Joseph Addai, RB, IND – Active
Montario Hardesty, RB, CLE – Active
Peyton Hillis, RB, CLE – Active
Percy Harvin, WR, MIN – Active
Kevin Kolb, QB, ARI – Inactive
Visanthe Shiancoe, TE, MIN – Active
Sam Bradford, QB, STL – Active
Jared Cook, TE, TEN - Active
Joseph Addai, RB, IND - Inactive
Jermaine Gresham, TE, CIN – Active
Kevin Kolb, QB, ARI - Inactive
Lance Moore, WR, NO – Active
Nate Washington, WR, TEN – Active
DeSean Jackson, WR, PHI – Inactive. Disciplinary Reasons.
Ahmad Bradshaw, RB, NYG – Inactive
Darren McFadden, RB, OAK - Inactive
Joseph Addai, RB, IND – Active
Daniel Thomas, RB, MIA - Active
Plaxico Burress, WR, NYJ - Active
Kevin Kolb, QB, ARI - Inactive
Jermaine Gresham, TE, CIN – Inactive
Wes Welker, WR, NE – Active
Sam Bradford, QB, STL - Active
BenJarvus Green-Ellis, RB, NE - Active
Fred Davis, TE, WSH - Active
Love
Matthew Stafford, QB, DET – Denver has allowed the most fantasy points to opposing quarterbacks, averaging just over 20 per game. I think we will probably see Calvin Johnson get back to 2 TDs per in a game this week. And with Jahvid Best most likely out again, I think the Lions are going to air it out and win this game big to snap the two-game losing streak.
Mike Wallace, WR, PIT – I think Wallace is in for a really big game this week. Pittsburgh hasn’t been able to protect Roethlisberger long enough to let him hit the open receiver deep down the field. Luckily for Ben and all his receivers, New England has not had an effective pass rush and has struggled in coverage!
DeMarco Murray, RB, DAL – The Cowboys have not had a very good running game recently and Murray was a young prospect that they liked a lot before last week’s breakout performance. With a good match-up against Philadelphia this week, I expect Dallas to try and feature Murray heavily and see if he can put up big numbers on a consistent basis.
Fred Davis, TE, WAS – With Shawne Merriman placed on IR, the Bills are wearing thin at line backer. They have been pretty bad at stopping opposing tight ends and with Santana Moss out, Davis should see the biggest increase in carries. PPR owners especially should take notice but he comes in at 5th in my rankings regardless.
BenJarvus Green-Ellis, RB, NE – The Law Firm has re-asserted himself as the leader of the committee in New England. While Tom Brady hasn’t typically had an issue passing against the Steelers, running the ball hasn’t been a viable option for years. I do not downgrade Green-Ellis at all due to match up and think he has a decent shot at a nice game.
AJ Green, WR, CIN – Green has been great for Cincinnati and has developed a lot of chemistry with fellow rookie Andy Dalton. Seattle allows over 20 fantasy points per game to opposing wide receivers and Green has been able to score double digit fantasy points in all but one game this season.
Darren Sproles, RB, NO – You can’t ask for more from Sproles so far this season. He has been able to produce explosive plays on a consistent basis and his opponent this week just gave up over 250 yards on the ground to a rookie.
Hate
Doug Baldwin, WR, SEA – The Bengals defense is for real and I am yet to be convinced that Baldwin is. If Seattle wants to win this game, they need to get it done on the ground.
Bernard Scott, RB, CIN – This is the week that Cedric Benson is serving his suspension and I see a lot of people looking to Scott to pick right up where Benson left off. I don’t see that happening against the under rated Seahawks rush defense. Brian Leonard will get some carries if Scott struggles too and I could easily see him at 5 points or less.
Brandon Jacobs, RB, NYG – Jacobs could end up OK this week due to his goal line work, but I do not see him having a big yardage total or large number of carries in his first game back from the injury.
Kevin Kolb, QB, ARI – Baltimore’s defense has been solid all season and I clearly do not expect such a repeat terrible performance. With Beanie Wells on the bench, this Cardinals offense is one-dimensional and very sub-par. Kolb does not have enough quality receivers at his disposal to be able to get anything done against Ray Lewis and company.
Alfonso Smith, RB, ARI – Smith didn’t play well after Wells went down last week and I’ve already mentioned the terrible match up for Arizona this week. The ONLY Cardinal worth starting is Fitz.
Question 1: Asked by @Magnific_ANT_1
I wake up this morning and I’ve been offered Julio Jones for Tim Hightower. What about the Helu factor. That’s has been a reason for me wanting deal Hightower.
Answer
I would not do this deal. Helu is likely to stay in his change of pace roll as long as Hightower is able to keep up this production. I do not think Julio Jones is going to be overly productive this season. I would have liked to see him have a big scoring play already and think his progress will be a little too slow to be a big fantasy-factor this season.
Question 2: Asked by @aglikas
Crazy thought, putting in a waiver claim for Ochocinco and dropping Hines Ward. Are you in favor of this?
Answer
I think it is a very smart move. Ward is old and his production has dipped too far with the Pittsburgh offensive line playing so terribly. Chad might not be playing well right now but the Patriot offense is a machine and I didn’t expect very much from him early on. Ward has no chance to break out, but Chad still has time to get his act together and become a valuable target for Brady.
Question 3: Asked by @jersymikejr
Cam Newton, Matt Ryan or Kevin Kolb?
Answer
This is a two man race between Ryan and Newton in my eyes and it is REALLY close. I don’t discredit Cam for last week’s game in a monsoon… he did get the win after all and posted decent fantasy points. Ryan has a safe match up here and I have to give him the nod against a bad Seahawks team. Newton has potential for a bigger game this week, but I think Ryan will get you over 15 points for certain and the rookie is always more likely to implode and do nothing.
Question 1: Asked by Blake via email.
I currently have Eli Manning as my QB and Colt McCoy is available. Should I add Colt?
Answer
I definitely would. Eli has looked terrible and has some serious injury concerns at WR. I do not see how he has a good game against the Philadelphia all-star secondary and think McCoy is a better option to start most every week. I would not drop Eli though as depending on the match ups for certain weeks, he will be a better start and the Giants are capable of getting it together and finishing the season strong.
Question 2: Asked by @Jersymikejr
I see you have Cam Newton in your top 10. Does that mean I should start him over Kevin Kolb or Mark Sanchez?
Answer
Yes sir, I think that Cam should be able to pick apart the Jaguars secondary while Blaine Gabbert struggles early to find a rhythm. The Jaguars have been particularly bad at covering even moderately talented receivers and Steve Smith should have little trouble getting open and making some big plays. I think your Panthers are going to get their first win and I wouldn’t be too surprised if it wasn’t close. Another nice feature of playing Newton is that the Panthers have seemed to be unable to open rushing lanes for DeAngelo Williams and Jonathan Stewart so far this season and the Jags have played solid rush defense. Even late in the game, Carolina is going to have to pass to ensure that Jacksonville isn’t able to mount a comeback.
Question 3: Asked by @mike_campbell
#Broncos WR Brandon Lloyd or RB McGahee this week versus #Titans?
Answer
Lloyd is the biggest weapon this offense has and while McGahee fits the John Fox scheme well and looks to become the lead back, he will still share his work with Moreno and Lloyd has far more upside. I was really impressed with Lloyd last season and considering he was a big part of the passing game in week 1 and I do not see it as a fluke.
It’s time to start laying out my draft strategy for you this season! With no introduction at all, here is my break down of the QB talent pool for 2011! Check my updated rankings out too!
Top Two
Last season, Michael Vick was BY FAR the best player in the NFL for fantasy owners. He singlehandedly won games for those of us lucky enough to nab him off waivers when Kevin Kolb got hurt and personally, he propelled my injury riddled, fairly average team into the super bowl. Vick outscored the next closest QB while only playing in 12 games on the season. Aaron Rodgers has been a picture of consistency for fantasy owners over the past three seasons as a starter and because of this steady production as well as missing just one game over these three years locks him in as my top QB overall. I won’t be surprised if Vick outscores Rodgers again, but I wouldn’t be surprised if Vick missed 4 or more games to injury either. This is a classic risk-reward conundrum and in a year with a shortened offseason due to the lockout, I just can’t take that much risk and will be taking Rodgers over Vick all season long.
Elite Eight
There is plenty of other very reliable weekly starters at the QB position even if you miss out on one of the top two guys. These “second tier” QBs include Drew Brees, Tom Brady, Philip Rivers, Peyton Manning, Matt Schaub and Tony Romo. The last two guys still have some work to do to prove that they are an elite NFL QB but for fantasy owners, statistics are enough and these guys get them. Schaub has Owen Daniels back at 100% to go along with Andre Johnson and a formidable rushing attack. Vonta Leach left town for Baltimore this offseason, which will lessen the effectiveness of the running game and with all his receivers back to 100% healthy, look for Schaub to rebound this season and put up very considerable stats. Jason Garrett taking over as head coach gave the Cowboys a spark last season and they didn’t even have Romo in at QB. There are tons of receiving options at Romo’s disposal this season and the Cowboy’s pass defense is vulnerable to the big play. In order for Dallas to win games, they need to air-it-out early and often and while I am not sure the Boys can make it to the playoffs from their division… there is little doubt in my mind that Romo can help you make it to the playoffs. Manning and Brady’s teams each drafted some help for their offensive line and Brady got a new receiver in Chad Ochocinco this off season. I don’t think rookie offensive lineman make for much of a statistical boost for these two savvy veterans, but Ochocinco will prove to be a valuable deep threat to stretch the field and open up passing lanes for Brady. Brady stays put in my rankings at 4th but since the Colts were unable to add any receiving talent, I have to drop Manning below Rivers. Brees was hindered last season because of the injuries to the Saints’ running backs but with the addition of Mark Ingram, the team finally has a tough, hard-nosed, short yardage back in their toolbox to help convert on third and short and extend drives. And last, but certainly not least, is Philip Rivers. The Chargers missed the playoffs last season largely due to special teams blunders and stupid mistakes that cost them games. These weren’t made by Rivers. Philip is as risk-free as it comes with no games missed due to injury in the past five seasons and 3 consecutive 4,000 yard seasons under his belt. This year Vincent Jackson will be a part of the team all season and if Antonio Gates can stay healthy, Rivers WILL have a great year.
The Best of the Rest
If you are considering taking a QB outside my top 8, you might want to consider waiting until round 9 or 10 and just ensure you get a quality back up as well. There might be a lot of talent worth investing in early, but some owners have to be left out. Ben Roethlisberger leads this group of signal callers who I will be passing on come draft day. He is the one standout that may be worth a 6th or 7th round pick, but he is still on a run-heavy offense and with two of his best options (Mike Wallace and Emmanuel Sanders) being deep threats, I am also concerned about the level of consistency Ben will bring to the table. A lot of people are high on Josh Freeman this year too, but with such a young team… a lot can go wrong. For what it is worth, I think Freeman is the real deal and he will continue to develop into a franchise QB. With that said I am still not going to have him on a single one of my teams. This is because I am worried about his consistency if Blount is hurt and the offense becomes one dimensional or if Williams misses time, who will pick up his slack and make the big play? To me, the biggest value pick at QB is Joe Flacco at 12th. Flacco has been in development and in a lot of ways he is the best of the young QB talent in the NFL (except probably Matt Ryan). Frustratingly for fantasy-owners, this has not been enough to make Flacco into an elite fantasy player. Ray Rice is the feature of the offense and while he is a VERY good pass catcher, the lack of big play receiver has meant few long passing plays and even fewer 20+ fantasy point games for Flacco owners. The Ravens re-committed to their run game in the offseason with the signing of Vonta Leach and Ricky Williams but as Flacco settles into his role and builds report with his receivers, I certainly don’t expect him to dip in production. He is certainly a great option as the last of the starting QB’s to come off my board on draft day.
Sleepers
Matt Schaub, Josh Freeman, Kevin Kolb, Donovan McNabb
Busts
Mark Sanchez, Matthew Stafford, Alex Smith, Eli Manning
Philadelphia Eagles
Let’s get the obvious out of the way first. The Eagles are my and most people’s favorites to win the NFC in 2011. This is largely due to the ABSURD amount of talent added in free agency over the past week, which includes Ronnie Brown, Cullen Jenkins, Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie (DRC), Nnamdi Asomugha and Jason Babin. Jenkins is a wall of a defensive tackle with a particular talent for getting his hands up into the passing lanes and batting down short passes (he holds the Green Bay Franchise record for this statistic in a single season by a D-lineman with 9 in the 2007 season). Rodgers-Cromartie is a very solid Cornerback that has been getting better each year since drafted 16th overall in 2008. He has made a name for himself by coming up with big plays in crucial situations, namely a 99 yard INT return for a touchdown against the Rams in his rookie season which secured the division title for the Cards. Jason Babin was also brought back to Philly this offseason through free agency off the heels of a 12.5 sack season in 2010. The least attractive addition to the roster for the Eagles is the most recent, Ronnie Brown. Don’t get me wrong, Brown makes the team better and will probably handle short yardage and goal line touches. But, with all the blockbuster players picked up on defense, its easy to barely acknowledge this one. Lastly, the biggest surprise acquisition for Andy Reid’s ball club was Nnamdi Asomugha. Asomugha is in most people’s eyes the 2nd best cornerback in the entire league. With three cornerbacks that are talented enough to be the top guy on any team in the league and a formidable pass rush the Eagles defense is, on paper, the best in the NFL for the upcoming 2011 season. It is difficult to see what could stand in the way of this team’s success apart from a slew of injuries.
Kenny Britt
If we set aside all the off-field issues and pretend that Britt would play in all 16 games, I would have him as a top 15 wide receiver this season. Now he will be facing some disciplinary actions and I expect him to see a four game suspension and have it reduced down to two. He was not likely to crack my top 20 at WR given Jake Locker looked to be the starting QB for this seasuon but now that Matthew Hasselbeck is in Tennessee, Britt has a QB that can accurately and reliably hit an open receiver. Last season, when Britt was on the field, he looked like a man among boys in what was otherwise a very pedestrian passing attack. Britt got hurt in week 8 and did not return until week 14, but despite missing all this time to injury, he still amassed 775 yards and 9 TDs. Most impressive to me was how much more successful the Titans were with him on the field. The first 7 games of the season were all played with Britt in the lineup and the Titans were sitting at 5-2. Starting the week that Britt got hurt, the Titans slid on a 6 game losing streak. This was more to do with poor QB play from Rusty Smith and Kerry Collins, but Britt is by far the best receiving threat the Titans have on their roster and defenses are forced to keep 8 in the box in an effort to contain Chris Johnson.
Arizona Cardinals
The Cards were in a tough spot this offseason. They wanted to do everything they could to make Larry Fitzgerald happy, so that he would not leave the team after the 2011 season. In order to do that, they needed to get him a QB. The draft did not provide this for them, but a trade with Philadelphia for Kevin Kolb did. He cost them Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie and a 2nd round pick, but you don’t often get a potential franchise QB cheap, so it was worth the risk. DRC was expendable after the drafting of Patrick Peterson and in the sub-par NFC West; the Cards are playoff contenders again.
Donovan McNabb
I don’t think the Vikings are going to be in the running for the division title, but with Adrian Peterson carrying the load and a solid defense to keep the offense on the field, McNabb is able to prove that he was not the problem in Washington last season. Losing Sidney Rice hurts but with Roy Williams, Johnny Knox and Devin Hester at receiver, McNabb has a better receiving corp than many of his pro bowl seasons in Philly. Fantasy owners shouldn’t expect McNabb to be more than a QB2, but Vikings fans can be happy to have someone who can potentially take them back to the playoffs.
Buffalo Bills
If you are familiar with me, you know I am a big Bills fan. I might be just excited for my team here, but Buffalo made two very nice acquisitions this week in Free Agency. Unfortunately, Buffalo lost Paul Posluszny early in the Free Agency period to Jacksonville, but Pos is a better 4-3 middle linebacker than he is ILB in the 3-4 and since the Bills are still adjusting their personnel to suit the new scheme, this won’t likely hurt too bad. Especially after drafting Kelvin Sheppard and signing Nick Barnett, they should be okay at ILB. The Bills are also set up to take serious advantage of the new 3rd-QB rule, or lack there-of. Buffalo took an explosive playmaker from their division-rival New York Jets when they signed Brad Smith. Smith can now be placed at the 46th roster spot (3rd QB) and take snaps from under center. Previously, using your 3rd QB before the 4th quarter meant that your 1st and 2nd string QB’s could not re-enter the game. Buffalo needs excitement brought back to their football team badly and even the idea of CJ Spiller and Brad Smith in a Wildcat formation is pretty darn exciting. I expect Buffalo to remain a losing football team next season, especially since they are still in the AFC East, but look for a lot more big plays and fantasy points in 2011.
Tavaris Jackson
After Hasselbeck left town for Tennessee, Tavaris Jackson signed a deal to reunite him with his old offensive coordinator in Seattle. There will be some competition between Jackson and Charlie Whitehurst, but my guess is that his understanding of the offense and his relationship with fellow former Viking and newly acquired Seahawk Sidney Rice makes Jackson the heavy favorite to win the starting job. Throw in the addition of Zach Miller to the receiving corp for good measure and now Seattle might actually have an offense. Jackson has a lot of talent and play-making ability so if he was able to work on his down field accuracy and pocket-presence, he may be able to resurrect his career with this opportunity. In my eyes, it comes down to how consistent Marshawn Lynch can be to take the pressure off the passing game.
The season is finally upon us and the Kickoff game on Thursday will be a great start, tune in. While there are no shortage of great match ups this week I will get more into that later and go straight into the first Love and Hate lists of the 2010 season.
Love
Jerome Harrison (CLE) – Montario Hardesty’s injury increased the number of touches Harrison will see. With a lot of carries and a bad opposing defense last season he finished the season strong enough to propel the BROWNS to a 4 game winning streak.
Ronnie Brown (MIA) – The Bills run defense was 30th in the league last year and the 4-3 is geared towards stopping the run. The transition that Kelsay and Maybin are trying to make takes time. There will be rough spots and while you may think Brown wont stay healthy all season… he is now.
Matt Forte (CHI) – The Lions are making strides to improve their franchise but on defense they still have plenty of work to do. They are vulnerable to allowing big plays and this suits the Bears’ new offensive style very well.
Johnny Knox (CHI) – See Matt Forte.
Larry Fitzgerald (ARI) – Derek Anderson brings a consistency to the offense that Leinart could not provide. The upside is lower, because we know what Anderson can do and I do not expect him to come close to his one good year in ’07.
Michael Crabtree (SF) – He is one of the guys that I really think is going to come into his own this season. I know some people are nervous because of the incident with Vernon Davis in camp, but I am not. This guy is a play maker on game day. Since when does fantasy football worry too much about a wide receiver with an attitude problem?
Felix Jones (DAL) – The love for Felix Jones has gone a little too far in my opinion because there is absolutely no chance that we get 16 games out of him this season. Swelling in his knee on the 2nd day of training camp is not what you want to see from your new lead running back. He’s fine now and has the ability to break a big gain anytime you put the ball in his hands.
Philip Rivers (SD) – The Chiefs have weapons on offense but their defense has plenty of gaps in the secondary. Rivers will be spreading the ball around and should be able to move the ball very effectively throughout the game.
Antonio Gates (SD) – see Philip Rivers.
Hate
Pierre Thomas (NO) – The stock on him rose w hen Ladell Betts was cut, he should see the goal line work. Against this defense his rushing yards will be low, so unless he breaks a big gain in the receiving game his numbers will be modest at best.
Fred Jackson (BUF) – Gailey will likely lean on Lynch and Spiller a bit more this week to allow Jackson to get back to 100%, he will be fine come week 2 though.
Kevin Kolb (PHI) – If Reid is not willing to lean on the running game until Kolb gets in a rhythm this ball hawking secondary could cause some problems in Kolb’s first outing as the team’s leader. I don’t see him having a huge game this week, I do not have too many concerns down the stretch however.
Shonn Greene (NYJ) – The Jets love to run the ball, but they won’t win this game that way. This is going to be a slug fest and a field position battle and could be a preview of the AFC Championship game, unless Peyton Manning has his way.
Anquan Boldin (BAL) – Have you met Darrelle Revis? Nope, he used to be busy with Larry. This is a cruel first test as a number one WR.
Justin Forsett (SEA) – Patrick Willis and the 49ers will be starting off with a win at the expense of Matt Hasselbeck and the Seattle offense.
