|
Scott Engel examines how new addresses affect some familiar fantasy names.
Here's my take on how many of the notable off-season player moves at the major fantasy skill positions are going to play out in 2008. New York Jets: Jesse Chatman should be a solid free agent addition if Thomas Jones goes down. Bubba Franks is far past his prime and will have no fantasy value. Miami Dolphins: Josh McCown is erratic and should not be drafted in most fantasy leagues. It would be no shock to see a younger quarterback on the roster overtake him. Anthony Fasano will be a good bye week fill-in. Ernest Wilford could make a few important grabs in the red zone, but won't be useful in most leagues. Cleveland: Donte' Stallworth adds even more balance to a potent passing game, but as usual, he will be unreliable and inconsistent for fantasy purposes. Any experienced fantasy owner knows he is a notorious injury risk. Pittsburgh: If Willie Parker suffers an injury at any point, Mewelde Moore could split some time with Rashard Mendenhall and would be worth consideration as a stopgap option in larger leagues. Cincinnati: Ben Utecht finally gets an opportunity to be the top pass-catching tight end on a team and will be a regular key read for Carson Palmer. Expect him to be a top 10 fantasy TE in 2008. Indianapolis: Dominic Rhodes should not be overlooked as possible insurance for Joseph Addai. He could post decent fantasy numbers if pressed into a larger role, even though he will have some competition for touches if Addai went down. Jacksonville: When healthy Jerry Porter will be a big disappointment if you actually expect him to fare well as the team's top receiver. A change of scenery is not going to help Troy Williamson produce better numbers, either. Houston: Saying that Chris Brown is insurance is like saying Staying Alive was a good sequel. Brown comes with a "Break glass in case of emergency" label, and you might injure him while breaking the glass. Tennessee: Alge Crumpler will be the team's best pass-catcher. Justin McCareins may rank second or third. Yet only Crumpler will be worth drafting, and only in the later rounds if you wait to take a tight end. Denver: Darrell Jackson will prove that he is not finished, and he should re-emerge as a quality fantasy starter. Keary Colbert will fit better as a third or fourth option in larger passing sets and won't be useful in fantasy leagues. Michael Pittman could end up as a starter at some point, because we all know Denver is notorious for RB changes. Oakland: Javon Walker will be working with an inexperienced quarterback (when he is able to suit up), so avoid him on draft day and let someone else worry about him. Drew Carter is not capable of producing quality fantasy totals if pressed into a prime role in the passing game. He'll have a lot of quiet weeks. Kansas City: Devard Darling will have the opportunity to become a top target for a team that is obviously very thin at wide receiver. He is a top sleeper candidate who should shine more than he did in Baltimore, and he will become a respectable fantasy option. New York Giants: If Eli Manning misses any time, the offense will be turned over to David Carr, and the offensive production could drop significantly. Minnesota: Bernard Berrian will draw a lot of defensive attention and will be very unreliable for fantasy purposes. It would not be surprising to see Gus Frerotte pilot the offense at some point, and while he may be an adequate game manager and could lend more balance, he will be too up-and-down for fantasy purposes. Chicago: Marty Booker won't be much more useful than he was in Miami, which means you shouldn’t draft him unless you need final-round depth in a large league. Brandon Lloyd doesn't get open often enough and is not draftable. Kevin Jones may begin the season on the PUP list, and that will bury him even further behind Matt Forte in the pecking order at RB. At best, Jones may get a few carries per game if and when he is healthy. Carolina: Most fantasy players agree that D.J. Hackett can produce well if healthy, but he also needs Jake Delhomme to stay in the lineup. Muhsin Muhammad is no longer capable of producing quality fantasy numbers if needed to start in Hackett's place at any point. Tampa Bay: Antonio Bryant could make a few big plays in his return to the league, but he won't be regularly useful in fantasy leagues. Ben Troupe should not be drafted initially, but monitor his progress, as he could fit in nicely with the Tampa Bay passing game. Warrick Dunn should only be projected for a part-time role at best in his return to Tampa Bay, and he is not worth an initial draft pick. Atlanta: Michael Turner will have a few disappointing outings when the Falcon's passing game sputters, but he will also have some outstanding performances and should be a quality No. 2 fantasy running back. Seattle: Julius Jones will be re-energized and should post good yardage numbers, but don't expect too many touchdowns. The rushing scores should come mainly from T.J. Duckett, who feels he has a lot to prove and should be a decent flex option. St. Louis: Trent Green should be able to run the offense smoothly if Marc Bulger were to miss any games, but whether he can stay healthy for any length of time is an obvious concern. He could be a good plug-in if needed for one or two games. San Francisco: J.T. O' Sullivan knows the Mike Martz offense and could become a quality fantasy reserve if the other quarterbacks don’t succeed. Isaac Bruce will be more of a player/coach than he will be a quality fantasy producer, and Bryant Johnson will be overmatched as a projected starter. He is better suited to a role as a third WR; I wouldn't draft him. DeShaun Foster will ensure that Frank Gore does not get overworked, but he won’t post optimum fantasy numbers if needed to start at any point. More Player Movement: Shockey traded to Saints. Scott Engel doesn’t get much sleep during the fantasy football preseason, and none on the day Madden is released. E-mail Scott at
This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it
.
|