notjustagame23@gmail.com

The news of the day comes out of Indianapolis. In years past, Peyton Manning’s body was able to recoup just in time to get on the playing field week one. Signing Kerry Collins seemed like a desperation move. Now though it looks like Collins may end up earning that $4 million. Out of all backup quarterbacks over the last few years, Collins seems to always make a substantial amount of starts.

If you’re drafting your money league or bragging rights league in the next few days, here is an updated quarterbacks ranking list.

1. Drew Brees

Brees was one of the quarterbacks that had a major incline in interceptions last season. Twenty two in total in fact. He seemed to have the Brett Favre in him a little too much last year. Maybe it was because of the prior seasons success, that he was a little too care free. Brees gets more freedom than any quarterback in the league. Look for him to get back on the proper page, and aim for over 5,000 yards again.

2. Aaron Rodgers

How will Rodgers handle the success of winning his first Super Bowl? Remember Green Bay got hot as a team on the tail end of last year. It wasn’t a typical Super Bowl run. The good thing for Rodgers is he has many weapons at his disposal. Complementing the aerial attack with a solid ground game will be key to Rodgers staying ranked as a top three quarterback this year.

3. Philip Rivers

The gunslinger with a mouth has been as quiet as a mouse this off-season. Has he matured to the point that he is going to lead this team by his actions from game one? There comes a point when a player with exponential talent puts it together one hundred percent. Not just as an individual but to the extent that his teammates feed off of that and absorb it. Look for the Chargers to get off to a hot start this year.

4. Tom Brady

New England is still capital of the short yardage passing game. They’re so clever at the ways they disguise the lack of a true running game. You would think that would have hurt Brady by now, but they still get the short hot routes delivered with ease. Tight end play is on the upside as well for Brady. Both rookies Gronkowski and Hernandez proved that they’re going to garner more drawn up plays by the Patriots. The only thing scary with Brady is if the offensive line can patch things up and protect him.

5. Mike Vick

Part Two of his incredible comeback starts with mega millions back in the bank. We are a tad bit worried about Vick for multiple reasons. Added pressure to build upon an outstanding 2010 season. Receivers that have been top notch caliber, but Maclin is coming back from a long bout with an undisclosed health issue. DeSean Jackson has been tough his whole career but has had to deal with injuries just about every season. Vick’s age at 31 has not been brought up like it should. His body was able to take the fresh licks last season. Now that he played twelve games for the first time since 2006 it should be very interesting to see how he mid season.

6. Tony Romo

7. Matt Ryan

8. Matt Stafford

9. Matt Schaub

10. Peyton Manning

11. Kevin Kolb

12. Ben Roethlisberger

13. Eli Manning

14. Joe Flacco

15. Sam Bradford

16. Ryan Fitzpatrick

17. Josh Freeman

18. Matt Cassel

19. Jay Cutler

20. Kyle Orton

21. Colt McCoy

22. Rex Grossman

23. Donovan McNabb

24. Mark Sanchez

25. Chad Henne

26. Luke McCown

27. Matt Hasselbeck

28. Jason Campbell

29. Alex Smith

30. Cam Newton

31. Andy Dalton

32. Tavaris Jackson

33. Vince Young

34. John Beck

35. Shaun Hill

36. Jake Locker

 37. David Garrard

By Zack Cimini

notjustagame23@gmail.com

Maybe Tiki Barber can stop waiting by his cell phone for renewed found work in football. Dancing with the stars or a behind the scenes gig looks like his only chance for a job this year. Arizona you would of thought would have been a possibility after Ryan Williams went down for the season. The Cardinals though opted to go the typical way. Wait for a team to cut an athlete that fits their needs.

Chester Taylor has been a solid veteran running back in the NFL. He gave an extra edge as a backup to Adrian Peterson as a Viking, and did his role as a Bear. For those teams there were already formidable backs ahead of Taylor on the depth chart. Dividing up any fantasy relevant carries was not going to happen there.

Sometimes an abrupt change right before the season starts is a good thing. If he wasn’t cut, Taylor just would of rode the bench in Chicago. Now he goes to Arizona where they’ll actually depend upon Taylor right away. The Cardinals starting running back in Beanie Wells has not gained the full support and trust of head coach Ken Whisenhunt.

He has been highly injury prone, and Whisenhunt never could pick his decisive number one back between Hightower and Wells. The Cardinals obviously sent more mixed messages than anything to Wells by drafting Ryan Williams in the second round.

Due to Taylor not registering fantasy relevant numbers for the last three years, we wouldn’t recommend drafting or over reacting to this signing. Especially considering he only gained an average of 2.4 yards per carry last season. Pay attention to how the Cardinals use him the first few games of the season. He should get around the same amount of carries per game as he did as a Bear last year. Lets just hope that he does more with the pigskin to garner a waiver wire acquisition.

With Beanie’s track record with being in and out of the lineup, there’s a good chance Taylor could start around three games this year. Unlike other teams stock piled at running back, the Cardinals aren’t. That would mean Taylor would get the majority if not all carries, besides for certain third down packages for LaRod Stephens-Howling.

By Zack Cimini

All around the locker room typically when a team has a poor season the fingers start pointing at the foundation at quarterback. For the Buffalo Bills last season it was the opposite. They were in the majority of their games because of surprising quarterback play from Ryan Fitzpatrick. He came into the season ranked near the bottom of fantasy quarterback rankings, only too become a fantastic waiver wire pickup and viable fill in starter for teams that were suffering at quarterback.

Gaining confidence from your organization is an ultimate psyche booster. The Alex Smtih treatment the Bills were giving to Trent Edwards finally came to a halt. When the Bills said they have their guy at quarterback as the season unfolded, and in the early off-season, it had to of given Ryan a tremendous boost. Especially this past draft, in which quarterbacks were selected like it was a quarterback sweepstakes in 1999.

Can Fitzpatrick lift his accuracy woes he displayed last year? He only completed 57% of his passes even though he was able to keep defenses off guard?

His rise did come out of no where, since he had opportunities with the Rams and Bengals and didn’t necessarily look like more than a career backup to say the least . The stint with the Rams included an impressive outing against the Houston Texans, but his outings as a Bengal in place of an injured Carson Palmer were awful.

No one could have anticipated Fitzpatrick throwing for eleven touchdowns in his first four starts of the season in 2010.

The I don’t believe it until I see it carried over until that fourth game last year against the Ravens. Fitzpatrick absolutely picked apart the Ravens secondary, with precision and daring throws. His rise led to the catapult of Stevie Johnson, who also shot up the waiver wire to become a more than viable starter. It was apparent that Johnson had become the go to guy, and by dealing Lee Evans, Bills management had must feel secure with Johnson as the number one wide receiver.

Subtract those four games from Fitzpatrick’s year and the year looks blindingly bad. He did not start the first two games, but from week eight on he only threw for multiple touchdown throws twice. There are certain variables that would lead you to believe the reasoning to that. Buffalo never had a consistent running game with CJ Spiller not showing first round pick value as a rookie. Also his decline coincided with the Buffalo winter.

At 28 though, Fitzpatrick is now a capable veteran. Look for him to be the same hot potato type fantasy quarterback as last year. You’ll likely miss out on the four touchdown games, but he will serve his purpose as being a solid fantasy backup quarterback. A bye week filler and worst case injury fill in. Do we see Fitzpatrick throwing for 23 touchdowns in 2011? Maybe not that high. The Bills should get some sort of running game going, that should cut Fitzpatrick’s red zone touchdowns a tad.

By Zack Cimini

notjustagame23@gmail.com

There’s nothing like nabbing a late round pick or middle round pick that turns out to be a true gem. Last year Arian Foster and Brandon Lloyd were the top of the pack in their positions for overturned value. Lloyd, had faded into a special teams athlete for a few years, and was sort of written off. No one really knew how Houston’s backfield would shape up. Most thought it would be running back by committee. When Ben Tate went down though, it really opened up things for Foster as the lone back. The rest is 2010 fantasy history.

Of course the number one reason for opportunity is typically injury. Watchout for Beanie Wells having a significant year compared to projections. No longer is he in the shadow or worrisome of Tim Hightower. Ryan Williams was supposed to be that threat, but went down to a season ending injury in week two of the preseason. LaRod Stephens-Howling is a scatback type, but won’t get more than five carries a game.

We have a few guys listed below that will likely get drafted in deeper leagues. Keep them stashed on your bench, as opportunity could come your way for these young athletes.

Delone Carter:

He was never exceptionally flashy at Syracuse, but he piled up a solid career. His nature of running the football isn’t going to benefit him for a long career, but his first five should be decent. He is an in between tackles runner, that is going to carry defenders and fall forward for extra yards. With Indianapolis getting impatient with former first round pick Donald Brown, and Addai’s injury struggles, Carter could be the main back by mid-season.

CJ Spiller:

After an extremely disappointing rookie year, Spiller has a lot to prove. He wasn’t supposed to just be a special teams force. The Bills spent a first round pick on him, and were willing to part with Marshawn Lynch. The backfield remains the same, meaning the Bills haven’t given up on Spiller yet. Look for Spiller to make more of his carries this year as he tries to gain back coaches trust. The Bills have likely got the cheapest backfield in the NFL.

Rashard Jennings:

When will the bowling ball, fade into the gutter lane? Maurice Jones-Drew has been able to sustain the hits even at his small stature. The reason is because of his tremendous sized thighs and quads. Yet, it hasn’t staved off soreness and minor injuries for Drew. He has fought through them somehow, but the message in Jacksonville seems to be a new change coming. Jennings has slowly gained carries from Drew. If the opportunity presents itself, Jennings has shown that he can get the job done.

Roy Helu:

Everyone has been ranting and raving over Tim Hightower. He is the perfect back to run the zone blocking scheme, etc. Hightower has had a dandy preseason, but what will happen when teams actually game plan against the Redskins? They’ll get after their main weakness, which is at quarterback. Once that happens, the holes will clog up. Hightower is a breakaway runner, not a slasher in between the tackles. His main issue will pop up again, as they have year after year. Fumble prone. It just doesn’t alleviate a running back. Shanahan is an impatient coach, and Helu has been just as impressive in the preseason.

Ben Tate:

There really is no reason too elaborate here. Tate has been a monster in the preseason and if it weren’t for Foster, would instantly shoot up to a top ten fantasy running back. Good luck to the rest of the NFL on shutting the two down.

Jacquizz Rodgers:

The mileage on Michael Turner’s legs is in need of a Ricky Williams hiatus to refuel. The pattern of backs being over ran and tanking is predictable. Turner might have a year left in him before he fades like Larry Johnson. Rodgers can fit the old mold the Falcons were accustomed to with Warrick Dunn. A small back, but one that can carry the load twelve to fifteen times a game.

By Zack Cimini

 notjustagame23@gmail.com

As your numerous fantasy drafts of the summer come to a close, your probably strategizing even more for this last one. There hasn’t been too many affects injury wise, as in years past. There are some glaring holes at certain positions though, making it critical that you do not wait too long to draft a certain player.

One area that will have a down year comes at the quarterback position. The last few years owners may have become accustomed to the high yardage and multiple touchdown throws from a high amount of quarterbacks. You could plug in your second tier quarterbacks and get decent results. This year though should be different and shift back to years past.

There are too many quarterback changes around the league . Rookies in Cam Newton and Andy Dalton. Second year starters in Sam Bradford and Colt McCoy. Veterans that have struggled throughout their career but remain starters; Alex Smith, David Garrard, Tavaris Jackson, and Chad Henne. On top of those guys you have the erratic quarterbacks such as Ryan Fitzpatrick, Eli Manning, Joe Flacco, etc. that will drive fantasy owners crazy.

So unlike in prior years where we could and would wait to draft a quarterback late, this isn’t the year to do so. You do not want to have to rely on Donovan McNabb, Kevin Kolb, or Jay Cutler as your starter. They’ve proven both sides of the spectrum from a fantasy standpoint. You have to secure yourself one of the top eight to ten quarterbacks, there are no buts about draft strategy to argue this.

Stock piling at running back like the glory days should be heightened. Coaches around the league are going to force feed the ball to their running backs. With decreased experience and snaps due to the lockout, quarterback play is going to be behind regardless of experience. Running the football is a skill that doesn’t require extensive snaps. It’s a skill you either have or you don’t.

Gems on the waiver wire at running back will surely be had. Do not be stuck in a situation where you are loaded at running back and have faulted at quarterback. You’re going to need those consistent points of a solid quarterback to get those decisive wins. It’ll be the difference in a couple of extra wins, or the lame excuse of if I started this player, I would have easily won.

Get on board the proper way. Analyze the market like stocks. It’s a bad year for quarterbacks, and they’re going to have plenty of growing pains. The tier of guys that could excel beyond expectations are young guys that we haven’t seen take that full next step. The Matt Staffords, Josh Freemans, and Sam Bradford. Some of you out there are going to risk it enough to have a jumbled mess at quarterback.

Don’t be like the Seattle Seahawks, Miami Dolphins, Bengals, Panthers, 49ers, and Redskins. In abysmal situations at quarterback and undecided with their situations.

By Zack Cimini

notjustagame23@gmail.com

Dolphins fans have been prepared for head scratching moves before. A spat between Bill Parcells and Jason Taylor, caused Taylor to float to a couple of teams before landing back to Miami. Ricky Williams hiatus was self caused but no one anticipated Miami welcoming him back with open arms. Whispers of Brett Favre heading to Miami, might not have been as shocking to hear that the Dolphins signed Larry Johnson Tuesday.

While the Dolphins front office is at it, why not call up Cecil Collins or Lawrence Phillips and see what they’re up to?

Shifting from Ronnie Brown and Ricky Williams to new feature backs was a much needed move. It’s just the mismanagement that raises questions. Reggie Bush has been a flash back since he entered the league. Now the Dolphins are going to heighten his carries and expect him to retain his slashing abilities out of the backfield. Pairing him with a strong halfback to try and have a fair distribution figured to happen without much thought.

Planning for Daniel Thomas to be the lone threat with Reggie Bush seems to be the thought process. Thomas was a beast and much of a one way offensive machine for Kansas State last year. Concerns over the way rookie backs have faired the last several years, likely caused the latest move in Johnson.

When has a back buried for over four years with absolutely no productivity, risen back noticeably? No that’s not a slam to Tiki Barber. Johnson has nothing left in the tank. Miami is giving him a shot when they could have had better luck signing an XFL player. The only thing the Dolphins could possibly be bringing Johnson in for is goal line packages and extreme short yardage situations.

Heck, even Daniel Thomas can keep the wildcat formation still alive for 2011. He ran enough direct snaps and misdirection plays at Kansas State. This signing is laughable and the two percent of faithful 05-07 Larry Johnson owners out there, we have one small message. Take a deep breath, and let those memories fade far away.