The Fantasy Football Geek Blog

WTF are you guys up to?

Matt — Thu, 11 Jun 2009 20:01:33 +0000

With the season rapidly approaching and nary a post since March, you might assume that the FFGeeks have gone to the great waiver wire in the sky - but that's not the case. As I mentioned back in January, Brandon and I have been feeling the need to do something a little different from the standard blog format. We've been brainstorming quite a bit lately, and we're getting somewhere closer to what you might call a concrete plan which, if we can implement it as we envision it now, could be a lot of fun and a great resource for fantasy football players.

The one X factor as far as my participation is concerned is that my wife is due with our first kiddo very soon - like, within the month. Since I'm a rookie parent, I know just enough to know that I have no idea what being a dad is going to be like, so I'm not sure how much time I'll have on my hands. We'll just have to see, but in the meantime I'll keep working with Brandon on the next iteration of FFGeekBlog.com as if my life weren't about to change in a huge way.

Stay tuned.

Spiffy new popups in Yahoo! fantasy sports

Matt — Thu, 12 Mar 2009 02:42:03 +0000

Yahoo! is taking a page out of ESPN's book by applying even more Javascript goodness to their player info popups. Whereas you used to just get player updates, you now get a glimpse at their schedule and a few other little details, all neatly packaged into a window that you can drag around the screen, which you will of course only do once, because there's really no point.

Here's a preview from my fantasy NBA league. Yes, I play fantasy NBA. I know. I know.

[There is a video that cannot be displayed in this feed. Visit the blog entry to see the video.]

Tags: javascript, yahoo.

Which teams don't want Terrell Owens - and which teams might

Matt — Sat, 07 Mar 2009 21:19:12 +0000

It's the web page Drew Rosenhaus hopes you never see - ProFootballTalk.com is maintaining a running list of teams that have (wisely) stated they have no interest in signing Terrell Owens. I'm not going to copy and paste it here since it seems kind of douche-ish to copy the entirety of someone else's work instead of linking to it. I was somewhat surprised that the list includes the Raiders, who were the first team that came to everyone's mind when they wondered, "Who would drop a boatload of cash on a notorious locker room cancer who has gotten along with precisely nobody in his career and has at most two more productive seasons left in him?" It's also interesting to see the that none of the three of the other teams in the NFC East are interested, which means T.O. won't get the chance to avenge his ouster wearing the uniform of a division rival.

Of course, just because a team isn't on this list doesn't mean they're thinking about acquiring him. Some teams might even consider the prospect of hiring T.O. so preposterous that they don't even think it's worth stating the obvious. Of the remaining NFL teams that might be interested, which ones might actually give him a chance?

Buffalo - While the thought of T.O. in a Bills uniform makes me throw up in my mouth a little, it isn't a bad fit on the field. T.O. would provide the big target that James Hardy hasn't yet proven he can reliably be (it doesn't help that he needed surgery to repair a torn ACL in December). The Bills receiving corps is, aside from Lee Evans, one of the least talented in the NFL, which has been the biggest obstacle in the development of Trent Edwards. Swap out Josh Reed (who's reliable but not particularly physically gifted) for Owens (who's completely unreliable in every way imaginable but a physical force of nature) and suddenly you've got the perfect target for all those quick-decision, short-yardage passes that are Edwards' bread and butter. With Evans in there to spread the field, you'd have the well-rounded offense the Bills were envisioning when they drafted Hardy.

Denver - Maybe what Baby T.O. needs is some time with Daddy (that nut didn't fall far from the tree, did it?). While I find it hard to imagine trying to coach both of them, adding T.O. to the offensive arsenal would probably go a long way toward patching up relations between the front office and quarterback Jay Cutler, who was very publicly pissed off when he learned that the team was shopping him around. With Marshall facing a likely suspension, there's temporarily a gaping hole in the Broncos offense, and there aren't many other players who could stand a chance of filling it.

Kansas City - This was the only other team that made sense to me - until I was reminded of this:

Remember Todd Haley and T.O. screaming at each other on the sideline? Remember Scott Pioli trading for Mike Vrabel and talking to Bobby Engram, locker room “glue” guys. Not. Gonna. Happen. 99.9% sure (can never be 100% in this crazy league).

Good point. Never mind.

I think the smart money's on Denver. Buffalo doesn't seem all that motivated to do anything about their problems at wideout; they let the Bungles beat them out for Lavernaues Coles. The Broncos might be just stressed enough by their problems with Marshall and Cutler to see T.O. as a potential savior. Thin air can lead to poor decision-making, after all.

Tags: buffalo bills, denver broncos, drew rosenhaus, terrell owens.

Housh's a Hawk. Now to figure out where that puts him.

Matt — Mon, 02 Mar 2009 23:52:52 +0000

Now that we know T.J. Houshmandzadeh (whose name I can just now finally spell from memory) is officially headed to Seattle, I'm trying to figure out where to move him on my cheat sheet. Given that he'll be 32 around the start of next season, he's obviously someone to approach with caution in keeper leagues, but for redraft purposes, I'm probably even more enthusiastic about him than most.

This isn't the most exciting fantasy situation he could have landed in, but it's far from the worst. Housh will be Bobby Engram on steroids (er... you know what I mean). He'll catch a hundred passes and get a ton of red-zone looks.

The only wideouts I can say for sure that I like more than Housh at this point are Larry Fitzgerald, Andre Johnson, Randy Moss, and Steve Smith. After that, a lot will depend on the draft and the preseason, but I think it's safe to say that he'll fall in the top ten for me.

Tags: seattle seahawks, t.j. houshmandzadeh.

Brandon Marshall: Strike Three. Er, ten. Whatever, you're out.

Matt — Mon, 02 Mar 2009 22:13:45 +0000

Has Brandon Marshall officially become the Ron Artest of the NFL, in that even when he stays out of trouble for a year or two, there's still something unsettling about that look in his eyes? I mean, given that he's definitely facing a suspension in '09, he's wayyyy down on everyone's cheat sheet this season, but what if he keeps the crazy under wraps for the rest of the season and has some monster games? Will you trust him enough to make him your WR1 in 2010?

(As an aside, given that my co-blogger Brandon's last name is also Marshall, I love the way this guy's career is heading. Keep it coming, man. May Plaxico be your guide.)

Tags: brandon marshall, dumbass.

Latest news from free agency

Brandon — Sat, 28 Feb 2009 16:34:34 +0000

After taking a much needed break from the fantasy football world, all this recent talk of impact players finding new homes has got a thrill going up my leg and forced me to make my glorious return. As you are probably very aware, the free agency period in the NFL has begun and I figured it was time to put up a post summarizing the latest in who-went-where news:

Kellen Winslow, TE traded to Tampa Bay: It was pretty obvious that last season would be the last in the storied relationship between Winslow and the Browns, so now it'll be the Buccaneers turn to see if they can control Kellen Winslow and his ego/bad habits. How this move will turn out in terms of fantasy production is a huge question mark right now, primarily because there is no real stability at the quarterback position. With the correct quarterback, Winslow is top three talent at the position, but if I was drafting now, he'd slide down quite a bit on the cheat sheet...but that's why we don't draft a fantasy team in February!
Correll Buckhalter, RB signed by Denver: After one of the most painful (literally) seasons of all-time at the running back position (Selvin Young, Michael Pittman, Andre Hall, Peyton Hillis, Ryan Torain...all injured), the Broncos are rapidly searching for more bodies to throw into the meat grinder and Buckhalter is the first man to sign up for the job. I have no idea how this preseason will play out for Denver in terms of their depth chart at tailback, but I envision Correll Buckhalter and Peyton Hillis being the front-runners to get the bulk of the carries as long as their healthy, which could mean some solid fantasy production on a week-to-week basis.
Fred Taylor, RB signed by New England: If last year was any indication, it's looking like the Patriots running game will be another head-scratcher for any fantasy managers looking to grab one of the many running backs on their roster. Taylor adds some experience and leadership to this rag-tag group, but I can't imagine he has too much fantasy impact unless Sammy Morris or Laurence Maroney get hurt (or Maroney is traded?)
Sage Rosenfels, QB traded to Minnesota: The Vikings have been a good quarterback away from the Superbowl for over a year now...but is Rosenfels really the guy to get them over the hump? No. If Minnesota enters this season with Tarvaris Jackson, Sage Rosenfels and even Gus Frerotte on the roster, chalk this season up as another disappointment come playoffs time. Vikings brass should be looking long and hard at available signal callers Matt Cassel and Jeff Garcia if they really want to win now.

Other moves (possibly) coming soon:

J.J. Arrington, RB to Denver? Continuing with their quest to acquire every mediocre running back in the world, it appears the Broncos are putting the finishing touches on an acquisition of the ex-Cardinals running back. I only see this having fantasy impact if both Buckhalter and Peyton Hillis go down with injury.
T.J. Houshmandzadeh, WR to Seattle? It's still a bit too early, but Housh paid the Seahawks a visit recently and would make a huge target for Matt Hasselbeck, especially lined up alongside a healthy Deion Branch and Bobby Engram.

Finally, other news that had me slightly baffled:

Mike Vrabel, LB to Kansas City: I know the Patriots line-backing corps was getting old and they were looking to revamp the position, but it was not Vrabel I expected to be dispatched first. He is approaching 35 years of age, but he was a team leader on the defense and will be tough to replace right away.

Tags: buckhalter, houshmandzadeh, rosenfels, taylor, vrabel, winslow.

T.J. Houshmandzadeh: Best-case scenarios

Matt — Wed, 25 Feb 2009 19:06:15 +0000

At this point, it's really anybody's guess as to where soon-to-be free agent Houshmanzilly will be playing next season, so it's nearly impossible to say how much we're going to like him going into this year's draft. If he lands in a situation with sky's-the-limit potential, don't be surprised to see him become the trendy #2 WR taken in drafts (after Fitzgerald, who probably has a lock on the top WR pick). Nobody wants to pass on this year's version of Randy Moss circa 2007, and all of the other options for #2 WR taken have question marks:

Brandon Marshall might have a higher ceiling than any receiver in the league, but he's maddeningly inconsistent at times.
Andre Johnson is great... when... he's... healthy.
I'm keeping Randy Moss at arm's length until I know for sure what's up with Brady's knee - which means I'm probably not drafting him until 2010.

So where would Housh have to land in order to warrant a higher pick than any of those guys? A few intriguing scenarios that are at least somewhat plausible:

Giants - Eli's going to need a new Plax, and TJ could step right into that role. He'd probably jump at the opportunity to join a Super Bowl contender. This isn't the most explosive passing offense out there, so I wouldn't call it an ideal fantasy situation, but there's definite potential here. A lot would depend on whether Housh and Eli could mind-meld in the preseason a la Brady and Moss.
Falcons - If it weren't for the Michael Vick contract situation, the Falcons would be an obvious potential destination. They've got a young QB with obvious talent but no big-time receivers to throw the ball to. Ignoring the risk that Vick could be reinstated this season, thus putting them over the salary cap, the Falcons have plenty of available cap space to play with. The only question here from a fantasy perspective is whether Matt Ryan, who looked great until his late-season fade, is the real deal or a one-year wonder.
Cowboys - Now that Jerry Jones is more or less publicly acknowledging that T.O. is persona non grata in the locker room, he can talk all he wants about keeping him - you know he's working overtime to find a way to dump him without badly depleting the talent level of the receiving corps. Housh would be a perfect fit, and he and Roy Williams would make opposing defenses miserable - and their fantasy owners very happy.

Regardless of where he winds up, he still a low-end WR1 at worst. Let's just hope this situation doesn't end with a giant yaaaaawwwwnn from the fantasy football world as he signs on with, say, the Ravens, Vikings or Dolphins - all of whom are probably in the running to get him.

*** UPDATE 3/1 - Yawwwwnnn.

Tags: 2009 draft, t.j. houshmandzadeh.

Offseasons are long, boring, and... restful

Matt — Fri, 20 Feb 2009 13:43:34 +0000

Obviously, Brandon and I have taken a much-needed break from any real posting for the past month or so. I definitely needed to get away from the fantasy football world for a little while.

I miss the NFL every time I turn on my TV. The NBA is balls ass boring these days, I don't really care about hockey (unless we're talking RIT hockey), and it'll be a couple of weeks before I pay any attention to college basketball. I'd rather argue about whether the Lions should take Stafford with the top pick than sit through any NBA game that isn't a Kobe-LeBron showdown, which is really the only compelling NBA storyline I can think of (and even that one's a stretch).

Since there isn't nearly as much to say this time of year (though it seems our pals the Hazean and the Librarian would beg to differ), we'll probably be taking it fairly easy until the NFL draft is upon us. Just wanted to let y'all know that we haven't gone anywhere - we're just on sabbatical.

Tags: offseason.

Superbowl Poll

Matt — Fri, 30 Jan 2009 18:39:51 +0000

Vegas is giving Pittsburgh a 6.5-point edge in Super Bowl XLIII. Meanwhile, the only thing anyone seems to be talking about is Larry Fitzgerald - a damn fine receiver, no doubt, but that's hardly a reason to think the Cards aren't still significant underdogs in this one, right?

Note: There is a poll embedded within this post, please visit the site to participate in this post's poll.

Tags: Larry Fitzgerald, polls, super bowl.

Plans for 2009

Matt — Wed, 14 Jan 2009 16:37:36 +0000

Those of you who read this blog regularly might know that I'm a web developer by day (and Batman by night... wait, redact! Redact!). Brandon and I have been batting around a few ideas for making this site more informative and useful for fantasy football players, and we're not necessarily limiting those ideas to the blog format.

The most important thing, of course, is for this website to continue to help its visitors become better-informed, more successful fantasy football players. Beyond that, the evolution of ffgeekblog.com could go in any number of directions. So I'm asking: What's on your wish list for a fantasy football news/advice website? What haven't you found on the Web that you wish someone would build? Brandon and I have always been open to suggestions for new types of blog posts, but maybe it's time that we thought bigger than that. Or maybe not - perhaps the blog format is just perfect as is.

If you have any thoughts, I'd appreciate it if you left a comment on this post.

Oh, and thanks for a great 2008 season y'all. Our readership more than doubled from 2007, which makes running this blog double the fun.