http://www.rtsports.com/ RealTime Fantasy Sports Fantasy Football News en-us Fri, 20 Nov 2009 21:49:00 GMT 2009 RTSports.com 60 http://www.rtsports.com/football-news/0800048939 http://www.rtsports.com/football-news/0800048939 PHILADELPHIA (AP) -For the second consecutive week, the Eagles will go with a different look at linebacker because of a knee injury to weakside starter Akeem Jordan . Coach Andy Reid ruled out Jordan for Sunday night's game at Chicago. Will Witherspoon will again start at weakside LB, and second-year man Joe Mays will start in the middle. Chris Gocong , who started in the middle in last week's loss to San Diego, will move back to his customary spot on the strong side. Rookie Moise Fokou , who started the past two games on the strong side, appears to be the odd man out. RTSports.com 2009-11-20T16:46-05:00 http://www.rtsports.com/football-news/0800048938 http://www.rtsports.com/football-news/0800048938 OWINGS MILLS, Md. (AP) - Baltimore Ravens defensive end Dwan Edwards plans to appeal the $5,000 fine he received for a hit delivered to Cleveland Browns wide receiver Joshua Cribbs on Monday night. Edwards struck Cribbs with a forearm to the facemask on the final play of Baltimore's 16-0 win. Edwards said Friday he will appeal in an effort ``to get some of it back.'' He said the fine was levied because the hit came at a time when Cribbs ``supposedly shouldn't have reasonably expected it.'' RTSports.com 2009-11-20T16:40-05:00 http://www.rtsports.com/football-news/0800048937 http://www.rtsports.com/football-news/0800048937 TEMPE, Ariz. (AP) - The NFL has fined Arizona Cardinals defensive tackle Darnell Dockett $7,500 for his elbow to the throat of Seattle quarterback Matt Hasselbeck . The league said the fine was for ``roughing the passer.'' Seattle coach Jim Mora had complained that it was a dirty play by Dockett, who responded it was an accident. Dockett said he has too much respect for Hasselbeck to ever intentionally hurt the Seahawks quarterback. RTSports.com 2009-11-20T16:40-05:00 http://www.rtsports.com/football-news/0800048934 http://www.rtsports.com/football-news/0800048934 FLORHAM PARK, N.J. (AP) - Darrelle Revis held Randy Moss to four catches and 24 yards the first time the Jets played the Patriots. If New York has any chance of beating New England on Sunday and saving its season, it could largely depend on whether Revis can blanket the Patriots' playmaking receiver again. After shutting down Moss in Week 2, Revis was praised by his teammates, coaches and pretty much anyone else who saw the game. Everyone, that is, except for Moss. RTSports.com 2009-11-20T16:34-05:00 http://www.rtsports.com/football-news/0800048933 http://www.rtsports.com/football-news/0800048933 NEW ORLEANS (AP) - New Orleans Saints running back Reggie Bush has been held out of practice for the third straight day, and is listed as questionable for Sunday's game in Tampa Bay. Bush came out of the St. Louis game with swelling and soreness in his left knee, which was surgically repaired twice in a three-month span a year ago. Saints coach Sean Payton says Bush's knee is bruised and swollen. He says that happens with a knee that has had surgery. RTSports.com 2009-11-20T16:32-05:00 http://www.rtsports.com/football-news/0800048932 http://www.rtsports.com/football-news/0800048932 BEREA, Ohio (AP) -Josh Cribbs' neck is still a little sore, but he doesn't mind sticking it out for Baltimore's Dwan Edwards . Cribbs said Friday he expects to play in the Cleveland Browns ' game at Detroit on Sunday, which will be six days after he was strapped to a backboard and wheeled into an ambulance following a loss to the Ravens on Monday night. Edwards was fined $5,000 by the league this week for smashing a forearm under Cribbs' chin on the game's final play. Cribbs had pitched the ball away on a lateral and admitted he had relaxed a bit when Edwards hit him. As a result, he defended Edwards on Friday. RTSports.com 2009-11-20T16:26-05:00 http://www.rtsports.com/football-news/0800048931 http://www.rtsports.com/football-news/0800048931 LAKE FOREST, Ill. (AP) -The Chicago Bears placed backup running back Garrett Wolfe on injured reserve Friday, ending his season. The team listed a kidney injury for Wolfe, who told the Chicago Tribune in a text message that he suffered a lacerated kidney on the opening kickoff of a game against Arizona on Nov. 8. The Bears elevated running back Kahlil Bell from the practice squad to replace Wolfe. RTSports.com 2009-11-20T16:22-05:00 http://www.rtsports.com/football-news/0800048930 http://www.rtsports.com/football-news/0800048930 ENGLEWOOD, Colo. (AP) - Kyle Orton missed a third consecutive practice Friday because of a sprained left ankle and has only an outside chance of playing Sunday when the Denver Broncos and San Diego Chargers meet with first place in the AFC West on the line. Broncos backup Chris Simms again took first-team practice repetitions, as he has all week in the absence of Orton, who was injured during last week's 27-17 loss at Washington. Simms is in line to make his first start since September 2006, when he suffered a life-threatening spleen injury while with Tampa Bay. RTSports.com 2009-11-20T16:22-05:00 http://www.rtsports.com/football-news/0800048929 http://www.rtsports.com/football-news/0800048929 RENTON, Wash. (AP) - Josh Wilson is unlikely to play Sunday at Minnesota because of a concussion, leaving the Seahawks without a starting cornerback against Brett Favre and the high-flying Vikings. Seattle coach Jim Mora said after Wilson missed his third consecutive practice Friday that there is only a slight chance he will play. Last weekend he banged his head into the leg of Arizona Cardinals running back Beanie Wells and then the turf. Wilson returned to finish the game before being diagnosed with the concussion. RTSports.com 2009-11-20T16:06-05:00 http://www.rtsports.com/football-news/0800048927 http://www.rtsports.com/football-news/0800048927 The NFL Players Association opposes commissioner Roger Goodell's call for players to tell their teams' medical staffs if they think a teammate shows symptoms of a concussion. NFLPA assistant executive director George Atallah tells The Associated Press on Friday that Goodell's suggestion is not an adequate solution. Atallah says that instead of wanting players ``to police each other,'' the league should make sure doctors keep a closer eye on players. RTSports.com 2009-11-20T15:58-05:00 http://www.rtsports.com/football-news/0800048926 http://www.rtsports.com/football-news/0800048926 PITTSBURGH (AP) -Steelers safety Troy Polamalu did not practice all week because of a left knee injury and will not play Sunday in Kansas City. He may miss the Nov. 29 game at Baltimore as well. Polamalu sat out the Steelers' second through fifth games with a ligament tear, only to injure the same knee during an 18-12 loss to Cincinnati on Sunday. Polamalu's latest injury is to a different ligament. He wore a heavy brace as he watched practice this week. RTSports.com 2009-11-20T15:32-05:00 http://www.rtsports.com/football-news/0800048923 http://www.rtsports.com/football-news/0800048923 FLORHAM PARK, N.J. (AP) - New York Jets safety Jim Leonhard is questionable for the team's game at New England after being limited in practice Friday with a broken right thumb. Leonhard, injured in last Sunday's loss to Jacksonville, returned to practice and participated in individual drills as well as some team activities while wearing a cast on his hand. ``It was better than I thought it would be,'' Leonhard said of practicing with the cast. ``If I wasn't able to do that today, it would have been very hard to play on Sunday.'' RTSports.com 2009-11-20T15:24-05:00 http://www.rtsports.com/football-news/0800048922 http://www.rtsports.com/football-news/0800048922 ASHBURN, Va. (AP) - Washington Redskins running back Clinton Portis was at the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center on Friday to have his concussion evaluated. Portis saw the same doctors who examined Eagles back Brian Westbrook , who has suffered two concussions in the last month. Portis was hurt two weeks ago against Atlanta. He did not play last week against Denver and has been ruled out for Sunday's game at Dallas. ``We're going to make sure we take care of all the details. We're for Clinton getting well,'' coach Jim Zorn said. ``Each day Clinton's done a great job of communicating how he's felt, and that's what it's going to take. RTSports.com 2009-11-20T15:22-05:00 http://www.rtsports.com/football-news/0800048921 http://www.rtsports.com/football-news/0800048921 BEREA, Ohio (AP) - Cleveland Browns defensive coordinator Rob Ryan understands why his brother is so emotional. It comes with the territory of being in the Ryan family. Jets coach Rex Ryan cried in front of his team Monday morning following New York's 24-22 loss to Jacksonville on Sunday. He later poked fun at himself by showing up to a news conference with a box of tissues. ``He's a typical Ryan. He's going to come out swinging,'' Rob Ryan says. ``He's like me. We're having a pretty miserable year right here. We're just going to keep working 'til we get it right. That was one thing we were taught by our father.'' RTSports.com 2009-11-20T15:18-05:00 http://www.rtsports.com/football-news/0800048919 http://www.rtsports.com/football-news/0800048919 EDEN PRAIRIE, Minn. (AP) -Vikings coach Brad Childress is happy to be staying in Minnesota for several more years. Players say they're pleased his contract has been extended, too. There was plenty of skepticism about Childress in his first two seasons while the Vikings struggled to find a rhythm on the field, and players had problems with his rigid style. He has loosened up, though, and learned how to connect with a team that's currently sporting strong chemistry and an 8-1 record. RTSports.com 2009-11-20T15:06-05:00 http://www.rtsports.com/football-news/0800048916 http://www.rtsports.com/football-news/0800048916 Chris Henry is experiencing a different kind of hardship. The Bengals receiver broke both bones in his left forearm during a win over Baltimore two weeks ago. He needed surgery to have two plates inserted, ending his chances of playing again during his final season under contract with Cincinnati. ``It was tough at first,'' Henry said, his left arm in a bulky cast supported by a sling. ``Now I've just got to roll with the punches and do what I need to do to get back healthy and be ready for next year. Just another hurdle I've got to get over.'' RTSports.com 2009-11-20T14:18-05:00 http://www.rtsports.com/football-news/0800048915 http://www.rtsports.com/football-news/0800048915 ORCHARD PARK, N.Y. (AP) -Buffalo's Marcus Stroud has been ruled out because of a knee injury, meaning the NFL's worst run defense could be without both starting defensive tackles against Jacksonville this weekend. Kyle Williams has missed three games because of a knee injury, and was listed as questionable by interim head coach Perry Fewell on Friday. Williams has practiced sparingly this weekend. The Bills (3-6) have only two other defensive tackles on their roster, reserves Spencer Johnson and John McCargo . RTSports.com 2009-11-20T13:58-05:00 http://www.rtsports.com/football-news/0800048910 http://www.rtsports.com/football-news/0800048910 NEW YORK (AP) -The NFL Players Association wants the league to remove the co-chairman of the league's committee on concussions because the union believes he is biased. Dr. Ira Casson has criticized independent and league-sponsored studies linking NFL careers with heightened risk for dementia and cognitive decline, saying more research is needed. ``We've expressed some serious concern about his ability to continue in his role,'' NFLPA assistant executive director George Atallah said in a telephone interview Friday, ``because of the historic comments that he's made with respect to discrediting independent research on the subject of concussions and the long-term impact of football on players.'' RTSports.com 2009-11-20T12:20-05:00 http://www.rtsports.com/football-news/kffl-111904 http://www.rtsports.com/football-news/kffl-111904 In this article KFFL breaks down the fantasy football sleepers of the week. We will avoid marquee names because players of that caliber are rarely benched, regardless of their matchup. Instead, we will focus on the players that make your fantasy lineup decisions stressful each week. Read on to learn which midrange to low-end players that you wouldn't necessarily consider that you need to get into your lineup. Note: All statistics are from Week 7 to Week 10, unless otherwise noted. Fantasy football busts: Running backs Knowshon Moreno, Denver Broncos vs. San Diego Chargers Fantasy value: No. 2 or flex Knowshon may disappoint this week The Broncos leaned heavily on Moreno last week; he was utilized 23 times, his second most this season. He finished the game with 97 yards on 18 carries (5.4 yards per carry). San Diego has done a number on this position, limiting them to only 83.3 rushing yards and 0.25 rushing touchdowns per game. They've given up just 4.00 receptions and 28.5 receiving yards per game to this position, too. Quarterback Kyle Orton (ankle) missed practice Wednesday, Nov. 18, and it won't be known until later in the week if he plays. Regardless of who starts behind center, the Chargers probably will be able to key on the running game to shut down Denver's offense. Laurence Maroney, New England Patriots vs. New York Jets Fantasy value: Flex or bench Maroney has double-digit utilizations in all four of New England's games since Week 5. Last week the Indianapolis Colts held him to just 2.4 yards per carry (31 yards on 13 carries), and he fumbled once. He has scored in four straight games, though. Opposing running backs have averaged just 93.0 rushing yards and 0.33 rushing touchdowns per game against the Jets. Sammy Morris (knee) is expected to return this week. His return further clouds an already murky picture at the position for New England, especially given Maroney's fumble last week. NEW - Darren McFadden, Oakland Raiders vs. Cincinnati Bengals Fantasy value: Flex or bench McFadden's return in Week 10 didn't result in a huge workload; he carried the ball just four times for 11 yards and didn't catch a pass. The Bengals have allowed the fewest rushing yards per game to this position (48.3). They also have allowed just 0.33 rushing touchdowns per game. Cincy has faced some decent offenses, too: the Chicago Bears, the Baltimore Ravens and the Pittsburgh Steelers. Michael Bush and Justin Fargas received more work ... and did more with their carries. Sure, McFadden could be used in more creative ways, and he's a threat to score on any play (more so than Bush or Fargas), but he isn't as 'safe' the other two. RTSports.com 2009-11-19T17:40-05:00 http://www.rtsports.com/football-news/kffl-111897 http://www.rtsports.com/football-news/kffl-111897 In this article KFFL breaks down fantasy football busts of the week. Some high-level players will be included, because you need to know when is time to sit a player even though it may not seem appropriate. Primarily, however, we will address the midrange to low-end fantasy options that you rack your brain over each week. Read on to learn which of these players that you wouldn't want in your lineup. Note: All statistics are from Week 7 to Week 10, unless otherwise noted. Fantasy football busts: Defensive teams New England Patriots vs. New York Jets Fantasy value: Low-end No. 1 The Pats haven't exactly been special on defense; in their past five games they have averaged 1.60 sacks, 1.60 interceptions and 0.80 fumble recoveries per outing. The 318.2 offensive yards per game they have allowed ranks as the 13th fewest in this time frame. Against the Jets in Week 2, New England managed only two sacks of Mark Sanchez and totaled one fumble recovery. Bill Belichick's defense didn't intercept the rookie passer, either. On a per-game basis in their last five, New York has thrown 1.60 interceptions while allowing Sanchez to be sacked 1.20 times each matchup. The Jets' average of 0.80 fumble recoveries per game matches what New England has recovered. New York's offense has averaged 374.0 yards per game, too, which ranks as the eighth most in this span. RTSports.com 2009-11-19T17:40-05:00 http://www.rtsports.com/football-news/rtfs-642 http://www.rtsports.com/football-news/rtfs-642 The following is a list of all the inactive players for Week 11. It will be updated continuously until the start of the games. Thursday Game Miami : OT Andrew Gardner, TE Anthony Fasano, LB Erik Walden, DL Lionel Dotson, OT Lydon Murtha, SS Nate Ness, DL Paul Soliai, QB Tyler Thigpen. RTSports.com 2009-11-19T19:16-05:00 http://www.rtsports.com/football-news/rtfs-641 http://www.rtsports.com/football-news/rtfs-641 Not sure about you, but I know I was hit hard by the rash of injuries last week. I'm sure several teams are in the same boat as me, trying to figure out the best options for some big-name players going down. It isn't fun, but part of the game. So in one of my leagues that "count" (if you know what I mean), I had Michael Turner and Ronnie Brown as my starting backs. How do you replace two top-10 backs? Well, you don't. All you can do is just plug in your best options, work the waiver wire and hope you can catch lightning in the bottle. I'm just going to have to do my best to hold on and get into the playoffs. It is all you can do. Injuries happen. Good luck in getting through the next few weeks. Cedric Benson, RB, Bengals . Benson left last week's game with an abductor strain, which is a hip injury. He isn't practicing yet this week, but isn't ruled out yet. Benson will be a game-time decision. If he is out, Bernard Scott gets the start with Larry Johnson likely in the mix a bit. We think Benson will do all he can to play, though. RTSports.com 2009-11-19T12:47-05:00 http://www.rtsports.com/football-news/rtfs-640 http://www.rtsports.com/football-news/rtfs-640 I heard an expression over the weekend that I thought fit well when it comes to fantasy football - don't get too cute . This is very fitting, especially at this time of year. Fantasy owners sometimes try to outthink things. I'm not saying ignore matchups, but you can't sit your studs at this point or try to start some obscure player because he has a good matchup. You have to go with what got you here, especially with playoff berths on the line. Don't get too cute . And the reason I bring this up is because I had a few questions last week, regarding sitting a couple of marquee players. One owner wasn't keen on Maurice Jones-Drew because he was facing the Jets, a top rush defense. But as I told this owner, you can't sit Jones-Drew no matter the matchup. He has produced all year and is arguably the top fantasy back in the game. I don't want that potential on my bench. (Plus, the Jets aren't the same rush defense without Kris Jenkins in the lineup.) Not trying to pick on this owner, though, because doing research and trying to put your best lineup out there is the right thing to do every week. RTSports.com 2009-11-18T09:36-05:00 http://www.rtsports.com/football-news/rtfs-639 http://www.rtsports.com/football-news/rtfs-639 OK, before we get to the week's matchup, let's get one thing straight: Bill Belichick made the right decision. (And this is coming from one who despises all Patriots except Randy Moss and Paul Revere). But, and I can't say this strongly enough, the only reason he made the right call was because of the person on the other side of the ball. Peyton Manning will perhaps go down as the greatest quarterback of all time, certainly he's already in the top five. You just KNEW he was going to win this game, whether he had to go 75 yards (approximately the distance had New England punted) or 29 yards. Now, would you rather have him go 75 yards and chew up the entire clock, or go 29 yards and give you the ball back with more than a minute remaining, needing just 50-60 yards to be in line for a game-winning field-goal attempt? The one place where Belichick erred was not letting the Colts score more quickly after failing to convert the fourth-down attempt. It's tough to tell your defense to lie down and let the other team score. But it's also tough to ask a running back to take a knee on a sure touchdown. Tough doesn't mean impossible, though - ask Maurice Jones-Drew about that. RTSports.com 2009-11-17T16:08-05:00 http://www.rtsports.com/football-news/rtfs-638 http://www.rtsports.com/football-news/rtfs-638 Unfortunately, the story of Week 10 had to be the injuries. Well, that and a marquee back taking a knee at the one. But for the first time this season, we had several big-name players leave games this weekend with injuries. So Ronnie Brown, Michael Turner, Cedric Benson, Brian Westbrook, Julius Jones and Troy Polamalu all left their games with injury. Ouch. The first three backs listed were top 10 fantasy backs, which is a big hole to fill for fantasy teams. Hopefully, none of the injuries are going to be season ending, but nothing is certain with any of them at this point. As always, keep an eye on our player notes for the latest updates on all these dinged backs. Now for the Maurice Jones-Drew kneel down. If you didn't see it, here is the recap. Jones-Drew had a clear path to the end zone for the go-ahead score with about a minute and a half left in the game. But instead of scoring, Jones-Drew took a knee at the one. The Jags had first and goal at the one. They proceeded to let the clock run down and let Josh Scobee kick the game-winning chip shot with time expiring. It was a great move for the Jags, keeping the Jets offense off the field but we are sure this move by Jones-Drew impacted fantasy teams - both good and bad. But you can't hold too big of a grudge against Jones-Drew if he is on your team, he is having a huge season and is arguably the top fantasy back in the game right now. Jones-Drew did offer an apology to fantasy teams for his move. RTSports.com 2009-11-16T10:50-05:00