The Orlando Titans have home field wrapped up in the East and they are the only team to be playing two games this weekend. So what does that mean for the fantasy world? The normal thinking would be that the big stars of Orlando would sit in at least one of their contests, so for my first pick I am going to be digging a bit deeper into the Titans roster and picking up Mike McLellan.

McLellan is only $13 for both games this weekend and for a guy who will most likely get more opportunities, it makes sense. McLellean does only have 30 points through 14 games this year but he does have the capability to score. He had 53 points last year and 56 the year before. He has had limited success this season against both of the teams on the schedule this weekend: the Philadelphia Wings and Rochester Knighthawks. In the season opener, he accumulated two goals and an assist against Philadelphia and in Week Three he tallied a goal and two assists against Rochester.

For my next pick I am going to the game with major playoff implications on the line: Boston at Buffalo. Big players show up in big games and that is exactly what my next pick is. I am picking up the goalie for the Boston Blazers, Anthony Cosmo.

Cosmo’s value is at $21 which is extremely steep but he is well worth it. Cosmo leads the NLL in goals against average (GAA) with a 9.25 mark. Earlier this year, Cosmo and the Blazers lost to the Buffalo Bandits in overtime but only gave up nine goals in the 9-8 loss.

The Blazers have held five out of their last seven opponents to single digit goals, including only five to the Edmonton Rush on March 20. Cosmo is a stud and you need to pick him up.

For my last pick of the season I am going to the top of the West and picking up Cam Sedgwick of the Washington Stealth as they are taking on the Rochester Knighthawks. Sedgwick has had a solid year with 58 points and he is five points away from tying his career high in points (63) that he reached last year.

Even though the Stealth have locked up a playoff spot, they have not locked up the top seed, a win will do that and Sedgwick will help them get there. His value is at $14 and he will be worth every penny. Considering that the Knighthawks gave up 15 goals last week against the Toronto Rock, Sedgwick is primed for a good game.

So, in recap you are picking up Mike McLellan, Anthony Cosmo and Cam Sedgwick.

All of this weekend’s action can be seen live on The NLL Network at NLL.com. The action begins Friday night with the Orlando Titans traveling to Philadelphia to take on the Wings at 7:00 p.m. EST and then on Saturday it begins with Boston at Buffalo at 7:30 p.m. EST.

Call me a nice guy – or don’t – but I have three players for you that I have told you to add to your roster earlier this year, and I am going back to all of them for Week 14 of the NLL Fantasy Challenge.

The first player from our time machine takes us back three weeks to Week 11 when we picked up Ryan Ward of the Edmonton Rush. That week Ward was a $15 value and gave us two goals. Not bad, but not great either.

This week, Ward and the Rush play two games and his value is just an extra dollar at $16. Now to me, that sounds like the right time to add someone to your roster. Ward will be going up against the Colorado Mammoth, who has surrendered the most goals in the league at 12.92 per game.

Saturday’s game is against the Washington Stealth, who has a very solid defense and the best record (10-4) in the league. Expect a better game on Friday, but either way, paying only $16 for Ryan Ward for two games is a great value.

My second player that I wish to pick up for Week 14 is Mat Giles of the Boston Blazers. As you may remember I picked up Giles way back seven weeks ago in Week Seven. Back then, Giles was a member of the Philadelphia Wings and was traded to Boston at the trade deadline.

Giles worst game of the year was when I picked him up, when he recorded just one assist in the contest against the Rochester Knighthawks and in turn made me think about starting a new career.

However in the four games since the trade to Boston, Giles has been on fire. Giles has not had a single game of less than three points since his trade. Giles also had a six point outburst last week against the Minnesota Swarm.

Giles has also had success against this week’s opponent, the Colorado Mammoth. When he was a member of the Wings, he enjoyed a very good game against this same team this year. On Jan. 23, Giles had three goals and two assists. With his value at $16 he is a good buy this week; or maybe he just doesn’t like me and tanks this week. Hopefully that’s not the case and we have a big performance from Giles this week.

For my last pick I am traveling all the way back to last week and sticking with Tim Campeau of the Minnesota Swarm. Now I realize he didn’t have the best performance last week, when he had just one goal and two assists in two games. That’s not all that good.

If you picked him up last week, you may want to dump him. I suggest holding on to him if you have him. Campeau’s value is only $12 this week and should be a really good buy. He has a game under his belt against the Philadelphia Wings earlier this year and he recorded two goals and three assists in the March 13 contest. Expect more of the same from Campeau.

So remember, we are taking a trip into Fantasy Challenge past this week and picking up Ryan Ward of the Edmonton Rush, Mat Giles – now of the Boston Blazers – and keeping Tim Campeau of the Minnesota Swarm.

All of this weekend’s action can be seen live on The NLL Network at NLL.com, beginning with the Rochester Knighthawks at Toronto Rock game at 7:30 p.m. EST Friday and continuing on Saturday with the Philadelphia Wings at Minnesota Swarm game at 8:35 p.m. EST.

Last week I picked Luke Wiles of the Washington Stealth and Alex Gajic of the Colorado Mammoth and they both pulled through for me in their home-and-home series. Wiles totaled two goals and six assists in the two games and Gajic was even better, compiling six goals and three assists. With that said, I am going back to that strategy this week.

For my first pick we will head North of the border in Toronto and pick up Kasey Beirnes of the Rock. Beirnes has produced 24 points through 10 games and has a good game under his belt already this season against his second opponent this weekend: the Philadelphia Wings. Earlier this season, Beirnes tallied four goals and two assists against the Wings. Last season against Calgary – Toronto’s Friday night opponent – Beirnes had a two goal, three assist game. With his value at $14, he is a great buy this week.

For my second pick I will stay in Canada and take a bit of a risk; I am adding Andy Secore of the Edmonton Rush to my lineup for Week 13. This will definitely be the more risky pick of the week, as Secore has played against both of his Week 13 opponents — the Washington Stealth and Minnesota Swarm – this year and he has yet to record a point against either team. So why would I want to add him to my roster?

First, Secore has had a good year with 33 points through 11 games, including those two zero point games. I realize that this pick has the chance to be one that I regret, but I like to take risks. Secore must know that he has struggled against these two teams this season, and the Rush can clinch a playoff berth this weekend. Sometimes motivation is exactly what the doctor ordered; at least that’s what I am counting on.

For this week you are adding two players from Canadian teams – Kasey Beirnes of the Toronto Rock and Andy Secore of the Edmonton Rush – to your NLL Fantasy Challenge rosters. Hopefully we all have a lucky Week 13.

You can catch all of the action live on The NLL Network at NLL.com starting Friday at 7:30 p.m. EST with the Calgary Roughnecks taking on the Toronto Rock and then continuing on Saturday at 7:00 p.m. EST when the same Rock squad travels to Philadelphia to take on the Wings.

Normally I like to stay away from players who are playing two games in one weekend; why you might ask? The values go up for one week and will ultimately be lower the next. But the way that I look at it, you are getting a two-for-one, one week value. This week I am going to dig deep into the danger zone and take two players from the home-and-home.

I will start out with Luke Wiles of the Washington Stealth. Wiles is valued at $15 this week which would normally be steep for him, but with the double dip he’s worth the plunge. Wiles has compiled 24 points through nine games this season and has a slight history of success against the Mammoth. Last season he recorded four goals and five assists in the two meetings. That is what you will be getting for one week’s worth once he’s added to your roster.

On the other side, I am going to go with an ever bigger risk. For the first time all season I am going with a rookie in Alex Gajic of Colorado who is also valued at $15. Call me crazy for taking a rookie, but I like this kid.

There are stats to back up this pick as well. Gajic is coming off a monster game with five goals and one assist against Edmonton on March 13. If you get two performances like that out of him, you will have a very successful fantasy weekend and I look like a genius.

Another reason to be in favor of adding Gajic to your roster is he has already proved to be a quick learner of team’s defenses. In matchups earlier this season with the Minnesota Swarm he proved just that as in the first game on Feb. 20 he totaled just one goal and zero assists; the very next week against the same team he quadrupled his point total with three goals and one assist. With that in mind, expect more out of him on Saturday than Friday.

For my last pick, I am going with the previously mentioned Edmonton Rush and Ryan Powell as they are home to take on the Minnesota Swarm. Powell has had a very similar year to Wiles and Gajic, totaling 26 points through nine games. Last season, Powell had a huge game with one goal and six assists against the Swarm. If you also consider the fact that Minnesota gave up 20 goals their last time out against Philadelphia, it looks like Powell could be primed for a good game.

All of this weekend’s action can be seen live on the NLL Network at NLL.com, starting with the first of the home-and-homes with Washington visiting Colorado Friday at 9pm EST.

There are just two games on this weekend’s schedule and after last week’s debacle of picks, that may be a good thing. If there is one thing that I learned from last week’s projections it is that you never go against a hot goalie. In any sport, good defense always beats good offense.

This is exactly why I am picking players who are not going against Matt Vinc in Week 11. Vinc made me look as bad as a fat man in a marathon; it was embarrassing. With that said, I should pick Vinc, but alas I won’t. However, I will take a teammate of Vinc’s in forward Mike McLellan.

McLellan has been off to a somewhat slow start this year with 16 points through nine games. However, he did pull out a two-goal performance in last Saturday’s matchup with the Rochester Knighthawks. McLellan had a solid year in 2009 with 53 points including a two-goal, four-assist game against this weekend’s opponent, the Calgary Roughnecks. It looks like it is time for McLellan to completely break out of the slump and with a value of only $9, he is well worth the price.

My last two picks come from the second game of the weekend as Boston travels to Edmonton. I have a player from each team that should turn your Fantasy Challenge team into a successful one.

I will start with the away team, where forward Brenden Thenhaus is a great value. Thenhaus will cost your team $14 but is worth every penny. He is on a hot streak right now, accumulating eight goals and six assists in just three games. Thenhaus has never played against Edmonton before but he did play for them for seven games in the 2008 season. Look for him to explode against his old team and bring lots of points to your Fantasy Challenge roster for a moderate price.

My last and final pick is forward Ryan Ward of the Edmonton Rush. Ward is having a fantastic season so far with 41 points through nine games and his value is only at $15 for this week. Last year, Ward played for the Minnesota Swarm and in the Feb. 20 game against the Blazers he compiled four goals and three assists. If you get a performance like that out of a $15 player you are set for a prime weekend in the Fantasy Challenge.

There are things that all of us can remember about our mistakes. I will never again pick against a hot goalie, especially Matt Vinc. He made me look like I would if I was running in that aforementioned marathon: exhausted and looking like a fool. For everyone out there that doesn’t want to look like I did last week, take that advice. I am hoping for a big rebound week and am confident that this week’s picks will do just that.

Both of Saturday night’s games can be seen live on The NLL Network at NLL.com, starting with the Calgary at Orlando game at 7:35 p.m. EST and followed by the Boston at Edmonton game at 9:00 p.m. EST.

As we look at this weekend’s slate of games, I sense a similar theme with my projections: I like the established veterans of the NLL this week. The other theme, which I have mentioned in the past, is avoid teams playing on back-to-back nights.

Without further wait, here are the picks.

We start the journey this week in Rochester, where the Knighthawks take on the Orlando Titans Saturday evening. The Titans also take on the Philadelphia Wings on Friday night. With that being said, I like the old legs of Gary Gait to get the best of the tired legs of the Titans.

Gait turns 43 years old next month and was a rookie way back in 1991. Despite the age, Gait is having a good year with 23 points through the first eight games of the year. He also had a solid performance against the Titans last season as he contributed three goals and two assists in the Feb. 15 matchup.

This week Gait has a value of $17 and he is worth every penny. His old legs will be working overtime for your Fantasy Challenge team.

Next, we make the trek north to Boston and pick up goalie Anthony Cosmo. Cosmo has been on fire as of late, not having allowed more than 12 goals in a game since the season opener against Toronto. He is allowing a league-best 9.39 goals per game this season; add that to the fact that they are playing a team that will have played a game the night before and Cosmo is prime for a dominant night against Buffalo. If you look at the fact that Buffalo is averaging just a bit more than ten goals a game (10.1), this pickup is a no-brainer. Cosmo’s value is a little high at $21, but it will pay off in the end.

For my next and final pick, I am digging deep into the Fantasy Challenge sleeper vault. This player is a veteran, but has only played one game this entire year. Last year, this player recorded 45 points in just 13 games and when he gets the playing time, he makes the most of it. I am talking, of course, about Dan Marohl of the Minnesota Swarm.

Marohl was just added to the Swarm in time for their last game on Feb. 27 against Colorado and he contributed with one goal and two assists in his season debut. Marohl has also had success against the Wings in the past; in two games last season he tallied two goals and five assists. The game is in Philadelphia, although the Wings will have played the previous night at Orlando and this is set up for Marohl to be the Fantasy Challenge sleeper of the Week. His value is at a measly $5, so there isn’t a good reason not to add him to your roster.

Let’s recap: two paragraphs from now, you are going to add the veteran crew of Gary Gait, Anthony Cosmo and Dan Marohl. If you take my advice, you will be a happy trooper come Monday.

This weekend’s games can be seen starting on Friday night with the Buffalo Bandits at Toronto Rock at 7:30pm EST. All seven games on Friday and Saturday can be seen live on The NLL Network at NLL.com.
]]> http://rjrnllwriter.wordpress.com/2010/03/17/nll-fantasy-challenge-keys-to-success-by-ryan-rosengrant/feed/ 0 ryanrosengrant http://rjrnllwriter.wordpress.com/2010/03/06/nll-fantasy-challenge-keys-to-success-2/ http://rjrnllwriter.wordpress.com/2010/03/06/nll-fantasy-challenge-keys-to-success-2/#comments Sat, 06 Mar 2010 00:06:00 +0000 ryanrosengrant http://rjrnllwriter.wordpress.com/?p=25 ]]>

Fear not my friends; this is why I am here. I will give you the key players to make sure you have a successful Fantasy Challenge weekend so that you can keep what is left of the hair on your head.

Prediction number one this week comes as a super-sleeper pick of sorts as it is a goalie with an extremely low value of only $8. To find this play, we are traveling to Buffalo and picking up goaltender Angus Goodleaf. To me it sounds like a mighty tasty burger, but it turns out he is a very good goalie.

Goodleaf came in relief of Ken Montour and stopped 37 of 43 shots against Philadelphia two weeks ago in Buffalo’s 13-11 comeback victory. That effort earned Goodleaf the Defensive Player of the Week honors for Week Six. Buffalo had a bye last week and face off against that same Wings team this week. Look for more of the same from Goodleaf as he is in the comforts of his home arena this week.

Another thing to keep in mind: if you buy Goodleaf this week his value will be yours at (most likely) no less than $8 for the rest of the season. He is a great value right now; you really need to add him to your roster.

Moving on, I know I am somewhat contradicting what I have said in previous weeks with my next pick. But, this week I love Jeff Zywicki of the Washington Stealth. I know in the past I have said that I am not a big fan of players that have a high value – and Zywicki will cost you $25 this week- but it will pay off on Saturday when Zywicki and the Stealth travel to Boston to take on the Blazers.

Not only is Zywicki having a fantastic year (52 points in eight games), but he is going back to familiar territory. Zywicki played his college lacrosse at the University of Massachusetts. For those of us that are geographically challenged, that’s not too far from Boston. I am a strong believer in the idea that players play better when they go back to their old stomping grounds, and Zywicki will prove that this week.

Now that I have completely gone away from what I have said in previous weeks, I am going to take another risk and recommend a player with a value of $13: Ryan Boyle of the Orlando Titans.

For one, the Titans have only played five games this season and they are playing the Toronto Rock who have played a league high nine games. At some point, I think fatigue becomes a factor. Boyle is having a good year with 22 points through five games and also had four assists in his only matchup with Toronto last year. Another reason I like Boyle is that he is a really smart guy. Boyle went to Princeton, so at least in theory this holds up. I like smart people and in Week Eight, Boyle is a smart play.

Normally I give three predictions every week, but this week I am in a good mood so I will give out a bonus pick.

I am going with another $13 value guy in Cory Bomberry of the Rochester Knighthawks as they take on the Edmonton Rush. Bomberry is starting to heat up as two weeks ago he recorded one goal and five assists against Boston. Also, he had four assists against Edmonton on Jan. 29 of last year while playing for Buffalo.

With that being said, let’s recap who you will be picking up right after you finish reading this: Angus Goodleaf (Buffalo), Jeff Zywicki (Washington), Ryan Boyle (Orlando) and Cory Bomberry (Rochester).

You can watch all of the games live on The NLL Network at NLL.com starting at 7:00pm on Saturday with Orlando at Toronto.

When I see that a team has to travel over 2,000 miles to a game and add to the fact that they are the only team in the league that has played every week, that makes me tend to believe that this Sunday’s game for the Toronto Rock may be a little tough in terms of fantasy stats.

So what does that mean for the Fantasy Challenge? When I see something like that, it makes me believe that the Rock – even though they are the second highest scoring team in the league (13.38 goals per game) – may show some tired legs. Therefore, my first fantasy pick for this week will be the goalie for the Edmonton Rush, Matt Disher.

This week Disher’s value is at $16, making him the sixth highest-priced goalie in the NLL Fantasy Challenge for Week Seven. He is a good buy considering the travel and the lack of rest for the Rock. While Disher is giving up 12.12 goals per game, he is offsetting that for the Fantasy Challenge by totaling 217 saves (tied for third most in the league). Plus, fantasy is all about right now; take my advice and add Disher to your lineup and you will be happy.

Let’s go on the offensive. There are two players – one from each team – that I really like from the Rochester at Philadelphia game on Saturday.

We will start in the City of Brotherly Love and add Mat Giles to your lineup. In two games against Rochester last season, Giles had two successful games, compiling a total of four goals and five assists in the two games. They are not staggering numbers, but they are good. With his price at $18 this week I think that he is a really good buy. Plus, he’s 6’4 and weighs 245 pounds; I tend to like to keep people like that on my good side. So to keep Mr. Giles happy, you should add him too.

On the Rochester side, I am a big fan of number nine, Craig Point. Point only played in the last meeting with the Wings last year (he started out the season with the Minnesota Swarm), but he had a successful last game of the year against the Wings. Point contributed three goals and one assist for the Knighthawks in that contest, and has also scored four goals in three of the Knighthawks’ seven games this season. He has a very favorable value this week at only $16. At that price, he is a great week seven value.

Once again, I will point out that fantasy isn’t all about compiling all-star teams. Yes, it would be nice to have an entire team of Colin Doyle’s. The problem with that is we have a salary cap. Assuming you are not too far over the initial $100 limit – or maybe your cap is lower than that at this point you need to manage your cap wisely of your team will not score any points. So, the key to your team must be a player’s value. In the NLL Fantasy Challenge, using 20-25% of your team’s salary cap on one player is a disaster waiting to happen.

Besides, taking players like Colin Doyle is nice, but it’s almost too easy. It’s like taking the captain of the cheerleading team to the prom. Me, I like a challenge. I like to go for the President of the Key Club, the Captain of the Debate Team, or the Head of the Spanish Club. Well fans, this week the President of the Key Club is Matt Disher, the Captain of the Debate Team is Mat Giles and the Head of the Spanish Club is Craig Point.

If you follow my advice, you should have a successful fantasy week and you will be bragging to your co-workers on Monday about the great time you had with the Captain of the Debate Team.

All of the games this week, starting with Friday’s contest between the Calgary Roughnecks and Washington Stealth at 11pm ET, can be seen live on the NLL Network at NLL.com.