Continuing with the Mock Draft article, here are some late-round players that I was surprised to see drafted where they went - good and bad.

10.02: Devin Hester: Even with special teams touchdowns counting, I still don't actually playing him in a given week.
10.07: Anthony Gonzalez: The hype not quite what I was expecting ... yet. He went after D.J. Hackett and Isaac Bruce.
11.01: Jabar Gaffney: I just don't see it. And I watch the Patriots every week. I'd rather go Chad Jackson in the 16th.
11.08: Sidney Rice: I like him at this spot a lot more than Bernard Berrian 40 picks before.

Continue reading "Late-Round WR Surprises" »

Posted by Gregg Rosenthal at 03:22 PM | Permalink | Comments (41)

Underpromise and overdeliver. I've heard this phrase a lot recently, embarrassingly on Top Chef, which the wife got me into. (And I've jumped on the bandwagon with resounding force. Shut up).

I have not lived up to this screed this week I realized. I said I would follow up on my Mock Draft writeup with analysis of the second half of the draft and failed. Here's my penance, with a look at the ninth round. I'll look at my favorite fliers and most interesting late-round picks later today.

Continue reading "Ninth-Round Analysis" »

Posted by Gregg Rosenthal at 11:24 AM | Permalink | Comments (10)

I knew early this offseason that Jay Cutler was going to be one of my favorite value picks at any position this year. That was before his diabetes diagnosis, and all the great recent stories about his return to health.

Most of the articles mention Cutler's drastic weight loss last season, and how it affected his fastball and overall play down the stretch. I decided to check the numbers, and his decline wasn't as dramatic as I expected. It simply didn't occur until the final three weeks of the season.

Continue reading "Cutler is more than a good story" »

Posted by Gregg Rosenthal at 12:00 AM | Permalink | Comments (2)

I had quite a few weird or crappy summer jobs when I was growing up. My favorite was getting paid $8-an-hour plus overtime to drive strawberries up and down the East Coast all summer. And that overtime came in handy when I inevitably got lost in the wilds Delaware. (Little known fact: You can barter with McDonald's employees with strawberries if short on cash).

What does this all have to with fantasy football? Nothing. But Tom Curran and I wrote up Summer Jobs for every NFL team over at NBCSports.com, so you should check it out. We also picked the best and worst move for each team this offseason. Mr. Curran handled the South and North divisions, I did the East and West. Thank you all.

Posted by Gregg Rosenthal at 01:59 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)

Musa Smith's signing doesn't change the dynamics of the Jets backfield much - yet. In his first day of practice with the team, Smith worked as both a fullback and a halfback. It's a nice signing for New York, who could use Smith's versatility in a few ways, especially near the goal line.

We've always believed Smith could be a feature back, but he's just battling to make the team in New York. Don't be surprised if he and Jesse Chatman battle for one roster spot. Smith is only going to be a fantasy option if Jones gets hurt. In that scenario, it's easy to imagine him as the more valuable partner in a committee with Leon Washington.

The Jets have worked hard to improve their running game this offseason. With an easy schedule, I think there will be some good fantasy value here. I drafted Thomas Jones in the sixth-round of FantasyGuru's magazine draft and am excited about his value as a RB3.

Posted by Gregg Rosenthal at 10:04 AM | Permalink | Comments (2)

Jacoby Jones was the quintessential training camp hero last season. By the time he was through, the third-round rookie out of Lane was consistently getting drafted in fantasy leagues. (At the NFFC last summer, I saw an owner take James and Jacoby Jones in rounds nine and ten. Ouch.)

Once the real games started, Jones disappeared. A shoulder injury was a big factor and the Texans have indicated he wasn't particularly mature. Kevin Walter and Andre Davis took turns surprising fantasy owners. Jones is not going to get drafted this year, but he actually has a better chance of making fantasy noise. The Texans are my favorite emerging offense, and the number two role behind Andre Johnson is not locked up. I'd watch Jacoby closely this summer.

Posted by Gregg Rosenthal at 04:31 PM | Permalink | Comments (3)

Well, it looks like you share my confusion about the best fantasy defenses this season.

The Chargers got a lukewarm vote as the top pick, but there was plenty of talk about the Vikings, Cowboys, and Giants. The closest thing to a consensus from the readers here was that they will look for value late in the draft. Baltimore, Indianapolis, Tampa, Houston, and Buffalo. My main takeaway: If you like waiting on drafting fantasy defenses, this is a great year to do it.

Posted by Gregg Rosenthal at 04:24 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

I think Michael Pittman is more likely to make the Broncos than Travis Henry and I doubt both of them will make the team. Pittman's signing shows some long-simmering frustration between the Broncos organization and Henry. It gives Mike Shanahan options.

I agree with the local Denver papers' belief that Pittman is no threat to start. Although Pittman was oddly called a power back in multiple places yesterday, he's a role player that can help on passing downs and special teams. He's a sensible backup if Denver decided to go young with Ryan Torain and Selvin Young.

Continue reading "Denver backfield gets messier" »

Posted by Gregg Rosenthal at 01:41 PM | Permalink | Comments (7)

I'm not sure how many of you guys watched or listened to our Fantasy Fix Live show on Sunday mornings last year. We met yesterday to begin planning for the show and are will be throwing around ideas over the next few weeks on how to improve. Is it too heavy on start or sit calls?

If there is anything you'd like to see on the show, speak now or forever hold your peace. Nothing is too off the wall. Back with some thoughts on Michael Pittman in a bit.

Posted by Gregg Rosenthal at 01:13 PM | Permalink | Comments (11)

Since I feel horribly guilty when making it a normal work day without posting something here ... here is a link and a video that took up my morning hours. (We'll get to the afternoon another time).

I will be following up on the Mock Draft results starting tomorrow, along with some thoughts on the Michael Pittman and Musa Smith signings.

The video includes my picks for five emerging offenses this year. I love Houston and Jacksonville to step it up a notch in the passing game. Denver and Philadelphia are two traditional offensive powers that struggled in the red zone last year despite plenty of yardage. One thing these teams have in common: quarterbacks I believe in.

Posted by Gregg Rosenthal at 09:57 PM | Permalink | Comments (8)