FSH: DIAMONDS IN THE ROUGH
SEPTEMBER 7th, 2007
Here are some interesting match-ups to look at when trying to find your hidden-gem fantasy players for the week.
QB-Matt Schaub versus the Chiefs Defense; Schaub is finally getting the opportunity he couldn’t get in Atlanta. As the starter in Houston during the preseason Schaub exhibited some of his hidden potential completing 24 of 33 passes for 242 yards. Schaub has good size and vision at 6’5” and with a perennial Pro Bowler to throw at, he figures to make a name for himself quickly. This week Schaub will face a rebuilding Chiefs defense that ranked 18th against the pass and only tallied 32 sacks (ranked 23rd) all last season.
Prediction: 18 of 28 passing, 245 yards passing, 2 tds.
WR-Reggie Brown versus the Packers defense; It won’t take long for Brown to become a household name. Last season prior to McNabb getting injured Brown was emerging as one of the top deep threats in the NFC. Against the Packers on Sunday with McNabb back Brown will once again find the magic that existed a year ago between these two!
Prediction: 6 receptions for 120 yards and one touchdown!
TE-Randy McMichael versus the Panthers defense; Last season McMichael started out like the forgotten man in Miami only catching only 6 passes in his first three games. McMichael is not exceptionally large at tightend, but he possesses nice hands and a lot of athletic ability. He was under used in Miami, but now in St.Louis he’ll have a great opportunity to showcase his promise. Facing a tough Panther passing defense, quarterback Mark Bulger could look McMichael’s way for the mismatches!
Prediction: 7 receptions for 85 yards and one touchdown.
WR-Jerricho Cotchery versus the Patriots defense; last season Cotchery finished the year with 82 catches and 961 yards receiving establishing himself as a top-notch receiving threat. This week he’ll open the 2007 season against the Patriots, a team he torched for 16 receptions and 291 yards receiving while scoring once in all three games last season. The Patriots are still the Pats and will have a tough time matching up against Cotchery on Sunday!
Prediction: 5 catches for 105 yards and a touchdown!
By David G.Ortega
FFI
Friday, September 7, 2007
THE DAILY DOSE
PEYTON MANNING DIRECTS TEAM TO WIN
The Associated Press reports Indianapolis Colts QB Peyton Manning finished 18-of-30 passing for 288 yards with three touchdowns as the Colts defeated the New Orleans Saints 41-10. He led two quick touchdown drives in the first 8:49 of the second half as the team put up 24 points in 20 minutes after halftime.
BREES RUSTY IN SEASON OPENER
Doug Miller, of NewOrleansSaints.com, reports New Orleans Saints QB Drew Brees threw for 192 yards during the team's Week 1 loss to the Indianapolis Colts. Brees threw two interceptions during the game.
RAVENS EXTEND KYLE BOLLER
The Ravens have committed to Kyle Boller for another season. The two sides agreed in principle Thursday to one-year contract extension, according to the AP.
RUSSELL TO MEET WITH RAIDERS AGAIN
JaMarcus Russell's representatives and the Raiders will meet face to face on Friday, according to NFL Network's Adam Schefter
JOSEPH ADDAI SHARP IN FIRST GAME
Joseph Addai rushed 23 times for 117 yards and a touchdown and added three catches for 25 yards in Thursday's decisive victory over New Orleans.
DEUCE MCALLISTER KEPT IN CHECK
Deuce McAllister amassed 39 rushing yards on ten attempts and caught a pair of passes for seven yards in Thursday night's defeat.
REGGIE BUSH NOT MUCH BETTER
Reggie Bush rushed 12 times for 38 yards and caught four passes for six yards as the Saints fell to 0-1 on the season Thursday night
TRAVIS HENRY READY TO GO
In case there was any question, Broncos running back Travis Henry assured everyone on Wednesday that he's ready for week one. He suffered a first-degree sprain of the MCL in his left knee on August 18. "I feel great," Henry tells the team's official web site. "I'm fresh. It's the first training camp that I've been in that I've been fresh. I haven't taken a lot of pounding this preseason, so I feel great."
WARRICK DUNN TO START
Warrick Dunn will start on Sunday against the Vikings. Head coach Bobby Petrino named Dunn the starter over his second-year understudy Jerious Norwood on Wednesday. "We expect to get him in there as the starter, give him the ball, and let him go," Petrino told the Atlanta Journal-Constitution.
VERNAND MORENCY QUESTIONABLE
Vernand Morency did not take part in a walkthrough practice on Thursday, according to the Green Bay Press-Gazette. He practiced in full pads on Wednesday, yet was still restricted in terms of workload. He is considered questionable for Sunday's game against the Eagles with a knee injury.
DONALD DRIVER STILL LIMITED
The Packers listed Donald Driver's in Wednesday's practice as "limited participation," according to the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel. He is still nursing a sprained right foot.
FANTASY ALERT: PATRICK CRAYTON
Three days before their regular-season opener, the Cowboys learned
wide receiver Terry Glenn's problematic right knee likely will force him to miss
two weeks and possibly more, team owner and general manager Jerry Jones said late
Thursday afternoon.
SEAHAWKS YET TO NAME A STARTER
Seahawks head walrus Mike Holmgren still has not made a final decision on who will start at split end in Week 1, D.J. Hackett or Nate Burleson. He did tell the Seattle Times that it will come down to has the better week of practice.
JONATHAN ODGEN UPDATE
Pro Bowl tackle Jonathan Ogden practiced Thursday, his third consecutive session with the Ravens, but his availability for the season opener is still uncertain. "I expect to know before that," Ogden told the Baltimore Sun when asked if he would know prior to the day of the game. "But I don't expect anyone else to know before that."
MICHAEL STRAHAN STATUS UP IN AIR
The Giants aren't saying yet whether Michael Strahan will play in the regular-season opener on Sunday, after ending his holdout Monday. He took on a larger work load in practice Thursday and said if he continues feeling good, he expects to suit up against the Cowboys, according to the AP. "I feel good," Strahan said after practice. "See how I feel tomorrow. Today, I ran a lot more plays than I ran before, the last two days. If I am going to feel good, I'll be out there."
LEIGH BODDEN TO PLAY
Leigh Bodden will play in the Browns' season opener this weekend, despite his recent arrest. "You all know there are two sides to every story," he told the AP. "Right now I can't comment on my side. My attorney will handle that. It's unfortunate that this is a distraction." The cornerback pleaded not guilty on Thursday to misdemeanor charges the day after police accused him of driving in reverse down a one-way street and becoming verbally abusive.
The Associated Press reports Indianapolis Colts QB Peyton Manning finished 18-of-30 passing for 288 yards with three touchdowns as the Colts defeated the New Orleans Saints 41-10. He led two quick touchdown drives in the first 8:49 of the second half as the team put up 24 points in 20 minutes after halftime.
BREES RUSTY IN SEASON OPENER
Doug Miller, of NewOrleansSaints.com, reports New Orleans Saints QB Drew Brees threw for 192 yards during the team's Week 1 loss to the Indianapolis Colts. Brees threw two interceptions during the game.
RAVENS EXTEND KYLE BOLLER
The Ravens have committed to Kyle Boller for another season. The two sides agreed in principle Thursday to one-year contract extension, according to the AP.
RUSSELL TO MEET WITH RAIDERS AGAIN
JaMarcus Russell's representatives and the Raiders will meet face to face on Friday, according to NFL Network's Adam Schefter
JOSEPH ADDAI SHARP IN FIRST GAME
Joseph Addai rushed 23 times for 117 yards and a touchdown and added three catches for 25 yards in Thursday's decisive victory over New Orleans.
DEUCE MCALLISTER KEPT IN CHECK
Deuce McAllister amassed 39 rushing yards on ten attempts and caught a pair of passes for seven yards in Thursday night's defeat.
REGGIE BUSH NOT MUCH BETTER
Reggie Bush rushed 12 times for 38 yards and caught four passes for six yards as the Saints fell to 0-1 on the season Thursday night
TRAVIS HENRY READY TO GO
In case there was any question, Broncos running back Travis Henry assured everyone on Wednesday that he's ready for week one. He suffered a first-degree sprain of the MCL in his left knee on August 18. "I feel great," Henry tells the team's official web site. "I'm fresh. It's the first training camp that I've been in that I've been fresh. I haven't taken a lot of pounding this preseason, so I feel great."
WARRICK DUNN TO START
Warrick Dunn will start on Sunday against the Vikings. Head coach Bobby Petrino named Dunn the starter over his second-year understudy Jerious Norwood on Wednesday. "We expect to get him in there as the starter, give him the ball, and let him go," Petrino told the Atlanta Journal-Constitution.
VERNAND MORENCY QUESTIONABLE
Vernand Morency did not take part in a walkthrough practice on Thursday, according to the Green Bay Press-Gazette. He practiced in full pads on Wednesday, yet was still restricted in terms of workload. He is considered questionable for Sunday's game against the Eagles with a knee injury.
DONALD DRIVER STILL LIMITED
The Packers listed Donald Driver's in Wednesday's practice as "limited participation," according to the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel. He is still nursing a sprained right foot.
FANTASY ALERT: PATRICK CRAYTON
Three days before their regular-season opener, the Cowboys learned
wide receiver Terry Glenn's problematic right knee likely will force him to miss
two weeks and possibly more, team owner and general manager Jerry Jones said late
Thursday afternoon.
SEAHAWKS YET TO NAME A STARTER
Seahawks head walrus Mike Holmgren still has not made a final decision on who will start at split end in Week 1, D.J. Hackett or Nate Burleson. He did tell the Seattle Times that it will come down to has the better week of practice.
JONATHAN ODGEN UPDATE
Pro Bowl tackle Jonathan Ogden practiced Thursday, his third consecutive session with the Ravens, but his availability for the season opener is still uncertain. "I expect to know before that," Ogden told the Baltimore Sun when asked if he would know prior to the day of the game. "But I don't expect anyone else to know before that."
MICHAEL STRAHAN STATUS UP IN AIR
The Giants aren't saying yet whether Michael Strahan will play in the regular-season opener on Sunday, after ending his holdout Monday. He took on a larger work load in practice Thursday and said if he continues feeling good, he expects to suit up against the Cowboys, according to the AP. "I feel good," Strahan said after practice. "See how I feel tomorrow. Today, I ran a lot more plays than I ran before, the last two days. If I am going to feel good, I'll be out there."
LEIGH BODDEN TO PLAY
Leigh Bodden will play in the Browns' season opener this weekend, despite his recent arrest. "You all know there are two sides to every story," he told the AP. "Right now I can't comment on my side. My attorney will handle that. It's unfortunate that this is a distraction." The cornerback pleaded not guilty on Thursday to misdemeanor charges the day after police accused him of driving in reverse down a one-way street and becoming verbally abusive.
FFI: GAME NOTES
FFI: GAME NOTES
SEPTEMBER 6th, 2007
THE NFL 2007 SEASON HAS BEGUN
Well its official, the 2007 regular season is underway. The 2007 season opener featured a couple of teams with some high-powered offenses and had the makings to be an exciting clash of Superstars!
Well Thursday night was filled with many pre-game stars from Kelly Clarkson to John Cougar-Mellencamp to Faith Hill, but what it was missing were a few from New Orleans.
On the primetime stage Peyton Manning and Company did not disappoint, although their new feature back did put a huge scare in the hearts of many fantasy football gamers. On the team’s first offensive play from scrimmage running back Joseph Addai went down and did not get up for several minutes. When he did finally make it up he went straight to the bench and sat out the remainder of the series. Fortunately for league owners with Addai on their team it was nothing more than the wind knocked out of him.
Like his counterpart Manning, Addai was equally impressive carrying the ball 23 times for 118 yards. Addai also added three catches for another 25 yards, looking very much like a young James, but perhaps with more scat. If tonight was any indication, 79% of the touches in the running game, Addai is on his way to a huge season!
Manning’s start tonight was also an indication of possibly another Peyton like season (288 yards passing, 3-tds). Take it for what you will, not only do the Colts look primed on offense to do what they do (Marvin & Reggie, 11 catches for 198 yards & 3 touchdowns combined), but now they have a defense (3-takeaways)?
On the flip side, Drew Brees did not look poised all night. He seemed to be pressing at times and very hesitant to throw down field. When he did, it was not good (two picks on the night). The Saints are coming off a big season from a year ago and perhaps expectations this year could be adding some pressure on the boys from Louisiana.
On a night when the Saints needed stars, they fell like meteors and landed with a thud. Reggie Bush and company could not get the running game untracked (McAllister & Bush; 22 carries for 76 yards, 3.4 yards per carry combined). The Saints tried to get Bush involved in the passing game with 4 catches, but for only 7 yards.
The night was expected to be full of fireworks, but the 41-10 result showed only one team arrived cocked and loaded. The defending champs are well on their way to backing up last years title run. There are 16 more weeks of football to go, so we have got a lot to look forward to in Indianapolis.
The Saints however can take tonight’s game and look at the results with the same perspective. Although they did not look like last year’s dream-season team, they still contain many of those same ingredients. There are 16 more weeks of football to play, so we still have a lot to look forward to in New Orleans!
~D.Ortega
FFI
SEPTEMBER 6th, 2007
THE NFL 2007 SEASON HAS BEGUN
Well its official, the 2007 regular season is underway. The 2007 season opener featured a couple of teams with some high-powered offenses and had the makings to be an exciting clash of Superstars!
Well Thursday night was filled with many pre-game stars from Kelly Clarkson to John Cougar-Mellencamp to Faith Hill, but what it was missing were a few from New Orleans.
On the primetime stage Peyton Manning and Company did not disappoint, although their new feature back did put a huge scare in the hearts of many fantasy football gamers. On the team’s first offensive play from scrimmage running back Joseph Addai went down and did not get up for several minutes. When he did finally make it up he went straight to the bench and sat out the remainder of the series. Fortunately for league owners with Addai on their team it was nothing more than the wind knocked out of him.
Like his counterpart Manning, Addai was equally impressive carrying the ball 23 times for 118 yards. Addai also added three catches for another 25 yards, looking very much like a young James, but perhaps with more scat. If tonight was any indication, 79% of the touches in the running game, Addai is on his way to a huge season!
Manning’s start tonight was also an indication of possibly another Peyton like season (288 yards passing, 3-tds). Take it for what you will, not only do the Colts look primed on offense to do what they do (Marvin & Reggie, 11 catches for 198 yards & 3 touchdowns combined), but now they have a defense (3-takeaways)?
On the flip side, Drew Brees did not look poised all night. He seemed to be pressing at times and very hesitant to throw down field. When he did, it was not good (two picks on the night). The Saints are coming off a big season from a year ago and perhaps expectations this year could be adding some pressure on the boys from Louisiana.
On a night when the Saints needed stars, they fell like meteors and landed with a thud. Reggie Bush and company could not get the running game untracked (McAllister & Bush; 22 carries for 76 yards, 3.4 yards per carry combined). The Saints tried to get Bush involved in the passing game with 4 catches, but for only 7 yards.
The night was expected to be full of fireworks, but the 41-10 result showed only one team arrived cocked and loaded. The defending champs are well on their way to backing up last years title run. There are 16 more weeks of football to go, so we have got a lot to look forward to in Indianapolis.
The Saints however can take tonight’s game and look at the results with the same perspective. Although they did not look like last year’s dream-season team, they still contain many of those same ingredients. There are 16 more weeks of football to play, so we still have a lot to look forward to in New Orleans!
~D.Ortega
FFI
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