November 19
CBSSports.com
columnist Jamey Eisenberg
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Start 'Em & Sit 'Em is our weekly look at the best and worst matchups from around the NFL and how they might affect lineup decisions for your Fantasy Football team. We are not in the business of stating the obvious, so you won't be reading here why you need to start Peyton Manning, Adrian Peterson or any other top-tier players. Kevin Smith has been dealing with a sophomore slump. After a promising start to 2009, Smith has struggled. He had double digits in Fantasy points in three of his first four games and appeared on his way toward an outstanding season. But a shoulder injury and tough matchups against Pittsburgh, Green Bay and Minnesota has ruined his production the past five games. He ..."
November 19
Pittsburgh Tribune Review
columnist David Sandora
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Michael Turner. Julius Jones. Ronnie Brown. These are names on which fantasy owners have relied this season. Brown is out for the season, and the odds are against Turner and Jones playing in Week 11. The same is true of Brian Westbrook, Clinton Portis, Cedric Benson and Joseph Addai. Here is a ranking of the running backs who were backups a week or two ago but will play major roles for their teams this week: 1. Ricky Williams, Dolphins vs. Panthers Williams has been a decent back even while splitting time. With the Dolphins' strong run defense going against the Panthers' potent run game, Miami will have to rely on Williams' ability to be a workhorse. 2. LeSean McCoy, Eagles vs. Bears ..."
November 18
Rotoworld.com
columnist Chris Wesseling
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Two weeks ago, the desperate Chiefs grabbed veteran Chris Chambers off waivers and paired him with Dwayne Bowe in hopes of jumpstarting an anemic aerial attack. Just as coach Todd Haley's beleaguered receiving corps was starting show tangible signs of progress, the Chiefs announced Tuesday that Bowe will be suspended four games for violating the league's policy on performance enhancing substances. ESPN's Adam Schefter "gathers" that the suspension goes back to OTAs when Bowe, 30 pounds overweight, took a diuretic to drop the pounds expeditiously. The new coach "demoted Bowe, bullied him, disparaged him, embarrassed him" to get a message across to his most talented receiver as well as the ..."
November 17
CBSSports.com
columnist Jamey Eisenberg
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Bernard Scott could become a popular Fantasy option this week. The same goes for Jason Snelling and Justin Forsett. With so many key injuries at running back heading into Week 11, some players you might never have heard of could be on your roster and even starting. Making the right moves on the waiver wire will be important with the Fantasy playoffs looming. It appears like Brian Westbrook (concussion), Ronnie Brown (foot), Julius Jones (ribs) and Michael Turner (ankle) are likely out for Week 11. Cedric Benson (hip) is questionable, and Clinton Portis (concussion), who missed Week 10, remains questionable as well. That means Fantasy owners could be missing six running backs who have at ..."
November 16
CBSSports.com
columnist Jamey Eisenberg
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Larry Johnson might find a job after all with all the star running backs who got hurt in Week 10. It was like doomsday for a Fantasy owner. It started with Cedric Benson (hip), Michael Turner (ankle) and Ronnie Brown (ankle) in the early games, and then Julius Jones (broken rib) and Brian Westbrook (concussion) went down in the afternoon. None were able to finish the game, and all the injuries should be considered serious heading into Week 11. Here are the updates heading into Monday: Benson, who had seven carries for 22 yards at Pittsburgh before getting hurt, probably has the best chance of playing next week at Oakland. He told the Bengals official team web site that the injury wasn't to ..."
November 16
ESPN.com
columnist Tristan H. Cockcroft
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I've entered an interesting time in my 2-year-old son's development. He's finally in that curious-about-pain stage. (You parents out there likely know just what I'm talking about.) For example, say he bumps his head, even lightly, on the coffee table. He'll immediately spout an all-too-familiar phrase: "Owwwch, Daddy. Kiss make better?" Fortunately, one kiss to the forehead always does "make better," whether the injury was significant or not. As I look back at Week 10 in the NFL, I can't help thinking to myself how nice it would be if a simple kiss to the forehead really could "make better" every injury. Because let's just say it was a rough week on the injury front, one that is going to ..."
November 15
CBSSports.com
columnist Jamey Eisenberg
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Sammie Stroughter is just a rookie himself, but the Tampa Bay wide receiver can already see that quarterback Josh Freeman has the chance to be a star. It only took one game. In Week 9, Freeman made his first NFL start against Green Bay. He helped the Buccaneers get their first win of the season by completing 14 of 31 passes for 205 yards, three touchdowns and one interception, and he had four carries for 20 yards. Stroughter is looking forward to seeing what Freeman can do next. "I call him the quiet assassin," Stroughter said. "He's one of those guys – when he's in there he wants to take care of business." Freeman's work has just started, but he has a long way to go to be a standout ..."
November 12
Pittsburgh Tribune Review
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As it turns out, it's not just picking up good players that wins fantasy football leagues. Almost as important is having players on winning teams. Sounds simple enough. Surprising, though, is how much of a difference it has made for running backs and wide receivers in 2009. Of the NFL's top 40 in receiving yards-per-game, only five play for losing teams. In 2008, only nine of the top 40 played on losing teams. At the same time, only one of 2009's top 24 pass-catchers in fantasy points (San Francisco tight end Vernon Davis) plays for a losing team. In 2008, those numbers were only five of the top 29. Seattle's Matt Hasselbeck is the quarterback on a losing team who has thrown for the ..."