Tuesday FourCast: Week 13

1) Reflecting Negatively
Here’s a few FACTS I bet you didn’t expect to see through 13 weeks of the NFL season:

A) Tom Brady with 0 TD passes.
B) Plaxico Burress shot himself in the thigh and the G-Men are 11-1.
C) 4-8 San Diego Chargers & Jacksonville Jaguars.
D) Brett Favre is 8-4; Aaron Rogers is 5-7
E) Oakland Raiders only firing 1 coach thus far.
F) Seattle Seahawks are 2-10.

There’s countless more; however, there’s the six I’m stacking up as my biggest negative surprises…that you won’t read in two-dozen national columns.

2) Reflecting Positively
Here’s a few FACTS I bet you didn’t expect to see through 13 weeks of the NFL season:

A) NFL TD leader…Michael Turner.
B) 8-4 Atlanta Falcons.
C) Joe Flacco is 8-4 as a starter.
D) Matt Forte, Chris Johnson, & Steve Slaton eyeing 1,000 yard, 10 TD seasons.
E) Gus Frerrotte starting for a playoff contender.
F) No NFC or AFC East team has a losing record.

There’s countless more; however, there’s the six I’m stacking up as my biggest positive surprises…that you won’t read in two-dozen national columns.

3) Deal or No Deal???
Let’s wax poetic with a little “old school” overrated/underrated.

Quarterbacks
Underrated: Chad Pennington
Overrated: David Garrard

Running Backs
Underrated: Thomas Jones
Overrated: Willis McGahee

Wide Receivers
Underrated: Andre Johnson
Overrated: Chad Ocho Cinco

Defenders
Underrated: Mario Williams (Charlie Casserly gets an extra year for this one)
Overrated: Jason Taylor (as a free-agent pickup)

Coaches
Underrated: Jeff Fisher
Overrated: Mike McCarthy

I could go on and on (and on); however, I won’t.

4) 4 More Weeks to Go
In the words of Woody Paige…LOOK AT THE SCHEDULE!
Specifically, let’s check out four of the most popular teams on the NFL radar.

Dallas Cowboys [8-4, 2nd in NFC East, 7th in NFC playoff standings]
@Pittsburgh, NY Giants, Baltimore, @Philadelphia
Consensus: The Cowboys have the Skins nipping at their heels and an NFC South race that is too close to call.

Pittsburgh Steelers [9-3, 1st in AFC North, 2nd in AFC playoff standings]
Dallas, @Baltimore, @Tennessee, Cleveland
Consensus: The Stillers have homefield as a possibility; however, the Ravens and several other hard-charging teams pose real threats for playoff seeding.

Washington Redskins [7-5, 3rd in NFC East, 8th in NFC playoff standings]
@Baltimore, @Cincinnati, Philadelphia, @San Francisco
Consensus: The Skins will need to edge out Dallas as it appears the NFC South may be worthy of 2 playoff spots this year. A win at B-More is crucial though.

New England Patriots [7-5, 2nd in AFC East, 7th in AFC playoff standings]
@Seattle, @Oakland, Arizona, @Buffalo
Consensus: Pats will be heavily favored to go 4-0 down the stretch. That means they’re 11-5 and ultimately playoff bound. Much to the dismay of the Jets, Ravens, and Dolphins.

A few more nuggets...
Carolina is closer to homefield than you might think in the NFC.
Denver may be the safest team – outside of Tennessee – in the AFC playoff picture.
I don’t want to talk about the major hiccup the Jets had last Sunday. Suffice to say though, it may cost them a playoff spot in the end.

Enjoy the madness over the next four weeks!!!

Clement's Weekly Picks and Prognostications...Week 6

5 weeks down and the byes are starting to really affect both fantasy lineups and a few of these picks.

Nevertheless, it's time for me to start making some big moves.
Otherwise, I'm going to end up .500ish on everything involved with this weekly column.

Yeah, that's the ticket!

NFL Picks: 11-9 [Okay, we're starting to make SOME minor progress. Very minor.]
Upset Special: 2-5 [It's starting to get pathetic. Very pathetic.]

Dallas @ Arizona (+4)
A lot of talk has "wierd things happening in the desert". Since when, exactly? The Cowboys need to break out this week and the Cards are the right ticket. It'll be close until the half, when Dallas goes longball on a shaky Cards secondary.

Jacksonville @ Denver (-3)
These are the two teams (along with Pittsburgh) that make up my "Axis of Evil". Nevertheless, I'm tackling this challenge. The Jags bother me because of their ability to run the ball and make clutch field goals. Denver needs to make an AFC statement. They'll do it, barely.

Oakland @ New Orleans (-7)
The Saint defense is beyond horrible. Nevertheless, the Raiders don't have the leadership or the overall talent to score with the Saints. Memo to Javon Walker: you're allowed to catch passes after the first drive.

Upset Special #1
Green Bay @ Seattle (-1 1/2)
One liner: Matt Hasselbeck and Aaron Rogers may not finish this game in one piece.

Upset Special #2
Miami @ Houston (-3)
One liner: Miami at 3-2 is a playoff-caliber team.

Upset Special #3
New England @ San Diego (-4 1/2)
One liner: San Diego and LT won't need another excuse to justify a loss to the hated Patsies.

I'm taking a week sabbatical from fantasy football analysis and reactions. Why?
Because lately, I'm questioning any ability to conquer that beast.
And general apathy when I'm under the weather.

See you next week!!!