Looking at the Brandon Marshall situation with a purely fantasy eye, his suspension for the remainder of the preseason may create an environment where the troublesome wide receiver becomes a value on draft day.

After news of the suspension broke, a fellow owner in my slow auction league nominated him for bidding. I won him for $21, which was 5% of my total payroll (or about two-thirds his pre-suspension value). Here’s what Joe Bryant (of Footballguys.com) had to say in a recent email:

Marshall will probably fall out of the top 100 picks in most drafts now. We would still take a chance on him around the 9th/10th round range in PPR leagues, because if this really goes completely sour, you can cut him for the WW flavor of the week, but if he straightens out, he’ll be the rare top 20 WR you can get out of the top 100.

But this hasn’t been the case, at least not yet. According to Antsports, in 12-team redraft leagues from 8/29-8/31, his ADP dropped from the late third into the early fifth. I had a keeper league that drafted this Sunday, and Marshall went in the middle of the sixth. (I realize that in a keeper league, his value will be somewhat higher because of his long-term value in the league.)

Other owners are going to be scared off by Marshall’s ridiculously bad offseason. But the bottom line is that he’s in a contract year, and if he wants to score a big payday, he’s going to need to show up and act like a professional. At least this what I hope his agent is telling him on a daily basis during his suspension.

There are some indications that the Broncos are willing to work with Marshall this year. The suspension itself was only for the preseason, and if he behaves, he could very well be on the field for the team’s opener. This is a clear sign that the Broncos value Marshall and what he can do for the team. They are not yet at the point where he’s too much of a headache to deal with. Moreover, Josh McDaniels spoke about the situation at the most recent preseason game and he seemed optimistic about the WR’s short-term future.

The driving force behind Marshall’s future is Marshall himself. If he wants a fat contract, he needs to shut his mouth and play out his current deal. If he performs up to his usual standard, some team will forget about all of this and will give him the kind of contract he’s looking for. From a fantasy point of view, this makes Marshall a risk, but a worthwhile risk in the middle rounds. If he realizes his situation, swallows his pride, and acts like a professional, he can get the kind of money he wants. This is why I’m optimistic about Brandon Marshall in 2009.

Given what we know right now, his ADP of 5.05 sounds about right. I’d take him after Eddie Royal, DeSean Jackson and Vincent Jackson, but before Santonio Holmes, Antonio Bryant and Santana Moss.

Of course, he could completely flake out and get suspended for the entire season, a la Keyshawn Johnson.

Don’t you love fantasy football?

Check out all of our 2009 NFL team previews.

Offseason Additions: Julian Peterson (LB); Larry Foote (LB); Phillip Buchanon (CB); Grady Jackson (DT); Bryant Johnson (WR).

Offseason Losses: Leigh Bodden (CB); Shaun McDonald (WR); Mike Fuerry (WR); Shaun Cody (DT); Paris Lenon (LB); George Foster (OT); Dan Orlovsky (QB).

Player to Watch: Louis Delmas, S.
Delmas, the Lions’ second round pick this year, immediately started turning heads in OTAs and continued to impress coaches with his aggressiveness and tenacity throughout training camp (although he did miss time due to a swollen knee). The former Western Michigan product is already drawing comparisons to the Colts’ Bob Sanders, which is quite a compliment considering how accomplished Sanders is. Delmas isn’t afraid of contact and flies to the football. While he needs to develop his pass coverage skills, he might lead the Lions in tackles this season.

Team Strength: There isn’t one positional unit on this team that can be deemed a strength, although wide receiver Calvin Johnson is so good that he can probably carry the moniker on his own. Johnson is a phenomenal athlete and gives the Lions’ offense a dynamic playmaker at receiver. Opposing teams try to blanket him in coverage and he still finds ways to get open and come away with the ball. As long as he stays healthy (he missed two weeks of training camp with a sprained thumb), CJ is in store for another monster season, no matter whom the Lions wind up starting at quarterback.

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After he went unclaimed at the 1:00 p.m. deadline on Monday, Brad Penny became a free agent and according to SI.com, has signed with the San Francisco Giants.

Initially, no one claimed Penny because a claiming team would have been responsible for the remainder of his contract. The Giants only have to pay him the pro-rated portion of the big-league minimum of $400,000, which will be less than $100,000.

Putting aside Penny’s numbers this season (7-8, 5.61 ERA), this is a quality signing by the Giants. He’s familiar with the NL West after pitching for the Dodgers for four and a half seasons and also offers an upgrade over Joe Martinez, who had been filling in for Randy Johnson after the Big Unit was placed on the DL with a shoulder injury in early July.

Pitching in the spacious AT&T Park should only help Penny’s performance, especially considering he had issues keeping the ball in the yard while playing in Boston this season. He should also be plenty motivated to join a contender, especially a contender whose rival is the team that Penny had a falling out with at the end of last season (the Dodgers).

Considering that Penny comes cheap, is still throwing in the mid 90s and will make an impact immediately, he’s a perfect fit for a Giants team that is coming off a sweep of the Rockies and is now tied for the NL Wild Card.

Mavs interested in Boozer?

Add the Dallas Mavericks to the list of NBA teams that were — and perhaps still are — interested in acquiring trade-craving Carlos Boozer.

Boozer has also been rumored to be heading to New York as part of a sign-and-trade swap with David Lee.

Rudy Gay wants to stay in Memphis.

“I know what I can do on the basketball court,” Gay said. “Everything else will work itself out. I love Memphis. Memphis has been my home. This is where I want to be. I really believe this is where I can make big things happen for myself and the Grizzlies.

“I like what’s happened this summer. There was definitely a lot of thought put into this offseason with all the changes. I guess we’ll know more about what the changes mean when the season starts.”

GM Chris Wallace and Gay’s agent, Jeff Austin, haven’t gotten into specifics about what they believe to be Gay’s market value, and that’s where things usually get sticky. We’ll see if Gay’s goodwill continues as the extension negotiations continue.

Is Monta Ellis on the trading block? Yes, according to Warriors beat writer, Tim Kawakami.

Monta Ellis in Dallas? That I can see, if Dallas would send some short-term deals and if the Warriors would be happy taking a major talent hit just to dump Monta’s money.

For all the energy the Warriors have placed in telling us that Monta is their centerpiece and all the sweat issued to dispute my reports that he’s unhappy… well, I could very much see Don Nelson working hard to trade Ellis.

The Ellis-Golden State relationship has been heading south ever since Ellis’s moped accident. I wouldn’t be surprised if the Warriors traded him, though I could say that about anyone on the roster, other than Anthony Randolph, who appears to be untouchable.

Did GM David Kahn use a second round pick to help fund Rubio’s buyout?

On draft night, Kahn used a second-round pick to select Henk Norel, a European prospect whose selection had at least one ESPN draft analyst puzzled.

Norel also plays for DKV Joventut.

Might Kahn offer Rubio’s Spanish team $500,000 to buy out Norel’s contract, too, invite him to training camp and thus, in essence, fund $1 million of the buyout that way?

Kahn is in Spain again, trying to free Ricky.

That’s the biggest question hovering over the NBA this season, at least from a free agency standpoint. ESPN tackled this issue by surveying a group of “52 NBA noggins” to see what the general consensus is.

The good news for Cleveland fans is that 73% responded that he’s likely to stay put, in no small part to how the economy has affected the NBA salary cap. The bottom line is that, with reduced cap space, other teams are going to have a tough time signing two superstars, so they become less desirable destinations for LeBron.

New York still lurks as the biggest threat to pry LeBron away from Cleveland, and here’s why…

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After 13 seasons in the NFL, New England Patriots linebacker Tedy Bruschi has decided to hang ‘em up.

From ESPN.com:

“I’m 36 years old,” Bruschi said at a news conference. “Your body doesn’t heal as quickly.”
Bruschi’s performance declined last year and he was playing with the second unit on defense this summer. He missed much of training camp with an undisclosed injury but played in two of the team’s last three exhibition games.
Coach Bill Belichick, usually stoic, choked up as he discussed Bruschi.

“How do I feel about Tedy Bruschi?” Belichick said. “He’s a perfect player.”

Bruschi’s reaction?

“That’s something you’ll never hear during your career,” he said as he and Belichick laughed. “To have him say that to me is probably the best compliment he could ever give me.”

Over his career, Bruschi compiled three Super Bowl rings, five 100-plus tackle seasons and was a Pro Bowler in 2004. He also won the 2005 Comeback Player of the Year Award after suffering a stroke in February of that year.

Leadership doesn’t show up on the stat sheet every Sunday, but Bruschi certainly led the team in that category almost every year he played in New England. He was the consummate pro and his success after in ’05 was inspirational considering he thought he was done playing after the stroke.

Comment fodder: Is Bruschi a Hall of Famer? I would say he probably comes up just short of that honor, but he’ll definitely go down as one of the better players in Patriots history.

Even though they officially put a waiver claim on him last week, the Twins are unlikely to land Cubs’ starter Rich Harden according to a report by the Minneapolis Star-Tribune.

As of late Sunday night, the Twins had yet to request Cubs pitcher Rich Harden’s medical records, a person close to Harden told the Star Tribune, adding that a deal by today’s noon deadline appeared unlikely.

Harden, 27, has been on the disabled list seven times since 2005, so it would be uncharacteristic for the Twins to trade for him without first examining those medical records.

Then again, in eight starts since July 16, Harden is 3-1 with a 1.80 ERA, so it’s possible the Twins could roll the dice, giving the Cubs the prospects it would take to land Harden for the season’s final five weeks. Harden is a pending Type A free agent, so a team could offer him arbitration after the season and be compensated with two high picks in the 2010 draft if he signed with another team.

If the Cubs were to trade Harden, there’s no doubt that they would want a major package of prospects in return. Considering the Twins covet young prospects (all young prospects), a deal seems unlikely.

Still, if a trade were to go down, Minnesota would be adding a quality (albeit injury-prone) starter to their rotation. Chicago would lose Harden, who they acquired mid-season last year in hopes he would form a great 1-2 punch with Carlos Zambrano at the top of their rotation, but would go a long way in restocking their farm system.

The two sides have until 1:00 p.m. ET today to get a deal done.

Update: ESPN Chicago is reporting that Harden is staying in Chicago.

Chiefs quarterback Matt Cassel is in jeopardy of missing Week 1 of the regular season after suffering an MCL injury in Kansas City’s most recent preseason game.

From Yahoo! Sports.com:

Cassel, who the Chiefs acquired in a trade with New England this offseason, was hurt Saturday night in an exhibition game against Seattle. The injury is not expected to require surgery because MCL injuries usually heal on their own.

However, the injury means Cassel could miss the Chiefs’ season opener at Baltimore on Sept. 13. If Cassel can’t play, Tyler Thigpen(notes) is expected to start the season. Thigpen, who had been the subject of trade rumors earlier this week, played in 14 games last season when the Chiefs went through injuries at quarterback. He finished the season with 18 touchdown passes, 12 interceptions and a quarterback rating of 76.0.

The fact that he won’t need surgery is good for the long-term status of the team, although it has to be disappointing for both Cassel and the Chiefs that he won’t be lining up under center in Week 1.

After a brutal start last season, Thigpen actually played well in the second half and offers Todd Haley starting experience. That doesn’t mean that Thigpen will fair well in Baltimore, but at least Haley doesn’t have to worry about trotting out a rookie QB in his team’s season opener.

One thing to note is that Thigpen has leapfrogged Brodie Croyle on the Chiefs’ depth chart. Croyle was the Week 1 starter last year and was once viewed as the long-term answer under center. His time as a starter definitely came to an end when the team acquired Cassel, although now it appears that even his time as a backup (at least in Kansas City) could be dwindling as well.

Obviously, this is worrisome for Cassel owners, but if you’re following our QBBC strategy, and drafted Cassel as part of a committee, you probably weren’t planning to use Cassel against the Ravens in Week 1 anyway. He should be able to play in Week 2 or Week 3 at the latest, so while his value is certainly hurt as a starting QB, he still holds similar value as a backup or a part of a committee.

Check out our other 2009 college football previews.

Preseason Ranking: No. 1 in AP Top 25; No. 1 in USA Today Poll.

Key Returning Players: Tim Tebow (QB); Chris Rainey (RB); Riley Cooper (WR); Deonte Thompson (WR); Aaron Hernandez (TE); Maurkice Pouncey (C); Brandon Spikes (LB); A.J. Jones (LB); Ryan Stamper (RB); Carlos Dunlap (DE); Jermaine Cunningham (DE); Justin Trattou (DE); Ahmad Black (S); Joe Haden (CB); Janoris Jenkins (CB); Lawrence Marsh (DT); Terron Sanders (DT); Major Wright (S).

Key Losses: Percy Harvin (WR); Phil Trautwein (OT); Jason Watkins (OT); Louis Murphy (WR).

Player to Watch: Tim Tebow, QB.
With all due respect to Oklahoma’s Sam Bradford and Texas’s Colt McCoy, Tebow is arguably the best player in college football. Not the best quarterback – the best player, period. Urban Meyer says that Florida will incorporate the no-huddle into their offense this season, which should only play into Tebow’s strengths, as he can beat opponents with either his arm or his legs. After throwing for 2,746 yards, rushing for 673 yards and totaling 42 touchdowns, Tebow returns for his senior season in hopes of leading Florida to its third national title in the last four seasons. And after compiling one of the most impressive second halves of any player in college football last year, there might not be anything that stands in Tebow’s (and Florida’s) way this season.

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I hope so, but it’ll be tough to take down Roger Federer given his recent dominance and past success at Flushing Meadows. Either way, that’s not stopping some critics from predicting an upset.

THINK! Tennis is a strategy as much as a physical thing. Don’t fall apart just because you’ve fallen behind.

Roddick has heard these things for years, from one coach after another.

It took this long to finally hit him that his career had peaked, and was only going to go one direction from here.

What Wimbledon showed, what made for the converts, was that Roddick finally understood. He had started listening to the latest coach, Larry Stefanki.

In defeat at Wimbledon, he was a guy not afraid in crunch time, a guy who had lost weight, learned a backhand, come to the net occasionally.

He was a guy fighting to the death on the other guy’s, the king’s, favorite court, the sport’s most-hallowed ground. Roddick is going to win this Open. The draw opened up perfectly for him. Nadal, Andy Murray and Juan Martin del Potro will have to fight it out on the other side of the draw.

I’ll be rooting for Roddick the entire tournament — I just don’t think his chances of winning are very high. He and Federer are in the same draw, along with Novak Djokovic, Fernando Verdasco, and Robin Soderling, who’s been impressive all year. The earliest Roddick could face Federer is in the semifinals and I still believe the Swiss would get the better of the rebounding American.

Roddick has only one Grand Slam to his name while Federer holds the record with 15. Roddick’s victory came at the 2003 U.S. Open and ever since then he’s been stopped by Federer and Rafael Nadal. Now that Americans (and foreign tennis fans as well) have come around to Roddick, hopefully their support will give him that extra boost if he happens to meet Federer. I’m amazed at what Federer has accomplished in his career, but now it’s time to root for our own guys. Roddick’s win at the U.S. Open wouldn’t just matter for his career, but it is something American tennis desperately needs. We have the Williams sisters, but the competition is so thin on the WTA Tour it’s often grueling to watch. After Andre Agassi retired, Roddick was supposed to carry the torch as America’s dominant male tennis player and win Grand Slam after Grand Slam. While he is undoubtedly the best in the country, it would certainly help the sport in America if he could capture the U.S. Open championship this year.

Three things that are obvious about Andy Roddick: 1) His wife, Brooklyn Decker, is a smokin’ babe; 2) He looks like Stifler from the “American Pie” movies; 3) Roger Federer always beats him in the important matches. This has been Federer’s year, but enough already! I’d like Roddick’s work ethic and drive to pay off where it counts. And what better place than in New York at the U.S. Open?

The U.S. Open starts tomorrow and will conclude on September 13th. Early round coverage will air on ESPN2.