As the draft is fast approaching and everyone is preparing for the weekend in New York, a few teams will have a much greater chance at making a splash in the draft than others. Depending on their overall strategy, these teams have the best chance to walk away from the draft as winners by adding major contributors to their team.

1. New England Picks: (1.17, 1.28, 2.33, 2.28, 3.10, 3.28, 4.28, 5.28, 6.28)

The Patriots found a way to wheel and deal once again; in this years NFL draft they have 6 picks in the top 92. New England’s planning has definitely paid off, as the rich just seem to get richer. To put things more into perspective, the Patriots will be drafting their 4th player 5 slots before the Panthers will take their 2nd player.

While we all know Billy B. will probably move around in this years NFL draft like he has in past years, he could also choose to add as many as half a dozen opening day starters, and still deal a pick or two for future selections in the 2012 draft. The Patriots are clearly in the driver’s seat with the most high end selections to play with.

2. San Francisco 49er’s Picks: (1.7, 2.13, 3.12, 4.11, 4.18, 5.10, 6.9, 6.25, 7.8, 7.28, 7.36, 7.47)

Yes, you counted correctly, San Francisco not only has 5 picks in the top 115 (which is a great way to add immediate talent), but they also have 6 picks in the final 2 rounds. With 12 total selections, the 49er’s can control this draft as they see fit. If Jim Harbaugh wants to wheel and deal, he will have all the momentum to build this team with either quantity or quality. With so many extra picks the 49er’s can play it by ear, using extra low end picks to move around if a player slips into a prime picking spot.

3. Philadelphia Eagles Picks: (1.23, 2.22, 3.21, 4.7, 4.23, 5.18, 5.22, 7.24, 7.34, 7.37)

Philadelphia has needs just like any other team. However, for a team that still has the opportunity to go as far as Mike Vick will take them, 10 draft picks will likely fill any if not all holes quickly. The Eagles also have the opportunity to deal quarterback Kevin Kolb for even more draft picks, adding a definite X-factor to their draft strategy. This could be a chance for Philadelphia to beef up their pass rush early on, while adding secondary and line depth as the draft continues. There will be gems all throughout this years draft, which plays into the Eagles strength of having their picks fairly scattered throughout. This should allow them to grab a great combination of starters, rotational players, and developmental guys as well.

4.  San Diego Chargers Picks: (1.18, 2.18, 2.29, 3.18, 3.25, 6.18, 6.36, 7.31)

Some may think San Diego is in an awkward position, but I see them as the dark horse of the draft, as most of their key positional elements are in place. They do have a few picks early on (5 in the first 3 rounds), but all of their picks also occur past the halfway point in each round. This isn’t a bad thing, but there is clearly a difference between picking the 1st selection of the third round, opposed to the 18th or the 25th. The real advantage for the Chargers lies in watching top end talent fall due to the high demand for Quarterbacks and or other already filled positions.

San Diego does have a few needs to fill before taking that next step forward, but if they are patient and add a few solid prospects with their early picks, they should once again get back into position to win the AFC West in 2011-2012.

5. Carolina Panthers Picks: (1.1, 3.1, 3.33, 4.1, 5.1, 6.1, 6.38, 7.1)

Make no mistake, the rebuilding process in Carolina could be a long and difficult journey. To compete in the NFC South they are going to have to lay the foundation for the future. The good news is that while they don’t have enough ammunition to make a major impact with starters, they have the picks to move around the entire draft and fill all their needs. Carolina holds the keys to almost every round’s first pick, including the 1st overall pick. With the draft now a three day event, the Panthers can have extra time to make trades and obtain more picks to fill more depth. Carolina will have 8 selections overall in this years draft and 4 selections before the 98th overall spot. Look for the Panthers to build for the future and try to have a bounce back year.

Fantasy Football:

San Diego Chargers vs. Oakland Raiders

The Chargers have historically dominated these match-ups, in Philip Rivers’ starting tenure as a QB for San Diego he is 8-0 against the Raiders. And although these games have a tendency to churn out the grit of a division rivalry and the occasional intense match-up, clearly the Raiders have found a way not to pull off the win in recent history.

Rivers has been performing as he usually does this season, that being at a peak level (at least for us fantasy players). He is ranked third in the league with 332.0 passing yards per game, and second in touchdowns with nine. Malcom Floyd will continue to benefit from his success (amongst other things, like VJ’s holdout). Rivers was picked up in later rounds than names like Rodgers, Brees, Manning, Brady, and even Matt Schaub in certain drafts; I’m sure those who have him are loving life right now. Antonio Gates has at least a touchdown in his past 8 games he’s the Chargers obvious go to and is a nightmare for opposing defenses. As far as the rushing attack goes look for Matthews to get more involved as the season goes along, San Diego invested in him for a reason and that reason should be evident as the season progresses, unfortunately for those who rode Mike Tolbert for a few weeks might now need to rely on clean up duty for fantasy points. Great week to start him as a fantasy sleeper as pointed out in our Week 5 Start’em Sit’em article

Fantasy Football:

Arizona Cardinals 2-1 vs. San Diego Chargers 1-2

The Arizona Cardinals are a surprising 2-1, while the San Diego Chargers are 1-2. Of course the Cardinals 2 wins are by a combined 5 points against the Rams and Raiders. The Chargers have lost both of their road games so far, but pummeled the Jaguars in week 2 in San Diego.

In a division that everyone assumed the Chargers would wrap up in early November, San Diego is looking up in standings, 2 games out of first place. Worse, they are coming off a tough loss that saw the  defense limit the Seahawks to one TD, and the offense rack up over 500 yards. The special teams unit again let the Chargers down, as they surrendered two kick off return touchdowns, including the ultimate losing score of the game. This is going to be an angry Chargers squad Sunday. All indications are that Ryan Mathews will return healthy for this game.

As long as the Cardinals are starting Derek Anderson, there is little chance of a fantasy star emerging from the desert. Larry Fitzgerald is a proven super star, but Anderson is struggling to connect with him. Anderson’s completion percentage is a mediocre 52%. Worse, now the Cardinals will be without Early Doucet and Steve Breaston for the next game or two. With the healthy return of RB Chris Wells, look for the Cards to begin to become more of the smash mouth, run first team that Head Coach Ken Whisenhut prefers, from his days in Pittsburgh. Stephen Williams, who looked good in the pre-season, will step in at receive this week, while Breaston is out. As is standard, the Cardinals tight end position has no fantasy value.

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Fantasy Football:

Projected Games Won : 10.5
( over -145 | under +115)
5 to 1 : Win AFC Conference
9 to 1 : Win Super Bowl XLV

The Chargers are one of the few teams that regularly make post season hotel room reservations without a second thought. Division champions is a familiar t-shirt or hat in San Diego mainly due to a poor AFC West that hands them a yearly free ticket. But despite the 4 year streak of playoff visits, the Super Bowl has been out of reach for the Chargers for some time, and yet they are always heavy favorites.

This year it came to my surprise that San Diego was ranked as high as they are in top sports betting sites. I almost wonder if maybe, people are just used to seeing them in the post season and just overlooked their recent off-season.

Saying goodbye to Ladainian Tomlinson, (a move that was probably a year late) is understandable. The star was burning out and he had to go, but realistically there is no proven RB waiting in the wings  just yet. Sproles and rookie Ryan Matthews will man the fort for now, but for such a deep passing team blitz pick-up was an underrated trait that LT did in his sleep, and teams may send more heat Rivers way than in years past.

Jamal Williams was a center piece for the Bolts at nose tackle over most of the last decade, but after an early season injury he was sent packing for youth. Normally this is something we all know and except in the business of the NFL, but the fact that the division rival Broncos snatched him up might become interesting twice a year. Also, the losses of “what have you done for me lately”Antonio Cromartie seems harmless after his poor season, but the replacement is an open competition that looks a bit bleak. Overall the people coming and going don’t seem to be an even trade-off, rookies and second year players will be expected to step up.

The elephant in the room is a 6’5 230 lbs, wide receiver that constantly makes big plays for his quarterback. After a DUI back in January, Vincent Jackson has been suspended 3 games and is rumored to be on the trading block. For now, lets say everything works its way out and the top wide-out just misses the month of September in baby blue, returning for week 4 against the Cardinals. While being handed one of the easiest looking schedules in the NFL, the loss of Jackson for games against Jacksonville and at Seattle (wks 2 & 3) all of a sudden aren’t locks for this squad. The Chargers have always started slowly out of the gate and could not use a spoiler that early on in the season.

The main reason 10+ games is always such a simple task for the Chargers is their division can’t seem to put up a fight. But this year there are too many uncertainties including a slightly improved division and the loss of Vincent Jackson early make me a little on edge with laying money down with this team. Even with all the easy sportsbook payment methods these days I don’t think I’m going to hop on the Chargers bandwagon. In fact I’m leaning towards betting against  the Chargers for 10.5 wins at +115.

My early prediction would be the Chargers “Division Champs” but with a 9-7 or 10-5 record. If Vincent Jackson is traded I am definitely betting against this team to win less than 10.5 games.

Fantasy Football:

The 5 Biggest Reaches of the Draft

Last week’s draft provided a certain amount of excitement that only one year’s worth of anticipation can create. Fans wait an entire year to witness the selection of new talent for their teams, and when they select little known players or “make a reach” in the draft for a player that arguably shouldn’t go as high as they’re about to be picked, understandably some fans get quite cheesed. While others celebrate knowing their team’s front office has just outsmarted all 31 others in the league. Here is a quick look at who I believe were the 5 biggest reaches of the 2010 NFL entry draft in order of their selection.

DE, Tyson Alaulu, 1st round 10th overall, Jacksonville Jaguars

To the surprise of most observers the first DE taken in the draft was not Derrick Morgan, not Jason Pierre Paul, and not even Brandon Graham. It was California’s Tyson Alaulu. In Alaulu the Jaguars have found themselves a powerful “tweener” rush as he displays the size and strength capable of playing the interior line too. Alaulu should be an immediate starter, replacing recently traded Quentin Groves on the depth chart.

QB, Tim Tebow, 1st round, 25th overall, Broncos

The rumour de jour on Tim Tebow is that the Broncos panicked in their selection of the Florida product, the result was allegedly, an unnecessary move to select a player that would have still been on the board two picks later (and maybe even much more). In Tebow the Broncos have almost certainly selected a player that will not effectively take the field on most downs, rather in certain situations until he proves he can handle himself in the pros. There were rumours of a Patriot want for the player that fuelled the trade, however that was indefinitely the ingenious finagling of the Pats terrific front office. The next QB in the draft (Jimmy Clausen) was not taken until 4 picks after the Broncos 2^nd round pick. I’m not arguing against Tebow’s talent, I am merely indicating that they could have selected a legitimate first round talent, as well as nabbing Tebow early in the 2^nd round.

DE, Daniel Teo-Neshiem, 3rd round 86th overall, Eagles

In Teo-Neshiem, the Eagles picked up their second defensive end of the draft. A little known prospect out of Washington places an astounding 9 DE’s on the Eagle roster as of today. Andy Reid commented on the pick mentioning that “one can never have enough speed edge rushers in the NFL, as it is so difficult to find one whom truly excels”. However with the talent available in the draft, the talent currently on the eagles roster at DE, and the perceived value of Nesheim it’s hard not to call Nesheim’s selection a reach as he is a player that may not anytime soon if ever, see a significant amount of playing time at his position (case and point, Victor Abiamiri, Chris Clemons).

RB, Ryan Matthews, 1st round 12th overall, San Diego Chargers

San Diego desperately needed a back to replace the all time great Ladanian Tomlinson, so desperately that they virtually gave up their entire draft for one. In order to move up 16 spots the Chargers traded away pick 28 overall, their second round pick (40 overall), and 4th rounder (126 overall) and linebacker Tim Dobbins. Ryan Matthews is a physical runner that has the ability to be an every down back. Matthews has a true North-South running ability that separates him from those who dance around in the backfield, (and subsequently seem not to succeed at the pro level). In a draft year that saw the Chargers select only one more player the entire day (FS, Darrel Stuckey, 4th round) the Chargers brass must make sure they are happy with their decision, or this may turn out to be one of the sourest deals from the draft.

P, Zoltan Mesko, 5th round 150th overall, Patriots

Mesko was considered a valuable commodity within the NFL draft, at least as far as punters go. He has a huge leg, and even bigger frame unusual for a kicker (6’4, 240 lbs.). However at this time in the draft there was still plenty of talent available (Trindon Holliday, Jonathan Dwyer, Myron Rolle). So to select a player that NFL.com labels as not “an elite punter in this year’s draft” over players that arguably would have made more of an impact to the Pats roster, is in my opinion one of the largest reaches of the draft. If anyone has good luck with late round gems, it’s the Patriots, they should have taken a flyer on another impact position that helps them maximize the window under the Tom Brady era.

Fantasy Football:

LaDainian Tomlinson Picks The Jets

Adam Schefter of ESPN is reporting that Tomlinson and the Jets reached an agreement today on a two-year contract.

This offseason seems to have a musical chair like theme to it. The Jets released Thomas Jones and then signed LT in replacement. The move doesn’t make a lot of sense as both RB’s are in their 30′s. The Jets do add a better receiving running back that can pick up solid yardage catching passes out of the flats, but going with LT over Jones wasn’t much of an upgrade. We need to look into the dollar signs a little closer  before making a final decision, because as of now the move looks to be a wash.

Fantasy Football: With the run first mentality in New York,  and a bigger better offensive line, LaDainian Tomlinson should see an upgrade in stats this season.  Thomas Jones had 1402 yards in 09 with 14 rushing touchdowns in 09, Tomlinson had almost half that and not many more receptions, but has been known to be a great receiving target.

Training camp should be interesting as the starting job won’t be just given to LT, but the rotation of carries amongst RB’s is in New York is in a much higher number than other teams. Early Projections for Tomlinson: 1050 yards 6 TD’s and 25-35 rec for 300 yards receiving

Fantasy Football:

• Darren Sproles Isn’t Going Anywhere
  Leaving it to the dramatic end, San Diego has decided to keep their running back by placing the maximum first and third round tender on Sproles Thursday.

• Lito Let Go
  Lito Sheppard and the New York Jets are finished working together as of Thursday. After a strong year together the cornerback played one season for the Jets, after being acquired from Philly at last year’s NFL draft. The release makes sense to the rumors floating around the league the Jets have been interested in trading for a corner.

• Pick Up Your Super Bowl Ring at the Door
  New Orleans Saints plan to release DE Charles Grant on Friday. The move is a small hint to what the Saints might be looking for in the NFL Draft come April.

• Antrel Rolle’s Out Of A Job
  Trying to save money (in a cap-less year?) the Arizona Cardinals have released starting safety Antrel Rolle. The move is not one we thought would happen without the word “trade” attached to Rolle’s name, but apparently the Cardinals have no plans for Rolle at all, and wanted to be rid of the situation.

• Redskins Spring Cleaning
  Guard Randy Thomas, Wide receiver Antwaan Randle El and kick returner Rock Cartwright were just a few names of the Washington Redskins that will be looking for work this season. Washington is getting a complete makeover as solid backups also heading out include: Cornerback Fred Smoot, defensive tackle Cornelius Griffin, running back Ladell Betts and backup quarterback Todd Collins. 10 players in total were let go.

Fantasy Football:

San Diego Chargers Release LaDainian Tomlinson

This is a shocker, no trade, no draft picks coming San Diego’s way, just released.

Many people around the league saw this coming but it still sounds to weird to say… LaDainian Tomlinson was released.

“He’s a future Hall of Famer,” G.M. A.J. Smith said. “My only regret is that he leaves without a Super Bowl ring.” No Ring, but L.Tomlinson did rush for 12,490 yards in nine seasons and rushed for 138 touchdowns in his 9 year career in San Diego.

Talk about adding a big name into the already huge number of free agents. Tomlinson may be getting up there in age, but for a team on the verge of making the Super Bowl push, LT is worth adding in a no cap year.

You have to figure a team with a lack of a running game and goal line weapon could add him. Teams that could be interested in my opinion: Packers, Broncos, Texans, Eagles is Westbrook has to retire, Redskins and maybe the Patriots

Fantasy Football:

Broncos/Chargers: Passionate Rivalry Renewed

Aside from the number of times two teams have played each other in the past, and the meaning of the games’ outcomes, the biggest factor in defining a rivalry holds truest for the San Diego Chargers and the Denver Broncos.

These two teams flat-out hate each other.

And though Jay Cutler is no longer in Denver (his rift with San Diego QB Philip Rivers was the spark in the two teams’ rift), there is still plenty to despise for both sides. Cutler once bluntly stated, “I don’t like him,” in referring to his San Diego counterpart. Rivers trumped those words by making a choking gesture toward Cutler in December 2007 when the Broncos failed to convert a fourth down play.

Also fueling the passions of both teams were their two memorable match ups of last season. Thanks to the first of those games, in Week 2, there aren’t many football fans who don’t know the name Ed Hochuli these days.

With 1:17 to play in the fourth quarter, Cutler dropped back to pass at the San Diego 1-yard line. Cocking his arm to fire a pass, the ball came loose in what replays clearly showed to be a fumble recovered by the Chargers. However, Hochuli, the game’s referee, ruled the play an incomplete pass and whistled the play dead. Two plays later, Jay Cutler hit wide receiver Eddie Royal for both a touchdown pass and a two-point conversion to give Denver the game’s winning points.

The “Ed Hochuli Rule,” was born, allowing officials to review quarterback pass/fumble plays.

Fast forward to Week 17. The winner of this game would earn the final AFC playoff spot, as the West Division Champion. The two teams had identical 7-8 records, but were moving in different directions. San Diego had won three straight, while the Broncos had lost two in a row.

With so much at stake, the on-field competition failed to live up to the pre-game hype, as the Chargers took a 24-6 lead in the first half on their way to a 52-21 win. San Diego would go on to beat the Indianapolis Colts in the AFC Wildcard Game, and then fell to the eventual Super Bowl Champion Pittsburgh Steelers in the Divisional Round.

In the first five weeks of this season, the pendulum of fortune has swung back in Denver’s favor, winners of all five of their contests. The Broncos bested the New England Patriots in overtime last week. The Denver defense leads the NFL in fewest points allowed, with opponents averaging just 8.6 points per game.  Defensive End Elvis Dumervil leads the league with 8 sacks. And though the Broncos offense isn’t quite on the elite level, Kyle Orton (yes, that Kyle Orton) continues to lead them down the field on long drives (six drives of 80 yards or more, including a 90 and a 98-yarder).

Meanwhile, San Diego (2-2) seems to lack identity. The defense is giving up an average of 25.5 points a game, while the offense can’t seem to move the football consistently. Rivers continues to throw well, but teams easily key on his pass-catching targets as running backs Darren Sproles and LaDanian Tomlinson (yes, that LaDanian Tomlinson) have gained just 160 yards, collectively, through the teams first four tilts.

On paper, this game seems to favor the Broncos. New Denver Head Coach Josh McDaniels seems to have pulled the right strings, despite an offseason filled with disarray and negative speculation. The team continues to prove doubters wrong each week.

So why is Denver a 3 ½ point underdog? Do the bookmakers feel that home teams have an advantage in such intense rivalries, due to rabid fan bases? Is Vegas looking at recent history, which shows that Denver has not won in San Diego since 2005? Or is there some other x-factor, one of those things that make the common folk wonder just what do these bookies know that we don’t???

Whatever the case may be, the Monday Night Football stage is set for another installment of an exciting rivalry.

Fantasy Football: