An Ode to Michael

An Ode to Michael

Boras doth ponder, so heareth his call,

"Who is the greatest Michael of all?"

Is it Jordan?

Or Jackson?

One not terribly tall?

Or the man they call Dexter, Michael C. Hall?

Such wonderful company, a great class for the name,

But if one of these you've chosen, you're fucking lame.

There is no doubt.

No thought is required.

An athlete this's about,

And one not yet retired.

This Michael can pass.

This Michael can run.

They said he had no class.

They said his career was done.

Like a Phoenix he's Risen,

From the ashes of Prison.

And he's on a Mission,

To keep his starting Position.

No more killing puppies,

He swore.

He used to drown them like guppies,

No more.

He served his sentence, 

But he's back on the attack.

Now he's boosting attendance,

Michael Vick is back.

The Trouble With Twins...

Ahh, Michelle(s)...
You got it, Dude!

I heard one of the Olsen twins was used for non-speaking scenes, and one was used for most of the line deliveries.  So in other words, one looks good, but the other is actually functional.
Now neither looks good, and they do a lot of cocaine and stripping.

Football is the same.  We've got a few twins in this league, and no, I'm not talking about Ronde and Tiki:

I'm talking about twins in name only: Mike Williams North and South, and Steve Smith North and South

All four of these receivers are hyped, but one is worth the start while the other just ain't gonna cut it.

So which Michelle should you keep?

THE BATTLE OF MIKE WILLIAMSESES:

Mike Williams of Seattle Vs. Mike Williams of Tampa Bay

Mike Williams of Seattle was hyped like crazy this season, but Hassleback has been a Whack Hassle and Seattle's offense offers no upside.  

The Winner:

Mike Williams of Tampa Bay

Is he really a rookie?  He's scored near double digits in all but two weeks, and he's on pace for double digit touchdowns.  On top of that he's the number one targeted receiver on his team, and Josh Freeman is getting more confident each week.  Freeman to Williams has all the makings of Ryan to Roddy.  It's time to start Mikey with confidence.

THE BATTLE OF STEVE SMITHSESES

Steve Smith of Carolina Vs. Steve Smith of New York

Panther Stefan used to be a must-start.  For such a short guy he had top 5 skills and was virtually unstoppable.  The last few years he's been Mr. Glass, and you just can't count on him week to week.  He's got good flex appeal when he's in, but the horrible QB situation in Carolina makes him our loser.

The Winner:

Steve Smith of New York

That's right, Steve.  Celebrate.

You might be concerned about Steve given the emergence of Hakeem Nicks as the greatest red zone receiver in history.  Don't be.  Steve Smith is (I know I say it a lot) the 2007-2008 Wes Welker of the Giants.  He's going to average around 6 catches a game for the rest of his life, and he isn't a stranger to the endzone.  He isn't a #1, but he's definitely not a #2.  He's like... a 1.7. 

So remember, folks, one twin is always evil, retarded, untalented, or short

Blowing Boras......'s Mind

There's no denying I'm a fantasy genius.  My trades are stellar.  My waiver picks are phenomenal.  My defense is impregnable.  I will eat your children.

But seriously, I'm like the Bill Nye of fantasy knowledge.

How then, can such a SAMURAI of exquisite advice be so consistently wrong?

Mind boggling, isn't it?

It's a mystery wrapped in a paradox wrapped in a conundrum wrapped up in some buuuuullshit, Son.  

Yeah, I didn't think Hakeem Nicks or Brandon Lloyd were the real deal.  Maybe I watch too much basketball.  They both sound like draft picks the Clippers would select, and never hear from again three years later.  Nicks and Lloyd are...sigh...the real deal.  They are beasts, plain and simple.  They have officially cracked the Top 10 list of must-start wide receivers. I'd start them both over Randy Moss (duh).  I'd start them both over Anquan, Colston, Smith(s) and Miles (sorry, Kitna [another Boras flop]). Hell, I'd start them over Jennings and Fitzgerald.

Putting all that bracketing and listing aside, you really only have one fear now when it comes to Lloyd and Nicks:

 The bug.  

Fortunately for you, both of these receivers have maintained a clean bill of health, and their quarterbacks have taken notice.  Start them with pride.  Trade them for monsters.  Keep them for...keeps.  

Here are my Top 10 must-start receivers, in no particular order.

Roddy White

Andre Johnson

Calvin Johnson

Hakeem Nicks

Brandon Lloyd

Greg Jennings

DeSean Jackson

Reggie Wayne

Larry Fitzgerald

Ok, that's 9...who am I leaving out?

OH YES. How could I forget?

He's the number one fantasy receiver in football.  He's also another victim of Boras-Misvaluing.  

Terrell-Fucking-Owens

Owens did an awesome Mime dance in the endzone last week.  Where did he do it?  THE ENDZONE.  It's the place he found twice in that boring loss to the boring Steelers.  TO has found that endzone 7 times this year.  That's 5 more times than his TV counterpart, Ochocinco.  Ocho has recently been dubbed Ochostinko on espn. HAHAHAHA GET IT?  OCHOSTINKO: because it rhymes!!  You know what Boras calls him?

G A R B A G E

Ocho is the Wes Welker of Cincy.  A great start, a glimmer of hope, and then absolutely, positively nothing.

Back to TO: the greatest fantasy wide receiver in the history of 2010.  

Who would have suspected he would be a Top 20 receiver, let alone #1?

Not many.

So is he really a must start, or has he just been getting lucky?  Let's break him down.

We'll forgive his first three weeks as an adjustment period, though he did manage 7 catches in his debut.

Here's what he's done for you recently:

4	@Cle	10	222	1	32
5	TB	7	102	1	18
6	BYE	-	-	-	-
7	@Atl	9	88	1	16
8	Mia	5	65	2	20
9	Pit	10	141	2	30

Yeah, that's right.  He's scored every week after his slow start.  He's averaging a buttload of catches.  A BUTTLOAD.  

If the amount of catches he's had were to be compared to a butt with, let's say...a pumpkin on it...it might look like this:

I love the internet.  

That pumpkin butt is huge, and that's what TO has been...I think is the point I'm trying to make.

If you have TO, you're a remarkable human being.  Or, you are a robot.  Either way, great job, Human/Robot.

As bizarre as it is to say Terrel-Fucking-Owens is the #1 receiver, I must say I'm proud of the guy.  Boras never forgets his friends, and TO did some great things for me.

Miss you, buddy. And you don't even have to say it back, because I know you miss me too.

Well, that's all from this fantasy SAMURAI. I've gotta slice up some prosciutto.

Hai.

NFL and Prop 19

California voted and they said NO to weed.
Does this mean you should go ahead and pass on the Blount?
LaGarrette Blount

I had to resist using my archived The Punch picture.
Aw fuck it. Here ya go:

Do you really want to trust a Buc running back?
Well...hang on a second.
Let's take a look at the remainder of his schedule:

9	@Atl	-	-	-	-
10	Car	-	-	-	-
11	@SF	-	-	-	-
12	@Bal	-	-	-	-
13	Atl	-	-	-	-
14	@Was	-	-	-	-
15	Det	-	-	-	-
16	Sea	-	-	-	-

Wow...SOFT.
Softer than you'll get after looking at this picture of former SNL member Rachel Dratch

Yeah...that soft.  Man...she's ugly.  Debbie Downer had its moments though.

Anyway, if Blount can manage 20+ carries each game, he might just be the best waiver pick we've seen since Brandon Lloyd.

Prop 19 may have said NO, but Boras says YES!! 


Finally, it's deja vu all over again.
Randy Moss is on a new team.  Does Vince Young and an injured Kenny Britt = Fantasy Success for Moss?
With two teams and two of the best QB's in NFL history, Moss has averaged about 3 catches and around 40-50 yards per game.  He's got the 5 touchdowns, but so do a number of other receivers. I'd definitely hesitate to start him until we see a connection with Vince.
If they click, here's what you have to look forward to:

12	@Hou	-	-	-	-
13	Jac	-	-	-	-
14	Ind	-	-	-	-
15	Hou	-	-	-	-
16	@KC	-	-	-	-

Sexy.  Very sexy.  So hang on to Mr. Moss.  As always, the potential for something big is there.
In the mean time, tune in to Titans post-game shows to catch Randy interviewing Randy.  It's gonna be fun.