Week 15 Predictions

So I'm a little late since I missed the Thursday game (Christmas Shopping) but here are my predictions for this week. 

We all kind of knew the Chargers were going to win.

Cleveland @ Cincinnati

Cleveland by 14

Washington @ Dallas

Dallas by 10 (but who cares, I mean really they are both kind of bad)

Houston @ Tennessee

Houston by 7

Jacksonville @ Indianapolis

Jacksonville by 17

Kansas City @ St. Louis

Saint Louis by 3

Buffalo @ Miami

Buffalo by 10

Detroit @ Tampa Bay

Tampa by 4

Arizona @ Carolina

Arizona by 3 (again, who really cares though)

New Orleans @ Baltimore

Baltimore by 14

Philadelphia @ New York Giants

Philly by 24

Atlanta @ Seattle

Atlanta by 10

New York Jets @ Pittsburgh

Pitt by 17

Denver @ Oakland

Tim Tebow's first start is a win (and good for him...no really...this one isn't a joke, Tebow is a monster)

Green Bay @ New England

New England by an undetermined number because Rodgers is out and their defense is week in the secondary where Brady will be able to exploit all of that.  (Basically I'm saying that I don't want to count that high right now)

Chicago @ Minnesota (Outdoors @ University of Minnesota)

Vikes win by a lot considering Chicago's lack of production in the snow for the last couple of weeks. 

The End of an Era

The all fabled streak has come to an end as future Hall of Fame Quarterback Brett Favre has failed to start in his game this week for the first time since 1992 which ended the active streak at 297 games.  Brett Favre has started every game that his teams have had since week 4 in 1992 and is the record holder for almost every NFL record for Quarterbacks in the book. 

Favre currently sits with the record for Most Completed Passes in a Career with 6,083, Most Yards Gained in a Career with 69,329, Most Seasons with 3,000 or more Yards Passing with 18, Most Seasons leading the League in Touchdowns with 4, Most Touchdown Passes Career with 497, Most Career Games with Four or More Touchdowns with 23, Most Career Interceptions Thrown with 317, and finished in second place for all time games played to Jeff Feagles (P) and honestly to the Punters really count. 

The last time Favre didn't start, my younger sister was two years old, and I had never held a football.  I could never dream personally of putting together a career such as this (except in Madden). The accomplishments that Brett has accumulated will no doubt earn him a first ballot Hall of Fame election, but are almost too numerous to list so I will try but if I miss some numbers, don't hold it against me. 

Favre Has made 10,162 pass attempts in his 20 year career, completing 6295 passes for 71,775 yards and 507 touchdowns.  His current career passer rating is an 86.0 and Favre has thrown 335 interceptions, and lost 111 fumbles.  Favre does have a 99 yard long touchdown pass with a 7.1 yard average pass play.  Favre did rush for 1844 yards on 601 attempts with 14 rushing touchdowns and a long play of 40 yards.  And now for something completely different, Brett did catch 2 passes in his career with -7 career yards and a 2 yard long play. 

As pointed out by Stuart Scott on ESPN, fittingly the #1 song on the Billboard Top 100 was "End of the Road" by Boyz II Men.  Was the career of one of the greatest Quarterbacks to ever play the game ended on a fluke hit by the Buffalo Bills?  Only time will tell...

Rest of the NFL Season Predictions

Hey Everybody.  I am having some time issues that are preventing me from writing every week so I want to post some predictions for the rest of the season. 

First Place Predictions

AFC East-Patriots
AFC North-Steelers
AFC West-Chargers
AFC South-Jaguars

NFC East-Eagles
NFC North-Packers
NFC West-Seahawks
NFC South-Falcons

Wild Card Teams

NFC 1-Saints
NFC 2-Buccaneers

AFC 1-Ravens
AFC 2-Chiefs

BOLD PREDICTIONS

Cincinnati finishes in last place in the NFL (Yes it pains me to say that) They will not win another game this season. 

The Atlanta Falcons are going to finish in first place in the NFC and will have home field advantage through the playoffs (which based on recent history means that they will make the Super Bowl)

The New England Patriots will run the table and will not lose another game until the Super Bowl.

The Houston Texans will finish above the Colts in their division. 

The New York Jets will not win more than 1 more game this season. 

I think that the Falcons will win the Super Bowl this year.

As always, email me or find me on twitter if you have questions. 

NFL Predictions Week 9

Gotta do this quick. 

Atlanta over Tampa Bay
Chicago over Buffalo
Cleveland over New England
Jets over Detroit
Saints over Carolina
Baltimore over Miami
Texans over the Chargers
Vikings over Cardinals
Giants over Seahawks
Philly over Indy
Raiders over KC
Packers over Dallas by a lot
and Steelers over Bengals on Monday

Enjoy the day and don't forget to set your clocks back. 

NFL Predictions Week 8

Week 8 Fantasy Rankings - Wide Receivers

Week 8 Wide Receiver Rankings

1. Brandon Lloyd (Den)
2. Andre Johnson (Hou)
3. Reggie Wayne (Ind)
4. Randy Moss (Min)
5. Kenny Britt (Ten)
6. Braylon Edwards (NYJ)
7. Calvin Johnson (Det)
8. Santana Moss (Wsh)
9. Larry Fitzgerald (Ari) 
10. Wes Welker (NE)
11. Donald Driver (GB)
12. Jabar Gaffney (Den)
13. Eddie Royal (Den) 
14. Percy Harvin (Min)
15. Mike Wallace (Pit)
16. Austin Collie (Ind) 
17.  Marques Colston (NO)
18. Michael Crabtree (SF)
19. Steve Johnson (Buf)
20. Terrell Owens (Cin)
21. Chad Ochocinco (Cin)
22. Miles Austin (Dal)
23. Danny Amendola (StL)
24. Steve Smith (Car)
25. Dwayne Bowe (KC) 
26. Devonne Bess (Mia)
27. Deion Branch (NE)
28. Hines Ward (Pit)
29. Mike Williams (Sea)
30. Mike Williams (TB)

Questions...You can contact me at the info below.

thebrandoncampbell@gmail.com
www.twitter.com/thebcampbell

Week 8 Fantasy Rankings - Running Backs

Fantasy Rankings for NFL Week 8 and the Running Backs. 

1. Arian Foster (Hou)
2. Maurice Jones-Drew (Jac)
3. Adrian Peterson (Min)
4. Rashard Mendenhall (Pit)
5. Steven Jackson (StL)
6. Jahvid Best (Det)
7. Jamaal Charles (KC)
8. DeAngelo Williams (Car)
9. Chris Johnson (Ten)
10. Darren McFadden (Oak)
11. Frank Gore (SF)
12. Ryan Torain (Wsh)
13. LaDainian Tomlinson (NYJ)
14. Knowshown Moreno (Den)
15. Marshawn Lynch (Sea)
16. Ryan Mathews (SD)
17. Cedric Benson (Cin)
18. Thomas Jones (KC)
19. BenJarvus Green-Ellis (NE)
20. Michael Bush (Oak)
21. Felix Jones (Dal)
22. Ricky Williams (Mia)
23. Brandon Jackson (GB)
24. Fred Jackson (Buf)
25. Beanie Wells (Ari)
26. Ronnie Brown (Mia)
27. Danny Woodhead (NE) 
28. Cadilac Williams (TB)
29. Joseph Addai (Ind)
30. Rashad Jennings (Jac)

Some Justification for these picks you ask...Why I'd be happy to.

Arian Foster (Hou) @ Ind

The last time Foster saw the Colts Defense he was scoring touchdowns (3 to be exact) and still would have had time to shake Bob Sanders down for his lunch money.  Not only is Foster looking better (all around) now, but the Indy defense is a little depleted and just won't be able to match up with the power speed combo of Foster.  Look for a similar performance to Week 1 where he had 33 carries for 231 yards and 3 touchdowns. 

Joseph Addai (Ind) vs Hou

If Foster was so nuts and the Texans' Defense is as bad as they have looked then why so low on Addai.  Well, Quite Frankly he's hurt and in the first game he still only had 10 carries for 44 yards.  Not exactly what they needed to get out of the gates and with the injury I really don't expect it to get better this week. 

Marshawn Lynch (Sea) @ Oak

Lynch is showing life sign after being revived from his Fantasy Coma with a trade to Seattle to get on board with Pete Carrol.  Lynch has always been talented and it seemed like in Buffalo he was being held down by the rest of his team and he should be able to break out with Seattle, especially against Oakland who is giving up the second highest Fantasy Point total for the season against Running Backs (second only to the Lions) with 23.1 points per week. 

Once again if you have any questions you can use the contact information below and I will do my best to answer. 

thebrandoncampbell@gmail.com
www.twitter.com/thebcampbell

Week 8 Fantasy Rankings - Quarterbacks

Projected Fantasy Rankings for Quarterbacks during Week 8 of the NFL season.

1. Peyton Manning (Ind)
2. Kyle Orton (Den)
3. Tom Brady (NE)
4. Phillip Rivers (SD)
5. Matt Schaub (Hou)
6. Ryan Fitzpatrick (Buf)
7. Ben Roethlisberger (Pit)
8. Donovan McNabb (Wsh)
9. Aaron Rodgers (GB)
10. Drew Brees (NO)
11. Matt Cassel (KC)
12. Carson Palmer (Cin)
13. Chad Henne (Mia)
14. Josh Freeman (TB)
15. Mark Sanchez (NYJ)
16. Matt Stafford (Det)
17. Sam Bradford (StL)
18. David Garrard (Jac)
19. Matt Hasselbeck (Sea)
20. Jason Campbell (Oak)
21. Tavaris Jackson (Min)
22. Vince Young (Ten)
23. John Kitna (Dal)
24. Troy Smith (SF)
25. Matt Moore (Car)

Now I feel the need to justify a few of my rankings here so before you ring me off the hook to criticize, you should hear me out.

Ryan Fitzpatrick (Buf) @ KC

Based on ESPN standard scoring settings Ryan Fitzpatrick has outscored some of the Top Tier Quarterbacks on the season (despite not having started some of the games) including the likes of Mark Sanchez, Kevin Kolb, Jay Cutler, Chad Henne, and has the same amount as Houston's Matt Schaub even though Schaub has played every game so far this season.  Fitzpatrick is playing against a Chiefs team, that while much improved, is still lacking avg 13.3 pts per game to Fantasy Quarterbacks giving 1530 yards so far this season. 

Kyle Orton (Den) @ SF

Yeah Yeah, Kyle Orton...Blah Blah, wait, what, ranked #2.  How does that work?  Ohhhhhh...he's playing against the 49ers.  The 49ers have given up 1591 yards passing this season so far, and average 14.1 fantasy points against (according to espn.com standard scoring).  Kyle Orton has already surpassed 2000 yards passing and has the third highest total Fantasy Points amongst Quarterbacks, with 123.  I don't see a better match up for anybody else rivaling this list so there you have it.  (By the Way: Only Phillip Rivers and Aaron Rodgers have more Fantasy Points amongst the Quarterbacks). 

If you have questions about this entry or just need to contact me in regards to what you have read, you can do so through my e-mail at thebrandoncampbell@gmail.com or you can follow me on twitter at www.twitter.com/thebcampbell

NFL Weekend Recap - Week 7

After a week of some upsets we review Week 7 in the NFL. We had some huge surprises such as Carson Palmer throwing for 412 yards and 3 touchdowns and the Cleveland Browns playing like they own the league.  Let's break down the match-ups. 

Cincinnati @ Atlanta

Roddy White caught 201 of Matt Ryan's 299 yards passing and 2 of the 3 touchdowns.  The Takeaway here is that White is a fantasy monster and if you didn't start him you should be ashamed of yourself.  Palmer wakes up from his Fantasy Coma and throws for 412 yards and 3 touchdowns in a losing effort.  I don't look for this to continue on a regular basis but it is possible.  Surprise of the game is Jordan Shipley with 6 receptions for 131 yards and 1 touchdown.  Shipley is slowly becoming a sleeper and could potentially be a #3 Wide Receiver. 

Philadelphia @ Tennessee

Kenny Britt is a Monster as I stated previously in the predictions blog, and he proved it by catching 225 of Collins' 276 yards and all 3 of Collins' touchdowns.  That is really all of the relevant fantasy info out of the game except that Brent Celek had his first bad game with Kolb under center in a loss to the Titans.  

Washington @ Chicago

McNabb has another solid game, and so did Cutler.  Really about it.  Redskins win. 

Jacksonville @ Kansas City

Matt Cassel continues to disappoint even against what ESPN.com dubbed the worst secondary in football.  He had an OK game where many though he would be back to those flashes of greatness from New England, with a  193 yard and 2 touchdown performance.  Both of those touchdowns and a good majority of the yards went to the (previously) Fantasy Comatose Dwayne Bowe.  Chiefs win in a closer game than it should have been. 

Pittsburgh @ Miami

Roethlisberger has a pretty monstrous game against a good secondary from Miami.  302 yards and 2 touchdowns from Big Ben lead the Steelers to a win over the Dolphins. 

UPSET SPECIAL (I would just like to brag a little bit that I definitely called this game and even only missed the score by 3 points...yay me)

Cleveland @ New Orleans

Colt McCoy has a horrible fantasy game in the biggest upset of this season so far (in the NFL), but the Defense comes up huge as Brees throws 4 interceptions and 2 of those were returned for touchdowns.  Colston woke up a little for 112 yards and a touchdown and if he can continue this trend he will be back in Fantasy Lineups soon. 

St. Louis @ Tampa Bay

Freeman appears to be the only solid Fantasy player in a close win against the improving Rams team.  Mike Williams has another "down" game with only 82 yards.  Sam Bradford did throw for 2 touchdowns in his 126 yards and is slowly moving his way towards fantasy relevance. 

San Francisco @ Carolina

Panthers pick up their first win in an ugly matchup. 

Buffalo @ Baltimore

Quarterbacks played well with Ryan Fitzpatrick outperforming Joe Flacco.  Fred Jackson and Steve Johnson led the rushing and passing attacks (respectively) and Johnson scored 1 touchdown with 158 yards and Jackson rushed for 73 yards.  Rice and Boldin led the attacks for the Ravens and the Ravens had to sneak out a win in overtime. 

Arizona @ Seattle

No Relevance from Arizona but Settle continues to impress with Mike Williams, and Marshawn Lynch leading the way for Hasselbeck in their 22-10 victory. 

WHAT THE .... MOMENT OF THE WEEK

Oakland @ Denver

Zach Miller, Darren McFadden, and Jason Campbell led the offensive attack for the Oakland Raiders this week and start to finish Oakland pulls out the impressive win (Domination) of Denver by scoring 59 total points (Most In Team History).  Knowshon Moreno returns to form by scoring two touchdowns but unfortunately those were the only points that the Broncos could muster against a much improved Raiders team.  59-14. 

New England @ San Diego

Brady is Brady, Rivers is Rivers, both teams are banged up and it's hard at any given time aside from the aforementioned players to determine who is going to play well.  The big thing is Gates, and Malcolm Floyd were injured but Crayton picked up the slack (somewhat). 

Minnesota @ Green Bay

Big Story is that Brett Favre has two fractured bones in his ankle and his status for next week (8) is in doubt.  Peterson has a stud game and Aaron Rodgers throws for 295 yards and 2 touchdowns.  Brett tried to work some of that signature "magic" and feel short against that Packers D 28-24. 

New York Giants @ Dallas

Tony Romo left Monday Night Football's game in the second quarter with a broken collarbone and will likely miss a pretty good chunk of time this season.  Hakeem Nicks caught 9 balls for 108 yards and 2 touchdowns with Eli throwing for 306 yards and 4 touchdowns.  John Kitna put up some OK numbers with 2 touchdowns and 187 yards.  Cowboys lose and my prediction is that the season is lost.  NYG 41- DAL 35. 

Lot's of great action this weekend and next week looks just as promising so tune in for more information as it comes out. 

This is the video that I recorded for my YouTube Channel.  You can check it out @ www.YouTube.com/thebrandoncampbell

Fantasy Basketball Breakdown - Centers

For the final entry in the Fantasy Breakdown series for pre-season basketball, we are going to take a look at the Centers of the league.  There are a lot of interesting players at this position and quite a few that you should take a look at. 

Brook Lopez is a stud in New Jersey and puts up some massive numbers.  He might even match the output of a Dwight Howard if the Nets can step their game up a little bit this season.  Keep an eye on him but he is ranked as the 4th overall center so there is a good chance that he won't be available. 

Marcus Camby is quite possibly the most overrated of the overrated players I have talked about in this series.  Camby's age is catching up to him and playing in Portland I don't know that he is going to be the weapon that they think that he is with their lineup. 

The player that I would move up to replace Camby in my rankings would be DeMarcus Cousins of Sacramento.  The Kings appear to be building the franchise back up around Cousins who in his 1 year the the University of Kentucky proved that he is a Monstrous force in the paint.  Also keep in mind that Cousins came to Kentucky wanting to play Point Guard so don't think that just because he's big that he can't handle the ball. 

Remember folks, It's Your Team, so Draft Like it.  And above all else, have fun guys. 

Fantasy Basketball Breakdown - Power Forwards

Hey guys, it's time again for the Fantasy Breakdown and it's the 4th entry in the series and we will be updating the Power Forwards. 

I look for David Lee to out perform the only two people ranked above him in this position (Pao Gasol and Dirk Nowitski) and I don't think it's close.  Lee is a versatile player for Golden State that will prove to be a force to be reckoned with down low. 

I think the most overrated player at the Power Forward position is Antawn Jamison of Cleveland.  I don't think he is going to be able to get the same level of production as year past without LeBron in Cleveland to help. 

I think the most underrated player at the Power Forward position is Blake Griffin.  He is the only hope for a slowly improving Clippers team and has a chip on his shoulder due to the injury that kept him out all last year.  Blake Griffin is ranked 28th on the ESPN.com positional rankings. 

Look for the Center Spotlight soon. 

NFL Predictions Week 7

Been off the predictions for the last week but I'm back and ready for some upsets.  Here comes the Fantasy Breakdown. 

Cincinnati @ Atlanta

Cincy is coming off the bye week and Ochocinco is pissed.  Based on his social media rants over the last week I feel like Chad is planning on some big stuff this week.  Matt Ryan has played very well at home and I don't look for that to change but I do look for what would be a little bit of an upset with Cincy pulling out the win over Atlanta. 

Washington @ Chicago

Jay Cutler has been playing pretty well but not up to the usual standards and his concussion a few weeks back surely didn't help matters.  McNabb is looking up from their big win over Green Bay last week and Santana Moss continues to play extremely well.  The only downside to the Skins this week is Chris Cooley is still a doubtful play after his concussion last week.  My prediction is a Redskins win, but it's close. 

St. Louis @ Tampa Bay

No real Fantasy Value here except for the quarterbacks.  Look for a Tampa win. 

San Francisco @ Carolina

San Fran is the most up and down team that I have ever seen.  One week they play lights out against the Saints and another they are losing to the Seahawks.  I don't think any of them are reliable except Davis and Crabtree.  The Panthers are horrible this year and not even a talent the likes of DeAngelo Williams can keep them afloat.  Look for a Niners win but not a lot of fantasy value. 

Buffalo @ Baltimore

Bills QB Ryan Fitzpatrick is probably the only safe Buffalo player.  To steal a quote for Matthew Berry of ESPN..."Start Your Studs!!!"  Look for Ray Rice, Flacco, and the WR from the Ravens to have a good game against one of the worst defenses in the league. 

Philadelphia @ Tennessee

Kolb is starting again for Philly due to Vick's injury and Kolb's failure to...well fail.  I wouldn't start either Titans Quarterback this week because we aren't sure who will be starting after Vince Young's injury last week against the Jaguars.  Kenny Britt is becoming a Fantasy Stud and I look for him to be the key to an upset victory over the Eagles. 

Jacksonville @ Kansas City

Jacksonville versus the QB this season has the second most points per week in the league, however they are playing Matt Cassel.  Look for the difference to be in Special Teams with Kansas City picking up the win. 

Pittsburgh @ Miami

Big Ben is back and apparently didn't even have any rust to shake off in his return last week.  Miami has one of the best young secondary units in the league.  This one will be a hard fought battle with Miami pulling out the upset. 

Cleveland @ New Orleans

The Browns got knocked around but Colt McCoy still had a pretty impressive debut for a rookie.  New Orleans isn't exactly playing at their Super Bowl winning level of last year.  This is my big upset pick of the week because I look for McCoy to take advantage of a depleted secondary and pull off the win in the Superdome. 

Arizona @ Seattle

Pete Carroll has breathed new life into the Seahawks this season as Matt Hasselbeck apparently remembers how to play football and they have acquired Marshawn Lynch from the Bills.  Arizona has played so horribly they have been through 2 quarterbacks on their way to Max Hall who fortunately has learned in his brief time with the team how to throw to Larry Fitzgerald.  I expect kind of a shootout here with the Seahawks pulling out the win. 

New England @ San Diego

The Chargers have the #1 offense and defense in football and are 2-4 this season.  New England has a spotty secondary but outside of that it's Tom "Freakin" Brady and they will be fine.  I do look for the Chargers to pick up the win this week because Phillip Rivers is a Monster. 

Oakland @ Denver

Looking for a Raiders upset this week....That's really all I have on this game.

Minnesota @ Green Bay

Aaron Rodgers lost a target last week in Jermichael Finley who is out for the season with injury.  Their running game is awful since the Ryan Grant injury.  Minnesota is looking revived after their acquisition of Randy Moss from the Patriots and a win over Dallas last week.  I look for Favre to once again gain revenge. 

New York Giants @ Dallas

The Giants have been surprisingly good and Dallas is surprisingly bad, and I mean BAD.  Based on this I look for a Giants win and earlier than normal the Cowboys season is Done. 

Fantasy Basketball Breakdown - Small Forwards

We are back once again with the Master Plan for your Fantasy Basketball Drafts.  I have been updating this week with players that you should be keeping an eye out for and a few that you should avoid in each position in the game. Tonight is the first of the Final Three pieces in the series and you can expect the remainder this weekend.   

I want to start our feature on the Small Forwards with G/F Brandon Roy.  Roy ranks in at #7 amongst the Small Forwards and returning from last year where he spent quite a bit of time injured.  I don't think that this is going to continue and I would look for his numbers to skyrocket in the 2011 season.  ESPN.com has Roy projected with 22.2 points per game, 4.5 rebounds, 5 assists and 1.1 steals on average.  I would stake a bet right now that Roy's numbers will exceed this in each and every category. 

If you are thinking about AI 2.0 (Andre Iguodala) I would seriously suggest against such a thought.  ESPN.com has AI 2.0 projected at #5 amongst the Small Forwards and I would think that with the lack of depth, and frankly talent, in Philly I don't expect Iguodala to be able to keep up with the projections.  I certainly can't bode well that they drafted a young stud in Evan Turner who just happens to fit into the same positions that AI 2.0 plays.  That is just one man's opinion though. 

The player in ESPN's top 30 in this position that I think is the most underrated would have to be Michael Beasley.  Minnesota is improving and while they are certainly not the Lakers or Celtics, they are getting much better and a good deal of this is due to Michael Beasley.  Beasley a young player out of Kansas State is quite frankly a monster and averages about 14 points per game.  This kid is pretty good and I look for this year to serve as a breakout year. 

Remember it is your team so draft em how you want but I think that this is some pretty sound advice. 

Make sure to check me out on Twitter and Facebook
and you can direct questions to me at thebrandoncampbell@gmail.com

Fantasy Basketball Breakdown - Shooting Guards

Back Again my friends.  As you can probably tell I am taking a look at the upcoming Fantasy Basketball season and we have reached the Shooting Guards.  Now keep in mind that I am trying to give you some information on players that you may not realize will be good pickups.  With that being said there is no reason for me to say "well you have to draft Kobe Bryant to win." because everybody that would be playing Fantasy Basketball knows that Kobe is a valuable player, where you win is in the remaining players. 

I think a good player to look at is Joe Johnson from Atlanta.  Johnson is currently ranked at number 7 according to ESPN fantasy and they are projecting over 20 points per game, over 5 assists per game, 4.5 rebounds and 1.1 steals per game.  Those are pretty impressive numbers and they have been consistent for the last 5 seasons.  That is pretty stinking efficient. 

Looking at the rankings I see one player that stands out that I don't think will match up to predictions.   Ray Allen will be an effective player this year but I am just not so sure that he will be able to put up good fantasy numbers.  He is currently ranked at 17 according to ESPN.com and I think that he will finish around 24. 

I think that the most underrated player on the list is Evan Turner (Phi), the rookie out of The Ohio State University.  Ranked 39th amongst Shooting Guards, Turner is only projected with 11.2 points per game with 3.5 rebounds, and 3.4 assists.  I personally find these projections a little insulting based on Turner's college performance and while he is young and will be learning a new game plan in Philly, I still think that the Sixer's will have to go small and fast and my guess is that this will mean big things for the former Buckeye. 

I want to once again stress that these are opinions and that nobody can predict the future.  All I can do is try and if you are reading this you are looking for some advice so here is the ultimate advice.  It is your team so draft the players that you want.  If you are a Duke fan and want to draft only Duke alumni, you are more than welcome to do so or you can be the opposite and draft no Duke players.  It's your choice, so choose wisely because it definitely takes the fun out of playing if you don't get players that you find entertaining to follow. 

Keep an eye out for my entries on the Small Forwards, Power Forwards, and Centers.

  *All rankings are based on ESPN.com position rankings
 **Statistics and Projections are also via ESPN.com Fantasy 

Fantasy Basketball Breakdown - Point Guards

So I am relatively new to Fantasy Basketball but the concept is not lost on me and I have still been playing for a little while now so I feel confident enough that I can break this down pretty well.  The season starts next week and for those of you that have a Fantasy League I want you to know what to look for based on the needs for your team. 

If you play in a Keeper League or don't have the number 1 draft pick in your league, odds are you are not going to be able to snag Chris Paul.  ESPN has Paul rated #2 overall amongst NBA players.  I look for Steve Nash and Rajon Rondo to be the most productive players this year.  I am not satisfied with Paul's current status with the New Orleans Hornets based on the Contract Issues and trade requests of this past off-season.  Rondo signed an extension last year and they have reloaded in Boston and Steve Nash is just ridiculous.  I'm not saying don't draft Chris Paul, I'm just saying be careful what you wish for.

Rookie John Wall (Was) out of Kentucky is already looking like a Rookie of the Year candidate based on his pre-season performance.  I look for him to be an extremely productive member of this team despite the team's dysfunctional nature.  Wall's end to end speed with the ball is hard pressed to be matched by anyone in the league and the Wizards will be looking to take advantage of that. 

The sleeper pick in the PG position is Rodney Stuckey from Detroit.  Stuckey who rotates between point and shooting guard now has another weapon in an apparently healthy Tracy McGrady who signed this off-season.  With T-Mac and the returning Rip Hamilton and Tayshaun Prince, Stuckey will have a lot of weapons to throw to and will leave him open with the defenses keying in on the other players. 

I, like many, am looking forward to basketball season.  I am looking for this to be a very entertaining time.  Please keep an eye out for my remaining positional breakdowns and once the season begins I will be posting a Player spotlight for a player to look for each Monday and Rankings on Wednesday for each position.   

My Apologies

I have been offline for a little while.  I had a family reunion over the weekend and didn't get to post my pick'em updates for week 6.  I then took a turn for the worse when I got sick on Monday afternoon and was out of commission all night and all day today.  On the bright side, I'm feelin better and I'm wired from sleeping for about 15 hours into Tuesday so keep an eye out for some new updates on Wednesday and Thursday.  I'm workin on some Fantasy Football and Basketball stories that are due this week and I will be releasing my weekly schedule by the end of the week. 

I want to thank anyone that reads and please keep coming back. 

You can view my profile on Facebook here
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or you can email me at thebrandoncampbell@gmail.com

NFL Predictions Week 5

Gotta do this quick because I have some more work to do tonight so here it goes. 

Winners will be in bold print. 

Jacksonville @ Buffalo
Tampa Bay @ Cincinnati
Atlanta @ Cleveland
St. Louis @ Detroit
Kansas City @ Indianapolis
Green Bay @ Washington
Chicago @ Carolina
Denver @ Baltimore
New York Giants @ Houston
New Orleans @ Arizona
San Diego @ Oakland
Tennessee @ Dallas
Philadelphia @ San Francisco
Minnesota @ New York Jets

I look for Kansas City to remain the top team in the league right now by remaining undefeated by upsetting the Colts by at least 10 points. 

NFL Week 4 Predictions

Week 4 is upon us and it's time for my predictions.  We do have a bye for 4 teams this week with Kansas City, Tampa Bay, Minnesota, and Dallas so keep in mind that if you are playing Fantasy that their players won't be available.  Here is a look at the match-ups.

San Francisco 49ers @ Atlanta Falcons

San Francisco has been...well...uninspiring of late and I don't expect that this is going to improve anytime in the near future.  I don't think that anyone on the Niners other than Frank Gore will be worth starting in a fantasy league and expect Gore to underperform this week on a long travel week.  Atlanta has been playing pretty well so far this season and with their balanced running and passing attacks expect the points to get spread around pretty well. 

Prediction - Atlanta Wins

Cincinnati Bengals @ Cleveland Browns

Cleveland looks like they will be without Jake Delhomme and that means that we will be seeing Seneca Wallace once again.  While Wallace may be a little bit more of a scrambler out of the pocket, his accuracy is not great.  To Cleveland Fans I would suggest thinking about it this way..."Can it really get any worse than it has been?"  The Bengals need to grow a set (directed at you Carson Palmer) and remember how to play offense.  Coming from a Bengals fan I would hope that this week is the week to turn it all around and get the offense back on track, but as a realist I understand that Cleveland's defense is a lot better than anyone gives them credit for. 

Prediction - Bengals in a really close one

New York Jets @ Buffalo Bills

The Bills are awful but we are seeing a resurgence of Marshawn Lynch which is interesting considering their draft of C.J. Spiller.  Do I think that it matters in the long run...No.  This Bills defense which is as bad as I have seen in quite some time so this might be the chance for you Mark Sanchez owners to cash in because their secondary is awful.

Prediction - Jets in a blowout.  Small crowd will probably be gone at halftime.


Seattle Seahawks @ Saint Louis Rams

Have you ever heard the expression "_____ couldn't run his way out of a wet paper bag."  Well it may be easier to run on the Rams than to run out of a wet paper bag.  The only chance that the Rams have to stay close in this game is Steven Jackson and with his groin injury last week I don't look for him to play, let alone be effective. 

Prediction - Seahawks

Denver Broncos @ Tennessee Titans

Knoshown Moreno has been ruled out for this game but Denver has proved Matthew Berry from ESPN right so far this season in his statement that the Broncos are going to be a pass first team.  The Titans defense is much improved from last year on the field and Chris Johnson is just in Beast Mode all the time so I look for this one to be a little bit of a shootout. 

Prediction - Titans in OT

Detroit Lions @ Green Bay Packers

Jahvid Best is listed as questionable with a Turf Toe injury suffered last week.  Reports seem to indicate that he is going to play but that he will not be at 100% going into the game.  Green Bay apparently doesn't need a running game to run over their opponents this season losing their primary back in week 1 to an injury. 

Prediction - most are calling for a Green Bay blowout, but if the Lions can establish Best early in the Game, they may be able to keep this close.  I don't think they will be able to win, but I wouldn't count on a blowout. 

Baltimore Ravens @ Pittsburgh Steelers

Pittsburgh placed Dennis Dixon on season ending IR on Saturday leaving them with Charlie Batch as their only really healthy option at Quarterback.  The Ravens look to have Ray Rice in the game despite a "Significant Knee Contusion:" which gave him some problems last week.  The Steelers D is still good but they do look like they have lost a step so if Flacco steps his game up the Ravens will make an easy day of it. 

Prediction - Ravens by a touchdown

Carolina Panthers @ New Orleans Saints

The Saints were sent reeling by the Falcons in week 3 to the surprise of everybody.  Carolina put points on the board in Week 3 (in a loss to the Bengals) to the surprise of everybody.  So what can you expect in week 4 from these teams...I would expect things to get back to normal.  The Saints should put up some ridiculous numbers this week and I don't expect much from Carolina. 

Prediction - Saints Win

Indianapolis Colts @ Jacksonville Jaguars

The Colts are banged up quite a bit with Austin Collie listed as Questionable going in to the game, and two players being left in Indy and not even making the trip in Donald Brown and Pierre Garcon.  How does that impact Peyton Manning.  I don't think it does all that much but if they were ever primed for an upset by a (close to) bottom of the barrel team, they are in Week 4.  The Jags claimed QB Trent Edwards off waivers from Buffalo and he may end up playing QB before this game is over and with a lowered number of weapons for Indy you may see a miracle happen for Jacksonville. 

Prediction - Jags in an upset. 

Houston Texans @ Oakland Raiders


Only 7 Quarterbacks have more passing touchdowns than Matt Schaub with 5 and Arian Foster is the leading rusher so far this season with 406 yards in 3 games.  Oakland is still owned by Al Davis so...there you have it. 

Prediction - Texans in a shootout because the Texans defense has given up 78 points in 3 games. 

Washington Redskins @ Philadelphia Eagles

Donovan McNabb returns to the place that made him with a much improved Redskins team.  Mike Vick looks to show the world that he should have been the heir apparent the entire time.  Look for another shootout and some outlandish defensive play in what I have pegged as the game of the week. 

Prediction - Vick and the Eagles win by 10, McNabb refuses to shake Andy Reid's hand.

Arizona Cardinals @ San Diego Chargers

Ryan Mathews looks to make his return after missing last weeks game with an ankle injury.  Phillip Rivers leads the league in passing yards so far this year as well and the Cardinals defense isn't what it was when they made the Super Bowl two years ago.  Beanie Wells looks to make a statement in this game (assuming that he plays) and I look for that statement to be " we can't remember how to play football." 

Prediction - Chargers by 17

Chicago Bears @ New York Giants

Look for Chicago to establish teh Run early with Matt Forte and look for Eli Manning to continue to insult his last name with his play. 

Prediction - Chicago will allow this to be closer than it should but Bears win by a touchdown.

New England Patriots @ Miami Dolphins

After being impressed with the young Pats secondary a few weeks ago I have been sorely disappointed since as they are showing their age now, while the Miami secondary is proving that despite being just as young that you can play above the level of your tenure.  Now the difference here is that Chad Henne is no Tom Brady.  I look for this game to be a battle to a point that I can't predict a winner with any certainty.  It could go either way depending on whose offense shows up (WR and RB). 

Prediction - Miami by 3, Brandon Marshall is the player of the game. 

The World Chicken Festival

I took a family day today and went to London, KY with my Wife, her brother, and my sister.  We picked up my two younger cousins and proceeded to the World Chicken Festival which is held there annually.  We arrived and began to browse the shops and we did find some interesting stuff.  My wife did score a case for her cell phone and she has been trying to find some good ones for a while.  We then went to the rides, where they had some good looking carnival rides and games.  It was there that I encountered the rudest carnival game worker that I have ever encountered. 

Usually I will throw away a couple of bucks on these games just for fun and this guy did happen to be working one of my specialty games (basketball).  I looked as we passed the game the first time because, well frankly the games are rigged.  Hate to spoil it for anyone but just in case you were living under a rock, yes carnival games are rigged, Santa Claus and the Easter Bunny aren't real, and your mom or dad really put that money under your pillow when you lost a tooth, but back to the story.  The rim on the goal was obviously bent as has been the case with every game I have seen in quite some time.  My strategy is to observe the person operating the game.  If they can hit their shots you can usually mimic their shot to hit yours.  I observed on and off for about 30 minutes while the girls were on the rides (no food yet equals no rides for Brandon).  Anywho, the worker was unable to hit a shot in about 15 attempts leading me to believe that this was far to much trouble to attempt.  The worker rudely yelled at my wife and sister while they were on their way to a ride and forced them to walk over to him only to have them say that they were not interested.  This would not have been so bad, had they not said no to the man 3 times before finally telling him off.  I then realized that he was doing this to everyone that walked past and then cursing about it under his breathe as he only had 1 or 2 takers while I was watching.  He then solicited me to play the game while I was sitting on the bench about 40 or 50 feet away and I had to tell him no at least 3 times and I finally began to ignore him.  I am still a little bothered by this as anyone who has ever dealt with people should understand that the more demanding you are, the less likely you are to have people cooperate.  By itself this incident would not have thrown me off but another incident earlier in the day just added insult to injury so to speak. 

I am by no means a small man.  I'm about 6 feet tall and currently weigh in about 328 pounds.  I understand that I am a rather large individual but when walking past a rather large man himself working at a dart toss game and I hear him yell "Hey Road Block, why don't you come win the lady a prize?" it tends to rub me the wrong way.  I quietly ignored this statement as to not feed this man's ego and to avoid a trip to the Laurel County Detention Center, because if I had responded with a sarcastic response like my instincts told me to (such as "the only person I see that is large enough to block a road is you."), I surely would have escalated to the point that cops needed to be called.  Fortunately, I have learned over the years that my temper doesn't do anything but get me in to trouble so I kept myself calm enough to simply come home and write this. 

What is the purpose of this you might ask...well simply to speak my mind in regards to the blatant disrespect that I suffered from the employees of Casey's Rides (the carnival company contracted to run the games and rides portion of the event), and to encourage anyone that may read this to avoid this company like the plague, because I can assure you that if they are hired to work for your event that you will receive similar if not worse complaints than the one that I am writing about today. 

Some might ask if I would return to the Festival next year, and my response is yes, but I will not be anywhere near the workers for the Rides or the Games unless another company is contracted to provide the service.  I would like to thank you for reading through this, despite it's variance from my usual subject matter. 

RANT OVER

Brandon

NFL Week 3 Predictions

Tennessee Titans @ New York Giants

I look for Vince Young to get the message that he isn't a superstar, but should be carrying this team and he will play a good game against a sub-standard defense of the New York Giants.  Look for a big game from Chris Johnson as well.  Eli Manning is showing exactly why big brother really is better so far this season and I don't expect that to change against a good Titans team. 

Titans 17 - Giants 14

Pittsburgh Steelers @ Tampa Bay Buccaneers

The Steelers are now on their fourth quarterback (if you count Ben "I get away with whatever" Roethlisberger) and I don't know that they can get any rhythm on offense with that many changes.  Josh Freeman has been playing lights out for the first few weeks.  I look for what would have to be classified as an upset with a Tampa Bay win. 

Buccaneers 35 - Steelers 21

Cincinnati Bengals @ Carolina Panthers

Cincy had a rough week last week but still came out with a win against the Ravens.  Carolina is....well...Carolina.  That's all that needs to be said about that.  Look for Ochocinco and Owens to have a good game in a Bengals win. 

Bengals 21 - Carolina 10

Cleveland Browns @ Baltimore Ravens

Cleveland is continuing a disappointing trend of playing horribly at the beginning of the season.  Baltimore is playing pretty well on defense but their record doesn't reflect it.  Flacco has played like a new quarterback early this season and I would expect more of the same against a pretty good Browns defense.  Jake Delhomme definitely is not Jake from 3 years ago, he is playing more like Jake from 09 so I expect to see Seneca Wallace before this game is over. 

Ravens 35 - Browns 17

Dallas Cowboys @ Houston Texans

The Cowboys are 0-2 and Houston is 2-0...by the way the Apocalypse is right after their Week 3 game so keep an eye out for Skeletal Horses.  Look for big games from Tony Romo and Matt Schaub and their respective receiving corps. 

Texans 35 - Cowboys 31

San Francisco 49ers @ Kansas City Chiefs

The 49ers played horribly against the Seahawks in Week 1 but almost came away with a win against the defending Super Bowl Champion Saints in Week 2 so I'm not sure exactly what to expect from them.  The Chiefs are abysmal on Offense but their Defense and Special Teams will tend to keep them in the game. Expect this one to be close. 


49ers 14 - Chiefs 10

Detroit Lions @ Minnesota Vikings

Shaun Hill played surprisingly well against the Eagles last week but I question whether they can keep it up or not.  I do however look for this game to become a shootout between Jahvid Best and Adrian Peterson.  I think that Best may be able to get the better of Peterson this week in the Upset. 

Lions 17 - Vikings 7

Buffalo Bills @ New England Patriots

New England and Tom Brady have been playing extremely well for the most part.  Buffalo is awful...That's really all for that statement.  The young New England secondary is playing very well and Buffalo is starting Ryan Fitzpatrick for the first time this season so New England may very well set a league record for interceptions. 

New England and it's not close at all.  Hard to predict the number of times that they score against the Buffalo defense. 

Atlanta Falcons @ New Orleans Saints

Atlanta is an average team at best and New Orleans is...well...New Orleans.  Look for good games from Pierre Thomas and also Michael Turner.  Expect nothing from Tony Gonzalez as he has only 7 targets and 4 catches for 54 yards. 

Saints 31 - Falcons 21

Washington Redskins @ Saint Louis Rams

Washington is lights out with Donovan McNabb at quarterback and the Rams are just bad, but improving with Sam Bradford under Center.  Don't look for the upset here but I do think it will be closer than most think it will be. 

Redskins 21 - Rams 14

Philadelphia Eagles @ Jacksonville Jaguars

Vick is making his second start after an amazing performance in Week 2.  Jacksonville is hurting at Quarterback and MJD is not really living up to expectations. 

Phily 28 - Jaguars 7

Oakland Raiders @ Arizona Cardinals

With a Quarterback controversy in Oakland and Arizona still recovering from their own, don't expect a lot of offensive fireworks in this game.  The runningbacks from this game should have a good game. 

Raiders 24 - Cardinals 21

San Diego Chargers @ Seattle Seahawks

Phillip Rivers is a monster and Seattle is Hot or Cold on offense so don't count on anyone in particular.  The Seattle player that I like most in this game is John Carlson. 

Chargers 21 - Seahawks 17

Indianapolis Colts @ Denver Broncos

New York Jets @ Miami Dolphins

The Jets are a little hit and miss this year and Braylon Edwards had some off field issues this week and may detract from the practice and in game issue.  The Dolphins secondary is definitely stepping their game up.  I don't think it's going to happen but this could end up being an upset. 

Jets 14 - Dolphins 10

Green Bay Packers @ Chicago Bears

Chicago looks like a completely different team this year.  The Bears offense are leaps and bounds ahead of where they were last year at this time and Matt Forte has apparently remembered how to hold on to a football.  The Packers are without a running game since Ryan Grant is out for the season and Brandon Jackson is not exactly the greatest runner, especially since he will be running into Urlacher all day.  I don't really think that the Packers will be impacted that much though I don't think they have enough for the Bears this week. 

Bears 24 - Packers 21

NFL Week 2 Predictions

Here are my predictions for Week 2 of the NFL season. 

Saint Louis Rams @ Oakland Raiders

The Raiders playing at home against a, let's just say not so good, Rams team should be a pretty good matchup for the Raiders.  Jason Campbell should have no issue throw the ball to Heyward-Bey, Schillens, and Zach Miller, and I would expect a good game from Darren McFadden as the Rams defense just can't keep up with Oakland.  I like Sam Bradford to throw for at least 200 yards and two touchdowns on a weak defense from the Raiders as well. 

My prediction for the Game is that the Raiders will come out on top of a 28-21 victory. 


Houston Texans @ Washington Redskins

The Redskins proved last week that they can keep high powered offenses (the Dallas Cowboys on paper) out of the endzone for the most part with a 13-7 win, but I don't think that they will be able to continue this trend against the all-around offense of the Houston Texans.  Look for big games from Arian Foster, Matt Schaub and Andre' Johnson of the Texans

My Prediction for this game is a 31-17 victory for the Texans of the Redskins. 

New England Patriots @ New York Jets

The Patriots have a overpowering offensive attack and a young but relatively impressive defense, and the Jets have a high powered running game and a overwhelming Defense, and this matchup should make for a game of the week candidate.  Don't expect big numbers from Randy Moss this week as he has a one way ticket to Revis Island, but Wes Welker and Tom Brady should have pretty good games.  I look for Shonn Greene to have issues running up the middle with Vince (Fork in the Road) Wilfork playing in the middle of the line and Sanchez is simply too inaccurate to trust throwing to all of the targets. 

Game Prediction: 35-14 Patriots Win

Jacksonville Jaguars @ San Diego Chargers

San Diego had an off week last week against the Chiefs but I don't expect that to continue against the Jaguars.  Phillip Rivers should be able to throw at will to Gates and Ryan Matthews should break 150 yards and should get at least 2 touchdowns. 

Prediction: San Diego 28 - Jacksonville Jaguars 17

New York Giants @ Indianapolis Colts

Eli Manning vs Peyton Manning is a match for the ages.  I think that Hakeem Nicks and Austin Collie have good games here and I think Ahmad Bradshaw should be able to run pretty well here.  Otherwise I think that this is a pretty uninteresting Fantasy game. 

Prediction: Manning Wins...Real Prediction: Colts by a touchdown

New Orleans Saints @ San Francisco 49ers

The Saints Offense is explosive at it's worst and should have no problem with the 49ers' defense that gave up 31 points to the lowly Seahawks.  The Saints defense managed to pretty much limit Adrian Peterson in week 1 so I would imagine that the gameplan will be pretty similar to that for Frank Gore this week.  If you are digging for a Niners player that may have a good game, look no farther the Vernon Davis as the only player against the Saints in week 1 to have a good game is Visanthe Shiancoe and Davis is a significantly better player. 

Prediction: Saints by 14 points

Pittsburgh Steelers @ Tennessee Titans

Pittsburgh is still looking at Dennis Dixon as the starter this week which means that I find pretty much all of the receivers for the Steelers are benched in my book.  Vince Young should have an OK game but I would think this is going to be a matter of Runners of which Mendenhall and Chris Johnson should have monster games. 

Prediction: Chris Johnson and the Titans are too much for the Steelers - 21-7

Miami Dolphins @ Minnesota Vikings

I look for the Vikings to put one in the Win column this week against the Miami Dolphins.  I would expect Peterson to have a good game but I don't think that one week is enough for Favre to get on track with his receivers after the poor performance last week.  The Dolphins Brandon Marshall should be able to have a decent game but I don't expect Ronnie Brown or Ricky Williams to be able to accomplish much running against a good Vikings defense. 

Prediction: Vikings 21 - Dolphins 13


Arizona Cardinals @ Atlanta Falcons

Matt Ryan and the Falcons put up a good show against the Steelers in Week 1 while the Cardinals barely pulled off a win against the Rams.  Despite good numbers last week I don't think Derek Anderson can throw the ball in the Ocean from the edge of a Cruise Liner so I don't really like there odds here.  Look for a better game from Tim Hightower and Beanie Wells if Wells is healthy enough to play.  I would also think that Atlanta's Ryan, Roddy White, and Michael Turner will have great games and Tony Gonzalez should have at least an average game. 

Prediction: Falcons 17 - Cardinals 10

Chicago Bears @ Dallas Cowboys

This matchup is as lopsided as it seems.  Dallas should dominate this game in all aspects.  You big play makers will be Romo and Austin.  If you are looking for a Bears player, you might take a risk on the resurgent Matt Forte who went absolutely nuts on Detroit last week but don't count on that level this week but he should still have a good game. 

Prediction:  Cowboys 28 Bears 10

Philadelphia Eagles @ Detroit Lions

Mike Vick will make his first start on Sunday against the Detroit Lions.  The Lions did manage to hold Matt Forte to only 50 yards rushing in Week 1 but I don't expect this to become a trend when the Eagles have Vick and an underrated LeSean McCoy that can run the ball and Vick did run for 103 yards against a very good Green Bay defense after Kolb went down with the injury.  I would expect to see much of the same for Philly this week.  Detroit's starter also went down with an injury in Week 1 leaving Shaun Hill to make his first start of the season for Detroit this week.  Hill is an underwhelming quarterback at best and I don't really think that he has an opportunity to show otherwise this week. 

Prediction: Eagles 24 - Lions 10


Buffalo Bills @ Green Bay Packers

Ryan Grant will miss the rest of the season with the ankle injury that he suffered in Week 1, but Brandon Jackson is still there to run the ball.  Aaron Rodgers will probably be throwing more often but not much but I would look for a typical Green Bay performance in Week 2.

Prediction: In addition to Green Bay performing typically, you will also get a typical performance from Buffalo which will mean that this is a blowout Green Bay victory.

Tampa Bay Buccaneers @ Carolina Panthers

Tampa Bay and Carolina...does anyone really care.  Good performances from DeAngelo Williams and Cadillac Williams, that's really about it.  Mike Williams from Tampa Bay may have a good game. 

Prediction: Bucs 14 Panthers 7

Seattle Seahawks @ Denver Broncos

Matt Hasselbeck put up some ridiculous numbers on offense in their blowout of the 49ers last week.  Now it is time to determine if it is a fluke or if they have revamped their offense for good.  The Broncos had an unfortunate loss to the Jaguars in week one but Kyle Orton threw for almost 300 yards and the offense performed pretty well. 

Prediction: Seahawks 34 - Broncos 31

Baltimore Ravens @ Cincinnati Bengals

The Bengals played horrible in the first half only to turn it around in the second half against the Patriots.  Baltimore got involved in a slugfest with the New York Jets on Monday Night Football in Week 1 and came away with a win.  Look for the favorites to have good games this week in Flacco, Rice, Boldin, Mason, Palmer, Benson.  I would look for Batman and Robin to have good games as well. 

Prediction: Palmer throws for over 300 yards in a loss.  Ravens 28 - Bengals 21

Kansas City Chiefs @ Cleveland Browns

The Chiefs defense looked pretty good against the Chargers on Monday night and the Browns looked pretty unimpressive against the Bucs, but I like the Chiefs and Browns Special team to be the difference makers. 

Prediction: Browns 17 - Chiefs 16

Ryan Grant out for the Season

Ryan Grant of the Green Bay Packers went down in Week 1 of the Regular Season with a torn ankle ligament and ESPN is reporting that he has been placed on IR officially ending the dominant Runningback's season.  Hope is not lost for the Packers yet as up and coming 4th year Runningback Brandon Jackson stepped up big with 63 yards on 18 rush attempts against a pretty good Eagles defense. 

Now I wouldn't get my hopes real high on Jackson right now because frankly they don't exactly have favorable match ups for the next stretch and we did just finish Week 1 so it is hard to get a handle on it, but I don't see what I would consider to be a favorable match up for Jackson until Week 4 against the Lions and again in Week 6 against the Dolphins.  In those two games I would project Jackson around 100-125 yards and maybe a TD but in the remaining games I would project somewhere around or below the total that you saw in Week 1.  So if you want to play against the odds, pick him up because if I'm wrong it could be that move that people look back on when they walk away from a Fantasy League with the money and say, that move won me the championship, but don't count on it. 

As far as the Packers as a team are concerned, I think that Rodgers, Driver, Jennings, and Finley are all fine and will remain steady in the projections.  I also don't think that this loss impacts my season prediction for the team which has the Packers at least making a deep run into the playoffs and personally I have them winning the Super Bowl. 

So Let's say you owned Ryan Grant in a Fantasy League and now have the option to pick up Brandon Jackson or someone else.  I would like to give you some names that I would personally pick up above Jackson if they are available looking over the course of the season.  For the rest of the Season if you are looking at overall points I would rather have Peyton Hillis of the Cleveland Browns, Fred Taylor of the New England Patriots, and though they may not be available I would easily start Thomas or Felix Jones, of the Chiefs and Cowboys respectively, over Jackson. 

Check back for more news

Welcome back to football

Hello my friends, I watched some of the Saints/Vikings game Thursday night and found it all very pre-season like, until when in the first half of the game Brett Favre went to step up in the pocket to throw the ball and , BOOM, he got smacked in the face by a massive Linebacker from the Saints (apologies for not remembering the player's name, it had been a long day) and threw an interception. After seeing that play I have to declare that FOOTBALL IS BACK. There is nothing more refreshing than watching a highly paid quaterback (especially the one that keeps leading on the public as to his intentions to play or not) get drilled in the face by a defensive player. By the way, I have to concede that despite my hatred of Pierre Thomas he had a pretty good game in the second half so Kudos to him and the Saints for their 14-9 win on Thursday night. I, along with the rest of the fans, will be hoping that the excellent contest on Thursday night will in fact be a little bit of foreshadowing into the fact that the NFL season is going to be off the charts good this year. I know it's early AM on Saturday so look for some updates about the Fantasy Game to come out this evening and Here's to a good season. Thank You so much, Robert Brandon Campbell Fantasy Enthusiast and Freelance Consultant and Writer

The Bengals Fantasy Outlook after the TO Signing

The Bengals have signed free agent Wide Receiver Terrell Owens to a contract and the outlook is good for a return to the playoffs this season, but how does that impact the fantasy prospects of the key Bengals players? The major impact to the fantasy world are to QB Carson Palmer and RB Cedric Benson. With the addition of Owens the field will open up for Palmer to throw the ball as long as Benson's running game stays consistant. Benson will open up the passing game for Palmer to spread the field to Owens, Bryant, and Ochocinco. I would look for Benson to end the season as a top 5 RB, and Palmer to finish as a top 10 QB based on the addition of Owens and Bryant. but I would also expect Ochocinco and Owens to have their production drop because they are sharing the field.

Can Wes Welker Rise Again or will his Knee be his Achilles' Heel

Wes Welker, the scrappy, undersized, Wide Receiver for the New England Patriots is said to be improving in many reports from his season ending injury last season. Welker, who missed the end of the season last year with a knee injury, is participating in practice and is said to not only be in good spirits, but in excellent health. While I am very happy to see Wes doing well (having owned him in multiple leagues for the last few years) I don't know that the knee injury is going to allow for Wes to go across the middle out of the slot. Welker has taken a beating throughout his entire career coming across the middle and still being amongst the league leaders at Wide Receiver. This season I would expect for Welker to be a solid number 2 receiver on most Fantasy Teams, especially if you can find him around the 3rd or 4th round, but I would be wary because with the type of injury Wes sustained it only becomes easier to repeat and then you are down a receiver.

One Man Mock Draft Results

I performed a Mock Draft recently for an upcoming league that I am participating in. I wanted to share the results of my picks for my position as I feel like I came out pretty good here in most rounds. Round 1: Andre Johnson Round 2: DeAngelo Williams Round 3: DeSean Jackson Round 4: Philip Rivers Round 5: Chris (Beanie) Wells Round 6: Antonio Gates Round 7: Ricky Williams Round 8: Carson Palmer Round 9: Robert Meachem Round 10: Reggie Bush Round 11: Darren Sproles Round 12: New Orleans Defense/ST Round 13: Josh Cribbs Round 14: Mohamed Massaquoi I think I got a huge steal in both rounds 7 and 14 for Ricky Williams and Mohamed Massaquoi. Massaquoi is probably one of the biggest sleepers coming into this season. With a new, hopefully capable quarterback at the helm in Cleveland (Jake Delhomme) Cleveland is looking to expand on the passing attack this year. Plus with a (in my opinion) great draft this off-season I think that the Browns will move out of the cellar in their division and may even break .500 this year. I do feel like my team is lacking at the Runningback position with my starters being DeAngelo Williams and Beanie Wells with Ricky Williams at the flex position but with the offense in Arizona lacking as it will be since Kurt Warner's departure I am hesitant to rely on Wells for more than 6-7 points per week. I may consider resetting my roster and moving Sproles or Bush up to the Flex and Williams to the second starting spot.

Winners and Losers of the First Round

The first round of the 2010 NFL draft is in the books and there are some clear cut winners in the latter half of the first round. The Broncos may have been the most talked about team on Day 1 due to their multitude of trades and the unexpected early pick of Tim Tebow. Tebow will play a part in the Wildcat offense immediately and will sit behind Brady Quinn and Kyle Orton to learn a little more about the pocket. The Broncos also were able to draft highly regarded WR Demaryius Thomas out of Georgia Tech who is now pegged to help replace Brandon Marshall. I think that Tebow and Thomas will be excellent additions to the Broncos organization. The Bengals were able to pick up a great TE in Jermaine Gresham from Oklahoma who will add not only an extra blocking presence on run plays but an extra target for QB Carson Palmer to throw to. The Cowboys also picked up an additional weapon for QB Tony Romo in WR Dez Bryant from Oklahoma State. The embattled WR should be a welcome addition to help Roy Williams and Miles Austin to move the ball down the field. I also see some losers in the First Round in the Giants and Texans. They may take steps to rectify this in the later rounds but the Giants pick in DE Jason Pierre-Paul and the Texans pick of CB Kareem Jackson were not great picks. I feel like the Giants needed to pick up a WR to help with their issues there. The Texans did not need to draft a CB this early as they should have drafted a RB to relieve the responsibilities of Steve Slaton and hopefully they will make steps to correct this. I think the big winner of the first round is the Chargers with their pick up of RB Ryan Matthews from Fresno State. Their hole at running back is a lot closer to getting filled with Matthews as he is slightly underrated and this pick up will do a lot for the team considering that the team had a negative surplus of runningbacks after releasing Darren Sproles and LaDanian Tomlinson. Matthews will be a excellent fit with the scheme of the Chargers and will hopefully prosper here.

How does Ted Ginn impact the 49er's?

Ted Ginn Jr. is a former standout from Ohio State that, well, underachieved with the Miami Dolphins thus far. Ginn was the best WR on a bad receiving crew until his recent trade to the 49er's where he is now a number 2 or maybe a 3. This trade will ultimately help the Niners in their run game. Yes I Said run game before. That is exactly what I meant. Ginn is by far not the best receiver for the 49er's as he will be following Michael Crabtree and may even have about the same productivity as and aging Isaac Bruce. Frank Gore and Glen Coffee could be the biggest benefactors from this trade as Ginn may be just enough of a distraction (in combination with Crabtree and Bruce) to allow for their game to open up again especially with Vernon Davis also a threat in the pass game. This will only get better as time goes on as now Ginn will (after playing different positions up until college) be able to finally learn the pro game from a standout NFL 2nd year in Crabtree and an established veteran in Bruce. This will allow his ultimate fantasy value to skyrocket as time goes on as he is athletic and talented enough to be a star, he just is lacking experience and by what is in my opinion a mistake by the Miami Dolphins, Ginn will now have the tools to learn the trade with the Niners. How does the Brandon Marshall trade effect the fantasy season? Brandon Marshall, the long embattled Denver Broncos Wide Receiver spoke with Denver coach Josh McDaniels earlier this week to sign his tender in what we can only assume was a one sided conversation where McDaniels stated "come sign this paper so we can trade you easier." To prove this point, less than 48 hours after Marshall signed his tender he was a new member of the Miami Dolphins. This trade may make the Dolphins a force in the AFC east. The Wildcat offense was losing it's appeal as Defenses were learning to scheme for Ronnie Brown and the "trickery" that falls with this particular brand of offense. The one piece that the Dolphins seemed to be missing was a "big name" Wide Receiver to detract from the running game. No offense intended to any Ohio State fans (you know who you are) but when Ted Ginn Jr. is the biggest threat you have in the passing game, you need an upgrade. Marshall we definitely be an upgrade and will allow for some separation in the defense to allow for some bigger plays. Now with this big talk about the Dolphins and Brandon Marshall you would think that Marshall's fantasy stock would be shooting through the roof right? Wrong. I personally think that Marshall is going to have an off year. Chad Henne is a good Quarterback but I don't think he has the chops to get the ball to Marshall as much as he should, and if he can't do it Pat White and Tyler Thigpen surely won't be able to. I would expect to see Marshall's total yards drop from the 1120 yds in 09, to around 950-1000 yds in 2010, and I would expect 6-8 touchdowns as opposed to the 10 from last year. Look for the Dolphins to be a force to contend with in the AFC but try to have another option at Wide Receiver in case Marshall doesn't pan out for the season.

Would you draft a Steeler in the First Two Rounds

After I had wrapped it up for the day yesterday, official news broke that Santonio Holmes has been suspended for 4 regular season games to start the season. Holmes while still a good pickup, is now dropping hard in my projections due to this. It was also announced today the Ben Roethlisberger is on his way into a meeting with NFL commissioner Roger Goodell to determine his fate regarding the rape charges that were alleged in the off-season (the second time he has been accused of this in his career). I personally don't think Big Ben makes it out of this without a suspension which would mean that there is not a Steelers player that I would draft in the first two rounds save maybe Rashard Mendenhall. If you are looking for alternatives to the usual Steelers players that are drafted high look at McNabb who should have a good year in Washington, and also look at Mark Sanchez who's production should improve next year. If you are in one of those leagues that you won't draft a QB until rd 4 you should look into Anquan Boldin who is still one of the bigger pick ups of the off-season for the Ravens despite him flying under the radar. Also look for Percy Harvin to step his game up into the early rounds.

Santonio Holmes Trade Thoughts

According to dictionary.com a distraction is defined as the states of being distracted or that which distracts, divides the attention, or prevents concentration. I think that they may have a new addition to that definition soon. Santonio Holmes and his off-season antics have led the once dominant Pittsburgh Steelers to trade their lead WR to the New York Jets, and while this mights seem like a blockbuster deal to bring Braylon Edwards to the Steel City, the Steeler's asking price was not that high. In return for the troubled WR the Steelers have picked up a 5th Rd draft pick in this year's upcoming NFL draft. Now most of you are aware that this off-season's investigation into Holmes and an alleged assault in an Orlando night club from back in March is not the WR's first run-in with the law, but given the fact that Holmes is being relatively co-operative with the investigation, and he did catch the Super Bowl winning catch 2 years ago in their last Super Bowl appearance, you would think that he would have a little bit longer leash. Apparently Mr. Holmes was a bit more of an off the field issue than was being reported. Holmes will now be teaming with Braylon Edwards, David Clowney, Jericho Cotchery, and will be on field with L.T. and Shonn Greene. Also Mark Sanchez is puling the trigger under center, and has a year of experience under his belt. With the addition of Holmes to the weapons that last year got them to an AFC Championship Game, I think that the Jets are an immediate Super Bowl contender and potentially a favorite even amongst the Vikings and Saints who were both dominant last year. How does this effect your Fantasy Team? I think that the Jets receivers will be valuable additions to any Fantasy Roster. If I were to rank them I think that it would be 1. Holmes. 2. Cotchery. 3. Clowney. Also if I were ranking against all WRs I think that Holmes is top 15 and Cotchery is top 25 and Clowney is top 50 and amongst the other weapons on their team I think that Sanchez will be spreading the wealth amongst all of them so I would suggest handcuffing them to one another. Clowney is a good handcuff for either Cotchery or Holmes, and I think that by doing this you will increase your point totals. All of the weapons for the Jets will be valuable, but you do want to watch Holmes as their are rumors that he may be suspended for the first 4 games of the regular season due to a failed drug test, and violation of the substance abuse policy. If that talk continues and this suspension happens we do want to clarify that we would drop him down in our draft rankings to about 30ish. He will still be a valuable weapon but with 4 games missing from his season it will be hard to justify a higher round pick.

Marc Bulger

A "struggling" QB for the Saint Louis Rams has now been released. Marc Bulger was released on April 5th leaving them with Mike Reilly and AJ Feely at QB and basically assuring that the first pick of the upcoming NFL draft will be Sam Bradford from the Oklahoma Sooners. You might be asking how this may effect your fantasy team. Well right now I don't think it does. Bulger was not doing anyone any favors for the last few seasons and his only weapon would have been to hand Stephen Jackson the ball. Bulger was a no go on Fantasy rosters for quite some time unless you were in a really deep league (14-16 teams) and I think Bradford, while a big improvement from Bulger, will still be relatively useless on your fantasy team until he has some more weapons.

Diva Donovan makes his triumphant return

ESPN, Yahoo and multiple other sources are reporting that a trade has been executed regarding Donovan McNabb.  McNabb has been traded to the Redskins in exchange for a 2nd round draft pick in 2010 and a 3rd or 4th round pick in 2011.  

This is not the first major off-season move that the Redskins have made thus far, as they have picked up Larry Johnson, and (fast) Willie Parker at Running Back to help out on the offensive side.  I would expect a significant point increase on the skill players for the Skins this season.

Jason Campbell fans however should watch out because his trade or release may be forthcoming.  McNabb may be the new guy but that does put their current roster up to 5 QB's (McNabb, Campbell, Colt Brennan, Rex Grossman, and Richard Bartel).  I would expect that number to drop to 3 by the start of preseason games or shortly thereafter.  Campbell is a pretty highly paid pine warmer so I would look for him to be traded or released and also look for Bartel to be released as he appears to only be used in a practice squad situation.  I expect McNabb (obviously), Grossman, and Brennan to be your Redskins quarterbacks this season.  Brennan is the future gunslinger as all of us know that McNabb and maybe Grossman as well don't really have all that many snaps left in them.  I expect that Grossman is a back-up that will be working with Brennan on the sidelines at all times.  He will only be used (in the regular season) if McNabb is injured.  McNabb will also be working with Brennan to develop him in order to get him ready for when they both are no longer available to play, and Brennan as of now is the QB of the future. 

Now I know you're all asking why did the Eagles agree to ship an 11 year veteran to a division rival?  Well that's where the diva comes in.  Apparently, a la getting T.O. shipped out of Philly, (Diva) Donovan McNabb simply refused to discuss the trade offers to any team that he didn't feel like he could win with.   The Bills, and Raiders showed a great amount of interest and even reportedly made offers for McNabb but were not reciprocated when McNabb even reportedly went as far as to threaten his retirement if he was not traded to the Redskins.  I personally never liked this side of McNabb but I do have to say that he has earned the right to have a little bit of say so in where he plays and his say so is apparently pretty effective.