Fantasy Football Waiver Wire Pickups: 2009 Week 10

November 9th, 2009 kNuke

Before we check the wounded and hit the Wire, remember that the trade deadline is quickly approaching.

Injuries to monitor: Clinton Portis, Kevin Smith, Anquan Boldin, Donald Brown, Calvin Johnson, Darren McFadden, Jermichael Finley, Brian Westbrook, Sammy Morris, Lance Moore, Antonio Bryant, and Trent Edwards.

QB: Matt Cassel made me look good last week; I’d double down this week if you need a starter. Josh Freeman will get a lot of adds this week, but I just can’t trust a rookie. I know the Buccaneers will be throwing the ball alot playing catchup, but I just can’t do it. For those that care, Alex Smith is putting up decent numbers; any takers?

RB: Ladell Betts is the instant add as Clinton Portis is probably out next week with a concussion. Jamaal Charles disappointed in his first week as a starter, but with LJ gone, he’s another immediate add. Darren McFadden should be back in action, add him as well. The shelf life of Laurence Maroney is limited, but he’s worth an add even if it’s just for one week. If you have an extra roster spot you won’t need for the next few weeks, feel free to add the previously mentioned LJ and wait to see where he lands.

WR: Chris Chambers and his 2 TDs will attraction alot of attention, but don’t forget about everyone else; Robert Meachem, Devery Henderson, Justin Gage, Mike Wallace, and Donnie Avery are options as well.

TE: After the draft, I thought Brandon Pettigrew would be one of the most relevant fantasy players… I was right for one week. If you need TE help, he’s worth a gamble, but I’d also take a look at Fred Davis and Kevin Boss.

As always, feel free to hit me up on Twitter.

Bye Weeks: Giants, Texans.

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Fantasy Football Waiver Wire Pickups: 2009 Week 9

November 2nd, 2009 kNuke

Injuries to monitor: Kevin Smith, Anquan Boldin, Jake Delhomme, Andre Johnson, Donald Brown, Bernard Berrian, Anthony Gonzalez, Calvin Johnson, Eli Manning, Darren McFadden, Jermichael Finley, Brian Westbrook, and Owen Daniels (out).

QB: The rookies, Mark Sanchez and Matthew Stafford are available along with the returns, Alex Smith and Vince Young, but the guy I’d actually use this week would be Matt Cassel.

RB: Ryan Moats is the obvious pickup, but don’t forget about Justin Fargas, Jamaal Charles, LeSean McCoy, and Jerome Harrison. If Kevin Smith is injured, Maurice Morris would be the fillin.

WR: Jeremy Maclin and Malcolm Floyd are about it, but don’t forget about Anthony Gonzalez. Just don’t expect much right off the bat. I’m still holding out hope for Donnie Avery if he gets healthy.

TE: Fred Davis and Bo Scaife are worth looks; I’m really starting to think Davis will deliver.

As always, feel free to post a comment/question below or hit me up on Twitter.

Bye Weeks: Bills, Browns, Jets, Raiders, Rams, and Vikings.

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Hawaii Warriors vs Nevada Wolf Pack

November 1st, 2009 kNuke

The Nevada Wolf Pack defeated the Hawaii Warriors 31-21 behind the nation’s best rushing attack, which ended the game with 312 yards. Nevada quickly fell behind 14-0, but scored 28 unanswered points. Colin Kaepernick threw two TD passes and rushed for two more while Vai Taua added 127 rushing yards and a TD.

Offense: Bryant Moniz was 29-49 for 374 yards with 3 TDs and 2 INTs. Moniz played okay; he goes through his reads well, but he’s not accurate enough on most throws. Most importantly, unlike Alexander, he just doesn’t make enough plays. I’m willing to concede that Moniz is probably the best QB right now, but I really hope the coaches truly re-evaluate the QB situation next year.

Jovonte Taylor was explosive on his 71-yard TD catch, but he drops too many passes; regarless, he needs to move to slot. Kealoha Pilares needs to move back to RB. It’s sad to say, but Jon Medeiros is the most reliable WR. Greg Salas had a good game, no fumbles. The LWJ project didn’t pay off, it’s time to give Alex Green the RB job full-time to see if he can handle the duties without fumbling. The offensive line didn’t play very well and I’m tired of hearing Aaron Kia’s name.

The offense was able to move the ball and put up some yardage, but weren’t able to score points; 21 points is not going to get it done.

Defense: It’s the same story each week. This week was no different, but at least all Hawaii fans can take solace in the fact that Nevada leads the nation in rushing. Coach Mack has some heavy recruiting ahead of him to help this unit, which needs help at every spot.

Special Teams: Jovonte Taylor looked good again at KR. The punting turnover was great, but the rest of the punts were not very good; it’s a recurring theme. Scott Enos deserves a poor grade as well with a missed FG and an OB kickoff. Those directional kicks need to go.

Coaching: I really really really didn’t like kicking the FG or punting on 4th and 1. I still don’t understand why the defense didn’t force Nevada to throw the ball more. I understand that Hawaii doesn’t have a player capable of spying Kaepernick, but he should have been forced to throw more often. Again I have to ask, where is the creativity of offense/defense? Coach Mack will definitely have to make some changes to his staff at year’s end.

Final Word: Hawaii played better, but it wasn’t good enough. The effort looked good, but the talent of the coaching and players are just not enough.

Helmet Stickers:
Halloween Costumes – There weren’t too many sexy angels or devils, but the sexy bunnies, police, pirates, and Dorothy’s made up the slack. The Ghostbusters car was sweet and the Duck Tours pirate boat was ingenious, but the Best Costume goes to Cloud. I was surprised that there were no Coach Mack costumes; maybe next year?

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Fantasy Football Waiver Wire Pickups: 2009 Week 8

October 27th, 2009 kNuke

Injuries to monitor: Andre Johnson, Donald Brown, Bernard Berrian, Donnie Avery, Anthony Gonzalez, Calvin Johnson, Eli Manning, Matthew Stafford, Darren McFadden, Kevin Boss, Jermichael Finley, Brian Westbrook, Leon Washington (out), and Chris Cooley (out).

QB: Alex Smith is the flavor of the week, but don’t get too excited. Managing a game and chucking it up from behind are two different things. If you really need a QB, your best bet is a trade at this point.

RB: Beanie Wells, Shonn Greene, and LeSean McCoy are the instant adds, but don’t forget about Justin Fargas, Jamaal Charles, and Jamal Lewis.

WR: If you missed out on Miles Austin, make up for it by grabbing Anthony Gonzalez before he gets back. Mike Wallace, Donnie Avery, and Josh Morgan provide depth.

TE: Fred Davis will be taking over for Chris Cooley and is worth a flyer. I’d go with Zach Miller, but its the Raiders.

As always, feel free to post a comment/question below or hit me up on Twitter.

Bye Weeks: Bengals, Chiefs, Patriots, Steelers, Bucaneers, and Redskins.

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Boise State Broncos vs Hawaii Warriors

October 26th, 2009 kNuke

The Boise State Broncos dominated the Hawaii Warriors 54-9, scoring the first 44 points of the game while forcing six turnovers. Kellen Moore threw for a career high five TD passes and freshman Matt Kaiserman rushed for 122 yards in his first college game due to a concussion.

Offense: There’s not much to say, the six turnovers pretty much sum it up. The offensive line played pretty well giving up only one sack. I thought Shane Austin was decisive in his throws and showed decent arm strength despite the three INTs. Kealoha Pilares needs to be moved back to RB next year, because he drops too many passes and isn’t elusive enough in the slot. Greg Salas needs to work on ball security; he fumbles way too much.

Defense: They put up a fight, but the turnovers and inferior talent were just too much to overcome. The tackling looked better, but it’s the same old story; no DL pressure or push, RB always falls forward for another 3 yards, and the secondary is too slow. I know a lot of people are saying the defense did a great job, but remember that Boise State had at least six poor snaps.

Special Teams: Jovonte Taylor looks like the best bet for kickoff returns. The kicking game was average and the punting was atrocious, again.

Coaching: Can’t blame the coaches for six turnovers… but the Hawaii coaching staff was definitely out of their league against Chris Peterson. I’m starting to think that Coach Mack may be one of those guys that can’t handle being Head Coach and Defensive Coordinator.

Final Word: The game went as expected. After all, Boise State is the #4 BCS team in the nation for a reason.

Helmet Stickers:
Fans – Attendance was 37928; not a sellout, but a nice showing considering Hawaii is terrible.

Side note: I missed the Idaho game last week so there is no recap.

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Fantasy Football Waiver Wire Pickups: 2009 Week 7

October 20th, 2009 kNuke

Injuries to monitor: Anquan Boldin, Donnie Avery, Adrian Peterson, Calvin Johnson, Eli Manning, Matthew Stafford, Darren McFadden, Sammy Morris, Mario Manningham, Frank Gore, Kevin Smith, Percy Harvin, Felix Jones, and Bengals and Jets Defense.

QB: Now that Kyle Orton is above 50% ownership, the QB pickups are pretty slim.  Shaun Hill has a great matchup this week against Houston and could be worth a Bye-week play.  Josh Johnson and Chad Henne are also options; Henne has a better matchup this week.

RB: Laurence Maroney and Justin Fargas are the immediate adds, but don’t forget about Correll Buckhalter, Mike Bell, and Jamal Lewis.

WR: Lance Moore and Hakeem Nicks will generate the most buzz, but don’t sleep on Ted Ginn Jr or Donnie Avery.

TE: Zach Miller and Jermichael Finley are your best bets; I’d go with Miller.

As always, feel free to post a comment/question below or hit me up on Twitter.

Bye Weeks: Broncos, Lions, Titans, Seahawks, Jaguars,and Ravens.

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Stickman Health Care

October 14th, 2009 kNuke

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Fantasy Football Waiver Wire Pickups: 2009 Week 6

October 13th, 2009 kNuke

Injuries to monitor: Roy E Williams, Calvin Johnson, Peyton Manning, Eli Manning, Matthew Stafford, Darren McFadden (2-3 weeks), Fred Taylor (out), Mario Manningham, Frank Gore, Marc Bulger, Kevin Smith, Devin Hester, and Correll Buckhalter.

QB: If you haven’t heard about Kyle Orton you shouldn’t be playing. Josh Johnson put up some fantasy points, he’s definitely worth a look as the Buccaneers are often playing catchup. Jason Campbell is probably still out there and has a nice match up this week.

RB: Sammy Morris, Jamal Lewis, Johnathan Stewart, and Michael Bush are options. I’d grab Lewis and his 31 carries. A reminder to you AP and Westbrook owners, grab Chester Taylor and LeSean McCoy, respectively.

WR: Miles Austin, Jeremy Maclin, Austin Collie, and Mike Wallace all had great games. You can bet they’ll attract some attention. If you want to stay away from the crowd, check out Eddie Royal, Donnie Avery, Dennis Northcutt, and Josh Morgan. I’m grabbing Royal and Avery.

TE: Zach Miller, Jermichael Finley, and Benjamin Watson are out there. Miller is getting looks, but he does play for the Raiders.

As always, feel free to post a comment/question below or hit me up on Twitter.

Bye Weeks: Cowboys, Colts, Dolphins, and 49ers

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Hawaii Warriors vs Fresno State Bulldogs

October 11th, 2009 kNuke

Thump thump went the night as the Fresno State Bulldogs obliterated the Hawaii Warriors 42-17 in a game that was never in question. This loss drops the Warriors out of WAC contention and puts its Hawaii Bowl bid into serious question.

This was such a bad game that going over the details would be pointless. Instead I’ll just give a quick and dirty summary.

Bryant Moniz is not the future at QB. Rodney Bradley and Greg Salas are the teams two best players. LWJ had a nice run then got only four more touches. The Red Zone offense was terrible once more; where was the fade or stop-fade? The defense was slow, weak, and couldn’t tackle… again. Special teams were terrible, absolutely terrible. In a recurring theme, the coaches had no answers and made no adjustments.

Final Word: It hurts to say, but at this rate, Hawaii may win two more games, tops.

Helmet Stickers:
Alex Dunnachie – 2 punts inside the 20, zero PR yards, and 48.3 punt average

Side note: The stadium had so many empty seats. Hawaii needs to get with the economic times and drop the North and South upper level ticket prices to $10 to put people in the seats. More people at the game usually equates to more support for the team, more food and drinks being bought, and more money for everyone involved.

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Fantasy Football Waiver Wire Pickups: 2009 Week 5

October 5th, 2009 kNuke

The Browns and Buccaneers actually had pulses this week, but are still marching towards the #1 Overall pick. Enter the Raiders and Rams into the mix as well. So what happens if there is a 3-way tie?

Injuries to monitor: Frank Gore (2 weeks), Eli Manning, Matthew Stafford, Darren McFadden (2-4 weeks), Marc Bulger, Kevin Smith, Devin Hester, Correll Buckhalter, Donovan McNabb, and Matt Hasselbeck.

QB: Jason Campbell and Kyle Orton are probably still available in your league; Campbell has the better match up this week between the two. They’re the safer additions, but if you’re in a gambling mood, take a gander at Derek Anderson. He’s got the Bills this week… Interesting.

RB: Rashard Mendenhall and Jerome Harrison are the big adds. Mendenhall is the guy to target; he could take over as the 1RB for the Steelers; plus he’s got the Lions this week.

WR: Mohamed Massaquoi and Josh Morgan are worth adds in deeper leagues. Kenny Britt is also worth a look, but remember he’s a Rookie.

TE: Todd Heap may be still available, but I’m going with Kevin Boss; remember him? Also, don’t forget about Jermichael Finley, but you can’t use him this week.

As always, feel free to post a comment/question below or hit me up on Twitter.

Bye Weeks: Bears, Packers, Saints, and Chargers.

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