By Dalton Del Don
I’ll admit I fully joined the Peyton Hillis as a bust in 2011 chorus earlier this summer, but I’ve since changed my mind. What looked like a throw-in as part of the Brady Quinn trade at the time, Hillis took over Cleveland’s backfield after injuries struck last season, and despite not starting until Week 3, racked up 1,654 yards from scrimmage and 13 touchdowns. He was fantastic in all aspects besides ball security (his eight fumbles were the most in the NFL), but he wore down badly over the year’s second half as his YPC fell from 4.8 to 3.9, likely due to his bruising, physical style. Since his fade came on a modest 270 rushing attempts, it made sense Cleveland talked all offseason about planning on more of a committee attack this year. But Montario Hardesty continues to battle health problems, finally making his preseason debut Thursday (five carries for 15 yards), and Brandon Jackson is out indefinitely with turf toe. Incorporating all aspects of football (running, receiving, blocking, penalties), Pro Football Focus graded Hillis as the second best running back in the NFL last season (Jamaal Charles was No. 1), and remember, even if he sees fewer snaps on a weekly basis, he totaled more than 1,650 yards with a modest 270 rushing attempts during just 13 starts last season, so he wasn’t exactly a huge volume guy, and he’s going to remain a huge part of the passing game in new coach Pat Shurmur’s offense and is a beast at the goal line. Similarly to Brandon Lloyd, Hillis, who was the No. 2 overall fantasy back last season, is getting overly discounted so far at 2011 draft tables.
Here are the results from the recent Yahoo Friends & Family draft. I really like my team but admittedly it’s pretty boom-or-bust.
While I can’t condone assault, especially toward the handicapped, this guy is the man. Seriously, who hasn’t seen someone chasing a neighbor down the street with a chainsaw?
I’m not sure I’ve ever owned Wes Welker in a fantasy league, but I’d like to change that this year. Obviously a PPR monster, Welker averaged 115.3 catches over his first three years after joining New England before racking up 86 receptions while missing a game last season while coming off serious knee surgery. His 2009 campaign needs to be reiterated, as he recorded 123 catches for 1,348 receiving yards over essentially just 13 games (he left the Week 17 contest early in the first quarter)! To put that into perspective, those 123 receptions tied Welker for the second-most in NFL history, and he accomplished that while missing three games. Of course, even during that historic season, he scored only four touchdowns, which has been his biggest fantasy hindrance. He’s never scored more than eight touchdowns in his career, but it’s worth noting only Larry Fitzgerald saw more targets inside the 10-yard line last season, as Welker received 13 looks from in close. There are plenty options for Tom Brady to look for in New England this season, but each tight end will likely alternate big weeks, Randy Moss is gone, and Chad Ochocinco has been slow to pick up the offense, so another year removed from the knee injury, don’t be surprised if Welker has a big 2011. He’s the clear favorite to lead the league in catches.
Man tries to stop car with his feet via Flintstones style. Fails miserably.
This restaurant review is controversial, intriguing and downright bizarre.
Reggie Bush has looked sharp since coming over to Miami and has secured the starting role. He won’t be treated like a true workhorse, but 12-15 carries and 3-6 catches per game aren’t out of the question. Bush has never reached even 600 rushing yards in a season during his career, and it’s hard to see him being more productive on an inferior Dolphins team compared to the Saints, at least on a per play basis. Of course, the expected increase in volume is what has his fantasy needle moving up, and there’s some thought playing on grass could help him stay healthy. Rookie Daniel Thomas has been thoroughly unimpressive so far in the preseason, showing little physicality, which has led to the signing of Larry Johnson, which is about as desperate as it gets. Clearly, Bush enters the year as the Dolphins’ lead back, so he should be treated as a borderline top-25 RB in PPR formats.
The best head first slide in the history of baseball.
Not to be outdone, here’s a triple play after a ball bounces off a center fielder’s head.
I’m in no way a Matt Ryan hater. In fact, according to Advanced NFL Stats, which is a great site, he led the NFL in WPA (win probability added) last season, so he may have even been underrated since he performed so well in clutch situations, but I’m not on board with his hype entering 2011. Ryan is consistently being drafted ahead of Matthew Stafford and Eli Manning. I’ve written about my Stafford love plenty before, but I admit he’s obviously a much bigger risk, but why is Ryan going before Eli? By all accounts, Julio Jones looks like the real deal, but all this talk about Atlanta throwing so much more this season seems misguided considering Ryan attempted the sixth-most pass attempts in the NFL last year. The team is facing without a doubt a harder schedule in 2011, and Ryan’s 6.5 YPA mark last year was highly unimpressive, especially considering he played 10 of his 16 games in a dome. Eli threw for more than 4,000 yards for the second straight year (Ryan set a career-high with 3,705 yards last season) and 31 touchdowns while playing outdoors. Joe Flacco, who is going much later in fantasy drafts and got 7.4 YPA while tossing 25 touchdowns and also upgraded his WR corps during the offseason, looks like the superior real life QB and has about an equal shot of matching Ryan’s 2011 fantasy value.
Best roommate ever? Best roommate ever.
This optical illusion is pretty crazy.
Ben Tate busted loose during his preseason debut Saturday against the Saints, as he ran for 95 yards and a touchdown on just nine carries. After being selected in the second round last year, Tate broke his ankle in his first preseason game and missed the year with the injury. More problematic, he missed a bunch of practices this season with a lingering hamstring injury, so it was not only nice to see him on the field but also performing at a high level as well. Steve Slaton continues to miss time with a hamstring injury of his own and is a candidate to be traded, but Tate still needs to beat out Derrick Ward to become Houston’s RB2. Ward is missing time with a concussion and is 31 years old, so the more talented Tate is the favorite, assuming he can stay healthy. It’s a role that could pay huge dividends should Arian Foster get hurt, as Houston has produced some monstrous numbers from its lead back over the past few years. The Texans might deploy the best run-blocking unit in all of football and have a favorable looking schedule in 2011, and it also helps coach Gary Kubiak likes to feature a single runner. No other player available so late has the chance to be a bigger difference maker in fantasy leagues than Tate.
If you truly caught a Chupacabra, why release it?
I’m a fan of “Explosions In The Sky,” but I could see why this billboard has caused a bit of controversy.
Willis McGahee totaled 39 yards and scored two touchdowns on seven touches during the Broncos’ 24-10 win over the Bills on Saturday. There’s obvious downside here, as McGahee is clearly behind Knowshon Moreno on the RB pecking order, has averaged a pedestrian 4.0 YPC throughout his career, will turn 30 years old this season and plays for a Denver team that doesn’t project to be very good. However, Moreno is an injury risk (and has reached 20 carries during just seven of his 29 career games played) and is hardly an overly talented back himself. Moreover, new coach John Fox likes to implement backfields by committee, and most importantly, it appears McGahee should dominate goal-line work. Now out of Baltimore where he was clearly behind Ray Rice and in a more defensive-oriented division, McGahee is back on the fantasy radar.
This lady took carpooling to the next level.
Not to be outdone, this lady was arrested on charges of DUI not once, but twice in one morning.
Colt McCoy had an awful end to his rookie season last year, recording a 1:6 TD:INT ratio while getting 5.1 YPA over the final two games. However, those outings came against strong defenses (Baltimore and Pittsburgh), and it’s worth noting McCoy had a higher completion percentage (60.8% vs. 60.0%) and a much higher YPA mark (7.1 vs. 6.0) than Sam Bradford, and he didn’t benefit from playing in a dome stadium (and easier division) like the more highly touted rookie. McCoy no doubt has a weaker arm than Bradford and remains an injury risk, but he’s highly accurate and shouldn’t be ignored in dynasty leagues. For what it’s worth, McCoy entered Thursday leading the NFL in passer rating (132.6) during the preseason, and he continues to impress coaches in practice. Cleveland’s receiving corps remains one of the weakest in the league, but at least Greg Little offers some long-term upside, and McCoy offers some rushing ability for a quarterback. He’s a sleeper in 2-QB formats.
Arizona woman hopes to become world’s first infinity-sized model.
Speaking of plus-size, seriously, what’s up with this baby?
What do we make of the Peyton Manning injury situation? The guy has started 208 straight games, and former coach Tony Dungy recently stated on national television the only way Manning won’t play Week 1 is if he’s dead. But Colts management doesn’t believe Manning will be available for the start of the regular season, and as a result, has signed Kerry Collins. If Manning isn’t going to be available Week 1, admittedly not a sure thing at this point, that raises the question of exactly how much time he’ll miss, as clearly he’s at risk for it to be lengthy. Drew Brees, Tom Brady, Philip Rivers and Tony Romo now all have to be drafted comfortably ahead of him, with the likes of Matt Schaub, Ben Roethlisberger and Eli Manning strong possibilities too. Reggie Wayne, Dallas Clark, Austin Collie, Pierre Garcon and Joseph Addai all need to be downgraded as well. Chris Johnson’s similar uncertainty means more since he costs a higher draft pick, but at least you can back him up with Javon Ringer, whereas a lengthy Manning absence would affect so many other fantasy options. I’m not saying Manning has clearly been a better quarterback than Tom Brady throughout their careers, but I will argue his Colts teams have been far inferior. Indy could easily go 3-13 if he were to miss the season. He’s that important.
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