NFL Predictions Week 11
By Matthew Wieselthier
Sunday:
1:00 PM ET
Jets 24, Bills 13
The Jets are arguably the most surprising team this season. After being projected as one of the worst, the Jets are in playoff contention, and there is one big reason why. The “Sons of Anarchy.” The defensive line for the Jets, comprised of Muhammad Wilkerson, Damon Harrison, and Sheldon Richardson, has tortured quarterbacks and offensives in general with the pressure they’ve put on QBs. The offense should also get a lot stronger this week with WR Santonio Holmes and TEs Jeff Cumberland and Kellen Winslow returning from injuries (suspension for Winslow).
Buccaneers 28, Falcons 24
The Buccaneers may have looked bad most of the year, but the past few weeks, they have started to look like a decent team. The Falcons, on the other hand, are the most disappointing team this season, going from Super Bowl favorites to the favorites for a top 5 draft pick. The Buccaneers have looked like a good team since Mike Glennon took over at QB. The one thing they needed was a W. They got that last Monday versus the Dolphins, and the momentum should continue into this week.
Lions 31, Steelers 16
The Lions have looked very strong the past few weeks. We can say this over and over again. Matthew Stafford has looked very strong, a big thanks to WR Calvin Johnson. The Lions new two-headed rushing attack of Reggie Bush and Joique Bell has been stellar. If anything goes wrong with the Lions offense against the tough Steelers defense, the terrible Steelers offense should help them out. There has been no running game from the Steelers and QB Ben Roethlisberger hasn’t looked great either. The Lions should have ease in taking this game.
Calvin Johnson is active this week and should continue to impress (Via Thoughts of a Jeanius)
Eagles 34, Redskins 31
The Eagles are on a nice hot streak. Nick Foles has looked great in the past few weeks and so has LeSean McCoy in the running game. Meanwhile, the Redskins are exactly where they were last year. 3-6 last season, the Redskins racked up a 7 game winning streak to win the NFC East title. The Redskins are once again 3-6 and things are once again looking gloom. A miracle happens once, not twice, and not this year.
Cardinals 28, Jaguars 14
The Cardinals are another team in the running for most surprising team this season. Their most surprising player is RB Andre Ellington, who is averaging 7.2 yards per carry, is still sharing time with Rashard Mendenhall, but still taking advantage of his time and showing why he deserves to be seriously considered as a decent RB in the league. The Jaguars are still one of the worst teams in the NFL despite upsetting the Titans last week. Don’t expect that fact to change against a tough NFC opponent.
Texans 37, Raiders 17
Isn’t it about time that Case Keenum got his first victory as a starting QB in the NFL? He has played fantastic since getting the job, holding a 105.1 passer rating and throwing 7 TDs with no interceptions. The Raiders have their own QB issues. Starting QB Terrelle Pryor is out with a knee injury, prompting the first start in the career of Matt McGloin. This is a very interesting matchup of previously undrafted QBs starting against one another.
Bears 23, Ravens 10
The Bears have a nice situation in which they can trust their backup QB when Jay Cutler gets injured. Josh McCown has been quite successful this year, throwing for a 60% completion percentage and a 103.2 passer rating. The Ravens still don’t look that great and against a tough Bears defense, that fact shouldn’t change.
Browns 27, Bengals 23
The Browns haven’t played two games against the Bengals in a season since 2002. That fact may change with the way both teams have been performing recently. Since putting on an offensive show versus the Jets in Week 8, the Bengals have dropped two straight games against teams they should have dominated (Dolphins and Ravens). Now they play another division rival and need things to change before their bye week with a struggling Andy Dalton. The Browns have a chance to shock everyone with a win this week. They are in second place in the AFC North and have a chance to be one game back after this week. QB Jason Campbell has been very successful since taking over in the Cleveland QB debacle.
4:00 PM ET
Chargers 32, Dolphins 17
The Chargers are another team on the rise and surprise this season. QB Philip Rivers is having a comeback season with 18 TDs to 7 interceptions and a 105.9 passer rating and looking like the Rivers of old back when the Chargers were a regular playoff favorite. The Dolphins also looked like they were on the rise until they lost to the previously winless Buccaneers on Monday Night, not even showing up in the first half and looking dreadful all night.
Giants 24, Packers 13
The Giants may be the luckiest team in the league at the moment. After starting off 0-6, the Giants have taken down 3 straight either bad or injury riddled teams. This week, they get another injured and limping team with the Cheese heads. The Packers not only lost QB Aaron Rodgers, they lost their backup QB Seneca Wallace to injury last week. Scott Tolzein is making his first career start and he won’t have the Packers best check down target/tight end Jermichael Finley, who had spinal fusion surgery since being put on the IR, possibly ending his career. The Giants are getting very lucky. Don’t expect that to last much longer though.
Seattle 38, Vikings 14
The Seahawks were looking like they were on the decline, playing close games against not great opponents, headlined by having to squeak out an OT win versus the Buccaneers. They finally came back last week in an absolute destruction of the upsetting Falcons. Expect that to continue because the Seahawks are a top team with a top defense and a solid offensive attack against a horrible Vikings team who have not much upside.
49ers 27, Saints 25
The 49ers are very strong and arguably still underrated after losing such a tight game against the Panthers last week. QB Colin Kaepernick is back to being a top QB after a weak start to the season. The defense is also very strong, as shown last week when they held a strong Panthers offense to only 10 points. The Saints are very strong too, but tough defenses haven’t had that much trouble in stopping them. That fact should stay the same this week.
8:30 PM ET
Broncos 20, Chiefs 14
The two top teams in the NFL going against each other on Sunday Night. What more can anyone ask for? The Chiefs and their top defense in the NFL are going face to face with the Broncos’ top offense. The Chiefs are arguably the worst 9-0 team ever, that being that they haven’t played anyone with a winning record. But at the same time, the Broncos have only played one team with a winning record in their only loss of the season to the Colts. Peyton Manning is still the best QB in the league and that should propel the Broncos to victory in this AFC West showdown.
Monday:
8:30 PM ET
Panthers 35, Patriots 24
The Panthers are arguably the hottest team in the NFL right now. They have the 2nd best defense and their offense is just getting better and better. The Patriots are still the walking wounded on the defensive side and Tom Brady has looked awful this entire season. Don’t bet against the hot streak. Carolina should be able to bring home the W in this week ending primetime showdown.
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Matthew Wieselthier is the Sports Director at WPOB 88.5 FM, Plainview. He is also the PA announcer at all sporting events at POBJFKHS. You can follow him on twitter at @wieselsports66.
Thursday Night Football Preview: Colts vs Titans
By Matthew Wieselthier
It took a while, but we finally have a seriously important Thursday Night Football Game. This week, the Indianapolis Colts (6-3) visit the Tennessee Titans (4-5) in a crucial AFC South matchup.
Since beating the previously undefeated Denver Broncos in Week 7, the Colts haven’t looked the same, escaping Houston with a comeback win versus the Texans in Week 9 and getting demolished at home by the St. Louis Rams. The Colts look to expand the running game with Trent Richardson and Donald Brown, but in the end this team relies on their QB, Andrew Luck. Luck has been sacked 7 times in the past two games and has been running for his life all season with his pocket collapsing. He has also had a great deal of issues since losing his favorite WR Reggie Wayne to a season-ending ACL injury.
Andrew Luck leads his troops into Tennessee for a Thursday night matchup (Via AP)
The Titans are right on the outside of the playoff picture in the AFC at the moment. Their big issue has been the health of their quarterback. A 3-1 start to the season with QB Jake Locker is just a thing of the past. Locker has been on and off the bench with injuries and his replacement, former Bills starting QB Ryan Fitzpatrick, has not been a suitable replacement. The team does have one offensive thing to be happy with, and that comes in the revival of their star RB Chris Johnson, who has started to come back to life this season.
Both teams are in need for a win. The Titans to stay in the AFC Wild Card Race and the Colts to raise their confidence back up since their upset of the Broncos. The Colts will leave the Volunteer State with a victory in this AFC South matchup, 27-17.
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Matthew Wieselthier is the Sports Director at WPOB 88.5 FM, Plainview. He is also the PA announcer at all sporting events at POBJFKHS. You can follow him on twitter at @wieselsports66.
Ed Reed to the Jets
By Brett Malamud
Yes, you read that correctly. Nine-time pro-bowler safety Ed Reed agreed to a contract Thursday morning with the New York Football Jets. The move comes one day after Reed cleared waivers, after being released by the Houston Texans. The 35 year old will reunite with his former coach, Rex Ryan, who was with him in Baltimore. Ryan has always praised Reed in the past, calling him “the best safety that’s ever played.”
Ed Reed meets with the media Thursday afternoon. (Via Kimberly Martin/Newsday)
The Jets are currently 5-4 and are coming off their bye week. At the moment, the Jets hold the sixth and final playoff spot in the AFC. They will play the 3-7 Buffalo Bills on Sunday and Reed will be available to play. The following week should be interesting, as the Jets will head into M&T Bank Stadium in Baltimore to play the Ravens. In what should make for a good storyline, Ed Reed will play his second career game against his former team. Reed will play alongside Jets safeties Antonio Allen and Dawan Landry (another ex-Raven), although it is not clear who will be the starters. The addition for Gang Green should definitely help though as the J-E-T-S continue their playoff chase.
Was signing Reed a good move for the Jets? Let us know in the poll and in the comments.
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Brett Malamud is a Computer Science Major at Binghamton University. He is the co-founder of dabuzzza.com. His favorite athletes are Derek Jeter and Todd Bertuzzi. You can follow him on twitter at @brettnyy
Who Dat: Fantasy Football Week 11
By Sam Breiter
Quarterbacks:
Scott Tolzien (GB)– The quarterbacks in Green Bay are dropping like flies. Rodgers is out up to six weeks, and Seneca Wallace is done for the season. All the Packers have left is Tolzien, and they are running out of options except to use him. With strong receivers, Tolzien will put up some good fantasy numbers as long as he can stay away from throwing it to the other team. He has already proven that he can throw for a lot of yards, but his accuracy is questionable.
Week 10 Stats – 280 YDS, 1 TD, 2 INT, 12 PTS
Scott Tolzien is now the starting quarterback of the Green Bay Packers due to Aaron Rodgers’ injury (Via Milwaukee Journal Sentinel)
Running backs:
Andre Ellington (Ari)- Rashard Menenhall clearly isn’t what he use to be during his prime in Pittsburgh. Ellington not only demolished the Atlanta defense in week 8, but after coming off a bye, he still put up five yards per carry against a tough team in Houston. Clearly the Cardinals wanted him involved in some college-like plays, as they ran the wildcat with him a couple of times during Sundays game. Expect Ellington, to put up mind-boggling numbers against a terrible Jaguars defense in week 11.
Week 11 Stats-11 ATT, 55 RUSH YDS, 6 PTS
Andre Brown (NYG)- So another Andre, and his name isn’t Johnson, you’re kidding me right? But this is Who Dat isn’t it? Andre Brown. That name may sound a little familiar if you think back to last year. Wasn’t he that guy who had a couple of unbelievable games last year for the Giants? What happened to him? Injury happened, and in 2013, he had no role for the Giants until last week. This undrafted quick, and powerful runner had his season debut in week 10, and he had himself a week. The Giants haven’t had anyone involved in the run game that they could trust in 2013. David Wilson, Brandon Jacobs, Peyton Hills, and Da’Rel Scott all had chance this year and they didn’t come through. In his first week, Brown almost got more fantasy points then the rest of the guys had all season. If Brown can stay healthy, the Giants are going to want to get this kid involved as much as possible, especially with the surprise that they are still in contention.
Week 9 Stats- 30 ATT, 115 RUSH YDS, 1 TD, 17 PTS
Wide Receivers:
Jermaine Kearse (Sea)- With Sidney Rice out, Kearse has stepped into the third receiver role. Tate, and Baldwin have seen tight coverage, and aren’t elite receivers, so Kearse has proven to be a big red zone threat. Yes, Percy Harvin will be returning, but don’t expect until at least week 13 that he will be playing his normal routine. Kearse is a valuable asset to any team for the next two weeks, and maybe if he proves to be a productive receiver, for the rest of the season.
Week 10 Stats- 3 REC, 75 YDS, 1 TD, 13 PTS
Griff Whalen (Ind)- I don’t recommend Whalen for your standard 10-man league, but rather the 16-20 man leagues. With Reggie Wayne out, Whalen has slipped himself right into the Colts receiving game. He is partnered with his old Stanford teammate in Andrew Luck, so that will only help his cause. Additionally, even though he may not be a run and gun receiver like what many saw out of Tavon Austin last week, he is consistent and comes out with some nice plays. He is due for a touchdown this year, and don’t be surprised if he is the open man against a tough Titans defense in week 11.
Week 10 Stats- 3 REC, 36 YDS, 3 PTS
Tight Ends:
Rob Housler (Ari)- Due to injuries, Housler didn’t have a great start to the season. Yet, now this tough tight end is healthy and ready to blossom. Ever since week seven he has been red hot, and definitely will not slow down against the Jaguars this coming week. Housler has already proven to be a tough tight end to cover, even against tough defenses like Seattle and Houston.
Week 10 Stats- 4 REC, 57 YDS, 1 TD, 11 PTS
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Sam Breiter is a high school senior at Plainview- Old Bethpage JFK High School. Sam is looking to major in sports management, with a minor in communications next year. He is the co-founder of dabuzzza.com. His favorite teams are the Mets, Giants, and Knicks. You can follow him on twitter at @baseballbreiter
Moments Of The Week: Week 10
By Brett Malamud and Jake Rosenstein
This week in football was pretty memorable and there were a few key moments that stood out in our minds. Here’s a look at some of those moments:
Philadelphia Eagles defensive end Vinny Curry made this tackle and thanked the referee for not throwing the flag
Andre Johnson made a sick catch for a touchdown.
Nick Fairley made a game winning stop and did a little dance to celebrate.
DeSean Jackson opened up the scoring with a 55 yard bomb from Nick Foles.
Tavon Austin returned a punt for the 98 yard touchdown, in what would be the first of three touchdowns for him.
Offensive Tackle Donald Penn caught a touchdown and slammed it home as the Buccaneers headed towards their first win of the season.
And finally, our moment of the week. AJ Green caught the game tying touchdown with no time remaining on a hail mary.
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Brett Malamud is a Computer Science Major at Binghamton University. He is the co-founder of dabuzzza.com. His favorite athletes are Derek Jeter and Todd Bertuzzi. You can follow him on twitter at @brettnyy
NFL Predictions Week 10
By Matthew Wieselthier
Sunday:
1:00 PM ET:
Eagles 35, Packers 27
Nick Foles just threw seven touchdowns. If any player is looking like they are on fire right now, it has to be the man who just threw SEVEN TOUCHDOWNS. The Eagles need to continue their push for a playoff spot in the weak NFC East. The Packers, now missing Aaron Rodgers for multiple weeks, now have an offense that is going to seem like a shell of what it was just a week before. Yes, they didn’t look terrible when playing the Bears defense. However, when a defense has a week to prepare for the Eddie Lacy running show, it shouldn’t be too hard to stop.
Titans 34, Jaguars 10
The Jaguars are simply the worst team in the NFL. They had their best week of the season so far in Week 9 where they did not lose thanks to a bye. Now they have to face a determined Titans team, with a decent passing game with Jake Locker and a rejuvenated rushing attack with Chris Johnson. Not much needs to be said when it comes to playing the Jaguars. Just mark the game as a W on the calendar and start preparing for next week.
Steelers 28, Bills 24
The Bills finally have their starting quarterback back. First round pick EJ Manuel is in the lineup this week after suffering a sprained right knee. However, the result of the game will not have much difference than most of their games this year. The Steelers are still a tough defense, and should be expected to pull out a win in this matchup of hopeless teams.
Giants 27, Raiders 13
The Raiders will only be able to present a big problem if they do what most teams in the beginning of the season did to Eli Manning: interception after interception. However, Eli hasn’t looked as much like that during their two-game winning streak and the offense seems somewhat rejuvenated ever since signing Madden 12 cover man, Peyton Hillis. The Giants are also the 9th best running defense. That is helpful against a Raiders team, where all they seem to be able to do is run the ball, especially with their best rusher, QB Terrelle Pryor.
Eli Manning and the Giants host the Raiders this weekend (Via Sabo)
Colts 27, Rams 14
The Rams defense is really tough. They held the Seahawks to 14 points and barely let the Titans get the win last week. They can make the pocket a living hell for Andrew Luck and running the ball a disaster for Trent Richardson and the rest of the company of the Colts running backs. The thing is that Andrew Luck is much better than the QBs that the Rams stopped over the last two weeks. The Rams also have the issue of having an unclear offensive strategy. Their running game has looked great with RBs Zac Stacy and Daryl Richardson. However, the passing attack has been weak and there is a lack of confidence in it with backup QB Kellen Clemens at the wheel. Expect that to continue this week.
Seahawks 41, Falcons 10
The Falcons just continue to look like a shell of the team that won the NFC in the regular season just under 12 months ago. And the Seahawks have taken that spot with pride. Seattle may have had issues with the winless Buccaneers, but that should go away after some preparation for a Falcons team that just can’t play a good football game anymore. The Seahawks should be able to get back to dominating their opponents and take care of the Falcons without a scratch on them.
Bengals 23, Ravens 14
The Bengals are one of those confusing teams. After going out and scoring 49 against one of the top defenses in the league (the Jets), they then have issues and lose to the Dolphins. However, the Ravens still don’t look great and still are not the team of last year. Plain and simple in this AFC North matchup, the Bengals have the top spot and will show why with a win this week.
Lions 27, Bears 24
The Lions have looked great this year on offense. Not surprisingly, the connection between QB Matthew Stafford and WR Calvin Johnson Jr. has looked terrific, but also the performance of their running backs. The one-two punch of Reggie Bush and Joique Bell has looked spectacular this season. Jay Cutler is expected to return but how game ready is he? This will be a toughly fought game, but expect the healthy to defeat the injured.
4:00 PM ET:
Panthers 17, 49ers 14
This has a chance to be the best matchup of the week. Here are two of the hottest teams in the NFL going head to head in a matchup with big playoff implications. Both mobile quarterbacks, Cam Newton and Colin Kaepernick, have finally gotten back to their level of play in the beginning of their careers. Both defenses have been holding their opponents to under 20 points in their last two games. This is the game to have your TVs set tuned into in a matchup of possible future Wild Card teams that may even play each other later in the playoffs.
Texans 24, Cardinals 14
Someone tell the Cardinals that they are supposed to be bad. That they shouldn’t be .500 on the season and crushing Atlanta. Led by RB Andre Ellington, the Cardinals have looked much better than they should have been this season. But to that same fact, why is this undrafted rookie for the Texans, QB Case Keenum, doing so well? Also, despite their record, the Texans have the best total defense in the NFL. The Texans are prime for a comeback game after…well their terrible season.
Broncos 34, Chargers 28
Why did the NFL have to put this game on at the same time as the Panthers-49ers game? Another great matchup is going on with the Broncos, who look almost indestructible, going against what might be the biggest surprise team of the year, the Chargers. Philip Rivers is having a comeback year for the century, playing like a top five quarterback. However, he is up against the best QB this season, Peyton Manning. This should be a great scoring matchup in which we see these two QBs show us why they are among the best in the league.
8:30 PM ET:
Cowboys 28, Saints 24
The Cowboys are much better than their record shows. They have a top 5 QB this season in Tony Romo, a strong defense, and a chance to take a huge step above everyone else in their division. On the other side, the Saints just got beat by the Jets in a game they should have had little trouble with. Expect the passing attack of the Cowboys to do much better than Geno Smith did last week and Demarco Murray to have a good game against a weak Saints rushing defense.
Monday:
8:30 PM ET
Buccaneers 27, Dolphins 13
All the talk about this game has been about the Dolphins. Not the game itself, but instead the terrible locker room bullying situation in Miami. However, let’s relate that to the game. The two players who aren’t on the field for the Dolphins this week, Richie Incognito and Jonathan Martin, were starting offensive lineman. This will make life a living hell in the pocket for QB Ryan Tannehill this week, missing 40% of his usual line. The Buccaneers are also looking for that precious first win of the year. They almost got that last week against the Seahawks. Expect them to carry over that momentum into this inner state game. Also, don’t forget that QB Mike Glennon hasn’t looked all that terrible since taking over. He has five more TDs than INTs and 60.3-completion percentage.
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Matthew Wieselthier is the Sports Director at WPOB 88.5 FM, Plainview. He is also the PA announcer at all sporting events at POBJFKHS. You can follow him on twitter at @wieselsports66.
Thursday Night Football Preview: Vikings vs. Redskins
By Matthew Wieselthier
NFL Network has been celebrating their 10th year on air in style with special events and all sorts of fun. They are also in their second full year of doing Thursday Night Football for the entire NFL season. However, they don’t seem to be getting many good games to cover. This continues tonight as the Washington Redskins (3-5) head to Minnesota to take on the Vikings (1-7).
The Redskins are starting to turn things around. Two weeks ago, they took the Broncos to the extreme, in what ended up just being a 4th quarter breakdown of the Redskins and led to their demise. Last week they beat a favored San Diego Chargers team after going to OT and winning in the extra period. Now they have a chance to string two wins together in Primetime. Robert Griffin III has been playing progressively better since coming off his ACL injury last season and the team overall is starting to look like the playoff team of last year.
Robert Griffin III leads the Redskins into Minnesota to face the Vikings (Via Getty)
The Vikings seem to have no upside. They have gone through three quarterbacks, and are now going back to their first in Christian Ponder. No part of the team has looked particularly strong, including the man who many consider the best running back in the game, Adrian Peterson. They could have possibly picked up some momentum though after their last game, when the Dallas Cowboys won on a last minute drive by Tony Romo and the Cowboys offense.
On the short week for both teams, the Redskins will prevail over the Vikings 35-24.
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Matthew Wieselthier is the Sports Director at WPOB 88.5 FM, Plainview. He is also the PA announcer at all sporting events at POBJFKHS. You can follow him on twitter at @wieselsports66.
NFL Power Rankings Week 10
By Matthew Wieselthier
The KC Chiefs top our list this week solely on their defense. If they keep it up, they can make a deep run this season.
- Kansas City Chiefs
- Denver Broncos
- Indianapolis Colts
- Seattle Seahawks
- San Francisco 49ers
- New Orleans Saints
- New England Patriots
- Cincinnati Bengals
- Detroit Lions
- Carolina Panthers
- Chicago Bears
- Dallas Cowboys
- New York Jets
- Green Bay Packers
- San Diego Chargers
- Arizona Cardinals
- Cleveland Browns
- Tennessee Titans
- Philadelphia Eagles
- Miami Dolphins
- Washington Redskins
- St. Louis Rams
- Baltimore Ravens
- New York Giants
- Houston Texans
- Buffalo Bills
- Oakland Raiders
- Atlanta Falcons
- Pittsburgh Steelers
- Tampa Bay Buccaneers
- Minnesota Vikings
- Jacksonville Jaguars
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Matthew Wieselthier is the Sports Director at WPOB 88.5 FM, Plainview. He is also the PA announcer at all sporting events at POBJFKHS. You can follow him on twitter at @wieselsports66.
Who Dat: Fantasy Football Week 10
By: Sam Breiter
Quarterbacks:
Case Keenum (HOU)– No Matt Schaub, no problem. In Keenum’s first week playing for the Texans he surprised many, especially against a tough Kansas City defense. Yet, after a bye week, Keenum didn’t show any setbacks, putting up flawless numbers against the Colts. He may have just earned himself a starting job for the rest of the season.
Week 9 Stats- 350 YDS, 3 TD, 0 INT, 28 PTS
Josh McCown (CHI)- Jay Cutler is a dominant quarterback when healthy, but after he suffered a groin injury, he has missed some time. In his last two games, McCown has given fantasy owners a reason to smile. He’s not putting up Peyton Manning numbers, but he has quickly proven to be a reliable quarterback that will put points on the board.
Week 9 Stats- 272 YDS, 2 TD, O INT, 20 PTS
(UPDATE: JAY CUTLER WILL BE THE STARTING QB ON SUNDAY)
Running backs:
Mike James (TB)- Doug Martin is definitely having one of those sophomore slumps. After a great rookie year, Martin only has one touchdown the whole year, and has only rushed for over 100 yards once. With Martin out, Mike James proved his potential against an overwhelming Seattle defense putting up terrific numbers.
Week 9 Stats-28 ATT, 158 RUSH YDS, 19 PTS
Zac Stacy (STL)- First of all, I think his parents ran out of ink while writing what they wanted to name this future running back. Stacy, since getting the majority of the Rams carries in week 5 has shown nothing but improvement. He’s proven to be a quick, and a powerful back, and will see more carries with a struggling passing game.
Week 9 Stats- 27ATT, 127 RUSH YDS, 51 REC YDS, 2 TD, 29 PTS
Wide Receivers:
Aaron Dobson (NE)- After weekly getting a couple of catches for a couple dozen yards, Dobson broke out in week nine. He’s part of a core of Patriots receivers that no one really knows, but could this be the one that everyone remembers. They clearly like this man in New England, and with Gronkowski back, less defenders will be getting in the way of the rookie from Marshall.
Week 9 Stats- 5 REC, 130 YDS, 2 TD, 25 PTS
Greg Salas (NYJ)- Last week, since 2011 was the first time Salas touched a football during a regular season game. He struggled with the Rams, but seems like a perfect fit into the Jets system. Jeremy Kerley was taken out of the game, and Salas proved that he should be on the field. This may be our biggest Who Dat so far, but Geno doesn’t have many options left and Salas should expect more playing time.
Week 9 Stats- 2 REC, 57 YDS
Greg Salas has come out of nowhere for the Jets this season, and should be carefully watched by owners (Via Fox)
Tight Ends:
Timothy Wright (TB)- Tight ends are hard to come by, especially in fantasy. Wright has shown in the last two weeks that he can pick up decent yards, and get touchdowns. Wright might not be a great blocking tight end, but it’s a good thing that doesn’t count in fantasy. Expect Wright to be picking up close to double digits in points, weekly.
Week 9 Stats- 4 REC, 58 YDS, 1 TD, 11 PTS
Zach Ertz (Phi)- Clearly his parents weren’t as lazy as Stacy’s. With Nick Foles as quarterback, Ertz has seen more chances compared to when Vick was running the offense. Yes Celek is still the number one tight end, but Ertz saw more work then the veteran last week. Celek is having his worst year since 2008, if Ertz keeps up the good work maybe he will find himself a spot in the starting lineup.
Week 9 Stats- 5 REC, 42 YDS, 1 TD
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Sam Breiter is a high school senior at Plainview- Old Bethpage JFK High School. Sam is looking to major in sports management, with a minor in communications next year. He is the co-founder of dabuzzza.com. His favorite teams are the Mets, Giants, and Knicks. You can follow him on twitter at @baseballbreiter
AFC Midseason Recap and Predictions (4 of 4)
By Dan Lagnado
In part one of the midseason recap and predictions, the AFC East was covered, in part two of the midseason recap and predictions, the AFC West was covered and in part three of the midseason recap and predictions, the AFC North was covered. To round out the AFC, we will head over to the AFC South:
Division Winner: Indianapolis Colts
Last year’s #1 overall pick has lived up to the hype. Andrew Luck once again, is putting together a fantastic season for the 6-2 Colts. Luck has thrown for 13 touchdowns, compared to only three interceptions, and has enabled Colts fans to forget about their last first round quarterback. Luck hasn’t had much of a running game this season either even with the trade for Trent Richardson, who the Colts keep hoping will have his breakout game. Luck leads his team in rushing touchdowns with three. Of course Luck now is without his favorite target, Reggie Wayne for the rest of the season, but he had done well at spreading the ball around to other receivers all season. Look for T.Y. Hilton, another second year stud, Darrius Heyward-Bey and tight end Coby Fleener to pick up Wayne’s targets and contributions. The defense took a hit this offseason with the departure of longtime pass rusher Dwight Freeney, yet Robert Mathis was eager to take his place. Mathis has 11.5 sacks this season, which accounts for more than half of the team’s total. The Colts secondary has also improved with the acquisition of Laron Landry to go along with Vontae Davis and Antoine Bethea, all of whom rank in the top five on the team in tackles. Look for Indy to keep on rolling into the postseason with a fairly easy schedule the rest of the way.
Andrew Luck and the Colts hope to run away with the division title (Via AP)
The Tennessee Titans got off to a roaring start winning three of their first four games. However an injury to starting quarterback Jake Locker and inconsistent play has led to three consecutive losses in their previous four games, dropping their record to 4-4. Locker, despite his injury has put up very impressive numbers this season with eight touchdowns and only three interceptions. However, he has been plagued by a weak running game. Chris Johnson, who a few seasons ago rushed for 2000 yards, had only 366 coming into this week. Against the Rams this past week, CJ rushed for 150 yards and two touchdowns. Still, without consistent production out of Johnson, the pressure has been placed on Locker, who for the most part, has done all he can against tough defenses in the past few weeks. The Titans will look to regain the momentum they had earlier in the season and make a playoff run coming out of their bye week.
The Houston Texans have been one of this season’s biggest disappointments. After a playoff appearance last season, the Texans had high hopes that they could compete for another division title. However, the performance has not been up to par. Arian Foster has been injured all season. Matt Schaub has been uncharacteristically inaccurate. The defense, though very good against the pass, has been porous against the run. This has not been a winning formula as the Texans right now are 2-5. The season started very well for Houston. They had won their first two games against tough opponents. And then everything fell apart. Matt Schaub went through a three game stretch where he threw an interception (nine total INT and eight TD) returned for a touchdown in three straight games and then was injured. Even when Schaub was healthy he was not the starter. Case Keenum is the starter, at least for the time being, for the Texans. Houston has gotten very good things from rookie wide receiver DeAndre Hopkins who, along with Andre Johnson, could provide potent weaponry for Houston in the future. This past week against the Indianapolis Colts, Johnson had 229 yards and three touchdowns. However, there were not many targets towards other receivers. Arian Foster has also run effectively when he’s been healthy, as he averages more than 4 yards per rush. Brian Cushing and JJ Watt lead the Texans defense. Watt has five and a half sacks this season, down from his pace of last year, though still on pace for double digits by the end of the season. Cushing leads the team in tackles as well as having one and a half sacks and an interception. The Texans, as a playoff team last year, clearly have the talent to be a potential AFC powerhouse. However, Case Keenum is not the quarterback to lead them to the “promised land” this season.
What is there to say about the Jacksonville Jaguars? There seems to be no end to the suffering of Jags fans. It seems that every year the Jaguars get a high draft pick and every year it doesn’t seem to help. The Jaguars currently are the worst team in the NFL at 0-8 and are in danger of joining the 2008 Lions as teams to go 0-16. The Jags have trailed for 86% of their time on the field and though their schedule is not the toughest, they have not shown the ability to either score, or stop the opposing offense. They are last in points per game and last in opponent’s points per game. Blaine Gabbert has shown that he is not the answer for this offense despite having Maurice Jones-Drew, Justin Blackmon and Cecil Shorts as weapons. Jones-Drew is a Pro Bowl caliber player. Blackmon and Shorts are young and talented wide receivers, though Blackmon has dealt with substance abuse issues in his short career and now has been dealt a second suspension. If he can manage to stay on the field Blackmon has shown how explosive he is. Until the Jaguars find an effective quarterback they cannot be expected to be much of a threat to anyone this season or in the future. In a draft class that is quarterback heavy, I would look for the Jaguars to try to draft their franchise quarterback once again.
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Dan Lagnado is studying communications, law economics and government at American University. He’s a fan of both the Mets and Jets and has been writing about sports for four years. You can follow him on twitter at @dlag1995
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