Josh Culp's Blog, page 62

TOUR Championship Fantasy Preview

Somebody hit the lights and queue the music… IT’S THE FINAL COUNTDOWN…da da da daaa, da da da da da. The TOUR Championship is here and all the marbles are at stake. Did you say steak? No, too early for that. Stay focused here, this is the final tournament of the 2013 season. Before we preview this week, let’s get a slight recap of the BMW Championship in case you missed it.

The weather wrecked havoc on yet another tournament last week at Conway Farms. This wasn’t just a small delay like many of the other thousand delays this year. The weather forced a Monday finish at the BMW Championship and Zach Johnson put on a show during the final round. He couldn’t miss a putt and that is a good way to secure a victory. Jim Furyk had the 54 hole lead but couldn’t hold on as his conservative play style got trampled over. Johnson and Furyk are both in great form and should both be in contention again this week. Here are a few other names you should keep an eye on:

Tiger Woods: Tiger has the lowest stroke average of anyone at East Lake since 2007 and he has played four tournaments without winning. That is the longest stretch of the 2013 season for him. You could say he is due. You could say that it would be a fitting end for the Player of the Year to end on a high note. However you say it, you have to put Tiger in your Top 5 this week.

Roberto Castro: This is his first time making it this far but you have to like his form. Plus, you have to like the location. Castro is an Atlanta man and he even went to college at Georgia Tech, which is just a hop, skip, and a jump away from East Lake. With Castro you have to risk that the stage is too big for his breaches but with his form and local knowledge, it is a risk worth taking.

Hunter Mahan: Mr. Under Armour is clutch. He is one of the best matchplay golfers out there for that reason. That is also why he consistently performs at the FedEx Cup year after year. He thrives on the big stage. That is why I like Mahan to at least finish in the Top 10 this week.

Jim Furyk: Another man that doesn’t get phased by the big stage. Furyk is always near the top of the leaderboard if it’s a FedEx Cup event and this should be no different. Furyk is peaking at the perfect time, and wouldn’t be too surprising if he see him hoist another trophy at East Lake this week.

Zach Johnson: Our 2013 BMW Championship winner put on a putting clinic last week. The BMW Championship was played four hours from where he grew up. Now this tournament is played four hours from where he currently resides. Crazy how that works out. ZJ won’t have the same Midwest advantage here, though. Plus it is incredibly hard to win back-to-back tournaments on the PGA Tour. I like ZJ this week but don’t think he will win again.

Luke Donald: Donald had a terrible regular season but is getting the opportunity to make up for all that. He snuck into the Top 30 last week while playing at his home course. Now he gets to play another course he really loves. Donald has back-to-back-to-back podium finishes here at East Lake. It’s safe to say he likes the course, and should be in contention yet again this week.

Jordan Spieth: Spieth is my favorite youngster on Tour but if you pick him here you have the odds stacked against you. Bill Haas youngest to win the FedEx Cup at age 29. The average age of the past six winners is 35 years old. Vijay Singh is the oldest to win at the age of 45 back in 2008. Spieth would be the youngest golfer, by 9 years, to win this tournament. Not impossible, just improbable.

Start Em’ & Sit Em’: Week 2

Not much of an intro this week as I’ve been dealing with a flu bug the past few days. Let’s just get straight to this week’s selections!

START EM

Cam Newton: After a tough matchup last week, Newton gets a breather against the Bills. The Panthers also came out this week and said they plan to throw the ball down field much more than they did last week. Add in Newton’s rushing abilities and I think he will reward owners who don’t panic after one off week.

Michael Vick: Vick seems happy with his new offense and showed flashes of the old Vick last week against a respectable Washington D. This week he gets the Chargers who allowed Matt Schaub to shred them last week. I’m buying that.

Stevan Ridley: Last week’s dud may scare owners off, but New England lost his main competition in Shane Vereen to injury. I think he figures out a way to hold onto the football and regains the trust of his owners against the Jets this week.

Trent Richardson: Sensing a theme yet? Stay the course. This could apply to the Browns who gave up on the running game after early success against the Dolphins. Worse still, they didn’t even get Trent involved in the passing game. I expect the Browns to fix this issue and get their best offensive player they ball often against divisional rival Baltimore.

Maurice Jones-Drew: Oakland did well against the run last week against Vick Ballard. MJD is not Vick Ballard. I expect MJD to come out ready to make up for last week’s dud and get into the end zone.

Julian Edelman: Edelman was a forgotten man during preseason drafts as fantasy owners and experts were enamored with new acquisitions and rookies in New England. Well, he’s not forgotten anymore. Brady will be without Amendola  this week and that should leave the slot job all to Edelman.

Steve Smith: See Cam Newton above. Smith will be the guy he’s going to down Field.

Cecil Shorts: Mercifully Shorts will have Chad Henne throwing him the ball this week. Yikes, did I just write that? Yeah… Listen, Shorts and Henne were a great combo at the end of last season producing several 100+ yard games. Gabbert may have had his last chance last week.

Jordan Cameron: Cameron gets to face a Baltimore defense that just gave up 100+ yards and 2 TDs to a TE who has the same physical skills as Cameron. He is the go-to target for Weeden right now and while that may be disappointing in real life, it won’t be for fantasy purposes.

Julius Thomas: Speaking of Thomas, he gets to face the Giants who just gave up 70 yards and 2 TDs to Jason Witten. The Giant defensive backfield is in tatters already.

Bengals D/ST: Probably the only team that looked more inept on offense than Pittsburgh last week was Jacksonville. The Bengals don’t get to play the Jaguars, but they do get a Steeler offense that features no running game and a porous offensive line.

SIT EM:

Ben Roethlisberger: I felt bad for Big Ben last week. Unfortunately things don’t look to get much better after he lost his best offensive lineman for the season in week 1.

Joe Flacco: The Ravens offensive line did not look good last week and faces a Browns pass-rush that terrorized Ryan Tannehill last week. He will be under pressure all afternoon which may lead to a couple turnovers.

Steven Jackson: Jackson may not be a total dud on Sunday, but I wouldn’t be surprised if he gives you a ho-hum 7 or 8 pts.

Frank Gore: Gore struggled for success against Green bay last week, only scraping by with a short TD. Seattle will focus on stopping the run and let their big corner take care of Anquan Boldin.

Rashard Mendenhall: He seems to be a popular sleeper pick for this week, but I’m not sure I see why. Detroit really stymied Adrian Peterson last week outside of his opening run. They might not be the cakewalk their statistics indicate.

Torrey Smith: Facing Joe Haden, he may have an unproductive afternoon, much like Mike Wallace did last week. Haden is truly a shutdown corner.

Brian Hartline: Hartline doesn’t catch many TDs, so don’t be fooled by last week. He is a good possession receiver, but Mike Wallace should get some of the targets that Hartline got last week.

James Jones: He was reliant on TDs last year, and he was held without a catch last week. Not someone I want to rely on if I have a choice.

Owen Daniels: I wouldn’t expect 2 TDs again this week. Tennessee have a talented group of young linebackers who should be able to lock down Daniels this week.

Zack Miller: He seems to be ranked as startable on several sites this week. San Francisco have a couple decent linebackers if my memory serves me correctly. I don’t see it happening.

Giants D/ST: Peyton can’t throw 7 TDs again right? Right?! No, I don’t think so. Still, the Giants secondary looked beatable last week and Peyton looked like, well….Peyton. I’m steering clear.

A FanDuel Rookie’s Journey Week 2 #BeginnersLuck

So after a some-good-some-bad/story-of-my-life Week 1, we’re into some Week 2 NFL action. I know all too well from my ATS days that even though we’ve now seen every team in the league perform “for real” for 60 minutes, that it’s extremely important to not overreact to every performance from Week 1. Peyton Manning isn’t God, Victor Cruz won’t catch 3 TD’s every game and David Wilson also isn’t the worst RB of all time. Anyway, I’m pumped for some Week 2 action to start, and I’m sure you are too.

In the FFFC Fan Duel contest, I went with Aaron Rodgers as my QB for Week 2 as even though his salary of $9,400 is high, I know he’s pissed after losing to the 49ers yet again and will go into assault mode over the wobbly Skins D at home on the not-yet frozen tundra. I also feel extra confident after seeing that Fantasy Football Nerd has Rodgers ranked as their #2 QB for the week.

For running backs I started with LeSean McCoy, as even though I’m not overacting and am still very skeptical of Chip Kelly’s offensive approach in the NFL, I believe that the Chargers will be totally flat and disheartened after blowing that game late on Monday at home to the Texans, and I believe that Philly will destroy SD in this game (the huge -7.5 Vegas spread agrees with me). I also went with Eddie Lacy as my other RB as I think that the Packers will be up huge late in that game vs the Skins and he’ll get lots of just-run-out-the-clock carries and will hopefully find the endzone as well.

For WRs I went with Larry Fitzgerald, DeSean Jackson and Cordarrelle Patterson. I took Larry because I still believe he’s one of the top 3 receivers in this league, and now that he finally has a semi-real QB (backhanded Carson Palmer compliment), he’s in for a huge season (see Week 1). I took DeSean for the same reasons I took LeSean McCoy above and I took Cordarrelle, well, as a total flier as Christian Ponder sucks, the Vikings really suck, but the dude has amazing talent and will break out at some point this season.

For my TE I chose Kyle Rudolph. I hate Christian Ponder but if they ever decide to start throwing him the ball, he’ll catch it and will put up some numbers. For my kicker I had to go with Blair Walsh of the Vikings, as I doubt the purple will be finding the endzone much at Solider Field this week, but if they get inside the 40 yard line, they may as well just give the Vikes and me and my fantasy team the points. For my D I went with the Oakland Raiders Defense. Hey, they’re playing the Single-A Jacksonville Jaguars.

So hey, there you have it. Good luck to everyone in Week 2.

Join me in the FanDuel FFFC now for your chance at $1 Million over at FanDuel.com

#isitSundayyet

Fantasy Aces Site Review

It is rare for me to introduce and support a new Daily Fantasy Sports site like this, but Fantasy Aces has passed all the tests and appears to be a major up-and-coming player in the world of Daily Fantasy Sports.

With the name Fantasy Aces, you have to think the owners of this company are or were a part of the Internet Poker world. That is just fine by me since a lot of Internet Poker sites were known for their great promotions, generous rake, and great user interfaces. It seems that Fantasy Aces fits that mold perfectly.

Let me break it down for you and let you know all the important stuff you are probably wanting to know about Fantasy Aces:

Interface

Maybe the most important thing you can ask for in a Daily Fantasy Sports site is the interface. If I can’t stand the website, I’m certainly not going to make daily or weekly picks on that website. Luckily, Fantasy Aces has a great interface that is easy to navigate, loads quickly, and pleasant on the eye. Don’t believe me? See for yourself below:

Game Types

Fantasy Aces offered a lot of unique contests types for baseball, but it is football season now. Let’s see what they are offering for the NFL. They offer Winner Take All contests for all those greedy players out there that don’t want to share your winnings with anyone. They also offer a much safer option with 50/50s which pay out to the top half of the entries. Naturally they have H2H matches as well as these are kind of a staple in the DFS industry. What is better than better someone head-to-head, anyway? How about beating 99 other people at the same time? They are offering a weekly 100 person Guaranteed Prize Pool contest during the NFL that pays out to the Top 15 finishers. Overall, they offer a wide variety of contests. They earn a passing grade here, as well.

Promotions

Promotions are a great way to determine how much a website really cares about its customer base. Fantasy Aces passes this test as well. They teamed up with thee Kung Pu Panda during baseball season to offer a lot of awesome promotions and are currently running a September Wins Bonus promotion for the month of September. At the end of September you will get paid out a set amount of money per contest win that you had during the month. So now is the perfect time to sign up and start winning!

Cashier / Cashing Out

They offer PayPal deposits and withdraws. Enough said. PayPal makes it so easy and you know your money is going to be safe when you go through PayPal. They have a very small minimum deposit of $5, so there is no excuse why you shouldn’t at least try it out and deposit today.

Fantasy Aces has earned my praise and I would gladly recommend them to a friend. So that is what I am doing now, friend.

Sign up now at FantasyAces.com.

Week 2 in the World of Weekly Fantasy Football

Forget about your yearly re-draft leagues for a moment, it is time to focus on weekly fantasy football contests. The industry as a whole is known as the Daily Fantasy Sports industry but I feel the Daily doesn’t make a lot of sense when it comes to fantasy football. So I will call it weekly fantasy football instead. Forget about names, lets get down to the nitty gritty and talk some strategy for week two of the 2013 NFL season.

Defenses

Defenses are often an afterthought in redraft leagues but can be very important on a week-to-week basis. When looking for a defense, I try to pick a team playing at home, a team that is favored to win, and a team whose opponent likes to run the ball. Why this works: These teams are favored to win and Vegas is right more often than not. Their opponents are rushing teams, but will be forced out of their comfort zone once they lose the lead. I think you know what that leads to… Turnovers. Here are a list of defenses that fit the bill this week. Try to target these defenses in your weekly drafts for Week Two:

Houston vs. Tennessee: Titans ran the ball two million times last week against the Steelers. They won’t have that luxury this week if they get down early.
Chicago vs. Minnesota: PONDER — Enough said.
New England vs. NY Jets: The Thursday Night game is usually pretty sloppy anyway. Add in all the Patriots injuries plus the Jets rookie QB and this one could get messy.
Atlanta vs. St. Louis: The Rams are making improvements but this is still the Falcons at home. I expect them to take a lead and turn to ground and pound while the Rams struggle to fight their way back in it. Leading to a couple turnovers in the process.
Green Bay vs. Washington: My least favorite of these options but they fit the criteria. The Packers are favored by nearly ten points in Vegas which tells us they don’t think RGIII is really back yet. The Redskins love to run but the problem is they can also pass when they need to. I wouldn’t really support the Packers Defense this week, but they should have a decent day.

Money Management

Trying to win a million dollars on sites like FanDuel, DraftStreet, or DraftKings can be exhilarating but it’s not exactly smart investing. Let’s use FanDuel as an example and go over a simple game plan that will keep money in your account week after week:

50/50′s

These are your best friend when it comes to money management. Like the title of the game suggests, the top 50% of entries in this contest win, while the other half don’t. Your return in these games is generally the same amount as the entry fee but the odds of winning are much, much higher. Sometimes these are also called Double Ups. Same thing, different name. FanDuel offers many of these leagues. You can even filter by 50/50s on the left side of the FanDuel interface. Try out the $5 Double Up below and see how you like it. Easy money.

Join the Partner $5 Double Up

Low Risk Contests

50/50s are the best way to lower your risk and increase your odds of winning. Another way to lower your risk is to literally enter lower entry contests. FanDuel is offering a $1 entry fee contests for people that want to get their feet wet and see what this weekly fantasy football stuff is all about. This is not a public contests so it is very unlikely that it will fill to capacity. That means there is more money in the pot than there should be. Free money is always good. 1 dollar to enter with 1,000 dollars in the prize pool.

Friends Of FanDuel $1,000 Week 2 Contest

Once you graduate from the low-entry contests and start to feel comfortable you can step up your game and join the FFFC quest to win a million dollars and the $25 Sunday Bomb, as well. Start small and work your way up. No need to jump right into the fire.

Free Contests

Freerolls are good. Freerolls are your friend. Freerolls are fun. Most importantly, freerolls are FREE!

$1,000 DraftStreet Week 2 Freeroll

$100 Fantasy Feud Week 2 Freeroll

$100 Star Fantasy Leagues Week 2 Freeroll

$50 RotoDraft Week 2 Freeroll

$10 DraftKings Week 2 Freeroll (4 different freerolls based on game times, so $40 essentially)

Happy Drafting! Check back for updates if in case anymore freerolls pop up later in the week.

[image error]

BMW Championship Fantasy Preview

I hope you enjoyed your week off in the golf world because now it is crunch time. Two tournaments left for all the marbles. In case you missed it, Henrik Stenson put on a show last tournament on his way to winning the Deutsche Bank Championship. Some say it was weather aided which makes a lot of sense. It was pretty confusing to see Kevin Stadler near the top of the leaderboard. I suspect he won’t be anywhere near the top again unless weather rolls into Conway Farms.

Speaking of Conway Farms, I don’t think we’ve been properly introduced. Conway Farms is located in Lake Forest, Illinois and will be playing as a 7,150 yard; par 71 course. They don’t call Chicago the Windy City for nothing. Expect wind to play a factor here but precipitation is not in the forecast so that is a big plus. Not yet, anyway. Luke Donald calls this course home as he is a member at Conways Farms. That might give Donald an initial leg up but who else should do well this week at the BMW Championship?

Steve Stricker: Mr. Stricker grew up in Madison, Wisconsin. Just two hours away from Lake Forest, I would have to think the course will be very similar to courses Stricker grew up playing all his life. Just take a look at Strickers track record at TPC Deere Run, another nearby venue. The only downside to Stricker is his desire to be here. He has an elk hunting trip planned for next week and his buddies all want him to skip East Lake. Stricker already accomplished his goal of playing his way onto the President’s Cup so I wouldn’t be too shocked if he is not so motivated this week.

Zach Johnson: Another local boy that grew up just across the border in Iowa. His track record at TPC Deere Run is just as good as Stricker’s. Not saying they are the same course, but that has to account for something. Plus he has been on fire for the past few months. Hard to overlook ZJ this week.

Kevin Streelman: While we are talking about local knowledge, we can’t forget about Streelman. He grew up in Winfield, IL. That is just a hop, skip, and a jump away from Conway Farms. In fact, it is about a 45 minute drive. You have think Streelman has played this course more than once in his lifetime and played similar courses in the area more times than you want to know. Streelman had his best season as a professional. He finished the regular season ranked 13th in FedEx Cup points. Yes, 13th. Pretty shocking, but true. I’m throwing Streelwoman out there this week as a super sleeper.

Sergio Garcia: When wind becomes a factor, ball strikers rise to the top. That is where Sergio comes into play. If you play in a league where the 4th round doesn’t count, Sergio has to be #1 this week!

Tiger Woods: I backed off of Tiger last week because of the back but I am in full sucker mode this week. I am on the Tiger Train and will take it wherever he leads me. I know his back could strike him down at any moment but I think he has been dormant for too long now. I don’t think he will go winless in the FedEx Cup and this is as good of chance as any.

Jordan Spieth: Spieth earned his first PGA Tour victory in Illinois, not too far from Conway Farms. Maybe there is something about Illinois that Spieth loves. Maybe it will become Spieth’s favorite state after this week. He is playing too good not to take a chance on him.

Those are a few names to think about when setting your fantasy golf lineups this week. Happy Fantasy Golfing!

Start Em’ & Sit Em’: Week 1

Peyton is leading the charge in Week 1. Will one of these youngsters break out as well?

Raise your hand if you are playing a team that has Peyton Manning… Come on, it’s okay, raise that hand…. Okay, I hope you didn’t actually raise your hand. But seriously, there are plenty in the same boat as you. I’m in that boat in one of my leagues. The last time someone threw for 7 TDs in a game? Y.A. Tittle in 1962. If you have Manning, you get quite the head start this week. As a side note, Julius Thomas looked incredible. He should be 100% owned by the middle of next week.

At any rate, I can’t help but notice that I woke up this morning with a great feeling. There are now meaningful football games being played. That fact gives me such an uplifting feeling. Anyone else notice the same thing? Throughout the season I will be keeping track of my “record”. To do this, we need to have a measuring stick.  A  successful prediction or “Win” will be 15+ points for QBs (1pt/25yds, -2pts INT), 10+ points for WRs and RBs (1pt/10yds rushing & receiving), 8+ points for TEs and 8+ pts for a defense.  Conversely a “Loss” will be if my “Sits” also go over these marks. I will be using standard scoring systems (no ppr) like I outlined above, with 6pts per TDs and -2 pts for every fumble lost. That being said, let’s dive in to Week 1?s matchups!

START EM

Robert Griffin III: There is a lot of concern out there about RGIII’s bum knee and whether he will be able to run effectively with the injury. The issue being that a lot of his value came through his legs. These are valid concerns, but I think he will be fine in the long run. What about this week though? If I have him I’m starting him with confidence.

Matt Schaub: The cast around Schaub in the passing game has only been upgraded and he was actually not a bad option last year. I think we’ll see him throw enough against the Chargers on Monday night to make it worth your while if you missed out on a top QB in this year’s draft.

Forte looks to capitalize on a new coach and a renewed focus on running the offense through him.

Matt Forte: Somehow Forte is finding himself down many projections lists against a tough Bengals Defense. You never, never sit your studs if they’re healthy.

Maurice Jones-Drew: I guess people are scared of MJD coming off of his injury last year. He also didn’t get much work in the preseason as the Jaguars wisely eased him back into action. Well, this game counts now. I still consider MJD a stud, and he is the best offensive player on that team.

Reggie Bush: I see where the trepidation comes in for a non-ppr league. I still think his combined running and receiving yardage could well top 100 yards each week making him a good start. Bush is an explosive talent in a high volume offense. He’ll get his touches and throwing in a touchdown or two surely won’t hurt.

Tavon Austin: I’m buying the report that the Rams purposely underutilized Austin in the preseason. I mean, does that really seem that crazy? Austin has speed and the ability to make defenders miss. His game is similar to a Percy Harvin or Randall Cobb, and those guys are plenty useful.

Marques Colston: His injury from the preseason is well behind him and this week’s Falcons-Saints game could be a shootout.

T.Y. Hilton: I’m a firm believer that talent wins out. Hilton has quite a bit of talent. I think that he will eventually overtake Heyward-Bey. He is the big-play guy and my hunch is that he gets a long TD in this one.

Zach Sudfeld: His popularity went up and down all preseason. To me, it doesn’t matter if Gronk is playing or not, Sudfeld seems to have Tom Brady’s trust and should be plenty useful against the Bills.

Jordan Cameron: Another popular preseason sleeper, Cameron is over a nagging groin injury that robed him of the last 2 preseason games. This may have cooled owners to his upside, but I wouldn’t be surprised to see around 60 yards with a TD.

Browns D/ST: This has been a sleeper target of mine all preseason and this is their chance to prove me right. I think the new scheme and personnel along with some key holdovers will make this a tough unit to play against this year.

SIT EM

This could be the scene on Monday as Rivers walks off the field.

Phillip Rivers: Time will tell if the scheme change will rejuvenate Rivers who has been turnover prone of late. Regardless, I’m not keen on his chances for a big game against Houston this week.

Andy Dalton: Playing a Chicago defense that knows how to force turnovers may not be the best recipe for fantasy goodness. It also appears that Dalton has not improved upon his poor down-field passing accuracy based on reports from training camp.

BenJarvus Green-Ellis: This one isn’t even about playing a tough defense. The Bengals drafted Gio Bernard to handle their passing game duties out of the backfield. This means less opportunities for the Law Firm, and he didn’t really impress last year in this offense.

Ryan Matthews: I don’t know how any owner can trust this guy after the last few years. He routinely disappoints, yet somehow he keeps getting chances. Owners should feel lucky if he can get through a game healthy.

Darren McFadden: McFadden may be on his last chance with the Raiders this season. Health issues aside, the Raiders own what may easily be the worst offensive line in the National Football League. Running backs rely on their offensive line to open up holes for them to go through. I’m not optimistic there will be much running room for McFadden.

Vincent Jackson: Jackson is known to feed off of poor competition and struggle against great corners. The Jets might be a joke offensively, but they play great defense. Jackson is slow and doesn’t have great separation anymore.

Sidney Rice: He failed to top 100 yards receiving in any game last year, meaning you’re banking on a TD. He also is dealing with a banged up knee. I’ll take my chances elsewhere.

Mike Wallace: Coming to Miami with much fanfare, Wallace has failed to create chemistry with Ryan Tannehill according to multiple reports. Combine that with the fact that he’ll be facing Joe Haden on Sunday and it could be a long day for Wallace and his owners.

Antonio Gates: I can think of at least 7-10 TEs ranked lower than Gates I’d rather have this year. I think last year was the beginning of the end for one of the best TEs of the past decade. He gets ranked based mostly off of name value now.

Kellen Winslow: His knees are a mess. His offense is a mess. But he’ll play right? Right?

Falcons D/ST: As a unit, I think the could be very useful this season. Week 1 against the Saints? I’ll pass.

Start Em’ & Sit Em’: Opening Night Special

Well Ladies and Gents, another NFL season is upon us as the 2013-2014 season dawns with a tasty matchup between the Baltimore Ravens and Denver Broncos. That means we’re back as well to help you with your lineups each week. The NFL likes to make a big deal about the first game of the season, so why shouldn’t we? This edition of Start Em’ & Sit Em’ is strictly for the opening game. I will be posting another article in the next few days to cover the rest of the week one matchups.

Just a reminder as we move into the new season. Each roster is different and players listed as “starts” or “sits” in this article may not end up that way on your roster. Also, remember that any fantasy advice is just that – ADVICE. When in doubt, take in as much information as possible then make your own judgement. It’s your team, you’re the owner. That’s the beauty of all of this! Anyway, I will post a recap about my scoring system for starts and sits in my follow up week 1 article. For now, let’s get to tonight’s players!

START EM

Peyton Manning: Peyton is a year further along in recovery, and has more great targets to throw to than last year. His arm strength was the one question about his game last year, and that deficiency may have just knocked Denver out of the playoffs last year. By all accounts this year those concerns are gone.

Ray Rice: Yes, you always play your studs. Rice will also be #2 in the passing game this year with Boldin gone and Pitta out. Enjoy the ride if you have him.

Knowshon Moreno: I wish I didn’t have to suggest any Denver RB for you to play. However, I think for game 1 Moreno will be the most useful of the Denver backs because he is the better all-round option at this point for the Broncos. Play him if you’re desperate.

Demaryius Thomas: Thomas is the playmaker in this offense. He is a stud and the addition of Wes Welker should not take away from this. Baltimore will struggle to keep up with Denver’s three headed monster.

Wes Welker: Head number 2 of Denver’s WR trio, Welker will be Manning’s best friend on 3rd downs this year. The wiley veteran will move the chains all night from the slot. This should be a recurring theme all season as well.

Torrey Smith: Someone has to catch passes in this offense right? Smith only makes this side of the list because Champ Bailey will be absent.

Ed Dickson: After posting just 21 receptions last year, the Ravens are forced into starting and relying on Dickson. Again, someone has to catch passed right? Maybe he gets a short range TD….

Justin Tucker: He could have a busy night kicking FGs against this defense which is missing several key parts.

Ravens D/ST: The key for this game for the Ravens will be if their retooled pass rush can neutralize the Bronco passing game. I would undoubtably have the Broncos D/ST here if they were full strength.

SIT EM

Joe Flacco: I just don’t trust the guys he’s throwing to outside of Ray Rice. This could be a long season for him. Good thing he got his new contract last offseason….

Montee Ball: Talent-wise, I like Ball the best out of all of Denver’s committee. But he needs time to step up and develop in pass protection for Peyton to trust him on the field.

Ronnie Hillman: In a PPR he might have some value, but his fumbles are a concern both in fantasy and in real life.

Any Ravens WR not named Torrey Smith: I mean, can you even name one outside of Smith?

Eric Decker: This has more to do with being unsure of where he will fit into the offense now that Welker is there. Last year he was really a great red zone target for Manning. He could retain that role this year and keep much of his value. However, Welker may take away some of his production between the 20s.

Julius Thomas: I actually like Thomas over Dickson, I’m just concerned there may be too many mouths to feed in this offense. Take a wait and see approach with Thomas. Manning has loved his TEs in the past tho…

Matt Prater: Should be a PAT-fest for Prater. Unfortunately those are only worth 1 pt apiece.

Denver D/ST: Missing Champ Bailey and Von Miller (not to mention Elvis Dumerville’s defection to Baltimore) hurts, no way around it.

Okay guys, football is back…. I repeat, FOOTBALL IS BACK! Enjoy!

A FanDuel Rookie’s Journey Week 1 #BeginnersLuck

Ah, the NFL season has arrived. Visions of screaming at the TV endlessly while sipping on a cold beverage and having about 36 different tabs open in my browser tracking every footstep across the country’s gridiron instantly dance through my head.

I’ve played Fantasy Football for years and am a football junkie (well, all sports junkie really), but this is my first dabble into the online “pay-for-play” Fantasy world and not gonna lie, I’m pretty freakin’ excited. I’m playing in FanDuel’s FFFC Qualifier, where a weekly $10 entry gives you a chance at a trip to Vegas and $1 million, as well as lots of other great cash prizes. I’ll be writing a weekly summary of my picks and the genius brain waves that I used to select my weekly roster. So, here we go:

Week 1 is obviously a big time crap shoot, as offseason acquisitions, coaching changes and rust play a huge factor. That being said, I took some fliers on these picks with predictions on what I think each team will be this season (Hint: I’m up on the Chiefs and way down on the Jets). Also of note is that for each of my picks, I always look at spreads and over/unders to see what Vegas has to say about each matchup as hey, I’m a heckuva lot more likely to pick a quarterback who is playing in a game with an OU of 51.5 instead of one with an OU of 41.

I went with Eli Manning as my QB for week 1, as I expect their SNF game at Cowboy Stadium to be an absolute shootout. Also, since the road team/underdog always seems to prevail in that game, I like Eli’s chances to put up some points.

For my RBs I went with Jamaal Charles and Steven Jackson. I believe Jamaal is one of the fastest and most evasive RBs in the league and with new head coach Andy Reid will have a big year. Fantasy Football Nerd, a great resource for Fantasy stats also has Jamaal as their #2 RB in projected points for the week, and for good reason. I also like Steven Jackson actually being on a team that knows how to win (sorry St Louis), and will be a great complement to Atlanta’s excellent passing attack.

For WRs I took Victor Cruz as again I believe that game will be a shootout and it always seems that Victor makes big plays in big games. I took Miles Austin for the same shootout reasons as Dallas will put up some points as well and I also took Dwayne Bowe as the Chiefs should smother Jacksonville from all sides in that game. I took Brandon Pettigrew as my TE as my Vikings have always struggled guarding TEs and the big daddy Pettigrew could see lots of action over the middle all game long.

I took Ryan Succop as my kicker to continue the KC points barrage (obviously really counting on a Chiefs blowout win here) and Tampa Bay as my defense as they’re playing the Jets (enough said…).

So, there you have it. The only thing left to ask is via hashtag style: #isitSundayyet

Week 1 FREE Fantasy Football Contests

With no PGA tournament this weekend, now is a good time focus your attention on fantasy football. Week One is always a big week in terms of Daily Fantasy Football contests. Nearly every website will be offering a free contest to try to grab your attention and get you to deposit at their website.

I have compiled a list of free contests for you to enter this week. I would highly recommend these first five for sure. Join the others as well if you are looking for some more action. Give them a try and I would also suggest depositing if you enjoy the site. These websites wouldn’t be in business if everyone just played the freerolls and never deposited.

#1 FanDuel

Friends of FanDuel Freeroll

Entry: Free

1st Place: $40

Total Purse: $500

Places Paid: 190

Join Friends Of FanDuel Freeroll

#2 DraftStreet

DraftStreet Week One Freeroll

Entry: Free

1st Place: $100

Total Purse: $1,000

Places Paid: 100

Deposit Bonus: 100%

Join DraftStreet Freeroll

#3 Fantasy Feud

Fantasy Feud Week One Freeroll

Entry: Free

1st Place: $150

Total Purse: $1,000

Places Paid: 75

Join Fantasy Feud Freeroll

#4 Fantasy Aces

Fantasy Aces Kickoff Freeroll

Entry: Free

1st Place: $150

Total Purse: $1,000

Places Paid: 100

Join Fantasy Aces Kickoff Freeroll

#5 RotoDraft

Week One Freeroll

Entry: Free

1st Place: $15

Total Purse: $50

Places Paid: 12

Deposit Bonus: 100% with Promo Code NFL100

Join RotoDraft Week One Freeroll

#6 Star Fantasy Leagues

“The Sack” Freeroll

Entry: Free

1st Place: TBD

Total Purse: $100

Places Paid: TBD

Join Star Fantasy Leagues Freeroll

#7 DraftKings

DraftKings Week One Freeroll

Entry: Free

1st Place: Top 500 win Step 1 Tickets

Total Purse: $1,000

Places Paid: 500

Join DraftKings Freeroll

#8 DraftDay

DraftDay Perfect Lineup Freeroll

Entry: Free

1st Place: Top 50 win entry to Frosty Bucker Game. Pick the perfect lineup and you win $1 million.

Total Purse: $50

Places Paid: 50

Join DraftDay Freeroll

#9 FanThrowdown

FanThrowdown Week One Freeroll

Entry: Free

1st Place: $5

Total Purse: $10 (Weak Sauce but a great site)

Places Paid: 2

Join FanThrowdown Week One Freeroll

If you need some help picking your teams check out Fantasy Football Nerd for weekly rankings compiled using the combination of expert rankings throughout the interwebs.