By Zack Cimini
notjustagame23@gmail.com

Every year as the injuries pile up teams find a gem buried on their roster. We’ve seen flashes from some of the guys mentioned below already this year. More than likely most of them are available on your waiver wire. We profile eight guys that have little fantasy relevance right now but may have an opportunity to shine and save your fantasy season.

Brandon Jacobs- He is not in any way shape or form a fantasy stud, but the Giants have a prolific offense. They move the ball up and down the field with ease, and lately Jacobs has been capitalizing on it. He has scored touchdowns in each of the last three weeks and has been ticking off Ahmad Bradshaw owners.

Chris Ivory- Word is even if Pierre Thomas returns, Ivory has played his way into a complimentary role with Thomas. Will have to see if Thomas can stay away from the injury bug and how this plays out overall. With the amount of throws Drew Brees has per game, the Saints crowded backfield could be detrimental for any type of reliable fantasy numbers.

Derrick Ward- Steve Slaton is completely out of the picture with the Texans. It’s astonishing to see that with the way his rookie season went. Ward has solidified the backup role and has done a swell job. If you’re an Arian Foster owner make sure you take note. Handcuffing Foster with Ward is a must.

Mike Hart- Colts are on a bye week with a plethora of injury issues. At running back Joseph Addai has been dinged up continuously this year, and Donald Brown’s had a tough go with a hamstring injury. Hart’s scored a touchdown this year and might have to start a few games for the Colts.

Danny Woodhead- An emergency filler for fantasy teams. Woodhead is filling Kevin Faulk’s old role and may keep it. New England loves to throw the short dink and dump throws to all their players. Woodhead keeps getting involved more and more each week and is becoming a main threat for the Patriots. He poses a mismatch for opposing linebackers. With all the Patriots receivers running short routes it’s too difficult for teams to shackle everyone.

James Starks- Jackson has done little with his starting role and the Packers need someone to alleviate the pressure off of Aaron Rodgers. Starks just came off the PUP list and will likely not be used for a week or so. Remember Starks had a second round grade by NFL scouts before sustaining an MCL injury his senior year.

Javon Ringer- We’ve talked about the worries of Chris Johnson in previous articles. He is roughly 200 pounds and has been getting pounded thus far. Teams are stacking the box with eight or nine guys and laying tough licks on him. It’s just bound to happen that Ringer either gets more involved, or Johnson gets hurt.

LeGarrette Blount- Blount was inactive this past week but that should not happen again. Kareem Huggins was lost for the season, and the Buccaneers have been awful running the ball. They may split carries all around for a few weeks, but Blount should separate himself to be the number one guy. Going into the off-season he will be their clear cut fantasy starter.

Joe Lopat, Zack Cimini, and Jabbar Harris return once again to talk football hot topics, as well as their usual fantasy football segments. They’ll tell you who to start/sit and provide spread picks for week seven.

By Zack Cimini

notjustagame23@gmail.com

No undefeated teams left in we’re barely a month into the season. The parity of the NFL is at an all time high. Each week underdogs are covering at a much higher rate than years past. Adjustments will be made in Vegas and also on the field. Injuries are beginning to take their toll for some teams. How will they fend off the bug? Other teams off to rough starts will have opportunities to dig themselves out. There are no run away teams in either conference. It’s going to be a season long process to see which teams can gain proper momentum heading into the playoffs.

Rankings

1. Pittsburgh Steelers- Big Ben is back. This is a team that should gain steam and easily secure a home field advantage slot.
2. New York Jets- There’s no arguing the growth of quarterback Mark Sanchez. Talent is surrounding him and he took his offseason workouts and study sessions to a veteran level.
3. Atlanta Falcons- Quietly they’re 4-1. Matt Ryan’s getting back into the rhythm we saw a few years ago and the defense is playing solid. With the Saints playing sluggish and showing no signs of hope this could be the Falcons year.
4. Baltimore Ravens- If the veterans on this defense can stay healthy, Baltimore will fight neck and neck with the Steelers for the top seed.
5. Indianapolis Colts- They play defense in Indianapolis? Since when.
6. New Orleans- Still the defending champs and as bad as they’ve played they’re 3-2.
7. New England Patriots- Were all curious to see how the Patriots offense clicks without the deep threat of Moss out there.
8. Green Bay Packers- Injuries have mounted up. Aaron Rodgers may have to try to do it all with his arm comparable to the way Marino had to always.
9. Houston Texans- Fans are worried that they’re tinkering near .500 after their start. This is a pivotal point for the Texans to play above their talent and finally get over the .500 hurdle at seasons end.
10. Chicago Bears- You just can see that three to four game skid happening.
11. New York Giants- Just two weeks ago Tom Coughlin was on his usual proverbial hot seat. Coughlin constantly dodges it and got his team two quality wins. This team could shake up the NFC like they did out of nowhere a few years ago.
12. San Diego Chargers- At some point the Chargers need to settle their offensive game plans down and grind it out with their talent. They’re trying to do too much offensively which has led to careless turnovers and set their defense up to fail.
13. Tennessee Titans- This may be the highest the Titans get in our rankings for the rest of the season. We do not see Chris Johnson making it through the year with the amount of carries and hits he is taking. A year ago he was burning defenders, this year he is getting the yardage but they are of the power back angle.
14. Minnesota Vikings- Randy Moss, Sidney Rice, Percy Harvin, and Shiancoe. 1st seed or 6th seed at the end of week 17, no one wants to draw up those defensive assignments.
15. Dallas Cowboys- Mistake free football just is not a phrase in Dallas.
16. Washington Redskins- Mr. McNabb deserves the most praise of any player thus far this year. The way he is playing and delivering with the cast he has is truly amazing.
17. Philadelphia Eagles- The biggest difference maker can be tossed back and forth between Vick and Kolb. The true playmaker has been LeSean McCoy. He had a tough rookie year last season but has grown tremendously and been the catalyst of the Eagles offense.
18. Denver Broncos- Who would of pictured Kyle Orton of all people growing and maturing as a quarterback throughout his career? There may not be more of a jaw dropping turn around from a quarterback over the past fifteen years.
19. Kansas City Chiefs- If the Chiefs were not winning, Matt Cassel being benched would have been retested like last year. He is a serviceable quarterback that is proving incapable of providing a spark under center of the Chiefs.
20. Miami Dolphins- How will they bounce back after their bye week to the loss they had on national television?
21. Tampa Bay Buccaneers- Winning games in the final minutes constantly does not make us a believer. They’re growing but need to upgrade at running back to become a playoff team.
22. Jacksonville Jaguars- All the Jaguars are doing now is teasing their fans. They’re a missed 58 yard field goal and a quarter of football against the Bills from being 3-2 to 1-4.
23. Oakland Raiders- When can the Raiders have two healthy backs in Michael Bush and Darren McFadden? They could suddenly have the best duel backfield and trade bait on their hands.
24. Cincinnati Bengals- We’ve been saying it for a good year that Carson Palmer’s career is spiraling downward. His play has become of backup quarterback caliber. Will the denouncement and change at quarterback happen this year?
25. Arizona Cardinals- Someone is going to win this division. Four of the teams in it are ranked 25th or lower in our rankings. If Arizona believes Max Hall is their guy than there will truly be a 7-9 division winner.
26. Seattle Seahawks- Trading for Marshawn Lynch gives them a true number one back that can be the offsetting difference maker in an extremely weak division.
27. Detroit Lions- They’ve been in so many tight games all year. It was good to see them pull one out. Shaun Hill may have earned himself another look as a starter with the way he has played in Stafford’s absence.
28. San Francisco- They’ve only played one game in their division. If this team approaches their division with the outlook of going 5-0, a turnaround could happen. It’s not an impossibility to envision them going at least 4-1 in the rest of their divisional games.
29. Cleveland Browns- Down to their third quarterback. How bad did Jake Delhomme hurt his ankle….goodness.
30. St. Louis Rams- Poor Sam Bradford. As most rookies would working with third stringers and practice squad teammates, he gets to throw to those caliber of players in live games.
31. Buffalo Bills- Fitzpatrick’s attempting his all on a weekly basis. Buffalo’s just at a rock bottom point for a franchise.
32. Carolina Panthers- It’s getting real ugly out in Charlotte. Their starting quarterback, Jimmy Clausen, and number one receiver, Brandon LaFell, this past week were the teams second and third round choices this year. Bye Bye, John Fox.

By Zack Cimini
Notjustagame23@gmail.com

For all the bad publicity the New York Jets have received this year there has been a very bright spot. Their signing of LT has quietly been the key to their early season success. He has by far outperformed Shonn Greene. Greene was expected to storm by LT, and make him look like a cast away veteran in the last stage of his career. Instead Greene looks like LT’s backup. Fantasy owners have to be boiling that drafted Greene as he has done little. Most likely you’ve been forced to start him based on the position you drafted him.

LT’s departure from San Diego wasn’t handled in the best way, but LT acted like a business man during the whole matter. He could have been bitter and voiced his opinion in a fashion that tore apart the organization. Everyone knows the Chargers have not been the best in handling situations with their players. As the writing was on the wall, LT looked for a place that he felt he could still thrive and win a title.

The way LT has been hitting the whole he looks like he may get the last laugh on the rest of the league that was ready to write him off. Brian Shottenheimer currently calls the first half run plays as even as possible. LT and Greene get to showcase for full time second half duties. Whoever is performing better gets the bulk of those second half carries. For the first three games those carries have shifted to LT. Currently he has over 200 yards rushing with a whopping 5.6 yards per carry average.

The burden he has lifted off of Mark Sanchez has been enormous. Could you imagine how the Jets would have started the season with just Greene as the main back? Teams would have had a feast and forced the Jets to throw every down like some teams are forced. As erratic as Sanchez has been who knows how he would of handled the pressure. Starting off the year poor with a young quarterback could have dug Sanchez a mental blow he would of never got out of. You just don’t know how a quarterback is going to handle himself under the scope of an increased role.

With Sanchez having the comfort ability of a veteran back he is slowly emerging into a quarterback. Before you could tell Sanchez’s play calls were scripted. One or two reads and deliver the football. The Jets were not going to take chances with him. Now he is lobbing paces up and trusting Dustin Keller. He’s also making some precision throws and prime spots.

Shonn Greene will break out of his bog soon. Once he does who knows how scary this team is going to be. Defensively they’ve been stout. If this offense picks up momentum, watch out. Sanchez is likely going to go into the playoffs with a phenomenal rushing attack. Santonio Holmes will be back from suspension soon. Adding another big play threat to replace Jerricho Cotchery who is at best a fourth receiver on most teams.

Praise the Jets for their signing of LT and for the way he has responded. He is having more of a fantasy impact than he has in a long time. The past two seasons he looked dog tired and physically not there. Whatever it was….rest, new regimen, or a new beginning, it is working for LT. He is not a fantasy starter but is one of the highest ranking third backs to have on a fantasy team. You never know what’s going to happen over the course of the year. He could be that familiar weapon that you need down the stretch when injuries begin to take place.

By Zack Cimini

notjustagame23@gmail.com

Here’s a look at our first updated quarterback rankings since the season has started. Thus far a few surprises have occurred that have vaulted up names such as Donovan McNabb, Jay Cutler, and Kyle Orton. Will their great starts to the season carry on to a fantasy title run for you?

The two major disappointments thus far have to be Aaron Rodgers and Brett Favre. Rodgers has had decent numbers not anywhere near the top echelon of the league. His yardage totals aren’t close to what we’d expect. We’ll see how much Ryan Grant being out affects him. He may not re-enter the top five fantasy quarterbacks this season.

Owners that banked on Brett Favre turning on the time machine clock have seen he had a little trouble orbiting back to 2009. Can he give it the fonzi punch and give fantasy owners one last rendezvous? Based on Favre’s up and down career we’ll say he’ll give you a half dozen more solid outings.

1. Drew Brees- The Saints do keep on marching in. Brees just has that Manning knack of leading, driving, and managing a game with ease.

2. Peyton Manning- Dynasty league owners couldn’t be happier with what he has done from year to year. It’s funny how age was the biggest discussion of Donovan McNabb when he was traded. Guess what? Manning and McNabb are the same age.

3. Matt Schaub- Bank it. Unless an injury derails Schaub, he will be the league leader in yards again. He may even challenge the record books.

4. Philip Rivers- Rivers has no name receivers he has to throw the ball to just like Brett Favre. Rivers though is having no problems getting the job done.

5. Jay Cutler- Guess Mike Martz is a cure all offensive genius. It’s not like Cutler has not been an elite quarterback before. He just has too many ups and downs. When the bad games start to occur can he shake it off and move on?

6. Aaron Rodgers- Was hyped up more than any other quarterback in the off-season. After his prolific post season and stellar pre-season who wouldn’t of anticipated another crazy year from Rodgers. He can make up his lackluster start in a heartbeat.

7. Tom Brady- Brady’s precision is still there. He spreads the ball to his receivers like no other. Deep ball wise he is good to attempt more than any other starting quarterback per game. Problem is they aren’t working as well as in years past with Randy Moss. He’ll need to trust the intermediate route more with Aaron Hernandez and Brandon Tate.

8. Donovan McNabb- The statement game for McNabb is only a few games away. This after having a remarkable performance against the Texans, in which a bomb to Joey Galloway should have clinched a 2-0 start.

9. Tony Romo- Dallas is in a world of hurting as a team, but fantasy owners could care less. Romo has top tier talent to throw the football too, and an emerging rookie in Dez Bryant. Romo is a safe fantasy starter for this season and is right outside being a top tier fantasy quarterback.

10. Eli Manning- Manning should surpass all career highs he set last year. With the ground game looking like it’ll be near the bottom of the league all year, Manning will have to drop back a ton. Turnovers are a part of that increase. With a great crop of receivers to throw to, he’ll be a quarterback that can carry a fantasy playoff team.

Best of The Rest

11. Kyle Orton
12. Joe Flacco
13. Kevin Kolb
14. Chad Henne
15. Brett Favre
16. Matthew Stafford* injured
17. Carson Palmer
18. Ben Roethlisberger * suspension
19. Matt Ryan
20. Mike Vick
21. Vince Young
22. Sam Bradford
23. Shaun Hill
24. Matt Cassel
25. Matt Hasselbeck
26. Josh Freeman
27. Jake Delhomme
28. Derek Anderson
29. Mark Sanchez

30. Jason Campbell
31. Bruce Gradkowski
32. David Garrard
33. Alex Smith
34. Jimmy Clausen
35. Dennis Dixon
36. Ryan Fitzpatrick
37. Seneca Wallace
38. Matt Leinart
39. Trent Edwards
40. Kerry Collins
41. Tavaris Jackson
42. David Carr
43. Billy Volek
44. Matt Moore
45. Byron Leftwich

By Zack Cimini

notjustagame23@gmail.com

New England has finally given up on one of their long term busts, Laurence Maroney. Maroney showed glimpses his rookie season of being a back of the future for the Patriots. After that year though he struggled to do much of anything on a consistent basis. At times the Patriots had to go with Sammy Morris, BenJarvis Green-Ellis, and even Kevin Faulk.

By bringing in Fred Taylor last off-season, Maroney figured to have a complement back to split carries with. Still he couldn’t muster anything on his last straw with the coaching staff. Denver agreed to trade a sixth round pick for him, and now has a crowded backfield.

It’s safe to say that Knowshown Moreno’s starting role is not in jeopardy. Denver went through preseason with their backfield banged up, so this is likely insurance if that circumstance re-arises. Correll Buckhalter is the current backup, but he has had a long history of nagging injuries. Moreno has struggled holding onto the football, and had a critical fumble week one versus the Jaguars.

All in all, Maroney may end up being cut at some point by Denver if he doesn’t show value. He needs to step up to the plate this time and get in the mix in Denver. Denver does love to run the football, and if he can get in the mix, Maroney could be a McGahee type to Moreno. That’s one department where he has had some effectiveness. A knack to get in the end zone.

For New England this move means they have more faith in Fred Taylor than anyone would of thought. Taylor is entering his thirteenth season and will likely be in some sort of 70/30 split carry load with Sammy Morris. Taylor still has the gears in his giddy up to be a fantasy producing back. It’s still a shocker to see this move by New England as Taylor has been fairly non-existent the past two seasons.

Belicheck has a plan so will see if it involves another trade or gambling on a rookie free agent.

The talk of the NFL recently has been about the Baltimore Ravens picking up wide receiver T.J. Houshmandzadeh, and their potentially high-scoring offense that will take the field this season.

What people aren’t really talking about is the flipside of that acquisition. In order to sign Houshmandzadeh, the Ravens traded wide receiver Mark Clayton to the St. Louis Rams along with a seventh-round draft pick, and got a sixth-round draft pick from the Rams. Though Clayton may not have had all-pro numbers in his time in Baltimore, he was a dependable receiver who consistently put up solid numbers. While Houshmandzadeh can make an impact in Baltimore, Clayton can do the same in St. Louis.

In his five seasons as a Raven, Clayton recorded over 3,100 receiving yards and 12 touchdowns. Those aren’t impressive numbers, but they show that he’s been a good number two or three receiver for a long time. His best statistical season was in 2006, his second season, when he put up 939 yards and five touchdowns. Those numbers could be considered on the verge of number one receiver status, so he’s shown in the past that he can play a big role in an offense.

Going to St. Louis can be a great opportunity for Clayton to establish himself as a crucial part of the offense, and a good target for rookie quarterback Sam Bradford. With last year’s number one receiver Donnie Avery out for the season after suffering a torn ACL in the preseason, Clayton has a chance to become the main guy in St. Louis. The other Rams wide receivers are an up and coming group, but they’re young, and lack Clayton’s experience. Laurent Robinson is entering his fourth season, and his second as a Ram, and is coming back from a broken leg in 2009. He should be able to compete for a starting spot this year. Danny Amendola had 43 catches for 326 yards in his rookie year last year after bouncing around practice squads, and should also be involved in the competition at wide receiver. Rookie Mardy Gilyard played well during training camp according to reports, and should be in the mix for playing time as well.

Clayton figures to be the early number one among the receivers because of his experience. If he can build chemistry with Bradford, who has impressed in the preseason, Clayton can become the unquestioned number one receiver in St. Louis, and can up his numbers to the 1,000 yard level. Bradford has the intelligence and ability to be a smart quarterback, and having Clayton to throw to should make things easier for him. Elite running back Steven Jackson is in the backfield, and having a great back can be extremely helpful to young quarterbacks by taking the pressure off of them to win games.

Though the Rams are in a rebuilding phase, Clayton seems to be in a great situation. Don’t be surprised if he records big numbers this season.