I hope all of our WNST.net listeners had a safe and enjoyable Thanksgiving. Put the leftovers down for a second and let’s talk some Ravens football.

The Ravens are coming off of a big statement game. By crushing the Eagles 36-7, they announced to the entire league that they are for real in the volatile AFC playoff race. The league has recognized this team’s competitiveness by moving the Ravens/Redskins match-up to prime time in two weeks, and have also announced that they will move the Ravens/Steelers game in week 15 to 4:15. Of course, if you’re subscribed to the WNST text service, you already know that.

The NFL wants to give this team some national attention, mainly because of a stout defense and a rookie quarterback who looks more promising than Peyton Manning did back in 1998. I don’t know about you, but this makes me awfully proud to drink the purple kool aid.

Let’s hope the Ravens abide by John Harbaugh’s philosophy: take it one game at a time. If they over-look the Bengals, the Ravens will go from a conference title contender in a wide-open AFC to: “we knew this team wasn’t for real. They’ve only beat bad football teams, and now they can’t take care of business in their own division.”

My prediction: If it weren’t for another special teams debacle, the Ravens would have shut out the Eagles. That New York loss truly woke a sleeping giant. The Bengals can’t rush the passer or stop the run. The Bengals offensive line has left QB Ryan Fitzpatrick vulnerable all season. Even though it’s a division game on the road, I can’t see any way the Ravens lose this match-up. Special teams folds again and gives up a big play that leads to a touchdown, but that’s about all the Bengals can muster in this game. A couple of early Ravens scores makes the 1-9-1 Bengals hang their heads and give up on the game.

Ravens – 32

Bengals – 13

Pivotal match-up: Joe Flacco vs. Bengals Defense. The only way the Ravens lose this game is if the Ravens turn the ball over too much or commit too many penalties. The key to this game is for Joe Flacco to protect the rock.

Where it could all go wrong: The zebras get flag-happy; a desperate Bengals team treats this like a playoff game and surprises the league; the secondary plays soft and allows Houshmandzadeh and Johnson to have a field day. Fellow Calvert Hall Cardinal Bob Haynie said it best: “the only way the Ravens get beat this game is if they beat themselves.”

Surprising statistic: When Flacco doesn’t throw an interception the Ravens are 6-1. When he doesn’t take care of the football, the Ravens are 1-3.

Last Week’s winner: Polostat was one of the few fans out there who predicted an easy Ravens win, predicting a 28-17 Ravens victory. My pick: 23-16 Ravens. Actual score: 36-7 Ravens.

Week 11 winner: would have been Ravenator if he would have picked the Giants to win, but the check mark goes to Johnny Rocket, who predicted a 31-11 Ravens loss. My pick: 23-20 Giants. Actual score: 30-10 Giants.

Week 10 Winner: My man Franchise gets the check mark, predicting a 31-10 Ravens victory. Remember when Ozzie Newsome was getting verbally crucified on the airwaves? I guess all of us should trust the Franchise. My pick: 29-12 Ravens. Actual Score: 41-13 Ravens.

Week 9 Winner: Johnny Rocket picked the closest score, predicting a 22-16 Ravens win. I don’t think anyone could have predicted the Ravens to put up 37 points on the road. My pick: 23-17 Browns. Actual score: 37-27 Ravens.

Week 8 winner: Nestminder is our first back-to-back winner, picking the Ravens to win 24-6. We had a record-low in the number of predictions received, but we can rebound this week. We’ll chalk that one up to the new website. My pick: 27-6 Ravens. Actual score: 29-10 Ravens

Week 7 winner: Nestminder picked a 20-13 Ravens victory and Polostat was a close second. My pick: 24-16 Ravens. Actual score: 27-13 Ravens.

Week 6 winner: Johnny Rocket correctly picked against the Ravens, per usual, predicting a 32-8 Colts victory. My pick: 28-23 Colts. Actual score: 31-3 Colts.

Week 5 winner: Columbia Ken picked the closest score, predicting a 17-13 Titans victory. My pick: 17-9 Ravens. Actual score: 13-10 Titans

Week 4 winner: Jon R. reluctantly picked a 24-20 win for the Steelers. My pick: 13-10 Ravens. Actual score: 23-20 Steelers (OT)

Week 3 winner: EazyE picked a 23-13 win for the Ravens vs. Cleveland. My pick: 23-13 Ravens. Actual score: 24-10 Ravens.

What are your predictions this week?

There’s not a lot of shake up in this week’s QB rankings, There are however plenty of quarterbacks among the top twenty who were overlooked on draft day and through much of the season. In fact, there’s a decent chance that you’ll still be able to find one of these top 20 still on your league’s waiver wire. There are 3 games on tap for Thursday this week, so we’ll have all of the rankings out in time to set your lineups well before the first kickoff on Thanksgiving Day.

 

Keep in mind that the power rankings, listed here, are based on year to date performance and not a reflection of your best options for week 13. Just below the power rankings are match up previews advising who should be better or worse than usual this week, based on their opponents. At the bottom, are the week 13 start rankings, that’s where you should look for help with your week 13 lineup decisions.

 

Week 13 Fantasy Quarterback Power Rankings

 

QB Power Rankings Archive – 3 – 4 – 5 – 6 – 7 - 8 - 9 - 10 – 11 - 12

 

(last week’s rankings in parentheses)

 

1. Drew Brees (2) – NO – 3574 yds 22 TD 11 int & 1 TD rush

 

2. Kurt Warner (1) – AZ – 3506 yds 21 TD 8 int

 

3. Tony Romo (6) – DAL – 2228 yds 18 TD 7 int & 1 TD rush

 

4. Aaron Rodgers (5) – GB – 2599 yds 17 TD 9 int & 4 TD rush

 

5. Jay Cutler (3) – DEN – 3036 yds 19 TD 12 int

 

6. Phillip Rivers (4) – SD – 2806 yds 23 TD 10 int

 

7. Peyton Manning (7) – IND – 2823 yds 19 TD 10 int & 1 TD rush

 

8. Brett Favre (9) – NYJ – 2461 yds 20 TD 13 int

 

9. Eli Manning (11) – NYG – 2319 yds 18 TD 7 int & 1 TD rush

 

10. Matt Cassel (10) – NE – 2615 yds 13 TD 8 int & 2 TD rush

 

11. Shaun Hill (15) – SF – 906 yds 7 TD 3 int & 1 TD rush

 

12. Tyler Thigpen (16) – KC – 1577 yds 13 TD 7 int & 1 TD rush, 1 TD rec

 

13. Donavan McNabb (8) – PHI – 2770 yds 14 TD 10 int & 1 TD rush

 

14. Chad Pennington (19) – MIA – 2715 yds 11 TD 6 int & 1 TD rush

 

15. David Garrard (13) – JAX – 2461 yds 9 TD 8 int & 1 TD rush

 

16. Joe Flacco (18) – BAL – 1996 yds 10 TD 9 int & 2 TD rush

 

17. Trent Edwards (NR) – BUF – 2266 yds 10 TD 10 int & 3 TD rush

 

18. Matt Ryan (14) – ATL – 2418 yds 11 TD 6 int

 

19. Jason Campbell (20) – WAS – 2328 yds 10 TD 3 int

 

20. Kyle Orton (12) – CHI – 2049 yds 11 TD 4 int & 1 TD rush

 

Dropped From Rankings: Gus Frerotte – MIN

 

QBs Who Should Be Better Than Usual In Week 13: Tony Romo vs. SEA; Kyle Orton @ MIN; Jay Cutler @ NYJ; Brett Favre vs. DEN; Donavan McNabb vs. AZ; Matt Ryan @ SD; Chad Pennington @ ST.L

 

QBs Who Could Be Sleepers Based on Week 13 Match Ups: Kerry Collins @ DET; Jeff Garcia vs. NO; Trent Edwards vs. SF

 

QBs With Tough Week 13 Match Ups: Matt Cassel vs. PIT; Aaron Rodgers vs. CAR; Drew Brees @ TB; Kurt Warner @ PHI; Jason Campbell vs. NYG; Eli Manning @ WAS

 

QBs You Might Want To Avoid In Week 13: Brady Quinn or Derek Anderson vs. IND; Ryan Fitzpatrick vs. BAL; Daunte Culpepper or Drew Stanton vs. TEN; Jake Delhomme @ GB

 

And here are the week 13 Fantasy QB start rankings; it’s all 32 projected starters in the order that you should consider them this week. They were gotten using the Fantasy Flavor secret formula, and have their formulary numbers in parentheses, the lower the better. We’ll get all of the positional rankings out to you in time for Thursday’s games, so keep checking back for the rest.

 

1. Tony Romo (9)

2. Jay Cutler (17)

3. Phillip Rivers (24)

4. Drew Brees (30)

5. Kurt Warner (30)

6. Donavan McNabb (31)

7. Brett Favre (32)

8. Shaun Hill (33)

9. Chad Pennington (33)

10. Peyton Manning (34)

11. Aaron Rodgers (35)

12. Matt Ryan (37)

13. David Garrard (41)

14. Tyler Thigpen (42)

15. Trent Edwards (44)

16. Jeff Garcia (46)

17. Matt Cassel (47)

18. Joe Flacco (47)

19. Eli Manning (49)

20. Kerry Collins (56)

21. Ben Roethlisberger (57)

22. Kyle Orton (60)

23. Jason Campbell (63)

24. Sage Rosenfels (64)

25. Jake Delhomme (70)

26. Marc Bulger (70)

27. Gus Frerotte (71)

28. JaMarcus Russell (72)

29. Matt Hasselbeck (77)

30. Ryan Fitzpatrick (83)

31. Brady Quinn / Derek Anderson (88)

32. Daunte Culpepper / Drew Stanton (92)

 

All of the rankings will be up in time for you to get your Thursday lineups in, so keep checking back. You can use the links below to check all of the other positions; they’ll be activated as they become available.

 

Peace,

T

(thyrl@wnst.net)

 

 

Week 13 RB Rankings & Previews

 

Week 13 WR Rankings & Previews

 

Week 13 TE Rankings & Previews

 

Week 13 K Rankings & Previews

 

Week 13 D/ST Rankings & Previews

 

 

Just for the sake of making everything easier, I’ve decided to post the week 12 Fantasy Start Rankings for all 6 positions in one place. It’s the same start rankings that you can find on the bottoms of each of the Positional Power Rankings for week 12. You can locate those power rankings by using the links at the bottom of this page too.

 

Listed below are the formulary start rankings for each of the 6 positions, with their formulary number listed in parentheses next to them. The formulary rankings are gotten using the “secret fantasy flavor formula”, it’s basically 2 parts player performance, 1 part defensive expectations against them this week, with a few variables thrown in for injuries and anomalies.

 

As news becomes available over the course of the weekend, I’ll make notes here too, so keep checking back. And at the end of the day, trust your gut, and have fun. That’s why we play the games after all anyway. And good luck to you this week as the playoffs approach.

 

QUARTERBACKS

 

1. Peyton Manning (15) @SD

2. Aaron Rodgers (21) @ NO

3. Jay Cutler (22) vs. OAK

4. Tony Romo (22) vs. SF

5. Kurt Warner (29) vs. NYG

6. Shaun Hill (31) @ DAL

7. Brady Quinn (31) vs. HOU

8. Drew Brees (35) vs. GB

9. Eli Manning (36) @ AZ

10. Phillip Rivers (40) vs. IND

11. Matt Cassel (40) @ MIA

12. Kyle Orton (42) @ ST.L

13. Tyler Thigpen (43) vs. BUF

14. Gus Frerotte (43) @ JAX

15. Jeff Garcia (44) @ DET

16. Donavan McNabb (45) @ BAL

17. Jason Campbell (48) @ SEA

18. David Garrard (52) vs. MIN

19. Brett Favre (53) @ TEN

20. Chad Pennington (57) vs. NE

21. Sage Rosenfels (61) @ CLE

22. Kerry Collins (61) vs. NYJ

23. Matt Ryan (62) vs. CAR

24. Joe Flacco (64) vs. PHI

25. Jake Delhomme (68) @ ATL

26. Ben Roethlisberger (69) vs. CIN

27. JaMarcus Russell (70) @ DEN*about the same if it’s Walter or Tuisasopo

28. Trent Edwards (78) @ KC

29. Marc Bulger (78) vs. CHI

30. Ryan Fitzpatrick (81) @ PIT

31. Daunte Culpepper (86) vs. TB

32. Matt Hasselbeck (87) vs. WAS

 

 

RUNNINGBACKS

 

1. Clinton Portis (19) @ SEA

2. Adrian Peterson (22) @ JAX

3. Matt Forte (22) @ ST.L

4. Frank Gore (23) @ DAL

5. Marion Barber (27) vs. SF

6. Thomas Jones (28) @ TEN

7. Reggie Bush (32) vs. GB

8. Brian Westbrook (33) @ BAL

9. Willie Parker (34) vs. CIN

10. Brandon Jacobs (35) @ AZ *watch his injury status

11. Marshawn Lynch (37) @ KC

12. LaDanian Tomlinson (38) vs. IND

13. Michael Turner (43) vs. CAR

14. DeAngelo Williams (43) @ ATL

15. Steve Slaton (45) @ CLE

16. Maurice Jones-Drew (46) vs. MIN

17. Ronnie Brown (48) vs. NE

18. Jamal Lewis (51) vs. HOU

19. Chris Johnson (56) vs. NYJ

20. Larry Johnson (56) vs. BUF

21. Steven Jackson (60) vs. CHI *keep an eye on his status

22. Joseph Addai (65)@ SD

23. LenDale White (66) vs. NYJ

24. Ryan Grant (69) @ NO

25. Darren McFadden (71) @ DEN

26. Jonathan Stewart (73) @ ATL

27. Warrick Dunn (74) @ DET

28. Sammy Morris (76) @ MIA

29. Mewelde Moore (77) vs. CIN

30. Tim Hightower (78) vs. NYG

31. Kevin Smith (79) vs. TB

32. Willis McGahee (83) vs. PHI *keep an eye on his status

33. Deuce McAllister (84) vs. GB

34. Derrick Ward (85) @ AZ

35. Ahman Green (85) @ CLE

36. LeRon McClain (87) vs. PHI *bump 2 or 3 spots if McGahee can’t go

37. Jerome Harrison (87) vs. HOU

38. Peyton Hillis (89) vs. OAK

39. Justin Fargas (95)vs. DEN *bump 15 spots if McFadden can’t go

40. Ray Rice (97) vs. PHI *keep him here regardless of McGahee’s status

41. Dominic Rhodes (97) @ SD

42. Jerious Norwood (99) vs. CAR

43. Julius Jones (99) vs. WAS

44. Leon Washington (100) @ TEN

45. Antonio Pittman (102) vs. CHI *bump 8 to 10 spots if Steven Jackson can’t go

46. BenJarvis Green-Ellis (104) @ MIA

47. Ricky Williams (106) vs. NE

48. Chester Taylor (112) @ JAX

49. Kevin Faulk (114) @ MIA

50. Kenneth Darby (114) vs. CHI *bump 3 or 4 spots if Jackson can’t go

 

 

 

WIDE RECEIVERS

 

1. Santana Moss (11) @ SEA

2. Anquan Boldin (15) vs. NYG

3. Larry Fitzgerald (17) vs. NYG

4. Greg Jennings (20) @ NO

5. Andre Johnson (25) @ CLE

6. Bernard Berrian (27) @ JAX

7. Steve Smith (29) *CAR @ ATL

8. Calvin Johnson (32) vs. TB

9. Roddy White (34) vs. CAR

10. Reggie Wayne (34) @ SD

11. Hines Ward (38) vs. CIN

12. Kevin Walter (41) @ CLE

13. Brandon Marshall (45) vs. OAK

14. Justin Gage (45) vs. NYJ

15. Terrell Owens (48) vs. SF

16. Eddie Royal (49) vs. OAK

17. DeWayne Bowe (49) vs. BUF

18. Randy Moss (50) @ MIA

19. Lee Evans (56) @ KC

20. Antonio Bryant (59) @ DET

21. TJ Houshmandzadeh (60) @ PIT

22. Donnie Avery (63) vs. CHI

23. Lance Moore (67) vs. GB

24. Vincent Jackson (68) vs. IND

25. Wes Welker (68) @ MIA

26. DeSean Jackson (69) @ BAL

27. Plaxico Burress (74) @ AZ

28. Donald Driver (76) @ NO

29. Braylon Edwards (77) vs. HOU

30. Chris Chambers (80) vs. IND

31. Laverneus Coles (81) @ TEN

32. Jehrrico Cotchery (83) @ TEN

33. Matt Jones (84) vs. MIN

34. Mushin Muhammad (91) @ ATL

35. Derrick Mason (92) vs. PHI *watch his injury status

36. DeVery Henderson (95) vs. GB

37. Steve Breaston (95) vs. NYG

38. Issac Bruce (98) @ DAL

39. Brandon Lloyd (98) @ ATL

40. Mark Bradley (101) vs. BUF

41. Nate Washington (104) vs. CIN

42. Kevin Curtis (105) @ BAL

43. Ted Ginn Jr. (109) vs. NE

44. Sinorice Moss (110) @ AZ

45. Michael Jenkins (116) vs. CAR

46. Santonio Holmes (117) vs. CIN

47. Marvin Harrison (118) @ SD

48. Greg Camarillo (121) vs. NE

49. Malcolm Floyd (124) vs. IND

50. Ricky Williams (124) vs. NE

51. Antoine Randle-El (127) @ SEA

52. Anthony Gonzalez (128) @ SD

53. Rasheid Davis (132) @ ST.L

54. Tory Holt (133) vs. CHI

55. Bryant Johnson (134) @ DAL

56. Jabar Gafney (134) @ MIA

57. Hank Baskett (135) vs. BAL

58. Amani Toomer (136) @ AZ

59. Marques Colston (137) vs. GB

60. Chad Johnson (140) @ PIT *out insert Chris Henry here

61. Patrick Crayton (140) vs. SF

62. Devin Hester (144) @ ST.L

63. Koren Robinson (149) vs. WAS

64. Bobby Wade (151) @ JAX

65. Myles Austin (152) vs. SF  out

66. Sidney Rice (153) @ JAX

67. Marty Booker (156) @ ST.L

68. Deion Branch (157) vs. WAS

69. Ike Hilliard (161) @ DET

70. Reggie Brown (163) @ BAL

71. Chansi Stuckey (165) @ TEN

72. John Standeford (170) vs. TB

73. Brandon Stokley (171) vs. OAK

74. Mike Walker (174) @ DET

75. Steve Smith (174)*NYG @ AZ

 

 

TIGHT ENDS

 

1. Dallas Clark (13) @ SD

2. Kellen Winslow Jr. (15) vs. HOU

3. Tony Scheffler (20) vs. OAK

4. Bo Scaife (24) vs. NYJ

5. Antonio Gates (28) vs. IND

6. Owen Daniels (29) @ CLE

7. Tony Gonzalez (33) vs. BUF

8. Kevin Boss (34) @ AZ

9. Anthony Fasano (34) vs. NE

10. Dustin Keller (34) @ TEN

11. Zach Miller (34) @ DEN

12. Billy Miller (38) vs. GB

13. Jerramy Stevens (39) @ DET

14. Jason Witten (42) vs. SF

15. Visanthe Schiancoe (43) @ JAX

16. Chris Cooley (45) @ SEA

17. Greg Olsen (53) @ ST.L

18. Alex Smith (53) @ DET

19. Mercedes Lewis (55) vs. MIN

20. Todd Heap (55) vs. PHI

21. Tom Santi (61) @ SD

22. John Carlson (63) vs. WAS

23. Daniel Graham (64) @ CLE

24. LJ Smith (66) @ BAL

25. Derek Fine (69) @ KC

26. Steve Heiden (73) vs. HOU

27. Vernon Davis (76) @ DAL

28. Dante Rosario (78) @ ATL

29. Donald Lee (79) @ NO

30. Heath Miller (80) vs. CIN

31. Martellus Bennett (80) vs. SF

32. Brent Celek (80) @ BAL

33. David Martin (80) vs. NE

34. Alge Crumpler (80) vs. NYJ

35. Jeremy Shockey (82) vs. GB

 

 

KICKERS

 

1. Mason Crosby (16) @ NO

2. Garrett Hartley (16) vs. GB

3. Stephen Gostkowski (24) @ MIA

4. Matt Bryant (26) @ DET

5. Phil Dawson (29) vs. HOU

6. David Akers (30) @ BAL

7. Lawrence Tynes (32) @ AZ *no difference if it’s Carney

8. Rian Lindell (33) @ KC

9. Jason Elam (36) vs. CAR

10. Shaun Suisham (36) @ SEA

11. Nate Kaeding (39) vs. IND

12. Joe Nedney (41) @ DAL

13. Matt Prater (44) vs. CAR

14. Jay Feeley (46) @ TEN

15. Ryan Longwell (46) @ JAX

16. Robbie Gould (46) @ ST.L

17. Rob Bironas (47) vs. NYJ

18. Sebastian Janikowski (48) @ DEN

19. Josh Brown (50) vs. CHI

20. Neil Rackers (54) vs. NYG

21. Josh Scobee (58) vs. MIN

22. John Kasay (61) @ ATL

23. Jeff Reed (61) vs. CIN

24. Nick Folk (65) vs. SF

25. Jason Hanson (69) vs. TB

26. Connor Barth (69) vs. BUF

27. Matt Stover (71) vs. PHI

28. Olindo Mare (75) vs. WAS

29. Kris Brown (77) @ CLE

30. Adam Vinatieri (77) @ SD

31. Shayne Graham (79) @ PIT

32. Dan Carpenter (83) vs. NE

 

 

DEFENSE / SPECIAL TEAMS

 

1. Tampa Bay Buccaneers (7) @ DET

2. Pittsburgh Steelers (16) vs. CIN

3. Chicago Bears (21) @ ST.L

4. Green Bay Packers (27) @ NO

5. Philadelphia Eagles (27) @ BAL

6. Tennessee Titans (30) vs. NYJ

7. New York Jets (36) @ TEN

8. New York Giants (37) @ AZ

9. Baltimore Ravens (42) vs. PHI

10. Miami Dolphins (42) vs. NE

11. Seattle Seahawks (42) vs. WAS

12. San Francisco 49ers (43) @ DAL

13. Dallas Cowboys (43) vs. SF

14. Jacksonville Jaguars (44) vs. MIN

15. Cleveland Browns (46) vs. HOU

16. Minnesota Vikings (48) @ JAX

17. Oakland Raiders (49) @ DEN

18. Atlanta Falcons (50) vs. CAR

19. Buffalo Bills (50) @ KC

20. Arizona Cardinals (51) vs. NYG

21. Carolina Panthers (52) @ ATL

22. Washington Redskins (58) @ SEA

23. Kansas City Chiefs (63) vs. BUF

24. New England Patriots (65) @ MIA

25. Cincinnati Bengals (67) @ PIT

26. Denver Broncos (67) vs. OAK

27. San Diego Chargers (68) vs. IND

28. New Orleans Saints (72) vs. GB

29. Indianapolis Colts (73) @ SD

30. Houston Texans (80) @ CLE

31. St. Louis Rams (81) vs. CHI

32. Detroit Lions (87) vs. TB

 

 

Week 12 Fantasy QB Rankings and Previews

 

Week 12 Fantasy RB Rankings and Previews

 

Week 12 Fantasy WR Rankings and Previews

 

Week 12 Fantasy TE Rankings and Previews

 

Week 12 Fantasy K Rankings and Previews

 

Week 12 Fantasy D/ST Rankings and Previews

 

Peace,

T

(thyrl@wnst.net)

 

 

Here are this week’s Fantasy Flavor Quarterback Power Rankings for week 12. There wasn’t a lot of movement within the top ten, and at this point in the season, barring injury, there likely won’t be. The bottom half of the top 20 is full of upstarts, rookies and fill ins. Both Tony Romo and Kyle Orton returned to action, and to the top 20 this week, and Shaun Hill has worked his way in as well, and could prove to be a valuable stretch run addition.

 

Keep in mind that the power rankings, listed here, are based on year to date performance and not a reflection of your best options for week 12. Just below the power rankings are match up previews advising who should be better or worse than usual this week, based on their opponents. At the bottom, are the week 12 start rankings, that’s where you should look for help with your week 12 lineup decisions.

 

Week 12 Fantasy Quarterback Power Rankings

 

QB Power Rankings Archive – 3 – 4 – 5 – 6 – 7 - 8 - 9 - 10 – 11

 

(last week’s rankings in parentheses)

 

1. Kurt Warner (3) – AZ – 3155 yds 20 TD 7 int

 

2. Drew Brees (2) – NO – 3251 yds 18 TD 11 int

 

3. Jay Cutler (1) – DEN – 2832 yds 19 TD 11 int

 

4. Phillip Rivers (4) – SD – 2513 yds 21 TD 10 int

 

5. Aaron Rodgers (5) – GB – 2351 yds 15 TD 6 int & 3 rush TD

 

6. Tony Romo (NR) – DAL – 1887 yds 15 TD 7 int

 

7. Peyton Manning (6) – IND – 2568 yds 17 TD 9 int & 1 rush TD

 

8. Donavan McNabb (7) – PHI – 2711 yds 14 TD 8 int & 1 rush TD

 

9. Brett Favre (9) – NYJ – 2237 yds 18 TD 12 int

 

10. Matt Cassel (18) – NE – 2200 yds 10 TD 7 int & 1 rush TD

 

11. Eli Manning (8) – NYG – 2079 yds 15 TD 7 int & 1 rush TD

 

12. Kyle Orton (NR) – CHI – 1910 yds 10 TD 4 int & 1 rush TD

 

13. David Garrard (10) – JAX – 2144 yds 8 TD 6 int & 1 rush TD

 

14. Matt Ryan (12) – ATL – 2159 yds 11 TD 6 int

 

15. Shaun Hill (NR) – SF – 1731 yds 5 TD 2 int & 1 rush TD

 

16. Tyler Thigpen (17) – KC – 1337 yds 10 TD 5 int & 1 rush TD

 

17. Gus Frerotte (13) – MIN – 1557 yds 11 TD 11 int

 

18. Joe Flacco (16) – BAL – 1813 yds 8 TD 9 int & 2 rush TD

 

19. Chad Pennington (11) – MIA – 2374 yds 8 TD 5 int

 

20. Jason Campbell (14) – WAS – 2122 yds 9 TD 3 int

 

Dropped from Rankings: Jeff Garcia – TB; Jake Delhomme – CAR; Ben Roethlisberger – PIT

 

QBs Who Should Be Better Than Usual in Week 12: Peyton Manning @ SD; Kyle Orton @ ST.L; Aaron Rodgers @ NO; Eli Manning @ AZ; Gus Frerotte @ JAX

 

QBs Who Could Be Sleepers Based on Week 12 Match Ups: Jeff Garcia @ DET; Brady Quinn vs. HOU; Jason Campbell @ SEA; JaMarcus Russell @ DEN; Kerry Collins vs. NYJ

 

QBs With Tough Week 12 Match Ups: Phillip Rivers vs. IND; Brett Favre @ TEN; Drew Brees vs. GB; Donavan McNabb @ BAL; Kurt Warner vs. NYG; Daunte Culpepper vs. TB; Tyler Thigpen vs. BUF

 

QBs You Might Want To Avoid In Week 12: Ryan Fitzpatrick @ PIT; Matt Ryan vs. CAR; Joe Flacco vs. PHI

 

And here are the week 12 Fantasy QB start rankings; it’s all 32 projected starters in the order that you should consider them this week. They were gotten using the Fantasy Flavor secret formula, and have their formulary numbers in parentheses, the lower the better. We’ll get all of the positional rankings out to you in time for the Thursday night game, so keep checking back for the rest.

 

1. Peyton Manning (15)

2. Aaron Rodgers (21)

3. Jay Cutler (22)

4. Tony Romo (22)

5. Kurt Warner (29)

6. Shaun Hill (31)

7. Brady Quinn (31)

8. Drew Brees (35)

9. Eli Manning (36)

10. Phillip Rivers (40)

11. Matt Cassel (40)

12. Kyle Orton (42)

13. Tyler Thigpen (43)

14. Gus Frerotte (43)

15. Jeff Garcia (44)

16. Donavan McNabb (45)

17. Jason Campbell (48)

18. David Garrard (52)

19. Brett Favre (53)

20. Chad Pennington (57)

21. Sage Rosenfels (61)

22. Kerry Collins (61)

23. Matt Ryan (62)

24. Joe Flacco (64)

25. Jake Delhomme (68)

26. Ben Roethlisberger (69)

27. JaMarcus Russell (70) *about the same if it’s Walter or Tuisasopo

28. Trent Edwards (78)

29. Marc Bulger (78)

30. Ryan Fitzpatrick (81)

31. Daunte Culpepper (86)

32. Matt Hasselbeck (87)

 

All of the rankings will be up in time for you to get your Thursday’s lineups in, so keep checking back. You can use the links below to check all of the other positions; they’ll be activated as they become available.

 

Peace,

T

(thyrl@wnst.net)

 

Week 12 RB Rankings and Previews

 

Week 12 WR Rankings and Previews

 

Week 12 TE Rankings and Previews

 

Week 12 K Rankings and Previews

 

Week 12 D/ST Rankings and Previews

Even if you’re someone who believes in good losses or moral victories, which I’m not by the way, you wouldn’t make an argument that the Ravens’ 30-10 undressing at the hands of the Giants on Sunday was either. The offensive juggernaut that was the “New Look” Baltimore Ravens for the past few weeks came crashing back to earth in a most humiliating fashion, in what was likely the Ravens final visit ever to the Meadowlands.

 

If you’re looking for a bright side, well then you’d have to look pretty deep. But I’d say that if there’s a positive spin to be put on the season as a whole at this point, it’s that championship teams are usually dealing with adversity and working out their issues at this time of year. As close as the Patriots came last season, you just don’t see teams dominate a season in today’s NFL from start to finish.

 

Look no further than the team that dismantled the Ravens on Sunday. At this time last season, the Giants were floundering. Eli Manning was struggling to get his team into the end zone, Brandon Jacobs was unable to stay healthy for a prolonged stretch, and the Giants couldn’t seem to beat anyone at home. Those Giants did just enough to be in position for the playoffs, and then took matters into their own hands from there. Outside of the Giants locker room, few believed that their week 17 showdown with the Patriots was a Superbowl preview.

 

If having struggles to overcome midseason is the precursor to postseason success, then the Ravens have a lot to be happy about. Because as good as they’ve been at times during this season, the Ravens have demons to overcome and questions to be answered on every side of the ball. Ready or not, the Ravens have positioned themselves right into the middle of the AFC playoff picture, and injuries and inexperience will not be an excuse, should they play themselves back out of contention.

 

On offense, the line has been makeshift, yet remains one of the pleasant surprises and true bright spots of this young team. They’ve done a much better than expected job of protecting Joe Flacco, and opening lanes for their three-headed running attack. Flacco, the rookie QB, is progressing much more quickly than almost anyone would have expected. And the creativity in the running and passing games has brought new life to the Ravens offense and their downfield potential.

 

Todd Heap however, has been surprisingly all but non-existent in the passing game this season. And in a match up this week, that seemed to set the table for Heap to find his role in the passing game, the Ravens elected to lean on a one-armed Derrick Mason as their primary passing target, over an able-bodied Heap and Mark Clayton. And while Mason, the unsung hero Flacco’s rapid development, deserves to be commended for gutting it out through his shoulder injury, clearly his one-armed status was a hindrance, and probably cost his young QB an interception too. The single wing offense has been dangerous this season, but a single winged wide receiver is probably best left to heal on the sideline.

 

Speaking of healing on the sideline, it appears that Willis McGahee could benefit from a little bit of Derrick Mason’s heart. Whether McGahee’s inability to stay in the lineup is a result of rushing him back too quickly, or his body simply breaking down, or an inability for him to stay interested in playing for prolonged stretches, it has to be of major concern to the Ravens going forward. Even last season, McGahee was unavailable at the ends of close crucial losses to Buffalo and New England. LeRon McClain and Ray Rice have definitely been pleasant surprises to this point, but without a reliable McGahee down the stretch, Flacco will have his hands full with the defensive pressure that he’ll likely be seeing.

 

On defense, the numbers are there, although the numbers took a little hit on Sunday too. But the Ravens have allowed crucial drives to allow points at the ends of halves and games that raise doubts about their status as an elite defense, like others that we’ve seen here in the past. And that was before Brandon Jacobs and his band of merry men ran all over the Ravens on Sunday. The secondary has held together remarkably in the face of numerous injuries, but maybe Sunday gave a glimpse as to why. Maybe the defense’s need to lend help to the secondary in coverage is taking away from the pass rush, and now maybe the ability to stop the run as well.

 

Bart Scott and Trevor Pryce have been all but invisible at times so far and Ed Reed is clearly just a shell of the player that we’ve come to expect prowling this secondary. At this point in the season, Reed has just 2 games with more than 2 tackles; he has just one interception on the season and just 6 pass deflections through ten games. Say what you want about teams throwing away from him, but if that were the case, defending half the field would be easy for the rest of the secondary. Teams are throwing at the Ravens all over the field, even at Ed Reed, plus he’s been thrown off of tackle attempts by ball carriers more than I can ever recall seeing from Reed in the past.

 

The fact that players aren’t even looking to pitch their interceptions to him this season may be a subtle indication of where Reed is health-wise. His reputation may be all that is sustaining him at this point. I’m sure that offensive coordinators are still preparing as if this is the Ed Reed of old, but clearly he isn’t. For a while, I wanted to believe that Harbaugh was just being prudent with Reed, guarding him from injury. But if Ed Reed isn’t making big plays, then he’s not Ed Reed. And if he’s not healthy enough to be put into a position to make those plays, then he certainly doesn’t belong returning kicks.

 

Perhaps the biggest reasons of all for concern, and also the ones least likely to change anytime soon, have been some questionable coaching decisions by our rookie head coach. Believe me, I’m not on the “Fire Harbaugh” Bandwagon, or even a basher at this point. Clearly Harbaugh has taken control of the attitude of this locker room, and brought back a winning mentality that may not have been possible this quickly under the old regime. But if you thought that Brain Billick was a curious manager of the clock, then like me, you must have been scratching your head at a number of timeouts, punts on short fields, missed challenge opportunities and curious end game clock usage by Harbaugh so far.

 

Some of this could likely be chalked up to the learning curve of a rookie head coach. Some of it can also probably be linked to the lack of depth and/or talent provided to him at certain key positions. But like it or not, Harbaugh’s learning curve, like that of his young QB, is happening right in the middle of the playoff chase. And the fans are going to be no more forgiving to Harbaugh, or Flacco for that matter than they were to Boller once upon a time in similar circumstances. So far, Flacco seems to be handling it much better than his young coach.

 

We all looked at the schedule with dread before the season began, and we shouldn’t lose sight of the fact that this team has performed well beyond reasonable expectations already. But the bar doesn’t go back down, and it’s been set pretty high at this point. Most expected the Ravens to win one game that it looked like they shouldn’t, and lose one the same way too. So far they’ve beaten what you’d call the “bad teams” that they’ve played, and came up short against the “good ones”. Close losses to Pittsburgh and Tennessee led most to believe that the Ravens could beat those types of teams, but so far, no luck.

 

The remaining schedule will provide them with lots more opportunities to pick up that elusive “quality win”. But if they want to contend for the playoffs, they’ll probably need to pick up a few. Quality wins would likely provide the confidence that this team needs to go into the playoffs with a head of steam. If the team is able to get back on track they’ll likely be better for having had to suffer this embarrassing defeat, but if they’re not, this will likely mark the beginning of the end for this season.

 

Next week provides Harbaugh and the Raven a fresh opportunity, back in a friendly environment to pick up that elusive quality win that would define the Ravens as true contenders. Given the decade of service that Harbaugh has in Andy Reid’s system, and his intricate knowledge of their strengths and tendencies, I’m looking at this week’s match up with the Eagles as a big test and a big opportunity for Harbaugh. With two teams of seemingly similar talent on the field, playing here in Baltimore next week, Harbaugh has a chance to coach his team to a win in this one. Doing it would go a long way toward burying the memory of yesterday’s massacre at the Meadowlands right where it belongs, right next to Jimmy Hoffa.

 

Peace,

T

(thyrl@wnst.net)

In a game that truly was a tale of two halves, the Ravens were completely and physically humbled in the first half but rebounded to give a spirited second half account of themselves before losing to the Giants at the Meadowlands. 

In fact, the game was very much in the balance until Derrick Mason failed to hold on to a Joe Flacco throw late in the 3rd quarter, resulting in a 50-yard interception return for a touchdown by New York’s Aaron Ross that sealed the Ravens’ fate.

If that play DOESN’T happen, who knows what the final 15 minutes would have looked like.

The first half beating was eerily similar to the one Rocky Balboa took from Clubber Lang in Rocky 3. Rocky got his rear end handed to him in that bout and so did the Ravens in the first half of today’s game.  It was ugly, plain and simple.  Brandon Jacobs ran over just about everyone in a white jersey during the first 30 minutes and Baltimore’s tackling was minor league.  And when Jacobs wasn’t running wild, New York receivers were taking advantage of a soft Ravens’ secondary en route to a 20-3 halftime lead that would have been worse had Eli Manning not thrown a ball right to Ray Lewis with 12 seconds left with the Giants on Baltimore’s 18-yard line.

Aided by a 7-minute drive early in the 3rd quarter, Baltimore got back in the game with a Flacco to Le’Ron McClain TD pass that gave the Ravens hope and sent their defense back on the field with a mission.  Five plays later, the Ravens got the ball back on their own 30 and the crowd started to get a bit antsy.  The rout was no longer a rout.

But as is the case in most games, one play altered the momentum at a critical time and that play, unfortunately, went against the Ravens.  On 2nd and 5 from their own 42, Flacco looked to his left and found Mason for what would have been a first down, but the ball deflected off of Mason and fell into the waiting arms of Ross, who ran uncontested into the end zone for the backbreaking score and a 27-10 lead.

From there, the teams meandered through a meaningless fourth quarter, although the Ravens mysteriously ran the ball throughout the final stanza while trailing by 20 points.  

All in all, it was a fairly poor performance from the Ravens, who looked listless against the run and simply couldn’t come all the way back from a first half thrashing that had Giants fans laughing in their seats while the team in blue ran roughshod over the vaunted Baltimore defense.

As I wake this morning the Baltimore Ravens – and, yes, they used the word “Baltimore” before it was “comprehensive branding effort” – are 6-3 and could be in sole possession of first place in the AFC North if a series of positive events transpire later today at the Meadowlands and in Pittsburgh, where the Steelers host a desperate San Diego Chargers club coming east to play with their season in the balance.

No matter what, we’re gonna learn a lot about January today.

In my 13 years of fandom I’ve never seen a purple team this hard to read. Are they this good? Or were THEY that BAD?

I’m not really sure.

Here are the irrefutable facts:

• The Ravens have played nine games and have played eight of them well enough to win. That includes solid, representative efforts in Pittsburgh and here against the undefeated and “unstoppable” Tennessee Titans.
• The Ravens played one of the biggest turds in the history of the franchise in Indianapolis and any horse player might “throw this one out” if they can legitimately run with the New York Football Giants.
• Their only wins have come at the expense of the likes of the Cleveland Browns, Cincinnati Bengals and Oakland Raiders – the literal dregs of the league and darlings of next April’s NFL Draft.
• The road has been far from a nuisance for rookie quarterback Joe Flacco, who after appearing to have been playing the rope-a-dope in that game against the Colts, has rebounded nicely with huge efforts in Miami, Cleveland and Houston.
• The injuries have mounted – Kelly Gregg, Chris McAlister, Marshal Yanda and Dawan Landry are all done for the season – and the “next man up” has gotten the job done. Winning teams do that!
• The team has a rookie head coach, a rookie quarterback, a rookie left tackle and aging players at a variety of positions from wide receiver to defensive line to middle linebacker and week after week they’ve brought impressive moxie to the field no matter the circumstance. The secondary has been ravaged but is still percolating and when the front seven brings the heat this is a 3-and-out waiting to happen.
• They know how to come back from behind on the road as was witnessed in Cleveland, where they effectively ended their bitter division rival’s playoff aspirations on Halloween weekend.
• And finally, the Giants are 8-1. So let’s just assume they’re pretty good.

These are the facts. But how this game sets up is anyone’s guess.

The Giants are a prohibitive favorite. The weather is slated to be kinda chilly at 49 degrees. And we’re taking 57 purple WNST fans up to the game via the “Miller Lite Roadtrips.”

The rest is why we take the video camera…

Will the Ravens defense shut down the Big Blue running game – Earth, Wind and Fire – which leads the league in rushing?

Will Rex Ryan’s blitz packages get after Eli Manning or will the Giants solid offensive line give him their signal caller a chance to exploit a depleted secondary?

And how will No. 5 fare up the Turnpike from his home in New Jersey as the Giants disguise packages and send the blitz of Justin Tuck and company?

This is why I love football.

Can the Ravens go into the Meadowlands and defeat the reigning World Champions today?

That’s what we’re all wondering…

The bus leaves at 7 a.m.

Casey Willett, Drew Forrester and I will all be at the Meadowlands.

Blogs, stories, videos and hopefully, a victory, will be coming back with us.

We’re really starting to see where the power lies now when it comes to quarterbacks. All of last week’s top 9 remained there, with a slight bit of scrambling within the ranks. Injuries have kept the waiver wire hot for owners not fortunate enough to have one of the top 5 or 6, or not willing to part with the talent necessary to trade for one.

 

There’ll be more of the same this week, with at least 3 quarterbacks likely to be available on your waiver wire worthy of consideration. That’s good news too, if you’ve been getting by with those in the bottom half of this week’s power rankings.

 

Remember that we’re listing 3 separate areas of evaluation in each Positional Power Rankings blog. The power rankings, listed first, are a year to date assessment of the top 20 at each position. Under those, are listings advising who should be a little bit better or worse than usual, based on their match up this week. And finally, at the bottom of each blog is the formulary start rankings, which is gotten using the “Secret Fantasy Flavor Formula”. It’s two parts year to date performance, one part opponents’ defensive performance, with adjustments for injuries, anomalies, and playing time changes.

 

Remember, none of this is gospel. If it were that easy, it wouldn’t be fun to play the games. With that said, we’re very proud of our track record so far, and suggest that you use these and as many other resources as you can find, in order to formulate your own opinions. After all, it’s you who has to live with your lineup decisions.

 

Week 11 Fantasy Quarterback Power Rankings

 

QB Power Rankings Archive – 3 – 4 – 5 – 6 – 7 - 8 - 9 - 10

 

Remember that the power rankings listed here are a reflection of year to date performance only, and not an inducement of who to start this week. Check the list at the bottom of the column for this week’s start rankings.

 

(last week’s rankings in parentheses)

 

1. Jay Cutler (5) – DEN – 2616 yds 18 TD 11 int

 

2. Drew Brees (2) – SD – 2985 yds 17 TD 10 int

 

3. Kurt Warner (4) – AZ – 2760 yds 19 TD 6 int

 

4. Phillip Rivers (1) – SD – 2354 yds 21 TD 8 int

 

5. Aaron Rodgers (3) – GB – 2124 yds 13 TD 5 int

 

6. Peyton Manning (7) – IND – 2248 yds 15 TD 9 int

 

7. Donavan McNabb (6) – PHI – 2372 yds 13 TD 5 int

 

8. Eli Manning (8) – NYG – 1926 yds 14 TD 6 int

 

9. Brett Favre (9) – NYJ – 1979 yds 16 TD 12 int

 

10. David Garrard (11) – JAX – 2009 yds 8 TD 5 int

 

11. Chad Pennington (12) – MIA – 2200 yds 8 TD 5 int

 

12. Matt Ryan (16) – ATL – 1909 yds 11 TD 5 int

 

13. Gus Frerotte (13) – MIN – 1619 yds 10 TD 11 int

 

14. Jason Campbell (14) – WAS – 1960 yds 8 TD 2 int

 

15. Jeff Garcia (15) – TB – 1363 yds 5 TD 3 int

 

16. Joe Flacco (17) – BAL – 1649 yds 7 TD 7 int

 

17. Tyler Thigpen (NR) – KC – 1102 yds 8 TD 4 int

 

18. Matt Cassel (18) – NE – 1800 yds 7 TD 7 int

 

19. Jake Delhomme (10) – 1853 yds 10 TD 9 int

 

20. Ben Roethlisberger (19) – 1686 yds 10 TD 11 int

 

Dropped from Rankings: Marc Bulger – ST.L

 

QBs Who Should Be Better Than Usual In Week 11: Jake Delhomme vs. DET; Ben Roethlisberger vs. SD; Kurt Warner @ SEA; Peyton Manning vs. HOU; Matt Ryan vs. DEN; Marc Bulger @ SF

 

QBs Who Could Be Sleepers Based on Week 11 Match Ups: Shaun Hill vs. ST.L; Seneca Wallace vs. AZ; Kerry Collins @ JAX; Tyler Thigpen vs. NO

 

QBs With Tough Week 11 Match Ups: Daunte Culpepper or Drew Stanton @ CAR; Kyle Orton or Rex Grossman @ GB; Phillip Rivers @ PIT; Eli Manning vs. BAL; Jeff Garcia vs. MIN; David Garrard vs. TEN

 

QBs You Might Want to Avoid in Week 11: Sage Rosenfels @ IND; Ryan Fitzpatrick vs. PHI; Gus Frerotte @ TB; Joe Flacco @ NYG

 

And here are the week 11 Fantasy QB start rankings; it’s all 32 projected starters in the order that you should consider them this week. They were gotten using the Fantasy Flavor secret formula, and have their formulary numbers in parentheses, the lower the better. We’ll get all of the positional rankings out to you in time for the Thursday night game, so keep checking back for the rest.

 

1. Kurt Warner (9)

2. Jay Cutler (14)

3. Peyton Manning (20)

4. Drew Brees (23)

5. Aaron Rodgers (31)

6. Donavan McNabb (32)

7. Brady Quinn (34)

8. Phillip Rivers (36)

9. Shaun Hill (36)

10. Tony Romo (37) *drop to 25 or lower if it’s not Romo

11. Tyler Thigpen (38)

12. Matt Ryan (39)

13. Brett Favre (42)

14. Eli Manning (46)

15. Chad Pennington (48)

16. Jake Delhomme (51)

17. Ben Roethlisberger (54)

18. David Garrard (55)

19. Jason Campbell (57)

20. Gus Frerotte (60)

21. Kyle Orton (61) *about the same if it’s Rex Grossman

22. Jeff Garcia (63)

23. Matt Cassel (64)

24. Kerry Collins (66)

25. Trent Edwards (67)

26. JaMarcus Russell (67) *drop a spot or two if it’s Andrew Walter

27. Joe Flacco (69)

28. Marc Bulger (69)

29. Sage Rosenfels (70)

30. Seneca Wallace (71)

31. Ryan Fitzpatrick (75)

32. Daunte Culpepper (92) * no difference if it’s Drew Stanton or Dan Orlovsky

 

I’ll make sure to get all of the Positional Rankings out in time to help with your Thursday night lineup decisions. Use the links below for the other positions. If they’re not active yet, keep checking back.

 

Peace,

T

(thyrl@wnst.net)

 

Week 11 Fantasy RB Rankings and Previews

 

Week 11 Fantasy WR Rankings and Previews

 

Week 11 Fantasy TE Rankings and Previews

 

Week 11 Fantasy D/ST Rankings and Previews

 

Week 11 Fantasy K Rankings and Previews

 

Texans’ QB Sage Rosenfels threw high and wide enough on Sunday afternoon to easily qualify for a spot in the Orioles starting rotation.  

At one point in the 4th quarter, I assumed Houston would go with Matt Schaub…crutches and all.

I doubt he could have been worse than Rosenfels.

Baltimore’s playoff drive shifted into high gear on Sunday with a 41-13 whipping of the Houston Texans, boosted by an efficient offense, a 2-TD day from Todd Heap and a relentless defensive line that stopped the run, intercepted a pass and made life miserable for the Texans offense.

It got so out of hand late in the game that the Ravens decided to run up the score by letting Troy Smith throw a touchdown pass.

Now…the fun and games are over.

Next week, the Ravens go back to playing Division I teams when they travel to the Meadowlands to take on the defending Super Bowl Champions.

Eli Manning won’t throw four picks next Sunday, you can bet on that.

And the Ravens secondary will have to step up in class next Sunday or today’s score – 41-13 – might be next week’s score…but the other way around.

Lost in today’s laugher was another effective performance from Joe Flacco, who went 15-23 for 185 yards and 2 TD’s.  He hasn’t thrown an interception since week #5 in Indianapolis.  Sage Rosenfels threw two in two series’ today.  Yes, Flacco has come along nicely, I’d say.  And Willis McGahee carried the ball 25 times for 112 yards…a reasonable indication that he’s working himself back to 100%.  Finally, Todd Heap showed his detractors that the ball actually does still stick to his hands as #86 caught 5 passes for 58 yards and a couple of scores.  

It was a good day all around for the Ravens, who have now won four straight games.  

Even when the other team stinks it up like the Texans did, there are always plenty of good things to take from a win.

Flacco seemingly outplays the other team’s QB every week.  Baltimore’s running game is powerful, speedy and very unpredictable.  Don’t look now, but guys like Mark Clayton and Yamon Figurs are actually contributing on the receiving end of things.  Shock of all shocks — Todd Heap’s NOT washed up after all, huh?  (those of you who have been saying that just take your medicine like a man and get another beer…).

These kinds of wins are fun.  You make light of the other team’s quarterback, you giggle at the trick plays and you joke about how we’re now the team with the potent offense and the opponent has the guy behind center who can’t complete a pass to his own team.  

Just remember, starting next Sunday, it’s back to the big leagues for the Ravens.

Next week, we’ll see if the fairy tale continues — or does a trip to the Big Apple put a temporary halt to Baltimore’s playoff push?

Fantasy Football What’s New For 11.05.08

Hey Check out the New Columns…CLICK HERE AND NEW THIS YEAR to FANS FANTASY FOOTBALL…your official FANTASY DRAFT GUIDE…not who but HOW to draft a winning Fantasy Football Team…CLICK HERE FOR THE WAY TO DRAFT THIS YEAR.

RANKINGS WILL BE OUT EVERY THURSDAY, CLICK HERE FOR THEM…

and

REVIEW of the WEEK THAT WAS IN FANTASY FOOTBALL every TUESDAY RIGHT HERE ON THE WHAT’s NEW PAGE!

plus

THE NEW MONDAY MORNING QUICK HITS ON KEN ZALIS’s COLUMNS PAGE

Some Notes from week 9:

• FLUKES:P. Hillis, D. Fine, M. Jenkins, K. Robinson, D. Stanley, JJ Arington
• FINDS: Rosenfelds, Flacco, Rice, R. Davis, B. Celek
• NOT SURE: C. Benson and M. Clayton
• Tim Hightower is the starter in ARZ and worth a start most weeks…this years Grant?
• Joe Flacco and Matt Ryan may be able to be counted on down the stretch!
• SELL HIGH…BUY LOW…greatest advice for any fantasy footballer.
  

TRADE BAIT(s): Chad Johnson (and hurry), A. Gonzales (and fast), A. Bryant (before you can blink), K. Boss (for a TE desperate team)

STAR(S) OF WEEK (officially renamed the LT of the Week): Kurt Warner, D. Mason and D. Driver, Chris Johnson and AP

DUD(S) of the Week: Matt Schuab, Ben Roethlisberger and Kyle Orton. Earnest Graham, Addai, Steven Jackson. Roddy White, Lee Evans and Plaxico Burress

Hot Pick up(s) of the week: LAST WEEK:Shaun Hill, Cedric Benson, Ray Rice, Ted Ginn Jr, Mike Walker, James Hardy

THIS WEEK: Jamaal Charles, Torian again if he is still there, Selvin Young, Ray Rice, Sage Rosenfelds, Brent Celek, Joe Flacco, Brady Quinn

TEAM(s) of the WEEK: Pittsburgh Steelers...on the road, lost their QB and still won against a quality team.

Ut Oh of the week: Cleveland Browns, lost at home to a division rival after being up 14 in the 3rd quarter and then changed QB’s for their short week…

Fantasy Football Start Them This Week…

Check back weekly. We will never say start LT or AP that is too obvious and We will never tell you to sit someone, but here are some people we really like ….you can make the sit calls or email us for our view…track how accurate we are…..we have been as good as everyone else so check us out.

PLEASE READ THIS WEEKS COLUMS ON STARTS: CLICK HERE

QB’s: MUST STARTS: ROMO (HURT), BREES, CUTLER, WARNER, MCNABB, ROETHLISBERGER, RODGERS, P. MANNING

Other to consider this week: Kerry Collins, Matt Ryan, Farve, Delhomme, Joe Flacco
RB’s: MUST STARTS: LT, Adrian Peterson, Westbrook , Parker, Lynch, Portis, Barber, Gore, Steve Jackson, Addai, Jacobs, Forte and Ronnie Brown

Others to consider this week: Jamal Lewis, Maurice Jones-Drew, Turner, Thomas Jones, Tim Hightower
WR’s/TE’s: MUST STARTS: TO, Greg Jennings, Randy Moss (still have to), Wes Welker (ppr), Fitzgerald, Boldin, Andre Johnson, Burress, Steve Smith, Calvin Johnson, Marshall, Wayne, Gates, Witten, Gonzales, Winslow

Other to consider this week: Eddie Royal, Derrick Mason, Berrian, Matt Jones, Mushin Muhammed, Deshawn Jackson, Steve Breaston and Cotchery.

Top 10 to 15 or so starts for IDP’s:

DL: Jared Allen, Mario Williams, Aaron Kampman, Will Smith, Julius Peppers, Patrick Kearney, Aaron Schobel, Trent Cole, Terrell Suggs, Gaines Adams, Aaron Carter, Justin Tuck and Justin Smith.

LB: D. Ryans, P. Willis, R. Lewis, N. Barnett, D. Harris, M. Peterson, K. Morrison, J. Beason, W. Witherspoon, K. Rivers, L. Fletcher, B. Urlacher, D. Edwards, AJ Hawk, James Harrison, J. Beason, J. Vilma and F. Keiaho

DB: G. Wilson, A. Wilson. C. Tillman, A. Bigby, C. Finnegan, A. Winfield, T. Polamalu, B. Sanders, L. Landry, M. Trufant, B. Pollard, Q. Jammer,A. Cromartie, E. Coleman and Mike Adams.

Some Other Guys We Like This Week…

SLEEPER(s) OF THE WEEK….what DUD will become a STUD…at least for one week….we will try to give a QB, RB and WR/TE each week…

QB: Brady Quinn…first chance against Denver..I will take it…
RB: I was a week ahead of myself…Ryan Torian…also Jamaal Charles could have a nice day
WR/TE: Donald Driver...may have been forgotten…he gets a TD this week
Kicker and Defense: Indy D and Matt Stover

Locks Of The Week…

In a suicide pool? We can help. Once again track our success. We will give you three a week.

After two years we are 118 – 51 (69.8%)…not bad!! TRULY pretty damn good…we have checked others out and we are just as good as they are! 2007 record: 48 – 21.

2008 RECCORD: 24 – 7

WEEK OF 11/06/08:

1. Arizona over SF
2. Miami over Seattle
3. Denver over Cleveland

Bonus Pick: San Diego over KC