Mailbag

I have Brandon Jacobs on bye this week and need a RB. I have Chester Taylor or can pick up Justin Fargas, who should I play this week?

Mike L.

Providence, RI

Thanks for the question Mike.

Justin "Huggy Bear Jr." Fargas is playing Houston, who is giving up 120 yards per game on the ground, he will be splitting time with LaMont Jordan who has been ineffective the last few weeks. Coach Lane Kiffin publicly stated that Fargas would be more involved in the game plan. It also appears that Dom Rhodes has fallen out of favor and is in danger of being cut, the Raiders may just be waiting until RB Mike Bush is healthy enough to be activated from the PUP list.

Chester Taylor is up against the Chargers run D which is giving up 88 yards per game. Taylor continues to lose carries to super rookie Adrian Peterson, his carries have dropped the last three weeks. The Vikings have had virtually no passing game all year and Taylor still only had 6 carries last week. Taylor's value appears to be on the decline for the rest of the year.

Go with Fargas this week. UPDATE: Fargas started the game and had 119 total yards and a TD

Good Luck Mike, keep the questions coming

NFL 6 Pack Week 8 Results 4-2

NFL 6 Pack Week 8 Picks
1. NY Giants vs. Miami

PICK: Giants RESULT Giants 13-10 Not the blowout I expected, but the game was played on a muddy field and the Giants did control the entire game.

2. New England vs. Washington

PICK: Patriots RESULT Patriots 52-7 Another dominant performance by the Patriots, they took some heat for running up the score, but doesn't the skins D need to take some heat for not being able to stop the Pats, then whining when the Pats didn't roll over for them.

3. Indianapolis vs. Carolina

PICK: Colts RESULT Indianapolis 31-7 The Panthers jumped out to a early 7-0 lead and then it was all Colts the rest of the way.

4. Cleveland vs. St. Louis

PICK: Rams RESULT Cleveland 27-20 After the Rams jumped out to a 14-0 lead my upset pick was looking good, but once S-Jax went down the Rams went back to playing like the Rams and the Browns hammered them.

5. Pittsburgh vs. Cincinatti

PICK: Steelers RESULT Pittsburgh 24-13 The Bengals O continued to struggle as they didn't get a TD until the 4th quarter.

6. Green Bay vs. Denver

PICK: Broncos RESULT Packers 19-13 OT So much for the altitude theory, Travis Henry sat out. The Broncos had their chances, they fumbled on the goal line, and had a long run by Young called back on a questionable holding call. But the killer was the first play in OT where Favre connected with Greg Jennings for an 82 yard TD pass. I hope Champ Bailey called the Fire Dept. because Dre Bly (who says he is a cover corner, despite his time in Detroit's Cover 2) got torched!

4-2 for the week, a little luck and I would have done better, but still a winning record.

Tony's Fantasy Football-On The Rise

Each week, I will look at some players who are on the rise. It seems like a lot of players this week could see an increase in value, these players are not listed in order of value.

1. QB J.P. Losman Buf-With the injury to QB Trent Edwards, Losman may be given another shot to start, and with some time to let his knee heal, may be able to take advantage of this situation. We will know more about Edwards injury as the practice week begins on wed. Remember going into the season that Losman was picked as a breakout candidate and lost his job after his knee injury. Should be a good play against Cinci in Week 9, and Miami in Week 10. He should be on the FA list. update: NFL Network reports Losman named starter for week 9.

2. WR Lee Evans Buf-If Losman does in fact regain the starting job, this helps Evans big time. Evans has struggled this year under both Losman and Edwards, but is known for his second half of the season surges and Evans is Losman's go to guy. Losman and Evans connected on a 85 yard TD in the 4th quarter of Week 8. Evans has been dropped in many leagues by impatient owners, and may be available in your league.

3. QB Kellen Clemens NYJ-The writing has been on the wall for a few weeks and some Chad owners may have already grabbed him but he is worth an add in leagues that play 2 qbs each week. He has a tough schedule coming up (Wash, Bye, Pitt, Dal) though.

4. QB Sage Rosenfels Hou-With QB Matt Schaub likely to miss Week 9's matchup with Oakland Rosenfels makes a nice pickup if you need a fill in. Rosenfels has seen action in the last 3 games throwing 6 TDs and 5 INTs. Schaub should return after the week 10 bye, but if he doesn't Hou has favorable matchups against NO and Clev. Should be available in most leagues.

5. WRs Deion Branch and DJ Hackett Sea-Branch is set to return this week after missing two games and having the bye week to recover from a sprained foot. Also, DJ Hackett is expected to return from a high ankle sprain suffered in the season opener. Overall this is good news for Hasselbeck owners. Seattle has a favorable passing schedule (Clev, SF, Chi, Stl) in the next four games.

6. WR Chris Henry Cin-Henry is set to return from suspension in Week 10 and owners have been stashing him for the past few weeks. Henry benefits from being the third receiver for Cinci, behind 85 and TJ. Henry might also be what the struggling Cinci O needs to get them going. Even though Henry is in danger of always being arrested he has fantasy value on the field. It is amazing the Morgantown, WV is still on the map considering Henry and Pac Man were there together.

7. RB Ryan Grant GB-With last night's shoulder injury to DeShawn Wynn, Grant rushed for 104 yds and has been named as the starter for Week 9 against KC. Grant could be a nice one week play vs KC who gives up 109 rushing yds per game. Green Bay has been looking for a RB to step up all season and if Grant can take advantage of his shot he may be able to be a spot starter for you in the right matchups. Update: The Packers placed RB Wynn on IR, Grant's value increases even more.

8. RB Brian Leonard Stl-Many owners dropped him with the return of Steven Jackson, but Jackson injured his back and missed the remainder of the game. The Rams have a bye in week 9 for Jackson to rest. All S-Jax owners should pick Leonard back up, just in case as Stl. has a favorable running schedule against NO and SF after the bye.

Girardi To Manage Yanks, Fallout?

Former Yankee and 2006 NL manager of the year, Joe Girardi has agreed to manage the Yankees for the next 3 years. I always thought Girardi was the favorite for the job because Don Mattingly was too much like Joe Torre, in that he was laid back and considered a player's manager. After Torre rejected the Yankees, one year incentive contract, new team spokesman, Darth Jr. (Hank Steinbrenner) made it quite clear that the Yanks wanted to go in a new direction with the new manager. Girardi had more experience then Donnie Baseball, and in his year with the Marlins he showed he could take a bunch of kids and get them to win. He also showed that he could ruin the arms of a young pitching staff. In 2006, The Marlins rotation featured young starters Dontrelle Willis, Josh Johnson, Scott Olsen, Ricky Nolasco and Anibal Sanchez. In 2007 Johnson, Nolasco and Sanchez all missed significant time due to arm injuries. Willis and Olsen both saw their ERAs rise over 5.00, possibly due to the heavy workload from the year before. The 2008 Yankees rotation, could feature young starters Phil Hughes (21), Joba Chamberlain (22) and Ian Kennedy (22), hopefully the organization will be monitoring the innings their young future aces will be throwing.

It is also being reported by various media outlets that the Los Angeles Dodgers will be hiring Joe Torre and that Don Mattingly will be following Torre to La La to be his bench coach. Also, Mattingly's son was drafted by the Dodgers in 2006.

What impact do these moves have on the future of the Yankees 5 major Free Agents? C Jorge Posada, RP Mariano Rivera, P Andy Pettite, P Roger Clemens, and 3b Alex Rodriguez. All of these players have stated publicly their support for former manager Joe Torre, and that whether or not he returned to the Yankees would impact their decisions. Will some of these players follow Torre at to LA? Lets take a look:

C Jorge Posada-Chances of following Torre seem unlikely, due to LA having a future star at C, Russell Martin, and James Loney at 1b, It doesn't seem like Posada would be a good fit in LA. I have read that Posada would be interested in staying in NY and possibly playing for the Mets. If Posada leaves the Yankees do not have much behind him and would be looking to sign a Free Agent possibly Paul LoDuca , or Michael Barrett.

RP Mariano Rivera-I think their is a good chance Rivera would follow Torre, especially to the weaker NL, where he could face weaker lineups. The Dodgers used Takashi Saito as the closer last year, but he was signed to a 1 year deal and will likely be resigned, but could slide into a set-up role with flame thrower Jonathan Broxton, givng the Dodgers a nice back end to their bullpen. There has also been talk of the Phillies pursuing Rivera to close and the Red Sox would entertain the thought of bringing in Rivera to set up for Papelbon and further weaken the Yankees. Could you imagine the WWE like atmosphere, if next year when the Yankees are playing the Red Sox at Fenway and "Enter Sandman" hits and the announcers are like Oh my God that's Rivera's music!

SP Andy Pettite- I think there is a good chance Pettite retires, but if he has learned anything from his buddy the Rocket, he will take as much time as possible to decide his future. Pettite has spoken highly of his relationship with Torre, but he did leave for Houston in 2004. Also Joe Girardi was his personal catcher when Girardi was playing for the Yankees.

SP Roger Clemens-I really hope Clemens finally retires, If he doesn't I don't see the Yankees giving him another 28 million.

3b Alex Rodriguez- A-rod chose to opt out of his contract making him a free agent, his agent Scott Boras took full advantage of the opportunity to upstage game 4 of the World Series by declaring A-rod would be opting out of his contract. Boras denied that intent, stating that he had submitted paperwork to the Yankees and MLB and was under the impression it would be announced on Monday, however when Fox put on Ken Rosenthal to make the announcement, Rosenthal said, I just got off the phone with Scott Boras and he told me.... So you be the judge whether Boras was promoting for A-rod and himself. The Yankees front office has been pretty up front that if A-rod opted out that they would not negotiate with him. Darth Jr. said A-rod must not have wanted to be a Yankee, I only want players who want to be Yankees. It was speculated that the Yankees were preparing to offer A-rod an extension that would have tacked on another 5 years at 3o million per year to the remaining 3 years on his previous contract. Boras stated that A-rod opted out, because of the uncertainty surrounding the Yankees manager (as of Sunday) the status of key free agents (discussed above) and the general direction of the team. Boras is said to be looking for a 12 year 360 million dollar deal that would lock A-rod up until he is 45. I'm not sure any team can afford this. The favorites appear to be the Angels who have been looking for a bat to put with Vladamir Guerrero for some time. The Giants will have some space with Barry Bonds not coming back, but San Fran appears to be entering a rebuilding process and unlikely to sign another long term Free Agent deal after last year's disappointing Barry Zito (also a Boras client) deal. Also unlikely A-rod is looking to be part of a rebuilding process. A possibility the Dodgers could get involved, although they are looking to promote Andy LaRoche to full time duty at Third, A-rod could go back to ss, shifting Furcal to 2b or the of, depending on whether the Dodgers pick up Jeff Kent's option. Another factor is the Dodger's dislike for dealing with Scott Boras, after client JD Drew opted out of his contract last offseason. The Cubs are another team mentioned but they spent so much money last offseason and committed to Carlos Zambrano during the season coupled with the fact that Aramis Ramirez is locked up. A-rod would play SS, but unlikely he goes to the Cubs. The Red Sox seem content to resign World Series Mike Lowell, and its unlikely A-rod would be accepted in the Red Sox clubhouse after playing for the Yankees. That leaves the Yankees with utility guy Wilson Betemit, the 3b Free Agent market is fairly weak especially if Lowell Resigns with Boston.

There is a lot of uncertainty following the Yankees and their Free Agents heading into the offseason. The Yankees also will feel the pressure of moving into the New Yankee Stadium in 2009 without some of its core players. Yankees fans need to prepare themselves, for the possibility that next year's Yankees could have a much different and perhaps younger look. The Yankees will not necessarily be rebuilding, but it will be hard to replace the Hall of Fame talent they will potentially be losing.

Tony's College Top 5

Tony Top 5

Rank Team (Record) wins over ranked opponents

1. LSU (7-1) Virgina Tech, S. Carolina, Florida, Auburn, Alabama

2. Oklahoma (7-1) Texas, Missouri

3. Ohio State (9-0) Purdue, Penn State

4. Oregon (7-1) Michigan, USC

T5. Arizona St. (8-0) California

T5. Boston College (8-0) Virginia Tech, Georgia Tech

Fell out of last week's top 5; USC, Florida

UPDATE: From an artcle by ESPN's Chris Fowler from 11/1/07: "But BC is not, in my opinion, the second best team in the nation at the moment. My AP ballot reflects that. I am voting BC at No. 6, behind Ohio State, LSU, Oregon, Oklahoma and Arizona State." Fowler agrees with Tony on who the top 6 teams are, and that BC is not a strong #2. To check out the rest of Fowler's article:http://sports.espn.go.com/ncf/columns/story?columnist=fowler_chris&id=3089335

World Series Game 4 Lineups

Here are the Lineups for Game 4 at Colorado 8:29 Eastern on Fox

Red Sox

1. Ellsbury Cf

2. Pedroia 2b

3. Ortiz 1b

4. Ramirez Lf

5. Lowell 3b

6. Drew Rf

7. Varitek C

8. Lugo SS

9. Lester P

Rockies

1. Matsui 2b

2. Tulowitzki SS

3. Holiday Lf

4. Helton 1b

5. Atkins 3b

6. Spilborghs Cf

7. Hawpe Rf

8. Torrealba C

9. Cook P

Thank you for the support

I just wanted to thank everyone for their emails, comments and support. My blog has had almost 100 hits in the first 48 hours! So far the blog has been dominated by sports stories, and mainly will be, but I have also been asked to hit some entertainment stories. I plan on writing episode summaries of popular tv shows.

The first such summary was about the show "Friday Night Lights." If you are not watching this show you should be, it has sports for the guys and teen drama for the girls, killer combo. ESPN's Bill Simmons has called FNL the greatest sports tv show ever, I'm willing to take his word for it. You may have missed the first season because NBC kept switching the night it was on. If you haven't seen it, rent the first season on DVD and catch up, start watching it this season (NBC gave FNL a death sentence time slot of Friday at 9pm) but that's what Tivo and DVR are for, honestly who watches live tv anymore? If you don't have a Tivo/DVR you can watch this season's episodes on NBC.com.

If their are other shows you would like to see summaries of let me know. Anyway keep the emails, comments, suggestions, questions, etc. coming, you can send me an email by clicking on the envelope below any of the posts.

Friday Night Lights-"Backfire"

This episode saw Street and Riggins heading down to Mexico for Street to talk to a doctor about having an experimental sugery that would allow him to walk again, this surgery is not legal in the states. When they arrived in Mexico they were told they would need to wait a week to see the doctor. Street is armed with a bag of money for his surgery, some of which gets used to bail Riggans out of jail and then for both to get drunk and sing spanish karaoke.

While Landry's family and Tyra are eating dinner, Landry's father (police officer) gets a call telling him a body was found in the river. Landry gets nervous and after attending church tells Tyra that he is going to turn himself in, Tyra talks Landry out of this. Later in the episode the police ask Tyra and her mom to come down to the police station for some questioning. It turns out that the police want to confirm that the man they found was the man that tried to rape Tyra last season. It appears that Landry and Tyra are off the hook for the body.

Lyla goes to a juvenile detention center to give a talk about her teen religion group, some of the detainees give her a hard time and coincidentally as she is driving away, one of the kids that gave her a hard time is getting released and walking down the street. (So on the day he is getting released, the detention center was like dude, you can go, but right after you listen to Lyla talk about religion?) Anyway she offers him a ride, and makes it her mission to help him find a job, she asks her mom if he can do some work around the house, and Lyla's mom says no she doesn't want a criminal around her kids. Lyla's dad, Buddy later hires him to work in the parts department at his dealership.

The team continues to struggle under coach McGregor, they lose their game when coach runs the same running play to Smash the entire game. Any 10 year old playing Madden knows you can't run the same play over and over. What kind of championships was this McGregor guy winning in Tennesse? After the loss, Buddy wants to have McGregor fired so he can bring back coach Taylor who is greatly missed by his team and his family. After making sure Taylor will come back, Buddy fires McGregor. When Taylor quits is college coordinator job and returns home, there is a hitch in the plan. McGregor hires a lawyer to block his firing, stating a lack of cause for his dimissal, she doesn't put up much of a fight as Buddy makes a speech about how McGregor is tearing the team apart. Taylor is then rehired, and McGregor shows up at Taylor's door step accusing Taylor of being involved in his firing, and that a coach should never do that to another coach. McGregor gives Taylor, that I'm going to go revamp my playbook and meet you somewhere down the road look. Will the Panthers accept coach Taylor returning?

Tami and Julie continue to argue and are happy when coach Taylor returns home to restore some order. Tami is upset that Julie has been hanging out with the older "swede" now given a name Anton, Tami gives Julie a heart to heart talk about how when she was young, she slept with the wrong guy, blah, blah. Julie later realizes that she isn't that important to Anton, when she shows up at his apartment and he forgot they were supposed to hang out.

Riggins wants Lyla to drive down to Mexico to help him talk Street out of the experimental surgery. What will Lyla do?

Theo, still the boy wonder from 2004?

The Red Sox are on the verge of winning their 2nd World Series of the Theo Epstein era. Whereas in 2004 Epstein got a lot of credit for bringing Curt Schilling to the Red Sox and helping them win their first championship in 86 years, many of this past offseason's free agent signings were considered busts. This past offseason Epstein was trying to rebuild a team that had missed the playoffs in 2006. SS Alex Gonzalez was allowed to sign a Free Agent contract with the Reds and replaced by Julio Lugo and his 4 year, 36 million dollar contract. Lugo rewarded the Red Sox generosity by batting .234. JD Drew was signed after a shoulder injury was discovered to replace Trot Nixon for 5 years, 70 million. Drew managed to play 140 games this season but posted some of the lowest stats of his career including 11 homeruns. While many fans want to label Japanese import Dice K's 6 years 52 million + 51.1 million posting fee as a major waste of funds, I would say that the expectations were just too much for anyone to meet. Dice K won 15 games, struck out over 200 batters and pitched over 200 innings, those are pretty good numbers. In Josh Beckett's first year in Boston he won 16 games, struck out 158 batters in a little over 200 innings, so Dice K is on par with Beckett. I also realize that the Red Sox see the 103.1 million dollar investment in Dice K more as a international marketing and branding initiative then a move geared toward statistical returns on the field. So Despite 2 major free agent deals gone bad, and the Eric Gagne trade blowing up in their face, the Red Sox posted the best record in baseball. All GM's should be so lucky. As the holidays approach Theo should be buying some nice gifts for the likes of: Josh Beckett who finally harnessed his potential and had a Cy Young worthy season, free agent to be Mike Lowell who led the team in RBI's in a season where David Ortiz and Manny Ramirez battled injuries and under performed, Hideki Okajima who made the All-Star team as a dominant setup guy, and possibly the two most indispensable parts of this Red Sox machine, Dustin Pedroia and Jacoby Ellsbury who both energized this veteran team down the stretch as the Sox struggled to hold their lead in the American League East. And don't even get me started on the trade of Wily Mo Pena who hit more homeruns after his trade then any player on the Red Sox. So when the Red Sox close out the Rockies, will GM Theo Epstein be rewarded with praise for putting this team together, or will the Red Sox have won in spite of his free agent mistakes?

Giants vs. Dolphins in London

We are less than 7 minutes into the game as Miami kicker Jay Feely just missed a FG attempt. Looking at how terrible the field surface is, I'm surprised the NFL didn't take more precautions to ensure the facilities they would be utilizing for this international game would be more adequate and safe for their players. By the looks of the field, all the green will be gone by halftime, its not like the NFL hasn't been planning this game for months, why wouldn't they either request a playing surface more suitable for the NFL game or perhaps even provide the money for one to be put in. This surface is for soccer, and the looseness of the turf has the potential to cause a serious injury to one or more of the players in this game. As the league looks towards making international games part of the schedule in the future, they may want to do a better job of protecting their players. Players and owners have openly complained about the potential international games as far as losing a home game, and the travel time. If a player tears an ACL on this substandard field, the NFLPA will be doing everything it can to make sure these international games don't continue. And owners will not want to participate in these games for fear of losing star players, which translates to attendance at the games they really care about at their home stadiums. I hope the NFL wasn't trading the safety of their players for a large pay day, oh wait I mean this chance to share the NFL game with the world.

Fantasy Football Inactive List Update

Here are some notable active/out players for week 8.

1pm games:

RB Rudi Johnson-Cin-out-Kenny Watson gets the start against a tough Pitt run D.

RB Jamal Lewis-Clev-active and will get the start against a weak St. Louis run D.

WR Marvin Harrison-Ind-out-As mentioned yesterday Harrison is out with a knee injury rookie Anthony Gonzalez will get the start, but look for TE Dallas Clark to benefit the most by Harrison's absence.

QB Tavaris Jackson-Min-out-Honestly I hope you weren't relying on Jackson anyway, Kelly Holcomb gets the start against Philly.

QB Josh McCown-Oak-active-Daunte Culpepper will get the start, but McCown is active as the #2, avoid Oakland QB's as the JaMarcus Russell is right around the corner.

RB Steven Jackson-Stl-active-S-Jax returns after his groin injury to face a generous Browns D.

QB Vince Young-Ten-active-VY is active and will get the start

4pm games

RB Ahman Green-Hou-out-Ron Dayne will get the start against a solid SD defense

WR Andre Johnson-Hou-out- Kevin Walter and Andre Davis will continue to start

RB Maurice Jones-Drw-Jax-active-Mojo Drew was dealing with a sprained knee all week and Jax should be committing to the run with Gray starting at QB.

RB Frank Gore-SF-active-As Frank "The Tank" stated all week he will play and looks to get on track against New Orleans.

College Pick Results 3-2

1. #11 Florida vs. #19 Georgia @Jacksonville.
PICK: Florida RESULT: Georgia 42-30 A very talented Florida team takes their third loss of the season, just showing how strong the SEC is this season.

2. #12 South Florida vs. UCONN
PICK: UCONN RESULT: UCONN 22-15 South Florida suffered their 2nd consecutive loss. UCONN takes over first place in the Big East.

3. #20 California vs. #7 Arizona State

PICK: California RESULT: Arizona State 31-20 Cal jumped out to a 20-7 lead before the Sun Devils delivered Cal their third consecutive loss. This game earned some respect for Arizona State, for those including myself who doubted their early season success. Arizona State goes for even more respect next week against Oregon.

4. #8 USC vs. #5 Oregon
PICK: Oregon RESULT: Oregon 24-17 Oregon makes a statement in their quest for the BCS championship game led by RB Jonathan Stewart and QB Dennis Dixon. USC is eliminated from any BCS hopes. Next up is basically a Pac 10 elimination game with Arizona State.

5. #1 Ohio State vs. #22 Penn State
PICK: Ohio State RESULT: Ohio State 37-17 Ohio State rolled over Penn State quieting some doubters of the Buckeyes #1 rating.

So I picked 3 wins and 2 losses, not bad for the first week.

Still looking for a Halloween costume?

"There is no penalty on the play, the opposing player was just overpowered." Ed Hochuli

Fantasy Basketball

2 years ago you couldn't pay me to sit down and watch an NBA game. I liked basketball just not the selfish NBA product, it was always the same thing, Kobe 1 on 1 against T-Mac while the other 8 players on the floor cleared out. No passing, no team play, very little dribbling, overall just a game of isolation for a team's star player. And if these star players couldn't get a dunk, chances are they were missing the shot. The influx of European players who are often much more fundamentally sound then the American players have exposed the lack of quality shooting that was prevalent in the NBA. Couple the lack of basketball skill with the boring defensive playing style of some of the recent champions namely the Spurs and the Pistons and the NBA was a ratings disaster, not to mention some of the off court attention some players were drawing to the league, but that's a whole other blog. So I'm sure your asking where is this going? Before last season started, my buddy Stu kept saying how great the NBA was and kept asking me to join his Fantasy Basketball league. I joined the league, thinking, ok I will just crunch the numbers and see what happens. What ended up happening was that I found myself watching NBA games again, and actually enjoying some of them. So while yes the Spurs and Pistons are still boring to watch, some teams like the Suns, Raptors, Mavs and Grizzlies are running and I mean running high speed offenses that are exciting to watch and have brought back some of the team game I remembered watching as a kid. As this NBA season is set to start, I find myself as excited as I get for Baseball and Football to start. So I thank my friend Stu, for bringing me back to the NBA and making it fun again, I also recommend that if their is anyone else like me, who had backed away from the NBA, join a fantasy league and rediscover the fun.

NFL 6 Pack Week 8 Picks

1. NY Giants vs. Miami
Miami is looking for their first win against a hot Giants team. Giants D-line should have a field day and make the flight home from London a long one for the Dolphins. PICK: Giants

2. New England vs. Washington
Will the Patriots get caught looking ahead to next week's potential undefeated showdown with the Colts? I doubt it, it doesn't look like anyone is going to slow down the Patriots any time soon.
PICK: Patriots

3. Indianapolis vs. Carolina
Same deal for the Colts as the Patriots, in regard to next week. WR Marvin Harrison will sit this one out. Grandpa Vinny Testeverde gets the start for the Panthers. The Panthers are the only team the Colts have never beaten (0-3) that all changes this week. PICK: Colts

4. Cleveland vs. St. Louis
The 0-7 Rams will have both QB Marc Bulger and RB Steven Jackson back in the lineup together for the first time since Week 3. Playing at home, I think the Rams upset the Browns, when was the last time the words "upset the Browns" were uttered? PICK: Rams

5. Pittsburgh vs. Cincinatti
I can't believe the fall the mighty Bengals offense has taken this year. The Steelers lost on a last second FG to Denver last week and their defense has shown some weaknesses as of late. However The Steelers have won 6 in a row against Cinci and QB Ben Roethlisberger is 8-0 in games played in his home state of Ohio. I think the Bengals put up some points, but the Steelers take the win. PICK: Steelers

6. Green Bay vs. Denver
As mentioned above the Broncos pulled off a last second victory against the Steelers last week. RB Travis Henry and CB Champ Bailey have been dealing with injuries this week. I always think it must be hard for a visiting team to go into Denver and win when faced with the altitude difference. PICK: Broncos

Check back next week to see how i did.

Tony's 5x5x5 Fantasy picks-Week 8

Each week I will list 5 players I would start, 5 I would sit, and 5 I might take a chance on. Also by now you should know to start your studs like Manning, Brady and LT, if not you need more then my help.

Week 8


If I owned these guys I'm starting them:

1. QB Derek Anderson-Clev-Its time to wake up and realize this guy is for real, at least for fantasy he has to be the most anonymous top 5 fantasy QB ever. He has struggled on the road this season 3TDs to 5INTs but St. Louis is 0-7, I like his chances.

2. RB Brandon Jacobs-NYG-Healthier then he has been in a few weeks, Derrick Ward will be out for the G-men. The Dolphins also 0-7 have one of the worst rushing defenses this season and will be without LB Zach Thomas. Look for Jacobs to inflict some damage for the fans in London.

3. RB Marshawn Lynch-Buf-He gets the Jets this week who allowed Kenny Watson to rack up 130yds and 3TDs last week. The Jets have lost LB Jonathan Vilma for the season, further weakening the run D of the 1-6 Jets.

4. WR Kevin Curtis-Phi-Minnesota while great at stopping the run is the worst in the league at stopping the pass. Look for Philly to pass a lot and McNabb has favored Curtis this season. Curtis has also been alternating huge games with average games over the last 4 and is set for a big one this week.

5. NY Giants D-The Giants pass rush has been absolutely dominating as of late, which has made up for their questionable secondary, but they get a Dolphins team using its backup QB Cleo Lemon, backup RB Jesse Chatman and the Dolphins traded away their top WR Chris Chambers. This could be another Giants sack party.



These are guys I'm sitting:

1. QB Jeff Garcia-TB-Garcia has been solid, he hasn't thrown an INT all season, but the Bucs take on the Jaguars this week who have only allowed 4 passing TDs this season and they held Peyton Manning to only one TD, that's enough for me. Garcia sits this one out.

2. RB-Kenny Watson-Cin-As mentioned above Watson is coming off a huge game against the Jets last week, with Rudi Johnson out with a hamstring injury Watson will again get the start this week against the Steelers. The Steelers have the #3 rushing defense and have only allowed one rushing TD this season.

3.RB-Laurence Maroney-NE-Yes, New England is running a very potent offense, but all the fantasy points are going to Brady and his WRs. Maroney returned from injury last week and only had a handful of carries, he doesn't have any rushing TDs this season and I'm not sure he will even get the goal line carries as Sammy Morris was getting them before his injury and now those carries may go to Heath Evans. Until Maroney shows he is healthy and getting at least 15 carries he is on my bench.

4.TE Chris Cooley-Wash-After posting a TD in four consecutive games, Cooley finished last week with one catch for three yards. This week he faces the #4 pass defense of the Patriots, with the early season loss of T Jon Jansen, Cooley had been forced to stay in and block on more pass plays and that's what I see happening here with the Pats active pass rush.

5.K Rob Bironas-Tenn-Their aren't many kickers that matter in fantasy, and Bironas isn't one of them. He had 8 FGs last week, amazing if you had him in your lineup, but that was more a result of luck then anything else. Don't expect another huge day from him.



These are 5 guys I might take a chance on this week

1.QB Marc Bulger-Stl-Bulger returned last week from his rib injury, and gets RB Steven Jackson back this week. The Rams O-line is still suspect but the Browns defense gave up 4 TDs to Cleo Lemon and the win less Dolphins so I'm taking a shot with Bulger this week.

2.RB Jason Wright-Clev-Same game as above, if Jamal Lewis is out with his foot injury, I like Wright against the Rams #28 rush D. Check the inactive list around noon for Lewis' status.

3.RB Fred Taylor-Jax-With Mojo-Drew questionable with a knee sprain their is a good chance with QB Gray starting, that Taylor could be asked to carry the load for the Jags, against the Bucs 19th ranked rushing D which is allowing just over a hundred yards per game. This is a 4:05 game so check the inactive list around 3 for Mojo-Drew's status. Even if Drew plays I still like Taylor as a Flex player because the Jags seem prepared to run, run, run.

4.RB-Frank Gore-SF-For many owners this may be the last chance for Frank "The Tank" Gore to prove he has some value. The 49ers get back QB Alex Smith, which is better then having Trent Dilfer running the O. The Saints have the 24th rush defense, and I think he gets on a roll this week and Gore has some nice match ups in the coming weeks. Gore has been dealing with a sprained ankle but both Gore and coach Nolan have stated Gore will play.

5.K-Stephen Gostkowski-NE-He is a good fill in for anyone with a kicker on a bye, especially someone like Matt Stover. Gostkowski is not getting a lot of FG tries, because New England is scoring so many TDs, but those extra points add up. He is has scored at least 7 points in every game this year, and Washington's defense has the potential to slow, not stop, but slow the Pats down maybe allowing for a FG or two.

Feel free to email fantasy questions concerning start/sits, waiver pickups and/or trades

Tony's 5 College Picks

1. #11 Florida vs. #19 Georgia @Jacksonville.

This is a big SEC showdown at a neutral site? I'm sure Georgia would rather play in Jax, then in the swamp. Georgia is coming of a bye and extra time to prepare for the high octane Gators, however Florida has won 15 of the last 17 against the Bulldogs. PICK: Florida

2. #12 South Florida vs. UCONN

South Florida is coming off their first loss of the season to Rutgers, and this game is for a share of first place in the Big East. Both teams rely on their strong defenses and UCONN hasn't given up more than 17 points in a game. Pair that with the cold rainy weather in the northeast.

PICK: UCONN

3. #20 California vs. #7 Arizona State

Cal was ranked #2 just two weeks ago before losing two in a row, one of those games was played without QB Nate Longshore, who returned last week in the road loss to UCLA. Arizona State is coming off a bye week, and they begin the meat of their schedule this week, which also includes Pac 10 powers Oregon next week and USC on 11/22. Arizona State lost RB Ryan Torain for the season during the bye week. Cal will get back on track with athletic RB Justin Forsett and WR DeSean Jackson leading the way. PICK: California

4. #8 USC vs. #5 Oregon

Pac 10 showdown, winner stays in the race for the league title. USC will be without QB John David Booty for the third week in a row, redshirt soph Mark Sanchez will get the start again. USC has not been the super power of years past, they have squeaked out 2 close wins, a loss to Stanford and a blowout of Notre Dame in their last 4. Oregon has been on roll averaging 46.6 points per game with their only loss coming to California. Oregon beat the same Stanford team that upset USC 55-31 at Stanford. The Trojans have won 3 in a row against the Ducks including the last two at Oregon. Oregon and Dennis Dixon show they are for real. PICK: Oregon

5. #1 Ohio State vs. #22 Penn State

Ohio State's defense led by James "Little Animal" Laurinaitis has only allowed four TDs all season while only allowing 7.8 points per game. Penn State was the last team to beat Ohio State in the regular season back in 2005 also played in Happy Valley. QB Anthony Morelli will be overwhelmed by the Buckeye D, has anyone seen Vernon Gholston (above), he is a beast.

PICK: Ohio State

Check back later in the week to see how the picks turned out. Rankings used are from the USA Today Poll.

Does Boston College deserve to be #2?

While yes the 8-0 record looks impressive, Thursday night's win over Virginia Tech was their first win against a legitimate opponent. However the 14-10 victory wasn't very convincing, considering Virginia tech controlled the game until the last 2:11. BC deserves credit for the come from behind win, accompanied by a little luck, but they are not the 2nd best team in the country.
The ACC is rated as the weakest of the BCS conferences this season. Compare BC to SEC powers LSU (7-1) (who beat Virginia Tech 48-7), Florida (6-2), Kentucky (6-2), and South Carolina(6-2). I feel that all of these teams could beat BC, the SEC's superior level of competition makes it virtually impossible to go undefeated in the SEC. So at the end of the year if Ohio State beats Michigan and finishes undefeated, is America going to really want to see OSU vs. BC for the National Title? instead of teams that are perhaps more deserving and talented like LSU, Oregon, West Virginia, Oklahoma, USC or Florida? Maybe BC finishing #2 or perhaps even #1 is the chaos the BCS needs to expose the system for the joke it is.
If we are going to recognize all the undefeated teams as the elite regardless of strength schedule; Arizona State (who begins their real schedule this week against Cal) would be #3, Kansas (only challenge is Missouri 11/24) should be #4 and Hawaii would be #5. There is a major misconception that just because a team is undefeated they are better then a team with a loss or two. Take a look at other sports, the teams that win the championships are not always the teams with the best records. A great example is last year's BCS championship where their was controversy that Florida was even in the game and they were given little chance against the undefeated Buckeyes, what was the result, Florida dominated Ohio State to win the BCS championship.
While being undefeated is nice and looks pretty in the rankings, strength of schedule needs to be given more consideration to determine who the real top contenders are. I'm going to take a stab at a top 5.

Tony Top 5
Rank Team (Record) wins over ranked opponents
1. LSU (7-1) Virgina Tech, S. Carolina, Florida, Auburn, Alabama
2. Oklahoma (7-1) Texas, Missouri
3. Ohio State (8-0) Purdue
4. USC (6-1) Nebraska
5. Florida (6-2) Tennessee, Kentucky