This article will be updated periodically, so please check back often to get the latest news about NFL players and their fantasy impact.
These news cover from Monday 6/4/ until Wednesday 6/13.
* Browns QB Derek Anderson is continuing to play better than Quinn and Frye, his position competitors, during this camp.
* Patriots RB Lawrence Maroney hasn’t clearly indicated whether he will be ready for training camp or not. Should we be worried?
Considering he may act under Belichick’s influential example, Maroney is probably trying to disguise opponents from game planning against him. Oh wait… it’s only June and we Fantasy owners have no time to play that game and NEED to decide what pick number to assign you for our upcoming drafts.
*Journey man WR Ashley Lelie, now of the 49ers, suffered a quadriceps injury that will cause him to miss the rest of training camp. Another set-back for this guy looking to establish himself somewhere.
* Bengals Chris Henry, WR, is under the justice’s radar again. He was supposedly accused of assaulting a 16-year-old boy. We won’t divulge on the story as we cover fantasy football, not police reports.
* Braylon Edwards practiced with the first team this spring. He had been working with the 2nd and 3rd stringers so far. We wonder.
* Browns TE Kellen Winslow has been cleared to practice but his work will be limited. Let’s wait and see before wasting a high-pick for him this fall.
* McNabb practiced again on Tuesday, a good recovery sign thus far.
*Raiders Wide out Ronald Curry returned to camp after missing the first 2 weeks of it with a leg injury.
* Rams WR Torry Holt will be limited at practice this week after coming back from knee surgery’s rehab.
*Eagles QB Donovan McNabb participated in non-contact drills on Monday. He’s well ahead of rehabilitation schedule and should be fine for training camp.
* Dolphins’ rookie WR Ted Ginn Jr has been reportedly playing well in the team’s OTA. His injury doesn’t seem to be a concern anymore, but he has a lot of catching up to do to challenge for a starting spot in ‘07.
* Lions RB Kevin Jones will more than likely begin the ‘07 season on the PUP list meaning that he won’t be eligible to take the field at least until game 7.
Draft him as a top 15 RB for keeper and dynasty leagues if you can afford to bench him for that many games. In seasonal leagues, draft him in the middle rounds and handcuff him with Tatum Bell. Wait until week 7 to activate him, of course!
* The Culpepper saga continues with a twist. Daunte was escorted out of practice today. Things are heating up in Miami as Culpepper refuses to be traded and now the escort. Either way, Daunte will most likely not go to Jacksonville because he will not restructure his contract. Monitor this situation. Depending where Daunte goes he will warrant fantasy backup consideration. Dante’s accuracy has eroded over the last few years. With the knee injury (though cleared to play) his ability to plant and throw deep concerns us. Daunte is a waiver wire pickup with the potential of being a last round flyer. Nothing else!
Therefore, clean up your act Daunte and feel free to use our comments as “Bulletin board” material to shake up your motivation a little and show everyone that you can still play at a high level. Will you?
* Early reports out of Kansas City indicate that they are not willing to give Larry a large contract extension. L.J. would like to see an 8-year contract worth around $80 million. Larry is 28 and had a record 418 carries last year.
If Larry decides to go the Free agent route, the Chiefs could franchise him. Regardless, Larry is going to be motivated to perform this year to land a huge contract with another team at worst.
Despite the loss of Will Shields, fairly advanced age and numerous carries Larry will perform to the #3 overall tag he will demand on fantasy draft day. Draft him with confidence in seasonal and keeper leagues.
* Bucs coach Jon Gruden unofficially announced that all the young QB’s on the team are behind veteran Jeff Garcia, crowning the journeyman QB as their starter for September. It’s too early to be sure of this situation but he is, indeed, the most experienced QB on their roster and they need his veteran presence to righten the ship. He is a decent back up option for your 2007 fantasy squad.
* What a copycat league the NFL is. It has been rumored that the Colts would like to heavily involve RB Joseph Addai in their passing game. That is great news for Addai’s current and potential owners. If that holds true, Addai is guaranteed a top 5 spot in the rankings. He could be very useful in PPR’s leagues.
* Dolphins rookie WR Ted Ginn Jr practiced for the first time today (6/7/07) since being a Dolphin. He has been recovering from an injury suffered while still in college. While we won’t advice you to waste a draft pick on Ginn, we suggest to keep an eye on him.
He should be returning kicks and if you play in a league that rewards for individual special teams performances he is then worth a late round selection. If you are in a keeper league, take him late and stash him. Once he gains experience he could be a force opposite Chris Chambers.
*Coach Mike Nolan of the 49ers just can’t make up his mind about RB Frank Gore’s 2007 workload. He had stated earlier in the off season that he wanted to limit Frank’s number of carries. Now he said that he’d love to increase it and use him out the back field as well. Frank Gore is a top 10, even 5, RB this year in all league formats.
*Packers rookie RB Brandon Jackson suffered a minor (?) knee injury and should be able to resume practice sometime next week. This is the second time he misses work since he was drafted by the team. Vernand Morency is his main competitor for the starting job.
* 49ers TE Vernon Davis has had a phenomenal camp so far. It looks like he can now resume his once promising NFL career and be one of the elite TE’s in ‘07.
With Andrew Walter being sidelined, Josh McCown and Jamarcus Russell have been taken most of the reps in the Raiders’ OTA. The rookie has outclassed (it was reported) the former Cardinals and Lions bench warmer. We believe he’ll carry the clipboard around again this year as Russell will likely start for Oakland.
McCown wasn’t able to take advantage of a good WR situation in AZ failing to connect constantly with Boldin and Fitzgerald, ( two of the best WR’s in the NFL) so we don’t see why he should succeed without any natural talents in a worst WR situation in Oakland.
*Now that Trent migrated to “Green-er” pastures, Damon Huard is expected to compete with Brodie Croyle for the starting gig in K.C. This will be an exciting position battle to watch this summer. We believe Huard should be the starter because of his experience.
Jack Del Rio, has said that Jaguars QB Byron Leftwich has looked very impressive during early workouts. Better than he’s ever been. We have always said that Garrard wasn’t the answer for the Jags. If he could stay injury-free in ‘07, the veteran can make a lot of people around him better, especially third-year receiver Matt Jones.
Buccaneers RB (’06 bust) Carnell Williams was told by Jon Gruden that he will carry the ball around 300 times this season in addition of throwing him 60 passes. That is certainly great news. His ranking position will move up a few spots if that holds true.
QB Andrew Walter of the Raiders underwent knee surgery on Wednesday and will miss 6 weeks of practice. He should be ready for the pre season. We think, however, that the #1 overall pick in the 2007 NFL draft, Jamarcus Russell will start for the Raiders this year. Russell has to like this early advantage anyhow.
Bengals WR T.J. Houshmandzadeh hasn’t been participating at the team’s voluntary OTA’s because of contract unhappiness. He should participate at the team’s mandatory ones later. We hope that this doesn’t become a distraction for Housh and that the team pays their stud adequately.
QB Trent Green has been dealt ( finally) to Miami according to reports from FOXSPORTS. Green passed his physical Wednesday and is officially a Dolphin.
Miami QB ( for now) Daunte Culpepper was cleared to practice Tuesday. The Dolphins are still looking to trade the former Vikings stud to get something in return for the huge “Fiasco” investment. There has been rumors that Daunte Culpepper will ask to be released from the Dolphins if the team, indeed, acquired QB Trent Green from Kansas City.
Culpepper’s knee has been responding well to rehab this spring and he doesn’t bode well with a back-up role with Miami.
Patriots second year back Laurence Maroney finally did run some drills at the team OTA. Needless to say, Maroney will be among the elite RB’s in ‘07 as he’ll be fully healthy by training camp.
Chris Brown may resign with the Titans even tough the financial terms are what’s keeping them apart thus far. Brown is also seeking to sign with another team. Namely, the Packers, Bears, Patriots and Colts are among his suitors. Brown will be nothing more than a handcuff next season in our opinion.
Cowboys RB Julius Jones has not been attending OTA’s with his teammates but rather has been working separately from them.
We think that he will be pissing off his coaches with this anti-team attitude and be a frequent “Doghouse” visitor next season. Did someone forget to tell Jones that there is room for only one T.O. in Dallas?
I’m sure Marion Barber is salivating at the chance to be the featured back next year.
Second year RB Jerome Harrison will be used more frequently by the Browns next season especially as a receiver out of the backfield. He is Jamal Lewis’ handcuff.
Amani Toomer of the Giants has been limited in practice as a result of his rehab from last year’s injury. Toomer shouldn’t be drafted in ‘07. On the other hand taking a flyer on rookie Steve Smith, would be a wise thing to do this fall.
Clinton Portis won’t be able to do much during the pre-season, the team has said, causing reason for deep concern. Portis will not participate in the team’s mini-camp but should be ready to go fully by the regular training camp that starts in August. This is good news to Ladell Betts’ owners.
Keenan McCardell, FA WR formerly of the Chargers, is set to visit the Titans today. At 37 years of age this guy is washed up as his poor numbers, with a great team, from last season indicate. Do not draft McCardell at any cost.
Verron Hayes, RB for the Steelers is rehabbing well and could challenge Najeh Davenport and Kevan Barlow as Willie Parker back-up next season. We don’t think that will happen as recuperating from a torn knee ligaments and being productive soon do not associate well usually.
Chiefs G Will Shields was placed on the reserve/retired list by the team, ending the earlier rumors whether he was retiring or looking for more money.
This means that Larry Johnson has lost another body guard, the second in as many years, but figures to be a good fantasy producer. In fact, one of the latest reports from their camp indicates his coach’s plans on getting L.J. more involved in the passing game.
Robert Meachem will have his knee examined today. He had been practicing with an ankle injury in the Saints mini-camp. According to first reports, is believed that Meachem has a meniscus problem on his knee that might require surgery.
That is definitely a set back for the young wide out as he will miss a lot of precious time getting used to the Saints schemes. Let’s keep checking on his status.
We did check on it and the latest report indicates that Meachem will undergo knee surgery on Tuesday June 5th causing him to miss the next 3-4 weeks of practice as a result. That is bad news as in NOT GOOD.
In light of this latest report, Meachem is only worth of a late round draft consideration.
Eric Johnson, new TE for the Saints, has been running drills with the second team this spring. We believe that he will land the starting job by the start of the season.
Dwayne Jarrett, rookie WR for the Panthers, has showed good progress in their mini-camp and while he has practiced as a WR3 thus far, the rookie will make the squad as the #2 WR opposite stud Steve Smith.
Conversely, Drew Carter will battle Keary Colbert for the # 3 & 4 WR spots.
Tarvaris Jackson, the leading candidate to start at QB for the Vikings this year, has not been very impressive during their workouts so far. He has looked very tentative and uncomfortable in the pocket. We don’t think Jackson will contribute to your fantasy team this year in any substantial way, but we do like him in ‘08.
***More updates to come. Please check back often!***
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