THE FANTASY LIFE : CBSSports.com Blogs

Free-agent Clayton won't be free for long

Sun, 09 Oct 2011 13:52:44 EDT

Last week, former Rams and Ravens wide receiver Mark Clayton had a tryout with the New England Patriots. Not only did he pass his physical with the team, but Clayton was able to run routes without issue.

That tryout alone was a huge step for Clayton, who ruptured his patella tendon after five games in St. Louis last year. In those five games, the former Oklahoma Sooner burst for 306 yards and a pair of touchdowns on 23 catches, showing some of the spark that made him a Fantasy consideration as far back as 2006. Playing with Sam Bradford didn't hurt either.

Clayton said that he was told from Rams personnel before the lockout that he'd return to the team, but such a development never materialized. Josh McDaniels was hired to run the offense after Pat Shurmur left to coach the Browns and the team added two rookies and free-agent receiver Mike Sims-Walker.

Early 2011 rookie rank list

Mon, 09 May 2011 13:39:58 EDT

Jamey Eisenberg and I will debut our Top 20 rookies for dynasty leagues on the site, but through the process of culminating that list I wound up ranking the 30 most prominent rookies just for 2011.

Now if you're like my boss, you'll say "How many rookies realistically make an impact in their first season?" The answer: Not many. But this year there are a healthy amount of running backs landing in situations where they'll at least split reps, a pair of receivers with really good potential, a slew of mediocre quarterbacks -- many of whom could end up starting before this season is over -- and two fairly non-descript tight ends.

The feeling I have is that we'll have a year where maybe five or six running backs make a decent impact along with one of the two elite receivers. I don't think any of the quarterbacks will be much to write home about, although I do think it will be a QB taken in Round 2 that ends up outproducing the QBs taken in Round 1.

Jones-Drew will be 'better than ever'

Thu, 07 Apr 2011 22:58:20 EDT

If you're worried about Maurice Jones-Drew not being effective or holding up for the 2011 season because of offseason knee surgery and a perceived "bone-on-bone" condition, get over it.

A source close to the Jaguars' star running back told CBSSports.com on Wednesday that Jones-Drew is ahead of schedule on his rehab from surgery for a torn meniscus and is already running and cutting in what was referred to as "grueling" rehab.

It's worth noting that Jones-Drew began feeling pain in his right knee during the preseason and played through it for 14 of 16 games, including a six-week span late in the year where he had consecutive 100-yard rushing efforts. Rehab is still expected to last through May, but according to the source, Jones-Drew will be "better than ever" when it's time for training camp.

Making 16 games work for everybody

Thu, 10 Mar 2011 11:01:46 EST

16 regular-season games? 17 games? 18? Two preseason games? Three? Four? The questions and concerns about the future of the NFL schedule have been batted around for well over a year, yet there seems to be no common ground between the NFL Players Union and the NFL's owners on what's best for everyone.

Here's a thought: Addition by subtraction. And I'm not talking regular-season games. I've got a two-pronged plan on how the league and the union should end this.

Generally speaking, season ticket holders don't pony up the big bucks for the preseason games. If anything, they're a pain. No one likes going because you see an inferior product compared to a regular-season game. Some season ticket holders complain that they can't even give their preseason tickets away.

Tiki, Tiki, Tiki

Tue, 08 Mar 2011 17:26:29 EST

Leave it to Tiki Barber to make some NFL headlines during a week where no NFL transactions are allowed while a new Collective Bargaining Agreement is hammered out.

Barber announced Tuesday that he will attempt a comeback after being out of the league since retiring four years ago. He will be 36 years old when the season starts.

The Giants, his old team who still hold his rights, responded to this news with the following statement:

"We wish Tiki nothing but the best, and when we are able to make the transaction, we will release him from our reserve/retired list."

An 18-game solution?

Fri, 11 Feb 2011 18:40:28 EST

Leave it to someone associated with Tom Brady to come up with an intriguing solution to the 18-game season. No, not his hair stylist.

The Associated Press has the story:

Tom Brady's agent thinks he has a solution for an 18-game NFL regular season: Limit how many games each player can suit up.

The players' union opposes expanding the season by two games, one of the main sticking points in negotiations with the league for a new collective bargaining agreement.

Too many tight ends?

Tue, 25 Jan 2011 16:45:28 EST

There's no doubt that the tight ends at the top of my positional rankings list are great for Fantasy. They're essentially big-play receiver types that you can line up at the tight end spot. The same reason why you love them are the same reason why NFL coaches love the athletic tight ends.

But if you miss on them, should you shed a tear? Maybe if you're near an onion. Otherwise, no. In fact, you should smile.

Assuming you play in an 8-, 10- or 12-team league and start only one tight end, you are already locked at the position. It's done already. Consider the Top 16 Fantasy tight ends:

1. Antonio Gates, SD

QB Fantasy points by team

Thu, 06 Jan 2011 16:16:11 EST

You know the quarterbacks who did well in Fantasy Football in 2010. But you might not know how a team's cumulative quarterback performance fared.

Well, now you do. TEAM FPTS PHI 415 GB 379 NE 369 DEN 345 IND 345 NO 330 SD 330 DAL 326 DET 306 TB 300 ATL 294 JAC 286 HOU 285 NYG 283 BAL 271 KC 271 PIT 270 CIN 264 WAS 256 NYJ 245 BUF 238 SF 238 CHI 235 TEN 233 OAK 230 STL 216 MIA 205 SEA 200 MIN 174 CLE 169 ARI 132 CAR 104

Why is this information relevant? Consider the performance of the Broncos, Cowboys and Lions. Had the starters for those teams stayed on the field (or in the case of the Broncos, had the rookie seen more playing time sooner), they would have conceivably been Fantasy superstars and key components to an owner's title run.

Brady not a safe bet vs. Baltimore

Sun, 17 Oct 2010 7:54:06 EDT

In my rankings this week you'll find something rather startling: Tom Brady is not in my Top 12. It's not an attempt to be "out there" or to draw shock value. Based on the matchup, as well as Brady's receiving corps, as well as his history against the Ravens' defensive scheme, I don't think Brady will have a great week.

Brady's stats over his last 40 starts will tell you that he is a Fantasy stud, but a big reason for those numbers was the presence of wide receiver Randy Moss. Never once did Brady play a game without Moss from 2007 through Week 3 of this year, and his numbers were mostly excellent. Before Moss, Brady was pretty good but not a 300-yard bomber. In fact, from 2001 to 2006 -- a five-year window where he won three Super Bowls but didn't play with a talent like Moss -- Brady had 17 300-yard games over 108 starts, including the postseason. That's one every six games or so, which is pretty good. But that pales in comparison to the 15 300-yard games he had over 40 starts with Moss (including the postseason) -- one 300 yarder every 2.67 games!

'LOL kalebJORDAN'

Sat, 10 Jul 2010 2:32:48 EDT

Mock drafts are fun, but they're never a perfect science. This point was proven Friday when I mocked with 11 of my Twitter followers (follow me @daverichard).

We realized something was up when we saw Andre Johnson go first overall, then Jason Witten in Round 3 and Jets DST in Round 5. All of those picks -- reaches in every regard -- were taken by someone with the ID kalebJORDAN.

What could I do? Stop the draft? Start another? Kick him out of the draft room? The reality is that in every league, there's a "wild card," an owner who doesn't think like the rest of the world and his picks always make the other owners laugh or whine. So I thought it would be a good idea to let the draft play out with kalebJORDAN making his picks.

Three-man Twitter mock draft

Thu, 22 Apr 2010 15:23:29 EDT

Earlier this week I posted my annual 20-minute mock draft , but on Thursday afternoon, just hours before the NFL draft kicked off, Jamey Eisenberg and I did an impromptu mock on Twitter, complete with guest picker Jermichael Finley of the Packers, and loads of comments from the Twitter world.

Here are the results along with the initials of who drafted whom:

1. STL: QB Sam Bradford (DR)

2. DET: DT Ndamukong Suh (JE)

Third annual 20-minute mock draft

Tue, 20 Apr 2010 13:12:49 EDT

When it comes to mock drafts, I'm a novice. In 2005 I was the only guy who had Aaron Rodgers going to the 49ers No. 1 overall. Last year I had Brian Orakpo going to the Jaguars at No. 8 overall.

What did I know? Only that they'd be better players than the guys those teams actually drafted (so far anyway).

I've had my fair share of bombs, too. Brian Robiskie to the Giants at 29th overall last year , for one. Limas Sweed to Dallas at 22nd overall in 2008 for another . Check out my previous mocks if you want a good laugh.

But keep in mind that I don't have big boards or inside sources for a pretend draft, and keep in mind that I put myself on a timer: 20 minutes to make 32 picks. Why 20 minutes? Well, because the boss told me so, mainly. But really, how much time do people need to do this?

Fantasy fallout from Holmes trade

Tue, 13 Apr 2010 10:55:39 EDT

Santonio Holmes' off-field decisions made the Steelers' front office decision on what to do with him easier to make. With a year left on his contract, the team simply decided to punt on him and give him to the Jets for a fifth-round pick. He's one less headache for the franchise to worry about.

But Fantasy owners have a headache of their own as this was one of the rare trades where only a handful of players have a better outlook than before the deal. In a nutshell, this deal (along with his four-game suspension which was a precursor to the deal) crippled Santonio Holmes' Fantasy expectations and also threw a bunch of question marks into the status of other Steelers and Jets, including Ben Roethlisberger.

Holmes might be happy for a fresh start with the Jets, but his numbers aren't expected to be anywhere near as good as they were last year. Conside this: Last season the Steelers threw the ball 536 times with Holmes targeted 138 times. That's essentially a rate of one out of every four passes thrown his way (Hines Ward had the same rate by the way). The closest Jet to receive that kind of attention was Jerricho Cotchery with 115 of the measly 393 pass attempts they had. One would argue that the Jets will pass more in 2010 considering their beefed up receiving corps, but team officials have said as recently as Holmes' introductory press conference that the "ground-and-pound" approach will stick. Besides, even if the Jets do throw, say, 75 more times than last season, Holmes will still have to share the ball with Cotchery, Braylon Edwards and tight end Dustin Keller.

New rule will impact Fantasy Football

Sat, 14 Aug 2010 18:53:00 EDT

I was in Orlando last week for the NFL Annual Meeting, and while there was much hubbub over the league's passing of the playoff OT rule, another change might impact Fantasy owners much more.

The league added 'defenseless players' among those who cannot be hit without penalty. Not just quarterbacks or kickers or punters, but any player in the act of making a catch but is not in a position to make a football move.

If you've played or watched football, or even played or watched Madden , you've seen a receiver jump for a ball and get jacked before he comes down with it. Here's a well-known example of such a play: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j9RfJwSkMU8

That is now illegal, and not just with leading with a helmet. A forearm, a shoulder and any part of the helmet can't touch a defenseless player. So by my interpretation of this new rule, tackling anyone who catches a ball while in the air will cost you.

Day 1 of free agency

Fri, 05 Mar 2010 17:05:34 EST

NFL fans are already wondering how the first day of free agency is impacting Fantasy Football. I'm glad to offer some thoughts, one topic at a time:

1. Brandon Marshall visiting Seattle. This is potentially the biggest news of the day as it would mean a quality, sure-fire No. 1 receiver changing addresses. Marshall is a restricted free agent who can sign an offer sheet with the Seahawks but would cost the team its No. 6 overall pick if the Broncos don't match.

That said, the Broncos are probably begging the Seahawks to sign him to an offer sheet.

The prospect of Marshall in Seattle is good, not great. I don't think he'll be quite as effective as he was in Denver. Fine, he'd still have a pretty good schedule in the NFC West (including a game at Denver), but quarterback issues, offensive line issues and people taking coverage away from him would all hinder his output. I'd still consider him a No. 1 WR, but I wouldn't be over the moon about it.

Super Bowl XLV: Packers vs. Titans

Mon, 08 Feb 2010 11:54:26 EST

Continuing with my annual tradition, I am ringing in the start of the new NFL season with a prediction for the upcoming Super Bowl. And, as you'll read, it's pretty unscientific.

Here are my rules: I can make as many changes as I'd like UNTIL kickoff of the first game of the 2010 season. I'm locked in at that point. Anytime I make a change, I'll let you know (either via the blog or Twitter or ESP).

Last year, I had Vikings vs. Patriots through much of the summer until I went through my annual ritual of predicting every game before the start of the season, at which point I determined the Chargers would be the better pick and I made the buzzer-beating switch. Not that it made any difference, though I *did* pick the Saints and Colts to win their respective divisions.

Forward-looking thoughts on Tomlinson

Wed, 17 Feb 2010 12:42:22 EST

With the news that San Diego running back LaDainian Tomlinson believing that he won't be back in a Chargers uniform next season, it's time to re-evaluate him and what his options are.

Let's begin with an assessment that many people who I've spoken with this week agree on: Tomlinson simply is not the same running back that he once was. Can he still digest a playbook, catch a pass, set a block and find the end zone? No doubt. Can he run? Not with as much consistency as he could as little as three years ago. Does he still have breakaway speed? If he does, he hasn't shown it lately. The overriding belief is that Tomlinson can still be an effective back, but not for nearly the amount of work he'd like. He is -- at best -- a tandem-situation running back.

Gonzalez: 2010 'potentially' final season

Tue, 09 Feb 2010 11:19:20 EST

FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. -- Speaking with CBSSports.com from the Super Bowl XLIV Media Center on Thursday, Falcons tight end Tony Gonzalez admitted to very lofty expectations for the upcoming season while also hinting that it might be his last.

Gonzalez, a sure-fire first-ballot Hall of Famer, was traded from Kansas City to Atlanta last offseason with the hope of winning an elusive championship ring. His first year with them was a success as he gave the Falcons a much-needed option aside from receiver Roddy White and running back Michael Turner. But injuries, Gonzalez said, were partially to blame for the team's 9-7 finish as Turner, quarterback Matt Ryan, guard Harvey Dahl and tackle Sam Baker all missed significant time.

"Staying healthy will be huge," Gonzalez said. "I really think that if we stay healthy and we improve off of what we did last year, selecting those plays that really worked for us and bringing in some more plays that work, we're going to be real good.

Faulk: Martz will make Bears' offense great

Wed, 03 Feb 2010 20:02:24 EST

Marshall Faulk knows a thing or two about Mike Martz and his offense. After all, he was easily the most productive running back in Martz's coaching history.

Currently an analyst for NFL Network, Faulk sees Martz as a boon for the Bears, who hired Martz this week to coordinate their offense. Following five seasons of mostly uncreative, vanilla play calling from coordinator Ron Turner, Martz is expected to turn up the juice and give Jay Cutler a shot at maximizing his potential.

If Cutler lets him, Faulk says.

"This will be the first time that Jay Cutler will not have control of the decisions that he wants to make," Faulk said Tuesday from Super Bowl XLIV Media Day. "It will be a challenge to Jay. ... Mike will test his football knowledge. He'll test his willingness to want to get better in the NFL. He'll ask him to do some things that Jay might not feel comfortable with."

Norv won't speculate on L.T.

Wed, 27 Jan 2010 16:32:45 EST

I've done my fair share of speculating on LaDainian Tomlinson over the last two seasons. The Chargers' rushing legend and future Hall of Famer is no longer the one-man Fantasy wrecking crew he once was. Sure, he was a touchdown magnet in 2009 but his rushing yardage -- along with his workload -- has dwindled.

So when I had the chance to ask Chargers head coach Norv Turner about Tomlinson after Pro Bowl practice on Wednesday, I jumped on it.

After asking him about free-agent-to-be Vincent Jackson ("We want Vincent on our team for a long time.") and tight end Antonio Gates ("He was the healthiest he's been since he hurt his toe in the playoffs two years ago."), I simply asked Turner what he'd like to see happen with Tomlinson this offseason.

Boldin TD ruled a run

Sun, 27 Dec 2009 12:21:27 EST

The following message was posted in CBSSports.com Commissioner leagues on Wednesday:

Please be advised that the following statistical corrections were made by the official stat provider of the NFL and it may impact the results in your league.

Kurt Warner will a lose a TD pass and 5 passing yards. Anquan Boldin will lose a reception, 5 receiving yards and a receiving TD and will gain 5 rushing yards and a rushing TD.

This change should be reflected when CBSSports.com makes its next statistical run later today.

Is Harrison's status worse with Anderson playing?

Tue, 22 Dec 2009 13:15:33 EST

Say what you will about Derek Anderson, but he does one thing: He helps take pressure off of his running backs.

Anderson will start in place of Brady Quinn (injured reserve) for the Browns' final two games of the 2009 season against the Raiders and Jaguars, both at home. His reputation as a gunslinger makes him far more of a threat than Quinn.

Well, maybe the word isn't "threat." Let's put it this way -- opponents still want Anderson to throw the ball because he will make mistakes with it (nine interceptions in five starts), but they're also aware that he has the stronger arm over Quinn.

Running backs (excluding Josh Cribbs) have averaged 3.54 yards per carry when Anderson was under center -- take away Harrison's mammoth effort last week and backs averaged 3.32 yards per carry when Quinn played. OK, fine, not much difference over the course of 150 carries or so. But in five starts under Anderson, the Browns have had two 100-yard rushers (Jerome Harrison in Week 4 vs. the Bengals, Jamal Lewis in Week 5 at Buffalo). The only other time a back went for over 100 yards was last week when Harrison scalded the Chiefs for 286.

Playoff Tiebreakers

Mon, 17 Dec 2012 12:30:50 EST

This is a friendly reminder to set your league's playoff tiebreakers now, in case you haven't already.

This morning we had a tie in one of our expert's leagues between Fantasy Baseball genius Eric Mack and our beloved boss, Editorial Director Peter Madden.

Without tiebreakers firmly established, each owner had a claim to winning the game. But as our league commissioner, Jamey Eisenberg, dutifully ruled, the team who scored the most points overall in the game -- that means starters and bench players combined -- got the nod. By a smidge, Peter took home the victory.

The other tiebreaker we considered was the highest seed, which for my money is the most fair and understandable tiebreaker around. Why else have seeding in the playoffs (other than, you know, figuring out who plays who)? Jamey overruled that one citing that the bench points scored was more fair. I disagree with him on this one, but he's the Commish.

Final word on Meachem Play

Thu, 24 Dec 2009 15:00:52 EST

For those of you who are 100 percent sure that Robert Meachem's touchdown should have been ruled an offensive fumble return, I have one more piece of evidence for your consideration.

In the NFL's log of stats that encompass the season, they include every kind of touchdown that a player scores. You can sort by rushing touchdowns, receiving touchdowns, etc.

And you can sort by defensive touchdowns.

And when you do, you'll see that Robert Meachem is receiving credit for eight receiving touchdowns and one defensive touchdown.

Meachem Play Discussion

Wed, 29 Sep 2010 16:40:32 EDT

It's become such an issue that it has its own title: The Meachem Play.

We've all seen it by now, and you guys probably read my explanation for how CBSSports.com decided to rule the play in Fantasy leagues. However, there is still a lot of questions and concerns brought to light as the result of our ruling, and it deserves more attention and more conversation.

Since Sunday afternoon we've received hundreds of emails, Tweets and message board posts (mostly from Meachem owners) surrounding this issue. We owe it to you guys to address the most common responses and arguments to our decision because this play has caused so much controversy. I'd also like to mention that while I'm the one who has responded to the issue, I am just part of the team that brings you the Fantasy content and product at CBSSports.com. As a team, we made the decision to reward the points as we saw fit.

Bengals RB coach Jim Anderson talks L.J.

Wed, 18 Nov 2009 21:03:04 EST

Larry Johnson is a Cincinnati Bengal. It was obvious that he'd land on his feet after the Chiefs cut him, but the expectation was that he'd have a decent-sized role. Not a starting job, but at least something where he'd get 10 touches a game.

Head coach Marvin Lewis threw water on that the day before he signed but eased a little on Johnson being "a fourth running back" with "a chance to be active" the day after he signed.

It's understandable for the Bengals to put Johnson behind Cedric Benson, but behind Bernard Scott and Brian Leonard? A veteran running back with some gas in the tank riding behind a rookie who's returning kickoffs and a third-down back known more for his hands and shoulders than his feet?

On The Record: Jets OC Brian Schottenheimer

Fri, 09 Oct 2009 11:22:59 EDT

After Braylon Edwards was acquired by the Jets from the Browns, many of us had questions about when he'd be a regular part of the New York offense. While a receiver traded at mid-season typically does not produce big numbers right away, Jets offensive coordinator Brian Schottenheimer believes that his new offensive weapon will be a factor sooner than later.

As provided to the media by the Jets, here is a transcript of Schottenheimer's media session following the Edwards trade.

On what Braylon Edwards will be able to do in Monday Night's game ...

It is interesting because he has a pretty good grasp of what we're doing. It's probably a unique situation. The coordinator two years ago in Cleveland, Rob Chudzinski, comes from San Diego. We were in San Diego together. A lot of the terminology, some of it is identical; a lot of it is close. With (Cleveland offensive coordinator) Brian Daboll leaving here and going to Cleveland, he kept some of the things. It is amazing, even in the walk-thru, going through some things with Braylon (Edwards) and Mark (Sanchez), little code words and tags like, 'Hey, you want to me to poster this?' It was like, wow, he knows that. Really sharp guy. He's ahead just because when we call things, he's heard it called before. It's not 100 percent, but there is quite a bit of carryover.

Bills-Titans preseason notes

Mon, 10 Aug 2009 17:11:16 EDT

Not many notes from the Hall of Fame game, as it should be since the game is pretty much meaningless. But here's what stood out to me.

- The Bills' O-line. Awful. Deserves the rating I gave it. Andy Levitre might be highlighted as the weak link but he's far from their only problem. The Haynesworth-less Titans pushed around their line all game long, including when the first-team was in there.

- Trent Edwards would be better behind a better O-line. Same for Marshawn Lynch. Remember, last year's line included LT Jason Peters and LG Derrick Dockery.

- T.O. is still slow. Not the same guy from two years before. Still has solid hands obviously, but it still looks more and more like he took a pay day from the Bills this year instead of going for a Super Bowl ring.

Mock Draftacular: July 3

Sun, 05 Jul 2009 2:15:34 EDT

Here are the results of the mock draft I did with 11 equally enthusiastic Fantasy Football owners earlier today. My picks are listed first below -- I picked 12th and took on the WR-WR draft strategy with my first two picks.

Dave Richard - Dave

Player Position Round Drafted

Matt Cassel QB 7

Mock Draftacular -- June 3

Mon, 24 Aug 2009 14:57:55 EDT

I held my first mock draft of the summer (summer being used loosely) with Fantasy fans using our Mock Draft tool.

Here are the results: http://mockdraft.1.football.cbssports.com/mockdraft/results/rosters/418738

And here's the rationale behind my picks

Round 1: Frank Gore No brainer.