Fantasy Football Sideline

QB: Peyton Manning, AFC, 2004

When you look at career numbers in the Pro Bowl, Peyton is easily the greatest QB all-star of all-stars. The 2004 Pro Bowl was also the greatest QB matchup in Pro Bowl history… in terms of fantasy. In the matchup – where the teams combined to score 107 points –  Peyton set single game Pro Bowl records for completions (22), attempts (41), and yards (342). He also tossed 3 TDs.

However, Manning did all of that in a LOSING EFFORT. That’s right. In that same game, former Rams QB Marc Bulger threw 4 TDs on a very efficient 12 completions to lead the NFC to a 55-52 victory. Bulger won the game MVP award… but Peyton has our hearts, as always.

In addition to all those single game records, Manning also holds career Pro Bowl marks for completions, attempts, yards, touchdowns and interceptions.

RBs: John Brockington, NFC, 1973 / Shaun Alexander, NFC, 2004

In another example of “guy sets records, someone else wins MVP”, Packers back Brockington was only in his second season when he broke out in the 23rd Pro Bowl, scoring 3 TDs and totaling 97 yards on 10 carries and 5 catches. The MVP that year? O.J. Simpson.

Alexander scored 3 TDs as well in the 2004 Bowl that ended in Peyton and Bulger re-writing the record books, with 72 total yards on 13 carries and 5 catches. While Alexander did end up playing for a winning squad, Bulger went home with the MVP hardware.

See what receivers make the list AFTER the jump…  Read the rest of this entry »

If your fantasy football team is playing like the Kansas City Chiefs, how could we keep you interested in week 17?

You’ve played in the kinds of fantasy football leagues where coaches lose interest late in the season.  They are in the bottom half of the league and they simply give up.  They are out of the money.  They are tired of adjusting their lineup each week.

Yet, it’s their negligence that could cost you the championship or a playoff berth when they lay down against your biggest rival!

Here’s a way to keep all owners interested for the entire season, even if they aren’t betting on NFL games.

Everybody Makes the Playoffs

That’s right.  Every team makes the playoffs.  They don’t all make the championship bracket, but they all make the playoffs.  Nobody wants to finish in last place so they will stay interested, even during week 17!

If you have 4 teams make the playoffs, have teams in position 5 through 8 have their own playoff rounds for the fifth through eighth place spots.  Then, add an incentive of prize money or draft position for next season to keep the interest level high.

ESPN offers consolation bracket pairings for your fantasy football league.  It’s a great thing to implement and keeps owners interested.  You should do it if you aren’t already.

Thursday Night Football has certainly changed the fantasy football world.  Now, we need to get our rosters ready on Thursday instead of the traditional Sunday.  Some weeks, we may be more likely to think about the Thursday Night game than others.  In most parts of the country, this week’s NFL contest on Thursday night is not one that most NFL fans are on the edge of their seats for.

Philly’s much maligned O-Line will have to protect rookie Nick Foles against the Bengals who lead the league in sacks.

The Cincinnati Bengals are still in the hunt for a playoff spot and the home Philadelphia Eagles are coming off of an exciting come from behind win in Tampa Bay that snapped a losing streak that dated back to when the Phillies were still playing across the street.  Surprisingly, the Eagles, decimated by injuries, are 3.5 point favorites against the Bengals.  Makes you want to consider a sportsbook review to discover why the oddsmakers would come up with such a line.

Concussions have been all the rage in Philly.  Michael Vick, the lame duck QB, has been out for four games and will be out again on  Thursday night in the 34 degree weather at Lincoln Financial Field.  Vick says he’s fine and the Eagles brass are just sitting him so that they can decide if Nick Foles is truly their quarterback of the future. Foles is an interesting fantasy situation for Thursday night’s game.  Coming off his first career NFL win, Foles’ swiss cheese offensive line will have to face the defense that leads the NFL in sacks.

LeSean “Shady” McCoy is another Eagle who will be watching from the press box Thursday night.  McCoy inexplicably was still in the game and was injured while carrying the ball with less than 2 minutes left in the Eagles 31-6 loss to Dallas. Bryce Brown gets the call again.

The latest concussion on the Eagles offense is tight end Brent Celek.  Celek was concussed on the first play of the game last weekend against Tampa Bay and was actually out cold for a while before leaving the field.  Reserve Clay Harbor might be a go to guy against the Bengals.

Safety Kurt Coleman and defensive lineman Mike Patterson are out as well.

For the Bengals, corner Dre Kirkpatrick will sit in Philly.

Makes you wonder how the Eagles are favored.  Guess that’s why we aren’t lines makers.

If you’ve found yourself in the thick of your fantasy football playoffs, then you’ll need sound strategy and a bit of luck to take home the championship. Rule number one of the fantasy football playoffs is to forget almost everything that got you there in the first place. I know that sounds a bit extreme, but it’s true. The regular season and the playoffs are completely different animals from each other. You have to completely redefine your strategy to be successful in fantasy football playoffs. The season is about survival, and playoffs are all about the gold. Those hours you spent grazing the waiver wire during the regular season will come in handy now.

Do you member that player you wished you had picked up a few weeks ago, but you didn’t? Go pick him up now, unless he’s already been claimed by another player. You have to make some hard decisions with your team once you’ve made it to the playoffs. In order to give your team’s best effort in its playoff matchups, you have to choose the best players you can play or the best who are available, so forgot about holding on to someone because you like to wear his jersey. Waiver wire decisions affect the outcome of your team more than any other avenue, especially since the trade deadline is over. Research the latest injury reports to see who might be getting a spot start in the coming weeks and pick those players up.

Even if you don’t use the players you pick up, you till prevent your opponents from picking them up, too. Part of your strategy must be to not only make your own team better, but to prevent the other players from making their teams better as much as you can. If the other players are left searching through the scraps for players to use, then you’ll be at a greater advantage when you square off against them in the playoffs. Fantasy football is a lot like chess. You have to set up your future moves with the moves you make now.  Read the rest of this entry »

Game day is here, and you’re ready to celebrate and support your favorite team before the clock starts!

There’s no better or more fitting celebration for this type of event than tailgating! All fans, family, and friends all gathered to root on your favorite team, or those guys who just happen to be rooting for the opposing team (we’ll let it slide). Either way, tailgating before the big game is promised to be a good time – as long as you have the right things to get the tailgate started!

What do you need? Here are some great suggestions that have always been a part of the tailgating tradition.  Read the rest of this entry »