Texas A&M QB Johnny Manziel Still “Undecided”

ESPN says Manziel is ready to declare and hire an agent

With Auburn and Florida State closing out the college football season in style Monday night, many of college football’s stars now have a huge decision to make: whether or not to declare for the NFL Draft in April or continue playing for their respective universities. The spotlight is on many talented juniors across the country, but no one’s decision is being more awaited than that of Texas A&M quarterback, Johnny Manziel.

Since winning the Heisman Trophy as a freshman last season, the player dubbed “Johnny Football” has been one of college football’s most polarizing figures. Love him or hate him, though, Manziel is a talented QB with a knack for making the impossible plays look easy and will have a future in the NFL. ESPN’s Todd McShay has Manziel going fourth overall so it’s easy to see what kind of talent he has. Now, the only decision left for Manziel is whether or not he wants to forego his junior and senior seasons or continue playing for the Aggies.

As of Monday night’s championship game, Manziel is still undecided about his future. Talking with ESPN’s Brett McMurphy, Manziel will be talking with his family in the coming days to help make a decision. “I want to make the right decision that’s best for me and my family,” Manziel said.

Coming off one of his best performances yet in this year’s Chick-fil-A bowl, signs may, however, be pointing towards Manziel looking to play football on Sundays next season. Manziel has already selected an agency to represent him – another step towards his declaration for the NFL. Even teammates doubt his return as Texas A&M receiver, Ricky Seals-Jones, told reporters last Friday night that “Johnny’s gone”.

No matter what decision Manziel makes, one thing is for certain: Johnny Manziel will still be “Johnny Football”. He may just have to add a “pro” to go along with his new professional status.

Texas A&M QB Johnny Manziel Still “Undecided”

ESPN says Manziel is ready to declare and hire an agent

With Auburn and Florida State closing out the college football season in style Monday night, many of college football’s stars now have a huge decision to make: whether or not to declare for the NFL Draft in April or continue playing for their respective universities. The spotlight is on many talented juniors across the country, but no one’s decision is being more awaited than that of Texas A&M quarterback, Johnny Manziel.

Since winning the Heisman Trophy as a freshman last season, the player dubbed “Johnny Football” has been one of college football’s most polarizing figures. Love him or hate him, though, Manziel is a talented QB with a knack for making the impossible plays look easy and will have a future in the NFL. ESPN’s Todd McShay has Manziel going fourth overall so it’s easy to see what kind of talent he has. Now, the only decision left for Manziel is whether or not he wants to forego his junior and senior seasons or continue playing for the Aggies.

As of Monday night’s championship game, Manziel is still undecided about his future. Talking with ESPN’s Brett McMurphy, Manziel will be talking with his family in the coming days to help make a decision. “I want to make the right decision that’s best for me and my family,” Manziel said.

Coming off one of his best performances yet in this year’s Chick-fil-A bowl, signs may, however, be pointing towards Manziel looking to play football on Sundays next season. Manziel has already selected an agency to represent him – another step towards his declaration for the NFL. Even teammates doubt his return as Texas A&M receiver, Ricky Seals-Jones, told reporters last Friday night that “Johnny’s gone”.

No matter what decision Manziel makes, one thing is for certain: Johnny Manziel will still be “Johnny Football”. He may just have to add a “pro” to go along with his new professional status.

3 Quarterbacks You Need for a Rainy Day

A healthy Michael Vick will thrive under Chip Kelly

The football season is finally here.  Teams have been drafted and everyone has a good idea about who the top 10-12 quarterbacks are.

But even fantasy teams with Rodgers, Brees, Brady and Manning need to think about a second quarterback for their bye week. A few top 12 quarterbacks also could turn into busts, so it’s always good to have an insurance policy for a bye week, injury or a bad match-up.

Quarterbacks:

 Michael Vick

Michael Vick probably has the most upside of any quarterback not in the top 12. Chip Kelly’s fast paced offense could prove to minimize the punishment Vick receives on the field and keep him healthy for an entire season. With Vick’s rushing ability, he’s always a threat to get some easy points on the ground and his team has a fairly favorable schedule as well.

 Jay Cutler

Jay Cutler is a household name, but is not respected in the fantasy football community.  Cutler has been putting up pedestrian numbers for the last few seasons, but he’s been held down by one of the worst offensive lines in the NFL.

The Bears signed former Saints Left Tackle, Jermon Bushrod to protect Cutler’s blind side, which should increase Cutlers productivity quite a bit and keep him off of his back. Combine an upgraded left tackle along with the new offensive-minded head coach, Marc Trestman and Cutler could put up top 10 fantasy numbers this year.  If you aren’t 100% sold on your starting quarterback, Cutler could prove to be a nice security blanket.

Carson Palmer

Carson Palmer played for arguably the worst team in the last decade (Oakland Raiders) with no receivers worth mentioning and still managed to throw for more than 4,000 yards and 22 touchdowns.  This year he will be throwing the ball to Larry Fitzgerald and will be working under new head coach, Bruce Arians.

Arians is a very well respected offensive mind around the NFL and Palmer is intent on extending his playing career. Palmer should not be a starter for any fantasy team early in the season, but if your quarterback is on a bye or has an unfavorable match-up, Palmer could be a nice filler.

3 Quarterbacks You Need for a Rainy Day

A healthy Michael Vick will thrive under Chip Kelly

The football season is finally here.  Teams have been drafted and everyone has a good idea about who the top 10-12 quarterbacks are.

But even fantasy teams with Rodgers, Brees, Brady and Manning need to think about a second quarterback for their bye week. A few top 12 quarterbacks also could turn into busts, so it’s always good to have an insurance policy for a bye week, injury or a bad match-up.

Quarterbacks:

 Michael Vick

Michael Vick probably has the most upside of any quarterback not in the top 12. Chip Kelly’s fast paced offense could prove to minimize the punishment Vick receives on the field and keep him healthy for an entire season. With Vick’s rushing ability, he’s always a threat to get some easy points on the ground and his team has a fairly favorable schedule as well.

 Jay Cutler

Jay Cutler is a household name, but is not respected in the fantasy football community.  Cutler has been putting up pedestrian numbers for the last few seasons, but he’s been held down by one of the worst offensive lines in the NFL.

The Bears signed former Saints Left Tackle, Jermon Bushrod to protect Cutler’s blind side, which should increase Cutlers productivity quite a bit and keep him off of his back. Combine an upgraded left tackle along with the new offensive-minded head coach, Marc Trestman and Cutler could put up top 10 fantasy numbers this year.  If you aren’t 100% sold on your starting quarterback, Cutler could prove to be a nice security blanket.

Carson Palmer

Carson Palmer played for arguably the worst team in the last decade (Oakland Raiders) with no receivers worth mentioning and still managed to throw for more than 4,000 yards and 22 touchdowns.  This year he will be throwing the ball to Larry Fitzgerald and will be working under new head coach, Bruce Arians.

Arians is a very well respected offensive mind around the NFL and Palmer is intent on extending his playing career. Palmer should not be a starter for any fantasy team early in the season, but if your quarterback is on a bye or has an unfavorable match-up, Palmer could be a nice filler.

3 Players Being Over-Looked Over on Draft Day

The key to winning in fantasy football is drafting well after the first four rounds. After round 4, fantasy football championships are won by finding players who greatly exceed expectations. Both Alfred Morris and Russell Wilson greatly exceeded expectations during the 2012 season. Below are 3 players who are undervalued and could have big years for your team.

DeAndre Hopkins, Houston (ADP – 126)

Currently being drafted as the 45^th ranked fantasy wide receiver on average, DeAndre Hopkins is a highly touted rookie for the Houston Texans. A first round pick, Hopkins will line up next to Andre Johnson as the Texans’ No. 2 wideout.

Although Houston is a run-first team, Matt Schaub may finally have someone else to spread the ball around to with the addition of Hopkins. With unbelievable talent, Hopkins looks poised to outplay his draft-day value.

Eddie Lacy, Green Bay (ADP – 62)

Another highly touted rookie from the 2013 draft class is Eddie Lacy. He’s is in the perfect situation to succeed with the Packers this season.

After DuJuan Harris was placed on IR last week and the Packers cut Alex Green, Lacy now has the Packers’ backfield all to himself. Looking to put an emphasis back on the running game, the Packers should provide Lacy a heavy workload along with goal line work.

Currently being drafted as the 24^th running back on average, Lacy should easily crack the top-20 and has top-15 potential at the position.

TY Hilton, Indianapolis (ADP – 79)

TY Hilton showed incredible growth as the Colts’ No. 2 wide receiver at the end of last year, and it looks as though his success should continue. His chemistry with quarterback, Andrew Luck, is only improving and his skill set fits very well with offensive coordinator, Pep Hamilton’s, west coast offense.

Hilton has had a very impressive preseason and could breakout as one of the NFL’s premier deep threats.

Fantasy Update: Rob Gronkowski Back at Practice

After making the 53-man roster on Saturday, Rob Gronkowski wasted no time returning to the New England practice field.

Gronkowski was in full pads on Sunday and ran multiple times up and down the field. This is the first time Gronk had seen the field since he underwent back surgery during the off season.

The Patriots have a lot of faith in the stud tight end and kept him off the PUP list which would have forced Gronkowski to miss the first six games of the season. Although Gronkowski is running up and down the field, he probably will not be available until Week 3 of the regular season.

The fantasy impact of Gronkowski returning is huge for fantasy owners. Gronkowski is being targeted in the early third round and in some cases could move up to the second round.

The star tight end will miss 3 games, but he is one of the few passing options that quarterback Tom Brady has left. Fantasy owners can draft Gronk in the third round and then draft someone like the Browns Jordan Cameron as a handcuff. Cameron is being widely ignored in most fantasy leagues, but it worth a fill-in until Gronkowski returns.

Simple Draft Strategy and Top 20 Cheat Sheet

She looks ready to me

There are many ways to work cheat sheets during a fantasy draft.

However, the easiest way is to sit down with a list of players beforehand and rank the players according to what players you really want in this year’s draft. This does not ensure that you will get the player you want, but it can help you stay on track when the draft gets a little wild.

A couple thoughts about the 2013 Draft:

The quarterback position is VERY deep this season, so unless you really want Brees or Rodgers, your quarterback can wait.

Load up on high quality running backs. If you are in a PPR league, make sure they can catch the ball.

Wide receivers are the deepest position and tight ends are the most shallow.

If you don’t get one of the top five tight ends, don’t worry about drafting one until after the 10th round.

For a breakdown of the players listed, use the links below.

• Quarterback Essentials Link
• Running Back Essentials Link
• Wide Receivers Essentials Link

MUST OWN:  

Quarterbacks:

1. Aaron Rodgers
2. Drew Brees

Running Backs:

1. Adrian Peterson
2. Arian Foster
3. Marshawn Lynch
4. Doug Martin

Wide Receivers:

1. Calvin Johnson
2. Dez Bryant
3. A.J. Green
4. Brandon Marshall
5. Demaryius Thomas
6. Juilo Jones

Tight Ends:

1. Jimmy Graham
2. Rob Gronkowski
3. Jason Witten
4. Vernon Davis
5. Tony Gonzalez

 TOP NOTCH: 

Quarterbacks:

1. Peyton Manning
2. Tom Brady
3. Matt Ryan
4. Colin Kaepernick

Running Backs:

1. Jamaal Charles
2. LeSean McCoy
3. Ray Rice
4. C.J. Spiller
5. Alfred Morris
6. Steven Jackson

Wide Receivers:

1. Roddy White
2. Andre Johnson
3. Randall Cobb
4. Victor Cruz

Tight Ends:

1. Antonio Gates
2. Jared Cook
3. Jordan Cameron

 SOLID STARTERS:

Quarterbacks:

1. Robert Griffin III
2. Matthew Stafford
3. Cam Newton
4. Russell Wilson
5. Andrew Luck
6. Tony Romo
7. Eli Manning

 Running Backs:

1. Trent Richardson
2. Stevan Ridley
3. Matt Forte

Wide Receivers:

1. Larry Fitzgerald
2. Dwayne Bowe
3. Wes Welker
4. Reggie Wayne
5. Vincent Jackson

Tight Ends:

1. Jermichael Finley
2. Brandon Myers
3. Martellus Bennett

 Best of the Rest:

Quarterbacks:

1. Andy Dalton
2. Ben Roethlisberger
3. Joe Flacco
4. Jay Cutler

Running Backs:

1. Maurice Jones-Drew
2. Frank Gore
3. David Wilson
4. Chris Johnson

Wide Receivers:

1. Marques Colston
2. Danny Amendola
3. Eric Decker

Tight Ends:

1. Greg Olsen
2. Fred Davis

4 Wide Receivers that Should Make Your Fantasy Radar PING

Josh Gordon will be back for Week 3 at Minnesota

Building depth at wide receiver during your fantasy draft is a critical component in getting off to a fast start. Here’s a list of four players with true breakout potential, who you could potentially score very late in your fantasy draft.

T.Y. Hilton, IND, (ADP: 73): As last year’s 21^st ranked wide receiver, Hilton recorded 861 receiving yards and 7 touchdowns. He showcased his 4.34 speed and great catching ability as he made huge plays throughout the season.

With 5 plays for over 40 yards, Hilton is a “highlight-reel” player who can rack up points for your team very quickly. Though the Colts are looking to run a more “West Coast” style offense and throw the deep ball a little less, Hilton should still be able to get it done. He will be “feast or famine” kind of player from week-to-week, but is still worth the 7^th round pick for his talent and upside.

Josh Gordon, CLE, (ADP: 98): In Gordon’s rookie season in 2012, he racked 50 catches for 805 yards and 5 touchdowns. At 6’4”, 225 pounds, with good hands and speed, Gordon is made to be a deep threat.

As Brandon Weeden’s clear-cut number one option in Cleveland, he should be able to score some serious points. Though he has a 2 game suspension to serve to start the season, it shouldn’t hurt his value too much. You’ll likely plan to have your number one and two receivers in your lineup at the beginning of the season anyway, so having him on your bench for two games shouldn’t be a huge issue.

Chris Givens, STL, (ADP: 105): Givens saw limited action for the Rams during his rookie season in 2012, but was still able to show off many of his talents. Although he wasn’t a starter for about a quarter of the team’s games, he made his presence known by racking up 5 receptions for more than 40 yards.

Givens showed that he has big play ability, and as a starter, he should get more opportunities like this. With last year’s starter Brandon Gibson out of the picture, a better O-line for Sam Bradford and slot receiver Tavon Austin joining the team, there should be enough team improvements to help Gibson shine. He’s a sneaky-but-good option as your third or fourth receiver.

Michael Floyd, ARI, (ADP: 110): Though the 6’3” speedster did not put up incredible numbers during his rookie season with the Cardinals (562 yards and 2 touchdowns) it’s important to realize that this year’s offense should look a lot different. A change at quarterback will bring in Carson Palmer, who was on pace for around 4,200 yards last season.

With Bruce Arians running the offense, there will plenty of yards to go around in 2013 and Floyd will be one of the beneficiaries. It will also help that he will be lining up across from Larry Fitzgerald who always draws a crowd.

Pick the Right Time to Draft Your Quarterback

There are too many good quarterbacks to burn an early draft pick.

Having a top tier quarterback on your roster provides a comfort level unmatched by any other position in fantasy football. However, drafting one of the top quarterbacks this season will likely mean that you will have to sacrifice one of your top 3 picks to secure the best of the best.

But with the emergence of so many high-scoring fantasy quarterbacks last year, the position is now considered one of the deepest in fantasy football and is providing owners with solid options further down the draft board. This begs the question: Has the price of owning a top quarterback become too steep?

Due to the depth of quality options this year, the quarterback position has lost much of its value. The difference between the top quarterback and a mid-level option is no longer what it used to be. Because of this fact, it’s no longer wise to give up an arm and a leg in the first few rounds for a quarterback.

Another big reason to wait on drafting your quarterback this year is the lack of depth at the running back position. Because you will need to wind up using a top 3 pick if you want Brees, Rodgers, or Manning, you are missing out on filling your second running back position, assuming you drafted a running back in round 1. This position is very thin this year and should not be left for later rounds.

In one scenario, you may get Drew Brees in Round 2 or 3, but might be stuck with the likes of Lamar Miller as your running back– a very risky player to be starting. However, waiting on a quarterback with huge potential such as Matthew Stafford (ADP – 43) or Tony Romo (ADP – 63) will allow you to grab valuable #2 running backs like Maurice Jones-Drew or Chris Johnson.

Overall, there are many options when drafting the quarterback position this season, but the general rule of thumb is to wait on a quarterback. The earliest you should take a Brees or Brady should be round 4 – and if they are gone, so be it.

Let your competition gobble up the quarterbacks while they worry about filling out the rest of their team’s roster. In the mean time, stack your roster with top rate receivers and running backs and worry about the quarterback position a little later in the draft.

 

3 Players to Steer Clear of on Draft Day

Expectations are too high for Mike Wallace in Miami

Anyone who has played fantasy football before has been burned by a draft day “bust.”

There are always players who seem to fall off the face of the earth and make owners cringe when look back on draft day.

Here are three players to avoid if you don’t want any major “busts” on your roster this year.

Greg Jennings, Minnesota (ADP – 95)

Newly acquired Vikings wide receiver Greg Jennings has been slowly sliding down fantasy draft boards during the past few weeks. Jennings has been so busy bad mouthing Aaron Rodgers that he forgot to bring his “A-game” to Minnesota’s training camp.

Jennings is about the only viable fantasy receiver on the team, but we still have know idea how compatible he will be with the shaky Christian Ponder at quarterback.

While being drafted as a starter, Jennings should not be relied on as a starting fantasy wide receiver this year. Minnesota will run, run, and then run some more and Jennings just isn’t the player he once was two or three years ago.

Mike Wallace, Miami (ADP – 75)

Fantasy owners drafting Mike Wallace as a wide receiver #2 this season may be in for a rough year. A feast or famine player who relies solely on the deep ball, Wallace has been very inconsistent during the past two seasons.

In his past 24 games, Wallace has only two 100 yard games and that was with Big Ben throwing him the ball. While Dolphins’ second year quarterback Ryan Tannenhill should improve, there are likely to be growing pains between the young QB and his new star receiver.

Buyer beware when reaching for this former fantasy stud.

Darren McFadden, Oakland (ADP – 39)

Seemingly everyone knows about the injury problems surrounding Raiders running back, Darren McFadden. But each year, McFadden is highly sought after in hopes that this will be the year he breaks out.

More than likely, this just isn’t going to happen. Heading into his sixth year as a pro, McFadden still hasn’t come close to playing a full 16 game schedule. And even when he did play last year, McFadden looked sluggish and a shell of his former Razorback self.

McFadden can no longer should be counted on as a top-20 fantasy running back and anyone who drafts him as such is sure to have a season long headache. Go for cheaper options with more upside at the position with players like Eddie Lacy, Lamar Miller and David Wilson.