Footballguys Daily Email - Volume 10, Issue 93 (Tuesday, July 21st)

Your Fantasy Football Draft Time is Waiting... Fanball Draft & Play NFL Fantasy Football features 10-team leagues, live online drafts, point-style scoring, and head-to-head matchups. Enter any of the 8 levels of play including FREE, $10 COPPER, $25 BRONZE, $75 TRIPLE BRONZE, $125 SILVER, $250 GOLD, $500 PLATINUM, and $1,000 DOUBLE PLATINUM. You can win great cash prizes – up to $6,000 per 10-team league. Draft your team of 15 players (8 active and 7 reserves) and make weekly in-season free agent acquisitions until the league playoffs in Week 14. New This Year: Enter for FREE! Win your league and receive a $10 COPPER Entry in 2010! Fanball has awarded more cash prizes than any other competitor, more than $50 million since 1992. Draft & Play NFL draft times are filling up fast - Enter Now!

Hi Folks,

Good Wednesday to you. Things are starting to heat up and we are right here for you. Lots of news and notes today - thanks as always to our Cecil Lammey and Sigmund Bloom. Let's get to it.

J

SITE NEWS

A. Footballguys Subscription - Money Back Guarantee
I hope you're enjoying these email updates. But this information is just a tiny bit of what we offer. If you haven't already subscribed to our Premium Subscription service, I hope you'll take a look. The signup page is in the headline link. From now up to the Super Bowl, we give our Premium Subscribers everything we possibly can so they can dominate their league. And we put our money where our mouth is offering a money back guarantee. Please give it a look and give us a shot.

INSIDE THIS ISSUE

OAK - RB Darren McFadden 2009 Starter?

Source: Jerry McDonald, InsideBayArea.com

Jerry McDonald, of InsideBayArea.com, projects Darren McFadden as the starting RB in Oakland, not 2008 starter Justin Fargas. McDonald writes, "Ideally, McFadden should get at least 225 carries and 50-plus receptions."

[ [ [ [ [ [ [ [ [ [ OUR VIEW ] ] ] ] ] ] ] ] ] ]

McFadden is grossly underrated in PPR leagues right now. The Raiders have been preparing to use him more like the way the Saints use Reggie Bush, splitting him out wide and getting him the ball in space to utilize his world-class speed.

Back to Top

CHI - Offense built around TE Greg Olsen?

Source: John Czarnecki, FoxSports.com

John Czarnecki, of FoxSports.com, predicts that "the Bears win with this summer's rebuilt offense around Greg Olsen, actually a tight end who will emerge as Cutler's top receiving option while doubling his production from 2008."

[ [ [ [ [ [ [ [ [ [ OUR VIEW ] ] ] ] ] ] ] ] ] ]

Doubling Olsen's numbers from 2008 would give him an absurd line of 108/1148/10, but he could be a lot closer to that line than last year's 54/574/5. Olsen can likely be had out of the top six TEs in most every league, and he's another reason to wait on TE in your draft.

Back to Top

PIT - Nevada DA's offices confirm no criminal complaint against QB Ben Roethlisberger

Source: Jonathan D. Silver, The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

Jonathan D. Silver, of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, reports that an administrative assistant for the Washoe County DA and the Douglas County Sheriff confirmed that no criminal complaint had been filed against Ben Roethlisberger.

[ [ [ [ [ [ [ [ [ [ OUR VIEW ] ] ] ] ] ] ] ] ] ]

This does not definitely mean that Roethlisberger's accuser's charges are baseless, but that is definitely the impression Roethlisberger's attorney wants to create. Stay tuned.

Back to Top

PIT - No record that QB Ben Roethlisberger's accuser filed criminal charges

Source: Gregg Rosenthal, Profootballtalk.com

Gregg Rosenthal, of Profootballtalk.com, reports that Steelers QB Ben Roethlisberger's attorney David Cornwell said "the absence of a criminal complaint and a criminal investigation are the most compelling evidence of the absence of any criminal conduct" in the civil suit filed against him. Rosenthal said they could find no public record of a criminal complaint, but also that police said that they could not comment on a case if it was still open. Rosenthal writes, "The absence of public information regarding any criminal complaint from McNulty (the accuser) doesn't guarantee such a complaint doesn't exist. And its possible a complaint could be filed in the future.

[ [ [ [ [ [ [ [ [ [ OUR VIEW ] ] ] ] ] ] ] ] ] ]

Speculation continues to swirl that the charges are baseless, but even if they are, this is a massive distraction for Roethlisberger.

Back to Top

OAK - RB Justin Fargas eventually giving way to Michael Bush?

Source: Jerry McDonald, InsideBayArea.com

Jerry McDonald, of InsideBayArea.com, predicts "(Justin) Fargas will at some point be de-emphasized in favor of (Michael) Bush. It's just a matter of when."

[ [ [ [ [ [ [ [ [ [ OUR VIEW ] ] ] ] ] ] ] ] ] ]

Don't forget that Bush ended the season with a 27 carry, 177 yard, two touchdown effort in a win over Tampa Bay. We agree with McDonald and think Bush presents one of the best late-round values among running backs.

Back to Top

PHI - RB Brian Westbrook to lose full-time goal line duties?

Source: John Czarnecki, FoxSports.com

John Czarnecki, of FoxSports.com, reports that Eagles RB Brian Westbrook will "no longer will be amassing 350 touches a season and handle the full-time goal-line running back duties."

[ [ [ [ [ [ [ [ [ [ OUR VIEW ] ] ] ] ] ] ] ] ] ]

Czarnecki has not been the most reliable source of information on gamedays, so we wouldn't do anything drastic on this news, but Westbrook having surgery at a time that keeps him from participating in training camp is a red flag. Leonard Weaver gives the Eagles an excellent short yardage alternative to Westbrook, so Czarnecki's warning could prove to be correct.

Back to Top

TEN - RB Coach wary of LenDale White's weight loss

Source: Gary Estwick, The Nashville Tennessean

Gary Estwick, of the Nashville Tennessean, reports that Titans RB coach Earnest Byner thinks a back can lose too much weight, just as he did during his career. Byner said, "That's what happened when I was a player. I lost too much weight and people were able to topple me and knock me over a little too easy."

[ [ [ [ [ [ [ [ [ [ OUR VIEW ] ] ] ] ] ] ] ] ] ]

Poor LenDale, he can't win. If he comes in heavy, he's called lazy and fat. If he loses weight, now defenders will be able to "topple" him over. Although I guess Byner has a point. White was effective in short yardage because of his heft more than the power he generated. If he's lighter, he'll need to run harder to make up for the lost mass.

Back to Top

TEN - RB Chris Johnson could be moved around this season

Source: Gary Estwick, The Tennessean

Gary Estwick, of The Tennessean, reports Tennessee Titans RB Chris Johnson likely will line up in the slot as well as other places this season in order to get him more touches.

[ [ [ [ [ [ [ [ [ [ OUR VIEW ] ] ] ] ] ] ] ] ] ]

Offensive coordinator Mike Heimerdinger has already said as much this offseason. Johnson should catch 50+ balls, in addition to 250+ carries. We expect him to be a top 8 fantasy back this year, maybe even higher in PPR leagues.

Back to Top

NFL - Commissioner Goodell won't say when he will make QB Michael Vick decision

Source: Associated Press

The Associated Press reports NFL commissioner Roger Goodell isn't revealing when he will decide whether to reinstate free-agent QB Michael Vick (Falcons) now that Vick has been released from federal custody. A day after Vick's home confinement ended, Goodell reiterated Tuesday, July 21, that he plans to rule on Vick 'sometime in the near future' - but would not define what 'near future' means.

[ [ [ [ [ [ [ [ [ [ OUR VIEW ] ] ] ] ] ] ] ] ] ]

Vick has served his time, paid his price, so Goodell hopefully won't drag his heels in the process of making this decision. If Vick is not allowed back in the league this year, he deserves to know as soon as possible so he can move on with his life.

Back to Top

NFL - WR Marvin Harrison will take his time before signing

Source: Jamison Hensley, The Baltimore Sun

Jamison Hensley, of The Baltimore Sun, reports there has been speculation that free-agent WR Marvin Harrison (Colts) might wait until the middle of training camp before making a decision on where he will sign.

[ [ [ [ [ [ [ [ [ [ OUR VIEW ] ] ] ] ] ] ] ] ] ]

It's probably just a ploy to avoid training camp two-a-days. We won't draft Harrison regardless of where he ends up, expect maybe if Reggie Wayne and Anthony Gonzalez suffer season-ending injuries in camp and he signs with Indy.

Back to Top

BAL - WRs Marvin Harrison, Amani Toomer possibilities?

Source: John Clayton, ESPN.com

John Clayton, of ESPN.com, reports if the Baltimore Ravens cannot talk WR Derrick Mason out of retirement, they may start to look at possibilities such as free-agent WRs Marvin Harrison (Colts) and Amani Toomer (Giants).

[ [ [ [ [ [ [ [ [ [ OUR VIEW ] ] ] ] ] ] ] ] ] ]

Seems like Clayton is speculating here, since Toomer is not among the four wideouts Baltimore is working out this Friday, and there has been nothing linking them to Harrison. Maybe the Friday workout is just an attempte by the Ravens to call Mason's bluff, and they'll bring in the real candidates next week if Mason doesn't come back into the fold.

Back to Top

NFL - QB Michael Vick wants meeting with Commissioner Goodell

Source: Calvin Watkins, Fanhouse.com

Calvin Watkins, of Fanhouse.com, reports representatives for free-agent QB Michael Vick (Falcons) are trying to set a meeting with NFL commissioner Roger Goodell in the next two weeks, according to a source. However, the wait time could change based on the commissioner's availability.

[ [ [ [ [ [ [ [ [ [ OUR VIEW ] ] ] ] ] ] ] ] ] ]

We wish we could be flies on the wall for that meeting, especially since the last meeting Vick and Goodell had before the 2007 draft, when Goodell allegedly confronted Vick about the dogfighting controversy, and Vick denied everything.

Back to Top

DEN - 'Big year' for RB Knowshon Moreno could be 1300 total yards

Source: Mike Klis, The Denver Post

Mike Klis, of the Denver Post, reports the RB job is first-round pick Knowshon Moreno's "period", and that Moreno is "expected to have a big rookie season", but warns that "a big year for Moreno, though, could be 800 yards rushing and 500 yards receiving" because the Broncos will operate mainly out of the shotgun, and those kinds of offenses don't create 25 carry a game tailbacks. He also reported that Moreno won't start in the preseason, and that Correll Buckhalter may even get a few starts early in the season, but we should "expect opponents to focus their game plan around stopping the rookie from Georgia."

[ [ [ [ [ [ [ [ [ [ OUR VIEW ] ] ] ] ] ] ] ] ] ]

This conflicts a bit with the word that Denver planned to emphasize the run, but the smart money has always been on McDaniels installing an offense just like the one he ran in New England. Not that New England wasn't successful running the ball, they just didn't have the kind of offense that produces a 1500 yard rusher. Moreno's ADP of #49 overall and RB23 is probably just about right, because McDaniels will use Buckhalter and LaMont Jordan.

Back to Top

ARZ - WR / PR Steve Breaston top punt returner, kick return job open

Source: Kent Somers, The Arizona Republic

Kent Somers, of the Arizona Republic, reports that WR Steve Breaston is the top punt returner for the Cardinals, "but some other players will be given a chance at the job. Safety Antrel Rolle is dangerous in the open field but he hasn't had much work at returning punts. Rookie LaRod Stephens-Howling probably will get a look here, too." With J.J. Arrington gone, the kick return job is open, and Somers writes, "Coach Ken Whisenhunt has said running back Beanie Wells will see some time here in pre-season, as will Stephens-Howling and rookie receiver Michael Ray Garvin, probably the fastest player on the club."

[ [ [ [ [ [ [ [ [ [ OUR VIEW ] ] ] ] ] ] ] ] ] ]

Breaston's value will probably drop this year as Whisenhunt has taken over play-calling from Todd Haley, who is now the head coach of the Chiefs, but his punt return skills will help in leagues that score return yards.

Back to Top

BAL - Team could ask WR Derrick Mason to return part of signing bonus

Source: Jason LaCanfora, The NFL Network

Jason LaCanfora, of the NFL Network, reports that Baltimore could ask WR Derrick Mason to return a prorated portion of his signing bonus if he does indeed retire. The amount would be about 1.4 million. LaCanfora also writes that "my gut tells me he's coming back sometime next month".

[ [ [ [ [ [ [ [ [ [ OUR VIEW ] ] ] ] ] ] ] ] ] ]

Yet another reason that Mason could be reconsidering. It's also worth noting that LaCanfora is the second NFL media personality to predict that Mason will return. It might be a savvy move to see if you can trade a spare part for Mason in start 3 WR PPR leagues.

Back to Top

TEN - Several expected to compete for No. 3 RB job

Source: Gary Estwick, The Tennessean

Gary Estwick, of The Tennessean, reports Tennessee Titans RBs Chris J. Henry, Quinton Ganther, Rafael Little and Javon Ringer will be competing for the No. 3 running back job during training camp. The third running back likely will have to be able to run between the tackles and pass block as well as be a receiver out of the backfield. The running back will also have to help out on special teams.

[ [ [ [ [ [ [ [ [ [ OUR VIEW ] ] ] ] ] ] ] ] ] ]

We like Ringer to win the job. The Titans wouldn't have drafted him if they were happy with Chris Henry. Rafael Little is basically still a rookie after he missed the 2008 season, and he's only a third-down back. Ganther is a solid back, but he's just roster fodder.

Back to Top

DEN - Former HC Shanahan getting paid to not be critical?

Source: Woody Paige, The Denver Post

Woody Paige, of The Denver Post, reports former Denver Broncos head coach Mike Shanahan has a clause in his contract that prevents him from saying practically anything about the team. He will receive $7 million this season for not coaching and not ripping the Broncos.

[ [ [ [ [ [ [ [ [ [ OUR VIEW ] ] ] ] ] ] ] ] ] ]

Shanahan is a class act, we're sure that he'll keep up his end of the bargain. He is also passionate about football, and we're sure that he'll be a head coach again next year.

Back to Top

That'll do it for today, Folks.

And remember, if you want to keep up with Footballguys on our Facebook page, just click here.

If you'd like to keep up with all that I'm doing on Twitter, plus breaking news and Footballguys site info, just click here.

And if you want to keep up with me on Facebook, click here.

Thanks for reading and I hope you have a great Wednesday.

J