Saturday, April 10, 2010

FSH: MONDAY MORNING HUDDLE

April 12th, 2010 9:57pm PST


[The Evening Edition]
Monday Morning Huddle


Quarterbacks on the Rise....


With the recent headlines circulating from the world of football there has been a lot of changes that could have a big impact on the coming fantasy season. The most notable changes made thus far this offseason could have a great impact on several signal callers.

On the Rise...
With the acquisition of wide receiver Anquan Boldin, Donte Stallworth, and the re-signing of veteran wideout Derrick Mason, the Joe Flacco stock appears to be soaring. In a predominant run-system Flacco (21 touchdown passes in 2009) was a decent number two fantasy quarterback last season. With the team has adding some new weapons this offseason to give the passing game a boost and the emergence of running back Ray Rice (78 receptions) 2010 could be a breakout season for Flacco.

The most recent move to make headlines has been the Jets acquisition of wide receiver Santonio Holmes. Added to a talented corp of receivers that include Jerricho Cotchery and Braylon Edwards, quarterback Mark Sanchez could quickly become a popular pick come fantasy draft time. The former Trojan quarterback had his ups and downs in 2009 (12 touchdown passes, 20 interceptions), but with a solid running game (ranked number one last season) and more talent on the outside Sanchez could be a late sleeper in his sophomore campaign.

Now finally out of the shadow of Donovan McNabb, fourth year quarterback Kevin Kolb inherits a fine cast of receivers that include DeSean Jackson, Jeremy Maclin, Jason Avant, and Brent Celek; this will surely bolster his stock value. With just two career starts under his belt Kolb is going to suffer through some growing pains in 2010, but with a great supporting cast he could be another late sleeper.

Falling down the Charts...

Not all these moves of the current offseason appear to be paying off for everyone. In Washington Jason Campbell is now a fantasy stock in serious trouble of crashing. With McNabb in place as the starter, unless Campbell can find work as a starter somewhere else he'll have virtually no fantasy value around draft time.

With Pete Carroll shaking things up in Seattle with the acquisition of quarterback Charlie Whitehurst, the Matt Hasselbeck stock is starting to look even shakier. There's no question given Hasselbeck's recent injury history his stock is risky at best, but add a new coach, a new system, and some competition and his stock value takes a hit. Expect the better Whitehurst looks this summer the more Hasselbeck's value will fall.

With a lot of recent trade rumors at the quarterback position including the Bills, the stock value of Trent Edwards will continue to tumble this offseason. McNabb was rumored before eventually landing in DC, names like Jason Campbell continue to circulate. Last year Edwards threw just six touchdowns in seven starts, probably not enough to guarantee him a job in 2010. With an open competition this training camp his stock will remain very shaky and a high risk with no reason to believe there's a big pay-off in the future.

Just my current take on some of 2010's fantasy quarterbacks.

By David Ortega

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FSH: THE ATL REPORT

April 12th, 2010 8:07pm PST


Around The League


Holmes traded to the Jets....
Over the weekend the Steelers shook the fantasy world by trading wide receiver Santonio Holmes to the Jets. The Jets gave up a fifth round pick in this year's draft for the troubled receiver who will face a four-game suspension to start the season. The suspension appears to be a big motivating factor in making the sudden move.

Dolphins looking to re-sign Taylor...
The six-time Pro Bowl selection defensive end Jason Taylor has been mulling over signing with the Jets, but it appears the Dolphins could make a move to resign the future hall of fame pass rusher. Taylor has 127.5 career sacks and despite injuries the past couple of seasons should have enough left in the tank to be an effective situational pass rusher. The Jets can't offer a whole lot, so there's a good chance Taylor will stay in Miami.

Campbell signs tender with Redskins....
The Redskins 2009 starter at quarterback Jason Campbell signed his tender for $3.1 million, but it doesn't sound like he intends to stay in Washington. With McNabb in town, Campbell was given permission to seek a trade and even with his signing the possibility still exists. With the draft closing, expect movement soon.

Westbrook heading to the Big-Cheese...
There's nothing definitive being reported other than Packer's GM Ted Thompson could have some interest in free agent running back Brian Westbrook. With Ryan Grant embedded as the starter, Westbrook could be a nice versatile third down addition. This is something worth monitoring because the move makes great sense for the Packer's explosive passing offense.

Noteworthy:


Even though according to SI's Peter King, the Jet's running back Leon Washington is not part of the Santonio Holmes trade with the Steelers it sounds very possible he still could be traded. Washington did not show up for voluntary workouts and has yet to sign his tender. It is safe to speculate he is unhappy with his current situation and very likely the Jets could entertain some offers.

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Monday, April 5, 2010

FSH: WHAT'S THE LATEST

April 5th, 2010 11:07pm PST


What's the Latest

The Rams release Bulger...

After much debate it seems clear what the Rams intend to do on this coming draft day. According to the St. Louis Post-Dispatch on Monday April 5th, 2010 the Rams announced the release of their former starting quarterback Marc Bulger, who took over the reins when Kurt Warner left town in 2004. Bulger had some early success with the Rams, but with just three total wins over the past two seasons it's time for a change in St. Louis.

Given Bulger's current contract situation (he was due to earn $8.5 million this season) the move comes as little surprise. And without a current clear-cut starter on the roster, this opens the door to the notion that the Rams will go quarterback with their number one overall pick in this year's draft.

After his solid performance at his pro day many experts are sold on the Rams taking Oklahoma's Sam Bradford with the number one overall pick. Given their dire need at the position and the hopes to rebuild fast (ala Atlanta) Bradford looks to be a solid investment, but the team will still need to add some pieces up front to protect this investment if they hope to cash in.

Redskins trade for McNabb...

Only if you were busy hunting for eggs on Sunday might you have missed the recent NFL news that rocked the East. Long time Eagles quarterback Donovan McNabb was traded to the Washington Redskins. The six-time Pro Bowler in a surprise move was dealt to a divisional for a second round pick (37th pick overall) in this year's draft and either a third or fourth round pick in next year's draft. With McNabb 33 years of age, the Redskin's new head coach Mike Shanahan is hoping to extend this quarterback's playing career with the same kind of success he was able to enjoy with another Pro Bowl quarterback (John Elway). Elway was 34 when Shanahan arrived in Denver.

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