Posts tagged Drew Brees at FanHouse

Cowboys v. Texans: What to Look for in Tonight's Fake Game

Tonight, the Cowboys and Texans will battle for the all-mighty and magical Governor's Cup. It's the big silver trophy awarded to the Texas team that wins their yearly matchup. I'm pictured with it and a large gentlemen who works for the Texans.

Though tonight's game is just a preseason game, the third pretend game is one that knowledgeable fans watch closely because the starters are left in the game longer.

Three Things to Watch From the Cowboy Perspective: (From my semi-reasonable Cowboy fan friend, Michael Whitehead, founder of sofantasyfootball.com, a terrific site to find thoughtful fantasy football information).

1. The Secondary. The biggest problem Dallas has had in recent history is the secondary. What has looked like sure wins has turned into disappointing losses in the second half of too many games. Pay particularly close attention to Adam "Pacman" Jones, as he will get the start, and will have a true test against Andre Johnson. Rookie Mike Jenkins, who started the previous two games will be used in nickel situations, an area that Dallas has truly struggled in for the past two seasons.

Mistakes Are Being Made, So Please Stop Drafting Larry Johnson

I'll start off by giving an arm-bash to Mathew Greber on this idea. He's been running a series called, "Mistakes Were Made," a look back at some things that escaped fantasy players and experts alike prior to the '07 football season. I'll put on my prognosticator hat and give a whirl as to some mistakes that are happening currently in fantasy drafts.

If you read an unfamiliar term, it should be covered in the fantasy football glossary. If you are are looking for a league, jump on fleaflicker. It's free, and really sweet.

The Top Mistake? Ladies and Gentlemen ... it ain't even close:

Larry Johnson
Yeah, that's right. Larry Johnson on your fantasy team is a big mistake. I'm seeing him go in the late first round or early second round personally, and I'm viewing an ADP chart right now where he's ranked 11th overall. Ugh. I'm not going to list all the players being drafted behind him on the ADP chart who deserve to be taken over him, because it would take too long. I will, however, list the most egregious examples, in no particular order: Marshawn Lynch, Ryan Grant, Reggie Wayne, Braylon Edwards, Terrell Owens, Peyton Manning, Tony Romo, Larry Fitzgerald, Drew Brees, Brandon Jacobs, Laurence Maroney, and Andre Johnson.


Again, I'd rather own a myriad of other dudes than Johnson, but those are the most glaring.

Why?

Golden Boy Brady Heads List of Staff Fantasy QB Rankings

Staff rankings were compiled by averaging the individual rankings of each member of Fantasy Fanhouse. The rankings are based on standard leagues where you gain points for yardage and scores. Or something ...

For the first time in years we enter a fantasy draft season in which Peyton Manning will not be the first QB off the board in the overwhelming majority of leagues -- like the free ones over at FleaFlicker.

While Will Brinson doesn't want you to be the one that takes the plunge in the first round with him -- neither do I -- Tom Brady still checks in as the top QB in our staff rankings. Hopefully you can grasp the concept of being overrated yet still number one at the position.

Some other highlights:
- No, we aren't worried about Manning's knee. You shouldn't be either. The Colts offense is a juggernaut, and he already has great chemistry with their skill guys. Training camp would just be a formality.

- While we don't love Jay Cutler or Matt Schaub as much as some others, we most certainly love Jake Delhomme, Marc Bulger, and Philip Rivers. We can be contrarian like that.

- For bigger leagues where you can start multiple QBs, the 20s are a bargain basement of sleepers. JaMarcus Russell, Trent Edwards, Tarvaris Jackson et al can be had dirt cheap for the potential value they hold.

- Jason Campbell is also a good sleeper, but settle down. Anyone who proclaims him as anything better than top 15 is trying way too hard.

FanHouse's Top 5:
1. Tom Brady, Patriots
2. Peyton Manning, Colts
3. Tony Romo, Cowboys
4. Drew Brees, Saints
5. Carson Palmer, Bengals

See the rest after the jump ...

Despite Shockey's Promise to Make Giants Pay, Tom Coughlin Is Ready to Move on


Yesterday, we were reminded of Jeremy Shockey's promise to a bunch of unsuspecting kids that he'd make the Giants pay for trading him. Today, The New York Post's Paul Schwartz writes that head coach Tom Coughlin is ready to move on in a post-Shockey World.
Coughlin's message ... was simple and resounding - "Team over self is why we win" - and, asked if Shockey's inability to adhere to that mantra was a factor in the trade, he admitted, "I am sure at some point in time that was part of the consideration."
Coughlin's right, of course, and he points out the obvious in about as harmless a way as one could expect. And although Shockey is a top-5 NFL tight end, I'm not sure the Giants will miss his on-field production particularly when you take into account his off-field bellyaching.

Of course, this assumes second-year tight end Kevin Boss will be able to replicate his surprisingly successful rookie season, or that other downfield threats -- Steve Smith, Sinorice Moss, and Mario Manningham come to mind -- pick up the slack.

Whatever happens, the Giants and their fans have moved on. While I think the Saints are even more explosive with Shockey catching passes from Drew Brees, New York made out alright, too, getting a second- and fifth-round pick in the trade. And one less distraction.

Next up: extending Plaxico Burress' deal.

Shockey To Saints Sends Fantasy Ripples

When Jeremy Shockey was traded to the Saints earlier this week, an already potent fantasy offense got better.

Will Brinson already covered the potential for the Saints offense in his fantasy preview, but with the acquisition of Shockey things have changed for all involved parties. Let's check the fantasy fallout of this trade, person-by-person:

Jeremy Shockey -- As Tom Mantzouranis said in the post linked above, Shockey is totally the type that will go nuts trying to prove something to the Giants -- and probably himself. He's already publicly stated as much. He thrived under Sean Payton before with a much lesser QB than Drew Brees. On Brees, he hasn't been able to find a reliable TE outlet in New Orleans -- since leaving Antonio Gates behind in San Diego. This has all the makings of a monster season for Shockey. He's an elite TE in fantasy once again, and I think it's going to be a career year. Receiver-like numbers of 1,100 yards and 10 TDs are definitely within the realm of possibility, and you can expect 75+ catches.

Never Too Early: New Orleans Saints Fantasy Football Preview

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 ...
The Shootouts (it sounds nicer than the "Aints"). Not that New Orleans can't be good -- they can. And they're a nice unit for fantasy football teams, because, in theory, they have a ton of offense. But theorizing is fine until you end up burning through three top 50 picks, which is what Drew Brees, Marques Colston and Reggie Bush will cost you.

The Breakout
Perhaps I'm being old fashioned, but Deuce McAllister seems to me like the best possible "breakout" option on this team. Sure, he's gone through more ACL's than Alonzo Mourning has kidneys, but the Saints can't function without a strong between the tackles runner. Oh, and he "don't cost nuthin'!" Which, to me, is the ideal scenario for finding a breakout -- cheap, easy and late.

The Bust
I thought that people had stopped sweating Bush, but judging from his ADP (30), I guess not. Seriously, he's going 30th. (30!!!) It just goes to show how much potential, upside, etc can drive someone's fantasy value. Anywho, I wouldn't draft Reginald with your pick, personally. What justifies taking him? The 3.7 YPC last year or the 3.6 the year before? Granted, the 80+ catches per year are nice, and he's a nice RB2 in PPR leagues but let someone else fall prey.

Cowboys QB Coach Wade Wilson Needs to Work on His Motivational Skillz

The Dallas Morning News' Tim MacMahon must've known the poopstorm this would cause, but I give him credit for running with it anyway. He goes about the task of ranking the quarterbacks and has the audacity to put Tony Romo fifth behind Tom Brady, Peyton Manning, Ben Roethlisberger, and Drew Brees.

Predictably, some Cowboys fans thought Romo was ranked way too low (oddly, nobody thought he was ranked too high), and proceeded to tell us as much. While I have no problems with MacMahon's list, the most intriguing piece of news comes courtesy of commenter Gigante who points to this link and asks, "And this is supposed to make me feel good?"
"You're Phil Mickelson before he won his first major." - Cowboys coach Wade Wilson to quarterback Tony Romo, who has yet to win a playoff game.
First, when I saw "Wade", I just figured it was Phillips and he had confused "Phil Mickelson" with "Brett Favre when he was in Atlanta." It's definitely plausible.

But Wade Wilson? Was he trying to motivate Romo? I mean, it would've been less insulting to say, "If Dr. Frankenstein found a way to combine the worst qualities of Drew Bledsoe, Vinny Testaverde and Quincy Carter, it would be you."

That Romo even made it into MacMahon's top 5 is a testament to his perseverance. In retrospect, maybe Roger Goodell's suspension wasn't harsh enough.

Cameron Sets Out to Do What No Other Ravens OC Has Been Able To: Score Points

Unlike the offensive coordinators under Brian Billick, Cam Cameron, the guy new head coach John Harbaugh has charged with revamping (creating?) the Ravens offense, will have the run of the place. So in contrast to Rick Neuheisel, who held the OC title but had little to do on game days outside of keeping Kyle Boller's spirits up, Cameron will not only install his offense, he'll be calling plays on Sundays.

Novel idea, that.

The hope, unchanged from the time the Browns relocated to Baltimore, is that the offense can serve some purpose other than offering the defense a quick breather. Cameron has a track record of fielding high-powered offenses, which is something Matt Cavanagh or Neuheisel could never claim.

The issue, of course, is if Cameron can have the same success in Baltimore that he had in San Diego. The biggest difference between the Ravens ahd Chargers is personnel. There are only one LaDainian Tomlinson and Antonio Gates (although Willis McGahee and a healthy Todd Heap ain't bad), and Drew Brees had his best season in San Diego under Cameron. Maybe the most underrated group was the offensive line, who allowed the skill players do do what they do.

Jeremy Shockey Would Like a Role That Doesn't Involve Backing Up Kevin Boss


As the draft approaches, it seems increasingly likely that Jeremy Shockey won't be a New York Giant. That is, unless he is. Actually, it's all pretty confusing, even though, in theory, it seems straightforward enough: either he's with the team or he isn't.

Yesterday, FanHouse's Michael David Smith noted that Shockey was okay with all the trade talk, and Giants general manager Jerry Reese wouldn't rule it out. In today's Newark Star-Ledger, Mike Garafolo adds this:
Shockey told the Giants in December he wanted a changed role in the offense or a trade to another team, according to a person familiar with discussions between Shockey, the Giants' coaching staff and front office. The person, who requested anonymity because he isn't authorized to speak on behalf of Shockey or the Giants, said Shockey threatened to sit out the upcoming season if neither request was granted.
No idea if the "changed role" included breaking his leg while watching the Giants' offense put it all together on the way to one of the biggest Super Bowl upsets in NFL history. If so, well played, sir. Well played.

Garafolo paints Shockey as something up a buffoon, writing that the Pro Bowl tight end has long complained about his role in Tom Coughlin's offense. Dating back to 2004, Coughlin's first year in New York, Shockey claimed he was becoming "an average player." According to Garafolo, "This came three months after he complained about pre-snap motion, which made him 'tired before I get to my final spot.'"

Nonetheless, I'm quite certain quarterback Drew Brees would happily carve out a niche for Shockey in the Saints offense. He's a giver like that.

Steelers Are Interested in Randy Moss (if You Believe the Boston Herald)


So we've gone from, "Yep, I definitely want to end my career in New England," to "Yep, I definitely want to get paid; it's about straight cash, homey." Look, I don't blame Randy Moss for claiming he wanted to stay with the Patriots (hey, that's what good teammate do), or for wanting one last ginormous payday.

After last season's 23-touchdown effort, Moss deserves to be the NFL's richest wideout. That probably won't happen in New England, which is why we're now talking about potential suitors for the guy who, just 10 months ago, was thought to be done.

In today's Boston Herald, John Tomase speculates (wildly) on the five most likely destinations for Moss should he not stay in Foxboro:

1. Cowboys
2. Packers
3. Steelers
4. Giants
5. Saints

What, no Eagles? And the Cowboys and Packers are old news at this point, but still distinct possibilities in our little world of interweb make-believe. And then Tomase officially mails it in when he writes that the Steelers are in the Moss mix.
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