Week 4 Picks

Week 3 brought a lot of excitement throughout the NFL!!!

The game that stands out in my mind the most was Vikings vs.49ers. Mike Singletary coached a cagey stingy 49ers defense to almost win. It would have been the first time the 49eres started the season 3-0 in years. But there’s only one thing, you can’t leave that much time on the clock with an old veteran QB like Brett Favre…this man has a lot of passion for the game and will not give up! The NFL needs more guys like Favre. Crabtree take a lesson from him, it’s not about the $$$ my man.

My Starting line-up for Week 4

QB - Peyton Manning- ever since Tiger Woods was on the Colts sideline, Peyton and the Colts have been on fire! Expect big fantasy numbers from Peyton this week!

RB – Adrian Peterson- Big time back, expect big time numbers….This will be a huge game on Monday Night against the divisional rival Green Bay Packers. This type of game is where you want to bring your best, expect an explosive game from the best NFL running back!

RB – Brandon Jacobs- Looks like he is back to form, last week he had 92 yards. Expect big numbers against a not so strong KC defense. The Chiefs will be expecting Eli to throw because of Eli’s success the first 3 weeks in that department.

WR – Mario Manningham- He’s developing to be Eli’s go-to receiver; expect him to be featured this week. If the running game gets going, which I expect it will, Manningham will have big numbers against KC.

WR – Reggie Wayne- What can you say about this gifted receiver? He has one of the best QB’s in the league feeding him with passes and Reggie is catching everything that’s thrown to him and making it happen! Fantasy players look for big numbers from him!

TE – Vernon Davis- He is the most complete tight-end in the game today. He can block, run and catch with the best of the receivers in the league, I’m happy Shaun Hill is coming to him as the go-to guy in their system…when Shaun Hill gets in trouble Vernon can bail him out. Also look for Vernon in the Red zone to get more passes thrown his way!

Kicker – Rian Lindell could be a busy kicker against a tough Miami Defense. Except a lot Field Goals…it’s will be a special team kind of win for either team.

Defense/ST – I have to give it to the Ravens again. They really shut down the Browns last week. The reason they’ve been so successful is they have great players at all levels of the defense. Haloti Ngata is a monster anchoring the defensive line. Ray Lewis and Terrell Suggs are great linebackers and Ed Reed is a playmaker in the secondary.

My Must Starts!

Aaron Rodgers – He’s playing like a leader with tons of confidence and control, and this is the game of the week. Expect fire works!

Willis McGahee – Looks healthy and ready to Rock-n-Roll. He has 5 rushing TDs and is leading the league! Fantasy players look for more touchdowns this week!

My Must Sits!

Philip Rivers – He’s facing a tough, mean, physical Steelers defense that’s coming off a loss to the Bengals…they’ll be pumped for the Chargers!

Randy Moss – He’s facing a tough nasty Ravens defense that’s playing on fire the way they did on their Super Bowl run with Ray Lewis leading the way!! Moss will be double covered the whole game.Sleepers!

Pierre Thomas – He is running great and wants to stay in front of Reggie Bush. Expect 100 yards and a couple of TDs.

Maurice Jones Drew – Expect a mixture of runs and catches and 3 touchdowns. Jacksonville’s offense matches up well against the Titans.

Good Luck Fantasy Players!

Pick Me!

The NFL has launched a great marketing campaign this year called the Fantasy Files. I wish they had done this when I was still playing! It's nice to see the league embracing Fantasy Football and even having some fun with it. You can check out all the videos here: http://www.nfl.com/videos/nfl-fantasy-files but this is one of my favorites.

The Players I'm Watching in Week 3

Here's my starting lineup for week three:

QUARTERBACK:

Drew Brees- Facing Buffalo defense that has given up the 2nd most passing yards. Expect Drew to keep up the spectacular fantasy numbers.

RUNNING BACK:

Maurice Jones-Drew- Don't expect him to put up the same numbers that Chris Johnson did against the Texans last week, but expect a big game from him.

WIDE RECEIVERS:

Larrry Fitzgerald- He wants the ball and Kurt Warner is going to get it to the playmaker.
Andrew Johnson- The Texans passing offense was clicking all the cylinders last week. Don't expect the Jacksonville defense to slowe them down.
Marques Colston- Last week Colston and Brees were connecting like they did back in 2007. Colston is healthy again so expect him to put up the big numbers against the Bills.

TIGHT END:

Tony Gonzalez- Playmaker regardless of who he's playing

KICKER:

John Carney- The explosive Saints desense will keep Carney busy with field goals and PATs this weekend

DEFENSE:

Baltimore Ravens- Ray Lewis, enough said :)

MUST START:

Willis McGahee - Has found the endzone 3 times this season and the Browns are giving up a lot of rushing touchdowns. McGahee has been the Ravens' go-to-guy in the redzone.

MUST BENCH:

Jay Cutler- Going against a Seahawks defense that hasn't given up a passing touchdown this season. Expect a performance similar to Week 1 from Cutler.
Thomas Jones- Facing a tough Tennessee run defense that has only given up 99 rushing yards this season and no rushing TDs.

SLEEPERS:

Jason Campbell - He hasn't had a great season so far, but expect him to put up the big numbers against the Detroit Lions this week.
Beanie Wells- He's shown flashes this season. Expect a breakout game against the Colts this week, especially if the Colts defense can't get off the field, like they couldn't in the Monday Night game against the Dolphins.

Whose Next in the 1000/1000 Club?

Have you seen this Sports illustrated article by the Monday Morning QB? Towards the end of the article they compare Matt Forte to me saying that he has the potential to catch 90+ passes this season. I have to agree. Matt is a good player and he's pretty versatile in the Bears offense. Last year as a rookie he led all running backs in receptions with 63. With a year of experience under his belt and a gunslinger for a quarterback in Jay Cutler, I expect his numbers to rise.

This takes me back to my 1985 season when I became the first player to gain more than 1,000 yards rushing and 1,000 yards receiving in the same season. Forte and any other back looking to join the 1000/1000 club will need two things: endurance and maintenance. You have to be excellent shape to be an every down back, willing to run, block, and catch. You're also going to take a lot of hits so it's important that you take care of your body by eating right, getting sports massages, and making regular visits to the chiropractor. Besides Matt Forte, I think Reggie Bush, Maurice Jones-Drew, Leon Washington, and Brian Westbrook all have the potential to reach the 1000/1000 club. By no means will it be easy but I'm rooting for these guys to join Marshall Faulk and me in the club.

It’s my favorite time of year again…Football Season!

Welcome back to my fantasy football blog. There have been some awesome preseason games so I'm looking forward to the regular season starting soon. Like me, you’re probably gearing up for your fantasy football drafts. I'm feeling confident going into my drafts because I have a secret weapon – the TIBCO Spotfire Fantasy Football Tool. This data analysis application gives me an edge in my leagues by adding extra insight into each player’s average per-game production and game-to-game consistency, two key stats to consider when drafting for a fantasy team. Check it out for yourself: http://spotfire.tibco.com/fantasy_football

Based on the Spotfire analytics tool and what I'm seeing and hearing across the NFL, I think that a few guys are going to have breakout seasons. Make sure you draft these guys on your team! Check out the Roger’s picks tab to see my main guys.

Be sure to check out my blog often. I'm going to update it regularly with commentary and videos on what’s going on around the league and projections on which players will have big games.

Good luck with your drafts and fantasy seasons!