FanHouse RobertRoyal

With Fantasy Football season ready to kick in high gear, FanHouse is here to preview each and every team -- one per day until we've done them all.

Meet The ...
Team who fooled us all a year ago! So much promise, so much hype and yes so many wasted fantasy picks. The writing was on the wall for doom in Cleveland last season. Many put their faith in Braylon Edwards and Derek Anderson to be the next great QB-WR combination in fantasy football.

This season the Browns remain a little less profile. Jamal Lewis is on the cusp of crashing into the wall, Braylon Edwards is on the trading block and we aren't really 100% sure who the QB will be week in and week out. One thing is pretty certain, you can shelve Donte Stallworth for a very, very, very rainy day.

The Jets have been in the market for a veteran blocking tight end for some time. They visited with such luminaries as Michael Gaines (who signed with the Bears on Monday) and Robert Royal, but missed out on both, which left them getting back together with a familiar friend. Bubba Franks has re-signed with the team, according to Dave Hutchinson of the Newark Star-Ledger.

The move is a bit of a surprise since Franks isn't really known for his blocking skills. At 6-foot-6 and 265 pounds, he's got the size, but he excelled as a red-zone option with the Packers, scoring 27 touchdowns from 2001-04. Injuries have limited him to just 16 games over the past two seasons, however, and he's only caught 24 passes in that time.

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 ...
Beast Modes. Sorry, that's just all I think about when I start analyzing the Buffalo Bills. I can't help it. My mancrush on Marshawn Lynch just runs too deep. I actually loved the Bills as a sleeper team last year and think the same thing in 2008. Trent Edwards and Lynch are an up-and-coming young duo and Lee Evans obviously has gobs of talent, even if it comes on sporadically. However, this team is young, which means growing pains in real and fantasy football.

Breakout
I'm classifying 'Beast Mode' Lynch as this year's breakout on this squad. Yes, he had 1,000 yards last year, but when doesn't a back break 1k these days? I think he's going to flirt with 1,500 this season and will end up catching substantially more balls out of the backfield than last year. If you check his game logs, he didn't really start to come on strong until Edwards took over, but he was a model of consistency when he was on the field. If he stays healthy for the whole season, you can pencil in 1,700 total yards.

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 ...
Beast Modes.Sorry, that's just all I think about when I start analyzing the Buffalo Bills. I can't help it. My mancrush on Marshawn Lynch just runs too deep. I actually loved the Bills as a sleeper team last year and think the same thing in 2008. Trent Edwards and Lynch are an up and coming young duo and Lee Evans obviously has gobs of talent, even if it comes on sporadically. However, this team is young, which means growing pains in real and fantasy football.

Breakout
I'm classifying Beast Mode as this year's breakout on this squad. Yes, he had 1,000 yards last year, but when doesn't a back break 1k these days? I think he's going to flirt with 1,500 this season and will end up catching substantially more balls out of the backfield than last year. If you check his game logs, he didn't really start to come on strong until Edwards took over, but he was a model of consistency when he was on the field. If he stays healthy for the whole season, you can pencil in 1,700 total yards.

The last thing you ever want to hear or read about are injuries, especially when they happen during the offseason. Unfortunately, that's exactly what I have for you today.

After "falling awkwardly on his shoulder" during Thursday's OTA, Robert Royal ended up on the sideline in a sling. There was no announcement given by the team detailing what the injury was or the severity of it. However, Coach Dick Jauron did lend some insight.

"I don't know the technical term for it," said Coach Jauron. "It is more of a sprain, according to Bud. We are very optimistic long term."

The fact that he even used the phrase "long term" is reason enough to worry. That means he'll be sidelined for the short term and from there, there are only question marks.

Royal, a five-year NFL veteran, is coming off a career year in which he caught 23 passes for 233 yards and three touchdowns. More importantly, he started 15 of 16 games last season and was once again expected to be battle for the starting tight end spot.