FANTASY FOOTBALL PRE-SEASON FEATURES

When Bledsoe changed teams in 2002, he looked like the second coming of Jim Kelly for about half the season. His final numbers that season were eye-popping with 4359 yards passing and 24 touchdowns but the offense had already slowed at the end of that season. In 2003, the loss of Peerless Price and later injury to Eric Moulds brought the passing attack crashing to the earth with under 3000 yards and 11 touchdowns. And consider too many of those yards were trash time in big losses. This season Bledsoe gets to look over his shoulder since J.P.Losman was drafted, but he should have some rebound from the terrible 2003 season. He renegotiated his contract and while Eric Moulds is no younger he is healthy though no suitable #2 receiver stepped up last year. Bledsoe gets the rookie speedster Lee Evans and another year of experience for Josh Reed and Bobby Shaw. Bledsoe will never get you rushing yards, but a better receiving crew this season should find him as a suitable fantasy backup. Problem is that you’ll need to grab Losman too just in case he gets some play late in the season.

08/26/04 - Bledsoe deserves the uptick in rankings thanks to Losman being out of the picture for likely the entire season.

Brees is destined to be an unrestricted free agent in 2005, but his time has passed in San Diego. When the Chargers made the swap with the Giants to net Philip Rivers last April, it was “game-set-match” for Brees future in southern California. He had already lost his job to Doug Flutie last season but played out the final three games as window dressing for a trade that was never offered. The second quarterback taken in the 2001 draft, Brees is a prime example of how college success means little in the NFL and even less on a team like the Chargers that will not throw much nor carry anyone on the roster that can catch it well anyway. After three seasons, his final hurrah was in weeks seven through nine last year when he managed to throw five interceptions against no touchdowns. While Brees may start the season, he’s unlikely to play for long. For a fantasy team, neither he nor Rivers offers much upside for this season.

08/16/04 - Brees is enjoying Rivers protracted holdout much more than any other Charger player. He looks more likely as the season starter and if Rivers continues, it could extend well into the season.

Brooks comes off his best season though his numbers fell slightly in fantasy terms. His completion % is up and his pass/interception ratio is the best in the NFL. His 88.8 QB rating was the highest ever for a starting Saints quarterback and was 3 rd in the NFC. Brooks was 7 th in total yardage (3729) and scored 26 touchdowns. He continued his streak of 3500 passing yards per season. However, there is something about leading the entire NFL in fumbles (11) that does not sit well with coaches. Fumbles held aside, Brooks has made progress as a quarterback and had a QB rating in the top four in the NFL for 4 th quarter passing (96.8) and 3 rd quarter passing (93.7). The Saints have been a notoriously slow starting team under Brooks in games but have reduced their one-time typical late season slide, going 5-3 down the stretch in 2003. The Saints have a tremendous runner in Deuce McAllister and the same set of receivers return and who are dedicated to off-season conditioning to eliminate the many injuries by wideouts last year. The Saints also have a far easier schedule than in recent seasons.

08/25/04 - Brooks has been hobbled by a strained quadricep this summer and may not practice prior to the season opening. He is stil expected to be fine for the season.

It only took one game for Kurt Warner to get the hook and Bulger to step in. After Bulger’s big year, he is now the new Warner for the Rams. Bulger was 3 rd in the NFL with 3845 yards and was 2 nd with four 300 yard games. Thanks to his rushing ability, Marc had nine games with multiple touchdowns and only twice threw for less than 200 yards. Where Bulger stumbled was his NFL-worst 22 interceptions. While he lessened on the torrid pace from week 3 to 12 (16 in 9 games), he still threw one interception in each of his last five games. Turnovers aside, Bulger helped Tory Holt have his breakout season and the Rams were the 2 nd highest scoring team in the NFL (tied with the Colts). This season the same players return with the rookie Steven Jackson provided potentially more production should (when) Marshall Faulk is injured. Their schedule is no harder than last season and Bulger will be more experienced and prepared as a starter for 2004. His only downside is the declining production from Isaac Bruce.

08/25/04 - Bulger is a bigger concern now that his offensive line has lost the starting right tackle and center. Pace is still out but you can assume he comes to his senses right when the season is about to start.

Carter started out the season red hot with almost 600 yards in his first two games but by week six, he was back to his old self. Parcells offense typically would not throw unless needed and the Cowboys schedule was exceedingly kind, allowing the defense to win games. In half his starts, Carter threw for less than 200 yards (the standard for fantasy quarterbacks) and his weakness was clearly turning over the ball. Carter ranked second only to Marc Bulger for most interceptions last year. Those turnovers are a distinct reason why Carter is not considered a lock to hold the job forever. The Cowboys acquired Drew Henson as the hopeful next quarterback but the reality is that Henson’s lengthy layoff from football means he is probably a year away from merely being equal to a rookie. The Cowboys acquired Vinny Testaverde in early June and he will compete with Carter for the starting job in 2004. The Cowboys have upgraded at receiver with Keyshawn Johnson in a possession role but the offense is not designed to score a lot of points. It is meant to control the ball, gain yards and win the game. Carter is a hold-over from the previous regime and is not a “Parcells guy” like Testaverde is. Training camp will determine the starter but there’s no guarantee it does not change during the season anyway. The fantasy value of the Dallas QB is already risky enough without introducing a weekly unknown into the equation.

Update 8/4/04: Carter was released by the Cowboys today in light of a rumored positive testing for cocaine. He had already been in the substance abuse program and would have been due a four game suspension. As one commentator aptly put it - "either he has a serious drug problem or he is the dumbest man on the planet".

08/25/04 - Carter was signed by the NY Jets as the backup to Pennington.

A sprained MCL in his knee forced Fiedler to miss four games last season but even without that he was only on a pace for around 2800 yards which still falls well short of his 2001 performance. Add in that he only scored in seven of the twelve games and he was barely worthy of being a fantasy back-up. His best game of the season came in week 17 (328 yards) but he only managed five games over 200 yards. The Dolphins traded a 2005 second round pick for A.J., Feeley to challenge him this summer but early returns on the move see Fiedler hanging onto the job. Training camp could change matters but likely not. The Dolphins are on a quest to return to the playoffs because if they do not, this team will look different top to bottom in 2005. They’ve acquired David Boston to take over for Derrius Thompson and of course he has already underwhelmed the staff by reporting too heavy and, of course, acting like himself. Randy McMichael and Chris Chambers are two of the better players in their positions but with Ricky Williams leading the NFL with 392 carries last year, this is not an offense that throws very often. Watch the training camp battle between Fiedler and Feeley, but smart money has Fiedler again winning and again making only a serviceable backup quarterback for your fantasy team.

Update: This Ricky Williams fiasco should increase passing numbers and right now, Fiedler is the likely starter but still not a lock.

08/16/04 - Fiedler and Feeley are locked in a battle that may not be over until the season starts. Much too much risk to consider as even a backup quarterback except for very deep leagues.

Gannon took a mighty fall in only one season, dropping 3419 yards and 20 touchdowns from his MVP pace of 2002. That’s more than most quarterbacks manage to produce in a season. His only game of note was 348 yards and three scores against 11 mannequins wearing Charger uniforms. Otherwise the Raider wheels were already wobbling wildly before Gannon tore the labrum in his shoulder and called it a season in week seven. At the age of 38, Gannon is not a long-term answer for any team and the acquisition of Kerry Collins is the fallback for when he leaves. Since he refuses to take a pay cut and the Raiders have no monetary incentive to cut him before the season starts, he could depart at any time in July or August.Gannon has looked crisp and strong in mini-camps and claims to be back to 100% health. There is a chance that Gannon continues as the starter and Kerry Collins remains just a back-up. Hands off the Oakland quarterbacks until the situation is more clear.

08/16/04 - Gannon has looked good and Turner keeps reiterating that he is the starter. Oakland line looks improved so far as well. Still some risk from his age and Collins has looked okay as well.

Garcia goes to the Browns as a part of the 49ers attempt to remove all talent from their offense. He arrives never having scored less than 24 total touchdowns a season for the past four years and even during last year’s crash of the offense, he kept the offense going with a career best seven rushing scores. At 34 years old, Garcia is not a long-term answer for the Browns but he can turn in some nice fantasy games this season. He was brought to the Browns to provide a mature, winning attitude and to add quarterback mobility to the offense that has not fared well under either Kelly Holcomb or Tim Couch. The hope is that his scrambling will add a new dimension to worry the defenses. That rushing should ensure his fantasy value remains at least adequate. There may be no Terrell Owens to catch passes, but the Browns have a young and improving crew with Andre Davis, Quincy Morgan and Dennis “back in the fold” Northcutt. Add in the hottest rookie tight end in Kellen Winslow Jr. and Garcia will have plenty of targets when he decides to throw and not run. Watch out for the fantasy playoff weeks when the Browns are @BUF (14) and @MIA (16).

08/16/04 - It is still early, but the Brown's passing game is not looking cohesive while the running game looks at least adequate. He needs to rank below Brad Johnson and Tom Brady due to risk alone.

Grossman has been given the starting nod for 2004 after showing enough in the final three games of last season and impressing the coaches during his first training camp last summer. During week 16, he put together a nice 27-24 win over the Redskins and likely cemented his role this season. Grossman was the runner-up for the Heisman in 2001 and played three years for Florida. Head coach Steve Spurrier said that Grossman was the most talented quarterback he had ever coached but Grossman’s numbers suffered his final season in college with a new coach and a lesser team. This season, Grossman inherits the helm with new OC Terry Shea (ex-KC QB coach responsible for Trent Green) and a nice set of receivers that include Marty Booker, Justin Gage and Desmond Clark. Chicago has never been considered a pass heavy team, but Smith intends on bringing a more wide open style to the offense with motion and multiple receivers and Terry Shea’s background is steeped in developing quarterbacks for the West Coast offense.

08/22/04 - The loss of Booker does not add to the attraction of Grossman for your fantasy team.

08/29/04 - The Bears pass offense is looking even worse now that Booker is gone and Grossman does not appear to even be a safe fantasy backup except for the deepest of leagues.