During our last look around the league, the estimable Mr. Silva taught us lessons from around the AFC. This time we'll look at the NFC, with preseason mercifully coming to an end Friday night.
And remember it's not too late to get your Rotoworld draft guide with up-to-the-minute cheat sheets and projections.
Atlanta Falcons: Any hope Laurent Robinson had to be a sleeper ended when Michael Jenkins took back his starting job. The ascension of Matt Ryan won't help either. No matter what you think of Chris Redman, playing with a rookie quarterback is bad news for the Atlanta passing game. That means you, Roddy White owners! . Don't be shocked if the Falcons are like last year's Raiders. They can be the rare terrible offense that still manages to run like crazy. Mike Mularkey loves to pound the football, so there should be enough carries to go around for Michael Turner and Jerious Norwood.
Arizona Cardinals: It doesn't matter if Ken Whisenhunt doesn't announce his starting quarterback until next Sunday. It would be a shock if Kurt Warner isn't starting. There is a sense that going with Leinart would hurt the Whiz's standing in a locker room convinced Warner gives them the better chance to win. Warner remains a fine QB2 pick after the top 13-15 quarterbacks are drafted. He won't last all season, but he'll help you until he gets hurt. . Don't call it a committee, but Tim Hightower can top 100 carries as Edgerrin James' caddy. He's draftable in all leagues. . The Cardinals continue to struggle to find a third receiver and a quality tight end. That means more targets for Anquan Boldin and Larry Fitzgerald. Warner's re-emergence bodes well for the two veterans.
Carolina Panthers: Despite DeAngelo Williams' strong preseason, expect to see a close split in touches between Williams and Jonathan Stewart to start the year. Stewart is too talented to keep on the bench. I'm excited for Week 1 to start so I don't have to keep repeating that I expect Stewart to have more value by the end of the season. . D.J. Hackett's status for the opener is uncertain. He could miss a great opportunity to put up numbers while Steve Smith is out, cementing his role in the offense. Dwayne Jarrett would start opposite Muhsin Muhammad if Hackett is out. Mr. Hackett and I have a long, sordid history, but this year his reputation as a high ceiling pick could outweigh his value. Don't expect him to stay healthy.
Chicago Bears: The Orton/Grossman battle was good for punchlines, but what will it mean for Chicago's offense? I expect a conservative attack that features plenty of passes to tight ends Greg Olsen and Desmond Clark. Olsen looks like the best candidate to breakout among their receivers. Rashied Davis, Brandon Lloyd, Devin Hester, and Marty Booker will cancel each other out. . Kevin Jones played as Matt Forte's backup Thursday. His 34-yard run in the preseason showed he's healthy enough. It appears he's already passed Adrian Peterson on the depth chart and is a great handcuff for Forte owners. It's easy to forget how talented Jones can be if healthy.
Dallas Cowboys: Pro Football Prospectus pointed out how ridiculously overdue the Cowboys were for some injuries this season, especially on the offensive line. Now they've already seen G Kyle Kosier and their third and fourth receivers go down. The injuries are hardly fatal, but make sure they don't lose any more pieces. . There isn't much mystery to the Cowboys offense. One of the only questions left is how big a role Felix Jones will have. The Dallas coaches' dreamy eyes when talking about Jones in Hard Knocks and Jones' impressive preseason indicate he'll get at least 10 touches a game. . Patrick Crayton is a nice post-hype pick this year; it's easy to forget how much he's improved over his short career and that his development isn't over yet. The injuries to Sam Hurd and Miles Austin help Crayton even more.
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Detroit Lions: It looks like Tatum Bell will make the team, although he'll be rookie Kevin Smith's backup. I have my doubts that either runner will be effective running behind Detroit's offensive line. . Jon Kitna's big preseason doesn't mean much, but it's a reminder that he can be a serviceable QB2 as long as he stays in the lineup. The main concern is that the Lions fall out of playoff contention and he gets benched for a younger option down the stretch.
Green Bay Packers:Ryan Grant was healthy enough to start Green Bay's final preseason game, but the team took him out after only one play. The preseason is overrated, but don't be surprised if his workload for Week 1 is lighter than usual. The Packers say they want to get Grant a few more catches, and a few less carries this season. Brandon Jackson remains a solid late pick. . James Jones could miss Week 1, which would open up more targets for Donald Driver and Greg Jennings. One concern for all the Packers wideouts is the shaky backup quarterback situation. Both rookie quarterbacks have struggled, and an injury to Aaron Rodgers would crush any receiver value. . Fantasy Nation seems to be down on Donald Lee's chances of repeating his career year. Good call.
Minnesota Vikings: If Tarvaris Jackson misses time this season, that should be good thing for Sidney Rice and Bernard Berrian. Gus Frerotte is more likely to rack up passing yardage. Berrian's minor toe injury is one of many reasons to stay away from him. Rice owners should watch the development of Aundrae Allison, who threatens to take away some snaps eventually. Perhaps he could replace Bobby Wade in the slot. .LT Bryant McKinnie is looking at a four game suspension from the NFL.
New Orleans Saints: With players of any significance resting, including Pierre Thomas and Aaron Stecker, it was very interesting to see Deuce McAllister get eleven carries Thursday. If he wasn't playing for his spot on the team, he was certainly playing for some snaps in Week 1. It looks like Sean Payton shared my concern after watching Deuce run in the third preseason game. He looked better Thursday, ripping off a few longer runs, but also got stuffed near the line of scrimmage often. I wouldn't be shocked if McAllister is cut Saturday. At best, his role is uncertain. . Robert Meachem is getting a lot of misplaced hype in fantasy drafts. He's currently the fourth or fifth receiver in New Orleans. . Jeremy Shockey didn't take a snap in the preseason, which makes his health something to watch next week.
New York Giants: Not much was decided in Giants camp. Brandon Jacobs still leads a crowded backfield. Derrick Ward makes sense as a Jacobs handcuff, while Ahmad Bradshaw should have a change-of-pace role regardless. . At receiver Steve Smith remains promising, but injury prone. Plaxico Buress is terminally day-to-day, and a solid WR2 pick. Despite the losses on defense, this is a stable offense.
Philadelphia Eagles:Kevin Curtis is out until mid-season and is only worth a flier pick now. Reggie Brown could pick up the slack, but he's questionable for Week 1 with a hamstring injury. The larger question is whether Hank Baskett, DeSean Jackson, and L.J. Smith can keep Donovan McNabb's stats afloat in the meantime. We love McNabb's chances for one final big fantasy campaign, but this hasn't been a great month for the team around him. . The rumors of Correll Buckhalter's demise were greatly exaggerated. He and Lorenzo Booker will share the backup job, making it unnecessary to handcuff Brian Westbrook in shallow leagues.
St. Louis Rams:Steven Jackson's holdout didn't change our ranking of him. Orlando Pace's shoulder injury acting up is a bigger concern. Pace continues to practice and will be ready for Week 1, but another in-season injury from the All Pro would be devastating. The passing game already looked out of sorts during the preseason because of poor protection. . Dante Hall enters the season as the team's third wideout, which is good news for Drew Bennett and Randy McMichael. This team will throw plenty, and someone has to catch passes other than Torry Holt. . On any other team, I'd be more worried about Holt's decline. He doesn't get the same separation or run away from defenders. But his numbers shouldn't fall off much because he'll see so many targets.
San Francisco 49ers: The J.T. O'Sullivan era is going to be a lot of fun. I expect the 49ers to lead the league in garbage time yards, head-scratching interceptions, and quarterback changes because of injury. This team will move the ball more, but good luck finding consistency from anyone but Frank Gore. . At receiver, Bryant Johnson should be healthy enough to start the final preseason game. If that happens, he'll probably start over rookie Josh Morgan in Week 1, with Morgan and Arnaz Battle getting plenty of time off the bench. . As a dynasty league owner of Vernon Davis, I'm concerned about terminally optimistic Mike Martz's Debby Downer statements about Davis' expected production. Expect lots of blocking. And inconsistency. He'll hit enough big plays to put up decent final stats, but may have some silent weeks.
Seattle Seahawks: I get a lot of questions about why Nate Burleson is ranked so low. Sometimes you have to evaluate the player, not the situation. And Burleson is a highly inconsistent player that is unlikely to put it all together. I'd much rather take one of my favorite sleepers Courtney Taylor later in the draft. . Maurice Morris continues to be undervalued. He won't win a league for you, but he's nice depth as a RB4. Look for him and Julius Jones to trade series early in the season. . Rookie John Carlson did finally win the starting tight end job.
Tampa Bay Buccaneers: If Jeff Garcia gets hurt or struggles, Jon Gruden probably won't be too disappointed to turn to Brian Griese, who plays like a coach on the field. The Bucs wouldn't lose that much production either. . Warrick Dunn looks to be the lesser half of a committee with Earnest Graham, with Michael Bennett picking up scraps. Dunn will especially cut into Graham's receiving numbers. That's why we have Graham ranked as a good, but not great, RB2. . We still don't know how the Bucs are going to split up snaps at wide receiver. My guess is that Maurice Stovall and Antonio Brant are next in line behind Joey Galloway, with Ike Hilliard around just in case. I still love Bryant's chances to emerge over the course of the season, but drafting him has plenty of risk.
Washington Redskins: Washington's rookie wideouts blew their chance for playing time, much less a starting job, with an injured August. Malcolm Kelly and Devin Thomas just weren't quite ready for the NFL. That means more early targets for the usual crew: Santana Moss, Antwaan Randle El, and Chris Cooley. . Washington's five game preseason schedule was interminable, but they look to have found a keeper in Colt Brennan. With a 7.8 YPA and three touchdowns in five games, he had the best preseason of any rookie quarterback. He was playing against reserves, but so was Brian Brohm. At worst, Brennan looks like a nice long-term backup to Jason Campbell. . The Redskins aging starting offensive line stayed healthy in the preseason, which is news compared to the last few years. That bodes well for Clinton Portis. This is a boom-or-bust line that could be excellent or crumble all at once.
