Don ‘Shula’ Lombardi
“The Collector”

With six weeks of the 2009 fantasy football season complete, it’s time again for “The Collector” to take his weekly stroll along Fantasy Football Boulevard to see who is earning their keep and who needs a swift kick in the behind.

The Collector knows who your every week cash-cows (Brees, Brady, Peterson) are; they’re going to have their great weeks and those not so great weeks, but after checking the books and tallying the weekly balance sheets it’s time to once again see who this weeks Earners (Studs) are and who are the Bums (Duds)

The Earners (Studs)
(Note: Not your normal stars/check the wire. Min 16 fantasy points)

The Viking’s quarterback Brett Favre is quickly becoming a huge cash cow with 278 passing yards and three touchdowns (12 touchdowns in 2009) in week six. (29 fantasy points)

The Bronco’s quarterback Kyle Orton keeps the money coming in with 229 yards passing and two touchdowns in week six. (22 fantasy points)

The Panther’s second running back Jonathan Stewart brought home the bacon last Sunday with 17 carries for 110 yards rushing and a touchdown. (15 fantasy points)

The Patriot;s running back Laurence Maroney scored some big green on Sunday with 123 yards rushing and a 45-yard touchdown scamper. (19 fantasy points)

The Vikings wide receiver Sidney Rice was the big man on campus last Sunday with a jail-break performance catching six passes for 176 yards receiving. (17 fantasy points)

The Giant’s rookie wide receiver Hakeem Nicks cashed in big last Sunday catching five passes for 114 yards with a touchdown. (17 fantasy points)

The Bronco’s tight end Tony Scheffler racked in big green this past Monday night catching six passes for 101 yards receiving and a touchdown. (16 fantasy points)

The Bums (Duds)
(Note: We expect more from these guys/be careful starting. Less than 5 fantasy points)

The Seahawks quarterback Matt Hasselbeck coming off a great week five was not-so-great last weekend completing only 10 passes and not throwing a touchdown. (zero fantasy points)

It’s not that so much is expected of the rookie Mark Sanchez, but no one should ever be this bad, 10 of 29 passing and five interceptions. (minus six fantasy points)

The Giant’s running back Brandon Jacobs disappears in Sunday’s ambush and brings home empty pockets with just 33 yards rushing. (3 fantasy points)

The Steeler’s former starting running back Willie Parker struggles in week six with just seven carries for 26 yards with a fumble. (zero fantasy points)

The Seahawk’s wide receiver T.J. Houshmandzadeh was almost M.I.A. on Sunday finishing with just four catches for 34 yards receiving. (3 fantasy points)

The Bill’s wide receiver Terrell Owens was a non-factor and disappointment on Sunday finishing the day with only three catches for 13 yards. (one fantasy point)

The Jet’s tight end Dustin Keller could not connect with his quarterback much on a Windy Sunday in the Meadowlands; he finished with two catches and 16 yards. (one fantasy point)

[based on traditional fantasy scoring]

By David Ortega

Check back for more weekly “Earners and Bums”

The Weekly Waiver Wire


Wayne “The Wire” Bosco

The Bye weeks continue in the NFL and the Waiver Wire just keeps getting busy. As the fantasy football season progresses, you weekly moves take on more importance; your studs are on the bye, your lineup is depleted and you need some serious help. Never fear because Wayne is always here to lend a helping hand, offer some good advice or just take up 10-15 minutes of your day with some senseless rants about a few guys he believes may have something to say this week!

So once again grab a cold one (better make it two) and tae a lot of notes, and just remember Wayne is working hard, so you don’t have to and because he’s got nothing better to do!

Week Seven

After spending the first five weeks of the season dormant, the Saints wide receiver Lance Moore has awaken from his slumber. Slowed by injuries, Moore has played very little in 2009 missing a few games and being limited, but on Sunday it was a different story. Finally looking healthy Moore resembled more of his 2008 self catching six passes for 78 yards, including a 12-yard score. With the Saints flying high and Brees getting the ball to everyone, Moore looked very good on Sunday and could be one of those options down the road with a big game here and there. He’s definitely going to figure into the Saints passing attack and if available needs to be on someone’s roster.

With the Panther’s return to doing what they do best, run the ball running back Jonathan Stewart will figure into this equation. Last week against the Buccaneers Stewart saw his fair share of carries with 17. He gained 110 yards on the ground and scored a rushing touchdown. With the inconsistent play from the passing game it’s safe to expect the Panthers to run the ball. As long as Carolina is committed to the run, expect Stewart to have good value always with plenty of chances to score. Coming off the injury bug Stewart should be available and would be a good bye week fill-in.

The Raiders have had more than their share of offensive woes in this young season, but just last Sunday there was a ray of some hope. With injuries sidelining Darren McFadden, running back Justin Fargas has had opportunity this season. This past week Fargas earned 23 carries and totaled 98 yards. In one game Fargas doubled his carries for the season and with the Raiders in search of any kind of offense, expect head coach Tom Cable to start with Fargas. The former SC Trojan running back is not going to blow up, but he’s a solid runner and a decent fill-in to cover a bye or injury.

When Fred Taylor went down, the Patriots turned to Sammy Morris, now that Morris is down they’ll look to running back Laurence Maroney. In his first extended action of the season or the past decade (injured in 2008) or so Maroney jumped all over the chance and made the most of his time in the spotlight. As the team’s featured snowplowing machine this past Sunday Maroney touched the ball 19 times and totaled 133 yards of offense. With numbers like this the Patriots will more than likely stay with the hot hand and keep feeding the horse. With the schedule sitting right in the middle of the byes, Maroney becomes an appealing fill-in option with the Bucs up next.

The Weekly Waiver Wire

With no stop in sight, the Waiver Wire keeps moving on and with week six coming up our good buddy Wayne has more insight for the coming weekend. Grab a cold one and take notes, because if Wayne doesn’t know, then this could be some funny stuff to share with your buddies;

Week Six

Anytime you have a receiver that can catch a Peyton Manning pass, you’ve got a pretty good option available. As was the case last Sunday when rookie receiver Austin Collie blew up for 8 receptions, 97 yards, and two touchdowns. Like any of Peyton’s secondary options they’re a hit and miss, but with Collie comes great upside. The rookie won’t be in action on Sunday (bye week), but consider him a possible week 7 fill-in.

Quietly in a blowout loss against the Vikings the Rams perennial number one playmaking receiver Donnie Avery finally showed a little life and some spunk. Avery made seven grabs on the day including a 27 yard touchdown, but it was his three catches with Bulger in the game that should draw your attention. Bulger is on track to return Sunday against the Jaguars and Avery has much better chemistry with him. The Jags struggle against the pass, so look for Avery to respond with a nice outing.

With starter Roy Williams on the tank this past week with a shoulder injury, backup Miles Austin stepped up. Austin took advantage of the opportunity turning in a career day with 10 catches and 250 yards receiving with two touchdowns. Like the Colts, Austin and the Cowboys will be enjoying a bye week this Sunday, but he could be a solid pickup for week 7. Williams is due to return, but Austin has surely earned some additional playing time and extra looks from his QB.

“Wayne’s Word”

Once again always looking for the hottest pickups each week, Wayne offers his best word for week six;

In Philly this jewel is already starting to shine in the Eagles passing game. Rookie receiver Jeremy Maclin turned in a spectacular performance last Sunday and would appear to be obvious choice to assume starting duties opposite DeSean Jackson. Even though the Iggles have the Raiders and shutdown corner Nnamdi Asomugha up next, Maclin looks like a very good option this Sunday with Jackson likely to draw much attention.

Earners and Bums
(Studs & Duds)

Don ‘Shula’ Lombardi
“The Collector”

Now that we’ve entered the 5th week of the 2009 fantasy football season, it’s time for “The Collector” to make his weekly rounds and let everyone on Fantasy Football Boulevard know who is earning their keep and who’s not carrying their weight.

After once again reviewing the books and checking the balance sheets, here were the week four money earners (studs) bring home the cash and the dead-beat bums (duds) short changing fantasy owners;

The Earners (Studs)

(Note: Not your normal stars/check the wire)

The Jaguar’s quarterback David Garrard was bank this past Sunday completing 27 of 37 passes for 323 yards with three touchdowns in the team’s win.

The Lion’s running back Kevin Smith didn’t find too many holes on Sunday against a tough Bears run defense. He rushed for only 30 yards, but when he did find a crease he made it count scoring twice.

The Bronco’s quarterback Kyle Orton was money on Sunday against the Cowboys, completing 20 of 29 passes for 243 yards with two touchdowns and no interceptions.

The Titan’s rookie wide receiver Kenny Britt brought home some bacon last Sunday in the team’s loss catching seven passes for 105 yards.

The Raven’s second year running back Ray Rice earned his keep last week against the Patriots rushing the ball 11 times for 103 yards and catching five passes for another 49 yards.

The Giant’s third year receiver Steve Smith was cash-money this past Sunday against the an over-whelmed Chiefs defense hauling in 11 passes for 134 yards and two touchdowns.

The Niner’s quarterback Shaun Hill scored some pocket coin on Sunday against the Rams completing only 14 of 24 passes for 152 yards, but also tossing two touchdowns.

Sidney RiceThe Viking’s third year receiver Sidney Rice is earning his keep with a solid Monday night showing of five catches for 70 yards and a touchdown.

The Jaguar’s wide receiver Mike Sims-Walker was money last Sunday against the Titans catching seven passes on the afternoon for 91 yards and two big scores.

The Browns running back Jerome Harrison getting a chance to start brought in some big coin last week against the Bengal’s defense rushing for 121 yards and adding five catches for another 31 yards.

The Bums (Duds)

(Note: We expect more from these guys/be careful starting)

The Cowboys TMZ star quarterback Tony Romo was less than impressive last week passing for 255 yards with no touchdowns and one interception.

The Jet’s rookie quarterback Mark Sanchez was less than sensational last Sunday against a Saint’s defense that had him completely throttled to the tune of four turnovers.

The Bronco’s second year receiver Eddie Royal has been playing a disappearing act this season and last week he could hardly be found finishing the day with only two catches for 16 yards.

The Cowboy’s wide receiver Roy E. Williams was not only a non-factor last Sunday with only three catches, but he was non-existent in the critical moments down the stretch.

Sunday night against a tough Steeler defense running back LaDanian Tomlinson was rusty and completely ineffective rushing for only 15 yards on seven carries.

The Chiefs former superstar running back Larry Johnson has not been a reliable money-man in sometime, but 18 carries for only 53 yards last week will not get it done.

The Saint’s big playmaking wide receiver Marques Colston made few plays last Sunday finishing the game with only two catches for 33 yards.

The Packer’s wide receiver Greg Jennings was a disappoint this past Monday night finishing the game with just three catches for 31 yards.

The Buccaneer’s tight end Kellen Winslow Jr. was a non-factor this past weekend finishing this past Sunday’s action with only two receptions for 21 yards.

Last Week Clock Update -
Peterson you no longer watch for obvious reasons Shanle, performed just as well as Vilma and Fujita

New Clips this week and a couple of new Clocks

CLIPS - BENCH

TEN Keith Bulluck
- He may have a game or two throughout the season, but it is apparent Tulloch is the LB to have here.

ARI Antrel Rolle
- 5.8tk to nothing in week 1, if you get pts for return yards consider him, if you relying on defense, dont until he produces .

KC Derrick Johnson
- So many other possibilities in KC, dont expect an INT every week. Without it Tamba Hali outperformed DJ.

DET Julian Peterson
- Peterson looks lost in this defense, the rookie Levy appears to even be more comfortable.

CIN Leon Hall
- Roy Williams is the man to have in this secondary.

CIN Dhani Jones
- Maualuga improvement does not look well for Dhani.

GB AJ HAWK
- no i am not crazy, Brandon Chillar is the new man and Kampman playing LB doesnt help the situation.

ATL Jamaal Anderson
- Biermann exploded and Abraham and Babineaux showed up Jamaal seems like the oddman out.

TB Quincy Black
- Ruud and Hayes, and Black plays strong side, not good recipe.

MIA Jason Taylor
- Don’t know if Taylor can get to Manning, he couldnt get to Ryan.

CLOCKS - WATCH

NE TRIO of Gary Guyton, Leigh Bodden, Brandon Meriweather with Mayo injured, Guyton will fill this role. he should produce some numbers, but expect Bodden and Meriweather to absorb some as well, making those 2 very interesting plays.

OAK Chris Johnson
- keep an eye on this guy, did well last week could burn it up against Chiefs this week.

DET DeAndre Levy
- look for more work in the rotation and continued improvement.

CHI Al Afalava
- will he continue to put up numbers, has the opportunity.

DAL SS spot
- If Sensebaugh plays start him, if he sits out, the guy in this spot will thrown at & get opportunity to produce.

So I am watching the game and it was starting off looking like the Eagles offense wasn’t even going to be needed because their defense and special teams was doing all the work.  But then McNabb got it going in the second quarter and he had a couple TD passes, the yardage wasn’t there but fuhgetabouit he had two TD’s by halftime.  In the third quarter he ran one in for a TD and I was feeling pretty good til this guy didn’t get up, infact he laid there kicking and moaning like a little girl if you ask me.  I couldn’t even tell what he hurt cuz he was grabbin and rolling all over the fricken endzone.  When they came back from commercial he’d helped himself off the field and they later said it was a rib injury, a broken fricken rib.

You know when your car breaks down, you get a flat tire, you open the trunk, move the body if you have to, and get out a spare tire.  I  wish I could do that with my fantasy players, I really do.   McNabb needs a Spare Rib.   Speaking of Spare Ribs what a great idea for our week two cookin lesson.

First step of course is selecting your meat.  For example walk into the meat cooler,  again move the body if you have to,  and find yourself a nice big slab of ribs, not that babyback crapolla they have at your neighborhood grill, we wants something with some meat on the bone here.

Once you’ve got your meat it’s time to season it with the rub which I must admit I don’t really have any measurments or anything so fuhgetabout any measuring devices, spoons, cups we don’t need any of that shit, just a bowl, how big of bowl depends on how many slabs,  you want to coat the slabs with rub I am sure you can figure it out there Einstein.

Making McNabb Some Spare Ribs

Here’s what you need for the rub:

Brown Sugar
Paprika
Cayenne Pepper
Fresh course ground pepper
Garlic Salt
Onion Powder
Chili Powder (Hot and or Mild, whatever)

Now I realize I didn’t give you measurements here, but think of it like this, you are seasoning your brown sugar, start off with brown sugar and and paprika work em together so the brown sugar is finer and not so moist, add a dash of dis & dat with the Garlic Salt and Onion Powder, hit it with some fresh ground pepper, and use the Cayenne to desired spicy level.

Rub down your ribs with the rub, and stick em back in cooler for a few hours.

To cook… well here’s where some of you’s will probably have to do it differently depending on your cooking apparatus and allocated time,  nothing beats slow cooking over coals but not everyone has the time for such spoils so for everyone that doesn’t have a nice smoker, or time to slow cook on the grill, let’s talk about some faster and or easier methods.

Electric Roaster/Large Crock Pot - Here’s a way to slow cook with out tending to fire and rotating slabs.  Throw your meat in the ROaster with some liquid.  (H2o, Dr Pepper, Apple Juice, Beer, whatever!)  Put it on low setting and start cooking the night before,  i.e. midnight will have you some tender meat my noon the next day,  but they will be a bit more like pulled pork than hold in your hand eatem ribs.

You may also braise your ribs, and finish them off on a grill.  Put slabs into roasting pan, with a luttle liquid, cover with foil and stick them in the oven at about 300 degrees for for 3-4 hours until tender and finish off on a hot grill.

Buon Appetito!

Let Giardino Frittata help make those decisions easy for you with Weekly Clips & Clocks.

TOP CLIPS & CLOCKS

——————

CLIPS - Bench

CLE - Kam Wimbley - playing DE, until he proves at DE, leave him benched, especially against MINN Oline.
TB  - Quincy Black - lots of question marks, where did this guy come from?
MIA - Jason Taylor - will not live up to what everyone is expecting, expect Ryan to pass on him all day long.
PHI - All LB’s - no one has stood out from this injured corp
NO  - All DB’s - they will get thrown on early and often
KC  - Tamba Hali - playing LB, not something that screams start this week
SEA - Patrick Kerney - it’s called Daryl Tapp, Kerney will be limited to situational play
OAK - Richard Seymour - was on decline before traded, will he even play for oakland? who knows
OAK - Greg Ellis - it’s LT and Darren Sproles, you try to stop them, Ellis can’t
CAR - All LB’s - eagles this week, with injuries. expect lots of tackles, but from the DB’s

CLOCKS - Watch Close

CIN - Rey Maualuga - Outside of Rivers, there isnt much support besides Dhani Jones
DAL - Sensabaugh - Opposite Ken Hamlin, will see lots of action
ATL - Mike Peterson - playing Weak Side, expect some good things, if healthy
CAR - Chris Gamble - points for return yards, Gamble will soon be your friend
NO  - Scott Shanle - Shanle drops back to support the secondary, expect big things
KC  - Glenn Dorsey - moved from DT, will get better Pass Rush situations
BAL - Dawan Landry - Ed Reed can’t play forever
HOU - Zach Diles - Diles will capitalize on his great start from last year before injury
SEA - Aaron Curry - can he live up to the draft expectations
NYG - Corey Webster - Aaron Ross hamstring, watch C-Web
CHI - Zack Bowman - Tillman hurt, it’s his time to shine

Art o’ Choke Dip

2/3 cup of Parmeasan Cheese (and please not that garbage in the green plastic container)
1/3 cup of Half/Half or Heavy Cream
2/3 cup of Mayo
1/2 bunch of Green Onions
1 Jar (6.5 OZ) Artichoke Hearts
1 Can (4 OZ) Diced Green Chilies

If you don’t have any Half & Half or Cream, just increase your Mayo to a full cup.  I’ll sometimes add a dash of dis or dat, maybe some hot sauce, or some of that what dis here (worcestershire) sauce.

Dice & Chop up your ingredients in a casserole dish, and stick it in a 350 degree oven or microwave it til the cheese is bubbling, serve with your favorite chips and crackers.

And what ever you do, stay away from Tequila!

When I was a kid my uncle Lou ran a hamburger stand that sold sliders and fries, that was it, they were the best sliders in the world.  Nowadays every Tom, Dick and Harry is making some sort of mini burger and callin it a slider, I tell ya it really burns my buns!  I was at this upper class joint in the city, and I couldn’t pronounce a fricken thing on the menu,  except one thing, sliders..  So I orders 6 sliders with everything, and would you believe that this fricken waiter brings me 6 tiny little beef tenderloin sandwiches with some saultee’d onions,  which I must admit was very fricken delicious, but if they can call that a slider, my uncleLou should be able to call his sliders Mini Filet Mignon Sandwiches.  Listen a slider is called a slider because the whole thing is so greasy and oniony that it just slides down your throat hence it’s name.  We’ll get back to this but first let’s look at the fantasy football sliders:

Drew Brees - No I am not fricken crazy here, I realy like Drew Brees and he should be a top 5 QB scorer this year no problem, but he’s not going to repeat what he did last year, it just wont happen.  Brady is back,  there are young up and comers too.  There is a better deal to be had later hell Brees wan’t even the first QB taken last year thus he had value in that he out performed his draft spot, he wont do that if you take him in first round.

DeAngelo Williams - In a lot of leagues last year it was DeAngelo Williams that led all RB’s in scoring.  He had a very strong second half, leading many to believe he’ll pick up where he left off last year,  but I think Jonathan Stewart plays yet a bigger role and that both these cats are goning to have good years but DeAngelo doesn’t finish inside the top 5 again.

Antonio Bryant - This guy has no chance in hell of repeating last years season now the Jeff Garcia is gone and the Bucs don’t have have jack at QB.

Back to those sliders, here’s whatchya need:

You need some fatty ground beef, don’t be buying ground sirloin, and I swear to you I will find you and beat you with a cast iron skilet if you try to do this with ground turkey or something!

Buns - You need the smallest buns you an get and please dont get some sort of fricken dinner roll, that’s ridiculous okay! Some of the supermarkets have slider size buns which are perfect, otherwise the cheapest smallest burger buns they got.

You need Mustard, Pickles and Ketchup

Lottsa Onion diced up, I mean lottsa!  You want so many onions that half are on the sandwich, half burn up in the pan and half fall on the fricken floor.  If da place don’t smell like onions and smell like sliders, you aint doing it right!

You need a griddle (I have one for my grill that is great!) if you don’t have a griddle and you want to make sliders I suggest you get a fricken griddle.  For now you can use your biggest skillet, what ever you makes your pancakes or grilled cheese sandwhiches on.  Greese that baby up with whatever, bacon greese, the olive oil, crisco, that spray stuff, whatever.

Make up some very tiny patties as thin as you can make em, get them on a platter, stack em if need be.  hit em up with some s&p.

Fire up that griddle and once it’s hot throw some of them patties on the back side and some onions on the front side.  flip your patties  once cooked on both sides get them onto buns, use your spatula to also push some onions into the burger fat and mix that fat in with your onions.  Grab the burgers you just made, bun and all andstack them on all them onions, our a little water around the edges, being careful not to pour onto burgers, and cover with a big domed lid!  wait 30 seconds or so and flip the burgers over for another 30 seconds, pouring more water, creating more steam if needed.

Remove from grill and top the burgers off with the onions, some sliced pickles mustard, and a little bit of ketchup!   Enjoy your genuine sliders!