FanHouse Davidpatten

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.

I'm one of the 10 people in the world that has yet to make a purchase on eBay, mainly because I have no use for a potato chip that looks like Jesus (that's what people sell on eBay, right?). However, if I had an extra $50,000 burning a hole in pocket, I probably would have jumped at the chance to own a piece of NFL history, as a member of the Super Bowl XXXVI champion New England Patriots recently auctioned his ring on eBay. It received no bids.

According to USA Today's NFL blog, The Huddle, the ring belonged to a player who was on all three Super Bowl-winning Patriots teams.

It's a departure from Cleveland's free-agent strategy so far this offseason -- sign as many former Jets' castoffs as can fit under the salary cap -- but wide receiver David Patten, most recently of the Saints, is now under contract.

The 35-year-old, 13-year veteran played for the Browns in 2000, but emerged as one of Tom Brady's go-to guys during a three-Super Bowls-in-four-years stretch in New England. From 2001-04, Patten hauled in 165 passes (including 16 TDs) in 54 games with the Patriots. He had 54 more receptions with New Orleans in 2007 before injuries sidelined him last season.

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Every NFL team has now played eight games, meaning the season has reached the halfway point. So this week we're presenting our NFL FanHouse Midseason Midtacular.

There are many problems with the MVP award in almost every sport. Primarily, it is dependent on how one's team performs -- you simply cannot be classified as valuable on team that isn't winning a lot. (Note that there is some logic there, but not enough to justify the exclusion of some players from consideration.)

But the beauty of the MVP in football is that generally speaking, there is a clear cut individual whose performance over the course of 16 game is so distinctly dominant that there is less of an argument re: who should win. Except when Peyton Manning and Steve McNair tie. Then it gets awkward.

Oh yes, and this year; a football season where there is absolutely -- the Tennessee Titans excluded, and more on that in a second -- no single dominant team that magnifies an individual performance. So, seriously, I ask you again, who is the MVP this year?

Value Machine checks out the overall perceived value of fantasy players. If you want to commit a fantasy felony, you'll sell high on the up arrow guys and buy low on the down arrow guys.

Hopefully you traded Rashard Mendenhall, as we insinuated last week when we said his value will never be higher. Remember, fantasy sports are all about value and perception is reality in between games. Many owners flocked to Mendenhall last week because he was "replacing" Willie Parker. His perceived value skyrockets, which means it's the perfect time to spin him. Just keep this in mind as we move forward.

Top week four : Laveranues Coles ... He busted loose for 30 plus points in most leagues. The problem is that he didn't receive the majority of Brett Favre's attention and rarely will this result in three scores. Jerricho Cotchery, Chansi Stuckey, and Dustin Keller all take looks away from Coles. This was a one week ride, so hopefully you enjoyed it and can move him for good value this week.

Top week four : Carson Palmer ... He comes off his one good game of the season -- against a solid defense, no less -- and decides to not fully disclose his injury. Owners found out he couldn't go right before game time, and surely some guys were screwed over by this. Keep an eye on his health, because if he can come back, his owners will surely be pissed enough to deal him for less than market value.

Drew Brees has had to deal with losing two of his best receiving options -- Jeremy Shockey and Marques Colston -- early on this season, but the stats are looking quite sparkling thus far. Will it continue? In a word, yes.

Brees carved up the Broncos for 421 yards through the air, with a wildly efficient 39 completions in 48 attempts. His most reliable option has been Reggie Bush out of the backfield, and the losses of Colston and Shockey aren't going to do anything to change that. The reason is that the Saints -- through the offensive scheme of Sean Payton and horizontal field-stretching ability of Bush -- can make a weapon out of nearly any receiver. You know Terrance Copper? Well, you wouldn't had he played for any other team.

Moving forward, you can expect Brees to remain an elite QB in fantasy and in reality. He's facing the Niners at home this week, so I'm calling for at least 300 yards and multiple TD passes.

Let's check out the impact on some other players:

"Hey, bro-ther!"

Everyone needs sleep. Including fantasy football teams and one-armed men. We will now discuss some ways for you to get rest throughout Week 1. Notice what annoying word I'm avoiding. One from each major position in order of league depth; I will most certainly remind you when these people have big games on Sunday.

To recap from last week: 5/9, and two of my misses were of the deep variety. You're welcome.

Power Naps
Matt Cassel, QB, NE
Chad Pennington looked good against the Jets and he doesn't have Randy Moss or Wes Welker. I'm not overly optimistic that Cassel is going to pull a Brady on Brady, but I think he's a pretty nice start here this week. Also, he quarterbacks the Patriots, which means he can only be so bad. He's probably about saturated, ownership wise, though, in your league.

Chris Johnson, RB, TEN
Speaking of saturated ... oh no, that's LenDale White, the guy losing his job to Johnson. But you might be debating whether to go with Johnson this week, and you should stop debating. Start him.

Dwayne Bowe, WR, KC
Sure, Damon Huard-Croyle is scary. But did you see Eddie Royal on Monday?

Fantasy owners of Jeremy Shockey should be pleased; those who drafted Marques Colston, or are big Saints fans (or both, yeah, today's an awesome day for me) will mourn -- Colston will miss four to six weeks with a torn ligament in his left thumb. He had surgery yesterday to reattach the ligament.

This injury, um, came out of nowhere. Colston was sidelined for a portion of the season opener against Tampa, but there was no mention of him when Sean Payton discussed injuries in the post-game press conference, and so the "no news is good news" theorum was put into practice. And fell flat on its face.

The silver lining, if you can find one, is that it opens a spot for Robert Meachem on the roster. Despite playing well in the preseason, Meachem was inactive last Sunday because he couldn't overcome the team's top three receivers and doesn't play special teams. With Colston out, Meachem will have a chance to be the team's slot receiver behind starters David Patten and Devery Henderson.

But the real winner in this, I think, is Shockey. He will replace Colston as Drew Brees' safety valve and primary red zone target. He's got Colston's size and similarly reliable hands, and will serve Brees well until Colston is ready to return.

Training camps are underway, the NFL season is right around the corner, 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: Drew Brees is, to me, the third best quarterback in the league. And that's not just because I have a giant man-crush on him. Say what you will about your Tony Romos and Carson Palmers, but I'd take Brees over those two, especially as he appears to be in the prime of his career. All he's done since arriving in New Orleans is put up gaudy numbers through the air, but he plays a heady game based on quick (and good) decisions. He's also a good guy off the field and the unquestioned leader of the team. Mark Brunell was brought in as Brees' backup while project Tyler Palko continues to develop, and while you don't want to see the old lefty play at all, his arm looks good enough in camp to sustain for a couple of weeks if need be. Anything more than that, though, and the Saints are in trouble. Heat Index: 9

Running Back: Running back committees are a bitch for fantasy owners, but none have encountered a mess like this, where four backs are going to get a fair share of touches. Exactly how the carries shake out depends on Deuce McAllister's health; ditto for the productivity of the group. All four backs -- McAllister, Reggie Bush, Pierre Thomas, and Aaron Stecker -- are talented, but Deuce is the only pounder that can keep the running game glued together. If he's in the lineup, expect Bush to flourish, with Thomas making a solid impact as well. If he's not, Thomas takes on a larger role and, though he rolled up Chicago for over 200 yards from scrimmage in Week 17 last year, it remains to be seen whether he can be a full-time NFL back. Luckily, Deuce has looked healthy so far. Heat Index: 7

If you take a trip to the days of FanHouse's infancy, you'll find me touting seventh-rounder Marques Colston before his first NFL catch. I never would have expected Colston to have the two seasons he's had since, but I knew he was going to play, and I knew he was going to be good. (My long arms are getting a good pat on my back).

When the Saints traded back into the seventh round this year to select Michigan receiver Adrian Arrington, his position, size (6'3'', 191 lbs.), and style (solid route running, good positioning, exceptional hands [check the play at 2:30]) led to immediate Colston comparisons, but no one knew how Arrington would translate to the pros. So far, so good. Arrington was one of the most impressive players throughout OTAs, and stole the show at the first day of training camp.

Colston benefitted from a much shallower depth chart as a rookie; Arrington's got a steeper climb. Unless he flat-out dazzles, he'll enter the season no better than fourth behind Colston, David Patten, and Robert Meachem. And unless he proves adept at special teams he's going to have trouble winning a spot from Lance Moore or Terrance Copper, meaning the final spot on the team should be between Arrington and the perennially overrated Devery Henderson.

But I don't see the practice squad in his future. While he might not make the immediate impact Colston did, Arrington's going to catch more than a few balls this year.