News » t three weeks, leading to 23 tackles and a sack in the pr

LONDON -- Taking the court as the No. Dakota Hudson . 1-ranked player for the first time, Andy Murray got the job done.The Wimbledon champion was tested for much of his opening match at the ATP finals but still came out on top, playing in his home country and beating Marin Cilic 6-3, 6-2 Monday at the O2 Arena.It was obviously nice to play in that stadium with the crowd like that. It obviously helps, Murray said. After a long, kind of, few months, its nice to know that Im going to be finishing the year playing in that sort of atmosphere.Murray took over at the top of the rankings last week, replacing Novak Djokovic. But the year-end No. 1 ranking is still up for grabs and could be decided on Sunday if both Murray and Djokovic reach the final.The prospect of attaining that, however, doesnt seem to be weighing too heavily on Murrays mind.The last few days, I havent thought about it too much, Murray said. It didnt change much for me.It certainly hasnt affected his ability to win matches. Murray has won a career-high eight titles this season, including a second Wimbledon title in July and a second straight Olympic gold medal in August. Since then, he has won titles in Beijing, Shanghai, Vienna and Paris.The latest victory on Monday didnt come so easy. Murray struggled to win his service games in the first set against Cilic, but still ended up saving all but one of the five break points he faced in the match. On the other side, he converted four of his five break points.When I need to step in, I didnt. When I need to wait a little bit longer, I wasnt waiting, said Cilic, the 2014 U.S. Open champion. The hitting could have been better. Yeah, a little bit unfortunate to go 6-3, 6-2 down, where it felt it was much, much closer in the first set. Beginning of the second, I had couple chances as well.In the early match, Stan Wawrinka finally lost a match at the ATP finals to someone who hasnt been ranked No. 1 in the world. The U.S. Open champion, who has reached the semifinals of the season-ending tournament for the last three years, was beaten by Kei Nishikori 6-2, 6-3.It was not a great match compared to what I can do, thats for sure, said Wawrinka, a three-time Grand Slam champion. I dont think I find anything on the court today. I was a little bit slow on everything. I was hesitating a lot with my game, my movement.Wawrinka holds a 6-7 record at the tournament for the top eight players in the world, but his previous six losses were against Djokovic, Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal -- twice to each.Mondays loss doesnt mean Wawrinka is out of the tournament, but it hurts his chances of finishing the year as the No. 3-ranked player. Wawrinka, Nishikori and Milos Raonic all have a chance to end up one spot behind Murray and Djokovic.Im sure I still have something inside me to play some great tennis before the end of the year, so Im going to try everything for that in the next match, Wawrinka said. Im going to do what I need to do tomorrow to get ready for trying to play better in two days.Nishikori, currently ranked fifth, helped his own chances of reaching that third spot by breaking Wawrinka twice in each set while not allowing a single break point on his serve.Im not thinking too much about rankings, but would be nice if I could finish 4 or 3, Nishikori said. I see good chance to be there if I can play good this week. Wholesale Custom Cardinals Shirts . -- Derrick Rose shook off poor shooting early to hit clutch shots late and Carlos Boozer had 20 points and 13 rebounds to lead the Chicago Bulls to a 104-95 preseason victory over the Oklahoma City Thunder on Wednesday night. Tony La Russa . With the short-handed Warriors needing help from someone -- anyone -- to stop a three-game skid, ONeal returned from right knee and groin injuries that had sidelined him for four games and put up season highs with 18 points and eight rebounds. It was just enough to help lift Golden State to a 102-101 victory over the New Orleans Pelicans on Tuesday night. http://www.custommlbcardinalsjersey.com/...large-211q.html . -- PGA TOUR Canada member Steve Saunders took a three-stroke lead Saturday in the Web. Each week of the NFL campaign we will sift through the deeper options at each position with an eye on identifying streaming fantasy commodities with valuable matchups to consider.Do you need replacement options due to byes or injuries? We have some choice names to consider for those seeking widely available options at each position.Quarterback?Colin Kaepernick, San Francisco 49ers Kaepernick leads the pack this week among quarterbacks who are owned in less than 20 percent of ESPN.com leagues.? Kaepernick has demonstrated over his last two games that he is a serviceable option, scoring more than 20 fantasy points in both outings.? This week, hell draw the New England Patriots, whose lack of a pass rush was extremely apparent on Sunday night against the Seattle Seahawks.? While Russell Wilson is obviously a better quarterback than Kaepernick, if theres any player in the NFL who mirrors Wilsons skill set, its Kaepernick.? Look for Kaepernick to own garbage time, as the likelihood of him seeing a prevent defense with no pass rush is high, based on the overall differential between the 49ers and the Patriots. -- K.D. ?Alex Smith, Kansas City Chiefs ?The Chiefs won at Carolina in Week 10 despite not scoring a touchdown, the first time the franchise has achieved this rare feat since Week 9 of 2013. Smith has struggled in averaging just 152.5 passing yards over the past two games, while the absence of rushing production this season has also hurt his fantasy stock. The reason Im endorsing Smith as a viable streaming option at signal-caller is the favorable matchup metrics he enjoys against the visiting Bucs this week. Tampa has ceded 18 fantasy points per game to opposing quarterbacks, seventh most in the league, while the team has allowed a touchdown on 24.8 percent of opposing drives, well above the league average rate of 21.2 percent. The Bucs simply dont get to the opposing pocket on defense, as their pressure rate of 22.2 percent ranks 29th in the league. A positive correction in the passing game is due for Smith and the Chiefs, while a position as home favorites against a generous defensive foe is an ideal recipe for this to materialize. -- J.M. ?Running back?Jalen Richard, Oakland RaidersAmong running backs who are owned in less than a fifth of ESPN.com leagues, the cupboard is almost completely bare.? If you are in the deepest of leagues and need a desperation play at this position, your best course of action is looking for someone who is certain to see at least five touches and possibly more, based on how his game flows.? This week, Richard fits the bill.? Richard has 17 touches for 109 yards from scrimmage over his last two games.? Richard will face the Houston Texans, who are nowhere close to being the defensive force they were with J.J. Watt on the field.? In fact, the Texans are actually a juicy matchup for opposing running backs, as they rank eighth in terms of most fantasy points scored by opposing running backs. -- K.D.?Kenneth Dixon, Baltimore Ravens A gifted receiver, Dixon led all draft-eligible backs in the NCAA last season with 2.28 yards per route and earned the highest grade among positional draft prospects in the passing phase on College Football Focus last season. Dixon is earning increased snap exposure and touches with each successive week, as he set a career high with 80 yards from scrimmage in Week 10, thanks to a career high in snaps. The talented rookie also tied for the team lead in targets, netting a reception on a team-best 41.7 percent of his routes this past week. The selling point for Dixon as a streaming flex option or deep-league RB2 is the potential to again prove busy in the passing phase. The team simply hasnt established a successful running game in weeks, and this week, the game script should trend pass-heavy, as the Ravens are sizable road dogs facing a Dallas offense that is averaging the most points per drive on offense. -- J.M.?Wide receiver?Cameron Meredith, Chicago Bears?The news of Alshon Jeffreys four-game suspension makes Meredith an immediate must-add in all league formats.? Meredith will become the Bears No. 1 wide receiver and should see at least seven targets per game while Jeffrey is gone.? The Bears draw the New York Giants, who going into Monday nights game against the Cincinnati Bengals had allowed more than 22 fantasy points per game to opposing wide receivers in standard scoring systems.? With Eddie Royal as the only established presence in the Bears wide receiving corps, Meredith is positioned for success this weeek and moving forward. Enos Slaughter. -- K.D.Robert Woods, Buffalo Bills Since Sammy Watkins went down, Woods has led the Bills with a? 24 percent share of the teams targets since the start of Week 3. The fact Woods hauled in six receptions on passes of at least 10 yards downfield -- a career high on such targets -- against a sound Seattle secondary in Week 9 is also encouraging. While he hasnt delivered strong statistics each week, the opportunity rate helps support WR3 expectations for Woods in this meeting with a Bengals secondary that ranks 28th in pass coverage per Pro Football Focus. -- J.M.Tight end?Ladarius Green, Pittsburgh Steelers After missing the first nine weeks of the NFL season, Green finally made his debut with the Steelers in Week 10. The results were encouraging, as Green caught three of his four targets for 30 yards. Green was brought in to fill the Heath Miller role and figures to see at least four targets per game.? This week, hell have the best matchup he could hope for as the Steelers face the Cleveland Browns, who have allowed the greatest number of fantasy points per game to tight ends.? This game will be Greens coming out party in Pittsburgh, take advantage of it. -- K.D.Cameron Brate, Tampa Bay Buccaneers For the second straight week, Im endorsing Brate, who is still owned in less than 40 percent of ESPN leagues as of Tuesday morning. Brate is third in targets and second in receiving yardage for Tampa over the past four games and has hauled in an impressive 85.7 percent of his targets over this stretch. The Harvard product also leads the team in red zone targets with five over the past four games. Seventh in fantasy points per game at the position over the past month, Brate is a viable streaming option this Sunday in Arrowhead. -- J.M.D/ST?Miami Dolphins?Grabbing the Dolphins D/ST off the waiver wire is highly recommended, even if you dont need a streaming option this week.? During their last three games, the Dolphins have demonstrated the ability to bring substantial pressure to the passing pocket.? The results have been clear: 10 sacks, 6 interceptions and 2 defensive touchdowns.? Thats good enough to consider starting them against most opponents, but against the Los Angeles Rams, it requires no thought.? The Rams have allowed opponent defenses to score 37 fantasy points over their last three games, so this is quite simply a hot defense going against an ice-cold offense.? Expect a double-digit point total for the Dolphins this week. -- K.D.Detroit Lions The Lions have produced at least two sacks in all but one game this season and at least four fantasy points as a D/ST in five of their past six games. The real promotion angle here is the fact the sloppy Jacksonville offense makes its way to Motown this week, as the Jags have turned the ball over on 15.7 percent of their drives this season, the fifth-highest rate in the league. With Blake Bortles attending the Matt Schaub Academy of Pick-Sixes this season, there is real upside and an underrated floor present for this streaming defensive group. -- J.M.Individual defensive players?Linebacker ?Deone Bucannon, Arizona Cardinals A hybrid safety and linebacker early in his career, Bucannon is now a full-time backer who is proving particularly productive of late. His magnetic ability to get to the ball-carrier has led to 48 tackles over the past five games, fifth most at the position over this stretch. You can find this rangy linebacker for free in nearly 80 percent of ESPN leagues, while an upcoming matchup with a Vikings offense that sticks to short-yardage passing could feed Bucannon another nice batch of tackle opportunities. -J.M.Defensive back ?Kevin Byard, Tennessee Titans This Middle Tennessee State product has played on 77 percent of the Titans defensive snaps from the free safety spot over the past three weeks, leading to 23 tackles and a sack in the process. Available in 100 percent of ESPN leagues, Byard is a nice plug-and-play option against the pass-happy Colts while some top defensive backs are on bye this week. -- J.M.Defensive line?Chandler Jones, Arizona CardinalsAvailable in nearly two-thirds of ESPN leagues, Jones is regularly ranked in the top three among defensive lineman thanks to his production role as an outside-edge rusher for Arizona. With the Vikings offensive line proving porous this season, Jones is a strong acquisition for Week 11. -- J.M. ' ' '