Fantasy Football GM's

In the coming months I’m sure you’ll hear a lot about studs, duds and sleepers. Here is a list of players that really don’t fall into any of those categories. These are solid players currently going in the mid rounds that if you’re aware of can allow you to be much more confident in the early rounds. You can then take advantage of the best players available because you’ll know what to expect in the rounds to come and won’t draft simply based on need. Although these aren’t all big-name players, targeting these guys in the mid-rounds can change your entire draft strategy and the results you see significantly.

Running Backs

1. Cedric Benson- a new tackle and veteran weapons around him. The Bengals have put in new zone and man blocking schemes to accommodate his North-South running style and were pleasantly surprised with his speed on sweeps per John Clayton’s inside the huddle. Seems primed to take advantage of a great opportunity in a resurgent offense and will be the lone featured back. He’s being drafted any where between rounds 4-8, excellent value in the 6th and later.

2. Derrick Ward- although Brandon Jacobs wearing defenses down and the Giants great offensive line had a lot to do with Ward’s success in New York , he did still manage to put up over 1,000 yards as part of a 3-headed monster. The Bucs pretty much cleaned house in the off-season and are looking for a fresh start. I think Ward is clearly the most talented and reliable of the backs in Tampa Bay and I would look for him to outperform his current ADP of 54th overall.

3. LenDale White- is 20 pounds lighter and coming into a contract year. The Titans are probably not going to be as good this year without Albert Haynesworth and Tennessee would like to expand Chris Johnson’s role, but he still scores a lot (22 times in the last two years, 15 times last year). Johnson’s size is an issue and he did get injured in last year’s playoff game. All in all, at 71 overall ADP he is a great value especially in scoring leagues.

4. Rashard Mendenhall- will get a chance on short yardage and goaline opportunities for one of the best franchises around. His shoulder is healed, he has fresh legs and I would expect the Steelers to use him much more especially in the second half of the season when the wheels tend to fall off for fast Willie Parker. Current ADP is 97th overall so keep an eye out for him in rounds 9 and higher.

Quarterbacks

5. Donovan McNabb- the Eagles really took care of their star this off-season with a new contract, drafting multiple assets on offense and trading for a stud left tackle. Plus, I still don’t think Donovan has forgot about when Andy Reid benched him last year. He could really make a savvy owner’s team in the 6th round where is currently being drafted.

6. Matt Schaub- a low-end no. 1 quarterback being picked in the mid rounds 6-8. He filled in nicely for me last year when Houston played Detroit and Cincinnati back-to-back before getting injured. Has potential to break out with a great surrounding cast. He was 5th in points per game at quarterback per Chris Dowling of footballguys.com, and like Chris says his value comes down to if he can stay healthy.

7. Tony Romo- people might sleep on him because he no longer has T.O and Dallas is expected to shift to a more run oriented offense. However, I read an intriguing comment from Carson Palmer in a radio interview recently about how much Jon Kitna really helped him during his best years so far. Don’t forget he still has one of the best tight end’s and offensive lines in the game. I’d expect him to start a little slower but end much stronger due to the lack of drama without T.O. and extra guidance from Kitna this year to provide solid stats for his current ADP of 59th overall.

Wide Receivers

8. OchoCinco- hampered by injury and losing his quarterback last year. Most people just don’t like him or are tired of hearing about his antics but the fact is that he should have a much better year in 09’. If he slips past the fourth round be prepared to pull the trigger.

9. Bernard Berrian- now that Favre is officially with the Vikings, his stock should steadily rise. Although Minnesota won’t live and die by Brett’s gunslinger style likes teams in his past, I will still expect him to air it out enough for Berrian to be a great look in the mid rounds 6-8 as a WR3 with potential for solid WR 2 numbers or a solid flex play. I mentioned him in my article titled “The Favre effect” as the biggest beneficiary of the signing as well.

10. Anthony Gonzalez- probably the most overlooked 3rd year receiver this year. The Colts still have a legit no. 1 even without Harrison, a tier 1 tight end in Dallas Clark, not to mention Peyton Manning. Peyton trusted him in clutch situations last year so he’s not going to shy away from giving Gonzo more targets. Currently going in the late 5th which is little high for me but still definitely somebody to keep an eye on.

Savvy gm’s will have their eyes on these players who have awesome potential and value based on where they are being ranked currently. These are the players that the less informed will be scared to draft because they don’t know enough about them.

For example, last year the owners that took a risk on Michael Turner, rookie running backs Matt Forte and Chris Johnson and using a flier in the late rounds on Kurt Warner ended up very pleased.

Again I’ll be drafting from the middle of the pack for 12 rounds:

1. Deangelo Williams- breakout year in 08, led all rb’s in td’s and didn’t fumble once. The drafting of Jonathon Stewart motivated the third year back last year and he is going into the last year of his contract…nuff said.

2. Steve Slaton- I’ve seen him ranked in the top 5 and outside of the top 20. I would be thrilled to get him in the mid second. He has the potential to carry a team, especially in a PPR league. No committees to deal with here, playing with one of the best receivers in the game to keep defenses honest, speed, pass-catching ability and pure potential.

3. Dwayne Bowe- He should benefit from playing with a better quarterback in Cassell and having more experience himself coming into his third year where receivers notoriously breakout. Bowe has it all with great hands, size and speed. Also new Chiefs head coach Todd Haley was the OC in Arizona last year so you know he’s not afraid to throw the ball, however Bowe has come to camp 20-25 lbs overweight per his coach and rotoworld.com http://tr.im/oJNC so that is something to keep an eye on.

4. Aaron Rodgers- a year removed from the Favre saga, 1 year under his belt, remember he spent 3 years learning and waiting…had great #’s last year but needed to make more good decisions in 4th quarter. Remember he did most of this with a slightly separated shoulder and even rushed for 4 touchdowns too. I’d expect him to come in with a lot of confidence this year and continue his success.

5. Darren McFadden- blazing speed, hampered by injury last year. Cable likes to run and he should have every opportunity to prove himself this year. Probably will be taken by mid-fifth round, but still might be able to get him in the early portion of the fifth.

6. Antonio Bryant- I picked him in the CBS Mock Draft I did with Dave Richard earlier this month in the fifth round. Really liked what he was able to do at the end of last year. I think Leftwich will win the starting qb job in Tampa and provide a much bigger arm than Jeff Garcia did. The addition of Kellen Winslow should draw attention and help open things up for him as well.

7. Eddie Royal- a pretty impressive rookie year but I think most people will sleep on him since he no longer has Cutler as his quarterback. Orton should be able to get him the ball well enough, he is a good route-runner with exceptional speed. With Brandon Marshall requesting a trade now his value is only increasing.

8. Greg Olsen- I’ve mentioned him a couple times and he was also recently featured in an article by ESPN’s John Clayton about 10 young offensive players who could hit it big in 09’ http://tr.im/ouEn. I’d love to get him here.

9. Donnie Avery- inconsistent last year but showed flashes of brilliance. Definitely worth a shot in the later rounds. Will be more valuable playing at home on the turf, but has a great opportunity to put up numbers in the NFC West.

10. Leon Washington- He’s ended his holdout and I’d expect his contract situation to be resolved by time the season starts. Ryan will run much more this year. This is a transition year for the Jets running game with Thomas Jones toward the tail end of his career and rookie Greene not quite there yet. Washington should be involved in many short passes to get Sanchez more confidence, giving him many opportunities for big plays. Especially valuable in PPR league’s.

11. Green Bay Defense- switching to the 3-4. Had a great draft in my opinion getting B.J. Raji and Clay Matthews to go along with an already good group of linebackers of A. J Hawk, Nick Barnett and Aaron Kampman will now be playing on the outside. Older in the secondary but Woodson and Harris showed they can still play last year.

12. Stephen Gostkowski- if Tom Brady can stay healthy and they return to anywhere near their 07’ form, he will be the most coveted kicker.

If this ended up being my team I would be thrilled. Every player would be great value in the round he was chosen in, if not steals. In a PPR league that starts a flex this team would be very strong, with my strengths being pass-catching rb’s. If I had to depend on my receivers I would be a little less confident. What do you think?

Every year I seem to draft with somebody who doesn’t do any homework at all and basically drafts his team based on what he saw in 08’ or years past. You’ll probably see him picking up a fantasy magazine on the way to the draft and asking everybody a million questions during the draft about who is on what team now, who is injured and other things of that nature. On one hand it’s good because you know they will miss opportunities only drafting players they are comfortable with. On the other hand, you know this will be the first guy to start talking trash if somehow his team gets off to a hot start and he really has no idea what he’s doing. I guess that’s one of the reasons this game is so popular.

If you are one of those people, congratulations on making the effort to do some research this year, you might want to check out some player rankings and my other blog entries as well. As a matter of fact, I would prefer that you go there now, this article will only help you slack even more.

Here’s a quick rundown of what the slacker’s team might look like this year for all you real gm's out there based on current player rankings, mock drafts and who I feel should be available. For the sake of time I just choose to pick 6th because it’s in the middle and to only have 12 rounds:

1. LT- although he’s going in the 2nd round of most expert drafts, this guy still thinks he’s a top 3 value.

2. Clinton Portis- may actually provide good value in the second round but he’s just picking him because he knows Clinton plus the only strategy he’s ever heard is RB RB is the first two rounds, so he’s probably missing out here.

3. Steve Smith- again, just picking a player he knows and filling a position of need.

4. Terrell Owens- hears about him every day in the news, always slips down draft boards because of the gamble associated with his personality but doesn’t stop this guy from taking him.

5. Jay Cutler- here is where he really starts getting hurt. Picks Jay Cutler to fill a need and because he’s heard all about him being traded to the Bears. He really loses out with much better value available for quarterbacks in my opinion.

6. Chad Johnson- hasn’t been in camp all year but this guy is shocked he’s still available. Tons of other huge potential like Lee Evans, Eddie Royal and DeSean Jackson but he knows Ocho Cinco therefore he plays it safe.

7. Darren Sproles- I may be giving him a little too much credit here backing up his #1 pick with a fairly solid value in the 7th round.

8. Kellen Winslow- knows he needs a TE so picks Winslow despite the risk…might actually be good value here though.

9. Torry Holt – here is where savvy players really take advantage of guys that don’t know what they’re doing. Missing out on more huge potential like Felix Jones, Donnie Avery or Anthony Gonzalez who might be available but they have no clue.

10. Philadelphia Defense- an older defense that lost Brian Dawkins, not the greatest value here.

11. Matt Hasselback- picks a backup qb instead of investing in another rb.

12. David Akers- picks a kicker and defense on the same team. Not a real big deal but I never liked it because if you’re defense is playing well, the team will probably be winning and the offense will have more of a tendency to run the ball and score less. Also too many players on the same team puts you at risk of being inconsistent due to poor matchups, especially in a tough division like the NFC East.

So as you can see the team is pretty old and injury prone. Also, not much potential here, you’re basically hoping that these players can keep putting up the same numbers. They almost always end up picking players based on where they are and not what they could become...that is what fantasy fooball is all about, especially toward the later rounds. Finding those players that have high ceilings and potential, but you'll only know of those players if you do your homework.

Like the old adage goes, "not preparing is preparing to fail". Well, I guess there’s always the waiver wire. Keep an eye out for my all potential team coming out next.

These two coveted rookie quarterbacks will be forever linked as being the top two quarterbacks taken in the 2009 NFL Draft. Only time will tell who will end up being the best, however I believe one has a distinctive advantage already…

One can only imagine the amount of pressure and responsibility these two young men have on their shoulders. Once you get past the hype and the big contracts there is a much bigger task at hand…earning the respect of the locker room.

There are many examples of young quarterbacks not earning the respect of their teammates. A classic example is one Joey Harrington. Just never fit in and established himself as one of the boys in Detroit. His nickname was “champagne Joey” and his piano playing performance didn’t help much either. I actually had the pleasure of sitting next to him at a Detroit Tigers vs. Boston Red Sox game in 2005. He had his hat very low, talked with my friends and I a bit with a little cockiness but the most surprising thing of the whole experience…He came by HIMSELF.

At the time I really respected him for it and still do knowing how much the Detroit fans hated him at the time. However, it spoke volumes about his relationships with his teammates in my opinion. I mean the starting quarterback of an NFL team couldn’t get one other guy to go with him to the baseball game? The funny thing is that he did say some of the other guys were on the way but they never showed. Not a shocker that a guy like this wouldn’t succeed at leading a professional football team. He is now the third string quarterback in New Orleans and recently had this to say about Detroit when asked last year in the week 16 game against the Lions about their performance in 2008:

“Yeah, I guess I was here in their heyday”

I guess he can laugh now, but the point is that Harrington’s inability to win over the locker room had a big effect on his performance. So now the question is; out of Stafford and Sanchez, who seems to be gaining the respect of their teammates quicker? Without question the answer is Matthew Stafford.

A photo shoot and a couple pictures from a Nascar outing at Talladega have made all the difference in the image of these two youngsters. While Sanchez is posing for GQ looking like a Baywatch lifeguard, Stafford is keepin' it real with a backwards hat, cut-off shirt and a keg over his head. Ironically, pictures that got him in trouble while he was in college at Georgia are helping his image in the eyes of his teammates in the NFL.

I first heard about these pics of Stafford a while ago but Tom “The Killer” Kowalski wrote a good article for mlive.com recently about how these pictures are earning Stafford respect in the locker room:

http://www.mlive.com/lions/index.ssf/2009/06/tom_kowalski_on_wbbl_controver.html

By the way, Stafford’s teammates are not the only one’s who are gaining his respect. Check out what his new head coach Jim Schwartz had to say about him recently:

http://www.mlive.com/lions/index.ssf/2009/06/jim_schwartz_matthew_staffords.html

At Jets camp things are a bit different. Jets kicker Jay Feely wrote on his twitter page recently “Should be another fun day for our boy Sanchez today … GQ photo shoot came out and he is taking heat!!!” Feely wrote earlier, “Sanchez was a common target from the moment he introduced himself.”

So, will these two be compared with Vince Young and Matt Leinart or more with Matt Ryan and Joe Flacco? My guess is somewhere in between, but Stafford has the early edge and the potential to break out to a point where he will not even be linked with Sanchez very much anymore.

Sanchez reminds me all to much of Harrington and they even played in the same weak defensive conference, the Pac 10. I’m not saying that Sanchez will be a complete bust like Harrington, but I’m not saying he’s the next Joe Nameth either. Don’t underestimate the value of fitting in with your teammates and the effect that their image will have on the young quarterbacks performance. The fantasy value may not be there for either of these guys yet, however their fates could be pre-determined by their teammates already.

I wanted to let you guys know a bit about the new website I’m working with FantasyCrowd.com. Although the site is in it’s first year, it’s pretty legit.

With the site undergoing a complete overhaul in the last 8 months and insiders that have been playing fantasy football since Jerry Rice was the #1 overall pick and they hand-calculated their weekly point totals, they have everything a fantasy sports enthusiast would ever want.

The whole point behind FantasyCrowd.com (I call it FC or just “The Crowd”) is to combine the social aspects of facebook like creating a profile and updating your status with a focus on fantasy sports, mainly fantasy football. So it’s like a facebook for fantasy sports. Their insiders have helped thousands with their questions and hundreds win their league championships with expert tips and advice over the years.

My favorite thing about the site besides my fantasy focus weekly blog is the activity page. You can easily find it by clicking on it from the home page (first tab over on the navigation bar). Here you’ll be able to see everything that the members of the site have been doing. You’ll find links to blog posts, user comments, new polls created, new contests, groups created and more.

Now, you may be saying well that’s great but I already have a hard enough time keeping up with all my facebook friends and twitter followers…what do I need to belong to another social site for? Well, that’s a good point, I’m not going to tell you that this site will be your savior and the only thing that you’ll want to visit on the web. However, it might just be and what’s the worst that can happen? If you don’t like it you only spent a couple minutes creating a profile and checking the site out. It’s free to join and I promise they don’t bite.

Another nice thing about “the crowd” is that you don’t have to be an expert to join. Have you ever participated in a fantasy league where you felt kinda out of place? Maybe you were one of the last to join because somebody dropped out and they needed one, or maybe you’ve been in the same league for years and just don’t feel like the other players have the same passion for fantasy sports that you do. Head on over to FC and we’ll be like your local watering hole for fantasy sports. Tell us about your week, ask us questions about your struggles, or come to talk some trash and brag about how well your team is doing (but beware, we have some real fantasy insiders here so don’t think we won’t call you out if you’re info isn’t up to snuff).

I may be a bit bias because they are from Detroit like me and they were nice enough to hire me as their senior writer but hey they do really know their stuff and they are really good guys in my opinion, especially if a portion of the proceeds go to charity.

Stay informed and stay connected with them by signing up for the monthly newsletters, reading the fantasy focus weekly or following them on twitter. They are also currently running an incentive program to sign up more members. If you sign 10 people up you get a free 150-page draft kit that is pure fantasy knowledge. If you sign up 25 people you get a free “Go Pro” membership upgrade, which gets you the draft kit, live chat support from our fantasy insiders plus access to the secure “vault”.

So, what are you waiting for? Got fantasy…Join the crowd.

Had the opportunity to do a mock draft with one of the best fantasy football insiders around Dave Richard (@daverichard) from CBS Sports today. You can view the full results here http://tr.im/nmq0 and Dave’s opinion on his draft here http://tr.im/nmqk.

Here is how I fared drafting out of the # 3 spot and a couple of my thoughts on each pick:

1. Matt Forte- stuck to my chart…used to drafting for a PPR league which I think he will be much more valuable in. I’m sure we will debate Forte vs. Turner much more in the months to come.

2. Brandon Jacobs- no more Derrick Ward, no more Plax= more touches for a touchdown machine.

3, Kurt Warner- MVP type #’s last year. Has all his pieces coming back plus Beanie Wells. I believe Dave made an instant message comment before the draft saying that he doesn’t think Arizona will run that much more because they have Wells now but that they will run more effectively. I agree and loved getting Warner here.

4. Terrell Owens- questionable motivation if they don’t win early, unproven qb, plus playing in cold winter…don’t love the pick.

5. Antonio Bryant- Always looking for good value but at this point comfortable with my core and went more for potential with this pick plus Winslow will open the field up more for him.

6. DeSean Jackson- playmaker, in what could become an even much more explosive offense…comments during the draft were that a receiver that has that good of a rookie season usually won’t suffer a sophomore letdown. Like him at the flex position.

7. Greg Olsen- He is a player featured on my 10 good looks for your 09' fantasy football team article that I am very high on this year.

8. Donald Driver- a pretty reliable receiver that plays Detroit twice a year…not bad in the 8th round.

9. Jerious Norwood- a good bye-week fill-in with tons of potential.

10. Ravens- don’t need to say much about this one, with the Steelers D off the board a full round earlier, thought this was a good place for them.

11. Shaun Hill- not thrilled w this pick, has potential but many other qb’s w potential available on the wire as well.

12. Neil Rackers- fourth kicker taken, high scoring offense…nuff said.

13. Muhsin Muhammad- probably should’ve picked a better flier here.

14. Tashard Choice- actually like this pick…I expect either him or Felix Jones to surprise a lot of people with their stats this year.

All in all I was very pleased with my draft, especially considering it was my first mock of the year, was with some other very knowledgeable fantasy players and the fact that I was working on the phones while it was taking place (gotta love multi-tasking).

Usually I’m more comfortable drafting later in the first but loved what fell to me in this draft. I also usually wait until the later rounds to draft a quarterback but after having Kurt Warner on my team last year I felt he gave great value in the 3rd round.

Weaknesses would be backup quarterback and running backs in my opinion, but really like how my starting lineup rounded out getting a top TE, Defense and Kicker. Probably should’ve drafted another running back a little higher for the flex position. Obviously drafting as high as number three the performance of Forte will be a big factor on the success of my team along with the health of Kurt Warner and the success of Buffalo and T.O. Ironically, I also like “Clinched Last Place’s” draft and JS Cobras too.

My Best Pick- Kurt Warner

My Worst Pick- Terrell Owens

Thanks again to Dave for putting this mock draft together. It was good to get the rust off early. I'd love to hear what you guys think of my draft and look forward to more mocks in the future.

I never used to get excited about the football season until about August, but after winning my first money league last year and getting much more involved in the trash talking, I’m looking forward to it already. With June here and August right around the corner I thought I would compile a short list of fantasy football insiders, experts and enthusiasts on twitter to help keep you informed and also included a bonus top 10 NFL players on twitter:

1. @fantasycrowd1- An awesome new site positioning themselves as the facebook of fantasy sports. Create a profile, update your status, read the blogs, make a comment, create a league, talk trash with other fantasy players of your caliber, get a draft kit…pretty much everything you need in one spot if you’re a fantasy sports enthusiast.

2. @daverichard, Dave Richard- NFL stat predictor and talent evaluator for cbssportsline.com. One of the best around, you can check out his columns here http://www.cbssports.com/columns/writers/richard and he is also featured in weekly fantasy football videos.

3. @fftoolbox- One of my favorite fantasy football websites. They have tons of free features on their site like 3rd year receivers, running backs +29, strength of schedule and much more. I’d highly recommend their site and following them on twitter.

4. @ffcalculator- Gives updated average draft positions weekly with data from thousands of drafts and color-coded so it’s easy to read. They also have a Lineup Calculator to find who to start/sit, analyze trades, and find free agents with. Instantly see if a trade will improve or hurt your team. Check out their blog for more info http://fantasyfootballcalculator.com/blog/.

5. @ffootball Hourly updates about everything from 09’ team outlooks, to who’s missing OTA’s, to who is trying the wildcat offense and even a glimpse of Michael Vick’s new life…yeah they’re on top of things.

6. @draftsharks- Fantasy Football Leaders Since 1999. Free weekly start/sit, pick-up/drop and weekly rankings. Timely updates on NFL headlines and player news along with a handy fantasy football forum.

7. @ff101- beginning their 5th season of Fantasy Football 101 this August on www.sportsradio1450.com. They’ll bring you injury updates, who to play and who not play, as well as their studs, duds and sleepers every Saturday morning at 8:05am.

8. @vote4parag- a self-proclaimed “average guy” however has proven himself to be very knowledgeable and definitely worth a follow. Check out his comment on the first ever twitter fantasy mock draft http://tr.im/mS5Z.

9. @mikepera- Owner and Creator of FantasyDraftTools.com. A tool that helps league commissioners organize their draft much easier. Fantasy Football, Fantasy Baseball and Fantasy Hockey Draft Tool / Cheatsheet.

10. @familyfantasy- Fantasy sports are very popular nowadays and this site caters to kids and grown-ups that would like to enjoy fantasy sports in a family atmosphere. Their fantasy leagues are designed to be simple to use and provide endless opportunities for kids and grownups to spend time together and build stronger, healthier relationships.

By the way, if you haven’t tried twitter yet you are really missing out in my humble opinion. One can really find a wealth of useful up-to-date information, entertaining material and make connections with many others that you otherwise wouldn’t have the opportunity to. Here are my top 10 NFL players that use twitter and their twitter profile names. Oh and don’t forget to follow me too @daveseidl ;):

1. Larry Fitzgerald @lfitzgerald11

2. Terrell Owens @terrellowens81

3. Matt Forte @chitownforte22

4. Steve Slaton @thadoubles

5. Steven Jackson @sj39

6. Shawne Merriman @shawnemerriman

7. Mark Sanchez @mark_sanchez

8. Matt Hasselbeck @matthewhass008

9. Chris Cooley @thecooleyzone

10. Champ Bailey @champbailey