Pardon the bandwidth, but this article comes off our FF site so I'm not sure all could access the URL.
These guys are picking K.C. faster than a illegal grape picker in the San Juaquin Valley can count his benefits.
http://www.fanball.com/fb/article.cfm/ID.4524
Predictions Extravaganza
Will Jake Delhomme and the Panthers go back to the Super Bowl?
By Fanball Staff
September 8, 2005 12:00 AM ET
The NFL regular season is finally upon us. Time to throw out some prognostications about the year ahead. With the aid of a keg of beer, a set of tarot cards, a crystal ball, some pretzel rods, a dartboard, and an ouija board we asked each of our staff members to come up with 12 predictions for 2005.
Paul Charchian, Publisher
NFC North champions: Minnesota Vikings
NFC South champions: Carolina Panthers
NFC East champions: Philadelphia Eagles
NFC West champions: Seattle Seahawks
AFC North champions: Baltimore Ravens
AFC South champions: Indianapolis Colts
AFC East champions: Buffalo Bills
AFC West champions: Kansas City Chiefs
Super Bowl champions: Chiefs over Panthers
Fantasy Rookie of the Year: Ronnie Brown
There's a reason Brown was the first running back taken. A Tomlinson clone, Brown will add a shot of dynamic versatility to a traditionally moribund offense. With Ricky Williams a non-factor until week six, Brown will be cemented as the starter before Williams returns.
Fantasy Bust of the Year: J.J. Arrington
Arrington has looked lousy throughout the preseason, and he may not start for the opener. His offensive line is miserable, and teams will be blitzing Kurt Warner constantly, which will create problems for the running game as well.
Fantasy Player of the Year: LaDainian Tomlinson
L.T. is a no brainer, and I won't insult your intelligence by describing his many amazing attributes.
Bo Mitchell, Managing Editor
NFC North champions: Minnesota Vikings
NFC South champions: Carolina Panthers
NFC East champions: Philadelphia Eagles
NFC West champions: Arizona Cardinals
AFC North champions: Baltimore Ravens
AFC South champions: Jacksonville Jaguars
AFC East champions: New England Patriots
AFC West champions: Kansas City Chiefs
Super Bowl champions: Ravens over Panthers
Fantasy Rookie of the Year: Ronnie Brown
I don't see any of the rookie wide receivers making a big fantasy impact, and rookie quarterbacks never do. That leaves the running backs, which leads me to Brown by process of elimination almost as much as anything. I like Brown's skill set slightly more than Cadillac Williams, and, no, Ricky Williams will not be a factor.
Fantasy Bust of the Year: Jamal Lewis
I was riding shotgun in the Jamal bandwagon earlier this spring when I thought people were undervaluing him while he was behind bars. But the ankle problems that hampered him this preseason prevented me from drafting him. And now he seems more interested in griping about the lack of a contract extension than he is in the start of the season this weekend.
Fantasy Player of the Year: LaDainian Tomlinson
The schedule is tough and I think the Drew Brees-Antonio Gates connection was a bit of a mirage, but I think Tomlinson is just too good. If he has to shoulder even more of the load himself, the numbers could get absurd.
John Tuvey, Senior Editor
NFC North champions: Minnesota Vikings
NFC South champions: Carolina Panthers
NFC East champions: Philadelphia Eagles
NFC West champions: Seattle Seahawks
AFC North champions: Cincinnati Bengals
AFC South champions: Indianapolis Colts
AFC East champions: New England Patriots
AFC West champions: Denver Broncos
Super Bowl champions: Colts over Vikings
Fantasy Rookie of the Year: Cedric Benson
Benson won't be the best rookie back at the start of the season… but then again, neither were Julius Jones or Kevin Jones last year, and those two of the top runners—rookie or otherwise—the second half of the season. Chicago's defense will keep games close, so it won't matter who their quarterback is, other than that it will be someone whom they won't want throwing the ball more than necessary. The Bears' offensive line is underrated, and they get the Packers (likely to be without Grady Jackson, their only run-stopper, by that point of the season) twice over the final five weeks of the year. Benson will gradually take over from Thomas Jones to the point that, over the final two months of the year, he could approximate what KJ and JJ did a year ago.
Fantasy Bust of the Year: Ahman Green
I'm not convinced the Packers have successfully replaced the starting guards they lost in the offseason. Moreover, their defense appears quite shaky, which could force them to play from behind more frequently than they'd like—in essence, forcing them away from the ground game and towards the passing game. Green Bay has already showed they're more than willing to use Tony Fisher or Najeh Davenport at the stripe (probably because of Green's fumbling problems, which flared again during the preseason), and if Brett Favre is nearing the end of his career he's going to go out slinging rather than handing the ball to Green. It all adds up to another substandard season for Ahman—especially if you spent a first- or second-round pick to get him.
Fantasy Player of the Year: Domanick Davis
Davis is a bit like an indigent man's Priest Holmes. He's a great receiver out of the backfield, he frequently gets nicked up, and he's rarely denied at the stripe. As in past years, the Texans won't be able to keep David Carr's jersey clean. However, the Houston line is as good at run blocking—especially in their new zone scheme—as they are bad at pass blocking. Davis will pile up copious yardage, challenge for the league scoring crown, and reward those who demonstrated their faith by expending a high pick on him.
Ted Carlson, Senior Editor
NFC North champions: Minnesota Vikings
NFC South champions: Atlanta Falcons
NFC East champions: Philadelphia Eagles
NFC West champions: Seattle Seahawks
AFC North champions: Baltimore Ravens
AFC South champions: Indianapolis Colts
AFC East champions: New York Jets
AFC West champions: Kansas City Chiefs
Super Bowl champions: Eagles over Jets
Fantasy Rookie of the Year: Carnell Williams
Cadillac carries fewer questions and concerns than his fellow rookie runners and receivers, and I believe he's a good fit in Gruden's system. Despite some o-line worries, Williams will comfortably match and likely exceed Michael Pittman's 2004 totals.
Fantasy Bust of the Year: Tiki Barber
I'm a big Barber fan, but there are too many signs pointing towards a dropoff for me to choose anyone else here. I don't believe he'll bust all the way back to his 2003 totals, but it might be pretty close.
Fantasy Player of the Year: Priest Holmes
Sure, I'm worried about Larry Johnson stealing some carries and a few scores, but the Chiefs' running game is so proficient that Holmes will still manage to lead the league in touchdowns and finish near the top in total yards.
Court E. Mann, Associate Editor
NFC North champions: Minnesota Vikings
NFC South champions: Carolina Panthers
NFC East champions: Philadelphia Eagles
NFC West champions: St. Louis Rams
AFC North champions: Baltimore Ravens
AFC South champions: Indianapolis Colts
AFC East champions: New England Patriots
AFC West champions: Denver Broncos
Super Bowl champions: Eagles over Colts
Fantasy Rookie of the Year: Cadillac Williams
From where I sit, Cadillac Williams has a leg up on all the rookies right now. J.J. Arrington has struggled mightily in the desert, Cedric Benson and Ronnie Brown apparently have a lot of catching up to do, and first-year wideouts are notoriously slower to develop than runners. The Cadillac will take that head start and go wire-to-wire for Rookie of the Year honors.
Fantasy Bust of the Year: Brett Favre
Admittedly, Favre has been a bust candidate for the last five years and has essentially spit in the face of Father Time with his consecutive start streak. However, it's telling that for the bulk of that timeframe, Favre went virtually injury-free, while last year there were more than a few bumps in the road, including problems with his thumb, hamstring, head, and hand. Already this preseason he's sustained an ankle injury. In addition to the inevitable fact that his soon-to-be 36-year-old body is breaking down, the problem is that a depleted offensive line will subject him to increased hits. Don't get caught counting on one more year.
Fantasy Player of the Year: LaDainian Tomlinson
It seems this time of year, every running back and their mother is talking about 2,000 yards, but L.T. is like E.F. Hutton. When he talks, I listen. Dude is entering his prime at 29 years old and already owns the second-best total yardage season in NFL history. Heck, he was injured virtually the entire 2004 season and still went off for nearly 1,800 total yards and at least one touchdown in all but one game. Behind an improving offensive line that returns completely in tact, it wouldn't surprise me one bit to see Tomlinson break Marshall Faulk's total yardage record (2,429 yards) and crack 20 touchdowns.
Jason Powell, Associate Editor
NFC North champions: Minnesota Vikings
NFC South champions: Carolina Panthers
NFC East champions: Philadelphia Eagles
NFC West champions: Arizona Cardinals
AFC North champions: Pittsburgh Steelers
AFC South champions: Indianapolis Colts
AFC East champions: New York Jets
AFC West champions: Kansas City Chiefs
Super Bowl champions: Vikings over Jets
Fantasy Player of the Year: LaDainian Tomlinson
Peyton Manning or Daunte Culpepper will dominate in leagues that idiotically award six points for a touchdown pass. But fantasy owners who use normal scoring formats know that Tomlinson is the easy, safe pick for this award. He scores on a near weekly basis and (knock on wood) has yet to miss a substantial amount of playing time due to injury.
Fantasy Rookie of the Year: Carnell Williams
Ronnie Brown has a lousy offensive line and might lose carries to Ricky Williams. Cedric Benson has a great offensive line, but he might lose carries to Thomas Jones. Although Williams plays behind a mediocre (putting it mildly) offensive line, he won't lose carries to Michael Pittman or anyone else this year. Count on a big season from Cadillac.
Fantasy Bust of the Year: Tatum Bell
I'm sticking with the pick I made for the Fantasy Football Weekly Draft Issue back in June. Yes, Bell has talent, but his head coach is a nut case. Tatum could still end up taking the majority of the carries this season even though Mike Anderson has been named the starter, but don't let anyone who is sweating bullets over his status right now claim at the end of the year that they were never worried.
Christian Peterson, Associate Editor
NFC North champions: Minnesota Vikings
NFC South champions: Carolina Panthers
NFC East champions: Philadelphia Eagles
NFC West champions: St. Louis Rams
AFC North champions: Baltimore Ravens
AFC South champions: Indianapolis Colts
AFC East champions: New York Jets
AFC West champions: Denver Broncos
Super Bowl champions: Vikings over Colts
Fantasy Rookie of the Year: Cadillac Williams
There are just too many question marks surrounding each of the other rookie running backs, and the freshmen wideouts are either buried on the depth chart or catching passes from Trent Dilfer. All preseason, we've been hearing about how much Jon Gruden loves Cadillac, so I'm not concerned about Michael Pittman stealing carries from him at all. Pittman had nearly 1,000 yards and seven touchdowns in just 13 games last season. Williams should easily surpass those numbers in a full slate this year.
Fantasy Bust of the Year: Curtis Martin
I'm not saying it's impossible for a 32-year-old with 10 years of mileage on his legs to repeat what amounted to a career year, but, well, I guess that's exactly what I'm saying. Three things make me worry about C-Mart this season: 1) He has scored double-digit touchdowns just four times in 10 seasons. 2) He lost two huge run-blockers on the right side of the O-line. C-Mart ran for 675 yards and six touchdowns behind Kareem Mackenzie and Anthony Becht on the right side in 2004. Both are gone, replaced by pass-blocking specialist and second-year man Adrian Jones and the perennially disappointing Eric Baker. 3) New offensive coordinator Mike Hiemerdinger is introducing a more aggressive, more vertical passing game. While I'm sure he won't completely forget about Martin, it could mean the Jets hit more home runs, leaving less two and three-yard scoring scampers for Martin.
Fantasy Player of the Year: Willis McGahee
I mean, anyone who rushes for 3,000 yards and adds 30 touchdowns is probably the Fantasy MVP, right?
Jon Lopuch, Associate Editor
NFC North champions: Minnesota Vikings
NFC South champions: Carolina Panthers
NFC East champions: Philadelphia Eagles
NFC West champions: St. Louis Rams
AFC North champions: Baltimore Ravens
AFC South champions: Indianapolis Colts
AFC East champions: New York Jets
AFC West champions: Kansas City Chiefs
Super Bowl champions: Panthers over Jets
Fantasy Rookie of the Year: Carnell "Cadillac" Williams
Both quarterbacks taken in the first round are mastering how to hold a clip board right now and rookie receiver rarely make a fantasy impact, so I know the fantasy rookie of the year will be a running back. J.J. Arrington and Ronnie Brown both play behind offensive lines that would have trouble stopping the French army from advancing, so I'm not going to count on much from them this season. Cedric Benson isn't even going to be the starter for the first few weeks and it is unlikely he'll play more than a handful of third downs. On the other hand, Williams will be on the field in every situation (unlike Benson), is surrounded by plenty of offensive talent (unlike Brown), and has looked good in limited preseason action (unlike Arrington). Cadillac has the smoothest ride this season and will reward Jon Gruden's puppy-love for him with an excellent season.
Fantasy Bust of the Year: Clinton Portis
Despite an upgrade to his offensive line and increased familiarity with the offense, Portis will once again disappoint fantasy owners who used an early pick on him. We discovered last year that his running style is a poor fit for Joe Gibbs' scheme and the team did nothing over the offseason to address their woeful passing game. His schedule is softer than a Larry King question, so he'll post reasonable numbers this season. However, his final production will be no better than backs taken several rounds later and will leave you wondering why you didn't learn from last season.
Fantasy Player of the Year: Shaun Alexander
When you mix an absurd amount of talent with a cup of consistency and then add in a pinch of contract-year motivation, you get the recipe for the fantasy player of the year. Each of Alexander's divisional foes finished 20th or below in run defense last season and his won't run into a tough defense during any week of the fantasy playoffs. He may not have the talent for an LT or the sky-high potential of the fantasy pontiff, but his cake schedule and four straight seasons of at least 16 total touchdowns have me convinced that this will the year Alexander sits atop the fantasy world.
Chris Bracke, Associate Editor
NFC North champions: Minnesota Vikings
NFC South champions: Carolina Panthers
NFC East champions: Philadelphia Eagles
NFC West champions: Arizona Cardinals
AFC North champions: Cincinnati Bengals
AFC South champions: Indianapolis Colts
AFC East champions: New England Patriots
AFC West champions: Denver Broncos
Super Bowl champions: Colts over Vikings
Fantasy Rookie of the Year: Carnell Williams
Of the handful of rookie running backs slated for the starting role this season, I believe Carnell 'Cadillac' Williams will be the best of the bunch. Buccaneers coach Jon Gruden blushes with excitement over the possibilities and given Cadillac's potential, the rushing to passing TD ratio that sat at 9-to-24 last year should be much closer to even this season.
Fantasy Bust of the Year: Michael Bennett
The Vikings have a crowded running back stable and the one player whose constitution most resembles wet tissue paper, in Bennett, still sits at the top of the depth chart. Last year's surprise Mewelde Moore, rookie Ciatrick Fason, and perennial goaline back Moe Williams are chomping at the bit for an opportunity and all should see looks at some point this season. After all, it's only a matter of time until the injuries are too much for the former Badger all too often lauded for his track star skills.
Fantasy Player of the Year: Shaun Alexander
It's a broken record, but solid running backs win fantasy championships and players who carry you to fantasy championships are deserving of the Player of the Year award. L.T. was certainly worthy of a look here, but I'm not convinced the Chargers difficult schedule won't help other backs achieve similar numbers. Alexander settled on a one-year deal after justifiably complaining over the lack of a long-term deal this offseason. It only delays his cashing in by one more year and you can bet he'll be running hungry this season. Alexander has scored more touchdowns than L.T. and is more durable than Priest which should inevitably make him the top running back and the Fantasy Player of the Year.
Rick Magnuson, Associate Editor
NFC North champions: Minnesota Vikings
NFC South champions: Carolina Panthers
NFC East champions: Philadelphia Eagles
NFC West champions: St. Louis Rams
AFC North champions: Pittsburgh Steelers
AFC South champions: Indianapolis Colts
AFC East champions: New England Patriots
AFC West champions: San Diego Chargers
Super Bowl champions: Patriots over Vikings
Fantasy Rookie of the Year: J.J. Arrington
It's not that I love Arrington out of the rookie class, but it's all the other guys – Benson, Brown, Edwards – took either too long to report to camp or have an able body behind them on the depth chart. Arrington's only obstacle is Marcel Shipp, if you can call that an obstacle. Denny Green has churned out a good rookie running back or two, so I'm buying the speedster from Cal Berkley.
Fantasy Bust of the Year: Brett Favre
Trust me here; I don't like doing this to a guy who's endured so much over the past few years. But because of his off field distractions, and his impeccable consecutive games played record, it's easy to see his luck on the football field is bound to dry up. Plus, it's never a good omen when ol' No. 4 twists his ankle in the last game of the preseason. It's as if he's daring the fantasy football gods.
Fantasy Player of the Year: Peyton Manning
It's way too simple saying L.T. will be the Fantasy Player of the Year. But truth be told, it's rarely that the consensus No. 1 pick of the fantasy draft finishes as the year's best player. Manning has been too good for too long for me to ignore him as this year's Player of the Year. While he may not chuck 49 scores again, he'll do enough to distance himself from the rest of the elite players.
Somebody really like the Chiefs...
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ChargerMike
- 2007/2011 JFFL champ
- Posts: 5647
- Joined: Sat Jan 15, 2005 6:26 pm
- Location: So.Cal.
Somebody really like the Chiefs...
JIP said...Hell, Michael Sam has more integrity than you do.
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Frank Football
- I'm Frank About Football
- Posts: 177
- Joined: Mon Jan 17, 2005 3:44 pm
- Location: Phoenix, Arizona
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Frank Football
- I'm Frank About Football
- Posts: 177
- Joined: Mon Jan 17, 2005 3:44 pm
- Location: Phoenix, Arizona
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Frank Football
- I'm Frank About Football
- Posts: 177
- Joined: Mon Jan 17, 2005 3:44 pm
- Location: Phoenix, Arizona
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Frank Football
- I'm Frank About Football
- Posts: 177
- Joined: Mon Jan 17, 2005 3:44 pm
- Location: Phoenix, Arizona
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Frank Football
- I'm Frank About Football
- Posts: 177
- Joined: Mon Jan 17, 2005 3:44 pm
- Location: Phoenix, Arizona
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KC Scott
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Frank Football
- I'm Frank About Football
- Posts: 177
- Joined: Mon Jan 17, 2005 3:44 pm
- Location: Phoenix, Arizona
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Frank Football
- I'm Frank About Football
- Posts: 177
- Joined: Mon Jan 17, 2005 3:44 pm
- Location: Phoenix, Arizona
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ChargerMike
- 2007/2011 JFFL champ
- Posts: 5647
- Joined: Sat Jan 15, 2005 6:26 pm
- Location: So.Cal.
Frank Football wrote:KC Paul 3.0 wrote:
Hey, it's OK that you don't have the sack to back up your fat mouth. Just be in here Sunday afternoon after the Chiefs take their beat down and offer your usual lame ass excuses, BOARD BITCH (three-peat)!
Have fun watching the game in bed Sunday.
KCK...the proof it's you stuck in the sack.... Springer on the tube.
JIP said...Hell, Michael Sam has more integrity than you do.
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ChargerMike
- 2007/2011 JFFL champ
- Posts: 5647
- Joined: Sat Jan 15, 2005 6:26 pm
- Location: So.Cal.
