Polls
Loading ...Thanks for coming back to Zoneblitz.com! Check out our latest posts on the Zoneblitz Home Page, or follow us on Twitter.
This is not a fantasy football website, but we both compete in a number of leagues and we definitely have opinions. For now I’m going to throw forth a handful of names each week on who I think will do well and who will fail. If anyone checking this out has any thoughts on what might be more useful — or if you think this feature is a waste of space and should be scrapped altogether — drop us a comment and let us know.
In the meantime, here’s Andy’s fantasy advice for week two.
Andy’s fantasy advice for week one.
Locks:
Quarterback: Philip Rivers, SD vs MN – Kevin Williams will miss the game for Minnesota, which will hamper the Vikings’ defense against the run and its pass rush. Meanwhile Minnesota’s secondary remains a work in progress, at best. Antoine Winfield will be solid, but the team needs a contribution from Chris Cook and Cedric Griffin at cornerback. Both are coming off knee injuries. And the safety position remains a concern. Expect Rivers to get out of the gate in 2011 with a big game.
Running back: Steven Jackson, St. L vs PHI – Philadelphia will debut its cornerback trio against an improving quarterback in Sam Bradford. But Bradford lacks any star power at wide receiver. And teams will have to run the ball against the Eagles to have any chance of making the passing game work. I don’t love Jackson’s prospects for the entire season but I think he gets off to a solid start in Sunday’s home opener, as the Rams try to live up to growing expectations in 2011.
Wide receiver: DeSean Jackson, PHI vs St. L – St. Louis is improving and I expect the Rams to win the NFC West in 2011. That said, the team lost free safety OJ Atogwe in the offseason. Quintin Mikell is an adequate replacement but he’s still picking things up. That will create some vulnerability in the secondary, allowing Jackson and Mike Vick will hit on at least one long TD.
Sleeper:
RB – Willis McGahee, DEN vs Oak – John Fox debuts as head coach in Denver, bringing with him his running philosophies from Carolina. Knowshon Moreno will get more carries, but McGahee will have an instrumental role in short yardage and at the goal line. Oakland gave up the eighth most fantasy points to running backs last season and I don’t see the defense getting a ton better right away. Expect McGahee to snipe one at the stripe.
Bust:
WR – Dwayne Bowe, KC vs BUF – Dwayne Bowe had an incredible 2010 season. And while Buffalo would look to be one of the easier games on the Chiefs’ schedule this year, the Bills were not half bad against the pass. Particularly if Tyler Palko is pressed into duty due to Matt Cassel’s ailing ribs, the Chiefs will rely on the running of Jamaal Charles, Thomas Jones and possibly Dexter McCluster to take it to Buffalo. It will be tough for Bowe to duplicate what he did a year ago as it is. With these factors working against him, his week one performance will be pedestrian at best.
When the Atlanta Falcons traded five picks to move up and draft Julio Jones in the first round last Thursday night, the move put the star wideout in an ideal situation where he is surrounded by a young, improving quarterback and superstar veterans at running back, tight end and wide receiver.
Jones’ skills boosted the fantasy value of several of his new teammates and the wealth of talent around him puts him in a position to contribute right away.
So sure, like every year, there are a handful of skill players (see Mark Ingram, New Orleans) who were drafted that could leave early impressions on fantasy teams. But in my eyes the biggest beneficiaries from a fantasy perspective in this NFL draft were veteran skill position players whose teams addressed deficient offensive line play. Continue reading
The NFL lockout is becoming a drag in more ways than one. Sure, it’s kind of cute … well, no, it’s really not cute at all … when players and owners get up in front of cameras or type away on twitter telling fans not to worry because they expect to make a deal in time to ensure that games are not canceled.
Or when the league moves forward with their farcical plan for a two-hour special on NFL Network introducing the schedules for the season that may or may not be played.
The truth is even if the league and the players miraculously settle during forced negotiations this afternoon, the lockout has already gone on long enough to ensure that the quality of play on the field in 2011 will suffer.
Free agency has been postponed for more than a month, leaving teams unsure how they will fill holes from last season. Minicamps have been lost, especially hard for teams with new coaches and new systems. And at this point there is little indication the collective bargaining process will conclude by next week’s NFL draft, so rookies and other new entrants to the league are almost inevitably going to lose at least one and likely more opportunities for pre-training camp instruction with coaches.
That means we are also closing in on the point where, assuming football is played in 2011, the lockout will have a direct effect on fantasy football this season as well. What teams and players benefit from this situation? Will there still be rookies who are worth drafting for your teams in 2011? We at Zoneblitz feel continuity will be key this season but we contacted fantasy football writer Ryan Boser, who contributes to a number of fantasy sites, to see what he thinks.
Zoneblitz: With a shortened free agency period and minicamps already being canceled it would seem to us that continuity and lack of roster turnover will be key to success in 2011. Do you agree? Continue reading
The Steelers-Packers Super Bowl will put the finishing touches on another football season and start for many of us another several months of withdrawal. This year it’s likely going to be worse, with fewer reports of offseason training programs and more news revolving around collective bargaining talks between owners and players.
But true fantasy football players know they can’t be caught off guard. If the owners and players come to their senses, there will be football in 2011 – and if there is football in 2011, there will be fantasy football in 2011, as well.
Ryan Boser, who last year wrote for FantasyVictory.com and filled in no KFAN-AM 1130’s Fantasy Football Weekly program, took a few questions from Zoneblitz.com, filling us in on what he’ll be keeping an eye on in the months ahead.
Zoneblitz: Now that the football season is over what should serious fantasy players be paying attention to in preparation for next year?
Boser: Everybody’s going to watch where skill position players like DeAngelo Williams end up, or where the A.J. Green’s of the draft land. I’m often more interested in offensive line developments and coaching changes. That’s where fantasy production all starts.
Zoneblitz: Will Michael Vick repeat his great season? Where would you draft him and how much in a $100 auction would you spend on him?
Boser: For the first time in five years, he’ll be going through a normal offseason preparing as a starting NFL quarterback. He’ll return to the same coaching system, surrounded by the same dynamic playmakers, so everything is in place for a repeat. Continue reading
Connect With Us:
Recent Comments