Bik's Week 16 Picks

BILLS (+3) over Dolphins

PANTHERS (-3) over Saints

Cowboys (-3) over REDSKINS

Buccaneers (+4) over RAMS

Bears (+3) over EAGLES

JETS (-1) over Browns

CHIEFS (-6.5) over Colts

Vikings (+8.5) over BENGALS

Broncos (-10) over TEXANS

JAGUARS (+5) over Titans

Cardinals (+10) over SEAHAWKS

LIONS (-9) over Giants

Raiders (+10) over CHARGERS

Steelers (+2.5) over PACKERS

Patriots (+2.5) over RAVENS

Falcons (+14) over 49ERS

Last Week: 6-9-1

This Season: 101-115-8

Bik's Week 15 Picks

BRONCOS (-10.5) over Chargers

The Chargers beat the Broncos 27-20 on Thursday.

Redskins (+7) over FALCONS

BUCCANEERS (+5) over 49ers

Seahawks (-7) over GIANTS

BROWNS (+1) over Bears

Texans (+5.5) over COLTS

JAGUARS (+2) over Bills

DOLPHINS (Pick 'Em) over Patriots

VIKINGS (+5.5) over Eagles

PANTHERS (-11) over Jets

RAIDERS (+5) over Chiefs

TITANS (+3) over Cardinals

Saints (-6.5) over RAMS

Packers (+7.5) over COWBOYS

STEELERS (+2.5) over Bengals

LIONS (-6) over Ravens

This Week: 0-1

Last Week: 9-7-0

This Season: 95-106-7

Bik's Week 15 Thursday Night Pick

BRONCOS (-10.5) over Chargers

Rest of Week 15 picks on Friday

Last Week: 9-7-0

This Season: 95-106-7

Bik's Week 14 Picks

Texans (-3) over JAGUARS

The Jaguars beat the Texans 27-20 on Thursday.

Chiefs (-3) over REDSKINS

Vikings (+6) over RAVENS

PATRIOTS (-10) over Browns

JETS (-3) over Raiders

BENGALS (-6.5) over Colts

Lions (+3) over EAGLES

Falcons (+3) over PACKERS

STEELERS (-3.5) over Dolphins

Bills (+2.5) over BUCCANEERS

Titans (+12) over BRONCOS

CARDINALS (-6) over Rams

CHARGERS (-3.5) over Giants

Seahawks (+2.5) over 49ERS

SAINTS (-3.5) over Panthers

Cowboys (-1) over BEARS

This Week: 0-1

Last Week: 4-11-1

This Season: 86-99-7

Bik's Week 14 Thursday Night Pick

Texans (-3) over JAGUARS

I'm taking the Texans simply because I don't think we should be operating in a world in which the Jacksonville Jaguars win 4 games in a row.

Rest of Week 14 picks on Friday

Last Week: 4-11-1

This Season: 86-88-7

Bik's Week 13 Picks

Packers (+6.5) over LIONS

The Lions beat the Packers 40-10 on Thursday.

Raiders (+7.5) over COWBOYS

The Cowboys beat the Raiders 31-24 on Thursday.

RAVENS (-3) over Steelers

The Ravens beat the Steelers 22-22 on Thursday Night.

Titans (+4) over COLTS

Broncos (-5.5) over CHIEFS

Jaguars (+7) over BROWNS

Buccaneers (+8) over PANTHERS

Bears (+1) over VIKINGS

EAGLES (-3) over Cardinals

JETS (-2) over Dolphins

BILLS (-3) over Falcons

Rams (+8) over 49ERS

Patriots (-7.5) over TEXANS

CHARGERS (-1) over Bengals

REDSKINS (+1) over Giants

SEAHAWKS (-4.5) over Saints

This Week: 1-2

Last Week: 9-5

This Season: 82-88-6

Bik's Week 13 Thanksgiving Picks

Oh my oh my oh my – does November have to end? LOVE this month so far with the picks! Forget Movember – let’s go with #Lovember. Trucking along 32-20-4 in November... not too shabby on the march back towards .500 for the year.

Happy Thanksgiving and Happy no more bye weeks for teams! A week without Seahawks football is the worst. Onto the Thursday Picks. Home team in CAPS:

Bik's Week 12 NFL Picks

We're sticking with the quick write-ups until things go hay-wire for me since we've now had 3 weeks in a row above .500.

Seahawks, Eagles, Bills, Bengals all on byes this week - the final week for byes. Home Teams are in CAPS.

Bik's Week 12 Thursday Night Pick

Don’t call it a comeback! Back after ANOTHER above .500 week (which included 3 pushes – how brutal was that!)  and we’ll keep going with what works. Keeping things quick and simple.

Onto the Thursday Night Pick. Home team in CAPS:

Saints (-8.5) over FALCONS

I really did everything I possibly could to find a way to take Atlanta. The only thing I could come up with was that with their season effectively over, how great it would be for them to jam up their rival Saints from home-field advantage in the playoffs. It would just be too sweet right? But to do that, you actually need a good team and I just flat out don’t think they have any makings of a decent team. They’re too banged up and will once again fail to win in the trenches. They struggle with the pass-rush and if you’re giving Brees even an extra second, he’ll find a way to hurt you. I do hate going against the HOME DOG, but I gotta!

Rest of Week 12 picks on Friday

Last Week: 7-5-3

This Season: 73-83-6

Bik's Week 11 NFL Picks

Week 11 Picks: Back to back weeks above .500 – WATCH OUT 2^ND HALF SURGE!!!! On bye this week: Dallas and St. Louis..... Home teams are in CAPS

Ok so busy week again for me – so write-ups are going to be quick. In fact just 1 line each. It’s a matchup league so quick takes on the matchups that will determine the games.

Bik's Thursday Night Week 11 Pick

TITANS (+3) over Colts

Gimme the HOME DOG! I think Chris Johnson can run all over this Colts D and Fitzpatrick can do enough to not lose at home to the Colts. And the injuries might start catching up to Indy.

Last Week:9-4-1

This Season: 66-78-3

Bik's Week 10 NFL Picks: Power Ranks v3.0

It’s been a bit longer than I had hoped to do the next power-ranks so here they are through 10 weeks. So back again are my current power ranks for the NFL. The Number in brackets is the teams rank from Week 7:

Bik's Thursday Nigh Week 10 Pick

VIKINGS (+2.5) over Redskins

I just don't think Washington is very good. Especially defensively so I'm not sure why they're a road favorite so give me the HOME DOG!

Last Week: 7-6

This Season: 61-83-2

Bik's Week 9 Picks

Due to some scheduling conflicts didn’t get a chance to post my Thursday Night Pick but just know it was documented between TJ and I that I picked Dolphins +3.... I know it looks shady since my picks are struggling this year and I’m posting that I got the game right the day after, but just make a leap of faith.

I was going to write something about the Sedins’ re-signing with the Canucks but it was getting excessively long and this piece is generally saved for the NFL Picks so I’ll have that for you next week. So onto the picks – on bye this week: Denver, Detroit, New York Giants, Arizona, San Francisco, Jacksonville. Home teams are in CAPS.

Bik's Week 8 Picks

Week 8 Picks: There’s like 80 teams on bye this week, it’s ridiculous... the slate of games is very awkward.... but actually there are 6: Chicago, Tennessee, Indianapolis, San Diego, Baltimore, and Houston..... Mind you really only 1 of those teams is a big draw, yet there are still no good games. Is that a statement of this season? Is this why my picks are floundering? Home teams are in CAPS

Bik's Thursday Night Week 8 Pick: We Know Nothing

Let me start off by saying thanks.

Thanks for reading. Because the truth is we know nothing. We can pretend to know. But we just don’t. In a game that featured 2 explosive offenses, and poor defences – the Dallas Philadelphia game produced a combined 20 points. 20. As a point of reference, the anemic Titans offense put up 17 points in 1 quarter.

After getting 12 carries inside the 5 yard line last year converting 7 of those runs into TD’s, Alfred Morris got 1 in Week 7 for a 2 yard gain. His backup Roy Helu had 2 carries, both converted to TD’s from 3 yards out. Much to the dismay of fantasy owners.

But this isn’t just for football. On Monday night in the NHL, the Sharks played the Red Wings while the Penguins faced off against the Avalanche. 4 teams dripping in offensive power.... Combined for 1 goal. The Sharks-Wings game went to the lovely shootout to produce a winner.

This is me lamenting going 5-10 last week.... We know nothing (and yes I’m dragging you down with me, sorry). So since things are spirally out of control, it’s time to do the opposite. Yes, I’m channeling my inner George Costanza.

Onto the Thursday Night Pick. Home team in CAPS: 

Bik's Week 7 Picks

Ok I said I would have a take to write about + my picks this week.... but the truth is that after going 5-10 last week, and being 8 games under .500 on the year (heading into the week, now 7 games after the win on Thursday night #GoHawks), I decided to buckle down and really dedicate myself to the picks this week to right the ship to get back on track. The goal is to be 5 games over .500 by the end of Week 8.... it starts with these 15 picks.

Bik's Thursday Night Week 7 Pick: Power Ranks v2.0

I was originally going to do my power ranks every 4 weeks but then I realized, waaaay too much happens in just 2 weeks in the NFL Season to not do this every 2 weeks. So back again are my current power ranks for the NFL. The Number in brackets are the teams rank from Week 5:

Bik's Week 6 Picks

Sorry no write-up again – adjusting to a new schedule. I’ll be back with a take next week though. Only quick write-ups this week on games. Falcons and Dolphins are on bye weeks.

Home teams are in CAPS

Bik's Thursday Night Week 6 Pick

Home team in CAPS:

BEARS (-7.5) over Giants

What exactly is inspiring about this Giants team right now? They had a divisional game last week vs. the Eagles at home and got rolled. They can’t slow anyone down defensively (over 31 Points against in every game), can’t control the clock (averaging league low 25 minutes time of possession), and among the leaders in Sacks allowed. To top it all off they don’t generate a lot of takeaways (7 takeaways) and because the defense is so porous their starting field position is among the league’s worst (26^th), so even when the offense get the ball they have a long distance to travel to put up any points.... BUUUUUT they can’t even move the ball efficiently per drive (ranking 30^th).

Now the reason I’m pointing out all these flaws and highlighting none of the Bears flaws is because these aren’t things you can fix on 4 days rest when you have to travel and you lose a day to prepare anyways. Their spot to show something was last week vs. the Eagles and it didn’t come to fruition. What they need to fix these things, maybe fix is the wrong word...... What they need to remedy these problems back to a more average mark is a full week to prepare and home game. I’m fading them this week but might look to play them next week vs. the Vikings.

Rest of Week 6 picks on Friday

Last Week: 6-8

This Season: 36-39-2

Ultimate Fight Night 29 - Predictions and Preview

Despite the main event looking having the appearance of a snoozer, I think it could be a great technical fight. Now those aren't the fights people always want to see, but it will be an excellent showcase of grappling both for position and control. Thankfully the fights should be pretty exciting up until that point and fans just need to have the patience for the one fight that might feel like it drags on. On to the predictions now.

Bik's Week 5 Picks

Here are the Week 5 Picks, the Vikings, Steelers, Redskins and Buccaneers are on Bye-Weeks... Oddly enough when you remove 4 of the worst teams from a weekends worth of action, a lot of good games emerge. As always, Home teams are in CAPS

Bik's Thursday Night Week 5 Pick: Identifying Identities

Through 4 weeks in the NFL season we’ve learned some things. Now in years past I’ve felt the things we’ve learned at this time of the year to be fake. After all Arizona recently started the year 4-0, Bills started 4-1, Raiders were 3-2, and Falcons were 2-3. But for some reason this year some of the fast starts seem very authentic. The teams that were supposed to be good, actually are good. Now there might be a few surprises here and there, but certainly not to the same level we’ve seen in years past. Considering who the Chiefs opened the season against, it wasn’t a crazy notion to see them start the season at least 3-1, so 4-0 isn’t that big of a stretch. More of the surprise teams are in that 2-2 range where we didn’t expect them to be as good and really they’ve just been unlucky so far (I.e. San Diego, Tennessee) but we still don’t know enough about them.

Bik's Week 4 Picks: Saying Goodbye To Greatness

Regular readers of The Extra Period will know by now that I take a lot of digs at baseball. Partially because baseball gives us so many opportunities to, partially because I’m not a fan and the sport does tend to catch some of my ire. It’s important NOT to read that last part as “I hate baseball” because I don’t. It’s just not for me is all. In the wide spectrum of sports, some are bound not to catch you the way others can, for me that’s baseball. But at the end of the day it is a sport, and given the remarkable degree of difficulty to play any sport at a top level, it has my respect in that regard. It’s not easy to do what they do, this I know. I’ll also appreciate greatness in sports, no matter my feelings towards the sport.

Bik's Thursday Night NFL Week 4 Pick: Under The Weather

So I’ve been under the weather....... Then under the sea..... Then under the Earth..... Then under the next 150 Earthly elements that exist that come next till we get to “hell”.... because I was on FIRE!!! Or as the Spanish would say: ¡En Fuego!

11-4-1 Last week. Now let’s get more of that goodness.  But really I’ve been sick for most of the week so this week might be really awkward and also we’re just going straight to the pick.

Home team in CAPS:

49ers (-3) over RAMS

I wrote in Week 2 that if the Falcons had any plans on going to the playoffs they couldn’t afford to go 0-2. They avoided the catastrophe as they won that game. The same scenario applies here. It’s early I know, but it’s not exactly ideal to pay catch-up in the NFC especially since some other decent teams are also 1-2 (See: Atlanta, Carolina, and Green Bay). San Fran despite the myriad of problems is still the better team, and their designs are for championships whereas the Rams, while rapidly developing, are still in a fact-finding mode as a franchise. It’s a backs to the wall game for the 49ers. They can’t be cute by not showing all their cards and have to employ everything they got in their arsenal. Back to the Atlanta analogy for a second... who did they play when they needed that win? ST. LOUIS RAMS!

I picked against the Rams last week as well vs. the Cowboys because I said it was a bad scheduling spot as they’d be gearing up for it and then didn’t apply that same logic to the 49ers who then watched the Colts walk all over them. The Niners came out flat and looked lost on Sunday, can’t afford to have that happen 3 games in a row. It’s a hockey team that good teams don’t lose 3 in a row, and you especially don’t hear it in football because it’s only a 16 game season, but this is the defining mark now for the 2013 49ers. I’m gonna bet on them to show something here and resurrect their season otherwise it’s essentially kaput for them this season.

With the receiving core woes as they are, the team isn’t totally built to play from behind with a double digit deficit which is what they’ve had to go up against the past 2 weeks. Enter St. Louis that has held a lead for all of 40 seconds this year. Gimme the ‘Niners.

Last Week: 11-4-1

This Season: 22-24-2

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Bik's Week 3 Picks: Over-Reacting

Now that we’re 2 weeks into the season, it should have given NFL team fan bases enough time to digest what they’ve seen and begin to over-react. So let’s examine some over-reactions through 2 Weeks.

Home team in CAPS

UFC 165 - Predictions and Preview

Two title fights, a stacked card, this is gonna be great!! Not just any title fights either but two of the most exciting champs to watch in Jon Jones and Renan Barao. After that exhausting period of 3 fight cards in 8 days it was nice to slow things down, catch a breath and get refreshed for what promises to be an exciting fall and winter in MMA. All right lets get to it.

Bik's Week 3 Thursday Night Pick

Just straight to the pick this week.

Home team in CAPS:

Chiefs (+3.5) over EAGLES

Here are some things we know so far 2 weeks into the season. The Eagles can score. The Chiefs can defend. The Eagles can’t defend.  The Chiefs can’t move the ball at a consistent successful rate.

How does this all play out into tonight’s game that features the return of Andy Reid to Philadelphia? Well, the biggest thing we know is not only can the Eagles not defend – they have to stay on the field a REMARKABLE amount of time. It’s great that you can score 30 points on a bad Chargers D in 22 minutes, but it’s meaningless if your D then has to be out on the field for 40+ minutes. And that’s against Phillip Rivers and the Chargers. Now you get to face Alex Smith who won’t turn the ball over, Jamaal Charles who is a historically great rusher in yards per attempt, and you have to do this all in a short week? I have a bad feeling that things are going to turn on Chip Kelly on the defensive side of the ball real quick.

Last Week: 7-9

This Season: 11-20-1

Bik's Week 2 Picks: Detailed Analysis of the Greatest Football Play so far This Season

As I described yesterday, Week 1 of the 2013 NFL Season was not flattering to me. I needed to go back to the drawing board. Back to the basement. Re-crunch the numbers. Re-examine everything and find the correct formula for success. Maybe watch some game film. But then it occurred to me.... What I needed was to get back to when this game was fun. Just being a kid, and running around. Forget the fanfare, the high production value of the NFL. Grabbing a pigskin and calling some friends.... and just playing. Playing the game for fun. So I’m going back to when football was fun. Here’s a detailed analysis over the most important football play of the 2013-14 Season:

Bik's Week 2 Thursday Night Pick: The Coin Flip

In the middle of Sunday’s games between my fantasy teams laying the proverbial egg and my picks turning to red faster than a cartoon character eating 5-alarm chilli, it was posed to me by a friend that perhaps next week I should take to flipping a coin for my picks.

Seeing as how I went 4-11-1 last week and I’m in no position to scoff. I’m open to ideas. So after a horrendous start to the 2013 NFL Season, and a thorough examination of how I plan to succeed with these picks (more on that tomorrow)..... I’m keeping Thursday’s pick nice and short.....Let’s go with the coin: Heads with the Home team, Tails with the road team.

Bik's Week 1 NFL Picks: Back to the Future

So last night, I saw Michael J. Fox on TV promoting his new show on NBC – also there was football.... There was a sign here – because last night was essentially “Back to the Future.” If you had told me that Peyton Manning was going to have a historically great night with Dallas Clark and Brandon Stokely on the field, I’d assume it was 2006 and I’d ask you for your copy of the “Grays Sports Almanac.” Wow – just wow about Peyton.

Bik's Week 1 Thursday Night Pick: Welcome Back

Hey so did you see that highlight in the baseball season – where that player dove and caught the ball, then got up and tossed it to first base for an out??? Yea me too... I saw it about 200 times. As I’m sure you did too. Or the one where the guy hits a home-run. Or the one where the player jumps up against the wall to make a grab and save a home-run. I guess it was impressive stuff especially since baseball has no cheaters and did all those plays cleanly. Needless to say, I gladly welcome one of the best days on the calendar as it’s the return of NFL Football and the end of having to watch baseball.

Overall Rankings Update

I'll be posting updates on my overall ranks as injuries mount in NFL Pre-Season and we learn more information about offences in training camp.

2013 Fantasy Football Overall Rankings

The 2013 Fantasy Football Season is nearly here. But before you can trash talk your friends, scour the waiver wire for the next fantasy gem, and win a championship, you have to get prepared for the Draft. Bik Nizzar will get you ready for the upcoming fantasy season as The Extra Period unveils its Fantasy Football Overall Rankings.

Thanks for reading the positional ranks this week. Finally I get to the end and see how the positions mesh together to create the overall draft board that I believe will bring you success. This will be changing as we get closer to Week 1 so check back for updates. With injury news & position battles things can change quickly. The overall ranks are a reflection of what I spoke about in the Draft Guide. I’m not going to address the tiers here because you can see how the rankings shape up with the emphasis on RB’s early (20 in the top 40) and rather than having to refer to the previous posts for the positional ranks, I’ve listed each players positional rank next to their name. I’ll address some players who offer great value for their current draft position in a feature coming next week called “Progression/Regression”. Below the ranks are some details for the current spots. Without further adieu the 2013 Fantasy Football Overall Ranks:

UFC on Fox 8 Predictions and Preview

Although it lacks the big name value, UFC on Fox 8 looks like it has some exciting fights on it's hand. I'm sure there are those that aren't super excited about the Flyweight division still but don't go in expecting big knockout or a bloody war. Speed and technique can make this a very thrilling fight. The recovery on these lighter weight fighters is ridiculous and when you factor in the never ending batteries a 5 round fight doesn't get dreadful come the 4th round. A short preview here as there are only 4 fights on the main card but lets get at them.

Demetrious Johnson vs. #4 John Moraga (Flyweight Championship)

I have been fortunate enough to watch Johnson fight a number of times in the UFC and will say although he isn't much of a finisher, he puts on a great fight. His never ending stamina and faced pace fighting means you can't ever look away. Going for his second title defense he is up against John Moraga who uses some diverse striking and good wrestling in his bouts. Is it a little early for Moraga though? Yeah probably.

Johnson will pull his usual in-and-out landing punches and maneuvering well. He is smart so won't deviate far from the game plan and if he learned anything from his last fight against John Dodson it will be that he shouldn't take too many punches in the exchanges. This is where Moraga might have the advantage being the bigger guy in the cage. He will have to find a way to negate Johnson's speed by either taking the fight to the ground (pretty hard against a guy that fast) or landing the better shots in the clinch. Still this is a large step up in competition for him. Expect a fast paced back and forth battle but without many surprises.

Demetrious Johnson via Decision


#3 Rory MacDonald vs. #4 Jake Ellenberger

This fight could be a good indication of who will be next in line to challenge for the Welterweight championship. MacDonald has said that he doesn't want to fight GSP but if he beats Ellenberger here that really only leaves one challenge, Carlos Condit.  Both fighters bring an entertaining style of fighting to the cage with great striking and each with knock-out power. The difference being that MacDonald needs to set up his KO's, while Ellenberger sometimes just needs to make contact. That could be the story here.

Rory is the favourite to win this fight and should be. It's just unfortunate that he may implement a real boring game plan to get the win. I hate to say it but if he sticks to the outside and slowly picks apart Ellenberger, maybe throws in some take downs, he should walk away the winner. If he decides to stand and trade bombs he will get into a lot of trouble. Jake needs to make sure he puts his fists on Rory and not get caught on the ground or against the cage. He knows it only takes one punch to win, but that might be his only chance.

Rory MacDonald via Decision


#9 Robbie Lawler vs. Bobby Voelker

I don't think either men will be considered contenders but both put on great fights. Voelker is a bit in over his head here though. Lawler has been around for a long time (made his UFC debut in 2002) and has fought all sorts of top end competition. He may not have fared too well against them but he has learned a lot. So I don't think anything Voelker throws at him will catch him off guard. Lawler will do what he does best and that is put guys to sleep. Voelker will make a mistake and then it's nighty-nite.

Robbie Lawler via TKO Round 1


#5 Liz Carmouche vs Jessica Andrade

I have got to be honest and say I am still new to Womens MMA. It took a little bit of research to see what these two bring to the table. I got to watch Carmouche vs Ronda Rousey in what was REALLY close to being a giant upset. But Rousey did what she does best and finished that fight. That being said Carmouche showed some real talent in the octagon. She has great scrambles and is known for finishing fights. Andrade does a great job of using her wrestling to wear down her opponents but I think that won't be good enough for this fight.

It's a big step up in competition for Andrade and a big step up in organizations. She is still young (only 21) and will have to take this fight as her introduction into what the elite fighters are capable of. She puts up a good scrap but will make a mistake to leave herself vulnerable and Carmouche will capitalize.

Liz Carmouche via Rear Naked Choke Round 1

2013 Fantasy Football Positional Rankings: Tight End

The 2013 Fantasy Football Season is nearly here. But before you can trash talk your friends, scour the waiver wire for the next fantasy gem, and win a championship, you have to get prepared for the Draft. Bik Nizzar will get you ready for the upcoming fantasy season as The Extra Period continues its Fantasy Football Positional Rankings.

The final stop on our positions rankings ends at Tight End. Yes I’m aware that there are still defences and kickers that we haven’t got to, but as I explained in the Draft Guide, we’re saving those picks for the ends of the draft. So tomorrow when you see my overall ranks, you’ll notice that D/ST and Kickers rank significantly lower than the rest of the league. I'm not gonna waste a post on Kickers and D so the overall ranks will be tomorrow. Depend on how you want to build your roster you can attack Tight End early around the 3^rd round... or just not at all. I think once you get past Graham and Gronk, you might as well just wait on drafting a TE. More details about some players who could regress or progress next week . Below the ranks are some details for the current spots in their tiers. Without further adieu the 2013 Fantasy Football TE Ranks:

2013 Fantasy Football Positional Rankings: Wide Receiver

The 2013 Fantasy Football Season is nearly here. But before you can trash talk your friends, scour the waiver wire for the next fantasy gem, and win a championship, you have to get prepared for the Draft. Bik Nizzar will get you ready for the upcoming fantasy season as The Extra Period continues its Fantasy Football Positional Rankings.

Yesterday I called Quarterbacks the deepest position in fantasy and that was partially due to the relation of players to teams. You could be in a 12 team league and find a legitimate #1 Fantasy QB. Today we jump into Wide Receiver ranks and looking at sheer volume of players it’s also remarkably deep, but relating it to the size of your league, it might be prudent to jump on some of the talent when available in your draft. More details about some players who could regress or progress  next week . Below the ranks are some details for the current spots in their tiers. Without further adieu the 2013 Fantasy Football WR Ranks:

2013 Fantasy Football Positional Rankings: Quarterback

The 2013 Fantasy Football Season is nearly here. But before you can trash talk your friends, scour the waiver wire for the next fantasy gem, and win a championship, you have to get prepared for the Draft. Bik Nizzar will get you ready for the upcoming fantasy season as The Extra Period continues its Fantasy Football Positional Rankings.

The deepest position in fantasy is our next stop as the ranks continue this week. Tomorrow will be Wide Receiver. Once again we’ll divide them into tiers. More details about some players who could regress or progress  next week . Below the ranks are some details for the current spots. Without further adieu the 2013 Fantasy Football QB Ranks:

2013 Fantasy Football Positional Rankings: Running Back

The 2013 Fantasy Football Season is nearly here. But before you can trash talk your friends, scour the waiver wire for the next fantasy gem, and win a championship, you have to get prepared for the Draft. Bik Nizzar will get you ready for the upcoming fantasy season as The Extra Period unveils its Fantasy Football Positional Rankings.

During this week I’ll be unveiling my rankings for each fantasy position. Today we start with Running Backs. I’ll address some breakout candidates and those who could perform above their rankings in a feature coming next week called “Progression/Regression”. Below the ranks are some details for the current spots. Without further adieu the 2013 Fantasy Football RB Ranks:

2013 Fantasy Football Guide in Memes

Back in the good ole' days, too much summer time was wasted channel to channel. I'm talking before you could just hit the "Guide" button on your remote and have access to all your channels and see what was playing when. If you misplaced your TV guide or didn't want to wait on the scrolling guide page, it was just *click* *click* *click*. That's what summer sports viewing is for non-baseball fans: *click* *click* *click*, trying to find the next repeat of "Saved By The Bell". Just waiting for football season to start. Thanks to this invention called The Internet, now summer downtime is spent online and too many hours, for someone like myself, going through memes. So while I wait for kickoff to the 2013 NFL Season, it's also time to start preparing for the Fantasy Football Season. The only logical thing to do then is to combine the 2 passions. Welcome to the 2013 Fantasy Football Guide in Memes

Why Buying Out Alex Burrows Makes Sense

I know right?!? You’re already disgusted. You love Alex Burrows. But hear me out on this.

Forget a rock and a hard place; the Canucks are laid out on a torture table having their limbs extended in difficult positions with their current cap situation. 17 players signed, no 3^rd or 4^th line centre and according to Capgeek  a mere $47,222 to pull it off. Oh and still needing to sign restricted free agent defenceman Chris Tanev.

No Mans Land

This isn’t about if the fit is right or wrong. That won’t be determined until we see the results because the sporting world is a results based industry. Win a cup and keep your job; don’t win a cup... thanks for the memories but you need to find new work (See: Alain Vigneault firing). John Tortorella has become the 17^th Head Coach in Vancouver Canucks history. And now, much like Roberto Luongo at a poker tournament, this Canucks core and management has declared that they are going all in.

NHL Playoffs Conference Finals Previews

The 2013 Stanley Cup Playoffs continue! TJ is 9-3 through 2 rounds while Bik sits at 7-5. The e-mail exchanges continue for the Conference Finals Preview!

Ranking Coaches

In light of the Alain Vigneault firing, TJ & Bik examine how valuable AV actually is in the league of head coaches. After making lists on their own, here are the average rankings comparisons of the top 20 coaches in the league.

UFC 160 Predictions and Preview

Bring out the big boys! Not only do we have the Heavyweight Championship on the line this weekend, but we also have a #1 contenders match co-headlining. It's a fight card that is sure to entertain. Joining the big boys will be a slugfest between two Light Heavyweights who have a combined 22 T/KO's in their 36 wins. Before we get to all the hard face punching we have two Lightweight fights that will have big implications on the division, potentially the next contender for Benson Hendersons belt. So lets get right to it.

NHL Playoffs Conference Semi-Finals Preview Part 2

The 2013 Stanley Cup Playoffs continue! TJ went 6-2 last round while Bik went 4-4. The e-mail exchanges continue in Part 1 of the Conference Semi-Finals Preview!

NHL Playoffs Conference Semi-Finals Preview Part 1

The 2013 Stanley Cup Playoffs continue! TJ went 6-2 last round while Bik went 4-4. The e-mail exchanges continue in Part 1 of the Conference Semi-Finals Preview!

NHL Playoffs Eastern Conference Preview

The 2013 Stanley Cup Playoffs are finally upon us! TJ & Bik talk about each of the series in the Eastern Conference in this email exchange and pick their winners:

NHL Playoffs Western Conference Preview

The 2013 Stanley Cup Playoffs are finally upon us! TJ & Bik talk about each of the series in the Western Conference in this email exchange and pick their winners:

NFL Draft Running Diary

It’s been a long time since we’ve done a Running Diary so we’ll bring it back for the 2013 NFL Draft! Draft days are some of my favourite days in sport, and not just because you can make a drinking game out of it. Here’s an excerpt from that post about the excitement for Draft Day:

“Draft Day is set up so you can irrationally begin to fall in love with players when they first enter the league and give you hope for the upcoming season. Or of course if your team drafts a player you don’t like, make you wait for impending doom. If you’re like me, you love draft day. LOVE draft day.

L-O-V-E DRAFT DAY!

The limitless potential that comes with the event is what’s exciting about it. Anything is possible. Trades can happen to move up or down in the draft, trades can happen to acquire current players, or a team can just stand pat and usher in a new face to the franchise. Teams look at their depth charts and the depth charts of every team and figure out a way to manage their roster best for the upcoming season. It springs hope annually onto fans hoping that THIS IS THE YEAR their team wins.” 

Bik's Super Bowl 47 Pick: Being Elite

Here are things that will happen on February 4^th:

 -          A Super Bowl MVP will be in DisneyLand

-          A team will have a championship parade

-          A Quarterback from the winning team will be labelled as elite

Joe Flacco or Colin Kaepernick will not only try to out-score each other, but best each other for this label of Elite QB.

UFC 156 Predictions and Preview

I am so excited for this weekends UFC 156. And you should be too. It features about as close to a "Super Fight" as you will get without featuring Georges St Pierre, Jon Jones, or Anderson Silva. Jose Aldo will put his Featherweight title on the line against former Lighweight champion Frankie Edgar. Not only are we treated to that title fight but also top ten fights at Heavyweight, Light Heavyweight, Welterweight and Flyweight. What can we expect from the action? Lets's take a look

The Kassian Chat

What generates the 1st e-mail exchange of the NHL season between Bik and TJ? Why its 4 goals in 5 games from Zack Kassian! The Canucks winger sensation is the topic of discussion between these 2 as they discuss Kassian's explosion onto the Vancouver and NHL scene.

Bik: Well TJ - its time to echo the voice of Canuck Nation. Didn't we have a guy.... what was his name... It rhymed with Brody Schmodgson I know that much. But we traded him.... for the One.... the Only.... The Main Attraction.... The Big Event.... The.... I'm running out of names..... how about just... THE KASSASSIN!!!! It's a small sample size, but it appears like Zack Kassian might have found himself a role with this club and surprise surprise, its with the Twins who can now add Kassian to their list of players who they have made look fantastic. On a level of 1-10.... 9.7 being the lowest, and 10 being the highest... How excited are you about this guy right now?

Canucks 5, Ducks 0: They followed the leader

As teams often do in sports, the Anaheim Ducks followed their captain’s lead on Friday night. In this case, that wasn’t a good thing.

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The Canucks were in Anaheim seeking revenge after an embarrassing 7-3 defeat to the Ducks in Vancouver’s home opener six days prior.

Time to Get Rid of the Knuckle Draggers

It is only day 3 of the NHL and I am already going there. I know teams want to get their fans excited for a new season, and want to make an impact....but was this really necessary? P.C. Labrie dropped with Joe Finley while Matt Martin and B.J. Crombeen also tussled.....at the one second mark of the game. Really guys?

Mike Gillis and The Myth of Success

The roster move to send down Jordan Schroeder from the Vancouver Canucks back to the AHL looks to be a rather innocuous move. After all it’s the final cut of a training-camp in a lockout shortened season. It’s easy for a simple move like that to get lost in the shuffle. But what does Jordan Schroeder not making this team in his 4^th professional season mean for the Vancouver Canucks?

NHL Season Preview - 5 Teams to Watch

I didn't think we would get it but we finally have an NHL season to get excited for. It's been a bit of a scramble to get myself re-acquainted with who went where and how teams shaped up over the off-season but I think I finally have a hand on it. With that said I want to present 5 teams to watch for this year. Not all Stanley Cup contenders just teams worth keeping an eye on this season for different reasons. And here we go...

Bik's Divisional Round Picks: Welcome Back

Let’s hail the Johnny Come Lately’s that are the NHL and NHLPA.

Sure it was only 113 days after the previous CBA expired that they managed to agree to a new one to get the 2012-2013 season underway, but better late than never. And why wouldn’t you announce the new deal on a Sunday morning when everyone is either asleep or getting ready for the opening week of NFL Playoff Football. NHL – you always entertain me.

Now of course even better than that is the league holding off on releasing a schedule and actually starting the schedule on the same weekend the NFL is in its Conference Championships Games. Thumbs up.

But I’m not going to pretend that I won’t watch. Call me a hypocrite or whatever. I love the game too much to not get sucked into debates about which center the Canucks should use in neutral-zone 2^nd period face-offs on the left boards. It’s going to happen. But like many friends I’ve spoken to about the NHL returning, I’m adhering to a cool principle. “I’ll watch – but I won’t pay.” Works for me.

So while the NHL makes dubiously entertaining decision after dubiously entertaining decision... here are 10 things that you can get excited about for the upcoming season.

Bik's Wildcard Weekend Picks: Chasing Perfection

Heading into last week I never thought that I would finish above .500 to end the season, but with a nice 12-4 Week 17 we move into the playoffs with some momentum.

So with a clean slate of the record ahead of the playoffs, now the goal for the playoffs is an unsustainable 11-0 run. Let’s aim for perfection. This is what a 1 week confidence will do to you. And while I was taking a look at the Wildcard matchups, the word “perfect” just kept cropping back up to me. So let’s get to it and you’ll see what I mean.

Onto the picks, home team in CAPS