Dein erstes Forum » The Ravens allow a league-low 12.5 F

BROOKLYN, Mich. -- On another record-setting day at Michigan International Speedway, Joey Logano raced to one of the fastest qualifying speeds in NASCAR history. Logano won the pole at 203.949 mph Friday in his No. 22 Ford, breaking the track record set by Marcos Ambrose last year. Ambroses mark of 203.241 came on the first Sprint Cup weekend on a newly paved surface at MIS. His record lasted 14 months. Loganos speed was the ninth-highest by a NASCAR pole winner -- and the fastest since Bill Elliott set the record of 212.809 at Talladega on April 30, 1987. "I dont know how fast it is, but it feels freaking fast," Logano said. Kurt Busch qualified second, and points leader Jimmie Johnson was third. Logano is 16th in the Cup standings, and this is his first pole of the year. He could use a good showing this weekend as he tries to make a final push to reach the Chase for the Sprint Cup. Logano is 27 points behind 10th-place Martin Truex Jr., and he hasnt won a race this season. But a victory at Michigan could change everything, vaulting him closer to Chase position on points and boosting his chances at a wild card. There are four races left before the Chase. "Were 27 points out. That doesnt sound like a lot, but the amount of cars that are in between us is a lot," Logano said. "Were one bad race from saying, Were out. So weve got to make the most out of these four." Its the sixth career pole for the 23-year-old Logano. Hes coming off three consecutive top-10 finishes, although he hasnt won in over a year. Logano finished ninth at Michigan in June. Busch is in 11th place in the standings, so his solid starting position comes at a good time for him. Busch started second in this years earlier race at MIS, but he finished 35th. "Its really neat to overlay exactly what we did here in June, when we were outside pole, and try to improve on that," Busch said. "The pace today was just quick. It was just an extreme pace that the qualifying simulations were showing us. I shot for a 35.35 (seconds) in my mind for a lap time and ran a 35.347. I thought it would be good enough for the pole, but Logano just hit it perfectly." Despite the high speeds, Busch said his ride was pretty smooth. "When your car is good, its very stable," Busch said. "When you run 203 mph, and youre kicking yourself a little bit like I am for just going in a little too light, thats just because the car was stable. So 203 mph is not a problem. "Thats what Dave Ferroni, my PR guy, asked. He said, Is that the fastest youve ever gone around a track in a stock car, average speed-wise? And I said, Unbelievable. At 203 mph it didnt feel like it." Mark Martin qualified fourth, and Dale Earnhardt Jr. was seventh. Defending Cup champion Brad Keselowski was ninth. Johnson has never won in 23 Cup races at Michigan. "Of course we wanted to be a little bit better, but we had a very smooth and clean practice session made some good changes to the car and found speed as the session went on," Johnson said. "Came close to getting another pole during qualifying, so all in all just really good." Cheap Air Max Ireland . Now, with Game 6 set for Fenway Park and an 8:07 p.m. ET first pitch, the Detroit Tigers face the unenviable task of having to beat the Boston Red Sox twice, on the road, to advance to the World Series. Air Max Ireland . Both players have lower body injuries that will keep them out of the lineup until at least January 31, which is the first game they can be activated from IR. http://www.wholesaleairmaxireland.com/ . But Bourque, who has missed three games with a lower-body injury, wont be in the lineup when the Habs travel to Buffalo to take on the Sabres on Wednesday. Air Max Ireland Free Shipping . Speaking to the Chicago Tribune at baseballs Winter Meetings in Lake Buena Vista, Florida, Boras called the former home of the Expos a "tremendous environment" for baseball. Buy Air Max Ireland . The catch: It needs a lot of money, and it needs it fast. The fantasy playoffs are here with Week 14 serving as the first round in many leagues.No matter your format, though, were at the point where every fantasy matchup can put you closer to a title or end your season.While these are the most pressure-filled decisions of the season, you should be confident in the processes that have carried you to this point.Dont overthink lineup decisions and in most cases, you should go with your players who have been primarily responsible for taking you to the playoffs. If you have some very challenging decisions that are causing you fantasy stress, though, we help you work them out here.JULIO JONES AND TURF TOEA big decision this week could involve Julio Jones, who has a turf toe problem. All signs point to Jones being a game-time decision to play at Los Angeles. But how effective he can be is very uncertain, and there seems to be a risk that he could come out of the game at any time. This sort of injury makes it difficult for a player to plant and cut. But its hard to keep Jones out of a fantasy playoff lineup if he is active, and he has battled through some other nagging injuries this season. If your only healthy alternative plays in the early set of games that begin at 1 p.m. Eastern, play it safe and dont use Jones. If youre able to wait, though, take the shot that he may be ready while youre able to fall back on someone else.BENGALS-BROWNSThe Bengals get the winless Browns this week after coming off a fine performance at home against the Eagles. Cleveland allows 26 fantasy points per game to opposing wide receivers, second most among AFC teams. You can use Brandon LaFell as a third wide receiver or flex option this week, as he is Andy Daltons second-best touchdown target behind Tyler Eifert. Rookie Tyler Boyd has some promise in point-per-reception formats to catch a good amount of passes and deliver at least respectable yardage totals. Dalton is also a viable start as well, especially if you have Marcus Mariota facing Denver or our next QB...KAEPERNICK POST-BENCHINGColin Kaepernick was having a very nice run as a starting fantasy QB until last week, when he was totally handcuffed in the snow at Chicago and was benched for Blaine Gabbert. But he will be back in the San Francisco lineup this week at home against the Jets 23rd-ranked pass defense. Its hard to have confidence using Kaepernick after he fizzled badly last week, even in a more friendly matchup. If you have a passer who has been more steady and reliable, or even a better pure passer with a good matchup like Dalton, stick with him.49ERS VS. RUNNING BACKSThe 49ers are notoriously awful vs, running backs this season, allowing 27.7 FFPG to the position. Look for Matt Forte to rush for 1000 yards for the first time in six games, and he will score for the first time in four weeks.dddddddddddd You can also consider Bilal Powell as a flex play. The Jets can successfully ease some pressure on inexperienced QB Bryce Petty but running Forte often, and Powell gives Petty a safety valve to throw to when he is pressured or should avoid risks downfield.BUCS-SAINTSThe Buccaneers, winners of four straight, have a home date with the Saints, who have the leagues second-worst pass defense. Jameis Winston is a top 10 QB this week and should trend upward again after throwing four TD passes in his past three games. TE Cameron Brate is a consistent TD threat. But avoid the Tampa Bay running game, as Doug Martin could see his carries scaled back, with Jacquizz Rodgers and Charles Sims getting more involved, creating a committee situation you should avoid for now.SEAHAWKS-PACKERSThe Seahawks-Packers matchup should be one of the best fantasy games of the week. The Pack allow 18.2 FFPG to opposing QBs, so Russell Wilson is an obvious must-start. Naturally, Green Bay is very vulnerable to opposing WRs, as their 26.4 FFPG allowed is second-most in the NFC. Tyler Lockett is re-emerging as a big-play threat and can be started as your third wide receiver. Expect a big day from Doug Baldwin, and RB Thomas Rawls will perform well against a shaky Packers LB crew. Seattle is also without All-Pro safety Earl Thomas, though, so expect good outings from Green Bay WRs Davante Adams and Randall Cobb.FALCONS RUSH DEFENSEThe Falcons allow 24.7 FFPG to opposing RBs, second-worst among NFC teams. That may make you consider starting one of the biggest busts of the season, Rams running back Todd Gurley. But Gurley has not rushed for 80 yards in his past seven games and has one rushing TD during that span. The Saints allow 24.2 FFPG to the position and Gurley had 50 rushing yards against them two weeks ago. He should stay pinned to your bench at this all-important time of year.BLOUNT VS RAVENSThe Ravens allow a league-low 12.5 FFPG to opposing running backs, with just four rushing scores given up. But LeGarrette Blount has rushed for an NFL-best 13 TDs. So do you risk benching him based on the tough matchup? The sensible move is to keep him in there. New England has the second-best offense in the AFC and will continue to get him into position to score from short range. Reserving Blount may be an example of overthinking a lineup decision that could cost you in a fantasy playoff game.---This column was provided to The Associated Press by the Fantasy Sports Network, http://FNTSY.com ' ' '