Hello again, this week we will continue to give you top performers for your upcoming FFL Games this weekend in the NFL.

Qb’s

Tony Romo

Romo wasn’t built in the first 5 weeks of this season but he’s coming on strong lately and we’ve got to jump on this wagon with Seattle coming to town.

Matt Schaub

Playing against the Bills this week should give Schaub plenty of opporunities to emerge as a potential MVP if he keeps on winning

Jay Cutler

Quite frankly, he stunk last week, look for a rebound this week against the Cleveland Bums or write him off.

Phillip Rivers

He had a good game in a tough place to play (Arrowhead use to be anyway) look for more of the same as the Raiders have home field in San Diego from their LA Raider days !!

Kurt Warner

After going in to the Lions Den in New York and coming away with the victory, its time for Kurt to put up some big numbers against a Carolina defense that will be on the field too much in the Desert.

Rb’s

Steven Jackson

Word is Matt Stafford is starting this week for the Lions, start this stud RB immediately.

Ronnie Brown

No one has yet to stop mr. Brown this year, without Kris Jenkins in the middle, Ronnie was seen smiling all week !

Frank Gore

Look for him to get a lot of action as it’s the only way to keep Peyton from putting on his helmut too often.

Maurice Jones Drew

This kid’s a stud and look for the Jags to test the Titans all day long with this one man wrecking ball.

Michael Bush

It’s the Raiders only hope, besides San Diego has not proven they can stop the run yet !

Wr’s

Miles Austin

He’s still running !! Start him against a porous Seattle Secondary. Please notice the alliteration !

Mike Sims Walker

Who ? Just start this jaguar as Casey and  Finnegan as well as the rest of the Titan defense hasnt stopped anyone since the opener.

Vincent Jackson

Tough match-up but, “I’m sorry Mr. Jackson, you are for real !” hope that Sunday you make the Raiders Cry ……..

Donald Driver/Greg Jennings

It’s the only way green Bay can beat the packers as Ryan Grant is a bust this year and no one has run on the Williams boys.

Larry Fitzgerald

The sure handed one will definately get his chances to produce on Sunday and always plays well at home.

TE’s

Owen Daniels

Having yet another pro bowl season and just starting to get the love, Buffalo beware.(more alliteration for our editor !)

Antonio Gates

Still waiting for this stud to have a break out game, Raiders coming to town is just what the doctor ordered !

Brent Celek

Antonio Pearce of the Giants will wish he missed the team bus this Sunday in Philly !

Special Teams

Devin Hester

With Josh Cribbs coming to town, it might be time for the master to teach 1 more lesson.

There you have it, your week 8 prescrption to administer pain to your opponents this weekend !

VV

Who’s Hot: Lone Star Heat

The Dallas Stars’ hot start to the 2009-2010 season has calmed the fears of many in the Lone Star State that last year’s nosedive was the start of ugly things to come. With their 4-3 OT win against the Leafs on Wednesday, the Stars are now off to a 6-2-4 start and rank eighth in the league in scoring. Especially refreshing is the balanced scoring that this team has received – there are five players with 11 or more points in the team’s first twelve games. As such, there are several Stars players on our “Who’s Hot” list:

Brad Richards, Dallas – After breaking into the league as a promising rookie in 2000, Brad Richards has enjoyed a tremendous amount of success: a Stanley Cup and Conn Smythe trophy in 2003, a 91-point season in 2004 and a spot on the 2006 Canadian Olympic hockey team. 2008-2009 was a difficult season for Richards as he missed 26 games, many of them due to a broken right wrist. This year however Richards looks to build on his impressive resume and has one of the best starts of any player in the league: 15 points in 11 games, and most notably a plus-7 rating, which is encouraging given his dreadful minus-19 and minus-26 ratings in 2006 and 2007. Although he’ll never give you more than 20-30 PIM and may not be the best plus/minus source he’s off to a scorching start and barring any injuries, should be a lock for 70-75 points as your #2 center.

James Neal, Dallas – Neal is in his sophomore year with the Stars and is off to a terrific start: 14 points in 12 games, a shorthanded goal and a game-winning goal. Oh, and throw in a plus-7 rating while you’re at it. Although he’s yet to prove he can sustain this kind of scoring pace (he had 37 points as a rookie), what is impressive is his shooting percentage: 14% in 2008-2009 and 17.5% thus far. The fact that he was able to achieve such a high shooting percentage last year and continuing into this year as well, suggests that this year’s hot start may not be such a fluke after all. He’s getting a lot of ice time alongside a great playmaker in Brad Richards and with his demonstrated propensity to bury the biscuit he should be in line for a solid season. If you’re in a deep league looking for a breakout winger, this might be your guy.

Loui Eriksson, Dallas – Go and get this guy. If you’re looking for some goals, Eriksson is quietly poised to be the league’s next 40-goal scorer this year. Having potted 36 goals on a underachieving Stars team last year, Eriksson has picked up the pace in recent days with 6 points in the past 4 games and is flirting with a 40-goal pace. He possessed an unreal 20.2% scoring percentage last year and has improved on that thus far, scoring at a 22.7% clip. He may not have registered on most people’s radar quite yet and therefore you may still have a chance at snagging this guy in a trade, or perhaps even as a free agent in 8-team leagues.

Craig Andersen, Colorado – Is this for real? 10 wins, a miniscule 1.97 GAA, a staggering .940 SV% and two shutouts. Playing for a team that everyone expected to contend for a lottery pick, Andersen is the top rated goalie according to Yahoo! player rankings and has propelled the Avalanche to first overall in the league. Furthermore, Andersen looks to be the real deal – he’s reeled off save percentages of .935 and .924 the past two years, which is why the Avalanche gambled and made him their number one goalie in the off-season.

Jon Quick, Los Angeles – He may not be Craig Andersen-esque in terms of his stats (2.59 GAA, .905 SV%), but Jon Quick has reeled off 8 wins thus far, challenging Marc-Andre Fleury and Craig Andersen for the league lead in wins. He put in stellar back-to-back road efforts on Wednesday and Thursday against the top teams in the West, San Jose and Vancouver, but lost both games 2-1 as his offence let him down. This guy could be a great number 2 or 3 goalie on your team, and based on last year’s solid number (2.48 GAA, .914 SV%) he’s still got room to improve. The Kings are a young team on the upswing with Kopitar, Smyth, Doughty and Brown leading the way and Quick looks to be the beneficiary of a great nucleus of players.

Drew Doughty, Los Angeles – Doughty has outperformed the likes of Mike Green, Scott Niedermayer, Nicklas Lidstrom and Chris Pronger. With 12 points in 14 games, Doughty is certainly off to a hot start and living up to his 2nd overall picking in the 2008 draft. Playing on a unit with one of the league’s top scorers in Anze Kopitar has helped as well. Despite the Kings’ and Doughty’s hot start though, it’s unlikely he’ll be able to sustain this pace – if you can package him with another overachiever in a trade for a more reliable defenceman that may be underperforming or is injured (eg. Sheldon Souray, Nicklas Lidstrom) you might end up ahead in the end.

Dustin Penner, Edmonton – Just when you think this guy is going to come back to Earth, he lights up the defending Western Conference champs with a 4-point night. Penner is playing absolutely out of his world with 19 points in his first 13 games and is clicking on all cylinders with linemate Ales Hemsky. As good as this guy is though, he may be playing over his head – when you account for the fact that 9 of his 19 points came in just two games, his stats are a little less flashy: 10 points in 11 games. Still good, but not screaming good. Add to that the fact that he’s scoring on 23.7% of his shots, which is well above his career average of approximately 12%, and you can start to see cracks developing in his fantasy armour. Take advantage of his hot start and deal him for a more predictable, reliable player who’s simply off to a slow start.

Start Ryan Fitzpatrick!

Who will Pick up Tyler Myers first?

Hi Guys,

Every week , we here at Sportsruckus  will fill you in on how you can get the edge for this weeks upcoming NFL games for your Fantasy Football Leagues (FFL, from now on !!)

This week we have some good tips for you so you can hopefully win your game !!

Qb’s

Tom Brady,

I know its a no brainer but  remember no one has given up more td passes than the bucs and Tommy Boy just threw for 6 in the snow in New England , so he will still produce in the downpour that’s bound to occur playing in Old England !!

Peyton Manning

Going on the road and playing in a dome !! Go figure ! St Louis won’t put up too much of a fight since they have no wr’s so Peyton should have plenty of opportunies to reward his owners.

Donovan McNabb

Quite frankly, he stunk last week, so look for another rebound like last year when he had a monster game after he stunk too ! Plus in Philly they forget what you’ve done for them very quickly and with Kevin on the Kolb in the wings , Donovan better produce now !

Matt Shaub

He’s just too hot to pass up right now, look for big things against a really good 49er defense.

Rb’s

DeAngelo Williams/Jonathan Stewart

The Panthers are salivating for the Bills to come and bring the defence that gave up 309 yards rushing last week to the Jets.

Michael Turner

The Burner is going to do just that to the Cowboys who couldn’t stop much in their last effort in KC .

Ronnie Brown

He hasn’t been stopped yet ! The Saints bring in a formidable defence so we will see where the chips fall on this one but Miami has moved the ball on every team they’ve played so far.

Jammal Charles,

Or is it Charlie Jammal ? Either way , with the Charger defensive line in shambles, this no-name will be on everyones stat sheet come monday morning

Wr’s

Randy Moss

Who’s gonna stop him ? Tiki’s brother ? Tom Brady’s #1 target and besides he hates bangers and mash so he’s been spending extra time on the field and in the video room !

Reggie Wayne

Peytons not the only one playing in a dome this week !

Andre Johnson

If Roddy White put up 200 yards on the 49ers last game, imagine what this tackle breaking beast will do !

Dwayne Bowe

It’s not that Bowe is that good, it’s just that the Charger secondary is that bad !

TE’s

Dallas Clark,

With Will Witherspoon just traded, who’s gonna cover the best receiving tight end in the league ?

Brent Celek,

This guys the best unknown player in the league right now, Rocky McIntosh will be going to school on monday night in front of 20 million people…ouch !!

Special Teamer

Leon Washington,

The Raiders have one of the worst kickoff coverage in the league not to mntion that little Leon is a Stud !!

Defense

Philadelphia,

Washington only put 6 on the Chiefs at home….oh boy ! I might be in bed by halftime !

New York Jets

With Darrell Revis taking out their best receiver (whoever that is ) look  for the Jets to get on Jamarcus early and often.

There you have it, now go kick some tush on Sunday, and if you win, just email sportsruckus and I will send you my PayPal account for donations !

VV

This week in our Fantasy Football feature we will be giving you some great recommendations on who’s hot and who’s not going into week 11 of the NFL season and we’ll be answering some of your questions from this week’s mailbag. Let’s begin with guys you need to start this week because they’re going to have great games:

QBs

Matt Schaub – Houston:  With only 3 TDs in his last 3 games some of you may be down on the Texan’s QB, but coming out of the bye with 2 weeks to prepare, expect Schaub to get back to his early season production with at least 300 yards and 2 Tds.  Adjusting to the loss of Owen Daniel will have been a key part of the work leading up to this game.  Don’t be overly impressed with the performance of the Titan’s secondary last week, it was the hapless Bills after all.

Aaron Rodgers – Packers: Like Schaub, Rodgers is looking for a bounce back performance this week and with the 49ers coming into Lambeau things are shaping up for just that kind of day.  The Cowboys gave Schaub and his inconsistent OLine all kinds of trouble last week and it affected his output.  No such problem this week as SanFran has one of the worst pass rushes in the league. Should be a really big day.

RBs

Brandon Jacobs – Giants: Fantasy owners have been frustrated by Jacobs all year and with just cause, but now is the time to start him (or even trade for him).  The Giants are desperate for a win and will have to go back to the winning formula from last year as Manning continues to struggle with his foot.  Co-ordinator Kevin Gilbride has no doubt had the riot act read to him this week to get the big man the ball. Expect 20 carries for Jacobs and his first 100 yard game of the season.

Rashard Mendenhall – Steelers: For those who haven’t noticed, Mendenhall is becoming a bigger and bigger part of the Steelers attack.  The Chiefs run defense is 27th in the league, so the big back out of Wisconsin should be able to exploit them.  Look for 120+ yards and at least 1 score as the Steelers run it up against KC.

WRs

Hines Ward – Steelers: Like a fine wine, Ward just keeps getting better.  Look for some great first half numbers as the Steelers try to hang a big number early on the Chiefs.

Sidney Rice – Vikings: Clearly Favre’s favorite target to this point in the season, look for Rice’s breakout year to continue against the Seahawks and their bottom-10 pass defense.  He had a great game last week and we can look for more of the same in week 11.

While some guys’ stock may be rising there are always those guys that need some time on the bench or even dumped into the waiver bin.  This week’s candidates:

QBs

Tony Romo – Dallas:  I don’t recommend giving up on Romo altogether, but if you’ve got another option this week take it.  The suddenly rejuvenated Redskins are the opponent and after their win last week against Denver, they are looking to salvage something from their season.  A win against the hated Cowboys would be just the thing. They lead the league in pass defense (albeit against mostly shaky competition) and they should be able to rattle Romo.  Expect another inconsistent week from the ex-Mr. Jessica Simpson.

Joe Flacco – Baltimore: Normally playing the Colts is an elixir for struggling QBs, but Indy’s secondary has been playing much better of late.  I love Flacco’s upside but he seems to be going through that dreaded “sophomore jinx”.  He’s likely to put up 230+ yards, but it’s going to take 40 pass attempts and 2 or 3 picks to get that.

RBs

Steve Slaton – Texans: Slaton has gone from a sure starter, to maybe not getting a sniff in your starting lineup.  His tendency to fumble has become a real concern and his backup Ryan Moats has put up some good numbers in reserve.  Kubiak has already shown his willingness to bench Slaton so owners beware.

Cedric Benson – Bengals: Benson has been a beast this year for Cincy so his inclusion on this list is strictly because of the injury concern this week.  He’s battling a “hip flexor” and if he’s not 100%, even Oakland’s porous run defense could slow him down.  Play it safe and wait for better things in the coming weeks.

WRs

Roy Williams – Dallas: Wow! People have been getting downright giddy about Roy Williams’ performance in the last couple of weeks and I’ve heard about some crazy transactions as guys try to get Mr. Inconsistent on their rosters.  Don’t believe the hype! This guy will drive you crazy with his athleticism and potential.  The ‘Skins shut him down again this week.

Nate Burleson – Seattle: Burleson has teased his owners with some good performances this year but showed again last week that quality corners can shut him down.  Putting him on the sell list this week is predicated on the fact that Antoine Winfield is healthy for Minnesota.  If Winfield starts, sit Burleson and vice-versa.
Mailbag

Each week we will answer your specific questions in our Mailbag section.  So keep sending your queries to vic@sportsruckus.net

From Chris in Orangeville: “I have to pick between Percy Harvin and Deshaun Jackson as a receiver this week, who should I go with?”

Well Chris, this week I think the answer is Jackson.  The Bears looked awful 2 weeks ago against the Cardinals and have given up more than 40 points twice in their last 4 games.  Look for Philly to do much the same this week, especially as shutdown corner Charles Tillman recovers from injury.

From Antonio in Vaughan: “I’ve got Moreno, Addai and the Eagle’s rookie McCoy and I can start 2 of them.  Who sits?”

Antonio, you must be in a very deep league if these are your RB options, but there is hope! With Westbrook out with his second concussion in 3 weeks, McCoy will continue to get a ton of touches so he is a must start.  For the other spot, this is strictly a match-up issue as Addai goes up against Baltimore, while Moreno looks to continue his good play of late against a very mediocre Chargers D.

See you next week and keep the questions coming!

As Tom Watson strode purposefully the forty or so paces from the 17th green to the Tee box on 18 on Sunday of The Open Championship, the set of his strong jaw looked remarkably similar to the image of Watson that many in the gallery and millions more watching at home had kept in their minds since watching him for the first time in the 1970s. Gone was the shy, gap-toothed, aw-shucks smile that had been seen striding around the Ailsa course at Turnberry for the last three and a half days as he almost apologetically stayed in contention for golf’s most treasured prize. Of course, the basic decency of the man remained secure, his legendary respect for the game, his fellow competitors and the fans worn as comfortably as the snappy argyll sweaters he sported throughout the weekend. But as he approached what must surely be his final tee-shot of the tournament, something fundamentally had changed and if you looked closely at his face, that visage ravaged wonderfully by years of striving in the wind and sun, looking remarkably similar to the rugged, rocky Ayrshire coastline on which he now stood to complete the most unlikely victory of his career to date, you saw that change and were suddenly afraid for the result.

This tournament began, as all events in golf have for the past 14 years, with a discussion of Tiger. How was Tiger? Was Tiger fully recovered from his surgery? How would Tiger play on a course he had not yet dominated? For the past decade and a half if Eldrick Woods was not participating in that week’s event the pundits and TV personalities would reluctantly drag their adoring attention briefly away and consider some less fortunate plodder.  The event would be poorer lacking his glowing presence. TV audiences would drop by something approaching 50%, galleries would be smaller, but the hope would remain, Tiger will be back soon.  Just twelve months earlier, no one could be sure that the sun would come up tomorrow for golf, as Tiger underwent major surgery to repair a badly damaged knee.  One can picture PGA Commissioner Tim Finchem and a selection of Network TV Sports Presidents gathered outside the O.R. wringing their hands and praying to their personal gods like expectant family members waiting to hear the results of a life-saving operation on a beloved relative. “Pleeeeease God…take me, save Tiger!!!”  None of that fell to be considered at Turnberry however, as his Royal “Swoosh”ness was thankfully in attendance.  The storylines were set, some bit-players were ready to deliver their cameos and in the end, despite some trifling obstacles, Tiger would prevail.

That golf has reached this situation could not have been foreseen when Tom Watson first came to the awareness of the public in the early 1970’s.  Golf had enjoyed tremendous success both as a participant and spectator sport and would continue to increase in popularity for the foreseeable future.  The greats of the sport had, as in baseball, enjoyed their run of success but always sharing the spotlight with some other worthy competitor. Hagen and Jones, Hogan and Snead, Palmer and Nicklaus, Trevino and Player had paralleled their careers and ensured golf’s place in the public eye, in the way that Ruth and Gehrig, Musial and Williams, DiMaggio and Mantle had together propelled baseball steadily towards a bright future. Tom Watson and an older but still feisty Nicklaus did their part by staging a number of epic duels, most notably at the US Open and at The Open Championship at Turnberry in 1977.  It was at the heart of what made golf compelling, fierce competition against the backdrop of a tough golf course and the cruel vagaries of the game itself. But all that changed in 1995 when a teenager fresh out of Stanford arrived on the scene, heralded as golf’s shining deliverer, but in reality its potential instrument of destruction.  Now, the results of any tournament came down to three possibilities: Tiger won. Tiger didn’t compete making the result inconsequential, or Tiger somehow lost.  He was never beaten, but somehow -and usually illustrated through the super-slow motion lens of something pithily known as the “Konica Swing Vision” we were treated to a complicated, really more like incomprehensible explanation of why- Tiger lost the tournament.  There were no other heroes, only the mundane, mechanical reality of Tiger making the necessary adjustments to win next time. Tiger could determine the financial success or failure of any particular event by his mere presence, like an Olympian God Tiger could arbitrarily point his finger and bestow riches on a corporation and a community, or conversely wipe a town from the map of the PGA.

That is why Watson’s appearance on the Leaderboard of the 2009 Open Championship seemed like a magical gift from the past. Tiger’s unexpected, almost unprecedented removal from the competition by missing the cut need not result in the self-immolation of executives at ABC Sports.  They were temporarily relieved from the need to consider reprogramming 5 hours of Network TV time on Sunday afternoon with reruns of Dancing With the Stars. As long as Watson could continue his age-defying act, viewers would continue to watch, enthralled by the story, engaged by the drama.  We were treated to discussions of course conditions and historical references, not as pro-forma filler between Tiger’s shots but as the essential fabric of determining a champion.  Everything that was once great about golf was suddenly on display and it took the re-emergence of one of its ancient heroes to accomplish it.  Like Odysseus returning from the dead, Watson was back to teach a new generation about what once made golf great.  Any discussion by some quarters about how a Watson victory would denigrate golf is preposterous.  Professional golf as a spectator sport is already on its death bed, its breathing supported artificially by Tiger’s brilliance.  Watson, however showed the powers of golf a way back. Step away from the one -albeit brilliant- note that is Tiger.  Encourage the emergence of other personalities and play regularly on courses that are challenging enough to become part of the story, not the benign backdrop for pointless domination by Titanium-wielding robots.

But as Tom Watson stepped onto the tee at 18 none of these were the dominating thoughts.  Whatever the result, the reticent native of Missouri had already done his part to illuminate the future path for a renaissance of the game.  It now came down to winning and by birdying the 17th and after the collapse of  Lee Westwood –one of the many bloodless, faux-stars of the current crop of players- Watson now suddenly found himself in a position he had probably been hoping to avoid the entire weekend…it was his to lose. A mere par would re-write the history books. But Tom Watson had been in this position many times before and had been let down enough by a recalcitrant putter that his face revealed the fact about 20 minutes before the world let out the familiar “oooomph” of a sucker-punch to the solar plexus.  There would be no fairy-tale finish, no hoisting for a 5th time of the Claret Jug but only the lasting memory of a star from another age returned not to embarrass a new era of golf, but to show them a way back.  Our only response should be to say, “thanks Tom”.