Percy Harvin Named Offensive ROY

This was a pretty expected award for Percy Harvin, as he has been the odds on favorite for more than half the season. He put up great numbers for a rookie, was named to the pro-bowl as the NFC Kick Returner, and has meant a lot to a team that ended up 12-4 and the number 2 seed. He has also benefited quite tremendously from having Favre around, as the two have forged a student/teacher relationship that has made Harvin that much more dangerous. When it came to third down, Harvin caught more balls than any player on the team, and his eight total TDs were the difference in at least two games.

Harvin's cards have already hit their peak as he has slowly become the top producer in the draft class, so there shouldnt be that much of a bump with the news. Oddly enough, Austin Collie and Mark Sanchez did not receive a single vote, with Michael Oher and Knowshon Moreno getting a few of the others.

MVP should be coming either later today or tomorrow, keep checking back.

Percy Harvin is the Ninth Viking To Make The Pro-Bowl

According to the Vikings Blog, Percy Harvin has been named to the team after they realized the roster would be short without a designated kick returner. Although the game matters little, the honor is what really counts, especially in a league where fan Voting only makes up a third of the decision.

Harvin ran two kicks back for TDs this year as a rookie, and averaged over 27 yards per return. It is second all time for the Vikings, and I expect him to be quite dangerous in that fashion for the playoffs. He is the only offensive skill player rookie to be named to the rosters this year, though im sure more will come as the rosters thin out due to so many players turning down their invites.

Hopefully he wont have to play due to the game the week after, if you catch my drift.

NFL Rookie Battle Royale: Week 8

It was a great weekend of football, as you can probably imagine, and there were quite a few rookies that performed pretty well. A few are still having trouble getting established, but others are falling into solid roles with their respective teams. The funny thing is that there isnt a clear cut rookie of the year candidate yet, though Sanchez does seem to have an advantage as a QB. Who knows at this point.

Matt Stafford

We all knew Stafford was going to have problems playing for a team as bad as the Lions. I warned those of you who were prospecting his stuff, that he was a POOR target for your collecting this year. He hasnt performed horribly, but he hasnt been great either. Then, when you factor in the injury, things are even worse. Well, he was back this week, but didnt do much in the loss to the Rams. He had 168 yards, 1 interception, and a rushing TD. Not a great game.

Mark Sanchez

Sanchez had a very good day, but they still lost to the Dolphins. This was really his first good game in a long time, and its probably a breath of fresh air for the people who bought up all his stuff at the beginning of the season. He is still the top guy of the 09 class by far, but he is going to need a playoff run to sustain his value. At this point im not sure, even though he put up 3 TDs and no interceptions yesterday.

Percy Harvin

If there was a rookie in focus this week, it was Percy Harvin. His game was one of the main reasons the Vikings were able to win the game, especially on his 51 yd TD catch. Then, when you factor in that he had a kick return average of 35 yards, with three going over 45, it becomes even more apparent how important he was. Harvin's cards have been going for great prices, and should continue to do so. The guy is electric.

LeSean McCoy

What a game for the Eagles against their rivals, right? McCoy definitely did well to help that win, and his 69 yard TD run was fun to watch. He has been a great option for the Eagles during Westbrook's absence, and you can tell that they were thinking ahead when they drafted him. Due to the Peterson Effect (All RB cards are more valuable because of the chance of a Peterson style rookie season) his cards are already pretty expensive, but this should help maintain those prices.

Jeremy Maclin

Im impressed with Maclin, the guy has turned it on lately, and has done so on a team that needed it. The Eagles are on a roll, and Maclin has scored 3 TDs in the last 3 games. He had 4 for 47 yards, including a TD at the end of the half that stunned a Giants crowd looking to stop their slide. Maclin was under the radar to begin with, and I think may end up as the best WR out of this class. I may start to pick up a few of his cards.

Michael Crabtree

Crabtree was held out of the endzone again, but managed 81 yards against the Colts. He also fumbled, which was problematic, but overall a pretty good game for a rookie who only has two games under his belt. Kind of makes you wonder what would have happened if he hadnt been a complete fucktard to begin the season.

Shonn Greene

I dont think there were many of us who were suprised when Greene didnt equal his game from last week, but there were a few shocked grins around my fantasy league to see him struggle with 8 carries for 18 yards. Im not expecting a whole lot out of him, but he needs to do better than 2 yards per carry.

Knowshon Moreno

The Broncos are no longer undefeated, and Knowshon did not have a very good game. Although the fumble he had looked questionable at best, it was still another tick on the league leading rookie fumble total. He did get into the endzone which helped, but he only had 10 carries for 39 total yards. Moreno's cards arent going to drop, but this doesnt help. I still say its only a matter of time before he breaks out with a huge game.

The Rookie Graveyard

Darrius Heyward-Bey - The Raiders should have taken someone else, but we already knew that. He has done absolutely nothing, despite QB issues.

Brandon Pettigrew - Another bad team, but he should be doing more than 1 catch per game, especially when Calvin Johnson is on the shelf

Michael Crabtree - He needs a lot of production to erase the holdout. Im still shaking my head.

Beanie Wells - Another mediocre game for him losing to a team with problems. Doesnt help that Warner threw 5 interceptions either though.

Vikings and Packers in a Bloodbath For The Ages

Considering there is a bye week next week, I needed something to help me through the void that is coming for the Vikings. The game today definitely qualified under that category without a doubt. A great win, not only for the morale it gives Favre and the team, but also because a good portion of the team played great.

Brett Favre

I was dreading what was going to happen in this game because of the adrenaline involved, but Favre performed like the master he is. Four TDs and no picks makes Brett a great QB, and I couldnt help but cheer like hell for him all game. You could just see the Packers fans getting more and more frustrated as the first half went on, and then again at the end of the game. It was great, to say the least, and I loved every minute of the Packer fans misery. On top of the pressure of the game that Brett seemed to shrug off, he made some great throws. The Berrian TD throw to seal it was phenomenal, and the Harvin TD was just as good. Just a great game all around for him.

Percy Harvin

When the Vikings drafted him, I cringed. Another pot smoking idiot, that brings back memories of Moss' attitude, right? WRONG. The guy plays with an intensity that rivals Peterson, but the finesse and explosiveness of someone like Andre Johnson. Harvin looked like a veteran out there today, and his plays on special teams were the reason this game ended the way it did. Four kickoff returns that set the Vikings up with great field position, as well as a 51 yard TD catch that was his best of the year. I cant say enough good things about him. I am so fucking glad I have as many of his cards as I do.

Adrian Peterson

Peterson didnt have a memorable game, but he had a VERY solid performance. 140+ yards from scrimmage, a TD on fourth and goal, and a catch that sealed it for the Vikes in the fourth. Im sure he is just as glad as I am that we can score 38 points when he has just an okay game. Never would have happened a few years ago.

Jared Allen

If there is one person that loves playing against the Packers more than Favre, its Jared Allen. Three more sacks, as well as a few batted passes, and you have another amazing game from a guy that is quickly cementing his place as the best defensive end in the league.

Aaron Rodgers

This guy must be hating himself right now. The guy he replaced just came in and torched them for the SECOND time, and he had a great game despite it. He must be thinking "What the crap do I have to do to beat these mother fuckers?" I actually felt pretty bad for him because he just looked dead out there once the game got out of reach. Favre's shadow looms over him no matter what he does, and you can see that he hates every second of it.

Karl Paymah, Madieu Williams, Cedric Griffin

How long until Winfield gets back? Seriously, I spent most of the second half shouting horrible things at these guys, as they could not have played a worse game coming out of that locker room for quarter 3. Paymah completely looks overmatched, which says something playing across from horrid Cedric Griffin. Madieu Williams has to be one of the worst Safeties I have ever seen, never really putting anything into his tackles. Just to illustrate how bad it was, on Rodgers' 35 yard scramble, Paymah didnt even bother to turn around until Rodgers was right behind him. I hope they cut these fuckers.

Overall, I am extremely happy with the game today. Everything happened as it should. Funny enough, I played a game on Madden the night before against a guy who chose the Packers against my Vikings. I won on the last play of the game with a TD to Shiancoe, and much like today's game, it was dominated by Allen and the D-Line. I am truly excited to see how the rest of the season will turn out, and I think it could actually turn out to be one of the best seasons I have been able to watch.

NFL Rookie Battle Royale: Week 7

For this week, I missed most of the action from being in San Diego for work, but after going through each game, looks like the rookies had a good week. Too bad my Vikings did not. Regardless, we also had a debut we had waited almost half a season for, and a few performances that impressed beyond expectations.

Mark Sanchez

Dirty finally shook off the interception bug, even though it was against one of the worst teams around. He threw for only 143, but had 2 TDs to offset that. Im guessing a lot of Jets fans were just happy they pitched a shutout, but I expected a little more from the rookie that is fixing to be the top value guy for the year.

Shonn Greene

For the first time, Sanchez wasn’t the focus of the rookie lens this week, as Shonn Greene had a ridiculous game at 144 and 2 TDs. One TD came after it was already decided, but he is the front runner right now for the rookie of the week. Leon Washington must have had an injury, and Greene did a great job filling in. Best game of any rookie RB so far, crazy that it came against the Raiders, right?

Michael Crabtree

Im not going to take him out of the graveyard quite yet, but he had a respectable debut with 5 catches for 56 yards. At least he showed he can be somewhat productive, though I think he will get better as he shakes off the rust. He didn’t explode, but definitely was the namesake for a few creative jerseys I saw in the 49er bar in San Diego.

Mike Wallace

Its tough for any Pittsburgh rookie to fly under the radar, but in terms of talk, Wallace is putting up one hell of a rookie campaign without much coverage. His values were high to begin with because he plays for the Steelers, but 72 and a TD will definitely help you out. Wallace's TD was a good showing as to why the Vikings pass defense may cost them a trip deep in the playoffs, but he played a great game either way.

Hakeem Nicks

Nicks showed AGAIN why he is probably going to be the rookie WR of the year. Another TD, 80 yards, and a league lead in receiving TDs after a Knox mediocre game. Nicks has become a key cog in the NY passing offense, even though they got beat by the Cardinals.

Percy Harvin

Harvin was back returning kicks again after he aggravated his shoulder last week, and I was surprised to see him fly. Harvin ran back his second TD of the year, giving him 4 total TDs so far, as well as a few that set the Vikings up near the 50. He also caught 3 for 42, so a great game for a guy who is banged up.

Brian Hartline

Hartline caught 3 for 94 in a Dolphins game that they should have won, but they played like crap in the 4th quarter. He is a guy that I didnt know much about coming into the year, but he went to OSU, so you know he is going to get a bump this week in value. He does have a TD from week 4 against Buffalo, but hasnt done much else besides this game (10 for 157). I also dont believe he was a Rookie Premiere guy.

Austin Collie

This guy had another TD this week (though the game was over when he did), and continues to make me scratch my head as to where he is coming from. It helps when Peyton Manning is throwing you the ball, but still is impressive when you are pretty much unknown.

Beanie Wells

He finally got into the action with a TD, and against a good rush defense to boot. He ended up with 67 yards, so it wasn’t a stellar performance, but rushing is not the focus of his team with Fitz and Boldin around. Hightower is still getting all the goal line carries, which means that Beainie is not going to have many TDs. Im still not sold on him.

The Rookie Graveyard

Darrius Heyward-Bey - Its really too bad that he was drafted to the Raiders so high, as I think he could have been much better in a place that isnt a graveyard for the whole team.

Beanie Wells - had a TD, but still in the midst of a disappointing year.

Michael Crabtree - After holding out for the first 6 games, he needs to do better than 56 yards before getting out of here.

Brandon Pettigrew - Bye week.

NFL Rookie Battle Royale: Week 3

All of you know how awesome of a week this has been, especially with the Bungals beating the Steelers, Manning destroying the Cardinals on Sunday night, and the crazy ending to the Vikings game. The rookies decided to show up too, with a few of them having some great games.

Matt Stafford

How could I not lead with the Lions winning? Im still in shock that they were able to put it together for a full 60 minutes. Stafford played pretty well too, as he showed he is starting to gain that confidence he needs to grow in such a horrible offense. Stafford threw a TD that started everything off for the Lions, thus bringing his total to two in three games, but he didn’t throw an interception, so that is like icing on the cake for a rookie QB. I still say its not a good idea to hold his cards, but at least it’s a LITTLE more promising now that the streak is over.

Mark Sanchez

Sanchez played another great game and came away with another win. It was another great defense, the best arguably, but he was calm and collected even during a bad second half. He had a great TD pass to Cotchery in double coverage and ran one in from 14 out. He ended with with 3 total TDs and is making a few people wonder why they may have passed on him at picks 2-4 in the draft. Sanchez cards are at the peak of their value right now, so if you have them, it may be good to sell and rebuy later, if there is a later. Looks like he will be the Matt Ryan value of his class this year.

Percy Harvin

Harvin was great in the Vikings win, scoring his third TD in as many games. He played great during the second half especially, running back a kick 101 yards and catching some key passed on the final drive that led to the score. He ended up with his best game in terms of yardage, but the return was the spike the Vikings needed to stay in the game after being shut down time after time by the Niners' Defense. Like Sanchez, Harvin's cards are at the peak of their value, so it’s a great time to sell if you arent a fan.

LeSean McCoy

Im thinking that Brian Westbrook doesn’t feel so bad he missed that game anymore as McCoy sure picked up the slack with ease. The Eagles routed the Chiefs and McCoy got his first TD of the year. He also racked up 80+ yards and a YPC avg over four yards in the effort. McCoy should be pretty good in the long run, though he will always be overshadowed by Westbrook. Keep his cards for right now, as his value has a lot of potential to go up from here.

Knowshon Moreno

Welcome to the NFL Mr. Moreno. Nice to see you. Glad you put up 90 yards and a TD, bout time a running back in Denver does well, right? Knowshon looked pretty good in his first game with a focus over Buckhalter, and I would expect by week 8 he will have 70-80% of the carries. He is a great back, and should continue to put up numbers week after week. As with all the first round running backs, his value is high due to the Peterson effect, but as it starts to come down, it should be a good idea to pick some of his stuff up.

Donald Brown

That 72 yard scamper was pretty impressive wasn’t it? Well, it helped him put up the first 100 total yard game for a non-QB rookie this year, and jumped his value pretty high as a result. Brown doesn’t have the luxury of a huge college following like Wells, but he showed why he needs a pro following. Wells managed -2 yards on 2 carries, while Brown did great. This guy is a keeper.

Johnny Knox

Another game, another TD for Knox, despite the fact that it was his only catch of the game. He sure has been a pleasant surprise for the Bears, as the rest of their receiving corps is almost as inexperienced as he is. Because of the fact that he has done as well as he has, sell as fast as you can. Its not going to go much higher than it is unless he goes for 150 and three TDs somewhere later in the season. That’s a risk I would be willing to take.
The Rookie Graveyard

Here is where I want to talk about some rookies that Im sure are making a few of you guys pretty angry with their lack of contributions to their teams.

Jeremy Maclin - Where the hell have you been? Having 6 receptions for 46 yards on the season is a crap start for a guy I thought would be the star receiver of his class. Wow.

Darrius Heyward-Bey - Im sure having a QB like Jamarcus Russell is a contributing factor, but 1 reception for 18 yards on the whole year is poop. We all know he shouldn’t have been drafted so high, but hot damn, get moving!

Beanie Wells - I think a lot of people are pretty happy that Beanie isnt doing great so far. They say he was a beneficiary of playing at OSU, and it may be starting to show.

Hakeem Nicks - 2 receptions for 19? Doing worse than Hey Bey, but his team doesn’t need him as much. EDIT: Looks like he was injured week 1, my page on NFL.com didnt show that, my fault on this one...

Next week is looking pretty good, especially with Harvin going up against the Packers on Monday night. Now that the rookies are pretty secure in their roles, it could be interesting to see how values respond. Glen Coffee will have his first game against a defense that he can take advantage of, and may have a great game in Gore's absence, Sanchez looks like he may be in for his first test as he faces the Saints, and with the Bears going up against Detroit, who knows.

Also, be sure to check out my rookie of the week write up on the Upper Deck Blog as soon as the player is announced. You can also enter your cards to track the performances of a few of the guys I talk about here and possibly win some prizes if you have the ROW in your portfolio. Pretty cool.

Even if the rookies didn’t come to play, this season has still been a great ride so far. I hope it will continue to be as exciting as it has been, as there have already been some great stories. Next week is when things start to get interesting, so don’t miss it under any circumstances. Trust me, it only gets better from here.

NFL Rookie Battle Royale: Week 2

The week is pretty much in the books, and there was actually a lot of rookie action during the games, so ill try to keep it short to cover all the recaps. There were definitely some surprises as well, and a few possible contenders for rookie of the week, in addition to those who were also coming off good games in Week 1.

Mark Sanchez

Who wouldve thought that a rookie QB could actually beat the almighty Patriots. I didn’t. Sanchez played well, and even threw a nice TD en route to another win. I would think that after this week, in addition to last, his cards should continue to soar in price. I wouldn’t go out and buy any until he comes down from this high, though he may not actually do so if the Jets continue to have a good season. Regardless, 163 and a touchdown is always a good performance against a stingy defense.

Matt Stafford

After the first half, I was sweating the Lions play against my Vikings, as Stafford was actually hanging in there. He wasn’t counted on much, mostly handing off to a rushing game that was having success. Then, when the second half started, and the Vikings were gaining momentum, he crumbled as most rookies would. He ended up adding to his interception total rather than his small TD total, which led to the kitties losing again. His cards were a bad hold to start, and though he will probably end up with a good career, this year will not be a good one for his card value. He will throw more INTs than TDs, and should end up with one win, four at the most. I will say this, the Lions do look BETTER than the Browns this year.

Percy Harvin

Harvin had another good week, though he was playing against a defense that could be one of the softest he plays all year. He had a few key third down catches, as well as a touchdown, which should raise card and fantasy value even more than it already is. One thing I noticed watching him was that like Peterson, Harvin refuses to go down. There was one play where he had four Lions trying to push him back and still ended up falling forward for a few more key yards. He is going to be great.

Johnny Knox

Mr Knox had another good game, catching 6 passes and touchdown for 70 yards. With Forte sputtering (YES!), Knox has been there to pick up some of the slack, something I would guess Cutler is quite happy about. His values started climbing last week, and will continue this week, as he proves himself to be a vital part of the Bears' young receiver corps. Knox looks good, and could potentially be a star one day, so those fans looking for a Bear to collect should go to him.

Julian Edelman

Who the fuck is Julian Edelman, right? He had a great week for the Patriots in the absence of Wes Welker, thus proving that Brady needs a goofy white guy to throw to each game, haha. Edelman was one of the last picks of the draft, and wasn’t even invited to the combine, though had a great pro day. He obviously made the team, and could end up as a good four guy for the Pats. I wouldn’t expect long term success, but he did look amazing in his role. Considering the Pats have two great receivers already, he may not be a good one to invest in quite yet.

Knowshon Moreno

The Broncos made Moreno more a part of their offense this week, and he responded with the best performance out of a rookie back so far this year. He put together close to 100 total yards, and though he didn’t get a TD, im sure he will continue to be a good option for a team that lost their best player. Moreno should end up being great, but right now its obvious that he is still feeling things out. Im guessing he will be the first one to break a big one of all the rookies this year. Not Chris Johnson or Matt Forte style from last year, but still good. Donald Brown still has yet to play, so we will see what is going to happen with that.

Beanie Wells

The Cardinals played MUCH better this week, and therefore Beanie wasn’t as much of a focus. Hightower got their rushing score, and Wells managed 7 for 44 yards. Not awful, but not great either. He is going to need to prove his worth, especially with Fitz and Boldin being the lynchpins of the offense. I would say he should be a good back eventually, but its going to take a big game for him to gain the trust to handle more stuff. Hightower will get the goalline carries, so that's also going to be a problem for the people who collect him. He has an OSU following, so his cards wont be cheap, but they wont be worth much more until next year probably.

Maclin and McCoy

These two guys could end up being the best rookie tandem of the year, but so far Maclin has done nothing. He had 2 catches for 22, which doesn’t bode well coming off a shutout last week for him. McCoy had a decent game with 55 total yards, which was great with Westbrook in front of him. It shows that the Eagles want him there, and should solify some of his card values. McCoy should develop nicely this year, and with the starter being kind of injury prone, he could move up quite quickly.

Next week is also looking like it could be a good week for the rookies, and you can bet that this is the time where the teams are also cementing depth chart roles, as well. We should see a big rookie week next week, and I am looking forward to seeing how Stafford and Sanchez come off their games respectively. If Sanchez wins again, look for astronomical prices, the opposite happening for Stafford if he continues to throw picks. Marky Mark got lucky playing for a good team, so it will be great for his values once the end of the season comes. Oustide of that, we shall see how Harvin and Knox continue, as well as seeing if Britt and Hey Bey grow in their roles.