Adrian Peterson

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NFL Playoff Predictions: A weekend for upsets…

Posted by fantasyfurnace on January 4, 2013
Posted in: NFL. Tagged: , , , , , , , , , , , , , . 7 comments

NFL WILDCARD WEEKEND!

The NFL playoffs are upon us and we’re taking our 51-29 regular season record into this weekend hopeful that we’ll be able to duplicate our 8-2 record in last year’s playoffs as well as correctly picking the eventual Super Bowl winner, finishing at 9-2. In order to be successful once again, we’ll need for some of the teams in the first round to upset their opponents; always a risk. Here’s who we like…

*Home team in CAPS

SATURDAY:

Bengals over the TEXANS- We are strong believers that the teams that peak the latest have the better chance at success. Case in point the Bengals have won 7 of their last 8 games of the regular season-their one loss coming at the hands of the Dallas Cowboys who, with 3:44 left in the fourth quarter kicked a 40 yard field goal for the win. By contrast, the Texans come into Reliant Stadium limping; losing 3 of their last four games including a rout by the Patriots and losses to the Vikings and Colts. Cincinnati has the offense in Andy Dalton, BJGE, A.J. Green and a stellar defense with Michael Johnson and Geno Atkins combining for 24.5 sacks on the season. The Texans are 4.5 point favorites, however we’re picking the Bengals to win this one outright.

PACKERS over the Vikings- The last time QB Christian Ponder met the Pack at Lambeau Field, he had 2 interceptions, threw for a meager 119 yards and managed a QB rating of only 41.9. In last season’s meeting at Green Bay, Ponder finished with one INT, 190 passing yards and a QB rating of 52.3. Temps are due to be dropping into the 20′s for Saturday’s game and Adrian Peterson, who has over 400 yards rushing in their two games vs the Packers this season, has been experiencing some abdominal injuries and so the hits he’ll be expecting will not bode well for the top MVP candidate. The Packers need to keep the ball out of A.P.’s hands however, as clearly Ponder won’t tear apart the Pack’s secondary given his past performances there. The Vikes have lost their last two games at Green Bay by a combined score of 68-21. Packers by double-digits…

#7 Vikings QB Christian Ponder has had a tough go of it at Lambeau Field and Saturday should be no exception. Photo: Adam Bettcher /Getty Images

#7 Vikings QB Christian Ponder has had a tough go of it at Lambeau Field and Saturday should be no exception. Photo: Adam Bettcher /Getty Images

SUNDAY:

Colts over the RAVENS- Talk about a team roaring into the post-season, the Colts are 9-2 over their last eleven and have won 5 of their last six, making them one of the hottest teams in the league. Of course, a lot has to do with their emotional state as head coach Chuck Pagano wages his battle against Leukemia. Now that he’s back on the sidelines, there will be a renewed intensity on the field by this group. Couple that with the steady maturation of first round pick Andrew Luck. He has done his best impression of last year’s version of Eli Manning by putting together seven game-winning drives in the fourth quarter or overtime. Throw in his 4,384 passing yards, an NFL rookie record, and you can see why we’re so high on the youngster. It should be a loud and emotionally charged game in Baltimore given the recent news of  17 year veteran MLB Ray Lewis’ impending retirement, but when it’s all over we look for the Colts to win this one outright. Not sure why the Ravens are 6.5 point favorites coming into this game losing 4 out of their last five…

#12 Colts QB Andrew Luck should have plenty of it vs the Ravens and with coach Pagano back on the sidelines to pull off the upset. Photo: vegassharps.com

#12 Colts QB Andrew Luck should have plenty of it vs the Ravens and with coach Pagano back on the sidelines to pull off the upset. Photo: vegassharps.com

REDSKINS over Seahawks- This could be the toughest game of the weekend to predict given that both teams come into this one with a combined 14-1 record over the last eight weeks. Both have very talented and able quarterbacks. However the odds-makers made the ‘Skins a home dog for this contest perhaps because they’re not convinced that RGIII is at 100% or maybe because of the 170 points that the Seahawks have put up over their last four games (even though two of their opponents were Buffalo and Arizona). We’re going with Washington here because of another reason; one less obvious. In the confines of CenturyLink Field, the Seahawks are 8-0 and part of that is due to the 12th man being their stadium that boasts one of the noisiest arenas in the NFL. However, they have lost 5 games on the road which, if nothing else, shows their vulnerability. Landover can get pretty rowdy as well and we love the combo of RGIII and Alfred Morris. ‘Skins in a close one.

 

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NFL Week #15: This week’s Five Best Bets

Posted by fantasyfurnace on December 14, 2012
Posted in: NFL. Tagged: , , , , , , , , , , , , , . 6 comments

Just three weeks to go in the NFL regualr season. Teams on the bubble need wins this week while those that are out of contention for a playoff berth just play for pride. We went with all favorites last week and paid the price by going 2-3 bringing our season total to 44-26. We’re going with two ‘Dogs this week and are looking to improve! Here are this week’s Five Best Bets-Good luck!

*Home team in CAPS

Giants over the FALCONS-atlanta-falcons-vs-new-york-giants

Our first underdog this week are the 8-5 Giants going up vs the 11-2 Falcons. There are actually more reasons to pick Atlanta than New York such as: the Falcons have won their last 10 straight home games, they are the least penalized team in the NFL, they rank eighth in offense, they give up 19.9 points per game on defense and Matt Ryan is 32-4 as a starting QB at the Georgia Dome. So why are we going with the Giants? They are the better team beating the 49ers 26-3 & the Packers 38-10 but more importantly they need this game much more than Atlanta does. If they lose they could miss the playoffs…

From left to right Osi Umenyiora, JPP, and Justin Tuck will need to pressure Matt Ryan to prevent the ball from sailing downfield on Sunday. Photo: nydailynews.com

From left to right Osi Umenyiora, JPP, and Justin Tuck will need to pressure Matt Ryan to prevent the ball from sailing downfield on Sunday. Photo: nydailynews.com

Packers over the BEARS- The Bears are riddled with injuries; so much so that the team failed to have a practice on Wednesday! They started the season  coasting at 7-1, winning many of those games on turnovers. They have gone 1-4 over their last five while the Pack is starting to ‘come on’. In their first meeting, the Bears only managed 168 yards of total offense at Lambeau Field and now given all their injuries, should not do much better.

Vikings over the RAMS- Minnesota, our second underdog this week, travels southeast to St. Louis and brings superstud Adrian Peterson with them. He needs 505 rushing yards over these next three games in order to match Eric Dickerson’s NFL record-setting 2105 rushing yards. Just over 150 yards per game and he’ll own that prestigious record. QB Christian Ponder needs to be able to throw the rock successfully so that AP and the Vikes will have a well balanced attack and a better chance at the upset.

#28 Star Vikings RB Adrian Perterson will be looking to add to his 1600 rushing yards vs the Rams. Photo: twincities.com

#28 Star Vikings RB Adrian Peterson will be looking to add to his 1600 rushing yards vs the Rams. Photo: twincities.com

Seahawks over the BILLS- Seattle goes cross-country this weekend and even without the warm and noisy confines of CenturyLink Field, their defense could just be enough to help them dismantle the Bills. QB Russell Wilson has been on a tear and Ground Player of the Week, Marshawn Lynch, who ironically enough was drafted by these same Buffalo Bills in the 2007 draft, is one of the top five elite RB’s in the league. We don’t expect a high scoring affair but a Seahawks win nontheless.

TEXANS over the Colts- After an embarassing Monday Night loss 42-14 at the hands of the New England Patriots, the Texans should bounce right back just like they did after getting trounced on by Green Bay earlier in the season when they came back the following week to manhandle the Ravens by 30, 43-13. Colts QB Andrew Luck has had little of it on the road this season amassing 8 touchdowns while tossing 13 INT’s. Facing the league’s seventh ranked defense will not make it any easier for the 1st round pick. Texans by double-digits!

had his problems on the road this year completing only 54.5% of his passes. Photo: nfl.si.com

#12 Andrew Luck has had his problems on the road this year completing only 54.5% of his passes. Photo: nfl.si.com

FANTASY FOOTBALL: Avoid drafting these 10 potential busts…

Posted by fantasyfurnace on July 26, 2012
Posted in: NFL. Tagged: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , . 13 comments

You spend so much time preparing for your draft; studying player’s past perfomanaces, checking out possible sleepers, breakout candidates, and up and coming rookies. Yet your season can be lost with just a couple of draft picks that fail to meet your  expectations. Here are some potential busts that you should consider avoiding if possible…

1. Reggie Bush-RB- Dolphins- Whenever his name comes up, not long after, the word ‘injury’ undoubtedly follows. Although last year was an anomaly for Bush, he did manage to miss 20 games over the 2010 and 2009 seasons. He rushed for 1086 yards and 6 TDs last season but can you sleep at night without wondering if or when another injury could impede his season? Is his 6 TD’s worth that kind of worry?

#22 Reggie Bush is a tackle away from yet another injury. RB Daniel Thomas will take more carries away from Bush as well. Photo: Marc Serota/Getty Images

2. Rashard Mendenhall-RB-Steelers- My rule of thumb when it comes to running backs coming off of ACL or MCL or any major injury is “let the buyer beware.” Mendenhall is such a back. He tore his right ACL in week 17 and more than likely will begin the season on the PUP list. He wasn’t having a great season before his injury and without knowing how viable a RB he’ll be this year, try to avoid drafting the sexy name, and seek another option instead.

3. Josh Freeman-QB-Buccaneers- Freeman and the next potential bust, Vincent Jackson almost go hand in hand. Mark Sanchez wasn’t the only QB to regress last year. Freeman managed to finish the season with the league’s second most picks, 22 against 16 TDs. Rookie sensation Doug Martin, (one of our Rookie’s to consider this season), will be making up the majority of an already lackluster offense in Tampa Bay; taking some of the pressure off of Freeman. Unfortunately when games get out of hand, he’ll be forced to air it out and that’s when INT’s begin to mount up. Stay clear.

4. Vincent Jackson-WR-Buccaneers- Staying in Tampa Bay, we’re suggesting that V-Jax be avoided if possible as their are danger signs on the outspoken $56 million T.B. pickup in the off season. The offense, as stated above, will be a run heavy one (so says new head coach Greg Schiano), and by leaving the very capable passing prowess of Philip Rivers for a much lower tierd QB in Josh Freeman… well, can you spell bust?

5. Laurent Robinson-WR-Jaguars- In some ways similar to Vincent Jackson, the speedster who exploded for 11 TD’s last year with Dallas, now finds himself on a Jags team with unproven and unimpressive QB Blaine Gabbert istead of a more seasoned Tony Romo. Forget about double-digit touchdowns from Robinson this year. Maurice Jones-Drew and another rookie that we like, Justin Blackmon, will probably make up the major portion  of the Jags’ offense although as Gabbert goes, so will the Jags. Avoid or draft with caution.

6. Mark Sanchez-QB-Jets- The ‘Sanchise’ did a 180 last year and like Josh Freeman,  Sanchez suffered through a regression leading his team to a pedestrian and under achieving 8-8 finish. With the signing of  Tim Terrific, Sanchez, besides losing snaps to the southpaw will find his passes to the endzone limited because of Tebow scampering in on wildcat type of plays. Therefore don’t look for him to put up even ‘Sanchez type of numbers’ like he did in ’09 and ’10. There are other QBs to consider before grabbing this potential and probable bust.

#6 QB Mark Sanchez’ numbers will make him a potentional bust with the addition of Tim Tebow on offense. Photo: nasorb.com

Other potenial busts that you might want to consider leaving on the draft board for someone else are:

Adrian Peterson-RB-Vikings- ACL and MCL tear last Christmas Eve.

Shonn Greene- RB-Jets- Tebow will get short yardage opportunities.

Antonio Gates-TE-Chargers- Foot injuries the last two seasons.

LeGarrette Blount-RB-Buccaneers- Will take a back seat to Doug Martin.