2011 NFC Pre-Season Review: Week 1

NFC EAST

Philadelphia Eagles There’s still been no word from the team of the mysterious illness that is keeping WR Jeremy Maclin from practicing. Maclin has lost weight has not been on the field this offseason. At this time the team is still optimistic that he’ll be ready for Week one.

The Eagles defeated Baltimore 13-6 in their first preseason game. The starters only stayed in the game for the first series, but the unit looked good. Michael Vick was 4/6 for 74 yards and hit tight end Brent Celek on a nice three yard touchdown pass. Celek was largely forgotten last year in the Philly offense so if he and Vick can build a rapport he makes for an excellent sleeper tight end.

Dallas Cowboys The real story in the Cowboys’ one point win over Denver was third string QB Stephen McGee. The former Texas A&M star played well, passing 14/24 for 208 yards and three TD passes, and led the club to a come from behind victory. There’s little chance that McGee will be anything but a third stringer, but looked good enough for fans to take notice.

Little change happened in the Dallas backfield. Felix Jones only rushed three times, but managed a nice 18 yard gain. He’s still expected to be featured in Big D. Second year runner Lonyae Miller is a popular deep sleeper to replace Marion Barber as the short yardage back, but he had a very uninspiring nine carries for 11 yards. Perhaps the real sleeper in Dallas is rookie wide-out Dwayne Harris who caught five balls for 126 yards and scores from 19 and 76 yards out. Harris has an excellent chance to be productive right away after the departure of Roy Williams.

Washington Redskins Tim Hightower has pretty much secured his role as the Redskins starting tailback…for now at least. Hightower seems to be a very good fit for Mike Shanahan’s one cut, zone blocking scheme and is a good pass catcher and pass blocker. But keep in mind that the former Arizona Cardinal also has been plagued by fumbles throughout his career. Ryan Torain has yet to take the field due to injuries and rookie Roy Helu has really struggled in protection. James Davis left the club without permission and will be released. The most likely scenario here is for the Washington backfield to be a season-long headache where Mike Shanahan rides the hot hand.

Rex Grossman looked very good behind center for the Redskins. Grossman completed 19/26 passes for 207 yards and an eight yard scoring strike to Santana Moss.  Moss had a great game with seven catches for 64 yards including the TD. He is being forgotten about as a fantasy receiver and could be an excellent value grab, especially in a PPR format. Jabar Gaffney also caught five balls and looks to be the favorite to start opposite of Moss. John Beck is expected to start this week’s game for Washington.

New York Giants There wasn’t a lot of big news from the Giants first preseason game. Eli Manning played in the first quarter, but only completed four of nine passes. Ahmad Bradshaw had a nice 16 yard run, but his other four carries only went for five yards. Brandon Jacobs had an eerily similar stat line, including his own 16 yard scamper, while his other two attempts went for no gain.

Domenik Hixon looks like the early favorite to replace the departed Steve Smith as the Giants third wide receiver. With the way the New York offense continues to evolve into a pass first attack, Hixon looks to be a candidate for some potentially useful fantasy stats. Rookie Jerrel Jernigan and veterans Victor Cruz and Michael Clayton will vie for the fourth receiver spot.

NFC SOUTH

Tampa Bay Buccaneers The Tampa D looks to be in regular season form as the Bucs shut out Kansas City 25-0. Josh Freeman led the team to points on three different drives and rushed for a five yards score to open the game. Coming out of college, Freeman was an able runner and if he can add that element to his NFL game he could become a top ten fantasy QB.

LeGarrette Blount has spent a good deal of preseason practice time working on his receiving skills. He managed to catch a pass in the victory over the Chiefs. Blount is already being drafted in the second round of fantasy drafts as a solid RB2, so any additional numbers he can produce in the passing game are an added bonus. Earnest Graham is currently the fullback, but he may play a significant role for the club as a third down back, and could switch to running back if Blount misses time due to injury. The position to watch in Tampa will be at receiver as Arrelious Benn, Dezmon Briscoe, Sammie Stroughter, and Michael Sprulock will all be vying for playing time opposite of Mike Williams.

New Orleans Saints Not much came from the New Orleans first team offense. It was a short night for Drew Brees who only played in the opening drive. Marques Colston is still recovering from yet another knee surgery and may not play in the preseason at all. As always, the Saints passing attack will be predicated by multiple receivers and numerous formations. Any pass catcher in this system has value and Lance Moore is looking like a solid value pick in PPR leagues.

Heisman Trophy winner Mark Ingram didn’t disappoint in his professional debut. He scored on a nice 14 yard run that saw him bounce off a couple of tackers and spin into the end zone. Despite the fact that Pierre Thomas is healthy and started the game, Ingram in the Saints back to grab and is a solid RB2 with high upside.

Carolina Panthers Head Coach Ron Rivera is expected to announce his opening day starter at QB this week, but there’s little doubt that it will be 2011 #1 pick Cam Newton. Newton’s play in the Panthers 20-10 victory over the Giants was far from overwhelming, but he did show a very powerful arm and lead Carolina to two scoring drives. 

Carolina raised eyebrows by acquiring a new tight end in the offseason, and Jeremy Shockey too. Greg Olsen has been grossly underused by Mike Martz the last couple of seasons in Chicago, but he could be in for a big year with the Panthers. Olsen scored on a TD pass from Jimmy Clausen and is looking like a nice sleeper tight end. Steve Smith has injured his hand, but its not serious. Smith has rave about his new role with the new Carolina passing game. The early look of the Panthers backfield looks familiar. It’s looking like a classic RBBC with DeAngelo Williams likely commanding a 55/45 split with Jonathan Stewart. 

Atlanta Falcons The Falcons first team offense was off and running in Atlanta’s 23-28 loss to Miami. Atlanta’s #1 unit surged to a fast 17-0 lead in the game before taking the foot off the gas and sending in the reserves. Michael Turner scored a two yard run on the opening drive and Matt Ryan lined a beautiful touchdown pass to a double covered Harry Douglas. 

While Harry Douglas caught a TD pass, the talk of the town has been the outstanding play of rookie wide-out Julio Jones. Jones has looked fantastic throughout camp and is said to be an extremely hard worker and fast learner. He has some similarities in size and dominating physical strength to a young Terrell Owens. Dynasty owners take notice..the kid looks special.

NFC NORTH

Green Bay Packers Aaron Rodgers and the Green Bay offense look ready to defend their Super Bowl championship. Rodgers was 6/8 for 74 yards including a scoring strike to Greg Jennings. Depth shouldn’t be a problem for the Packers. A full 18 players registered a catch in Green Bay’s 27-17 loss to the Browns. Jermichael Finley is healthy, and along with James Jones, Donald Driver, and Jordy Nelson, will play a big role this season.

The real fantasy question mark in Green Bay is who will start at tail back. Ryan Grant rushed three times for 13 yards, while James Starks had one more yard in one less carry. Monitor this situation closely, as any running back in an offense as potent as the Packers stands to have significant fantasy value.

Chicago Bears The Chicago starters played less than nearly every other unit. Jay Cutler completed his only pass attempt and Matt Forte didn’t even take a hand-off. The team’s two starting wide receivers, Roy Williams and Devin Hester also failed to catch any passes. The positive here is that it’s hard to get hurt while your wearing a baseball cap and joking on the side lines for the whole game.

Marion Barber looked good against the Buffalo Bills’ second team defense. Barber rushed seven times for 45 yards and looked to have the burst and power back into his game that seemingly disappeared over the last two years in Dallas. He’s a real threat to reduce Matt Forte’s chances of scoring any short yardage scores this season.

Detroit Lions The biggest rout amongst all the week one preseason games was the Lions dismantling of the Cincinnati Bengals 34-3. The Detroit starting offense played two drive and looked very impressive. Matthew Stafford had scoring strikes to Calvin Johnson and Nate Burleson while completing six of his seven attempts. Megatron’s touchdown grab was on a beautifully placed  toss from Stafford that showed the two still have wonderful timing. Johnson should be in the top three wide receivers drafted in every fantasy football league.

Longtime veteran Jason Hanson and Dave Rayner are in a battle to win the kicking job in the Motor City. After the fist game, it’s pretty much a draw. Hanson scored all the points in the first half, including 3/3 extra points and a short 37 yard filed goal. Rayner kicked during the second half and chipped in an extra point and a 44 yard field goal.

Minnesota Vikings The Donovan McNabb era got off to a rather sluggish start or the Vikings as the team lost it’s preseason opener to the Titans 14-3. The Minnesota first team offense didn’t stay on the field long enough to register any significant stats. Adrian Peterson rushed for only three yards on his lone attempt and McNabb completed 6/11 for a paltry 40 yards. There are rumors that McNabb will be wearing two wrist bands during the Vike’s next game in hopes of completing some passes into the secondary or beyond.

Percy Harvin is optimistic that he is finally over the migraines that have plagued him throughout his career. He will adjust to being the number one receiver in Minnesota now that Sidney Rice is in Seattle. Rookie tight end Kyle Rudolph could be a waiver wire watch candidate if he and McNabb can build some decent chemistry.

NFC WEST

San Francisco 49ers If Jim Harbaugh’s goal is to win the “suck for Luck” sweepstakes, calling more pass plays might be a good game plan for the 49ers rookie coach. Alex Smith  only completed 2/7 passes for 10 yards and rookie Collin Kaepernick tossed a couple of INTs while only completing nine of 19 attempts. Braylon Edwards only managed to catch one ball for 12 yards, and the other projected wide receiver, Michael Crabtree has yet to even practice while he recovers from an undisclosed foot injury.

Frank Gore reamins a solid fantasy running back option, but seems to miss time with various injuries every year. The favorite to back Gore up is rookie runner Kendall Hunter. Hunter rushed seven times for 29 yards, but is the closest thing to Gore’s skill-set that the Niners have. Anthony Dixon has bulked up to play fullback, but could be a factor in short yardage situations.

Seattle Seahawks The Seahawks made a lot of changes for a team that won their division and even celebrated an improbable playoff upset of the defending champion New Orleans Saints. Tarvaris Jackson was brought in to replace long time starter Matt Hasselbeck. Jackson’s debut looked a lot like his play in Minnesota. He completed three of five attempts, but managed only 13 yards.

An interesting development could be worth watching in the Seattle backfield. While Marshawn Lynch is expected to be the starter, it was Leon Washington who surprised observers by punching in a one yard TD run early in the second quarter. Lynch would normally be expected to be called upon to score the short touch downs, but if Washington can win the coaches confidence he could become a deep sleeper worth monitoring.

St. Louis Rams The NFC West might be the weakest division in football, but the St. Louis Rams made an impressive 2011 debut to announce themselves as the favorites to secure the West’s playoff spot with an impressive 33-10 trouncing of the Indianapolis Colts. Sam Bradford led the Rams to points in three of his four series and threw a touch down strike to rookie tight end (and GridironExperts favorite rookie TE sleeper) Lance Kendricks. While Steven Jackson sat, Cadillac Williams and Keith Toston both looked sharp and ran for a touch down each.

The receiving rotation is still undetermined in St. Louis. All indications are that newly signed  Mike Sims-Walker will the club’s top wide-out, but after that it is still up in the air. Mark Clayton is still recovering and has yet to be signed. Donario Alexander might be the favorite to start opposite of MSW, but don’t sleep on Danny Amendola, particularly in a PPR format.

Arizona Cardinals Kevin Kolb’s debut for the Cardinals was successful as Arizona defeated Oakland 24-18. Kolb didn’t throw for a score but did hook up twice with star wide receiver Larry Fitzgerald, including a beautiful 43 yard bomb down the left sideline. Fitzgerald should be in for a big year with Kolb under center, and is an excellent value pick, especially if he falls into the third round of your fantasy draft. 

Chris Wells, as expected started the game for the Cardinals. He didn’t look very impressive, rushing for only 22 yards on six attempts. Rookie Ryan Williams fared a little better against the Oakland reserves. He managed 21 yards on only four rushes, but did manage to catch a 23 yard pass. The most likely early season scenario for the Arizona backfield is to have Wells start and Williams play a secondary role, and perhaps as a third down option when his blocking gains the coaching staff’s confidence. Watch this situations closely, especially during the ever important third preseason week.