What we're talking about:
Philip Rivers
Please, don't go. We need you.
Joe Flacco
Great matchup, bad projections.
Lakers basketball
Paul deal too good to be true.
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The Yasmine Bleeth Principle has been in the news recently. What's that, you ask? Allow me to explain.
Years ago, Yasmine Bleeth was the hottest chick on the planet, or at least the best looking on "Baywatch" as the discerning eye favored her over Pamela Anderson. (And looking back, that still holds up.)
Yasmine had a huge money offer from Playboy *to pose in its magazine, but she always turned them down. Admirable? Sure. But still a mistake. Fast forward a couple of years, and she was busted for drugs and her mug shot on The Smoking Gun made her a punchline. Now we can debate if she would have squandered that *Playboy money to fuel her parties, but it also serves as a warning to strike while the iron is hot. (And for all her morals, Yasmine still appeared in the hilarious-yet-crude "BASEketball." And did I mentioned she starred in "Baywatch?")
The most recent victim is Pat Hill, who refused big-time offers after he made Fresno State relevant. Hill was fired this week. The lesson here, stay in school. Oh, and strike while the iron is hot. You never know when it's your time; make the most of it.
And in this week's column we celebrate those who do just that.
With all that out of the way, I am offering you my likes and dislikes for the coming fantasy week and more. That's right, Facebook won't give you a dislike button, but I certainly will. And this all will be presented to you in a random, meandering style, which has been glowingly referred to as "teenager on crack chic." Bolded names are my likes, and dislikes. As tradition, my very first "like" is the man I can't do without, stat guru, Bill "Sudsy" Sudell.
Too many disclaimers? You can always check the rankings, but that is a terrible way to waste the final hours of your work week.
I fantasy divorced Philip Rivers last week. But Philip, please come back. The fling with Matt Moore meant nothing to me. I want you back -- well, at least for this week. The Chargers have a fantastic matchup against the Bills, who have allowed 10 touchdown passes in their last three road games. This should last for at least a week, until the Chargers face the Ravens in Week 15. …
ImageSpeaking of such, the divorce of Michael C. Hall (Dexter) and Jennifer Carpenter (Debra) of "Dexter" was final this week. For all of the gruesome storylines and images on the show, the thought of a fictional brother and sister being married in real life was the most disturbing. I'm not alone in thinking this. …
My QB ranks outside of the now Automatic Four: Eli Manning, Matthew Stafford, Tony Romo, Rivers, Tim Tebow, Carson Palmer, Matt Moore and Mike Vick. …
Manning should be no surprise, as I've long touted him as a great fantasy option. But some of the Giants fans need to pump the brakes calling Eli a sure-fire Hall of Fame QB, as some told me on the social media platforms this week. Well, between the profanity-laced tirades. …
ImageCongratulations to some real Hall of Famers, Guns N' Roses,, the Beastie Boys and Red Hot Chili Peppers. Is this the greatest Hall of Fame class of all time? And I'm talking of any Hall of Fame. Can't wait for the embrace of Axl Rose and Slash which should have all of the sincerity and warmth of a Bill Belichick and Eric Mangini postgame handshake. …
The NFL equivalent would be the class of 1985, which included O.J. Simpson, Joe Namath and Roger Staubach. Seriously, Namath wore panty hose; the Red Hot Chili Peppers wore socks on their, you know. …
ImageBut how is Kiss not in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame? My guess is it was the "Phantom of the Park" movie. That, along with Gene Simmons making the band a punchline by having so many Kiss-endorsed products Krusty the Clown would drive away his Canyonero in disgust. …
Stafford is going to have great matchups for the playoffs and should be in your lineup accordingly. …
Start your former Chargers this week, beginning with Darren Sproles. The myth of the Chargers being the most talented team is busted because all of the elite players are someplace else. …
Some on Twitter have said they were leery of Turner because the Panthers shut down LeGarrette Blount. You have no reason to be unless Josh Johnson plays quarterback for the Falcons, too. …
My NFL UK team for this week: Cam Newton, Turner, DeMarco Murray, Calvin Johnson, Jordy Nelson, Rob Gronkowski, David Akers and San Francisco 49ers D. …
Marshawn Lynch is an automatic against St. Louis, but bad matchups loom for him in the playoffs. What a bummer. Make sure you have a replacement for him next week. …
You need to put Michael Crabtree in your lineup. Crabtree torched the Cardinals with seven receptions for 120 yards in Week 11. Expect a repeat performance. …
ImageI had this conversation with a few friends: What team does the Sons of Anarchy Motor Club root for? The fictional SAMCRO is from the equally fictional Charming in Northern California. The stereotypical answer would be the Raiders, but I say many of them are 49ers fans who grew up in the 1980s. And remembering the red horde that invaded Anaheim Stadium back in the day, this fits. …
ImageThe finale of "Sons of Anarchy" was again top-notch. The great thing about creator Kurt Sutter is there are no wasted scenes for an entire season and everything wraps up so neatly. And when you go back and re-watch, you can see how meticulously it was planned and you kick yourself for not figuring it out sooner. Just a job well done. …
Jeremy Maclin has scored five touchdowns in his last five road games, and the Dolphins have allowed the 10th-most points to fantasy receivers. …
Reggie Bush has been a touchdown machine recently, with five touchdowns in five games. Plus, the Eagles have allowed four rushing touchdowns in the past two games. Bush scores this week. …
Does Bush's resurgence have anything to do with the rumors of a reconciliation with Kim Kardashian? Stranger things have happened. And what happens with Khloe Kardashian if Lamar Odom gets traded by the Lakers? …
ImageAdd Chris Paul and Dwight Howard to the Lakers right now. Be honest, the NBA is better when the Lakers are winning. I don't remember who won the title last season. All I remember is it wasn't LeBron James -- which was awesome. …
ImageThat was quick. CP3 is a Laker. L.A. sports teams got Albert Pujols, C.J. Wilson and Chris Paul. As somebody mentioned on Twitter, bring back the L.A. Rams for the Adam Rank trifecta. …
Wait, the Chris Paul deal is off. Jump over to the dislikes, I'm breaking in. …
The Seahawks are a great defense to play this week, nabbing seven interceptions in their last three games. Plus, St. Louis FC has allowed the most points to fantasy defenses this year. …
There is no real reason to have faith in DeMarco Murray, but I'm still playing him because the Giants have allowed the 10th-most points to fantasy RBs. …
I play any of the Cowboys receivers, Miles Austin, Dez Bryant and Laurent Robinson (in order) against the Giants, who have allowed 10 touchdown passes in three games. But keep track of Robinson's injury status. …
A bad week for Michael Bush should have you concerned, but not enough to keep him on the bench against the Packers. …
I have more faith in Willis McGahee than most. The Bears won't score a lot of points against the Broncos, so look for both teams to run the ball a lot. McGahee has 100 rushing yards in five of his last eight. …
If you're missing Fred Davis, look at Owen Daniels, Brandon Pettigrew, Brent Celek, and Jermaine Gresham. …
Golden Tate is close to being a WR3 for me in a 12-team league. I just like the matchup against St. Louis. …
If Vincent Jackson was on last week, he must be off this week. But I still start him. If you're desperate for a one-week fling with a receiver, give Malcom Floyd a chance. …
You can trust Marques Colston, despite the fact he hasn't scored in five consecutive games. You don't want to overthink your lineup, though. He's still the Saints receiver to go with. …
Make sure you've at least perused your team's matchups in Week 15, because a lot of good players have some lousy matchups. Start looking for Week 15 matchup starters such as Red Dalton, Damian Williams and Demaryius Thomas. …
I really fear the Ravens will run the ball a lot, but Anquan Boldin will get enough targets to make him a worthwhile start this week against the hapless Colts. …
I really like Joe Flacco's matchup, but I fear Ray Rice and Ricky Williams will get the majority of the attempts. Flacco has just six touchdowns in his last nine games, and we could be looking at a game where he has around 10 to 14 attempts, which could kill his fantasy stats. He's still a better option than Mark Sanchez, Christian Ponder, Kevin Kolb, and Ryan Fitzpatrick. …
I still have Roddy White as a must-start this week, because you have to in the playoffs, but I had to downgrade Julio Jones and Harry Douglas because these Birds won't fly. …
Fitzpatrick has topped 15 fantasy points only once in his last nine games. He started off so hot, but he's cooled off terribly. …
Michael Vick is my No. 12 quarterback this week (see across), but I really don't like him much this week. He's been hurt, and the Eagles have been in a funk. If you made the playoffs without him, you likely have better options. …
I like what Matt Moore has done for the Dolphins, but hope they don't fall for the same thing the Panthers did a few years ago. Who am I kidding? Peyton Manning starts for the Dolphins next year. …
You know you need to sit Beanie Wells this week, right? Beanie doesn't fall into the category of guys you have to start week-in and week-out. …
I appreciate everybody who has stayed with me through the #occupyredskinspark and #shanahanigans era. I refuse to rank Roy Helu out of principle. But I don't think poorly on anybody who defies this order by playing him with these great matchups. It's fantasy; winning comes first, principles second. But don't say I didn't warn you. …
ImageSpeaking of principles, one of my loyal followers is considering benching all of his starters this week. I find it hilarious, and I admire the gumption. And while I don't believe in karma, I do believe in fantasy gods and they can't like that at all. But the comic in me loves it. …
I'm avoiding the Raiders' receivers, but if forced to rank them, I go Denarius Moore, Darrius Heyward-Bay and Chaz Schilens. …
What happened to David Nelson? Oh well, at least he got the girl, but his fall from fantasy relevance has been great. …
You got a glimpse why a guy like Eric Decker is such a risk with his performance last week. That streak with Tebow ended rather abruptly. Imagine, Tebow finds his throwing stride and Decker isn't there to reap the benefits. I would've never believed it. …
If you're tempted to start Pierre Garcon this week, can I kindly ask you to not do so? Garcon got a couple of gift, garbage-time scores against a bad pass defense. The Ravens won't let that fly. …
ImageI do feel for the Baltimore fans and want to see them stick it to the Colts, but part of me cringes because the fans who lost the team were so willing to embrace the former Browns. I can sorta forgive it, because the Browns got their team back. But that's why I won't accept the Vikings, Jags or Bills in L.A. …
I can't wait to have Brandon Lloyd on my team next year. But I'm not trusting him in the playoffs when Tom Brandstater is the quarterback. I would feel bad about this, but this only greases the skids for the Rams' return to L.A. …
ImageIs the Angels' signing of Albert Pujols some elaborate plan to engineer a sign-and-trade to send him back to St. Louis for the Rams? I'd take that. But a decade of Pujols is a long time. He'd better keep the same, uh, workout regimen if you catch my drift. …
Albert Haynesworth called. He said the Angels spent too much money on Pujols. …
ImageI guess this means I won't be able to get any more $5 tickets from Del Taco anymore. Honestly, I have thoughts of Mo Vaughn running through my mind. The Angels should move to the first-base dugout and fill it with foam balls. I remember the Mo Vaughn era way too well. We didn't win until he left.…
Great tweet: The Eagles liked this move on Facebook. And it's a good point. These high-priced teams have fallen flat recently with the Eagles, Phillies, Miami Heat and the Red Sox. …
ImageAnd don't put Pujols in the same class as LeBron James. That only would be true if Pujols quit on the Cardinals in the playoffs, struck out in the ninth inning of Game 7 and then announced his decision on ESPN. Oh, and then you'd have to consider that Pujols grew up in St. Louis. He delivered a championship to St. Louis; now he gets his guaranteed money in the O.C. …
You can't bench Steve Smith but he's scored less than eight points in three of his last four games. More disturbing, he hasn't scored a touchdown in seven of his last nine against the Falcons. …
Keep DeSean Jackson on your bench and pick your reason why. He's scored fewer than nine points in six consecutive games, averaging 4.72 points and scoring no touchdowns. …
Image This is a complete joke that the NBA called off this trade. So every team in the league is allowed to construct 'Super Teams.' But when your marquee franchise does it, the deal gets called off? The BCS seems legitimate in comparison. Free Chris Paul! …
I can't trust Kevin Smith even if he plays. His injury looked severe, and it would be better to stay away than to start him and watch him get hurt again. I know, that makes me a fantasy chicken. But I'll take my chances elsewhere. …
Plaxico Burress is nothing more than a low-end No. 3 receiver because he's all-or-nothing in the red zone. …
I'd also avoid Dwayne Bowe who figures to be locked up by Darrelle Revis and his own quarterback, Tyler Palko. Just one of those reasons would be enough to sit him. …
I don't have the guts to play Nate Burleson, but I wish I did with the way the Saints threw triple coverage on Megatron. And if they didn't call push-offs? Burleson would be a genius play, but I'm too chicken to do it. …
Tight ends to avoid this week: Ed Dickson, Jacob Tamme, Joel Dreessen and Jake Ballard. …
Marion Barber will not have the production many are expecting. The Broncos have not allowed a rushing TD in five games. Plus Kahlil Bell does the things Matt Forte does, and he's in the mix, too. …
I'd still start Barber over Donald Brown, Jon Stewart, Pierre Thomas, and DeAngelo Williams. If you need a crazy flex play, go with Ricky Williams …
I'd also play Mike Tolbert over those guys, too. And the Chargers are going to end up making the playoffs, aren't they? That will be enough to save Norv Turner's job, to start the cycle all over again. …
ImageAdding coaches should be the next step in fantasy football. For instance, you draft a coach and if his team wins, you get six points. And you're docked six points when his team loses. Imagine the waiver wire claims for Turner in December. Well, if he still has a job. But we need to make this idea happen in fantasy. If only I knew somebody who works in the NFL.com fantasy department.
For the record, you can submit your fantasy questions to NFL Fantasy Live, Michael Fabiano or me on Twitter. But realize, NFL Fantasy Live has 37,000 followers, and Fabiano has 40,000. Me? Just 13. See, the odds are better I will answer your question, so hit me up both via Twitter or via Facebook. Also be sure to catch the latest "Dave Dameshek Football Program."
