Tag: Jeremy Maclin (Page 3 of 5)

NFL Week 7 ROY Power Rankings

Remember the name Jairus Byrd, because he just jumped on this list…and don’t rule out Michael Crabtree, who had a very impressive NFL opening game against Houston last weekend.

1. James Laurinaitis, St. Louis Rams—Four more solo tackles against the Colts last Sunday, so this kid has done nothing to hurt his standing.

2. Jairus Byrd, Buffalo Bills—This safety has been flying under our radar, but he was chosen as the NFL’s defensive rookie of the month for his 15 tackles and (yikes) 5 interceptions in October alone. Wow.

3. Knowshon Moreno, Denver Broncos—The bye week should have this young stallion rested and ready to face two daunting defenses in the Ravens and Steelers coming up. Can he handle it? Time will tell.

4. Hakeem Nicks, New York Giants—Did you see that lucky grab and run for a score Sunday night? Maybe it was more than luck…it was being in the right place at the right time, football instincts that can’t be taught. And along with Byrd, Nicks won NFL offensive rookie honors for October.

5. Jeremy Maclin, Philadelphia Eagles—This rookie has become a new favorite target of Donovan McNabb, and had 5 more catches Monday night against Washington.

Honorable mention: Matthew Stafford, Lions; Johnny Knox, Bears; Ryan Succop, Chiefs; Michael Oher, Ravens

NFL Rookie of the Year Power Rankings

Matthew Stafford helped the Lions win a game but he’s hurt now and, well, the Lions still have just one win. So he slips to honorable mention. Meanwhile, you’ll see some other names jump into the fold….

1. Knowshon Moreno, Denver Broncos—Leading all rookie running backs with 337 yards and 2 total TDs. And with Denver’s crazy backfield situation, look for more of this kid in the coming weeks.

2. James Laurinaitis, St. Louis Rams—With 31 tackles and 9 assists, not only does Laurinaitis lead all rookies in total tackles, but playing on a crappy team his numbers are approaching Ray Lewis’. That’s really saying something.

3. Mark Sanchez, New York Jets—Though he stopped throwing to the other team this past week, he didn’t exactly have gaudy numbers as his team lost its second straight game.

4. Hakeem Nicks, New York Giants—Even though Steve Smith and Mario Manningham are leading the way in the Meadowlands, this rookie has shown great hands and some nice moves and has a really bright future catching passes from Eli Manning.

5. Michael Oher, Baltimore Ravens—Started at left tackle last week and held Antwan Odom, the NFL’s sack leader, to zero sacks. That’s impressive.

Honorable mention: Matthew Stafford, Lions; Jeremy Maclin, Eagles

Fantasy Quick Hitters: Maclin, Mendenhall, Cotchery, Polamalu and Calvin


Even when Curtis returns, Maclin should still be the starter.
As evidenced by their use of DeSean Jackson last season, the Eagles aren’t afraid to give rookie WRs a lot of snaps. Maclin torched the Bucs last week and should be a decent start going forward even though Donovan McNabb will surely distribute the targets more evenly in the future.

Steelers won’t determine who is the starter until gametime.
Complicating matters, Rashard Mendenhall is recovering from “flu-like symptoms” and Willie Parker is practicing fully, so the Steelers aren’t sure who will be best suited to carry the workload in Sunday. Given his recent performance, Mendenhall is clearly the better player, but the Steelers have been stingy about giving him the starting job. It’s entirely possible that this is a time share on Sunday.

Cotchery probably isn’t going to play.
The Bills are pretty good against the pass, so he wasn’t going to be a good play anyway. David Clowney deserves some consideration in really deep PPR leagues, and Braylon Edwards should be a decent start (assuming he still has Mark Sanchez’s eye).

Polamalu should face the Browns.
This is bad news for the entire league, but in the short-term, downgrade Derek Anderson and Mohamed Massaquoi, who were looking to have a bounce-back game after a miserable outing against the Bills. It may not happen if Polamalu is back at full strength.

Calvin Johnson and Matthew Stafford both miss practice. Both players are listed as questionable, but Johnson was seen hobbling earlier in the week and Stafford wasn’t even on the sidelines for Thursday’s practice. Fantasy owners that are desperate for WR help could try Bryant Johnson and/or Dennis Northcutt. Northcutt had a nice game last week and could post a solid line in PPR formats. Johnson is a deep threat and should get lots of targets against a Packers defense that has struggled against the pass (and will probably be playing with a lead).

65 Observations about the 2009 NFL Draft

I’m going to channel my inner Peter King and dole out a crap load of quick-hit thoughts on last weekend’s NFL draft, which by the way, was one of the more unpredictable drafts I have ever witnessed.

Below are 65 observations from the 2009 NFL Draft. Why 65? I don’t know – don’t worry about it. Originally I came up with 62, but I know that some people freak out when things aren’t in round numbers, so I added three more. But the number 65 means nothing, so don’t waste time searching for its meaning.

Obviously these are all my opinions and feel free to debate them. But before you do, I already know that it supposedly takes three seasons to fully grade a draft and that no prospect is a sure thing. Again, I’m projecting here – so lighten up and let’s strike up some good debates.

1. Outside of the fact that he’s now a millionaire and could buy a small country, I kind of feel bad for Matthew Stafford. You know some halfwit fan or media member can’t wait to utter the comment, “For $72 million, he should have made that pass.” I hate the fact that money plays such a huge role in sports because when you get down to it, completing a pass, making a catch or kicking a field goal has nothing to do with how many zeros are on your paycheck.

2. I know I’m not saying anything new here, but the rookie salary structure is a joke. When teams don’t even want a top 5 pick anymore because of the financial burden that comes with it, there’s a huge problem.

3. The kid could turn out to be the next Ryan Leaf on the field, but Lion fans have to at least take comfort in the fact that Matthew Stafford is saying all the right things at this point. He did an interview with the NFL Network on Sunday and he talked about how he wants to be a starter right away, but also wants to learn and be patient in his development. From all accounts, he looks like he has a great head on his shoulders.

4. If Tyson Jackson turns out to be the next Richard Seymour like Chiefs’ GM Scott Pioli believes, then nobody is going to remember (or care) that he was taken with the third overall pick in a weak draft class.

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NFL Draft: 5 Questionable Day 1 Decisions

It’s unfair to criticize a team for reaching on a prospect or making a trade (or two) on draft day because obviously nobody has a crystal ball to see how those moves will inevitably pan out. But it’s hard not to question some of the decisions that teams made during the first two rounds of the draft on Saturday. Below I’ve compiled five questionable decisions from Day 1 of the NFL draft.

1 and 2. Broncos trade their 2010 first round selection to the Seahawks for their second round pick (37th overall); Panthers trade their 2010 first round selection to the 49ers for their second round pick (43rd overall)
I have no qualms with the two prospects that the Broncos and Panthers traded for. Denver got arguably the most underrated cornerback in the draft in Alphonso Smith, while Carolina landed a player in Everrette Brown who many believed would go in the top 15. But it’s hard to fathom why both of these teams would give up first rounders in next year’s draft, to trade up in what some are considering the worst draft in some time. Granted, it’s hard to speculate whether or not this draft will be turn out to be horrible or if next year’s draft will be strong. But there’s a good chance that Denver and Carolina could each be picking in the top 15 or 20 picks again next year and to give up those picks for two second round prospects is highly questionable. What happens if either of these teams implodes next year and the picks they gave up turn out to be top 5 or top 10 selections? That’s just too much of a risk in my opinion.

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