Sunday, July 28, 2013

Under The Radar

As a police officer one of my responsibilities is to run radar. Traffic enforcement is vital in maintaining safe streets for pedestrians and drivers as well. Every once in a while someone will purchase the latest high-tech device in order to beat the laser radar detector. It happens. The cost might be high but a speeding ticket and the points that go along with it can become quite costly. In Fantasy Football those that speed under the radar may not have to pay a steep price for these valuable rising stars. So here goes...Start your engines Fantasy Football speedsters...

Quarterback...
Matthew Stafford, Lions / Not even a top ten quarterback, but he gets to throw to the best wide-receiver in football and now has Reggie Bush as a safety valve. Stafford will be slinging it in a number of high scoring affairs. He averages about 5,000 yards throwing and is a year removed from his 41 touchdown passes in 2011. Don't sleep on this Lion!

Running Back...
Maurice Jones-Drew, Jaguars / Yes...The same MJD who was the leading rusher, 1,606 yards on the ground and another 374 yards receiving in 2011. He's healed and he's back. Forget that he plays for one of the worst teams in football. His age, (28) and the fact that he's coming into his contract year should be enough for you to grab the #1 offensive weapon on a team lacking offensive weapons. Late second round early third round would be highway robbery for the team selecting MJD.

Wide Receiver...
T.Y. Hilton, Colts / I know I'm digging deep here, but I absolutely love Hilton. This second year receiver and third round pick from Florida International last year, became a favorite target of fellow rookie quarterback, Andrew Luck. T.Y. was 25th in scoring for Fantasy Football wide-receivers last year, and get this...HE STARTED ONE GAME!!! I pay close attention to average yards per catch,
and T.Y. finished up with 17.2 along with 7 scores. What's not to like. Let others draft Reggie Wayne high in their drafts, you take T.Y. in the seventh round and start him day 1!

Tight-End...
Martellus Bennett, Bears / Two words...Marc Trestman! The Canadian coaching genius will transform Bennett into an octopus with legs. Jay Cutler owes Trestman big time for signing the ex-Giant. Last year Bennett came into his own catching 55 passes from Eli manning and converting 5 of them for scores. Cutler will still look Brandon Marshall's way, but now has someone else he can trust over the middle. Look for at least 60 catches and 6-8 touchdowns for the key to Trestman's surprise offense.

Defense...
Tampa Bay, Plenty of first round talent, a strong running game, and Darrelle Revis makes the Buc's a Fantasy Football sleeper.

Kicker...
Dan Bailey, Cowboys / I have him as a top 5 kicker, others...Not so much! Bailey has a strong leg and the Cowboy offense will give him every opportunity to use it. Don't be the bonehead who takes a kicker before the final round of your draft. Bailey will compete tow to tow with any of the top booters.

Remember: Fantasy Football under the radar is good, but speed on the highways and byways kills! Slow down!!!






Monday, July 1, 2013

It's That Time!

Fantasy football draft day is at your doorstep and I have the keys to open the season. My top ten strategies are as follows...
10. Remember the days when drafting running backs was all the rage? Get your backs early and often!
9. This may be the deepest group of quarterbacks I have seen since I was a fantasy football novice some fifteen years ago. Be patient!
8. I LOVE the Ram's rookie wide out, Tavon Austin. Grab him a round too early rather than a round too late.
7. Don't sleep on the Chief's. Andy Reid is at the helm and he takes his west coast offense to KC. Jamal Charles will have a monster year.
6. Peyton Manning now has a better receiving corp than he did at Indy. Take him and any of his stud receivers. Stud #1 Demaryius Thomas, Stud #2 Eric Decker, and Stud #3 Wes Welker.
5. The Pack is Back! No Jennings...No running game...No problem. Two words...Aaron Rodgers! The "Jolly Rodgers" will put up incredible numbers and reassert himself as the #1 quarterback in fantasy land thanks to rookie running back Eddie Lacy who will take the pressure off  near the goal line, (17 touchdowns last year at Alabama). With Jennings gone, make room near the top of your fantasy roster for wide out Randall Cobb who will be collecting numerous touchdown lobs from A.R.
4. Can we finally draft a Cleveland Brown in the first round? No! How about the second round? No! OK,  maybe the third round? Even bringing in offensive guru Norv Turner and new offensive strategist head coach Rob Chudzinski, does NOT give you the right to draft a Cleveland Brown in any of the first three rounds.
3. Adrian Peterson is for real! He IS the first pick in anyone's draft.
2. Don't REACH for these fading stars...Wide Receiver, Colts, Reggie Wayne, Tight-End, Falcons, Tony Gonzalez, Running Back, Lions, Reggie Bush, Quarterback, Steelers, Ben Rothlisberger.
1. If you really like one of the top defensive teams going into the draft. Take'em! How many of you have ever lost one or two games during the season by less than five points? Waiting for the last two rounds to grab a defense could make or break your season. Picks, fumble recoveries and sacks score points, and if you do your homework and find a speed merchant on the punt and kickoff return team, your defense has the potential to score more points than your quarterback. My personal favorite...The Seahawks, especially with the addition of the always dangerous Percy Harvin returning punts and kicks.
Oh and by the way...Don't draft Ex-Patriot tight-end Aaron Hernandez. He's on the DL...Dumb (Player who gave up millions, let his team down, and squashed an NFL career) List.