Fantasy Outlook -- Week 3 Likes & Dislikes

Hey, it's time to kick the ball off for Week 3 of the NFL season. We've seen plenty of crazy developments this year, and some of those big surprise players are included in this week's rendition of Likes & Dislikes from the fantasy football world. I mean, as always -- you don't have to take my advice to heart. You can throw it out the window. But being 23-9 in NFL predictions and 2-0 in fantasy football, I figured I'd at least cast the bait into the open water for all you analysis sharks to gobble up.

5 QBs I Like in Week 3
Tony Romo vs HOU -- Romo has been a disappointment to his owners this season, but he certainly has the talent in his wide receiver core to get the job done. Is this the week? Houston has allowed opposing QBs to drop a total of 53 fantasy points on them this season. Both times, the opposing QB has tossed for over 425 yards. Romo can do it, and he will have a solid outing. Keep the faith!
Michael Vick vs JAX -- Here we go again with Vick! It's a make or break week for him. He's been declared the starter, but Andy Reid changes his mind more than Brett Favre (not really). Vick can definitely do it against a Jacksonville defense that has allowed over 600 yards passing and 4 touchdowns thus far.
Carson Palmer vs CAR -- Palmer followed up a 20-point performance in Week 1 with a measly 6 points last week. He'll turn it around against the Panthers, who gave up 19 fantasy points to the quarterback position against both the Giants and the Bucs. The Bengals passing attack should -- and will -- be more formidable than the previously said teams.
Philip Rivers vs SEA -- Rivers always flies under the radar in fantasy. He's put up 44 points this year, and you can count on that number rising this week by another hefty margin. Seattle has only faced Alex Smith and Kyle Orton this year. Rivers is quite the upgrade from a talent perspective. He'll pick them apart.
Tom Brady vs BUF -- Obviously I like Brady to bounce back. He traditionally bounces back well from poor performances. Buffalo sucks. And the Patriots haven't lost a home game since I don't even know when. It won't happen on Sunday. Brady will get back on the same page with his receivers, and the panic in New England will subside.

5 QBs I Dislike in Week 3
Matt Hasselbeck vs SD -- Does Hasselbeck still have what it takes? He's put up 19 and 18 points in the first two weeks of the season, but his numbers aren't all that impressive. Against the Chargers, I think Seattle will eat quite a bit of dust on Sunday. Hasselbeck is at the front of that pack.
Drew Brees vs ATL -- Divisional games are always intense, and the Falcons have been impressive in the secondary. Granted, they haven't faced a quarterback of Brees's caliber yet -- not even close. But the Saints have played two straight primetime games, and the emotional ride often leads to a let down. I'm not stunned if that happens this week.
Kyle Orton vs IND -- The Colts bounced back from that brutal Week 1 loss with a dominating performance last Sunday. Indy has kept some top-notch QBs in check so far, so what will they do with Kyle Orton? You know what my guess is.
Brett Favre vs DET -- He's facing the Lions. I don't care. I hate Favre and he has no receivers anyway. Upset alert!! Vikings to 0-3? That would make my day.
Vince Young vs NYG -- Young was pulled from last week's game, and he's on high alert this week. Even if he plays well and the Titans win, he won't be a very good fantasy play. Chris Johnson WILL bounce back with a huge week against the Giants. No room on the stat sheet for Vince.

5 RBs I Like in Week 3
Chris Johnson vs NYG -- I just stated this. CJ will have a monster week. Under 40 yards last week? Is that real life? And a fumble? If he's rushing for 2,500 yards this year, he'll need to storm back. I don't know if he'll reach that record, but he'll certainly come back strong in Week 3.
Michael Turner vs NO -- If healthy, Turner breaks out this week. Frank Gore went wild against this Saints defense, and like I said, this Saints team as a whole is poised for a letdown. Whichever running back is in the backfield for Atlanta should have a solid week.
Darren McFadden vs ARI -- Is McFadden for real? Without a touchdown, he's still dropped 35 fantasy points this season. These Cardinals let Jason Snelling run wild for 36 points last week. McFadden is Oakland's best option, and I think he'll keep the success going this week.
Correll Buckhalter / Laurence Maroney vs IND -- Knowshon Moreno is out for this game. Whichever one of these two running backs starts in his place could be a sleeper play for those of you in need of a running back for this week. Indy's run defense has been anything but impressive, yielding 372 yards and 3 touchdowns through two weeks.
LeSean McCoy vs JAX -- I'm "liking" the combo of Vick and McCoy for the second straight week. Because I think this Eagles offense is legit. Even though it was against the Lions, they were very explosive last week. I don't see any particular reason why McCoy can't have another solid performance. He's the main guy in that backfield.

5 RBs I Dislike in Week 3
Jahvid Best vs MIN -- The Vikings run defense is pretty solid, and Jahvid Best has been unreal so far. I don't necessarily think he'll drop a goose egg on you, but don't play Best expecting a #1 back in the NFL type of performance again. He's bound to be slowed down at some point, and this week might be the actual reality check.
Ronnie Brown vs NYJ -- The Jets have a solid defense, and Ronnie is stuck in a platoon. He might pick up a touchdown, but don't expect a huge day.
Ray Rice vs CLE -- It's risky to dislike such a talented player against the Browns, but this Browns defense is actually pretty stingy. They're the 6th best when it comes to limiting opposing fantasy backs, and the Baltimore offense has been -- in a word -- God-awful this season.
Arian Foster vs DAL -- Dallas is desperate for a win, and they've done a decent job stopping the run this year. Foster will continue his leveling-off process from the heavenly 42-point Week 1 that got owners all riled up. Back to the average #2 or flex running back that he was expected to be.
Matt Forte vs GB -- Green Bay is my NFC champion, and their defense has been great so far. I don't see any reason why it won't continue to be. The Bears have also been overachievers in my eyes so far. Forte has gotten a lot of points in the receiving game. Cutler will be less impressive and the Bears overall -- including Forte -- will suffer.

5 WRs I Like in Week 3
Miles Austin vs HOU -- For the same reasons I like Tony Romo, I'm digging Miles Austin this week. I'd "like" him on Facebook.
Chad Ochocinco vs CAR -- Same as before. I love Palmer, and Ochocinco is his go-to guy. Forget TO. Ocho will bounce back from a rough go of it last week. It's a great transition going from the Baltimore defense to the Carolina defense. He'll feel like he's on a high school field again.
Mark Clayton vs WAS -- Washington is absolutely the worst in the NFL when it comes to limiting opposing receivers in the fantasy game. 87 points by WRs against them this year. Yikes. Even though Clayton is on the Rams, he's one of Bradford's favorite targets. He might be worth the spot start.
Santana Moss vs STL -- The Rams are still brutal. Moss is becoming McNabb's favorite target. By the end of the year, every league will have removed Moss from the free agent pool. If I were you, I'd grab him right now if he's there. He could emerge as a starter on your squad in due time.
Randy Moss vs BUF -- Statement week for the Patriots. They will go out and show the world that they haven't completely lost their 2007 magic. It starts with the Brady-Moss connection.

5 WRs I Dislike in Week 3
Andre Johnson vs DAL -- I mean, it's highly unlikely that you're going to bench Andre Johnson. I'm just saying he probably won't win your matchup for you this week like he oftentimes does. I like Dallas to bounce back in this game, and that comes from an all-around standpoint. They'll keep AJ in check.
Hines Ward vs TB -- ESPN likes Ward for 15 this week. I like him for closer to 6. Bro, Charlie Batch is throwing him the ball this week. How can you rely on that?
Roddy White vs NO -- If the Falcons make a run at the Saints this week -- which I believe they can -- it will be done on the ground. Receivers haven't really gone off at all on New Orleans this year, and I don't expect that White will this weekend.
Larry Fitzgerald vs OAK -- Granted, he's facing the Raiders. But until the Cardinals show me SOMETHING on offense, I don't think I can have confidence in Fitz being the top-5 receiver he once was. The talent is still there, but he's lost the QB and the WR that were by his side the past few years. I'm not sold on his ability to get back to the top of the fantasy world.
Marques Colston vs ATL -- I mentioned that I don't really like Brees this week, and I'm not too fond of Colston either. I'm putting the Saints on upset alert, and the Falcons defense has held the passing attack of their opposition to mediocre numbers thus far. Colston might still be your starter, but don't go in expecting a huge day.

What do you think? Am I a full-blown idiot when it comes to this stuff? Or does my advice actually hold some value to it? It's your call, but you better decide soon -- Sunday is merely hours away at this point.

What the Hell Should I Do With Vick?

Michael Vick has been the Cinderella story of this year's NFL season. From the bottom of the human being pole and in the depths of hell from a moral standpoint, Vick has done nothing but work hard since coming out of jail. He's been a team player and a community member. He's said all the right things and he's taken the high road. And, miraculously, I think people are almost starting to -- forget? -- about his God-awful crimes from years past. Isn't that the definition of a Cinderella story?

Now, Vick has landed himself the starting job under center for the Philadelphia Eagles. Looking back, this was a fantastic decision for Vick and the Eagles. Tensions were always high with McNabb, so Vick may have seen the window of opportunity there. And Eagles players love getting concussions, so that knocked off Kevin Kolb. Two fantastic games in a row, and boom -- Vick's the main guy. And Andy Reid confirmed yesterday that, barring any unforeseen obstacles, Michael Vick will be the starting quarterback for the Philadelphia Eagles for the duration of the season.

So that brings me to my question. What the hell do I do with this guy on my fantasy football team? I'm in a 1-quarterback league, and I have Tom Brady. Crazy as it sounds, though, Vick has the potential to be a better fantasy quarterback than the Golden Boy. Vick gets the rushing yards that Brady doesn't get. Vick plays on a team that often finds itself in all-out shoot-outs with their opponents. With a few kids in my league needing QBs, should I trade one of these two guys?

Vick is a tough sell right now. I'm not getting back any top-tier players in exchange for Vick -- yet. If I wait, he might develop into a stud that will get me some value in return. On the flip side, he could flop and my value-in-hand is gone. But what if I trade Brady? The same risks are involved with Vick (since he'd be my new starter), but I can definitely get plenty of value in return for Brady. Much more than I could for Vick right now. So I'm wondering -- is it worth it? Will Michael Vick continue to perform better than ever? If the answer to that last question is yes, then I just might have to send away my formerly prized quarterback in the interest of making a better all-around team.

In the end, I'll likely opt to wait it out. I can't make a judgment on Vick from just a game and a half (against the Lions, nonetheless). If he puts together a few more solid efforts (and Brady does, too) then I'll have something cooking. But it does puzzle me a bit to have the #4 fantasy QB in the league this year sitting on my bench this week as I hope for Tom Brady to go vintage on the Buffalo Bills. This situation has to work itself out soon, or I'll probably lose my mind. Still, I'll just count my blessings -- I suppose my problem is a good one compared to what some fantasy owners are facing at this juncture of the season.

Introducing Our Official Partner Blog

Looking to spice up the Bookmarks section of your browser? I know, sometimes I get tired of going to Ultimate Boston myself. Well, luckily for you, we have a new partnership. Things My Roommates Say is another Boston-based blog, but it's geared much more specifically toward the college student population of the greatest city on earth. UB is geared toward all generations that are interested in sports. TMRS is a more relaxed, let-loose type of blog run by Boston students, for Boston students. I advise you to check it out. In fact, I'm a part-time writer for them. I made my first post today. It's a good mix-up. And that banner is so sexy, you just have to go look at it... right?

Watch BRUINS vs CANADIENS

BRUINS WIN, 4-2!

Bruins Open Preseason vs Habs Tonight

The moment we've all been waiting for (sort of) will arrive tonight for the Boston Bruins. Even though their season doesn't technically get underway until October 9th, their preseason will kick off in a battle against the Montreal Canadiens this evening. The game won't be played on NESN, but it is being broadcast on RDS (Canadian television) and might potentially be obtainable through online streams.

Bruins rookie Tyler Seguin cannot wait to get things started. Especially with the injury to Marc Savard, Seguin figures to have a very prominent role on the big squad from the get-go. He's been practicing on what reporters are naming the PPF line (past-present-future) consisting of Mark Recchi, Patrice Bergeron, and Tyler Seguin. Seguin played all three positions across the line at some point in Monday's intrasquad, but he reportedly settled in at left wing after a few shifts and ultimately set up Patrice Bergeron on a nifty feed for a goal. All three players said they would be elated to play in each other's company in the regular season, but they all similarly noted that nothing is a sure thing with the whole preseason ahead of them.

One foot will hit the ground tonight for Boston in their steps toward the regular season. Who better to face than the Habs? It should be a high intensity game that sets the tone for the young guns on this team as well as the veterans who will be leaned on for leadership and guidance. It should be one hell of a roller coaster and there are certainly some high expectations for this season, so we can all just sit back and enjoy as things get underway tonight.

Mr. Clutch Out for the Season

The longest tenured Patriot and arguably one of the best third-down backs of all-time is down for the count. Kevin Faulk has suffered a torn anterior-cruciate ligament (ACL) and will be sidelined for the remainder of the season.

That hurts. Faulk has been one of the most clutch Patriots players throughout this dynastic era. Through thick and thin, he's been scurrying out there and moving the chains on third downs. Pretty much forever. It's going to be interesting to see how the team responds to this. I mean, losing #33 is a much bigger loss than you might think. He's by far our best receiving option out of the backfield. Who replaces that? Think about how many times 3rd and 4 gets converted by means of Kevin Faulk. It's going to be that much harder now. The more things progress, the more I find myself convinced that New England must spend that Raiders' draft selection on a running back. Hell, the Raiders are 1-1 though. Hopefully they at least finish worse than we do (half-kidding). Long story short, the backfield is becoming an issue right now on a team that is lacking the pure dominance through the air that we saw in 2007.

Should I Change My Username to Nostradamus?

Listen, don't take this the wrong way. But I'm pretty pumped at how last night's events turned out as the ending point of a great week. Improved upon last week's 11-5 showing with a 12-4 performance this week, bumping my overall NFL record this year to 23-9. My lock and my upset both came true, and my player likes and dislikes weren't so bad. But Monday Night Football was the icing on the cake. Let me quote from my post yesterday before the Saints vs 49ers game (which was appropriately titled "Frank Boar Will Dominate Tonight":)

Gore will go off. He sucked in Week 1 against Seattle. Doesn't happen twice in a row. The Saints run defense isn't the most spectacular in the league, and Gore is a spectacular back. The Niners saw their stud QB Alex Smith fire a million interceptions last week, so hopefully they will recognize the clear need to run the ball and pound it down the Saints' throat. So just like yesterday's upset, you heard it here before the act. Gore goes off for a big day, but the Niners fall to 0-2 on the season.


Just to clarify, let me tell you what eventually happened in this game. The Saints won, 25-22. The Niners fell to 0-2 on the season. What about Gore? Nothing too crazy -- only 29 fantasy points. 29. That's correct. 112 rushing yards, 7 catches for 56 yards, 2 touchdowns. Beastly numbers from a beast. They call him Frank Boar for a reason. He just runs like a boar when the going gets tough. Even though I predicted the Saints, I was really hoping the Niners would pull this one off. That's a team with a lot of heart that just finds every way in the book to shoot themselves in the foot. Muffed punts, red zone interceptions, red zone fumbles -- what do you have to do, for crying out loud! I know what they have to do. GIVE THE BALL TO FRANK BOAR!! That's the solution for everything. When they do it, they win. Game, set, match.


Really though... I know not to get too cocky, because I could easily shit the bed next week and end up back close to .500 on the season. But I'm just wondering -- will people actually get interested in this damn site if I go like 107-30 or something? Like just give every reason to believe I actually can see the future? Will it make people view this website? Because I'm tellin' ya, with every day that passes and our stats decrease... it makes me wonder why this thing's still up and running. But don't worry. I'm not bailing any time soon.


Can't wait till next Sunday when I can start rooting for my favorite junior varsity team -- I mean, the Patriots. Sorry.

Frank Boar Will Dominate Tonight

So this week, despite a brutal Patriots game, was actually even more successful than last week when it comes to my football predictions. In my Week 2 Breakdown, I was able to point out a few of the diamonds in the rough, such as Michael Vick and LeSean McCoy. And Schaub's 497-yard day might justify my reasons for liking him. I was wrong about Jay Cutler, Joe Flacco, and Adrian Peterson. But I never like AP anyway and his team still lost to the Dolphins which was awesome. And as for my game predictions yesterday, I'm 11-4 heading into Monday Night Football. My "lock" of the week was successful when Green Bay stomped Buffalo, and my "upset" of the week was also called when Miami slipped past Favre and his Vikings. So why wouldn't you believe me when I tell you that Frank Gore will go wild tonight in a loss to the Saints?

I already predicted that the Saints will win this game, but I'm throwing out an additional prediction with it. Gore will go off. He sucked in Week 1 against Seattle. Doesn't happen twice in a row. The Saints run defense isn't the most spectacular in the league, and Gore is a spectacular back. The Niners saw their stud QB Alex Smith fire a million interceptions last week, so hopefully they will recognize the clear need to run the ball and pound it down the Saints' throat. So just like yesterday's upset, you heard it here before the act. Gore goes off for a big day, but the Niners fall to 0-2 on the season.

PS -- Vick shouldn't be back at #2 again on the Eagles depth chart. If they want to win, Vick is the guy who will do that for them.

NFL Week 2 Predictions

Will Randy Moss do work on Darrelle Revis today,
or will the Jets superstar corner shut him down?

We're running the hurry-up offense right now. I woke up at 12:41 and the games kick off at 1. I need to get my NFL winners out there. I haven't even tallied all my NCAA scores yet. I'll do that after but it probably wasn't pretty. This will be pretty though, even if I'm cramped for time. First instincts never fail. I've also included 1 lock of the week and 1 upset special of the week. Enjoy.

Atlanta 17, Arizona 16.
Baltimore 21, Cincinnati 10.
Kansas City 23, Cleveland 7.
Dallas 31, Chicago 13.
Philadelphia 27, Detroit 17.
Green Bay 39, Buffalo 12. ---- [LOCK]
Tennessee 22, Pittsburgh 17.
Miami 20, Minnesota 19 ---- [UPSET]
Tampa Bay 16, Carolina 13.
Denver 21, Seattle 14.
Oakland 24, St. Louis 21.
New England 23, New York Jets 13.
San Diego 20, Jacksonville 13.
Houston 34, Washington 21.
Indianapolis 26, New York Giants 16.
New Orleans 33, San Francisco 24.


Boom.