We have moved to iconfantasysports.com
LAST POST HERE-
Dear Subscribers and anyone who may stumble upon this blog,
I want to thank you for all the positive feedback and love you all gave me during my short time writing this blog. We got tons of hits early and that was awesome!
I have since moved from here because..
the new icon fantasy sports has been launched!!!
Come check it out — www.iconfantasysports.com
there we have a customized Twitter page — free blogs and a free social network that you can use to connect directly to your friends , competitors and soon to be rivals!
again thats http://www.iconfantasysports.com
if you loved the blogs here , we have a team that is writing just about every day there!
Livin on a Fantasy Prayer – a draft review musical?
…..puts on Bon Jovi- living on a prayer sound track…
….grabs mic.. preps for draft… cuz it’s go time…
…I mean it’s Joe time..
Living On A Fantasy Prayer
Lyrics by @iconfantasyJoe
Inspired by Bon Joe-vi
copyright iconfantasysports records
Joey used to work on his drafts ,
NFL’s been on strike , he’s down on his teams , it’s tough.. so tough
Tazzy , Chet and and TO bloggin all day, writing for their men (lol)
They’re winning their leagues for love.. love of the game..
WE gotta hold on to the players we got , ‘Cause it doesn’t make a difference if they’re injured or not
we drafted them and that’s a lot for us – let’s give it a shot!!
Ohhh we’re half way there – mid season draft review and we’re living on a fantasy prayer!
Read our blogs and you’ll win I swear
Cuz it’s Midseason draft review and we’re halfway there!
_________________________________________________________
HELLLLLLLLLLLO old readers , new readers , no readers , basically any and all readers; I would like to welcome you with open arms and excited eyes to the icon Joe’s first ever power blog , midseason draft review!
Feel free to listen to Bon Jovi’s “livin on a prayer” whilst reading , substitute the above lyrics and prep for my career change.
I would like to thank TOFantasySports for the cordial invite , he no doubt has good taste when it comes to getting the best of the best (no not Eric Roberts and that amazing 80’s movie) to come out and make some midseason “fake football” picks.
First let’s meet the blogs (in their draft order):
1 @TerezOwens : Real Sport , Real Dirt – The authority on sports gossip.
2 @BNQuinlan – Full Time fantasy expert has twitter on lock down , or something.
3 @LaughAtLebron : the name of the site says it all – not 1 , not 2 , not 3….not 4 But ZERO championships for the “king”
4 @iconfantasyJoe – just added lyricist to his growing list of skills. A true man for all seasons.
5 @FrankWWEClown – specializes in wrestling and scaring children as well as balloon animals and other clown type stuff.
6 @PacingPete – writes for New Jersey FFL – likely not about Gym , Tanning or Laundry. But maybe about those things.
7 @ChetRazzball – Loves chili and fake footballs – does his thing at Razzball.com one of the most respected in the game.
8 @FantasyTaz – The man , the myth , the legend. Apparently the guy loves his sister… just ask him. Like me he is also from NJ – so that makes him OKAY in my book.
9 @TOFantasySports– The cousin site to TerezOwens.com – Dishing dirt while giving primo advice.
10 @TooJiggy aka It’s On Like Ndamukong – Conducted his draft from a 1968 Apple beta tester PC and managed to autodraft every possible bust.
11 @Bill_Riccette aka The Fantasy Corral -is a newish blog (like me) who is quickly making friends in the industry.
12 @TheFFAddict – addicted to sports (as the name suggests) and has ties to multiple blogs in the industry.
The Holy Grail – Week 8 WRs
Teams on bye week: Falcons, Bears, Packers, Raiders, Jets, Buccaneers
MUST START
1 Calvin Johnson vs Den – Champ wouldn’t be able to cover him in his prime let alone past it.
2 Nicks vs Mia – I take chances in my WR ranks and he gets the nod because he is due for a huge game soon. Miami is the right matchup for it to happen.
3 Wallace vs NE – You have to think with the extra week to prep for the Steelers that Belichek will make it his goal to take Wallace out of the game. Regardless , he doesn’t have the personnel to execute his defensive gameplans.
4 Welker vs Pit – He is on fire this year , breaking yardage records and dominating the PPR landscape. Pit may contain him a bit , but you never sit him regardless.
5 Steve Smith vs Wash – Newton has really brought life back into a career that was floundering. You can’t help but feel happy for him.
6 Colston vs Stl – He is dominating everyone right now , and the Rams will be no different.
7 Vjax vs KC – Say what you want , but I am gonna keep rolling him out there; especially against a team as beatable for big plays as Kansas City.
8 Bowe vs SD – Same game as the above , worse QB but he still plays as a high end WR1 in almost any matchup.
9 Dez Bryant vs Phi – He has already surpassed Miles Austin as Romo’s most trusted wideout. He looks for him between the 20’s and in the Redzone. At his age and with his skill set he could dominate the position in the years to come.
10 Steve Johnson vs Wash – Had a week off and should come back ready to shine. He is so hard to cover and is all over the field. Fitz loves him and so do I.
The Holy Grail – Week 8 QBs
Teams on bye week: Falcons, Bears, Packers, Raiders, Jets, Buccaneers
MUST START
1 Brees vs STL- Much like Graham , there is no other choice for the top spot this week. The stats plus the matchup make this easy.
2 Vick vs Dal – The bye week gave him time to get his legs fresh and recover from the beatings he has been taking. Dallas swarms to the ball , but Vick scores 20 in a bad game.
3 Cam vs Min – What a stud this guy turned out to be as he continues to augment his passing stats with great rushing stats.
4 Brady vs Pit – Would be higher if not for the electric nature of the position this year. Cam, Vick , Brees all have their own claims to the top spot each week and Brady has the misfortune of playing against Pitt.
5 Rivers vs KC – I am loading up on him in Salary Cap games. He is still an elite QB and KC is the perfect matchup for him to show it.
6 Eli vs Mia – Nicks will explode this week and the ‘Fins will have no answer for Bradshaw or Jacobs. Giants will put up a big number.
7 Ben Roethlisberger vs NE – Will have plenty of chances to put up big TD numbers against this horrible defense.
8 Stafford vs Den – Slips a bit in my rankings because of the injury questions – still a must start if healthy b/c of the offense and the upside.
The Holy Grail – Week 8 RBs
Teams on bye week: Falcons, Bears, Packers, Raiders, Jets, Buccaneers
MUST START
1 Arian Foster vs Jax – After last week , nobody else deserves the top spot.
2 AP @ Car – Great week last week but tweeked an ankle. He claims he is fine so he should be no lower than this.
3 Rice vs Ari – Horrible week last week , but the Cards should be the perfect medicine for the Ravens to bounce back.
4 Fred Jackson vs Wash – I am shaking my head thinking about this guy , I don’t want to write about him because I never drafted him.
5 Mccoy vs Dal – He is a stud plain and simple as he plays such a huge role in that offense. Nice time for a bye week for that team , gets moved a bit further down because Dallas defends the run great.
6 Gore vs Cleveland – Gore is back and picking up steam. The Browns will provide no challenge for him this week, at least in theory.
7 Mathews vs KC – Great matchup , plus Tolbert most likely isn’t suiting up. Expect a monster game.
8 Bradshaw vs Mia – Jacobs is whining , but that’s nothing new. Bradshaw should be fresh off a bye and the Dolphins will have no answer for anything the Giants do on offense.
The Holy Grail- Week 8 TEs
Teams on bye week: Falcons, Bears, Packers, Raiders, Jets, Buccaneers
MUST START
1 Graham @STL – Great matchup , great player , great stats , move on.
2 Gates @KC – Word is the foot responded well which is great to hear since he came back and scored. Great matchup this week puts him at 2 on my list.
3 Witten @Phi – The Eagles had 2 weeks to prep for this game. Romo is going back to the rib support jacket and that means more conservative play calling from the Cowboys. Murray will get his share and Witten will be the security blanket that Romo has come to know and love.
4 Aaron Hernandez @Pit – He is a freak at the position , a hybrid WR/TE and that makes him an exciting start each week. He does get nicked up a bit here and there , but right now he is healthy and playing and if it’s PPR he is a surefire must start.
5 Fred Davis @ Buf – The Bills have a hard time covering anybody. With Moss , Cooley and Hightower all seriously injured , Davis may end up with 15 targets this game.
6 Vernon Davis vs Cle – He looks to get back on track this week after a needed break. He tends to follow up down weeks with good weeks. The Browns are not this good vs the pass , so something has to give. Start him with confidence this week.
7 Daniels vs Jax – AJ will be a GTD and my gut feeling is that he is not going to suit up. Daniels has been consistently average this season and is due for TD. Dickson was open all over the field last week , but Flacco missed him a ton. Schaub is better than Flacco so start Daniels and feel good about it.
8 Gronk @Pit – You can argue that he is too low , and that may be the case , but in reality after the first few must starts everyone is about the same value. Davis and Daniels get the nod for me because they have better matchups and less competition for some QB love in PPR settings.
The Holy Grail- Week 7 WRs
MUST STARTS
1 Calvin vs Atl – Oh, Hey amazing player on all my teams. Thanks for being you.
2 Miles Austin vs Stl – Romo to Austin for 2 Tds this week , lock it down he will be a monster.
3 Bowe vs Oak – Cassel to Bowe has been a theme for the last couple of weeks and it will continue this week as he looks strong and fast; which is scary , not like Michael Myers scary , more like Amityville scary because it’s based on a true story.
3 Wallace vs Az – See the Big Ben blurb , realize Rodgers-Cromartie is now on the Eagles. Put those together and Wallace is a monster. I couldn’t decide between him and Bowe so they both get ranked 3rd.
5 Dez Bryant vs Stl – If you can’t tell I’m high on the Romo to Dez to Miles to Witten arrangement they will have going on this week – it reminds me of a 4 way marriage or whatever it is the Mormons call it; Romo is the Daddy.
6 Steve Smith vs Wash – He is due for a score and 100 yards , he is guaranteed at least one of those two things , and if he gets both he becomes a top 3 play. So I think 6 is a great spot for him this week.
7 Marshall vs Den – Looked unstoppable last week against Revis of all people. Champ is shutting people down this season for Denver so far but Marshall is a wack job so that gives him an edge.
8 Colston vs Ind – After last week how could he not be in the top 10 in a PPR blog during such a deep bye week. Even if he spells his first name wrong; Seriously: Marques? CMON MAN.
9 Vincent Jackson vs NYJ – He is healthy and he is built like Marshall who dominated the Jets last week.
The Holy Grail- Week 7 QBs
Teams on bye week: Bills, Bengals, Patriots, Giants, Eagles, 49ers
MUST START
1 Rodgers vs Min – Aaron is the #1 fantasy qb in the game and it is not even close. Minny can stop the run , but can’t stop the pass ; 300 yards and 3Tds is practically his floor every week.
2 Brees vs Ind – Indy can’t stop anyone on defense and Brees has been torching teams this season. With Colston back and Graham becoming the premier TE in the NFL you have to like his 30 plus point upside every week.
3 Romo vs Stl – The Rams are putrid on both sides of the ball. Bradford is going to be out which means run, run, pass, punt all game for this struggling team. You have to wonder how long before the buzzards start circling around Spagnulo. Romo goes off this game start all the Cowboy WRs.
4 Stafford vs ATL – Falcons are getting torched on defense this year and Roddy White looks like he got one too many targets last year as he clearly isn’t reaching the level he held in 2010. Best is out , and may be out for a while but Morris is a capable receiver and that just means Stafford will throw it more to his other check down options such as Pettigrew. Maybe Burleson rejoins the WR corp with the Best injury freeing up some targets elsewhere.
5 Cam Newton vs Wash – I said it last week and I will say it every week: Unless he rushes for at least 1 TD a week his passing numbers are going to be supremely average. That being said he is almost a good bet to run one in every week , but against a good tackling team like Washington he will need to use his arm more. All that being said , read and digested Cam is a must start on any fantasy team right now which is completely shocking to me.
6 Ben Roethlisberger vs AZ – Arizona is putrid in the secondary since they traded Rodgers-Cromartie and Ben will be throwing it to whomever he wants whenever he so chooses. Antonio Brown makes for a decent play this week as all of the Steelers have a chance at some big numbers with Ben being the beneficiary of his WRs running loose all game.
7 Rivers vs NYJ – Vincent Jackson is back at full strength and Gates will be returning this game. Mathews is coming into his own and Tolbert offers a shockingly versatile skill set to complement this offense. Revis had trouble guarding Marshall last week because of his size and speed and Jackson is built almost exactly the same. Do not be afraid to start any of your chargers this week , even though the Jets still demand respect. Gates is the only one I urge caution on , for the obvious reasons.
The Holy Grail – Week 7 TEs
Teams on bye week: Bills, Bengals, Patriots, Giants, Eagles, 49ers
MUST START
1 Graham vs Indy – Simply put the best TE in fantasy football this year.
2 Witten vs Stl – Keeps on chugging , keeps on putting up numbers , keeps on being a must start.
3 Finley vs Min – Only stays this high because of all of the TEs on a bye this week. He is getting lost in that offense , but still is due for a huge week soon.
4 Fred Davis vs Car – Cooley injured and Beck starting increases Freddy’s value for the rest of the season. Grossman was clearly losing steam and Beck will do better by default. Nice matchup against a bad defense.
5 Daniels vs Ten – Great matchup and set up for a big game. Considered flip flopping between him and Freddy but regardless they hold about the same value and in a deep bye week are must starts at the postion unless you own one of the top 3.
6 Pettigrew vs Atl – About as consistent as they come. The Best injury opens up more offensive targets and chances for guys like Pettigrew. I own him a ton so at least I can find a silver lining with Best out.
7 Tony G vs Det – Consistently producing this year and turned a lot of pundits (including me) right on their ear. It’s good to see one of the great ones still producing this late in the game , keep it up Tony!
SOLID STARTS
8 Olsen vs Wash – Not a great matchup , but he deserves a start almost every week for what he means to that offense. Cam could and prob should use him a bit more , but there is no arguing with the fact he clearly is on the right team for fantasy purposes.
9 Benjamin Watson vs Sea – This is more a gut play than anything. He has a penchant for random explosive weeks and this could be one of them. ZZZ Sleeper
10 Gates vs NYJ – Keep your expectations in check because of his health. But there are a TON of people itching to get him back in their lineup this week and I can’t argue against it.
11 Keller vs SD – Keeps sucking after his early season successes. I demand to know whose fault this is? Anyone want to chime in and tell me why Keller, who has as much speed and talent as any TE in the NFL can’t be a consistent producer? Anyone?
12 D Clark vs NO – I saw what he did last week , just in time for me to write him off. He won’t be a consistent producer at all and you can mark that down. Well I guess he will be consistently inconsistent this year which really makes him consistent. My brain hurts now , moving on.
SOME QUESTIONS
13 Cook vs Hou – The Houston front 7 has been surprisingly good this year. Flacco beat them last week like I believed he would but Dickson did not do much. Cook is lumped into the middle of the pack , but because of his big play ability and what he could mean for the Tennesse passing attack he gets the nod over some similarly valued TEs.
14 Dickson vs Jax – Great matchup and a great buy this week on fanduel.
15 Winslow vs Chi – The Bears are getting toasted by opposing TEs this year , Winslow’s problem is he is playing on 68 year old knees.. but he is a “warrior” – just ask him , he’ll tell you.
16 Kendricks vs Dallas – He has been coming on of late. But coming on for Kendricks means about 4 catches for 50 yards , when people are getting excited for that you know you haven’t lived up to the hype.
17 Boss vs KC – If every play was a fake punt he would be the number 1 TE in fantasy. Palmer helps his long term value , I love the guy.
I SCREWED UP MY DRAFT
18 Heath Miller vs AZ – Nice matchup , but the problem is it’s a nice matchup for every single other offensive player on the Steelers. For that reason I don’t start Miller this week.
19 M Lewis vs Bal – Will be better when the schedule lightens up and Gabbert will only improve from playing tough defenses like this each week.
20 Shockey vs Wash – I actually like him to make a play or 3 this week and if you are desperate he gives you some decent upside.
___________________________________________
I am just glad I didn’t have to write about Scott Chandler this week!
anyway , keep the questions coming @iconfantasyJoe and we are going to start doing a weekly mail bag!
I am putting together some free and some money Salary Cap Tourneys where you guys will get to play against me!
More details early next week – gotta love #fantasyfootball
Rest of the Grail Coming Tomorrow!
Win BIG MONEY Playing Fantasy Sports!
Related articles
- The Holy Grail- Week 7 RBs (iconfantasysports.wordpress.com)