Fantasy Football GM's

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

Hey Everybody,

Just wanted to give you a brief intro about me. My goal is simply to provide useful information and help you guys and gals enjoy your fantasy sports more.

I'm really honored to have been hired to be the senior writer for fantasycrowd.com recently. The owner came across this blog when I signed up for a profile there, like my writing here and offered me a position a couple days later. I feel very lucky that I get write about something I'm so passionate about. When I first started this blog I just wanted to make a few posts and see what happened, so I apologize that I never really introduced myself to those who don't know me.

I'm a 27-year-old fantasy sports enthusiast originally from Detroit and now living in Chicago. As the "About me" section says; Yes, I am a Lions fan, and yes it does suck. Anyways, I graduated from Oakland University in 2006 with a major in communications and minor in marketing. I’ve been working in sales since 2003 and am currently a web consultant for Web Works.

I’ve been playing fantasy sports for about five years now, but like to think that I picked up on it relatively quickly. I won the first free league I ever joined on ESPN when I had Steve Smith and OchoCinco in their primes and was hooked ever since. I won my first money league championship last year in the IDP (individual defensive player) league I’ve been in for three years now. It was a thriller, I ended up winning on one of the last plays of the season when the Bears blocked Mason Crosby’s kick.

My claim to fame in my fantasy career so far has been my waiver wire pickups. Last year I got Kurt Warner the day he was announced the started and well…we all know how well he played in 08’. I really like to study the wire each week and am not afraid to make a bold pickup or two, of course that means you have to be willing to drop somebody on your current team and I have a neat little weekly feature in mind just for this situation…stay tuned. I took so much heat from it one year that I mockingly named my team “The Waiver Wire Legends”. Granted the key is to pick well enough in your draft you won’t have to worry about the waiver wire so much, but my feeling is you can never have enough good players and even if you’re not using them at least nobody else can.

I also go by “Detroit Dave” in many of my leagues now. I would only really consider myself a fantasy football specialist but am pretty well versed in baseball, basketball, college football, college basketball and golf as well.

I’ve been playing real sports ever since I can remember. My first love was baseball, and then moved to basketball, then golf and now football. I played a mean two-bag in high school baseball until I broke my ankle my junior year. I also made for a good 6-7th man off the bench in basketball during my first two years, known for my 3-point shooting but just didn’t have the stamina or desire to play on the varsity level. I was the player of the year for my high school golf team in 2000 and also have a hole-in-one to my credit.

I certainly can’t take credit for the massive amounts of knowledge, stats and otherwise useless information (if it weren’t for fantasy sports) I’ve accumulated over the years. I’ve been blessed with a great group of sports nuts around me from friends, family members, co-workers and neighbors.

I wouldn’t feel right about this article without mentioning my mentor is sports, Al Giroux. Originally from Canada and my neighbor for many years, Al and I have watched just about every Detroit sporting event this decade and attended many of them as well. He really opened my eyes to the role that coaches and refs have in different sports along with how much injuries and psyches can make a difference in a player or teams success. Without a doubt the most knowledgeable sports fan I know. I wouldn’t be where I am today without him.

If there’s anything else you’d like to know feel free to ask or follow me on twitter. I welcome all feedback and look forward to interacting with everybody soon!

Some call them sleepers, others may call them value picks…I like to refer to them as “good looks”. Like in basketball when a player makes a good pass, they say “good look”. In other words, players worth taking a good look at. Always lookin’ out for you, here are some good looks to keep in mind for your 2009 fantasy draft:

1. Matt Forte- Almost everybody has Adrian Peterson going first, but what about second? Well, on April 3, 2009 Matt Forte went from being a fantasy stud, to serious consideration for this spot when the Bears acquired not only Jay Cutler but also massive OT Orlando Pace. Jay Cutler’s arm will open up the field for Forte and if Pace can stay healthy, watch out for a monster year from the second year back.

2. Michael Turner- the NIU product and former LT backup took the fantasy world by storm last year. Add Tony Gonzalez and give Matt Ryan another year under his belt and the sky is the limit. Absolute tree trunks for legs, a tackler’s worst nightmare and a good look at the two or three spot.

3. Maurice Jones-Drew (MJD)- I wouldn’t put him in the AP, Forte, Turner class just yet, but worth a good look in the mid first round. With Taylor off to New England and the Jags investing early picks on the o-line (Eugene Monroe, Eben Britton), this sneaky little running back has the potential to carry a team, especially in a PPR league.

4. Calvin Johnson- Ever heard of the third year receiver theory? Call me a homer but Daunte Culpepper is 30 pounds lighter and reunited with his former offensive coordinator Scott Linehan. The Lions new offense is set up for vertical passing…Think Randy Moss circa 2000. In case you were wondering, 15 TD’s over 1400 yards. Of course, it is a risky pick because if they get off to a bad start again they could be forced to play the rookie Stafford. But on the bright side, they should be trailing in many games, thus forced to throw the ball more. There should be a run on top tier receivers in the second round, and CJ is a good look there.

5. Pierre Thomas- Don’t forget about the PT Cruiser. A back getting goaline touches in one the leagues most potent offenses. He was a pleasant surprise for many who took a chance on him off the waiver wire late 2008. Runs and catches well, and proved to be a very effective compliment to Reggie Bush. Expect him to pick up where he left off and an excellent look in the third round.

6. Chris “Beanie” Wells- This guy couldn't have come into a better situation. I've heard him compared to the one and only Jim Brown, so his potential is through the roof. Although Wells is not a perfect fit for the Cardinals system because they run a lot of spread offense, he will have many holes to run through and he attacks the line of scrimmage very well. He should have many opportunities to score in the potent Arizona offense. Injury questions are the only down side here, but worth a good look in the early mid rounds 4-6.

7. Felix Jones- Only played in 6 games last year, but worth a look in rounds 6-8. Although Dallas has a well-balanced offense even without T.O. I expect the run and Felix Jones to get more involved. I love Marion Barber but I have a hunch that his violent running style could keep him out of some games this year, opening the door for Felix and his explosive speed. An especially good look for Barber owners to handcuff their investment in the Cowboy backfield.

8. Greg Olsen- word on the street is that Olsen and Cutler have good chemistry already. Cutler’s main tight end in Denver Tony Scheffler was involved quite a bit and with Chicago’s lack of quality wide receiver’s I would expect many targets and good numbers from Olsen this year. Check out what he had to say on his blog about Cutler http://tr.im/lX8A. Many people will have him as their fourth tight end on the board but I think his numbers will be more worthy of being the first or second tight end taken, thus creating a good look in the mid rounds.

9. Carson Palmer- a risky pick coming off an injury and losing a great possession receiver like Houshmanzadeh. Many gm’s will sleep on him because of this, however the Bengals picked up some intriguing new weapons in the draft for him. Massive OT Andre Smith protecting him should bode well for his production along with finally having a pass-catching TE in Chase Coffman. Coffman won the Mackey Award last season as college football’s top tight end and the Bengals picked him 98th overall in the third round. Look for Palmer to provide great value in rounds 10 and lower.

10. Bernard Berrian- Favre comeback or not, the Minnesota offense will be improved with the addition of Percy Harvin and OT Phil Loadholt. Berrian would have downfield opportunities if they put me in their backfield but defenses will obviously key in on Peterson, Harvin provides another distraction and before you know it double B is in the end zone. A decent two, strong number three receiver with potential to be even more if Favre comes back. Good look in rounds 7-9.

Hope you enjoyed the article. Let us know what you think, spread the word, or follow us on twitter at http://www.twitter.com/fantasycrowd1 or http://www.twitter.com/daveseidl.

Even though the media was talking about Favre's return last summer at nauseum, I was still surprised that he came back. After the Jets released him recently and he reportedly met with Vikings head coach Brad Childress this week, many people are predicting another Brett Favre comeback. I wanted to make sure that I was prepared this year, so I have compiled a short list of the effect he would have on the fantasy football season this year if he did decide to comeback again and play for the Minnesota Vikings.

It should be noted that he probably will need surgery on his bicep in order to return but he has ample time to take care of that if he chooses and also that he has said in interviews that he is confident he has played his last game in the NFL. However, if you recall he originally wanted to go to Minnesota last year because of his relationship with Brad Childress and this would give him the opportunity to stick it to the Packers twice a year, who he didn't exactly have the greatest of endings with. Oh yeah, and he has only said about 8 times now that he will retire. All things considered, I think he will return next year and will have a good chance to not only have a successful season but a significant impact on fantasy football. Here are some fantasy football tips and advice on how to handle the situation:

• Being a Lions fan I have watched Brett carve up the Detroit defense many a times. However, it's no secret that he tends to throw a lot of picks. I love his gun-slinger mentality, however your fantasy opponents may also love the points he loses you as well. My feeling towards Brett in regards to my fantasy team has always been to try to get the skilled players around him, but not Brett himself for that reason. Sure you can probably get some good value for him in the later rounds but let somebody else draft him in the mid rounds because of his name if they want to. He does make other players around him better, but often at the expense of his own statistics.

• Particularly this year, I believe that you will benefit the most by having Bernard Berrian on your team. Defenses will obviously key in on Peterson, leaving the speedy Berrian many opportunities downfield. He even posted some decent stats last year without having a quarterback that throws a good deep ball, imagine what would happen with Favre throwing to him.
  

• I would expect Adrian Peterson's stats to increase even more this year with the Vikings investing in other offensive talent to surround him in the early rounds of this year's draft. We know he loves to throw to the tight end so Vincante Shianchoe is an obvious beneficiary as well, along with Percy Harvin. Don't count Percy out just because he's a rookie, remember how quickly Favre developed a rapport with Greg Jennings?

• Upgrade other players in the NFC North division a bit simply because Favre ( and Cutler) will make this a higher scoring division. So players like Aaron Rodgers, Calvin Johnson and Matt Forte will have more opportunities to put up points and thus should be moved up on your boards accordingly.

• I would expect the Packers defense to be fired up to play him, especially at Lambeau. I would also think that they would have a pretty good idea of his tendencies and how to defense him well. So, be sure to see if the Packers defense is available for this game, who might not be a bad defense anyways with the addition of rookies B. J. Raji and Clay Matthews.
  

• I probably don't have to tell you this, but the Lions defense would not be a good pickup for this game, or any other games for that matter.
  

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