FANTASY FOOTBALL PRE-SEASON FEATURES

After six consecutive seasons over 4000 passing yards, Manning fell back to "just" 3739 yards in 2005 and his "off season" meant that he only ranked fifth in yards and second in touchdowns (28). What 2005 brought was effectively the same numbers from his rookie season without all the interceptions. The improved defense and new focus on the running game led to a very slow start for the year over the initial three weeks but then Manning picked it back up and scored 26 touchdowns over the next 11 games. He seemed to be in decline last year only because 2004 was a record-setting year. Otherwise, last year was pretty close to what we've come to expect from him.

The changes this year in the passing game are really nothing but the loss of Edgerrin James places a whole new spin on this offense. Rather than become involved in those wonderful shoot-outs of the past, the Colts relied heavily on James last year and now the question is if either Dominic Rhodes or Joseph Addai will be able to carry the torch with anywhere near the effectiveness of James.

Manning is always the safest bet at quarterback in a fantasy draft and even a "down" year still is better than what almost all other quarterbacks will manage. In the seasons that James was either absent or returning from injury and limited, Manning had over 4100 passing yards and about 27 touchdowns in both years.

Maybe it seemed like a down year for the New England Patriots, but fantasy owners of Tom Brady could not have been happier with the way it ended up - a career best 4110 yards which led the entire league. Brady also placed third in touchdown passes (26) only two short of his high mark from 2004. While Brady has been undervalued in literally every fantasy draft since 2001, that won't likely happen this year.

He merely turned in four efforts over 300 yards and scored in 14 of 16 games. Half of his games had at least two scores in them. He's pretty much been doing this for four years now. Though the Patriots have always lacked that one big receiver, the scheme calls for Brady to spread the wealth so much that the only people getting rich are the ones that drafted Brady.

The Patriots went through their first season without OC Charlie Weis but Brady's numbers say everything is just fine. They also have a slightly easier schedule than they had in 2005. No one is going to unseat Peyton Manning from the top but with the sharp decline in top quarterbacks due to McNabb and Culpepper, it is far easier to explain why Brady should be selected second to Manning than it is to reason why he is not.

(-Risk) After one season as the starter, Carson Palmer broke out last year exactly the way the Bengals had hoped when they spent the first overall pick in the 2003 draft on him. Palmer ended 2005 ranked 4th in passing yards and 1st in touchdown passes with a league leading 32 scores. He did that with barely any play in the final game which meant that not only did he throw a touchdown in every game except one, he opted to have his only rushing score on the year in that one game. Far more impressive than scoring in every game was the fact that he had multiple touchdowns a dozen times and exceeded 270 passing yards in seven games.

His incredible season came to a crashing end when he was sacked in the playoff game against the Steelers and tore both his anterior cruciate ligament and medial collateral ligament in his left knee. There was concern that the injury was career threatening but the surgeon was able to replace the ACL and MCL without needing to remove pieces of cartilage or soft tissue. His rehabilitation is said to be going well but until there is definitive word on his mobility, it will be difficult to assess his readiness for the 2006 season. Training camp should give a far better idea of his health though he'll be undoubtedly treated with kid gloves there in the best case scenario. His starting two receivers are both under 30 years of age and just now starting to hit their prime.

The Bengals did allow Jon Kitna to leave via free agency which could be a slightly positive indicator. They signed Anthony Wright in the offseason to provide back-up or even start in the event Palmer is now quite ready when the season opens. This makes Palmer a potentially boom or bust player this season and yet with that a good opportunity in a draft. If he appears to need more time before returning, he will obviously drop in drafts. But it could work out like getting a top 3 quarterback towards the middle of the draft for the weeks he can play. The Bengals return almost every offensive starter, so only his knee stands between him and a repeat of a glorious 2005 season.

08-04-06 Update: Palmer gets bumped up once because he appears to be healing very well from his knee injury last January. A completely healthy Palmer is a lock for being the #2 quarterback but he stands at 4th right now because his risk still exists. If you take Palmer in the 4th or later rounds and he plays even 90% of what he did last year - you got a steal.

08-29-06 Update: Palmer looked very sharp in his first preseason game when he shredded the Packers for 140 yards and three touchdowns in one half of play. It was just the Packers and it is only preseason, but Palmer looked every bit as good as hoped. He moves up into tier one but his knee is still not 100%. But evidently he can play with it.

(+Upside) While Eli Manning had a rather inauspicious start to his career when seven rookie starts topped out with a 201 yard game and his six scores were amply balanced by nine interceptions. 2005 showed that Manning had been doing his homework in the offseason. Given a new weapon with Plaxico Burress, Manning proceeded to throw for at least one score in all but one game and he had five efforts exceed 290 yards. Ending with 3762 passing yards ranked him 5th in the NFL last year and his 24 touchdowns tied for 4th as well. It was a banner year.

Manning slowed down a bit after midseason though he continued to sling touchdowns at least once a week but Tiki Barber was a major reason why the passing game was not as necessary. When he faced NFC East opponents, he only once had more than that one score in a game and all three defenses could be even better this year - Philly for sure. Still, the passing game in New York will only be one year better.

This is Manning's third season and while he elicited some snickers as a rookie, no one is laughing now but the Eli owners. The Giants schedule should be no worse than 2005 and Manning will be one year more experienced. Look for Peyton's little brother to continue to make a name for himself.

For the last three seasons, Matt Hasselbeck has been a good fantasy quarterback that always seemed like he was on the verge of great. He has thrown between 22 and 26 touchdowns each season during that time and he even has a very healthy ratio with interceptions. Hasselbeck scored in all but one game last year so it seems only reasonable to consider him as an elite quarterback.

The problem from last year was that he was a good quarterback in every game but rarely ever had a truly great "win your week" performance. He only recorded one 300 yard game last year against three in 2004 and four in 2005. With the great rushing by Shaun Alexander, Hasselbeck rarely ever gets into any shootout. His numbers from 2005 were boosted with seven scores that came late season against SF and TEN. He had five games where he failed to top 200 yards.

That all said, Hasselbeck at least plays San Francisco twice a season and is in the best division for passing as long as Alexander doesn't take most of the action. Once again, the Seahawks are blessed with one of the best passing schedules in the league. They lost Joe Jurevicius but added Nate Burleson to fill the split end position while Bobby Engram moves back to the slot where he is better suited. For three seasons, Hasselbeck has looked like he will have a really big year but Alexander keeps messing it up. He is as safe as any quarterback to have a good year and that alone makes him a definite starter. He has one other factor this year which is particularly inviting - fantasy playoff week match-ups against ARZ, SF and SD. If Alexander will only let him exploit that.

(+Upside) Drew Bledsoe threw 23 touchdowns last season - more than any other Dallas quarterback since Troy Aikman had in 1992. His 3639 passing yards were the most by a Cowboys quarterback since Danny White. Bledsoe ranked eighth in the NFL last year in both passing yards and scores and he threw at least one touchdown in all but one game.

The big story going into this season is the addition of Terrell Owens who has replaced Keyshawn Johnson. The rest of the offense is the same for ball-handlers so the question is how different will last year's offense be with Owens instead of Johnson? Bledsoe has already out-performed (at least statistically) every Dallas quarterback other than White and Aikman. When Owens went to Philadelphia, he raised McNabb's yardage by 600 over the previous season and upped his career best touchdown mark from 25 to 31 in 2004. Owens has always had an effect. A rather good one, at least until he wears out his welcome.

While there were some questions about the offensive line when Larry Allen left, the Cowboys have worked on improving the blocking by acquiring OT Jason Fabini from the Jets and OG Kyle Kosier from the Lions. HC Bill Parcells stated this should be the best O-line since he has been there. The upside on Bledsoe is pretty high if he can just repeat last season and add on additional numbers from Owens' presence. The Cowboys will never be a pass-first team but Bledsoe should have a good year with chance for having one of his best seasons. That makes for a decent starter if you waited too long in the draft and a terrific back-up quarterback for your team that could develop into much more.

(-Risk) Over the last three seasons, Marc Bulger has averaged around 270 passing yards and 1.5 touchdowns per game. Pretty impressive numbers until they get multiplied by the number of games he has played each season (which, incidentally, is never "16"). Bulger has manned the high-powered Rams offense very well during his time as a starter but he just has not remained in the game for the entire season. In fact, it's getting worse each year. In 2005, he had a red hot start to the season and then missed two games due to a sprained AC joint in his shoulder. He later bruised his shoulder and received a concussion in week 11 which sidelined him for the rest of the season.

The Rams new HC Scott Linehan promised to bring in the same offense that made Daunte Culpepper a star in Minnesota and even Gus Frerotte looked good in Miami last year. Linehan wants to keep Bulger in the game and is planning on installing a no-huddle offense option, an audible system for Bulger and fewer seven step drop throws to minimize the exposure for sacks and hits. The only downside to Linehan is that he wants to run the ball more than what Steven Jackson is used to getting.

This will not be the same offense of Mike Martz, but it so far has been just as effective and should help Bulger to stay on the field and remain just as deadly as he has been. The offense may take a bit of time to gel, but there are no new players to mesh with so it will be the entire squad from last year still working together. As usual, the Rams have a nice schedule this year and with the changes being made by Linehan, a chance that Bulger remains a fantasy gem for the entire season. Make sure you grab Gus Frerotte as Bulger's back-up since he has been with Linehan in both MIN and MIA.

(-Risk) Donovan McNabb endured a hellish 2005 when he bruised his chest in the first game of the season but still returned the next week to throw for five touchdowns and 342 yards against the 49ers. Within two weeks, he was diagnosed with a sports hernia. A month later he added bruised ribs. Finally in week ten, he was blocked during an interception return by Roy Williams that further aggravated his hernia and he ended his season. He underwent surgery in late November to correct the hernia and a torn groin muscle.

McNabb had been a "17 TD" sort of quarterback for the two seasons prior to Terrell Owens and then shot up to 31 in 2004. He had 3875 yards with Owens the first year and was on a pace of 4600 yards through the first seven games last year before Owens stopped playing. Of his 15 touchdowns by week seven, six had gone to Owens. Consider that 2003 was his last non-Owens season and he only had two 300 yard games and nine match-ups fell below 200 passing yards that year. With Owens, McNabb had six 300 yards games and only once fell below 200 yards.

McNabb has completely healed from his surgery and has participated in minicamps. What he won't have in 2006 is a premier wideout or even the same offensive coordinator since Brad Childress left for Minnesota. His best wideout now is second-year Reggie Brown. The Eagles schedule starts out lightly with games against HOU, SF and GB. But then in the fantasy playoffs, McNabb battles a schedule quirk that sends him @WAS, @NYG and @DAL just when you would need him most. Considering that and the possible return to pedestrian numbers without Owens means McNabb will likely be drafted too early and even if he comes at a fair price, when you need him the most is when his schedule is the toughest.

(-Risk) Amazingly enough, Trent Green comes off what some considered being a disappointing season when he only threw 17 touchdowns. And yet, Green also had 4014 passing yards, which was the third consecutive season over the 4000 yard mark. Not unlike Peyton Manning, Green had a slow start to the season but later heated up just fine, notching four different games over 300 passing yards. Unlike Manning, he just did not produce the scores as he did the previous two seasons of 24 and 27 touchdowns.

The biggest factor in the lack of touchdowns was undoubtedly Larry Johnson who became a scoring sponge anytime the Chiefs got near the goal line. The Chiefs also had injuries to the offensive line that required Tony Gonzalez to remain back as a blocker earlier in the season. Green's season actually closely resembled his first year in Kansas City when he had 3783 yards and 17 scores. New HC Herman Edwards promoted up line coach Mike Solari to maintain continuity, but losing Al Saunders won't likely make the team pass any more or any better.

This year Green will face a much easier schedule than in 2005 and the rushing game with Larry Johnson will take plenty of focus off the passing game by the defense. Look for Green to once again turn in a good season but his touchdown totals won't raise quite to the level of 2003 and 2004. His yardage could fall back a bit as well. The offensive line is still intact and primed for a record season for Larry Johnson - that won't make for as many passes.

(-Risk) (+Upside) Warner's first season in Phoenix went reasonably well. He threw for only 11 touchdowns but had 1711 yards in just ten games played. That makes it three seasons since he has lasted for the full 16 games though in New York he was pulled to allow Eli Manning to start. Warner was hampered last year by a torn groin muscle that forced him to miss four and a half games early in the year and then he missed two and a half more games at the end of the year when he injured his medial collateral ligament. Still, his production was pretty solid in the games that he did play and he ended with five efforts over 300 yards.

With the drafting of Matt Leinart, Warner once again gets to look over his shoulder knowing that his replacement is waiting. The Cardinals are blessed with a relatively light schedule this season which should help Warner to keep the kid on the bench and the addition of Edgerrin James could actually help the passing game since last year the Cardinals ended dead last in the NFL for rushing and every defense simply loaded up against the pass. With James on board, committing the defense to just the pass won't be an option. James could affect the total passing yardage to a degree, but should also help out with making the passing more effective and with more touchdowns - a problem last year.

Taking Warner this season is not a bad idea with the pass happy offense that has added a running game. James could well end up as a favored passing target for Warner as well. But Warner has been less than durable and at the age of 35 is not likely to be any better. If you take Warner, Leinart should be a certain back-up to get before someone steals him.

Not bad when an undrafted quarterback can parlay almost no playing time in New Orleans for five seasons into a three year span with the Panthers that has included a Super Bowl and playoff games. Jake Delhomme has made superstars of both Muhsin Muhammad and last year Steve Smith. He stepped back a bit from his 3886 yards and 30 touchdowns in 2004 but still managed to turn in 3421 yards and 25 scores last season which tied him for fourth best in touchdowns last year.

While Delhomme has not been an elite quarterback, he has been a very solid contributor with consistent play and multiple touchdown passes in about half of his games. Consider too that his last two big seasons came when he really only had one viable receiving option each year. This season should provide an even better passing offense for the Panthers with Keyshawn Johnson who was acquired in the offseason. One oddity - Delhomme had six games with multiple touchdowns and yet only one came as a visitor.

Delhomme has been a very good fantasy choice the last two seasons, though not a great one. With a viable second receiver and a more consistent ground game with DeShaun Foster and DeAngelo Williams, Delhomme should be a safe bet for a repeat from last year though a better ground game could lower his numbers. Also to consider, the Panthers have a rough passing schedule this season and play NYG, PIT and @ATL during fantasy playoffs.

(+Upside) Steve McNair agreed to a deal with the Baltimore Ravens that will pay him $11 million in a signing bonus and then $1 million for the 2006 season. Problem is that the Titans would not allow McNair to workout for fear he could injure himself but an arbitrator fixed that at the first of June and McNair was moved in exchange for a fourth round pick next year.

McNair goes to a "run first" team that has struggled mightily with passing for many years. This move will not only give McNair at least one more season in the NFL, but it will reunite him with his long-time #1 wideout Derrick Mason. McNair instantly becomes the best Ravens quarterback in the history of the franchise without having actually worn a uniform.

While it may take a little time for McNair to get comfortable, as a 10 year veteran he'll be able to pick up the offense in quick order. McNair should also help out the production of Todd Heap since his entire career has been heavy on using the tight end. McNair is no long term answer, but he should prove to be the best immediate help they have ever had under center and he will give the Ravens offense the one aspect that they have always lacked - a balanced attack.

08-18-06 Update: McNair takes a healthy bump up to 14th with the rather impressive showing in two preseason games. He's throwing to Mason like they were never apart and showing great chemistry with Todd Heap already.

(-Risk) (+Upside) After five seasons, there can be no more conjecture about Vick. He is what he is. And that is a supremely gifted running quarterback who has below average passing skills. During his five seasons, he has averaged seven runs for 55 yards per game. He also has only averaged about 14 completions for 170 yards per game with less than one touchdown per game. In his most prolific season (2002), he only had 2936 yards passing and the last two years when there was a stated desire to get him throwing more, he only ended with around 2400 yards per year. He has risen up to a high of 13 passing scores as of last year, but that came at a price of 13 interceptions and five fumbles.

He is what he is. A great running quarterback that is a benefit in leagues where rushing yardage counts more than passing yardage. He did manage to score six times on the ground as well so his value in fantasy terms can be rather high in the right scoring scenario. It can be downright mediocre in others.

Another problem facing Vick this season is that he will be playing against the NFC East and AFC North which has given him one of the very worst schedules of any quarterback this year. He could not pass well last year with a far easier schedule and there is no reason to assume he will magically improve in his sixth season. He is what he is - Michael Vick. A great runner who will miss at least one game or more but who will be fairly consistent with rushing yardage.

Though Jake Plummer had a slow start in Denver - he only had 15 scores and 2182 yards with the Broncos thanks to an injury shortened season - he really blossomed in 2004 when he turned in several career high stats. Plummer threw for 27 touchdowns that year, nine more than he ever had. He also threw for 4089 yards for a career best. It appeared that Plummer had found his niche.

Last year Plummer played all 16 games but ended with only 3366 passing yards and a total of 20 touchdowns. His performance was not bad since his 61% completion rate was actually better than his 2004 season. He only threw seven interceptions as well. But during the playoffs, he was vintage Plummer (which means decidedly average). In two games, he never had more than 223 passing yards and scored only twice against three interceptions and two lost fumbles. That was enough to give Shanahan the big eyes when he saw a chance to snag Jay Cutler.

Plummer will be the starter this season and there is little reason to expect he loses any time to Cutler unless it comes late in the season if the games are meaningless. While all parties concerned are saying "the right things", the reality is that Denver has served notice to Plummer that his future lays elsewhere after this year. And that could be a good thing here - this season will serve as Plummer's resume when he hits the open market in 2007 and it better be good.

08-14-06 Update: Plummer falls a bit in the rankings with the very impressive performance of Jay Cutler in the first preseason game. Plummer remains safely the starter, but the door is certainly looking more open to Cutler taking time late in the year right when you would need Plummer most. Due to that, he now makes a more appropriate fantasy back-up instead of a starter.

(+Upside) After six years with the New Orleans Saints, Aaron Brooks was benched at the end of the 2005 season and then released when the team started their rebuilding under HC Sean Payton. One of the very few decent quarterbacks on the free agent wire, Brooks was snapped up by the Oakland Raiders who themselves had just dumped Kerry Collins during their own rebuilding.

Until last year, Brooks had thrown for over 3500 yards in each of the previous four seasons while never falling below 21 touchdowns. His weakness was never production but instead fumbling, interceptions and the occasional bad decision. Along with his cousin Michael Vick, Brooks is very mobile and has scored at least twice while running the ball during the last four seasons. With a big arm and a penchant for the maddening mistake, he is a perfect fit for the Raiders.

Brooks signed a two-year contract worth $8 million and just $3 million is due this year. That means Brooks needs to deliver to reach the bigger payday and to keep both Marques Tuiasosopo and Andrew Walter from taking the job during the open competition in training camp. Brooks should win that as the mobile veteran with a big arm even if he doesn't remain next year. Oakland has one of the easier passing schedules this year and Randy Moss should be healthy and ready to make good on his arrival a year ago. Brooks makes a very nice back-up quarterback for your team and he has the upside to be a fantasy starter. What remains to be seen is if HC Art Shell is dusting off a 12 year old offense or if he will adjust to the 2006 version of the NFL.

08-15-06 Update: After two preseason games, there is just no denying that Brooks looks terrible in the new Oakland offense. It is only preseason and he will have more time to improve. He hasn't played much with Randy Moss as well. But at this point, he certainly does not have the look of a fantasy starter.

08-26-06 Update: Brooks hops up a couple of spots after connecting very well with Randy Moss for two scores in the preseason game against the Lions. While it was just the Lions and only one preseason game, it is the first positive sign we have seen and this offense is going to need to throw this year. He's still too risky to consider as a starter but he makes an intriguing fantasy back-up.

(-Risk) (+Upside) After five seasons atop the rankings in every fantasy football draft, Daunte Culpepper took a nosedive last year when he only threw for six scores in his first seven games against 12 interceptions. While a downturn was expected after losing Randy Moss and offensive coordinator Scott Linehan, such a free fall was far worse than anyone imagined. To make the season a complete and utter waste, Culpepper suffered the trifecta of knee injuries when he tore his ACL, MCL and PCL. He underwent surgery during November once the swelling had subsided. By January, he had lost 25 pounds from his 265 pound frame to help lessen the pressure on his knee and aid the healing process.

Culpepper was later traded to the Miami Dolphins in March in exchange for a second round pick. His recovery is said to be going well but the surgeon originally said that such injuries typically require nine to twelve months to heal. That would put Culpepper ready just in time for the season opener in the best case scenario. Should he follow a normal recovery time, he will not be playing until perhaps mid-season. And that all assumes he has no setbacks.

Culpepper still does not have Moss but Chris Chambers will be his new preferred target. Linehan was the offensive coordinator in Miami last year with very good results but has since left for St. Louis. Ex-Bills HC Mike Mularkey has replaced him in Miami and the plan is to continue the same offense that Linehan left behind. That all spells major risk for Culpepper this year from returning from a catastrophic knee injury, changing teams, learning a new offense, being unable to fully practice with the team and above all - Culpepper was far different without Randy Moss. His name will see him drafted too early in likely every redraft league and even his long-term outlook cannot be considered the same with so many variables yet to be known.

08-04-06 Update: Culpepper gets a move up into fantasy backup territory since he is tracking fairly well on his rehab. While others have him ranked much higher than this, Culpepper is still coming off a bad knee injury, going to a new team with a new coordinator and has to gain chemistry with new players. He's been a great one in the past and he may again be in the future, but considering him as a fantasy starter this year seems a very optimistic move.

08-25-06 Update: Culpepper moves up again with a nice showing in the only preseason game that counts (#3) when he had 14 of 19 for 130 yards and even ran twice for 11 yards. Hard to believe this is the same guy that tore three ligaments less than a year ago. It is still rather optimistic to consider him a fantasy starter given his recuperation and having to learn a new offense and mesh with new team mates, but he's given enough signs that he should be considered a fairly desireable back-up for your team and he could end up posting decent numbers in the latter half of the season all going well with his knee.

(+Upside) The Chargers drafted Eli Manning with the first pick in the 2004 draft and then traded him to the Giants in exchange for Phillip Rivers, the fourth overall selection that year. Since the Chargers had soured on Drew Brees, they took Rivers with the intention of making him a starter sooner than later. What they did not count on was that Brees suddenly blossomed that year and threw for 27 touchdowns against only seven interceptions. That was good enough to make Rivers sit out a second season while Brees increased to a career high 3576 yards with 24 scores. By this spring, the Chargers could no longer afford to keep their $40 million quarterback as a clipboard holder.

Rivers starts this season but he has only thrown a total of 30 passes in the NFL with just 17 completions. He's only appeared in three games and threw a pass in just two. What Rivers can do is largely speculation from a lack of playing time to consider. He was taken between Manning and Ben Roethlisberger, but that alone is meaningless other to suggest perceived potential.

The Chargers have an above average ease of schedule which will help Rivers. So will having the premier tight end and running back in the NFL. But his passing numbers in the first year could be limited largely to those two players with only the aging Keenan McCardell and Eric Parker as other options. Until more can be seen from Rivers, he cannot be considered more than a very deep back-up in a large league but he's had two years to learn the playbook and brings in a skill set that has already earned him tens of millions of dollars for holding a clipboard.

08-04-06 Update: Rivers has been wowing the coaching staff in training camp and it should not be a shock. Granted, Rivers has rode the pine for two years and little has been seen of him. Then again, he was considered one of the elite quarterbacks coming out of the NFL draft in 2004 and he has been in the same system for two past seasons. it is always a leap of faith to take a relatively unseen quarterback but Rivers is one who could surprise this year

Byron Leftwich was the second quarterback taken in the 2003 NFL draft behind only Carson Palmer. He entered the league with lofty expectations and after three seasons, we are still waiting. 2005 proved to be his worst season thanks to a broken bone in his ankle in week 13 which forced him to miss the final five games of the regular season and he ended with only 2123 passing yards. Had he continued his season, he was on a pace to gain only 3088 passing yards and about 21 scores. Slightly better than average. If in fact he had actually remained healthy.

Such is the problem with Leftwich who still has yet to last for an entire season. His best showing so far came during the early part of 2004 when he had four straight games over 298 passing yards with six total scores. Of course that string ended when, again, he was injured and missed two games. His numbers became pedestrian again and lasted throughout 2005 when he never threw for more than 258 yards and had four of ten games remain below 200 passing yards. Good news though - the Jaguars will be entering the second season of Carl Smith's USC imported offense and should be better. The bad news - Jimmy "The Crutch" Smith has retired.

This year Leftwich has a decent schedule but Jimmy Smith has retired and the team is back to looking at Reggie Williams. Until Leftwich can put together a full season and show more consistency, he remains nothing more than a decent fantasy back-up.

Brett Favre has returned for his 16th season in the NFL possibly in part to leave on better terms than his 2005 season ended. Favre had his touchdown total fall below 27 for the first time since 2000. The Packers suffered through a horrific season thanks to injuries and the loss of several Pro Bowl players to free agency. The season did provide some career marks for Favre though, with 607 passes thrown and 29 of them intercepted in a single season.

After declining to state his intentions until April, Favre finally re-upped for this season despite the team rebuilding under new head coach Mike McCarthy and offensive coordinator Jeff Jogodzinski. The scheme is not really new since the west coast style will merely be tweaked a bit and has some new terminology to learn. The team is also largely unchanged other than the departure of Javon Walker who missed almost all of last year anyway. Ahman Green and Najeh Davenport are back from injury, hopefully, and the Packers elected to acquire no new offensive linemen.

The outlook for Favre still is not as good as in recent years. There will be concerns about the rushing game health until the starting duo proves they are healthy. And Javon Walker's absence has not been compensated for beyond drafting a second round rookie in Greg Jennings. But the Packer schedule is relatively light this year and one major bonus awaits - fantasy playoff weeks will have the Packers going against SF, DET and MIN. Reason enough to take Favre.

08-29-06 Update: Favre looked almost lost against the Bengals in the Monday night game and the Packers offense using their first stringers looked nothing short of abysmal. He falls in the rankings from a lethargic looking offense and from a fear that he won't last the entire season behind that offensive line.

(+Upside) After five seasons as the starting quarterback in Seattle and Cincinnati, Jon Kitna has spent the last two seasons watching Carson Palmer while waiting for his next chance. This season he gets it - picked up by the Detroit Lions who signed him to a four-year deal worth $11.5 million with a $3.5 million signing bonus. Kitna has been a very effective quarterback in the past but he just has a knack for playing for teams that have someone else they want to move into the starting spot (Hasselbeck and Palmer). In his last season as the starter, Kitna threw for 3591 yards and 26 touchdowns. He only had 15 interceptions that season though in most years he had the standard ratio of touchdowns to interceptions.

In Detroit, Kitna becomes part of a new offensive scheme being installed by the new offensive coordinator Mike Martz whom no one has questioned as a coordinator. With Roy Williams, Mike Williams and Charles Rogers as wideouts, the offense has the potential to become another great passing attack in the NFL, particularly with Martz running the offense. Kitna has nine years of veteran experience to bring to the table, along with having started 79 games in his career having thrown 108 touchdowns.

While the training camp is claimed to be an "open competition" between Kitna and Josh McCown, head coach Rod Marinelli has already said that Kitna will be first on the depth chart. Unless McCown comes on very strong this summer, Kitna will be running the next Martz offense in the NFL and those are always attractive in fantasy terms. Kitna doesn't warrant being drafted as a starter for you team, but he makes a great back-up that could end up surprising.

After failing to deliver on his potential for four seasons, there was speculation that the Texans would release David Carr in light of the new coaching staff coming to Houston. As it ends up, HC Gary Kubiak actually likes Carr. Enough to sign off on an extension to Carr's contract that netted him $8 million this season and around $5 million for the two next years.

Since 2002, Carr has never thrown more than 16 touchdowns in season or exceeded 3531 passing yards. Last year was a step backwards for him when he only managed to throw 14 scores and a mere 2488 yards. The introduction of Kubiak and offensive coordinator Troy Calhoun should be a big benefit to Carr this season as it was when Jake Plummer left Arizona for Denver. Perhaps the most significant change will be to the offensive line. While Carr has been battered about since he arrived in Houston, Kubiak comes from the best offensive line for the last decade. This should prove to be the best situation that Carr could ever hope for.

In addition to that good news is the acquisition of Eric Moulds in the off-season to give Carr a legitimate (and accomplished) wideout besides Andre Johnson. Moulds should help free Johnson from the suffocating coverage he has been getting as well. It all spells a better season for Carr who has more upside than any time in his career. And an excellent chance he won't finish most pass plays with a defender sitting on his chest.

(+Upside) Charlie Frye was selected in the third round last season by the Cleveland Browns with the intention that he would learn the system for a season before competing for the starting job this year. Then Trent Dilfer developed tendonitis that dragged on until finally the Browns were safely out of playoff contention and Frye was given the starting job. Considering how lackluster most rookie quarterbacks play, Frye's five-game stretch to end the year was pretty good. He ended with four touchdowns against four interceptions and that included two road trips in CIN and OAK and later two home games against PIT and BAL. His completion percentage was worsening as the year went on in fairness his schedule was as much to blame.

The Browns traded away Trent Dilfer in May and now Ken Dorsey will provide back-up duties - far less chance there that Frye has a few bad games and gets replaced. His fortunes this season may be improved with Kellen Winslow once again healthy (as of this writing anyway) and ready to deliver on his high draft selection two years ago. Since Antonio Bryant was allowed to go to San Francisco, Frye will need more help. Braylon Edwards was impressive in his abbreviated season but he is returning from a knee injury. The only addition was Joe Jurevicius which should help at least the short passing game.

Frye is still too inexperienced to be considered a fantasy starter but the early returns on him have made his future value seem promising. In a keeper league, this is the year to watch his progress. The Browns have a fairly brutal schedule for Frye to navigate and if you remember only one thing about him, make it this - during traditional fantasy playoffs he will be facing games of @PIT, @BAL and TB. That would be unattractive for any quarterback, let alone a second year player that has only started five games.

When the Saints brought in Sean Payton as their head coach, it was certain that things were going to change. One of the biggest movements that the team made was releasing Aaron Brooks and obtaining Drew Brees from San Diego. The Chargers had been sitting on Phillip Rivers for two years and his time finally came. That should prove a windfall for the rebuilding Saints by obtaining a five year veteran who has thrown 51 touchdowns over the last two seasons. Brees signed a six-year, $60 million contract in March.

Brees suffered a torn labrum in his throwing shoulder in the season finale against the Broncos and underwent corrective surgery. The best case prognosis was that he would be ready in time for training camp and by all reports he has been ahead of schedule during the offseason. Brees is firm in saying he will be ready for training camp and learning a new offense and gaining chemistry with new teammates. The Saints will return the same cast of receivers from 2005 but the addition of Reggie Bush and the return of Deuce McAllister alone make this offense look better than it