05/20/2009 2:01 PM -  Craig Davis

Wednesday, May 20 (5:30 pm)

Wow, can you believe that the NFL Draft was almost a whole month ago? All the rookies are slowly falling into place, getting prepared for June mini-camps and July’s training camp. It seems like just yesterday we were watching the Cardinals and Steelers battle for the Super Bowl… and now we’re just months away from getting ready for the 2009 NFL season.

We, at FantasyFootball.com, wanted to remind you that we are just a few weeks away from having some modifications performed on the website… modifications that are absolutely necessary. The biggest change that will most benefit you is the move to a 100% FREE product. That’s correct… we are moving to a completely free platform; where you’re used to paying for our tools and other “platinum features”, you’ll now pay nothing.

In order for us to survive with this changeover, we need your help. We need you to tell as many people as you can about our free site. The more visitors and page views we can acquire, the more revenue we bring in from advertisers, meaning we can stay free longer and hopefully acquire even more staff members. So, be watching for our new site (not really new, but improved) in the next few weeks…

Oh, and on that same note, we are going to be changing back over to the old message board system. The new forums simply weren’t working how we envisioned and so we’ll be making this change in the same time frame as the website change. If you have any questions, please contact me at craig@fantasyfootball.com.

On the lighter side (I think), I found a video today of a devastating spinning backfist from an MMA fight… check it out below:

Monday, May 11 (10:59 am)

- Here’s hoping you did something special for your mother yesterday. What did I do, you ask? Well, we saved up a little tax money to fly my mom out here to Oklahoma for Memorial Day Weekend. She hasn’t seen my boys play any little league baseball this season and has been wanting to figure out a way to come out here (from Ohio) since the season began in March. She, as all mothers would do, tried to decline my offer but I told her it was already too late. The ticket had been purchased and although she spent all her life telling me what to do, I finally got to tell her what to do. The boys are excited.

- Have you been following the NBA Playoffs? Interesting stuff. Teams are winning without key players and it absolutely makes no sense. The Rockets won yesterday without Yao. The Lakers won Game 3 without Derek Fisher. Orlando won twice, once without Dwight Howard and once without Rafer Alston. Either way you slice it, it still looks like a Lakers/Cavs Finals. However, don’t look past Denver… I believe this team might actually be the best team in the West and if they get to the Finals, might give Cleveland a bigger challenge than the Lakers would.

- Baseball fans… what do you think about Manny Ramirez’s suspension for testing positive for a banned substance? Does anyone really care? Seriously, is it as big of an issue as the media is making it out to be? The Dodgers think it’s big as they’ve dropped 3 of 4 since the suspension, and look like a lost child in a crowded mall. Was Manny really that big of a team leader? So far, it appears so. That leads me to an interesting “top 10″ that I stumbled upon this morning… The Top 10 Sports Scandals of All Time.

10. Danny Almonte

The Rolando Paulino All Stars from the Bronx, NY was led into the Little League World Series by their star pitcher, Danny Almonte, who dominated district, state, and regional levels. He led them to a third place finish at the World Series. However proof that Almonte was actually 14, which would make him two years older than the age limit, surfaced and was eventually proven true. This makes the list for the fact that even the youth aren’t beyond scandal. Today Almonte can be found at Western Oklahoma State College where he pitches and plays right field, but his name will always be known with the LL scandal…

CLICK HERE FOR THE REST OF THE TOP 10

Thursday, May 7 (4:30 pm)

- The Baltimore Ravens did not select a receiver in the NFL Draft, but will bring in four veteran wide receivers — Jerry Porter, Kelley Washington, D.J. Hackett and Tab Perry — for auditions at this weekend’s minicamp, a team official told The Baltimore Sun. (source: yahoo blogs)

Porter has the skills to compete at this level, but doesn’t have the work ethic to make this kind of roster. Washington was supposed to have world-class speed, but we have yet to see what he can do for a full season. Hackett has shown what he can do, but only when he’s on the field… that’s the problem, he’s never healthy. Tab Perry has no chance to make this roster. So, in the end, Hackett likely has the best chance to make the team, but I’m not sure I can suggest he’ll have any fantasy value because I just don’t trust his health. Total fantasy value among these four — minimal. Hackett, followed by Porter (ugh), Washington and then Perry.

Thursday, May 7 (11:47 am)

- Video: Okay, so I’m video happy today… but you gotta see this.

Thursday, May 7 (10:45 am)

- So, you wanna get into MMA? Check this out:

- HUMOR: Top 10 All-Time Mike Tyson moments from YouTube.

- FROM SPORTSBYBROOKS.COM… “Move over, Hooters - you’ve got a new foe in the field of scantily-clad food service. Bikinis Sports Bar & Grill is slowly but surely making inroads into the risque restaurant business, with eateries already established in Austin & San Marcos, Texas, and Charlotte, North Carolina.

And restaurant #4 is set to open in San Antonio, on the city’s northwest side. As you would expect with a bikini-themed bar, there is controversy brewing from concerned citizens. Along with the usual moral outrage of young women in very revealing clothing (I, for one, am not outraged in the least), there is concern about the new restaurant’s location - right next to a prep school.

(More pics of the wait staff after the jump.)

WOAI-TV reports that Bikinis will be opening for business right next to San Antonio Preparatory Academy - and parents aren’t very pleased:

“If it does happen, and it sounds like it may happen, my kids may go to another school next year,” said parent Dori Arzola-Midlane.

Thursday, May 7 (9:16 am)

- If you’re not receiving daily updates from FantasyFootball.com in your email inbox, what are you waiting for? Our list is growing daily, and it’s never too late for you to sign up. It’s 100% free and ultra-informative. If you aren’t receiving this free email newsletter, CLICK HERE.

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- Brett Favre… love him or hate him, he’s in the news again and could be back in the NFL as early as this weekend. It appears he and Vikings HC Brad Childress are set to have a meeting in Mississippi, and the word is, the Vikings might be ready to bring him out of retiremement (again) if he’s willing to have a small procedure on his partially torn biceps tendon. What would this mean for fantasy football? Well, first it would mean Sage Rosenfels’ value goes from lower-tier QB2 to non-existent. Secondly, I believe it would only help Adrian Peterson’s hold on the overall top spot in just about any draft. Third, I believe you’d see a slight increase in the overall value of Bernard Berrian and Visanthe Shiancoe… we all know Favre LOVES tight ends. Stay tuned.

- A disturbing trend is beginning to happen in Indianapolis, and it could mean a significant hit on the value of Peyton Manning, Reggie Wayne, and just about everyone you have come to expect fantasy points from. It was bad enough when Tony Dungy decided to retire from head coaching. It was even more disturbing that offensive line coach Howard Mudd retired just a few days ago. Now, today, rumor has it that offensive coordinator Tom Moore might be headed down the same path… but it appears this could have been avoided. According to a report at ESPN.com, Moore is dissatisfied with the league’s revised pension plan for coaches. This is huge. If the NFL doesn’t revisit this, and soon, it is in danger of losing other great coaches before the start of the 2009 season. It also could wreak havoc on fantasy players across the board.

- Lakers = thugs. I’m sorry Lakers fan, but I’ve had enough of the “street basketball” I’ve been watching from some of your beloved L.A. Laker players. A basketball game turned into a football game without the pads in the Staples Center last night, courtesy of a Derek Fisher body check on Luis Scola and a flagrant elbow thrown by Kobe Bryant on Ron Artest. Fisher received a flagrant two for his shenanigans, but Bryant (amazingly) didn’t even get a foul called on him. I understand when officials give superstars the benefit of the doubt sometimes, but to completely ignore the fact that Kobe Bryant continues to be a dirty player is beyond me. When this series began, I didn’t really care who won… I just wanted to watch some good basketball. Now, I hope the Rockets win every game from here on out and I would love to see Artest knock some of Kobe’s teeth out. There’s simply no room in basketball for what the Lakers pulled last night.

- I’m not sure if you caught this late last night or not, but the Bengals quietly signed free-agent S Roy Williams after the veteran spent his entire career with the Dallas Cowboys. Williams reunites with his former Dallas defensive coordinator Mike Zimmer in Cincinnati, but it remains to be seen if he can beat out Nedu Ndukwe at the strong safety position. Williams has been Jekyl-N-Hyde since entering the NFL… great in run-support, horrible in pass-coverage. It’s amazing to think Williams, who was likely the #1 all-time safety in University of Oklahoma history, has struggled to “find his groove” in the NFL. His fantasy value this year, even if he beats out Ndukwe, is minimal.

- On the lighter side, The Love of Sports has recently published its Top 10 Most Annoying Sportscaster Lines of all time.

- Are you someone who likes the thrill of gambling, but don’t enjoy the thought of losing your paycheck to the bookie? Yeah, me too. We’re guys (most of us). We like to prove we know more about sports than our neighbor or co-worker. If you’re like me, then you’ll love BetAgainstMe.com. With BetAgainstMe.com, you can challenge the rest of their community without the threat of losing any cash. Why, you ask? Because it’s absolutely FREE! Their advertisers pay the tab for ‘em, so you don’t have to. All the rush of playing the game with none of the risk of losing your shirt!



Wednesday, May 6 (9:45 am)

- “The NFL’s all-time rushing record is one of the most hallowed records in sports. Emmitt Smith currently holds the record after retiring with 18,355 yards. We all know records are meant to be broken, so who is next in line to break the all-time rushing record? Will it be Ladainian Tomlinson? Adrian Peterson? Maybe even someone else…”

Check out the extensive research here…

Monday, May 4 (12:31 pm)

- Thanks to an anonymous member for this video:

Monday, May 4 (12:15 pm)

- I know many of you disagree because no one trusts Matt Hasselbeck, but I’m telling you… if Hass can stay healthy, TJ Houshmandzadeh can easily match his fantasy numbers from the last few years. According to the Seattle Times, Hass and Housh have been showing “great chemistry” together during their recent mini-camp. Hasselbeck hasn’t had a true WR1 since the “good days” of Darrell Jackson and missed much of last year with back injuries. With Nate Burleson tearing an ACL in the first game of the 2008 season, we never really got to see any production from the WR position. Not so this year. I see Houshmandzadeh finishing with somewhere around 85 catches for over 1300 yards and 10 TDs. Also, don’t sleep on TE John Carlson. He’s becoming a major threat in the red zone.

- It appears, with every passing day, that WR Marvin Harrison might be headed towards retirement. The Colts have shown no signs of wanting to bring the veteran back, even at a reduced price. It could have to do with the fact his name has come up in connection with a gun and a homicide, but that’s speculative. It could also have to do with the fact he’s old, out of shape, and apparently very injury prone nowadays. Even if Harrison were to sign in Indy, he’d be relegated to playing slot receiver and wouldn’t get nearly as many reps as Anthony Gonzalez.

- Mark Sanchez or Kellen Clemens? According to HC Brian Schottenheimer, it’s an “open competition” that anyone can win. Right now, Clemens has the leg up because he knows the system very well, but can he hold off the rocket arm of Sanchez? Folks, there is little doubt in my mind that Sanchez wins this job from the middle of training camp, and should be able to post decent numbers. Will he be a QB1? No, obviously not. But can he duplicate what Joe Flacco and Matt Ryan were able to do in 2008? Sure, why not? I’m expecting around 3000 yards from Sanchez, finishing with somewhere around 20 TDs and 14 INTs. Stay tuned.

- I’m not sure how many of you are following the NBA Playoffs, but this Atlanta Hawks announcer apparently doesn’t like Dwayne Wade too much.

- What do you get when you combine alcohol, a fat woman, and a sunny afternoon at a small college softball game? You get this:

Thursday, April 30 (4:25 pm)

- You know, it absolutely amazes me how powerful the internet is. Nowadays, anyone… and I mean ANYONE can get a blog and have the power to spew some of the most worthless, uneducated nonsense I’ve read since government classes in high school. For example, I recently read a blog in which the writer, let’s call him Fred, proclaimed that TE Shawn Nelson had more fantasy potential than Chris “Beanie” Wells and that Wells didn’t have “vision or toughness”.

I don’t necessarily disagree with the toughness part, but it makes me wonder if Fred watched a single run Wells made during his college career at Ohio State. Seriously!! Wells found holes when there weren’t any… because his offensive line was putrid… yet Fred claims Wells has no vision. Amazing. What’s more amazing is that someone actually published this crap.

Wells might not be the fastest or toughest back in this year’s draft class, but to say he has no vision is downright ludicrous. Wells did more with less than any other back in this draft, yet Fred leads you to believe Wells will be a fantasy bust this year because he has no vision. Can Fred name one offensive lineman at OSU that’s going to be playing in the NFL? No, he can’t, because there won’t be any. Alex Boone, the team’s best offensive lineman the last two seasons, signed a rookie free agent contract with the Niners, but that’s no guarantee he’ll even make the squad.

I will have more on this later, but for now I have to sit back in amazement at some of the things I read online.

I’m not saying Wells is going to do what Adrian Peterson or Chris Johnson did in their rookie seasons, but to say he’s going to be a bust based on unfactual evidence is moronic and should have been better researched. In fact, I beg you to find a better fit for Wells than Arizona. You can’t. It’s an absolutely perfect fit and will pay dividends for fantasy owners who play in TD-heavy leagues. Mark my words.

Thursday, April 23 (2:15 pm)

- Okay, so news breaks today that TE Tony Gonzalez has been traded to Atlanta for a 2nd round pick in the 2010 NFL Draft. I guess it’s not a huge surprise because the Chiefs are rebuilding while the Falcons are a few players away from being a dominant force in the NFC. But from a fantasy perspective, what does this do to Gonzo? Can he be expected to finish as the top fantasy TE in 2009? Can he even finish in the top 5? Let’s examine:

GONZO’S CAREER STATS

Year	RecYds	0-9 RecTDs	10-39 RecTDs	40+ RecTDs	Tgt	RZTgt	Rec
2000	1203	9	0	0	N/A	N/A	93
2001	917	6	0	0	N/A	N/A	73
2002	773	7	0	0	103	25	63
2003	915	10	0	0	106	18	71
2004	1258	7	0	0	134	19	102
2005	905	0	2	0	123	13	78
2006	900	3	2	0	105	14	73
2007	1172	1	4	0	163	20	99
2008	1058	6	4	0	163	30	96

The biggest number that stands out to me in the table above is the number of targets this guy gets every year. 163 targets in each of the last two seasons were the most he’s had in 9 seasons with Kansas City. That begs the question, “can he possibly duplicate those numbers in Atlanta’s offense?”

In 2008, Justin Peelle was the top targeted TE, having a measley 23 balls thrown his way, catchign 15 of them for just 159 yards and two TDs. Tight ends accounted for 6% of the team’s total receiving yards under new head coach Mike Smith. And since Smith hasn’t relieved any offensive coaches of their duties, you can expect a similar run-first oriented offense again from Atlanta in 2009.

Prior to ‘09, Falcons’ TEs posted respectable fantasy numbers (mainly because of Alge Crumpler and Michael Vick), but nothing to write home about. I realize we have a small sample size to make our predictions from, but if last year is any indication as to how coach Smith and the rest of his staff plan to use the TE position, Gonzo is in for his worst fantasy season since 2005.

PROJECTION: 63 catches, 712 yards, and 4 TDs

Wednesday, April 22 (1:35 pm)

- I feel like my entire life the last few weeks has been wrapped up in the NFL Draft and fantasy baseball, so that’s why it’s refreshing when I get to take a break and find something entertaining to watch… like this little nugget posted over on You Tube. I don’t know if you’ve ever seen the Heineken commercial with all the ladies gathering in a HUGE walk-in closet and they start screaming — only to be drowned out by the sound of men screaming when they walk into a HUGE refrigerator loaded with “green bottles”. This is a spoof off of that commercial and I think you’re gonna like it.

It makes you really want to pull for the Cleveland Cavs in this year’s NBA playoffs. You may or may not like LeBron James, but this team is loose and having fun… as evidenced by this video… classic!

Tuesday, April 21 (3:45 pm)

- I recently received an email from a loyal subscriber who wanted us to mention something about the retirement of a living legend, John Madden. He provided me with some interesting facts about Madden that I thought I’d share with you here…

John Madden became Head Coach of the Oakland Raiders at the tender age of 32 years old.  During his ten year tenure as head coach he:

- Led the Raiders to an overall record of 103-32-7
- Won seven AFC West titles
- Won an AFC Championship
- Won a Super Bowl victory over the Minnesota Vikings in Super Bowl XI
- Retired from coaching with a .750 winning percentage which remains the highest of any coach in NFL history.
- Was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 2006 for his accomplishments as Head Coach of the Oakland Raiders

After retiring from coaching the Raiders, Madden worked as lead analyst for all four networks broadcasting NFL football games, forming tandems with Pat Summerall at CBS and Fox and Al Michaels at ABC and NBC. During his tenure as a broadcaster he:

- Won 16 Emmy awards for outstanding sports analyst/personality spanning a 30 year career

This morning Madden told the press:

“It’s time. I’m 73 years old. My 50th wedding anniversary is this fall,” Madden said. “I have two great sons and their families and my five grandchildren are at an age now when they know when I’m home and, more importantly, when I’m not.”

“It’s been such a great ride,” he added. The NFL has been my life for more than 40 years, it has been my passion — It still is. … It’s still fun and that’s what it makes it hard and that’s why it took me a few months to make a decision.

“I still love every part of it — the travel, the practices, the game film, the games, seeing old friends and meeting new people… but I know this is the right time.”

John Madden IS a living NFL legend.

Monday, April 20 (4:15 pm)

- Don’t get me wrong, I absolutely love coaching my son’s baseball team… the kid is a little spark plug and wants nothing more than to be on the field when he’s not in school. He’s so addicted he literally cries when it rains on gameday. So, as our team becomes better and better, we’ve scheduled more tournaments in hopes of bringing home more and more hardware. Why am I telling you this? Because next week we’re going to be playing in a HUGE tournament two hours south of here where 32 teams will compete for one big trophy… and, you guessed it, I’m going to miss the NFL Draft live. I have to DVR the whole thing. I’m going to do everything in my power to NOT get updates throughout the weekend, so that when I arrive home Sunday night, I can watch it as if it were live.

So if you notice I don’t add any blog posts over the weekend, you’ll know why.

- Speaking of the NFL, check out this video from the “NFL Fantasy Files”. It’s an absolute ‘must watch’ if you like comedy and fantasy football.

Friday, April 17 (2:06 pm)

- In my daily perusal of the Internet to find the top stories of the day, I stumbled upon a post from the NY Times blog that ranked the top 10 sites, in terms of how their player rankings stacked up against each other. Of course, we were included in the rankings and, believe it or not, we finished in the top 10 overall:

Most Accurate Rankings Across All Positions

1. Fantazzle Fantasy Sports Games
2. Yahoo! Fantasy Sports
3. Fantasy Football Trader
4. ADP via Fantasy Football Calculator
5. FFToday
6. FantasyFootball.com
7. FOX Sports
8. ESPN
9. Ask the Commish
10. Rotoworld

Thursday, April 9 (12:36 pm)

- I love getting emails from readers (hint, hint), because they either tell you how much they love you, how much they hate you or they offer a helpful, entertaining link that they want to share with others. Luckily today I haven’t received any “I hate you Craig” emails, but I did get one from “shonnert” that said:

“Hey Craig, I found a cool new online toy that has nothing to do with fantasy football. I thought the other inmates might like to try it out. http://tspmutt.mybrute.com/“

I haven’t tried it yet, but it looks entertaining enough for me to post it here. Let me know what you think.

Thursday, April 9 (12:05 pm)

- I’m sure you know by now what a big fan of Facebook and Twitter I am. I’ve had accounts for the past few months and, needless to say, I’m quite addicted. In fact, over the last few weeks I’ve become “friends” with guys like Santana Moss, Jerome Bettis and Donovan McNabb, to name a few. Well, when I logged on today, I was disturbed to see McNabb was leaving Facebook because certain idiots were trashing him and his page. Here’s his final post:

“I’m shutting down the FB page. Too much hassle and hate going around here. Racist emails, male stalkers, cowardly threats, etc. By Monday morning it’ll all be done with. Thanks to all the old friends I caught up with and the new friends I met. You have my contact info. God Bless.”

Well, it was fun while it lasted but all good things must come to an end. It’s a shame a few morons have to ruin a good thing for the rest of us. Thanks Donovan.

- Speaking of morons, did you hear about the tragedy that struck the Adenhart family this morning? Nick Adenhart had just finished pitching in his first game of the 2009 season for the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim when he was killed in an automobile accident later that evening. The worst part about it is that the driver of the mini-van who did the damage tried to flee the scene but was apprehended a short while later. What is this world coming to? Our thoughts and prayers go out to the Adenhart family in this time of tragedy.

- So, tell me, what do you think of the new direction we’ve been taking these last few weeks here at FantasyFootball.com? I’ve noticed a lot of clicks on these pages, but really haven’t received any feedback as to whether or not you like the new format. If you have any ideas on how we could make it better, please feel free to drop me a line: craig@fantasyfootball.com

- Are you receiving the FantasyFootball.com email newsletter? If not, click here to get set up so you don’t miss a thing before AND after the NFL Draft.

- It appears Fred Jackson could have some significant fantasy value the first three weeks of the NFL season.

- The Atlanta Falcons need to place desperate attention on their TE position before the start of the 2009 season.

- Seahawks have a “new attitude” as they approach the 2009 season… “last year is last year.”

Monday, April 6 (1:58 pm)

- Interesting day, indeed. Here we are, as fantasy football nuts, getting ready for the start of Major League Baseball season and the conclusion of the NCAA Men’s Division I basketball season. I’m sitting at my desk finding story after story on the web about the upcoming NFL draft and the Jay Cutler trade and teams still looking for a franchise starting QB, but in the background I can’t help but notice the pitcher’s dual going on between Cincinnati’s Aaron Harang and New York’s Johan Santana. Though Santana walked three in the first two innings, he has since settled into his groove and has a shutout through four. Harang hasn’t been quite as dominant, allowing three hits thus far, but also has a shutout through four. Fantasy football will always be my first love, but man do I love the start of baseball season.

And don’t forget tonight is the conclusion to the college basketball scene which began back in November. It’s down to two teams — Michigan State and North Carolina — to decide which team is the king of college hoops. I can’t help but think Carolina is the better team and will likely win, but something about this Spartans team has me wondering if they are a team of destiny… especially playing 78 miles from home. I’m not making any predictions other than I think it will be a good game… unlike any of the other games Carolina has been involved in during this tournament.

UPDATE: I guess I jinxed the Reds. Aaron Harang just gave up a solo HR to OF Daniel Murphy. 1-0 Mets in the top of the fifth.

HUMOR: I, like many of you, have become a big fan of Facebook and Twitter. Well it appears there are a few people have taken this opportunity to poke fun at the Social Networking sites with this little video.

- Titans QB Vince Young not only won’t be the starting QB in 2009, he might lose his backup gig to Patrick Ramsey.

- Though a few rumors have surfaced recently, it doesn’t look like WR Plaxico Burress is coming to Dallas anytime soon.

- With Correll Buckhalter now in Denver, it’s beginning to look more and more like the Eagles will draft a RB in the first round of the upcoming NFL Draft.

- Since they didn’t land Jay Cutler in a trade last week, the Redskins could be looking at adding QB Byron Leftwich this off-season.

- Chad Ocho Cinco isn’t going anywhere.

Friday April 3 (12:15 am)

- I’m sitting here watching the Nuggets/Jazz on TNT, and I gotta tell you, there aren’t many uglier players in the world than Utah’s Andrei Kirilenko… he looks like a skinnier, more pathetic version of Ivan Drago from Rocky IV.

- Okay, so I’ve had a few hours to sink my teeth into this Jay Cutler-To-Chicago trade. I’ve spent the last 60 minutes reading about 15 different opinions from esteemed columnists and fantasy writers from arond the net, and I gotta tell you, people are really, really down on a lot of players from Chicago and Denver… from a fantasy perspective.

Now I can see, at first, how one might assume that Cutler and Orton and Marshall, etc. might suffer (fantasywise) from this recent trade, but I honestly believe things aren’t going to be so gloomy, overall. In fact, I’m going to look at the major skill position players for both Chicago and the Broncos, and let you know (initially) who I think are the winners and losers from this blockbuster deal. Please feel free to add comments below or shoot me an email with your thoughts (craig@fantasyfootball.com).

WINNERS

Kyle Orton — Yep, it’s true. I belive Orton’s fantasy value sky-rockets as a result of this trade. Think about it… Orton, who was basically handcuffed to a vanilla offense in Chicago, now gets to work for one of the best, young offensive minds in the game. Shoot, just look what McDaniel’s offense did for Matt Cassel when he became comfortable in it. It was amazing. Although he struggled early, Cassel was easily one of the top five fantasy QBs in the NFL in the second half of the season, and a lot of it had to do with McDaniel’s aggressive, unique style of offense. Orton is the perfect fit for this offense, as Purdue (where he attended college) ran a version of it when Orton was their starting QB. Orton has a rocket arm, a wealth of talented receivers, and a RB (JJ Arrington) who has great hands and will be used much like Kevin Faulk was in New England. In my opinion, Orton goes from being a possible QB3 to an upper-tier QB2.

Matt Forte — I realize he had a phenomenal 2008 rookie campaign, but imagine  how many more red zone opportunities he’s going to have with Cutler running the show. Not only will he likely repeat his dominating performance in the passing game, he’s also going to gain valuable touches inside the 20. On that same note, Cutler’s presence alone will force defenses to respect the passing game more, opening even more chances for Forte to do his thing. Forte solidifies himself as a first round draft pick in most types of fantasy leagues.

Devin Hester — Showed signs of life last year, and finally gets a QB who has the arm strength to throw it deep downfield. Hester’s speed is nearly unmatched in the NFL and now opposing CBs are going to dread facing this offense. Look for Hester’s YPC average and his overall TD total to increase.

Greg Olsen — The only thing separating Olsen from a very productive 2009 campaign is Desmond Clark. Without him in the way, Olsen could potentially finish as a top 5-7 fantasy TE. Cutler’s favorite target (and best friend/roomate on road trips) in Denver was TE Tony Scheffler. I spoke to him in person (with Scheffler by his side) and he spoke very highly of his pass-catcher. If Olsen plays it right, he’ll earn Cutler’s trust and respect early.

JJ Arrington — Reports say McDaniels plans to use JJ the same way he used Kevin Faulk in New England. Orton completed 30% of his passes last year to Matt Forte. I think it’s safe to say, Orton will do whatever it takes to get the ball in his hands.

LOSERS

Jay Cutler — I’m sorry, but you can’t convince me that JC is going to take a step forward in this new offense… at least not this year. Cutler’s strengths definitely outweigh his weaknesses, but the bottom line is that he just won’t have the same caliber of weapons at his new gig. Don’t get me wrong — I don’t think Cutler drops off as much as some, but I do believe he takes a hit in fantasy value.

Brandon Marshall — He may have already been downgraded anyhow (possible suspension and surgery), but this absolutely takes its toll on Marshall’s fantasy value. Likely a mid-tier WR2.

Tony Scheffler — For starters, the Broncos have been looking to trade him for a better blocking TE. But even if he stays, his fantasy value isn’t anywhere near where it could have been if Cutler were still around. Let’s also not forget McDaniel’s offense isn’t predicated to favor TEs.

TOO EARLY TO CALL

Eddie Royal — McDaniels has already hinted about using Royal much the same way he utilized Wes Welker in Boston. I’m not sure Royal has the same hands as Welker, but he’s supposedly faster and runs routes just as well. Only time will tell if Royal does really fill Welker’s role in this offense. Stay tuned.

Correll Buckhalter — I do believe this offense will have some success, but what type of role is Bucky going to have in it?

Earl Bennett — Bennett was recently named starting WR, opposite Hester. I think it’s safe to say Bennett could be one of the most overhyped, overrated fantasy WR in the NFL. Before last week, only a handful of people could have told you who he was. Now he’s likely to be drafted earlier than he should be. What has he proven to warrant a higher draft pick?

Wednesday, April 1 (1:04 am)

You’re gonna love this. Honestly, I can’t even explain it. All I can tell you is that is has to do with Michael Irvin, young football players, and the Dallas Cowboys roster. I’ll leave the rest to your imagination (and this video).

Wednesday, April 1 (12:09 am)

- Big news… and I mean big news. Sources tell FantasyFootball.com that the Dallas Cowboys have agreed, in principle, to trade QB Tony Romo and RB Tashard Choice to the Denver Broncos in exchange for QB Jay Cutler and Denver’s first round draft pick in the upcoming draft.

APRIL FOOLS DAY!!! Okay, so I had to do that just once before everyone else attempted their April Fools Day pranks. To be honest, I don’t beleive Jerry Jones has it in him to trade Romo, no matter what he might get in return.

However, the truth in all this is that Denver will not have the services of QB Jay Cutler when the 2009 season commences, and that’s a fact. Earlier tonight, Broncos owner Pat Bowlen released a statement via text message after numerous attempts to reach Cutler:

“Numerous attempts to contact Jay Cutler in the last 10 days, both by Head Coach Josh McDaniels and myself, have been unsuccessful. A conversation with his agent earlier today clearly communicated and confirmed to us that Jay no longer has any desire to play for the Denver Broncos. We will begin discussions with other teams in an effort to accomodate his request to be traded.”

Wow, this is big news, both for the Denver Broncos and fantasy football owners. First, this almost completely assures us that Brandon Marshall and Eddie Royal’s fantasy value looks like a huge turd at the bottom of rest-stop toilet. Secondly, there are a few WRs (on a team to be determined) who will immediately improve their fantasy stock. Cutler’s value is going to be very difficult to figure out until we know more about where he’s going to end up.

I’m just telling you right now, if Cutler somehow lands in Detroit, I’m ranking Calvin Johnson #1 among WRs and will likely have him in my top 10 overall. The only thing (or things) that kept that guy from being the best WR in fantasy football last season was Daunte Culpepper, Drew Stanton, Dan Orlovsky, Jon Kitna and Drew Henson. Not many receivers can say they caught a ball from five different QBs in the same season.

Now, back to the Cutler story. I’ll have to admit, I never ever thought he WOULDN’T be playing for the Broncos in 2009. I mean, I knew he wasn’t happy, but I figured he’d back off his stance a little and eventually report to mini-camp. This guy basically told the man who has signed his paycheck the last few years to “go fly a kite while you find yourself a new QB”. I was shocked to hear the numerous attempts to reach out for verbal contact were only one-sided. Players often times make trade demands, but quickly back off when the coach or owner reaches out in an attempt to make peace. Cutler didn’t.

As NBC’s Tom Curran wrote in his blog (and this could be the line of the year)…

“So tonight he (Pat Bowlen) raised a middle finger in Cutler’s direction saying, “This one’s…for Jay!”

Classic. Basically, with his latest text message to the media, Bowlen admitted he was stupid in hiring Josh McDaniels and instead of firing his young head coach (whom he just hired) to save face (and his QB), he’s going to have to eat crow, trade his star QB, and suffer the next few years winning four and five games per season. I’ll admit, I didn’t see this coming.

So tonight, as I attempt to get to bed before 2 am CT, I’m going to be thinking about how the Broncos competely blew the chance to have a Hall-of-Fame combination of Cutler to Marshall (or Cutler to Royal) for the next 10 years. Instead, we might be hearing… “Chris Simms drops back to throw, here comes the pressure, Simms throws it up for grabs down the middle… INTERCEPTED… his fourth of the game. Holy cow, Marshall throws his helmet into the crowd, Royal and Arrington are fighting on the field, and Simms has just fallen to the ground and curled up in the fetal position!!”

I don’t know about you, but I need a few days to wrap my brain around this. Where will Cutler go? Who will replace him? Will McDaniels adjust his high-powered offense to fit the skills of his new QB or will he stick to his guns no matter who’s under center? So many questions, so little time. Stay tuned… I’ll be back with more.

Tuesday, March 31 (3:15 pm)

- If you haven’t noticed lately, FantasyFootball.com has undergone some subtle, yet important, changes. We haven’t made any official announcements as of yet (and probably won’t for a month or so), but I wanted to let you know in this unofficial blog, in a nutshell, what’s going on. Whether you’ve noticed or not, we have begun loading new articles from numerous other websites under our fantasy articles section. Why are we doing this? Well, it’s simple really. We have the most popular domain name in the internet for fantasy football, but we don’t have all the possible resources to bring you everything you need. When you come to us, you expect the very best… and the only way we can deliver you the very best is to make sure you are covered with as much information as possible.

Have we sold out to someone else? Absolutely not. Are we joining forces with someone? No. But we’re “secure enough in our manhood” to not be worried to offer you useful links to valuable news and fantasy information articles all across the world wide web. We know you’ll come back to us every day because we’re going to become a major powerhouse in providing daily, useful fantasy football information… no matter what month we’re in. Soon we will take on a new look to better serve your browsing needs, but for the time being, you can find all of this information in our fantasy articles main column on the home page or you can go to our archive section to see if there’s anything you missed. Either way, you’ll be glad you made FantasyFootball.com your main source for fantasy football information.

- Peter King, from Sports Illustrated, believes the Lions will NOT select QB Matthew Stafford, instead selecting Baylor OT Jason Smith with the #1 overall selection.

- If you didn’t get to watch last night’s edition of “24″ on Fox, you might want to skip down to the next story so I don’t ruin anything for you. Who else is frustrated that Jack Bauer was infected with the nerve agent that was released from the cannister? Me too… but have no fear, I just learned that Jack has signed on for Season 8, meaning he’s going to somehow come through this infection to live another day. I’m not sure how they’re going to do it, but consider it done.

- 49ers fans… please defend Mike Singletary for me, because I’m not sure after the news today I can defend this guy anymore. Yahoo Sports learned that the Niners have soured on draft nominee Matthew Stafford because he refused to talk about his parents’ recent divorce with a team shrink. Please tell me it isn’t so… that’s the stupidest thing I’ve ever heard. My parents divorced when I was 18 and I didn’t want to talk about it, and although some would disagree, I think I turned out alright.

- Interested in what ESPN has to say about the draft? Me neither, but if you are one of those poor souls, here’s a nifty little podcast (:30 minutes) from McShay and Kiper that will give you some perspective on what teams might be thinking as we approach the April two-day event.

- The Patriots haven’t confirmed or denied the reports that DE Jason Taylor might end up in New England.

- Two AFC South teams have expressed interest in WR Torry Holt… the Titans and Jaguars.

- Bengals QB Carson Palmer told the media he believes Chad Ocho Cinco Johnson will be a much-needed asset this year and the team has enough key components to challenge for the playoffs.

- The Jags are entertaining QB Josh Freeman, who’s expected to be a mid- to late-first round pick in the upcoming draft? So why, with pick #8, would they even consider bringing him in?

- Are Larry Johnson’s days in Kansas City numbered? Apparently Johnson believes the Chiefs owe him money… some sort of guarantee… but the Chiefs don’t believe they owe anything because he violated the terms of his contract. Since no one in their right mind would trade for his absurd contract (even though Johnson demanded to be traded, Johnson showed up Monday for the first team workout of the off-season after all.

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Friday, March 27 (2:45 pm)

- The NFL Draft is a month away, but that doesn’t mean teams aren’t positioning for their players, especially those with selections in the first 10. The KC Chiefs have expressed interest in Wake Forest LB Aaron Curry, if he should happen to fall to them with the third overall pick.

- As many of you know, I’m a huge Dallas Cowboys fan. Despite all their recent trials and the fact they haven’t won a playoff game since the ’90s, I still follow them closely and hope they make the necessary changes to be a successful franchise again. I’ll be blunt: I don’t like Wade Phillips. I don’t think he has a spine and his players run over him like cars run over roadkill. Maybe Jerry Jones is starting to think like me… though Phillips’ contract expires after the 2009 season, the Cowboys haven’t made any moves to offer him an extension beyond that.

- The fullback position is not a glamourous one, but it’s vital to have a solid lead blocker if you’re going to have a dominant tailback in this league. The Bengals have offered FB Naufahu Tahi a one-year offer sheet for $1.4 million, but word out of Minnesota today is that the Vikings plan to match the offer for the RFA. The Vikes lost FB Leonard Weaver in free agency last week and realize they need some stability at that position in order to keep Adrian Peterson at his best.

- OT Marvel Smith could be a San Francisco 49er by this weekend.

- Though the biggest name WRs have already signed free-agent contracts, there is still some talent left on the board to be had by teams in need of stability at that position.

Torry Holt
Marvin Harrison
Matt Jones (baggage)
Ronald Curry
Reggie Williams
Jerry Porter (another Jags receiver?, what is that, three now?)
Shaun McDonald
Brandon Lloyd
Amani Toomer
Ashley Lelie
Drew Bennett
Roydell Williams

Am I missing someone? As a Cowboys fan, I wouldn’t complain if they made a push for Torry Holt… Jerry, are you listening?

Wednesday, March 25 (2:15 pm)

- As April approaches, my focus on fantasy baseball begins to diminish and I really start digging for information as to how to best approach the fantasy football season. The great thing about fantasy football is that it really never ends. We have the pre-season, the regular season, the post-season and the off-season (draft season). There is always research to do… and that’s why we’re here. We have been viciously updating our NFL Draft information for the April draft, not to mention the fact we’ve been tinkering with our early, pre-season position rankings.

I have recently updated my re-drafter RB rankings (both PPR and non-PPR) for 2009. Obviously these will change over the course of the next few months, but before the NFL Draft I thought you’d be interested in seeing where I believe the fantasy running backs are headed as we approach the upcoming season.

MY NON-PPR RANKINGS (TOP 5)
1. Adrian Peterson - Likely the safest pick on the board. His TDs were down in 2008, but the yardage was there. Peterson will likely score more while touching the ball more.

2. Michael Turner - It’s amazing that I had the fourth pick in our recent staff mock draft, drafted Turner, and had my colleagues tell me I took him a bit high. Then you look at our staff rankings and where is Turner in a PPR league?? 4th. Irony, wouldn’t you say? Sure, he’s not a great pass-catcher, but that doesn’t mean he can’t repeat his TD total from 2008.

3. Steve Slaton - Am I crazy? Could it be… do I really have Slaton ranked as the #3 fantasy RB in a non-PPR league? You betcha. Overall Slaton is ranked 11th by a combination of my vote and five of my colleagues. No one (other than me) has him ranked higher than 10th, and I think that’s absolutely crazy… and I’ll explain later in this blog post.

4. Brian Westbrook - He’s getting up there in age, so he likely doesn’t have many good years left… but with Correll Buckhalter in Denver and really no competition behind him, Westy should be able to give us another top 5 fantasy finish… PPR or not.

5. DeAngelo Williams - This guy scares me. Don’t get me wrong — I think he has tremendous talent, but where was this his first few years in the league? Some might say the offensive line was better in 2008. I agree. But something I saw in the playoffs from Arizona scares me a little. The Cardinals committed to stopping the run and forcing Jake Delhomme beat them. You saw the result. With Jonathan Stewart coming into his own, Williams might take a hit in 2009. Stay tuned.

- So, LB Julian Peterson signed with Detroit. What does that mean for his fantasy value in IDP leagues? In FFPIL scoring, Peterson finished the 2008 season as the 30th ranked LB, directly behind guys like Stephen Cooper, Keith Bulluck and Thomas Howard. Well, referring to our current pre-season staff rankings, Peterson got just one vote… from Tom Diggs… which put him at #47 overall. Obviously our IDP experts think the move to Detroit will hurt, not help, his fantasy value.

So what does this do to Seattle’s LB corps? HC Jim Mora said, “We have some work to do, yeah. We have some work to do. But I think we have some good young talent on the team, particularly the two young guys that haven’t played much. David Hawthorne and Will Herring are guys that we’ll hear from. Of course, we re-signed D.D. Lewis and Lance Laury and feel like those are guys who can go into the game and play. The question is, ‘Who is going to play the strong-side linebacker for Julian?’ We don’t know yet. There is competition there.”

As it stands, we believe Lofa Tatupu will continue to man the MLB spot, while LeRoy Hill and D.D. Lewis will win the jobs on the outside with some stiff competition from Will Herring.

- I don’t know how much you like movies, or sports movies for that matter, but I’ve always been a fan of Rocky. Shoot, I don’t know if you can even really consider that a sports movie, but it’s always been one of my all-time favorites. Someone recently sent me a link to how Rocky actually came to be… and how Sylvester Stallone became the star actor. Neat story.

- The NY Jets ranked 29th in pass defense last season. Not a good showing for names like Darrelle Revis, Kerry Rhodes, and Dwight Lowery. So what have the Jets done to fix this problem? Well, first they traded for CB Lito Sheppard from the Eagles and acquired free-agent S Jim Leonhard from Baltimore. Today the Jets turned to Niners CB Donald Strickland, signing him to a three-year deal. Strickland started a few games for the Niners last season, recording 39 tackles and one TD on a blocked FG. The Jets are also rumored to be looking at Samari Rolle and Corey Ivy.

- Okay, now back to the Steve Slaton debate. Why do I like this guy so much and why do I believe he’ll present TREMENDOUS fantasy value for your squad if you happen to draft at the end of the first round/early second round?

1. Opportunity — Above all, Slaton is going to shoulder about 90% of the workload in the backfield, as the Texans currently only have three RBs on the roster and two of them are terrible. Sure, they might draft another rookie, but they have more pressing needs early on and if they do decide to add a RB, it won’t be till the later rounds and I don’t believe this draft class is RB heavy.

2. Consistency — Only four times all season did Slaton finish with less than 10 fantasy points. Week 1 he scored 4.3 fantasy points vs. Pittsburgh, but let’s keep two things in mind. First, it was his first ever game as a professional. Second, he was facing the league’s best defense and sharing time with Ahman Green. Week 6 vs. Miami he scored 6.1 fantasy points. But again we’re talking about one of the best run defenses in the league at that point. Week 10 vs. Baltimore. Yet again, one of the best rush defenses in the league against a rookie… you do the math. And finally, Week 12 vs. Cleveland. No excuses here, he just flat-out didn’t get the job done. In fact, he received 21 carries in that game… his most to date.

3. Durability — I realize it’s only one season, but Slaton wasn’t bitten by the injury bug as many rookie RBs have been in the past. Slaton played in ALL 16 regular season games for the Texans in 2008 and really showed no signs of slowing down. Though he did suffer a few bumps and bruises in college, that didn’t carry over to the NFL… at least for one season it didn’t.

4. Finishing Strong — Slaton only got better as the season progressed. Many times rookies will find themselves wearing down by Week 13 or 14 (see Matt Forte), but Slaton had some of his best performances of the season in Week 13, 14, and 17.

5. A Loaded Offense — Like them or not, the Houston Texans have a prolific offense with weapons at just about every position… meaning they will move the ball and score lots of points. If Matt Schaub can stay upright and Andre Johnson repeats his 2008 performance, that only opens the door for guys like Slaton, Owen Daniels and even Kevin Walter to have nice fantasy seasons. After all was said and done in 2008, the Texans finished with the 3rd best offense in the entire NFL. Tough to imagine, isn’t it?

6. Pass Receptions — Whether we’re talking about a PPR league or not, Slaton’s role in the passing game (59 targets and 50 receptions for 377 yards and a TD) is a weapon that you just can’t overlook. Even in a non-PPR league, the 377 yards will garner 37.7 fantasy points while the TD is another six. When compared to the rest of the RBs in this league, Slaton’s role in the passing game is vital for his fantasy success and we should most definitely see a repeat (or even an increase) in 2009.

I could probably add a few more here, but you get the point. Steve Slaton, to me, is primed to repeat (if not exceed) his 2008 campaign again in 2009 as I believe the Texans are only getting better. Keep checking back throughout the off-season to see our staff ranking updates. You never know… I may have swayed a few votes in my direction on the Slaton debate by the next time you check in

- Wanna good laugh? We all do. This video is so stupid it’s funny. These two guys, from Smosh.com, have over 340,000 registered members and counting. It makes me wonder if we are offering the right type of information on FantasyFootball.com. Sheesh.

Monday, March 23 (3:45 pm)

Well, I made it back from Vegas in one piece. It’s always nice to get away for a few days WITHOUT the kids, but it was also nice to get back to day-to-day life. Believe it or not, I do like getting back to the website and making sure it’s the best it can be. Kudos to Ryan, Greg, and the rest of the staff who helped out over the weekend to keep us up to date. The closer we get to the NFL Draft, the more information you’re going to receive. Remember, if you don’t have a FREE subscription to our newsletter, you need to get that taken care of right away. Stay up-to-date as the news happens.

- So, how are your brackets doing? In my best bracket, I have 14 of the 16 teams still alive (stupid Wake Forest losing to Cleveland State was a joke). I also put too much stock into West Virginia and they completely failed to show up against Dayton. I believe Bob Huggins is a GREAT regular season coach, but fails to prepare properly in the post-season. My worst bracket has 12 teams remaining, because I took a chance on Texas beating Duke (refs were horrible in that game) and Marquette beating Missouri (could have easily happened if they don’t step on the end line when trying to inbound the basketball in the waning seconds). My Final Four: Pitt, Louisville, Memphis and Oklahoma. I have Pitt playing Memphis with Pitt winning it all. Although they haven’t looked as good as the other three, I do like how they play and believe my bracket is still in good shape.

*** NOTE*** Through two rounds of our Fantasy Planet March Mayhem Bracket Competition, Darby Russo leads the pack with 58 total points after correctly picking all 16 games in the second round.

- Gary Myers of the NY Daily News reports at the beginning of the NFL Meetings Sunday, Jets GM Mike Tannenbaum told the Denver Broncos to include them in any possible trade negotiations for QB Jay Cutler.

If this happens, Cutler’s fantasy value takes an immediate hit. First off, Rex Ryan wants the run the ball. Brett Favre forced Mangini’s hand last year and the Jets threw more than Mangini wanted. Ryan wouldn’t be intimidated by Cutler and his demands to throw more often. Plus, with Laveranues Coles out, Jerricho Cotchery is the only legitimate threat on the roster. Be honest, is anyone scared of Chansi Stuckey? If Cutler stays in Denver, he immediately becomes a top 5 fantasy QB in my opinion.

- The NFL season opens its regular season September 10 when the defending champion Pittsburgh Steelers host the Tennessee Titans. And as has been the last few years there will be a double-header on Monday night. This year we get T.O. and the Buffalo Bills at New England followed by Oakland hosting San Diego. Thanksgiving? Denver will host the NY Giants preceeded by Dallas hosting Oakland and Detroit hosting the Packers.

- Speaking of the NFL meetings, one thing the league is toying with is the idea that East Coast teams won’t have to go to the West Coast more than one time per year. The Jets and Patriots both had to make two trips to the west last season… the Jets lost both while the Pats won in Oakland and lost in San Diego.

- Don’t forget to check out our pre-season QB and RB rankings for the upcoming 2009 season. These rankings don’t yet take into account the rookie class, but we will be updating our FREE rankings on a weekly basis.

- The Cincinnati Bengals will begin off-season workouts on March 30, and the biggest name to watch is WR Chad Johnson or Ocho Cinco or whatever he wants to be called this year. Remember, last year he created a media circus when failing to show up for these workouts and then followed it up by demanding a trade. Only time will tell how he handles this year’s version, but with TJ Houshmandzadeh in Seattle, it doesn’t appear likely Johnson will want to stay in Cincinnati much longer.

- Be sure to follow us on Twitter.

Wednesday, March 18 (2:03 am)

- Be sure to follow us on Twitter.

- Wanna win some cash or a Fantasy Planet T-shirt for playing a March Mayhem Bracket Game? Oh, and I forgot to mention, it’s FREE.

- Guess who’s in the free agent/overpay for players/spend more money than we have sweepstakes again? Yep, you guessed it… the Washington Redskins. If you’re sick of hearing about Jay Cutler, you might want to read the next paragraph because I’m about to dig deeper. A story on ESPN.com broke tonight around 10 pm that claims the Washington Redskins could land Jay Cutler as part of a three-team trade that includes the Redskins, Broncos and (believe it or not) the Chiefs. Interestingly enough, the Chiefs just acquired Cassel in a trade with New England and the rumor has it Kansas City might be sending him on to Denver.

- Despite the fact they underachieved in 2008, the Dallas Cowboys continue to be a destination big name free agents would like to call home. The latest… Julius Peppers. Peppers made it very clear he’d like to play outside linebacker for a 3-4 defense, which is why the Cowboys (and Patriots) make perfect sense. I have no proof of this, but I believe it will still be weeks before Peppers finds a final destination.

- It might not seem like a major move, but the acquisition of TE L.J. Smith will allow Cam Cameron to open up Baltimore’s playbook a little more this year. Because it’s just a one-year deal, it’s not like they’re looking for a replacement to Todd Heap, they simply wanted to get him some help. Last year, it was nearly impossible for Heap to become involved in the passing game because they needed him to stay back and pass protect. With Smith, they now have two options in the passing game — either at the same time or at different times. Neither has great fantasy value, but Heap’s production will clearly be better in 2009 than it was in 2008.

- The numbers from LaDainian Tomlinson’s restructured contract are in. In a nutshell, LT gets his $6.725 million, but since $2.875 million of that is signing bonus, the Chargers will save $1.2 million in cap space this year. Chances are, if he has the kind of season he had in 2008, the Chargers will elect to let him go in 2010 because he’ll be due a $2 million roster bonus that they might not want to pay.

- It seems as if everyone thinks they know what the Lions will do with the number one draft pick in April, but I have to believe the fact they’ve been bringing in so many players recently, they either have no idea what they want to do or they’re simply creating a smokescreen to confuse other teams. It was no surprise they met with Matthew Stafford, Jason Smith or Aaron Curry, but the recent news they were bringing in Boston College DT B.J. Raji was a bit of a surprise based on the numerous mock drafts that have him going between 8 and 16.

- The Kansas City Chiefs could be in the mix for free-agent WR Marty Booker if the price is right, and sources say it might be close to the league minimum. Why so cheap? Because Booker came into the league with Chicago under Todd Haley, the new head coach of the Chiefs. The two have stayed in touch over the years and Booker would like nothing more than to be able to play in a Haley-led offense again. Even if he has to serve as the third receiver, he’ll likely have more action in that role than he had in Chicago last season. Add in the fact the Chiefs just signed free-agent WR Bobby Engram from Seattle, Booker could definitely sneak in for some solid WR3 fantasy numbers.

- How will the off-season changes in Arizona affect the fantasy production of QB Kurt Warner? Here are three reasons why his numbers might suffer in 2009.

1. OC Todd Haley is in Kansas City. The offensive genius that led the Cardinals to one of the best offenses in 2008 and took them to an eventual Super Bowl appearance won’t be calling the plays in 2009. Instead, it will be a committee approach, but ultimately HC Ken Whisenhunt will be calling the offense. Russ Grimm will be handling the running game while Mike Miller, last year’s WRs coach, will handle the passing game. The last time Wizzy called plays was in 2007 when Warner threw for 27 TDs in just 14 games (only 11 starts).

2. Edgerrin James doesn’t want to be an Arizona Cardinal. Tim Hightower proved to be virtually worthless down the stretch. JJ Arrington is in Denver. So now what? Edge accounted for about 35% of the team’s carries and 40% of the team’s total rushing yards, and chances are good that he’ll be wearing a different jersey in 2009. Consider this, though. James had just 16 receptions and hasn’t played a factor in the passing game the last two years. And despite having the league’s worst rushing offense they still made the Super Bowl. Go figure. Arizona will likely look at another RB in the upcoming draft or could potentially step out into free agency to find help.

3. WR Anquan Boldin will likely be moved. I’m not saying they can’t win without him, but he accounted for 89 catches, over 1,000 yards receiving and 10 TDs in 2008. This would clearly be Arizona’s biggest loss, as evidenced by Kurt Warner agreeing to restructure his contract in order to give more money to Boldin. However, even though his potential departure would appear catastrophic for the Cardinals, remember he had under 900 yards receiving in 2007 and the team was still very competitive. Steve Breaston appears to have the talent to be able to fill the WR2 role in Arizona, but the Cardinals would then need to find a reliable slot receiver.

Despite these three “bumps in the road”, I still don’t believe the Cardinals (and Kurt Warner, in particular) will be affected in a negative way when the 2009 season is upon us. Assuming Warner stays healthy and the offense allows him to throw the ball at least 530-550 times, you can expect over 4,000 yards, 26-28 TDs and 12-14 INTs.
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