Month: October 2017

How blocking will affect matchups in fantasy football Week 7

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The fantasy football world has lagged behind when it comes to effectively measuring the impact blocking has on production, so I devised a grading system that uses multiple advanced metrics to project how blocking matchups will impact performance in the upcoming week’s contests. (The details of the system can be found here.)

Then Dwayne Harris fractured his foot and was ruled out.

The worst news, though, came in the fourth quarter when star receiver Odell Beckham Jr. injured his ankle and was carted off. He is expected to undergo surgery on his fractured ankle.

What does this mean for the Giants? The Giants haven’t been good offensively this season. Losing their four wide receivers — including their best one — certainly didn’t help them as they fell to 0-5 in the 27-22 loss to the Chargers.

Coming into Sunday, the 33-year-old Marshall had 16 receptions on 30 targets for 139 yards. Shepard came into Sunday’s game as the Giants’ leading receiver with 254 yards and one touchdown.

Beckham led all receivers in the game with 97 yards a touchdown.

“That first game, nobody really knew how good he was going to be,” Hillenmeyer told me in 2013. “He runs really hard, but there’s a lot of big, fast guys who can run over you and make you miss and do all those kinds of things. But for some reason he just takes it to another level.”

There was nothing flukey about the second touchdown. Now in the 3rd quarter, still tied at 14, the Vikings had 1st and 10 at their own 27. Peterson took the handoff running right. To his left was Ricky Manning Jr., unblocked.

“On the one play, I had an outside blitz-contain,” Manning said after the game. “I have to read it better. I have to make that play. I put that all on me. Like I said, we missed a lot of tackles.”

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Vikings’ 1st-and-40 was the longest first down since 1997

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The main takeaway from the Packers vs. Vikings game on Sunday was the injury to Aaron Rodgers, and how could it not be, right? The NFL’s best quarterback went down with a season-ending injury. Nothing else really matters beyond that.

However, the first-and-40 (that’s not a typo) the Vikings were faced with was the longest of its kind since 1997 when there was a first-and-44, according to Pro Football Reference.

“It’s amazing,” Peterson said. “You think about the first four weeks and sitting on the sideline. First time in my career averaging less than 10 plays a game for four weeks, and then for this opportunity for the trade to happen and then to come back my first game and be named NFC player of the week.

“It’s like a story that you see in a book.”

Peterson carried the ball 26 times during the Cardinals’ 38-33 victory over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. He had just 27 carries in the first four games of the season with the New Orleans Saints. He didn’t have more than nine carries in a game.

“It’s a blessing,” Peterson said of his new situation. “I’m just thankful for all the people that’s been praying for me and keeping me up. There were times I was down mentally but just kept the faith and kept believing and kept working, and the opportunity came and I was able to take advantage of it. It’s nice. It’s something I’ll remember for sure.”

Peterson, 32, spent the first 10 years of his career with the Minnesota Vikings, rushing for 11,747 yards. He was the league MVP in 2012, when he rushed for 2,097 yards.falcons_005

Green appreciates the confidence Lue instills in him.

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Cody Bellinger homered, drove in two runs and flipped over a dugout railing to steal an out for a dominant Yu Darvish, helping the Dodgers beat the Arizona Diamondbacks 3-1 Monday night to finish a three-game sweep in their NL Division Series.

He’s proved enough so far in training camp to leapfrog Channing Frye in Lue’s rotation.

“We talked, me and Channing, I was like, ‘Man, I’m sorry,'” Lue said. “He said, ‘Listen, I’m very excited about our team, not too many opportunities to get to play on a team like this.’ He said, ‘If I have to wear a suit all season for us to win, that’s what I’ll do.'”

Green will be a part of what’s considered the deepest Cavs bench since James returned to Cleveland in 2014. It’s a bench that desperately needed to be upgraded after the Golden State Warriors’ reserves outscored Cleveland’s substitutions 113-69 in their four Finals wins. Frye, who averaged 9.1 points in the regular season, barely played against Warriors because of matchup problems.

Then, off the court, I think, like a lot of the great players and a lot of the players that have been able to sustain success over a long period of time, I think they don’t realize how much time and energy he puts into his craft. How much he prepares. His preparation starts every morning when he gets up with what he’s eating, he’s constantly learning and trying to get better. I think people have an idea and say, ‘Oh, Al’s very professional.’ Being professional is like a full-time job and his full-time job is not just during the season, it’s in the offseason. I think people have an idea but not to the extreme.
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Al Horford has significant value to Boston Celtics

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For the final night of the Boston Celtics’ training camp sojourn last week in pristine Newport, Rhode Island, Al Horford herded nearly half of Boston’s roster to Sayers Wharf for dinner at The Mooring Seafood Kitchen & Bar. After a pair of intense two-a-day workouts, players relaxed while nibbling on the restaurant’s famed Bag of Doughnuts (lobster, crab, and shrimp fritters) and shared stories while mindlessly building the off-the-court chemistry this team so desperately needs after an unprecedented roster overhaul this summer.

With Max Scherzer nursing his own right hamstring injury, Strasburg started the series opener on Friday and turned in a dominant performance. The right-hander was working on a no-hitter before Kris Bryant and Anthony Rizzo hit consecutive RBI singles with two outs in the sixth inning.

Smith was pleased that his performance ended the long losing streak and plans to be an integral part of a Calgary team that should contend for the Pacific Division title.

“When you play a team that long and you’re not on the winning part of it, it gets old pretty fast,” Smith said. “I know I’ve been on teams where it’s happened to me so I wanted to help this team get over that hump. Tonight was a night where pucks were hitting me and we were able to get some goals. Our penalty kill was tremendous tonight. I’m just trying to be solid back there for this group. I’ve learned a lot over my career. One (thing) is just to look after what I can control. That’s going to be my job for this team.”

Up 3-0 with two on and one out in the second, Houston chased Doug Fister and Joe Kelly retired George Springer before Josh Reddick hit a long fly ball to right field that Mookie Betts caught at the top of the short wall to end the inning.tigers_050

The Red Sox forced a Game 4 after losing the first two games in Houston

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According to the filing to the National Labor Relations Board, “the employer, evidenced by repeated public statements, is attempting to threaten, coerce and intimidate all Dallas Cowboys players on the roster in order to prevent them from exercising concerted activity protected under the act by saying that he will fire any players involved in such concerted activity.”

Jason Garrett said Monday he hasn’t talked with Jerry Jones about the Cowboys owner’s comments that a player showing disrespect to the flag regarding the national anthem would not play.

Dallas Cowboys owner and general manager Jerry Jones said Sunday that the team will stand during the playing of the national anthem and not disrespect the flag, and that any player who does not comply will ride the bench.

“Obviously the winning is a big part of it, but I think Steph is probably the key,” Kerr said. “Even though everybody loves KD and Klay [Thompson], Draymond too, Steph is special. He’s magnetic. He’s everybody’s favorite no matter where we go whether it’s in the United States or China. People connect to Steph. I think it’s because of his personality; because he kind of looks like a normal person and not a superhero. He’s not that big, not that strong, and so a lot of people just relate to him. He’s got a great personality and he has fun out there all the time. People enjoy watching him.”

Chants of “MVP, MVP” rang out inside of both arenas as Curry rained down 3-pointers, including a 40-point performance on Sunday night in Shanghai.

“It’s a totally different animal out here,” Warriors center JaVale McGee said. “People love Steph in the States, but in China, they obsess over him, it’s crazy.”tigers_070

Pence basically made Lucas Oil Field into his own personal Mar-a-Lago.

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Funny thing about all this, too: Pence’s act came at taxpayer expense and inconvenience to Colts fans because of the extra security measures required for him to attend a game he never planned on attending from start to finish.

Before the game, Pence posted a photo showing him and his wife wearing Colts garb — a photo the Indianapolis Star reported he used back in 2014. The message along with it read, “Looking forward to cheering for our @Colts & honoring the great career of #18 Peyton Manning at @LucasOilStadium today. Go Colts!”

By going away in the fashion he did, Pence showed why he was really there — it was not to celebrate a far more beloved Indiana icon.

It’s Carson Palmer vs. Carson Wentz. Arizona has become a one-dimensional passing offense behind a shaky line, which is good and bad against Philadelphia. Palmer will get sacked several more times, but his receivers are bound to make a few big plays against a weak secondary. Wentz has a respectable running game behind him, but his mobility vs. that of his counterpart makes the difference.

Just when Le’Veon Bell gets going, the rest of Pittsburgh’s offense is suddenly in disarray and dysfunction. That means plenty more Bell against a Jacksonville defense that can give up chunk runs — see the Jets’ and Titans’ committees. It’s also the best way to avoid putting Ben Roethlisberger too much in front of Calais Campbell and Sacksonville, especially with A.J. Bouye and Jalen Ramsey ready to contain Antonio Brown and Martavis Bryant. Unfortunately for the Jags, after Leonard Fournette is slowed, Blake Bortles won’t avoid Blitzburgh.x (16)

49ers safety Eric Reid said he believed Pence’s actions were premeditated.

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“First of all, does anyone know the last time he’s been to a football game?” Reid said after the game. “OK, with that being said, he tweeted out a 3-year-old photo of him at a Colts game. So with the information that I have, the last time he’s been to a football game is three years ago. So this looks like a PR stunt to me.

“He knew our team has had the most players protest. He knew that we were probably going to do it again. This is what systemic oppression looks like. A man with power comes to the game, tweets a couple things out and leaves the game in an attempt to thwart our efforts. Based on the information I have, that’s the assumption I made.”

It wasn’t all bad news, though. Leonard Fournette extended what has been an outstanding year for rookie running backs, and Carson Wentz continued to show he’s one of the game’s best up-and-coming stars at quarterback.

As we do each week, we recap the week’s winners and losers from a fantasy perspective, complete with applicable game and historical data. Check back after the conclusion of the Sunday night game for more picks of the week’s best and worst.

The Stafford you see now is still hearing about that losing record against playoff teams, but he can throw eight fourth-quarter comebacks and game-winning drives back in the faces of his remaining critics. He has matured and developed well beyond that cannon to be a complete QB deserving of the highest-paid status. Consistent excellence is the gateway to “elite” passing, and Staff is knocking on that door. At 29, he has plenty of good years left to keep the Lions dueling with Aaron Rodgers, x (2)

Colts cap Peyton Manning festivities with number retirement

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The Colts put quarterback Peyton Manning into their Ring of Honor and officially retired his No. 18 jersey during halftime of Sunday’s game against the San Francisco 49ers.

“I’m here today because of a bunch of coaches and teammates I came across here almost 20 years ago to try to win a lot of football games,” Manning said. “We accomplished those goals.”

Irsay surprised the Lucas Oil Stadium crowd when he had Saturday snap the ball to Manning, who threw a touchdown pass to Wayne at the conclusion of the ceremony.

It even played out on HBO’s “Hard Knocks: Training Camp with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.” In one of the funnier scenes, Smith was in the training room getting ridiculed by teammates because he didn’t know what “Hakuna Matata” meant.

Center Joe Hawley asked, “Have you seen any movies? Give us a childhood movie you saw.”

Offensive guard Kevin Pamphile chimed in: “He’s never seen ‘Aladdin.'”

Winston asked: “‘Matilda’?”

Smith responded, “I’ve seen ‘Matilda.’ I haven’t seen ‘Aladdin.’ I’ve seen ‘Toy Story’ … I haven’t seen ‘Winnie the Pooh.'”

Hawley said, “‘Toy Story’ is great. You’ve saved your face a little bit.”

The Bucs are coming off a Thursday night game, which means Smith now has three full days to restore his childhood, get over Mufasa’s passing and discover the meaning behind “what a wonderful phrase.”x (4)

Chargers, other teams reached out to free agent CB Darrelle Revis

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The Los Angeles Chargers recently reached out to free-agent cornerback Darrelle Revis, league sources told ESPN.

Chargers cornerback Jason Verrett, who played 63 snaps in the opener before experiencing soreness in his left knee, will have surgery and is out for the season.
The Chargers were one of a handful of teams, according to league sources, that have contacted the seven-time Pro Bowler, who played for the New York Jets in 2016 before being released in the offseason.

Amendola’s absence leaves the Pats even thinner at wide receiver. They’ve already lost Julian Edelman for the season, and unless they promote a practice squad player, they’ll head into the Superdome with just three healthy players at the position — Brandin Cooks, Chris Hogan and Phillip Dorsett.

Also, someone will have to take over punt-return duties from Amendola.

In addition to Hightower and Amendola, special teams captain Matthew Slater (hamstring) and defensive lineman Vincent Valentine (knee) have also been ruled out for Sunday, per the report.

We don’t go out, the whole team doesn’t come out, then it’s easier for them to defend themselves, say, ‘Hey, it’s a team decision. I just did what the team did.’ You’re a good teammate, perfect, fine. But if you get out there and you ask a guy to kneel or sit, going against his values, going against his family, you put him in weird spots. So we never wanted to do that. We think we did a good job getting our message out and trying not to distract from it.” Sherman and the Seahawks stayed in the locker room for the anthem.
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Broncos LT Garett Bolles to start against Bills

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Denver Broncos rookie left tackle Garett Bolles will start against the Buffalo Bills on Sunday, one week after he was carted off the field with a lower-left-leg injury.

Bolles suffered the injury on a 5-yard run by Jamaal Charles when Dallas Cowboys defensive tackle Brian Price fell on Bolles’ left leg in the third quarter. Bolles stayed down on the ground after the play as the Broncos’ medical staff examined his leg. He then was taken to the locker room on a cart, raising his arms to acknowledge the Denver crowd.

Trump called for NFL owners to fire players who kneel during the playing of the national anthem. He has also urged fans to boycott games to force the teams to respect the flag and anthem.

The president made his first comments on the issue during a rally Friday night in Huntsville, Alabama, then followed up with tweets on Saturday and Sunday mornings.

The NFL is perplexed by the president’s comments.

“The overall issue had quieted down. This elevated it in a big way,” the official said. “Only seven of the 32 teams had shown any kind of protest last week, including 14 of 1,696 players on NFL rosters.”

That’s less than one percent of the players in the league.
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