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      2010 Fantasy Football Preview: WRs

      July 30, 2010 /
      ST. LOUIS - DECEMBER 20: Andre Johnson #80 of the Houston Texans carries the ball during the game against the St. Louis Rams at Edward Jones Dome on December 20, 2009 in St. Louis, Missouri. (Photo by Dilip Vishwanat/Getty Images)

      All 2010 Fantasy Football Articles | 2010 Position Rankings

      Are wideouts the new running backs? Not quite, but they continue to gain importance as more and more leagues make rules changes that enhance the value of the position. How do you know if you’re in one of these leagues? If your rules only require one starting RB spot and has a flex position, or if it awards one point per reception, you can start thinking about drafting a WR in the middle of the first round.

      As I noted in the RB preview, there is a pretty sizable drop off after the first five or six running backs this season, so as soon as Chris Johnson, Adrian Peterson, Maurice Jones-Drew and Ray Rice are off the board, it’s time to consider going with a wideout. Frank Gore and Steven Jackson are justifiable picks at #5 or #6, but Andre Johnson is also worth consideration. And I’d rather have Larry Fizgerald than any of the RBs in the next tier (Michael Turner, Rashard Mendenhall, DeAngelo Williams, etc.).

      If you’re in a league that does NOT require two starting RBs, and you’re drafting in the back half of round one, it makes a lot of sense to zag when everyone else is zigging, by grabbing a stud WR. You could even draft a second wideout early in the 2nd and wait to nab your first RB late in the third, when guys like Pierre Thomas, Chris Wells and Joseph Addai are still likely to be available. You could end up with Fitzgerald, Reggie Wayne and Thomas as your core, and that’s a group that is projected (by Footballguys) to outscore a Turner/Mendenhall/S. Rice core by almost 100 fantasy points over the course of the season (assuming a high-performance, PPR league).

      If you’re drafting in the first half of the first round and want to grab a stud RB early, don’t be afraid to go WR with your next pick, as there will be plenty of RB talent available early in the third round, and given the relative depth in rounds 2 and 3, you won’t be losing many points by letting Ryan Grant, Jamaal Charles or Knowshon Moreno go. Somebody comparable will be there in the 3rd.

      Even if you load up on WR talent early, it’s always nice to be able to pluck a good WR out of the pack in the middle rounds. Here are a few players that are going in the 6th-10th rounds that should outperform their current average draft positions. (Note: All ADP data is from Antsports.)

      Hines Ward (6.01)
      It’s almost August, so that must mean I’m writing about Hines Ward as a value fantasy wideout. Sure, he’s 34, but over the last two seasons he has averaged 88-1105-6.5. He was WR14 last season and WR15 the year before, so why is he being drafted WR23? It’s not just his age — he’s going to be without Ben Roethlisberger for the first six games. But Byron Leftwich can hold down the fort, right? If he stays healthy, Ward should have another top 20 fantasy season.

      Continue reading »

      External Sports, Fantasy Football, NFL

      Report: Yankees on the verge of acquiring Lance Berkman

      July 30, 2010 /
      Lance Berkman (17) April 28th, 2010; Cincinnati Reds vs The Houston Astro's in Minute Maid Park, Houston Texas. The Astro's lost 6-4.

      While an official announcement isn’t expected to come until Saturday afternoon, Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports writes that the Yankees are on the verge of acquiring first baseman Lance Berkman from the Astros. (Joel Sherman of the New York Post posted the same report on his Twitter page.)

      With Mark Teixeira entrenched at first base, Berkman would become the Yankees’ new DH for the stretch run. He would still have 24 hours to cancel any deal because he has a full no-trade clause in his contract, but one would assume that he would waive it in order to join a contender for the final two months of the season.

      It’s unclear at this point what the Yankees would have to give up in a deal for Berkman, although prospects David Adams and Ivan Nova have each been mentioned in other trade scenarios. (Adams’ name was mentioned in the Cliff Lee deal before talks with the Mariners broke down.)

      One interesting thing to note is that Alyson Footer, who is the Astros’ Sr. Director of Social Media, writes via Twitter that Berkman does not want the new team to pick up his $15 million option for 2011. It would appear as though he wants to return to the Astros next season.

      Update: Sherman now says the deal is completed – Berkman is a Yankee.

      External Sports, MLB

      Haynesworth’s conditioning tests less about running, more about respect

      July 30, 2010 /
      ASHBURN, VA - JULY 29: New Head Coach Mike Shanahan of the Washington Redskins watches practice on the first day of training camp July 29, 2010 in Ashburn, Virginia. (Photo by Win McNamee/Getty Images)

      Far be it for me to write about another man’s intentions, but it sure looks to me that Mike Shanahan’s conditioning test for Albert Haynesworth is less about cardio and more about respect.

      According to several media outlets, Haynesworth has failed two conditioning tests over the past two days. He passed the first leg of Shanahan’s test (which consisted of two 300-yard shuttle runs) on Thursday, only to fail the second because he needed to take a bathroom break. (No word yet on if it was a No. 1 or a No. 2 for Haynesworth.)

      When Shanahan asked Haynesworth to run a third leg of the test, the massive defensive tackle told his head coach that he has never had to run three such sprints during even his best of seasons (including the years he went to the Pro Bowl). Considering defensive linemen never have to run further than 5-10 yards on a given play, it would seem a little absurd that Shanahan would make Haynesworth run this much (especially while the DT is reportedly in great shape as it is).

      But that’s not the point now is it? The point is that Haynesworth spent virtually the entire offseason complaining about this situation in Washington and Shanahan wasn’t going to allow the defender to waltz into camp on Day 1 and act like everything is just gravy. Shanahan has been around long enough to know how to handle these types of situations and he has decided to test Haynesworth’s resolve right off the bat. Again, I can’t speak for Shanahan’s intentions, but it appears as though he’s making a point that one player doesn’t come above the team. And if you want to be a part of this team, you’re going to have to bust your hump. If you don’t, well, then there’s the door.

      If these are indeed Shanahan’s intentions when it comes to Haynesworth’s conditioning tests, then how could you not appreciate this if you’re a Redskins fan? Coming off of Jim Zorn, this has to be a welcoming sight in D.C.

      External Sports, NFL

      Jets sign Rex Ryan through 2014 season

      July 30, 2010 /
      INDIANAPOLIS - JANUARY 24: Rex Ryan, head coach of the New York Jets, looks on during warm-ups before playing against the Indianapolis Colts during the AFC Championship Game at Lucas Oil Stadium on January 24, 2010 in Indianapolis, Indiana. (Photo by Andy Lyons/Getty Images)

      Jay Glazer of FOX Sports writes that the Jets have rewarded head coach Rex Ryan with a two-year contract extension.

      The new arrangement transforms his deal to last through the 2014 season, something the team also announced Friday that they did for general manager Mike Tannenbaum last month with a new five-year deal.

      It’s unclear how much new money Ryan received, but clearly the Jets believe they have their answer at head coach for the foreseeable future. It’s certainly odd that an NFL head coach would get a new deal after just one season. But it shows just how much faith that owner Woody Johnson has in his current head coach.

      I was shocked it took until last year before Ryan got his first chance to become a head coach in the NFL. His brashness may have rubbed some front office types the wrong way in interviews, but the Jets obviously love him, as do their players. While he only has one year under his belt, he has already made believers out of everyone who follows the Jets.

      External Sports, News, NFL

      Police investigating handling of 911 call related to shooting of Lorenzen Wright

      July 30, 2010 /
      Jul 28, 2010 - Los Angeles, California, USA - Police in Collierville, Tennessee, are investigating the disappearance of a former professional basketball player and say 'there is a high level of concern' in the search to find him. LORENZEN WRIGHT, 34, who played 13 seasons in the NBA, has not been seen or heard from since July 18 when he visited his ex-wife and their children in Collierville, near Memphis, investigators said. PICTURED: NBA Basketball. 20 Dec 2004: Lorenzen Wright of the Memphis Grizzlies during the Grizzlies 82-72 victory over the Los Angeles Lakers at Staples Center in Los Angeles, CA.

      Per the Memphis Commercial-Appeal…

      Germantown police are reviewing the way a 911 call from a former NBA star’s cell phone was handled on the day he was killed.

      Police chief Richard Hall said he did not learn of the call until Tuesday — eight days after it occurred.

      As a result, it was not reported to investigators in nearby Collierville investigating Lorenzen Wright’s disappearance.

      Sources have told The Commercial Appeal that as many as a dozen gunshots can be heard on a recording of the call, which was placed in the early morning hours of July 19.

      The handling of the call may not have affected the result of the shooting, but who knows, maybe there was some clue on the tape of the call that could have helped the Collierville investigators find whoever shot him.

      Apparently, three men showed up at the home of Wright’s ex-wife a few weeks before the shooting:

      Sherra Robinson Wright opened her front door one day in recent weeks to find three men she had never seen before, each with guns tucked in their waistbands.

      They looked serious and wanted to know if her ex-husband, former NBA star Lorenzen Wright, 34, happened to be inside the Whisperwood Drive home visiting his six children.

      No, she assured them, and they drove away.

      The frightened Collierville mom rushed to tell her divorce attorney, Gail Mathes, about the scary ordeal and her fears for herself, her children and the ex-husband she still loved, Mathes said.

      A few weeks later, the athlete made an impromptu visit from his Atlanta-area home to Memphis. A day after his flight arrived, he was gunned down.

      External Sports, NBA, News, Rumors & Gossip

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