Gridiron Experts

Top 10 Fantasy Running Back Rankings

The best things come to those who wait. Gridiron Experts has posted our free fantasy draft board this week, but this article was one readers have been waiting for, as it shows exactly who likes what.

Some web sites and magazines like to slap together their ranking lists in the beginning of August, while we tend to watch most practices and or pre-season games before naming our top tens. I can tell you there were definitely different views on players a couple of weeks ago, some of which are nowhere to be seen now, or low on the board.

Mike Rodriguez: Frank Gore- The Fantasy RB Strength of Schedule is just one reason why I have Gore at the top of the food chain. The 49er’s beefed up their offensive line and have an underrated quarterback who can manage the game. The run first play calling will make Gore a safe reliable fantasy start all season. The X-factor for me is the 49er’s receiving core in 2010. Vernon Davis is a defensive focal point, but the wide-outs are arguably the fastest talent San Fran has seen in years. This will keep defenses honest, respecting all areas of attack.

Although I’m not a fan of offensive coordinator Jimmy Raye, I do believe another year with the same offensive system will improve all areas of the game. Gore is a beast and is ready to roll over the league.

DC: Ray Rice- The Ravens roster is loaded for a playoff push that will not rely on just their defensive unit. In fact, I think the offense may carry this team at times throughout the season. Ray Rice is an all-purpose player who could be involved in every scenario in 2010. This mini-tank can run over players. He has excellent hands with great smarts and vision. Rice …Continue reading Top 10 Fantasy Running Back Rankings

Al Davis Ends MNF With Betting Reference

Pre-season is never a time to lay money down, or is it?

How do fans make an expected boring game that much more interesting? They place a bet with some of the top sports books like BETUS.com. Of course, the NFL along with all pro sports leagues frown upon gambling and don’t exactly want their broadcasters talking about it on air. I didn’t know what the spread was at the time, but the San Francisco 49er’s were favored by 3 points over the Vikings.

Fourth Quarter: MIN 13 SF 10. On the very last play of the game Quarterback Joe Webb for the Vikings was sacked by Derek Walker in the endzone for a safety; ruining the spread for anyone who hoped on the Brett Favre comeback game. The funny part is Al Michaels lets out this laugh almost like he had money on the game. The audio on the video is quiet, but you can hear Cris Collinsworth and Al Michaels talking about the spread…without actually talking about the spread.

[You've Got To Crank The Volume]

Alex Smith stepped into the fire in the middle of the 2009 season, and almost rescued the San Francisco 49ers from a loss to the Houston Texans. He threw three second-half touchdowns (all to Vernon Davis), and proceeded to throw 15 more scores down the stretch, while keeping the 49ers in the wild card playoff hunt until the final weeks.

Smith is back in the saddle as the starting quarterback for 2010, and returns with TE Vernon Davis and second-year receiver, Michael Crabtree. Everyone could see the awesome chemistry between Davis and Smith, and even the growing chemistry between Smith and Crabtree. But it can’t end there; not if the 49ers are to fight for the division, and not if Smith can soar to new fantasy heights.

If things are going to go the right way in San Francisco in 2010, Ted Ginn Jr. (acquired via trade from Miami) needs to step up into his new role in the slot, and he needs to excel.

Ginn has reportedly struggled a bit in camp, apparently being good for “about a drop a day” and failing to fully grasp …Continue reading Ted Ginn Jr. Fantasy Profile

Brian Westbrook waited as long as possible to find the right fit for his remaining season(s) in the NFL. His top choice was…San Francisco?

Rumors were that the ex-Eagle running back was thinking about either the Rams or Redskins, neither made a lot of sense to me. But filling in for the recently departed Glenn Coffee (who is retiring) is a smart move. The 49er’s quietly have one of the best offensive lines in the league and should be a force no matter who’s running the ball.

Actually I was to slow to post my thoughts on “Westbrook’s Monday decision deadline”, but in light of the recent season ending injury to Ben Tate, I thought Houston would have been a good fit too.

Brian Westbrook has signed a 1 year 1.25 million dollar deal with the 49er’s and will be a good complement on passing downs. #36 led the NFL with 2,104 yards from scrimmage in 2007, but missed 8 game’s last season with a pair of concussions and an ankle injury while scoring only two touchdowns.

Fantasy Factor: Zero to little value at all. Don’t get me wrong, Brian Westbrook is a smart, elusive running back who can make opponents miss and look stupid. He is also an excellent blocker  (who cares, not fantasy related) . Yet Westbrook’s constant injury problems and bad knees make him a long shot as a reliable fantasy option. At this point he’s a late round sleeper.

NFL Fantasy News

• Larry Fitzgerald – WR, Arizona Cardinals
  Larry Fitzgerald confirmed Sunday that his MRI revealed only a sprain in his injured right knee. =This was a huge fantasy scare, and the remaining pre-season games will most likely be off limits for Fitzgerald.

• C.J. Spiller – RB, Buffalo Bills
  First-round pick C.J. Spiller is expected to get the “bulk of the workload” in Buffalo’s backfield for the rest of the preseason.

• Aaron Brown – RB, Detroit Lions
  Lions RB Aaron Brown reportedly “has the early lead” to be the team’s primary kickoff returner.

• Jason Campbell – QB, Oakland Raiders
  Campbell wasn’t very good in his first preseason game. The Raider’s passing game has also reportedly struggled badly on the practice field in training camp.

• Ben Tate - RB, Houston Texans
  The Houston Chronicle reports that Ben Tate will be placed on injured reserve after undergoing ankle surgery on Tuesday.

• Anthony Dixon – RB, San Francisco 49ers
  49ers rookie Anthony Dixon ran for 100 yards and a touchdown on 21 carries and caught three balls for 22 yards in the team’s preseason …Continue reading Monday’s NFL Fantasy News

Fred Jackson Hurt

What do you do with 3 running backs in the NFL? the answer: wait for one to get hurt.

Buffalo Bills running back Fred Jackson suffered a hand injury in the first half of the Skins/Bills first pre-season game and will now miss up to a month.“Fred hurt his hand and we hope to be able to get him back for the first game,” said Chan Gailey. “We’re not sure.”

Ty Warren Done in 2010

New England Patroits Ty Warren is out for the 2010 season with a hip injury. Ty Warren knew that if played in 2010 with a labral tear in his hip, he wasn’t just risking performance, he was risking long-term mobility. Read More

Haynesworth is starting to like 3-4 defense

The big man wasn’t very popluar a couple weeks back, but on Friday night he lead the Skins on to the field and looked very much apart of the team. Of course, he is easing back into the depth chart and played with the second team defense against the Bills Friday night.

Haynesworth says he likes the defense now because he realizes the Redskins will allow him to rush the passer, “which is really important to me.” -Read more

WTF? Glen Coffee Retires

Second-year backup running back Glen Coffee was nowhere to be seen at Thursday afternoon’s practice, and was missing again on Friday morning.  Usually, that means an injury, but it turns out Coffee is bitter. ProFootballTalk.com leans in on reasons why (Link)

Gridiron Experts Power Rankings AUG. 2nd

32. Buffalo Bills
CJ Spiller has all the tools to be a playmaker in this league, well except for an offensive line in front of him, a quarterback to take the pressure off, and well you see where I’m going with this. The Bills are going to need a franchise quarterback before they move on this list.
31.St. Louis Rams
The Rams, in theory, should be a better team this year, but it’s still up in the air and truly depends on how NFL ready Sam Bradford is by the start of the season. Steven Jackson has always been the Rams workhorse, and that won’t change this year, expect another grand out of him in 2010.
30. Tampa Bay Buccaneers
The Buccaneers are still rebuilding. This process can sometimes be long a frustrating, yet in the forseeable future they’ll find themselves on day on the outside looking in on any power rankings list. Every team must rebuild sooner or later but for this season ahead, the Buc’s will be leaning on too many young players and the inexperience will show.
29. Cleveland Browns
The Browns biggest flaw is their division, it’s just too hard to be competitive against perennial powerhouses like the Pittsburgh Steelers and Baltimore Ravens. They did have a great draft and made some key off-season additions, with a revamped secondary expect them to move up this list in a year.
28. Detroit Lions
The Lions were the movers and shakers of the off-season, making some key additions. If only for the next few years, adding Jahvid Best to a backfield commandeered by Matt Stafford could be just what the Lions needed. Best will make plays and take some of the focus off of Calvin Johnson.
27. Oakland Raiders
For the first time in years, the Raiders impressed us all during the draft, adding a top-tier middle linebacker and shipping Kirk Morrison to the Jacksonville Jaguars. Not to mention ditching JaMarcus Russell in favor of Jason Campbell, an automatic upgrade. Although for now, they’re still on the outside looking in.
26.Kansas City Chiefs

The Chiefs have revamped their coaching staff and drafted (and paid) a play making safety in Eric Berry. Dexter McCluster will give add that x-factor to the offense and give Jamaal Charles some relief at the running back spot. Matt Cassell will get one more chance to show that he’s worth the money they’re paying him.
25. Jacksonville Jaguars
The Jaguars are a team that can never seem to get it together when it truly counts, their first rounder is considered a huge reach by the entire NFL community and if he doesn’t pan out, Jags fans can happily say goodbye to Jack Del Rio. Maurice Jones-Drew will set the pace for the offense once more. …Continue reading NFL Power Rankings

NFL Fantasy RB Strength Of Schedule

Stats are always made to be broken. A sneaky run that goes for 60 yards after a long day of nothing but frustration happens all the time. Yet, a fantasy football strength of schedule list is a helpful tool to evaluate a players chances against a season’s worth of opponents. Many fantasy sites go about making such a spreadsheet by simply taking the top 10 toughest defenses, the 10 worst defenses, compare the results and hit the print button.

Gridiron Experts has gone beyond the cookie-cutter stats to analyze each game, giving what we think is a better prediction based on extended criteria.

If you think a new NFL week doesn’t come without lingering aches and pains from the week before, not to mention jet-lag, you’re dead wrong. Long road trips, teams off BYE weeks, and divisional match-ups are just a few of the factors we took into account when compiling this list. Other increments include: fantasy playoff match-ups, “overlook” games, and recent additions to a team’s defensive roster.

Here are our top 3 best and worst Running Back Strength of Schedule Teams in 2010

3 BEST RB Schedules

San Fransisco: A+

The 49er’s get three road games out of the way quickly to start the season. Early on, the tougher opponents like the Saints, Eagles and Broncos are all at home, which is a plus. Their bye week is comfortably placed in the middle of the season, and even the late 2-game road trip to Arizona and Green Bay isn’t as bad as it seems. The Packers themselves are off a tough 2 game road trip and shouldn’t be that fresh after just facing Adrian Peterson and Michael Turner. The icing on the cake is the fantasy playoff match-up. Depending on whether your league holds it’s Super Bowl in wk 16 or 17, the 49er’s face 3 out of 4 divisional opponents, which looks like gravy.

Even the road trip to San Diego in December is a gift with no snow or cold temperature. Throw in a few possible jackpot games against St. Louis (2), Carolina, Kansas City, and the cross-country trip the Bucs have to make, and Frank Gore has moved up our fantasy board.

Dallas Cowboys: A

The Coyboys don’t have a ton of easy rushing match-ups, but they don’t have any hard ones either. The second half of their NFL schedule is where we give all our high marks. Starting week 12 Dallas sees opponents that in essence are all the same type of build and chemistry. The Saints, Colts and Eagles style are all about getting that early lead, then blitzing you with their speedy pass rushers. The Cowboys have a great …Continue reading Fantasy RB Strength Of Schedule