June 30, 2008
Earnest Graham isn't a franchise back. That's what the Bucs think anyway, and they proved it by agreeing to a four-year $11 million contract this week. Okay, so Graham didn't have a lot of leverage. But he skipped voluntary work for that?
That is a backup's contract, and it will be very interesting to see how much guaranteed money is in the deal and how much money is included in the first two years. That doesn't mean Graham will be a backup to start the year, but it supports my theory that Jon Gruden isn't comfortable with Graham playing every down.
Continue reading "Contract doesn't bode well for Graham" »
June 27, 2008
Today's scouting reports from MLive.com about Shaun McDonald and Mike Furrey confirm what shay bets they are in fantasy leagues. McDonald is the third receiver, Furrey the fourth. But if Calvin Johnson or Roy Williams get hurt, Furrey is likely to replace them in the starting lineup. With Mike Martz gone, the third receiver won't be worth drafting. So forget McDonald. And Furrey is only worth a look if an injury strikes.
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News from Adam Schefter that the Cowboys are eyeing Joe Horn. This makes no sense and smacks of Jerry Jones just looking for a big name. Horn isn't good enough to contribute in Atlanta. He's not close to the receiver Patrick Crayton is. This would be a mistake, and not just because the Cowboys are already fine at No. 2 receiver.
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Najeh Davenport is being shopped. I don't think the Steelers will find a taker, but it's just another guy who might get a job ahead of Shaun Alexander or Travis Henry.
Update: He's been dumped
Okay, so there is no actual football news until camp starts and everyone covering the NFL is taking a vacation. (I probably would too, but our second magazine is due later than usual this year).
So instead of news, we'll talk about the subject no one cares about: My fantasy teams. Take a look at the results from yesterday's KPII draft and you can comment on what I'm missing, where I picked someone too early, and who I got at a good value. This was a PPR league with six points per passing touchdown.
Continue reading "Make Fun of my Team" »
June 26, 2008
A looming long-term extension for Brandon Jacobs would not bode well for Ahmad Bradshaw's dynasty league value. Or Derrick Ward for that matter. Frankly, I'm surprised this deal is happening. Jacobs is only a year away from free agency and could try to break the bank then. The Giants have to be concerned with how injured Jacobs was during his first year as a starter.
Still, this is probably a good deal (if it happens) for the Giants because I suspect the price will be right. I loved Jacobs as a fantasy prospect last year, and his injury problems have only dimmed my excitement for this season a bit. Yes, he got hurt. But a study we are running in our second magazine showed that cracked the top-10 running backs in a week six times in the eleven games he played. That percentage ranked among the top-five backs in the league. When he played, he helped fantasy teams a lot. That doesn't mean you take him among the first ten backs, but I'd rather have Jacobs' production in eleven games than spreading it out to 16.
This time, it was Krause Publications' draft for their second magazine. It was a PPR draft, with six points per passing touchdown. I can't give away all the goodies, but here are a few picks in the first three rounds that caught my eye.
1.08: Peyton Manning: Gets a huge bump in this scoring format
1.11: Larry Johnson: Just not slipping out of the first round
2.07: Jamal Lewis: Ahead of PPR studs like Braylon Edwards, Andre Johnson, Marques Colston, Chad Johnson
2.11: Reggie Bush: Risky, but not that crazy in this format.
3.08: Darren McFadden: I don't love it, but may catch a lot of passes.
3.09: Willie Parker: Not taking as big a hit as I expected.
3.11: Brandon Marshall: Recent arrest didn't hurt him much.
Continue reading "Another Day, another Mock Draft" »
June 25, 2008
We can almost look past Brandon Marshall's arm surgery. We can no longer ignore his legal problems. His latest arrest actually happened in March, but we are just finding about it now. It puts Jay Cutler's public admonishment of Marshall into a new light. Cutler was in Atlanta with Marshall and knew more than the public.
He now has two domestic issue arrests and a DUI. ESPN writes that a DUI conviction (hardly a certainty) in September could mean a one or two game suspension. But even if that doesn't happen, the NFL can now look at this body of troubles and dole out their own punishment. At this point, I'd be surprised if Marshall wasn't suspended for part of the 2008 season.
Continue reading "How far to knock Brandon Marshall" »
Steven Jackson gets hit on by his colon cleanser, trashes the Rams fanbase, and throws his teammates' blocking under the bus, all in one jam-packed Michael Silver article.
Beyond the easy jokes I made in his blurb, there were some interesting comments from Jackson about his teammates and the state of the Rams:
Continue reading "Skinny Posts: Jackson cleanses " »
In this week's Fantasy Fix, I pick where I'd draft some of the Saints. (After talking trash on Reggie Bush, I still took him with the 37th pick in our Rotoworld Mock last night. Everyone has a value. I didn't realize one other player I had higher was there. Good thing it was a Mock!)
June 24, 2008
We just wrapped up our second Rotoworld Mock Draft, which will go into our second magazine. I'll have more on it another time(and of course fully in our magazine and draft guide), but thought I'd leave you today with some notable teammates and where they were drafted by a collection of industry writers, including myself and Evan Silva.
Continue reading "Mock Results" »
In one of the articles of our second magazine, Mark St. Amant has an interview with Wes Welker and talks about his man-crush on the Patriots receiver. We are including a breakout box of candidates to be "This year's Welker." That would be a receiver who emerges from the WR4/5/6 swampland to catch a whole lot of passes. (Extra points if he does it from the slot).
I have a quick list of candidates, but don't want it to just look like a repeat of my sleeper list. That's where you guys come in. Put on your tout hat and give me a player or two you think could be this year's Welker.
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