Was Flacco the better quarterback in the AFC title game?

Much of Joe Flacco's play was scrutinized leading up to Sunday's AFC championship game between the Baltimore Ravens and New England Patriots.

Some, like myself, see the Ravens quarterback as a strong-armed version of Trent Dilfer, who led the Ravens to their only Super Bowl title.

Not many would have thought that Flacco would have had a better game than the universally praised Tom Brady.

But Flacco did.

Check out the numbers:

• Flacco: 22-of-36, 306 yards, two touchdowns, one interception, 95.4 rating
• Brady: 22-of-36, 239 yards, no touchdowns, two interceptions, 57.5 rating

I'll give you Brady had to face a much better defense, but he had better weapons.

And, frankly, if Lee Evans had held on to that touchdown pass, I'm not convinced Brady would have led the Patriots back.

Please don't confuse this as saying Flacco is a better overall quarterback than Brady. I'm saying Flacco outplayed Brady in the AFC title game.

That's something no one thought possible.

Fantasy hockey: Count on Couturier

Here are some players I'm looking at picking up or already have picked up this week in fantasy hockey:

(As a side note, my scoring period is longer this week because of the all-star break, so check your leagues. My games played are based on a two-week scoring period.)

• Matt Read, Flyers, forward
• Jay Harrison, Hurricanes, defenseman
• Francois Beauchemin, Ducks, defenseman
• Dave Bolland, Blackhawks, forward
• Justin Williams, Kings, forward
• Sean Couturier, Flyers, forward

I have Couturier in my lineup this week. I almost picked up Read, but I didn't want to go too heavy on one team in my lineup. Williams has nine points in his last seven games and Bolland has nine in his last eight. Beauchemin is plus-9 in his last eight games and has racked up 21 penalty minutes.

Fantasy basketball: Prince is the king of pickups this week

Here are some players I'm either picking up or putting on my watch list for this week in fantasy basketball leagues:

• Tayshaun Prince, Pistons
• Dorrell Wright, Warriors
• Trevor Ariza, Hornets
• Luke Ridnour, Timberwolves
• Mike Miller, Heat
• Evan Turner, 76ers
• C.J. Watson, Bulls

I'd look hard at Watson if I owned Derrick Rose. Prince is a nice add in just about any format right now. Wright has just three starts this week, so that would be something not in his favor. I'd look at Ridnour if I wanted some depth on my team.

Fantasy hockey: Don't Staal on picking up Rangers defenseman

Players I'm looking at or have already picked up this week in fantasy hockey:

• Marc Staal, Rangers, D
• Trevor Daley, Stars, D
• Michael Ryder, Stars, F
• Justin Williams, Kings, F
• David Clarkson, Devils, F
• Scott Clemmensen, Panthers, G

Staal is back after a concussion, Daley has 3 goals and 8 assists in his last 13 games, Ryder has 8 goals and 5 assists in his last 13, Williams is a four-start player, Clarkson has 5 points in his last 7, and Clemmensen is the starter for the Panthers while Jose Theodore is out.

Fantasy basketball: Iman's the man for the Knicks

Here are some players I'm eyeing or already have picked up as free agents this week in fantasy basketball:

• Iman Shumpert, Knicks
• D.J White, Bobcats
• Mario Chalmers, Heat
• Richard Jefferson, Spurs
• Paul George, Pacers

Shumpert's ownership has soared, White is under the radar but has five games this week (Monday-Sunday), Chalmers has stepped up in the absence of Dwyane Wade and/or LeBron James, Jefferson has seen a rise in ownership with Manu Ginolbi out and George is a good option on a surprising Pacers team.

Steelers burned by Broncos

Do you believe in Tim Tebow magic?

You just have to after Sunday's amazing win by the Denver Broncos against the Pittsburgh Steelers.

No one gave the Broncos much of a chance to win.

And after the first quarter when the Steelers defense stuffed the Broncos and led 6-0, no one really had any inkling to change their mind.

Then Tebow magic took over.

Tebow burned the Steelers defense throughout the rest of the game, totaling 316 yards.

The clincher was an 80-yard bomb to Demaryius Thomas on the first play of overtime. The pass was about 10 yards and Thomas ran it the other 70.

Stunning.

Simply stunning.

Are you buying into the Tebow magic?

Fantasy football: WR rankings for the playoffs

Here's a look at the wide receivers for the playoffs:

1. Wes Welker
2. Jordy Nelson
3. Greg Jennings
4. Marques Colston
5. Antonio Brown
6. Anquan Boldin
7. Hakeem Nicks
8. James Jones
9. Victor Cruz
10. Calvin Johnson
11. Julio Jones
12. Mike Wallace
13. Andre Johnson
14. Robert Meachem
15. Torrey Smith
16. Devery Henderson
17. Donald Driver
18. Lee Evans
19. A.J. Green
20. Lance Moore
21. Lee Evans
22. Michael Crabtree
23. Deion Branch
24. Mario Manningham
25. Demaryius Thomas
26. Eric Decker
27. Nate Burleson
28. Jerome Simpson
29. Ted Ginn
30. Kevin Walter
31. Emmanuel Sanders
32. Titus Young
33. Randall Cobb
34. Jacoby Jones
35. Hines Ward
36. Eric Decker

Fantasy football: Kicker rankings for the playoffs

Here are the kickers to target:

1. John Kasay
2. Mason Crosby
3. Stephen Gostowski
4. Billy Cundiff
5. Neil Rackers
6. Lawrence Tynes
7. Matt Bryant
8. Shaun Suisham
9. Mike Nugent
10. Jason Hanson
11. David Akers
12. Matt Prater

Fantasy football: TE rankings for the NFL playoffs

The top tight ends for your playoff drafts:

1. Jimmy Graham
2. Rob Gronkowski
3. Aaron Hernandez
4. Tony Gonzalez
5. Ed Dickson
6. Jermichael Finley
7. Owen Daniels
8. Vernon Davis
9. Jake Ballard
10. Heath Miller
11. Brandon Pettigrew
12. Jermaine Gresham

Fantasy football: RB rankings for playoff leagues

Here are the top backs to get in your playoff leagues:

1. Ray Rice
2. Arian Foster
3. Chris Ivory
4. Darren Sproles
5. Law Firm
6. Pierre Thomas
7. Ahmad Bradshaw
8. Isaac Redman
9. Michael Turner
10. James Starks
11. Brandon Jacobs
12. Stevan Ridley
13. Ben Tate
14. Ryan Grant
15. Frank Gore
16. Danny Woodhead
17. Cedric Benson
18. Willis McGahee
19. Kevin Faulk
20. Kevin Smith
21. John Kuhn
22. Ricky Williams
23. John Clay
24. Derrick Ward
25. Maurice Morris
26. Lance Ball
27. D.J. Ware
28. Kendall Hunter
29. Anthony Dixon
30. Bernard Scott

Ranking the QBs for the NFL playoffs

Those involved in fantasy leagues for the NFL playoffs, here's my list of QBs:

1. Aaron Rodgers
2. Tom Brady
3. Drew Brees
4. Ben Roethlisberger
5. Eli Manning
6. Matt Ryan
7. Matt Stafford
8. Joe Flacco
9. Tim Tebow
10. Alex Smith
11. Andy Dalton
12. T.J. Yates

Let's talk hockey, hoops, too

I had so much fun during football season that we're going to expand to fantasy hockey and fantasy basketball.

I'm in just one hockey league and one basketball league, but I've won each for the past three seasons.

That's six-for-six.

Lucky? Probably.

But I've got a good idea what I'm doing, and I'd like to pass that information along.

Each league is a redraft league, so I'm not carrying over superstars on loaded teams.

Anyway, check back for updates.

Santonio Holmes: Quitter

Santonio Holmes quit on the Jets.

And it wasn't just during Sunday's season-ending loss to the Dolphins.

According to reports, Holmes quit other games, too.

"It's happened for the past two to three weeks. It's happened all season," an unnamed player told the Star-Ledger.

No wonder the Jets finished the season 8-8 and didn't come close to meeting Rex Ryan's expectations of a Super Bowl championship.

It's also hard to believe Holmes was named one of the team's captains.