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Payne's Random Thoughts

-I'm still bullish on Michael Crabtree.  He's not in sync with Alex Smith yet, as his false start and delay coming off the line on a running play Monday night indicates.  Had the pass that led to an interception not been deflected at the line of scrimmage, he would have likely had a TD.  I just hope they run him in other routes than the skinny post, which he seemed to be running often on Monday night.

-Shockingly, American Clint Dempsey was inserted in Fulham's starting lineup and scored their only goal last weekend.  He was used as only as a sub to start the season despite leading the team in scoring last year.  A couple of unfortunate injuries will clear regular playing time for Duece going forward.  If you're looking for a big name to help the National Team in Brazil in 2014, look no further than Gale Agbossoumonde who should become a world-class defender.

-Chris Ivory has become a trendy name this week given the injury to Reggie Bush.  If you missed my interesting, riveting segment on Monday's Sirius/XM radio show, you missed hearing how I'm not too high on Ivory.  He was kicked off the team at Washington State and has never stayed healthy over the last four years playing college ball.  He won't be the answer in New Orleans; I'd expect them to explore a trade for an RB eventually.

-Anyone else think "The Event" really wasn't?

-Happy retirement Don Nelson.  I'm a huge fan of his players in the fantasy world and some (Stephen Curry – my man-crush, David Lee) could take a hit under Keith "SU fans hate you" Smart.  Remember that Smart was an assistant under Nelson so a huge drop off in fantasy stats may not be in store.

-Mo Williams is having some personal issues; don't sleep on Ramon Sessions.  Add Roy Hibbert, J.J. Hickson, Paul Millsap and Jrue Holiday to my sleeper list as well.  Blake Griffin will be a double-double monster and he's falling in drafts due to his injury last year. 

-Buster Posey or Jason Heyward for ROY?  Discuss below.

-Speaking of baseball, am I the only one struggling to focus on the last 10 days of the fantasy world?

-I smell an upset in Florida this weekend and oddly it's backing Kentucky in football and not basketball.

-I've answered some Michael Vick questions this week and it's mostly for players who already have a solid #1 QB.  I wouldn't play the matchups with him and your #1 and instead explore trade options if you own him while his value is high.  It wouldn't surprise me to see Kevin Kolb back under center at some point this year.

-Please go away Miller Lite commercials.  Please.  Ditto with Flo from Progressive.

-If you own Reggie Bush or Sidney Rice in any standard league, I'd drop them immediately.  We don't really know their actual return date and when they come back, it's unlikely they'll be 100|PERCENT|.  Or you can hang onto them, waste a roster spot and be out of the money when they do return.

-If you're a fan of dark comedies, check out "World's Greatest Dad" starring Robin Williams.  Being a family-friendly site (most of the time), I can't tell the premise of the movie here but I will mention the word "asphyxiation".

-I'm a huge fan of MMA but this weekend's PPV is horrible.  The headline fight has Frank Mir against Mirko Cro Crop.  For those who don't follow it, Mir has lost two of his last three fights.  Hence the "why is he the headliner" here.  If you still think boxing is the superior sport, its 2010 knocking on your door to tell you the truth.  Sergio Mora, really, as a headliner?

-Living in the Metropolis known as Buffalo, I have no idea what the Bills are doing.  I'm not even going to try and evaluate what they're doing with the team since it's like trying to figure out why Octomom has 14 kids and thinks that's normal.

-Anyone else find the irony in Broadway Joe knocking Braylon Edwards for his DWI?  I don't think his (Namath) ringing endorsement of Chad Pennington worked out either.

-There are so many questionable calls in the NFL these days but what is A.J. Smith doing with Vincent Jackson?  It's obvious he'll never play for the Chargers again, so get what you can for him.  For the record, I have no problem with players holding out for money in the NFL given their lack of guaranteed money (compared to baseball) and the potential long-term ill effects of playing a brutal sport.

-I don't wish harm on anyone, but I don't see Jahvid Best (195 lbs) or LeSean McCoy (205 lbs) holding up with a full workload over the entire NFL season.

-I'd buy, buy, buy on Percy Harvin right now.  Speaking of slow starts, would it be surprising to see the Beanie Wells/Tim Hightower backfield take the 2009 route all over again?

-Eastbound and Down and Dexter return this week, time to check out the prices on your movie channels and don't be afraid to haggle with your TV provider.

-I think I've said it before but I'll kick Secretariat again.  Never discount what's going on in a player's personal life.  This year it's Pablo Sandoval and his divorce, last year it was Magglio Ordonez and his wife's cancer scare.  There isn't a BABIP or OPS that will take that into account.

- My knowledge of hockey is limited and that's putting it mildly.  The coverage here is awesome; I invest heavily what the writers here think and say.  That being said, if you're looking for a solid sleeper among defensemen check out Erik Karlsson from the Senators.  The guy had 18 points over his last 16 games including the playoffs (and took a ton of shots).  He'll be available during the later rounds too.

-Anyone else think Sabathia got screwed on the 3-2 pitch to Rodriguez last night?

-Feel free to agree/disagree with anything I've said below.