hit counter

Top Five Fantasy QBs

May 29, 2009 by AlexV · 1 Comment 

Never too early for Fantasy Football!

Never too early for Fantasy Football!

1.  Tom Brady – You can think about that injury all you want, but when you factor in that a 100% Tom Brady threw for 50 TDs and over 4,800 yards with just 8 INTs, then the hampered mobility version of Brady can afford 5 to 10 less TDs and maybe 600 or so less yards. Don’t forget his team’s receiving core has been bolstered by Joey Galloway.

2. Drew Brees – It’s not wins that count in this game… it’s numbers. During his three year tenure in New Orleans, and because of the lack of production in the Saints’ running game, Drew Brees has 4,400+, 4,400+, and 5,000+ yards, with 26, 28, and 34 TDs all respectively. What he loses in a potentially high INT rate (11, 18, and 17 also respectively), he makes up for by averaging 289.79 yards per game and by only having missed one start in the last five years (none in New Orleans).

3. Kurt Warner – After one full year as the Cardinals undisputed starter, he reverted to his accurate past at a 67.1% completion rate, amassed 4,583 passing yards (good for 286.44 a game), and a cool 30 TDs against an up and down 14 INTs. And like Brees, it’s not how many wins you get in this game… it’s the numbers. Now that Larry Fitzgerald has become the LeBron James of his position after his postseason play, Kurt Warner should be in for another big year. Some of you may be worrying about the potential loss of Anquan Boldin, but remember, his playing time was very limited in those playoffs, and Fitzgerald and Steve Breaston surely produced.

4. Peyton Manning – It may come as a surprise that Peyton Manning is number four on my list. He is still good for a smooth 3,800-4,100 yards this season and an ample high 20’s to low 30’s in TD numbers. However, he does not have anywhere near the yards per game potential as the previously mentioned QBs as his team’s defense is definitely above Brees’ and Warner’s, and better than Brady’s as well.

5. Philip Rivers – Philip Rivers showed in 2008 that he can be a big numbers guy. He finished up with 4,009 yards, and a career high 34 TDs. It would not be a stretch to question his potential consistency due to his 2006 and 2007 seasons. In those years he threw for 3,300+ and 3,100+ yards, with 22 and 15 TDs, all respectively. However, last season we started to see huge signs of wear and tear on LaDainian Tomlinson, which is probably a big reason why his numbers soared this past year as compared to those previous two. So in that respect, it would not be a stretch as well to see him having a great fantasy type season again this year.

Why the Arizona Cardinals Can Still Be Considered Contenders

February 26, 2009 by AlexV · Leave a Comment 

The Arizona Cardinals can still be considered contenders. They went very far this past NFL season… all the way to the Super Bowl. If it hadn’t been for a few costly mistakes (i.e. interception resulting in 100 yard TD return for longest play in Super Bowl history by linebacker James Harrison, and two fumbles by the Quarterback) and all things were to remain constant in that game, they would have been Champions.

 

But that doesn’t matter because they aren’t champions and the Pittsburgh Steelers created and/or forced the Cardinals into those mistakes. But make no bones about it; this team totally changed its approach when the playoffs began.

 

Their offense remained just as explosive as it had been in the air, and then they finally decided to rely on the run a little more. For next year, the Cardinals now know that they can run the ball effectively. With Edgerin James getting older, and Tim Hightower being nothing more than an effective backup, the Cardinals have plenty of room to draft a power or fast, or whatever kind of back that can be a pro-bowler. And honestly, they can’t be much worse than James and Hightower.  

 

Everyone knows about the trend of Super Bowl losers not making the playoffs the next year, but remember, the Cardinals are still in a poor division with two teams that have to rebuild, Rams and 49ers, and one team that was in real shambles this season and with an aging QB in Matt Hasselbeck, the Seattle Seahawks. I know that sounds hypocritical because Warner is 37 and was still dead nasty, but he is an exception to the rule of the old quarterbacks whose performances dwindle when they get older.

 

Another strong argument against their chances may be that if they can’t keep Anquan Boldin they won’t be as explosive. However, we must remember they either didn’t play with him or did while he was ailing with injuries during these playoffs, and Larry Fitzgerald still tore it up.

 

I believe the Arizona Cardinals are right where they need to be. They showed lots of heart in the Super Bowl defensively after being down 17-7 and 20-7, because they still stuck to their guns and held the Steelers shy of the end zone twice. Of course they blew it at the end, but they still showed a lot of moxie. Do not be surprised to see them in the Super Bowl if it does happen. Plus, with the way the NFL has been the past few seasons, I think the only teams that could surprise me in the Super Bowl are the Lions and 49ers. ‘Nuff said.

Arizona Cardinals vs. Atlanta Falcons Playoff Primer

December 29, 2008 by AlexV · Leave a Comment 

From one bird "turd" nest to another, the Atlanta Falcons travel to Arizona Saturday July 3rd to face off against the Cardinals at 4:30pm.

From one "turd" nest to another, the Atlanta Falcons head to Arizona this Saturday January 3rd to face off against the Cardinals at 4:30pm.

The first game of Wild-Card Weekend features two teams that I’m sure many people would argue are “one-and-done” teams. However, the fact is, one of these one-and-doners will definitely be advancing with the question of course being who.

 

The Atlanta Falcons do not have too much upside defensively. The only standout player this season was John Abraham who accounted for 47% of Atlanta’s 35 sacks with 16.5 total. That isn’t very good. That means of the other typical sackers on a standard NFL team, the three linebackers, the other defensive end, and perhaps the strong safety in some cases would have produced an average of 3.8 sacks a-piece. Too bad for the Falcons that Mr. Milloy, the strong safety, had none. Their 21st ranked pass defense gave up 220.4 yards per game, and their 25th ranked run D gave up 127.5 yards per game.

 

That type of passing defense won’t bode well against a quarterback in Kurt Warner who threw for over 4,500 yards this season. As far as the Falcons run defense goes, I guess that isn’t too bad as the Cardinals rush offense was good for last with 73.6 yards per game, meaning if they just don’t screw up any assignments and miss any tackles, they should be able to post a solid to admirable effort against the run.

 

But Edgerin James against the Seahawks this week amassed 100 yards on 14 carries. He has been off this season, but he perhaps could be trying to prove that he still has some gas left in the tank since that was his first game in a while, and if there was ever a game for him to do so, this could be it. And I know the argument can be that he did it against Seattle, but with a 25th ranked run defense, the Falcons aren’t much better. Who knows? Maybe the Cards will run a two-back system with James and Tim Hightower, and they could stay fresh and get a couple decent gainers here and there.

 

On the flipside of things, the Cardinals defense gave up 26.6 points per game. Most teams wouldn’t even stand a chance at being in contention in the finals weeks of most regular NFL seasons with that kind of defense, but luckily for the Cardinals, they played in a bad division. On top of that, Arizona’s pass D was 22nd giving up 221.2 yards per game. But the worst part is that their run defense, who faces Michael Turner (1,699 yards and 2nd in the NFL), was 16th giving up 110.2 yards per game.

 

The Falcons MO all year has been to give the ball to Turner as much as possible so that Matt Ryan only needs to make 2-3 good or big plays a game, usually to Roddy White who was fourth among all wide receivers with 1,382 yards and had seven of Ryan’s 16 total TDs.

 

The bottom line is, with the virtually identical defenses of both teams, if the Matt Ryan-led Falcons had more experience under their belt, this game would have had the makings for an Atlanta win as they could have grinded out the run game and kept the passes to a minimum as the Arizona run game and run defense has basically been non-existent for most of the season.

 

However… I just have to go with Kurt Warner’s will, experience, two stud wide receivers in Larry Fitzgerald and Anquan Boldin, and the home crowd to come out on top. The tandem of Boldin and Fitzgerald are enough to make up for not having a running game against a young team like Atlanta. I think Matt Ryan is just too young to take this game, and for all the criticism that the Cardinals have received in losing four of their last five games, it is almost like Kurt Warner gets to start off fresh again. And I say this because in their recent losses, the Cardinals were getting blown out early to the point where Warner didn’t need to bother even trying the rest of whatever game they were playing. And if convention says that players need to stay hot going into the post season, I don’t see that as being the case here with Kurt Warner.

                                                                                                                           

Basically, both teams are not looking like Super Bowl contenders, and ultimately, when it comes down to two “one-and-done” type teams, you gotta go with the guys playing at home and especially with having the more experienced quarterback. Cardinals win.

Kurt Warner Fantasy Stock Rising

September 17, 2008 by sportsroids · Leave a Comment 

Kurt Warner Fantasy Stock Rising

by Alex V

Cardinals QB Kurt Warner

Cardinals QB Kurt Warner

Fantasy Sports aren’t always about getting the big name, or a name that at least was at one point big… like Kurt Warner. Just because the guy is 37 years old should not be the final factor on whether or not you should pick him up. One should always think “production” when making a decision on who to add to their Fantasy team. At this point in the season, Kurt Warner has been a stud, and would be a great pick up for those of you who are suffering from any of the following Fantasy Football diseases; “Brady’s Gone Syndrome,” “Carson Palmer’s Letting Me Down,” and “Jamarcus Russell is Making Me Look Stupid.” In fact, with the numbers he has put up so far, he has shown to be as good, if not better, stats wise that is, than some of the marquee quarterbacks in the game.

So far this season Kurt Warner has amassed 558 passing yards (279 per game), a 70.4 percent completion percentage, when most good QBs are lingering around the lower to mid 60’s, and he has four touchdown passes accumulating to two per game (all it takes is 1.875 TDs per game for a player to reach 30 in a regular season) for an amazing 128.5 QB rating. If Warner can keep this up, he will project to finish with 4,464 passing yards with 32 touchdown passes. Last year, only four quarterbacks reached the 30+ TD pass mark; Tom Brady (50), Tony Romo (36), Ben Roethlisberger (32), and Peyton Manning (31). Now, taking in account that perhaps the projections will skew a bit, he still looks to be anywhere between 3,600 and the projected 4,464 passing yards, and at least a mid-20 mark in the touchdown pass category, and he still hasn’t thrown a pick yet.

Warner's fantasy stock is on the rise for 2008.

Warner's fantasy stock is on the rise for 2008

When you take into account all of these factors and the way Warner performed last season, the upside should be easy to see. Last year he started in eleven games and played in three more. In those games Warner passed for 27 TDs while totaling 3,417 passing yards and managing a 62.3 completion percentage, against a not-so-great 17 total interceptions. But already for a quarterback at his age, who was also playing with an injured shoulder, those are remarkable numbers!. And only one year later, you too can own Kurt Warner as a full-time starter and a healthy one at that!

That is what you should be thinking about if your mind is fettering on whether or not to drop a buck on Warner. I have a strong feeling out there that some Fantasy players go on whether or not a player has a high level of prestige and if the analysts project a player’s team to be successful and make the playoffs and or Super Bowl. Well guess what? Prestige doesn’t get you big stats all of the time, and neither does an electrifying player like those of you that have thrown a season down the drain as soon as you drafted Michael Vick (when he was actually playing). I bet some people are saying “Well Kurt Warner is obviously going to do something when he has Anquan Boldin and Larry Fitzgerald.” Well no shit! Another GREAT reason to pick him up! So remember folks. If you desperately need a quarterback at this point in the season, go ahead and overlook the Cardinals chances for success this season, but don’t overlook Kurt Warner’s chances to win you some games.

Warner’s remaining opponents and where they ranked last season in passing defense:

Week 3 @ Washington

Week 4 @ New York Jets

Week 5 vs Buffalo

Week 6 vs Dallas

Week 7 – Bye

Week 8 @ Carolina

Week 9 @ St. Louis

Week 10 vs. San Francisco

Note: YPG have been rounded to the nearest tenth.