Richard Savill

Antonio Brown's value is tanking just hours before the season begins. Just when we thought his antics would step aside for a football season, at least in part, he throws a fit at GM Mike Mayock. A team suspension seemed minor early on, but the situation has all attributes of having a snowball effect. This is the last note I will have on Antonio Brown in my draft rankings. Remaining positive with him is misguided from a fantasy perspective. If you drafted him, my condolences.

Antonio Brown is back to work just in time to get enough reps in with Derek Carr for both to connect up the circuitry. There remains a risk factor, but it appears Brown is drifting back to football with hardened purpose. His draft worthiness resumes in good stead among the top 10 receivers and fresh new green shoots of upside are growing.

Antonio Brown is back to work just in time to get enough reps in with Derek Carr for both to connect up the circuitry. There remains a slight risk factor, but it appears Brown has drifted gently back to football, but with hardened purpose. His draft worthiness resumes in good stead among the top 10 receivers and fresh new green shoots of upside are growing.

Blessed with a catchy football moniker, Ferguson wowed the patrons of Century Link by ticking up 54 yards on four receptions and a touchdown in Preseason 1. Ferguson is fighting for a roster spot, not depth chart promotion at this juncture. A player to monitor nonetheless in light of injuries to the presumptive starters on the Seahawks.

Antonio Brown appears ready for work. The climbdown of his grievances with the league over equipment looks headed for a soft landing. However, for optimism to flourish it requires no further incidents or grievances. Plus a strong tonic of consistent commitment from Brown when it's all over with. He remains a volatile stock in fantasy. The reward depends on more than just his presence, but consistent performance with a new team and quarterback. Visual frustration symphonies on the sideline in the key of Dez B is something no one wants to see.

The emergence of UDFA Jakobi Meyers in camp and preseason have many scratching their heads of why he went undrafted. Not only is Meyers odds-on for the 53, he's already put in an impressive enough application for a regular roster spot on the depth chart. That said, sorting out a fantasy value remains blurry because Josh Gordon burst through the wall again like the Kool-Aid jug man. So, fantasy relevance for Meyers, and indeed N'Keal Harry are open questions while Belichick evaluates.

Antonio Brown appears ready for work. The climbdown of his grievances with the league over equipment looks headed for a soft landing. However, optimism of no further incidents needs a strong tonic of consistent commitment from Brown. He remains a volatile stock in fantasy. The reward depends on more than just his presence, but consistent performance with a new team and quarterback. Visual frustration symphonies on the sideline in the key of Dez B is something no one wants to see.

Antonio Brown appears ready for work. The climbdown of his grievances with the league over equipment looks headed for a soft landing. However, optimism of no further incidents needs a strong tonic of consistent commitment from Brown. He remains a volatile stock in fantasy. The reward depends on more than just his presence, but consistent performance with a new team and quarterback. Visual frustrations on the sideline in the key of Dez B is something no one wants to see.

Game: Philadelphia Eagles at New England Patriots (-4.5)
Pick: Philadelphia Eagles (+4.5)
In Patriots comeback against the Falcons last year, the key was keeping the fatigued Falcons defense on the field in the 4th quarter. If the Eagles can somehow prevent that and get to Brady, they'll take their first Super Bowl to Philadelphia. Another close Super Bowl.

Game: Will the combined score be over or under 48 points?
Pick: Over

Game: What will the total combined points be at the end of the game?
Pick: 53

Game: Jacksonville Jaguars at New England Patriots (-9)
Pick: Jacksonville Jaguars (+9)
The Jaguars are putting everything into a Super Bowl berth. If they can do it Pittsburgh, they can do it at Foxborough. It would be a major triumph and this team has just the right defense. This is an uncomfortable matchup for the Patriots. If the Jaguars lose, the Patriots will be the ones providing a heartbreak with a late drive to win it.

Game: Minnesota Vikings at Philadelphia Eagles (+3)
Pick: Philadelphia Eagles (+3)
Let down. That's the biggest worry among Vikings fans. However, if they are a team of destiny, it was made evident last Sunday night. We're in for a great football game. I expect another very close cardiac drama.

Which game pick are you most confident with?
Jacksonville Jaguars at New England Patriots (-9)

Game: Atlanta Falcons at Philadelphia Eagles (+3)
Pick: Atlanta Falcons (-3)
Following the month of November, the Eagles are 0-6 against the spread as home underdogs since 2012. Saturday is forecast for less frigid temperatures, but those chilly and breezy gusts may persist. This causes those swirling stadium winds which could affect the passing game on both sides as we have seen recently in Philadelphia. Foles has yet to get the knack of it and his control issues in this type of environment remain evident. So it's up to the ground and short passing game to somehow get both teams on sustained drives. The running game of the Falcons has much more polish I feel than the Eagles do with their mixture. It is Julio Jones who might make the difference with very few targets, but just one big play.

Game: Tennessee Titans at New England Patriots (-13.5)
Pick: New England Patriots (-13.5)
This is the 21st playoff home game for the Patriots in the Brady era, the 36th post-season game (including Super Bowls) overall, and the 30th time they are favorites to win. The Ravens are the only team to beat the spread against the Patriots at Gillette since 2011; accounting for all three of the spread losses with a 7-3 ATS record favoring the Pats since then. So if the Titans somehow pull this off, they might have to buy Cinderella Castle at Disneyworld as a permanent homage. The Titans have a good defense, but as is usual with the patient Patriots, they'll wait until they are worn down. Mariota played well against the Chiefs, but I'm not so sure the quick or no-huddle strategy can have the same positive effect against the Patriots. They would need Derrick Henry to have a big game. For Brady and company, it's simply wait for the opportunity and keep on Gronkin'. Gronkowski is the key. We saw the Chiefs lose control of the game almost at the moment Travis Kelce left the field.

Game: Jacksonville Jaguars at Pittsburgh Steelers (-7)
Pick: Pittsburgh Steelers (-7)
The Steelers have beat the spread in five of their last six playoff games at home. Like the Patriots, the Ravens are the only team to cause a blemish in recent years. There is a revenge factor to this game. In Week 5, Ben Roethlisberger was at one of the lowest points of his career. He threw five picks and the Jaguars were able to cash two of them in for touchdowns. The Jaguars were only just building their reputation then, but the Steelers will be ready this time. Just the same, that secondary with those safeties and corners are dead drop awesome. We used to talk about Denver's high level, but these guys play it like an art. When you add Calais Campbell, Dante Fowler and Malik Jackson up front - yikes! The problem for Jacksonville though is generating enough offense. You can hold Antonio Brown and Le'Veon Bell for only so long. The Jags need ball control badly in this game, but I just cannot see them getting it with the Steelers content to stack Fournette and forcing Bortles to throw.

Game: New Orleans Saints at Minnesota Vikings (-4.5)
Pick: New Orleans Saints (+4.5)
The last time the Saints and Vikings met in the playoffs, Brett Favre was still playing. This was in the days of the bounty scandal where Brett Favre and Kurt Warner were targets for hit money in the 2009 playoffs. That was then; this is now. I think the Saints are red-hot and if they stay that way, could win the Super Bowl. It is their pass rush which continues to astonish. Yes, they nearly allowed Cam Newton a chance to rally for a late win, but they still came up with a big shutdown and won the game. Drew Brees is playing great playoff football right now and his weaponry is so diverse that even a defense as stout as the Vikings will ultimately collapse. The Vikings and Case Keenum will not be able to play from behind, so they need to keep Brees off the field with long drives. If they don't, then Keenum cannot hope to do even as much as Cam Newton did to try and rally against these Saints.

Which game pick are you most confident with?
New Orleans Saints at Minnesota Vikings (-4.5)