WR Bryant has surgery, out for year

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Update: ESPN.com is reporting that Dallas Cowboys WR Dez Bryant underwent surgery Monday to repair a fractured right fibula (leg). Bryant suffered the injury Sunday against the Indianapolis Colts. The surgery came less than 24 hours after he hurt his leg. He will miss the remainder of the season.

Fantasy Impact: Bryant was starting to emerge as a threat at wide receiver despite the Cowboys' poor start to the season. Drop him and pick up a different receiver if there's still time before fantasy playoffs.



Unique Christmas Gift Idea: The Beard Hat

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zach-galifianakis

One of my goals every Christmas is to try to find unique gifts for people. There is nothing necessarily wrong with buying DVDs or books or things that people have specifically asked for, but it does create a less than thrilling Christmas Day experience.

The way I see it, we all only have so many post-unwrap reactions and expressions at our disposal, and by the time we get into our late 20s, we’ve used them all so often that they are burned into our muscle memory like a jump shot or a golf swing. My goal is to, where possible, get people gifts that will create a genuine reaction of excitement and/or surprise.

The nice thing about having this little corner of the Internet universe at my disposal is that I can share with you some of the more unique, interesting, and relevant gift ideas that I find. I plan to do a few of these posts as the Christmas Day approaches, whenever I find something worthwhile, and we’ll kick it off today with a fun solution for anyone who has ever dreamed of walking out of their house on a cold Winter’s day looking like Zach Galifianakis.

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Email the author of this post: jerod@midwestsportsfans.com



Peyton Favre? Now That’s Something

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peyton-manning-interception

It kills me. It absolutely kills me to write this.

But the charade can’t go on any longer.

I guess everyone has to lose it eventually, but it never stops being sad. I’ll never forget watching Jordan score only 6 points against the Pacers as a Washington Wizard. Seeing Griffey fade into mediocrity was one of the saddest developments of the steroid era. Even the invincible Tiger Woods is just lacking something right now.

But when it’s your favorite guy from your favorite team, it’s not supposed to happen.

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Jon Washburn @The_Dr_Twitch

Concordia University, St. Paul Completes One of the Rarest Feats in Sports: the Four-Peat

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[Editor's note: Saturday evening, I received an email from William Schultz asking me if I'd be interested in a story about women's volleyball. As regular readers of MSF know, we do not often dabble in women's volleyball.

However, when he told me that the story involved a team winning four national championships in a row, well, I was immediately excited about that sharing that story and providing proper recognition for such sustained excellence.

So Williams sent me the article below, which I am very excited to post. What a terrific story and certainly and achievement worth celebrating and applauding.]

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One national championship? Awesome.

Two? Even better.

Three? Ridiculous.

Four? Unheard of.

Four in-a-row? Unbelievable.

Yet that is exactly what was accomplished on Saturday, December 4th by the Women’s Volleyball team at Concordia University, St. Paul (CSP).

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Email the author of this post: jerod@midwestsportsfans.com



Fantasy Football Week 14 Sleepers

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With Week 13 close to being in the books, I am sure that we will have lost another chunk of our readership. Not because the advice we’ve given has been poor (at least, I hope not!), but because with only one week left in most leagues’ regular seasons, the number of people scrambling for roster advice will now be diminished as more teams get eliminated.

And while my team in the P&G-sponsored Blogger Fantasy Football League* is hanging by the thinnest of threads, I am still in playoff contention of each of my five other leagues. Thus, you know I’m scouring the waiver wire for any player who will give me an advantage.

This column includes the fruits of that research, and it will hopefully assist you in finding some guys who can help you get into the playoffs and do well once you’re there.

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Email the author of this post: jerod@midwestsportsfans.com



Dez Bryant leaves game with ankle injury

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Update: Michael Fabiano is reporting that Cowboys WR Dez Bryant has left the game against the Colts in the 4th quarter with an ankle injury. Bryant was returning a kick and his leg got tied up in a tackle. He didn't look good and he had to be helped off the field.

Fantasy Impact: Just before the return, Bryant returned a kick to about the opponent's 20 yard line, but was called back. Bryant is the Cowboy's playmaker on offense and his absence will be missed. If he injured the same ankle he did in the preseason, Bryant could be out for at least a few weeks.



Favre still the starter if healthy

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Update: Rotoworld.com is reporting that Vikings Coach Leslie Frazier said that Brett Favre is still the Vikings starting QB if he is healthy next week. Favre was knocked out of the game on the first possession of today's game and never returned. Tavaris Jackson continued to lead the Vikes to a blowout win over the Bills.

Fantasy Impact: Favre has not had the type of season he would like to have retired on. It is not clear whether he will come back next year. As for the rest of this year, Tavaris Jackson looks like the obvious choice to overtake the QB position. Fans cheered when Jackson came onto the field, and he did not dissapoint. However, with Frazier staying with Favre, he'll likely be out there next week, as it's only a shoulder sprain that he suffered today.



Vikes Peterson and Rice dominate in win

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Update: Adrian Peterson and Sidney Rice both had big games in the Vikings' win over Buffalo today. Peterson had 108 total yards and 3 TDs. Rice had 105 yards on 5 catches and 2 scores.

Fantasy Impact: Favre was knocked out of this game early on the first drive and never returned. This could be a good sign for these two players. If Favre is hurt, the Vikings will run the bulk of the offense through AP, even more than usual. Also, Tavaris Jackson looked like he had a good connection with Rice on the field. Rice, who has only played a couple of games this season, finally broke out with a big game.



Chargers Gates is active

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Update: Rotoworld.com is reporting that Chargers TE Antonio Gates is active today and will play against the Raiders. Gates was listed as "Out" on the team's website earlier. Apparently that was a mistake. Gates was listed as questionable with a foot injury.

Fantasy Impact: It has been back and forth whether we'll see Gates today. Now we just have to see how much he will play. If you have Gates on your team, you have to start him. Every time he touches the ball, he's got a chance to make a big play. Make sure he's in your lineup.



Kenny Britt expected back next week

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Update: Chris Mortensen on Twitter is reporting that Titans WR Kenny Britt is expected to return for next weekend's game. Britt is out today still with his hamstring injury, but he did practice this week.

Fantasy Impact: Britt has looked good in practice according to sources. He was only held out today for precautionary reasons. Maybe with his return to the starting lineup, Randy Moss can catch some balls and get some more targets. Defenses will now have to focus on two great WRs when Britt returns.



Favre knocked out of game early

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Update: Jason La Canfora of the NFL Network is reporting that Vikings QB Brett Favre has been knocked out of the game early in the first quarter. Tavaris Jackson has taken over on their opening drive.

Fantasy Impact: La Canfora said that Favre got hit from behind. Favre still has not been playing well. The only reason why the Vikings are getting wins is because of Adrian Peterson. Favre's return looks questionable.



Colts WR Collie out again

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Update: Adam Schefter is reporting that Colts WR Austin Collie is out for the second straight week. He is still suffering effects from a concussion he got a few weeks ago against the Eagles. He tried to come back two weeks ago and it was obvious that he was not ready to come back.

Fantasy Impact: Colts Coach Jim Caldwell said they would bring Collie back "rather conservatively." Collie did get limited practice in this week so I would assume he should be good to go for their week 14 game. The Colts are in dire need for Collie's services. Pierre Garcon is not having the year he had last year. Reggie Wayne cannot do it all by himself.



Brandon Marshall inactive

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Update: Jay Glazer of Fox Sports is reporting that Dolphins WR Brandon Marshall is inactive today and will not play against the Browns. This will be Marshall's second straight game missed due to his hamstring injury.

Fantasy Impact: Marshall has had a quiet for season with Miami, most likely due to his hamstring injury and also the inconsistency at the QB position. Marshall did practice this week, so hopefully he's back at full strength for next week.



Haynesworth won’t play today

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Update: Kelli Johnson of CSN Washington is reporting that Redskins Coach Mike Shanahan has deactivated DT Albert Haynesworth for today's game vs. the Giants. Haynesworth had been held out of Friday's practice because he was sick.

Fantasy Impact: The whole Haynesworth project hasn't quite worked out so far for Mike Shanahan. The Redskins are ranked as one of the worse defenses in the league. Haynesworth is one of the best DTs in the league. He should play much more than he is. The 'Skins are paying him 100 million dollars. Use him. He must be really sick if he has to sit out an NFL game for it.



Saints RB Bush a good start today

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Update: Rotoworld.com is reporting that Reggie Bush's leg is not 100% yet, but he will be playing and most likely starting. Pierre Thomas is out yet again so Bush should see a lot of carries "early and often."

Fantasy Impact: Bush only got 1 catch and 1 rush last week in his return from a broken leg. Bush should benefit from Pierre Thomas being out once again and should be a goof flex option today against a Bengals team that gives up a lot of points on the ground.