The Fantasy Kickoff - Fantasy Football Tips

May 16th, 2008

Vince Young Drunk and Topless - Vince Young Impact?

Check out these pictures of Vince Young apparently drunk and certainly topless. I’m not exactly sure what Vince Young was doing. He was partying but it doesn’t look like a very enjoyable party.

Matt Leinart’s party pictures got him in some trouble with his team. Will these Vince Young pictures get the Titans’ star quarterback in trouble? I guess we’ll have to wait and see. Surely, the Titans coaches can’t be excited by what they see.

And while Leinart got criticized, at least he had females at his party. There are no chicks visible in Vince Young’s party — not that there is anything wrong with that, of course.

This may or may not make you think twice about picking Vince Young to quarterback your fantasy football team in 2008.

At least Vince Young Doesn’t Look Drunk Here.

Photo: Newscom

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By Kori Ellis -- 0 comments

May 15th, 2008

Michael Strahan Retire? Fantasy Impact

Michael Strahan of the Super Bowl champion New York Giants has indicated that he’s thinking about retiring. In fact, he says that he’s close to announcing his intentions. Some sources close to the team expect Strahan to retire to take a broadcasting job.

Even though the 36-year-old Strahan isn’t as dominant as he used to be, he’s still a very good football player. He was a huge key last season for the Giants. His size, strength and ability to rush the passer was vital.

Last season, Strahan skipped training camp but played well during the regular season. He finished the season with nine sacks – the ninth time in his career that he had at least nine sacks.

If Strahan is to retire, the Giants defense would be worth a lot less in fantasy football. As of now, the Giants defense has to be regarded as one of the better defenses due to their ability to rush the quarterback and cause turnovers. Without Strahan, the Giants wouldn’t be nearly as good at getting after the passer.

Keep an eye on what Strahan does if you are considering drafting the Giants defense. He’s due approximately $4 million, so there’s definitely a chance that he’ll play another year.

Photo: Newscom

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May 14th, 2008

Kellen Winslow Contract Holdout 2008 - Fantasy Impact

There are some rumblings in Cleveland that Kellen Winslow, the Browns’ star tight end, might be unhappy with his contract. Winslow didn’t show up for a few organized team activities recently. Although the activities aren’t mandatory, there is speculation that Winslow’s absence is contract related.

Last season, Winslow had a very good fantasy football campaign. He had 82 catches, 1106 yards and five touchdowns. The 24-year-old tight end out of Miami became one of the best fantasy tight ends in the NFL.

Early in Winslow’s career, he suffered from a number of serious injuries. During that time, the Browns restructured Winslow’s contract. Now that Winslow has his career back on track, it’s possible that Winslow wants a bump in pay.

If Winslow doesn’t start showing up in Cleveland for workouts, his fantasy football stock will start dropping. Winslow has a history of questionable off the field moves and he could be aiming toward a contract hold out. If that’s the case, it’s unlikely that the Browns will budge.

As it stands, Winslow is one of the best fantasy football tight ends heading into the 2008 NFL season. If this contract dispute comes to fruition, who would the Browns look at to fill Winslow spot at tight end? One option is Martin Rucker, a fourth round pick in the 2008 NFL Draft.

Photo: Newscom

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By Kori Ellis -- 1 comment

May 14th, 2008

Brian Urlacher Contract Holdout 2008 - Fantasy Impact

Brian Urlacher is missing voluntary workouts with the Chicago Bears due to being unhappy with his current contract. He’s recently stated that he’d be willing to miss involuntary workouts if a new contract isn’t agreed upon. There has also been talk about him not showing up at training camp without a new contract.

For fantasy football purposes, Urlacher is definitely a difference maker for the Chicago Bears defense. He’s one of the best linebackers in the league and if a contract holdout lasted into the season, the Bears defense would be less valuable in the fantasy football world.

The Bears will likely be hesitant to give Urlacher a new contract. The 29-year-old linebacker has struggled with injuries in the recent past and some scouts claim that Urlacher isn’t as dominant as he was a few years ago. If the Bears don’t budge, it appears that Urlacher alos won’t budge. That could cause a volatile situation in Chicago.

With Urlacher, the Bears defense is a top three defense heading into the 2008 fantasy football season. Without Urlacher, they’d have to drop at least two or three spots in the defensive projections.

This potential Urlacher holdout is yet another distraction the Bears have had to deal with this offseason. Earlier in the month, Cedric Benson was arrested in Texas. In better news, the Bears locked up kicker Robbie Gould to a multi-year contract.

Photo: Newscom

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May 14th, 2008

Walsh and Goodell Speak - Spygate Over? Video

Matt Walsh showed his video tapes to the NFL and it appears that nothing too out of the ordinary was found. Roger Goodell has all but said that the Spygate investigation is over. If that’s true, that is the best possible news for the Patriots.

Here is a video discussing the end of Spygate:

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May 13th, 2008

A Sports Fan is Born

It’s funny how the roots of our sports fandom start at such a young age. I am a huge NBA fan, in addition to loving the NFL. Though I live in San Antonio now, I grew up in Phoenix and that’s where my love of sports began.

When I was very young, there was a local kids show on early in the morning before school - “The Wallace and Ladmo Show”. The show ran from 1954 to 1989 in Phoenix on KPHO-TV. Every kid in Phoenix knew about Wallace and Ladmo, as well as the “bad guy” Gerald and other characters. It was very goofy and had a lot of bad sketches, games and other children’s activities.

Everybody wanted to get on “The Wallace and Ladmo Show.” Kids could write in and try to get onto the show by drawing a funny cartoon, making up a joke or whatever. Well my sister (who is two years older than I am), drew a cartoon and sent it in. She was selected and invited down to the studio to be on the TV show, where she could talk to Wallace and Ladmo plus receive a “Ladmo Bag” full of goodies.

Of course, I went to the studio with her to sit in the audience and watch. Well, it was just my luck that one of the other kids that was selected that day didn’t show up. So Ladmo asked me if I wanted to join my sister on TV! Wow, I was excited.

So my sister and I joined the other kids on stage, where we talked to the hosts and received our Ladmo bags.

When I got my bag home, inside was candy, chips and other treats, as well as a pair of Phoenix Suns tickets and a pair of knee-high Phoenix Suns socks - you know the white ones with the bright purple and orange stripes.

Our family went to the Suns game and a basketball fan was born! Though I am no longer a Suns fan, I do remember the teams of the late 70’s and 80’s very well with players like Alvin Adams, Kyle Macy, Larry Nance, Truck Robinson, Walter Davis, the Van Arsdale Brothers, Paul Westphal and many more. Kyle Macy was my first sports crush. But hey, that’s another story.

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May 12th, 2008

Robbie Gould 2008 NFL Projections

The Chicago Bears signed Robbie Gould to a five-year contract extension that made him the highest paid kicker in the NFL. Gould, the 25-year-old out of Penn State, signed an extension worth approximately $16 million.

Gould has quickly proven to be one of the best kickers in the NFL. In the last two seasons, he has attempted 36 field goal attempts. In 2006, he hit 32. In 2007, he connected on 31. He also has 30 field goals in that time span that were at least 40 yards.

In 2008, Gould is a good but not great prospect as a kicker. The problem is that he’s on a team with a shaky offense. Rex Grossman is once again the quarterback and it’s difficult to trust a Grossman led team. Running back Cedric Benson hasn’t proven to be an NFL runner.

Going into the season, Gould should be rated between the fifth and tenth best kicker. If the Bears ever become a good offensive team, Gould’s value would rise to the point he could be a top-three kicker in fantasy football.

Photo: Newscom

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May 12th, 2008

2008 NFL Power Rankings - Best Teams in the NFL

After the 2008 NFL Draft, it’s time to take another look at the 2008 NFL power rankings. Who are the best teams in the NFL right now?

1. New England Patriots
The Patriots almost went undefeated last season. In 2008, New England will still be the most talented team and the best coached team. That makes them the overwhelming favorite.

2. Dallas Cowboys
The Cowboys are extremely talented and could have the best offense in the league in 2008. By drafting Felix Jones in the 2008 NFL Draft, the Cowboys successfully made up for the loss of Julius Jones.

3. Indianapolis Colts
The 2006 Super Bowl champions will go into the 2008 season still riding high. The bad news is that Marvin Harrison is in potentially serious legal trouble. The return of Dominic Rhodes could be key.

4. San Diego Chargers
The Chargers have a lot of athleticism, toughness and talent on their roster. Although the loss of Michael Turner could hurt, the team is deep and now has the experience to be a true contender.

5. New York Giants
While the Giants are the defending Super Bowl champions, they won’t go into the 2008 NFL season as favorites. They lost a few key defensive players to free agency and they need to prove that 2007 wasn’t a fluke.

Can Eli Manning win another Super Bowl?

Photo: Newscom

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May 11th, 2008

John Carlson 2008 Fantasy Projections – Seattle Seahawks

Although the Seattle Seahawks had other draft picks in the 2008 NFL Draft, their second round pick is likely their most important pick of the draft. The Seahawks picked John Carlson in the second round, who is a tight end out of Notre Dame.

Tight end has long been a trouble spot for the Seahawks. Either they’ve had a tight end that can block but can’t catch, or a tight end that can catch but can’t block. Carlson has a chance to be Seattle’s first tight end in a long time that can both catch and block.

At 6-foot-6 and 255 pounds, Carlson definitely has the size to block. He wasn’t much of a blocker at Notre Dame, but he with further coaching he can improve that part of his game.

At times in college, Carlson looked like a great receiving tight end. However, his senior season was a bit of a disappointment. He caught 40 passes for 372 yards and three touchdowns. In the scouting combine, Carlson also clocked out as a slower than average tight end. Additionally, Carlson struggled with drops in his college career.

That said, Carlson runs good routes and has shown flashes of being an acrobatic receiver. The Seahawks will hope that he’s capable of starting and playing almost every down. If he can become the full-time tight end, his fantasy potential should be relatively high. Keep an eye on him but as a full-time starter, Carlson is a nice sleeper as a backup tight end in fantasy football.

Photo: Newscom

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May 10th, 2008

Baltimore Ravens Brawl at Minicamp - Fantasy Impact

Minicamp for the Baltimore Ravens has been intense. Players are reporting that the hitting is often and the hitting is hard. Tight end Quinn Sypniewski was lost for the season during minicamp after tearing a knee ligament.

On Saturday, tempers were flaring during the minicamp. Two separate fights brought nearly the entire team to blows. Oniel Cousins and Amon Gordon started the first fight, while Corey Ivy and Frank Walker started the second fight.

New coach John Harbaugh has indicated that he believes that the fights are nothing major. Part of the reason why tension is high is due to the players trying to learn offensive coordinator Cam Cameron’s new system. Defensive coordinator Rex Ryan was seen laughing during the fights.

In fantasy football terms, it’s good to see that the Ravens are living up to their reputation as being a fiery team. Their defense has been a fantasy disappointment in recent years. This could be a sign that Harbaugh has the team back to its old fiery ways.

Offensively, the Ravens can’t be as bad as they were in recent years. They’ll be able to move the ball, even if it takes 2008 NFL draft pick Joe Flacco to do it.

Photo: Newscom

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