Josh Culp's Blog, page 58

Start Em’ & Sit Em’: Week 12

As week 12 rolls around, you most likely have a realistic view of what your team’s situation is. If you are in a redraft league and things haven’t gone well for you, well my apologies. If you play in any sort of keeper league and you are at the bottom looking up, now is the time to make some moves in preparation for next year. Target the owners in contention that may be looking to add depth or panic over an under-performing or injured star. Stock up on draft picks. Whatever you need to get a leg up on next season, do it now. Well, anything except tanking. Always have a full lineup.

START EM’

Case Keenum: This is a bit risky in light of his yanking last week, but I’ll roll the dice with Jacksonville on the other side of the line. He should be fine to get through the whole game and it’s a great matchup.

Manning should find more success against Dallas in week 12.

Eli Manning: He had his best game of the year, by far, against Dallas already. While he is probably good for a turnover or two or three, he also could be good for a couple TDs as well.

Zac Stacey: He’s back off his bye and gets Chicago. They’re not good on defense.

Ben Tate: Jacksonville has been much better against the run recently, but they were really bad before. Have they really changed that drastically? I don’t think they have.

Rashad Jennings: We are finally starting to see the potential that was always talked about with Jennings when he was in Jacksonville. Run DMC might not get his job back, and this week’s date with Tennessee should help Jennings’ cause.

Marques Colston: Colston always seems to show up against Atlanta. He’s also looked much better the past few weeks.

Reuben Randle: I’ve said it several times in this column throughout the season. Manning looks Randle’s way when he gets close to the endzone. With Hakeem Nicks dealing with a balky knee, Randle might be busier than usual.

Jarrett Boykin: It doesn’t matter who’s throwing him the ball, Boykin looks legit. Green Bay seem’s to have found themselves another great WR.

Coby Fleener: After Reggie Wayne went down, many people thought Heyward-Bey would be the one to step up. Instead it’s been Fleener who has taken a big step. Besides, Arizona just let Jacksonville’s TEs run all over them.

Rob Housler: Housler is finally starting to emerge as the threat he was hyped to be during the preseason.

Ravens D/ST: Geno Smith tends to turn the ball over, as evidenced by last week’s drubbing. The Ravens should offer a good fill-in or stream option this week as a result.

SIT EM’

The going could be quite rough for Mr. Rivers this week.

Philip Rivers: Kansas City just held Peyton Manning to his 2nd lowest output of the season, and they set their eyes on Rivers next. I just don’t know if Rivers has the weapons to overcome what he’ll face on Sunday.

Ryan Tannehill: Carolina has yet to give up more than 1 TD to an opposing QB and only 1 has topped 300 yards. I’m not optimistic that Tannehill can break those barriers.

Knowshon Moreno: Moreno has been slowing down as of late, and the Patriots will be determined to take him out of the picture for Peyton this week.

Donald Brown: Now that Brown has established that he is the safer option than Trent Richardson, he gets the Cardinals defense that is suffocating. Play him and you’re asking for a let down.

Ray Rice: Rice finally broke out last week when you may not have been playing him anymore. If you slide him back in based off of last week’s performance you may wind up regretting it.

Cecil Shorts: Banged up against a great Texans secondary, I’ll pass.

Steve Smith: Smith has been consistent and unspectacular. That trend should continue in week 12.

Rishard Matthews: See Tannehill above. Don’t buy into the hype.

Antonio Gates: Sensing a theme? If I don’t like the QB, I don’t like their weapons either.

Martellus Bennett: Bennett has been one of the biggest disappointments at the TE position this year, and the switch to McCown hasn’t changed that.

Broncos D/ST: Tom Brady and Co. are starting to click and that’s not good for whoever finds themselves on the other side.

DraftStreet $500K Fantasy Basketball Championship

The first Daily Fantasy NBA promotion has been announced for this season and $500,000 is up for grabs at DraftStreet! There will be 30 qualifying tournaments leading up to the main event that will allow you the opportunity to win your ticket to the big event.

There will be three different levels of qualifiers: $22, $55, and $109 qualifiers. Obviously you will be facing a smaller field of opponents in the $109 qualifiers so that is your best chance to win, but also the riskiest on your bankroll. Choose the right buy-in amount for your bankroll and win a spot today. DraftStreet will also be running $2, $5, and $11 Satellite tournaments if $22 is too rich for your blood. So, you could potentially turn $2 into $100,000, what a story that would be. The first $22 Qualifier starts today so join now by clicking the button below:

DraftStreet $500 Freeroll

If you’re new to DraftStreet, you might want to get your feet wet with a $500 Freeroll before you swim with the sharks. DraftStreet is offering a Free 1-Day Contest with $500 in prizes. Sign up using the link below and just remember that DraftStreet is an ‘efficiency’ site. That means that missed Field Goals and Missed Free Throws are two stats that are counted against your players. That makes palyers that are efficient much more appealing while you have to think twice about those high volume shooters that could kill you with a 3-17 night from the field…

DraftStreet $500 NBA Freeroll

FanDuel $1.6 Million Super Qualifier

I will have another post later this week with all the contests this week but I wanted to make sure you get in this one before it fills. This is your last chance at $1 million at the FanDuel Fantasy Football Championship. The Top 20 finishes this week will be going to Las Vegas to compete for the $1 million.

The trip includes a private party hosted by FanDuel, a celebrity guest Jerry Rice, and a trip home on a private jet to the lucky winner of $1,000,000.

The contest pays out 340 places so you still got a shot at getting paid even if you don’t finish in the Top 20 and win a trip to Vegas.

Enter the Week 11 Super Qualifier

OHL Classic at Mayakoba Fantasy Preview

It case you missed it last week, Chris Kirk took home the bacon in Georgia. Kirk was one of those guys that played too well last year not to win a tournament. It’s good to see he finally got one while we’re still in the 2013 calendar year.

This week we head south of the border, to Meh-he-co, for the OHL Classic at Mayakoba. The tournament name might be slightly different, the date on the schedule might be different, and the prize pool may be higher but the course is the same. The course is El Camaleon Golf Club, and it is a tiny one. We’re talking less than 7,000 yards, which is miniscule by PGA Tour standards. Just remember that shorter does not always mean easier. Let’s see who we should target this week at the Mayakoba:

Previous Winners

2012: John Huh (-13)

2011: Johnson Wagner (-17)

2010: Cameron Beckman (-15)

2009: Mark Wilson (-13)

2008: Brian Gay (-16)

2007: Fred Funk (-14)

Statistically Speaking

This tournament has been running since 2007 now, so we have six years worth of history to look at and learn from. The first thing I want to point out is Driving Accuracy. It may seem like common sense that hitting fairways is important, but you’d actually be surprised at how little of correlation it has on most tournaments. This is an exception. Five of the previous six winners here finished their respective seasons inside the Top 30 in Driving Accuracy. If a golfer isn’t hitting 60%+ fairways over the previous two seasons, I’m basically ignoring them this week. Last season Jerry Kelly led the Tour in Driving Accuracy, look for him to have a solid showing. Mark Wilson and Tim Clark were the other two golfers in the field that finished 2013 hitting more than 70% of fairways.

Stat #2 is Driving Distance. Last week was a good tournament for bombers, this week you can completely ignore those bombers. This is a short hitters Mexican Paradise. If you take a look at those same six previous winners that we just looked at, then we will notice that none of them were Top 100 when it came to Driving Distance. There are some short courses were long hitters can just overpower them but this is not the case here at El Camaleon.

On the Radar

Tim Clark is the perfect candidate based on the two statistics we just looked at. He was 175th in Driving Distance last year and 5th in Driving Accuracy. You’d have to go back to 2008 to find a season when Tim Clark didn’t hit more than 70% of his fairways. He’s coming in to the tournament in good form as well as he finished with a strong Sunday 62 at the McGladrey Classic that boosted him to a 2nd place finish. Look for him to ride that momentum to a possible victory at Mayakoba.

Chucky Three Sticks aka Charles Howell III is a bit of a toss-up this week. On one hand, he loves short courses and he is also Top 5 in Adjusted Scoring and Par 4 Scoring when compared to the rest of the field. However, his profile is the exact opposite of what the stats suggest for us that this tournament. Chucky is consistently in the Top 50 in Driving Distance and he hasn’t been in the Top 100 in Driving Accuracy since 2004. These are both very bad when it comes to the history at Mayakoba. There are a lot of things to like about Howell but plenty to dislike. In the end, I think he is a solid play this week as he has a great chance at a Top 25 finish. I don’t think a win is in the cards, though.

Heath Slocum fits the mold perfectly but he is coming off his worst season as a professional. This guy is like a machine, Slocum lays it in the fairway about as good as any. He’s eclipsed 70% Fairways hit in every year as a pro. That is uncanny, and makes him a solid sleeper this week as most people will be scared of his 2013 campaign.

John Huh doesn’t have the pages of data to back it up since he’s only played two seasons but this seems like a course that Huh will continue to excel at. I don’t think last years win was a fluke, and I think we see another solid showing this week.

Kevin Stadler has been playing like a man possessed since the Barclays. The big thing with Stadler is always his putting, or lack there of. Don’t forget about his 4th place finish at the Deutsche Bank when rain was a big factor. Check the weather forecast this week because rain has been forecasted heavily and that could really help Stadler on the greens.

Richard Lee is another guy I like this week. He fits the mold of previous winners here, and not just because he’s Asian like John Huh. Dick Lee doesn’t overpower courses, he’s been in the Top 25 Driving Accuracy both years as a PGA Tour Member, and he was 11th in Strokes Gained Putting last season. Lee has 11 Top 25 finishes in his young career, but only one podium finish. We might just see #2 this week.

Brian Gay is a name I’m seeing thrown around a lot this week. He certainly has the course history, as he is the career leading money earner at Mayakoba but let’s stick with the theme of accuracy here. Is Brian Gay accurate off the tee? Yes. He hit about 65% of fairways last year and 62% in 2012. Those aren’t terrible numbers, but they are middle of the pack when it comes to the PGA Tour. If we look further back, we can see that most of the years ‘in his prime’ Gay was hitting more than 70% of fairways and was ranking inside the Top 10 most seasons. It’s a little worrisome to me that his accuracy is on the decline like that, so I won’t be taking him as my winner.

Another popular name this week is Briny Baird. He went blow for blow last week with Chris Kirk and fell just short in the end. Now he is coming to a course that he has absolutely dominated in the past. His last five finishes here are 12th, 5th, 4th, 6th, 12th. However this tournament has been played at an entirely different time of the year, the prize pool is higher, and the field is slightly better. Plus this is still Briny Baird we are talking about. There is no way I am legitimately putting him in my Top 10 any week.

Brian Davis is not inside my Top 25, or even Top 40 this week, but consider this a gut feeling that he will do well. He’s been awful on similar courses, but Davis is kind of like the opposite of Charles Howell III, he always does well when you think he has no shot. Considering Davis’ impeccable accuracy off the tee, this could be one of those weeks that he surprises.

My Top 25 for the 2013 OHL Classic at Mayakoba

1. Tim Clark

2. Charles Howell III

3. John Huh

4. Kevin Stadler

5. Jerry Kelly

6. Brian Gay

7. Richard Lee

8. J.J. Henry

9. Matt Every

10. Daniel Summerhays

11. Freddie Jacobson

12. Chris Stroud

13. Ryan Moore

14. Jim Herman

15. Camilo Villegas

16. Justin Leonard

17. John Senden

18. Briny Baird

19. Scott Brown

20. Matt Jones

21. Harris English

22. Charley Hoffman

23. Jeff Overton

24. Robert Garrigus

25. Mark Wilson

Mayakoba Classic Fantasy Golf Contests:

Golf Radar Fantasy Golf

Golf Logix Fantasy Golf

FanThrowdown Salary Cap Golf

DraftDay Salary Cap and Pick Em Golf

DraftStreet Salary Cap and Pick Em Golf

Fantasy Golf Tour $3 Contest

Start Em’ & Sit Em’: Week 10

We’ve reached week 10 and the fantasy playoff races are surely alive. We’re starting to see injuries effecting lineups, and that is where depth and matchups come into play. As Mike James showed last week, someone will step up in the absence of stars. It’s just a question of who will step up and when that will happen. Let’s see if we can identify some of those this week.

START EM’

Eli Manning: Oakland just gave up 406 yards and 7….yes 7… TDs to Nick Foles. Not to take anything away from Foles, but this is a defense you can throw on and Manning still has his full set of WRs available since Hakeem Nicks was not traded at the deadline. He has been hit or miss this season, but I would feel comfortable rolling with him if needed.

Locker could be a lock for a solid game this week. Yes, that was straight cheese thrown at you.

Jake Locker: Locker had a rough week against a beatable Rams defense last week, but gets a nice rebound with Jacksonville coming to town this week. His ability to run could offset some issues as well.

CJ Spiller: There may not be a more disappointing 1st rd RB from this year’s drafts than Spiller. He’s dealt with several nagging injuries this season, but looked good last week against a tough Chiefs defense. After letting his ankle rest for a week, and easing into things last week, he should be good to go in a tasty matchup this week. Roll him out.

Maurice Jones-Drew: I have been burned by MJD multiple times this year, both in this space and as an owner. This week though, it is a matchup too good to pass up. The Titans have allowed 2 rushing TDs in each of their last 3 games and at least 1 rushing TD in 6 of 8 games. If Jacksonville wants to have a chance at a W, they would be wise to feed MJD early and often.

Pierre Thomas: The PT Bruiser has been getting a lot of run the last couple weeks. Even though Darren Sproles was cleared to return from his concussion I think that trend may continue. This is a high volume offense and if I have to take a chance I’ll take a chance on that situation.

Keenan Allen: I’ve talked about it in recent weeks and he still keeps coming through.This guy is impressing guys like Antonio Gates, and All-Pros don’t gush about the ability of average players.

Riley Cooper: I’m surprising myself with this pick. While I don’t usually recommend biting on huge days from average talent, Cooper has enjoyed success when Nick Foles starts.

Emmanuel Sanders: Sanders is quietly on pace for 70+ receptions and 1,000+ yards. Pittsburgh will have to throw, and Sanders is plenty capable.

Jordan Reed: Despite his quiet week the past Sunday, Reed is on the cusp of cracking the top 10 at TE. His rise should continue against a Vikings defense that is hurting in its’ secondary.

Timothy Wright: Wright has been Mr. Invisible in Tampa despite coming up as startable in 3 of his last 4 contests. I think he finds the endzone for the 3rd straight week.

Tennessee D/ST: Jacksonville gives up a lot of sacks and turnovers… That’s a good recipe if you own the opposing defense.

SIT EM’

Matt Ryan: Ryan was listed as a dud last week in this article, and unfortunately I think that continues this week. Seattle’s secondary is just scary and I want no part of it.

Colin Kaepernick: Carolina has a pretty stout defense themselves. They defend the run and pass, taking away both facets of Kaep’s game.

Zac Stacy: Stacy has exploded onto the scene the last two weeks and may have you contemplating on whether to use him or not. Well, this may not be the week to do that against a stout Colts run D.

Giovanni Bernard: I like Bernard a lot, but he’s banged up and playing a Ravens defense that is still pretty good even if they lack the big names and flashy machismo they used to in years past. Baltimore is also desperate for a win.

This is shaping up to be a lost year for Rice and his owners.

Ray Rice: I’m not sure if it’s just horrible run-blocking or if we are seeing Rice hit a career brick wall… Regardless I’m starting to doubt he turns it around this year.

Cecil Shorts: This is not a week to be a Jaguars WR. Stay away….

DeAndre Hopkins: I have pumped Hopkins several times this season in this column, and it’s clear he has talent. But he is the clear #2 option to Andre Johnson for Case Keenum meaning you leave him on the bench when he has a bad matchup.

Roddy White: White is finally back at practice, albeit on a limited basis. Some of you may be tempted to use him because of name recognition if he plays this week, but even if he returns he gets the gift that is Seattle’s secondary. That’s sarcasm, in case you weren’t sure.

Greg Olsen: Olsen is a decent option if you have no other ones, but I’m just saying…. San Fran has some really good LBs.

John Carlson: Kyle Rudoph is sidelined for 4-5 weeks in all likelihood. Don’t bother picking up Carlson unless he blows up. I’m not expecting that to happen….

Bears D/ST: It just isn’t the same Bears defense we’ve seen in years past. Detroit can move the ball and score points in bunches.

A FanDuel Rookie’s Journey Week 10 Picks #BeginnersLuck

Oh so freaking close.  Yep, that’s about the only way to sum up my Week 9 performance in the Fan Duel FFFC Qualifier.  It was all coming together so beautifully- Adrian Peterson was taking over the game in Big D and literally was carrying other players into the endzone, Tony Romo was putting up solid numbers, Keenan Allen was going nuts in the 2nd half vs the Skins and  Danny Woodhead was scoring a late TD…oh wait, apparently he didn’t score as they overturned the TD (a BS reversal IMO).  From there, it was as if the air had been sucked out of my big early game performances, as my afternoon players semi-snoozed through their games, so by the time it came down to Martellus Bennett on Monday night, I had all but assuredly fallen short of cashing yet again (Funny part about it is that Marteulls, like Woodhead, had a TD that wasn’t granted to him either, costing me even more points).  In my weekly trying-to-stay-positive mindset, I know that I still had a solid week, and am definitely on the right track as we enter Week 10.

For Week 10 I’m going with Drew Brees as my QB.  Yes, his $10,200 salary in Fan Duel for the week is huge, but he is going to carve up that Cowboys D like a rotting post-Halloween pumpkin, as they allow the most points of any team to opposing QBs.  Plus, the Saints are coming off a painful loss to the Jets and simply are a totally different team at home in the Superdome.  In fact, as crazy as this sounds, I think Brees has a relatively decent shot at becoming the third NFL QB this season to throw 7 TDs in one game this weekend.

I selected Zac Stacy and Mike James as my RBs for the week.  I love the way Zac runs with the ball, and he put up some impressive numbers in defeat last week vs the Titans.  I took Mike James as my other RB as Tampa is finally going to get their first win of the season vs the dysfunctional and distracted Dolphins, especially as they give up the 2nd most Fantasy points to opposing RBs.

For my WRs I went with Terrance Williams, Denarius Moore and Eric Decker.  I snatched up Terrance as the Cowboys will be airing it out all game playing catch up vs the Saints, and I see him getting plenty of targets.  I took Denarius again this week for some redemption from last week (he was a surprising dud vs the Eagles) and I see him making some plays against the wobbly Giants D.  I went with Eric Decker as somehow he still seems to fly under the radar among the Broncos WRs, even though he puts up stud numbers most weeks.

I took Jimmy Graham as my TE as the Cowboys give up the 2nd most points in the NFL vs TEs and no surprisingly, he was ranked 1st in the Week 10 Fantasy Football Nerd Weekly rankings…by a long margin.  I took Rob Bironas as my kicker and the Tampa D as they’ll swarm Ryan Tannehill and the entire Dolphins offense on their way to their first victory of the season on Monday night.

Good luck to everyone again this week!

#isitSundayyet

Joel Harrington

@joel4deepgolf

Daily Fantasy Hoops Wednesday Contests

Wednesday is a huge day for Daily Fantasy NBA. There is always a full slate of games so all the sites bring out their best contests and promotions for Wednesday. Let’s check out what some of the DFS sites are offering today:

FanDuel

It’s Wednesday so that means it’s Super Wednesday on FanDuel. Similar to The Bomb in NFL, they offer a $25 contest that pays out $10K to the winner. Talk about Return on Investment! Get in quick because it will fill up early. You’d really be foolish not to try your hand at this contest.

If you want to test your skills before ponying up $25 then enter their Daily NBA Freerolls that you can find in the FanDuel lobby. They are giving away $250 daily during the month of November.

NBA SLAM $75K GTD$75K Wednesday Super Slam

FanDuel Value Play: Blake Griffin ($8,800) should abuse the Orlando Magic big men today. It may not seem like a value play at $8,800 but I’m expect 45+ FanDuel points from Snake Griffin tonight.

DraftStreet

If you haven’t been playing NBA on Draftstreet, you better start now! From now until November 14th they are running an awesome NBA promotion where you can earn $11, $22, $55, and $109 NBA Vouchers depending on how much NBA Street Cred you earn.

Make sure you enter the $500 NBA Freeroll this Friday as well.

Start earning some NBA Street Cred by playing at DraftStreet today.

DraftStreet Value Play: Jeff Adrien ($3,755) is dirt cheap. He has three straight games of 12+ DraftStreet Points and two straight games of 20+ minutes. On a site like Draftstreet where finding value is incredibly hard, Adrien will allow to load up on other roster spots and he won’t kill you if he has a bad night.

DraftKings

It’s BIG WEDNESDAY on DraftKings. They offer some huge Guaranteed Prize Pool contests on Wednesday with buy-ins ranging from $2 to $530.

Get in some Big Wednesday action at DraftKings.

Fantasy Feud

They are running a weekly NBA Freeroll over at the Feud so check it out today. Their format is three guards, three forwards, two centers, and two flex spots. That gives you a rather large roster of 10 players. Finding value can be key on Fantasy Feud because the salaries range from $25K to $200K.

They are also running qualifiers for the Feud of Champions which pays out over $50,000 over the course of the season. Check that out for sure!

Check out Fantasy Feud today.

The McGladrey Classic Fantasy Preview

U-S-A! U-S-A! Welcome back to the states, folks. The PGA spent some time over in Asia but they are back on home soil which means the scheduling is back to normal, as well. No more late/overnight golf. This week is the McGladrey Classic which will be played in St. Simons Islands, Georgia at the Sea Island Golf Club. Overall it is a pretty short course, just 7,055 yards but not too short when you account for the fact that it plays as a Par 70. That means it still plays over 100 yards per Par as I like to say.

The three previous winners of this event are Tommy Gainey, Ben Crane, and Heath Slocum. Those three names should serve as a warning sign that this is an easy course and the elite golfers lose some of their edge.

Originally I was going to feature golfers that had any Georgia ties. After doing some quick research I found out that nearly half the PGA Tour has ties to Georgia in some sorts whether they were born there, went to school there, or currently have a house there. You would be harder pressed to find golfers in this tournament that didn’t have any ties to Georgia in some way. Let’s take a look at some names that should be on your radar this week:

Matt Kuchar and Zach Johnson are two names that have to be in your Top 10 this week. Both have houses on St. Simons Island so they are no strangers to these parts. ZJ had a surprising 113th place finish here in 2011 but he has scored par or better in 9 of his 10 career rounds here. His 3.8 tournament win percentage is the highest of anyone in the field not named Vijay. Kuchar is about as safe as they come. He finished Top 25 in 15 of his 23 tournaments last year and has scored par or better in all eight career rounds here at Seaside.

Webb Simpson is another cream of the crop guy that is one of the favorites this week. He won the Shriners last time he teed it up, so that drops him slightly in my book. I hate taking guys that won their last tournament. It’s just so hard to win on Tour. Winning back-to-back is even harder.

Charles Howell III was born and raised in Augusta, GA. He has played the Mcgladrey all three years and has an average finishing place of 15th. Very solid course history and a logical explanation of why. This makes CHIII a very solid pick this week.

Chesson Hadley is another name I am looking at real closely this week. His Web.com resume looks strikingly similar Russell Henley’s did a year ago. Hadley played 22 Web.com events last year and won two of them with eight Top 10s and eight Top 25s. The year before that Henley played 26 events, won two tournaments, had seven Top 10s and 9 Top 25s. We all saw how well Henley transistioned to the PGA Tour and Hadley is showing good signs early on as he has made the cut in both tournaments this year and even finished 5th at the Shiners. He finished 4th in Putting Average on the Web.com Tour which should come in handy this week. It doesn’t hurt that he grew up in North Carolina and went to college at Georgia Tech, so he knows Seaside golf.

Don’t sleep on Harris English. He was born in Thomasville, GA and still resides there. He went to the University of Georgia and finished 15th in his lone appearance at this tournament. He was 14th on Tour last year in Strokes Gained Putting and 17th in Par Breakers so he can certainly go low.

David Toms is Mr. Horse for the Course here at Seaside. Toms has two podium finishes in three attempts. His other finish sandwiched in between was a disappointing 72nd place. He has a very high ceiling but that ceiling comes with some risk.

Jason Kokrak really proved himself to me last year. Kokrak came from a winning pedigree where he won 9% of his events played on the Web.com Tour and he parlayed that into a Top 25 Percetange of 24% last year on the PGA Tour. He absolutely MASHES the ball and it comes down to putting for him on a week-to-week basis. He could become Graham DeLaet 2.0 and make a big leap this year.

A little more off the radar is Brian Harman. He was born and raised in Savannah, GA then went to school at the University of Georgia and currently lives in Sea Island. This is a home game for Harman.

Russell Henley is another golfer possessing the trifecta of having been born in Georgia, college in Georgia, and still living in Georgia. He started off with a bang during his rookie season last year but slowly faded away. He hasn’t played this tournament yet but my gut tells me he should have a very solid showing.

Blake Adams is still rehabbing from injury and has admitted to not being 100% still. His withdrawal from the Shriners confirmed that notion but he is set to tee it up this week. He has an average finish of 37th place here in three tries but he is a risky play due to injury concerns. He could be a threat to win later this year if he returns safely from injury but I will take the wait-and-see approach here. He was born in Eatonon, GA and went to Georgia Southern.

My Top 25 for the 2013 McGladrey Classic

1. Matt Kuchar

2. Webb Simpson

3. Charles Howell III

4. David Toms

5. Chesson Hadley

6. Zach Johnson

7. Brendon De Jonge

8. Jason Kokrak

9. Davis Love III

10. Camilo Villegas

11. Russell Knox

12. Jeff Overton

13. Russell Henley

14. Harris English

15. Ben Martin

16. Kevin Stadler

17. Brendon Todd

18. Ben Crane

19. Scott Stallings

20. Scott Brown

21. Chris Kirk

22. John Peterson

23. Rory Sabbatini

24. Carl Pettersson

25. Brian Harman

McGladrey Classic Fantasy Golf Contests:

Golf Radar Fantasy Golf

Golf Logix Fantasy Golf

FanThrowdown Salary Cap Golf

DraftDay Salary Cap and Pick Em Golf

DraftStreet Salary Cap and Pick Em Golf

Fantasy Golf Tour $3 Contest

Start Em’ & Sit Em’: Week 9

Happy Halloween everyone! As is tradition, I will be doing this week’s starts and sits a little differently… Trick or Treat!

TRICKS:

You might want to stay away from these guys. They could hurt you, unintentionally of course...

Matt Ryan: Ryan has been hit with particularly bad luck this season in losing his top 2 All-Pro Wide Receivers. Well, it’s starting to show as Ryan was obviously trying to force things last week to the tune of 4 interceptions. This week he gets Carolina in a horrible match-up. Might be another clunker…

Josh Freeman/Christian Ponder: This goes for whoever starts this week. Heck, let’s throw Matt Cassell into the mix too. If you have a QB on a bye, look elsewhere for your fill-in. Even against the worst defense in the league against QBs, these guys aren’t a good choice.

Arian Foster/Ben Tate: Another combo here, we’re dealing with a pulled hamstring that could go on any play and 4 broken/cracked ribs that surely can’t feel great, respectively. Even if one or both plays, you might be in for a scary afternoon nervously waiting for production that just doesn’t come.

Fred Jackson: Kansas City has allowed only one rusher to eclipse 100 yards rushing, and only 1 TD. That happened in the same game. This defense is nasty, especially against the run.

Bilal Powell: Even against a Saints defense allowing a league-worst 4.8 ypc I would not trust a guy who clearly is not in the Jets running game anymore. The fact that he’s still ranked in the top-25 in several places is baffling.

Vincent Jackson: A matchup with the big, physical CBs in Seattle is not promising for Jackson’s production on Sunday, and he still has a rookie QB slinging the ball around. The Seahawks showed they could be run on last week, and the Bucs stated this week they need to commit to the running game going forward.

Torrey Smith: Smith gets the Haden treatment this week.

Darrius Heyward-Bey: Don’t be fooled into starting him in the first week of Reggie Wayne’s absence. He has a nightmarish matchup and is dealing with a nagging injury as well.

Charles Clay: I know he’s been surprisingly good this year, but this is a brutal matchup.

Delanie Walker: Same as the previous guy….

Texans D/ST: The whole team has been a disappointment this year, including the defense. Andrew Luck and Co. have had 2 weeks to prepare for this game.

TREATS:

Are Ghosts real? I don't know.... But these guys could give you some friendly production if you're in need this week.

Alex Smith: He doesn’t turn the ball over much, and Buffalo can be had through the air. I like that combo.

Jason Campbell: Yes, this is reality. You are actually reading this. I am seriously saying you can start Jason Campbell this week as a bye week fill-in. Can I believe I’m saying this? All I know is that he looked really good last week against the Chiefs. The Ravens are not the Chiefs, in a good way for Campbell.

Eddie Lacy: I said it last week, and I’ll say it again. This is a horse I want to hitch my carriage to. He may end up being a fantasy MVP by the end of the year compared to where he was taken in drafts.

DeMarco Murray: I’m confident that he’s healed up enough to carry a full load on Sunday and he gets a great matchup for owners. Don’t be afraid to throw him back in your line-ups.

Mike James: Like I said earlier, the Bucs have said they want to commit to the run, and Seattle showed they can be run on last week. James did not look bad last week either despite his limited production.

Andre Johnson: Andre has only been startable in 2 games so far this season and has yet to score a TD. I have a gut feeling that streak ends this week.

Terrence Williams: A TD in 4 straight games? A matchup against Minnesota this week? A strong-armed QB who trusts him now? Check, Check, Check.

Keenan Allen: I warned you about the dud after he exploded for two games in a row and it did come. Now he’s had a bye and gets a horrible Washington secondary. Slide him back in if you have him.

Rob Gronkowski: Don’t let the dud last week and intimidating macthup this week scare you off. He’s still an elite TE.

Jimmy Graham: I had a friend ask me last week if he should go with a very limited Jimmy Graham or another option. I’ll tell you what I told him… I go with the stud every time. Graham showed what a guy of his talent can do even with limited snaps last week.

Cowboys D/ST: No, they haven’t been that good this year. But they do get either Ponder or Freeman this week. I’m buying for a fill-in.

Stay safe tonight everyone, and have fun!

A FanDuel Rookie’s Journey Week 9 Picks #BeginnersLuck

Well, my this-is-the-week prediction for Week 8 apparently was a memo that was sent only to a select few players on my roster. Golden Tate had a breakout performance, the Cardinals D, Wes Welker and Reggie Bush delivered, but the rest of my team didn’t produce as expected, costing me any chance of cashing for the week.  I must say, I sure didn’t see Denver’s previously vulnerable defense completely smothering RGIII like that, tough to have a good week when your QB only nets you 6 points.  Anyway, onward and upward.

For my QB for week 9 in the Fan Duel FFFC Qualifier I went with Tony Romo.  Yep, my Vikings suck, as they’ve given up the 4th most fantasy points to starting QB’s this season, and I see Dallas bouncing back at home in a route over the Vikes.  Romo does have a high salary in the Fan Duel lineup this week, but I feel all the more confident in my selection as Fantasy Football Nerd has him ranked 2nd in their weekly QB rankings.

I selected Adrian Peterson and Danny Woodhead as my RBs for week 9.  I took AP for the first time all season as Dallas is not a great team against the run and Peterson is going to break out at some point in a game this year.  Yes, I know my Vikes are terrible (I’ve been banging on them all year), but I’m rolling the dice on this being the week he finally puts up big numbers this season.  I love Danny Woodhead this week against the pathetic Redskins Defense, which is the worst in the league this season in giving up points to opposing fantasy RBs.

For my WRs I went with Antonio Brown, Keenan Allen and Denarius Moore.  If you would’ve told me prior to the season that this would be a Fantasy lineup that I’d set by choice at some point this season, I would’ve asked which sport you were referring to, but Keenan and Denarius have stellar matchups and Antonio will be the go-to horse when Pitt falls behind early at New England.

I selected Martellus Bennett as my TE for the week, as the Packers give up the 3rd most points to TE in the league and the Bears will likely be playing catch-up for most of that game.  I took the Cleveland Browns D as I think they win that game (I’ve been fading the overrated Ravens all year) and I went with Sebastian Janikowski as my kicker as they will undoubtedly put up some points against the Eagles.

Good luck to everyone with their picks this week!

#isitSundayyet

Joel Harrington

@joel4deepgolf