I’m heading to Qwest Field today to catch the debut of the new-look Seahawks led by Coach Pete Carroll. I will be updating you on Twitter (@DailyDanSports) all day. Get the latest on the NFL experience and fantasy football by following and commenting on my Tweets today.
Twitter – @DailyDanSports
© 2010 Dan Weedin. All Rights Reserved
A look at my picks in the Running Back and Tight End Categories
Running Backs:
1 – Chris Johnson – Tennessee
2 – Adrian Peterson – Minnesota
3 – Ray Rice – Baltimore
4 – Frank Gore – San Francisco
5 – Maurice Jones-Drew – Jacksonville (worried about his injury)
Sleeper – Arian Foster – Houston
Tight Ends:
1 – Dallas Clark – Indianapolis
2 – Antonio Gates – San Diego
3 – Vernon Davis – San Francisco
4 – Jermichael Finley – Green Bay
5 – Tony Gonzalez – Atlanta
Sleeper – Dustin Keller – New York Jets
This is the week that most fantasy football leagues start drafting. If you’ve never played fantasy football, I encourage you to join in the fun by playing in at least one league. Here’s why…
1 – It gives you a broader scope of the NFL. You find yourself being interested in players outside of your personal favorite team.
2 – You get to watch ESPN and the NFL Network on Sunday nights to see all the highlights.
3 – You become addicted to the little boxes on the TV showing the fantasy stats, praying that your guys are scoring touchdowns and making plays.
4 – It’s free. Now you may have leagues that have a buy-in with prizes at the end….that just adds to the flavor and fun.
5 – If you’re a female and think this isn’t for you, think again. I play in leagues against many women, including my two daughters. Let me tell you that the women are the fiercest competitors!
The greatest value however is the camaraderie. I started a league on ESPN about a dozen years ago with a few friends. One of my pals invited members of his family from all over the country. I got the opportunity to at least “virtually” meet them all. My friend’s father became one of the most colorful members…often trash talking his kids and just simply enjoying himself. He passed away a couple year ago during the football season. George was a Marine veteran who loved his Steelers and loved playing fantasy football with his family and people he never met in person. We re-named our league the “Leatherneck Memorial League” after him and our draft will be held this Saturday. I’m sure we will talk about him.
Fantasy Football is back and if you even like football, consider joining in on the fun. This week will be dedicated to Fantasy Football. Each day, I will bring my predictions, my stories, and my opinions for your consumption. I look forward to your participation.
© 2010 Dan Weedin. All Rights Reserved
Sorry for missing a few posts this past week. Last Friday I traveled to Pittsburgh to take my two daughters back to college. I am here through Thursday. Here is a brief recap of sports related adventures and thoughts I’ve had since then…
1 – I picked up Pete Carroll’s new book, Win Forever, at Sea-Tac before heading out. I almost finished it on the flight over. I am pleasantly surprised and find the book fascinating. I have a couple short chapters left and when I’m done will give a book review. Stay tuned…
2 – I am excited to meet an old rival this week. I’ve been part of a Fantasy Football league for about the past dozen years. The league includes a friend whose family has played and they are all over the country, BUT are all originally from Pittsburgh. One of the combatants, the Steel City Irons is my pal’s sister, Susan. She is a past champion and a solid competitor. In fact, she has inspired my girls to play Fantasy Football. Regardless, I’m going to finally meet the Steel City Irons (who once beat me in the Super Bowl) on this trip tomorrow. I think I probably owe her at least a mocha for the thrashing…
3 – I can’t tell you how many welcome signs I’ve seen here in the Pittsburgh area all reminding me that I’m in “Steeler Country.” Ugh! There are too many constant reminders of their 2005 championship over the Hawks. One day….one day…
4 – I think we are going to catch a Pirates game on Tuesday. They are playing the Cardinals and Albert Pujols. I love going to other stadiums in any sport, and getting the chance to watch a potential Hall-of-Famer. The Pittsburgh stadiums are gorgeous from the outside and I’m looking forward to the game.
5 – Missed the Seahawks on Saturday but I heard they played well. After reading Coach Carroll’s book, I must admit I am excited for the season and to watch them compete.
6 – M’s lose 10-0 yesterday. I guess the Daren Brown honeymoon period is over after leaving the Big Apple…
7 – Lou Piniella officially retired this week to take care of his ailing mother. Lou is first-class all the way. Thanks for everything you did for the Mariners and baseball, Lou. You will be missed!
More this week from Pittsburgh as I do my Charles Kuralt impersonation!
© 2010 Dan Weedin. All Rights Reserved
Friday’s will start being a day for me to help those of you veteran and novice fantasy sports players. I’ve had many folks tell me they’d like to learn more, so here is your first dose of fantasy expertise by The Daily Dan…
What’s the difference between the two scoring platforms – Rotisserie vs. Head to Head
Rotisserie is the format that is built for baseball and basketball. “Owners” draft players to fill all positions and each position gets a maximum of the number of games per season. This way, everyone gets the equal number of games.
Example – I drafted Kobe Bryant in my fantasy basketball league this year. His position (shooting guard) is allowed 82 games for the season (equaling the number of games played in the NBS season). If I switched him out of that position every time he didn’t play, I wouldn’t be able to use all his games. For him (and other stars) unless they get injured and miss games, I will never move them. I the end, you want to be able to use all your games and run out at the end of the season, not 3 weeks early.
There are “Utility” positions you can rotate players in and out of (maximums still apply). You may also have other positions that you don’t mind “rotating” players.
Head to Head is built for fantasy football. You play head to had every week against another owner. Football is easiest because games are only played every week. You will find the other sports offer this option, but I don’t like H2H for these sports because it requires too much work on a daily basis. You accumulate points for the week and if you outscore your opponent, you get a win and they get a loss. Much like real sports, you have a record and that leads to the playoffs.
Football is obviously over; basketball is currently being played; and baseball is around the corner. If you play (or want to play) fantasy sports and have questions, this is the place…
Dan
This is playoffs week for most Fantasy Football Leagues. With one big game down – a scoring frenzy for the Colts and Jaguars – and one more today, there is a lot of interest percolating. If you are a Peyton Manning, Dallas Clark, or Maurice Jones-Drew owner, you are thrilled. If you had either Defense, you’re crying?
Who do you have questions on this weekend as far as starting? Send me the details and I’m happy to help you. I already gave one buddy the MJD start at RB and he’s happy. Let’s see how I can help you…
Dan
1 – Where’s Housh – T.J. Houshmandzadeh was the big-time free agent signing for the Seahawks and has been a disappointment. Trust me…I have him on my fantasy football team and I know the production isn’t there. It’s not his fault. It’s not Matt Hasselbeck’s fault. Blame goes to the offensive line and Greg Knapp. The O-line has been awful (next bullet), but Greg Knapp’s offense isn’t run to take advantage of Housh. T.J. is a better version of Bobby Engram and would have been perfect in Mike Holmgren’s West Coast offense. Add to it that Hasselbeck has struggled due to a different tempo. Bottom line – either change the offensive schemes to match your talent or get a new offensive coordinator.
2 – The line protecting Hasselbeck is truly offensive. So bad, it almost got him decapitated several times. Coach Jim Mora already called out the line and intimated changes. Change to who? This is an area that must be heavily addressed in the off-season or mediocrity will continue into 2010.
3 – For Mora to survive this position past 2010, he must significantly improve the line of scrimmage on both sides fast. He must take a hard look at his assistant coaches, and he must hope for a new General Manager that will give him some rope. He has control of two of those items.
4 – Fantasy Football studs for the weekend – Andre Johnson (Houston), Ray Rice (Baltimore), and Chris Johnson (Tennessee)
Bonus – This just in. Accenture just cut Tiger Woods. The management consulting company came out and said his new “image” isn’t what they are looking for. This won’t be the first defection from the Tiger team.
Here’s hoping you slide in ahead of the tag today!
Dan
© 2009 Dan Weedin – All Rights Reserved
Who do you root for – your home team or fantasy player going against them?
I was chatting with a buddy who told me his fantasy football league has a rule that you can’t play your fantasy QB against the Seahawks. That’s crazy! Now, I’m as big a Hawks fan as there is, but there’s got to be some sanity here. I certainly don’t advocate brazenly rooting against your team, but there is a middle ground. Here’s my position…
You always root for your team to win. In professional sports, it’s the bottom line. However, you also root for your fantasy players to be competitive. For me, that’s a 15 point week for a QB, RB, or WR. Get some points, don’t go crazy, lose to my team, but help my fantasy team. Easy. Now, if it’s a blow out either way, you give the benefit of the doubt to your fantasy players. We’ve got to be real, right?
This is all easy for me to say this week as my fantasy team won the regular season and gets a BYE this week. My QB is Matt Schaub who goes up against Seattle. However, had this been a playoff game for me, Schaub would have been in and I would have been rooting for a 45-42 Seahawks win!
Here’s hoping you slide in ahead of the tag today!
Dan
© 2009 Dan Weedin – All Rights Reserved
