Same Old Knee Issues for Cardinals Running Back Rashard Mendenhall

Mendenhall waiting for MRI results on his surgically repaired right knee

Arizona had sky high hopes for former Steelers running back Rashard Mendenhall, but his surgically repaired right knee may may end his season long before the opening bell.

Last night against the Chargers, Mendenhall ran the ball six times for 47 yards before leaving the game with what he called “looseness” in his surgically repaired right knee.

Mendenhall is still awaiting the results of an MRI on the same knee he blew out in January 2012 while playing for the Steelers. Even if the news is positive, his troubled knee can not be ignored by fantasy owners on draft day. Simply put, his knee isn’t right and he is too much of a risk.

Mendenhall had to miss several Cardinals practices earlier in the month because of tendinitis in his bum knee.

This is terrible news for the Cardinals and fantasy owners, but not terribly surprising. His injury risk is why the Cardinals only offered him a one-year deal to begin with.

Same Old Knee Issues for Cardinals Running Back Rashard Mendenhall

Mendenhall waiting for MRI results on his surgically repaired right knee

Arizona had sky high hopes for former Steelers running back Rashard Mendenhall, but his surgically repaired right knee may may end his season long before the opening bell.

Last night against the Chargers, Mendenhall ran the ball six times for 47 yards before leaving the game with what he called “looseness” in his surgically repaired right knee.

Mendenhall is still awaiting the results of an MRI on the same knee he blew out in January 2012 while playing for the Steelers. Even if the news is positive, his troubled knee can not be ignored by fantasy owners on draft day. Simply put, his knee isn’t right and he is too much of a risk.

Mendenhall had to miss several Cardinals practices earlier in the month because of tendinitis in his bum knee.

This is terrible news for the Cardinals and fantasy owners, but not terribly surprising. His injury risk is why the Cardinals only offered him a one-year deal to begin with.

Draft Zone: 1st Ranked Wide Receiver – Lions Calvin Johnson

And they shall call him, MEGATRON!

Detorit Lions Calvin Johnson is the 1st ranked wide receiver in this year’s 2013 fantasy draft standings. With an Average Draft Position (ADP) of 8, he’s likely to be taken sometime in the first round of most fantasy drafts.

Johnson is one of the greatest receivers of our generation, and quite possibly one of the greatest of all time. 2012 was just another great year Johnson, as he smashed the NFL receiving yards record with 1,964 yards, while hauling in 122 receptions for 5 touchdowns.

Johnson was a monster deep threat in 2012, blowing all other receivers out of the water with 40 receptions of 20 yards or more. He finished as fantasy football’s number 1 receiver with 4 more points than Brandon Marshall.

Yet even after his incredible efforts to break the NFL’s yardage record, he was still less of a fantasy stud in 2012 than he had been the year before that. He scored 40 less fantasy points in 2012 than he did in 2011, an average of 2.5 less points per game.

This is a result of his touchdown regression, as Johnson found the end zone only 5 times last season. From 2010 to 2011, Johnson scored 28 touchdowns, reaching double-digits for the third time in his career.

Johnson’s decrease in touchdowns could be blamed on the fact that he was stopped inside the opponent’s 5-yard line 8 times last season, 5 of those stops coming inside the opponent’s 1 yard line. If he could have converted a handful of those into touchdowns, his overall numbers would have looked even better.

Regardless of some slight regression in points, Johnson was still the number 1 receiver in fantasy and will continue to be it. He should bring the touchdown total back up, while recording a ridiculous number of yards again. The only reason to pass on Johnson is if you believe in the notion that you need to take a running back in the first round. Otherwise, he’s a must-draft if you see him in the second round.

Draft Zone: 8th Ranked Quarterback – Lions Matthew Stafford

Detroit Lions Matthew Stafford is the 8th ranked quarterback in this year’s 2013 fantasy draft standings. With an Average Draft Position (ADP) of 57, he’s likely to be taken sometime in the fifth or sixth round of most fantasy drafts.

Stafford had a solid 2012 fantasy season throwing for just a shade under 5,000 yards. However, he fell woefully short from the 41 touchdowns he put up in 2011, with only 20 passing touchdowns in 2012. It’s obvious that he’s still a starting option in fantasy football, but it’s a question of whether or not he can be an elite quarterback again in 2013.

Last season, Stafford set an NFL record with a ridiculous 727 passing attempts. It was the second consecutive season that he led the league in attempts, as he recorded a completion percentage of 59.8%. With a rocket arm, and the league’s most talented wide receiver in Calvin Johnson, Stafford should continue to amass a vast amount of attempts. Yet he needs to throw touchdowns to be  a stud again.

It’s hard to blame things on luck, but Stafford certainly didn’t have much in 2012. Calvin Johnson was tackled at his own one-yard line four times last season, just short of the end zone. In the same vein, Lions receivers were tackled within their own five-yard line 23 times. If just a handful of these receivers could have reached the end zone , Stafford would have had a much more respectable season.

Perhaps a better group of receivers will help him score more touchdowns. With the versatile Reggie Bush joining the team, and veteran Nate Burleson returning, Stafford should have more options to throw to. A deeper receiving core should allow Stafford to find the end zone more often. In this case, don’t be surprised to see Stafford reach 35 touchdowns once again.

Stafford is amazing value in the 5th round, and should be pounced on if he’s still available.

Draft Zone: 9th Ranked Quarterback – Colts Andrew Luck

Indianapolis Colts Andrew Luck is the 9th ranked quarterback in this year’s 2013 fantasy draft standings. With an Average Draft Position (ADP) of 62, he’s likely to be taken sometime in the fifth or sixth round of most fantasy drafts.

Luck had an unbelievable rookie season in 2012 throwing for a record-breaking 4,374 yards and 23 touchdowns. With changes to last year’s offensive scheme, it’s a major question of whether or not Luck can repeat his incredible fantasy numbers.

Last season, the young QB relied heavily on deep throws down the field. Former coach Bruce Arians’ offense attempted more passes of 20 yards or more than any other offense in the NFL. This allowed Luck to rack up sky-high yardage numbers. In turn, this also forced him to throw a miserable 18 interceptions, and record a completion percentage of just 54.1%.

As new offensive coordinator Pep Hamilton implements his offense in Indianapolis, the team will likely rely on a more efficient, short passing attack to march down the field. As a result of this, Luck’s numbers may change for both the better and the worse.

For one thing, it’s possible that there could be a considerable drop off in yards, due to many less attempts down the field. The team will still focus a great deal on passing, so it wouldn’t be a surprise to see Luck record around 4,000 yards again. However, his amazing 4,300 yards from last year may be just out of reach.

Luck’s fantasy value may not improve much from last season, but it also may not decrease either. All things considered, he’s definitely a startable quarterback option. If you draft him, just try and find a solid backup to take in the later rounds as a safety net, like Josh Freeman or Carson Palmer.

Reggie Bush Building Great Rapport with Quarterback Matt Stafford

The Detroit Lions offseason acquisition of Reggie Bush is beginning to pay off as he builds chemistry with quarterback Matt Stafford. Bush has been impressing the coaching staff and Stafford with his catching talent as well as his ability to trick up opposing defenses by catching passes out of the backfield.

During practice this past week, Bush was able to successfully complete a route the offense had been working on. Bush was so happy with the result of their hard work that he decided the drinks were on him and paid Stafford’s bar tab.

Stafford says that Bush is already wreaking havoc with defenders who are now being forced to shift their focus away from the record-setting Calvin Johnson to deal with the 28-year-old running back.

Last season, Bush rushed for just a shade under 1,000 yards, but expects his rushing yards to increase dramatically in Detroit. Bush might not break any rushing records this season, but he will be a huge part of the passing game that will force defenders to split time between him and Johnson.

Colts T.Y. Hilton on Fast Track to a Starting Job

After the first week of preseason action, there is no one generating more buzz than Indianapolis Colts’ wide receiver, T.Y. Hilton. Currently the team’s third wide receiver, Hilton is having a tremendous camp and seems poised to win the starting job over number two wideout, Darrius Heyward-Bey, after shining in the Colts’ first preseason game on Sunday.

Labeled as a “freak” by head coach Chuck Pagano, Hilton was just that against the Bills on Sunday afternoon. Hilton finished the game with 3 catches for 61 yards, including a 45 yard touchdown reception from Matt Hasselbeck. While his touchdown came from the Colts backup quarterback, Hilton’s growing relationship with starter Andrew Luck was on display as they hooked up for two quick passes as well.

This year, Hilton is looking to build on his successful rookie campaign where he brought in 50 receptions for 861 yards and 7 touchdowns even with limited action in the team’s first 8 games. Hilton especially shined during his last 7 games, posting more yards and touchdowns than any other Colts player including fantasy stud, Reggie Wayne.

With more time to understand the Colts’ offense and more time to establish chemistry with quarterback, Andrew Luck, Hilton seems ready to standout for the Colts in 2013. Hilton is currently going off draft boards as the 31^st ranked wide receiver with an ADP of 84, but his stock will rise if he can win a starting spot – which seems very likely at this point.

Hilton should be considered a WR3, but clearly has tremendous upside and top-15 fantasy potential at his position. A speedster with a penchant for the big play (13 catches of 20+ yards last season), Hilton can easily put up Mike Wallace-like numbers for the Colts this year, so don’t let T.Y. Hilton blow by you in fantasy drafts this year.

Draft Zone: 12th Ranked Running Back – Falcons Steven Jackson

Atlanta Falcons Steven Jackson is the 12th ranked running back in this year’s 2013 fantasy draft standings. With an Average Draft Position (ADP) of 17, he’s likely to be taken sometime in the second round of most fantasy drafts.

Jackson will be coming off a decent year with the Rams in 2012, as he recorded 1,042 yards, 321 receiving yards and scored 4 touchdowns.

Though he’s 30 years old, he’s about as consistent as they come. 2012 was Jackson’s 8th straight season with more than 1,000 rushing yards, and 5th straight with more than 320 receiving yards.

Jackson will be entering his first season with the Atlanta Falcons, where he will be taking over for Michael Turner as the team’s starter.

Last season, Turner got 220 carries, but was notably on the last leg of his career. Jackson should be able to carry an even bigger workload, and should figure to get around 250 carries like he did last season. In that instance, another 1,000 yard season seems within reach.

With a better passing offense to work with, Jackson should be just as effective or even more so in the receiving game. You can likely pencil him in for at least 300 yards receiving as well.

Jackson will join an offense that sees the goal line much more often than the Rams did, therefore giving him a chance to score more touchdowns than last season. This is the offense that helped a slow, aging, Michael Turner score 11 touchdowns last season. Jackson should be able to match or beat this total as he assumes Turner’s goal line carries. This combined with his solid yardage numbers can make him a great fantasy option.

Jackson’s age has raised some concern that he will stop producing. However, his consistency and well-fitting situation in Atlanta will put those concerns to bed. Taking Jackson in the second round is a decent choice, just be sure to draft his handcuff, Jacquizz Rodgers.

False Alarm – Darrius Heyward-Bey Returns to Colts Practice

Initially thought to have suffered a Grade 1 sprain of his left MCL during Sunday’s practice, Colts wide receiver, Darrius Heyward-Bey, received good news Tuesday afternoon after an MRI revealed no structural damage.

With the MRI results showing no damage to ligaments in the knee, team doctors have diagnosed the injury as a sprained left knee rather than a sprain of the MCL. Initially, Chris Mortensen reported that Heyward-Bey was to miss significant time.

However, this was not the case as Heyward-Bey, who was wearing a brace on the knee while watching practice on Monday, was considered “day-to-day” by head coach Chuck Pagano.

According to team beat writer, Mike Chappell, Heyward-Bey was then given the green light to suit up for practice last night and was a limited participant in a rare evening practice held by the Colts. Heyward-Bey was reported as participating in position drills, but did not participate in team drills Tuesday night.

With this news, fantasy owners can let out a sigh of relief as Heyward-Bey was finally expected to live up to the first round pick the Raiders used to get him back in 2009. A significant injury would have derailed these hopes.

Meanwhile, returning to the practice field means Heyward-Bey won’t lose anymore ground to TY Hilton. Barring any setbacks, Heyward-Bey will line up next to Reggie Wayne as the team’s number two wide receiver in Week 1.

Scratch Darrius Heyward-Bey from Fantasy Sleeper Lists

Darrius Heyward-Bey’s quest to become a starting receiver for the Indianapolis Colts took a devastating hit when he was diagnosed with a serious MCL sprain after Sunday’s practice.

ESPN’s Chris Mortensen reports that there is no timetable set for when Heyward-Bey may resume practicing.

The former Raiders wide receiver was in a heated competition against T.Y. Hilton to start the season lining up opposite of Reggie Wayne. He had fantasy sleeper written all over him, but will now tumble down draft boards as the regular season draws closer.

Heyward-Bey is expected to miss an extended period of time and there are no guarantees that he will be ready for the start of the regular season.