AP Photo/Julie Jacobson
Rex Ryan is apparently a genius. Every move he has made has been the right one and assuming nothing insane happens with the Revis contract talks or the development of Mark Sanchez; the Jets are my favorite to win the division. They will have the best defense in the NFL as well as fantasy football due to the complex blitzing scheme of mastermind Rex Ryan. If they can keep the best rushing attack in the league as well… then they will be a force to be reckoned with come playoff time. LaDanian Tomlinson can be expected to pick up some goal line and third down work.
Top Fantasy Players
Shonn Greene – Given the level work given to Greene during the playoffs last year and the departure of all the other running backs on the team there is an immense amount of confidence in this young man.
Santonio Holmes – Sanchez needed a deep threat with better hands than Braylon Edwards, and that is exactly what Holmes will be… come week 5. Shortly after being acquired by the Jets it was announced that Holmes would face a 4 game suspension due to violating the substance abuse policy. This will make Holmes a great value in late rounds, but there is some risk that there is no chemistry between him and Sanchez so production could start slow as well as late.
Jets D/ST – If last year’s defense was any indication of what is to come then opposing offenses are in for some trouble. The Jets were the best defense last year, and they added depth and talent to the roster.
Welcome to the 2010 Fantasy Football preseason! I am officially declaring it started! I will be previewing every team in the league. This week belongs to the AFC East and I am starting with the Buffalo Bills. This is not a biased decision, I promise. I did it alphabetically.
This division is fast becoming the most competitive in the AFC. Every team is getting better… except the Bills. My favorite to take the division is the Jets but I would not be surprised if both AFC wild card spots were filled by the Dolphins and the Patriots.
With the first weekend of free agency drawing to a close its time to look at how the moves that have been made so far impact next years Fantasy Football season. Many big-names have changed teams during this week, and will shake up next seasons pre-draft rankings quite a bit. Here are the roster moves made so far during this free agency period that have an impact on fantasy football:
Anquan Boldin traded to Ravens – The biggest move of the free agency period was not a signing, but a trade. With the addition of Anquan Boldin to the Ravens offense three different players all receive a bump in my rankings; Joe Flacco, Anquan Boldin (shocker!), and Ray Rice. The biggest weakness of the Ravens last year was balance in the passing game. They have been lacking a serious play-maker at the wide receiver position, and Flacco’s production was hurt the worst by it. Mason is getting old and may not be back in a Ravens uniform next year, but with the addition of Stallworth and now Boldin the Ravens will finally have two polished receivers that can stretch the field AND get open over the middle. The impact on Ray Rice will also be significant, with Boldin on the roster the Ravens will have a balanced offensive attack instead of the Ray Rice show that was last season. Next year he wont be a surprise, people know what he can do now and without a balanced attack he would be vulnerable to being schemed against. With game-breaking talent at wide-out defenses will need to respect the deep ball and Rice will remain a top tier back.
(Baltimore Sun photo by Gene Sweeney Jr. / September 23, 2007 )
Antonio Cromartie traded to the Jets – Another trade tops my list of moves made during free agency week, and yes I know it was the day before but its so significant I’m sneaking it in! This move will solidify the Jets as my #1 Defense for next season barring some unforeseen incident. While Cromartie is certainly no Revis, he is a very gifted player filling the area of biggest need for the Jets already number one ranked defense. Oh, and the Jets were already first in the league in passing defense last year… 30 yards fewer per game than the number two Bills.
(AP Photo/Chris Park)
Bears sign Chester Taylor – I am really excited to see what Taylor can do outside the shadow of Adrian Peterson… but I do not think we will know his full potential until at least next year. The Bears have no picks in the first two rounds, and have an offensive line that could use quite a bit of work. Good news for the Bears however, this is a VERY deep draft class at offensive line and there is a real chance they could find a diamond in the rough. Taylor is a very complete back and he will likely take over the primary role leaving Forte to handle third downs.
Taylor runs through an arm tackle.
Lions sign Nate Burleson – Calvin Johnson finally has someone that could pull some double teams away from him… ok not quite. However, Burleson has 7 years of experience and a fair few left in him. His veteran leadership and experience at being on mediocre teams could go a long way to helping the Lions on the road to average. And lets face it, with a tough and talented kid like Stafford at the helm they could get there pretty quick. Burleson will likely see similar production as he had in his disappointing last season, but he could really help Megatron get open a couple more times per game… and that is certainly a good thing.
(AP Photo/Marcio Sanchez)
Bears sign Julius Peppers – The Bears make my list twice since they needed to use the limited free agent pool as their draft, and lets face it… you cant draft the best pass rushing defensive end and that is what the Bears got in Peppers. The biggest weakness for the Bears defense last year was… well… their offense. With Cutler throwing such a large number of interceptions as well as the Bears’ inability to extend drives and provide some rest for their defenders, just about every game the defense was worn out by the fourth quarter and unable to stop much of anything. Hopefully Taylor and Manumaleuna help to extend drives and give those poor guys a break. If the Bears find a good lineman or two, their defense could be a top5 fantasy defense again soon.
(REUTERS/Jason E. Miczek)
Actually no changes, these should be all set!
