It’s time for this week’s “Players Therapy Session”, where I give my feedback on the way that NFL players are expressing themselves in the news, with a fantasy twist of course.
How did you feel, Terrell Owens, when Tony Romo refused to refer to you by your name? "Dude, I could care less. I mean, he doesn't mention my name, that's fine. What about it? It isn't the first time that has happened. Bill Parcells didn't call me by my name, either, so what's the difference,” Owens said.
You know what? I am actually going to side with you for once, Owens. You seem to have decided to take the high road. Or at least you are taking what you discern to be the high road. For the rest of us it’s more like the medium road. At any rate, rather than flooding the media with criticism of Tony Romo (aside from your Twitter comments, which were mild for you) and the things that he clearly did wrong during your tenure in Dallas, you seem to be focusing the majority of your efforts on becoming a better player and teammate in Buffalo. You are admitting the mistakes that you are making on the practice field and you are putting in extra effort after hours to improve timing and cohesiveness with Edwards and Evans. I think this is a healthy step forward for you and, while I do feel that your fantasy value has diminished, (I won’t be drafting you top 5 at your position) I certainly will not shy away from you because of an “attitude” problem. Keep up the good work.
What’s new with you Kurt Warner? How’s the hip? “It's getting better, the pain is lessening - small increments, but it's lessening. As far as functionally though, I feel great. I feel strong. . . . It's just a matter of pain," Warner said.
I have doubted you in the past Kurt, and I was a fool. I used to be an instigator of the infamous chant: “Let Lienart play, let Lienart play!” No more, never again. “Let Lienart sit, let Lienart sit!” I am not even worried about the hip Kurt. As a matter of fact, if you were to lose your lower body completely I would still trust you to mount a wheelchair and be one of the most accurate passers in the game. General consensus is that you should be a top 5 pick, and the people are right. You keep working on the pain and I will worry about acquiring you on draft day.
Cedric Benson, what’s on your mind pal? How do you feel about the work you’ve been doing in OTA’s? "I've showed glimpses, but I have a lot still to do. I can take the load. (A larger workload in 2009)"It's something I know how to do and I enjoy it," said Benson.
So you think you can handle a larger workload Cedric? The world just isn’t ready for you my friend. I personally like your potential to surprise the masses in 2009. In 08’, you toted the ball more than 200 times in 12 games. You were on pace for nearly 300 carries. Marvin Lewis has expressed his commitment to rushing the ball in the upcoming season and a healthy Carson Palmer could make your job a whole lot easier. Perhaps you could even improve on your 3.5 yards per carry average and find the end-zone more than twice. The fact of the matter, however, is this: People in general, just don’t like you. You own mother would not draft you. I predict your average draft position to plateau somewhere around the 7th or 8th round. Maybe you would go in the 5th or 6th round in a league full of drunk-boating enthusiasts. It is just me and you for now. Until you prove that you can be somewhat of a playmaker, that is. That’s okay though because you have the potential to be a huge sleeper. In my opinion 6 touchdowns and 1,000 yards is not out of the question. You can sneak up on the fantasy world and shock them. You’re a ninja Cedric, you’re a ninja.
Contributed by James Rathbone
Senior Analysts
Fantasy Football Indepth
Thursday, May 28, 2009
Players Therapy Session
Sunday, February 22, 2009
Player Spotlights - Troy Tulowitzki and Chien-Ming Wang
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| Troy Tulowitzki and Chien-Ming Wang February 21, 2009 |
| Live Fantasy Baseball Mock Drafts, Fantasy Baseball Player Rankings, Player Trade Calculator, Fantasy Forums and more ! at FantasyBaseballXtreme.Com |
SS Troy Tulowitzki, Rockies, After his breakout season in 2007, where we saw Colorado's young SS hit .291 with 24 HRs and 99 RBIs, Tulowitzki and his unlucky fantasy owners suffered through a dreadful 2008, where he missed over 60 games with quadriceps and hand injuries and finished with only 8 HRs, 46 RBIs and a disappointing .263 average. As a consequence, Tulowitzi has gone from an approximate 4th round fantasy pick in 2008, to around a 9th round pick so far in 2009. At that kind of ADP, Troy Tulowitzki makes an excellent player to target in the mid-rounds of your draft.Word is that he is almost fully recovered from his troublesome quadriceps injury and there is every reason to believe that the 24-year old can recapture the productivity we saw out of him two years ago. Our early projections have Tulowitzki hitting over .280, with 19 HRs and about 80 RBI in 2009. |
SP Chien-Ming Wang,  NY Yankees, - Chien-Ming Wang was cruising along as his usual productive self in 2008 until he was afflicted with a foot injury before the All-Star break, and forced to miss the remainder of the season. Understandably, he is presently being ignored in many fantasy drafts, typically going after the 16th round. At this kind of ADP Wang makes an ideal addition to your fantasy pitching corps, as a value pick who can easily deliver 15 plus wins. When Wang is on, he throws a pretty good combination of pitches consisting of a power sinker, and a late-breaking slider. His sinker is considered one of the leagues best, and it allows him to work deep into many games by virtue of the groundouts he produces. While he usually won't produce more than 4-5 strikeouts per game, Wang still looks like a great value player to grab in 2009 for Wins, a sub-4 ERA and good WHIP ratio. |
Player Spotlights By Junkyard Jake JunkyardJake.Com  |
Wednesday, February 18, 2009
Draft Prepartion Tip #1: List Your Picks
One of the biggest problems people have with drafting is preparation. Sure you will have your favorite fantasy sites open to the cheat sheets, magazines ready to go, and some paper to write on. We all study players for weeks before the draft, but the mistake we make is we don't make a list of the players we want to pick in time for the draft. Sort of a dream team with several choices in each position. This blog will discuss the simple, but useful method of making a pre-draft pick list.
After you have studied all the players or better yet while you are studying the players you think will be the best options for your team, write them done in sequential order for each position. Say for 1B you have the following list:
Mark Texeria
Kevin Youkilis
Chris Davis
Joey Votto
Mike Jacobs
I think 4-5 players is fine. You could go deeper than that if you want to, but over preparing can be just as bad as under preparing. Make a similar list for each infield position and catcher. For outfielders make a list 15-25 outfielders . These guys go in bunches, so having at least 20 outfielders researched and selected will give you the best advantage when your sixty seconds comes up. List 10 closers minimum and for starting pitchers make three lists; Aces, Stable Pitchers, and Sleepers/Breakouts. I would have 10 or more of each. The reason you want to break up pitchers is to balance your rotation for at least the start of the season. You can have all aces and cheap sleepers you can draft, but you also must have your stable veteran pitchers who will do just about what is expected. An even mixture of those types of pitchers is a winning formula.
Once you have the lists completed and ready to go and you enter the draft room, you are now ready for most anything the draft can throw at you. Let's examine the first pick. We will assume you have the 2nd overall pick. Hanley Ramirez is off the board. before the draft you probably determined a draft flow strategy for which positions, player types, and scoring categories you would go for first if the option was available. We will do another blog of Draft Flow Strategy later this month. You determined you want speed and power early and infield if possible. You look at your 3B list ( I assume players only qualify for the position they will play):
David Wright
Aramis Ramirez
Chone Figgins
Edwin Encarnacion
Melvin Mora
You know David Wright is out there and he is speed and power. You check over your other lists and clearly he is the correct choice. Draft David Wright and cross him off your list. Its that simple. Now, let's skip to the 5th round. Your first four picks were 3B, 2B, OF, OF. You pick is up. Lots of players are gone, but your lists are still intact. You check your information, your flow strategy, which was get infield early plus speed and power. You then check the ADP and see guys that are going off the board at this time in the draft. Then you spot your pick looking at you 1B list.
Mark Texeria
Kevin Youkilis
Chris Davis
Joey Votto
Mike Jacobs
There is your pick. In the 5th round you get Chris Davis. This strategy won't make you the best overall draft master, but it will give you an advantage to creating your dream team. In every position there are countless player combinations that can win. If you trust your theories and research then use it along with your pick list to have a great draft. Don't be the guy that makes a critical draft mistake because 60 seconds wasn't long enough to research the best players in every position. Cut that work down into 8 lists and I promise time will be on your side. If you have any questions about draft strategy, email me at toodf@fantasybaseballsearch.com.
After you have studied all the players or better yet while you are studying the players you think will be the best options for your team, write them done in sequential order for each position. Say for 1B you have the following list:
Mark Texeria
Kevin Youkilis
Chris Davis
Joey Votto
Mike Jacobs
I think 4-5 players is fine. You could go deeper than that if you want to, but over preparing can be just as bad as under preparing. Make a similar list for each infield position and catcher. For outfielders make a list 15-25 outfielders . These guys go in bunches, so having at least 20 outfielders researched and selected will give you the best advantage when your sixty seconds comes up. List 10 closers minimum and for starting pitchers make three lists; Aces, Stable Pitchers, and Sleepers/Breakouts. I would have 10 or more of each. The reason you want to break up pitchers is to balance your rotation for at least the start of the season. You can have all aces and cheap sleepers you can draft, but you also must have your stable veteran pitchers who will do just about what is expected. An even mixture of those types of pitchers is a winning formula.
Once you have the lists completed and ready to go and you enter the draft room, you are now ready for most anything the draft can throw at you. Let's examine the first pick. We will assume you have the 2nd overall pick. Hanley Ramirez is off the board. before the draft you probably determined a draft flow strategy for which positions, player types, and scoring categories you would go for first if the option was available. We will do another blog of Draft Flow Strategy later this month. You determined you want speed and power early and infield if possible. You look at your 3B list ( I assume players only qualify for the position they will play):
David Wright
Aramis Ramirez
Chone Figgins
Edwin Encarnacion
Melvin Mora
You know David Wright is out there and he is speed and power. You check over your other lists and clearly he is the correct choice. Draft David Wright and cross him off your list. Its that simple. Now, let's skip to the 5th round. Your first four picks were 3B, 2B, OF, OF. You pick is up. Lots of players are gone, but your lists are still intact. You check your information, your flow strategy, which was get infield early plus speed and power. You then check the ADP and see guys that are going off the board at this time in the draft. Then you spot your pick looking at you 1B list.
Chris Davis
Joey Votto
Mike Jacobs
There is your pick. In the 5th round you get Chris Davis. This strategy won't make you the best overall draft master, but it will give you an advantage to creating your dream team. In every position there are countless player combinations that can win. If you trust your theories and research then use it along with your pick list to have a great draft. Don't be the guy that makes a critical draft mistake because 60 seconds wasn't long enough to research the best players in every position. Cut that work down into 8 lists and I promise time will be on your side. If you have any questions about draft strategy, email me at toodf@fantasybaseballsearch.com.
Monday, January 19, 2009
NFL Mock Draft - 1st Round
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NFL Mock Draft 1st Round-Updated Jan. 17th 2009 |
# 1
Matt StaffordQBBig-time arm, good mechanics and played in pro-style offense. Good precision and zip on short and intermediate throws. Video
# 2
Andre SmithOTMammoth lineman with NFL-caliber physical attributes. Great pass-blocking technique and creates surge in the run game. Video
# 3
Michael CrabtreeWRTwo-time Biletnikoff winning sophomore. Rare size/speed package w/ ability to dominate smaller corners. Good work ethic.Video
# 4
Aaron CurryLBAggressive playmaker, who can play inside or outside. Great on blitz, covers well, and blows up blockers when playing the run. Video
# 5
Michael OherOTPrototypical size for the left tackle spot, shows great quickness and athleticism. Dominant pass blocker.Video
# 6
Eugene MonroeOTSolid anchor in the passing game, and hard-hitting run blocker. Effectively use hands to control rushers and has great agility.Video
# 7
Brian OrakpoDEDisruptive pass rushing force with great burst off the snap, and impressive closing speed. Good awareness against run plays.Video
# 8
Malcolm JenkinsCBPotential shutdown corner. Fast and instinctive in coverage, w/ good change of direction. Plays strong against the run.Video
# 9
Jason SmithOTSlightly undersized former TE who has progressed quickly. Naturally athletic, with quick feet and decent power.Video
# 10
Mark SanchezQBMakes quick reads, very decisive and has good mobility. Nice velocity on throws, delivers bullets with good accuracy.Video
# 11
Rey MaualugaLBTenacious, powerful, hard hitting LB with a quick first step, and the speed to make tackles sideline to sideline.Video
# 12
Knowshon MorenoRBShifty sophomore RB, with great speed. Shows good power for his size. Impressive vision, patience and cutting ability. Video
# 13
Chris WellsRBDetermined runner with rare vision, power and burst. Exploits inside lanes quickly, and has the speed to break outside.Video
# 14
Everette BrownDEJunior. Explosive edge rusher, very quick off the snap. Devoured weaker opponents in 2008 on his way to 13.5 sacks.Video
# 15
James LaurinaitisLBImpact LB who dissects plays quickly, and seems to always be around the ball. Great open field tackler.Video
# 16
B.J. RajiDTOccupies a lot of space in middle, and effectively helps clogs inside run game. Impressive quickness and pass rush spin move.Video
# 17
Jeremy MaclinWRDynamic receiver/KR w/ elite speed, acceleration and cutting ability. Scored 17 times, and had 2,833 all-purpose yards in 2008. Video
# 18
Peria JerryDTShows great strength and power, with ability to collapse middle of the line and take on double teams. Good motor.Video
# 19
Brian CushingLBPhysical LB who plays with intensity and wraps up ball carriers quickly. Sheds blockers well. Has been a bit injury prone.Video
# 20
Brandon PettigrewTEHuge target in the passing game (6-5, 260), and a willing and dominant run blocker. Soft hands, and tough to bring down.Video
# 21
Vontae DavisCBBrother of Vernon Davis. Impressive speed, very physical and excellent in run support. Led Big Ten CBs with 78 tackles.Video
# 22
Percy HarvinWRElectric speed, w/ rare 2nd gear once he gets to daylight. Used extensively as RB for Florida. Good hands, dangerous after catch.Video
# 23
Michael JohnsonDETall (6-7), rangy, pass rush specialist. Shows speed of the edge, and good change of direction. Short resume, high potential.Video
# 24
Clint SintimLBUses his strength and decent speed to effectively rush the passer. Tackles well, but could struggle in coverage.Video
# 25
LeSean McCoyRBCompiled 2,816 yrds/36 TDs in just 2 seasons. Very fluid, w/great burst, balance and vision. Homerun speed and catches well.Video
# 26
William MooreFSHas the physical tools and instincts to become an impact safety. A sure tackler who plays the run well, w/ ball hawk potential.Video
# 27
D.J. MooreCBRelatively short (5-10), but has top notch speed, agility and playmaking ability. Can also play WR and returns kicks.Video
# 28
Alphonso SmithCBFluid athlete w/ great speed. Shows good break on ball. He is short (5-8), but stocky and tackles well for his size.Video
# 29
Max UngerCSmart center who depends more on style and technique than brute strength. Quick feet, maintains position and great use of hands.Video
# 30
Hakeem NicksWRJunior. Big, physical receiver, shows good awareness and hands. Set school records in 2008 w/ 1222 yards and 12 TDs.Video
# 31
Tyson JacksonDEBig and powerful presence who had 8.5 sacks in 2006, but has since been a disappointment. Probably best suited at tackle.Video
# 32
Aaron MaybinDESophomore. Led team in sacks (12) and tackles for loss (20). Good height (6-4), but fairly light (240). Has the speed to convert to OLB.
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