Stock Up

Players whose stock is on the rise.

Sam Bradford, St. Louis Rams (QB) – Threw well during his first start as a pro quarterback.

Bottom Line: Fans are not interested in seeing A. J. Feeley under center in St. Louis.  Bradford showed a good command of the offense and looked ready to go for the season opener.  Barring injury I cannot think of a reason why Bradford would not start the season opener.

Derek Anderson, Arizona Cardinals (QB) – Anderson will start the Cards’ third preseason game.

Bottom Line: It is a rather telling sign when the backup quarterback gets the call for the third preseason game which is generally seen as a “dress rehearsal” for the season opener.

Jermichael Finley, Green Bay Packers (TE) – Caught six more passes against Indy.

Bottom Line: Finley has been lights out in the preseason and there is a lot of buzz about him being one of the breakout fantasy stars this season.

Sammie Stroughter, Tampa Bay Buccaneers (WR) – Stroughter is expected to start this weekend at one of the receiver positions.

Bottom Line: It has been widely speculated that Arrelious Benn and Mike Williams would open the season as the top two guys, but it would appear that Strougher remains a favorite of head coach Raheem Morris.

Brandon Gibson/Danny Amendola (WR) – Gibson and Amendola combined to catch 9 passes Thursday.

Bottom Line: With Donnie Avery out for the foreseeable future Gibson and Amendola should benefit by moving up the depth chart and becoming the team’s two starting wide outs.

Stock Down

Players whose stock is on the decline.

Donnie Avery, St. Louis Rams (WR) – Avery went down in a heap during the game against New England and never returned.

Bottom Line: It was reported after the game that Avery suffered what appeared to be a significant knee injury.  Unless one hears otherwise owners should probably not count on Avery giving them any kind of significant numbers the first half of the season, if at all.

Matt Leinart, Arizona Cardinals (QB) – Leinart will be the #2 guy for the Cards third preseason game.

Bottom Line: It is never a good thing when the starter gets demoted to second string for the third preseason game.  Unless Anderson falls on his face this weekend Leinart is probably destined for the bench and his days in Arizona could be numbered.

Donald Brown, Indianapolis Colts (RB) – Ran for just six yards on five carries.

Bottom Line: Brown has run for just 25 yards on 14 carries and 13 of those yards came on one carry.

Here is the thing, Bobby, anyone with half a clue already knew you were not leaving of your own free will, so why bring it back up again.  We all knew you were grasping at straws hoping you could turn it around the way Joe Paterno did after a string of mediocrity in the early 2000′s.  Sure Paterno was able to hold onto his job despite a run of 26-33 from 2000 to 2004 which is a far sight worse than the 38-27 record you put up in the five seasons since 2004.

The thing is your teams were mediocre in what has been a pretty mediocre conference the last few years.  You started losing home games to teams you never used to lose to, even on the road.  You simply were not bringing in scads of elite talent any more.  The fact is a lot of players Bowden used to recruit, red shirt, and squirrel away on the bench for two or three years started going to other schools like USF where they knew they would get a chance to compete and start by the end of the Sophomore year and would not have to sit on the bench for two or three seasons hoping they might get into a game.

Bobby says he wanted just one more year to have a go at it, but, would he have really left quietly after next season?  What if the ‘Noles did the unthinkable and won 10 or 11 games next season?  We all know Bobby would have kept his fat behind right there at FSU for another season.  He wanted just one more year to see if he could recapture that magic and hang onto his job for another two or three years.

What really gets me about it all though is how he has said that his relationship with Wetherell may be irreparably damaged.  You see Bowden thought he had Wetherell in his back pocket because he coached him back in the day and helped get his gig as the school’s president.  He figured there was no way Wetherell would fire his old college coach.

It seems awfully petty for Bowden to hold any of this against Wetherell though.  Has he not been paying attention to how unhappy the boosters have been with the program for the last two or three years?  Does he not remember when a group of well-heeled alumni passed the hat to collect enough cash to buy out the remainder of his son’s (Jeff Bowden) contract so they could go out and hire Jimbo Fisher to replace him as the offensive coordinator?

Bobby has to know Wetherell was acting under the direction of the school’s board of directors does he not?  I am pretty sure he was probably told that if he did not get Bowden out of the way they would probably find someone who would.  It was either Bowden goes or both he and Bowden would go, ironically enough Wetherell has since left the school since then on his own accord.  Sure Wetherell says it was his decision to let Bowden go, but does anyone really believe it was his decision and his alone to be made?

But I guess I just do not understand why he cannot simply let it go.  He saw the writing on the wall when they hired Jimbo Fisher as his eventual successor.  He knew the boosters were ready for a change.  He would have a case if his teams were actually producing on the field, but they were not doing anything dozens of other coaches could have done in his place.  He was no longer an elite head coach and it was simply time for him to go.  It is sad that he could not come to those terms on his own, and it is kind of sad to see him speak out the way he has.

Stock Up

Players whose stock is on the rise.

Dez Bryant, Dallas Cowboys (WR) – Bryant had the walking boot removed and hopes to begin running again next week.

Bottom Line: This is good news for the Dallas offense as Bryant appears to be recovering sooner rather than later.  The initial diagnosis of his high ankle sprain had him potentially being out of action until September.  It sounds as though he might be able to get himself back in time for the team’s fourth or fifth preseason game and get some game time prior to the season opener.

Fred Taylor, New England Patriots (RB) – Ran for 54 yards on 11 carries including a 28-yard touchdown run in the first quarter.

Bottom Line: Taylor may be on the downside of his career but it looks like he has a little something left to give the Pats.

Wes Welker, New England Patriots (WR) – Caught a pair of passes against the Falcons.

Bottom Line: The fact that Welker is back on the field this soon is great news for the Patriots.  Barring a major set back this means Welker should be on the field week one.

Aaron Hernandez, New England Patriots (TE) – Hernandez grabbed four passes including one for a touchdown against the Falcons.

Bottom Line: Hernandez leads the Pats with 7 catches in the preseason and appears to be the #1 tight end on their depth chart right now.

Danny Amendola, St. Louis Rams (WR) – Amendola is reportedly turning some heads in Rams camp this summer and some are saying he has looked like the best guy out there at times.

Bottom Line: With no real established veteran receivers on the roster Amendola has as good of a chance as any to win a starting job this summer.  Keep an eye on him in the preseason games and see if he gets any time with the first offense.  He could end up being a good sleeper pick.

Stock Down

Antonio Bryant, Cincinnati Bengals (WR) – Bryant has been ruled out of this week’s preseason game against Philly and has yet to return to practice or resume running for that matter.

Bottom Line: With Jordan Shipley leading the team in receptions over the first two preseason games and making himself at home in the slot, Bryant’s days in Cincy appear to be numbered.  I have a hard time seeing the Bengals hanging onto him if he cannot even get himself onto the practice field within the next week or so.

Players whose stock is on the decline.

News & Notes From Around the League

The Giants have decided to hold Eli Manning out of this weekend’s game against the Steelers.  There is probably nothing to be worried about here and it is probably more of a precautionary move than anything else.  If this were a regular season game one can assume that Manning would probably be out there playing.

Jim Sorgi will miss the balance of the preseason due to a shoulder injury leaving the Giants with just two healthy quarterbacks, Rhett Bomar and Dominic Randolph, heading into this weekend’s game with the Steelers.

Look for Nate Davis to see some playing time with the first team offense at some point this preseason.  The Niners already know that David Carr is not a long term solution and they want to find out how much Davis has progressed since last summer.

Tim Tebow left practice early Wednesday with an undisclosed injury.  There are some reports saying he was wearing a flack jacket and that he is dealing with a rib injury.

Ramses Barden came away from Monday’s game with some lower back issues.  No word on whether the Giants intend on holding him out of this weekend’s game against Pittsburgh.

Kroy Biermann has recorded a sack in each of the Falcons two preseason games.

Joseph Addai has scored touchdowns in each of the Colts two preseason games.

… the Seattle Mariners were dubbed the favorites to win the American League West after dealing for Cliff Lee?  I was never one that jumped on that bandwagon simply because there best power hitter was Milton Bradley and they are a team full of guys who, aside from Ichiro and maybe Chone Figgins, are probably not hitting any higher than sixth or seventh on most other teams’ lineups.

… Phil Hughes looked like a legit Cy Young candidate?  Since starting the year 5-0 with a 1.38 ERA Hughes has gone 9-5 with a 4.98 ERA.

… Joba Chamberlain was going to be the next coming of Roger Clemens?  Since the beginning of the ’09 season Chamberlain is 10-10 with a 4.81 ERA.  It just goes to show that having a 95 MPH heater means nothing in the majors if you cannot locate it consistently and back it up with other quality pitches.  One can only wonder if Joba gets as much hype as he did if he pitches for any other team than the Yankees.

… Alex Rodriguez was a mortal lock to claim the career home run record?  He still has a realistic shot at doing it if he still has another five or six quality years in him where he can hit in the neighborhood of 30 homers.  His home run numbers have dropped of quite a bit in the past couple of years and one only wonders if it has to do with getting off the juice or if the hip injury has sapped him of some of his power.

… some of the experts on ESPN were trying to tell us that Jason Heyward was a potential MVP candidate at the beginning of the season?  Don’t get me wrong Heyward is a great talent but guys simply do not come up to the majors at the age of 20 and being putting up the numbers it takes to dethrone a guy like Albert Pujols.

… Todd Helton used to strike fear in the hearts of opposing pitchers and managers?  It is kind of sad to see a once great hitter struggle the way he has the last few years.

… the Rockies were the odds on favorites to win the National League West without too much effort?  What happened to the Rockies this season?  They actually have a legit ace and now it is all they can do to stay above .500.

… the Dodgers actually mattered in the National League West?  The team’s typically reliable pitching has let them down this year and without Manny being Manny the team is without a marquee bat to help pick up the pitching staff this season.

… Omar Minaya was a rising star amongst baseball GMs?  How far has this guys star fallen since taking over in New York for the Mets?  To be honest given all of the money he has spent since getting there and only one 90-win season and one playoff appearance I am kind of surprised he still has a job.  He has handed out some big time contracts to guys who have not come close to living up to them.

… Johan Santana was regarded as the best pitcher in all of baseball? We have not heard a whole lot about him the past couple of years in New York have we?

… Jason Bay was actually someone opposing teams had to be concerned about?  Man has that been one of the worst free agent deals in recent memory or what?

… nobody had Big Papi making through the month of May as a member of the Red Sox?  He still is not hitting lefties at all but he has bounced back to put up some respectable numbers and should hit 30-plus homers and drive in 100 runs this season.  Who woulda thunk it after hitting just .143 with one homer and four RBIs in the month of April?

… Tim Lincecum was arguably the most dominant pitcher going?  It is interesting to see his numbers drop off as much as they have in what has been the year of the pitcher in the National League.

The thing I do not really get is why is Carmelo Anthony that fired up to go to the Knicks?  I mean sure they have Amare’ Stoudemire and sure they play the up tempo type of game ‘Melo likes, but let us face facts here.  Stoudemire is one of the most overrated players in the league and Mike D’Antoni is one of the most overrated coaches going.

Sure the Knicks would be a force to be reckoned with in the East if they were to add Anthony to their current roster, but, the thing is they have no winners on that roster.  D’Antoni excelled at getting the Suns to the playoffs but he did little else with them.  His career postseason record is only 26-25.  His record when getting out of the first round is only 13-17.  The series in which his teams were eliminated never went seven games and typically only went five.

Simply put D’Antoni’s system is good enough to get teams into the postseason, but is not good enough for postseason success simply because he refuses to acknowledge the notion that teams need to play a little bit of defense to win a championship.  D’Antoni is his generation’s Don Nelson.  His teams are entertaining and he wins a ton of regular season games, but they always come up short in the post season because they are finesse teams that play little defense and lack an overall toughness teams need to win when it matters in the NBA.

Then there is the question of who is going to lead this team.  Amare’?  ‘Melo?  Neither of those guys are really leaders.  Amare’ has never been one to rally the troops or a guy his teammates rally around.  He has a rap for being a bit of a soft player who tends to disappear in big games at times.

Do not get me wrong Carmelo is a great ball player, but he is not a leader.  Is it merely co-incidental that the Nuggets never got out of the first round in the playoffs until they got Chauncey Billups?  Guys like Billups and Kenyon Martin are the leaders in Denver and Anthony is merely along for the ride.  Anthony is arguably the best scorer in the game, but, he does little to elevate his teammates around him the way championship players do.

The thing the Knicks need to realize is it takes more than rolling a bunch of guys who can score the basketball to win championships.  They need guys who can defend the basketball.  They need guys with some heart and toughness who teammates can rally around.  They need guys who can rebound the basketball and are not afraid to mix it up under the basket.  With or without Anthony who is going to do that for the Knicks?

Which leads me to ask why is Anthony jonesing to go to New York for in the first place?  It is not like D’Antoni is a better coach than George Karl is.  It is not like the Knicks have a better supporting cast than the Nuggets currently do.  What in the world is so attractive about being Amare’ Stoudemire’s running mate?  It is not like Stoudemire has a track record of winning big games himself.  For that matter it is not as though anyone on the Knicks current roster has a track record of winning in the post season.

The Knicks and Carmelo Anthony are both focused on the shiny object in the room and not taking into consideration whether Anthony is really a great fit for the Knicks goal of winning a title, and Anthony is not taking into consideration whether the Knicks really have the right framework in place to seriously contend for a championship.

If Anthony goes to New York he will not meet with significantly more success than what he has had in Denver.  The Knicks would be a definite playoff team, but I am not sure adding Anthony makes them any better than the Hawks or the Bucks right now.  They definitely are not as good as the Magic, Celtics, or the Heat.

Maybe the Knicks, or rather the city of New York, is the right match for Carmelo Anthony.  He has always struck me as a guy who is more interested in style over substance since coming in to the league anyway.

Stock Up

Players whose stock is on the rise.

Ahmad Bradshaw, New York Giants (RB) – Yes, he only managed -1 yards on 3 carries Monday Night, but he took a broken pass play for 51 yards.

Bottom Line: There has been a lot of speculation this summer about Bradshaw being elevated to the #1 spot in New York.  He began the game as the starter and the Giants have to love his big play ability and versatility at the position.

Kareem Huggins, Tampa Bay Buccaneers (RB) – Ran for 55 yards on 8 carries against Miami.

Bottom Line: With Derrick Ward struggling and Huggins showing improvement this summer there is a lot of speculation that Huggins is going to end up ahead of Ward on the depth chart by the end of the summer.

Stock Down

Players whose stock is on the decline.

Brandon Jacobs, New York Giants (RB) – Jacobs ran for just 2 yards on 4 carries, but he did find the end zone.

Bottom Line: Jacobs claimed he was changing his running style so that he would not go down as easily as he did last year.  He did not show anything on Monday night to suggest that it is working.  He had just two one yard carries and two carries where he was stuffed at the line.

Sidney Rice, Minnesota Vikings (WR) – Rice has begun running and doing cardio drills but he has yet to return to practice.

Bottom Line: It is sounding like Rice will not see any preseason action and may be ready for the regular season.  Not good news for the Vikes if they end up with Tarvaris Jackson or Sage Rosenfels at QB this year.

Derrick Ward, Tampa Bay Buccaneers (RB) – Ward ran for just 20 yards on 12 carries versus the Dolphins over the weekend.

Bottom Line: There is some speculation that the Bucs are considering cutting Ward loose on the heels of a disappointing season and what has reportedly been a lackluster camp thus far.  The Bucs know they are still rebuilding and are not likely to contend this season.  Do not be surprised to see Ward cut loose in favor of Huggins to save the team some money.

Anthony Dixon, San Francisco 49ers (RB) – Dixon’s stock is back down on the heels of the Niners signing Brian Westbrook.

Bottom Line: With the retirement of Glen Coffee, Dixon was in line to be the primary backup to Frank Gore.  Westbrook changes all of that.  Dixon could still end up as the guy, however, as Westbrook still needs to prove on the field that he has anything left in the tank.

News & Notes From Around the League

Wes Welker did make the trip with the team to Atlanta but it is unknown whether he will participate in joint practices and whether he will play in Thursday’s game.  My guess is Belichick will wait until the third preseason game to get Welker some game action and see exactly where he is in terms of being ready for the opening game.

Ben Roethlisberger will play in the Steelers next preseason game, as to how much he will play, nobody is saying.  One would think that he is going to see some game action with the first team offense at some point this summer.

One should probably not read too much into Ramses Barden drawing a starting spot last night.  Yes, Barden has reportedly been one of the most improved players in camp this summer, but the Giants starting receivers are going to be Steve Smith and Hakeem Nicks unless one of them gets injured.  Mario Manningham, the other starter last season, will move to the slot this year and it did not make sense to start him on the outside when you are transitioning him to the slot this summer.

Bradshaw and Jacobs combined for just 1 yard on seven carries last night.

Do not jump on the Victor Cruz bandwagon just yet.  Yes, he had an eye-popping game last night, but what it ultimately means is Sinorice Moss’ job is in serious jeopardy this summer.  Cruz will likely end up the 4th or 5th receiver on the roster and be used as a kick returner in some fashion.

Cliff Lee, Texas Rangers – Cliff Lee seems to be the guy ESPN is pushing to win it right now and he arguably has been the best pitcher in the league this year.  One wonders if the no decisions he is racking up in Texas and the fact he missed the first few weeks of the season is going to cost him some votes when it comes time to select a winner.  However, the fact still remains that Lee is averaging over 8 innings per start, has walked just 9 batters in 20 starts, and has an absurd 15.2:1 strikeout to walk ratio.

David Price, Tampa Bay Rays – Of the three pitchers tied for the lead league in wins Price has the better ERA by quite a margin.  Opponents are hitting just .226 against him and he is averaging 8.22 strikeouts per nine innings.  The biggest thing working against him is his inexperience.  Price is about 17 innings short of his career high and with the Rays being in the playoff mix they are likely going to start pushing some of his starts back to keep him fresh for the stretch run in September.

Jon Lester, Boston Red Sox – Lester is the only pitcher who ranks in the top six in the league in wins (5th), innings (6th), strikeouts (3rd), ERA (5th), and WHIP (6th).  Will the Sox stay healthy enough to score enough runs for him to get to the 18 to 20 wins he is probably going to need to win the Award?

C. C. Sabathia, New York Yankees – Sabathia ranks second in the league in innings and 9th in the league in ERA.  He has the benefit of being the number one starter on the highest profile team in the league which will help win him some votes.  The one thing working against him right now is he has not been particularly sharp the last few weeks.  In his six starts since the break he is only 3-2 with a 3.30 ERA and opponents are hitting .304 against him.

Jered Weaver, Los Angeles Angels – Weaver leads the league in strikeouts, is fourth in innings, and 7th in ERA, however, he is only 11th in wins an on pace to win around 15 or 16 games which, in the end, is probably not going to be enough to garner enough votes.

Clay Buchholz, Boston Red Sox – Buchholz leads the league in ERA and his 13 wins are good for 5th in the league.  The biggest things working against him right now are he ranks only 39th in the league in strikeouts and is not even in the top 40 in the league in innings pitched.

Trervor Cahill, Oakland A’s – Cahill is second in the league in ERA and WHIP, eighth in wins, and opponents are hitting just .195 against him.  The biggest thing going against him right now are his low strikeout numbers and the fact that nobody really knows who he is.  If he played for one of the bigger market teams like Boston or New York we would probably be talking about him being a front runner right now.

Felix Hernandez, Seattle Mariners – If Hernandez pitched on any other team where he was getting any kind of support behind him he would probably be the front runner right now.  Too many times this year he has lost due to no run support or the bullpen being unable to hold a lead for him.  He leads the league in innings, is second in strikeouts, and fourth in ERA, however, a record in the neighborhood of 12-14 is simply not going to be good enough to get any more than some token sympathy votes from the writers.

Carl Pavano, Minnesota Twins – Pavano has the wins, a solid ERA, and is pitching for a team in playoff contention.  However, his ERA does rank him in the top 10 in the league and his strikeout numbers are pretty low.  Pavano is basically pitching well enough to have a 15-7 record but really is not dominating opponents enough to get a significant number of votes.

Phil Hughes, New York Yankees – Hughes has the second most wins in the league with 14, the only problem is that since the end of May his ERA is 4.84.  The Yankees are also going to start skipping some of his turns in the rotation to keep him fresh for October.

Stock Up

Players whose stock is on the rise.

Jake Delhomme, Cleveland Browns (QB) – Delhomme completed six of seven passes in the Browns preseason opener.

Bottom Line: The Browns need Delhomme to regain his confidence if they want to be competitive this season.  Completing six of seven is a good start for the veteran QB.  He is not going to be an elite QB but he can be a solid fantasy QB if he regains his mojo.

Arian Foster, Houston Texans (RB) – Foster ran the ball well going for 31 yards on four carries.

Bottom Line: With Ben Tate likely out for the year and Steve Slaton struggling against the Cards, Foster looks to be the early favorite to be the starting running back for the season opener.

Ryan Matthews, San Diego Chargers (RB) – Matthews ran for 50 yards on 9 carries in his Chargers debut.

Bottom Line: The Chargers are looking to Matthews to take up for LaDanian Tomlinson and re-energize the running game.

Jordan Shipley, Cincinnati Bengals (WR) – Caught five of six passes thrown his way for 50 yards.

Bottom Line: Seems to be solidifying his role as the team’s slot receiver.

Johnny Knox, Chicago Bears (WR) – The two passes that Jay Cutler completed were to Knox who caught a pair of passes for 47 yards.

Bottom Line: Knox has reportedly been the guy Culter has been targeting the most in camp this summer and the Bears believe he has the chops to be a number one receiver.

Devin Aromashodu, Chicago Bears (WR) – Aromashodu had the better overall game and caught 4 passes for 78 and a touchdowns.

Bottom Line: Aromashodu finished the season strong and looks to be picking up right where he left off this summer.

Brian Robiskie, Cleveland Browns (WR) – Robiskie caught three passes including a 13-yard touchdown catch.

Bottom Line: Aside from Mohammad Massaquoi the Browns depth chart at receiver is unsettled.  Cleveland is hoping Robiskie, who was a huge disappointment as a rookie last season, lives up to being a high second round pick.

Anthony Dixon, San Francisco 49ers (RB) – Dixon ran for 100 yards and a score on 21 carries.

Bottom Line: With Glen Coffee unexpectedly retiring the backup job behind Frank Gore is now Dixon’s to lose.  He probably will not see a ton of carries, but he could see 100 to 150 carries if the Niners are serious about limiting Gore’s touches to keep him fresh deep into the season.  He will definitely be the team’s goal line back.

Riley Cooper, Philadelphia Eagles (WR) – Cooper made a strong case for being the Eagles #3 receiver catching 3 passes for 61 yards including a 46-yarder.

Bottom Line: With Kevin Curtis being released and Reggie Brown traded to Tampa during the off season the #3 spot is up for grabs.  The Eagles took Cooper because they liked his size and athleticism but he could see more action if he shows a penchant for big plays.  He has reportedly been a pleasant surprise in camp this summer, so much so that they are talking about Hank Baskett’s days being numbered in Philly.

Troy Williamson, Jacksonville Jaguars (WR) – Williamson caught a pair of catches for 101 yards including a 73-yard touchdown strike from Josh McCown.

Bottom Line: Williamson won a starting job last summer only to lose it due to a season-ending shoulder injury early in the season.  He appears to be in the mix to take over for Tory Holt who was released over the off season.

Deon Butler/Mike Williams, Seattle Seahawks (WR) – Butler caught a pair of passes for 39 yards and Williams had a 51-yard TD catch.

Bottom Line: Butler and Williams had the two biggest plays for an offense that was devoid of big plays in the passing game last season.  Neither guy is likely to land a starting job but they could push for the #3 spot with strong summers.

Sammie Stroughter, Tampa Bay Buccaneers (WR) – Stroughter caught 3 passes for 33 yards including a 13-yard touchdown from Josh Freeman.

Bottom Line: Stroughter is thought to be in the mix with rookies Arrelious Benn and Mike Williams for one of the starting receiver jobs.

Devin Thomas, Washington Redskins (WR) – Thomas caught 3 passes for 64 yards including a 44-yard touchdown.

Bottom Line: Thomas is believed to be down to his last chance in D. C. and needs a strong summer to keep his job.  The receiving depth chart is wide open after Santana Moss and Thomas could work his way into the second or third spot on the depth chart with a strong summer.

Chad Hall, Philadelphia Eagles (WR) – The undrafted free agent a pair of passes for 60 yards, including one for 57, and ran for 22 yards.  He also looked solid as a return man.

Bottom Line: Hall is one of those type of players that Reid loves.  He played both running back and receiver in college and is lightning quick.  He is on the smallish side but is one of those guys that Reid can line up all over the field.  He likely will not be a guy whom the Eagles go out of their way to get the ball to, but he could be a guy who returns kicks and gets 8 to 10 touches a game just to see what he can do with the ball.

Stock Down

Players whose stock is on the decline.

Vince Young, Tennessee Titans (QB) – While Young did complete five of six passes for 78 yards in the two offensive series he played, he fumbled once and threw an interception.

Bottom Line: It is not a good sign to see him putting the ball on the ground and turning it over like that.

Alex Smith, San Francisco 49ers (QB) – Smith was 3 for 9 and threw an interception against Indianapolis.

Bottom Line: Mike Singletary will not hesitate to go with David Carr or Nate Davis if it looks like Smith is regressing again.

Trent Edwards, Buffalo Bills (QB) – Edwards completed just 6 of 12 passes and threw an interception.

Bottom Line: Edwards is currently seen as the starter, but Ryan Fitzpatrick and Brian Brohm are going to be given opportunities to win the job this summer.

Fred Jackson, Buffalo Bills (RB) – Jackson broke a bone in his hand against the Redskins and is expected to miss the next four to six weeks.

Bottom Line: He could end up missing the first couple of games due to the injury.

Ben Tate, Houston Texans (RB) – Tate suffered a severe ankle injury against the Cardinals and is thought to be lost for the season.

News and Notes From Around the League

There were some good and some bad with Michael Vick on Friday.  The good was he completed 11 of 17 passes and ran for 50 yards and a score.  The bad was he put the ball on the ground twice, losing one, and threw an interception in roughly two quarters of work.

Martell Mallett made a strong case for being the #3 back behind LeSean McCoy and Mike Bell in Philly.  Mallett ran for 60 yards and a score against Jacksonville.

The Jaguars did not even try to run the ball against Philadelphia calling just 8 running plays all night.  It seems like they are not too concerned about figuring out who might take some of the workload off of Maurice Jones-Drew’s shoulders this season.

The Redskins allowed a whopping 8.1 yards per carry to the Bills.  That came with Fred Jackson, C. J. Spiller, and Marshawn Lynch getting only 6 carries.

Colt McCoy threw two picks and suffered a sprained thumb when he hit his hand on a helmet following through on a pass.  The injury is not considered to be serious and could simply mean he starts the season as the emergency QB as opposed to possibly being the backup.  The Browns have no intent on starting McCoy this year anyway so it should not be a major set back in his development.

After completing just 9 of 19 passes and throwing three interceptions against the Niners on Sunday one begins to wonder how much longer Curtis Painter will have a job in Indianapolis.

Adam Wainwright, St. Louis Cardinals – The National League Cy Young Award is Wainwright’s to lose right now.  He is currently tied with Colorado’s Ubaldo Jimenez for the most wins in all of baseball with 17.  He is just behind Josh Johnson for the ERA lead and also ranks second in the league in innings.  Wainwright also leads the league in WHIP and ranks behind only Roy Halladay in complete games.

Roy Halladay, Philadelphia Phillies – Halladay currently leads the league in strikeouts and innings and has been consistently good to dominant throughout the season.  After posting a so-so 9-7 record to start the season Halladay has rallied to win 5 of his last 6 decisions and currently sits third in the league with 14 wins.  Halladay is a good enough pitcher to reel off another six or seven straight wins and be a major player in the Cy Young race, but unless he closes the gap between he and Wainwright in wins and/or ERA it will be tough for him to overtake him in the balloting.

Ubaldo Jimenez, Colorado Rockies – Two-and-a-half months into the season it was almost a foregone conclusion that Jimenez was going to win the Cy Young Award after going 13-1 with a 1.15 ERA through his first 14 starts of the season.  Since then he has gone 4-2 with a 5.17 ERA as the Rockies have quietly fallen out of contention in the West.  He still remains atop the league with 17 wins but he has seen the likes of Wainwright and Halladay pass him in ERA and strikeouts.  He has pitched better his past couple of times out and there still is time for him to put together another run to get back into contention, but with the Rockies fading he will not have the luxury that Wainwright and Halladay do of pitching in meaningful games down the stretch.

Josh Johnson, Florida Marlins – Johnson leads the league with a 1.97 ERA and has arguably been the most consistent pitcher this season, however, he only has ten wins to show for his efforts this season which ranks him 15th in the league.  Voters tend to vote for pitchers at or near the top of the league in wins and he is currently seven off the pace set by Wainwright and Jimenez.  He also ranks fifth in the league in strikeouts and is third in WHIP.

Tim Hudson, Atlanta Braves – Hudson’s career has been born again this season and is a huge reason the Braves sit atop the National League East.  He currently ranks fourth in the league in wins and is third in ERA.  However his rate of 4.76 strikeouts per 9 innings is going to severely hurt his candidacy.  He should have the wins and ERA but with guys like Halladay and Wainwright having comparable ERAs and win totals it is going to be hard for him to win over voters when is likely going to finish the season with more than 100 fewer strikeouts.

Mat Latos, San Diego Padres – Latos is sort of in the same boat as Hudson.  He rates seventh in the league in wins and is fifth in ERA but he does not have the numbers in other categories to seriously contend with guys like Wainwright and Halladay.

Chris Carpenter, St. Louis Cardinals – He is currently third in innings and fourth in wins.  Carpenter is a bit of a dark horse right now as he has a track record in the past of being able to run off a string of 8 to 10 starts where he simply dominates his opponents.  However, it seems unlikely that he is going to steal away votes from Wainwright this season unless he has a stretch of two or three awful starts and comes back to the pack a bit.

Josh Hamilton, Texas Rangers – After a so-so April and solid May Hamilton has been dominating the American League hitting .418 with 15 homers and 51 RBIs in his last 61 games for the Rangers.  He currently leads the league in hitting and ranks sixth in homers and eighth in RBIs.  He has been a big reason for the Rangers resurgence this season.  His 36 doubles represent a career high and he is just 8 home runs shy of tying his career best of 32.  The one major obstacle standing in his way to winning the MVP Award could be his health.  He has missed four games this season due to nagging injuries.

Miguel Cabrera, Detroit Tigers – Cabrera currently ranks first in the league in RBIs, second in hitting and third in home runs and has flirted with the lead in all three Triple Crown categories much of the season.  He also leads the league in slugging, OBP, and OPS.  He definitely has the numbers to warrant winning the MVP Award, but the major question with Cabrera is how many votes will he lose due to playing on a sub-.500 team?  The Tigers may need to make a serious run down the stretch for Cabrera to avoid losing out to Hamilton.

Adrian Beltre, Boston Red Sox – Strangely enough Beltre has been the one consistent in the Red Sox lineup this year.  As most of their big bats have fallen by the wayside with injuries this season Beltre has been the one guy keeping the offense afloat.  He currently ranks third in the league in hitting and is 7th in RBIs and fifth in slugging.  He will carry some favor with the voters because he plays in Boston on a team that has been decimated with injuries this season.  As long as the Sox stay on pace to win 90-plus games Beltre is going to be in the mix of the MVP race.

Robinson Cano, New York Yankees – Cano put up huge numbers the first half of the season, but since seeing his average peak at .376 on June 10 his average has steadily declined to .327.  Since the end of June he is hitting just .268 and will need a big push these last few weeks to get back into MVP contention.  He currently ranks fourth in the league in hitting, fifth in OBP, and fifth in runs scored.

Paul Konerko, Chicago White Sox – Konerko is second in the league in homers and ranks in the top ten in RBIs, OBP, OPS, and slugging.  He has been a big reason the Sox are still in contention in the Central this year.

Delmon Young, Minnesota Twins – In a year when Joe Mauer and Justin Morneau have struggled to stay healthy Young has been a rock in the middle of the order for the Twins ranking 6th in the league in hitting and RBIs.  If not for Young’s breakout season at the plate the Twins would be struggling to stay in the playoff race.  However, he will probably end up losing some votes to Joe Mauer who is having a strong season of his own.

Joe Mauer, Minnesota Twins – Mauer’s numbers have dropped off quite a bit on the heels of last year’s MVP season for the Twins.  However, he is still fifth in the league in hitting and leads the league in doubles.  He does not quite have the numbers to warrant being the MVP this year and he will lose some votes to Young who has arguably been just as valuable to the Twins offense this season as Mauer has.

Jose Bautista, Toronto Blue Jays – Bautista leads the league in homers and is third in the league in RBIs.  Unfortunately for him the Jays are 9 games behind in the wild card standings meaning Bautista is unlikely to get serious consideration from voters despite having 8 more home runs than anyone else in the league.

Stock Up

Players  whose fantasy stock is on the rise.

Carolina Panthers Defense – Greg Hardy and Tyler Brayton combined for 4 sacks and 6 tackles-for-loss against the Ravens.

Bottom Line: There are huge question marks as to who was going to replace Julius Peppers’ productivity in the defense this summer.  Brayton and Hardy are both considered to be in the mix for starting DE jobs.

Mark Clayton, Baltimore Ravens (WR) – Clayton caught two of the three passes thrown his way including a 30-yard TD strike.

Bottom Line: Clayton is battling Donte’ Stallworth for the Ravens #3 receiver position and may have gained an edge with last night’s performance.

Ted Ginn, San Francisco 49ers (WR) – Alex Smith is reportedly finding a real comfort level with Ginn this summer and they seem to have found a rhythm that works.

Bottom Line: Given how things went for Ginn in Miami expectations are pretty low for him this season.  However, he still has game breaking speed and if he settles into the SF offense he could be a real fantasy sleeper this season.

Stock Down

Players whose fantasy stock is on the decline.

Roy E. Williams, Dallas Cowboys (WR) – Williams is still struggling in the Cowboys offense and has caught just one of six passes thrown his way during the Cowboys first two preseason games.

Bottom Line: Williams’ job is believed to be on the line this summer and it is widely assumed that Dez Bryant will end up being the starter at some point in time this season.  With Patrick Crayton playing better than Williams right now he is in danger of slipping down to 4th on the Cowboys depth chart.

Percy Harvin, Minnesota Vikings (WR) – Harvin has not been with the team since the end of July to deal with his grandmother’s death.  Now comes reports that he suffering from migraines again.

Bottom Line: Harvin is a game breaker for the Vikings and they need to get him in camp so they can get him into game shape.

Ben Tate, Houston Texans (RB) – Gary Kubiak made some pointed remarks about Tate skipping out on OTAs and still learning how to be a pro.  He appears to be in Kubiak’s doghouse for the time being.

Bottom Line: The Texans drafted Tate with the idea that he would push both Arian Foster and Steve Slaton for carries and would prove to be a more stable option at the RB position.  As it stands right now do not expect to see much of Tate on the field unless he just blows people away in preseason games.

Armanti Edwards, Carolina Panthers (WR) – Edwards caught just two of nine passes thrown his way last night.

Bottom Line: The Panthers are hoping Edwards can learn the position fast enough to be their slot receiver this season.  It looks as though he still has a ways to go and it may be a while until he does more than return kicks for Carolina.

News & Notes From Around the League

The Cowboys offensive line has not played well as of yet this summer.  The Dallas o-line has allowed 11 sacks and 15 tackles for loss in the first two exhibition games and the Cowboys running backs have rushed for just 125 on 45 carries, 2.78 yards per carry, thus far.

Cincy’s Antonio Bryant has yet resume running and there is no time table on when his knees might feel well enough for him to continue training and return to practice.

A MRI on Steve Smith’s (NYG) groin showed no significant damage meaning he should be back after a few more days of rest.

The Ravens and Panthers combined for 13 quarterbacks in their game Thursday.

Ravens rookie TE Ed Dickson caught a pair of passes for 26 yards against Carolina.

Ravens back Willis McGahee, who caught just 15 passes last season, caught four in Thursday’s game.

Beanie Wells will be held out Arizona’s preseason game this weekend as a precaution after the second year back suffered a rib injury in practice this week.

Rookie defensive tackle Lamarr Houston had a pair of sacks for the Oakland Raiders against Dallas on Thursday.

Albert Pujols, St. Louis Cardinals – The two-time defending NL MVP is looking to become just the second player in MLB history to win more than three times on top of winning three straight.  Only Barry Bonds have ever won more than 3 MVPs and won more than two years in a row.  Even though this has been a down year by Pujols’ standards he is still right in the mix to take home the hardware.

He recently took over the league RBI lead from Ryan Howard and has moved into a tie for second in the league in home runs with Joey Votto.  Only Adam Dunn has more home runs.  He also ranks second in the league in OBP and OPS and third in slugging.

Joey Votto, Cincinnati Reds – Votto was flirting with the Triple Crown for a little while but he has slumped off a bit in August and no longer leads the league in any of the Triple Crown categories.  He still ranks second in hitting and home runs and fourth in RBIs.  He also leads the league in slugging, OBP, and OPS.  He presents the biggest challenger to Pujols’ crown right now and I would not be at all surprised if the National League MVP comes down to the player whose team ends up winning out in the Central this year.

Carlos Gonzalez, Colorado Rockies – Gonzalez leads the league in hitting and is fourth in RBIs, and sixth in home runs.  He also ranks 10th in the league in stolen bases and could come close to posting a 30-30 season this year.  The biggest knock on Gonzalez’ candidacy right now is the Rockies are 8 games out in the West and 5.5 behind in the wild card race.  The Rockies simply have not gotten back into contention like everyone thought they would.  If the Rockies can get back into the playoff race by the end of August then we will hear a lot about Gonzalez as a MVP candidate, otherwise he will finish out of the running.

Adam Dunn, Washington Nationals – Dunn is currently on pace to win his first career home run title and is arguably having the best season of his career.  He is on pace to post career bests in doubles, RBIs, base hits, and batting average.  In addition to leading the league in long balls he currently ranks second in slugging and third in RBIs and OPS.  However with the Nationals 15.5 games out of a playoff spot Dunn is unlikely to get more than some token votes for the MVP Award this season.

Ryan Howard, Philadelphia Phillies – Howard was just starting to do what he does best at the plate, which is crank out home runs and drive in runs, prior to going down with an ankle injury.  He is eligible to come off the DL  next week, but he has yet to even begin running on his injured ankle.  Unless he comes back with a monster September, his stint on the disable list could kill any shot he had at winning.

Heath Bell, San Diego Padres – The Padres currently own the best record in the league and with no compelling hitters near the top of the league leaders in the major hitting categories and nobody having a monster year at the plate in general in the N. L. Bell is likely to get some consideration as th4e MVP this year.  He has a 1.85 ERA and is currently on pace to save 48 games this year.  He may need to get to 50 saves to get serious consideration though.

The key particulars of the deal have Darren Collison going to Indiana, Trevor Ariza ends up a Hornet, Troy Murphy is moving to New Jersey and the Rockets are getting sharp-shooter Courtney Lee.

The Pacers are arguably getting the best player and the point guard they have been searching for to re-energize their offense for a couple of years now in Collison.  Collison is coming off a strong rookie season in which he averaged 12.4 points and 5.7 assists.  The caveat with Collison, though, is he averaged 18.8 points and 9.1 assists in 37 starts for the Hornets last season.  Indiana has not gotten that kind of production from its point guard in several seasons.

The downside for the Pacers is they are giving up their leading rebounder and second best three-point shooter in Troy Murphy to get Collison.  Murphy’s departure leaves the Pacers with a huge question mark when it comes to who is going to rebound the basketball for them.  He was the only player to average more than 6 boards a game last season and Danny Granger (5.5) and Roy Hibbert (5.7) are the only two regulars to average more than five per game last season.

Tyler Hansbrough has the potential to be an 8 to 10 rebound per game guy, he averaged 4.8 boards in 17 minutes per game last season, but they need him to stay healthy enough to play more than 29 games and will need him to be able to play upwards of 30 minutes a night.

Murphy will be a nice addition to the Nets as top pick Derrick Favors learns the NBA game.  Murphy is entering the last year of his deal and one begins to wonder whether Favors’ lackluster performance in the the Orlando Summer League has the Nets wondering whether Favors is going to be terribly productive this season.  Murphy gives the Nets the additional rebounder they were looking for this summer and will be an upgrade over Yi Jianlin in terms of his perimeter shooting ability.

Giving up Lee for Murphy will not hurt the Nets too much as he became expendable once the Nets signed Anthony Morrow away from the Warriors this summer.  Lee was a bit of a disappointment for the Nets and was likely going to lose his starting job to Morrow who has established himself as one of the best 3-point shooters in the league.

Swapping out Lee for Ariza was a chance for the Rockets to dump some salary while still getting a productive player in the process.  The addition of Kevin Martin at the deadline last season made Ariza somewhat expendable this summer as the team was going with Ariza at shooting guard and Shane Battier at small forward and really prefers having Battier on the floor.  Lee will likely be the Rockets scorer off the bench.  They lost their best scoring option off the bench when they dealt Carl Landry to the Kings for Martin and Lee should fill that void quite nicely.

In landing Ariza the Hornets are hoping he will be the wing scorer that Peja Stojakovic is supposed to be for them.  Ariza is not the pure shooter that Peja is but he is more athletic, a better defender, and better all around scorer.  He should be the scorer Peja was supposed to be and the perimeter defender they thought they were getting when they signed James Posey away from the Celtics two summers ago.

In related news the Pacers agreed to take James Posey’s contract on as part of the price to get Collison and the Hornets are also reportedly nearing a deal to send Julian Wright to the Raptors for shooter Marco Belinelli.   Belinelli would likely come off the bench and back up Marcus Thornton.

Stock Up

Players whose fantasy stock is on the rise.

Brandon LaFell, Carolina Panthers (WR) – As of Tuesday LaFell was working out with the first team offense.

Bottom Line: With Muhsin Muhammad retiring the Panthers are looking for another big receiver to take his place.  Dwayne Jarrett has never been the guy they thought he would and barring an injury or major regression one should expect LaFell to be the guy opposite Steve Smith when the season opens.

Pierre Garcon, Indianapolis Colts (WR) – Pierre Garcon was listed, along with Reggie Wayne, as a starting receiver on the Colts depth chart released this week.

Bottom Line: Nobody is going to see more balls thrown their way than Wayne and Dallas Clark, but being in the starting lineup ensures that he should see more balls than Anthony Gonzalez and Austin Collie.

Brandon Lloyd, Denver Broncos (WR) – Lloyd has been lining up as one of the Broncos starting receivers this week.

Bottom Line: It is hard to say whether Lloyd is a leading candidate for one of the starting jobs or whether he is out there due to rookies Eric Decker and Demaryious Thomas battling injuries.

Mike Thomas, Jacksonville Jaguars (WR) – Thomas reportedly is in the lead for the #2 receiver job opposite Mike Sims-Walker.

Bottom Line: Thomas generally catches whatever comes his way, but it remains to be seen whether he has the chops to be a play maker at receiver.  He was used largely as a possession guy last season and only averaged 9.4 yards per catch.  Keep an eye on how he performs in the preseason games this summer.

A. J. Feeley, St. Louis Rams (QB) – Feeley remains the starting QB in St. Louis.

Bottom Line: Don’t jump on Feeley as a starter just yet.  I still expect him to be “beaten” out by Bradford by the end of camp.  Keep an eye on how this plays out over the next couple of weeks.

Steve Johnson, Buffalo Bills (WR) – Johnson has reportedly emerged as the leading candidate as the other starting receiver opposite Lee Evans in Buffalo.

Bottom Line: Evans is really the only Bills receiver worth keeping an eye on right now.  With so many questions at quarterback and along the offensive line one should not expect much more than 50 or 60 catches from any Bills receiver this season.

Stock Down

Players whose fantasy stock is on the decline.

Willie Parker, Washington Redskins (RB) – Parker was listed as the #4 running back behind Ryan Torain on the Redskins’ initial depth chart.

Bottom Line: Parker seemingly has one foot out the door in Washington.  It seems unlikely Shanahan would have him taking up a roster spot when they could give that to a younger, less expensive back.

Sam Bradford, St. Louis Rams (QB) – Bradford is still the #2 quarterback on the depth chart behind A. J. Feeley

Bottom Line: I still expect that Bradford will “win” the starting job by the end of camp.

Sidney Rice, Minnesota Vikings (WR) – Rice has yet to hit the practice field for the Vikes as he rehabs a hip injury suffered in the NFC title game in January.

Bottom Line: Rice is targeting the first game of the year for his return even though his agent said he might be ready to go by the start of camp.  There is growing speculation that he is using this as a ploy to get more money without officially holding out from camp.

Austin Collie, Indianapolis Colts (WR) – Collie probably becomes the odd man out with Garcon holding a starting job.

Bottom Line: With Garcon being elevated up the depth chart I have a sneaking suspicion Collie becomes the guy who loses the bulk of his playing time to Anthony Gonzalez.

Dwayne Jarrett, Carolina Panthers (WR) – With LaFell moving up to the first team Jarrett could be looking for a new team by the end of the summer.

Bottom Line: Jarrett entered the camp as the starter by default and nobody really thought he was a serious threat to win the starting job this summer.

James Hardy, Buffalo Bills (WR) – Hardy has reportedly fallen behind Steve Johnson in the battle for the second starting receiver job.

Bottom Line: Hardy was considered the favorite to win the job entering camp.  Stay tuned though.

News & Notes From Around the League

Texans’ defensive end Mario Williams received some good news earlier this week after being told he would not need surgery on his ailing hip and just needs to more rest and treatment.

Giants safety Kenny Phillips returned to practice for the first time this year on Monday.  He saw only 12 snaps in practice and it remains to be seen how much the Giants plan on using him.

Falcons defensive end Jamaal Anderson, believed to be down to his last chance in Atlanta, has reportedly beefed up to 295 pounds and is having the best camp of his career.

Falcons top pick linebacker Sean Weatherspoon has been working out with the first team defense at the weakside linebacker spot which is where Mike Peterson lined up last season.

Packers top pick Bryan Bulaga has been seeing time at left guard with the first team offense this summer.  There is no official word as to whether this is a permanent move or if the Packers are just trying to figure out a position to get him on the field this season until Chad Clifton is ready to give up the starting job at LT.

Saints safety Darren Sharper has yet to practice and does not know when he will be able to make it back onto the playing field.  There is growing speculation that the Saints may move him to the Physically Unable to Perform (PUP) list to start the season.

Second year corner back Asher Allen was listed as the Vikings starter opposite Antoine Winfield on the team’s initial depth chart released this week.  He currently holds the edge over rookie Chris Cook and veteran Lito Sheppard.  If Sheppard loses out to either Cook or Allen one can expect he will be traded or released by the end of camp.

There is growing speculation that the Browns may end up moving top pick Joe Haden to safety as he has been a disappointment in camp and there are some serious questions as to whether he has the speed to play corner in the NFL.

The Bengals have signed running back James Johnson on the heels of Brian Leonard suffering a significant foot injury in Sunday’s game.  There is no word on how long Leonard will be out but there is speculation that he could miss some of, or possibly all of, the regular season.

Is this not the same guy who led the Knicks to a 151 and 249 record in his capacity as team President and Head Coach from 2003 to 2008?  This is the same guy who cost the team $11.6 million in a sexual harassment lawsuit, right?

Why does Knicks ownership continue to want to have anything to do with this guy?  I just do not get, it is not as though he allegedly got a raw deal a couple of years ago when the team had no choice but to remove him as head of the team.  It is not as though he showed any sort of acumen at being someone who knew what he was doing as a personnel guy.

The Knicks made one playoff appearance during Zeke’s tenure at the top and that was his first year there and they did not even finish the season with a winning record.  From that point on the team got progressively worse as Thomas gave slightly above average talent crazy contracts.  The deal he struck for Eddy Curry was a colossal mistake.

He seemingly would go out and sign guys to exorbitant free agent deals or trade for guys who were simply more interested in playing on the big stage in New York City than actually winning championships.  Eddy Curry, Jamal Crawford, Steve Francis, Nate Robinson, Quentin Richardson, Zach Randolph, etc.

Now that the team is beginning to dig out from under the mountain of crappy contracts Thomas acquired they want him back to help make personnel decisions again.  Is it that they have all this room under the salary cap and they do not know which player to piss the money away on?  Or, do they need help in negotiating an extension for Eddy Curry?  After all his deal is up at the end of the season and he is only 27 which means he still has a good four or five years of mediocrity left in him.

At a time when you are trying to sell your fans that the team is moving in the right direction and rebuilding around Amare’ Stoudamire don’t the Knicks think it a bad PR move to put Thomas front and center again?  Talk about a kick in the gut to Knicks fans.  What little room for optimism they had that the team was moving in the right direction after landing Stoudemire and Ray Felton and dealing for promising young big man Anthony Randolph starts to go away with the news Zeke is going to have a hand in the future of the team.

Just as New Yorkers are starting to get excited about the Knicks again they have to go and bring the guy back who ruined their taste for the team in the first place.  The one thing this ultimately proves is the Knicks will never be relevant in the league again until James Dolan sells the team to someone who has half a clue.  Don’t be surprised if Thomas figures out a way to get Donnie Walsh ousted and re-assumes control of the team within the next two or three years.

Stock Up

Players whose fantasy stock is rising.

Arrelious Benn, Tampa Bay Buccaneers – Benn is reportedly impressing during his first camp with the Bucs displaying a penchant for making big plays.

Bottom Line: Fellow rookie Mike Williams has already been penciled in as one of the starters and it sounds like Benn is well on his way to becoming the other starter.

Harry Douglas, Atlanta Falcons – Douglas is expected to assume Michael Jenkins spot on the first team offense while he recovers from a shoulder injury.

Bottom Line: There were those who thought Douglas would push Jenkins for the job last summer prior to blowing his knee out.  Early reports have him out-performing Jenkins in the early going and one should not be surprised if Douglas is in the starting lineup to stay.

Jacoby Jones, Houston Texans – Jones is reportedly making a strong run at unseating Kevin Walter as the #2 receiver on the Texans’ depth chart.

Bottom Line: Keep an eye on this over the next couple of weeks.  Walter is a nice receiver but he does not have the explosiveness that Jones does and his ability to stretch the field makes him an attractive pairing with Andre Johnson.  At the very least Jones will see more snaps this season even if he does not unseat Walter as the starter.

Cincinnati Bengals Defense – The Bengals looked as though they might have some emerging pass rushers in Geno Atkins and Michael Johnson on Sunday.

Bottom Line: Cincinnati was a middle of the road team in terms of its pass rush last season and a significant boost in that arena makes them that much more attractive for fantasy owners.

Stock Down

Players whose fantasy stock is falling.

Michael Jenkins, Atlanta Falcons (WR) – Jenkins suffered a shoulder injury over the weekend and is expected to miss the next month or so and may not be ready for the season opener.

Bottom Line: Jenkins’ job as a starter could be in jeopardy as a result of this.  He has never done anything to endear himself in terms of his production to coaches or quarterbacks in Atlanta to warrant not losing his job due to injury.

News & Notes Around the League

Matt Jones led the Bengals with 3 catches and 42 yards in the HOF game Sunday giving him a leg up on Antonio Bryant, who was held out due to injury, for a roster spot with the Bengals.  Bryant and Jones are thought to be locked in a battle for one of the last roster spots at receiver this summer.

Rookie Jordan Shipley made his biggest impact on special teams with a 63 yard punt return and also caught a pair of passes for 17 yards.

Geno Atkins had a sack and 3 tackles-for-loss against Dallas and looked quick and explosive off the snap.

The Bengals are toying with some 3-4 looks with second year player Michael Johnson coming off the edge.  Johnson looked very comfortable in this role and got a lot of pressure on the quarterback Sunday and ended up with a pair of sacks, two TFLs and a pair of QB hits.  This coming from a guy who had just 3 sacks and no TFLs last season.  He looked much improved yesterday.

Jermaine Gresham, the Bengals’ top pick in the draft, was held to zero catches on Sunday.

The Cowboys still look like they have some issues with pass protection and being physical when they need to be down near the goal line.  When the Bengals dug in and came after Romo they did not seem to have too many problems doing so.  It looked as though teams who can bring pressure from the right side are going to have success against the Cowboys this season.

Tight ends Jason Phillips and Scott Sicko had strong games Sunday.  Phillips caught four balls for 60 yards while Sicko snagged five for 44.

The Broncos are reportedly looking to second year man Robert Ayers as Elvis Dumervil’s replacement for the time being.  Ayers has reportedly looked like a player hoping to redeem himself on the heels of a disappointing rookie season.

Joe Haden has yet to crack the starting lineup in Cleveland and is currently working as the team’s nickle back.

Rookie corner Chris Cook is reportedly pushing Lito Sheppard for the injured Cedric Griffin’s starting job in Minnesota.

Stock Up

Players and team defenses whose stock is on the rise.

Ben Roethlisberger, Pittsburgh Steelers (QB) – While Ben will still miss the first few games due to suspension there is some traction taking hold for his suspension being reduced as Roger Goodell says Roethlisberger is doing more than just the bare minimum to get back sooner rather than later.

Bottom Line: He is still going to miss some games but it sounds as though there is a real possibility that his suspension will be four games rather than six.

Golden Tate, Seattle Seahawks (WR) – Tate has emerged as the early favorite to be the starting receiver opposite T. J. Houshmandzadeh.

Bottom Line: Matt Hasselbeck was raving about Tate’s ability to make plays and it sounds like he is developing a good rapport with the young receiver.

Deon Butler, Seattle Seahawks (WR) – It sounds as though Butler is making a strong case to be the ‘Hawks #3 receiver meaning he should see the field a lot more when Seattle goes to its 3-receiver sets.

Bottom Line: Seattle’s #3 receiver, Deion Branch, caught 45 balls last season.  Butler struggled quite a bit during his rookie year, but Coach Carroll seems intent on giving everyone a chance to win a starting job this summer and Butler seems to be making the most of it.

Stock Down

Players and team defenses whose stock is on the decline.

New York Jets Defense – Darrelle Revis seems intent on sitting out regular season games this season if he does not get the kind of deal he is looking for.

Bottom Line: The Jets will still be a solid defense but Revis’ absence means they will have to rely on rookie corner Kyle Wilson more than they had hoped they would have to.  Revis is a lock down corner whose presence allows the team to use more exotic blitzing schemes and stack the box.  The Jets will have to be more conservative defensively without Revis on the field.

Denver Broncos Defense – Elvis Dumervil was diagnosed with a torn pectoral muscle in practice earlier in the week and is expected to miss the next three or four months.

Bottom Line: Dumervil was the pass rush in Denver last season with 17 of the team’s 39 sacks.  He also led the team with 4 forced fumbles.  The defense was not exceptionally strong with him and will take a bit hit without him unless someone else steps up becomes that guy who can give them double digits in sacks this season.

Deion Branch, Seattle Seahawks (WR) – With Butler stepping up and making a run at the #3 spot it means a diminished role for Branch.

Bottom Line: If Branch loses his job to Butler expect him to be released as he has largely been a bust for the ‘Hawks and they would seem to want to wash their hands of him.

News & Notes

Dallas Defensive End Marcus Spears went out with a sprained knee Thursday and is expected to miss the next month or so.  The injury is not considered to be too serious and he could make it back in time for the seasons opener.

Jacksonville rookie defensive tackle D’Anthony Smith needs surgery on his Achilles tendon and is believed to be lost for the season.  Smith was expected to be in the Jags d-line rotation in the upcoming season.

The Broncos are reportedly entertaining the idea of bringing in Leonard Little and/or Aaron Schobel to fill in for Dumervil this season.

The Jets, Dolphins, Texans, and Patriots are also reportedly interested in Schobel’s services.

Louis Delmas will not need surgery for his injured groin, but still has not returned to practice.

Eagles receiver Jeremy Maclin joined DeSean Jackson on the sidelines when he suffered a hyper extended knee on Tuesday.  The good news is there was no structural damage and Maclin simply as a bone bruise as a result and should be back on the field in a few days.

The Bengals appear to be moving closer to cutting Antonio Bryant.  The consensus seems to be that they will give him a chance to show what he can do in a preseason game or two before making the final decision, but the fact that he is not practicing and has been ruled out of this weekend’s HOF game does not bode well for his future in Cincy.

With Correll Buckhalter and Knowshon Moreno nicked up and out of action for the time being the Broncos have cut Kolby Smith and are bringing LenDale White in for a trial run to see if he has anything to offer.

Carolina DE Charles Johnson reportedly lost 20 pounds over the off season and reported to camp in the best shape of his career.  There is currently a lot of buzz around he and fellow DE rookie Greg Hardy about how well they have looked in the early going.

Green Bay safety Atari Bigby will require surgery on his ankle and is out for the foreseeable future.  Rookie Morgan Burnett who is having a strong camp is expected to ascend to the starting strong safety position.

In the past we were treated to ESPN sending some poor soul to hang out on his front lawn and schlep around Mississippi following him down to the local high school to watch him wing passes to the local high school kids, hoping to score some face time with him and coax an answer out of him.  The latest escapade caught everyone off guard.

Up until know we had all assumed that since Favre was seen working out with the high school kids again that he was prepping himself to come back for the upcoming season.  Brad Childress even made a special trip down to visit with Brett prior to camp opening to get a feel for how he was doing.  Childress seemed more than happy letting Favre hang out and rehab his surgically repaired ankle on his own time and even implied that Favre was probably coming back for another season.  After all he missed all of camp last year and still managed to put together one of the best seasons of his career.  ESPN had not even bothered to send anyone down to monitor the goings on.

What makes this whole scenario so bizarre though is the fact that his own teammates are going on record saying they received text messages from the man himself saying he was retiring only to have Favre go on record today saying he had not yet decided what he was going to do.  He then went on to say that if his ankle heals to the point where he feels comfortable enough to play on it he would be back with the Vikings for the upcoming season.

What has me scratching my head about this recent development is what the motivation is behind the whole thing in the first place?  So what gives here?  Why would he text his teammates one thing and then do a complete 180 with the media and deny he even sent the messages in the first place?

Or are his teammates all in on the gag?  Did he promise these guys a hunting trip next spring if they went off and told reporters about the text message they got from Brett?  Or, is Brett just jerking everyone’s chain right now?

I cannot imagine why a bunch of his Vikings teammates would just fabricate this whole thing, but I suppose they very well could have.  But, then again, why do something that potentially alienates your meal ticket back to the playoffs?  Sure they were a playoff team without him but they really were not a legitimate Super Bowl contender without him, so why potentially alienate the guy and upset the apple cart so to speak?

Could it be that Brett is lonely down in Mississippi without the satellite trucks camping out in his neighborhood following him around town?  Is it that he was waiting for the LeBron circus to die down before making his move?  Was it that Brett did not want to compete with his fellow attention whore in the NBA for the attention?

What makes this even more entertaining for some of us is the way ESPN got absolutely played by Brett this go around.  They spent the better part of yesterday afternoon getting every available analyst on camera or on the phone to wax poetic about Favre and tell us how much his retirement changes the landscape of the NFC for the coming season.  With Favre telling reporters that he has not decided what he is going to do ESPN is left with a bit of egg on their face after taking the bait hook, line, and sinker.

What makes me wonder how ESPN fell so hard about this was that there were some tell tale signs that Favre may not be retiring.  I guess the initial reaction to Childress’ response was one of the guy is simply in denial about it all.  Honestly, if Favre had officially informed the team of his decision don’t they think someone would have been in Childress’ ear within five minutes of finding out?  Why is it that the team did not issue any sort of a statement signifying Brett was retiring, and why was there no retirement press conference in the works?

The only way ESPN can possibly redeem itself now is by placating Favre’s need to have his ego stroke.  I say they host a program similar to the one they did for LeBron.  They can make a huge event out of it.  Let’s get John Madden and John Gruden down to Mississippi and they can co-host a huge cookout on Favre’s front lawn and he can tell the world whether he is going to play next season or not.

Better yet, let’s make a whole weekend out of it.  ESPN can pick up the broadcast rights to the Vikes preseason game against Seattle and have it moved down to the University of Southern Miss where Brett can sit out on the 50 yard line in front of his adoring fans with Madden and Gruden and tell the world of his intentions to return then he can suit up and play the next to last preseason game for Minnesota.

However this all plays out over the next couple of weeks Brett Favre has managed to keep himself the center of the sports world for just a little while longer which is probably all he really wanted.  After all it has been a good six months or so since we really had a good heart wrenching moment over Brett Favre and that was simply far too long for us to be deprived of some Brett Favre time.

Stock Up

These are players whose stock is on the rise this week.

Tarvaris Jackson, Minnesota Vikings (QB) – With the news that Brett Favre is retiring Jackson is expected to be named the Vikings starting quarterback.  Jackson has shown flashes of what he can do but has never been able to put it all together over a 16 game season.

Bottom Line: Target Jackson as a potential backup on your fantasy team.  He is not worth throwing into a starting lineup until he proves he can get it done.

Adrian Peterson, Minnesota Vikings (RB) – With Jackson under center this season look for the Vikings to go back to a more balanced offense that was roughly 50/50 in terms of passing and running plays as opposed to the 55/45 pass to run split they had last season.

Bottom Line: Peterson could go back to getting 350-plus carries again this season as the team will look to re-center the offense around him again.

Hakeem Nicks, New York Giants (WR) – Nicks has reportedly been Eli Manning’s favorite target in camp this summer, and has looked like their best receiver thus far.

Bottom Line: Nicks missed a lot of practice with injuries early on but once he got going last season he was a home run hitter for the Giants last season.  He has the skill set to be an elite receiver for the Giants.

Mike Williams, Tampa Bay Buccaneers (WR) – Williams is reportedly sitting atop the Bucs depth chart at the receiver position.

Bottom Line: With a young quarterback under center it makes sense to develop the younger talent they have at receiver with him.  The Bucs are still a couple of years away from being relevant again.  One should not expect big things from Bucs receivers this year though as Josh Freeman continues to learn on the job.

Wes Welker, New England Patriots (WR) – There is guarded optimism with Welker as he was cleared for practice over the weekend.  He is currently only participating in individual and agility drills and has yet to participate in any contact or passing drills with the first team offense.

Bottom Line: With Julian Edelman proving to be a competent replacement for Welker next season the Patriots will take their time with Welker and rush him back until they feel he is up to snuff.  Target him as a backup receiver for now with the hopes that he will back into the groove a couple of weeks into the season.

Gary Barnidge, Carolina Panthers (TE) – Barnidge has reportedly been the breakout star in Panthers’ camp thus far.

Bottom Line: The Panthers have been searching for a viable pass catching tight end since Wesley Walls left town after the ’02 season.  Barnidge has big play potential and could catch 50 to 60 balls this season if he continues to develop the way he has so far this summer.

Kenny Moore, Carolina Panthers (WR) – With Steve Smith out of the lineup as he rehabs from a broken arm Moore is getting reps with the first team along with Dwayne Jarrett.  Moore has reportedly been the better of the two in the early going.

Bottom Line: Wait and see on Moore.  He seems like more of a possession type of a receiver meaning he will probably not put up huge fantasy numbers for the Panthers who are likely to be a run-oriented offense with Matt Moore under center this season.  He could also be pushed by Brandon LaFell by the end of camp.

Stock Down

These are the guys whose stock is falling.

Sidney Rice, Minnesota Vikings (WR) – Rice has been battling a lingering hip injury that has caused him to miss practices.  His numbers are also likely to suffer a bit now that Favre will not be throwing him the ball next season and the team will likely look to run the ball a bit more than last season.

Bottom Line: Stay away from Rice until he gets back on the field and we see how much the Vikings plan on throwing the ball this season.  He should still have a good season but one should not count on him getting close to 80 catches and 1,300 yards again this season.

Mario Manningham, New York Giants (WR) – Hakeem Nicks has reportedly usurped Manningham as the other starting receiver opposite Steve Smith in New York.

Bottom Line: Manningham suffered from drops and lack of overall consistency last season, his numbers could slip a bit as he is transitioned to a slot receiver position.

Steve Smith, New York Giants (WR) – Hakeem Nicks has reportedly leap frogged both Mario Manningham and Smith to the top of the depth chart at receiver.

Bottom Line: Smith will still see his share of balls thrown his way simply because he has the best hands of all the receivers on the team.  One should lower their expectations on his output this season to where 75 to 80 catches and 950 to 1,000 yards seems more likely than the 107 catches and 1,220 yards he had last season.

Antonio Bryant, Cincinnati Bengals (WR) – Bryant’s surgically repaired knee has reportedly been giving him trouble this summer and he has already had to sit out parts of some practices because of it.

Bottom Line: The fact the Bengals have brought in Terrell Owens means they are probably not that interested in waiting to see if Bryant’s knee ever comes around.  Do not be surprised if Bryant is cut loose by the end of camp.

Dez Bryant, Dallas Cowboys (WR) – Bryant is expected to miss most of, if not all of, the remainder of camp with a high ankle sprain.

Bottom Line: He is still a good guy to go after, but one should not target him as their top receiver as he is unlikely to be conditioned to play a lot the first couple of games.

Trindon Holliday, Houston Texans (WR/RS) – Holliday is reportedly struggling as he transitions from the scat back role he played in college to a slot receiver position in the NFL.

Bottom Line: He was probably never going to do much more than return kicks this year anyway as he learns to play receiver in the NFL this season.

Dwayne Jarrett, Carolina Panthers (WR) – Jarrett has reportedly struggled to impress yet again this summer and may be down to his last chance with the presence of rookie Brandon LaFell.

Bottom Line: The Panthers had hoped Jarrett would have won the starting job from Muhsin Muhammad by now.  He opened camp as a starter by default and is being outplayed by Kenny Moore thus far.

Bills Defense – The Bills are reportedly set to release Aaron Schobel, who would rather retire than continue his career in Buffalo, rather than try and trade him.

Bottom Line: Schobel was the only guy who consistently got to the quarterback last season.  His departure means the Bills will be relying on Aaron Maybin, who disappointed as a rookie, to step in and be the top pass rusher this season.

Ravens Defense – The Ravens already weakened secondary suffered another blow this week when Dominique Foxworthy was lost for the season with an ACL injury.

Bottom Line: The Ravens are already facing the prospect of starting the season without All Pro safety Ed Reed and now they lose a guy who tied for the team lead in interceptions last season.

Fantasy Studs

These are the best pass catchers at the position in the league.  Owners can generally count on these guys for 70 catches and 800 yards a season.

Antonio Gates, San Diego Chargers – After struggling with a toe injury for a year-and-a-half Gates seems to be back and better than ever.  Even through the injury he was still one of the more productive TEs in the league.  He is coming off a career best of 1,157 yards and in his six years as the starter in San Diego he is averaging 972 yards, 9 touchdowns, and 76 catches.

Dallas Clark, Indianapolis Colts – With Marvin Harrison being phased out of the offense over the last two years Clark has picked up the slack for the Colts in a big way.  He is coming off a season in which he posted career bests with 100 catches and 1,106 yards and his 10 touchdowns were the second highest of his career.  Over the last two seasons Clark is averaging 88 catches and 977 yards and over the last three seasons he has posted double figures in touchdowns twice and is averaging 9 scores per season.

Jason Witten, Dallas Cowboys – Witten has been Tony Romo’s favorite target ever since he assumed the starting quarterback role in Dallas.  Over the past three seasons he is averaging 90 catches and 1,042 yards.  The only real knock on Witten as a fantasy player is he has only scored 13 touchdowns over the last three seasons which make Gates and Clark better fantasy plays.  One thing to keep an eye on with Witten will be the presence of Dez Bryant and whether Witten sees fewer passes come his way because of it.

Tony Gonzalez, Atlanta Falcons – The seemingly ageless Gonzalez is easily the best pass catching tight end to ever play the game.  He needs just one more catch to become the first TE to catch 1,000 balls in a career and coming off an 83 catch season at the age of 33 he is showing no real signs of slowing down.  Over the past three years he is averaging 92 catches, 1,032 yards, and 7 touchdowns.  Gonzalez is the #2 option in the Falcons passing game now so his days of catching upwards of 100 passes may be over, but there is no reason to believe he will not give fantasy owners another 80 catch, 800-yard season this year.

Fantasy Broncos

These are guys who are capable of putting up big numbers but have some question marks surrounding them.

Visanthe Shiancoe, Minnesota Vikings – Shiancoe has emerged as one of the better touchdown guys at the TE position scoring 18 times over the last two seasons.  He is probably only going to be good for 50 to 60 catches and 500 to 600 yards though.

Owen Daniels, Houston Texans – Has excelled in Houston since Matt Schaub came to town, however, he is coming off another ACL injury and it remains to be seen what he will be able to do this summer.  If healthy he could go for 70 catches and 800 yards.

Chris Cooley, Washington Redskins – Cooley had quietly emerged as one of the best pass catching TEs in the league over the last few years.  He is coming off a broken ankle so it remains to be seen if that has any impact on his play this summer.  If healthy he should be good for 80 catches, 800 yards and seven or eight scores.

Fantasy Colts

These are players coming off of breakout seasons who are another year or two away from being fantasy studs.

Vernon Davis, San Francisco 49ers – Davis finally showed us why he was worthy of being the 6th overall pick in the ’06 draft.  It took him three years but Davis finally got his crap together and is arguably becoming the most dynamic in the league at the position.  He posted career best numbers with 78 catches, 965 yardss, and his 13 TD receptions were tops in the NFL last season.  It is scary to think what he might be able to do if the Niners ever get any consistency from the quarterback position.

Brent Celek, Philadelphia Eagles – Celek is coming off a breakout season posting career bests of 76 catches, 971 yards, and 8 touchdowns in his first full season as the Eagles’ starting tight end.  Celek should continue to post big numbers in Andy Reid’s pass happy offense.

Keep an Eye On

Keep an eye on these guys, they may be poised for breakout seasons this year.

Zach Miller, Oakland Raiders – Miller has been the only thing worth watching on the Raiders offense the past two years averaging 61 catches and 791 yards.  He has managed these numbers without anyone else catching more than 34 passes and the likes of JaMarcus Russell and Bruce Gradkowski throwing him the ball.  If the Raiders can find some competent receivers to go along with a competent quarterback Miller could have a big year in Oakland.

Tony Scheffler, Detroit Lions – Scheffler looks to be the primary pass catching TE in Detroit this season.  He could get an opportunity to show what he can do in Detroit.

Jermichael Finley, Green Bay Packers – Finley started coming into his own last season catching 55 passes for 676 yards and five scores.  He only played 13 games last season so he could see a boost if he stays healthy this season.

John Carlson, Seattle Seahawks – Carlson has been one of the Seahawks most consistent players his first two years in the league averaging 53 catches for 600 yards and six touchdowns over his first two seasons.  He has caught at least 51 passes in each of his first two years.

Dustin Keller, New York Jets – With the Jets beefing up the receiving corps and Mark Sanchez getting another year under his belt in the offense Keller could see more opportunities to shine this season.

Buyer Beware

Be wary of these guys they have some serious issues that could short circuit their seasons.

Kellen Winslow, Tampa Bay Buccaneers – When he wants to be Winslow is arguably as good as anyone else in the league at the position.  The problem is he tends to be prone to meltdowns and injuries.  He has played 16 games in three of his six seasons and played in just 12 the other three.  In the three years where he played all 16 games he is averaging 82 catches and 955 yards.  He has never been a big touchdown guy, but is generally productive otherwise.

Todd Heap, Baltimore Ravens – When healthy he can give a team 70 catches, 750 yards, and 7 TDs.  The problem is he is generally fighting nagging injuries which has cost him some of his productivity over the years.  He could see a drop off with the Ravens beefing up the receiving corps and drafting a couple of young tight ends.

Jeremy Shockey, New Orleans Saints – Shockey is as talented as anyone at the position but he has never played all 16 games in a season and always seems to be playing with a nagging injury as it is.  He is still a solid fantasy guy but his productivity has slowly dropped as all of the injuries have started taking their toll.

Fred Davis, Washington Redskins – Unless Chris Cooley cannot go or Davis beats him out it seems unlikely that Fred Davis  will match last year’s numbers of  48 catches, 509 yards, and 6 touchdowns.

The Jury is Out

These are players who the jury is still out on.

Heath Miller, Pittsburgh Steelers – Miller had career best numbers with 76 catches and 789 yards last season.  However, Ben Roethlisberger is out to start the season and Mike Tomlin has already stated his preference to going back to being a more run-oriented offense.  Miller could very well have another 70-catch season or he could go back to being a 40-catch guy if the Steelers follow through on running the ball more this season.  Miller can always be counted on for 6/7 touchdowns though.

Greg Olsen, Chicago Bears – While Olsen is the Bears most accomplished receiver he faces some uncertainty this summer.  The problem is new offensive coordinator generally has little use for his tight ends meaning Olsen may not be as big of a factor in the Bears passing game this year.

Assessing the Rookies

How this year’s crop of rookie TEs may fair this season.

Jermaine Gresham, Cincinnati Bengals – Gresham was big time play maker in college scoring 25 times on 103 catches over his last two seasons at Oklahoma.  He has good speed and size for a tight end and represents the first real pass catching threat that Carson Palmer has had throw to at the position since coming to Cincy.  The big question with Gresham is how well his knee holds up as he missed significant playing time at OU due to knee issues.  He should get a chance to shine for the Bengals this season.

Rob Gronkowski/Aaron Hernandez, New England Patriots – Like Gresham, Gronkowski missed significant playing time due to injury, only Gronkowski missed last year with a back injury.  Also, like Gresham, Gronkowski has a nose for the end zone.  Gresham is the better pass catcher and Gronkowski is the better blocker.  Of the two Hernandez is the better athlete and play maker, but Gronkowski is the better all around player.  Both guys should see playing time and with the Pats cleaning house at the position this spring one of them should begin the year as the team’s starter.

Ed Dickson/Dennis Pitta, Baltimore Ravens – Unless Heap goes down to injury neither guy is likely to see a lot of playing time this season.

Tony Moeaki, Kansas City Chiefs – Moeaki is largely seen as a guy who will need a year or two to develop, but given the Chiefs poor production at the position last season he could get a chance to start right away.

Jimmy Graham, New Orleans Saints – Graham played only one year at Miami after playing for the basketball team.  He is big and athletic but also very raw.  With the presence of Shockey and Dave Thomas, Graham is not likely to see the field very much, if at all, this season.