Author: Sky

Sky Sperling has been a contributor since 2012 for Razzball Fantasy Baseball and Fantasy Football and formerly wrote under the name 'Oregon Nut Cups'. Don't ask. He's also a lover of fine beer, fine women and fine-toothed combs. You can follow him on twitter @Sky_Razzball and in your most sweetest of dreams.

Read some of Sky's 363 posts

HAM Newton

by: Sky

I got a lot of curious looks this week for ranking Cam Newton as my number two QB behind Peyton. Pretty sure I was the only one that ranked him that high. Via FantasyPros, his highest rank was 2 so I guess there COULD be another person just as crazy as me out there, but not moreso. The naysayers said things like ‘The Panthers have looked terrible’ and ‘Cam’s been a bum all year so far’ and ‘You can’t do that on television!’ and other nonsensical senselessness. Well, ok all things true but I’ll say this. For how ‘bad’ the Panthers have looked on offense, the Giants defense has looked like the Invisible Man out there for most of the year. Something had to give and on this Sunday, Cam went HAM on the poor Giants defense, going 15/27 for 223 passing yards, added 45 on the ground and chucked in a total of 4 TDs with one being a rushing TD. I can hear you now saying ‘Is Cam back?’ and all I can say is he’s never really left. Sorry everyone, this is the life of being a Newton owner. He has limited weapons surrounding him unless either LaFell or Ginn step up along side Steve Smith like they did today on a consistent basis. Moving forward, Cam is still Cam and Cam can still go HAM at any given time but this is one of the few times the Panthers have really utilized his wheels as much as they did today. Clearly it was effective and I’m sure Cam and his owners hope this change is here to stay. In other 2013 Fantasy Football news…

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Jamaal’s the Eggman, Reid Is the Walrus, Goo-Goo-G’Joob!

by: Sky

It was a nice return to Philly for the Walrus, Andy Reid, as his Chiefs took down his former team. The team that has been a talk of the NFL despite starting 1-1 with a defense made of wet paper with holes big enough to make Jenna Jamison blush has overshadowed Reid’s new team. You know, the one that has flown under the radar to a 2-0, now 3-0 start. This isn’t fantasy relevant, says the casual reader. Well, CR, I have news for you. Entering the 4Q, Jamaal Charles had 10 carries for about 26 yards. He ended the night with 20 carries for 92 on the ground and a touchdown. You getting the fantasy relevance yet? With how quickly the Eagles offense could strike, Reid went to the drain the clock well down the stretch, leading to what was a decent but boring fantasy night and turned it into fantasy gold as Charles finished with 27 total touches – 7 for receptions – for a total of 172 yards and a score. He could’ve another one in the 4th but real football got in the way of our fake football dreams and dashed it. Moving forward, Jamaal’s still the man in KC and still looks to be a top 3 back in the making. Given Smith’s game managing ways, Charles should see plenty of check downs and yardage the rest of the way. To put it in Beatles terms, ‘Sitting on a cornflake, waiting for the van to come. Corporation tee-shirt, stupid bloody tuesday’. Hrm, well I give up. There’s zero ways to make a drug-induced song by the Beatles relevant to tonight’s game other then the title. Goo-Goo-G’Joob! In other 2013 Fantasy Football news from week 3…

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Weekly Rankings: The Treacherous Trent Trade

September 19, 2013 | 2013 Fantasy Football, Weekly Rankings | 351 Comments

by: Sky

So you draft in the first round and you take ‘your guy’. You know who I’m talking about. He’s the one you had circled in your draft that was gonna carry the load for you this year. Sure, his surrounding team is pretty boring but he’s the workhorse there and nobody is there to take his place. I’m talking of none other then Trent Richardson. He used to be a Cleveland Brown but now he’s in Indy blue and I”m pretty sure some owners are both happy and sad about this, at least for this week. You see, I have a hard time believing they’re gonna just throw him out there in San Fran and make him the main back for the offense this weekend. Not saying he won’t get touches and have a chance at being productive, but do you remember your first day at school in a new town? Remember how uncomfortable everything felt? You didn’t remember where your locker was and you walked into the girl’s bathroom a few times? Well, it’s already a bad matchup being in San Fran after the whoopin’ they took in Seattle last weekend. Imagine not knowing the whole game plan to boot? He could have a really solid game but I’m sorry to say he’s flex-worthy this week. What, you’re 0-2 and were counting on him this weekend to produce? Tough. Your RB2 was Ahmad Bradshaw? Well, it’s clear God hates you. Moving forward, I’ll have to see how Trent looks to know how well he’s gonna fit in there. The RBs in Cleveland leave much to be desired right now so they’re down in the ‘I play in a 20 team league with 5 flexes’ area cuz…yeah, it just isn’t looking pretty in Cleveland right now. This also means your streamer defense of the week is the Vikings as the Browns try to compete with Jacksonville for ‘worst assembled team in 2013’ the rest of the way. Outside of that, I’m still a Cam Newton believer…I really don’t know why. Ok, NYG just haven’t had it on defense so far this year and think Cam could break out of his funk. They’ve also allowed plenty of TE points and that could lead to a solid day for Olsen. If Cam doesn’t succeed, we’re officially broken up until he proves he still loves me. Outside that, nothing too drastic. Knowshon is an RB1 against week run defenses until he proves otherwise and if Bush is injured worse then it appears, Bell will wiggle up into high end RB2 this week with a tasty Redskins matchup on the docket. And with that, I am off to bed. No wait, I have to leave work first…nah, I’ll just go to bed. The boss will think I came in early! Just gotta remember to wipe the drool off my keyboard. But enough about my social graces, let’s take a look at the rankings for week 3 of the 2013 Fantasy Football season…

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Officer Buy Brady

September 18, 2013 | 2013 Fantasy Football, Fantasy Football Buy/Sell | 282 Comments

by: Sky

Normally I lead these buys off with a play I think is glaringly clear but my call this week is based on how negative everyone seems to be about the New England Patriots and – in particular – Tom Brady. Much like Warren Buffet, my trade mantra has always been ‘be fearful when others are greedy and greedy when others are fearful’. Yes, I read things that aren’t Fantasy Football related from time to time. I know, it surprises me too. But what I’m trying to say about this scenario is it’s all negative right now for Brady and company. Gronk, ‘dola, Sudfeld and Vereen are hurt. The duo he’s left with at WR on the outside – Dropkins and Dropson – are having what many would call ‘issues’. The lone bright spot so far seems to be Julian Edelman who averaged 6.0 yards per catch last Thursday night which is underwhelming even for a 3rd down passing back, let alone the guy who looks like he’s going to lead his team in receptions and yardage. But I’m seeing some silver linings here and think with how pessimistic the world is about Brady and company, you could and should take advantage. Though it’s not set in stone, week 3 has been marked as the return of Gronk. That in and of itself will be a huge help for this team. He may also get back Brandon Bolden who – though not as dynamic as Vereen – is definitely strides better then Blount as a secondary RB to have. The third is we’ve been here before. Remember when everyone was touting the Pats demise heading into 2011? Moss was gone and all they had was Deion Branch and the rotting corpse of Ochocinco lining up out wide? Yeah, Gronk and A-Hern went off, Welker was Welker and we didn’t really worry about those outside guys. I’m not saying I can promise smooth sailing from here on out but I think Brady could be had for a backup QB at this point with all the negativity floating around. That’s worth looking into in my book. And if he doesn’t go off? Well, your backup was Andy Dalton so…nothing to see here, move along. In other buy/sell news for 2013 Fantasy Football…

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My Favorite Bluth Is Spelled ‘Gio-B’

September 17, 2013 | 2013 Fantasy Football, Fantasy Football Daily Notes | 249 Comments

by: Sky

To quote our magnificent G.O.B. Jr, in response to magic tricks, ‘Illusion…A trick is something a whore does for money…’. That pretty much sums up what must be happening in that Cincinnati Bengals backfield at this point. It’s the only way I can sum up the lack of totes for our man Giovani Bernard over The Law Firm this year. But of course, that’s why BJGE is slinging dirty tricks and we get left with the majestic that is Gio-B’s elusive (illusion = elusive, ok? Get it? No? Meh to you too) running style for only 8 carries on that night. But oh, what great carries they were. Bernard finished the night with only 65 total yards – 38 on the ground and 27 via one catch – but he electrified his team and his fantasy owners, scoring 2 touchdowns in rout to a pretty damn good night for only having 9 total touches. Is Gio that good? Yes, yes he is. Are the Bengals smart enough to take advantage of that moving forward? Sadly, I have my doubts. For some strange reason, I keep hearing about these Cincy Cats being in Super Bowl contention this year and from watching the game tonight, I don’t get it. Do they have the talent? Sure. But do they use their talent wisely? Mmmmm, if the discrepancy between BJGE and Gio’s touches say anything, I’m gonna have to say our talented running back is caught up in a state of…Arrested Development? Pinkie to mouth, mo’fo’s! This team seems to be built to play it conservative and moving forward, as much as I like Gio-B, I can’t get behind him being anything more then a low-end flex moving forward this year. I know, I’m heart-broken too but I don’t run the Bengals anymore then I do the Jets (#FreeIvory…#again). This is a team that’s gonna Raconteur it’s way into the playoffs just like it did last year and Gio is gonna be hit and miss because of it, i.e. through no fault of his own. I’m not saying Bernard is a 30 touches a night guy but 9? Cincy? Really? Beads? BEES?!? Ok, Bengals, you keep starting BJGE, we’ll see who brings in more honey. In other 2013 Fantasy Football news from Monday Night Football…

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Sit And Drink Eddie Royal Tea

September 16, 2013 | 2013 Fantasy Football, Fantasy Football Daily Notes | 200 Comments

by: Sky

In an interview with some guy somewhere, Kurt Cobain explained that his song ‘Penny Royal Tea’ was ‘…about a person who’s beyond depressed; they’re in their death bed, pretty much.’ I’m pretty sure that describes most of Kurt’s songs, but that’s beyond the point. As I begin to look at the fallen – like ‘dola – or the barely theres – like Roddy – ya have to start looking around for someone out there to fill the void before you start trying to make your own fantasy abortifacient (word of the day!). Well look no further for a shot at that as Eddie Royal just can’t seem to avoid the end zone right now. After having a 3 catch, 2 TD performance last Monday night against the Houston Texans for a measly 24 yards, it was pretty easy to write him off as a one week fluke; the Kevin Ogletree of 2013, if you will. But then he went and did this: 7 catches for 90 yards to go with 3 more scores. That’s a monstrous games no matter what angle you come at it from. But there is one angle I’d like to mention here: that Eagles secondary is bordering on non-existent. I thought their defense would get a chance to bare down and take apart this Chargers offense after their own offense turned the tides quickly on them but they held their own most of the day and it was in no small part thanks to Royal on that front. Moving forward, Eddie is looking like an immediate pickup but faces a fairly tough challenge in the Titans next week (I can’t believe I typed that). If I’m scrambling for WR depth and have been sitting on upside that has been turned upside down, here’s your chance at redemption. It’s time to make your team feel like Royalty. In other 2013 Fantasy Football news from week 2…

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Edelmania

September 13, 2013 | 2013 Fantasy Football, Fantasy Football Daily Notes | 256 Comments

by: Sky

On a night of this caliber (or calibre if you’re from the other side of the Atlantic), it was really hard to find something that would make girls scream their damn fool heads off like the fab 4 just walked onto the Ed Sullivan show. Trust me, I searched far and wide. The closest I could come was Brady’s hair from circa the ‘damn, he fine’ era. Very boyishly charming and the quintessential anti-foppish response to being clean cut and dandy to make everyone think you’re a gentleman. Well our main story of Thursday Night Football, Julian Edelman, did try to pull off something similar but lets face facts: Pearl Jam > Creed > Edelman. I know it really hurts, bro, but not everyone can pull off the ‘down with the man…whoever that is’ look, especially not a chiseled athlete. It just doesn’t suit you (but nice Beatles shirt). What does suit Edelman, though, you ask? Brady and in particular his love for small white guys running a quick slant. Know what suits PPR owners? Being owners of Julian, of course. Edelman finished the night with 13 receptions and 78 yards on 18 receptions, good for an obscene 20.8 points in our Razzball Commenter Leagues settings. That’s sans touchdowns which could also pretty much sum up this game. With the Pats missing three major targets, Edelman stepped up and…well, he didn’t really do much. I think he had a couple of first down catches. Yeah…pretty much that and a buncha 3-5 yard pops. A 6.0 ypc average would be good…if it were yards per carry and not catch. Ugh, this game was pretty nasty and the weather didn’t help. But let’s stay focused (that was more for me than you). Edelman is going to be a low-end WR2 for the next few weeks for some reasons I’ll discuss later on. If you somehow slept through your first Waiver wire adding period and so did the rest of your league mates, well, your league sucks and go pick Julian up. Here’s what else I saw on Thursday Night Football for the 2013 Fantasy Football season…

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Weekly Rankings: Don’t Be So Shorts-Sided

September 12, 2013 | 2013 Fantasy Football, Weekly Rankings | 325 Comments

by: Sky

There are some things in life that just don’t work out the way you want them to. You want to be a rock star. But you’re an accountant and you sound like Darius Rucker. Hootie and The Blowfish were never a rock band so you’re never going to be a rock star. I know, I’m sorry, the truth hurts. But once you figure that out, you get to pay better attention to what you CAN do and you start singing at college coffee houses to 15 to 20 disaffected youth. It’s a good feeling to know your place. Well, I think the Jags have finally figured out what Blaine Gabbert is: he’s not a rock star. I don’t even know if he should be singing in coffee shops which I’ll say is a euphemism for the CFL. Admittedly, he was hurt last week and probably shouldn’t have played but the facts are facts: his team scored zero points with him at the helm and he was slinging it everywhere but to his receivers. If you don’t believe me, just ask Cecil Shorts. He finished last week with just 3 catches on 11 targets. That’s some straight up Skelton to Fitz circa 2012 if you ask me. Thankfully, this week Cecil gets not one but two benefits. Firstly, Henne steps in to QB the Jags, a man with whom he had a very good rapport in 2012. Secondly, he gets to face Oakland. I don’t know if you’ve heard this one before, but they aren’t very good. This should be a coming out of your Shorts party for Cecil and his backfield bro, MJD and a main reason why I said to Buy them yesterday. In other points of differentiation, I like S-Jax more then others this ~~year~~ week as I’m playing the ‘former team, emotional player’ motif with him and sliding Ray Rice down due to the Cleveland front being better then people are willing to give them credit for. Don’t ask about Amendola, I’ll tell you out right: it’s me praying he plays. I’ll move Edelman/Thompkins up if he’s scratched but until it’s 100% true, I shall stay in denial. Defenses…well, just look at my 8-10 and their comparison to the ECR. Pretty clear how I stand there. I don’t post buys on defenses but Dallas’ approach reminded me a lot of what the Bears do out there: ballhawks everywhere. Could be a good, sneaky hold if you got them for this week the rest of the way. And with me devolving into talking about defenses, it’s time to get on with it. Here’s your weekly rankings for week 2 of the 2013 Fantasy Football season…

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Interior Decker Hater

September 11, 2013 | 2013 Fantasy Football, Fantasy Football Buy/Sell | 253 Comments

by: Sky

Well, the first week has happened and as we all know, the first week means everything. We can pencil in Peyton to throw 112 touchdowns on the year. We can also mark Ray-Ray down for only 576 rushing yards but he will catch 128 passes. In this same vein of thought, I’m leading our season of buys on a game that feels like it was so long ago now because we’re a generation of people who think instant message should equal instant response. I’m looking back over comments and I keep seeing the worry about our man Eric Decker. During a night where Peyton tied an NFL record for touchdown passes in a single game, Decker finished the night with 2 receptions for 32 yards on 7 targets. That’s what the stats say. Wanna know what I say? He t-rexed a back of the end zone touchdown and dropped another 10-15 yard bunny later. His night could’ve easily been at least 55 and a touchdown on 4 receptions. But bad nights happen to everyone. They’re gonna happen to your guys here and there all season. It’s natural. But some nights look worse then others and when it’s your first week of the year in the first game of the year in a Nationally Televised and scrutinized game, it’s painfully clear. The guy who started Decker is panicking right now. Welker went off. Demaryius went off. Orange Julius went off. Hell, even Caldwell caught a touchdown! Decker’s trash! Throw him out with the bathwater! The key thing to remember here is he was third on the team in targets with 7. Tied with your boy Julius. Oh and he was targeted in the RZ on his drop. Then Wes got his second TD of the night on the very next play. I’m not saying you should be throwing your signed Alan Thicke photo in on the deal here, of course. The guy you’re trading with has to be worried enough to cough him up for something of lesser value and I think the fear about Eric should be big enough to make that happen. In other Buy/Sell news for 2013 Fantasy Football…

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V For Vick-tory But Dial M For Murder?

September 10, 2013 | 2013 Fantasy Football, Fantasy Football Daily Notes | 290 Comments

by: Sky

I’m not gonna lie to you, this is being typed drunk. How drunk you ask? Well my man Chip Kelly has finally gone from Pinocchio to real boy and most of the next game I had to write up while trying to read the keys through nacho vomit, if that gives you any indication. TMI? Prolly, but that doesn’t take away from the fact that my alma mater’s former coach put on a bit of a ‘yes we can’ response to the ‘you can’t do that in the NFL’ response to the naysayers tonight and I celebrated…maybe a bit too much. How many fingers am I holding up? Yes, yes imaginary reader I’ll admit it looks a bit blurred but no more then the Eagles offense did tonight. What I do see is one finger. Namely the middle. Because that’s what I expect to see from all of you after I tell you to be cautious of your Eagles components, in particular Michael Vick. I’m not a person who always aims for the negative but let me be the developer to your photographer here and point out that – as glorious as Vick’s night was – he spent more time limping then holding his arm up in victory. Vick took a lot of shots tonight and that needs to NOT go unnoticed. Chip’s never been kind to his QBs in terms of abuse received and for all that is great about Vick, his stats tonight (15/25 for 203 yards passing with 2 touchdowns, 9 for 54 yards and a TD on the ground) might be a swan song. I saw a lot of limping and a lot f big hits tonight. Now I’m not here to tell you to sell right off the bat but just be weary that the guy you drafted as a potential QB1 – and Vick really is that – just might be injured too soon to pan out. Next week is San Diego at home and though I do expect a different play out from the Eagles sideline, it’s good to note that Vick is awesome when healthy but unsellable when dead. In other news from Monday Night Football for 2013 Fantasy Football…

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Ridley Goes From Pats To Patsy

September 9, 2013 | 2013 Fantasy Football, Fantasy Football Daily Notes | 177 Comments

by: Sky

It started off so well. On two straight plays, Stevan Ridley ripped the Bills defense for a couple of nice runs. First one up the middle. Eleven yards. Next one off right tackle. Five yards. This last carry took him to 52 yards on the day on just 8 carries. Things were looking good, the Pats were driving and that sweet end zone love was surely gonna go into Stevan’s hands. Only he came up empty. Wait, let me restate that. He came up BIG empty, fumbling the ball on the very next play for a Bills defensive touchdown. Like what we all hope will happen to Miley Cyrus after the VMAs, Ridley wasn’t to be seen nor heard from again for the rest of the game. That’s how Belichick rolls. Y’all got Hoodie Winked! Ridley had 4 fumbles last year, only losing 2 but the one thing that Bill won’t tolerate is fumbles from his RBs. Now I don’t think Ridley’s lost his starting job. Not by a long shot. But I do think he’s opened that door wider then Miley Cyrus…ok, enough about Hannah Montana analogies. I don’t see Ridley losing his job any time soon. That said, for other reasons, we may see a reduced workload moving forward. Remember when I ranked him 20th among RBs and you were all like ‘nuh-uh’ and I was like ‘uh-huh?’. This would be a good reason why. I don’t trust Bill to trust any player week to week unless he has a beautiful butt-chin. In other 2013 Fantasy Football news from week 1…

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Who Ordered The Orange Julius?

September 6, 2013 | 2013 Fantasy Football, Fantasy Football Daily Notes | 247 Comments

by: Sky

Seriously, who? It wasn’t me, though I do think they’re quite tasty. This season has started out with a bang for sure but of all the bangs I expected, this wasn’t it. Julius Thomas led the offensive charge for the Denver Broncos on the opening night of the season for the Denver Broncos, scoring 2 touchdowns on passes of 23 and 24 yards and finished his fantastic night with 5 catches for 110 yards on 7 targets. Was it a great night? You bet! Was it something you should become accustomed to? As a real Bronco would say ‘neigh’. Games are always and will always be situational. The Ravens weren’t allowing any yardage down field to start the game and were very keyed in on Decker and DT most of the night, which led to a major fantasy scoring discrepancy for Bronco player owners tonight. Don’t get me wrong, Julius is for real but in terms of targets on the night, he was tied with Decker at 7 for third on that chart and one of Decker’s targets was in the redzone. He’s not going to have nights like THIS all that often but he will have some good nights moving forward. I’ll put him down as a top 15 TE for the rest of the year for the plain and simple fact he looks to be a redzone target but keep in mind those 7 targets all happened in the first half. Just don’t expect the 110 yards a game from here on out and you’ll be in a good place. And now for what else I saw for the first night of 2013 Fantasy Football…Oh, and yeah this is a Fantasy Football blog but, uh, like we’re brothers around here and the Fantasy Baseball side is doing a final Draftkings run this season so I’d feel remiss if I didn’t let you know about it in case you’re into daily fantasy baseball. You’re not? Well that’s why this is all I have to say about it! Click here if you’re interested and if you’re not, just let your eyes keep scrolling downward…

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