By Ted Cahill

The Twins have done it again.

The club I picked to run away with the AL Central has made it a race that appears ready to go down to the wire and is doing it on the backs of some unknown pitchers (and Joe Mauer of course).

26-year old rookie Brian Duensing has pitched outstanding ball since being handed Francisco Liriano’s rotation spot in August. In seven starts, Duensing is 5-0 with a 1.88 ERA. He’s struck out 28 batters in 43 innings and walked only 11.

And Duensing has done it mostly on short rest. He’s only averaging 4.3 days between starts, a tall order for a rookie in a playoff race.

He hasn’t faced an especially tough team, though he did shut down Texas before the Rangers shut themselves down.

If this left-hander is good enough for Minnesota, I’ll but in. Duensing is a player to watch both this week, when he makes starts against Detroit and Kansas City, but also in spring training next year.

Huff and stuff: It’s no secret Cleveland has struggled down the stretch. It’s been so bad that general manager Mark Shapiro will likely have no choice but to fire his friend Eric Wedge, considered untouchable earlier in the year.

But there have been some bright spots on the club over the past month. Left-hander David Huff overcame a midseason swoon to close out his rookie year in style and give the Indians a 10-game winner.

Huff will likely not make his final start as he sits at 167 2/3 innings between AAA and Cleveland this year. Wedge said in August the Indians hoped to hold him under 170 this year. If that was it for the rookie, he will finish at 11-8 with a 5.61 ERA. The 11 wins are the most for a Tribe rookie since CC Sabathia won 17 in 2001.

After throwing eight shutout innings Sunday, Huff is 4-1 with a 2.18 ERA in his final five starts of the year. That’s a far cry from the 24-year old’s previous five starts, when he went 2-3 with a 7.86 ERA.

Huff has also outperformed rotation mate Aaron Laffey, who has basically functioned as the team’s ace since Cliff Lee was dealt to Philadelphia. He has probably pitched his way into the 2010 rotation, though if new coaches are brought in this winter, open tryouts are likely to be held.

But it appears that Huff made the necessary adjustments to stay a major leaguer this year and show everyone why the Tribe picked him 39th overall in 2006.

Old reliable: In keeping with the theme of left-handers, Andy Pettitte won his 14th game of the year Sunday to clinch the AL East for New York.

It is the 12th time Pettitte has won 14 games in a year, tying him for fifth most all-time. 14 wins isn’t a nice, round number, but the names on the list are still impressive. The best southpaw ever, Warren Spahn, leads the way with 17 years of 14 wins, followed by Eddie Plank with 16. Steve Carlton and Tom Glavine have 13 and Pettitte joins Randy Johnson and Lefty Grove.

So Pettitte has been good this year; better than most expected. What does that mean for 2010? Well first Pettitte has to decide if he’s playing, which he obviously won’t know until after the Yankees’ season ends. Another ring might push him to retirement, but after such a good season, you can be sure Joe Girardi and Hank Steinbrenner won’t let him go without a fight.

Pettitte is worth watching over the winter, he might have another 14-win season left in him.

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Pitcher Pickup of the Week: Carl Pavano, Twins

With the AL Central title on the line in Comerica Park this week, the Twins will turn to Tiger-killer Carl Pavano. It’s a pretty good bet, given his track record against Detroit this year. Pavano is 3-0 with a 1.61 ERA in Comerica this year and 4-0 with a 1.69 ERA against the Tigers’ overall. He’s struck out 22 in five starts and walked just one batter.

Pavano also appears to be eating up the division race. In his last four starts, the right-hander is 2-0 with a 3.42 ERA and 18 strikeouts. You can bet this veteran will be ready for the pressure Wednesday as he tries to pitch his way into the playoffs for the first time since winning the 2003 World Series in Florida.

By Zack Cimini
notjustagame23@gmail.com

An irregular start to the season means big shakeups in running back rankings. Those of you who waited on running backs and landed McGahee and Benson late are smiling very well. After three weeks here is the big shake up in current fantasy running back rankings. We expect another complete overhaul in three weeks as things settle down.

1. Adrian Peterson- He’ll hold this spot for years
2. Maurice Jones-Drew- Finally had a MJD type game
3. Chris Johnson- His speed is so lethal
4. Ronnie Brown- Getting a lot of carries early on, can he sustain this?
5. Frank Gore-Down for hopefully only a couple of games. Grab your handcuff back in Glen Coffee.
6. Willis McGahee-Finding the endzone every week will make any fantasy owner happy.
7. DeAngelo Williams-Once the Panthers stop playing from behind Williams could propel a few spots.
8. Pierre Thomas- Making up for missed time in quick fashion.
9. Brandon Jacobs- Struggled out of the gate
10. Marion Barber- The workhorse back will be sidelined for a game or two.
11. Matt Forte- Not exactly what anyone would hope for. He is getting plenty of carries though and will breakout sooner or later.
12. Michael Turner- Yards per carry is significantly down. Can he get it back in gear?
13. Steven Jackson- Still the dual threat we love but needs to find the endzone.
14. Cedric Benson- Just shows what a never give up attitude can do.
15. LT- How often will he need to miss time this season?
16. Marshawn Lynch- Hurt himself dearly for a time share factor, now that the Bills have seen what Jackson can do.
17. Julius Jones- Has been quite a surprise
18. Kevin Smith- Going to have a great year.
19. Thomas Jones- The wily veteran just gets it done.
20. Darren Sproles- Just isn’t an every down back. More of the Reggie Bush type that can be a difference maker.
21. Ray Rice- Just need to get some of the touchdowns away from McGahee
22. Jonathan Stewart- The best backfield combo in the league.
23. Ryan Grant- You know what you’re getting from Grant.
24. Correll Buckhalter- The effective time share to keep the ball out of Orton’s hands is working.
25. Fred Taylor- Patriots gave him twenty carries and like what they saw.
26. Larry Johnson- How long ago was 2005 and 2006?
27. Ricky Williams- Carries should spike up a bit more with Pennington expected to be out.
28. Steve Slaton- Generous spot but he has to be headed for better weeks.
29. Knowshon Moreno- Should sneak into the top twelve to fifteen by seasons end.
30. Lendale White- Will run off a streak of touchdowns McGahee style
31. Willie Parker- Caught a glimpse of his old self this past week against the Bengals.
32. Brian Westbrook-Missed a game due to poor weather and field conditions. This is not a good sign.
33. Clinton Portis- On the downside of his career, and banged up.
34. Reggie Bush- Seemingly falling out of the backfield rotation like a point guard in basketball. Pierre Thomas and Mike Bell seem to be the dual combo the Saints are going to go with, and Bush will be more of a decoy and pass catching back.
35. Donald Brown- The second half back for the Colts is making things happen with limited touches. Should start getting more plays and action from Joseph Addai.
36. Fred Jackson- Did the best the Bills could of hoped for while waiting for Marshawn Lynch
37. Darren McFadden
38. Jamal Lewis
39. Cadillac Williams
40. Jerious Norwood
41. LeSean McCoy-The rookie’s impact all rides on the health of Westbrook.
42. Felix Jones
43. Rashard Mendenhall
44. Ahmad Bradshaw
45. Leon Washington
46. Tim Hightower
47. Derrick Ward
48. Beanie Wells
49. Glen Coffee
50. Jerome Harrison
51. Chester taylor
52. Tashard Choice
53. Laurence Maroney

By Zack Cimini
notjustagame23@gmail.com

What is going on with the NFL talent pool at quarterback? Either we’re at an all time low for talent or there is a lot of rustiness needed to be worn off by a group of quarterbacks. It surely isn’t the defenses as three weeks in we’ve seen most of the defenses have their share of issues. Usually in the realm of fantasy football you can get away with waiting for a quarterback and being able to make up for the move with your other positions. These quarterbacks we’ve added on our week three horrible quarterback list have completely fallen off from any fantasy relevance. Be sure to drop these players and even if you have to wait for a proper player do it. You’ll have a faster reaction to pounce on an available free agent or solidify a trade, instead of dealing with a stinker of performance.

Heck, you could go with Jake Delhomme or Jason Campbell over these guys below and have a career day compared to what they’ll give you. Stay tuned for our Part II of this series. There is going to have to be some quarterbacks to insert, and we’ll even analyze the area of trading for a quarterback.
Brady Quinn/Derek Anderson- Eric Mangini’s hot potato philosophy Is getting old quick for both of these guys. The old staff did the same thing a million times and its just getting old. Quinn has been atrocious but you have to stick with your guns similar to what the Raiders have been doing with Jamarcus Russell. In actuality if Derek Anderson would have stepped up it would have looked like a solid move and no one would question it. Instead Anderson came in and threw three picks. It’s going to be a long, long year in Cleveland.

Chad Pennington- Even before his injury Pennington was dinking and dumping too much. Hopefully he is ok, but the reason Miami is losing these close games is because of their game management tactics. Pennington needs to stretch the field a bit more and that will translate to an even better ground game, that thus far has been dominant in the league.

Marc Bulger- Bulger needs to ask for a new setting whether it be via trade or taking a release. He has been beaten and battered the last four years and might end his career if he doesn’t get restarted elsewhere. With Kyle Boller in they actually looked like they had some life. St. Louis might make the tough move for a guy that has played his heart out for the Rams, and bench Bulger.

Byron Leftwich- You’d really hope for a resurrection for Leftwich but it just isn’t going to happen. The issues Jacksonville saw for years that he was able to get away with as a starter has caught up with him. Accuracy issues persist, consistency to move the football, and his footwork in the pocket have all just been a disaster.

Mat Cassel- This is exactly why you let an athlete earn a contract, not the agent. Cassel’s agent got his asking price for Cassel after only one season as starter. Now already Todd Haley has sparked controversy and stated he’d bring in Brodie Croyle. For Cassel’s benefit he has been trying to come back a bit early from an injury. The team though looks headed for disaster all around, and Cassel will take the most blame of anyone.

Jamarcus Russell- You have to wonder why Jeff Garcia chose to leave the Raiders to sign with a Philly team where he’d be the fourth quarterback. In all likelihood he would have been inserted by now due to Russel’s horrible play. It’s a miracle the Raiders have been able to win a game due to Russel’s pathetic play. They can not allow Russell to keep performing the way he is and still go with him. Sure he was a number one pick, but the rating as a bust has to be settled in. It’s time for the Raiders to go in another direction.

Trent Edwards- He teased us with a fantastic opening week Monday Night football game against the Patriots. The game against the Buccaneers doesn’t count in our books as the Bucs have the worst past defense in the league. A team like the Saints is notorious for giving up chunks of yards and big plays. That meant Edwards would have to connect on a few big plays to keep his team in the game. He couldn’t deliver and missed several deep wide open targets including two that have been replayed numerous times already. Edwards is the only quarterback you can take a wait and see approach just because of the talent around him. We’ve seen this before though with JP Losman. A good game here and there, but he was who he was.

by Raymond Ayala

Everyone knows the New York Giants, Baltimore Ravens, and Philadelphia Eagles have one thing in common. All three of these teams have consistently maintained a defense that his been considered the cream of the crop in the NFL. But just as some defenses seem to fade away, some new ones are starting to develop. Three teams have stood out to me on the defensive side of the ball during the first two games of the season. Those three teams are the Denver Broncos, New York Jets, and San Francisco 49ers.

Denver Broncos – Key Players: Champ Bailey (CB), Brian Dawkins (S), Elvis Dumbervil (LB)
The Broncos should not be expected to keep up this defensive onslaught they have shown in their first two games, but with defensive coordinator Mike Nolan, anything is possible. In the offseason the Broncos added Pro-Bowl safety Brian Dawkins to form a Pro-Bowl backfield tandem with Champ Bailey. While their first two opponents are not considered top-tier teams, the Broncos still have two games left against the Oakland Raiders, as well as another game against Kansas City at home. The Broncos are a defense you should start over any other on easy weeks, but should sit against any top tier rushing games.

New York Jets – Key Players: Bart Scott (LB), Kerry Rhodes (S), David Harris (LB)

The New York Jets surprised the world last weekend, as they defeated the New England Patriots for the first time in a long time. While the media showers rookie Mark Sanchez with praise, I am going a different direction and giving much of the credit to the defense. This defense held New England to no touchdowns for the first time since 2008. Former Ravens defensive coordinator and now Jets head coach, Rex Ryan, has instilled a new sense of stability that the Jets defense has not seen in awhile. Look for the Jets defense to continue its dominance this season, as they finish as a top 5 Defense in Fantasy Football.

San Francisco 49ers – Key Players: Patrick Willis (LB), Nate Clements (CB), Justin Smith (DE)

The San Francisco 49ers are quite possibly the most surprising 2-0 team going into week 3. Coach Mike Singletary told his players in the preseason, that he wants them to play Fhysical…With an F! The 49ers have done just that on defense, holding opposing defenses to an average of 13 points per game. No player in the 49ers locker room fits the word “Fhysical” like Patrick Willis who is starting to show signs of a young Ray Lewis. On top of that Nate Clements has shut down both T.J. Houzmanzadeh as well as Larry Fitzgerald in respective weeks. Expect the 49ers to continue to pound the very weak NFC West teams they will face, as they finish the season as a top 10 defenses in fantasy football.

By Ted Cahill

Two weeks into the NFL season and we’re approaching panic time. Maybe not for the big boys, but for the fantasy owners.

For everyone out there that’s 0-2 headed into this week, hopefully we’ll be able to provide you with some quality advice to post that first W and start your path to the playoffs. As usual this isn’t to tell you to start Drew Brees or to sit Brady Quinn. You should be able to handle those moves on your own. Instead we’ll handle the more borderline questions every owner faces week in and week out.

Start

Ryan Grant, Packers at St. Louis
The Rams are allowing 4.4 yards per carry, not a bad deal for Grant. St. Louis’ defense is downright awful, so expect Green Bay to get up big early. If that happens, Grant should see the ball often.

Baltimore running backs vs. Cleveland
Equally bad on defense are the Browns. It’s pretty much impossible to know which Ravens’ running back will see more carries, but you really can’t go wrong when playing the Browns, who are allowing 5.6 yards per carry.

Matt Schaub, Texans vs. Jacksonville
Schaub has been something of a disappointment so far this year, which fits his team as well. But the Jaguars have not been good in pass defense this year and have just one sack so far. Schaub will have plenty of time to find his targets. That is especially good news since Kevin Walter is expected to return from his hamstring injury this weekend.

Hines Ward, Steelers at Cincinnati
The Steelers simply haven’t been able to run the ball this year. They’ll clearly try again this week to get their running backs going, but if that fails Hines Ward will be there to save the day. He’ll also benefit from Santonio Holmes’ wrist injury.

Sit

Donnie Avery, Rams vs. Green Bay
Avery hasn’t done much so far this year, only catching seven passes for 50 yards. In addition, Avery has fumbled twice already. It won’t get any better this week, facing a Packers’ defense that has six interceptions and allows 217 passing yards a game.

Visanthe Shiancoe, Vikings vs. San Francisco
The Vikings might be looking to air it out a little more this week, but the 49ers have an excellent linebacking group. After Seattle tight end John Carlson was held to just 46 yards last week this doesn’t look like a good matchup for Shiancoe.

Byron Leftwich, Buccaneers vs. Giants
Two weeks into the season, New York has the second-worst run defense in the league. With Tampa Bay’s talented running backs, there shouldn’t be a need for Leftwich to throw as much as he has been. Justin Tuck’s injury is a plus for Leftwich, but I’d stay away from him this week.

Colts running backs at Arizona
This just is an awful matchup for Indianapolis. They’re only averaging 3.4 yards per carry and Arizona is giving up only 2.5 yards per carry. This looks like another week of Peyton Manning gun-slinging for the Colts. Stay away from Joseph Addai and Donald Brown.

Matchup to watch: Adrian Peterson vs. San Francisco defense

The 49ers have been very good against the run so far this year, but Peterson is the best running back in the league. He should be able to eclipse the 2.7 yards per carry San Francisco is allowing, but this game will show just how good their defense is.

San Francisco has yet to face a good, physical back but stopping Tim Hightower, Beanie Wells and Julius Jones in their tracks is something to be proud of.

Pickup of the Week: Broncos defense at Oakland

Pretty much the surprise defense of the season this year gets an easy matchup in Oakland. The Raiders are reeling as usual and the Broncos should be able to take advantage of this rivalry game.

Denver has forced five fumbles and allowed only 13 points so far. They haven’t faced prolific offenses (Cincinnati and Cleveland), but this week’s test is no different.

By Zack Cimini
Notjustagame23@gmail.com

Where does your favorite team rank heading out of week two?

1. New Orleans- Until their offense is stopped they’ll keep winning games. We’ve seen this before though and it doesn’t carry over in the preseason.
2. Baltimore Ravens- If Flacco keeps things together this could be the best all around Ravens team since coming to Baltimore
3. Indianapolis Colts-Never a question on being one of the best regular season teams
4. New York Jets- Team is totally different from a mental standpoint of a year ago
5. Pittsburgh Steelers- Lost a tough one thanks to Jeff Reed
6. New York Giants- Eli is showing the Giants were right on cutting the check early
7. Atlanta Falcons- Matt Ryan and the Falcons can’t be stopped at home
8. San Francisco 49ers- Even with nine men in the box Gore couldn’t be stopped. Shaun Hill will have to prove himself to get this team to a playoff level.
9. San Diego Chargers- Are they on their way to another up and down year?
10. Minnesota Vikings- Cupcake schedule thus far.
11. Denver Broncos- 2-0 and in a favorable division
12. New England Patriots- Should be 0-2, they have to get things fixed in a hurry
13. Philadelphia Eagles- Kolb likely to go again. He needs to let things open up and deliver a must win against KC.
14. Arizona Cardinals- Big win at Jacksonville
15. Buffalo Bills- Looking like a tough challenger in the AFC East
16. Dallas Cowboys- Romo is in a funk maybe worse than Delhomme’s
17. Green Bay Packers- Teams lacking sustainable chemistry on both sides of the ball.
18. Chicago Bears- Forte needs to get going.
19. Houston Texans- Schaub just needs to show up every week like a true starter.
20. Tennessee Titans- Proving to be a fluke a year ago when they were able to win close games
21. Carolina Panthers- Always seem to start off rough than go on a winning streak to tease than fade.
22. Jacksonville Jaguars- What happened down in Jacksonville?
23. Cincinnati Bengals- Surprisingly should be 2-0
24. Seattle Seahawks- Injuries seem to always plague this team. Poor offensive line and a weak tandem of running backs. It’s going to be a long year
25. Oakland Raiders- They have potential, but need Jamarcus to stop performing like a quarterback that’d be beat by a fourth grade in a pass skill competition.
26. Washington Redskins- Team seems to be headed south
27. Miami Dolphins- Another 0-2 start, this one will be hard to shake out of with the Jets and Bills launching ahead
28. Cleveland Browns- When will Mangini switch starters again?
29. Tampa Bay Buccaneers- Byron’s not the answer as a starter. Might as well get Freeman in for some action
30. Kansas City Chiefs- Cassel will get this team some wins with his arm, but at what risk? The Chiefs need to reevaluate and load up new talent in a lot of spots.
31. Detroit Lions- They’ll get their one victory eventually and finish the year 3-13
32. St. Louis Rams- We feel bad for Steven Jackson.