Fantasy Football

Who should I draft with the 9th pick, Darren McFadden or Chris Johnson?

After the top three runningbacks (Arian Foster, LeSean McCoy, and Ray Rice) are off the board, many fantasy owners will be trying to decide between Chris Johnson or Darren McFadden as the next back off the board. Aaron Rodgers, Calvin Johnson, Tom Brady, Drew Brees, and Matthew Stafford are likely 4, 5, 6, 7, and 8 off the board. Your 2012 fantasy football draft will really start to get exciting around the 9th pick and odds are that you’re trying to decide between Chris Johnson and Darren McFadden.

Each back has some concerns going into the 2012 season. Can Darren McFadden stay healthy? Will Chris Johnson rebound from a poor 2011 campaign? Last year was a disappointing season for Chris Johnson who held out throughout the offseason until he landed a huge contract. Johnson saw career lows in yards, touchdowns, and yards-per-carry. Darren McFadden, on the other hand, got off to a great start in 2011 and put up ridiculous numbers in his first four games of the season until going down with a sprained foot in week 7 which kept him out for the remainder of the season.

Let’s start off by comparing the stats.

2011 Stats

2012 Fantasy Projections

NFL.com’s composite rankings has Chris Johnson #10 and …

Cincinnati Bengals Love Their Troubled Players

It’s not a surprise to any bookmakers by now (bookmaker reviews) that the Cincinnati Bengals are signing more troubled players. The offseason is very young but the Bengals are already making moves that are raising eye brows.

The Bengals acted quickly and signed free agents Matt Jones and Pacman Jones. Both players are coming off of suspension and both players have dodged felony charges.

The Bengals are planning to use Matt Jones as a tight end in the coming year as he just hasn’t panned out as a wide receiver. He could be a good receiving tight end to start but he has a long way to go with his blocking.

Meanwhile, Pacman might have some talent but people will be wondering just how much. He hasn’t had a good season in a while and the risk may be too high in comparison to the reward.

Nonetheless, the Bengals are rolling the dice once again.

Michael Vick Expected To Be Traded

Sportsbetting fans watched the NFL experiment that was Michael Vick last year and it didn’t work in Philadelphia. As long as Donovan McNabb is still around in Philadelphia, the Eagles have no use for Vick.

As it stands, they are shopping the quarterback, which could turn out to be a valuable asset as the draft approaches. The St. Louis Rams and Buffalo Bills are the teams interested and both teams are in dire need of a quarterback.

Either way, expect Vick to be shipped off at some point this offseason and he’ll get a crack at starting somewhere. In Philadelphia, that just isn’t likely and they clearly don’t need to spend so much money on a backup quarterback who plays one …

March 5^th is the first day of free agency, which NFL betting fans know is always a free agent frenzy. There will be an interesting dynamic thrown into the loop this year as for the first time in a long time, the NFL will have an uncapped salary season.

Free agency this year will bring a shorter crop of young prospects as many of them will now be restricted for one more year because of the league rules. Nonetheless, here is a rundown of some key free agents.

Chad Pennington of the Miami Dolphins would like to return to Miami, but he’ll likely only have a backup role there. Coming off another season-ending injury, Pennington may be facing a backup role anywhere he goes. He is still a serviceable starter for some teams and he would be among the better backups if he was forced into a No. 2 role.

Another team could lose a player who started the year as a No. 1 contributor at a position after being supplanted by a good young prospect, and that’s the Pittsburgh Steelers running back Willie Parker.

Those who bet on NFL know that Parker’s days were numbered as soon as the Steelers spent a first-round pick on Rashard Mendenhall. Parker could be an enticing commodity to some as a speedy complementary back.

On defense, we all know that the 3-4 defense has been quite the fad in the NFL and a lot of teams looking for a playmaker might take a look at Julius Peppers. The recent rumor has been that he’s a good fit for outside linebacker in that set up but don’t be surprised if teams opt to keep him at defensive end in a 4-3, where he …

— Brian Westbrook is out.  LeSean McCoy will get the start and is fantasy worthy.

— Randy Moss will play.  Wes Welker is inactive.  I am still a fan of the Falcons +4.5 with Welker being out.  My favorite game is still Saints -6 though.  Leodis McKelvin will play, but he’ll be on a bum ankle.

— DeSean Jackson is active.  Kevin Curtis is inactive.  Jeremy Maclin will start opposite of DeSean Jackson.  Kevin Kolb is the starting QB for the Eagles.

— Dwayne Bowe has been ruled out.…

FANTASY STUDS:

1.) Chris Johnson – 197 rushing yards, 87 receiving yards, 3 TDs

2.) Andre Johnson – 149 yards, 2 TDs

3.) Frank Gore – 207 rushing yards, 2 TDs, 37 receiving yards

4.) Marques Colston – 98 yards, 2 TDs

5.) Ronnie Brown – 136 yards, 2 TDs

6.) Vincent Jackson – 141 yards, 1 TD

7.) Darren Sproles – 124 receiving yards, 26 rushing yards, 1 TD

FANTASY DUDS:

1.) Randy Moss – 24 yards

2.) Santana Moss – 35 yards

3.) Matt Forte – 29 rushing yards, 33 receiving yards

4.) Steve Slaton – 34 rushing yards, 25 receiving yards, 2 fumbles

5.) Reggie Wayne – 37 yards…

SIT ‘EM:

1.) LaDanian Tomlinson — Not a good sign for fantasy owners in week 1.  L.T. suffers a bum ankle.  He’ll likely sit out and even if he plays, he’s not worth starting againt the Ravens defense.

2.) Anthony Gonzalez — Could miss up to 8 weeks with a knee injury.  I hope you didn’t reach too high for him.

3.) Donovan McNabb — The Eagles haven’t ruled him out yet, but the cracked ribs may keep him out against the Saints.  Keep an eye on his status.  Kevin Kolb is likely available and could have a big day for the Eagles if he’s asked to play.

4.) Vincent Jackson — Got off to a great start with 56 yards and a TD against the Raiders.  This week he’ll have to face the Ravens and could be shut down.

5.) Pierre Thomas — Will likely continue to sit while Mike Bell gets the carries for the Saints.  In any event, he’ll be facing the Eagles, who don’t give up many yards on the ground.

START ‘EM:

1.) Thomas Jones — The Jets will run the football this season.  With 100 yards and 2 TDs, he’s giving Rex a reason to keep Washington off the field and keeping him on.  With Jerod May for the Pats out, the match up looks favorable.  Pats struggled to contain the Bill’s Fred Jackson last week.

2.) Correll Buckhalther — Will get the majority of Denver’s carries with Knowshon still trying to recovery from an ankle injury (I believe).  He’s at home against the Browns who ranked in the bottom of the league against the run last season and gave up 255 rushing yards to the Bengals last week.

3.) Darren McFadden — McFadden …

1.) Adrian Peterson (RB) — The consensus #1 pick, you can’t go wrong.

2.) Matt Forte (RB) — Look for Forte to top last year’s numbers with Jay Cutler keeping defenses honest.  Forte’s receiving abilities with Cutler make him an even greater receiving threat than last season.  Is due for at least 1,200 rushing yards and 500 receiving yards with 12 TDs.

3.) LaDainian Tomlinson (RB) — A lot of people are knocking him for the injuries, turning 30, and questioning whether he still has gas left in the tank.  I think LaDainian still has it in him to have a very good season and he’s coming into this season with a lot to prove.  2006 numbers are out of question.  Darren Sproles will take some carries away from him.  He’s averaged 2.4 yards in 12 attempts in the preseason — not a great sign for fantasy owners.  He should still post at least 1,100 rushing yards, 450 receiving yards, and 12 TDs.  Those were his 2008 numbers when he was riddled with injuries.  He’s coming into this season healthier than last year, so look for an improvement.

4.) Maurice Jones-Drew (RB) — Now that Fred Taylor is gone, MJD’s role in the offense increases.  You have to love his rushing and receiving combination and he’ll always deliver 10+ TDs.  Most people have MJD ahead of LT, but I don’t expect MJD’s TD numbers to come close to LT’s since the Chargers have a way better offense than the Jaguars.

5.) Michael Turner (RB) — If you picked him up late, you probably won your fantasy league.  Had 1,700 yards and 18 TDs — that’s sick.  The concern is whether he can repeat those type of numbers.  He’s looked …