Learning About Fantasy Football
You may have heard of it, your pals are enjoying it, you enjoy regular football, but what precisely is fantasy football?
Fantasy football is generally a fantasy sports game where participating players are termed owners. These owners belong to a particular arranged contending league. Each of these leagues receive what is termed as fantasy points based on information and stats from the real game of football; known as the National Football League. The actual life information which the expert athletes of the National Football League rack up is essential in identifying the victor of a fantasy football game.
The players or proprietors of the league utilize a listing of real football players and they select their fantasy team from amongst these players. The sources of this checklist are players in the National Football League.
The positions to be selected by the owner of a fantasy football team consist of 1 or more running backs, wide receivers, quarterbacks, a kicker, a defense and a tight end; a set up related to the real National Football League teams.
Based on actual stats and reliant on the performance of the players, a fantasy football team can acquire fantasy points to face up versus the opposing football fantasy owners.
For illustration, a player in the position of running back achieves a touchdown, then if that running back is on your fantasy team you will earn, in the world of fantasy football, a decided amount of points. Points are also usually rewarded for yards ran, and in certain leagues even the amount of catches a player gets.
You will be chosen a match up towards one other team in your league each and every week. At the finish of the weeks football games, whichever fantasy teams players that the team chose to play has the most total points is victorious of that match up.
When the season ends, there will be a win-loss tally or record. This will establish your league’s fantasy football standings and the very best teams will advance into a fantasy playoff bracket. The number of teams that make the playoffs is decided by each particular league.
Most of the football leagues put aside a few weekends of the month of the regular football season for the fantasy football playoffs. This playoff will decide the fantasy football league’s victor or champion for the total season.
The astounding popularity of fantasy football is reflected in the simple fact that in 2009, twenty seven million players played in fantasy football league games. They racked up an average of nine hours per week to play!
Do you have any idea how to make the fantasy football playoffs? What do you know about fantasy football?
Tennessee Goes To 2-0 In NFL Preseason With Win Over Tampa Bay
Despite the early struggles of starting QB Kerry Collins, who threw two interceptions, the Tennessee Titans managed to prevail over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on Sunday by a 27-20 score. The victory ran Tennessee’s record to 2-0 in the NFL preseason, while the Bucs dropped their first exhibition contest.
Titans coach Jeff Fisher wasn’t happy with his teams performance, particularly their offensive rhythm, despite winning the game:
“We just really didn’t get in synch like we would’ve like to.”
Conversely, Tampa Bays new head coach Rahim Morris was fairly upbeat after his NFL coaching debut:
“Not a bad start though, not a bad start.
Tennessee QB Collins post game comments didn’t provide much insight into the reason for his poor outing:
“We had too many turnovers, and that can’t happen. We know we have a lot to improve on.”
Young, meanwhile, related how he had taken the advice of the Titans offensive coordinator and used his legs to keep a play alive and avoid a sack.
“And that’s basically what I did. I saw the free safety relax and he was in the Cover Two, and Kenny adjusted his route and did what he was supposed to do. I just got the ball to him.
Luke McCown started for Tampa Bay, though wasnt able to do much on offense either. He was tightlipped about his performance in postgame interviews:
“We have some things to clean up. We will look at the tapes and get better at it on Monday”
The Bucs other QBs, Byron Leftwich and Josh Freeman didnt do much better, though Leftwich did throw a touchdown pass. After the game head coach Morris indicated that Leftwich will start Tampa Bays next NFL preseason game, with McCown coming on in relief.
The Titans will open the NFL regular season against the Superbowl Champion Steelers at Pittsburgh on Thursday, September 10th. Tampa Bay will begin the 2009 campaign at home, welcoming the Dallas Cowboys to Raymond James Stadium on Sunday, September 13.
Ross Everett is a freelance sports writer and noted authority on World Cup betting. His writing has appeared on a variety of sports sites including sports news and sportsbook directory sites. He lives in Las Vegas, Nevada with three Jack Russell Terriers and a kangaroo. He is currently working on an autobiography of former interior secretary James Watt.
The NFL Returns To London As New England Dominates Tampa Bay
Sunday’s game between the New England Patriots and Tampa Bay Buccaneers was played in an unusual venue, but produced the expected result. In the NFL’s third regular season game in London, England the Patriots showed the Wembley Stadium crowd why they’re among the league’s best as they methodically dismantled the Bucs en route to a 35-7 victory. Oddly, it took a trans-Atlantic trip for the Pats to get their first road win of the season-the Bucs were ‘officially’ the home team in the contest. New England QB Tom Brady threw for 308 yards and 3 touchdowns, though was picked off twice in the workmanlike victory. Tampa Bay remained winless, slipping to 0-7 while New England improved to 5-2.
The Patriots easily covered the pointspread as -15′ ‘road’ favorites, and improved their record against the number to 4-3 on the season. The Bucs have struggled almost as badly against the NFL pointspread as they have straight up, and slipped to 1-6 versus the money. The 42 combined points scored went UNDER the posted total of 44′. Tampa Bay has gone OVER in four of their seven games, while New England has gone UNDER in 4 of 7.
Afterwards, Pats’ QB Brady said that he’s enjoying the trip to England-as well as the victory:
“I’m feeling great. I keep rolling. That’s two wins in a row. We went out there and put two touchdowns on the board there in the second half. We had plenty of distractions coming over here, but everybody was really energized. To get the win and fly home and have a bye week off is just great.”
NFL football is still a big deal in soccer mad England, and over 80,000 fans jammed the stadium for the game. League commissioner Roger Goodell has stated that he’d like to see multiple regular season games held in London, with a possibility of the city eventually receiving an NFL franchise. Even a superstar like Tom Brady wasn’t quite used to the rock star like treatment he received in England:
“All the flashbulbs were going off there before the kickoff. They went on for about 10 minutes, which you don’t see in the States too often. I think it’s a privilege to come over here and get to enjoy this type of experience. It will probably never happen again for us, so we’ll retire 1-0 internationally.”
Even the taciturn coach Bill Belichick was pleased with the experience:
“It’s a great way to end this week. It’s been an enjoyable couple days here and glad we could end it on a positive note.”
And even in Europe, Bucs’ first year coach Raheem Morris continued to sound like a man in over his head as he made his weekly excuse filled post game comments:
“Tom, he’s the guy that changed the game. He’s the guy you worry about constantly. When you have a great quarterback like that, that’s what he does and that’s what he will do for you.”
The Bucs have now lost 11 straight games, their longest losing streak since a NFL record 26 game losing run in’76-77. Welsh boxer Joe Calzaghe served as honorary captain of Tampa Bay, and they could have done worse than to put a real fighter in the lineup on this day. As Brady noted, New England will have a bye next week as will Tampa Bay.
Ross Everett is a freelance sports writer and highly respected authority on World Cup betting. His writing has appeared on a variety of sports sites including sportsbooks and sportsbook directory sites. He lives in Southern Nevada with three Jack Russell Terriers and a kangaroo. He is currently working on an autobiography of former interior secretary James Watt.
Miami Beats Bucs To Remain Undefeated In NFL Preseason Play
Success in the NFL mandates that even when teams aren’t playing their best they need to find a way to win. The Miami Dolphins found a way to win ugly in their NFL preseason battle of Florida on Thursday night. After spotting the Bucs a 6-0 lead, Miami used a late first half field goal and scored the only touchdown of the second half to comeback for the 10-6 win. The victory improved Miamis preseason NFL record to a perfect 3-0 while Tampa Bay dropped to 1-2.
A starting QB battle in Tampa was the biggest storyline of the game and veteran Byron Leftwich appears to have gained the edge over Luke McCown. Bucs coach Raheem Morris has indicated that hell be making a decision soon, though he gave little indication as to his preference in postgame comments:
“Obviously you want somebody to jump up and take it. We’ll find out when we go back, look at the tape and evaluate this thing.”
McCown had a rough night, with two sacks and no points scored. He gave a verbose no comment on his status as starter:
“It’s not for me to say. … My part in it is preparing every day, being the best I can be and getting better from my mistakes. As long as I feel like I’m doing that, then I’m OK.”
Leftwich, meanwhile, was 9 of 17 for 100 yards and came up big on several third down completions. He had very little to add after the game:
“Hopefully, I’m the guy. I felt good. I missed a few, but I hit a few also. Luckily for me on the ones I missed, I made plays on the following play to get those first downs.”
Bucs running back Cadillac Williams returned to action after major knee surgery seven months ago. Hes been limited in the last three seasons due to injuries, but looked solid in picking up 54 yards on eight carries:
“The knee is not an issue to me. … I feel great. I’m just loving what I do.”
Dolphins QB Chad Pennington said that its hard to take much away from a strange game like this one. The game had several delays due to rain and lightening, the longest a 45 minute stoppage:
“It was a very odd game for us, as far as the rain delay, a lot of stoppages of play and things like that We were able to come out get a score before halftime and get a score after the half. We’ll build on that. We’ll be critical of ourselves and make sure we don’t let a win overshadow what we need to do to get better.”
The Dolphins will conclude their NFL preseason play next Thursday against the Saints at New Orleans. Tampa Bay will host Houston next Friday in their final preseason contest. Miami will get the NFL regular season underway against the Atlanta Falcons at The Georgia Dome on Sunday, September 13. Tampa Bay will welcome the Dallas Cowboys to The Cigar City on the same day to kick off their 2009 campaign.
Ross Everett is a freelance writer and respected authority on sports betting odds comparison. He writing has appeared on a variety of sports sites including sports news and World Cup betting sites. He lives in Las Vegas with three Jack Russell Terriers and a kangaroo. He is currently working on an autobiography of former interior secretary James Watt.
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Dallas Survives Overtime Battle With Kansas City
The Dallas Cowboys entered Sundays game with the Kansas City Chiefs with a 2-2 record, and may have expected an easy afternoon. The winless Chiefs, however, hung around throughout the contest and forced overtime before a Tony Romo touchdown pass to Miles Austin secured the victory for Dallas by a final score of 26-20. Austin was the Cowboys offensive star, catching two touchdown passes as part of a 250 yard receiving day. Tony Romo played better than he has all year, finishing with two touchdown passes and 351 yards with no interceptions. The Cowboys improved to 3-2 with the victory, while the Chiefs remain winless at 0-5.
NFL betting enthusiasts who took Kansas City as +7 home underdogs enjoyed a profitable day as the Chiefs got the money for the first time in the 2009 season. Kansas City is now 1-4 against the spread, while Dallas dropped to 2-3 against the number. The 46 points went OVER the posted total of 43. The Cowboys have gone OVER in 3 of 5 games this season, while Kansas City now has 3 OVER verdicts in five games with 1 UNDER and a push.
Austin started in place of Dallas superstar receiver Roy Williams, and definitely made the best of the opportunity. His 250 yards on 10 catches broke the franchise record held by Cowboys legend Bob Hayes, who had 246 yards receiving against the Washington Redskins in 1966. Austin could have had an even bigger day, had Tony Romo not overthrown him several times on wide open plays.
Kansas City quarterback Matt Cassel had decent numbers in a losing cause, finishing with 253 yards and two touchdowns with no interceptions. Still, the setback just added to the growing sense of futility in the Chiefs camp. Kansas City hasnt won a game in nearly a year (315 days) and is a horrible 2-28 in their past 30 games. There are signs of improvement under first year coach Todd Haley, but theyve yet to translate into victories.
Dallas will be off next weekend and will return to action on October 25th at home against the Atlanta Falcons. Theyll host the Seattle Seahawks at Cowboys Stadium the following weekend. The Chiefs will travel to Washington, DC next Sunday to take on the Redskins before returning home for a game the following week against the San Diego Chargers.
Ross Everett is a respected freelance writer experienced in travel, casino gambling and sports handicapping. He is a staff handicapper for Anatta Sports where he is responsible for providing daily free sports picks. In his spare time he enjoys fine dining, fencing and scuba diving. He lives in Las Vegas with four dogs and a pet coyote.
Falcons Hold On To Beat Bears
The Atlanta Falcons didn’t so much win their Sunday Night NFL Football game against the Chicago Bears as much as the Bears lost it. A series of costly mistakes and turnovers in the red zone negated an otherwise solid road effort for the Bears, as Atlanta held on to win 21-14 at the Georgia Dome. Chicago held a decisive edge in most of the statistical categories, but was undone by untimely turnovers.
Chicago also disappointed fans who bet on NFL football by failing to cover the pointspread as +4 road underdogs. Both teams’ ATS records match their straight up records with the Falcons moving to 4-1 against the number while the Bears slumped to 3-2.
Winning Falcons’ QB Matt Ryan chose to credit his defense rather than point to Chicago mistakes as the determining factor in the outcome:
“Our defense, give them some credit. Our guys stepped up and made some plays when we needed them to.”
The Bears did a good job shutting down Falcons’ star running back Michael Turner holding the NFL’s second leading rusher to only 30 yards. He came through with the game on the line, however, rushing for the winning touchdown with just over three minutes remaining in the game. Ryan praised his running back’s effort:
“Our offensive line did a great job just giving me just enough time to get the ball off, and then Michael Turner did what he does. The offensive line provided a great push and just paved his way.”
The Falcons are now 4-1 for only the fifth time in team history, the last coming in 2004. Despite their solid start, they’re still trying to keep pace with the red hot New Orleans Saints who improved to 5-0 with their win over the New York Giants earlier in the day. On this occasion, the Falcons’ Ryan was outplayed by the Bears Jay Cutler between the twenties but the Atlanta signal caller made all of the right moves in scoring range.
Atlanta can improve to 5-1 and break the mark for best start in franchise history with a win on the road at Dallas next Sunday. That’ll be followed by an even bigger road game, on Monday Night Football against the New Orleans Saints-a contest full of all sorts of implications for the eventual divisional championship in the NFC South. The Bears will be back on the road next weekend to take on the Cincinnati Bengals before returning home for games the following two Sundays against the Cleveland Browns and Arizona Cardinals.
Ross Everett is a well known freelance writer who covers travel, poker and sports handicapping. He is a consulting handicapper for Anatta Sports where he is responsible for providing daily free sports picks. In his spare time he enjoys fine dining, fencing and scuba diving. He lives in Southern Nevada with four dogs and a pet coyote.
Cleveland Browns Won’t Name Starting QB Until Game Day
Most NFL head coaches place a priority on naming a starting QB before the regular season begins. The idea is that it helps the chemistry on the team, as well as helping the quarterback define himself as a team leader. Cleveland Browns head coach Eric Mangini hasn’t named his starting QB yet. Nor will he, at least not publicly. Brady Quinn and Derek Anderson will find out if they’re the starting QB in the next couple of days, but the first public confirmation their coach will give is when they trot out on the field after the NFL regular season begins.
Mangini stressed that he’d already made his choice, and that hell meet with both Quinn and Anderson individually to inform them of his decision:
“In terms of announcing it publicly, that’s not something I plan to do. It will be internal. I understand everybody has a different opinion on it. I respect that. I understand the excitement in relationship to that and I respect that as well. But that will be something that will be internal.”
As of Sunday, both quarterbacks had no idea if they’d be the starting QB. Derek Anderson said he didnt have a clue:
“I know as much as you guys know.
While Quinn suggested that it wasnt a big concern for him:
“I’m not worried about it. You guys are more worried about it than I am.”
Mangini may be trying to gain a strategic advantage over the Browns opponents in the opening week of the NFL regular season:
“It is more difficult to plan for two quarterbacks than it is to plan for one. I’m not saying that’s going to be the difference or not the difference, but I know that there is time allotted to that and you can’t put the same amount of time into focusing on one player.”
On the other hand, Vikings coach Brad Childress said that it really didnt make a difference in how hed approach preparing his gameplan:
“Just schematically, you’re going to go back and look at tape and see what you’ve seen. And then I know, as do our guys, that there will be unscouted looks. They certainly haven’t showed their whole hand, offensively and defensively. So you’re just going back and looking at formation-wise where they’re putting people and what kind of players they are. It will be more about us deploying to what they do.”
The Browns coach concluded his comments by emphasizing that hes happy with the play of both quarterbacks:
“I have been happy with the progress that both guys made. I’m happy with the way they’ve worked. I’m happy with the way they approached this competition, and it’s not always easy to approach a competition in a team fashion, and I respect the way they’ve handled it.”
After hosting the Vikings in their opening game of the 2009 NFL regular season, Cleveland will hit the road for their second game as they take on the Broncos at Denver.
Ross Everett is a experienced freelance writer specializing in travel, poker and sports handicapping. He is a consulting handicapper for Anatta Sports where he is responsible for providing daily free sports picks. In his spare time he enjoys fine dining, fencing and scuba diving. He lives in Southern Nevada with four dogs and a pet coyote.
Niners Undefeated In Preseason After Win At Dallas
The Dallas Cowboys used their running game to take a 10-3 halftime lead, but the San Francisco 49ers reserves made the most of their opportunity in the second half. San Francisco outscored Dallas 17-3 after the break to win the NFL preseason contest by a 20-13 final score.
San Francisco won outright as +6 road underdogs”oddly, it was their first pointspread cover of the NFL preseason despite their undefeated straight up record. Dallas ATS mark at 1-2 is identical to their straight up record. The 33 combined points dipped UNDER the posted total of 38. It was the Cowboys first UNDER of the preseason, while the Niners have failed to eclipse the total twice in their three exhibition contests.
Despite the setback, Dallas was excited about the play of their one-two combination at running back. Felix Jones and Marion Barber carried most of the load during the Cowboys 94 yard touchdown drive in the first half. After the game, Cowboys offensive coordinator Jason Garrett expressed his pleasure at the performance of his running back tandem:
“They’re a great combination. You don’t want to pigeonhole one as being this kind of back and the other guy being this kind of back. We just like to get them out there and let them play and they both have proven they can run both inside and outside and they can catch the ball, and they can block and do all those things. It’s just fun to see them get their opportunities.”
Dallas starting QB Tony Romo moved the team well, but failed to convert on two of his three trips into scoring position. For that reason, he gave a reserved assessment of his offense after the game:
“We’re continuing to grow as an offense and I think there is a lot of room for improvement.
Niners QB Shaun Hill had a lot of reservations about his teams performance despite the outright victory:
“I would have liked for it to have gone a bit smoother than it did. You can’t tell a whole lot right now. I just wish we could have put a few more points on the board. … There’s just certain plays out there that we need to make, but we didn’t. They were stopping those drives. Obviously, we have a lot of work yet to be done.
San Francisco will get the 2009 NFL regular season underway against the Arizona Cardinals at Tempe, Arizona on Sunday, September 13. The Cowboys will face the Tampa Bay Bucs on the road to begin their regular season docket.
Ross Everett is a widely published freelance writer who covers travel, casino gambling and NFL football handicapping. He is a consulting handicapper for Anatta Sports where he is responsible for providing daily sports picks. In his spare time he enjoys fine dining, fencing and deep sea diving. He lives in Las Vegas with four dogs and a pet coyote.
New Orleans Pounds Oakland In NFL Preseason Play
While its unwise to put too much importance on NFL preseason performances, its hard not to be impressed with the New Orleans Saints offense. In particular, its impossible to not be impressed with the play of starting QB Drew Brees. Brees played only three series against the Oakland Raiders on Saturday night, but that was enough–by the time he left the Saints led 21-0 en route to a 45-7 thrashing on their hosts. New Orleans improved to 3-0 on the NFL preseason, while the Raiders dropped to 1-2. The Saints appear to be in mid season form, while the Raiders are looking like an expansion team.
All Brees did in only three series was roll up 179 yards on 14 of 17 passing and three touchdowns. After the game, he was pleased with the performance of his offense:
“I just felt like we accomplished what we wanted to there with regards to playing with our tempo and our intensity. We were able to get into a rhythm. When you walk away with three touchdowns on three possessions, that’s what you want to do.”
Brees was aided by the return of last years leading receiver, Lance Moore. Moore had shoulder surgery in the offseason and was excited to be back on the field:
“I felt great. I felt like I hadn’t missed a lot. It was great being out there, getting hit and having fun in the game.”
Tight end Jeremy Shockey was also pleased with the effort:
“It looked good on the scoreboard but let’s look at it in the film room. We came all the way to California not for the wine but to get some good work in.
In the Oakland locker room, the mood was somber. Raiders QB JaMarcus Russell was particularly shaken by the setback:
“Everything that could have possibly went wrong, went wrong today. It was very embarrassing today. It was disrespectful to our fans, ourselves and our family to go out and perform that way.”
While the Saints scored almost at will against the Raiders porous defense, tight end Zach Miller was more concerned with the sputtering offense:
“I’ve never felt so lousy after a game, period. The way our offense played was embarrassing so we’re going to fix it.”
The Raiders will look to conclude the NFL preseason with a better effort as they travel to the Pacific Northwest to play the Seattle Seahawks on Thursday. New Orleans will host the Miami Dolphins on the same night.
Ross Everett is a well known freelance writer who covers travel, poker and NFL football handicapping. He is a consulting handicapper for Anatta Sports where he is responsible for providing daily sports picks. In his spare time he enjoys fine dining, flower arranging and deep sea diving. He lives in Las Vegas with four dogs and a pet coyote.
Denver Shuts Out Arizona In Battle Of Winless Teams
The Arizona Cardinals haven’t looked anything like a Superbowl team in the NFL preseason. They entered their final exhibition contest against the Denver Broncos looking for their first win. Denver, likewise, has struggled in their exhibition games and the result was a contest between two teams with identical 0-3 records. The Broncos controlled the contest on both sides of the ball en route to a 19-0 shutout victory over the struggling Cards.
Arizona was installed as -3 road favorites, but NFL preseason bettors who backed Denver ended up collecting the money with the outright win. The Broncos scored 16 of their 19 points in the first half, and the eventual outcome”straight up or against the spread”was never really in doubt after that.
Denvers biggest issue has been injuries, with their starting QB Kyle Orton and backup Chris Simms both out of action. Orton is suffering from a cut and dislocated finger on his throwing hand, while Simms is recovering from a sprained ankle. That provided a great opportunity for rookie Tom Brandstater, and he may find himself playing next Sunday for real. Brandstater finished with 187 yards on 16 of 30 passing with one interception, but moved the team well as the Broncos managed to avoid the dubious fate of the first winless preseason in nearly 50 years (1960). Afterwards, Broncos coach Josh McDaniels was full of praise for his young signal caller:
“For a rookie quarterback, and I’ve had a chance to coach a number of them, he’s really done a nice job. It’s not too big for him, the game’s not too big for him, the huddle’s not too big for him. He operated with that first unit pretty good.”
Despite the talk that he may be the Broncos starting QB”at least in the short term”Brandstater is keeping it all in perspective:
“Things happen — just last week alone with the Kyle injury. That’s a pretty freak accident that no one can predict at all. I’m glad I got my shot and hopefully I did some good with it. I’m trying to make this team. I still haven’t guaranteed myself a spot in this team and I’m trying to do everything I can to make it just like every guy on the team is.”
Cards head coach Ken Whisenhunt tried to put a positive spin on a dismal preseason:
“We’ll clean it up. I still feel good about our football team and the way we’ve been working.
Kurt Warner, meanwhile, was just looking forward to starting the regular season:
“I never really felt like I got into a rhythm today for whatever reason. I’m looking forward to game-planning a team, putting in some plays and some things we’ve done in the past that we really haven’t done in preseason. I’m looking forward to all of that. But you still don’t leave preseason extremely excited about what we’ve accomplished.”
Arizona will try to put their dismal preseason behind them when they kick off the 2009 NFL campaign at home against the San Francisco 49ers. Arizona will play the Jacksonville Jaguars on the road in week two, while Denver will play host to the Cleveland Browns
Ross Everett is a respected freelance writer experienced in travel, poker and NFL football handicapping. He is a staff handicapper for Anatta Sports where he is responsible for providing daily sports picks. In his spare time he enjoys fine dining, fencing and scuba diving. He lives in Southern Nevada with four dogs and a pet coyote.
categories: NFL,NFL football,sports,recreation,hobbies,entertainment