Tag Archives: Gambling

Red’s NFL Rankings – Week 12

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Week 12 has come and gone with a few surprises. Red is posting this just in time for no one to actually pay attention even though he wrote it on Tuesday.

  1. Detroit Lions –  The Lions have played a much tougher schedule having beaten teams that are in contention for the playoffs (Rams, Seahawks, Vikings, Packers and Texans) – not too mention having scored 52 points twice this season.  The early season loss to the Bucs is the only blemish.
  2. Kansas City Chiefs – The Chiefs have historical trouble with the Bills.   Chiefs have had a fairly weak schedule with a signature win only against the  Ravens in the season opener.  It’s a pretty weak group the rest of the way with only the Texans and Stealers standing in the way down the stretch.
  3. Buffalo Bills – Can we all praise Josh Allen now?  He’s the toughest quarterback since Steve McNair. The suddenly “Lucky Bills” get to play the Pats twice, Jets, Rams and Niners with only the Lions looking up to the test the rest of the way. 5-1 finish is doable.
  4. Pittsburgh Stealers –  Big, big win over the Ravens has Pitt in line for a division title – Color Red shocked.
  5. Philadelphia Eagles – Handled division rival Commanders with 4th quarter scoring blitz. Eagles are becoming fun to watch again.
  6. Baltimore Ravens – Lamar Jackson always plays poorly against the Stealers – and sank Red’s fantasy team this week..
  7. Minnesota Vikings – Unfortunately playing in same division as the Lions and more unfortunately have Darn Old Sam at the helm.
  8. Arizona Cardinals – Coach of the Year in waiting right now?
  9. Los Angles Chargers – Every time Red thinks the Chargers are going to do something they disappoint.  Stop thinking Red.
  10. Houston Texans – What an ass whomping the Texans laid on the hapless Cowboys. If they keep scoring second half points they will be difficult to stop – but Red doesn’t see them beating the Chiefs and Ravens back to back in weeks 16 and 17. If they can split those games – look out.
  11. Washington Commanders – Still look a bit like pretenders to Red.
  12. Green Bay Packers  – It’s got be frustrating to be 7-3 and have it look like there is only an outside chance of winning your division.
  13. Denver Broncos – Tore the Falcons a new one.
  14. Atlanta Falcons  – Now with scatological options after getting routed by the Broncos – not a good look.
  15.  Seattle Seahawks – Leading the parade of 5 win NFC West teams on the outside looking but not out of it yet.
  16. Los Angeles Rams – One step behind Seattle and in it.
  17.  San Franciso 49ers  – Three steps behind and in last place in their division and somehow not yet out of it.
  18. Indianapolis Colts – Leading the parade of 5 win teams that are barely still in the playoff mix.
  19. Tampa Bay Buccaneers – Top of the dregs is about all Red can say without hurting someone’s feelings.
  20. Miami Dolphins – All wet.
  21. Cincinnati Bengals – Simply cannot catch a break with a basket right now.
  22. Chicago Bears – Excelling at losing winnable games.  Everyone has a purpose.
  23. New Orleans Saints – Who dat? Who cares?
  24. New York Jets – We all knew A-Rodg was insane.  It’s nice to have positive confirmation.
  25. New England Patriots – Are they still around?
  26. New York Giants – Here Red is just rounding out the “New” teams for fun. The Giants don’t really deserve this high of a ranking even without Daniel Jones.
  27. Carolina Panthers – The Panthers have won two games in a row and are seeing light at the end of the tunnel. Unfortunately, the light is the Chiefs Express rolling down the track.
  28. Dallas Cowboys – “I’ve seen teams suck before, but they were the suckiest bunch of sucks that ever sucked.” H. Simpson. Jerry will need a new face lift after this season.
  29.  Tennessee Titans – Moving on to the part of the rankings that no one cares about.
  30. Los Angeles Raiders – Zzzzzzzzzzzzz.
  31. Cleveland Browns – Are they still around?
  32. Jacksonville Jaguars – Man, there sure are a lot of crappy teams in the AFC.

Red’s 2024 NFL Rankings – Week 6

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This week featured quite a few exciting down to the wire games, but for a change – Red posts his weekly rankings early.

  1. Kansas City Chiefs – A bit of a grind to dispatch a very game Saints team, but they were ground down fine enough.
  2. Minnesota Vikings – Probably deserve to have the top ranking, but Red has his rules. Plus a bit of the shine came off Darn Old Sam as the offense struggled.
  3. Detroit Lions – The next 5 weeks will tell us if the Lions are really real.
  4. Baltimore Ravens – Derrick Henry takes the team on his back and carries it to an OT win. His run on the Ravens’ first possession in OT will be featured in his Hall of Fame highlights.
  5. Washington Commanders – We will see after the Commandos play the Ravens.
  6. Houston Texans – Red unimpressed by the H-Town logo, helmets and end zone paint and almost coughing up a 3 score lead. Somewhat more impressed by holding off the Bills in crunch time.
  7. Buffalo Bills – The defense is teetering. You can’t expect Josh Allen to pull a win out of the hat week in and week out. Weak out!
  8. Atlanta Falcons – Flying high now. Cue the music. Cue the dancers. Cue the balloons.
  9. Tampa Bay Buccaneers – OT loss in Atlanta does not bode well. It bodes bad -sad.
  10. Denver Broncos – Bo Nix, go fix, no picks, so licks – and it suddenly it falls apart.
  11. Seattle Seahawks – A 102 yard fumble return should win you the game. But the Lions are good enough to overcome such nonsense.
  12. Dallas Cowboys – Don’t get too excited over a very ugly win in Pittsburgh.
  13. Chicago Bears – You beat the Panthers, Little Whoop!
  14. San Francisco 49ers – Having yet to win a division or conference game is not what we would call a particularly good look.
  15. Los Angeles Chargers – Bye, bye, bolts. Huh, you say?
  16. Arizona Cardinals – Beating what figures at some point to be a real 49ers team was a big lift and a big lift.
  17. New York Giants – Red is betting on the come here. And expecting snake eyes any moment.
  18. New Orleans Saints – are marching out.
  19. Las Vegas Raiders – Does anyone really know what time it is? You know they don’t put clocks in the casinos for a reason.
  20. Miami Dolphins – Unfortunately, they cannot play the Patriots every week.
  21. Indianapolis Colts – Can’t blame Flacco Joe for losing to the a formerly winless Jags team. The defense stunk it up.
  22. New York Jets – Adios Coach whatever your name was.
  23. Philadelphia Eagles – Red is certain that this week’s lowly ranking will stimulate the Eagles to better things.
  24. Pittsburgh Stealers – Maybe everyone is focused on the election?
  25. Los Angeles Rams – Taking top spot in the shitty teams section of this post.
  26. Cincinnati Bengals – Sometimes it just aint your year.
  27. Tennessee Titans – This team may not be as bad as Red suspects. But talk to Red after trips to Buffalo and Detroit.
  28. Cleveland Browns – Is Deshaun Watson the black Johnny Manziel?
  29. Jacksonville Jaguars – Sucking just a little bit less last week.
  30. Los Angeles Rams – You cannot believe how satisfying it is for Red to type “30” and then put the Rams next to it.
  31. Carolina Panthers – Red Rifle backfires.
  32. New England Patriots – Red has waited a long time for this.

Paxton Declares Daily Fantasy Football to be Illegal Gambling

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Embattled Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton threw down the gauntlet on another front on Tuesday when he issued a non-binding opinion declaring daily fantasy football to be illegal gambling as defined under Texas law.  Paxton’s office issued an opinion in response to a request from Rep. Myra Crownover asking whether daily fantasy leagues such as DraftKings and FanDuel were illegal, and whether fantasy sports leagues where the house does not take a rake and the participants wager only among themselves are legal.

The issue turns on the application of Chapter 47 of the Texas Penal Code which prohibits betting on the outcome of sports games or contests or the performance of a participant in a game or contest.  The crux of Paxton’s opinions revolves around the question of whether participating in a commercial daily fantasy league constitutes a bet.   Paxton concludes that because there is an element of chance in those games, then regardless of the skill level involved in picking particular players, participants are placing a bet when they participate in fantasy football.  Therefore, Paxton concludes that commercial daily fantasy football is illegal gambling in Texas.

With respect to the more traditional season-long fantasy leagues where the participants are betting against each other and the house does not take a rake, Paxton concludes that such leagues fall under an exception to the illegal gambling laws.

“Under this statutory framework, odds are favorable that a court would conclude that participation in paid daily fantasy sports leagues constitutes illegal gambling, but that participation in traditional fantasy sport leagues that occurs in a private place where no person receives any economic benefit other than personal winnings and the risks of winning or losing are the same for all participants does not involve illegal gambling.”

In other words, Paxton is going long on the courts finding that your friendly workplace fantasy football league is okay.  Red predicts that this non-binding decision – more than his other well-documented legal problems – will hurt Paxton’s chances for re-election.