Bleacher Report Quick Pick Challenge - Week 8

QB - The Bengals have turned it around and Andy Dalton has really stepped up.  Rookie Quarterbacks don't usually play this well in the NFL.  But some guys make the adjustment.

RB - Demarco Murray burst on the national stage with big production last week.  He broke for over 200 yards in last week's game.  So you had to start him to see if he would have a repeat performance.  Philly held him to under 100 yards.

WR - Steve Smith is putting up numbers with Cam Newton at QB.  They might not have a lot of wins but they produce highlights and those loses will turn into wins in the future.  Smith is a talented wide receiver and you expect him to do well each week.

TE - Brandon Pettigrew is the tight end for Detroit.  He is a big target and can get open.  Teams look for Calvin Johnson but they should not ignore Pettigrew.  He didn't get used much against the Broncos.

Team - Cincinnati has turned the page and they seem to be on the right track. Seattle is still going through changes.  The Bengals just seemed to have more talent and a better performing offense.  

Bleacher Report Quick Pick Challenge Week 7

This weeks picks didn't go my way.  The Raiders and the Ravens didn't do what I expected.

Quarterback - Tony Romo

Dallas is a good football team.  I expected Tony Romo to light up the St. Louis Rams.  They have big play potential with their wide receiver Miles Austin and Romo always finds a way to get the ball to Jason Whitten.  Romo came through and put up 166 years and two touchdowns in a victory.  Don't count Dallas out yet.

The one problem that can stop the Raiders running attack is injury.  You expect the Raiders to wear down defenses with McFadden and Bush until they holler uncle.  But when injuries happen it can change the complexion of the Raiders offense.  Too many turn overs can equal a big fat L.

Green Bay has probably the best quarterback in the NFL in Aaron Rodgers.  He delivers the ball with crisp accuracy.  You could really pick any of the Green Bay wide outs and not miss a beat.  This is one area where it is hard to lose in the quick pick challenge.  Just pick a green bay wide out.  Any of them and you should be good for the week.

I expected Cam Newton to put up good numbers and get the Carolina Panthers past the Redskins but expected Fred Davis to get some good yardage and maybe a score.  He came through and almost got a 100 yard game and a TD.  Even with the quarterback switcharoo he can still be a factor if the quarterback can get him the ball.

Didn't see this one coming with the Baltimore Ravens falling to the Jaguars.  I was looking for Ray Rice to have a big game and lead the Ravens to a victory.  Didn't happen, so no points for me.

Bleacher Report Quick Pick Challenge Week 6

Week 6 Picks for the Bleacher Report Quick Pick Challenge are up.  Every week you are trying to come up with the best picks but you can only choose a player or team one time during the challenge.  

Michael Vick is a good quarterback but for some reason it is just not working this year.  He is one elusive quarterback that can make defenses look really bad with his speed.  The Eagles went out and got a lot of free agents but they are not bringing in wins on Sundays.  Vick had enough to get past the Washington Redskins and hopefully Philly is on its way back from the brink.

Ryan Torain is a running back that I expected would have a good game running against the Eagles but it just didn't happen.  He was held to 22 yards.  With all the turmoil happening at quarterback I was expecting more runs to keep the game close.  Torain didn't bust any big ones against the Eagles.

DeSean Jackson is a fast wide receiver and a game breaker.  I don't know why he is not getting more opportunities to break games open.  They need to find a way to get the ball into his hands more often.  All it takes is a step and DeSean is blowing past defenders.  The Eagles should use him more effectively.

The 49ers have everybody suprised.  Even the 49er faithful couldn't expect the turnaround that has happened in San Francisco.  The 49ers have really fast tight ends but they always needed someone to deliver the ball.  For whatever reason Alex Smith was having a hard time doing that in the past.  Delanie Walker is a big fast tight end that can change the game if they can get him the ball.  Playing the Detroit Lions tough defense would mean dumping the ball off to tight ends when the pressure kicks in.  Delanie Walker should benefit from this.

The Oakland Raiders seem to be on the right track with their new coach.  They have all the tools that they need to be successful this year and reach the playoffs.  They have a solid quarterback that can manage the game plan.  They have a tough running attack that can chew the clock and put points on the board.  They have the speedy wide receivers that can break for big yardage at any point in the game.  They just need to stay healthy and keep playing good football.

Bleacher Report Quick Pick Challenge Week 5

Another week in the bleacher report quick pick challenge.  Week 5 is up and here are the picks that I made.  I am not going by any special formula.  Just looking at the basic matchups between the teams.  

Drew Brees and the New Orleans Saints are still a strong team to deal with.  They are still a big time offense that loves to throw the ball.  You can always expect for Drew to put up big numbers.  He is great in the pocket and accurate with his passes. He put up over 350 yards against the Panthers.  Too bad you can only choose a quarterback one time during the quick pick challenge.

The Minnesota Vikings are not playing well right now.  The season with Brett Favre at quarterback seems like ages ago and now the vikings are struggling.  They have one of the best running backs in the nfl in Adrian Peterson and you wonder how long it will take for him to get more carries and get back to putting up big numbers.

The Arizona Cardinals went out and got a quarterback in Kevin Kolb so that they had someone solid at the position.  They have a premier wide receiver in Larry Fitzgerald.  It all comes down to Kolb being able to get the ball into the hands of his big playmaker.  You would expect him to go off against the Vikings but it just didn't happen.

The New England Patriots Offense is like a well oiled machine.  They throw the ball, and they do it really well.  Every receiver on the team is likely to get passes thrown their way.  The tight end should get a few good looks during the game and Rob Gronkowski just has to get open.  Brady will deliver the ball.  It is just hard to tell who will score week to week with the patriots because they spread the ball around.

What happened to the Giants?  They were not supposed to lose to the Seattle Seahawks?  Turnovers can change the game.  I expected the Giants to deal with Seattle with no problems but you have to play the games.  And turnovers can change a game quickly.

Bleacher Report Quick Pick Challenge Week 4

These are my picks for week 4.  I expected the Buffalo Bills to win but they came up short.  Ryan Fitzpatrick has been lighting it up this year and I think buffalo is starting to turn it around.  I expected more out of Fred Jackson this week.  But Chicago kept him under 100 yards.

The Detroit Lions have had talented players in the past but they never seemed to be able to win.  I just thought that this year would be just like other years but Detroit has been on a roll.  They are playing with a different kind of confidence now.  Calvin Johnson is starting to become a force at wide receiver and you expect him to put up numbers now.  

There were a lot of Cam Newton haters before the draft and even after he was selected they talked him down. Luckily they have to play nfl games and not rely just on commentary.  Cam is shocking the NFL with his rookie season and his supporting cast should do well for the rest of the season.  Greg Olson should be a good outlet for Cam.  

I picked the Buffalo Bills to beat Chicago but it didn't pan out.  Buffalo is still an up and coming team.  This little bump in the road should not throw them off course.

Bleacher Report Quick Pick Challenge - Week 3

QB Cam Newton

Had to pick Cam Newton in week 3.  The first two weeks of the season he made his critics shut up big time.  I expected Cam to keep the ball rolling with his great performances.  He went for 158 passing and a touchdown.  Not as many yards as the previous few weeks but hey he got the victory.

RB Michael Turner

I thought that Michael Turner would run well break loose in Tampa but they shut him down.  Only 20 yards rushing.  No touchdowns. Nada. Nathan.

WR Vincent Jackson

With a big time quarterback like Rivers you expect the receivers to have big games.  Jackson only went for 63 yards and didn't get any touchdowns.  I expected him to do better against KC.

TE Jermichael Finley

The tight end can be a big part of the offense if you use him right and Green Bay did that.  Only 85 yards, but 3 touchdowns.

Team San Francisco 49ers

They should have won this game by a wider margin.  But Alex Smith is the quarterback. Just glad that I picked them on a week where they should have won.

Bleacher Report Quick Pick Challenge - Week 2

Here are the picks that I went with for week 2 of the NFL

QB - Joe Flacco

My thinking was that Joe Flacco would have a good game against the titans.  I turned out to be wrong.  He threw for 197 yards and a touchdown but had two picks.

RB - Ray Rice

Ray Rice is becoming a star and I thought that he would break loose in this game against the titans.  He was only held to 43 yards rushing but he did get a touchdown.

WR - Wes Welker

The New England Patriots seem to be on another level on offense.  Wes Welker is one of Brady's favorite targets and I expected him to have a good game against the chargers.  Wes went for 81 yards but didn't get any touchdowns.

TE - Vernon Davis

Vernon Davis is a talented tight end. Hes really fast and if you can get him the ball he might break for big yardage.  The only problem is his quarterback is Alex Smith.  I expected Davis to be a bigger part of the game against Dallas to counter the pressure coming from Demarcus Ware.  It didn't happen. Niners lost in typical niner fashion and Davis only got 18 yards.  Ouch!

Team - New Orleans Saints

The Saints mean business.  They beat chicago.  With Drew Brees at quarterback I would pick them every week if I could.

Bleacher Report Quick Pick Challenge - Week 1

This is the first time for me doing the weekly football picks challenge. Never really understood the whole fantasy football stuff.  Its just picking players that you think will have a good game each week.

There is no real system that I used to pick in week one of the bleacher report quick pick challenge.

Week 1 - Quarterback - Philip Rivers

I thought that Philip Rivers would hit the ground running.  He did a good job with his stats.  He threw for over 300 yards week one 2 touchdowns with 2 turnovers.

Week 1 - Running back - Frank Gore

I expected the niners to use Gore more but he didn't end up getting a lot of rushing yards.  This pick was a disappointment.  Only 59 yards week one.  Too bad that you can only use a player one time during the challenge.  Gore will have a big game during the season.  I should have waited on choosing him but I was hoping that he could break lose on week 1 because of the shortened off season programs.

Week 1 - Wide Receiver - Miles Austin

Dallas likes to throw the ball and I expected Miles Austin to make some big plays in week one.  He got one touchdown and 83 yards total.  They just were not hitting on all cylinders.  Austin has big games it just was not week one.

Week 1 - Tight End - Jason Whitten

Lets face it Whitten is the go to guy for Dallas.  You can expect him to get big numbers everyweek. Everybody knows that Romo likes to go to Whitten and they still can't stop it.  He picked up 110 yards but no touchdowns in week 1.

Week 1 - Team - Houston Texans

Just took a look at the team they were playing Indy and thought that without Peyton they would be toast.  I was right.

Overall Week 1 was okay.  Expected better play from my picks but its week one.