FanHouse JayCutler

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Excluding Brett Favre, which remaining free agent can play the biggest role in 2009?

The easy answer (INCLUDING Brett Favre!!) is Plaxico Burress. He's a high-ceiling, high-impact wide receiver. You saw the way the Giants' offense missed him at the end of 2008, and we've seen a handful of teams express interest in him -- even though nobody knows if he's going to play in 2009. If he is allowed to play, he's your answer. But it looks increasingly likely that he'll be suspended for at least part of the season, if not all. So in the non-Burress division, I have three veterans who could make an interesting impact in the right situation:

After Jay Cutler was traded to the Bears because he wouldn't cooperate with the Broncos, some in the NFL community -- notably former Bears head coach Mike Ditka -- suggested that Cutler's attitude in Denver showed he wasn't a good leader.

But one of Cutler's new receivers, Devin Hester, begs to differ.

Last week, the Denver Broncos' Brandon Marshall requested a trade. Just like former teammate quarterback Jay Cutler a few months before. Cutler got his wish (he's now in Chicago), but head coach Josh McDaniels says he has no plans to grant Marshall his wish.

Of course, that's what McDaniels said about Cutler right up till he was traded, so who knows how this works out. In the meantime, the 33-year-old, first-year head coach, like the rest of us, will have to wait and see on Marshall, who left Denver yesterday to resume his holdout.

Denver wide receiver Brandon Marshall wants a new contract, but isn't sure if he wants it with the Broncos or another team

A source told FanHouse that Marshall spoke with Broncos owner Pat Bowlen on Friday about his future. Bowlen impressed upon Marshall that he wants to keep him in Denver, especially after the team supported the wideout during some off-field troubles.

But Marshall is concerned about the direction of the club in light of the team dealing quarterback Jay Cutler to the Bears.

It was only a matter of time. Jay Cutler is now the quarterback of the Chicago Bears. The Bears lack a proven No. 1 receiver. Brandon Marshall was Cutler's favorite target last season for the Denver Broncos. Marshall is unhappy about his current contract situation in Denver. Add those four sentences together and what comes out? A "rumor" about Marshall being traded to the Bears -- who do have the cap space to take on Marshall and give him a raise.

Now, let us take this all with a grain of salt at this point. The Broncos still insist Marshall is not going to be traded, and the linked discussion of Marshall-to-the-Bears was kick-started by a fan email. Still, the idea makes too much sense from the Bears' perspective to completely ignore.

Josh McDaniels replaced Mike Shanahan six months ago. He's yet to coach a real live game but he's somehow managed to lose his Pro Bowl quarterback, and depending on how the next few weeks unfold, he could have his hands full with one of the league's best young wide receivers, too.

Not exactly how McDaniels envisioned things back in January but it is, as they say, what it is. So after trading Jay Cutler to the Bears for a couple first-rounders and Kyle Orton, and then signing free agent Chris Simms to compete for the job, McDaniels used organized team activities to settle on a starter.

FanHouse's crack squad of savvy fantasy football personnel put our five heads together and amassed consensus rankings for non-keeper, standard scoring leagues. We'll update as the season gets closer, but this is our "incredibly early yet still fun" version.

Was last season the year of the quarterback or what? You still had the old reliables like Drew Brees, Peyton Manning, Kurt Warner and Donovan McNabb doing their thing, but a whole new crop of passers have elevated themselves. Aaron Rodgers, Philip Rivers and Jay Cutler led the way for the youth movement. You could have even waited toward the end of your draft and landed stud QBs in Matt Ryan and Tyler Thigpen (who would have been waiver-wire fodder). Team all that with Tom Brady's Week 1 injury, and we had a really interesting season. Let's see how they fall out presently for 2009.

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When the Bears acquired Jay Cutler almost two months ago, it became required for all journalists and bloggers alike to spew on and on about how awful Chicago's receiving corps is. CBS' Clark Judge still can't stop doing it, for example. The next chapter in the Bears Offseason Reporting Handbook is to try and connect every single available receiver to the Bears via free agency. Just as quickly as a name pops up, though, Bears general manager Jerry Angelo shoots it down.

The latest example in a long line is cocaine addict former Jags wideout Matt Jones. The talented yet troubled receiver caught 65 passes for 761 yards and a pair of touchdowns last season. Angelo, staying true to form, doesn't seem interested.

Earlier this week, EA Sports released the player ratings for Madden 10. And now, with the NFL Draft in the rearview, and nothing else to do between now and training camps, we'll ponder the important questions. Like: How is [Player who is obviously rated too high] rated above [Player who is obviously rated too low]?

It's fun and original!

As the season grows closer and closer, the malign on the Bears receiving corps gains steam. It seems as though everyone in the world believes the receiving corps is so bad that Jay Cutler can't be successful. Nevermind the fact that the vastly inferior Kyle Orton threw for almost 3,000 yards and 18 touchdowns (in 15 games) in the same offense last season. It's not as though the losses of Marty Booker and a handful of games from Brandon Lloyd are irreplaceable.

Still, Bears general manager Jerry Angelo just can't escape the question of whether or not the Bears will pursue help at wide receiver. Inevitably, Plaxico Burress' name arises.