By Zack Cimini

　notjustagame23@gmail.com

Teams that are transitioning are going to shuffle their lineups frequently. Toronto’s been in that scenario for many years. In the past though, they had the reliability of Chris Bosh. The over haul of the franchise features new guards in Jerryd Bayless, Leandro Barbosa, Sonny Weems, and DeMar Derozan. A backcourt nucleus they’re trying to figure out along with veteran Jose Calderon.

It’s definitely a team that is going to be in the cellar of the eastern conference and NBA for many years. Give credit to Raptors fans though. They show tremendous support unlike what they do for the Blue Jays. If this team is going to make any kind of shift it’ll start in the interior. We profiled Ed Davis a few weeks ago, but there are a couple of other guys to follow.

Amir Johnson, owned by just 57% of Yahoo fantasy rotisserie owners needs to be picked up immediately. Toronto seems to be leaning more in more in Johnson’s direction. He gives the team energy inside and brings it on both ends. Earlier on in the year he was foul prone, but lately he has been able to stay in games. In the month of January he is averaging near twelve points and eight rebounds a game. Remember, Johnson came straight out of high school in 2005 and went late in the second round. So he is starting to blossom just at the right point you see most young athletes do in the NBA.

If Johnson or Davis goes down, the Raptors have another big man that is still a project in Alexis Ajinca. A first round pick out of France a few years ago, he just hasn’t panned out to the NBA style. Against Milwaukee, January 28^th, he did give the Raptors a solid twelve minutes. He is used sparingly though as he is too much of a liability currently on the court. A development player that is probably a year or two away from getting regular bench minutes.

By Vidur Malik

notjustagame23@gmail.com

David Garrard – Fresh from his game-winning hail-Mary throw to Mike Thomas against the Houston Texans in week 10, Garrard should have another good game against the Cleveland Browns on Sunday. The Browns are 24^th in the league in pass defense, and Garrard has been on a roll in recent weeks, with a four-touchdown game against the Dallas Cowboys in week eight, and his game against Houston, which came after a bye week.

Matt Cassel – Cassel’s highest single-game passing total during the first nine weeks was a modest 250 yards, but against the Denver Broncos in week 10, he put 469 yards and four touchdowns. Those are rare numbers, but look for Cassel to continue producing against the Arizona Cardinals, who are 27^th in the league in pass defense, and last in scoring defense, giving up 29 points per game.

Don’t Do It: Ryan Fitzpatrick – Fitzpatrick and the Buffalo Bills play the Cincinnati Bengals on Sunday, who held Peyton Manning to only 185 yards and no touchdowns. Fitzpatrick put up similar numbers last week with 146 yards and a touchdown in the Bills’ first win of the season. The combination of a Bengals’ pass defense coming off of a good week and Fitzpatrick coming off of a bad one should be enough for you to bench him.

Rashard Mendenhall – Mendenhall should have a big game against the Oakland Raiders on Sunday, who give up almost 125 rushing yards per game. The Raiders are also second in pass defense, so Mendenhall could be a big contributor.

Peyton Hillis – Hillis and the Cleveland Browns should have a productive day against a weak Jacksonville Jaguars’ defense. The Jags give up almost 115 rushing yards per game, and Hillis is also second the Browns in receptions, increasing his potential for fantasy points on Sunday.

Don’t Do It: Darren McFadden – McFadden is having a great season, and should continue that for the rest of the year, just not on Sunday against the Steelers. They are first in rushing defense, but 26^th in pass defense, which means the Raiders should get move the ball through the air on Sunday.

DeSean Jackson – Anytime Michael Vick is starting at quarterback for the Philadelphia Eagles, you should start Jackson. Vick’s arm strength and Jackson’s speed can combine for a big play at any moment. Jackson has a 21.5 yards per catch average, and though the Eagles play the New York Giants, who have a great pass defense, Jackson and Vick are too dangerous of a duo right now.

Reggie Wayne – The Indianapolis Colts face the New England Patriots, in what has been the NFL’s best rivalry for years. Manning should have no trouble throwing the ball against the Patriots, who are 30^th in pass defense. As Manning’s most dependable target, look for Wayne to get a good chunk of the numbers Manning puts up.

Don’t Do It: Michael Crabtree – Crabtree and the San Francisco 49ers play the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, a team that opposing wideouts have struggled against recently. Atlanta Falcons’ receiver Roddy White had a tough game against them in week nine, as did receiver Steve Smith and the Carolina Panthers in week ten. Don’t expect Crabtree to put up many points on Sunday.

Jabbar Harris and Zack Cimini discuss the Mike Vick/Kevin Kolb controversy at quarterback. Coaches on the hotseat. Start em/Sit’ em Fantasy players. Lock and upset underdog choices this weekend and much more.

It used to be that teams would carry two main tight ends on their roster: one receiving threat, and one blocking tight end. Now that tight ends have become like an extra wide receiver on the field, the number of receiving tight ends on NFL rosters has increased, which means that there are plenty of players at that spot that can produce fantasy points, even if they are backups. Two such players are David Thomas of the New Orleans Saints, and the San Francisco 49ers’ Delanie Walker. They’re worth a look during the beginning of the season, and could be good waiver wire picks if they show promise.

David Thomas- The Saints might be the only team in the NFL that has backup players at every position that could be starting. Tight end David Thomas is no exception. While Jeremy Shockey has been solid as the team’s starting tight end, Thomas showed last year that he could deliver if given playing time. Thomas spent his first three seasons with the New England Patriots, and didn’t record impressive numbers there, but caught 35 passes for 356 yards and a touchdown last year while Shockey was hurt. In an offense with so many weapons, it will be tough for Thomas to get starter-level stats, but he’s shown that he deserves a spot in the Saints’ arsenal, and if any quarterback can get everyone involved, it’s Drew Brees. He may not get much playing time this season, but a few good weeks in a row for him should be enough for you to claim him off waivers.

Delanie Walker- Like Thomas, Delanie Walker is playing behind an elite tight end, but has some skills of his own. Like 49ers starter Vernon Davis, Walker has the speed to stretch the middle of the field and provide another downfield threat. After Davis’s breakout 2009, he figures to be a crucial part of the offense in 2010. That will reduce Walker’s minutes, but in two tight end sets, or when the 49ers put more receivers on the field, Walker can be just as big a threat as anyone else on any given play. His career numbers so far are nothing special, and he may not significantly improve upon them, but it would be smart to keep an eye on him this year. During the preseason, Walker and quarterback Alex Smith have looked like they have good chemistry, which should translate to the regular season. He’s got the quickness to create mismatches, and with the talented players around him, he should get opportunities when he’s on the field.

By Zack Cimini

notjustagame23@gmail.com

Days of split carries in the backfield have grown over the last five years. More teams have become cognizant of protecting not just their feature backs but backfield as a whole. Protecting the health and investment of one of their main positions has helped sustain teams, and prolong backs from unneeded wear and tear.  From a fantasy football standpoint unless you’ve seen it work, you become weary of how a team is going to run that percentage of carries. Usually someone takes a couple of ticks down because of it in the backfield. Whether it’s a loss of carries in the red zone or one back separating a bit from the other and boosting their percentage of carries.

Out in Kansas City there is a definite lingering outlook on how the carries will be split. You’ve got Jamaal Charles who was equally a Chris Johnson the second half of the season. Coming in to thwart his one man show for 2010 is Thomas Jones. The veteran that has somehow came to life as his career has evolved. As a Jet, Jones busted up fantasy running back rankings with two phenomenal seasons. Strong years of double digit touchdowns to go along with an average of 1,350 yards.

New York planned ahead and decided to draft Shonne Greene in 2009 to forgo resigning Jones in 2010. Saving the money to go on the side of youth could prove to be a great move. Kansas City though believes Jones still has solid years left in him, and will complement Charles.

Youth is the name of the game in the NFL, and Charles is the guy who has that. He has that home run threat speed to change a game on any play. Out of the backfield or slashing through holes, Charles is a factor back. Jones on the other hand never has been a scary open field runner. He was on a New York Jets team that had one of the best if not the best offensive lines in the NFL. The way he got his yards was similar to Edgerrin James. They came in chunks but you’ll never see runs of forty or fifty yards.

One thing that the Jets did do with Jones is up his carries. Since 2005, Jones has averaged just over 300 carries a season. Durability hasn’t been a question though as he has played in every game but one. At 32, you’d think he’d be on the downside of his career. What level he is at is the veteran stage, like Fred Taylor. He is going to have his games where he pops on the scene and has a big game, but for the most part he is going to be a short yardage workhorse.

Kansas City has Jones listed as their number one back, but does that really mean anything? No. Charles is rated consistently as a top ten fantasy back for specific reasons. He is going to be heavily involved in the Chiefs running game, and as the season trickles on he will start to separate from Jones in carries. It’s the natural pattern of how the NFL works. It happened to Jones just last season. As a Jet he was practically a lone force every week carrying the load. Until the playoffs came along and Greene’s play forced the Jets to say this is our guy now, not just after the season.

Will see how this plays out, but those worried on drafting Charles early don’t be. Dividends will pay off just like the waiver wire pickup he was last season.

The past two seasons have been rough for the Detroit Lions, to say the least. After going winless in 2008, the Lions only won two games in 2009, which was franchise quarterback Matthew Stafford’s rookie year. Even though the team’s recent record has put them at the bottom of the NFL hierarchy, there is no shortage of talent in Detroit, and second-year tight end Brandon Pettigrew will be a big part when the team turns it around.

One of the best gifts a team can give a young quarterback is a big target who can be a reliable receiver over the middle of the field. Stafford has that in Pettigrew, who caught 30 passes for 346 yards and two touchdowns in 11 games in his rookie year before tearing his ACL late in the season. Before his injury, Pettigrew had some big games, catching seven balls for 70 yards and a touchdown in a week nine loss to the Seattle Seahawks, and six catches for 72 yards and a score in a thrilling 38-37 win over the Cleveland Browns in week 11. Reports indicate that Pettigrew has started practicing again, and is working his way back to full participation.

If he can stay healthy and move past the ACL injury, he can have a big sophomore season. With superstar wide receiver Calvin Johnson being the focal point for defenders, and Nate Burleson joining the Lions after catching 63 passes for 812 yards with three touchdowns for the Seahawks last year, Pettigrew should get plenty of looks. If rookie running back Jahvid Best has a productive season, the Lions could boast a dangerous assortment of weapons. The Lions did also add tight end Tony Scheffler from the Denver Broncos, who is a solid tight end, and will take away some looks from Pettigrew, but the Lions should give Pettigrew a good amount of opportunities to produce.

Both Pettigrew and Stafford were rookies last year, and they will struggle and grow together. Being at the same stages in their careers should call for good chemistry between the two as they mature, which will result in Pettigrew being a go-to guy for his quarterback for years to come. At 6’5” and 265 pounds, Pettigrew is big enough to take the hits he’ll receive. His size is especially important when you consider the AFC North defenses he will be going up against. The Packers, Vikings, and Bears all have physical and intimidating defenses, so size on offense is an important advantage.
There’s a lot of work to be done before Pettigrew can become a top NFL tight end, but his numbers will improve along with his team. As Stafford works to develop into a consistent NFL quarterback, and the team finds the leaders who can get them out of their losing years, Pettigrew can assert himself as a threat. It may or may not happen in 2010, but Pettigrew is a player worth keeping an eye on, and can be a smart draft pick if he plays well early this season.