Calling a Timeout

Alright, so I'm calling a timeout from fantasy football to talk about real football (and to recoup from an awful Studs to Sit post... what was I thinking saying to bench Greg Jennings?!) I want to talk about the biggest football story of the week - suspending players for head to head hits. I want to get two things straight right up front: 1) The league is saying that they are not changing the rules, just enforcing them more strictly and 2) I agree that intensionally using your head as a weapon when tackling is grounds for a fine and/or suspension. That being said, I am afraid of what the league may become following this new crackdown.

There are multiple points to made from this story: the need to protect players, the NFL being a giant hypocrite, understanding the history of the league and football, the idea that no one makes you play football and risking you body is part of the game, etc. The reason I have gravitated to this story so much (just check out the recent activity on my Facebook page) is partly because of all the issues this brings to light. Having played football for many years, being a huge fan of the game for a similar period of time, my hardcore fandom of the NFL due to following my own favorite team (the Cardinals) for past 6-7 years, plus my dedication to being a competitive player in my Fantasy Football (my favorite hobby) make this issue important to me for really only one reason - I don't want the game to change.

There is a reason that the NFL is currently the most popular sport in the US. Bigs hits play a huge part of this popularity. I love watching big hits. I loved getting hit hard, still holding on to the ball, and getting a first down when I played TE in high school. There are many reasons that people love big hits - general excitement, sense of danger, pride in getting up after getting hit, a big hit that changes the course of game, and so on. There is also nothing wrong with big hits (as long as there are legal.) Why are guys such as Ronnie Lott, Jack Tatum, Dick "Night Train" Lane, Jack Lambert, Dick Butkus, Lawrence Taylor, and Deacon Jones names that I know even though I never saw them play? Because of the havoc they caused on the field. These guys are great examples of football players and boy did they hit hard. Now many rules have changed since these guys played (the "head slap" that Deacon Jones used comes to mind) especially the rules about hitting the QB. The rules have changed so drastically that I am not sure that some of these guys could play in today's NFL. But, we still have players like Ray Lewis, Brian Dawkins, Adrian Wilson, Joey Porter, and Clay Matthews of today's game, plus recent retirees like Derrick Brooks and John Lynch that were able to play at a high level (and hit hard) under the current rules and make a name for themselves.

Now, I believe the NFL is going too far in their effort to "protect the players" - really they are just trying to protect their own image. If the NFL really cared about player safety, they wouldn't want to extend the regular season to 18 games. Because of today's knowledge of concussions and the instant Twitter world that we operate in, the NFL is worried that concussion exposure is going to hurt their image. However, legal hits that may cause concussions should not a fine-able or suspend-able offense. Mike Golic and many others at ESPN have said that Daunta Robinson's hit on DeSean Jackson was a clean and legal hit - and I agree. What Jerome Harrison did to Cribbs was also a legal hit as he was a "runner" and not a "defenseless receiver." I will not argue on behalf of the other two hits in question from this past Sunday, as one was a in a gray area (Harrison's hit on Muhammad Massaquoi) and one was pretty dirty (Merriweather's on Todd Heap.)

This shows why I fear that the game may change - players were fined for contact that is legal according to the rules. Though the league is saying that no rules are being changed, by upping enforcement, they are changing the rules. When the league cracked down on illegal contact after the Colts and Patriots played in the playoffs in 2004 (http://sports.espn.go.com/nfl/columns/story?columnist=pasquarelli_len&id=1771047) no rules were changed, but any fan can tell you that it has impacted today's game significantly. And really, fans do not want the game to change as they don't see that anything is wrong. According to SportsNation polls on ESPN.com, 79% of fans say the NFL not too violent, 33% (the majority answer among four choices) say the league is less violent now than it was 20 years ago, 49% (again the majority) said that Robinson's $50,00 fine was too much, plus 48% of folks said that Robinson's hit was clean but an unfortunate result (with 37% saying it was bad but not dirty and only 15% saying it was a dirty hit.) I just don't want to see this new crackdown leading to guys playing differently. I still want guys to be afraid to go over the middle - the ones that aren't scared are the ones that we all admire. I want QBs to get rid of the ball quickly for fear of getting hit by a blitzing LB. I want football to be football. Matt Millen made an excellent point on the MNF postgame show, saying something to effect that these have been concerns for years and that one weekend should not change how we play the game.

My final thought: Changing the rules is not the correct solution. The solution should be to better educate players. This article: http://sports.espn.go.com/nfl/news/story?id=2314899 that appeared in ESPN the Magazine shows that wearing the proper mouthpiece limits concussions and that players do not wear them. Also, growing up we were told that our helmets should be snug, but how many players don't buckle their chin straps all the way or wear helmets that fly off every other play. A concussion reducing helmet won't work if it is not worn correctly. Players need to take responsibility to limit concussions, not suits up on some league office where no one played in the NFL. By cracking down on injuries to the head (where you have helmet) will only cause player to get suffer knee injuries (where this is little padding) like Larry Fitzgerald did this preseason. Rather than hitting Fitzgerald up high, the Houston DB went low and Fitzgerald sprained ligaments in his knee according to the team (but he may also have suffered a partial tear) causing him to miss the rest of the preseason and play with a limp in the Cardinals first game. Please NFL keep the game the way it is!

I know this post all over the place, so to wrap up: the NFL should not change the rules (whether they officially do or not,) illegal helmet to helmet hits are bad (especially when they are intentional) but please remember that your shoulder (which you are supposed to lead with) is connected to your head, and that players need to take more responsibility about there own safety.

Please leave your comments as I really love discussing this topic.

Follow me on Twitter @TheJasonStation

Studs to Sit - Week 6

Now is the time for making bold decisions. Especially if you sitting at 1-4 or 2-3. Look, the midpoint of the fantasy season is approaching (most leagues playoffs start either week 14 or 15) and now it officially time to evaluate your draft. You can't be the guy waiting for Beanie Wells to finally get going (which he will) or hoping Johnny Know will become a top 10 receivers (doubtful) or even thinking that Joe Flacco really is the sleeper we all thought would be. Hey, anything can happen the rest of the season, but if wait out on players that are not performing now it won't matter how well your guys play in weeks 11, 12, and 13 because you'll already be out of playoff contention. It's time to plug in some guys that are producing right now (see some the Overachievers or Bye-week Buffers from my last two post) and bench some guys you thought you would rely on. That leads us to this weeks Studs to Sit. Now remember, you may have no better option than to play some of these guys. As always, I will have examples of the caliber of player you could use to replace your Stud. If you do not have any of those guys (or other guys on your bench projected for good days) just plug in your Stud. Again, a Stud is defined as someone that has been steadily producing each week (i.e. Kyle Orton or Steven Jackson) or someone that was drafted high for their position (i.e. Randy Moss or Andre Johnson.)

Greg Jennings, WR, Packers - This one pains me personally because I have him in just about every league, but none the less Jennings is just not producing. Did you know that Jennings has 14 receptions (as the number 1 receiver for this team) and that Donald Driver has 25 and James Jones has 15. Jennings will now see more double teams as defenses will move safeties away from covering the Packers TEs (Jermichael Finely is out.) Look for Driver to have good numbers this week though, as Aaron Rodgers is now likely to play. If some some reason he doesn't I'd bench all Packers.

Suitable replacements: Danny Ammendola, Michael Crabtree

Any Giants WR not named Nicks - Over the past few weeks Hakeem Nicks has established himself as the number one WR for the Giants. Sorry for those of you that drafted Steve Smith and Mario Manningham before him, but Nicks is the guy.

Suitable replacements: The guys mentioned under Jennings, Pierre Garcon, Roy Williams

Hines Ward, WR, Steelers - Everyone seems to think that now that Big Ben is back the Ward will get really hot. I happen to think that the beneficiary of Roethlisberger's return is Mike Wallance and the Steelers run game. Please temper your exceptions for Ward.

Suitable replacements: The guys previously mentioned, Nate Washington

Darren McFadden, RB, Raiders and Calvin Johnson, WR, Lions - I'm not doctor, but as we saw with Andre Johnson, playing after injury hurts your production. Most guys return before being 100% (look at Larry Fitzgerald week 1) and they just aren't themselves. Sit these guys until they get back to full strength.

Suitable replacements: Michael Bush, Felix Jones

As a bonus item because this post was quite short, here are my game picks for this week:

Bears over Seahawks

Dolphins over Packers

Chargers over Rams

Ravens over Patriots

Giants over Lions

Falcons over Eagles

Steelers over Browns

Buccaneers over Saints (upset special)

Chiefs over Texans

Broncos over Jets (upset special #2)

Raiders over 49ers

Cowboys over Vikings

Colts over Redskins

Titans over Jaguars

Follow me on Twitter @TheJasonStation

Bye-week Buffers - Week 6

The word "buffer" can be used as either a noun or a verb. As a noun it is a cushion, or a shield. As a verb is means to "lessen the effect of." The goal of a Bye-week Buffer is to lessen the effect of you not having one of your star players in your lineup because they are a on a bye. This post will list some players that can give you some cushion while your Studs take the week off. Most of these players will be guys sitting on your bench, but some will be available as Free Agents. Though I will do my best to list a lot of players that could fill in admirably for you, many of these players will be on the benches of other teams in your league. Just keep an eye out for the ones that you own or are available to add.

Teams on a bye this week: Cardinals, Bills, Panthers, Bengals. This a great week for byes as there are no stellar QBs or TEs on byes, plus these teams are either average (really just Arizona) or terrible (the other 3 teams) so there are not too many great guys at WR or RB you should be without, either.

Probable fantasy starters on these teams: Larry Fitzgerald, Beanie Wells, Fred Jackson/C.J. Spiller, DeAngelo Williams, Steve Smith (still injured too,) Chad Ochocinco, Cedric Benson, Terrell Owens

This weeks Buffers:

Michael Bush, RB, Raiders - Darren McFadden will be in a backup role this week as his hammy is not 100%. Look for Bush to put up similar numbers as he did last week: 26 carries, 104 yards and 1 TD.

Mike Wallace, WR, Steelers - The matchup alone is a good one, as the Browns defense is in the bottom half of the league in most defensive categories (including points allowed and yards allowed per game.) But, there is another thing to remember - Ben Reothlisberger is back. Ben loves to throw the deep ball and with Santonio Holmes gone, Wallace is Pittsburgh's deep threat.

Brandon Tate, WR, Patriots - With Randy Moss gone, Tate becomes the only Patriot that can stretch the field. Defenses will key on stopping Wes Welker (now the Pats best WR) leaving Tate with favorable matchups. Plus Kyle Orton passed for 314 yards on the Ravens last week, so there should be plenty of balls going Tate's way.

Mashaun Lynch, RB, Seahawks - He's not going to put up Chris Johnson or Adrian Peterson stats, but the Seahawks will want to get him involved - you need make the new guy feel comfortable/welcomed. With Deion Branch gone back to New England, the Seahawks have Mike Williams and Golden Tate as their best two receivers (really, John Carlson is their best receiver but he's a TE so he doesn't count.) If I'm Pete Carroll I feed the ball to Lynch at least 20-25 times this week.

Mike Tolbert, RB, Chargers - I know that Ryan Mathews is getting healthy again. I know that he has better physical skills than Tolbert. I also know that Tolbert will get all the carries at the goal line, and that they will split carries about 50-50. If you would start Mathews, what's stopping you from plugging in Tolbert?

Felix Jones, RB, Cowboys - This may look like a no-brainer after last week, but he's not even owned in 100% of leagues, and starts in less than 50% (both Yahoo! and ESPN.) We all know he has the big play capability, and Dallas finally remembered that running ball is a part of a good offensive game plan.

Danny Ammendola, WR, Rams - I wrote about Ammendola in my Week 5 Overachievers/Underperformers post, and in case you forgot (or didn't read it) Ammendola was targeted an amazing 19 times last week. Mark Clayton is out for the year, so Ammendola will be seeing plenty of balls. He might be on this list every week going forward.

Santonio Holmes, WR, Jets - He looked pretty good for not being with the team for the first four weeks of the season. Add one more week, plus going against Denver's poor pass defense (Champ Bailey can't cover everybody) I think Holmes has a good game.

Others Buffers: Jabbar Gaffney, WR, Broncos; Kenny Britt, WR, Titans; Louis Murphy, WR, Raiders; BenJarvus Green-Ellis, RB, Patriots; Davone Bess, WR, Dolphins (especially in PPR leagues); and Brandon Jackson, RB, Packers.

Lastly, for those with Aaron Rodgers, who likely won't play this week, Shaun Hill is a good fill-in. Also, if you lost Jermichael Finley to injury, Mercedes Lewis, Tony Moeaki, or John Carlson would be good substitutes for the rest of the season.

Check back later this week for Week 6 Studs to Sit, plus my game picks for this week.

Follow me on Twitter @TheJasonStation

Overachievers and Underperformers - Week 5

Week 5 of the NFL season was quite a crazy one. The Colts beat the undefeated Chiefs without Peyton Manning throwing a passing touchdown (and their rushing TD came from third string RB Mike Hart.) The Arizona Cardinals beat the defending Super Bowl Champion Saints without a throwing or passing TD, becoming only the second team ever to score 30 points without a rushing or passing TD (all while starting an undrafted rookie QB.) The Raiders beat the Chargers for the first time in 13 matchups. That was only a sampling of the some of the wackier games from this weekend, but there were some equally perplexing performances in terms of fantasy as well. That leads us to the Overachievers and Underperformers of week 5. These players either had awesome and unexpected days or inexplicably bad days. This is in terms of fantasy of course, so though guys like Drew Brees and Alex Smith played bad enough to hurt their teams' chances of winning, they had pretty decent fantasy days. Also, if you are supposed to play great, just like Chris Johnson's 131 yards rushing plus 2 TDs, you won't make this list either. At the end of this post check out my report card from week 5's Studs to Sit - overall, not too bad.

Overachiever - Hakeem Nicks, WR, Giants: 12 receptions, 130 yards, 2 TDs. This guy has become a must start every week.

Underperformer - Arian Foster, RB, Texans: 11 carries, 25 yards, 0 TDs (2 receptions, 2 yards.) Foster came into Week 5 leading the NFL in rushing. 25 yards? Really? Maybe the Texans aren't who we thought they were. More from them coming up.

Overachiever - Shaun Hill, QB, Lions: 21/32, 227 yards, 3 TDs. No Matthew Stafford, no problem. Hill spread the ball around, finding open receivers all over the place (all 3 TDs went to different receivers.) I can't believe the 49ers let this guy go. Now they're stuck with David Carr if/when they decide to bench Alex Smith.

Underperformer - Matt Schaub, QB, Texans: 16/34, 196 yards, 0 TDs, 1 INT. This guy lead the league in passing yards last season. He has Andre Johnson to throw to (I know he's banged up, but he's better at 80% than most guys at 100%.) We thought he had a reliable run game to lean on. If I'd been writing this since the beginning of the season, this wouldn't be Schaub's first time on this list. Until the Texans offense get things figured out, if you have better options with good matchups, you might want to think about benching Schaub.

Overachiever - Danny Ammendola, WR, Rams: 12 receptions, 95 yards. Mark Clayton, the Rams best WR since week 1, is now out for the year. Not only did Ammendola get 12 receptions, but he was targeted 19 times! Ammendola now becomes the Rams wideout you want on your team. This game was a preview of things to come. Did I mention he was targeted 19 times?

Underperformer - Dwayne Bowe, WR, Chiefs: 2 receptions, 33 yards, 0 TDs. The opportunities were there, but Bowe had hands of stone on Sunday. Two crucial drops, one that would have been a TD. If that keeps up, Matt Cassel will look his way less and less.

Overachiever - Brandon Lloyd, WR, Broncos: 5 receptions, 135 yards, 2 TDs. Lloyd was this week's winner of "What Denver wideout will have the big day?" The Broncos receiving corps is so unpredictable with different guys having big games each week. In case you were wondering, against the Ravens the targets were as follows: Llyod - 14, Jabar Gaffeny - 11, Eddie Royal - 5. Going forward I'd roll the dice with Lloyd, but do so at your own peril.

That concludes the good and bad from week 5. Here's how I faired with Studs to Sit:

Overall, I'd grade it a B.

Good Calls - Tony Gonzalez (except Moeaki didn't play any better,) Ryan Mathews (Tolbert had a TD,) Arizona's offense (except Fitzgerald who had 7 catches for 93 yards,) DeSean Jackson, Darren McFadden (DNP,) and Visanthe Shiancoe.

Fair Calls - Javid Best (good call, but I was dead wrong as to why, as the Rams D/ST had about -5 fantasy points,) and Shonn Greene (LDT had twice the carries and 40 more yards, but Greene got the TD.)

Bad Calls - Randy Moss (4 receptions, 81 yards, 1TD) and Marques Colston (who had 7 catches on 12 targets this game; Brees looked his way a lot.)

Terrible Call, but I was still right - Kyle Orton. I was right in that he is a stud. I was wrong to say you should sit him. He is now a must start every week, no matter the matchup. I'd rather have him than Schaub going forward.

Tomorrow afternoon/evening look for my next post: Bye-week Buffers, where I let you know what guys on your bench and waivers can fill in and have good games when your starters have a bye.

Follow me on Twitter @TheJasonStation

Studs to Sit - Week 5

Rather than having a first post that explains my plans with this blog (why I'm writing it, what qualifies me to write it, etc.) I'm jumping right into the fantasy advice. This first feature is Studs to Sit. It's a pretty simple concept - what guys that usually seem like automatic starts should you sit due to bad match-ups, injuries, or other factors. Now, if you have no better option (due to bye weeks, your bench players are hurt, or you have a really terrible bench because your're in a deep league) my thoughts might not apply. As you will see, I have examples of the caliber of player you could use to replace your Stud. If you do not have someone on that level, you might as well roll the dice with your Stud and hope he performs admirably. Finally, a Stud is defined as someone that has been steadily producing each week (Arian Foster, Adrian Peterson, Roddy White, etc.) or someone that was drafted high for their position (Chris Johnson, Dallas Clark, Larry Fitzgerald, etc.) Now that you know the parameters...

Randy Moss, WR, Vikings - As you have hopefully heard (you probably don't get ESPN if you haven't, or play fantasy football on a chalkboard rather than online) Moss is no longer a Patriot and now is a Viking. Brett Favre has not looked sharp so far this season, with many believing that his lack of a receiving corp with Sidney Rice out is to blame. Regardless of your thoughts on this, Moss is not a good play this week. He may be a great play for the rest of the season, but the fact remains that he will playing in a new offensive system that he doesn't know. Oh yeah, and his Viking debut (re-debut?) is on Revis Island. Until he has more time in the Purple and Gold and he is not playing against Darrelle Revis, sit Moss.

Suitable replacements: Malcom Floyd, Nate Washington, Mark Clayton

Tony Gonzalez, TE, Falcons - Gonzalez is an all-time great. Probably the best tight end to ever play the game (unless you are talking to Shannon Sharpe or Kellen Winslow Sr. who might beg to differ.) Regardless, he has not been very productive this season. The catches have been there the past two weeks, but Gonzalez is the check down option in this offense. Unless you are playing in a PPR league, he is far from a sure start this week and moving forward. With Michael Turner and Jason Snelling in the backfield, and Roddy White able to run the fade, Gonzalez is not a primary option in the red zone anymore which means less touchdowns. Fewer yard plus not likely to catch TDs means he should be on your bench.

Suitable replacements: Mercedes Lewis, Tony Moeaki

Ryan Mathews, RB, Chargers and Shonn Greene, RB Jets - These guys should sit for similar reasons. They have guys they split carries with that are producing better - Mike Tolbert and LaDainian Tomlinson, respectively. Now I am not saying Tolbert and Tomlinson are on the same level (I like Tomlinson much more going forward than Tolbert because the Chargers throw all the time) however, the opportunities won't be there compared what we thought going into the season. Mathews had only nine carries last week; Greene had a bunch (22) but that was in a rout of the Bills, not against the Williams Wall, Jared Allen, and the rest of the Vikings front seven. Plus LT had 19 carries last week, most in the fist half before the game was decided.

Suitable replacements: Marion Barber, Fred Jackson, Michael Bush

Kyle Orton, QB, Broncos - Now if you don't think Orton is a Stud, you would be wrong. Dead wrong. Why? Maybe because he leads in the league in passing yards with 1419, that's why. He's also the QB of a pass first team coached by the guy that was the offensive coordinator for Patriots when they set the single season record for points scored (589 in their undefeated regular season) and made Matt Cassel one rich dude by making him look like Brady Light the following season. This week though, Orton plays the Ravens, who have been great against the pass.

Suitable replacements: David Garrard, Carson Palmer

Javid Best, RB, Lions - Did you know that the Rams are playing good football? They are 2-2, and are playing pretty solid defense. It helps when it sounds like your middle linebacker gives other people diseases when he tackles them (James Laurinaitis.) In most fantasy leagues (standard scoring in both ESPN and Yahoo!) the Rams defense is a top 6 or 7 fantasy defense. This trend will continue against the Lions, meaning at best, Best will have a mediocre day (pun intended.)

Suitable replacements: Ryan Torrain, plus the guys mentioned under Mathews/Greene

The entire Arizona Cardinals - As much as this pains me (I am a huge Cardinals fan) you should not start any Cardinals this week (possibly for many weeks.) Larry Fitzgerald is playing with a rookie QB and has 3 rookie wide outs playing behind him with Steve Breaston and Early Doucet both out with injuries (it looks like neither will play and if they do, they will be limited.) The Cards are playing the Saints, meaning this will be blow out, so starting Beanie Wells or Tim Hightower would be a mistake - they won't get enough carries between the two of them.

Suitable replacements: Anyone on your bench. Seriously. I'd roll the dice with Johnathan Stewart over Wells or Hightower and Santonio Holmes over Fitzgerald.

Other Studs to Sit - Darren McFadden, RB, Raiders (injured hamstring, start Michael Bush); DeSean Jackson, WR, Eagles (Kevin Kolb is king of the check-down); Marques Colston, WR, Saints (hasn't done anything this season, Brees spreads the ball around too much); Visanthe Shiancoe, TE, Vikings (Favre will try to force the ball, unsuccessfully, to Moss, leaving Shiancoe in the dark.)

Disagree? Think I forgot someone? Leave me a comment and we'll discuss.

Follow me on Twitter @TheJasonStation