FanHouse Lawrencetynes

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 that wants you to believe they can win with anybody. That's right, it's the system and not the players. The Giants shed a bulk of their offense in the offseason, some by choice, others ... well not so much. Their franchise QB bid farewell to his top receiving options and a key running back bolted for free agency.

Yet, let's not worry too much. The Giants still have a monster with Brandon Jacobs, a ball-hawking defense that thrives on pressure, and some potential budding stars on offense. Will Eli shake off the tough offseason and put up those solid and consistent numbers we all crave? Well, maybe. Yeah, that's a good theme for owning most of this Giants offense. Do you trust (fill-in-the blank) ... "well, maybe."

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FanHouse fantasy positional rankings are compiled weekly by the staff in order to provide answers to possible lineup questions. These are assuming most leagues use Fleaflicker's standard scoring structure. If you need clarification, you need more players ranked, or have funky league rules, feel free to shoot us an email question.

It's no secret that opposing teams score points on the Lions. The Titans are coming into Ford Field with a massive chip on their shoulder, following a loss at home. They won't find many problems, and that includes their kicker, Rob Bironas. He'll feel quite comfortable inside.

Nick Folk is coming off a 19-fantasy-point day, and the Cowboys get another hapless defense. Hopefully the Cowboys' offense doesn't score only touchdowns.

I also love both night-game kickers, as the Cardinals and Eagles should be able to move the ball. There's a good chance of many kicking points in that game.

All told, four of this week's top six kickers are participating on Thanksgiving.

More notes after the rankings.

1. Rob Bironas, at DET
2. Nick Folk, vs. SEA
3. Rian Lindell, vs. SF
4. Jason Elam, at SD
5. Neil Rackers, at PHI

Everyone assumed that a broken pinky was going to keep Tony Romo from playing St. Louis this weekend. They assumed it right up until Romo himself said that he was well enough to play and would, in fact, be playing if the decision was his to make. The NFL has long been a copycat league so it isn't surprising that another player tried to pull the same routine.

Lawrence Tynes, kicker for the Giants, has been recovering from knee surgery since preseason. John Carney has taken his place and made all 12 of his field goal tries, making it hard to assume that Tynes will just get the job back the moment he's healthy. Tynes, in an attempt to make an end run around that little problem, told reporters this week that he was told he was going to be doing the kicking this weekend.

Someone may have told him, but it wasn't head coach Tom Coughlin.

"While I appreciate Lawrence's enthusiasm to get back on the field, I haven't decided yet who will kick this week. When I do, I will make that announcement."

Coughlin used to work for Bill Parcells which means he probably considers kickers somewhere around pedophiles on the evolutionary ladder. Going over his head is not likely to enamor him with Tynes until Carney screws up so royally that they have to make a change.

FanHouse fantasy positional rankings are compiled weekly by the staff in order to provide answers to possible lineup questions. These are assuming most leagues use Fleaflicker's standard scoring structure. If you need clarification, you need more players ranked, or have funky league rules, feel free to shoot us an email question.

Once again, we'll try to find a kicker who plays on a capable offensive team ... that has the chance to sputter inside the red zone. I'm going with Matt Prater. The Broncos can throw the ball, but they are likely to be without Tony Scheffler and maybe even Eddie Royal. That means blanket coverage on Brandon Marshall by the Jags physical secondary. Plus, the Broncos haven't run the ball especially well, so the coverage gets tighter as the ball approaches the end-zone and the field shortens. Finally, Matt Prater has a booming leg and kicks in thin air.

I'd like to say that was fun. Still, it's a job ... some more:

- Not sure how the Browns can keep the juggernaut Giants out of the end-zone ... but extra points still count for one, and if the G-Men falter one time you're looking at a nine point day. John Carney is kicking for the Giants this weekend, by the way, not Lawrence Tynes.

- I finally love Shayne Graham. The Jets are just bad enough to allow points, but good enough to stop the Bengals deep.

- Robbie Gould never disappoints. Ever.

1. Matt Prater, vs. JAX
2. Shayne Graham, @ NYJ
3. Nick Folk, @ AZ
4. John Carney, @ CLE
5. Robbie Gould, @ ATL

While our full "Injuries to Watch" reports will typically run around the end of business on Friday afternoons, here is a quickie for tonight's season opener. We wouldn't want anyone getting burned before the first full weekend even commences. As always with the injury report, please feel free to add your two cents, updates, or rumors in the comments.

The New York Giants

Lawrence Tynes – Signals point to Tynes sitting out this week, but there is no structural damage to the knee, so he could be back as early as next week. The Giants signed 44 year-old Old Man Winter John Carney to handle kicking duties this week.

Ahmad Bradshaw – Bradshaw practiced all week and is good to go for tonight's game, but his carries could be a bit more limited than usual.

The Washington Redskins

Antwaan Randle El – Not like anyone cares, Randle El practiced all week and will be good to go against the Giants, despite being listed as probable with a broken hand. Enjoy those 32 yards on 2 receptions.

Jason Taylor - Listed as questionable, Taylor is going to be a game time decision, but the knee is definitely still irritated. Personally, I'd say it looks doubtful. As Coach Jim Zorn blathered, "(His playing status will) depend on how he warms up pre-game and how it feels pre-game. It's mainly an irritation more than it is structural. So it's not a matter of us being tentative with him. If it feels good and he can go, then he'll go." Hopefully, none of you are dumb enough to include single defensive players in your fantasy leagues - and if you are, you have a better option than Taylor.

Clinton Portis – Amazingly enough, Portis is not listed on the injury report (yet).

Jay Feely is a veteran kicker with a solid percentage looking for a job. The Kansas Chiefs boast one of the worst special teams units in the NFL, which is especially limited in kickoffs and field goals. So this seems like a pretty good fit? Right? Well, that's what the Chiefs thought, so they brought in Feely on Monday to compete with Nick Novak and Colin Barth, both of whom have been severely underwhelming in the preseason. Novak missed the only field goal attempt the Chiefs had in their 24-0 beatdown by the Dolphins last Saturday, and neither of them look good in general.

So it may have surprised Feely a bit, and certainly did surprise his agent, when he got dumped by the Chiefs the following day. On Tuesday, the Chiefs had all three kickers kick 30 field goals. Feely, who had just come in, only hit 24, the least of the crew, and was summarily released. Let me put this in perspective. Brett Favre was in camp at Green Bay this season for longer than Jay Feely was with the Chiefs. He probably didn't even have time to get barbecue. I'm not even sure if his hotel had time to clean his room.

Head coach Herm Edwards is having a rough go of it with field goal kickers. Last year he released Lawrence Tynes, which is fine, because it's not like he ended up doing anything important. But then, kickers shouldn't be that big of a deal, right? I mean, it's not like Edwards is the kind of coach that relies on field position and field goals to win a game, preferring to slug it out and not let your opponent have good field position, right? Wait. That's exactly what Edwards is. So even if you subscribe to the theory of punting over scoring, Edwards doesn't have the personnel to actually implement that kind of strategy. This should end well.

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

Don't worry about a thing, Giants fans. Yes, it's true that your dependable kicker Lawrence Tynes, the man who got lucky after missing two game-winning field goals in the NFC Championship game kicked the Giants to the Super Bowl, has had a pretty bad training camp. But it's not his fault.

The fields? I think they're terrible," he said. "We'll never play on a field (with grass) that long."
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"The grass is long, it's soft, it's uphill or downhill," he said. "But we've got to deal with it. I agree with Jay, Josh (Huston) said it, I said it, it's not conducive to hitting ... The spot where I want to kick the ball, I never see it because the grass is too long.

That field is located at University of Albany, which is, you may be surprised to learn, the same field Tynes has missed all 23 of his career field goals, or 20.2%, on. They actually picked up the field and moved it to Lambeau specifically for that playoff game.

Which is to say: I might be more inclined to believe Tynes that his poor camp is the field's fault if he didn't have a history of missing kicks on all sorts of various playing surfaces. If I were a Giants fan, I wouldn't exactly have faith in Tynes' proclamation that he'll "be fine." In fact, I'd see him as the team's single biggest threat to returning to the Super Bowl.

If you thought New York Giants punter Jeff Feagles would ride off into the sunset after finally winning the big one, you thought wrong.

According to Arthur Staple of Inside the Giants, the 20-year NFL veteran has informed the team that he will return for a 21st season.

Feagles, who made $820,000 last season, will be another in a long line of Giants who either deserve or will be demanding a raise. However, unlike some of the others who just have their hand out, this 41-year old special teamer has earned it.

Although Feagles may not have the strongest leg in the NFL, he certainly has one of the most accurate. In an age where how far you kick generally determines your value, Jeff has stuck with what works for him by perfecting the coffin corner.

In addition to Feagles, the Giants are close to a five-year, $7 million deal with kicker Lawrence Tynes.

Giants kicker Lawrence Tynes is a pretty entertaining guy, as he showed on this appearance with Late Show with David Letterman:

Tynes got off a good line when they showed his missed field goal at the end of the fourth quarter, saying, "Right there I'm thinking, 'What's it going to be like to live in Green Bay?'"

But Letterman got off the best line, when he told Tynes that one of his misses, "looked like I kicked it." Sorry, No Photos