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Well, the first and most obvious changes are to the scoring system and to the prizes.

On first look I think I like the scoring changes.  It takes away some of the luck factor of hitting exactas.

I hate the new prizes.  individual tourney down from 100,000 to 5,000???????
Year long prize down from 1,000,000 to 50,000?????
That doesn’t fill me with excitement.  That hope, however slim, of winning a potentially life changing prize kept it very exciting for me.  While I’d love to have 5,000 or 50,000, I can’t get nearly as excited.

I posted this same thing in the forums in case anyone wants to start discussing and sharing strategies.

by Sweaty Swami

I continue to be shocked at how much the Team Defense position is ignored. More than any other position, Team D scoring is affected by their weekly matchup. This means that to maximize scoring at your Team D slot, it’s important to scan the waiver wire every week and make sure you’re not just sticking with the same Defense every week, even against terrible matchups. Green Bay’s D was started in 55% of leagues against Minnesota last week, for instance. There’s no excuse for that unless you have to start 2 Team Ds or you’re in an 18+ team league.
Don’t be the guy who starts Pittsburg D @Denver, Baltimore D @Cincinnati, or SD D @NYG this week. Here’s my week 9 Team D pickups:

Atlanta D vs Washington – available in 84% of yahoo leagues. Frankly I don’t care about any of Atlanta’s defensive starters. I don’t care how they’ve done so far this year. They’re at home against Washington. That’s should be enough incentive to start them over almost anyone.

Jacksonville D vs KC – available in 92% of yahoo leagues. This one isn’t as sweet as Atlanta, but they should get the job done if you’re dealing with terrible matchups or byes from you other Ds. And they’re available practically everywhere.

Another strategy which I highly recommend is to look 1 or 2 weeks ahead when picking up waiver wire defenses. You can count on the bad offenses staying bad (St. Louis, Washington, Cleveland, Oakland and to a lesser extent KC, Buffalo, Detroit, Tampa Bay); so when you see a waiver wire Defense with a sweet home matchup against one of these teams week 10 or 11, pick them up NOW rather than waiting for another manager to notice them next week and beat you to them with their waiver priority. Miami D vs TB week 10 and Tennessee D vs Buffalo week 10 specifically come to mind.

by Sweaty Swami

As I mentioned in my last column, the Team Defense slot doesn’t get nearly enough recognition.  Maybe it’s not the most exciting thing to read about, but it’s good for you!  It builds character!   Plus it seems like there’s a top 5 D on the waiver wire every week.  So enough polite suggestions about your Team Defense.  It’s time for some tough love.  Start paying attention, darn it!

Indianapolis D (coming off a bye) is owned in only 46% of yahoo leagues and plays @St. Louis (!!!!) this week.  I’d seriously start them over anyone except maybe NYJ D @Oakland.  If they’re available in your league, freaking pick them up.  Right now!  What are you waiting for?!  GO!  …what are you doing?  Moving your mouse up to the menu bar to open a new tab?!  Learn hot keys already!  YOU DON’T HAVE TIME FOR MOUSE NAVIGATION!  CTRL+T!  MOVE IT!!

Are you still here?  Boy, you’re dense.  Well, San Diego D @KC (available in 53% of leagues) also makes a decent play, though certainly not as good as Indy.  They’re also at home against Oakland next week, which is definitely a top 5 matchup, so whether or not you need them week 7, they’re probably worth a roster spot now so you can give them a spot start week 8.

What’s that?  You don’t have room on your bench?  Give me a break.  Do you really need Larry Johnson or Terrell Owens taking up an extra roster spot?  Cut them loose already and add someone who’s actually going to give you some production.  Thank me week 9 when you have 1 more win because your Team D slot got you an extra 15 points.

by Crunch Bunch

Texans at Bengals: And to think that Cedric Benson probably was on his way out of the NFL when the Bengals decided to give him a chance.  He gets the woeful Texans Run D this week - Benson is no longer a sleeper or bargain as that train left the station a few weeks ago, but he makes a good play in salary cap leagues.

Lions at Packers: Packers D makes a good play this week, especially if Megatron can’t go.

Rams at Jaguars: I was one of the many fantasy owners cursing Mike Sims-Walker as his one game suspension for violating team rules was very unexpected.  However, to forgive is divine, so he along with the other Jag offensive players make strong plays this week against the woeful Rams.  Donnie Avery showed signs of life last week for the first time this season, so keep your eyes on him as he may be on your league’s waiver wire.

Ravens at Vikings: Great game to watch, but not so much for fantasy bargains Read the rest of this entry »

by Sweaty Swami

I don’t have a bone to pick with anyone specifically this week, but rather with a tendency I’ve seen of Pickup of the Week columns in general. If your league has weekly waivers and you don’t feel like sifting through all of the weekly stats yourself, checking out a column like the one I’ve linked to is a fine way to figure out what waiver wire players you should be vying for. And while such pickup lists probably include more RBs and WRs than you could ever possibly want (Austin Collie? Really?), I find them to be generally quite lacking in the Team Defense department. The column I’ve linked to recommends Carolina’s D as a modest buy as its last pickup suggestion, and this is more attention to Team Defense than most weekly pickup columns would devote.

I’m not suggesting that Ds are as valuable as RBs or that you need to keep 2-3 of them on your roster at all times. Far from it. Ds should be regarded more like kickers: don’t get too attached to any of them. There is no reason to plug one in who’s struggling or has a bad matchup because on any given week there’s going to be a top 5 weekly defense available on the waiver wire. Players like Austin Collie and Mewelde Moore are probably worth a look to a team or two that are struggling badly at the RB or WR position, but Team Defenses like Carolina’s this week can offer a 1-week upgrade to at least half of the teams in any given league. Read the rest of this entry »

by Crunch Bunch

Steelers at Lions: It was nice knowing you Fast Willie.  The Rashard Mendenhall era has begun in Pittsburgh.  The Lions pass D is awful, although Ward and Holmes probably aren’t cheap.  Heath Miller is a decent option as a TE this week.

Redskins at Panthers: He’s obviously not a bargain, but in salary cap leagues, DeAngelo Williams is sure going cheap.  This week we should find out more about the Washington D who have played the dregs of the NFL in the past three weeks (Rams, Lions, Bucs).  Members of the Panthers offense might surprise this week.

Browns at Bills: The Browns have some decent low cost options given the right matchup and going against the Bills surely qualifies.  Derek Anderson (QB), Jerome Harrison (RB) and  Mohamed Massaquoi (WR) all are decent sleepers this week.  Trent Edwards on the other side is a decent play as well. Read the rest of this entry »

by Mr. 101

This week there are some juicy matchups for some top quarterbacks, and if you play a dynamic salary cap based league such as Rotohog or the Sporting News’ salary cap games, you will want to look closely at which ones can vault you up the leaderboard.

I know a lot of people are getting excited about Peyton vs. Tennessee and Big Ben vs. Detroit.  On the surface both of these look like dream matchups. While I’m not arguing that fact, let me throw a few drops of cool water on that raging fire of hype.

Tennessee’s pass defense has been atrocious, and Manning has been consistently throwing over 300 yards a game.  Add to that Indy’s mediocre run game and Tennessee’s stout run D, and you have all the ingredients for a fantasy point all you can eat buffet.  So what is not to like???  Read the rest of this entry »

by Mr. 101

Well, with only one game left on the schedule, I’ve endured a perfectly sub-adequate fantasy day for yours truly.   The season has been off to a very slow start for me, as I always seem to have the right player on the wrong week. 

As I watch the Steelers finish off the hapless Chargers, I have to wonder if tomorrow night’s game will hold any hope for me.  In Rotohog I have AP, as I do in one of my three Sporting News teams.  Maybe he will provide the juice I need to make this a passable week.  In my Rapiddraft team, I look to the Packers for hope.  I have Jennings, Rodgers and Grant, and a twenty five point deficit.  The goal in that league is to finish  in the top fourty percent in points so I can make the playoffs.  Hopefully I get a big game there.

And if you aren’t playing the Fantasy World game, you are missing out on a blast.  The survival format is very challenging, but also quite fun.  The challenge flags add an extra element of strategy that make the game even more fun.  Save your flags to the very end, or use them on the category you think has the highest odds of being succesful for you?  And what is the easiest category to choose??  QB?  Team offense?

Even amidst a poor week like I’m having, any one can find something to love about this incredible game of fantasy sports.  You just have to know what to look for.  Like the pros on the field we watch, you have to have a short memory, forget the previous weeks failures, and start focusing on the next week.

See ya then.

by daBulls

NBA play is just around the corner.  Good times.

I’m predicting the Lakers will take it again this year, but they will play the Celtics in the finals this year.

It will be interesting to see what happens in Cleveland with Shaqfu and LeBron.

I hope the see Portland continue to advance and improve.

I’m afraid the Bulls have not done enough yet to make it much further than last year.

So who will step up and out and prove himself this year?  Which team will do the same?  How will Orlando continue to grow with their point guard back and a new 2 guard/small forward?  Will anybody even threaten the Lakers or Cleveland, Boston, Orlando?  Will DWade decide he has had enough of Miami (if the Bulls can get him, I sure hope so).  Will LeBron decide (YES) Cleveland has had its last try with him?

We shall see.

Go Bulls.

by AC

We switched your weekly Wake-up Call from Mondays. I hope you weren’t late for work.  Putting out the call later makes things like injury reports and personnel shakeups easier to account for—so look for it mid-week the rest of the season.

Take a peek down at the end of your bench.  I think you have a couple guys hiding out there that are worth a look this week.  Maybe you drafted them as a handcuff for a brittle fantasy star.  Perhaps they were a late round flyer or a solid veteran you hoped to be a viable bye-week fill in.  Maybe you just hoped this would be the year they lived up to their draft-day hype.  With some guys hurt and some tasty matchups in week 4, this might be the week to dust them off and give them a play. 

Let’s discuss a few of these guys.

Read the rest of this entry »