Gridiron Experts

Gridiron Experts Mailbag

Randy S. from Missouri writes: I’m in a 4 player keeper league and have the 10^th overall pick in a 12 man pool. My keepers are P.Manning, Ryan Grant, Ray Rice and Randy Moss. I have been offered the first overall pick in exchange for Ray Rice. I would then keep Marion Barber but have a chance to have two first round picks and draft Ryan Matthews, what do you think?

DC from Gridiron Experts: Don’t do it. It sounds very tempting but Ray Rice is your best Keeper by far. Sure you would get the Chargers new rookie, but what if he only has an average season? Ray Rice is a proven RB that you can’t let go. Remember it’s not the 1^st round, it’s the 5^th round as everybody already has 4 players on their team.

Steve K. from San Jose writes: We have a flex league in our pool and I have three great WR’s. Would it make sense to keeper 3 WR’s ?

DC from Gridiron Experts: If your best keepers are 3 WR’s, then keep’em. You’ll need to spend a great deal of research studying tier two Running Backs, but don’t think you should protect a certain position, just adjust your draft strategy.

Pete in Florida writes: What do you think of the Jamal Charles and Thomas Jones situation?

DC from Gridiron Experts : Thomas Jones is a work-horse, he always looks like he’s in his last season in the summer and his rookie season by the end of the year. They guy can play and will spoil Jamal Charles break out chances. Goal-line situations are almost definitely Jones to keep, he is more proven and a bigger RB.

Do you have a fantasy Question? email: fantasyhelp@gridironexperts.com

we will try and answer your questions each week and post the best one’s every Thursday

10 Fantasy Football Sleepers In 2010 (in no particular order)

Jabar Gaffney (WR Broncos)
Gaffney has been bounced around the league through most of his career; his patience has landed him in Denver, which is starting to look like home.

Gaffney has a great understanding of the offense and the experience to be the player that can pick up the in-game wrinkle on the spot. He will be overlooked by nearly everyone at your fantasy draft for a shiny new rookie. Their loss is your sleeper steal.

Anthony Gonzalez (WR Colts)
Before Gonzalez’s injury early last season, fantasy experts had him very high on their boards. Now recovering and fighting for a starting job, Gonzalez is underrated and available at a late round bargain price.

Chester Taylor (RB Bears)
This RB might take a few weeks to catch on in Chicago, yet his ability is unquestionable. Taylor is the type of player Mike Martz loves and will be used in all phases of the game. Late round gem with tons of upside.

Clinton Portis (RB Redskins)
Mike Shanahan, do I need to say anymore? The system has produce greatness out of garbage. Portis has secured the starting job and will be the focal point despite all the McNabb media. …Continue reading 10 Fantasy Football Sleepers In 2010

The Gridiron Experts Team were thinking outside the box this year when it came to designing our yearly free fantasy football draft board. We thought to ourselves, what is it that other boards don’t have? What is it that could be helpful while debating on bye week replacement players or when a fantasy owner is on the clock?

The answer: an overview of the entire season.

Gridiron Experts have compiled a top 200 players board with a team by team schedule next to each player. Now you can instantly see what is happening to that player any week of the season. Fantasy playoffs, Bye Weeks, picking a back-up to face a certain terrible defense. We figured you can get stats from anywhere, so why not corner the market with something new. So enjoy and check back each week (or day) for wicked NFL articles and tons of fantasy info!

Click here to look over the top 200 online.

Click here to download a PDF file to print and use for your draft.

Fantasy Factor

• Golden Tate – WR, Seattle Seahawks: Rookie Golden Tate didn’t play on offense until the fourth quarter of the Seahawks’ third preseason game Saturday. Fantasy Factor Ever since the Donut incident, Tate really hasn’t been making news. The surprise addition of Mike Williams has stolen the spotlight. Tate could turn it on as the season goes, but right now he shouldn’t be ranked too high on your draft board.

• John Carlson - TE, Seattle Seahawks: Danny O’Neil of the Seattle Times believes it’s “now OK to become officially concerned” that John Carlson won’t be a big part of the Seahawks’ passing game this season. Fantasy Factor Don’t believe everything you read, the pre-season for some coaches (especially new ones) can be for testing out the unknown. Carlson is an excellent target for Hasselbeck on a team that has an only average receiving core.

• Chris Johnson - RB, Tennessee Titans: Does is mean anything? Chris Johnson has just 39 yards on 19 preseason carries.
  

• Knowshon Moreno – RB, Denver Broncos: After watching them in pre-game warmups Sunday, Mike Klis of the Denver Post suggests that Knowshon Moreno (hamstring) and Demaryius Thomas (foot) “don’t look anywhere near close” to playing.

• Matt Schaub – QB, Houston Texans: Matt Schaub wasn’t sacked a single time in Saturday night’s preseason win over the Cowboys. Fantasy Factor A strong stat for the Texans. History of a bad offensive line as plagued this team. A reliable line for Schaub will translate into great fantasy numbers. …Continue reading Gridiron Experts Fantasy Factor

Fantasy Profile: LeSean McCoy

LeSean McCoy came to Philadelphia prepared and hoping to be the eventual replacement to Eagle legend, Brian Westbrook. Since Westbrook’s penchant for injury caught up to him in the worst and (according to recent reports) inevitable way possible, McCoy’s ascent was expedited and he was listed as the starter in only his second week as an NFL running back. For just about any other possession in the league, this isn’t typically a good thing.

But for running backs, well, in the year prior to McCoy’s rookie season, the 2008 rookie class produced Steve Slaton, Chris Johnson, Matt Forte, Tim Hightower, Ray Rice, Jonathan Stewart and Kevin Smith all of whom came into the league and immediately contributed, adding anywhere from league-changing to serviceable fantasy numbers. This doesn’t even factor in highly touted Darren McFadden (who was splitting carries/fighting injury), Felix Jones (ditto) and Rashard Mendehall (missed his entire rookie season with a preseason knee injury) who were all first round picks. With that, the precedent was set, and expectations were high for McCoy in his rookie season. Especially since he was replacing the most consistent running back of the past decade in Westbrook.

To say those expectations have since diminished for 2010 isn’t entirely accurate. I mean, the list of guy’s named above, only Chris Johnson, Rice and Stewart exceeded the standard they set in their rookie seasons, which indicates that fluctuation amongst running backs, much like everything else related to the NFL, is volatile. So no one’s giving up on McCoy per say, but his numbers in his rookie campaign were, shall we say… problematic for a team that’s relied so heavily on consistency coming out of the backfield for the past ten seasons. I’m sure at some point in the league’s history, four touchdowns and four yards a carry translated into a promising rookie year. But after 2008, when so many players drafted into far less ideal situations than McCoy out-performed him in a landslide, it doesn’t bode well for his future in Philadelphia.

In a way, he’s under just as much pressure to replace Westbrook as Kolb is to replace McNabb. Some might say mores so. While Eagle nation …Continue reading Fantasy Profile: LeSean McCoy

The Miami Dolphins have a great one, two punch in the backfield with running backs Ricky Williams and Ronnie Brown.  The question however is not which running back will be the starter, but which running back should be drafted first in fantasy football.  Both backs have proven to be reliable fantasy options when healthy and given a fair share of opportunities.  I have participated in some mock drafts and have seen Brown going anywhere from the 4^th round down to the 6^th round.   This is followed by Williams generally being selected about two rounds later than his backfield counterpart.  Both players bring great attributes to the table, but both have negatives associated with their games.  Brown is generally regarded by many fantasy owners to be an injury risk and Williams desire to play could be a question mark. 

After all Brown missed seven games last season due to injury and Williams had been stated as saying that this could be his final season.  However, whenever either player has been given the majority of the carries that player has performed well above the running back norm.  To get a better understanding about each player’s abilities I have provided a chart of their statistics below.  The category of total touches is a combination of the player’s total rushing carries along with their total receptions.  Also, the player’s total yards from receptions and carries are combined, along with all touchdowns scored.

As you can see each player has put up great numbers when staying healthy throughout the season.  However, if either back were to get injured the value of the other player would skyrocket as is evidenced by Ricky Williams’s breakout last season after Ronnie Brown went down.  A big question mark that most owners may have with Williams is his age.  He is well past the 30 year mark where most running backs will be labeled as being bust worthy.

However, don’t forget that Ricky did take some “time off” a few years back so the extra wear and tear on his over 30 year old body is not where it likely should be.  My suggestion to any owner would be to take a shot on either one of these players if the opportunity presents itself, especially in the later rounds.  I personally would not want to spend any more than a 6^th rounder on Brown and possibly a 10^th rounder on Williams.  Just don’t forget to take a closer look at the numbers before draft day.  It is clear that the Dolphins like to run and if you were to combine both players total touches and total yards for either 2008 or 2009 it is clear that close to 2000 total yards and close to 20 touchdowns will clearly be produced by this backfield.  It is just a matter of which back will last the season and get the most opportunities.

Fantasy Football Depth Charts (updated)

Timing is everything. Gridiron Experts would have liked to get the third week of Pre-Season finished before seeing more team depth chart updates, but the fantasy football drafts just can’t wait any longer. Click on the Link below for a printable download of the latest updated NFL fantasy football depth charts.

Fantasy Football 2010 Depth Charts

Site display of Fantasy Football Depth Charts

Top 10 Fantasy Running Back Rankings

The best things come to those who wait. Gridiron Experts has posted our free fantasy draft board this week, but this article was one readers have been waiting for, as it shows exactly who likes what.

Some web sites and magazines like to slap together their ranking lists in the beginning of August, while we tend to watch most practices and or pre-season games before naming our top tens. I can tell you there were definitely different views on players a couple of weeks ago, some of which are nowhere to be seen now, or low on the board.

Mike Rodriguez: Frank Gore- The Fantasy RB Strength of Schedule is just one reason why I have Gore at the top of the food chain. The 49er’s beefed up their offensive line and have an underrated quarterback who can manage the game. The run first play calling will make Gore a safe reliable fantasy start all season. The X-factor for me is the 49er’s receiving core in 2010. Vernon Davis is a defensive focal point, but the wide-outs are arguably the fastest talent San Fran has seen in years. This will keep defenses honest, respecting all areas of attack.

Although I’m not a fan of offensive coordinator Jimmy Raye, I do believe another year with the same offensive system will improve all areas of the game. Gore is a beast and is ready to roll over the league.

DC: Ray Rice- The Ravens roster is loaded for a playoff push that will not rely on just their defensive unit. In fact, I think the offense may carry this team at times throughout the season. Ray Rice is an all-purpose player who could be involved in every scenario in 2010. This mini-tank can run over players. He has excellent hands with great smarts and vision. Rice …Continue reading Top 10 Fantasy Running Back Rankings