I’m going to look at the matchups each week and pick five fantasy starters that could be in for a tough week. Here’s a look at players who could struggle this week.

Quarterback
Donovan McNabb - Donovan does not have his best games when he’s heavily pressured. That goes for most QBs. McNabb will likely see that scenario play out next week as he takes on the Ravens in Baltimore. If you have an attractive alternative, this is the week to use it.
Bonus - I won’t say he’s a pitfall, but Kurt Warner is facing the Giants so I would downgrade your expectations.

Running Backs
Chris Johnson - Johnson will have his hands full finding running lanes against a tough Jet Run D. He’ll have to break one because I don’t see him pounding that D or a ton of yards. You already know anything in close will go to LenDale.

Maurice Jones-Drew - For MJD to be effective this week he’ll have to catch the ball out of the backfield. Otherwise he could have a tough time getting free against a stout Minnesota Viking Run D. Kevin and Pat Williams clog up the middle and Antoine Winfield provides great support from the Cornerback position.

Wide Receiver
Brandon Marshall - It’s not so much about Marshall as it is a about the man who will be draped all over him. Of couse I’m talking about Oakland’s Nnamdi Asomugha. He has been shutting down lead receivers all year long. Marshall is physical enough to hold his own, but I wouldn’t expect a big effort from him this week.

Calvin Johnson - Johnsn is another one I’m downgrading, in part because of who he’ll likely be covered by (Ronde Barber) and in part because of the lack of quality in whichever QB is delivering the ball to him. He’s still big enough to go up and get a score, but I’m not expecting big yardage from Megatron.

For more fantasy football information, check out LestersLegends.com.

To start, what are the requirements for the MVP:
1. Actual value of a player to his team, that is, strength of offense and defense.
2. Number of games played.
3. General character, disposition, loyalty and effort.
4. Former winners are eligible.
5. Members of the committee may vote for more than one member of a team.

Please note, there is no mention that the MVP needs to be on a playoff team.

Everyone knows I was pulling for Albert Pujols to win. Most will also know I was scared that Ryan Howard was going to win for his outstanding September.

So, with that said, I’m going to honor the late Fire Joe Morgan website and do this in their format.

MVP voting is out of whack
By Phil Sheridan

Ryan Howard was the most valuable player in the National League in 2008. That he was not voted MVP by the Baseball Writers’ Association of America says more about the association than about Howard, Albert Pujols or America.

Pujols was not an embarrassing selection, not with his excellent numbers, but was still the wrong selection. And that should embarrass the association enough to do what it should have done long ago: get out of the business of voting on baseball’s postseason awards - as well as the Hall of Fame.

The only part I can agree with is the fact that the baseball writers should not be voting for awards and hall of famers. Look at the NL Rookie of the Year voting; Edison Volquez received votes even though he lost his “rookie” classification in 2007.

If anything it should be left to the players and hall members respectively.

That won’t happen because the association is as incapable of being embarrassed as is Major League Baseball itself.

True - look at the steroid problem.

The arguments against the writers’ participation in the voting are well-established and have been covered here before. It is ethically indefensible for the journalists who cover baseball to vote for official awards that have an impact on players’ financial rewards.

I don’t think any St. Louis writer has anything to gain by voting for Albert in the MVP - it’s not like he’ll throw them a kick back or anything.

Imagine Howard’s 2009 arbitration hearing. It will be different because he finished second in this voting as opposed to first. That alone is reason enough for the association to recuse itself from this annual charade.

The arbitration hearing shouldn’t matter too much. You know his agent will use 2nd place to his advantage and throw out his R, HR, and RBI totals. The organization will use his lack of defense and strikeout totals (you can’t really knock a guy for taking second).

OK - I’m skipping forward a bit because he starts to talk about who should vote.

If the MVP is the player with the best all-round statistical season, a computer could figure that out. And a computer might well have spit out Pujols’ name this season. He was terrific.

But Howard got hot in September, hitting 11 home runs and driving in 32 runs to carry the Phillies into the playoffs. That’s the very definition of valuable.

If the BCS could only have that computer…

Seriously, you need to take more into account than stats; this I can agree with. But hitting like Richie Sexson for half a season can’t be ignored.

The group-think association argument for Pujols, if I’m smart enough to get it right, is that he single-handedly kept the Cardinals in the wild-card race. That is brilliant, except it ignores the presence of Ryan Ludwick, Rick Ankiel and Troy Glaus (so much for “single-handedly”), and the fact that the National League wild-card race was a watered-down farce.

The Cards finished fourth in their division, 151/2 games behind the Cubs. Replace Pujols with an average NL first baseman and what happens? Do they drop all the way to fifth?

Replace Pujols with a league average first baseman for the season, and the Cardinals would be lucky to have a winning records, let alone be in contention. Also, Ludwick struggled while Pujols was on the DL, and Ankiel and Glaus were both up and down all season.

Notice how he doesn’t point out that Howard was carried most of the season by Chase Utley, Pat Burrell, Shane Victorino, or Jimmy Rollins. That’s a better cast than Pujols had.

Also, their bullpen didn’t blow 30 games like the Cardinals. If the Cardinals had Brad Lidge, they would have won an additional 14 games in the 9th inning that the “closer” blew.

(Also, the Cardinals finished in 4th place because the Astros didn’t play 1 game against the Cubs - if that game would have been played, the Cards and Astros could have been tied for 3rd)

The association seamheads love to throw around stats - OPS, VORP, ASPCA - to make a case for Pujols. That’s all great. Yes, he struck out less and hit for a higher average. But Howard won actual baseball games in an honest-Abe pennant race. He had 11 more home runs than Pujols, scored five more runs than Pujols, and drove in 30 more runs than Pujols.

Pujols - 104 BB, 34 IBB
Howard - 81 BB, 17 IBB

Howard also had something like 50 more at bats with runners in scoring position, so it’s easier to get more runs and home runs then. Also, Howard is a clean up hitter behind Rollins and Utley; Pujols batted third behind a variation that included Cesar Izturis, Adam Kennedy, Skip Schumaker, and Chris Duncan, among others. So, Howard had a ton more RBIs, less than a dozen HRs more, and a couple more runs because he was pitched to more often and had more guys on base ahead of him. Doesn’t sound like it was because he was better.

And what does pet adoption have to do with baseball stats…

Notice there are no decimal points involved there, only whole numbers that made a difference in real baseball games.

Because it doesn’t matter if you get 25 hits in 100 at bats vs 34 hits. I wonder what he thinks about ERA?

That takes care of the logic. Now let’s look at the process.

It’s easy to pick on the Nats’ beat writers. They were no doubt numb after watching that team for a full season. But the point is that the association’s voting is rife with personal agendas, flawed logic, favor trading, and plain old sloppiness.

This can also go the opposite way. He voted for Howard and he’s the Phillies beat writer. It’s almost 2 guaranteed votes for Howard because of the writers for his team.

Three members of the association cast rookie of the year votes for Reds pitcher Edinson Volquez, who was not a rookie this year. If the howling ethical malfeasance weren’t enough to shut this farce down, that should do the trick.

Which I brought up earlier.

Ryan Howard - who has added a World Series ring to his 2005 rookie of the year and 2006 MVP trophies - will survive this voting nicely. The process that produced it should not.

Every one know that no matter how much belly aching one writer does (and a city full of fans too), the whole process will be changed. This isn’t the first problem, nor will it be the last.

Now from Tom Haudricourt of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel:
I had an MVP ballot and voted for Howard first because he almost single-handedly carried the Phillies to the playoffs by batting .352 with 11 homers and 32 RBI in September. I like to weight my voting to teams in the playoff hunt because I think that puts more pressure on players and separates the men from the boys. There’s little pressure on players having big years if their teams aren’t playing for anything at the end.

If I remember correctly, the Cardinals were in the playoff hunt almost until the end.

Plus, if Howard would have put up half way respectable stats in the first 3 months, the Phillies may have not needed him to carry them in September.

With the Cardinals finishing fourth, I voted Pujols seventh on my ballot. I don’t consider MVP to be “the most outstanding player” award and therefore don’t just go by who had the best stats. I like to credit players for lifting their teams to the post-season or at least keeping them in the race until the very end.

I’ll show you his votes in a minutes - I will say there was another player ahead of Pujols that didn’t make the post-season.

I understand that the Cardinals would not have been even close to the wild-card berth without Pujols, but I still like players who elevate their game in crunch time and lift their teams to new heights. And I thought Ryan Ludwick had just as much to do with keeping the Cards in the hunt as Pujols did. St. Louis did stay in the wild card race until mid-September, but mainly because the Brewers and Mets were gagging at the time.

Again, I’ll point you up the page to look at who Howard played with.

It’s a subjective vote and every writer has his own preferences. That’s why I voted for Sabathia second and Ramirez third because even though they played in the league only half a season they were primarily responsible for putting their teams in the playoffs.

I voted Fielder higher than Braun because Fielder had a much better September when the Brewers were clawing to get in the playoffs. Braun was ailing, as we discovered, and did have the homer that put the Brewers in the playoffs, but I just felt Fielder did more down the stretch.

OK - Howard we’ve talked about. Sabathia had 17 starts in the NL, not enough to classify him an MVP finalist. The Dodgers finished the year 30-24 after acquiring Manny; not much of a difference maker to me (more like a D’back collapse). Delgado is in the same boat as Howard, only his team didn’t make the playoffs. Aramis Ramirez was added probably because he was a Cubs - their team really didn’t have anyone that was head and shoulders above the rest of the team. Prince had a hot month; Braun was much better for the season. Ludwick had a good season, but I don’t know about a top 10 MVP season. Braun and Wright both deserved to be higher.

Someone from Viva El Birdos put this Bill Simmons (who I normally don’t like or read) quote about the NBA MVP last year:
If you wouldn’t take player A over player B in a pickup game, then there’s no way that you could vote for player A as a more valuable player than player B.

If the Phillies had a chance to trade Ryan Howard for Albert Pujols, they’d do it in a heartbeat.

My last note is Jayson Stark of ESPN this morning said that the writers in Philly voted on a team MVP for the Phillies and guess who won:

Brad Lidge.

How can the guy that should have won the MVP not be the MVP of his own team?

(And just for everyone bring up the quote from 2006 where Pujols said that the MVP should come from a playoff team - the quote was taken out of context. He said that the day after the quote was ran; I’d assume it’s still out of context when it being shown now)

ESPN and the BCS announced the deal on Tuesday. It includes exclusive television, radio, digital, international and marketing rights for the Fiesta, Orange and Sugar Bowls. ESPN already had the rights to the Rose Bowl from an earlier agreement.

ESPN is currently available in 98 million American homes. The current BCS deal with Fox Sports expires after the 2010 games.

This means the Fiesta, Orange and Sugar Bowls, plus the National Championship Game, will be televised in prime time each January. The schedule has not been released. There will also be a BCS show on ESPN every Sunday to unveil the current rankings.

The games will also be carried on ESPN Radio and ESPN Deportes Radio. Digital Media rights include operation of the official BCS Web site and the opportunity to simulcast the games online at ESPN360.com and on ESPN Mobile TV for mobile devices.

ESPN International will distribute and televise the BCS matchups around the world through networks and syndication, including on the re-branded ESPN America in Europe (known as NASN until Feb. 2009). In addition, ESPN has the right to televise BCS games on ESPN Deportes, the U.S. Spanish-language sports network.

“The BCS will thrive on ESPN,” ESPN president George Bodenheimer said. “Our slogan is ‘College Football Lives Here’ and the BCS will now top college football’s best regular-season and studio coverage, the sport’s top awards shows, Bowl Week and other national championships all carried on our family of networks. This is a proud day for ESPN and an exceptional day for this great sport and its passionate fans.”

“We are tremendously pleased to reach an agreement with ESPN and feel that the BCS games from 2011-14 will be in good hands,” said BCS commissioner John Swofford, who is also the commissioner of the ACC. “With the continued growth of technology and the depth of coverage that ESPN gives to the college football fan on all its platforms during the regular season, this postseason partnership is a natural fit.”

Credit: ESPN

There were some unusual heroes on Sunday.  There always are.  Let’s take a look at them and see if they are worthy of your fantasy rosters.

QB
Ryan Fitzpatrick - Fitzpatrick held his own vs. Philadelphia.  He built a strong rapport with T.J. Housmandzadeh, which is encouraging.  I wouldn’t necessarily recommed starting him, but he’s a worthwhile backup down the stretch.  
Ruling:  Get ‘em.

Shaun Hill - Hill completed 15 of 20 passes for 213 yards and a pair of scores.  This after looking good (aside for the last series) last Monday Night.  Two in a row is good enough to consider for you bench.
Ruling:  Get ‘em.

RBs
Ahmad Bradshaw - The triple-head monster the Giants throw at their opponents is ridiculous.  Bradshaw hasn’t factored in as much as Jacobs and Ward, but that could change down the stretch.  With the G-Men on cruise control Bradshaw could start to play a bigger role to keep Jacobs fresh for the playoffs.  I wouldn’t start him unless one of the other two go down, but he may be worth stashing on your bench.
Ruling:  Get ‘em.

Peyton Hillis - The Broncos rushing game is so bad that they brought the Bellhop (Tatem Bell) in.  Hillis scored a pair of TDs and is the one you should target as he’s the goal line back.  He’s also capable of catching the ball out of the backfield.
Ruling:  Get ‘em.

WRs
Jabar Gaffney - With Matt Cassel becoming more comfortable with as the starter some things are starting to get cleared up.  Cassel isn’t going to throw the long bombs down the sideline to Randy Moss.  That’s just not his deal right now.  He’s going to get smaller hunks of yardage with the likes of Gaffney and Wes Welker.  The Patriots have three WRs worthy of fantasy rosters again.
Ruling:  Get ‘em.

Justin Gage - Gage followed up a good game (4 catches for 47 yards, TD) with a great one (4 catches for 147 yards, 2 TDs).  Collins has been airing it out more the last couple of weeks and Gage is his favorite target.  Go ahead and add him for depth.
Ruling:  Get ‘em.

Hank Baskett - This is about the third time Baskett has had a big game (Week 1 & Week 3).  He also added TDs in Weeks 6 & 9.  He’s too inconsistent though so don’t get wrapped up in his 74 yards this week.  Next week he’ll likely go for 20 or less.
Ruling:  Don’t Sweat ‘em.

TE
Benjamin Watson - Watson also had a nice game for the Patriots.  He scored his first TD of the season and nearly doubled his yardage.  He’s been Missing in Action far too often this year for him to be a reliable option.  I suppose you can add him for depth, but don’t think this game will be the norm going forward.
Ruling:  Don’t Sweat ‘em.

There you have it.  I hope I provided you some good info while you make your fantasy team waiver wire adjustments.

For more fantasy football information, check out LestersLegends.com.

The former NCAA wrestling champion, who cuts weight to pack his monstrous physique inside the heavyweight division’s 265-pound limit, stopped three-time UFC heavyweight titleholder Randy Couture on Saturday at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas.

At times it looked as if Couture was on his way to executing another brilliant game plan. Lesnar, who had a roughly 50-pound weight advantage, took down the champion in the first round with a double leg. But when he tried to move into the mount, Couture reversed. Lesnar soon scored his own reversal, but Couture was making the big man work hard. That could have paid off had the fight gone the full five rounds.

Despite his size advantage, Lesnar, 31, was not able to keep Couture down in the first period. Couture also punched better coming out of the clinches, although Lesnar kneed hard to his body and clearly was throwing the more powerful strikes.

Early in the second round, one of those strikes landed. Lesnar stepped in with a short but massive elbow that wobbled Couture. The 45-year-old UFC legend’s experience moved the fight against the fence, where he seemed to recover.

As the round wore on, the fighters moved around the Octagon, picking their shots. The game seemed to suit Couture, who landed a right hand that cut Lesnar’s eye. Lesnar’s power proved the great equalizer, however, as a straight right collapsed Couture to the mat.

Referee Mario Yamasaki gave Couture a good deal of time to recover, but Lesnar’s follow-up hammerfists forced the stoppage at 3:07.

“I can’t believe it,” said Lesnar, now 3-1, of being the UFC heavyweight champion. “I can’t believe it.”

Couture, who fell to 16-9, said he had felt comfortable with the size difference and declined to attribute the loss to ring rust even though he hadn’t fought for more than a year.

“I felt good,” he said. “He’s just a big guy. He caught me with a big shot.”

Credit: ESPN

Patrick and Art Rooney Jr. confirmed the deal in a story posted on the paper’s Web site Friday night. They and their other two brothers — Timothy and John — could get a total of $750 million after debt is taken out, according to the report.

Art Rooney Jr. said the brothers hope to get the deal wrapped up before a board meeting in December. Both sides want to get a deal done by then because they are worried about possible higher taxes once the Obama administration is in office.

“It’s a good deal. I’m happy for Dan. I’m happy for the rest of the family. I think young Art, Dan’s son, will do a fine job,” Patrick Rooney told the paper. “I think we’re doing the right thing.”

Art Rooney II, Dan’s son, is the team president.

Each brother owns 16 percent of the team, adding up to 80 percent, with another Pittsburgh family, the McGinleys, owning 20 percent. Those shares are not being sold. The Rooneys’ father, Hall of Famer Art Rooney Sr., bought the franchise in 1933 for $2,500.

Several brothers wanted to focus their business efforts on racetracks and other non-football interests. The family owns racetracks in New York and Florida and has added forms of gaming that are inconsistent with NFL gambling policy, but Dan Rooney has no interests in the racing industry.

The Rooney family has owned the team since its inception, except for a brief period in 1941 when Art Rooney Sr. sold the team to Alexis Thompson and bought into the Philadelphia Eagles. Rooney regained control of his hometown Steelers in less than a year.

Credit: Associated Press

After spending plenty of money to bring in plenty of talent this offseason, the Tampa Bay Lightning have fired the head coach they hired to lead all that talent. Barry Melrose was shown the door after just 16 games (shockingly enough he wasn’t even the first coach fired this year). Melrose had led the Bolts to a 5-7-4 record.

The team started off slow but was had shown promise recently. The team was very sound defensively as shown by the team’s numerous 1 goal losses. The 4 overtime losses are tied for most in the NHL.

Rick Tocchet will take over the coaching duties for the time being. And you may be asking yourself a question right about now. “Rick Tocchet…where do I know that name from?” Well, that’s a good question, you may know him from his playing days, but it’s much more likely that you know him from the gambling ring he was busted for a mere year and a half ago. That’s right, the new coach of the Lightning was convicted on gambling charges. Gotta love this team.

Putting the final piece of your fantasy football puzzle together

The byes are gone, but you still need to make roster tweaks.  I’ve uncovered some guys you can plug in to your lineup if you are dealing with an injury or tough matchups.   Check back following the games to see the stat line of guys profiled.

QB
Tyler Thigpen - Thigpen has been the rage in recent weeks.  He’s been productive, has a trio of receiving threats, and has generally been playing from behind. That’s a nice receipe for fantasy success.  This week should be no different as he faces New Orleans.  Their Offense is explosive so they will be playing from behind and their Defense is weak so Thigpen should be able to produce. 
Stat Line: 

RB
Larry Johnson - It’s amazing that LJ has sunk this low, but when you consider he has 2 yards on 7 carries the last six weeks, it’s justifiable.  It’s hard to say how he’ll respond to his first game action since October 5th, but he has a nice matchup against the Saints to get the rust off.
Stat Line: 

Ricky Williams - Ricky should have a solid game against Oakland as they are 28th in the league with 158.1 yards allowed per game.  They also rank 28th with 13 rushing TDs allowed.  I see both Ronnie Brown and Ricky putting up solid numbers against the Raiders.
Stat Line: 

WR
Muhsin Muhammad - I fully expect Jake Delhomme to bounce back from his dreadful game last week against the Raiders.  He faces another pathetic team in Detroilet.  Steve Smith is going to go off after catching one pass for nine yards last week, but there will still be leftovers for Muhsin.
Stat Line: 

Greg Camarillo - The Raiders, namely Nnamdi Asomugha, will shut down Ted Ginn, Jr.  He can’t cover everybody though so look for Camarillo to have a productive Sunday
Stat Line: 

TE
Matt Spaeth - The Chargers have been terrible defending Tight Ends this year.  With Heath Miller out, it’s Matt Spaeth’s turn to shine.  I’m expecting at least 45 yards from him with a decent chance to score. 
Stat Line:   

K
Josh Brown - St. Louis’ Offense should be good enough to move the ball vs. San Francisco, but bad enough where their drives stall out in Field Goal range.  Considering that the 49ers have allowed league highs with 23 FGs and 95 Kicker points, it isn’t a stretch to think Josh Brown could have a solid game.
Stat Line: 

DEF
Miami - They play the Raiders.  Enough said.  Joey Porter and company should get pressure on the QB.  I see multiple sacks and multiple turnovers.
Stat Line:

Be sure to check LestersLegends.com after the games for the results.

Time for another edition of Fantasy Football Out on a Limb.  I scour the rosters to select a player who I feel will outperform a higher profile player in that given week.  I base my decisions on matchups, how the players are trending, and the ever-important hunch.  To mix things up I’ll occasionally do some two on one matchups or even pit RB or WR duos against each other.  Sometimes I’ll spot a player some points. 

Scoring
6 points for rushing or receiving TD
4 points for a passing TD
0.1 points per yard for rushing or receiving
0.05 points per passing yard. 

Last Week
Matt Ryan (20.2) over Eli Manning (17.75) WHICH I WON.
Matt Forte (18.6) and Steve Slaton (2.4) (combined) [21.0] beat LaDainian Tomlinson (11.7) WHICH I LOST.
Michael Turner (15.6) over Brian Westbrook +1 (6.9 - 5.9 actual plus spotted points) WHICH I WON.
Reggie Wayne (17.4) beat Michael Jenkins (7.2) WHICH I LOST.
Devery Henderson (6.3) beat Randy Moss (5.1)  WHICH I WON.
Super Stetch:  Brady Quinn (20.25) over  Jake Delhomme (7.6) WHICH I WON.

Regular Picks:  3-2
Picks:  1-0  
Overall:  4-2  

Season Record
Regular Picks:  31-19
Super Stretch Picks:  4-5
Overall:  35-24

Quarterback
 
Tyler Thigpen over Eli Manning
I can’t believe I’m taking a Chief over a Giant.  It’s all about the matchups.  Thigpen goes up against a bad New Orleans’ D while Eli faces a tough Baltimore unit.  Thigpen has actually looked decent in recent weeks and has some nice options in Gonzo, Bowe, and Bradley.  Eli could have his hands full with the Ravens.

Running Backs
   
Marshawn Lynch over Brandon Jacobs
I’m picking against the Giants again.  It’s more about the respect I have for Baltimore’s D than a slight to New York’s Offense.  Jacobs is a beast, but I’m expecting Lynch to go into Beast mode against Cleveland and finally crack the 100 yard mark.

  
Ricky Williams over Willis McGahee
Talk about night-and-day expressions in these photos.  Ricky looks happy-go-lucky and McGahee looks like someone just ran over his cat.  I’m banking on their demeanors reflecting their expressions as Ricky has a nice game against Oakland while McGahee struggles vs. the G-Men.

Wide Receiver
       
Santonio Holmes over T.J. Houshmandzadeh
I’ll take Santonio Holmes  over Housh in this battle of underperforming Divisional foes.  Holmes isn’t the first option, but his matchup against San Diego’s is more fantasy friendly than Housh’s against Philadelphia.  I’m hoping the matchup will more than offset the additional targets Housh receives.

  
Kevin Curtis over Kevin Walter
They have something in common other than their position, but I can’t quite put my finger on it.  It’s also not their first name.  That’s right, they both came in the league in 2003.  I like Curtis in this battle based on his matchup vs. Cincy over Walter’s vs. Indy.

SUPER STRETCH
 
BenJarvus Green-Ellis over Jamal Lewis
I’ll take the Law Firm over the ex-con.  Not sure why, but I think Green-Ellis will factor in big on Thursday while Jamal will have his hands full trying to navigate vs. Buffalo’s D.

For more fantasy football information, check out LestersLegends.com.