6-30-10
CEDRIC BENSON – CINCINNATI BENGALS
Trader Take:Uh-oh, a league suspension is a possibility. We’ll let the legal system run its course with this one, but we had thought Benson turned over a new leaf after he signed with the Bengals. If a suspension were to come down, Bernard Scott becomes more than just a name to know.
6-29-10
KENNY BRITT – TENNESSEE TITANS
Trader Take: According to the article, Britt also has dropped passes “left and right.” The “ton of nagging injuries” really scares us. Nagging preseason injuries can easily carry over into the regular season, even after a period of rest or inactivity. Drop Britt a few notches in your rankings. If the injury bug is still bothering Britt heading into August, seriously think about not drafting him altogether.
Vince Young – tennessee titans
Trader Take: We figured Young would receive just a slap on the wrist, since he was a first-time offender. You obviously don’t have to worry about him missing any games.
WILLIE COLON – PITTSBURGH STEELERS
Trader Take: It’s been a frustrating offseason for the Steelers, and this is another blow to the Pittsburgh offense. Santonio Holmes was traded and Ben Roethlisberger will serve a conditional six-game suspension. The Steelers O-line wasn’t rated very high with Colon in the lineup, so possibly losing him for the entire season is a huge blow.
6-28-10
ANTHONY GONZALEZ – INDIANAPOLIS COLTS
Trader Take: This will be an interesting training camp battle to watch. Gonzalez is trying to bounce back from a knee injury that forced him to miss 15 games last season, while Garcon is trying to step up in his second pro season.
Willie Parker – Washington Redskins
Trader Take: Parker has not impressed in minicamps and injuries have clearly robbed the former Pittsburgh Steelers back of his speed. Washington is expected to open the season with running backs Clinton Portis, Larry Johnson, Ryan Torain and Mike Sellers. As for possible future destinations for Parker, the St. Louis Rams had shown some interest in him before he signed with the Redskins, but a return to the Steelers is not completely out of the question.
DEVIN HESTER – CHICAGO BEARS
Trader Take: It was Hester who reached out to Bruce for help learning Mike Martz’s complex offense. Hester, a converted defensive back, is still learning to play the receiver position, so any help that Bruce can provide is obviously a plus for Hester, but he rates as just a No. 3 fantasy wide receiver.
TED GINN – SAN FRANCISCO 49ERS
Trader Take: Since Ginn was a bust with the Miami Dolphins, his struggles with the 49ers are not a shock. If Ginn can’t perform well as a kickoff returner, his chances of making the team could take a huge hit.
CARNELL WILLIAMS – TAMPA BAY BUCCANEERS
Trader Take: It sounds like Tampa Bay’s big free-agent acquisition from 2009, Derrick Ward, is no threat to steal William’s job in the short-term. However, since the Buccaneers are a young and rebuilding team, Williams rates as a so-so No. 3 fantasy running back.
BRETT FAVRE – MINNESOTA VIKINGS
Trader Take: By the way, Favre’s rehab from ankle surgery is on schedule. This is as close as Favre has come to saying that he plans to return. As we’ve been telling you all offseason, Favre is definitely coming back, and the statements in this article seem to suggest that he will. If you had dropped Favre, Sidney Rice, Percy Harvin and Visanthe Shiancoe in your rankings because of the uncertainty about the Silver Fox’s return, it’s time to bump them back up.
ALBERT HAYNESWORTH – WASHINGTON REDSKINS
Trader Take: As we’ve told you already, Haynesworth is angry about the prospect of playing nose tackle in Washington’s new 3-4 defense. The Redskins are angry that the highly paid Haynesworth missed almost all the offseason workouts and fined him $10,000 for missing a mandatory minicamp. We still think Washington could trade the disgruntled defensive tackle for the right offer.
6-24-10
KEVIN SMITH – DETROIT LIONS
Trader Take: It’s a positive development, but there is still a chance that Smith starts the season on the PUP list. Oh, yeah, rookie Jahvid Best is still Detroit’s starter.
FRANK GORE – SAN FRANCISCO 49ERS
Trader Take: And in other breaking news, apparently BP is dealing with some sort of oil situation in the gulf. Last season, Gore scored double-digit total touchdowns for the first time in his career. Can he top 10+ scores two seasons in a row in what should be a run-heavy 49ers offensive attack? We think he can. It’s his role as a receiver that we really like; Gore has hauled in 50+ passes in two of the last three seasons.
MICHAEL TURNER – ATLANTA FALCONS
Trader Take: Turner struggled because of a nasty high ankle sprain and his less-than-stellar conditioning last season. The heart and soul of the Atlanta offense is healthy and in great shape, and we think a bounce-back season from Turner is coming.
6-23-10
STEVE SMITH – CAROLINA PANTHERS
Trader Take: We are a little concerned that he has broken the same arm twice in less than a year, but Smith is a tough competitor and will do everything to get back on the field. There is a chance that he could drop down too far in some preseason fantasy rankings and could represent some nice draft-day value. By the way, the Panthers are not planning to fine Smith for allegedly violating language in his contract that prohibits him from participating in activities that are potentially physically dangerous.
LADAINIAN TOMLINSON – NEW YORK JETS
Trader Take: Cimini has confirmed what we have suspected. Although the Jets have been talking up LT as the guy for Leon Washington’s old role, we’re just not buying the hype. We’ll say it now: don’t waste a draft pick on Tomlinson, even as a handcuff. Tomlinson was an outstanding player and belongs in the Hall of Fame, but we think he’s done. Getting rid of Thomas Jones (Chiefs), in our opinion, was a huge mistake by the Green and White.
BRANDON PETTIGREW & TONY SCHEFFLER – DETROIT LIONS
Trader Take: Scheffler has the speed to get open underneath and attack the seams of a defense, while Pettigrew does everything well and could serve as a red-zone target for Mathew Stafford. Keep an eye on Detroit during the preseason to see if Stafford prefers throwing to Scheffler or Pettigrew. Although we suspect Scheffler and Pettigrew will drag down each other’s fantasy value, one of the two (or both) could serve as a competent fill-in or backup option for your fantasy team.
CHRIS JOHNSON – TENNESSEE TITANS
Trader Take: Fisher did say he thinks Johnson’s contract situation will be worked out, but the threat of a CJ holdout is starting to look really legitimate. Meanwhile, Javon Ringer has been taking all the reps with the first team (hint, hint), and LeGarrette Blount has looked solid as Ringer’s backup.
NATE BURLESON – DETROIT LIONS
Trader Take: Detroit added the talented, but often-injured Burleson to have a legitimate target opposite of Calvin Johnson. Although non-superstar receivers don’t usually do well when they change teams, Burleson could be an exception. His injury history, however, concerns us, so be careful not to overvalue him.
LEON WASHINGTON – NEW YORK JETS
Trader Take: Whatever you say, coach Carroll. Just to refresh your memory, Washington is trying to come back from a nasty compound fracture of the tibia and fibula in his right leg, which happened last October. Will Washington be that same electric player that we remember? We’ll see. Meanwhile, the Seattle running back situation still looks cloudy with Washington, Justin Forsett and Julius Jones still in the mix. We still haven’t ruled out a trade for the disgruntled Marshawn Lynch.
6-21-10
STEVE SMITH – CAROLINA PANTHERS
Trader Take: Smith is one of the toughest players in the league, so he’ll be back as soon as possible. With the competent Matt Moore expected to start for the Panthers, we were thinking a small bounce-back season from Smith was possible, but we’re backing off that prediction for the moment. Depending on how much recovery time Smith needs, this could be an opportunity for rookie Brandon LaFell to show his stuff in training camp.
RUNNING BACKS – BUFFALO BILLS
Trader Take: This is assuming Lynch is not traded, and we still think there is a chance that could happen. Even if Lynch stays, Jackson probably will continue to start, Spiller will be the change-of-pace guy and Lynch will have a backup role with a few carries here and there. Jackson currently has the most value of the trio as a No. 3 fantasy running back.
LADAINIAN TOMLINSON – NEW YORK JETS
Trader Take: We’re starting to think LT will receive more touches than we had previously thought. Sure, Shonn Greene is the guy for the Jets, but Greene takes a lot of punishment. Don’t get too excited about Tomlinson – he looked old and slow during his last season in San Diego.
CHRIS JOHNSON – TENNESSEE TITANS
Trader Take: Johnson is dead serious about his desire to be the highest-paid offensive player in the league, and he definitely deserves some kind of raise. Johnson could make good on his hold-out threat and miss some or all of Titans’ training camp, but we still think the Titans will work something out with CJ, who is obviously the heart and soul of their offense.
ALBERT HAYNESWORTH – WASHINGTON REDSKINS
Trader Take: Meanwhile, the Redskins fined Haynesworth $10,000 for missing minicamp this past week. The only two teams that we can think of that would have at least a remote interest in Haynesworth are the Tennessee Titans and the Detroit Lions. It’s pretty obvious why the Titans are a possible destination. Detroit’s head coach, Jim Schwartz, was Haynesworth’s defensive coordinator for a time when the two were with Tennessee.
VINCE YOUNG – TENNESSEE TITANS
Trader Take: The NFL is still investigating the incident. We’re sticking by our prediction of Young’s punishment ranging from a stern warning to a two-game suspension.
ARIAN FOSTER & STEVE SLATON – HOUSTON TEXANS
Trader Take: There is no guarantee that Foster will keep the job. Regardless of whoever starts, we think Houston will use a committee approach and frequently roll with the hot runner during the games. Rookie Ben Tate has been slowed by a hamstring injury during the preseason, but he is also in the mix.
JOHNNY KNOX – CHICAGO BEARS
Trader Take: Knox caught 45 balls for 527 yards and five touchdowns last season, so he isn’t exactly an unknown commodity. Until we see how Knox does in training camp and during the preseason in offensive coordinator Mike Martz’s pass-happy attack, we’re not going to abandon our sleeper hopes for Devin Abromashodu, who is Jay Cutler’s favorite target, just yet.
RODGER GOODELL – NFL
Trader Take: Under the current proposal, teams would go from playing an average of four preseason games and 16 regular-season games to playing just two preseason games and 18 regular-season games. Looking at things from a fantasy football angle, each team would play 18 games and have a Bye week, so we’re looking at a 19-week regular season, which would give us Week 18 fantasy bowls, right? Stay tuned.
6-17-10
ALBERT HAYNESWORTH – WASHINGTON REDSKINS
Trader Take: This one has the potential to get really ugly. Haynesworth’s Redskin teammates are speaking out, calling him “selfish.” There has been talk of a possible trade, but what team out there wants to blow a pick on a high-salaried selfish player?
VINCENT JACKSON – SAN DIEGO CHARGERS
Trader Take: Jackson would have to report and start playing by Week 11 so he would receive credit for an accrued season. Although we’re very concerned about a possible holdout, we’re not panicking yet. This is all posturing between Jackson and Chargers GM A.J. Smith. Stay tuned.
KELLEN WINSLOW – TAMPA BAY BUCCANEERS
Trader Take: Although that most-recent surgery was considered minor, Winslow is definitely a high-mileage xx-year-old player. He is the best pass-catcher on a team with a bunch of inexperienced receiver talent and will have an experienced, yet promising Josh Freeman throwing him passes. Add it all up, and it’s hard to feel warm and fuzzy about Winslow as anything more than a No. 2 fantasy tight end.
DOMENIK HIXON – NEW YORK GIANTS
Trader Take: Hixon was New York’s main kickoff returner. It looks like Sinorice Moss, Antrel Rolle and Aaron Ross are the likely candidates to battle for Hixon’s returner job. Hixon had no serious fantasy value as a wide receiver, because he was not expected to crack the starting rotation of Steve Smith, Hakeem Nicks and Mario Manningham.
CHRIS JOHNSON – TENNESSEE TITANS
Trader Take: Johnson, who was the 2009 NFL Offensive Player of the Year, is very frustrated with the lack of contract talks and is apparently ready to sit out Titans training camp, which starts July 31. Johnson is the heart and soul of the Tennessee offense, so we still expect him and the team to work something out at some point. Don’t panic yet.
MARSHAWN LYNCH – BUFFALO BILLS
Trader Take:Although everybody involved is all smiles and saying the right things, we still think the Bills would trade Lynch for the right offer. The Seattle Seahawks are rumored to be interested in the former 2007 first-round pick. If Lynch does stay in Buffalo, he would be in a time share with Fred Jackson and C.J. Spiller.
6-15-10
VINCE YOUNG – TENNESSEE TITANS
Trader Take: It’s nice to see him owning up to what happened on the surveillance video, but the NFL has not weighed in yet on possible punishment for what looks like a violation of its Personal Conduct Policy. We’re expecting Young to receive anything ranging from a warning to a two-game suspension from Roger Goodell.
DONALD DRIVER – GREEN BAY PACKERS
Trader Take: It sounds like the 35-year-old Driver just had a cleanup procedure done on both knees. Nobody knew Driver’s knees were giving him pain last season. There are a lot of mouths to feed in the Green Bay passing game, and the emergence of Jermichael Finley probably will cause a slight downtick in Driver’s numbers. Consider him a solid No. 3 fantasy wide receiver.
MARSHAWN LYNCH – BUFFALO BILLS
Trader Take: Lynch has been a no-show for the Bills’ offseason program and obviously wants out of Buffalo. Although the Bills won’t admit it publically, they probably would love to move him. A Lynch trade to Seattle obviously would boost his fantasy value, and the value of Fred Jackson and C.J Spiller.
6-14-10
