Posts Tagged ‘NFL’

« Older Entries

2010 NFL Free Agency Risers and Fallers: Fantasy Impact

March 12th, 2010

With the 2010 NFL Free Agency period less than a week old, we're already starting to see a major impact by the moves some teams are making.

Some teams will get better with some key additions, while others are simply overpaying or picking up guys that will end up being busts. In the fantasy realm, however, each addition and subtraction has it's own quiet (and sometimes very loud) impact.

Read on for the five risers and five fallers after less than a week of free agency action:

 

Risers

1. Joe Flacco, QB, Baltimore Ravens

It's debatable across the board what will happen to the value of Derrick Mason, Anquan Boldin, Mark Clayton, and Dante' Stallworth. With only so many balls to go around in an offense that relies heavily on the ground game, it's impossible to predict who the winner is at receiver in Baltimore (although we're going with Boldin).

However, the guy that undoubtedly comes out as a strong winner here is the guy that gets to throw to one of the more talented and balanced receiving corps' in the league.

With just 52 more pass attempts than in his rookie season last year, Flacco jumped from 2,971 yards and 14 touchdowns to 3,511 yards and 21 touchdowns.

Add Boldin and Stallworth and an offseason to build chemistry and get completely healthy, and Flacco could see even more progress.

 

2. Steve Breaston, WR, Arizona Cardinals

Breaston and all of his supporters finally got their wish when the Cardinals traded starter Anquan Boldin to the Baltimore Ravens. We had already seen Breaston display spurts of stardom ability, but with Boldin out of the picture, he'll be thrust into a full-time starting role.

Breaston saw a drop in his stats last year due to the Cardinals being more conservative and balanced in 2009, but with Boldin gone, he should see his numbers rise again, especially with back-to-back seasons of averaging over 13 yards per carry.

The switch from Kurt Warner to Matt Leinart makes him a slight risk, but with Larry Fitzgerald getting double-teamed all day, he's sure to benefit.

 

3. Darren McFadden, RB, Oakland Raiders

McFadden isn't nearly as a close to a "sure thing" in fantasy like Breaston and Flacco are for 2010, but with the release of Justin Fargas, the platform for him to succeed could definitely be there. And considering his selection in the 2008 NFL Draft, it's about time.

McFadden has battled injuries and inconsistency behind a weak offensive line in his first two seasons, but it also never helped that he shared the ball with both Fargas and Michael Bush.

The Raiders will undoubtedly add another back, but it looks like they're finally going to run and stick with McFadden as the starter, or at least give him every chance to prove he's worthy of that kind of a vote of confidence.

After a very disappointing 2009 and a mediocre rookie season, all we have to go on is McFadden's youth (he's 22), his great speed and athleticism, and his supposedly now solid role.

 

4. Clinton Portis, RB, Washington Redskins

The Redskins are rumored to be thinking about getting Portis a running partner in Larry Johnson, but considering they unloaded everyone else at the running back spot (and we do mean everyone ), it looks like Mike Shanahan and Co. are still confident that Portis has something left to give.

He was nicked up in 2009 and ultimately knocked out (pun intended) by a head injury, but he played tough and was one of the few bright spots in a paltry offense early in the season.

Portis will team up with Shanahan again in a zone-blocking scheme that once made him a back-to-back 1,500-yard rusher. We're not saying he's a top-10 back again, but he should be the bonafide starter, and as long as he can stay healthy, he should be a productive fantasy back again.

 

5. Carson Palmer, QB, Cincinnati Bengals

People have been quiet about how far Palmer has fallen down the "elite quarterback tree", but as mediocre as he's been the past couple of years, a lot of his poor play can be attributed to very few weapons outside of Chad Ochocinco.

The Bengals passed on Terrell Owens and brought in Antonio Bryant, giving Palmer two very solid deep-threats, which should immediately impact the Bengal's dormant vertical passing attack.

Andre Caldwell and Matt Jones (if he sticks) round out a suddenly very solid receiving corps, and with a proven rushing attack at his side, Palmer could slowly get back to elite status.

Honorable Mention: Shonn Greene, RB, New York Jets

 

Fallers

1. Matt Forte, RB, Chicago Bears

True, the addition of Chester Taylor could benefit Matt Forte, but considering he's already heading into 2010 with a new offensive coordinator and is in an offense that doesn't normally feature the running back, all the wrong news is piling up against Forte.

Blame the offensive line all you want, but Forte's 2009 performance was a huge disappointment. He didn't get much help from the other Chicago running backs, but he failed to crack 900 yards rushing and scored four total touchdowns on the season.

He was still a solid factor in the passing game, but with Taylor coming into town, how much will that change? It's also worth noting that Martz has been quoted in saying he has a backfield with "two starters." Until we know exactly what that and the addition of Taylor means, Forte can't be looked at as an elite fantasy back.

 

2. The Baltimore Ravens' Receiving Corps

Derrick Mason is back, no one knows what to say or think about Mark Clayton, and Baltimore has added Dante' Stallworth and Anquan Boldin.

That's great news for Joe Flacco and the rest of the offense, but for each of these guys individually—not so much.

 

3. Jamaal Charles, RB, Kansas City Chiefs

I've already analyzed the move of Kansas City bringing in Thomas Jones, and while I originally felt it wouldn't have a major impact on Charles, the unknown has caused me to think it over again.

The Chiefs are paying Jones $2.5 million a year, so there's a good bet that he wasn't brought in to just sit around. He may just be their short yardage and goal-line back, but even if that's the case, there's going to be a limit on Charles' yardage and touchdowns.

I still don't view Charles seeing a huge hit in his fantasy potential, but this will still definitely have a negative overall affect on his fantasy value.

 

4. Greg Olsen, TE, Chicago Bears

We already knew that Olsen was going to take a hit in value when Mike Martz came on board as offensive coordinator for Chicago. We were sure of it when Martz publicly made comments about Olsen and how big of an issue his lack of blocking ability will impact his playing time.

Add in the signing of ex-Rams tight end Brandon Manumaleuna, and Olsen's future with the team is seriously in doubt. Even more damaging, ESPN 's Adam Schefter has recently reported that Olsen is very likely on the trading block.

While Olsen's fantasy standing could and should change for the better if he's dealt, it is for now a quickly sinking ship.

 

5. Jacoby Jones, WR, Houston Texans

Jacoby Jones is a fast, explosive receiver that was being viewed as the next big thing (not named Andre Johnson) in the Texans' receiving corps, but with the five-year re-signing of Kevin Walter, that has almost been guaranteed to not be the case.

Walter is 28 and could eventually take a role in the slot, but for now, Jones sees his fantasy football value diminish greatly.

Honorable Mention: Alex Smith, QB, San Francisco 49ers

 

For more NFL Free Agency updates and articles, head over to NFL Soup. And for daily and weekly fantasy sports games , head over to Fantazzle.com.

Comments Off »

Posted in Football, NFL

Tags:

Chad Ochocinco: NFL All-Pro or Hollywood Playboy?

March 12th, 2010

Twitter has opened up a new world to sports junkies, and if you’re anything like me, you’re constantly waiting for Adam Schefter or Pro Football Talk to break the latest NFL rumor.

Many big names in the NFL—Mark Sanchez, Patrick Willis, and Shawn Merriman, to name a few—tweet on a regular basis, much of which is in regard to their jobs, being professional football players.

But the league’s all-time touchdown celebrator, and arguably the most entertaining and colorful character in the league seems a bit more focused other things—namely, being a Hollywood celebrity.

Cincinnati receiver Chad Ochocinco has over 785,000 followers on Twitter (New Orleans’ Reggie Bush is the only NFL player with more). Ochocinco frequently tweets about football, but often regarding issues that are more about putting on a circus show in Paul Brown Stadium, such as playing alongside pal and free agent receiver Terrell Owens, than he is about getting better on the field and helping his team win a playoff game, let alone a Super Bowl.

I’m not saying that you have to tweet every time you lift or practice routes—but the old Chad would have been more about improving his game than finding clubs in Los Angeles and finding his next television gig.

Don’t get me wrong—I love Chad. I own his jersey and his Fat Head is stuck to my wall. I envy his life and know that he has worked hard to get where he is. He deserves to be in the position he is in.

But I also knew the football player he was when he went by the name Chad Johnson.

I’ll never forget the day when I knew he was going to be great. Obviously irritated in practice, it was early in his NFL career, a training camp video showed Coach Marvin Lewis walk up to the then Chad Johnson, and with a combination of determination and frustration in his voice, Chad told Coach Lewis, “I wanna be better than Rice.”

His teammates praised his work ethic and for a four-year span, the guy was as good as anyone in the league, leading the AFC in receiving yards for four consecutive seasons, and being named first-team All-Pro twice.

Now, Rice’s numbers are out of reach and Ochocinco is making a bid to go to the Oscars instead of Canton.  He’s gone from NFL Total Access to Access Hollywood.

As Carson Palmer is getting synced up in late Spring and will do so up until Fall with the rest of the receiving core—including free agent signee and potential future No. 1 receiver Antonio Bryant—Ochocinco is gearing up for ABC’s Dancing With The Stars and a preparing to become the new host of a VH1 dating show.

Child, please.

In the past, Ochocinco hasn’t made it to non-mandatory camps, and that’s been fine. But as he gets older (he turned 32 in January) and as younger receivers such as the 29-year-old Bryant and 24-year-old Andre Caldwell continue to develop and build an on-field relationship with Palmer, Ochocinco’s chances of no longer being in stripes are mounting.

Being a player in this league requires guys to work year round; being a superstar in this league, like Ochocinco has become, requires guys to work year round twice as hard as everyone else. But if Ochocinco’s production lacks this year and he’s holding his teammates back by not showing up until training camp, Coach Lewis might not give as much leeway or have enough patience as he’s had in the past.

The man who used to call himself 7/11 (because he’s always open) might be thrown into a free agent market, where aging receivers with potential to cause unwanted off-field distractions haven’t been well-received in past years.

Reality stars are a dime a dozen—All-Pro wide receivers are usually about 10 million a season. I hope Chad enjoys himself in Hollywood—but he better realize that lights and cameras of the Not For Long league will be gone as quick as they found him if he focuses too much on producing on the big screen and not as much time focusing on what he can on the field.

 

Comments Off »

Posted in Chad Ocho Cinco, Cincinnati Bengals, Football, NFL, Opinion

Tags:

Analyzing the Possibility of Torry Holt to The Chicago Bears

March 12th, 2010

While Torry Holt was making his rounds at ESPN , getting ready for his eventual post-NFL career on NFL live and SportsCenter, an interesting proposition was made.

He is still a decent wide receiver, and with his former head coach working as the offensive coordinator, Holt should be given a serious look by the higher-ups in the Chicago Bears organization.

He still has good legs and runs some of the crispest routes in the business and has some solid hands, not to mention he can help the young receivers in Chicago learn Mike Martz's complex system.

The biggest issue that plagued the Bears last season and undoubtedly caused at least a few of Jay Cutler's 26 interceptions was route running, and that is the one thing that Holt prides himself on.

Having Holt there to teach the young receivers like Johnny Knox, Earl Bennet, and Devin Aromashodu the intricacies of route running could be invaluable to the future of the Chicago Bears.

But Holt isn't just a teacher, he still has the ability to be a viable option in the passing game.

ESPN said that his ceiling last season was around 500 yards, but he produced just over 700 yards despite not catching a single touchdown.

This isn't just fantasy talk though, Holt talked about the possibility of coming to Chicago on the Waddle and Silvy Show on ESPN radio recently, and he also talked about going to Chicago on SportsNation recently.

"This year I would again consider coming to Chicago and helping that football team out, helping Jay Cutler in terms of helping him get settled in that offense and give him a quality and consistent weapon play after play along with Hester and Aromashodu and Knox and Bennett and Forte and Olsen, I mean the list goes on and on with the talent that they have," Holt said. "I think I could fit in really well with that ball club and add a really good veteran presence."

There has been article after article asking the Bears to trade for Brandon Marshall or Anquan Boldin (although the Boldin ship has sailed), but adding the much cheaper receiver could be just as helpful.

The Bears would be foolish to not take a look at the 34-year-old veteran receiver.  Holt had eight straight 1,000-yard seasons under Mike Martz when he was with the Rams, and though a reunion likely won't offer the same statistics, it could be highly beneficial for all sides.

After spending big money early in free agency, adding a veteran for cheap could have effects lasting years, as he could help bring along the young receivers in the complex Martz system.

Will the Bears make this move?  Maybe or maybe not, but if they don't at least make contact with Holt's camp, they would be making a big mistake.

Comments Off »

Posted in Chicago Bears, Football, NFL, Opinion

Tags:

Equality in Professional Sports

March 12th, 2010

Lately I've been thinking about how "unfair" some sports are. I think a salary cap and salary floor, should be a must in every sport. I think all sports should have non-guaranteed contracts like the NFL. Also, I think there should be a rookie cap, comparable from sport to sport.

The purpose behind a salary cap is pretty obvious, level the playing field. Not to say you can't field a winning team spending the least money out every team, but odds are against you. I don't fault the Yankees for having $200 million to spend on player salaries, but it's not reasonable for another team to get away with a team salary less than $50 million. Either bring the Yankees down, or bring the Marlins and Pirates up.

Trying to keep up with with the Yankees and Red Sox might cause some teams to have to fold. Nobody really wants to see any teams out of business, but isn't not competing just as bad?

The NFL players play for non-guaranteed contracts, with a certain amount of money guaranteed. That would make things more fair across the board. Rather than NBA teams having to work out buyouts, pay your player the guaranteed amount and release him. This would eliminate situations like the Tracy McGrady situation and the Magglio Ordonez situation in baseball.

If a guy wants to play, and he is either too expensive or doesn't fit your plans, let him go. Granted the Tigers let Ordonez reach the at-bats number to guarantee his contract this year, but it's safe to say everyone knows he's not worthy of his contract.

A rookie cap across the board would make a lot of sense. I realize its not realistic to expect all of our major sports to collaborate on this, but hear me out. If you're a basketball player and a football player, you like one sport more but can make more money at the other, what are you going to do?

Rookie contracts in baseball, basketball, and hockey are somewhat reasonable in comparison to the NFL. A rookie shouldn't come into the league in the top 10 in salary for their position, let alone make the most. I believe Eric Berry will be a great NFL player, but if he's drafted top-five he'll make more money than perennial Pro Bowl caliber players.

I realize I've only came up with ideas, not solutions. Some of my ideas probably aren't very feasible. Then again, I don't think anyone is worth $1 million dollars. Nor do I think anyone should make more money than our police officers, fire fighters, or school teachers.

Questions? Concerns? Comments?

Comments Off »

Posted in Multiple Sports, Opinion

Tags:

Philadelphia Eagles Seeking Jay Cutler Esque Bounty For Kevin Kolb

March 12th, 2010

You can view the original article on NFL News and Rumors by clicking here.

It has been widely speculated that the Eagles will eventually deal one of their three quarterbacks sometime this off season; all of whom have the ability to start in this league.

Speculation spiked when ESPN reporter Sal Paolantonio dropped a juicy tidbit about the Seattle Seahawks pestering the Eagles nonstop about starting quarterback Donovan McNabb and backup quarterback Kevin Kolb.

It is now being reported that the Seahawks are not seriously interested in obtaining McNabb, but rather are centering their attention on Kevin Kolb. This makes complete sense; Kolb is someone who could be regarded as a quarterback of the future, whilst McNabb is an aging veteran akin to current Seahawks quarterback Matt Hasselbeck. A deal for Kolb would allow the Seahawks to continue to utilize Hasselbeck until they see fit to part ways with the franchises most successful signal caller.

Now NFL Network writer Jason La Canfora is reporting that the Philadelphia Eagles have set the bounty they want in return for Kolb at two first-round picks. This is similar to the haul the Denver Broncos received for then Pro Bowl quarterback Jay Cutler from the Chicago Bears, (albeit a bit less, Denver also obtained a third-round pick and Kyle Orton while dealing a fifth-round pick).

If the Eagles stick true to that asking price, they are sending a strong signal to the rest of the league that unless you bust the door down with an irrefutable offer, Kolb is not for sale.

Don’t expect Seattle to be bidding anywhere near that for Kolb when they are reluctant to even fork over one of their first-round picks for Brandon Marshall.

Comments Off »

Posted in Breaking News, Football, NFL

Tags:



eXTReMe Tracker