You know that "sneaky hot" girl you work/go to school/see at the bus-stop every day? The one that....if she just lost the glasses, found a cream rinse, and grabbed an inexpensive but form fitting shirt from H&M...she'd be dynamite? That girl is a classic Rachel Leigh Cook. You know she can be hot if she just made a few moves, but you continually ignore her. So you know what happens? Freddie Prinze Jr. snaps her up, she takes down the ponytail, and you are left kicking yourself.
In the same way, every year there seems to be a team that produces a multitude of fantasy options that comes out of nowhere. You realize that the pieces are there. You see the potential from far away...but some bad reputation skews your vision as they get closer. Maybe they've had a bad offensive line for years. Maybe they've always been a defense first team. Maybe there's just way too many things that have to go right for it to work out. But ask yourself... did you ever DREAM that Steve Breaston would have such an impact on your season in 2008? Did you give any thought to grabbing Sidney Rice in the mid-rounds of your draft in 2009? Wes Welker in 2007, Marion Barber in 2006.....the list goes on. You knew that under all that tom-boy exterior was a hot chick with huge tits. Maybe even one that equated sleeping with alot of dudes as evidence she was hot, and desperately wanted the approval of their peers...or even better...their fathers.
I bring to you this years new hotties. The teams that are ready to go from the Math Club to the Prom. Move the stars up on your draft board, and target there unheard of options in the late round, because a third wide-receiver from these teams is the equivalent of a pity-hand-job to get you off their backs. It may not be exactly what you wanted, but man...it still feels good.
Tampa Bay: Some Kind of Wonderful.
Think of the Bucs as Mary Stuart Masterson. "All I need is you, me, and my drums." She goes from short haired tom-boy to...well...she's still Mary Stuart Masterson. Not super hot, but she's showing cleavage, and she's completely willing to drink your man-juice like it was a potion for reviving her career. Good enough.
Tampa is still kinda ugly. Freeman will still toss a boat load of INT's this season. But there is alot of reason to be optimistic. I'm starting with the offensive line. There are no major changes, but these guys are young. But no longer toooo young. They are...well...breakout stage young. Add in that last year they battled injury issues with their center, and had no depth. They've added some depth in the draft, and may be prime to take a major step forward. Did you see them against Miami? Not too shabby.
Then...check out the new game plan. Last year, the team only averaged 25 running attempts a game. That's going to change...although not by much. Greg Olsen steps in and brings a version of the Steve Mariucci West Coast Offense in with him. Or should I say, the John Gruden Superbowl winning offensive style. However, given the age of the starters, the west coast will take some time to develop. And remember...it's a Mariucci west coast. That means there will be enough running and passing to go around.
So we have a better line, and a more suitable game plan. Add an improved defense that will keep the offense closer to the goal line, and all we need is offensive talent. I want you to take a very good, very hard look at Freeman. His thumb will be fine by the start of the season. He's got great mobility. He's got a massive arm. He has a boat load of potential, that under the right coach with the right system, he could be pretty damn good. On the downside....his accuracy leaves much to be desired. He will struggle at times. he will still throw an interception or two a game. But make no mistake about it....he's going to score. He's still going to have a few 250-300 yard gems with 2-3 TD's and 50 yards on the ground. For all of you that are eyeing Vince Young, or Matt Moore late in the draft...Freeman is better. His short lived pre-season stat line? 4 for 4, 53 yards. Not bad. Overall, the kids a playmaker.
And now he's surrounded by other playmakers.
Have you seen Mike Williams in pre-season? Mike Williams will be the highest impact rookie in 2010. There...I said it. F you Ryan Mathews. I didn't want you in my draft anyway. Williams will be this teams flanker. So basically, he'll have DeSean Jackson's position in a relatively similar offense with a quarterback that's equivalent to Donovan McNabb, with more speed and less ability to read a defense. Except Williams is bigger with better hands. I'll take it.
The next best receiver? Time to move Kellen Winslow up your depth chart. This offense is made for TE's running slot routes and outside flares. He'll get plenty of targets from his young QB.
Lastly, the running game. Do you remember last year in the first four weeks, when you had to check the stat sheet three times because you SWEAR you thought it said that 100 yard back was Cadillac Williams, but...but it just couldn't be! Could it? Yup...it was. But he's not even the best part of this offense. The best part is Kareem Huggins. He's got 50 yards on the ground in each of his first 2 preseason games. Huggins is a small back...5'9"...so he probably won't take a full time roll. That said...shit this kid is fast. Fast and built like he's auditioning for a 1993 Janet Jackson video. The rookie out of Hofstra ran a 4.28 40 at the combine, and he's already supplanted Ward on the depth chart. Think Felix Jones before he was exposed to whatever type of radiation turns bone into the plastic they use to make tampon applicators. Don't believe me? Just follow the link below.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Bees8RMFQvY
And all that speed has translated onto the field. Check out this run against Miami: http://www.nfl.com/videos/nfl-game-highlights/09000d5d819c194d
Point is....he could be special. And if you draft them wisely, so can the Tampa Bay Bucs for your fantasy team.
Baltimore Ravens: She's All That.
"What is this, some sort of dork outreach program?" Okay...so you can see the potential is there. The new shiny WR, the third year "breakout ready" quarterback, the running game....the pieces are there.
So why are you hesitating?
Ohhhhhh....I forgot. Their a defensive minded team. They don't care about offense. Just like Rachel Leigh Cook didn't give a shit about what she looked like. She had an image she wanted to convey, and she held onto it. That is, until the super popular, wicked hot Freddie Prinze Jr. came a knockin'....
Consider the Ravens ready for the prom. And after the prom they will give you head. In the back of the limo. While your friends watch. And then they'll do them too. You think their a defensive minded team that will grind the ball? Really?
Tell that to offensive guru Cam Cameron. Or the new Offensive Consultant Al Saunders. Or the new Quarterback coach Jim Zorn. You may have heard of these guys. They are bona-fuckin-fide offensive star makers, and they're all under one cold weather roof. Flacco has been working with Zorn, and practicing his delivery with MLB pitching coaches. I'm pretty sure the Ravens are seeing to it that he's getting swedish massages nightly from Angelina Jolie's strong and capable hands, Emeril Lagasse spoon feeds him his high protein diet, and every time he needs to drop a brown biscuit, Art Modell rises from the dead to wipe his ass for him.
This is not your Daddy's Ravens. Let me ask you...if you planned on grinding out the running game every week....would you have Willis McGahee on the trade block? I mean...wouldn't you at least keep him around even if you were going to move him on the depth chart?
You wouldn't. And neither would they. They are going to throw. And they will run. And they will look like the Harlem Globetrotters doing it in the AFC North. So get confident with Rice. Put McLain back on the depth chart, as the new FB McLaughlin looks good enough to handle full time front blocker duty. McLain will handle the goal line. And you want some deep RB sleepers? Try Jalen Parmele, who's been a stand out so far on special teams, and has lead the Ravens in carries over the preseason. (You read that correctly....he's gotten more carries than Ray Rice.) And don't count out Curtis Steele at RB. This shifty rookie may be taking some carries between the tackles for the blackbirds, and will likely take over Rice's roll if there is an injury.
As far as the passing game, Flacco is a solid choice for a breakout season. I still wouldn't rank him any higher than 9....but he may be the backup that ends up winning your league. When Anquoin Boldin is healthy, he'll have some great games. He's going very low right now. Late #2, early #3 WR. He's better than that. How Brandon Marshall can go in the second round, and Boldin continually falls to the fourth I will never understand.
And that TE will be a fantastic steal with your last pick of the draft. No...not Todd Heap. That POS is DOA. I'm talking about rookie TE Dennis Pitta. This kid's been targeted four times the amount Heap has, and has hauled in five times the amount of catches. He could easily turn in to a bankable redzone threat with McGehee out of the picture.
Of course.....like all "out of nowhere" teams, there's there are a couple of WR's that's not getting drafted at all, that you need to pick up late. Wait...who just said Mark Clayton? I swear if I hear anyone say Mark Clayton I will go to the trunk of my car, grab the driver that my ex-wife gave me out of my golf bag, and bash your fucking skull in with it. I've been dying to break that thing anyway. No fuck-tard....Donte Stallworth, who will be the official HR threat for the team, and has shown at points in his career he can absolutely excel in that position....and Demetrius Williams. At some point, Boldin will get hurt. Hell....Mason is already hurt. Demetrius Williams will get the call, and when he does, this 6' 200 lb. slot receiver may never hit the bench again. He's done decent with the opportunities he's had so far, and now that the rest of his team is competent, I expect him to take it to the next step. (Meaning solid 3rd WR, at minimum.)
Oakland Raiders: Crappy Melissa-Joan Hart movie that I'm not going to waste my time looking the name up because you won't recognize it anyway.
So in this movie, Melissa-Joan Hart has to make-over some guy up to take to the prom, and he ends up getting a lead roll on Entourage. No...you don't want to do him...but he's still pretty cool.
That sums up your Oakland Raiders. I know...they suck. And they still may suck. Jason Campbell is not Peyton Manning.
But as you've read countless times....he's not Jamarcus "Most Kickers Can Put Up Higher QB Ratings Than Me" Russel either. So instead of putting 9-10 guys in the box, most teams may actually only put 7 or 8 there. That's a step up. The offensive line is moving to more of a power-man blocking scheme as opposed to the zone blocking scheme they could not execute, and gets bolstered by rookies Smith and Vallejo. A pluthera of defensive additions will give the offense more minutes on the field. So who benefits the most? Well...you. If you draft some Raiders.
Jason Campbell may have his best season yet. No...he will not take you to a fantasy championship. He's still a backup. But he may be a damn good backup.
With Hugh Jackson at the helm, the running game is sure to get a boost. All 245 pounds of Michael Bush should see plenty of carries this season. If the preseason is any indication, he should be getting plenty of passes thrown his way as well. And if he's not being checked down to....Zach Miller will be.
Note that I didn't mention Darren McFadden. That is because he sucks. And his sore hammy will make him suckier. Move Bush up. Don't draft McFadden.
Of course all this will be used to set up the big play. And who will be the recipient of that big play? Darrius Heyward-Bey? Johnny-Lee Higgins? Chaz Schillins? Nope. They will contribute, but the guy you want to target late is Louis Murphy. I think the reason people disregard him is because of his ordinary sounding name. But that just makes him less likely to be a serial killer, not less likely to catch passes. He's been the most successful deep threat for Oakland to date, and I like him to carry that into a new role that should supply you with 1100 yards, and 9 TD's this season.
By the way....if you're looking for a sleeper defense....look no further. This is an entirely revamped front 7, complete with pash rushing DE's, and new and improved linebacker play. The Pass D was already good, but now that they can rush occasionally and stop the run, I'm looking at them to be a top 10 D this year.
Lastly, I would like to leave you with the Chicago Bears. But I'm not going to do a full review, because you can't turn on your computer without hearing about Mike Martz's and Mike Tice's influence. Look...Aramashoua will be very good in the slot. Knox will get a bunch of deep balls and nothing else. Cutler is the most talented QB Martz ever worked with. Matt Forte wil get about 65% of the carries, and will be closer to 3.9 yards a game than 3.5, and add in a few receptions every game. Devon Hester is not a #1, and Greg Olson will disappear. But as of right now, all of these guys are being drafted right where they should be, and I don't see alot of surprises, so I'll leave them alone.
**************LATE AMENDMENT***************
Wow....completely forgot about KC. I'll just say this....their draft and Romeo Crennel should upgrade their defense, so the offense should get more minutes on the field. Not too much has changed on their O-Line...but like Tampa Bay, it's a very young line that should have a couple guys ready to have "break out" seasons. Charlie Weiss takes over the offense, which means run, run, run, deep pass, run, run, deep pass.
I can't believe that Jamaal Charles went from automatic first rounder to mid-late third rounder because of Thomas Jones Presence. Starter Shmarter. He's the" #1" back in that offense like "Phantom Mentace" was the first Star Wars. It's slower, cornier, more predictable than "A New Hope"....and let's face it....it's really not the first Star Wars. Will Thomas Jones take some goal line carries away? Sure. Will he get the ball four the first 4 carries? Probably. But that said, will his carries be limited to around 8-12 times a game on average? You betcha. Will KC run the ball 30 times a game giving Charles between 15-20 carries? Absolutely. Count on him for a top 12 finish in your RB scoring....which should make him a low #1 back on the draft board. Getting him as a mid #2 is a discount.
On the passing end.....I really expect both Bowe and Cassel to rebound. I don't see #1 status for Cassel, but I do see 3700 yards and 25 TD's while drastically cutting down on the INT's. (14-17.) Essentially he's 2009 Jay Cutler with less INT's. That's a solid #2 QB with a pretty easy schedule, making him a great compliment to your #1. He's undrafted in most leagues, which gives you a great reason to postpone the pick of a #2 QB. Bowe however is being drafted right around where he belongs. Third, 4th round as a #2 receiver. I like him better than several of the guys he's being drafted behind (Steve Smith, OchoCinco, Hakeem Nicks) but I'm not ready to call him a sure fire #1 yet because I believe he'll be inconsistent. If KC can run the ball, they will.
As far as deep sleepers go, I'm not seeing any. I really like Maoki at TE, and think he'll be a time share (with Leonard Pope) pass catching threat much like Chris Cooley this year. He'll be a very usable #2 TE, that is great for covering your bye-weeks and Vernon Davis injuries. (It WILL happen.) That said, he's someone to watch very carefully....not draft. Same for McCluster......he'll be a nightmare for some defenses, but he won't have weekly use.
Now you're wondering....if these teams are ready to be named prom queen...who are the ones that were SUPPOSED to be prom queen, only to come in second and have to storm out after this major blow to their popularity?
Answers coming soon kids. Very soon.
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