Expert Picks Against the Spread: Week 12
Gamblers rejoice, here are our Week 12 Sports Debater expert picks against the spread. (We are NOT responsible for any money lost) odds courtesy of 5Dimes.eu
| Game Time | Teams | NYBobby | MatthewToddErich | Scher Thing |
| Sunday, November 25, 2012: | Minnesota Vikings (+6.5) @ Chicago Bears (-6.5) | Bears | Bears | Bears |
| Sunday, November 25, 2012: | Oakland Raiders (+8) @
Cincinnati Bengals (-8) |
Bengals | Bengals | Raiders |
| Sunday, November 25, 2012: | Pittsburgh Steelers (-2) @ Cleveland Browns (+2) | Steelers | Steelers | Browns |
| Sunday, November 25, 2012: | Buffalo Bills (+2.5) @ Indianapolis Colts (-2.5) | Colts | Colts | Colts |
| Sunday, November 25, 2012: | Denver Broncos (-10) @ Kansas City Chiefs (+10) | Broncos | Broncos | Chiefs |
| Sunday, November 25, 2012: | Seattle Seahawks (-3) @ Miami Dolphins (+3) | Seahawks | Seahawks | Seahawks |
| Sunday, November 25, 2012: | Atlanta Falcons (-1.5) @ Tampa Bay Buccaneers (+1.5) | Buccaneers | Falcons | Falcons |
| Sunday, November 25, 2012: | Tennessee Titans (-3.5) @ Jacksonville Jaguars (+3.5) | Titans | Titans | Titans |
| Sunday, November 25, 2012: | Baltimore Ravens (0) @ San Diego Chargers (0) | Ravens | Ravens | Ravens |
| Sunday, November 25, 2012: | San Francisco 49ers (-2) @ New Orleans Saints (+2) | Saints | Saints | 49ers |
| Sunday, November 25, 2012: | St. Louis Rams (+1.5) @ Arizona Cardinals (-1.5) | Cardinals | Cardinals | Rams |
| Sunday, November 25, 2012: | Green Bay Packers (+2.5) @ New York Giants (-2.5) | Giants | Packers | Giants |
| Monday, November 26, 2012: | Carolina Panthers (-2.5) @
Philadelphia Eagles (+2.5) |
Panthers | Eagles | Panthers |
| Overall Records:
|
NYBobby:
51-56 |
MatthewToddErich:
53-54 |
Scher Thing:
9-3 |
Last Minute Emergency Lineup Changes: Week 8
If you survived last week’s “Hell Bye Week,” then you can breathe a sigh of relief as week 8 is a much more manageable one. Baltimore, Buffalo, Cincinnati and Houston are the only teams on bye week and unless you have Ray Rice, A.J. Green or Arian Foster, your team should be in just fine shape. There are some injuries this week that are shaking up a few fantasy rosters and with the midseason bump out of the way, teams that hope to be playoff bound have to make their pushes now. Here are 5 players for you Fantasy teams that I feel will help your roster improve before Sunday’s games.
Dustin Keller (TE): Sunday 1:00 PM EST
There are a lot of Jets haters out there and I can completely understand why. That being said, Dustin Keller is back and healthy and he is without question Mark Sanchez’s #1 option in the passing attack. Last week, Keller was targeted 7 times and caught all 7 passes, accumulating 93 yards and a trip to the endzone. The Jets are facing a Miami Dolphins team that is talking a whole lot of shit, which is surprising because the Jets beat the Dolphins in one of the uglier games of the season in week 3. With back up tight end, Cumberland, out with an injury, Keller will see even more targets than normal. There will be a strong emphasis on the ground game which will open up some good play action looks for Keller down the field. I think that Dustin will have an even bigger game this week than last and there is no reason why he should be a Free Agent in anyone’s league from here on out. He is without question a top 10 TE in the NFL.
Predictions for week 8: 9 receptions for 120 yards and a touchdown
Devin Hester (WR): Sunday 1:00 PM EST
The Chicago Bears are quietly having a stellar season. The main reason that the Bears are 5-1 is because they have the highest scoring defense in the league and they seem to be able to shut down any team that they face. Another contributing factor to the Bears success is the amazing chemistry between the NFL’s 8th leading receiver, Brandon Marshall, and one of the worst QB’s in the NFL, Jay Cutler. This week the Bears have the luxury of facing off with the dismal Carolina Panthers. While the Bears offense does not put up too many points, this is surely a game where that can change. I think Marshall will draw a lot of double teams which should open up the field for a lot of his receiving buddies. I feel that Devin Hester will be the biggest beneficiary of the receivers on the Bears as he will have the ability to catch short screens or even quick slants and dominate the game with his YAC. Let’s not forget about his ability to take one to the house on any given punt return.
Predictions for week 8: 6 receptions for 110 yards and a touchdown, one kick return for a touchdown
Donald Driver (WR): Sunday 1:00 PM EST
Where has the Dancing With the Stars Champion been hiding this season? On the bench watching Aaron Rodgers tare up the league once again. But with Greg Jennings out for at least another week and Jordy Nelson questionable, Rodgers is going to have to look for other options in the passing game. The obvious first choice for him is going to be James Jones followed by Randall Cobb. The third option is the one that I feel will have his biggest and only good game of his season, Donald Driver. The truth of the matter is that the Packers are going to have a field day destroying the lowly Jacksonville Jaguars and I think Donald wants to prove he still has a little something left in the tank. I can see Driver and Rodgers connecting like the olden days for some impressive long yardage passes. A lot of people thought that Driver was retired as he has only had 4 catches for the entire season on the most pass friendly team in the league. All Driver has to do is pretend he is back in the ballroom and he will be able to move around all of the Jaguars secondary.
Predictions for week 8: 5 receptions for 80 yards and a touchdown
Daryl Richardson (RB): Sunday 1:00 PM EST
The surprise rookie out Abilene Christian has been catching the eyes of fantasy owners across the country. While at the beginning of the season you would have been thought to be crazy to say that someone would take touches away from Steven Jackson, Daryl has emerged as a true offensive threat. While he does not get that many touches on the ground, roughly 7-10 a game, he does get a lot of snaps in the backfield. Over the past two weeks, Richardson has shown glimpses of what he can do in the open field and now that the Rams have the advantage of facing off with one of the leagues worst passing defenses, the New England Patriots, they will try and find successes in their pass game. In his rookie year, Richardson is yet to find the endzone but I think that streak will end on Sunday. The game is being played in Wembley Stadium in London, England and while I feel the Pats will inevitably win the game, I think Richardson will make a name for himself on international turf.
Predictions for week 8: 8 carries for 55 yards and a touchdown, 5 receptions for 70 yards
Carson Palmer (QB): Sunday 1:00 PM EST
This is the first time I have ever picked a player in back to back weeks, but after how accurate I was with last weeks predictions for Palmer, (Predictions: 24-46 for 320 yards and two TD’s, Actual: 26-46 for 298 yards and 2 TD’s), I had to go with him again. I am going with Palmer again mainly because he has the easy matchup against the team that I rank as the worst in the NFL, the Kansas City Chiefs. The Oakland Raiders are a terrible team in their own right and there really is no looking up for them any time soon, but Palmer has been throwing for nearly 300 yards every single game yet he is still a Free Agent in majority of fantasy leagues. One of the first sleepers I talked about in the 2012 season was Denarius Moore, who has emerged as one of the more reliable receivers in the league the past few weeks. With Heyward-Bay on one side and Moore on the other, Palmer has good options to look for and will have a pretty successful season regardless of Oakland’s overall record.
Predictions for week 8: 27-48 for 315 yards and two touchdowns
Last Minute Emergency Lineup Changes: Week 5
Jesus is just alright with me, but I think it would be better left around.
The first quarter of the NFL season is out of the way and teams are starting to show their true colors. We have had some great stories in the first part of the season and I for one am extremely excited to see what else we have in store. This week holds a couple of extremely enticing matchups, including Brady vs. Peyton, which every NFL fan is anticipating. As great as some of the games might be this week, the real excitement comes from your fantasy football teams. So here are our week 5 picks to help improve your lineups in the final seconds before the 1 o’clock games.
Andrew Hawkins: Sunday 1:00 PM EST
Will Cinci stay Green with envy, or switch up with Andrew?
One of the things that has stayed consistent in the first quarter of the season is the Cincinnati Bengals QB, Andy Dalton, and his love for his #1 receiver, A.J. Green. That love affair is known across the league now so defenses are being designed to shut it down. That means that Dalton will need to find new toys to play with on his receiving core. That’s where the second year man out of Toledo, Andrew Hawkins comes in. While Hawkins has had a pretty quiet start to the season, he has been able to break a couple of big plays that went for touchdowns. He will never be a heavily targeted receiver, but if you are in need of a “flex” position player and are looking for a big play guy, Hawkins is the way to go this week. He has ridiculous speed and always has one-on-one coverage because of the before mentioned Green. While his game won’t be earth-shattering, I do feel he will make a couple of big plays to boost his fantasy numbers against an inconsistent Miami defense.
Predictions for week 5: 4 receptions for 105 yards and a touchdown
Randall Cobb: Sunday 1:00 PM EST
Rogers with probably pop his corn off this Cobb.
The Green Bay Packers have been struggling this season, but the truth of the matter is that if they didn’t get robbed by the worst call in NFL history, than they would be 3-1 right now. That being said, they are 2-2 and have played without a healthy star receiver, Greg Jennings, for most of the early season. NFL M.V.P Aaron Rodgers has had to find other favorite targets to help the pass-happy offense of the Packers move up and down the field. This week Rodgers has the luxury of facing off with the inexperienced Indianapolis Colts where, like Burger King, he should have it his way. Rodgers’ #1 is Nelson and #2 is Jones, but this week I am focusing on the Packers #3 receiver and punt returner, Randall Cobb. Cobb is arguably the fastest wide out the NFL has to offer and he has been targeted by Rodgers way more than anyone would have expected. In a big game against the Saints last week, Cobb pulled in 7 catches. I expect him to have a really good day against a Colts defense with no real stars.
Predictions for week 5: 7 receptions for 110 yards, Punt Return for a touchdown
Jacoby Jones: Sunday 1:00 PM EST
Pass me a bottle, Mr. Jones
Believe in me
Help me believe in anything
I want to be someone who believes.
Joe Flacco is having an MVP type start to his 2012-13 season. Torrey Smith and Anquan Boldin have both been stellar this year in catching anything that Flacco throws at them. Ray Rice seems to be pushing through any defender that tries to touch him and the Ravens defense is looking as good as the old days. Things seem to be clicking for this AFC powerhouse and I feel that today’s game against the lowly Kansas City Chiefs with be the coming out party for the former Houston Texan, Jacoby Jones. Jones is one of those rare receivers that actually puts his body on the line for his team. While I’m not comparing his skill level to Keyshawn Johnson, Jones does possess a lot of the same receiving attributes that Johnson once dominated the NFL with. While Jones is not a go to target for Flacco too often, whenever Boldin, Smith and Rice need a rest Jones will get a look. I am imagining a huge blowout today in Kansas City where Flacco will be throwing for nearly 400 yards. I expect Jones to be on the receiving end of a large chunk of those.
Predictions for week 5: 6 receptions for 85 yards and a touchdown
Mike Tolbert: Sunday 4:05 PM EST
Tolbert will circle the end zone and end up with the carry-on.
The original “vulture,” who stole so many touchdowns from my boy Michael Turner for 3 straight years in Atlanta, has moved to the Carolina Panthers. Entering the season, many people were saying that Carolina had the best rushing attack in the NFL with names like Stewart, Williams, Tolbert and of course Cam Newton. While they haven’t performed to the standards that we all predicted, they have shown signs of life and seem to have a breakout game coming in the near future. If you pick Tolbert up in your fantasy league and expect him to get a lot of touches or even be in a lot of plays for that matter, you are sadly mistaken. Tolbert is a “vulture” specialist, and for all you people who don’t watch “The League” and have no clue what a vulture is then here you go. Vulture: Any player who steals a short touchdown after his teammate gets the ball down the whole field to inside the 5 yard line. I’m expecting this to happen at least once for Tolbert this week and I even think he will be on the receiving end of a couple of ugly screens from Newton.
Predictions for week 5: 6 rushes for 5 yards and a touchdown, 3 receptions for 15 yards
Mario Manningham: Sunday 4:25 PM EST
He may not be super, but Mario will be more than Manningham enough.
Sorry Bills fans, but you are going to have to suffer through everything the Jets did last week. Maybe not as bad as we did, but it will be painful because the 49ers have a ridiculous team with talent at every position. Alex Smith has been looking good and everyone on the receiving core has seemed to step up in different games. Last week against the Jets, Smith seemed to have targeted Manningham almost every pass; it was laughable. I do feel that the former Giants wide receiver is a very good player that just hasn’t had his moment to shine yet. This week Manningham will have a field day with the terrible secondary that the Bills put out there on a weekly basis. Mario’s stat line has stayed pretty consistent for the first 4 weeks of the season where he seems to pull in roughly 4 catches a game totaling 30-40 yards. The big advantage with Manningham on your fantasy team is that he also gets a couple of carries on San Fran’s trickery end-around’s. He has already gotten nearly 60 yards on the ground and now has the luxury of going up against a defense that gave nearly 1,000 points to the Patriots last week.
Predictions for week 5: 6 receptions for 80 yards and touchdown, 1 rush for 30 yards
Here is our free advice for you to take now and thank us later. We will be posting 5 players every week who we feel will make a significant impact for that week. If you agree or not with our predictions let us know. If you take our advice and are successful because of it, congratulations and tell your friends. Also check out our picks against the spread at: http://sports-debaters.com/2012/10/03/sports-debaters-expert-picks-against-the-spread-week-5/
Swimming with the Fins
It’s a hard knocks life for us, it’s a hard knocks life for us
The Miami Dolphins are obviously jealous of the New York Jets. Up until this point in the offseason, the Jets have been by far and away the dumbest organization based on their personnel moves. Bringing in Tim Tebow to run a second offense and be the up-back on the punting team… brilliant guys! I guess word got out that the Jets were taking over all the bonehead moves and were flirting with HBO once again, which would have served as a great way to introduce their circus to the world. Today it was announced that the Dolphins couldn’t stand to give their rivals all the attention, and announced that they will be the team that stars in Hard Knocks this season.
Dolphins swim in schools, but obviously never learn anything while there
The Dolphins will start this season with a rookie head coach, ex Green Bay offensive coordinator Joe Philbin, and potentially a rookie starting QB as well, as Miami spent their first round pick drafting Ryan Tannehill out of Texas A&M. This is great planning Miami! Take a kid who has never been in the league before, a new head coach who has never run an organization before, and throw cameras in their faces during their first ever mini-camps. Also, lets show the entire world how they handle their business, before they really know how to handle their business! Way to set up your team for great success.
I have an ego THIS BIG
When asked about the organizations decision to appear on the show, Philbin said “The Miami Dolphins have long been synonymous with success on the field as evidenced by our five Super Bowl appearances and the only perfect season in NFL history.” Joe, we understand that Don Shula was a good coach. Hell, that Dan Marino was a pretty good QB as well. But let’s look at the recent history. Miami has finished below .500 in 7 out of the past 8 years. Since Dan retired in 1999, the Dolphins have won 1 playoff game, and that was in the 2000 season! They have only been to the playoffs two other times since then, and were eliminated in the first round in both years. Terrific legacy Joe, your fans must be really proud.
Bush on Bush is not the way to build a team
The Dolphins are not marketable. Their biggest draw is Reggie Bush, who is better known for his college ball and flings with reality TV stars. The Dolphins thought they were the front-runner in the Peyton Manning sweepstakes, as Manning already has a permanent residence in Miami. After Manning visited with the Dolphins, he quickly signed with the Broncos. I guess he had more respect for what Elway was selling him then Marino, who reached out to Manning and urged him to give Miami a whirl. Their other notable offseason moves were trading away Brandon Marshall to the Bears, and the retirement of Jason Taylor. There is nothing interesting about this team at all, making this decision by HBO extremely suspect.
Tannehills, two things she has going for her!
After careful consideration and research, I do believe I know what the driving force behind this decision might be. HBO has always been known for some great adult television and I believe they might be focusing on a new star. Ryan Tannehills wife Lauren is definitely an individual that the execs at HBO will want to give as much television time as possible. They might even want to consider doing a late night episode of Hard Knocks, maybe call it REALLY Hard Knocks. Also, now that Kris Humphries is out of the picture, maybe HBO can give Kim Kardashian a call and see if she and Reggie could work out their issues. Lauren Tannehill and Kim Kardashian would probably get some fairly decent ratings in the 18-65 male demographic.
If they choose to go a more traditional route and actually talk about football, I would say the only thing more boring than that would be an actual Dolphins game!
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