Fantasy Football

So, we probably should have mentioned that there was going to be a game on last night, being that this is an NFL fantasy blog and all. We basically just forgot, given that we write these posts while at work with little to no preparation and that the NFL hides their games from the American public as often as possible.

Either way, unless you had Kellen Winslow, you were probably fairly disappointed with the performance of any Brown who occupied your roster (other than Phil Dawson), and if you had Jay Cutler, Brandon Marshall or Eddie Royal you probably got more than you could have realistically asked for. I would go running to acquire Brady Quinn quite yet. He threw roughly thirty-five passes in the game, and the only players he looked comfortable throwing to were his tight ends. He completed 23 passes, Winslow and Heiden accounted for 13 of them (10 were to Winslow).

Maybe he's distracted.

Any defense other than the Broncos would have picked up on this tactic midway through the second quarter. If he’s as tentative to throw to his receivers all season like he was last night, I wouldn’t expect much out of anyone on that team, be it the running backs Winslow or Quinn. With back to back blown wins, Cleveland is now all but out of the playoff race. We figure they will need at least a 10-6 record to solidify a wild card spot, which means they would have to win out. If they lose even one game it puts them at best case scenario of 9-7, which means they would be relying on a tiebreaker again. So yeah, we do not like their chances.

Denver, on the other hand, probably wishes they could play Cleveland every week. How often to you see a team with no discernible defense come back from a two touchdown deficit in the third quarter. This is the magic that is the Cleveland Browns. They can have a mediocre team on the ropes, at home, at night, and still manage to blow it while making the opposition look like the 1993 Cowboys.

Unlike Quinn, Cutler spread the ball around and the distribution was fairly even (save for one 93 yard play with Eddie Royal). The diabetic quarterback managed to tally 447 yards for 3 touchdowns on 24-42 passing (thankfully percentages don’t count for shit in fantasy). If you have Cutler one your team, since you probably drafted him as a backup I hope you either start two quarterbacks or have Tony Romo to make your decisions easier.

On the ground, the Broncos don’t really run the ball anymore (remember the days of Mike Anderson breaking off 1,000 yard seasons?), which we couldn’t be more thankful for. They invented the entire running by committee concept, and now they are no longer a fantasy burden for anyone. Karmic justice at its finest.

Also unlike the Browns, this actually puts the Broncos in the driver’s seat to win the division. At a paltry 5-4, they have a two game lead on the Chargers and look poised to cling to that with either a 9-7 or 10-6 finish. As banged up as they are, we have to assume they sustain at least two more losses. Luckily they have that ridiculous home field advantage that could actually by them an extra win they otherwise wouldn’t see.

It wasn’t a really telling game for either team but it did a lot in putting their stamp on the season. The Browns are all but guaranteed to end up a disappointment. And the Broncos will probably win their division in a down year for them and the conference, while if they were in the NFC east they wouldn’t win a divisional game all season.

Back with recommendations later.