By Zack Cimini

notjustagame23@gmail.com

At the conclusion of each September the media gets drawn into the teams off to hot starts. The opposite of that of course is berating a team for sinking and failing in September. Statistics are thrown out discounting a chance for those teams to resurrect and recover.

Teams go through waves during a season more than ever. Parity has reared it’s head in just about every division. Typically there are a fair share of teams that exceed expectations early and come back down to Earth.

Defenses have struggled horrendously throughout the NFL in September. As teams get more film study and on field action, more and more weaknesses will get exposed. Injuries will rise, which is always easier to game plan for defensively. Just ask the New York Giants and numerous other teams.

So which team has the best chance at turning things around and still making the playoffs? I will rule out the Philadelphia Eagles, as they were and are expected to turn things around.

The team I give the best chance to are the Arizona Cardinals. Many reasons favor them. Including playing in a weakened division. San Francisco currently at 3-1 has the same nucleus intact that has failed in prior years.

Alex Smith has been given opportunity after opportunity only to disappoint. The running game can carry this team on given weeks as it did last week against the Eagles. When it comes time for Smith to make the big decisive drive or key plays, do you think he will be able to do it consistently? No. He just doesn’t have the superior receivers to make him better than he is.

The Rams and Seahawks just are not the same dangerous teams as a year ago. So sitting at 1-3, the Cardinals just need to take it a game at a time. Losing their last three games by a combined seven points is truly a back breaker. All losses on stagnancy of offense in the fourth quarter.

Signs of that changing are ahead. Beanie Wells rushing for a career high in yards and touchdowns in week four is a great sign. Next will be for Kevin Kolb to work on his mechanics within the pocket and the idiosyncracies of developing in the Cardinals system. He’ll adjust as the season goes on, and those fourth quarter lulls will fade away.

Larry Fitzgerald is not going to be contained much longer with a boosted running game. Look for more play action passes and for the Cardinals to utilize their free agency acquisition of Todd Heap more. Ultimately, the Cardinals still have five games left within the division. They’ll need to win at least eighty percent of them.

From there it is gutting out a few wins over tough teams. Either victories over Pittsburgh, Baltimore, Philadelphia, or Dallas are needed. 2-2 in those games would be pivotal. Must wins have to happen versus the Bengals and Browns.

Of course this upcoming week dictates if any of that is a possibility. Going up against a Vikings team that has had more disheartening losses than them.

A 1-4 start heading into the bye week could kiss any playoff chances goodbye. Or maybe not, as a 7-9 team made the playoffs from this division a year ago.

By Zack Cimini

notjustagame23@gmail.com

Arizona has lost their last 3 games by a combined 7 points. All games they let slip away. Should they have even been in the positions they were in those contests?

http://bleacherreport.com/articles/877775-kolb-struggling-while-learning-new-cardinals-system

By Zack Cimini

notjustagame23@gmail.com

If you’re in a hole in your fantasy leagues, chances are you’ve cursed a name or two on the early season bust list.

http://bleacherreport.com/articles/873636-fantasy-football-the-7-biggest-busts-of-the-season-entering-week-4

Zack Cimini writes an Atlanta’s struggles for bleacherreport.com.

http://bleacherreport.com/articles/872166-no-end-in-site-for-atlantas-about-face

By Vidur Malik

notjustagame23@gmail.com

By themselves, offensive linemen obviously are obviously not draftable for a fantasy team.

But they could very well be the most influential players in football when it comes to deciding who you should draft.

After only three weeks, the 2011 NFL season has proven that.

A team’s offensive line is something you should definitely pay attention to when picking up players. Everyone who has Michael Vick as a starting quarterback is extremely frustrated at the Philadelphia Eagles’ o-line for not protecting their QB. The teams’ offensive linemen can’t take all the blame for the concussion and bruised hand he suffered in back-to-back weeks, but they should definitely shoulder a majority of it.

Vick is just one example of an elite fantasy player whose numbers could suffer because he plays with a suspect offensive line. The men in the trenches are extremely crucial to every part of a team’s offense, which makes them very important for your fantasy team.

When considering which players to pick up from the waiver list, think about their offensive lines. If the team has a strong line, it will probably boost the chances for a quarterback or running back to play well. By giving the quarterback more time to throw, the o-line could also give wide receivers a chance to run intricate routes and get open.

Teams like the New York Giants, Oakland Raiders and New England Patriots all have dependable offensive lines, and it’s a good idea to take a look at players on those teams when you’re adding someone from waivers. Look for players like Raiders running back Michael Bush, a big, bruising runner who excels in short-yardage situations and runs behind a solid line. Giants wide receiver Victor Cruz probably got picked up by fantasy owners all over the nation after his performance last week, and Torrey Smith of the Ravens, who also have a good o-line, was no doubt a popular pick-up. Both are examples of players who got opportunities to produce because their quarterbacks are usually not pressured.

The offensive line will probably mean the most to you during next year’s draft. At that time, consider a quarterback like Eli Manning or Joe Flacco over someone like Vick, who obviously has the potential to put up huge fantasy numbers but could also be sidelined because of injuries.

For now, you should keep this in mind as you make mid-season pick-ups. You never know which no-name running back or wide receiver could suddenly emerge as a starter because he benefits from a great offensive line.

By Zack Cimini

notjustagame23@gmail.com

San Diego has managed to pull off some close wins to start the season, but it hasn’t been for the play of Philip Rivers. The team has played just well enough as a whole, or they could easily be 0-3. The 2-1 start looks good on paper, but if proper adjustments do not happen this team could slide. Typical to their poor starts, it might be a reverse finish when they usually start to win.

Rivers just has not found that classic rhythm of his. There could be a few variables to blame for it, but Rivers is supposed to be a top tier quarterback. Four touchdowns and six interceptions would rank him near the bottom of the league. He is forcing too many throws. Throws that he has been able to thread throughout his career just aren’t getting there.

With the Chargers running the ball more effectively, maybe they’ll tone down his throws a tad. Antonio Gates is still hurting, and maybe the lack of a steady receiver over the middle is hurting Rivers. Malcolm Floyd and Vincent Jackson both do most of their damage down the field, using their tall frames to shield, leap, and out jump cornerbacks.

Patrick Crayton just isn’t the receiver he use to be and is clearer declining. The loss of Legedu Naanee seems to be hurting the Chargers more than anticipated. This early funk will not phase Rivers. For fantasy owners that see rookie quarterbacks and Ryan Fitzpatrick posting better numbers, should not over panic for a trade. Likely you were able to get one of those quarterbacks to either backup Rivers via the waiver wire or through the draft.

Give Rivers another couple of games to prove his value. His career speaks for itself. Patterns of having history with turnovers has never been a prevalent issue. He’ll hone it down and reemerge as one of the better fantasy quarterbacks. Finishing strong is second nature to him, but has that caught up to him?