Brandon Braasch | May 10th, 2020
The Bears did not hit very many bold predictions in 2019. David Montgomery didn’t rush for 1000 yards, Mitchell Trubisky didn’t take a step forward, and the defense regressed. They won four fewer games than they did in 2018. With that being said I expect that to change this season. Below are some bold predictions for the Bears 2020 season. Yes call me crazy but I see them as contenders to win the Super Bowl come February.
Brady Podloski, Chris Gallagher, Brandon Braasch, Mason Thompson, Joey Ricotta | May 9th, 2020
The NFC North has had three different divisional winners in the past three years. Each year it seems that the balance of power shifts from one team to another in the north, as each of the four teams excels in an important part of the game. Overall, this is one of the most complete divisions in terms of talent and depth on each team, meaning each game will be very close. Additionally, there is an extra playoff wildcard spot, where the north could see three of its teams in the playoffs. With that said, this is an eight-part series where our Scorecrow NFL analysts do an early prediction of the wins and losses of each team. We projected all 256 games and have the winners and losers of each division!
Joey Ricotta | May 3rd, 2020
As if Chicago Bears fans didn’t know what was going to happen. Ryan Pace hinted at drafting a tight end, and once again traded up instead of down. Meanwhile, I’m not sure I know what’s left from right during this quarantine. We all want to watch sports and are desperately grasping at straws to find any live-action. Continue reading
Joey Ricotta & Brandon Braasch | April 8th, 2020
The NFL draft is right around the corner and for many, the NFL player movement and transactions, has been the only thing in the sports world to get excited about and keep us sane during this tough time. Now that most of the free agency market has been siphoned through, teams will look to the draft to fill the rest of their positional needs. The Chicago Bears made some unexpected moves – one being cutting ties with Leonard Floyd to sign Robert Quinn. Another was, giving tight end Jimmy Graham a sizable contract, while also trading a compensatory fourth-round pick to the Jacksonville Jaguars for quarterback Nick Foles, among other moves.
Joey Ricotta | March 13th, 2020
Amid the coronavirus pandemic that has shutdown sporting events and suspended seasons all over, Chicago Bears GM Ryan Pace decided to give Windy City fans a nice little present, agreeing to terms on a three-year deal worth $21.75 million with inside linebacker Danny Trevathan. $14 million is guaranteed and he could make $24 million with incentives.
Daniel Corrigan | February 24th, 2020
The Bears were a massive disappointment last season. After an NFC North title the year before, they failed to make the playoffs and Mitchell Trubisky took a big step back last season.
Joey Ricotta | January 31st, 2020 The 2019 Bears season can be summed up by your choice of two words – disappointing failure or regression bug. Following the 2018 season, hopes were high. The Bears had a dominating defense and a progressing young offense with an offensive-minded coaching guru to navigate the ship. That was until all of those aforementioned positives took a step back this season. With an 8-8 record and third-place finish in the NFC North, it’s safe to say the Bears didn’t live up to the hype. However, there were some positives, along with some things to look forward to. Let’s take a look at what happened, the plan this offseason, and the expectations for next year. Continue reading
Mason Thompson | January 25th, 2020
The Green Bay Packers were dismantled in the NFC Championship game, meaning all four of the NFC North teams have now been eliminated this year. Last April, this division had four first-round picks, with Green Bay having two of those four. The Chicago Bears were without first and second-round picks due to the Khalil Mack trade. The Detroit Lions and Minnesota Vikings had plenty of picks throughout the draft and didn’t do much moving around. Let’s take a look at how all four teams did last April with their selections. Continue reading
Joey Ricotta | December 29th, 2019
Welcome back to the GPP/Tournament Plays article for Week 17. Let’s start by saying, any picks used or mentioned for cash games can be played in tournaments. I think that’s an important thing to know and can sometimes get confused whenever the two are mentioned separately. For that reason, I’ve tried to avoid mentioning my cash game plays for this article. Continue reading
Joey Ricotta | December 28th, 2019
The football regular season is all but over. Welcome to the final week of the regular season where things get preseason-ish and downright wacky. The plan needs to be attacking players who we feel will have solidified roles, as many teams will be resting its starters for the postseason, or seeing what they have out of some of their youngsters for next year. Continue reading
Dr. Beth Sullivan | December 15th, 2019
I knew an injury report without quarterbacks was too good to be true. As we get ready for Week 15 in the NFL, we return to having a quarterback on the report plus a number of other important pieces for each of the injured player’s teams. Continue reading
Brandon Braasch | December 5th, 2019
Tonight’s game is huge for both teams as the Dallas Cowboys head into Chicago to face the Bears. The Bears are in a must-win scenario for the rest of the year while the Cowboys are currently one game up in the division with the Philadelphia Eagles. The chance at a potential playoff berth is on the line in this game. Here are my top players in this matchup.
Mike Fanelli | December 5th, 2019
Hopefully, everyone enjoyed their Thanksgiving and found out Monday night that they made the playoffs. If you did be thankful for it and if you didn’t, it’s never too early to start preparing for next year, especially in dynasty leagues. With three weeks to go (unless you play in week 17 for some weird reason), every decision on who the start and who to sit is even more critical. To kick off the start of the fantasy playoffs we have a matchup between the Cowboys and Bears. Not only is this game critical to fantasy owners but to both franchises as they fight for the playoffs.
Tom Greene | December 2nd, 2019
Yes, you read that right. At 3-8-1, the Detroit Lions have become the first team in the NFC to be eliminated from playoff contention. This brings another two questions to my plate that came a lot sooner than I’d anticipated. “What’s the point of the last four games? What’s the point of these recaps now?”
Those questions will be answered in the three recap points. Simply put, the Lions went from a 2-0-1 team that showed some promise to a 3-8-1 team that’s looking for its identity again. Whether you’re a player, coach, front office member or fan, going 1-8 in a nine-game stretch is never fun. Let’s look at the three points.
Dr. Beth Sullivan | November 28th, 2019
Week 13 of the NFL season kicks off Thursday afternoon while most of us are sitting down with the family to enjoy a Thanksgiving feast. While the food, I am sure will be great wherever you are planning to enjoy the holiday, the football games scheduled should be a tasty addition to whatever else is on your holiday plate. Unfortunately, there are a few notable injuries that could affect the outcomes of the games. Continue reading
Brandon Braasch | November 27th, 2019
Happy Thanksgiving everybody. While everyone is stuffing there face with food hopefully these players will help you stuff your bank account with cash. Below I’ll provide you with the players I will be playing for tomorrow’s Thanksgiving Day NFL games. There are three games on this slate so let’s get started and dig in.
Mike Fanelli | November 27th, 2019
Happy Thanksgiving everyone! Hopefully, you are getting ready to spend time with family and friends while eating turkey and enjoying some NFL action. Like every year, we have three games on Thanksgiving. First up at 12:30 pm EST is the Chicago Bears at the Detroit Lions, followed by the Buffalo Bills at the Dallas Cowboys at 4:30 pm EST, and to close out the night is the New Orleans Saints at the Atlanta Falcons at 8:20 pm EST. While only one of these games offers serious playoff implications, all three offer some interesting fantasy options.
Tom Greene | November 25th, 2019
Ever had a moment in your life where you’re so embarrassed to where you’re red in the face? Well, that’s the inspiration for this week’s title. Losing 19-16 to a one-win Washington Redskin team can make any team feel red in the face, and Lions fans have sadly seen this time and time again. Nastia Liukin posted the perfect mood in which Lions fans should be feeling, too.
Mike Fanelli & Givanni Damico | November 23rd, 2019
Starting next week we will have 16 games a week to bet on for the rest of the regular season. With only 13 Sunday and Monday games to bet on, there aren’t a lot of surprising lines. Of the 13 games, 11 have a spread under a touchdown which is a little surprising given the past few weeks. With several close matchups this week, we should expect a lot of close and entertaining games tomorrow.
Dr. Beth Sullivan| November 17th, 2019
Finally, an injury update not dominated by quarterbacks. That only took eleven weeks. This week there are several skill players instead. Continue reading
Brendan Abban| November 14th, 2019
This season has been an offensive albatross for the Los Angeles Rams. They have yet to resemble the explosive unit so many revered. That is one of the reasons why refinding that balance they had over the past two seasons is a major key for them this week against the Chicago Bears. Continue reading
Tom Greene | November 11th, 2019
The Lions came into this game thinking that a Chicago offense lead by Mitchell Trubisky would at least put a band-aid on the problems that were on the defensive side. It turned out not to be true. While Trubisky only threw for 145 yards, the Lions secondary allowed him to throw for three touchdowns, and that’s all the Bears needed in a 20-13 victory over Detroit.
Tom Greene | November 9th, 2019
The Lions lost another one last week in Oakland. The Bears are 3-5, and the offense is NOT looking pretty.
I brought in Illinois Student Broadcaster Anthony Pasquale and fellow Scorecrow writer Joe Ricotta (yes, our @theriot326!) to break it down.
We rant. We talk Lions, Bears, and Cubs. Animal activists may want to avoid this podcast. But, for the rest of you, it’s a great one! Check it out! (Warning- multiple curse words used. We’re not happy.) Continue reading
Ethan Hewett | November 7th, 2019
Did we have an impressive group of rookies in week nine or what? While most weeks we’ve had a few remarkable performances, this past week was full of breakout performances from players we were waiting to go off. While week one saw four pass catchers with 100 or more yards, week nine saw several receivers, running backs, and defensive players alike put up career games. Who stepped up big time? Who thrived under pressure? Find out in this week’s edition of the NFL Rookie Rankings. As always, let’s begin with a couple of honorable mentions. Continue reading
Tom Greene | November 4th, 2019
The Lions traveled to Oakland in their last season at the Colosseum. The plan was to use an Air-Raid offense (like Arizona’s) to sink the Raiders’ ship in the Black Hole for one last time. Instead, Jon Gruden utilized Derek Carr to do exactly what Matthew Stafford was supposed to do- raid the secondary and win the game. Continue reading
Ethan Hewett | October 30th, 2019
Another week of the NFL has passed and with the trade deadline headlining most of this week, it’s time to turn our attention back to what we saw over the weekend. Several offensive young guns have emerged back onto the scene and several defensive studs have continued their early dominance. One player is even making a case for Defensive Player of the Year. Who rose up to the challenge? Who fell short? Find out in this week’s edition of the Rookie Rankings. As always, let’s start with a couple of honorable mentions. Continue reading
Givanni Damico | October 29th, 2019
There’s been a lot of speculation about some coaches who might be in their last year with their respective teams. I’m going to give you my thoughts on these guys, discussing who should stay put and who needs to go.
John Woz, Jr. | October 26th, 2019
The week eight matchup between the Los Angeles Chargers at the Chicago Bears features two teams regressing from the previous season. There are several synergies between the two reeling teams in 2019. Neither team can run the football, the Chargers rank 27th, and the Bears 28th.
Raul Vazquez | October 22nd, 2019
There was a ton of movement in the weekly rankings this week. The one constant in the NFL seems to be the Patriots while the 49ers are legit and the Ravens might be the biggest threat to the Patriots in the AFC.
Dr. Beth Sullivan | October 20th, 2019
Week seven started out with a bang on Thursday night when Patrick Mahomes was knocked out with a dislocated patella. There are other injuries to check on before the main slate of games kicks off later this afternoon. Continue reading
Joey Ricotta | October 19th, 2019
Welcome in. Hopefully, everyone had a great week and is as excited as I am for this week’s games. Hopefully, last week you were able to construct a nice winning lineup based on some of the plays mentioned in last week’s article. However, you aren’t here to reminisce about last week.
Raul Vazquez | October 8th, 2019
Week five was a weird week with a ton of close games and some unexpected winners. The Patriots still hold the top spot but there was a ton of movement throughout the rankings.
John Woz, Jr. | October 7th, 2019
Week five of the NFL season did not disappoint, it had everything we come to expect in pro football. This Sunday’s notebook features a London game, a big performance by a Carolina Panthers’ running back, Steelers injury worries and another lively performance by Gardner Minshew. The New York Jets had another week to forget.
Dr. Beth Sullivan | October 6th, 2019
What more can be said about injuries that happened in week four except another week another quarterback injured. Let’s take a look at some of the notable injuries that will play a part in week five games.
Joey Ricotta | October 6th, 2019
Welcome in. Hopefully, everyone had a great week and is as excited as I am for this week’s games. Hopefully, last week you were able to construct a nice winning lineup based on some of the plays mentioned in last week’s article. Prepare for a humblebrag. I had a terrific week, cashing in over 97% of my cash game contests. Which means absolutely nothing when it comes to this week. Continue reading
Ethan Hewett| October 2nd, 2019
Week four of the NFL is behind us and at the quarter mark of the 2019 season, there have been a few surprises. If you had told me before this season that the top two rookie quarterbacks were going to be Gardner Minshew and Daniel Jones, I would have thought you were crazy but here we are. While some household names on offense have struggled, more defensive players were able to make their mark this past week and it was impressive. But that’s enough talk for now, let’s dig into these rankings starting with a couple of honorable mentions. Continue reading
Joey Ricotta | September 28th, 2019
Welcome in. Hopefully, everyone had a great week and is as excited as I am for this week’s games. The goal of the cash game article is to outline some of the safer plays, while also, providing options that will help you create the most optimal builds. The whole point of it all is to make some money. Sometimes we won’t, but putting ourselves in the best position to do so is the main thing. That goes without saying, but can sometimes get overshadowed by the results on a week to week basis.
Raul Vazquez | September 24th, 2019
There was a lot movement in my rankings this week but that is a result of it still being early in the season and still finding out the identity of teams. The Giants are the biggest movers this week as they moved up nine spots with the play of Daniel Jones.
Brandon Braasch | September 23rd, 2019
It is time for some Monday Night Football. This week will be a lot better than last week’s game. Let’s be honest last weeks game was brutal. Watching Trevor Siemian and then Luke Falk play quarterback was not exciting. This game might not be as exciting as watching Patrick Mahomes, but at least Mitchell Trubisky and Case Keenum will do more than just dump the ball off to the running back. In a game where I expect there to be a good amount of fantasy points put up, let’s see who the best players are on this slate.
Ethan Hewett | September 18th, 2019
Let’s be honest, week one probably set our expectations for some of these offensive rookies extremely high. Putting it into perspective, we haven’t seen four rookie pass catchers in their debut going over 100 yards ever before in NFL history. Week two was a reality check for most and reminded us how difficult it is to maintain success in the NFL. While the numbers weren’t as wild this week, there were still several solid rookie performances to highlight and new players who shined starting with a couple of honorable mentions. Continue reading
Alex Kielar | September 7th, 2019
With the 2019 NFL season kicking off last night between the Bears and Packers, we are now officially in the final season of the decade. I thought I would go over the best moment from each kickoff game this decade, including last night, and rank them. Continue reading
Tom Greene | September 7th, 2019
The Detroit Lions are on the prowl. In Matt Patricia‘s second season as Head Coach, the squad is hoping to improve on their 6-10 record from last season. In their way stands a host of foes. Kyler Murray, Kirk Cousins, Derek Carr, and Aaron Rodgers, just to name a few. To take down these men and take on the challenge of winning the NFC North, you must have a sound 53-man roster. 6-10 tells me there’s a lot of work to do, and I’m sure it says the same to my fellow readers. However, let’s become familiar with the roster that will be with us for this 2019 season.
Dr. Beth Sullivan | September 5th, 2019
Each week I will give a quick update to the injury status of several key players for the week. I will explain the injury they are dealing with and try to give an educated opinion on the player’s availability for their upcoming game that week. Now that we know what I am going to do. Let’s look at the Week One Injuries for the NFL this week. Because I am having internet issues, I am going to do this in 2 parts. Continue reading
Gregory Blakley | September 5th, 2019
The 2019 NFL season is almost upon us has the Green Bay Packers head to soldier field to take on their rival the Chicago Bears, what should you expect from this game fantasy wise?
Joey Ricotta | September 5th, 2019
DraftKings really outdid themselves for this opening Thursday showdown slate. As soon as I went to the lobby, I saw, right at the very top of the page, the $10 entry $2.5 Million Kickoff Thursday Millionaire Tournament. It’s a 150 Entries Max Multi-Entry Tournament. The contest pays out the top 62,500 lineups with the top prize winning $1 million. What better way to kickoff the NFL season than a Chicago Bears versus Green Bay Packers rivalry game and a whole bunch of money up for grabs. So, as we will be doing all season long here at The Scorecrow, let’s dive into some of my favorite options for tonight’s game.
Frank Ammirante | September 4th, 2019
The 2019 NFL season is finally here! Tomorrow night the Green Bay Packers will travel to Chigaco to face the Bears to kick off the NFL’s 100th season. Fantasy owners have waited all summer long for this and it’s finally here. Below I have given you my week one rankings based on PPR scoring.
Mike Fanelli, Joshua Abbe, Mason Thompson, Devin Davis, Connor Neal | Aug 21st, 2019
The 2019 NFL season is right around the corner! We are knee deep in the preseason as teams are determining who will make the final roster. Every year there are players who come out of nowhere to make the team. To the average NFL fan, the preseason might be boring, but to dynasty fantasy football players, this is the time of the year to evaluate your deep bench. To help with that, the Scorecrow family has put together a mini-series with a handful of writers giving you their opinions on five questions. Be sure to follow all of the writers on twitter and ask any questions you may have regarding their answers. Without further ado, let’s get into it.
The 2018 Chicago Bears finished with the league’s number one overall defense, an insane amount of takeaways, and cruised to their first NFC North Division crown since 2010. In the first round of the playoffs, a “double doink” heard around the world, brought the Bears season to a screeching halt. This season, the Bears will be starting with a new kicker and a whole lot of motivation following their early exit. Will they be able to bounce back from the rough ending to an otherwise incredible season? Take a walk with me as I attempt to crack their 53-man roster and what to expect from them this season.
Anthony Smith | August 5th, 2019
With 32 teams in the midst of regular-season preparation via training camp practices, we often see the hype for rookies spin out of control. It seems like every year without fail, NFL Twitter gets a hold of a couple clips of a corner making a nice interception, or a running back juking a linebacker and leaving them in the dust, and proclaims them as the next great thing. I’m here to look at seven players that were drafted in April that have seen a ton of chatter, and to give my predictions on if they will prove worthy from day one.
Mike Fanelli, Joshua Abbe, Givanni Damico, Frank Dyevoich, Connor Neal | August 1st, 2019
The 2019 NFL season is right around the corner! The Hall of Fame Game between the Atlanta Falcons and Denver Broncos is tonight, meaning we have just five weeks till opening night. That time will (hopefully) go by quickly. In the meanwhile, it is never too early to get started on building the ultimate fantasy football team. To help with that, the Scorecrow family has put together a mini-series with a handful of writers giving you their opinions on five questions. Be sure to follow all of the writers on twitter and ask any questions you may have regarding their answers. Without further ado, let’s get into it.