HAM Newton

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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Last Second Decisions – Everyone Is Questionable!

by: JB Gilpin

Well, despite it only being a measly three weeks into the season, it feels like every owner is dealing with a handful of questionables in their line-ups this morning – much to the chagrin to those of us wanting to pregame like we’re in college for our noon football game. And to those of us with guys in late games. I mean, c’mon I don’t want to have to watch Chris Berman for three straight hours to get reports on who’s playing! Although, I wouldn’t mind listening to him on commercial breaks…

It’s already gotten into that time of year when you have to make last second decisions based on news reports coming out mere hours before kickoff. Right now, I’m torn on Larry Fitzgerald. Sure everything points to him playing, but is this another Roddy White limited game? I’m moving Fitz down a few pegs. And past Fitz there’s a whole Seattle slew of other guys with question marks we will know more about (but still not enough) as we approach kick-off. That’s why we have the comments section! I’ll be here all morning with my thoughts on your line-up decisions, along with some picks below.

Please, blog, may I have some more?

The Handcuff Report

September 21, 2013 | 2013 Fantasy Football, Handcuff Report | 106 Comments

by: J-FOH

Do you remember the days when teams each had one running back to carry the load from 1^st through 3^rd down? Lumbering through the pain of worn out cartilage in their knees and treating pain killers like a food group. Now we have a world of 3^rd down backs, pass blocking backs, full time, part time, short yardage (that use to be called a fullback) and some baby backs….yeah I’m pointing at you David Wilson. With the first two weeks in the books we can walk away from all this with a little bit of sanity knowing what we all didn’t know, we didn’t know together, and what we did know was laced with lies. For those of you that know me as Jack, I’m here to help break down and navigate the wonderful world of handcuffs. To help guide you, please take the contents of the little baggy I put under your seats, oh wait, that’s a different blog. To help guide you, if you are in a shallow league pay attention to the top, if you are in a 12 team, then give yourself a high five and if you are in a deep league pay attention to the bottom.

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Sawbones Scribings Week 3: Is Ray Rice Cooked?

September 20, 2013 | 2013 Fantasy Football, Injury Report | 48 Comments

by: Andrew Nordmeier

Instead of diving in with the usual pizzazz, I want to step back and take a look at something that happened last week. Baltimore running back Ray Rice was held to 36 yards on 13 carries before leaving with a strained left hip flexor.

And then fantasy football showed its dark side. While we can’t see what was sent to him on his timeline (@RayRice27), it’s safe to say there were quite a few vicious tweets and people verbally puking on him.

What the hell is wrong with people? I get that Twitter gives a platform that can give more direct access to athletes than was ever possible before. To take it that far is ridiculous. This is a GAME, folks. It’s not life and death. As a fantasy doctor, I get life and death. Whether your team wins a game in Week 2 isn’t it.

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Targets and Touches: Jimmy Graham Goes Green Eggs and HAM

September 20, 2013 | 2013 Fantasy Football, Hard Targets | 47 Comments

by: LT Murray IV

Greetings! Tis I, the extraordinary Mr. Beddict, here to shoot fantasy football knowledge from my fingertips to your brains. I’m gonna shoot. I’m gonna shooooooot. After scouring the box scores for days on end, I’ve concluded that some of my guidance in the comment section might have actually been advantageous. And for that I give myself, Tehol Beddict, two snaps and a twist! It’s reigning men out here in the fantasy football world, and my duty here at Razzball is to handpick a squad of these demi-gods every week and dissect their targets and production for your reading pleasure. It’s been said Bill Simmons flogs the dolphin to my posts. There’s been rumors Peter King has my 1997 Playgirl foldout on his wall. What they don’t understand is that no amount of money could ever tear me away from Razzball, the home of legends like Grey, Rudy, and my sensei Sky-dog. Ok, that’s probably an overstatement. Five hundred would probably get the deal done. Enough about me (is that possible?), let’s get to the players we rode like Seattle Slew for the win, or the so called gladiators who performed like gelded steers during mating season:

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

September 20, 2013 | 2013 Fantasy Football, Fantasy Football Daily Notes | 247 Comments

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 IDP Rankings: Week Three For 2013 Fantasy Football

September 19, 2013 | 2013 Fantasy Football, Weekly Rankings | 22 Comments

by: Kevin Kumpf

They say one week is a fluke, two weeks is a trend, and three weeks is reality. Who says that? I don’t know, I may have just made it up. But it applies for early season breakouts on both of the offensive and defensive side of the ball. So while you one-dimensional owners debate over Eddie Royal and James Starks, I’ll dive deep on some impressive early-September IDP performers in this week’s Adds/Drops/Rising/Falling:

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Bet the Farm: NFL Week 3 Betting Contest

September 19, 2013 | 2013 Fantasy Football, Bet The Farm | 35 Comments

by: Josh Carey

Welcome to Bet the Farm, Razzball’s weekly NFL wagering contest. We’re back for our second season and ready to take you on over the course of 17 weeks of NFL play. For those new to the game, here are the rules:

You start with $1,000 in contest money to make wagers with. You may join in any week.
You can wager on the spread or Over/Under for any NFL game, so long as your pick is made by kickoff of that game. The Yahoo Sports Odds page is a good place to get betting lines: you may use the best line you find available when you make your post, but revisions to wagers are not allowed.
Your wager must be in an increment of $10.
You must beat the House: Therefore, you only receive 90% of your wager for a win ($9 on a $10 bet), but lose 100% of your wager on a loss.
Your wager may be any amount between $10 and your full bankroll.
New this year: If you lose your entire bankroll, you are allowed a re-buy for another $1,000. Unlimited re-buys are available.
New this year: Bet the Farm staff will keep track of the full leaderboard for all participants. However, any player who has taken a re-buy will be listed below all players who have not taken a re-buy – even those with lower current balances. It’s always better to not lose all your money. Players with two re-buys will be listed below those with one re-buy, and so on.

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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…

Please, blog, may I have some more?

Week 3 Players to Play/Avoid: The Chronicles of Ridley

September 18, 2013 | 2013 Fantasy Football, Rush & Pass Strategy | 70 Comments

by: Loudon

Holy injuries Batman! The number of concussions, questionable statuses, and long-term injuries has been staggering this year. Thought you could count on Roddy White, Eddie Lacy, Larry Fitzgerald, Malcom Floyd, Andre Johnson, Reggie Bush, Ray Rice, or any number of fantasy-relevant stars without worrying about their health? Think again. It looks like most of those guys will still play next week, but you better keep an eye on their status as the week goes on. For some, the matchup may be a good one, but concerns about targets/carries may not merit the start. Fantasy Football is all about weighing your options and there has already a lot more of that necessary than there has been in past seasons.

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DraftKings – Fantasy Blues Forget-Me-Nows

September 18, 2013 | DraftKings | 4 Comments

by: JB Gilpin

Well week 2 is in the books, and many fantasy players’ hopes and dreams have been crushed by the really big fantasy disappointments piling up. David Wilson? Should’ve listened to me! Maurice Jones-Drew? Yikes, what a terrible team. Roddy White? Dude, he’s killing me too. Let them take HGH again pro sports!

So how do you get out of the fantasy dumps and either win back your league dues or get back into that winning spirit with an underwhelming RCL team? DraftKings is here with your fantasy blues forget-me-nows, with huge weekly contests like their SUNDAY QUARTER MILLION contest! The top winner nabs $25 grand and the other three top winners get awarded tickets into their huge Fantasy Millionaire Grand Finale contest which will wrap up the season on week 17 and crown someone a millionaire. For playing fantasy football! If you’re looking for something close to the Razzball Contest we did over at baseball, they’ve got an awesome $20,000 FLEA FLICKER – which is what I played in last week – for only $5 where you can win the top prize of $1,500 bucks and a coveted entry into the Millionaire Grand Finale. The prizes are huge at DraftKings football so go out and win Razzball Nation some money!

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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…

Please, blog, may I have some more?