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We saw unprecedented production out of the tight end position in 2011 and that was with an unhealthy (foot) Antonio Gates.

Over the past two seasons, the foot injury has slowed down Gates and kept him out of the lineup for a total of nine games during that span. In games that he did play last year, he did not look like the elite player to which we had become accustomed to seeing.

According to his coach, that is about to change.

"Gates looks great — he's back," Turner said, per Michael Gehlken of the San Diego Union-Tribune. "Physically, he's back to where we want him to be. I think, like anybody, going through this offseason program helps you get better. (It's) the combination of conditioning, the combination of getting better in the areas you can improve, and being out there with your teammates."

Last year, Gates ranked fifth among all tight ends in receiving yards per game (59.8) and was tied for fourth in touchdowns (seven) despite missing three games with the injury.

Had he stayed healthy and maintained his per-game pace (a career-best 78.2 YPG) back in 2010, Gates would have finished with 1,251 yards and 16 touchdowns -- numbers close to Rob Gronkowski's record-breaking numbers last year.

In other words, if Gates returns to his pre-injury level of performance, he will be a steal where he is currently being drafted (46th overall via Mock Draft Central).

Posted by Kevin Hanson at 08:25 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

Two months ago, the Eagles signed receiver DeSean Jackson to a five-year deal although they designated him with the franchise tag earlier in the offseason.

Today, the Eagles and running back LeSean McCoy have agreed to a five-year extension worth $45 million, which includes $20.765 in guarantees, per Pro Football Talk.

McCoy, the team's second-round pick in 2009, set career highs across the board when it comes to rushing the football: 273 carries, 1,309 yards and a league-high 17 touchdowns. Although his receiving numbers were down, he still hauled in 48 receptions for 315 yards and three touchdowns.

From a fantasy perspective, McCoy is the No. 3 running back in our rankings for both standard and point-per-reception (PPR) scoring formats.

Posted by Kevin Hanson at 06:43 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

Titans receiver Kenny Britt had arthroscopic surgery on his right knee today, but the procedure was somewhat expected based on comments from coach Mike Munchak over the weekend.

Britt, who had some swelling in his knee, tore his ACL and MCL last year.

“It almost becomes commonplace,” [Titans GM Ruston] Webster said of the procedure, per Jim Wyatt of The Tennessean. “It is not one of those things, ‘Wow, oh no, he is having surgery.’ It is very common and if it helps his rehab process and all that, it is well worth doing. And our goal is to have him play this year. It will be helpful to him, I think, and probably accelerate his rehab.”

According to Wyatt, Webster said that the procedure should set Britt back "a week or two."

Britt has 101 receptions for 1,765 yards (17.5 yards per reception) and 15 touchdowns over his 31 career games.

Posted by Kevin Hanson at 08:57 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

As Jimmy Fallon once said in a Capital One commercial: "According to research, everybody likes more cash ... well, almost everybody."

Maurice Jones-Drew is no different.

With two years remaining on his contract, Pocket Hercules wants an extension according to his coach.

"He's talked about trying to get an extension for his contract, which I think everybody's aware of," Jaguars coach Mike Mularkey said Tuesday, per Tania Ganguli of the Florida Times-Union. "I'm on the coaching end of those matters. I talk to him about football and what I can do for him on the field and in the locker room."

Not only did Jones-Drew lead the NFL in rushing last year, but he became the first running back in NFL history to rush for 80-plus yards in 15 of 16 regular-season games.

In our fantasy football rankings, MJD is the No. 4 running back on our list after Arian Foster, Ray Rice and LeSean McCoy.

Posted by Kevin Hanson at 04:36 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

Detroit's Calvin Johnson had some (very) good seasons going into the 2011 season.

With elite size (6-5, 235 pounds) and athleticism, however, Megatron seemed capable of even more, especially with improved quarterback play. Not only did Matthew Stafford, the top overall pick in the 2009 NFL Draft, stay healthy for 16 games, he became one of only four quarterbacks in NFL history to throw for 5,000-plus yards.

Meanwhile, Johnson blew away his previous career highs. In 2011 (previous highs in parenthesis), Johnson had 96 receptions (78) for a league-high 1,681 yards (1,331) and 16 touchdowns (12).

Only six players in NFL history had more receiving yards in a single season.

Aside from Megatron, the only other player in NFL history to finish with 1,600-plus yards and 16-plus touchdowns in the same season was Randy Moss (2003).

Johnson had a little bit of dryspell from Weeks 10 to 14 -- no 100-yard games and only one touchdown in those five games.

In his next (and final) four games counting the Lions' playoff loss, however, Megatron had three 200-yard games. During that four-game span, he had 36 receptions for 771 yards and six touchdowns! (As a comparison, Tampa Bay's Mike Williams had 771 yards and three touchdowns in the entire season.)

Hands down, Megatron goes into 2012 season as the clear No. 1 fantasy wide receiver and it's not close.

Based on standard scoring (i.e., not point-per-reception (PPR) scoring), here are our 2012 fantasy football wide receiver rankings:

1. Calvin Johnson, Lions

See above.

2. Andre Johnson, Texans

When healthy, Johnson is still elite. That said, Johnson has played a total of only 20 regular-season games in the past two years and missed a total of nine regular-season games during two stints for a hamstring (and aggravation of the) injury last year. Johnson was playing well before the injury (21 receptions for 316 yards and two touchdowns in his first three games) and in the postseason (13 receptions for 201 yards and a touchdown in two games).

3. Hakeem Nicks, Giants

Even though he set a career high in receiving yards (1,192), his season was a very mild disappointment for some. In addition to seeing his receptions (76) and touchdowns (seven) drop some, Nicks finished second on the team in all categories behind Victor Cruz (82-1,536-9). That said, Nicks is a more talented receiver than Cruz and was tremendous in the postseason with 28 receptions for 444 yards and four touchdowns over four games.

4. Wes Welker, Patriots

Based on data from Pro Football Reference, a player has reached 110-plus receptions 25 times in NFL history. Over the past five years, Patriots slot receiver Wes Welker has done it four of those 25 times. Welker, who was designated with the team's franchise tag, finished with career highs in yards (1,569) and touchdowns (nine) and his 122 receptions was one shy of his previous career high.

5. Larry Fitzgerald, Cardinals

Imagine if Fitzgerald had better quarterback play and a legitimate weapon on the other side of the offense. Well, he'll have to settle for one out of two as the Cards drafted Michael Floyd in the first round. Even with the Cardinals' lack of strong quarterback play, Fitzgerald posted the fourth 1,400-yard campaign of his career. In other words, he's quarterback-proof.

6. Roddy White, Falcons

White has been a model of consistency and of good health. For five consecutive seasons, White has had 80-plus receptions and 1,100-plus yards. In the past two seasons, White has 100-plus receptions. As impressively, White has yet to miss a game in his seven-year NFL career. With all that said, it would seem logical that the gap in targets between White (181) and Julio Jones (96) diminishes in 2012.

7. A.J. Green, Bengals

Receivers A.J. Green and Julio Jones made big splashes in their rookie seasons despite a lack of an offseason to get acclimated to their respective offenses. Green became the first rookie to finish with at least 1,000 yards since Marques Colston did so in 2006.

8. Greg Jennings, Packers

With Jennings missing three games last year, he set four-year lows in receptions (67) and receiving yards (949) last year. Not only was Jennings second on the team in receptions, receiving yards and receiving touchdowns (nine), but he ranked second on the team in receiving yards per game behind Jordy Nelson.

9. Julio Jones, Falcons

Jones had 54 receptions for 959 yards and eight touchdowns, but he missed three games and would have (almost certainly) finished with more than 1,000 yards as a rookie (like Green) had he stayed healthy for all 16 games.

10. Victor Cruz, Giants

After not catching a single pass in 2010, Giants receiver Victor Cruz burst onto the scene in Week 3 and finished the season with 1,536 receiving yards, which ranked him third in the NFL behind Megatron and Welker. In addition, that set a franchise record. As noted above, Cruz had more receptions (82), yards (1,536) and touchdowns (nine) than Nicks (76-1,192-7).

11. Jordy Nelson, Packers

Nelson had a huge performance in Super Bowl XLV and seemed poised to break out in 2011 with the only possible barrier being too many talented passcatchers in the Packers offense. Nelson took the next step forward with career and team highs across the board last year: 68 receptions for 1,263 yards and 15 touchdowns.

12. Mike Wallace, Steelers

A couple of spots lower in this update, Wallace and the Steelers can find themselves in a bitter contract situation. If the Steelers and Wallace don't agree to a long-term deal, Wallace would play under a restricted free agent (RFA) tender of less than $3 million and he has expressed his unwillingness to sign that tender any time soon.

13. Brandon Marshall, Bears

Marshall had a five-year low of 81 receptions in 2011, but he has been reunited with quarterback Jay Cutler. When both were in Denver, Marshall had his only three seasons with 100-plus receptions and his only season with double-digit touchdowns.

14. Vincent Jackson, Bucs

In any given week, Jackson can give fantasy owners 30 fantasy points. Or three points. Jackson, who signed with Tampa Bay in the offseason, had four great games last year and 12 less-great games. During his four best games, Jackson had 27 receptions for 586 yards and seven touchdowns. In his other 12 games, he had 33 receptions for 520 yards and two touchdowns.

15. Dez Bryant, Cowboys

From a physical standpoint, Bryant has the tools to be a top-five receiver in the league. On the other hand, he has yet to demonstrate the maturity or mental makeup to make us believe that his path to that lofty status, if he gets there, will be smooth. Fortunately, there is not a lockout this offseason and let's hope he spends more time at Valley Ranch than the NorthPark Center Mall.

For the rest of our top 70 fantasy wide receivers, click here. Or for our point-per-reception (PPR) rankings (top 60), click here.

In addition, we have also recently updated our top 25 fantasy quarterbacks and our top 50 fantasy running backs for 2012.

To keep track of our updates, follow @EDSFootball on Twitter and/or "like" us on Facebook.

Posted by Kevin Hanson at 09:39 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

The fantasy upside of running back Mark Ingram will always be limited by the type of offense run by the Saints and the number of options the team has.

On the flip side, durability concerns are increasing his downside risks.

Ingram, who had arthroscopic knee surgery earlier this month, may not be ready for the start of training camp, according to interim head coach Joe Vitt (via Mike Triplett of the New Orleans Times-Picayune).

Triplett tweeted this afternoon that Vitt said the Saints "will probably have to back off Ingram at start of training camp, but should have green light for regular season."

Ingram, the second of the Saints' two first-round picks in 2011, had surgery on the same knee while at Alabama. In addition, Ingram had surgery earlier this year for the turf toe injury that caused him to miss six regular-season games last year.

As a rookie, Ingram averaged 47.4 rushing yards per game and 3.9 yards per carry and scored five touchdowns in 10 games.

Posted by Kevin Hanson at 06:34 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

Patriots receiver Wes Welker was designated with the franchise tag this offseason. If he and the Patriots don't agree to a long-term deal by July 15th, Welker will earn a guaranteed salary of $9.5 million once he signs the franchise tender.

And it's those "nine and a half million reasons" that Welker won't hold out.

“There’s nine and a half million reasons why I wouldn’t miss any regular season games, so you don’t have to worry about that,” Welker said on WEEI today (via Pro Football Talk).

[Listen to full audio of interview here.]

As NFL's Jon Zimmer tweeted this morning, Welker is tied with Jerry Rice and Marvin Harrison for the most 100-reception seasons (four) in a career.

Another way to look at it is Welker is the only player with four 110-reception seasons in NFL history. Four other players are tied with two seasons.

Posted by Kevin Hanson at 03:34 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

Dolphins running back Reggie Bush had a career season rushing the ball in 2011.

Not only did he set career highs in rushing attempts (216), rushing yards (1,086) and tie his career high in rushing touchdowns (six), nobody rushed for more yards than Bush in the final four games he played last year.

During the four-game span from Weeks 13 to 16, Bush had four 100-yard games and rushed for a total of 519 yards. Three other players rushed for at least 400 yards during that stretch: Baltimore's Ray Rice (451), Houston's Arian Foster (419) and Seattle's Marshawn Lynch (412).

That said, Bush has his sights set higher in 2012.

“I want the rushing title,” said Bush, according to Omar Kelly of the South Florida Sun-Sentinel. “This offseason I’ve been working towards that goal. Just being effective like I was this past season.

“Every time I rush the ball I want four yards,” said Bush. ”I’m keeping my focus simple and small, but at same time helping my team progress.”

Despite his success last season particularly down the stretch, it is highly unlikely that he leads the NFL in rushing.

Bush, the 21st-ranked RB in our fantasy rankings, will have to share some of the workload with second-year running back Daniel Thomas, who struggled to stay healthy last year, and Lamar Miller, an explosive back that slipped to the Dolphins in the fourth round (draft results).

The other thing is Bush has struggled to stay healthy for the majority of his career. Although he played 15 games last season, he has missed four or more games in three of his six seasons as a pro.

Posted by Kevin Hanson at 11:58 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

After his police-blotter filled offseason in 2011, Titans receiver Kenny Britt was off to a great start on the field before he suffered a season-ending ACL injury in Week 3 last year.

Britt had 14 receptions for 271 yards and three touchdowns in the first two games of the 2011 season.

While Britt is expected to be ready for the start of the regular season, he may need another minor procedure, according to Terry McCormick of Titans Insider.

“I think it always is (possible),” Munchak said. “I don't know if he will at some point, but I think that's something that's common with that injury. Derrick [Morgan] went through it last year. The good thing is that even if you do have it, it's not a huge setback. It's not something that sets you way back. But that is obviously part of the process, or could be, if that arises down the road.”

It sounds as if Britt ends up needing a second follow-up procedure, it will be a rather routine procedure that should have only minimal impact on his rehabilitation.

Britt, the team's first-round pick in 2009, has 101 receptions for 1,765 yards (17.5 yards per reception) and 15 touchdowns over his 31 career games.

Posted by Kevin Hanson at 11:41 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

On the list of pluses and minuses, there is one obvious minus when it comes to the fantasy outlook of Redskins running back Roy Helu going into the 2012 season.

Of course, that "minus" can be stated with two words: Mike Shanahan.

According to Tim Hightower himself, the Redskins have added competition to the backfield mix as Hightower tweeted that he's "baaaaaaaack" with the 'Skins.

While Helu is still the preferred option in Washington, there is never any telling what Shanahan will do when it comes to touches for his running backs. As I wrote in my recently updated fantasy rankings, "the drawback of owning Helu is that you're at the mercy of coach Mike Shanahan's whims."

Helu was my 19th-ranked running back and Evan Royster was my 48th-ranked running back.

Posted by Kevin Hanson at 09:50 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

Since the first iteration of my 2013 NFL mock draft on May 1st, we have released our consensus NFL power rankings.

Therefore, the draft order used for my mock is the inverse order of our consensus power rankings. All future updates (until the draft order is known) will be based off of our power rankings.

Here is how I see the first half of the 2013 NFL mock draft:

1. (Projected trade with Colts) Arizona Cardinals - Matt Barkley, QB, USC

If the Colts end up with the first overall pick again in 2013, it is likely that they trade down with a quarterback-needy team. After drafting Notre Dame's Michael Floyd with 13th overall pick in 2012, the Cardinals have a pair of stud receivers with a dud quarterback. With Kevin Kolb due to earn $9 million in 2013 and a $2 million March roster bonus, the Cardinals may opt to go with another USC quarterback named Matt that decided to return for his senior season. Hopefully, that works out better for the Cardinals this time around.

2. Cleveland Browns - Robert Woods, WR, USC

By drafting Trent Richardson, Brandon Weeden and Mitchell Schwartz with their first three picks in 2012, the Browns have improved at three offensive positions in need of an upgrade. That said, they still have one glaring weakness on the offensive side of the ball -- playmakers at wide receiver. In his sophomore season, Woods finished with 111 receptions for 1,292 yards and 15 touchdowns and is likely to be the top receiver selected in next year's draft.

3. Jacksonville Jaguars - Tyler Wilson, QB, Arkansas

I'm not sure what Gene Smith was thinking when he drafted a punter in the third round. Perhaps he figured that the Jaguars would have plenty of three-and-outs with Blaine Gabbert under center. With an improved receiving corps that includes rookie Justin Blackmon and free-agent addition Laurent Robinson, Gabbert needs to take a big step forward from his dismal rookie season. If he doesn't, the Jags could draft his replacement. In his first year as a starter, Wilson posted a 24:6 touchdown-to-interception ratio last year.

4. St. Louis Rams - D.J. Fluker, OT, Alabama

With two first-round picks, the Rams could use help on the offensive line and at wide receiver (although the team used two top-100 picks on receivers in the 2012 draft). No team allowed more sacks than the Rams (55) last year and Fluker (6-6, 335 pounds) is one of the top offensive tackles in the country.

5. Minnesota Vikings - Dave Amerson, CB, North Carolina State

Although they used two of their first three picks on defensive backs (Notre Dame safety Harrison Smith and Central Florida cornerback Josh Robinson), no defense allowed more passing touchdowns (34) or had fewer interceptions (eight) than the Vikings last year. The Vikings have to face Aaron Rodgers, Matthew Stafford and Jay Cutler a minimum of six times per season. Amerson, who led the country in interceptions (13), has the size (6-3, 195 pounds), ball skills and athleticism to help significantly upgrade the Vikings secondary.

6. Tampa Bay Buccaneers - Johnathan Hankins, DT, Ohio State

Although the Bucs have used some early picks to improve their interior defensive line, those picks haven't yet lived up to expectations. As a sophomore, Hankins, who has great size but the versatility to also play defensive end, had 67 tackles (fourth on team), 11.0 tackles for loss (second) and three sacks (tied for second).

7. Miami Dolphins - Sam Montgomery, DE/OLB, LSU

As a first-team All-SEC selection last year, Montgomery led LSU in sacks (9.0) and ranked third in the conference. Montgomery should be one of the first pass-rushers off the board in 2013 and gives the Dolphins a pass-rusher to pair with Cameron Wake.

8. Oakland Raiders - Logan Thomas, QB, Virginia Tech

With Carson Palmer due to earn $13 million in 2013 and Matt Leinart signing a one-year contract to back him up in 2012, the Raiders need a long-term (and perhaps short-term) solution at quarterback. Thomas (6-6, 262 pounds) has as much upside as any other quarterback in the draft. In his first year as a starter, the sophomore signal-caller completed nearly 60 percent of his passes for more than 3,000 yards and 19 touchdowns. He also ran for 469 yards and 11 touchdowns, which is a Virginia Tech quarterback record.

9. (Projected trade with Cardinals) Indianapolis Colts - Jarvis Jones, OLB, Georgia

In the first six rounds of the draft, the Colts used all of their picks to improve their offense with the exception of taking Alabama nose tackle Josh Chapman in the fifth round. A transfer from USC, Jones led the Bulldogs and the SEC in sacks (13.5), had 19.5 tackles for loss and was an first team All-American last year.

10. Carolina Panthers - Star Lotulelei, DT, Utah

Lotulelei was a first-team All-Pac-12, led the team in tackles for loss (nine) and helped the Utes hold opposing offenses to only 97 rushing yards per game and 2.9 yards per carry last year. Meanwhile, the Panthers allowed 130.8 rushing yards per game and 18 rushing touchdowns, fourth-most in the NFL, last year.

11. St. Louis Rams (via Redskins) - Keenan Allen, WR, California

Not only did the Rams rank dead last in sacks allowed as noted above, but they ranked last in the NFL in passing touchdowns (nine) last year. After improving their offensive line with their first pick, they give Sam Bradford, the No. 1 overall pick in 2010, another weapon on the outside. While he had all five of his 100-yard games in the first six games of the 2011 season, Allen (6-3, 205 pounds) had a breakout season: 98 receptions, 1,343 yards and six touchdowns.

12. Buffalo Bills - Barkevious Mingo, DE/OLB, LSU

After signing Mario Williams to a $100 million contract and drafting cornerback Stephon Gilmore in the first round, the Bills continue to improve themselves on the defensive side of the ball here. Mingo led LSU and ranked fourth in the SEC in tackles for loss (13.5) and finished second on the team in sacks (8.0) behind Montgomery last year. Both starting OLBs for the Bills (Nick Barnett and Kirk Morrison) are in the early-30's.

13. Kansas City Chiefs - Tyler Bray, QB, Tennessee

Depending on how Matt Cassel performs in 2012, the Chiefs could look to go in a different direction in 2013. As I noted in our fantasy football rankings, Cassel has averaged less than 200 passing yards per game in his first three seasons in Kansas City. Then again, depending on how Bray performs in 2012, he could be long gone by this spot.

14. Seattle Seahawks - Marquess Wilson, WR, Washington State

Perhaps the Seahawks will go with a quarterback here. Considering they signed Matt Flynn to a three-year deal and drafted Russell Wilson in the third round, it seems unlikely. Instead I have the Seahawks adding a weapon to help whichever quarterback is under center. As a sophomore, the 6-foot-4 receiver set school records with 82 receptions for 1,388 yards in addition to scoring 12 times and is the third Pac-12 receiver off the board in the top half of the first round.

15. Tennessee Titans - Xavier Rhodes, CB, Florida State

After having four interceptions as a freshman in 2010, Rhodes had an off year with only one interception and battled some nagging injuries throughout the season. That said, Rhodes is a big (6-2, 215 pounds), physical and athletic cornerback and could be the second cornerback off the board with a solid season.

16. Cincinnati Bengals - Marcus Lattimore, RB, South Carolina

Although his season was cut short by an ACL injury in October, Lattimore has rushed for more than 2,000 yards and 27 touchdowns in his season and a half at South Carolina. Perhaps he'll have a slow start this year, but the 230-pound back will be 18 months removed from the injury by the time the 2013 NFL draft rolls around.

For picks 17 to 32, click here. For our 2013 NFL mock draft database, click here.

We have also recently updated our 2012 NBA mock draft as well.

For all of our updates, you can either (1) follow me on Twitter @EDSFootball or (2) like us on Facebook -- or both.

Posted by Kevin Hanson at 09:27 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

With the NFL draft behind us, we continue to update our 2012 fantasy football rankings with running backs next up. Although this is our third update of the offseason, it is our first update that includes rookies.

Cleveland's Trent Richardson is clearly the top rookie running back in this year's draft class for both re-draft and dynasty formats. Many of the backs in the next tier of running backs landed in spots where they could end up splitting carries with another featured back, which makes them better options in dynasty formats.

Based on standard scoring (i.e., not point-per-reception (PPR) scoring), here are our 2012 fantasy football running backs rankings:

1. Arian Foster, Texans

Despite missing three games, Houston's Arian Foster carried the ball 278 times for 1,224 yards and 10 touchdowns and had 53 receptions for 617 yards. Counting the postseason, Foster had nine 100-yard rushing games and three 100-yard receiving games in 15 total games last year. Through last year's postseason, Foster has 656 carries for 3,125 yards and 29 touchdowns plus 127 receptions for 1,272 yards and four touchdowns in 31 games over the past two seasons. While Ben Tate is more than a capable backup, the Texans love to give Foster a workhorse's workload.

2. Ray Rice, Ravens

Ravens running back Ray Rice, who was designated with the franchise tag this offseason, set career highs in rushing yards (1,364) and receiving yards (704) plus he scored a total of 15 touchdowns, which shattered his previous career high of eight. Rice has three straight seasons with 1,200-plus rushing yards and 500-plus receiving yards and 60-plus receptions.

3. LeSean McCoy, Eagles

Philadelphia's LeSean McCoy, the Eagles' second-round pick in 2009, set career highs in carries (273), rushing yards (1,309) and rushing touchdowns (17). McCoy sat out Week 17, but he scored at least one touchdown in every game he played except for Weeks 11 and 16. With the additions of Bryce Brown (seventh round) and Chris Polk (undrafted free agent), McCoy is likely to get a slightly reduced workload in 2012, which is what Andy Reid has previously suggested.

4. Maurice Jones-Drew, Jaguars

Despite having to face many eight-men fronts, Jones-Drew led the NFL in rushing with 1,606 yards. And perhaps more impressively, he became the first running back in league history to rush for at least 80 yards in 15 of 16 games. Along with Atlanta's Michael Turner, MJD was one of only two running backs to go over 300 carries. Pocket Hercules had a league-high 343 carries, which is the fourth-most over the past five seasons.

5. Ryan Mathews, Chargers

Mathews, a top-12 pick by the Chargers in 2010, racked up more than 1,500 yards from scrimmage -- 1,091 rushing yards and 455 receiving yards on 50 receptions -- despite missing two games last season. With the departure of Mike Tolbert, who rushed for 19 touchdowns over the past two seasons, Mathews could truly break out if (albeit a big if) he can stay healthy for a full season. In addition, Mathews and the Chargers running backs have a favorable schedule from a fantasy perspective.

6. Marshawn Lynch, Seahawks

Seattle running back Marshawn Lynch, who re-signed with the Seahawks for four years, finished the season with 1,204 rushing yards and 212 receiving yards with 13 total touchdowns last year. He was particularly tough from Week 9 on. He rushed for 100-plus yards six times in his final nine games including against the 49ers, the league's top-ranked run defense. Can he duplicate last year's success, especially after getting a big contract?

7. Chris Johnson, Titans

Titans running back Chris Johnson had a lackluster season with the exception of a four-game span (Weeks 9 to 12). Johnson rushed for a total of 486 yards and had three of his four 100-yard games of the season during that stretch. In the other 12 games, however, Johnson had 177 carries for 561 yards (3.17 yards per carry) and one rushing touchdown.

8. Darren McFadden, Raiders

Based on pure talent, McFadden could be a top-five pick overall in any fantasy draft. Add in his injury risk and you're playing with fire. In his four seasons in Oakland, McFadden has played a total of 45 games including only seven last year and has missed at least three games every year he's been a pro. Over his 20 games in the past two seasons, however, McFadden has averaged 121.6 yards from scrimmage (YFS) per game. Over a full 16-game season, that would be 1,945 YFS. Feeling lucky?

9. Adrian Peterson, Vikings

Peterson, who recently ran for the media in Minnesota, expects to play in Week 1. Considering Peterson will only be around nine months removed from his ACL injury at the start of the season, there is no guarantee that he will be ready Week 1 and it might take a year before he regains his pre-injury explosiveness. When healthy, however, Peterson is one of the best two or three backs in the league and he has been a touchdown-scoring machine: 64 rushing touchdowns and three receiving touchdowns in 73 career games.

10. DeMarco Murray, Cowboys

From Weeks 7 to 12, no running back had more rushing yards than Cowboys rookie DeMarco Murray (761). (Rams running back Steven Jackson, 593, had the second most during that span.) Going into the 2012 season as the unquestioned feature back, Murray will/should be one of the top 10-12 backs off the board.

11. Matt Forte, Bears

In the 11 games he finished, Bears running back Matt Forte was an absolute stud. During those 11 games, he had 985 rushing yards and 490 receiving yards on 52 receptions and he was on pace for 2,145 yards from scrimmage for the season. Like Rice, however, Forte is not thrilled about being designated with the franchise tag. In fact, he felt "disrespected" by the fact that the Bears signed free-agent running back Michael Bush to a four-year deal. Although it's a great (real) football move, Bush signing with the Bears diminishes both backs' fantasy value.

12. Trent Richardson, Browns

There is plenty to like about Richardson, who is the best running back prospect since Adrian Peterson. Not only does Richardson have freakish strength, he has good speed for his size, soft hands and he goes into a situation where he will have the opportunity to be an every-down back. On the flip side, Richardson will likely face many eight-men fronts with the lack of perimeter weapons in the offense and he'll have to face the stout AFC North run defenses six times per year.

To see the rest of our top 50 running backs, click here. For our PPR running back rankings, click here.

If interested, check out our way-too-early 2013 NFL mock draft.

To keep track of our updates, follow @EDSFootball on Twitter and/or "like" us on Facebook.

Posted by Kevin Hanson at 03:54 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

Raiders receiver Darrius Heyward-Bey was arrested early on April 7th for driving under the influence and officially charged yesterday, according to the San Francisco Chronicle.

Although he failed a sobriety test when he was pulled over, DHB was described as being "very cooperative" by police officers. He is due to appear in court at the end of the month.

"The team is well aware of the situation, and takes matters such as this very seriously," the Raiders said (via a statement). "The organization will continue to gather specifics, and continue to cooperate with all parties involved."

In his breakout season last year, Heyward-Bey set career highs of 64 receptions, 975 yards and four receiving touchdowns. In his previous two seasons combined, DHB had only 35 receptions for 490 yards and two touchdowns.

Posted by Kevin Hanson at 08:49 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

Four months from Minnesota's regular-season opener against Jacksonville, Vikings running back Adrian Peterson worked out for the Minnesota media today.

Peterson, who tore his ACL and MCL at the end of the 2011 season, had surgery on December 30th and expects to be ready for the season opener.

"I will be surprised (if I don't play in the first game)," Peterson said, per Judd Zulgad of ESPN1500.com. "I will be very surprised. I've been ahead of the schedule since day one. The staff here, the staff down in Houston, they've been doing a great job with just pushing me, pushing me. But having that limit on it and knowing that, 'Hey, Adrian, I know you want to do this, but you've just got to play it slow and it will come.'

"From square one, I've been ahead of the curve. Me personally, because that's my goal (to return for the opener), I set my expectations high and my goals high. That first game against Jacksonville I plan on being back so that will be disappointing if I'm not."

Here is video of today's workout:

Although Peterson wants to return for the opener, the team is not putting a timetable on his return.

"I love Adrian," [trainer Eric] Sugarman said Tuesday, per Dan Wiederer of the Minneapolis Star Tribune. "But let's make this clear: I'm still not going to be quoted as saying he's going to play in the first game. That's not fair. I don't know that."

Since entering the league in 2007, Peterson leads the NFL in rushing yards (6,752) and rushing touchdowns (64). Jacksonville's Maurice Jones-Drew is second in rushing yards (5,913) and Atlanta's Michael Turner is second in rushing touchdowns (51).

Posted by Kevin Hanson at 07:39 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

Today the Bills and running back Fred Jackson agreed to a two-year extension that will keep him in Buffalo through the 2014 season.

The deal is worth $9 million, but he can earn a maximum of $11 million if he reaches all of the incentives in the contract, according to Mark Gaughan of the Buffalo News.

"I'm excited because I feel like something special is about to go down and I want to be a part of it," Jackson said. "I've always said I wanted to be here, now I have the opportunity to be here."

Before suffering a season-ending injury in Week 11 last year, Bills running back Fred Jackson was on his way to shattering his previous career highs across the board.

Jackson, who turned 31 in February, finished the season with 934 rushing yards and six touchdowns to go along with 39 receptions for 442 yards in 10 games. The rushing touchdowns and receiving yards were career highs.

Only Maurice Jones-Drew (100.4) and Arian Foster (94.2) averaged more rushing yards per game than Jackson (93.4) last year.

Coach Chan Gailey has said earlier this offseason that he expects there to be closer to a 50-50 split between Jackson and C.J. Spiller, the team's first-round pick in 2010.

Posted by Kevin Hanson at 06:53 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

Not only did Drew Brees become the first player to have two 5,000-yard seasons, but this time he broke Dan Marino's previous single-season record of 5,084 passing yards.

In fact, he shattered it.

The Saints quarterback threw for 5,476 yards last season as he broke the record with a game to spare. In addition, Brees broke a number of other single-season records including completions (468), completion percentage (71.2 percent) and 300-yard games (13).

In his two postseason games this year, Brees threw for the second- and third-most yards ever in a playoff game after Cleveland's Bernie Kosar (489 yards on 1/3/87). Brees completed 73 of 106 passes for 928 yards, seven touchdowns and two interceptions in those two games.

So, if you include the playoffs, Brees threw for a staggering 6,404 yards, 53 touchdowns and 16 interceptions in 18 games this year.

That said, Brees, the 2011 AP Offensive Player of the Year, was not the league MVP. And neither were the other two 5,000-yard passers this season.

Here are our 2012 fantasy football quarterback rankings:

1. Aaron Rodgers, Packers

Although 15 quarterbacks threw more pass attempts than Rodgers (502), no quarterback had more fantasy points. Rodgers, the league MVP, set the NFL single-season record for passer rating (122.5) and broke the franchise record for passing touchdowns (45) while throwing a career low of six interceptions as a starter.

2. Drew Brees, Saints

If it weren't for a full year suspension of head coach Sean Payton and the apparent lack of progress in his contract situation, Brees, who was designated with the franchise tag, would be a legitimate challenger for the top spot on this list. Instead there is a miniscule difference between Brees and Tom Brady, the No. 3 QB on this list.

3. Tom Brady, Patriots

While Brady finished second in the league in passing yards (5,235) behind Brees last year, it was a career-best year for him and that total is the second-highest in NFL history. Last year, Brady had 300-plus yards and/or multiple touchdowns in all 16 regular-season games. Not only does Brady have the league's top-TE duo in Rob Gronkowski and Aaron Hernandez, the Pats have added a bunch of receivers in the offseason -- Brandon Lloyd, Jabar Gaffney, Donte Stallworth, etc.

4. Matthew Stafford, Lions

After playing only 13 games in his first two seasons, Stafford played a full 16-game season, was named AP Comeback Player of the Year and led the Lions to their first playoff appearance since the 1999 season. Like Brady and Brees, Stafford threw for 5,000-plus yards in 2011, and he threw a league-high 663 times, which is the third-highest in league history after Drew Bledsoe (691 in 1994) and Peyton Manning (679 in 2010).

5. Cam Newton, Panthers

Panthers quarterback Cam Newton had a record-setting rookie campaign and ran away with the Offensive Rookie of the Year award (see past winners). Not only did Newton break the record for rushing touchdowns by a quarterback (14), he became the first player in NFL history to throw for 4,000-plus yards (4,051) and run for 700-plus yards (706) in the same season.

6. Tony Romo, Cowboys

A bit snubbed on NFL Network's list of Top 100 Players for 2012 at No. 91, Romo threw for just under 4,200 yards with 31 touchdowns and only 10 interceptions last year. There aren't many quarterbacks that have the weapons that Romo has at his disposal in Miles Austin, Dez Bryant and Jason Witten (among others).

7. Eli Manning, Giants

Speaking of snubs, I feel like I'm snubbing Eli a bit here. Not only was he named Super Bowl MVP (see past winners), but he was only 67 yards shy of becoming the fourth 5,000-yard passer last season. In addition, the Giants are loaded at wide receiver with Hakeem Nicks, Victor Cruz and rookie Reuben Randle, who slipped to them in the second round.

8. Michael Vick, Eagles

As a dual-threat quarterback, Philadelpia's Michael Vick had a disappointing season. Not only did Vick miss three games and fail to reach 4,000 total yards (3,303 passing yards and 589 rushing yards), but he ran for only one touchdown. In 2010, Vick ran for nine touchdowns. With his size and style of play, Vick will always have a higher-than-average risk of injury (missing games), but fantasy owners have the potential to reap huge returns on a per-game basis considering his much lower fantasy draft status in 2012 compared to last season.

9. Peyton Manning, Broncos

While Peyton Manning missed the entire season with his neck injury, all indications are that he will be fully ready to be under center in Week 1 as he begins the next era of his career in the Mile High City. With the transition from Tebow to Manning, the Broncos will obviously become a much better passing offense, which really boosts the fantasy value of their receivers: Demaryius Thomas, Eric Decker, etc. That said, it's unlikely that Peyton returns to his pre-injury form considering the majority of his games will be played outdoors and he has missed an entire season. If he does, however, he's a steal here.

10. Philip Rivers, Chargers

With a career high in pass attempts (582), Rivers threw for more than 4,600 yards for a second consecutive season. That said, he also set four-year lows in completion percentage (62.9 percent) and touchdowns (27) and set a career high in interceptions (20). Although there was speculation that Rivers might have been hurt, he has insisted that he wasn't. If he has a bounce-back season, Rivers could be a bargain where he's currently being drafted.

To see the rest of our top 25 quarterbacks for 2012, click here.

We will update all of our fantasy rankings over the course of this week.

To keep track of our updates, follow @EDSFootball on Twitter and/or "like" us on Facebook.

Posted by Kevin Hanson at 07:10 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

If you missed Eli Manning's performance on Saturday Night Live (SNL) last night, the funniest part was the clip of him as the protector of (other) Little Brothers.

Here is the video:

Continue reading "Video: Eli Manning's funniest SNL skit (Little Brothers)" »

Posted by Kevin Hanson at 12:08 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

Although we are roughly four months away from the Giants-Cowboys season opener, the majority of offseason moves have been made (via free agency and NFL draft).

Therefore, it makes sense to release our first consensus power rankings for the upcoming season based on those moves. In a sense, these are our (pre-) preseason rankings. Our next update will occur during the preseason and then weekly throughout the season.

In addition to many sites releasing their power rankings as well, Vegas has odds set for Super Bowl XLVII in New Orleans next February. The early favorites are the Packers and Patriots with odds at 5/1 each, according to SportsBook.com. The next lowest odds (10/1) belong to three teams: 49ers, Texans and Eagles.

Another way to look at it is the defending Super Bowl champions (15/1) were not in the top five in best odds and weren't even the top choice in their own division as the Eagles have 10/1 odds. That said, they were one of two teams to tie for the top spot in our power rankings.

On the flip side, there six teams that are tied for the worst odds (100/1): Rams, Vikings, Colts, Browns, Jaguars and Bucs.

With each update, we always all respond to one roundtable question.

This update's roundtable topic: Which team has made the biggest improvement of their roster from last season through offseason moves and draft picks?

Kevin (follow Kevin on Twitter): Philadelphia Eagles

I debated three teams here: Eagles, Bengals and Bears. While the Bengals did not make a ton of splashy offseason moves, I thought they had as strong of a draft as any other team. Not only did they use their two first-rounders on two positions of need -- cornerback (Dre Kirkpatrick) and interior offensive line (Kevin Zeitler), but they got good values later in the draft as well. The Bears added playmakers through the free agency (Michael Bush), trade (Brandon Marshall) and draft (Alshon Jeffery). While I like what the Bears and Bengals have done, I like what the Eagles have done more. By trading a mid-round pick for DeMeco Ryans, a former Defensive Rookie of the Year, they filled a huge void before the draft. In the draft, they got a ton of value. In my opinion, Fletcher Cox was the best defensive tackle prospect in the draft. While they used four of their first five picks on the defensive side of the ball, they got some good values later in the draft on the offensive side in Marvin McNutt, Brandon Washington and Bryce Brown and they added Chris Polk as an undrafted free agent.

John (follow John on Twitter): Denver Broncos

It seems that the Patriots and the Eagles were among the biggest winners of the NFL draft. Still, in terms of impact on next year, it's tough to ignore the big free agent signing in Denver. While the Broncos did make the playoffs last year and even won a playoff game, nobody thought of them as a real contender. They won several fluky games to win the division, and played a great game against the Steelers to advance to the second round. This year, the Broncos will be viewed as a legitimate contender, and rightly so. The addition of Peyton Manning gives them a 2-3 year window where they have a significantly improved chance to win the Super Bowl. Mario Williams will greatly improve Buffalo, a good draft will certainly help fill some deficiencies from last year for teams like the Pats and Eagles, but no team improved from 2011 to 2012 like the Broncos. Looking at the Super Bowl favorites for next year, you'll see all of the usual suspects (Packers, Patriots, Steelers, Ravens, etc), with one exception; Denver will be among the favorites. No other team had a free agent signing or draft that is expected to have the kind of impact that Peyton Manning will have in Denver. With one acquisition, the Broncos made the biggest improvement from last year to next.

Dan (follow Dan on Twitter): New England Patriots

Yes again this may seem like a heavy dose of homerism, but so far I think the New England Patriots have made the biggest improvement to their team with the draft and free agency. The Patriots have added skilled targets in Brandon Lloyd, Jabar Gaffney, and Donte Stallworth. They have also massively bolstered their front seven in the draft in adding two potential blue chippers in Donta Hightower and Chandler Jones. I am loving the Patriots moves so far this year, and most likely there will be more to come.

Sean (follow Sean on Twitter): Buffalo Bills

[Note: I'm still awaiting Sean's rationale for his pick, but presumably the addition of Mario Williams via free agency and drafting of Stephon Gilmore and Cordy Glenn will be factors.]

See how all 32 teams ranked in our post-draft edition of our 2012 NFL consensus power rankings.

Posted by Kevin Hanson at 09:34 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

Clemson receiver Sammy Watkins was arrested early Friday morning on two misdemeanor charges of marijuana possession and possession of a controlled substance.

Watkins issued the following the statement: "I made a mistake last night and I am truly sorry for my actions. I let the team down, the coaches down and this university down. I will learn from this. I will accept any discipline coach [Dabo] Swinney and the university issues."

Meanwhile Swinney issued the following statement: "I am aware of the arrest last night. I am mad and hurt by the poor decision that Sammy Watkins made. He is a good young man who has been a model student, citizen, player and teammate. This is a reminder that good people make poor decisions. But, there are consequences for your actions ... and there will be in this case ..."

It is likely that Watkins will be suspended for at least one game, maybe more.

As a true freshman last season, Watkins, who was the ACC Rookie of the Year, finished with 82 receptions for 1,219 yards, which ranked him 17th in the country, and 12 touchdowns. Only six players had more receiving touchdowns than Watkins last year.

In addition, he averaged more than 25 yards per kickoff return with one touchdown and had 32 carries for 231 yards.

Assuming Watkins leaves Clemson after his junior season, he will be one of the top players selected in the 2014 NFL draft and possibly the top receiver off the board.

Posted by Kevin Hanson at 10:21 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

There are many factors that determine which players will have the most productive season from a fantasy perspective.

To name a few, the player's natural ability, their opportunity (playing time, depth chart, etc.), play-calling or offensive scheme, supporting cast, etc. all contribute to the player's production.

Another factor is the opponent a team faces on a week-by-week basis.

Over the course of a full season, teams will face some teams that are generous, others that are stingy and plenty in the middle when it comes to the fantasy points they allow to the opposition. In other words, the advantage to exploit (or disadvantage to avoid) is certainly much more pronounced in any given individual week than it the cumulative totals will be over the course of a 16-game season.

Bear in mind, however, that a favorable schedule does not automatically make a player on that team a better option to draft than one that plays on a team with a much less favorable schedule.

For example, the team with the most favorable schedule for wide receivers in leagues that use standard scoring is the Seattle Seahawks. The team with the least favorable schedule for receivers is the Cincinnati Bengals. That does NOT mean that I would prefer Sidney Rice over A.J. Green.

Instead, if a decision comes to two players for whom you have comparable expectations with all other things considered, then this is simply another tool that could be useful in tweaking your personal rankings.

Based on position, below you will find the teams with the most and least favorable strength of schedule for fantasy football in 2012 and links to the full rankings:

Quarterbacks:
- Most Fantasy-Friendly Schedule: Atlanta Falcons
- Least Fantasy-Friendly Schedule: New England Patriots
- Full Rankings

Running Backs:
- Most Fantasy-Friendly Schedule (Standard Scoring): Atlanta Falcons
- Most Fantasy-Friendly Schedule (PPR Scoring): Atlanta Falcons
- Least Fantasy-Friendly Schedule (Standard Scoring): Green Bay Packers
- Least Fantasy-Friendly Schedule (PPR Scoring): Cincinnati Bengals
- Full Rankings, PPR Rankings

Wide Receivers:
- Most Fantasy-Friendly Schedule (Standard Scoring): Seattle Seahawks
- Most Fantasy-Friendly Schedule (PPR Scoring): Seattle Seahawks
- Least Fantasy-Friendly Schedule (Standard Scoring): Cincinnati Bengals
- Least Fantasy-Friendly Schedule (PPR Scoring): Cincinnati Bengals
- Full Rankings, PPR Rankings

Tight Ends:
- Most Fantasy-Friendly Schedule (Standard Scoring): Indianapolis Colts
- Most Fantasy-Friendly Schedule (PPR Scoring): Houston Texans
- Least Fantasy-Friendly Schedule (Standard Scoring): Buffalo Bills
- Least Fantasy-Friendly Schedule (PPR Scoring): Denver Broncos
- Full Rankings, PPR Rankings

* Note: Although teams have modified their rosters, I used last year's production as the baseline for determining how tough an opponent will be this year (without tweaking the numbers).

Posted by Kevin Hanson at 06:14 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)