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2008 Team Preview by RotoExperts.com Staff Writer Mark Strausberg
OVERVIEW
The biggest off-season news for the Bills was that they will play five regular-season games and three preseason games in Canada over the next five years. Given that it has been eight seasons since they made a playoff appearance, this news might actually be a good thing if it helps keep the Bills from relocating. The Bills were riddled with injuries last year, especially on the defensive side of the ball. The one bright spot was Marshawn Lynch, who was probably the best rookie RB not named Adrian Peterson. Now that he won’t have to serve any jail time, Marshawn might be the only Bills player worth drafting in the Top 50. But the name of the game here is value. Lee Evans has stud potential and can return value depending on how far he falls. Trent Edwards showed some promise. Also, the defense will be better this year. But again, it is about value, not talent. |
PROJECTED DEPTH CHART Players listed in order of fantasy relevance. Recommended round to draft in standard 10 to 12-team leagues with 16 rounds in parentheses. Quarterback: Trent Edwards (15), J.P. Losman Running Back: Marshawn Lynch (2), Fred Jackson (15), Dwayne Wright Wide Receiver: Lee Evans (6), Roscoe Parrish, Josh Reed, James Hardy (12) Tight End: Robert Royal, Courtney Anderson Kicker: Rian Lindell (16) NOTABLE PLAYER MOVES Additions: DT Marcus Stroud, LB Kawika Mitchell, TE Courtney Anderson
Subtractions: RB Anthony Thomas, S Jim Leonhard 2008 ROOKIES TO WATCH Round One: Leodis McKelvin, CB, Troy
Round Two: James Hardy, WR, Indiana
Round Four: Derrek Fine, TE, Kansas  | Aerial view of a J.P. Losman autograph session? Photo Credit: Betp |
TOP POSITION BATTLE No. 2 WR: Roscoe Parrish vs. James Hardy vs Josh Reed 2008 SCHEDULE Top matchups in bold Sept. 7: Seattle
Sept. 14: at Jacksonville
Sept. 21: Oakland
Sept. 28: at St. Louis
Oct. 5: at Arizona
Oct. 12: BYE
Oct. 19: San Diego
Oct 26: at Miami
Nov. 2: New York Jets
Nov. 9: at New England
Nov. 16: Cleveland
Nov. 23: at Kansas City
Nov. 30: San Francisco FANTASY PLAYOFF MATCHUPS
Dec. 7: Miami
Dec. 14: at New York Jets
Dec. 21: at Denver
Dec 28: New England  | ENGEL EYE ON: THE BUFFALO BILLS | Many fantasy owners are looking at James Hardy as a breakthrough rookie, but make sure you temper your expectations early. Hardy fits the bill (no pun intended) as a No. 2 wide receiver much better than anyone ELSE on the roster. Roscoe Parrish is better suited to be a No. 3 guy, and Josh Reed might not be able to get away from Mo Vaughn in the open field. Hardy has all the natural abilities to be the perfect complement to Lee Evans. Yet he is still a rookie and may be very unreliable early on, as he faces starting NFL cornerbacks for the first time. If you draft Hardy, have patience with him--don't cut him if he starts slowly. Just remember that opportunity and pure talent alone may not be enough for him to make an immediate impact. |
2008 FANTASY POSITIONAL OUTLOOKS Quarterback
One of the interesting things about this position is that you'll sometimes find a stat that opens your eyes. Trent Edwards posted the most passing yards in the last 40 years for a rookie quarterback who was drafted in the third round. Okay, so it doesn’t take a lot to beat out the Charlie Frye's and Brian Griese's. But what would you say about Jeff Hostetler? Danny White? Dan Fouts? Still don’t have your attention? How about Joe Montana? Now, I’m not saying Edwards is better than those guys. What I am saying is that he has tons of potential and is off to a decent start. In the 10 games he played last year, Trent had only one game with more than one interception, and that was against the Super Bowl champion Giants. When he played against lesser competition he shined, like he did when he tossed four touchdowns against Miami. Edwards could turn out to be quite a valuable bye-week fill-in. The Bills seem committed to Edwards, but should he fail, J.P. Losman is waiting in the wings. Remember 2006, when J.P. passed for 3,051 yards and 19 TDs? Regardless, at this point, Losman isn't worth even a late round flier. Running Back:
With nearly 1,300 total yards in 13 games last year (1,115 rushing, 184 receiving), Marshawn Lynch was the bull of the Bills offense. Expect the second-year back to improve on those numbers. After he posted seven TDs last year, it would be reasonable to expect double-digit TDs from Lynch. There are also whispers that they will get him more involved in the passing game. If you draft him in the second round or later, you should definitely get a return on your investment.
Lynch owners will no longer have to worry about the "A-Train" derailing a strong season from Lynch, as Anthony Thomas was not retained. However, Fred Jackson, who averaged five yards a carry in 2007, showed he was capable of handling the load during Lynch’s injury-induced absence. Don’t expect Jackson to steal more than a handful carries per game, but if Lynch goes down, make sure Jackson is already on your radar.  | | Will Lee Evans post better numbers now that he has a more promising complement? Photo Credit: ngff384 |
Wide Receiver:
Stop me if you’ve heard this before: Will this be the season that Lee Evans finally becomes an elite receiver? After he finished 2006 with 82 receptions, 1,292 receiving yards, and eight TDs in 2006, many thought Evans would jump to the truly elite level in 2007. However, he regressed last year, scoring only five TDs and catching 55 balls for 849 yards. If Evans can avoid his typical slow start (one TD in the first six weeks of the last three seasons combined), he might be able to put up some big numbers. This is a WR who has frustrated numerous owners over the years, and because of that, you might be able to get him late. Even if you look at Evans' career lows in each category, he would still have 48 catches for 743 yards and five TDs. Considering his upside is easily twice that, Evans could be a tremendous value pick. Around 60 catches, 900 yards, and seven TDs is reasonable to expect in 2008. Part of what has kept Evans from jumping to the elite level has been a lack of a serious receiving threat across the field to keep the double-teams off him. Could this be the year it finally happens? Will James Hardy step up to be that missing WR? Roscoe Parrish has his chance last year and failed to be that guy, catching just 35 passes for 352 yards and one TD. Josh Reed has had his multiple chances as well, but has failed to ever top 600 yards receiving or more than two TDs in a year. So what makes Hardy different? For one, he’s eight inches taller than both Parrish and Reed. In addition to being more impressive physically, Hardy scored 36 TDs in 36 games at the Indiana University. That TD rate won’t carry over to the NFL, but expect the rookie to win the job and run with it. He should be an incredible late-round buy. Tight End:
Have you seen Bruce Almighty? I thought it was a pretty funny movie. I’m only mentioning it because it was set in Buffalo. As a fantasy owner, I can tell you that the movie is worth watching far more than is the TE position in Buffalo. If rookies excite you, fine, watch for Derek Fine (fourth-round pick at TE, Kansas). Want someone already on the roster? Well, you can choose between, Robert Royal or Courtney Anderson. The former has never had more than four TDs or even 250 yards in any given season. The latter’s career best year is 303 yards and three TDs. Even if you’re in a 20-team league, you can safely ignore the Buffalo TEs. Kicker:
Rian Lindell’s 2007 season was feast or famine. He had three games where he kicked at least four field goals, but he also had four games where he didn’t kick any. Lindell can also kick them from distance, finishing 2007 with two FGs of more than 50 yards last year. You can expect his consistency to rise, but will he be a top five kicker? Don't count on it. Buffalo is not the most kicker-friendly place to play. But if you’re the last one to pick a kicker, you could do a lot worse than Rian Lindell.
Defense/Special Teams:
It’s the old boiler room axiom, “You liked us at 25? You’ are going to love us at 15”. Because very much like a hot stock, the Bills dropped from the ninth overall defense in 2006 to, um, I’ll be nice and just say that it would have been a step up to be the ninth-worst unit. Unlike in that fallen stock example, you should expect this unit to rebound in 2008. For one, MLB Paul Posluszny, who missed nearly all of 2007 and should be healthy for 2008, should easily top the century mark in tackles--he had 25 in the three games he played in last year. The Bills signed DT Marcus Stroud to play alongside Pro-Bowler Aaron Schobel. While Stroud is not a great individual defender, he will be a disruptive force that makes the whole squad better. Linebacker "extraordinaire" Kiwanka Mitchell, another big addition, should be a huge asset as well. Lest any buyer remorse still exist, the Bills spent their first pick on quick-footed CB Leodis McKelvin. Cross your fingers that your leaguemates look only at last year’s rankings, because this might be the most improved defense in 2008. Offensive Line:
Obviously, the line can’t be too bad if they helped a rookie runner rack up 1,115 yards, but the Buffalo offensive line was even better than people thought. In addition to helping Lynch exceed that 1,000 yard milestone, they gave up only 26 sacks, the lowest the Bills have yielded since 1982, when "sacks" became an official stat. Those 26 also were good for 11th overall in sacks allowed. Jason Peters has been voted to the Pro Bowl, and don’t be surprised to see some of the rest of Peters' squad make an appearance in Honolulu next year. When Mark Strausberg thinks of Buffalo, he thinks of wings. Mmmmm. Wings. If you feel like disturbing his food fantasies, email him at
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