Each week, TSN.
John
Stockton Jazz Jersey .ca Fantasy Editor Scott Cullen and NFL Editors Ben
Fisher and Mitch Ward discuss three hot fantasy football topics. 1) Which player
will come from nowhere to have a huge season like Alfred Morris last year?
Cullen: While there arent any late-round rookie runners, Patriots wide receiver
Kenbrell Thompkins was undrafted and has been getting a lot of positive
publicity in training camp, so maybe Tom Brady could drag Thompkins into being a
productive first-year receiver. A better look for players coming from nowhere
might be for running backs that are moving into starting roles for the first
time. Miamis Lamar Miller, the Jets Bilal Powell, Denvers Ronnie Hillman and St.
Louis Daryl Richardson arent necessarily household names -- none of them having
rushed for even 500 yards in a season -- but they are at the top of their
respective teams depth charts entering the season and if they are productive
early, like Morris last season (he had 96 rushing yards and two touchdowns in
Week One), that could solidify their role and any back that starts 16 games is
going to have a very good chance to rush for 1,000 yards over the course of the
entire season. From that group, I prefer Richardson ever-so-slightly over
Miller. Fisher: I like Green Bay Packers RB Eddie Lacy. Lacy was arguably a
first round talent in the draft this year and joins an explosive offence. The
Packers threw pretty much all the time last year, including in the red zone, but
preseason reports say with Lacy they should be more inclined to stay on the
ground close to the end zone. At 230 pounds he gives the team a legitimate goal
line threat. With DuJuan Harris on injured reserve and Johnathan Franklin
struggling in the preseason, Lacy will get his touches and get his yards. The
question is how much hell score, but hell definitely get more than two (how many
Harris and Brandon Jackson, the team co-leaders in rushing TDs, had last year.)
Ward: Giovani Bernard. He enters the season behind BenJarvus Green-Ellis on the
Bengals depth chart, but Bernard is more skilled than the Law Firm in almost
every facet of the game. Gio has great speed, excellent lateral agility and is
already building up his goal-line resume with three one-yard touchdowns in the
preseason. Bernard likely wont put up Alfred Morris type numbers this season,
but behind a very good offensive line in Cincinnati, theres a chance he could
explode. I expect him to take over the Bengals backfield sooner than later and
be a high-end RB2 by seasons end. 2) Who will have the better sophomore season
among Robert Griffin III, Andrew Luck, and Russell Wilson? Cullen: Any of the
three should be a viable fantasy starter this season, but the most upside rests
with Luck, who has an improved supporting cast, including RB Ahmad Bradshaw and
WR Darrius Heyward-Bey and some new faces on the offensive line. That stands in
contrast to Wilson, whose big offseason addition, WR Percy Harvin, is injured
and Griffin, who is his own injury risk, having not touched the field in the
preseason as he recovers from knee surgery. Its low risk to take the No. 1 pick
in the 2012 Draft to have the best sophomore year in 2013, but Luck threw for
4,374 yards as a rookie and its not out of the question that he has a chance at
5,000 yards this season. Fisher: The trend for picking quarterbacks in fantasy
has been leaning towards the athletic read-option types. But the best fantasy
QBs are still the top pure passers like Aaron Rodgers, Drew Brees,
Peyton Manning and yes, Andrew Luck. Everyone agrees that Luck will at some
point in his career join that group of elite passers; I think he does it this
year. Reports out of Indianapolis say hes looked great and ready to take the
next step; Luck should flirt with 5,000 yards passing this year and 30+
touchdowns. Griffin III and Wilson are unlikely to hit those lofty numbers
through the air, and while their ability to gain yards on the ground will make
up much of the difference, Luck is too much of a pure passing talent to go
against, not to mention a lessened injury risk. Ward: You cant really go wrong
here as I think all three guys are primed for very good sophomore seasons, but
Im feeling Lucky too. Last season Luck threw for 4,374 yards and 23 touchdowns
but completed only 54.1 percent of his passes and was intercepted 18 times. With
a year of experience under his belt and new OC Pep Hamiltons more conservative,
QB friendly system, I expect the completion percentage to go way up and the
interceptions to go down. During his last two seasons at Stanford under
Hamilton, Luck completed more than 70 percent of his passes. Im expecting
numbers in the neighbourhood of 4,500 yards, 30 pass TDs, 12 INTs, 250 rush
yards and 4 rush TDs. I just dont see Griffin III with his knee injury, lack of
preseason action and weird dynamic with Mike Shanahan or Wilson without
Percy Harvin for a big chunk of the year being able to match those stats. 3)
What type of season do you expect from Steven Jackson in Atlanta this season?
Cullen: For a 30-year-old running back -- a time when production generally
starts to fade -- this is a really good situation for Jackson. Hes been cranking
out 1,000-yard seasons in each of the last eight years for St. Louis, but has
scored six touchdowns or fewer in each of the last four seasons because the Rams
havent had much of a team supporting him. In Atlanta, Jackson is the supporting
cast for one of the leagues best passing offences and a past-his-prime
Michael Turner rushed for 11 touchdowns with the Falcons last year, so its not
unreasonable to think that Jackson could roll to 1,000 rushing yards and maybe
push double digit touchdowns this year. Fisher: As part of the Atlanta Falcons
high-powered offence, I think Steven Jackson could be a top 10 fantasy RB this
season, or very close to it. The move from St. Louis offence to Atlanta should
outweigh the extra year of wear and tear on the now nine-year veteran.
Michael Turner, who we can all agree was running on fumes last year with the
Falcons, still managed a double-digit touchdown season. Jackson, a far superior
runner, should have enough tread left on his tires to exceed that number and
then some. All the warning lights go off with Jackson. Hes 30-years-old now and
long ago passed 1,500 career carries. But he still looked good with the Rams
most of the time last year (it was the rest of the offence that didnt) and even
if he completely falls off a cliff skill-wise, youre still getting an RB2
(Turner finished 17th among running backs last season.) Ward: A very good one.
Sure, Jackson is getting up there in age and has some of his explosiveness, but
hes still coming off his eighth consecutive 1,000 yard season and Id be
surprised if he didnt make it nine in row. Im not expecting huge rushing numbers
in the Falcons pass-heavy offence but something in the 1,100 yards range with
maybe a slight uptick in his receiving yards from last year sounds about right.
Where I really expect more out of Jackson this year is in the touchdown
department. The Falcons get into the red zone far more often than the Rams so he
will have substantially more opportunities to score. Michael Turner, who looked
awful last year, hit paydirt 11 times so double-digit touchdowns are definitely
not out of the question for Jackson.
Dante
Exum Jersey . Some members of the U.S. Congress arent so sure. They say
Russia isnt doing enough to assure that athletes will be protected at the Feb.
7-23 games, happening not far from an Islamic insurgency that Russias huge
security apparatus has struggled for two decades to quell. Russia may run
greater risks in towns outside the tightly controlled Olympic zone. Suicide
bombs last month a few hundred kilometres (miles) away have increased concerns,
and an Islamic warlord has urged his followers to attack the Sochi Olympics,
Russian President Vladimir Putins pet project.
Gordon
Hayward Jazz Jersey . Therrien would not confirm his lineup for the game,
but he did have the same line combinations practicing together for the third
straight day which is usually a pretty good indication of what the lineup will
be.
http://www.officialjazzproauthentic.com/Authentic-Derrick-Favors-Jazz-Jersey/ . MacArthur scored two goals, and the Senators outlasted Detroit in a testy
third period to beat the Red Wings 4-2 on Saturday night.Fargo, ND
(SportsNetwork.com) - Whew! North Dakota States reign as the three-time FCS
national champion was pushed to the limit by South Dakota State on Saturday, but
freshman R.J. Urzendowskis second touchdown reception of the game with 54
seconds left lifted the second- seeded Bison to a 27-24 win in the second round
of the playoffs Saturday. Urzendowski caught a 12-yard fade pattern from
quarterback Carson Wentz to erase South Dakota States go-ahead touchdown just
minutes earlier and send North Dakota State (12-1) to next weekends national
quarterfinals, where they will host seventh-seeded Coastal Carolina (12-1). A
year ago, NDSU eliminated Coastal, 48-14, in the quarterfinals. Before South
Dakota State fell for the seventh straight time to Missouri Valley Football
Conference rival North Dakota State, the Jackrabbits (9-5) thought they might
have a stunning upset. Quarterback Austin Sumners 3-yard touchdown pass to
freshman Jake Wieneke with 3:18 left put the visitors ahead, 24-20. But the
Bison drove 76 yards in eight plays, helped by a pass interference that moved
the ball 14 yards to the South Dakota State 7. After Wentz threw an incompletion
and the Bison were moved back five yards by a false start, Wentz faked a handoff
to John Crockett and lofted the game-winning pass over SDSU cornerback Dallas
Brown and into the hands of the 6-foot Urzendowski just inside the end zone. On
the first play of South Dakota States ensuing possession, Tre Dempsey
intercepted Sumner at the Jackrabbits 25 to put North Dakota States escape on
ice. The Bison overcame South Dakota State senior running back Zach Zenner, who
rushed for 133 yards and two touchdowns while becoming the first player in NCAA
history to surpass 2,000 yards in a season for a third time. He finished the
season with 2,019 yards. Zenner kept South Dakota States go-ahead drive alive
with a 5-yard run on 4th- and-2 at the Bison 32. The Jackrabbits scored when
Sumner faked a handoff to Zenner and fired a quick slant to Wieneke in the Bison
end zone with 3:18 left to play. North Dakota State built a 14-0 lead in the
first half as Wentz fired a 27-yard touchdown pass to Urzendowski and then ran
in a 27-yard score. Urzendowski finished with four receptions for 109 yards.
Crockett rushed for 102 yards on 23 carries and Wentz had 70 yards on 13
carries. South Dakota State fought back to tie the game 14-14 before halftime on
two Zenner touchdown runs in the second quarter. Justin Syrovatkas 33-yard field
goal at the 6:43 mark of the third quarter put the Jackrabbits ahead 17-14, but
NDSUs Adam Keller countered with two field goals and the Bison went back ahead
20-17. -----------------------------------------------------------------------
Coastal Carolina 36, Richmond 15 Conway, SC - Coastal Carolina could have stewed
for the last two weeks over a blocked field goal attempt on the final play of
the regular season, which spoiled its perfect record. Instead, the Chanticleers
went out and did something about. Seventh-seeded Coastal took its frustration
out on Richmond with a 36-15 rout in the second round. Coastal (12-1) will
travel to second-seeded North Dakota State for the national quarterfinals next
weekend. A year ago, the Chanticleers fell to NDSU, 48-14, in the final eight.
The only blemish on Coastals record was the 15-14 loss to Liberty to end the
regular season on Nov. 22. The Chanticleers had a 24-yard chip shot blocked to
end that game and were forced to share the Big South Conference title with
Liberty. But coach Joe Moglias squad, coming off a first-round bye, played with
focus in ending Richmonds season one week after the visiting Spiders (9-5)
eliminated Morgan State from the playoffs. The Chanticleers rushed for 316 yards
to overcome Richmond quarterback Michael Strauss 402 passing yards. Coastal
Carolina clung to a 6-0 lead late in the second quarter until they capped an
11-play, 58-yard drive with Alex Ross 13-yard touchdown pass to tight end Craig
Weick with 33 seconds left in the first half. Austin Cain ran in the two-point
conversion and the Chanticleers had a 14-0 halftime lead. It got much worse for
Richmond in the third quarter. Andre Johnson scored on a 9-yard run to give
Coastal a 21-0 lead at the 12:13 mark. The Spiders answered with Strauss 76-yard
touchdown pass to Brian Brown to pull within 21-7. But Henderson broke off a
50-yard touchdown run on the Chanticleers ensuing drive and Ross scored from 1
yard out just before the end of the quarter to push the lead to 36-8. Henderson
finished with 134 yards on 19 carries and Ross was 22-for-41 for 171 yards and a
touchdown, adding 52 yards on the ground. Senior linebacker Quinn Backus was
dominant as he led the Coastal defense with 10 tackles, a sack, a forced fumble,
a fumble recovery, 1.5 tackles for losses, two pass breakups and two quarterback
hurries. Richmond entered the game ranked No. 1 in the FCS on third down
conversions, but the Spiders went 2-for-13.
----------------------------------------------------------------------- New
Hampshire 44, Fordham 19 Durham, NH - New Hampshire has the nations top ranking
and No. 1 playoff seed to motivate opponents, but the Wildcats announced they
feel ready for the challenge by dispatching Fordham, 44-19, in the second round
of the FCS postseason. UNH (11-1) extended its school-record winning streak to
11 games as its began its 11th straight appearance in the playoffs. The Wildcats
will host eighth- seeded Chattanooga (10-3) in the national quarterfinals next
weekend. The CAA Football champions had terrific offensive balance with 274
passing yards and 270 rushing yards. Nico Steriti rushed for a season-high 110
yards and a career-high four touchdowns on 14 carries to fuel the win, while
quarterback Sean Goldrich passed for 240 yards and had 48 yards and a touchdown
on the ground. If it wasnt for Fordham freshman sensation Chase Edmonds (208
rushing yards, 385 all-purpose yards, one touchdown), the score could have been
worse for the Rams (11-3), the Patriot League champions who were coming off a
first-round win over Sacred Heart. New Hampshire had six sacks of Fordham
quarterback Mike Nebrich in the games first nine minutes and threatened to swamp
the Rams. Jimmy Owens scored on a 51-yard run on the Wildcats first offensive
play and Goldrich capped their second drive with an 8-yard scoring run on
4th-and-2 as they built a 14-0 lead in the games first 6 1/2 minutes. But two
turnovers by New Hampshire kept the Rams in the game and they pulled within
14-12 in the second quarter on Edmonds 91-touchdown run and two Michael Marando
field goals. The Wildcats then regained firm control of the game by halftime.
Steriti scored on an 11-yard touchdown run with 3:07 left in the second quarter
and Brad Prasky kicked a 30-yard field goal to end the half, pushing their lead
to 24-12. Steriti scored on two more runs (1 and 7 yards) in the third quarter
to sandwich around a Fordham score that was set up Edmonds 65-yard kickoff
return and New Hampsshire led 37-19 after three quarters.
Swingman
Adrian Dantley Jersey. Steriti added his fourth touchdown on a 24-yard
touchdown with 4:48 to play. Nebrich, averaging 312.5 passing yards per game,
was held to 161 yards on 12- of-30 passes with one touchdown and one
interception.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
Chattanooga 35, Indiana State 14 Chattanooga, TN - The Southern Conference had a
subpar season after the departure of its traditional FCS playoff teams, but new
power Chattanooga clearly is as good as ever The Mocs followed the lead of
junior quarterback Jacob Huesman as they gained their first playoff win with a
35-14 triumph over Indiana State in the second round. Huesman accounted for 394
yards and three touchdowns as No. 8 Chattanooga advanced to the national
quarterfinals. The Mocs (10-3) will visit top-ranked and top-seeded New
Hampshire (11-1) next weekend. Chattanooga has won the last two SoCon titles.
Georgia Southern and Appalachian State, who won a combined nine national titles
in the FCS, have left the conference for the FBS level. Huesman rushed for 153
yards and two touchdowns on 31 carries, and completed 15-of-24 pass attempts for
241 yards and one touchdown. Keon Williams rushed for another 70 yards and a
touchdown as the Mocs kept a balanced attack and outgained Indiana State (8-6)
503 yards to 178 while holding the ball for 42 minutes, 57 seconds. Chattanooga
had lost its only other playoff game in 1984, but the Mocs grabbed control of
the game in the first quarter. On the games third play from scrimmage, Mocs
safety Semaje Kendall intercepted Indiana State quarterback Mike Perish at the
Sycamores 30-yard line and returned the ball to the 3. One play later, Williams
scored just one minute into the game. The Mocs balanced out the short possession
with a long scoring drive, going 90 yards on 14 plays, with Huesmans 1-yard run
pushing the lead to 14-0 at the 5:03 mark. Indiana State, a Missouri Valley
Football Conference member coming off a playoff win against Eastern Kwentucky,
cut its deficit in half on Perishs 75- yard touchdown pass to A.J. Johnson with
51 seconds left in the first quarter. But Huesmans 29-yard touchdown pass to
Tommy Hudson with two minutes left in the first half pushed Chattanoogas lead to
21-7 by halftime. Huesman then capped the opening drive of the second half with
a 1-yard touchdown run to put the Mocs ahead, 28-7. The drive went 84 yards over
11 plays. Chattanooga won despite place-kicker Henrique Ribeiro missing all
three of his first-goal attempts. The Mocs forced three turnovers, including two
interception of Perish.
----------------------------------------------------------------------- Illinois
State 41, Northern Iowa 21 Normal, IL - Illinois State enacted revenge for its
only loss of the regular season by pounding Northern Iowa, 41-21, in a matchup
of Missouri Valley Football Conference teams in the second round of the FCS
playoffs. The result was surprisingly one-sided after Northern Iowa won the
regular- season meeting, 42-28, at home, but fifth-seeded Illinois State (11-1)
kept its two-season home winning streak intact while powering into the national
quarterfinals next weekend. They will face Saturdays second-round survivor
between Montana and fourth-seeded Eastern Washington. Illinois State, which has
won 13 straight games at Hancock Stadium, built a 24-0 halftime lead to dispatch
of UNI (9-5). Quarterback Tre Roberson finished with 382 yards and four
touchdowns through the air and running back Marshaun Coprich had 148 yards and a
score on the ground. Illinois State scored on its first three drives to take a
commanding 21-0 lead. Roberson connected on a 6-yard touchdown pass to Cameron
Meredith to cap the games opening drive and then Coprichs 29-yard run on the
Redbirds second possession set up his 1-yard score to make it 14-0 with 8:16
left in the first quarter. The Redbirds third drive began midway through the
first quarter and ended in the first minute of the second quarter after they
went 87 yards in 15 plays with Roberson and Meredith connected on a 2-yard
touchdown pass. Nick Aussiekers 45-yard field goal to end the first half pushed
Illinois States lead to 24-0. The Redbirds had a 345-52 advantage in offensive
yards and a 16-3 advantage in first downs in the half while holding the ball
nearly twice as long as the Panthers. James OShaughnessy (four receptions, 115
yards) caught two touchdowns in the second half and joined Meredith (seven
receptions, 105 yards) with over 100 receiving yards. Northern Iowa All-American
David Johnson had only 48 yards and a touchdown on 18 carries, but he finished
with 108 yards on four kickoff returns and another 30 yards on five receptions.
----------------------------------------------------------------------- Sam
Houston State 37, Jacksonville State 26 Jacksonville, AL - When Sam Houston
State had a 1-3 record, the Bearkats were just looking for any victory, let
alone reaching the FCS playoffs. The Bearkats turned their season around and won
for the second time in the playoffs on Saturday, dispatching third-seeded
Jacksonville State, 37-26, as quarterback Jared Johnson accounted for four
touchdowns. Sam Houston (10-4), under first-year coach K.C. Keeler, will play
either Liberty or sixth-seeded Villanova in the national quarterfinals next
weekend. The Bearkats, making their fourth straight playoff appearance, have won
seven straight games and nine of their last 10 since falling to Division II
Colorado State-Pueblo on Sept. 13. They shared the Southland Conference title
with Southeastern Louisiana and then eliminated the Lions in the playoff first
round a week ago. Johnson completed 13-of-19 pass attempts for 161 yards and
three touchdowns, and rushed for 85 yards and a touchdown on 18 carries. The
Bearkats trailed 26-24 at halftime after Jacksonville States Connor Rouleau
ended the first half with a 42-yard field goal. Johnson then connected with
LaDarius Brown for a second touchdown pass - this time a 49-yarder - to put Sam
Houston ahead, 30-26, with 8:03 left in the third quarter. The Bearkats defense
stopped Jacksonville State (10-2) on downs at the Sam Houston 43. On the sixth
play of the Bearkats ensuing drive, Jalen Overstreet scored on a 33-yard run to
push the lead to 37-26. Overstreet finished with 83 yards on 10 carries.
Jacksonville State, the Ohio Valley Conference champion whose 10-game winning
streak ended, outgained Sam Houston 513 yards to 402, but quarterback Eli
Jenkins threw two interceptions in addition to rushing for one touchdown and
passing for one. Gamecocks tailaback DaMarcus James carried the ball 19 times
for 128 yards and a touchdown. Running back Keshawn Hill caught Johnsons other
touchdown pass.
----------------------------------------------------------------------- FCS
Playoff Second Round All Times ET Montana (9-4) at No. 4 seed Eastern Washington
(10-2), 4:30 p.m. Liberty (9-4) at No. 6 seed Villanova (10-2), 4:30 p.m.
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