Category: Fantasy Football (Page 234 of 324)

      Does Vince Young have enough weapons?

      August 23, 2008 /

      In the weeks leading up to the kickoff the 2008 NFL Season, I’ll take a look at position groups that could potentially lift teams to new heights, or bury them and their postseason hopes. Today I take a look at the lack of weapons the Tennessee Titans have in their receiving corps.

      While Vince Young deserves praise for turning the Tennessee Titans’ fortunes around since being selected with the third overall pick in the 2006 draft, it’s no secret that the team would like him to develop more as a passer.

      But does he have enough weapons to throw to?

      The Titans signed longtime Atlanta Falcons’ tight end Alge Crumpler in the offseason and while Crump has struggled with chronic knee problems the past two seasons, he’s still a viable option in the passing game. Crumpler has excellent hands, runs smooth routes and looks healthier this season than he has the past two years.

      But receiver looks like a weakness as Tennessee prepares for the 2008 season. The starters, Justin Gage and Justin McCareins, are both capable, but are also limited. Roydell Williams, Brandon Jones, Biren Early and Chris Davis have all been given the opportunity to make plays this preseason, but outside of maybe Early, none has stood out.

      Even though the receivers are marginal at best, it won’t matter how good the wide outs are if Young doesn’t develop as a passer. Outside of a couple of drives, Young hasn’t looked good this preseason and continues to show a lack of sound fundamentals.

      One issue he continues to have is that he won’t square his body to his target while throwing to the sidelines. Young tends to “get out on his front foot” and use his arm to make throws instead of a combination of his arm, hips and legs. Young will continue to keep the Titans competitive with his legs, but if he doesn’t develop as a passer, defensive coordinators are implementing ways to stop him in obviously passing situations.

      Many pundits were shocked Tennessee drafted another running back (Chris Johnson) in the first round of the draft instead of targeting a wide receiver. But Johnson will get looks in the slot and short passing game, which will help Young in the short term. The Titans had the same idea when they signed Crumpler – strengthen the short to mediate passing game until Young gets more comfortable going down field, then the team can add a quality receiver maybe next year. But as of right now, Gage and McCareins will have to do.

      Fantasy Football, NFL

      Linebackers core of Panthers’ defense

      August 22, 2008 /

      In the weeks leading up to the kickoff the 2008 NFL Season, I’ll take a look at position groups that could potentially lift teams to new heights, or bury them and their postseason hopes. Today I take a look at how the Panthers have built a young, athletic linebacker corps through the draft.

      Julius Peppers is the face of the Carolina Panthers’ defense – and deservedly so with his 56 quarterback takedowns in his six seasons at defensive end. But while Peppers often steals the spotlight, the strength of Carolina’s defense resides in its young linebacker corps.

      Anchoring the middle of the Panthers’ defense is second-year player Jon Beason, the team’s first round pick in 2007. As a rookie last year, Beason recorded 140 tackles, one interception, and one fumble recovery. He was held out of the Panthers’ minicamps in May because of a wrist injury, but Beason is completely healed and expected to record another 100-plus tackles in 2008.

      Playing alongside Beason will be another former first round pick in Thomas Davis, a converted safety from the University of Georgia. After playing at the strong-side position for his first three years in the league, Davis will move to the weak-side where he’ll line up behind Peppers on the right side of Carolina’s defense. With Peppers often commanding double teams, the athletic Davis will be free to roam sideline-to-sideline and thus make him a more dangerous playmaker.

      Finally, veteran Na’il Diggs is battling former Bengals’ linebacker Landon Johnson for the strong-side spot. Diggs is expected to start, but Johnson could see the field in a rotation. Neither player is as athletic or versatile as Beason or Davis, but both are solid against the run and certainly won’t be a weakness.

      Expect defensive coordinator Mike Trgovac to use all his linebackers in a variety of ways and even if opposing offenses try to spread the field, Beason and Davis have the closing speed necessary to excel in coverage. With both Beason and Davis, the Panthers should have one of the best linebacker corps for years to come.

      Fantasy Football, NFL

      Shawne Merriman has ligament damage in knee – Chargers’ GM not happy

      August 22, 2008 /

      The San Diego Union-Tribune is reporting that Chargers’ linebacker Shawne Merriman has ligment damage in his left knee and might miss the entire season if he opts for surgery.

      “It’s finding out what do I need to fix, what I need to do,” Merriman said by phone. “If it’s left up to me, I want to play football. I can’t stand sitting out.”

      Merriman’s options for fixing what he said was a torn posterior cruciate ligament (among other issues) in his left knee range from doing nothing to having a surgery that would delay the start of his season to undergoing reconstructive surgery that would keep him out all season.

      On a semi-related note, the Tribune also noted that Chargers’ GM A.J. Smith isn’t too pleased with Merriman’s activities off the field.

      Asked yesterday how he felt about Merriman’s latest venture, wherein the linebacker will fly from San Diego to Los Angeles after practice each Thursday and tape a show about the NFL on Fox Sports Net, Smith said this:

      “My feeling about any of his off-the-field activities will be between me and Shawne. Shawne has many, many activities off the field, and that’s his business, along with his agents, marketing people, publicist and business partners. My only hope is that he remembers his high-level football performance is what drives his off-the-field attraction.”

      Smith should be reminded that these players have lives off the football field. While it’s true Merriman is being paid millions of dollars to play football, it’s still only a job. If he wants to pursue other things off the field, it should be nobody’s business but his own.

      Fantasy Football, NFL

      Fantasy Football Update: 8/21

      August 21, 2008 /

      This is an addendum to the Fantasy Football Preview published on Bullz-Eye.com.

      The tough thing about publishing fantasy football rankings in early August is that the game is fluid and things are continually changing as injuries occur, depth charts are modified and camp battles won. In an effort to keep our readers on top of things, here are several players that are rising or falling as the training camps progress.

      RISING

      Chris Johnson, RB, Titans
      Johnson says that he wants to be rookie of the year, so the kid has high aspirations. He’s slated right now to the “lightning” to LenDale White’s “thunder,” but White has never been one of Jeff Fisher’s favorites, so the team might just give Johnson as big of a role as he can handle. I doubt he takes over the job, but it sure looks like a RBBC is forming in Nashville.

      Chris Perry, RB, Bengals
      Perry has been having a strong preseason and, given Rudi Johnson’s lingering injury problems, he has been tentatively given the starting job. This could be a motivational tactic aimed towards Rudi, and Perry has had injury issues of his own throughout his career, but right now he looks like a nice gamble in the late-middle rounds.

      Larry Johnson, RB, Chiefs
      LJ has looked good thus far and seems to be back on track. The big question is if Brodie Croyle is capable of keeping opposing secondaries honest. With his foot looking like it’s completely healed, Johnson has become a solid pick in the early second round.

      Phillip Rivers, QB, Chargers
      Rivers reportedly looks terrific in camp and has improved his strength and reaction time. Now that Antonio Gates is back in action, Rivers has all of his weapons in place.

      Ray Rice, RB, Ravens
      Willis McGahee has a sore knee and his (lack of a) work ethic has him on the outs with the team. Rice has been a nice surprise in camp and could work his way into the starting role if the team decided to part ways with McGahee (or if he can’t go because of the knee). At the very least, he’s a must-handcuff for McGahee owners.

      Wes Welker, WR, Patriots
      That mysterious ailment that kept Welker out of practice turned out to be a groin injury. He says he’s 100%, so there’s no reason to think that he won’t be able to finish in the top 15 in PPR leagues. He’s a nice pick in the fourth round.

      Ted Ginn, WR, Dolphins
      Chad Pennington gives the team a bona fide NFL QB (though the team hasn’t given him the job yet), so look for Ginn and WR2 Derek Hagan to do a little better than we might have expected before the trade. Ginn is a second-year WR with a lot of talent, so he’s a breakout candidate and is an interesting pick once the rounds hit double digits.

      Ricky Williams, RB, Dolphins
      Williams has looked so good thus far that there were actually rumors that the team was thinking about moving the oft-injured Ronnie Brown before the season. The coaching staff has squashed that rumor, but it does look like Williams has earned a bigger than average role for a backup RB, and should be one of the first backups selected on draft day. He might even begin the season as a starter.

      Michael Turner, RB, Falcons
      “The Burner” has looked great in the preseason and some folks are thinking that maybe the Falcons’ running game won’t be that bad. The fact that Atlanta is likely to be playing from behind a majority of the time is still a concern, but Turner looks like he’s ready for prime time. I’d be happy to take him in the fourth round.

      Nate Burleson, WR, Seahawks
      Somebody has to catch passes in Seattle, and right now Burleson is the best the Seahawks have. He’s been a fantasy tease for a few years now, but he’s an interesting pick in the late-middle rounds.

      Jonathan Stewart, RB, Panthers
      Stewart appears to be healthy and will get an opportunity to run with the first team in the Panthers’ next preseason game. The team is clearly down on DeAngelo Williams, so if Stewart can get his power game going, he may be the main back early in the season.

      Antonio Gates, TE, Chargers
      Gates has finally been cleared to return to practice, so he should be good to go for week 1. This news solidifies his standing in that top tier of TEs along with Jason Witten, Tony Gonzalez and Kellen Winslow.

      Steve Slaton, RB, Texans
      The feature back job in Houston is up for grabs, and Slaton has been the most impressive thus far in camp. Ahman Green is hurt and Chris Brown will probably assume the #1 role until he gets injured. Slaton is probably too small for full time duty in the NFL, but he could turn into a decent spot starter, which isn’t bad for a guy available late in fantasy drafts.

      FALLING

      Bobby Engram, WR, Seahawks
      Engram has a shoulder injury that is going to keep him out until at least week 5. He has gone from a savvy pick in the 8th round, to a savvy pick in the 11th or 12th. Remember, he’s 35, so there’s no guarantee that he is going to heal quickly.

      Peyton Manning, QB, Colts
      Manning still is sidelined with a knee injury and the team is saying that they hope to have him back for the season opener. I wouldn’t get too worried about Peyton, but I wouldn’t take him in the second round either. Tony Romo and Drew Brees are safer bets right now at QB.

      Rudi Johnson, RB, Bengals
      Johnson has been battling a sore hamstring. As a result, he has lost his starting job and has gone from an interesting mid-round pick to a late round flier.

      Matt Hasselbeck, QB, Seahawks
      He lost Bobby Engram to injury and now he has a sore back. Hass is still worth a pick in the 8th or 9th, but I’d much rather have Jay Cutler or Donovan McNabb.

      Ronnie Brown, RB, Dolphins
      Brown is recovering from knee surgery and now has an injured thumb. To make matters worse, Ricky Williams is looking good, so it seems like Brown could open the season as a backup. That makes his fourth-round ADP look ridiculous.

      Willis McGahee, RB, Ravens
      Head coach John Harbaugh says that McGahee is the starter when he’s ready to go, but the rumblings from Baltimore paint a bleaker picture. They say that McGahee’s poor work ethic has him in the doghouse and Ray Rice keeps vying for the starting job. I’d still grab McGahee in the fourth, but only after guys like Brandon Jacobs, Earnest Graham and Thomas Jones are off the board.

      Chad Johnson, WR, Bengals
      It’s all about the dislocated shoulder. The team says he’ll be fine, but they also indicated that the injury was a big part of the decision to re-sign Chris Henry. Johnson should be okay, but I don’t think I’d draft him before Plaxico Burress, Wes Welker or Anquan Boldin until we know he’s good to go.

      Kevin Curtis, WR, Eagles
      Curtis is going to miss about half the season with a sports hernia injury. Obviously, his stock should take a huge hit, and he isn’t worth anything but a late-round flier with the thinking that he might be back to help during the late-season push.

      Ahman Green, RB, Texans
      I thought this was a horrible contract when the Texans first signed Green and now it looks even worse. Green is hurt again and he might just get cut if he can’t get it together. Stay away, stay far away.

      Fantasy Football, NFL, Rumors & Gossip

      Steven Jackson ends holdout, will report to Rams’ camp

      August 20, 2008 /

      After a near 30-day holdout, Rams’ running back Steven Jackson has ended his standoff with the team and will report to camp according to the St. Louis Dispatch.

      While a contract has not yet been reached, Jackson is expected to undergo a physical Thursday. If he passes the physical, Jackson should be on the practice field later Thursday.

      Sources on both sides of the contract negotiations are confident a deal will be reached soon. The Rams had repeatedly said they would not negotiate the deal until Jackson reported to camp.

      Wednesday was the 27th day he had missed since his holdout began. His total fines are $408,132 at a $15,116 per day clip.

      Good move by Jackson. Teams seem more willing to negotiate a new contract with players if they can see that the player is on the practice field and not being a distraction. One has to wonder that if Jackson had reported to camp in the first place, maybe he would have already had a new deal.

      Update: The Dispatch also reports that Jackson and the Rams have agreed in principle to a new deal.

      Fantasy Football, NFL

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