It’s Monday, and the
Olympics are FINALLY OVER!
While that may sound
like I hated watching the summer games, that couldn’t be further from the
truth. They were awesome. But at the same time, they consumed my life
for ten days or whatever it was. I wouldn’t
look at websites like ESPN.com or Twitter after noon every weekday, and the tv
was on everything from swimming to handball from the time I walked through my
front door until my head hit the pillow.
I’m looking forward to getting home from work, making dinner, maybe even
watch a little Jeopardy or (gasp) read a book!
Things are a little slow right now in the sports world with baseball in
the dog days of summer, but hey, there is
preseason football. (Please hold
your collective yawns until the end.) I realize there’s not a ton to get excited
about until September 5th, but I’m going to take a break from doing
another rankings update to give you 7 reasons that I’ll be paying attention
during the preseason.
The Holdouts
I’m keeping my eye on
guys like Mike Wallace and Maurice Jones Drew, and I’m listening to what
coaches and analysts are saying about their replacements. There’s a lot of love for Antonio Brown (and
rightly so after his second half last year), but if Wallace’s situation turns
into a Vincent Jackson San Diego thing, then Emmanuel Sanders might be creeping
up into the top 100. I don’t think I
have him in my current rankings, but I’ll probably sub him in for Chad Johnson
or someone else who gets arrested between now and my next update. As for MJD, if he’s still holding out when my
league drafts on September 1st, then Rashad Jennings is definitely
going to move up a couple of running back tiers.
Bum knees
Adrian Peterson and
Beanie Wells are off the PUP list, Trent Richardson got his knee scoped, and
Jamaal Charles played in Week One of the preseason. These are all situations that you should be
paying attention to. I can’t wait to see
what AP looks like in his first preseason game, or if he even plays in any of
the glorified scrimmages. Ryan Williams’
knee is just as healthy as Beanie’s, so who’s going to get injured first in the
desert? Is Trent Richardson going to get
healthy before the real Week One of the season?
If so, does a guy like Montario Hardesty have a solid preseason and earn
10-15 touches in what could be more of a timeshare than people are
expecting? Keep in mind the Browns used
a 2nd round pick on Hardesty in the 2010 draft, and while he’s had
his own injury problems, he’s someone to monitor during the preseason. As for Jamaal Charles, I’m not sure that I’ll
catch the Chiefs/Rams epic preseason matchup on local television, but I’ll try
to catch some highlights. I’d like to
see how he looks, and if he appears to be in 2010 form, then I’ll draft him as
such. I’ll pay attention to how the
Chiefs are using Hills as well, but I think there will be plenty of touches to
go around for both in KC.
The NFC North’s other running backs
There’s not a lot
interesting to examine in the Bears backfield.
Forte will get a ton of yards, and Bush will vulture the TDs. Both will have value in their respective
rounds, and I don’t see much changing there.
I’ve already mentioned the situation in Minnesota, but the other two
teams also have a little something worth watching. You might be thinking, “What do I care about
the Lions and Packers backfields?
They’re going to throw it 50 times a game, not run!” And while I agree this is becoming more and more a passing
league (and these teams have two gun-slingers), you still have to establish the run (at least a little bit). These are also two potent offenses, so
getting the right running back on either squad could mean several TDs. The Packers just recently signed Cedric
Benson, so it’ll be interesting to see how they use him and Starks. Keep in mind that Kuhn is still in the mix to
get some of those 1 or 2-yard touchdowns too, though I wouldn’t draft him now that
Benson is there. As for Detroit, their backfield is looking pretty thin. Kevin
Smith would probably be the starter if the season started today, but I’m sure that could change a
lot between now and then (and I still say they sign Ryan Grant).
Rookie Running Backs
Everyone has Richardson
and Doug Martin on their radar, but what about some of the other guys? I mentioned Ryan Williams (who is still a
rookie due to injury last year), but I’m really interested to see if his fellow
Hokie, David Wilson wins the backup job in New York. DJ Ware sits at #2 on the current depth
chart, so I’d be a little concerned about drafting Wilson too high if my draft
were today. But he has some serious
skills, and I’d be surprised if he didn’t have a significant role in the Giant
offense this season. A couple more guys
to keep an eye on would be Isaiah Pead in St Louis and Robert Turbin in
Seattle. Both appear to be no more than
late round handcuffs in fantasy drafts, but it’s worth checking their stat
lines early on to see how they’re doing. I have Turbin a little higher due to Lynch's pending punishment, but that may not happen. Even if it doesn't, I think he's paid and happy, so I don't see him doing anything close to what he did last year. If Turbin gets a chance to show what he can do in the regular season, he could have value for the last position player you take in a standard draft.
Jackin’ it in San Diego
Welcome to San Diego:
Come take a load off! (Sorry, but I just
couldn’t help myself…and if you have no idea what I’m talking about, then you
are seriously missing out.) I have a
vested interest in what’s going on in Southern California ever since Ryan
Mathews (aka Mr. Glass) decided to go and break his clavicle on his very first
carry of the preseason. Since he’s one
of my keepers, I need to keep a close eye on what’s going on in the backfield
there because I’ll definitely try to snag the backup. The question is: Who is that going to
be? The obvious choice would be Ronnie
Brown, but I’m not so sure they don’t give Curtis Brinkley a chance while
Mathews is out. I’ll be monitoring this
closely, but I’m also very interested in the wide receivers there. Philip Rivers finished strong last season,
and his receiving corps looks a little different in 2012. It’ll be interesting to see if he forms a quick
trust in Meachem, sticks with what he knows in Floyd, or if Brown can continue
to make big plays like he did in their first preseason game. Oh, and I’m definitely interested in Antonio
Gates and how healthy his feet are.
Historically, a lot of fantasy points come out of that Charger
offense. This year, it’s going to be
important to try to figure out just where those are coming from.
New QBs
As a Redskins fan, I
was interested to see what RGIII looked like in his first action in the maroon
and gold, and he didn’t look too bad.
It’ll be interesting to see if they let him scramble a bit more in the
weeks to come because people are going to compare him to guys like Vick and
Newton (at least when it comes to fantasy football). I want to see what those wheels look like in
live action against the best. RGIII
could be an interesting mid-round pick, especially in a keeper league. A lot of buzz started when Andrew Luck
connected with Donald Brown for a 63-Yard TD on his first pass as a
professional. Outside of Indianapolis, I
don’t think that buzz has been too loud until now. Don’t sleep on the #1 draft pick (that sounds
really strange, but appropriate I think), and don’t sleep on a guy like Reggie
Wayne. With Garcon in DC, Wayne could be
primed for a nice year with the rookie QB, though I’m sure he’ll miss
Peyton. Speaking of “The Funny Manning”,
he’s obviously a guy to watch in the preseason.
I’m personally banking on a healthy Peyton, and that has me ranking
Demaryius Thomas, Eric Decker, and Jacob Tamme much higher than if they had
Tebow throwing at their feet. If Manning
has any type of setback with his health, those guys are definitely dropping.
Those Third Year WRs
Speaking of Demaryius
and Decker, let’s talk about some of the other 3rd year WRs who
could make a splash like others have in previous years. I don’t think there’s any need to discuss guys like Victor Cruz, Antonio Brown, or Dez Bryant. They've already started to make their mark. If you see those names on any website as a 3rd
year guy who’s ready to breakout this season, feel free to throw rotting
vegetables at your computer screen. I
mean, come on. With Peyton Manning in
Denver, I think his WRs are pretty obvious picks too, but the debate might be
over who to rank higher. That’s where watching the Broncos in the preseason
might be worth an hour of your time. I already
mentioned Emmanuel Sanders, and I think his value really depends on what happens
with Wallace in Pittsburgh. As for some
other guys to keep in mind: Mike Williams had a bit of a sophomore slump but I
think will bounce back in Tampa, and I think David Nelson in Buffalo and Brandon
LaFell in Carolina could actually have 800 yards and a handful of TDs each this
season. When you consider where those
guys are being drafted, you could be getting a lot of value there. Finally, I’ll go ahead and mention Darrius
Heyward-Bey. I know he’s a 4th
year guy, but give him a break. He plays
in Oakland and he’s younger than Nelson and LaFell anyway. I don’t really know why I’m picking him to
have a breakout year, but I am. Maybe
there will be something to back it up in the preseason, so that’s what I’ll be
looking for personally. Otherwise, it’s just
another gut feeling that could end up looking really bad in the end.
Cheers,
Bart
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