Week 9 Fantasy Injury Report

Bears:
TE Greg Olson is probable with an ankle injury. He was limited in practice on Wednesday but fully practiced the rest of the week.

WR Devin Hester has an ankle injury and is questionable. He missed practice on Wednesday and Thursday but fully practiced on Friday. He is expecting to start.


Bengals:
No significant fantasy injuries.


Browns:
Off Week 9


Cowboys:
RB Marion Barber is probable with a thumb injury. Barber is expected to play.


Broncos:
No significant fantasy injuries.


Lions:
QB Matt Stafford has a knee injury and is probable. He was limited in practice on Wednesday and Thursday but did fully practice on Friday. He is expected to play.

RB Kevin Smith is questionable with a Shoulder injury. He did not practice on Wednesday but fully practiced on Thursday and Friday.

WR Calvin Johnson has a knee injury and is questionable. He was limited in practice all week. He is expecting play. He is always a good start.


Packers:
QB Aaron Rogers is probable with an ankle injury. He fully practiced on Friday but was limited earlier in the week.

WR Donald Driver has a neck injury and is probable. He missed practice all week until Friday but fully practiced on Friday.


Texans:
TE Joel Dressen is probable with an ankle injury.


Colts:
WR Anthony Gonzalez is outl with a knee injury.

K Adam Vinatieri has a knee injury and is out.

RB Donald Brown is questionable with a shoulder injury.

WR Pierre Garcon has an ankle injury and questionable. He did not practice on Friday.


Jaguars:
No significant fantasy injuries.


Chiefs:
Off Week 9


Dolphins:
No significant fantasy injuries.


Vikings:
Off Week 9


Patriots:
QB Tom Brady is probable with shoulder injury. He has been listed with this so called injury for the better part of 3 years. This is the weekly joke for Belichick.

RB Fred Tayor has an ankle injury and is out.

RB Sammy Morris is out with a knee injury.

WR Randy Moss has a shoulder injury and is probable. Miami has two rookie corners starting this week. Moss should have a big day.


Saints:
WR Lance Moore is out with an ankle injury.

K Garrett Hartley has an ankle injury and is doubtful. John Carney is their starting kicker so Hartley is not a factor at this time.



Giants:
RB Ahmad Bradshaw has a broken bone in his ankle and probable. He is playing through the pain.

WR Mario Manningham is probable with a shoulder injury. He was limited in practice this week.

QB Eli Manning has a foot injury and is listed as probable.

WR Sinorice Moss is probable with a foot injury. He injured his foot last weekend but appears to be ready for to play.

TE Kevin Boss has an ankle injury and is probable.


Jets:
Off Week 9


Raiders:
Off Week 9


Eagles:
WR DeSean Jackson has a foot injury and is probable. He fully practiced all week.

WR Kevin Curtis is out with a knee injury.

RB Brian Westbrook has a concussion and is questionable. He practiced on Wednesday and Thursday but did not practice on Friday.

WR Jeremy Maclin has a foot injury and is probable. It appears that Maclin will be ready to play on Sunday.


Steelers:
No significant fantasy injuries.


Chargers:
TE Antonio Gates is probable with a foot injury. He was limited in practice early in the week but fully practiced later in the week.


49ers:
No significant fantasy injuries.


Seahawks:
QB Matt Hasselbeck has a rib injury and is probable. He missed practice on Wednesday but fully practiced the rest of the week.


Rams:
Off Week 9


Buccaneers:
WR Antonio Bryant is questionable with a knee injury. He was limited in practice. He will be a game time decision.

WR Michael Clayton has a wrist injury and is questionable.


Titans:
No significant fantasy injuries.


Redskins:
TE Chris Cooley is out with an ankle injury.


The Counselor is OUT:

Line 'em up/ Bench their butts

The Counselor is IN:

This column's intent is to give the readers an idea of few good players in favorable match ups and a few good players in bad match ups. If you have a great player, then it may not advisable to bench him for someone in the Line 'em Up section. If I suggest that you bench one of your studs, you can only do this if you have a good option behind him. If you don't have a good player behind him, don't bench 'em. Remember every league is different and I am advising from a standard league.

Off Week 9: Buffalo, Cleveland, Minnesota, New York Jets, Oakland, St. Louis

Line ‘em Up

QB Joe Flacco of Baltimore. Flacco is having a really good sophomore season. This week he plays against the Bengals 30^th ranked passing defense. Look for Flacco to have 300 yards and 2 TDs.

QB Alex Smith of San Francisco. This is a bit of a gamble but if you need a off week replacement, Smith is not a bad option. He has looked decent since coming back to lead the team. He is facing Tennessee, who is dead last against the pass.

RB Charles Jamaal of Kansas City. With Larry Johnson suspended, Jamaal will get a chance to start. He is going against the 25^th ranked run defense in Jacksonville. Jamaal might be the starter for the rest of the year with things in KC souring for Johnson.

RB Pierre Thomas of New Orleans. The Saints are playing against Panthers this weekend. The Panthers are the #1 ranked pass defense which will be severely tested this weekend. But they are the 24^th rush defense. I look for Thomas to get a lot of work and score one or two TD’s this weekend.

WR Nate Washington of Tennessee. Tennessee will play a good rush defense but a poor passing defense in San Fran. Washington will have Vince Young passing to him. He is decent WR3/ Flex guy for this weekend.

WR T.J. Houshmandzadeh of Seattle. Housh has a great match up against the 27^th ranked passing defense in Detroit. Look for Hasselbeck to connect to Housh all day long.

Bench their Butts

QB Matt Ryan of Atlanta. The last time I suggested benching Ryan, Matt lit it up. Even though I missed it last time, I am suggesting benching Ryan this week against Washington. The Redskins are 2^nd against the pass. The Redskins are not nearly as good against the run so you could see Turner have a big game. But I don’t think Ryan will have a great game.

QB Matt Schaub of Houston. This will be a tough sell. Schaub has been an excellent starter. This week he is facing the 7^th ranked passing defense in the Colts. He will try to go toe to toe with Peyton. This could be a disaster waiting to happen. He still might be a good start but there are a lot of questions in this matchup.

RB Rashard Mendenhall of Pittsburgh. The Broncos are for real. They have an excellent defense that is 7^th against the rush. I like Mendenhall on a weekly basis but not this week against the Broncos.

RB Knowshon Moreno of Denver. Moreno is another runningback I really like. He is going against the #1 rushing defense of the Steelers. Leave him on the bench.

WR Roddy White of Atlanta. White has moved into a borderline #1/#2 Wideout. He is not a good play this week against the Redskins. If you have a good replacement, then put White on the bench. If you don’t have a good backup, I would play White and hope he gets you some points.

WR Vincent Jackson of San Diego. Jackson has finally come on and become a reliable fantasy player. He is going against a tough Giants defense.

The Counselor is OUT:

The Injury Bug Has Hit

The Hockey Counselor is IN:

It seems like every team in the NHL has been hit with a major injury, I can't remember the last time there were this many superstars out with injuries. Names like Ovechkin, Malkin, Savard, Kovalchuk, Luongo, Gonchar, Staal (Eric), among others are all missing time currently due to various serious and minor injuries. These aren't the guys that seem to be hurt every year, in fact Alexander Ovechkin has missed a total of 4 games before this season, and 2 of those were for personal reasons.

With all of these players out, there will definitely be a need for depth in each league regardless of how many teams are in it, I'm here to help you find a few lesser known players that can help your team battle through the injuries!

Forwards:

Tyler Kennedy - C - Pittsburgh - Kennedy is just recovering from an undisclosed injury himself, but with 5 goals and 3 assists this season while playing on the third line, he's definitely worth a look especially in deep fantasy leagues. Kennedy leads the Penguins with game winning goals and he should start to see some more time on the power play with Evgeni Malkin missing 2-3 weeks. He picked up two assists in his last game, look for him to continue to produce especially in the goal category. He's only owned in 19% of Yahoo! leagues so he should be available to almost everyone.

James Van Riemsdyk - LW - Philadelphia - JVR is getting some serious time with guys like Gagne and Briere out and he's producing. He has 2 goals and 11 assists thus far and he should start seeing a bit more ice from Head Coach John Stevens. The assists alone are a reason to pick him up but he's also a +6 and already has 3 Power Play Points, and he should get more power play time as the season progresses. He's available in 2/3's of all Yahoo! leagues and he's definitely someone to keep your eye on in the rookie of the year race this season.

Jakub Voracek - RW- Columbus - On a team where everyone is overshadowed by Rick Nash, Voracek has quietly been putting in a great start to the season. His 4 goals and 6 assists, along with his +5 rating is a perfect example of why to go grab him while you still can. He's getting a bunch of minutes on the power play in Columbus and if you haven't noticed, the Blue Jackets are actually scoring goals this year. He's not going to help you out much in PIM's or Shots on goal, but if you need a filler for an injury, he's a perfect fit, plus he's available in 85% of Yahoo! leagues.

Defensemen:

James Wisniewski - D- Anaheim - Before his 2 game suspension, Wisniewski was on a tear, with 9 assists thus far on the season he's definitely worth a look. He's a plus 6 and has 16 PIM's, but again he is in the middle of a 2 game suspension.


Goalies:

Antero Niittymaki - G - Tampa Bay - With Mike Smith struggling in Tampa, Niittymaki has gotten a chance to shine the last few games for the Lightning. So far this year he has an impressive 3 wins, 1.95 Goals Against Average and a .940 Save Percentage. Those are great numbers, and if he can keep that up he's going to get a lot more starts over Smith. Beware, Tampa is a bad team with not a lot of goal support for him, so he may be on the loosing end of a few 2-1 or 1-0 games, but he'll still see a ton of shots and save most of them.



That's it for the Fantasy Hockey Counselor for this week, tune in this weekend for all the latest injury news from Larry on FSC!





The Hockey Counselor is OUT:

Review of "The League"- Episode One

The Counselor is IN:

When I first heard the concept of a half an hour sitcom about a group of guys in a fantasy football league, I thought it was a great idea. Outside of the typical stereotypes, you could develop a fun show with great characters. My mind instantly brought up images of TBS’ My Boys with all the characters and plot of that show. Right away, I set my DVR to record "The League" on FX.

I sat down to watch the show with my wife in the same room. I figured my wife would be tuned out since the show is about a group of Fantasy Football guys. The first scene got my wife’s attention because it started with a simulated sex scene which did not show much but was pretty explicit in the language. As the show moved along, the foul language continued to dumfound me because of the randomness of where it was inserted. The topics turned to smoking pot and then to pubic hair. One of the characters who is a stoner, wrote and sang an inappropriate song for a kid’s birthday party about the night of passion the parents must have experienced when the child was conceived. The draft is held at a loft where the owner decides to throw a social party along with the draft- are you kidding me?

There were moments of laughs and enjoyment in this opening episode. The champ from last season had a webcast to taunt the other owners, which was very humorous. There is a scene where the commissioner of the league has the other owners draw numbers out of a hat and then informs them that it is not for draft order but rather for the number on the child in the sack race at the birthday party and the position that the child finishes in will be the draft order. I loved the portrayal of the fantasy owner who accidentally chooses a retired player every year and this year he chose “Keyshawn Johnson”. The best scene was the defense attorney dealing his number 1 overall pick in the fantasy draft to the assistant DA to get a better deal for his client.

Overall this show is a miss. I did not care for any of the characters. Is the thinness of the plot supposed to be masked by the inappropriate scenes? It appeared that the creators did not know much about fantasy football or the people who play.

I will check out next week’s episode to see if it gets better and hope for more laughs and less disgust. But I have a feeling that it will be removed from my DVR record list shortly there after. Watch it at your own risk.

The Counselor is OUT:

Week 8 Fantasy Injury Report

The Counselor is IN:

Cardinals:
WR Steve Breaston has a right knee injury and is probable. Breaston saw limited time in practice this week. He should play this weekend but the Cards are going against the #1 pass defense this weekend- Carolina Panthers.

WR Anquan Boldin is questionable with a high ankle sprain. He has been practicing on a limited basis. He is expected to play but probably at a limited level on Sunday. (See Breaston)


Falcons:
RB Jerious Norwood has a right hip flexor injury and is questionable. His coaches are hopeful that Norwood can play this weekend. I would leave him on the bench.


Ravens:
QB Joe Flacco is probable with an ankle injury. He practiced this week. He should start with no issues.



Bills:
QB Trent Edwards is out with a concussion.

Panthers:
RB Jonathan Stewart is probable with an Achilles injury. He practiced fully this week. I expect him to play but he is only a back up at this time.

WR Muhsin Muhammad has a knee injury and is questionable. He missed practice this week. Muhammad is not a regular fantasy starter and should not be started this week.

Bears:
RB Adrian Peterson is probable with a knee injury. He practiced all week. His fantasy value is very limited unless Forte is injured.



Bengals:
Off Week 8


Browns:
QB Derek Anderson has a hip injury and is probable for this weekend. Anderson will play but his play has not been impressive this season.

K Phil Dawson is questionable with a calf injury. I look for Cundiff to kick in his place.

TE Robert Royal has a finger and foot injury. He is questionable for this weekend. He was limited in practice.

RB Jamal Lewis is probable with a wrist injury. It appears that Lewis should start with no issues.


Cowboys:
RB Marion Barber is probable with a thumb injury. I expect Barber to play and to have a good game against Seattle.


Broncos:
No significant fantasy injuries.


Lions:
QB Matt Stafford has a knee injury and is questionable. He is expected to start by the coaching staff. With Culpepper banged up, Stafford should start. The Lions will play the Rams (lambs) this weekend, so starting Stafford is not as bad of an idea as it usually would be.

QB Daunte Culpepper is questionable with a hamstring injury. It appears Stafford will start. This puts Culpepper’s value as minimal at best.

WR Calvin Johnson has a knee injury and is questionable. His coach believes he will play this weekend but Johnson is not that optimistic. It would be a good idea to bench him unless you have confirmation that he will play. His match up against the Rams is good but if he does not play, then it will not matter.




Packers:
QB Aaron Rogers is probable with an ankle injury. He fully practiced on Friday but was limited earlier in the week.


Texans:
WR Andre Johnson is questionable with a lung contusion. He missed practice on Wednesday but fully practiced the rest of the week. His coach announced he will play.


Colts:
WR Anthony Gonzalez is doubtful with a knee injury. He should be returning soon but not this weekend.

K Adam Vinatieri has a knee injury and is out.

RB Donald Brown is doubtful with a shoulder injury. It is unlikely he will play.

WR Reggie Wayne has a knee injury and questionable. He missed a bunch of practice but is expected to play this weekend.


Jaguars:
No significant fantasy injuries.


Chiefs:
Off Week 8


Dolphins:
RB Ricky Williams is probable with a thumb injury. He fully practiced this week. I expect Ricky will be in the Wildcat this weekend.


Vikings:
WR Percy Harvin is probable with an illness. He should play.

QB Brett Favre has a hip injury and is probable. He was limited in practice on Thursday.

WR Bernard Berrian is questionable with a hamstring injury. He was limited in practice.


Patriots:
Off Week 8


Saints:
TE Jeremy Shockey is probable with a shoulder injury. He fully practiced on Friday and is expected to start and Monday night.



Giants:
RB Ahmad Bradshaw has a broken bone in his ankle and probable. He is playing through the pain.

WR Mario Manningham is questionable with a shoulder injury. He was injured in practice this week. You should look at other options.

Jets:
WR Brad Smith is questionable with a Quadriceps injury. He was limited in practice.

WR Jerricho Cotchery has a hamstring injury and is questionable. When Cotchery is healthy, he should start seeing more single coverage with the edition of Edwards.


Raiders:
WR Chaz Schilens has a foot injury and he is questionable for the week.

RB Darren McFadden is out with a knee injury.

WR Louis Murphy has a hip injury and is questionable.


Eagles:
WR DeSean Jackson has a foot injury and is probable. He fully practiced on Friday and will start this weekend.

WR Kevin Curtis is out with a knee injury.

RB Brian Westbrook has a concussion and is questionable. He did not practice on Friday. I would leave Westbrook on the bench this week.

WR Jeremy Maclin has a foot injury and is probable. It appears that Maclin will be ready to play on Sunday.


Steelers:
Off Week 8


Chargers:
No significant fantasy injuries.



49ers:
No significant fantasy injuries.


Seahawks:
QB Matt Hasselbeck has a rib injury and is probable. He missed practice on Wednesday but fully practiced the rest of the week.


Rams:
No significant fantasy injuries.


Buccaneers:
Off Week 8


Titans:
WR Nate Washington is questionable with a Quadriceps injury. He did not practice on Thursday.


Redskins:
Off Week 8


The Counselor is OUT:

Line 'em up/ Bench their butts

The Counselor is IN:

This column's intent is to give the readers an idea of few good players in favorable match ups and a few good players in bad match ups. If you have a great player, then it may not advisable to bench him for someone in the Line 'em Up section. If I suggest that you bench one of your studs, you can only do this if you have a good option behind him. If you don't have a good player behind him, don't bench 'em. Remember every league is different and I am advising from a standard league.

Off Week 8: Cincinnati, Kansas City, New England, Pittsburgh, Tampa Bay, Washington

Line ‘em Up

QB David Garrard of Jacksonville. Most people I have talked to believe that Garrard is having a terrible season. To their surprise, the Jags are the 11^th best passing team but do not throw many touchdowns (only 5 this season so far). They are playing against the 32^nd ranked passing defense. Garrard is a good alternative if you have off week needs.

QB Kyle Orton of Denver. There is nothing glamorous about Orton either as an NFL or a fantasy QB. He is consistent and does not turn over the ball. This week the 12^th passing offense goes against a Raven’s pass defense ranked 23^rd. This defense is ranked 7^th against the run. Look for Orton to have a lot of opportunities in this game.

RB Steven Jackson of St. Louis. I have not recommended Jackson all season because…well… he is with St. Louis. But this week, the Rams are taking on the Lions. If Jackson can produce for you, it will be this week. Start him if you have him.

RB Kevin Smith of Detroit. Smith is also getting the nod because he is going against a terrible Rams rush defense of 27^th ranked. Smith has not had a great game yet but I think this could be his week. He is a decent off week start or flex start for this week...

WR Brandon Marshall of Denver. Marshall has been really hot most of this season. He has a favorable match up against the Ravens. I expect him to be money this weekend.

WR Johnny Knox of Chicago. Knox has come on and been a good WR3/Flex player. He is starting to move up to a WR2. This week they are playing against the 24^th ranked passing defense in the Browns.

Bench their Butts

QB Kurt Warner of Arizona. You want to bench Warner only if you have someone that can replace him only. Arizona is playing against the Number 1 Defense against the pass. You will be surprised to find out the number 1 passing defense is the Carolina Panthers. Believe it or not.

QB Brett Favre of Minnesota. Yes the old man had his way in the first meeting. But the Packers will be ready for Brett’s return to Lambeau field. The Pack is the 4^th best defense against the pass.

RB Ray Rice of Baltimore. It is almost impossible to leave Rice on the bench. If you have a decent second option, you might want to consider it. The Broncos are the 3^rd best rush defense and only allow 79.7 rushing yard per game.

RB Joesph Addai of Indianapolis. Addai is not a great start any week because of job sharing with Brown. This week he faces addition issues in the 6^th best run defense. The 49ers defense makes Addai’s a bad start.

WR Steve Breaston of Arizona. Breaston has been a great waiver wire pick up this season. This week, Boldin appear to be much healthier. The Panthers will not be able to stop Fitzgerald so look for them to attempt to stop Breaston and Boldin.

WR Greg Jenninngs of Green Bay. Minnesota held Jennings to only 31 yards in Minnesota. The Vikings are not great against the pass but I look for them to try to take away Rogers best target once again.

The Counselor is OUT:

Fantasy Hockey Sleepers - Pick 'em up!

The Hockey Counselor is IN:

First off hello! This is my first post at FSC and I'm mighty proud to be here!

We're a few weeks into the NHL season now and there have been plenty of injuries within the past week or so that may or may not have ravaged your starting line up and now you're dealing with the fact you have to plug those holes for the next 4-6 weeks or whatever the case may be. I'm here to help you with that, this will be a weekly article giving the reader some options on possible waiver wire pick ups that are available in most leagues:

Forwards:

Brooks Laich (Washington - C) - the little known Laich has been benefiting from playing with Alexander Ovechkin and others on the Capitals potent power play. Laich has 9 points so far this season (4 goals, 5 assists) mostly coming from playing in front of the net and putting in rebounds on the power play. He's a great 3rd or 4th center to have on your squad, he'll put the puck in the net and get you some power play points at the same time. He's available in 35% of Yahoo! leagues, and he's definitely worth a pick up
Andrew Brunette (Minnesota - LW) - Although the Wild are struggling so far this year, especially on the road where they are 0-8-0, Brunette already has 10 points with 7 goals and 3 assists. He's had 50+ point years each of the past two seasons on mediocre teams, he'll be a go to guy if he can keep up this pace in Minnesota. If you can overlook the fact that so far he is a -7, he will help you in the goal category without a doubt and is available in a staggering 75% of Yahoo! Leagues!!!

Ales Kotalik (New York Rangers - RW) - The newly acquired New York Ranger Kotalik has been putting up impressive numbers playing along side of Vinny Prospal and Marian Gaborik on the power play, he has 5 goals and 7 assists along side an incredible 9 power play points that will definitely put you over the top in a close matchup. While he's not the go to guy on the power play, he's turning into an assist machine thus far. He's available in 40% of Yahoo! leagues so go check him out, he's definitely worth a look!

Defensemen:

Alex Goligoski (Pittsburgh - D) - With the loss of star defensemen Sergei Gonchar on the blue line, the Penguins have turned to a little known second year player in Goligoski to run their potent power play. He already has 9 points this year (3 goals, 6 assists) and looks to add a ton more just by being on the ice when Evgeni Malkin and Sidney Crosby do their thing. He has a great first pass out of his defensive zone which also should prove for some more assists. I think he'll get a bunch more goals in the coming games because the opposing teams won't respect him like they would Sergei Gonchar with a slap shot from the point. He is available in 40% of Yahoo! Leagues, so definitely check him out, he is a must have!

Jason Demers (San Jose - D) - While Demers doesn't see much Power Play time with the sharks, he's still accumulated 8 assists thus far throughout the season, which is a ton for a guy that has no power play points so far. He's benefiting from being on the ice with guys like Dany Heatley and Joe Thornton. Although he doesn't offer much in other categories (6 PIM's, only 10 shots) he does have a +5 rating and is definitely worth looking into particularly in deeper leagues. He's only owned in 25% of all Yahoo! Leagues so its very likely he's available.

Goaltenders:

Jonathan Quick (Los Angeles - G) Quick has an impressive 8 wins so far this season, especially because he's been seeing competition from fellow Kings' goaltender Erik Ersberg. Have no fear though, Quick is the clear cut number 1 in LA now, and with a 2.91 Goals Against Average, he's definitely a solid number 3 goaltender pick up.

Jaroslav Halak (Montreal - G) Although entrenched in a goaltending battle in Montreal, Halak has started the past 4 games for the Canadiens and they've been winning with him in net. Carey Price may have checked out in Montreal, and Halak is a perfect handcuff for anyone with Price. Halak has a 2.28 Goals Against Average and a .910 Save Percentage, which makes him a very viable option, especially if you have Carey Price

Thanks for reading everyone, check back next week with a whole new batch of fantasy sleepers, and until then stop by FSC for all the fantasy football help you can ever want from Larry Bud!!



The Hockey Counselor is OUT: