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Before suffering a season-ending knee injury in Week 5 of the 2010 season, Rams receiver Mark Clayton had 22 receptions for 300 yards and two touchdowns in his first four games with the franchise.

No longer a free agent, Clayton, the Raven's first-round pick in 2005, agreed to a one-year deal to return to the Rams.

"It's official!! Another year in the Lou! 'Grace that's all I can say,'" Clayton tweeted.

As Bill Coats of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch points out, the Rams have nine receivers vying for six or seven roster spots. In addition to Clayton, the team's current receivers are Danario Alexander, Danny Amendola, Donnie Avery, Brandon Gibson, Mardy Gilyard, Austin Pettis, Greg Salas and Mike Sims-Walker.

Posted by Kevin Hanson at 08:58 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

Although the start of the 2011 season is just around the corner, plenty of folks will have their fantasy football draft(s) between now and September 8th when the last two Super Bowl winners square off at Lambeau Field to open the season.

Therefore, we have updated our fantasy quarterback rankings.

When the season opens, we will see two of the league's elite quarterbacks in Green Bay's Aaron Rodgers and New Orleans' Drew Brees, who have won the last two Super Bowl MVP awards.

This year, however, it's my strategy to wait on quarterback, especially for my shallower leagues (10-12 teams), since the position is relatively deep.

Here our updated fantasy quarterback rankings for 2011:

1. Aaron Rodgers, Packers: Counting the Packers' post-season run, Rodgers threw three-plus touchdowns in seven of the final ten games of the season that he finished (Rodgers left Week 14 matchup against the Lions with a concussion). Rodgers fell just shy of a third straight season with 4,000 passing yards. With arguably the league's most talented group of pass-catchers, Rodgers should continue to dominate for the foreseeable future even if he has a relatively tough strength of schedule based on fantasy opponents from Weeks 1 to 16.

2. Michael Vick, Eagles: On a per-game basis, it wouldn't surprise me if the league's latest $100 million man posted better statistics than Rodgers in 2011. In an eight-game stretch from Weeks 9 to 16, Vick posted 2,219 passing yards, 15 passing touchdowns, six interceptions, 489 rushing yards and eight rushing touchdowns. That was nearly 12 fantasy points per game from his rushing statistics alone during that span. But will Vick stay healthy for 16 games (or 15 games since most fantasy championships take place in Week 16)? That's what worries me.

3. Philip Rivers, Chargers: Rivers led the NFL in passing yards (4,710) last year even though Antonio Gates, Vincent Jackson and Malcom Floyd missed a combined total of 22 games due to injury and/or contract dispute. Over the past three seasons, Rivers ranks third in passing yards (12,973) and passing touchdowns (92) behind only Brees and Manning.

[Related: Rivers is the quarterback featured in our Week 1 contest.]

4. Drew Brees, Saints: Since becoming a Saint in 2006, Brees has thrown for 4,300-plus yards and 26-plus touchdowns every season. In other words, the floor is very high. While Brees will spread the ball around in the Saints' high-powered offense to plenty of different receivers, which diminishes the fantasy value of the team's top receivers, Brees is going to air it out. Brees has three of the top seven most pass attempts in a season in NFL history: 658 in 2010 (third all-time), 652 in 2007 (fifth) and 635 in 2008 (seventh).

5. Tom Brady, Patriots: Although he threw for (only) 3,900 yards (seven QBs threw for more), Brady led the NFL in passing touchdowns (36) with the fewest interceptions (four). Brady threw for two or more touchdowns in each of the final nine games of the season without throwing any interceptions in the final 11 regular-season games.

6. Peyton Manning, Colts: With the exception of Drew Bledsoe's 691 pass attempts in 1994, no quarterback in NFL history aired it out as much as Manning did in 2010 (679 attempts). Throughout his 13-year career, Manning has been a model of consistency -- 11 4,000-yard seasons -- and he threw for a career-high 4,700 yards last season. While I expect him to be under center Week 1, Manning, who signed a five-year deal with the Colts, may not be ready to go when the season starts on Sept. 11th as he recovers from two off-season neck surgeries.

7. Tony Romo, Cowboys: In Romo's last full season (2009), he finished with almost 4,500 passing yards and posted a 26-to-9 touchdown-to-interception ratio. The third-leading receiver on that team (after Miles Austin and Jason Witten) was Patrick Crayton. This year, it's possible -- even likely -- that the Cowboys have three players finish with 1,000-plus receiving yards: Austin, Witten and Dez Bryant, the team's first-round pick in 2010.

8. Ben Roethlisberger, Steelers: Roethlisberger, who was suspended for the first four games of 2010, threw for 3,200 yards in 12 games in 2010 despite battling a foot injury down the stretch. Had he been eligible to play a full 16 games and maintained his per-game average, Roethlisberger would have thrown for more than 4,200 yards. In 2009, Roethlisberger threw for 4,328 yards. With a strong receiving corps lead by Mike Wallace, there's no reason to believe Big Ben won't throw for 4,200-plus in 2011.

9. Matt Ryan, Falcons: Granted, the Falcons gave up a lot in order to move up to the sixth overall pick to take Alabama receiver Julio Jones. That said, the addition of Jones and running back Jacquizz Rodgers, their fifth-round pick, will only help Ryan's fantasy stock for 2011. Meanwhile, Ryan set career bests in passer rating (91.0), completion percentage (62.5), yards (3,705), touchdowns (28) and interceptions (nine) in 2010. Helped largely to his 42 pass attempts in the first half in his third pre-season game, Ryan leads all quarterbacks in pass attempts (67) this pre-season.

10. Matt Schaub, Texans: Despite having a "down" year, Schaub still finished fourth in the NFL in passing yards (4,370) after Rivers, Manning and Brees. And over the past two seasons, Schaub has compiled the second-most passing yards (9,140). Schaub provides solid value to those looking to wait on a quarterback in their draft(s).

11. Josh Freeman, Bucs: Although Freeman was the last of three first-round quarterbacks drafted in 2009, Freeman enters 2011 as the highest-rated of that group on this list. Not only did he make huge strides in his own performance in his sophomore season, but the trio of Freeman, Mike Williams and LeGarrette Blount form a young but formidable group that should only continue to develop together.

12. Eli Manning, Giants: Manning, the other half of the "Football Cops" duo, has now thrown for 4,000-plus yards in back-to-back seasons and he threw a career-high 31 touchdowns in 2010. That said, Manning threw a career-high (and NFL-worst) 25 interceptions last year and lost Steve Smith via free agency. The late-season weather in the Meadowlands isn't exactly fantasy-friendly, either. Over the past three seasons, Manning has had multi-touchdown performances in 58.8 percent of his games from September to November. In December and January, that number has dropped to 35.7 percent of his games. In other words, Manning is less likely to have a big game when you need it the most (fantasy playoffs).

13. Joe Flacco, Ravens: Flacco set a career high in touchdowns (25) and a career low in interceptions (ten) in 2010, but he has lost his most reliable fall-back option in Derrick Mason, who was cut by the Ravens and signed by the Jets. While Mason's departure should help the fantasy value of Anquan Boldin, it does not help Flacco's fantasy value.

14. Matthew Stafford, Lions: Can Stafford, who was called a "China Doll" by (now former) teammate Zach Follett, stay healthy for a full season? That's the big question as he's only played 13 games in two years. Stafford, the top overall pick in the 2009 NFL Draft, has a big arm and the Lions have plenty of weapons in their offense. This pre-season, Stafford has completed 77.4 percent of his passes and has thrown five touchdowns and no interceptions.

15. Sam Bradford, Rams: Bradford, the 2010 Offensive Rookie of the Year, threw for 3,590 yards despite injuries to Donnie Avery (out for season) and Mark Clayton (played in only five games). Assuming a healthier receiving corps, the free-agent addition of Mike Sims-Walker and Bradford's continued development, Bradford should improve upon his 18-to-15 touchdown-to-interception ratio in 2011 under the tutelage of Josh McDaniels, the team's new offensive coordinator.

16. Jay Cutler, Bears: Last year, Cutler had the lowest yards-per-game average (218.3 YPG) and completion percentage (60.4%) of his career since his rookie season, when he played in only five games. In addition, he was sacked a career-high 52 times. The good news is Cutler cut back on interceptions as he threw ten less in 2010 than in 2009.

17. Kevin Kolb, Cardinals: While the Cardinals gave up an arm and a leg (starting cornerback Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie and a second-round pick) to get an arm (Kolb), Arizona needed to upgrade their quarterback situation that was pitiful last year. With a top-five (or better) receiver on the roster, Kolb should be a top 20 quarterback with plenty of upside.

18. Matt Cassel, Chiefs: Cassel threw for 3,116 yards and a career-high 27 touchdowns last year in Charlie Weis's only season as the team's offensive coordinator. More than half (15) of those touchdowns were thrown to Dwayne Bowe. Aside from Bowe, no other receiver gave them much in 2010 as Chris Chambers finished second amongst receivers in yards (213), which led to Kansas City drafting Pitt receiver Jon Baldwin, who broke his thumb in a fight with teammate Thomas Jones, and signing free-agent receiver Steve Breaston, who was with coach Todd Haley in Arizona.

19. Kyle Orton, Broncos: Benched for the final three games in favor of Tim Tebow, Orton still finished tenth in the NFL in passing yards (3,653). On a per-game basis, only Philip Rivers, Peyton Manning and Drew Brees averaged more. Entering 2011, however, there are several questions about Orton. While Orton will begin the season as the team's clear-cut starter, will he get pulled for Tebow (or Brady Quinn) if the Broncos start poorly and have no shot at the playoffs? How will the coaching transition from Josh McDaniels to a run-first coach in John Fox impact the play-calling and Orton's passing numbers?

20. Ryan Fitzpatrick, Bills: After replacing Trent Edwards as the starter last year, Fitzpatrick threw for 3,000 yards and 23 touchdowns in 13 games. Fitzpatrick got off to a hot start -- four consecutive multi-touchdown games and 11 total touchdowns during that span. In his final nine games, however, he had only two multi-touchdown games and threw almost as many interceptions (11) as touchdowns (12).

21. Mark Sanchez, Jets: The Sanchize's numbers aren't great -- he has yet to complete at least 55 percent of his passes in a single season and he's thrown more interceptions (33) than touchdowns (29) in his first two seasons. While he improved year-over-year in his second season (3,291 yards, 17 touchdowns and 13 interceptions), he was aided by a strong start (eight touchdowns and no interceptions in his first four games) last year. Excluding those first four games, Sanchez threw nine touchdowns and 13 interceptions in his final 12 regular-season games. Only Santonio Holmes returns out of the team's top three wideouts from last year, but the Jets added Plaxico Burress and Derrick Mason via free agency.

22. Jason Campbell, Raiders: Campbell, a five-year veteran, has career highs of 3,618 yards and 20 passing touchdowns. So, in other words, he's (still) not going to light the world on fire. On a positive note, only three quarterbacks have more rushing yards than Campbell (716) in the past three seasons: David Garrard (924), Rodgers (879) and Vick (771).

23. Colt McCoy, Browns: McCoy had three games with multiple interceptions in the eight games he played in 2010. Unfortunately, those three games were against the Ravens and Steelers. From Weeks 13 to 17, McCoy and the Browns face the Ravens and Steelers four times in five games. McCoy has been solid this pre-season: 60.9 completion percentage, four touchdowns and only one interception.

24. David Garrard, Jaguars: While Garrard threw for only 2,734 yards, a three-year low, he also set career highs in passing touchdowns (23), which is also a franchise record, and rushing touchdowns (five) in 2010. The Jaguars traded up to tenth overall pick in this year's draft to select Missouri quarterback Blaine Gabbert, Garrard's eventual replacement. That said, however, the future may come earlier than expected.

25. Donovan McNabb, Vikings: McNabb has yet to play his first game in a Vikings jersey, yet his days in Minnesota are likely numbered as he signed a one-year deal and the team drafted quarterback Christian Ponder with the 12th-overall pick in this year's draft. That said, McNabb has a decent supporting cast in Minnesota despite the departure of Sidney Rice to Seattle.

Over the next few days, we will update our rankings for other positions as well as our cheat sheets. To view all of our fantasy rankings, Visit the TheTipDrill.com, our fantasy section.

Or to keep track of our fantasy updates: (1) Follow us on Twitter @EDSFootball and/or (2) "Like" us on Facebook.

If you have any specific fantasy questions, feel free to send us a tweet or post your question in our fantasy football forum.

Good luck in (all of) your fantasy league(s) in 2011!

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

The 49ers and running back Frank Gore have agreed to a three-year extension worth $21 million, of which $13.5 million is guaranteed, per Pro Football Talk.

Gore, who had been frustrated by the lack of a deal, is now under contract through the 2014 season.

“Frank is a true 49er," coach Jim Harbaugh said, per Cam Inman of the San Jose Mercury News. "I’ve said that from when I first got here, that’s how I thought I would feel about Frank Gore. Now I know how I feel about Frank Gore. The guy is awesome. Somebody should do a movie. Somebody should do the Frank Gore story, because it’s an awesome story.”

Over 11 games last year, Gore rushed for 853 yards and caught 46 passes for 452 yards.

Only three backs averaged more yards from scrimmage per game last year than Gore: Houston's Arian Foster, Oakland's Darren McFadden and Kansas City's Jamaal Charles.

Posted by Kevin Hanson at 08:42 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

Patriots receiver Wes Welker left Saturday's pre-season game with a neck injury after making a tackle on an interception thrown by Tom Brady.

Per Karen Guregian of the Boston Herald, Welker said "he was okay."

Since 2007, a receiver has finished with 110-plus receptions seven times. Four players have done it once during that span while Welker has done it three times. The other four players were Roddy White, Reggie Wayne, Andre Johnson and T.J. Houshmandzadeh.

In fact, Welker finished with 123 receptions in 2009 despite playing only 14 games -- only Marvin Harrison had more (143) in a season (2002).

Welker, who is now almost two years removed from his torn ACL, finished with only 86 receptions for 848 yards and seven touchdowns last year.

That said, I expect a bounce-back season for Welker of 100-plus receptions in 2011.

Posted by Kevin Hanson at 12:49 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

As noted by Gregg Rosenthal of Pro Football Talk, Falcons quarterback Matt Ryan threw it 42 times in one half of action tonight.

Granted, he wasn't very efficient (only 22 completions).

Since Chris Redman threw 18 passes, the Falcons QBs threw a total of 60 passes.

If he threw it 42 times per game (instead of just a half) for 16 games, Ryan would finish the season with 672 pass attempts.

That would rank as the third-highest total in NFL history behind Drew Bledsoe's 691 (1994) and Peyton Manning's 679 (2010).

While I don't expect the Falcons throw it 60 (or even 42) times per game, I do expect Ryan to beat his previous career high in pass attempts of 571 set last year.

Posted by Kevin Hanson at 11:56 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

Texans running back Arian Foster left tonight's pre-season game against the 49ers in the first quarter with a left hamstring injury.

Foster, who gained 38 yards on eight rush attempts, pulled the same hamstring earlier this month.

Hamstring injuries tend to linger so a second injury to the same hamstring this month is at least a cause for minor concern.

Texans coach Gary Kubiak said (via Nick Scurfield on Twitter), "We don’t think it’s anything worse than what we were dealing with before... I’m just hoping... he’ll be ready for opening day."

As the league's leading rusher in 2010, Foster is my top-ranked fantasy running back in point-per-reception (PPR) leagues and my second-ranked back behind Minnesota's Adrian Peterson in leagues with standard scoring.

Posted by Kevin Hanson at 11:23 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

Both Titans receiver Kenny Britt and Buccaneers cornerback Aqib Talib met with NFL commissioner Roger Goodell earlier this week.

Talib won't face league discipline and neither will Britt.

Judy Battista of the New York Times tweeted tonight, "NO discipline for Kenny Britt of Tennessee either, league says."

While there's no guarantee that Britt will stay out of trouble throughout the season, this is obviously good news for his fantasy owners since even Britt expected that he would be suspended.

Britt, the team's first-round pick in 2009, finished with 42 receptions for 775 yards and nine touchdowns in 12 games.

Posted by Kevin Hanson at 10:59 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

Shortly before Redskins running back Ryan Torain broke his hand this month, the 'Skins acquired Tim Hightower from the Cardinals in exchange for Vonnie Holliday.

Although Torain returned to practice today, Hightower is most likely to be the team's starting running back when the season opens.

“He’s done a good job,” Shanahan said of Hightower on Saturday, per Barry Svrluga of the Washington Post. “I’m not going to say he’s our starter, but if you were betting in Vegas, you’d probably go in that direction.”

Of course, when it comes to Shanahan and bets on running backs, however, a fool and his money will soon be parted.

Granted it's the pre-season and only ten teams have played three pre-season games through last night, but the duo of rookie Roy Helu, the team's fourth-round pick, and Hightower lead the NFL in rushing this pre-season with 173 and 170 yards, respectively.

That said, both have looked good as Hightower has averaged 6.8 yards per carry while Helu has a 4.9 YPC.

On the other hand, Torain's durability concerns are well-documented.

Based on average draft position (ADP) data from Mock Draft Central, the Redskins backs are being drafted in the following order: Torain, Hightower and Helu. Torain is the 27th running back and 58th player off the board on average while Hightower (46th/116th) and Helu (58th/174th) are being drafted much later.

If someone else wants Torain at pick No. 58, they can have him. On the other hand, Helu is a huge bargain at No. 174.

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

For the first time this year, Eagles receivers Jeremy Maclin and Steve Smith practiced today.

Maclin, who was cleared to practice earlier this month, suffered from a mono-like virus earlier this off-season that caused him to lose 15 pounds, which he has regained. Even scarier, Maclin was tested for lymphoma, for which results fortunately came back negative.

"It felt good," Maclin said, per the Associated Press. "I was kind of getting my feet back under me a little bit. Over the next few days, we're going to manage my reps and let me get used to it. I feel alright, conditioning wise. It's just being out there, running routes. I haven't done that in a while, so there's definitely some work I need to do. Like I said, I think I'll get back to my normal self pretty soon."

In Smith's situation, he had microfracture surgery in December and many thought he would start the season on the Physically Unable to Perform (PUP) list. It was much more of a surprise that Smith returned to practice than Maclin.

By Maclin and Smith both practicing today, however, neither player is eligible to start the year on the PUP list.

"With (Maclin) and Steve, we wrote down the plays we wanted them to do, kept it limited," coach Andy Reid said, per Tom Rimback of PhillyBurbs.com. "Most of the plays, they were part of that play, so we could see at the same time as they get a rep there, they're part of that play."

Maclin finished with 70 receptions for 964 yards and ten touchdowns last year. Smith had 48 receptions for 529 yards before suffering his season-ending knee injury in Week 9.

While it may take a game or two for Maclin to get in game shape, it will take a lot longer for Smith. And with DeSean Jackson, Maclin and Jason Avant ahead of him on the depth chart, it's unclear how much fantasy value he'll have this season.

Posted by Kevin Hanson at 06:22 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

Per ESPN's Adam Schefter, the Browns and left tackle Joe Thomas have agreed on a seven-year extension worth $84 million ($44 million guaranteed).

In his first four seasons, Thomas could not have played much better.

Thomas, who was the No. 3 overall pick in 2007, has gone to the Pro Bowl in each of his first four seasons.

In NFL Network's Top 100 Players for 2011, Thomas was voted as the 43rd best player by his peers while Miami's Jake Long was voted No. 28 on the list. Thomas and Long were the top two offensive tackles on the list.

On the list, guards Jahri Evans and Logan Mankins rank 34th and 39th on the list, respectively.

That said, many believe Thomas is the league's best offensive lineman.

Posted by Kevin Hanson at 10:48 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

Per Tim Twentyman of The Detroit News, Lions running back Jahvid Best missed Sunday's practice after suffering a concussion in Friday night's pre-season game against the Browns.

Best, the second of the team's two first-round picks last year, suffered a season-ending concussion when he was a junior running back at Cal.

"We'll take it slow with him just based on his situation from a couple years ago and we'll just be very, very cautious with him," [coach Jim] Schwartz said. "But we should have him back on the practice field soon."

According to Schwartz, Best has not suffered a lot of the typical second-day symptoms that players with concussions experience.

With Mikel LeShoure out for the season, the Lions will rely even more so on Best's ability to stay healthy this year. Last year, Best dealt with a turf toe injury for most of the season.

Best barely made our top 20 fantasy running backs for 2011.

Posted by Kevin Hanson at 08:41 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

Not only has the holdout of Titans running back Chris Johnson reached 23 days, there appears to be no end in sight.

Since entering the league (2008), Johnson has more yards from scrimmage than any other running back. And while the Titans reportedly would be willing to make Johnson the highest-paid running back in history, Johnson's camp has their sights set higher.

The Cardinals gave wide receiver Larry Fitzgerald an eight-year deal worth $120 million over the weekend and Johnson surely noticed.

In fact, Johnson tweeted the following to Fitzgerald (via Jim Wyatt), "Congrats to @LarryFitzgerald god is good" and Fitzgerald responded "thanks CJ you up next my guy."

Um ... not yet.

“I'm not gonna make any offer with the way he's acting. Life's too short,” [owner Bud] Adams said, per Terry McCormick of TitansInsider.

So there you have it.

As McCormick notes, the potential of the standoff between both sides spilling over into the regular season is "becoming more likely each day."

Johnson, who has two years left on his rookie contract, could be racking up fines of $30,000 per day.

“No, I'm leaving that up to [GM] Mike Reinfeldt to work that out,” Adams said. “(Johnson) has got two years on his contract right now. Now, he wants more money, I guess, but he can be fined ($30,000 per day) for not reporting. You add all that up and it's a pretty good bit.”

After we've seen the situation of a stubborn owner (Mike Brown) and player (Carson Palmer) play itself out this off-season, would you be surprised if Johnson was not in Jacksonville on September 11th as the Titans open up the regular season?

Me neither.

Without a holdout, Johnson would be a clear top-five (possible No. 1) pick in fantasy football. If you draft CJ2K, make sure you have Javon Ringer (and maybe even Jamie Harper) as his handcuff(s).

When I update my fantasy rankings next weekend, Johnson will be bumped down a couple of spots as Kansas City's Jamaal Charles and Baltimore's Ray Rice move up to No. 3 and 4, respectively.

Posted by Kevin Hanson at 07:57 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

Buffalo Bills running back C.J. Spiller had a disappointing rookie season considering his lofty draft status.

Spiller, the ninth-overall pick in 2010, averaged only 31.4 yards per scrimmage per game and scored only one touchdown last year.

By comparison, Fred Jackson averaged 71.4 YFS per game and scored a total of seven touchdowns. Jackson had 222 carries to Spiller's 74 in 2010.

Not only should the workload gap narrow, but it's possible that Spiller will get even more work than Jackson in 2011.

"Hearing more and more Bills top RB job is C.J. Spiller's to lose, not Fred Jackson's," tweeted Tim Graham of The Buffalo News.

In tonight's pre-season game against the Broncos, Spiller had six carries for ten yards and two receptions for 11 yards.

Based on average draft position (ADP) from Mock Draft Central, Spiller is currently the 47th running back and 115th player off the board in fantasy football drafts.

If what Graham is hearing turns out to be reality, Spiller is a huge value compared to Jackson, who is the 23rd running back and 50th player drafted based on ADP from Mock Draft Central.

Posted by Kevin Hanson at 10:59 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

One day after rookie running back Ryan Williams suffered a season-ending knee injury, the Cardinals have locked their best and most important player through 2018.

Per ESPN's Adam Schefter, the Cardinals and wide receiver Larry Fitzgerald have agreed to an eight-year contract worth $120 million with approximately $50 million in guaranteed money.

Based on a provision in his previous contract, the Cardinals would not have been able to use the franchise tag on Fitzgerald, who was due to become an unrestricted free agent after this season.

Of course, now that does not matter.

Since Fitzgerald entered the league in 2004, only three receivers have hauled in 600-plus receptions: Reggie Wayne (643), Fitzgerald (613) and Andre Johnson (607). Those are also the only three receivers to exceed 8,000 receiving yards during that seven-year span. And only Randy Moss (76) and Terrell Owens (72) have more receiving touchdowns than Fitzgerald (65) since 2004.

Fitzgerald is ranked fifth in our fantasy rankings using standard scoring and fourth for point-per-reception (PPR) formats.

With the huge upgrade at quarterback (from Derek Anderson to Kevin Kolb), Fitzgerald has a chance to return to his years of double-digit touchdowns and 1,400-plus yards.

Posted by Kevin Hanson at 09:58 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

With the trio of Tim Hightower, Beanie Wells and Ryan Williams on the roster, running back seemed to be one of the deepest positions for the Arizona Cardinals.

That was then (last month), this is now.

At the end of last month, the Cardinals traded Hightower to the Redskins for linebacker Vonnie Holliday.

To make matters worse, Williams was carted off the field last night with what is likely to be a season-ending knee injury. It's believed that Williams ruptured the patellar tendon in his right knee.

"If it is what we suspect, then, yes, it's a season-ender," [coach Ken] Whisenhunt said.

Williams, who was the Cardinals' second-round pick, had won over the team quickly, per Kent Somers of the Arizona Republic.

Somers wrote, "Rarely have I seen teammates so excited about a rookie as the Cardinals were about Williams. When he was being helped on the cart Friday, nearly every player came off the sideline to gather around Williams. His teammates loved his moves, his passion for the game and his personality. He had won a lot of people over in a short amount of time."

Losing Williams for the year would mean the Cardinals are down to three running backs on their 90-man roster: Wells, LaRod Stephens-Howling and Alfonso Smith.

The Cardinals will likely add a free-agent running back, but as Somers notes, the possible replacements "aren't attractive" options.

From a fantasy perspective, our rankings have Wells and Williams as our 33rd- and 36th-ranked running backs, respectively. Of course, Williams will be taken off our list and we will bump up Wells in our next update.

[Update: It's official. Williams will have surgery and his season is officially over.]

Posted by Kevin Hanson at 08:55 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

Per Rich Cimini of ESPN New York, Jets running back Shonn Greene has a skin infection on his right foot that will keep him out of Sunday's pre-season game against the Bengals.

Although the team is treating his infection with antibiotics and caught it early, there's no word on how much time beyond Sunday, if any, that Greene will miss.

Earlier this off-season, Jets offensive coordinator Brian Schottenheimer said that he expected Greene to have a "breakout season" and to get a significant bump in his workload from last year.

Entering last season, Greene was expected to be a breakout player as the team parted ways with Thomas Jones, the team's leading rusher in 2009. However, Greene, the team's third-round pick in 2009, finished 2010 with 185 carries for 766 yards and two touchdowns.

In our fantasy rankings, Greene is our 16th-ranked running back.

Posted by Kevin Hanson at 08:44 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

Cowboys receiver Miles Austin did not practice due to a tight hamstring on Thursday and may not practice on Friday either.

In addition, his status for Sunday's pre-season game against the Chargers is uncertain.

"Just got to see day to day and we don't think it's a serious injury," coach Jason Garrett said of Austin, per Calvin Watkins of ESPN Dallas. "We didn't think it was smart to have him go out and practice [Thursday]. We'll see how he responds on treatment [Thursday afternoon] and make a judgment on tomorrow's practice."

In our recently updated fantasy football rankings, Austin was the No. 10 receiver. Teammate Dez Bryant was No. 12.

As Watkins points out, the other receivers on the roster have combined for 11 career receptions: Kevin Ogletree has ten, Manny Johnson has one, the rest have zero.

Posted by Kevin Hanson at 08:26 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

Manning or Brady?

While that's a fair debate, it's often Peyton Manning -- not Eli Manning -- that is compared to Patriots quarterback Tom Brady.

As a guest on The Michael Kay Show on ESPN 1050 in New York, however, Eli compared himself to Brady, per Matt Ehalt of ESPN New York.

"I consider myself in that class and Tom Brady is a great quarterback, he's a great player and what you've seen with him is he's gotten better every year and he started off winning championships and I think he's a better quarterback now than what he was, in all honesty, when he was winning those championships," Manning said Tuesday. "It's funny, you say well he won championships, but the team, but I think know he's grown up and gotten better every year and that's what I'm trying to do. I kind of hope these next seven years of my quarterback days are my best."

While (Eli) Manning threw a league-worst 25 interceptions, Brady threw a league-low four picks and set the NFL record for consecutive pass attempts without an interception in 2010.

Yes, Eli. You're just like Brady.

However, he says it's a problem that he will fix.

"I'm not a 25-interception quarterback, I know that," Manning said. "That's going to be fixed and it should be a good year."

In our updated fantasy quarterback rankings, we ranked Peyton Manning one spot ahead of Tom Brady, who are five and six on our list, respectively. Eli Manning is 12th. Ahead of all three is the quarterback for whom Manning was traded on draft day: Philip Rivers, who moved up to third in our rankings.

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

With the lockout, bulk of free-agency moves and start of the pre-season behind us, there isn't a ton of movement in our fantasy quarterback rankings for 2011 since our last ranking update.

The highest-ranked quarterback in a new spot is San Diego's Philip Rivers, who led the NFL in passing yards in 2010 despite missing his top targets for many games. His 4,710-yard performance last year was the tenth most for any season in the history of the NFL based on data from Pro Football Reference.

Only 374 yards shy of the single-season record set by Dan Marino in 1984, we will never know how close Rivers would have got to Marino's record had his receivers been healthier.

Although there is an elite group of quarterbacks (top six or so), the position is relatively deep and I would be happy with any of my top ten quarterbacks as my fantasy starter. In addition, the immediate group of quarterbacks after the top ten provide plenty of upside with guys like Tampa's Josh Freeman, Detroit's Matthew Stafford and Baltimore's Joe Flacco.

In other words, it's not necessarily a bad strategy to draft a quarterback in the bottom half of my top ten and take one of the better options at fantasy backup and play the quarterback with the better matchup each week.

Here are our top 25 fantasy quarterbacks for 2011:

1. Aaron Rodgers, Packers: Counting the Packers' post-season run, Rodgers threw three-plus touchdowns in seven of the final ten games of the season that he finished (Rodgers left Week 14 matchup against the Lions with a concussion). Rodgers, who was named MVP of Super Bowl XLVI, fell just shy a third straight season with 4,000 passing yards. With arguably the league's most talented group of pass-catchers, Rodgers should continue to dominate for the foreseeable future even if he has a relatively tough strength of schedule based on fantasy opponents from Weeks 1 to 16.

2. Michael Vick, Eagles: On a per-game basis, it wouldn't surprise me if Vick posted better statistics than Rodgers in 2011. In an eight-game stretch from Weeks 9 to 16, Vick posted 2,219 passing yards, 15 passing touchdowns, six interceptions, 489 rushing yards and eight rushing touchdowns. That was nearly 12 fantasy points per game from his rushing statistics alone during that span. But will Vick stay healthy for 16 games (or 15 games since most fantasy championships take place in Week 16)? That's what worries me.

3. Philip Rivers, Chargers: As noted above, Rivers led the NFL in passing despite Antonio Gates, Vincent Jackson and Malcom Floyd missing a combined total of 22 games due to injury and/or contract dispute. Over the past three seasons, Rivers ranks third in passing yards (12,973) and passing touchdowns (92) behind only Brees and Manning.

4. Drew Brees, Saints: Since becoming a Saint in 2006, Brees has thrown for 4,300-plus yards and 26-plus touchdowns every season. In other words, the floor is high. And while Brees will spread the ball around in the Saints' high-powered offense, one thing is for sure: he's going to air it out even if they are more commited to the run this year. Last year, Brees threw a career-high 658 pass attempts, which is the third-most in a season in NFL history. But he also has the fifth-highest (652 in 2007) and seventh-highest (635 in 2008) totals as well.

5. Peyton Manning, Colts: With the exception of Drew Bledsoe's 691 pass attempts in 1994, no quarterback in NFL history aired it out as much as Manning did in 2010 (679 attempts). Throughout his 13-year career, Manning has been a model of consistency -- 11 4,000-yard seasons -- and he threw for a career-high 4,700 yards last season. On a positive note, Manning, who signed a five-year extension, should have a healthy Dallas Clark and Austin Collie entering 2011. At the same time, it remains to be seen how much time Manning misses this pre-season as he recovers from neck surgeries and if he gets off to a slow start because of it.

6. Tom Brady, Patriots: Although he threw for (only) 3,900 yards (seven QBs threw for more), Brady led the NFL in passing touchdowns (36) with the fewest interceptions (four). Brady threw for two or more touchdowns in each of the final nine games of the season without throwing any interceptions in the final 11 regular-season games.

7. Tony Romo, Cowboys: In Romo's last full season (2009), he finished with almost 4,500 passing yards and posted a 26-to-9 touchdown-to-interception ratio. The third-leading receiver on that team (after Miles Austin and Jason Witten) was Patrick Crayton. This year, it's possible -- even likely -- that the Cowboys have three players finish with 1,000-plus receiving yards: Austin, Witten and Dez Bryant, the team's first-round pick in 2010.

8. Ben Roethlisberger, Steelers: Roethlisberger, who was suspended for the first four games of 2010, threw for 3,200 yards in 12 games in 2010 despite battling a foot injury down the stretch. Had he been eligible to play a full 16 games and maintained his per-game average, Roethlisberger would have thrown for more than 4,200 yards. In 2009, Roethlisberger threw for 4,328 yards. With a strong receiving corps lead by Mike Wallace, there's no reason to believe Big Ben won't throw for 4,200-plus in 2011.

9. Matt Ryan, Falcons: Granted, the Falcons gave up a lot in order to move up to the sixth overall pick to take Alabama receiver Julio Jones. That said, the addition of Jones and running back Jacquizz Rodgers, their fifth-round pick, do nothing but help Ryan's fantasy stock for 2011. Meanwhile, Ryan set career bests in passer rating (91.0), completion percentage (62.5), yards (3,705), touchdowns (28) and interceptions (nine) in 2010.

10. Matt Schaub, Texans: Despite having a "down" year, Schaub still finished fourth in the NFL in passing yards (4,370) after Rivers, Manning and Brees. And over the past two seasons, Schaub has compiled the second-most passing yards (9,140). Schaub provides solid value to those looking to wait on a quarterback in their draft(s).

To see the rest of our top 25 quarterbacks, click here. For other positions, see below:

- Standard scoring: Running Backs | Wide Receivers | Tight Ends | Kickers | Team Defenses
- Point-per-reception (PPR) scoring: Running Backs | Wide Receivers | Tight Ends
- Our Cheat Sheets: Standard Scoring | PPR Scoring

To keep track of our fantasy updates: (1) Follow us on Twitter @EDSFootball, (2) "Like" us on Facebook and/or (3) Visit the The Tip Drill, our fantasy football headquarters.

If you have any specific fantasy questions, feel free to send us a tweet or post your question in our fantasy football forum.

Good luck in (all of) your fantasy league(s) in 2011!

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

At this point, I do not believe that Titans running back Chris Johnson will hold out for the entire season. In fact, I don't believe that he'll miss any regular-season games.

Would I be surprised if he did? No.

By missing Tuesday's reporting deadline to accrue an additional season toward free agency, Johnson has indicated his willingness to holdout for prolonged period of time is more than an idle threat. Johnson signed a five-year contract and a player needs four years of service to be eligible for unrestricted free agency. In other words, if Johnson sat out all of 2011 but played in 2012, the last year of his existing deal, he'd still be an unrestricted free agent after the 2012 season.

The hopeful news towards the two sides reaching a resolution is that general manager Mike Reinfeldt recently said that the Titans are willing to make Johnson the "highest-paid running back in the history of the NFL." However, Reinfeldt also says that Johnson has to report to camp first, which it doesn't appear Johnson is willing to do. At least, that's the "sense" that Reinfeldt gets.

Here are our updated 2011 fantasy football running back rankings (based on standard scoring):

1. Adrian Peterson, Vikings: With the retirement of Brett Favre (we believe) and free-agency departure of Sidney Rice, we expect to see a reversal in the three-year decline in Peterson's rushing attempts (363 to 314 to 283 in 2010). That said, Peterson ranks second in yards from scrimmage over the past three seasons (5,239) and has scored 54 touchdowns in 61 career games.

2. Arian Foster, Texans: Foster led the NFL in rushing (1,616 yards), rushing touchdowns (16) and all running backs in receiving yards (604) in 2010. In addition, he was second among running backs in receptions with 66. If there's any concern about Foster, it's the return of Ben Tate, who was the team's second-round pick in 2010, but there's no doubt that Foster will remain an elite fantasy running back in 2011.

3. Chris Johnson, Titans: Over the past three seasons, no running back has more yards from scrimmage than Johnson, who set the single-season record in 2009 when he became the sixth running back to eclipse the 2,000-yard rushing mark. While his numbers dipped last year, Johnson still has "the same goal" of 2,500 rushing yards, which he described as "very realistic." Of course, those numbers will be impossible if Johnson does not report to the Titans.

4. Jamaal Charles, Chiefs: Despite ranking 14th in the league in rushing attempts (230) and second on his own team (Thomas Jones had 245), Charles finished second in the league in rushing yards (1,467) and yards from scrimmage (1,935) in 2010. While fantasy owners have been frustrated by Charles' less-than-deserved share of the workload, Charles is expected to get a larger share of the workload in 2011.

5. Ray Rice, Ravens: To some degree, Rice disappointed fantasy owners in 2010. While setting a career high in rushing attempts (307), Rice saw a year-over-year decline in most of his stats and set a career low with 4.0 yards per rush attempt. Even so, Rice still managed to finish in the top three in yards from scrimmage in 2010. While the swap of Ricky Williams for Willis McGahee is a push, at best, the addition of All-Pro fullback Vontae Leach, who signed a three-year deal with Baltimore, helps Rice's fantasy value.

6. Darren McFadden, Raiders: After two largely disappointing seasons, McFadden, who was the fourth overall pick in the 2008 NFL Draft, broke out in 2010. McFadden missed three games, but he finished second in the NFL in yards from scrimmage on a per-game basis (128.0) behind only Foster. McFadden will miss the next two weeks with a fractured orbital bone, but he'll be ready for the start of the season.

7. Maurice Jones-Drew, Jaguars: Despite playing through a "bone-on-bone" knee condition and missing the final two games last year, Jones-Drew had a six-game stretch with 100-plus yards and finished fifth in the league in rushing. A couple of months ago, Pocket Hercules said that it was "going to be fun" proving "a couple of people wrong." Rashad Jennings, who rushed for 359 yards in the final six games, is likely to cut into MJD's workload a little more in 2011.

8. Rashard Mendenhall, Steelers: Mendenhall set career highs in rushing attempts (324), yards (1,273) and touchdowns (13) after his breakout season in 2009. Despite having to face the Ravens twice this year, Mendenhall and Steelers' running backs have a fantasy-friendly schedule in 2011.

9. Michael Turner, Falcons: Injured for a good portion of the 2009 season, Turner led the NFL in rushing attempts in 2008 and 2010. There are some concerns with Turner -- he turns 30 next off-season, he averaged a career-low 4.1 yards per rush attempt and he doesn't help out in the passing game at all. That said, 16 active players have more carries than "The Burner" so I'm not as concerned about his workload and Turner has a nose for the goal-line (39 rushing touchdowns in past 43 games).

10. LeSean McCoy, Eagles: McCoy, the Eagles' second-round pick in 2009, had only one game with more than 20-plus carries in Andy Reid's pass-first offense last year. Even in a league that does not award a point per reception, a receiving yard is just as good as a rushing yard. In other words, McCoy finished fourth in the NFL in yards from scrimmage (1,672). With the free-agent addition of Ronnie Brown via free agency, however, I knocked McCoy down two spots on this list. McCoy ranks in the top four of our point-per-reception rankings.

11. Frank Gore, 49ers: Gore got off to a great start in the first half last year -- over 1,000 yards from scrimmage (691 rushing yards and 348 receiving yards), which was especially impressive considering the team's general offensive woes. Recovered from the broken hip he suffered in Week 12, Gore has averaged more than 103 yards from scimmage per game over his career although he has only played one full 16-game season.

12. Matt Forte, Bears: Over the three-year period that Forte has been in the league, only three other running backs (Chris Johnson, Adrian Peterson and Steven Jackson) have more yards from scrimmage than Forte. Forte is even more valuable in point-per reception (PPR) leagues as only Baltimore's Ray Rice has more receptions than Forte during that span.

13. Steven Jackson, Rams: Although he is only 27 years old, Jackson ranks sixth all-time among active players in rushing attempts (1,878) including 654 attempts in the past two seasons combined. Although he set a career low in yards per carry (3.8) last year and has only ten touchdowns in the past two seasons, Jackson has accounted for 3,362 yards of total offense in the past two seasons. While I worry about the cumulative effect of his workload, the Rams offense still runs through Jackson.

14. Peyton Hillis, Browns: Ex-Browns coach Eric Mangini said he expected Jerome Harrison to "seize the opportunity" in 2010. Instead, Harrison was traded and it was Hillis who seized the opportunity as he finished 11th in the NFL in rushing (1,177 yards) and was one of eight backs to finish with double-digit rushing touchdowns. That said, Hillis wore (slowed) down as the season went on. In the final five games, he averaged 54 rushing yards per game, 3.8 yards per carry and scored no touchdowns. With Montario Hardesty and Brandon Jackson in the mix, Hillis should see less touches in 2011 although he's still the guy in Cleveland.

15. Ahmad Bradshaw, Giants: Despite delivering a huge season as the team's featured back (1,235 yards on 276 carries), it could have been better for Bradshaw, who has re-signed with the Giants. After carrying the ball 15-plus times every week in the team's first nine games, Bradshaw had four games with 12 carries or less in the final seven weeks of the season. Unless he solves his fumbling issue (six lost fumbles), Bradshaw could see a reduction of his workload in 2011.

16. Shonn Greene, Jets: It's déjà vu all over again with Greene. Last year, Greene was expected to become the team's workhorse running back with the departure of Thomas Jones. Offensive coordinator Brian Schottenheimer recently said that "we expect a breakout season" from Greene, who is expected to get 18-20 carries per game. If you multiply 18 carries per game by last year's 4.1 yards per carry (YPC), you get 1,181 rushing yards, which would have been good for 11th in the league last year.

17. LeGarrette Blount, Bucs: Despite having only 30 rushing yards through Week 6 of the 2010 NFL season, Blount reached the 1,000-yard milestone and became only the second undrafted rookie running back to do so. In other words, he gained 209 more yards than Chris Johnson over his final 11 games of the season (977 to 768). I'm looking forward to seeing what he can do over the course of a full season as a featured back.

18. Knowshon Moreno, Broncos: With new head coach John Fox preferring a run-first style, the biggest beneficiary should be Moreno even though the Broncos added Willis McGahee. Moreno, the first of two first-round picks by the Broncos in 2009, averaged nearly 90 yards from scrimmage per game last year.

19. DeAngelo Williams, Panthers: Although injuries limited Williams to six games in 2010, he is two years removed from a 1,515-yard, 18-touchdown season. From a fantasy perspective, the presence of Jonathan Stewart diminishes the true fantasy value of Williams, who signed a five-year contract with the Panthers, (and vice versa).

20. Jahvid Best, Lions: What a start to the season Best had: five touchdowns in his first two NFL games. And then it was all downhill (or uphill?) from there. He scored only one other touchdown (Week 16) over the remainder of the season. Bothered by turf toe most of the season, Best finished the year with just over a 1,000 yards from scrimmage (555 rushing yards and 487 receiving yards). With the season-ending injury to Mikel LeShoure, one of the team's two second-round picks, Best should have an opportunity for a few extra carries on earlier downs, but Best is better in PPR formats.

To see the rest of our top 50 fantasy running backs, click here. For our point-per-reception running back rankings, click here.

For other positions, see below:

- Standard scoring: Quarterbacks | Wide Receivers | Tight Ends | Kickers | Team Defenses
- Point-per-reception (PPR) scoring: Wide Receivers | Tight Ends
- Our Cheat Sheets: Standard Scoring | PPR Scoring

To keep track of our fantasy updates: (1) Follow us on Twitter @EDSFootball, (2) "Like" us on Facebook and/or (3) Visit the The Tip Drill, our fantasy football headquarters.

If you have any specific fantasy questions, feel free to send us a tweet or post your question in our fantasy football forum.

Good luck in (all of) your fantasy league(s) in 2011!

Posted by Kevin Hanson at 08:44 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

The Eagles have been dubbed the "Dream Team" by the team's new backup quarterback, Vince Young. So far, however, it's been more of a nightmare for their receiving corps.

Although DeSean Jackson ended his holdout earlier in the week, he's unhappy about his contract. For Jeremy Maclin, their other starting receiver, the situation has been worse.

Maclin, who lost 15 pounds in April (which he has regained), hasn't been cleared to practice during training camp and left the team yesterday for further testing on his undisclosed and mysterious illness. There is "real concern" that Maclin could miss the start of the season although the team has said they expect Maclin to be ready for Week 1.

Therefore, we have bumped Maclin down several spots in our updated fantasy football rankings.

Here are our 2011 fantasy football rankings for wide receivers (based on standard scoring):

1. Andre Johnson, Texans: Despite missing three games last year, Johnson still finished with 86 receptions and 1,216 yards. Based on his per-game averages, Johnson would have finished with 106 receptions and 1,496 yards if he played a full 16 games at that pace. In other words, he would have been just four yards short of a third consecutive 100-reception, 1,500-yard season.

2. Calvin Johnson, Lions: MegaTron was my second-ranked pre-season receiver last year as well, but the gap between first and second is narrowing. For the second time in three seasons, Johnson finished with 1,100-plus yards and 12 touchdowns (although he should have had 13 last year). If Matthew Stafford can stay healthy for the full season, the sky's the limit for Johnson.

3. Roddy White, Falcons: Last year, White set career highs in receptions (115) and yards (1,389) and has now scored double-digit touchdowns in back-to-back seasons. For four straight seasons, White has had 85-plus receptions and 1,100-plus yards. The addition of Julio Jones should take some targets away from White, but it should also keep opposing defenses more honest in coverage.

4. Hakeem Nicks, Giants: Although he missed three games last year, Nicks took a big step forward in his second season. Nicks finished with 79 receptions, 1,052 yards and 11 touchdowns. He was tied for fourth in touchdowns and his 80.9 yards-per-game average ranked fifth in the NFL.

5. Larry Fitzgerald, Cardinals: As Darnell Dockett said, "it's like night and day" when comparing the team's quarterback situation to last year's mess. Fitzgerald ended a three-year streak of double-digit touchdowns by finishing with a career-low six touchdowns in 2010. And although he saw a slight improvement in receiving yards (1,092 in 2009 to 1,137 in 2010), he had 1,400-plus yards in three of four years from 2005-2008. While Fitzgerald might not post similar numbers to the ones he posted during the Kurt Warner era, an improvement over the Derek Anderson era seems likely.

6. Greg Jennings, Packers: For the second time in his career, Jennings finished with 1,200-plus yards and 12 touchdowns. It was the first time, however, that he did both of those things in the same season. If there's any concern with Jennings, it's the number of viable options competing for targets with him. The team returns all of its top wide receivers, Jermichael Finley is healthy and the Packers drafted Randall Cobb in the second round.

7. Mike Wallace, Steelers: Although Wallace finished with only 60 receptions (tied for 42nd in the NFL), he finished fifth in receiving yards (1,257). Wallace led the league in 20-yard receptions (26) and has averaged over 20 yards per reception in his two-year career.

8. Reggie Wayne, Colts: Wayne, who will turn 33 in November, has been remarkably consistent (1,000-plus yards for seven straight seasons) and durable (hasn't missed any games in past nine seasons). Last year, Wayne set a career high in receptions (111) and finished with his second-highest yardage total (1,355). Provided Dallas Clark and Austin Collie stay healthy for the full season, those numbers should decline some.

9. Vincent Jackson, Chargers: Jackson, who was designated with the franchise tag, held out for the first ten games last season, but he has signed his tender and won't miss any games due to a contract dispute this season. In fact, Jackson said after signing his tender that, "I feel like this is home." In his last full season (2009), Jackson set career highs in receptions (68), yards (1,167) and touchdowns (nine).

10. Miles Austin, Cowboys: Austin's production was much better with Tony Romo in the lineup. In three of his first four games of the season, Austin had nine-plus receptions and 140-plus yards. After Romo broke his collarbone in the team's sixth game, Austin had only two games with more than four receptions and/or 70-plus receiving yards.

11. DeSean Jackson, Eagles: Similar to Wallace, Jackson is a big-play guy. Both Jackson and Wallace have finished one-two in yards per reception in each of the past two seasons. In all three of his seasons, Jackson has finished with 1,000-plus yards from scrimmage. He's consistent on a full-year basis, however, his game-by-game production can vary greatly. For example, Jackson had two or less receptions in six of his 15 games played (counting playoff loss) last year.

12. Dez Bryant, Cowboys: Bryant has been in the news for the wrong reasons much of this off-season, but he is an immense talent on the field. All six of Bryant's receiving touchdowns came during a six-game span (Weeks 6 to 11) last year and he missed the final four games of the season due to injury. Provided Bryant stays healthy and out of trouble, he should give Austin a run for his money as the team's No. 1 receiver.

13. Dwayne Bowe, Chiefs: Despite a slow start, Bowe had a seven-game stretch where he was nearly unstoppable. He scored 13 of his league-leading 15 touchdowns and had four of his five 100-yard games during that span. Overall, Bowe set career highs in yards (1,162) and touchdowns. The Chiefs drafted Jonathan Baldwin in the first round and signed Steve Breaston via free agency, which will help take a little pressure off Bowe.

14. Brandon Marshall, Dolphins: Last month, Marshall admitted to having borderline personality disorder, for which he's been receiving treatment. That said, Marshall is coming off the worst season (86-1,014-3) since he was a rookie, but he also spent the off-season using the same training methods he used to prepare for the NFL Scouting Combine.

15. Mike Williams, Buccaneers: Williams led all rookies in receiving yards (964) and receiving touchdowns (11) in 2010. While touchdowns are difficult to predict, Williams should be in store for several 1,000-yard seasons over the next several years.

16. Mario Manningham, Giants: With Steve Smith signing a one-year deal with the Eagles, Manningham will enter the season as the team's No. 2 receiver behind Hakeem Nicks. In his final three games, he played like a No. 1 receiver -- 100-plus yards and a score or two in each game. Despite three games with one (or no) receiving yard(s), Manningham was only 56 yards shy of the 1,000-yard milestone in 2010.

17. Santonio Holmes, Jets: Holmes, who re-signed with the Jets, is the only one of the team's top three receivers returning in 2011. In addition to Holmes, the team signed free-agent receivers Plaxico Burress and Derrick Mason. While Holmes played well after serving his four-game suspension, his yards-per-game average dropped by more than 15 YPG from his 2009 level of production with Pittsburgh.

18. Kenny Britt, Titans: Similar to LeBron James' championship(s) prediction for the Miami Heat, Britt has applied the concept to brush-ins with the law -- not one, not two, not three, etc. Despite his off-the-field issues, Britt has a chance to be special on the field as illustrated by his 225-yard, three-TD performance in three quarters. [The reason he only played three -- not four quarters: his involvement in a bar fight.]

19. Wes Welker, Patriots: Failing to reach the 110-reception and 1,100-yard marks for the first time in his four seasons in New England, Welker ended the season with 86 receptions for 848 yards. Being an extra year removed from his torn ACL, however, should help Welker bounce back in 2011. [In fact, he's much higher in our point-per-reception rankings than he is on this list.]

20. Austin Collie, Colts: When he wasn't concussed, Collie put up big numbers. Through nine games, Collie finished with 58 receptions, 649 yards and eight touchdowns. In fact, Collie played only one half in his last game of the year and finished with eight receptions, 87 yards and two touchdowns. Knock on wood, Collie will have clean bill of health in 2011.

To see the rest of our top 70 fantasy wide receivers, click here. For our point-per-reception wide receiver rankings, click here.

For other positions, see below:

- Standard scoring: Quarterbacks | Running Backs | Tight Ends | Kickers | Team Defenses
- Point-per-reception (PPR) scoring: Running Backs | Tight Ends
- Our Cheat Sheets: Standard Scoring | PPR Scoring

To keep track of our fantasy updates: (1) Follow us on Twitter @EDSFootball, (2) "Like" us on Facebook and/or (3) Visit the The Tip Drill, our fantasy football headquarters.

If you have any specific fantasy questions, feel free to send us a tweet or post your question in our fantasy football forum.

Good luck in (all of) your fantasy league(s) in 2011!

Posted by Kevin Hanson at 06:56 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

In the history of the NFL, a tight end has done it only eight times.

Chargers tight end Antonio Gates averaged 78.2 receiving yards per game in 2010.

Before Gates, only six other tight ends have averaged 75-plus receiving yards while playing at least ten games in a season, according to data from Pro Football Reference. (Tony Gonzalez has done it twice -- in 2000 and 2004.)

From 1984 to 1999, no tight ends reached that level of production.

Although Gates put up phenominal per-game numbers, he didn't finish the season and it looks like his plantar fasciitis will be something he continues to deal with in 2011. Yet Gates still finished fourth in receiving yards (782) and tied for first in touchdowns (ten) among all tight ends last year. Provided good health (knock on wood), Gates is clearly the top fantasy option at tight end in 2011.

Here are the rest of our top 20 fantasy tight ends (based on standard scoring):

2. Dallas Clark, Colts: Although Jacob Tamme showed that any Colts tight end deserves to be ranked high on this list with Peyton Manning under center, Clark is one of the league's elite pass-catching tight ends. While injuries cut Clark's season short last year, Clark set career highs in receptions (100), yards (1,106) and touchdowns (ten) in 2009.

3. Jermichael Finley, Packers: Interestingly (or sadly) enough, the top three tight ends in my rankings played a total of 21 games in 2011. Before suffering a season-ending injury in Week 5, Finley was off to a great start -- 21 receptions for 301 yards and a touchdown through four games. In his last 16 games played (counting the 2009 playoffs), Finley has 81 receptions, 1,130 yards and six touchdowns.

4. Jason Witten, Cowboys: In my point-per-reception rankings, Finley and Witten swap places. Witten has had back-to-back seasons with exactly 94 receptions and 1,000-plus yards and it's the third time in four years that he has reached that level of production. While he set a career high in touchdowns (nine) last year, Witten and the Cowboys' top two receivers -- Miles Austin and Dez Bryant -- have a shot at giving the Cowboys three 1,000-yard receivers in 2011. Witten has played in 16 games for seven straight seasons.

5. Vernon Davis, 49ers: In the past two seasons, Davis has averaged 67 receptions, 940 yards and ten touchdowns although he scored six fewer touchdowns in 2010 (seven) than he did in 2009 (13). If I don't get an elite (top five) tight end, I will likely wait until the later rounds to draft my tight end.

6. Marcedes Lewis, Jaguars: Lewis had a breakout season in 2010. Lewis had more touchdowns in 2010 (ten) than he had in his first four seasons combined (seven). In addition to being one of only three tight ends to reach double-digit touchdowns, Lewis also finished second on the Jaguars in receptions (58) and yards (700).

7. Owen Daniels, Texans: Daniels brings momentum with him into the 2011 season after hauling in 22 passes for 271 yards and two touchdowns in the final four games of the season.

8. Chris Cooley, Redskins: Only Jason Witten (128) had more targets than Cooley (127) at the tight end position in 2010. Cooley tied his career high in receiving yards (849) and his 77 receptions last year were the second-highest of his career. Cooley's biggest concern has been his lack of touchdowns over the past three seasons. In his first four seasons, he had six-plus touchdowns every year. In the past three seasons, Cooley has scored a total of six touchdowns.

9. Rob Gronkowski, Patriots: Gronkowski was one of three tight ends to finish the 2010 season with double-digit touchdowns. Four of those touchdowns came in the final quarter of the season when he scored touchdowns and finished with double-digit fantasy points in three of the final four games.

10. Kellen Winslow, Bucs: Winslow has been healthy for two straight seasons and has averaged 71 receptions, 807 yards and five touchdowns in his two seasons with the Bucs. Furthermore, he's played a full 16-game schedule in four of the past five years.

11. Zach Miller, Seahawks: During a six-week stretch (Weeks 8 to 13), Miller did not have a fantasy point in standard leagues. If you exclude the five receptions for 28 yards he had during that span, Miller, who signed a five-year with Seattle this off-season, had 55 receptions for 657 yards and five touchdowns in the other ten games he played.

12. Brandon Pettigrew, Lions: The first tight end selected in the 2009 NFL Draft, Pettigrew had his rookie season cut short by a torn ACL. In his second season, Pettigrew put up solid numbers -- 71 receptions for 722 yards and four touchdowns. With MegaTron getting the majority of the defense's attention, Pettigrew should be able to match or exceed those numbers in 2011.

13. Aaron Hernandez, Patriots: Although he had four fewer touchdowns than Gronkowski, Hernandez had more receptions (45) and yards (563) than Gronkowski (42-546). They both had very solid rookie seasons, but they produced at the expense of the other. For example, they never scored in the same game despite scoring 16 combined touchdowns. In addition, they both had eight games with five-plus fantasy points, however, they only overlapped twice (Weeks 3 and 7).

14. Greg Olsen, Panthers: A change of scenery should bode well for Olsen. While Mike Martz may be viewed as a mad scientist, tight ends don't thrive in his offense. The proof: Olsen's production declined by 19 receptions, 208 yards and three touchdowns in Martz's first year as the Bears' offensive coordinator.

15. Jimmy Graham, Saints: In the Saints final eight games, Graham, the team's third-round pick in 2010, caught 26 passes for 307 yards and five touchdowns. If it weren't for the number of options that will be involved in the Saints' passing attack, Graham would be ranked higher.

16. Jared Cook, Titans: Like Graham, Cook saw a second-half boost to his production. In the final eight games of the season, Cook finished with 26 receptions for 303 yards and one touchdown during that span. A popular sleeper pick, Cook should pick up where he left off last year.

17. Benjamin Watson, Browns: From an individual standpoint, Watson saw a huge increase in his year-over-year numbers as he changed squads last year. Watson led the Browns in receptions (68) and receiving yards (763) and was tied for the lead in receiving touchdowns (three) with Brian Robiskie.

18. Brent Celek, Eagles: Speaking of large changes in year-over-year production, Celek went from 76 receptions for 971 yards and eight touchdowns in 2009 to a line of 42-511-4 in 2010. If you're a glass-half-full guy, however, all four of Celek's games with 50-plus yards happened from Weeks 12 to 16.

19. Dustin Keller, Jets: Over the past few seasons, I've expected Keller to break out. And he hasn't. But it seemed like he was on the verge last season as he caught 19 passes for 254 yards and five touchdowns in the first four games of the season. For the remainder of the year, Keller failed to score a single touchdown and had only three games with more than 50 yards. On a positive note, Keller is one of only six tight ends to finish with 100-plus targets in 2010.

20. Tony Gonzalez, Falcons: Arguably the best tight end in the history of the game, Gonzalez ranks sixth all-time in receptions (1,069) and 15th all-time in receiving yards (12,463). That's the good (I mean, great) news. The bad (or not as good) news is Gonzalez, who turned 35 years old this year, had his lowest receiving yardage (656) since 1998 and lowest receptions (70) since 2002.

For our point-per-reception tight end rankings, click here. For other positions, see below:

- Standard scoring: Quarterbacks | Running Backs | Wide Receivers | Kickers | Team Defenses
- Point-per-reception (PPR) scoring: Running Backs | Wide Receivers
- Our Cheat Sheets: Standard Scoring | PPR Scoring

To keep track of our fantasy updates: (1) Follow us on Twitter @EDSFootball, (2) "Like" us on Facebook and/or (3) Visit the The Tip Drill, our fantasy football headquarters.

If you have any specific fantasy questions, feel free to send us a tweet or post your question in our fantasy football forum.

Good luck in (all of) your fantasy league(s) in 2011!

Posted by Kevin Hanson at 10:43 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

At the moment, Titans running back Chris Johnson is holding out of training camp.

Titans general manager Mike Reinfeldt says he's willing to give him a lucrative contract extension provided he ends his holdout.

"Even though he has two years left on his contract, we'd like him to go in," Reinfeldt said, per Nate Davis of USA Today. "He could go to meetings, get to know the new coaches, he can learn the scheme. He doesn't have to practice, but it's something we want to get done.

"Again, we're willing to make him the highest paid running back in the history of the NFL. That's kind of where we are."

Over the three-year span since Johnson began his NFL career, he leads the NFL in yards from scrimmage (5,606).

We have him No. 3 in our running back rankings for fantasy football after Minnesota's Adrian Peterson and Houston's Arian Foster.

Posted by Kevin Hanson at 07:34 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

The Philadelphia Eagles have been dubbed the "Dream Team" by backup quarterback Vince Young, one of several free-agent additions made by the team.

If the Eagles are the "Dream Team," you could say it has been somewhat of a nightmare for the team's starting wide receivers.

While DeSean Jackson ended his holdout on Monday, it remains to be seen whether his contract situation becomes a source of distraction, which Jackson claims it won't. In addition, Jackson won't play in tonight's pre-season opener against the Ravens.

However, it's even worse for Jeremy Maclin, the team's first-round pick in 2009.

Not only is Maclin still uncleared to practice, but he's returned to his hometown of St. Louis for additional testing on the mysterious illness that has kept him sidelined since Eagles opened camp and affected him dating back to April.

Howard Eskin of 610 WIP and NBC 10 tweeted, "Dr's seeking diagnoses on WR Jeremy Maclin illness today in St Louis. Real concern he won't be ready to start season."

So, the grand unveiling of the "Dream Team" will be without both of the team's starting receivers tonight.

Posted by Kevin Hanson at 07:04 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

As we get ready for Week 1 of the NFL pre-season, one of the most popular "sleeper" post-season picks has been the Detroit Lions, who finished the 2010 season with a four-game winning streak. Of course, the typical caveat is that their more-injured-than-healthy quarterback has to stay healthy for a full season.

While quarterback Matthew Stafford is still healthy, the Lions have lost rookie running back Mikel LeShoure for the season after he suffered an Achilles injury.

"You could tell on the field," said coach Jim Schwartz, per Chris McCosky of The Detroit News. "The way he went down, you knew. There was no need for tests to be done. He will have surgery soon, probably tomorrow."

ESPN blogger Kevin Seifert lists the recent rash of injuries suffered by the Lions.

The Lions drafted LeShoure in the second round as the power back to compliment Jahvid Best, their second of two first-round picks in 2010.

"He's got to be (devastated)," said Best, LeShoure's training camp roommate. "But he's got a bright future. This is just a minor setback. Just press the pause button for a little bit and as soon as he presses play he will be right back where he started."

Best got off to a great start (five touchdowns in his first two games) last year, but a turf toe injury slowed him down and he only scored one more touchdown during the remainder of the season.

From a fantasy perspective, the injury boosts the expected workload and fantasy value of Best. Tomorrow you will be able to view our updated fantasy rankings at TheTipDrill.com, our fantasy headquarters.

Posted by Kevin Hanson at 06:56 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

After testing the free-agent market, running back Jason Snelling has decided to return to the Atlanta Falcons for another season, per D. Orlando Ledbetter of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution.

Starting running back Michael Turner turns 30 years old next off-season and some are concerned that he is already slowing down.

Turner has been a workhorse back in two of the past three seasons -- 376 carries in 2008 and 334 carries last season. That said, he ranks only 17th among active running backs with 1,116 career rushing attempts (via Pro Football Reference).

In addition to Turner and Snelling, the Falcons drafted Jacquizz Rodgers. Offensive coordinator Mike Mularkey recently said of Rodgers, "When he’s had his opportunities, he has gotten some ‘wows’ based on some of the things he’s done."

Through 51 career games, Snelling, the team's seventh-round pick in 2007, has 257 carries for 1,042 yards and seven touchdowns in addition to 82 receptions for 651 yards and four touchdowns.

Posted by Kevin Hanson at 04:09 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

As I'm watching the Hall of Fame induction ceremony in Canton, OH on NFL Network, I just read an article about Bengals rookie receiver A.J. Green, who has yet to play an NFL game.

Essentially the article was one compliment after another about Green's ability, promise and/or character.

Here are some of the quotes:

Receivers coach James Urban: "There's a wow factor to him. I've not see a first week like this (by a rookie)."

Cornerback Leon Hall: "We haven't had many come in here as talented as he is. I don't think I've ever seen a receiver as he is this early. He's been doing great, and I'm really excited to see how he does in the preseason and then going to Cleveland for that first game."

Quarterback Jordan Palmer: "I'm not blown away with the physical ability because I expected all that. He's a great guy. He's working hard. He's focused. When you ask him who he wants to be, he wants to be (Arizona's) Larry Fitzgerald. I asked him why, and he said because he does all the little things right. His physical tools are through the roof. It's the other things that are going to make him great."

Quarterback and fellow rookie Andy Dalton: "He's making outstanding catches. He's going up, he's making diving catches, he's doing it all. It might not always be in the right spot, but he can go get it."

Coach Marvin Lewis: "He's done what was advertised. He's a big man with great speed and great body control. He can run every route, make every catch and make the quarterback look good on every play."

Offensive coordinator Jay Gruden: "Anytime you see him break the huddle, you feel like you have a chance something good's going to happen. Andy's getting more comfortable and the quarterbacks are getting more comfortable with him. And A.J.'s getting more comfortable with the terminology. That's the biggest thing. Once he gets the terminology down and the route concepts down, he'll be a force."

After reading these quotes, it feels like Green, the fourth overall pick in this year's draft, is already for enshrinement. Ok, not quite. But it wouldn't surprise me if Green put up numbers similar to Tampa rookie Mike Williams did last year.

Feel free to use the comments section below to compliment Green yourself.

Posted by Kevin Hanson at 08:42 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

The Baltimore Ravens released several veteran skill players -- running back Willis McGahee, tight end Todd Heap and wide receiver Derrick Mason -- this off-season.

While McGahee and Heap had signed with other teams (Denver and Arizona, respectively), there was a chance that Mason would return to Baltimore.

Not any more.

Per Jenny Vrentas of the Newark Star-Ledger, Mason chose the Jets. According to Aaron Wilson of the Carroll County Times, it's a one-year deal.

Technically, all three of their top options at receiver -- Santonio Holmes, Plaxico Burress and Mason -- were unrestricted free agents entering this chaotic free-agency period although Holmes returns for his second season with Gang Green.

As one would expect, Mason is slowing down as he enters his 15th NFL season. Mason had 61 receptions for 801 yards and seven touchdowns last season.

Mason, who was a fourth-round pick for Tennessee in 1997, has had eight 1,000-yard seasons in the past ten years.

Posted by Kevin Hanson at 07:28 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

Oakland Raiders running back Michael Bush has ended his holdout and reported to camp, per Jerry McDonald of the San Jose Mercury News.

Bush, who was drafted in the fourth round in 2007, has only three accrued seasons since he spent 2007 on the non-football injury related list for an injury (broken ankle) suffered at Louisville.

Therefore, Bush was a restricted free agent (RFA) instead of being an unrestricted free agent. By signing his RFA tender, Bush will earn $2.6 million in 2011.

Last season, Bush rushed for 655 yards and eight touchdowns.

The duo of Bush and Darren McFadden, who is out two weeks with a fractured orbital bone, led the Raiders to a top-two rushing performance as a team behind division-rival Kansas City.

Posted by Kevin Hanson at 06:25 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

Eagles wide receiver DeSean Jackson is unhappy about his contract situation and currently holding out of training camp.

Meanwhile, it's long been the Eagles policy to not negotiate contract extensions with players who are holding out.

Per the Philadelphia Inquirer, Jeffrey Lurie, the team's owner, restated that without getting specific into Jackson's situation by saying, "That's been our philosophy consistently, yes."

According to Howard Eskin of 610 WIP and NBC 10 in Philadelphia, Jackson will end his holdout on Monday.

Eskin tweeted, "DeSean Jackson: he's coming to camp. I'm told absolutely, positively he will b in camp on monday morning. This is it. Djax will be back."

In addition, August 9th (Tuesday) is the deadline for players under contract to report and earn an accrued season toward free agency.

Jackson, the team's second-round pick in 2008, has posted back-to-back 1,000-yard seasons despite missing two games and finishing with only 47 receptions last year. However, Jackson led the NFL in yards per reception (22.5).

Posted by Kevin Hanson at 02:07 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

The Cardinals gave up a lot -- starting cornerback Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie and a second-round pick -- to acquire quarterback Kevin Kolb from the "Dream Team."

As bad as Cardinals' quarterback play was in 2010, however, the move seemed necessary, especially in a very winnable division like the NFC West where everyone's a loser.

So far, the feedback from the team is mostly positive.

"It's like night and day from last year," [defensive tackle Darnell] Dockett said Friday afternoon, per ESPN's Mike Sando. "I don't want to disrespect nobody, but I mean, he's good."

Of course, his frame of reference could influence his opinion some.

In other words, the Cardinals quarterbacks last year were not "good." They combined for only ten passing touchdowns, threw 19 interceptions and barely completed half of their passes (50.8 percent, to be exact).

Considering how bad the team's quarterbacks were, it is somewhat amazing that receiver Larry Fitzgerald finished with 90 receptions (fifth in the NFL) and 1,137 yards (eighth in the NFL).

As solid as those numbers were, Fitzgerald fell short of double-digit touchdown receptions for the first time in four years. And from 2005 to 2008, Fitzgerald finished with 1,400-plus yards in three out of four seasons.

While Kolb has some question marks, he's shown some flashes in his seven career starts.

With the significant upgrade at quarterback, Fitzgerald should improve his stats across the board from last year's numbers: 90-1,137-6. I see a season with a line close to 95 receptions, 1,300 yards and 10 touchdowns for Fitzgerald.

Posted by Kevin Hanson at 10:47 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

To be fair, what NFL running back does not want "a lot of carries"?

Although he says winning is more important than anything else, Giants running back Brandon Jacobs, who restructured his contract, wants more carries in 2011.

"The way I run, I could take the whole load, no question about it," Jacobs said, via Ebenezer Samuel of the NY Daily News. "But the way this league runs, you've got to have two backs. You've got to have two healthy backs in order to be able to win."

Last year, Jacobs finished with 147 carries, 823 yards and nine touchdowns. While his rushing attempts and rushing yards were four-year lows, he finished with a career-high 5.6 yards per carry.

In each of the previous three seasons, Jacobs carried the ball more than 200 times each season and that's his goal this season.

Teammate Ahmad Bradshaw, who agreed to a four-year deal worth $25 million, set career highs in rushing attempts (276), rushing yards (1,235) and touchdowns (eight) in addition to receptions (47) and receiving yards (314). But he also set a career high in fumbles (seven) and fumbles lost (six).

Based on average draft positions (ADPs) from Mock Draft Central, Bradshaw is the 15th running back and 24th player selected in fantasy drafts. Meanwhile, Jacobs is the 34th running back and 82nd player off the board.

From a relative value perspective, Jacobs provides plenty of upside.

It wouldn't surprise me to see Jacobs get close to the 200 carries that he desires and finish with 1,000 yards and double-digit touchdowns in 2011. Not bad for someone being drafted after 33 other running backs, on average.

Posted by Kevin Hanson at 07:17 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

On his first 11-on-11 carry of his first practice, Houston running back Arian Foster picked up where he left off in 2010. The NFL's leading rusher scampered for a 35-yard touchdown run.

That's the good news.

The bad news is it was Foster's only carry of the practice as he suffered a hamstring injury on the play, per Dale Robertson of the Houston Chronicle.

“They’re supposed to finish everything,” running backs coach Chic Harris said of his ball carriers. “We expect them to finish hard on every play.”

Perhaps/hopefully it's nothing serious and Foster will return soon and be fine.

On the other hand, hamstring injuries tend to linger and if he returns before the injury is fully healed, it could be troublesome at some point later on.

Foster, who was undrafted out of Tennessee, rushed for 1,616 yards, caught 66 passes for 604 yards and finished with a total of 18 touchdowns.

Posted by Kevin Hanson at 06:38 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

After losing tight end Zach Miller to the Seahawks, the Raiders will replace him with free-agent Kevin Boss.

Boss agreed to a four-year deal worth $16 million ($8 million guaranteed), per Vittorio Tafur of the San Francisco Chronicle.

With Boss leaving for Oakland, that leaves Travis Beckum as the Giants' top tight end on the roster.

“He makes a great play and then a not-so-good play,” [Giants coach Tom] Coughlin said [of Beckum], per Zach Berman of the Newark Star-Ledger.

Boss, who was the Giants' fifth-round pick in 2007, finished with 35 receptions for 531 yards and five touchdowns in 2010. Boss caught all five TD passes in a seven-game stretch (Weeks 9 to 15) where he racked up 21 receptions for 302 yards.

Posted by Kevin Hanson at 09:28 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

While a return to the Chargers appeared to be unlikely, free-agent receiver Malcom Floyd has agreed to a two-year contract to return to San Diego.

Per Kevin Acee of the San Diego Union-Tribune, the deal is worth $5 million although incentives can increase the value to $7 million.

Floyd, who missed five games in 2010, finished with 37 receptions for 717 yards and six touchdowns. Floyd set career highs in yards per game (65.2) and yards per reception (19.4).

Only three players averaged more per reception than Floyd: Philadelphia's DeSean Jackson (22.5), Pittsburgh's Mike Wallace (21.0) and Washington's Anthony Armstrong (19.8).

Despite Floyd, Vincent Jackson and Antonio Gates -- the team's three top pass-catchers -- playing a total of 26 games in 2010, Philip Rivers led the NFL in passing yards (4,710).

Posted by Kevin Hanson at 09:08 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

The San Francisco 49ers and free-agent wide receiver Braylon Edwards have agreed to a one-year contract worth $3.5 million, per ESPN's Adam Schefter.

What the Niners are giving Edwards barely (based on NFL contract standards) exceeds what the Jets are giving Plaxico Burress, who missed the last two seasons while in prison.

NFL Network's Jason La Canfora tweeted, "The market for WR Braylon Edwards could not have been much softer. Goes to 49ers for 1yr and less money than Mike Sims-Walker got from Rams."

Edwards, who was the third overall pick by the Browns in 2005 NFL Draft, led the Jets in receiving yards (904) and receiving touchdowns (seven) last year.

But one of the reasons the Jets weren't interested in bringing back Edwards was a report that some in the front office had the perception that Edwards was a "diva."

Earlier in the week, Edwards' cousins were charged with felonious assault for their involvement in a fight at a Michigan bar. Per the Detroit Free Press, some of the bar's employees said that "Edwards was spurring on his cousins rather than trying to get them to stop fighting."

Assuming he starts over Josh Morgan, Edwards would start opposite receiver Michael Crabtree, who had previously asked, "Isn't a diva a female?"

Apparently the answer to Crabtree's question is that it's a 49ers starting receiver.

Posted by Kevin Hanson at 08:01 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

Quick ... What are the first words that pop in your mind when you think of receiver Roy Williams?

Was it "elite player"?

Ok, unless your name is Mike Martz, that probably wasn't it.

In other words, Martz called Williams an "elite player" today. In addition, the Bears offensive coordinator went on to say that he expects Williams to finish with 70-80 receptions.

Granted, Williams last had success when he and Martz worked together. In 2006, Williams had a monster season: 82 receptions for 1,310 yards and seven touchdowns.

In his nearly three seasons with the Cowboys, however, Williams had a total of 94 receptions for 1,324 yards and 13 touchdowns in 40 games. (Both Roddy White and Reggie Wayne had more receptions and more receiving yards than that last year alone.)

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

Last year, tight end Zach Miller led the Oakland Raiders in receptions (60), receiving yards (685) and receiving touchdowns (five). In fact, he led them in receptions and receiving yards in 2008 and 2009 as well.

He won't lead them in receiving in 2011, however, because Miller signed a five-year deal with the Seahawks worth $34 million ($17 million guaranteed).

With the free-agent signings of Miller and Sidney Rice, who also signed a five-year deal, the Seahawks have significantly boosted their passing game (or, more precisely, their group of pass-catchers). Perhaps they will have a chance to upgrade themselves at quarterback in 2012 ...

The signing of Miller probably doesn't mean good things for John Carlson, who's entering the last year of his rookie deal.

But Seahawks coach Pete Carroll says that's not the case.

“Anybody who thinks anything otherwise doesn’t get it,” Carroll said, per Christian Caple of the Seattle Post-Intelligencer. “I think those guys will play together in tandem. They’ll be on opposite sides. We’ll be moving them around for matchups and all kinds of stuff. I think it’s a great asset for us now. We’ve always liked to play with two tight ends in a number of different packages, and this just gives us tremendous flexibility at a really high level, so I’m really hoping this is going to be difficult for our opponents because of the matchups we’ll be able to create.”

Carlson, the Seahawks' second-round pick in 2008, has seen his receptions and receiving yards decline each year after his rookie season. Last year, he finished with only 31 receptions for 318 yards and a touchdown.

Posted by Kevin Hanson at 11:06 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)