By Dalton Del Don
Hakeem Nicks is something of a risk if drafted as a top-five fantasy receiver since heâs missed five games over the first two years of his career and was banged up in others, but he revealed a ton of potential racking up 79 receptions for 1,052 yards and 11 touchdowns over just 13 games during his second year in the league last season. At 6-1, 215, Nicks is physical and willing to go over the middle yet also possesses plenty of speed, evidenced by his 20 catches for 20-plus yards in 2010. Last yearâs 8.2 YPT wasnât anything special, but itâs worth noting Nicks was one of just eight receivers to see more than 25 percent of his teamâs targets, according to Pro Football Focus, and that number should only increase with the departure of Steve Smith (Eli Manning relies as much on his X and Z receivers as any quarterback in football). Moreover, Nicks was targeted 12 times inside the 10 last season â the leader was Larry Fitzgerald with 14, and Nicks did that in just 13 games. As a second round pick, thereâs no doubt Nicks carries some risk with his questionable durability and lack of a track record, but his per-game stats prorated to 97 catches, 1,295 yards and 14 touchdowns over a full season last year, and itâs safe to expect him to further improve during his third year as a pro. Larry Fitzgerald and Roddy White are safer options, but only Calvin Johnson matches Nicks’ upside from the receiver position.
One of the most sexist ads of all-time.
Deacon Jones, on the other hand, is a staunch backer of equal rights.
I entered summer somewhat down on Felix Jones but have since joined the ever growing hype train (late to the party, I know). His lack of goal-line work (heâs just 1-for-6 there over the past two seasons) remains a concern, but heâs explosive and plays in a potentially extremely high-powered offense, so while he scored just two total touchdowns last year, thereâs no reason he canât reach eight or so in a similar way LeSean McCoy can. While Jones saw his YPC drop from 5.9 in 2009 to 4.3 last season, he improved greatly as a pass catcher, as he racked up 49 receptions for 450 receiving yards after entering with a career total of just 21 and 129, respectively. With Marion Barber out of Dallas, Jones is looking at a career-high workload in 2011, barring injury. Heâs never going to be a 325-carry guy, but with his newfound ability as a receiver, all it would take is 250 rushing attempts (say 15-17 carries a game) for him to be a potential major fantasy factor. Coaches have soured on Tashard Choice, and rookie DeMarco Murray continues to battle the injury-prone label, whereas Jones has had a fantastic camp so far. As the lead back in an offense featuring Tony Romo, Miles Austin, Dez Bryant and Jason Witten, Jones shouldnât be overlooked in fantasy leagues.
This mockup of sportscasters by âBatting Stance Guyâ slayed me. Tim Kurkjian is hilarious.
This is likely the last red card this ref ever considers giving.
What Josh Freeman did last season shouldnât go unnoticed. Considered raw coming out of Kansas State, he completed 61.4 percent of his passes with a 25:6 TD:INT ratio during just his second year in the league. Thanks to a more difficult schedule and some natural regression after the Bucs were generally considered quite lucky in 2010, most expect Tampa Bay to take a step back this year, and Freemanâs stats may suffer as a result. While thereâs little doubt last seasonâs INT% isnât sustainable, from a fantasy perspective, things could actually get better. For one, a tougher schedule should result in playing from behind more often, which should lead to more pass attempts, as the Bucs ranked 23rd in that category last season. Moreover, considering Freeman got 7.6 YPA with a 15:1 TD:INT ratio over the second half of last season, it sure seems like heâs improving with more experience, and further growth could be expected in year three. Mike Williams has a ton of talent and should only get better as a sophomore now capable of running more than just a handful of routes, and add in Arrelious Benn along with a healthy Kellen Winslow who had the rare offseason without a knee surgery, and Freeman has more than enough weapons to work with. It would be nice if LeGarrette Blount was a better pass catcher, but his tackle breaking ability will also demand opposing defensesâ attention. Carolina is obviously a plus matchup, and it wouldnât be a surprise if shootouts ensued versus the Saints and Falcons, so Tampaâs division is also a plus. Finally, only Michael Vick had more rushing yards as a QB than Freeman last year, and at 6-6, 248, itâs safe to call it a fluke he didnât run for a single score. Freeman is just another reason to wait on quarterbacks in fantasy leagues, as Iâd feel comfortable with him as my QB1.
This chimp makes a gorilla look like a chump.
Iâm guessing this marriage didnât end happily.
Iâve been burned by Beanie Wells each of the past two years, yet still find myself willing to give him another chance this season. Iâm not some crazy apologist â heâs clearly injury-prone and was downright awful when on the field in 2010. During his rookie season, fumbles could be blamed for his lack of carries. Last yearâs excuse was a preseason knee injury that lingered throughout and sapped all his explosiveness. With Tim Hightower jettisoned, this is seemingly Wellsâ make-or-break year, as even with second round pick Ryan Williams in tow, Arizonaâs coaching staff is apparently going to give Wells every chance to act as the teamâs feature back in 2011. When healthy, he has the physical tools to take advantage of it, but at some point, that statement comes off as me saying if I threw 100 mph Iâd pitch in the majors or if my uncle had a sex change heâd be my aunt, as Wells needs to actually prove he can remain durable. Iâm not the biggest Kevin Kolb fan, but thereâs little doubt heâll be an upgrade at QB (last year Arizona quarterbacks combined for a 50.8 completion percentage with 5.8 YPA and a 10:19 TD:INT ratio), and itâs an inherent advantage playing in the weak NFC West. Fool me once, shame on Wells. Fool me twice, shame on me. Is there a third saying to this?
Asian baller schools and dunks on LeBron James.
Tony Romoâs bachelor party sounds like it got out of control.
Dallas police on the lookout for pantie-headed bandit.
After Vincent Jacksonâs impressive, albeit brief, performance on national TV recently, heâs likely shot up draft boards, and rightfully so. VJax has never had 70 receptions, 1,200 receiving yards or double-digit touchdowns in a season during his career, but I wouldnât be surprised if he passed all those marks in 2011. As a deep threat, he loses some value in PPR formats, but at 6-5, 230 and in a dominant passing attack, thereâs no reason he canât reach a dozen touchdowns, especially with Antonio Gates continuing to battle foot problems and TD machine LaDainian Tomlinson no longer on the roster. Once again playing for a big contract, Jackson will be highly motivated and has the benefit of one of the best quarterbacks in football throwing to him as the teamâs clear WR1. After missing the first 14 weeks of last season thanks to a holdout and calf injury, he promptly racked up 112 yards and three touchdowns in his second game, revealing the kind of upside matched only by a handful of other receivers. One year after Jackson got a whopping 11.8 YPT (the highest since the yards-per-target stat was tracked) on a ridiculous 69 percent catch rate, Jackson got 10.3 YPT in his brief action last season, so even a modest increase in looks would make him an easy top-five WR. Iâd certainly prefer Jackson over Dwayne Bowe.
55-year-old casino exec releases one of the worst rap videos ever.
While I wish this clip wasn’t so cut up, I dominated this argument (although admittedly, after the fact it sounds like Vince Young is actually battling Mike Kafka to even win the QB2 role).
Iâve never been a big Tim Hightower fan (of course, this probably has everything to do with owning Beanie Wells the past two years), and Pro Football Focus actually graded him as the worst running back in the NFL last season, with his biggest liabilities coming as a pass catcher and blocker, which doesnât exactly fit his narrative as a great third down back. Regardless, what matters most to fantasy owners is that Mike Shanahan is apparently a big believer, and with the competition dwindling (I like Ryan Torain, but he canât stay healthy, and while I still consider Roy Helu a nice late round flier, he appears a ways off from contributing), Hightower is seemingly Washingtonâs feature back, although itâs worth noting his previous fumbling problem has carried over into practices this year. While I admittedly question Hightowerâs talent, this is a back whoâs one year removed from racking up 63 receptions, got 4.8 YPC last season playing in a bad offense and has totaled 23 rushing touchdowns over the past three years despite never seeing more than 153 carries, so if he truly becomes a lead back in a Shanahan offense, a role that looks increasingly likely, heâs going to make an impact in fantasy leagues.
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