By Vidur Malik

The number one storyline for the Minnesota Vikings has been whether Brett Favre will come back next year, but while the reporters and cameras might be focused on him, there are other Vikings who should get some attention. The team has a rising star and playmaker in second-year receiver Percy Harvin, who should have a great year no matter who throws to him.

After running wild against the SEC during his time at Florida, Harvin made an impact during his rookie season, with 790 receiving yards and six touchdowns, and 135 rushing yards. He ran for 1,156 kickoff return yards, with two touchdowns, making him an all-purpose threat. Harvin became a big part of the Vikings’ high-scoring offense, and established himself as one of the many weapons on the team.

If Harvin can stay on the field, he can become the type of football player everyone thought Reggie Bush would become when he got to the NFL. Bush has shown that he is a running, receiving, and return threat, but Harvin is in that triple-threat club as well. Putting up almost 800 yards and six touchdowns in a rookie season is a solid start for a receiver by itself, but if he continues to complement his receiving yards with a few rushing attempts every now and then, and also returns kicks, he can be a beast for many years. He may not be a guy who can get 1,000 yards through the air every year, but fantasy football doesn’t discriminate when it comes to how yards are earned, and owners should be just fine with getting points from Harvin any way he provides them.

With several big-play threats around him, Harvin probably won’t be the main focus of an opposing defense, and with his speed, one missed tackle could mean six. Playing alongside Sidney Rice, another receiver who looks to be a star in the league, and deep-threat Bernard Berrian, Harvin should get his opportunities. The great thing about Harvin is that those opportunities can come from anywhere on the field. He can be lined up out wide as a receiver, in the backfield for wildcat plays, and can also be a threat for reverses and trick plays. Running backs Adrian Peterson and rookie Toby Gerhart should run through the NFC North, making it possible for Harvin to run right past banged-up secondaries.

The concern with Harvin is his migraine headaches, which made it difficult for him to play towards the end of last season. Though they may have slowed him down last year, the migraines didn’t prevent him from putting his play-making ability on display. If anything, Harvin’s ability to manage them should earn him respect for playing through pain. Hopefully Harvin and the Vikings can address the migraines, so he can showcase his skills, which should only improve next year and beyond.

By Zack Cimini

notjustagame23@gmail.com

The state of Arizona has enough national debate arisen of itself as of late. When it comes time for training camp another battle will loom. Kurt Warner’s decision to retire opened the door for former first round pick Matt Leinart to finally prove his maturity. After faltering early on in his career Leinart had the fortune of sitting back and grasping the learning curve of an NFL quarterback from the sideline. Anxious to get back out on the field Leinart could not surpass the precision and veteran chemistry Kurt Warner brought to the table. Now though he has a golden opportunity to take over on a team that is expecting to keep moving forward without missing a beat.

For someone such as Leinart you’d think the team would have full faith in their prized first round pick that they’ve slowly allowed to grow. Ken Whisenhunt has never been one to hand over the job unless it is warranted. The Cardinals did draft a quarterback in John Skelton from Fordham but the big move was acquiring Derek Anderson. Anderson was stricken by the Brown bug his last two seasons in Cleveland. Coaches there kept shuffling between Anderson and Quinn so much that it was comical. Neither could show production and was best on both sides too finally part ways.

Anderson may be written off as a solidified backup the rest of his career but don’t be fooled. Anderson will be given just as much of an opportunity to win the job as Leinart. It’s Leinart’s job to lose, but he has done that before when he went into training camp a few seasons ago ahead of Warner. Time too learn and mature can do wonders for a quarterback and we expect Leinart to prove himself. Similar to the way Vince Young stormed back, Leinart has no choice but to end any competition battle as quickly as he can.

Once training camp opens he needs to solidify himself as the Cardinals starting quarterback. Veterans on this team are likely rooting for him but they also want to keep building and winning as the team has the past few years. Any setbacks are unacceptable and it all starts who is under center. So if Leinart is not ready the veteran voices will shift sides quickly too Derek Anderson. It’s been awhile since Anderson has had a solid NFL game but in 2007 he was one of the hottest quarterbacks in the NFL. He is tall, at 6’6 and one of his best assets is his ability to survey the field and go deep with accuracy. A trait that receivers in Cleveland didn’t have the skills to do, but will be a force with the number one receiver in the NFL in Larry Fitzgerald.

Going into training camp this is going to be the most talked about quarterback battle in football. Leinart was the USC standout the was expected to easily transit his winning ways to the NFL. Learning lessons happen and did for Leinart. If he has truly learned underneath Warner than this could be a fantastic future and prosperous beginning for traction of a franchise quarterback for years to come. When can you say Arizona has had a quarterback than can build around for five to eight seasons? Jake Plummer is the only quarterback that comes to mind but that was an ugly overly done marriage filled with seasons of more interceptions than touchdowns.

Leinart will win this job and based upon how the Cardinals like too spread out their offense and pile up points, Leinart is a strong fantasy sleeper. He’ll likely be there in middle tier rounds when most fantasy owners are drafting their backup quarterback. Gamble and get your fourth running back or bench receiver and snag Leinart later. He’ll add more than enough value to keep you unworried about what you’re going to do if you’re number one quarterback goes down.

By Zack Cimini

notjustagame23@gmail.com

Heading to the big city of dreams with barely a year as a starting college quarterback seemed like a scenario for a third string quarterback in the NFL. That was not the case for Mark Sanchez. The USC standout withstood a training camp quarterback battle and came in having to replace a wacky drawn out Favre year from 2008. Starting off the year 3-0 had Jets fans in a Sanchez love at first sight start. Eating on a hot dog during game play was comical, but the debates would soon turn in an instant.

The Jets and particularly Sanchez started to slump and the losses started to reel off. They lost six of seven games and were suddenly 4-6 in the heavily competing AFC conference. Playoff chances were Jim Mora like…..playoffs….playoffs. That’s when the Jets decided to water down their offensive play selections and limit the mistakes Sanchez could make. The decision to flip their offense and tone it down drastically saved the Jets season. Sanchez still almost cost the Jets a few games but the organization didn’t lose their faith in Sanchez. They let him grow through his mistakes and that leeway for showing their strong commitment should start to payoff for the 2010 season.

New York likely will keep Sanchez geared down a bit still but they have so many weapons on the offensive side of the ball that it should open things up for Sanchez rather easily. Questions at wide receiver still loom but the talent is there. Both Braylon Edwards and Santonio Holmes have had boom and bust years in the NFL. Edwards in particular has the most to prove. He has been prone to fading out and dropping balls since he has entered the league. Big play ability is why the Jets have him and he showed against the Colts that he can get the job done. Years of his mistakes should of added maturity to his façade that he was an all world receiver that’s indispensable.

For Santonio Holmes the Jets really don’t know what there going to get out of. The risk of a fifth round pick versus the reward was worth the weight of baggage they’re bringing in. Holmes has had a few great years in Pittsburgh and must have somewhat of a clue that he needs to change his actions off the field. The assets of Dustin Keller and Jerricho Cotchery make the Jets one of the best spread package offenses in the NFL. It doesn’t hurt that the Jets also have one of the best offensive lines in the game.

For fantasy value Sanchez still remains a poor option. An outlook for 2010 still will be geared towards the ball control style that got them turned around the second half of 2010. The Jets play around their defense and will win or lose games based upon how that unit maintains. Offensively the Jets are loaded in the backfield and will look to “please” their backs with plentiful amounts of carries. Shonn Greene and LT should be a lock to be at the top of the NFL in amount of carries from the top two running backs on any team.

Does Sanchez have any fantasy value? We would say in the rarest of games, yes. When the Jets gave him the freedom to air out the football though, that’s when he showed his inexperience as a pocket quarterback. You have to look at the relevant numbers, and when the Jets let him throw the football twenty times or more he had disastrous games. In fact he threw 19 of his 20 interceptions (7 contests) in those games. It’s safe to say the Jets might of not won 5 to 6 games let alone 9 if they had not changed their offensive philosophy.

The Jets are the team on HBO’s training camp series this summer so we will all get an early shot to see where Sanchez has developed in phases as a quarterback. Ranking him against the rest of the leagues quarterbacks from a fantasy perspective though, he would have to rank towards the bottom five to seven. Meaning don’t touch him in your fantasy drafts not even as a backup.

By Vidur Malik

One of the biggest pleasant surprises on my fantasy team last year came in the form of Vernon Davis’s monster season. Honestly, I drafted him out of loyalty. He showed signs of being a big part of the offense, but his stats were sub-par, and everyone began to wonder whether he would live up to the expectations that come with being a high-first round pick. As a 49ers fan, I figured I would take him and hope that he could produce.

I didn’t expect him to grab 13 touchdowns and be a consistent source of points. While the quarterback position continued to be a source of controversy and inconsistency and Michael Crabtree held out and missed the beginning of the season, Davis became a reliable target for Shaun Hill and Alex Smith, and after seeing coach Mike Singletary banish him from the field and the sideline during a game in the 2008 season, it was good to see Davis post elite-level numbers.

Davis should put up similar numbers next year, and exceed them if the team can get a sense of consistency, and stay healthy. If the team puts some faith in Alex Smith and gives him control over the offense, that would accomplish a lot in terms of team chemistry and continuity. With offensive coordinator Jimmy Raye coming back, Smith can be coached by a familiar face, something he hasn’t been able to do his whole career. A boost in Smith’s production should also increase Davis’s numbers.

Added and returning weapons should also help the offense, and free up Davis for more looks. With Crabtree coming back for a second season, and his first full season with training camp, preseason, and a full 16 games, he should only improve upon his solid rookie season, in which he established himself as a target. Frank Gore has been a top-tier running back and pass catcher out of the backfield, and backup Glen Coffee shows promise. If rookies Anthony Davis and Mike Iupati can beef up the offensive line, Smith should have more time to look down the field, and Gore and Coffee should be able to run wild against the NFC West. On the other side of the football, Patrick Willis leads an up-and-coming defense with an improving secondary and consistent pass-rushers, which should produce more three-and-outs and turnovers to get the offense on the field.

Davis should be able to pick up where he left off in 2009, and continue to be a top-level fantasy tight end. If the quarterback question is finally answered, and players around him continue to improve, Davis should be a great pick. I wish I could say I drafted him last year because I knew he would have a big year, but any owner who uses a pick on Davis this summer should do it with the belief that he will gain 800+ yards and put up another double-digit touchdown year.

By Zack Cimini

Notjustagame23@gmail.com

Teams sometimes have to part ways with an unfinished project. Washington did just that when they cut ties with Jason Campbell. The yearly overhaul was a constant new beginning for Campbell, who hasn’t had the same regime under him for consecutive years ever. As the season wound down last year everyone knew Jim Zorn was headed out. That seemingly meant Campbell would be sent away as well as the Redskins had been talking of it for years. Once Donovan McNabb entered the fold it was all but a sure lock as soon as the Redskins got the right offer for Campbell.

The fact that Campbell has landed with the Raiders seems like a part two for an organization that’s been unsettled in front office moves. They’ve made just as many poor free agent signings as well as their share of carousel moves on the sidelines. Through it all though the team has done well with on the field performance. They’ve hung tough in games and have had a decent defense to go along with a drive sustaining tandem force in the backfield. Downfalls for the Raiders came directly from the player handling the football under center.

JaMarcus Russell just did not show that he was willing to work on building from a porous not a clue rookie to a laughable overweight show for check starter last season. Jason Campbell is the exact opposite. He has taken the heat for years in DC but brushed aside all the talks of his job being in jeopardy. Until it was relinquished he just went out and performed with no excuses. Those punishing years as a Washington Redskin are going to pay dividends in the Raiders silver and black.

If a team like Oakland can back a JaMarcus Russell than having Campbell on their side is going to be comparable to Cincinnati dumping Akili Smith and transforming to Jon Kitna than Carson Palmer. Campbell will have a solid two to three years to work himself in, and honestly we do not see him needing more than a year to get acclimated. There are strong areas of concern but Campbell should come in as a leader and boost the work ethic of the natural talented youth around him.

Chaz Schilens showed great upside before starting off last year with a nagging injury, and Darrius Heyward-Bey never could get going with Russell. Campbell should also boost the threat of the running game by extending the secondary from creeping up to the line of scrimmage.

All in all Campbell’s first year with the Raiders is not going to be pretty for fantasy standards. Keeper league participants should have a strong eye on Campbell though. He is a young growing quarterback with strong intangibles compared to the rest of his aging counterparts. Unless he totally loses his drive to the Raiders organization woes, than Campbell should make a few steps forward in his career that should have taken place years ago. For 2010, Campbell can only be looked at a backup quarterback in competitive leagues, and unnecessary starter unless your team gets stricken with injuries.

By Zack Cimini

notjustagame23@gmail.com

There are numerous free agent names that would have been considered marquee free agents just a few seasons ago. The game has shifted quickly for these athletes and landing a job isn’t a guarantee for them. For Brian Westbrook the question of returning to the game as his best interest is priority number one. It seems as if he is willing to take that risk after sustaining multiple concussions last year that put serious doubts in a likelihood of a return.

Before the concussions Westbrook was already showing signs of slowing down. He was not as much of a strong hold in the Eagles offense as in 2004-2007. Getting out in the open field as a running back or pass catching back was his main staple, and the Eagles used it to flourish for years. McNabb never truly had a go to option at wide receiver but Westbrook was able to fill that void. As McNabb declined in quarterback scrambles and settled as a pocket passer the dumps to Westbrook were sort of safety plays for McNabb to avoid scrambling.

The rise of Westbrook’s career and rapid decline happened due to nagging knee, ankle, and leg injuries. It seemed he would have some sort of injury each and every year but upon his return it was as if nothing happened. At one time he was not practicing on a weekly basis but mustering enough out of his body to play on Sundays. That was an attest to Westbrook’s endurance and threshold for pain. Questioning his work ethic has never been a matter.

When the Eagles cut ties with Westbrook suitors have been few if any. St. Louis has been one team that has but everyone knows that team is a nightmare franchise currently. He’d definitely be just a third down back and would have to totally rebuild with a losing franchise. From an athlete that has been near a Super Bowl victory and countless NFC championship appearances waiting out for another option seemed best.

Suddenly the linking with his old quarterback Donovan McNabb could be a possibility. The Redskins plan on engaging in conversations with the possibility of signing Westbrook. Looking at the Redskins backfield the names seem great but “OLD”. You’d have Willie Parker, Larry Johnson, Brian Westbrook, and the Redskins prime back all these years in Clinton Portis. No youth at all and plenty of miles on each back. Sounds like another Dan Snyder just sign him because of his name type of move.

All of these backs together would likely not happen. Larry Johnson is being given a chance to show he has something left. Based on the way he has played the past few seasons, Washington might give him his walking papers even before training camp starts. Parker and Westbrook together is very interesting, and the pairing would be strange. If Westbrook comes in and shows he has overcome injury woes and concussion worries we’d expect him to be behind Portis on the depth chart. That and for the simple fact that he already has great chemistry with quarterback Donovan McNabb.

The backfield in Washington looks so crammed that value for a straight up fantasy value running back is ugly. Reasoning beyond a touchdown value back is not going to be found here. Maybe spend a late round pick in case of injuries mounting up, but that’s it. Drafting any of these backs looks like a crowded college backfield that a coach just doesn’t know what do with it. An area that looks hopeful that plagued McNabb and was one of Westbrook’s flaws is short yardage situations. Johnson and Portis can get that third and one, or other short plunges to keep the chains moving.

With the NFL seemingly getting younger at the running back position, Washington is on the other side of the trend. Johnson and Westbrook are 31, Parker 29, and Portis somehow only 27 but going on 36 in NFL running back years. Don’t forget the guy that’s behind the helm in Mike Shanahan. The names may be there now, but Shanahan has went wild before with a no name low round pick or free agent pickup to garner carries.