There are two big stories from this opening week of NFL Training Camps; T.O. signing with the Cincinnati Bengals and Dominique Foxworth tearing his ACL this morning, leaving him out for the year.

First let’s talk about today’s big news, the Ravens loss in their secondary.  After Ed Reed was in and out of the lineup last year and the team drafted Sergio Kindle and Terrance Cody the defensive backfield was immediately the biggest area of concern.  Now that they will be without CB Dominique Foxworth, I am not so sure that this defense will be able to hold up for a playoff run.  Their apparent vulnerability to the deep ball should open up games and allow the new studs on the offensive side of the ball to stretch their legs.

I for one really did not anticipate the Bengals going out and getting Owens once they signed Antonio Bryant earlier in the off-season.  However, a Bengal he is and my favorite sleeper for this year (Bryant) takes a pretty substantial hit in my rankings.  I am not willing to take the sleeper tag off him though; I will have him ahead of other deep sleepers like Devin Aromashodu, Devin Thomas, Jacoby Jones, and Laurent Robinson.  As for Owens’ production, it is hard to tell.  He will see better QB play and single coverage so I would have to put him as a WR3 or flex play that you should target late in the middle rounds on draft day. The biggest T.O. question in my mind right now however, has to do with what his new cereal will be called!? T.O.ch O’s?

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Just in case you didn’t hear enough about the McNabb trade in yesterday’s post now it is time to talk about the team that picked up this potential Hall of Fame QB. Instantly upon making this trade the Skins got a big time playmaker at the most important position on the field. All receiving targets on the offense got a significant boost, including one of my favorite sleeper receivers of this season… Devin Thomas. Target Thomas in the very late rounds where there is no substantial risk.  Sidney Rice owners from last year can attest to the fact that sometimes all a young guy needs to have a breakout year is a veteran QB and a little chemistry between the two of them. Assuming they can get better play from their offensive line this year the Skins shouldn’t be basement dwellers again this year.

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Donovan McNabb – He instantly became the team’s best offensive weapon.  However, his new team has significantly worse offensive weapons to assist McNabb and you should treat him as a really good option for your backup QB.  He will end up providing more value to players Santana Moss and Devin Thomas than he will have himself.

Chris Cooley – He is getting older and coming off of an injury.  I do not know if he can match his previous production, but he certainly has the best QB he has ever had in Washington.  Cooley will be one of the last tight ends to get selected in your draft making him potentially a great value.  I do expect to see a lot of double TE formations from the Skins after the job that Fred Davis did in Cooley’s absence.

Santana Moss – He is getting older and will not have numbers like he had a few years ago, however he is a good possession receiver and will be relevant to fantasy football once again.  I consider him as a WR3 or flex option.

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I will never understand Eagles fans, but they now have a new Quarterback to needlessly hate.  I think Kevin Kolb will do fine and having him sit much longer would be a bit of a waste but I still find it hard to wrap my head around getting rid of a player like Donovan McNabb inside your division. The trade also devalued DeSean Jackson, LeSean McCoy and Jeremy Maclin in the fantasy rankings.  I have seen a lot of people call Maclin a sleeper for this year, but I believe there is too much risk with Kolb under center.  He is worth grabbing in the late rounds, but someone that is in a more stable offense is a better way to go.  The success of this team will be largely dependent on their defensive efforts and their ability to keep the pressure off of Kevin Kolb.

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DeSean Jackson – Last season DJax tied an NFL record for 50+ yard touchdown plays in a single season.  He would be in the top 5 of all Wide Receivers if McNabb was still under center.  He could very well finish in the top 5 at his position, but there is a risk in the uncertainty of Kolb.

LeSean McCoy – The Eagles will use the running game to relieve pressure from Kolb, especially in the beginning of the season. Andy Reid does run a pass first offense when able to however he may not have that luxury this year.

Kevin Kolb – While he is the one big question mark that makes this season an uncertainty, with that risk comes some serious potential for a big reward.  There are a lot of weapons at his disposal and he looked great in his two starts last year.  Kolb may be the best backup QB option available.

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AP Photo/Bill Kostroun

If anyone can upset the Cowboys to win the division it’s the Giants.  They are a very streaky team in recent years and it is hard to trust many of their players from a fantasy standpoint.  If they can find someone on their roster that can be effective while handling a heavy workload at the running back position they have a serious chance to make the playoffs at least as a wild card.   Look for Hakeem Nicks to have a breakout performance this season and vault himself to the number 1 on the team.  I had Nicks pegged as a sleeper before the season ending injury to Domenik Hixon but now that is a no-brainer. He is a promising young talent that will make the most out of every snap.

Top Fantasy Players

Brandon Jacobs – I very much so dislike this guy, and not just in fantasy football.  Jacobs is a big guy that should be much more effective between the tackles.  If last year’s stats did not scare you away from this guy, then I don’t know what will.  I believe that by the end of the year Ahmad Bradshaw will end up being the feature back for the Giants.

Eli Manning – There is no consistency from this team and without a steady running game to be concerned with defenses should be able to contain Eli and the passing attack.  Do not be fooled into thinking he is a good option for your number one fantasy QB.

Steve Smith – If there continues to be a lack of an effective running game, Smith could have production issues. If Bradshaw or Jacobs can give the offense balance again Smith could end up being a bargain pick for your 2nd WR.

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The Dallas Cowboys are a very well balanced team. Tony Romo showed that he is capable of playing at a high level late in the season and if they can find a running back that is capable of handling the primary workload they will be a force to be reckoned with.  Defensively the team is solid, they are always giving their offense a chance at the end of the game and that is all that is fair to ask.  Dallas is my favorite to win the division this year and they can make a deep run into the playoffs if they can answer for a few of their shortcomings (mainly replacing Flozell Adams at left tackle).

Top Fantasy Players

Miles Austin – Almost no one knew this guys name at the time of last year’s fantasy football drafts. He didn’t even start until week 5 and finished 3^rd in receiving yards and 4^th in touchdowns. I know I’m not the only one excited to see how he’ll do with a full season. Personally I expect him to finish in the top 5 of fantasy wide receivers at the end of the season.

Tony Romo – I was wrong about him last year that is for sure.  I needed Romo to prove to me that he could keep his level of play up for the duration of an entire season and he did just that in 2009.  Romo is part of an incredibly deep quarterback pool but is a more than adequate starter for your team.

Felix Jones – At the end of last season Jerry Jones was vocal about wanting Jones to see more carries. Jones is an explosive runner with home-run potential; also he should be the feature back this year if he stays healthy.

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Traditionally the NFC East is one of parity and fierce competition.  Oddly enough the way I see this going is exactly the way it went last year, the Cowboys win the division title but the Eagles manage a wild card spot.  Also one of the two most interesting stories of the year unfold from this division, the first being McNabb’s return to his old home and the second being the success of the Eagles with Kevin Kolb at QB.

Dallas Cowboys

New York Giants

Philadelphia Eagles

Washington Redskins

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The Chargers are among the elite teams in the league, and that is not about to change anytime soon. I really think that all this talk about Marcus McNeil is just posturing and that he will be signed by the start of the regular season, but with much more serious problems facing each other team in the division the Chargers should be back to them old selves well before the playoffs. Phillip Rivers has become one of the very best QBs in the league and if he can get himself a Super Bowl ring or two he will be well on his way to Canton.  Chargers fans need only hope that their contract holdouts end up signed so that they can have another deep playoff run even with a rookie running back.

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Phillip Rivers – Rivers is an elite QB and with targets like Jackson and Gates to throw to the sky is the limit for this offense.  Also, don’t worry about the holdouts when valuing Rivers.  He will find whatever target is available.

Ryan Matthews – Even though he is a rookie, we already know that he will be the feature back.  With that many carries and not too much pressure given the quality of the passing attack he has an incredible chance for success.

Vincent Jackson – Unfortunately Jackson is able to serve his 3 game suspension while not under contract, so Jackson is probably not going to be signed by week one.  Hopefully he will not miss any additional time other than his 3 game suspension but i think he will.  Be wary of drafting him, but scoop him up if he falls into round 5 or 6 as he’ll be very productive when he gets back.

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The Raiders are in disarray. They have made some strides towards improving in the long run, but over the short term there was not too much they could do.  Jason Campbell is an upgrade at QB but I still do not trust any receiving options other than Zach Miller in this offense. No chance of the playoffs for the Oakland and there should not be any Raiders taken in the first half of any draft.

Zach Miller – I really like Miller this year.  His new Quarterback used his TE Fred Davis beyond his potential last year.  He may start slow, but I think he could end up a top 10 TE this season.

Darren McFadden – No one will benefit from the departure of Fargas more than this guy.  However Fargas was the better player and McFadden is just a backup RB or flex guy at best.

Jason Campbell – This should be a better fit than Washington.  You couldn’t ask for a less pressure job than taking over for JaMarcus Russell.  However there is just not enough talent on the team for him to be better than a bad backup QB option.

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The Chiefs need to make Jamaal Charles the focal point of their offense in order to be successful. I feel they would have been much better served bolstering their offensive line, however they decided to fill some holes on the defensive side of the ball as well as grab Dexter McCluster who we now know will be seeing playing time as a Wide Reciever.  Dwayne Bowe has been quietly productive in terms of yardage throughout his career and everyone will be looking for him to have a breakout season to push this offense to a new level.

Top Fantasy Players

Jamaal Charles – I think the Chiefs know how much potential this guy has and while Thomas Jones should eat up some goal line touchdowns Charles should remain the highlight of the offense and a great fantasy player.

Dwayne Bowe – It is hard to get excited about this much wasted potential and combine that with his 4 game suspension for violating the drug policy last season how can you have any confidence in Bowe? You can’t! But he is too talented to let slip down to WR3 status so don’t be bashful about taking a chance.

Matt Cassel – He’s not likely to get drafted but if these guys can pull things together it will make Cassel a very viable bye week plug-in.

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After such a strong start, not making the playoffs last season was a hell of a blow.  Most people think the offense was what fell apart and their production certainly did fall off pretty fast, however I place most of the blame on the defensive side of the ball.  Orton will never be a QB that can lead a team; however he is very adept at managing the game. I do not see a playoff run for the Broncos this season with the departure of their best offensive weapon, Brandon Marshall.

Top Fantasy Players

Knowshon Moreno – He will be the feature back unless there is some unforeseen incident on the horizon which makes him valuable.  The offensive line is good enough that Moreno comes in as a RB2 this year, but I see little chance for a break-out season this year.

Demaryius Thomas – This receiver is a raw talent that reminds me quite a bit of Randy Moss.  He had some injury issues in college that kept him from catching a whole lot of passes, but they are behind him now and if the Broncos can turn this guy into a polished deep threat he could be something special.  Consider him a sleeper in the late rounds but don’t expect too much with no one to draw the double team away from him.

Kyle Orton – He is a pretty poor backup QB option to be honest… but you never know what can happen. The team is well coached and will not roll over by any means.

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