NFL Week 5 Upset Predictions & Picks; Spread Underdogs to Win and More

Read NFL Week 5 Upset Predictions and Picks by Michael Luchies

Wow what in the world happened in week 4? Cheifs beat the Broncos, Bucs over the Packers, Redskins a 11.5 point underdog beat the Cowboys, and the Cleveland Browns beat the favored Bengals. We have seen a crazy first quarter of the NFL season.

Week 5 Upset Picks:
Seattle Seahawks +7 vs. New York Giants
As bad as the Seahawks looked in weeks 1 and 2, they will upset the New York Giants in week 5. In week 3 the Hawks dominated a weak Rams team and won 37-13. It’s easy to look good against such a bad team, but the win did a lot for the Seahawks confidence. The Giants are without star WR Plaxico Burress due to the team suspending him. Without Plaxico, the Seahawk DB’s can concentrate on Amani Toomer and shut down Eli Manning. Look for an ugly game as the Seahawks will grind it out with Julius Jones and T.J. Duckett. The Seahaks win 17-14. I am taking them to beat the 7 point spread, you may want to buy a half a point if you can, but I still like them at +7 and even to win if you are looking for a big money maker.Read the Rest Here

Rams vs. Bills: Look for a Hire Millen Sign

I will be attending the St. Louis Rams vs. Buffalo Bills game today in St. Louis.  I am not a fan of either team but have yet to visit Edwards Jones stadium and wouldn’t mind seeing the rising Bills in action.  As a die hard Lions fan I felt it necessary to address Matt Millen in some way after his glorious firing from my favorite troubled franchise.  I wll be holding a “Rams: Hire Millen”  sign.  Not sure if they will let me in the stadium, but we’ll see.  Buffalo will win by 20, and easily cover the -9 point spread.  Scott Linehan of the Rams looks like a surefire candidate to be canned early this season.  I do feel for the Rams situation but since my Lions are finally free from the reign of Matt Millen I had to find some way to make fun of the situation.  Hopefully no-one, not even McDonalds hires Matt Millen (he would try to bring in the best burger flippers and scout high school students and probably make all the wrong decisions).

Big Upsets week 4:  I am still somehow predicting that both the 49ers (over the Saints) and the Atlanta Michael Turners (Falcons over the Panthers) will win in big upsets.  Good luck to everyone in fantasy football and in their picks this week…you have to love the NFL.

Week 4-5: NFL Fantasy Football Players to Drop

5 Players you should drop, and two to wait patiently on.  Week 4&5 NFL Fantasy Football Players to drop by Michael Luchies

Letting go is not an easy thing to do. Many Tom Brady fans still have him on the roster just hoping he will boost team morale and be their teams best cheerleader. Although these players are healthy, their fantasy value is similar to Brady’s, slim to none. Here are 5 players that it’s time to let loose off of your fantasy team.

Justin Fargas- RB Oakland Raiders
Fargas has looked good when healthy, but is now the #3 running back on a bad team. Michael Bush and Darren Mcfadden will receive the bulk of the carries for Oakland. Fargas will be the odd man out in this running back by committee offense. Replace Fargas woth Jerious Norwood, Pierre Thomas, or Derrick Ward from the Giants.

Derek Anderson- QB Cleveland Browns
Anderson may be hard to give up since you probably spent a decent draft pick to acquire him. It’s time to let Anderson go. Not only has he not been performing, Brady Quinn is getting involved in the offense and it looks in a week or two Brady will be the starter and Anderson merely the backup QB on a struggling team. Look at J.T. O’Sullivan or Trent Edwards as a free agent replacement for Anderson.
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Matt Millen Fired!

No more Matt Millen in Detroit!  As a Lions fan myself and a participant in the Millen Man March several years ago, I could not be happier after hearing this anouncement.  The Lions are still a pitiful team and a struggling franchise, but the first step is admitting you have a problem and getting rid of it…and that’s just what the Lions have done.  Only time will tell if Marinelli get’s to hold on to his job.  It would be in the best interest of the Lions to hold on to Marinelli to see what he’s capable of with a

NFL Week 4 Fantasy Football Waiver Wire Free Agent Pickups!

NFL week 4 Fantasy Football Waiver Wire Free Agent Pickups by- Michael Luchies.  Read full article here

Week 3 was huge for unknown and low value players that had huge weeks and may be big for the rest of the season. There is no way I could limit the free agent pickups to only 5 this week so I will give you 10. Week 4 is the start of bye weeks. New York Giants, Detroit Lions, Indianapolis Colts, New England Patriots, Miami Dolphins, and the Seattle Seahawks all have the week off. Several players listed may be on teams that have the week off, so only grab them if you have empty spots on your bench after filling all the starting spots for week 4. Listed in the top 10 are players that may fill your empty positions. Every week is important, make sure to have a potential point producer in every starting fantasy position. There are no repeats from last week, a whole set of new pickups, players may lose and gain value throughout the season and may re-appear in the waiver wire list.

Week 4 Top 10 Waiver Wire Pickups

#10. Trent Green- Rams QB
Only pickup Green if your starting QB is on a bye week and your league either starts 2 QB’s on each team, or any other decent option is taken. The Rams are bad, but Green could have a few decent plays and some dump off passes to Stephen Jackson. Trent Green is the starter in St. Louis against the Bills for week 4.

#9. Kyle Orton- Bears QB
Orton went for 260+ yards and 2 touchdowns against the Bucs in week 3. The Bears finally have a wide receiver who is stepping up and catching passes (he is further down on this list) and Orton looks playable. I would start Orton over Trent Green, Garrard, Frerotte, Matt Ryan etc. for week 4 if you need a backup or a bye week replacement. Orton should put up ok numbers against Philly.

#8. Hank Baskett- Eagles WR
The only reason Baskett is way back here at #8 is due to the high number of solid receivers on the Eagles roster. In week 3 against the Steelers Baskett looked like McNabb’s favorite receiver hauling in 8 receptions. Baskett would make a good bye week replacement especially in weeks 6, 8, and 9. Grab him now if you have room.
#7. Rudi Johnson- Lions RB
The Lions finally decided to give Johnson a shot and he came through. On only 14 carries Johnson had 83 yards rushing and 48 yards receiving on 3 catches. Too bad the Lions are awful, but Johnson may still be worth a look. Rudi should get all of the Lions redzone carries (if they make it in the redzone). Keep your eye on Rudi, he is owned in 40% of yahoo leagues.

#6. Brandon Lloyd- Bears RB
With 124 yards receiving against the Bucs in week 2, Lloyd solidified himself as the Bears #1 receiver. Lloyd hauled in a touchdown along with 6 grabs in week 3. Kyle Orton looks on target, and Lloyd looks even better. If you are looking for #1 receivers to replace bye week receivers, Lloyd is your man.
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NFL Week 4 Picks & Upset Predictions: Spread Underdogs to Win

NFL Week 4 Picks & Upset Predictions: Spread Underdogs to WIn- by Michael Luchies

After going 1-4 last week on underdog picks, I will pick a few games outside of upsets. Overall I am 4-5 and 4-4-1 with the spread. Here are my week 4 picks for several games including spread underdogs to not only cover the spread but win the game.

I’m going with two huge upsets this week:

San Francisco 49ers (+7) vs. New Orleans Saints
J.T. O’Sullivan with Mike Martz play calling looks like the new Tom Brady. He is turning average receivers into all stars and making the 49ers one of the surprising teams so far this year. The Saints are still hurting from the loss of Marques Colston. San Francisco’sFrank Gore looks like he did two years ago, and the defense is decent. This will be a close one, but the 49ers will win it. 24-21 49ers Win!

Atlanta Falcons (+7) vs. Carolina Panthers
Michael Turner is unstoppable and head coach Mike Smith has handled Matt Ryan extremely well. The Falcons have relied on Michael Turner and it has paid off big time. The Falcons are 2-1 and not the laughing stock of the league. As Matt Ryan develops he get more throws and will take off some of the pressure on Michael Turner. The Panthers are coming off a disappointing loss to the formerly winless Vikings and are searching for answers. Look for Michael Turner to pound out another great game and lead the Falcons to a huge upset. 28-24 Falcons Win.

Teams to Cover the spread:
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NFL Coaches that will be Fired in 2008

Read NFL Coaches that will be fired in 2008 by Michael Luchies. 6 Coaches will lose their jobs this year!

Three weeks are in the books and there have been surprises both good and bad. Several teams like the Bills and Ravens have had better than expected starts to the season, and then we have these teams that have had terrible starts to the season. Week 4 may be too early to declare a team dead and out of it, but it’s not to early to start talking about coaches whose jobs are in jeopardy. Here are several coaches that will most likely not be living in the same city come 2009.

Coaches that are likely to be fired in 2008:

Rod Marinelli- Detroit Lions
0-3 and 113 points allowed in 3 games! Losses to the Falcons and the 49ers are completely unacceptable. You know things are bad when the biggest comeback in team history (21 point defecit made up week 2 against the Packers) ends in a loss by 23 points! Even I have been in denial about the Lions inability to play football. Last week I still had hope of them making a run at the playoffs and is why I published “The Detroit Lions will make the 2008 NFL playoffs; 10 reasons why”. I am not only over my ignorance, I now believe that Marinelli cannot save his job, and hopefully neither can Matt Millen. Rod Marinelli will be fired in 2008.

Romeo Crennel- Cleveland Browns
How could a coach one year removed from a 10-6 season get fired? How about going 0-3 and showing no life in any of the games. The Browns look hopeless thus far. The running game is awful, Derek Anderson looks like we thought he would when he took over last year, and Braylon Edwards has turned into a stick of butter letting every pass slip through his hands. Crennel is a good coach, but does not have the team to compete and has seemingly lost his team. The Browns season is over, and Crennel’s reign in Cleveland may be over as well.
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Javon Ringer’s Case for the Heisman Trophy; Does the Michigan State Running Back Have a Shot?

Read Javon Ringer for Heisman by Michael Luchies here

After pulling off a convincing victory over Notre Dame, the Michigan State Spartans are now 3-1. The reason for the 3-1 record is due to good run blocking and Javon Ringer. Michigan State senior tailback Javon Ringer now has an impressive 699 yards rushing and is first overall in touchdowns with 11. After rushing for 201 yards and two touchdowns over Notre Dame on national television, Ringer should finally get the attention he deserves in Heisman talk. Even leading Division 1-A football in touchdowns, and being third in yards seems to not be enough to put Ringer among the current talk for Heisman. Is Ringer just a solid back, or a superstar in the making who deserves our attention? Here is Javon Ringers case for the Heisman Trophy.

Top contenders: Tim Tebow (QB, Florida), Chase Daniel (QB Missouri), Jeremy Maclin (WR Missouri), Mark Sanchez (QB USC), Sam Bradford (QB Oklahoma), Graham Harrell (QB Texas Tech), and Knowshon Moreno (RB Georgia)

Comparison to other NCAAF running backs: On NBC Sports list of Heisman Hopefuls only one running back (Knowshon Moreno, Georgia) is listed among the top ten contenders. This year in college football has had many surprises  READ THE REST HERE

Should NFL Referees be Investigated for Blown Calls?

Poor poor Ed Hochuli.  Yes it was an absolutely terrible call, and it cost the San Diego Chargers the game, but should he be downgraded, or investigated for the call?  In the heat of big plays throughout history, many umpires, referees etc. have made terrible calls.  Are they all Tim Donaghy’s?  That’s doubtful.  The bad calls are just that, bad calls.  In the NBA’s case there is a mich more severe problem then just bad calls.  Yes the NFL does have cases of cheating (belicheat) and has issues with player behavior, but the NFL seems to have the best group of officials that money can buy.  What do you think?

NFL Week 3 Upset Predictions; Betting Picks, Spread Underdogs to Win

Last week I went 3-1 on upset picks. These picks are spread underdogs that will win the game (not just cover the spread). The one loss last week was the Chicago Bears who pushed the spread (+3), but lost the game. Here are my week 3 underdog winners. There are only three spread underdogs that will win their games, so I will give several spread winners as well. The first team listed is the favorite, the – is how many points they are favored by.

 Here are the week 3 Upset Predictions; spread underdogs to win.  Since there are only three underdog winners, I am giving 2 spread winners as well.  See the full article here.

Minnesota Vikings (-3) vs. Carolina Panthers
The Panthers are 2-0 and will not lose their first game against the winless Vikings. The Vikings are favored because of their dangerous rushing attack with Adrian Peterson. The Vikings have not been effective with Tavaris Jackson playing QB. The Panthers look fresh and Delhomme looks like he did 5 years ago. Panthers win 27-17
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