NFL

NFL Week 1 DFS Players to Target

NFL Week 1 DFS Players to Target: Draftkings, Fanduel and all other DFS Sites Here are Z-Code’s position by position breakdowns of the best value players for week 1. If you’re playing on any DFS site, this is a must-read article for week 1. It includes our favorite players from top-dollar studs to risky fliers going for dirt cheap. The prices listed are for fanduel.

QB: Derek Carr 7700 Carr was efficient last year and stands only to improve in 2016. In week one he has a great matchup against the Saints who have one of the worst secondaries in  ... 

NFL PRESEASON WEEK 3 PART 3: Browns Bucs, Packers 49ers, Chiefs Bears

 NFL PRESEASON WEEK 3 PART 3: Browns Bucs, Packers 49ers, Chiefs Bears  Here is part three in this week’s series of recaps on last weekend’s preseason NFL games. Browns vs. Buccaneers The Browns played surprisingly well in their week three dress rehersal against Tampa Bay- at least offensively. The stars of the show were quarterback, Robert Griffin III, who earned the starting job in Cleveland after sitting on the bench in Washington for the last year and a half. He had a mildly efficient 8 completions on 14 attempts for 119 yards and a touchdown with no interceptions. However, he  ... 

NFL Preseason Week 3 Roundup Part 2: Patriots, Panthers, Bills, Redskins, Steelers, Saints

NFL Preseason Week 3 Roundup Part 2: Patriots, Panthers, Bills, Redskins, Steelers, Saints  Week three of the NFL preseason is considered the dress rehearsal for week 1 and coaches typically let their starters play most if not all of the first half. This article is a roundup of the good things and the bad things we saw from this weekend’s games. Patriots vs. Panthers Tom Brady looked great in his opening drive though he only finished the game 3-9 and a touchdown. Those three completions, however, averaged 25 yards each. Lagarrette Blount bruised his way into a solid preseason stat  ... 

NFL PRESEASON WEEK 3: Falcons vs. Dolphins

NFL PRESEASON WEEK 3: Falcons vs. Dolphins Week three of the NFL preseason is by far the most important for viewers in that it almost always represents a “dress rehearsal” for about half the game. By this I mean that most teams will let the staters play the entire first half instead of one drive in the third quarter. This gives us, the viewers, the first bit of relevant insight as to how the season could shape up for our respective teams. Here’s what we learned from Thursday night’s first game. Atlanta Falcons at Miami Dolphins The game was actually  ... 

2016 NFL Season Preview

2016 NFL Season Preview Here’s a wrap up of our divisional previews with playoff picks. NFC: Packers, Panthers, Cardinals, Cowboys with the Vikings and the Seahawks in as wildcards NFC NORTH Green Bay Packers (11-5) The Packers lost the division to the Vikings last year in the last game of the season. The Vikings will be good again this year, but the Packers are the team to beat and here’s why. Jordy Nelson is back. Without Nelson, Aaron Rodgers was not the same quarterback in 2015. Combine that with a struggling Eddie Lacy and virtually no receiver stepping up to  ... 

2016 NFL Division Preview: NFC NORTH

2016 NFL Division Preview: NFC NORTH Green Bay Packers (11-5) The Packers lost the division to the Vikings last year in the last game of the season. The Vikings will be good again this year, but the Packers are the team to beat and here’s why. Jordy Nelson is back. Without Nelson, Aaron Rodgers was not the same quarterback in 2015. Combine that with a struggling Eddie Lacy and virtually no receiver stepping up to the plate in Nelson’s absence and it’s a miracle they made the playoffs at all last year. As long as Green Bay can figure out  ... 

2016 NFL Division Preview: NFC South

2016 NFL Division Preview: NFC South Carolina Panthers (11-4) I actually hate the Carolina Panthers. However, they proved last year that they are no longer an ignorable piece of mediocrity in a struggling division. In 2015 the Panthers dominated both sides of the ball never-before-seen fashion- and they did it without their star wideout. Kelvin Benjamin is back this year and there’s no reason to expect anything less than greatness from him. He was an absolute monster in 2014 and Cam Newton has improved tremendously since then. With Funchess, Ginn, and Brown all battling for the second starting job, and  ... 

2016 NFL Division Preview: NFC West

2016 NFL Division Preview: NFC West Arizona Cardinals (13-3) The Cardinals were absolute monsters last year and we see no reason why that should change in 2016. For starters, they posses a top-10 defense that allowed just 19.6 points per game last year. Next they have one of the most potent offenses in the NFL that averaged over 30 points a game last year. Second-year veteran RB, David Johnson, showed a lot of promise when he was given the opportunity after injuries to both Andre Ellington and Chris Johnson. This year he’s slated to be one of the most productive  ... 

2016 NFL Division Preview: NFC East

2016 NFL Division Preview: NFC East Dallas Cowboys (12-4) Expect a huge turnaround for the Cowboys this year from their 4-12 season in 2015. We’re predicting they bounce back and take the division for essentially 4 reasons. First, the Cowboys had a surprisingly competent defense last year (1st in the division in points allowed) and there’s little reason to expect a regression this year. Second, Ezekiel Elliot is slated to jump into the role of a workhorse back and he’s exactly what the Cowboys need. Last year Dallas struggled running the ball and couldn’t find a RB they liked. Over the  ... 

NFL Preseason Division Predictions: AFC North

AFC NORTH Pittsburgh Steelers (12-4) Last year the Bengals won the division at 12-4 and then lost the wild card round (like they have the last 5 years in a row) to the Steelers. Pittsburgh made the playoffs thanks to a late run and only missed the division due to a string of what should have been devastating injuries. Big Ben was out for a good bit of the season, Leveon Bell was out for most of the season, and Antonio Brown was playing hurt for a decent bit. If we accept the fact that the Steelers probably won’t see  ... 

NFL Preseason Division Predictions: AFC South

AFC SOUTH Houston Texans: (10-6) The Texans have been a breakout candidate for years now. They’ve had a stout defense and have developed some strong offensive weapons in the past year. Finally, their offseason moves have been impeccable. First, they may have finally filled the devastating void in the quarterback position that has plagued their offense for the last 5 years by stealing Brock Osweiler from Denver. Osweiler is young and inexperienced but, in the eyes of many, outplayed Peyton Manning last year when he was given the chance. Osweiler is far from a sure-bet, but he gives a breath  ... 

NFL DIVISION PREDICTIONS 2016: AFC WEST

AFC WEST 2016 Oakland Raiders (11-5) This is, admittedly, a borderline absurdly bold prediction. One of the worst teams in the NFL two years ago overtaking the reigning Super Bowl champs for the division? But, there’s just so much to love about this Oakland Raiders team and so much to hate about the rest of the teams in this division.

First, Derek Carr is more than an acceptable quarterback. He has grown into a dominant force and leader. Last year’s additions of wideouts Amari Cooper and Michael Crabtree really let Carr shine. Speaking of Michael Crabtree, he put up HUGE  ... 

NFL 2016 DIVISION PREVIEW 1 OF 8: AFC EAST

AFC EAST PREVIEW FOR 2016-17 SEASON New England Patriots (12-4) The Patriots will be without their beloved Tom Brady for the first four games of the season. However, even with Garroppolo behind the center, the Pats should easily be able to go 2-2 if not 3-1 with the Cardinals in week 1 representing their only likely loss. If last year was any lesson, Tom Brady with something to prove is a force to be reckoned with. Expect a huge winning streak to begin in game 5. With a deep backfield, wideout talent in Amendola and Edelman, Gronk and the addition  ... 

Carolina Panthers Will Not Win Super Bowl 50 Vs Denver Broncos, Peyton Manning

Super Bowl 50 Predictions, NFL Picks: Denver Broncos vs Carolina Panthers Everything about Super Bowl 50 points to the Carolina Panthers winning this game on paper. If you’ve followed the Denver Broncos this season and throughout these playoffs, it is clear that Peyton Manning is on his last legs.

The offense is stumbling a little bit, the receivers are dropping Manning’s wobbly passes, and without the downfield passing game the Denver Broncos running game has had trouble establishing itself. This is an offense that quite simply gave the Patriots too many chances to win the AFC championship. They barely deserve to  ... 

NFL Playoffs Predictions: Super Bowl 50 is Denver Broncos vs Carolina Panthers

NFL Playoffs Picks Update: Denver Broncos vs Carolina Panthers Super Bowl 50 We were so close to a perfect NFL playoffs bracket. The last game of the NFL playoffs did not go our way as the Carolina Panthers clinched their spot in the Super Bowl by blowing out my Arizona Cardinals, and so dies my love affair for Larry Fitzgerald and Carson Palmer. Fortunately, my favoritism of Peyton Manning, love of DeMarcus Ware, and really my affinity for the Denver Broncos defense overall worked out for us as the Broncos had one of the most memorable 4th quarter defensive stands  ...