Rookies: Ready to haze the Veterans

Welcome back, everyone. Before I get into today's topic, It's been announced that Titan's RB Chris Johnson has agreed in principle to a newly revised deal for this season. That does move him up a few spots in my Fantasy RB rankings, but that still doesn't put him in my top five. I promise, the 2,000 yard curse is real. But we're not talking about that any more this week. This week, we're talking about rookies. Not the ride-the-pine for a season or two rookies; the I'm here now, watch the f*#! out rookies. Here are some of my favorite rookies, guys that can definitely help you in your chase for a fantasy title.


Ryan Matthews: Ok, pretty obvious. The guy gets to step right into LT's old job, with LT's old workload. Expect big things from this guy. 1,200+ yards and 8-10TD's big. Also, he may have one of the nastiest stiff-arms in the league.




Dez Bryant: Another guy in a great situation. One of the most talented prospects in the 2010 draft, Bryant managed to land on a team with a great QB, solid run game, an elite receiver to line up opposite of him, and no other wideout on the roster to seriously challenge him for the WR2 spot. Roy Williams, your career just took a nosedive. He may have to best hands since Cris Carter. And Jeff Ireland, he'll make your mother a prostitute.




Montario Hardesty: This guy has the opportunity to be HUGE in Cleveland. During the June 3rd OTA's, Hardesty was taking the snaps as the No. 1 RB. He's already drawn comparisons to Jamal Lewis, with his size, strength, and aggressive running style. He already has a year of Pro-syle offense under his belt(thanks, Lane Kiffin, at least you did something positive at UT), so even in a split share with Jerome Harrison, he'll have big fantasy value(Jake Delhomme will be the starting QB. Expect the Browns to run a lot).



Jahvid Best: Have you seen this guy play? He's phenomenal! An absolute playmaker, and he'll most likely get the nod to start, especially with Kevin Smith's injury status(torn ACL, surgery in Dec.) likely to limit his touches in camp, if he even plays during the Lion's training camp. Jahvid Best has been the guy everyone involved with the Lions has been talking about, and even with Kevin Smith taking some of the carries as the 2nd RB, expect big numbers from this guy. He's got the upside to be the next Chris Johnson.





CJ Spiller: I've said it before, and I'll say it again: The Bills wouldn't have ignored more pressing needs(OT, QB) to grab this guy if they didn't plan on making him THE guy at some point this season. The guy is a monster playmaker, runs like he's powered by a nuclear battery, and can get it done in every way possible. He can run, catch, return, hell he even threw a few TD's in college(lightbulb, Buffalo). The Bills will find a way to get Spiller his touches, and you'll want him on your team when he gets them. Especially now that he and Eric Berry are wearing the lightest cleat in football





Jermaine Gresham: Another great playmaker(with monster hands)coming into a great situation. He'll be the starting TE, catching passes from Carson Palmer on a playoff team trying to improve. Worst-case(barring injury, of course), JG puts up 550 yards and 3TDs. Worst-case. He could go 700-800 with 6 or 7 scores though, which is what I'm expecting.





Aaron Hernandez: Now, I'm a Florida guy. And a huge Gator fan. But Hernandez is on this list because he's got the talent. And he'll be the starter for New England very shortly, possibly in week 1. Gronkowski, the Pat's other rookie TE, is more of a blocker than anything else. Yes he can catch, but he's not going anywhere else. Hernandez excels in the passing game, is a polished route runner, and is a better all-around athlete. Expect him to get the looks from Tom Brady.



Other rookies of note:

WR Demaryius Thomas, WR Golden Tate, RB Ben Tate, WR Arrelious Benn, WR Eric Decker

IDP Rookies to own:

FS Eric Berry, CB Joe Haden, LB Rolando McLain, DT Ndamukong Suh, DE Derrick Morgan, S Taylor Mays, S Earl Thomas

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• 2010 NFL Rookie Rankings (bleacherreport.com)

Through the Gap: Running backs to keep

Well ladies, I'm back, and I've got your fix for this week. We're focusing on the most talked about position in Fantasy football too: The Running back slots. Now pretty much every owner in your league will get a premier back in your draft's opening round (except for the idiot who takes Rodgers or Brees, and the guy who doesn't like the RB's left and takes Andre Johnson). The hard part is getting that second and third running back, the one who rounds out your starting lineup, and the one that'll be coming off the bench when you need him. Believe it or not, but winning the game on your star's bye week can be the difference between fantasy playoffs and being in 7th place(that means your season's done, loser). Below, I've listed some backs that can properly replace an AP or Michael Turner on their bye weeks, as well as put up solid numbers throughout the season.

Beanie Wells: Well, Warner's retired. No more 35-40 passes per game. Boldin's gone too. So the run game is set to see a major jump in attempts per game. Wells outran Tim Hightower last year, and became the majority shareholder of the Cardinals' backfield at the close of the season. That trend will continue this year, with Wells getting more and more carries as the season progresses. He finished last season with 131 fantasy points(traditional scoring), just 11 points behind Hightower. With the majority of the workload, 200+ points isn't out of reach for this dynamic playmaker.




Carnell (Cadillac) Williams:



Yeah, remember Cadillac? He looked like an up and coming nightmare until his injury problems. Last year though, he made a modest comeback. This year, he's likely to be back in '05 form. Expect at least 1,000+ yards and 5 TD's out of this guy. The Cadillac is back, and looking to run over something.


Ahmad Bradshaw: Last season, Bradshaw(not Terry, the other one) was obviously the better player lining up behind Eli. He averaged 4.8 YPC, compared to Jacobs 3.7. He also scored two more touchdowns, and is a far superior pass-catcher. He should get the biggest share of the workload this season. Jacobs will probably steal most of the goal line work, but this guy can find the endzone. Helmet optional.

Justin Forsett: Need I say more? Probably, seeing as to how the Seahawks were terrible last year, so only die-hard fans paid any attention to football in Seattle. So here's the story. This guy showed flashes of greatness in the handful of carries he received prior to Julius Jones getting injured. Then he became football's da Vinci, sculpting images of his brilliance into the minds of anyone who saw him. don't believe me? See for yourself.



I told you. Anyway, last season, J-Force(My nickname for him. I'm patenting the S#!* out of it) finished just outside of the top 25, with only 3 starts and 5 games of split timeshare. This season he'll be the starter in Washington. Worst-case senarrio, he finishes 2010 just outside of the top ten. Best case, he's in the mix with AP, MJD, Ray Rice and company as one of the best Rb's in the league. Yeah, he's got that much potential.


Michael Bush: That's right, a Raider made this list. Um, I know they suck. The team is shit. But every once in a while you find a peanut in a terd, and this is it. Well, him. Last season, Davis and Cable did this guy no favors. They went with McFadden, and it blew up in their faces. Bush came in to start four games when McFadden was injured, and was given less than ten carries per game. He finished the season with 123 carries(To D Mac's 104, while missing 4 games) and averaged 4.8 YPC (3.4 for McFadden). He's clearly the better back, with McFadden having a more Reggie Bush type game. Expect Bush to be the starter, Thunder for McFadden's lightning. But expect the Thunder to have the greatest fantasy value.



That's it for this week people. Keep coming back, Daddy'll feed you. Remember, become a follower of this blog, and I'll answer your sit/start questions on game day all season long. email and I shall answer. Peace mofos.

The Middle of the Pack: QB's and Defense

Well, its that time again fellas. Last week, I promised you fantasy-handicapped people my top five defenses you could get on the cheap. I also told you you'd be getting a few QB's that will put up some great numbers for you, without having to spring for them in the first few rounds. Yeah, I know everyone wants to get Brees or Rodgers. But you can pick up a solid passer four or five rounds later, and use those higher picks to get better players into your skilled positions. Why waste that 2nd or 3rd round pick on a quarterback when you could get a guy like Jamaal Charles or Roddy White? 16 QB's finished last season in the top 25 in total fantasy points. With that much depth at position, you can get a quality QB without blowing your draft.

Defenses

Now, I know everybody wants the Jets or Vikings, but finish filling most of your bench before getting to your defense. Try one of these teams a few rounds later

Denver:
Last season, The Broncos defense reigned supreme...for the first 6 weeks or so. After that they kind of crumbled, but so did the rest of the team. Another year, and now Head Coach Josh McDaniels can try to keep the trend going for a whole season.
Last seasons' finish- 8th in fantasy points

Carolina:
Another Defense that flew under most everyone's radar in '09, they played suprisingly well, racking up 22 INT's, 15 forced fumbles, and 31 sacks. Not my first pick of teams on this list, but still a solid D.
Last seasons' finish- 7th in fantasy points

New Orleans:
Not too much to say here...they did win a Super Bowl, right? "Who Dat" D had a lot to do with that, even with Drew Brees on the field the rest of the time.
Last seasons' finish- 4th in fantasy points(and a Lombardi trophy)

Buffalo:
I know, they're terrible. Or are they? Despite allowing 300 points to be scored on them last year, they still managed to end the season as a top-ten fantasy D. Just saying...
Last seasons' finish- 10th in fantasy points

Dallas:
The 'Boys Defense was incredible over the final few games of last season. They finished 7th in sacks with 42, and ended up just outside the top 10. Expect the defense you saw versus the Saints in week 15 for an entire season.
Last seasons' finish- 11th in fantasy points

Bargain Bin Quarterbacks

Now remember, this is a list of QB's you can get fairly late in your draft who will still put up strong numbers for you. I'm not saying don't get Rodgers or Brees if they fall in your lap, but if you'd rather have a great WR or RB, these guys can still get you a win.

Jay Cutler:
Last season was pretty bad for him, but he still finished as the 10th best QB in fantasy points last year. This year, he has better chemistry with his receivers, a new favorite target(Devin Aromashodu), and is now leading Mike Martz' "Greatest show on Turf". Just as a reference, Martz was the genius behind Kurt Warner's rise to potential Hall of Fame greatness, and even got a 4,000 yard season out of Jon Kitna. Jon Kitna! If you don't think he can propel Cutler to the greatest seasons of his career, you're an F'ing moron.
Last seasons' finish- 10th in fantasy points

Tony Romo:
What a difference a year makes. Tony Romo, was always pretty good, but inconsistent. In '09, he changed that. His his growth, and the emergence of Miles Austin, this guy was downright dangerous. And he'll be even better this year, continuing that growth, and getting Dez Bryant to replace butter-fingered Roy Williams opposite Austin. Somehow he's still been under most people's radars. Go figure.
Last seasons' finish- 6th in fantasy points

Carson Palmer:
Does nobody think this guy has it? Last season he threw for over 3,000 yards and 21 scores, plus running in three more himself. Cincinnati has made him even more dangerous with the free-agent signing of Antonio Bryant(who I believe will be back to '08 form), as well as the drafting of WR Jordan Shipley, and the always dangerous Jermaine Gresham. Palmer will be a top 10 QB this season, believe me.
Last seasons' finish- 16th in fantasy points


Joe Flacco:
Another guy in the same boat as Palmer. 3,600 yards through the air, 21 TD's. Those numbers will go up Now that he has Boldin to throw to. A solid QB with a high football I.Q. He'll get you there.
Last seasons' finish- 17th in fantasy points


Matt Ryan:
Michael who? Matty-ice is the man in Atlanta now, and this will be his year. Last season he missed three games and still finished with 2,916 yards and 22 TD's. Another year, healthy, to mature and learn, plus with targets like Roddy White and Tony Gonzalez, he's primed to take Atlanta(and you) the distance.
Last seasons' finish- 18th in fantasy points.


Now those are the guys I'm really high on, but some of my other low risk/high reward passers to watch this season include Matt Cassell, Chad Henne, Mark Sanchez, Matt Hasselbeck, and Vince Young. You can get these guys SUPER late in your drafts, and could potentially be great for your team. That's all I'm giving you this week. Keep paying attention, I'm giving you gold here(or cash, depending on what you play for). Peace, mofos.