Rick Perry says best: “Oops”.

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Just Beautiful

November 18, 2011 By Leave a Comment

Howdy fantasy footballers!

It’s that time of week again, Friday! With Friday comes many things: reclining back on your favorite seat watching TV, sipping on a cold one, planning on going out for the night but it never happens. Why? Because you are relaxed. It’s like that old Physics theory: an object will stay as it is unless something puts some force on it and makes it adjust (something like that). For all you single people, there is no force (aka significant other) that will make you get up, shower, get ready to go to some bar or club or restaurant so you just stay hooked to the TV. What a life. For those of you have someone telling you to crazy things on a Friday after a long week of work, I am sorry for your pain. And I am sure the latter group missed watching the beautiful TD run by Tebow last night since it was late and the “other” needed to go to bed. Now I do not always give Tebow credit, but this was a great run capping off a sub-par drive and passing game by his part. But he did get the win. This weekend is what I call the eye of the storm. It doesn’t have awesome match ups and epic game titles, but all this is due to the calm before the coming storm which will draw our attentions for the rest of winter. On Saturday you have Nebraska/Michigan. Two of college footballs elite programs battling it out. UGA needs to win against Kentucky to insure a spot in the SEC Championship game. Who would have thought after all the critics wrote them off after starting 0-2. Houston will face SMU (a hot offense) to continue to go undefeated and a shot at a BCS bowl. Oklahoma faces Baylor who will keep the team on its heels as they try to avoid another loss. As for Sunday, the Bengal could pull off a win against a Ravens team that loses to below average teams and owns the Steelers. Yeah, it hurts my head thinking about it. Cam Newton could pull off a win against the Lions who seem to be slipping and playing like they used to. Will Tampa Bay be the team that beats Green Bay? Nope, not at all, are you joking? Who else cant wait for Suh against Rodgers on Thanksgiving? San Diego will lose again. Atlanta will drop a game because no one knows how they are playing. The 49ers cannot believe they have only one loss and it could be two after Larry Fitz attempts to throw the ball to himself and run for a TD.

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