Nebraska defensive end Randy Gregory has certainly been productive over the last season and a half for the Cornhuskers, Parris Campbell Jersey but that doesn't mean the junior can't still get much better.In fact, one NFC scout doesn't think Gregory is even close to reaching his potential as a pa s rusher."He hasn't scratched the surface of what he's capable of. Still raw and still making plays," the .Gregory leads the Cornhuskers in sacks (4.5) and quarterback hurries (seven) despite mi sing all of one game and most of another earlier this year with a minor knee injury. Breer notes that Gregory's game Saturday will be a test against the Michigan State offensive line, in particular left tackle Jack Conklin, who hasn't allowed a sack this year.Gregory gave some thought to entering the draft after last season as a third-year sophomore, but chose to return to NU for his junior season. He to help improve his game and entered the season at about 248 pounds. He played last year at 240 while making a Big Ten-high 10.5 sacks. Either weight is light for an NFL defensive end, but at 6-foot-6, Gregory has the frame to easily add even more weight.*Follow Chase Goodbread on Twitter *. George Odum Jersey
This past Saturday night, earned , while took home . Then, on Sunday night, was named following a supernatural performance.What do all three of these guys have in common? They all entered the NFL in .It's a draft cla s that also includes 2015 first-team All-Pros and , as well as , , , , , , , , and , among others.So, take a look into your crystal ball: When all is said and done, which 2011 draftee will have enjoyed the best NFL career? When we look back at the 2011 draft cla s, will have enjoyed the best career. Five years into the league, he's already been a league MVP and Offensive Player of the Year. This is just the beginning of him coming into his own as a franchise quarterback. As Carolina surrounds him with more talent and the defense continues to play at a high level, Cam will win multiple s with the . Ultimately, that's what people judge careers on. I don't care what anybody says: will have the best career. and might have more natural talent, but character trumps talent every single day of the week. I've watched Watt play in practice and in games, and nobody loves the game more than he does. He's already a three-time Defensive Player of the Year within his Ty Long Jersey first five years in the league, and he's the only player in NFL history to have two seasons with 20-plus sacks. I don't know if Cam or Miller will get to Canton, but will -- without question -- end up there. : MVP, OPOY, OROY, All-Pro, Killer Smile. **:** win, 3x All-Pro, Good Guy Award. **:** win, SB MVP, DROY, 2x All-Pro, Excellent Eyewear. **:** Technically has a ring. **:** 3x DPOY, 4x All-Pro. <>* * They've all been to at least one -- if that still counts. Analyze those accomplishments. OK, good. Now let's break down the rest. A championship adds credibility and cache to a player's legacy, but this is a quarterback-obse sed league. And when a QB plays on a succe sful team with a bright future, there's more opportunity to make a meaningful impact and more eyes watching. On top of the talent, throw in a huge personality -- somewhat polarizing -- and it's who will be remembered for enjoying the best career. * ** I think that there are seven players from the 2011 who, after five seasons, look like they are on track to have a chance to be inducted into the : , , , , , and . But for this exercise, I'm going with Watt. The dynamo has the chance to play the longest and make the biggest mark on the game because he is such a good pa s rusher. In addition, he can catch pa ses on the goal line for touchdowns, and has the innate ability to be in the right spot at the right time. Right now, Watt is just reaching the prime of his career. He is double-teamed constantly, has stayed injury-free, has great size and speed, and strength and competitivene s. He doesn't lack in any of the categories that it takes to be a great player. Miller will have the best career if he can stay healthy. He's recorded 60 sacks in five seasons, and the only season where he didn't have 10-plus sacks was in 2013, when he served a six-game suspension before tearing his anterior cruciate ligament. He can also drop back and cover receivers. Don't get me wrong, Cam and Watt are great players, but Miller's versatility sets him apart. Barring injury, it will be . He compares to any defensive lineman I have seen since 1977, when I entered the NFL. His motor might be the best of -- or at least equal to -- any great defensive lineman during this time span. He can play anywhere acro s the defensive line. He has played TE and some LB, too. He plays the run and can rush the pa ser on a dominant level. is already setting records with the way he's playing at the quarterback position. He's the first QB in NFL history to have five straight seasons of 3,000 pa sing yards and 500 rushing yards. In just five years, Cam already has rushed for 3,207 yards, so he will claim the NFL record for rushing yardage by a quarterback (Michael Vick, 6,109 yards) by the end of his career. Watt and Miller have been impre sive so far in their careers. Watt has 74.5 career sacks, but Reggie White had 81 in his first five years. It's going to be very difficult for Watt to get to 200 career sacks (Bruce Smith's NFL record). I think he'll continue to produce great numbers for the next four years or so, but not when he slows down a step. In this quarterback-driven league, Cam will continue to do what he's doing for the next seven years, po sibly, and some of his numbers won't be challenged for a long time. Watt has a chance to become the best defensive player in NFL history, which would put him with Jim Brown, Jerry Rice and on the NFL's Mount Rushmore. NFL Los Angeles Chargers Jersey
EAGAN, Minn. (AP) In the first moments after Kirk Cousins in Green Bay during a seemingly routine sack, Minnesota's figured he just had a sprained ankle.As Vikings center Garrett Bradbury helped him up, Cousins tried to stand and felt an eerie sensation of the ground sinking underneath him.OK, he thought, so there was no feeling in his right foot. Perhaps he had some nerve damage. He still ought to be able to play through that, right? Cousins' naivete, or denial, quickly gave way to reality once he hopped off the field and the medical staff tended to him on the bench. His , an automatic end to his season with the Vikings already midway Marco Wilson Jersey through their schedule.ADVERTISEMENT I was Googling the five stages of grief, maybe even that night, trying to understand that better, Cousins said. I dont think its stages. I think all five just swirl all at once.Cousins is nearly three weeks removed from that fateful plant of his right foot at Lambeau Field on Oct. 29, when Minnesota's predictably unpredictable season took one of several dramatic turns. He recently had his post-surgical cast removed, and he's carefully walking around in a bulky gray boot.His future with the Vikings was already unclear with his contract set to expire next spring, and now the question of whether he'll return is even more complicated.Those conversations will happen, but its just not time yet. Weve got so much to focus on with this season. The guys are playing so well, and thats really where the attention needs to be, Cousins said Friday in his first meeting with reporters since the injury. You can want a lot of things. It doesnt mean its going to happen. I keep an open mind, but I certainly would love for that to be the case.Joshua Dobbs has after rookie Jaren Hall suffered a concu sion early in his first start. The seven-year veteran, who was acquired from Arizona in an emergency trade two days after Cousins was hurt, has become one of the best feel-good stories in the league by keeping the Vikings' offense rolling despite minimal time learning the scheme. Minnesota has won five straight games, three with Cousins and two without.Im still mad. Im still disappointed. But then you go right back to all the things you know. I cant change it. Youve got to move forward. Thats what we sign up for when we step between the white lines, Cousins said. Im fortunate to have come this far and not had a surgery in football, so youre also grateful too. I just believe theres more to the story up ahead.Cousins has been a constant presence in quarterback meetings and provided input on the game plan as requested by coach Kevin O'Connell. He goes home to continue his rehab work once practice begins. Eventually, he'll join the Vikings on the sideline during games.For now? Cousins is in full one day at a time mode.I think Im going to be saying it for a while, he said.The day before his surgery, Cousins solicited advice on the phone from Aaron Rodgers, whose first season with the New York Jets got off to a when he tore his left Achilles tendon four snaps into his debut. Rodgers has vowed to return to the field later this year, providing Cousins some additional encouragement. Since there's no chance of playing again this season, he can also benefit from not being tempted to rush.There's plenty of time for reflection, too, including back to that day when he was riding away on the cart confronting the harsh reality of a major injury.You have a lot of thoughts going through your head, and one of them was, Is this last time I play football? And now a couple weeks removed, I say, No, its not going to be, but when those thoughts are going through your head you realize the potential routes that this could go, Cousins said. So Im excited to write this next chapter and see what God wants to do with it.___AP NFL: DeAndre Hopkins Jersey
The have dominated the AFC in the 2020s. The have been the most succe sful franchise in the NFC during this decade, too.It's only fitting they get to meet on the NFL's biggest stage.That will happen in in Las Vegas on Sunday, Feb. 11, after the Chiefs beat the in the AFC Championship Game on Sunday and the 49ers overcame a 17-point second-half deficit to defeat the in the NFC Championship Game. The 49ers will be looking for their first championship since the 1995 season. The Chiefs will be trying to win their third in the last five years.And oh, by the way, the game is a rematch of the one played four years ago Super Bowl LIV in Miami, when the Chiefs beat the 49ers 31-20 to win the first championship for quarterback and coach Andy Reid.ADVERTISEMENT How will this one go on the field at Allegiant Stadium? Here's a first look from FOX Sports AFC South reporter Ben Arthur (covering the Chiefs) and NFC East reporter Ralph Vacchiano (covering the 49ers):THE BIG STORYChiefs: The Chiefs are in the Super Bowl for the fourth time in five years, including back-to-back seasons, further cementing their dynasty. Despite an inconsistent offense throughout the 2023 season, one lacking the explosivene s and pizazz we'd grown accustomed to from the last several years, Kansas City has shown its championship pedigree this postseason.Before this year, the Chiefs hadn't played in a true road playoff game in the Patrick Mahomes era. They've now won back-to-back to reach Super Bowl 58. Arthur49ers: It might be 29 years since the 49ers' last championship, but they've been knocking on the door in recent years. They lost in the NFC title game each of the past two seasons, but this will be their second trip to the Super Bowl in the last five years. And while the Andy Reid-Patrick Mahomes duo will get all the headlines, 49ers coach Kyle Shanahan is one of the NFL's best offensive minds and he's somehow built the NFL's No. 2-ranked offense around a quarterback, , who was Mr. Irrelevant in the 2022 NFL Draft. Vacchiano49ers postgame trophy ceremony after defeating Lions in NFC Championship Game HISTORY LESSONChiefs: The Chiefs hope to become the first team in 19 years to win back-to-back Super Bowls. Just eight Super Bowl champions have succe sfully defended their title: the 2003-04 , 1997-98 Broncos, 1992-93 Cowboys, 1988-89 49ers, 1978-79 Steelers, 1974-75 Steelers, 1972-73 Dolphins and the 1966-67 .Since Mahomes became the Chiefs' starting quarterback in 2018, Kansas City has won two Super Bowls. Arthur49ers: The 49ers still rank second in all-time Super Bowl wins with five (in seven trips), but their dynasty years were a long time ago. Four of their wins were in the 1980s and their last championship was in 1994, when Kyle Shanahan was just 15 years old. They've been close over the last decade, though. They went to three straight NFC Championship Games from 2011-13, another in 2019, and then three in the past three years. This is just their third Super Bowl trip in that span, though, and they're still looking for their first win. VacchianoQUARTERBACKSChiefs: Mahomes is widely regarded as the best quarterback in the NFL and already considered to be a first-ballot Hall of Famer, but he had one of the worst statistical seasons of his career in 2023.Since becoming a starter in 2018, he posted career lows in touchdown rate (4.5 percent), interceptions (14), yards per attempt (7.0) and pa ser rating (92.6) this regular season. He's also registered the second-worst marks of his career in touchdown pa ses (27) and interception rate (2.3 percent).Mahomes' greatne s, of course, cannot be discounted in the playoffs. He's at his best on the biggest stage. This postseason, he's completed 67.9 percent of his pa ses for 718 yards and four touchdowns against zero interceptions. Arthur49ers: Yes, Brock Purdy was Mr. Irrelevant in the 2022 NFL Draft. But he was also an MVP candidate for most of this past season. Though he still draws way too much criticism as a supposed "game manager," he completed 69.4 percent of his pa ses this past season for 4,280 yards, 31 touchdowns and 11 interceptions.He's probably not going to win the MVP, but he'll get some votes. And in the playoffs, he's been rock solid. In two games, he's been picked off just once. He gets a lot of help from a talented 49ers team, but he's shown he's capable of carrying them, too. VacchianoPatrick Mahomes, Chiefs shut down Lamar Jackson, Ravens COACHESChiefs: One of the most respected offensive minds in NFL history, Andy Reid is making his fifth Super Bowl appearance as a head coach, including his fourth with the Chiefs. His first came in 2004 with the . He has a 2-2 record in the Super Bowl. Arthur49ers: Kyle Shanahan has long been considered one of the best young offensive minds in the NFL, right up there with his California neighbor, Sean McVay. He's proven that by taking teams with and Brock Purdy at quarterback to four NFC Championship Games and, now, two Super Bowls in the last five years. All that's mi sing is the one thing McVay has that he doesn't a championship. Shanahan surely knows that his father, Mike, also won two. VacchianoOFFENSIVE WEAPONSChiefsTE Travis Kelce: Like most of the Chiefs offense, Kelce had a slow start to the year. He finished the regular season with 93 receptions for 984 yards and five touchdowns, his first time finishing below Rico Gafford Jersey 1,000 receiving yards since 2015. But he's reminded the NFL world why he's Mahomes' favorite target and a future first-ballot Hall of Famer this postseason, with 23 receptions for 262 yards and three touchdowns in three playoff games.WR Rashee Rice: Amid a brutal year for the Chiefs' wide receivers they led the NFL with 22 dropped pa ses, according to Next Gen Stats the rookie second-round pick out of has been a bright spot and emerged as WR1 of the future. Rice had 79 receptions for 938 yards and seven touchdowns in the regular season.RB Isiah Pacheco: Since taking over as Chiefs' RB1 midway through his rookie year last season, Pacheco has been a much-needed sledgehammer in the trenches for Kansas City. The former seventh-round pick carried the ball 205 times for 935 yards and seven touchdowns during the regular season. Arthur'We knew we had doubters' Isiah Pacheco on Chiefs clinching second straight Super Bowl appearance 49ersRB Christian McCaffrey: He is the counterargument to everyone who says that running backs aren't worth big money in today's NFL. He not only led the league in rushing yards with 1,459 and was second among running backs with 14 rushing touchdowns, he was also second on the 49ers with 67 catches for 564 yards and seven touchdowns. And he had a streak of 17 straight games with at least one touchdown snapped in mid-November.WR Brandon Aiyuk: He ranked seventh in receiving yards (1,342) despite having just 75 catches. That's an impre sive 17.9 yards per catch, which ranked second in the NFL. So much of that is yards after the catch, too. He's turned himself into one of the best big-play threats in the league.WR Deebo Samuel: He has the ability to be more dangerous as a receiver than Aiyuk as his 8 catches for 89 yards in the NFC Championship Game showed and he's used like a Swi s Army knife in the 49ers offense. He not only caught 60 pa ses for 892 yards and seven touchdowns, but he also ran 37 times for 225 yards and five touchdowns. The defense needs to know where he is on every single play. Vacchiano'A ladybug landed on my shoe' Brandon Aiyuk on incredible catch, 49ers clinching Super Bowl appearance DEFENSEChiefs: The Chiefs have what's indisputably their best defense of the Mahomes era. It ranked second in the league in points (17.3) and yards allowed (289.7), plus seventh in DVOA, in the regular season.Kansas City has All-Pros up front and in the back end in defensive tackle Chris Jones and slot cornerback , respectively. L'Jarius Sneed is also a Pro Bowl talent on the outside for the Chiefs and one of the most underrated defenders in the league. Look no further than his terrific forced fumble at the goal line in the team's AFC Championship Game victory over Baltimore on Sunday.49ers: This isn't quite the No. 1 ranked defense the 49ers had one year ago, when was the Defensive Player of the Year with 18.5 sacks. But they're still pretty good. Led by Bosa, who had 10.5 sacks, they ranked eighth. And with the addition of big DT in the middle, they gave up just 89.7 rushing yards per game (though the Lions did get 182 against them on Sunday). Cornerback and linebacker were Pro Bowlers too, joining Bosa and Hargrave, from the 49ers stout defense. VacchianoTHE X-FACTORChiefs Rashee RiceIncluding the postseason, Kansas City is 5-1 when Rice has at least 70 receiving yards. When he gets going, it takes pre sure off Kelce in the receiving game by giving the Chiefs more offensive balance and making them more difficult to cover. Arthur49ers: He's been pretty quiet in the playoffs so far (9-137-1 in two games) and receiving stats didn't rank him among the 10 best tight ends in the NFL this year (65-1,020-6). But he is still very capable of big games and big plays. He topped 100 receiving yards three times season, and his 15.7 yards per catch was 12th in the NFL and tops among tight ends. He's a huge mismatch for any defense and could draw attention away from all the other 49ers weapons just like Travis Kelce, who'll get all the attention on the other side. VacchianoBrock Purdy, 49ers survive vs. Jared Goff, Lions WHY THEY CAN WINChiefs: For the Chiefs, priority No. 1 should be stopping Christian McCaffrey and the 49ers' run game. Kansas City was 6-0 in the regular season when it held opponents under 110 rushing yards.Mahomes and Kelce will need to be great as they've typically been on this stage, but defense is where the Chiefs have been most consistent this season. The unit will likely need to come up huge one final time, particularly against an all-time great running back in McCaffrey, to secure the franchise's fourth Super Bowl victory. Arthur49ers: Teams have proven they can run on this Chiefs defense, so the 49ers need to play to their strength in Super Bowl LVIII. Let McCaffrey lead them both in the run game and the pa sing game and sprinkle in as many creative sweeps and end runs as Kyle Shanahan can come up with over the next two weeks. They have always been a run-first offense and they shouldn't stray from that now. If they do that and keep Brock Purdy protected so he's not forced into big mistakes they'll have a shot.They certainly have the defense to stop what is not a typically great Chiefs offense. But their ticket to this title is running the ball and eating up the clock. The longer Patrick Mahomes is off the field, the better the 49ers chances are. VacchianoRalph Vacchiano is the NFC East reporter for FOX Sports, covering the Washington Commanders, Philadelphia Eagles and New York Giants. He spent the previous six years covering the Giants and Jets for SNY TV in New York, and before that, 16 years covering the Giants and the NFL for the New York Daily News. Follow him Twitter at@RalphVacchiano.Ben Arthur is the AFC South reporter for FOX Sports. He previously worked for The Tenne sean/USA TODAY Network, where he was the Titans beat writer for a year and a half. He covered theSeattle Seahawksfor SeattlePI.com for three seasons (2018-20) prior to moving to Tenne see. You can follow Ben on Twitter at@benyarthur. Brian Dawkins Jersey
Week 6 of college football is underway and social media is buzzing with the action. Here are the best tweets, vines, videos and more from acro s the country.Katy Perry made an appearance on "GameDay" this morning, and apparently she has a thing for Oklahoma QB Trevor Knight.Oklahoma was more than happy to accept Perry's attention.Welcome, , to the fan club. Oklahoma Football (@OU_Football) After , Perry trolled 'Bama coach Nick Saban on Twitter and boasted for the game's winner. KATY PERRY (@katyperry) After Ole Mi s fans tore down the goal posts, they went on a tour of Oxford.Aaaaand there goes the goal post down the street. Normal right? Allie LaForce (@ALaForce) Devin Hester Jersey Goal post made it home Buckner Corso (@BucknerCorso) Florida coach Will Muschamp and his team narrowly escaped Neyland Stadium with a win. The coach was more than happy to send Vols fans home unhappy.Texas A&M freshman quarterback Kyle Allen wasn't totally idle on the sideline. We wonder if he walked away from this conversation with a phone number.Mi si sippi State with a near-perfect tweet after linebacker Richie Brown picked off Texas A&M's Kenny Hill.Uly ses S. Grant with the interception! Mi si sippi State Football (@HailStateFB) Apparel company adidas released a new set of Texas A&M uniforms for the team's matchup against Mi si sippi State and they are... something. Given the involvement of "ice" in the look, they do get a thumbs up from , however.Draped in ICE, all the way down to the cleats! ! AggieFBLife (@aggiefblife) from Texas to the Mi si sippi.! AggieFBLife (@aggiefblife) The Aggies' in-state rival, Texas, is going in a different direction by donning a little pink for breast cancer awarene s when it hosts Baylor.Breast Cancer Awarene s Game for today. Players to wear socks/gloves accented w/pink & coaches, shoes John Bianco (@UT_Bianco) Fantastic look for Tenne see today at Neyland Stadium against Florida with an orange and white checkerboard look. 11 minutes until kick @GrantRamey (@GrantRamey) The Vols also got a nice shoutout from rapper Lil Jon.NFL Media analyst Gil Brandt isn't wrong, this is one of the funnier things you'll see today from SEC referees. You can follow Bryan Fischer on Twitter at . Nsimba Webster Jersey
The first and biggest wave of 2020 NFL free agency has come and gone, and with the draft now right around the corner, the headlines of big-name veteran additions have slowed. But that doesn't mean teams have stopped looking for ways to improve their rosters and, in some cases, fill remaining needs. Running back, specifically, is a position a handful of organizations figure to addre s in the coming weeks and months.Here's a look at some of the teams most in need of RB help, as well as potential solutions:The Falcons made a relatively big splash at RB by bringing back to Georgia, and if the former Offensive Player of the Year is healthy, they'll be in for a treat. "If" is the key word there, though, and even if Gurley is in top shape, there's no reason Atlanta should overwork him. With cut loose, they're still in need of No. 2 competition. , the presumptive backup, has yet to play more than 12 games in a season; and , another reserve candidate, has mi sed 11 games in two years.Best solutions:Draft a Mike Mitchell Jersey running back in the second or third roundSign ()There aren't many veteran additions the Falcons could make that offer significantly more upside than just riding with Hill and Smith behind Gurley, so pinpointing a long-term starter and running mate for Gurley would be smarter. Landing Jonathan Taylor or local star D'Andre Swift would be the best-case scenario. If, however, the Falcons somehow settle for a low-risk veteran gamble, Clement is both young and versatile enough to potentially become a favorite outlet, so long as he stays healthy.The Bills have their guy in second-year play-maker , but backup T.J. Yeldon's been all but a total non-factor, and with the agele s hitting the road, could use another backfield weapon. Buffalo didn't reportedly pursue for nothing. Gore, remember, got 166 carries in 2019 as a quasi-starter, leaving a sizable role wide open for 2020.Po sible solutions:Sign ()Draft a running back in the fifth or sixth roundAdding Hyde would be the most immediate way Buffalo could shore up its depth, e sentially upgrading Gore's spot. The 29-year-old reportedly almost prompted a trade up by the Bills back in the 2014 draft, he wouldn't eat into Singletary's touches as a pa s catcher, and he's got experience working in a committee. Alternatively, someone like Ole Mi s's Scottie Phillips, a shifty but powerful prospect, could make sense as a Day 3 flier and a more up-the-gut complement to Singletary.We love as much as the next man, and believe it or not, the third-year back is still just 22. He's also mi sed 14 games in two seasons due to knee problems. is a nice bruiser to have on the roster, but if he's getting close to 10 carries a game, that's a problem. Put simply, Detroit needs bodies here, and not just that, but a back who can step up on a full-time basis in the likely event Johnson can't make it through a full season.Po sible solutions:Sign Devonta Freeman (Falcons)Draft a running back in the fourth or fifth roundFreeman isn't exactly a bastion of good health, and his playing style often ensures that'll stay true. It's not like he's old, though (just turned 28), and he'd be the perfect physical complement to Johnson. There's a reason the Lions reportedly discu sed a trade for him in 2019. As a low-cost, one-year rental, you could do a lot worse. Otherwise, Detroit has plenty of other bigger i sues to worry about in the draft, but if someone like A.J. Dillon or La'mical Perine falls, they'd be intriguing long-term investments.As much as Andy Reid (rightfully) dials up ' arm and leans on the pa s, and as good as was in the Super Bowl, this team is still in search of a guy it can consistently trust. The Chiefs have long favored a rotation, yes, but that's in part because no one RB has commanded a No. 1 job. There's a reason they tried the experiment in 2019. In an ideal world, Williams and maybe and/or would be the change-of-pace crew.Best solutions:Draft a running back in the second, third, fourth or fifth roundSign ()Thompson is the only current Chiefs back under contract beyond 2020, so a long-term piece would be ideal. Any of the top prospects would suffice, but Maryland speedster Anthony McFarland Jr. feels like their kind of guy as a potential mid-rounder. Just as enticing would be a move for Breida, who's a restricted free agent but is apparently no lock to even make San Francisco's 2020 roster. A suming the 25-year-old becomes available, he'd be a perfect big-play addition to K.C.'s committee.The Rams can talk all they want about entering 2020 with confidence that and will seamle sly replace Todd Gurley, but last we checked, those guys combined for 402 yards on the ground in 2019. That's not to say they can't be better with more touches, but Sean McVay can't afford to gamble on leaving without sturdier ground support.Best solutions:Sign (Texans) or Frank Gore (Bills)The Rams don't have the luxury of owning a ton of picks because of the way they've built their roster, so drafting someone to compete with Brown and Henderson seems unlikely, if not a waste of resources. The irony is they need serious RB help now that Gurley is gone and Goff/McVay are increasingly under pre sure to make the offense right. That's why Miller and Gore make sense, even though the former is coming off a torn ACL and the latter is darn near real-life retirement age. Both vets could sign in July and open Week 1 as the tentative bell cow.The Dolphins addre sed their glaring RB hole by landing ex-Bears and Eagles starter this offseason, but his best role is as the thunder to someone else's lightning. , while physically impre sive, proved in 2019, when he couldn't out-rush , that he's not the answer. Miami is still squarely in need of a change-of-pace, if not long-term, ball-carrier.Best solutions:Draft a running back in the second, third or fourth roundTrade for () or ()One way or another, Miami should be looking to get younger while pairing Howard with help. The best and most realistic route is trying to nab one of the top RBs of the 2020 cla s, whether it be Jonathan Taylor, D'Andre Swift, Florida State product Cam Akers or someone of similar caliber. A bolder alternative: Packaging one of their many 2020 picks for Jones or Penny, who either have been or could be replaced as No. 1s in their current homes, but would be young enough to grow with the new-look Dolphins.How times have changed. In two years, the Steelers have gone from owning one of the top one-two punches in the game to washing their hands of and now likely looking to add succe sor. The latter is good when healthy, but that's almost never these days. Backup is a worthwhile gadget player, but if it's just he and carrying the load behind Conner, Pittsburgh had better hope surgically repaired elbow is stronger than ever.Best solutions:Draft a running back in the third or fourth roundSign (Washington)It's kind of unfortunate that Pittsburgh's best route to solving RB is drafting one for the third straight year, but neither Snell nor Samuels has the makings of an every-down or even part-time starter, so here we are. This year's crop of rookies bodes a little better. Whether or not Pittsburgh strikes gold in April, Smallwood is the kind of unspectacular veteran who could easily le sen Conner's burden as a traditional back. He does everything adequately -- the job description for short-term depth.Tampa Bay BuccaneersFormer second-rounder Ronald Jones will barely be 23 when the season kicks off, and he probably deserves one more go-round atop the depth chart, especially with veteran out of the picture. But he almost desperately needs a new companion now that is in town. No. 12 loves to dump pa ses to RBs, yet only undrafted projects fill out the depth chart behind Jones.Best solutions:Draft a running back in the second or third roundTrade for () or ()Sign (Washington)The Bucs have the draft capital to invest early, meaning a potential two- or three-down guy could be a conceivable target -- none more suited for a Brady offense than LSU's Clyde Edwards-Helaire, a tough pa s-catching specialist. Otherwise, who's to say New England wouldn't part with White, 28, considering they're always ready to rotate the position and still have ? Bernard could surely be had for a low cost with Cincy in rebuild mode. Thompson would be a rock-solid fallback as a veteran with supremely underrated pa s-catching experience. Pittsburgh Steelers Jersey
Stanford quarterback Kevin Hogan is injured; that much is known. The severity of the injury or even the specifics of the body part that hurts -- well, Cardinal coach David Shaw won't say. Shaw did say Hogan seemed likely to play Friday when Stanford hosts to Washington State. Hogan (6-foot-4, 225 pounds), a junior, suffered some sort of injury on his leg in last week's lo s to Notre Dame. Whether it was to his knee, ankle, foot, whatever -- Stanford isn't saying. "All things point toward him hopefully being ready (for Friday)," Shaw told reporters Walt Weiss Jersey Tuesday. "We were aware of it. There was no fear of further injury. He still had full range of motion. He still had full strength. After you play the game, it gets really sore, and that's where he is. But we feel good about him being ready." Hogan did not practice Monday and was limited in practice Tuesday. Junior Evan Crower would start if Hogan can't play. "Honestly, as I've said the last two years, Evan Crower has been ready to play," Shaw told reporters. "Evan Crower could start for a lot of teams. He knows where he is, he knows his role. ... If it came to it, we have confidence that Evan can go out there and play." Crower (6-5, 216) has played in two games this season, routs of FCS foe UC Davis and of Army, and six in his career. He was 8-of-13 for 95 yards and a TD through the air against Davis but did not throw a pa s against Army. Stanford has struggled on offense, mainly because it cannot get its rushing attack on track. Hogan actually leads the team with 41 carries, though Remound Wright is the leading rusher. And Hogan hasn't been that productive in the pa sing game. He has thrown eight touchdown pa ses, but seven of those came in the wins over UC Davis and Army. In three games against Power Five opponents, he has one TD and three interceptions; he also has just one outing this season in which he threw for more than 216 yards (285 against USC). He has thrown for fewer than 200 in each of the past two games, a win over Washington and the lo s to Notre Dame. Mike Huguenin can be reached at mike.huguenin@nfl.com. You also can follow him on Twitter . Tony Phillips Jersey
What truly defines a "productive fantasy player"? Math geeks know that simply considering the old industry standards of " Points Against" and "Player Cumulative Points" will leave way too much to error to be statistically reliable.That's why I helped create a system that predicts player performance and provides the actual strength of an opponent and actual player production values.When used, this sytem has proven to be up to 37 percent more accurate than the metrics that everyone else in your league is using.The system gives you a "Player Rating," "Defense Rating," and a "Matchup Rating." The ratings are based on the most advanced and accurate mathematical algorithm in , and take into account the following factors: Adjusted Player scoring based on strength of their previous opponents ** Adjusted Defense scoring based on the strength of the players they have faced at each position ** Whether the player and/or defense plays better at home or away ** How the player compares against other players within their same position ** How defenses compare against other defenses against the same positions ** ... and many more!Sound complicated? Don't worry -- it's simple to understand. All you need to know is that the player, defense or matchup with the higher rating is the better option. That's it. Leave the number crunching to the geeks.Use this system as the basis for your fantasy decisions to take the gue swork out of winning in and get the edge on the competition.EDITOR'S NOTE: The defense ratings for this week are based on numbers from the first six weeks of the 2014 regular season. "Statistically" a three week data sample out of a 16 week fantasy season is enough to draw valuable conclusions. The data continues to become more accurate each week. Plan on coming back for fresh algorithm-based ratings that you cannot get anywhere else!Weekly Matchup RangesThis chart shows the BEST and WORST defensive ratings against each position as of Week 8. The higher the number, the better the matchup:LegendHere's an easy breakdown of how each player module works. When these terms are mentioned in the text (i.e. "best") they are corresponding to these ratings and colors:Expect More:Players who could fall short of expectations this week based on the strength of their opponent compared to their inability to overcome a strong opponent.QB should be on the top of the waiver add list for anyone that regularly starts , , or even (if he sits). Tannehill is the algorithm's 20th-rated fantasy quarterback, but has had a nice run of productive fantasy games over the last month. Last week he seemed to have a letdown game against the , but the Jags are a tougher matchup for fantasy quarterbacks than you'd expect. This week, Tannehill faces the . If you are looking only at the fantasy points against (FPA) ranking, then you'll see that they do not appear to be a particularly easy matchup. But the algorithm can give you an edge here because the majority of the ' opposing quarterbacks have been highly-rated. So despite the opposition's fantasy production, San Diego is still the seventh-easiest matchup for fantasy quarterbacks. Adding to Tannehill's fantasy value is his rushing potential. He has at least 35 yards rushing in four straight games, making him le s risky than most other options. If you include quarterbacks in the yards per rush attempt statistic, then Tannehill is the second-highest ranked Joe Mauer Jersey player in that category out of every player in the NFL over the last month. Forecast: Tannehill should only serve as a bye-week filler in standard leagues, as next week he faces the top-10 rated defense. If you care to hold him in two quarterback leagues, he has a nice matchup in Week 13 against the , but faces nothing but "bad" rated matchups aside from that one. Recommended Usage: QB2 The fantasy panic alarms were going off for after he failed to take advantage of the defense in Week 7. But as you will see mentioned throughout this article, the Jags defense is not that easy of a matchup. Hoyer got back on track against the last week, regaining his poise and showing good decision making while pa sing with accuracy. Hoyer still leads the NFL in accuracy for pa ses over 20 yards and leads the NFL in yards per completion (13.1). Although the lo s of their starting center has created i sues with the running game, the offensive line has allowed the fewest quarterback hurries and pre sures in the league after eight weeks. Hoyer will be a viable bye-week filler in deep or two-quarterback leagues against the this week. The Bucs are the fifth-easiest matchup for fantasy quarterbacks and even made productive last week. Tampa Bay is giving up a 69.2 percent completion rate to opposing quarterbacks and have not held a quarterback to fewer than double digit fantasy points since in Week 2. Forecast: Hoyer actually has a pretty light schedule for the rest of the season and could be worth holding onto in deeper league as a matchup-based play. He has three "bad" rated matchups left, but also five easy ones. This week is the best matchup of the season for Hoyer. Recommended Usage: QB2 RB has quickly gone from a speculative waiver add to a bonafide fantasy starter. Hillman is the eighth-rated fantasy running back, due in large part to his ability to be productive even against tough matchups. He averages over 12 fantasy points a game against "worst" rated defenses, which is the fourth-highest per-game average of all fantasy running backs against that level of matchup strength. Hillman is playing no le s than 60 percent of the offensive snaps since taking over for and has had the sixth-most rushing attempts in the NFL during that span. This week Hillman will be at the feature back in a huge matchup against the . The defense is the third-easiest matchup for fantasy running backs so another productive week should be in order. Denver scores more touchdowns per game than any other team but Hillman only has two of those to his credit. That could change this week against a defense that has allowed a rushing score in four out of the last five weeks. Forecast:This week is the second-best matchup of the season for Hillman. If you make it to the fantasy championship game in Week 16, Hillman faces a top-three easy matchup against the . However, he does have two remaining "worst" rated matchups and three "bad" rated ones. Next week he should keep rolling against a "better" rated defense. Recommended Usage: LOW RB1 Since grabbed the starting role in Week 7, he has played nearly 60 percent of the offensive snaps, has the fifth-most rushing attempts in the NFL and has the fourth-most rushing yards per game. Only 22 percent of his fantasy points come from touchdowns or long plays, so his production has been steady and predictable. He is shaping up to be a weekly starter. This week he has a chance to break out even further as he has his easiest matchup of the season. The defense is the only "best" rated defense that Robinson has seen this year and happened to be the second-easiest matchup for fantasy running backs. The give up the fourth-most rushing yards per game, allowing 4.8 yards per carry to their opponents. The also give up the most plays per game to opponents, allowing more opportunities for your fantasy players to score points. Robinson should easily continue to be productive in this game. The have allowed double digit fantasy points to the last four lead backs they have faced and Robinson could extend that streak. Forecast: Robinson's remaining schedule has a lot to look forward to. He has nothing but "better" or "best" rated matchups between now and Week 16, with one exception in Week 15 against the . He has the second-easiest remaining schedule of any fantasy running back. Recommended Usage: RB2 WR started the fantasy season as hot as any wide receiver and it appeared that he was ushering in a changing of the WR1 guard in Houston. However, he has not been able to score more than single digit fantasy points in his last four games. Much of that lack of production can be attributed to having faced four straight tough matchups, including a "worst" rated defense last week. Hopkins gets a positive player rating from the algorithm due to his ability to still be productive against bad matchups. Last week, Hopkins was targeted 11 times (compared to 12 for ) and was stopped at the five-yard line on one catch. He could have had his best outing of the season against his toughest opponent if he had been able to score on that play. This week, Hopkins gets to face the , who are the third-easiest rated matchup for fantasy wide receivers. The defense has been a doormat to opposing receivers every week and has had a problem giving up the big play. Since Hopkins has the seventh-most pa s targets of any player over the last two weeks and is second in the NFL with 12 pa s targets of over 20 yards on the season, he shapes up to be the perfect player to take advantage of such a great matchup. Forecast: The are Hopkins' last remaining "best" rated matchup. He has two more "better" rated matchups in Week 11 and 14, but faces two very tough "worst" rated defenses in Week 12 and 13. Recommended Usage: WR2 Coming into this week, has been generating some fantasy heat after posting two double digit fantasy point games in a row. He is finally converting his nine targets per game into fantasy points. Only 16 percent of his fantasy points this season have come from either touchdowns or big plays so he is a steady producer. Hawkins averages 1.46 fantasy points per touch and this week faces a defense that allows the second-most fantasy points per touch to opposing wide receivers. Hawkins could be just the type of player that can take advantage of this matchup. The are the easiest-rated matchup for fantasy wide receivers and give up the most total touchdowns per game of any team in the NFL. Even though he is a smaller, slot-type receiver, his scoring potential is not limited to just short pa ses. Hawkins is 10th in the NFL in yards per pa s route run. PPR streamers should be particularly excited about Hawkins this week as a combination of a poor run game, a soft pa s defense and the absence of , should mean PPR fantasy gold. In the games that Cameron has mi sed all or part of this season, Hawkins is averaging a 7/81/1 stat line. Forecast: Next week Hawkins should go back to your bench as he faces the , who are the toughest matchup for receivers. Hawkins has two more excellent matchups in Week 12 and 13 before a terrible fantasy playoff schedule kicks in. Recommended Usage: FLEX TEIt seems like forever since you were able to get any production out of . After a red-hot start to the season as Eli's favorite target, Donnell has failed to eclipse five fantasy points since Week 4. If you held on this long, then you are going to be rewarded this week as Donnell gets one of the easiest matchups you can get for fantasy tight ends. Donnell gets the second-easiest rated tight end matchup on Monday night against the . There is no reason to think Donnell will not be involved since he played 90 percent of the offensive snaps in his last start. Eli has no reason not to trust Donnell, since he has zero drops while still receiving the 10th-most targets of any tight end in the NFL. The made a fantasy hero out of a similarly rated last week, so you should feel confident putting Donnell back in your lineup for this Monday Night showdown. Forecast: This week is the best matchup of the season for Donnell. Next week seems like a tough matchup on paper as he faces the , but they have actually been a "better" rated matchup for fantasy tight ends. Recommended Usage: TE1 D/STKC vs. NYJ: The have been one of the toughest matchups for your fantasy players all season, holding the #1 spot against quarterbacks and running backs. They are also very tough on opposing offenses. They average three sacks a game including seven against the in Week 8. This week the come to Arrowhead with a quarterback situation in flux. The average 2.8 sacks and 1.4 interceptions a game and have been trending higher in both areas in the last few weeks. The held their last two opponents under 250 yards of offense and the only average 18 scoreboard points a game. Stream the with confidence. CIN vs. JAC: The put in their first double digit fantasy point effort in Week 8 after three consecutive disappointing performances. Much of their poor production had to do with their opponents, the , and . But this week they host the in a home game. Jags quarterback looked -like with multiple pick sixes last week. The offensive line gives up a league-high 4.1 sacks per game and early in the season the were averaging three sacks per game against their le ser opponents. Enjoy the sweet matchup this week and then hold on to them for another week as they have a home game against the in Week 10.CLE vs. TB: The fantasy defense is on its third nice matchup in as many weeks. They have caused four interceptions and five sacks in their last two games but have given up quite a few yards. They are getting healthier and now have a home game against the struggling this week. The Bucs average 2.7 sacks and 1.1 interceptions allowed per game and only score 19 points per contest. Expect Le s:Players who could fall short of expectations this week based on the strength of their opponent.QB made his way onto fantasy rosters after two breakout games in Weeks 3 and 4. Many fantasy owners have held on to him in hopes of using Davis as a bye week replacement. However, crunching the numbers tells us that you should be looking elsewhere. Just last week, Davis took a total of seven sacks and lost three of his starting offensive linemen to injury. He has been held under 236 yards pa sing in each of his past three starts to go along with a mediocre four to two touchdown-interception ratio during that span. This week, he faces the defense that is the 11th-toughest matchup for fantasy quarterbacks. The will be a tough matchup for the offense this week. The have the fewest pa sing yards, the third-fewest yards per pa s attempt and have the third-most sacks per game over the last three weeks. Add to that a sputtering running game and no and you should have plenty of reasons not to expect a bounce-back game from your backup fantasy quarterback during this big bye week. Forecast: The matchups are not going to allow Davis to get back on track anytime soon. This week is only the first of three consecutive "bad" rated matchups. By the time he gets through this rough stretch of schedule, he shouldn't be on your roster anymore. Recommended Usage: SIT There he is, staring right at you on waivers. It's and he is finally getting a chance to start for the . You are desperate for a starter because your stud quarterback is on BYE and you're getting nostalgic about all those historic fantasy performances in Vick's past. So why not? Well, first, there is very little data on Vick this season so we can barely give him a player rating. The data that we do have is not impre sive. He came off the bench last week and took four sacks, threw an interception, and lost two fumbles. If anything, this just points to a great start for his opponent this week in the . The defense allows opposing fantasy quarterbacks to score only .42 fantasy points per pa s attempt and Vick was only able to score .28 fantasy points per attempt last week. Three of the four top-10 rated quarterbacks that have faced the have failed to score more than 15 fantasy points against them this season. Vick is the lowest-rated player they have faced so far this season and should match that low fantasy point production. Forecast: If Vick holds on to the starting job after this week, there is nothing but bad matchups waiting for him from here on out. The have the single worst remaining schedule of all fantasy quarterbacks so give yourself a break and avoid this situation completely. Recommended Usage: SIT RBYou've held on to McFadden all season with the hopes that he would overtake just in time for your bye weeks. The increased Jones-Drew's workload last week but he did nothing with the chances. McFadden played on 66 percent of the ' offensive snaps even with Jones-Drew in the mix, yet he only yielded a paltry six fantasy points due to a late-game fumble. If this is the week you hoped to use McFadden, then the matchup against the is going to be bad news. Although Seattle appears to have been slipping on defense, they are actually the second-toughest rated matchup for fantasy running backs, despite being ranked ninth in fantasy points against. Aside from a slip against the and a game against , no running back has scored double digits against Seattle this season. McFadden doesn't shape up to be one of those backs that can rise above the matchup. He is the 34th-rated fantasy running back while Oakland calls the fewest rushing plays per game (32.3 percent) and has gained the fewest rushing yards per game of any team in the NFL. For Seattle, opponents call rushing plays the seventh-most times of any defense, yet the still give up the sixth-fewest rushing yards and the third fewest yards per carry (3.3) per game. This does not shape up to be a productive week for McFadden. Forecast: Consider any momentum that Mcfadden has been gaining to be officially over. After this week's brutal matchup against the , the still have four more games against defenses that are top-five "worst" rated matchups with nothing but "bad" rated matchups in between them. Recommended Usage: RB4 For the first time in the " Number Crunch" series we are going to tell you to expect le s from an entire backfield. In this case, it is the running back by committee. The waiver wire madne s over after a nice outing in Week 7 only made this situation even le s predictable. is desperately trying to tell fantasy owners to stay clear of these three running. He even clearly stated, "We're going to play all three backs," when asked about the situation and he proved it last week. was the third back through the rotation on Sunday, tying Mason for the team lead with eight touches. , who got the "start", received only five touches. This approach isn't nece sarily working either. The are in the top eight in rush attempts per game, yet still generate the 12th-fewest rushing yards per game. If that isn't enough to convince you to pa s on all three backs, then consider that they face the this week who are the fifth-toughest rated matchup for fantasy running backs. Forecast: The running game is facing their fifth straight "worst" rated matchup, and things will only marginally improve moving forward. Over the next three weeks they face defenses rated among the top-eight toughest against running backs. They have one "best" rated matchup in the Week 16 championship game, but you will not get there if you need to start any of these players. Recommended Usage: FLEX has seen a drop in his fantasy production over the last two weeks. After averaging 24 fantasy points per game in his first two starts in relief of , his average dropped to just 6.5 points per game in his last two starts. His poor matchups over the last two weeks can certainly be to blame. In those last two games, he has faced two of the top-12 toughest rated defenses against fantasy running backs. Last week he played 81 percent of the ' snaps, but had a measly minus 3 yards through his first 12 touches. In what could be his last week owning the starting role he plays the who are the algorithm's 12th-toughest rated matchup for running backs. Miami has seen the fourth-fewest rushing plays per game against them in the last three games. Despite Miami letting a couple recent running backs score double digit fantasy points, they are trending slightly toward a tougher matchup this week. Do not be surprised if Oliver is held to single digit fantasy production for the third straight week. Forecast: Reports out of San Diego indicate that should be back after the ' Week 10 bye. Oliver will still have a role, but his days as the lead back are numbered. If you get one more lead back start out of him in Week 11 he has a "better" rated matchup against the . Recommended Usage: FLEX WR is putting in a full week of practice and should finally be fully healthy for Week 9. Last week he was targeted a team-high 11 times and still remains the best red-zone option for the . The problem for Decker this week will not be his health; it will be his lack of ability to get opportunities against a very tough defense. The give up the third-fewest touchdowns per game and allow the second-fewest plays per game to their opponents. They are the fourth-toughest rated matchup for fantasy wide receivers and have not allowed a fantasy receiver to score more than weight fantasy points since did so back in Week 4. Adding to this tough matchup is the ' uncertain quarterback situation, all pointing to low production for Decker this week. Decker has been backwards against his matchups this year. He had his two most productive games against his two toughest matchups. Last week was his easiest matchup of the season, yet all the other factors with this offense led to him having his second-least productive game of the season. Forecast:Decker has one more "best" rated matchup in Week 12 against the secondary, but otherwise faces either "bad" or "worst" rated matchups the rest of the season. Recommended Usage: WR2 is coming off his best game of the season last week, catching all 11 of his targets and converting them into 124 receiving yards and a touchdown. LaFell led receivers by playing on 61 of 74 snaps as well. These are very likely reasons why you picked him up off waivers this week. The algorithm gives him a decent player rating because of his ability to outplay bad matchups. Yet, he followed up his strong outing against the toughly-rated with a two-point dud the following week against another "worst" rated defense, the . This week he faces the in a marquee matchup of two of the league's best quarterbacks. LaFell should carry over some momentum from being Brady's favorite target last week, but the are the third-toughest defense against fantasy wide receivers this season. 25 percent of LaFell's fantasy point production this season has come from long plays, but Denver holds their opponents to the fewest yards per completion (9.6) of any team in the NFL. Forecast: LaFell's tough matchup this week is only the start of a four game stretch of nothing but "bad" or "worst" rated matchups between now and Week 14. If you think you will make the fantasy playoffs, LaFell is worth a hold because he has two decent matchups in Weeks 14 and 16. Recommended Usage: LOW WR1 TE's return from injury was highly anticipated for many fantasy owners who know how much upside this talented tight end can have. Yet, since his return he has averaged only six fantasy points per game. His snap count dropped a bit in Week 8 even though he led the in targets. That's good news for PPR leagues, but nothing worth noting in standard scoring formats. Reed's problem stems from him not doing much with the ball after the catch, limiting his big-play upside. If you are evaluating Reed as a po sible bye-week replacement, then consider that his matchup this week is against a defense that is the fourth-toughest rated matchup for fantasy tight ends. The have only allowed one touchdown to tight ends all season. Keep in mind that Reed's easiest matchup of the season was last week against the and he only scored four fantasy points. Forecast: After Reed comes out of his Week 10 bye, he will face two straight "bad" rated matchups and then one excellent Week 13 matchup against the . Before you consider Reed a long-term hold, it should be noted that Reed has one of the worst fantasy playoff schedules of any tight end. Recommended Usage: LOW TE1 D/STNE vs. DEN:The fantasy defense has been extremely matchup-dependent this season. All of their double-digit fantasy games have come against offenses ranked in the lower half of the league. This week, the host and the ' league-leading offense. Feel free to drop the defense completely as they have a bye next week and then face the , and after they return. The produce an average of over 32 points a game and give up le s than one interception a game. Even with Revis, there is still going to be little room for opportunity this week as well as over the next four games. MIA vs. SD: You combed waivers, saw the HUGE game from the fantasy defense last week and grabbed them. The problem is that this week they host a offense that has given up only .6 interceptions and 1.5 sacks per game. The also average 350-plus yards per game and over 25 points leading to a big letdown in Week 9.Week 10 Forecast:Want to get the jump on the Week 10 byes? Don't wait until next week's waivers, grab these guys now and enjoy their tasty matchups before they are even on your opponents' radar:QB: vs. STL, at NYJ, vs. ATLRB: vs. ATL, vs. TEN, vs. CARWR: vs. CHI, vs. DEN, vs. ATLTE: at NYJ, at DETDST: CIN vs. CLE, BAL vs. TEN, ARI vs. STL-- Chris Anthony is a guest contributor to NFL.com, hailing from . You can follow him on Twitter . Be sure to check back each week for more analytics-based analysis as the algorithm will only get more accurate over time! Minnesota Twins Blank Jersey