Players FBG have ranked way low (2 Viewers)

[trader jake]

Reche Caldwell, is IMO, ranked too low. If Branch finds a trade, Caldwell becomes the #1, doesn't he? He performed fairly well as a #2 (#3 really) in SD, and seems to be the type of receiver Brady could work with. Am I misjudging this? Low risk, high reward in my book.

I believe Troy Brown will be the Wr with the most catches if Branch does not return to the lineup soon.

Really?I'm not disagreeing...I just have no read on the Pats WR. Anybody else have some input here?

Well, you'll never hear anything from the Pats about anything. I follow the Pats and I have been suggesting that Troy Brown will get a lot more playing time as he is literally THE ONLY receiver that has any game experience in the Patriots system. (Brown had 4 receptions for 64 yards in limited action the other night.) I'm personally not sold on Caldwell (although if he plays every game he should do ok) and the depth beyond that is invisible.The team is threatening to use 4 TE sets to pose matchup problems (which I admit sounds intruiging), and the common theme seems to have Watson taking a more prominent role in the offense. If Branch is a no go, I think Brown will put up better numbers than Caldwell, Watson puts up Top 5 TE numbers, Caldwell does ok (maybe a touch more than projected), and the team runs the ball a lot more than last season.

Thanks David. Watson being targeted more and an increase in the running game seem logical.However, 4 TE sets seems crazy to me. Once again, Tom Brady is going to earn his money this season.

 

[EBF]

Off the top of my head these guys are strong bets to outperform their ranking:

Ben Roethlisberger - Steady QB who could surprise

Alex Smith - Remember Eli Manning?

Brian Griese - only has value if Grossman falters, but that seems likely

Kevin Jones - Solid back who will benefit from the coaching change

DeShaun Foster - This offense scores points and Foster looks to have a lock on the starting gig

Corey Dillon/Laurence Maroney - Only worth drafting as a combo, IMO, but should net a top 15-20 back

Lee Evans - Great player with major opportunity to produce this year

Eddie Kennison - Still gets no respect

Matt Jones - IMO, he's clearly the guy to have in Jacksonville

Antonio Bryant - Top 20 if he stays healthy. Huge value pick this year.

Keenan McCardell - Unreal value in most leagues

Travis Taylor - Quite possibly the best WR in Minnesota

Chris Henry - Still just a slot guy, but he makes big plays and gets in the end zone

Heath Miller - Could pull a Todd Heap in year two

Ben Troupe - Value

Alex Smith - Could improve after solid rookie season

Robert Royal - Huge sleeper who appears to be a big part of the offense

There is a lot of value at WR this year due to people overlooking obvious breakout candidates like Evans, Bryant, and Jones while also underrating solid veterans like McCardell and Kennison. People talk about the RB depth this year, but I think it's a good year to wait on WRs. The TE depth is also excellent with guys like Miller, Watson, and Troupe often available relatively late in the going.

Hi EBF, Can you please expound upon the bolded part?

Thanks

Every report I've read says Royal is the starting TE in Buffalo and he's been getting a few catches in every practice and scrimmage. I think that trend will continue into the regular season. This team doesn't have many weapons beyond Lee Evans, so there's a real opportunity for someone to step up and grab a big slice of the pie.EDIT to add: Royal is currently projected by FBG to produce numbers that are almost identical to the numbers he produced last season as a backup. He may not be a top 15 TE next season, but if he stays healthy then he will shatter those projections and easily exceed expectations.

 

[diesel7982]

Off the top of my head these guys are strong bets to outperform their ranking:

Ben Roethlisberger - Steady QB who could surprise

Alex Smith - Remember Eli Manning?

Brian Griese - only has value if Grossman falters, but that seems likely

Kevin Jones - Solid back who will benefit from the coaching change

DeShaun Foster - This offense scores points and Foster looks to have a lock on the starting gig

Corey Dillon/Laurence Maroney - Only worth drafting as a combo, IMO, but should net a top 15-20 back

Lee Evans - Great player with major opportunity to produce this year

Eddie Kennison - Still gets no respect

Matt Jones - IMO, he's clearly the guy to have in Jacksonville

Antonio Bryant - Top 20 if he stays healthy. Huge value pick this year.

Keenan McCardell - Unreal value in most leagues

Travis Taylor - Quite possibly the best WR in Minnesota

Chris Henry - Still just a slot guy, but he makes big plays and gets in the end zone

Heath Miller - Could pull a Todd Heap in year two

Ben Troupe - Value

Alex Smith - Could improve after solid rookie season

Robert Royal - Huge sleeper who appears to be a big part of the offense

There is a lot of value at WR this year due to people overlooking obvious breakout candidates like Evans, Bryant, and Jones while also underrating solid veterans like McCardell and Kennison. People talk about the RB depth this year, but I think it's a good year to wait on WRs. The TE depth is also excellent with guys like Miller, Watson, and Troupe often available relatively late in the going.

Hi EBF, Can you please expound upon the bolded part?

Thanks

Every report I've read says Royal is the starting TE in Buffalo and he's been getting a few catches in every practice and scrimmage. I think that trend will continue into the regular season. This team doesn't have many weapons beyond Lee Evans, so there's a real opportunity for someone to step up and grab a big slice of the pie.EDIT to add: Royal is currently projected by FBG to produce numbers that are almost identical to the numbers he produced last season as a backup. He may not be a top 15 TE next season, but if he stays healthy then he will shatter those projections and easily exceed expectations.

Thanks...why kind of numbers would you guess for him? 35/300/3?

 

[EBF]

Off the top of my head these guys are strong bets to outperform their ranking:

Ben Roethlisberger - Steady QB who could surprise

Alex Smith - Remember Eli Manning?

Brian Griese - only has value if Grossman falters, but that seems likely

Kevin Jones - Solid back who will benefit from the coaching change

DeShaun Foster - This offense scores points and Foster looks to have a lock on the starting gig

Corey Dillon/Laurence Maroney - Only worth drafting as a combo, IMO, but should net a top 15-20 back

Lee Evans - Great player with major opportunity to produce this year

Eddie Kennison - Still gets no respect

Matt Jones - IMO, he's clearly the guy to have in Jacksonville

Antonio Bryant - Top 20 if he stays healthy. Huge value pick this year.

Keenan McCardell - Unreal value in most leagues

Travis Taylor - Quite possibly the best WR in Minnesota

Chris Henry - Still just a slot guy, but he makes big plays and gets in the end zone

Heath Miller - Could pull a Todd Heap in year two

Ben Troupe - Value

Alex Smith - Could improve after solid rookie season

Robert Royal - Huge sleeper who appears to be a big part of the offense

There is a lot of value at WR this year due to people overlooking obvious breakout candidates like Evans, Bryant, and Jones while also underrating solid veterans like McCardell and Kennison. People talk about the RB depth this year, but I think it's a good year to wait on WRs. The TE depth is also excellent with guys like Miller, Watson, and Troupe often available relatively late in the going.

Hi EBF, Can you please expound upon the bolded part?

Thanks

Every report I've read says Royal is the starting TE in Buffalo and he's been getting a few catches in every practice and scrimmage. I think that trend will continue into the regular season. This team doesn't have many weapons beyond Lee Evans, so there's a real opportunity for someone to step up and grab a big slice of the pie.EDIT to add: Royal is currently projected by FBG to produce numbers that are almost identical to the numbers he produced last season as a backup. He may not be a top 15 TE next season, but if he stays healthy then he will shatter those projections and easily exceed expectations.

Thanks...why kind of numbers would you guess for him? 35/300/3?

We're probably looking at 30-50 catches for 250-450 yards and a few TDs. Anything more than that would be surprising.

 

[EBF]

Also, the Bills signed Royal for 5 years at $2 million per season. That's not exactly scrub money for a TE.

 

[diesel7982]

Also, the Bills signed Royal for 5 years at $2 million per season. That's not exactly scrub money for a TE.

Dont disagree, but this is also a team that paid Josh Reed and Peerless Price 4yrs/$10mil.Royal has shown that he is a capable blocker, but has never in his career shown great recieving ability, which is why I was curious. Thanks.

 

[GoBills02]

Also, the Bills signed Royal for 5 years at $2 million per season. That's not exactly scrub money for a TE.

Dont disagree, but this is also a team that paid Josh Reed and Peerless Price 4yrs/$10mil.Royal has shown that he is a capable blocker, but has never in his career shown great recieving ability, which is why I was curious. Thanks.

He was brought in for his blocking, but has caught everyone by suprise, including Marv and the coaching staff, by his receiving abilities. Also, the running joke in Buffalo is we haven't had a TE since Pete Metzalaars, but should see an increase in the TE catches this year. Kevin Everett could steal some of those catches, as he is the faster and flashier TE, but was out since training camp last year with a torn ACL.Just some whispers out of camp.

 

[Deuce'sWild]

Gates - Rivers is unproven, Oben out means he'll stay in and block a la GonzoGates last year

Oben missed 8 games last year. How'd Gates wind up doing, again?

He did great....with Brees. When Rivers was QB, he caught 2 balls for 11 yards.

Yeah, in half a game that didn't matter. THAT'S a big sample size to work with.

Another example of H.K nonsense...the guy has no clue.

Could not agree more. Everything I see from this guy is garbage.

 

[Deuce'sWild]

I like Tony Sheffler this year. Not sure where he's ranked, but I think he could surprise.

 

[H.K.]

Gates - Rivers is unproven, Oben out means he'll stay in and block a la GonzoGates last year

Oben missed 8 games last year. How'd Gates wind up doing, again?

He did great....with Brees. When Rivers was QB, he caught 2 balls for 11 yards.

Yeah, in half a game that didn't matter. THAT'S a big sample size to work with.

Another example of H.K nonsense...the guy has no clue.

Could not agree more. Everything I see from this guy is garbage.

How's that Gates' pick working out for you guys now?

 

[bostonfred]

Thomas Jones - RB28 seems ridiculous. I think he is right at the cusp of Top 20 and potentially a lot better than that, even with the specter of Cedric Benson swirling around.

IF he wins the starting job. IF he holds off Benson all year. Yes then he is worth more. The door was open last week and he floundered. He gets another chance this week. But if he struggles again, I think we have this about right between he and Benson.

Last year, the Bears rushed for 2099 yards as a team, 8th in the NFL. Of this, 1607 of those yards went to Benson and Thomas Jones, 391 went to Adrian Petersen, and the other 101 went to the rest of the team. This year, you project those three to combine for 1749 yards. Benson and Jones have a fairly even split of this, and Peterson has a negligible number of yards. Add back those 101 yards, and you're at 1850, which would have been good for 14th in the NFL.

Are you predicting that the Bears are going to rush less by 12+% as a team? That doesn't seem right to me - the Bears have clearly established themselves as a running team. Do you think their defense is going to slip? You have them ranked as the #2 defense overall and basically in a tie for fewest yards allowed. I guess I don't understand this one.

But you are looking at only the RUNNING GAME. CHI had attrocious passing stats with injuries and the dregs of society at QB. After Grossman went down Orton and Blake were a shade off of say Brady or Manning. With a healthier Grossman (not sure that means anything) and Griese, the Bears should be a lot more effective passing the ball and should not be Bottom 3 in every passing category. They may not be Top 10 or even Top 20, but they should not be Bottom 3.

I understand all that. So are you predicting that the increased passing game will cause the Bears to fall back to the NFL average in rush offense? I strongly disagree with that prediction, but at least I'd understand the reason.

I am not suggesting that the Bears fall back to the pack running the ball. But I do see them rushing LESS this year almost by default. A lot will depend on the defense, and it's hard to think that they will be better defensively than last year.Chicago struggles to run 900 offensive plays last year, and that's most likely due to letting the clock run. I suppose it is possible that they could pass more frequently and retain the same number of rushing attempts when you factor in incompletions and game stoppages. But the 2005 version of the Bears had almost 60 more attempts than the season before.

Even with all the players they drafted on defense, I personally see the defense taking a step back this year. How that plays out on offense is anyone's guess. But they may not be able to rely on the defense to either score points or give them great field possession to win this year. We'll see . . .

So far, it looks like Dodds and Yudkin were right and I was wrong. It's still early, but kudos.

 

[SSOG]

How's that Gates' pick working out for you guys now?

Some advice from someone who's been involved in one of these "poster vs. the world" type arguements...There's a time to gloat. Before the kickoff of week 5 is not that time. Now, if you wind up being right, you can pat your back until the cows come home... but it's week 5. Nobody's right yet. It's the NFL- things change fast. Heck, two weeks ago, Lee Evans was on pace for a 300 yard receiving season. Now he's on pace for almost 1,000 yards receiving. That's how quickly things can change around here.