TheDailyBlitz.com

Chris Henry has broken forearm

Sun, 08 Nov 2009 19:03:20 -0500

Bengals receiver Chris Henry, who fractured his arm in today's game, could be done for the season, according to the team's website.

"I caught the ball, I looked upfield. I tried to split the guys and turned toward the end zone," said Henry. "I was about to get up and I felt my arm (hurt), and then I noticed it was broke.”

Henry broke his arm while making a 20-yard reception, which was his only catch of the day.

On the season, Henry only had 12 receptions for 236 yards, but Henry provided the Bengals with the big-play threat.

Of his 12 receptions, 11 were for first downs and his 19.7 yards per reception leads the team.

Westbrook out for tonight's game, per Adam Schefter

Sun, 08 Nov 2009 18:25:50 -0500

According to sources of ESPN's Adam Schefter, Eagles running back Brian Westbrook won't play in tonight's game against the Cowboys.

Westbrook sat out last week after suffering a concussion during the game against the Redskins on October 26th.

Both the Cowboys and Eagles are tied for first in the NFC East with 5-2 records. The Giants, who are a half-game behind the leaders at 5-3, are playing the San Diego Chargers this afternoon.

Rookie LeSean McCoy, who was the Eagles' second-round draft pick, will get another start and he leads the Eagles in rushing with 294 yards.

But in the past four games, McCoy has yard-per-carry averages of 2.3, 2.6, 2.6 and 7.5. However, if you remove the 66-yard run he had last week against the Giants, he had 10 carries for 16 yards (or a 1.6 YPC).

Fantasy Football: RB Duds for Week 9

Sun, 08 Nov 2009 08:28:11 -0500

With six teams on a bye in week 9, you won't have the services of Adrian Peterson (Minnesota), Steven Jackson (St. Louis) and Thomas Jones (NY Jets) for your fantasy team this week.

Here are some players who are scheduled to play that I think will under-perform relative to their fantasy rankings for week 9:

Matt Forte, Bears (consensus rank 14): Last year, Forte was one of the biggest surprises in fantasy football. This year, he's one of the biggest disappointments. Through seven games, he has 408 rushing yards and three touchdowns. He's had two good games: 121 yards and a score vs Detroit and 90 yards and two scores vs Cleveland. But anyone can run on Cleveland and Detroit, who have given up the third most and sixth most fantasy points to running backs, respectively. In fact, Forte followed up his first good performance (vs Detroit) with a 23-yard game (15 carries) against a Falcons run defense that currently ranks 23rd in the NFL. This week, Forte faces the team that had led the NFL in fewest rushing yards allowed heading into last week. Although the Cardinals allowed the Panthers to run the ball against them last week, they still rank eighth in the NFL in fewest rushing yards allowed (96.4 ypg). And if you're looking for Forte to compensate as a receiver, only the Buccaneers have allowed fewer receptions to RBs than the Cardinals have.

Joseph Addai, Colts (consensus rank 12): The positives for Addai? Two consecutive 20-carry games and he's scored five touchdowns in seven games. But Addai is averaging only 3.3 yards per carry on the season and he's never had more than 64 rushing yards in any game this season. Donald Brown, who was injured two weeks ago and didn't play last week, is questionable for Sunday's game and will be a game-time decision. If Brown returns, that will reduce several of Addai's carries. And in the past five weeks, the Texans have allowed the fewest fantasy points to running backs in the NFL.

Brian Westbrook, Eagles (consensus rank 13): Westbrook has been one of the best and most dangerous running backs in the NFL for several years. After sitting last week due to a concussion, Westbrook will be back in the starting lineup against the Cowboys. But let's take a look at Westbrook's numbers pre-concussion. He's averaging only 39.4 rushing yards per game (lowest since his rookie season) and 26 receiving yards per game (lowest since his second season). Westbrook has never received more than 13 carries in one game this season and there is only one game in which he has more than 20 receiving yards. While Westbrook has the potential to make a big play at any time, he's no longer a sure thing (when healthy) in fantasy football.

Click here to view my RB Studs in week 9 for fantasy football.

Ryan Moats to start over Steve Slaton

Sat, 07 Nov 2009 21:19:48 -0500

Last week the Texans benched running back Steve Slaton after he fumbled his only carry in favor of Ryan Moats.

Moats, who was probably the most added player in fantasy football this week, finished the game with 126 rushing yards and three touchdowns (a franchise record).

For tomorrow's game against the Colts, Texans coach Gary Kubiak has named Moats the starter, per John McClain of the Houston Chronicle.

On the season Slaton has lost five fumbles in 110 carries. Last year he lost only two fumbles in 268 carries.

Fantasy Football: RB Studs for Week 9

Sat, 07 Nov 2009 19:14:15 -0500

This is the final of three consecutive weeks where six teams have their bye week. Some notable running backs on bye are Minnesota's Adrian Peterson, St. Louis' Steven Jackson and New York's Thomas Jones.

That said, here are three running backs that may be a little under the radar that I expect to have a big week:

Jonathan Stewart, Panthers: It should be fairly obvious that Stewart's running mate, DeAngelo Williams, is a must-start every week. And I expect Williams to have a huge game this week. That said, Stewart should have a strong performance as well. In the past four games, Williams and Stewart have combined for a total of 700 rushing yards and seven touchdowns. During that span, Stewart has scored four times including twice last week against what was the league's top-ranked rush defense. This week, the Panthers face a Saints defense that has lost defensive tackle Sedrick Ellis for several weeks and has allowed six rushing touchdowns in the past three games. Only the Giants have allowed more (7) during that span. As the Panthers enter tomorrow's game in a hostile environment as a 13-point underdog against the unbeaten Saints, look for both Stewart and Williams to get a heavy dose of carries as the Panthers try to keep the Saints' high-powered offense off the field and take the crowd out of the game.

Jamaal Charles, Chiefs: As Larry Johnson finds himself in the team's doghouse again, Jamaal Charles will finally get his shot to be the offense's featured back. In 90 career rushing attempts, Charles is averaging 5.3 yards per carry. This week he faces the Jacksonville Jaguars, who allowed Tennessee's Chris Johnson to run for 228 yards last week. Charles, who was drafted in the third-round last year, should get more opportunities to start beyond this week even though LJ's suspension officially ends after this week. If so, Charles will have several favorable matchups in the weeks ahead including Oakland, San Diego, Buffalo and Cleveland to go along with a favorable matchup this week.

Pierre Thomas, Saints: The Saints can pass it and can run it. Quarterback Drew Brees is one of the league's top three quarterbacks and the Saints are tied for the most passing touchdowns (16) in the league. But what may not be as widely-known is the Saints rank fourth in the NFL in rushing yards per game (153.3). Of the three options in New Orleans, Thomas is the best bet (over Reggie Bush and Mike Bell). Thomas is averaging nearly six yards per carry. And running on Carolina is much easier than passing on them. The Panthers' pass defense ranks first in the NFL in yards allowed (160.6 ypg). Meanwhile the Panthers run defense ranks 24th in the league and they've allowed the eighth-most fantasy points to running backs. In addition, no other team has allowed running backs to catch touchdown passes (four) than the Panthers have.

See week 9 consensus rankings for running backs.

Mark Sanchez: "Man, I was awesome..."

Sat, 07 Nov 2009 17:24:41 -0500

Jets rookie quarterback Mark Sanchez could have had his season go from good to bad to worse.

What helped save it?

Apparently, a DVD given to Sanchez by coach Rex Ryan did, per Rich Cimini of the NY Daily News.

When viewing the DVD called "What We Want," which began with clips of Hall of Famer Joe Montana, Sanchez thought to himself, 'Jeez, who's next, Troy Aikman? Dan Marino? I'm like, 'I really have to start playing.'"

Instead the video Ryan gave Sanchez included highlights of Sanchez (from USC and his start with the Jets).

"Just looking at the throws, I was like, 'Man, I was awesome. That's me doing it,'" said Sanchez, according to Cimini. "It was a little boost, a little something I could really use. That's exactly what I needed and Rex knew it."

It's easy to forget with the performance of rookie quarterbacks from last year's draft class (Atlanta's Matt Ryan and Baltimore's Joe Flacco) that it's common for rookie quarterbacks to have ups and downs.

Overall Sanchez has played reasonably well "for a rookie."

With the exception of two games (Buffalo and New Orleans), Sanchez never had a QB rating lower than 81.4 for a game. In those two horrible games, Sanchez threw no touchdowns and eight interceptions.

In his other six games, however, Sanchez has eight touchdowns and only two interceptions.

But Sanchez says, "A lot of people will say, 'Hey, man, you're a rookie and you're playing really good for a rookie.' But I don't want to play like a rookie. I want to play like a 10-year vet, a Pro Bowler, a Super Bowl champion."

Colts' doctors working overtime

Fri, 06 Nov 2009 23:43:27 -0500

This hasn't been a good week on the medical front for the Indianapolis Colts.

The team has announced today that safety Bob Sanders will require season-ending surgery on a torn biceps. Last night, the team announced that cornerback Marlin Jackson will miss the remainder of the season with a torn ACL.

In addition to losing half of their starting secondary for the remainder of the season, starting cornerback Kelvin Hayden will miss the next 3-4 weeks with a knee injury as well.

Earlier in the week, the Colts lost LB Tyjuan Hagler for the season with a biceps injury.

Aside from the losses on defense, receiver Anthony Gonzalez, who hasn't played since suffering a knee injury in week one, had arthroscopic surgery yesterday and will miss (at least) a few more weeks.

Even without Gonzalez, the Colts lead the NFL in passing offense (321.3 yards per game).

However, it will be much more challenging for the Colts on the defensive side of the ball over the next few weeks.

On the season, the Colts' pass defense ranks seventh in the NFL allowing 180.1 yards per game. They have allowed a league-low of three touchdown passes this year.

But they face the Houston Texans this week and New England Patriots next week.

Houston's Matt Schaub leads the NFL in passing yards (2,342) and is tied for the league lead in touchdowns (16). New England's Tom Brady ranks fifth in passing yards (2,032) and is tied for fourth in touchdowns (15).

Fantasy Quarterback Rankings - Week 9

Fri, 06 Nov 2009 22:42:48 -0500

Every week, we provide consensus fantasy football rankings per position (QB, RB, WR, TE, K, DEF) based on that week's matchup.

How do we arrive at our rankings?

We average out rankings from various sources in an effort to reduce the variability between mainstream sites. We include ESPN, Yahoo! and CBS Sports in our rankings.

Here are the top 10 quarterbacks in week 9:

1. Tom Brady, Patriots (vs Miami)
2. Peyton Manning, Colts (vs Houston)
3. Aaron Rodgers, Packers (at Tampa Bay)
4. Drew Brees, Saints (vs Carolina)
5. Philip Rivers, Chargers (at NY Giants)
6. Donovan McNabb, Eagles (vs Dallas)
7. Matt Hasselbeck, Seahawks (vs Detroit)
8. Tony Romo, Cowboys (at Philadelphia)
9. Kurt Warner, Cardinals (at Chicago)
10. Matt Schaub, Texans (at Indianapolis)

See full list of top 25 quarterbacks for week 9.

More rankings: top 40 RBs | top 50 WRs | top 20 TEs | top 20 kickers | top 20 team defenses

Fantasy Running Back Rankings - Week 9

Fri, 06 Nov 2009 22:35:03 -0500

Every week, we provide consensus fantasy football rankings per position (QB, RB, WR, TE, K, DEF) based on that week's matchup.

How do we arrive at our rankings?

We average out rankings from various sources in an effort to reduce the variability between mainstream sites. We include ESPN, Yahoo! and CBS Sports in our rankings.

Here are the top 10 running backs in week 9:

1. Maurice Jones-Drew, Jaguars (vs Kansas City)
2. Ray Rice, Ravens (at Cincinnati)
3. DeAngelo Williams, Panthers (at New Orleans)
4. Michael Turner, Falcons (vs Washington)
5. Ryan Grant, Packers (at Tampa Bay)
6. Brandon Jacobs, Giants (vs San Diego)
7. Chris Johnson, Titans (at San Francisco)
8. Cedric Benson, Bengals (vs Baltimore)
9. Frank Gore, 49ers (vs Tennessee)
10. Pierre Thomas, Saints (vs Carolina)

See full list of top 40 running backs for week 9.

More rankings: top 25 QBs | top 50 WRs | top 20 TEs | top 20 kickers | top 20 team defenses

Fantasy Wide Receiver Rankings - Week 9

Fri, 06 Nov 2009 22:22:41 -0500

Every week, we provide consensus fantasy football rankings per position (QB, RB, WR, TE, K, DEF) based on that week's matchup.

How do we arrive at our rankings?

We average out rankings from various sources in an effort to reduce the variability between mainstream sites. We include ESPN, Yahoo! and CBS Sports in our rankings.

Here are the top 10 fantasy wide receivers in week 9:

1. Reggie Wayne, Colts (vs Houston)
2. Randy Moss, Patriots (vs Miami)
3. Larry Fitzgerald, Cardinals (at Chicago)
4. Vincent Jackson, Chargers (at NY Giants)
5. Marques Colston, Saints (vs Carolina)
6. Andre Johnson, Texans (at Indianapolis)
7. DeSean Jackson, Eagles (vs Dallas)
8. Wes Welker, Patriots (vs Miami)
9. Chad Ochocinco, Bengals (vs Baltimore)
10. Greg Jennings, Packers (at Tampa Bay)

See full list of top 50 wide receivers for week 9.

More rankings: top 25 QBs | top 40 RBs | top 20 TEs | top 20 kickers | top 20 team defenses

Fantasy Tight End Rankings - Week 9

Fri, 06 Nov 2009 22:09:39 -0500

Every week, we provide fantasy football rankings per position (QB, RB, WR, TE, K, DEF) based on that week's matchup.

How do we arrive at our rankings?

We average out rankings from various sources in an effort to reduce the variability between mainstream sites. We include ESPN, Yahoo! and CBS Sports in our rankings.

Here are the top 10 tight ends in week 9:

1. Dallas Clark, Colts (vs Houston)
2. Antonio Gates, Chargers (at NY Giants)
3. Jason Witten, Cowboys (at Philadelphia)
4. Vernon Davis, 49ers (vs Tennessee)
5. Brent Celek, Eagles (vs Dallas)
6. Tony Gonzalez, Falcons (vs Washington)
7. Jeremy Shockey, Saints (vs Carolina)
8. John Carlson, Seahawks (vs Detroit)
9. Fred Davis, Redskins (at Atlanta)
10. Kellen Winslow, Buccaneers (vs Green Bay)

See full list of top 20 tight ends for week 9.

More rankings: top 25 QBs | top 40 RBs | top 50 WRs | top 20 kickers | top 20 team defenses

Fantasy Defense Rankings - Week 9

Fri, 06 Nov 2009 21:56:56 -0500

Every week, we provide consensus fantasy football rankings per position (QB, RB, WR, TE, K, DEF) based on that week's matchup.

How do we arrive at our rankings?

We average out rankings from various sources in an effort to reduce the variability between mainstream sites. We include ESPN, Yahoo! and CBS Sports in our rankings.

Here are the top 10 team defenses in week 9:

1. Green Bay Packers (at Tampa Bay)
2. New Orleans Saints (vs Carolina)
3. Seattle Seahawks (vs Detroit)
4. Pittsburgh Steelers (at Denver)
5. New England Patriots (vs Miami)
6. San Francisco 49ers (vs Tennessee)
7. Philadelphia Eagles (vs Dallas)
8. Atlanta Falcons (vs Washington)
9. Denver Broncos (vs Pittsburgh)
10. Indianapolis Colts (vs Houston)

See full list of top 20 defenses for week 9.

More rankings: top 25 QBs | top 40 RBs | top 50 WRs | top 20 TEs | top 20 kickers

The Weekly Blitz - Week 9

Fri, 06 Nov 2009 06:47:19 -0500

Every week, I pick three games against the spread (ATS) and I am coming off my second 3-0 week in the past three weeks.

My record on the season is now 14-10, which is solid, but still worse than last season's record of 63.3% correct ATS, which I use as my personal benchmark.

That said, here are my week 9 picks:

Panthers +13 (over Saints): Call me crazy -- after all, I've certainly been called worse -- for picking the Panthers here. But we are seeing a re-emergence of the Panthers' rushing attack and Delhomme, well, hasn't screwed that up allowing the Panthers to win three of their past four. In the past four games, DeAngelo Williams (439 rushing yards) and Jonathan Stewart (261) have combined for 700 rushing yards for an average of 5.0 yards per carry and seven touchdowns. In this series, the road team is not only 13-1 against the spread (ATS) since 2001, but they are 11-4 straight up. While I don't expect the Panthers, who were the # 2 seed in the NFC last year, to pull off a huge upset, I expect them to keep it close -- or, at least, within 13 points.

Eagles -3 (over Cowboys): First, I am rooting to be wrong here (as a Cowboys' fan). But I am realistic. At the beginning of the season, I predicted the Eagles to win the NFC East and for the Cowboys to finish third. But the point spread indicates that these two teams are "even" as the home team generally receives three points for playing at home. Meanwhile, the Eagles pummeled the New York Football Giants last week and are firing on all cylinders. The Cowboys, specifically Tony Romo, have limited the mistakes, which has been key to their three-game winning streak. For the first time in his career, Romo has gone interception-less for three consecutive games. Of all the teams Romo has faced at least twice, the Eagles are the only team to force Romo into more interceptions (eight) than touchdowns thrown (seven). But the Eagles are 16-9 straight up and 16-7 ATS versus the Cowboys since 1996.

Chargers +4.5 (over Giants): Philip Rivers is a better quarterback than Eli Manning. Period. And the difference couldn't be any more apparent in the past four weeks. Although Rivers has faced defenses like Pittsburgh's, Denver's and Oakland's (who has Nnamdi Asomugha, arguably the league's top corner), Rivers hasn't had a passer rating lower than 93.6 in any of his past four games. During that span, Rivers has thrown for 261.3 yards per game, completed 60.5 percent of passes and thrown eight touchdowns and only one interception. Eli, on the other hand, has thrown for 204 ypg, completed 52.1% of passes and has thrown more INTs (6) than TDs (5). I expect the Chargers to take advantage of the Giants' depleted secondary. The Giants may end their three-game skid, but the Chargers will, at a minimum, keep this game close.

For my picks from our other three "handicappers," click here.

Westbrook will play against the Cowboys

Thu, 05 Nov 2009 06:32:01 -0500

Eagles running back Brian Westbrook, who suffered a concussion two games ago, has been cleared to play -- and will (barring any setbacks) -- against the Dallas Cowboys in their Sunday Night Football matchup this week.

This will be the first time they face each other this season. Their second matchup, in Dallas, will be played on January 3rd in week 17. (Eagles schedule | Cowboys schedule)

The Eagles and Cowboys are tied for first in the NFC East at 5-2 and hold a half-game lead over the Giants, who are 5-3 and on a three-game losing streak.

Westbrook, who sat out last week, says he's ready to "play with reckless abandon" on Sunday.

"I just look at it as a fluke thing," said Westbrook, per Les Bowen of the Philadelphia Daily News. "It was weird, because going into that game, I felt pretty good . . . It's frustrating, but at the same time, I guess the bright side of it, if anything is, it wasn't my knee, wasn't my ankle. I'm concerned about the long-term effects of it, but when you go out there and play football, you have to . . . play worry-free football. You have to go out there and try to play with reckless abandon."

On the season, Westbrook, who has played five games, is second on the team in rushing with 197 yards to rookie LeSean McCoy, who has 294 yards. Although Westbrook is averaging nearly five yards per carry, he's only getting, on average, eight carries per game.

"Veteran players want to keep their jobs, especially when they get a little older, and some of them can be very sensitive about that," [coach Andy] Reid said. "Brian has enough confidence in himself and knows that LeSean is willing to work and willing to listen and be coachable, so Brian shares with him some of his experiences and helps him out. That, from a coaching standpoint, that's invaluable."

The Cowboys rank 13th in the league in rushing yards allowed (105.0 per game) and have allowed only three rushing touchdowns. Only three teams (Vikings, Steelers and Patriots) have allowed fewer rushing TDs.

In fantasy points allowed to running backs, the Cowboys have allowed the 18th most at 18.0 per game.

Seahawks release Edgerrin James

Tue, 03 Nov 2009 19:07:32 -0500

The Seattle Seahawks have released running back Edgerrin James, per Danny O'Neill of The Seattle Times.

James, who was released by Arizona this summer, signed with the Seahawks in August.

Through seven games, James had 46 carries for 125 rushing yards and no touchdowns. His 2.7 yard per carry average was the lowest of his career.

In Sunday's game versus the Cowboys, however, James gained 17 yards on the ground moved into tenth place on the all-time rushing list with 12,246 career rushing yards.

It's unlikely that James, who was the Colts' first-round pick in 1999, will sign with another team.