Week 3 Recap/Power Rankings

My Week 3 Picks:

Seattle Seahawks over Arizona Cardinals
Buffalo Bills over Cleveland Browns
Miami Dolphins over Houston Texans
New York Giants over Jacksonville Jaguars
Detroit Lions over Washington Redskins

10 for 15 (67%) on the season

Winner of the Matchup of the Week: Jacksonville Jaguars
Luckiest Win: Buffalo Bills over Cleveland Browns
Unluckiest Loss: Seattle Seahawks to the Arizona Cardinals
Biggest Week 3 Disappointment: Miami Dolphins
Biggest Week 3 Surprise: Houston Texans

• Jeremy Shockey out 3-6 Weeks. I think this won’t be a huge blow to the Cards, because Shockey has always been overrated and Carlson, who has become the Seahawks most consistent receiver, isn’t a downgrade at all. This NFL season has been so brutal injurywise, I believe the winner of our league will be who can stay the healthiest.
• Willie Parker is out for Week 4. I am trying to deal Rashard Mendenhall, who will start this Sunday. Let me know.
• Ouch, Ronnie Brown and Michael Turner were the highest Week 3 Scorers. The Dolphins, who started both, still lost. Owned.
• Julius Jones is probably one of the most underrated/underappreciated backs in the league. He’s an excellent pass blocker, and can catch passes in addition to being a pretty decent runner. I think it will be the Duckett/Jones show in Seattle this year, with Maurice Morris being the odd man out.
• Despite having scored 91 less points than the Dolphins, the Bills are 2-1 and the Phins are 1-2. Luck.

Power Rankings:

These are the Week 3 power rankings. These are, of course, just my opinion.

1. Arizona Cardinals (2-1, 389 Points) [+4]
Even though Jacksonville is number 1 in the standings, the Cards pulled off a couple of trades that makes them the #1 team in the new power rankings. The Cards are looking every bit the “win now” team, with no 1st round picks in the upcoming draft.

2. Jacksonville Jaguars (3-0, 372 Points) [--]
The Jags come in 2nd for the 3rd straight week. Jacksonville has consistently beaten their opponents, and now hold the number 1 spot in the standings. It will be interesting to see if Jacksonville can keep this up.

3. Seattle Seahawks (2-1, 355 Points) [--]
The Hawks have been basically a bit worse version of the Jags this year, consistently posting up totals of 120, 120 and 115 in Week 1, 2 and 3 (respectively). This team could be much better if they started getting production out of Braylon Edwards.

4. New York Giants (2-1, 351 Points) [-3]
The Giants took a major step back Week 3, losing their 1st place spot to the Jacksonville Jaguars. Despite what I said about the Giants receiving core in the preseason, it is now considerably weaker, with Torry Holt not producing in St. Louis and Marques Colston injured.

5. Miami Dolphins (1-2, 357 Points) [-1]
Surprisingly, if the playoffs began today, the Dolphins would not be in them. However, the Dolphins remain number 5 on my board because of the stellar running back play of Ronnie Brown and Michael Turner, and the wild inconsistency of 3rd overall pick Ladanian Tomlinson. Not to mention, the fact that 357 Fantasy points is good for 3rd most in the league – the Dolphins have been extremely unlucky.

6. Houston Texans (2-1, 302 Points) [--]
The Texans have been league average so far, with just an average number of points. Obviously, losing Tom Brady for the season has had it’s impact, but the Texans are still 2-1 and very much a sleeper playoff contender. I don’t foresee a win for Houston this weekend, with an unfortunate Bye week 4 situation and the tough Jacksonville Jaguars on the schedule. The Texans do have the #1 Waiver priority, which could be huge if somebody accidentally cuts an injured star.

7. Detroit Lions (1-2, 278 Points) [+2]
The Lions got their first win of the season on Sunday, over the lowly Washington Redskins. I believe that the Lions have put together a nice little squad, despite the fact that they are 1-2, and combining that with the fact that none of their players have a Week 4 bye, It isn’t too hard to believe that the Lions could pull the upset this weekend.

8. Buffalo Bills (2-1, 266 Points) [--]
Admittedly, I have been a little rough on the Bills in these rankings. Buffalo, despite having only scored 266 points in three weeks, would actually make the playoffs if they started today. The Bills have a major Bye week situation ahead of them Week 4, advantage: Cardinals.

9. Washington Redskins (0-3, 265 Points) [-2]
The Skins are one of two teams in the Charlie Frye Invitational without a win, but have actually only scored one less point than the Bills… During the preseason, nobody in our league really thought that Washington could compete this season, and the first three weeks has proven that.

10. Cleveland Browns (0-3, 232 Points) [--]
The Browns have yet to earn a win, and come in for the third straight week as 10th in the rankings. The Browns have been huge underperformers this season, and it would almost take a miracle to turn the ship around. 2nd Overall Pick Steven Jackson has been one of the biggest busts of the season.

Week 3 Preview

Matchup of the Week: New York Giants vs. Jacksonville Jaguars

Picks:
Seattle Seahawks over Arizona Cardinals
Buffalo Bills over Cleveland Browns
Miami Dolphins over Houston Texans
New York Giants over Jacksonville Jaguars
Detroit Lions over Washington Redskins

Week 2 Recap/Power Rankings

My Week 2 Picks:

Miami Dolphins over New York Giants
Seattle Seahawks over Cleveland Browns
Buffalo Bills over Washington Redskins
Arizona Cardinals over Houston Texans
Jacksonville Jaguars over Detroit Lions

8 for 10 (80%) on the season

Winner of the Matchup of the Week: New York Giants
Luckiest Win: Buffalo Bills over Washington Redskins
Unluckiest Loss: Houston Texans to the Arizona Cardinals
Biggest Week 2 Disappointment: Miami Dolphins
Biggest Week 2  Surprise: Arizona Cardinals

Just to clarify, the Luckiest and Unluckiest wins of the week aren’t actually my analysis, but it’s just whoever scored the most points and still lost. Or who scored the least points and still won. It’s just to get an idea of who got lucky/unlucky from week to week, not my opinion of who is good or bad.

• There was a CBA Change.
• Anquan Boldin dropped 32 points for Arizona, and was the Week 2 High Scorer. Early results for the Steve Smith trade say that the Cards won in a landslide. Boldin is now #4 in Yahoo Ranks.
• I forgot to mention in the Week 1 Recap that Marques Colston is out for 4-6 Weeks. The Giants, however, didn’t seem to lose a step.
• JT O’Sullivan is gay.
• Carson Palmer has scored a total of 6 points in 2 Weeks. Ouch.
• Darren McFadden, thats what i’m talking about!
• The Texans got production out of Aaron Rodgers to fill Brady’s shoes, but got little production from Matt Cassel and ultimately lost to a solid Cardinals squad.
• LT only scored 3 Fantasy Points in Week 2. I’d like to remind folks that LT also had a slow start to last season too, before going off for 21 Points in Week 4, and then having this nifty little performance in Week 6.
• Braylon Edwards continues to dissapoint for my Seahawks. 4 Points in 2 Weeks.
• My Seahawks have scored exactly 120 points both Weeks, for a total of 240. Weird.
• Recent trade rumors have included: Ronnie Brown, Drew Brees, Jake Delhomme, Reggie Bush and Derek Anderson.

Power Rankings:

These are the Week 2 power rankings. These are, of course, just my opinion.

1. New York Giants (2-0, 257 Points) [+3]
The Giants scored 157 points in Week 2, and beat the Miami Dolphins to nab 1st place and climb 3 spots in the Power Rankings. The Giants continue to get solid production out of Jay Cutler and Brian Westbrook, and they will clash with the Jacksonville Jaguars Week 3 for the #1 spot in the league.

2. Jacksonville Jaguars (2-0, 250 Points) [--]
The Jags have been the biggest surprise after two weeks, as many people (including myself) predicted them to finish out of the playoffs in the Preseason rankings. Jacksonville has been the most consistent team so far, posting Week 1 totals of 130 followed by a Week 2 total of 121.

3. Seattle Seahawks (2-0, 240 Points) [--]
My team has been freakishly consistent so far, with two 120 point weeks. Each Week, different players have stepped up – in Week 1, it was Reggie Bush and Frank Gore, while in Week 2 it was Darren McFadden and Chris Chambers. The Seahawks clash with Arizona Week 3, and it looks like the Cards will have to score more than 120 points to win!

4. Miami Dolphins (1-1, 248 Points) [-3]
Despite having more points than the Seahawks, the Dolphins are ranked below because of their poor performance Week 2, and their inconsistency so far. Despite posting up a ridiculous 160 points in Week 1, the Dolphins offense struggled Week 2 and only put up 88 points in a loss to New York.

5. Arizona Cardinals (1-1, 224 Points) [+3]
The Cardinals rebounded from a below average Week 1 and posted up 140 points Week 2. The Cards got ridiculous production out of Eli Manning, Anquan Boldin, Clinton Portis and Earnest Graham. Arizona would love to prove that they are for real with a win over NFC conference-rival Seattle.

6. Houston Texans (1-1, 187 Points) [+1]
The Texans won in Week 1 with poor production, but got unlucky Week 2 and took a loss while posting up solid 106 points. Houston heads to Miami Week 3, and it will be an opportunity for the Brady-less Texans to prove that they are legit.

7. Washington Redskins (0-2, 186 Points) [-2]
The Redskins haven’t been particulary special in Week 1 or 2, but have posted up enough points that they should at least be 1-1. Without McGahee, it’s been a tough going for the Skins, who were actually forced to start Warrick Dunn at RB last week opposite Marshawn Lynch. The Skins will try and get their first win this weekend over the struggling Lions.

8. Buffalo Bills (1-1, 174 Points) [+1]
The Bills actually had a solid Week 2, but still don’t have enough points to justify me ranking them over the Redskins. The Bills actually got their most production out of the New York Defense in Week 2, and were still able to beat the Redskins. The Bills will look to go 2-1 next week against the struggling Cleveland Browns.

9. Detroit Lions (0-2, 173 Points) [-3]
The Lions have basically been exactly the same as the Bills, but they have just been unlucky with their matchups. Detroit will look to continue to get major production out of Adrian Peterson, and tack on a win Week 3 against the Redskins.

10. Cleveland Browns (0-2, 160 Points) [--]
The Browns took a Week 2 loss to the Seahawks, but actually had a solid week and posted up 89 Points. The Browns also accidentally left Ahman Green and Andre Johnson in, and proceeded to lose by 31 Points. Those two would have potentially put them over the Lions in this Weeks rankings. The Browns hope that they can get production out of Palmer, Steven Jackson and Galloway, and beat the BIlls in Week 3.

CBA Change: Lottery

To avoid tanking, the teams that do not make the playoffs will compete in a weighted lottery to determine the draft order. Teams with less wins and points will have a greater chance at selecting higher in the draft. The probabilities will be determined before the beginning of next season, and the lottery will be conducted by myself.

Tanking will not be permitted in this league. Basically, if you are picking up Keary Colbert and starting him over Terrell Owens, there is a problem.

Week 2 Preview

Whoops, sorry I accidentally forgot to post this, but these were my actual pre-Sunday predictions…

Intriguing Matchup of the Week: New York Giants vs. Miami Dolphins

Picks:
Miami Dolphins over New York Giants
Seattle Seahawks over Cleveland Browns
Buffalo Bills over Washington Redskins
Arizona Cardinals over Houston Texans
Jacksonville Jaguars over Detroit Lions

Week 1 Power Rankings

These are the first official power rankings. These are, of course, just my opinion.

1. Miami Dolphins (1-0, 160 Pts) [--]
The Dolphins showed that the Number 1 team on paper was also the Number 1 team on the field Sunday. The team got huge performances out of Michael Turner, Jon Kitna, Willie Parker and Hines Ward.

2. Jacksonville Jaguars (1-0, 130 Pts) [--]
The Jags came to plan on Sunday, getting huge performances out of QB tandem Donovan McNabb and Philip Rivers, as well as a nice game from Marion Barber III. The Jaguars will try and keep it going next week against the Lions.

3. Seattle Seahawks (1-0, 120 Pts) [--]
The Seahawks got a nice all-around performance from everybody Week 1, with Reggie Bush and Frank Gore both scoring 20+ points. The team will try and get a better performance out of Braylon Edwards and Darren McFadden against the Browns Week 2.

4. New York Giants (1-0, 99 Pts) [--]
The Giants got a very nice performance out of Jay Cutler and Brian Westbrook Week 1. If only they would have started the Titans Defense! The team will look to get a much better performance out of WR’s Torry Holt and Marques Colston Week 2, who scored a combined 2 Fantasy Points (ouch).

5. Washington Redskins (0-1, 98 Pts) [--]
The Skins got a strong performance out of their guys Week 1, surprising me (as well as others) and scoring 98 Fantasy Points. Unfortunately, the team lost to a Jaguars team that scored 130 points. This all while getting 0 points from an injured Willis McGahee! The Redskins move into Week 2 with Darrell Jackson starting at 3WR… We will see how that goes.

6. Detroit Lions (0-1, 92 Pts) [--]
Despite getting absolutely torched by the Dolphins Week 1, the Lions still put together an average weekend, scoring more Fantasy Points than 4 other teams. The Lions will try and take down the Jaguars Week 2, with Matt Ryan presumably taking the 2nd QB slot from an injured Vince Young.

7. Houston Texans (1-0, 81 Points) [--]
I will rank the Texans over the Cardinals, even though the Cardinals scored more Fantasy Points, because Brady went down. Matt Cassel will presumably score more than Brady’s Week 1 Total (3 Points), and the Texans could easily have a better team than the Cards down the stretch. The main thing that matters in the league is wins – not points, and the Texans have 1 win and are sitting in 5th place.

8. Arizona Cardinals (0-1, 84 Points) [--]
The Cardinals didn’t really get any performance out of any of their players Week 1. Still, you can’t expect the Seahawks Defense to only score 2 points per week…  When Steve Smith returns, the dynamic of this team could be totally different…

9. Buffalo Bills (0-1, 75 Points) [--]
There’s not much to say here. The team got poor performances from Joseph Addai, Dallas Clark, Marc Bulger, Maurice Jones Drew and Laurence Maroney… and ultimately lost to the Seahawks Week 1. Brady’s injury should help clear up the Maroney situation though, as he will presumably get more touches in the backfield.

10. Cleveland Browns (0-1, 71 Points) [--]
I don’t feel that this team is the worst in the league. In fact, on paper, I believed it was one of the best (in the preseason). But when you lose your opening match, and score the least points, it leaves me no choice but to rank the Browns last. The Browns didn’t seem to get any production out of alot of their players Week 1, and the team suffered. Ironically, Chad Pennington scored more fantasy points than Carson Palmer or Tony Romo did…

And if you didn’t see it, check out the Week 1 Recap.

Week 1 Recap

My Week 1 Picks:

Seahawks over Bills
Browns over Texans
Giants over Cardinals
Dolphins over Lions
Jaguars over Redskins

4 for 5 (80%)

Winner of our Most Intriguing Matchup: New York Giants
Luckiest Win: Texans over Browns
Unluckiest Loss: Washington Redskins to the Jacksonville Jaguars
Biggest Week 1 Disappointment: Cleveland Browns
Biggest Week 1 Surprise: Jacksonville Jaguars

• Eddie Royal is nasty. The way he was shaking the Oakland secondary – DeAngelo Hall and Nnamdi Asomugha (arguably the best CB tandem in the league) and Gibril Wilson at safety – made me a believer. He was being utilized on end-arounds and punt returns, as well as starting at WR… I don’t see a huge dropoff when B-Marsh returns.
• Brady is obviously a huge disappointment to the Texans. We are already wrong on two of the Community Projection questions (Biggest Bust, Most Fantasy Points). Houston quickly signed Matt Cassel to be Brady’s replacement at QB. If the Texans don’t feel that Cassel has what it takes to be the #2 QB behind Aaron Rodgers, is there a potential Brady trade to pick up a better QB on the horizon??
• With the Brady injury, Laurence Maroney’s stock rises for Buffalo.
• Michael Turner ran all over the (weak) Lions defense. I see huge numbers from Turner this year, but I doubt he will end the season in the top 10 of the Yahoo! ranks.
• Nate Burleson is out for the year, and is a huge loss to an already shaky Redskins receiving corps. The Redskins have signed former Seahawks Darrell Jackson to be Burlesons replacement. D-Jack quietly had a solid Week 1, with 48 rec yards and 1 TD.
• The Matt Ryan trade looks a whole lot better for the Lions after Week 1. With Vince Young down and Ryan scoring 10 Fantasy points, the Lions have a nice QB that they can plug in for Week 2.

Filth

Week 1 Preview

Feel free to submit your own picks and such in the comments if you wish…

Intriguing Matchup of the Week: Simon vs. Simons Brother (Giants vs. Cardinals)

Picks:

Seahawks over Bills
Browns over Texans
Giants over Cardinals
Dolphins over Lions
Jaguars over Redskins

Preseason Power Ranks/Community Projections

Here are the long-awaited projections. These will serve as the Preseason Power Rankings. Saim and Cameron did not participate (but that’s fine). Enjoy

What the Community had to say/Preseason Power Rankings:

1st: Cleveland Browns (average projected finish of 2.75)
T-2nd: Seattle Seahawks (average projected finish of 4)
T-2nd: Miami Dolphins (average projected finish of 4)
4th: Detroit Lions (average projected finish of 4.63)
5th: New York Giants (average projected finish of 4.75)
6th: Buffalo Bills (average projected finish of 5.87)
7th: Houston Texans (average projected finish of 6.25)
8th: Jacksonville Jaguars (average projected finish of 6.38)
9th: Arizona Cardinals (average projected finish of 7.13)
10th: Washington Redskins (average projected finish of 9.25)

Best University of Miami Running Back: Clinton Portis
Most Fantasy Points: Tie between Ladanian Tomlinson and Tom Brady
Biggest Bust: Ronnie Brown

What Canon had to say:

1.Canon
2.Ryan
3.Patrick
4.Simons Brother
5.Cameron
6.Wooley
7.Marshall
8.Alex
9.Simon
10.Saim

Best University of Miami RB: Clinton Portis
Most Fantasy Points: Brian Westbrook
Biggest Bust: Ronnie Brown

What Marshall had to say:

1. Phil Bayru: With Manning, Taylor, Colston and Westbrook. Phil’s got power to get some gold to flash in Simon’s face when he’s at tenth. I think this team will be a recent contender also with proven veteren Torry Holt and Dwayne Bowe. So in the end I think this team has what it takes to be number 1.

2. Marshall “work” Greenlaw: I’ve got LT and i’ve got TO and i’ve got Michael Turner who will carry me and the Atlanta Falcons future. With averege recieving and hard with QB’s my team might not win any gold.

3. Marier: Marier and Bury might get switched up in a tight plyoff run, but i’m serious this team is filthy dude, this boy has AP da boy, VY who will be better if he scrambles and gets good rushing yards and Fitz who has tookin’ care of that recieving corp. With Brees doin’ work on haters these boys are bronze contenders.

4. Ryan Bury: Bury’s got S-Jax he’s got Stewart, he’s got Palmer and he’s got a legit team. Along with a good recieving corp led by Andre Johnson your looking at a future contender for the championship

5. Patrick Greenlaw: This team has what it takes to be good only if Matt Hasselbeck carries the team, along with Braylon Edwards, Frank Gore ,and D-mac. This team is and sounds good but with other big contenders in the league it may hold Patrick back from a championship.

6. Jake Wooley: Ocho Cinco, Tom Brady, Ryan Grant, this team sounds like a bunch of winners ,but with the men backing them up NO IT IS NOT! Arron Rodgers with Greg Jennings is a sure loss if the Packers do poorly this year. Julius Jones who is not a workhorse may get some good carries but this team will be a dissapointment. Although I think they have what it’s got to the plyoffs.

7. Saim Zerai: This guy is starting scrub Matt Schuab, Lavernanues Coles ,and Thomas Jones. Along with a weak bench in Deuce McAllister and Rudi Johnson his team might make a run at the playoffs if they just make a few trades.

8. Canon: Canon, Canon, Canon (sigh) Canon has good players but startin’ haters like Anthony Gonzalez, Laurence Maroney (who oh by the fact was one of the worst busts in the league last year), along with Jason Campbell a young QB who will make a lot of mistakes this year. Maybe in 2010 Canon, just maybe.

9. Cameron Hyde: This team would be better if he just had more worthy QB’s and RB’s that could put up better fantasy points, although I will say he has some good recievers.

10. Simon Bayru: Simon just dosen’t have the tools to be good in this league starting guys like Derek Anderson and Bernard Berrian along with a injure written LJ I don’t like his chances of winning.

Best University of Miami RB: Frank Gore
Most Fantasy Points: Ladanian Tomlinson
Biggest Bust: Larry Johnson

What Simon had to say:

Making the Playoffs:
1. Ryan
2. Simon
3. Patrick
4. Marebear
5. Marshall
6. Phil

Not Making the Playoffs:
7. Wooley
8. Canon
9. Cameron
10. Saim

Best University of Miami RB: Clinton Portis
Most Fantasy Points: Ladanian Tomlinson
Biggest Bust: Ronnie Brown

What Phil had to say:

1. Alex
2. Patrick
3. Marshall
4. Simon
5. Phil
6. Ryan
7. Jacob
8. Cameron
9. Canon
10. Saim

Best University of Miami RB: Frank Gore
Most Fantasy Points: Ladanian Tomlinson
Biggest Bust: Ronnie Brown

What Alex had to say:

1. Me
2.Tick Tick (Ryan)
3.P weez (Patrick)
4.Non (Canon)
5.Cam
6.Marsh
7.Simons Bro (whoever that is)
8.Saim
9.Wools
10.Simon
Im Staying confident

Best University of Miami RB: Willis McGahee
Most Fantasy Points: Adrian Peterson
Biggest Bust: Larry Johnson

What Ryan had to say:
1)Marshall
2)Ryan
3)Simons Brother
4)Cameron
5)Canon
6)Simon
7)Mare-bear
8)Patrick
9)Wools
10)206 Cat

Best University of Miami RB: Clinton Portis
Most Fantasy Points: Tom Brady
Biggest Bust: Willis McGahee

What Jake had to say:

1. Me duh
2. cammy
3. tic (Ryan)
4. non (Canon)
5. weezy (Patrick)
6. bear (Marier)
7. work (Marshall)
8. simons brother
9. 206kid
10. simon

Best University of Miami Running Back: Clinton Portis
Most Fantasy Points: Tom Brady
Biggest Bust: Frank Gore

What I had to say:

1. Miami Dolphins – Easily the best team in the league from a win-now standpoint. Absolutely amazing core of RBs on the squad, and the old WRs should be able to get the job done this year lead by TO. I see some question marks at the QB spot but that’s about it.
2. Cleveland Browns – QB’s score the most fantasy points, and the Browns have two of the best in Romo and Palmer. The Browns are also set at the RB, WR and TE positions. The only question mark will be at the WR/RB slot, where the Browns will try and get production out of a combination of Devin Hester, DeAngelo Williams and Ahman Green.
3. Seattle Seahawks – Not overly spectacular at any position except TE, but solid enough at QB, RB and WR to be very competitive this season. I foresee the Hawks deep deep bench playing a huge factor during the bye weeks. The question marks with this team comes with their inexperience – are Darren McFadden and Reggie Bush ready to help Gore carry the load at RB this season?
4. New York Giants - This team is definently a playoff-caliber team, with exceptional players at every position. At QB, Peyton Manning will be amazing as always and Jay Cutler is certainly a solid keeper prospect. At RB, Brian Westbrook, Jamal Lewis and Selvin Young give the Giants three great workhorses. Not to mention the stellar receiving core of Colston, Holt and Bowe. The question mark with this team is at TE, where the Giants hope to get legit production out of Owen Daniels.
5. Houston Texans – This year, I fully expect Tom Brady to lead the Texans and their stellar receivers to a playoff birth. Yes – Aaron Rodgers and Julius Jones are question marks, but with Brady throwing 50 TDs a year, you can afford to have alot of question marks. When Brandon Marshall takes his place in the starting lineup Week 2, expect the Texans to be a very solid team.
6. Arizona Cardinals – I must admit, after bashing the Cardinals right after the draft, the trades that Cards GM Simon Bayru have pulled off have definently improved his chances of winning. With two passable QBs, running backs Clinton Portis, Larry Johnson and a nice little group of receivers, I fully expect the Cardinals to make a playoff push this year.
7. Detroit Lions – Adrian Peterson. I would have the Lions ranked lower, but if Peterson can stay healthy for the full year, there is no doubt that he can carry the Lions to the playoffs. Now, Peterson staying healthy is a HUGE question mark, and the supporting cast is iffy – which is why the Lions are ranked 7th. Other than Peterson, there isn’t much going on in Detroit.
8. Buffalo Bills – Yes, I am hating, but I am not a huge fan of this team. As Marshall stated before, there is really no reason to believe that Laurence Maroney will have a better season this year than he did last year. Question marks with this team: Anthony Gonzalez, MJD and Maroney. If they have good seasons this year, I expect the Bills to finish higher than 8th.
9. Jacksonville Jaguars – Great WR’s and TEs, not much else going on. I’m not a fan at all of Marion Barber or Moss (or Welker… or Jacobs…), but they could still surprise me and the Jags could get into the playoffs for sure. By trading Palmer away for a combination of draft picks and younger guys, it may have doomed the Jaguars chances of winning this season.
10. Washington Redskins – Honestly there isn’t very much going on here. The Garrard-Schaub QB combo is only better than the Dolphins QBs. Houshmanzadeh-Coles-Burleson is below average as a unit (if you dont believe me, look at the receivers on the Giants, Texans and Browns). Lynch-McGahee-Thomas Jones is certainly a solid group of RBs, but I think anytime your making a prospect like Lynch your 1st round pick, you’re bound to have some struggles in your first season.

Best University of Miami RB: Frank Gore
Most Fantasy Points: Tom Brady
Biggest Bust: Marion Barber III

Recent Trades: Winners and Losers Part 2

Earnest Graham and Plaxico Burress (from Redskins) for Thomas Jones, Laverneus Coles and Arizona Cardinals 4th Round Pick (from Cardinals)

If Burress and Graham can stay healthy and Graham can get his full workload, Simon made a great deal on this trade. Jones and Coles could see their fantasy potential increase now that Favre is in town – but lets be honest – Coles is nowhere near the level of Burress… and Graham is ranked higher and is 2 years younger than Thomas Jones. The 4th Round Pick has relative value to an 11th Round Pick, so honestly your probably looking at getting a backup RB/WR at that point.

Winner: Arizona Cardinals

Derek Anderson (from Bills) for Ben Roethlisburger (from Cardinals)

This trade came with a bit of controversy, but its a completely fair trade. The players are ranked 52nd and 53rd, respectively, and both are young Quarterbacks who are worthy of keeper status. To be honest, I guess I would slightly rather have Anderson, who benefits from a more passing-oriented offense. The only  real knock on Anderson is the possible emergence of Brady Quinn, as compared to Big Ben, who is the franchise QB of the Steelers.

Winner: Even Trade

Selvin Young (from Detroit Lions) for Fred Taylor and New York Giants 2nd Round Pick (from Giants)

I think that the Lions got a great deal in this trade, but I can see the Giants reasons for doing the deal. On the Giants side, he gets a young RB who is a potential keeper if Jamal Lewis flames out, plus Fred Taylor has been overrated this year. Taylor is a lock to NOT repeat his stats from last year, and at 32 years old, how long can he stand the tests of time? He for sure won’t be keeper status at 33 next year, but he could still give the Lions a good 800+ yards this season if he stays healthy. The 2nd rounder next year translates to roughly a 9th rounder this year, but you can still get a solid player with that pick. Still, I like it for Marier, as he will try and build a better team around AP for the upcoming season.

Winner: Detroit Lions

Community Projections

Alright… time for the long awaited Community Projections. These will be released as the same time as the Preseason Power Rankings, so everybody either post your reasoning on here, the message board, or email to greenlawp@yahoo.com before the season starts… Honestly this should take you guys less than 10 minutes to complete, so I’m hoping at least 7 people submit projections. I will post everybodies on this site along with my own a couple days before the season begins.

1. Rank how you think the teams will finish, from 1-10. Reasoning is optional.

2. Which one of these former University of Miami Running Backs will have the best Fantasy Season? Frank Gore, Edgerrin James, Clinton Portis or Willis McGahee

3. Which player will score the most Fantasy Points this season?

4. Which player drafted in the first two rounds will be the biggest bust fantasy-wise this season?

Thats it. Send in your answers.

Wait… who has the best receivers?

Consider the debate over before it started.

Idiot!

Here are some things that Simon has said over the past couple months that I absolutely disagree with… I will refer back to this page in the future when everything he says has been proven wrong.

I will probably be updating this post periodically as the predictions get dumber and dumber. My responses are in italics

• “Jabbar Gaffney will put up better numbers than Donte Stallworth did last season (with his logic being that they will throw the ball to Moss less)” - I add: only if Moss gets hurt
• “Thomas Jones is a beast dude!! People are mad sleeping on him for keeper purposes. He’ll be filthy in a couple years… you’ll see!!!” - umm… 30 years old… 1 TD in 07… okay… To his credit, Favre will help
• “If I get legitimate production out of Bernard Berrian, I have no doubt in my mind I can win the championship!!” - Wow… There’s a problem if you’re relying on Bernard Berrian to win your league.. but whatever.
• “Clinton Portis will have a better year than Frank Gore” - Simons prediction is semi-realistic, but personally, I think Portis is nearly toast. He’s had a heavy workload every season since he entered the league. He might be good this season, but he’s not the kind of guy I would build around in a keeper league. To Simons credit, Portis did have a better  year in ‘07.
• “Jeremy Shockey > Kellen Winslow” – Wow… Just look at the numbers. Shockey has never had even close to as good of a season as Winslow’s 07.
  
• “Tarvaris Jackson is good.” - Like… 8 TD, 20 Int good?
  
• “Eli Manning will be good enough to keep towards next year.” - This is classic Simon logic. He overpaid for a player who was wildly inconsistent last year, but had an amazing Super bowl game. Last year, I thought Eli was a huge sleeper… This year, he’s going way to early in drafts.

That’s all I can think of for now.. Like I said, I will be updating periodically.

Trade Deadline Specifics

The Trade Deadline will be a 1.5 month trading hiatus that will run from November 14th, 2008 to December 29th, 2008. The deadline will be a player-deadline only, meaning the no-trade period will only be in effect for players, not for picks. Picks can be swapped for picks at any time during the season as well as during the deadline and the offseason. 2010 draft picks will be eligible to be traded on December 29th, 2008. Players and all other assets will be re-eligible to trade on December 29th, 2008.

The date to decide keepers hasn’t been assigned yet, but will most likely be sometime around March-June 2009, a month before the draft.