Tyler Eifert Enjoys Expanded Role with Bengals

When Eifert isn’t splitting snaps with Gresham, he’s a fantasy stud.

When the Cincinnati Bengals drafted Tyler Eifert in the first round of the 2013 NFL Draft, they knew they would be getting a potential difference maker at the tight end position. Eifert was a standout player during his time at Notre Dame and raised many eyebrows this year during the Bengals training camp.

While Eifert had been mostly impressive in the first nine weeks of his rookie campaign, much of his production had been capped by the presence of veteran tight end, Jermaine Gresham. With Gresham sidelined on Sunday due to a groin injury, Eifert displayed the type of talent which made him a first round pick.

Eifert dominated the targets from quarterback, Andy Dalton, for much of the game as the rookie saw a season-high 10 targets. While Eifert only came down with five of them for a total of 55 yards, Eifert constantly looked like the elite player the Bengals hoped they had drafted. On one particular play, he managed to break free from two defenders for a 40 yard gain.

With his performance on Sunday, it would be easy to peg Eifert as the next Jimmy Graham or Jordon Cameron, but one has to remember that Gresham was sidelined on Sunday. Before Sunday, Eifert’s previous high in targets was seven, and he had not seen more than four targets in a game since Week 5. This is mostly due to the fact that he splits a majority of the snaps at tight end with Gresham.

There is no doubt in many people’s minds that Tyler Eifert may be one of the NFL’s next elite tight ends, but that’s still a year or two away from being the case. As long as Gresham is suiting up for the Bengals, Eifert’s production will continue to be limited on a weekly basis.

Cardinals Expect Big Things from Wide Receiver Michael Floyd

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For years now, it’s felt like Cardinals wide receiver Larry Fitzgerald has been the team’s only legitimate fantasy option. However, now that Arizona has a new coach and a new quarterback, second-year wide receiver Michael Floyd has suddenly been popping up on fantasy radars.

Floyd only notched 45 catches for 562 yards and two touchdowns last year, but the Cardinals quarterback woes have been well documented. Arizona ranked 28^th in the league in passing yards per game and had four different quarterbacks slinging the ball all over the field to no one in particular.

The Cardinals have tried to improve on last year’s offensive follies by hiring offensive guru Bruce Arians as the head coach this offseason and acquiring veteran quarterback Carson Palmer. While Palmer is past his prime, he had a career renaissance of sorts for the Oakland Raiders in 2012. The 2002 Heisman Trophy winner threw for more than 4,000 yards for the first time in five years and boasted a respectable QB rating of 85.3.

The argument can be made that Palmer racked up stats for the disappointing Raiders by constantly playing from behind and getting a lot of attempts. Oakland finished 4-12, so that is partly true. However, the Cardinals were similarly forced into several passing situations last season and their quarterbacks did not perform well at all.

Floyd was the 13^th overall pick in the 2012 NFL draft and was highly regarded out of Notre Dame. He stands six-feet-two-inches tall and is listed at 220 lbs. That makes him a sizable target for Palmer, who has worked well with big receivers in the past.

While the Cardinals NFL record might not be great this year — that doesn’t matter to fantasy owners. Floyd is probably worth a late-round flier because of his sleeper potential. Expect Arizona to air it out if they continue to lose games, and that could bode well for Floyd’s fantasy value as a No. 2 receiver or flex option.

San Diego Avoids the “Tebow Effect”

The Tim Tebow effect was evident last season in New York, when their offseason acquisition stirred up a slew of media chaos. This intense media coverage may, or may not have created locker room distractions leading the Jets to finish 6-10. For now, it appears that the San Diego Chargers have successfully avoided the “Tebow Effect” while dealing with rookie linebacker Manti Te’o’s offseason drama.

Of course, it’s much easier to avoid intense media scrutiny in San Diego than it is New York City.

As much of the free world is aware, one of the NFL’s most fascinating rookie stories was Manti Te’o, a Heisman finalist who displayed some very bizarre behavior in the middle highly-publicized fake online relationship.

Following the offseason media coverage revolving around the incident, the Notre Dame senior was heavily distracted while entering the combine where his 40-yard dash time was less than attractive to NFL teams. Te’o improved on his 40 during his pro day, but apparently not enough to be taken in the first round.

The San Diego Chargers moved up to grab Te’o with the 38th overall pick, and since then, the Chargers have practically suffocated the story. The Chargers franchise did not allow the media to speak to Te’o until after the June minicamp was finished. During this media meet, Te’o answered questions for 17 minutes and was described as mature, polished and polite.

With the lack of distractions, Te’o has been able to impress his teammates and earn their respect in the locker room and on the field. Without the distractions, and with a chip on his shoulder, Te’o has been referred to as one of the most “NFL-ready” rookies coming into the new season.

Does Jets QB Geno Smith Need an Attitude Overhaul?

– Fantasy Buzzer – NFL News from around the league –

Many NFL executives insist that Jets quarterback Geno Smith plummeted during this year’s draft not because of his talent, but because of his bad attitude. Smith has already displayed some erratic and unprofessional behavior since Day One of this year’s draft.

First Smith publicly sulked after he wasn’t picked on the opening day of the draft and then he made his displeasure even more apparent when he fired his agent after being selected by the Jets with the 38th pick in the draft.

Smith has been identified by more than one source as a know-it-all who will be very challenging to coach.

Yahoo Sports reports that during pre-draft NFL visits, Smith spent most of his time texting and talking on the phone, while basically ignoring the coaches around him.

The New York Jets have already had a great deal of well-publicized adversity to deal with during the past two seasons. Now it appears that Smith will provide the embattled coaching staff and Rex Ryan with a brand new set of arrogant “rookie” challenges. 

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Does Jets QB Geno Smith Need an Attitude Overhaul?

– Fantasy Buzzer – NFL News from around the league –

Many NFL executives insist that Jets quarterback Geno Smith plummeted during this year’s draft not because of his talent, but because of his bad attitude. Smith has already displayed some erratic and unprofessional behavior since Day One of this year’s draft.

First Smith publicly sulked after he wasn’t picked on the opening day of the draft and then he made his displeasure even more apparent when he fired his agent after being selected by the Jets with the 38th pick in the draft.

Smith has been identified by more than one source as a know-it-all who will be very challenging to coach.

Yahoo Sports reports that during pre-draft NFL visits, Smith spent most of his time texting and talking on the phone, while basically ignoring the coaches around him.

The New York Jets have already had a great deal of well-publicized adversity to deal with during the past two seasons. Now it appears that Smith will provide the embattled coaching staff and Rex Ryan with a brand new set of arrogant “rookie” challenges. 

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Jaguars, Cardinals Fumble While Giants Grab Ryan Nassib

– Fantasy Buzzer – NFL News from around the league –

Ryan Nassib may or may not be an NFL quarterback with a bright future, but thanks to the bumbling, fumbling Jaguars and Cardinals, we may never know.

The New York Giants snagged Nassib with 110th pick for one reason – He was available and the G-Men figured, “Why Not?”

Nassib was sitting there ripe for the picking when the mighty Jaguars drafted a guy nicknamed Ace with the 101st pick from South Carolina. Instead of stealing one of the most promising quarterback prospects in this year’s draft – they went “Aces-Wild” with wide receiver Ace Sanders, pet detective.

This allows the Jaguars to continue championing mediocrity with Blaine Gabbert as the team’s starting quarterback. New Jaguars general manager Dave Caldwell made it clear that he’s in over his head.

Shifting to another team heading in the wrong direction, the Arizona Cardinals took a pass on Nassib as well. Arizona’s current quarterback, Carson Palmer, is 33-years-old and has very little upside coming into the 2013 season.

His best days are far behind him and his motivation is highly suspect. Nassib would have been a steal for them at the 103rd pick, but Arizona grabbed former Texas defensive end, Alex Okafor. Okafor thrived with the Texas 4-3 defense, but the Cardinals play a 3-4 scheme and his compatibility is up for debate.

So with no eye towards the future, the Cardinals get ready for a fourth straight year a sub par football.

This is snapshot of what separates the Giants from teams like the Jags and the Cardinals – These two teams had a shot at a quarterback with real potential, but they came home with Ace Ventura and a defensive end.

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Jaguars, Cardinals Fumble While Giants Grab Ryan Nassib

– Fantasy Buzzer – NFL News from around the league –

Ryan Nassib may or may not be an NFL quarterback with a bright future, but thanks to the bumbling, fumbling Jaguars and Cardinals, we may never know.

The New York Giants snagged Nassib with 110th pick for one reason – He was available and the G-Men figured, “Why Not?”

Nassib was sitting there ripe for the picking when the mighty Jaguars drafted a guy nicknamed Ace with the 101st pick from South Carolina. Instead of stealing one of the most promising quarterback prospects in this year’s draft – they went “Aces-Wild” with wide receiver Ace Sanders, pet detective.

This allows the Jaguars to continue championing mediocrity with Blaine Gabbert as the team’s starting quarterback. New Jaguars general manager Dave Caldwell made it clear that he’s in over his head.

Shifting to another team heading in the wrong direction, the Arizona Cardinals took a pass on Nassib as well. Arizona’s current quarterback, Carson Palmer, is 33-years-old and has very little upside coming into the 2013 season.

His best days are far behind him and his motivation is highly suspect. Nassib would have been a steal for them at the 103rd pick, but Arizona grabbed former Texas defensive end, Alex Okafor. Okafor thrived with the Texas 4-3 defense, but the Cardinals play a 3-4 scheme and his compatibility is up for debate.

So with no eye towards the future, the Cardinals get ready for a fourth straight year a sub par football.

This is snapshot of what separates the Giants from teams like the Jags and the Cardinals – These two teams had a shot at a quarterback with real potential, but they came home with Ace Ventura and a defensive end.

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Packers Score Big – Draft Bama’s Eddie Lacy with 61st Pick

– Fantasy Buzzer – NFL News from around the league – 

The Green Bay Packers are sitting pretty after stealing Bama running back Eddie Lacy with the 61st pick in the draft.

At 5’11 and 231 pounds, Lacy is a power back who makes defenders pay with every hit.

His draft stock fell due to injury concerns and questions about his attitude, but he should thrive with the Packers who are desperate for a quality running back.

The biggest knock on Lacy is that his pass-blocking is sub par and he lacks an explosive first step. However, he’s stunningly light on his feet for a big man and will make an instant impact in the Packers backfield.

Keep a close eye on his during training camp to evaluate where he should picked up in this year’s fantasy draft.

 

Jets Draft Geno Smith into the Circus

– Fantasy Buzzer – NFL News from around the league –

After wasting the team’s first pick with DB Dee Milliner, the New York Jets waited until the second round to pick up the much-hyped, but not terribly talented former West Virginia quarterback, Geno Smith.

This pick should serve as no surprise to Jets nation as Smith will now compete against the likes of Mark Sanchez and David Garrard for the starting position, which could go to any of the three at this point.

Smith threw 42 touchdowns and just six interceptions during his senior season at West Virginia, but dropped in the draft boards during the last month while engaging in a social media war of words.

The Jets will have their work cut out for them this season after losing Darrell Revis and Shonn Greene. Geno Smith will try to usher in a new era for the team that threw for just 14 touchdowns last year.

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Raiders Take D.J. Hayden with the 12th Pick in the Draft

D.J. Hayden –

Position: CB

Height / Weight:  5’11 / 191 pounds

2012 Stats: 66 tackles, 2 INT’s, 11 pass break-ups.

Combine Stats: N/A

Analysis: The Raiders had one of the worst defenses in 2012, finishing 28th in the league with  27.7 points per game. Hayden is a solid addition to what is otherwise a forgettable secondary.

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