Fantasy Football articles - Sports Grumblings.com

Will Mike Furrey's value drop now that CJ has been drafted by the Lions?

Here are some initial thoughts concerning 2007 and the recent rookie draft.

Drop Chester Taylor because Adrian Peterson is going to get some (a lot of) touches.

Drop Mike Furrey because he is moving to the slot while Calvin Johnson starts opposite Roy Williams. Raise Jon Kitna.

For the Bills, I love the position Marshawn Lynch is in – no real competition for the starting job. I also like Paul Posluszny, who is a tackling machine and will start in the position that London Baker-Fletcher used to score 337 HAFA points last year.

Dwayne Bowe should become a Game One starter in Kansas City and if Trent Green is still the starting quarterback that should be a good thing. But my favorite rookie wideout (other than CJ) is Anthony Gonzalez, who should go for 50-750-8 in his first year with Peyton Manning.

If you were moving LenDale White up your draft boards you may want to move him back down. Chris Henry is a 228-lb back who runs a 4.4. Even if he doesn't beat out White he should take some carries.

More teams than you think still depend on one primary back. Here is a list of the teams as I currently see them

Arizona	Edgerrin James will be the primary back.
Atlanta	This will be a split backfield with Warrick Dunn as the primary ball carrier but Jerious Norwood will get a lot more touches this season.
Baltimore	Willis McGahee will be the primary back.
Buffalo	Anthony Thomas will get some work but Marshawn Lynch will be the primary back for this team.
Carolina	DeShaun Foster will still get the ball but this is the year that DeAngelo Williams becomes the primary back.
Chicago	Cedric Benson will be the primary back.
Cincinnati	Rudi Johnson will be the primary back. Kenny Irons was brought in to compete with Chris Perry for third down touches.
Cleveland	Jamal Lewis will be the primary back.
Dallas	Julius Jones will split carries with Marion Barber III.
Denver	Travis Henry will start but Mike Bell will get some touches. Not as many as some would think though. Denver traditionally goes with one back IF that back produces. Henry will.
Detroit	If Kevin Jones is healthy he will start but Tatum Bell was acquired to provide the Lions with a breakaway threat. Bell will play and may end up supplanting Jones.
Green Bay	Vernand Morency will start but the Packers have had very good success with Nebraska running backs (Ahman Green) so don’t be surprised if Brandon Jackson competes for the job. Though slow at the combine (4.55) he did run a 4.41 during his Pro Day at Nebraska. Right now the Packers are planning a committee approach unless one back jumps to the forefront.
Houston	Ahman Green will start but expect to see the other three backs (Wali Lundy, Ron Dayne and Samkon Gado) compete for carries.
Indianapolis	With Dominic Rhodes gone Joseph Addai better be ready because the Colts don’t have anyone else on their roster that can compete with him. And they didn’t draft a RB this year either.
Jacksonville	Much like Carolina, Jacksonville will continue to use a RBBC approach but will move more toward the younger player in 2007. Expect Maurice Jones-Drew to replace Fred Taylor as the primary ball carrier with Taylor still getting substantial carries (and probably still starting most games).
Kansas City	Rookie Kolby Smith won’t replace Larry Johnson but he is a very versatile back and could provide the occasional rest for the big back.
Miami	Ronnie Brown is the primary ball carrier but if Ricky Williams is re-instated and if Miami keeps him (pre-draft rumors had him going to St. Louis) he (Williams) will be used and more than a normal backup would be. Rookie Lorenzo Booker is likely nothing more than a third down back at this point.
Minnesota	The drafting of Adrian Peterson throws a monkey wrench into predicting the usage of backs on this team. Chester Taylor had a nice first season in the twin cities but Peterson is a real talent and will eventually start. The real question is when will his collarbone allow him to begin working with the team.
New England	With Corey Dillon out of town and a slew of receivers coming in, one would think this team is going to throw the ball a lot. Laurence Maroney is an explosive back but he did get dinged up last year. He will be the primary ball carrier but his health will dictate his worth in 2007.
New Orleans	Deuce McAllister and Reggie Bush will continue to split carries in 2007. Rookie Antonio Pittman is insurance to be used in the event of injury to one of the two primary Saints ball carriers.
NY Giants	The good news is you don’t have to factor in rookie Ahmad Bradshaw. He won’t be competing for carries on any scale that matters. The bad news is you don’t know whether Reuben Droughns will beat out Brandon Jacobs (or vice versa) or if they will share carries. My money is on Jacobs as the starter for the Giants. But if he does, this will dictate a complete change in offense for the Giants who for years depended on scat-back Tiki Barber as their focal point.
NY Jets	Thomas Jones will be the primary back.
Oakland	There’s a battle brewing between last year’s starter LaMont Jordan and newly signed Dominic Rhodes. But, if he is healthy, they might both take a back seat to rookie Michael Bush who was a projected first rounder before his leg injury in 2006. Bush is a huge back (6’3”, 253-lbs) who has reasonable speed. Watch this battle in training camp before picking any of these players.
Philadelphia	Bryan Westbrook is the man. Correll Buckhalter will get some carries but if you want a Philly back Westbrook is the only one worth taking.
Pittsburgh	Willie Parker is the starter and despite rumors of giving him less touches in 2007, only Najeh Davenport offers a reasonable alternative to Parker.
San Diego	LaDainian Tomlinson is the primary back.
San Francisco	Frank Gore is the primary back.
Seattle	Shaun Alexander is the primary back.
St. Louis	Stephen Jackson is the primary back.
Tampa Bay	Carnell Williams is the primary back. Michael Pittman is used on third downs and to rest Williams. Rookie Kenneth Darby could surprise but this team is too deep at this position to expect much in 2007.
Tennessee	Rookie Chris Henry has the physical ability to challenge LenDale White for the starting job. But his past performance says he won’t work hard enough to earn it. Pencil in White as the starting back for the Titans in 2007.
Washington	Ladell Betts was amazing in 2006 after Clinton Portis succumbed to injury. But Portis is back for 2007 and the best Betts can hope for is a share of the carries. Look for the split to be 60/40 to Portis with neither player being worthy of a high draft pick in your fantasy draft.