Wednesday, August 20, 2008, 03:05 PM EST [General]
Email question of the day From Kip: I was curious how high you would rank a few guys and what could I expect out of
them. Larry Fitzgerald, Antonio Gates, and Ronnie Brown. The league I play in
drafts this Sunday, so I would appreciate any input.
- I'm very, very high on Antonio Gates...frankly he's almost better than Jason
Witten in my mind. The only drawback is that San Diego plays a much more
run-oriented offense. I'd still take Witten over Gates but they're easily the
best two in the draft...I'd pick up either one after you have 2 starting RB's
and a QB.
As for Fitzgerald and Ronnie, it would depend on who else you have
still on your board. I'd say Ronnie Brown is a solid player, but not your
number 1 or 2 guy. He's a strong third RB. Fitzgerald on the other hand will
be much more valuable now since it appears he's the go-to guy now that Boldin
has mentally checked out. While he's not an elite wideout, he'll put up good
numbers. He's a good "tier-2" WR. Draft accordingly.
If you have questions about YOUR team: Email me....Nick@1530homer.com
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Speaking of Gates.... Let's take his toe injury out of the mix and assume Gates will hit the
ground running. If Gates is healthy, why wouldn't you draft him? Well,
it's all about value. Although Gates has improved his
yards-per-reception average each of the past four seasons and is
essentially as good as or better than he was four years ago, the rest
of the league's tight ends have seen a surge in fantasy output. Whether
this is simply something cyclical or a concerted effort by offensive
coordinators to emulate San Diego's success, tight ends all around the
league are taking center stage. Look it up.
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Players on ESPN's Love List Jamal Lewis, RB, Browns: I never like paying for a career year (or a resurgent one), so I
initially was down on Lewis. But now that more drafts have completed,
he's going where he should. Plus, the fact that no player had more YACO
(yards after contact ) last year pushed him back into my good graces. I
mean, how can you not like a guy who gives you great YACO?
Willie Parker, RB, Steelers: The arguments against him were health and Rashard Mendenhall.
But he's healthy, and Mendenhall will get goal-line carries. Fine,
Parker scored only two touchdowns last year and still was a productive
running back. He won't score fewer than two this year. He's not a
first-round running back, but because he's not going in the first
round, we're good here. I have no issue with Parker going in the second
round.
Marvin Harrison, WR, Colts: He's playing in the preseason. If he's on the field at all during the
regular season, he should be going higher than the seventh round, which
is where he is currently going.
Matt Leinart, QB, Cardinals: I'm on record as saying I'd rather have Kurt Warner, but if you manage to get both Arizona quarterbacks, you'll be fine. They'll put up a lot of points this year.
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Players on ESPN's Hate List Bobby Engram, WR, Seahawks: Being out six weeks will hurt you. Because Deion Branch
is coming back around the same time, and because Engram is 35 years
old, he dropped quite a bit in my rankings. Incidentally, this doesn't
help Nate Burleson in my opinion, because it gives him more defensive attention than he wants. I upped both Ben Obomanu and Courtney Taylor as a result of the injury, and I like Obomanu a bit more.
Chad Johnson, WR, Bengals: I still think Johnson will have a big year because he has something to prove. I like him more than I like Brandon Marshall and Steve Smith,
who are both guaranteed to miss the start of the season, but I think
Ocho Cinco is going where he should. I have, however, dropped him out
of the top 10 of my WR rankings due to the possibility that he'll also
miss a couple of games.
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Injury update...Ed Reed may miss opener
Good for the Bengals, bad for potential fantasy owners. Reed's shoulder injury appears worse than originally thought, and his
status for the Ravens Sept. 7 opener is now in jeopardy, the Baltimore
Sun reports. Reed could be seen grimacing any time somebody bumped into his
shoulder, and he's even having trouble outstretching both arms. Reed
could miss time even beyond the opener. If Reed can't go, expect Jim
Leonhard to start in his place.
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If you were silly enough to rely on Derek Anderson, you'll be okay The concussion that Anderson suffered Monday is considered mild, but it
will likely will keep him out for the Browns' next preseason game or
two, the Cleveland Plain Dealer reports. This is the time of year when teams will err on the side of caution
with their key players and we expect that to be the case here. In the
meantime, understudy Brady Quinn will get some valuable practice and
game reps. Barring an unexpected setback though, look for Anderson to
be fine by Week 1.
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It appears T.J. will be ready ESPN Houshmandzadeh (hamstring) said he is improving every week and that he
would be ready for the Sept. 7 regular season opener, the Cincinnati
Enquirer reports. It appears as though the Bengals are simply taking the cautious
approach with Houshmandzadeh. The team added some talent and depth at
wideout Tuesday by bringing back Chris Henry, but he won't be able to
cut into Houshmandzadeh's looks (or Chad Johnson's for that matter)
until he has served his four-game league suspension.
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Wednesday's Sleeper Pick Dante Hall, WR - St. Louis
There were some who thought Hall might be a waiver wire guy this year
after he struggled in 2007 with injuries. However, new offensive
coordinator Al Saunders is extremely familiar with Hall and knows how
to use him. Hall has also come in 10 pounds lighter and in the best
shape of his life and it's translated into him having one of his best
training camps. If Hall stands his ground on the depth chart he could
be a great sleeper pick at WR especially if your league counts special
teams statistics.
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Strategy with kickers? You bet. Simply put, you spend a pick
one or two rounds higher than your final draft choice on a prominent
kicker with a strong track record for success in the NFL. Adam Vinatieri is the poster boy for this theory even though he's not the best Fantasy kicker anymore. Any of the following kickers will do just fine:
1 Stephen Gostkowski NE $2 (Bye: 4) 2 Josh Brown STL $2 (Bye: 5) 3 Nick Folk DAL $2 (Bye: 10) 4 Phil Dawson CLE $2 (Bye: 5) 5 Shayne Graham CIN $1 (Bye: 8) 6 Adam Vinatieri IND $1 (Bye: 4) 7 Rob Bironas TEN $1 (Bye: 6) 8 Nate Kaeding SD $1 (Bye: 9) 9 Mason Crosby GB $1 (Bye: 8) 10 Neil Rackers ARI $1 (Bye: 7)
In leagues where owners can
make as many transactions as they want, the best course of action might
be to just play the matchups with the kickers on the waiver wire each
week. How does one play the matchups with kickers, you ask? You focus
more on the offensive matchups and find a team that should score a lot
of points playing against a suspect defense. Then pick up the kicker
associated with that team. This does require a little time each week to
find a kicker, but if you strike gold with someone, you've found your way out of this weekly exercise. Find a
kicker with a favorable Week 1 matchup and draft him with your
late-round pick.
Wednesday, August 20, 2008, 08:53 AM EST [General]
Mike Brown wanted Henry back C. Trent Bengals owner Mike Brown wanted Chris Henry on his team again. Marvin
Lewis wasn't interested. The man signing the paychecks won out. Chris Henry, the oft-troubled Bengal wide receiver, was back with the team on Tuesday. "I
know at the end of the day the owner has the final say so whether or
not he wants to give a guy an opportunity," Lewis said. "Mike has
wanted to give Chris this opportunity, and asked we do the best job we
can to prepare him and get him ready to play football, and if he can be
a positive influence on this football team and help us win football
games and be productive as a receiver, and get better as a receiver,
and we feel that way after the suspension is over that he has a chance
to win a spot. That's what he asked me to do, and that's what we're
going to do."
******************
More on the Henry signing Enquirer.com The not-so-subtle and larger message of Chris Henry's return to the
Bengals is that team owner Mike Brown - and not head coach Marvin Lewis
- still has the power. Lewis twice in the past month said he was not interested in bringing
back the troubled wide receiver, arrested five times in the Bengals'
employ prior to his April 3 release from the team. Henry, signed
by the Bengals Tuesday to a two-year contract, faces a four-game
suspension at the start of the season for violating the NFL's personal
conduct policy. Lewis didn't deny Tuesday night what he has said
in opposition to Henry but acknowledged that ultimately, it's Brown's
call to make.
******************
What do the players think?
Left tackle Levi
Jones: "I'm glad he is getting a chance to right the ship and not let
his talent go to waste. His talent is too much to end up on the street.
I'm supportive of every one of my teammates."
Tailback Kenny Watson: "He's a great kid. He has allowed himself to be in bad situations.
We'll be here for him. But it's all up to him. We know what he can do
on Sunday. He can be a real positive. It's up to him to stay out of
trouble, and we're going to be there to keep him out of trouble."
Defensive tackle John
Thornton: "I'm glad he's back. He was on the team and was released
because he got into trouble the last time. He was found innocent of
those charges. Why punish him again. If he weren't here, he would be
somewhere else. That's obvious he can help the field if he stays on the
field. He's one of the most dangerous receivers in the league."
Offensive tackle
Willie Anderson: "Beforehand, he has a lot of be thankful for. He has
found the end of the rainbow three or four times. A lot of people in
the organization, which I've said before, Eric Ball, Ray Oliver, Rusty
Guy, those guys did a lot of things to help Chris. He should go to
those people and tell then he's not going to let them down because
those people busted their tails beyond duty, helping him out and
assisting him in his program. There is a ton of support on this
team. This team sets up a great support system for guys."
Tailback Rudi Johnson: "His locker's right
here beside mine now, so I can talk to him each and every day. He's a
good friend of mine, so I'll definitely talk to him on a day-to-day
basis. Just make sure he understands everything and he's on the
up-and-up and doing the things necessary to be successful on and
off the field. ... Talking to him today, that's where he seems to be
at. He's in high spirits and he seems to have learned his lesson.
... We've all got his back, we're in his corner, we're going to respect
the coaches' decision, respect Mike Brown's decision to bring him back
and go from there."
******************
Same old story for Brown, Bengals Fox Sports For this city's dysfunctional NFL franchise, the words of 19th-century philosopher Henry David Thoreau still ring true.
"What is called resignation is confirmed desperation."
Cincinnati's re-signing of wide receiver Chris Henry has confirmed two things:
1. This organization is desperate. Really, really desperate.
2. These Bengals are never going to change their stripes with Mike Brown as owner.
It
was quite the scene Tuesday night at Bengals headquarters inside Paul
Brown Stadium. Henry made yet another mea culpa for his off-field
problems. Bengals coach Marvin Lewis had to distance himself from
previous comments swearing off the possibility of Henry's return. And
Brown was conspicuously absent as Lewis wiped egg from his face.
U.S. Gymnasts take home plenty of glitter USA Today Nastia Liukin's twists and turns had the grace
of a ballet dancer. Every flip was carefully choreographed and
repeatedly rehearsed to get the most out of her lean body. This is how Liukin put her stamp on the Olympics and her sport. The Russian-born American gymnast won her fifth
Olympic medal Tuesday. She earned a silver on balance beam behind
teammate Shawn Johnson, 16, who won her first gold medal of these
Games.
******************
One more review of Mike Brown's statement on July 22nd
"His conduct can no longer be tolerated," Brown said at the time. "The
Bengals tried for an extended period of time to support Chris and his
potentially bright career. We had hoped to guide him toward an
appropriate standard of personal responsibility that this community
would support and that would allow him to play in the NFL. ... But
those efforts end today, as we move on with what is best for our team."
Brown declined to be interviewed Tuesday about his change of heart.
However, during an interview last month, Brown said he still believed
in giving players chances to change their lives.
"I guess the
world is divided up between redeemers and non-redeemers," Brown said at
the time. "I happen to be a redeemer. I think people can be made better
and right. If that's a fault, so be it."
The Bengals today signed free agent WR Chris Henry.
Henry
(6-4, 200; West Virginia) is a fourth-year NFL player. He rejoins the
Bengals after being released by Cincinnati on April 3 of this year. He
played in 35 games with 11 starts for Cincinnati over the 2005-07
seasons, with 88 receptions for 1370 yards and 17 touchdowns.
Henry
will be on a four-week NFL suspension to open the 2008 regular season,
due to violation of the NFL’s Personal Conduct Policy.
Henry
is eligible as of today to join whatever team preseason activities are
assigned to him by the coaching staff. He is eligible to play in the
final two preseason games. His suspension will begin on Mon., Sept. 1,
the start of the practice week for Cincinnati’s Sept. 7 regular season
opener. During the suspension, he will be held out of practices as well
as Games 1-4. He may resume full activities on Mon., Sept. 29, the
start of the practice week for Game 5, on Oct. 5 at Dallas.
A
player with a history of off-field problems, Henry was released by the
Bengals this spring after being charged with assault following an
incident in Cincinnati. But charges against Henry were dropped after a
trial resulted in a hung jury, with six of eight jurors voting to
acquit him. Henry has no further matters pending in the courts.
The
NFL placed Henry on indefinite suspension following the assault charge,
but the suspension was subsequently revised to four games.
******************
More on Henry Enquirer.com The
Bengals are expected to announce Tuesday that they've re-signed wide
receiver Chris Henry to a one-year contract. He must first take a
physical early Tuesday morning and be examined by the team's medical
staff. Henry flew to Cincinnati today. He had been released April 3
after his fifth arrest as a Bengals employee. Charges against Henry
were later dismissed. He had been under house arrest in his downtown
Cincinnati apartment and forced to wear an electronic monitor on his
ankle.
******************
Don't forget.... That Chris Henry won't even play with the
team until week 5 as he is under suspension through the first four
games of the season. Just one of several reasons why the Bengals aren't
serving their best interest in signing him....if it's indeed true.
******************
Devil's advocate I know it's unreasonable to think that
Henry has "turned the corner." But let's for a moment pretend that he
has...and stays "clean" during the season after his suspension...and
goes on to help the Bengals win some games and be a playoff-caliber
team. Would the fans keep calling for Henry's ticket out of town? Would
the Bengals "embarassing lack of ethics" for resigning him stay on the
front page? Probably not.
Posed with question: Would you rather have ethics or wins?...the sad
but true tale is at the end of the day, Bengals fans would choose wins.
Because Cincinnati fans are starved for a winner.
Marion Barber a full fledged number 1 Barber's greatest asset is his versatility. He established himself
as a third-down back who can catch passes out of the backfield, but
he's also a hard-nosed runner between the tackles, which made him the
go-to guy at the goal line. But he can also rip off the big play, as
he's averaged 4.8 yards per carry each of the past two seasons. You
can't pull off an average like that if you're only getting carries
inside the 20.
In 2007, Barber carried the ball 160 of 204 times outside the opponent's 20-yard line. In those carries, he averaged a whopping
5.3 yards per carry. That includes a crazy 8.5 yards-per-carry on 44
attempts between the 40s. So obviously, he can be trusted upon to carry
the ball anywhere on the field.
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Lot D Fantasy Football League I still have spots left to play in my Lot D Fantasy Football league. Email me if you're interested in playing!
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Ronnie Brown hurt, but should be okay Brown, who suffered a sprained right thumb in Saturday's exhibition game, is "day to day," the Palm Beach Post reports. Brown, who was wearing a hard cast on his right hand/arm Monday, did
not participate in practice, but he had his helmet on, and was seen
doing speed and conditioning drills with a coach in the far end zone.
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As for drafting Chad Johnson....draft as planned Johnson, who was at Paul Brown Stadium Monday to treat his sprained
shoulder, believes that he'll be ready to play in the Bengals' Sept. 7
regular-season opener in Baltimore. Basically, Johnson's shoulder popped out and then back in Sunday, an
injury that many players tough out, though some opt for surgery. For
now, the Bengals plan to treat Johnson's wing conservatively and see
how it responds.
Despite the anemic look to the Bengals offense in the first couple of preseason games, I don't think most fantasy owners have planned on selecting Ocho Cinco in the first few rounds anyway. If he's available in rounds 4 or 5...I'd still take him....as long as you have another solid number 1.
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Peyton Manning might not be ready for week 1....have a backup plan Tony Dungy has acknowledged that Manning (knee) may not be ready to play in Indianapolis' season opener, SI.com reports. Sports Illustrated's Peter King lists the possibility of Manning not
being ready for Week 1 at 30-35 percent. While it's still a safer bet
to say that Manning will be able to play than to say that he won't,
Manning's availability for Sept. 7 doesn't look to be quite as sure of
a thing as it was originally thought to be.
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Roy Williams might be a good 3rd WR Williams' counterpart, Calvin Johnson, stole the show with three grabs
for 76 yards and a touchdown. Johnson's improved play can only help
Williams' value, as it will mean fewer and fewer double teams that the
veteran will face throughout the season. These two could put up some
special numbers if they can remain healthy, and Detroit can have some
semblance of balance on offense.
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This year's Derek Anderson? CBS Sports Chris Redman, Atlanta: Redman was another quality
addition for Fantasy owners at the end of last season when he passed
for 1,070 yards, 10 touchdowns and five interceptions in the final five
games. This year, he's expected to be the No. 2 quarterback for the
Falcons behind rookie Matt Ryan.Ryan is talented, but he might not last the whole season as the
starter. That could open the door for Redman, who would be a decent
Fantasy option if he can play like he did last year. With Roddy White he has a standout receiver, and Redman showed he has skills to help Fantasy owners down the stretch.
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Re-adjusting your RB approach CBS Sports This year, four Top 75 Fantasy Football players (and three in the Top 30) make the list of players who carry some excess baggage with them into the 2008 season. What must a Fantasy owner be prepared for if they are going to consider one of these guys? Are they still worth drafting? That's what you need to decide.
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Schedule Management Two words that can make or break your fantasy season. Seemingly good choices might actually hurt your chances for success based on matchups and management. SI.com's Scott Engel wrote a great piece on how to successfully manage your fantasy schedule.
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The most overlooked stat in fantasy football SI.com I've harped on this before. But the No. 1 most overlooked stat in fantasy football is the number of Targets
(both total and per-game), as in the amount of times a receiver,
running back or tight end has the ball thrown his way. But those days
are done -- as long as I have a say. SI.com presents a list of the
top-10 receivers from 2007 with the best combination of Targets and
Receiving Yards. Basically, we're talking about guys with minimums of
148 yearly targets (at least nine per game) and 1,100 receiving yards.
Monday's Sleeper Pick Zach Miller, TE - Oakland It was only one game, but it might be a telling one. In JaMarcus Russell's only start last season, the Raiders QB hit fellow rookie Miller for 84 yards on eight catches. With the Raiders expected to take advantage of Russell's arm this year, along with a deep and talented running game to balance it out, Miller figures to be the safe short-area target for the Raiders to lean on. He began to fulfill that role last year -- 24 of his 44 catches were for first downs. He should be just productive enough to be a low-end No. 1/top-end No. 2 Fantasy tight end.
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Larry Johnson over the hill? ESPN So where does this leave Johnson and his fantasy value? ESPN live draft
results have him going 14th overall on average, good for 10th among
running backs. He has slid roughly 10 spots since 2007, landing
anywhere from the late first round to the middle of the second, still a
significant investment for fantasy managers to consider. Questions from
last summer linger. Can Johnson return to his dominant,
ultra-productive ways? Or did the extreme reliance on his frame those
two seasons burn him out for good, much like Okoye's tank quickly was
emptied by an intense, albeit prolific, stretch? Most indicators seem to suggest the latter. Johnson's yards per
carry have dipped markedly from year to year, from a brilliant 5.2 in
'05 to 4.3 in '06 to a pedestrian 3.5 in '07. Even his yards per catch
dropped significantly over this period, from 10.4 to 10 to just 6.2 in
'07.
Bengals / Lions Observations: - Rudi and T.J. both out of
the lineup...not happy about that. As Dave Lapham said on the
broadcast, you ideally need at least 2 games to get ready for any
season. One to get used to "football speed" and another to shake off
the rust. By that mentality, they'll both need to be ready to play next
Saturday.
- Considering the Bengals don't have a full-fledged number 3
receiver and don't have T.J. in the lineup yet, it wasn't exactly
comforting to see Chad Johnson head to the locker room early in the
first quarter after getting hit on a would-be catch. Yikes.
- The first team offense looked simply anemic in the first
half...but in fairness...they were without Chad (who left early with an
injury) and T.J. (who was scratched). Even still, you have to wonder
how ready they will be if they can't get their regular 1st team on the
field for more than a preseason game or two. Not very promising.
- Anyone else start tallying up the dropped passes?
- 24.5: That'd be Carson's QB rating through about a quarter and
half before getting relieved by Ryan Fitzpatrick. I'm gonna take the
preseason games with a grain of salt...but you have to hope when given
both top WR's, that Carson will give us a reason to relax when thinking
about the offense of this team.
- Despite all the negative feelings about Sunday's offensive
performance, Chris Perry still showed signs of solidity. He was bowling
over people...which is a credit to both Perry and the offensive line.
If anything positive can be taken from this game...it'd be the
Perry/O-Line Combo.
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Please don't tell me you're this stupid... Lance predicted
it....and he was right. It didn't take long for several callers on the
postgame show last night to make the claim that maybe Carson's best
days are past him and the Bengals should consider making Fitzpatrick a
possible starter. Are you freaking kidding me? Even if you ignore the
fact that Carson didn't have any of his starting wide receivers (after
Chad went down with an injury) and no Rudi...he had a bad PRESEASON
game. Listen...even with an awfully bad season last year, he still
managed to finish 5th among all QB's in passing yards and was in the
Top 10 for passing TD's....on a 7-9 team! I wouldn't have even taken
the time to post anything had I heard this crap from one or two
callers....but there were several. Spare me.
Volquez returns to form Enquirer.com A
revived Edinson Volquez pitched seven shutout innings and traded
up-and-in fastballs with counterpart Kyle Lohse today, leading the Reds
to a 7-3 victory that ended the St. Louis Cardinals' four-game winning
streak.
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Reds couldn't afford a walk-off by Alonso Enquirer.com - Paul Daugherty Yonder
Alonso spent Friday afternoon watching a movie called "88 Minutes."
It's about a shrink who works with the FBI in profiling serial killers.
Eventually, the good head doctor becomes a target, and is informed he
has 88 minutes to live. As his own clock ticked Friday, Alonso saw the
quasi-parallel, and found it amusing. The Reds signed their first-round
draft pick and Alex Rodriguez protégé with about 20 minutes to spare.
Without a deal by midnight Friday, Alonso would have been headed back
to the University of Miami, or to New York, to live with A-Rod. Not
exactly homicidal choices.
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Tell me you saw it..... I'll always remember where I
was....a condo in Tennessee visiting my family....late Saturday night
when Michael Phelps made Olympic history. If you missed it, you were
among the few. overnight ratings for NBC were just ridiculous...for obvious reasons. I'm not even an Olympics type of guy, but it was really cool to see Phelps do what he did.
Also, as Bob Costas pointed out, it was fitting that Phelps set the
new Olympic record with 8 Gold Medals in a single Olympic Games...which
started on 8/8/08. Pretty funny stuff.
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Michael Phelps saves the Olympic Games ESPN According
to archaeologists and historians, mankind has been working at this
organized sports business since roughly 4000 B.C. Some think the
Chinese might have started the whole thing. Sunday morning in the
putative birthplace of sports, we saw the endeavor elevated to a new
plane by Michael Phelps. We witnessed the apotheosis of the athlete --
6,000 years in the making; 30 minutes, 51.68 seconds in the perfecting.
That's the combined length of time Phelps swam to win his
Olympic-record eight gold medals, to set seven world records, to swim
five lifetime-best individual times, to endure two great escapes, and
to become the singular competitor in species history. Over nine days
and 17 swims, he was in the water for roughly the length of a sitcom.
It turned out to be the greatest TV many Americans have ever witnessed.
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Jim Tressel pleased with young players Columbus Dispatch If
there is a textbook on how to bring along a young phenom, Ohio State
coach Jim Tressel apparently hasn't read it. Chapter 1: Shield the kid
from unrealistic expectations. Don't put any more pressure on him than
already exists. Yesterday, Tressel had a perfect chance to frame the
outlook this season for freshman quarterback Terrelle Pryor, to put a
box around Pryor's potential and try to control the mania surrounding
him. Instead, after a long jersey scrimmage that was closed to the
public and media, Tressel did not hide his pleasure with his five-star
recruit.
