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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Tap's Thursday Night Pick: Ravens at Broncos

Thursday night picks will be a couple of the college games and the NFL game. Usually, we just do ranked teams, but for Thursday night, we will add some unranked games just for the hell of it. Ed. Note: No games worth talking about in college football so it's all the big boys tonight.  

Baltimore at Denver 7:30 NBC - For some Milwaukee and surrounding Milwaukee area residents, the National Football League will not get off to a rosy start for them. Time Warner Cable and WTMJ, the NBC affiliate have been at cable war since late July and neither side is showing signs of letting up. This means both NBC games cannot been seen unless someone buys an antenna for the cool price of 25 dollars or finds some bunny ears lying around the house. My best recommendation is pick up the antenna or head to a bar. I would do the latter, it's Thursday, it is a great excuse to get drunk to celebrate football returning for another season.  As for the game itself....

Both teams come in with some questions even though they have established players all over the field. For the Ravens, this will be their first game without Ray Lewis or Ed Reed even being on the sidelines. While I think the Ravens will be better as a unit, it is still going to take time. The Broncos have similar concerns on defense as Von Miller and Champ Bailey will be missing from action. Miller provided a majority of the pass rush for the Broncos so someone will need to set up in that category. As for Bailey, he cannot get exposed again by Torrey Smith and that's a shame.

With the questions on defense, Joe Flacco and Peyton Manning should both have field days out there. With Flacco's new contract and the way he played to finish out the year, it will be interesting to see how much of the team belongs to him versus Ray Rice still getting some love. Manning will have a new weapon with Wes Welker and I assume he uses it very well.

I do think we get a high scoring game to start the year and even though, the Ravens are on the road, it is tough to bet against history as the defending Super Bowl champions have never lost this Thursday night. I am taking the Ravens in an extremely tight one coming down to a field goal. Baltimore 31-28  

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SnoTap Predicts...Big Money's NFL Predictions

The SnoTap staff is making their predictions on the NFL season. Odds are one or two of us will be right, but in the end like most people, we will look like idiots. 

This is me looking into a crystal ball and trying to predict a sport that is unpredictable. No matter how good a team is on paper, they're an injury away from being a completely different team.

So here goes:



NFC East
1. Washington
2. Dallas
3. New York Giants
4. Philadelphia

NFC North
1. Green Bay
2. Chicago
3. Detroit
4. Minnesota

NFC South
1. Atlanta
2. Tampa Bay
3. New Orleans
4. Carolina

NFC West
1. Seattle
2. San Francisco
3. St. Louis
4. Arizona

AFC East
1. New England
2. Miami
3. Buffalo
4. New York Jets

AFC North
1. Cincinnati
2. Pittsburgh
3. Baltimore
4. Cleveland

AFC South
1. Houston
2. Indianapolis
3. Tennessee
4. Jacksonville

AFC West
1. Denver
2. San Diego
3. Kansas City
4. Oakland

Playoffs
NFC: (Byes: 1. Atlanta, 2. Seattle) 3. Green Bay beats 6. Dallas/5. San Fran beats 4. Washington
AFC: (Byes: 1. New England 2. Denver) 3. Houston beats 6. Baltimore/4. Pittsburgh beats 5. Cincinnati

NFC: 5. San Fran beats 1. Atlanta/3. Green Bay beats 2. Seattle
AFC: 1. New England beats 4. Pittsburgh/2. Denver beats 3. Houston

NFC: 5. San Fran beats 3. Green Bay
AFC: 2. Denver beats 1. New England

Super Bowl: San Francisco against Denver

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32 in 31: Denver Broncos

Another year of 32 in 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.

Denver Broncos had a typical Peyton Manning year. They have a great regular season and fall short in the playoffs. This is not a knock to Manning, rather he just seems to not be the same quarterback in the playoffs. This is a 'Do or Die' year for the Broncos. Manning is not getting any younger at age 37 and his window is likely closing quicker than other quarterbacks in the NFL. They play in a weak AFC West, but there will be a lot of challenges for the upcoming season.

OFFENSE
The Broncos made sure Manning would have more weapons this season as they signed Wes Welker. This could be football porn with the way Manning uses his slot receivers. Welker should have a direct impact on the Broncos offense creating major problems for opposing defense running around in the slot.  The other thing that should be exciting for Bronco fans is Demaryius Thomas and Eric Decker could take their games to another level as they mature as pro athletes.

After adding Welker, the Broncos went to the draft and picked Montee Ball from Wisconsin. This is an interesting pick for the Broncos specifically because Ball reminds me of former Bronco Willis McGehee in terms of the way he runs the football but he is no a pass catcher.  At Wisconsin, Ball had one season where he had a big year catching the football with 24 receptions and 306 yards with six touchdowns.  While catching the ball is usually not the most important thing for a running back, not every quarterback in front of them is a Manning.

The biggest concern for the Broncos is their shaky interior line. They lost Dan Koppen for the season in training camp with an ACL injury meaning there is not a center who knows how to deal with Manning. He is a different bird with all of his audibles and it could really effect this team during the season. Manny Ramirez, no not that one, is going to be the first man up to the challenge. This could be an unnoticed problem for the Broncos this year.

DEFENSE
This defense took a hit when Elvis Dumervil went to their new rival Baltimore this offseason and then it is possible they will be losing their superstar linebacker Von Miller for six games for violating the substance-abuse policy. Miller is said to appeal meaning he might only lose four games, but even if the suspension is reduced, the Broncos defense will be completely lost without Miller.  He is an absolute game-changer whether it be rushing the quarterback or making a play in pass coverage. Now Shuan Phillips coming from San Diego might lighten the load on losing Miller, but the weakside linebacker looks like a complete wasteland.

I would also worry about the cornerback position this season. Adding Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie will help, but I am not sure Champ Bailey will be the same player as he has been in years past. Bailey looked exposed in the playoff loss to Baltimore and it is really hard for me to fathom he will be a better player next season. Now Bailey is one of the best ever and it could have been just a bad stretch for him, but as we have seen with cornerbacks, if they lose it, they really lose it.  

SPECIAL TEAMS
One of the best in the the league with Matt Prater even if he has a ridiculous tattoo and Britton Colquitt. Both players can dictate a game for the Broncos. They also made one of the best free-agent signing mid-season acquiring Trinton Holiday to return kicks and punts.  

KEY ADDITIONS
WR Wes Welker, LB Stewart Bradley, LB Shaun Phillips, CB Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie, OG Louis Vasquez - We have touched on most of these players already but one we did not is Vasquez. He could be a very important part to the Broncos interior line staying together.

KEY SUBTRACTIONS
LB Elvis Dumervil, DT Justin Bannan, LB Keith Brooking, WR Brandon Stokley, LB DJ Williams

BRONCOS DRAFT PICKS
DT Slyvester Williams, RB Montee Ball, CB Kayvon Webster, DE Quanterus Smith, WR Tavarres King, OT/OG Vinston Painter, QB Zac Dysert - Apparently, folks did not love the King pick but I could see him being a game-changer late in the season. Great deep threat at Georgia.

GAME TO WATCH
Sunday October 27 vs. Washington 3:25 pm - Mike Shananhan returns to Mile High for the first time since leaving Denver. Also you have Robert Griffin III vs. Manning, it will be a fun game.

WIN TOTAL
10-11 - Honestly, if they have Miller out for multiple games, this team might be struggling in the beginning part of the season and their schedule does not do them any favors.  With Miller possibly out, this team is a complete unknown.

Charlie.

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2013 Fantasy Football Ranks

For the next few weeks, SnoTap will be providing in depth analysis of the big four fantasy football positions: QB, RB, WR, and TE. As a tool for reference, we will post our ranking ahead of these articles, so that our readers have the opportunity to ask questions, pick apart our rankings, and prepare for their draft. Any questions/comments/disagreements can be sent to SnoTap12@gmail.com, and we will address them when that position group comes up.

Quarterback

1	Aaron Rodgers	Green Bay Packers
2	Drew Brees	New Orleans Saints
3	Peyton Manning	Denver Broncos
4	Tom Brady	New England Patriots
5	Cam Newton	Carolina Panthers
6	Andrew Luck	Indianapolis Colts
7	Matt Ryan	Atlanta Falcons
8	Russell Wilson	Seattle Seahawks
9	Colin Kaepernick	San Francisco 49ers
10	Tony Romo	Dallas Cowboys
11	Matthew Stafford	Detroit Lions
12	Robert Griffin III	Washington Redskins
13	Ben Roethlisberger	Pittsburgh Steelers
14	Eli Manning	New York Giants
15	Carson Palmer	Arizona Cardinals
16	Andy Dalton	Cincinnati Bengals
17	Josh Freeman	Tampa Bay Bucs
18	Jay Cutler	Chicago Bears
19	Joe Flacco	Baltimore Ravens
20	Alex Smith	Kansas City Chiefs
21	Ryan Tannehill	Miami Dolphins
22	Phillip Rivers	San Diego Chargers
23	Matt Schaub	Houston Texans
24	Sam Bradford	St Louis Rams
25	Christian Ponder	Minnesota Vikings

Running Back

1	Adrian Peterson	Minnesota Vikings
2	Marshawn Lynch	Seattle Seahawks
3	Arian Foster	Houston Texans
4	Ray Rice	Baltimore Ravens
5	Jamaal Charles	Kansas City Chiefs
6	Doug Martin	Tampa Bay Bucs
7	CJ Spiller	Buffalo Bills
8	Alfred Morris	Washington Redskins
9	Chris Johnson	Tennessee Titans
10	Trent Richardson	Cleveland Browns
11	Stevan Ridley	New England Patriots
12	LeSean McCoy	Philadelphia Eagles
13	Steven Jackson	Atlanta Falcons
14	Maurice Jones-Drew	Jacksonville Jaguars
15	Matt Forte	Chicago Bears
16	Frank Gore	San Francisco 49ers
17	Darren McFadden	Oakland Raiders
18	Darren Sproles	New Orleans Saints
19	Reggie Bush	Detroit Lions
20	Ryan Mathews	San Diego Chargers
21	David Wilson	New York Giants
22	Chris Ivory	New York Jets
23	DeMarco Murray	Dallas Cowboys
24	Le'Veon Bell	Pittsburgh Steelers
25	Lamar Miller	Miami Dolphins
26	Ahmad Bradshaw	Indianapolis Colts
27	Montee Ball	Denver Broncos
28	Eddie Lacy	Green Bay Packers
29	Giovanni Bernard	Cincinnati Bengals
30	Ronnie Hillman	Denver Broncos
31	Daryl Richardson	St Louis Rams
32	Andre Brown	New York Giants
33	DeAngelo Williams	Carolina Panthers
34	Ryan Williams	Arizona Cardinals
35	Rashard Mendenhall	Arizona Cardinals
36	Bryce Brown	Philadelphia Eagles
37	Bernard Pierce	Baltimore Ravens
38	Fred Jackson	Buffalo Bills
39	Shane Vereen	New England Patriots
40	Ben Tate	Houston Texans
41	Vick Ballard	Indianapolis Colts
42	Michael Bush	Chicago Bears
43	Jonathan Stewart	Carolina Panthers
44	Pierre Thomas	New Orleans Saints
45	Jonathan Franklin	Green Bay Packers
46	BenJarvus Green-Ellis	Cincinnati Bengals
47	Robert Turbin	Seattle Seahawks
48	Marcel Reece	Oakland Raiders
49	Justin Forsett	Jacksonville Jaguars
50	LaMichael James	San Francisco 49ers

Wide Receiver

1	Calvin Johnson	Detroit Lions
2	AJ Green	Cincinnati Bengals
3	Brandon Marshall	Chicago Bears
4	Andre Johnson	Houston Texans
5	Larry Fitzgerald	Arizona Cardinals
6	Dez Bryant	Dallas Cowboys
7	Roddy White	Atlanta Falcons
8	Vincent Jackson	Tampa Bay Bucs
9	Julio Jones	Atlanta Falcons
10	Demaryius Thomas	Denver Broncos
11	Victor Cruz	New York Giants
12	Marques Colston	New Orleans Saints
13	Dwayne Bowe	Kansas City Chiefs
14	Reggie Wayne	Indianapolis Colts
15	Steve Smith	Carolina Panthers
16	Antonio Brown	Pittsburgh Steelers
17	Pierre Garcon	Washington Redskins
18	Wes Welker	Denver Broncos
19	Danny Amendola	New England Patriots
20	Mike Wallace	Miami Dolphins
21	James Jones	Green Bay Packers
22	DeSean Jackson	Philadelphia Eagles
23	Randall Cobb	Green Bay Packers
24	Eric Decker	Denver Broncos
25	Jordy Nelson	Green Bay Packers
26	Hakeem Nicks	New York Giants
27	Greg Jennings	Minnesota Vikings
28	T.Y. Hilton	Indianapolis Colts
29	Lance Moore	New Orleans Saints
30	Cecil Shorts	Jacksonville Jaguars
31	Torrey Smith	Baltimore Ravens
32	Sidney Rice	Seattle Seahawks
33	Steve Johnson	Buffalo Bills
34	Tavon Austin	St Louis Rams
35	Anquan Boldin	San Francisco 49ers
36	Josh Gordon	Cleveland Browns
37	Malcolm Floyd	San Diego Chargers
38	Chris Givens	St Louis Rams
39	Miles Austin	Dallas Cowboys
40	Mike Williams	Tampa Bay Bucs
41	Kenny Britt	Tennessee Titans
42	Emmanuel Sanders	Pittsburgh Steelers
43	Vincent Brown	San Diego Chargers
44	Denarius Moore	Oakland Raiders
45	Golden Tate	Seattle Seahawks
46	Alshon Jeffery	Chicago Bears
47	Brian Hartline	Miami Dolphins
48	Greg Little	Cleveland Browns
49	Ryan Broyles	Detroit Lions
50	Kendall Wright	Tennessee Titans

Tight End

1	Jimmy Graham	New Orleans Saints
2	Jason Witten	Dallas Cowboys
3	Tony Gonzalez	Atlanta Falcons
4	Greg Olsen	Carolina Panthers
5	Owen Daniels	Houston Texans
6	Rob Gronkowski	New England Patriots
7	Vernon Davis	San Francisco 49ers
8	Kyle Rudolph	Minnesota Vikings
9	Brandon Pettigrew	Detroit Lions
10	Antonio Gates	San Diego Chargers
11	Brandon Myers	New York Giants
12	Jermichael Finley	Green Bay Packers
13	Jared Cook	St Louis Rams
14	Martellus Bennett	Chicago Bears
15	Jake Ballard	New England Patriots
16	Jermaine Gresham	Cincinnati Bengals
17	Dustin Keller	Miami Dolphins
18	Jordan Cameron	Cleveland Browns
19	Ed Dickson	Baltimore Ravens
20	Rob Housler	Arizona Cardinals
21	Fred Davis	Washington Redskins
22	Jacob Tamme	Denver Broncos
23	Tyler Eifert	Cincinnati Bengals
24	Coby Fleener	Indianapolis Colts
25	Zach Sudfeld	New England Patriots

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Keys to a Successful Fantasy Football Draft

As part of our continued increase in fantasy sports coverage here at SnoTap, this week we will look into some good strategies to take with you into your draft. If you missed last week’s article on how to improve your league here it is: Enhancing your Fantasy Football League

The draft is perhaps the most important day in your fantasy football league for multiple reasons. First off, if you’re able to do the draft in person, it’s the day that is the most fun, as you will gather together with the whole league. Second, it’s when you fill out your roster with the guys you will be working with through the rest of the year, whether it’s starting them, trading them, or cutting them when they don’t work out. Bryan Reynolds and I have put together some strategies we use for each draft. Feel free to use and of your favorites for your league this season.

Adam: Know your opponent:

Perhaps the most important aspect of fantasy football is to know your competition. What kind of player are they, what level of knowledge do they have about the sport, who are their favorite teams, who do they hate? This can be important because you can tell what they are going to do. For example, if you have someone who is an avid Packer fan, and not very experienced in fantasy sports, they’re likely to take Aaron Rodgers with their first pick, no matter where that falls in the draft. If you’re targeting Aaron as your stud QB, it’s important to pick him before that player. Knowing your enemy can tell you a lot about who they are going to draft, and help form your strategy.

Bryan: Know which position you can wait for:

Find which positions you are comfortable waiting for the 10^th-12^thbest player. An example of this is in the 2013 season, which will definitely be noticeable while looking at the QB and TE position. Rodgers leads the group of top tier QB’s, but he is one of few. The second tier is so large that there is likely a minimal difference between taking the fourth rated QB and the 10^th. Same goes for TE, where Jimmy Graham is running away with the top rank, but the difference is minimal after that.

Adam: Don’t Panic:

Every draft I have been featured a panic rush on players. In most seasons, there will be one position that is a little bit weaker than others, for instance this year it is running backs. What happens in these leagues is owners will reach for players above their value, and the players at that position will drop like flies. Next thing you know, you’re taking DeMarco Murray and Reggie Bush in the second round. My advice here is go against the trend. Instead of panicking, and taking a lesser value running back, take someone who will dominate their position. If you have top five players at QB, WR, and TE, you can patch together running backs from the waiver wire later in the season once injuries start happening. The key to this strategy is to look for sleepers later in the draft, once everyone else thinks they're set, and then finding quality contributors off of the waiver wire once the season has started.

Bryan: Analyze Defenses and Divisions:

It is important to analyze DEF season schedules and division matchups before the draft. I like to start the draft with three or four defenses in my head I am targeting for my team. A team like San Diego had a solid defense last year, but we have to remember they will face Denver twice throughout the season. Also, a team that can consistently stop opponents is better, as there is no method to calculate how many turnovers you can count on each week.

Adam: Know your scoring:

When looking at expert’s rankings, it is important to understand which scoring format they are considering. For example, most rankings assume four points-passing touchdown, no PPR, one point-ten yards rushing/receiving. Know where your scoring differentiates between the general leagues. If your league has six points per passing touchdown, some of the more pure passing quarterbacks will move up in the ranks, and not everyone may realize it. A lot of experts have Peyton Manning and Cam Newton on the same tier for quarterbacks. In a league where passing touchdowns are only four points, Cam might take the edge because of his rushing ability. However, if you’re looking at six points for a passing touchdown, Manning all of a sudden takes the lead, as he will rack up the points in that category. The same goes for teammates Julio Jones and Roddy White. Jones usually leads in touchdowns, but White gets more targets meaning more receptions.

Bryan: Visualize your Team:

Print off the list of rankings we will produce here on SnoTap (coming next 2 weeks) or use another site’s, such as ESPN. Once printed, go through each position and highlight your ideal candidate for each position. Obviously, it will be impossible for you to get all these players, so go through the categories again and highlight a few players outside of your top 5 that will sufficiently fit the role. You may find it helpful to highlight a lot of players in the WR and RB categories, as they will comprise a majority of your bench positions.

Adam: Look for Opportunity:

The key to all fantasy sports is playing time and opportunities to showcase skills. The players who provide the most points won’t always be the leaders in the talent department. For the last few years, Michael Turner has been a leader at the running back position, despite not being overwhelming in the talent department. What set him apart however was having no clear challenge to playing time, staying healthy, and having a team that wanted to utilize him. It allowed him to consistently deliver, while other, more talented running backs where stuck on the bench or the injured reserve.

Did we miss any strategies? What do you use for your league? Make sure to test out a few different strategies on various fantasy sites’ mock drafts. Next week, we will have rankings for the QB and TE positions. If you have any fantasy sports questions, send them to Snotap12@gmail.com, and we will make sure to get them answered in the following week’s column.

Adam

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