Junkie’s End of the Season Smackdown!

So… that title is a little loud. This is not going to be a smackdown of any sorts. Just thought it sounded good.

I just got done watching Tim Tebow throw that sweet pass in overtime to Thomas who just so happened to out muscle the Steelers for an 80 yard game-ending touchdown. It was amazing. Especially amazing for Tebow fans and Steeler haters. Which I’m proud to say, I’m both of!

Now that I’m a couple weeks late on this post, so much has happened. The Lions made the playoffs for the first time since 1999, YEAH! Then lost to the Saints in the first round, BOO! The coaches for the Rams and Bucs were both fired. The Cowboys didn’t show up against the Giants in week 17 and then the Giants went on to beat the Falcons in round one. Man, they looked like a championship caliber team in both games. Now that the defense is almost 100% healthy, look out Rodgers. The Bengals bungled away a great opportunity to win against the Texans. Drew Brees broke the All-Time yards mark for a single season held by Dan Marino. Heck, Drew Brees broke about 100 records this year in all. The dude was unstoppable down the stretch! He will most certainly win the NFL’s Offensive Player of the Year award while the MVP goes to Aaron Rodgers. And can someone please tell college football enough is enough. Get those bowl games under control. We should not be watching bowl games this late in the year! Sheesh. I mean, come’on. It’s been nearly two months since these teams have hit the field. It’s another season entirely.

Starting Denver Defense – Week 14

Yes.

I got a question of whether I would start the Denver Defense this week. And the answer is yes. Caleb Hanie is being asked to do too much too fast in the Martz system and without their best weapon in Forte.

Last week the Bronco’s gave up a ton of points and yards to the Vikings. But this week the Bronco’s are expected to get back super rookie Von Miller. I expect the Denver D to play much better this week with Miller back to help drive pressure at Hanie.

-FFJ

Sunday Lightning In A Bottle – Week 14

With Mark Ingram out this week I’m going to throw into the mix, his replacement. He’s been a healthy Inactive for the past couple of weeks but has shown toughness between the tackles in previous starts and should work hard to show that he needs to be active on game days.

Christopher Ivory (Ranked on ESPN at 39) has carried the load before and will again today. They will give him the ball 15-20 times in this game giving him plenty of chances to get a score. Pierre Thomas and Darren Sproles will get their usual touches but look for Ivory to salt it away late racking up big yards in the second half.

-FFJ

Junkie’s Week 14 – Hits & Misses

This might be the latest that I’ve ever posted the Hits and Misses but it’s up! What do you want from me? It’s Christmas time and I’m busy! Hopefully you are still managing at this time of the year, congrats to all of those that made the playoffs or are still in the hunt for a playoff spot.

It’s crunch time and some of these guys may prove worthy of a start in deep leagues!

1. QB: Matt Hasselbeck – ESPN Rank 19

The only problem with this matchup is Jake Locker. If the Titans go down early and deep, the Titans may elect to throw Locker out there to gather up the garbage time points. BUT if Hass gets to play the entire game, look for him to be starter worthy. Big gamble with big upside.

2. RB: Maurice Morris – ESPN Rank 31

Has proven he can be serviceable, while not as quick as Kevin Smith, it’s almost a certain Smith will be limited if he even takes the field. MoMo can still get it done even against a very stout Vikings front line.

3. WR: Damian Williams – ESPN Rank 45

This pick is directly tied to why Hasselbeck is my QB this week. Should have to throw it a lot and Williams should see an uptick in targets. Lets see if he can manage to crack the top 30!

4. TE: Tony Scheffler – ESPN Rank 25

WHAT? Another Lion? I might be crazy but hear me out. The Vikings have a very good defensive line, and the Lions will be running a lot of two tight end sets. Meaning that Tony will be on the field for plenty of snaps. I know Pettigrew is the #1 but Scheffy has seen consistent work the past few weeks and is a good threat in the end zone. His sure hands give Stafford confidence throwing his way.

5. DEF: New England Patriots – ESPN Rank 15

Up against the new gunslinger Rex Grossman, the Pats should have a couple of opportunities to make a pick six happen. The points will be depending on that. Grossman + opportunistic defense = good bet.

-FFJ

To qualify as a hit the players must get to certain benchmarks within the weekly scoring leaders of ESPN standard leagues. Quarterbacks must reach the top 10. Running backs must reach the top 25. Wide receivers must reach the top 30. Tight ends and defenses must reach the top 10. The rankings I use next to the players names are the ranks as of the writing of this article. 

Week 14 Thursday Lightning In A Bottle!

It’s been a while since I last posted a game-day lightning in a bottle but I felt really compelled to put this one out.

Tomorrow night we have the lowly Browns traveling to Steeler country. It should be an easy game for the Steelers. If it’s not an easy game then this pick will be shot and never heard from again!

The strength of the Browns DEF this year has been against the passing game. Their weakness is against the rushing attack. I would think the coaching staff of the Steelers is aware of this information, and will plan accordingly. I could see the Steelers running the ball anywhere from 35-40 times tonight. Mendenhall should be a beast. Gotta start him, but why not start his backup as well if you are desperate?

Isaac Redman should be expected to get between 7-12 carries in this contest and might break one off for a TD. It’s worth a shot if you were a Forte owner struggling to find a suitable replacement. I would bet, Redman out scores Barber this week. ESPN failed to rank Redman in their top 50 at the RB position, a FAIL in my opinion. But we’ll see after all is said, maybe I should be getting paid too?

Good luck to those starting playoffs this week. Unfortunately for me, I was eliminated in two leagues but should make the playoffs in my other four. Now I need a championship in one to make this year feel like not so much of a letdown!

-FFJ

Junkie’s Week 13 – Hits & Misses

Hope everyone had a great Thanksgiving weekend. Time to put up the lights and get ready for Christmas! Just don’t get dumb and try putting lights on the roof of your two-story house while there is snow on top of it. I got to watch my neighbor from across the street spend 30 minutes a top his roof trying to decide his best next move. I asked if he needed any help, he told me no and proceeded to sit, then stand, then sit, then stand, then sit back down. He did say he was second guessing his decision to put up lights and was trying to find the courage to just get down to the first level of his roof. Eventually, he decided the butt slide was the best course of action. It worked out nicely for him, perfect slide, kept his feet up, solid landing onto the first level. PERFECT 10! Unfortunately, some will try this and fail and end up breaking bones or worse. It’s Christmas lights people, don’t get dumb.

Last week I hit big on the St. Louis DEF and Damian Williams but lost out on an injured Matt Leinart, Joe McKnight and Jake Ballard. This season has been rough but I still have a few weeks to turn it around.

Now onto this weeks Hits & Misses!

Junkie’s Week 12 – Hits & Misses

What a great Thanksgiving! Had lots of turkey and fixin’s, spent time with the families, and watched some great football!

Oh wait… except that Detroit Lions game. Ugh, at least the first half was good. Then it all turned to crap. Not only did we shoot ourselves in the foot numerous times with bad penalties, our best defensive player decides to lose his temper on a pivotal 3rd down and goal to give the Packers another shot at a TD. And guess what? They did get a touchdown. Not only did Suh get himself ejected for the remainder of the game which then got out of hand, he probably cost himself a couple of games after the league suspends him. And we only get the New Orleans Saints in week 13…

One more note on Suh, I really hope he can learn to control his temper. His skills on the field are amazing and he’s making the rest of the line better just being on the field, but he needs to check that extra attitude at the door. The NFL will not stand for players than can’t control themselves. This isn’t the NFL of the 70′s and 80′s.

Well enough of that. Lets turn this week around and make some great predictions on some guys that will perform better than their respective rankings. After all, that is what I do best!

Sometimes.

On a much brighter note, I get to watch my second Live NFL game in person tomorrow. Panthers versus Colts! I’m excited for two reasons. One, I get to watch Cam Newton in person. That guy has been phenomenal and should be fun to watch live. Two, I get to see the Colts make it one game closer to capturing that #1 pick in the 2012 draft.