WR Crayton has dislocated wrist

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Update: ESPN.com is reporting that San Diego Chargers WR Patrick Crayton has been diagnosed with a dislocated wrist. He suffered the injury Monday night against the Denver Broncos while falling in the endzone for a touchdown. How much time he will miss is still unknown.

Fantasy Impact: Any hand injury to a receiver can't be taken lightly and this one is no exception. He is scheduled to undergo an MRI to see if he will be able to play again this season. Keep him on the bench for now as he is starting to really emerge as one of QB Phillip Rivers top receivers in San Diego's outstanding passing game.



QB Young out for season

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Update: ESPN.com is reporting that Tennessee Titans QB Vince Young has been placed on the team's injured reservee list with a thumb injury that requires surgery. Young suffered the injury last week, and Head Coach Jeff Fisher said that Young wouldn't be the team's starting quarterback next week anyway. Reports of a fued on the sideline between Fisher and Young have sparked rumors of Young's future in Tennessee.

Fantasy Impact: ESPN's Chris Mortensen said that he believes that Titan's ownership will have to choose between Young and Fisher for next season because of this heated arguement. If this is the case, Young will probably be the one to get the boot. Either way, drop him and grab another quarterback in fantasy leagues while there's still a chance.



Viewer’s Guide: NFL Week 12 TV Schedule and Announcer Assignments

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The highlight of the NFL Week 12 schedule, as always, is the Thanksgiving Day slate of games. With Dallas’ reemergence under Jason Garrett and Detroit’s competitiveness this season, it’s possible the two early games could be quite entertaining. And with the Jets playing everyone down to the wire, there is also a good chance of a good Thanksgiving night game as well.

As for Sunday, there are a couple of key NFC battles to keep an eye on. Philly travels to Chicago and Green Bay travels to Atlanta in battles of possible playoff teams. Another surprising game between possible playoff teams is the Jags-Giants battle. We’ll see New York can limit the turnovers enough to steal a win without its two top receivers.

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This graphic about the NFL in 2010 will blow your mind.

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The image below, which was created by Reddit user danchan22 and that I found here, is absolutely the single greatest summation of the 2010 NFL season that I can imagine.

If you don’t get it at first, keep looking. You will. And your mind will be blown.

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Today’s reason why I miss college: Creative Christmas Trees

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Throughout my day on the Interwebs, I often stumble upon images or stories that make me miss college. For example, a few weeks back I shared this photo I found of two dudes playing Battleshots. And a few weeks before that, I posted this picture of the world’s most comfortable toilet, created by a couple of engineering students at Baylor.

Today we get into the holiday spirit for another edition of Today’s Reason Why I Miss College.

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Brad Childress Fired – Thank Jason Garrett

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First off, I’d like to introduce myself as the newest writer here at MSF. I run a full-time soccer blog called The Trapped Fan which focuses on international soccer as well as sharing classic matches for all to enjoy. Recently I was introduced to Jerod via a co-worker and I approached him, being a Minnesota native and a University of Minnesota graduate living in Dallas, about writing for MSF from time to time so I can write about my other passion – pro football. He was kind enough to let me and I hope you guys enjoy my ramblings…

Anyways… back on topic…

The day has come for Vikings fans to rejoice – Brad Childress is no longer the head coach. After a horrible loss to the Green Bay Packers in Week 11, which let’s be honest, could have been a lot closer of a game if the defense showed up or Favre could hit open receivers, Childress was canned yesterday by owner Zygi Wilf. Defensive coordinator Leslie Fraizer was named the interim head coach.

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Fantasy Football Week 12 Player Rankings

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Update: These rankings are from Tuesday. To see my updated rankings, posted Friday, click here.

Getting these rankings out early (along with this week’s Start em, Sit em post and the Week 12 waiver wire sleepers) is obviously extra important this week with three games coming on Thursday. Thanksgiving Week is always one of the toughest of the year for fantasy owners, as a multitude of decisions have to be made without as much information as we normally have.

But have no fear. I’ve dug into the stats and matchups to give you my opinion on the general ranks of players. And here is another general rule of thumb to use and you peruse this list: if you are trying to decide between two players and they are within 1-5 spots of eachother, go with your gut.

You’ll always feel better when you trust your gut and it works out, and you’ll beat yourself if you go against your gut and it doesn’t. This is your team and these are your decisions, so make sure that if you’re going to go down that you go down fighting with the guys you believe in.

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Fantasy Football Week 12 Start / Sit Picks and Analysis

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Well, it’s getting down to crunch time for my team in the P&G-sponsored Blogger Fantasy Football League*. Coming into Week 11, I was just a game behind the two leaders of my division, needing to crack the top two to make the playoffs.

Unfortunately, my team threw up a dud, scoring just 80.28 points. It led to a blowout loss to a team that had been 3-7 before facing me. Strong performances from Matt Ryan, MJD, and the unstoppable Dwayne Bowe did me in as Brandon Marshall, Dan Carpenter, Adrian Peterson, and Eli Manning all let me down.

What’s sad is that had I played Ryan Fitzpatrick over Eli and BenJarvus Green-Ellis or Mike Goodson over Adrian Peterson, the matchup would have been much closer. But I do not second guess myself for either choice, especially the Peterson start. He starts every week. Had I decided to get cute and start The Lawfirm over Peterson, it would have been right in this singular instance but still decidedly the wrong move in all but the most myopic of viewpoints. Hopefully you agree.

That’s my philosophy in a nutshell, as I’m sure you’ve realized if you read this site regularly. I harp on it over and over because I don’t think it can be harped on enough. Play your stars until they force your hand.

Adrian Peterson has been very good this year, mostly consistent, and is so explosive that he could score 25 points any week against any defense. A little dip won’t sour me on him, even a two-week dip, nor should it sour you on him.

Marshall, on the other hand, is a totally different story. He’s parlayed a top-10 target total into one measly touchdown. And with Tyler Thigpen looking like a deer in headlights against Chicago, I’m now more worried than before about Marshall’s long-term prospects for this season.

Brandon Marshall has actually been listed as a sit two straight weeks in this column, and both times I was right. Unfortunately, I lack WR depth on my BFL team, so I’ve had to play him. Now that I have Sidney Rice and Vincent Jackson back, perhaps it will light a fire under Marshall’s ass and get him going.

Oh wait, it doesn’t quite work like that, does it?. They aren’t actually teammates and I’m not actually their coach/GM. Anyone else get confused about this by the time Week 12 rolls around?

With that said, let’s just move along now.

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Nicks out at least three weeks

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Update: The Associated Press is reporting that Giants wide receiver Hakeem Nicks will be sidelined for at least the next three weeks with compartment syndrome in his lower right leg. Derek Hagan will most likely replace Nicks in the starting lineup.

Fantasy Impact: With Steve Smith guaranteed to miss at least one more game, second-year wideout Ramses Barden out for the season, and a mangled left side of the offensive line, this could not have come at a worse time. Yet, as head coach Tom Coughlin said Monday, New York would have had a very good chance to win Sunday’s game in Philadelphia had they committed less than five turnovers. Hagan was understandably rusty in his first action of the year against the Eagles and it’s imperative that he and Eli Manning find some chemistry as the G-Men prepare to host the Jaguars this week. There are a lot of mistakes up and down the roster that must be corrected if the Giants are going to reach the playoffs, let alone make a deep run.



Nicks out at least three weeks

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Update: The Associated Press is reporting that Giants wide receiver Hakeem Nicks will be sidelined for at least the next three weeks with compartment syndrome in his lower right leg. Derek Hagan will most likely replace Nicks in the starting lineup.

Fantasy Impact: With Steve Smith guaranteed to miss at least one more game, second-year wideout Ramses Barden out for the season, and a mangled left side of the offensive line, this could not have come at a worse time. Yet, as head coach Tom Coughlin said Monday, New York would have had a very good chance to win Sunday’s game in Philadelphia had they committed less than five turnovers. Hagan was understandably rusty in his first action of the year against the Eagles and it’s imperative that he and Eli Manning find some chemistry as the G-Men prepare to host the Jaguars this week. There are a lot of mistakes up and down the roster that must be corrected if the Giants are going to reach the playoffs, let alone make a deep run.



This Week’s College Football Point Spreads & TV Schedule for Thanksgiving Week 13 – Saturday, November 27th

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Week 13 of the college football season, also known as Thanksgiving week, is here. With each passing week the BCS and bowl game picture becomes clearer as the conference standings take shape and conference title games loom on the horizon. But this week is an exciting one even for those without bowl prospects because at least they have their rivalry game. I’m looking at you Indiana and Purdue.

Of course, most of the nation will not care who captures the Old Oaken Bucket. They will, however, care who wins the Alabama-Auburn matchup, the LSU-Arkansas game, Oklahoma-Oklahoma State, and many other important games with national ramifications. Check out this week’s TV schedule to find out which college football games you need to be watching starting on Thanksgiving and going through Saturday, November 27th.

Here are some of the marquee college football games to look at this week, then the entire college football TV schedule and point spreads for Week 13.

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College Football Thanksgiving Day and Weekend Schedule for 2010

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This post is from 2010!

If you accidentally landed here, click to view all of our 2011 Thanksgiving Day content, including the Thanksgiving Day Football Schedule.

When we think of Thanksgiving Day football, most of us probably think immediately and exclusively of the NFL, and with good reason. The Lions and Cowboys are Thanksgiving Day institutions, with each team playing nationally televised games during the day while the cooking, congregating, and camaraderie (and the eating, of course) of Thanksgiving is taking place.

But the football doesn’t end after the Cowboys game. In fact, the NFL’s traditional Thanksgiving slate is just the beginning of a huge weekend of football, with the college game taking the baton and running with it from Thursday night through Saturday.

In this post, I’ll highlight college football’s one Thanksgiving Day game – a historic, always-heated rivalry – and then run down the most important games on Thanksgiving Friday as well.

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Photo Story: Music City Madness – A Day Behind the Scenes with the Dysfunctional Titans

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Yesterday, Vince Young reportedly threw an epic tantrum that included throwing his pads into the stands and storming out of the locker room after exchanging words with his coach, Jeff Fisher. This prompted Fisher to say that even when Young is healthy (he has a hand injury) he will no longer be the teams’ quarterback.

Coincidentally, or perhaps not coincidentally, this comes on the heels of Randy Moss joining the team two weeks ago. The erstwhile superstar has now caught just one pass in the two games he has played for the Titans and has just 23 receptions on the season.

With so much drama currently swirling around Nashville, I decided to head down there today with my camera and magic editing/transcription device. I wanted to capture the essence of the dysfunction for you, my loyal reader. Here is a taste.

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Will Davis Done For The Year

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Update: The Arizona Cardinals have lost OLB Will Davis for the season after he sustained a broken leg on Sunday. Davis was starting in place of the injured Clark Haggans, who is expected to return from injury next week.

Fantasy Impact: In 10 games Davis has recorded just 12 tackles, which is a very poor total. However, losing depth is never a good thing, especially for a struggling defense.



Hobbs Done For The Season

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Update: CSNPhilly.com reports that Philadelphia Eagles CB Ellis Hobbs will miss the remainder of the season with a neck injury. Hobbs was taken off the field last night on a stretcher following a helmet-to-helmet hit.

Fantasy Impact: Hobbs lost his starting job at corner a couple of weeks ago, but losing Hobbs for the season will still have an impact. He is an excellent kick returner and provides much needed depth in the secondary.