Dein erstes Forum » Kurt Suzuki hit a two-run single off

Each week, TSN.ca Fantasy Editor Scott Cullen, NFL Editor Ben Fisher, and Isaac Owusu discuss three hot fantasy football topics. Will Marc Trestman be benching a QB1 in Josh McCown when Jay Cutler returns healthy? Cullen: For the last three weeks, yes, Josh McCown has been performing like a QB1, but that alone does not a QB1 make. Prior to this unexpected bit of brilliance from a 34-year-old journeyman, McCowns last 300-yard passing game was in September, 2007! That said, I could easily justify the Bears riding the hot hand until its not hot anymore because the NFL is unrelenting and the Bears can ill-afford to take a game or two for Jay Cutler to find his form. Of course, in addition to being unrelenting, the NFL is a business, and when prospective free agent quarterback Jay Cutler is ready to return, expect the Bears to go back to him, as a conditioned reflex – remember, starting quarterbacks dont lose their job due to injuries…at least not to a 34-year-old backup, but ask Alex Smith, the story is different if that backup is Colin Kaepernick. Fisher: I agree with pretty much everybody else that going back to Cutler over McCown at this point would be a mistake on Trestmans part, but Ill stop short of saying hes benching a QB1. McCown averages out as a QB1 over the past four weeks but thats largely aided by his tremendous Monday Night performance this past week. His five starts previous to that, McCown ranked as a high-end QB2. His journeyman status makes it hard for me to believe hed continue putting up 30+ point games like he did against the Cowboys if given the chance, but hes still a tough QB to lose for fantasy teams. Owusu: In a word, yes. But, its not so much about the guy taking the snaps, but the guy calling the plays. Trestman has put together an offence that would appear to be at the centre of a controversy, but unlike the Alex Smith/Colin Kaepernick situation in San Francisco last season, his coaching staff and players have stood firm in supporting the injured Cutler as their starter. Chicagos quarterback position, whether it be (a healthy) Cutler or McCown, remains worthy of a start this deep in the fantasy playoffs, due to having what can be argued as the leagues most talented receiving corps, featuring Brandon Marshall, Alshon Jeffery, Matt Forte and Martellus Bennett. Its almost an expectation that whoever is throwing the ball would rack up 200+ yards and at least two touchdowns. In fact this season Cutler has had five of those games and McCown has had four, coming off his third straight 300+ yard passing game. The main concerns with Cutler would be a matter of him being fully healthy going into the game and getting back in sync with the plethora of weapons at his disposal. The latter shouldnt be a major concern, as evidence by the 250 yards and touchdown pass he threw in his Week 10 return (before leaving again to yet another injury). This deep into the season, with all the implications, fantasy owners would prefer the Bears keep the hot McCown out there, but even if Cutler comes in, there shouldnt be a downgrade in performance. Also, owners should consider that this week the Bears are in Cleveland, a team that hasnt held a QB to under two touchdowns passes since Week 5, so whichever quarterback the Bears turn to should be a dependable option and all the Bears receiving targets remain must-start status. Trust in the quarterback whisperer, Marc Trestman. Has Cordarelle Patterson proven enough for a fantasy playoff team to take a flyer on him? Cullen: Patterson had a breakthrough game last week – five catches, 141 yards and a touchdown – and he is probably the most dangerous Vikings receiver for the rest of the season, but he had one catch for four yards in Week 12 and still has Matt Cassel throwing to him, so there are reasons to be hesitant on Patterson. I have him ranked at 35 for Week 15, which puts him on the edge of either WR3 or FLEX positioning. Fisher: Nope. One good week does not a starter make. Patterson has looked better in recent weeks, highlighted by his 20-point performance in Week 13, and I think hes got a shot at being a solid WR2 next season, but he still has Matt Cassel throwing him the ball. I cant rely on Patterson to score more than eight or nine points per week (his previous season-high) the rest of the way and that isnt going to cut it for a playoff team. Owusu: The regular season is three games away from completion and it almost appears that the Minnesota Vikings finally figured out how to use the elusive receiver that they traded up to pick in the draft. Patterson is worthy of taking a flyer on based on the increased attention that hes gotten. Heading into Week 5s bye week, Patterson only saw 2.25 targets per game, however in the nine games following he has seen that number boost to 5.5 per game, and garnered 7.75 looks in his last four games. In last Sundays wild matchup against at the Baltimore Ravens, Pattersons seven targets and five catches was one thing, but then there was the 114 yards he gained after the catch. Patterson has shown that he is Mr. High Risk/High Reward with the ability to turn the smallest plays into large gains, similar to another guy who once wore No. 84 for the Vikings about a decade ago. Patterson is not just a threat on offence but special teams as well, so if youre in a league that rewards individual players for their returns along with their catches and rushes then Patterson should appeal to you as a low-end WR2 or a definite Flex going forward in the playoffs. The Vikings are at home against the high-powered Philadelphia Eagles and will likely not have their star running back Adrian Peterson, so expect them to be playing a bit of catch up in this game, and Matt Cassel should keep looking for the blossoming receiver. For the Gronk owners, which replacement will prove more valuable: Dennis Pitta, recently returned from a hip injury; or Jacob Tamme, filling for Wes Welker in the slot in Denver? Cullen: If forced to choose for the rest of the season, I prefer Pitta, because in his first game of the season for the Ravens, he was targeted 11 times, tied with Marlon Brown for most on the Ravens against Minnesota. There is also the matter of sustainability. Tammes value is tied to Wes Welkers concussion and if Welker returns at some point in the next few weeks, that would dramatically cut out the looks that Tamme would presume to get in the slot. In Pittas case, hes a good bet to be a prime target for Joe Flacco over the rest of the season. Fisher: I think it depends if youre playing the short game or the long game. I think Tamme, filling in for a concussed Wes Welker in the slot in Denver, will have a more productive Week 14 in what should be a high-scoring Thursday Nighter. Tamme had four catches on five targets in a little more than two quarters action; thats a handsome stat line projected out to a full game. If youre a semifinals underdog, he might be the way to go to secure a spot in the finals at all cost. But if youre playing the long game, Pitta, who returned from injury to put up a double digit point total in his season debut last week, should be able to supply two productive weeks, as where Tamme could become useless in Week 15 if Welker returns. Owusu: As appealing as it is to take an available Peyton Manning target in Jacob Tamme, the answer for this week, next week and however long your fantasy playoffs may last is Dennis Pitta. Throughout his career, the Baltimore Ravens tight end has been a safety net for Joe Flacco. Pitta was projected to be a top-five pick at tight end prior to his injury and in his first game of the season last week he rewarded owners who took a chance on him in the playoffs with six catches for 48 yards and a touchdown. The worry about Pitta initially was the expectation for him to be on a limited snap-count, but he made the most of the 11 targets that came his way. Tamme was a pleasant surprise last Sunday filling in for the injured Wes Welker, seeing six targets and pulling in four catches for 47 yards. On the field, theres always a chance that teams forget about Tamme while theyre busy focusing on Mannings three other fantasy studs Eric Decker, Demaryius Thomas and Julius Thomas. Tamme should see some involvement in the Denver Broncos explosive offence Thursday night, but expectations for his value to be greater than Pittas for Baltimore should be tempered. Though Pitta was in for 36 snaps, two of his 11 targets came in the red zone. Facing the Detroit Lions who have a sweltering run defence, theres a tall order for Flacco to deliver in the passing game so expect a good dose of Pitta. Unless its a Percy Harvin type of setback, he should see increased work as a means for the Ravens to make a playoff push. Jarius Wright Jersey . Cruz set the tone with a two-run homer in the first inning, and Baltimore scored eight times in the eighth to pull away for a 12-3 victory in Game 1. The major league leader with 40 homers during the regular season, Cruz added an RBI single to his early blast off Max Scherzer. Dontari Poe Panthers Jersey . Only it wasnt the extended right pad of his old teammate Jonathan Bernier early in the final frame, it was James Reimer, who stole a night that was supposed to belong to the former King. http://www.footballpanthersstore.us/Blac...Jackson-Jersey/. He even addressed his group of relievers Sunday morning. Dustin McGowan made those worries a nonfactor, at least for a day. McGowan pitched three-hit ball for seven innings, Colby Rasmus hit a grand slam and Melky Cabrera added a two-run homer as the Blue Jays beat the Pittsburgh Pirates 7-2. DJ Moore Panthers Jersey . The Flames announced Monday that Treliving, a former assistant general manager with the Coyotes, will take over the vacant GM spot in Calgary. "Im ready for this,"Treliving said. Dontari Poe Jersey . Showing more spark after not taking enough challenging shots on goal in their 1-0 loss Friday night, the Bruins had 18 shots in the first period after managing just 25 in the entire opener. Luke Glendening cut Bostons lead to 2-1 at 13:20 of the second period before Milan Lucic scored late in the second and Zdeno Chara added a power-play goal early in the third.DETROIT -- After only 86 pitches, Minnesotas Phil Hughes left the game with a shutout in progress. Afterward, he not only endorsed the move, but said he helped his manager make the decision. "Every pitcher has a certain amount of pride. In the seventh, I felt like my stuff and location were deteriorating," Hughes said. "You dont want to give the game away just because youre feeling prideful." Hughes pitched seven innings, and the Twins beat Justin Verlander for the first time in over four years, 2-1 on Friday night. Kurt Suzuki hit a two-run single off Verlander in the seventh. Hughes (4-1) allowed eight hits in his fourth consecutive win, but he was fine letting the bullpen take over for the final two innings. "The catcher and him both said, Hes losing it," Twins manager Ron Gardenhire said. "If a pitcher feels that hes losing it off the ball and starting to misfire, then youve got to take him out of the ballgame. Him being honest there allowed us to get our bullpen up going." Casey Fien pitched the eighth, and Glen Perkins allowed a run in the ninth but held on for his ninth save in 10 chances. Verlander allowed two runs and seven hits in seven innings. He struck out five and walked two. The start of the game was delayed 27 minutes by rain, but the teams played through an emergency alarm that went off in the top of the ninth. The Tigers later said there was a mechanical fire in a janitor closet that was quickly contained and put out. "I almost took off running," Detroit outfielder Torii Hunter joked. "Im thinking biohazardous or something." Players paused briefly, then the game went on. The injury-plagued Twins snapped a three-game losing streak. Star first baseman Joe Mauer sat out a fifth straight game. Hes been dealing with back spasms. Alex Avila hit an RBI double off Perkins with one out in the ninth, but pincch-hitter J.ddddddddddddD. Martinez popped out and Rajai Davis struck out to end it. Hughes lost 14 games last season for the New York Yankees, but the right-hander has pitched well after signing with the Twins in the off-season. He struck out Avila with men on first and third in the fourth, and got Miguel Cabrera to fly out with two on and two out in the fifth. Hughes struck out three, and he went a third straight start without a walk. He began this game with 13 straight strikes. "They werent all strikes in the zone. They were hacking," Hughes said. "When youre around the plate and pop a fastball up every now and then, theyre going to be aggressive and swinging at it. Thats kind of what I am. Sometimes it hurts me a little bit if Im around the plate too much, but when I have good stuff, its usually all right." Verlander (4-2) escaped jams in the second and third, but he couldnt retire Suzuki with the game on the line in the seventh. It was his first loss in his last 10 decisions against the Twins. The last time they beat him was April 27, 2010. "Pretty good for the first six innings, but I wasnt great in the seventh," Verlander said. "I had a couple inexcusable pitches. It wasnt that I made mistakes, but I got away from the pitches I wanted to throw." In addition to Mauer, Minnesota is also without outfielder Josh Willingham, who has a left wrist contusion, but the Twins were able to beat the Tigers without any extra-base hits. NOTES: It began to rain hard in the top of the fifth, but there were no more weather delays once the game started. ... Detroits Victor Martinez had his hitting streak snapped at 11 games. ... The Tigers transferred the injury rehab assignment of RHP Luke Putkonen (right elbow) from Class A West Michigan to Triple-A Toledo. ... Detroits Max Scherzer (4-1) faces Minnesotas Kyle Gibson (3-2) on Saturday. Cheap Nike Celtics Jerseys Cheap Nike Nets Jerseys Cheap New York Knicks Jerseys Cheap Philadelphia 76ers Jerseys China Raptors Jerseys Wholesale Chicago Bulls Jerseys Wholesale Cleveland Cavaliers Jerseys China Pistons Jerseys Wholesale Indiana Pacers Jerseys Cheap Milwaukee Bucks Jerseys Atlanta Hawks Jerseys Online Cheap Nike Hornets Jerseys China Heat Jerseys Cheap Nike Magic Jerseys China Wizards Jerseys Cheap Nike Nuggets Jerseys China Timberwolves Jerseys China Thunder Jerseys China Blazers Jerseys Cheap Utah Jazz Jerseys China Warriors Jerseys Cheap Nike Clippers Jerseys Discount Lakers Jerseys Phoenix Suns Jerseys Online Cheap Sacramento Kings Jerseys Dallas Mavericks Jerseys Online Wholesale Houston Rockets Jerseys Wholesale Memphis Grizzlies Jerseys New Orleans Pelicans Jerseys Online Discount Spurs Jerseys ' ' '