I wrote up a quick post for NBCSports.com on Alex Smith this morning. (This is in my other role writing about "real" football the same way I'd write about fantasy football, but without the 'He's a QB2.' sentence at the end.)

The end of the post is why I mostly disagree with Wesseling's love for Shaun Hill this season. The man isn't going to have great job security.

It's not a shock that Smith is outplaying Hill in practice because of his physical skills, and I expect Hill will open the season as San Francisco's starter. But I would be shocked if Hill kept his job if the 49ers were under .500 at any point after September. Maybe the 49ers will finally win, but they haven't done it since Steve Mariucci left town.

Derek Anderson faced a similar situation last year, and lost his job. He had a higher ceiling than Hill, though, who I see as a good QB2 in a best-case scenario. I love the guy for helping to win our office league championship last year, but I'm not excited about a post-Martz 49er quarterback without great job security, no matter who it is.

Posted by Gregg Rosenthal at 11:44 AM | Permalink | Comments (9)

The player pictured above is Chiefs wideout Mark Bradley. After being released by Chicago, Bradley was acquired via a two-year deal for the minimum on October 1. He easily passed Devard Darling and Jeff Webb on the depth chart despite barely knowing the offense. Picking up eight starts down the stretch, Bradley finished with 30 receptions for 380 yards (12.7 YPC) and three scores.

Here is a look at the Chiefs' current receiver depth chart:

X (split end) - Dwayne Bowe / Terrance Copper / Quinten Lawrence* / Taurus Johnson*
Z (flanker) - Mark Bradley / Devard Darling / Jeff Webb / C.J. Jones / Rodney Wright
Y (slot) - Bobby Engram

* = rookie

Continue reading "Chiefs receiver depth chart rundown" »

Posted by Evan Silva at 03:06 PM | Permalink | Comments (25)

We haven't heard a lot about the Colts' No. 3 receiver battle until this weekend. These articles indicate that Pierre Garcon and Austin Collie are the front runners, as expected. The winner is a longshot for major value, but would be worth a look in deep dynasty PPR and redraft leagues. I'm mostly interested in who would start if Anthony Gonzalez or Reggie Wayne got hurt. My guess is that Collie is more of a slot receiver, while Garcon could work the outside. Gonzalez's recent injury doesn't look serious at this stage.

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In other minor depth chart news, Devery Henderson still appears to be running ahead of Robert Meachem, despite all the positive press Meachem has received this season. The quantity of options for Drew Brees on every down makes me worry that Lance Moore will take a step back this season.

Posted by Gregg Rosenthal at 02:42 PM | Permalink | Comments (4)

Roman Harper finished first in my tackle-heavy scoring system among safeties in 2007. He dropped all the way to 15th at the famously fickle IDP position in 2008, but he's poised for a big bounceback this year. This article does a nice great explaining why, but I'll do it in two words: Gregg Williams.

Williams loves to use his safeties to attack the line of scrimmage, which leads to more tackles and big plays. He got the best out of Sean Taylor in Washington, and even turned cornerback Brian Williams into a decent playmaker last year. Harper showed that he's not always great in coverage last year, but he can be a Pro Bowl player and top-five IDP option when he's on the attack.

Posted by Gregg Rosenthal at 11:43 AM | Permalink | Comments (6)

Our early projections have Shaun Hill as the 22nd ranked quarterback. Fantasy leaguers worry about the loss of Mike Martz in addition to the easy schedule on which Hill feasted down the stretch. 49ers management, especially GM Scot McCloughan, has given Hill no respect, constantly trying to replace him with flashier options.

Is everybody selling Shaun Hill short?

When I mentioned to Gregg that I wanted to do a blog post on Hill, he was quick to point out that almost everything we've seen from him under Martz is now irrelevant. Despite the 49ers' claims to the contrary, the Jimmy Raye offense doesn't look like one that will create a lot of passing yards.

Continue reading "Selling Shaun Hill short?" »

Posted by Chris Wesseling at 12:54 PM | Permalink | Comments (13)

If past offseasons have taught us anything, the screaming headlines of June often look silly by September. So what do we make of the panic in Philadelphia after the Brian Westbrook surgery?

If I was an Eagles fan, I wouldn't be so worried yet. If I was a Westbrook fantasy owner, I would.

Even in a best case scenario (and Rotoworld has confirmed Westbrook should be running in six weeks), this injury hurts Westbrook's value significantly. Let's say Westbrook is fully healthy before Week 1 and looking like his old self. I think these surgeries, combined with Westbrook's struggles late last season, will encourage the Eagles to be extremely cautious with his workload.

Continue reading "Westbrook's workload will drop" »

Posted by Gregg Rosenthal at 09:25 AM | Permalink | Comments (35)

You'll probably enjoy this video even if you don't play IDP. (I actually posted this in the comments section several weeks ago, but if you don't get into the comments you may not have seen.) It's college clips of much-maligned Raiders second-round pick Michael Mitchell, a strong safety from Ohio.

Ohio is a member of Division I, but has not been very competitive in the MAC over the last three seasons aside from a GMAC Bowl appearance in 2007, which the Bobcats lost 28-7 to Southern Miss. Led by ex-Nebraska coach Frank Solich, Ohio U. went 4-8 last season. Naturally, their players aren't on the national radar.

But Michael Mitchell lays wood.

He is obviously the most talented player on the field in just about every situation. He stands out as a man among boys, and that's what you look for in a real pro prospect from a weaker level of competition. Also notice that he's facing Ohio State in one clip. Mitchell destroys Todd Boeckman on an up-the-middle strong safety blitz.

I already wrote about Mitchell in my IDP Rookie Breakdown two weeks ago, but wanted to make sure everyone on this blog knows about him. He might be a penalty machine with that head-hunting style, but Mitchell is positioned to compete for the league lead in tackles by a defensive back.

Also, I know this sounds real nerdy, but Twitter has become a Rotoworld job requirement. Come follow me at Twitter.com/evansilva.

Posted by Evan Silva at 02:29 PM | Permalink | Comments (9)

ESPN analyst Trent Dilfer has been leveling Jay Cutler on NFL Live and related programs since Cutler's spat with the Broncos began. For over three months now, Dilfer has criticized Cutler for his decision making in "crucial situations." Dilfer has also indicated that he believes Cutler was a product of Denver's skilled receiver corps, and is in for some sort of "rude awakening" surrounded by Chicago's.

Dilfer is an outstanding analyst overall -- his rehash of Tony Romo's delivery is impeccable -- but I sense jealousy in these comments. Dilfer, who did not possess anything close to Cutler's skill set as a player, often hints that he believes quarterbacks should be game managers, not risk takers. Kinda like him.

I watched a lot of the Broncos last season, and Cutler undoubtedly needs to improve his composure. Too often Cutler tanked when his team was losing. His TD to INT ratio was 13:6 with the score tied or Denver ahead. It was 12:12 when the Broncos were down.

Continue reading "Dilfer Off the Mark; Cutler will make Bears WRs" »

Posted by Evan Silva at 02:58 PM | Permalink | Comments (105)

When news broke yesterday that Brandon Marshall would not be suspended for his most recent arrest, it was cause for celebration for Marshall's keeper league owners like Fantasy Fix star intern Brett Bandermark. The Associated Press and Denver Post thought Marshall was clear to play 16 games this year. Then confusion settled in because Marshall still has an upcoming court case. Let's answer any remaining questions.

1. Is Marshall out of the woods yet?

No. The NFL confirmed they will review Marshall's upcoming case "when appropriate." Basically, that would only be if he's convicted or pleads no contest in his upcoming trial. A suspension still appears possible.

Continue reading "Brandon Marshall: Not quite out of the woods" »

Posted by Gregg Rosenthal at 12:20 PM | Permalink | Comments (18)

Rashard Mendenhall received quite a bit of support in the Dynasty rankings comments from owners who believe that the Steelers will simply let Willie Parker walk when his contract expires after the season.

In the interest of full disclosure, I advised buying Mendenhall and selling FWP back in February. I believe in Mendenhall's talent, and, more importantly, I stand in awe of the Steelers' track record in developing first-round talent.

Continue reading "Not so fast on Fast Willie's farewell" »

Posted by Chris Wesseling at 12:13 PM | Permalink | Comments (11)