Gridiron Experts

Raiders starting RB- the decision should be easy

When an NFL featured running back role is up for grabs in August, fantasy owner’s always take notice. Monitoring the day to day progress of these battles is an important part of being a successful owner. Those who can keep up with these camp-battles and stay abreast of current information give themselves the edge in fantasy football drafts. This edge can lead to superior depth or increase the likelihood of owning the next breakout star.

In 2010, Oakland is providing just that opportunity. Darren McFadden and Michael Bush are battling it out for the top runner spot for the Raiders. McFadden is being given every opportunity to live up to his 4^th overall billing. The problem is, the numbers indicate that this “battle” should be over before it even began.

Darren McFadden had the unfortunate timing of being the top running back available in the 2008 NFL draft…the season AFTER one Adrian Peterson came out of Oklahoma and dominated the league as a rookie runner. This probably caused the Raiders, and most fantasy owner to severely over draft McFadden. In 2 seasons, his speed has not translated to the NFL level. His career longest touchdown is only from 19 yards out. He also has had trouble breaking tackles and taking hits. At 6′ 2” 210, RUN DMC is built more like a  wide receiver.

Michael Bush is also listed at 6′ 2”. but is a much bigger and stronger  back at 243lbs. Bush also has surprising speed for a big back including touchdown runs from 23,32, and 67 yards out. He probably would have been drafted in the 1^st round of 2007 if he had not suffered a severe broken leg while still at Louisville. Though not thrown to as often as McFadden, Bush is a capable receiver. Amazingly, Bush was only given more than 12 carries twice in 2009…in these two games, he averaged 125 rushing yards. …Continue reading Darren McFadden vs. Michael Bush: Easy Decision?

Gridiron Experts Power Rankings AUG. 2nd

32. Buffalo Bills
CJ Spiller has all the tools to be a playmaker in this league, well except for an offensive line in front of him, a quarterback to take the pressure off, and well you see where I’m going with this. The Bills are going to need a franchise quarterback before they move on this list.
31.St. Louis Rams
The Rams, in theory, should be a better team this year, but it’s still up in the air and truly depends on how NFL ready Sam Bradford is by the start of the season. Steven Jackson has always been the Rams workhorse, and that won’t change this year, expect another grand out of him in 2010.
30. Tampa Bay Buccaneers
The Buccaneers are still rebuilding. This process can sometimes be long a frustrating, yet in the forseeable future they’ll find themselves on day on the outside looking in on any power rankings list. Every team must rebuild sooner or later but for this season ahead, the Buc’s will be leaning on too many young players and the inexperience will show.
29. Cleveland Browns
The Browns biggest flaw is their division, it’s just too hard to be competitive against perennial powerhouses like the Pittsburgh Steelers and Baltimore Ravens. They did have a great draft and made some key off-season additions, with a revamped secondary expect them to move up this list in a year.
28. Detroit Lions
The Lions were the movers and shakers of the off-season, making some key additions. If only for the next few years, adding Jahvid Best to a backfield commandeered by Matt Stafford could be just what the Lions needed. Best will make plays and take some of the focus off of Calvin Johnson.
27. Oakland Raiders
For the first time in years, the Raiders impressed us all during the draft, adding a top-tier middle linebacker and shipping Kirk Morrison to the Jacksonville Jaguars. Not to mention ditching JaMarcus Russell in favor of Jason Campbell, an automatic upgrade. Although for now, they’re still on the outside looking in.
26.Kansas City Chiefs

The Chiefs have revamped their coaching staff and drafted (and paid) a play making safety in Eric Berry. Dexter McCluster will give add that x-factor to the offense and give Jamaal Charles some relief at the running back spot. Matt Cassell will get one more chance to show that he’s worth the money they’re paying him.
25. Jacksonville Jaguars
The Jaguars are a team that can never seem to get it together when it truly counts, their first rounder is considered a huge reach by the entire NFL community and if he doesn’t pan out, Jags fans can happily say goodbye to Jack Del Rio. Maurice Jones-Drew will set the pace for the offense once more. …Continue reading NFL Power Rankings

Every year we head into training camp with our eye on key positions and rookies who could add that extra push. Nobody cares who steps up, as long as the job gets done and the weak links are filled. Focusing on fantasy football, we are going to overlook some of the less important roster spots, and instead fire off questions and predictions for each team in the eyes of the fantasy football fan.

Arizona Cardinals
Spotlight Is On: Matt Leinart- A former first round pick who lost his job and found a comfortable spot on the bench is all of a sudden getting his second chance. The NFL usually chews you up and spits you out, so for Leinart a do-over is a real gift. Frankly, we see more attention spent on the running game this season to relieve some of the pressure. Regardless, this second chance could be the last chance for number 7. Can the shoes be filled? Or is Matt about to trip?
Camp Sleeper: Steve Breaston
Star-Brewing: Chris Wells

Atlanta Falcons
What’s the Deal with Michael Turner? A power running back who was a yard shy of 1700 yards two seasons ago just fell off the map in 2009. A high ankle sprain left fantasy owners angry and kicking furniture over, with his vanilla type numbers. Is he back? Can we move him up the fantasy boards? What’s the deal?
Camp Sleeper: Harry Douglas

Baltimore Ravens
Is there Bonding Going on Here? The Anquan Boldin and Joe Flacco combo is one we’re all not sure of. Flacco has needed a player who can stretch the field for some time, as Mason is more of tough possession wide receiver. The running game is counting on some sort of passing attack, and so are keeper league owners of the recently traded Cardinal.
Camp Sleeper:  TE Ed Dickson
Take a Seat: Todd Heap

Buffalo Bills
So You Have 3 Running Backs…Really? Marshawn Lynch, Fred Jackson, and C.J. Spiller are apparently going to be used in a very creative offense that we can already predict to be a failure. There are a million questions with this team, but for now let’s just try to figure out who’s going to be the guy at RB. All the other fantasy options shouldn’t be a concern to you right now, or at all this season.
Camp Sleeper: Brain Brohm- our vote to win the $10 beauty contest.

Carolina Panthers
Moore or Clausen to lead? After booting Delhomme to the curb, Matt Moore stepped in and looked very much the part…or at least that’s what he thought. The Panthers found a fallen gem in the draft and couldn’t help themselves with one of this years highest ranked QB rookies. Jimmy Clausen should do his best to overthrow Moore’s spot.
Gimme the Ball- DeAngelo Williams is in a contract year and will be pressing.
WR Numero dos- Our early guess is Brandon LaFell from LSU.

Chicago Bears
Who’s Cutler Going to Ask to the Big Dance? With a slew of average at best wide receivers, and a master-mind commander calling the plays from the sidelines, Jay Cutler is going to pick and choose his targets carefully. Who will best suit this new offense in Chicago? We will have eyes in training camp all summer.
So Who Does What? -After a breakout rookie season, Matt Forte now has an on the field roommate to share his carries. Chester Taylor wasn’t brought in to get coffee, so the percentage of carries will be watched carefully as well.
Sleeper Brewing In Martz’s System- Johnny Knox …Continue reading NFL Training Camp Fantasy Questions (All 32 Teams)

Late July brings a favorite tradition for many fantasy owners: NFL training camp. With camp comes the inevitable jockeying for starter spots, more playing time, or, in some cases, struggling to stay employed. Fantasy Football owners who know what players are winning these battles have a huge advantage come draft day. 2010 is no different, so here are some of the key training camp battles that fantasy owners need to be keeping an eye on.

• Houston Texans Running Back- It’s rare to have an open competition for a such a coveted spot on one of the NFL’s elite offenses. Houston’s failures in short yardage cost them dearly last year, and it is one of the team’s top priorities to resolve this year. 3 Headed Texan RB Monster Or Fantasy Sleeper Brewing?

• Oakland Raiders Running Back- Head Coach Tom Cable has stated before that he would prefer to use less of a committee approach, and rely on one back more. With the departure of Justin Fargas, the job is now an open competition for the speedy 2008 4th over-all pick, Darren McFadden, and the more bruising style of Michael Bush.

• Cleveland Browns Running Back- When the Browns finally gave Jerome Harrison a chance to be featured last year, he delivered in a huge way. His late season run delivered many Fantasy championships to owners savvy enough to have picked him up. Apparently he’ll have to fight to …Continue reading NFL Training Camp Fantasy Battles To Watch For

ESPN’s “Outside the Lines” recently produced a story on the popularity of “purple drank,” a concoction of prescription-strength cough syrup, soda or juice and Jolly Ranchers candy.  Jamarcus Russell had codeine cough syrup without a prescription and was arrested as part of an undercover narcotics investigation(link)

AFC West Fantasy Football Stock Market
This series of articles focuses on how the new breed of talent from the NFL draft plans to affect overall fantasy football player value. Continuing with our stock market report, Gridiron Experts takes a look at the AFC West.
Previous Articles: NFC EAST | AFC EAST | NFC SOUTH | AFC SOUTH | NFC WEST

*AFC West: Three out of the four teams in this division added talent that will have a chance to step onto the field and maybe make impacts in  fantasy football. The Raiders stuck to improving their defense but did acquire their new 2010 quarterback.

Denver Broncos

Demaryius Thomas WR 6’3 230 lbs

Goodbye Brandon Marshall, hello rookie replacement. Demaryius Thomas is an explosive receiver with a very similar build and style to the ex-Bronco 100-reception-wonder. Although, Marshall’s numbers were so amazing that comparisons could start to haunt this poor kid who has to come in and fill a major role. There is no doubt that Thomas will be asked to step up early and should be awarded a starting spot by training camp.

Demaryius Thomas had a very impressive college resume that will carry him over into the NFL fluidly, but that lack of quarterback talent and surrounding cast will definitely be the anchor that holds this rookie back. Questions to the Broncos offensive line have people wondering if the running game will be as affective in 2010, also I not sure Kyle Orton will ever instill fear into the eyes of his opponents.

The Broncos started 6-0 last season before melting into a 8-8 club. Did the offensive formula  that worked so well to start just need time to be figured out? The second half of the season defensive coordinators could read McDaniels game plan like and open book, as points were hard to come by. Either the case, D. Thomas and his new breed of …Continue reading AFC West Fantasy Football Stock Market

When to select a tight end in a fantasy football draft is a mystery that besets us all. While most select their starting tight end somewhere between the 5th and 7th round, it is possible to see one go as high as the top four rounds. Once a tight end is taken, they start to fall like dominos (usually a good barometer for how you’re doing in your draft: you draft for a position that no one’s drafted for yet, swarms of other teams immediately follow suit). Personally I tend to lean towards the former rather than the latter. When you only have one spot on the roster for any given position, I prefer to lock in the best possible talent.

But it fluctuates from season to season. If there is a surplus of quality tight ends (like this season, for instance), you can hold off for awhile and focus on other positions that customarily generate more fantasy points. If not, I typically recommend over-drafting one for your own sanity. Having that one glaring weak spot every Sunday really puts a damper on the festivities. It might seem trivial, but a deficient tight end is like a terrible technical supervisor on a film set: you can get by without a great one but aficionados in the field being portrayed will recognize your final product for the fraud that it is. Not to be too melodramatic, I’m sure someone, somewhere, a guy has won a fantasy season with Dante Rosario as his tight end, but it was probably in a four quarterback league or something equally preposterous.

This might all seem obvious, but it isn’t to the person who drafts Antonio Gates in the 3rd round or the guy who never starts the same tight end twice in the same season. If you’re either of these people (particularly the former), allow me 600 or so words to convince you that holding off on a TE this season is a gamble that could prove beneficial with some examples that will be available in the second half of your draft. Here are five sleepers that are rated well below what their potential ceiling warrants.

1)      Zack Miller

As unspectacular as Jason Campbell was in Washington (and why anyone had such high expectations for a quarterback taken in the twenties is beyond me), he delivered the ball to Cris Cooley on a fairly regular basis. With even worse receivers in Oakland and less time to get rid of the ball, it’s safe to assume Zack Miller will build on the flashes of brilliance he demonstrated in 2009.

2)      Kellen Winslow Jr.

Few tight ends — in fact none that I can recall — have come into the league with more promise. He had one banner season in 2007 when the Browns went 10-6 (note: this can also be said about Derek Anderson and Braylon Edwards, …Continue reading 5 Tight End Sleepers Worth Waiting For

JaMarcus Russell: What Did People Really See?

It’s everyone’s preferred recurring NFL fable: A quarterback comes into the league full of promise, is drafted too high because everyone insists on drafting quarterbacks early, he doesn’t turn out like those who drafted him had convinced themselves he would (with most everyone validating them), said quarterback is ostracized for accepting money he never should have received in the first place and the team has a scapegoat for why they’re still struggling to win five games a season four years later.

Tiger Woods paramours are less abundant than failed over-drafted quarterback busts. But with JaMarcus Russell, there has never, in the history of the NFL draft, been a finer example of unwarranted hype catapulting a player’s draft prospects.

For those who aren’t aware, JaMarcus attended LSU and was drafted by the Oakland Raiders with the first overall pick in 2007. While in Baton Rouge, Russell played for some of the more loaded college football rosters of the past decade, …Continue reading JaMarcus Russell: What Did People Really See?