Want to test your fantasy football knowledge against Fantazzle and the rest of the Fantasy Pros this upcoming season and compete for $100,000? RapidDraft gives you that chance for free. Fantazzle has been named as one of the 11 fantasy football pros along with other fantasy football sites, Matt Pitzer from the USA Today and even the great Hall of Famer Broadway Joe Namath. There is nothing better than having bragging rights over the fantasy football experts and one of the all-time greats.

Fantazzle has been named a fantasy pro for 2010 based on our strong track record in fantasy football expert leagues, and ranking predictions. We took home the 2008 FFLibrarian and Fantasy Sports Trade Association (FSTA) Fantasy Football Projections Accuracy award, beating out 20 FSTA members including CBS, ESPN and Yahoo. We were even recognized by the New York Times for our success in 2008. In 2009, Fantazzle was one of three League Champions comprised of 36 fantasy football expert sites. And a Fantazzle employee Zac Fluewelling had the most points of any ESPN fantasy football team created in 2009. We have had great success since Fantazzle launched, stay tuned to see what we do during the 2010 fantasy football season.

Compete against us at RapidDraft for not only bragging rights, but a chance to win $100,000, all for free. The 2010 winner will receive a spot on the Expert roster in 2011. Sign up, create a team and manage it for the entire fantasy football season as you compete against experts each week for a chance at the $100,000. RapidDraft is unique and will test your fantasy football knowledge. You can draft immediately and get to choose your own draft position. With the opportunity to draft at each draft positions 5 times, you have 60 opportunities to win $100,000.

Compete against Fantazzle now at fantazzle.rapiddraft.com.

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Fantazzle Weekly Fantasy Sports Games – Play Fantazzle’s Fantasy Football Super Bowl game – Fantasy Football Pro Bowl game - Play free Super Bowl fantasy football games — Fantazzle also offers fantasy basketball games, fantasy hockey games, fantasy golf games and fantasy racing games.

Well, the results are in for the fantasy football preseason ranking award Fantazzle won last year. No repeat / :

We had a decent ranking in the QB ranking, but didn’t place in the other positions. Its too bad, but you can’t win ‘em all and no one can take 2008 away from us (this isn’t college sports hehe). I think it will be great to start seeing an average created over the past several years and the future. Hopefully we’ll see a strong showing by Fantazzle with the average and a strong showing with our fantasy football 2010 predictions.

Fantazzle did a series of preseason NFL predictions before the season started. With the Super Bowl approaching, lets take a look at how we did.

Lets start with the NFL NFC 2009 Predictions

NFC East

Our analysis on how the standing could turn out here were pretty close. Key injuries were important, but there actually were not many of them in the division. I would say the biggest injuries that happened in the NFC East were to the NYG’s defense. Their whole was nicked up from start to finish and they ultimately became the team that lost out in the division and on our predicted Wild Card spot. We got Dallas right winning the division and Philly getting a WC. And we were right that it was a coin flip on who would take it. Dallas and Philly had the same record and the division winner was determined in Week 17. We were off saying Washington had a shot at the playoffs as well. We didn’t give them much of a chance, but they didn’t even deserve a mention. They were absolutely embarrassing.

With regards to our fantasy football player predictions, we were on point about Tony Romo. He finished ~6th in most leagues and two of the QBs ahead of him were so close it really didn’t matter which player you owned. He was easily a Tier 2 QB and a real bargain at draft time. We liked WAS as a BYE week and situational play defense. We weren’t right, but weren’t exactly wrong. It really depends on the scoring of your league. WAS was horrible in most leagues because they did not score many fantasy points in categories like INTs, fumbles recovered and most especially defensive TDs (they got 0). However, if you played in a league that gave points for points against or yards given up, they were ok. WAS had one of the better defenses, but was FAR from special. At the end of the day, we’ll take a ‘we were wrong’ here. Lastly, we said PHI and NYG WRs will not be good fantasy picks. Our reasoning was that these teams will spread the ball around and in NYG’s situation who the heck knows who will come out of the pack before the season starts. Well, it was Steve Smith and he was a top 10 WR. Not to mention DeSean Jackson who was a top 5. Way off here. I will say in defense that Steve Smith was still a risky pick because things weren’t settled in who would be the guy before the season started and DeSean Jackson was one catch away every game of being an average WR. Just so happens that in over half of his games he would come up with a over 40 yard reception for a TD. In any case, we owe you all one there.

NFC North

Our Super Bowl pick, the Minnesota Vikings walked away with the division. They were looking like a great pick for the Super Bowl until last weekend when they met our NFC South divisional pick. We were right on the money with our divisional picks here except we pulled the trigger on NYG to be the Wild Card over GB. Other than that, great predicitions.

Onto the fantasy football player predictions. Not so good. You’d think we were a handicapper instead of a fantasy football game site. Our division standings were great, but our fantasy football picks, not so much. Greg Olsen did not have a big year as predicted. We went as far as saying he would be a top 3 TE. He came in 11th, not breaking the top 10. Very frustrating as he had so much potential (next year…?). Aaron Rodgers overrated? Not so much, he was the #1 fantasy football QB in most leagues. We knew he was top 5 material, we just didn’t think he was worth all the hype. I guess now we know (its beyond me how he did it with such a bad offensive line in front of him…he deserves even more credit).

We finally had a good call with the GB defense. We had them ranked relatively high and our biggest D/ST sleeper. They didn’t disappoint with a top 5 finish.

NFC South

Again, we did very well with the division standings and writeup. We liked the NO Saints to win for two reasons: A) the moves they made in the off season specifically Darren Sharper leading the defense and B) the past 6 years the team that finished last, finished first the next season (TB in 2010…?).

As far as fantasy players, we had Marques Colston returning to his former self which is pretty close. He was just outside of the top 10 and finished where we expected him to. Michael Clayton relevant again….shoot me in my head now. I just want to forget that was ever said. Moving on…Tony Gonzales risky. Hmmm, not so much now that the season is over. He found his groove with Ryan. He finished ~5th. Down from last year, but definitely not a bust. I still stand by staying away from him before knowing what we know. Its always a risky situation. Lastly, we said that DeAngelo would be a risky RB pick. We thought he would play well and be a top 10, but not command an early first round pick. We were correct with this. He finished 12th and even if he did not get injured at the end, he would have been right around where we expected him to be.

NFC West

Well we didn’t see this division correctly. We had Seattle winning the division and AZ feeling the effects of the Super Bowl curse (in fact it was PIT who were cursed). We did, however see something in the 49ers as they stayed competitive in the division and have a bright future.

Its kind of funny, but the one division we were totally off on for standings, we may some great fantasy football predictions. We asked why everyone was looking at Steven Jackson as a top 5 fantasy RB. He finished in the top 10, but he wasn’t close to being a great pick in the first round. Vernon Davis was DEFINITELY worth a roster spot. Wish we were more bold on our writeup, but we did see something special in V Davis. He has the skills to continue to play this well for years to come. We loved Nate Burleson and he delivered. He finished ~30th making him an easy #3 WR or flex on many fantasy football teams. He wasn’t drafted in many leagues. A complete steal. John Carlson was the ~11th best fantasy football TE making him a starting TE in a 12 person league. We liked him a little more than this finish (we had him as the 8th best), but still a pretty close prediction. Our J Jones prediction…not so good. We thought he was one of the most under-rated RBs in 2009. Not so much. Sorry about that one. We had him as 16th and he finished ~32nd.

Playoffs

We did pretty well with our playoff predictions. We got AZ wrong (we had SEA) and the 2nd WC spot wrong (we had NYG and it was GB). DAL vs MIN for the NFC conference was one week too early of a matchup. And MIN to represent the NFC was one Brett Favre INT away from happening….Still all in all, I don’t feel too bad about the picks.

We could have done better with our fantasy football advice here. We hit some and others not so much. We’ll look to have a stronger showing in 2010.

Fantazzle Prez

Fantazzle Weekly Fantasy Football Games

www.fantazzle.com

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Hi all,

Fantazzle Weekly Fantasy Sports Games was fortunate enough to be on Fighting Chance Fantasy football podcast last night, Midnight Oil (and the name is true to form as it was at midnight). No worries, you can listen to all the shows on Fantazzle’s fantasy sports community page. We have the latest podcast available there every day for your enjoyment. Besides Fighting Chance’s midnight fantasy football podcast, they also offer a football podcast on Tuesday (8pm ET) and Sunday morning (9:30am ET).

I thank Ryan and Jeff for the opportunity to talk about fantasy football. I can do that all day. I won’t lie, but it’s also great to get some words in about Fantazzle in the process. We were able to discuss the current Steve Smith free fantasy football games we are offering and the sponsorship we have with Steve’s 2010 Pro Bowl Football Promotion (sign up to win 2 free tix to the Pro Bowl, dinner with Steve, airfare and hotel stay). Plus we talked about how the fantasy football playoffs have or are about to start and how a lot of teams now have no one to root for on Sunday. Fantazzle’s weekly fantasy football games takes care of that issue since you can play games from week to week and always have some kind of fantasy football action happenin’.

Fantazzle Prez – Ryan Parr

Fantazzle Fantasy Football Games

www.fantazzle.com

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Hi all,

I’d imagine that ~90% of head to head traditional fantasy football leagues have started their playoffs or this last weekend will determine your playoffs.  We are here to tell you about Fantazzle Weekly Fantasy Football Games. This isn’t a set your lineup advice fantasy football playoff article. If your looking for that, I recommend the following sites for that:

• Fighting Chance Fantasy – three podcasts a week and these guys know what they’re talking about. Not only that, but they are entertaining to listen to. Not an easy combo for podcasts. Check out Fighting Chance Fantasy website or go to Fantazzle’s fantasy sports community page for the latest podcast.
• Nova Fantasy Sports – great site for individual fantasy football player news and articles on fantasy football strategy. We use Nova’s info on Fantazzle’s fantasy football news section of our website.
• Fantasy Football Librarian – Great fantasy football blog with links to just about every relevant start/sit site out there.
• Fantasy Smack Talk - one of the better put together video casts about fantasy football.
• The League – ok this is not a fantasy football tip site, but to follow up on my article on The League, give this sitcom a try. Funny funny stuff!

So now that I have some great fantasy football advice sites out of the way, here’s the main reason for the article. Given ~90% of traditional fantasy football leagues have started or are about to start their fantasy football playoffs that means there are a minimum of 60% of fantasy football teams without anything to do. Thats where Fantazzle Weekly Fantasy Football Games come in. You can continue to play fantasy football all year by playing in our fantasy games. You can create new teams every week and continue to play fantasy football. Not only that, but Week 17 and the NFL football playoffs are right around the corner and at that time 99% of league seasons will be over. Fantazzle Football Games has got you covered by that as well. We’ll have games all the way up to the NFL Super Bowl.

If you haven’t tried Fantazzle Weekly Fantasy Games yet, now is the perfect time to give them a shot.

Sign up now and play in our entry fee games or you can try out our Steve Smith (NYG) free fantasy football game.

Don’t let your fantasy football season end so soon, sign up now!

Fantazzle Prez – Ryan Parr

Fantazzle Fantasy Football Games

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Hi all,

The new Steve Smith free fantasy football game is now up. The winner this week will win an autographed mini helmet signed by Steve Smith. Congrats to last week’s winner, Slammers.

There are two weeks left in the Steve Smith free fantasy football game contests. Make sure to enter the games. Also, make sure you sign up for the Steve Smith Pro Bowl Contest presented by Fantazzle Fantasy Football Games. The winner of that prize will win tix to the 2010 Pro Bowl, airfare, hotel and dinner with Steve. All you have to do is sign up to become a fan of Steve Smith’s Facebook fan page and vote in this year’s Pro Bowl. That will put you in the drawing to win the prize.

Fantazzle Prez – Ryan Parr

Fantazzle Weekly Fantasy Sports Games

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Hi all,

As many of you know, Fantazzle Weekly Fantasy Games has partnered with Steve Smith of the New York Giants in his 2010 Pro Bowl Contest. The winner of this contest will win 2 tix to the 2010 NFL Pro Bowl, hotel, airfare, and dinner with Steve. During the contest, Fantazzle is running free fantasy football games to win free gear from Steve Smith. The free contests will run for the next week and we already had our first free Steve Smith fantasy football game and winner this past week.

Congrats to hedrush who pulled off of a come from behind victory on Monday night. I wrote an earlier post about the leaders of the free fantasy football contest and those who had a chance leading up to NFL MNF. hedrush wasn’t even listed. He was way behind in points so he wasn’t on our radar. But like any given week, Drew Brees can change that very quickly. Couple him with Marques Colston and those 60 points put him over the top. hedrush finished with 147 pts with bdubya3 and BayMan3205 tying for 2nd/3rd with 139 pts each.

I wrote hedrush earlier to congratulate him and you couldn’t ask for a perfect winner as he thanked Fantazzle and added that he has Steve Smith in both of his traditional fantasy football leagues. It was fate from the beginning!

As an aside, the Steve Smith 2010 Pro Bowl Contest is well underway and we believe that Steve deserves a look for all of you Pro Bowl voters out there. He’s in the top 10 for fantasy football WRs and even higher in points per reception leagues (PPR). He deserves every fantasy football players consideration and he has been one of the best players in fantasy football this year. Numbers don’t lie.

So the first free fantasy football contest is over with 3 more to go. Make sure you sign up before the first NFL game on Sunday begins. Spread the word if you like the contest. If we get more entries into the game, we will expand the prize pool and have more than one winner. Its up to you all to get this done. We will run a referral promotion during the Steve Smith free games. Simply refer your friends and shoot us an email at stevesmith@fantazzle.com with your friend’s email and/or username and we will give you an extra prize if you win the free football game. You’ll win the prize of the week plus we will give you a $25 credit to your Fantazzle account to play all of our fantasy games. Help Fantazzle build our fantasy site and we will help you build your account balance. Nothing to lose and a lot to gain!

Sign up now for the Steve Smith free fantasy football game.

May the best fantasy player win!

Fantazzle Prez – Ryan Parr

Fantazzle Weekly Fantasy Football Games

www.fantazzle.com

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STANDINGS UPDATE – Fantazzle’s Fantasy Football Game

With a quarter left in the Sunday night Pittsburgh Steelers vs Baltimore Ravens game AND of course the huge fantasy relevant Monday night football games (MNF) between New Orleans Saints and New England Patriots (talk about some big fantasy names in that game), here’s an update on the standings for our first Steve Smith Free Fantasy Football Salary Cap Game:

These teams are playing for a Steve Smith autographed football for this week -

There’s a tie for first place between HadYock and gergman1 with 133 points. Unless Wes Welker scores 0 or negative points, gergman1 will have the edge (he has Welker).  ukula at #5 is the next closest for a shot to get the prize with 117 points and Randy Moss playing tomorrow. GBPackerFan has an outside shot as well with 110 points and Colston playing tomorrow. Lastly, SIMBAKINGS has 104 pts with Welker and Brady tomorrow. Long shot, but it could happen.

You can see all the standings for the Steve Smith fantasy football salary cap game here.

Good luck to all teams. For those who won’t be taking home the prize this week or weren’t able to sign up, make sure to enter for the chance to play next week’s free fantasy football game. The game will be available tomorrow.

Make sure you sign up for the Steve Smith 2010 Pro Bowl Campaign! These fantasy games are supplement to the free tix you can win to the 2010 Pro Bowl.

Fantazzle Prez – Ryan Parr

Fantazzle Fantasy Football Games

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Hi all,

Wanted to let you know about a GREAT podcast out there from Fighting Chance Fantasy. Jeff Mans and Ryan Hallum make it exciting and interact with all their fans by email, live chat or a call in number. They have three shows every week and are giving you the scoop on all things fantasy football. Fighting Chance gave Fantazzle Fantasy Football Games a chance to be on this show this past Tuesday (thanks fellas!) and I recommend you give it a listen. These guys are on ball and the info won’t only help your traditional fantasy football games, but will also help you set your weekly fantasy football games lineup. Figure out what bargains you find in the fantasy football salary game.

All shows are live, but can also be accessed on BlogTalkRadio.com and listen on your computer or download for your iPod or other device.

Here’s the upcoming lineup:

11/24/2009 – Ladies Night (this show is archived and Fantazzle was a guest)

11/29/2009 9:30 AM - Sunday Morning Kickoff Show

12/1/2009 8:00 PM - Ladies Night

12/4/2009 10:00 PM - Midnight Oil — With Jeff Mans & Ryan Hallam

Give it a listen all. Its a great fantasy football podcast and has some great guys behind it.

Ryan

Fantazzle Prez

Fantazzle Fantasy Sports Games

http://www.fantazzle.com

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Fantazzle Weekly Fantasy Sports Games each week looks to give fantasy football insight that is not obvious. We focus on players that are overlooked by most major fantasy football sites. If your looking for high level start/sit advice (start Drew Brees and Adrian Peterson, bench Marc Bulger and Michael Crabtree) then you will want to read a different article. If you want analysis on players that are under the radar and are question marks each week, then read on.

It’s also worth pointing out that while some of those fantasy football start/sit articles can be useful, they aren’t always relevant for traditional fantasy football….BUT they are for playing weekly fantasy football games (given I’m the prez of Fantazzle.com, I recommend that site . Heck if you got the option to bench Tom Brady (thats even if you own Brady in the first place) and use a solid QB with a dream matchup, then much props on your drafting skillz. But I gotta believe Brady is going to be started regardless of the matchup or what you read. The beauty of weekly fantasy football is you choose a new roster every week and you can put that matchup info to good use by winning cash prizes. Ok, thats my soap box moment. Its really a call to action for fantasy writers rather than a sales pitch. There is just so much more value in the start/sit type articles once weekly fantasy football starts to gain popularity. Playing the matchups in fantasy football is a really key factor, but your options are limited given the draft was before the season starts and Frank Gore plays the Vikings this week.

Note – This is start/sit advice, here is Fantazzle’s week 3 fantasy football pickup advice.

Eddie Royal (WR Den) START - Royal will come back to life this week. Everyone is worried about him and rightly so. I believe this could be the week against Oakland. Oak’s shutdown corner, Asomugha, should be matched up with Marshall (Marshall is an iffy start) making Eddie Royal a big part of the game plan. Bobby Wade as the #2 last week had a good week and I see the same for Royal which is about 90 yds and a possible TD. Start him this week and if he doesn’t produce – be very worried….

Steve Slaton (RB Hou) START – Your probably going to start this guy regardless (like I said, I don’t wanna be ‘that guy’ and write about guys you will be starting every week), but he’s another guy who is off to a bad start for 2009 fantasy football owners. This is the week he’ll bounce back and show you why he was picked in the 1st/2nd round in drafts. Last year, Slaton had 2 big games against the Jags going over 100 all purpose yards easily and scoring a total of 3 TDs. Look for Slaton to bounce back with over 100 yds and at least one TD.

Arizona Players START – (Warner, Fitz, and Boldin are must starts so no surprise there), but Hightower owners probably are not looking at him as a must start each week and Beanie Wells owners are definitely not. Start Hightower with no questions asked and Wells owners may want to give him a shot if your using a flex in a large league and your other options have bad matchups (for example, Cedric Benson against Pit D or Julius Jones against Chi D…its a risky call so flip a coin and/or read some more articles before deciding). If you watched the MNF game this past week, you saw that Indy’s D was on the field for 45 minutes. Thats 3 quarters…and an unreal effort by the Dolphins (and Peyton for pulling off the win). You gotta believe off a short week for another away game that the Colts D is going to be tired. Oh and start Rackers as well.

Jeremy Shockey (NO TE) START – Buffalo has given up nearly 100 yards the past two weeks to its opponents tight ends AND gave up a TD to both of them (Ben Watson and Kellen Winslow). Look for the trend to continue with Shockey. He’ll get around the same stat line 5/80/1.

Green Bay Packers D/ST START – Green Bay was a big underrated player in Fantazzle’s preseason fantasy football rankings. They already have 6 INTs this year and 1 TD scored (middle of the pack in sacks). They play the Rams this week who will be missing several of their O Line starters and have scored a total of 7 pts this year (added bonus for Points Allowed leaguers). This is about as no-brainer as you can get. Its possible that they are still available as free agents in your league.

St. Louis Rams players SIT - Your probably don’t have much choice with Steven Jackson so go ahead and start him. He won’t do too bad, but I doubt he’ll put up 1st round draft pick numbers. I liked Laurent Robinson preseason and I like him even more after seeing two games, but bench him this week. If for some reason, your starting Avery or Burton you have to bench them as well and hope you can pick up better guys on the waiver wire. Those guys are not very good fantasy options any week.

Jermichael Finley (GB TE) ~~~~ – well this is tough for two reasons: A) you probably have a more proven TE on your roster and B) Donald Lee is still in the mix and that will reduce Finley’s stats. So while Finley has a great matchup, you better be hurting with your other options if you start him. Its usually not a good idea to start a team that uses to pass catching tight ends. BUT the Rams have given up close to 100 yds a game for the past two games and a score. In addition, Jennings is a bit nicked up so the TE could be a bigger part of the game plan as they look to ‘rest’ him. Speaking of which, you may love Jennings vs. the Rams, but I wouldn’t expect a lot. It scares me that Jennings had 0 catches last week. Its possible his injury is going to hamper him for awhile. If GB was smart they should put him on the bench once they’re up by a TD. My recommendation here is if you have your eye on Finley for a future week to week TE start, you should pick him up before he makes waves this week and he becomes a hot pickup.

Donald Driver (GB WR) START – As stated above, I’m a little worried about Jennings. GB is playing against the Rams. I look for Donald Driver to play like a #1 WR and put up some nice numbers.

Brian Westbrook (Phi RB) ~~~ – I’m not suggesting benching WB. In fact if he plays he should have some nice numbers. Playing at home vs the KC Chiefs is a fantasy football dream matchup ESPECIALLY considering the fantasy points the Chiefs have given up to RBs in the last two games (McGahee had a TD and LJ had ~40 yds which is unusual for him). That said, if the Eagles were smart they would pull WB as quickly as possible. They should win this game handedly and they have a BYE Week next week which will give WB the time he needs to get ready for the thick of the season. Plus the Eagles should really see what they got with LeSean McCoy as the #1 RB. That way when WB misses games later in the season (and we all know he will), they’ll know how much they can depend on McCoy in their game plans. Man…I should be a NFL coach. This stuff is easy!

Braylon Edwards (Cle WR) START – I’m a little worried about the Quinn/Edwards comments about not being on the same page plus Edwards has been a dud thus far so this is a risky start. That said, Edwards has always had success against the Ravens (I should know, I’m a Ravens fan). A TD every other game and close to 100 yds each game for the past couple of years. Not to mention that the Ravens haven’t been so hot against the pass so far this season, they won’t be able to run against them, and Fabian Washington is questionable to play. This is another guy that if he doesn’t produce this weekend, be very worried about his fantasy future.

A couple of guys your going to start every week so no need to get in-depth about, but they looked prime for a big Sunday for Week 3:

• Matt Forte (Chi RB) – disappointing so far, but he’ll turn it around. Seattle was the team that gave up over 200 yds to Frank Gore last week.
• Santonio Holmes (Pit WR) – he has been a beast against Cincy for the past two years (over 100yds and 1 or more TDs almost every game).
• Jason Witten (Dal TE) – both TEs that Carolina has played against have scored TDs (Celek and Tony G) so Witten is looking good for a TD.
• Min D/ST – San Fran is at the top of the league for sacks allowed and Min is at the top of the league for sacks.
• Balt D/ST – they haven’t been all that sharp this year especially their pass D, but a shaky Quinn IN Balt is askin’ for trouble. Could we see Derek Alexander starting the 3rd quarter a la Donovan McNabb? It would be a horrible coaching call (just like Reid’s was…unless he did that to motivate McNabb which I doubt), but a real possibility.

So thats the fantasy football week 3 advice. I hope that it adds a little more than the ‘start AP this week or bench McNabb. There is definitely a place for that (even more so if you play weekly fantasy football games) and should be the start of any weekly fantasy football strategy, but its also pretty easy to make those recommendations. Fantazzle tries every week to give you that extra edge looking at the not so transparent analysis that will give you that slight edge you need to pull off a close win.

General Week 3 NFL Notes

Games of the week:

Tennessee Titans vs. New York Jets – I’m fired up to watch this game! The Jets were one of my surprise teams this year in the NFL’s AFC division and so far that predict is looking good. I also had Ten as the AFC South winners so that is not, but give them a little slack. Games against the reigning Super Bowl champs (which went into overtime) and an always fierce division rival with Houston (its sometimes easy to forget that Ten used to be the Houston Oilers so that adds to the intensity). This is going to be a good one. I’m a little surprised that the Jets are favored in this game. I know the Jets are looking really good thus far, but even with the home field advantage I would say this is more like a pick’em. I expect the Titans to pull off the upset.

San Fran 49ers vs. Minnesota Vikings - Another great game. 49ers is another team surprise team I picked in my NFL NFC division predictions. Plus I had the Vikings as this year’s Super Bowl champs. This is their first true test since they have played the Lions and Cleveland thus far, but a wins a win and we haven’t seen Brett Favre yet. We may need to with AP running up against one of the best linebackers in the game today (Patrick Willis) and a run D that has held both opponents thus far to less than 50 rushing yards. The Vikings are expected to win by 7 points according to Vegas, but I look for a much closer victory by the Vikings with a final score of 20-17 for Minnesota.

Other notables:

• Atlanta Falcons vs New England Patriots - I believe the Pats will win, but it will be interesting to see how close the game will be and if NE continues to be rusty and Atl continues to play at a high level (I predicted the Falcons to be disappointing this year).
• Pittsburgh Steelers vs Cincinnati Bengals – Should be an easy win for Pit right? Well, I think they’ll win, but I wouldn’t be amazed if there was an upset. Pit lost last week to the Bears and the Bengals beat GB in Lambeau. I expect this to be a close division game with Pit getting the victory by less than a TD: 23-20.
• Denver Broncos vs Oakland Raiders - Preseason, I was down on the Broncos and up on the Raiders. I haven’t changed this view. The season will right the 2-0 start by Denver. Denver is favored in the game so I guess I’m calling an upset with an Oakland win which will happen on Sunday. Denver will be limited in their passing game and Oakland should run all over Denver’s run D: 34-13 Oakland.
• Overreactions - Brady Quinn and Matt Cassel talks (last week it was Jay Cutler talks). For one, its been two weeks. For two, its Cle and KC. I mean, c’mon are they expecting to make the playoffs? These teams have to be realistic and realize that it doesn’t matter who they start, they are not going to be competing for a playoff spot come December (or October for that matter). Maybe its the press and not the teams starting the controversies. These teams have got to stick with their QBs so they can figure out if they are the guys for the future. Both teams look like they have invested in these two guys so unless things have changed, the best thing they can do is let them play 16 games so they know if they were right or wrong.
• Correctreactions – Ok, I invented a new word to stay in theme. The reaction to the New England Patriots and Tom Brady issues. I watched in entirety both of New England’s games this year. In both games (most especially the Jets games), the Pats were not the Pats. I think we’re looking at the exact same situation Peyton Manning was in last year to open the season. Remember Manning and the Colts looked really bad last year starting out 0-2 and going 4-4. It wasn’t until Week 9 with a win over the Pats (ironically enough) that the Colts got back into their groove. Even the games they did win were just as much luck as skill (if you can recall the win over the Vikings 18-15 win and the Frerotte debacle in Houston in the last 2 minutes). The major news outlets are calling this one right. The Pats will take some time to get back into rhythm and it will mean a lot of frustration much like this past weekend and close wins. Even more ironic is that the Pats play Indy in Week 10 which if history repeats itself will be right around the time that NE starts playing like NE.
• Underreactions – Yes, there has been a lot discussed about the Miami/Colts game and the 15 min time of possession that the Dolphins made the Colts work with. I’m just not sure if the ramifications are fully understood. Last year, Miami changed the league with the WildCat. Will they make another league changer with what they did on Monday or was it the perfect storm of a great and confusing rushing attack for Miami and a bad and undersized rushing D for the Colts? Or is this the most valuable game film to study in 2009? I think its a bit of both and that is BIG news. If over matched teams (you know who I’m talking ’bout Willis – Chiefs, Bucs, Rams, Browns, Lions) look to duplicate the feat, it could change the game. Obviously teams have tried to do this for years, but I still think there is a lot that can be learned. Miami and Tony Sparano may have done it again. As a fantasy sports games site, I really hope not. Not many other offenses will be able to still pull off a win and put up respectable fantasy points. It would be horrible for fantasy given how much fantasy stats would shrink.

Ryan Parr is the founder and CEO of Fantazzle Fantasy Sports Games. Weekly fantasy football games for cash prizes including free fantasy football.

Play fantasy football week to week at Fantazzle Fantasy Football. Games start on Sunday and cash prizes are awarded on Tuesday. No season long commitment. Use your fantasy football knowledge to win cash! Fantazzle is currently offering free fantasy football games with the chance to win cash prizes.

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Ryan Parr is the founder and CEO of Fantazzle Fantasy Sports Games. Weekly fantasy football games for cash prizes including free fantasy football.

So to reiterate what you hear from everyone about fantasy football. Don’t overreact. Don’t get rid of stars that have started slow. That said, you should start making moves to shore up your bench. In most leagues, you have a couple of spots that are iffy and if those fantasy guys haven’t produced thus far, you can make some add/drops. Guys like Chris Chambers, Le’Ron McClain, Edgerrin James, drop and pick up guys that have upside based on good stats. Guys like Greg Olsen, Jay Cutler, and TJ Housh, I wouldnt recommend moving. There are some that are borderline like L. Coles I would say if a good waiver wire opportunity presents itself, then I’d make a move, but I would be careful and make sure that the upside you get is worth it.

That said, here’s a rundown of some pickups I’m looking at.

I’ll quickly mention the guys that everyone is talking about: Mario Manningham, Johnny Knox, and Percy Harvin. If they are available and you have guys that aren’t producing and iffy to begin with, make the move now. There is no assurance they will continue to produce, but they have enough upside to pull the trigger with no regret.

Here are some guys that have (mostly) been talked about, both good and bad.

Laurent Robinson (WR) – he’s been a popular discussion topic and I recommend picking him up. I had him as a preseason pick based on his situation in St. Louis. I think he is the #1 WR and playing for a team that will be down all game. The O line is getting scary so we may be getting to the point that no WR is useful, but I recommend that he is picked up if you can spare a spot. He’s done well so far and he’s a big target and clearly the #1.

Pierre Garcon (WR) - he’s been talked about as well along with Austin Collie. He was given the #2 spot so he’s the man to get. Some are saying Collie has more upside, but I’m not buying it and he is the guy you want. I would go as far as dropping Anthony Gonzalez so you can win now. Who knows when Gonzalez will be back and if Garcon plays well, it will most likely make neither useful. Go with him for the short term upside you may get out of him.

Jordy Nelson (WR) – I’m not recommending you pick him up, but Greg Jennings injury and stat line from this previous week scares me a bit. If the injury bothers him and he misses time, Nelson will be a useful #3.

Pittsburgh RBs – there is clearly concern for Willie Parker, but I don’t know how this will play out. Its looking more and more like a 3 RB committee. I don’t think I would drop any of them (Parker, Moore, or Mendenhall), but I dont think they will be fantasy relevant soon or we at least won’t have a good take on it until a couple of weeks go by. Right now its not a good situation for owners because your wasting roster spots. If you can trade them and get anything of value, thats what I recommend. Otherwise, keep them on your bench. Even against Cincy this weekend, your options better be limited if your going to start Parker.

Jacoby Jones (WR) - I gotta believe that Kevin Walter will be back soon making Jones a non fantasy factor. Don’t pick him up and don’t drop Walter.

Devery Henderson (WR) - New Orleans offense is so explosive that it makes Devery a tough decision. If Lance Moore comes back soon, then I think Devery will not be startable. All signs point to Moore being back soon. That said, Moore’s status and the fact that a #3 in NO could be relevant, I would pick him up if you have a spot. Use him if Moore is ruled out.

Justin Gage (WR) – he’s the guy you want in Tennessee. Its hard to start any Titans WR, but if I do, I’m starting him. Britt looked good Week 1, but he won’t be a fantasy factor with Nate Washington’s return. Nate is #2 in Tennessee and given that offense doesn’t pass that often (well, they have but that won’t continue), I wouldn’t pick him up.

Michael Clayton (WR) - I recommended him last week and he was a huge disappointment. I see his potential with Bryant out, but I also saw that most passes went to Winslow and Stevens. If you have a spot, keep him or pick him up, but I recommend him now as a last resort. Man…this guy is my Newman! He’s continues to burn me. I never liked him and the moment I do, he disappoints big time.

Ted Ginn Jr (WR) - I don’t like him, but he was targeted a huge amount Monday night. I would find it really hard to start him since it could very easily be someone else on Miami’s team next week. I’m not picking him up because he won’t be consistent enough.

NYG WRs – No reason to own Hixon or Nicks. If Steve Smith or Manningham are available, they are definite priority pickups.

Earl Bennett (WR) – don’t drop him. Johnny Knox got the spotlight, but make sure he is the guy for a week or two before you drop Bennett. Whoever steps into that role is going to have a huge year so store them both if you can. I’m not going to recommend one over the other. It would just be a guess. I will say however that I like both of these guys more than Hester. Not sure I would drop Hester for them either, but they have much more upside.

Julian Adelman (WR) – In an earlier writeup I said there was only one standout handcuff in fantasy football for WRs (besides Breaston) and that was Joey Galloway. Yikes. It looked like I was right on the #3 WR spot for NE, but looks like I picked the wrong guy. I blame it on Bellichek. That said, its hard to justify a pickup unless your a Wes Welker owner because nobody in football has any idea of Welker’s status. Your on your own with this one.

Jason Avant (WR) - DeSean Jackson is nicked up. Keep your eye on his injury status. If its not looking good, pick Avant up. He’ll most likely be the #1 guy in Philly and accrue the stats DeSean would get.

Brent Celek (TE) - if you don’t have a good TE option, go ahead and give Celek a shot. I’m not a big fan of him so only grab him if you are playing a guy like Kevin Boss or Visanthe Shiancoe (the latter of which I wouldn’t drop, he’ll turn it around).

Justin Forsett (RB) – I own Julius Jones in just about every league I’m in. He slipped way too low for a full RB role. Forsett scares me a little. He looked good and he may play a bigger factor. If you have Jones, you may want to handcuff if you need to secure a RB situation. Edge is not the guy. This guy is probably more of a wait and see. If Hasselback misses an extended amount of time, chances are neither of them are relevant. Keep an eye on him.

Stay away from Malcolm Kelly, Brandon Stokley, Sims-Walker, Louis Murphy, WRs in Cincy (Chris Henry and Andre Caldwell)

Thats what I got for you. Hope you’ll be able to use some of the info.

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