Take It To The Bank- NFL Week 14
By Brett Malamud
Let’s take a look at some names that have been active in fantasy over the last week as we head into the fantasy playoff race.
Teenage Mutant Ninja Bortles
The quarterback who is surprisingly a great play this week. You can trust Bortles, who has remained consistent through most of the season. Obviously if you have guys like Rodgers and Newton, start them, but Bortles will help many teams on their playoff runs.
Flying with the Jets
With the fact that the tallest Titans DB stands at a measly 6-foot-1, you can bet that Eric Decker (6-foot-3) and Brandon Marshall (6-foot-4) will both have nice days. I think that the Jets receivers are a great play this week.
Cooper Scooper
That’s about all I can say about Raiders wide receiver Amari Cooper this week as he faces the Denver Broncos. They’ve proven that they’ve had the top defensive secondary all season. Cooper will be benched for me this week, and should be for many of you.
Richard Rodgers…One Hit Wonder?
I know that last week, Rodgers was the hero (both of them actually). But this week is different. Richard Rodgers has been invisible for most of the season, and his 61 yard catch to win the game is simply boosting his stats. I’d beware of him today, even against a weaker Dallas Cowboys defense.

Richard Rodgers made the game winning catch last week, but can he repeat his performance in week 14 against the Cowboys? Probably not. (Via AP)
Brett Malamud is an English Rhetoric 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
Studs and Duds: NFL Week Five
By Brett Malamud
This week, Peyton Manning came back in full force and the Jets ended their day with zero points on the scoreboard. Here’s week five’s edition of Studs and Duds:
Stud: Peyton Manning, Denver Broncos
Although he threw 2 interceptions, he finished with 479 yards and 4 touchdowns against a tough Arizona Cardinals defense. Next week, Manning heads into MetLife stadium for the first time since losing last season’s Super Bowl. The only difference? He’ll be facing the awful New York Jets defense rather than the Seattle Seahawks.
Dud: Alfred Morris, Washington Redskins
The Redskins just couldn’t get anything going on the ground against the Seattle Seahawks, and Alfred Morris’ stat line reflects that. Morris finished the day with 29 on 13 carries. Washington will take on the tough defensive team in Arizona, when they face the Cardinals.
Stud: Demaryius Thomas, Denver Broncos
Thomas set a franchise record against the Arizona Cardinals when he racked up 226 receiving yards on eight catches. Thomas will face the Jets and their weak secondary next week. Expect big points, fantasy owners.

Demaryius Thomas had a lot to celebrate this week after setting a franchise record this week (Via AP)
Dud: Chris Johnson, New York Jets
Johnson disappointed many this week, gaining just 24 yards on seven carries, and losing a fumble. Next, he’ll face the Denver Broncos and that doesn’t pose well for him.
Stud: Arian Foster, Houston Texans
Foster came off of a week in which he had six yards on eight carries, and impressed. He finished the day with 157 rushing yards on 23 carries and two touchdowns. In addition, he also had two catches for 15 yards against the Dallas Cowboys.
Dud: Jacksonville Jaguars
The Jacksonville Jaguars are still winless, falling to the Pittsburgh Steelers this past week by the score of 17-9. They dropped to 0-5 with the loss. Their schedule becomes much easier over the next three weeks, facing the Tennessee Titans at LP Field in Nashville, before coming home to face the Cleveland Browns and Miami Dolphins. I’d like to think they’ll compete and escape one of these matchups with a win, but with the football that they’ve been playing lately, it’ll be a tough task.
Stud: Russell Wilson, Seattle Seahawks
Playing on Monday Night Football, Wilson completed 18-of-24 passes for 201 yards and two touchdowns. Normally that would be ok and could help to win a football game. But the ground game from Wilson added to his great performance. In addition to the passing game, he had 11 carries for 122 yards and another touchdown. He had two more touchdowns that were taken away by penalties.
Dud: New York Jets
The New York Jets thought that they were escaping from this studs and duds list, however they are not. The Jets were shut out 31-0 by the San Diego Chargers in a complete letdown out west. They’ll host the Denver Broncos next week, and I’d be shocked to see them compete with them after watching this week’s performance in San Diego.
Stud: Branden Oliver, San Diego Chargers
Coming in for the injured Donald Brown, Oliver had 114 yards on 19 carries with a touchdown in the Chargers’ rout of the New York Jets. In addition, he had four catches for 68 yards and another touchdown. He plays the Oakland Raiders next week in another favorable matchup.
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
2014 NFL DRAFT
The NFL Draft starts at 8:00 PM EST tonight. You can follow the draft coverage here
Pick | Team | Player | Position | College |
1 | Houston Texans | Jadeveon Clowney | DE | South Carolina |
2 | St. Louis Rams (From WSH) | Greg Robinson | OT | Auburn |
3 | Jacksonville Jaguars | Blake Bortles | QB | Central Florida |
4 | Buffalo Bills (From CLE) | Sammy Watkins | WR | Clemson |
5 | Oakland Raiders | Khalil Mack | OLB | Buffalo |
6 | Atlanta Falcons | Jake Matthews | OT | Texas A&M |
7 | Tampa Bay Buccanners | Mike Evans | WR | Texas A&M |
8 | Cleveland Browns (From MIN) | Justin Gilbert | CB | Oklahoma State |
9 | Minnesota Vikings (From CLE) (Via BUF) | Anthony Barr | OLB | UCLA |
10 | Detroit Lions | Eric Ebron | TE | UNC |
11 | Tennessee Titans | Taylor Lewan | OT | Michigan |
12 | New York Giants | Odell Beckham Jr. | WR | LSU |
13 | St. Louis Rams | Aaron Donald | DT | Pittsburgh |
14 | Chicago Bears | Kyle Fuller | CB | VA. Tech |
15 | Pittsburgh Steelers | Ryan Shazier | LB | Ohio State |
16 | Dallas Cowboys | Zack Martin | OT | Notre Dame |
17 | Baltimore Ravens | CJ Mosley | LB | Alabama |
18 | New York Jets | Calvin Pryor | S | Louisville |
19 | Miami Dolphins | Ja’wuan James | OT | Tennessee |
20 | New Orleans Saints (From ARI) | Brandin Cooks | WR | Oregon State |
21 | Green Bay Packers | Ha-Ha Clinton Dix | S | Alabama |
22 | Cleveland Browns (From PHI) | Johnny Manziel | QB | Texas A&M |
23 | Kansas City Chiefs | Dee Ford | DE | Auburn |
24 | Cincinnati Bengals | Darqueze Dennard | CB | Michigan State |
25 | San Diego Chargers | Jason Verrett | CB | TCU |
26 | Philadelphia Eagles (Via CLE) (From IND) | Marcus Smith | DE | Louisville |
27 | Arizona Cardinals (From NO) | Deone Bucannon | S | Washington St. |
28 | Carolina Panthers | Kelvin Benjamin | WR | FSU |
29 | New England Patriots | Dominique Easley | DT | Florida |
30 | San Francisco 49ers | Jimmie Ward | S | Northern Illinois |
31 | Denver Broncos | Brandon Roby | CB | Ohio State |
32 | Minnesota Vikings (Via SEA) | Teddy Bridgewater | QB | Louisville |
Draft Day Trades:
- Bills acquire No. 4 Pick (Sammy Watkins) from Browns for No. 9 pick (Anthony Barr), plus 2015 1st & 4th round picks
- Browns acquire 8th pick (Justin Gilbert) from Minnesota for 9th pick (Anthony Barr)
- The Cardinals traded No. 20 (Brandin Cooks) to New Orleans for No. 27 (Deone Bucannon) and their third-rounder, Pick No. 91.
- The Browns traded Pick No. 26 (Marcus Smith), and their third-rounder, Pick No. 83, to move up to No. 22 (Johnny Manziel)
- Vikings acquire the 32th pick (Teddy Bridgewater) for the 40th pick and 108th pick

Amid all of the hype for other players this season, expect Clowney’s name to be called first at the NFL Draft (Via Jeff Blake/US Presswire)
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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
2014 Mock Draft 2.0
By Ryan Crawford
My mock draft 1.0 was devoid of the early QB run that was expected and mock draft 2.0 follows the same pattern. I think that now that the QB situation has gotten murkier and that there will be a lot of moves both up and down that do not involve the QBs. Houston at 1 and St. Louis at 2 are both candidates to move down. With St Louis having 2 and 13 I believe there is no doubt that Rams GM Les Snead will be moving all over the place. We heard rumors for months that every pick from 3 to 7 could also be in play. Here’s my most recent stab at it.
1. HOUSTON TEXANS- Jadaveon Clowney-DL- South Carolina
Clowney is still the best player in the draft. I don’t think it’s a question at this point that he goes number one. I think the question is who makes the pick. Probably will be the Texans but the Falcons are interested and there are a couple of rumors about the unknown suitors as well.
2. ST. LOUIS RAMS- Greg Robinson- Tackle- Auburn
I do not think the Rams make this pick but if they do it will be the manchild Robinson or WR Sammy Watkins. Could Cleveland move up a couple picks?
3. JACKSONVILLE JAGUARS- Khalil Mack-OLB- Buffalo
This is what I wrote in Mock 1.0 and I’m sticking with it. “The Jags need a QB bad and if they jump it would probably be Bortles but I think they wait till later rounds to grab the QB and keep building their defense”
4. CLEVELAND BROWNS- Sammy Watkins-WR-Clemson
I’m convinced the Browns will not pick a QB with this pick and word is they are so intrigued with Watkins that they may move to 2 to get him.
5. OAKLAND RAIDERS- Mike Evans- Wide Receiver- Texas A & M
To me this is the toughest pick of the draft. If one of the elite 4 drop it becomes a no brainer but if not, hmmmm… I’m gonna slot big receiver Mike Evans in here as it is imperative that the Raiders get a receiver, so why not one of the best?
6. ATLANTA FALCONS- Taylor Lewan- Tackle- Michigan
The Falcons need linemen to protect Matty Ice and Lewan is rising up the board. I still think they have a realistic shot at going to number 1 for Clowney.
7. TAMPA BAY BUCS- Odell Beckham Jr- WR- LSU
I think the Bucs will trade down for multiple picks but if not they grab the third wide receiver in seven picks. Don’t sleep on Beckham Jr. One of my favorites in the draft.
8. MINNESOTA VIKINGS- Aaron Donald-DT-Pittsburgh
Vikings need to rebuild the defensive line and this guy is a great place to start. Maybe a QB in round 2?
9. BUFFALO BILLS- Jake Mathews- Tackle- Texas A&M
I had Eric Ebron in Mock 1.0 but that was before I realized Jake Mathews might be available. A no brainer as the Bills need a tackle badly.
10. DETROIT LIONS- Darquez Dennard- Cornerback- Michigan State
The Lions should go for a corner or a receiver here but with the run on receivers, they can get the top rated corner.
11. TENNESSEE TITANS- Justin Gilbert- CB- Oklahoma State
Johnny Manziel? Not yet…. Defense wins championships and a corner is a priority.
12. NEW YORK GIANTS- Eric Ebron- TE- North Carolina
It’s no secret the Giants are in dire need of a top flight tight end. Best tight end in the draft drops into the Giants lap at 12.
13. ST LOUIS RAMS- . Johnny Manziel-QB-Texas A&M
No way the Rams pick at 13. Maybe up or maybe down but not 13. My hunch from Mock #1 had the Cowboys getting Johnny Manziel at 16. It seems my hunch from a month ago has gained a little traction in the media but I’m not sure he gets that far because word is the Rams love him. Could you imagine if the Rams didn’t have to trade a boatload of picks for a running QB with a rocket arm and he turned out better than RGIII?? Is that Daniel Snyder we hear sniffling? Wow.
14. CHICAGO BEARS- Ra’Shede Hageman- DT- Minnesota
Bears need defensive line help. Hageman is a rock on the line and will help.
15. PITTSBURGH STEELERS- Zach Martin –T-Notre Dame
Looking for another Tackle, Martin is being described by pundits as one of the safest picks in the draft.
16. DALLAS COWBOYS- Dee Ford- DE- Auburn
Cowboys are looking for defensive help and Ford will help offset the loss of DeMarcus Ware. I expect the Cowboys to be another team that tries to trade down.
17 BALTIMORE RAVENS- Brandin Cooks- WR- Oregon State
Ravens rumored to be trading down as well but can really use another weapon for Joe Flacco and Cooks is Tavon Austin redux.
18 NEW YORK JETS- Calvin Pryor- S- Louisville
Another quote from Mock 1.0: “Yes I know the Jets need another receiver badly but this guy is a hammer and Rex is drooling at the thought of a young Ed Reed. The Wide Receiver class is very deep and they will get a couple in later rounds”. We will stay with this pick for Mock 2.0.
19. MIAMI DOLPHINS- Morgan Moses-Tackle- Virginia
It’s no secret that the Dolphins need some serious help on the offensive line and this guy should slot in at one of the tackles.
20. ARIZONA CARDINALS- Kony Ealy- DE/LB- Missouri
Could this be a QB landing spot? My guess is there are enough QB prospects for the Cards to look in round 2 or 3. Ealy fills big defensive needs for the Cardinals.
21. GREEN BAY PACKERS – CJ Mosley- ILB- Alabama
The Packers need a lot of help on defense and Mosley makes a lot of sense in this spot.
22. PHILADELPHIA EAGLES- Anthony Barr- OLB- UCLA
A PAC-12 Linebacker for Chip Kelly to help keep Romo, RGIII and Eli in check.
23. KANSAS CITY CHIEFS- HaHa Clinton-Dix- S- Alabama
Chiefs are absolutely thrilled that Dix drops down this far and quickly gobble him up.
24. CINCINNATI BENGALS- Teddy Bridgewater- QB- Louisville
We will see if all the rumors about Bridgewater landing here are true. My gut is no but I’m gonna take a shot anyway.
25. SAN DIEGO CHARGERS- Louis Nix- NT- Notre Dame
It seems that everyone who did a mock draft has Nix going to the Chargers. Can you say Perfect Fit? A strong nose tackle prospect.
26. CLEVELAND BROWNS- Blake Bortles-QB-UCF
In my first mock I had Bridgewater dropping down this far. Now I have Bortles dropping to the Browns. Either way it’s a good spot for the Browns to pick their QB of the future.
27. NEW ORLEANS SAINTS- Ryan Shazier-OLB- Ohio State
Staying with my choice from Mock 1.0: “The Saints need to improve their defense and Shazier is a good step in that direction. He can play inside or move outside if needed at the linebacker spot”. Kony Ealy is now an option here as well.
28. CAROLINA PANTHERS- Kelvin Benjamin- WR- Florida State
Clearly one of the biggest needs on this team is a big go-to target for Cam Newton.
29. NEW ENGLAND PATRIOTS- Kyle Fuller- CB- Virginia Tech
Too good a player to pass up and of course Revis will be a Free Agent at the end of the year anyway (sound familiar??)
30. SAN FRANCISCO 49ERS- Marqise Lee- WR- USC
My first Mock choice for the Niners stays in play. “In need of another young receiver, 49ers are thrilled to get Lee at 30”.
31. DENVER BRONCOS- Kony Ealy- LB/DE- Missouri
Can you ever have enough pass rushers and defenders? I think not.
32. SEATTLE SEAHAWKS- Austin Seferian-Jenkins TE- Washington
They probably trade down a few and pick up a couple of picks from a team looking to jump the top teams in round two for a QB. Think Derek Carr, Jimmy Garoppolo, Zach Mettenberger or AJ McCarron??
Other Potential 1st Round Picks (besides the QBs)
DeMarcus Lawrence DE Boise St
Joel Bitonio G Nevada
Jason Verrett CB TCU
Timmy Jernigan DT Florida State
Bradley Roby CB Ohio State
Davante Adams WR Fresno State
Broadway Johnny?
By Brett Malamud
Finally the time has come and the wait is over. After making his mark in the NCAA, Johnny Manziel has declared himself eligible for this year’s NFL draft. The Heisman winner is a projected top-ten pick with many even placing him in the top-five. While Manziel is a scrambling quarterback, he averaged 317 passing yards per game for a total of 4117 yards. This is 408 yards more than he threw for last season, a season in which he won the Heisman Trophy. In improving his passing game, Manziel had to take a step back in tucking the football and running. He rushed for only 53% of what he had rushed in 2012. However in the end, the touchdown totals remain to be consistent. Manziel finished with 47 touchdowns in 2012 and 46 touchdowns in 2013. Not too shabby when you consider the fact that Manziel threw for more yards than Andrew Luck did in any of his seasons at Stanford.
Manziel does have his problems though. He has been in the news for his behavioral issues. He was arrested back in 2012 for getting in a late night fight and possessing a fake ID. The issues continued even after he won the Heisman Trophy. He overslept while attending the Manning Passing Academy. He was kicked out of a University of Texas fraternity party. He also voiced his displeasure with Texas A&M by tweeting that he “can’t wait to leave College Station” after he received a parking ticket. His taunting on the field became quite the story during the 2013 season, and was regularly featured on ESPN. But the most notable issue came in early August 2013. The NCAA began investigating whether Manziel accepted payments from autographs that he had signed in January 2013. While it is widely believed that he did accept the money, the NCAA could not find any evidence and suspended him for only the first half of the season opener against Rice.

Johnny Manziel will enter the 2014 NFL draft as one of the top quarterbacks available (via Scott Halleran/Getty Images)
Right now if you look at the NFL draft order, Houston has the first pick. The Texans need a quarterback and are expected to draft Louisville QB Teddy Bridgewater. The St. Louis Rams have the second pick and while it seems that they might need a quarterback, they have showed no indication that they want to dump Sam Bradford. The third and fourth picks belong to the Jacksonville Jaguars and Cleveland Browns respectfully. Both teams need a quarterback. The Oakland Raiders sit in the five spot and the Vikings sit at the eight spot. It’s possible that they could each want to draft a QB as well. UCF quarterback Blake Bortles is on the board as well but it’ll be interesting to see which QB gets drafted first.
An interesting pick for Manziel though could be the New York Jets. The Jets currently hold the 18th pick. Now I’m not saying that Manziel is going to slip to the 18th pick. We did see Brady Quinn slip to the 22nd pick back in 2007, after being projected to go in the top ten. Manziel is not likely to slip based on the amount of teams needing quarterbacks. Therefore, only way the Jets can get Manziel will be by trading up picks to draft him. I think that a run at Manziel could be what the Jets need. Now I know some people look and they’ll say, “why would they do that?” Well, they’ve done it before. Back in 2009, the Jets traded up to the fifth pick to select USC quarterback Mark Sanchez. Now I know that didn’t turn out to be such a great decision now that Sanchez has lost the starting position, but Manziel is a bigger threat than Sanchez ever was. The Jets current starting quarterback, Geno Smith, had the lowest QB rating in the entire league. General Manager John Idzik stated at the end of their week 17 game that they will “look at quarterbacks” in the offseason. It is this statement that shows that Idzik doesn’t believe that Smith is “the guy.” If the Jets want to get their hands on a reliable quarterback for years to come, they must trade up and select Johnny Manziel.
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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
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.
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