FanHouse AmaniToomer

There are several wide receivers who are on the free-agent market. Let's take a look at some who are available and where they could go.

Instead of trading a bunch of draft picks for either Anquan Boldin or Braylon Edwards, the Giants elected to address the need to replace Plaxico Burress via draft. Nicks is a solid possession receiver and should see the field with regularity in 2009. Of course, the Giants have spent several draft picks on receiver in recent years -- Steve Smith (2nd round), Sinorice Moss (2nd), Mario Manningham (3rd) -- and they also added Domenik Hixon, so it's really tough to tell how everything shakes out as of now.

They'll be hoping Nicks develops into their go-to guy in the future, but the transition to that role in the pros will take more than a season. Let's check out the fantasy spin on the passing game after the jump.

With the draft approaching, we ignore projections and identify the dream scenario for each team in a series we call The Perfect Draft.

Success has its advantages. In a draft like this, the successful teams can get comparable talent for a mere fraction of the price. Teams picking in the bottom of the first round will gladly take the available players and be thrilled about it. There will be starter-caliber talent on the board, and teams like the New York Giants appear ready to reap the benefits.

Because the NFL season never ends, we present our 2009 Offseason Roadmaps for front offices to navigate through the summer.

The New York Giants were an afterthought in 2007, but made their way to a Super Bowl title. In 2008, the Giants found a way to earn home-field advantage in the NFC playoffs, only to last one game. Their playoff loss to Philadelphia was certainly disappointing, but the fact that they earned the top seed after the drama they went through was impressive in itself. Now, it's time for the Giants to re-tool, reload, and get back to the Super Bowl.

It's unfathomable that the Dallas Cowboys are continuing to utilize Brad Johnson as their starting quarterback. As of this writing, the Boys are only down seven points, but Johnson is 4/9 for 52 yards and two picks. That's good for a 26.4 quarterback rating.

And yes, it's quite impressive, if you're into praising putridity.

But yet it appears as if Wade Phillips is content to let Johnson keep failing his team out of this game. Of course, Eli Manning just hit Amani Toomer for six more points, stretching the Giants lead to 14.

Somehow though, Johnson is still in. And Joe Buck, who I generally prefer to disagree with on principle, has pointed out that there are probably Dallas fans in the stadium and all over the country wondering when they're going get a little taste of the sweet poison pill that is Brooks Bollinger.

I want to know the same thing (and, like Shane Bacon, am totally confident I could do a better job taking snaps) and I also want to know what on Earth the Cowboys coaching staff thinks Johnson adds to their gameplan. He can't make deep throws, he's completely immobile and he can't really make the short throws. Also, his job is to "not turn the ball over" and he does that a lot. Which doesn't seem particularly good.

Hopefully, there will be an update tacked onto this puppy after halftime. Otherwise, things are just getting silly out of control in Phillips' head.

Update: Brooksy did indeed come in to start the second half ... and promptly threw a wobbly quacker that was intercepted and resulted in a Giants touchdown two plays later. Everything's coming up Cowboy!

In recent years, the Giants have good success with finding competent pass catchers to surround Eli Manning. Off-field baggage aside, Jeremy Shockey was among the league's best tight ends, and Plaxico Burress quickly became a favorite target when he arrived in 2005. And there's Amani Toomer and most recently, 2007 second-rounderSteve Smith.

One player who has had yet to fulfill the promise the Giants envisioned when they drafted him in '06 is Sinorice Moss. The former University of Miami star has had an uneven NFL career, and his biggest professional accomplishment to date is that his brother happens to be Santana.

Despite his struggles, Moss is hopeful:

"I mean, honestly, I don't know what to think about [being the only active player not to play against the Rams]," Moss told the Daily News Friday. "I'm going to keep working and stay positive, like I've been since Day 1. And when that times come, just be a humble person and go out there and shine." ...

"I haven't spoken to anyone about being traded," Moss said. "That's not even on my mind. My mind is to do what I have to do for the team, and when I get my opportunities, make some plays. I would love to be here. This is where I want to be."

Training camps are underway, the NFL season is a month off, and to get you ready for 2008, FanHouse previews all 32 teams, "heat index" style. We'll rate each club in 10 categories on a scale of 1 to 10, high score wins.

Quarterback: Who would have thought a year ago that the perception of Eli Manning would have changed so drastically? That's what happens when you win a Super Bowl. But can you really expect Manning to be as precise as he was during that improbable championship run? Either the light finally went on for Manning, or he simply found a zone. Or a combination of the two. Last year was a step forward, for sure, but I expect Eli Manning v.2008 to resemble something in between the lows and highs of the two Eli Mannings circa 2007. Still, that's good enough to win games. What isn't good enough to win games is David Carr, the team's new backup, so Manning better stay upright for all 16. Heat Index: 7

Running back: The Giants found out exactly how critical depth at running back is, and they also found out that they luckily have it. Great contributions came from Brandon Jacobs, Ahmad Bradshaw, Derrick Ward, and Reuben Droughns. Danny Ware will likely take Droughns' place this year, but the team is still set in the backfield. Jacobs' combination of speed and power is pretty unstoppable, and while punishing backs don't typically have long shelf lives, Jacobs is in his prime now if he stays healthy this year. Heat Index: 8

Hear that? It's the pitter-patter of fantasy football season approaching. Fantasy FanHouse is here to get you ready by previewing every team from a fantasy perspective.

Meet The ...
David who slayed Goliath ... and you know how that goes in the world of fantasy football. At least you should. The residue of a strong post-season run by a team almost certainly means several players are going to be overrated the next fantasy season. I'm looking right at you, Thomas Jones. So the question with the Giants is, can you look past the post-season and judge flatly on what you think they'll do in this regular season? Imagine the Giants had lost in the first round at Tampa Bay. Now judge their fantasy players. That should be an accurate rating system. For example, settle down about Eli Manning. Sure, you can believe he's taken a giant (pun unintended, but I'm keeping the word choice) step forward in terms of maturity and taking care of the football. You also should remember that 13 QBs outscored him in fantasy points in '07. His last name doesn't do him any favors either. Hypnotize yourself into believing that Eli Smith lost in the first round to the Bucs. Now do you like him as a top ten QB? Me neither.

The Breakout
Brandon Jacobs ... I already covered him.

Like his teammate Jeff Feagles, New York Giants wide receiver Amani Toomer has decided not to walk off into the sunset just yet. Instead, the 12-year veteran will return for at least one more season.

"I haven't thought about retiring at all," said Toomer on Thursday. "There are still some things I want to accomplish."

"It's hard to really say what I want for myself," said Toomer. "All I know is there's a lot of stuff I still want to do in the NFL, a lot I want to strive for. Winning is amazing, there's been nothing like it for me. I'm definitely not ready to give all this up."

Although David Tyree and Plaxico Burress stole the headlines, Toomer was a key part of the Giants championship run. He finished the postseason with 21 receptions for 280 yards and led all receivers with three touchdowns.

He's due to make $3.1 million next season and will also be owed a $500,000 roster bonus in March.

With Toomer and Feagles both returning, Michael Strahan remains the only Giant whose future is uncertain.

No one remembers it now, but it was just a few days ago that Plaxico Burress said the Giants had better wide receivers than the Patriots. I don't think anybody took him seriously at the time (well, other than Rodney Harrison), but after what happened last night, it's hard to refute Burress' pronouncement.

The Giants may or may not have better receivers than the Patriots. The bottom line in Super Bowl XLII was that the Giants' receivers played better when it mattered most. Amani Toomer, David Tyree, Steve Smith and Plaxico Burress made huge plays during the Giants' winning touchdown drive, overcoming another productive performance by Patriots wideout Wes Welker.

I've written several times in the past 24 hours that although Burress caught the game-deciding pass with 35 seconds on the clock, David Tyree was the Giants' best wideout last night. Shockingly, during his postgame press conference, Harrison called Tyree's miraculous catch on the Giants' last drive a "fluke" and then promptly split before answering a follow-up question.

Tyree, who also had a touchdown pass early in the fourth quarter to give the Giants a 10-7 lead (his first TD catch since December 2006), was the unlikeliest of heroes:

"It was funny because at practice on Friday, [Tyree] was dropping everything," Toomer said. "He dropped every ball. It goes to show he's a tough guy and he represents our team well. We fight until the end and that's why we win."

Which makes his Super Bowl performance even more amazing.