Gridiron Experts

NFL News

• Derrick Ward- Free Agent
  The 2009 big free addition for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers just hasn’t worked out. The team admitted their mistake from free agency, announcing they cut Ward after only one season with the team.

• Larry Johnson - RB, Washington Redskins
  The Washington Post’s Matt McFarland says that Larry Johnson is the “smart pick” to win the backup job behind Clinton Portis.

• Arrelious Benn – WR, Tampa Bay Buccaneers
  The Bucs are taking a patient approach with rookie WR Arrelious Benn.

• Jacoby Ford - WR, Oakland Raiders
  Raiders coach Tom Cable concedes that he has no clear-cut No. 3 receiver with Chaz Schilens (knee) sidelined to start the season. …Continue reading NFL News: Derrick Ward Released

• Arrelious Benn – WR, Tampa Bay Buccaneers
  Bucs second-round WR Arrelious Benn was relegated to special teams until the fourth quarter on Saturday night.

• Ahmad Bradshaw - RB, New York Giants
  Ahmad Bradshaw “is the feature back on the this team,” according to ESPN’s Matt Mosley.

• Jamaal Charles – RB, Kansas City Chiefs
  Chiefs coach Todd Haley suggested that Jamaal Charles was finally beginning to live up to his ambiguous buy lofty expectations after Saturday’s preseason game.

• Jermichael Finley – TE, Green Bay Packers
  Jermichael Finley caught four passes for 48 yards and a touchdown against the Seahawks in Saturday’s preseason game.

• Mike Williams – WR, Seattle Seahawks
  Mike Williams was the Seahawks’ No. 3 receiver in Saturday’s exhibition game against the Packers.

• Leon Washington - RB, Seattle Seahawks …Continue reading Fantasy News: Sunday Morning

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

2010 NFL remaining unsigned picks

Now that all 32 NFL teams have begun training camp, the annual ritual of unsigned draft pick hold outs has begun. Every snap that these rookies miss is a detriment to their potential contributions in 2010. Let’s take a look at the remaining unsigned picks from this April’s draft:

2. Ndamukong Suh DT Lions- With Bradford signed, and the 4th pick Trent Williams signed, it should be fairly easy for the Lions and Suh to come to terms fairly quickly. Especially when Mcoy is signed

6.Russell Okung OT Seahawks- With Joe Haden also holding out, it will difficult for Seattle to get Okung to sign. He may not sign until he knows what the pick below him will get.

7.Joe Haden CB Browns- Reports indicate that Haden is nowhere to be found near the Browns training camp, and that he is not close to signing.

9.C.J. Spiller RB Bills- The pick with the biggest potential fantasy football impact is also thought to be the player most likely to remain unsigned the longest. A long holdout could increase the value of Fred Jackson and possibly even Marshawn Lynch.

10.Tyson Alualu DT Jaguars- Considering what a shock it was to most people that he went this high in the draft, it is surprising that he hasn’t come to terms yet. Rumors are that he and the Jags are “making progress” towards a deal

12. Ryan Mathews RB Chargers- As high as  Mathews ADP has been so far in 2010, this is the pick that most fantasy football owners are watching the closest. With the two picks around him are signed, it should be relatively easy for the Chargers to iron out a deal soon. …Continue reading 2010 NFL Remaining Unsigned Picks

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)

As anyone who has ever participated in one knows, keeper league’s aren’t an exact science. The turnover rate among NFL players is such that you could place each of your top players onto an appropriately distributed pie chart, put on a blindfold and spin a wheel, because that’s about the highest success rate you’re going to achieve. In other words, if you have to keep more than three players, there’s a strong chance you’re going to regret someone. I’m not trying to be cynical about the league format – it isn’t much different than selecting from a communal pool of players, just on a smaller scale – but I can’t imagine anyone who kept Brandon Jacobs in 2009 was content with his performance, and I can’t imagine anyone who had Jacobs even considered dropping him.

That said, we can use history to make our best determinations about who will be advantageous and who will be a mistake. What warning signs exist? Are there any concerns that creep into your cerebral cortex when determining who to keep and who to let go? If you foresee a bad year ahead with a player, but can see a successful career afterwards, is it …Continue reading 5 Fantasy Football Keepers You Should Just Drop

It has become common to revel in the downfall of Terrell Owens, and with good understanding. He’s aging, insufferable on a personal and professional level, has a history of disrupting otherwise peaceful locker rooms, suffers from an alarming lack of self-awareness, and is seemingly just an all-round dickhead. As far as stereotypes are concerned, no one has ever fit one better than Terrell Owens does that of a wide receiver. Hell, the stereotype was basically modeled after him.

Yet since he’s one of the better receivers of his generation, teams have been willing to gamble large sums of money on his ability to stretch and maximize an ineffective passing game. For his many flaws, Terrell Owens has always been a reliable and productive receiver on the field (particularly in Philadelphia and San Francisco). Funny thing happened last season that just decimated his stock: He was cut by Dallas and they subsequently improved, while his age and reputation eventually caught up to him, leaving Terrell Owens without his usual bevy of suitors. As a result, he landed in Buffalo where his numbers dropped considerably, and his 2010 free agency stock has plummeted. In short, the same thing happened to Terrell Owens that happens to every receiver in Buffalo these days (Is anyone still waiting on Lee Evans to finally produce those big fantasy numbers?). …Continue reading The Terrell Owens Market

NFL News & Updates

• Brian Brohm – QB, Buffalo Bills
  Brian Brohm took the first snaps in both the 7-on-7 session and the 11-on-11 session in Saturday’s practice.
• Jahvid Best – RB, Detroit Lions
  According to Lions beat writer Tom Kowalski, coach Jim Schwartz intends to give Jahvid Best a full workload as the team’s starting running back despite concerns about Best’s size and durability.
• Mike Williams- WR, Tampa Bay Buccaneers
  Bucs signed fourth-round WR Mike Williams to a four-year, $3.15 million contract.
• Arrelious Benn – WR, Tampa Bay Buccaneers
  Updating previous items, Charles Campbell of the Pewter Report reports that Arrelious Benn is working as the Bucs’ flanker, or “Z” receiver at OTAs, with Mike Williams at “X”, or split end.
• Michael Turner – RB, Atlanta Falcons
  With the Falcons planning to manage his carries this year, Michael Turner believes game momentum will dictate his workload.
• Rolando McClain - LB, Oakland Raiders …Continue reading NFL News & Updates