Earlier this week, our NFL betting picks featured primarily AFC teams. Let’s switch it up and make some football predictions for the NFC to help you prep for the weekend.
We are now more than 2 1/2 years into the NFL careers of the players who were drafted in 2007.
If you scroll down the list of first round draftees, several names will jump out at you of players who have already carved out solid beginnings to their careers.
In a few cases, some of the first round draftees from 2007 have proven to be franchise cornerstones worthy of high picks: Calvin Johnson, Joe Thomas, Adrian Peterson, Patrick Willis, Darrelle Revis, Ted Ginn Jr, to name a few.
In other cases, however, the players drafted in 2007 have proven to be worth far less than what their draft position might suggest. This is no more evident than with respect to the two QBs drafted in the first round in 2007: JaMarcus Russell and Brady Quinn.
My goodness, what wasted first round picks those two are proving to be.
And amazingly, Russell and Quinn are not alone. Several other QBs were taken in 2007, none of whom have amounted to much of anything. Let’s review the carnage.
It’s Friday, so let’s run down the latest news on the most pertinent injuries affecting the Week 11 fantasy football landscape.
Everyone knows by now that Brian Westbrook is out for this week and maybe many more weeks. Here is the news on the other injured running backs.
Cedric Benson Week 11 Injury Status Update: The surprise fantasy stud of 2009 still has not practiced this week and it is looking more and more like he will be out against Oakland on Sunday. This stinks for Benson owners because the Raiders are terrible against the run.
A couple of things struck me recently regarding how bad things are in 2009 for the Cleveland Browns and their fans.
Anyone who has watched a game this season knows just how bad the team is, but a few things have happened this week that go beyond the offensive offensive numbers (repetition intended) and the record to truly illustrate what a putrid season this has become.
First off, there may be no bigger indictment of the sorry state of the Browns than this: the Detroit Lions, a team that went 0-16 a year ago and has won only one game this year, is a 3.5 point favorite over the Browns this weekend.
But wait…there’s more.
Today is the third Thursday in November, which means one thing and one thing only to me and many of you reading this: we are now officially one week away from the greatest meal of the year.
We are also one week away from a day when it is generally accepted in most households that the TV will be tuned to football all day long.
And, of course, we’re one week away from being able to share a wonderful day with friends and family and let them know that we are thankful for their presence in our lives.
But you don’t need our help with that. You’re here for one thing and one thing only: the Thanksgiving Day TV schedule for the NFL and college football games that will accompany our turkey, stuffing, pumpkin pie, and eventual food coma.
Let’s get right to it.
Week 10 has passed and fantasy owners are on the grind to get over the top and make a run to either lock up a playoff spot, or are trying to thrash their way into a playoff spot.
Regardless of your position, you are here to see what week 11 has in store, so let’s get to it with our weekly play ‘em/bench ‘em feature here at MSF.
Among the players featured this week: Beanie Wells, Kellen Winslow, Steve Smith (Panthers), Knowshon Moreno, Marshawn Lynch, and Roy Williams.
NFL odds are strange beasts, aren’t they? One week we dominate with our predictions; the next week we fall flat. After the Bears and Cowboys burned us in Week 10, it’s time for redemption.
Try these football picks on for size. We look at the upcoming Dolphins-Panthers Thursday night game, plus the Steelers-Chiefs and Bengals-Raiders matchups on Sunday.
There is no joy in Cleveland, the mighty Quinn has gone three and out; kick return man and wildcat Cribbs has gone down.
A fan at Cleveland Browns Stadium for the Monday Night debacle against the Ravens, held up a sign that said it all: “Hey, Baltimore, can you take this team, too?”
After suffering through another day of depression and frustration over the state of these Cleveland Browns’ pretenders, (remember, the Browns did not “come back” in 1999; late owner Al Lerner accepted a nameless, nearly talent-less expansion team and named it the Browns), Browns fans’ hope the end of the nine-game Coach Eric Mangini Era is near.
So last week our dearest editor, Jerod Morris, decided to take a brutal and vicious attack at my power rankings, claiming I didn’t have the stones to pick a first place team or give credit to two teams in 14th and 15th places.
[Editor's note: Honestly, it's not just that you didn't have the stones to make the tough choices last week; it's that you don't have stones...period.]
This week, I have risen to his challenge, and chosen a clear-cut 1st place team as well as giving 14th and 15th places to deserving teams.
[Editor's note: Round of applause everybody! The guy doing the Power Rankings picked someone at #'s 1, 14, and 15! All right! Anyone got a cookie for Myles?]
However, now I am going to issue our editor-in-chief a challenge of my own. Each week he throws in his editors’ notes, criticizing my rankings, only because of his bitterness that his Cleveland Browns have only one win in nine weeks.
My challenge: I challenge you, Jerod Morris, to give us YOUR top 15 teams, and allow ME to edit next week’s post. The gauntlet has been thrown J-Rod, do you accept:
[Editor's note: Sure, whatever. I accept. But trying to produce better Power Rankings than you is like playing quarterback better than Brady Quinn and Derek Anderson. It's not really a challenge.]
Onto the Week 11 Power Rankings:
1. Indianapolis Colts (Last 1 [0])
Yet another “Bullitt” the Colts have dodged. Or should I say the “Bullitt” stopped the Colts from losing their first of the year.
Via KCChiefsBlog.com, Chiefs WR Dwayne Bowe has been suspended for using performance enhancing drugs.
His suspension will reportedly begin immediately.
Week 10 is gone and you are now one of four people.
You are one of the few who are cruising your way into the playoffs, in the driver’s seat, in first place…
Or are you the one who would be in the playoffs right now if the season ended today, but you have three weeks left and a ton of pressure from the teams right below you…
Or you are one of the many who are clawing their way from being one of the non-playoff teams and trying everything to move into one of the final playoff spots…
Or is your season done and now you are just trying to screw everyone else.
Regardless of which one you are, (hopefully you’re in groups one through three) you are reading this because you are looking for more information to help you this week.
So who are this week’s sleepers and waiver wire steals?
The Browns got their asses handed to them again last night in another embarrassing offensive performance that culminated in a 16-0 shutout.
But nothing the offense did (or didn’t do) could match the collective fear and frustration felt when Josh Cribbs needlessly went down on the last play of the game and then had to be taken off the field on a stretcher.
Let’s forget for a moment how asinine it was for the team to run a “hook and ladder” play with the game out of reach and get to the important stuff: this morning’s Josh Cribbs injury update.
The latest Cribbs injury update, according to the Plain-Dealer, is that Cribbs was taken to the hospital immediately after last night’s game and is being evaluated for a concussion.
BAM! Now that’s what I call a comeback.
After two straight sub-.500 weeks that had me one more really bad week away from the .500 line for the year, I dominated in Week 10. After a 12-3 record picking against the spread, I am now up to 78-58 on the year, which is a very solid 57% success rate.
With how zany and unpredictable the NFL is, and considering the fact that I pick these games based on gut instinct at the beginning of the week, I will take that all day long.
But there is no time to revel in past glory. It’s already Tuesday morning and another week of NFL football starts in less than 72 hours on Thursday night.
As always, here is your TV schedule, announcer lineup, and spread picks for each game.
I knew that if I stuck with Jamaal Charles long enough that he would come through for me; and come through he did. Not that it should be all that surprising, but Charles carved up the Raiders’ D for 100+ yards and a touchdown.
The question now becomes whether or not Charles is a must-start on a go forward basis. Most weeks he may be, but you certainly have to wonder about him this week with the Pittsburgh Steelers on the schedule.
I’ll tell you one guy I wouldn’t question in Week 11: Ricky Williams. He should be a guy you’re playing most weeks anyway, but with Ronnie Brown’s status in doubt for Thursday night, Ricky’s value skyrockets.
As I try to do every week, I’ll make my best attempt to steer you in the right direction about Charles, Williams, and a host of other players. That’s what this post is all about, so let’s get to it.
NFL betting started early for Week 10 with the Thursday nighters back in town. We already prepped you for Bears/49ers, Cowboys/Packers and Patriots/Colts and Jerod picked every game in his Week 10 picks and TV schedule post.
It’s time now to make a few more NFL picks for some of the other key matchups in Week 10.
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Best of Midwest sports betting websites here, along with online casinos and games.
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