A sports blog by and for Midwest Sports Fans
I usually watch every minute of every 49ers game, but I had to miss yesterday’s because of Indiana’s home game against Stetson and my ensuing Assembly Call duty.
Immediately after the show ended, I called my dad to get a recap of the game and my mom jumped on the phone to tell me about something hilarious that 49ers rookie Aldon Smith did.
Matt Forte and any underpaid star athlete’s biggest fear – sustaining a serious injury before securing a contract extension – may have, unfortunately, come true earlier today.
Sorry for the late posting on this. But better late than never, right?
Here is the TV schedule and announcer assignment breakdown for Week 13.
As we do every week, we are tackling your start/sit questions in this comment section all the way through Sunday when we host our pre-kickoff live chat (bookmark this link). And, of course, Andy Bottoms outlined a number of players you should be scouring your waiver wire to attain.
Now, via our friends at PlayThisGuy.com, comes this rundown of player rankings for Week 13. Instead of us just giving you what we think, this gives you a chance to see what the fantasy football analyst community at large things about players heading into Week 13.
Jerod Morris has been benched.
Actually, Jerod Morris has gone Jay Cutler and benched himself. He hasn’t hinted himself as being out for the season (like Jay has), but he has taken his lumps picking games ATS and has called on me to pinch-hit this week.
I can’t believe it’s already week 13 of the football season. I felt like just a few days ago we wondering if the lockout would end in time for the season. It’s crunch time now for fantasy teams as we fast approach the playoffs for the fantasy league.
Let’s take a look at the crucial injuries for this week’s games.
We as a culture of NFL writers and fans need to find something else to talk about other than Tim Tebow and Ndamukong Suh.
I’m not saying to eliminate them as a topic altogether, because obviously they are leading stories week to week in the NFL. What I’m saying is there has to be something else to talk about.
With the fantasy playoffs just around the corner, every week is critical.
Unfortunately, at this point in the season there aren’t too many gems left out on the waiver wire with the exception of those who gain value because of injury.
Still, there are a handful of players out there who just might put you over the top based on their recent play, favorable matchups, or both.
The highlight of the NFL Week 13 TV schedule is pretty obvious at first glance: the primetime games. Baltimore and Pittsburgh renew their bloodbath of a rivalry on Sunday, and then the Jets travel to New England to battle the Patriots on Monday Night Football.
If you are not excited for those two games – independent of rooting interest, betting interest, or fantasy football interest – then I would say you aren’t really a fan of the NFL. You may be a fan of a team or of certain aspects of the league, but if you can’t get excited to watch these games then you must not have a pure love of the sport and the league.
But those aren’t the only games happening this week. There are some other key battles too. Plan your NFL viewing Sunday with the viewer’s guide below.
Editor’s Note: AJ Kaufman’s weekly MNF coverage on MSF is sponsored by Sadler’s Smokehouse, a producer of premium pit smoked meats that are best described by Sadler’s slogan: Legendary since 1948.
Sadler’s premium meats are perfect for tailgating on Saturday, for grilling out at home on Sunday, or for when you are hosting a group of friends, or even just the family, on Monday night.
With a variety of delicious choices (beef, pork, ribs, turkey, brisket, and more) and availability at grocery stores throughout the U.S., Sadler’s meats are the tasty, convenient choice when you want to watch the big game and eat well while you’re doing it.
Check out Sadler’s Monday Night Football Recipe of the Week: Sadler’s Smokehouse Shaved Pork Quesadillas
Visit the Sadler’s Smokehouse website: Sadler’s Smokehouse
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One can only marvel at Charles Woodson’s career journey.
After seven injury plagued seasons in Oakland, Woodson rightfully earned the reputation of a “bust.” The Packers were even widely criticized for offering him a whopping seven-year, $52 million dollar contract before the 2006 season, and the consensus throughout the league was that Woodson wouldn’t even make it through half of that contract.
It’s therefore amazing what a difference a mere four years can make.
The Jets and Bills kicked of the Week 13 fantasy action last night with a thrilling game won by New York. The big story this morning is the health of Mark Sanchez’s knee, which he injured diving for a first down, and his coach’s displeasure with the extra effort.
Whether Sanchez is healthy or not moving forward, it is not going to impact too many fantasy playoff situations. Something tells me that if you were relying on “Sanchise” at the QB position, you probably faded from playoff contention long ago.
There are, however, plenty of other injuries that will have a significant impact this week and moving forward. As we do every Friday, let’s roll through the most important of these injuries, game-by-game, including Kurt Warner, who the Cardinals hope can go Sunday night against Minnesota.
The Florida Alabama odds are probably the biggest TV-viewing and football-betting draw this week – who isn’t going to watch that game – but the NFL is getting very interesting too. Here’s a first look at early action from Week 13, including the Thursday nighter, which Toronto’s Rogers Center will host.
Update: The NFL Week 17 TV schedule, point spreads, and picks post is up.
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As you know if you’ve been following these posts, I’ve been on a hot streak lately after having a couple of down weeks. a 22-9 record over the last two weeks put the .500 mark well in my rearview mirror.
Week 12 has been solid so far (posting this before SNF game starts), picking eight of the 14 games right with the Baltimore-Pittsburgh and Patriots-Saints games still to go.
Update: I went 1-1 in the PrimeTime games, finishing 9-7 for the week. Cumulative record is now 97-71.
As we look ahead to Week 13, a couple of key games jump out at me right off the bat.
First, surging Tennessee travels to Indianapolis to take on the 11-0 Colts. This should be a fascinating game between two QBs who are playing superbly right now, but whose styles could not be more different.
Second, the Giants and the Cowboys clash in what is essentially an elimination game for New York. Should Dallas win, the Giants’ playoff hopes are basically dashed. However, Eli and Co. can reassert themselves with a win, as they would then be one game back of Dallas and hold the tiebreaker.
Let’s go game-by-game and look at the the TV info, spreads, and picks for each.
