NFL in London

National Football League in London

New England Patriots

Week 3 Preview

by

Week 3 is upon us and what an injury prone season it has been thus far! Wade McElwain & Ryan Cull are here in the latest podcast to chat about the week that was in two, as well as they look ahead to all the games in week 3. Sure, we don’t know who will be fully or half back from injuries, but at least he have a steer on the teams as a whole. Our lines might change leading up to kickoff, so watch this space.
The boys also talk about:

London Viewings

Can we watch the games? Can we watch half a game? How many people can we watch with?
No idea here. The rules keep changing, but as it stands you can only watch in the UK until 10pm.
Given that the Premier League games now go until 8:40pm, it is unlikely many bars will show the NFL in entirety.

Injuries

5 teams took a lickin’ from a chicken in week 2, with the 49ers being gaslighted, trash bagged, and Cleveland steamed all in one. The Giants lost big with Saquon being out, and the Colts took a big D loss as well. If this trend keeps coming, there will be a lot of teams missing key personal by week 5. Heck by week 10, it might all be practice squad players.

Week 3 Picks

Rams (2-0) vs Bills (2-0)
Bills -2.5 +47.5

Buffalo faces a feisty Rams squad at home after a narrow victory over Fitzmagic and the fins. The Rams are on good form with Goff finding his rhythm of 2 years ago. This will be a fantastic battle of D’s, and both QBs will need to impress to find the W in this one. Josh Allen is the scramble king, using his legs and quick vision to spread it around the field. He’s going to face the toughest defence thus far, so the score should be fairly tight.
Ryan likes his Bills to barely cover the Rams, while Wade sees them winning by a nudge more.
Ryan-Bills 27 Rams 24
Wade-Bills 27 Rams 23

Titans (2-0) vs Vikings (0-2)
Titans -2.5 +47.5

The Titans are rolling at 2-0, but one of those came at a lucky break against the Jaguars. The Vikings are a woeful oh and poo, and they haven’t really shown any signs of life after being pummelled by both the Packers and Colts.
Ryan likes Tannehill and Henry to roll over the Vikings in a hometown beat down.
Wade is fond of the Vikings finally getting their shit together and putting together a victory.
Ryan-Titans 31 Vikings 13
Wade-Vikings 30 Titans 27

Bengals (0-2) vs Eagles (0-2)
Eagles -6 +46.5

Sure the Bengals are bad, but 6 points against Philly bad? This game will be a stinker, but Burrow and his footwork should make this one exciting enough. Philly has looked limp and lame, & will need to get their running game going full speed. The Bengals need to keep Joey alive, as they offer less protection than a homemade condom.
Ryan sees the Eagles getting a tough victory, while Wade has the Bengals taking their first win.
Ryan-Eagles 23 Bengals 20
Wade-Bengals 28 Eagles 26

Want all of our picks without listening to the podcast? Then get in touch & we can set you up with a season long picks package for £20!

Also thanks to these guys who compiled a list of the top 100 NFL Podcasts in the world. We came in at #90 which is nice, but also disappointing since we are way better than the others.
https://blog.feedspot.com/nfl_podcasts/

Stay in touch, stay safe and good luck for the rest of the season.

Rushing Leaders-Week 3

by

The real star of the 2020 season thus far seems to be injuries, as it’s taken down more teams than expected. Of course, we did expect a few injuries due to a lack of preseason and the physical and mental tolls of Covid 19, but this is pretty huge.

Saquon Barkley’s injury was horribly impactful on the Giants, although it looked like he wasn’t fully healthy in that game even prior to the ACL. Devonta Freeman has been picked up, but it’s doubtful if he can make a real impact on the season ahead.

Looking at the top RBs thus far, it’s Aaron Jones in the lead, after a monstrous beatdown of the hapless Lions. Rodgers has used him effectively in pass and run situations, despite the team not really drafting any help on offence.

Henry has been another boom for the Titans, as they take their undefeated record further in week 3. Tannehill has looked better, which takes the heat off of Henry in third down situations. Not sure if he can keep up the pace, but a good start to the season.

Zeke has been instrumental in the Cowboys big start, although he looked like a toy in week 1 when Aaron Donald used him to smack Dak. They will need Zeke to keep up the big numbers if they want to done and dust the NFC East.

Nick Chubb and the Browns started out slow thanks to a drubbing at the hands of the Ravens, but his week 2 performance against the Bengals was smashing. The 1-2 punch of Chubb and Hunt make them formidable for when Baker Mayfield is fromage.

Josh Jacobs is simmering to a good start to the season, and looked good in the Raiders win over the Saints. Gruden has orchestrated some good drives this season for the Raiders, so if he keeps it up, Jacobs will stay in the top 5.

Who do you like this week? Who have you picked up on the waiver wire? It’s a big week ahead, stay healthy everyone.

DraftKings Week 1

by

The NFL is back, and so is your chance to win some money playing in our DraftKings Fantasy NFL contests. We have loads of great offers with DraftKings, including our deposit $10 get $10 back offer.
Adding Fantasy Football to your NFL week just makes things more fun, especially if you want to trash talk your friends.

To celebrate the start of the season, I have made some tips and picks to help you get some value with your DFS this weekend. Make sure you join our NFL in London League on DraftKings, where you can win cash and prizes. Hopefully we will also have a live event or two this season depending on how this whole nasty virus affects us all.

Here are some of my top picks to look at for Week 1.

QB

There are a lot of key match-ups to kick off week 1, so you want to make sure that you are getting value with every pick you make. In terms of QBs you want to see which guys are playing the worst D’s, then you can find out which guy is going to get you some solid points.

Joe Burrow-$5800

Welcome to the NFL Joe, first up is the speedy Chargers D-line. You ready? Surprisingly I think that he will be. Joe has loads of (old) tools at his disposal which should give the Chargers backfield some problems. If Joe Mixon can mix it up, it will take pressure off of Burrow who should have some time to hit some of his WRs downfield. He’s pretty good value for what he should produce.

Phillip Rivers-$6000

This is also Phillip Rivers first game, just not his first ever. Bolstered by one of the top O-lines in the league, Rivers should have lots of time to connect with TY Hilton down the field, burning the Jags D relentlessly. I see this as a high scoring game, so Rivers should factor in at least 3 TDs.

RB

Running backs have declined in the past few years in terms of points scored and definitiveness, so it’s hard to try to find the true value backs instead of splashing out on the big boys who can be inconsistent.

Sony Michel-$4600

Cam Newton will be looking to use his legs against the Fins, so who knows who he will be dishing off to. At $4600 Michel is a steal, as Cam will probably use him in short yard situations which could mean a few TDs.

Miles Sanders-$6300

A bit pricier for a guy who is still dealing with a lower body issue. Sanders is one of my faves for an outrageous season of fantasy points, and I like him to gash the frontline of the Washington D. Look for him to gain some big ground and even bigger points

WR

DeSean Jackson-$4900

The Eagles speedster may have declined slightly over the years, but he still stands up as the go to guy for Wentz. He has the potential to snag the deep ball and run ragged over the Washington team, causing mayhem throughout the game. Good value at $4900.

TY Hilton-$5800

As mentioned earlier, TY Hilton is now matched with the arm of Phillip Rivers. Given that these guys will have been practising all summer, I see them being in a good rhythm for a solid victory over the hapless Jags. At $5800 he should be good for a score of two.

TE

Jack Doyle-$3600

With Burton injured for the Colts, Rivers has another fine target in Jack Doyle. He’s quick, strong and will give the Jags midfield plenty of headaches. A steal at $3600.

Hayden Hurst-$4300

With Austin Hooper banged up, Hurst will be looking to fill some pretty big boots. Hurst has the wheels and hands to satisfy Matt Ryan and should feature heavily as they cross the Seahawks midfield.

DEF

Vikings-$2500

But they’re facing Aaron Rodgers! Yes, but they also have an incredible secondary that looks to feast on tip balls and ill-timed passes. For $2500 they will be able to put pressure on AR, and probably pick off a ball or two as well.

Bears-$3300

Sticking with the NFC North, the Bears are facing the broken back of Matt Stafford. They will apply plenty of pressure on MS, and Mack will be looking to toss the often injured QB around all day.

If you want to join some of our contests, feel free to click the links and play along.

Free Contest 1
https://www.draftkings.co.uk/contest/draftteam/91321103

Free Contest 2
https://www.draftkings.co.uk/contest/draftteam/91486054

And make sure you enter the $2 DraftKings Europe pool for a chance to win $500 in their contest

https://www.draftkings.co.uk/contest/draftteam/90978605

Good luck, and happy drafting in Week 1.

Week 1 Picks

by

Praise to the NFL Gods! We’re back with the 2020 season, and Wade & Ryan couldn’t be happier.
This whole year has felt like a Cowboys vs Patriots Super Bowl, with screaming idiocy everywhere, but at least we can find comfort in the start of another year of football.
The guys might not be able to predict what the bloody hell is going to happen in the next 6 months, but at least they will steer you right in their NFL picks.

The first week of the NFL is always tricky to handicap, as there are so many unknown factors and new dynamics rolling off of training camp. 2020 is an even tougher year to predict, as the lack of preseason and physical preparation are all going to factor into some wild and crazy scores. Injuries will also be a major issue, as the lack of a preseason means some of these guys might be soft and brittle the first time someone plows into them.

Wade McElwain and Ryan Cull have done the research, looked at the tape, read a few fantasy magazines and are ready to prognosticate. Wade had a whopping 64% correct against the spread last season, while Ryan came in with 57% correct. Will Wade be able to repeat his wizardry this year? Let’s find out with some of their top picks.

TNF-Texans vs Chiefs (-9) +54.5

The reigning Super Bowl champs kick off the season at home against a foe they face early on in the playoffs last year. Despite trailing 24-0 to Deshaun and the Texans, Mahomes was able to rally his team to go all the way. So how much is changed the season?
Hopkins is gone, Cooks is in and the running game now rests in the hands of Duke Johnson.
The Chiefs have much of their magic back, although some of the blocking on the O line is weaker due to some trades and opt outs.
Both Wade & Ryan like the Chiefs to win here, although Ryan sees the Texans keeping this game closer, while Wade predicts a blowout in from of a smaller Chiefs crowd.
Wade-Chiefs 31 Texans 20
Ryan-Chiefs 31 Texans 28

Dolphins vs Patriots (-6.5) +43

This is the first time we see Bill Belichick without his Tommy Boy, so how will he react to his new NFL normal? He’ll be fine, as BB is known for his meticulous planning for any opponent. Cam will add a nice healthy dose of dip and dash to the offence, and old man Edelman will prove his worth in some quick cuts and short routes. Fitzmagic will need to find his magic wand, as many of his tools have either been traded or regressed in the offseason. Fitz will have some success, but the Patriots D is still one to be feared in the league. Ryan likes the Dolphins to cover, whereas Wade sees this as another beatdown.
Wade-Patriots 30 Dolphins 17
Ryan-Patriots 24 Dolphins 20

Seahawks (-2) vs Falcons +49

The Seahawks are out for a title this year, and many believe that this could be ‘their year’, but first they have to get through some tough competition. The Falcons have struggled with great talent and bad injuries in the past few years, and one wonders if Matt Ryan will ever make a trip back to the Super Bowl in his career. The dome might be lacking in fans, but there will be a lot of eyes on new acquisition Todd Gurley and whether he can stay healthy.
Ryan likes the Seahawks to rough up the Falcons, with Russell Wilson having an impressive day hitting Tyler Lockett.
Wade on the other hand is quick to point out the traditional slow start of the Seahawks, and Pete Carroll not covering the spread on Week 1 since 2014. He has Atlanta in an upset.
Wade-Falcons 30 Seahawks 28
Ryan-Seahawks 31 Falcons 21

For the rest of the predictions, have a listen to our podcast for all the games and scores.
How will the boys do this week?
Make sure you join us one weekend for an NFL event once all of this malarky is behind us.
Stay safe, stay sane, let’s go NFL!

Fantasy Draft Party

by

Like many at the start of September, we held our annual Fantasy Draft to commemorate the start of the season. Fantasy Draft’s are great ways to bond with fellow NFL fans to challenge each other in your game and playability knowledge of this great game. It’s also a good chance to emotionally bitch slap last year’s losers, bow to the finite rantings of last year’s winner, and plan for the future.

Our NFL in London Fantasy Pool is going on over a decade of play, with a melange of international fans who we have met in our hosting of NFL events across the city.
There are two leagues, the ‘Eh League’ which is comprised of the best of the best, and the ‘B League’, the relegation league where hopefuls can exchange a league win with that of the Eh loser. To be the best you have to beat the best.

We held this years draft at the Princess Alexandra Pub in Crouch End. It’s our lovely local run by our mate Nick Ford and his wife and 2 Alaskan Malmutes. With the crush of Covid, we opted for a nearby place that we could safely distance, as well as support an independent establishment. They have great burgers, Sunday roasts and stay open until 1am on Sundays so you can catch the second game, and be back in Kings Cross in 20 minutes.
https://princessalexandran8.co.uk/

We used the FanDraft software again this year, and cannot recommend this product enough. It is an easy and fun way to host your draft, and you can immediately export the results to input into your fantasy app. You can also make it fun with walk-on music, custom images and funny comments that I as the commissioner can input. We teamed it up with Facebook’s Messenger to create a private group that we could run for over 3 hours. Since we had folks in Dubai, New Zealand, Romania and Scotland, this was really a fun little addition.
https://fandraft.com/

It was nice to have a sense of ‘normal’ again, and hope that all of you also had a great one as well. It’s a messed up old world we live in, & a fantasy group is like a fraternity of sanity. No matter what shit people have to say about what on social media, NFL fantasy chat is all about the BS.
Let’s see what you have to say about it Monday morning.
Good luck everyone.