Keepers: Kevin Jones and Clinton Portis.
I’m not as high on Portis as I once was. If he was still in Denver he’d be a top 4 fantasy RB. He’s just not a good fit
for the Redskins offense. However, he’s still a top 10 back and a solid keeper. K. Jones could have a big year. I like
him a bit over Julius Jones b/c he’s a dual threat. Tough call in not keeping Rudi Johnson, but he would have had to
let Rudi go next year. Plus, you can’t go wrong with these two RB’s. Definitely one of the best in the league.
Grade: A-
Draft:
QB: Brett Favre and JP Losman.
There are two things you can expect from Favre: He’ll play every game and he’ll make some costly turnovers. But
when the odds are against him, he brings his ‘A’ game. Problem is the Packers are terrible defensively and will be
participating in shootouts or coming from behind, which means more turnovers as well as more TD’s. Expect the
usual 25-30 TD’s along with 17-20 INT. Losman has had mixed reviews so far. People thought he could have a
great year with the Buffalo offense, but now seems more likely to have a Ben Roethlisberger type season.
Grade: B+
RB: Chris Brown and Derrick Blaylock.
Already solidifying his starting RB’s with his keepers, Gregg found a nice backup in Brown. As long as he’s healthy,
he has the potential to have huge games. But he is never healthy and now has to deal with competition from Travis
Henry. He’ll have a few good games, and Gregg better hope one of them is during Jones and/or Portis’s bye week.
Blaylock is a decent selection, but he is the backup to Curtis Martin who never misses a game. LaMont Jordan had
little value in his years as his backup.
Grade: B-
WR: Chad Johnson, Derrick Mason, Eddie Kennison, Troy Williamson, and David Patten.
Chad Johnson was taken early and rightfully so. He will have another outstanding year and if Palmer grows like
expected then expect him to have an even better season. Mason is usually among the receptions league leaders,
but Boller is still a question mark. Kennison is the #1 receiver on the Chiefs, and makes for a decent #3 fantasy
option. Look for him to reproduce his 2004 stats. Troy Williamson and David Patten could be roster worthy later in
the season, but as of right now are more sleeper picks. Williamson is #4 on the depth chart and rookie wideouts
rarely blossom their first year. Patten is gone from the ‘spread the ball around’ mentality of the Patriots, but goes to
the Redskins who have QB issues.
Grade: A-
TE: Daniel Graham.
He’s one of the last few remaining TE’s from yesteryear. The guy who only catches TD’s and nothing else. He’ll
have either 0 or 1 catch for 10 yards or have 2 catches for 2 TD’s. Very inconsistent and will have many low scoring
days. Plus I think people tend to forget that he has competition with Ben Watson who is more skilled. Look for
Graham to be more of a blocking TE and score only a couple of TD’s. He’ll be dropped after several ineffective
weeks.
Grade: C-
K: David Akers.
Last year’s #1 kicker practically carried Rich’s team at times. However, history has shown that the #1 fantasy kicker
each year never repeats as the #1 kicker the following year. Hell, the trend shows that they don’t even finish in the
top 10. Don’t believe me (see Jeff Wilkins in 2003, Mike Vanderjagt in 2004). Akers may debunk that theory, but
until he does, I have to grade him lower than normal.
Grade: B
DEF: Washington and Denver.
Another team that employs the two defenses and play the matchup theory. Both are quality defenses, but neither
will score a ton of fantasy points given the new system. The real problem is that neither has an elite punt/kick
returner. Both teams may let up few points, but they may not get a lot of turnovers.
Grade: B
Best Draft Pick: Chad Johnson
Worst Draft Pick: Daniel Graham
Team Strengths: RB
Team Weaknesses: TE
Key to Success: Kevin Jones. There is still debate on how he will perform. Some believe he will be one of
the players that don’t live up to expectations. There isn’t the same doubt with Julius Jones. Plus the Detroit
Lions offense (and more importantly the offensive line) is suspect. He could be the deciding factor in
whether or not Gregg makes the playoffs again.
Overall Grade: B
I’m not as high on Portis as I once was. If he was still in Denver he’d be a top 4 fantasy RB. He’s just not a good fit
for the Redskins offense. However, he’s still a top 10 back and a solid keeper. K. Jones could have a big year. I like
him a bit over Julius Jones b/c he’s a dual threat. Tough call in not keeping Rudi Johnson, but he would have had to
let Rudi go next year. Plus, you can’t go wrong with these two RB’s. Definitely one of the best in the league.
Grade: A-
Draft:
QB: Brett Favre and JP Losman.
There are two things you can expect from Favre: He’ll play every game and he’ll make some costly turnovers. But
when the odds are against him, he brings his ‘A’ game. Problem is the Packers are terrible defensively and will be
participating in shootouts or coming from behind, which means more turnovers as well as more TD’s. Expect the
usual 25-30 TD’s along with 17-20 INT. Losman has had mixed reviews so far. People thought he could have a
great year with the Buffalo offense, but now seems more likely to have a Ben Roethlisberger type season.
Grade: B+
RB: Chris Brown and Derrick Blaylock.
Already solidifying his starting RB’s with his keepers, Gregg found a nice backup in Brown. As long as he’s healthy,
he has the potential to have huge games. But he is never healthy and now has to deal with competition from Travis
Henry. He’ll have a few good games, and Gregg better hope one of them is during Jones and/or Portis’s bye week.
Blaylock is a decent selection, but he is the backup to Curtis Martin who never misses a game. LaMont Jordan had
little value in his years as his backup.
Grade: B-
WR: Chad Johnson, Derrick Mason, Eddie Kennison, Troy Williamson, and David Patten.
Chad Johnson was taken early and rightfully so. He will have another outstanding year and if Palmer grows like
expected then expect him to have an even better season. Mason is usually among the receptions league leaders,
but Boller is still a question mark. Kennison is the #1 receiver on the Chiefs, and makes for a decent #3 fantasy
option. Look for him to reproduce his 2004 stats. Troy Williamson and David Patten could be roster worthy later in
the season, but as of right now are more sleeper picks. Williamson is #4 on the depth chart and rookie wideouts
rarely blossom their first year. Patten is gone from the ‘spread the ball around’ mentality of the Patriots, but goes to
the Redskins who have QB issues.
Grade: A-
TE: Daniel Graham.
He’s one of the last few remaining TE’s from yesteryear. The guy who only catches TD’s and nothing else. He’ll
have either 0 or 1 catch for 10 yards or have 2 catches for 2 TD’s. Very inconsistent and will have many low scoring
days. Plus I think people tend to forget that he has competition with Ben Watson who is more skilled. Look for
Graham to be more of a blocking TE and score only a couple of TD’s. He’ll be dropped after several ineffective
weeks.
Grade: C-
K: David Akers.
Last year’s #1 kicker practically carried Rich’s team at times. However, history has shown that the #1 fantasy kicker
each year never repeats as the #1 kicker the following year. Hell, the trend shows that they don’t even finish in the
top 10. Don’t believe me (see Jeff Wilkins in 2003, Mike Vanderjagt in 2004). Akers may debunk that theory, but
until he does, I have to grade him lower than normal.
Grade: B
DEF: Washington and Denver.
Another team that employs the two defenses and play the matchup theory. Both are quality defenses, but neither
will score a ton of fantasy points given the new system. The real problem is that neither has an elite punt/kick
returner. Both teams may let up few points, but they may not get a lot of turnovers.
Grade: B
Best Draft Pick: Chad Johnson
Worst Draft Pick: Daniel Graham
Team Strengths: RB
Team Weaknesses: TE
Key to Success: Kevin Jones. There is still debate on how he will perform. Some believe he will be one of
the players that don’t live up to expectations. There isn’t the same doubt with Julius Jones. Plus the Detroit
Lions offense (and more importantly the offensive line) is suspect. He could be the deciding factor in
whether or not Gregg makes the playoffs again.
Overall Grade: B
 |