Fantasy Football Lockout Over!



Can Arian Foster bring fantasy owners the
same stats as last year?

I was excited to learn a few weeks ago that the players and owners of the NFL had come to terms on a new collective bargaining agreement (CBA) because that meant the fantasy football lockout was finally over! Yes, yes I was extremely pleased that I was going to be able to watch my Saints make a run at another Super Bowl title but man I am excited to have fantasy football back. I know a good many people who play fantasy football and will go well beyond having just one team. I actually "coached" three fantasy teams last year and even that was a bit too much for me.

But, indeed, fantasy football is back and fans are busy looking at their magazine cheat sheets and analyzing the players they want to draft and others they are willing to stay away from this year. There is much more strategy than people think that goes into fantasy draft analysis and if you want to become the league champion and win all that money you and your bros put up at the beginning of the season then make sure you do your homework.

One thing to look at is last years performance. Take a look at how well they did last year and see why you think he'll do better or worse. Look at the teams offseason moves. Especially with the crazy free agent season we've had recently, take a look at what teams have been doing that will affect a players performance. For example, Chad Ochocinco's fantasy stock should rise with him signing with New England and catching balls from Tom Brady. Lastly, I always take a look at some players' schedule. What divisions from their conference are they playing? What division from the other conference are they playing? Just little stuff like that. Now, it's time for some pre-draft analysis. I am going to release my Round 1 mock draft for a league with 10 teams. These are the top 10 fantasy players as I would draft them in round 1 of a fantasy football draft. As the Bud Light comercials always say, "Here we go!"

Round 1 Mock Draft

Pick 1:  Adrian Peterson

His nickname is AD, meaning All Day, and he means all day everyday. No matter what, old QB or young QB Peterson will run as hard as he can. Even with the Vikings being a miserable team last year with an "aging" QB Peterson still ran for 1,298 yds and 12 touchdowns while catching 36 passes for 341 yds and another td. He is always a reliable option at running back that you can count on. He is the only RB who's been in the top 5 in fantasy points the past 4 years.

Prediction:  With the addition of Donovan McNabb in Minnesota I believe he will get back to the way he rushed in '09 when Favre was having much success. New coach Leslie Frazier is committed to the running game and will use Adrian often. Put him down for 1,400 rushing yds, 350 rec. yds, and roughly 16 total TD's

Pick 2:  Arian Foster

If you tell me you saw Foster's breakout rookie season coming then you're lying. I thought he would do well once he was proclaimed the Texans starter but not 1,600 yds and 16 TD's good. He averaged 5.0 yards a carry last season and also had 604 yds. receiving out of the backfield with 2 more TD's. That meant big big points, exactly 313 to be exact for you standard league. This young bull is going to do work in the NFL for awhile so we better get used to it.

Prediction:  It's probably a good thing that Houston's defense is so bad because that means Schaub, Foster, and Johnson will be playing catch-up most games which results in lots of offense. Now, I'll say that I think Foster regresses a little this season but not bad enough to take him too low. I predict he'll get around 1,400 rushing yds, 500 rec. yds, and 14 TD's. Still a top 5 pick in my opinion.

Pick 3:  Chris Johnson

After many people took Johnson with the top overall pick in 2010 he had what people called a "down" year. I kind of agreed but the guy still rushed for 1,364 yds with 245 rec. yds and totaling up 12 TD's. Not such a bad year but didn't have the flash as he did two seasons ago. The guy is still the fastest back in the league who has the tendency to break big "video-game-like" runs for long touchdowns which result in big points.

Prediction:  Even though the Titans added Matt Hasselbeck I am still not sold on their passing game which will result in defenses putting their primary focus on stopping Johnson. Also worth noting, the Titans face the NFC South and the AFC North this season which means him having to run through defenses consisting of Baltimore, Pittsburgh, Atlanta and New Orleans which will be tough. So i think Johnson will churn out 1,300 rushing yds, 400 rec. yds, and roughly 13 TD's.

Pick 4:  Jamaal Charles

A pleasant surprise to the fantasy world last year, Jamaal Charles had an exceptional season with the division champion Kansas City Chiefs. Charles rushed for 1,467 yds and caught for 468 yds out of the backfield to total 8 TD's. Charles is a bull like runner who can also hit the long one as well. I love taking him as a top 5 pick and I think he'll have an even better season this year.
Prediction:  Last year he had to deal with Thomas Jones stealing many of his scoring opportunities but Jones is getting old, quick. I think Todd Haley is ready to use him more in goal line situations and that he'll still do well gett receiving yards. Put him down for over 1,500 yds and another 450 rec. yds. and total of 11 TD's.

Pick 5: Michael Vick

 This is most definitely the first round's risk-reward pick. A quartback like Vick can be deadly and propelled many teams to fantasy championships last season. In only 12 games last year he tallied up 3,018 pass. yds with 21 TD's. In addition to that he rushed for 676 yards and 9 more trips to the endzone. That's lethal. But, there's reason why he played 12 games. Injuries. With Vick doing so much running it makes him susceptable to more big hits. Tough,

Prediction:  I'm in favor of taing Vick this high. I think the Eagles coaches spent the whole offseason figuring out how they can protect him better and how to utilize him more. He will be dangerous. He'll thrown for over 3,200 yards and run for another 650. Also, put him down for 19 pass. TD's and 7 rushing TD's.

Pick 6:  Ray Rice

I was an owner of Rice last season and he had me wanting to kill him early in the season. He didn't get in the endzone until week 5 and had only 6 total TD's last season. But, I stuck with him and am willing to give him another chance. Joe Flacco will do well throwing the ball and this will open up some hole for Rice who is a tough runner and one of the best receiving RB's in the league.

Prediction:  The Ravens let go of Willis McGahee and picked up Ricky Williams as his backup. Williams may steal a few scoring opportunities but not enough to drop his stock value. His exceptional ability to catch balls out of the backfeld makes him a valuable back, especially in PPR leagues. I'll give Rice roguhly 1,300 yds and 9 TD's to go with 600 rec. yds. and 2 more touchdowns.

Pick 7: Maurice Jones-Drew

Yet another tough choice to go with Jones-Drew this high up. He had some knee injury issues last season costing him the last 3 games of last season really hurting teams in fantasy playoffs. After meniscus surgery in the off-season he is ready to go. He still finished with 1,300 yards last season and 300 more receiving with 7 TD's. Will he get into the nedzone more?
Prediction:  I don't believe he will be quite as explosive as last season but I do think he will get the bulk of goal line carries for the Jaguars this season while reeling off several lengthy runs as well. He will be able to give relief to whichever QB the Jags go with. I'll give Jones-Drew 1,150 yards to go with 10 TD's and over 400 rec. yds. and 2 more TD's.

Pick 8:  Aaron Rodgers
I'm not usually in favor of taking a QB in the first round but with the success that Aaron Rodgers had last year I may just take him this year. Rodgers was the third leading fantasy point scorer last year behind Foster and Vick with 292 points in your standard league. he finished with just under 4,000 passing yds. and 28 TD's and also had 4 rushing TD's. He is very accurate and scores big points.
Prediction:  Rodgers is a very lucky man when you consider the targets he has to throw to: Jennings, Driver, Nelson, Lee, Jones, and, oh yeah, Jermichael Finley will be back from injury. RB or QB you wanna take a guy who scores points and Rodgers will. I predict him to thrown over 4,100 yards with about 27 TD's.

Pick 9:  LeSean McCoy
LeSean McCoy's value went way up last year with the emergence of Michael Vick. He has become the premiere back in the Eagles' offense and benefits greatly in the passing game from Vick's mobility and attention he gets from the defense. No back had more receptions than McCoy last season who finished with over 1,000 yds rushing and nearly 600 yds. receiving.
Prediction:  Much like I said about Vick previously applies to McCoy because of his dependency on Vick's success. If Vick gets hurt then McCoy's numbers will suffer. But, if all goes well, he will put up some large numbers this season. Give me 1,100 yds. rushing and 700 yds. receiving with 10 TD's.

Pick 10:  Rashard Mendenhall

There is one main reason why Mendenhall falls into my top 10 and that is because he loves finding the endzone which makes up for lack of yards which he still gets a lot of. Last season he scored 13 TD's which was second behind Foster. He also added over 1,200 yards to go with it. He's a beast who likes to run over people, typical Steeler right?

Prediction:  Pittsburgh loves being physical and that means running the ball, especially in those snowy, cold-weathered games they play in late in the season. You can bet that if Pittsburgh gets inside the 3 they will hand it to Rashard. He'll run for over 1,200 yds again and add double digit TD's easily. Plus with the 10th pick, in a typical snake draft, you can take whoever at this spot becuase you will have the next pick as well.

If you're thinking to yourself that I'm stupid and I give to much love to RB's then that's fine, feel free to pick anyone you want. I started playing fantasy football with my father way back when there was no ESPN leagues and we had to do everything on Excel spreadsheets and the league commissioner would "print" off the weekly results on Monday mornings. Trust me, you need solid RB's to win your league followed by consisten QB play and mix in some good go to receivers and you can find yourself with a top seed come playoff time. take these rankings as you wish and good luck! Happy drafting everyone!

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I will be writing on the Sports section of the website. Check it out!

Tiger Era Over?

Is this possible? Is this all really happening? This isn't the guy I've always known.

As an avid golfer I have watched lots of golf over the years and I mean lots. To me there is nothing better than propping up on the couch with a cold beer on both Satuday and Sunday of a Major Championship and watching the top players in the world compete at the highest level against the best of the best. But, I'll be honest, all of these lazy weekends spent on the couch instead of actually out at the course enjoying a round were because of one man. That's right, him. Tiger. Tiger Woods.

Back in the spring in 1997 I was just a mere 9 years old and I'll be honest I don't remember every detail from when the first African-American took Augusta by storm with a commanding 12 shot victory. But, at the completion of his "masterful" performance I distinctly remembe my father looking at me and saying, "Better watch this guy, he's going to really really good." So I watched. I have watched  for the last 15 years. For the most part I've seen just about all of Tiger's 71 wins on The PGA Tour including his 14 Major Championship victories.

Growing up I realized that golf was a passion of mine and that I wanted to pursue it. I wanted to just keep working hard and getting better. Like many other kids during that time, I wanted to be like Tiger Woods. I wanted to win. So I kept watching. I watched the "old" Tiger absolutely dominate the field at Pebble Beach for his first U.S. Open. He finished with a 15 shot victory over Ernie Els and being the only player under par. 15 shots...15. Are you kidding me? Nobody does that. Not at a U.S. Open. Is this guy for real? So I kept watching. Later that year at the PGA Champioship I watched the famous "duel" with Bob May. I saw a man who was finally being challenged courageously by a worthy opponent and I was eager to see how he'd pull this out. All Tiger did was play his last 12 holes in 7-under par to force a playoff where he polished May off there with his famous putt where he "walked" the ball into the hole. Unreal. 7-under in your last 12 holes. Talk about refusing to lose. So I kept watching.

I remember the 2005 Masters like it was yesterday. Final round. Tiger missed the green left on the par-3 16th hole. That's when magic happened. Enjoy.

I jumped up and down on my couch like it was Christmas morning. And no Verne I have never seen anything like that in my life. How clutch is he? I mean people just don't do this in golf especially on the biggest stage at Augusta, on Sunday, in the final round. He went on to make an incredible putt for birdie on the 18th green on the first sudden death playoff hole. Exhausted, I kept watching. It was the summer of 2008 and I was working at Camp Laney in Northeast Alabama for the first time. Thank God Sundays at camp are lazy days because I put myself in front of the t.v. and watched a hobbled an almost broken down Tiger make a run at his 14th major championship at Torrey Pines. My man was in pain. He could hardly hit a solid tee shot much less walk 300 yards to the ball for his next shot. He found himself down, 1 shot back of Rocco Mediate going into the last hole. Who? Nonetheless I must give credit where credit is due, Mediate played extremely well that weekend and Sunday especially. Standing in the way of Mediate and his first Major Championship was a 12 foot birdie putt and you-know-who holding the putter. Once again, Enjoy.

Me and several of my buddies celebrated like no other when the putt swirled around the hole and fell in. I knew I could count on him, he always comes through in the clutch. Typical Tiger is what a lot of people say and I agree. He has a flare for the dramatics and I loved it everytime it happened. Tiger went on to win the following day on an 18-hole playoff where he once again had to make a putt on the last hole to force a sudden death 19th hole. Simply amazing.

And then he was gone. He took the rest of the '08 season off to have surgery on his broken leg and to fix a torn ACL. In '09 he won two events, no majors and since then has yet to win another golf tournament. We all know the fine details of the Thanksgiving car wreck in '09 and the many months of breaking news and Tabloid headlines that ensued forcing Tiger to come clean of his extramarital affairs. Don't get me wrong I'm not taking up for him or saying he's innocent because he made many bad decisions that has essentially ruined his life. It's hard to put yourself on the highest of all pedestals only to come crashing down from the fall. But that's the price he had to pay for his mistakes. He lost his marriage, tons of money, fans and his game has gone down-hill.

My years of growing up, especially my teenage years, are filled with memories of watching Tiger in his Sunday red shirt and black pants fist-pumping after a big putt that would undoubtedly break his opponents. I mimicked Tiger's every move on the golf course, or at least i tried to. I specifically remember sinking a big putt in a high school golf tournament and throwing up a big Tiger-like fist pump with a whole 4 people watching in the crowd! I've seen Tiger at his ultimate highest peak on the sports mountain and now I fear that I have seen him at his ultimate lowest point.

If you'd have asked me in 2009 if Tiger would still catch Jack Nicklaus's record mark of 18 majors I would've told you yes. If you ask me now I say that I have major doubts about whether he can do it. He has lost parts of his game. He doesn't putt like he used to, his driving aaccuracy is beyond horrid, and the fear he puts in other players is almost non-existent. I'll say this. There is still hope for Tiger to catch Jack. Jack won his last major at 46 and Tiger is just 35 years old now so time is there. The question is can he regain his swagger? Can he ever strike fear in the hearts of other players? Will we ever see the old Tiger again? I'm not a fortune teller but my prediction is...well...maybe. I'm giving Tiger the next 3 seasons, hopefully healthy, to get it back. If he hasn't won another major title in the next 3 seasons then my answer will forever be No.

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My Top Current NFL Rivalries

As an avid sports fan one word that I always hear while watching sporting events is the term "rivalry." What makes a game between two certain teams a rivalry? My answer... hatred, pure hatred. The fact that you hate the other team on the other side of the field/court is what differentiates "rivalry" games from other contests. Now I know a lot of people may say that my use of the word 'hate' is a bit over the top there, but if you are a sports fan dedicated to certain teams then you understand why I use the word when describing rivalry games. Just ask a Red Sox fan if they hate the Yankees or ask a die hard Alabama fan what they think of Auburn. Trust me I know exactly how they'll describe their animosity towards their most despised opponent.

With the football season quickly approaching I decided to shift my focus to some of the top rivalries in the National Football League. NFL fans are surely relieved that the lockout has finally come to an end and their favorite teams are working hard at training camp fine-tuning both sides of the ball and narrowing down their official rosters. This got me thinking the other day about which games of the NFL season I was most looking forward to and I immediately thought of the intense rivalries that will be renewed as soon as we hit Week 1. So here are my top current NFL rivalries with a analysis of each one.

Most Storied Rivalry
Green Bay Packers vs Chicago Bears

Analysis:  Arguably the top two teams in the NFC North, the Bears and Packers, have been playing since 1921 and easily considered one of the top rivalries in the league of all time. It is always a very competitive game when these two get together. They play what many consider to be real football, tough defense mixed with trying to run the ball down your throat and they do it in two of games coldest weather stadiums. There is nothing better than staying in your house all warm during christmas time and turning on the t.v. to watch these two football giants go at it in the white snow and sub-freezing temperatures. With names such as Brett Favre, Brian Urlacher and now Aaron Rodgers this is one of my favorite games to watch every season.
Edge:  Although the Bears lead 92-84-6 all time in the rivalry this is about who has the edge currently. Chicago last won a Super Bowl in 1985 and lost the 2006 Super Bowl to the Colts. They claimed division crown in '05, '06, and '10 and have very little to show for these efforts. The Packers on the other hand are coming off a Super Bowl winning season in 2010 and previously won it all in 1996 under the helm of Favre and then lsoing the 1997 Super Bowl the following year. They won the north division in '02, '03, '04, and '07 while being a wild card team last year en route to the title. My edge goes to the Green Bay Packers.

HOF QB vs HOF QB
New England Patriots vs Indianapolis Colts

Analysis:  How can this game not be fun? The top two QB's in the NFL today go at it once every year during the regualr season. Tom Brady and Peyton manning have helped make their teams 2 of the top 3 AFC teams this past decade, combining to win 6 AFC championships since 2001. Watching these two QB's go at it every year always makes for an exciting game. Knowing that every drive you're watching one of the best QB's of all-time lead his team just adds to the excitement. This rivalry has provided so many intense moments over the recent decade that it is always a highly anticipated contest.
Edge:  Let's look at how close this rivalry is. Since 2002 they have hooked up 11 times, 3 of which were in the playoffs, with the Patriots holding a 6-5 edge including a 2-1 playoff advantage.The Patriots also hold a close lead in total points scored in this rivalry since '02 with a 288-281 lead. For what seemed like forever Brady owned Manning in this rivalry, winning his first six games over him. Manning's big moment was a huge comeback win over the Patriots in the '06 AFC Championship and propelling him to his only Super Bowl. But with Brady having won 3 Super Bowls and having more success my edge goes to New England.

Most Underrated Rivalry
New Orleans Saints vs Atlanta Falcons

Analysis:  In my opinion the Saints-Falcons rivalry is far and away the most underrated rivalry in the NFL today. The rest of the NFL has let this game go by the waist side for so many years due to lack of historical success by the two teams. But, recently they have been two of the top teams in the NFC. As a Saints fan I have been able to see this rivalry first hand and trust me when I say that these two teams "hate" each other. Fans despise each other because currently each feels that they are the true franchise of "The Deep South." Just last year, during a great regular season run by Atlanta, their city council declared Dec. 27 as "Atlanta Falcons Day" which was also the day they hosted the Saints on MNF and inevitably lost.
Edge:  The Falcons hold a head-to-head lead of 45-39 over the Saints currently. They have met only once in the postseason with Atlanta emerging victorious. Atlanta has been to one Super Bowl back in 1998 losing to Denver. They have been crowned division champions 3 times since their super bowl run including '98, '04, and '10. The Saints have also been to one Super Bowl recently in 2009 defeating the Colts. They also reached to NFC Championship in '06 losing to Chicago. They were divisions champions in '00, '06 and '09. Since '00 the Saints hold a 14-8 edge coupled with a 4-1 adantage on primetime MNF and along with a Super Bowl Championship my edge goes to New Orleans.

Most Heated Rivalry
Baltimore Ravens vs Pittsburgh Steelers

Analysis:  If you consider yourself a football fan at all then you know what I mean by the "most heated" rivalry game. It seems like every other day we see on ESPN where a plyer from either team is talking trash about the other. I think what makes this rivalry the most heated and the best rivialry in the league is the fact that both teams set their main focus on the defensive side of the ball. Both pride themselves on having tough, hard-nosed defenses that like to hit people...hard. With players such as Ray Lewis, Ed Reed, James Harrison and Lamar Woodley they have earned their reputations as the best defenses around. There isn't much better than watching them battle in the freezing cold (even though they play Week 1 of upcoming season) and seeing one win by a field foal just about every game.
Edge:  In the 2000s the Steelers hold a 15-10 advantage including 3-0 in the playoffs. Pittsburgh has won the division 6 of the last 10 years and also winning 2 Super Bowls during that stretch. They also lost last years title game to Green Bay. The Ravens last won the division in '06 and also in '03. In addition to that they were crowned Super Bowl champions back in 2000. But, after watching so many Ravens-Steelers games over the years it seems that the Steelers always hold the upper hand because they always seem to win the big matchup when it matters. My edge goes to Pittsburgh.


I hope you guys enjoyed my first ever blog post. I'm new to this and hope to progress with my writing and content as well. Feel free to drop a comment off at any time with suggestions and possible topics you'd like me to cover. I'm open to just about anyhting. Thanks and be on the lookout for future posts.

Matthew Hall