NFL Week 2 Liquor Cabinet

For the entire NFL season, we will be breaking down the rest of the NFL not named Green Bay by looking at it like a liquor cabinet. Why did we choose this method? I like to booze and it makes things really easy to determine what's great, average and poor.  

TOP SHELF
Seattle looks decent - I talked about Seattle's struggles last Sunday and felt like San Francisco would make a statement in Seattle. The Seahawks made a statement and dominated all facets of the football game on Sunday. Russell Wilson did not have the best day, but he did not need to with how the defense played plus the rushing attack was solid. To think, they are missing four top flight stars as well makes Seattle pretty scary for the rest of the season.

Cutty comes back - 4th quarter comebacks are overblown, but I am impressed overall with the Chicago Bears offense. Jay Cutler finally has a tight end who can catch the football. Remember Cutler went to his tight ends fairly often even last year with Kellan Davis who dropped at least half of them last season. Cutler stayed protected for the most part as well.  Additionally, the worries about the Bears defense might be overstated.  Minnesota's defense and special teams both had a touchdown meaning Chicago only allowed 16 points.  

Denver just going to blow everyone out? - It looks like it right now.  Who cares if the Denver defense might not be that good, but their second half against New York was eye-opening. The Broncos had a slow build with it too. They scored a late third quarter touchdown with Knowshon Moreno who somehow is still on the Broncos, force the Giants with a three-and-out and they get another touchdown with Peyton Manning throwing to Julius Thomas. Trindon Holiday delivered the knockout punch with the punt return to put the Broncos up 21 points somehow in game that was close for three quarters.

Miami... Sneaky good or too early? - I sold low on Miami to start the year, but they are playing well so far this season. The Dolphins started out the season with consecutive road games and won both of them holding both Cleveland and Indianapolis under 20 points. Ryan Tannehill went for over 300 yards and got Mike Wallace's season started with a 100 yard game. One thing the young quarterback has to cut it is the fumbles. He lost three balls but thankfully, Tannehill recovered two of them.  We shall see how they look at home though as they have been worse there in years past.  

MIDDLE SHELF
Texans pull another one out of their asses - Everyone is talking about the Patriots being the worst 2-0 team right now, but why not Houston? They played one good quarter against San Diego and then they trailed Tennessee by eight with four minutes left in the game yet found a way to win the game in overtime. People will say the cliche line of 'Good teams find a way to win football games' but still, Houston seems a bit overrated to me.  

Atlanta holds on - The Falcons jumped out to a 24-3 lead on Sunday afternoon against St. Louis yet they could not stomp the foot on the throat.  Atlanta kept letting St. Louis come back in this game and thankfully got a big drive from Matt Ryan and Jacob Snelling in the fourth quarter. But the Falcons are going to be without Kroy Biermann, Sean Weatherspoon and Steven Jackson next week, all three are vital to the team's success. Biermann is done for the year, Weatherspoon is on selective IR but that's not a guarantee he will be back this season. Atlanta is much more of a mess than people are talking about right now.  

Joe Flacco does not catch flak... Surprising? - I am somewhat surprised Joe Flacco did not receive much backlash for not being there for the birth of his second child. I asked both my mom and dad about it because they had two kids. Both of them said the same thing, 'Well it's not the first child, the second child, it's more of a been there, done that.' If my sister Annie is reading, please take this up with them, not me.

Eagles score points but cannot stop anyone - Philadelphia might be a year away. It is still super early to say something like that, but it seems like there are some significant holes in that defense. Sure, they can put up 30+ points with the best of them, but their defense cannot stop anybody. I realize San Diego has some tools on offense yet I would never expect them to have 33 points on the road.

BOTTOM SHELF
Oh noooo Dez - Dallas Cowboys wide receiver Dez Bryant balled out on Sunday with nine catches for over 150 yards, but he made two vital errors. Bryant had a crucial drop that probably cost the Cowboys a game. We can have a discussion about Dallas's inabilities to win on the road, but I feel that might be overstated. Dez also retweeted a picture of a vagina, not a great moment in social media.

Ron Rivera or Greg Schiano... Who gets fired first? - Oh boy, I think both of these coaches might be getting the pink slip before November 1st. Let's remember Carolina had the toughest schedule in the NFL before the season started this year.  The Panthers play New York Giants at home this week and then a bye week before two road games in Arizona and Minnesota. If they get blown out by New York, it becomes a real awkward two weeks for Ron Rivera. As for Tampa Bay, the chemistry seems completely off with Schiano and yes, they are two field goals away from being 2-0, yet it does not seem like a good situation.  They play in New England this week before heading home to play Arizona before a bye week.  I will take Rivera.

Poor Jacksonville - I just feel bad for Jacksonville. Just struggling. I am not really going to go in what's wrong with them because it does not matter as they have all sorts of problems. Also they have all the Tim Tebow shit, it is entirely annoying and I feel for the fanbase. Shock the world this week in Seattle.

Detroit remembers they are Detroit - Everyone started to get real excited about Detroit in Week 1 forgetting how much the Lions struggle on the road.  They had a 14-10 lead at halftime, but their offense went silent in the second half. DeAndre Levy netted them an interception return in the third quarter, but that was it for scoring from Detroit. Arizona's defense is good, but if Detroit is as good as everyone wanted them to be in Week 1, their offense does not go scoreless in the second half.

Charlie.

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NFL Picks Week 1: Don't Let Peyton Manning Ruin your Weekend

I find Facebook annoying probably more times than I find it enjoyable. There is always something people can complain about and the flavor of the day is how they are playing Peyton Manning in fantasy football this week.  If you did not hear, Manning went off for seven touchdowns and had 63 fantasy points.  Now, this puts a lot of people at a sizable disadvantage for Week 1 but it should not damper your weekend. It is just fantasy football and it is just week one. If he did this to cost you 500 dollars then I understand a little bit better (For the record, I have Manning in one league so maybe that's why I feel this way, shut up).  There will be some great games this weekend and I am here to pick them with the spreads. My record this year will be Straight Up and Against The Spread.

New England (-10) at Buffalo 12 pm CBS - As a Packer fan, I wish I could be New England and start with a cupcake. They somewhat struggle in Buffalo, but with E.J. Manuel making his first appearance plus him being banged up, it seems like the Patriots should coast in this one. NE 38-14

Cincinnati at Chicago (-3) 12 pm CBS - Fun game for the first week of the season. The Bears new look offensive line will be tested with Geno Atkins and company coming at them. Andy Dalton handling Soldier Field with the wind is something that would concern me if I were a Cincinnati fan.  I feel like the Bears offensive line protects Cutler enough and his receiving core has a big day. CHI 21-17

Miami at Cleveland (-1) 12 pm CBS - This could set the tone for the year. Both teams are fringe playoff teams. I really do not think people recognize at least on paper how good Cleveland's defense can be this season.  Maybe it is my lingering Ryan Tannehill concerns, but I think the Browns win this one although it better not come down a field goal to win it.  CLEV 17-13

Minnesota at Detroit (-5.5) 12 pm FOX - Where did all the hype for the Lions come from? All the sudden, we have Mike Florio putting them into the NFC Championship and other people are talking about Detroit. It is like people forgot Minnesota made the playoffs last year. I still like the Lions at home, but this should be a close, hard-fought game.  DET 23-21

Oakland at Indianapolis (-10) 12 pm CBS - This will be a long, long year for Raiders fan. It starts in the Oil Drum and the Colts should have no problems in the first game of the year. Darrius Heyward-Bey will go off just to troll Raiders fans. IND 34-10

Atlanta at New Orleans (-3) 12 pm FOX - Another game where it could set the tone for at least the first couple months of the season. This will be an NFL shootout. The Saints defense is not the best in the league and I feel like the Falcons defense will be a real eyesore. It will come down to who has the ball last and I'm going with the Saints.  NO 42-38

Tampa Bay (-3) at New York Jets 12 pm FOX - The return of Darrelle Revis and I feel like everyone is against the Jets meaning they will find a way to win. Oh who am I kidding, Revis will probably have a pick-six against Geno Smith because it would not be the NFL season without people overreacting about the Jets. TB 27-15

Tennessee at Pittsburgh (-7) 12 pm CBS - The thing to watch is how the Steelers running backs will be as they try to replace Le'Von Bell. Now, Ben Roethlisberger is the man but a lot with Aaron Rodgers, he needs a nice compliment. I think they have no issue whatsoever with the Titans.  PITT 30-17

Seattle (-3.5) at Carolina 12 pm FOX - Here is the SnoTap upset of the week. This is a tough game for Seattle. They have all the hype in the world coming into the season. They have to play at 1 pm, 10 am their time and the Panthers are a fringe playoff squad. Cam Newton has a big day with his legs and they win this game. CAR 19-16

Kansas City (-4) at Jacksonville 12 pm CBS - The Chiefs will begin their comeback season in Jacksonville. Big days from both Alex Smith and Jamaal Charles. KC 28-10

Arizona at St. Louis (-4.5) 3:25 pm FOX - Just like Miami-Cleveland, this is game that could set the tone for the season.  Both are NFC West teams looking for an in this year.  I feel like Arizona's defensive backs will keep this close, but the Rams find a way to win with Daryl Richardson having a big day. STL 24-23

Green Bay at San Francisco (-4.5) 3:25 pm FOX - Here's our Packer Preview from earlier today.

New York Giants at Dallas (-3) 7:30 pm NBC - Do you know Dallas has never beat the Giants at Cowboys Stadium? Have you heard about that?  CRAZY RIGHT?!  The Cowboys are going to show why they are the cream of the crop in the NFC East this weekend.  Dez Bryant will have a massive opening weekend and the Cowboys pull away late. DAL 35-24

Monday
Philadelphia at Washington (-4.5) 5:55 pm ESPN - READ OPTION BOWL.  I am going to take Washington in this one because I have no idea what I am getting from Philadelphia yet. It should be a fun game to watch with all the different storylines. WASH 33-30

Houston (-4) at San Diego 9:15 pm ESPN - This will be the first of 17 weeks where you realize how bad the San Diego Chargers are going to be this season. Houston will make the first case. HOU 30-13

Charlie.

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Fantasy Football Free Agent Finds

Now that most drafts are done, the second part of the fantasy football battle begins. Too many players will draft their team and stay married to those players, unwilling to admit a mistake or cut a guy they liked preseason. Year after year, fantasy leagues are decided by a few free agent studs that are picked up after week 1 or 2 performances. Just as important however, is finding guys that won’t be stars, but may have solid weeks here or there that can fill in during the bye weeks.

I attempted to find one player from each team in the NFL (key word attempted, more on that later) that is going undrafted in leagues, or is severely underrated that could help you with your team. The advice for most of these guys is not to pick them up, just yet. Watch how the first few weeks of the regular season unfolds, if these guys start getting an opportunity, pick them up and see if they develop. You never know though, since they’re sleepers, some might even get cut before the final rosters come out.  To make matters easier, most of these players fall into a few key groups.

One of these Quarterbacks has to break out eventually

Ryan Tannehill,Miami Dolphins, Blaine Gabbert, Jacksonville Jaguars, Jake LockerTennessee Titans, Sam Bradford , St. Louis Rams.

These are four young quarterbacks that so far have been struggling during their NFL careers. It is likely that none of these guys will eventually break out, but the unpredictable nature of the NFL implies that one could still bloom late. I would recommend watching Tannehill and Bradford closely, both have improved weapons at their disposal and could make the leap to fantasy relevant this year. If you have a low upside backup on your bench (Alex Smith, Phillip Rivers, Matt Schaub) replace them with Tannehill and Bradford, see if either breaks out, the backups will likely be available in free agency if things don’t work out.

Quarterbacks with rushing value to make up for passing troubles

EJ Manuel, Buffalo Bills, Terrelle Pryor, Oakland Raiders.

Fantasy football still gives a huge scoring edge to quarterbacks who are able to run and throw, allowing less talented quarterbacks to have more value than some more talented quarterbacks. Think about Tim Tebow (groan, sorry) while he was with the Broncos. We knew then that he could not throw the ball at an NFL level, but he was valuable in fantasy because he could get the ball down the field with his legs, and got some red-zone TD’s with his arm as well. The additional rushing points will make up for a lot of passing failures. It’s clear due to the QB situations in Oakland and Buffalo that these two will get chances during the season; I expect that they will run it quite a bit. Try to pick these guys up, BEFORE the breakout performance, and either trade while the value is high, or plug them in at QB.

Running Backs that could steal more touches than you think

Bilal Powell, New York Jets, Danny Woodhead, San Diego Chargers, Lance Dunbar, Dallas Cowboys, Joique Bell, Detroit Lions, Mike Tolbert, Carolina Panthers.

Unless you are in a fairly deep league, most of these guys will not be on your roster, however, they will see some playing time on the field. In fantasy, we worry about the starting running back a lot, and the immediate backup to serve as a handcuff. There are times where the number one backup has less value than the third string player, as the third string will see time on the field no matter what happens with injuries. This is true with many of the guys listed above, some are second string, some are third, but each is going to get some work in the passing game, and even some rushing attempts. These guys will all be more valuable in PPR leagues, and might not be the #1 back if the starter goes down, however as a bye week flex option, these guys bring value.

Running Back who actually might be next in line

Stepfan Taylor, Arizona Cardinals, Knile Davis, Kansas City Chiefs, Chris Polk, Philadelphia Eagles, Christine Michael, Seattle Seahawks.

All of these guys have fairly entrenched starters ahead of them on the depth chart, and it would take an injury for them to get fantasy value. In the case of Taylor, Polk, and Michael, there are established number two running backs on their current teams who people are looking at as handcuff options. After looking at some training camp reports and preseason games, there’s a chance that these guys could be next in line. If an injury happens to the starters on any of these teams, look quickly at these guys, they will fly under the radar, but could steal some carries quickly.

Tight Ends with value, but the secret might already be out

Jordan Cameron, Cleveland Browns, Zach Sudfeld, New England Patriots, Julius Thomas, Denver Broncos.

When I first started putting together this list, I had these tight ends picked out. My advice was going to be: pick one of these guys up as your backup tight end, and after two weeks shop either these guys or your starter, because you woll have two high level players. However, in the past two weeks, Cameron and Sudfeld have been getting their name tossed out there a lot, so the secret might already be out. Good job if you were able to pick them up, if they’re still available, grab any of these guys for week 1 and decide if you’re willing to trust them in your starting lineup.

Wide Receivers with talent that might steal some targets

Mohamed Sanu, Cincinnati Bengals, Darius Heyward-Bey, Indianapolis Colts, Ramses Barden, New York Giants, Aldrick Robinson, Washington Redskins, Earl Bennett, Chicago Bears, Jarius Wright, Minnesota Vikings, Kenny Stills, New Orleans Saints, Harry Douglas, Atlanta Falcons, Jon Baldwin, San Francisco 49ers.

Wide Receiver is one of the easiest places to find free agent pickups, since the league is so pass happy now. None of these guys are going to break out and be a number one option in fantasy football this season, but in PPR formats, or bye week flex guys, I could see them getting some playing time. Most of these guys have a good amount of talent and opportunity, something that is important in today’s pass happy NFL. For example, everyone is freaking out over T.Y. Hilton’s value this year (including me) talking about how his speed in the Colts’ offense along with Andrew Luck is a success story waiting to happen. Didn’t Heyward-Bey get drafted way too high in the first round by Oakland because he was fast? I think there’s a chance there. Jarius Wright can serve as a mini-Percy Harvin in the slot for the Vikings if given the opportunity. We all know Earl Bennett and Jay Cutler go back to their college days every once in a while. Cutler likes to stare down his receivers, if Brandon Marshall goes down, Bennett will see a lot of passes.

Wide Receiver with a lot of opportunity

Tandon Doss, Baltimore Ravens, Jericho Cotchery, Pittsburgh Steelers, Kevin Ogletree, Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

I’m not as high on the talent for this group compared to the one directly above it, but I still think that due to the NFL being a pass happy league, there’s a chance that these three will see some targets. All have lost some receiving targets from their teams in the offseason, and these guys appear ready to see a lot of time on the field.

Teams that are too predictable for sleepers

Green Bay Packers, Houston Texans.

First off, we all know the Texans’ rushing depth chart. Secondly, we know their pecking order for the passing game.  It makes it tough to find a sleeper on this team, because it’s such a tightly run offense without room for a lot of depth. When it comes to the Packers, most of our readers follow Green Bay to some extent, so it’ll make it tough to be the first player in your league to hear about someone on their roster. Packers get over drafted in Wisconsin fantasy football leagues as it is. If there’s someone you feel will break out, go ahead and pick them up, I just can’t find anyone not already on the radar.

Let us know what you think. Did we miss anyone? Think these guys won’t be valuable at all in leagues? Got questions for the fantasy football season? Email snotap12@gmail.com. Now that football is coming soon, we’ll have a weekly column going over roster advice, matchup predictions, and reactions to what happened the week below.

Adam

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32 in 31: Houston Texans

Another year of 32 for 31, Sports News on Tap takes the month of August to preview the National Football League. We spend every day of the month looking at a new team and how they will fare in 2013. 

It is hard to quantify how important a season to a collective team. The Houston Texans won the AFC South and went to the divisional round of the playoffs losing to the New England Patriots.  Both of those were massive steps in the young franchise's history and the thought is they want to take it to the next level in an AFC where it is completely wide open. There might not be a better time than now for the Texans to make it to their first Super Bowl, but will they have enough to complete one of the hardest tasks in professional sports?  

OFFENSE
It starts and ends with Arian Foster.  There are people concerned about Foster for the 2013 season though.'Curse of 370 carries' when discussing running backs and how it effects their long-term success; Foster nearly reached that number last season. There needs to be more of an emphasis with the Texans to spread the wealth around their offense this year even if Foster is clearly the best player on this team.  He is definitely been a workhorse running back for the past couple of years with his carries hitting at all-time high last year with 352.  Many people worry about the

Matt Schaub has been the Texans quarterback since 2007 and while he did throw for 4,000 yards last season, he did not have an impactful season. He only threw 22 touchdowns and had a 90.7 quarterback rating which is an all-time starting low for Schaub. If he has another 'so-so' year, the Texans might start looking for another quarterback given the former Virginia quarterback is not getting any younger (Currently, 32 years of age).

Schaub gets an added weapon next season with Nuke Hopkins out of Clemson and he could be a Rookie of the Year candidate to watch.  Hopkins will be able to spread the field and provide a deep outlet for Schaub when Andre Johnson is not open.  Speaking of Johnson, he had a bounce back year with limited injuries. As he is getting up there in age, who knows if he can repeat that this upcoming year, but if he does, the Texans might really have something on the outside.  

DEFENSE
As the offense, starts and ends with Arian Foster, the same can be said for the Texans defense with J.J. Watt. He had a breakout year last season leading people to believe he will be the next great defensive end, but his apparent elbow injury would have me somewhat concerned if I were a Texans fan. Watt will be wearing a brace most of the season and that could limit his ability to breakthrough the offensive line. Trust me, not having an arm with full range of motion for a lineman is truly a pain in the ass.

The Texans had major secondary problems last year as the Texans looked like burnt toast for the majority of the season. Houston hopes that it was just a bad season and they will return to form in 2013. They also added Ed Reed from Baltimore giving the secondary its most vocal leader.  There are definite concerns about Reed's health, but if he is able to be a playmaker, he could really impact the Texans defense in a positive manner.  

SPECIAL TEAMS
They added Shane Lechler and he will do absolute wonders for them in terms of field possesion. Lechler boomed punts with the Raiders with a majority of his games outdoors. Now he gets the luxury of playing in a retractable roof stadium for eight games out of the year. He will be great for them.

KEY ADDITIONS
S Ed Reed, FB Greg Jones, P Shane Lechler -We already discussed Reed and Lechler, Jones is a nice fullback option who can carry the ball now and again.

KEY DEPARTURES
LB Connor Barwin, FB/TE James Casey, LB Bradie James, S Glover Quin, CB Stanford Routt, LB Barrett Ruud, WR Kevin Walter.

TEXANS DRAFT PICKS
WR DeAndre 'Nuke' Hopkins, S D.J. Swearinger, OT Brennan Williams, OLB Sam Montgomery, OLB Trevardo Williams, OT David Quessenberry, WR Alan Bonner, NT Chris Jones, TE Ryan Griffin

I personally love Swearinger will learn under Reed. He is one of the hardest hitters out of the draft and will probably be fined by the NFL before November. Also don't sleep on Montgomery, if he figures his work ethic out, watch out.  

GAME TO WATCH
Sunday December 1st: vs. New England 3:25 pm - The Texans are calling this their 'homecoming' game after everyone overreacted to them wearing letterman jackets to New England last year for a Monday night game. Let's hope this does not spark a trend in the NFL because homecoming games are for college and high school. Given last year, it is still the biggest game on their schedule.

PREDICTION
9-11 wins - Let me be clear, I think nine is probably too low although I feel the ceiling is eleven if that's makes any sense. The Texans should win the AFC South again this year. I am betting on an improved year from Schaub and Foster to stay consistent. Additionally, Reed is a great addition to the team plus they had a good draft.

Charlie.

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