After 18 seasons, 5 head coaches, 5 MVPs, 4 Super Bowl Appearances, 2 Super Bowl wins, including in his final game, Peyton Manning has decided to retire from the NFL. Manning has many NFL records and accolades to his name, but his most important contribution to the game was the way he helped revolutionize the passing game and showed that the no-huddle offense could be used in any situation, not only when a team is attempting to make a comeback. Tom Moore, the Colts offensive coordinator, and Peyton Manning developed a system to where Manning could run a no huddle the whole game, and make every check at the line to ensure everyone on his team was on the same page. Manning took his same philosophies to Denver in 2012, leading the Broncos to 4 years of success that the Mile High City hadn’t seen since John Elway retired.

Back in 1998, the Indianapolis Colts founds themselves with the 1st overall pick after a disastrous 3-13 season with a choice to make at the top of the 1998 NFL Draft: Peyton Manning or Ryan Leaf. Leaf appeared to be the prospect with the higher ceiling at the time, but Manning was seen as a surer bet. When interview time came for both Manning and Leaf, the words they spoke in those interview rooms changed the course of history for 2 NFL franchises: the Colts and the Chargers (who held the 2nd overall pick that year). When the Colts asked Leaf what he would do if he was picked first overall, he was honest and said he would go to Las Vegas to party with his friends, Manning of course said he would be in the playbook right away. There was one other thing Manning said to Bill Polian, the Colts GM at the time, that almost certainly made the choice for the Colts “I would like to play for you but if you don’t pick me, I will kick your butt for the next 15 years”. Come draft time, the Colts take Peyton Manning, who would go on to set all kinds of rookie records, including passing yards, touchdowns, and interceptions.

Manning would win his first MVP (co-MVP with Steve McNair) award after the 2003 season, a year where he had a perfect passer rating against the Saints, led a 21 point comeback in the last 4 minutes of the Colts game against the defending Super Bowl Champion Buccaneers to win in overtime 38-35. He would finish the season with over 4,200 passing yards and 29 touchdowns, leading the Colts to the playoffs after winning 12 regular season games, starting a streak of 7 straight 12 win seasons. His second MVP would come just a year after, when Manning would break all kinds of records. Manning threw for 4,557 yards, a then-record 49 touchdowns, and a then-record passer rating of 121.1 for the season, once again, the colts would win 12 games that season and win their division. In 2005, the Colts would win their first 13 games in a row, and after a loss to the Chargers, coach Tony Dungy mostly rested his starters en route to another playoff appearance.

2006 saw mounting pressure on Manning to win a Super Bowl, as he was entering his 9th season, and had been regarded as among the best quarterbacks in the league, but the Dan Marino comparisons were continuing, and wouldn’t stop until Peyton hoisted the Lombardi trophy. The Colts would finish 12-4 again, for the third time in 4 years (they went 14-2 in 2005), but the emergence of the defense come playoff time finally gave Manning a complete team around him. The pieces were always there, but they never quite came together in the playoffs before this year, the return of safety Bob Sanders proved to be the linchpin of a defense that had finished 32nd in rushing defense in the regular season (Sanders only appeared in 4 regular season games). In the AFC Title game, Manning met the one team that had proven to be his kryptonite in the playoffs: Tom Brady and the New England Patriots. This game started about as poorly as you could imagine for the Colts, as they trailed 21-3 in the second quarter, and 21-6 at halftime. No team had ever overcome an 18 point deficit in a championship game. The Colts would go on to score 32 points in the second half to New England’s 13. The Colts last score to take the lead left Brady and the Pats around 1:00 on the clock, something Brady had proven he was more than capable of winning in these situations. At the 44 yard line of the Colts, Brady dropped back, looked, threw to Ben Watson… Interception, Marlon Jackson, Colts win, Colts are going to their first Superbowl in the Manning-Dungy Era. Colts would go on to win, in the rain of Miami over the Chicago Bears, 29-17. No more Marino comparisons, Manning was now a Super Bowl champion.

Unfortunately, the Colts could not recapture that same spark in the playoffs in 2007 or 2008, but in 2009, the Colts were able to make it back to the big game against the Saints. In this span of time, Manning was able to capture his 100th win, and surpassed 40,000 passing yards in his career. Unfortunately, the Colts were unable to capture their second title in the Manning Era, which would have been the first for Jim Caldwell. Come 2010, a season in which Manning’s Colts would finish with a 10-6 record, and a postseason berth, leading his team to their 9th consecutive playoff berth, which would end in a 1 point loss to the New York Jets, which no one at the time would have expected to be Manning’s final game as a member of the Indianapolis Colts.

2011 saw Manning get the Franchise Tag from the Colts, then later that year, he would sign a 5 year, $90 Million contract extension, however, Manning would not take a snap that season, as he had 4 separate neck surgeries, leaving many questions of whether or now he would ever play again. The Colts would finish 2-14 without Peyton, opening the door for them to draft Andrew Luck, Quarterback from Stanford. Manning was released just 1 year into his contract.

For the first time as an NFL player, Manning experienced the Free Agency Frenzy. As expected, he was among the most sought after free agents that year, but eventually, Manning chose to sign with John Elway and his Denver Broncos. Manning signed a 5 year contract worth $96 Million to join a team fresh off a playoff appearance with Tim Tebow as a quarterback. When Manning signed, he was originally going to wear number 16, his number at Tennessee because the number 18 was retired for Frank Tripucka, but Tripucka gave Manning permission to wear number 18 with the Broncos.

The 2012 Season started slowly for the Broncos, as Denver would lose 3 of their first 5 games, however, they would turn it around and win their last 11 games of the regular season before falling in double overtime to the Ravens in the divisional round. This season resulted in Manning winning Comeback Player of the Year, an amazing turnaround considering he was looking at a potentially career ending injury just a season before. It’s even more amazing that he would throw 37 touchdowns that season. Despite the disappointing end to the season, Denver was building something special on offense.

2013 showed Peyton Manning was seemingly at the height of his powers, from the start of the season against the Ravens, where Manning tied the NFL record for touchdown passes in a single game with 7, all the way to the end of a 13-3 season that ended in a Super Bowl appearance, but not before setting the singe season passing yardage and touchdowns record with a massive 5,477 yards and 55 touchdowns. The Broncos would set the single season scoring record in 2013, besting the offense of the 2007 Patriots undefeated season. Unfortunately, the defense was only average, 19th to be exact, and that proved to be a fatal flaw in the Super Bowl against Seattle. 2014 saw a vast improvement of the defense, up to third in the league, but an injury to Manning late in the season proved to be more serious than it initially appeared, leading to speculation that Manning was in decline, especially after a loss to the Colts in the playoffs.

Manning’s struggles would not end in 2014 however, as once the 2015 season started, it appeared that Manning had declined quite a bit, only throwing for 9 touchdowns, and 17 interceptions. This year was different though: where Manning was struggling, his defense and special teams lifted him and his teammates up, leading them to start the season 7-2, before a loss at Kansas City where Manning left the game, and ultimately the lineup for 6 of the last 7 games. Plantar Fasciitis had struck down Manning, and he rehabbed, made himself as healthy as can be, then waited for his opportunity to get back on the field. Come week 17, where Brock Osweiler, Manning’s backup, was struggling to get anything going against the San Diego Chargers, despite the Chargers being the 20th rated defense in the NFL in 2015. Enter Peyton Manning, he had led many of his teams to victory in comeback situations over the years, this one was different, he was coming in fresh, off the bench, but he led his Bronco teammates to a win, and the #1 seed in the AFC.

Manning’s mind had become his greatest weapon, and the best weapon the Broncos had on offense from then on. In the Playoffs, Manning didn’t need to do anything to carry his team, he was just needed to call the right plays, get his defense a lead, and let them feast on opposing offenses. Finally, Manning didn’t have to do it alone, he finally had a great team around him to help him get to the Super Bowl. The best game of the 2015 playoffs for Manning came against a familiar face: Tom Brady and the New England Patriots once again. Looking like the Manning of old to start the game, Peyton threw for 2 touchdowns, and wound up winning the game 20-18, with the defense getting the final stop on a 2 point conversion. The Super Bowl started with a field goal for Peyton and the offense against the vaunted Panthers defense, then his defense took over. Leading the way to a 24-10 win over the heavily favored Panthers. Manning’s last game, a championship, his second win in 4 tries with 4 different head coaches. The only quarterback to win a Super Bowl with 2 different teams. Manning left the game the way a man like Peyton Manning deserves to: as a champion.

As we approach Free Agency, there is always a sense of renewed hope among all fan bases, thinking “If we just sign this guy, my team will be great next year”, we’ve all done it before, we’ll all do it again. This is the time of year where money flies around like no other! Without further adieu, here are some Free Agency fits that make sense on a few levels:

Malik Jackson, Eric Weddle and Janoris Jenkins to the Raiders:

Oakland had a terrific offense last year, but too often, they seemed let down by their defense when Khalil Mack didn’t make a play. These three pieces would provide the Raiders a pass rusher opposite of Mack, and a true #1 corner that this defense has lacked over the last few years, and a leader at safety to fill the void left by Charles Woodson. It looks like a ton of money to be throwing around to free agents, but with over $60 Million in cap room to play with this year, these three would be a major coup for General Manager Reggie McKenzie.

Bruce Irvin and Danny Trevathan to the Atlanta Falcons:

In 2014, the Atlanta Falcons were dead last on defense, in 2015, they improved to 16th in the league last season, while anything would have been an improvement, there are still many issues with the defense, as they gave up 39 total touchdowns, 20 of them were rushing touchdowns. That’s an issue that needs to be addressed as well as a pathetic pass rush (19 sacks in 16 games). Enter Irvin and Trevathan, as Irvin could help as an athletic linebacker on run downs and as a pass rusher on 3rd down, and Trevathan could assist in covering the middle of the field in a Bobby Wagner type role in Dan Quinn’s defense, Quinn coached Irvin in Seattle, and defensive coordinator Richard Smith coached Trevathan in Denver as their linebackers coach.

Jason Pierre-Paul re-signs with the Giants:

The Giants need all the help on defense that they can get, as they were among the worst in the league last year, only 2 teams gave up more points (Jaguars and Saints), and JPP needs to establish himself as a premier pass-rusher once again, so why not stick with the home he knows on a one-year “prove-it” type deal where he can showcase his ability to be an elite player despite missing part of his hand?

Alex Mack, Sean Smith, and Tamba Hali to the Jaguars

The Jaguars tried to sign Mack 2 years ago to an offer sheet, which the Cleveland Browns matched, look for these two to try to make it work once again, as the Jaguars have a need at center with Stefen Wisniewski possibly departing via Free Agency. Mack is coming off a down year, but his impact would be greatly felt along the Jags offensive line. Sean Smith and Tamba Hali could come over from the Chiefs to provide some much needed help on the defensive side, as Smith provides Gus Bradley with the tall cornerback to play the Richard Sherman role in their defense, and Hali would provide some veteran leadership along with pass rushing ability that the Jaguars desperately need.

Matt Forte to the Patriots

This has been a popular pick among many writers this offseason, and for good reason: Bill Belichick loves smart football players who do their job and do their job well to boot. Forte is a perfect fit for the Pats despite the presence of Dion Lewis, as Forte is an older back, who should be splitting the load with another runner or two anyway, and Lewis has not proven to be durable thus far in his career. Forte has expressed his desire to join a championship caliber organization, and the Pats could use one of the most complete backs in the league over the last few years.

Marvin Jones and Lamar Miller to the Browns

Jones is currently the best receiver on the market this offseason, and Lamar Miller is an explosive player out of the backfield when he actually gets the ball in his hands, both of these players could be maximized by former Bengals offensive coordinator Hue Jackson. Jackson and Jones were together in Cincinnati, and could look for a reunion in Cleveland, and Miller is looking for a gig to be a #1 running back somewhere, the Browns do currently employ Isaiah Crowell, but he is best served as a rotational power back, while Miller can carry the bulk of the load.

Brock Osweiler re-signs with the Broncos

The Broncos already have offered Osweiler a contract extension, reportedly worth $45 Million over 3 years, other teams will probably have a chance to at least talk to the Broncos QB before he responds with any kind of counter-offer, another team may offer Brock more money, but the Broncos would probably match it to keep him for the foreseeable future. The 3 year deal is a good one for both sides: Denver retains a quarterback who played well in spurts over 7 starts this season, and Brock can become a free agent again when he’s entering his prime at 28 years old.

Do you agree with my analysis? What are some of your Free Agency predictions? Leave them in the comment section below to discuss!

Here we are, after many months of predictions, reactions, and overreactions to all 266 NFL regular and post season games to get to this: Super Bowl 50. This Super Bowl is one of the more interesting match-ups that we’ve seen in a Super Bowl over the last few years. #1 seed versus #1 seed, #1 draft pick versus #1 draft pick, and #1 offense versus #1 defense, what more could you ask for?

In one corner, you have the Carolina Panthers, who surprised everyone by winning their first 14 games this season (mind you, this was after many critics and experts called them “the worst undefeated team”) until falling at the hands of their division rival, the Atlanta Falcons, en route to a 15-1 regular season and the #1 seed in the NFC Playoffs. Up first were the Seattle Seahawks, who looked lost in the first half, as the Panthers took a 31-0 lead into halftime, then let the 2-time defending NFC Champions back in the game, with the final result being a 31-24 win. The Cardinals were up next, who were coming off one of the best games of the season in  a thrilling overtime win against the Packers. The Cardinals proceeded to get blown out 49-15. All of this despite the fact that the Panthers lost emerging wide receiver Kelvin Benjamin to a torn ACL.

In the other corner, you have the Denver Broncos, the AFC contender no one expected to be here, especially after Peyton Manning’s early season struggles, and eventual benching led to all kinda of speculation from the media and the fans about this team. Who would be the starter in the postseason? The young Brock Osweiler? Or The Sheriff himself: Peyton Manning? A week 17 game against San Diego helped determine the outcome, as an ineffective Osweiler was benched in favor of a now healthy Manning, who led the Broncos to a victory and a surprising #1 seed in the AFC. In the playoffs, two foes of old came to Denver in the forms of the Pittsburgh Steelers and the New England Patriots. First came the Steelers, as the Denver defense nearly shut down the once powerful Steeler offense in a 23-16 win. Then came Tom Brady and the New England Patriots, the game all the experts though was won on paper. Manning threw for 2 touchdowns in the 1st quarter to lead his team to a 20-12 lead in the 4th quarter. Brady had the ball with a chance to tie the game, scored a touchdown in the last few moments, but the 2 point conversion failed, as Denver held on to win 20-18.

PREDICTION:

This is a game that has 2 interpretations of the old football ways: running the ball and playing good defense to win a championship. The Broncos have taken the more old school approach: relying on their defense and run game, and using a quarterback who takes good care of the football to win, while the Panthers have employed a much more modern NFL offense that features option plays and designed quarterback runs to help move the offense. The last time we saw the #1 offense go against the #1 defense was in 2013, the Super Bowl between the Broncos and the Seahawks, where the #1 offense of the Broncos was stifled by the Seahawks relentless defense. Because of the history of the #1 defense doing well in Super Bowls, and the experience of the Broncos, I think the lack of experience by the Panthers will hurt them for about a quarter. That’s just enough to get you beat, the final score of Super Bowl 50 will be:

Denver Broncos: 21

Carolina Panthers:17

My Apologies for not making a post last week, unfortunately, I had the flu and was unable to do any writeups while I was ill, but I promise you this week will be a week to remember for the Starts, Sits, and Risks segment, follow this advice, and you should be able to win your playoff matchup this week.

The Starts:

Alex Smith – The Baltimore Ravens are a train wreck in the secondary, and Alex Smith is leading a hot Chiefs team that’s won 7 straight. Their passing game is improving, and in the fantasy football playoffs, you need all the points you can get, Smith will help you get to championship week. If he’s still available, pick him up now.

Allen Hurns – With the floundering Falcons coming down to visit the surging Jaguars offense (That felt strange to write), Allen Robinson will probably be covered by Desmond Trufant, meaning his production could be limited, but that leaves Hurns to be covered by Robert Alford, who got burned by Tedd Ginn last week. Look for Hurns to get a new touchdown streak going.

Denard Robinson – Putting 2 Jaguars on the start list would be blasphemous at the start of the year. Robinson looked great last week against the Colts, and as a threat to catch the ball as well, he could present a matchup nightmare for the Atlanta defense.

Eric Ebron – Ebron is going against the New Orleans Saints defense this week, and even though they played better last week against the Buccaneers, I wouldn’t expect them to be good for 2 weeks in a row. Look for Ebron to be a matchup nightmare for the New Orleans safties and linebackers.

The Sits:

Jordan Cameron – This guy has been a disappointment in Miami this season, he’s just not been able to put together the same level of production that he had in Cleveland. Despite the great matchup against the Chargers, sit Cameron down, Lamar Miller is likely to get most of the action today, if the Dolphins play to their strengths

Frank Gore – The Inconvenient Truth about Gore is that he’s no longer the elite back that he was in San Francisco, the fact that Matt Hasselbeck is banged up and probably starting this week, and Charlie Whitehurst (A.K.A “Clipboard Jesus”) could finish the game, I don’t like Gore’s chances of seeing open holes against the Houston Watts…. I mean Texans.

Kirk Cousins -Kirk, normally, I like that, I like that, but this week, I do not, Buffalo has a good set of corners, and if the Redskins are  going to win this week, they’re going to need  to get it done on the ground, Cousins could be very limited in his production this week. Ground Captain Kirk this week.

The Risks:

Gary Barnidge – Barnidge has been a sensation this season, coming out of nowhere to become a touchdown machine, but this week, he faces the legion  of  boom  with inexperienced QB Johny Manziel  at the helm. He could score again, but it’s always a risk  to rely on a touchdown for a productive fantasy day.

Sammy Watkins – Watkins has been the ultimate Boom or bust candidate this season, and I expect that to be no different this week going up against the Washington Redskins, with Tyrod Taylor under center, he could be in line for a great game, but there is a possibility that Watkins disappears as he’s done at times this season. I’d look for him to have a good game, but he is a definite risk

This week, when the Atlanta Falcons go on the road to face the undefeated Carolina Panthers, there will be a lot of talk about the Panthers run at perfection, and Cam Newton’s MVP status, etc. There is one matchup that will bear watching for a long time within this division: Julio Jones vs. Josh Norman. These two are two of the best at their respective positions, and a lot of sports analysts will make comparisons to boxing or come up with other sports analogies to talk about how big this matchup is. When I was coming up with an idea to feature this matchup, I tried to go outside the box. That’s when I remembered this interview with Josh Norman, and it reminded me of another interview with a noteworthy set of rivals: The Joker vs Batman. How can I relate a pair of football players to a comic book hero and villain? Glad you asked.

1. Julio Jones and Josh Norman have been going at it for a while – This is the 4^th year that they’ve been in the league together (Granted, Jones missed both matchups in 2013), but in the games they’ve come together, their teams are currently 2-2: opposite, but even, like the Joker and Batman, as the Panthers have been a run first, defensive team, while the Falcons like to win shootouts.
2. The personalities match – Josh Norman, outspoken, big personality, will fight with just about anyone, including his own quarterback, Cam Newton. Julio Jones – soft spoken, uses his physical might as well as his mind to outwit and outmaneuver his opposition, and can always be relied upon by Matt Ryan and his teammates to make a play when needed. Norman has gotten the better of Jones is each of their previous matchups, holding him to a combined 10 catches for 117 yards. Thankfully, Jones doesn’t use a ridiculous voice whenever he talks on the field, no one wants to hear that.
3. That interview – Seriously, go back and look at those clips, when Norman says “Julio completes me” it’s eerily similar to the way the Joker says Batman completes him, as well as the smile Norman gives, reminded me of the Joker immediately.

This round of the matchup, I’m taking the Joker though, as Batman will be fine, but the team around him will have problems going against the Joker’s men. Batman should get about 7 receptions for 98 yards, but no touchdowns, and the Joker gets away 13-0 on the season. Do you agree with my comparison? Have another one? Leave your thoughts in the comments!

We’ve come a long way this season, from injuries to beakout years from guys we’d never heard of to replace injured stars, to the disappointments that make us say “What was I thinking drafting him?” It’s almost playoff time, and I’m here to help you make that final push for a playoff spot.

The Starts

Jay Cutler – Cutler has played some good football over the last month or so, becoming a winner for an organization that had been labeled as a loser for the last couple of years. The reality is, Cutler didn’t score much fantasy wise the last two weeks, but he was also against some tough competition in Green Bay and against Denver. This week, he gets a reprieve in the form of the San Francisco 49ers, how have been atrocious on defense this season, I’d look for a good game from Cutler this week.

Broncos RBs – Ronnie Hillman and CJ Anderson go against the San Diego Chargers this week, who seem to be fielding a squad of backups around Phillip Rivers, the offense is still functional, as for the defense, not so much, if you’ve got either Bronco running back, starting them might be a good idea as no one gives up more points than San Diego does to opposing running backs

Jarvis Landry – Going against the Ravens this week… I can stop there, but I won’t. Landry had an incredulous 13 catches for 165 yards and a touchdown against the vaunted Jets secondary. The Ravens don’t have nearly that level of talent in their secondary, if you’ve got him, play him.

Jordan Reed – Reed has been Captain Kirk’s favorite target when he’s in the lineup, and even more so in the last 5 weeks, having been targeted at least 8 times in 3 of those games. Combine that fact with the fact that Dallas is awful against the tight end position, and you’ve got yourself a formula for success, Start Reed this week, you won’t be disappointed.

The Sits

Tyrod Taylor – A rising Texans defense going against a player in Taylor that has been trending down is not a recipe for success. Taylor has struggled since returning from injuries, and it shows by his fantasy numbers being below average, and the Bills not winning games the way they did in the early part of the season. Taylor is primed to ride the pine in most leagues this week.

Melvin Gordon – Gordon has struggled to say the least in this, his rookie season, as he has fumbled 4 times, losing 3 of them, and has yet to score a touchdown. Plus his Chargers go against the Denver Bronco defense this week, giving him little chance to be successful.

Brandin Cooks – Against the Panthers defense, and one of the best corners in the league: Josh Norman, I don’t see how Cooks is a starter in your lineups this week, there’s just too much potential for him to be blanketed and blanked by, arguably, the top corner in the league this season.

Jordan Matthews – The Eagles are a bad football team, this is not a new piece of news, but a necessary one, and Matthews is not a #1 receiver, as much as Chip Kelly may like to believe he is, he has disappointed in a big way this season. While he had a good Stat line against the Lions, don’t expect that to continue against the Patriots, take a chance on another player, Matthews won’t win you a matchup this week.

The Risks

Russell Wilson – It’s DangeRuss to try to predict what Wilson will do against the Vikings this week… I’ll show myself out. All puns aside, Wilson has been on fire the last few weeks, but the Vikings defense is far superior to the Steelers and 49ers units, as the Vikings have only given up 14 touchdown passes this season. Wilson could continue his hot streak, but he’s also a risky play, proceed with caution

Doug Martin – Martin has been having a terrific season, eclipsing the 1000 yard mark last week against the Colts, and has found his inner “Douggernaught” again (I still prefer “Muscle Hamster”, but what do I know?) and this week, faces a team that has been near the top of the league in run defense all season in the Atlanta Falcons. Last time against Atlanta, Martin only gained 71 yards on 23 carries, and failed to score a touchdown, however, Martin could break away on a long run and put up terrific numbers the way he did against the Eagles, I’d consider him a risk this week that might be worth taking, depending on your other RB options.

Sammy Watkins – Watkins feels like he’s a perpetual risk so long as he is inconsistent – take last week as a perfect example, in a PPR format, he scored over 30 points in the first half, then did nothing the entire second half, if that doesn’t sum up the season for Watkins, then I’m not sure what does. As the ultimate boom or bust play every week, proceed with caution against the Texans suddenly stout defense.

Jordan Cameron – Cameron has been a disappointment this season, having only 25 catches for 302 yards and only 2 touchdowns. Normally a talented pass catcher, he has been unable to play to his potential this year, but could he find a way against a Ravens team in tatters this week? It’s possible, even though the Ravens have been solid against tight ends this year, there won’t be much of a focus on Cameron, as all of the Ravens energy may go to try to stop Jarvis Landry. Leaving Cameron to play his game in single coverage. It’s a risk, but this is a play with potential.

The Starts

Jameis Winston – Coming off of a stellar game last week, Winston goes on the road to take on a Colts team that has not been great defensively this season, they did get 3 interceptions off of Matt Ryan, but I doubt we’ll see that kind of production from them 2 weeks in a row, not with Doug Martin running the ball to set up the play action passes. Winston is a rookie going on the road, but he’s already won games in New Orleans and Atlanta, plus, he seems to be coming into his own this season. I like Winston’s chances to do well in this game

Javorius Allen – The Ravens lost Joe Flacco and Justin Forsett for the season last week, and they will be facing off against the Browns on Monday night. The Browns are downright terrible against the run, even if they’ve tried to improve that this season, they’re still at the bottom of the league in run defense, giving up 138.8 rushing yards per game.

Larry Fitzgerald – Going against the 49ers this week, Fitzgerald is a must start, as the 49ers have been playing terribly, and with Carson Palmer under center, this is a good week for Fitzy. The Cardinals have been on fire lately, and I don’t expect that to change any time soon, oh, and Fitzy had 134 yards and 2 touchdowns against the 49ers in week 2

The Sits

Ryan Tannehill – Going up against the Jets this week seems like a dicey proposition for the Dolphins signal caller, as the Jets have a quality defense that’s been good at shutting down quarterbacks (mostly). Tannehill also has not saved his best for the games against his division rival, throwing only 6 touchdowns and 8 interceptions against them… in 7 career games.

Frank Gore – Frank Gore has finally started to look old, he might actually be human after all! This is unfortunate for both him and the Colts, as they brought him in to balance their offense, but, as he always does, Ahmad Bradshaw has come in to save the Colts run game, and their season, getting a lot of touches last week, including 2 touchdowns against the Atlanta Falcons, meaning Gore could be in more of a timeshare than he’s used to, and a surprisingly stingy Bucs run defense doesn’t help things.

Charles Clay – The Chiefs defense has been on fire of late, keying their 4 game win streak, and that includes only giving up around 2 points per game to tight ends in that time, I don’t expect that to change this week, as the Bills offense may rely more on the run game in an attempt to slow down Tamba Hali and Justin Houston from the pass rush.

 

The Risks

Andy Dalton – Dalton played a great game last week against the Cardinals, who have a ferocious and opportunistic defense ready to pounce on any quarterback, this week he goes against the Rams,         who have been tough  on quarterbacks lately. That defense has been tough for anyone to break through, but Dalton and the Bengals could be a team that presents too many matchup problems, making Dalton a tough decision this week, he seems like a boom or bust candidate.

Latavius Murray – Murray has had an up and down season, and it’s been mostly down lately, as the Raiders running back has struggled with consistency, and struggling in general in the last 3 games, and going against the Titans run defense, which has been tough this season against opposing runners, this doesn’t look like a game to start Murray, but it would seem that he is due for a big game, after starting this season with such promise.

Stefon Diggs – Diggs looked great early on this season, but going against the Falcons, and their surprisingly good defense against wide receivers, currently 4^th in the NFL against wide receivers, this is not a good week to start Diggs.

I want to start off this post by wishing everyone a Happy Thanksgiving, as I hope you all have a wonderful day with whomever you’re spending the holiday with. Due to the holiday, the weekly recap will be taking a break this week, but in lieu of that, I will be previewing each of the games today in celebration of the holiday, so enjoy the food, the family, and (most importantly) the football!

Philadelphia at Detroit

As per Thanksgiving football tradition, the Lions are playing against the Eagles in a showdown of teams under .500. The Eagles come to town only a game out of first place, after getting demolished at home by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, 45-17, and are looking to stay alive in the playoff race, whilst the Lions are far out of the race for the NFC North, and are 3 games out of the wild-card race, and will probably be looking to play spoiler the rest of the way (also a tradition for the Lions at this time of the year). Sam Bradford is questionable to play, meaning that Mark Sanchez could be getting the start (remember Sanchez on Thanksgiving? Sorry Jet fans). The Eagles are a mess right now, but the good news is that they play the Lions, who are coming off a win over the seemingly unpredictable Raiders, but are still not a good team this season. Chip Kelly’s experiment could crash and burn in front of a national audience, or we could see the first steps of recovery for a team who’s currently 1 game better than the Dallas Cowboys, you know, the some Cowboys that lost 7 in a row this season. We should appreciate seeing Calvin Johnson in this game, because who knows what the Lions will look like by next season, as Johnson would represent $21.4 Million of money against the Lions cap, plus Matthew Stafford will could $22 Million against the cap, that’s over a quarter of the team’s allotted cap space wrapped up in 2 players, it already cost them Ndomukong Suh and Nick Fairley, who will be next?

PREDICTION: I will take the Eagles on the road to win this game by a score of 23-17

Carolina Panthers at Dallas Cowboys

Fun fact about this game: The 3-7 Dallas Cowboys opened as favorites to win this game over the 10-0 Panthers. Say what now? Yes, the oddsmakers originally had the Dallas Cowboys as the favorites, as they are at home, and do have Tony Romo back in his second week of action since week 2. Upon learning this news, Panthers coach Ron Rivera called it “A little disrespectful”, he continued “It’s nothing that we haven’t seen before. You know we’ve had a better record in some of our other games where we were underdogs. So we are going to take it in stride. As I said, we are going to play them one at a time and as far as we are concerned everybody is 0-0 and we’ll see how it comes out.” I couldn’t agree more, it’s amazing how disrespected the Panthers have been this season, they’ve found ways to win every game they’ve played, favored, underdogs, at home, and on the road, 10 up and 10 down. As for Dallas, this has been a season of key players missing time, as Tony Romo, Dez Bryant, Greg Hardy and Rolondo McClain have all missed at least 4 games this season (Last week was the first game they all played together this season). The Cowboys need to win every game to realistically have a chance at the postseason, while the Panthers need to win in order to keep the Cardinals at bay, on their way to securing a #1 seed and a 3^rd straight NFC South Title.

PREDICTION: Once again, I will take the road team here, Panthers win 31-17

Bears at Packers

In February of 1992, the Green Bay Packers made a trade with the Atlanta Falcons to send a second year quarterback by the name of Brett Favre to Green Bay for a first round pick, and what happened from there was 16 years of mostly great moments, from the Monday night game he played for his father, to the Antonio Freeman catch, to the incredible 2007 season, to Superbowl XXXI, Favre proved to be an all-time great. For the final game of the Thanksgiving schedule, the Green Bay Packers are retiring Brett Favre’s number, and this game couldn’t have a more fitting opponent than the Chicago Bears, as the teams are a part of the NFL’s oldest rivalry. This game features a pair of gunslingers in Aaron Rodgers and Jay Cutler, and this one should be a high scoring game, so long as Jay can cut down on the turnovers, and Rodgers can continue the momentum built in a win over the Minnesota Vikings.

PREDICTION: Taking the home team here, the Packers can’t lose a game where Favre’s number gets retired, Packers win: 38-23

Cam Newton is the NFL’s MVP, after the way he dismantled the Redskins, among others this year, there can be little doubt that Cam has proven himself worthy of an MVP Trophy. He has his Carolina Panthers off to a 10-0 start, best in franchise history, and no one in the NFC South (which has been an underrated division this season) is going to catch them, due in large part to Cam’s emergence as a complete quarterback. Kelvin Benjamin was supposed to help Cam’s development, who knew that he could do that from the sidelines, as Cam has had to throw to a receiving core that includes draft bust Tedd Ginn Jr., who only seems to play well with the Panthers, Jericho Cotchery, who is the essence of a possession receiver that struggles to get separation, Philly Brown (Or Corey Brown, whatever he wants to be called) who’s wildly inconsistent, Devin (Bunches of) Funchess who’s a rookie converting from the tight end position to playing wide receiver, and steady Greg Olsen, the one guy how can consistently catch the ball. It’s not exactly Torry Holt and Isaac Bruce, but Newton is still making it work to the tune of 20 passing touchdowns and 6 more on the ground. How would this team fare if Derek Anderson was to take over? Probably not well, the run game would falter, as cam has almost 400 yards, and leads the team in rushing touchdowns, the passing game would fall apart.

The Falcons and Buccaneers might be in a battle for first place if Cam wasn’t a Panther right now. That’s where value comes into play, a lot of people will look at this article and think I’m downplaying Tom Brady’s terrific season. By no means am I saying Brady isn’t having a good season, it’s phenomenal, no doubt, but when you have weapons like Rob Gronkowski, Julian Edelman, Danny Amendola (He was a good player in St. Louis, just hurt more often), Brandon LaFell, and a stable of running backs to salt away games, it’s much tougher to evaluate Brady’s value, Garoppolo would not have the Patriots undefeated, but they would still be a team with a winning record, so in terms of Offensive Player of the Year, I think Brady would be the right choice (depending on Adrian Peterson and Devonta Freeman’s performances the rest of the way), but in terms of value to the team, there’s no doubt it’s Superman.

The detractors for Cam in the MVP race will talk about the play of the defense this year, as the Panthers have the 5^th rated scoring defense, and the 4^th best defense in terms of yards, but I will point right back to the Patriots defense, who have the 4^th best scoring defense, even if only 16^th in terms of yards. Cam’s passing numbers aren’t as good as Brady’s? Okay Phillip Rivers leads the league in passing yards, should he be and MVP candidate too? No, because his team is 2-8, yes, Brady’s passing yards are superior, but they have scored the same number of touchdowns overall, what’s more important: yards, or points? Carson Palmer has more touchdowns than both of these guys, and I have yet to hear his name in MVP conversations, because it comes down to value, not stats, and no one in the league is more valuable to their team than Cam is to his.

We’ve seen a lot of good coming from Newton throughout his career, but nothing like this, where he seems to have put it all together in terms of his passing game, his running game, and his ability to win games in the clutch. Ask the Seattle Seahawks vaunted Legion of Boom about Cam, ask the Green Bay Packers about how well Cam is playing, they’ve been victims of his success. I wouldn’t want to be the Cowboys on Thursday, as once again the doubters have reared their ugly heads, pegging the Dallas Cowboys, who are 3-7 on the year, fresh off their first win since September against Cam’s 10-0 Panthers. Cam Newton has transformed the Panthers from a team that needs to play slow and win sloppy 15-13 games week in and week out, into a team that could hoist the Lombardi Trophy this February, if that doesn’t scream value, then I don’t know what does. Who’s your MVP Candidate this season, do you agree with me? Do you think it should be Brady? Someone else? Leave a comment on this article with your ideas.

The Starts

Matt Ryan – The Mattural returns to the start section this week against the Indianapolis Colts, Ryan has played well at home against AFC Opponents, in the last 6 years, Matt Ryan has thrown 2 touchdowns in those games. The Colts however, have given up an average of 18 points per game since week 3. This sounds like an opportunity for Ryan to get back into the driver’s seat and start the rest of the Falcons season with a good game.

Chris Ivory – This guy has been a beast this season, en route to one of, if not the, best season of his career as the feature back in New York. This week, this beast goes against the Houston Texans, who have not been good against the run this season, giving up over 20 points per game to running backs.

Sammy Watkins – Watkins has played very well, when healthy, this year, including a good game against the patriots back in week 2. The Patriots pass defense has been down this year from last year, giving up the 5^th most points to fantasy receivers this year, and I’d look for good things out of Watkins this week.

The Sits

Andy Dalton – Don’t do it, we all know what happens to Dalton in Primetime games – he becomes the Red Ryder BB Gun. It’s tempting since he’s been a great quarterback this season, but against a quality opponent, on the road, and on Sunday night, not to mention Dalton hasn’t played well the last couple of weeks, it seems like this would be a good week to sit him down.

Doug Martin – Martin has been a nice fantasy bargain this season, but he hasn’t played as well over the last couple of weeks, despite some good matchups. This week Martin goes against the Eagles, who have been one of the better run defenses in the league, and the Bucs may be trailing early, thus getting away from the run game.

T.Y. Hilton  – Hilton has been a disappointment this season to say the least, having failed to reach double digit points in two-thirds of his games this season. Combine that fact with the fact he will be on the road, in Atlanta, going against Desmond Trufant, without Andrew Luck adds up to another potential disappointment for Hilton.

The Risks

Tyrod Taylor – The last time Tyrod Taylor took on the Patriots, I sat him on my bench only to watch him go off for 3 touchdowns and over 20 points. This time around, even though this game is in New England, where Belichick seems to work his magic to render all quarterbacks useless, especially when they are in the AFC East.

Tavon Austin – Austin is the new DeSean Jackson: total boom or bust. Austin has a chance to go off for a 27 point game, or a 3 point game, but this week, Austin goes against the Ravens, one of the worst pass defenses in the league, Austin has a chance to be terrific this week. The bad news for Austin and the Rams is that Case Keenum, a relative unknown, will be starting this week.

Vernon Davis – All of the hype for this guy being traded to the Broncos from the 49ers, and he has failed to produce in the last 2 weeks. It’s possible that he could turn it around for the end of the season, but the Bears have been surprisingly tough against tight-ends this season, only giving up around 5 points a game to the position, I’d look elsewhere for production from the tight end position.