Week 15 recap: On to the next one

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Along with the championship game being set between Team AZ Fixitmen and the Abergele JETS this evening, the Salford Bloggers won a game with much less meaning, but did so with a conviction that had been missing for many of the regular season games this year.

The first week of the consolation ladder’s first round was too close for comfort, as the Bloggers scraped past Kardac Kids srm by two points to take a slender lead into week 15; but finally Salford found their feet and scored almost twice as many points.

Boosted by big performances from Tony Romo, Mark Ingram, Demaryius Thomas, the Ravens D/ST and an unlikely eight-point week from Jimmy Graham, the team moves forward to take on the in-form La Linea Lineman in second round of the consolation ladder.

It will take much more than an average showing across two weeks to defeat La Linea Lineman than it did to take Kardac Kids srm, as the former has averaged a fantastic 133 points per game over the last four weeks after failing to even reach the 100-point plateau through the first 11 weeks of the season.

It will be tough, and the Lineman certainly won’t be as forgiving as the Kardac Kids. But if the Bloggers can raise their game like they did in week 15, then they’ll have a chance of closing out the fantasy football season in style – with a win .

Result

Salford Bloggers – 170

Kardac Kids srm – 124

Kardac Kids srm

QB: Tom Brady (287 passing yards, 2 TD, 1 INT 18 rushing yards) – 18 points

RB: Ben Tate (8 rushing yards) – 0 points

RB: Trent Richardson (32 rushing yards, 9 receiving yards) – 3 points

WR: Calvin Johnson (53 receiving yards) – 5 points

WR: Larry Fitzgerald (30 receiving yards) – 3 points

TE: Antonio Gates (54 receiving yards, 1 TD) – 11 points

FLEX: Terrance West (23 rushing yards) – 2 points

D/ST: Saints D/ST (15 points allowed, 3 INT, 7 sacks) – 16 points

K: Shaun Suisham (2 field goals made, 3 extra points) – 9 points

Bench

QB: Aaron Rodgers (185 passing yards, 27 rushing yards, 2 INT) – 5 points

RB: Antone Smith – 0 points

RB: Giovani Bernard (79 rushing yards, 24 receiving yards) – 9 points

RB: Shane Vereen (5 rushing yards, 12 receiving yards, 1 TD) – 7 points

WR: Eric Decker (100 receiving yards) – 10 points

WR: Sammy Watkins (28 receiving yards) – 2 points

TE: Mychal Rivera (39 receiving yards) – 3 points

Salford Bloggers

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QB: Tony Romo (265 passing yards, -1 rushing yard, 3 TD, 1 INT) – 20 points

Tony Romo is hot at the moment, and he bounced back on Sunday night against the Eagles following his appalling effort against them just two weeks before.  He now has four weeks of outings in which he has scored at least 20 points in his last five games, and will be a shoe-in to start next week over Philip Rivers, when the Bloggers take on La Linea Lineman.

RB: Mark Ingram (59 rushing yards, 1 TD) – 11 points

Ingram finally broke his five-game streak of going without a touchdown, while maintaining his status as an astute bit of business for me this year. But since he returned to his starting role for the New Orleans Saints in week eight against Green Bay, he has been a reliable starting fantasy back, who had only had a couple of down weeks. Hopefully he sees the game out with a scoring streak, though I wouldn’t hold my breath.

RB: C.J. Anderson (85 rushing yards, 11 receiving yards) – 9 points

For most fantasy football running backs this year, nine points would be a good return for any outing. But I was a little disappointed that C.J. Anderson didn’t get more. That’s not a knock on him – after all he had five weeks of double-digit points since assuming the starting role for the Broncos, following the absences of Montee Ball and Ronnie Hillman through injury. But that’s exactly why nine points seemed disappointing. In actuality it wasn’t. He didn’t hurt the Salford Bloggers in any way, and the feeling is based on the weight on expectation. Let’s hope he can return to double-digit scoring next week when he lines up against the Cincinnati Bengals.

WR: Demaryius Thomas (123 receiving yards, 1 TD) – 18 points

Week 14’s matchup against Buffalo saw Demaryius Thomas score just a single point, which was somewhat of a head scratcher if you’ve been following the Denver Broncos wideout at all this season. But it appears to have just been a blip, and he was back amongst the high scorers with an 18 point return against San Diego. Just what I like to see.

WR: Randall Cobb (96 receiving yards, 15 rushing yards) – 10 points

What surprised me about Randall Cobb in week 15 was that despite the Buffalo Bills stifling Aaron Rodgers and the Green Bay Packers’ passing offense, he still managed to be only four yards shy of 100, and had ten fantasy points on the day. While he has gone five games now without a touchdown, I was extremely pleased with his performance this week, because it could have been a worse. See: Jordy Nelson.

TE: Jimmy Graham (87 receiving yards) – 8 points

HOLD. THE. PHONE. Jimmy Graham, yes THE Jimmy Graham, scored an astounding eight points as the New Orleans Saints saw off the Chicago Bears on Monday night. Eight points is a great return from Graham after averaging a single point in the two weeks prior. Don’t be surprised if he goes missing again next week, however.

FLEX: Percy Harvin (10 rushing yards) – 1 point

Percy Harvin was my week 15 hit-and-hope, as I started him over Houston’s DeAndre Hopkins following the news that he had been cleared to play on Sunday against Tennessee. However, he played his lowest snap count of the season for New York, and only recorded one play – that being a ten yard run. It didn’t work out, but at least it didn’t cost the Bloggers the game.

D/ST: Ravens D/ST (12 points allowed, 1 INT, 1 TD, 8 sacks) – 23 points

And the performance of the week award goes to… the Baltimore Ravens defense and special teams. The units were great on Sunday afternoon, as they caused Jacksonville a lot of problems, especially for their offensive line who gave up eight sacks. The Ravens were a midweek pickup for me, and they proved to be the right decision.

K: Stephen Gostkowski (2 field goals made, 5 extra points) – 11 points

There was a lot of thought pre-game that went into which kicker would be starting for the Salford Bloggers. It turned out to be Gostkowski, and it also turned out that it didn’t actually matter, because my other kicker – Cody Parkey – scored the exact same amount of points as Gostkowski. Who knew?

Bench

QB: Philip Rivers (232 passing yards, 3 rushing yards, 1 TD, 2 INT) – 9 points

RB: Chris Johnson (55 rushing yards) – 5 points

WR: DeAndre Hopkins (77 receiving yards) – 7 points

TE: Jared Cook (22 receiving yards) – 2 points

D/ST: Dolphins D/ST (41 points allowed, 1 INT) – -2 points

D/ST: Vikings D/ST (16 points against) – 3 points

K: Cody Parkey (2 field goals made, 3 extra points) – 11 points

The Playoffs are upon us

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With Monday’s game between the Miami Dolphins and the New York Jets signalling the end of The League’s fantasy football regular season, the final playoff teams and seedings for The League were set. Here’s a look at the final regular season standings:

 

East Division

Wigan Warriors – 9-4, 1163 PF, 1137 PA

Abergele JETS – 8-5, 1276 PF, 1058 PA

Kardac Kids srm – 7-6, 1103 PF, 1102 PA

Salford Bloggers – 6-7, 1222 PF, 1276 PA

La Linea Lineman – 6-7, 1152 PF, 1276 PA

 

West Division

Team AZ Fixitmen – 9-4, 1201 PF, 1076 PA

Barnyard Gems – 7-6, 1226 PF, 1133 PA

Team apachefootball – 6-7, 1068 PF, 1103 PA

Team Zachrich – 4-9, 1122 PF, 1245 PA

Dallas Cowboyz2014 – 3-10, 1004 PF, 1282 PA

 

From those four teams – Wigan Warriors, Abergele Jets, Team AZ Fixitmen and Barnyard Gems – all advance to the playoffs, with the remaining six teams competing in a consolation bracket running through the rest of the NFL’s regular season. Check out the playoff and consolation brackets and seedings below:

 

Playoff bracket (Round 1 | Weeks 14-15)

#4 Barnyard Gems (7-6)

vs.

#1 Team AZ Fixitmen (9-4)

 

#3 Abergele JETS (8-5)

vs.

#2 Wigan Warriors (9-4)

 

Consolation bracket (Round 1 | Weeks 14-15)

#6 Salford Bloggers (6-7)

vs.

#5 Kardac Kids srm (7-6)

 

#8 Team apachefootball (6-7)

vs.

#7 La Linea Lineman (6-7)

 

#10 Dallas Cowboyz2014 (3-10)

vs.

#9 Team Zachrich (4-9)

The League: Week 10 results and standings

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Week 10 results

Team apachefootball 65-97 Salford Bloggers

Team AZ Fixitmen 101-96 Team Zachrich

Barnyard Gems 93-96 Dallas Cowboyz2014

La Linea Lineman 77-100 Wigan Warriors

Abergele JETS 71-116 Kardac Kids srm

Current standings

East Division

Wigan Warriors – 8-2, 908 PF, 865 PA

Kardac Kids srm – 7-3, 964 PF, 750 PA

Abergele JETS – 6-4, 964 PF, 828 PA

Salford Bloggers – 4-6, 930 PF, 1016 PA

La Linea Lineman – 3-7, 780 PF, 868 PA

West Division

Team AZ Fixitmen – 7-3, 932 PF, 884 PA

Team apachefootball – 6-4, 868 PF, 824 PA

Barnyard Gems – 4-6, 921 PF, 950 PA

Team Zachrich – 3-7, 891 PF, 988 PA

Dallas Cowboyz2014 – 2-8, 795 PF, 980 PA

Salford Bloggers start or sit?: Week 6

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Week 6 matchup

Salford Bloggers (1-4) vs. Dallas Cowboyz2014 (0-5)

 

Projected lineup for Dallas Cowboyz2014

QB: Peyton Manning (DEN, @ NYJ)

RB: C.J. Spiller (BUF, vs. NE)

RB: Darren Sproles (PHI, vs. NYG)

WR: Brandon Marshall (CHI, @ ATL)

WR: Torrey Smith (BAL, @ TB)

TE: Martellus Bennett (CHI, @ ATL)

FLEX: Greg Olsen (CAR, @ CIN)

D/ST: Lions D/ST (DET, @ MIN)

K: Robbie Gould (CHI, @ ATL)

 

Salford Bloggers

Quarterback (QB):  Tony Romo (DAL, @ SEA), Philip Rivers (SD, @ OAK)

Tony Romo has managed to turn things around in Dallas the last couple of weeks after a slow start to the season. But Philip Rivers is second only to Andrew Luck in fantasy points this year and should be at his consistent best against Oakland in Week 6 – even though they have allowed the second-fewest passing yards so far this season.

Running Back (RB1, RB2): Chris Johnson (NYJ, vs. DEN), Mark Ingram (BYE), Khiry Robinson (BYE), Branden Oliver (SD, @ OAK)

The decision on who to start at running back looked simpler than it was. But with two of my backs out on a bye (Mark Ingram was out with a hand injury anyway), I had to draft in a starter for Week 6. My first choice was to go for Andre Williams, but I was lower in the waiver order than La Linea Lineman who claimed the Giants rookie; thus, I ended up with Branden Oliver instead – who isn’t a bad consolation prize. I was hoping to offload Chris Johnson as well, but there are no other waiver options more attractive than the New York running back. With Ingram and Robinson on bye week for the Saints, Johnson and Oliver get the nod.

Wide Receiver (WR1, WR2): Demaryius Thomas (DEN, @ NYJ), Randall Cobb (GB, @ MIA), Victor Cruz (NYG, @ PHI), Percy Harvin (SEA, vs. DAL)

After last Sunday’s game in which he scored 34 points, Demaryius Thomas is virtually un-droppable for Denver’s Week 6 matchup against the New York Jets and a very questionable secondary, while Randall Cobb has found the end zone on a consistent basis so far this season. Victor Cruz, unfortunately, has been the opposite of Cobb in that he has been extremely inconsistent so far. It looked like he had turned around a bad start and started performing well, but another poor showing  in Week 5 has left Cruz with a question mark over his head. Although Percy Harvin did score three touchdowns last week which were all negated by penalties, he is yet to have one stand this season. Cruz and Harvin could have big weeks, but starting Thomas and Cobb is a much safer bet.

Tight End (TE): Jimmy Graham (BYE), Owen Daniels (BAL, @ TB)

Owen Daniels was a midweek free agent pickup for me, because Niles Paul had been dealing with injuries and generally hadn’t been doing that well. Plus, I needed a starting tight end because Jimmy Graham is on a bye week this week. Owen Daniels it is.

FLEX: Mark Ingram (BYE), Khiry Robinson (BYE), Victor Cruz (NYG, @ PHI), Percy Harvin  (SEA, vs. DAL), Jimmy Graham (BYE)

With the three Saints players unavailable because of New Orleans’ bye week, my decision of who to start at the flex position boiled down to Victor Cruz and Percy Harvin. Harvin over the course of the season has given me more confidence than Cruz. Although Harvin is yet to record big numbers, he has only really been a touchdown away from a good score each week. Cruz on the other hand either shows up or is completely invisible. With a higher floor, and me most likely being in dire need of points this week , it’s Harvin time.

D/ST: Chargers D/ST (SD, @ OAK), Dolphins D/ST (MIA, vs. GB)

After letting the Rams D/ST go earlier in the week, defense/special teams is the only fantasy position for which I have none of my original selections (the Broncos being the other D/ST, which I traded away for Mark Ingram). Now I have two better teams to choose from – the Chargers and the Dolphins. The decision was made my virtue of opponent – and with the Chargers on the road in Oakland and Miami hosting Green Bay, it only made sense to choose San Diego as the Raiders possess the worst offense in the league. In Week 4, Miami managed to score 17 points against Oakland, and I’ll be hoping for a similar output from the Chargers this week.

K: Stephen Gostkowski (NE, @ BUF), Cody Parkey (PHI, vs. NYG)

Gostkowski was second only to Demaryius Thomas in my Week 5 misses, as the New England kicker put up 21 points, while Cody Parkey only got ten. Now don’t get me wrong, ten points is a respectable score for a kicker, but it doesn’t match up when a benched player scores twice that. So, Gostkowski starts this week – but I wouldn’t be surprised if roles reversed this week and Parkey was the one to put up big numbers.

The League: Week 5 Results and Standings

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Week 5 Results

Salford Bloggers 73-88 Abergele JETS

Team Zachrich 95-117 Barnyard Gems

Team apachefootball 74-52 Team AZ Fixitmen

Dallas Cowboyz2014 69-91 La Linea Lineman

Wigan Warriors 89-88 Kardac Kids srm

 

Current Standings

East Division

Wigan Warriors – 4-1, 461 PF, 461 PA

Abergele JETS – 3-2, 448 PF, 375 PA

Kardak Kids srm – 3-2, 438 PF, 402 PA

Salford Bloggers – 1-4, 407 PF, 495 PA

La Linea Lineman – 1-4, 350 PF, 392 PA

 

West Division

Team apachefootball – 4-1, 466 PF, 378 PA

Team AZ Fixitmen – 4-1, 445 PF, 392 PA

Barnyard Gems – 3-2, 471 PF, 483 PA

Team Zachrich – 2-3, 464 PF, 494 PA

Dallas Cowboyz2014 – 0-5, 420 PF, 498 PA

 

 

Follow me on Twitter: @RealTomWoods.

Salford Bloggers Start or Sit? – Week 5

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Week 5 matchup

Salford Bloggers (1-2) @ Abergele JETS (2-2)

 

Projected lineup for Abergele JETS:

QB: Andrew Luck (IND, vs. BAL)

RB: Arian Foster (HOU, @ DAL)

RB: Steven Jackson (ATL, @ NYG)

WR: Antonio Brown (PIT, @ JAC)

WR: Greg Jennings (MIN, @ GB)

TE: Jared Cook (STL, @ PHI)

FLEX: Doug Martin (TB, @ NO)

D/ST: Texans D/ST (HOU, @ DAL)

K: Mason Crosby (GB, vs. MIN)

 

Salford Bloggers

Quarterback (QB) – Tony Romo (DAL, vs. HOU), Philip Rivers (SD, vs. NYJ)

Tony Romo finally had a big week last week against the New Orleans Saints, showing just why I took him as my first quarterback in the draft after having him at the top of my big board. However, Philip Rivers is in the middle of a great run of form, and scored even more points than Romo did last weekend. To add to that, the Chargers’ signal caller has just one turnover through the first four games of the season and is going up against a secondary who will be starting a converted safety at corner, and will have Dee Milliner re-entering the fold after returning from injury. All of those factors equal a starting spot in Week 5 for Philip Rivers.

Running Back (RB1, RB2) – Chris Johnson (NYJ, @ SD), Mark Ingram (NO, vs. TB), Stevan Ridley (NE, vs. CIN), Khiry Robinson (NO, vs. TB)

It’s slim pickings at running back. With Mark Ingram still out with a hand injury, I only have Chris Johnson, Stevan Ridley, and Khiry Robinson to choose from. Ridley has frustrated me ever since I picked him up, and I planned to drop him and replace him with Isaiah Crowell. If it wasn’t for waiver priority, I would probably have a tougher decision than I currently do. But with Ridley set to disappoint again against a Bengals’ defense who have allowed the ninth fewest rushing yards through the first four weeks of the season, both Johnson and Robinson will be starting by default.

Wide Receiver (WR1, WR2) – Demaryius Thomas (DEN, vs. ARI), Randall Cobb (GB, vs. MIN), Victor Cruz (NYG, vs. ATL), Percy Harvin (SEA, @ WSH)

Choosing a wide receiver pairing was quite difficult this week, but with the recent form of Victor Cruz combined with Randall Cobb’s great start to the season, I decided to go with the two players I trusted most. Percy Harvin could perform well, but I have a feeling that he’ll have to find the end zone in order to have a good week, and Demaryius Thomas is struggling to catch the ball and make himself fantasy relevant – which after two straight 1,400 yard seasons with a combined 24 touchdowns is extremely disappointing.

Tight End (TE) – Jimmy Graham (NO, vs. TB), Niles Paul (WSH, vs. SEA)

Jimmy Graham has been massively disappointing this season when you measure him against the first-round pick that I used on him. But he is a lot better than Niles Paul and still has time to come good this season. Tampa Bay aren’t the best defense, and so Graham should have more opportunity this week to grab a healthy amount of yards, as well as a score or two. Niles Paul is also dealing with a concussion and is a doubt for Washington’s game against Seattle, so Graham is the smart choice here.

FLEX – Demaryius Thomas (DEN, vs. ARI), Percy Harvin (SEA, @ WSH), Mark Ingram (NO, vs. TB), Niles Paul (WSH, vs. SEA), Stevan Ridley (NE vs. CIN)

I have little trust in Stevan Ridley and Demaryius Thomas with the way they’ve been playing recently, Mark Ingram is definitely out, and Niles Paul is dealing with a concussion that could see him miss Monday night’s game against the Seahawks. The most attractive flex option out of the remaining players is easily Percy Harvin. Harvin is yet to score big in fantasy this year, but he is part of a dynamic offense who will be taking on a Redskins defense that gave up 45 points against the New York Giants last week.

Defense/Special Teams (D/ST) – Rams D/ST (STL, @ PHI), Chargers D/ST (SD, @ NYJ)

The Rams are going up against the fourth highest scorers in the league at Lincoln Financial Field, whereas the Chargers are at home to the turnover machine Jets. The Chargers have the highest floor and the highest ceiling in Week 5, so starting them is a no brainer.

Kicker (K) – Stephen Gostkowski (NE, vs. CIN), Cody Parkey (PHI, vs. STL)

Stephen Gostkowski had a horror game against the Chiefs from a fantasy perspective – but it wasn’t actually his fault. The problem was not with Gostkowski himself, but with the situation he found himself in. The Patriots didn’t attempt a field goal all game and only found the end zone on two occasions. Cody Parkey also faltered in Week 4, but he should have plenty of opportunities to kick the ball between the sticks on Sunday afternoon against a Rams defense who are put under pressure by a poor offense. Whereas the Patriots will be coming  up against a stout Cincinnati defense who could limit New England’s scoring opportunities, which in turn may have an adverse effect on Gostkowski’s fantasy production. Starting Parkey is definitely a risk, but I think this week it’s a risk worth taking.

 

*Italics denote starter.

 

Follow me on Twitter: @RealTomWoods.

Week 4 Recap: Anything I can do, you can do better

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Result

Wigan Warriors – 117

Salford Bloggers – 103

 

It all came down to Monday Night Football… again. For the second consecutive week, I was embroiled in a nail biter, which saw the Bloggers within touching distance of victory as the Chiefs hosted the Patriots under the lights at Arrowhead Stadium. Nine points behind, I had the luxury of having two players left (Stevan Ridley, Stephen Gostkowski) to my opponent’s one (Rob Gronkowski), and had a measure of optimism that I would be recording my second victory of the season. Little did I know the fantasy football Gods had other ideas. As it turns out Ridley and Gostkowski were big-time flops, and Gronkowski scored a garbage time touchdown to put the final nail in the coffin.

It proved the point that this season I can’t catch a break. That doesn’t mean I won’t, but so far I have had two weeks of opponents scoring over 100 points and a week against a team just four shy of that mark; and even last week when my opponent scored only 57, the majority of my team vastly underperformed to the point where I only managed to scrape victory by five points.

In a tie with Dallas Cowboyz2014, I share the title of most points allowed with 407. In comparison, not a single one of the other eight teams have reached the 400 mark yet. One factor in this is my horrible luck with opposition D/STs. Aside from Week 3, each D/ST I’ve faced has scored at least 17 points, whereas my D/STs have been averaging a mere 6.25 points per game.

But bemoaning my luck isn’t a knock on my opponents. It’s clear through player dealings and team selection that they’re just as committed to the cause as I am – they’ve just managed to do it better than me, and had an element of good fortune to boot.

My fantasy football good luck has certainly not been apparent so far this season; but I have a feeling that the tide will soon turn. Or at least I hope it will. But if the first four weeks of the NFL season are anything to go by, then I should have learned to expect the unexpected.

 

Wigan Warriors (3-1)

QB: Drew Brees (340 passing yards, 6 rushing yards, 2 TD, 1INT) – 19

RB: Pierre Thomas (8 rushing yards, 15 receiving yards) – 1

RB: Lamar Miller (64 rushing yards, 3 receiving yards, 2 TD, 1 fumble) – 16

WR: Steve Smith (139 receiving yards, 2 TD) – 25

WR: Kelvin Benjamin (76 receiving yards, 1 TD) – 13

TE: Rob Gronkowski (31 receiving yards, 1 TD) – 9

FLEX: Vernon Davis (8 receiving yards) – 0

D/ST: Dolphins D/ST (14 points against, 3 INT, 1 fumble recovery, 1 TD, 2 sacks) – 17

K: Phil Dawson (4 field goals made, 2 extra points) – 17

BENCH

QB: Joe Flacco (327 passing yards, 3 rushing yards, 3 TD) – 25

RB: Ryan Mathews – 0

RB: Marshawn Lynch (BYE) – N/A

WR: Cordarrelle Patterson (38 receiving yards) – 3

WR: Reggie Wayne (119 receiving yards, 1 TD) – 7

WR: Vincent Jackson (32 receiving yards, 1 TD) – 9

D/ST: Broncos D/ST (BYE) – N/A

It’s usually a good week when six of your nine players reach double digits, and it was no different for the Wigan Warriors who totalled 117 points – just three off the top spot; and this was a team without first-round selection Marshawn Lynch. They were helped massively by a kicker who scored 17 points, and one of the players of the week, Steve Smith, whose 139 receiving yards and two touchdowns led him to say “I’m 35 years old and I ran around them boys like they were school-yard kids.” Good going, Steve.

 

Salford Bloggers (1-3)

QB: Philip Rivers (377 passing yards, 3 TD) – 27

Philip Rivers is excelling under center this season, and is making his selection in the tenth round look like even more of a steal with each passing week. His performance against the Jaguars exemplified just what Rivers is about this season – taking care of the ball. In four games, the former fourth overall pick has turned the ball over  just once, and that was an interception in Week 1 against Arizona.

RB: Chris Johnson (44 rushing yards, 17 receiving yards, 1 TD) – 11

Although Chris Johnson scored a healthy 11 points against the Lions in Week 4, he started the game behind Chris Ivory and 11 less carries than the new number one back on the Jets’ depth chart. Johnson’s touchdown late in the third quarter secured him nine points, but it was really the only meaningful action he was involved in on Sunday. Unless Johnson finds the end zone each week, then his fantasy production looks to be extremely limited from here on out.

RB: Stevan Ridley (28 rushing yards) – 2

Although I have only had him for the last two weeks, Stevan Ridley has been the most frustrating player I’ve owned this season. Having started the past two weeks and expected to get well into double digits in both games, Ridley has underperformed to the point of me seriously considering dropping him. If it wasn’t for the dire situation of my running game, he’d probably be on waivers at this exact moment. He was also one of the two players I was relying on to overturn a nine point deficit on Monday night – but fell flat on his fantasy face.

WR: Randall Cobb (113 receiving yards, 2 TD) – 23

I was disgusted with the two points Randall Cobb churned out in Week 3 against the Lions, but I couldn’t be happier with his Week 4 performance against Chicago. Cobb had seven receptions for over 100 yards, and to add to that he found the end zone on two occasions. Over the first quarter of the season, Cobb has looked to be as good as his third round price tag. Long may it continue.

WR: Victor Cruz (108 receiving yards) – 10

Victor Cruz, much like the entire Giants offense, got off to a slow start to the season, but after two bad weeks he seems to be finding his feet as a starting fantasy wide receiver, and a solid WR2. The one problem Cruz had against the Redskins was that he didn’t find the end zone, as New York put up 45 points. But back-to-back 100-plus yard weeks are an encouraging sign that Cruz is back to being an in-form receiver. If he can start getting more touchdown grabs, then I’ll be a very happy fantasy owner.

TE: Jimmy Graham (86 receiving yards, 1 TD) – 12

Graham did have a solid number of receiving yards and managed to grab a touchdown to boot, but it was a frustrating game for his fantasy owners. Graham struggled in the first half, and had a couple of drops that he really should’ve caught. Drew Brees didn’t look his best either. I was hoping for at least 20 points from Graham against Dallas, but he was far from that target. So far, Jimmy Graham has not lived up to his first round billing, but he does have time to turn it around. Next up: Tampa Bay at home.

FLEX: Niles Paul (60 receiving yards) – 6

Niles Paul only found himself in my starting lineup because my options had been severely limited by the bye week, thus I didn’t expect much of him. Suffice to say he delivered on my non-existent expectations, scoring a paltry six points which didn’t really help the Bloggers at all. It helped the team even less that he left the game part-way through with a concussion.

D/ST: Chargers D/ST (14 points against, 2 INT, 1 fumble recovery, 3 sacks) – 10

The Chargers were supposed to be the safest bet of all the D/STs heading into Week 4, as they were playing a poor Jacksonville Jaguars offense. Although they didn’t do too badly, lack of a D/ST touchdown meant that they didn’t take full advantage, and were left seven fantasy points behind the opposing Dolphins D/ST – another waiver pickup. Had I chosen the Dolphins over the Chargers ahead of this matchup, I wouldn’t have lost. Oh the irony.

K – Stephen Gostkowski (2 extra points made) – 2

My Mr fantasy dependable through the first three weeks of the season had a Week 4 stinker. It’s not his fault that the Patriots only scored two touchdowns and decided not to attempt a field goal the entire game, but alongside Stevan Ridley he sealed my fate. I blame Ridley more for under performance. Gostkowski did all that he could do.

BENCH

QB: Tony Romo (262 passing yards, 20 rushing yards, 3 touchdowns) – 24

RB: Mark Ingram – 0

WR: Demaryius Thomas (BYE) – N/A

WR: Mohamed Sanu (BYE) – N/A

WR: Percy Harvin (BYE) – N/A

D/ST: Rams D/ST (BYE) – N/A

K: Cody Parkey (3 extra points) – 3

The League: Week 4 Results and Standings

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Week 4 Results

Wigan Warriors 117-103 Salford Bloggers

Kardac Kids srm 69-50 La Linea Lineman

Team apachefootball 120-85 Team Zachrich

Barnyard Gems 71-107 Abergele JETS

Team AZ Fixitmen 95-71 Dallas Cowboyz2014

 

Current Standings

East Division

Wigan Warriors – 3-1, 372 PF, 373 PA

Kardac Kids srm – 3-1, 349 PF, 313 PA

Abergele Jets – 2-2, 360 PF, 300 PA

Salford Bloggers – 1-3, 332 PF, 407 PA

La Linea Lineman – 0-4, 259 PF, 322 PA

 

West Division

Team AZ Fixitmen – 4-0, 393 PF, 318 PA

Team apachefootball – 3-1, 392 PF, 326 PA

Team Zachrich – 2-2, 369 PF, 377 PA

Barnyard Gems – 2-2, 354 PF, 388 PA

Dallas Cowboyz2014 – 0-4, 351 PF, 407 PA

Salford Bloggers start or sit? – Week 4

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Week 4 matchup – Wigan Warriors (2-1) @ Salford Bloggers (1-2)

 

 

Projected lineup for Wigan Warriors:

QB: Drew Brees (NO, @ DAL)

RB: Lamar Miller (MIA, @ OAK)

RB: Pierre Thomas (NO, @ DAL)

WR: Vincent Jackson (TB, @ PIT)

WR: Steve Smith Sr. (BAL, vs. CAR)

TE: Rob Gronkowski (NE, @ KC)

FLEX: Reggie Wayne (IND, vs. TEN)

D/ST: Chiefs D/ST (KC, vs. NE)

K: Phil Dawson (SF, vs. PHI)

 

 

Salford Bloggers

Quarterback (QB) – Tony Romo (DAL, vs. NO), Philip Rivers (SD, vs. JAC)

My decision here is to ride the hot hand – and that’s Philip Rivers. In three games this season, the San Diego signal caller has just one turnover, and that was in the season opener against the Cardinals. In contrast, Tony Romo has given the ball away on four occasions and has two touchdown passes and over 100 less passing yards than Rivers. Easy call.

Running Back (RB1, RB2) – Chris Johnson (NYJ, vs. DET), Mark Ingram (NO, @ Dallas, OUT), Stevan Ridley

By virtue of Mark Ingram being sidelined thanks to a hand injury, Chris Johnson and Stevan Ridley will be starting at running back this week for the Salford Bloggers. Both had underwhelming outings in Week 3, and I’m looking for them to turn things around. However, the sooner Ingram returns, the better.

Wide Receiver (WR1, WR2) – Demaryius Thomas (DEN, BYE), Randall Cobb (GB, @ CHI), Victor Cruz (NYG, @ WSH), Percy Harvin (SEA, BYE), Mohamed Sanu (CIN, BYE)

With over half of my wide receivers out for the first bye week, Randall Cobb and Victor Cruz will start by default. I planned to start Cruz anyway after he had his first big game of the season against the Texans on Sunday. Though I would have preferred to play either Thomas or Harvin over Cobb as a receiver, and had the Green Bay wideout at the flex position.

Tight End (TE) – Jimmy Graham (NO, @ DAL), Niles Paul (WSH, @ NYG)

Jimmy Graham is too good and is too valuable to drop in place of another tight end – especially one who’s acting as a backup for his team. Graham also has a favourable matchup against the Dallas Cowboys defense, and should see plenty of targets from Drew Brees on Sunday night. I’m looking for Graham to be one of my top Week 4 performers.

Defense/Special Teams (D/ST) – Rams D/ST (STL, BYE), Chargers D/ST (SD, vs. JAC)

The Chargers were a midweek pickup for me, to fill the void left by the Broncos as my backup D/ST. I decided to grab them because not only are the Rams on a bye week this week, but because of their favourable matchup against the Jacksonville Jaguars on Sunday afternoon. Jacksonville have the second-fewest yards per game and points per game in the league, and will be handing a first start to rookie quarterback Blake Bortles – so there is plenty of chance for the San Diego defense to exploit the Jaguars’ flaws on offense.

Kicker (K) – Stephen Gostkowski (NE, @ KC), Cody Parkey (PHI, @ SF)

Through three weeks, Philadelphia’s Cody Parkey is the highest-scoring kicker in fantasy football. I picked him up this week, dropping Seattle’s Steven Hauschka to make room for him. But I’m not going to start Parkey this week, instead opting for Gostkowski. The New England kicker has had three-straight weeks of double digits and unlike Parkey has not yet missed a field goal. I’d also expect the Patriots to have a tougher time reaching the end zone than the Eagles, maximising Gostkowski’s field goal opportunities.

 

 

*Italics denote starters.

 

 

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Week 3: Cutting it fine; the Salford Bloggers are up and running

Embed from Getty Images

 

When it rains, it pours. But fortunately this week, I had an umbrella – my opponent wasn’t so lucky. Last week I had the third highest scoring team that The League had to offer, but then I missed out on a win thanks to Week 2’s top scorers Kardac Kids srm. This time around it was the complete opposite, and my points total was only better than my opponent’s – but no-one else’s.

However, with a tied game extremely uncommon in fantasy football (and football in general), it seemed almost certain that someone’s ‘0’ had to go – and thankfully it was mine. But it wasn’t without a nail-biting finish, which went right down to the wire on Monday Night Football.

With a 14 point lead gathered over Thursday and Sunday, the Salford Bloggers, with Chris Johnson left to play, had the advantage over La Linea Lineman, whose only player remaining was Alshon Jeffery. Both players had contrasting nights as the Bears took on the Jets at MetLife Stadium. Johnson struggled, and failed to pick up a great number of yards without scoring, whilst Jeffery was heavily targeted by Jay Cutler throughout the evening, and could easily have earned himself over 20 fantasy points. But with some drops and miscues along the way, the Bloggers’ 14-point lead dwindled to just 6 and they managed to cling on to give my team the first victory of the season.

Oh, how sweet it is to finally get off the mark.

 

Result

La Linea Lineman – 56

Salford Bloggers – 62

 

La Linea Lineman (0-3)

QB – Matt Ryan (286 passing yards, 2 rushing yards, 3 TD) – 23

RB – Eddie Lacy (36 rushing yards, 9 receiving yards, 1 fumble) – 1

RB – Knile Davis (132 rushing yards, 1 TD, 1 fumble) – 17

WR – Alshon Jeffery (105 receiving yards, 13 rushing yards) – 11

WR – Andre Johnson (24 receiving yards) – 2

TE – Dennis Pitta (12 yards) – 1

FLEX – Montee Ball (38 rushing yards, 6 receiving yards, 1 fumble) – 1

D/ST – Panthers D/ST (37 points allowed, 1 sack) – -7

K – Matt Bryant (1 field goal missed, 8 extra points) – 7

BENCH

RB – Alfred Blue (78 rushing yards, 10 receiving yards) – 8

RB – James Starks (38 rushing yards) – 3

WR – Justin Hunter (37 receiving yards) – 3

WR – Michael Crabtree (80 receiving yards, 4 rushing yards, 1 TD) – 14

WR – Michael Floyd (114 receiving yards) – 11

WR – T.Y. Hilton (80 receiving yards) – 8

TE – Zach Ertz (14 receiving yards) – 1

On another week, the totals would have been very different, but I caught a break because – Matt Ryan, Knile Davis and Alshon Jeffery aside – a lot of players for La Linea Lineman underperformed. Perhaps none more so than the Panthers D/ST, who managed a whopping minus seven points. If they’d had managed to stay out of minus points, then the result would have been the exact opposite, and it would be La Linea Lineman at 1-2 instead of the Salford Bloggers. Benching players such as Michael Crabtree and Michael Floyd in favour of Andre Johnson and Montee Ball also hurt the team’s chances of winning.

 

Salford Bloggers (1-2)

QB – Philip Rivers (238 passing yards 11 rushing yards, 2 TD) – 19

Philip Rivers turned in a performance against the Bills that would make any fantasy owner proud. He may not have eclipsed the 20 point mark, but he delivered a very satisfactory 19 point game, in which he threw for over 200 yards, two touchdowns, and didn’t turn the ball over. Hopefully Rivers can continue this run of form, and because of it he is shaping up to be the Week 4 starter for the Salford Bloggers.

RB – Chris Johnson (34 rushing yards) – 3

It appears I may have drafted the wrong running back. While Chris Johnson didn’t actually need to score any points on Monday Night Football to keep Alshon Jeffery at bay, his three points was still poor, and a lot less than Chris Ivory’s totals of 96 yards and nine points. It might be worth looking to trade for Ivory, whilst keeping hold of Johnson. Watch this space.

RB – Stevan Ridley (54 rushing yards, 7 receiving yards) – 5

Ridley looked as though he was ready to explode against an Oakland defense who has allowed the second-most rushing yards so far this season, but he failed to capitalise on the opportunity.

WR – Demaryius Thomas (31 receiving yards, 2 point conversion) – 5

He’s a second round fantasy pick, who’s had two bad weeks out of three so far this season. It’s probably a little too early to hit the panic button, but Thomas’ Week 3 points total is a cause for concern. Despite seeing a little time on the sideline in Seattle after picking up a knock, Thomas went almost an entire three quarters without a reception, even though he was targeted nine times. And to make matters worse, Victor Cruz – who I sat on my bench – scored 11 more points than the Broncos wideout.

WR – Percy Harvin (42 receiving yards) – 4

Harvin disappointed against the Broncos, scoring just four points with 42 yards, after opening the season with two straight mediocre weeks. What was also surprising about Harvin’s outing against Denver was that he had no rush attempts after being utilised in Seattle’s running attack in their opening two games. Despite his lowly points total, however, there is some good news. Harvin had seven receptions and was targeted nine times on Sunday – both team highs. If he starts catching a high-volume of passes for more yards and starts finding the end zone, then Harvin should fulfil his fifth round price tag.

TE – Jimmy Graham (54 receiving yards) – 5

The one thing missing from Graham’s game on Sunday was a touchdown. Whilst 11 points (the five he got including six for a potential touchdown catch) would still have been low by Graham’s standards, it would have been a lot more welcome than what he did get. These types of performances will frustrate Graham owners, myself included, but he has far too much upside and importance in the Saints’ offense to drop or worry about.

FLEX – Randall Cobb (29 receiving yards) – 2

And the underperformer of the week award goes to… Randall Cobb. Cobb was part of an underperforming Packers offense that managed just seven points against the Detroit Lions. His role was limited to just three catches for 29 yards. I’m not too disheartened by Cobb’s performance, however, because the whole offense had an off day, so I’m hoping that wrongs will be righted in Week 4.

D/ST – Rams D/ST (34 points against, 1TD, 1 INT, 1 fumble recovery) – 7

Probably the biggest help for me this week was having my D/ST outplay my opponents’ – and drastically so. Despite giving up 34 points to a buoyant Dallas Cowboys offense, two turnovers – including a pick-six – were enough to score a healthy seven points; 14 more than the opposing Panters D/ST.

K – Stephen Gostkowski (3 field goals made, 1 extra point) – 10

Gostkowski has been the most consistent Salford Bloggers player since the start of the season, and he didn’t disappoint this time around, scoring double digits for the third-straight week. He’s continuing to outplay Steven Hauschka, who doesn’t even look a threat to Gostkowski’s starting role in my fantasy team.

BENCH

QB – Tony Romo (217 passing yards, 14 rushing yards, 2 TD, 1INT) – 15

QB – Jake Locker (185 passing yards, 2 INT) – 8

RB – Mark Ingram – 0

WR – Victor Cruz (107 receiving yards, 1 TD) – 16

WR – Mohamed Sanu (44 receiving yards, 18 passing yards, 1 TD) – 8

TE – Niles Paul (68 receiving yards) – 6

K – Steven Hauschka (2 field goals made, 1 field goal missed, 2 extra points) – 7