FANTASY DR X

Lawrence Barreca. The week of the MLB first-player draft has arrived, and players continue to impress as teams fight into the All-Star Break. Week 10 boasted the rise of three young pitchers and Week 11 is the time to pick them up. Here are my Week 11 "Hot" Waiver Wire Pickups:

Radhames Liz (BAL)- My No. 10 "Rookie to Watch" in Spring Training, Liz came out and proved that he could be a starter at the major-league level. In his first start of the season, Liz allowed two runs on four hits in 5 1/3 innings to pick up his first major league victory. He's a hard thrower whose fastball ranges in speeds. He has a good slider and can throw a curveball. Look for Liz to continue to impress in Week 11.

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Must-Start Options:
1-6???
7. Jose A. Contreras CHW: @ DET, vs. COL
8. John Danks CHW: vs. MIN, vs. COL
9. Ricky Nolasco FLA: vs. PHI, @ TB

High-Risk Options:
1. Dontrelle Willis DET: vs. CLE, vs. LA
2. Glen Perkins MIN: @ CHW, @ MIL
3. Scott Baker MIN: @ CLE, @ MIL
4. Nate Robertson DET: vs. CHW, vs. LA
5-9???

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By Derek Lofland. The AFC North is a division that has some of the best rivalries in the NFL. These teams and their fans really do not like each other. The AFC North has been a wide-open race the last few years.
The Bengals appeared to be poised to dominate the division after an 11-5 record with a young offensive core in 2005.

The Steelers beat them in the Wildcard Round, won the Super Bowl, and appeared to be in complete control of the division. The Bengals have been irrelevant since.

The 13-3 Baltimore Ravens reemerged in 2006. Then the Ravens crashed to 5-11 as the Steelers took back the division. Forgotten, have been the Cleveland Browns, who came out of nowhere to win 10 games in 2007.

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By Derek Lofland. The NFC South was arguably the weakest division in the NFL in 2007. Tampa Bay was the only division winner in 2007 not to win 10 games. Tampa Bay fans will point to the fact that they sat a lot of starters the last two weeks that resulted in their 9-7 record. Still, the Buccaneers were 5-1 in the division and 4-6 outside of it.

The Panthers and Saints were 3-3 against the division and 4-6 outside of it. The Falcons were 3-7 outside the division. This is a division that really struggled to win games against teams in other divisions.  No team is vastly superior to the other, with the exception of Atlanta.

Even they could potentially finish out of the cellar if Matt Ryan plays well as a rookie and things bounce their way. It is difficult to argue that this is anything other than a wide-open race in 2008.

Here is how I see the 2008 season playing out in the NFC South.

New Orleans Saints

'07 Record: 7-9Points Scored: 379 (12th)Points Allowed: 388 (25th)
Playoff Result: No Playoffs
2008 Strength of Schedule: 115-141 (.449) (27th (t) in NFL)

Strengths: The Saints have a terrific passing offense. The Saints ranked third in passing yards as Drew Brees threw for 4,423 yards. The problem is that he had one touchdown, 11 picks, and a 52.7 QB rating in his first four games. The Saints dug a 0-4 hole for themselves to start the season. In his last 12 games, he had 28 touchdown passes, seven interceptions, and a 103.1 QB rating. The problem is you don’t get to mulligan the first four games of the season. Despite going 7-3 in their next 10 games, they lost their last two games to close the season and missed the playoffs.

The Saints were so inconsistent during the season. They beat Jacksonville 41-24 and followed that up with a 37-29 loss to the Rams where they were routed for the first three quarters. This team has to work on their consistency. They can’t go in the tank for four games, win four in a row, and then lose to teams like the Rams. They have to bring it every Sunday.

There are a lot of good weapons in place.  Drew Brees is one of the top quarterbacks in the NFL. Marques  Colston is entering his third season and looks primed to have a season similar to the one Braylon Edwards had in 2007.

Reggie Bush still has his faults, but when used properly, is an explosive weapon. The Saints used him in too many reverses last season and gadget plays. They need to get back to the way they used him in 2006, which was as a spark plug, not the featured player in the offense. The injury to Deuce McAllister hurt