The Lions are a franchise crawling out of the depths of the worst season in NFL history 2 years ago.  They drafted what appears to be one hell of a Quarterback with their number one pick 2 years ago, Matthew Stafford if your coming late to the party. They had Calvin Johnson during the dark days with Millen and they drafted a running back to suit their new style of offense when they got Jahvid Best.  Word from the motor city is all good about this young prospect and all signs point  to him being the starter straight out of the gates.  I do have concerns still about whether there has been enough improvement to make anyone but Calvin Johnson a fantasy stud, but there is plenty of upside to Jahvid Best and he ends up being in the 20 range in the rankings. Defensively the Lions have more issues and any time the offense struggles the defense will be worn down and exploited.  Despite all the positive steps made towards improving the franchise as a whole, the fantasy options are not quite worth the risk unless they fall on draft day.  Excluding Megatron… of course.

Fantasy Relevant Players

Calvin Johnson – Megatron is a rare talent that often gets overlooked because of where he plays.  As the franchise turns around so will public opinion on this guy.  I am just glad they started to rebound before he was too old to produce.  He is one of my seven top 5 WRs on draft day.

Jahvid Best – To be honest I didn’t know much about this guy in college so on draft day with my money on the line I couldn’t pull the trigger and draft him to be my number 2 RB.  If he fell to where I was looking to take my 3rd I would do it in a heart beat.  I really like Kevin Smith too so I could envision an issue with carries being vultured in the red zone rather than risk it with the rookie.

Matthew Stafford – He is one of the better backup QB options available and obviously a great number 2 if you play in that format.  Keep your expectations low, but he is capable of averaging 15 or so points a week.

1 Comment »

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

No Comments »