By Dan O’Shea

Many fantasy football draft boards had one thing in common: A complete lack of NY Jets players. With the possible exceptions of late-round picks used to nab WR Santonio Holmes, RB Shonn Greene or back-up QB/would-be miracle worker Tim Tebow, many fantasy football owners were not buying into the Rex Ryan mystique, the Tebow halo or even the hype around rookie Stephen Hill.
It was a prime example of how an already shaky team having a terrible preseason – no TDs by its first-string offense in four games – can shake any faith that fantasy drafters have in that team’s individual players.
But the Jets stunned just about everybody by tallying 48 points in an opening game win against the Buffalo Bills. True, there might be questions about Buffalo’s defense, but 48 points against anyone in the NFL suggests there must be a few Jets players with fantasy potential. It just goes to show that you can’t believe everything you see in the preseason.
Here’s my take on the fantasy value of a handful of key Jets:

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Posted on September 12, 2012

By Carl Mohrbacher

They’ve got a number one receiver, a Pro Bowl quarterback and a complete running game – now with real fullback action!
They’ve got a coaching staff that’s so experienced and prepared that they were in charge of making the trains run on time while Rahm was at the DNC*.
They’ve got an opportunistic defense that will put points on the board with a rookie safety poised to perennially man the secondary for years to come!
HEADS UP, NFC A-HOLES!!! WE’RE THE MONSTERS OF THE MIDWAY AND WE NOT ONLY LIVE UNDER YOU BED, WE BANG YO’ MAMMA THERE!!!

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Posted on September 11, 2012

By Don Best TV

The new-look Bears pummeled the worst team in the NFL. The Packers struggled against one of the best teams in the NFL. Oddsmakers who would normally have made Green Bay a seven-point home favorite kicked the line down to five. Opportunity for the savvy bettor arises.

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Posted on September 11, 2012

By Jim Coffman

Let’s hear it for starting the season with a little humility.
After all, Jay Cutler certainly bounced back well enough on Sunday. He had to after receiving a critical reminder that he is far from perfect when despite no pass-rush pressure he tossed a brutal pick in the right flat that Colts linebacker Jerrell Freeman returned about 2.5 yards for a touchdown. It happened on the Bear offense’s fourth play from scrimmage.
It was an unbelievably bad start to the season, but it could have been the best thing to happen to this team if they want Cutler to carry them to a deep playoff run.

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Posted on September 10, 2012

By Roger Wallenstein

Good teams win the close ones, and neither team meeting tonight at U.S. Cellular appears to be very good.
Even though the four games this week between the White Sox and Tigers very well could determine the Central Division champion, both clubs enter the series in a fog. At this point, you have to give a tepid nod to our guys simply because Detroit had such a horrid week, going 1-5 including a three-game sweep in Anaheim over the weekend.
But yesterday’s 2-1, ten-inning loss to the Royals – a game where the Sox blew a number of chances – left Sox fans muttering, “If only . . . ”

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Posted on September 10, 2012

By Marty Gangler

At this point in the season, the Cubs are essentially like that proverbial car accident that you slow down to look at just to see if there is anything interesting going on and then you speed up quickly and go on your way.
We slowed down during the Nationals series, for example, to watch the benches empty because bench coach Jamie Quirk and catcher Steve Clevenger were being babies about Washington was still trying with a 7-2 lead in the fifth inning.
And how ’bout that play by Brett Jackson?

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Posted on September 10, 2012

By Mike Luce

Western Kentucky head coach Willie Taggart took exception to the Vegas line which opened with the Hilltoppers as 37-point underdogs against #1 Alabama and has since risen to 39, calling the spread “a bunch of bologna.”
Taggart went on to say that WKU is going to play to win, not to “lose by 39 points.”
Coach, some people would really prefer that you lost by 40 points or more, while others are hoping you only lose by 38.5 points or less. See what you can do.

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Posted on September 7, 2012

By Don Best TV

From our two favorite YouTube prognosticators.
1. Emory Hunt, the Czar of the Playbook, for Football Gameplan:
If the Colts can run downhill on the suspect Bears interior defense, they could have some success. But the Bears have the edge at too many positions.

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Posted on September 6, 2012

By Dan O’Shea

This week, I present the last chapter in my fantasy football preseason draft guide. Not that my list of tight ends can help you at this point, since the season starts today and all leagues have drafted, but I guess you can still check your own results against my rankings for posterity and satisfaction (mine, that is).
My top 12 TEs (after the first 12, it’s mostly just a crap-shoo):

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Posted on September 5, 2012

By Jim Coffman

Backup quarterback Jason Campbell not playing for the Bears against the Browns in the final exhibition game may result in my bowing out of season-ticket ownership. Cubs season-ticket ownership that is.
Upon further review (NFL football begins in less than 36 hours people! Time to adopt a proper mindset), I suppose I should acknowledge that the previous correlation isn’t exactly direct. But the two items in that previous sentence are potentially related and I’m happy to break down why.

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Posted on September 4, 2012