There is a certain amount of spin involved after any big trade. One of the post-Cutler trade themes is that Kyle Orton was a key to the trade for the Broncos.

Josh McDaniels chose Orton over Jason Campbell and Luke McCown, and "thinks he can win" with Orton in 2009. This may be spin to convince teams Denver doesn't want Mark Sanchez, but it's clear Orton is likely to start for Denver next season. Chris Simms probably won't have a chance.

Continue reading "Orton will get his chance" »

Posted by Gregg Rosenthal at 11:19 AM | Permalink | Comments (8)

In an attempt to find sleepers on the post-Plaxico Burress, post-Amani Toomer Giants, let's have a look at their updated receiver depth chart:

WR1 - Domenik Hixon > Mario Manningham > Taye Biddle > Micah Rucker
WR2 - Steve Smith > Sinorice Moss > David Tyree > Derek Hagan

We can cross Biddle, a career practice squad type, and Rucker, a massive 6'5/219-pound project without an obvious future, off the list pretty safely. Tyree is a special teamer with bad knees and Hagan is a futures signee with some talent, but dreadful hands.

This draft is heavy on receivers and local Rutgers hero Kenny Britt could be there for the Giants at No. 29 overall, but no wideout they draft is likely to help more than the ones they already have.

Continue reading "A Look at the Giants' Post-Plaxico Depth Chart" »

Posted by Evan Silva at 03:58 PM | Permalink | Comments (6)

There seem to be two diametrically opposed schools of thought regarding Kyle Orton’s expectations now that he’s in Denver.

One school believes quarterback guru Josh McDaniels will work wonders once again, and Orton will become a significant fantasy factor with improved weapons.

The other school believes Chris Simms has a good chance to win the job and a first-round rookie will take over soon afterwards.

The truth, as usual, lies somewhere in between.

Continue reading "Orton expectations all over the map" »

Posted by Chris Wesseling at 03:57 PM | Permalink | Comments (4)

The dust is settling after yesterday's Jay Cutler trade.  I was planning to write a slew of blog posts about it, but decided to compile all the questions for a column on the main site.  The short version: The Bears aren't guaranteed anything in a tough NFC North, and the deal will make a lot more sense for the Broncos if they wind up with Mark Sanchez. 

Other links from the fallout ...

• Touchdown Tom Curran is impressed with Denver's haul.
• Jay Cutler once had his feelings hurt by Bears OC Ron Turner.  Maybe he'll ask for a trade.
• The Redskins now have to kiss and make up with Jason Campbell.  The Broncos clearly liked Kyle Orton better than Campbell.  Washington couldn't get a second-round pick for Campbell to move to Denver, along with two first round picks. 
  
• The real losers Thursday: Uh, the jersey salesmen.  
• The Browns are denying that they tried to trade Brady Quinn.  But what else are they going to say. 
  
• Last year's first round pick for Chicago, Chris Williams, will fight to play on the right side after the signing of Orlando Pace. 
  

Posted by Gregg Rosenthal at 10:08 AM | Permalink | Comments (4)

Winners

Matt Forte – The Bears will make some changes to their offense to suit Cutler’s abilities, so Forte can’t count on 380 touches again. The increase in scoring opportunities and a markedly improved offensive line should be a net gain, however. He remains a likely first-round pick.

Devin Hester – Hester has made a quantum leap as a receiver over the past two seasons, and his deep speed suits Cutler’s rocket arm. Hester can’t be counted on as a fantasy starter in 2009, but the trade moved him squarely into WR4 territory.

Continue reading "Cutler trade: winners and losers" »

Posted by Chris Wesseling at 07:03 PM | Permalink | Comments (19)

Brandon Marshall underwent surgery Tuesday to repair a hip problem that allegedly bothered him down the stretch of 2008. Marshall's catch total was not inhibited. He caught 32 balls in Denver's last four games, although he averaged only 10 yards per reception. We can guess that the hip cost him some run-after-catch ability. His career YPC to that point was 13.3 and Marshall averaged 15.0 yards a grab in college.

Marshall also only scored two touchdowns in the last seven contests. Red-zone production is an area of Marshall's game that needs improvement, but that's for another blog post.

Continue reading "Marshall's surgery bodes poorly for '09" »

Posted by Evan Silva at 02:15 PM | Permalink | Comments (11)

I’m turning to the Pancake Blockers for guidance on my latest article outlining Dynasty league risers and fallers since the onset of free agency. I already have much of it written and plan on posting it later this evening, but I wanted to hear what the Blockers have to say before I set the order. The ball's in your court. The second poll is after the jump.

Continue reading "Poll: Dynasty league risers and fallers" »

Posted by Chris Wesseling at 01:39 PM | Permalink | Comments (23)

My ears are still ringing from going to the Hold Steady show Monday night with a few of my little hoodrat friends. They have grown into one of my favorites, largely because they so obviously love what they do after breaking through in their mid-30's. That's even older in rock than it is at running back, which got me thinking ... who are the fantasy football equivalents to Craig Finn and the gang, peaking in their mid-thirties? And can they keep the glory days going for another year?

Derrick Mason: Never a speed demon, Mason looked just about done after declining to 758 yards in 2006. Instead, he's put up back-to-back 1,000-yard, top-25 fantasy wideout seasons despite playing on poor passing attacks in Baltimore.

Can he keep it going?: Mason is 35 and coming off a long season, but the improvement of Joe Flacco should keep him afloat. The Ravens haven't added any receiving weapons.

Continue reading "Holding Steady" »

Posted by Gregg Rosenthal at 08:40 AM | Permalink | Comments (5)

Amid pressure from his family, LeSean "Shady" McCoy declared for the NFL Draft in January following a redshirt sophomore season in which he rang up 1,793 yards on 340 touches (5.3 avg), and scored 21 touchdowns. McCoy was the Panthers' offense, often running out of the Wildcat formation and accounting for 41% of the Panthers' yardage and 50% of Pitt's all-purpose scoring.

McCoy's best assets are his hands, change-of-direction skills, and speed. He possesses rare acceleration and shake and bake outside the tackle box. McCoy has shown the ability to "carry the load," averaging 26 touches a game in his two college seasons.

But McCoy has apparently dropped from the first-round mix due to eye-poppingly poor measurables. After the flu knocked him out of the Combine, McCoy ran mediocre (for him) 4.50 and 4.52 forties at Pro Day. He showed little explosiveness on his broad leap (8'11") and jumped only 29" vertically.

Continue reading "Shady McCoy has fallen off a bit" »

Posted by Evan Silva at 02:19 PM | Permalink | Comments (17)

So I began work on our magazine this week. One of the first things I do is put together position rankings based on gut feel. Then I dive into the research and game tape notes, create projections, and compare the two lists.

Josh Morgan was one player I wanted to rank high that I couldn't justify once I lined the players up. The loss of Mike Martz and transition to a run-first offense lowered Morgan's ceiling enough to push him out of the top-40 wideouts. Today's decision by Isaac Bruce to return to the 49ers only muddles the picture.

Continue reading "Bruce could usher in receiver by committee" »

Posted by Gregg Rosenthal at 02:12 PM | Permalink | Comments (5)