Week 7 NFL Twitter Takeaway

Twitter and NFL Sundays have become like peanut butter and jelly, hamburger and fries or Beavis and Butthead - it's hard to imagine one without the other.

When something happens on your big screen, you instinctually reach for your small screen and moments later the Twitter world is reading your instant analysis.

A former colleague of mine and an Emmy-award winner at WCCO-TV, Gregg Litman, wrote an article about this topic earlier this year. It's a very good article about how tweeting during live events has changed the way we watch TV. His article inspired me to take all my favorite tweets from NFL Sunday and post them here. While you're at it, give all these folks a follow.

@NFLprguy
Closing in on Unitas' unbreakable 47 straight games w/ a td pass, @drewbrees now at 34 games. Favre had 36 straight. Marino-30.

@RobDemovsky
#Packers QB Aaron Rodgers' passing rating of 146.5 was the 2nd highest of his career. Best was 155.4 at Cleveland on Oct. 25, 2009.

@APkrawczynski
Eight of Ponder's 13 completions went at least 12 yds today. Averaged 16.8 yds/comp. McNabb avgd 6.58. Huge difference.

@Michael_Fabiano
Kyle Boller completed a better percentage of his passes than Carson Palmer. They had 6 INTs combined, completed 15 to their own team. Wow.

@RuiterWrong
#Browns are 2-0 without Peyton Hillis - yes fans they can win without him although it'd be nice to keep Hillis

@skjensen
As of now, #Bears (4-3) would be 6th seed in the NFC, behind 3 division leaders and the Lions. Wins over Bucs and Falcons is HUGE

@evansilva
#Packers WR Greg Jennings might have the #Vikings number. 28 catches for 461 yards & 6 TDs in last 4 games against MIN. 7-116-1.5 average.

@espn_macmahon
Felix Jones this season: 255 yards and a TD on 64 carries. DeMarco Murray on Sunday: 253 yards and a TD on 25 carries.

@tsmith15
The #Saints have more points tonight (62) than the #Rams have all season (56)

@SouhanStrib
One last thought on Ponder: Put that 4th q drive together without Harvin and behind beatup offensive line.

@panopticon13
I've converted to Christian Ponder.

2011 NFL Schedule: Week 7

SUNDAY, OCT. 23  (All Times ET) 
Seattle at Cleveland  1:00 PM
Atlanta at Detroit  1:00 PM
Houston at Tennessee  1:00 PM
Denver at Miami  1:00 PM
San Diego at NY Jets  1:00 PM
Chicago at Tampa Bay  1:00 PM
Washington at Carolina  1:00 PM
Pittsburgh at Arizona  4:05 PM
Kansas City at Oakland  4:05 PM
Green Bay at Minnesota  4:15 PM
St. Louis at Dallas  4:15 PM
Indianapolis at New Orleans  8:20 PM

MONDAY, OCT. 24 
Baltimore at Jacksonville  8:30 PM

Bye: Buffalo, Cincinnati, New England, NY Giants, Philadelphia, San Francisco

Week 7: Fantasy football rankings -- QB, RB, WR/TE

QB
1. Drew Brees vs. Cleveland
2. Aaron Rodgers vs. Minnesota
3. Philip Rivers vs. New England
4. Joe Flacco vs. Buffalo
5. Ben Roethlisberger at Miami
6. Kyle Orton vs. Oakland
7. Eli Manning at Dallas
8. Tom Brady at San Diego
9. Matt Cassel vs. Jacksonville
10. Tony Romo vs. NY Giants
11. Jay Cutler vs. Washington
12. Matt Ryan vs. Cincinnati
13. Brett Favre at Green Bay
14. Matt Hasselbeck vs. Arizona
15. Carson Palmer at Atlanta
16. Kevin Kolb at Tennessee
17. Josh Freeman vs. St. Louis
18. Donovan McNabb at Chicago
19. Chad Henne vs. Pittsburgh
20. Sam Bradford at Tampa Bay

RB
1. Chris Johnson vs. Philadelphia
2. Ray Rice vs. Buffalo
3. Adrian Peterson at Green Bay
4. Frank Gore at Carolina
5. Steven Jackson at Tampa Bay
6. Rashard Mendenhall at Miami
7. Michael Turner vs. Cincinnati
8. Peyton Hillis at New Orleans
9. Ahmad Bradshaw at Dallas
10. Knowshon Moreno vs. Oakland
11. Marshawn Lynch vs. Arizona
12. Jamaal Charles vs. Jacksonville
13. Cedric Benson at Atlanta
14. Maurice Jones-Drew at Kansas City
15. Matt Forte vs. Washington
16. DeAngelo Williams vs. San Francisco
17. Thomas Jones vs. Jacksonville
18. LeSean McCoy at Tennessee
19. Chris Ivory vs. Cleveland
20. Ryan Torain at Chicago
21. Michael Bush at Denver
22. Felix Jones vs. NY Giants
23. Ryan Mathews vs. New England
24. Brandon Jacobs at Dallas
25. BenJarvus Green-Ellis at San Diego
26. Beanie Wells at Seattle
27. Justin Forsett vs. Arizona
28. Jonathan Stewart vs. San Francisco
29. Mike Tolbert vs. New England
30. Willis McGahee vs. Buffalo
31. Fred Jackson at Baltimore
32. Ronnie Brown vs. Pittsburgh
33. Ricky Williams vs. Pittsburgh
34. Danny Woodhead at San Diego
35. Tim Hightower at Seattle
36. Cadillac Williams vs. St. Louis
37. Ladell Betts vs. Cleveland
38. Brandon Jackson vs. Minnesota
39. Correll Buckhalter vs. Oakland
40. Darren Sproles vs. New England

WR
1. Randy Moss at Green Bay
2. Roddy White vs. Cincinnati
3. Hakeem Nicks at Dallas
4. Anquan Boldin vs. Buffalo
5. Jeremy Maclin at Tennessee
6. Miles Austin vs. NY Giants
7. Brandon Marshall vs. Pittsburgh
8. Greg Jennings vs. Green Bay 

9. Brandon Lloyd vs. Oakland
10. Mike Wallace at Miami
11. Terrell Owens at Atlanta
12. Dwayne Bowe vs. Jacksonville
13. Percy Harvin at Green Bay
14. Larry Fitzgerald at Seattle
15. Steve Smith (NY) at Dallas
16. Hines Ward at Miami
17. Marques Colston vs. Cleveland
18. Johnny Knox vs. Washington
19. Deion Branch at San Diego
20. Donald Driver vs. Minnesota
21. Robert Meachem vs. Cleveland
22. Wes Welker at San Diego
23. Mike Williams (SEA) vs. Arizona
24. Steve Smith (CAR) vs. San Francisco
25. Mike Williams (TB) vs. St. Louis
26. Santana Moss at Chicago
27. Jabar Gaffney vs. Oakland
28. Lance Moore vs. Cleveland
29. Roy Williams vs. NY Giants
30. Patrick Crayton vs. New England
31. Derrick Mason vs. Buffalo
32. Kenny Britt vs. Philadelphia
33. Louis Murphy at Denver
34. Tony Gonzalez vs. Cincinnati
35. Jason Avant at Tennessee
36. Mario Manningham at Dallas
37. Aaron Hernandez at San Diego
38. Vernon Davis at Carolina
39. Lee Evans at Baltimore
40. Davone Bess vs. Pittsburgh
41. Heath Miller at Miami
42. Steve Johnson at Baltimore
43. Dex Bryant vs. NY Giants
44. Zack Miller at Denver
45. Anthony Armstrong at Chicago
46. Danny Amendola at Tampa Bay
47. Demaryius Thomas vs. Oakland
48. Tony Moeaki vs. Jacksonville
49. Sammie Stroughter vs. St. Louis
50. Nate Washington vs. Philadelphia

Week 7: Working the waiver wire

We’ve reached the point in the fantasy football season where it’s perfectly fine to shift into rent-a-player mode. You know, the weekly free agent pick-up who will only play one week for your team before getting shipped back to anonymity. Of course this strategy doesn’t work if you’re paying for each free agent pick-up. Regardless, here’s a list of players you should check out

Matt Cassel – QB Kansas City
A week after torching the Houston Texans for 3 TDs, Cassel is headed for another favorable match-up this week when the Chiefs host the Jacksonville Jaguars. The Jags rank near the bottom of the league against the pass and Kansas City is a difficult place to play. In fact, Cassel makes a pretty good play the next three weeks as the Chiefs began a three-game stretch where they host Jacksonville and Buffalo and then travel to Oakland.

Danny Woodhead – RB New England
Somewhere Bill Belichick is laughing at us. All of us fantasy football players trying to figure out his gameday strategy. It certainly appeared that BenJarvus Green-Ellis would be the lead RB after Laurence Maroney got shipped west. After week 6, it’s clear that Woodhead will continue to see time in New England’s backfield, perhaps even more than Green-Ellis. Woodhead finished with more than 100 yards total offense against the Baltimore Ravens last week, which included a heavier workload in the second half. That tells me the Patriots trust him in crucial situations. If you’re desperately seeking a RB to fill out your roster, Woodhead may be the best option.

Chris Ivory – RB New Orleans
With Pierre Thomas and Reggie Bush both sidelined with injuries, Ivory made a name for himself running for 158 yards against Tampa Bay on Sunday. Ivory is the Saints best option right now with Thomas and Bush out. He’s faster than Ladell Betts and Julius Jones, plus he’s got the big play potential the Saints offense has lacked at times this year. Ivory’s performance in week 6 likely earned him more touches this season, but when Thomas and Bush return, his role will be less clear. He’s got another favorable match-up this week against the Cleveland Browns, but don’t expect too much after that. With a game against Pittsburgh in week 8 and the eventual return of the Saints wounded RBs, Ivory’s days as ‘the guy’ in New Orleans’ backfield may be numbered – at least for this season.      

James Starks – RB Green Bay
I will admit that putting Starks on this list is a stretch at this point, but it might be a risk worth taking. It’s no secret the Green Bay Packers are having trouble running the ball. Brandon Jackson and John Kuhn are barely average and the team's inability to run the ball is having a major impact on the entire Packers offense. Starks is now eligible to play after spending the first six weeks on the PUP list. The Packers will give him a chance; that I can promise you. However, what he does with that opportunity remains to be seen, thus making him a very risky pick right now. Starks has not played at all this season, including during the preseason due to a hamstring injury. Picking him up now would be the ultimate roll of the dice, but it might just pay off (Or it might not. I’d avoid him for now. Scout him).   

Mike Williams – WR Seattle
The departure of Deion Branch in Seattle has opened the door back up for Williams. A hot waiver pick up after week one, Williams landed back on the free agent market after poor performances in weeks 2 thru 5. In week 6, Williams was targeted 14 times by Matt Hasselbeck, catching 10 of those balls for 123 yards. Williams is an excellent option the next two weeks with Arizona and Oakland on the schedule. Plus, Seattle’s schedule the rest of the way has several favorable match-ups for Williams. If you’re going to grab one Seattle receiver, make sure it’s Williams (avoid Deon Butler and Golden Tate).

Deion Branch – WR New England
When New England traded Randy Moss to Minnesota many thought the Patriots were giving up on the season. However, with a win over Baltimore on Sunday and Branch having a big game, people have torn up the Pats' obituary. The Brady to Branch connection tormented a very good Ravens pass defense for 98 yards on nine catches, including a TD. Despite another tough match-up this week against the Chargers in San Diego, Branch is a good player to pick-up. Being Brady’s go-to guy is always going to be worth something.