Week 1 of the preseason has come and gone, I'm curious who everything thinks has improved their value and who has lost their value.
Movin' On Up:
QB
Aaron Rodgers, he's getting more command of the offense and has another year of experience, I'm thinking he should be a top-3 QB.
Matt Schaub, looked dominant going 7-7. As long as he stays healthy he'll be a top-10 QB with top-5 upside.
Sage Rosenfels, its only been one quarter and already I think he's the best QB the Vikes have had in 5 years. Could be a top-15 guy. I, for one, am not buying the latest Favre rumors.
Byron Leftwich, seems like he's going to be the starter. Has K2 and Bryant and a good o-line. I could see him being a decent QB2.
RB
DeAngelo Williams, looked just like he did at the end of last year, getting more than he should constantly. Stewart may not be as big a factor as he appeared as it seems his injury could be kinda serious.
Darren McFadden, its a year later than expected, but the burst and explosion are back. In PPR leagues I could see him as a low-end RB1.
Ray Rice, looked explosive against the Skins. Its not unrealistic he finishes 2nd on the team in catches.
Larry Johnson, is in great shape and finally seems to have a good attitude. Should be a solid RB2 for those of you who don't want to take RB's at the top of your draft.
WR
Randy Moss, Brady's back and looks healthy. Moss should be either the #1 or #2 WR off the board this year.
Wes Welker, again, Brady's back. In PPR leagues, Welker should easily be a top-10 WR.
DeSean Jackson, the knee injury looks to be nothing and McNabb targeted him 4 times in the Pats game(only caught one) McNabb clearly trusts him.
Devin Hester, did Cutler throw to anyone else? Maybe Marshall being such a target monster had less to do with him and more to do with Cutler.
TE
Jason Witten, none of the Cowboys WR's showed me anything(sorry Sam Hurd) so I maintain my belief that Witten is in a class all by himself. He's not a reach as a top-30 pick in my opinion.
Jeremy Shockey, it was nice to see Shockey score more TD's in one half than he did all of last season.
Randy McMichael, benefits from injuries to Bulger and Avery. Boller has a pretty solid history of locking onto TE's and even if Bulger gets healthy soon(2 weeks seems short for a broken finger) McMike could still be the #2 target and #1 target as long as Avery is out.
Chris Baker, could be a forgotten man in the redzone when teams play the Pats. He may not be much of a yardage guy, but he could catch 6-7 TD's.
Free Fallin':
QB
Jay Cutler, he just doesn't have the weapons he had in Denver. I counted at least 3 boneheaded throws in the Bills game. I want no part of him as a QB1.
Kurt Warner, I'm starting to get nervous about the hip. Also, I'm a firm believer in the curse of the Super Bowl loser, especially after it took down the mighty Patriots last year.
Kyle Orton, wow, just wow. Is it possible the Orton/Cutler deal made both teams worse?
Marc Bulger, broken fingers take more than 2 weeks to heal, and Bulger may not even be the best QB on the team anyway.
RB
Knowshon Moreno, getting injured will make it that much more unlikely he'll be a huge factor early in the year. I'm not saying he's a horrible pick as a RB3, but I liked him as a high end RB2 at one point. Orton's struggles don't help either.
Beanie Wells, another injured 1st rounder. Anyone thinking this year's rookie class will even sniff last year's is sorely mistaken. I can't believe I'm saying this, but Hightower might actually keep the starting job for a while.
Rashard Mendenhall, I thought he looked terrible, maybe that's just me. He's not that big or that fast. Maybe he's a goal-line back, but he's not going to seriously threaten a healthy Parker and Moore is locked into the 3rd down job.
Jamaal Charles, see LJ. Charles also seems to have a pretty big fumbling problem. I still think he's another Tatum Bell.
WR
Dwayne Bowe, depth chart BS aside, I just can't believe anyone can trust this guy as a WR1 or even a high end WR2. I'd be surprised if he was a top-15 WR. Especially since the WR on the other side is yet to be determined and will be crappy no matter who wins the job.
Brandon Marshall, is he healthy? Can Orton keep he productive? Will he be a Bronco? I'm not taking Marshall until at least 15-20 other Wr's are off the board...possibly including Royal.
Michael Crabtree, I really don't think Oakland is going to regret passing on him(not that I ever did) what we have here is a possible headcase, who is coming off a major injury and has had zero camp time. I'm not sure he's even draftable in anything other than dynasty leagues. I'd be shocked if he started a single game this year.
Bernard Berrian, speed WR's with hamstring problems are a giant red flag for me. I don't see him averaging 20 YPC again this year and I don't see him topping 50 catches either.
TE
Tony Gonzalez, wow it looked weird seeing him in a Falcons jersey. I just don't see the falcons becoming a passing team and Gonzo will be held back by their conservative nature. He'll still probably catch 70+ balls, but 1,000 yards or 10 TD's aren't even remotely realistic goals.
Tony Scheffler, Denver is going to suck. Everybody gets hurt, especially Cutler's best friend.
Bo Scaife, I think we could see a TEBC(Tight End By Committee) in Tennessee this year.
LJ Smith, I don't see him beating out Todd Heap. I also don't see him finding his way out of a wet paper bag without getting hurt badly enough to be a game time decision.
I tried to stick to more well known guys and 4 per position. Who else looks better/worse?
Movin' On Up:
QB
Aaron Rodgers, he's getting more command of the offense and has another year of experience, I'm thinking he should be a top-3 QB.
Matt Schaub, looked dominant going 7-7. As long as he stays healthy he'll be a top-10 QB with top-5 upside.
Sage Rosenfels, its only been one quarter and already I think he's the best QB the Vikes have had in 5 years. Could be a top-15 guy. I, for one, am not buying the latest Favre rumors.
Byron Leftwich, seems like he's going to be the starter. Has K2 and Bryant and a good o-line. I could see him being a decent QB2.
RB
DeAngelo Williams, looked just like he did at the end of last year, getting more than he should constantly. Stewart may not be as big a factor as he appeared as it seems his injury could be kinda serious.
Darren McFadden, its a year later than expected, but the burst and explosion are back. In PPR leagues I could see him as a low-end RB1.
Ray Rice, looked explosive against the Skins. Its not unrealistic he finishes 2nd on the team in catches.
Larry Johnson, is in great shape and finally seems to have a good attitude. Should be a solid RB2 for those of you who don't want to take RB's at the top of your draft.
WR
Randy Moss, Brady's back and looks healthy. Moss should be either the #1 or #2 WR off the board this year.
Wes Welker, again, Brady's back. In PPR leagues, Welker should easily be a top-10 WR.
DeSean Jackson, the knee injury looks to be nothing and McNabb targeted him 4 times in the Pats game(only caught one) McNabb clearly trusts him.
Devin Hester, did Cutler throw to anyone else? Maybe Marshall being such a target monster had less to do with him and more to do with Cutler.
TE
Jason Witten, none of the Cowboys WR's showed me anything(sorry Sam Hurd) so I maintain my belief that Witten is in a class all by himself. He's not a reach as a top-30 pick in my opinion.
Jeremy Shockey, it was nice to see Shockey score more TD's in one half than he did all of last season.
Randy McMichael, benefits from injuries to Bulger and Avery. Boller has a pretty solid history of locking onto TE's and even if Bulger gets healthy soon(2 weeks seems short for a broken finger) McMike could still be the #2 target and #1 target as long as Avery is out.
Chris Baker, could be a forgotten man in the redzone when teams play the Pats. He may not be much of a yardage guy, but he could catch 6-7 TD's.
Free Fallin':
QB
Jay Cutler, he just doesn't have the weapons he had in Denver. I counted at least 3 boneheaded throws in the Bills game. I want no part of him as a QB1.
Kurt Warner, I'm starting to get nervous about the hip. Also, I'm a firm believer in the curse of the Super Bowl loser, especially after it took down the mighty Patriots last year.
Kyle Orton, wow, just wow. Is it possible the Orton/Cutler deal made both teams worse?
Marc Bulger, broken fingers take more than 2 weeks to heal, and Bulger may not even be the best QB on the team anyway.
RB
Knowshon Moreno, getting injured will make it that much more unlikely he'll be a huge factor early in the year. I'm not saying he's a horrible pick as a RB3, but I liked him as a high end RB2 at one point. Orton's struggles don't help either.
Beanie Wells, another injured 1st rounder. Anyone thinking this year's rookie class will even sniff last year's is sorely mistaken. I can't believe I'm saying this, but Hightower might actually keep the starting job for a while.
Rashard Mendenhall, I thought he looked terrible, maybe that's just me. He's not that big or that fast. Maybe he's a goal-line back, but he's not going to seriously threaten a healthy Parker and Moore is locked into the 3rd down job.
Jamaal Charles, see LJ. Charles also seems to have a pretty big fumbling problem. I still think he's another Tatum Bell.
WR
Dwayne Bowe, depth chart BS aside, I just can't believe anyone can trust this guy as a WR1 or even a high end WR2. I'd be surprised if he was a top-15 WR. Especially since the WR on the other side is yet to be determined and will be crappy no matter who wins the job.
Brandon Marshall, is he healthy? Can Orton keep he productive? Will he be a Bronco? I'm not taking Marshall until at least 15-20 other Wr's are off the board...possibly including Royal.
Michael Crabtree, I really don't think Oakland is going to regret passing on him(not that I ever did) what we have here is a possible headcase, who is coming off a major injury and has had zero camp time. I'm not sure he's even draftable in anything other than dynasty leagues. I'd be shocked if he started a single game this year.
Bernard Berrian, speed WR's with hamstring problems are a giant red flag for me. I don't see him averaging 20 YPC again this year and I don't see him topping 50 catches either.
TE
Tony Gonzalez, wow it looked weird seeing him in a Falcons jersey. I just don't see the falcons becoming a passing team and Gonzo will be held back by their conservative nature. He'll still probably catch 70+ balls, but 1,000 yards or 10 TD's aren't even remotely realistic goals.
Tony Scheffler, Denver is going to suck. Everybody gets hurt, especially Cutler's best friend.
Bo Scaife, I think we could see a TEBC(Tight End By Committee) in Tennessee this year.
LJ Smith, I don't see him beating out Todd Heap. I also don't see him finding his way out of a wet paper bag without getting hurt badly enough to be a game time decision.
I tried to stick to more well known guys and 4 per position. Who else looks better/worse?
