Fantasy Nation - Fantasy Football Thread

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The Dallas Cowboys and the Miami Dolphins are 16 days away from training camp and that means the regular season starts 6 weeks later. It's time to start planning for your fantasy league/s' draft and that means taking stock of the free agent moves, the impact of this year's draft and of course who your personal favorites may be. In this thread I and my FN cohort Boomer will be covering the players and strategies you may want to consider going into your draft. Also, now that the shutdown from hell is just about over and a three month string of 7-12's is almost in the rear view mirror we will be getting back to our FN podcast. You guys may not have missed us but we have really missed doing the show! We would love for the BRI faithful to get involved here because we appreciate the perspective the sports savvy BRI faithful offer. Of course Boomer and I are partial to the Texans and Cowboys but in fantasy to be successful you have to be (uniform) color blind. Football is oh-so-close and it's really time to be thinking how you're going to dominate your league!

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A little something to file away. NE Pats RB Shane Vereen was seen playing WR in a lot of formations during mini camp recently. With the loss of Welker, the uncertainty of Gronk, the inablilty of Amendola to stay healthy. Vereen may be a "sleeper" to keep a close eye on!

Fantasy Draft note: This year the RB stable is pretty thin with a lot of players suspect because of their injury history (see Darren McFadden). Most fantasy experts are urging players to go after RB's early to get an impact player. RB is still the backbone of fantasy teams regardless of the fact that the NFL has evolved into a passing league. Don't worry if you don't get a WR in the first two rounds because there are A LOT of them to go around. Even WR's taken in the middle rounds are liable to be WR1's and most certainly WR2's.

FD note II - Will Tom Brady be Tom Brady in fantasy this year. Many people are thinking maybe not. It's a very intriguing question that deserves some thought and we can debate it but I think Brady will still be a top 5 fantasy QB. Until I see different I won't be against him. The caveat is Welker. He's the guy Brady looked for for the past 5 or 6 years when he needed a play. Can Danny Amendola fill his shoes? Can he stay healthy? The answers to these questions could be the difference between fantasy boom or fantasy bust. I have faith in the "Patriot Way" that they will fill any voids that currently exist.

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Here's my top ten list of running backs going into the 2013 season.

1. Adrian Peterson - This time last year many people, me included, had doubts about AP coming off major knee surgery but he showed us all not to lose faith.

2. Jamaal Charles - Quietly, Charles came back from his knee injury in 2011 to post 1509 yards rushing and he ended 2012 the 4th leading rusher in the NFL. I expect a little less rushing yards but a lot of receiving yards in Andy Reid's system. Watch out for JC and KC!

3. Alfred Morris - This scares me a little because Mike Shanahan changes RB's about as ofter as he changes underwear. Morris turned in a stellar rookie season and he came out of 2012 healthy which bodes well for him in 2013.

4. Marshawn Lynch - If he isn't suspended for being an idiots Lynch will continue to thrive in Pete Carroll's system. If he stays healthy look for another big year from Lynch.

5. LeSean McCoy - McCoy missed a lot of 2012 injured but he still posted 900+ yards rushing and was still in the top twenty rushers. Back and healthy if Chip Kelly's hurry up offense is going to fly it will start with McCoy.

6. Doug Martin - Tampa struck gold when they drafted Martin out of Boise State last year. He was so good he took the starting job away from LeGarratte Blount by Week 3 and made him expendable this past off season. Blount is now a Patriot and Martin a primary threat in the NFL.

7. Arian Foster - Is the heart issues Foster dealt with last year going to hold him back or slow him down. Me and a host of other Texans fans hope not. This will be two years in a row for the O-line who struggle some in 2012 but the Texans still rode Foster into the playoffs. My money is on Arian.

8. Stevan Ridley - The Patriots need a workhorse. Last year Ridley was asked to step up and he did a good job for the New England. They may not be deep at WR or TE any more but the Pats still have a stable of RB's which include the aforementioned LeGarratte Blount, Shane Vereen and Danny Woodhead but Ridley is the man NE will be leaning on most.

9. Chris Johnson - I would like to write him off but he just keeps coming back. After slow starts to the past two seasons he bounced back and rushed for over 1200 yards. I don't have much faith in Mike Munchak or his system but Johnson is too talented and fast to be kept down for a whole season.

10. Steven Jackson - I know S-Jax is long in the tooth for an NFL RB but he has to be revitalized to be playing for a team (Atlanta) that has a real shot at going to the Super Bowl. He'll be running behind a good O-line and playing against defenses that can't stack 8 in the box to stop the run because of the respect they have to give the Falcon's passing game. I see a big year for S-Jax and he certainly deserves it.

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I wonder if the weddings this past week of Washington's RGIII and Philadelphia's Matt Barkley with affect their standing in Fantasy Football? Now, I can see that how I wrote the prvious sentense makes it look like RGIII and Barkley married each other but that isn't the case. Griffin married Rebecca Liddicoat in her home town of Denver, Co. Barkley married long time girlfriend, Brittany Langdon. From a fantasy standpoint this won't impact either very much but they will certainly be a lot less active on road trips!

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The Cowboys and Dolphins begin training camp next Saturday and the rest of the NFL begins a week after that so it's time to start considering your fantasy football player draft. Yes, I know I said it before but I'm just so happy football is cranking up I tend to repeat myself sometimes. Lets take a quick look at some player news.

49ers Colin Kaepernick has to be a bit of a nimrod, doesn't he? First, the controversy over his wearing a Miami Dolphins hat out in the world was a little, or a lot, embarrassing to Niners fans and now he has just done a nude photo shoot. Okay, it was for ESPN the Magazine's "Body Issue" and nothing really was shown. Both Kaepernick and TE Vernon Davis were among pro players who posed for the article. So maybe I should lighten up on the "nimrod" business. And, for a skinny guy, Kaepernick is ripped! He looks like he has a twelve pack in the abs. The real test is whether he can progress from a year in which he led San Fran to the Super Bowl. I vote yes.

Second year RB Ronnie Hillman of the Denver Broncos doesn't like to share. In an article in NFL.com he said, "I want to be the guy back in there (starting)." The Broncos have a vet in Knowshawn Moreno and they drafted Montee Ball out of Wisconsin in this year's draft not to mention Willis McGahee who will be coming off an injury that ended his season early last year. It appears that Ball has the inside edge but Hillman isn't going to just hand the starter's job over to him. Interesting to watch how this unfolds since a Bronco RB behind Peyton Manning does get his share of the work load.

Arizona Cardinals DE Calais Campbell is raving about his offense. Huh? Yep, he says the addition of Carson Palmer make them a viable contender in the NFC West. "This is the first time in years we have an offense that matches our defense.". With the addition of Reshard Mendenhall and drafting Stanford's Stepfan Taylor to go along with 2nd year RB Ryan Williams the Cards have weapons in the backfield. At WR Larry Fitzgerald is bound to be ecstatic about the addition of Palmer. Along with Fitz is 3rd year receiver from Notre Dame Michael Floyd. Generally, it takes a WR around 3 years to become really an NFL caliber receiver and this is Floyd's 3rd. If he makes the jump Dez Bryant did last season the Cards will have a nice set of receivers to depend on. Not to mention the rookies who are coming in like Ryan Swope from Texas A&M and Jaron Brown from Clemson. So, Calais Campbell may be right except for the fact Arizona has to play in maybe the toughest division in football. We'll see.

It's been a while since Kellin Winslow Jr has made any sort of impact on an NFL field. He has battled knee injuries over the span of his career. But, when on the field and healthy he has been a playmaker. So, as the Jets primary TE can he fulfill his goal of 100 catches? Probably not but he has logged 72 in a season and I'm sure Mark Sanchez or Geno Smith will take it with a smile. The biggest obstacle is Winslow's health. Can he stay on the field or will the Jets have to rely on Jeremy Kerley like they did last season? That a question the Jets and fantasy owners need to answer.

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The New England Patriots have had a Cowboys type of off season in that they have had to deal with so many dumpster fires and the losses and potential losses are huge as both their all-world tight ends are going through major upheavals. Gronkoski's problems are more traditional in terms of the NFL. His issues are about his back and his perpetually broken arm. The Patriots can work through that even if Gronk never plays again, that's life in the NFL. The Aaron Hernandez thing is unique and awful at the same time. But how are the Pats going to field an offense? I want to offer a all-but-forgotten player who may come up big time in 2013, Julian Edelman. Bill Belichick has been working Edelman into the offense more and more the past couple of years and with Wes Welker now in Denver this is his time. He's got to work for it though because Danny Amendola has proved to be an effective receiver when he's healthy. The problem with Amendola is he hasn't been able to stay healthy. Edelman could be a mid to late round steal in fantasy drafts.

Players aren't the only ones to suffer the consequences of the NFL's substance abuse policy. The Denver Broncos have two executives looking at penalties after they were arrested for DUI's on separate incidents this summer. Personnel Chief Matt Russell was arrested in early July after a traffic accident with a police car--ouch! The other Personnel Chief Tom Heckert got his DUI in early June. In 2011 Detroit Lions team president Tom Lewand was arrested for DUI and the NFL gave him a 30 day suspension later lowered to 21 days and a $100 K fine. In Roger Goodell's mind executives have got to held to a high standard or else it's not a good example for the players.

The Washington Redskins are reported as being astonished with the progress of RGIII's rehab from major knee surgery. They are saying his long speed is back and he's cutting again when he runs. The medical staff is saying that whatever test they give Griffin he "completely smashes it". It's pretty clear RGIII is really going to make good on his vow to be under center in week 1. That's great news for fantasy owners with drafts coming up right around the corner.

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The Broncos made sure Peyton Manning's blind side is protected by giving left tackle Ryan Clady a five year $57.5 mm contract with $33 mm guaranteed. Clady is ranked the 4th best left tackle in football for 2012 by ProFootballFocus.com. Clady only allowed one sack all season last year.

How stupid do you have to be to do something like wear a "Free Hernandez" cap in public? That's what the Pouncey twins did over the weekend. Maurkice (Pittsburgh Steelers) and Mike (Miami Dolphins) wore the hats to a night club Saturday night. The Pouncey's were team mates of Hernandez at Florida but considering the nature of the crime this looks to me like poor decision making and pretty insensitive to the family of Odin Lloyd. Speaking of Hernandez, patrons of the Pro Football Hall of Fame complained that there was a photo of Hernandez in the hall and officials have removed it as a result. That is appropriate behavior.

Aaron Hernandez isn't the only player accused of a serious crime this summer. Former Cleveland Browns rookie linebacker Ausar Walcott is accused of attempted murder after he got into a fight outside a gentleman's club in Passaic, NJ. Walcott claims he was forced to defend himself after being accosted. Witnesses support Walcott's story according to his lawyer who claims the charges he faces are "unfounded". Either way, after he was arrested Walcott was released by the Browns and nobody has been knocking on the former Virginia star's door. Walcott was an undrafted free agent signed by Cleveland after the draft. Now it may be hard for him to even get a try out in the NFL.

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Last Week I gave you my top ten running backs going into 2013. Today I will give my top WR's.

1. Calvin Johnson - Is there any doubting Mega-Tron?
2. Dez Bryant - Dez showed his potential last year and now he's healthy again watch out!
3. A.J. Green - It funny how everyone always disses his quarterback but Green puts up numbers.
4. Roddy White - Got to rank White here because until he doesn't product anymore he's still the man in Atlanta.
5. Demaryius Thomas - Peyton Manning's playmaker. He will share touches with Decker, Welker and the rest of Denvers arsenal but he's still the big play guy and Peyton knows this.
6. Percy Harvin - With a better QB and more weapons around him Harvin is set up for a big year.
7. Mike Wallace - This is a bit of sleeper pick but Ryan Tannehill will be better this year and the emergence of Lamar Miller will keep defenses honest. Joe Philbin showed what he can do with scrubs last year and Wallace is a race horse.
8. Reggie Wayne - Wayne came up big for Indy last year and I'm sure he's glad he didn't follow Peyton to Denver. Andrew Luck is all that and look for Wayne to be the go-to guy again.
9. Julio Jones - Atlanta's one-two WR punch is pretty formidable and with Steven Jackson Atlanta will be hard to beat.
10. Andre Johnson - Houston's perennial all world receiver is coming off an off season healthy. Not rehabbing some major injury and this should bode well for the Texans. If DeAndre Hopkins is as good as advertised it should take some heat off Johnson.

As top tens go this one is pretty good but depth at WR in fantasy is off the charts this year and I could easily go top twenty and still leave off somebody good. Guys like Eric Decker, Wes Welker, Brandon Marshall, Randall Cobb and Jordy Nelson make for very interesting fantasy WR draft choices. Speaking of Randall Cobb and Jordy Nelson, I can't decide if Cobb will overshadow Nelson. That's a hard choice since both are primarily slot receivers. One of them will have to step up and replace Greg Jennings. Jennings is interesting as he moves to the Vikings. What about Larry Fitzgerald with new QB Carson Palmer? See? The WR's are plentiful and I'll discuss draft strategy later but keep this fact in mind.

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The running back position just got a little less crowded in Detroit. After suffering multiple concussions in his short career Jahvid Best was released by the Lions today. It's really too bad because Best showed a world of promise but his issues with concussions ended his stay in Detroit. Best was the 30th pick in the 2010 draft by Detroit and he was very good his rookie season. In 2011 Best missed eleven games due to concussions and he missed all of 2012 with post concussion issues. Best won't acknowledge this is the end of his career but now it won't continue in Detroit.

Kicker, Connor Barth, who signed with Tampa Bay in 2009 will miss the whole of the 2013 season after he tore his Achilles tendon in a charity basketball game. The Bucs have signed former NY Giants kicker Lawrence Tynes to take over for Barth.

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The Packers lost Greg Jennings to free agency and Donald Driver to retirement but it's not like Aaron Rodgers doesn't have anyone to throw to. The coin to flip in fantasy is over who you like better, Randall Cobb or Jordy Nelson, to be the go-to guy for Mr Rodgers. People forget that Green Bay added a pretty good RB in this draft, Eddie Lacy from Alabama. Lacey is big and he's a bruiser at 230 lbs but he can run as well. If he picks up on pass protection he will be, maybe, the biggest addition to the Packers offense in a while. Let's not forget UCLA's Jonathan Franklin as well. This one-two punch for the Packers may be the engine that takes Green Bay back to the top of the NFL pile. Pay attention to these two guys in preseason because they may be the sleeper picks of your draft.

The Patriots drafted Alfonzo Dennard to be a lock down corner for their defense. All they have gotten is a corner who keeps getting locked up. Before the draft Dennard was arrested for assaulting a police officer resulting in a 30 day jail sentence. Now he is facing DUI charges and a July 31st court hearing. With all their legal troubles the Patriots could easily justify cutting Dennard for his offenses but the Boston Globe is reporting they won't. Reaction to the hearing later this month by the Pats is not the only thing Dennard has to worry about. Dennard most assuredly has violated the NFL substance abuse policy and code of conduct policy to boot. Dennard could conceivably be suspended by the league to begin his career in the NFL.

Don't look now but the Miami Dolphins open training camp this weekend and the No 3 overall pick Dion Jordan is in jeopardy of missing the start of camp. His contract seems to be pretty much set except for an new issue that arose with the new collective bargaining agreement last year. That issue is "offset language" which allows a team to recoup some of it's money in case the player is cut. Jordon is promising not to miss any training camp but this does seem to be a point of contention. I guess we'll see tomorrow. Jordan is projected as a DE in Miami's defense with comparisons to DeMarcus Ware in terms of his potential.

I generally try to give info relating to a player or team in their team colors but I had to decide which I would use. I chose the Ravens purple because I'm talking about former fullback of the Ravens Vonte Leach. Houston fans should remember Leach because he led the way for Arian Foster's breakout season a couple of years ago. The Ravens cut Leach this past off season following their Super Bowl win over the 49ers but have indicated that they would welcome Leach back into the fold but the unspoken afterthought is at a lower salary. The Dolphins were projected as the likely landing place for Leach but Miami is not going to sign him before training camp. Could Leach end up back in Houston? Doubtful. Could he end up in Dallas where they currently have no fullback on the roster and at least three roster spots open on their 90 man roster? Hmmm, maybe. Any road he chooses or any road that chooses him will likely be determined after training camps begin.

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Today I'm going to give you my top 10 fantasy quarterbacks. It's going to look a little different and I'm hoping spark some debate. It's 2013 and my list will look a lot different that in the past for the reasons I'll document.

1. Drew Brees - The return of Sean Payton will be the difference in the offense this year in the same way the Saints looked lost in 2012. Don't tell me a coach doesn't make a difference.
2. Peyton Manning - I almost put Manning at #1--almost. The Saints throw the ball, yes they run some but the bread and butter of the Saints attack is on the arm of Brees. That's not to say Manning doesn't chunk the rock but he also has a more reliable ground game than the Saints and Manning is not shy about giving up some passing yards to run the ball.
3. Matthew Stafford - The Lions almost got Calvin Johnson 2000 yards receiving in 2012. It was a chicken**** bit of play calling in the Lions final game or he would have surpassed the 2K mark. He did break Jerry Rice's single season records for receptions and yards and he will be Stafford's bell cow. The addition of Reggie Bush should help out too.
4. Aaron Rodgers - The Packers head man has dropped a little bit but his running game may afford Rodgers the luxury of handing the ball off more than he has in recent years. Rodgers will also need Randall Cobb and Jordy Nelson to step up their games but never fear with Rodgers here. The Pack can and will throw the ball.
5. Cam Newton - The Panthers signal caller was fourth in fantasy points in 2012. He may not be leading his team to the playoffs in the stacked NFC South but he'll score fantasy team owners some major points.
6. Matt Ryan - Atlanta feels like they blew an opportunity to go to the Super Bowl last season but this team is strong and deep and Matt Ryan has some awesome targets to throw to.
7. Tony Romo - I know, I know the "he's homer" will be the nicest thing to say about this pick but Romo was just 80 yards shy of 5000 yards in 2012. With the emergence of Dez Bryant in 2012 and hoping Miles Austin stays healthy along with the addition of Terrance Williams not to mention a tight end corps geared to catch passes led by all-world Jason Witten I won't bet against Romo being one of the best in the league.
8. Tom Brady - The only reason Brady has dropped so far is because his favorite target is now in Denver and both of his stud tight ends are injured or gone. Brady will still pass the ball it's just that who he's throwing to is really, really iffy.
9. Russell Wilson - The Seahawks appear to have found a real keeper in Wilson. This is a run first offense led by Mr Skittles Marshawn Lynch but as 2012 got deeper and deeper into the season Wilson got exponentially better.
10. RGIII - The caveat here is one big question. Can he stay healthy? The Redskins are crossing their fingers that the answer is yes and fantasy owners have to understand they better have a quality backup if they pick him. (Does this mean Kirk Cousins has some fantasy value?)
10A. Colin Kaepernick - This was tie in so many ways and it even came down to health and weapons. Even though Kaepernick has the advantage in both categories I just can't deny the potential RGIII has to elevate those around him. Kaepernick has shown himself to be, or at least appear to be, a smart assed, self centered so and so. That said the guy has shown he can play. Fantasy owners had better have been paying attention.

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NFL news is coming on hot and heavy now with training camp so close and with Dallas and Miami already in camp. So, lets check out some player news.

RGIII has been cleared to participate in training camp. So, he won't be on the PUP list and he looks like a lock to be on the field in Week 1.

Denver's defense took a huge hit when a story leaked that Vonn Miller violated the NFL substance abuse policy and will be suspended for 4 games to begin the season.

Geno Davis signed his contract with the Jets today for an estimated $5mm. Over the weekend he said he has a "great chance" to win the starting job for the Jets. Signing his contract is the beginning of his NFL road so now he has to show what he has on the field. In other Jets news the team hosted workouts for WRs Austin Collie and Laurant Robinson. Both receivers have shown they can play in the NFL except one thing--both have very serious concussion issues. Even if one or both are signed don't expect much from them.

The Browns Josh Gordon is being suspended for 4 games for violating the substance abuse policy of the NFL. He had strep throat earlier in the summer and was taking a codine cough medicine which is a banned substance. It sound pretty unfair to me. When asked if he has a substance abuse problem Gordon replied that the codine was not for recreational use. Gordon had been disciplined twice in college for marijuana use but he claims he has his priorities in order and that he doesn't have a substance abuse problem. Gordon could be a fantasy steal and potential pro bowl player for the Browns.

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All but one team has begun training camp now. And there is certainly a lot of player news to talk about so.............

> Seattle's Percy Harvin has what was described as a season ending hip injury. Harvin suffered a partially torn labrum and Seahawks team doctor is saying they want Harvin to try and rehab the hip rather than undergo surgery. Harvin is seeking a second opinion.

> The Ravens Jacoby Jones failed his conditioning test to open training camp. I guess "Dancing With The Stars" was enough to keep in shape. He did pass the test Friday. Also, Bryant McKinney came into camp overweight and is not able to practice until he gets into better shape. Not good omens for the Ravens.

> Every media type was wondering how Patriots coach Bill Belichick would address the Aaron Hernandez situation. Bill did it as you might expect any coach having this to deal with. That press conference was much ado about nothing.

> Likewise, the media was wondering how Ryan Braun's friend Aaron Rodgers would respond in his first presser since Braun was suspended the remainder of the 2013 season for PED usage. The main deal with Braun was he lied and swore he never took PEDs and then accepted his suspension without and appeal. Rodgers supported his friend on twitter defending him and in his presser Rodgers said he was disappointed about being lied to. Again, no more than you'd expect.

> Texas A&M WR Ryan Swope retired Thursday without ever taking an NFL practice snap. Swope suffered a setback as a result of a concussion he received in college and he chose his health over the NFL. It's too back for Swope and too bad for the Arizona Cardinals who could have used Swope's speed and hands. Fortunately, Swope was a 6th round pick when many thought he would go higher so Arizona did their home work on him and took a chance. They were smart not to invest a higher draft pick on him.

> The Jets lost CB Aaron Berry for the season with a torn ACL. It's an unfortunate setback for a guy trying to right his ship after being cut by Detroit last year because he was arrested twice in a month period for a DUI and for brandishing a gun in his home town. The Jets hope to keep him busy with rehab to help stay out of trouble. Also, Santonio Holmes isn't likely to be available for Week 1 because he is still hobbled by his knee injury suffered last season. Friday Holmes said he is not even sure he can play this season. Lousy news for the Jets who are decidedly lacking in offensive weapons.

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Scratch Jeremy Maclin off you fantasy draft sheet. He is done in 2013 after tearing his ACL in practice yesterday.

The Ravens were dealt a severe blow to their offense yesterday when TE Dennis Pitta broke his hip in practice. He underwent successful surgery today to remove bone fragments but he is definitely done for the season. Now we'll see how "elite" Joe Flacco is without two of his best receivers, Anquan Bolden who left via free agency and now Pitta.

Arizona were finally able to sign their first round draft pick Jonathan Cooper to a four year fully guaranteed control worth $14.55 control that does include the infamous "offset language" which was probably the hold up in the contract negotiations.

As for the Ravens again word is in that they have signed Visanthe Shiancoe to a one year deal. He was signed after Dennis Pitta broke his hip. It is believed that Shiancoe will back up Ed Dickson.

The Broncos are in a bit of a pickle because they believe their starting center Dan Koppin has a torn ACL. Koppin became the starter after previous starter, JD Walton, experienced complications in his rehab from a dislocated ankle and was lost for the season. The Broncos next man up is guard Manny Ramirez. It is expected Denver is heavy in the market for a true center.

Here's an article from NFL.com's Michael Fabiano on his ten players to stay away from in fantasy. I'm not sure I agree with his take. Post something here if agree or disagree.
http://www.nfl.com/fantasyfootball/story/0ap1000000169160/article/nfl-fantasy-football-10-players-to-avoid

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It appears that Seattle will lose a major weapon for the season because Percy Harvin is having hip surgery after getting a second opinion on the injury he suffered last week. This is a big blow to the Seahawks as they are serious contenders for the NFC race. They are still good but Harvin will be missed. Now, in fantasy WR's Golden Tate and Sidney Rice's values suddenly rise. Speaking of Sidney Rice he is on his way to Europe to undergo a non-surgical procedure called Regenokine. It is a treatment involving blood manipulation that is only available in Europe. Head coach Pete Carroll is on board with Rice's leaving saying he expects Rice back with fresh legs and with his knee in even better condition.

Atlanta Falcon's WR Julio Jones is getting rave reviews so far in training camp. While Jones says Roddy White is the Falcon's No 1 receiver but to most observers Jones is by far the best player in Falcons camp so far. Jones is entering his 3rd season and it's about this time that WRs start to blossom and going off that it's fair to project Jones will supplant White as the No 1 guy within the next year or two. Either way it's great for the Falcons. In 2012 White and Jones lead all NFL WR tandoms in combined yards gained with Jones only about 100 yards less than White with both being among the NFL leaders in receiving yards. It may be time to go Jones over White in your fantasy draft.

It's going to be hard to choose a fantasy running back from the Denver Broncos because they are so deep at the position. So far in training camp Denver has used Knowshaun Moreno, Ronnie Hillman and rookie Monte Ball in first team offense. Projections right now have Ball being the featured back running two out of every three series with Hillman getting third series and Knowshaun as the 3rd down back. Keep an eye on preseason. Speaking of deep, is there another team with so many offensive weapons? We see the depth at RB but look at their WR's: Demaryius Thomas, Eric Decker, Wes Welker, Andre Caldwell topping the list. At TE they have Jacob Tamme and Joel Dreesen topping that position. Does Peyton Manning have enough balls to keep all these guys happy? Who knows but it's an embarrasment of riches I'll bet most teams are jealous of. For fantasy owners deciding who, or if, you draft one or more of these Broncos can be a hassle to decide on.

Cincinnati's top draft pick continues to exceed expectations in training camp. Tyler Eifort from Notre Dame is routinely turning heads every day in practice. He may not supplant Jermaine Gresham as the starting TE this year but he will see some playing time. It may be that Eifort could be a real sleeper pick in fantasy drafts.

It's being reported that Danny Amendola is the most reliable receiver in Patriots camp so far the best receiver on Tuesday was undrafted free agent Kenbrell Thompkins from Cincinnati. He has been outplaying the Patriots 2nd round pick from Marshall Aaron Dobson. As expected, Bill Belichick, and the Patriots staff were going to find Tom Brady some weapons to work with.

Rueben Randall has really made strides at WR for the Giants. Randall has benefitted from the absence of Hakeem Nicks who is being eased back into practice as rehabs from injuries he suffered last season. Randall is a big, strong target who is getting better in is second year in the NFL out of LSU. Keep Randall in mind if Nicks struggles to stay healthy.

Jonathan Stewart's timetable for his return from surgery on both his ankles is still up in the air. CBS Sports is reporting that it could be any day or sometime in September. Wow. This means that Stewart could be a nice value as a late round pick.

Colts running back Ahmad Bradshaw admitted yesterday that he is still a couple of weeks away from being able to practice as he rehabs from off season foot surgery. The past two seasons Bradshaw has been slowed down a lot by his foot issues. Hopefully, this will make Bradshaw a good value mid to early late round pick.

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Earlier this week I told you that the Broncos had lost their second center in the in 2013 when Dan Koppin tore his ACL. Well, despite a lean offensive center market Denver has reunited Peyton Manning will one of his guards at Indianapolis from 2004 to 2009 Ryan Lilja. The Broncos coaxed Lilja out of retirement to join the Broncos and he will be an additional option at center for them. Lilja spent 3 seasons with the Chiefs before announcing his retirement this past December 31st.

The Jets suffered a setback today when RB Chris Ivory went down with a bad hamstring. He simply is complaining that his hammy isn't ready for the NFL just yet. It's a shame because Ivory has talent and this is first real chance to be the featured back in an offense since he's been in the NFL. Maybe Ivory is little scared of finally getting his chance? Probably not but either way it would be a shame if he can't at least give it shot.

WR Riley Cooper is on a video on Deadspin with him at a Kenny Chesney concert making racially insensitive remarks following a run in with an African American security guard. Riley has repeatedly apologized to everyone and anyone saying he is ashamed and that he wasn't raised to be like that. Cooper admits he was drinking at the concert but makes no excuses for his words. He has yet to face his team mates and apologize in person. The Eagles have levied a fine Cooper described as "substancial" and it remains to be seen what, or if, the NFL (Roger Goodell) will do. The Eagles don't need any more controversy after losing Jeramy Maclin for the season while trying in stall the new Chip Kelly offense. The City of Brotherly Love could use a little love right about now.

The NFL and the NFLPA has made sweeping changes to the Pro Bowl in an attempt to make it more fan friendly and more relevant. Here's the article about the changes from NFL.com.

http://www.nfl.com/news/story/0ap1000000224059/article/nfl-nflpa-announce-significant-changes-to-pro-bowl

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NFL.com's Mike Mayock called the Rams Tavon Austin maybe the most explosive player he's ever seen. Ever. He reports that Austin is so quick going from a static start to full speed makes him impossible to cover in short spaces. Austin and new tight end Jared Cook are the most targeted receivers so far in Rams camp. We will see Austin and company this weekend when the Rams, and the rest of the NFL, begin their preseason. It remains to be seen who will replace Steven Jackson. It won't hurt for Austin and Cook to step up to take some heat off Sam Bradford.

The Packers have lost their left tackle Brian Bulaga for the season with a torn ACL. This is a big loss for any team because LT is generally the best lineman on the squad and when you're talking about protecting Aaron Rodgers' blind side you want a quality guy in the trenches. This isn't a disaster but it will cause some shuffling on the Packers O-line. Also, Vince Young fans can be happy because the Packers signed VY to a 1 year deal.

Earlier this year Dez Bryant called Tyrann Mathieu the best player in the 2013 draft. So far in Cardinals camp the "Honey Badger" has more than impressed. He is showing that the game is already slowing down for him. Everyone from the coaching staff, the players and team scouts are raving about Mathieu who has excelled at cornerback, safety and nickleback. Some are saying he is the steal of this draft class. High praise indeed for an undersized player who didn't play his last year at LSU.

It looks like the Jets have a new No 1 RB. Reports are that Bilal Powell has passed Chris Ivory on the depth chart. It's expected that Ivory is the front runner to be the No 1 guy in Week 1 but right now he's been out nursing a hamstring injury but once he is back healthy he will likely be the bell cow for Rex Ryan's Jets.

New Orleans will have the same pecking order at running back they have had the past couple of years. Pierre Thomas is the No 1 RB with Mark Ingram backing him up and Darren Sproles is the third man on the depth chart. What is a fact is that both Thomas and Ingram have issues staying healthy and Sproles will make PPR league owners happy by being that flex guy who is going to be among the team leaders in receptions. This is what makes Saints RB's NOT among your first picks in fantasy drafts.

The Chargers are listing Malcolm Floyd as the starter pairing with Danario Alexander in the WR spot. Vincent Brown has been playing very well in Chargers camp so far and the 3rd year player from San Diego State is coming into his own as an NFL receiver. Can we call Brown a fantasy sleeper? May be. We'll have keep an eye on him during preseason as this post-Norv Turner era begins.

With Riley Cooper excused from team activities for councelling the Eagles have turned to rookie Russell Sheppard to run with the first team opposite DeSean Jackson. For the forseeable future the Eagles will be counting on the rookie to fill gaps left by Cooper and Jeramy Maclin.

The Patriots have a new BFF at TE with the injury woes of Gronk and with Aaron Hernandez no longer on the team. That guy is former Charger Daniel Fells. However undrafted rookie Zach Sudfeld is coming on strong to take his place. He has lapped veteran Jake Ballard who has been struggling and appears to be in real danger of losing his roster spot. Sudfeld appears to be a player to watch closely in preseason because Bill Belichick and company may have unearthed another gem.

[eagle eye]

There were several games played last night. The Atlanta-Cincinnati game was on ESPN and the NFL Network had an NFL Red Zone appoach to covering the other games in progress until they showed the late game between San Diego and Seattle.

From NFL.com here's an article titled "What we learned from Thursday's games". I want to point out that in his debut with the 49ers Colt McCoy got some playing time. He did suffer what was classified by Jim Harbaugh as a stinger and he played some plays after suffering it. On our fantasy radar it should be noted that Chris Givens has reappeared on the screen. Most attention is being given to Tavon Austin but Givens is a fast and game breaking type of receiver and he has one thing Austin doesn't--experience. Another guy who may have some flex value is the Browns Dion Lewis. He is making noise as is WR Greg Little. Remember, Norv Turner is the OC in Cleveland now and that offense will get better. A lot better. So don't forget Brandon Weeden as a sleeper QB pick.

http://www.nfl.com/news/story/0ap1000000228065/article/what-we-learned-from-thursdays-preseason-action

[eagle eye]

Here's a link to NFL.com's "Things We Learned" article from Friday night's games.

http://www.nfl.com/news/story/0ap1000000228754/article/what-we-learned-friday-quarterback-battles-round-1

From snippets I saw of Friday's games there are some real fantasy football news worthy items of note.
1. Arizona looks like they will have an offense to go along with their defense. Larry Fitzgerald looks like he's a viable draft pick again. I'll be keeping an eye on Michael Floyd as well. Rookie RB Stepfan Taylor is a solid back who is pretty good in the passing game. PPR leagues may want to look at Taylor as a flex option.
2. Alex Smith's performance was a really good one and Andy Reid even got Jamaal Charles a TD at the end of a long drive.
3. Keep and eye on WR Kenny Stills of the Saints. This kid is big and fast and he will get some touches. Unfortunately, Drew Brees throws the ball to everybody so fantasy wise he probably would be a hit or miss player in that regard.
4. Oakland's Brice Butler rates a little notice the next couple of weeks. He did a nice job against the Cowboys Friday night.
5. Didn't you know Bill Belichick had cards he wasn't showing? With all the negative crap the Pats have had to deal with on Friday they unveiled a whole new cast in the same old offense. Fantasy players to note are named in the link above but you just had to know with Tom Brady the Patriots would be okay.

[eagle eye]

The Ravens had been killed by injuries so far in training camp but over the weekend they shored up their receiving corp by signing TE Dallas Clark and WR Brandon Stokley to one year deals. Both players could actually make an impact for Baltimore this season.

The Jets got Geno Smith back in practice Sunday but he was moving around with a noticeable limp. The Jets got some good news on the running back front when Chris Ivory returned to practice. He has been nursing a hamstring since the beginning of training camp. Bilal Powell has been taking first team reps but it was pretty well understood he was marking time until Ivory returned to practice.

Just a heads up for fantasy owners. T Y Hilton is almost unstoppable. In short work over the weekend he showed the ability to be a very special player. The emergence of Hilton will help his fantasy valve as well as Reggie Wayne's. It seems TE Colby Fleener has found his mojo and the chemistry between him and Andrew Luck seems to be rekindled.

The Packers have RB DuJuan Harris back in practice after missing the last 3 weeks with a minor knee injury. Randall Cobb was back in practice for the first time since injuring his biceps in pratice last week. The Packers are probably glad to have them back especially after being shut out by Arizona Saturday night.

The Saints lost WR Joe Morgan for the season after he tore his ACL. This is a big loss for Saints but it opens some doors for others. The Saints are already eyeing Kenny Stills who had a nice game against Kansas City over the weekend. But, leaving no stone unturned New Orleans has signed WR's Steve Breaston and former Cowboy Patrick Crayton. It seems both players aren't expected to do much but it gives the Saints some warm bodies for practice.

Jamaal Charles left today's practice with a foot injury. Kansas City and fantasy team owners can breathe easier after x-rays on Charles foot were negative. Also, KC 1st pick in this year's draft OL Eric Fisher returned to practice after injuring his thumb in the preseason game vs New Orleans. X-rays on his thumb were negative and it seems KC can blow a big sigh of relief.

[eagle eye]

The big news today was the knee injury to Patriots QB Tom Brady. Yep, THAT Tom Brady. His knee was rolled up on by his own man after a Tampa Bay player pushed him down. The Patriots are in a mutual practice session like they did with Philadelphia last week. It's not thought to be a serious problem and Brady will not miss significant time.

The Rams LB Jo-Lonn Dunbar is suspended the first four games of the season for violating the NFL PED use policy. It is, in fact, not because he took PED's it was the fact Dunbar took something that caused the failed drug test. Dunbar has apologized to his teammates and the Rams organization. He will accept his suspension and get back on the field to try and make this up to his team.

Boomer's go-to fantasy kicker is now looking for work. Dan Carpenter was released today by the Miami Dolphins. He's being replaced by the Dolphins 5th round draft choice, Caleb Sturgis. It may be good timing in the grand scheme of things with Carpenter's wife due to give birth soon to their first child. Carpenter is such a good kicker he shouldn't be out of work long.

What is with these Texas A&M guys? Not only is Denver's Vonn Miller facing suspension for substance abuse now he has been arrested on outstanding warrents for unpaid traffic violations. He was released on $1000 bond. Who knows what repercussions are bound to follow after this.

[eagle eye]

The end of Thursday night's games didn't offer a lot for fantasy team owners but there were a couple of things I have said before that seem to be borne out as the preseason progresses.

One: Brandon Weeden is a sleeper that is losing some of his "sleeper" classification. He was sharp as a tack in last night's game. A couple of other Browns worth considering is TE Jordan Cameron and RB Dion Lewis. Trent Richardson goes without saying but Lewis is turning heads with his performances in practice and in the preseason games. Keep WR's Josh Gordon and Greg Little on your radar as well. Why do all these Browns get all the press? Two words; Norv Turner. The guy is a great offensive coordinator and he looks like he's got a stable of playmakers to work with. If the Browns can play some D Cleveland ain't gonna be nobody's bitch.

Two: Detroit is going to saddle up Reggie Bush and ride him until he pukes. He may have more value in PPR leagues because as he did last night Bush racked up more yards off pass receptions than carries. But, he did show some shake and a couple of the runs he made were almost all on his own. Joique Bell actually ran the ball better than Bush so you will probably see a lot of both with Bush definitely in for all 3rd downs. Mikel Leshoure only got one carry in the game and he may be an odd man out if he doesn't pick it up.

Three: Matt Ryan had a good night but it wasn't for lack of throwing to WR Julio Jones. Julio is the man. He may defer to Roddy White but Julio was spectacular in his three catches for 55 yards and a TD. Rookie Darius Johnson from SMU had the most receptions with 6 for 50 yards and at 5'10" and 175 lbs he looks like a born slot man. We can't forget about Drew Davis the 2nd year WR from Oregon who has size (6'1" 205 lbs) and speed. It seems like the Falcons have a LOT of weapons to throw to. Steven Jackson and Jacquizz Rodgers are a nice one-two punch in the running game. Can you say No 1 RB and handcuff here? Yes.

Four: It's hard to gauge the Ravens offense right now but as I've always said Joe Flacco is way overrated. So, I guess I'm going to say the Ravens offense will be pretty lame if Torrey Smith gets hurt. In fact, the Falcons No 1's outplayed the Ravens No 1's on both sides of the ball. The only real highlight was a 77 yard catch and run by Smith that more Smith than it was Flacco. With Smith's speed and ability to run after the catch he should be on fantasy radars. As an example as to how lame the Ravens O was Ray Rice had only 10 yards on 8 carries and 7 yards on two receptions.

Five: Whoever is going to end up the starting QB in Philly he is going to have to be in shape. In the new Chip Kelly Oregon-eque offense both Nick Foles who started and Michael Vick who followed were getting plays off in 20 to 30 seconds on average. Whereas most NFL teams snap the ball at around 40 seconds with some later than that. You better put on your track shoes against these Eagles. BTW LeSean McCoy was pretty darn good as was rookie RB Matthew Tucker from TCU.

Six: Cam Newton put up numbers but looked ugly doing it. He's going to be a good fantasy QB but the Panthers may struggle. DeAngelo Williams was averaging a hair over 3 YPC. David Gettis had the best night for the Panthers receivers but he didn't set the world on fire either. If you need a TE in fantasy Greg Olsen may be a very nice pickup indeed. Keep an eye on Ted Ginn Jr who came to Carolina from San Francisco. Gettis appears to be challenging Steve Smith for the No 1 WR in Panther-land.

Seven: I saw a graphic last night in the Bears-Chargers game that said Brandon Marshall caught 41% of all passes thrown by the Bears last season. That's the highest percentage since 1960! Pundits are saying Marshall could be a higher fantasy WR than Megatron. Marshall was targeted a lot last night so I don't have any doubt that Marshall will be right up there in the top WR's in 2013. Matt Forte looked really good last night as well.

Eight: San Diego is going to struggle again this year unless they are playing so vanilla that they will jump up and surprise folks when the season begins.Phillip Rivers didn't look good last night but some rookies and 1st year players showed some life. RB Ryan Mathews did well but as a fantasy owner it's hard to put much faith in his abililty to stay healthy. Mathews has some competition behind him in 1st year players Edwin Baker from Michigan State and a familiar name to UT fans, Fozzy Whittaker with Whittaker scoring the only rushing TD for San Diego in the game. Ladarius Green the 2nd year player from Louisiana-Lafayette seems to be coming into his own was the leading receiver for the Chargers last night.

[boomer]

Here are some great comments from Mathew Berry about the first few NFL preseason games.

List Five: 10 things I've noticed in the preseason games I've seen so far
1. Forget the LeGarrette Blount thing, but New England not only wants to run, but they can run at will. Stevan Ridley is going to have a top-10 fantasy running back type season; he's a lock for double-digit touchdowns. And the play in the first game where Shane Vereen went out wide and got matched up on a linebacker? Expect to see that more often. He's going to be a really nice PPR RB2 in a 12-team league or a solid flex in a standard league.

2. Thanks to the rushing yards (28 yards in the first game on three rushes), if EJ Manuel becomes the starter in Buffalo, he has top-15 fantasy quarterback upside.

3. Improving the offensive line in the offseason was a priority for the Titans. It's very early, but so far I'd say they accomplished that. I like Chris Johnson a lot in the middle of the second round this year and don't be surprised if Shonn Greene winds up with eight touchdowns or so.

4. In his second game, Matt Forte had eight carries for 74 yards, which is fantastic, but it's preseason and it was against the Chargers. What was most impressive to me was that the Bears got to San Diego's 11-yard line and they gave the ball to Forte three straight times, including twice inside the 5-yard line. The second of those runs from the 5, he punched in for a score. If Forte is going to get goal-to-go rushes in Marc Trestman's offense, you're looking at a top-10 back.

5. I know, I know, I probably shouldn't be allowed to put Michael Vick's name in print anymore, but he has looked very good. My belief is that he wins the starting job and obviously, health is always the concern. But 13-of-15 for 199 and a score? Even if it was the preseason and despite not starting the second game ... he's going 16th among quarterbacks in the 12th round. Name another 12th-rounder who has top-five upside.

6. Either way, LeSean McCoy is going to have a monster year. Chip Kelly wants to run, run, run and even in preseason against the Panthers, averaging 5.9 yards per carry is nice.

7. Now do you believe the Jordan Cameron hype? The Cleveland Plain-Dealer has discussed how often Cameron is getting looks in practice, you saw the result of that with his two-touchdown game against the Lions and it's not an accident. Antonio Gates is the most obvious example, but Norv Turner and Rob Chudzinski love to use the tight end. In fact, per ESPN Stats & Information, in Chudzinski's nine seasons as an NFL coach, his team's starting tight end has ranked in the top eight among tight ends in targets in six of them, with at least 100 targets in five of them.

8. Cleveland also wants to get Josh Gordon involved and he's going to have a really nice year. I love the stat I used in Love / Hate: Over the past five years, only the Colts attempted more passes 15 yards or more downfield than Norv Turner's San Diego Chargers. Norv's calling the plays in Cleveland now and the suspension has lowered Gordon's draft-day stock.

9. One last Browns nugget: The Browns defense is a lot better than you think. Could sneak into the top 10 as a fantasy defense, yet another reason there's no need to draft one until the final two rounds.

10. So much for the concerns of Jay Cutler spreading it around. In Game 2, he attempted five passes. All five of them to Brandon Marshall.

[Big T]

Boomer!!

[boomer]

LOL yes I am Alive. Thanks for noticing Big T ;D

[eagle eye]

All you fantasy owners out there can test your strategy for your upcoming draft. NFL.com has a mock draft page link and it's pretty good. You will need to register but it doesn't cost anything and it will also make you eligible for NFL.com's fantasy games. Check it out. A new draft starts every few minutes.

[boomer]

Houston gets wide reciever back after loosing their first round draft pick this weekend.

Just a few weeks ago, it seemed unlikely that wide receiver DeVier Posey would start the season. On Sunday, head coach Gary Kubiak confirmed that Posey was poised to return on Monday.

“The biggest thing tomorrow, coming back on the field tomorrow, the two guys that we expect back from the field tomorrow when we go back to work are Posey and (T Brennan) Williams at this point,” Kubiak said. “That’s where we’re at right now.”

The second-year wide receiver had been pushing hard to come off the Physically Unable to Perform list.

“He has not missed a day,” Kubiak said Wednesday. “He’s been down there every morning throughout the offseason. He came to me about a month-and-a-half after his surgery, he said, ‘Don’t count me out, I’ll make it to opening day.’ He’s holding up his end of the bargain. He’s done a great job.”

Throughout training camp, Posey was running routes and catching passes on the JUGS passing machine while the team practiced.

Posey makes his return just seven months after he tore his Achilles tendon in the AFC Division playoff game at New England on January 13. Posey had 3 receptions for 47 yards and one touchdown in Houston’s playoff loss.

Twitter.com/DeepSlant

[boomer]

Cheifs cut ties with former first round pick Baldwin.

San Francisco 49ers ?@49ers 3m The #49ers have traded WR A.J. Jenkins for Chiefs WR Jon Baldwin.

[boomer]

There has been alot of debate on what Baldwin brings to the table. I have read that he is the best guy on the field in practice but has never fund a way to bring it to the game. Then I found this :

@GregABedard Belichick told Dimitroff that Jon Baldwin was just as good as Julio Jones in @MichaelSHolley's "War Room"

There is only a one year 1 million dollar risk being taken by the 49ers at this point so the money also makes sense.

[eagle eye]

My goodness did the landscape change for NFL teams and fantasy league team owners over the weekend.

1) If anyone doubted what would become of the Patriots offense with the loss of Aaron Hernandez and the uncertainty of Rob Gronkowski those doubts could be laid to rest. First, Steven Ridley's big year in 2012 was no fluke. He'll be the bell cow for the Pats running game but Shane Vereen has been doing quite well this preseason as well as expanding his role to receiver. The Pats have a short yardage stud in LeGarrett Blount. (How do the Patriots keep losing people and end up with somebody better?) They have issues at tight end so they drafted a kid from Utah in Zack Sudfeld that could be the next Gronk. The guy has looked really good so far in preseason. (This is definitely a nice sleeper for fantasy players). And with the loss of Wes Welker the Pats replaced his with a faster version of him in Danny Amendola and he was everything Welker has been in Friday night's game. Amendola's health is the issue but if he stays on the field he could lead the NFL in receptions. Fantasy players should take a look at these Patriots and give serious consideration to drafting a lot of these players.

2) Miami and Dustin Keller took a huge hit Saturday night vs Houston when Keller had his knee totally dismantled by a low but legal tackle by D J Swearinger. Keller has every ligament in his knee torn and a he has a dislocated knee cap as well. Keller was looking pretty good in the game before his injury and I know it will be huge loss for Miami.

3) After looking like a shoe-in to be the starting QB in Buffalo E J Manual went and messed up his knee. It appears it's nothing serious but he is going to miss the rest of the preseason for sure. Whether or not Kevin Kolb will be the man in Week 1 for the Bills remains to be seen. Also, the Bills lost 2nd year WR Kevin Elliot for the season with his own torn ACL.

4) The Jacksonville Jags named Blaine Gabbert their starting QB in week 1 but he will not play the rest of the preseason with a hairline fracture on his right thumb he got when following through on a pass in Saturday night's loss to the Jets.

5) While the Packers are happy with the way 1st round draft pick RB Eddie Lacey is doing so far in training camp certain team officials are not happy with 4th round pick Johnathan Franklin. One of his strengths was supposed to be his blocking ability but he hasn't really shown it so far. It is said that he plays small and doesn't play fast. He's likely to make the final roster because of his draft status the guys he's competing with, James Starks and Alex Green, have been just as unimpressive as Franklin.

6) The Broncos LB Vonn Miller is looking at a six game suspension for violating the substance abuse program but his original suspension was only 4 games. It is not known why the NFL is pushing for a longer suspension but they claim it is unrelated to his arrest last week for failure to show up for traffic violations hearings. I makes you wonder though.

7) The Colts TE Colby Fleener is out for an unspecified time with a sprained knee. The Colts will be having tests run to determine the extent of the injury but it doesn't appear serious as Fleener is walking around on it.

[eagle eye]

As I'm watching the Redskins game I see Kirk Cousins just got his ankle rolled up on and he's out of the game. I may be his foot that's hurt and it seems Cousins may join the list of players with foot injuries in Week 2 of the preseason. Rex Grossman is in for Washington and Cousins is getting treatment on the sideline. I'll bet his night is over.

After signing Steve Breaston and Patrick Crayton about 10 days ago after WR Joe Morgan tore his ACL and was lost for the year the Saints have cut both players. This was after both got an extended look in this past weekend's game vs the Raiders. According to NFL.com the move was less about being disappointed with them as the Saints were giving a vote of confidence to their young receivers Kenny Stills and Nick Toon who are locked in a battle for Morgan's No 3 WR slot. Both Stills and Toon have had great camps and have really showed up in the 2 games the Saints have played. Especially Kenny Stills who could be, no probably is, a nice sleeper pick especially for those in keeper leagues considering his youth.

Former Jacksonville Jaguar WR Mike Thomas who went to Detroit in a trade last year has worn out his welcome in Detroit. Thomas was good for about 3 years in Jacksonville but since he left in free agency he has been a colossal bust. Even though Thomas has not played well, and is off the team, Detroit still owes Thomas a cool mil in guaranteed money for 2013. Just a kick in the teeth Detroit doesn't need as they search for WR depth.

Now for another kick in pants. The Steelers newest star RB Le'Veon Bell is on the sidelines with--you guessed it--a foot injury. Bell has already missed some practices and the Steelers first preseason game with stiffness in his knee.

What the Rams needed was a little positive news and I suppose this is something, at least for fantasy team owners. The Rams have announced that Daryl Richardson will be the starting tailback for St Louis on opening day. Isaiah Pead will not need to be upset since he is suspended the opening weekend for substance abuse violations. Pead may have more upside than Richardson but it's Richardson with the chance to claim the top spot long term.

The Vikings are breathing collective sighs of relief as they found out the MRI on the knee of their first round pick DL Sharif Floyd was clear with no structural damage. Floyd did have his knee scoped to repair "minor damage" and he will miss the rest of the Vikes preseason games but is expected back for the season opener.

[boomer]

I hate for this to be buried so ddeep because it could have a major impact on your draft. Here is something on Arian Foster that I read on the Fantasy Greek. I was not aware that the leg injury 97.5 was talking about was really from a back injury. Read here.

Foster’s latest ailment has been reported as back pain which has “gone into his legs.” As reported by John McClain of the Houston Chronicle, head coach Gary Kubiak said Foster “got injections“ to treat his back. Moreover, as Brian T. Smith of Ultimate Texans has reported, Kubiak believes Foster will be ready for the season opener in twenty-one days. Kubiak believes this because he has seen Foster practicing “on his own” with the team’s head trainer. While there has been a setback in his recovery, Kubiak further said, “[I]t’s not like he’s been standing around for the last three weeks.”

Obviously, back problems are meant to be taken seriously, but so far there has been no real confirmation as to whether Foster’s problems are muscle related or something else. The conservative treatment Foster is getting suggests it’s muscular. Indeed, no one has said it’s something more. Until someone does, don’t speculate that it is. There are tests for determining whether there is some involvement of the vertebrae. Given Foster’s stature on the team, the Texans would likely not hesitate to conduct those tests and determine whether this is a problem that requires surgical intervention. Obviously, should the problem require surgical intervention, this would severely dampen Foster’s fantasy football value, and possibly even require that he sit out the season. But, we’re not there yet. (Shortly after this article was published, Foster’s condition was described as a “minor disc irritation in his back” but the hope was that he would still be back for opening day.)

As for Foster’s fantasy value, and the options fantasy footballers have this weekend, there are a few things The Fantasy Greek can suggest if Foster’s status remains unchanged at the time of your draft.

[boomer]

Here is a little piece from Roto wire on the state of Jordy Nelson. I am not a big fan of Nelson , because of where he is going in the drafts I have seen. I like Randall Cobb to be the must own with James Jones and his nose for the end zone coming in behind him. No nock on Nelson but he is not top 4 round talent.

Jordy Nelson: Targets Week 1 Return

Jordy Nelson: Nelson (knee) continues to shoot for a Week 1 return to action, the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel reports. "Our main goal is San Fran," he said of the Packers' season opener, on the road against the 49ers on September 8. "And that's just a goal. You never know what could happen. We'll just continue to go day by day."

Visit RotoWire.com for more analysis on this update.
Source: Jordy Nelson: Targets Week 1 Return

[boomer]

I always try to play bye weeks to my advantage and here is one that could pay big dividens in the playoffs.

LeSean McCoy, C.J. Spiller, Marshawn Lynch & Gio Bernard all have a week 12 bye. A very competent group of RB's that would be recharged for the playoffs/WK14.

I like to look at a guy who can get some rest right before the big push. I alo like that all of these guys should be in some type of division playoff battle. This is speculation but isn't it all at this point? :)

[boomer]

Guys here is the tip of the day when it comes to stealing good talent.
Both of theses guys are being way undervalued : quarterback Russell Wilson (8/12 passing, 127 yards, 2 TDs, 0 INTs) continues to impress. To be surprised if he is not one of the last wide receivers taken in most drafts but ends up being one of the most effective. Wide receiver Golden Tate (2 rec., 42 yards) remain the best pas catching fantasy option on the team, as a low end WR3 or reserve.

[boomer]

Ok lets talk about teams you don't get to see all the time. Today we are going to talk steals on the Browns...uh yea the Browns. Weedon looks good this year but you dont want to be tied to that horse. T-Rich will go in the first round and has the talent to do so but there are two others you might want to look into:

Jordan Cameron hype? The Cleveland Plain-Dealer has discussed how often Cameron is getting looks in practice, you saw the result of that with his two-touchdown game against the Lions and it's not an accident. Antonio Gates is the most obvious example, but Norv Turner and Rob Chudzinski love to use the tight end. In fact, per ESPN Stats & Information, in Chudzinski's nine seasons as an NFL coach, his team's starting tight end has ranked in the top eight among tight ends in targets in six of them, with at least 100 targets in five of them.
We deal with facts and statistics all the time and the risk rewared could be huge if you can steal Cameron after the 8th round.

Cleveland also wants to get Josh Gordon involved and he's going to have a really nice year. Over the past five years, only the Colts attempted more passes 15 yards or more downfield than Norv Turner's San Diego Chargers. Norv's calling the plays in Cleveland now and the suspension has lowered Gordon's draft-day stock. This is a prime oppertunity to get a top 10 WR1 in the low mid to late rounds. Faces it you are not going to play your 3rd or 4th WR all the time any way so you can afford to sit him.

[boomer]

I told you yesterday that we would continue to feed you some steals as the draft approaches. Here is one that will take most of the will power you can muster. What if I told you that you could wait till round 10 or 11 and get a top ranked QB1? Well here is the guy that I think you could pin your teams qb needs to.

With a current ADP of 15th at the position and 115th overall, Andy Dalton is an absolute steal. Based on his improvements from 2011 to 2012 and a further expected jump in 2013 with first round pick Tyler Eifert and second round pick Giovanni Bernard at his disposal, Dalton is a very safe bet for 4,000 total yards and 35 scores and I believe he will push 4,500 total yards and 40 scores.

Dalton will benefit from the Bengals playing more two tight end sets as well as split backs which will give him better protection ad more short-route options to limit his hits. Dalton should increase his 527 total pass attempts as well and still average over 62% completion. Dalton literally has the potential to be a top five fantasy quarterback.

I have been advising anyone who would listen that the RB's are thin in deapth. I am telling guys to go RB, RB, RB and you will not regret it as the season goes on.

[eagle eye]

Don't worry about the shellacking of the Patriots by Detroit on Thursday night. It's preseason and the Pats have looked bad in the "rehearsal game" before and ended up in the Super Bowl. The Pats took a page out of the Cowboys preseason script by surrendering fumbles by RB's Brandon Barnes and Shane Vereen and TE Zack Sudfeld and Tom Brady threw an interception to halt 4 or the 5 drives the first team offense had on the night, all in the first half.

Detroit actually looked good for the first time this preseason led by RB Reggie Bush's 103 yards receiving on 5 receptions confirms my opinion that Reggie Bush will be the new and improved Darren Sproles in 2013. Joique Bell and Mikel LeShoure did well running the ball. Bell gained 52 yards on 5 carries and LeShoure logged 32 yards in his 5 carries. All this and no Megatron who was out nursing an injury. The Norris division better look out for these Lions.

Carolina beat Baltimore Thursday night at their own game--defense. The Panther defense scored three TD's in beating the Ravens 34-27. Joe "I'm an elite quarterback" Flacco has 2 TD's and 3 INT's so far in the preseason and he logged a tally sheet of 18-24 passing for 169 yards and no TD's and no INT's as he played into the 3rd quarter. The Ravens seem to have found a nice WR compliment to Torrey Smith in No 14 Marlon Brown the rookie out of Georgia. This kid has "sleeper" written all over him. Ray Rice looked quick and fast. A top 5 pick in fantasy drafts.

Cam Newton looked bad. Every running back for Carolina looked bad and all the TD's scored by the Panthers were scored by the defense and on special teams thanks to a 74 yard punt return by Ted Ginn Jr. The offense could only muster two field goals by Graham Gano and one of those a 54 yard bomb just inside the 2 minute warning at the end of the first half. TE Greg Olsen was the leading receiver for Carolina with 3 catches for 44 yards followed by David Gettis' 3 nabs for 26 yards. Anemic doesn't really cover it.

So far in tonight's game between the Packers and Seahawks it is a sort of sloppy defensive struggle. Aaron Rodgers left before halftime without doing much. Graham Harrell moved in after Rodgers left and led his team to an apparent TD on a throw and great catch by Jermichael Finley. The catch was overturned by replay though and the halftime score was 3-3. Vince Young is in to start the second half and even though I've never really liked Young I'm sort of rooting for him. The Packers lost RB DuJuan Harris in the first half to a knee injury. It is not known just how bad it is but he's out for the rest of the game. Eddie Lacey looked pretty darn good while he was in there.

The Seahawks have become the "bad boys" of the NFL. They are all about intimidation but person fouls don't make you a badass. This team is good, and I hate to admit it, too good to play that playground crap and trash talking crap. My wife hates the Seahawks solely on the shoulders of the game the refs gave them last season on Monday Night Football by blowing the final "hail Mary" call in the end zone to end the game. One positive Marshawn Lynch ran well and Texas A&M's Christine Michael also ran very well.

End of post note: VY led the Packers to an EASY TD to start the 3rd quarter. He did it like VY does it. With his legs and his arm.

[eagle eye]

The Jets and their fans watched Geno Smith stink up the Meadowlands and then Rex Ryan finally pulled Smith in the fourth quarter and put Mark Sanchez in and promptly got his shoulder hurt. What a joke the Jets have become.

The Bills lost Kevin Kolb to an injury on Saturday leaving some guy I've never heard of as the first string guy. Evidently, the Bills weren't comfortable with the new guy so they signed Matt Leinart. Leinart will play this Thursday's preseason finale but NFL.com is reporting EJ Manuel is on track to be back for Week 1 but with Kevin Kolb's concussion a big concern since this is the 3rd major concussion Kolb has suffered in his career Leinart was seen as needed. Leinart had his big chance in Houston 2 years ago when Matt Schaub was injured 4 games before the playoffs. Unfortunately, for Leinart he was injured in the first quarter of his first game as a starter in Houston. He languished on the bench in Oakland in 2013 so this may be Leinart's last chance to stay in the NFL.

NFL.com is reporting that injured Vikings D-tackle Kevin Williams is upset at 49ers backup offensive lineman Joe Looney who was blocking on a broken play in the Vikings-Niners game Saturday night by going at Williams' knees. Williams and the Vikings are waiting on MRI results to know the extent of his injury but it was clearly a cheap shot. 49ers RB LaMichael James was running toward the sideline and Williams was running parallel with James in pursuit when Looney went to block Williams by hitting him in his knees. Williams never saw Looney coming and the block could have been done much differently. IMO it was cheap shot and Looney should be fined for the hit. I have a proposal. For cheap shots that cause the victim of the cheap shot to miss games the guy who delivers the cheap shot should miss the same amount of games with no roster allowance to the offending team.

David Carpenter was cut earlier this training camp by the Miami Dolphins and he was picked up by the Arizona Cardinals. After the weekends games the Cards have cut Carpenter. One of the best kickers in the league Carpenter can't seem to keep a job. Unless he's hurt I don't understand how a guy just became a bad kicker. Heck, Carpenter was Boomer's go-to kicker in fantasy the last couple of years when he went with St Louis thunderfoot Greg Zeurlein.

[eagle eye]

Last night the NY Giants did the unthinkable. They played Eli Manning in their game vs the NE Patriots. WTF was Tom Caughlin thinking? Especially in light of the fact that the Giants lost their 3rd down back Andre Brown for big chunk, if not all, the 2013 season with a broken leg. Fantasy players need to note this because it may mean David Wilson will be depended on even more. The Giants still have at least one RB with experience in former Redskin Ryan Torrain but the pickings seem a little slim now that Brown is hurt.

The Raiders head coach is not naming a Week 1 starter after Aaron Pryor sort stunk up the joint last night in the preseason finale against the Seahawks but Seattle will do that to a team. They have an elite level defense and they've made Peyton Manning look bad this preseason. Judging by what little I've seen of the Raiders this preseason I think Pryor may be a better choice than Mike Flynn because the Raiders O-line is pretty bad. Either way, from a fantasy standpoint neither guy is getting drafted in anything but the deepest leagues.

Last night following the Redskins game vs Tampa Bay RGIII tweeted that he was medically cleared to play in Week 1. Mike Shannahan comfirmed that Griffin's surgeon Dr. James Andrews cleared him to play in the season opener. Shannahan also cautioned those at the press conference following the Redskins win over the Bucs that Dr Andrews has cleared RGIII but still has some reservations and he will have discussions with Andrews and Griffin over the weekend and make a final statement on Monday. The way Shannahan got ripped for playing Griffin in the playoff game vs Seattle when he tore his ACL I'm sure he wants any doubt removed before putting RGIII in harms way against the Eagles next week.

The Atlanta Falcons have released LB Brian Banks. Banks is the guy who spent years in jail after being falsely convicted of rape as an 18 year old. Banks got out of prison and resumed what was a promising dream at the time of his arrest to become an NFL player. The fact Banks made the final cutdown speaks well of the player and as a sign of respect the Falcons allowed Banks to address the team after the preseason finale against Jacksonville. To give a rookie UFA a forum in front of the team is sure sign the man earned a lot of respect in that locker room. The message Banks reported left his teammates was to never give up on their dreams and never give up on themselves. Reportedly, it was such a moving speech it moved many players to tears. I kind of hope Dallas can pick him up despite the fact he's 28 years old and a not part of the "youth movement" the Cowboys have been pursuing the last couple of years. Given the fact that Banks is a young 28 because he hasn't been going through 10 years of contact could have make him attractive to the Cowboys and any linebacker starved team in the NFL. Don't be surprised if Banks is signed in the next few days.

The NE Patriots have released veteran tight ends Brandon Fells and Jake Ballard. Both were signed a year ago and neither has done anything to earn a roster spot. This would also indicate Rob Gronkowski will be back in the lineup sooner rather than later. Right now the Pats TE depth chart lists Gronkowski, rookie Zack Sudfeld and veteran Michael Hoomanunui. Sudfeld could have a big impact on the Pats offense especially with Gronk needing time to get into game shape when he is cleared to play.

[eagle eye]

Teams have to get down to their final 53 man roster limit by 6 PM today but that hasn't stopped teams from making cuts early. Here are a few of the notable cuts so far.

The Packers have cut Vince Young who looked like a lock to be kept after Graham Harrell was cut earlier this week. Young has played pretty well during the preseason and that is what makes this move such a shocker. The only other QB on the Packers Roster is rookie B J Coleman. Coleman hasn't been all that great in training camp and according to NFL.com the backup to Aaron Rodgers may not be currently on the roster.

The Patriots have cut Tim Tebow. Yeah I know, amazing right? He got his shot mainly because offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels drafted Tebow at the end of the first round of the 2010 draft when he was head coach of the Broncos. Everyone knocks Tebow and he isn't the most polished passer going but he wins. That cannot be argued. There should be a place in this read-option NFL for player who is a good leader who wins. Another surprise out of Boston is that pro bowl punter Zoltan Mesko was cut. Mesko was beaten out of his job by rookie Ryan Allen who is the only person to win the Ray Guy award two years running.

Seattle is reported as cutting former pro bowl cornerback Antoine Winfield which is a bit of a shock since Seattle signed the cornerback away from the his former team, the Minnesota Vikings, this off off season. The 36 year old Winfield would have been a backup in Seattle's formidable defense but the Seahawks are very deep and apparently don't need Winfield. NFL.com is reporting that Seattle may try to shop Winfield in hopes of getting a trade but since everyone already knows he going to be cut it's unlikely a trade will happen when a team could pick him up for nothing.

Kansas City oft injured TE Tony Moeaki is tweeting that he will be released by the Chiefs today. Moeaki has gone through many injuries since he was drafted in the 3rd round of the 2010 draft. In fact he's spent more time on IR by a long way than he has on the field. Moeaki was delivered another setback when he fractured his shoulder earlier in training camp didn't seem like he was in the new-look Chiefs future anyway. This off season the Chiefs signed former Miami TE Anthony Fasano to a deal and the depth chart seemed to be leaning toward Fasano and rookie from the University of Cincinnati Travis Kelce.


The Jets have released former Alabama star QB Greg McElroy today. It's another perplexing move by a very erratic Jets front office who many believe needs to be drug tested. With Geno Smith and Mark Sanchez both nursing injuries the only man left for the Jets is rookie from Tennessee, and Phil Simms other son, Matt Simms who locked up the 3rd string spot with a nice showing vs the Eagles on Thursday night. McElroy could be a nice pick up for Green Bay who is QB poor at the moment except McElroy is nursing an injury of his own. He suffered a knee sprain in practice before the final preseason game.

The 49ers have let Austin Collie go today. Collie was a great slot man in Indianapolis before recurring concussion issues derailed him. So far in this year's training camp Collie has remained healthy but he didn't seem to be the player he had been. Worries over his concussions may be a factor in that. The 49ers will go with Anquan Bolden and some no-names at WR to begin the season as Mario Manningham and Michael Crabtree begin the season on PUP.

[eagle eye]

Here are some surprises around the NFL that can or has affected fantasy drafts up to this point after the final cuts were made around the league.

In Pittsburgh the leading rusher for the Steelers in the preseason and leading rusher from 2012 has been cut. Jonathan Dwyer is now on the unemployment line. Earlier in the week Pittsburgh traded for ex-Dallas running back Felix Jones who had a nice outing Thursday became the best option over the oft injured Dwyer. So, if you drafted Dwyer you're screwed and you should be hitting the free agent pool and pick up Jones. Jones is just a stop-gap until Le'Veon Bell comes back from a lisfranc foot injury which is 6-8 weeks away.

The Terminator couldn't get to John Connor but the Bengals did by cutting the only true fullback on the roster. The Bengals elected to keep a third tight end in Orson Charles and Charles will be the one used as a lead blocked when the Bengals choose to use one. RB Bernard Scott was put on PUP as part of the roster moves to get down to the final 53.

The Packers cut RB Alex Green after he began the preseason as the No 1 back on the roster. The emergence of Eddie Lacey seemed to make the injury prone Green expendable.


The Giants cut 2011 second round pick Marvin Austin because of numbers glut at defensive tackle. Austin lost out to former Philadelphia DT Mike Patterson who came back this year after missing the last two years due to brain surgery to repair a brain condition. Austin was a second round choice and a team like the Cowboys who are missing and shorthanded on the D-line could use a player with Austin's youth and upside. This player could actually make Dallas' pain in the ass Jay Ratliff expendable.

Dallas cut WR's Anthony Armstrong and draft choice in 2012 Danny Coale among the 22 roster moves made today to get their final 53. They also managed to keep S Matt Johnson by putting him on injured reserve. This enables Dallas to retain his rights and it allows him to make a comeback in 2014. Dallas must see something really special in Johnson to go to the lengths they have to keep him.

Houston surprised a lot of people with their final cuts. Why? Because they have decided to keep only three RB's on the roster. Who got cut? One was veteran Deji Karim which is a real surprise because of his experience in the NFL. The other cut was Dennis Johnson. The rookie speedster hurt his cause by muffing two punts in the preseason finale against the Cowboys.

[eagle eye]

As expected the Packer cut the only backup QB on their roster, B J Coleman, to make room on the roster to sign Seneca Wallace who had been cut by the 49ers over the weekend. The Packers also signed another former 49er Scott Tolzien to the Packers practice squad. This is the first time the Packers have some security at backup QB since Matt Flynn signed with Seattle in 2012.

The news out of Jacksonville is that it looks like Blaine Gabbert will be ready for the Week 1 game this week. Sort of under the radar Jacksonville has put together a nice preseason with a new up-tempo offense that may help Gabbert who was under duress from his 2011 rookie season through last year when he was derided for a seeming lack of heart in the pocket.

The Jets have signed QB Brady Quinn to backup Geno Smith going forward. The signing of Quinn is a sign that Mark Sanchez will miss some time with his shoulder injury. To make room for Quinn the Jets released newly signed Graham Harrell who was released by Green Bay last week.

It's official now, the Oakland Raiders are now beginning the Terrelle Pryor era. Pryor is taking the first team reps with the team as Week 1 of the 2013 quickly approaches.