Category: Fantasy Football (Page 302 of 324)

In a big twist of irony, running back T.J. Duckett was dealt to the Washington Redskins on Tuesday while disgruntled wide receiver Ashley Lelie will end up playing in Atlanta this season according to the Atlanta Journal Constitution.

In exchange for Duckett, 25, the Redskins sent a third- or fourth-round pick to Denver, who, in turn, shipped Lelie, 26, to the Falcons.

As for Duckett, he could finally get the chance to be a featured back — for a few weeks. Redskins’ tailback Clinton Portis is out with a shoulder injury but is not expected to be out for the entire season.

The irony of the situation is that Duckett and Lelie were both apart of the same 2002 draft in which many analysts and talking media heads thought that the Lelie was a guarantee to land in Atlanta that season. The opposite obviously happened, but now here we are just five seasons later and Lelie winds up in Atlanta anyway.

This doesn’t surprise me that Duckett was traded since that rumor mill has been spinning since the draft. The surprise comes that he is going to Washington, where the Redskins already have a number one back in Portis.

The move is obviously clear that nobody in the Redskins’ brass knows when exactly Portis is going to return from the shoulder injury he suffered a week ago and maybe the shoulder is worse than what they’re letting on. This is a move in effort to win now.

The Falcons needed a third wide receiver bad with Brian Finneran suffering a season ending knee injury in training camp. The move was apparent after the 38-10 drubbing that the team took in Green Bay this past weekend, considering veteran Jerome Pathon looked nothing close to a reliable option.

The real question becomes what are the future plans? Both players are still unrestricted free agents at the end of the year. I can’t see both of them signing for the teams they’re with now if they both want to be number one’s at their respected positions.

Kevan Barlow passed the Jets’ physical and is now practicing with the team. Look for him to get ample opportunity to win the job…Cedric Benson and Thomas Jones rejoined practice. This was to be one of the more heated running back battles this preseason, but injuries to both players have pushed this competition back, leaving fantasy owners scratching their heads on draft days around the country. Jones had a terrific year in 2005, but the team seems committed to giving Benson a shot to win the job…Dallas owner Jerry Jones said that Terrell Owens may have another MRI on his hamstring to see why the recovery is taking so long…Steve Smith continues to be held out of Panthers’ practices with his sore hammy, but the team seems confident that he’ll be able to start the season…Hines Ward returned to the field after sitting out several practices with a – you guessed it – sore hamstring. He felt a little twinge and sat out the rest of the day, but the team called the move precautionary…Clinton Portis has started rehab on his injured shoulder and the indications are that he’ll be able to start Week 1…KC guard Will Shields suffered a high ankle sprain in Thursday’s preseason game. High ankle sprains are notoriously slow to heal so this could affect his availability in the coming weeks. This is yet another blow to the KC offensive line; Larry Johnson owners cannot be happy about how this preseason has gone…LaDainian Tomlinson is likely to sit out the final two preseason games. There appears to be nothing physically wrong with him, but the team wants to avoid any potential injuries heading into the season. Tomlinson is a veteran, but it would be nice to see him get some game reps with new QB Phillip Rivers.

For the first time in my dozen-year fantasy football career, one of my teams is blessed with the #1 overall pick. When I received the news, I was quite excited about my prospects for the season. Now, as draft day approaches, I am weighted down by the pressure of the pick. Here’s why:

Larry Johnson

For most of the preseason, Larry Johnson was looking like a very solid choice for the #1 overall pick. Last season, LJ rolled up 1627 total yards and 17 touchdowns in the final nine games of the season. That projects out to 2892 total yards and 30 scores over a 16-game season. Okay, it would be foolish to expect those numbers, but certainly 2000 total yards and 20 scores is reasonable, right?

Not so fast. Kansas City changed coaches. Head coach Dick Vermeil and offensive coordinator Al Saunders are out, Herm Edwards and Mike Solari, formerly the Chiefs’ offensive line coach, are in. I doubt the duo will want to fix what isn’t broken, but Saunders is widely regarded as one of the league’s best offensive coordinators. Certainly the loss will hurt to some degree.

Tony Richardson, who had played his entire 11-year career as a fullback with the Chiefs, is now the blocking back for Chester Taylor in Minnesota. Second-year man, Ronnie Cruz is expected to fill his role. The change will be an adjustment for Johnson, who had a great rapport with Richardson on the field.

The next hit came when 11-time Pro Bowler Willie Roaf retired at the beginning of the preseason. There is a lot of speculation that this is his way of getting out of training camp, but Roaf has said that his retirement is for real.

“You know, Dion came back, Kyle Turley came back later on, but this year, you know, I’m done,” Roaf said. “I’m not one of those guys who’s going to miss all camp and do all that and then come back and play football. I don’t think that’s fair to my teammates to the fans and everybody to do it like that. If I’m going to be there, I’m going to be there and I’m going to be committed to that team.”

Footballguys.com had this to say about the Chiefs offensive line in a recent update [subscription required]:

Grade: B (slipping towards a C+ rating)
Former Rams and Saints offensive tackle Kyle Turley has been thrust into the limelight with the retirement of Willie Roaf. By all accounts he had a good training camp after missing two full seasons and attempting a comeback as a tight end earlier this year but quite frankly he has looked terrible during games. He is small and resembles a large tight end more than a staring left tackle and he has been getting thrown around by the opposing defenses. The tackle position is in shambles and the Chiefs will notice the difference on offense. Kevin Sampson appears ready to slide over to the right tackle position but he has started just one game at the NFL level. This unit is definitely sliding down the rankings in a hurry right now.

I wouldn’t worry about any of this if the Chiefs’ running game came out in the preseason and looked great. But after a decent seven-carry/30-yard performance against the Texans, LJ put up just 8 yards on four carries against the Giants. What’s worse is that the entire Kansas City running game was pathetic, putting up only 40 yards on 17 carries. And 10 of those yards came on two scrambles by quarterback Casey Printers. This does not look like the KC running game that we’re used to.

LaDainian Tomlinson

If you were to ask me who the most talented back in the league is, I’d say LaDainian Tomlinson, without hesitation. He finished as a top 3 fantasy RB each of the last four seasons. The big question mark for LT2 is the departure of Drew Brees and the insertion of Phillip Rivers into the lineup. By most accounts, Rivers is doing very well, and the team shouldn’t be overly affected by Brees’ departure. The Chargers haven’t had a good offensive line since Tomlinson arrived and all he’s done is average 1472 rushing yards, 478 receiving yards and 16 touchdowns per season. I think the team might lean on him a bit more with Brees’ departure, and I would be surprised if his receptions approached 60, which is beneficial for leagues that give one point per reception. He strikes me as the safest pick of the top 3.

Shaun Alexander

This particular fantasy league does award one point per reception, which keeps Alexander out of the #1 pick conversation. In this scoring system, he was the #1 back last season, but with the loss of Pro Bowl guard Steve Hutchinson, it is unlikely that he will rack up enough touchdowns to make up for his lack of receptions. Certainly he should be considered for the #1 pick in non PPR-leagues, but I’d still give the nod to Tomlinson, due to his terrific consistency over the past four years.

Conclusion

In the recent Scores Report poll, 39% of readers said that LJ was deserving of the #1 pick, while Tomlinson finished with 36% of the vote and Alexander 25%. I originally voted for LJ, but if the draft were today, I think I’d take Tomlinson. It’s a close call, but all the changes in Kansas City have me worried, and when in doubt, go with the most talented back. To me, that’s Tomlinson.

Throughout the preseason, we’ll take a look at the best – and worst – the NFL has to offer, unit by unit. Look for a new set of rankings every few days.

I took everybody’s comments about my quarterback unit rankings into consideration and I’ve decided to re-think the way I rate each unit. With that said, everybody who wanted the starter’s role to be weighed more heavily, you win. You always do.

With each new positional unit that gets posted, I will clarify what formula was used in each ranking and what the criteria were for ranking that unit.

Criteria for the running backs:

The starters were weighed the heaviest at 60% since they will see the majority of the snaps. A back that can carry the ball 20-25 times for an offense and pound out 100+ yards on the ground is optimal.

The backups will count for 30% seeing as how more and more teams are relying on two and, in some cases, three backs during a given season.

The rest of the 10% goes to the wildcard of this group and a player that is often overlooked in the running back unit. No team can undervalue the fullback position, the hard worker who doesn’t have nice stats, rarely scores touchdowns and doesn’t have the name recognition that the tailbacks do.

THE TOP 10

1. San Diego Chargers
LaDainian Tomlinson, Lorenzo Neal, Michael Turner
LaDainian Tomlinson does it all and does it all extremely well. He has scored 80 touchdowns in his first five seasons and has rushed for at least 1,200 yards in each of those years. Tomlinson is an unbelievable athlete who is a fluid rusher, receiver and occasionally passes well too. Michael “The Burner” Turner is a great complement who averaged nearly six yards a carry last year. Lorenzo Neal is their Pro Bowl lead blocker who is aiming for his 10th consecutive season of leading the way for a 1,000-yard back.

2. Seattle Seahawks
Shaun Alexander, Mack Strong, Maurice Morris
Reigning league MVP Shaun Alexander rushed for nearly 1,900 yards last year and scored an NFL record 28 total touchdowns. Maurice Morris is smaller than Alexander, but has been in Mike Holmgren’s offensive system for four years now and could step right in to a starting roll if Alexander were to ever go down with an injury. Pro Bowl fullback Mack Strong is a throwback blocker who loves to put his helmet on linebackers, and he caught 22 passes last year.

3. Washington Redskins
Clinton Portis, Mike Sellers, Ladell Betts, Chris Cooley
The Redskins finished seventh in the league last year in rushing thanks in large part to Clinton Portis setting a Washington team record of 1,516 yards. He scored 11 touchdowns and added 30 receptions for 216 yards. Ladell Betts is a quality backup who may be pushed into the starting role if Portis doesn’t recover quickly from his separated shoulder, and even Rock Cartwright stepped up with a 100-yard rushing day against the Rams last season. Mike Sellers was a touchdown machine in ’05 and Chris Cooley can be used as an H-back or tight end.

4. New York Giants
Tiki Barber, Jim Finn, Brandon Jacobs
Tiki Barber is yet another running back who proved last year that ball carriers don’t always show signs of slowing down when they hit 30 years of age. Barber was unbelievable last season while rushing for a career-best 1,860 yards and nine touchdowns. Brandon Jacobs is the Giants’ short-yardage back, but could handle more duties if he proves he deserves more opportunities. Fullback Jim Finn is a solid veteran.

5. Kansas City Chiefs
Larry Johnson, Ronnie Cruz, Michael Bennett, Priest Holmes
Larry Johnson is the real deal. With a full season to show what he can do, he has a tremendous chance of being the NFL rushing leader and may break some single-season records while he’s at it. Here’s why the Chiefs fall, though, and it should be pretty obvious: nobody knows if Priest Holmes is ever suiting up again and KC lost fullback Tony Richardson to Minnesota in the offseason. Richardson was one of the best fullbacks in the league and with Ronnie Cruz being mostly a special teams guy thus far in his career; he’s got some big shoes to fill. The Chiefs dealt for Michael Bennett this summer to fill in the depth chart behind LJ, but c’mon…it’s Michael Bennett.

6. Atlanta Falcons
Warrick Dunn, Justin Griffith, T.J. Duckett, Jerious Norwood
Warrick Dunn showed the rest of the NFL that running backs could get better with age as he is flourishing in Atlanta. He has continuously gotten better statistically over the past three seasons and loves the zone blocking scheme run by the Falcons. T.J. Duckett is a bruiser, but his time could be running out in Atlanta as he struggled toward the end of last year in short-yardage situations. Rookie third-round pick Jerious Norwood could be a sleeper to spell Dunn this year and fullback Justin Griffith is vastly underrated as an all-purpose fullback.

7. Cincinnati Bengals
Rudi Johnson, Jeremi Johnson, Chris Perry
Rudi Johnson is a workhorse back who broke his own single-season franchise record for yards last year with 1,458. Chris Perry, a dangerous receiver out of the backfield, averaged 4.6-yards per carry last season when he got the chance and the Bengals have said they want to get him more involved in the offense this year. Jeremi Johnson signed a contract extension through 2011, which is a big indication that this fullback is considered one of the best young blockers in the league.

8. Arizona Cardinals
Edgerrin James, Marcel Shipp, James Hodgins
Edgerrin James’ production was often overlooked in an explosive Colts’ offense, but he’ll bring his tremendous vision, slashing running style and receiving skills to the desert heat. Marcel Shipp is dependable and will be a nice change-of-pace back for James this season. James Hodgins used to block for Marshall Faulk when he was with the Rams and his huge frame will benefit James immensely.

9. New Orleans Saints
Deuce McAllister, Mike Karney, Reggie Bush
This unit is scary more than anything as Heisman Trophy winner Reggie Bush joins Deuce McAllister and up-and-coming fullback Mike Karney in the Saints backfield. McAllister suffered a season-ending knee injury last year, but should bounce back and show the power and speed he had before his injury. Wind Mr. Heisman up and let him do his thing, as Bush should be exciting to watch this year, if nothing else.

10a. Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Cadillac Williams, Mike Alstott, Michael Pittman
As a rookie last year, Carnell “Cadillac” Williams became the first player in NFL history to rush for 100 or more yards in each of his first three games. He finished the season ranked sixth in the NFC with 1,178 rushing yards and was the Bucs’ first 1,000-yard rusher since Warrick Dunn ran for 1,133 yards in 2000. Backup Michael Pittman is an excellent receiver and hard-nosed runner, while fullback/H-back Mike Alstott showed that he still has the lift to get airborne at the goal line last season.

10b. Chicago Bears
Cedric Benson, Thomas Jones, Bryan Johnson
The Bears deserve to be here too considering what Thomas Jones did for Chicago last year. Jones has given the Bears two years of quality service and what does he get for his performance? Most likely a backseat to Cedric Benson this year, of course. Jones has missed some camp time because of contract demands and injury, and Benson has been resting a sore shoulder, but this unit has a great depth and will be fine with either back this year. Bryan Johnson is a tough blocker and has pretty good hands.

THE BOTTOM FIVE:

28. Indianapolis Colts
Dominic Rhodes, Joseph Addai, James Mungro
Where do you put these guys? Dominic Rhodes has been a backup his whole career and Joseph Addai should be very good, but he’s only a rookie and will split carries with Rhodes. The Colts don’t even have a true fullback, so that docks them a little bit as well.

29. Tennesee Titans
Chris Brown, LenDale White, Travis Henry, Troy Fleming
Chris Brown and Travis Henry have proven to be pretty average while rookie LenDale White has a chance to be good, he dropped into the second round due to an injury suffered on his pro day and attitude issues. Fullback Troy Fleming is the only fullback on the roster, which doesn’t bode well for competition.

30. Oakland Raiders
Lamont Jordan, Zach Crockett, Justin Fargas
LaMont Jordan deserves to be the starter for a Raiders team in desperate need of a 1,000-yard back, but Justin Fargas is injury prone and fullback Zack Crockett was the second leading rusher on the team last year with 208 yards. That’s not a good thing, by the way.

31. San Francisco 49ers
Frank Gore, Chris Hetherington, Maurice Hicks
Frank Gore made the most of his opportunities last year and finished with 607 yards on 127 carries, but we’ll find out what he’s made of this year now that he’s a full-time starter. Chris Hetherington is a bit of a journeyman.

32. New York Jets
Kevan Barlow, B.J. Askew, Cedric Houston
With the very recent trade for Kevan Barlow, Curtis Martin’s days are certainly coming to an end in New York. Barlow should be productive, but no one knows how a guy is going to respond in a new situation, especially a running back. B.J. Askew hasn’t seen much field time and although Cedric Houston showed a bit of promise at times last year, he’s got some fumbling problems and the Jets obviously don’t have much faith in him. You could easily flip-flop the Jets and 49ers, but at this point, I think Gore has more upside and he has a better backup.