Schutz » ame, and when Knight took the field on the Sooners fir

Each week, TSN.ca Fantasy Editor Scott Cullen and NFL Editors Ben Fisher and Mike Hetherington discuss three hot fantasy football topics. After a full week of Tom Brady demise predictions, he put up QB1 numbers against a good Bengals defence. Where ultimately should Brady be ranked? Cullen: Im still reluctant to consider Brady a QB1, which is problematic since I have him anchoring one of my teams. It takes more than one game to get over four pedestrian performances to start the season. That doesnt mean I dont have hope. If TE Tim Wright is ready to take on a bigger role, that could help the Patriots passing game and the supporting cast is okay, but if Brady is going to be a viable Top 10 quarterback, hell have to get better protection from an offensive line that has struggled to this point in the season. Fisher: Ia€?m not so sure Brady is a couple weeks away from getting benched for Jimmy Garappolo like some are suggesting, but he certainly should be riding pine on your fantasy team. I thought Brady entered the year as just a low-end QB1 and despite his strong Week 5, still remains firmly entrenched as a QB2 at best now. There are too many rock-solid QBs to waste your starting spot on one as inconsistent as Brady this year. Even if he does recapture his game a little in the coming weeks, he has a long ways to go to catch the guys in the top 10: about 50 more yards and an extra touchdown each week. Hetherington: Tom Brady is still a top NFL quarterback, we can end that debate now. However, the Patriots offence remains a balanced attack and Brady has yet to throw for 300 yards in a game this season. The three-time Super Bowl Champion should rank as a low-end QB1 or top-tier QB2 in fantasy this season. Brady and the Patriots lack the weapons on the perimeter of an explosive offence, which ultimately limits his fantasy value. Does Calvin Johnsona€?s injury risk eliminate him from the top fantasy WR conversation moving forward? Cullen: It doesnt eliminate Johnson completely, but the way this injury is lingering, sabotaging his last two weeks (three catches, 19 yards, total) and raising the possibility of Megatron sitting out this weeks game against Minnesota, it does open the door for others to take the crown from Johnson. Jordy Nelson, Julio Jones and Dez Bryant are all viable contenders when Johnson is knocked out by injury. Fisher: A fully healthy Calvin Johnson is probably still the best receiver in the league a€“ remember his Week 1 performance? a€“ but I dona€?t think that player exists anymore. Johnsona€?s current ankle troubles are the latest in a long list of nicks and dings, or worse, that have plagued Megatron the past couple seasons. This current injury seems more serious and Johnson could miss time. That might be the best thing for him right now because at 100% healthy and rested hea€?s unstoppable, but he seems to play a lot more games at 75-80% healthy these days. Still good enough for WR1 numbers, but his days as No. 1 may be a couple injuries ago. Hetherington: Johnson has been featured on the injury report throughout his career and has always played through with little trouble. Yet, this ankle injury appears to be different and how the Lions treat it will determine whether Megatron remains at the top. If the star is given a week to recover and come back 100 per cent, he could keep his crown at the top of the WR rankings. Oppositely, if the Lions continue to run Johnson on his bum ankle, his season could be lost. Considering health, Antonio Bryant and Jordy Nelson appear to be the most reliable top wide receivers in fantasy this year. Has Greg Olsen finally ascended to the top tier of game-changing fantasy tight ends? Cullen: It depends on how big you want to make the top tier of tight ends. For me, the real top tier is Jimmy Graham, Julius Thomas and, possibly, a healthy Rob Gronkowski. Other guys who are moving up -- Delanie Walker, Martellus Bennett, Larry Donnell -- arent at that level and its still easier to slide Olsen alongside that group rather than place him with the very best at the position. Thats good enough to easily be a TE1, but still shy of, say, a top three ranking at the position. Fisher: There may only be three consensus game-changing fantasy TEs a€“ Jimmy Graham, Julius Thomas, and Rob Gronkowski (health permitting) a€“ but to me Olsen has earned the title of a€?best of the rest.a€? As Cam Newtona€?s second favourite target in Carolina, and one of only two legitimate targets for the Panthers alongside Kelvin Benjamin, Olsen is getting the opportunity to finally capitalize on his enormous potential. He currently trails only Antonio Gates in the a€?resta€? group and although the veteran Chargers TE has drank the same Mike McCoy potion that resurrected Philip Rivers and Ryan Mathewa€?s fantasy careers, hea€?s not as reliable as Olsen the rest of the way. Hetherington: Olsen finished last season right on the cusp of joining the fantasy elite at tight end, but his value was bruised by just six touchdowns catches. Now, with four touchdowns through five games, Olsen seems to have finally earned a top-five tight end ranking. Olsen doesna€?t yet own the ability to instill fear in your fantasy opponent the way Julius Thomas, Rob Gronkowski and Jimmy Graham can, but his reliability in the Panthers offence puts him in the top tier of TE1a€?s. Fantasy Football Report powered by Coors Light Stitched Jerseys . The Philadelphia left fielder clubbed a tiebreaking, solo home run in the seventh inning, and the Phillies edged the Red Sox, 2-1, in the middle test of a three-game interleague series at Citizens Bank Park. Jerseys Cheap . Paul, MN (SportsNetwork. http://www.nfljerseyschina.net/. Formula One Teams Association secretary general Oliver Weingarten says the organization collapsed over unpaid subscription fees and a failure to strike an agreement for 2014 with all 11 teams. Cheap Jerseys Free Shipping . The Bulls seem to be getting along fine without him. D.J. Augustin scored 27 points in a start for Kirk Hinrich and Taj Gibson matched a career high with 26 filling in for Carlos Boozer as the Bulls improved to 7-2 since trading the popular Deng with a 98-87 win over the Cleveland Cavaliers on Wednesday night. Cheap Jerseys .Y. - Everyone expected Clayton Kershaw to pitch a shutout, and he did — a unanimous choice for the NL Cy Young Award.NEW ORLEANS -- Hello, Trevor. Farewell, AJ. Trevor Knights final start as a freshman sent Oklahomas expectations soaring into 2014 while bringing a sour end to AJ McCarrons otherwise charmed Alabama career. Knight completed a Sugar Bowl-record 32 passes for 348 yards and four touchdowns, and No. 11 Oklahoma took down the third-ranked Crimson Tide, 45-31 on Thursday night. "Its huge for our program, to get a win like this after no one gave us a chance all year," Knight said. "Weve got to ride this into next year. We cant settle with this. ... We want the big one." Oklahoma coach Bob Stoops declined to announce a starting quarterback before the game, and when Knight took the field on the Sooners first possession, Alabamas defenders couldnt have anticipated what was in store. Knights completion percentage entering the game was 52.2. He had completed 47 passes all season, before a breakout performance in which two of his TDs went for more than 40 yards. Oklahoma (11-2) needed him to play that well in the 80th Sugar Bowl, the first in which quarterbacks for both teams threw for more than 300 yards. The victory was a sweet one for Stoops, who last off-season called talk about the Southeastern Conference being the best league in college football "propaganda." "I have the utmost respect for Alabama, and I think this shows that obviously we can play with anybody," Stoops said. "So, enough of that. And I just watched them go through their entire conference and play pretty well. Im not pointing any fingers. But I think sometimes the comparisons arent necessarily very true." His Big 12 team vanquished an Alabama (11-2) squad that had been ranked No. 1 much of the past three seasons, winning the previous two national titles before its shot at a third straight was derailed by Auburn on the last play of the Iron Bowl in late November. But coach Nick Saban didnt buy the notion that his team, favoured by 16 points, was too deflated from its loss to Auburn to play up to its standard. "I actually thought that the players responded in practice pretty well for this game," Saban said. "We put over 500 yards of offence up. Somebody had to do something right. I dont think that we played as well on defence as were capable of or should have." McCarron passed for 387 yards and two TDs, but his two interceptions set up Oklahoma TDs, and his fumble, returned for a score in the final minute, sealed Alabamas first two-game skid since its Sugar Bowl loss to Utah in January 2009. "Put it all on me. I had two turnovers, (Oklahoma) ended up scoring 14 poiints, and we lost by 14," said McCarron, who won 36 of his first 38 games before losing his last two.dddddddddddd "Its football. It happens. I wish it wouldnt have happened, but Ill definitely take the loss and definitely take the blame, because a lot of it is probably my fault." Freshman Derrick Henrys 43-yard run in the third quarter pulled Alabama to 31-24, and the Crimson Tide forced four punts while giving up only one first down in the third quarter. But Alabama was unable to add another score before the Sooners starting moving the ball again. Knight lofted a perfect pass to Lacoltan Bester for a 34-yard gain to the Alabama 9. Shortly after, Knight rolled left all the way to the sideline before rifling a touchdown strike to Sterling Shepard, making it a two-touchdown game again with 10:44 left. Henry, a 6-foot-3, 238-pound true freshman, pulled Alabama within in a score once more when he turned his first career reception into a tackle-shedding 61-yard TD with 6:22 still to go. But Oklahoma was able to burn several minutes off the clock, and then the Sooners registered their seventh sack when Eric Striker stripped McCarron, and Geneo Grissom returned it 8 yards for a score. Both teams entered the game with defences ranked in the top 15 nationally, but quarterback play dominated a first half highlighted by five passing plays of 43 yards or longer, three of which went for scores. Alabama took the opening kickoff and scored in four plays. McCarron hit Amari Cooper for 15 and 53 yards, and T.J. Yeldon ran it in from the 1. It appeared to be getting worse for the Sooners when Alabamas Landon Collins made a diving interception of Knights tipped pass, but Oklahoma got it right back when Gabe Lynn picked off McCarrons pass on the next play. One play later, Knight found Bester down the right sideline for a 45-yard score. The Sooners took their first lead when Knight found Jalen Saunders, who reached the ball across the goal line as he was being brought down. But McCarrons pinpoint pass over the middle to DeAndrew White for a 67-yard TD gave the Tide the lead right back early in the second quarter. The Sooners tied it at 17 on Michael Hunnicutts 47-yard field goal. Then cashed in on two more turnovers. Alabama appeared on the verge of a go-ahead score when Yeldon fumbled on the 8. The Sooners then reached mid-field, where they converted a fourth-and-1. On the next play, Knight hit Saunders in stride down the right sideline for a 43-yard score. McCarrons second interception, snagged by Zack Sanchez and returned to the 13, set up Shepards 13-yard TD around the right end. ' ' '