What Youve Heard

Fantasy Football Preseason Checklist

Author: Bill Parsons

We just reached the Major League All-Star game, but I bet many of you feel like you are behind on your preparation work for the 2009 NFL Fantasy Football season.  Sure, you could take the easy way out and let your autodraft engine pick your team for you and hope that you will be competitive.  However, very few leagues are won this way.  You need to gain the advantage at draft time by picking the sleepers ahead of the other managers and being positioned to pick the waiver wire clean at the appropriate times during the season.  So, here is a basic checklist to start with.

1. Determine what fantasy sports website you want to play on.  Even if you are not the Commissioner, you want to investigate the variety of sites available and determine who has the best features and appears to be the easiest to use.  Do not be afraid to use a site that you have not seen on national television.  Investments in innovation will help you play in a more enjoyable league.

2. Start building the pool of players that will one day make up your player rankings.  Many sites have players ranked at draft time, but everyone in your league will have access to that information.  You want your list of players ranked by your expectation of how they will perform this season.  If you do your homework before the draft, you should be in position to take home the crown at the end of the season.  If it looks iffy, bribe a few other managers to dump players your way.

3. Now, that player pool is not as easy to pour as a cold beer.  Start by going over the free agent movement since the Super Bowl ended.  There is a lot of time between now and your league's draft for NFL teams to build their depth chart.  You want to flag potential position battles for the number 1 and number 2 slots in your money positions.  No reason to worry about who the number 1 running back is in New York, but you may be concerned about who will win the number 2 slot.  You want to focus on news involving these players.

4. Of course, you better factor rookies into the mix.  Not many make an impact so drafting the correct players will save draft picks for more useful players or backups to your studs.  So, grab the draft results from April.  Everyone knows that Chris “Beanie” Wells will be a rookie to draft, but what about Donald Brown?  You want to be the team that drafts him first.  Of course, he’ll be known by draft time, so go through all picks and try to imagine where they will factor into the depth chart, even if they will not be the obvious number 2 back. For example, get to know LeSean McCoy. Wow, I could just hear a resounding “Who?!”. With Brian Westbrook a perennial injury risk, McCoy could be the feature back on a very good team in no time.

5. Start digesting news and injury reports, making sure to focus on the teams where you see the best position battles and greatest opportunity for upside.  If you keep a comprehensive diary of these happenings, you can trust this more than random articles found before the draft….except mine, of course. Also, my mock draft will be on the heels of this article.

6. Don’t rely on your research to be the only source of influence on your initial player pool.  Pick up a few trade magazines.  We suggest picking up a copy of Fantasy Football Cheatsheets or Fantasy Football Diehards.  Add some of their sleepers and rookies to your pool that you have omitted and you will have a good collection of players to track news on this summer and help you set your player rankings before your draft.  Once again, you can ignore the news about Michael Turner, Larry Fitzgerald. and the like, that is, unless they have poor habits like jumping out of an airplane without a parachute, swimming with sharks with an open wound, or constantly complaining about how unfair their contract is.

Article Source: http://www.articlesbase.com/football-articles/fantasy-football-preseason-checklist-1047792.html

About the Author

Bill Parsons is the owner of http://www.MaximumFantasySports.com and a rabid fantasy sports participant. He began creating his own football and baseball fantasy leagues at the ripe old age of seven; tracking stats and standings on paper. Bill decided to create a real-time fantasy football league website that includes all of the best features and some of which have never been attempted at any other website. Maximum Fantasy Sports offers Free pools and fairly priced Private Fantasy Football leagues as well as Public Leagues with cash payouts.

2010 Fantasy Football Player Rankings

Author: Bill Parsons

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Fantasy Football player rankings are very useful when executing your fantasy football online drafts or establishing your pre-rankings for your offline drafts.  When evaluating the NFL players, we assumed a standard league scoring configuration.  The configuration assumes a starting roster of 1 QB, 2 RBs, 2 WRs, 1 TE, 1 K and 1 D/ST.  Points are awarded for the following actions:

Passing: 1 point for every 25 yards, 4 points for each Touchdown, and negative 2 for each Interception

Rushing: 1 point for every 10 yards, 6 points for each Touchdown, and negative 2 for each fumble lost

Receiving: 1 point for every 10 yards, 6 points for each Touchdown

Kicking: 3 points for every Field Goal made and 1 point for each successful Extra Point

Defense: 2 points for every fumble covered, 2 points for every interception, 1 point for every sack, 2 points for each shutout and 2 points for each safety

There are many other statistics and scoring systems that can be used, so make sure to make adjustments to the rankings based on scoring differences found in your league.

Quarterback
D. Brees (NO)         
A. Rodgers (GB)     
P. Manning (IND)     
M. Schaub (HOU)     
P. Rivers (SD)         
T. Brady (NE)         
T. Romo (DAL)         
B. Favre (MIN)         
E. Manning (NYG)       
J. Cutler (CHI)         
J. Flacco (BAL)         
K. Kolb (PHI)         
M. Ryan (ATL)         
D. McNabb (WAS)     
B. Roethlisberger (PIT)
C. Palmer (CIN)     
K. Orton (DEN)         
C. Henne (MIA)         
D. Garrard (JAC)     
V. Young (TEN)         
M. Moore (CAR)         
A. Smith (SF)         
J. Freeman (TB)     
M. Hasselbeck (SEA)     
M. Stafford (DET)     

Running Back1
C. Johnson (TEN)
A. Peterson (MIN)
M. Jones-Drew (JAC)
R. Rice (BAL)
M. Turner (ATL)
S. Jackson (STL)
F. Gore (SF)
C. Benson (CIN)
R. Mendenhall (PIT)
R. Mathews (SD)
D. Williams (CAR)
S. Greene (NYJ)
R. Grant (GB)
J. Charles (KC)
P. Thomas (NO)
M. Forte (CHI)
J. Stewart (CAR)
K. Moreno (DEN)
J. Best (DET)
B. Wells (ARI)
J. Addai (IND)
L. McCoy (PHI)
F. Jones (DAL)
R. Brown (MIA)
R. Williams (MIA)

Running Back2
C. Spiller (BUF)    
M. Barber (DAL)    
J. Harrison (CLE)    
B. Jacobs (NYG)    
B. Tate (HOU)    
A. Bradshaw (NYG)    
F. Jackson (BUF)    
C. Williams (TB)    
R. Bush (NO)    
D. Brown (IND)    
M. Bush (OAK)    
D. McFadden (OAK)    
T. Jones (KC)    
C. Portis (WAS)    
M. Hardesty (CLE)    
J. Forsett (SEA)    
D. Sproles (SD)    
S. Slaton (HOU)    
T. Hightower (ARI)    
L. Tomlinson (NYJ)    
L. Maroney (NE)    
J. Jones (SEA)    
W. McGahee (BAL)    
T. Choice (DAL)    
A. Foster (HOU)    

Wide Receiver1
A. Johnson (HOU)
R. Moss (NE)
L. Fitzgerald (ARI)
D. Jackson (PHI)
R. Wayne (IND)
C. Johnson (DET)
R. White (ATL)
S. Rice (MIN)
A. Boldin (BAL)
B. Marshall (MIA)
S. Smith (CAR)
M. Austin (DAL)
M. Colston (NO)
S. Smith (NYG)
G. Jennings (GB)
V. Jackson (SD)
M. Crabtree (SF)
H. Nicks (NYG)
C. Ochocinco (CIN)
R. Meachem (NO)
H. Ward (PIT)
M. Sims-Walker (JAC)
P. Harvin (MIN)
T. Houshmandzadeh (SEA)
P. Garcon (IND)

Wide Receiver2
M. Wallace (PIT)
S. Moss (WAS)
J. Maclin (PHI)
D. Driver (GB)
L. Evans (BUF)
S. Holmes (NYJ)
D. Bryant (DAL)
D. Mason (BAL)
J. Cotchery (NYJ)
A. Collie (IND)
D. Hester (CHI)
D. Aromashodu (CHI)
D. Thomas (DEN)
A. Bryant (CIN)
B. Edwards (NYJ)
M. Manningham (NYG)
S. Breaston (ARI)
N. Burleson (DET)
J. Knox (CHI)
K. Britt (TEN)
B. Berrian (MIN)
D. Henderson (NO)
W. Welker (NE)
G. Tate (SEA)
C. Chambers (KC)

Tight End
D. Clark (IND)
A. Gates (SD)
V. Davis (SF)
T. Gonzalez (ATL)
J. Witten (DAL)
B. Celek (PHI)
J. Finley (GB)
Z. Miller (OAK)
K. Winslow (TB)
G. Olsen (CHI)
V. Shiancoe (MIN)
O. Daniels (HOU)
J. Carlson (SEA)
C. Cooley (WAS)
K. Boss (NYG)
B. Pettigrew (DET)
H. Miller (PIT)
D. Keller (NYJ)
J. Shockey (NO)
M. Lewis (JAC)
F. Davis (WAS)
B. Watson (CLE)
B. Scaife (TEN)
T. Scheffler (DET)
J. Gresham (CIN)

Kickers
N. Kaeding (SD)
G. Hartley (NO)
M. Crosby (GB)
S. Gostkowski (NE)
R. Longwell (MIN)
D. Akers (PHI)
R. Bironas (TEN)
L. Tynes (NYG)
M. Prater (DEN)
J. Reed (PIT)
J. Nedney (SF)
J. Kasay (CAR)
D. Carpenter (MIA)
S. Janikowski (OAK)
D. Buehler (DAL)
R. Gould (CHI)
R. Lindell (BUF)
C. Barth (TB)
R. Succop (KC)
M. Bryant (ATL)
O. Mare (SEA)
K. Brown (HOU)
J. Feely (ARI)
J. Hanson (DET)

Defense/Special Teams
New York Jets
Baltimore Ravens
Minnesota Vikings
Green Bay Packers
Denver Broncos
Philadelphia Eagles
Pittsburgh Steelers
New Orleans Saints
Dallas Cowboys
San Francisco 49ers
Cincinnati Bengals
Buffalo Bills
Indianapolis Colts
New York Giants
Chicago Bears
San Diego Chargers
Miami Dolphins
Atlanta Falcons
New England Patriots
Houston Texans
Tennessee Titans
Arizona Cardinals
Seattle Seahawks
Carolina Panthers

Article Source: http://www.articlesbase.com/football-articles/2010-fantasy-football-player-rankings-2844634.html

About the Author

Bill Parsons is the owner of http://www.MaximumFantasySports.com and a rabid fantasy sports participant. He began creating his own football and baseball fantasy leagues at the ripe old age of seven; tracking stats and standings on paper. Bill decided to create a real-time fantasy football league website that includes all of the best features and some of which have never been attempted at any other website. Maximum Fantasy Sports offers Free Fantasy Football leagues, Free Pools and Public Fantasy Football Leagues with cash payouts.

Buy Best Tracksuits That You Purchase Online

Author: Damien Ryan

The first comment we might make about on line shopping is based on surveys carried out by independent Agencies. Over the course of the next few years on line sales are expected to increase by 40%.

They are already replacing retail sales at an unbelievable rate and the future of High Street retail sales will shift exponentially to on line sales. Bearing this forecast in mind we can see why we might shop with confidence on the Internet. The important thing to remember is that with any new experience there is always a little trepidation involved. This will be overcome with the first purchase such is the ease of operation.

If you have chosen a supplier on line then the rest is easy; if you are not aware of a suitable supplier you will have to surf the Internet carefully before making a choice of Sport Company. When choosing a Company to supply your walking or Training Tracksuits, be sure to choose one with an historic success story. Check their professionalism in their past dealings with customers and look for customer testimonials that can assuage any concerns you may have. Once you are confident about the Company and the process the actual purchasing is a piece of cake. You simply go into the relevant Website, scroll through the categories until you find the proper one, click on the correct product and take care to indicate the proper size and colour if appropriate.

Should you encounter any difficulties in the course of processing the order do not hesitate to contact the Company sales personnel who will deal with your problem first hand. This can prove advantageous sometimes where customers are permitted to upgrade the tracksuit at no extra cost – a marketing ploy by the on line sales company to encourage you back to their Website for future purchases.

With your tracksuit choice made and your order process complete there only remains the issue of payment and this is simple, Follow the payment guidelines and you can pay by credit card. It basically follows the same path as any normal credit card transaction but if you experience difficulty again contact the Website Company direct and it can be resolved very quickly. There are a number of words that best define the operation – quick, efficient and secure. This exercise complete your transaction is approved and all you have to do is await delivery of your tracksuits. The time frame for delivery is normally indicated on the Website and you will be informed should any delays occur.

Article Source: http://www.articlesbase.com/football-articles/buy-best-tracksuits-that-you-purchase-online-1502343.html

About the Author

Here at http://www.royalsportskit.com have developed own ranges of football tracksuits for sport training during the sport time offering superb quality and value for money.

Football is the Best Sport of the World

Author: Ahsan raza

There are many games which are played in the diffrent parts of the world.but the best among them  is the "football".''football'' is the most liked and loved sports of the world."football" is the richest game of the world.

in the 90 minutes match of  "football" the audience never feels bore.on the other hand in the game like cricket a match continues for five days and in the end we came to know that the match is drawn.but in the game of  "football" we gets a result in 90 minutes.

the world cup of  "football" ball helds after every 4 years in which best "football" teams takes part.the last world cup of  "football" 2006 was won by italy against France.it was the last match of the great zidane a greaat footballer of France.the Euro cup is the second biggest event of the "football" in which the teams from europe takes part.the euro of 2008 is going on in these days.the club matches continues all the year.the most famouse club of spain is Rial Madrid and Manchester United is the most famouse club of England.the number one team of "football" is brazil which won the most world cups.the most popular player famouse among the youngsters  is christiano Ronaldo.there are many other good players also like Ronaldo, Zidane and Nistel Roy.

People of  Europe and North America loves the "Football."Football' is more then a game for them.they love it.when there team wins the becomes very happy and when loses they became sad.we can say that the "football" is a important part of life for them.

We can simply say that the best sport is "Football' and we love it.

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Article Source: http://www.articlesbase.com/football-articles/football-is-the-best-sport-of-the-world-454701.html

About the Author

i am ahsan raza 18 years old. from pakistan. my website to Download free games softwares wallpapers fashion earn money articles is http://www.funandmaza.110mb.com

Fantasy Football - Drafting your Football Team

Author: Tk Healey

Training camps are opened up, most of this year's draft picks are signed, and preseason games are being played. This opens the way for fantasy football games.

What better way to brag to your buddies about your superior football knowledge than by beating them with a fantasy football team that you put together? We all know the guy who thinks he knows everything about football, but never manages to keep his team out of the cellar in the standings.

Fantasy football leagues have changed the way in which we watch football games. Head to head competition amongst your pals. Imagine this scenario: You are watching the Seahawks vs the Cardinals. The Cardinals have the ball on the Seahawk 7 yard line, but instead of cheering for the team to score you are cheering for Anquain Boldin because you are in a close game with you buddy from work who has Larry Fitzgerald the Cardinals other top receiver. Don't just pick good football players be sure to pick a few of the great ones. One that falls into this category is the quarterback fro the New England Patriots Tom Brady.

Also in-between plays and sometimes even during plays viewers have their eyes glued to the bottom line. Not to check the scores around the league, but instead the fantasy alert which keeps viewers updated on who is scoring the touchdowns in every game.

Sports Illustrated. The Sporting News, and ESPN the magazines all come out with annual fantasy football magazines that offer cheat sheets, predictions, and strategies for dominating leagues. Throughout the season they also have small portions of their magazines where they update their strategies and ranking of players.

There is in abundance of information out there to dominate you league. Now its time for you to go out there; find the right information, join a league, and show of your football knowledge to your buddies or be the guy stuck in the cellar.

Article Source: http://www.articlesbase.com/soccer-articles/fantasy-football-drafting-your-football-team-47774.html

About the Author

TK Healey chief editor for SurfTilYouDrop® a consumer based website focusing on As Seen On TV Products. Visit www.surftilyoudrop.com today and check out Head2Head Fantasy Football and play with family and friends.;

Which league to join in fantasy football?

Author: Russel crow

One of the excellent games ever played is the Football. Lots of football fans just wait for the football season. But the now the wait is over and you can take part in fantasy football. The fantasy football is played anytime even in non season. The merit of this game is you can make your team by choosing your own players. Though there are many people and fans of football that are unaware of this fantasy football.

A fantasy football is a game which is played online by creating team and winning for it. Here you need to create your own team but before that you need to join a league. There are many types of leagues which consist of different rules, game format and prizes. These are more popular now because of the advancement in technologies. It can be very confusing for the beginners for joining the league. The famous types of leagues are standard draft league, auction draft league, dynasty league, keeper league, survivor league and IDP league.

Standard Draft league:

These are the most famous and popular among all the draft leagues. Here the team is selected with the players in snake like style. The owner can select the lineups on weekly basis. This is based on the position of the player which is allowed by the rules of league. Here you will find two types of draft leagues i.e. head to head and total points. In the former draft league, every week a team is matched against other teams. The team which receives highest points is declared as the winning team of the season. In the latter draft league the team doesn't keep a track on winner and loser of a team. Instead they keep on accumulating the points till the end of season and team high score are met for playoff games.

Auction draft league:

This type of draft league is comprised of the two types of standard draft league. But here the owner can bid amount of money on their players for completing their rosters.

Dynasty league:

In this league the players are the same in every season until and unless they are traded or released from the team.

Keeper league:

These have similar features of dynasty and standard draft league. In this league a draft of players is held every season where the owner have right to select the players for their prior season.

Survivor league:

This uses almost all kind of draft but the style mostly used is the auction or standard draft style. But the merit of this league is that every week the team with lowest points is eliminated.

Each team should consist of 23 players but only 11 players can play at one time. Generally in a league there are up to 20 teams which compete against each other.

Article Source: http://www.articlesbase.com/football-articles/which-league-to-join-in-fantasy-football-2785574.html

About the Author

Russelcrow is a SEO copywriter for http://www.ftbl.com. He has written many articles in various topics like Football Games, Football News, Football Match ,Football Updates. Visit Our Website Fantasy Football.

Flag Football Plays, Free Flag Football Plays

Author: GW

Wristband Interactive TM - mobilize your playbook 

• Ready to increase your offense's rhythm and efficiency? 
• Ready to create havoc on the opposing defense? 
• Ready to win those close games? 

Wristband InteractiveTM is an online tool that allows you to "mobilize your playbook".   With Wristband InteractiveTM, select from hundreds of plays in our online library.  Pick the 8 best plays for your wristband (upcoming opponent) and then print for your entire team.  Change your plays at anytime and print again!  Our online library of plays accommodates 4,5,6,7, 8 and 11 man leagues.   

With Wristband InteractiveTM:

    Improve communication with teammates Access our online library of plays Run the hurry up, no huddle offense Print for your entire team Change your plays anytime Use for any size wristband Audible from the line of scrimmage                Reduce explanations in the huddle Mobilize your playbook Win the close games!    

We have plays for flag and tackle football.  Select from hundreds of run and pass plays, basic and trick plays and short and long yardage plays.  Whether you are a coach or player, youth or adult, Wristband Interactive (TM) will improve your performance!   

Approximately 68% of a football game is spent in the huddle (or in transition from play to play).  If you are behind, and can't afford to huddle, you will love this tool.

Wristband Interactive is not only for a hurry up offense, however.  It also helps you to stay organized, reduce chatter in the huddle, catch the opposing defense off-guard and easily illustrate everyone's exact assignment.  Effective communication, in any team sport, is a critical component for success.  Let us show you why Wristband Interactive wins games.

Wristband Tips:  All key players should have a wristband, not just the quarterback!      When calling a play at the line of scrimmage, make the last number of the play the "real number".  "Red 337" would be play # 7 on the wristband.  "Blue 12" would be play # 2 on the wristband.  Throwing in decoys will help keep the defense honest!  If you add an "F" on the end an audible ("black 242 F"), that's means it's play # 2, but flipped.  In other words, everyone runs their same route, but on the opposite side of the field.  For example, a wide out running an "out and up" on the right side of the field  would instead run an "out and up" on the left side of the field. 

Article Source: http://www.articlesbase.com/football-articles/flag-football-plays-free-flag-football-plays-801785.html

About the Author

Fantasy Football Drafting Etiquette

Author: Ryan Lester

Now that the NBA Finals and Stanley Cup Finals are behind us, it is safe to start thinking about the NFL again.  If you are a fantasy football player, you may have never stopped following the league news.  The NFL has successfully made it a year-round league with the Free Agency, NFL Draft, OTAs, mini-camps, training camp, preseason, regular season, playoffs, Super Bowl, Pro Bowl, and start it all over again.

As your dig deeper into your fantasy football research for the 2009 season you’ll begin to formulate opinions on certain players.  You’ll rank players by position as well as overall draft value.  Sometimes you’ll go with your gut expecting a particular guy to develop or another player to see a sharp decline.  Other times you’ll have two players with identical values so you’ll turn to strength of schedule, bye week, or fantasy playoff schedule to separate the two.  Whether you are going with a feeling or you have a formulated matrix to quantify the players, I urge you to avoid a practice that is becoming increasingly popular.
 
The practice I’m talking about is making fun of other players selections.  Just because you don’t think the pick is a wise one doesn’t mean that you are right.  Every year there are players taken early that don’t pan out.  Last year LaDainian Tomlinson, Tom Brady, Randy Moss, Marion Barber III, Braylon Edwards, Marques Colston, Ryan Grant (to an extent), Jamal Lewis, Willis McGahee, Plaxico Burress, Chad Ochocinco, Torry Holt, Larry Johnson, Reggie Bush, Carson Palmer, and Darren McFadden failed to meet expectations.  The list goes on, but you catch my drift.  Unless you can see the future, don’t ridicule someone for taking a reach.  I understand that part of the fun is heckling your peers, but there is a line when the heckling becomes you peacocking to show how much  you know about fantasy football.  I urge you not to cross that line

Another practice that I would like to see go away is name dropping.  There are fantasy owners who will drop the names of available players just to gauge reactions.  Then the owner in question will make their decision based on that reaction.  Another problem comes up if it’s not even your turn.  There isn’t anything more frustrating than being a couple of picks away and somebody names the guy you’re targeting.  There is no telling whether or not that player would have slid to you, but it’s frustrating when someone takes him before your pick.  If it’s a recurring problem each year with a particular owner, I have no problem with either enforcing a rule in which case if you name someone, you get him as your pick if he’s available at your turn or eventually replacing that owner.  It’s a fine line because it’s fun to discuss players, but you don’t want create disharmony at the same time.

Finally, pay attention to the players being drafted.  I can excuse trying to select a drafted player a time or two, but if every other wrong the league is saying “he’s taken” to you, it gets frustrating.  Do yourself a favor and write down the picks and cross off the players as they are selected.  If these practices are followed, you’ll have a much smoother, successful fantasy football draft.

Article Source: http://www.articlesbase.com/football-articles/fantasy-football-drafting-etiquette-979649.html

About the Author

Ryan Lester
LestersLegends.com

http://lesterslegends.com

Unknowns to Help You Win Your 2009 Fantasy Baseball League

Author: Anthony Wayne

Baseball is weird.

What other sport allows you to expand your roster by 60% for the last month of the season? Then, you have to decrease your roster by 15 players in time for the playoffs!

These September call up players can play a pivotal role down the stretch. So, I'm always amazed that teams don't all call up 15 more players on September 1! I mean, why wait? You could have that speed merchant pinch runner from a Low A team that can steal that base and possibly earn a wild card spot for you!

Other guys, usually who play on less fortunate teams, get a chance to make an immediate impact. It's these players that you should be looking for for your fantasy baseball stretch run.

Josh Anderson, OF -- Braves' center fielder Anderson led off for the Braves last night and had a 3 for 5 night. Since getting called up on August 28, after the Braves' dealt Mark Kotsay to the Red Sox, he has started all four games. Anderson hit .314 at AAA Richmond while stealing 42 bases and was an International League all star. He also had a 27 game hit streak. Clearly, Kotsay became expendable. He's a lefty with no power, but will help your stolen base totals down the stretch. Anderson was up earlier this year and is hitting .326 thus far with 4 steals. He may get a rest now and then to give Gregor Blanco a chance to play, but expect Anderson to be the main man in center for the Braves in September.

Jonothon Niese, SP, Mets -- With John Maine likely out for the season, Niese, just 21, gets the start tonight for the Mets in Milwaukee in a packed house pressure situation. Niese has a 92 MPH fastball, nasty splitter, good curve, and nice changeup. He was 5-1, 3.40 at AAA New Orleans after spending the first half of the year at AA Binghamton. Niese definitely has the stuff to be effective at the major league level, but does he have the mental toughness to survive a New York September in a rugged pennant race?

Taylor Teagarden, C, Rangers -- Teagarden, just back from winning the bronze medal in Beijing, was expected to get significant playing time in September, but he should get more now that Jarrod Saltalamacchia has an arm injury. Teagarden, who entered the game for the injured Saltalamacchia last night for Texas, pounded a three run homer. Thanks to his first homer against the Twins in July, Teagarden now has two homers in just 8 at bats. Don't expect these Ruthian numbers to continue as Teagarden only hit .225 with 7 HR's at Spokane before leaving for China, but he will get a chance and if you have a weak backup catcher, why not take a chance on Teagarden. Besides, he has a cool name.

Ryan Shealy, 1B, Royals -- There's a lot of talk in Kansas City about a young Hawaiian named Kila Ka'aihue. And, why not, Ka'aihue cracked 38 homers and hit .314 in the minors this year in just 124 games. Plus, talk about a cool name. But, the belief here is that Ryan Shealy will get more playing time in September than Ka'aihue. Shealy, 29, has played for Colorado and Kansas City and has hit .267 with 12 homers in three years of part-time duty, although this is his first call up this year. The key to the Royals' crowded first base situation in September though is that Shealy is out of options and Ka'aihue, 24, is not. The Royals have to make a decision now or they lose him next season. One thing is for certain, however. Ross Gload, currently at the top of the Royals depth chart, does not have the pop required of a major league first baseman with only 3 dingers all season.

Travis Snider, OF, Jays -- With Alex Rios and Vernon Wells signed through 2014, there's really not an opening for the 20-year-old Snider right now. He will see some action at DH in September, likely sharing that role with Adam Lind. Snider was the 14th overall pick in 2006 out of high school. The stocky corner outfielder has 225 RBI in 305 games in his minor league career.

These guys probably won't get a lot of action in September, but they are awesome prospects likely to be impact players in 2009. If you are in a keeper league and you are out of it for this season, now is the time to pick up these 2009 fantasy baseball sleepers on the cheap.

Nate Schierholtz, OF, Giants -- He's the guy who ran over the Chinese catcher in the Olympic games. Schierholtz hit .304 in 100+ AB's last year for the Giants.

David Price, SP, Rays -- Price is the 6' 6" first rounder out of Vanderbilt last year who has blistered through the minors this year. He won his first 11 starts!

Matt LaPorta, OF, Indians -- The former Florida Gator was drafted 7th overall by the Brewers in 2007. This dude has power. 12 homers in his first 30 games in the minors and LaPorta also hit a homer in the bronze medal game for Team USA.

Matt Wieters, C, Orioles -- The Sporting News claims Wieters could be "one of the top five backstops by this time next year." Wow, some claim. Has anybody told Ramon Hernandez? Wieters is a big time slugger. He is not, however, expected to get a September call up and will play in the Arizona Instructional League.

Scott Elbert, RP, Dodgers -- A 2004 first rounder who has great stuff. He's 3-0, 1.46 in his last ten games with Jacksonville. He'll be limited to one inning per game with the Dodgers.

Dallas McPherson, 3B, Marlins -- McPherson leads all minor leaguers with 42 homers this year at AAA Albuquerque. Unfortunately for McPherson, he would have been up earlier, but is blocked by Jorge Cantu who has been the Fish's best player this season.

Tony K. Gwynn Jr., OF, Brewers -- He will likely steal some bases for the Brewers coming off the bench in September. His Dad was a pretty good player too.

Matt Gamel, 3B, Brewers -- Gamel was hitting .384 in mid-June, but has slipped some since to .329 when he got the call up to the Brew Crew. Gamel will challenge Bill Hall for the Brewers third base job next year.

Article Source: http://www.articlesbase.com/baseball-articles/unknowns-to-help-you-win-your-2009-fantasy-baseball-league-601584.html

About the Author

Anthony Wayne works in the marketing department of fantasy baseball tips site Fantasy Baseball Dugout in Pennsylvania. He is also editor of College Fantasy Coach, a great source of college fantasy football information.

Winning with Fantasy Football Projections

Author: chris

Fantasy football is a great way to enjoy pro sports with your family, friends, and co-workers. You join a league and start competing with each other to see who is the best football manager. You draft your NFL players based on their skill position along with their team defense. During each regular season, you start setting up a lineup for your team based on who your players are facing in their actual NFL games, injuries, and other factors that might come. You will be like the NFL team GM and Coach because you will be the one to make trades with other teams. Your accumulated points are based on how real-life NFL players play the game. Just like your favorite NFL team, the goal is to win each game and be able to reach the postseason. In order to win a league, finding good fantasy football projections can help you. Practice your Fantasy Football skills now at www.fantasyfactor.com the home of the one day fantasy league.

Fantasy football projections are the predicted statistics of the players' performance in the National Football League in terms of yardage and touchdowns for the upcoming season. Cheat sheets, player rankings, and overall rankings become more credible whenever fantasy football projections are provided. Fantasy football is a game of numbers. The entire concept depends on statistics. NFL news and rumors are necessary in order to analyze and sort out numbers then predict the statistics for the coming season. Just by looking behind the numbers, statistical trends are exposed that increase the probability of what players will do.

Fantasy football projections help you increase the fantasy odds in your favor whenever you draft your players, knowing who to pick and when will always put you at an advantage in your draft. It is not enough to be a sports fanatic or be a genius mathematician. You must be good at those two in order to succeed in fantasy football. With so many websites about fantasy football on the internet, you will surely find a lot of fantasy football projections on each fantasy football website. Study them carefully as you head into your fantasy football draft. Fantasy football projections are often full of reliable information and stats because these are well researched by fantasy football experts. They start with fantasy football rankings for each target player in a position. It also includes mock drafts, cheat sheets, and player rankings. Projections are provided for the positions of QB, RB, WR, TE, K, and D.

The most important part of the entire season for the Fantasy NFL team owners is their league's draft. This is the first step to winning a fantasy league. A single event can cause anxiety and frustration. This is why fantasy football projections were created. They provide you with a variety of drafting tools and NFL predictions that are designed to help your create your fantasy football draft. Most of the fantasy football projections you can find on the internet are developed from years of drafting experience. The experts know the NFL very well and these projections are based on the player's statistics the past the past 10 years.

Are you using the fantasy football rankings when drafting your fantasy football draft? Have you ever realized that some of the information you have gathered are irrelevant? Then it's about time to look for some quality fantasy football projections.

Article Source: http://www.articlesbase.com/sports-and-fitness-articles/winning-with-fantasy-football-projections-2562975.html

About the Author

Fantasy Factor is a new company founded by fantasy sports experts, that offers one day fantasy sports contests that can be played for free or for guaranteed cash prizes.

A List of the Highest Paid Football Players in the NFL

Author: Thomas Sullivan

In researching information for this article, the latest data for the presentation of the highest salaries in the NFL is for the 2008 season. It should be noted that this list changes from year to year. Also, the salary cap imposed by the NFL commission increases from year to year. The salary cap is the amount of money an NFL team can spend on salaries for their players per year. The salary cap has progressively increased year by year since its inception back in 1994.

The NFL salary cap, as negotiated by the players Union in the current collective bargaining agreement, is 62.24% of all football related revenue divided by 32 teams. For the 2009 season that figure is 128 million dollars.

The following shows the steady increase in salary cap since 1999:

Salary Cap Per Team for NFL Player Salaries by Year:

2008    6 million

2007    9 million

2006    2 million

2005    .5 million

2004    .5 million

2003     million

2002     million

2001    .5 million

2000    .2 million

1999    .4 million

As the salary cap increases, so does the salary of players. The real question is how is the money distributed to players. There is a type of salary distribution model that teams use which is not  known to the general public. What is known is that the top 20 salaries for 2008 only had a couple of quarterbacks. Yet the highest paid player for 2008 was quarterback Ben Roethlisberger. So who were the highest paid NFL players for 2008. The following table tells it all:

TOP 20 HIGHEST PAID PLAYERS IN 2008

1. QB Ben Roethlisberger, Pittsburgh $ 27,701,920

2. DE Jared Allen, Minnesota $ 21,119,256

3. WR Larry Fitzgerald, Arizona $ 17,103,480

4. QB JaMarcus Russell, Oakland $ 16,872,400

5. RB Michael Turner, Atlanta $ 16,003,840

6. G Chris Snee, N.Y. Giants $ 14,890,000

7. CB Asante Samuel, Philadelphia $ 14,145,000

8. WR Randy Moss, New England $ 14,006,720

9. T Flozell Adams, Dallas $ 14,005,760

10 .DT Tommy Kelly, Oakland $ 13,978,480

11. WR Terrell Owens, Dallas $ 13,731,560

12. WR Bernard Berrian, Minnesota $ 13,705,000

13. T Michael Roos, Tennessee $ 13,505,520

14. C Jeff Faine, Tampa Bay $ 13,105,760

15. DE Will Smith, New Orleans $ 12,950,000

16. QB Tony Romo, Dallas $ 12,886,600

17. G Travelle Wharton, Carolina $ 12,850,000

18. DE Antwan Odom, Cincinnati $ 12,800,000

19. CB Terence Newman, Dallas $ 12,611,240

20. RB Marion Barber, Dallas $ 12,522,400

Lets examine the concept of salary in the NFL a little more closely. As previously stated, how teams pay their players and the value they place on them is known by only a few, including the player agent. It is interesting to note that having high salary players does not necessarily mean success to the team.

A case in point. One of the most successful NFL teams over the past ten years has been the New England Patriots. Yet only one player from the Patriots is in the top 20 for 2008.  That is wide receiver Randy Moss. Yet Oakland, over the past ten years, which has two players in the top 20, has not seen the success that the Patriots have had. As a matter of fact, they have not even come close.

Also, you can see five players from the Dallas Cowboys in the top 20 list for 2008, yet they have not been in the Super Bowl since 1995 (Super Bowl XXX). It appears that the New England Patriots like to spread their money around to their players, so that one or a few players do not get an enormous salary while the rest of the players make a fraction of that amount. Randy Moss may be an exception to this rule.

This team concept of salary distribution that the Patriots employ falls in line with the team concept they have set for their players when it comes to playing football. The Patriot's organization believe that it requires a team effort to win football games, and not the superior effort of only a few players. Maybe that is one of the reasons the Patriots have been so successful over the past ten years. And lets not forget that the Patriots is one of the best managed teams in the NFL. Part of that management is proper salary distribution. Team owner Robert Kraft and head coach Bill Belichick seem to know what they are doing.

In any case, NFL player salaries continue to increase year by year. Today the lowest rookie makes a bare minimum of 5,000.00 (at least for 2007). In terms of all professional sports, the NFL players are the highest paid. This is why so many college players seek to get into the NFL. But it should also be remembered that the average length of a career for a player in the NFL is only 4 years. So obviously a player needs to make all he can during that short career. The question is are the players worth these very high salaries.

A persons salary is dependent on one major factor. That is how many other people can do the job they are doing? The fewer the number of people that can perform a particular job, the higher the salary. Not to many people can play in the NFL. Also, the players do deserve most of the revenue that is produced simply because, without the players, you would not have any business entity. And since fans are willing to pay the high ticket prices, then I would have to answer the question that yes, the players do deserve the salaries they receive.

Football is a form of entertainment, but it is a form of entertainment Americans can not do without. Even in the Roman period, people had a need to see the gladiators fight in the Colosseums. The Romans had to pay to see their gladiators fight to the death. Sometimes all the seats were free, if a rich person had given money to pay for the show. Other times, you had to pay, and it cost more money for the good seats than for the bad seats, so the poor people had to sit way up top in the Colosseum where it was hard to see. Even the Colosseums had their nosebleed seats. The point is, Romans were willing to pay to see the gladiator form of competition. This willingness to pay to see competition has existed throughout the history of mankind.

Every year, fans watch their teams with the hope that their team will reach the Super Bowl, or in some cases, simply end up with a winning season. And in the end, we really do not care to much about a players salary. As long as we enjoy watching our team play, we will continue to pay high ticket prices.

So to conclude, there are really two basic reasons why NFL players can make millions of dollars per year. First and foremost, fans are willing to pay high ticket prices to see their team play. Secondly, not to many people can play in the NFL. This results in a high demand for their skill. Lets face it, not to many people have the skill of a Tom Brady or a Ben Roethlisberger. So as long as the demand for tickets remains high, players will continue to enjoy a high income.

Information sources for this article:

Sources:  payscale.com, usatoday.com, historyforkids.org

Article Source: http://www.articlesbase.com/football-articles/a-list-of-the-highest-paid-football-players-in-the-nfl-1245664.html

About the Author

Thomas Sullivan, the author of this article, is a web developer and publisher who lives in the Boston, MA area. He is the creator and webmaster for NFL Merchandise, an online store for the NFL fan, located at the site New England Patriots.

Fantasy Football Player Rankings

Author: isaac remponi

The fantasy football player rankings are the projection that predicts the performance of the fantasy football players stats. According to NFL.com's 2010 fantasy football player rankings, here are the top players in each position with their career highlights: 1. Aaron Rodgers - He is the 26 year old starting quarterback for the Green Bay Packers of NFL. He has garnered 4,421 passing yards in his first two years at quarterback. He was the overall top scorer in 2009. He set single-game records of 6 touchdowns and 440 all-purpose yards. Rodgers also set a single season record with 2,466 total yards. 2. Chris Johnson - He is a running back for the Tennessee Titans. Johnson has become one of the league's premier players, and a Pro Bowl starter in each of his two seasons. With 50+, 60+, and 90+ touchdowns in the same game which included a 91 yard touchdown run which matched the franchise's longest run set, he became the first player to set the record in the NFL history. On January 3, 2010, Johnson became just the 6th running back in NFL history to reach the 2,000 yard mark. 3. Andre Johnson - He is a wide receiver playing for the Houston Texans of the NFL. In his rookie season, he started and played in all 16 games, recording 66 receptions for 976 yards and 4 touchdowns. On the previous season of 2009, he finished with 101 catches for 1569 yards and 9 touchdowns (a new career high), Johnson joined Jerry Rice as the only two receivers in history to lead the league in receiving yards in consecutive seasons. 4. Dallas Clark - A tight end for the Indianapolis Colts, he was drafted by the Colts 24th overall in the 2003 NFL Draft. Clark was chosen in the first round of the 2003 NFL draft by the Indianapolis Colts with the 24th pick. He started 10 games as a rookie and had 340 receiving yards before suffering a broken leg against the New England Patriots. On December 28, 2008, Clark broke the Colts' franchise record, held by Hall of Famer John Mackey, for yards in a season by a tight end (848.) He is the highest paid tight end in the NFL. 5. Stephen Gostkowski - He is placekicker for the New England Patriots of the National Football League. He was drafted in the fourth round of the 2006 NFL Draft with the 118th pick, one of just two kickers drafted, and the only rookie kicker to make an NFL roster that year. Gostkowski won his first AFC Special Teams Player of the Week award in the Patriots' Week 9 game against the Miami Dolphins, in which he recorded four field goals and two touchbacks, including one on a re-kick from the Patriots' 25-yard line following an offside penalty. He finished the season going 26-for-31 on field goals, an 83.9 average. He was a perfect 47-for-47 on extra points and had a career-high 67.8 average on kickoffs. With the fantasy football player rankings you can find on the internet, it will help you make your fantasy football team according to each player's performance. There is no better place to check out player rankings and get your feet wet in Fantasy Football than www.fantasyfactor.com the home of the one day fantasy league.

Article Source: http://www.articlesbase.com/football-articles/fantasy-football-player-rankings-2528824.html

About the Author

Fantasy Factor is a new company founded by fantasy sports experts, that offers one day fantasy sports contests that can be played for free or for guaranteed cash prizes.

The Rain Maker Sports: Sports Bytes - June 3, 2010

Author: Donald Tremblay

How good was Ken Griffey, Jr.? "The Kid" hit 630 homers and is virtually guaranteed a spot in the Hall of Fame; yet when people talk about him the first thing they say is, "Imagine how good he would have been if he didn't have all those injuries" . . .

Last night the Yankees again pounded the American League punching bags, the Baltimore Orioles. Robinson Cano stretched his hitting streak to 16 games while Phil Hughes won his seventh game . . .

Detroit Tigers hurler Armando Gallaraga lost his bid for a perfect-game with two outs in the ninth inning because of an admitted blown call by first base umpire Jim Joyce. It was a tough break for Gallaraga, but Joyce deserves credit for owning up to the mistake and even visiting the Tigers locker room after the game to apologize. That takes character . . .

The Diamondbacks lost their 10th consecutive game yesterday. Their latest display of futility was a 14-inning,1-0 decision to the Dodgers . . .

High blood pressure must be rampant among Mets fans since the ballclub continues to discover new ways to lose. Yesterday, it was reliever Raul Valdez's turn to play the role of goat. With the bases loaded in the 11th inning and the score tied 1-1, Valdez served-up a gopher ball to Adrian Gonzalez, who drilled it into the left field seats for a walk-off, game winning grand slam. The 5-1 victory gave the Padres the series win two game to one . . .

The Atlanta Braves have an eight-game winning streak and are 8-2 in their last 10 games. One other club is also 8-2 during that stretch: the Boston Red Sox. The Red Sox won again yesterday thanks to a strong performance from Daisuke Matsuzaka and another long-ball from David Ortiz. It was the second consecutive night that the Sox defeated the A's after falling behind early . . .

The Phillies continue to shoot blanks. Last night the Braves completed their three-game sweep of Philadelphia by limiting the once high-powered offense to a single run. The 2-1 victory increased the Braves divisional lead over the Phillies to 2.5 games . . . In yesterday's game Chase Utley and Ryan Howard were a combined 1 for 8 . . . Philadelphia has now lost four straight and is 2-8 in their last 10 games . . . Since Game 1 of their series against the Mets last week, the Phillies have been outscored 37-11 . . .

In case the young upstarts in Cincinnati had any ideas about running away with the NL Central division, Tony LaRussa and his Cardinals put those dreams to rest by taking two out of three from the Reds. Yesterday's 4-1 Cardinals victory put St. Louis back into a tie with Cincinnati for first place . . .

The difference between AL batting leader Justin Morneau (.376) and NL batting leader Martin Prado (.324) is 52 points. There are nine American Leaguers with higher batting averages than Prado . . .

It's not over yet. The Flyers 4-3 victory in overtime could change the momentum of the Stanley Cup series, which the Blackhawks lead 2-1 in games . . .

I imagine Cowboys' QB Tony Romo is too busy working on his putting game to offer an opinion on Patrick Crayton's trade demands . . .

Those NFL insiders who are picking the Dallas Cowboys to reach the Super Bowl this season are probably the same delusional people who are predicting that the Washington Redskins will make the playoffs . . .

I never thought I would tire of hearing someone's name more than that of Brett Favre. Ben Roethlisberger has managed to prove me wrong . . .

Fallacy Football, excuse me, Fantasy Football, will soon begin dominating the pages of sports sites such as ESPN.com and SI.com. For any who care, and I am not one of those people, of the 59,700 NFL.com viewers who responded to the question, "Which player is at the top of your fantasy football draft board?" 36% selected Titans RB Chris Johnson. Saints QB Drew Brees was second at 26% . . .

Tomorrow I will give my prediction for Saturday's Miguel Cotto-Yuri Foreman title bout at Yankee Stadium . . .

Article Source: http://www.articlesbase.com/sports-and-fitness-articles/the-rain-maker-sports-sports-bytes-june-3-2010-2533331.html

About the Author

I am a PR Specialist and writer who has publicized world champions such as Lennox Lewis and Evander Holyfield, and mega-events like Lewis-Tyson and De la Hoya-Vargas. Contact Donald Tremblay (The Rain Maker) at 718-664-3405 or at dtremblay@earthlink.net. For more info about me visit my LinkedIn Profile http://www.linkedin.com/in/donaldtremblay

Surviving in Fantasy Survivor Pools

Author: Bill Parsons

Do you watch the NFL? More importantly, do you play fantasy football? Well, why not make things a bit more challenging this year? Get yourself involved in a Survivor Pool. Use your knowledge of the NFL to see if you can hang around the longest and become the last player standing to be declared Champion!

The Survivor Pool concept is a pretty simple one; survive in the pool the longest in order to win. This is achieved, in most pools, by correctly picking the winner of a game every week. There is a variation that is the complete opposite; picking a losing team each week.

Survivor Pools are most commonly used with the NFL since there are fewer teams than in the NCAA and the teams are followed more widely. However, a Survivor Pool can easily be modified to work in union with other occasions, such as college bowl seasons. In the case of NFL Survivor Pools, you are asked to pick one team per week who you think will win the game. If that team does win, you move onto next week. If that team loses, so do you and you are out. The game continues until one player is left in the pool. That person is then pronounced the winner and will merrily collect their prize.

You basically have two choices to play in a Survivor Pool; you can either start your own pool, such as at your office, and get co-workers to join or you could choose to join a pool that is already in existence. If you set up your own pool, you decide the rules. If you join an existing pool, then you have to follow the rules set out by the person who set up that particular pool. All rules should be clearly defined and documented in advance of the first game. These rules are also known as the pool configuration. What settings are commonly available for configuration of a Survivor Pool?

There are many sites that will host your Survivor Pools, though few that will host your pools for free. Common settings of all sites include; the maximum players allowed in the pool, the tiebreaker rules to be followed in event the season end with more than one player still active, if Rebirths are allowed and, if so, how many Rebirths are allowed per team and if there is a Cutoff week. Rebirths allow a team who is out to buy their way back into the pool. Other settings include allowing autopicks and the total number of weeks autopicks are allowed, whether the players need to pick winning teams or losing teams and what the charges are for the league (Entrance fee, Rebirth fee).

Survivor Pools are also called Last Man Standing Pools, Eliminator Pools, Knockout Pools and Suicide Pools. These aren't the only fantasy football pools involving NFL teams. You can also participate in Point Spread or Pick 'em Pools, Confidence Pools and Super Bowl Squares Pools. Descriptions of these pools can be found in different articles.

Depending on the amount of people taking part in the pool that you are in and the entrance fee, you could win hundreds of dollars! It is not all about the money, though that is clearly the best prize. It is also about getting involved and enjoying being more than just a spectator in the NFL, so get yourself signed up!

Article Source: http://www.articlesbase.com/football-articles/surviving-in-fantasy-survivor-pools-919877.html

About the Author

Bill Parsons is the owner of MaximumFantasySports.com and a rabid
fantasy sports participant. He began creating his own football and baseball
fantasy leagues at the ripe old age of seven; tracking stats and standings on paper. Bill decided to create a real-time
fantasy football league website that includes all of the best features and some of which have never been attempted at any other website.

2009 Buffalo Bills Fantasy Football Preview

Author: Chris Limburg

Hello to everyone from gothicfootball.com on this Easter Sunday.  This is the first installment in my series that will offer readers fantasy previews for all 32 NFL teams in the coming weeks.  The first division I will cover is the AFC East and I will start with the Buffalo Bills.

As I mentioned I am originally from Western, NY so I am very familiar with the Bills.  Lets face facts people the Bills have been non existent since Jim Kelly and crew left town 10 plus years ago.  In terms of the fantasy impact that Bills players will make this season lets do some dissecting.  First, lets start with the receivers. Obviously the main move the Bills made this off season was the acquisition of T.O. when he was released from the Cowboys.  Although I was shocked at first that the Bills went after him the more I thought about it the more it made sense.  As I mentioned before in a previous post the Bills are desperate for anyone who can bring some excitement to town and the fact that T.O signed with the Bills so quickly proves he knew there wasn't much interest in him elsewhere.  My friend and fellow gothicfooball.com columnist G Pepper hit the nail right on the head when he says:

"Only T.O.and only in Buffalo can you make a big splash by signing a one year deal, then tell the team the following week after that you're going to work out from home and they ACCEPT it!  That shows you how desperate they BOTH are.  I did find Owens'  comment pretty funny: "I'll workout with them if I am in the area." Umm yeah because Buffalo is so close to anywhere you are travelling to." It's practically right next to Miami and Los Angeles, isn't it? T.O. is there because he needs the Bills to try to showcase himself into one more fat contract."

Brother, I couldn't have said it any better. T.O. will be productive this year because he always has been no matter where he has played. How much production remains to be seen. He has a new QB (I am holding back the tears streaming down from my eyes) and must also become acclimated to the Buffalo weather which he is not accustomed to. All in all I expect Owens to put up in the neighborhood of 1000 yds and 6-8 TD's. Those stats would make Owens an nice number 2 fantasy option heading into '09. T.O.'s presence immediately helps out incumbent number 1 WR Lee Evans. Evans is a great deep ball threat and has been a nice player for the Bills since they drafted him in 2004 but as most fantasy owners can attest to tends to disappear for weeks at a time with little or no production. Owens will at the very least prevent teams from being able to double Evans and gives the Bills that other receiver they haven't had since Evans has been on the team. Expect Evans to post similar stats to what he has been posting throughout his career with the Bills: 800-1000 yds and 4-6 TD's making Evans more of a number 3 WR or a Flex option rather than someone you can depend on a regular basis. With Evans you always have the chance for an 80 yd bomb but you also risk getting nothing from him for weeks at a time. For the most part T.O. and Evans are the only 2 Bills receivers that I would consider on draft day. They have no TE to speak of and Josh Reed is mediocre at best. Moreover, Rosco Parrish is on the trading block. I may possible consider spending a late round flier on James Hardy who seemed to emerge as a decent Red Zone threat late last year before getting injured.

What effect will T.O. have on Bills QB Trent Edwards? Is Edwards a number 1 fantasy QB heading into drafts this summer because of Owens' presence?  I will now address that very topic. The Bills had high hopes for Edwards when they drafted 92nd overall in the 2007 draft, The 2007 draft also showcased JaMarcus Russell and Brady Quinn. Last season Edwards and the Bills got off to a fast start until they came out here and Adrian Wilson destroyed Edwards with a devastating hit that caused Edwards to miss 2 games and even after returning was never the same for the rest of the year. It was readily apparent that he was scared to go down the field subsequent to that hit and it seemed like all he would do is immediately check down to Marshawn Lynch in the flat out of the backfield. The jury is still out on Edwards as at times he looks impressive and at others looks woeful. This is a big year for Edwards as he heads into his 3rd NFL season. He has weapons with Evans and T.O. but it remains to be seen whether he can take advantage of what he has to take his career to the next level and start flirting with the Pro Bowl. Owens will help Edwards just from his mere presence of being on the field but he will also most certainly test his leadership qualities and it will be interesting to see how the third year signal caller will handle himself the first time T.O. goes off the deep end. The one thing the Bills need that in my estimation would help Edwards' development dramatically is an athletic, pass catching TE. The Bills have really never had that type of player and it would give Edwards a nice security blanket without having to rely so much on Lynch coming out of the backfield. To start the year no way do I trust Edwards as a number 1 fantasy QB until he proves to me that he can take this team under his wing and lead them consistently on a week to week basis. Treat Edwards as a decent number 2 fantasy QB heading into 2009 and someone who you may use as a bye week replacement or in other situations when the Bills have favorable match ups.

The Bills running game did not get any help from the commissioners office when it was announced recently that Lynch would be suspended for the first 3 games of the season. When you really think about it though you realize that Lynch will now miss approximately 1/3 of the fantasy season. With that in mind I expect Lynch to be somewhat of a bargain this year much in the same way Steve Smith was last year. If you remember last year Smith (who is one of my favorite players in the league and who I should have included in my top 5 WR's article a couple weeks ago) was suspended by Carolina for the first 2 games of the year for punching Ken Lucas (who has since been released) in the face. In my draft last summer Smith went in the 5th round and without the suspension would have been a late 2nd round or early 3rd round pick. I expect a similar fate for Lynch this year. Lynch certainly was a late 1st or an early 2nd round pick before the suspension and now I believe his stock has slipped to the late 3rd or 4th round. Sure, Lynch in the 4th round sounds like a steal but if you go that route and draft him you really have to cover yourself for the first 3 games of the season. Moreover, even when Lynch does come back in week 4 he will surely need to work off the rust making it a real possibility that fantasy owners may not see any true production out of Lynch until week 4 or maybe even week 5. Furthermore, it is no guarantee that this schmuck will stay out of trouble. He is already in the doghouse of the commissioner and anymore screw ups will have the California native facing even sterner punishment. If you draft Lynch make sure you pick up either Fred Jackson or Dominick Rhodes whom the Bills just signed recently to a 2 year contract. The bottom line is this. You need starters with your first 5 picks at least and I just don't know if I can use a 3rd or 4th round pick on someone who isn't going to play the first 3 games. Personally, I wouldn't touch Lynch until at least the 5th round and no way he will be there that late.

In closing, I would steer clear of most of Buffalo's regular starters for fantasy purposes until this group proves that they can coexist and be a productive and cohesive unit on a weekly basis. Next up: The Miami Dolphins.

Article Source: http://www.articlesbase.com/football-articles/2009-buffalo-bills-fantasy-football-preview-905962.html

About the Author

Chris Limburg is the fanatical purveyor of gothicfootball.com: A Oakland Raider/fantasy football blog that provides commentary on everything that is the NFL or fantasy football. Visit today at http://www.gothicfootball.com

Fantasy Basketball 101

Author: Joseph Kenny

Fantasy basketball gives fans a chance to experience what it is like to manage their own franchise. If you're a typical ‘back-seat driver' during the regular basketball season, there is no better chance to enforce your own decisions when comes to trading and drafting than to create your own fantasy basketball team.

The first step you will need to take in getting started is to come up with a name for your team. Of course, you can select any name you like; however, most owners choose to have a little fun with the naming process. It really doesn't matter in the end but it's always good to select a name that will easily identify your team.

If there is not already a league in your area you will need to think about creating a league. There is no set number of teams that must comprise a league. Some leagues haves just a few teams while other leagues have well over a dozen teams. On average; however, most leagues have about 12 teams. If you find yourself in the position of needing to create a league, consider recruiting family members, co-workers and friends as team owners to join your league.

Once the matter of the league is decided you will need to give some thought to how you want to play. In fantasy basketball there are two different styles; head to head and a style that is known as rotisserie. Head to head, of course, is a style in which teams go head to head with one another and whichever team scores the most points wins. With this type of league play, each team will play a different team each week throughout the regular season.

With rotisserie style of play the standings are determined by the each team's performance in several categories. These categories include assists, rebounds, blocks, steals, 3-pointers and of course, team points.

You will need to give some thought to the type of play that you prefer to go with when designing your league. You will also need to make sure you have your line-up posted every week.

If you are really serious about winning at fantasy basketball it will be critical for you to be as prepared as possible. This isn't something that you can just wing, at least not wing and win. The most successful fantasy basketball winners make sure they are prepared each week. This includes posting their line-ups and keeping an eye on the health of their players on a routine basis so they know ahead of time whether they are going to need to put a backup into place. Even the best and most well honed teams may occasionally find themselves in the position of needing to use a back-up. Keep your backups prepared at all times so you won't be caught off guard.

By taking the time to do your homework ahead of time and understand as much as possible about fantasy basketball you will be better prepared to win your games and do well in the regular season as well as into the playoffs.

Article Source: http://www.articlesbase.com/business-articles/fantasy-basketball-101-45203.html

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Joe Kenny writes for the UK football forum site, FootballTalk.org. Join the soccer forum for free today and have your say! Visit today: http://footballtalk.org/

Philadelphia Eagles Tickets – Eagles Have Some Fantasy Studs in 2010

Author: David James

Even though Donovan McNabb is no longer under center, the Eagles still have plenty of talent on offense that will attract the attention of fantasy football players.  Let's take a look at the best players available on the Eagles' roster.

DeSean Jackson, Wide Receiver:

After a very productive rookie season in 2008, Jackson exploded on the scene in 2009 and quickly became one of the most electric players in the entire league.  His abilities after the catch are nearly unmatched in the NFL and he proved throughout the season that he is more than just a punt returner pretending to be a wideout.  There are some who will be overly concerned with Kevin Kolb taking over at quarterback, but Jackson is still easily the number one option and is sure to have plenty of the offense run through him.  Because he can turn a short throw into a huge gain, there are plenty of ways that Jackson can get involved in the offense.  If Kolb can develop some chemistry with Jackson, they could turn into a very dynamic duo.

Projection: 70 catches, 1,150 yards, eight touchdowns.

LeSean McCoy, Running Back:

The one major concern about McCoy is that he really faded down the stretch last season as he struggled to get used to the beating NFL running backs are forced to endure.  On the upside, McCoy also lost quite a few carries to Brian Westbrook at the end of the season, making McCoy lose nearly all of his fantasy value.  Now with Westbrook off the team, McCoy is the top dog and will be running behind a pretty solid offensive line anchored by left tackle Jason Peters. Once Kolb can prove that he can throw the ball down the field, the running game should open up nicely, making McCoy a solid second-tier fantasy back.  McCoy should also continue to be a nice option out of the backfield.

Project: 1,050 yards rushing, 550 yards receiving, nine combined touchdowns.

Kevin Kolb, Quarterback:

Kolb is one of the most interesting fantasy players in the entire league.  As he takes over a very talented offense, many will worry about his inexperience as a starting quarterback, and for good reason.  However, the Eagles felt strongly enough about his quarterbacking abilities that they traded a potential Hall-of-Famer (McNabb) in order to start Kolb.  Though there still will be some growing pains, Kolb is in a pretty good position to be a very good backup quarterback on most fantasy rosters.

Projection: 22 touchdowns, 14 interceptions, 3,900 yards passing.

Brent Celek, Tight End:

While some may be concerned with Kolb's ability to get the ball down the field in his first year as an NFL starter, Celek should actually thrive.  There is nothing better for a young quarterback than a safety valve and Celek was one of the best tight ends in the league last season, even though he doesn't directly sell tons of Philadelphia Eagles tickets.  Last year, Celek grabbed 76 balls for 971 yards and eight touchdowns.  With Kolb under center, I expect Celek to get even better as his role in the offense expands.

Projection: 81 catches, 1,010 yards, nine touchdowns.

Jeremy Maclin, Wide Receiver:

Maclin isn't a top-tier option – that would be Jackson – but he still is a solid number two wideout on a pretty good team.  As with Jackson, a lot of his success will depend on the development of Kolb, but Maclin is a solid receiver who can be a valuable asset in deeper fantasy leagues, though you probably won't want to take him in smaller leagues.

Projection: 52 catches, 680 yards, five touchdowns

Article Source: http://www.articlesbase.com/football-articles/philadelphia-eagles-tickets-eagles-have-some-fantasy-studs-in-2010-3137043.html

About the Author

Written by David James, sponsored by StubHub. StubHub sells Philadelphia Eagles tickets,="http://www.stubhub.com/sports-tickets/">sports tickets, concert tickets, theater tickets and more to just about any event in the world.