Die Hard Sports Fan

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By: Vedder of the Die Hard Eagles blog.

After last week’s dismal offensive performance against the defending Super Bowl Champs, the New York Giants, it is hard to get motivated to discuss any Washington Redskins as potential starters for your fantasy football team.  It is arguable to claim, but last week did provide some hope with the output from RB Clinton Portis.  WR Santana Moss indeed did have a TD, but it was not a productive day for the team’s number one receiver.  With Washington down the entire game, it gave the passing game an opportunity to post better than average statistics and only Antwaan Randel El could be considered as benefiting from that opportunity but his numbers weren’t anything to make fantasy owners happy.  Whether it was the offensive game plan or the Giants stingy defense, TE Chris Cooley was a huge week 1 disappointment as he only hauled in one catch.

Going forward, this could be a good game for the Washington offense to prove their critics wrong.  The New Orleans Saints have a decent but inconsistent defense.  The run defense in particular is suspect.  To protect QB Jason Campbell and put him in the best position to succeed, I look for the head coach, Jim Zorn, to run the ball as much as possible.  I see Clinton Portis getting the majority of the carries, with RB Ladell Betts giving him some rest and changing up things a bit with his different style of running.  Portis is definitely worth starting this week versus the Saints and I look for him to benefit from playing against a suspect run defense as well as a game plan looking to keep the ball out of Campbell’s hands along with keeping the Saints high octane offense off the field as much as possible.

With a solid running game performed, it could open up things for Campbell and the passing game.  I expect Campbell to throw for around 200 yards and potentially one TD. So, I would look elsewhere for a fantasy football QB.  TE Chris Cooley should bounce back and have at least foru to five catches as I expect Zorn to make amends for last week and get Cooley back into the attack.  WRs Santana Moss and Antwaan Randel El might get lucky and break one for a score. But, I would not recommend making either one a starting receiver this week unless you are short on WR options.

On the other side of things, the Saints have one of the most interesting offenses in the NFL.  Led by QB Drew Brees, the offensive could provide fireworks at anytime.  Brees is a sure thing starter each week, especially against a questionable Redskins defense and secondary.  The Saints have a very good running game, but since it consists of multiple players (Bush, Thomas, McCallister etc), I would not recommend starting any Saints RBs this week unless you want to start Reggie Bush as your 2nd RB or a Flex player.  I would also start Bush as a RB if your league rewards points for receptions as he has the potential for 90-100 catches this year.  Top WR Marquis Colston should always be in your starting lineup even though he had a less than average game last week.  TE Jeremy Shockey is a top five TE in fantasy football. So if you have him, I believe he should be capable of a very good game, from a fantasy perspective. 

All other Saints offensive players should be on your bench.

It’s not an easy game to analyze. Clinton Portis, Drew Brees, and Marquis Colston are the only sure fire starters this week from this game. Both Cooley and Shockey should put up comparable numbers. Good luck.

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The following comes from my friend, “DJBlitz,” also known as Vedder of the Eagles blog. ~ ~ ~ Let’s take a peak into Thursday night’s 2008 Season Opener, from a fantasy football prospective. The season starts off with a good old fashioned NFC East slugfest, with the reigning Superbowl Champions New York Giants facing the Washington Redskins. I look for this game to be a low scoring game which isn’t what fantasy football fans want to hear. I believe each team, while on offense, will try to play a ‘ball-control’ style offense, running out the clock, and keeping their defense off the field. Every now and then, I expect each team to try and open it up and go downfield, but not often. Let’s look at each team’s prospective fantasy players when on offense: When the Skins are on offense: Jason Campbell has continued to progress and has become a poised QB standing in the pocket. Can he produce fantasy football wise? That question remains unanswered. With a new head coach, installing a new offense, it may take time for Campbell and the offense to get on track. However, Campbell can throw a nice deep ball so there is the potential for him to strike at anytime on the home run play. In this game, I look for him to put up solid numbers, but nothing worthy of making him your starting QB for your fantasy football team. I look for him to throw for about 200 yards and 1 TD, maybe even 2 if lucky. He is a solid and steady QB, capable of moving the ball quietly down field with short but accurate throws. He might strike once or twice during the game, especially if WR Santana Moss can get by the opposing Cornerbacks and Safeties. Tight End Chris Cooley is my sleeper for this game when the Skins have the ball. He is a reliable safety valve for the up and coming Campbell but can also sneak free, down the middle and pick up nice yardage. He has become a very nice red zone threat and that certainly makes him a top 10 fantasy football tight end. On a good day, Cooley could easily come up with 80 yards and a TD reception Thursday night. The Wide Receiver core for the Skins is not very attractive to fantasy football owners. Santana Moss is the only WR who should be in someone’s lineup for fantasy football. Antwan Randel El at this point in his career is at best a guy you might pick up off the waiver wire if you are short on starting receivers for a week. If you are counting on Randel El as a starting receiver every week, I do not see you having a successful fantasy season. Thursday night, Moss could shine if Campbell gets enough time against the Giants Defense. The Giants took some hits this off-season with free agent losses and the injury bug, and this could benefit Moss Thursday night as he looks to sneak free and break open for one of Campbell’s long ball throws. I look for Moss to get about 90 yards in this game, and potentially a TD. If the Redskins want to succeed on offense this year, they must run the ball successfully to keep the defense honest. If healthy, RB Clinton Portis can be a top 10 fantasy RB. Portis is quick and shifty, and can break free for a long one at any time making him a dangerous threat. Portis’s numbers depend on a few things Thursday night: First, he needs a good blocking scheme up front early in the game. If the Giants stuff him early, he may lose his confidence and have a rough game. Next, for Portis to be a good to great fantasy player, he needs to be the main man. Fantasy Football owners worry that he will lose carries to other RBs in the Skins stable such as Betts and Cartwright. As the Redskins look to play ball control Thursday night, we will get a good insight into Portis’s workload for the season if the game plan calls for Portis to get the majority of the carries or not. When the Giants are on offense: Eli Manning should be on someone’s fantasy football roster as a great #2 QB or potentially a modest #1 QB. He is steady and productive. On Thursday night, he should have a solid fantasy football game, putting up somewhere between 200 and 250 yards, with 1-2 TDs. Early in the game, I look for Manning to dump the ball off to RB’s Bradshaw and Ward and then move the ball down field more to Plaxico Buress and company. Buress is Manning’s number one threat and is a starting caliber WR each week in fantasy football. He is very dangerous in the red zone, can still get down field, and can also be a great possession receiver. I look for Buress to pick up 110 yards and a TD on Thursday night making him a good pick to put into your starting lineup. The other Giants offensive players capable of receiving do not bring much fantasy football value. With TE Jeremy Shockey gone, it will be interesting to see if TE Kevin Boss can be a fantasy football threat. Right now, most believe he is not. WR Amani Toomer is another year older but not worthy of being a fantasy football starter. That goes for any other WR right now on the Giants offense. Regarding the Giants’ running game, RB Brandon Jacobs could be a stud. He could also be a dud. In order for Jacobs to get nice fantasy football production, the Giants need to get him involved early and mix up the run versus the pass to keep opposing defenses honest and not crowd the box to contain him. Thursday night, to balance the offense and keep Manning clean, I look for the Giants to give Jacobs owners a nice dose where he should get about 25 touches, and earn atleast a 100 yard game with a TD.

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