Fantasy Football Information: 2009 NFL Bye Weeks

 

Fantasy Football Information 2009 NFL Bye Weeks

Fantasy Football Information: Strategy for Bye Weeks

If you’ve played fantasy football for a few years, by now you’ve probably experienced the embarrassing moment at your fantasy football draft when you look down at the end of the draft and find out your backup is on the same bye week as your stud player.

What good does it do you to have a backup that you only intended to use one time and now you can’t use him? With this sheet for the 2009 NFL Bye Weeks, you now have a quick reference at your draft to use so that you don’t accidentally draft Chad Pennington as your backup to your stud fantasy quarterback Peyton Manning.

Below we have selected one player for every bye week and offer you an option for success during your fantasy star players bye week.

Week 4: Football Teams on Bye Weeks—Falcons, Eagles, Panthers and Cardinals

Fantasy Info: When Michael Turner, DeAngelo Williams, Jonathan Stewart, or Brian Westbrook are off, use Julius Jones on your fantasy football team.

Week 4 marks the first week of the season that fantasy football owners have to start concerning themselves about bye weeks (thank goodness bye weeks aren’t all season long like 10 years ago). Right off the bat we have major runners that are on bye weeks.

For all of you that own these star runners listed above, look for Julius Jones as a very nice option in week four of the season. Jones is not a great fantasy player and really has not been since his rookie season, but he can provide a spark and early in the season is when he tends to shine brightest.

In Week 4, Julius gets a golden opportunity when he goes to Indianapolis and gets to run against the Colts woefully bad run defense. The Colts are particularly bad against runners that are good “slash and dash” type runners. Look for Julius to have one of his few really good games of the year in this week.

Week 5: Football Teams on Bye Weeks—Bears, Packers, Saints, Chargers

Fantasy Info: When Drew Brees, Aaron Rodgers, Jay Cutler, and Phillip Rivers are on bye weeks for your fantasy football team use Brett Favre.

Yes, I know I’m jumping the gun on Favre but lets face it, Brett is a Viking. Once Brett Favre signs with the Vikings they will be right with the Giants and Cardinals as favorites to make the Super Bowl from the NFC.

While Brett Favre’s days of being a fantasy football star are gone he still is a good option in spots and probably will have a stretch where the Vikings will need to lean on him to win games via the pass. Week 5 is a good week to roll the dice on Brett Favre, Bernard Berrian, Sidney Rice, and Visanthe Shiancoe, as the play the Rams in St. Louis.

Week 6: Cowboys, Colts, Dolphins, 49ers

Fantasy Info: When Marion Barber, Ronnie Brown, Frank Gore, and Joseph Addai are on bye weeks, use Cedric Benson on your fantasy football team.

Lets face it Texas Longhorn fans; Benson’s career up to this point has been a horrible failure. But I do like the way he finished the season last year and he is now going the be the Bengals feature back this year.

Fantasy football owners are probably going to slide on all Bengal players this year as they have lost trust in this team. From Chad Ochocinco’s clowning around to Carson Palmer’s arm, it is hard to pull the trigger on players in Cincinnati. But in Week 6, Cedric Benson gets a very nice match up against the Houston Texans and should do well for your fantasy football teams.

Week 7: Baltimore, Broncos, Lions, Jaguars, Seahawks, Titans

When Ray Rice, Le’Ron McClain, Kevin Smith, Knowshon Moreno, Maurice Jones-Drew, and Chris Johnson are on bye weeks, use Jamal Lewis for your fantasy football team.

Ok, I know I’ve used a lot of running backs as examples but lets face it, runners are the heart and sole of just about every fantasy football team around. It’s not as hard to take a flair shot on a receiver or passing offense that has a hot hand, but it does take a little more sometimes to maintain a good running game. In the end there is a reason we all draft running backs so high at our respective fantasy drafts and that is because when they are gone they are gone.

Moving forward, Jamal Lewis and the Cleveland Browns are in a similar situation as the Bengals. Fantasy football owners lost trust in this team and their ability to help a fantasy team. But Jamal is still a good option in spots and Week 7 is one of those weeks that Lewis will be worth stashing on your team as your top backup runner.

Week 7 Jamal Lewis gets to face the Green Bay Packers and their bad run defense. True, the Packers did draft a defensive tackle with the 9th pick overall in the NFL draft in B.J. Raji, but at this point in time, Raji may not even start.

If it is true that Raji is not going to start and will just rotate in a defensive package, I will consider him a potential early bust draft pick. Either way, the Packers have a lot to prove as far as stopping the run after finishing 26th against the run last year. Use Lewis and expect a fine week as your fantasy stud runner(s) are off on a bye week.

Week 8: Bengals, Chiefs, Patriots, Steelers, Buccaneers, Redskins

When Chad Ochocinco, Laverneus Coles, Dwayne Bowe, Randy Moss, Wes Welker, Hines Ward, Santonio Holmes, Antonio Bryant, and Santana Moss are on bye weeks, use Michael Jenkins or Mushin Muhammed.

Since their are so many fantasy football receivers out on bye weeks in Week 8, I chose two different receivers to keep in mind at this point of the season. Michael Jenkins is now the third option on the Falcons in the passing game behind Roddy White and tight end Tony Gonzalez. But in Week 8, the Falcons will have a major shoot-out against the New Orleans Saints and Marques Coltson.

In a game like this I like Jenkins as the Falcons will play a secondary that is just not very good and Matt Ryan should make them pay all day. Look for Jenkins as a nice option in this key game for both teams.

Mushin Muhammed and the Carolina Panthers have had this week circled on their calendar since the NFL schedule came out. This is the week they will look to get some revenge against the Arizona Cardinals. Look for Jake Delhomme and the boys to show they are much, much better than the way they played against this team in the playoffs.

Week 9: Bills, Vikings, Jets, Raiders and Rams

When Marshawn Lynch, Adrian Peterson, Thomas Jones, Darren McFadden, and Steven Jackson are on bye weeks, use Willie Parker for your fantasy football team.

In the coming days I will be writing an article about Willie and why he is just not a fantasy starter for your fantasy football team every week. But in Week 9 he makes for a very good start as key fantasy stars will be on bye weeks.

The Steelers will play the Denver Broncos, and Parker should be able to run for well over 100 yards in this game. He may even break you a long touchdown run as the Broncos have a very bad run defense.

Week 10: Texans, Giants

Fantasy Info: When Andre Johnson, Kevin Walter, Steve Slaton, Matt Schaub, and Brandon Jacobs are on bye weeks, use Marc Bulger, Earl Bennett, or Fred Taylor.

Since this week only has two teams on bye weeks, I felt is was a good week to recommend one quarterback, one running back, and one receiver for you to use. In some ways this might be the most important week for bye weeks in head-to-head leagues, the reason being is that there is a good chance you will be playing a fantasy football owner that is fully done with their respective bye weeks, and you will have to face them at full strength.

You, on the other hand, would be down one or two of your key stars, and this gives your opponent a clear advantage.

Marc Bulger is the kind of quarterback that probably makes everyone in fantasy football throw up, and that includes Rams fans. But, in Marc’s defense, he has suffered mostly from a very bad offensive line the last three seasons. Sure, some of the reason was because of injury, but the long and short of this situation is that Rams O-line is better.

In Week 10, Marc gets a very good opportunity as the Rams face the New Orleans Saints. A game like this is when Marc should have some time to throw the ball and his young talented receivers can take advantage of the Saints sorry secondary.

For receiver help I have selected Chicago Bears receiver Earl Bennett as a good option in week 10. Earl may be even more valuable then just Week 10 as he faces from Week 4 through Week 10 the schedule below.

week 4 – Lions
week 5- bye week
week 6- at Falcons
week 7- at Bengals
week 8- Browns
week 9- Cardinals
week 10- at 49ers  

All of those options (Week 5 excluded of course) are good options for using Earl as a starting receiver. This makes Bennett probably the best receiver in the league (schedule wise) to count on as a backup receiver on your fantasy football team.

Fred Taylor is the runner I selected as a good backup option in Week 10, as the Patriots face their arch rivals in the Indianapolis Colts. Obviously,by this point of the season you will probably have a good idea how the Patriots will use their handful of running backs.

In my opinion, New England did not bring in Fred for nothing and I do believe he will receive the largest bulk of the running load on the team for 2009. Fred has a history of shredding the Colts when he played with the Jaguars, so look for Taylor to be used in a big way as this match up kicks off.

Hopefully this information has been helpful for you. Also, just so everyone knows, the fantasy-info.com team will be bringing information every week during the season on pickup and starting options for your fantasy football team, so if you have any questions or concerns feel free to come back to the fantasy-info site and get the info you need.

We also have a blog talk radio show that we run every Friday night at 9:30 pm Pacific Coast Time. Feel free to call in and ask any questions you may have as well.

Fantasy Football Information Writer: Sean E. Douglas—fantasy-info.com

Fantasy Info: Bengal’s Chad Ochocinco Uses Twitter as the New Rebel Yell

If someone writes about fantasy football or the NFL, they must accept they will have to talk about Chad Ochocinco. Seeing that I actually like Chad, this is not a difficult thing for me to do.

Chad has done some interesting things in his career with the Bengals, from wearing hall of fame jackets to blond mohawks. The rebel has always pushed the envelope, and the  buttons of those working in NFL front offices over the years.

In latest news, Chad has vowed to use the new networking sensation called “twitter” to communicate with friends and fans during NFL games.

Since releasing this information to the public, the NFL has told the world any networking during games will be banned. The league pointed out they already forbid phones and hand held devices from being on the field during games.

Of course this news didn’t stop Chad, as he has already stated publicly that he is going to “tweet” during games and doesn’t care what they say.

Fight the power Chad!

 

What Are Rules to a Rebel?

rebel (reb′əl; for v. ri bel′)

noun

1. one who engages in armed resistance against the established government of one’s country
2. a person who resists any authority or controls

To give a set of formal rules to a rebel is like telling Terrell Owens to be a good little boy. In the end not only will that person not follow the rules, but they will make a point to defy them even more than they would have originally.

Chad Ochocinco is no different from any other rebel, he tests the water to see how far he can go. What I like about Chad is that he does it all in fun and takes things lightly.

Many argue that Chad’s antics are a distraction to the team, and he is not preparing for success in the NFL. There may be something to that, but it is generally overstated in the media.

It’s like that old song by Simply Red, “if you don’t know me by now“. The song includes the lyric; “if you don’t know me by now, you will never know me”. This definitely holds true for Chad, as he is always going to be what he is—and that is a clown that knows how to get media attention.

Fantasy Football Information for Chad Ochocinco

I’ve spent a decent amount of time this month scowering through fantasy football draft magazines, as I do every year at this time. I’ve seen Chad ranked as high as the top 12 receivers for fantasy football, and as low as the mid 20’s.

In my opinion drafting Chad as anything close to the No. 12 receiver this year is a horrible value for fantasy owners in 2009. For a player that is coming off his worst season as a pro you should be getting this receiver as a value at fantasy drafts.

If you have Chad ranked as a top 12 overall receiver this year, then in twelve team leagues, that would mean he is someones best receiver. Not that I don’t think Chad is a good player, but I will be more then happy to play any team that actually had Ocho as their top receiver for their fantasy football team.

At the end of the day we all need to see Carson Palmer come back and prove that his arm issues are behind him. If Carson can hold up health wise then Chad should move back into the top 15 receivers for fantasy football drafts in 2010.

This year look for Chad as a second or even third receiver in 10 to 12 team leagues. I would not invest in this rebel at a high price this season.

Fantasy Football Information Writer Sean E. Douglas: fantasy-info.com

Fantasy Information: Randy Moss Is Still the Best Receiver in Football

If you don’t know this man by now you’ve probably never watched football in your life, let alone played fantasy football. Randy Moss has been one of the best and most explosive receivers of all time in fantasy and in football itself.

Sure, Moss has had attitude problems before going to the Patriots, and he has also had a few bad years in his career, but he’s also been fun to watch. Not many in the history of football have ever been able to flat-out dominate the way this man has done for the last decade.

Right Now, Randy has the best career ratio for touchdowns to catch average for a receiver with 500 catches or more in a career. For every 6.24 receptions Randy has had in his career, he has had one touchdown. For those of you scoring at home, that is a career total of 823 receptions and 135 touchdowns in his Hall of Fame career.

I say Hall of Fame career because I believe Randy proved last year that he has risen above his selfish ways and become a leader on the team. He did not sit around and whine all year once Tom Brady went down for the season. Instead, he worked with Matt Cassel and the rest of the offense to make the Patriots a better team overall.

With this display of maturity, I truly believe that the NFL voters for the Hall of Fame have no excuses not to vote for Moss.

It’s Not Over Yet, Folks

While Moss has had a great career so far, he is still going to be one of the best receivers in the league for a few more years.

Sure, the Patriots are known for spreading the ball around and getting multiple players involved, but one player will get his for sure and that is Moss. I also believe that Wes Welker should also see more than 100 receptions again in 2009 as he is a very valuable receiver in the offense as well.

Tom Brady is back and looks like he is ready to roll from week one of the season. Assuming Brady is capable of being 80 percent of the player he was before the injury, I see no reason why Moss won’t have 1,300 yards and 15 touchdowns.

This dynamic duo is just too good for defenses to hold down, and Randy should be the most explosive receiver again in fantasy football.

 

Moss Still the Best in Fantasy, on the Field

A few months ago when I wrote all my fantasy player rankings, I had Randy Moss ranked as the No. 2 receiver in fantasy football. Soon I will have to move him into the No. 1 spot over Larry Fitzgerald, as Tom Brady is ready to go.

At the end of the day, Moss is second to no one as far as ability to dominate a game down the field. I do believe the next great receiver for fantasy football has arrived in the Lions’ Calvin Johnson, but we need to see his team be a little better before he is worth ranking over Moss in fantasy.

Draft Moss with confidence, as I believe that Tom Brady is itching to show the world that he is back and ready to make a run for the Super Bowl.

Sean E. Douglas: fantasy-info.com

Fantasy Information: Ravens’ Derrick Mason Retires From Football

News broke today that Ravens top receiver Derrick Mason has retired from football. While Mason was a bit banged up last season, this news is definitely an unexpected surprise at this point in the offseason.

With Baltimore now losing Joe Flacco’s top target, one has to believe that Joe and the Ravens will lean on receiver Mark Clayton more often this season. Clayton was the Ravens first round pick back in 2006 and has been living in Mason’s shadow for his first three years in the NFL.

Now that Mason is gone and with star tight end Todd Heap’s inability to stay healthy (Ravens signed tight end LJ Smith to help out), this team needs Clayton in a big way.

Derrick Mason’s Career in the NFL

Mason ends his career with more then 10,000 career receiving yards, 790 receptions and 52 receiving touchdowns. He was also a two—time Pro Bowl player and played a total of 12 years in the NFL.

His career started playing two seasons with the Houston Oilers, he then spent six more years with the franchise as they moved to Tennessee and became the Titans. Mason finished up his final four seasons for fantasy football owners as a Baltimore Raven.

A statement posted when he retired read:

“I have had a tremendous career and I played for two great teams, I had fun. In my career, I have been able to do everything but win a Super Bowl. I’ve had the opportunity to play on great teams and with great players. After 12 years, I have seen it all and done it all,” Mason stated. “Right now, I am content with the decision I am making. All good things come to an end and I am ready to see what else life has to offer.”

With a consistent and tough veteran like Mason, last years rookie quarterback Joe Flacco had a receiver that he could count on in tough times. Now this security blanket is gone, he will have to find success without this rock steady vet on the team.

Fantasy Football Information for Mark Clayton

With this news, Mark Clayton now becomes the unquestioned No. 1 receiver on the team. He also vaults his way into becoming a hands down top 30 wide receiver in fantasy football.

With a quality team all around him, I now expect Mark to be a receiver that fantasy owners can count on for at least 1,100 yards and eight touchdowns in 2009. Flacco needs a truely top receiver, and Clayton has the ability and skills to be that player.

The Ravens are now in desperate need for Clayton to be the player they hoped he would be coming out of Oklahoma. Clayton is now in his fourth season and I believe he will deliver the goods as he will have many balls thrown his way this season, as well as in seasons to come.

Demetrius Williams is probably the favorite to start opposite Clayton this season for the Ravens, so keep an eye out for him as well.

Sean E. Douglas: fantasy-info.com

Fantasy Football Info: Let’s Face It, Brett Favre Is a Viking

For all you Internet “trolls” out there, I’m sure you’re going to love to point out that I’m jumping the gun by saying that Brett Favre is a Viking.

But let’s face it, this guy is going to sign with Minnesota, and he will do it in the next week or so.

You might be wondering, when the heck did I become so sure he was going to sign?

I’ll tell you.

It was when his doctor came out and said that Brett and the Vikings would make a good fit.

The reason I was 100-percent sold that Brett was signing after hearing that info was because Favre had been saying the whole time that it it would depend on if his arm felt good, as to whether he would come back or not.

Even last week, Vikings offensive coordinator Darrell Bevell personally worked with Brett.

Another reason I believe is that Brett’s wife is rumored to be looking to buy a condo in the area. Lets face it, Brett Favre is going to be a Viking.

Brett’s Impact on the Vikings

Once the Vikings officially sign Brett, he will become an instant help to this franchise’s (and fantasy football owners) chances to win a Super Bowl (sorry Packer fans). With a legit quarterback that defenses have to respect and an arm that can get the ball down the field, the Vikings’ offense should run very well all season.

No doubt, the player in my mind that will benefit in fantasy football most by this move will be Adrian Peterson.

While Adrian didn’t have the best fantasy season for a running back last year, he did have one heck of a season for being on a team with no respectable quarterback. True, Peterson did only have 10 touchdowns (that is low for a runner this good) but he will improve on those numbers this coming year.

Heck even Thomas Jones had 15 touchdowns last season with Brett, so you know Adrian should be a lock for more production.

Beyond helping out Peterson, Favre will also be an instant boost for receivers like Bernard Berrian and Sidney Rice, as they both finally have a quality quarterback to work with. Look for both of these receivers to enjoy not only better receiving and touchdown totals but to have very strong yard per catch averages.

Tight end Visanthe Shiancoe will probably benefit most by having Brett when the Vikings are in the red zone. Brett loves to find his tight ends for touchdowns when he is inside the 20-yard line.

As far as the Vikings’ defense, they will also see a bump in production because with a good quarterback running the offense, they will be on the field for fewer minutes every game. The reason for that is because when you have a great running game and a good passing game, your team tends to win the time of possession battle most weeks in the NFL.

With long, time consuming drives by the offense, the defense will be fresh and ready to attack the opposing teams’ offense with more energy.

The one player that may be hurt a little bit by Brett’s arrival (other then Sage Rosenfels) is the Vikings kicker Ryan Longwell. Reason for this is that with Brett they should now convert more drives into touchdowns rather then field goals. This means instead of fantasy football owners receiving three points, they will only receive one.

Also, when Longwell does receive his field goals, chances are they will not come from long distances. If you’re in a fantasy football league that gives points for distance, then this will hurt his value as well.

Fantasy football information for Brett Favre

While Brett will help just about everyone on the team be better fantasy players, Favre himself is probably only worth a backup spot in many leagues. The main reason for this is that the Vikings should still be a run first team and they have a very good defense.

With the ability to run and the defense not allowing many points, Brett will probably be handing the football off in many third and fourth quarters, as the Vikings look to drain the clock and win the game.

That being said, I do still expect Brett to have a few big fantasy scoring days throughout the season as he will feel the “itch” to throw every now and then.

On a personal note

I still remember going to the NFC Championship game in January of 1998 when the Packers beat my San Francisco 49ers to go to the Super Bowl (they lost to the Broncos).

While I was disappointed that the 49ers lost, I still remember those dumb cheesehead fans laughing at the 49er fans and dancing on the hollowed grounds of Candlestick Park.

I say all that to say this now, I am glad that Brett is going to be a Viking. I hope this signing crushes your dreams of all those great moments when your precious Favre was in Green Bay.

Go ahead and take those Favre pics off the walls at your restaurants and cry some tears.

I’m not a Vikings fan but…GO VIKINGS GO!

Sean E. Douglas: fantasy-info.com

Fantasy Football Info: Calvin Johnson & The Detroit Lions Offense

It couldn’t get any worse for the Detroit Lions going 0-16 for the season. The Loins seemed to have a revolving door at quarterback all season long. Starting with Jon Kitna to Dan Orlovsky to Daunte Culpepper from the street and finally more Orlovsky.

In between the quarterback moves the Lions finally fired general Manager Matt Millon.Then the Motor City franchise also traded wide receiver Roy Williams to the Cowboys for a first round pick in 2009.

Despite all this second year wide receiver Calvin Johnson seemed to be unfazed.

With 1,331 yards receiving, 17.2 yards per catch and 12 touchdowns Johnson had one of the top seasons for any wide out in the league in 2008. This I find truly rare because even great receivers tend to have bad years when their team has everything go wrong for them.

But still Calvin posted the type of numbers that were top rate in the league. One has to ask themselves when considering Johnson for their fantasy football team, “if Megatron can play like that in 2008, he could do it any season.”

 

Change has come to the 2009 Detroit Lions

This offseason Titans defensive coordinator Jim Schwartz signed with the team as the new head coach. Then management let go of quarterback Dan Orlovsky and resigned Daunte Culpepper to start for the team in 2009.

Former first round pick wide receiver from originally the Cardinals Bryant Johnson signed on to be the No. 2 receiver in the offense.

They even got some defensive help by acquiring Linbacker Julian Peterson from the Seahawks and Linebacker Larry Foote from the Steelers.

 

 

The 2009 NFL Draft

With the first selection overall the Lions choose Georgia Bulldogs quarterback Matthew Stafford for the future. This strong armed QB while young should have the luxury of learning behind Daunte Culpepper.

This is key because it is very hard for a young No. 1 pick quarterback to make it in the NFL. Mostly because the supporting cast isn’t very good and the coaching staffs tend to change from year to year. Just look at San Fransisco 49ers first rounder from 2005 QB Alex Smith.

This will be Simth’s fifth season on the team and in five years he’s had five different offensive coordinators!

Or how about poor David Carr with the Texans, he never had an offensive line and got beat to hell.

Even legends like Troy Aikman and John Elway struggled mightily in their early years in Dallas and Denver.

With the first round pick they acquired from Dallas in the Williams trade the Lions selected big Tight End Brandon Pettigrew from Oklahoma State. This will provide Stafford with a nice target over the middle other than Calvin to go to. Brandon has the tools to start right away and be effective in doing so.

But a young quarterback needs a good running game and the Lions have a capable runner in last years third round pick Kevin Smith. I know Smith was knocked in college for having an attitude but I liked his fire last season. Every week he did his best to try and help the Lions overcome their 0-16 run.

While he wasn’t successful in avoiding that embarrassing record, Kevin showed people he is a future leader on this team. Not to mention that Smith can handle the rock as he toted the ball over 400 times in his final season in college. If Kevin is successful on the ground it will help ease the pressure for the young quarterbacks transition to the NFL.

Sadly, I was disappointed that the Lions didn’t draft nor sign anyone significant on the offensive line. This to me is the true hole Stafford or Culpepper for that matter will have to over come. Yes Mathews situation is defiantly one like David Carr’s as opposed to Alex Smith.

Guess we will see if young Stafford can take a hit or should I say 1,000 hits. Get this kid some more line please!

 

 

Calvin Johnson and the Lions fantasy football strategy for 2009

Calvin Johnson—Johnson’s Fantasy value this year I say ignore the fact that his offense and team are a loser at this time. Hey if the guy had 1,300 yards and 12 touchdowns last year he can do that any year. Draft him in the seconnd round of your fantasy draft and sleep sound that night knowing you have a stud.

Running back Kevin Smith—This runner will make a fine No. 3 back for your team in the coming season. Weather he’s a start/flex play or just filling in for you he will give you good work most of the year.

Look for Smith in the mid rounds of the draft because most of your fellow counter parts will shy away from a runner on a 0-16 team. To combat that thinking all I’m asking you do is go back and look at Kevin’s teams he played. Then see how he preformed in second half of the year.

True this kid is not an explosive game breaker but he is a very steady hard working “cow bell” in the offense.

Tight End Brandon Pettigrew—If you want him on your team draft him at the end and stash him away behind another good tight end.

Lions Quarterbacks—If your desperate go ahead and grab Culpepper late as a backup. Other than that stay away for this season. Even though Calvin Johnson is on the team and will have success, it’s hard to trust the quarterback situation from week to week.

 

Written By: Sean Douglas- fantasy-info.com

Can Tom Brady Return to Form in 2009?

Fantasy football owners have seen Tom Brady’s fantasy information bounce around quite a bit in the last few seasons.

In 2007 we all wondered how Tom’s fantasy production would change with new receiver Randy Moss on the team. Man oh man did we ever find out when Brady flopped out 50 touchdowns and the Patriots had an undefeated regular season. In all of Brady’s success he also made Moss a star again and fellow receiver Wes Welker became a household name in fantasy football.

Disappointment in 2008

At my draft, I hit the fantasy lotto (or so I thought) when I selected Adrian Peterson, Terrell Owens, and Randy Moss with my first three picks. But like so many in week one of the season, my fantasy dreams were crushed when Brady went down for the year.

With Brady down it took Matt Cassel about 10 games to really find his grove as the quarterback for the Patriots.

In that time, Moss suffered from inconsistent play and made fantasy owners question if and when he would score again.

To Cassel’s credit he did turn it around in the final six weeks or so, thus helping Moss and Welker have good endings for the 2008 season.

Can Brady Return to Excellence in 2009?

One of the biggest questions on fantasy owners’ minds this summer is how effective Brady will be this season. While it is never easy to return from MCL and ACL surgery, one has to believe that if anyone can, it’s Brady.

So far there are encouraging signs as the Patriots traded away Matt Cassel and Brady is reportedly back to throwing on the run. Just recently his tight end Ben Watson came out and noted that Brady has looked great in camp so far.

I personally liken Tom this season to Dan Marino in 1994 when he returned from knee problems. That season Dan dropped in fantasy draft because people were concerned about his health. Marino proved his doubters wrong and had 30 touchdowns and 4,453 passing yards.

At the end of the day one should never turn his back on a great player with the tools to succeed in hand. Brady will have his great supporting cast back as well as veteran receiver Joey Galloway.

Brady even came out in early June to let people know he plans on playing another 10 years (he would be 41 by that time) and is focused on winning championships. The first step to winning a championship is to have a hot start (like Marino in 1994) and let everyone know that Brady is back.

 

Fantasy Football Information on Tom Brady

With the confidence and arrogance that Brady can have at times, all fantasy owners should expect success from this all-pro quarterback.

Some players are just able to rise to the occasion and succeed time and time again. Tom Brady is that kind of player and I’m not going to doubt his abilities. Look for Tom as a nice second or third-round pick in most fantasy formats this season.

With the great team around this man I would be very surprised if you find him lower than the third round, even in smaller eight-team leagues.

Look for Brady to post at least the same kind of numbers that Dan Marino had in 1994, as he returns to his MVP status in the NFL.

Detroit Lions Rookie Brandon Pettigrew to Start

So far in this off-season, the Detroit Lions coaching staff seems to be happy with their second, first-round pick, tight end Brandon Pettigrew.

Pettigrew stands in at a massive 6’5″—263 lbs. and is known to be a very solid run blocker.

While some around football (including myself) think the Lions would have been better served to draft offensive lineman Michael Oher, one has to feel that Pettigrew should help this team.

Scouts in the NFL have noted that while Brandon is not a fast runner, he can gain separation with his size and lengthy wingspan. These skills will come in very handy in the middle of the field as Daunte Culpepper (or Matt Stafford) check down from their receivers like Calvin Johnson.

Troubles Abound

While the coaching staff will rave about Pettigrew’s progress in camp, I am still concerned about his past.

In Jan. 2008, Pettigrew was charged with a felony for assault and battery on an officer. While I do not know the details in the case, I do know that he eventually pleaded guilty to a misdemeanor assault and battery.

Beyond his off the field issues, Pettigrew also missed a four-game stretch with a high ankle sprain last season.

My last and probably most fantasy-relevant problem is that Pettigrew did not even have one touchdown (nine in his career) in his final year of college! His highest touchdown total in a single season was four touchdowns (two times) in a year.

With an inability to score, one has to question just how much fantasy relevance this tight end will ever have.

Filling a Niche

Even if Pettigrew is never a great fantasy tight end in his career, he should provide an instant help for this offense in 2009. With the size of a small linemen and good blocking ability, Pettigrew should help running back Kevin Smith immediately.

With his reliable blocking, fantasy owners can at least count on Pettigrew to be on the field a lot for this team. He should also proved a nice big target in the middle of the field for the passing game. This ability will be useful in times with a quarterback who needs a target for that six or seven-yard first down conversion.

Fantasy Football Information for Brandon Pettigrew

For fantasy owners in keeper leagues, Pettigrew might be worth holding onto this season and seeing how he works in the Lions’ offense. If Matt Stafford comes in and looks like Matt Ryan (he probably won’t), then Pettigrew could be a very nice fantasy tight end for awhile.

For all of you in standard year-to-year leagues, this kid is nothing more then a late round backup for your roster. At this point in time, we all need to see Pettigrew have more success in converting touchdowns.

If this kid could not dominate inside the red zone in college, how will he dominate in the NFL?

Vikings Defensive Tackles Look To Play Week One

The Minnesota Vikings are known for having one of the most imposing run-stuffing defenses in football.

This success is due in large part to their big defensive tackles, Pat Williams and Kevin Williams. These two massive purple people eaters weigh in at a combined 628 pounds of man-tackling flesh.

In December, the NFL had intentions of suspending both of these men and three other players on the New Orleans Saints. The reason for the suspension was because they violated the leagues banned substance policy.

The substance they were taking, called StarCaps, contained a banned diuretic that contains a substance called bumetanide. Bumetanide, can be used as a masking agent for steroids and has been found in StarCaps, though it is not on the label. Pat and Kevin were able to avoid their four-game suspension last December when a federal judge issued an injunction to block the suspension.

Players Battle NFL in Court

In court, attorneys on the side of the players argued that the NFL’s hot line for players to get information on such issues as banned substances, gave out false information about the supplement (StarCaps), and told players it was not banned.

The players’ attorneys also argued that league knew the supplement called StarCaps contained a banned diuretic back in 2006 and did not notify players or the U.S. Food and Drug Administration.

NFL attorneys disputed that idea by saying their hot line operators warned players against taking any supplements. Attorneys also added that, in the end, players are ultimately responsible for what they put into their bodies.

 

Judge Blocks NFL’s Planned Suspension

This week a District Judge sided with the players’ request for a temporary restraining order to keep the NFL from executing it’s suspension on them until a later time.

With this restraining order, the NFL now will have to wait to dish out their expected four game suspension on the two defensive tackles. In light of this information, the players’ attorney called this restraint a great success and also noted the two players should play the first half or so of the season, without discipline.

 

Fantasy Football Information for the Vikings Defense

 

At this time the Vikings defense should be a top five defense on your fantasy draft board. For a team that now looks primed to have Brett Favre come on to the team, they should have a solid year.

As long as these to big men are on the team, they are one of the best defenses against the run in football. They also set the table for sacks by the rest of the defense.

As far as where you should take this defense in your draft, that will depend on your scoring structure in your league. Many leagues have different scoring structures and, for some, it will be better to grab this defense as high as the eighth round and some as low as the 14th. But at the end of the day in just about every format they are a top five defense.

Hopefully, these two big boys will play the entire season. If we all find out they will play the entire year then this defense could be the best in fantasy in 2009.

Buffalo Bills Need Chemistry on the Offensive Line

In a recent article I posted on Andre Smith and the Bengals I discussed the importance of an offensive line working together. The main idea of the piece was that all success in an offense starts up front with the offensive line.

When an offensive line runs like a well oiled machine, an offense is always going to be setup to succeed on the football field. But when an o-line is not maintained, you leave open the possibility’s to have failure.

Failures up front can happen in different ways, for example a line suffer injury’s (Rams o-line last couple of years) or they can have a quarterback that holds onto the ball to long and is immobile (Chiefs before Tyler Thigpen).

While an offensive line can always suffer unfortunate hardships they can build one common bond together over time. That bond is called “chemistry” and it only comes when you have played together over time.

Major Changes on the Offensive Line

Before I get into the Bills major over haul on the offensive line I would like to stack up what they had on the line last year and what they have this year.

Fantasy Info- The Buffalo Bills Offensive Line Change

From the information listed above it is easy to see that the Buffalo Bills offensive line has gone through a MAJOR overhaul this offseason. With so much change, a fantasy football owner can only have concern that the Bills star players may have problems this season.

It’s hard enough to have two rookies on the offensive line in one season, but to have two more in different positions is killer. Throw in a backup center from another team and you have yourself a problem.

Can Buffalo Players Excel for your Fantasy Team?

Let me get this out of the way right now, Terrell Owens is the only player you should select in your first seven round or so of your fantasy draft.

This season Marshawn Lynch is going to start the year with a three game suspension and Fred Jackson will take his place. When the news came down that Lynch would miss time I thought it was a good opportunity to start Jackson on fantasy teams for the first month.

But with chemistry and timing issues on the line and the fact that they play the Patriots, Buccaneers, Saints and Dolphins, he is going to have a hard time. Maybe you can start Fred against the Saints, but I caution you that the Saints strength as a defense is against the run.

If the Bills are going to find success this year, the Buffalo offensive line had best be good at protecting Trent Edwards.

While I like Trent as a quarterback there was a reason he slipped into the third round of the NFL draft in 2007 and that was because of injuries. Last season Trent was sacked only 23 times in 14 games.

What that should tell fantasy owners is that in only 23 sacks, Trent had to miss two games due to injury. What will happen if he has to suffer lets say 35 or even 40 sacks this year?

If Trent goes down the Bills will now have to rely on Bengals reject (it’s hard for me to write this guys name without becoming physically ill) Ryan Fitzpatrick or Matt Baker (zero snaps in the NFL).

It is clear to see that the Bills can not lose Edwards for anytime if they hope to make a run at the playoffs. It is also very clear that if you draft any players on the Bills this year in fantasy, you better hope that Edwards stays healthy.

Just look at what Fitzpatrick did to Chad Ochocinco and TJ Houshmanzada after Carson Palmer went down. Both of those receivers went into fantasy obscurity and the Bengals had a horrible season.

A Closer Look at the Buffalo Bills Offense

Just a couple of days ago I wrote a piece on how I believed Terrell Owens would shine for the Bills this season. While I still believe that Owens does make those around him better, he can not block for the offensive line and can’t heal an injury for his quarterback.

If the line should struggle and Edwards is hurt then Owens will have his value fall maybe even low then when Tony Romo was out last year. For those scoring at home that would mean TO would not even be worth a starting role on your fantasy team.

In closing it blows my mind that the Bills could be this irresponsible in having so much turnover on the offensive line, in one season. Not only do you have a new player starting in each position but three of those five are playing a new position.

Reports out of Buffalo are that the line is ready to prove all their doubters wrong and they will be fine for the season. That is to be expected as I’ve never seen a team in sports that put their up coming season projections in a bad light.

Unfortunately the reality here is that even if the Bills linemen do turn things around this year and do well, it is still going to take time to “jell” as an offensive unit. In all that time it takes to find chemistry they will be playing six games against Bill Parcels (Dolphins), Brian Belichick (Patriots) and Rex Ryan (Jets). Not Good!

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