http://www.rtsports.com/ RealTime Fantasy Sports Fantasy Football News en-us Sat, 21 Nov 2009 00:05:00 GMT 2009 RTSports.com 60 http://www.rtsports.com/football-news/0800048963 http://www.rtsports.com/football-news/0800048963 FLORHAM PARK, N.J. (AP) - Darrelle Revis has heard enough about his last matchup with Randy Moss . The New York Jets cornerback just wants to move on to the next one. ``No more Randy Moss and Bill Belichick questions,'' Revis said Friday, shaking his head. ``This game is bigger than egos here. It's bigger than me, it's bigger than Randy Moss and it's bigger than Belichick. Our goal is we want to get this win Sunday.'' The struggling Jets (4-5) sorely need it after losing five of six, and their chances at New England on Sunday might depend whether Revis can blanket Moss as he did in their Week 2 meeting. Moss had just four catches for 24 yards in New York's 16-9 victory. RTSports.com 2009-11-20T18:46-05:00 http://www.rtsports.com/football-news/0800048962 http://www.rtsports.com/football-news/0800048962 LAKE FOREST, Ill. (AP) -The Chicago Bears placed backup running back Garrett Wolfe on injured reserve Friday, ending his season. The Bears will also listed tight end Desmond Clark , who has a neck injury, and safety Kevin Payne (back) as doubtful for Sunday's game against the Philadelphia Eagles . 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. RTSports.com 2009-11-20T18:20-05:00 http://www.rtsports.com/football-news/0800048961 http://www.rtsports.com/football-news/0800048961 ALLEN PARK, Mich. (AP) -The Detroit Lions have placed guard Stephen Peterman on the injured reserve list and signed wide receiver Eric Fowler off the practice squad. Peterman was Detroit's starting right guard in 2007 and 2008 and was signed to a five-year contract in February. He played in two games this season, including Sunday's 27-10 loss at Minnesota where he injured an ankle during the third period. His is among the latest of a long series of injuries that at one point forced coach Jim Schwartz to install Peterman at defensive end in a 26-0 loss to Green Bay on Oct. 18. RTSports.com 2009-11-20T18:18-05:00 http://www.rtsports.com/football-news/0800048960 http://www.rtsports.com/football-news/0800048960 ORCHARD PARK, N.Y. (AP) -Sitting in a hot tub overlooking a postcard-perfect panoramic view of the sun setting behind the Smoky Mountains, Perry Fewell never had an inkling his long-imagined opportunity of a lifetime of being an NFL head coach hung on the misty horizon. ``No,'' the Buffalo Bills ' newly appointed interim coach recalled of that July day. ``I never envisioned it. I never thought about it sitting in that hot tub at that particular time.'' Not this season, not in Buffalo, and especially not with the way things unfolded Tuesday, when the Bills defensive coordinator was promoted after his good friend Dick Jauron was abruptly fired in what could be the start of a major shakeup by team owner Ralph Wilson. RTSports.com 2009-11-20T18:18-05:00 http://www.rtsports.com/football-news/0800048959 http://www.rtsports.com/football-news/0800048959 GREEN BAY, Wis. (AP) -The decision was made during the offseason by Green Bay Packers coach Mike McCarthy, who'd grown tired of watching what he called ``musical chairs'' being played on his offensive line for the previous three seasons. After starting five different line combinations in 2006, six in 2007 and five last season, McCarthy and his staff settled on their starting five after just two preseason games this summer. The idea was to generate some continuity on a line that had been in flux for far too long. So much for that. RTSports.com 2009-11-20T18:18-05:00 http://www.rtsports.com/football-news/0800048958 http://www.rtsports.com/football-news/0800048958 GRANBY, Colo. (AP) - The death of the mother of New Orleans Saints quarterback Drew Brees has been ruled a suicide. Mina Brees, an attorney from Austin, Texas, died Aug. 7 while visiting Colorado. Grand County coroner Brenda Bock concluded this week that the 59-year-old Brees died of a prescription drug overdose and ruled the death a suicide. Bock said Brees died while staying at the home of a friend in Granby near Rocky Mountain National Park. RTSports.com 2009-11-20T18:14-05:00 http://www.rtsports.com/football-news/0800048955 http://www.rtsports.com/football-news/0800048955 CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) -From Jake Delhomme 's struggles to suspect tackling to key injuries and just plain bad luck, there are plenty of reasons for Carolina's 4-6 record. It shouldn't, however, be a surprise. Following a playoff season with a dud is all the Panthers have known in their 15-year history. Thursday's 24-17 loss to Miami followed the familiar script. Coming off an impressive win over Atlanta, the Panthers fell flat as a home favorite against a team without its top running back and a banged-up offensive line. RTSports.com 2009-11-20T17:58-05:00 http://www.rtsports.com/football-news/0800048954 http://www.rtsports.com/football-news/0800048954 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, saying that is not an adequate solution. ``If every player were a medical doctor that could recognize symptoms of concussions, then that would be a great idea,'' NFLPA assistant executive director George Atallah said in a telephone interview Friday. ``I hope that that league - instead of asking players to police each other - would consider calling on team medical staffs and independent doctors to police the situation as closely,'' Atallah said. RTSports.com 2009-11-20T17:58-05:00 http://www.rtsports.com/football-news/0800048952 http://www.rtsports.com/football-news/0800048952 DAVIE, Fla. (AP) - Ricky Williams is having his best season since retiring. That was in 2004, when a marijuana habit drove Williams out of the NFL. The following year he began a comeback that proceeded fitfully because of Miami Dolphins coaching changes, a season-ending injury and an 18-month suspension. The Dolphins stuck with Williams, and now he might just save their season. Picking up the slack for injured starter Ronnie Brown , the 32-year-old Williams totaled 221 yards rushing in two games over a five-day stretch, and Miami (5-5) won both to reach .500 for the first time this year. RTSports.com 2009-11-20T17:52-05:00 http://www.rtsports.com/football-news/0800048951 http://www.rtsports.com/football-news/0800048951 EDEN PRAIRIE, Minn. (AP) -Last month, a blurry photo featuring Minnesota coach Brad Childress dressed as a flight attendant with a black wig and a pink apron appeared on one of his player's Twitter pages. Tight end Visanthe Shiancoe was the culprit, but he had more in mind than to embarrass the boss for his attempt to lighten the mood on the team plane. ``I wanted to do that so people could see he's not that guy people see on the interviews, just so monotone and serious all the time,'' Shiancoe said. ``He knows how to flip it on and off when appropriate.'' RTSports.com 2009-11-20T17:44-05:00 http://www.rtsports.com/football-news/0800048950 http://www.rtsports.com/football-news/0800048950 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 2009-11-20T17:36-05:00 http://www.rtsports.com/football-news/0800048949 http://www.rtsports.com/football-news/0800048949 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 sustained 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,'' Redskins 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 2009-11-20T17:34-05:00 http://www.rtsports.com/football-news/0800048948 http://www.rtsports.com/football-news/0800048948 ORCHARD PARK, N.Y. (AP) - Buffalo Bills defensive tackle Marcus Stroud has been ruled out and linebacker Keith Ellison was placed on injured reserve Friday, leaving the NFL's worst run defense further depleted against Jacksonville this weekend. The decision to end Ellison's season came after interim head coach Perry Fewell had not mentioned the move was imminent when he issued the team's injury report following practice. Ellison has been out since hurting his quadriceps in a 31-10 loss to Houston on Nov. 1. He becomes the 12th Bills player - and second starting linebacker, joining Kawika Mitchell (knee) - to be placed on IR this season. RTSports.com 2009-11-20T17:20-05:00 http://www.rtsports.com/football-news/0800048946 http://www.rtsports.com/football-news/0800048946 BEREA, Ohio (AP) - Losing makes Rex Ryan cry. Sappy movies are Rob Ryan's weakness. Together, the Ryan brothers have had plenty to shed a tear about this season. 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. RTSports.com 2009-11-20T17:16-05:00 http://www.rtsports.com/football-news/0800048945 http://www.rtsports.com/football-news/0800048945 NEW YORK (AP) -Fantasy and reality collided at the 1-yard line for Maurice Jones-Drew . The Jacksonville Jaguars running back passed up a sure touchdown and took a knee before the goal line, helping seal a win against the New York Jets last Sunday. It also made thousands of frustrated fantasy football owners pound their heads against their laptops. Jones-Drew knows how they felt. He cost himself a win in his own fantasy league. RTSports.com 2009-11-20T17:14-05:00 http://www.rtsports.com/football-news/0800048942 http://www.rtsports.com/football-news/0800048942 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 2009-11-20T17:06-05:00 http://www.rtsports.com/football-news/0800048941 http://www.rtsports.com/football-news/0800048941 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. Browns coach Eric Mangini said he also expects Cribbs to play. 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 2009-11-20T17:06-05:00 http://www.rtsports.com/football-news/0800048940 http://www.rtsports.com/football-news/0800048940 ORCHARD PARK, N.Y. (AP) -Bills linebacker Keith Ellison 's season is over after he was placed on injured reserve with a quadriceps injury. The move was announced Friday as the Bills prepare to play Jacksonville on Sunday. Interim coach Perry Fewell was not available for comment, and had not mentioned the move was imminent when he issued the team's injury report following practice. Ellison has been out since being hurt in a 31-10 loss to Houston on Nov. 1. He becomes the 12th Bills player - and second starting linebacker - to be placed on IR this season. RTSports.com 2009-11-20T17:02-05:00 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