Quarterbacks

1. Matt Schaub

2. Ben Roethlisberger

3. Tony Romo

4. Donovan McNabb

5. Tom Brady

Running backs

1. Chris Johnson

2. Ray Rice

3. Maurice Jones-Drew

4. Jonathan Stewart

5. Jerome Harrison

Wide receivers

1. Andre Johnson

2. DeSean Jackson

3. Santonio Holmes

4. Miles Austin

5. Roddy White

Tight ends

1. Vernon Davis

2. Jason Witten

3. Brent Celek

4. Heath Miller

5. Todd Heap

Kickers

1. David Akers

2. Robbie Gould

3. Ryan Longwell

4. Mason Crosby

5. Billy Cundiff

Defense/ST

1. San Francisco

2. Baltimore

3. Chicago

4. Carolina

5. Denver

QUIZ ANSWERS

Which one of these quarterbacks will have the most fantasy points?

 Donovan McNabb Tony Romo Ben Roethlisberger Matt Schaub

Which one of these running backs will have the most fantasy points?

 Rashard Mendenhall Thomas Jones Marion Barber Jonathan Stewart

Which one of these wide receivers will have the most fantasy points?

 DeSean Jackson Miles Austin Vincent Jackson Santonio Holmes

Which one of these defenses/special teams will have the most fantasy points?

 Pittsburgh Tennessee Buffalo San Diego

Which one of these running backs will have the most fantasy points?

 Beanie Wells Ray Rice Ryan Grant Jerome Harrison

Jim Caldwell threw a curveball at the field of experts, pulling out the Indy starters late in the third quarter of the Colts-Jets game, but scores across the board were higher than the previous week.

I humbly announce the high score in Week 16 belonged to yours truly – with a 23. Zack O’Malley Greenburg from Forbes continued to shine and tied for second with Michael Jones from Football Diehards with 19 points.

The top experts from Week 16:

1. Jeff Thitoff, 411 fantasy.com

T2. Zack O’Malley Greenburg, Forbes; Michael Jones, Football Diehards

T4. Peter Davidson, Fantasy Phenoms; Ross Mandel, NFL Draft Bible

T6. Adam Helbling, 411fantasy.com; Mark Strausberg, Roto Experts

T8. Jeff Boggis, Fantasy Sports Empires; Russ Bliss, Fantasy Football Starters; Robin Lundberg/Nick Stevens, The Flex Position

11. Adam Conn, 411fantasy.com

In the overall standings, 411’s Conn slipped – but just a little. He still has the lead heading into the final week, but it’s “insert your own overused cliché here.”

Here’s how they look heading into the final week:

1. Adam Conn, 411fantasy.com – 14.75

2. Jeff Boggis, Fantasy Sports Empires – 14.38

3. Peter Davidson, Fantasy Phenoms – 14.31

4. Michael Jones, Football Diehards – 14.25

5. Russ Bliss, Fantasy Football Starters – 14.19

6. Dave Richard, CBS Sports – 13.92

7. Ross Mandel, NFL Draft Bible – 13.79

8. Jeff Thitoff, 411fantasy.com – 13.67

9. Michael Cooper, Cooper Sports Radio – 13.57

It should be noted that Zack O’Malley Greenburg from Forbes would be leading in the overall contest, if he was eligible for the prize. He wasn’t invited until midway through the season, and participants have to compete in at least 13 weeks to be eligible for the prize. Greenburg’s average is 15.56 for the season.

BY JEFF THITOFF

The 14^th week of the NFL season is, in all likelihood, the last week of your regular season or “playoff week” in your fantasy league. The 14^th week also proved to be significant in the experts contest: it was “moving week.”

Without touting ourselves too much, it was a banner week for all of the 411fantasy.com experts – one of us won the weekly contest, one of us took the lead in the annual competition and one of us is writing this article. Okay, it was a banner week for two of the three 411fantasy.com experts.

411’s Adam Helbling racked up 23 points to pace the field in Week 14, and our own Adam Conn smarted his way to 21 points and jumped to the top of the “Expert of the Year” contest.

Zack O’Malley Greenburg from Forbes continued to shine with 21 points and Peter Davidson from Fantasy Phenoms also scored 21.

WEEKLY 14 LEADERS

1. Adam Helbling, 411fantasy.com

T2. Adam Conn, 411fantasy.com; Zack O’Malley Greenburg, Forbes Magazine; Peter Davidson, Fantasy Phenoms

T5. Jeff Boggis, Fantasy Sports Empires; Michael Cooper, Cooper Sports Radio

T7. Michael Jones, Football Diehards; Mike Gilbert, Roto Experts

T9. Jeff Thitoff, 411fantasy.com; Ross Mandel, NFL Draft Bible; Eric Karabell, ESPN

T12. James Rathbone, Fantasy Football InDepth; Robin Lundberg/Nick Stevens, The Flex Position

 TOP 10 SEASON LEADERBOARD

1. Adam Conn, 411fantasy.com – 14.93

2. Jeff Boggis, Fantasy Sports Empires – 14.64

3. Michael Jones, Football Diehards – 14.43

4. Dave Richard, CBS Sports – 14.40

5. Russ Bliss, Fantasy Football Starters – 14.07

6. Mike Gilbert, Roto Experts – 14.00

7. Peter Davidson, Fantasy Phenoms – 13.93

8. Michael Cooper, Cooper Sports Radio – 13.85

9. Ross Mandel, NFL Draft Bible – 13.58

10. Jason Sarney, Fantasy Phenoms– 13.57

Zack O’Malley Greenburg from Forbes is not eligible for the annual contest, by no fault of his own. We didn’t invite him until the deadine passed. Pretty shrewd move by us – he would be leading the contest with a 15.86 average.

BY JEFF THITOFF

Let’s get this out of the way first. In the preseason, I predicted Ryan Grant would be a top-8 back this year. I was ridiculed by many.

Grant is now 11^th, but just ten points out of seventh. A decent finish by him and my guru-ness will be proven again.

Moving on…

Anxious moments for many this week, myself included. I am in four leagues this year – and made the playoffs in three of them. I think I have a legitimate chance at winning the title in all three of those leagues. Sounds like I should be pleased, right?

Nope.

That fourth league is the one that got me. Conn and I had won the title three straight times, but we got decimated by Michael Turner’s injury and played some hunches down the stretch that cost us.

Regarding Turner, is the 370 curse back in play now? I dismissed it in the preseason, but now?

For what it’s worth, it is highly unlikely that anyone will hit the 370 mark this season. Current leaders after Week 14:

Steven Jackson, St. Louis              285

Chris Johnson, Tennessee           272

Adrian Peterson, Minnesota       270

Thomas Jones, NYJ                          263

Cedric Benson, Cincinnati             257

Johnson would have to average 33 carries per game to get there, and that’s not going to happen. Jackson may not play again this season, and the Vikings won’t give Peterson the ball that much.

Speaking of ADP, we all expected him to be solid this year and he is second among running backs. Obviously, Chris Johnson (1^st) and Maurice Jones-Drew (3^rd) were high draft picks. I am surprised that Ray Rice is fourth, but not shocked.

But who could have seen Thomas Jones and Ricky Williams at fifth and sixth, respectively?

I am wrong sometimes, believe it or not, but I think the player I have been wrong about the most over the last couple of seasons is Thomas Jones.

In 2007, he scored just two touchdowns and rushed for 1,119 yards while averaging 3.6 yards per carry. I announced he was finished. They had Leon Washington ready to take over, and I encouraged all to give up on Jones.

Since I put the fork in him, he’s scored 26 touchdowns. Perhaps I was slightly off on him.

I really want to announce he is done as a fantasy football starter after this year, but I won’t.

After watching DeSean Jackson go nuts on the Giants I looked up his numbers for the season. The guy has scored a ton of points, and doesn’t get many targets from McNabb. It helps Jackson that he also returns kicks, but he still only has 90 targets this season – for 157 points in ESPN standard scoring leagues. Meanwhile, Davone Bess has just one fewer target, but 106 fewer points.

Miles Austin has 93 targets and 157 points, while Torry Holt has 91 targets and just 59 points.

But the most staggering numbers are from Robert Meachem in New Orleans.

Meachem has been targeted just 44 times this season but has 115 points. He is the only player with fewer than 70 targets and more than 100 points.

More proof that you don’t need to waste high draft picks on wide receivers. You could have picked up Meachem and Miles Austin off the scrap heap after the season started.

Good luck in Week 15…

RUNNING BACKS
1. Chris Johnson
2. Maurice Jones-Drew
3. Adrian Peterson
4. Matt Forte
5. Rashard Mendenhall

QUARTERBACKS
1. Tom Brady
2. Philip Rivers
3. Matt Schaub
4. Brett Favre
5. Carson Palmer

WIDE RECEIVERS
1. Andre Johnson
2. Randy Moss
3. Sidney Rice
4. Wes Welker
5. Reggie Wayne

TIGHT ENDS
1. Antonio Gates
2. Dallas Clark
3. Jason Witten
4, Vernon Davis
5. Greg Olsen

KICKERS
1. Ryan Longwell
2. David Akers
3. Stephen Gostkowski
4. Rob Bironas
5. Nate Kaeding

DEFENSE/ST
1. Pittsburgh
2. San Diego
3. Cincinnati
4. Tampa Bay
5. Chicago

Which one of these quarterbacks will have the most fantasy points?
Alex Smith      Jay Cutler     Vince Young       Kyle Boller

Which one of these running backs will have the most fantasy points?
Matt Forte     Beanie Wells       LeSean McCoy       Cadillac Williams

Which one of these wide receivers will have the most fantasy points?
Chris Chambers      Malcolm Floyd      Anquan Boldin      Roddy White

Which one of these defenses/special teams will have the most fantasy points?
Indianapolis       Minnesota       Philadelphia       Baltimore

Which one of these running backs will have the most fantasy points?
Jamaal Charles      Kevin Smith        Jerome Harrison       Willis McGahee

Derrick Mason.

He might not put up great stats for you. You may even bench him sometimes. I am not going to tell you about favorable matchups against defenses down the stretch or a newfound chemistry with his quarterback.

This is all about the intangibles.

In fantasy football, intangibles usually don’t matter. You don’t need “good locker-room guys” or “guys with heart” to win at fantasy football.

I can tell you is when Mason is on my team, I usually win a title. Conn and I have won three straight titles in a league, and we think it happened because we had Mason.

I make it a point now to draft him a couple of rounds too soon, or overpay for him in a deal if I don’t get him in the draft.
I traded for him recently in what is my most personal league, the league I want to win most. So why do I bring this up today?

As I watched Allen Iverson break down in his press conference announcing his return to the 76ers, I wondered if Derrick Mason would have done the same when traded for him a few weeks ago.

Would Mase talk about how much it meant to him that Tito brought him back to the TCB franchise in the World League of American Gridboys?

I am not making fun of Iverson, I’m just jealous of the relationship between AI and the 76ers. I want that kind of relationship – I want a player to come out and say how much he wants to be on the TCB team.

Whenever Mason retires from the NFL, I will make sure I draft him the following season to ensure I am the last person to draft him in my league.

If I win the title in this league this year, when I don’t have the best team but I now have Mason, I will make it my life mission to get Mason on a podcast.

Good luck this week….

Allen Iverson press conference

BY JEFF THITOFF

Russ Bliss from Fantasy Football Starters maintained his hot streak and tied RotoExperts’ Mike Gilbert for the top score in Week 12 of 411fantasy.com’s “Expert of the Year” competition.

Bliss and Gilbert each scored 20 points, and over the last four weeks Bliss has averaged 17.5 points. Adam Conn (411fantasy.com) and Mike Jones (Football Diehards) finished a point behind the leaders. Jamey Eisenberg (CBS Sports) scored 18 to finish 5^th for the week.

WEEK 12 LEADERBOARD

T1. Russ Bliss, Fantasy Football Starters; Mike Gilbert, Roto Experts

T3. Adam Conn, 411fantasy.com; Michael Jones, Football Diehards

5. Jamey Eisenberg, CBS Sports

6. Patrick Welsh, Fantasy Pros 911

T7. Adam Helbling, 411fantasy.com; Zack O’Malley Greenburg, Forbes Magazine; Mark Strausberg, Roto Experts; Matt Wirkiowski, Roto Experts

T11. Dave Richard, CBS Sports; Jeff Boggis, Fantasy Sports Empires; Peter Davidson, Fantasy Phenoms; Jonathan Phillips, Roto Experts

 Dave Richard stayed in front of the year-to-date contest, but 411’s Conn and Russ Bliss closed the gap. As a special note – Zack O’Malley Greenburg from Forbes Magazine wasn’t added until Week Eight, making him ineligible for the title. However, he is averaging 15 points per week – which would be second overall.

Dave Richard, CBS Sports – 15.38

Adam Conn, 411fantasy.com – 14.83

Russ Bliss, Fantasy Football Starters – 14.50

Jeff Boggis, Fantasy Sports Empires – 14.33

Michael Jones, Football Diehards – 14.17

Peter Davidson, Fantasy Phenoms ; James Rathbone, Fantasy Football InDepth;  Jared Smola, Draft Sharks and Jason Sarney, Fantasy Phenoms– 13.50

Eric Karabell, ESPN and Michael Cooper, Cooper Sports Radio – 13.45

Jamey Eisenberg, CBS Sports – 13.42

BY JEFF THITOFF

“I can’t believe the news today. I can’t close my eyes and make it go away.” Bono, from the song “Sunday Bloody Sunday”

“The beat goes on.” Sonny Bono from “The Beat Goes On”

I wanted to include a quote from Steve Bono, but those are impossible to find.

Nonetheless, the theme for this week’s podcast lies somewhere in the middle of Sunday Bloody Sunday and The Beat Goes On. I’m not comparing it to the 1972 ambush that U2 was referencing, but Sunday was a tough day for some key players:

Brian Westbrook, Philadelphia: A couple of weeks ago, I said his concussion was a good thing. I lied. He may not play again this season.

Michael Turner, Atlanta: Dude had nine carries for 111 yards before leaving with a high-ankle sprain. I know low-ankle sprains hurt like hell and I heard high-ankle sprains are worse.

Cedric Benson, Cincinnati: Doesn’t sound too serious, but that didn’t stop a desperate owner in one of my leagues to jump on Bernard Scott. Guys with names like “Bernard Scott” don’t normally do well in the NFL.

Ronnie Brown, Miami: Suffered an ankle injury, and was off to a solid start before being sidelined. What’s up with Auburn running backs always getting hurt? Brown, Cadillac Williams and do you remember Kenny Irons?

Julius Jones, Seattle: I actually read on CBS Sports a report that said Jones’ injury was “not considered life-threatening.” Any time someone has to say that about an injury, I get concerned.

Also, Kyle Orton goes down (and takes Brandon Marshall with him) and now Dwayne Bowe has been suspended four games.

If you have any of the above players, it looks like you might lose a starter (except for Jones). You are probably still in the postseason race for your league, or you wouldn’t be checking out The Hangover. Or maybe you are just a fan. Either way, thanks for reading.

My point is this – you need some advice about what to do. I am not going to tell you the “who” – I will leave that to Adam Conn’s Waiver Wire piece. Instead, I am offering a checklist that will outline how to deal:

1. “Don’t believe the hype” – Chuck D

I read a report on ESPN that actually asked “Does Seattle have the next MJD?” in Justin Forsett. That is a bit of hype, I believe. I immediately went out and traded Forsett away for more than he is worth.
Could he be good? Yes. Could he be MJD-good? Highly doubtful. I would still get him on waivers, but I wouldn’t overpay for him in a trade.
I’d rather have a guy who has proven he can do it for more than one week. Give me Betts over Forsett.

2. “Relax” – Frankie Goes to Hollywood

You are in playoff contention for a reason. You drafted well, managed the team well – don’t panic and make some drastic move just because one of your running backs might miss a game or two.

3. “Let me tell you how it will be; There’s one for you, nineteen for me.” – George Harrison

Just as Frankie said to relax, George is encouraging you to find the owner that is in panic mode and take advantage of the situation. If you have Larry Johnson, sell him to the Benson owner in your league. Ship Norwood or Snelling to the Turner owner in your league.
Quite frankly, those guys are “fill-ins” for a reason. None of those backups are going to win a title for you.

4. “Right down through the wire, even through the fire” – Kanye West

See, another person encourages you to read the Waiver Wire.

Questions? Shoot them to jeff@411fantasy.com.

You don’t tug on Superman’s cape.

Richard came out and put up the highest score in the history of the contest: 26. As an added jab at Conn, the record score was previously owned by Conn.

Jeff Boggis (Fantasy Sports Empires) finished second, followed by Mike Gilbert (RotoExperts). ESPN’s Eric Karabell was fourth while Mike Jones (Football Die Hards) and Russ Bliss from Fantasy Football Starters were tied for fifth.

The Week Nine leaders:

1. Dave Richard, CBS Sports

2. Jeff Boggis, Fantasy Sports Empires

3. Mike Gilbert, Roto Experts

4. Eric Karabell, ESPN

T5. Michael Jones, Football Diehards; Russ Bliss, Fantasy Football Starters

7. Ginny Loveless, Football Diehards

T8. Adam Conn, 411fantasy.com; Zack O’Malley Greenburg, Forbes; Jason Sarney, Fantasy Phenoms

T11. Tony Cincotta, Fantasy Pros 911; Jonathan Phillips, Roto Experts; Ross Mandel, NFL Draft Bible; Jamey Eisenberg, CBS Sports; Peter Davidson, Fantasy Phenoms

T16. Jeff Thitoff, 411fantasy.com; Jared Smola, Draft Sharks; James Rathbone, Fantasy Football InDepth

Obviously, Richard stayed in the overall lead for the 411fantasy.com “Expert of the Year” title. Boggis jumped to second, followed by Conn, Karabell and Bliss:

1. Dave Richard, CBS Sports

2. Jeff Boggis, Fantasy Sports Empires

3. Adam Conn, 411fantasy.com

4. Eric Karabell, ESPN

5. Russ Bliss, Fantasy Football Starters

6. Michael Jones, Football Diehards;

7. Jay Clemons, Sports Illustrated

T8. Ginny Loveless, Football Diehards; Jason Sarney, Fantasy Phenoms

10. James Rathbone, Fantasy Football InDepth

11. Michael Cooper, Cooper Sports Radio

12. Jamey Eisenberg, CBS Sports

13. Jared Smola, Draft Sharks

14. Mike Gilbert, Roto Experts

15. Brad Evans, Yahoo

16. Peter Davidson, Fantasy Phenoms

17. Ross Mandel, NFL Draft Bible

T18. Jeff Thitoff, 411fantasy.com; Steve Sheiner, FanBall

20. Tony Cincotta, Fantasy Pros 911

The new form is here. Knock off all three of the 411fantasy.com experts and gain entry into the Hall of Fame.

Amendment: It has come to our attention that Cowboys WR Roy Williams may not play after all due to the slow healing of his burised ribs (Thanks, Romo). But as a man of my word, I, Adam Conn, will gladly take the field against Tito’s selection of Miles Austin in terms of who will have more receiving yards for Dallas this week against Atlanta.  Patrick Crayton… that guy’s awesome.

Amendment II: Twice I refered to Jay Cutler being off this week, only later to announce I liked him over Brett Favre this week.  Of course I was referring to Broncos QB Kyle Orton as the QB who is off this week.