Front Office Projections

Position Rankings

2010-02-17T23:49:00.003-05:00

QB:

Sam Bradford
Jimmy Clausen
Dan Lefevour
Tony Pike
Colt McCoy
Jevan Snead
Jarrett Brown
Tim Tebow
Sean Canfield
Tim Hiller

RB:

C.J. Spiller
Ryan Matthews
Jahvid Best
Jonathan Dywer
Joe McNight
Toby Gerhart
LeGarrett Blount
Ben Tate
Charles Scott
Stafon Johnson

WR:

Dez Bryant
Arrelious Benn
Demaryius Thomas
Damien Williams
Golden Tate
Brandon Lafell
Jordan Shipley
Carlton Mitchell
Mardy Gilyard
Dexter McCluster
Dezmon Briscoe
Jacoby Ford
Eric Decker
Andre Roberts
Jeremy Williams

TE:

Jermaine Gresham
Rob Gronkowski
Aaron Hernandez
Anthony McCoy
Ed Dickson
Jimmy Graham
Dennis Pitta
Colin Peek
Michael Hoomanawanui
Garrett Graham

OT:

Russell Okung
Anthony Davis
Bryan Buluga
Trent Williams
Bruce Campbell
Charles Brown
Jared Veldheer
Kyle Calloway
Selvish Capers
Jason Fox
Tony Washington
Adam Ulatowski
Thomas Welch
Casey Knips

OG:

Mike Iupati
Vladimir Ducasse
Rodger Saffold
Jon Asomoah
John Jerry
Zane Beadles
Marshall Newhouse
Chris Scott
Mike Johnson
Shawn Lauvao

OC:

Maurkice Pouncey
J.D. Walton
Eric Olsen
Matt Tennent
John Estes

DE:

Derrick Morgan
Jason Pierre-Paul
Carlos Dunlap
Everson Griffen
Corey Wooten
Greg Hardy
Alex Carrington
Tyson Aluala
Austin Lane
Willie Young

DT:

Ndamukong Suh
Gerald McCoy
Dan Williams
Bryan Price
Jared Ordick
Terrence Cody
Lamarr Houston
Cam Thomas
Arthur Jones
D'Anthony Smith
Mike Neal
Al Woods
Geno Atkins
Torrell Troup
Vince Oghobaase
Linval Joseph
Jay Ross
Earl Mitchell
Jeff Owens
Kade Weston

3-4 OLB:

Brandon Graham
Sergio Kindle
Jerry Hughes
Ricky Sapp
Koa Misi
Eric Norwood
Antonio Coleman
George Selvie
Brandon Lang
O'Brian Schofield
Jermaine Cunningham
Jason Wordlis
Lindsey Witten
Cameron Sheffield
Kevin Basped

4-3 OLB:

Sean Weatherspoon
Navarro Bowman
Darryl Washington
Sean Lee
A.J. Edds
Rennie Curran
Roderick Muckelroy
Thaddeus Gibson
Dekoda Watson
Justin Cole

ILB:

Rolando McClain
Brandon Spikes
Donald Butler
Pat Angerer
Jamar Chaney
Daryl Sharpton
Mike McLaughlin
Micah Johnson
Boris Lee
Phillip Dillard

CB:

Joe Haden
Kyle Wilson
Kareem Jackson
Perrish Cox
Patrick Robinson
Donovan Warren
Brandon Ghee
Devin McCourty
Dominique Franks
Chris Cook
Javier Arenas
Jerome Murphy
Ameri Spievey
Syd'Quan Thompson
Akwasi Owusu-Ansah
Joshua Moore
Walter Thurmond
Myron Lewis
Brian Jackson
Alterraun Verner

Eric Berry
Earl Thomas
Taylor Mays
Chad Jones
Morgan Burnett
Larry Asante
Nate Allen
Reshad Jones
Major Wright
Kam Chancellor

2010-02-02T22:08:00.002-05:00

Round 1
1. St. Louis (1-15)- Ndamukong Suh DT
Detroit (2-14)- Gerald McCoy DT
Tampa Bay (3-13)- Derrick Morgan DE
Washington (4-12)- Sam Bradford QB
Kansas City (4-12)- Russell Okung OT
Seattle (5-11)- Jimmy Clausen QB
Cleveland (5-11)- Eric Berry FS
Oakland (5-11)- Anthony Davis OT
Buffalo (6-10)- Dez Bryant WR
Jacksonville^ (7-9)- Joe Haden CB
Denver - from Chicago^ (7-9)- Earl Thomas FS
Miami (7-9)- Rolando McClain MLB
San Francisco (8-8)- Bruce Campbell OT
Seattle - from Denver (8-8)- Jahvid Best RB
New York Giants (8-8)- Brian Price DT
Tennessee^ (8-8)- Jason Pierre-Paul DE
San Francisco - from Carolina^ (8-8)- Brandon Graham OLB
Pittsburgh (9-7)- Mike Iupata OG
Atlanta^ (9-7)- Taylor Mays SS
Houston^ (9-7)- Kareem Jackson CB
Cincinnati* (10-6)- Carlos Dunlap DE
New England* (10-6)- C.J. Spiller RB
Green Bay* (11-5)- Bryan Buluga OT
Philadelphia* (11-5)- Sean Weatherspoon OLB
Baltimore* (9-7)- Jermaine Gresham TE
Arizona* (10-6)- Dan Williams DT
Dallas* (11-5)- Trent Williams OT
San Diego* (13-3)- Ryan Mathews RB
New York Jets* (9-7)- Parrish Cox CB
Minnesota* (12-4)- Chad Jones SS
New Orleans* (13-3)- Navarro Bowman OLB
Indianapolis* (14-2)- Jared Ordick DT

Chicago-Denver: Jay Cutler
Denver-Seattle: Alphonso Smith
Carolina-San Francisco: Everette Brown

Round 2
St. Louis (1-15)- Dan LeFevour QB
Detroit (2-14)- Charles Brown OT
Tampa Bay (3-13)- Arrelious Benn WR
Kansas City (4-12)- Sergio Kindle OLB
Washington (4-12)- Jonathan Dwyer RB
Cleveland (5-11)- Aaron Hernandez TE
Oakland (5-11)- Maukice Pouncey OC
Seattle (5-11)- Everson Griffen DE
Buffalo (6-10)- Vladimir Ducasse OT
Tampa Bay - from Chicago^ (7-9)- Cam Thomas DT
Miami (7-9)- Damien Williams WR
New England - from Jacksonville^ (7-9)- Ricky Sapp OLB
Denver (8-8)- Golden Tate WR
New York Giants (8-8)- Brandon Spikes MLB
New England - from Tennessee^ (8-8)- Jerry Hughes OLB
Carolina^ (8-8)- Greg Hardy DE
San Francisco (8-8)- Kyle Wilson CB
Kansas City - from Atlanta^ (9-7)- Morgan Burnett FS
Houston^ (9-7)- Terrence Cody DT
Pittsburgh (9-7)- Brandon Ghee CB
New England* (10-6)- Donovan Warren CB
Cincinnati* (10-6)- Anthony McCoy TE
Philadelphia* (11-5)- Patrick Robinson CB
Green Bay* (11-5)- Joe McKnight RB
Baltimore* (9-7)- Larry Asante FS
Arizona* (10-6)- Selvish Capers OT
Dallas* (11-5)- Dexter McCluster WR
San Diego* (13-3)- Corey Wooten DE
New York Jets* (9-7)- Mardy Gilyard WR
Minnesota* (12-4)- Colt McCoy QB
New Orleans* (13-3)- Lamar Houston DT
Indianapolis* (14-2)- Javier Arenas CB

Atlanta-Kansas City: Tony Gonzalez
Jacksonville-New England: Derek Cox
Tennessee-New England: Jared Cook

Round 3
St. Louis (1-15)- Jordan Shipley WR
Detroit (2-14)- Dominique Franks CB
Tampa Bay (3-13)- Devin McCourty CB
Kansas City (4-12)- Brandon LaFell WR
Oakland (5-11)- Arthur Jones DT
Philadelphia - from Seattle (5-11)- Demaryius Thomas WR
Cleveland (5-11)- Eric Norwood OLB
Buffalo (6-10)- Rob Gronkowski TE
Miami (7-9)- Ed Dickson TE
Jacksonville^ (7-9)- Tim Tebow QB
Chicago^ (7-9)- Dezmon Briscoe WR
New York Giants (8-8)- Daryl Washington OLB
Tennessee^ (8-8)- Chris Cook CB
Carolina^ (8-8)- Tony Pike QB
San Francisco (8-8)- Tyson Aluala DE
Denver (8-8)- Nate Allen FS
Houston^ (9-7)- Alex Carrington DE
Pittsburgh (9-7)- Jared Veldheer OT
Atlanta^ (9-7)- Austin Lane DE
Cincinnati* (10-6)- Andre Roberts WR
Oakland - from New England* (10-6)- Sean Lee MLB
Green Bay* (11-5)- Jon Asomoah OG
Philadelphia* (11-5)- Toby Gerhart RB
Baltimore* (9-7)- Jason Worldis OLB
Arizona* (10-6)- George Selvie OLB
Dallas* (11-5)- Reshad Jones SS
San Diego* (13-3)- Kyle Calloway OT
Cleveland - from New York Jets* (9-7)- Jacoby Ford WR
Minnesota* (12-4)- D'Anthony Smith DT
New Orleans* (13-3)- Mike Johnson OG
Indianapolis* (14-2)- Zane Beadles OG

Seattle-Philadelphia: Deon Butler
Washington used its 3rd-rounder in the Supplemental Draft
New England-Oakland: Derrick Burgess
Jets-Cleveland: Braylon Edwards

Round 4
St. Louis (1-15)- Dennis Pitta TE
Detroit (2-14)- J.D. Walton OC
Tampa Bay (3-13)- A.J. Edds OLB
Kansas City (4-12)- Jeremy Williams WR
Washington (4-12)- Jason Fox OT
Seattle (5-11)- Tony Washington OT
Cleveland (5-11)- LeGarrette Blount RB
Oakland (5-11)- Akwasi Owusu-Ansah CB
Buffalo (6-10)- Jarrett Brown QB
Jacksonville^ (7-9)- Brandon Lang DE
Chicago^ (7-9)- Ameri Spievey CB
Miami (7-9)- Major Wright FS
Tennessee^ (8-8)- Syd'Quan Thompson CB
Carolina^ (8-8)- Eric Decker WR
San Francisco (8-8)- Jevan Snead QB
Denver (8-8)- Al Woods DT
New York Giants (8-8)- Jerome Murphy CB
Pittsburgh (9-7)- Torrell Troup DT
Atlanta^ (9-7)- Willie Young DE
Houston^ (9-7)- Darrell Stuckey FS
New England* (10-6)- Eric Olsen OC
Cincinnati* (10-6)- Adam Ulatowski OT
Philadelphia* (11-5)- Charles Scott RB
Green Bay* (11-5)- Roger Saffold OG
Baltimore* (9-7)- Riley Cooper WR
Arizona* (10-6)- Jimmy Graham TE
Dallas* (11-5)- John Jerry OG
San Diego* (13-3)- Jermaine Cunningham
Philadelphia - from New York Jets* (9-7)- Danario Alexander WR
Minnesota* (12-4)- Brian Jackson CB
New Orleans* (13-3)- Ciron Black OT
Indianapolis* (14-2)- Koa Misi OLB

2010-01-29T00:02:00.002-05:00

St. Louis (1-15)- SUH
Detroit (2-14)- McCOY
Tampa Bay (3-13)- HADEN
Washington (4-12)- BRADFORD
Kansas City (4-12)- OKUNG
Seattle (5-11)- BERRY
Cleveland (5-11)- McCLAIN
Oakland (5-11)- DAVIS
Buffalo (6-10)- CLAUSEN
Jacksonville^ (7-9)- MORGAN
Denver - from Chicago^ (7-9)- BRYANT
Miami (7-9)- D. WILLIAMS
San Francisco (8-8)- CAMPBELL
Seattle - from Denver (8-8)- BEST
New York Giants (8-8)- PRICE
Tennessee^ (8-8)- PIERRE-PAUL
San Francisco - from Carolina^ (8-8)- GRAHAM
Pittsburgh (9-7)- T. WILLIAMS
Atlanta^ (9-7)- MAYS
Houston^ (9-7)-GHEE
Cincinnati* (10-6)- DUNLAP
New England* (10-6)- SPILLER
Green Bay* (11-5)- BULUGA
Philadelphia* (11-5)- BOWMAN
Baltimore* (9-7)- D. WILLIAMS
Arizona* (10-6)- KINDLE
Dallas* (11-5)- IUPITA
San Diego* (13-3)- MATHEWS
New York Jets* (9-7)- WILSON
Minnesota* (12-4)- JONES
New Orleans* (13-3)- ORDICK
Indianapolis* (14-2)- WARREN

Round 2
St. Louis (1-15)- GRESHAM
Detroit (2-14)- BROWN
Tampa Bay (3-13)- BENN
Kansas City (4-12)- COX
Washington (4-12)- DWYER
Cleveland (5-11)- HUGHES
Oakland (5-11)- SPIKES
Seattle (5-11)- GRIFFEN
Buffalo (6-10)- TATE
Tampa Bay - from Chicago^ (7-9)- HARDY
Miami (7-9)- SHIPLEY
New England - from Jacksonville^ (7-9)- SAPP
Denver (8-8)-CODY
New York Giants (8-8)- BURNETT
New England - from Tennessee^ (8-8)- POUNCEY
Carolina^ (8-8)- JONES
San Francisco (8-8)- ROBINSON
Kansas City - from Atlanta^ (9-7)- ASANTE
Houston^ (9-7)- C. THOMAS
Pittsburgh (9-7)- ALLEN
New England* (10-6)- HERNANDEZ
Cincinnati* (10-6)- McCOY
Philadelphia* (11-5)- DUCASSE
Green Bay* (11-5)- McKNIGHT
Baltimore* (9-7)- DICKSON
Arizona* (10-6)- GRONKOWSKI
Dallas* (11-5)- McCLUSTER
San Diego* (13-3)- CALLOWAY
New York Jets* (9-7)- D. THOMAS
Minnesota* (12-4)- M. WRIGHT
New Orleans* (13-3)- WEATHERSPOON
Indianapolis* (14-2)- L. HOUSTON

Atlanta-Kansas City: Tony Gonzalez
Jacksonville-New England: Derek Cox
Tennessee-New England: Jared Cook

Round 3
St. Louis (1-15)- DEZMON BRISCOE
Detroit (2-14)- KAREEM JACKSON
Tampa Bay (3-13)- D'ANTHONY SMITH
Kansas City (4-12)- SEAN LEE
Oakland (5-11)- JON ASAMOAH
Philadelphia - from Seattle (5-11)- DOMINIQUE FRANKS
Cleveland (5-11)- PITTA
Buffalo (6-10)- VELDHEER
Miami (7-9)- LaFELL
Jacksonville^ (7-9)- TEBOW
Chicago^ (7-9)- DEVIN McCOURTY
New York Giants (8-8)-WASHINGTON
Tennessee^ (8-8)- AMERI SPIEVEY
Carolina^ (8-8)- COLT McCOY
San Francisco (8-8)- TYSON ALUALA
Denver (8-8)- JASON WORLDIS
Houston^ (9-7)- GERHART
Pittsburgh (9-7)-WOOTEN
Atlanta^ (9-7)- LANG
Cincinnati* (10-6)- GILYARD
Oakland - from New England* (10-6)- AKWASI OWUSU-ANSAH
Green Bay* (11-5)- BEADLES
Philadelphia* (11-5)- SCOTT
Baltimore* (9-7)- NORWOOD
Arizona* (10-6)- CAPERS
Dallas* (11-5)- FOX
San Diego* (13-3)- JACOBY FORD
Cleveland - from New York Jets* (9-7)- DECKER
Minnesota* (12-4)- JOHN JERRY
New Orleans* (13-3)- ULATOWSKI
Indianapolis* (14-2)- CURRAN

Seattle-Philadelphia: Deon Butler
Washington used its 3rd-rounder in the Supplemental Draft
New England-Oakland: Derrick Burgess
Jets-Cleveland: Braylon Edwards

Round 4
St. Louis (1-15)- JEVAN SNEAD
Detroit (2-14)- J.D. WALTON
Tampa Bay (3-13)- BLOUNT
Kansas City (4-12)- SELVIE
Washington (4-12)- BLACK
Seattle (5-11)- PETRUS
Cleveland (5-11)- MURPHY
Oakland (5-11)- CARLTON MITCHELL
Buffalo (6-10)- CARRINGTON
Jacksonville^ (7-9)- THOMPSON
Chicago^ (7-9)- ALEXANDER
Miami (7-9)- GRAHAM
Tennessee^ (8-8)- ROBERTS
Carolina^ (8-8)- WILLIAMS
San Francisco (8-8)- COLEMAN
Denver (8-8)- CJ WILSON
New York Giants (8-8)- RESHAD JONES
Pittsburgh (9-7)- TATE
Atlanta^ (9-7)- LINDLEY
Houston^ (9-7)- OLSEN
New England* (10-6)- VERNER
Cincinnati* (10-6)- YOUNG
Philadelphia* (11-5)- STUCKEY
Green Bay* (11-5)- TENNANT
Baltimore* (9-7)- STOUDAMIRE
Arizona* (10-6)- WOODS
Dallas* (11-5)- ANGERER
San Diego* (13-3)- PRIEST
Philadelphia - from New York Jets* (9-7)- LANE
Minnesota* (12-4)- TROUP
New Orleans* (13-3)- HARDMEN
Indianapolis* (14-2)- WITTEN

Round 5
St. Louis (1-15)- CHRIS COOK
Detroit (2-14)- ESTES
Cleveland - from Tampa Bay (3-13)- DIXON
Washington (4-12)- SAFFOLD
Kansas City (4-12)- RENDER
Cleveland (5-11)- OGHOBAASE
Oakland (5-11)- LINVAL JOSEPH
Seattle (5-11)
Buffalo (6-10)
Chicago^ (7-9)
Kansas City - from Miami (7-9)
Jacksonville^ (7-9)
Kansas City - from Carolina^ (8-8)
San Francisco (8-8)
Detroit - from Denver (8-8)
New York Giants (8-8)
Tennessee^ (8-8)
Atlanta^ (9-7)
Houston^ (9-7)
Pittsburgh (9-7)
Cincinnati* (10-6)
Tampa Bay - from New England* (10-6)
Green Bay* (11-5)
St. Louis - from Philadelphia* (11-5)
Baltimore* (9-7)
Arizona* (10-6)
Oakland - from New England via Denver and Dallas* (11-5)
San Diego* (13-3)
Cleveland - from New York Jets* (9-7)
Minnesota* (12-4)
New York Jets - from Philadelphia via New Orleans* (13-3)
Indianapolis* (14-2)

TOP 100 DRAFT PROSPECTS

2010-01-28T22:30:00.002-05:00

NDAMUKONG SUH-
JOE HADEN-
GERALD McCOY-
ERIC BERRY-
SAM BRADFORD-
DERRICK MORGAN-
ROLANDO McCLAIN-
RUSSELL OKUNG-
JIMMY CLAUSEN
EARL THOMAS
ANTHONY DAVIS
BRIAN PRICE
JAHVID BEST
DEZ BRYANT
BRANDON GRAHAM
MIKE IUPITA
BRUCE CAMPBELL
TAYLOR MAYS
JASON PIERRE-PAUL
C.J. SPILLER
DAN WILLIAMS
CARLOS DUNLAP
NAVARRO BOWMAN
BRANDON GHEE
JARED ORDICK
TRENT WILLIAMS
SERGIO KINDLE
CHAD JONES
BRYAN BULUGA
JERMAINE GRESHAM
JERRY HUGHES
GREG HARDY
RYAN MATHEWS
BRANDON SPIKES
DAMIEN WILLIAMS
DONOVAN WARREN
EVERSON GRIFFEN
KYLE WILSON
CHARLES BROWN
ARRELIOUS BENN
TERRENCE CODY
PARRISH COX
ARTHUR JONES
AARON HERNANDEZ
MAURKICE POUNCEY
JONATHAN DWYER
RICKY SAPP
MORGAN BURNETT
ROB GRONKOWSKI
VLADIMIR DUCASSE
LARRY ASANTE
DEMARYIUS THOMAS
TIM TEBOW
ANTHONY McCOY
LAMAR HOUSTON
JORDAN SHIPLEY
CAM THOMAS
PATRICK ROBINSON
ED DICKSON
DEXTER McCLUSTER
KAREEM JACKSON
D'ATHNONY SMITH
JARED VELDHEER
DARYL WASHINGTON
JON ASAMOAH
GOLDEN TATE
SEAN WEATHERSPOON
DOMINIQUE FRANKS
NATE ALLEN
BRANDON LANG
JOE McKNIGHT
JEVAN SNEAD
SELVISH CAPERS
DEVIN McCOURTY
COLT McCOY
DENNIS PITTA
SEAN LEE
JASON FOX
ERIC NORWOOD
JAVIER ARENAS
COREY WOOTEN
DEZMON BRISCOE
JASON WORLDIS
AMARI SPIEVEY
JOE PIKE
TONY WASHINGTON
DAN LeFAVOUR
MARDY GILYARD
KYLE CALLOWAY
RODERICK MUCKELROY
RESHAD JONES
MIKE NEAL
SYD'QUAN THOMPSON
MIKE JOHNSON
GEORGE SELVIE
MAJOR WRIGHT
RENNIE CURRAN
ZANE BEADLES
JIMMY GRAHAM
LeGARRETE BLOUNT

2010 NFL DRAFT POSITIONAL RANKINGS

2010-01-16T23:51:00.004-05:00

QUARTERBACK:

SAM BRADFORD
JIMMY CLAUSEN
DAN LeFAVOUR
JEVAN SNEAD
COLT McCOY
TONY PIKE
JARRETT BROWN
SEAN CANFIELD
TIM TEBOW
JOHN SKELTON

RUNNING BACK:

JAHVID BEST
CJ SPILLER
RYAN MATHEWS
JONATHAN DWYER
LeGARRETT BLOUNT
JOE McKNIGHT
CHARLES SCOTT
TOBY GERHART
ANTHONY DIXON
BEN TATE

WIDE RECEIVER

DEZ BRYANT
DAMIEN WILLIAMS
ARRELIOUS BENN
JORDAN SHIPLEY
MARDY GILYARD
ANDRE ROBERTS
DEZMON BRISCOE
DEMARYIUS THOMAS
ERIC DECKER
DEXTER McCLUSTER
GOLDEN TATE
BRANDON LaFELL
CARLTON MITCHELL
JACOBY FORD
JEREMY WILLIAMS

TIGHT END

JERMAINE GRESHAM
ED DICKSON
ROB GRONKOWSKI
AARON HERNANDEZ
ANTHONY McCOY
JIMMY GRAHAM
DENNIS PITTA
COLIN PEEK
GARRETT GRAHAM
JERON MASTRUD

OFFENSIVE TACKLE

RUSSELL OKUNG
BRUCE CAMPBELL
ANTHONY DAVIS
TRENT WILLIAMS
BRYAN BULUGA
CHARLES BROWN
VLADIMIR DUCASSE
JARED VELDHEER
KYLE CALLOWAY
TONY WASHINGTON
JASON FOX
SELVISH CAPERS
ADAM ULATOWSKI
KEVIN HASLEM
CIRON BLACK

OFFENSIVE GUARD

MIKE IUPATA
JON ASAMOAH
MIKE JOHNSON
ZANE BEADLES
RODGER SAFFOLD
SERGIO RENDER
JOHN JERRY
MITCH PETRUS
REGGIE STEPHENS

OFFENSIVE CENTER

MAURKICE POUNCEY
J.D. WALTON
MATT TENNANT
TED LARSON
ERIC OLSEN

DEFENSIVE END

DERRICK MORGAN
JASON PIERRE-PAUL
CARLOS DUNLAP
GREG HARDY
EVERSON GRIFFEN
COREY WOOTEN
BRANDON LANG
WILLIE YOUNG
C.J. WILSON
AUSTIN LANE

3-4 OUTSIDE LINEBACKER

BRANDON GRAHAM
SERGIO KINDLE
JERRY HUGHES
RICKY SAPP
ERIC NORWOOD
JASON WORLDIS
GEORGE SELVIE
JERMAINE CUNNINGHAM
LINDSEY WITTEN
THADDEUS GIBSON

DEFENSIVE TACKLE

NDAMUKONG SUH
GERALD McCOY
BRIAN PRICE
DAN WILLIAMS
JARED ORDICK
CAM THOMAS
TERRENCE CODY
ARTHUR JONES
LAMAR HOUSTON
D'ANTHONY SMITH
TYSON ALUALA
MIKE NEAL
BRANDON DEADERICK
VINCE OGHOBAASE
AL WOODS

OUTSIDE LINEBACKER

SEAN WEATHERSPOON
NAVARRO BOWMAN
DARRYL WASHINGTON
A.J. EDDS
RODERICK MUCKELROY
RENNIE CURRAN
DONALD BUTLER

INSIDE LINEBACKER

ROLANDO McCLAIN
BRANDON SPIKES
SEAN LEE
JAMAR CHANEY
MICAH JOHNSON
PAT ANGERER
JOE PAWELEK
RYAN D'IMPERIO
MIKE MCLAUGHLIN

CORNERBACK

JOE HADEN
DONAVAN WARREN
BRANDON GHEE
PARRISH COX
KYLE WILSON
KAREEM JACKSON
DEVIN McCOURTY
AMARI SPIEVEY
DOMINQUE FRANKS
PATRICK ROBINSON
JAVIER ARENAS
SYD'QUAN THONPSON
TREVARD LINDLEY
MYRON LEWIS
AKWASI OWUSU-ANSAH

SAFETY

ERIC BERRY
EARL THOMAS
TAYLOR MAYS
CHAD JONES
MORGAN BURNETT
LARRY ASANTE
RESHAD JONES
NATE ALLEN
MAJOR WRIGHT
DARRELL STUCKEY

Scouting Report: Jake Locker

2009-10-19T18:28:00.005-04:00

Arm Strength- Locker has above-average to excellent arm strength. I hate saying someone can "make all the throws" because I believe that is a bit of a misnomer. But I will say that he has the arm strength to drive the ball to any "quadrant" of the field. However you want to phrase it, Jake Locker has plenty of arm strength and NFL offensive coordinators will not have to limit their offensive play calls due to the fact that he can't get the ball to a certain part of the field.

Accuracy- Locker has average to above-average all around accuracy. I say all around because accuracy is actually comprised of several components which need to be evaluated. There are the primary components- short (0-10 yards) to intermediate (10-20 yards) accuracy; Deep ball (20+ yards) accuracy- and there are the secondary components- consistency; touch; timing; spiral tightness and catchability (not to be confused with drinkability)- which go into making a good accurate pass on routes that are run in those ranges.

Short-to-Intermediate Throws- he displays above-average accuracy. He is not to the point where he is automatic on being able to put certain throws in certain spots every time. However, when he is confident about where he is going with the ball, he usually puts it in a good spot where his receiver can quickly catch it and look to gain YAC.... Locker also displays average to above-average touch in making throws in this range. He tends to be good about taking some off his throws when needed in order to float a pass over a linebacker or D-lineman. Sometimes he can misread the depth of an LB and float one- especially under duress- into the hands of a defender. but, overall, he has made significant progress in this area. His best attribute, however, is that he displays, generally, excellent touch on the run. This will make him a valuable commodity for teams with porous offensive lines come draft time.... As well, one of the most impressive improvements in Jake Locker's game has been his timing on short to intermediate throws. He's starting to become very efficient at delivering the ball to his receivers right as they come out of their breaks. This is, in part, due to Sarkisian's ability to coach up Locker- but it is an improvement that will impress scouts in the filmroom.... Jake Locker throws an average spiral, in terms of it's tightness, on throws in this range. It's not a picture perfect spiral like Peyton's or Aaron Rodgers (love his spiral) but it's solid enough to present a catchable ball for the intended receiver.

Deep Ball Accuracy- Locker also displays average-to-above average accuracy on deep throws. Continuing to develop consistency on his deep throws will be key for Locker as he has the ability to make good consistent throws on deep routes... Touch and timing are the more important attributes to have on making accurate deep throws- as long as the quarterback has enough arm to get the ball there. Locker actually has above average touch on deep throws and shows a good ability to throw the ball at the right trajectory. His timing, however, is still a little inconsistent but he does seem to be continually improving and there is no reason to believe he can't become consistent. (side note: the fact that he is also an accomplished college baseball outfielder probably helps to explain the reason why he is above-average at judging the right trajectory to put on a throw as he makes many similar throws from a certain spot in the outfield to home).... His spiral is similarly average in its tightness on deep throws, but again his above-average touch allows him to generally provide a catchable ball for his receiver to make a play in tight coverage.

Mobility- Jake Locker's greatest asset, as I alluded to earlier, is his mobility- which is highlighted by his rumored 4.4 forty yard speed. More importantly, however, he has shown much improved instincts on when to run and when to stand tall in the pocket. This was aided by Sarkisian's decree in spring ball that he had to stay in the pocket. Due to his excellent mobility, teams will be forced to slow up there speed rush in the NFL in order to contain him. Where a player like Bradford may struggle playing for a team that can't protect him, Locker may thrive- similar to how good Ben Roethlisberger is on the run. He's not Mike Vick or Vince Young; but he is dangerous and NFL teams will be very cognizant of the fact that if they get too aggressive, he can really hurt them with his feet.

Decision Making/Intelligence-This is my biggest concern about Locker. While he has apparently made great strides in this area, I have to wonder how much his apparent improvement is manufactured by Sarkisian. If you watch him long enough, you start to realize that he seems to have already decided where he is going to go with the ball before the snap. Yes, this could be because he is becoming good at making presnap reads- but you have to wonder if this is because "Sark" has simplified the offense by predetermining, for Locker, which WR's he will throw to on which plays. This seems evident by the fact that Locker sometimes makes quick throws to wide receivers who are clearly covered. I, personally, want to see him make more throws in which he is scanning the field and throwing to his third and fourth receivers after he has made a quick determination that his first and/or second options have been taken away. I put so much emphasis on a QB's (DM) and intelligence that it's hard not to downgrade Locker, somewhat, even though his resume is otherwise superb.

Mechanics/Release/Footwork- Sarkisian seems to have done a terrific job at cleaning up all the technical errors in Jake Locker's game. Before this year he was raw in these areas. This year, he looks like a true pocket passer, in terms of his throwing mechanics and footwork which has greatly aided the improvement in his completion percentage. At times, he can be seen throwing off his back foot as his momentum is carrying him away from the intended receiver- But he has a strong enough arm that he can still get the ball to the receiver and, often times, he doesn't have the luxury to set his feet with a defender bearing down on him. He displays a very quickly release and a generally repeatable throwing motion. Again, the baseball background surely help to aid him in understanding the importance of a repeatable throwing motion.

Competitiveness/Leadership- Locker seems to be a highly competitive person who doesn't shy away from any situation in a big game. One thing that will be interesting, for NFL scouts to determine, is whether is true love is football or baseball- It is important to note that he is very much a pro prospect in regards to the MLB and the LAA Angels already have drafted him and secured his rights for the next ten years. You would like to think he would chose to pursue the sport which he has the most affinity for. But in reality, he will likely be a top 10 selection which will make it hard to pass up football, for baseball- where you don't start earning a major league paycheck until you actually make it to the big leagues which, for Locker, could take 3-4 years. However, I am not overly concerned about which sport he has more passion for because it is important only in the sense of will he be motivated to continue to improve even after he has signed a large contract.... I think his considerable improvement in college demonstrates that he will.

Conclusion- Jake Locker is clearly a top 10 pro prospect in terms of skill set. Furthermore, he shows the willingness and drive to continue to get better and the competitiveness to take on the responsibility of being an NFL quarterback for what is likely to be an underwhelming team. However, I still rate Sam Bradford and Jimmy Clausen slightly ahead of him, at this point, because they are much more cerebral quarterbacks- which I value as much as anything. This doesn't mean I think Locker can't get there; but to this point I haven't seen enough of it to truly fall in love with all the other attributes he has which could potentially make him a rare QB prospect. I think it would be in his best interest to go back to school for his senior year, from a development standpoint- but recognize that it is in his best interest to come out from a financial standpoint given the fact that he already has achieved top 10 QB status and this could be the last draft before a rookie salary scale is implemented (which would limit the earning power of top picks on rookie contracts).... So expect Jake Locker to bypass his senior year in order to enter into the 2010 NFL Draft.

2009-10-09T18:31:00.003-04:00

Round 1
1. St. Louis- Sam Bradford
2. Kansas City- Eric Berry
3. Tampa Bay- Ndamukong Suh
4. Cleveland- Gerald McCoy
5. Oakland- Carlos Dunlap
6. Washington- Jimmy Clausen
7. Detroit- Russell Okung
8. San Francisco - from Carolina- Taylor Mays
9. Buffalo- Brian Buluga
10. Tennessee- Rolando McClain
11. Miami- Dez Bryant
12. Arizona- Greg Hardy
13. Dallas- Terrence Cody
14. Seattle- Trent Williams
15. Houston- Joe Haden
16. Jacksonville- Tim Tebow
17. Green Bay- Anthony Davis
18. San Diego- Jonathan Dwyer
19. Philadelphia- Reshad Jones
20. Atlanta- Morgan Burnett
21. Seattle - from Denver- Javhid Best
22. Denver - from Chicago- Colt McCoy
23. Cincinnati- Jermaine Gresham
24. New York Jets- Patrick Robinson
25. San Francisco- Jake Locker
26. New England- C.J. Spiller
27. Minnesota- Joe Pike
28. Baltimore- Demaryius Thomas
29. Pittsburgh- Ras-I Dowling
30. New Orleans- Lee Ziemba
31. Indianapolis- Arrellious Benn
32. New York Giants- Sean Weatherspoon

Chicago-Denver: Jay Cutler
Denver-Seattle: Alphonso Smith
Carolina-San Francisco: Everette Brown

Round 2
33. St. Louis- Derrick Morgan
34. Kansas City- Charles Brown
35. Tampa Bay- Damien Williams
36. Cleveland- Sergio Kindle
37. Oakland- Brandon Spikes
38. Washington- Ciron Black
39. Detroit- Everson Griffen
40. Carolina- Greg Romeus
41. Buffalo- Brandon Lafell
42. New England - from Tennessee- George Selvie
43. Miami- Myron Lewis
44. Arizona- Donavan Warren
45. Dallas- Marshawn Gilyard
46. Seattle- Trevard Lindley
47. Houston- Arthur Rhodes
48. New England - from Jacksonville- Kristopher O'Dowd
49. Green Bay- Mike Johnson
50. San Diego- Corey Wooten
51. Philadelphia- Brandon Graham
52. Kansas City - from Atlanta- Eric Decker
53. Denver- Vince Oghobaase
54. Chicago- Desmone Briscoe
55. Cincinnati- Mike Pouncey
56. New York Jets- Jerry Hughes
57. San Francisco- Eric Norwood
58. New England- Sam Young
59. Minnesota- Michael Morgan
60. Baltimore- Dominique Franks
61. Pittsburgh- Adam Ulatoski
62. New Orleans- Sean Lee
63. Indianapolis- Selvish Capers
64. New York Giants- Darrell Stuckey

Atlanta-Kansas City: Tony Gonzalez
Jacksonville-New England: Derek Cox
Tennessee-New England: Jared Cook

Round 3
65. St. Louis-Sy'Qaun Thompson
66. Kansas City- Brandon Ghee
67. Tampa Bay- Rod Muckelroy
68. Cleveland- Jacoby Ford
69. Oakland- Jake Fox
70. Washington- Rod Muckelroy
70. Detroit- Jared Ordick
71. Carolina- Jarrett Brown
72. Buffalo- Zach Robinson
73. Tennessee- C.J. Wilson
74. Miami- Eric Norwood
75. Arizona- Zane Beadles
76. Dallas- Eric Wang
77. Philadelphia - from Seattle- Navarro Bowman
78. Houston- Nate Allen
79. Jacksonville- Stephen Virgil
80. Green Bay- Walter Thurmond
81. San Diego- Pat Angerer
82. Philadelphia- Charles Scott
83. Atlanta- Perish Cox
84. Denver- Brandon Lang
85. Chicago- Quan Sturdivant
86. Cincinnati- Mike Williams
87. Cleveland - from New York Jets- Dennis Pitta
88. San Francisco- Jordan Shipley
89. Oakland - from New England- Kyle Wilson
90. Minnesota- Boo Robinson
91. Baltimore- Darryl Sharpton
92. Pittsburgh- Sergio Render
93. New Orleans- Geno Atkins
94. Indianapolis- Perry Riley
95. New York Giants- Kyle Calloway

Seattle-Philadelphia: Deon Butler
Washington used its 3rd-rounder in the Supplemental Draft
New England-Oakland: Derrick Burgess
Jets-Cleveland: Braylon Edwards

Week 4 NFL Handicapping

2009-10-04T11:07:00.001-04:00

Week 4

15dime-3 team, 6pt teaser (to win 27)
Houston -2.5
Bengals -.5
Giants -3

10dime-2team 6pt teaser
Bengals-.5
SF -3

10dime-Chargers +6.5

5dime-Patriots -1
5dime-Bills+1
5dime-Cowboys -3

NHL Season Preview

2009-10-01T14:00:00.003-04:00

Yes, expect some NHL analysis and Handicapping over the course of this season. Below are my picks for the regular season standings, as well as my playoff predictions.

1) Washington-The Caps are an explosive team, built to succeed over the regular season; built for the Playoffs—maybe?

2) Philadelphia-Ray Emery is a massive ? but they can hurt you in so many ways.

3) Boston-There’s no way Tim Thomas can repeat last seasons success, but for all the talk about the Southeast being the worst division in Hockey, what about the Northeast?

4) Pittsburgh-Cup hangover causes them to start slow, but the machine will be ready for the playoffs.

5) Carolina-Underrated, scrappy team. Kept almost the entire team together

6) New Jersey- Brodeur is enough to keep them relevant in the East

7) Tampa Bay-I know it’s a common “sleeper pick”. This team will either boom or bust.

8) Buffalo-Because the rest of the East is just so mediocre.

9) Montreal-See Above

10) Toronto-I think they make real improvements, Burke will have them in the playoffs next season

11) Atlanta-Not as bad everyone thinks. Their Top 4 defenseman are very solid.

12) NY Rangers-Yeah, this is my way of saying—I don’t think Marion Gaborik can stay healthy

13) Florida-It honestly wouldn’t shock me to see Florida in the playoffs, but other than Horton who is going to score any goals for this team? The defense and goaltending is still good

14) Ottawa-Not enough scoring, not enough defense, and weak goaltending.

15) NY Islanders-They are on the Caps rebuilding plan, 2-3 more years Islander fans.

West

1) Chicago-If Huet can play like he did for his stretch for the Caps, probably the most complete team in Hockey

2) San Jose-Regular season success continues in San Jose, but can Thornton do anything in the playoffs?

3) Vancouver- Luongo and the twins is enough to keep them atop the division

4) Detroit-See Pittsburgh.

5) Anaheim-Wow, what a 1^st round matchup this would be.

6) Calgary-Jay-Bo makes this team a tougher draw, plus shows the depth of the Western Conference

7) St Louis-A team on the rise, and would give the Sharks another 1^st round scare

8) Los Angeles-I think they want a little more scoring, but this is a team that’s going to be in contention in the West for awhile

9) Nashville-Because you know they hover around 7-10 every year

10) Columbus-See above

11) Edmonton-Their betting on the Boulin Wall to take them to the playoffs, they needed help in other areas.

12) Minnesota-Who’s going to score for the Wild?

13) Dallas-Let in a ton of goals last year, bad PP + PK.

14) Phoenix-A disaster

15) Colorado-They need to blow this team up, and build through the draft

Playoffs-East

1st round

Washington over Buffalo-Next

Philadelphia over Tampa Bay-Next

New Jersey over Boston-The only competitive 1^st round series I see in the above scenarios

Pittsburgh over Carolina-Carolina is tough, but probably a repeat of last years series

2nd round

Washington over New Jersey-The Caps successfully sacrifice enough goats to draw NJ instead of Pittsburgh in Rd 2

Pittsburgh over Philadelphia-I agonized over this. I love the Flyers team, but hate Emery. Emery can’t play good enough to win 4 games against Pittsburgh.

East Final

Pittsburgh over Washington-Obviously the Caps didn’t sacrifice enough in Rd 2. And the curse continues…

West

1st round

Chicago over LA

San Jose over St Louis

Calgary over Vancouver

Anaheim over Detroit

2nd round

Chicago over Calgary

Anaheim over San Jose

West Finals

Chicago over Anaheim

Stanley Cup

Chicago over Pittsburgh-The Marian Hossa Curse ends.

MNF Handicapping

2009-09-28T16:33:00.002-04:00

What a Sunday! I drop my biggest play, but still end up killing the books yesterday to the tune of 6-1. Lions get the outright win, just as I expected. All 3 teams in my teaser covered on their own, but never complain about winning plays. The Ravens absolutely dominated that game start to finish, like I knew they would. The Bears pull it out late, and the Colts game was never in doubt. We never even sweated yesterday on those picks. The Titans game was a bad read. The Titans defense is not as good as I thought they were, and I have to give Credit to Sanchez. Considering they have a rookie QB and Head Coach, and 3 Baltimore Ravens--they definitely look like they can be the 2008 Baltimore Ravens.

Sunday Total 6-1 (+35dimes)

MNF:
This point spread is a little too high. The Panthers are desperate, and all Jake Delhomme has to do is get the ball to Steve Smith and the hand the ball of the DeAngelo Williams. Don't get pretty out there, and the Panthers should have no problem moving the ball tonight.

5dime parlay: Carolina (+8.5) and the Under (48.5)

SNF Handicapping

2009-09-27T19:17:00.000-04:00

10dimes- Colts +3

NFL Handicapping Week 3

2009-09-27T00:18:00.002-04:00

Big Sunday ahead. I love this card, hence, the amount of action. I normally don't make this many plays, but I absolutely love the games this Sunday.

I'll have my play on SNF posted later tomorrow.

Good luck everyone!

25dimes- Tenn +2.5 --Classic case of the media darlings against a hungry 0-2 team. Tenn will be the first real test for Sanchez, and Rex Ryan is cocky, maybe overconfident. Fischer will bring out all the stops.
10dimes- Bears -2.5 --Seattle has tons of injuries on offense and defense. Cutler outduels Seneca Wallace
10dimes- Ravens -13 --Ravens Defense will make a point tomorrow. 31-10 Ravens
10dimes- 6pt Teaser- NY Giants (-.5) and Saints (even)
10dimes- 6pt Teaser- NY Giants (-.5) and Packers (-.5)
5dimes- Lions ML +250 --Small play here. Call it a hunch, but the Redskins are the perfect recipe for the Lions. They will play this game like their Superbowl, against one of the worst offenses in the NFL.

Fantasy Football Strategy

2009-09-23T22:57:00.003-04:00

So we are two weeks into the fantasy football season and reality might be starting to set in that your team is not as infallible as you boldly declared at the end of your fantasy draft. Some of your players may be seriously under-performing; Injuries may be quickly piling up; running back time shares may be taking shape; wide receivers may not be getting targeted as much as expected: whatever the case, it is an unfortunate characteristic of fantasy football and your ability to effectively deal with these unexpected situations will undoubtedly determine whether you can still reach your goal of winning your fantasy league.

In past years, I have mostly been able to avoid these unfortunate circumstances. However, this year, has not been the case. In my most important money league (a longtime keeper league), I have been dealing with a rash of injuries which have seriously damaged my depth and caused me to start out the year 1-1. Players on my team who fall into the category of any of the above situations include Pierre Thomas, Knowshon Moreno, Jerrious Norwood, Steve Slaton, Kevin Walter, Lance Moore and Roy Williams. If I didn't have Adrian Peterson on my team, I would be 0-2 and seriously be doubting my ability to even make the league playoffs- this would be a huge blow considering I haven't finished lower than 2nd in this 12 team league in the past four years. Regardless, there is some panic on team Dan, and I'm sure many of you out there can sympathize with my situation as many of you are dealing with various similar situations of your own.

Regardless of your fantasy plight, it is important not to overreact and make a series of haste moves that involves you dropping several quality players who may help you when it really counts- the playoffs. I remember last year, when I was quick to dump Lions RB Kevin Smith four weeks into the season because he was involved in a time share with Rudi Johnson and the Lions were sporting a less than effective run game. Needless to say, he really came on during the second half of the season and very well could have been the difference in winning a championship (I finished second in the league).

What I want to do is give you (the fantasy player) some tips on dealing with early season struggles and more importantly avoiding situations that could cause you to drop or trade away under-performing players while making sound waiver wire pickups that will help to minimize the damage, in the short term, until your bellcow players round into their expected form.

1. Be conservative with the waiver wire- as I alluded to above, you don't want to drop quality players who, for one reason or another, have not been performing as expected. Yes, there are players who are simply not who we thought they were and, conversely, there are players, on the waiver wire, who are for real and should be picked up immediately. However, the first 2-4 weeks are always marked with players who unexpectedly blow up only to have little fantasy impact for the rest of the season. If you aggressively look to pick up players based off of small sample size statistical outbursts, you could be setting yourself up for playing a dangerous game of constantly starting players 1 game too late. Most importantly, before picking up a player, look at his schedule over the next four weeks in order to help determine if that player can sustain his play. I cannot stress how important matchups are as a good matchup can make a bad player look like Adrian Peterson and, conversely, a bad matchup can make Adrian Peterson look like, well, a bad player.

2. Aggressively look for buy-low opportunities via trade- this is always the best time to take advantage of other league owners who are already fed up with the fact that their high draft pick is barely putting up enough points to be worthy of keeping him on his bench- let alone confidently putting him in the starting lineup. Players who fit this bill (for various reasons) include Matt Forte, Steve Slaton, Pierre Thomas, LaDainian Tomlinson, Greg Jennings, Terrell Owens, TJ Houshmandzadeh, Braylon Edwards, Eddie Royal, Anquan Boldin, Brandon Marshall, etc. Most of these players will bounce back and have big second half performances that average out the poor performances the first couple of weeks. Too underscore the importance of making quality buy-low trades: Two years ago, I traded Donte Stallworth (then on the Patriots scoring juggernaut) for a struggling Drew Brees. Stallworth had strung together a few big games over an otherwise inconsistent season and I decided to pursue trading for Brees who was leading the league in interceptions over the first half of season with about a third as many touchdown passes thrown- but I had realized he had strung together two straight good games and seemed to be pulling it together. After the trade, he went on to be the number one fantasy QB for the rest of the season and I won my fantasy league championship. Need anymore convincing about the potential impact of buy-low trades. It should also be inferred, from this column, that you should avoid being suckered into buy-low trades just because Fred Jackson (for example) has strung together a few nice games.

3. When times get rough lean on your best players- It sounds like I am stating the obvious, but seriously over-thinking can lead to some very regrettably decisions in which you bench the wrong players and start no-names who you think have good matchups. Example 1, week 1, Matt Schaub had a horrid game against the Jets which caused me to be convinced he wasn't healthy and had a bad week 2 matchup (against the Titans)- so I irrationally bench him. The result, he is the top performing fantasy QB and the other person I started performed so bad I'm not even going to mention his name- yep, fantasy football can make even the most informed look downright stupid sometimes. As well, at the flex, I picked up and started Michael Clayton cause I thought he had a good matchup against an undersized Bills secondary, Antonio Bryant was out (leaving Clayton at least in theory as their number 1) and Leftwich seemed to be capable of putting up yards and throwing TD passes. The result, Leftwich put up big numbers but failed to find Clayton. Those two decisions undoubtedly lead to a week 2 loss- seriously don't over-think things.

4. Most importantly- RELAX!- This is basically a summation of all the things described above, but seriously, it is a long season and there is plenty of time for certain players on your team to turn it around. The key is to make moves that will allow you to weather the storm and put you into a position to get into your fantasy league playoffs because once you get in it's a whole new season. DON'T, I REPEAT, DON'T drop players who could explode come weeks 14, 15, 16 and 17 just because they are performing atrociously in the interim. Be judicious, make sound moves, and most importantly trust your judgement that you exhibited during the draft on certain players because two weeks is far from a large enough sample size to offer evidence to the contrary.

Lastly, if any of you have questions regarding these matters involving fantasy strategy, or any others- leave comments below and we will promptly answer them!

2009-09-23T22:41:00.005-04:00

Week 2 Power Rankings

1 New York Giants 2-0 So much for missing Plaxico Burress, Steve Smith and Mario Manningham are becoming very reliable targets for Eli Manning.
2 New Orleans Saints 2-0 It's one thing to light up the Lions, quite another to do it to the Eagles. I believe.
3 Atlanta Falcons 2-0 Losing Peria Jerry for the season hurts, but they still have one of the most exciting offenses in the NFL, but the defense is green.
4 Minnesota Vikings 2-0 I don't think Brett Favre can win this team a game when it counts. But they have the most dangerous player in football who can.
5 Baltimore Ravens 2-0 I am starting to come around on Mike's team- the Ravens. Flacco is developing into an elite QB and the run game is better than ever. However, I continue to question whether this defense is still elite.
6 Pittsburgh Steelers 1-1 Due to a Jeff Reed melt down, they are not 2-0. More worrysome, however, is the fact that they have no run game.
7 Indianapolis Colts 2-0 If the Colts have any QB other than Manning, outside of Brees, they are at best an 8-8 team. The Defense is porous and Manning has limited offensive weapons. But, bottom line, they are 2-0.
8 New York Jets 2-0 One of the best defenses in football, a solid run game and a QB who knows how to minimize mistakes and win games. This team is for real.
9 Philadelphia Eagles 1-1 Is New Orleans really that good, or is Philly not as good as we thought?
10 San Diego Chargers 1-1 Tough loss to the Ravens. The run game has not been effective, the defense just isn't strong and they have one of the worst coaches in football. Right now, they are not a SB contender.
11 San Francisco 49ers 2-0 The 49ers are quietly becoming a good football team.
12 Dallas Cowboys 1-1 Well the Cowboys blew their last game in the old stadium, and Tony Romo blew their debut in the new palace.
13 New England Patriots 1-1 Brady is human. Moss looked uninterested in the game. The defense is no longer elite. This could be trouble.
14 Chicago Bears 1-1 Jeff Reed helped them, but Jay Cutler responded this week.
15 Green Bay Packers 1-1 Losing to the Bengals at home? It's not like they were looking ahead to the Rams next week.
16 Cincinnati Bengals 1-1 The Bengals should be 2-0. Benson is a beast (I'm going to let that set in for a second. The defense is stout. But Palmer needs to minimize mistakes.
17 Arizona Cardinals 1-1 There's the Cardinals offense we know.
18 Houston Texans 1-1 Great bounce back effort for Schaub and the offense. Slaton should start to get going too. But this defense has to start stopping people.
19 Tennessee Titans 0-2 How do you lose when your RB puts up nearly 300 yards of offense? Maybe this defense really does miss Haynesworth.
20 Buffalo Bills 1-1 Fred Jackson is blowing up. If Trent Edwards can continue to develop into a quality starting QB, we could be looking at a borderline playoff team. But I need to see more.
21 Denver Broncos 2-0 Despite the record, neither mike nor I are convinced yet. If Russell plays well and they still beat the Raiders next week, then I may come around.
22 Oakland Raiders 1-1 It's all about Russell and the passing game. The defense is proving to be a formidable unit and they have the ingrediants for a top rushing attack. But Russell has to make the developmental jump.
23 Miami Dolphins 0-2 Fought hard in a loss to the Colts. Still, this team cannot consistently move the ball through the air and their rushing effectiveness was more attributable to a bad Colts run D.
24 Seattle Seahawks 1-1 Another season, another Hasselbeck injury.
25 Washington Redskins 0-2 Would I be surprised to see the Lions pull of the upset Sunday? No.
26 Carolina Panthers 0-2 Jake Delhomme survived without 5 turnovers, that was a victory in itself
27 Jacksonville Jaguars 0-2 MJD seems to be the only bright spot on this team. This is FO projections team most likely to move to LA in the next two years.
28 Kansas City Chiefs 0-2 They couldn't beat the Raiders despite gaining substantially more yards on offense and JaMarcus Russell turning in his worst game as a pro. Turnovers proved to be the difference in this game.
29 Tampa Bay Buccaneers 0-2 This team has the tools to be a spoiler, but they are a few years away from being a contender.
30 Detroit Lions 0-2 The Lions are going to win 2 games this year.
31 Cleveland Browns 0-2 The clock is ticking for Brady Quinn. One more bad game and Derek Anderson might be guy from here on out. FO Projections thinks that would be a good call.
32 St. Louis Rams 0-2 It's a shame Steven Jackson is rotting away the prime of his career here.

2010 NFL Draft

2009-09-21T19:44:00.005-04:00

* Denotes Junior
** Denontes Redshirt Sophomore

Quarterback Rankings

1. Sam Bradford Oklahoma*- top 10

2. Jevan Snead Ole Miss*- top 15

3. Jimmy Clausen Notre* Dame- top 15

4. Colt McCoy Texas-Round 1

5. Jake Locker* Washington- Round 2

6. Tony Pike Cincinnati- Round 2

7. Tim Tebow Florida- Round 1 (apparent discrepancy means I don't like him but think he will go in the 1st round)

8. Jarrett Brown West Virginia- Round 3-4

9. Tim Hiller Western Michigan- Round 4-5

10. Zach Robinson Oklahoma State- Round 4-5

Runningback

1. CJ Spiller* Clemson- Round 1

2. Jonathan Dwyer* Georgia Tech- Round 1

3. Javhid Best Cal- Round 1

4. Evan Royster* Penn State- Round 1

5. DeMarco Murray* Oklahoma- Round 2

6. Joe McKnight* USC- Round 2

7. Charles Scott LSU- Round 3

8. Greg Cooper* Miami- Round 3

9. Kendall Hunter* Oklahoma State- Round 3

10. Toby Gerhart Stanford- Round 4-5

Wide Receiver

1. Dez Bryant* Oklahoma State- Top 15

2. Arrelious Benn* Illinois- Top 15

3. Michael Crabtree Texas Tech- Top 15 (based off prediction that he will not sign with SF)

4. Demaryius Thomas* Georgia Tech- Round 1

5. Damien Williams* USC- Round 1-2

6. Eric Decker Minnesota- Round 2

7. Jacoby Ford Clemson- Round 2-3

8. Jordan Shipley Texas- Round 3

9. Brandon LaFell LSU- Round 3

10. Mardy Gilyard Cincinnati- Round 3

11. Terrence Tolliver* LSU- Round 2-4

12. Desmon Briscoe* Kansas- Round 2-4

13. Mike Williams Syracuse- Round 4

14. Mark Dell* Michigan State- Round 2-4

15. Golden Tate* Notre Dame- Round 4

Tight End

1. Jermaine Gresham Oklahoma- Round 1-2

2. Rob Gronkowski* Arizona- Round 1-2

3. Anthony McCoy USC- Round 2-3

4. Ed Dickson Oregon- Round 3-4

5. Dennis Pitta BYU- Round 3-4

Offensive Tackle

1. Russell Okung Oklahoma State- Top 15

2. Trent Williams Oklahoma- Top 15

3. Brian Buluga* Iowa- Top 15

4. Anthony Davis* Rutgers- Round 1

5. Selvish Capers West Virginia- Round 1

6. Bruce Campbell* Maryland- Round 1

7. Gabe Carimi* Wisconsin- Round 1

8. Charles Brown USC- Round 2

9. Ciron Black LSU- Round 2

10. Jake Fox Miami- Round 2

11. Sam Young Notre Dame- Round 2-3

12. Kyle Calloway Iowa- Round 3

13. Kyle Ulatoski Texas- Round 3

14. Jarriel King* South Carolina- Round 3

15. Kyle Hix* Texas- Round 3

Offensive Guard

1. Mike Johnson Alabama- Round 2-3

2. Mike Pouncey* Florida- Round 2-3

3. John Asamoah Illinois- Round 3

4. Thomas Austin Clemson- Round 3

5. Mitch Petrus Arkansas- Round 3-4

Offensive Center

1. Kristofer O'Dowd* USC- Round 1-2

2. Matt Tennant Boston College- Round 2

3. John Estes Hawaii- Round 3

4. J.D. Walton Baylor- Round 3-4

5. Stefen Wisniewski* Penn State- Round 3-4

Defensive End

1. Carlos Dunlap* Florida- Top 10

2. Derrick Morgan* Georgia Tech- Top 15

3. Greg Hardy Ole Miss- Round 1

4. Everson Griffen* USC- Round 1-2

5. Cameron Heyward* Ohio State- Round 1-2

6. Greg Romeus* Pittsburgh- Round 1-2

7. Corey Wooten Northwestern- Round 1-2

8. Brandon Graham Michigan- Round 2-3

9. C.J. Wilson Eastern Carolina- Round 3

10. Brandon Lang Troy- Round 3-4

Defensive Tackle

1. Ndamukong Suh Nebraska- Top 10

2. Gerald McCoy* Oklahoma- Top 10

3. Terrence Cody Alabama- Round 1-2

4. Marvin Austin* North Carolina- Round 1-2

5. Arthur Rhodes Syracuse- Round 1-2

6. Allen Bailey* Miami- Round 1-2

7. Brian Price* UCLA- Round 1-2

8. Lawrence Marsh* Florida- Round 2

9. Stephen Paea* Oregon State- Round 2-3

10. Phil Taylor* Baylor-Round 2-3

Outside Linebacker

1. Sean Weatherspoon Missouri- Round 1

2. George Selvie South Florida- Round 1-2

3. Travis Lewis** Oklahoma- Round 1-2

4. Sergio Kindle Texas- Round 2

5. Ricky Sapp Clemson- Round 2

6. Jerry Hughes TCU- Round 3

7. Justin Cole San Jose State- Round 3

8. Eric Norwood South Carolina- Round 3

9. A.J. Edds* Iowa- Round 3-4

10. Perry Riley LSU- Round 3-4

Inside Linebacker

1. Brandon Spikes Florida- Round 1

2. Rolando McClain* Alabama- Round 1

3. Greg Jones* Michigan State- Round 2

4. Quan Sturdivant* North Carolina- Round 2-3

5. Sean Lee Penn State- Round 3

6. Daryl Washington TCU- Round 3-4

7. Pat Angerer Iowa- Round 3-4

8. Obi Ezeh* Michigan- Round 3-4

9. Brian Smith* Notre Dame- Round 4

10. Casey Matthews* Oregon- Round 4

Cornerback

1. Joe Haden* Florida- Round 1

2. Patrick Robinson Florida State- Round 1

3. Ras-I Dowling* Virginia- Round 1

4. Syd'Quan Thompson Cal- Round 2

5. Trevard Lindley Kentucky- Round 2

6. Dominique Frank* Oklahoma- Round 2

7. Donavan Warren* Michigan- Round 2

8. Brandon Ghee Wake Forest- Round 2-3

9. Perish Cox Oklahoma State- Round 3

10. Javier Arenas Alabama- Round 3-4

Free Safety

1. Eric Berry* Tennessee- Top 5

2. Morgan Burnett* Georgia Tech- Round 1-2

3. Major Wright* Florida- Round 3

4. Nate Allen South Florida- Round 3-4

5. Josh Pinkard USC- Round 3-4

Strong Safety

1. Taylor Mays USC- Top 15

2. Reshad Jones* Georgia- Round 1-2

3. Chad Jones* LSU- Round 2

4. Darrell Stuckey* Kansas- Round 2-3

5. Kam Chancellor Virginia Tech- Round 3-4

Week 2 MNF

2009-09-21T16:11:00.003-04:00

Another bad mis-read on the Patriots cost me a losing day. I'll admit that I'm overrating them, and the public read the game right moving the line from Patriots -5.5 down to -3. I thought the Steelers were the better team, and I defend that play. Jeff Reed usually doesn't miss, and he had 2 make-able field goals that were shanked. It happens, you get good and bad breaks.

MNF Handicapping
10dimes- Colts (-3), (Buy the hook if you need to)
5dimes- Under 42

2009 Total:
5-5 (-6.75 dimes)

Week 2 NFL Handicapping

2009-09-19T17:40:00.003-04:00

We give back a lot of our winnings from Sunday's 3-0 sweep with a bad call on the New England Patriots on Monday Night. It was a misread on both sides. Fred Jackson absolutely carried the Bills offense, and the Pats looked very average on both sides of the ball until Brady went circa 2007 in the last minutes of the game.

Let's build back up that bankroll with another big Sunday.

10dimes-New Orleans Saints (-1). The Eagles won't be able to be compete in a shootout with New Orleans without Donovan McNabb on the field.

10dimes-Pittsburgh Steelers (-3). You thought Jay Cutler looked bad against Green Bay's defense, Pittsburgh's defense, even without #43, will make it tough for the Bears.

10dimes-New England Patriots (-3.5). Sure the Patriots looked vunerable on defense, and sluggish on offense for 55minutes on Monday. But, you just don't trash talk the Patriots. The Pats make a statement here.

5dimes- New York Giants (+145). Small moneyline play here. The Giants are the most complete team in football, and we get good odds for them to pull it off outright.

2009 season totals:
3-3 (-2.5 dimes).

Week 1 Reviews: Fantasy Pickups

2009-09-15T19:55:00.005-04:00

GO GET THEM!

Louis Murphy WR Oakland Raiders- He had 5 catches for 87 yards and a touchdown going against the Chargers on Monday night. As it stands right now, he is the most reliable wide receiver in the Raiders offense and has shown a decent rapport with Russell when no other wide out has. He should have scored two TD's but a truly horrible rule allowed the booth, upon review, to determine otherwise. Look, his fantasy relevance could be shortlived since, upon Chaz Schilens return in probably week 3 or 4, he will likely be relegated to slot receiver. But still, he's been reliable throughout preseason and the first regular season game, and Russell's strong arm means he can find Murphy deep 1 or 2 times a game, if Murphy continues to find ways to get open deep as he did in the first game.

Benjamin Watson TE New England Patriots- He caught 6 balls for 77 yards and 2 touchdowns against the Bills. I have been waiting for Watson to come around ever since he was drafted in the first round a couple years back. Watson may still have games where he is rarely targeted due to the fact that Brady likes to spread the ball around and they often go to 4 and 5 WR sets. But Watson is talented enough to split out as a WR, and the fact that he caught two TD's including the game winner means that Brady should have more confidence in looking to him in clutch moments or moments where he is under duress.

Joe Flacco QB Baltimore Ravens- Had three touchdown passes in a strong effort against the KC Chiefs. He may already have been drafted in your league. But if you are not in a deep league, and he is available, he should be picked up immediately and should continue to be a top 12 QB for the rest of the year.

Patrick Crayton WR Dallas Cowboys- Again, he is another player who is probably already unavailable on the waiver wire. However, if he is picked up he could develop into a very nice WR2 given the fact that he has Tony Romo at QB. He caught 4 balls for 135 yards and a TD so he offers nice big-play ability.

DON'T BUY IN YET

Robert Meachem and Deverey Henderson- Both players had huge games against a porous Detroit secondary that simply couldn't account for all the offensive options on the Saints offense. However, don't buy into Meachem and Henderson just yet for exactly that reason. Coming into the season, Colston, Bush, Moore, and shockey were all considered better fantasy options than Meachem and Henderson. Both offer big-play ability but the fact that Brees has so many options to work with means that both receivers could have big performances followed by multiple game stretches where they only catch 1 or 2 balls. If nothing else, this tempers the potential of other more reliable fantasy options like Colston, Bush, Shockey and Moore.

MNF Week 1 Handicapping

2009-09-14T11:28:00.004-04:00

That's the way to start off the season, with a 3-0 Sunday sweep and +25units of Profit. We quickly erased the 0-2(-11dime) Thursday start.

Let's take a look at yesterday's action:
Min (-4) covers at Cleveland
--You have to give Cleveland credit, they made you sweat until the 3rd quarter. The fact is Cleveland is a bad football team. Their defense is going to get abused all season, and Brady Quinn is going to take a while to develop into a formidable quarterback. The Vikings are going to be one of the more overrated teams this year solely b/c of Brett Favre. Personally, I think Brett is beyond washed up, and against good defenses the Vikings will suffer. If you find a team that can stop the run, and has a formidable offense--New York G, Philadelphia, Green Bay, Pittsburgh, Baltimore, Tennessee, and San Diego to name a few--Minnesota won't be able to compete with. Watch for inflated Vikings lines.

Baltimore (-12.5) covers vs. Kansas City
--Sometimes its better to be lucky than good, this time was a case of being lucky AND good. This was a nice break, to get these last second scores that actually go in your favor. The Chiefs had no business being in that game, The Ravens more than doubled their yards and TOP. The Ravens special teams blew it--missed FG and blocked punt for a KC TD. The Ravens set a franchise record 501 yards of offense, led by a surprising 43 pass attempts from Joe Flacco. That shouldn't have been surprising if your paying attention. This Ravens offense will be good this year and efficient. The running game is strong--Ray Rice and McGahee look better-- and they leave themselves manageable 3rd downs. I expect Flacco to throw it 30-35times a game. The Chiefs front 7 is better than expected, and if they could find a running game--this won't be a terrible football team. Todd Haley will make this a dangerous team come November, December.

6pt teaser (Ind + Atl) cover.
--Why tease?
It's not a method I use often--because if both teams cover--the odds are like 70% you would have won both games at their original spreads.

I was worried about the Colts being in a dogfight, but I was confident in the Colts to win their home opener. Jacksonville was missing several pieces in their starting defense, and didn't think they had the outside weapons to beat the Colts. I expect the Colts to focus on stopping MJD, but teams that have better QB play and playmakers at WR/TE can be a big matchup problem for the Colts. The Colts are an interesting team to me, I'm not as high on them as most, but; I'm not high on that whole division.

Tonights Play
--Biggest Play of the Season
15 dimes New England Patriots -10.5

Season
3-2 (+14 dimes)

Week 1 NFL Handicapping

2009-09-13T09:26:00.003-04:00

Sundays are back, and so is the opportunity to turn Sundays into payday. We dropped some money Monday, but there's no doubt in my mind we'll be on the winning when all is said and done this season. The most important thing is we never panic in a slump, and never get too confident on a streak, they key is smart money management. Gamblers always end up losing, because they place all their bankroll on a "lock" and it's gone. My philosophy is take the games week by week, and in the end--we'll have made some money.

The Dime Betting System Explain:
Let's say your maximum wager size is $200. Well, if I release a 100 dime play, then it should be a $200 wager. If I release a 50 dime play, it should be a $100 wager. Taking it one step further, if I release a 20 dime pick, it should be a $100 wager.

I love the Action on the Week 1 card here. I'll have my biggest play of the season for MNF tomorrow. Let's get rolling for today...

10dimes- Baltimore -12.5
10dimes- Minn -4
5 dimes-6pt Teaser- Indy (-.5) and Atlanta (+2)

Total for Season: -11 Dimes

Defensive Draft Prospects: Clemson vs. Georgia Tech

2009-09-11T20:23:00.005-04:00

Tons of defensive playmakers in this game...

Clemson

Ricky Sapp DE- Did not factor into the game much as a pass rusher- not that that is unexpected given the unorthodox run offense which Georgia Tech uses. At 6'5 240, it is unlikely that Ricky Sapp will be able to hold up as a DE in the NFL; a transition to rush end in a 3-4 system is a more likely outcome for Sapp. Expect him to land somewhere in round 3 or 4 on draft day with a chance at round 2 in the event he pulls a 4.6 forty out of his ass during the combine or on his pro-day. A good looking player, build-wise, but I don't think the OLB transition will be an easy one for him.

Da'Quan Bowers DE NFL- At 6'4 280 Bowers is the real attraction along Clemson's D-Line. He is only a true Sophomore- so he will not be eligible for next year's draft. However, when he elects to come out next season, he will be a top 15 overall pick due to his prototypical size and the fact that he is equally adept at rushing the passer and stuffing the run.

DeAndre McDaniel SS- A converted LB, McDaniel had the biggest impact of any defensive player in the game- outside of Derrick Morgan- with 2 interceptions. At 6'1 210, he possesses good size and a 37 inch vertical leap allows him to out jump receivers and make plays on balls. If he can continue to learn the nuances of playing safety, he is a junior, he could make himself into a 2-3 round prospect. Right now he grades out as a round 4-5 guy but that could change pretty quickly if he continues to put up performances like he had against Georgia Tech.

Brandon Maye ILB- at 6'2 230 Maye is a redshirt soph. (draft eligible). He had a relatively rough game. Not in the sense that he made any critical mistakes on plays, but going back and watching the game over, he was consistently out of position due to missteps and keying in on the wrong players and, as a result, was easy to block. Again, he is only a soph. and clearly has strong physical attributes. But I doubt he will be able to hold up at MLB, in the NFL, and will probably have to make the switch to outside LB whenever he reaches the NFL. Right now I'd cautiously say he has a good chance of landing somewhere between rounds 3 and 5 whenever he comes out.

Crezdon Butler CB- Butler did not factor into the game much- again, because of the fact that Georgia Tech hardly throws the ball. at 6'0 185 he possesses a very good combination of size and speed as one of the better senior CB's in the nation. Right now he stands to be drafted in rounds 2 or 3- I would give him a 3rd rd. grade at this point. But the ideal size/speed combination means that a big year and excellent combine could cause him to skyrocket up draft boards by next year's draft.

Georgia Tech

Derrick Morgan DE- Morgan was a beast against Clemson with 3 sacks on Thursday night and now has 5 sacks and 6.5 TFL through only two games during this early season. At 6'4 275, Morgan possesses an exceptionally quick first-step which allows him to consistently beat the tackle to the edge. If the tackle attempts to overcompensate, Morgan shows the fluid hips to change direction quickly and dart inside in order to bypass the tackle. However, what I was most impressed with, is how stout an active Morgan is against the run. When plays were run towards him, he was stout at the point of attack- at one point making a great tackle behind the line by shredding the tackle and driving through RB Spiller's legs for the tackle on forth and short. On plays run away from him, he did a solid job of staying home and containing the backside- which is is very important considering they were facing a RB, Spiller, who has the type of speed and shiftiness to quickly redirect to the backside for a big play. Morgan is only a junior, but he is already on pace to an All-American year and possesses all the necessary measurables to be a first round pick in next year's draft.

Morgan Burnett S- A well-built junior safety, at 6'1 210, who is arguably the best junior safety in the country outside of Eric Berry; Burnett was a 2nd team All-America selection last year. He is yet another immensely talented player on this Georgia Tech team who has the physical measurables to be selected in the first round of the NFL draft- when he ultimately comes out.

Mario Butler CB- A 6'1 181 junior cornerback. Very good size for the position. Got beat a couple of times, by Clemson's speedy and talented receivers, but came up with a pick and generally held up well in coverage. Has a chance to be selected in the first three rounds and I may even be underselling him depending on how fast he runs his forty.

Jerrard Tarrant CB- 7 tackles 4 solo for the game which probably shows he was getting picked on a little to much in the passing game. The real attraction is his punt returning ability, as he broke one off against Clemson and is gaining a reputation as one of the most explosive return men in the country.

Prospect Rankings

1. Derrick Morgan

2. Da'Quan Bowers

3. Morgan Burnett

4. Crezdon Butler

5. Mario Butler

6. Jerrard Tarrant

7. DeAndre McDaniel

8. Brandon Maye

Offensive Draft Prospects: Clemson vs. Georgia Tech

2009-09-11T03:05:00.011-04:00

Running backs make strong impressions....

Clemson
CJ Spiller RB NFL Comparison: Chris Johnson- For Clemson, the success of this team hinges on how well RB CJ Spiller can dominate games. Spiller, who runs in the low 4.3's at 5'11 195, is equally adept at making game changing plays by running the football as well as through catching the ball out of the backfield. Versus a superior Georgia Tech team, Spiller rushed the ball 20 times for 87 yards (4.4 YPC) in addition to making 4 catches for 67 yards and a touchdown. Given the fact that the Yellow Jackets blew the door open early with a 24-0 early lead, Spiller's rushing attempts were limited and he was forced to block and make plays through catching the ball. A 63 yard touchdown reception showed that he can still find a way to produce even in this unfavorable situation. Look for Spiller to make a strong push for the Heisman, this season, and if he can run a low 4.3 forty (as expected) he should be able to secure a draft spot somewhere in the mid to late first round.

Jacoby Ford WR NFL Comparison: Eddie Royal- at 5'10 185 Ford, a senior, is one of the fastest players in college football- he is the indoor 60 meter champion in college track and field. On Thursday night, he caught 5 passes for 109 yards including a 77 yard touchdown catch in which he executed a deep post against double coverage to make the catch and break free for the score. Ford, who has never caught more than 4 td's passes in a season, already has 2 touchdowns in 2 games so far this season. He has a chance to become an excellent slot receiver in the NFL and if he can continue to make plays throughout the season, he should secure a spot somewhere in the first three rounds of next year's draft.

Georgia Tech
Jonathan Dwyer RB NFL Comparison: Jonathan Stewart- Dwyer very well could be the most complete back in college football this season. He is an extremely powerful back who runs with a low pad level which allows him to ward off defenders and break through arm tackles in order to gain extra yards. Dwyer had an average game tonight- only rushing for 67 yards on 18 carries- but he didn't have to be spectacular as his teammate RB Anthony Allen was put in a position to be the big play threat tonight. Dwyer, at 6'1 235, is a house and if he can prove to be a consistent big play threat- in addition to being a dependable between the tackles back- he could be a first round selection come next draft. Even if he fails to run a sub 4.5 forty and falls to the second round; He will still prove to be a strong pro and a perfect compliment for a smaller change of pace back which seem to be coming into vogue these days in the NFL.

Anthony Allen RB NFL Comparison: Matt Forte- Allen- who transferred from Louisville- draws the Matt Forte comparison for a couple of reasons. First, he is a big back, at 6'1 228, who also can be a solid threat to catch the ball out of the backfield. And Second, b/c he will almost undoubtedly be underrated come draft time. Regardless, Allen was the star of the game, on Thursday, rushing for 127 yards on only 5 carries- including an 82 yard touchdown run- while also adding a 24 yard reception. Allen, like Dwyer, is only a junior so it is unlikely he will bolt for the NFL after this season-Dwyer, on the other hand, probably will come out early. But given Allen's added explosiveness (at Louisville he seemed like more of a short-yardage back) he could prove to be an even better NFL back than Dwyer. Allen will be one of the players I will be following closely through out this NFL season.

Demaryius Thomas WR NFL Comparison: TBD- I had not seen Thomas play before this game so I will reserve judgement before making an NFL comparison. But at 6'3 229, this junior is built in a similar way to former GT standout Calvin Johnson. He will have a lot of work to do to prove he can be considered an elite NFL prospect in said mold, but the early results 4 catches for 101 yards in the first game and 3 catches for 93 yards and a score in the second game- show that he has the type of big play ability (in addition to the freakish size) to maybe play his way into the first round. He is another prospect I will be following closely this season.

Prospect Rankings:

1. CJ Spiller

2. Jonathan Dwyer

3. Jacoby Ford

4. Demaryius Thomas

5. Anthony Allen

NFL Handicapping: Opening Night

2009-09-10T18:50:00.003-04:00

I'll give my bio and pick rating system this weekend.

My general philosophy is money management, and make the big bets after we get more information on teams.

5 dimes Pittsburgh -6.5
5 dimes Over 35.5

Survivor Pools: Week 1 Picks

2009-09-09T22:59:00.007-04:00

Will you be the one to survive?

One of the most interesting things to get involved in throughout NFL seasons are survivor pools. For those of you who are unfamiliar, it is a pool in which you select one NFL team to win each week as you attempt to "survive" through the NFL season without picking a team that loses that given week. The catch is that once you select a team, you can no longer pick that team again for the rest of the season. So, needless to say, there is a lot of down the road planning and strategy involved in not wasting all the elite teams at the start.

Eventually, you will have to make a couple of risky picks on teams that are facing competitors of similar talent. I do not suggest that you make a risky pick in week one. There is so much uncertainty coming into every season that you really can't get a strong feel for how good (or bad) a team is going to be until at least week three. So week 1, especially, is a week in which you want to generally pick a team who is considerably superior to the opponent they are facing that week so as to minimize risk and give yourself, hopefully, a week or two to make better evaluations of teams you want to lean on, or pick on more importantly, for the 2009-2010 season.

Still, if your a risk taker, as I often am, you may want to make a risky pick right off the bat. So this week I will offer my safe pick as well as a risky pick in order to give you a couple of options to choose from.

The Safe Pick- The New Orleans Saints over The Detroit Lions
The Detroit Lions will not go 0-16 this season. However, you can be assured they are not going to win week 1 against the Saints. The Saints will likely be without Pierre Thomas for this week and Reggie Bush, as well, has not been entirely healthy throughout this preseason. Regardless, this offense- and this team- is about Drew Brees and his magical arm and the lions will not be able to stop Brees from throwing for 400+ yards and 3td's on the way to a blowout win. Mike Bell (a fantasy sleeper this week!) will be able to gain enough yards on the ground to keep the Lions D off balance but even in the absence of a running game, the passing game will prove to be more than enough.

This game will, undoubtedly, turn into somewhat of a shootout in which the Lions offense- though blessed with some young offensive playmakers-will not be able to keep up. In the likely event of a shootout, Kevin Smith will be taken out of the mix, as a runner, earlier and be forced to primarily serve as a security blanket for the Rookie QB, Stafford. Furthermore, Stafford will be under constant duress throughout the game as the Saints talented duo of pass rushers- Will Smith and Charles Grant- will be able to play the pass and therefore gear up to rush the passer. Calvin Johnson will have a hug day- and probably score a touchdown or two- but the Saint possess enough talented defensive backs to limit the production of the other wide receivers and probably pick off a pass or two, in the process, to stop any chances of the Lions mounting a comeback from the early deficit that the Saints offense will undoubtedly put them in.

The Saints are a safe play, but they are also not a team that you will regret wasting early as they play in one of the toughest divisions and therefore have less favorable matchups throughout the season. So pick the Saints and save your risky picks for another day.

The Risky Pick: The Seattle Seahawks over The St. Louis Rams
This stands as a risky pick because of the fact that the Seahawks were a 4-12 team last year. But that was not a true representation of the talent they have on their roster and, truth be told, I think they might win the NFC West this year. Matt Hasselbeck is primed for a comeback year now that he has a promising stable of receiving options lead by TJ Houshmandzadeh and John Carlson. They also will have an improved run game this year lead by Julius Jones and CO. Most importantly, the defense is vastly underrated with a strong front four; possibly the best collection of young LB's in the league; and a serviceable secondary lead by the ballhawking Marcus Trufant.

On the other hand, the Rams are a team that does not figure to improve much upon last years record. Marc Bulger is back, but all indications are that his best years have long passed him by. The offensive line has been bolstered, which means that Steven Jackson should be in for a strong bounce back year. But given that the Seahawks front seven figures to be the strength of their defense this season- the fact that Mr. Jackson will constantly be facing 8 man fronts with little hope that Bulger will be able to make the Seahawks pay for gearing up to stop the run. Finally, the Rams defense lacks difference makers and sports one of the worst secondary's in the league.

Expect a big day for Hasselbeck and expect the Seahawks to win in a rout.

Seymour Trade Analysis

2009-09-08T16:33:00.006-04:00

Too Much Raider Hating!

Let me preface this by saying, ultimately, I think this is a bad deal for the Raiders and further shows the type of tunnel-vision approach they have been taking towards trying to assemble a winning team. This is a risky trade, for the Raiders, and recent history suggests they have not been overly shrewd in their evaluation of bringing in potential impact players. Nonetheless, the national media's perception of both the Patriots and the Raiders, as franchises, has seriously clouded many analysts' abilities to make sound determinations on the impact of this trade and, subsequently, has caused them to shell out these cookie-cutter weigh-in columns that all sing the same tune and lack much real analysis.

First off, just because this is a risky trade for the Raiders doesn't mean this is not a risky trade for the Patriots. Losing Seymour, on Defense, means that this team no longer has a player who seems to bring as much in terms of intangibles and leadership as they do in terms of production. For years, the Patriots defense has been marked by players (Bruski, Vrabal, Law, Harrison, and Seymour) who exemplify the so-called patriot way and help to raise the team to an elite status through intangibles and leadership.

Now, with the loss of Seymour, who do they have on defense who can fill that role? Adalius Thomas? Derrick Burgess? Shawn Springs? I wouldn't count on it. They have a couple of young emerging impact players in Wilfork, Warren, Mayo and Merriweather. Maybe Belicheck figured they have learned enough of the said Patriot way, from the old guys, and are now ready to emerge as the new wave of leaders...

That could be true, but it's still a considerable gamble, even for Belicheck, and I think his arrogance- as in his belief the effectiveness of his defense is not about the players, it's about the system- could very well cost them a chance at a ring this season.

I understand and generally agree with this mode of front office thinking which is to err on the side of dumping a player a year too early as opposed to getting rid of him a year too late. After all, I am an Oakland A's fan and there is no GM who wholeheartedly follows this approach more then Billy Beane.

So from the standpoint of ultimately receiving more value then they gave up, I applaud the Patriots. The pick will likely be in the top 20 picks, and stands a decent chance of being in the top 10- this will probably be the pick in which they find Tom Brady's replacement but that's another story.

But still, is winning a trade, in a vacuum, still a win if it potentially could cost you the chance to win the Super Bowl in 2009? Considering how many teams are primed to contend for the SB I am not sure the Brady/Moss tandem can wreak enough havoc to get past everyone. Teams have a better understanding of how to limit Moss, and more importantly, have a clear understanding that the Patriots line is weak and the only way to stop Brady is to constantly pressure and hit him. This year, they will need a super bowl caliber defense to win it all; with the loss of Seymour I'm not sure they have the talent to field one. If that is the case, this trade is a loss for the Patriots considering the Brady/Moss window may be starting to close...

Now, for the Raiders, there is no doubt that this trade represents Al Davis' riskiest move in recent memory and, let's face it, the Patriots received better value. But that does not mean that it may not have a profound impact in a way that ultimately justifies the acquisition.

Look, the Raiders need to make considerable progress this year. At worse- with or without Seymour- this season needed to result in, at worst, a 7-9 record or else serious mayhem (yes, it can get worse in Raiderland) would start to unfold.

I have always argued against the Raiders previous bold moves because Mr. Davis clearly got caught up in trying to acquire the superstar skill position player (Moss and Hall) while overlooking the holes along the offensive and defensive lines. With this trade, Mr. Davis has finally acquired a player who not only helps to shore up our biggest weakness (stopping the run), but also a player who can make other players' jobs easier and, thus, increase the chances that more players will have strong years. The ripple effect that is created by adding Seymour to the defensive line means so many potential things, that is near impossible to predict his effect until we actually see it.

His presence means that Tommy Kelly will never face double teams. The last time that was the case, he had Warren Sapp next to him and, as a result, looked to be emerging as one of the elite one-gap DT's in the league. His presence means that Trevor Scott moves back to his more ideal role as a pass-rush specialist where he is very capable of collecting 7-10 sacks (he had 5 in that role as a rookie) while not being forced into situations where he is getting pounded on running plays. His presence means that the Raiders linebackers- who are talented and fast, but undersized- will have to worry less about taking on blockers, and more about flowing to the ball and making the tackle. And finally, for a Raiders defense that has talent, but is young, he hopefully brings a professional demeanor and the type of "patriots way" intangibles that will help to rise this defense above its collective means.

Of course, he could get injured or just not show up at all and then all these hypothetical gains are rendered moot. And that considerable risk- or the fact that this situation has great potential to be a 1 year thing- is why I don't, ultimately, like this trade for the Raiders. But at least I can take the time to weigh the possible pro's and con's instead of spewing out a biased opinion because we are dealing with a trade involving the Raiders and the Patriots.

The risk and unknown, for both the Raiders and Patriots, involved in this trade is too significant for anyone to confidently say that either team made the right decision to make this deal. The Patriots received better value, yes. But, at this point, we will have no idea who will benefit more from this trade and will continue to not know until the 2009-2010 season is in the books.

Handicapping the NFC

2009-09-02T18:40:00.007-04:00

Opening kickoff is a week away, and it's now time to unveil who I am betting on to become NFC Champions this season.

What I look for is not who I think is the best team in the NFC (Philadelphia), but rather teams that have a realistic shot at winning the NFC and offer value at their price. I'll use the New England Patriots as an example. Yes, Tom Brady looks to be back 100% and New England could return to their status ontop of the NFL. But, am I going to place a bet on them to win the AFC at 2-1? Hell no. New England is good, great team, but they aren't flawless by any means. Their secondary leaves a lot to be desired, as well as the running game. Tom Brady sure has taken some hits this preseason, that line clearly isn't bulletproof. Can the Patriots win the AFC? Absolutely. Are they good value at 2-1? Absolutely not.

Our goal is to find the best values, and get one of our teams in their respective conference championship games. As long as one of them makes it, your guaranteed money. If you have one team in, you bet against them in the game, and no matter the outcome, your making money.

Here's a look at my picks for the NFC (odds courtesy of BoDog.com):

Atlanta Falcons: 12/1

Michael Vick and Bobby Petrino did a lot to seemingly destroy this franchise, which appeared it was in a long rebuilding periond. Enter Mike Smith and Matt Ryan. Nobody, probably including the Falcons, expected the results they delivered last season. Matt Ryan, last seasons Rookie of the Year, brought the Falcons to an impressive 11-5 season and wild-card berth. They drew the eventual NFC Champion, Arizona Cardinals, and Ryan picked the wrong game to act like a rookie. 3 turnovers later, Arizona danced to a 30-24 victory.

I'm not placing this bet, solely because I think Matt Ryan is poised to make even bigger strides this year. Their running game, led by Michael Turner, will be one of the elites in the NFL. Now, not only does Ryan have Roddy White to throw the ball to, the Falcons signed veteran and future Hall of Famer Tony Gonzalez to round out what's to be a prolific offense.

The defense needed upgrades, as it finished 22nd in the NFL last season. Their key loss was Dominique Foxworth to Baltimore. However, the Falcons spent all but 1 draft pick on the defensive side of the football. 1st round pick, Peria Jerry, will become an immediate starter at DT to form a solid defensive line with John Abraham. The Falcons lack experience in their "back-7" but they don't lack speed. This is a young and fast defense, that could skate to a division title through the offense. The Colts have proven you don't need a great defense to win championships. These Falcons are hungry after a disappointing playoff loss last year, and offer very good value at 12-1.

Green Bay Packers- 9/1

I'm a full-fledged believer in Aaron Rodgers. This Packers team has impressed me over the course of the preseason. I love the offense. The line is solid, Ryan Grant looks poised to return to 2007 form, and Lee/Finley is a nice TE combination. The strength of this team is the passing game. The receiving corps is deep: Jennings, Driver, Nelson, and Jones.

Everyone knows about the offense, what about the Big-D. Well, Mike McCarthy completely renovated his Defensive staff, and brings Dom Capers to run the defense this year. The personnel in Green Bay is good, and better suited for the 3-4 defense Capers is bringing in. AJ Hawk will no longer be exposed in the passing game, and can focus on getting after the QB, which Green Bay will do well this year with the likes of Aaron Kampman and BJ Raji. Green Bay struggled against the run, but LB Nick Barnett has a clean bill of health and is ready to contribute.

I'm not buying the hype of Brett Favre and Jay Cutler into the NFC North. My feeling is the Packers and Vikings will battle it out for NFC North supremacy, but; in a playoff game, after watching last season, would you prefer Aaron Rodgers or Brett Favre?

Tomorrow, look for my AFC Futures Handicapping Analysis.

Draft Recap

2009-08-31T14:23:00.005-04:00

We finished our draft last night for the main league I participate in. I'll give you the full draft recap with my analysis.

League Settings:
12 teams, 3 keepers.
Starting Line-up: QB, RB, RB, RB/WR, WR, WR, TE, D/ST, K
Scoring:
4pts Passing TD, 1pt 25 Passing Yards
6pts Receiving/Rushing TD, 1pt 10 Receiving/Rushing yards
.2pts per reception

Who Dat	Patrick Bateman	Bay Bosses
Ladanian Tomlinson	Tom Brady	Marshawn Lynch
Marian Barber	Maurice Jones-Drew	Frank Gore
Anquan Boldin	Wes Welker	Larry Fitzgerald

Team Pen15	Winthrop	Beijing d00ds
Aaron Rodgers	Peyton Manning	Brian Westbrook
Terrell Owens	Willie Parker	Brandon Jacobs
Dwayne Bowe	Reggie Bush	Michael Turner

The Gasman	Team Bryan	Oakland Brohammers
Philip Rivers	Drew Brees	Adrian Peterson
DeAngelo Williams	Matt Forte	Steve Slaton
Roddy White	Randy Moss	Calvin Johnson

Guilford Ogs	My Lambo is Blu	Team Sexy
Jay Cutler	Clinton Portis	Steven Jackson
Andre Johnson	Kevin Smith	Chris Johnson
Hines Ward	Darren McFadden	Steve Smith

This is our league's list of Keepers. Oakland Brohammers is Dan's team, and Team Sexy, naturally, is mine. Pre-Draft you could rank the teams into 3 tiers.
Tier 1:
OG's, Lambo is Blu, Pen15, Winthrop
Tier 2:
Who Dat, Bateman, dOOds, Bay Bosses (Doesn't have 4th(1st) round pick)
Tier 3:
Sexy, Brohammers, Bryan, Gasman

ROUND 4
37	Reggie Wayne, Ind	Who Dat ........
38	Greg Jennings, GB	Team Pen15
39	Ryan Grant, GB	The Gasman
40	Ronnie Brown, Mia	Guilford OG's
41	Marques Colston, NO	Patrick Bateman
42	Marvin Harrison, Ind	Winthrop Manders
43	Joseph Addai, Ind	Team bryan
44	T.J. Houshmandzadeh, Sea	BC my lambo is blu
45	Pierre Thomas, NO	Oakland brohammers
46	Tony Romo, Dal	Beijing d00ds
47	Knowshon Moreno, Den	Oakland brohammers
48	Vincent Jackson, SD	Team Sexy

My reaction:
No surprise with Reggie Wayne going #1, he is probably the safest bet, however; Greg Jennings was my highest rated player. Props to Team15 for taking Jennings, even though he has a big need at RB. Yes, that says Marvin Harrison. You have to forgive that guy, he's working on becoming a professional golfer, and obviously following the NFL offseason wasn't high on his list of priorities. I still can't believe Pierre Thomas wasn't the 1st RB taken, and Dan gets a major gift there.

What I did:
Going into the draft I knew what to expect. I tried to make a deal swapping my top 2 picks with someone else to get Marques Colston or Jennings but with no success. I was hoping Tony Romo would fall to me, but that wasn't the case. The one player I knew I was taking was Vincent Jackson. There's great value in that pick, and he's poised to improve on a very good last season. He's got incredible pedigree, and Chris Chambers being their #1 WR is a distant memory.

ROUND 5
49	Matt Ryan, Atl	Team Sexy
50	Roy E. Williams, Dal	Oakland brohammers
51	Braylon Edwards, Cle	Beijing d00ds
52	Kurt Warner, Ari	The Bay Bosses
53	Donovan McNabb, Phi	BC my lambo is blu
54	Tony Gonzalez, Atl	Team bryan
55	Jason Witten, Dal	Winthrop Manders
56	Chad Ochocinco, Cin	Patrick Bateman
57	Antonio Gates, SD	Guilford OG's
58	Dallas Clark, Ind	The Gasman
59	Ray Rice, Bal	Team Pen15
60	Larry Johnson, KC	Who Dat ........

What I did:
Picking Last or First in a snake draft is always interesting. My dream scenario was landing Romo and Jackson at that spot, but to no avail. With 6 teams currently having QB's, I knew I could possibly wait until the next selections to get someone like Roethlisberger, but I see too much upside in Matty Ice to pass up. This is a keeper league, and could be a valuable piece for me not only this season, but next offseason. Plus, I actually think he might be a safer pick than Kurt Warner. I thought about Ray Rice, but 2 things turned me off. 1) He shares a bye week with Chris Johnson. 2) I'm almost convinced he's the 3rd option in the redzone behind McClain and McGahee. I think Rice will catch 60 passes this year, and won't have any bad fantasy games, but I like other RBs for later too.

My Reaction:
Good for Dan having faith in Roy Williams. I couldn't make myself do it, but for someone who covers risk well, I'll reserve judgment. Looks like Tony Romo started a run of QB's, with Ryan, Kurt Warner, and Donovan McNabb going. Outside of Matt Schaub, the potential for elite QB's is gone. 4 Tight Ends were taking in this round, and outside of those guys, there's no sense in taking one til much later, there's no significant statistical difference. Didn't like seeing Larry Johnson taken this early.

ROUND 6
61	Bernard Berrian, Min	Beijing d00ds
62	Thomas Jones, NYJ	Team Pen15
63	Chris Wells, Ari	The Gasman
64	Darren Sproles, SD	Guilford OG's
65	DeSean Jackson, Phi	Patrick Bateman
66	Antonio Bryant, TB	Winthrop Manders
67	Felix Jones, Dal	Team bryan
68	Brandon Marshall*, Den	BC my lambo is blu
69	Ahmad Bradshaw, NYG	The Bay Bosses
70	Jonathan Stewart, Car	Who Dat ........
71	Matt Schaub, Hou	Oakland brohammers
72	Anthony Gonzalez, Ind	Team Sexy

My Reaction:
How did Schaub fall to 71? Dan gets 2 players gift wrapped to him. Interesting string of RBs taken; Thomas Jones, Chris Wells, and Darren Sproles. If Team Pen15 can get something out of his Jones and Rice, he's got a nice starting line-up going. The Brett Favre effect has launched Bernard Berrian to the top of our 6th round. Beijing dOOds has a strong 3 starting RBs with Romo, but Berrian coupled with Braylon Edwards, his starters are going be a big hit or miss.

What I did:
These are the guys I wanted, in order. Desean Jackson, Ahmad Bradshaw, Brandon Marshall, Anthony Gonzalez. I think Desean Jackson is poised for a huge year, and even considered him in the earlier rounds. I'm happy with Gonzalez. He doesn't have to worry about Marvin Harrison taking targets away. Yes, he's clearly Manning's 3rd target behind Wayne and Clark, but he's definitely a good flex play.

ROUND 7
73	Donald Brown, Ind	Team Sexy
74	Eddie Royal, Den	The Bay Bosses
75	Derrick Ward, TB	Beijing d00ds
76	Donald Driver, GB	The Bay Bosses
77	Carson Palmer, Cin	BC my lambo is blu
78	Santonio Holmes, Pit	Team bryan
79	LenDale White, Ten	Winthrop Manders
80	Greg Olsen, Chi	Patrick Bateman
81	Ben Roethlisberger, Pit	Guilford OG's
82	Santana Moss, Was	The Gasman
83	Chris Cooley, Was	Team Pen15
84	Matt Hasselbeck, Sea	Who Dat ........

What I did:
I took two Colts back to back, but I didn't have anyone else on a week 6 bye. Donald Brown has been the more impressive of the 2 Colt RB's in preseason and has gotten goal-line looks. Obviously the 1st round pick was a semi vote of no-confidence in Joseph Addai as a feature back. I played for upside with this pick.

My Reaction:
Pretty simple, almost boring round. I think people took good value with every pick. The only pick I had a problem with was Matt Hasselbeck.

ROUND 8
85	Lee Evans, Buf	Who Dat ........
86	Steelers D/ST, Pit	Team Pen15
87	Percy Harvin, Min	The Gasman
88	Jamal Lewis, Cle	Guilford OG's
89	Fred Jackson, Buf	Patrick Bateman
90	Ravens D/ST, Bal	Winthrop Manders
91	Donnie Avery, StL	Team bryan
92	Owen Daniels, Hou	BC my lambo is blu
93	Cedric Benson, Cin	The Bay Bosses
94	Eli Manning, NYG	Beijing d00ds
95	Kevin Walter, Hou	Oakland brohammers
96	LeSean McCoy, Phi	Team Sexy

MY reaction: The Top 2 defense are out. Maybe a little early, but The top 2-3 defenses actually represent a significant statistical difference over the 8th-10th despite popular perception. Remember when I said Dan covers risk well, Kevin Walter. I wanted him at pick 96.

What I did: If you've been reading, you know I love Lesean McCoy. I was pumped to pick him up here. If anything happens to Westbrook, he's an absolute must-start. I'm not convinced he won't even be a strong flex play with Westbrook in the lineup. This is a keeper league, and I love rookie RBs.

ROUND 9
97	Steve Breaston, Ari	Team Sexy
98	Lance Moore, NO	Oakland brohammers
99	Devin Hester, Chi	Beijing d00ds
100	Kellen Winslow, TB	The Bay Bosses
101	Giants D/ST, NYG	BC my lambo is blu
102	Leon Washington, NYJ	Team bryan
103	Matt Cassel, KC	Winthrop Manders
104	Vikings D/ST, Min	Patrick Bateman
105	Jeremy Shockey, NO	Guilford OG's
106	Titans D/ST, Ten	The Gasman
107	Matthew Stafford, Det	Team Pen15
108	Zach Miller, Oak	Who Dat ........

My Reaction: Best pick-up in this round, Leon Washington.

What I did: Steve Breaston became a fantasy start with Anquan Boldin's injury and even when he came back racked up some big yardage. He's a valuable back-up with upside.

ROUND 10
109	Ted Ginn Jr., Mia	Who Dat ........
110	Jerricho Cotchery, NYJ	Team Pen15
111	Torry Holt, Jac	The Gasman
112	Jeremy Maclin, Phi	Guilford OG's
113	Rashard Mendenhall, Pit	Patrick Bateman
114	Earl Bennett, Chi	Winthrop Manders
115	Jets D/ST, NYJ	Team bryan
116	Julius Jones, Sea	BC my lambo is blu
117	Fred Taylor, NE	The Bay Bosses
118	Derrick Mason, Bal	Beijing d00ds
119	John Carlson, Sea	Oakland brohammers
120	Domenik Hixon, NYG	Team Sexy

My Reaction: My 2 favorite picks of this round are Ted Ginn Jr and Earl Bennett, a lot of upside there. I'm actually a fan of every WR in this round taken, not so much on the RBs.
What I did: Domenin Hixon led the Giants in yards last year, and I took a gamble he'll do it again. The Giants have Hakeem Nicks and Steve Smith, but I'm gambling on Hixon the guy Eli Manning turns to the most.

ROUND 11
121	Joe Flacco, Bal	Team Sexy
122	David Garrard, Jac	Oakland brohammers
123	Brett Favre, Min	Beijing d00ds
124	Josh Morgan, SF	The Bay Bosses
125	Laveranues Coles, Cin	BC my lambo is blu
126	Trent Edwards, Buf	Team bryan
127	Muhsin Muhammad, Car	Winthrop Manders
128	Willis McGahee, Bal	Patrick Bateman
129	Redskins D/ST, Was	Guilford OG's
130	Tim Hightower, Ari	The Gasman
131	Vernon Davis, SF	Team Pen15
132	Le'Ron McClain, Bal	Who Dat ........

What I did: Back-up QB time. I went with upside and lots of it. People sleep on Flacco. Outside of his first dismal 5 games, 1TD/7Ints, Flacco played lights out. He has been one of the best QBs all pre-season. He shredded the Panthers D in the all-important 3rd pre-season game. Flacco has hit 6 different receivers in every game he has been in. He no longer is locking down on Mason. Needless to say, I love him as a sleeper QB.
My Reaction: Looks, like I started a trend with 3 more QBs taken right after Flacco.

ROUND 12
133	Patriots D/ST, NE	Who Dat ........
134	Matt Leinart, Ari	Team Pen15
135	Ricky Williams, Mia	The Gasman
136	Michael Crabtree, SF	Guilford OG's
137	Kevin Boss, NYG	Patrick Bateman
138	Eagles D/ST, Phi	Winthrop Manders
139	Laurence Maroney, NE	Team bryan
140	Patrick Crayton, Dal	BC my lambo is blu
141	Shaun Hill, SF	The Bay Bosses
142	Earnest Graham, TB	Beijing d00ds
143	Chris Henry, Cin	Oakland brohammers
144	Visanthe Shiancoe, Min	Team Sexy

ROUND 13
145	James Davis, Cle	Team Sexy
146	Jerious Norwood, Atl	Oakland brohammers
147	Dustin Keller, NYJ	Beijing d00ds
148	Panthers D/ST, Car	The Bay Bosses
149	Stephen Gostkowski, NE	BC my lambo is blu
150	Steve Smith, NYG	Team bryan
151	Adam Vinatieri*, Ind	Winthrop Manders
152	Shonn Greene, NYJ	Patrick Bateman
153	Chester Taylor, Min	Guilford OG's
154	Chris Chambers, SD	The Gasman
155	Ryan Longwell, Min	Team Pen15
156	Nate Burleson, Sea	Who Dat ........

What I did: I love rookie RB's, and Davis completes my tri-fecta. Maybe none of them contribute right away, but the odds are favorable that the next Slaton or Forte is in there. James Davis has been impressive all preseason and I'm betting he's the starter by mid-season. Shiancoe becomes my starting TE. He's not sexy, but was Top-7 last year.
My reaction: Lot's of sleeper players I like: Kevin Boss, Patrick Crayton, Chris Henry, Shonn Greene, Nate Burleson.

ROUND 14
157	Brady Quinn, Cle	Who Dat ........
158	Sammy Morris, NE	Team Pen15
159	Glen Coffee, SF	The Gasman
160	Cadillac Williams, TB	Guilford OG's
161	Bears D/ST, Chi	Patrick Bateman
162	Joey Galloway, NE	Winthrop Manders
163	Packers D/ST, GB	Team bryan
164	Chargers D/ST, SD	BC my lambo is blu
165	Nate Washington, Ten	The Bay Bosses
166	David Akers, Phi	Beijing d00ds
167	Cowboys D/ST, Dal	Oakland brohammers
168	Dolphins D/ST, Mia	Team Sexy

ROUND 15
169	Ladell Betts, Was	Team Sexy
170	49ers D/ST, SF	Oakland brohammers
171	Bobby Engram, KC	Beijing d00ds
172	Tony Scheffler, Den	The Bay Bosses
173	Jason Elam, Atl	BC my lambo is blu
174	Jamaal Charles, KC	Team bryan
175	Terry Glenn, Dal	Winthrop Manders
176	Hakeem Nicks, NYG	Patrick Bateman
177	Buccaneers D/ST, TB	Guilford OG's
178	Kevin Curtis, Phi	The Gasman
179	Correll Buckhalter, Den	Team Pen15
180	Darrius Heyward-Bey, Oak	Who Dat ........

ROUND 16
181	Todd Heap, Bal	Who Dat ........
182	Justin Gage, Ten	Team Pen15
183	Mark Sanchez, NYJ	The Gasman
184	Neil Rackers, Ari	Guilford OG's
185	Nick Folk, Dal	Patrick Bateman
186	Edgerrin James, Sea	Winthrop Manders
187	Robert Meachem, NO	Team bryan
188	Michael Jenkins, Atl	BC my lambo is blu
189	Texans D/ST, Hou	The Bay Bosses
190	Heath Miller, Pit	Beijing d00ds
191	JaMarcus Russell, Oak	Oakland brohammers
192	Brent Celek, Phi	Team Sexy

ROUND 17
193	Chaz Schilens*, Oak	Team Sexy
194	Kelley Washington, Bal	Oakland brohammers
195	Colts D/ST, Ind	Beijing d00ds
196	Mason Crosby, GB	The Bay Bosses
197	Kyle Orton, Den	BC my lambo is blu
198	Nate Kaeding, SD	Team bryan
199	Donald Lee, GB	Winthrop Manders
200	Sidney Rice, Min	Patrick Bateman
201	Chauncey Washington, Jac	Guilford OG's
202	Jermichael Finley, GB	The Gasman
203	Malcolm Kelly, Was	Team Pen15
204	John Carney, NO	Who Dat ........

ROUND 18
205	Brandon Pettigrew, Det	Who Dat ........
206	Rob Bironas, Ten	Team Pen15
207	Kris Brown, Hou	The Gasman
208	Jared Cook, Ten	Guilford OG's
209	Tashard Choice, Dal	Patrick Bateman
210	Olindo Mare, Sea	Winthrop Manders
211	Anthony Fasano, Mia	Team bryan
212	Michael Bush, Oak	BC my lambo is blu
213	Joe Nedney, SF	The Bay Bosses
214	Devery Henderson, NO	Beijing d00ds
215	John Kasay, Car	Oakland brohammers
216	Matt Stover, Bal	Team Sexy

Give us your take. What picks do you Love/Hate? Who improved their team the best, who had the best draft. (And yes, I know Stover doesn't currently play for the Ravens, it was a tribute to one of the greats.)

Position Profile: Running Backs

2009-08-28T19:38:00.006-04:00

Examing the Running Back Position

A good football team is built on a good running game. Same is true for fantasy football. Running Backs are workhorses that can be Pro-Bowlers one season and Kyle Bollers the next. That's why they're the scariest position to draft early. Every year you look at the top-10 ranked preseason Running Backs; 4 had great seasons, 2 were so-so, 2 landed on IR, and 2 were thrown into a Running Back by committe.

I don't care what pick I have, drafting a RB in the 1st scares me. There's plenty of RB's I love going in rounds 3-7, that I almost feel safer drafting than some of the top-end talent. I'm going to examine the Top-Tier of RB's and than give you the names of sleepers, you must be aware of draft day.

Upper-Echelon Backs

Best Bets:

Matt Forte-I love him. I would come close to considering taking him 1st overall, and if I owned the 2nd pick, he would be my guy. He's going to catch a ton of balls this year, and has the speed and ability to make big plays. Forte doesn't have anyone looking over his shoulder, and he's probably the only player Jay Cutler won't alienate this season.

Adrian Peterson-Peterson's goal is 2000 yards this year, and I believe in him. Forget the Vikings QB Soap Opera and look at what Brett the Jet did for Thomas Jones. Adrian Peterson is the only playmaker Favre and the Vikes have to work with. All Day will do more than live up to his #1 pick status.

Steve Slaton-Slaton is available at the end of the 1st round, early 2nd. How nice would it be to get a combo of Calvin Johnson and Slaton at picks 12,13. Not a bad consolation prize for picking last. Slaton got the full-time gig in Houston and never looked back. Schaub is back, and that will open up the field even more for Slaton. Listen, are you really worried about Chris Brown vulturing TD's? It's not even a concern for me.

Buyer Beware:

Steven Jackson-When Jackson is healthy and on the field, he has one of the best per-game fantasy production of any player. That is despite playing for the league's worst team, and Marc Bulger and countless OL starters continually hurt. When S-Jax is healthy, he can be the best fantasy back. If your not someone who likes to roll the dice, stay away.

Frank Gore-Basically the same as above, but Frank Gore can never stay healthy. Even in college. The good thing for both Gore, and S-Jax they play in a pretty weak division and offer plenty of good matchups during playoff time.

Fantasy Player Consensus:
LaDanian Tomlinson-LT's best days are behind him. Darren Sproles is poised to take a lot of carries, and LT isn't worthy of a 1st round draft pick.

My Verdict-No way. LT pissed off a lot of Fantasy Owners who owned the 1st overall pick, myself included, but the fact is at the end of the day LT was the 6th best fantasy RB last year. Not too bad. He hears the grumblings, and is motivated for another good season. He may not be Adrian Peterson, but he's perfect capable of last years numbers, which despite the perception are not bad.

Chris Johnson-CJ is falling out of the Top 5 now, because Lendale White, surprisingly, is impressing his coaches. Lendale White is back to vulture Chris Johnson's TD's.

My Verdict-Who cares about Lendale White? CJ put up double-digit TDs as a rookie, even with Lendale vulturing. Tennessee has had all off-season to start designing an offense designed around Johnson's insane talent. Johnson will put up double-digit TDs, again, easily.

Mid-Round Backs

Love:

Ray Rice-He's the primary back in Baltimore. Cam Cameron is an offensive genious, and Baltimore's training camp has been full of screen plays and short passes to get the ball to Rice in space.

Leon Washington-He's going late in drafts. He may be the best offensive player in the AFC East not named Brady or Moss. The Jets will utilize his talent even more this year.

Knowshon Moreno-There isn't talent close to Moreno of Denver's roster. Don't give me the Denver RB nonsense.

Ahmad Bradshaw-Derrick Ward put up 1,000 yards last year behind Brandon Jacobs. Ahmad Bradshaw will be that guy.

Darren McFadden-The Raiders offense won't be as inept as people think. McFadden is a game-breaker and will be the guy in Oakland this year.

Lesean McCoy-He was a stud at Pittsburgh. I'm thinking Westbrooks TD vulture, and a great bench player to hold onto for the 3-4 games Westbrook misses.

Hate:

Willie Parker-Can we stop calling him 'Fast Willie'? Mendenhall and even Mewelde Moore will get looks in the redzone.

Jamal Lewis-He's hit his 30's. The Browns will be the AFC's worst team by far, and they still don't know who their QB is, except in 2o10 it'll be Sam Bradford.

Deep Sleepers

James Davis-I originally loved Jerome Harrison to take over for Jamal Lewis, but James Davis has been a beast this preseason. Unfortunately his name is getting out there, but he has big-time potential.

Jamaal Charles-His skill-set fits Todd Haley's offense much better than Larry Johnson. Larry Johnson has a ton of mileage on him, and he's a headcase. Charles might get an opportunity to become a solid Flex Play.

Rashad Jennings-He's dinged up right now and losing a valuable chance to be the backup to MJD, but I love his pedigree. He's got the size and speed to be an effective NFL running back.

1000 Hits

2009-08-28T19:26:00.002-04:00

We've reached the 1st of what we hope to be many of milestones, by reaching 1000 hits today. Front Office Projections over the last few days has received a lot of traffic, and are happy with the current success.

We will continue to pump out more Fantasy Draft previews over the next couple days.

I'll post the results of my draft last night, and my main league's draft this Sunday, on Monday August 31st, with analysis.

I'm also working on my gambling picks for AFC and NFC Champions, which will be out this weekend.

Thanks for the support, and please continue to follow our work, your support is greatly appreciated.
-FOProjections

Fantasy Draft Day Guide

2009-08-27T14:30:00.005-04:00

7 Ways to Approach Draft Day

December 22, 2008, I was sitting in the MGM Grand Hotel & Casino in Las Vegas watching MNF in the Sportsbook. At that moment, the hundreds of dollars I had previously lost at the BlackJack tables or the flair bartenders dancing on-top of the bar were the last things on my mind. Mason Crosby's late 4th quarter FG was going to determine how my last night in Vegas would be spent. If it's good-I lose in my Fantasy Football championship, go to sleep early, and get ready for an early flight.

That night, not only did I make several hundred of my debt back on the Craps table, the FG was blocked. The debt turned into a profit, and 5 months of hard work, literally paid off with a Fantasy Football Championship.

The thrill of winning in Vegas made it even sweeter. For those like me, that watch football for 12 hours every Sunday with their laptop on stand-by to follow up-to-the-minute updates, the feeling of winning it all cannot be matched.

Tonight my quest to re-capture fantasy glory begins. Tonight is my first draft night of the couple serious leagues I play in. Months of preparation go into tonight, and my path to another fantasy championship begins today.

My goal here is to give the strategies I implement for my Fantasy draft so others can have a similar experience. The importance of draft day cannot be understated; You can't win your league on draft day, but you can sure lose it.

1) Eliminate the RB-RB strategy, Draft 2 WR's early.

For years, the mantra was you needed to have 2 stud RB's to win your league. Some people would draft RB-RB-RB, sacrificing top-end talent at other positions to make sure their RBs were elite. Here are some names to sink your teeth into:

DeAngelo Williams (1st in FF RB points in 2008 )

Michael Turner (2)

Matt Forte (5)

Steve Slaton (6)

Chris Johnson (11)

None of these players were taken anywhere near the top rounds. If someone in your league last year would have taken Matt Forte in the 3rd round, you would be screaming for drug-testing to be implemented immediately. Even Thomas Jones, who finished 4th among Fantasy RBs, was available after the top rounds. The point is that RBs are a dime-a-dozen. The elite Fantasy WRs are not; they are the big names that you would expect. The only way to get top production from your WRs, is to spend high-end draft picks. The WRs outside of the Top 15 are pretty interchangeable.

There are plenty of RB sleepers I love (Look for that article very soon!) and plenty of top-end RBs I hate. I don't care if you draft RB-WR-WR, WR-RB-WR, or WR-WR-RB, it depends where you are drafting and how the chips fall; but make sure you get your starting WRs very early.

2) Mock Drafts

Mock Drafts aren't just for Mel Kiper or Raiders Fans come October. Not to sound like your 5th grade baseball coach, but "Practice Makes Perfect". How else are you going gauge the value of your "sleepers" if you don't use mock drafts. Do enough mock drafts, and you'll get a sense of how players are valued by fellow fantasy football players.

Don't do mock drafts with people in your league. It might be fun do mock drafts with your friends across the country or your roommates if they happen to be in your league. You tip your hand. Unless you can go into your mock draft with a strong poker face, Just Say No to mock drafting with friends.

3) Know Your League (Settings)

It may seem simple, or dumb, to you; but memorize your scoring rules. If your league awards 6 points per Passing TD or a point for every 15 passing yards, you need an elite QB early. If the rules are 4pts per Passing TD and a point for 25 yards, outside of the 'Big 3' quarterbacks, there isn't good value in drafting a QB early.

If you play PPR, Michael Turner in no way is a Top-5 RB.

It's simple, but important, learn your rules.

4) Know Your League (Personnel)

Create a Fantasy Football Draft War-Room.

Print out roster sheets for all players and fill it in as the draft progresses. Why? It's the fastest, most efficient way to keep track of other teams rosters and needs.

Example of how this is effective:

It's Round 6, and you don't have a QB in a 12 team league. In my opinion, there's not a significant difference between the QBs after Philip Rivers. The QBs I have ranked 7-13, are almost interchangeable to me. 9 of the teams in my league have already taken their QB. I have 4 QBs I like about the same, and only 3 teams that need quarterbacks. There's no reason to take a QB now. I can probably build depth with a potential break-out player like Knowshon Moreno or Leon Washington and still get a QB I like 2 rounds later. I know all draft rooms offer a feature that lets you quickly access anyones roster, but; this method is more efficient and let's you look at all of them at once and not waste valuable time.

5) Value

If Brian Westbrook falls to you in the 3rd round, can you really pass? What about Jamal Lewis or Willie Parker in the 9th round. I 'hate' both of them, but there's the issue of value.

Do you have to take them? I don't know.

I have no problem passing on older, or injury-riddled former star if it's in favor of a younger player with tons of upside. James Davis and Jamal Lewis are being drafted within a few rounds of each other. If Lewis and Davis are still available, I'm taking Davis. The odds are in favor of Lewis having the better season, but the upside on Davis is huge. We know Jamal Lewis' ceiling. It's hard to call 10th round picks, a risk; but by then you have your starters, draft players with huge upside, even if it's "too early". I don't care where players are projected to go, draft the players you have targeted as sleepers a round or 2 early. Ray Rice or Thomas Jones? Jones was the 4th best RB last year, Ray Rice was the 3rd head of the 3 headed monster in Baltimore. It seems like a no-brainer, but I'm taking Rice. The upside on Rice is huge. I know Thomas Jones is perfectly capable of putting up last years numbers, but I'm a betting man, and I'm betting against Thomas Jones. Rice has all the tools to be this year's Steve Slaton or DeAngelo Williams.

Don't draft like your the GM of a NFL team. You don't always need to take Best Player Available or draft for needs. Build your starting rosters, and don't be afraid to take risks on sleepers. Be afraid to take risks on risky players.

6) Allegiances-Lose 'em.

How can you be a 'true' Ravens, Broncos, Cowboys, etc.. fan if your a 'true fantasy football player'. I'll use myself as an example.

I'm a die-hard Ravens fan, but I love fantasy football almost as much. I've made the mistake several times in the past drafting the Ravens D/ST too early to make sure I got them, or reaching for Todd Heap, when he wasn't worthless. Am I too proud to have the Steelers D/ST or Ben Roethlisberger on my team. Trust me, it would suck to have to cheer for the Steelers to succeed, but I play fantasy to win. Fantasy Football is not an accessory. If you want your team accessories, go to NFLShop.com.

"PLAY TO WIN THE GAME"

7) FOProjections

Cheap Plug.

But here's a story.

Remember that magical night in Vegas I spent. Well, by chance, I was with 5 members of that league. One happened to be our other blogger, Dan. I'm not surprised he hasn't mentioned it. He didn't speak to me for weeks, and literally cried when handing over our league trophy, but that's not what's important.

We know what we're talking about. It's not a coincidence we were in the finals. We've been in the same league for 5 years, and for 4 years one of us has won it, the other I lost in the Finals after a 1 loss regular season.

We will give you more projections and sleepers up until draft day, and help you dominate your waiver wire during the season.

The e-mail box is always open, and we're hoping to get the Ask The Experts Feature rolling every Sunday and Monday before games. We'll offer Start 'em, Sit 'em advice, and everything else throughout the season.

Good Luck with your drafts, but hopefully you won't need it.

Preseason 2010 NFL Mock Draft

2009-08-24T00:00:00.012-04:00

And here you thought we were just a fantasy football blog. No, FO projections plans to bring you a variety of different opinions on various topics spanning across many different aspects of football and other sports. One of the staples of this site will be draft analysis over the course of this college football season- in part to give you an advanced understanding of the future football stars which will one day be on your fantasy rosters; but mostly because it simply interests us.

This mock draft, of course, is extremely preliminary and many of the players mentioned on this list will see their stock fluctuate over the course of the college season. However, it is never to early to size up the prospects and team needs and this is FO projections preseason stab at addressing those issues. So without further ado, let me introduce FO projections first mock draft.

(Disclaimer: team draft position is merely based off of last year's draft order and is not a reflection of where FO Projections feels a certain team will rank by season's end. If that were the case, the Cleveland Browns would probably would probably be the early favorites for the top spot in next year's draft)

* Denotes Junior

**Denotes draft-eligible sophomore

1. Detroit Lions- Russell Okung OT Oklahoma State

If Stafford proves to be the QB of the future, the Lions could be in a position to put together a prolific offense for years to come with the likes of Stafford, Calvin Johnson, Kevin Smith and Brandon Pettigrew. Still an athletic left tackle who can keep Stafford upright for the next 8-10 years is essential. Jeff Backus is not getting any younger and may need to be moved to RT as early as this season. Okung, who is a very similar prospect to last year's number 2 overall pick Jason Smith, fits the bill and will likely be a top 5 pick in the 2010 draft.

2. St. Louis Rams- Sam Bradford* QB Oklahoma

Marc Bulger is past his prime and the Rams could use a prolific passer to provide their offense with the kind of firepower needed to become relevant again. Sam Bradford has all the ability and intangibles you look for in a top 5 overall pick at the QB position. As well, I am a firm believer that he, and not Stafford, would have been the number 1 overall pick in the 2009 draft had he elected to come out early. We will see if the move to return to college pays off, but as it stands right now; he is arguably the number 1 talent heading into the 2010 draft.

3. Kansas City Chiefs- Eric Berry* S Tennessee

Eric Berry may just be the next Ed Reed. He is a true difference maker in the secondary and someone who would single-handedly dictate how offenses try to attack the Chiefs defense. The Chiefs are starting to put together a legitimate offense and need a couple of playmakers infused to their secondary in order to make that side of the ball relevant too. They currently have some competent safeties, but you don't pass on a talent like Berry.

4. Seattle Seahawks- Jevan Snead* QB Ole Miss

Hasselback may have 1 or more good years left in him. But for a new coach, like Mora, who plans on putting together a team that is legitimate beyond Hasselback's short window of effectiveness, Snead is the exact type of player who could help to secure Mora's job for the next 8-10 years. Snead is an exciting QB to watch, out of Ole Miss, and is a legitimate threat to Bradford as the first QB off the board in next year's draft.

5. Cleveland Browns- Arelious Benn* WR Illinios

Braylon Edwards went from being one of the best young receivers in the league to a highly overrated receiver, who drops to many balls, in the blink of an eye. As well, he is a restricted free agent at the end of the season and Cleveland may try to trade him. Even if he returns to pro bowl form and signs an extension with the Browns, the team desperately needs a second receiver to offset the loss of Kellen Winslow and provide instant production from the number 2 slot at WR. Benn, a 6'2 224 freak of nature in the mold of Andre Johnson, will receive heavy consideration as a top 10 overall pick in next years draft- if he elects to come out early.

6. Cinncinati Bengals- Carlos Dunlap* DE Florida

Has the talent to be a consistent 10+ sack performer, at the defensive end, which is something that the Bengals are in desperate need of. Robert Geathers is a FA at the end of the season and drafting Dunlap would make it easier to avoid overpaying the inconsistent Geathers, in FA, in the event that he comes up with a big year.

7. Oakland Raiders- Ndamukong Suh DT Nebraska

Probably the Raiders biggest deficiency as a team is their ability to stop the run. The overrated Tommy Kelly and Gerard Warren do not have what it takes to plug up the middle and they need a true difference maker in order to be a top notch defense. McCoy, out of Oklahoma, is another name who should receive heavy consideration at this position come draft time. However, Suh is a more dominant run stuffer, at 6'4 305.

8. Jacksonville Jaguars- Gerald McCoy* DT Oklahoma

The Jaguars defense has simply not been as dominant since they traded Stroud to the bills last offseason. McCoy is the type of quick one gap penetrating tackle, who could combine with Henderson to reestablish the Jaguars defense as one of the best in the league.

9. Green Bay Packers- Brian Buluga* OT Iowa

Tackles are always highly sought after on draft day. Buluga a 6'6 305 left tackle who runs a sub 5.00 forty may remind some of another standout LT out of Iowa from a couple of years ago- Robert Gallery. Buluga hopes to have more success, than Gallery, manning the LT position in the NFL and Iowa has a nice track record of pumping out quality linemen. Green Bay needs an infusion of youth at the LT position after having Chad Clifton man the spot for the for the last decade or so and Buluga would represent just the kind of building block the Packers are looking for.

10. San Francisco 49ers- Taylor Mays S USC

He's a beast. Mays mirrors his game after the late Sean Taylor and also tries to emulate another former 49er great Ronnie Lott in how he punishes WR's and TE's coming over the middle. the 49ers have a pretty good ballhawking defense and secondary, but Mays would bring a different element of toughness and attitude that the 49ers lack at the safety position. Depending how the QB position shakes out this season they might be looking to draft Colt McCoy. But it is uncertain where McCoy will land when the draft is all said and done and Mays certainly represents a better value at the 10th pick.

11. Buffalo Bills- Trent Williams OT Oklahoma

Trent Williams is another stud LT which is something the Bills lack now that they shipped Jason Peters to Philadelphia prior to last draft. This will hurt the Bills, this season, and come next draft the Bills will be looking to further sure up their line by selecting a stud LT. The battle- between Okung, Buluga and Williams- will be a good one as each makes a case to be the number 1 tackle selected over the course of the college season. Regardless, Williams represents a great value at 11 and will help to fill a big need for the Bills.

12. Denver Broncos- Colt McCoy QB Texas

Regardless of whether Orton can be an adequate fill in for the next year or two; McDaniels will be looking for his QB of the future in next year's draft or FA. McCoy does not possess as strong of an arm as Bradford or Snead, but he is extremely accurate and is a great athlete who can create plays with his legs. He might be a great QB for the kind of offense McDaniels hopes to implement. This season will have a strong barring on whether McCoy locks up a spot as a top 15 pick or slides into the second round.

13. Washington Redskins- Ciron Black OT LSU

Samuels and Jansen have been strong bookend tackles for Washington for the past decade. However, they are both past their prime and Washington will make it a point to draft tackles who can replace them in the coming years. I am not particularly high on Ciron Black and think he might be too slow to be a top not left tackle. Still, he clearly represents the next best tackle, to this point, and teams have a propensity for reaching for tackles on draft day.

14. New Orleans Saints- Joe Haden* CB Florida

Last year the Saints began to address their subpar secondary with the selection of Malcolm Jenkins. However, it is unclear whether his best position may ultimately be cornerback or safety. Joe Haden, a pure cornerback, represents someone who could fill in as the number 1 or 2 cornerback depending on what the Saints decide to do with Jenkins.

15. Houston Texans- Trevard Lindley CB Kentucky

The Texans have a very strong front 7 but need to infuse talent into the secondary. The holdout of Dunta Robinson only further highlighted the need as the Texans would be without a true starting CB, this season, in the event that Robinson did not play. Lindley is a talented CB, at 6'0, out of Kentucky and another 6 pick effort this season could help him to lock up a spot in the top 15 picks in next year's draft.

16. San Diego Chargers- Damien Williams* WR USC

Vincent Jackson has emerged as the number 1 wide receiver in an offense that is setting up to feature one of the best passing games in the NFL. Still, the Chargers lack a true deep threat at wide receiver in order to stretch the field and give possession receivers like Jackson and Gates more room to operate in the middle. Enter Damien Williams, a speedster out of USC, who in his first year, after transferring from Arkansas, caught 58 balls for 869 yards and 4 scores- including a 10 catch for 169 yards and 1 score Rose Bowl game against an otherwise impressive Penn State defense.

17. New York Jets- Dez Bryant* WR Oklahoma State

I am a big fan of Dez Bryant who may slip some on draft day if he fails to run a strong forty time. At 6'2 210, I would lump him in the same category as players like Anquan Boldin and Hakeem Nicks who did not run fast forty times, and dropped in the draft, but will prove- or already have proven (Boldin)- that they can be top notch receivers in the NFL. You can chalk up his sophomore campaign- which included 87 catches for 1,480 yards and 19 touchdowns- as the result of a spread offense and subpar defenses in the big ten. But don't overlook the talent- his hands, strength, and route running skills. He is a big time player and will continue to be so in the NFL.

18. Seattle Seahawks- Jonathan Dwyer* RB Georgia State

Thanks to a moronic trade by the Broncos, the Seahawks get another first round pick this year. After selecting their QB of the future, they get their RB of the future in Dwyer. This pick is made simple by the fact that there are no good values at the OT position. Dwyer, at 6'0 226, had a very successful sophomore season rushing for 1,395 yards for 12 scores with a YPC average of 7.0. He will be a junior, this season, and could very well springboard into the top ten with a similar performance, as last year, and by running a sub 4.5 forty before the draft. Regardless of his forty time, he will be a quality 3 down back that many teams will covet in the first round on draft day.

19. Tampa Bay Buccaneers- Brandon Spikes MLB Florida

Spikes is a beast, at 6'3 244, and someone who a team can plug at inside or outside linebacker depending on that team's needs. The Bucs, who have a capable MLB in Rudd, would likely place Spikes at strongside LB. New coach Raheem Morris is a defensive guy at heart, and after picking a project (Freeman) in the first round of the 2009 draft; he will want a defensive player who can come in and make an immediate impact in the 2010 draft. Spikes represents just that.

20. Dallas Cowboys- Terrence Cody DT Alabama

The cowboys have talented players among their front 3- but no true nose tackle. Terrence Cody could be a top 10 pick or fall out of the first round depending on where teams think he is at health wise and how likely it is that he can keep his health down. Cody has reportedly lost weight, bringing him down to around 365, but the prospect of him ballooning to 400+ and being rendered unusable may give some teams pause. Still, with his weight, to this point, in check; he represents a great value pick for the Cowboys.

21. Philadelphia Eagles- Jermaine Gresham TE Oklahoma

In the 2009 draft, the Eagles drafted Cornelius Ingram in the 5th round who slipped due to injury concerns but was considered, when healthy, one of the best pass catching tight ends in the draft. Well, he quickly got a season ending injury, in training camp. In the 2010 draft, the Eagles address this issue for good and draft one of the best pure pass catching tight ends to come along in the draft in the past couple of years. Gresham doesn't really do much of that whole blocking thing. Regardless, the Eagles lack a top notch redzone receiving threat and that is one of Gresham's specialties as he found the endzone 12 times last season.

22. Minnesota Vikings- Tim Tebow QB Florida

I had to throw one shocking pick in there. No, I do not, at heart, feel Tim Tebow is a first round pick nor do I believe he will develop into a starting QB at the next level. Still, head coaches, like Childress, live to find intriguing pieces who they can use to design intricate offensive formations that give headaches for opposing defenses. Your telling me, that in the age of the wildcat, he can't find a way to give defensive coordinators chronic migraines by them having to account for all the possible plays that could manifest themselves from some combination of Adrian Peterson, Percy Harvin and Tim Tebow at QB, RB and WR. The Vikings' only major need is a long term QB and in my opinion there is none available at this spot. And hey Tim "what would Jesus do" Tebow might just surprise everyone and be able to play NFL QB a bit.

23. New England Patriots- Sergio Kindle DE/OLB Texas

Just another ultra-athletic piece they can pug in at OLB who can terrorize the opposing QB. Kindle is a 6'4 254 DE/OLB and these types of players seem to be more and more in demand each year. Last year, he notched 10 sacks and those numbers should be a floor for the numbers he could potentially put up this season.

24. Atlanta Falcons- Rolando McClain* LB Alabama

Another quality LB who, at 6'4 248, can play inside or outside LB depending on team needs. Atlanta, who has a quality MLB (Lofton) and an emerging WLB (Nicholas) can plug McClain at SLB to form potentially one of the best young trios of LB's in the NFL. The Falcons have the makings of a superbowl quality offense. Nabbing McClain would be a strong step towards crafting a superbowl quality defense.

25. Miami Dolphins- Brandon LaFell WR LSU

The dolphins lack a big receiver to compliment the smaller, but effective tandem, of Ted Ginn and Davone Bess. Drafting LaFell, a 6'3 209 WR, would eventually allow Bess to move to the slot receiver position where he would be much more effective given his skillset.

26. Baltimore Ravens- Rob Gronkowski* TE Arizona

Rob-G! Man Ive heard some stories bout this guy. Mostly, because one of my good buddies is friends, and grew up, with Rob Gronkowski. But anyways, I am not just putting his name here because I know a guy who knows him. Rob-G, who caught 47 balls for 672 yards and 10 touchdowns, is a prototypical TE- at 6-6 260- and someone who will give Gresham a serious run for the John Mackey award as the best TE in the country. It is unknown whether he will leave early, as a junior, next year. But without the prospect of winning a National Championship at Arizona, what reason would he have to stay.

27. Indianapolis Colts- Charles Brown OT USC

Part of the reason Indianapolis was so ineffective running the ball last season was because they had recently drafted 7th round picks like Charles Johnson playing LT. Charles Brown is an athletic tackle who can be plugged in anywhere on the line- other than center- and will help to ensure that the Colts are not deficient along the offensive line for the rest of Peyton Manning's years as a Colt.

28. San Francisco 49ers- Greg Hardy DE/OLB Ole Miss

Manny Lawson has disappointed, and never has developed into the kind of pass rushing threat that the 49ers had hoped. If there is one thing Greg Hardy can do, it's terrorize the QB has he had 8.5 sacks in limited play last season. He has off the field issues and isn't stout enough to be an everydown DE. But a move to outside LB in a 3-4 should be just what he needs and he has the talent to put up double digits sacks in his first year in the league. The addition of Mays and Hardy to go along with Patrick Willis and an already strong secondary would make this defense potentially elite as a whole.

29. New York Giants- Travis Lewis** OLB Oklahoma

It appears that FA Michael Boley has failed to take hold of the starting WLB position as expected. Lewis would serve as an upgrade at the position and adress possibly the only minor weakness in the Giants defense. They simply don't have any major needs- other than WR, yes, but they hope that they have addressed that in the 2009 draft- and Travis Lewis is a highly athletic player would could immediately come in and start for the Giants.

30. Tennessee Titans- Brandom Graham DE Michegan

The Titans look to find other ways to create pressure from there front four in the absence of Albert Haynesworth. Graham, who had 10 sacks as a junior last year, could be the perfect player to plug opposite Vandenbosch to make up a menacing DE combo. They could also look at talented DT's like Syracuse's Arthur Rhodes or UCLA's Bryan Price. But Graham represents the better value and, therefore, is the more sensable pick.

31. Arizona Cardinals- Everson Griffen* DE USC

To this point Griffen has not lived up to his immense talent as he registered just 4.5 sacks last year. However, if he was to emerge, in his junior year, and put up double digits sacks, he may elect to enter the draft, in which case, many teams would be willing to commit a first round pick in hopes that he can develop into a double digit sack artist in the NFL.

32. Pittsburg Steelers- Jahvid Best* RB California

To this point C.J. Spiller is probably perceived to be slightly ahead of Best in draft rankings. However, I believe Best represents the more explosive and Dynamic pick, and if he runs in the low 4.3's or even the 4.2's he certainly will receive heavy first round consideration late in the draft like Chris Johnson did in the 08 draft. Pittsburg's RB situation is a bit of an unknown as "fast" Willie Parker no longer truly justifies his nickname and it is still undetermined what they have in Mendenhall. At worst, Best would come in and be a perfect compliment to Mendenhall's bruising style of running.

Washington Redskins Fantasy Preview

2009-08-21T14:20:00.004-04:00

Who's the Skins #2 WR, and does it even matter?
The Redskins have come to be known as the "off-season champs" of the NFL, with regular season results that leave a lot to be desired. The Skins are coming off an 8-8 season that resulted them dead last in the NFC East. Dan Snyder wasn't happy and opened up the checkbook once again. Enter the $100 million dollar man, Albert Haynesworth. The problem for the Skins, and fantasy players, isn't the defense. The Redskins offense struggled to score 16.6 points per-game last season, good for 4th last in the NFL. The Skins were hoping their two 2nd round picks, Devin Thomas and Malcom Kelly, would help jump start the offense. Kelly was hobbled with injuries all season, and rumors circulating DC was Thomas was too entrinched with the DC nightlife to learn the playbook. Those two and Randle El are in a battle for the #2 spot, behind speedy Santana Moss. The Skins are hoping one of the young kids will solidify the #2 spot, putting Randle El in the slot. However, the biggest issue in Washington is the offensive line. The unit is aging, injury-prone, lacks depth, and isn't very good. Not good. All these things, put up big red flags on the Skins fantasy prospects.

Best Bet:
Chris Cooley-There is a lot to like about the Lord of the Rings look-a-like besides his talent. First, Jim Zorn's West Coast offense doesn't take many chances down field. Secondly, remember when I said the Skins offensive line isn't that good. Cambell may be under duress this year alot, and Cooley will see tons of targets. He was a bit of a fantasy disappointment last season with only 1 touchdown, but he finished 2nd and 3rd in TE receptions and targets, respectively. The Skins can't possibly be as bad as they were in the redzone last year, and if a WR steps up, Cooley will see less double teams. He's outside the "Big-4" TE's, but won't require an early round pick.

Buyer Beware:
Clinton Portis-Stop me if I'm repeating myself, but the Skins line isn't very good. Portis also has a problem staying healthy. Granted, Portis was a beast for the first half of last year, and is good in the redzone. However, I'm concerned about wear and tear. In the first two rounds theres safer options, and higher upside.

Sleeper:
Jason Cambell-This seems to against all my previous logic, but unlike Dan Snyder, Vinnie Cerato, and Redskins nation; I like Jason Cambell. The Skins may not have a high powered offense and a struggling offensive lines, but there's a lot of things I like about Jason Cambell. He's in the same offensive system for consecutive years for the first time since high school. Cambell is a little tenative with football, but doesn't make many mistakes with the football. Most importantly, there's tons of motivation. He's received multiple votes of no-confidence from Redskins brass, and it's a contract year. Maybe a breakout year?

Denver Broncos Fantasy Preview

2009-08-21T03:03:00.000-04:00

Is Kyle Orton a quality NFL starting quarterback?
That is the primary question, for the Broncos, leading into the 2009-2010 season. Early indications are not good, but don't be so quick to come to a conclusion that he is not. Look, it has been a tumultuous offseason: Shanahan is unexpectedly fired and replaced by the young, and very brash, Josh McDaniels who almost simultaneous alienates his perceived primadonna QB, who in turn forces his way out- oh and Brandon Marshall and Tony Scheffler almost got sent the way of Cutler too- resulting in the equally unexpected Kyle Orton era in Denver... did I get all that? Let's not trick ourselves into thinking Orton can make half the throws Cutler can, and for that players like Brandon Marshall and Eddie Royal will suffer in terms of their overall stats. However, let's also not trick ourselves into thinking Kyle Orton is not at least a capable QB whose skill set might play up once he fully grasps the offense and understands how to utilize the talent around him.

The fact remains, he still seems like the type of cerebral QB who can thrive in an intricate offense like the one McDaniels is attempting to install. The position players and offensive line he has surrounding him, in Denver, are markedly better than the ones he had in Chicago. Kyle Orton will be this teams starting QB, this season, and I believe he will perform at least well enough to not seriously downgrade other potential fantasy stars like Marshall, Royal and Moreno.

Best Bet:
Eddie Royal- I know that may sound strange, Eddie Royal as the Broncos best bet, but look at the facts. He is coming off of a superb rookie season in which he caught 91 balls for 980 yards and 5 scores. He is a more athletic Wes Welker- a player who McDaniels has proven to be very good at utilizing. As well, he is a player who can make plays off screen passes and short-to-intermediate routes so if Orton can just deliver the ball with accuracy he can constantly put Royal in a position to make plays after the catch. He may not improve on his touchdown receptions, but he is a safe bet to get over a 1,000 receiving and 90+ receptions- barring injury.

Buyer Beware
Brandon Marshall- Well this is a messy situation. Marshall is at the center of controversy, these days, in Broncosland. He wants a new contract; he simply doesn't trust the organization; He's dealing with a new QB that might not be able to fully take advantage of his skill set; oh and he's a primadonna- could the baby TO nickname be any more perfect. I love B-Mars' skill set, and think he has a chance to rank among the truly elite receivers in football. But his 2009-2010 season has underachiever written all over it and you would be well -advised to draft him only if it came in the form of a discount. As it stands right now, there are many receivers who are better (more importantly safer) options than Marshall is for this season.

Sleeper
Knowshon Moreno- Right now, there is a plethora of runningbacks vying for time in Denver. Furthermore, Moreno is injured and may not be ready until the start of the season. Still, barring nagging injuries, he is immensely more talented than the other options and stands to be the primary back once he can get a full handle of the offense. You can say that McDaniels has displayed a history of rotating backs in NE and will continue to do so in Denver. But McDaniels has never had a back as talented as Moreno- don't even think about citing Maroney- and he will figure out a way to fully integrate him into an offense that needs a dynamic RB to take pressure off of Orton. Look, the Broncos would not break the mold- of waiting til late in the draft to find a RB- unless they believed that Moreno could be an every down difference maker, which he will be. The only complication might be Peyton Hillis vulturing TD's. But Moreno is a relatively big back (at 220) and shouldn't have trouble powering it in the end zone either. If he's healthy, and McDaniels gives him his carries, he's going to have a big rookie year.

QB Rankings

2009-08-20T00:09:00.002-04:00

2009 Front Office Projections Fantasy QB Rankings
Player	Mike Rank	Dan Rank	Average Rank
Drew Brees	1	2	1.5
Tom Brady	2	1	1.5
Aaron Rodgers	3	4	3.5
Kurt Warner	4	5	4.5
Peyton Manning	5	3	4
Philip Rivers	6	6	6
Matt Schaub	7	9	8
Donavan McNabb	8	10	9
Matt Ryan	9	8	8.5
Tony Romo	10	7	8.5
Jay Cutler	11	12	11.5
Ben Roethlisberger	12	13	12.5
Eli Manning	13	15	14
Brett Favre	14	19	16.5
Carson Palmer	15	11	13
Matt Cassell	16	14	15
David Garrard	17	16	16.5
Joe Flacco	18	18	18
Matt Hassleback	19	17	18
Jason Cambell	20	24	22
Trent Edwards	21	20	20.5
Jamarcus Russell	22	23	22.5
Jake Delhomme	23	25	24
Kyle Orton	24	21	22.5
Chad Pennington	25	26	25.5
Shaun Hill	26	22	24
Matthew Stafford	27	31	29
Marc Bulger	28	27	27.5
Kerry Collins	29	28	28.5
Mark Sanchez	30	33	31.5
Brady Quinn	31	29	30
Matt Leinart	32	37	34.5
Kellen Clemmens	33	34	33.5
Alex Smith	34	38	36
Derek Anderson	35	36	35.5
Daunte Culpepper	36	30	33
Chris Simms	37	35	36
Byron Leftwich	38	32	35
Josh Freeman	40	39	39.5
Mike Vick	39	40	39.5

There you have it, the 2009 Fantasy QB Rankings from Front Office Projections.
Let us know your thoughts; Who's too high, too low, How'd we do?

Look for the rest of our Rankings to come out periodically over the next few days, along with our Top 10 Sleepers/Busts

Chicago Bears Fantasy Preview

2009-08-19T12:19:00.007-04:00

Will Cutler Sail in the Windy City?

The Bears have always had a Superbowl caliber defense, that's been held back by an inept offense. Enter, Jay Cutler and the Superbowl talk. The Bears, under Lovie Smith, have been a very conservative offense, but they've never had an arm like Cutler. However, the Bears won't change their gameplan. They will continue to pound the rock, be conservative, avoid turnovers, but with Cutler they'll take an extra shot or 2 down field a game. Cutlet will not throw the ball 616 times this year, nor throw for 4,500+ yards. His fantasy prospects sure take a hit, but the Bears are now a legit contender in the NFC.

Best Bet:

Matt Forte-That was easy. Forte had an incredible rookie year, and will be a big beneficiary of the QB switch from Kyle Orton to Jay Cutler. Cutler will force defenses to, finally, respect the passing game in Chicago, and Forte will have less 8-man fronts to deal with. Forte, with LT, led the NFL in receiving targets for running backs and was fourth in carries. He's a lock for 300 carries, 50 catches, and double-digit touchdowns.

Buyer Beware:

Jay Cutler-No, this is not a personal vendetta against a premadonna who seems to be pissing every one off; it's really simple mathematics. Subtract elite WRs like Eddie Royal and Brandon Marshall. Add, conservative, run-first style of the Chicago offense and a future All-Pro Running back in Matt Forte. Gone are the days when Cutler has 40-50 attempts per-game, the Bears will take a few shots down field per-game, but Cutler isn't suddenly going to turn this offense into the Broncos. All this equals, Jay Cutler not being an elite fantasy QB. The only positive for Cutler's fantasy prospects from the switch is playing the Lions 2x a year.

Sleeper:

Greg Olsen-Olsen has been a 'sleeper' pick now for 2 seasons, and his production has been nothing more than a borderline start. This year changes that. My prediction, Olsen will be Top-3. He saw a huge increase in targets and touchdowns from 2007 to 2008. He scored 3 Touchdowns in the final 4 games last season. He's not a great blocker, so his job is to catch passes and work the middle of the field. The most important piece to the Greg Olsen for fantasy glory puzzle, The Bears still don't have any good WRs. Cutler, who quickly seems to alienate everyone around him, newest victim being Devin Hester, should love throwing the ball to Olsen. He's got good hands, and the Bears, especially in the latter half of last season, seemed to call plays especially for Olsen in the redzone. The best part for savvy Fantasy players is he won't go when people reach for TE's early. You can still build good depth at RB, WR and get similar TE production by drafting Olsen a few rounds later.

Preseason Football

2009-08-17T20:01:00.004-04:00

Preseason Games Preview 8/17

Players to Watch

New York Giants vs. Carolina Panthers

The New York Giants can certainly be characterized as one of the favorites to win the Super Bowl this year, with a superb defense and potentially potent offense. The main question: can the Giants rookie receivers step up early and help to replace the production of departed WR Plaxico Burress? Look for Hakeem Nicks and Ramses Barden to carve out specialist roles in an attempt to make up for this loss of production. Hakeem Nicks (who was one of my personal favorite receivers coming out in last year's draft) is a very capable possession receiver, in the mold of Anquan Boldin, who should be able to provide a solid option for Eli on short-to-intermediate routes. Ramses Barden, a 6'6 225 receiver, should provide value as a redzone option while he works on the finer points of being an NFL receiver. Domenik Hixon and Mario Manningham should constitute Eli's most reliable deep threats. There are no true number 1 options, but if all these receivers can perform well in specific roles, they should be effective as an overall group. Eli Manning once again comes into the year as a fringe-starting quality fantasy option who has the talent for more, but also has deficiencies- i.e. throwing interceptions- which make him better suited as your backup QB. The fact remains that the Giants are a run-heavy offense, so until further notice, Manning's primary role is as a game manager. At running back, Brandon Jacobs is the clear number one and looks poised to have a big year. However, Jacobs is somewhat injury prone and the Giants like to use multiple backs. The departure of Ward, combined with the season ending injury of promising rookie RB Andre Brown, means that Ahmad Bradshaw may be in line for a big year as well.

The Carolina Panthers also are a run-heavy offense and have arguably the best tandem of running backs, D. Williams and J. Stewart, in football. Both should be able to put in solid seasons this year- with the potential to be great if one of the RB's happens to get injured. The overall success of this offense hinges on Jake Delhomme- who is undoubtedly on the downside of his career. If he can turn back time, and put in a solid season, everyone- especially Steve Smith- will benefit and be in line for big year's. If he falters throughout preseason, you might want to move Steve Smith down a bit relative to other enticing receivers like Roddy White, Reggie Wayne, and Greg Jennings. So needless to say, Delhomme is the most important player to watch throughout the preseason.

Miami Dolphins vs. Jacksonville Jaguars

For the Miami Dolphins, the success of there offense depends on the effectiveness of Ronnie Brown. Is his fantasy value completely dependant on how effective he can continue to be in the wildcat. Or can he finally blossom into the type of 3 down traditional workhorse that his talent suggests he can be. Ted Ginn represents the next best fantasy option, but the weak armed Chad Pennington is not doing him any favors by not having the arm to exploit Ginn's speed on deep routes. Pat White might have some value by performing a multitude of roles in the wildcat as a QB and as a receiver in a traditional offensive formation. His effectiveness bares watching.

The Jaguars have many questions coming into the year. Can David Garrard bounce back? can Jones-Drew hold up as the primary back? does Torry Holt have anything left? I'm inclined to answer those questions as yes, probably, and probably not. These preseason games should be able to give you some better insight into those answers.

(Note: for more complete fantasy previews of the Jaguars and Panthers, access the blog archives)

Brett Favre...back?

2009-08-17T13:18:00.004-04:00

Sources: Favre to join Vikings
It was a sincere hope here at Front Office Projections to never utter the name Brett Favre like the rest of sports media outlets beat this topic like a dead horse. Well the Soap Opera that is Brett Favre is now reportedly set to join the Vikings. Rumors have it that he will join the Vikings for their final 2 preseason games, but before you go out and buy a purple Favre jersey, wait until you see Favre in it.

The next time you hear us mutter the name Brett Favre it will be when his decision is FINAL and discussing his fantasy prospects.

Carolina Panthers Fantasy Preview

2009-08-17T12:56:00.006-04:00

How does DeAngelo Williams follow up last years breakout season?The Running back all fantasy players wanted from Carolina was Jonathan Stewart. He didn't disappoint (10 touchdowns), but he didn't live up to expectations. For those that got stuck with Carolina's 'other' back, DeAngelo Williams, they got the biggest steal in last years fantasy draft. Going into this season, nobody is questioning Carolina's running game. All the questions surround Jake Delhomme. Carolina was 1 win away from hosting an NFC Championship game before Delhomme imploded for 5INTs against the Arizona Cardinals. The Panthers are putting their full faith in Delhomme again this season to lead the Panthers to the Superbowl.

Best Bet:
Steve Smith-Pound for pound the toughest WR in football. The injury a few weeks ago drew concern from Panthers fans and fantasy players alike when word spread that Smith was actually feeling pain. A collective sigh of relief was breathed when Smith surprisingly returned to the practice field late last week. Original reports had Smith returning for opening weekend, but I was never concerned about the injury. Now, the injury is a distant afterthought and Smith should be regarded as a top 5 fantasy WR. Smith is the scariest WR in the league, he is more than capable of winning a week all by himself.

Buyer Beware:

DeAngelo Williams-Did anyone see this coming last year? The Panthers sure didn't when they drafted Jonathan Stewart in the 1st round last year's draft. Will DeAngelo be a good fantasy start this year? Yes. Will he be the #1 fantasy producer this year? No. Most fantasy outlets don't have him rated in the Top 5, and that's good. There's maybe 8-10 backs I actually like more than Williams this year, not for a lack of talent, rather who's behind him. Williams proved he can score last year, but Stewart has the better size, and skill set in redzone situations. Both Williams and Stewart will get plenty of touches, but Stewart will punch more in the endzone.

Sleeper:
Jonathan Stewart-Yeah we really went on a limb picking the 'The Daily Show' as a sleeper. Last year, he was projected to take over the starting role in Carolina but unfortunately for fantasy players that took Stewart he suffered an achilles injury and DeAngelo Williams exploded on the fantasy scene becoming the #1 fantasy star last year. Even missing action last year and Williams taking over the starting role, Stewart scored 10 TDs. Carolina will run the rock a lot this year, and Stewart will continue to get redzone looks and a lot of touches. Stewart is a safe bet at #2 RB, and has the upside to not only being Carolina's #1 RB, but a fantasy star too.

Kansas City Chiefs Fantasy Preview

2009-08-16T20:37:00.004-04:00

Can Todd Haley bring the same success to Kansas City?

Kansas City is hoping the big changes they made in the offseason, make a big impact on their offense. Kansas City brings in New England's latest golden boy, Matt Cassel, and the offensive coordinator from the high-powered Arizona Cardinals, Todd Haley. The Chiefs did lose Tony Gonzalez to the Atlanta Falcons, the offensive line remains a huge question mark, and Larry Johnson has been a huge fantasy bust over the past two seasons. Make no mistake, this is still a rebuilding year for the Chiefs, but; there are some Chiefs that can make an impact on your fantasy team.

Best Bet:

Dwayne Bowe- Ready, guess which two WRs led the NFL in redzone targets last season. Larry Fitzgerald and Anquan Boldin; with those plays being called by new Head Coach, Todd Haley. Bowe has great size, hands, and leaping ability. Bowe saw a ton of redzone targets last year with a bunch of different QB's throwing to him. Cassel is still a huge question mark, but he's going to love throwing the ball to Bowe. Bowe hit 7 TDs last season, with Haley's offense Bowe should get into the double digits this year.

Buyer Beware:

Matt Cassel- Cassel's going to find his new environment much more difficult than the comfy comfines of Foxboro. The offensive lines are a world of difference. We love Bowe here, but Kansas City doesn't have Randy Moss or Wes Welker. Cassel is a fine backup, but he's not a fantasy starter.

Sleeper:

Jamaal Charles- Larry Johnson is now a happy camper, and ready to bounce back. LJ's not the same player he once way, nor close to it. He may be mentally happy, but physically he's done. He's going to be the Edge of the Cardinals offense. Charles skill set fits much better in a spread offense, and has great hands. The only concern for a true breakout season is that Charles didn't find the endzone on the ground last season. He'll get plenty of touches in this offense, and yardage.

Saturday Preseason Games Review

2009-08-16T16:09:00.004-04:00

Saturday Preseason Games 8/15

Atlanta Falcons vs. Detroit Lions
After watching this game, the thing that I can say with the most certainty is Michael Turner is ready to match last year's performance. The stocky built back had 6 carries for 63 yards and a score. His build combined with his low center of gravity on running plays means that he is much less susceptible to injuries than someone like Adrian Peterson who runs more upright. Jerious Norwood was also solid and could have value as a Leon Washington-type change of pace players who racks up yards in a variety of different ways. Matt Ryan was not in there long, going 5/7 for 33 yards. He should be good this season, but don't buy too much into the hype. This is still very much a run first offense. Roddy White, 3 catches for 29 yards, is due for a big year now that he finally has gotten that new contract. Tony Gonzalez, 1 catch for 7 yards, is a player who will not play much in preseason but you know what you are going to get during the regular season- which is borderline top 5 tight end production (note: There are a lot of TE's this year so I would wait to draft one instead of jumping on Gonzalez early). Overall, this offense is very good, and has the potential to be great depending on how much Ryan advances in his second year.

For the Lions, the biggest thing you can take away from this game is that Matt Stafford is gonna be good. He was 7/14 for 114 yards with a TD and an INT. Overall, he displayed a strong arm with nice touch and good mobility. But what was most impressive about Stafford was his pocket presence; this key because a shaky line means he will have to watch his back early on and get the ball out quick. He should form one dynamic Duo with Calvin Johnson in the future. Kevin Smith did not play much but he seems poised build on a very solid rookie season. At this point, I would take him over other similarly ranked players like Westbrook, R. Brown, Lynch and R. Grant. With Calvin Johnson out, There were really no receiver's of any consequence. Still, Derrick Williams, an athletic rookie out of Penn State, had a nice day 2 catches for 35 yards and a score and may be able to find a role as an explosive slot receiver.

Chicago Bears vs. Buffalo Bills
Much the same way the Orton era started off shaky in Denver, the Jay Cutler era didn't exactly start off with a bang as he went 5/10 for 64 yards and an INT. One shaky preseason performance is nothing to get worried about. Still, if he continues to struggle as he deals with a receiving corp that is significantly less talented than the one he had in Denver, it's worth noting. Forte did not play, but he should be in for a big season following his dynamic rookie season. He is equally adept at running and catching the football and will face less 8-man fronts now that Cutler is at the helm. Greg Olsen didn't have any catches but he stands to be the primary benefactor from the upgrade at the QB position this year. Devin Hester (I guess you can call him Chicago's #1) had 2 catches for 22 yards.

For the Bills, Trent Edwards has been looking good so far. I am not talking about the numbers- though they were pretty good yesterday as he went 10/10 for 79 yards. I am talking about the fact that he seems to be exhibiting a much stronger arm than what we have seen his first 2 years in the league. It is unclear what improved strength will do for his fantasy prospects; but it is clear that a stronger arm means better potential numbers for both Terrell Owens and Lee Evans. Speaking of Lee Evans, he had a solid day yesterday with 3 catches for 54 yards after not factoring in at all in their first preseason game. The running game was, once again, ineffective as no running back turned in a performance of any consequence. Could it mean nothing? sure. But Keep in mind that the Bills, in the offeason, lost 3 starters, including all-pro Jason Peters, and are currently starting two rookies at center and guard.

Cleveland Browns vs. Green Bay Packers
I am becoming more and more convinced each day that the Cleveland Browns will be the worst team in the NFL this season. There QB situation is still unsettled and it is clear that neither QB has seized the moment. Expect Quinn to start by default. The running game will be abysmal this season- There only hope for respectability will be a break out rookie performance by James Davis. I have little confidence in Jamal Lewis or Jerome Harrison. Braylon Edwards was someone I was looking forward to targeting as a buy-low opportunity. But so far, it seems he is in for another season in which he drops twice as many balls as he catches touchdown passes (he should have caught a TD pass yesterday). Other than that, they have a couple of solid rookie receivers Massaquoi and Robiskie who may factor in this season- but one a bad team, rookie receivers almost never thrive.

For the Packers, this is a team that is poised to significantly improve on last year's 6-10 record. Aaron Rodgers, will put up top 5 fantasy QB numbers. Last night, he was 5/10 for 102 yards and a score; but the numbers merely confirm what we already know. Greg Jennings is due for a big year. Ryan Grant is poised to score more TD's- he found the endzone last night. And Donald Driver and Donald Lee could be solid bench options for your fantasy team. Overall, this is a good all-around offense and you would be well served to get one or two of these players on your fantasy team.

Preaseason Games 8/15

2009-08-15T17:57:00.008-04:00

Players to Watch

Cleveland Browns vs. Green Bay Packers

Jerome Harrison-Jamal Lewis is an old 30. Through injuries, wear and tear, 6 months in federal prison, J-Lew's days as a full-time back are numbered. The problem for Harrison is the Browns have this distinct ability to completely disregard talent when building a football team. Harrison has proven that he can make plays in the NFL, but the Browns insist on burying him on depth chart. They drafted James Davis who may be the heir-apparent to Lewis; but Harrison has big play potential for a team that will sorely need big plays next season. Hopefully, Mangenious will notice his big-play ability, ala, Leon Washington, but; he is coaching the Browns.

The rumors are swirling that the Derek Anderson/Brady Quinn race is deadlocked. The belief here is that it's Quinn's job to lose. If either can set a rapport with Braylon Edwards, it would give us one reason to watch a Browns game.

Houston Texans vs. Kansas City Chiefs

Dwayne Bowe-What is going on in KC? For a team that lacks weapons for Matt Cassell, why is Bowe playing with the 2nd stringers. We love Bowe here (re-read our Top 10 Fantasy WR keeper ranks), he's way too talented for this to be any true concern. Cassell is going to love throwing it to Bowe, he's got the size, hands, and leaping ability. Fitzgerald and Boldin led all NFL WRs in red-zone targets, and guess who was calling the plays? Todd Haley; New Head Coach of the Chiefs.

Houston Texans Fantasy Preview

2009-08-15T17:13:00.007-04:00

Are the Houston Texans finally ready to break out?
Offensively, this teams is loaded with options and, by the end of the year, may boast a top 5 offense. The offense starts with quarterback Matt Schaub who has the potential to put up 3,500 to 4,000 passing yards and 25+ touchdowns. The one thing that has held Schaub back from reaching his true fantasy potential has been a rash of nagging injuries; expect him to put it all together this season. Surrounding Schaub is a bevy of talented players at every skill position. At the running back position, Slaton is expected to build on his highly successful rookie campaign and cement himself as a top 10 RB for years to come. This offense also features WR phenom Andre Johnson who, last year, established himself as an elite fantasy player (regardless of position). Finally, the offense also features a couple of excellent role players- in TE Owen Daniels and WR Kevin Walter- who are expected to factor significantly into this offense. If you can nab a couple of these players on draft day; you are putting your team in a good position to be successful this season.

Best Bets:
Andre Johnson- Do I really even need to say much. Despite having to deal with multiple quarterbacks due to injuries, Andre Johnson turned in the best season of his career by catching 115 balls for 1,575 yards and 8 touchdowns. A healthy Shaub should mean an increase, in touchdowns, to at least 10+ scores while the rest of Johnson's numbers stay constant- or slightly improve. He's a beast, he's a stud, what else can I say other than you want him on your fantasy team.

Steve Slaton- In a running back heavy draft which featured more highly touted prospects like Darren McFadden, Jonathan Stewart, Chis Johnson, Felix Jones, Kevin Smith and Matt Forte- Slaton put up arguably the best rookie numbers of them all posting 1,282 yards (a 4.8 ypc), 50 catches for 377 yards, and 10 total touchdowns (9 rushing). He also is in an offense where he is the only viable option, at the running back position, and, thus, does not have any RB competition for goal-line opportunities and splitting carries. The only concern, with Slaton, is that he is smallish, at 5'9 195 (on ESPN it says 215 but that is a lie), and may be susceptible to injury. Regardless, he has been durable through college, and in his rookie year, and represents the perfect system back for Gary Kubiak's Broncos style zone blocking scheme.

Buyer Beware
Matt Schaub- Let me preface this by say that I love, and will draft, Schaub because of his fantasy upside, and also don't really think there are any true buyer beware players in the Texans offense. Still, with Schaub, it all comes down to health and this QB has been known to miss a couple of games due to injury each year since he has come to the Texans. I say draft him, but make sure to safeguard yourself with a strong backup QB immediately after in case his injury-prone troubles continue.

Sleeper
Owen Daniels- despite the fact that he has consistently been a top 5 TE, or close to it, the last two years- he seems to consistently be undervalued come draft day. This is good news for fantasy savvy players like you and I who know that it is foolish to draft a TE early when you can sit back and grab a potential stud like Daniels. Last year, Daniels did everything but reach the end zone as he compiled 70 catches for 862 yards and 2 touchdowns in the 2008 season. In 2009, expect him to reach the endzone 5+ times in addition to putting up comparable numbers to the ones he has been putting up the last two seasons.

Last Night Review

2009-08-15T13:42:00.005-04:00

All About the Quarterback.
For the majority of us that have been starving for football, yesterday was filled with major storylines all revolving around the Quarterback position.

Josh McDaniels is cementing his legacy early
Don't get me wrong, I think Jay Cutler might be in the running for douche of the year award; but right now he's making Josh McDaniels look like an idiot. Kyle Orton couldn't have had a worse start. 9/16 for 89 yards and 3 interceptions. You have to feel for Broncos fans. They lose Mike Shanahan, get McDaniels. Cutler consistenly rips on Denver, but now Chris Simms might be their savior, yikes. Worst of all, they won't be bad enough that they can hope for Sam Bradford. Fantasy wise, Brandon Marshall went from a bottom-tier #1 option last year, to a solid #2. Now, he may be a bottom-tier #2 fantasy option, unless he gets moved. He can only hope.

Sanchez or Clemens
Regardless of what Rex Ryan says, the belief here is that Mark Sanchez will be the QB of the NY Jets, sooner than later. Not that either are good fantasy options this season, but if Sanchez plays well enough by seasons end, he might be in consideration in deep keeper leagues. Either way, I like Dustin Keller to get a lot of targets this year.

Old Fantasy Stars shine
Marc Bulger and Carson Palmer are so 2006. It seems like so long ago that these guys were fantasy studs, but maybe they can help your team this year. Bulger, I'm nowhere near sold on yet. The line has a lot of new pieces, but they were dreadful last year, and Bulger was just destroyed. Steven Jackson is a beast, and will help out the passing game, but Bulger should go very late in drafts, and may be worth a flyer. Remember, I like Carson Palmer(a potential #1 QB you can get late) and OchoCinco to bounce back this year (http://foprojections.blogspot.com/2009/08/afc-north-fantasy-preview.html). Chris Henry was my sleepr pick for the Bengals and shined last night with 7 catches, 100 yards, and a TD. He is immensely talented, the Bengals only real redzone threat, it's all about staying on the field and out of jail for him.