FANTASY FOOTBALL NFL PLAYERS

Posted: 5/20/2013 1:24pm et

New England Patriots QB Tom Brady started working with former major league pitcher and quarterback tutor Tom House this offseason, and Brady feels his mechanics are better than ever. "The same way Tom Martinez was always there to watch and give me corrections, Tom House has told me why certain corrections need to be made," Brady said. "Look at a baseball swing and a golf swing. It's all mechanics. Look at how Barry Bonds swings. Look at how Floyd Mayweather punches. Mechanics. When you've got to fit it into the tightest windows, mechanics are crucial."

Huddle Up: Just what the rest of the NFL was hoping for, an improved Tom Brady.

Posted: 4/2/2013 11:16pm et

New England Patriots QB Tom Brady and WR Danny Amendola worked out together Tuesday, April 2, at USC.

Huddle Up: It's never too early to start building a connection considering how much Brady relies on the slot WR.

Posted: 2/25/2013 5:21pm et

The New England Patriots have agreed to terms with QB Tom Brady on a three-year contract extension that will run through the 2017 season. Brady will receive a $3 million signing bonus and is scheduled to make $7 million in 2015, $8 million in 2016 and $9 million in 2017. Brady was scheduled to count $43.6 million against the salary cap in 2013 and 2014 before the extension but now will count $28.6 million in 2013 and 2014.

Huddle Up: Nice cap work by the Patriots; maybe they're freeing up space to bring back Brady's favorite target, Wes Welker?

Posted: 2/7/2013 10:34pm et

New England Patriots QB Tom Brady, OG Logan Mankins and DT Vince Wilfork are scheduled to take up almost 35 percent of the team's salary cap next season. Brady is scheduled to count $21.8 million against the cap, Wilfork is scheduled to count $10.6 million against the cap, and Mankins is scheduled to count $10 million against the cap.

Huddle Up: This is why Wes Welker may be wearing another team's colors next fall.

Posted: 1/29/2013 12:59pm et

The New England Patriots may have to consider reducing QB Tom Brady's workload. He threw the ball 637 times this season, the most in his career, and his numbers took somewhat of a dip in 2012. Brady's completion percentage of 63 percent was his lowest percentage since 2006. The percentage of his passes that went for touchdowns dropped to 5.3, his lowest number since 2009. His average yards per pass was 7.6, his lowest since 2008. Brady also struggled in the final month of the season, completing 58.5 percent of his passes in December and averaging seven yards per pass. He had 10 touchdowns but also five interceptions.

Huddle Up: Here's more ammunition for this point: In the Pats' 3 Super Bowl-winning seasons, Brady attempted an average of 471.3 passes per year; in the past 3 seasons, he's attempted an average of 580 passes.

Posted: 1/25/2013 2:53pm et

New England Patriots QB Tom Brady has been fined $10,000 for making contact with Baltimore Ravens FS Ed Reed during a slide in the AFC Championship Game.

Huddle Up: Ultimately the league decided to slap Brady on the wrist for his spikes-up slide in the Patriots' loss to Baltimore. In Brady's defense, maybe he was just trying to avoid having his socks slide down his leg; after all, that transgression cost Frank Gore $500 more than what Brady's Ty Cobb impersonation cost him.

Posted: 1/24/2013 1:52am et

Updating a previous report, the NFL are reviewing New England Patriots QB Tom Brady's high slide in the AFC Championship Game but are not expected to fine him for the incident.

Huddle Up: Are you kidding? Brady won't be fined, even though it sure looked like he was trying to deliver a cleating to the crotchal region of Ed Reed. Now if someone with a reputation for dirty play--say James Harrison or Ndamukong Suh-- had done the same thing, no question there would be a fine. But quarterbacks get the benefit of the doubt, and no quarterback is more of a golden boy than Brady. In fact, don't be surprised if the league makes Reed apologize for being in the way.

Posted: 1/22/2013 10:05pm et

Indianapolis Colts QB Andrew Luck will play in the 2013 Pro Bowl for the AFC squad, replacing New England Patriots QB Tom Brady (undisclosed), who won't participate due to an injury.

Huddle Up: Brady likely is suffering from wounded pride after the Ravens shockingly limited the powerful Pats' offense to 1 TD in Sunday's AFC title tilt.

Posted: 1/20/2013 12:20pm et

The New England Patriots' offense is at its best when it pushes the tempo and can run the football effectively, balancing out its explosive passing game. The Patriots are 0-4 in games in which they failed to rush for 100 yards as a team, despite the fact that QB Tom Brady threw for more than 372 yards on average in those losses.

Huddle Up: The 0-4 stat speaks volumes, and Stevan Ridley, Shane Vereen and Danny Woodhead -- or even all 3 -- figure to have their say if the Pats are going to end their 8-year Lombardi Trophy drought.

Posted: 1/13/2013 10:27pm et

New England Patriots QB Tom Brady picked up his 17th career playoff victory in the AFC Divisional Round game against the Houston Texans Sunday, Jan. 13. As such, he broke a tie with former San Francisco 49ers QB Joe Montana for the NFL all-time mark for postseason victories.

Huddle Up: Ho hum: Another win and another record for Brady, who now is 2 wins away from a fourth Super Bowl crown, which would break another tie with Montana.

Posted: 12/20/2012 1:59pm et

New England Patriots QB Tom Brady (shoulder) returned to practice Thursday, Dec. 20.

Huddle Up: See, no worries here as the veteran QB was given a late-season break from practice Wednesday.

Posted: 12/19/2012 11:04pm et

Updating a previous report, New England Patriots QB Tom Brady (shoulder) did not participate in practice Wednesday, Dec. 19.

Huddle Up: We've heard nothing to believe that Brady's absence is anything more than a early-week practice break for a vet late in the season.

Posted: 12/13/2012 1:26pm et

New England Patriots QB Tom Brady credits the team's running game for their ability to be an explosive offense this season. With the threat of a solid run game, Brady has been able to exploit defenses through the air with playaction. 'I think for the most part when you play-action pass, you better be able to run the ball,' Brady said when asked about the variables that go into a successful play-fake. 'That's the most important thing. The threat of handing off the ball ... if we run the ball for 150 yards a game, it's hard for teams not to think about stopping our run game. That's what makes us an effective offense. If you hand it off and gain two yards, the playaction pass isn't going to be very good.'

Huddle Up: Brady worked the pay-action fakes to perfection this past Monday night, burning the Texans for 296 passing yards and 4 TDs overall. The Pats also ran for 136 yards in the game -- led by Stevan Ridley's 72 yards and a TD on 18 carries -- keeping the Houston D guessing all game.

Posted: 11/23/2012 12:07am et

New England Patriots QB Tom Brady threw for 323 yards and 3 TDs and added another score while rushing for 5 yards Thursday night in a 49-19 Week 12 rout of the New York Jets.

Huddle Up: Even without ultra-productive TE Rob Gronkowski, Brady topped 300 yards and accounted for at least 3 TDs for the third time in his past 4 games. His TD tosses went to WR Wes Welker, RB Shane Vereen and WR Julian Edelman and then capped his night with a 1-yard scoring sneak in the fourth quarter. The Pats, the league's highest-scoring team, now have scored at least 29 points nine times in 11 games, and Brady's fantasy owners are reaping big-time benefits with the postseason right around the corner.

Posted: 10/16/2012 4:06pm et

New England Patriots QB Tom Brady denied he was impaired by a hit late in the third quarter and said that hit did not impair his decision making. "It was just poor execution by myself and poor fundamentals, and that's the cause of it," Brady said. "I give Seattle a lot of [credit] for defense and I credit the way they play." Prior to the hit, Brady was 31-for-45 with two touchdowns and an intentional grounding call. After the hit, Brady went 5-for-13 with two interceptions and a second intentional grounding call.

Huddle Up: Brady's fantasy owners would've liked to see another TD or 2 -- the Pats were only 1-of-6 in the red zone -- but finishing 36-of-58 for 395 yards and a TD against one of the league's best defenses while dealing with one of the loudest home crowds is as much production as they reasonably could have hoped for.

Posted: 9/26/2012 11:29pm et

Updating a previous report, New England Patriots QB Tom Brady (shoulder) is listed on the team's injury report this week, but it is nothing out of the ordinary that he hasn't dealt with before. He was limited in practice Wednesday.

Huddle Up: Brady is behind his 2011 pace with 4 TD passes in 3 games so far, but he hasn't exactly been a fantasy dog, either, averaging close to 300 passing yards per game. The early-season injury to TE Aaron Herandez has hurt, but Brady and the Pats will adjust.

Posted: 9/13/2012 11:38am et

New England Patriots QB Tom Brady said not to read too much into WR Wes Welker's limited role in Week 1. According to Brady, Welker remains very much a big part of the offense. "We have a lot of football to play and we're going to need everybody," Brady said. "There are going to be games where Wes has not as many opportunities, and there are going to be games where he has a ton of opportunities. It all depends on how the game may play out or the situation of the game. But he's a huge part of this offense, and what we do on a weekly basis. I'm sure there won't be too many games where he doesn't get a lot of opportunity."

Huddle Up: The Patriots are well known for switching up their game plan from week to week; just because Welker was an afterthought in Week 1 doesn't mean you should write him off for the year. That said, with two elite tight ends, an emerging running back in Stevan Ridley, and the addition of Brandon Lloyd there are even more mouths to feed than usual in the New England offense so tempter your Welker expectations accordingly.

Posted: 8/20/2012 7:09pm et

New England Patriots QB Tom Brady will miss the team's preseason game against the Philadelphia Eagles on Monday, Aug. 20.

Huddle Up: There are no injury worries with one of the NFL's top players, just a coach's decision as half of New England's starters, including TE Rob Gronkowski and Wes Welker, will sit this one out. Bill Belichick and the Pats have bigger and better things in mind, such as their regulars' health for the Sept. 9 regular-season opener against the Titans.

Posted: 8/17/2012 7:55pm et

New England Patriots QB Tom Brady put in extra work on the side with WR Brandon Lloyd and TE Rob Gronkowski Friday, Aug. 17. "You get late in possessions, get to that 8th, 9th, 10th play, and you're still expected to function with that same brain capacity as you did the first play of the series," Lloyd said following the workout. "So it's good physical training, and it's good mental training."

Huddle Up: Whie there's some intrigue over how the wealth will be spread among all the Patriots' pass-catching targets, there's no debate over Brady's top-5 ranking as a fantasy QB. He finished third with 447 fantasy points a year ago and could be even better with the addition of Lloyd this season. That's a scary thought for Pats' opponents and those facing Brady in fantasy matchups.

Posted: 8/9/2012 5:37pm et

New England Patriots QB Tom Brady will play in the first preseason game Thursday, Aug. 9. Brady did not play in the first preseason game last season and played two series in the first preseason game in 2010.

Huddle Up: No word yet on whether Rob Gronkowski will suit up after his February ankle surgery. He has been practicing without a red no-contact jersey.