Fantola

Beating the House -- Super Bowl Sunday

2008-02-03T10:51:00.001-05:00

I don't know about you guys but two weeks is much too long to wait for the big game...in my last column (see below), I said that Championship Sunday is usually more enjoyable than the Super Bowl because you often get two close games that are fun to watch...naturally, I went against that logic and went with the favorites and we all know how that turned out...so here we go, one game left to play...

Moving

2008-01-27T13:32:00.000-05:00

Good morning there sports fans. I wanted to apologize to those of you that have been checking in to get the rest of my baseball rankings and to let you know that I will no longer be able to post them here. I have been incredibly busy and a great opportunity has come up that will no longer allow me to write for Fantola. I have been offered a position at Rototimes.com and I will be moving my work

Beating the House--Championship Sunday

2008-01-20T12:08:00.000-05:00

In a lot of cases, Championship Sunday is better than the Super Bowl...not only do you get two games, they are usually hard-fought contests that come down to the wire...Pats/Indy last year is a prime example...alas, I don't see it happening today in either game...hopefully I get these two right to make up for my underwhelming playoff record so far...San Diego (+13.5) at New England-- Yes, the

Play Action - Conference Championships

2008-01-18T16:34:00.000-05:00

It's down to the Final Four.After this Sunday, it's just 2 weeks of relentless hype until the Super Bowl.Everybody's already penciled in the Packers vs. Patriots for the Super Bowl, but we shall see.It's time to take a look at the Postseason Fantasy Football Rankings for the remaining players.Quarterback1. Tom Brady vs. Chargers - The Chargers pick the ball off at a tremendous level, but still,

Early Catcher Rankings 2008

2008-01-17T11:44:00.000-05:00

A little bit of strategy on drafting and ranking catchers. For one, it is a very difficult position to rank and draft because it is very thin. You will confront a lot of players with very similar numbers after the top guys. You will see more youth on this list than any other of my other positional lists. The reason for that is that I would rather gamble on a young catcher than a guy that I know

Early Fantasy Baseball Player Rankings 2008- First Base

2008-01-15T21:21:00.000-05:00

Early First Base Rankings 2008 Written By Larry YocumHi, my name is Larry Yocum and I am new to Fantola. I will be posting on here regularly and will primarily work on basketball and baseball articles although I love discussing all sports. I specialize in the realm of fantasy sports and that will be my focus. I am going to start with positional rankings in baseball as I am in the middle of early

Beating the House--Divisional Playoffs

2008-01-12T12:12:00.000-05:00

OUCH! After a nice end to the regular season, I did not have a good showing on Wild Card Weekend, losing three out of the four games...I went against my gut on the Redskins, completely underestimated the Giants and lost again when the Jags won but failed to cover...the Chargers bailed me out in a close one so I avoided a complete washout...all you can do is move forward so without any further ado

Play Action - Divisional

2008-01-10T11:27:00.000-05:00

Postseason Fantasy Football isn't nearly as popular as its big brother, and the rule sets vary everywhere, but for the benefit of those of you who may be participating...This is being written as though you are participating in the CBS SportsLine version of the game, where you can change a progressively decreasing amount of players per week.Without further adieu, the Divisional Round

Baseball's Hangover

2008-01-09T13:50:00.000-05:00

Baseball’s HangoverAn opinion piece.As many of you awoke on New Year’s Day, you may have dealt with that groggy feeling that sometimes comes with a night of alcohol consumption and dealing with the aftermath. I hope that party went well. Sometimes things go so well that many of you may have had to purge yourself later that evening. I’m sorry if that happened to you, but maybe the good time was

Beating the House--Wild Card Weekend

2008-01-05T14:00:00.001-05:00

My thanks to those of you who read this column throughout the season...I didn't show up until the third week but managed to post something every week, even if it was just the picks without commmentary...this was my first time writing such a column and, more importantly, subjecting myself to great scrutiny if I failed...I did manage to hit at a 59% clip on my selections and I'm sure most would

Week 17 Breakdown

2007-12-29T17:40:00.001-05:00

Here's a look at what to expect in Week 17, as I see it.AFCPatriots - They want to go 16-0, expect them to keep their stars in until it is assured, just don't expect them to try to run up the score quite as much.Colts - They have the #2 seed locked up and nothing to play for...if you blink, you may miss Peyton and friends. Bench your Colts. There will, however, be a brief Marvin Harrison sighting

Play Action - Week 17

2007-12-29T17:40:00.000-05:00

This is it, the final week of the year.It's been a fun season, and hopefully the faithful readers that come here have enjoyed themselves.At this time, I'm not completely sure what will happen between now and baseball season, but keep checking back.For Week 17, just a quick rundown of any players that should be active for your team.It's tough to predict who will be active for more than a few

Beating the House--Week 17

2007-12-29T13:38:00.000-05:00

Well, the final week of the regular season is upon us and it is probably the most difficult one to handicap since Week 1...a majority of the teams have nothing to play for and you just don't know if they'll show up at all or choose to fight and end the year on a high note...if I can stay above .500 this week, I would consider it a fairly successful year...I'll do a recap and playoff picks next

Major Game Day Inactives - Week 16

2007-12-23T12:01:00.000-05:00

Here's a look at the Major Inactives for Week 16.It's crunch time, baby, gotta make sure that your horses are in the race.NOTICE: High Wind Advisories for:Packers/Bears, Dolphins/Patriots, Giants/Bills and Browns/Bengals.49ers - Frank Gore and Arnaz Battle are ACTIVE.Bears - Rex Grossman is inactive.Bengals - Rudi Johnson is inactive.Cardinals - Leonard Pope is inactive. Larry Fitzgerald and

Beating the House--Week 16

2007-12-23T09:21:00.001-05:00

I was bound to come back down to earth last week but looked great until the final three games let me down big time...the Cowboys, Giants and Vikings all failed to cover...Dallas has looked downright mediocre so I took the points last night but also did the same with the Rams on Thursday so we're off to a 1-1 start in the penultimate week of the regular season...due to time constraints brought on

Play Action - Week 16

2007-12-22T10:11:00.000-05:00

As mentioned in Thursday's Play Action, only "Start" recommendations are being made this week, since it is likely your league's Championship week.Hopefully you bring home the title and then continue the celebration with a great Christmas, or at least a Festivus for the rest of us.Let's get to it.Cowboys @ PanthersSTART: Tony Romo (check), Marion Barber, Terrell Owens, Jason Witten, Cowboy

Play Action - Thursday Edition - Week 16

2007-12-20T11:37:00.000-05:00

This week's edition of Play Action will only include players that are recommended as starters.You're likely in your League Championship Game this week, and cannot afford to be risking playing anything other than surefire, high quality players.Now, get out there and bring home the Lombardi Trophy...or at the very least, some exclusive league bragging rights.Thursday Night FootballSteelers @ Rams -

Major Game Day Inactives - Week 15

2007-12-16T11:46:00.001-05:00

Bad weather in New England and Cleveland...adjust your expectations appropriately.It's also windy in Miami.Here's a rundown of the major Week 15 Inactives.Bears: Rex Grossman is inactive.Buccaneers: Ike Hilliard and Jeff Garcia are both ACTIVE.Cardinals: Larry Fitzgerald and Anquan Boldin are both ACTIVE. Boldin is rumored to be on an extremely limited snap count.Dolphins: Jesse Chatman is

Beating the House--Week 15

2007-12-15T13:28:00.000-05:00

Well...my thanks to id10t for the kind words...be sure to read his Play Action post as you prepare for your fantasy playoffs! Maybe brevity is the key considering my pseudo-column after last week's ridiculous 14-2 showing...have to mention that I won my pick 'em pool by going 16-0 with no spreads involved...as my colleague stated up above, I did indeed take the +1 with the Texans on Thursday and

Play Action - Week 15

2007-12-14T21:27:00.001-05:00

I apologize for missing the Thursday game.First, let's all give Milton J. a thunderous standing ovation for tearing up his Beating The House column last week.Also, allow me to point out that Milton PM'ed me before the Broncos/Texans game to inform me that he was taking the Texans. He's on fire.The analysis this week will be fairly quick. It is likely the semifinals for your Fantasy Playoffs

Major Game Day Inactives - Week 14

2007-12-09T12:47:00.000-05:00

The Fantasy Playoffs have arrived and there are plenty of major injuries to screw up your team.Here's a closer look at guys that need to be warming your bench.49ers: Alex Smith is inactive. Arnaz Battle is ACTIVE.Bills: Marshawn Lynch is ACTIVE.Broncos: Javon Walker is inactive.Buccaneers: Jeff Garcia is inactive.Cardinals: Anquan Boldin is inactive. Larry Fitzgerald is ACTIVE.Chiefs: Larry

Beating the House--Week 14

2007-12-09T12:29:00.000-05:00

I'm not sure how many people actually read this column but to those of you who do, I offer sincere apologies for posting an abbreviated article...due to time constraints that are often associated with this time of year, it has become increasingly difficult to contribute here...hence, I can only post my picks without comments this time around...I had the Skins on Thursday night, believing they

Play Action - Week 14

2007-12-08T15:37:00.000-05:00

You're likely in one of two camps heading into Week 14.You're either gearing up for a big playoff push, or you're cursing the people in your league that are gearing up for a big playoff push.The week is already off to an ominous start with injuries to Rex Grossman and Jason Campbell on Thursday. Hopefully it's not a sign of things to come.Rams @ BengalsSTART: Steven Jackson, Torry Holt, Carson

Play Action - Thursday Edition - Week 14

2007-12-06T13:09:00.000-05:00

The Bears and the Redskins square off tonight.It's debatable whether the game should have been pushed back, after all, the Redskins did just bury Sean Taylor this past Monday.If this game ends up being exciting, expect the bitching about the NFL Network not being available on every cable provider. Get DirecTV or Dish Network if you're not happy, people.Expect Bryant Gumbel to be terrible.

Game Day Inactives - Week 13

2007-12-02T09:41:00.000-05:00

It's officially crunch time all around Fantasyland.Here's a rundown of all of the major inactives for Week 13, and a few actives that were in questions.49ers: Alex Smith is inactive.Bears: Cedric Benson is inactive, and on IR.Browns: Braylon Edwards is ACTIVE.Buccaneers: Jeff Garcia is inactive, Luke McCown will start.Cardinals: Larry Fitzgerald is inactive.Chiefs: Brodie Croyle and Larry Johnson