FANTASY FOOTBALL WEEK 4 WRAPUP: 4:00 GAMES AND LATER

-Robert Griffin III threw for only one score but also didn't turn it over which was a plus.  Only 10 rushing yards continue to reinforce however that he is being ordered to stay in the pocket and thus his 2012 fantasy football game has been neutered.

-Alfred Morris has been a far cry from what he was as an eye-opening rookie and now he is injured after rushing for only 71 yards on 16 carries with no scores.  Encores are almost always not as good.

-Wow Darren McFadden is hurt.  (Enter surprised look here).  Rashad Jennings caught 8 passes in place but didn't run well at all with only 45 yards on 15 carries.  Pick him up in PPR if need.

-Another game and another TD for Pierre Garcon who is entering underrated territory. 

-Peyton Manning is going to be on the most wining fantasy football teams this season easy.  The passing robot threw for 327 yards and four more scores Sunday.  Unreal.  Amazing.  Incredible.  Wish I had him 2.0.

-Demaryuis Thomas and Wes Welker each caught 2 touchdowns.  Thomas caught 9 balls for 86 and Welker 7 for 76.  Of course I own Eric Decker and Julius Thomas who didn't score.  Love this game.

-DeSean Jackson has come back to earth by catching only 2 passes for 34 yards. 

-Once again Tony Romo is having a great season in quiet fashion.  Threw 2 more touchdowns Sunday with both going to Dez Bryant (6 for 81).  Love the guy even though he is a Cowboy.

-Philip Rivers has been my backup all season in favor of Matt Ryan but I may want to start looking into that arrangement more as the Chargers passer threw for three more scores Sunday among his 401 yards.  Back to his old QB 1 fantasy football ways.

-Antonio Gates has been the prime beneficiary of Rivers' revival as he caught 10 passes for 136 yards and a score.  Still some life left in this duo.

-As I said Matt Ryan is my guy and I can't argue against 421 yards and 2 scores.  However Ryan should have had two more as he missed some easy goal-line tosses.  However with Roddy White looking better, Ryan should continue to pile up the stats.

-Kenbrell Thompkins is living up to the sleeper status as he caught 6 balls for 127 yards and a score.  Great athlete and seems like a big time fit with Tom Brady.  Upward and onward we go.

-Speaking of Brady he threw for a workmanlike 316 yards and 2 touchdowns.  Ho-hum.

-Yes I traded Tony Gonzalez before this week so I knew what was coming.  Thus catching 12 passes for 149 yards and two scores was no surprise.  If I still owned him he would have done nothing like he did the first three weeks.  That's how this goes.

-Speaking of White he did catch 3 passes for 28 yards which is still a far cry from what we are used to seeing.  It was better but not great. 

FANTASY FOOTBALL WEEK 4 WRAPUP: 1:00 GAMES

-I said in the summer that Russell Wilson is a better real-life QB than a fantasy football one, with evidence that he never threw for 300 yards in any game during his breakout rookie 2012 season.  He went right in line with that assessment Sunday by throwing for only 123 yards and 1 INT with no scores.  As great as he is to watch, Wilson can be a volatile fantasy football passer.

-Matt Schaub had his jersey burned at the stadium which Sportscenter caught on tape.  However he passed the numbers quotient with his 355 yard day with 2 scores.  The 2 picks hurt but that is part of the deal with Schaub.  Again you can do better but you also can do worse.

-Andre Johnson looked just fine despite being limited during the week with a shin injury.  He grabbed 9 passes for 110 yards but....you guessed it.....no scores.  Damn that is frustrating.  Johnson catches so many passes but why no touchdowns?  It never makes sense.

-Arian Foster is getting into the swing of things after he rushed for 102 yards, although it took 27 carries.  He did score on one of his 6 catches for 69 yards.  The buy low window is closing quick.

-This is why you can never depend on Jay Cutler.  Quite possibly the most turnover-prone passes in football, Cutler was in rare form Sunday by throwing 3 INT's and losing a fumble.  In between the 317 passing yards and two scores were nice but his sketchy ways continue to make him one to not depend on.

-Cutler seems to have discovered a new love in WR Alshon Jeffrey who caught 5 passes for 107 yards and a score.  Every time the Bears were in the red zone Cutler looked at Jeffrey first.  Brandon Marshall did grab 7 balls for 79 yards but no scores to speak of.  As a Marshall owner, so far this is not what I signed up for.

-Matt Forte did his PPR gem thing with 95 rushing yards and a score on only 14 carries while also catching 5 passes for 22 yards.  Wish I had him.

-Wow only four catches for 44 yards and a score by Calvin Johnson.  Won't see that again for awhile.

-Listen I know I am jumping the gun big time here.  I know it.  However when I was watching Brian Hoyer throw for 269 yards with 2 scores and no turnovers to mark his second excellent start in two outings, the image of Kurt Warner appeared in my brain.  I don't know why.  Maybe the whole coming out nowhere thing and than jumping onto the field completing everything.  Told you to pick him up before this game and keep him on the bench to see if he can do it again.  Now it is time to play him Thursday against Buffalo.

-Jordan Cameron guys.  Recommended him as the biggest potential sleeper in tight end-loving Rob Chudzinski's offense.  Well he was at it again Sunday in catching his fifth touchdown among his 10 grabs for 91 yards.  Right behind Jimmy Graham firmly sits Cameron in the tight end rankings.  Who would have thought we would say that four weeks in?

-Listen A.J. Green has to do better than 7 catches for 51 yards.  I mean for real.

-Workmanlike game for Colts QB Andrew Luck on Sunday in tossing two touchdows and 260 yard with 1 pick.  He fell back in love with tight end Coby Fleener who caught 5 passes for 77 yards and a touchdown.  With byes now here, pick up Fleener as your fill-in.

-Reggie Wayne is behind last season's amazing comeback pace but still is doing well with 5 catches for 100 yards and a score Sunday.  T.Y. Hilton also made it through the game with his foot issue by catching 5 of his own for 48 yards.

-Wow does Maurice Jones-Drew look old. Only 23 yards on 13 carries.  Told you all to stay far away from him.  You are your own worst enemy if he failed to listen to my advice.

-Bench all your New York Giants.  Better yet cut Eli Manning, David Wilson, and why not Hakeem Nicks too.  Victor Cruz saved his day with a long TD grab but nothing this "offense" is doing now is a help to you.  What a mess.

-Why why why didn't I draft Jamaal Charles?  Charles is that girl you let slip away to another dude when you had a chance to make her yours.  Charles rushed for only 65 yards on 18 carries but he once again did his best work in the receiving game by catching 5 passes for 62 yards and a score. 

-Why why why did I draft Doug Martin over Charles?  Or LeSean McCoy?  Martin no doubt is being let down by the rest of the Tampa Bay offense but he ran horribly Sunday in gaining only 45 yards on 27 carries.  That my friends is a disgrace.  I want to say it will get better but not with rookie Mike Glennon under center. 

-Boy that Super Bowl honeymoon is over quick.  Baltimore Ravens QB Joe Flacco threw FIVE picks Sunday despite 347 passing yards.  Back to his old self as a borderline guy who is better served as a bench warmer.

-Only 5 carries for Ray Rice for 17 yards.  Seriously?  Why play him at all?  Rice has a small body that has taken a lot of hits in his career.  Just saying.

-Torrey Smith is right on schedule in turning into the WR 1 he should have been last season.  Caught 5 balls for 166 yards and a score Sunday.  His QB is up and down but not Smith.

-Matt Cassel is not going anywhere even if Christian Ponder is healthy after throwing for 2 scores and 248 yards in getting the Vikings out of the winless column.  Only backup material at this point but worth watching.

-There we go Adrian.  After two pedestrian weeks Adrian Peterson was back to his number 1 fantasy football player self in rushing for 140 yards and 2 scores. 

-LeVeon Bell had a nice debut in rushing for two scores among his 57 yards on 16 carries.  A big time receiver in college, Bell also caught 4 passes for 27 yards.  I like what I saw.  Than again it was me who told you how great he was in college and do pick him up.

-Antonio Brown was a guy I liked but didn't pursue as aggressively as I should have.  Two monster weeks in a row now as he followed up last week 8-catch game with 12 more for 88 yards.  PPR gem.

There you have it.  Let's hear some thoughts.

FANTASY SPORTS BOSS FANTASY HOCKEY EXPERTS DRAFT RESULTS

Experts League Draft Results

 

Hey guys, in case you haven’t been following @Buccigross on Twitter, hockey starts this week! Which means it’s another season of fantasy hockey and be sure to check right here for the best fantasy analysis on the web.

 

My league drafted a few days ago, so I figured I would post it along with some comments to give you all an idea of where players are getting drafted. I posted who I considered to be the best and work pick of each round, as well as my thoughts on the players I drafted and why. I would love to hear your own analysis on the comments below!

 

Round 1

1.      Mark- Crosby

2.      Ryan- Stamkos

3.      Alex- Malkin

4.      Sam- Ovechkin

5.      Joe- Tavares

6.      Brandon- Rask

7.      Steve- Kane

8.      Dave- Lundqvist

9.      Roto- Kessel

10.  Tim- Giroux

 

Worst Pick: Kessel (9). Phil Kessel is an elite goal scorer and has been one of the game’s best the last 3 years. However, he doesn’t contribute in enough fantasy categories to be taken this high. You want more out of a first rounder.

 

Best Pick: Claude Giroux (10). Okay, not just saying this because this is my pick. But Giroux can and has put up elite numbers, and the only reason Yahoo ranked him out of the top 10 was because of his fluke offseason injury. However, he has progressed nicely and is line for another premier year.

 

11.  Tim- Hall

12.  Roto- Toews

13.  Dave- Subban

14.  Steve- Datsyuk

15.  Brandon- H. Sedin

16.  Joe- Staal

17.  Sam-  Quick

18.  Alex- Zetterberg

19.  Ryan- St. Louis

20.  Mark- Backstrom

 

Worst Pick: Quick (17). I don’t like taking a goalie this high, especially not this year. There are so many great goalies and I think you’re better off taking a forward with this pick. Quick is a great number 1, don’t get me wrong, but his regular season stats last year were pedestrian.

 

Best Pick: It’s a tough one, but I’ll go with St. Louis. The guy just doesn’t seem to age. As long as he’s playing alongside Stamkos, he’ll be an elite RW. The guy who led the league in points last year taken at 18^th overall? Not too shabby.

 

My Pick: Taylor Hall. I’ve already said how high on him I was and I’m stoked to get him here. I was a little pissed at first about last pick, but who can be mad about nailing Giroux/Hall back to back? Either one could lead the league in points this year.

 

21.  Mark- Neal

22.  Ryan- Rinne

23.  Alex- Anderson

24.  Sam- D. Sedin

25.  Joe- Niemi

26.  Brandon- Perry

27.  Steve- Bobrovsky

28.  Dave- Karlsson

29.  Roto- Nash

30.  Tim- Letang

 

Worst Pick: Craig Anderson. Maybe I’m a stickler but I don’t trust him to be an elite number 1. A full season from Karlsson and Spezza will help, but I’d take Niemi or Bobrovsky before him at any rate.

 

Best Pick: Erik Karlsson. Corey Perry was a close second, but being able to snag Karlsson, a guy who can put up points as a defenseman like we haven’t seen in a long time is huge. A case can certainly be made that Karlsson could be a first round pick. Tremendous value here for Dave.

 

My Pick: Kris Letang. I hadn’t planned on taking a defenseman this early, but I knew it would be 19 picks before my turn again, so I wanted to snag one of the elite ones with this round. Letang runs a powerplay that features Crosby, Malkin, and Kunitz, so as long as he’s healthy he’ll be a rock for me.

 

31.  Tim- Ryan

32.  Roto- Price

33.  Dave- Kopitar

34.  Steve- Parise

35.  Brandon-Howard

36.  Joe- Duchene

37.  Sam- Seguin

38.  Alex- Crawford

39.  Ryan- Vanek

40.  Mark- Smith

 

Worst Pick: Tyler Seguin. He certainly has elite potential, but you’re looking for more than just upside in these early rounds. If he can create chemistry with Benn and is allowed to run free in Dallas’ offense, he’ll put up elite numbers for sure. It’s just a question of “if”…

 

Best Pick: Matt Duchene. After a disappointing sophomore season, Duchene was a point-per-game player last year for the Avalanche. Eligible at both C and LW, he’ll be playing with Landeskog and maybe even Mackinnon, so the dominos are definitely aligned for him to establish himself as an upper-echelon player for years to come.

 

My Pick: Bobby Ryan. I was hesitant on this pick for some reason, but I shouldn’t have been. Given a chance for a fresh new start in Ottowa, he’ll be centered by Spezza and hopefully will have his best year yet. Before the lockout, he had four consecutive 30+ goal seasons and his LW/RW eligibility makes him a flexible option.

 

41.  Mark- E. Kane

42.  Ryan- Fleury

43.  Alex- Getzlaf

44.  Sam- Kunitz

45.  Joe- Eberle

46.  Brandon- Spezza

47.  Steve- Yakupov

48.  Dave- Benn

49.  Roto- Chara

50.  Tim- Moulson

 

Worst Pick: Chris Kunitz. He’s an above average player whose stats are inflated because he skates alongside the best player in the world. Will he be a valuable fantasy winger? Probably. But I’m not going count on him to finish anywhere near the top 10 in scoring ever again.

 

Best Pick: Ryan Getzlaf. His resurgence last year made him one of the guys who most out-produced his draft position in 2012. Bobby Ryan will be gone, but Perry will still be on his line and either Selanne or new youngster Silfverberg will play the opposite side. Getzlaf should be a top 20 forward and was drafted at twice that. Steal.

 

My Pick: Matt Moulson. Playing alongside Tavares, who’s in line for a monster year, he will be along for the ride. He should be good for another 30+ goals, and if the trends continue, will be at a point-per-game pace. Will be a top 5 LW option next year.

 

51.  Tim- Ward

52.  Roto- Thornton

53.  Dave- Eriksson

54.  Steve- Semin

55.  Brandon- Sharp

56.  Joe- Holtby

57.  Sam- Luongo

58.  Alex- Marleau

59.  Ryan- Gaborik

60.  Mark- Hiller

 

Worst Pick: Jonas Hiller.  He plays on a Ducks team that maybe played over its head last year, and he’s got Viktor Fasth breathing down his neck. Most of my mock drafts saw him going way later.

 

Best Pick: Marian Gaborik. He’s an injury risk, yes. But when he plays, he tears it up as well as anyone in the league. He’s capable of putting up points in streaks that can single-handedly win matchups. His situation in Columbus is very similar to what it was in Minnesota. Another guy who was ranked too low by Yahoo.

 

My pick: Cam Ward. Okay, I don’t love this pick. But I was waiting any longer to grab a netminder and I trust him more than Holtby or Hiller. I’ll be keeping an close eye on him but if nothing else he’s been dependable to stay healthy over his career.

 

61.  Mark- Hossa   

62.  Ryan- Ribeiro

63.  Alex- Pietrangelo

64.  Sam- Krejci

65.  Joe- Suter

66.  Brandon- Parenteau

67.  Steve- Voracek

68.  Dave- Lupul

69.  Roto- Weber

70.  Tim-  Stepan

 

Worst Pick: Ryan Suter. There are really no bad picks in this round, but I’ll say Suter just because I don’t think he should have been taken over Petro or Weber. To each their own.

 

Best Pick: Shea Weber. He could quite easily be the best fantasy defenseman this year. Not sure how we went this low but he’s good across the board in fantasy stats and he’s rock solid health wise. Maybe not as sexy as Subban or Karlsson, but with Weber you know what you’re getting.

 

My Pick: As I mentioned in my forward preview, Stepan was one of my candidates for a big breakout year. I expect him to bust out in a big way, with a new coach and motivated by a short contract. I’ll happily have him as my number 1 center.

 

71.  Tim- Byfuglien

72.  Roto- Couture

73.  Dave- Kesler

74.  Steve- Keith

75.  Brandon- Streit

76.  Joe- Schultz

77.  Sam- Phaneuf

78.  Alex- Kronwall

79.  Ryan- Lucic

80.  Mark- Yandle

 

Worst Pick: Ryan Kesler. Yes I’m a fan of him this year to have a bounce-back season, I think this is too early. Hard to justify this pick when guys like Bergeron, Pavelski, and Backes are still on the board.

 

Best Pick: Nick Kronwall. I love Kronwall and even had him as my number 1 d-man last year. He’s a solid contributor in everything and is the go-to guy in Detroit on the blue line. I would have taken him over all the defensemen taken after Big Buff.

 

My Pick: Dustin Byfuglien. My number 2 defenseman now, he plays like a forward and is due for a rebound year as the young guys in Winnepeg continue to develop and his partner, Enstrom, is healthy. However, frugal as I am, he is a bit of a luxury as a number2 and I may be throwing his name out there for trade bait.

 

81.  Mark- Carter

82.  Ryan- Doughty

83.  Alex- Pavelski

84.  Sam- Iginla

85.  Joe- Pominville

86.  Brandon- Pacioretty

87.  Steve- Boyle

88.  Dave- Miller

89.  Roto- Backes

90.  Tim- Kadri

 

Worst Pick: Jason Pominville. There’s really no bad picks here. These are the rounds where you start to see guys with injury risks and other baggage. Pominville is solid and finished well in Minnesota, but he’ll produce best if he can land a spot with Parise/Koivu.

 

Best Pick: Nazem Kadri. Yep, my pick. He scored 18 goals and 44 points in the shortened season, and will play alongside the likes of Kessel, JVR, Lupul, and Kulemin. His upside is tremendous and I see him taking another step forward this year. He’ll slide right into my #2 center spot.

 

91.  Tim- Burns

92.  Roto- Backstrom

93.  Dave- Skinner

94.  Steve- Lehtonen

95.  Brandon- Markov

96.  Joe- Ladd

97.  Sam- Green

98.  Alex- Landeskog

99.  Ryan- Shattenkirk

100.                      Mark- Timonen

 

101.                      Mark- Bergeron

102.                      Ryan- Franzen

103.                      Alex- Alfredsson

104.                      Sam- Ekman-Larsson

105.                      Joe- Campbell

106.                      Brandon- Enstrom

107.                      Steve- Van Riemsdyk

108.                      Dave- Edler

109.                      Roto- Wheeler

110.                      Tim- Del Zotto

 

111.                      Tim- Schneider

112.                      Roto- Gonchar

113.                      Dave- Richards

114.                      Steve- Heatley

115.                      Brandon- Hedman

116.                      Joe- Carlson

117.                      Sam- Marchand

118.                      Alex- Voynov

119.                      Ryan- Franson

120.                      Mark- Seabrook

 

Picks I like: Green, Bergeron, OEL, ENnstrom, Gonchar, Franson, Landeskog

Picks I don’t like: Lehtonen, Ladd, Seabrook

 

121.                      Mark- Brown

122.                      Ryan- Huberdeau

123.                      Alex- Elias

124.                      Sam- J. Johnson

125.                      Joe- Nugent-Hopkins

126.                      Brandon- Richards

127.                      Steve- Wisniewski

128.                      Dave- Wideman

129.                      Roto- Visnovsky

130.                      Tim- Simmonds

 

131.                      Tim- Halak

132.                      Roto- Brodeur

133.                      Dave- Silfverberg

134.                      Steve- Oshie

135.                      Brandon- Galchenyuk

136.                      Joe- Fasth

137.                      Sam- Plekanec

138.                      Alex- Elliot

139.                      Ryan- Callahan

140.                      Mark- Williams

 

141.                      Mark- Goligoski

142.                      Ryan- Ehrhoff

143.                      Alex- Beauchemin

144.                      Sam- Dupuis

145.                      Joe- Lecavalier

146.                      Brandon- Pavelec

147.                      Steve- Leddy

148.                      Dave- Boedker

149.                      Roto- Gagner

150.                      Tim- Hartnell

 

Picks I like: Huberdeau, Wideman, Williams, Boedker

Picks I don’t like: Johnson, Goligoski, Leddy, Beauchemin

 

151.                      Tim- Hamilton

152.                      Roto- Ennis

153.                      Dave- Turris

154.                      Steve- Purcell

155.                      Brandon- Brouwer

156.                      Joe- Horton

157.                      Sam- Dubinsky

158.                      Alex- Hamhuis

159.                      Ryan- Cammalleri

160.                      Mark- Stewart

 

161.                      Mark- McDonagh

162.                      Ryan- Drouin

163.                      Alex- Gallagher

164.                      Sam- Ryder

165.                      Joe- Fleischmann

166.                      Brandon- Barrie

167.                      Steve- Stastny

168.                      Dave- Fowler

169.                      Roto- Tyutin

170.                      Tim- Bartkowski

 

Picks I like: Horton, Fowler, Drouin, Ryder

Picks I don’t like: Purcell, Brouwer, Barrie, Tyutin, Bartkowski. I had to take a defenseman with my last pick because the draft automatically place Burns and Buff on RW, leaving only a d-man slot left. I took Bartkowski as a joke. I’ll be dropping him immediately, probably for a goalie.

 

So at the end this is the makeup of my team:

C- Stepan, Kadri

LW- Hall, Moulson, Hartnell

RW- Giroux, Ryan, Simmonds

D- Letang, Byfuglien, Burns, Del Zotto, Hamilton

G- Ward, Schneider, Halak

 

I think this is a well balanced team with a lot of upside. As I’ve mentioned before, Stepan, Kadri, Hall, Moulson, Burns, Del Zotto, and even Hamilton are all due for breakout seasons. If the pieces fall together, I’m looking at a championship team.

 

Questions about players? Thoughts on my team? Let us know! I’m happy to answer any and all you have at timwirz17@gmail.com .

Thanks and keep reading!