Fantasy Football GM's

Talk and advice for fantasy football general managers.

Fantasy Football GM"s

Welcome to the Fantasy Football GM's blog! This site is dedicated to keeping fantasy football general managers up-to-date about all current topics and happenings in the NFL to insure they are making the most informed decisions possible with respect to their teams. We'll talk about all the events leading up to your draft and give you everything you need to run a successful team during the season. Get the latest on studs, duds, sleepers, waiver pickups and more. Check it out and let me know what you think.

About Me

I'm a 27-year-old fantasy football enthusiast originally from Detroit and now living in Chicago. Yes, I am a Lions fan, and yes it does suck. Why do you think I have so much time to spend on fantasy football? I'm going on my 5th season of fantasy football this year and became the proud owner of some hardware last season. I was also recently hired to be the Senior Writer at FantasyCrowd.com.

NFL Fantasy Apprentice Week 8

Team #1

QB Drew Brees 22
RB Michael Turner 21.1
WR Larry Fitzgerald 6.6
WR Roddy White 16.8

Total= 66.5

Team #2

QB Peyton Manning 13
RB Adrian Petersen 20.1
RB Maurice Jones-Drew 29.7
WR Andre Johnson 6.3
WR Reggie Wayne 20.7

Total= 89.8

Reggie Wayne and Roddy White filled in this week for the injured Calvin Johnson and Randy Moss who was on bye.

Maurice Jones-Drew carried the load this week for Team #2. Adrian Petersen and Reggie Wayne turned in nice performances as well, with down-weeks for Peyton Manning and Andre Johnson. Manning was held without a touchdown by the 49er defense and Johnson was still fighting off the chest contusion he suffered last week.

Team #1 tried to mount a furious come back on Monday Night with three players Drew Brees, Michael Turner and Roddy White featured in the game. However, they fell short mostly in part because they were down a man and Larry Fitzgerald's numbers suffered due in large part to a poor performance by Kurt Warner.

Fitz is one of the best and if I had to build my team around one receiver it would probably be him. I would've way rather fired Randy Moss a long time ago, but this is just how the chips fell...You're fired Larry.

College Fantasy Apprentice Week 8

Team #1

QB Tim Tebow Florida 38.5
WR Golden Tate Notre Dame 26.2
WR/RB Jacquizz Rodgers Oregon State 20.4

Total= 85.1

Team #2

QB Jimmy Clausen Notre Dame 22
RB C.J. Spiller Clemson 8.7
WR Dezmon Briscoe Kansas 17

Total= 47.7

Team #1 came through with another solid performance. Both Tim Tebow and Golden Tate were a big part of their teams big wins. Tebow accounted for 4 scores altogether...2 on the ground and 2 through the air while Tate scored once rushing and once receiving as well. Jacquizz Rodgers put up over 200 all-purpose yards with 9 receptions.

Team #2 had a respectable showing but not nearly as good as Team #1. Each player was involved in scoring plays with Clausen throwing for two, Briscoe catching one and Spiller running for one.

Unfortunately for Spiller he re-aggravated a season long bout with turf toe so Clemson lightened his load during their rout of Coastal Carolina. In fact, he only had five carries for 27 yards but one of those was for a score. Spiller was really starting to come on in recent weeks though. After his great performance against Miami last week, Spiller had started to get his name mentioned in the Heisman talk. However, this will mark the end of C.J.'s run in the fantasy apprentice after scoring the least points on the losing team....C.J. Spiller you're fired. See you guys next week.

NFL Fantasy Apprentice Week 7

Team #1

QB Drew Brees 23.3
RB Matt Forte 4.9
RB Michael Turner 11
WR Larry Fitzgerald 8.3
WR Randy Moss 6.9

Total= 54.4

Team #2

QB Peyton Manning 27
RB Adrian Petersen 18.9
RB Cedric Benson 24.9
WR Andre Johnson 6.2
WR Reggie Wayne 14.3

Total= 91.3

I had Cedric Benson fill in for MJD this week for team #2. He was able to contribute nicely with a touchdown and almost two hundred yards on the ground. Everyone else stayed pretty consistent except for Andre Johnson who had to leave the game in the fourth quarter because of a chest injury.

As for team #1, Drew Brees was able to put up good points despite throwing three int's because he ran for two short touchdowns. Randy Moss didn't put up very good numbers again, but even worse was Matt Forte. I've discussed in previous weeks how disappointed I have been with him this year, so when he scored the least points this week on the losing team he was the obvious the option. Matt Forte...you're fired.

I'll be looking for pretty much all of Team #1 to step it up next week. Drew Brees and Michael Turner will be featured in what should be a great Monday Night game between the Saints and Falcons at the Superdome. Larry Fitzgerald and the Cardinals have a favorably matchup verse the Panthers at home and T.J. Houshmandzadeh is at Dallas. Let's go guys!!! See you next week...

College Fantasy Apprentice Week 7

Team #1

QB Tim Tebow Florida 15.8
WR Dezmon Briscoe Kansas 6
WR Golden Tate Notre Dame 24.6
WR/RB Jacquizz Rodgers Oregon State 24.3

Total= 70.7

Team #2

QB Jimmy Clausen Notre Dame 19.1
RB C.J. Spiller Clemson 24.5
WR Marshawn Gillyard Cincy 14.7

Total= 58.3

Dezmon Briscoe got let off the hook this week with only 6 points for the winning team #1. Jacquizz Rodgers scored enough points in the late west coast game to give team #1 the win, who were playing with a one-man advantage. Tebow threw two interceptions but still managed 88 yards on the ground and a score to post over 15 points. Golden Tate was stellar again with a couple touchdowns as well.

As far for team #2 C.J. Spiller continues to be the stud scoring a receiving touchdown and returning a kickoff for a score. Jimmy Clausen threw for another couple touchdowns in their win against Boston College. That leaves Marshawn Gillyard who even though he scored a touchdown and 87 yards, still had the least points for the losing team so...he's fired.

Things are getting close, we are down to the final six. Desmon Briscoe will be switching teams to even things out next week, should be exciting...see you then!

"Bye Week Blues" by FantasyCrowd.com's Dennis Robinson

Well, here it is...week 7 already! We all have tasted the unsavory, and bitter taste of the last two bye weeks with some great fantasy players having to be benched during those last couple games, but for week 7, this just makes my stomach ache! As I am pondering what to do this fantasy week, I see that there are some powerhouses that will be "riding the pine" again in some of my week 7 lineups. Ugh! This is where my "bye week"blues kick in! But remember, anytime you get sick, there is always an antedote and a cure for those blues! Anyways, here are the teams and some of their noted players that will be on byes for week 7:

Offense
Baltimore (Flacco, Rice, McGahee, Mason, Clayton, Heap)
Denver (Moreno, Orton, Buckhalter, Royal, Marshall, Scheffler)
Jaguars (Sims-Walker, Jones-Drew, Garrard, Lewis)
Lions (Stafford, Culpepper, Johnson, Smith)
Seattle (Hasselbeck, Houshmandzadeh, Jones, Burleson, Carlson)
Titans (Johnson, Collins, Britt, Gage, Scaife)

And let's not forget some of you who are in IDP leagues (Lewis, Williams, Durant, Tulloch, Dummervil, and more)!

So, from the afore mentioned list, lets say you have Flacco, Chris Johnson, and Mike Sims-Walker on your team and you are scouring your team's bench and waiver wire. You my friend are already against the clock, but do not fret, you are working and getting you game plan together, and it is only mid-week, so it seems that you are ahead of the game so to speak. Ok, so you see Kevin Walter and Matt Cassel on your bench (who are considered decent bye week fill-ins for this particular NFL game week. But, you have Chester Taylor and Michael Bush as backup running backs on your bench (two plays I would not suggest for this week), and you are now working the wire seeing who is predicted to get the most points for the leftovers that are out there. Here are a few pickups that I would suggest or keeping in mind going forward into the upcoming weeks to bolster up your weak bench:

RB - L. Maroney (Sammy Morris, a walking-injury bomb every time he touches the field is again hurt, and Maroney filled in nicely with a 100+ yard effort last week in the snow. This week, he matches up with St. Louis...go get him now)!!

RB - J. Fargas (Will take over as the starting RB in Oakland. Not saying a lot here, but he will get the majority of the carries this week, as he showed with a 23/87 performance last week). Keep in mind that DMAC will be back in a few weeks, but while he started, his anemic play could keep Fargas as the clear cut choice when it comes to consistency, and that is exactly what they need in Oakland.

RB - J. Forsett (Deep Sleeper, and may pose a big-time threat to J. Jones as he has averaged a mere 2.3 ypc in the last 4 games)

RB - A. Green (Who? He is back in the league? Yep, but not much fantasy value yet, but has now been signed with Green Bay, and is said to have taken over 3rd down duties from Brandon Jackson who fumbled and struggled last week upon his return).

Additionally, just because you were bitten by the "Bye Week" Bug doesn't mean your opponent hasn't too! Check out his lineup and make adjustments accordingly. If he has Schaub as his starting QB, then it seems that you would want to start Walter to off-set some of those points he will be getting. Plan accordingly, and out-smart your opponent anyway you can to benefit your team! Use all the benefits of checking the waiver wire daily (I just picked up L. Maroney in a 12 team league, and I do indeed have Chris Johnson on a bye), injury reports, start/sits, and by all means, do not be against trades at this point in time. Get what you can out of your players, and check matchups every week. Some good players that are high right now and you can maximize your trade might be: Jamal Lewis, Clinton Portis, David Garrard, Donovan McNabb, Eddie Royal, Bernard Berrian, Johnny Knox, Santana Moss, Zach Miller (OAK) and Marion Barber. Divisional rivalries are set to come into play throughout the next month, be prepared as these are notoriously sub-par fantasy weeks for certain players and positions!

Players you may want to hold onto for a few more weeks are: Kevin Smith, Greg Olsen, Thomas Jones, Cedric Benson, Sidney Rice, Jericho Cotchery, Mile Austin, Marshawn Lynch and Ricky Williams.

Minor studs that should continue to do well throughout the season and should not be considered as trade bait are: Correll Buckhalter, Leon Washington, Mike Bell, Jonathan Stewart, Tashard Choice, Laurence Maroney, Andre Caldwell, Nate Burleson, Brent Celek and Mario Manningham.

You see, sometimes what you are looking for is right in front of you, and that is a viable option, whether it be a waiver wire pickup, a trade, or simply plugging in one of these "minor" studs as a necessary bye week fill-in. Like my retired dad working and digging in those old river beds out in the Arizona dessert for gold, you too can find these little nuggets, but you'll have to work for it. Good luck out there!

Dennis Robinson
FantasyCrowd.com
Warren, MI

Dennis is president of FantasyCrowd.com, has 20+ years of fantasy experience under his belt, a senior writer for several fantasy websites, does radio, and live chat support every Sunday morning on Fantasycrowd.com and can be reached at: Dennis@Fantasycrowd.com

NFL Fantasy Apprentice Week 6

Team #1

QB Drew Brees 38
RB Matt Forte 6
RB Michael Turner 10.6
WR Larry Fitzgerald 16
WR Randy Moss 29.9
WR T. J. Houshmandzadeh 3.4

Total= 103.9

Team #2

QB Aaron Rodgers 26
RB Adrian Petersen 16.6
RB Maurice Jones-Drew 35.8
WR Andre Johnson 13.5
WR Brandon Marshall 4.9

Total= 96.8

It was finally coming out week for Tom Brady, Randy Moss and the New England Patroits. Tom threw 6 touchdowns in all, 3 to Randy, 2 to Wes Welker and 1 to Kevin Faulk. It's about time because I was getting ready to fire Randy soon. Maurice Jones-Drew also had a strong comeback this week after referring to himself as an "expensive decoy" last week with 3 touchdowns and let's not forget Drew Brees wasn't too shabby himself posting 4 touchdowns and 369 yards passing.

The game was pretty close with Brandon Marshall needing about 14 points on Monday night to give Team #2 the win. However, he could only muster up 5 catches for forty-nine yards. T.J. Houshmandzadeh was bailed out again as the overall lowest point earner, along with Matt Forte who continues to disappoint. As for Brandon, although he has come up big for the Broncos with multiple scores in the 4th quarter this year, he did not come up clutch for his fantasy apprentice team this week and I gotta fire him. Peace Baby T.O. I 'll catch you on the flipside!

College Fantasy Apprentice Week 6

Team #1

QB Tim Tebow Florida 22.9
WR Dezmon Briscoe Kansas 21.4
WR Golden Tate Notre Dame 24
WR/RB Toby Gerhart Stanford 24.3

Total= 92.6

Team #2

QB Jimmy Clausen Notre Dame 22
RB C.J. Spiller Clemson 23.2
WR Marshawn Gillyard Cincy 7.5
WR Jordan Shipley Texas 2.2

Total= 54.9

Since Sam Bradford hardly played Jimmy Clausen rejoined Team #2 and will be there for the foreseeable future. Toby Gerhart filled in for Jacquizz Rodgers for Team #1.

Team #1 was very consistent throughout, although Tebow had to pull off some last minute heroics in a game they should have easily won against Arkansas. Dezmon Briscoe had a solid performance in a losing effort against underdog Colorado. Golden Tate and Toby Gerhart both scored twice as well.

Team #2 saw Jimmy Clausen play well in a big game against USC that they nearly came back to win. C.J. Spiller remained consistent with another couple touchdowns. However Team 2's downfall was their receiver play. Marshawn Gillyard posted 75 yards in a big conference game that they won over South Florida, even after their stud quarterback Tony Pike was knocked out of the game with a wrist injury.

That only leaves Jordan Shipley who has been pretty good all year, but only put up 22 yards verse Oklahoma in the Red River Rivalry. Even though Texas still won, Shipley's got to go. See you guys next week!

NFL Fantasy Apprentice Week 5

Team #1

QB Donovan McNabb 28
RB Chris Johnson 4.3
RB Michael Turner 27.7
WR Larry Fitzgerald 19.9
WR Randy Moss 3.6
WR T. J. Houshmandzadeh 20.7

Total= 104.2

Team #2

QB Peyton Manning 30
RB Adrian Petersen 18.9
RB Maurice Jones-Drew 5.7
WR Andre Johnson 22.1
WR Reggie Wayne 12
TE Jason Witten 4.7

Total= 93.4

I had Donovan McNabb fillin for Drew Brees and Reggie Wayne fillin for Calvin Johnson since he barely played. T.J. Houshmandzadeh was traded to team #1 and played nicely for the second week in a row posting a couple touchdowns.

Randy Moss got bailed out again, so next time team 1 loses he will be a prime candidate to get fired regardless of his production. Chris Johnson did not fillin very well this week and team 1 will get Forte back next week.

As for this week, Jason Witten didn't put up good numbers last week and was the obvious candidate this week with the lowest production. So, Jason Witten...you're fired. See you next week!

College Fantasy Apprentice Week 5


Team #1

QB Tim Tebow Florida 12.8
WR Dezmon Briscoe Kansas 30.8
WR Demaryius Thomas Georgia Tech 14.4
WR/RB Jacquizz Rodgers Oregon State 51.1

Total= 109.1

Team #2

QB Colt McCoy 14
RB Toby Gerhart Stanford 21.6
WR Mike Williams Syracuse 15.9
WR Jordan Shipley Texas 20.7

Total= 72.2

Another strange week because of the bye week fill-ins but Jacquizz Rodgers of Oregon State stole the show with 4 touchdowns vs. Standford. He scored 51.1 points and this is not a point per reception scoring system. Dezmon Briscoe came back strong with a couple touchdowns and over 30 points. Dez Bryant is still out for Oklahoma State so Demaryius Thomas of Georgia Tech filled in for him with a touchdown.

Although Texas got off to a slow start they still ended up beating Colorado pretty bad. However, they didn't put up the stats I would expect from such a mismatch...maybe they were looking ahead a little to Oklahoma this week. Anyways, Colt McCoy scored the least amount of points this week for the losing team so he's fired. Sam Bradford will replace him on Team 2 next week, see you then!

NFL Fantasy Apprentice Week 4

Team #1

QB Drew Brees 7.5
RB Chris Johnson 9.4
RB Matt Forte 20
WR Reggie Wayne 13.4
WR Randy Moss 11
WR Marques Colston 3.3

Total= 64.6

Team #2

QB Peyton Manning 24
RB Adrian Petersen
RB Maurice Jones-Drew 10
WR Andre Johnson 6.6
WR Calvin Johnson 13.3
WR T. J. Houshmandzadeh 10.3
TE Jason Witten 3.1

Total= 67.3

If you played Drew Brees this week in fantasy football consider yourself lucky. This was definitely the week to play him as he did not throw for any touchdowns and only 190 yards. Team 2 plays him every week this year unless he gets fired, but they were able to take advantage of it with another solid performance from Peyton Manning along with much better production from Houshmandzadeh and Megatron. Jason Witten was let off the hook as he was the lowest scoring individual but played on the winning team. The Cowboys need to get it together or he might be the next to go.

As for this week, the Saints ended up winning their big game against the Jets but did it in a different way this week. They got another defensive touchdown from Darren Sharper and score on the ground from Pierre Thomas. That leaves Colston as the odd man out with only 33 yards this week, Marques...you're fired.

College Fantasy Apprentice Week 4


Team #1

QB Jacory Harris Miami 22
WR Austin Pettis Boise State 24.9
WR Golden Tate Notre Dame 33.5
WR/RB Jacquizz Rodgers Oregon State 16.8

Total= 97.2

Team #2

QB Jimmy Clausen Notre Dame 26
RB Jahvid Best Cal 5.2
RB C. J. Spiller Clemson 7.9
WR Marshawn Gilyard Cincy 13.5
WR A.J. Green Georgia 15.9

Total= 68.5

I had to scrap together both teams this week because of byes. Since Bradford was still not back yet I thought that Jacory Harris from Miami and Jimmy Clausen from Notre Dame were the next best quarterbacks, who both had pretty good games. Wide receivers Austin Pettis of Boise State and A. J. Green of Georgia filled in adequately as well.

As for the play of both teams, it is rare to see a team down one player score more points and win, however that was the case this week with team 1. They got big performances from their mainstays Golden Tate and Jacquizz Rodgers along with great production off the waiver wire.

Team 2 had a very disappointing week, most notably from the running backs, although C.J. Spiller did have a kickoff return for a touchdown that did not count toward his point totals. That only leaves my main man Jahvid Best unfortunately. I love watching him play and was really rooting for him but with two poor performances in a row and the lowest point total on the losing team I gotta do it. Jahvid Best...you're fired.