Watchdog

Right: Tried (and failed) to trade up in the first round so I could draft MJD in the #2 slot. Hester would be better than most thought. Thought Mendenhall would become starting RB. Said Burleson would be a good #3 WR. Thought Rivers-Jackson would be a great FF combo. Roethlisberger would be a top ten fantasy QB. Didn't expect Roy Williams to do much in Dallas. Wrong: Thought Garrard would sneak into the top ten of fantasy QBs. Didn't expect good numbers from Romo. Thought Ginn would improve as WR. Thought Forte would be decent. Thought Brown would take over for Addai by now. Didn't think Warner and Breaston would have that good a year. Thought Felix Jones would have a better year.

1. +1, as it's used with any mediocre QB who happens to play on a team with a great running game and defense. 2. "They need to run more - they're 15-0 when RB XYZ rushes 20 times or more in a game" comments. Teams that run don't win. Teams that are winning run. He's getting 20+ carries because they're running out the clock in the 4th quarter. 3. And what's the key to success? A player who "gives 110%", or a player who "stays within himself"?

I drafted Gonzalez, and he's still on my roster. If the guys on your waiver wire won't crack your Gonzalez-less starting lineup, then there's no point in dropping him. He probably won't play this year. But if he does, he'll be a very nice addition to most teams. Also, now that the bye weeks are over, roster space shouldn't be as much of an issue - it's not like you need two kickers, defenses, tight ends, etc.

http://www.theonion.com/content/node/33540

Excellent point. A format where everyone plays everyone each week is a better representation of who the best team is than total points scored.

Would lean toward Dallas if you're not penalized for how many points are scored against your defense. Otherwise, I might consider the Cardinals. The Steelers offense has looked very good for several weeks, so I would stay away from the Bengals.

I've heard of some interesting leagues with this format, but never played in it myself. Each week you get one point if you win your HTH matchup. You also get one point if your score is in the top half of scores for the week, whether you win or lose. Then those points are totalled at the end of the year, and the top teams make the playoffs. This way you get something even if you have an unlucky matchup, without taking away what makes a HTH league fun.

I heard about a league that allowed you to set a "defense" against your opponent's lineup. You had three options: 1. Standard. Didn't affect the other team's scoring. 2. 8 in the box. Reduced the RB points your opponent got by 10%, but increased his WR points by 10%. 3. Nickel package. Reduced WR points by 10%, but increased his RB points by 10%. Sounds like an interesting wrinkle.

With points scored and yardage taken into the equation, I would lean towards Jacksonville slightly. KC seems less likely to put up big numbers than Philadelphia. Of course, I said pretty much the same thing about Tennessee last week, so take it with a grain of salt.

I'm playing the Jacksonville D this week, but only as a bye week fill-in. Tough call for you. What are your league's scoring rules for defenses?

If the Eagles win over the Giants "wasn't solid", what would you call the Dallas win over the Chiefs?

I think the real issue here is that it's hard work to come up with a "homer" alias for all 32 teams. We should all do one to help him out. I'll start: TomCablesSparringPartner/DinnerDate

Yeah, why can't those guys play good clean football - the way Denver's offensive line always has?

No one drafts in a vaccuum. There are 9 to 13 other owners picking players with you. Instead of thinking things like "I'm going WR-WR-RB-RB-QB" or "I'm going RB-RB-QB-WR", just take what the draft gives you.

Do you get/lose fantasy points for your D based on how many points they give up, or is it strictly sacks/TOs/TDs? If it's the former, I might take a chance on Jacksonville, as it's hard to imagine a Young-led Titans lighting up the scoreboard. If points scored aren't a factor, I think I agree with KSB and would lean to Miami.

I think this a good idea. Smith may have a favorable schedule, but that does not include this game - opposing QBs have thrown just 8 TD passes against the Colts in the past 23 regular season games.

I do prefer playoffs in weeks 14-16. Our league has 14 teams, and 6 advance, with the top two teams getting a first round bye. Last year, we had a problem with our online draft and had to push everything back one week, so we ended on week 17. It's true that a few playoff-bound NFL teams have a history of pulling starters when they have "nothing to play for". But the circumstances have to be just right. You have to have a playoff spot clinched prior to week 17, and have no way to improve your situation. (Getting a bye, or getting to play at home in the first week of the playoffs.) It's still early, and a lot could change, but it looks like that will be hard to do for most team. The team I'd be most worried about right now is the Saints. They seem to be the most likely to wrap up home field throughout the playoffs prior to week 17.

It's closer if you want to add them together. But if you're judging the position as a group, then you have to do the same with the Vikings and include Chester Taylor. Add in his 798 yds and 6 TDs last year, and the Vikes are still better at this position.

The article mentions the members of the '96 Packers are upset about Favre calling this Vikings team the best he ever played on. Chmurra says he went through both rosters and couldn't find a single position where the Vikings are better. Because, you know, Peterson's pretty good, but he's no Edgar Bennett...

Is that a typo? I thought all score predictions were 34 to 3, not 13.

Campbell has his problems, but mentioning him in the same sentence as Russell is ridiculous, imo. There's a difference between mediocrity and true craptastic.

Where is Olsen? Well, too often he's being kept in to block because the offensive line is so bad. When he does get to run a route, he's being double-teamed because the Bears don't have a legitimate #1 WR.

Agreed. We have a deputy commish in our league who can veto any commish trade. And if the two of them trade between each other, the treasurer can veto it. In the event of a three way trade between them, we'd call up a disgruntled ex-owner who hates all 3 of them.

In keeper leagues, I think Mendy has exceeded LT's status. I wouldn't even bet on LT to outperform him for the rest of this season, let alone in any future one.

TOP TEN DUTIES JIM ZORN STILL HAS AS HEAD COACH 10. Hold the challenge flag, and throwing it when told to. 9. Make sure the bar in Snyder’s luxury box fully stocked 8. Vote for Donny Osmond so another former Dallas Cowboy doesn’t win Dancing With The Stars 7. Try not to cry when interviewed by sideline reporter 6. Make all decisions about whether to go for it on third down 5. Grind for Chris Cooley’s World of Warcraft character 4. Man the light switch for game film review 3. Point out that his win-loss record compares favorably with the Washington Generals 2. Introduce the assistant who gives the halftime pep talk 1. #2 on the Redskins QB depth chart