Fantasy Football GM's

Team #1

QB Drew Brees 6.8
RB Michael Turner 11.6
RB Matt Forte 10.6
WR Larry Fitzgerald 7.6
WR Randy Moss 11.6
WR Marques Colston 6.7
TE Antonio Gates 6.4

Total= 61.3

Team #2

QB Peyton Manning 37
RB Adrian Petersen 9.9
RB Maurice Jones-Drew 32.7
WR Andre Johnson 8.6
WR Calvin Johnson 5.5
WR T. J. Houshmandzadeh 1.5
TE Jason Witten 7.7

Total= 103.6

Boy I should fire all of team 2 for their performance this week. Pretty bad all the way around. Drew Brees has earned himself a pass for his stellar play the first two weeks of the season, other than that nobobdy else has really separated themselves.

I've curbed my enthusiasm for Matt Forte a little already...it seems to me that he caught all those balls last year because their quarterback Kyle Orton did not have nearly the arm that Cutler has and thus he checked down a lot more. It could also be that Cutler just likes to take more risks. Either way I don't think he will be worthy of his consensus #3 overall pick this year. Of course he is playing the Lions next week, so he could prove me very wrong in week 4...wouldn't be the first time and won't be the last.

T.J. Houshmandzadeh got let off the hook by a 4 touchdown day for Peyton Manning and three touchdowns for MJD. He scored the least amount of points by far but in his defense his starting quarterback is injured and of course he had the benefit of playing on the winning fantasy team this week. That's all I got for this week and oh yeah, Antonio Gates...you're fired.

Team #1

QB Tim Tebow Florida 32
RB Joe McKnight USC 11.8
WR Dezmon Briscoe Kansas 14
WR Golden Tate Notre Dame 17.2
WR/RB Jacquizz Rodgers Oregon State 32.4

Total= 107.42

Team #2

QB Colt McCoy Texas 28
RB Jahvid Best Cal 6.9
RB C. J. Spiller Clemson 25.1
WR Marshawn Gilyard 29.7
WR Jordan Shipley Texas 18.2

Total= 107.9

Wow, what a close game! It doesn't get much closer than this with Team 2 winning by less than half a point. Another crazy week in college football as 3 top ten teams go down. I had the stud receiver from Cincinnati Marshawn Gilyard fillin for Dez Bryant who was out with a hamstring injury fyi.

Team 1 wasn't able to win despite getting a huge effort from their new addition Rodgers who scored twice and put up over 32 points. Thoughts and prayers go out for Tim Tebow after suffering a concussion. He was still able to put up big numbers before that and Florida has a bye next week so he should be ready to go by then. I will replace him with either Terrell Pryor or Sam Bradford if he is healthy next week. I was actually quite shocked the Jahvid Best put up the least points out of everyone, however Joe McKnight put up the least amount on the losing team and thus he is fired. See you guys next week.

Team #1

QB Drew Brees 30
RB Michael Turner 16.5
RB Matt Forte 6.2
WR Larry Fitzgerald 9.4
WR Randy Moss 2.4
WR Marques Colston 21.8
TE Antonio Gates 7.8

Total= 94.1

Team #2

QB Tom Brady 6
RB Adrian Petersen 17.6
RB Maurice Jones-Drew 8.3
WR Andre Johnson 26.9
WR Calvin Johnson 11.1
WR T. J. Houshmandzadeh 6.2
TE Jason Witten 9.3
RB/WR LaDainian Tomlinson DNP

Total= 85.4

Team 2 was not able to take advantage of their one player advantage with LT out. Andre Johnson put on a show, I thought AP would put up bigger numbers considering he was playing against the Lions but what was even more surprising was that Tom Brady did not throw any touchdowns and 1 interception.

Darelle Revis, the Jets defense and Rex Ryan deserve a lot of credit with their scheme. They put Revis one-on-one against Moss who did a great job and were able to pressure Brady all day. The Patroits have not looked like the Pats of 07’ and if it wasn’t for the last couple minutes of their opener Brady would have no touchdowns at all. Granted, they were without Wes Welker who is very valuable. I can hardly believe I’m doing this myself but Tom Brady…you’re fired.

This week was a perfect example of how unpredictable the fantasy apprentice game can be. Who would've ever thought Tom Brady would be gone in week 2?

Since LT is injured and Team 2 has no quarterback now I am dropping LT and picking up Peyton Manning for Team 2. See you guys next week!

Team #1

QB Tim Tebow Florida 11
RB Joe McKnight USC 16.6
WR Dezmon Briscoe Kansas 17.7
WR Golden Tate Notre Dame 18.7
WR/RB Chris Brown Oklahoma 8.4

Total= 72.4

Team #2

QB Colt McCoy Texas 10.5
RB Jahvid Best Cal 44.8
RB C. J. Spiller Clemson 7.9
WR Dez Bryant OK St. 29.9
WR Jordan Shipley Texas 13.3
WR/RB Jacquizz Rodgers Oregon State 22.3

Total= 128.7

What a week for team 2 and Jahvid Best. He scored 5 touchdowns and rushed for 131 yard. I would consider him the early favorite for the Heisman, especially with the way that some of the top quarterbacks have played so far. Colt McCoy was not very impressive throwing 2 int’s and Tebow didn’t throw a touchdown pass, ending his streak of 30 consecutive games with a td toss.

As for team 1, I would expect more from Joe McKnight with their starting qb out, although he did rush for a 100 yards and a touchdown…seemed like the backup Corp was pretty rattled, so I can’t put that on him. The Gators did not beat Tennessee by as much as expected, but they did still win…Tebow cut it pretty close this but I’ll give him a pass for this week. Golden Tate had another pretty good week but did drop another easy touchdown pass. I would expect him to put up consistent numbers in the coming weeks since Notre Dame’s other receiver Floyd went down with a broken collarbone. Briscoe has been pretty consistent for Kansas so…that only leaves Chris Brown out of Oklahoma. The Sooners won 45-0 and he only got 84 yards on the ground and no touchdowns. It’s probably not all his fault since it seemed Oklahoma was throwing a lot, even with backup qb Greg Landry in, but that’s the way it goes. Chris Brown you’re fired.

Next week Jacquizz Rodgers will be switching teams to even things out. Check back and see who’s next to go.

Carolina- picked up A.J. Feely, probably wanted Jeff Garcia too after the way Delhomme played last week.

Chicago- Brian Urlacher is out for the year after dislocating his wrist. Cutler was real bad last week, I expect him to get better just not this week verse the Steelers and not as much as I expected. In case you missed the game he didn't really seem to be clicking with his receivers.

Denver- will continue to rotate running backs with Moreno and Buckhalter splitting a majority of the carries per offensive coordinator Mike McCoy. It will probably take a few outstanding games from one of the other to gain no.1 status per fftoolbox.

Detroit- nothing really of note just that they are really bad and playing Adrian Peterson this week. If you own him you may not even need to start anybody else.

Kansas City- Matt Cassell is still questionable for week 2 per head coach Todd Haley.

Indianapolis- Anthony Gonzalez is out 2-6 weeks...keep your eye on Pierre Garcon. If he is available on the waiver wire I would give him a good look. The Colts are supposedly very high on him and Austin Collie which is why they are still not interested in Marvin Harrison. Btw, Reggie Wayne and Dallas Clark owners should benefit from this injury...I have both of them in our Fantasy Crowd Elite League :).

New Orleans- Pierre Thomas says he will be ready to go this week. Thomas' return will not diminish the amount of snaps that Reggie Bush sees per head coach Payton, however Pierre may still be splitting carries with Mike Bell, keep your eye on this if you own either of them.

Oakland- looked pretty good on Monday night if you weren't able to catch the game. Looks like both Darren McFadden and Michael Bush will be fantasy relevant this year. They were playing good physical football and running the ball up the gut nicely verse the Chargers. Also, Russell threw the ball a lot to Zach Miller. If you were patient and waited on him in your draft congratulations, he may very well be a pro-bowler this year and will get a lot of receptions.

Philadelphia- picked up Jeff Garcia who filled in nicely for McNabb in 06'. Great move for them, pretty much means Vick will be limited to a specialty role...bet he wishes he signed with someobody else now. Also that guy that the playboy playmate Kendra Wilkinson is married to Hank Baskett was cut to make room Garcia.

San Diego- LT will not practice Wednesday and will be a game-time decision due to sprained ankle.

Tampa Bay- Antonio Bryant will play despite knee soreness although I must say even though he is in a contract year it doesn't look like he will be able to match what he did last year in my opinion as long as Leftwich is starting. I thought he played well for Pittsburgh last year when he got a chance but he did not seem very accurate or to be throwing the ball with any touch against Dallas.

A much tougher decision in the NFL fantasy apprentice this week. All the running backs from the losing team underperformed and had similar stats accumulating about 65 total yards. I was particularly surprised that Stephen Jackson and Matt Forte did not get more receiving yards though.

The decision comes down to who hurt their team the most. The Falcons won, so Turner is off the hook. After watching the Bears game, it’s pretty clear that it was more Cutler’s fault and the coaching staff went away from the run most of the game. That only leaves Stephen Jackson.

I’ve heard all year how they expect him to be their everything. No yards receiving? No points from the Rams at all? I made my decision with help from my twitter clan, who to his defense did not get much help from his offensive line but…Stephen Jackson you’re fired.

Thanks to @drumminlogan @eastcoasterin, @texazicon, @venomlace and @razzball for your help. Check back in week 2 to see who I fire next.

Team #1

QB Drew Brees 48.32
RB Michael Turner 6.5
RB Matt Forte 5.5
WR Larry Fitzgerald 14.1
WR Randy Moss 14.1
WR Marques Colston 9.0
TE Antonio Gates 8.3
RB/WR Steven Jackson 6.7

Total= 112.52

Team #2

QB Tom Brady 25.9
RB Adrian Petersen 37.8
RB Maurice Jones-Drew 18.3
WR Andre Johnson 3.5
WR Calvin Johnson 9.0
WR T. J. Houshmandzadeh 4.8
TE Jason Witten 7.1
RB/WR LaDainian Tomlinson 10.5

Total= 116.9

The biggest disappointment in college football this week was Oklahoma State. After coming off a big win at Georgia and being on the cover of Sports Illustrated, hopes were very high for this team.

I saw a twitter comment from @movethesticks that compared the Oklahoma State loss to chicken noodle soup for a sad/very sick Oklahoma Sooner nation. Their stud running back, who did have a touchdown in the game, happened to be on the losing team this week and have the lowest point total of all his teammates. Pretty easy decision for me this week…Kendall Hunter… you’re fired.

I was happy to see that both teams were pretty evenly matched and the game ended up a close one. Team 2 should have a sizable advantage with one more player then Team 1 in week 2, check back next week to see who get's fired next.

Week 1 point totals:

Team #1

QB Tim Tebow Florida 40.1
RB Joe McKnight USC 12.5
RB Kendall Hunter Ok St. 9.5
WR Dezmon Briscoe Kansas 15.4
WR Golden Tate Notre Dame 22
WR/RB Chris Brown Oklahoma 15.3

Total= 114.8

Team #2

QB Colt McCoy Texas 39.4
RB Jahvid Best Cal 28.3
RB C. J. Spiller Clemson 8.7
WR Dez Bryant OK St. 16.0
WR Jordan Shipley Texas 6.1
WR/RB Jacquizz Rodgers Oregon State 29.1

Total= 127.6

I thought of a fun little game I hope the fantasy crowd will like that I call the Fantasy Apprentice. Since I always dreamed of being Donald Trump and love fantasy football so much, I figured why not combine the two?

You may not have ever watched Donald Trump’s show “The Apprentice” but you have probably heard him say his famous phrase “You’re Fired”. Basically what happens is he forms two teams that compete at various tasks and he ends up firing somebody each week off of the losing team.

Thus, I have assembled two fantasy football teams of 8 skilled position players for a total of 16 players altogether. I may add a player or two off the waiver wire or make some trades throughout the year as necessary to ensure the teams are fairly matched and…fire somebody off the losing team each week. The point system will be standard scoring (6 pts for all TD’s, .1 per yard for RB/WR, 1 pt. for every 25 yards throwing).

The cool thing about the apprentice game is that it is unpredictable. The person who deserves to get fired doesn’t always get fired. Somebody may slip through the cracks and as long as they perform well on weeks that their team loses, they may end up lasting much longer than expected. Also, it’s not only the stats that go into the equation…if a receiver puts up big numbers but drops a for sure touchdown late in the fourth quarter in a close game, guess who’s getting fired? I even threw in a bonus college fantasy football apprentice for all you college buffs.

Thanks for reading, I will appreciate everybody’s feedback and suggestions along the way as we count down to the end of the year and the first Fantasy Football Apprentice!

NFL

Team #1

QB Drew Brees
RB Michael Turner
RB Matt Forte
WR Larry Fitzgerald
WR Randy Moss
WR Marques Colston
TE Antonio Gates
RB/WR Steven Jackson

Team #2

QB Tom Brady
RB Adrian Petersen
RB Maurice Jones-Drew
WR Andre Johnson
WR Calvin Johnson
WR T. J. Houshmandzadeh
TE Jason Witten
RB/WR LaDainian Tomlinson

Bonus: College Fantasy Football Apprentice

Team #1

QB Tim Tebow Florida
RB Joe McKnight USC
RB Kendall Hunter Ok St.
WR Dezmon Briscoe Kansas
WR Golden Tate Notre Dame
WR/RB Chris Brown Oklahoma

Team #2

QB Colt McCoy Texas
RB Jahvid Best Cal
RB C. J. Spiller Clemson
WR Dez Bryant OK St.
WR Jordan Shipley Texas
WR/RB Jacquizz Rodgers Oregon State

The 2009 NFL season starts tomorrow so I thought I would update my top 10 fantasy footballers article. Below are my top 10 websites/twitter pages for fantasy football info to help you stay informed and win your leagues this year.

Good luck to all and stay tuned for weekly features on my blog throughout the season!

1. @daverichard- Dave Richard- one of the first weekly Fantasy Football writers on the league's official web site back in 2001. NFL stat predictor and talent evaluator for cbssportsline.com since 2005. One of the best around, you can check out his columns here http://www.cbssports.com/columns/writers/richard.

2. @movethesticks- Daniel Jeremiah, former player for Appalachain State and former NFL scout for the Ravens and the Browns. Now the self-proclaimed “one and only twitter scout”. Dude is stacked with tons of useful info. If you call yourself a fantasy footballer you need to check him out…seriously…now.

3. @fftoolbox- One of my favorite fantasy football websites. They have tons of free features on their site like 3rd year receivers, running backs +29, strength of schedule and much more for your drafts. They also write very useful articles weekly to help you on the waiver wire and with your starting lineup.

4. @Joe_Bryant – Owner of footballguys.com. Check out the new rate my team feature and other awesome free features on their site http://bit.ly/aiC0j.

5. @fantasyplayers- a directory of NFL players along with comments from their members below about projections and fantasy relevant updates. A really handy site to reference when you have questions about specific players on your team.

6. @fantasy2- Original new site that in a quest to find the real fantasy experts has allowed it’s members to pick position by position each week. Their formula allows them to find who’s who in the fantasy realm.

7. @fantasycrowd1- A new site positioning themselves as the facebook of fantasy sports. Create a profile, update your status, read the blogs, make a comment, create a league, talk trash with other fantasy players of your caliber, get a draft kit, live support Sunday mornings…pretty much everything you need in one spot if you’re a fantasy sports enthusiast.

8. @vote4parag- a self-proclaimed “average guy” however “avid fantasy football fan”. He has proven himself to be very knowledgeable and definitely worth a follow. He's also known to send many useful Follow Friday shoutouts. I found out about movethesticks and fyifootballplay through Parag. Check out his blog too http://tr.im/mS5Z.

9. @mikepera- Owner and Creator of FantasyDraftTools.com. A tool that helps league commissioners organize their draft much easier. Fantasy Football, Fantasy Baseball and Fantasy Hockey Draft Tool / Cheatsheet.

10. @commishchick- Fantasy Football and NFL news straight from local sources around the USA. She shares her info used to beat the boys at their own game.

Honorable Mentions:

@fyifootballplay- all kinds of injury updates and player status news.

@marcellasurra- Fantasygirl for fantasysmarts.com. Her secret weapon for Fantasy Football: “Simple: consistent players and waiver wire research.”

@ffcalculator- Gives updated average draft positions weekly with data from thousands of drafts and color-coded so it’s easy to read. They also have a Lineup Calculator to find who to start/sit, analyze trades, and find free agents with. Instantly see if a trade will improve or hurt your team. Check out their blog for more info http://fantasyfootballcalculator.com/blog/.

@ffootball- Hourly updates about everything from 09’ team outlooks, to who’s missing OTA’s, to who is trying the wildcat offense and even a glimpse of Michael Vick’s new life…yeah they’re on top of things.

@bigtroph- free fantasy football logo creator

Bonus Top 10 NFL Players on Twitter

1. Larry Fitzgerald @lfitzgerald11

2. Terrell Owens @terrellowens81

3. Matt Forte @chitownforte22

4. Steve Slaton @thadoubles

5. Steven Jackson @sj39

6. Shawne Merriman @shawnemerriman

7. Mark Sanchez @mark_sanchez

8. Matt Hasselbeck @matthewhass008

9. Chris Cooley @thecooleyzone

10. Champ Bailey @champbailey

There seems to be a trend of firing offensive coordinator’s and a couple teams that still haven’t named their starting quarterbacks yet. Wouldn’t be shocked if none of the teams in these situations (Buffalo, Kansas City, Tampa Bay, Cleveland and Detroit) end up being a “surprise team” this year.

Buffalo- fire their offensive coordinator.

Cincinnati- The big OT Andre Smith finally signs and then…two days later fractures a bone in his foot in a non-contact drill. He will miss the first week of the season and after that is not sure yet. With a big guy like him this could be a lingering injury, something to keep an eye on.

Chicago- Kevin Jones is out for the year after injuring his ankle in the final pre-season game. Forte’s fantasy value goes up even more now. Bears expect CB Charles Tillman to be ready for season opener.

Cleveland- Still haven’t named a starting quarterback.

Dallas- Felix Jones may get some more touches around the goal line per The Dallas Morning News.

Denver- Kyle Orton is questionable for the start of the season. Knowshon Moreno is practicing and probable for season opener.

Detroit- Still haven’t named a starting quarterback. Doesn’t look like Stafford has played well enough to earn the starting spot yet. Kicker Jason Hanson is “progressing well” and hopeful for season opener.

Houston- Steve Slaton to lose short-yardage and goal line carries to Chris Brown http://www.fftoolbox.com/football/nfl_news.cfm?news_id=609. Rex Grossman throws for 197 yards and two touchdowns in their final pre-season game.

Jacksonville-Maurice Jones-Drew suffers a shin contusion in final pre-season game. He is listed as questionable to week 1 but will not miss any significant time due to the injury.

Kansas City- fire their offensive coordinator.

Philadelphia- Vick plays extensively is final pre-season game. Doesn’t put up great numbers but shows flashes of explosiveness. He will be eligible to play in week 3.

Minnesota- Favre gets a $10,000 fine for his illegal block against Eugene Wilson in the Houston game.

New England- continue to take advantage of the lowly Oakland Raiders. First they get Randy Moss for next to nothing and now they trade their aging defensive lineman Richard Seymour for a 2011 first round draft choice which will most likely be very valuable lottery pick.

New Orleans- Pierre Thomas says he questionable for season opener vs. the Lions with a sprained MCL.

N.Y. Jets- Sanchez looks great going 5-5 with a touchdown on his only drive of the game.

San Diego- LT gets motivated by comments from Jim Brown http://www.fftoolbox.com/football/nfl_news.cfm?news_id=605.

Tampa Bay- fire their offensive coordinator.