Footballguys Daily Email - Volume 9, Issue 111 (Tuesday, August 12th)
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Hi Folks,
Good Wednesday to you. It's a great time of the year as teams are finding out what they have in camp and fantasy drafts are starting to happen everywhere. Let's jump to it. JSITE NEWS
A.
New VBD App
With new projections, comes a new Value Based Draft (VBD) application. It's for the old school guys that still love the spreadsheet.
B.
Average Draft Position Updated
You know where you value a player. But you also need to know where the other guys in your league are valuing the guy if you're to maximize his draft value. Our Average Draft Position (ADP) App is the best in the business factoring tons of drafts into it and giving you the flexibility to view and sort the data in a way that makes the most sense for you.
C.
Understanding Injuries
Mark Wimer has a nice summary of many different injuries NFL players must deal with and what they mean for fantasy owners.
D.
Updated Injury Rundown
Mark Wimer takes a comprehensive look around the league running down the most important injuries and how they're looking for the upcoming season.
E.
Breaking Down the Scouting Process
Bob Magaw digs deep as he breaks down the Scouting Process for owners identifying talent.
F.
The Commissioner Checklist
Cecil Lammey offers some tips and insights in making his Commissioner Checklist.
G.
Running Backs vs. Wide Receivers - Tale of the Tape
Jeff Haseley looks at a question that fantasy owners have debated forever: At what point does a top WR become more valuable than a #2 RB?
H.
Hidden Potential - Titans Passing Game
Colin Dowling suggests that the Tennessee Titans passing game could be an overlooked situation that could provide a nice return for fantasy owners willing to roll the dice.
I.
IDP - Big Play Strategy
Dr. Jene Bramel examines a strategy for IDP leagues where he focuses on the Big Play.
J.
Average Auction Values
George del Prado of Fantasy Auctioneer presents his average auction values that he's seeing in auctions across the country.
K.
Footballguys Subscription - Your Key To Dominating - Money Back Guarantee
For the price of a couple of pizzas, you can have access all season long to the kind of info we offer. From up to the minute cheat-sheets to uber detailed training camp reports every week to all the weekly information you'll need all the way up till the Super Bowl. If you don't think it's a great deal, we have a money back guarantee. Click on the headline link to see the Why Subscribe page if you still need more info.
INSIDE THIS ISSUE
1. NYG - WR Burress Finally Practices2. MIA - Miami Releases K Feely; Carpenter Wins Job
3. SF - QB O'Sullivan In Lead For QB Job?
4. BAL - Ravens HC Harbaugh Confident RB McGahee, S Reed Will Be Healthy By Week 1
5. ATL - WR Horn Wants Out, May Give Up Guaranteed Money
6. SF - 49ers WR Morgan Challenging For Starting Role
7. TB - Bucs HC Gruden Slightly Concerned About WR Galloway
8. NYJ - Battle Brewing For Jets Backup QB Job
9. HOU - Texans WR Johnson Likely Out Against Saints
10. TEN - Titans Injury Update: WR McCareins Returns
11. ARZ - Cardinals To Stick With Same QB In Redzone
12. DEF - MIN - Vikings S Williams Could Miss Six Weeks With Neck Injury
13. DEF - DAL - Cowboys CB Newman To Return Soon
14. DEF - PIT - S Polamalu Still Sidelined
15. DEF - PHI - CB Samuel Should Start Second Preseason Game
16. DEF - IND - DE Freeney, S Sanders To Return Soon
NYG - WR Burress Finally Practices
Source: Tom Canavan, Associated Press
New York Giants WR Plaxico Burress returned to the practice field with pads for the first time this offseason. Although he did not run any plays at full speed, he did jog through some routes and lined up with the first team. Burress has missed the offseason team activities and preseason action with an ankle injury that bothered him the majority of last season.
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Great news for the Giants and for Burress. I asked yesterday if we'd see him practice and it didn't take long to get an answer. Let's see how he responds to this work and if he's able to keep it going this week.
MIA - Miami Releases K Feely; Carpenter Wins Job
Source: Edgar Thompson, Palm Beach Post
The Dolphins continued its youth movement by releasing veteran PK Jay Feely today, paving the way for 22-year old undrafted rookie PK Dan Carpenter. Carpenter has taken advantage of Feely's injured groin injury, most recently by converting field goals of 41 and 49 yards on Saturday against Tampa Bay. Feely, 32, set the franchise record for accuracy last season converting 21-of-23 field goal attempts (%91.5). He said five or six teams have already expressed interest in his services.
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Pretty big news here as Feely had been a solid player although not surprising if you've been following the Daily Email Updates. Feely has been injured and Carpenter has looked great. Carpenter will likely be a guy under the radar for many fantasy owners and could be a super late round pick for you guys that like to wait till the very end to grab a kicker.
SF - QB O'Sullivan In Lead For QB Job?
Source: Adam Schefter. NFL Network
Adam Schefter reports that while the 49ers hoped Alex Smith would win the job, through the first part of camp, the San Francisco QB that's most distinguished himself is J.T. O'Sullivan. O'Sullivan was with Mike Martz last year in Detroit. So far, he's making the most of it and is beating out Alex Smith and Shaun Hill. The 49ers aren't ready to annoint O'Sullivan the starter, but Schefter says it's heading that way.
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O'Sullivan is the guy that refused to fade away forcing this to be a three man race. Now it looks like he may be pulling ahead. This team doesn't have a lot of talent in the WR corps, but they have Mike Martz, RB Frank Gore and TE Vernon Davis. That's not a bad group.
BAL - Ravens HC Harbaugh Confident RB McGahee, S Reed Will Be Healthy By Week 1
Source: ESPN
Baltimore Ravens head coach John Harbaugh said on Monday that he is confident that running back Willis McGahee (knee surgery) and safety Ed Reed (shoulder) will both be ready to play in the team's regular season opener on September 7.
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Just keeping you updated on what the team is saying about McGahee. We still like Ray Rice but don't go crazy here for him.
ATL - WR Horn Wants Out, May Give Up Guaranteed Money
Source: Steve Wyche, Atlanta Journal Constitution
Atlanta Falcons veteran WR Joe Horn wants to be released or traded so desperately that he says he is contemplating restructuring or forfeiting part of the guaranteed $2.5 million salary he is owed for this season. Horn does not like the role he sees for himself with the team this year, especially with young WRs Laurent Robinson and Harry Douglas moving ahead of him on the depth chart.
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I'm not sure what Horn is thinking here. We like the Falcon WRs but it's not exactly like they're the most elite group in the league. If Horn can't get on the field in Atlanta, I'm not sure he'd be playing much for another team. Maybe it's not as much the team as it is Horn just isn't the player he used to be.
SF - 49ers WR Morgan Challenging For Starting Role
Source: Kevin Lynch, San Francisco Chronicle
San Francisco 49ers HC Mike Nolan says that rookie WR Josh Morgan is now challenging to win a starting WR spot with veteran Bryant Johnson battling a hamstring injury. Morgan, who has been very impressive in training camp thus far, was first thought of as a long shot to even make the team.
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Talk about making a move in training camp. Morgan is a guy that's been below the radar for most owners but he's close to earning a starting WR job in a Mike Martz offense. That's definitely the making of a value player. Granted, we haven't yet seen a quarterback that looks capable yet but one of these guys will emerge. If Bryant Johnson continues to battle the hamstring and Morgan could grab a starting spot, he would be a guy that definitely exceeds expectations.
TB - Bucs HC Gruden Slightly Concerned About WR Galloway
Source: Stephen Holder, St. Petersburg Times
Tampa Bay Buccaneers WR Joey Galloway missed practice again today. But he did do some work, catching passes from coaches and QB Jeff Garcia. Galloway, who has a strained groin, probably won't play this preseason. HC Jon Gruden concedes that Galloway has never played much in the preseason and would not suffer from sitting out. Gruden's confidence is mixed with a slice of doubt. "Yes, I'm concerned," Gruden said. "If you're the head coach and you're (top) receiver hasn't practiced yet, yes, you're concerned. But we're also looking at it optimistically because we proved the other night that we have some young guys who are capable of playing and we're thrilled with that."
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Gruden understands the hard truth about Galloway - he's getting old. And old guys don't heal like they did back before they became old guys. He'll likely be ok but it's pretty clear that Gruden is concerned.
NYJ - Battle Brewing For Jets Backup QB Job
Source: Rich Cimini, New York Daily News
The quarterback competition is not over for the New York Jets. The battle has shifted from the starting gig to the backup job. Kellen Clemens is battling for the No. 2 spot with Brett Ratliff. Ratliff, an afterthought at the start of training camp, has been so impressive that he could overtake Clemens as Brett Favre's primary backup. According to Cimini, Clemens' uneven play, coupled with Ratliff's dramatic improvement, has created some uncertainty. Monday, Ratliff shared some of the second-team snaps with Clemens.
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Clemens has fallen pretty quickly. A week ago, he was in the mix for the starting job. Now we're talking about him falling to #3. And with Erik Ainge at #4, Clemens had better watch himself...
HOU - Texans WR Johnson Likely Out Against Saints
Source: HoustonTexans.com
Houston Texans WR Andre Johnson will likely miss the teams upcoming preseason game versus the New Orleans Saints, HC Gary Kubiak said today. "I think he could; he could push. We went through an individual with him today, and he actually did a little bit more. But I don't think it makes sense right now to push him to that point this week."
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This isn't a big shock even though we'd hoped Johnson would be ready for this week. Better to ease him back in than to risk rushing him back and suffering a re-injury. Let's hope he's able to practice more this week even if he does miss the game.
TEN - Titans Injury Update: WR McCareins Returns
Source: Terry McCormick, Nashville City Paper
Titans WR Justin McCareins (hamstring) returned to practice for the first time in 11 days. WR Roydell Williams, however left practice because of soreness in his ankle. P Josh Miller (groin) was also back at practice, as was DT Tony Brown (shoulder). Also missing practice Monday were PK Rob Bironas (groin), CB Nick Harper (concussion), CB Cary Williams (knee), LB Kurt Campbell (ribs), TE Dwayne Blakley (groin), DE Jevon Kearse (rest), OT David Stewart (rest) and DE Antonio Johnson (rest).
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Good to see McCareins back but a little troubling to see the other guys missing time. QB Vince Young needs to see reps with his guys and Williams needs to be back out there.
ARZ - Cardinals To Stick With Same QB In Redzone
Source: Mike Tulumello, East Valley Tribune
The Cardinals scored 94 percent of the time they had the ball inside the 20-yard line, which ranked second in the league. But it was QB Kurt Warner, even as the backup early last season, who came in when the Cardinals had a goal-line situation. This year HC Ken Whisenhunt says that the starting quarterback will stay in the game when the team reaches the red zone. All indications are that QB Matt Leinart will be that quarterback and Whisenhunt said that Leinart is "much better this year" and that he "doesn't anticipate Matt having any problems down there."
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It feels like Leinart is going to be the guy. What's not settled though is how firmly the Cardinals are committed. What if Leinart wins the job but then looks awful in Week One? How long will Arizona let him flounder before going to the proven veteran in Warner? Let's hope that doesn't happen but it'll be an interesting situation if it does. The takeaway from this one though is that Leinart seems to be much improved from last year.
DEF - MIN - Vikings S Williams Could Miss Six Weeks With Neck Injury
Source: Judd Zulgad, Minneapolis Star Tribune
Minnesota Vikings safety Madieu Williams could miss as many as six weeks after recently suffering a neck injury, according to reports. That would include his missing the first three games of the regular season. "I'm not allowed to discuss the condition of my injuries," said Williams. "I think that's something that you've got to talk to Coach [Brad] Childress about, or the trainers."
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Tough news for Williams and the Vikings. The team had been counting on Williams, one of their big free agent signings, to be a factor with this defense. Let's hope he's able to return more quickly but right now, it's not looking too good.
DEF - DAL - Cowboys CB Newman To Return Soon
Source: Tim McMahon, Dallas Morning News
Dallas Cowboys CB Terence Newman probably won't practice or play against the Broncos this weekend, but HC Wade Phillips said it "won't be long" until Newman returns to practice. Newman has been sidelined since the first week of training camp with a groin pull. "Newman's coming along," Phillips said. "We're being real cautious. We really want to get him 100 percent before he comes back." OLB Anthony Spencer might practice tomorrow after sitting out the last two days with a bruised right knee. "It's just a little swollen," said Spencer, whose MRI didn't reveal any structural damage. "I bumped knees with somebody. Everything is good."
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We told you we'd keep an eye on Newman for you and the news is pretty encouraging. As expected, the team is bringing him back slowly and wants to make sure he's fully recovered before they put him out there.
DEF - PIT - S Polamalu Still Sidelined
Source: Ed Bouchette, Pittsburgh Post Gazette
Steelers S Troy Polamalu remains on the PUP list with a pulled hamstring and has been limited to light workouts at best. When asked if Polamalu was getting any closer to practicing, HC Mike Tomlin said, "I assume he is, but when that will occur I don't know at this point." Polamalu will miss the second preseason game Thursday against the Bills.
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Ok, I'm starting to get a little worried here. Hamstrings can linger and I don't like that Polamalu has been this slow to recover. He's an explosive player and puts a lot of stress on his legs so even when he feels ready, there is the worry of re-injury during a game situation. Stay tuned but we're leery.
DEF - PHI - CB Samuel Should Start Second Preseason Game
Source: Tim Panaccio, Bob Brookover, Philadelphia Inquirer
Despite aggravating a hamstring injury, CB Asante Samuel is expected to play against Carolina on Thursday. DC Jim Johnson said Samuel needs to get some playing time under his belt after missing a good portion of training camp and spring workouts. "Hopefully, he's going to be ready to go Thursday night. We're going to play him quite a bit," Johnson said.
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Evidently, the little re-aggravation we saw from yesterday wasn't a big deal. Let's see if he really does play "quite a bit".
DEF - IND - DE Freeney, S Sanders To Return Soon
Source: Mike Chappell, Indianapolis Star
Colts DE Dwight Freeney and S Bob Sanders are slated to come off the PUP list and begin practicing by Friday, if not sooner. Freeney is recovering from offseason foot surgery, an injury that forced him out of the final eight weeks of the 2007 season. Sanders had offseason shoulder surgery. Both are eager to return after a summer full of rehab, meetings and and film watching. "Yeah, I'm ready to hit something," Freeney said.
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We told you we'd keep an eye on Freeney and Sanders and it's looking up for both of them. Sounds like both guys are champing at the bit to get back out there. Keep your fingers crossed as it's always a worry when players first start back to practice.
That'll do it for today, Folks. Have a great Wednesday and we'll see you tomorrow with the update.
J