World Series Preview

Ok so first things first.  I have to give credit when it’s due.  My rival blog writer Alex somehow picked both the Rangers and Giants to be in the World Series.  Although he did take my advice and pick bold, he deserves a lot of credit because almost on one was predicting a Rangers v. Giants WS.

With the Rangers and Giants in the series I doubt anyone on the east coast will even watch.  That’s a dam shame because this could be a matchup for the ages.  True baseball fans are not going to miss a pitch of the 2010 World Series. 

Let’s break down this matchup: 

Pitching: The Giants have arguably had the best pitching staff for the entire season.  Lincecum, Cain and Sanchez keep the Giants in every game.  Their bullpen is rock solid led by all-star closer, Brian “black beard” Wilson.  The Giants have built their team around pitching and it is their strongest assist for this series.  That being said, the Rangers may have an inferior staff, but they have the best pitcher in this series.  Cliff Lee has been unbeatable in the playoffs the last two years.  If the Rangers decide to do so they can pitch Lee three times in this series.  That is terrible news for the Giants and their NL offense.  Remember how unfair it was last year when Cliff Lee mowed through NL hitters from August through late October?  This year he did the hard part first facing the formidable AL offenses and now gets his pay day, the Giants National League offense.  C.J. Wilson should also be extremely effective against the Giants and give the Rangers a strong one two punch.  The question mark for the Rangers is their third and forth starters and their bullpen.  Feliz, the Rangers closer, is a rookie and may panic under the pressure of closing out a World Series game.  If the Giants can build the Rangers pitch count and get to the bullpen early, they have a good chance to score some late runs.  Advantage: Giants

Hitting: The Rangers scored a whopping 90 runs more than the Giants this year.  The Rangers lineup is full of big bat all-stars and the Giants lineup is full of average veterans and a young stud.  The Rangers love to lead the yard and have a good eye.  There one through seven hitters strike fear into any pitcher.  They also led the league in two out hitting, an invaluable asset in the post season.  The Giants are a very scrappy offense.  Meaning they make the best of their opportunities.  They are good at manufacturing runs and never waste an at bat.  Look for Buster Posey to try and shoulder the load for this offense.  The Giants style of offense should actually be effective in this series, but the Rangers have a lot more talent in their lineup.  Advantage: Rangers 

Base Running:   On the season the Rangers stole 123 SB and the Giants stole 55.  There’s a lot more than just base stealing when it comes to base running, but you can’t ignore the gap between the numbers.  Andrus has already stolen eight bases this post season for the Rangers.  Kinsler, Cruz and even Hamilton will take off whenever they want.  Torres poses the only real base threat for the Giants.  Something to watch in this area is: Tim Lincecum has struggled all year holding runners on, so it will be interesting to see if the Rangers run early and often.  The Rangers go first to third better than any team in baseball.  They are aggressive and put pressure on the defense.  The Giants aren’t a bad base running team by any means, but the Rangers have the clear cut advantage here.  Advantage: Rangers

Defense:  When you build your team around pitching you usually accompany that with a first class defense.  That’s exactly what the Giant’s have done.  They are very sharp on defense and make all the plays.  They play in the national league and are use to small ball and bunting situations.  When you build your team around offense you tend to lack in the defensive are.  This is exactly what has happened to the Rangers.  They have big, strong, offensive guys who play sub-bar defense.  There only two bright spots on defense are journeyman Bengie Molina and flashy rookies short stop Elvis Andrus.  Advantage: Giants

Intangibles:  Both the Rangers and Giants are glad to be playing each other rather than one of last year’s World Series contenders.  The NL finally won an all-star game meaning the Giants will have home field advantage.  This year that actually is an advantage as AT&T Park is one of the more tricky stadiums in baseball.  It frequently has strong wind gusts and has a very unique outfield.  Both managers have done a great job this year and are up for manager of the year.  Everything Bruce Bochy has done this year seems to work out for the Giants.  Ron Washington and the Rangers are favored in the series by the Vegas odds makers.  This will put pressure on the Rangers, a team who hasn’t had a lot of players in this position before.  The Giants will relish the underdog role and play their hearts out.  They are on a role, not knowing if they would make the playoffs on the last day of the regular season to hosting game one of the World Series.  I think both teams have a lot going for them in this series and I don’t see a clear advantage for either team in the intangibles category.  Advantage: Even

Outcome:  I have been thinking about this series since Wilson threw a back door slider and froze Ryan Howard to send the Giants on.  My first instinct told me to go with the Rangers, their big offense and ace Cliff Lee.  Unfortunately it’s not that easy for me.  The Giants have come up with just enough offense all year and are very experienced in one run games.  They know how to win baseball games and it scares me to pick against a team that knows how to win the close ones.  With that said I always feel more comfortable picking the team with the most talent to win.  October is a time for players to step up and become heroes.  The Rangers have more talent and I believe it is their time.  No matter what the outcome is, these two teams are going to treat us to some great baseball.  However, wouldn’t it be great for baseball and America if Cliff Lee pitches on short rest and beats the Giants in game 7 at AT&T Park?  Winner: Rangers in 7

A-Town Week 7 Power Rankings

Hello everyone.  We had a lot of upsets last week so there is a little shake up in my rankings this week.  All the teams, excluding Chris, that had a chance to take a big lead in the standings didn’t take advantage in week 6.  This season is turning out to be our most competitive season ever.  It seems that everybody has a chance to win every week.  It’s been almost impossible to predict winners on a consistent basis. 

1. Kristen

Previous (1)

Kristen lost last week but I have to give her one more shot in my top spot. Half of this team had their worst game of the season.  I look for Kristen to bounce back in week 7, maybe even with a high week.

2. Dan

Previous (2)

If Dan was upset about losing the top spot he sure showed me in week 6 by beating Clay.  I still love this teams receiving core and the Steelers defense has been lights out.  Dan thought McGahee was going to be the answer at RB but he put up a big fat zero.  I am curious to see how Dan deals with this problem. 

3. Pat

Previous (8)

Pat takes this week’s Frontier Airlines Flight of the week.  I knew it was a mistake to rank this team so low and boy did they prove it by putting up the high week.  Pat also made a deal for MJD this year.  MJD hasn’t played at the level we know he is capable of so far this year.  If he turns it up in the second half this team will be unstoppable and the favorite heading into the playoffs. 

4. Chris

Previous (3)

Chris won last week and has the best record in our league.  Yet I sill dropped him a spot because Floyd is now injured and I just don’t get how Chris keeps on winning.  Chris proves me wrong every week and finds a way to win.  It’s unbelievable.  I might need to spend more time in a freezer to get fantasy football karma.

5. Garret

Previous (7)

Garret’s team is as scary as there is in the league right now.  He can go off any week and destroy somebody.  Gore has been the definition of consistency so far this year.  Look for Garret to work his way up into the top four within the next few weeks.

6. Jeff

Previous (4)

Jeff was a tough luck loser this week as he put up a very respectable 130 points but lost to Pat’s high week.  This team is still my top ranked 3-3 team as I love the running back core.  The bottom line with this team is that they need to be more consistent and play like they did the first two weeks.

7. Pop

Previous (5)

Pop’s finally got dealt his second loss of the season courtesy of Mike.  To put it blunt Pop’s had a terrible week.  Seventy-four points will never get you a victory.  The one positive for Pop is that Collie got injured in week 6 meaning he can now start Garcon again because he will get a huge increase in targets. 

8. Clay

Previous (6)

Clay really does live by Manning and Wayne.  I mean if you are going to put all your stock into a quarterback receiver combo, it might as well be those two.  Nonetheless if they have a quiet week like they did in week 6, Clay is going to lose.  Oh yeah, by the way, the Colts bye is week 7.  Can you say 3-4?

9. Alex

Previous (13)

This is the highest ranking I have ever given this team.  I honestly never thought I would see the day Team Shit Show cracked single digits in my rankings.  Alex is clicking on all cylinders right now and if he was coming up on my schedule I would be concerned.

10. Mike

Previous (11)

The good news: Mike’s momentum finally led him to a major upset over Pop.  The bad news: We found out earlier this weeks that stud TE Dallas Clark is out for the season.  I still think Mike has a very competitive roster and will get his share of W’s this year.

11. Logan

Previous (14)

Logan must have felt very lonely in the basement of my rankings last week as he came out and kicked my butt in week 6.  The MJD trade brings Brandon Lloyd and Darren McFadden to Logan’s team.  Lloyd will have an immediate impact with Jackson going down last week for Logan.  McFadden should pay dividends down the stretch.  Overall I really like that trade for both Logan and Pat. 

12. Gill

Previous (9)

Poor team management cost Gill a won in week 6.  This team has a lot of average players which makes it very important to start the right guy each week.   So far Gill is not making the right decisions.  I think he should do whatever it is he does to decide on a player then sit the guy he was going to start.

13. Shawn

Previous (10)

I have believed in this team all year but maybe it’s time to write them off.  Shawn has failed to put up 100 points several times now and isn’t really competing week in and week out.  It’s a shame but I think this team may be out of contention.

14. Anton

Previous (12)

I gave Anton six weeks before I finally put him at the bottom of my rankings.  I understand that everyone’s team is completely different from last year, but I still can’t believe last year’s champ is 0-6 and the worst team in the league at the half way point. 

 

Week 6 Predictions

*Jeff at Pat*

Jeff has had the most points put up against him so far this year and I expect that to continue this week when he plays Pat.  Foster could run wild at home against KC for Pat.  Jeff is coming off a huge performance and is looking for his RB’s to carry the team.  Jeff seems to have finely lost his patience with Jennings and is going to bench him this week to teach him a lesson.  This game could really go either way, but I think Jeff’s RB’s will lead the way to his victory.  WINNER: JEFF

*PGill at Logan*

Neither one of these teams put up a lot of points.  Gill has some pretty good matchups this week and I expect him to put up a respectable total.  If Brandon Jackson can bust a big run and DeSean Jackson get open deep Logan has a real shot to get his second win.  At the end of the day I don’t think Logan has enough fire power to win this one.  WINNER: Gill

*Dan at Clay*

Dan is in the middle of a two game losing streak and is looking to snap out of his funk this week.  Clay is on a two game winning streak and is looking to take the next step.  Manning gets prime time game this week and that’s always scary because he seems to play better when the whole world is watching.  Dan gets Mendenhall back this week and has that three headed monster at WR.  Clay definitely has a chance in this one but I think Dan will put up a big number and get back on track.  WINNER: DAN

*Chris at Shawn*

Chris is on a four game win streak but his team doesn’t look too hot this week.  I don’t really like any of his matchups.  Shawn may only be 1-4, but his team is very good and they will show that this week.  In order for Chris to win this one he’s going to need a player to go off like Floyds did last week.  I just don’t see that happening.  WINNER: SHAWN

*Anton at Alex*

Anton is still searching for his first win and Alex is looking to go 3-3.  Honestly I have no idea who is going to win this game.  Both teams have good and bad matchups.  It will probably come down to which QB plays better: Rivers or Brady.  I am going with Rivers.  WINNER: ANTON

*Mike at Pop*

These two teams are heading in opposite directions.  Pop has won four in a row and Mike has lost four in a row.  I am curious to see what Lynch will do in Seattle for Mike.  Pops is going with a bold strategy and sitting both of the Colts pass catchers.  The story here is that Pops has a ton of momentum and Mike has almost none.  WINNER: POP

******Kristen at Garret******  GAME OF THE WEEK

This matchup should be awesome.  Both teams are championship contenders and this could be a playoff preview.  Moreno is back for Garret and Gore has a dream matchup in Oakland.  Kristen’s entire team has a good matchup this week.  As long as Kristen doesn’t go Ohio State on us (lose the first week you move up to #1) she should come out on top in this week’s game of the week.  WINNER: KRISTEN

Week 6 Power Rankings

Wow this season is flying by!  We are already through 5 weeks.  This is about the time the men starting separating themselves from the boys.  However, I am sure we will have that late bloomer, who won’t get their first pube until week 9 and somehow make the playoffs.  Here are my week 6 power rankings.  We had a change at the top for the first time this year. 

1. Kristen

Previous (2)

I have no choice but to move this team up to the top.  If you want to beat Kristen it looks like you are going to have to put up 150 points and pray.  I don’t understand how she is doing all this without a QB right now.  Put it on the record, Nicks is a fantasy stud and this team is going to the playoffs.

2. Dan

Previous (1)

Despite losing two games in a row Dan has only moved down one spot.  His team is still one of the top in the league and no one else is really stepping up to the plate.  If Dan has been ignoring my comments about his pressing need for a RB he better start paying attention.  Last week they combined for 9 yards!! Not nine points; nine yards!  That has to be an A-Town fantasy record.

3. Chris

Previous (6)

Chris is 4-1 and I don’t think he even knows how it happened.  No matter what hurdle is put in front of this team, they jump right over it and keep on going.  Hopefully they can keep it up because they are running straight towards the biggest hurdle of the season with Finley out for the year.  If Thomas can come back soon I think this team will just keep on winning.  It is starting to feel like Gropp’s crew is this year’s team of destiny.  (Oh yeah, Chris my parents say thank you for the movie passes they had a great time)

4. Jeff

Previous (8)

Jeff gets this week’s Frontier Airlines flight of the week.  If you have seen my facebook page recently (which I don’t know why you would) you saw that Jeff asked for the move of the week.  That’s not why I am moving him up so high.  He has been a top four team all year and I got a little out of hand last week moving him to number 8.  Jeff’s proven that his fantasy IQ is at an all time high with the acquisitions of Hill and Williams last week.  If Jeff can keep pulling out all the stops and be consistent he will be a serious title contender.

5. Pop

Previous (5)

Pop’s got another win this week to go to 4-1.  That would usually warrant a step up in the power rankings but when you only put up 93 points I just can’t do that.    Pop’s got lucky, he had a bad week and his opponent Logan had a dreadful week.  With Garcon back in Indi it hurts Collie’s production.  The best thing for this team would be to have either Collie or Garcon go down so the other can pick up the slack and be a number one.

6. Clay

Previous (7)

Clay’s team is staying in the hunt as he picked up a victory last week to go to 3-2.  TO is looking like the real deal and Forte has shown what he is capable of.  Clay still needs to find another running back and a flex starter.  He can’t keep getting goose eggs in the flex spot, eventually that will kill him. 

7. Garret

Previous (3)

Garret had a terrible game in week 5 and I am starting to worry about Schaub.  He’s not living up to his early draft position and is killing Garret.  Garret might get Moreno back this week and that should really help with Tolbert’s roll being down sized every week in San Diego.  This team still has a lot of talent but needs to be more consistent.

8. Pat

Previous (4)

Note to PSell: Play Brandon Lloyd!  This team needs to give up on Gonzalez and play Lloyd in the flex spot.  However, this is definitely the scariest 2-3 team in fantasy history.  There’s talent and depth at every position; I expect the wins to start rolling in soon. 

9. Gill

Previous (10)

If you can score more than 120 points you will beat this team every week.  If you don’t score 120 you will probably lose.  It’s that simple.

10. Shawn

Previous (9)

It was nice to see this team finally get production out of Mike Sims-Walker.  I don’t think Shawn is having too much fun this year because he keeps losing  but it’s got to be awesome to watch Gates put up a touchdown every single week.

11. Mike

Previous (11)

Mike had a great week but still got beat because he ran into one of the only two teams that scored more than him.  Mike has had a lot of bad luck so far this year but last week still has to be encouraging.  His team is playing well and will start getting wins sooner than later.

12. Anton

Previous (12)

Anton also had a very nice week but ran into one of the weeks high scores.  The one positive for this team is that Rivers is playing out of his mind and keeps throwing for 400 yards.  One more loss for this team and I will be forced to put them in the cellar. 

13. Alex

Previous (14)

I am starting to think I am not giving this team enough credit.  If they win this week they will be .500.  The thing about this team is that they’re not very exciting.  They will put up decent stats but never anything mind boggling.   

14. Logan

Previous (13)

Logan barely reached the 70 point mark in week 5.  His team just simply isn’t doing anything right now.  It bothers me that someone who cares so much and studies so much can have such a terrible team.  Better luck next year. 

MLB LCS Preview

My rival blog “5280 Sports Commentary” is written by Alex Schmidt.  In the divisional round of the MLB playoffs we both choose three out of the four winners.  The only thing that separated us was that I picked the exact amount of games for all three and Alex didn’t.  Chalk that one up as a narrow victory for DenverSports360.  Here are my predictions for the League Championship Series.

ALCS

Yankees at Rangers

I choose the Rangers in 5 in their last series because Cliff Lee got to pitch 40 % of their games.  In a best case scenario against the Yankees he will only get to pitch 28 % and that will be the difference.  The Rangers have yet to win a home game so having home field advantage means almost nothing in this series.  I am not counting out the Rangers because I love C.J. Wilson and what he brings to the table.  He has the stuff and attitude to shut down the potent Yankee offense.  The Yankee’s have struggles at the plate so far this post season but get the big hit when they need it.  Teams who can do that are often successful in the playoffs.  As much as it pains me to say it, behind C.C. Sabathia I think the Yankees are poised for a trip back to the World Series.  YANKEES in 6

NLCS

Giants at Phillies

This series has the best pitching matchups in recent memory.  You have Lincecum, Cain and Sanchez for the Giants going toe to toe with Halladay, Oswalt and Hamels.  The Phillies rotation is older and has more experience, but the Giant’s rotation is young and has that swagger you need to beat a great team.  We know the pitching is going to be there in this series so it’s going to come down to defense, base running and of course hitting.  On paper the Phillies are the best in all three of those categories.  My gut is telling me the Phillies are going to win this series.  If I do that then I am predicting the same World Series from last year and that never happens.  I want to root for the Giants and I think their young arms have a great chance to stifle the Phillies hitters.  Therefore I am crossing my fingers and taking the Giants in this one.  GIANTS in 7

 

A-Town Preview


Hello everyone from the A-Town fantasy football league. This year I will be writing matchup predictions every week. To start the season I have decided to give my pre-season predictions with division winners and my pick to take the crown in 2010! As you all know the top two teams from each division move on to the playoffs as well as the top two teams overall from the 10 remaining teams.

AFC

The AFC is the weaker conference this year overall. I only have one of their teams ranked in my top 4. However, the conference should still be very competitive. I only see the top two teams from this conference making the playoffs.

1. Undeniable Advantage (Dan)

Dan had a B+ draft this year and then made a trade with Chris that vaulted him into the next level. He has a team built for a PPR league and I expect him to take the AFC.



Strength: Tony Romo is poised for a break out year. I could see him finishing in the top 4 QB’s. Dan will have an advantage at quarterback almost every week. The heart of this team is its wide receivers with White, Welker and Steve Smith form the Giants. The all have the potential to accumulate over 100 catches.

Weakness: The running backs on this team are an issue. It was just leaked that Mendenhall will be losing some of his goal line carries this year which isn’t good for Dan’s first round pick. I am still not sold on Spiller although he did win the starting job. He should get around 15 touches a game, but is that enough to be the number 2 back for this team? After Mendenhall and Spiller Dan is very thin at RB. He will have to be active on the waiver wire to find more potent backups.



Overall this is one of the stronger teams in the league. Dan has the best core of pass catchers and in a PPR league that will definitely get you to the playoffs. The only thing that could bring this team down is an injury to one of its top RB’s.

2. Catch Me IF You Can (Shawn)

Shawn had a B+ draft this year and has a very well rounded team. He should challenge Dan for the top spot in the AFC.

Strength: Shawn may have the most complete starting lineup in the league. All his starters are proven in the NFL. I love Gates at TE and Matt Ryan and Matthew Stafford combined should play as a top QB if Shawn plays matchups every week. I want to go on the record and say that Matt Stafford will be great this year and crack the top 12 QB’s.

Weakness: Shawn addressed his entire starting lineup before thinking about backups. As a result he has a very thin bench. He will have a rough time on bye-weeks where he has more than one player out. He will need to play the waiver wire and pick up this year’s sleepers if he wants to compete for the top spot.



Baring any significant injuries I don’t see how this stacked team won’t make the playoffs and challenge Dan for the top spot in the AFC. However, Shawn’s only one injury away from having major problems.

3. KO’d (Logan)

Logan had a B draft this year taking safe running backs and high ceiling wide outs. This team has a lot of potential and should be very competitive all year. Plus Logan has a pattern of winning one year and sucking the next and he sucked last year so we will see if that pattern continues.

Strength: This team has two workhouse running backs in MJD and Grant. They will get all the carries for their respective teams and put up solid numbers every week. I love that Logan with went High Ceiling wide receivers. They have the potential to light up the fantasy score board. They are definitely the fastest trio in the league.

Weakness: Logan’s tight end situation scares me. Daniels is coming off of his 3rd ACL surgery and will be limited to start the year. I do like that Logs picked up Sheffler who is a sleeper to backup Daniels. The combined age of this team’s QB’s is 73! I fear that this may be the year both Favre and McNabb breakdown and if that happens this team may breakdown as well.

This team has a lot of potential and should challenge for a playoff spot. However, there are a lot of questions to still be answered about this team and I am just not sure it can outlast the tough teams in the NFC.

4. Gropp’s Crew (Chris)

Chris is a new comer to our league this year. He did well in his first live draft earning a c+ grade. Chris was already Dan’s first trade victim this year. His team is still solid though and should give the top teams a run for their money week in and week out.

Strength: Chris used the old school philosophy and got sure fired running backs to lead his team. AP is a monster, Thomas is always solid and Harrison is in a great situation. I am also buying into the Jermichael Finley hype and think he will be a top 3 TE this year.

Weakness: To put it simple this teams wide receivers are weak. Chris has essentially 5 number three fantasy receivers. There is some potential in this core of pass catchers, but I see it being an issue all year long. I also worry that Carson Palmer will fail to be a top 14 quarterback and Chris will be giving up points at that position all year long.

Overall this team’s pass catchers will determine how far Chris goes. If he can play the right match ups and two of them can break out then along with AP this team can make a strong push for the playoffs.

5. Off In The Woods (Clay)

The question this year is can anyone beat Off In The Woods? I say the answer is yes; about ¾ of the league can beat off in the woods. However, Clay did have his best draft in years with a B grade.

Strength: Any team with Payton Manning has a chance. I like the combination with Reggie Wayne as well. This team will go as far as the Col’s to superstars will take it.

Weakness: After Forte this team has no running backs. Right now it is starting Leon Washington, need I say more. After Wayne, Clay’s WR’s are shaky. Although, I do like what I saw out of Owens in the pre-season and Housh will be revitalized in Baltimore.

At the end of the day I don’t think the Manning-Wayne duo can make up for this team’s lack of talent. If Clay picks up this year’s breakout players on the waiver wire he may have a chance to sneak into the playoffs. I also think Forte was a great pick and will have a season similar to that of two years ago.

6. StiffD (Mike)

If you want in-depth analyses on Mike’s team check out my last post. Mike had a C- draft. It seemed like every time it was his turn to pick he was in a bad situation. The players that made since for his team came off the board right before he picked.

Strength: The unquestioned strength if this team is TE. Clark and Witten are both beasts as the position. Mike should have an overwhelming strength at the position. Witten will be a nice flex option. Mike also has a solid top 2 wide outs in Fitz and Wallace.

Weakness: RB is going to be a problem for this team. Benson took on a huge work load last year and will tire this year and lose carries to Bernard Scott. Stewart is still the 1B option in the RB by committee situation in Carolina. After those two question marks Mike has no backups which could be the death of this team. Eli Manning has the potential to be a solid starter, but he has the same odds of busting.

Mike has half the puzzle in place and needs to find out how to get the other pieces to fit. I highly recommend he trade Witten to build running back depth and acquire wide receiver talent. Mike’s teams have a tendency to feed of my criticism so I do expect this team to compete week in and week out and definitely beat my team.

7. Z’s (Pop)

First of all I would like to thank Pop’s for letting us host the draft party at his house. Pop’s had a so so draft with a D+ grade. I fear that there is just no talent to make the playoffs on his team.

Strength: Aaron Rodgers has become an elite QB in the NFL and the best fantasy QB. He has all the tools in the world and lethal weapons around him. He should have the Packers offense soaring this year.

Weakness: this team pretty much has a weakness everywhere else but K. Addai is bound to slow down and Beanie Wells is already hurt. Buckhalter is penciled in as Pop’s number 2 RB for week 1. At WR Driver and Mason are on the wrong side of 30. However, I like Garcon to breakout and compete for Pop’s top WR.

I think this team will win some games behind the arm of Rodgers, but at the end of the season I expect Pop’s to be at the bottom half of the AFC.

A-Town Week 5 Power Rankings

Hello again everyone! We are a third of the way through our season.  We experienced our first week of byes and this week there are a lot of injuries that teams have to deal with.  Three of my top four teams lost last week so I had to make some adjustments this week.

1. Dan

Previous (1)

Dan’s bid for an undefeated season was crushed last week by Pop.  The reason I am leaving Dan at 1 is because everyone is entitled to at least one bad week.  Also Dan’s team was the most affected by the NFL trades this past week.  With Moss gone in New England, Welker should put up even better stats and with Lynch gone in Buffalo, it opens up the door for Spiller to be Dan’s number two back. 

2. Kristen

Previous (5)

Fantasy football is unpredictable.  Kristen started out ranked 11^th in my power rankings and now after four weeks she is on fire and challenging for my number one spot.  It will be interesting to see what kind of numbers this team puts up with Vick on the shelf for a few weeks.  However, she did post the high week last week with Vick putting up 4 points.

3. Garret

Previous (3)

Garret got a good win in week four over a tough opponent in Jeff.  Mike Tolbert is keeping this team playing at an elite level while Bush and Moreno are sidelined.  Garret is on a role and I don’t see him slowing down anytime soon.

4. Pat

Previous (2)

Pat lost in week four but make no mistake this team is loaded with talent and depth and should scare their opponent every week.  McFadden might be out a few weeks but Barber is coming off a bye and should step in nicely.  Foster has been the best back in the league this far and shows no sign of slowing down.  When Colston gets going this team could become my number one team.

5. Pop

Previous (8)

Anytime you manhandle the number one team in the league you are going to move up.  Pops team looked bad at the beginning of the year but has found their groove.  All Pops players are playing at a high level and are putting fear into a lot of teams.  Watch out for this team come December……

6. Chris

Previous (6)

Chris has been in three straight nail biters.  So far he has had the most luck of any team.  When Randy Moss puts up an offer for you to pull out the win you know the fantasy gods are looking over you.  With AP’s bye already gone and if Thomas can get healthy this team could creep up into the top 5. 

7. Clay

Previous (7)

Over all the years we have been playing together it seems that Clay always has the guys who go off.  Reggie Wayne caught 15 balls last week!  Clay’s team isn’t the most consistent team in the world but once in a while they can put up a huge number.  You can never feel too comfortable when you’re playing this team. 

8. Jeff

Previous (4)

This is Jeff’s lowest ranking this year and well deserved after failing to get over the century mark two weeks in a row.  The WR’s on this team aren’t producing and Chris Johnson isn’t living up to all the hype.  It’s hard to believe this team had so much promise just two weeks ago and is now on the verge of a three game losing streak. 

9. Shawn

Previous (11)

Shawn finally got his first win of the season last week.  He did it in grand fashion by putting up 145 points.  I know this team is much better than 1-3 and I expect them to show it in the coming weeks.   Look out if you play “Catch Me If You Can” anytime soon.

10. Gill

Previous (10)

Gill got lucky in week 4 winning despite only putting up 107 points.  This team still has too many injuries and question marks to be taken seriously despite their 3-1 record. 

11. Mike

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Even though Mike lost last week he has some momentum heading into week 5.  Lynch should be a big time producer in Seattle as he is expected to get the starting roll.  The rumor is that Mike is trying to make a huge trade involving all world receiver Larry Fitzgerald.  We will see if Mike can make a deal happen and get his team some depth.

12. Anton

Previous (13)

All Randy Moss needed for Anton to win last week was 7 points.  He should have been able to do that in his sleep but he put up a fat zero.  So far that’s the story of this team’s season as Anton has yet to win a game despite being very competitive.  I hope this team can turn things around soon.

13. Logan

Previous (9)

Right now Logan’s team stinks.  MJD finally had a good week but no one else showed up.  The Steve Smith injury may cripple this team.  Logan just made a trade for a RB giving up Harvin because he had WR depth and now he is in dire need of help at both positions. 

14. Alex

Previous (14)

We pretty much all but penciled in the W for Alex last week.  Good thing we didn’t because Alex had a terrible week only putting up 71 points.  Right now this team shouldn’t scare anybody.  Although Alex did start a very nice blog that everyone should check out.

MLB Division Series Preview

Major League Baseball players have been battling it out on the diamond for the last six months for a chance to play in October.  If you have ever been to a MLB playoff game you know there is nothing like it. This October presents some interesting matchups.  Here is my divisional round preview and predictions.  I will write a review and prediction for every round of the MLB playoffs. 

American League

Rangers at Rays

The Rangers really struggled down the stretch and the Rays shut it down the last week so neither team is really riding any momentum.  Cliff Lee hasn’t been himself this year against the Ray’s, but he is another person in the Playoffs.  He was unbelievable last year in October and he has all the intangibles to do it again.  After CY Young candidate David Price the Rays starting pitching is suspect.  Shields and Garza are quality pitchers but the pressure could get to them.  The biggest question mark in this series is Josh Hamilton’s ribs.  He’s not going to be 100%, but his swing is so short and compact that it doesn’t put as much pressure on his ribs as it could. The trendy pick in this series is the Rays, but I think the Rangers are going to come out and surprise everyone behind the confident Cliff Lee and experience of Vlad Guerrero.  RANGERS in 5

Yankees at Twins

This is a tough series for me to analyze because I am a big Twins fan. The Yankees are the defending champs and CC Sabathia has been a beast all year and owns the Twins.  The Yankees need CC to win game one because after that their rotation has some question marks.  Pettitte has been injured and isn’t expected to pitch very deep into game two and Phil Hughes is a great pitcher but inconsistent and still young.  The Twins will start comeback player of the year Francisco Liriano in game one followed by Pavano and Duensing.  CC is the best pitcher in this series, but the Twins have the best overall rotation.   The Twins have been red hot since the all star break, posting the best record in MLB since that time even though they lost all star first baseman Justin Morneau.  The Yankees have all the pressure in the world on them to win this series and even though they're used to the pressure playing in New York I think if the Twins can start out strong the pressure will get to the Yankees.  The Twins are playing with nothing to lose and are sick of getting their rear ends kicked by the Yankees.  Call me crazy but I think the Twins are going to win game 5 at new Target Field and pull the upset on the defending champs.  TWINS in 5

National League

Reds at Phillies

The Reds are in the playoffs for the first time since 1995.  They scored the most runs in the national league this year.  They have the likely NL MVP in Joey Votto and Manager of the Year in Dusty Baker.  With all that out of the way the Reds are going to get crushed in this series.  The Phillies are the two time defending NL Champs and finished with the best record in the league.  They traded for Roy Halladay this off season so he could display his pitching perfection in October.  The Phillies rotation of Halladay, Oswalt and Hamels is arguably the best of any team in the playoffs.  They are all on fire right now and will shut down the Reds.  Ryan Howard and company will put up plenty of runs and Lidge will anchor the bullpen as the Phillies should take care of the Reds.  PHILLIES in 3

Braves at Giants

There Braves limped across the finish line.  They lost their best player this year in Prado a few weeks ago and lost Hall of Famer Chipper Jones earlier this season.  The Giants went on a September surge and took over first place in the final two weeks and outlasted the Padres on the final weekend of the regular season.  The Braves had to use their ace Tim Hudson on the last day of the year to clinch so he won’t be available for game one.  Derrick Lowe had a rough year, but he had a great September and should keep the Braves in it when he starts.  The Giants rotation sets up perfectly with Lincecum, Cain, and Sanchez.   I don’t expect any of these games to be very high scoring as both teams’ lineups are mediocre when it comes to playoff standards. Hayward will have to step up for the Braves if they’re going to score runs and on the opposite side Huff will need to step up for the Giants.  At the end of the day the Giants have a little more firepower on offense and it may only take 3 runs a game to win in this series.  GIANTS in 4    

A-Town Week 4 Predictions

*Anton at Chris*

Anton is looking for his first win and he should get it this week.  Chris is without AP who is on his bye week and Thomas who was just listed as inactive.  I expect this to be a low scoring matchup with Anton winning rather easily.  WINNER: ANTON

*Pop at Dan*

Dan has some tough matchups this week and Pops team is hot coming off two straight wins.  Aaron Rodgers has a dream matchup at home against Detroit.  It’s hard to win four straight in this league and I think there is a chanced for Pop to take down this leagues number one team.  For the sake of hoping Dan starts to lose a few and not run away with the best record in our league I am going with the upset in Pops this week.  WINNER: POP

*Mike at Clay*

This should be a very good matchup.  Both teams have great matchups and should put up big points.  I like Mike’s running backs this week and Manning loves playing in Jacksonville for Clay.  In a very close one I am going with Mike.  WINNER: MIKE

******Jeff at Garret******  GAME OF THE WEEK

This is a matchup of two top four teams in my power rankings.  Garrett has won two in a row and Jeff lost his first game last week.  Garret is forced to start a backup as his #2 RB this week and that could end up costing him.    Jeff’s three headed monster at RB should get back on track this week and put up huge numbers.  In the end I think the injuries and Winslow’s bye will end up killing Garret.  WINNER: JEFF

*Shawn at Logan*

Both of these teams have struggled so far in 2010.  Logan made a trade this week and it looking for that to spark his team.  Shawn is winless and in desperation mode.  The loser of this games season may be over.  Shawn just hasn’t had any luck this year and even though my gut tells me he should win I am going with the trendy choice in Logan.  WINNER: LOGAN

*Pat at Kristen*

This matchup is runner up for game of the week.  Both these teams are hot and have been putting up big numbers all year.  At the end of the day Pat’s team will be too much to handle for the Kristen to handle.  Although at this time Pat doesn’t have a kicker that is playing this week so I hope that doesn’t cost him the W.  WINNER: PAT

*Alex at Gill*

Both of these teams are struggling right now.  Alex’s team is a little banged up but it looks like Jackson is going to play.  He should put up solid numbers this week.  With Austin and Dez Bryant on a bye and Andre Johnson hurt and probably not going to play Gill’s team is a joke.  Alex should have no problem this week as Gill should put up the low week.  WINNER: ALEX