Category Archives: nfl

How Important Are Backup Quarterbacks in the NFL?

There are many factors why a team doesn’t put ‘backup quarterback’ high on their shopping list in the offseason or for the NFL Draft. Teams can be hamstrung by the salary cap, lack of quality draft picks and limited roster spots.

If you look at the 2017 NFL season so far, 14 teams have had to use their backup quarterback on at least one drive this season. Most of those were due to injury and Houston/Cleveland/San Francisco had to change quarterbacks due to ineffectiveness.

Injuries to starting quarterbacks have also wreaked havoc on NFL betting odds for the season. Just last week there were three games that had their betting lines delayed by days due to the questions about a quarterback’s health. 

How much equity (roster spot, salary, high draft pick) should an NFL team use on a backup quarterback today? 

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2017 NFL Week 6 – Betting Picks Against Spread

I went 8-5-1 last week against the spread.

I once again hit all the late games and went 1-0-1 ATS on Sunday and Monday nights. I just need to do better on my Thursday and early game picks. I would have hit the Thursday game, but current former Tampa Bay kicker Nick Folk forgot how to use his feet.

This is the first week I have noticed a big uptick in double-digit point spreads. Those will become more rampant as the season goes on, but I didn’t find this week’s double-digit point spreads to be egregious.

Can the Chiefs keep winning and beat the Steelers Sunday afternoon?

Will my Thursday Night Football streak of futility snap this week?

We pick ever NFL game against the spread and throw out a few upsets in Week 6 of the 2017 NFL season.

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2017 NFL Fantasy Football Start/Sit – Week 6

We all survived the first week of bye weeks, but unfortunately, there are many more weeks of it to come. A few of my teams were rocked last week, but I don’t have to worry about bye weeks much going forward. I guess that’s a huge plus after struggling to fill my rosters last week.

Buffalo, Cincinnati, Dallas and Seattle are taking the week off. I’ve had a couple fantasy teams decimated from byes since I have TE Jordan Reed, RB Chris Thompson, WR Julio Jones and RB Devonta Freeman on multiple teams. 

What should we expect from Jacksonville RB Leonard Fournette? His final numbers last week were insane, but he struggled for the first three quarters. Did he have a lucky quarter or will he have another crazy fantasy week?

Here is our Fantasy Football Sit/Start for Week 6 of the 2017 NFL season…and enjoy our odd amazing MS Paint masterpiece of Fournette.

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Trubisky Shines (And Fails) in NFL Debut

The Chicago Bears started rookie QB Mitchell Trubisky last night, but still lost to the Minnesota Vikings 20-17. He was 12 for 25 for 128 yards with a touchdown and an interception. He also turned over the ball when he was stripped sacked early in the game. 

The Bears are now 1-4, but looking back at their schedule, they’ve faced a talented gauntlet of teams. They lost their first two games to Atlanta and Tampa Bay (both solid teams), beat Pittsburgh in overtime and then lost games to division opponents Green Bay and Minnesota. The worst record of any opponent so far is 2-2. It’s something to keep in mind when deciding on NFL betting for the next game.

When Chicago drafted Trubisky, fans weren’t frothing at the mouth in excitement. He only started one season at North Carolina. Fans weren’t familiar with him since North Carolina wasn’t in many nationally-televised games. It also didn’t help that National Championship-winning QB Deshaun Watson was still on the board.

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NFL Rookies Are Making Impact This Season

The 2017 NFL Draft was viewed as being deep with talent. Many of those players are already starters in the league and are making a difference for their teams. You can already see how the rookies are impacting NFL betting odds for the games this weekend. 

Rookie quarterbacks Deshaun Watson and DeShone Kizer are already starting games. Watson looks like a future superstar and Kizer is doing his best despite being on a bad team (sorry Browns). The Bears announced they will start rookie QB Mitchell Trubisky this weekend against the Vikings. It looks like the Bears are giving him the job permanently now they saw what QB Mike Glennon could do, which wasn’t much at all.

  • Deshaun Watson (Texans) – 811 passing yards with 9 TDs
  • DeShone Kizer (Browns) – 764 passing yards with 4 TDs

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2017 NFL Week 5 – Betting Picks Against Spread

I went 11-5 last week against the spread.

I hit both Sunday night and Monday night football games and all of the afternoon games. If only I picked the Thursday game and the early games better.

Thursday night games have been my kryptonite. I have only hit on one all season. I am guilty of overthinking those games. It’s a hangover from last year when Thursday games were extremely unpredictable. I’ve taken an unpopular positions on Thursday game, but that will change. 

Let’s talk about how good the Kansas City Chiefs are this year. The addition of rookie RB Kareem Hunt made a huge difference, but he isn’t the only improvement. QB Alex Smith is playing with new life in his arm. Who knew that think could throw passes farther than 12 yards?

Can the Chiefs keep winning and beat the Texans on Sunday night football?

We pick ever NFL game against the spread and throw out a few upsets in Week 5 of the 2017 NFL season.

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2017 NFL Fantasy Football Start/Sit – Week 5

This week is when fantasy football starts to get tricky. Bye weeks start and there will be some heavy hitters on the bench this week.

Atlanta, Denver, New Orleans and Washington are taking the week off. I’ve had a couple fantasy teams decimated from byes since I have TE Jordan Reed, RB Chris Thompson, WR Julio Jones and RB Devonta Freeman on multiple teams. 

There were some unexpected performances last week and some injuries to fantasy studs will make for some deep waiver wire adds in Week 5

What should we expect from Cleveland RB Duke Johnson Jr.? Is he a fantasy stud going forward or will he fall to the curse of being a Browns player?

Here is our Fantasy Football Sit/Start for Week 5 of the 2017 NFL season…and enjoy our sarcastic amazing MS Paint masterpiece of Duke Johnson.

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2017 NFL Week 4 – Betting Picks Against Spread

I went 9-7 last week against the spread.

As many of you know, I’m a Colts fan. I’m often quite overly negative and pessimistic about the team. I’m not happy that Andrew Luck will miss this marquee game against the Seahawks on Sunday Night Football. Russell Wilson and Luck has only faced each other one other time and it may be a few more years until they play each other again.

When Luck had his shoulder surgery, I never heard a single word that the recovery would eat into the regular season. It wasn’t until the Summer and we heard that hey may not be ready for the start of the season and now it looks like he may be out another few weeks. It just blows that we have to see Jacoby Brissett in Luck’s spot in what I expect to be a blowout.

Can Cam Newton break out of his slump and upset the reigning Super Bowl champions?

We pick ever NFL game against the spread and throw out a few upsets in Week 4 of the 2017 NFL season.

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2017 NFL Fantasy Football Start/Sit – Week 4

Week 4 is the last week before the dreaded bye weeks hit our fantasy teams. I feel that there are enough guys on the waiver wire worth streaming if you get into a pickle. There are a lot of timeshares that you could get lucky and pick a guy who ends up in the end zone.

There were plenty of upsets last week, so it made for an interesting fantasy week. Players like QB Case Keenum, WR Sterling Shepard and RB Chris Thompson were near the top of the scoring leaders in Week 3.

Will the backfield logjam in Washington, Seattle and Baltimore get straightened out this weekend?

Will the Jaguars bring their offense back from London or will that luggage item be lost against the Jets?

Here is our Fantasy Football Sit/Start for Week 4 of the 2017 NFL season.

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2017 NFL Week 3 – Betting Picks Against Spread

I had a pretty mediocre Week 2 in the NFL against the spread. The outcomes of a few games actually shocked me. I didn’t expect the Cardinals to play so flat against the Colts, the Cowboys gave up after Dak Prescott threw his first pick and  

Do you know who danced their way into the hearts of America? Marshawn Lynch. I just want to be his best friend.

Week 3 could be a tricky week for some bettors, especially if a team has drastically under-performed your expectations, Is it time to bail or should you stick to your own preseason rankings? I think you still have to stick with your preseason rankings unless a team suffered an injury to a key player (i.e. TE Greg Olsen).

Will the 49ers and Bengals score their first touchdowns of the season?

We pick ever NFL game against the spread and throw out a few upsets in Week 3 of the 2017 NFL season.

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2017 NFL Fantasy Football Start/Sit – Week 3

It’s only Week 3, but many fantasy teams are already in midseason form…injured with the dubious ‘questionable’ tag attached to at least one player. Even though the NFL has all but eliminated ‘probable’ in hopes of less last-minute injury decisions, it just can’t be prevented.

One of the biggest injuries to occur last weekend was when Carolina Panthers tight end Greg Olsen broke a bone in his foot. He will be out for at least two months while he heals. Rookie RB Christian McCaffrey will benefit from more targets. QB Cam Newton needs a new reliable target and he could be that guy for short range dump passes. 

Did you pick up any sleepers this week that will hope to pay off?

Who will emerge from Seattle’s crowded backfield this week?

We help navigate the many decisions you need to make going into the second week of fantasy football.

Here is our Fantasy Football Sit/Start for Week 3 of the 2017 NFL season.

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reDRAFT – 2011 NFL Draft

It’s impossible to grade professional sports drafts immediately after they’re done. It’s easy to just play armchair general manager the next day. The NFL team that drafts the most popular players from teams with the largest college football fanbases, get the highest draft grades. No one is giving a team an A+ to a team that drafts interior linemen.

I recently completed a reDRAFT re-do of the 2010 NFL Draft and think I need to pump out the 2011 version. These two draft classes are quite different from a talent standpoint, but do have one thing in common, it wasn’t a very good quarterback class. Cam Newton was on another level compared to the rest of the group with Andy Dalton, Tyrod Taylor and Colin Kaepernick on the next level down.

In a draft class with Cam Newton, J.J. Watt, Von Miller, Richard Sherman and Julio Jones, which player gets taken first overall?

Which players would be taken in the first-round in a re-do of the 2011 NFL Draft?

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