FDH Fantasy Newsletter: Volume I, Issue XIV

Welcome to our 14^th edition of the FDH Fantasy Newsletter, as we continue to bring you weekly fantasy sports updates in addition to our usual content on FantasyDrafthelp.com. In case you missed it, here are the previous issues: Volume I, Issue I (September 4, 2008), Volume I, Issue II (September 13, 2008), Volume I, Issue III (September 19, 2008), Volume I, Issue IV (September 27, 2008), Volume I, Issue V (October 4, 2008), Volume I, Issue VI (October 11, 2008), Volume I, Issue VII (October 18, 2008), Volume I, Issue VIII (October 25, 2008), Volume I, Issue IX (November 1, 2008), Volume I, Issue X (November 8, 2008), Volume I, Issue XI (November 15, 2008), Volume I, Issue XII (November 21, 2008), Volume 1, Issue XIII (November 30, 2008)

In this week's edition:

^ NFL Week 14 game-by-game fantasy preview

^ Fantasy non-sport drafting???

^ FDH New York Bureau Report

NFL Week 14

NOTE: Our advice, as it does on our FANTASYDRAFTHELP.COM INSIDER weekly program (Wednesdays, 9:00-9:30 PM EST as part of THE FDH LOUNGE on SportsTalkNetwork.com), is based on helping you determine which of your marginal starters are worth a play this week. Hopefully, your initial draft/auction efforts were successful, because frankly, “playing the matchups” is far from an exact science regardless of what you will be told by other advisory services claiming to possess a crystal ball. But our weekly game notes are designed to try to help you maximize the potential of your situation. We will post this preface to the notes every week to remind you of the context of our advice. Also, each of our game previews links to the page for that game on CBSSports.com, with statistical information and a video preview of each game.

In addition, every week right here we will provide you a link to your ultimate Sunday morning last-minute news source: Google News. Although any updates from responsible news providers are very useful, pay particular attention to those who come from team beat reporters, because they are closest to the action.

SUNDAY, DECEMBER 7

Jacksonville Jaguars at Chicago Bears 1:00 p.m. Both starting RBs are gimmes, but anything beyond that is problematic in this game with two good but occasionally underachieving defenses. QB Orton is the smallest stretch out of the rest of the players.

Minnesota Vikings at Detroit Lions 1:00 p.m. QB Johnson is so great that he manages to be at least marginally worth starting on even this horrific team. For the Vikes, RB Peterson should never exit your lineup when healthy, WR Berrian is a play as he is most weeks and QB Frerotte is a much better start than usual.

Houston Texans at Green Bay Packers 1:00 p.m. Green Bay looks the same as most weeks: all-in except TE. On a short week, Houston’s just got the usual suspects: gimmes WR Johnson and TE Daniels, WR Walter and RB Slaton.

Cincinnati Bengals at Indianapolis Colts 1:00 p.m. Indy’s all-in is one of the easiest calls this year. The Bengals, much like the Browns, were a fantasy juggernaut not too long ago, but likewise have been reduced to a WR1 play in TJ Housh.

Atlanta Falcons at New Orleans Saints 1:00 p.m. The Saints must remain all-in until further notice. For the Falcons, on the road against an improving defense, anything beyond the gimmes of RB Turner and WR White is fraught with risk.

Philadelphia Eagles at N.Y. Giants 1:00 p.m. This is another of those games that gives you the correct impression the first time you look at it: all-in as usual for the Giants and the usual QB/RB/WR1 troika for Philly. Worried about starting WR Dixon for Burress? Nah, ain’t no thang but a chicken wang!

Cleveland Browns at Tennessee Titans 1:00 p.m. How the (fantasy) mighty have fallen since the beginning of the season: with injuries at QB and TE and a horrible matchup for RB Lewis, WR Edwards is the only play for C-Town and even there, you’re just hoping for a fluke play in the red zone because QB Dorsey can’t stretch the field with his arm. For Tennessee, both RBs should run rampant, but the Browns’ tendency to play bend-but-don’t-break doesn’t leave any other great possibilities beyond TE Scaife.

Miami Dolphins at Buffalo Bills (TORONTO) 4:05 p.m. QB Edwards is a good bet if healthy, Losman not so much if he’s not. The RB/WR1 daily double should be in there nonetheless, with only QB Pennington and RB Brown looking ah’ight in Canada.

Kansas City Chiefs at Denver Broncos 4:05 p.m. With two bad defenses, this is an all-in shootout reminiscent of the old AFL days!

New England Patriots at Seattle Seahawks 4:05 p.m. No Hawks should be represented here, while only the QB/WR1/WR2 combo platter for the Pats matters fantasy-wise this week.

N.Y. Jets at San Francisco 49ers 4:05 p.m. The Jets are all-in yet again, with gimme RB Gore joined by QB Hill as the only Niners of note.

St. Louis Rams at Arizona Cardinals 4:15 p.m. You should have the usual Cards (i.e. all except TE) in your lineup, with Breaston as a not-horrible extra option. The Rams actually mirror them, with QB/RB/WR1/WR2 looking good for a team that could well be playing from behind early.

Dallas Cowboys at Pittsburgh Steelers 4:15 p.m. As RB Parker gets closer to being full-time effective, neither he nor Moore is a great option – but both could at least be decent this week. This might be the toughest fantasy game of the week to evaluate. No Cowboys can really sit this week notwithstanding a tough matchup – unless Barber can’t go. For that matter, the improving Steeler O should have QB/WR1/WR2/TE in the lineup also.

Washington Redskins at Baltimore Ravens 8:15 p.m. For a team that’s won two-thirds of its games, the Ravens have shockingly few fantasy weapons. The RB committee is effective for the real team but poison for fantasy teams, so stay away. WR Mason a decent but not great play. For the Skins, start the starter at RB (probably Betts, but you’ll have to check that Sunday morning), WR Moss, TE Cooley and (if you really need a warm body) QB Campbell.

MONDAY, DECEMBER 8

Tampa Bay Buccaneers at Carolina Panthers 8:30 p.m. Carolina’s good everywhere but TE this week (with only hot RB Williams meriting a look at that position, ideally), while QB Garcia and WR Bryant look good for the Bucs.

Fantasy non-sport drafting???

At FantasyDrafthelp.com, we have long advocated non-traditional applications of fantasy sports. Since our FDH Lounge division came along at the beginning of 2007, we’ve expanded that competitive focus into non-sports areas as well. Now, at the dawn of 2009, we take it to an area never before navigated. Reprinted with permission from The FDH Lounge Multimedia Magazine, here’s information about a huge programming event next Wednesday night:

The FDH Lounge began, of course, as a spinoff division of FantasyDrafthelp.com, which is a service that distinguishes itself by the methods it employs to help people win their leagues as well as the variety of different sports that are covered. The Lounge, an all-topics website and webcast, frequently delves into the realm of fantasy competition, although rarely for sports purposes -- with two examples being our lightheared drafts of attractive female celebrities and our 2008 presidential race fantasy draft.

So it's only fitting that we celebrate the move of THE FDH LOUNGE program on SportsTalkNetwork.com to Wednesday nights in similar fashion. THE LOUNGE goes to Wednesdays from 7-10 PM EST on December 10, with existing FDH Wednesday shows joining as "show within a show" segments during the last hour (THE FANTASYDRAFTHELP.COM INSIDER will be from 9-9:30 PM EST and THE GOON SQUAD brings you the best hockey coverage anywhere from 9:30-10 PM EST). To mark the occasion, which is also the 40th episode of the program, we are holding our first "fantasy supergroup" draft (big ups to our man STN executive producer Anthony Petrone for thinking of the idea).

What is that exactly? It's a standard serpentine fantasy draft that will see your favorite FDH and STN personalities each trying to assemble their ultimate "supergroup" of rock musicians! We'll each be picking one front man, one guitar, one bass, one drummer and two extra "wild card" musicians (this can be anything: an extra singer, a guitarist, a horn player, tamborine, cowbell, you name it) to put our groups together. Picks will be graded by a special celebrity judge who will crown our champion at the end of the night.

As much as we love standard fantasy sports at FDH, we've long been a proponent of spreading the competitive concept among friends to non-traditional areas like drag racing and the Triple Crown. Over the last two years with The Lounge, we've broadened the concept beyond sports altogether. Now, next week, December 10, when The FDH Lounge moves to Wednesdays, we'll show you and your friends how to hold a fantasy supergroup draft, we'll have a great time doing it, and so will you if you join us either that night or via our archives. Don't miss it!

FDH New York Bureau Report

By Steve Cirvello

NYB Sneaky Starts Week #14

QB: Joe Flacco (BAL vs WSH)

RB: Pierre Thomas (NOW vs ATL)

WR: Domenik Hixon (NYG vs PHI)

TE: Greg Olsen (CHI vs JAX)

K: Jeff Reed (PIT vs DAL)

DEF: DEN (vs KC)

RED ALERT (player coming off injury who could have fantasy impact):

MATT SCHAUB – QB: Schaub returns to the lineup for the Texans after missing a month with a torn knee ligament. Houston travels to a frigid Green Bay this week, so they may opt to grind it out on the ground and work the clock, but the offense always kicks it up a notch with a healthy Schaub in there. The Texans have a chance to be a real spoiler down the stretch and that means some nice fantasy points for Schaub owners.

LOOKEY HERE (team with favorable fantasy schedule the next three weeks):

NEW ENGLAND PATRIOTS

Week #14 - at SEA

Week #15 - at OAK

Week #16 – vs ARZ

The Pats are one game behind the Jets in the AFC East, and there is a good chance they could run the table and finish 11-5 (their last game is at Buffalo, a matchup they own). December figures to bring out the best in a team that has taken some lumps without Tom Brady in there, but Matt Cassel and Randy Moss should be able to lead New England to yet another Playoff appearance. Expect a lot of offensive output from the Pats to close out the season.

The Ricky-O Trio (three questions for FDH Managing Partner Rick Morris):

1 -- The NFC South has been a real dogfight this year. Which of the four teams do you expect the strongest fantasy output from over the final month?

Oh, it’s got to be the Saints, no question about it with the historic year they’re having. Beyond that, Carolina gets to face both the withered Bronco defense and the Giants in a game in which they may be playing from behind and having to chuck it, so they’re not bad either.

2 -- Although they are 11-1, are any of the Titans receivers worth starting in your lineup at this point?

Well, I actually have Justin Gage in a league where I have to start three WRs – and I’m not usually using him – so based on the fact that I practice what I preach, I think you’d have to be unfortunately and unusually bereft of much better options to even consider it.

3 – Which Defensive unit would you highlight as a real sleeper for the Fantasy Playoffs?

If Houston can get out of Green Bay relatively unscathed, you’ve really got to like their matchups the next two weeks in Tennessee and Oakland – two teams at opposite ends of the success spectrum, but both unlikely to light it up big-time.