Posted by Bill in Fantasy Advice on Apr 6th 2009 and last modified on Apr 9th 2009. (Print This)
Editors note: QB Jeff Garcia signed with Oakland today, Garcia likely was signed as the backup and WR Laurent Robinson from Atlanta was traded to St. Louis this afternoon.
Here at Fantasy Football HQ we are going to take a look around the league and conduct a Fantasy Football checkup on all 32 NFL teams. We will kick the tires, and check under the hood as we begin on our earnest goal of getting you ready for your Fantasy Football season. Its fantasy time here all year long. We welcome and encourage any questions, or comments here at Fantasy Brothers. Without further ado:
NFL TEAM: Atlanta Falcons
MOVES THAT MATTER: The Falcons have not made any notable moves on the offensive side of the ball as we head towards the NFL Draft…. Atlanta is looking to improve on a Cinderella like 11-5 season that was led by Rookie of the Year and former Boston College Eagle star Matt Ryan-the antithesis Mike Vick….The Falcons would love to find a Tight End whether in the draft or preferably through free agency…. RB Thomas Brown, who missed his entire rookie year with injury, has the talent and should compete with fantasy super tease RB Jerious Norwood in training camp to spell Turner(more on this below)
FANTASY IMPACT: Though the Falcons return almost all of their offense, there are still a bunch of things to keep an eye on leading into the rest of the preseason….With all of the RBBC ( Running Back By Committee ) talk in fantasy football these days…. Did RB Michael Turner actually carry the ball too much?…. Will RB Jerious Norwood ever stop teasing us with his huge Yards Per Carry stat and put up actual production? Can WR Roddy White improve on a stellar season? Does WR Michael Jenkins rest on his new contract laurels, or does WR Laurent Robinson get over the injury bug and take targets away from Jenkins like we all expected
DRAFT PROJECTION: TE Brendon Pettigrew, CB Vontae Davis, DT Ron Brace
NFL TEAM: Oakland Raiders
MOVES THAT MATTER: None worthy of note offensively… The Lane Kiffin era is finally over and the Tom Cable era begins with minimal improvements on a team that finished with just 5 wins in 08…. The Raiders will look to run their offense through their strong run game…. QB Jamarcus Russell needs to make the leap to the next level; he is quickly heading into bust category…. It would be easier to evaluate Russell if he had someone to throw to besides TE Zach Miller, the immortal WR Chaz Schilens, WR Javon Walker and the running backs….
FANTASY IMPACT: Oakland has stood pat during the off-season…. RB Justin Fargas restructured his contract to a more cap-friendly number which means yup one more season long RBBC to figure out…. McFadden looks to improve on an injury riddled season and is currently listed ahead of Fargas on the Raiders team website…. The Raiders need to address their woeful depth at wide receiver whether through the draft (Michael Crabtree), trade (Ocho Cinco) or picking up one of the older name receivers (Torry Holt) Oakland must address this vital position.
DRAFT PROJECTION: WR Michael Crabtree, WR Jeremy Maclin
Tuesday we will check out the Miami Dolphins, and Houston Texans