#27 (2015) Alex Ross Cover

[keycomicbooks]

Astro City #27 (2015) Alex Ross Cover, Joe Infurnari Pencils, Kurt Busiek Story, American Chibi Joins Team

#AstroCity #27 (2015) #AlexRoss Cover, #JoeInfurnari Pencils, #KurtBusiek Story, #AmericanChibi Joins Team "Game Over" American Chibi has been a mystery since her debut-until now. Learn the secrets behind her origin, her powers and the deadly threat she stands against. SAVE ON SHIPPING COST - NOW AVAILABLE FOR LOCAL PICK UP IN DELTONA, FLORIDA https://www.rarecomicbooks.fashionablewebs.com/Astro%20City.html#27   #KeyComicBooks #DCComics #DCU #DCUniverse #KeyIssue

[ginge1962]

Astro City #27 - November 2015, cover by Alex Ross.

[rockin-robinz]

It's Batman Day today (21 September) and to make it more special this year also celebrates the eightieth anniversary of the Dark Knight! To commemorate, I've done a photoset/collage of eighty different Batmen – one for each year. Related Post:

Batman Day 2015

Batman Day 2016

Batman Day 2017

Batman Day 2018

Image Source:

Alfred Pennyworth: Batman (Vol. 2) #5 by David Finch (R:3, C:1)

Bane: Forever Evil: Arkham Wars #3 by Scot Eaton (R:3, C:2)

Brane Taylor: Batman (Vol. 1) #700 by Richard Friend (R:3, C:3)

Bruce Wayne:

Earth –0: The Batman Who Laughs (Vol. 2) #1 Cover by Jason Fabok (R:5, C:X)

Earth –1: Batman: The Devastator Cover by Jason Fabok (R:4, C:1)

Earth –12: Batman: The Merciless by Francis Manapul (R:4, C:3)

Earth –22: Batman: The Batman Who Laughs Cover by Jason Fabok (R:4, C:4)

Earth –32: Batman: The Dawnbreaker Cover by Jason Fabok and Brad Anderson (R:5, C:7)

Earth –44: Batman: The Murder Machine Cover by Riccardo Federici (R:5, C:8)

Earth –52: Batman: The Red Death Cover by Jason Fabok, Dean White, and Riccardo Federici (R:5, C:9)

Earth 2: Earth 2 #1 by Nicola Scott (R:2, C7)

Earth 17: The Multiversity: Guidebook by Marcus To (R:8, C:8)

Earth-19: Convergence: Shazam #2 by Evan “Doc” Shaner (R:1, C:5)

Earth-22: Kingdom Come #4 by Alex Ross (R:8, C:4)

Earth-37: Thrillkiller #3 by Dan Brereton (R:1, C:3)

Earth-43: Countdown Presents The Search for Ray Palmer: Red Rain by Kelley Jones, Eric Battle, Angel Unzueta (R:1, C:6)

Earth-Two: Detective Comics (Vol. 1) #27 by Bob Kane (R: 1, C: 1)

Futures Ends: The New 52 Futures End FCBD Special Edition (R:8, C:9)

Gotham AD: Mother Panic: Gotham AD #2 by Paulina Ganucheau (R:8, C:5)

Gotham City Garage #12 by Javier Pina (R:1, C7)

Injustice: Injustice 2 #9 Cover (R:8, C:1)

Legends of the Death Earth: Catwoman Annual (Vol. 2) #3 by Michael Dutkiewicz (R:6, C:1)

Prime Earth: Batman (Vol. 3) #78 Cover by Tony S. Daniel (R:8, C:X)

Pulp Heroines: Bombshells United #13 by Aneke (R:1, C:4)

Sorcerer Kings: Superman/Batman #82 by ChrissCross (R:8, C:7)

World Without Young Justice: Robin (Vol. 4) #101 by Rebecca Woods (R:8, C:6)

Bruce Wayne (Clone)

Batman: Last Knight on Earth #2 by Greg Capullo (R:1, C:2)

Justice League 3000 #3 by Howard Porter (R:2, C:5)

Bruce Wayne XXIII: Shadow of the Bat Annual #4 by Brian Apthorp (R:6, C:3)

Bryce Gawain: Batman Annual #20 by Vincent Giarrano (R:6, C:4)

Bryce Wayne: Batman: The Drowned Cover by Jason Fabok (R:4, C:2)

Carrie Kelley: The Dark Knight III: The Master Race #1 by Andy Kubert and Frank Miller (R:3, C:4)

Clark Kent: Superma/Batman #55 by Rag Morales (R:3, C:7)

Damian Wayne:

Batman Beyond: Batman Beyond (Vol. 6) #9 by Bernard Chang (R:1, C:8)

Batman in Bethlehem: Batman #666 by Andy Kubert (R:5, C:3)

Earth 16: The Multiversity: The Just by Ben Oliver (R:5, C:2)

Generation Lost: Justice League-Generation Lost #14 by Aaron Lopresti (R:5, C:4)

Injustice: Injustice vs. Masters of the Universe #1 by Freddie E. Williams II (R:8, C:3)

Prime Earth: Batman and Robin Annual (Vol. 2) #1 by Ardian Syaf (R:5, C:1)

Dick Grayson:

Batman in Bethlehem: Damian: Son of Batman #1 by Andy Kubert (R:7, C:8)

Earth 2: Earth 2: Society #2 by Jorge Jimenez (R:2, C:9)

Earth 42: The Multiversity: Guidebook by Marcus To (R:7, C:X)

Earth-Two: Convergence: Detective Comics #2 by Denys Cowan (R:2, C:1)

Legends of the Death Earth: Batman: Shadow of the Bat Annual #4 by Brian Apthorp (R:6, C:2)

New Earth (Prodigal): Robin (Vol. 4) #0 by Tom Grummett (R:2, C:2)

New Earth: Batman (Vol. 1) #687 by Ed Benes (R:2, C:3)

Prime Earth (The Gift): Batman (Vol. 3) #45 by Tony S. Daniel (R:7, C:7)

Prime Earth: Batman (Vol. 2) #40 by Greg Capullo (R:2, C:4)

Sixth Dimension: Justice League #20 by Jorge Jimenez (R:7, C:9)

Titans Tomorrow: Detective Comics #965 by Eddy Barrows (R:4, C:5)

Eliot Ness: Batman: Scar of the Bat by Eduardo Barreto (R:3, C:8)

Fan, The: Justice League (Vol. 3) #36 by Pete Woods (R:7, C:2)

Helena Wayne: Earth 2: Society #22 by Vicente Cifuentes (R:2, CX)

Hugo Strange: Batman: Gotham Knights #11 by Roger Robinson (R:3, C:9)

James Gordon: Detective Comics #39 Cover by Tyler Kirkham and Tomeu Morey (R:3, C:X)

James Gordon II: Batman: Digital Justice by Pepe Morino Casaras (R:6, C:6)

Jason Todd:

Earth-15: Countdown #30 by Jesús Saíz (R:3, C:6)

Injustice: Injustice 2 #2 Cover (R:8, C:2)

New Earth: Batman: Battle for the Cowl #1 by Daniel S. Daniel (R:3, C:5)

Jean-Paul Valley, Jr.: Convergence: Batman Shadow of the Bat #1 by Philip Tan (R:6, C:7)

Jiro Osamu: Batman Incorporated (Vol. 2) #11 by Jorge Lucas (R:5, C:5)

Mack: Batman: Legends of the Dark Knight #101 by Carlos Ezquerra (R:6, C:X)

Ravil: Batman and Robin (Vol. 2) #1 by Patrick Gleason (R:5, C:6)

Robert Kane: Batman: Legends of the Dark Knight Annual #6 by Vince Giarrano (R:6, C:5)

Roman Sionis: Detective Comics #810 by Pete Woods (R:6, C:9)

Slade Wilson: Outsiders #22 by Shawn Moll (R:7, C:1)

Terry McGinnis: Batman Beyond #1 Cover by Dustin Nguyen (R:1, C:9)

Thomas Wayne:

Earth 2: Earth 2: #17 Cover by Ethan Van Sciver (R:2, C: 8)

Flashpoint: Batman (Vol. 3) #22 Cover by Jason Fabok (R:7, C:3)

Tim Drake:

"The Batt", Solo #10 by Damian Scott (R:4, C:9)

Futures End: The New 52: Futures End #47 by Andy MacDonald, Alberto Ponticelli, and Allan Goldman (R:1, C:X)

New Earth: Batman: Battle for the Cowl #2 by Tony S. Daniel (R:4, C:7)

New Earth: JLA #8 by Oscar Jimenez (R:4, C:X)

New Earth: Sins of Youth: Batboy and Robin by Cary Nord (R:4, C:8)

Titans Tomorrow: Detective Comics #965 by Eddy Barrows (R:4, C:6)

Tina Sung: Justice League #3001 #5 by Howard Porter (R:2, C:6)

Tommy Carma: Batman (Vol. 1) #402 by Jim Starlin (R:7, C:4)

Wang Baixi: The New Super-Man #2 by Viktor Bogdanovic (R:7, C:5)

Wayne Williams: Batman: Just Image by Joe Kubert (R:7, C:6)

Unknown: Detective Comics #1000000 by Greg Land (R:6, C:8)

[duranduran1978]

Duran Duran - Paper Gods (edit) [drum cover] Roland HD-3

All music is (respectively) by Duran Duran. I do not own this song. No Copyright infringement is intended.

Paper Gods

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Jump to: navigation, search Paper Gods Standard and deluxe edition cover. On the Target-exclusive edition, the shades of blue in the background are replaced with shades of pink. Studio album by Duran Duran Released 11 September 2015 Studio London Genre New wave pop rock pop Length 57:21 (standard edition) 63:05 (Target exclusive) 69:54 (deluxe edition) Label Warner Bros. Producer Mark Ronson Nile Rodgers Mr Hudson Duran Duran Josh Blair Duran Duran chronology All You Need Is Now (2011)All You Need Is Now2011 Paper Gods (2015) Singles from Paper Gods "Pressure Off" Released: 19 June 2015 "Last Night in the City " Released: 10 March 2017 Paper Gods is the fourteenth studio album from British new wave band Duran Duran on Warner Bros. Records. The record was announced on 15 June 2015 via an official press release posted on their website, confirming a scheduled worldwide release date of 11 September 2015. The record was produced by Mr Hudson and Joshua Blair, who has worked with the band on All You Need Is Now (2010) and A Diamond in the Mind; Nile Rodgers, who had previously first worked on the band's "The Reflex", his remixed version reaching number 1, "The Wild Boys" single and Notorious album, and Mark Ronson, who produced All You Need Is Now. The first single, "Pressure Off", features vocals from American singer Janelle Monáe. Duran Duran promoted the album through the Paper Gods on Tour. Professional ratings Aggregate scores Source Rating Metacritic 64/100 Review scores Source Rating AllMusic Rolling Stone The Guardian PopMatters Billboard NY Times Consequence Of Sound B- Entertainment Weekly B- Q Drowned In Sound 5/10

Contents

1 Release 2 Promotion 3 Commercial performance 4 Track listing 5 Personnel 6 Charts 7 References

Release

The album cover, designed by artist Alex Israel, is his 2013 painting titled, "Sky Backdrop", that features icons that represent the band's history. This includes lips and the eye painted by artist Patrick Nagel for their Rio album; also representing the Rio album is a chauffeur's cap alluding to that record's closing track "The Chauffeur"; a pink telephone, champagne glass and the saxophone representing the single "Rio"; a sumo wrestler representing their controversial video for "Girls on Film"; Duran Duran's teeth are shown to be from "The Wild Boys"; the Eiffel Tower is a reference to the title song from the film A View to a Kill; a rocket from the greatest hits album, Decade; a silhouette of a female representing the single "Skin Trade"; an image of a tiger and a snake nodding to their third album Seven and the Ragged Tiger; a white shoe from the single cover and the music video of "Come Undone"; a stylized ice cream cone taken from their "Perfect Day" single. The deluxe physical copy of the record comes with sixteen stickers of Duran Duran iconography to mirror the album cover.

Promotion

The band announced a tour of the United States and the United Kingdom to coincide with the album's release. The lead single from the album, "Pressure Off", was released in the United States on 19 June, first via Microsoft's Xbox Music. The song subsequently appeared on Google Music.

Commercial performance

On 3 October 2015, the album entered the Billboard 200 at number 10 and became their first top 10 album since 1993's Duran Duran (1993). In its second week, the album fell to number 76, and in its third and final week fell to number 194. In the UK it hit number 5. In Italy it hit number 2. The album reentered the Billboard 200 at #45 during the week of January 12, 2016 (5 months after its original release date of September 4, 2015).

Track listing

All tracks written and produced by John Taylor, Roger Taylor, Nick Rhodes, Simon Le Bon, with additional writers and producers noted Standard edition No. Title Writer(s) Additional Producer(s) Length 1. "Paper Gods" (featuring Mr Hudson) Mr Hudson Mr Hudson 7:04 2. "Last Night in the City" (featuring Kiesza) Kiesza, Mr Hudson Mr Hudson, Josh Blair 4:44 3. "You Kill Me with Silence" Mr Hudson Mr Hudson 4:26 4. "Pressure Off" (featuring Janelle Monáe and Nile Rodgers) Nile Rodgers, Mark Ronson, Mr Hudson, Janelle Monáe Ronson, Rodgers, Mr Hudson, Blair 4:21 5. "Face for Today" Dom Brown Blair 3:52 6. "Danceophobia" (featuring Lindsay Lohan) Brown, Mr Hudson Blair, Mr Hudson 4:14 7. "What Are the Chances?" (featuring John Frusciante) Brown, Mr Hudson Blair, Mr Hudson 4:55 8. "Sunset Garage" (featuring Hollie Cook) Mr Hudson Mr Hudson, Blair 4:43 9. "Change the Skyline" (featuring Jonas Bjerre) Mr Hudson Blair, Rodgers 3:57 10. "Butterfly Girl" Brown Blair 3:15 11. "Only in Dreams" Rodgers, Ronson, Mr Hudson Rodgers, Ronson, Mr Hudson, Blair 6:05 12. "The Universe Alone"   Blair 5:48 Total length: 57:40 Deluxe edition (bonus tracks) No. Title Writer(s) Additional Producer(s) Length 13. "Planet Roaring" Brown Blair 3:49 14. "Valentine Stones"   Blair 3:30 15. "Northern Lights" Brown Blair 5:13 Total length: 69:54 Target-exclusive edition (bonus tracks) No. Title Additional Producer(s) Length 13. "On Evil Beach" Blair 2:48 14. "Cinderella Ride" Blair 3:56 Total length: 63:05 Notes ^ signifies lead vocal production ^ signifies an additional producer

Personnel

Duran Duran Simon Le Bon – lead vocals, guitar Nick Rhodes – keyboards John Taylor – bass guitar Roger Taylor – drums Technical personnel Nile Rodgers – production Mark Ronson – production Mr Hudson – production Josh Blair – production Mark "Spike" Stent – mixing Additional musicians Dom Brown – guitar (tracks 10, 15) Anna Ross – additional vocals (tracks 10, 13) Mr. Hudson – vocals, guitar (track 1) Kiesza – vocals, guitar (track 2) Janelle Monáe – vocals (track 4) Nile Rodgers – guitar, backing vocals (track 4) Lindsay Lohan – vocals (track 6) Hollie Cook – vocals (track 8) Jonas Bjerre – vocals, guitar (track 9) John Frusciante – guitar (tracks 7, 10, 12, 15) Steve Jones – guitar (track 13) Davidé Rossi – violin & strings arr. (track 4, 5, 7, 12) London Youth Choir – voices (track 12)

Charts

Chart (2015) Peak position Argentine Albums (CAPIF) 1 Australian Albums (ARIA) 19 Austrian Albums (Ö3 Austria) 24 Belgian Albums (Ultratop Flanders) 19 Belgian Albums (Ultratop Wallonia) 8 Canadian Albums (Billboard) 7 Croatian Foreign Albums (IFPI) 7 Czech Albums (ČNS IFPI) 14 Danish Albums (Hitlisten) 27 Dutch Albums (MegaCharts) 4 Finnish Albums (Suomen virallinen lista) 28 French Albums (SNEP) 60 German Albums (Offizielle Top 100) 24 Greek Albums (IFPI) 14 Hungarian Albums (MAHASZ) 6 Irish Albums (IRMA) 27 Italian Albums (FIMI) 2 New Zealand Albums (RMNZ) 24 Portuguese Albums (AFP) 16 Spanish Albums (PROMUSICAE) 18 Swiss Albums (Schweizer Hitparade) 15 UK Albums (OCC) 5 US Billboard 200 10 US Digital Albums (Billboard) 10 US Top Alternative Albums (Billboard) 2 US Top Tastemaker Albums (Billboard) 8

Duran-Duran-Paper-Gods-edit-drum-cover-Roland-HD-3 Click to Post

[yahoo-puck-daddy-blog]

Puck Daddy Countdown: Happy trails Alex Burrows

Alex Burrows had himself a very fine NHL career. (Jeff Vinnick/NHLI via Getty Images)”n

7. The Habs

On the one hand, the news that Shea Weber is going to miss probably the first two months of the season is a major bummer for a team that was already dealing heavily in major bummers.

Guys want out, and who can blame them, and now any hope that Weber could be anything resembling a No. 1 defenseman after playing just 26 games last year are potentially dashed. It’s not so much that he’s going to miss a quarter of the season, so much as it is he missed like two-thirds of last year’s too.

This is just starting to feel like the Hockey Gods’ way of piling misery on a team already buried in an avalanche of it. “You want to trade the $10 million hospital donation guy for an older, worse player? Let’s see how that works out for you.” Weber’s odds of being as effective as he was before these injuries are probably pretty low. He’s turning 33 in about a month and guys don’t come back from these kinds of injuries playing the same way they used to, right? More concerning for the Canadiens is that he’s locked in for nearly $7.86 million AAV (although at much less than that in terms of actual dollars) through…….. 2026.

I did NHL Network radio last Friday and they asked what potential solutions the Habs could come up with here. Short of trading Max Pacioretty for a top-three defenseman, which would create its own problems, there’s nothing I can see. There are no particularly good defensemen left on the UFA market. You just have to bump everyone up in the lineup and grit your teeth for the first two months of the season. What a nightmare.

Did Marc Bergevin run over a witch’s dog? Like, man.

6. A reason to leave

It’s probably not a good sign when you announce a cheap four-year contract for a player and the immediate response from a bunch of hockey diehards and professional journalists covering the sport for a living is, “Who the hell is that?”

Such was the reaction when the Islanders gave Ross Johnston four years at $1 million AAV. But it’s understandable: Johnston got more years on this deal than he has career NHL goals. He’s 24, had almost 200 PIMs in just 62 games across the AHL and NHL last season, and was in the ECHL for a spell as recently as 2015-16.

This is a guy who is, uhh, bad. He’s bad. No other way to say it. An insanely ineffective player who only got signed because he averages like two hits a game and Lou Lamoriello loves guys like that.

People wonder why John Tavares left? The Leafs said they’d sign Matthews, Marner, and Nylander. Lamoriello probably said he’d get to play alongside Val Filppula.

I mean honestly, look at what Lou has done since July 1. Traded for(!) Matt Martin, signed Leo Komarov for FOUR years, locked in Filppula, extended Ross. Like, what on earth is going on with this franchise?

This team might as well not play this season. They’re gonna be bottom-three, easy. How are you not insanely depressed if you’re an Isles fan? How do you not look at Tavares leaving and go, “Well no kidding.”

5. Back and forth

I think the worst thing in the history of hockey is this Karlsson trade and all the rumors about “Tampa is the frontrunner, now it’s Dallas, no it’s Tampa again, ah it’s Dallas.”

Especially because as Steve Yzerman said on the Kucherov extension’s conference call, he never really felt like the trade was close to being done, let alone completed pending the trade call. Now, that might be a guy throwing out a smoke screen, for sure, but at the same time, maybe not.

This is going back to that thing I said a few weeks ago about not really believing all these things until things are well and truly settled. At this time of year, people have an interest in selling you these rumors, and you’re a lot more likely to bite on them because there’s less going on in the sport.

What would really be funny is if Vegas came out of nowhere and made the trade after a relatively quiet free agency period. I’m rooting for that as much as I am to see Karlsson on Tampa.

4. Being best buds

Because the Toronto media is absolutely awesome and good, they’re already ginning up controversy about how John Tavares and Auston Matthews are NOT FRIENDS AT ALL and ACTUALLY ENEMIES WHO HATE EACH OTHER.

Imagine being dumb enough to believe these kinds of rumors. Because it was like three weeks ago that they were trying to be like, “Auston Matthews is plotting to murder Mike Babcock click here for proof,” and then both of them were like, “C’mon guys,” so we’ve moved on to the Battle For the No. 1 Center Spot: This Time It’s Personal.

I hope Tavares and Matthews just start holding hands all the time so Steve Simmons and Damien Cox end up having nervous breakdowns.

3. Wanting out

So it turns out the Blue Jackets aren’t doing too good with Artemi Panarin these days because he doesn’t really know if he wants to live in Columbus and play for this particular team for the next eight years.

One wonders how much a certain coach has to do with that (ha ha ha), but also like, it’s a small market and a team that historically isn’t very good. I thought they were well above the league average this past season, thanks in large part to Panarin coming aboard, but they still lost in the first round (again) and they’ve still won a grand total of five playoff games in franchise history.

Wouldn’t you at least want to look at what your options are these days? Especially because of how much teams are willing to give difference-making UFAs a la Tavares.

Not that Panarin is Tavares, necessarily, but this is a guy who’s been in the league for three years and he’s seventh in scoring over that stretch. You don’t think a 27-year-old Panarin couldn’t push $9 million with just about any team in the league in the same kind of UFA environment?

Unless I were absolutely convinced I was on one of the absolute best teams in the league, I would 100000 percent be totally willing to go to market. It’s not even a hard decision.

2. Super team likers

Hey speaking of which, shout out to the Bolts for locking in Kucherov for eight years at a relative bargain price of $9.5 million AAV. Most of that’s in bonuses but who cares. He’s 25 and he’s second in scoring over the last two seasons behind Connor McDavid, who makes considerably more than that.

Kucherov for-sure left money on the table here, but that’s the price you pay to be meaningfully competitive for a Stanley Cup for three, four, five years. Plus the fact of the no-state-income-tax thing. Plus the fact of not having to pack up your life. Plus the fact of $9.5 million being a hell of a lot of money regardless of how much more might have been available.

But the thing with this contract, and also the rumors about Karlsson wanting to dictate his landing spot, and also the Panarin rumors, maybe we’re starting to see the NHL going in the direction of the NBA. Maybe elite talents are starting to realize they can punch their ticket anywhere they want, and they want to play with other great players and have a shot at a championship while also getting rich.

I’ve long felt hockey players are too willing to commit to bad teams long term out of, what, loyalty? Maybe they’re finally figuring out that this isn’t necessarily the best path forward. And that might be what finally shatters the stultifying parity that’s made this league so damn boring in the cap era.

1. Alex Burrows

Happy trails to a guy who didn’t make his NHL debut until he was almost 25, and still somehow managed to play more than 900 career games there. He scored 200-plus goals and 400-plus points, largely as a result of getting to play a huge chunk of his career with the Sedins.

But while I understand why people don’t like the player, for obvious reasons, you gotta respect the fact that he’s probably the best linemate the Sedins ever had and made a whole ton of money for a guy who played parts of four different seasons in the ECHL.

Plus he did the Marc Crawford impression that was so good and is probably the best ball hockey player ever. Have a good one.

(Not ranked this week: Slowing down.

Well we’re not even to July 15 and it already feels like nothing’s gonna happen for the rest of the summer. Probably the Karlsson trade will keep us all busy for a few days but otherwise what are we really looking forward to? The damn Patrick Maroon signing? Cool.)

Ryan Lambert is a Puck Daddy columnist. His email is here and his Twitter is here.

(All statistics via Corsica unless otherwise noted.)

[yahoo-roto-arcade-blog]

Fantasy Hockey pickups: Who should you add on the waiver wire?

Edmonton Oilers forward Jesse Puljujarvi is skating with Connor McDavid, which is reason enough to add him in your fantasy league. (AP Photo/Jay LaPrete)

By Neil Parker, RotoWire Hockey Writer Special to Yahoo Sports

A noticeable trend in this space through two months is the lasting availability of young players who have pedigree and are scoring. The waiver-wire “last-calls” for Mathew Barzal and Brock Boeser, for example, lasted far longer than they should have.

Perhaps there are a lot of shallow leagues. Still, make no mistake, the salary-cap era and refocus on speed and talent across the NHL has tilted the ice in favor of young scorers.

Kevin Fiala has been a lock in this column all year, and Jesse Puljujarvi could be on the verge of exploding. These are high-end talents playing in top-six roles, so don’t be afraid to take a chance on them.

Here’s the schedule for the next scoring period from Dec. 18-24:

Two games: Flames, Blackhawks, Golden Knights

Four games: Ducks, Bruins, Blue Jackets, Flyers

All other teams play three games next week

Ensure to keep tabs on who is cut in your leagues, and also remember to check the handful of the previously covered players listed below.

Yahoo ownership rates as of Dec. 14.

FORWARD

Tyler Johnson, TB (35 percent): A return to a top-six role has led to an uptick in offense for Johnson. He’s a proven scorer and has now recorded three goals, six assists and four multi-point showings during an active five-game point streak. He has the potential to score at a point-per-game pace moving forward.

Jesse Puljujarvi, EDM (9 percent): A holdover from last week, the Finn is still skating with No. 1 center and reigning Art Ross Trophy winner Connor McDavid, so Puljujarvi is a worth a roster spot in most settings for that reason alone. The fourth overall selection from the 2016 draft has also chipped in while skating atop the depth chart with three goals and five points through his past five contests.

Kevin Fiala, NSH (17 percent): For whatever reason, Fiala remains available in oodles of leagues. He’s currently riding a five-game point streak with four goals, three assists and 21 shots, and his 2.97 points per 60 minutes is a rock-solid mark. Scoop him up, folks. The Swiss native is a legit talent.

Mathieu Perreault, WPG (20 percent): There’s nothing to like about Perreault’s fourth-line assignment at even strength. Yet, he’s still marked the scoresheet in nine of his past 14 games for eight goals, seven assists and six power-play points. The 29-year-old veteran can also help in the PIM category. Additionally, he’s posted four consecutive 40-point campaigns despite missing at least 11 games in each of those seasons.

Evgenii Dadonov, FLA (24 percent): After missing eight games with a shoulder injury, Dadonov is back on the waiver wire in plenty of leagues. He returned to the lineup Tuesday and has recorded seven goals, 18 points and 58 shots through 23 games for the season, so he projects to pick up where he left off and provide serviceable offense in the majority of settings moving forward.

Phillip Danault, MON (8 percent): The 24-year-old center is currently centering Max Pacioretty and Paul Byron and has collected three goals and three assists through his past six contests. Danault certainly isn’t a universal asset, but he’s provided respectable offensive numbers dating back to the midway point of last season. There’s potential here in deep leagues.

Evan Rodrigues, BUF (0 percent): The Boston University standout is still finding his way at the highest level, but the results have been noticeable of late. Rodrigues has been skating on the No. 1 power-play unit and picked up two goals and an assist through his past three games. His ceiling is low and expectations should remain in check, but there’s appeal in cavernous settings.

Michael Raffl, PHI (2 percent): At this stage of Raffl’s career, you know what you’re getting from the 29-year-old winger. He’s a streaky scorer who shouldn’t be counted on as a year-long contributor in most settings. Raffl is currently receiving top-six minutes on a line with Jakub Voracek and Valtteri Filppula and has notched five goals and three helpers through his past nine contests, so the Austrian is worth a look until the offense dries up.

DEFENSE

Tyler Myers, WPG (43 percent): A mainstay in this space over the past month, Myers’ fantasy value might receive an added boost with Dustin Byfuglien and Toby Enstrom both nursing lower-body injuries. Considering the Texas native has three goals, 10 points, 27 shots and 12 PIM through his past 15 games, he projects to continue posting solid numbers with the uptick in ice time.

Matt Niskanen, WAS (43 percent): Good players on good teams usually provide good fantasy numbers, and Niskanen has done just that since returning from an upper-body injury. His offense doesn’t jump off the page, but with two goals, seven points, 34 shots, 23 hits, 18 blocked shots and a plus-10 rating through his past 14 contests, there’s a lot of cross-category appeal here.

Sami Vatanen, ANA (13 percent): Without a point through his first five games with New Jersey, this could prove to be a buy-low spot for Vatanen. While Taylor Hall’s knee injury could hurt the Devils’ attack, this is still one of the better offenses in the league, albeit somewhat surprisingly. Expect Vatanen’s role and talent will lead to offensive production sooner than later.

Vince Dunn, STL (0 percent): With Alex Pietrangelo (foot) on injured reserve, Dunn has skated with the No. 1 power-play unit the past two games. It’s been a quiet debut for the rookie with just two goals and assists through 30 games. He had 50 shots on goal and 45 points in his first AHL season last year, so there is some upside in cavernous settings for the 2015 second-round selection.

GOALIE

Antti Raanta, ARI (23 percent): With just a single start since Nov. 22, there’s a reason Raanta is so wildly available. However, his .919 save percentage and 2.68 GAA are solid marks, and he’s going to see the bulk of starts moving forward. Injuries have hurt his value to this point, but there’s a slim chance Arizona will turn things around enough for the Finnish netminder to post respectable numbers moving forward.

James Reimer, FLA (24 percent): The veteran has allowed three goals or more in seven of his past eight games for a 3-2-3 record, .897 save percentage and 3.34 GAA. Those are underwhelming numbers, but with Roberto Luongo (lower body) out of action, Reimer should be owned and can be turned to with modest confidence in favorable matchups.

Philipp Grubauer, WAS (5 percent): There have been some disappointing starts from the German this season, but at this stage of his career, his track record outweighs any blip on the radar. Grubauer’s stopped 66 of 68 shots (.971 save percentage) through his past three appearances and owns a career .920 mark with a 2.36 GAA through 77 games. At worst, he’s a goalie to monitor and stream when he gets the starting nod.

Players to consider from past columns: Josh Anderson, Kyle Connor, Alex DeBrincat, Ryan Nugent-Hopkins, Pavel Buchnevich, Marian Gaborik, Sam Bennett, Pierre-Luc Dubois, Alex Galchenyuk, Nick Bjugstad, Adam Henrique, Nick Schmaltz, Derek Stepan, Jesper Bratt, Artem Anisimov, Tom Wilson, Mikko Rantanen, Jakub Vrana, Reilly Smith, Tomas Hertl, Micheal Ferland, Craig Smith, Mathew Dumba, Erik Johnson, Johnny Boychuk, Shea Theodore, Brady Skjei, Darnell Nurse, Noah Hanifin, Alexander Edler, Esa Lindell, Jakob Chychrun, Jacob Markstrom, Thomas Greiss, Aaron Dell, Steve Mason, Darcy Kuemper, Malcolm Subban.

[mk1comics]

Marvel November Highlights:   November is the second month of the LEGACY renumbering. Just like October there are some pretty sweet Lenticular covers heading our way - and like last month we suggest signing up for Mk1’s weekly Variant Comic email to get first go at getting them.  We didn’t qualify for all the variants but if you don’t want to miss out on what we did achieve the email notification will be the best way to stay informed.

NEW SERIES (please note the LEGACY numbering makes each of these new launches  look like they are an older series - the comic numbering conumdrum continues).

Marvel » Power Pack #63 Leg

Marvel » Master of Kung Fu #126 Leg

Marvel » Silver Sable Wild Pack #36 Leg

MINI SERIES/ONE SHOTS 

Marvel » Spirits of Vengeance (2017-) #2 (of 5) Leg

Marvel » Marvel's Black Panther Prelude (2017) #2 (of 2)

Marvel » Guardians of the Galaxy: Telltale Games (2017) #5 (of 5)

Marvel » Zombies Assemble 2 (2017) #4 (of 4)

Marvel » Vision: Director's Cut (2017) #6 (of 6)

Marvel » Spider-Men II (2017) #5 (of 5)

Marvel » Punisher MAX: The Platoon (2017) #3 (of 6)

Marvel » Fantastic Four Once Future Kings #4 (of 5)

Marvel » Star Wars: Jedi of the Republic - Mace Windu (2017) #4 (of 5)

 LEGACY

Marvel » Captain America #695 Leg

Marvel » Spider-Man #234 Leg

Marvel » Spider-Man/Deadpool (2016-) #23 Leg

Marvel » Amazing Spider-Man: Renew Your Vows (2016-) #13 Leg

Marvel » Ben Reilly: Scarlet Spider (2017-) #10 Leg

Marvel » Peter Parker Spectacular Spider-Man #297 Leg

Marvel » Daredevil #595 Leg

Marvel » Punisher Leg #218

Marvel » She-Hulk #159 Leg

Marvel » Doctor Strange #381 Leg

Marvel » Moon Knight #188 Leg

Marvel » Moon Knight #189 Leg

Marvel » Old Man Logan (2016-) #31 Leg

Marvel » Moon Girl and Devil Dinosaur (2015-) #25 Leg

Marvel » Guardians of the Galaxy #146 Leg

Marvel » Thanos (2016-) #13 Leg

Marvel » Secret Warriors (2017-) #8 Leg

Marvel » Secret Warriors (2017-) #9 Leg

Marvel » Not Brand Echh Leg

Marvel » Black Panther (2016-) #167 Leg

Marvel » Avengers (2016-) #673 Leg

Marvel » Champions (2016-) #14 Leg

Marvel » Incredible Hulk (2017-) #710 Leg

Marvel » Mighty Thor #701 Leg

Marvel » Mighty Thor #701 Alex Ross Var Leg

Marvel » Falcon (2017-) #2 Leg

Marvel » Invincible Iron Man (2016-) #594 Leg

Marvel » Venom (2016-) #157 Leg

Marvel » Amazing Spider-Man (2015-) #791 Leg

Marvel » Spider-Gwen (2015-) #26 Leg

Marvel » Luke Cage (2017-) #167 Leg

Marvel » Jessica Jones (2016-) #14 Leg

Marvel » Defenders (2017-) #7 Leg

Marvel » Iron Fist (2017-) #74 Leg

Marvel » Mighty Captain Marvel #126 Leg

Marvel » Royals (2017-) #10 Leg

Marvel » America (2017-) #9 Leg

Marvel » All-New Wolverine (2015-) #27 Leg

Marvel » Now Us Avengers #12 Leg

Marvel » Uncanny Avengers (2015-) #29 Leg

Marvel » Monsters Unleashed (2017-) #8 Leg

Marvel » Gwenpool, The Unbelievable (2016-) #22 Leg

Marvel » X-Men: Gold (2017-) #15 Leg

Marvel » X-Men: Blue (2017-) #15 Leg

Marvel » X-Men: Gold (2017-) #16 Leg

Marvel » X-Men: Blue (2017-) #16 Leg

Marvel » Despicable Deadpool (2017-) #289 Leg

Marvel » Iceman (2017-) #7 Leg

Marvel » Jean Grey (2017-) #9 Leg

Marvel » Cable (2017-) #151 Leg

 Collected Editions

Marvel » Infinity Gauntlet Box: Slipcase Set HC

Marvel » Daredevil By Waid & Samnee Omnibus Vol. 2 HC

Marvel » Deadpool Minibus HC

Marvel » Unbeatable Squirrel Girl Vol. 3 HC

Marvel » Avengers Omnibus Vol. 3: Davis Var HC Davis Var

Marvel » Avengers Omnibus Vol. 3: Buscema Dm Var HC

Marvel » Marvel Masterworks: Ka-zar Vol. 2 HC

Marvel » Marvel Masterworks: Ka-zar Vol. 2: Dm Var Ed 257 HC Dm Var Ed 257

Marvel » Invincible Iron Man Ironheart Premiere Vol. 2: Choices HC

Marvel » Moon Knight By Brian Michael Bendis & Alex Maleev HC

Marvel » Spider-Man/deadpool By Kelly & Mcguinness HC

Marvel » Monsters Unleashed (2017-) TP

Marvel » Amazing Spider-Man Clone Conspiracy TP

Marvel » Ms. Marvel (2014-2015) Vol. 8: Mecca TP

Marvel » The Totally Awesome Hulk (2015-) Vol. 4 TP

Marvel » Champions (2016-) Vol. 2: Freelancer Lifestyle TP

Marvel » Black Bolt Vol. 1: Hard Time TP

Marvel » All-New Wolverine (2015-) Vol. 4: Immune TP

Marvel » Gwenpool, The Unbelievable (2016-) Vol. 4: Beyond Fourth Wall TP

Marvel » Cable Vol. 1: Time Champion TP

Marvel » Jessica Jones (2016-) Vol. 2: Secrets of Maria Hill TP

Marvel » Hawkeye (2016-) Vol. 2: Masks TP

Marvel » Defenders Vol. 1: Diamonds Are Forever TP

Marvel » Amazing Spider-Man Renew Your Vows Vol. 2: Venom Experiment TP

Marvel » All New Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2: Riders In Sky TP

Marvel » Peter Parker Spectacular Spider-Man Vol. 1: Into Twilight TP

Marvel » Rocket Vol. 1: Blue River Score TP

Marvel » Doctor Strange (2015-) Vol. 4: Mr Misery TP

Marvel » Secret Empire (2017): Brave New World TP

Marvel » Runaways Vol. 8: Dead End Kids New Ptg TP

Marvel » Deadpool Classic Vol. 20: Ultimate Deadpool TP

Marvel » Monsters Unleashed Vol. 1: Monster Mash TP

Marvel » X-Men Age of Apocalypse: Termination TP

Marvel » Wolverine By Daniel Way Complete Collection Vol. 3 TP

Marvel » X-Men Epic Collection: Mutant Genesis TP

Marvel » Punsher Epic Collection: Capital Punishment TP

Marvel » Star Wars Legends Epic Collection Vol. 3 TP

Marvel » Spider-Man Brand New Day Complete Collection Vol. 4 TP

Marvel » Dark Avengers By Bendis: Complete Collection TP

Marvel » Marvel Super Heroes (1967-1982): Larger Than Life TP

Marvel » Marvel Universe Avengers Ultron Revolution Digest Vol. 3 TP

 Comixology customers can head here to view pull/subscribe & order away. Mk1 will be working our way through the catalogue and posting our findings to the COMING SOON page as per usual.   More info about the Comixology service and Mk1′s mail order options can be found on our FAQ page.

Full November 2017 Solicitations from all publishers  can be viewed at Comixology or Previews World.

Links for November 2017 Shipments:

Full Dark Horse Solicitations

Full DC Solicitations

Full IDW Solicitations  

Full Image Solicitations

Full Marvel Solicitations

Full BOOM Solicitations

Full TITAN Solicitations

Full Valiant Solicitations

Everything from every publisher shipping from October  2017.

We will be adding new posts from the November 2017 offerings as we uncover them.  Check out these pages for more Mk1 Monthly Previews:   August 2017 , September 2017 and October 2017.

The How to Love comics blog has an excellent beginners guide to reading new comic solicitations - check it out here.

[hesgotissues]

Amazing Spider-Man (2015-) #27 Written by Dan Slott Art by Stuart Immonen Cover by Alex Ross "THE OSBORN IDENTITY" PART 3! Norman Osborn has slowly worked his way to a position of power in the Eastern European nation of Symkaria and now has a goblin-ized army behind him. With Symkarian hero Silver Sable at his side Spider-Man has all the forces and weaponry that Parker Industries can gather to take the battle to Norman. SPIDER-ARMY VS. GOBLIN ARMY!

[footyplusau]

Plan B: Who steps up if a key player goes down?

EVERY team has their irreplaceable players. But if injury strikes, and the magnets on the whiteboard need to be shifted around, does your team have a plan B?

Our writers name the three most important cogs in each team’s wheel, and how your club would cover their loss – from a straight swap of personnel to some tactical wizardry from the coach.

Rory Sloane: Sloane is one of the Brownlow Medal favourites, so his loss would be keenly felt. It certainly was when North Melbourne’s Sam Gibson and Demon Bernie Vince quelled his influence in rounds seven and eight. But not every club has a 307-game midfield bull like Scott Thompson desperate for promotion.

Taylor Walker: The Crows’ captain is a beast up forward and an inspirational leader, but they are one club that could afford to be without him for an extended time. The fact Adelaide had the luxury of dropping Josh Jenkins shows the embarrassment of riches it boasts inside 50. Versatile tall Andy Otten has already proven capable of stepping in while Jenkins was out earlier in the year, while Tom Lynch could play closer to goal and Eddie Betts is always happy to accept more passes.

Sam Jacobs: The ruck is rarely a concern for Don Pyke’s men when the big ‘Sauce’ is in the line-up. And that’s more often than not, with Jacobs playing at least 19 games in his six full seasons at the Crows. But if the ex-Blue was to suffer an injury, there would have to be a decision made. Does Andy Otten or Kyle Hartigan become the top option in Jacobs’ absence, or do they turn to two-gamer Reilly O’Brien, who has impressed in the SANFL? – Marc McGowan

Harris Andrews: It’s just his third season, but the young Queenslander has made the full-back spot his own. Jack Frost appears an obvious choice to replace him, but putting the ultimate defensive responsibility on the shoulders of young swingman Dan McStay might be a better option long-term.

Dayne Beams: The skipper has already missed two matches with a quad problem, and is a difficult man to cover with his mix of inside and outside football. Rhys Mathieson could make the step from NEAFL if Chris Fagan wanted a contested ball winner. The Lions could also insert Daniel Rich to a more central role and cover his half-back position with Tom Cutler.

Stefan Martin: The Lions are thin in the ruck, but in Archie Smith they have a good backup if Martin has to miss matches. Smith played three games in 2016, and while his work around the ground is improving, he is excellent around stoppages and could comfortably hold his own as the main man. – Michael Whiting

Archie Smith is a handy backup for star ruckman Stefan Martin. Picture: AFL Photos

Sam Docherty: The ex-Lion is in All Australian form and marshals a well-organised defence. With Sam Rowe gone for the season, Docherty’s presence is vital and the Blues would be forced into a restructure if they lost him. When Irishman Ciaran Byrne returns from a long-term knee injury, he could provide some of the daring run that Docherty provides and maybe Lachie Plowman could step up to be the ‘quarterback’. 

Matthew Kreuzer: The ruckman has been in the most consistent vein of form in his career, providing plenty of grunt and linking up well in the midfield. Andrew Phillips, who is on the comeback trail from a foot injury sustained during the pre-season, looms as the logical replacement if the former No.1 draft pick went down, but the Blues would miss the big man dearly.

Marc Murphy: The skipper has been in scintillating touch this season and you only have to go back to last season to see how the Blues coped without him – not very well. Covering him would take a big effort from the midfield, with more responsibility loaded on to the broad shoulders of Patrick Cripps, Bryce Gibbs and Ed Curnow, with help from some of the club’s talented youngsters. – Howard Kotton

Jamie Elliott: The little dynamo hadn’t played since 2015 but for the past five weeks he has been the most likely Magpie in attack. Elliott leads the Pies’ goalkicking with an efficient 13.5 – the next best in this period has been Darcy Moore’s 7.5 – and creates opportunities with his speed, work ethic, marking ability and defensive actions. Without him, the Pies would need greater contributions from the likes of Alex Fasolo and Jordan De Goey, and midfielders such as Scott Pendlebury and Steele Sidebottom could spend more time in the front half. Another high-flyer in Jeremy Howe could also be thrown forward.

Brodie Grundy: The durable, ultra-competitive young ruckman hasn’t missed a game since being overlooked for last year’s season opener, and has since averaged 18 possessions (plenty for a ruckman), four clearances and 30 hit-outs. In the event of Grundy being sidelined, which would leave a huge hole in the Pies’ line-up, raw forward/ruckman Mason Cox would need to shoulder most of the responsibility with support from the likes of young forward Darcy Moore and perhaps even Lachie Keeffe.

Jeremy Howe: The former Demon’s importance has only heightened since Ben Reid’s latest soft-tissue injury, and his anticipation, contested marking, composure and kicking skills on either side would be difficult to replace. However young, injury-prone defender Matt Scharenberg has found a rich vein of form in the VFL and could be called upon to fill the void. Tom Langdon, also returning from injury, has shown in the past that he’s a more than capable intercept player. Or maybe Tyson Goldsack could be released to play a more offensive role. – Ben Collins

Ex-Demon Jeremy Howe has been a standout for the Pies in defence. Picture: AFL Photos

Michael Hurley: The Bombers would be in strife if they lost Hurley, but they could at least move gun swingman Cale Hooker from his forward post to hold down the defence with confidence. Injured duo Patrick Ambrose and Mitch Brown will also be back in the next few weeks which provides the club with some defensive depth. 

Joe Daniher: The Essendon spearhead is probably the club’s most irreplaceable player. In the case he was unavailable the Bombers would probably play with just two key forwards – James Stewart and Cale Hooker. But they could also change around their structure and bring in ruckmen Tom Bellchambers (six goals in the VFL last weekend) and Shaun McKernan, who have both proved they can take a grab near goal.

Zach Merrett: In this case the Bombers’ first move would probably be to shift Darcy Parish into a more prominent midfield role. As for Merrett’s possible replacements from outside the Essendon senior side, youngster Kobe Mutch is an accumulating midfielder who would do the same at the next level, while David Myers and Andy McGrath could also spend some more time up the ground. Kyle Langford and Craig Bird are other midfield options out of the side currently. – Callum Twomey

Nat Fyfe: Fremantle’s band of inside midfielders are as good as any in the competition but, as we saw last season, losing their main man would be a hammer blow. Fyfe not only attracts the opposition’s attention, he stands up in big moments where the contest is fiercest. If he went down again, Ross Lyon’s ability to use onballers David Mundy and Lachie Neale up forward – a tactic that has reaped rewards this year – would be severely compromised.

Aaron Sandilands: There is no more important player to the Dockers than the 211cm giant, whose unrivalled tap work kickstarts Freo’s engine room. Ruck depth is not a strength for the Dockers either. Jon Griffin doesn’t have the same presence, but would be the obvious fall-back option ahead of raw draftee Sean Darcy, and Freo’s tactics at centre bounces in particular would have to become more defensive.

Michael Walters: Few players boast Walters’ X-factor. The 26-year-old has been spending more time in the midfield but is most valuable in attack – as he proved with a game-turning three-goal third quarter against Carlton – and Freo has no obvious replacement with Hayden Ballantyne sidelined. Hayden Crozier and Brady Grey are competing at ground level, but one of the Hill brothers – Stephen or Bradley – would be needed to offer extra zip up forward if Walters was sidelined. – Travis King

Tom Hawkins: Hawkins is crucial to the Cats’ fortunes as their forward-line revolves around the big man who has kicked 27 goals in nine games this season. The Cats could make Harry Taylor their key forward and move Aaron Black into the second tall forward role in his absence or include Rhys Stanley who they fancy as a forward/ruckman. Wylie Buzza has been in good form in the reserves and could get a chance inside 50 this season but he is a developing player. 

Tom Lonergan: Although Lonergan is in the twilight of his career he is so reliable that any replacement will be a step down in the short term. Ryan Gardner is the key defender being groomed to take over from Lonergan in the key defensive post however he remains a work in progress. The Cats could switch Taylor back into defence and play Black or Stanley forward.

Patrick Dangerfield: Obviously losing either Dangerfield or Joel Selwood for a long period would put a serious dent in the Cats’ premiership chances but a short-term absence would give other midfielders the chance to step up. Steven Motlop has been playing as a forward-mid but it would give him the chance to play as a full-time midfielder, breaking the lines and creating opportunities for key forwards. The other option, of course, would be to pray. – Peter Ryan

Gary Ablett: Almost since their inception, the ‘no Ablett, no Suns’ saying has rung true, but they finally have some depth to cover if the champion midfielder is missing. Jack Martin would move into a more permanent midfield role, while Jesse Lonergan could be given a prolonged opportunity once overcoming his own injuries.

Tom Lynch: With Sam Day already injured, Lynch is the man the Suns can least afford to lose. Jarrad Grant is the only senior-listed ‘tall’ forward playing NEAFL that could step in, but surrounding Peter Wright with more mobility could appeal, with Martin a leading forward, and draftee Ben Ainsworth to come back into the team. Switching Steven May forward would be a last resort.

Steven May: Gold Coast has already had a look at this scenario, with May missing two weeks with a hamstring problem. They have precious few options in this part of the ground, but young Jack Leslie is readymade to step into a key defensive post. – Michael Whiting

Young defender Jack Leslie has been used as a fallback option for the Suns. Picture: AFL Photos

Stephen Coniglio: The vice-captain is the man Leon Cameron turns to when he needs someone to run with the opposition’s best midfielder, so to have him for just two games this year has been a blow. Coniglio’s hardness at stoppage situations makes life extremely tough for his opponent. Ryan Griffen stepped up in his absence before he went down with a long-term ankle injury of his own.

Phil Davis: His fellow co-captain Callan Ward told AFL.com.au earlier this year that Davis was the club’s most important player – he’s that vital as the anchor of the GWS backline. Davis takes the opposition’s best tall forward each week and if they were to lose him, like they have in previous seasons, it places more pressure on teammates Adam Tomlinson and Aidan Corr.

Shane Mumford: The aggressive ruckman has so much presence on the field that he’s just about irreplaceable for the Giants. Rory Lobb does a great job giving Mumford a chop-out but isn’t quite No.1 ruck ready yet, and that would also rob the forward line of a reliable tall target. The Giants’ freefall after Mumford went down in 2015 was no coincidence. – Adam Curley

Tom Mitchell: Nine games into his first season with the Hawks and Mitchell is already emerging as one of the club’s most important players because he has been able to address a glaring weakness of the side – winning contested ball. Liam Shiels and Will Langford are OK at the contest, but Hawk fans are looking forward to the debut of rookie-listed midfielder James Cousins, who has been a contested beast in the VFL this year. 

Shaun Burgoyne: He’s 34, played 92 consecutive games and remains Hawthorn’s ‘break glass in case of emergency player’. There is nobody like him although Ryan Burton has rarely put a foot wrong since becoming a regular senior player and if he develops he should, like Burgoyne, be able to fit seamlessly anywhere around the ground. 

James Frawley: Was probably not playing as well this year as in seasons past, but his absence for the next two months because of a toe injury will really hurt Hawthorn. Plan B is Kaiden Brand, but he didn’t play either last weekend because he was ill. Kurt Heatherley was Plan C and he went OK against the Pies, but he still has plenty of development to come. – Ashley Browne

Max Gawn: Melbourne is already onto plans B and C after it lost the star ruckman to a hamstring injury in round three. Losing Gawn had the potential to be a disaster, but at least Jake Spencer was there in reserve. That was until the back-up big man suffered a serious shoulder injury against Richmond in round five. Now, the Demons have been forced to rely on the under-sized Cameron Pedersen, along with Jack Watts and Tom McDonald, to compete in the ruck. The Demons have been smashed in hit-outs (-143) over the past month, but have offset that loss by winning the clearances (+32). However, Gawn’s slated return in round 12 cannot come quick enough.

Jesse Hogan: The Demons have only had the power forward available for four games this season and it is unclear when he will be able to return to the field after being diagnosed with testicular cancer. Hogan’s interrupted year has forced the Demons to be creative with their forward structure, with second-year forward Sam Weideman and first-year rookie Tim Smith both having opportunities to play as the tall forward alongside Jack Watts. Tom McDonald has also spent time down there as a key target.

Neville Jetta: The small defender has become an integral part of the Demons’ line-up, given his ability to play as a lock-down defender on some of the AFL’s most damaging small forwards. Jetta has also improved the offensive side of his game immensely, which has made him a more valuable asset. Should Jetta be unavailable for selection at any point this year, especially with Colin Garland gone for the year with a knee injury, the Dees would look to push Tom Bugg back into defence or perhaps look to Jake Melksham to fill that spot. – Ben Guthrie

Former Giant Tom Bugg flies high for a mark. Picture: AFL Photos

Ben Cunnington: There is no-one better in the contest at the Roos than the No.5 pick from the 2009 draft, but he is one player they could cover – although not at the same level – in the short term. Jack Ziebell and Trent Dumont would carry a heavier load and former skipper Andrew Swallow’s time in the middle would spike significantly.

Robbie Tarrant: Tarrant is largely irreplaceable at North, given his ability to lock down on the best key forwards, take intercept marks and provide defensive rebound. If the reigning club best and fairest was to go down for a period of time, the one positive is it may give Sam Durdin or even the improving Daniel Nielson the extended run in the senior team they are finding hard to obtain. Another option in this case is for the Roos to go down Carlton’s path in always playing an extra defender and generally not venturing too far down the ground as a group as a protective course of action.

Ben Brown: The Tasmanian forward is arguably already North’s No.1 player in attack – and certainly its most reliable – with Jarrad Waite getting on in years and still unable to regularly stay on the field. There are key forward prospects for down the track, such as Ben McKay and Nick Larkey, but the only man waiting in the wings with genuine readiness is Majak Daw, who, like Waite, has proven frail and inconsistent. – Marc McGowan

Robbie Gray: Replacing a midfielder/forward of Gray’s prowess is nearly impossible. Chad Wingard has already increased his midfield time this season but would likely be thrown in there even a little more if Gray was out, while up forward someone like Karl Amon could feature more prominently. Angus Monfries and Jake Neade are others who could be used in attack if the Power wanted to go that way.

Charlie Dixon: The Power brought in mature-ager Brett Eddy last year knowing he could make an immediate impact, and if Dixon was unavailable, Eddy could provide some handy relief near goal. Eddy has played three games this season for three goals but, at 27, has the physical maturity to step into the senior side with confidence.

Paddy Ryder: Ryder rucks best when he goes solo, which has meant Matthew Lobbe has been out of the side all of this season. But at least the Power have some back-up there if Ryder was unavailable. Peter Ladhams was picked in last year’s NAB AFL Rookie Draft but won’t be ready just yet to take on a ruck role at senior level. – Callum Twomey

Dustin Martin: Losing the 2016 club champion would be a nightmare for the match committee, which would need to find solutions both in the midfield and forward 50. Martin’s absence would likely see Josh Caddy thrown more opportunities in the centre square, where Martin leads the club for centre clearances. Resting Martin forward and bombing the ball long to him when he is one-out has been a key tactic. The Tigers would have to use their speedy small forwards in this isolated role. 

Alex Rance: The ability of David Astbury to play on the most dangerous tall forward has freed Rance up in 2017, and his absence would force the Tigers to restructure significantly in defence. Dylan Grimes (193cm) would be forced to play taller and the Tigers would need to replace Rance’s rebound (he ranks No.2 at the club with 4.1 rebound 50s a game). An opportunity could be created for Oleg Markov, who played as a rebounding defender in the last eight games of 2016.    

Jack Riewoldt: The key forward is arguably the most difficult player to replace in 2017, given the Tigers’ lack of depth in this position. With Ben Griffiths (concussion) sidelined, the Tigers would need to play one of Todd Elton and Mabior Chol as a key target and then back their smaller brigade. Sam Lloyd and Ben Lennon would likely receive more opportunities as marking players, while the Tigers’ attacking style of play would ramp up even more. Playing patient football would be impossible. – Nathan Schmook

Mabior Chol is a key tall the Tigers could call upon. Picture: AFL Photos 

Jake Carlisle: Part of the reason St Kilda’s backline has performed relatively well this season is the return of the key defender. Dylan Roberton is playing excellent footy but the inclusions of Carlisle and Nathan Brown have allowed the ex-Docker to focus more on intercepting and rebounding. If Carlisle was forced to miss games, Sam Gilbert could be used to man the opposition’s second tall in a makeshift role. That option would give Alan Richardson a slightly more mobile defensive unit.

Nick Riewoldt: The Saints champion’s form has tailed off over the last three weeks but his work early in the season was proof enough he remains an important player, whether it be as a focal target in attack or as a link player on a wing who offers brilliant field kicking. Josh Bruce could return to the senior side to offer another forward option while Daniel McKenzie could use his impressive tank on a wing, albeit without the same foot skills as the former captain.

Jack Steven: Having won three of the club’s last four club championships is an indication Steven is the best player at the club, but his burst from stoppages also provides a point of difference from Seb Ross, Jack Steele, Koby Stevens and Luke Dunstan. Jade Gresham and Darren Minchington could be used in the midfield more to offer line-breaking pace, while Mav Weller has the aggression and speed to play that role. – Dinny Navaratnam

Lance Franklin: The triple-Coleman medallist is one of the League’s best forwards, and his presence doesn’t just make the opposition nervous, it helps his teammates enormously. When Franklin is on the field, teams can often assign a couple of players to try keep him under control, but when he’s not, the opposition’s best defender goes to Sam Reid or Kurt Tippett, and that causes even more problems for the Swans.

Heath Grundy: As the pillar of strength down back, Grundy gives the Swans an ultra-reliable leader who is very rarely beaten one on one, and provides plenty of direction for teammates. His loss would leave the team seriously undersized, and force the likes of Dane Rampe, Aliir Aliir and Harry Marsh to fight well out of their weight division.

Josh Kennedy: Since arriving in Sydney from Hawthorn, the skipper has played 23+ games in each of the last seven seasons, and has proven himself to be the clearance and contested ball king. Kennedy’s absence would be felt significantly, but Luke Parker, Dan Hannebery, Isaac Heeney and George Hewett have the capacity to at least share his workload if necessary. – Adam Curley

Harry Marsh may be needed if experienced Swan Heath Grundy went down. Picture: AFL Photos

Josh Kennedy: With Nic Naitanui coming back from a knee reconstruction, there’s no disputing Kennedy is the Eagles’ most important player and the season could be derailed if the dual Coleman medallist went down. West Coast has options to throw deep forward – headlined by Drew Petrie, Nathan Vardy and Jeremy McGovern – but none could replace the star spearhead.  

Jeremy McGovern: The Eagles have plenty of tall backmen, with former club champion Eric Mackenzie and Will Schofield stuck in the WAFL, but McGovern’s reading of the play and intercept marking is irreplaceable. Hearts are in mouths every time the 25-year-old comes off the ground sore.

Luke Shuey: Midfield pace is in short supply and losing the reigning club champion would cripple the Eagles’ ability to break away from stoppages. Few other Eagles can win contested ball and burst clear of congestion, although Elliot Yeo is one who would most likely be called on for more midfield time if Shuey was out of the side. – Travis King

Marcus Bontempelli: While the Dogs have been able to cover a host of players struck down by injury this season, losing the Bont would deny the premiers their best kick and most influential player. But they do have an eager replacement at the ready, with third-year midfielder Lukas Webb a beautiful kick who is just as competent in contested ball. He just needs more time in the midfield to show his vast improvement.

Tom Boyd: Without recapturing the form that saw him one of the best on Grand Final day, the 21-year-old has been a solid contributor in the ruck in the absence of Jordan Roughead. His versatility gives Luke Beveridge great flexibility, as Boyd is also getting a lot more dangerous up forward. But if he was to succumb to injury, impressive draftee Tim English looks ready to fill the void. In a few VFL games, the 19-year-old West Australian has displayed deft ruck work, contested marking and sound foot skills for a player of 205cm. 

Robert Murphy: If the skipper succumbed to another long-term injury, the Dogs would desperately be seeking someone to provide the same dash and dare the veteran playmaker provides in spades. The match committee could do worse than elevate speedster Brad Lynch off the rookie list. While the West Australian is a week away from returning from a hamstring complaint, he’s displayed breakaway speed, good decision-making and elite foot skills in his two seasons at Whitten Oval. – Ryan Davidson  

The post Plan B: Who steps up if a key player goes down? appeared first on Footy Plus.

from Footy Plus http://ift.tt/2qQhVOp via http://footyplus.net

[thinkherenow]

found on facebook

You know, it's been six months since the election, and I'm just having a hard time seeing a Trump-Russia connection...

Except for the Flynn thing. (http://www.newyorker.com/…/02/27/michael-flynn-general-chaos)

And the Manafort thing. (https://apnews.com/…/manaforts-plan-greatly-benefit-putin-g…) (https://www.nytimes.com/…/russia-intelligence-communication…)

And the Tillerson thing. (https://www.nytimes.com/…/russia-rex-tillerson-donald-trump…)

And the Sessions thing. (https://www.washingtonpost.com/…/77205eda-feac-11e6-99b4-9e…)

And the Kushner thing. (https://www.nytimes.com/…/…/senate-jared-kushner-russia.html)

And the Carter Page thing. (https://www.yahoo.com/…/u-s-intel-officials-probe-ties-betw…)

And the Roger Stone thing. (https://www.nytimes.com/…/roger-stone-donald-trump-russia.h…)

And the Wilbur Ross thing. (http://www.motherjones.com/…/trump-commerce-pick-wilbur-ros…)

And the Felix Sater thing. (https://www.ft.com/con…/549ddfaa-5fa5-11e6-b38c-7b39cbb1138a)

And the Boris Ephsteyn thing. (http://www.huffingtonpost.com/…/donald-trump-advisers-russi…)

And the Rosneft thing. (http://foreignpolicy.com/…/donald-trumps-russia-scandal-is…/)

And the Gazprom thing. (http://www.thedailybeast.com/…/the-kremlin-s-oil-company-ha…)

And the Sergey Gorkov thing. (http://www.cnn.com/…/kushner-meeting-russian-banker-tied-t…/)

And the Azerbaijan thing. (http://www.newyorker.com/…/2…/03/13/donald-trumps-worst-deal)

And the “I love Putin” thing. (http://www.cnn.com/…/…/politics/trump-putin-russia-timeline/)

And the Donald Trump Jr. thing. (http://www.eturbonews.com/…/executive-talk-donald-trump-jr-…)

And the Eric Trump thing. (http://www.nydailynews.com/…/eric-trump-russians-fund-famil…)

And the Sergey Kislyak thing. (http://www.nbcnews.com/…/meet-sergey-kislyak-shadowy-appara…)

And the Russian Affiliated Interests thing. (http://www.dailykos.com/…/-Evidence-of-Trump-s-Connections-…)

And the Russian Business Interests thing. (http://www.dailykos.com/…/-Part-II-of-Compilation-of-Trump-…)

And the other private Russian interests. (https://www.the-american-interest.com/…/the-curious-world-…/)

And the Emoluments Clause thing. (https://www.washingtonpost.com/…/1d4aaa70-238a-11e7-a1b3-fa…)

And the Alex Shnaider thing. (https://www.theimproper.com/…/donald-trump-russian-connect…/)

And the hack of the DNC thing. (https://www.washingtonpost.com/…/cf006cb4-316e-11e6-8ff7-7b…)

And the Guccifer 2.0 thing. (https://motherboard.vice.com/…/guccifer-20-is-likely-a-russ…)

And the Mike Pence thing. (http://www.mediaite.com/…/maddow-it-is-impossible-that-mik…/)

And the numerous suspicious dead Russian's thing. (https://www.usatoday.com/…/dozens-russian-deaths…/100480734/)

And the public request to Russia to hack Hillary’s email thing. (http://www.politico.com/…/trump-putin-no-relationship-226282)

And the Trump selling a house for $100 million at the bottom of the housing bust to the Russian fertilizer king thing. (http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html…)

And the Russian fertilizer king’s plane showing up in Concord, NC and Las Vegas during Trump campaign thing. (http://www.mcclatchydc.com/…/white-ho…/article136939868.html)

And the Russian fertilizer king's yacht anchored next to Robert Mercer's thing. (http://www.mypalmbeachpost.com/…/ya…/gI074W3JLqvEYrQ0hm9zlN/)

And the McConnell, Ryan, Nunes, Burr covering up Trump's Russian collusion in September 2016 thing. (https://www.washingtonpost.com/…/31d6b300-be2a-11e6-94ac-3d…)

And the Nunes personal investments in the Russian winery thing. (http://www.cnn.com/…/devin-nunes-white-house-don…/index.html) (http://www.dailykos.com/…/-BOMBSHELL-Devin-Nunes-Entire-Net…)

And the Cyprus bank thing. (http://www.mcclatchydc.com/…/politics…/article133217874.html)

And the Trump not releasing his tax returns thing. (http://www.huffingtonpost.com/…/trump-russia-tax-returns_us…)

And the GOP rejection of a bill to require Trump to show his taxes thing. (https://www.gpo.gov/…/pkg/CRPT-115hr…/pdf/CRPT-115hrpt73.pdf)

And the election hacking thing. (https://www.dni.gov/files/documents/ICA_2017_01.pdf)

And the GOP platform change to the Ukraine thing. (https://www.washingtonpost.com/…/98adb3b0-4cf3-11e6-a7d8-13…)

And the Steele Dossier thing. (https://assets.documentcloud.org/…/Trump-Intelligence-Alleg…)

And the "Leninist" Bannon thing. (http://www.newsweek.com/steve-bannon-donald-trump-jared-kus…)

And the Sally Yates can’t testify thing. (https://www.washingtonpost.com/…/82b73e18-13b4-11e7-9e4f-09…)

And the IC investigative reports thing. (http://www.latimes.com/…/la-pol-updates-everything-presiden…)

And the Trump calling the Russian connection “fake news” thing. (http://www.latimes.com/…/la-pol-updates-everything-presiden…)

And the Spicer’s Russian Dressing “nothing’s wrong” thing. (http://twitchy.com/…/nothing-better-to-do-cnn-fact-checks-…/)

And the Chaffetz not willing to start an investigation thing. (http://thehill.com/…/319410-gop-chairman-oversight-wont-inv…)

And the Chaffetz suddenly deciding to go back to private life in the middle of an investigation thing. (https://www.theatlantic.com/…/jason-chaffetz-reelec…/523575/)

And the Lead DOJ Investigator Mary McCord SUDDENLY deciding to resign thing. (http://www.npr.org/…/leader-of-justice-department-national-…)

And the White House going into full-on cover-up mode, refusing to turn over the documents related to the hiring and subsequent firing of Flynn thing. (http://www.politicususa.com/…/refusal-turn-flynn-documents-…)

And the Chaffetz and White House blaming the poor vetting of Flynn on Obama thing. (http://www.rawstory.com/…/not-trumps-fault-house-oversight…/)

And the Poland and British intelligence gave information regarding the hacking back in 2015 to Paul Ryan and he didn't do anything thing. (http://thehill.com/…/328718-uk-spies-first-saw-trump-russia…)

And the M16 agent following the money thing. (http://www.independent.co.uk/…/richard-dearlove-mi6-trump-r…)

And the Obama personally warning Trump about Flynn's involvement but hiring him anyway thing. (http://www.cnn.com/…/05/08/polit…/obama-trump-michael-flynn/)

And the Corey Lewendowski thing. (http://www.politico.com/…/corey-lewandowski-citgo-deal-2379…)

And the Preet Bharara firing thing. (https://www.palmerreport.com/…/preet-bharara-gave-all…/2538/)

And the Betsy Devos' Brother thing. (https://www.washingtonpost.com/…/95908a08-1648-11e7-ada0-14…)

And the Sebastian Gorka thing. (https://www.theatlantic.com/…/sebastian-gorka-white…/519843/)

And the Greg Gianforte from Montana thing. (http://www.businessinsider.com/montana-russia-greg-gianfort…)

And the Pence actually was warned about Flynn before he was hired thing. (https://democrats-oversight.house.gov/…/cummings-requests-d…)

And the Pence and Manafort connection thing. (https://www.nytimes.com/…/mike-pence-donald-trump-vice-pres…)

And the 10 Allies coming forward with audio where Trump was picked up in incidental wire tapping thing. (https://www.theguardian.com/…/british-spies-first-to-spot-t…)

And the Carter Page defying the Senate's order to hand over his Russian contact list. (http://www.independent.co.uk/…/donald-trump-carter-page-rus…)

And the trump wants to VETO Sally Yates' testimony thing.... (https://www.bostonglobe.com/…/gJkj3WKS10Ev052VxS…/story.html)

Nope, nothing happening between Trump and Russia. Nothing at all. Move along. Nothing to see here.

[junker-town]

2017 NFL mock draft: A rare year for defensive players

Will something that hasn’t happened in 25 years take place in the 2017 NFL Draft?

If it weren’t obvious that defense was the strength of the 2017 NFL Draft, it should be evident after this mock draft. It’s such a defense-heavy year that in this week’s mock draft the first five picks are players on defense. That hasn’t happened in the draft since 1991 when the first six picks were defensive players.

Need another indictment on the offense? In this week’s edition the first offensive player taken is a tight end. The first round this week does even out, however, with 17 of 32 picks coming on defense.

1. Cleveland Browns: Myles Garrett, DE, Texas A&M

Since 2000, only five non-quarterbacks have been taken first in the draft. Three of those — Courtney Brown in 2000, Mario Williams in 2006 and Jadeveon Clowney in 2014 — were defensive ends. Like those three, Garrett is the unique combination of size and athleticism. If you’re going to go against the norm and not take a quarterback first overall, getting the NFL’s second-most important position should be the choice.

2. San Francisco 49ers: Malik Hooker, S, Ohio State

This is where the draft really starts. Stanford defensive lineman Solomon Thomas has emerged as a popular pick for the 49ers, but I still contend that Hooker is the better choice. The Cover 3 defense begs for a player of Hooker’s quality and style. While getting a pass rusher is important too, Hooker can be the Earl Thomas of San Francisco’s defense.

3. Chicago Bears: Jamal Adams, S, LSU

The Bears may have signed Quintin Demps, but at 32 he shouldn’t stop the team from going after a player like Adams. Demps, who had six interceptions a season ago, could be the team’s main coverage safety while Adams plays more in the box against the run.

4. Jacksonville Jaguars: Solomon Thomas, DE, Stanford

Although the Jaguars spent a high draft pick on Dante Fowler in 2015, they still couldn’t get to the passer much last season. Adding Calais Campbell this offseason helps the defense as a whole, but bringing in Thomas will give the Jaguars a versatile edge rusher. Having Thomas, Fowler and Yannick Ngakoue could finally fix the team’s pass rush woes.

5. Tennessee Titans (via Los Angeles Rams): Marshon Lattimore, CB, Ohio State

This could be a wide receiver like Mike Williams of Clemson, but with the top cornerback still available the Titans could strike. Lattimore is a playmaker who is just scratching the surface.

6. New York Jets: O.J. Howard, TE, Alabama

Going into his third season, Jets head coach Todd Bowles has to win in 2017 to save his job. That’s why I think they’ll eventually bring in Jay Cutler to be the starting quarterback. If they could add a tight end like Howard to go along with him, the Jets would have some semblance of an offense.

7. Los Angeles Chargers: Jonathan Allen, DE, Alabama

With the two safeties going in the top five, the Chargers could look to move off the No. 7 pick to get as much talent while Phillip Rivers is still the team’s quarterback. If they stick and Allen is there, he could be a nice pickup. He can play opposite Joey Bosa, giving the Chargers a formidable duo for the foreseeable future.

8. Carolina Panthers: Leonard Fournette, RB, LSU

Considering how the first seven picks have played out, the Panthers could go after Fournette instead of an end like Derek Barnett of Tennessee. With his power running style Fournette can transform the offense.

9. Cincinnati Bengals: Reuben Foster, MLB, Alabama

At some point when the fascination for the Bengals at the No. 9 pick became a wide receiver or a pass rusher, it was forgotten they could still use a middle linebacker. Foster should still be in play for the Bengals. He can replace Rey Maualuga and give the Bengals a linebacker with range.

10. Buffalo Bills: Mike Williams, WR, Clemson

The Bills kept Tyrod Taylor, so why not give him a new weapon? Williams is the draft’s top wide out and his ability to attack the ball in the air would give Buffalo a great outside target.

11. New Orleans Saints: Derek Barnett, DE, Tennessee

It will be interest to see what happens with this pick, and whether the Saints ultimately give it up to acquire Patriots cornerback Malcolm Butler. If they stay here, they could get an NFL-ready pass rusher in Barnett who would fit the system in New Orleans nicely.

12. Cleveland Browns (via Philadelphia Eagles): Deshaun Watson, QB, Clemson

I still think the Browns are going to use this pick and more to make a push for Patriots backup Jimmy Garoppolo. If that fails, the team needs to add a quarterback early in the draft.

13. Arizona Cardinals: Mitchell Trubisky, QB, Notre Dame

The Cardinals could ultimately go with a wide receiver or cornerback here, but the time is now to find Carson Palmer’s replacement. This might be the veteran’s final season, and if the Cardinals want to avoid a complete rebuild a player like Trubisky could be brought in now to be groomed.

14. Philadelphia Eagles (via Minnesota Vikings): Marlon Humphrey, CB, Alabama

If Humphrey happens to be available when the Eagles pick, he should be an easy selection. Cornerback is overwhelmingly the biggest need on the team and Humphrey could be the answer. Don’t discount a running back or wide receiver here, though. In the past week the Eagles have worked out Dalvin Cook, Corey Davis, Leonard Fournette and Mike Williams.

15. Indianapolis Colts: Dalvin Cook, RB, Florida State

The Colts have gone on a front seven binge, signing Barkevious Mingo, Jabaal Sheard and John Simon this offseason. Because of that, they may be under the impression that a pass rusher is no longer a first round need. Instead they could go after Cook, a versatile running back who might remind Colts fans of Edgerrin James.

16. Baltimore Ravens: John Ross, WR, Washington

The deep speed of Ross might be hard for the Ravens to pass up if he’s around with the 16th pick. Kamar Aiken remains on the open market and former first-round pick Breshad Perriman has been a non-factor. The combination of Ross’ deep speed and Joe Flacco’s arm strength could be dangerous.

17. Washington: Haason Reddick, LB, Temple

Reddick is a fit for a ton of teams starting in this range, and Washington is one of them. With Foster gone, they could target Reddick to play middle linebacker. His versatility will allow Washington to run a number of different defenses.

18. Tennessee Titans: Corey Davis, WR, Western Michigan

Tennessee’s need at wide receiver has been stated time and again. Rishard Matthews and Tajae Sharpe are good players, but Davis could be the superstar No. 1 target Tennessee needs.

19. Tampa Bay Buccaneers: Ryan Ramczyk, OT, Wisconsin

Whether he plays right tackle or pushes Donovan Smith for the left tackle spot, the Buccaneers could use a player like Ramczyk. He only played a season at Wisconsin, but he quickly emerged as the draft’s top tackle prospect.

20. Denver Broncos: Cam Robinson, OT, Alabama

The Broncos fixed the right side of their offensive line with Ronald Leary and Menelik Watson, but the left side could still use help. The opinions on Robinson are mixed, but if he can refine his pass blocking he could stick at left tackle.

21. Detroit Lions: Taco Charlton, DE, Michigan

Last week the pick for Detroit was Michigan State’s Malik McDowell, and that enraged some Lions fans. This week it’s back to being Charlton, who has the size and athleticism to work the edge or kick inside on certain plays.

22. Miami Dolphins: Forrest Lamp, OL, Western Kentucky

There seems to be three directions the Dolphins could go with this pick: Guard, safety or outside linebacker. Lamp is the choice this week. He’s a pro-ready blocker who should be able to come in and help the team’s run and pass blocking.

23. New York Giants: Zach Cunningham, LB, Vanderbilt

Cunningham could be the new version of Antonio Pierce for the Giants. He’s a good athlete who can be used playing middle or on the weak side.

24. Oakland Raiders: Malik McDowell, DL, Michigan State

If the top linebackers are gone, the Raiders may turn to the defensive line. McDowell is something of an enigma, but he has top 10 talent. He can be used on the edge or inside. If he’s working hard, he could be a steal if a team in the 20s gets him.

25. Houston Texans: DeShone Kizer, QB, Notre Dame

If Bill O’Brien could take a team quarterbacked by Brock Osweiler to the playoffs surely he can fix Kizer and do the same with him. The Tony Romo talk is still out there, but until it happens he’s just as likely to be in a TV booth as he is in an NFL jersey next season.

26. Seattle Seahawks: Garrett Bolles, OT, Utah

If the Seahawks thrive on competitiveness, Bolles is a perfect system fit. He’s the meanest, nastiest blocker in the draft this year and would give Seattle some attitude on the line.

27. Kansas City Chiefs: Patrick Mahomes, QB, Texas Tech

It seems likely the heir apparent to Alex Smith will be added in the draft this year, and why not make it Mahomes? He has more arm talent than any quarterback in the draft this year and could be a fine player with the right coaching.

28. Dallas Cowboys: Gareon Conley, CB, Ohio State

A pass rusher is a popular choice for the Cowboys, but their secondary needs talent. After losing Brandon Carr, Barry Church and Morris Claiborne, the secondary is Byron Jones and not much else. Conley would be a nice addition because of his ability to play man and zone coverage.

29. Green Bay Packers: Christian McCaffrey, RB, Stanford

McCaffrey might not be viewed as a direct replacement for Eddie Lacy, but he would add an incredible dimension to Green Bay’s offense.

30. Pittsburgh Steelers: Tim Williams, OLB, Alabama

James Harrison might be immortal, but he won’t play football forever. Williams could be his successor to pair opposite the emerging Bud Dupree.

31. Atlanta Falcons: Charles Harris, DE, Missouri

After making a splash signing of Dontari Poe, the top two needs for the Falcons appear to be at guard and pass rusher. With Lamp gone, the attention could turn to pass rusher where Harris happens to still be around.

32. New Orleans Saints (via New England Patriots): Teez Tabor, CB, Florida

If the Saints don’t acquire Butler, they will likely use one of their first-round picks on a cornerback. Tabor didn’t have the best combine numbers, but he’s a proven pass defender who should be able to help the Saints’ pass defense straight away.

[footyplusau]

Freo downs better Blues

DOMINANT Fremantle superstar Nat Fyfe has tuned-up for a round one showdown with Geelong champion Patrick Dangerfield by inspiring the Dockers to a 21-point pre-season triumph over Carlton.

But injuries suffered by gun forward Hayden Ballantyne, who walked slowly off the ground in the third quarter with a left hamstring issue, and defender Cam Sutcliffe (ankle) soured Freo’s 2.12.14 (104) to 0.12.11 (83) victory at Domain Stadium.

Click here for full match details and stats

“Cam will be fine, he’ll be slow early in the week and then he’ll get going,” coach Ross Lyon said.

“Hayden is disappointing, he was really humming along and looking cherry-ripe.

“We need the scans, so I don’t want to pre-empt anything, but he’s saying it feels like a relatively normal hamstring, so (probably) 3-4 weeks.”

Hamstrung Docker set to miss a month

In his third game back from a broken leg, Fyfe saved his best JLT Community Series performance for last, while recruit Cam McCarthy starred with a bag of six goals.

The Blues’ defeat consigned them to a winless pre-season, however Patrick Cripps (26 disposals) gave fans a reason to smile in his second match returning from a stress reaction in his back.

“He’s a bull. He had a real crack,” Carlton coach Brendon Bolton said.

“It just shows that mindset in football is really important and he’s determined to push his body to give himself the best prep for round one given he’s been interrupted in pre-season, so (that’s) good willpower.”

Star onballer Bryce Gibbs (27), veteran half-back Kade Simpson (32), Sam Docherty (30) and skipper Marc Murphy (27) also found plenty of the ball 13 days out from the season-opener against Richmond at the MCG.

But it was Fyfe who stole the show on Friday night, booting a supergoal and six-pointer from 38 touches – 16 contested – with seven marks and five clearances.

It was the perfect warm-up for round one, when the new Freo skipper and 2015 Brownlow medallist will renew his rivalry with Dangerfield – the top Cat who assumed Fyfe’s mantle as the game’s best player last year.

Fyfe led a Fremantle midfield which capitalised on an armchair ride from giant ruckman Aaron Sandilands, who had a mortgage on the hit-outs (37) in his battle with Matthew Kreuzer.

Doig medallist Lachie Neale (37 disposals), Stephen Hill (32) and David Mundy (28) all cashed-in and drove the promising win.

Up forward, McCarthy fed off the midfield supply, with goalsneak Michael Walters and big man Jonathan Griffin also dangerous.

After copping flak for a disappointing four-goal effort against St Kilda, the feisty Blues had more bite in attack.

Jacob Weitering offered a strong aerial presence, while classy recruit Jarrod Pickett was lively with three majors, putting his hand up for a round one debut after an injury-riddled two seasons at Greater Western Sydney.

Although the Dockers had enough answers for the persistent Blues – with draftee Griffin Logue icing the cake on debut by banging through a supergoal in the final term – losing Ballantyne is a blow heading into round one. 

WHAT WE LEARNED Fremantle: Cam McCarthy is starting to shake off the rust after a long stint on the sidelines. The former Giant sat out last season before his trade to Fremantle was given the green light and the 21-year-old admitted the pace of the game surprised him upon a goalless return against West Coast. McCarthy then booted one major against Collingwood but largely went unrewarded. His workrate couldn’t be faulted again in the win over Carlton, but this time he bagged six majors in a timely confidence boost before round one.

Carlton: The Blues had huge headaches hitting the scoreboard last season and were panned for only kicking four majors with an understrength side last week against St Kilda. The return of key personnel in midfield helped rectify that, but Jacob Weitering playing in attack – alongside electric sidekick Jarrod Pickett – appears to give Brendon Bolton a more dangerous forward line. Carlton needs talent up forward and, with the key defensive posts well-stocked, Weitering should start inside 50 in round one against the Tigers.

NEW FACES Fremantle: Turfing a simple mark with his first touch wasn’t the start Griffin Logue was hoping for, but the top-10 pick quickly made amends with a booming supergoal and showed plenty to excite fans on his Dockers debut. Ex-Giants star Cam McCarthy was outstanding, covering plenty of territory and booting six majors, while former Hawks wingman Bradley Hill continued his impressive form. Best mates Joel Hamling and Shane Kersten were both solid building towards the real deal in 16 days’ time.

Carlton: Exciting small forward Jarrod Pickett pushed his case for round one with three goals and a willingness to chase in attack, while ex-Cat Billie Smedts was promising with 21 touches. Caleb Marchbank was solid in defence, allowing Jacob Weitering to be stationed up forward. Rhys Palmer tried hard to finish with 17 touches and a goal, while first-year player Harrison Macreadie was quiet in limited game time. Facing his ex-teammates Alex Silvagni copped a high hit from Shane Kersten in the opening term and was otherwise solid down back. 

NEXT UP The countdown is on until Carlton opens the 2017 season against Richmond on a Thursday night at the MCG in 13 days’ time. Fremantle faces Geelong in the final game of round one at Domain Stadium on Sunday, March 26.

FREMANTLE   0.4.3   1.7.7   1.10.12   2.12.14 (104) CARLTON       0.2.2   0.6.7   0.10.8     0.12.11 (83)

SUPERGOALS FREMANTLE: Fyfe, Logue CARLTON: Nil

GOALS FREMANTLE: McCarthy 6, Fyfe, Walters, Kersten, Griffin, D.Pearce, Ballantyne CARLTON: Pickett 3, Wright, Gibbs, Weitering, J.Silvagni, Rowe, Lamb, Kreuzer, Thomas, Palmer

BEST  Fremantle: Fyfe, McCarthy, S.Hill, Sandilands, Neale, Mundy Carlton: Cripps, Kerridge, Simpson, Docherty, Weitering, Murphy 

INJURIES Fremantle: Sutcliffe (ankle), Ballantyne (hamstring) Carlton: Nil  

Reports: Nil 

Umpires: Margetts, Stevic, Williamson, Power

Official crowd: 6639 at Domain Stadium

The post Freo downs better Blues appeared first on Footy Plus.

from Footy Plus http://ift.tt/2mtvroU via http://footyplus.net