Red's Rants: More defense, less pretense

By Brendan Hall
Fan Fanatic Sports Staff

OK, so this was originally supposed to be a column about why Alabama's Terrence Cody should be in Heisman contention, but my good friend Dan Wetzel beat me to the punch. C'mon Dan, you did this two years ago with Jake Long, can't I get a bone?

In a year where the supposed Heisman "locks" have done nothing but suck, it's been defensive guys that have been ruling the college football universe. Nebraska's Ndamakong Suh can control the line of scrimmage -- and sometimes, games -- practically by himself. South Florida's George Selvie and TCU's Jerry Hughes have pulverized quarterback after quarterback. USC's Taylor Mays is the baddest man in the secondary -- and the subject to Congressional scrutiny.

Cody, as any 3-4 guru will tell you, leads one of the nation's most suffocating defenses. Bill Belichick is never one to show his hand with draft wish lists, but you know he's drooling for Cody. Just look at how nose tackles like Ted Washington, Keith Traylor and Vince Wilfork transformed the Patriots.

Instead, we are subjected to THIS list of candidates.

Are we really supposed to believe that of the top 12 players in the country, only ONE is a defensive player?

If you have to think about that one, maybe you too are a tool.

Fantasy Football Friday: Week 8

By Jim Ingram

Fan Fanatic Sports Staff

We now enter the home stretch for fantasy football. How is your team faring? Is it time to make a move to shake up your team, or are you just looking to trade depth at one position to shore up another? Either way, you're either happy or frustrated with your fantasy football season. This can be a tough week for many a fantasy owner. There are a whopping 6 teams on the bye this week. The teams on a bye are the Bengals, Buccaneers, Chiefs, Patriots, Redskins and Steelers. That can mean some serious shuffling for the waiver wire if you're not smart. I'm fine this week, but it's next week that kills me on the bye, but we'll get to that next week. Now for the good stuff

Best Match ups of the week:

1. Browns @ Bears - In case you didn't notice, I'll tell you to play anyone going up against the lowly Browns. The Browns have the worst defense in the NFL and allow 419 yards per game. What does this mean? This will finally be a good week for Matt Forte. The Brown allow 170 yards per game on the ground so this is a fantastic match up for Forte. Let's not forget about a few other I like Jay Cutler, but think the Bears will be up big early so don't count too much on him. I do like Johnny Knox though. Look for him to get a score this week. On the other side of the ball, it's a good time to insert the Bears defense/special teams.

2. Rams @ Lions - This is going to be a good time to start some players from each team. For the Rams, I like Mark Bulger this week, and love Steven Jackson to finally score his first TD of the season. I also like Danny Amendola this week if you're in a deep league. On the flip side, I see a big week for Kevin Smith. It never seems like he puts up a ton of yards, but he should easily score. Calvin Johnson may play or not. We don't really know right now. It looks like he'll be a game time decision so keep an eye on the situation.

3. Raiders @ Chargers - These two teams met the first week of the season seeing the Chargers slip by with a 24-20 win. I do not see this as a close game at all. The Raiders offense is so bad, so make sure you play the Chargers defense. The obvious plays for the Chargers are Philip Rivers, Antonio Gates and Vincent Jackson. The not so obvious play, but one I love this week, is LaDanian Tomlinson. He's killed the Raiders in his career, and I expect 2 scores from him.

Put em' in the Lineup:

QB - Kyle Orton, Tony Romo, David Garrard

The Ravens defense, especially against the pass, is not what you think it is. They allow 241.5 yards a game, and are ranked 23rd overall. Romo is pretty much in the same situation taking on the Seahawks. They've struggled of late on defense, and Romo is just getting going. Garrard and the Jaguars take on the worst pass defense in the league in the Titans.

RB - LeSean McCoy, Kevin Smith, Matt Forte

I don't see Brian Westbrook playing on Sunday. That means McCoy will get the carries, and is already good catching the ball out of the backfield. See above for my reasons to starts Smith & Forte

WR - Torry Holt, Eddie Royal, Jericho Cotchery

Torry Holt has been average 8 targets a week even with Mike Sims-Walker on the other side. The Jags take on the Titans, and look for both receivers to have a good game. The Ravens will double team Brandon Marshall, so watch out for Royal in single coverage. Cotchery is back and should be healthy.

TE - Donald Lee, Tony Scheffler

It looks like Finely will not play against the Vikings, so Lee will be the biggest benefactor. I see him getting at least 5 catches and 60 yards on Sunday. Kyle Orton has been targeting Scheffler more as the season goes on. I look for more of the same against the Ravens.

DEF - Cardinals, Chargers

I love the Cardinals this weekend against the Panthers. Delhomme is an interception machine, and the Cardinals defense looks more like they did in the playoffs last year. The Chargers are playing the Raiders. Simple as that.

Make em' ride the Bench:

QB - Jake Delhomme, Vince Young, Brett Favre

Jake the snake is good for a couple of interceptions. You couldn't pay me to play Vince Young, and he is going to be awful. I don't care what Favre did a few weeks ago in Minnesota. I just think he's a bit to keyed up for this game in Green Bay.

RB - Brian Westbrook, Donald Brown

I am of the opinion that Westbrook doesn't play, and neither will Donald Brown. This is going to be a good week for Joseph Addai.

WR - Kevin Walter, Steve Smith (CAR)

Kevin Walter has had 4 terrible weeks in a row. I would actually suggest dropping him if you have him. Despite the fact the Arizona Cardinals are generally not good against the pass, I don't like Steve Smith this week. That is how bad Delhomme is. Ouch.

TE - Vernon Davis, Zach Miller

There is now way Davis follows up with another good game this week. The Colts defense is better than you think, so I don't see him being a focus on offense. Zach Miller has been way to inconsistent for me this year. With a diverse group of playable tight ends, he get the bench this week against the Chargers.

DEF - Jets, Falcons

The Jets will struggle against the Wildcat this weekend. The Dolphins keep rolling out new uses for the quirky offense. It doesn't help that Ricky Williams look about as fast as he ever has. Don't start a defense that takes on the Saints.

Well, here you go. Good luck this week