UFC 86: Jackson vs. Griffin comes to you live this weekend, July 5, from Las Vegas, NV with one of the most anticipated fights of the year. While the UFC would have hoped for more “hatred” between Rampage and Forrest during The Ultimate Fighter, they will still get an incredible number of PPV buys and one hell of a fight. Season 7 of TUF had its finale about couple weeks back with Team Forrest fighter Amir Sadollah winning the lucrative contract. Will his coach win the Light Heavyweight Championship this weekend? You’ll have to tune in to find out.

This fight has two of the most popular fighters in the UFC, both considered to be class clowns. Rampage is widely considered to be the next star in the making (more face of the UFC, not that he isn’t already a star) and holds UFC’s most prized possession – the light heavyweight belt. He has defeated Dan Henderson and won the belt with a shocking first-round knock-out of Chuck Liddell. Griffin on the other hand, has slowly built his resume to this title fight by winning the first Ultimate Fighter contract and build his following after his bout with TUF runner-up Stephen Bonnar. (If you have a chance to watch that fight, try to. It is widely considered to be one of the best fights in UFC history because these two slugged it out for three solid rounds.) Griffin earned his shot by defeating Mauricio “Shogun” Rua by submission, who was considered the number one contender for Rampage at the time, and was the last person to defeat Jackson by a knockout.

Now on to some fight predictions …I expect to see something from Chris Murdico soon ... 

Quinton “Rampage” Jackson (28-6 MMA, 3-0 UFC) vs. Forrest Griffin (15-4 MMA, 6-2 UFC)
Griffin enters this fight as a heavy underdog, 13-to-5 odds were the last I saw, but I think he will shock the MMA world this weekend by upsetting Jackson. Griffin is known to have an excellent chin and incredible conditioning. That was one of the keys to his win against Rua, just being able to outlast him and finish him when he knew he could keep going.

Jackson is the better standup fighter and has excellent counter-punching ability, seen by his knockout of Chuck Liddell. But he isn’t considered a top-notch ground fighter, which is where I see Forrest taking this fight. I think Forrest’s conditioning will lead to Jackson gassing and not being able to sustain the level he will need for the full five rounds.
Prediction: Griffin via decision

Patrick Côté (12-4 MMA, 3-4 UFC) vs. Ricardo Almeida (9-2 MMA, 2-2 UFC)
This will be an interesting fight with a striker versus a Brazilian Jiu Jitsu artist. Apparently this fight will lead to a title fight in the middleweight division, which Anderson Silva completely owns. Depending on who gets the edge, to keep it standing or go to the ground will determine the winner. Almeida is on his second fight since returning from a four-year layoff and looked impressive in his re-debut, but his caliber of opponent was very suspect. I expect Almeida to get the fight to the ground and submit Cote with an armbar.
Prediction: Almeida via submission, 2^nd round

Joe Stevenson (28-8 MMA, 5-2 UFC) vs Gleison Tibau (15-5 MMA, 3-2 UFC)
Joe “Daddy” is coming off a loss to B.J. Penn and is now rebuilding his resume to challenge for the lightweight championship. Tibau lost to Tyson Griffin (also on the undercard) in his last bout, so neither fighter can afford to lose this fight. Tibau just isn’t in the same class as the elite lightweights and won’t present much of a challenge to Stevenson. “Daddy” has excellent jiu-jitsu and will prevail with his ground-and-pound.
Prediction: Stevenson via TKO, 2^nd round

Josh Koscheck (10-2 MMA, 8-2 UFC) vs. Chris Lytle (25-15-5 MMA, 4-7 UFC)
This is a fight I’m looking forward to watching. Koscheck is still considered to be one of the top contenders in welterweight, even after his loss to Georges St. Pierre. Really, there is no shame in losing to GSP. Koscheck has an incredible wrestling and ground game. Koscheck has improved his striking and will be too much for Lytle. Lytle has 17 submission wins, but Koscheck wouldn’t submit to Dustin Hazelett, a Brazilian Jiu Jitsu expert, in his last fight. Unfortunately for Lytle, this fight is just a bout to get Koscheck back in the picture for a title fight.
Prediction: Koscheck via TKO, 3^rd round

Tyson Griffin (11-1 MMA, 4-1 UFC) vs. Marcus Aurelio (16-5 MMA, 2-1 UFC)
Griffin is coming of a loss to Gleison Tibau in February and matches up against PRIDE veteran Marcus Aurelio. Aurelio’s only loss in the UFC was his debut fight again Clay Guida via split decision. Griffin will want to get this fight to the ground to use his advantage in the ground-and-pound, but he’ll need to be worried about Aurelio’s BJJ submissions.
Prediction: Griffin via decision

That’s it for the main card. The preliminary card has fights with several TUF veterans. If the fights end early, I hope to see two of the lightweight fights: Jorge Gurgel vs. Cole Miller and Corey Hill vs. Justin Buchholz.

Gurgel is a local fighter and one that I want to see do well. He tends to play to his competition in fights he should win, which I expect in this one. Cole Miller shouldn’t be underestimated, as he was a solid competitor on TUF season 5. Plus Miller has a significant size advantage to use against Gurgel.

Corey Hill is a dynamic fighter for the lightweight division, standing at 6’4” tall. It’s simply amazing to see him make weight with that frame. He’s still learning the ropes to MMA, but his athleticism is incredible. 

UFC 86: Jackson vs. Griffin
Main card
Light Heavyweight Championship bout: Quinton Jackson vs. Forrest Griffin
Middleweight bout: Patrick Côté vs. Ricardo Almeida
Lightweight bout: Joe Stevenson vs Gleison Tibau
Welterweight bout: Josh Koscheck vs. Chris Lytle
Lightweight bout: Tyson Griffin vs. Marcus Aurelio 

Preliminary card
Heavyweight Bout: Gabriel Gonzaga vs. Justin McCully
Lightweight Bout: Jorge Gurgel vs. Cole Miller
Lightweight Bout: Melvin Guillard vs. Dennis Siver
Lightweight Bout: Corey Hill vs. Justin Buchholz

The Patriots' Wes Welker finished the 2007 season tied for the league lead in receptions with T.J. Houshmandzadeh as he caught 112 balls.  With him in the slot and Randy Moss on the outside, Tom Brady and New England's passing game had an epic season that led to the team setting all kinds of records and finishing just one game short of perfection.

The question fantasy owners must ask themselves entering the '08 campaign is, "where does Welker fall in to receiver rankings for '08?"

In addition to his 112 receptions in '07, Welker also set career highs with 1175 yards and 8 TD's.

There's no doubt that the Patriots will be airing out again in '08, but it may be foolish for fantasy owners to expect the same output the offense as a whole. Look for  Welker to continue to be a big part of the action. It's not going to be too much of stretch thinking he could 100 receptions again, but the eight scores may be a bit of a stretch (consider that both Jabar Gaffney and Ben Watson had more red-zone targets).

In point-per-reception leagues, Welker could still turn out to be a top 10 wideout, but in most formats he'll likely be overpriced or taken too early. He is somewhere between No. 15 and No. 20 on my board at this point, but someone I will likely not target on draft day as owners will be quicker to pull to the trigger than I will be.

OK, I know that kickers don't excite many fantasy owners but they are still part of the game. With the GSI Preseason Cheat Sheet coming in mid-July we continue to give you a sneak peak and open up debate with our kicker rankings.

SNEAK PEAK: QB Rankings | TE Rankings | DEF/ST Rankings

1. Nick Folk - DAL
2. Stephen Gostkowski - NE
3. Nate Kaeding - SD
4. Shayne Graham - CIN
5. Josh Brown - STL
6. Adam Vinatieri - IND
7. Mason Crosby - GB
8. Ryan Longwell - MIN
9. Rob Bironas - TEN
10. Josh Scobee - JCK
11. Phil Dawson - CLE
12. Neil Rackers - ARI
13. John Kasay - CAR
14. Jason Hanson - DET
15. Matt Bryant - TB
16. Joe Nedney - SF
17. Jeff Reed - PIT
18. Kris Brown - HOU
19. Lawrence Tynes - NYG
20. Jason Elam - ATL
21. Robbie Gould - CHI
22. Mike Nugent - NYJ
23. Matt Stover - BAL
24. Olindo Mare - SEA
25. Sebastian Janikowski - OAK

With the baseball season reaching its halfway point earlier this week, it's the Tampa Bay Rays that find themselves with baseball's best record, 50-32.

Tampa Bay has been a refreshing team to watch, as they've matched a great core of young talent with the right mix of veterans to acheive a winning chemsitry.

With their win on Tuesday night over Boston, the Rays are now 2 1/2 games up in the AL East, their largest lead of the season.

"These guys aren't like they used to be," Red Sox pitcher Tim Wakefield said. "They're pretty good over there."

The Rays have done it with good pitching, improved defense and timely hitting. They have also avoided getting caught in the highs and lows they have experienced during the best start in franchise history.
    
"It's still a long road, and we have to take it day to day," Tampa Bay manager Joe Maddon said. 

A closer look at the stats, bring an even greater appreciation of Maddon's team.  Of the core players in the line-up, only one, catcher Dioner Navarro (3.16), is hitting above .300. However, four different players - Evan Longoria (47), Eric Hinske (44), Carl Crawford, and B.J. Upton (41) - have over 40 RBI's.

The team lacks a 10-game winner, but has five pitchers with 6+ wins - starters Andy Sonnanstine (9-3), Matt Garza (7-4), Scott Kazmir (7-3), James Shields (6-5), and reliever J.P. Howell (6-0). Reliever Troy Percival (19 saves) was just placed back on the 15-day DL due a nagging hamstring, but the team has depth in the pen as they boast three other players with 2 saves a piece - Howell, Grant Balfour, and Dan Wheeler.

There is a long way to go, but count me as Rays' believer. 

The Phillies' Brett Myers entered the 2008 season with much promise, but with the All-Star break right around the corner the right-hander finds himself in the minors.

Philadelphia optioned him to Triple A Lehigh Valley, a move both the player and the club hope will give him the mental freedom to make some sorely needed changes to his game.

Myers (3-9, 5.84 ERA) allowed five runs in just two innings in his last start, on Friday against the Rangers. His ERA ranks 57th among NL starters with at least 60 innings pitched, and he has allowed the most home runs (24) in the league. 

 "Velocity does give you a little chance for error, a little margin for error, but the difference between 92 [mph] and 90, 92 and 89, isn't that much," pitching coach Rich Dubee told the Philadelphia Daily News. "So whether he is pitching 88 or 93, it's about being able to command the ball, and he hasn't been able to get down and away like he used to.

"Because he doesn't have the 93, he is trying to manufacture the 93. And all of a sudden he's trying to do more. And once you get in that position, your chances of locating that thing are very slim."

The Phillies are 1-11 in the past 12 games started by Myers, who is 1-8 in that stretch.

It remains to be seen when Myers will be back, but he is worth stashing away for owners that can afford to do so.