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The NFL has reached its midway point. The sample size has grown large enough for fans to know which teams are contenders and which are pretenders. There is still plenty of football left in 2014, but here is how the playoff picture looks in the AFC through Week 9. Click here for the NFC.

One Seed: New England Patriots (7-2) - Bill Belichick and Tom Brady have made all us "experts" look silly since claiming them "finished" after the Week 4 blowout on Monday night. New England has won five straight since that night, outscoring opponents, 201-108. Tight end Rob Gronkowski is healthy and has reasserted himself as Brady's No. 1 target over that stretch, catching 36 balls for 516 yards and four touchdowns. When Gronkowski is rolling and demanding double-teams, it opens up space for the rest of the offense. There is no concern regarding Stevan Ridley's injury as Shane Vereen and Jonas Gray are poised to fill that void, but there is still a question mark surrounding the inexperienced offensive line. Even still, New England is the front-runner for home field advantage throughout the playoffs with its victory over Denver in Week 8.

Two Seed: Denver Broncos (6-2) - This team is arguably still the best in the league despite its mishap last Sunday. Denver's offense is short of its record-setting pace it set last year, but it is still in the top five in points per game, yards per game and passing yards per game. The running game hasn't kicked into full gear yet, but it has improved since Ronnie Hillman took over after Montee Ball suffered a groin injury. The defense is much, much better than a season ago with free agent additions DeMarcus Ware, Aqib Talib and draft pick Bradley Roby. The defense is the best in the league at stopping the run and is ranked seventh with 24 sacks. Denver will easily win the AFC West, the question is can it repeat as conference champions.

Three Seed: Pittsburgh Steelers (6-3) - There isn't a hotter offense in the conference. Ben Roethlisberger has thrown six touchdowns in each of the last two games, an NFL record. In the last three games, all victories, the offense is averaging over 41 points per game. It's no coincidence rookie wide receiver Martavis Bryant was activated at the start of the winning streak. The rookie has five touchdowns in his first three NFL games and with him and second-year wide receiver Markus Wheaton trending upwards, defenses can no longer double-team Antonio Brown. Much like the offense in the first six games, the defense was very inconsistent, but Dick LeBeau's group has also turned the corner. Pittsburgh has seven takeaways in the last three games, which is more than the unit had in the first six games combined. The Steelers play the Bengals twice in the last four weeks of the season, and those games will decide the division.

Four Seed: Indianapolis Colts (6-3) - Another very talented team, Indianapolis will end up as the fourth seed because of losses to Denver and Pittsburgh. The Colts, however, will have a shot to knock off the Patriots in Week 11 and unlike the games against the Broncos and Steelers, Indianapolis gets New England at home. Similar to the days with Peyton Manning, Andrew Luck is carrying the team. He leads the league with 3,085 passing yards and 26 touchdowns. Indianapolis also proved on Monday night their defense is a lot better with cornerback Vontae Davis in the lineup. He went down with a knee injury early in the Steelers lost, and the Colts went on to allow 522 passing yards and 51 points. Against the Giants with Davis back, Eli Manning barely completed 50 percent of his passes. With a weak schedule, the Colts have a chance to move up this list, but in order to be considered a real contender in the conference, they must beat New England at home.

Five Seed: Cincinnati Bengals (5-2-1) - The Bengals have the inside track to winning the tough AFC North as they swept the Ravens, but Cincinnati has yet to play either the Browns or Steelers. The Bengals have swept the Steelers just once this century and have swept the entire AFC North only once back in 2009. In order to accomplish those feats, Cincinnati will have to get healthy as arguably the team's three best players, A.J. Green, Giovani Bernard and Vontaze Burfict, have missed significant time this year. Green returned last week against Jacksonville, but Bernard and Burfict will likely sit out again and miss this Thursday night's game versus the Browns. Jeremy Hill replaced Bernard nicely in his first start with 154 yards on 24 carries against the Jaguars. Even when Bernard returns, Hill will remain an important part of the Bengals rushing attack that is ranked ninth in the league. Besides the four division games, Cincinnati has a tough road game in New Orleans Week 11, and then hosts Denver on Monday night right before the season finale in Pittsburgh.

Six Seed: Baltimore Ravens (5-4) - Quite honestly, Baltimore has been the most well-rounded, consistent team in the AFC North the first half of the season. The offensive line has made major improvements and has turned Joe Flacco back into a good quarterback. Fans also have to give this team credit for avoiding a collapse in light of the Ray Rice fiasco. Despite those great things, the Ravens are in last place. A couple balls didn't bounce their way in both games against Cincinnati, and then they lost twice on the road to Indianapolis and Pittsburgh. It doesn't really matter Baltimore is in last place at the moment, but what does matter is that 2-3 division record. In order to win the division, Baltimore is going to have to win it outright because they won't own any tiebreakers. After their bye week, the Ravens play at New Orleans, San Diego, and at Miami. If they can win two of those games, particularly the ones against San Diego and Miami, the Ravens will win at least 10 games and have the wild card tiebreak over the Chargers and Dolphins.

The NFL has reached its midway point. The NFC has three playoff teams from last season on the outside looking into the playoff picture. There is still plenty of football left, but is there enough time for those teams to make a run? Here's what the NFC playoffs picture looks like after Week 9. Click here for the AFC.

One Seed: Arizona Cardinals (7-1) - It's hard to believe the Arizona Cardinals are the only team left in the league with one loss, and that came on the road to the reigning AFC Champions when the Cardinals were resorted to playing rookie quarterback Logan Thomas for a good portion of the second half because of injuries. Arizona swept the entire NFC East, beating Philadelphia and Dallas the last two weeks. Nothing really pops out at you about this team on the stat sheet. The Cardinals are 28th in rushing and dead last in stopping the pass. Running back Andre Ellington's yards per carry is down from 5.5 his rookie season to 3.8 this year, and Larry Fitzgerald has caught just two touchdowns. But there isn't a more aggressive team in the NFL. Coach Bruce Arians runs a relentless vertical passing attack and no one blitzes more on defense. The players have bought into Arians' tactics and have responded. Two games against a desperate Seattle team will be tough, but keep in mind, the Cardinals are the only team to beat the Seahawks over the last 20 games in Seattle.

Two Seed: Green Bay Packers (5-3) - With Green Bay's three toughest games left on their schedule at home, it isn't unrealistic to see Aaron Rodgers and company run the table. They have won four of their last five, losing only in the loud Superdome. Rodgers has 14 touchdowns versus just two interceptions in the last five games. Randall Cobb and Jordy Nelson have been on fire during that stretch as well. Cobb has 452 yards and six touchdowns while Nelson has 386 yards and five touchdowns in those five games. After Chicago this week, Green Bay plays Philadelphia in a game that has huge implications for which team wins the second bye. If Rodgers is clicking on all cyclinders, Mark Sanchez will not be able to keep up. The other true test for the Packers will be the Patriots in Week 13. That game, along with the season finale against the current division-leading Lions, is at Lambeau Field. 

It is probably a surprise to many to leave the 6-2 Detroit Lions off this list as they have already beaten the Packers. Detroit, however, faces Miami and then visits the Cardinals and Patriots the next three weeks. Then, the Lions finish the season on the road the last two weeks at Chicago and Green Bay. Like last season, Detroit will falter again.

Three Seed: Philadelphia Eagles (6-2) - Two weeks ago, the Eagles were probably the best pick as Super Bowl favorites in the NFC, but two injuries in Week 9 will likely derail their season. Quarterback Nick Foles cracked his collar bone and is out at least six weeks while linebacker DeMeco Ryans torn his Achilles' tendon and is out for the season. Former Jets quarterback Mark Sanchez now has the keys to Chip Kelly's offense. With so many offensive weapons, Sanchez is capable of leading the Eagles to a division title. Receiver Jeremy Maclin has 790 yards and eight touchdowns this season, and behind a now healthy offensive line, running back LeSean McCoy has rushed for over 100 yards twice in the last three games. Actually, the Ryans' injury is probably more concerning for the Eagles' faithful. He had 45 tackles, four pass breakups and an interception through eight games. Without him, the Philadelphia run defense is softer and loses leadership in the middle. The Eagles face the Cowboys twice in the last five weeks of the season, which will decide the winner of the NFC East. 

Four Seed: New Orleans Saints (4-4) - There is no doubt the NFC South is the weakest division in the NFL, but it doesn't help the NFC South is matched up against the AFC North, perhaps the best division in the league. New Orleans has already lost to Cleveland, and after it welcomes the 49ers to the Superdome, the Saints face the Bengals, Ravens and Steelers in three straight weeks. These next three weeks before the Pittsburgh game, however, will be the Saints best chance to make a move in the standings because all three games are home. The Saints offfense has been better the last two weeks in large part to tight end Jimmy Graham, who has two touchdowns in those games. After that tough stretch, the Saints play three division opponents in the last four weeks. Drew Brees and the offense has moved the ball effective this season, so Brees and company just need to do a better job of taking care of the ball. The emergence of Mark Ingram is paying huge dividends. After never rushing for 100 yards in a game during his first three seasons, Ingram has posted back-to-back 100-yard contests.

Five Seed: Dallas Cowboys (6-3) - It is hard to believe the Cowboys are the most well put-together team in the league this season, but it could all fall apart because of one injury. Dallas is dedicated to running the ball behind perhaps the best offensive line in the league and controlling the time of possession has benefitted the defense. But without Tony Romo last week, the Cowboys did very little on offense. It is clear backup quarterback Brandon Weeden will not keep the Cowboys a contender in the NFC East let alone a Super Bowl contender. That means the offense will rely even more heavily on running back DeMarco Murray, who is already on pace for over 450 touches. It is difficult to believe Murray can handle an even bigger workload, and it is conceivable to think Murray will wear down by the end of the year. Dallas' season hinges on Romo returning under center and staying healthy.

Six Seed: Seattle Seahawks (5-3) - Seattle has quite a bit of work to do if it wants a shot at defending its title this January. Two of the following four: Eagles, Cowboys, Packers and Lions, will be in the wild card race not to mention the 49ers, who will get a lot of defensive players back from suspension and injury in the second half of the season. Even without Percy Harvin, Seattle has the tools to make a deep run. The Seahawks are fourth in rushing yards and rank in the top six in yards allowed, rushing yards allowed and receiving yards allowed per game. They also rank tenth in points allowed. The Seahawks problems are lack of takeaways and the abandonment Marshawn Lynch. In the team's three losses, Lynch has carried the ball on average just 11 times, and Seattle has just 10 takeaways, which limits the defense's big-play ability. Despite lackluster wins over Carolina and Oakland, Seattle controls its own destiny with two games against San Francisco and Arizona. They also play at Kansas City, at Philadelphia and then home versus the Rams, who upset the Seahawks in Week 7.

The NFL has reached its midway point. The sample size has grown large enough for fans to know which teams are contenders and which are pretenders. There is still plenty of football left in 2014, but here is how the playoff picture looks in the AFC through Week 9. Click here for the NFC.

One Seed: New England Patriots (7-2) - Bill Belichick and Tom Brady have made all us "experts" look silly since claiming them "finished" after the Week 4 blowout on Monday night. New England has won five straight since that night, outscoring opponents, 201-108. Tight end Rob Gronkowski is healthy and has reasserted himself as Brady's No. 1 target over that stretch, catching 36 balls for 516 yards and four touchdowns. When Gronkowski is rolling and demanding double-teams, it opens up space for the rest of the offense. There is no concern regarding Stevan Ridley's injury as Shane Vereen and Jonas Gray are poised to fill that void, but there is still a question mark surrounding the inexperienced offensive line. Even still, New England is the front-runner for home field advantage throughout the playoffs with its victory over Denver in Week 8.

Two Seed: Denver Broncos (6-2) - This team is arguably still the best in the league despite its mishap last Sunday. Denver's offense is short of its record-setting pace it set last year, but it is still in the top five in points per game, yards per game and passing yards per game. The running game hasn't kicked into full gear yet, but it has improved since Ronnie Hillman took over after Montee Ball suffered a groin injury. The defense is much, much better than a season ago with free agent additions DeMarcus Ware, Aqib Talib and draft pick Bradley Roby. The defense is the best in the league at stopping the run and is ranked seventh with 24 sacks. Denver will easily win the AFC West, the question is can it repeat as conference champions.

Three Seed: Pittsburgh Steelers (6-3) - There isn't a hotter offense in the conference. Ben Roethlisberger has thrown six touchdowns in each of the last two games, an NFL record. In the last three games, all victories, the offense is averaging over 41 points per game. It's no coincidence rookie wide receiver Martavis Bryant was activated at the start of the winning streak. The rookie has five touchdowns in his first three NFL games and with him and second-year wide receiver Markus Wheaton trending upwards, defenses can no longer double-team Antonio Brown. Much like the offense in the first six games, the defense was very inconsistent, but Dick LeBeau's group has also turned the corner. Pittsburgh has seven takeaways in the last three games, which is more than the unit had in the first six games combined. The Steelers play the Bengals twice in the last four weeks of the season, and those games will decide the division.

Four Seed: Indianapolis Colts (6-3) - Another very talented team, Indianapolis will end up as the fourth seed because of losses to Denver and Pittsburgh. The Colts, however, will have a shot to knock off the Patriots in Week 11 and unlike the games against the Broncos and Steelers, Indianapolis gets New England at home. Similar to the days with Peyton Manning, Andrew Luck is carrying the team. He leads the league with 3,085 passing yards and 26 touchdowns. Indianapolis also proved on Monday night their defense is a lot better with cornerback Vontae Davis in the lineup. He went down with a knee injury early in the Steelers lost, and the Colts went on to allow 522 passing yards and 51 points. Against the Giants with Davis back, Eli Manning barely completed 50 percent of his passes. With a weak schedule, the Colts have a chance to move up this list, but in order to be considered a real contender in the conference, they must beat New England at home.

Five Seed: Cincinnati Bengals (5-2-1) - The Bengals have the inside track to winning the tough AFC North as they swept the Ravens, but Cincinnati has yet to play either the Browns or Steelers. The Bengals have swept the Steelers just once this century and have swept the entire AFC North only once back in 2009. In order to accomplish those feats, Cincinnati will have to get healthy as arguably the team's three best players, A.J. Green, Giovani Bernard and Vontaze Burfict, have missed significant time this year. Green returned last week against Jacksonville, but Bernard and Burfict will likely sit out again and miss this Thursday night's game versus the Browns. Jeremy Hill replaced Bernard nicely in his first start with 154 yards on 24 carries against the Jaguars. Even when Bernard returns, Hill will remain an important part of the Bengals rushing attack that is ranked ninth in the league. Besides the four division games, Cincinnati has a tough road game in New Orleans Week 11, and then hosts Denver on Monday night right before the season finale in Pittsburgh.

Six Seed: Baltimore Ravens (5-4) - Quite honestly, Baltimore has been the most well-rounded, consistent team in the AFC North the first half of the season. The offensive line has made major improvements and has turned Joe Flacco back into a good quarterback. Fans also have to give this team credit for avoiding a collapse in light of the Ray Rice fiasco. Despite those great things, the Ravens are in last place. A couple balls didn't bounce their way in both games against Cincinnati, and then they lost twice on the road to Indianapolis and Pittsburgh. It doesn't really matter Baltimore is in last place at the moment, but what does matter is that 2-3 division record. In order to win the division, Baltimore is going to have to win it outright because they won't own any tiebreakers. After their bye week, the Ravens play at New Orleans, San Diego, and at Miami. If they can win two of those games, particularly the ones against San Diego and Miami, the Ravens will win at least 10 games and have the wild card tiebreak over the Chargers and Dolphins.

The NFL has reached its midway point. The NFC has three playoff teams from last season on the outside looking into the playoff picture. There is still plenty of football left, but is there enough time for those teams to make a run? Here's what the NFC playoffs picture looks like after Week 9. Click here for the AFC.

One Seed: Arizona Cardinals (7-1) - It's hard to believe the Arizona Cardinals are the only team left in the league with one loss, and that came on the road to the reigning AFC Champions when the Cardinals were resorted to playing rookie quarterback Logan Thomas for a good portion of the second half because of injuries. Arizona swept the entire NFC East, beating Philadelphia and Dallas the last two weeks. Nothing really pops out at you about this team on the stat sheet. The Cardinals are 28th in rushing and dead last in stopping the pass. Running back Andre Ellington's yards per carry is down from 5.5 his rookie season to 3.8 this year, and Larry Fitzgerald has caught just two touchdowns. But there isn't a more aggressive team in the NFL. Coach Bruce Arians runs a relentless vertical passing attack and no one blitzes more on defense. The players have bought into Arians' tactics and have responded. Two games against a desperate Seattle team will be tough, but keep in mind, the Cardinals are the only team to beat the Seahawks over the last 20 games in Seattle.

Two Seed: Green Bay Packers (5-3) - With Green Bay's three toughest games left on their schedule at home, it isn't unrealistic to see Aaron Rodgers and company run the table. They have won four of their last five, losing only in the loud Superdome. Rodgers has 14 touchdowns versus just two interceptions in the last five games. Randall Cobb and Jordy Nelson have been on fire during that stretch as well. Cobb has 452 yards and six touchdowns while Nelson has 386 yards and five touchdowns in those five games. After Chicago this week, Green Bay plays Philadelphia in a game that has huge implications for which team wins the second bye. If Rodgers is clicking on all cyclinders, Mark Sanchez will not be able to keep up. The other true test for the Packers will be the Patriots in Week 13. That game, along with the season finale against the current division-leading Lions, is at Lambeau Field. 

It is probably a surprise to many to leave the 6-2 Detroit Lions off this list as they have already beaten the Packers. Detroit, however, faces Miami and then visits the Cardinals and Patriots the next three weeks. Then, the Lions finish the season on the road the last two weeks at Chicago and Green Bay. Like last season, Detroit will falter again.

Three Seed: Philadelphia Eagles (6-2) - Two weeks ago, the Eagles were probably the best pick as Super Bowl favorites in the NFC, but two injuries in Week 9 will likely derail their season. Quarterback Nick Foles cracked his collar bone and is out at least six weeks while linebacker DeMeco Ryans torn his Achilles' tendon and is out for the season. Former Jets quarterback Mark Sanchez now has the keys to Chip Kelly's offense. With so many offensive weapons, Sanchez is capable of leading the Eagles to a division title. Receiver Jeremy Maclin has 790 yards and eight touchdowns this season, and behind a now healthy offensive line, running back LeSean McCoy has rushed for over 100 yards twice in the last three games. Actually, the Ryans' injury is probably more concerning for the Eagles' faithful. He had 45 tackles, four pass breakups and an interception through eight games. Without him, the Philadelphia run defense is softer and loses leadership in the middle. The Eagles face the Cowboys twice in the last five weeks of the season, which will decide the winner of the NFC East. 

Four Seed: New Orleans Saints (4-4) - There is no doubt the NFC South is the weakest division in the NFL, but it doesn't help the NFC South is matched up against the AFC North, perhaps the best division in the league. New Orleans has already lost to Cleveland, and after it welcomes the 49ers to the Superdome, the Saints face the Bengals, Ravens and Steelers in three straight weeks. These next three weeks before the Pittsburgh game, however, will be the Saints best chance to make a move in the standings because all three games are home. The Saints offfense has been better the last two weeks in large part to tight end Jimmy Graham, who has two touchdowns in those games. After that tough stretch, the Saints play three division opponents in the last four weeks. Drew Brees and the offense has moved the ball effective this season, so Brees and company just need to do a better job of taking care of the ball. The emergence of Mark Ingram is paying huge dividends. After never rushing for 100 yards in a game during his first three seasons, Ingram has posted back-to-back 100-yard contests.

Five Seed: Dallas Cowboys (6-3) - It is hard to believe the Cowboys are the most well put-together team in the league this season, but it could all fall apart because of one injury. Dallas is dedicated to running the ball behind perhaps the best offensive line in the league and controlling the time of possession has benefitted the defense. But without Tony Romo last week, the Cowboys did very little on offense. It is clear backup quarterback Brandon Weeden will not keep the Cowboys a contender in the NFC East let alone a Super Bowl contender. That means the offense will rely even more heavily on running back DeMarco Murray, who is already on pace for over 450 touches. It is difficult to believe Murray can handle an even bigger workload, and it is conceivable to think Murray will wear down by the end of the year. Dallas' season hinges on Romo returning under center and staying healthy.

Six Seed: Seattle Seahawks (5-3) - Seattle has quite a bit of work to do if it wants a shot at defending its title this January. Two of the following four: Eagles, Cowboys, Packers and Lions, will be in the wild card race not to mention the 49ers, who will get a lot of defensive players back from suspension and injury in the second half of the season. Even without Percy Harvin, Seattle has the tools to make a deep run. The Seahawks are fourth in rushing yards and rank in the top six in yards allowed, rushing yards allowed and receiving yards allowed per game. They also rank tenth in points allowed. The Seahawks problems are lack of takeaways and the abandonment Marshawn Lynch. In the team's three losses, Lynch has carried the ball on average just 11 times, and Seattle has just 10 takeaways, which limits the defense's big-play ability. Despite lackluster wins over Carolina and Oakland, Seattle controls its own destiny with two games against San Francisco and Arizona. They also play at Kansas City, at Philadelphia and then home versus the Rams, who upset the Seahawks in Week 7.

The first ever college football playoff committee rankings were released today, and as expected, the initial standings incited drama and controversy.  While I agree with many of the pundits that there is nothing to be overly concerned with in terms of which particular teams are currently located in the top four as there is plenty of football still to be played, I do take issue with the process and the apparent priority demonstrated by these initial rankings.

The destruction of the BCS and the inception of the playoff system was purported to have three general goals: increased objectivity, increased access and increased transparency.  While I have argued since the prospect of a committee was being discussed that this vastly decreased objectivity, this is not the current point of issue, though hopefully some are beginning to see the light on this topic.  Access has certainly increased to the Championship Game as four teams will now have an opportunity as opposed to two, though access to the major bowls can be seen as more limited for teams outside the power five in the new system.  My main concern on the day of the first rankings release, however, is the third goal, transparency.

If you watched ESPN’s half hour coverage of the rankings and heard Committee Chairperson Jeff Long speak, you likely were as unsatisfied with the results as I was.  The head of the playoff committee didn’t provide any tangible information or detail, avoided most of Rece Davis’ questions and actually spoke about the wrong team on two occasions.  Hopefully with time, his on-air appearances improve, but I am more concerned with the lack of information that the woeful stage presence.  We were given no description of the committee’s voting process, no information on the importance of any of the possible metrics and no information on the particulars of the results.  In short, we put the first nine weeks of the college football season into a black box, and it spit out a list of teams ordered 1 to 25.  Transparency indeed.

After my disappointment with the telecast, I recalled how upsetting it was during the BCS era to see people rage about a systems and its lack of transparency due generally to ignorance of the available information.  I would hate to suffer the same fate to the playoff system, so I headed towards their official website.  After some searching, I did find a general description of the selection method proposed and adopted by the committee on June 20, 2012, as well as another statement by Jeff Long given as a press release along with the first rankings.  The statement is as follows:

The College Football Playoff selection committee met for the past two days and we engaged in a lively and detailed discussion about who the best teams are in college football, as of October 26.  We debated, we reviewed facts and statistics, and we used our judgment.  There are 18 one-loss teams in the FBS and the differences between many of these teams are slight.  The bottom line is it’s early, it’s close and it’s going to change. – Jeff Long

Thanks Jeff, that’s about as insightful as your ESPN appearance and it sounds to me like you’re already making excuses for the rankings.  If the committee isn’t going to put the effort into the first set of rankings that they are the last set, I would rather they not release them at all, and if they did, take ownership of your product and don’t have your spokesperson tell us it doesn’t matter if they’re wrong because they’ll change anyway.

So the press release didn’t help much. 

The selection process description actually was a bit more helpful, and I encourage everyone to read it.  It is too detailed to go into here, but it can be found on the official website under College Football Playoff Selection Committee Voting Process here.  Essentially, the format is such that everyone votes for six teams, they then take the six teams with the most votes and revote to place them in order.  The top three are ranked accordingly and the bottom three are put back into the mix.  They then repeat this process, ranking three more teams on each iteration until they have a set of 25.  The most important part of this process description, however, was the very last line.  It reads, “All votes will be by secret ballot.” Transparency indeed.

While I can understand the desire of privacy for the individual votes of each member of this committee, and let’s face it, privacy in this case is necessary to ensure the personal safety of these committee members from fans crazy enough to take matters into their own hands, I see no reason to keep the number of votes each team received private.  This information would allow us to see, much like in the AP or Coaches’ Polls, the separation between the fourth and fifth ranked teams.  Was it a tight split between Ole Miss and Oregon, or do the Ducks have some work to do?  Are the top ten teams separated by just a few votes, or is there a significant drop off somewhere?  This is the kind of data that I found disturbingly absent from the initial rankings, and unnecessarily so.

In addition to this lack of data, a recap of this process would be extremely beneficial to all the fans.  To my knowledge, this process has never been explained other than the policy being passively posted on the website.  Furthermore, this is simply the policy that was adopted over two years ago.  I have no way of knowing whether this is actually what took place over the past two days in a boardroom in Dallas.  The only ones that know that are the twelve committee members that sat around that boardroom table, and without a better explanation from Jeff Long, we’ll never really know.  Transparency indeed.

Finally, in addition to the utter lack of transparency into the new process that was demonstrated tonight, I, like many others do have concerns with the overall result.  My largest issue is that while three of the four teams placed in the top four slots are playing in the same division, and will thereby suffer additional losses, if the season ended today, this is what we would be left with.  The excuse that Jeff Long provided, and many of the talking heads repeated, that these are not the final rankings and we should therefore, not be upset by them, implies that either these rankings were not given the same scrutiny as the final rankings will, or that this committee is not looking strongly enough at conference alignments. 

The blindness to conference affiliation was actually a point of emphasis by Jeff Long in his short interview, and it is understandable given the result not only of three playoff teams in the same conference, but actually in the same division.  But while conference affiliation should not be dragging second tier teams into the final four, it should be used to diversify the playoff field.  The reason being is that these committee members are generally using statistical information as well as head to head matchups and common opponents to determine the rankings, as evidenced both by their stated metrics and by the resulting rankings.  These metrics, however, are skewed based on the limited conference cross over which occurs in college football.

Any decent college football statistical analyst will tell you that because there are 126 teams in the FBS and only 12 games in a season, the comparative stats do not truly converge to a desirable degree.  This means that because teams in a conference play other teams in their conference the majority of the time, statistics from one conference to another can hold a wide range of error associated with them.  Stats like strength of schedule, strength of record or FPI all rely on generally well connected data, which college football does not have, so comparing these stats between Oregon and Ole Miss for example, is misleading.  While the Rebels outrank the Ducks in these categories, due to the error on the stats, a clear distinction cannot truly be made.  Thus, the importance of giving a team from an unrepresented conference the benefit of the doubt where the playoff field is concerned.  If this was not the case, why wouldn’t we simply use the computer rankings from the BCS system and be done with it? 

Bottom line – irregardless of first or final rankings, don’t give me three teams from the same division and leave the highest ranked team from another power five conference on the bubble. 

And more importantly than that, if the situation does occur, let’s institute the transparency into the system to tell me how it happened, why it happened, and try to fix it for the next go around.  This is a new system that is bound to have some problems along the way, but with a transparent, open process, we can try to make it the best system yet for college football, its players and its fans.

The first ever college football playoff committee rankings were released today, and as expected, the initial standings incited drama and controversy.  While I agree with many of the pundits that there is nothing to be overly concerned with in terms of which particular teams are currently located in the top four as there is plenty of football still to be played, I do take issue with the process and the apparent priority demonstrated by these initial rankings.

The destruction of the BCS and the inception of the playoff system was purported to have three general goals: increased objectivity, increased access and increased transparency.  While I have argued since the prospect of a committee was being discussed that this vastly decreased objectivity, this is not the current point of issue, though hopefully some are beginning to see the light on this topic.  Access has certainly increased to the Championship Game as four teams will now have an opportunity as opposed to two, though access to the major bowls can be seen as more limited for teams outside the power five in the new system.  My main concern on the day of the first rankings release, however, is the third goal, transparency.

If you watched ESPN’s half hour coverage of the rankings and heard Committee Chairperson Jeff Long speak, you likely were as unsatisfied with the results as I was.  The head of the playoff committee didn’t provide any tangible information or detail, avoided most of Rece Davis’ questions and actually spoke about the wrong team on two occasions.  Hopefully with time, his on-air appearances improve, but I am more concerned with the lack of information that the woeful stage presence.  We were given no description of the committee’s voting process, no information on the importance of any of the possible metrics and no information on the particulars of the results.  In short, we put the first nine weeks of the college football season into a black box, and it spit out a list of teams ordered 1 to 25.  Transparency indeed.

After my disappointment with the telecast, I recalled how upsetting it was during the BCS era to see people rage about a systems and its lack of transparency due generally to ignorance of the available information.  I would hate to suffer the same fate to the playoff system, so I headed towards their official website.  After some searching, I did find a general description of the selection method proposed and adopted by the committee on June 20, 2012, as well as another statement by Jeff Long given as a press release along with the first rankings.  The statement is as follows:

The College Football Playoff selection committee met for the past two days and we engaged in a lively and detailed discussion about who the best teams are in college football, as of October 26.  We debated, we reviewed facts and statistics, and we used our judgment.  There are 18 one-loss teams in the FBS and the differences between many of these teams are slight.  The bottom line is it’s early, it’s close and it’s going to change. – Jeff Long

Thanks Jeff, that’s about as insightful as your ESPN appearance and it sounds to me like you’re already making excuses for the rankings.  If the committee isn’t going to put the effort into the first set of rankings that they are the last set, I would rather they not release them at all, and if they did, take ownership of your product and don’t have your spokesperson tell us it doesn’t matter if they’re wrong because they’ll change anyway.

So the press release didn’t help much. 

The selection process description actually was a bit more helpful, and I encourage everyone to read it.  It is too detailed to go into here, but it can be found on the official website under College Football Playoff Selection Committee Voting Process here.  Essentially, the format is such that everyone votes for six teams, they then take the six teams with the most votes and revote to place them in order.  The top three are ranked accordingly and the bottom three are put back into the mix.  They then repeat this process, ranking three more teams on each iteration until they have a set of 25.  The most important part of this process description, however, was the very last line.  It reads, “All votes will be by secret ballot.” Transparency indeed.

While I can understand the desire of privacy for the individual votes of each member of this committee, and let’s face it, privacy in this case is necessary to ensure the personal safety of these committee members from fans crazy enough to take matters into their own hands, I see no reason to keep the number of votes each team received private.  This information would allow us to see, much like in the AP or Coaches’ Polls, the separation between the fourth and fifth ranked teams.  Was it a tight split between Ole Miss and Oregon, or do the Ducks have some work to do?  Are the top ten teams separated by just a few votes, or is there a significant drop off somewhere?  This is the kind of data that I found disturbingly absent from the initial rankings, and unnecessarily so.

In addition to this lack of data, a recap of this process would be extremely beneficial to all the fans.  To my knowledge, this process has never been explained other than the policy being passively posted on the website.  Furthermore, this is simply the policy that was adopted over two years ago.  I have no way of knowing whether this is actually what took place over the past two days in a boardroom in Dallas.  The only ones that know that are the twelve committee members that sat around that boardroom table, and without a better explanation from Jeff Long, we’ll never really know.  Transparency indeed.

Finally, in addition to the utter lack of transparency into the new process that was demonstrated tonight, I, like many others do have concerns with the overall result.  My largest issue is that while three of the four teams placed in the top four slots are playing in the same division, and will thereby suffer additional losses, if the season ended today, this is what we would be left with.  The excuse that Jeff Long provided, and many of the talking heads repeated, that these are not the final rankings and we should therefore, not be upset by them, implies that either these rankings were not given the same scrutiny as the final rankings will, or that this committee is not looking strongly enough at conference alignments. 

The blindness to conference affiliation was actually a point of emphasis by Jeff Long in his short interview, and it is understandable given the result not only of three playoff teams in the same conference, but actually in the same division.  But while conference affiliation should not be dragging second tier teams into the final four, it should be used to diversify the playoff field.  The reason being is that these committee members are generally using statistical information as well as head to head matchups and common opponents to determine the rankings, as evidenced both by their stated metrics and by the resulting rankings.  These metrics, however, are skewed based on the limited conference cross over which occurs in college football.

Any decent college football statistical analyst will tell you that because there are 126 teams in the FBS and only 12 games in a season, the comparative stats do not truly converge to a desirable degree.  This means that because teams in a conference play other teams in their conference the majority of the time, statistics from one conference to another can hold a wide range of error associated with them.  Stats like strength of schedule, strength of record or FPI all rely on generally well connected data, which college football does not have, so comparing these stats between Oregon and Ole Miss for example, is misleading.  While the Rebels outrank the Ducks in these categories, due to the error on the stats, a clear distinction cannot truly be made.  Thus, the importance of giving a team from an unrepresented conference the benefit of the doubt where the playoff field is concerned.  If this was not the case, why wouldn’t we simply use the computer rankings from the BCS system and be done with it? 

Bottom line – irregardless of first or final rankings, don’t give me three teams from the same division and leave the highest ranked team from another power five conference on the bubble. 

And more importantly than that, if the situation does occur, let’s institute the transparency into the system to tell me how it happened, why it happened, and try to fix it for the next go around.  This is a new system that is bound to have some problems along the way, but with a transparent, open process, we can try to make it the best system yet for college football, its players and its fans.

Most leagues start playoffs around Week 13 so that means that there’s only five games left in some owner’s seasons.  That’s right, just FIVE games to make your season or break it.  Before the season, I wrote about players who might not be drafted for you to target during the season and help you navigate through bye weeks.  Of course, with the ever changing landscape of the NFL, that list needed to be updated.  Below I’ve made an updated list to include “playoff pushers” and “championship runners”.  With 16 teams to have their byes over the next three weeks, you may have to make some moves ahead of time depending on how your team has fared so far.  Many players you see here may also show up in my weekly waiver wire article, so make sure to check there for more information on them.  There will always be new names to learn.

Specified after each team is their rank against the named players position with 1st being the best and 32nd being the worst.  All rankings use ESPN standard scoring.  Owned percentages are for ESPN and Yahoo leagues respectively.

Quarterback

Carson Palmer, Cardinals (13.4%/50%): He doesn’t get to be in a category because this is more of a public service announcement.  He was injured for a few weeks and many feared he may not return or play up to a high level.  Newsflash!  He’s returned and has stayed red hot.  He has thrown multiple touchdowns in each game he’s played in (something only Peyton Manning can also say) and he hasn’t thrown for less than 250 yards in a game either.  He must be owned and in my opinion is a QB1 the rest of the way.

“Playoff Pushers”

Alex Smith, Chiefs (19.7%/42%): Smith is at the helm of the least prolific passing attack this season but that doesn’t mean he banished to the waiver wire for the whole year.  He’s had good games fantasy-wise this season against the Patriots, Dolphins and Chargers.  His legs have helped him make up some fantasy ground as well.  His schedule over the next five weeks sees the Jets (31st), Bills (13th), Seahawks (23rd), Raiders (19th), and Broncos (24th).  The easy passing schedule combined with Smith’s running ability could be just what your team needs to get into the playoffs.

Mike Glennon, Buccaneers (0.4%/7%): In the next five weeks, Glennon sees green lights in almost every matchup.  He has a slightly tougher matchup against the Browns (13th) but after that he gets smooth sailing from the Falcons (18th), Redskins (31st), Bears (21st) and Bengals (25th).  He still has monster receivers Vincent Jackson and Mike Evans as well as tight end Austin Seferian-Jenkins.  Things change if Vincent Jackson ends up getting traded but even so, Evans and Seferian-Jenkins as well as dark-horse Louis Murphy should keep this passing attack afloat.

“Championship Runners”

Austin Davis, Rams (4.9%/13%): Starting in Week 13 Davis plays the Raiders (19th), Redskins (31st), Cardinals (19th), and Giants (15th).  If your championship is Week 16, when Davis plays the Giants, hopefully you have a better option than him to get you through that big game.  Other than that matchup, he sees generally favorable matchups throughout the fantasy playoffs.  He did just lose Brian Quick, so we will have to see how he adjusts moving forward before making a concrete decision but you can pencil him in for now if you’d like.

Brian Hoyer, Browns (10.3%/10%): I know what you’re thinking - a Browns QB leading me to a championship?  Wasn’t Brian Hoyer just about benched against the Jags?  Yes but there is a missing part to the equation that won’t be active until Week 12.  The Browns not-so-secret weapon and playmaking monster Josh Gordon will be returning to the field.  Hoyer has been efficient this year except for his one dud against Jacksonville.  If he clicks again with Gordon, Hoyer could be a sneaky stud.  Their schedule isn’t very friendly but as we saw last year - with Josh Gordon catching balls, it doesn’t matter.

Running Backs

“Playoff Pushers”

James Starks, Packers (48.5%/14%): This one really pains me as a Lacy owner (a keeper too!).  What most haven’t noticed, or haven’t wanted to come to terms with yet, is that Lacy and Starks are a committee.  Before Sunday night, Starks had carried the ball 27 times to Lacy’s 39 carries over the previous three weeks.  That comes to about a 60/40 split in favor of Lacy.  Sunday was a different story against the Saints as Lacy had a monster night.  After they go on bye this week, the Packers schedule brings the Bears (12th), Eagles (17th), Vikings (27th), and the Patriots (25th) for Week 13.  And if you’re lucky enough to make the playoffs, he has a great matchup against the Falcons (32nd) in Week 14 and the Buccaneers (29th) in Week 16.  It will really depend on how much Lacy can get done before ineffectiveness or the score dictates otherwise.

Isaiah Crowell (31.1%/30%)/Terrance West, Browns (59.3%/23%): Even behind Ben Tate, Crowell has produced good games as well as some duds.  Terrance West has had some good fantasy games as well.  The schedule brings an easy road to the fantasy playoffs though and that’s what owners should want to hear.  Starting in Week 9, the Browns play the Buccaneers (29th), Bengals (20th), Texans (21st), Falcons (32nd) and the Bills (2nd) in Week 13.  If Tate gets hurt again or if one of these players supplants the other for RB2 duties, that player would be a good bet in most of their matchups heading into the playoffs.

“Championship Runners”

Jonathan Stewart, Panthers (24.2%/36%): This is going to be hard to peg who will be starting each week because of injury history but the Panthers have the most favorable schedule from Week 13 beyond by far.  And Stewart looked pretty good Sunday against the Seahawks, earning a season-high 19 total touches.  They play the Vikings (27th), Saints (23rd), Buccaneers (29th), Browns (28th) and if your league includes Week 17, the Falcons (32nd).  There simply is no more of a green lit schedule than that.  Unfortunately it is tied to one of the most muddled and oft-injured backfields in the game but as we get closer, it will hopefully be easier to see who will be in charge here.

Roy Helu Jr, Redskins (33.6%/13%): He will really only be used as a starter for you in PPR leagues, but he’s good to own in case of injury as well.  The Redskins face a favorable few teams starting in Week 13 with the Colts (19th), Rams (5th), Giants (26th), Eagles (17th) and the Cowboys (7th) in Week 17 if your league goes that far.  He’s on pace for 46 receptions and 875 total yards.  That’s not too shabby for a backup.  If the Redskins fall more and more out of contention, Helu could be relied upon more to make sure that at least Alfred Morris is healthy for next year.  They need a solid running game behind the uncertainty of quarterback.

Bobby Rainey (9.2%/24%)/Charles Sims, Buccaneers (0.2%/6%): This backfield may take a few weeks to figure itself out but whoever the Bucs decide to ride has some advantageous matchups for owners to exploit.  The Bucs see a couple easy run defenses before the fantasy playoffs start and a few during the playoffs.  Their remaining schedule includes the Browns (28th), Falcons (32nd), Redskins (4th), Bears (12th), Bengals (20th), Lions (10th), Panthers (31st), Packers (18th) and the Saints (23rd) in the final week of the season.  Depending on if the Bucs turn to backup Bobby Rainey or see what they have in Charles Sims, whoever it is could provide you with a great flex play or RB2 in certain weeks until we know more.

Wide Receivers

“Playoff Pushers”

Mohamed Sanu, Bengals (63.1%/79%): First things first, Sanu needs to be owned in all leagues ASAP.  Sanu’s value will be held tightly to A.J. Green but not as tightly as some may think.  Actually, he may do even better if A.J. Green could return so Sanu could draw the second cornerback of the opposing team.  He’s played up and down as the No. 1 in the Bengals attack but they have a pretty nice schedule coming up to fantasy playoff time.  Starting in Week 9, he will see the Jaguars (21st), Browns (17th), Saints (31st), Texans (27th) and the Buccaneers (32nd) in Week 13.  Sanu will probably still be up and down as a No. 1, but should have better consistency if A.J. Green can draw the opposing team’s top corner.  Otherwise, when he is No. 1, he has a high ceiling each week.

Louis Murphy, Buccaneers (0.3%/3%): Murphy may be third on the depth chart but he’s making his opportunities count.  He had back to back touchdowns in weeks five and six leading into the Bucs bye.  The upcoming Bucs schedule has matchups with the Browns (17th), Falcons (19th), Redskins (22nd), Bears (16th), and Bengals (6th) for Week 13.  He saw 27 targets in three games before the bye before only ending with two Sunday.  With growing speculation that Vincent Jackson could be traded before the deadline tomorrow, the opportunity is there if you need him.

Jerricho Cotchery, Panthers (1.6%/5%): He’s been unpredictable, I’ll grant that, and he’s not a consistent starter but the Panthers schedule is undeniably juicy.  He’s third on the team in targets and they have been increasing as the season goes on.  He hasn’t scored yet but has been targeted 18 times in the last two weeks so the opportunity is there as a safety valve for Cam Newton.  His schedule starting in Week 9 includes the Saints (31st), Eagles (25th), Falcons (19th) before going on bye Week 12.  Cotchery is a high risk/high reward desperation play.  If you own Calvin Johnson or AJ Green, you might just be that desperate and you can’t find more favorable matchups.

“Championship Runners”

Allen Robinson, Jaguars (3.8%/23%): So far in Blake Bortles tenure, Robinson leads the Jaguars in targets with an average of nine per game and is not seeing less than seven in any given game.  He should continue to be a high volume target as Bortles settles the rest of the year.  His schedule starting in Week 13 includes meetings with the Giants (10th), Texans (27th), Ravens (26th), Titans (18th), and the Texans again in Week 17.  The playoffs are all green lights for Robinson and he has now scored in back-to-back weeks.

Kenny Stills (3.8%/12%)/Brandin Cooks, Saints (48.4%/84%):  If I had to choose one of these guys I would probably choose Cooks given his targets but it seems Stills is still in the picture.  Either way, if you really need receiver depth for your championship run, one of these Saints is a good bet.  Their schedule starting Week 13 has them playing the Steelers (7th), Panthers (30th), Bears (16th), Falcons (19th) and Buccaneers (32nd) in Week 17.  Both are big play, boom or bust type players but Cooks gets the edge in consistency with the amount of targets he sees.

Jerricho Cotchery, Panthers (1.6%/5%): Did you believe me that the Panthers schedule the whole rest of the way was easy?  Coming out of the Week 12 bye, the Panthers have matchups with the Vikings (15th), the Saints (31st), Buccaneers (32nd), Browns (17th), and the Falcons (19th) in Week 17 for those with playoffs that go to the end.  See?  Feel free to grab him at any point you need him, the matchup will most likely be a green light.

Tight Ends

“Playoff Pushers”

Clay Harbor, Jaguars (0.3%/7%): Harbor will only be useful for a few more weeks until Marcedes Lewis returns from injury.  When Lewis returns, Harbor should return to the bench.  The Jaguars have a favorable schedule going into Week 12 when Lewis should return.  They see the two worst tight end defending teams in the Bengals (32nd) and the Cowboys (31st) before heading out on their bye in Week 11.  Week 12, the Jaguars will matchup with the Colts (22nd), so if Lewis isn’t a full go yet, Harbor could still have another week of relevance.

Jace Amaro, Jets (2.4%/5%): Over the past three weeks, he has been targeted 22 times and even through the turmoil at quarterback, he seems to have carved out a role in the offense.  This is good for fantasy owners facing a tight end group that looks the same past the first few studs.  Amaro should still command targets and with plenty of opportunity, he should produce.  The Jets upcoming schedule has them facing the Chiefs (22nd) and Steelers (24th) before taking a week off.  Once rested they come back to matchups with the Bills (13th) and Dolphins (18th).

“Championship Runners”

Marcedes Lewis, Jaguars (0.2%/1%): Marcedes Lewis was felled by a high ankle sprain in Week 2 that will hold him out until Week 12.  From ownership numbers, he seems like all but forgotten.  Through the first two games of 2014, he caught 8-of-12 for 106 yards and a touchdown.  Fantasy owners need to be reminded of his stretch last year when he reeled in 16 balls for 242 yards and scored in all but one game from Week 13 until the end of the year.  He can do it again with the schedule the Jaguars have after his Week 12 return.  They face the Colts (23rd), Giants (21st), Texans (7th), Ravens (3rd), Titans (27th), and Texans again in Week 17.  There are some speed bumps but you might not be able to find a better option for your championship run than a fresh Marcedes Lewis.

Jared Cook, Rams (14.2%/32%): Leading Rams receiver Brian Quick dislocated his shoulder Sunday and is likely out for the rest of the year with a torn rotator cuff.  The Rams will need another pass catcher to step up and fill the void.  Jared Cook actually leads all Rams in targets with 48 and receptions with 27.  He should get more targets with Quick now out.  The Rams schedule starting in Week 13 has them against the Raiders (15th), Redskins (17th), Cardinals (26th), Giants (21st), and in Week 17, the Seahawks (30th).  There are some great matchups here that Cook can exploit.

Coby Fleener, Colts (13.6%/31%): Despite splitting duties with Dwayne Allen, Fleener has still seen a decent amount of targets.  He’s seen 34 to Allen’s 35 but hasn’t scored nearly as much.  The Colts have a rather soft schedule for tight ends entering the fantasy playoffs and certain games during the playoffs.  Starting in Week 12, they will play the Jaguars (27th), Redskins (17th), Browns (12th), Texans (7th), Cowboys (31st) and the Titans (27th) in Week 17.  There are good and bad matchups for him but if you’re streaming at tight end, Fleener isn’t a terrible option.

Defenses/ST

“Playoff Pushers”

Colts D/ST (16.2%/64%): Yes, they were trounced Sunday by Ben Roethlisberger and the Steelers but that won’t happen every week.  This unit had a rough start to the season but had since played at a high level.  They have a very inviting schedule to finish the season that makes this defense a must own.  They play the Giants (20th) before their bye week and return to face the Patriots (12th), Jaguars (32nd), and Redskins (26th) in Week 13.  Other than a resurging Tom Brady, this defense has a high chance of success leading you to the playoffs.

Chiefs D/ST (81.5%/59%): The Chiefs are probably owned in your league as their owned in over 80% of ESPN leagues but only 59% of Yahoo leagues.  Still, they must be listed here because of their soft schedule over the next few weeks.  Starting in Week 9, they play the Jets (27th), Bills (28th), Seahawks (10th) and Raiders (25th) before a Week 13 with Peyton Manning.  By that point, you should either be in the playoffs or out of it.  If you’re still in contention, I would advise picking another defense as the Chiefs see four top-10 offenses in the fantasy playoffs.

Chargers D/ST (58.1%/28%): They are okay to pick up after most people dropped them in a matchup with Peyton Manning.  They do have a bye Week 10 but if you can roster two defenses for a week or are streaming defenses, this unit is very appealing.  The upcoming schedule for the Chargers is the Dolphins (24th) before their bye, followed by the Raiders (25th), and the Rams (30th) in Week 12.  If you can grab them, this should be a solid group to bring you to the playoffs due to their soft schedule.

“Championship Runners”

Vikings D/ST (9.3%/18%): Here’s a fun fact for you: The Vikings defense has yet to score negative points in standard ESPN scoring leagues.  That is something only eight defenses can boast this year.  The other teams yet to put up negative points in standard scoring leagues are the Ravens, Cowboys, Broncos, Lions, Chiefs, Jets, and Steelers.  The Vikings are also tied for second in the NFL in sacks this season.  For a group that hasn’t been talked about much, if at all, they have a great schedule during the fantasy playoffs.  Starting in Week 13, they play the Panthers (14th), Jets (27th), Lions (19th), Dolphins (24th), and Bears (20th).  If Calvin Johnson is playing, the Lions pose the toughest matchup unless your playoffs stretch to a Week 17 matchup against Brandon Marshall, Alshon Jeffery and Matt Forte.

Giants D/ST (3.5%/6%): The Giants are another unit that is not owned in many leagues but have been playing well.  The front seven of the Giants has always been their strength, but this year the success of the unit comes from their pass defense.  Currently, they are second in the league with 11 picks and tied for first in passes deflected with 52.  Their schedule starting in Week 13 is the Jaguars (32nd), Titans (23rd), Redskins (26th), and Rams (30th) in Week 16.  They will be playing against mostly inexperienced quarterbacks and that means more good things for their secondary.

Titans D/ST (8.9%/10%): This group is pretty erratic but they have been able to get a turnover in every game they’ve played except for one.  The schedule they have over the next few weeks will be very tough so I would stay away from this group until the time is right.  If they stay healthy and nothing catastrophic happens, they should be in fine shape to carry you through your playoffs.  Starting in Week 13, they face the Texans (18th), Giants (20th), Jets (27th), and Jaguars (32nd) in Week 16.  Hopefully your playoffs end there because they play the Colts (2nd) in Week 17 and that won’t be an easy matchup.

Kickers

Kickers are still a shot (or kick?) in the dark.  Even as late as this week, only a few have separated themselves from the group.  It’s much harder to put kickers into categories based on schedule because a kicker doesn’t really play against a specific position like the everyone else in this article.  Instead, I will highlight kickers that I believe are under-owned and that you will be thankful you had at the end of the season.

Shaun Suisham, Steelers (25.1%/45%): The Steelers can seriously move the ball.  They have the weapons and rarely don’t push into field goal range.  Suisham should enjoy plenty of opportunity in the second half of the season.

Chandler Catanzaro, Cardinals (19.4%/42%): The rookie kicker hasn’t missed yet and with Carson Palmer back at the helm of the Cardinals offense, Catanzaro should have more opportunities to keep kicking.  He was the sixth best kicker in standard scoring leagues leading into this past weekend.

Cody Parkey, Eagles (33.8%/50%): He is another rookie and is kicking for a high powered offense.  In standard leagues, he’s only finished with less than 10 points only once this season.  He’s hit two from beyond 50 so far showing he has the leg to keep it going.

Dan Carpenter, Bills (12.8%/58%): The Bills have struggled to put the ball in the endzone sometimes this year and that has led to Carpenter kicking the second most field goes from within 40 yards in the league.  As Kyle Orton isn’t exactly the best quarterback, look for the offense to keep getting almost there and keeping Carpenter in the conversation to score points.

This information will undoubtedly change and I will do my best to keep you up to date for who to snag off the waiver wire as the playoffs get closer.  Make sure to check the weekly waiver wire targets to get the most up to date information.  Good luck pursuing the playoffs!

Most leagues start playoffs around Week 13 so that means that there’s only five games left in some owner’s seasons.  That’s right, just FIVE games to make your season or break it.  Before the season, I wrote about players who might not be drafted for you to target during the season and help you navigate through bye weeks.  Of course, with the ever changing landscape of the NFL, that list needed to be updated.  Below I’ve made an updated list to include “playoff pushers” and “championship runners”.  With 16 teams to have their byes over the next three weeks, you may have to make some moves ahead of time depending on how your team has fared so far.  Many players you see here may also show up in my weekly waiver wire article, so make sure to check there for more information on them.  There will always be new names to learn.

Specified after each team is their rank against the named players position with 1st being the best and 32nd being the worst.  All rankings use ESPN standard scoring.  Owned percentages are for ESPN and Yahoo leagues respectively.

Quarterback

Carson Palmer, Cardinals (13.4%/50%): He doesn’t get to be in a category because this is more of a public service announcement.  He was injured for a few weeks and many feared he may not return or play up to a high level.  Newsflash!  He’s returned and has stayed red hot.  He has thrown multiple touchdowns in each game he’s played in (something only Peyton Manning can also say) and he hasn’t thrown for less than 250 yards in a game either.  He must be owned and in my opinion is a QB1 the rest of the way.

“Playoff Pushers”

Alex Smith, Chiefs (19.7%/42%): Smith is at the helm of the least prolific passing attack this season but that doesn’t mean he banished to the waiver wire for the whole year.  He’s had good games fantasy-wise this season against the Patriots, Dolphins and Chargers.  His legs have helped him make up some fantasy ground as well.  His schedule over the next five weeks sees the Jets (31st), Bills (13th), Seahawks (23rd), Raiders (19th), and Broncos (24th).  The easy passing schedule combined with Smith’s running ability could be just what your team needs to get into the playoffs.

Mike Glennon, Buccaneers (0.4%/7%): In the next five weeks, Glennon sees green lights in almost every matchup.  He has a slightly tougher matchup against the Browns (13th) but after that he gets smooth sailing from the Falcons (18th), Redskins (31st), Bears (21st) and Bengals (25th).  He still has monster receivers Vincent Jackson and Mike Evans as well as tight end Austin Seferian-Jenkins.  Things change if Vincent Jackson ends up getting traded but even so, Evans and Seferian-Jenkins as well as dark-horse Louis Murphy should keep this passing attack afloat.

“Championship Runners”

Austin Davis, Rams (4.9%/13%): Starting in Week 13 Davis plays the Raiders (19th), Redskins (31st), Cardinals (19th), and Giants (15th).  If your championship is Week 16, when Davis plays the Giants, hopefully you have a better option than him to get you through that big game.  Other than that matchup, he sees generally favorable matchups throughout the fantasy playoffs.  He did just lose Brian Quick, so we will have to see how he adjusts moving forward before making a concrete decision but you can pencil him in for now if you’d like.

Brian Hoyer, Browns (10.3%/10%): I know what you’re thinking - a Browns QB leading me to a championship?  Wasn’t Brian Hoyer just about benched against the Jags?  Yes but there is a missing part to the equation that won’t be active until Week 12.  The Browns not-so-secret weapon and playmaking monster Josh Gordon will be returning to the field.  Hoyer has been efficient this year except for his one dud against Jacksonville.  If he clicks again with Gordon, Hoyer could be a sneaky stud.  Their schedule isn’t very friendly but as we saw last year - with Josh Gordon catching balls, it doesn’t matter.

Running Backs

“Playoff Pushers”

James Starks, Packers (48.5%/14%): This one really pains me as a Lacy owner (a keeper too!).  What most haven’t noticed, or haven’t wanted to come to terms with yet, is that Lacy and Starks are a committee.  Before Sunday night, Starks had carried the ball 27 times to Lacy’s 39 carries over the previous three weeks.  That comes to about a 60/40 split in favor of Lacy.  Sunday was a different story against the Saints as Lacy had a monster night.  After they go on bye this week, the Packers schedule brings the Bears (12th), Eagles (17th), Vikings (27th), and the Patriots (25th) for Week 13.  And if you’re lucky enough to make the playoffs, he has a great matchup against the Falcons (32nd) in Week 14 and the Buccaneers (29th) in Week 16.  It will really depend on how much Lacy can get done before ineffectiveness or the score dictates otherwise.

Isaiah Crowell (31.1%/30%)/Terrance West, Browns (59.3%/23%): Even behind Ben Tate, Crowell has produced good games as well as some duds.  Terrance West has had some good fantasy games as well.  The schedule brings an easy road to the fantasy playoffs though and that’s what owners should want to hear.  Starting in Week 9, the Browns play the Buccaneers (29th), Bengals (20th), Texans (21st), Falcons (32nd) and the Bills (2nd) in Week 13.  If Tate gets hurt again or if one of these players supplants the other for RB2 duties, that player would be a good bet in most of their matchups heading into the playoffs.

“Championship Runners”

Jonathan Stewart, Panthers (24.2%/36%): This is going to be hard to peg who will be starting each week because of injury history but the Panthers have the most favorable schedule from Week 13 beyond by far.  And Stewart looked pretty good Sunday against the Seahawks, earning a season-high 19 total touches.  They play the Vikings (27th), Saints (23rd), Buccaneers (29th), Browns (28th) and if your league includes Week 17, the Falcons (32nd).  There simply is no more of a green lit schedule than that.  Unfortunately it is tied to one of the most muddled and oft-injured backfields in the game but as we get closer, it will hopefully be easier to see who will be in charge here.

Roy Helu Jr, Redskins (33.6%/13%): He will really only be used as a starter for you in PPR leagues, but he’s good to own in case of injury as well.  The Redskins face a favorable few teams starting in Week 13 with the Colts (19th), Rams (5th), Giants (26th), Eagles (17th) and the Cowboys (7th) in Week 17 if your league goes that far.  He’s on pace for 46 receptions and 875 total yards.  That’s not too shabby for a backup.  If the Redskins fall more and more out of contention, Helu could be relied upon more to make sure that at least Alfred Morris is healthy for next year.  They need a solid running game behind the uncertainty of quarterback.

Bobby Rainey (9.2%/24%)/Charles Sims, Buccaneers (0.2%/6%): This backfield may take a few weeks to figure itself out but whoever the Bucs decide to ride has some advantageous matchups for owners to exploit.  The Bucs see a couple easy run defenses before the fantasy playoffs start and a few during the playoffs.  Their remaining schedule includes the Browns (28th), Falcons (32nd), Redskins (4th), Bears (12th), Bengals (20th), Lions (10th), Panthers (31st), Packers (18th) and the Saints (23rd) in the final week of the season.  Depending on if the Bucs turn to backup Bobby Rainey or see what they have in Charles Sims, whoever it is could provide you with a great flex play or RB2 in certain weeks until we know more.

Wide Receivers

“Playoff Pushers”

Mohamed Sanu, Bengals (63.1%/79%): First things first, Sanu needs to be owned in all leagues ASAP.  Sanu’s value will be held tightly to A.J. Green but not as tightly as some may think.  Actually, he may do even better if A.J. Green could return so Sanu could draw the second cornerback of the opposing team.  He’s played up and down as the No. 1 in the Bengals attack but they have a pretty nice schedule coming up to fantasy playoff time.  Starting in Week 9, he will see the Jaguars (21st), Browns (17th), Saints (31st), Texans (27th) and the Buccaneers (32nd) in Week 13.  Sanu will probably still be up and down as a No. 1, but should have better consistency if A.J. Green can draw the opposing team’s top corner.  Otherwise, when he is No. 1, he has a high ceiling each week.

Louis Murphy, Buccaneers (0.3%/3%): Murphy may be third on the depth chart but he’s making his opportunities count.  He had back to back touchdowns in weeks five and six leading into the Bucs bye.  The upcoming Bucs schedule has matchups with the Browns (17th), Falcons (19th), Redskins (22nd), Bears (16th), and Bengals (6th) for Week 13.  He saw 27 targets in three games before the bye before only ending with two Sunday.  With growing speculation that Vincent Jackson could be traded before the deadline tomorrow, the opportunity is there if you need him.

Jerricho Cotchery, Panthers (1.6%/5%): He’s been unpredictable, I’ll grant that, and he’s not a consistent starter but the Panthers schedule is undeniably juicy.  He’s third on the team in targets and they have been increasing as the season goes on.  He hasn’t scored yet but has been targeted 18 times in the last two weeks so the opportunity is there as a safety valve for Cam Newton.  His schedule starting in Week 9 includes the Saints (31st), Eagles (25th), Falcons (19th) before going on bye Week 12.  Cotchery is a high risk/high reward desperation play.  If you own Calvin Johnson or AJ Green, you might just be that desperate and you can’t find more favorable matchups.

“Championship Runners”

Allen Robinson, Jaguars (3.8%/23%): So far in Blake Bortles tenure, Robinson leads the Jaguars in targets with an average of nine per game and is not seeing less than seven in any given game.  He should continue to be a high volume target as Bortles settles the rest of the year.  His schedule starting in Week 13 includes meetings with the Giants (10th), Texans (27th), Ravens (26th), Titans (18th), and the Texans again in Week 17.  The playoffs are all green lights for Robinson and he has now scored in back-to-back weeks.

Kenny Stills (3.8%/12%)/Brandin Cooks, Saints (48.4%/84%):  If I had to choose one of these guys I would probably choose Cooks given his targets but it seems Stills is still in the picture.  Either way, if you really need receiver depth for your championship run, one of these Saints is a good bet.  Their schedule starting Week 13 has them playing the Steelers (7th), Panthers (30th), Bears (16th), Falcons (19th) and Buccaneers (32nd) in Week 17.  Both are big play, boom or bust type players but Cooks gets the edge in consistency with the amount of targets he sees.

Jerricho Cotchery, Panthers (1.6%/5%): Did you believe me that the Panthers schedule the whole rest of the way was easy?  Coming out of the Week 12 bye, the Panthers have matchups with the Vikings (15th), the Saints (31st), Buccaneers (32nd), Browns (17th), and the Falcons (19th) in Week 17 for those with playoffs that go to the end.  See?  Feel free to grab him at any point you need him, the matchup will most likely be a green light.

Tight Ends

“Playoff Pushers”

Clay Harbor, Jaguars (0.3%/7%): Harbor will only be useful for a few more weeks until Marcedes Lewis returns from injury.  When Lewis returns, Harbor should return to the bench.  The Jaguars have a favorable schedule going into Week 12 when Lewis should return.  They see the two worst tight end defending teams in the Bengals (32nd) and the Cowboys (31st) before heading out on their bye in Week 11.  Week 12, the Jaguars will matchup with the Colts (22nd), so if Lewis isn’t a full go yet, Harbor could still have another week of relevance.

Jace Amaro, Jets (2.4%/5%): Over the past three weeks, he has been targeted 22 times and even through the turmoil at quarterback, he seems to have carved out a role in the offense.  This is good for fantasy owners facing a tight end group that looks the same past the first few studs.  Amaro should still command targets and with plenty of opportunity, he should produce.  The Jets upcoming schedule has them facing the Chiefs (22nd) and Steelers (24th) before taking a week off.  Once rested they come back to matchups with the Bills (13th) and Dolphins (18th).

“Championship Runners”

Marcedes Lewis, Jaguars (0.2%/1%): Marcedes Lewis was felled by a high ankle sprain in Week 2 that will hold him out until Week 12.  From ownership numbers, he seems like all but forgotten.  Through the first two games of 2014, he caught 8-of-12 for 106 yards and a touchdown.  Fantasy owners need to be reminded of his stretch last year when he reeled in 16 balls for 242 yards and scored in all but one game from Week 13 until the end of the year.  He can do it again with the schedule the Jaguars have after his Week 12 return.  They face the Colts (23rd), Giants (21st), Texans (7th), Ravens (3rd), Titans (27th), and Texans again in Week 17.  There are some speed bumps but you might not be able to find a better option for your championship run than a fresh Marcedes Lewis.

Jared Cook, Rams (14.2%/32%): Leading Rams receiver Brian Quick dislocated his shoulder Sunday and is likely out for the rest of the year with a torn rotator cuff.  The Rams will need another pass catcher to step up and fill the void.  Jared Cook actually leads all Rams in targets with 48 and receptions with 27.  He should get more targets with Quick now out.  The Rams schedule starting in Week 13 has them against the Raiders (15th), Redskins (17th), Cardinals (26th), Giants (21st), and in Week 17, the Seahawks (30th).  There are some great matchups here that Cook can exploit.

Coby Fleener, Colts (13.6%/31%): Despite splitting duties with Dwayne Allen, Fleener has still seen a decent amount of targets.  He’s seen 34 to Allen’s 35 but hasn’t scored nearly as much.  The Colts have a rather soft schedule for tight ends entering the fantasy playoffs and certain games during the playoffs.  Starting in Week 12, they will play the Jaguars (27th), Redskins (17th), Browns (12th), Texans (7th), Cowboys (31st) and the Titans (27th) in Week 17.  There are good and bad matchups for him but if you’re streaming at tight end, Fleener isn’t a terrible option.

Defenses/ST

“Playoff Pushers”

Colts D/ST (16.2%/64%): Yes, they were trounced Sunday by Ben Roethlisberger and the Steelers but that won’t happen every week.  This unit had a rough start to the season but had since played at a high level.  They have a very inviting schedule to finish the season that makes this defense a must own.  They play the Giants (20th) before their bye week and return to face the Patriots (12th), Jaguars (32nd), and Redskins (26th) in Week 13.  Other than a resurging Tom Brady, this defense has a high chance of success leading you to the playoffs.

Chiefs D/ST (81.5%/59%): The Chiefs are probably owned in your league as their owned in over 80% of ESPN leagues but only 59% of Yahoo leagues.  Still, they must be listed here because of their soft schedule over the next few weeks.  Starting in Week 9, they play the Jets (27th), Bills (28th), Seahawks (10th) and Raiders (25th) before a Week 13 with Peyton Manning.  By that point, you should either be in the playoffs or out of it.  If you’re still in contention, I would advise picking another defense as the Chiefs see four top-10 offenses in the fantasy playoffs.

Chargers D/ST (58.1%/28%): They are okay to pick up after most people dropped them in a matchup with Peyton Manning.  They do have a bye Week 10 but if you can roster two defenses for a week or are streaming defenses, this unit is very appealing.  The upcoming schedule for the Chargers is the Dolphins (24th) before their bye, followed by the Raiders (25th), and the Rams (30th) in Week 12.  If you can grab them, this should be a solid group to bring you to the playoffs due to their soft schedule.

“Championship Runners”

Vikings D/ST (9.3%/18%): Here’s a fun fact for you: The Vikings defense has yet to score negative points in standard ESPN scoring leagues.  That is something only eight defenses can boast this year.  The other teams yet to put up negative points in standard scoring leagues are the Ravens, Cowboys, Broncos, Lions, Chiefs, Jets, and Steelers.  The Vikings are also tied for second in the NFL in sacks this season.  For a group that hasn’t been talked about much, if at all, they have a great schedule during the fantasy playoffs.  Starting in Week 13, they play the Panthers (14th), Jets (27th), Lions (19th), Dolphins (24th), and Bears (20th).  If Calvin Johnson is playing, the Lions pose the toughest matchup unless your playoffs stretch to a Week 17 matchup against Brandon Marshall, Alshon Jeffery and Matt Forte.

Giants D/ST (3.5%/6%): The Giants are another unit that is not owned in many leagues but have been playing well.  The front seven of the Giants has always been their strength, but this year the success of the unit comes from their pass defense.  Currently, they are second in the league with 11 picks and tied for first in passes deflected with 52.  Their schedule starting in Week 13 is the Jaguars (32nd), Titans (23rd), Redskins (26th), and Rams (30th) in Week 16.  They will be playing against mostly inexperienced quarterbacks and that means more good things for their secondary.

Titans D/ST (8.9%/10%): This group is pretty erratic but they have been able to get a turnover in every game they’ve played except for one.  The schedule they have over the next few weeks will be very tough so I would stay away from this group until the time is right.  If they stay healthy and nothing catastrophic happens, they should be in fine shape to carry you through your playoffs.  Starting in Week 13, they face the Texans (18th), Giants (20th), Jets (27th), and Jaguars (32nd) in Week 16.  Hopefully your playoffs end there because they play the Colts (2nd) in Week 17 and that won’t be an easy matchup.

Kickers

Kickers are still a shot (or kick?) in the dark.  Even as late as this week, only a few have separated themselves from the group.  It’s much harder to put kickers into categories based on schedule because a kicker doesn’t really play against a specific position like the everyone else in this article.  Instead, I will highlight kickers that I believe are under-owned and that you will be thankful you had at the end of the season.

Shaun Suisham, Steelers (25.1%/45%): The Steelers can seriously move the ball.  They have the weapons and rarely don’t push into field goal range.  Suisham should enjoy plenty of opportunity in the second half of the season.

Chandler Catanzaro, Cardinals (19.4%/42%): The rookie kicker hasn’t missed yet and with Carson Palmer back at the helm of the Cardinals offense, Catanzaro should have more opportunities to keep kicking.  He was the sixth best kicker in standard scoring leagues leading into this past weekend.

Cody Parkey, Eagles (33.8%/50%): He is another rookie and is kicking for a high powered offense.  In standard leagues, he’s only finished with less than 10 points only once this season.  He’s hit two from beyond 50 so far showing he has the leg to keep it going.

Dan Carpenter, Bills (12.8%/58%): The Bills have struggled to put the ball in the endzone sometimes this year and that has led to Carpenter kicking the second most field goes from within 40 yards in the league.  As Kyle Orton isn’t exactly the best quarterback, look for the offense to keep getting almost there and keeping Carpenter in the conversation to score points.

This information will undoubtedly change and I will do my best to keep you up to date for who to snag off the waiver wire as the playoffs get closer.  Make sure to check the weekly waiver wire targets to get the most up to date information.  Good luck pursuing the playoffs!