Keepers: Steven Jackson and Joe Horn.
Jackson could be a stud this year. A workhouse back in the mold of Ricky Williams (before he quit). Marshall Faulk’s
role is still yet to be determined, but look for Jackson to get the majority of carries and rush for 1,400 yards. Joe
Horn is often forgotten when people think of the elite receivers, but you can pretty much pencil him in for over 1,000
yards and 8 TD’s. He is in the same company as Andre Johnson and Hines Ward. But I think Reggie Wayne would
have been a better keeper option. Not much is really going to separate Horn and Wayne fantasy point wise, but
since Horn was kept already, Jarrett will lose him at the end of this year. But Wayne could have been kept for
another year.
Grade: B+
Draft:
QB: Carson Palmer and Jon Kitna.
I like Palmer. He’s primed for a nice year with that kind of offense. Problem is he’s no sure thing. You could get 30
TD’s and 4,000 yards or you could get as many INT’s as TD’s. Then as a fantasy backup, he gets Palmer’s backup?
I think it’s always a good idea to handcuff an important player with a history of injuries (See Priest Holmes, Fred
Taylor). But Palmer is not an elite player yet that requires a backup. Plus, only RB’s are handcuffed. I mean you don’
t pick up Jim Sorgi to secure Peyton Manning. Yes, Palmer was hurt at the end of last year, so it makes sense to
have Kitna. But nobody is going to draft him. You are better off taking your chances that he will be there in the free
agent pool. Also, wouldn’t you rather have a true fantasy backup that is a starter for his team (Warner, Bledsoe,
etc) than to have insurance in case the starter gets hurt? I see Jarrett’s point of view on taking Kitna, and he ended
up dropping him for Bledsoe anyway, but wouldn’t that all have been saved if he just drafted Bledsoe?
Grade: C
RB: JJ Arrington, Ricky Williams, and Michael Pittman.
JJ Arrington was the guy I wanted most, but it appears he was on many people’s radar and wouldn’t have lasted
another pick or two. He has potential to be the rookie of the year. He is on a highly potent offense and has the #1
spot locked b/c he didn’t hold out (unlike all the other rookie RB’s). A solid pick. Ricky and Pittman are nice picks in
case the rookies (Ronnie Brown and Cadillac) fail or stumble as starters. Ricky could also be traded during the
season and become a starter somewhere else. Either way, look for him to play a few games. If he resembles even a
modicum of his former self, then that’s the steal of the draft and trade bait.
Grade: B+
WR: Anquan Boldin, Muhsin Muhammed, Reche Caldwell, and Mike Williams.
Boldin is one of the players (see L. Coles) whose value benefits most from the new reception rule. He is the
possession receiver for the Cardinals attack, so even though I like Larry Fitzgerald more, Boldin has more value
since he could break 100 receptions (if healthy). Muhammed’s value took a hit signing with the Bears, but he’s still
the teams #1 receiver. Plus Kyle Orton could be better than advertised, so overall not bad for a #3 fantasy receiver.
Caldwell and Williams are nice players to have on the bench. People forget that Caldwell played very well before
being injured last year (although that was before McCardell signed). Mike Williams could find more playing time near
the end of the season. He has the talent and Rodgers is always a question mark. Last year Roy Williams found
himself with an excellent opportunity since Rodgers went down, the same could happen for Williams this year. Jarrett
also had Roy Williams last year. Could history repeat itself?
Grade: A-
TE: Jeremy Shockey.
Early reports out of camp are that Shockey will block less and is in terrific shape. Could this be the year that the
numbers match the hype? Eli could have a nice year. Plaxico will spread the field and keep defenses honest leaving
the middle open for Shockey. I think he’ll be the 3rd best fantasy TE this year (after Gonzales and Gates).
Grade: A-
K: Mike Nugent.
Rookie kickers rarely perform well, but Nugent comes in with hype and can’t do any worse than Doug Brien did last
year. Plus Nate Keading was a rookie last year for the Chargers and he became one of the top fantasy kickers.
Grade: B+
DEF: New York Jets.
The addition of Ty Law, another year of experience for Jonothan Vilma, and the return of John Abraham could mean
a solid fantasy defense. The reason I don’t like this pick is because come week 9 (NYJ’s bye week) Jarrett will have
to find replacement’s for both his kicker and his defense, which means dropping 2 bench players or dropping his
kicker and defense.
Grade: B
Best Draft Pick: JJ Arrington – R.O.Y. (Mike Nugent is a good pick, but he’s a kicker. Ricky Williams could
turn out to be a good pick, but he was still selected pretty high).
Worst Draft Pick: Jon Kitna
Team Strengths: No real strength
Team Weaknesses: No weakness (just a lot of question marks at QB and RB)
Key to Success: Carson Palmer.
If he’s a stud QB, then Jarrett has a very nice balanced team. If not, then he has major QB problems. JJ is
another key to success.
Overall Grade: B
Jackson could be a stud this year. A workhouse back in the mold of Ricky Williams (before he quit). Marshall Faulk’s
role is still yet to be determined, but look for Jackson to get the majority of carries and rush for 1,400 yards. Joe
Horn is often forgotten when people think of the elite receivers, but you can pretty much pencil him in for over 1,000
yards and 8 TD’s. He is in the same company as Andre Johnson and Hines Ward. But I think Reggie Wayne would
have been a better keeper option. Not much is really going to separate Horn and Wayne fantasy point wise, but
since Horn was kept already, Jarrett will lose him at the end of this year. But Wayne could have been kept for
another year.
Grade: B+
Draft:
QB: Carson Palmer and Jon Kitna.
I like Palmer. He’s primed for a nice year with that kind of offense. Problem is he’s no sure thing. You could get 30
TD’s and 4,000 yards or you could get as many INT’s as TD’s. Then as a fantasy backup, he gets Palmer’s backup?
I think it’s always a good idea to handcuff an important player with a history of injuries (See Priest Holmes, Fred
Taylor). But Palmer is not an elite player yet that requires a backup. Plus, only RB’s are handcuffed. I mean you don’
t pick up Jim Sorgi to secure Peyton Manning. Yes, Palmer was hurt at the end of last year, so it makes sense to
have Kitna. But nobody is going to draft him. You are better off taking your chances that he will be there in the free
agent pool. Also, wouldn’t you rather have a true fantasy backup that is a starter for his team (Warner, Bledsoe,
etc) than to have insurance in case the starter gets hurt? I see Jarrett’s point of view on taking Kitna, and he ended
up dropping him for Bledsoe anyway, but wouldn’t that all have been saved if he just drafted Bledsoe?
Grade: C
RB: JJ Arrington, Ricky Williams, and Michael Pittman.
JJ Arrington was the guy I wanted most, but it appears he was on many people’s radar and wouldn’t have lasted
another pick or two. He has potential to be the rookie of the year. He is on a highly potent offense and has the #1
spot locked b/c he didn’t hold out (unlike all the other rookie RB’s). A solid pick. Ricky and Pittman are nice picks in
case the rookies (Ronnie Brown and Cadillac) fail or stumble as starters. Ricky could also be traded during the
season and become a starter somewhere else. Either way, look for him to play a few games. If he resembles even a
modicum of his former self, then that’s the steal of the draft and trade bait.
Grade: B+
WR: Anquan Boldin, Muhsin Muhammed, Reche Caldwell, and Mike Williams.
Boldin is one of the players (see L. Coles) whose value benefits most from the new reception rule. He is the
possession receiver for the Cardinals attack, so even though I like Larry Fitzgerald more, Boldin has more value
since he could break 100 receptions (if healthy). Muhammed’s value took a hit signing with the Bears, but he’s still
the teams #1 receiver. Plus Kyle Orton could be better than advertised, so overall not bad for a #3 fantasy receiver.
Caldwell and Williams are nice players to have on the bench. People forget that Caldwell played very well before
being injured last year (although that was before McCardell signed). Mike Williams could find more playing time near
the end of the season. He has the talent and Rodgers is always a question mark. Last year Roy Williams found
himself with an excellent opportunity since Rodgers went down, the same could happen for Williams this year. Jarrett
also had Roy Williams last year. Could history repeat itself?
Grade: A-
TE: Jeremy Shockey.
Early reports out of camp are that Shockey will block less and is in terrific shape. Could this be the year that the
numbers match the hype? Eli could have a nice year. Plaxico will spread the field and keep defenses honest leaving
the middle open for Shockey. I think he’ll be the 3rd best fantasy TE this year (after Gonzales and Gates).
Grade: A-
K: Mike Nugent.
Rookie kickers rarely perform well, but Nugent comes in with hype and can’t do any worse than Doug Brien did last
year. Plus Nate Keading was a rookie last year for the Chargers and he became one of the top fantasy kickers.
Grade: B+
DEF: New York Jets.
The addition of Ty Law, another year of experience for Jonothan Vilma, and the return of John Abraham could mean
a solid fantasy defense. The reason I don’t like this pick is because come week 9 (NYJ’s bye week) Jarrett will have
to find replacement’s for both his kicker and his defense, which means dropping 2 bench players or dropping his
kicker and defense.
Grade: B
Best Draft Pick: JJ Arrington – R.O.Y. (Mike Nugent is a good pick, but he’s a kicker. Ricky Williams could
turn out to be a good pick, but he was still selected pretty high).
Worst Draft Pick: Jon Kitna
Team Strengths: No real strength
Team Weaknesses: No weakness (just a lot of question marks at QB and RB)
Key to Success: Carson Palmer.
If he’s a stud QB, then Jarrett has a very nice balanced team. If not, then he has major QB problems. JJ is
another key to success.
Overall Grade: B
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