Ahmad Bradshaw

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Fantasy Football: Running Backs to grab in the middle to late rounds

Posted by fantasyfurnace on August 29, 2012
Posted in: NFL. Tagged: , , , , , , , , , , , . 10 Comments

We’ve given you the WR’s to grab in the later rounds of your draft, and now it’s the running back’s turn. We have chosen our list from 3 tier RB’s and higher and hopefully if you haven’t finished drafting (or for some of you if you haven’t started yet), here are some backs worth grabbing in the mid to late rounds…

BenJarvis Green-Ellis-Bengals- We liked this signing as soon as it was announced as the Bengals historically, are a running team first and foremost. With only Bernard Scott and Brian Leonard as back ups, BJGE should run and run often and have his share of goal line carries. For some reason, Steven Jackson is coming off the boards before Green-Ellis and frankly, we think it should be the other way around. In the last 3 seasons, S-Jax has seen his yards fall 1416, 1241, and last season 1145. He averaged 5 TD’s over the same period, while Green-Ellis has averaged 12 TD’s over the past 2 seasons with the Pats-and that was in a time-share! In fact we like BJGE better than Adrian Peterson and Frank Gore as well.

#42 BenJarvis Green-Ellis is now with the Bengals coming off a 12 TD season in a back-up role with the Pats. Photo: Matthew Emmons-US PRESSWIRE – Presswire

David Wilson-Giants- The N.Y. Giants who seem to make all the right moves lately, picked the Virginia Tech star in the first round for a reason; he’s a super-fast sly running back who will provide the lightning in the G-Men’s running game. If you’ve seen any of the pre-season games, you would have noticed how he can elude tackles and pick up some nice yardage after contact. He will make a formidable RB2 and at the same time will provide insurance for Ahmad Bradshaw owners. He’ll make a nice mid round pickup.

Donald Brown-Colts- Talk about late round value, the former fist round pick out of UCONN has virtually no competition so the starting back job is Browns to lose. Rookie QB Andrew Luck will rely heavily on Brown who also has great pass-catching ability which will help all those in PPR leagues. In a back-up role last season, he had as many touchdowns (5), as Steven Jackson. It must sound like we’re picking on S-Jax, but really, we’re just bringing out a point. Snatch this former Husky late-you won’t be disappointed.

#31 former Husky Donald Brown could be in for a sleeper kind of year. An excellent late round pick up and a + for PPR leagues. Photo: Jonathan Daniel/Getty Images

Toby Gerhart-Vikings- Although Adrian Peterson was allowed to participate in full practice on Monday with his teammates, they were told to hit him …”a little bit”. It still is only eight months since AP tore his ACL and MCL in his left knee. There is no guarantee that he’ll be able to muddle through an entire season unscathed, so we like Gerhart to pick up some of the slack and take over in the event Peterson gets re-injured. It would not surprise us if Gerhart actually finishes the season with more carries than AP.

Isaiah Pead-Rams- Speaking of the aforementioned Steven Jackson, although he will be the starting RB for St. Louis this season, his body has taken a pounding over the years, and that was part of the reason they brought in the Cincinnati running back who finished his final year with 1259 rushing yards & 12 touchdowns to go along with his 319 receiving yards and 3 TD’s. New coach Jeff Fisher is also fond of the ground and pound so that will help Pead also. We think he’ll take some of the 3rd down carries away from S-Jax and of course, will be the replacement for Jackson in case of injury. Those in PPR and Keeper leagues might want to think about grabbing Pead in the later rounds as well.

#24 Isaiah Pead, Steven Jackson’s back-up and 3rd down back, should get a nice share of carries for  run oriented coach Jeff Fisher. Photo: St. Louis sbnation.com

Giants win again with another ‘Catch’!!! Must be Deja ‘Blue’…

Posted by fantasyfurnace on February 5, 2012
Posted in: NFL. Tagged: , , , , , , , , , , . 2 Comments

WR Mario Manningham is this year’s version of WR David Tyree!!

#82 Mario Manningham makes 'The Catch' that propelled the Giants to victory! Photo: AP

In another nail bitter, the N.Y. Giants did it again! Another close game, another last minute drive, another Eli Manning masterpiece. The game changed momentum most of the evening but cool, calm, Eli, as he’s done most of the season and certainly throughout the playoffs, came through in the fourth quarter with a gem of a throw to Mario Manningham down the sidelines with 3:39 seconds left in the fourth quarter.

Manningham, in what will undoubtedly go down as one of the greatest catches in Super Bowl history, somehow made the catch, kept two feet inbounds, and maintained possesion of the ball all the way to the ground and with two defenders on him. It was, and remains, the longest play of the game by either side. Who would have thought that a 38 yard play would be the longest all day between these two teams?

The Giants as predicted right here at fantasyfurnace.com, had enough of a running game  to help maintain control the clock 37:05  to the Pats 22:55. It was even more lopsided in the first half. And RB Ahmad Bradshaw, who we said would be a key to a Giants win, scored the go ahead touchdown with 59 ticks left in the fourth.

We also said that Eli would be the Super Bowl’s MVP so we’ll take credit for that call as well. Manning finished the game with 30-40 296 1TD and no INT’S. Just a brilliant performance; one that Giants fans have been so accustomed to seeing especially over their last six games.

Eli Manning after leading him team to a stunning 21-17 victory over the N.E. Patriots. Photo: Rob Carr/Getty Images

It’s been a great run for the Giants who just seem to be a team of destiny this year, just as they were back in 2007. Coach Tom Coughlin and Eli Manning’s legacies have been reinforced tonight, and there’s no telling what the rest of Eli’s career will bring him. Clearly it can now be argued that he’ll deserve a place, along with Coughlin, in the Hall of Fame at the end of their great careers.

We picked the Giants to win this game and can now boast a 9-2 record which includes every playoff game and the Super Bowl. The Giants win tonight proves beyond a shadow of a doubt, that their 2008 Super Bowl win over these same Patriots was no fluke. We’ll try to do the same next year when we begin to make our weekly selections in September. Meantime we will celebrate along with the Giants after what was arguably one of the best Super Bowls of all time!

SUPER BRAWL II Prediction

Posted by fantasyfurnace on February 4, 2012
Posted in: NFL. Tagged: , , , , , , , , , , , , , . 8 Comments

As this post is being put together, we’re approximately 24 hours away from kick-off and the excitement which has been building over the past couple of weeks is about ready to culminate in what we all hope will be a competitive, hard fought and exciting game. If it is anything like we witnessed four years ago when these two teams went at it, then we’re in for a memorable day. To us fans its called Super Bowl XLVI but to the Patriots and the Giants it’s SUPER BRAWL II.

Tom Brady and Eli Manning, both quarterback heavyweights, square off at Lucas Oil Stadium at 6:29 on Sunday, Feb. 5th. Photo: newyorkpost.com

We have all been inundated with information from the media ever since the conclusion of the AFC & NFC Championship games, and there aren’t any angles, game plans, or prognostications that we haven’t heard. There is absolutely nothing we could tell you that you haven’t heard repeatedly over the past two weeks so we’ll break the game down to it’s lowest common denominator and tell you what two things should win the game for both teams and hope you’ll find some info that you didn’t know or haven’t heard…

The New England Patriots: 

1. Wes Welker-  The speedy Welker needs to catch 10-12 passes and more importantly, needs high amounts of YAC (yards after catches). In a losing effort, he had 11 receptions (which tied a Super Bowl record) for 103 yards good for a 9.4 yard average. His ability to elude teams’ defensive backs once he’s made a catch is well documented as he can make some amazing cuts which can easily foil attempts to minimize his gains.

In order for the Patriots to utilize their two-headed monster Rob Gronkowski and Aaron Hernandez and make them effective offensive threats, Welker’s success is tantamount. Since the Pats do not have a very formidable running attack, Welker needs to draw attention from the secondary in order to make the two tight ends more successful; (even if Gronk is only at say 70% he’s still a threat). We think Welker will have a productive day as not many defenses can keep a safe distance between him and the football.

2. The Offensive Line- Clearly in order for Welker, Gronkowski, and Hernandez to be successful, Tom Brady will need his O-line to provide him with time. In Super Bowl XLII, the Giants pressured Brady all game, never really letting him get into a rhythm. The O-line allowed the Giants pass rushers, led by Justin Tuck, to sack Brady five times. And in their November game this past season, Brady was sacked twice.

This was one of the five sacks levied on Tom Brady back in Super Bowl XLII. Photo: Getty Images

One way that Bill Belichick has of disrupting pass rushers is the ‘no-huddle offense’ which the Patriots will use and use often. If that works and their offensive line is on it’s game, then that increases the Pats chances of getting the ball downfield and ultimately betters their chances for a victory.

The New York Giants- 

1. The Three Amigos- Without question, the Giants arsenal of wide receivers in this year’s Super Bowl far exceeds the talent of the two main wideouts from Super Bowl XLII; Steve Smith and Amani Toomer. Remember that Steve Smith had just come into the league from High School in 2007 and prior to the Super Bowl had only appeared in 5 games and had 8 receptions for 63 yards. The tandem of Hakeem Nicks, Victor Cruz and Mario Manningham can be a defenses worst nightmare. They need to be successful, (Julian Edelman is no match for Cruz), and spread the Patriots secondary in order to win on Sunday. The Pats are ranked 30th in the league in passing defense which should make that a more attainable goal.

2. Ahmad Bradshaw- Like Steve Smith, Bradshaw’s first season with the Giants was in 2007, a year in which he rushed 23 times for 190 yards over 12 games; so he too had little NFL experience with the Giants in their last Super Bowl. (It’s important to note that Bradshaw also did not play in the November Giants-Pats game). He’s come a long way since then and has been another effective weapon of the Giants offense over their last five games; all wins. The more successful he is, the more it will open things up for Eli and the Three Amigos. And the more effective he (and Jacobs are), the more the Giants can control the clock. Even with a young, less experienced Bradshaw, in Super Bowl XLII  the Giants’ opening drive lasted 16 plays and took a Super Bowl record 9:59 off the clock.

We think that Bill Belichick will have his bagful of tricks well in hand for this rematch and the Giants will be guaranteed a surprise or two. However, even with the duo of Brady & Belichick, the Giants just have more depth on defense and  a more evenly balanced, sufficiently talented offense than the Patriots and should it all come down to a field goal, a more than able kicker in Lawrence Tynes.

The Giants, we feel, have the whole package, one that we have selected throughout the playoffs, and thus we cannot see picking against them. We will also pick Eli Manning as the game’s MVP just as he was in Super Bowl XLII when he went 19/34 for 255 and 2 touchdowns. He has been the Giants MVP all season long so there is no reason why he shouldn’t capture the award again. We’re just hoping that SUPER BRAWL II is as exciting a game as we saw four years ago…

Maybe this title game will be known one day as "The Toil at Lucas Oil" Photo: newyorkpost.com

We have gone 8-2 in the playoffs which started with the Wild Card games, and look to finish out the year 9-2…