By Zack Cimini

notjustagame23@gmail.com

Little noise has been created for the other New York team. The New York Giants swayed from resigning Plaxico Burress, and stuck to their core structure as a team overall. Tom Coughlin’s always been an in-house kind of guy. Teaching and training through his proper system and instilling his overall team concept. It’s worked in the past for Jacksonville’s success, and obviously in New York where they have won a Super Bowl.

No big signings have come from the New York Giants. Just a solid draft and retaining some key free agents. Their bright nucleus of wide receivers remain intact, and will likely blossom even further this season. The area in which many are surprised a move wasn’t made would have to be at running back.

Brandon Jacobs and Ahmad Bradshaw have had their fair share of ups and downs as Giants. Jacobs went from a breakout back to bust in a quick time span. Last year though, with the Giants relegating his carries he showed proper production as the second option back. Bursting through tacklers late in games and tacking on touchdowns gave Jacobs fantasy value once again. We all knew Jacobs would be back in 2011, it was who he would be paired with that was the question.

Ahmad Bradshaw had an out the gate type of 2010 season. Starting off so well that he supplanted Jacobs as feature back with ease. The grind of carries can typically catch up to a back in the latter parts of the year. For Bradshaw he hit a wall basically at the midpoint of the year. His value and stock dropped dramatically as he only produced one game over a hundred yards. What made matters worse was the fact that he fumbled the ball at a high rate.

As Bradshaw became less dependable that was when Brandon Jacobs seemed to resurrect. He had a three game tear weeks twelve through fourteen in which he averaged nearly one hundred yards a game. Even when he wasn’t having monster games from a yardage standpoint, he was the second half factor back for the Giants. Garnering the key carries, mostly because Tom Coughlin was likely afraid of Bradshaw coughing up the football.

So with this duo back together in 2011, fantasy owners have to be juggling to decide who will do what. One thing that can’t be taken away from either is they will produce touchdowns. The Giants run the football with the best of any NFL team. Another great plus is how the Giants spread the football around through the air. With all of their great targets it opens up the running lanes and keeps defenses on their heels. While Jacobs will burst through tacklers, Bradshaw has the long gainer ability that he is well known for.

We are worried that Ahmad Bradshaw may have had an above average season last year. He just didn’t have the feature back skills of a top tier back the second half of last season. He’ll likely slip in drafts a tad, but is a viable bottom tier number two fantasy starter, and great third option. Jacobs on the other hand will offset his five to seven points average of rushing yards, with a solid scatter of single or two touchdown games. His a quiet fantasy force that will give you close to ten points a game.

Jacobs isn’t a back that you would want to count on, but he’ll end up being one of those backs you drafted late that sneaks up your roster depth chart as a starter.

By Zack Cimini

notjustagame23@gmail.com

Attacking the free agency market for suitable quarterbacks was a hot pursuit by many teams. As soon as the lockout was declared over, it seemed as if teams knew what they were going to do. Front offices began strategizing long before, and teams on the other side of the fence seemed to be prepared to wheel and deal.

Adam Schefter was live on ESPN as frequent as the tv guide channel scrolling back around a minute later. Reporting on rumors is what he has been use to in the past. That wasn’t the case when the lockout was lifted. Deals were getting done immediately. We will discount Matt Hasselbeck. He was never that impressive in Seattle. Even though he got ahold of a decent contract, it won’t be too long before Jake Locker is handed the keys.

The same could be said for Donovan McNabb, but it’s all in his hands. McNabb could have a solid two to three years left to truly end his career on a good note. Will the clowning antics that were seen in the playoffs with the Eagles in 2009 pop up, or the carefree lackadaisical routine snaps in Washington? For watchers of McNabb, you’ve seen it his whole career. His demeanor is never too serious, but he gets the job done.

Being on his third team in three seasons, he knows that opportunities are closing for himself. Starting in the NFL takes a week to week approach. For some reason or other, Mike Shanahan did not see that in many Redskins, including McNabb. It was better to see them part ways, then for McNabb to waste another year in Washington.

Talent wise, McNabb will have much better tools on his side. Adrian Peterson in the backfield automatically bumps up McNabb’s fantasy stock and likelihood of staying healthy a full season. We hate to do comparisons, but we will in this case with McNabb and Brett Favre. Similar to McNabb, Favre’s hands were tied on a team he had been with his whole career. They didn’t want him to start for the Packers anymore, but the team still owned his rights.

The Packers shipped Favre to the New York Jets, where he had a few solid games but it ended poorly. A deep end of the season slide, that made many believe he was done. Free agency changed all of that, and he landed on the Vikings. A team he would likely have went to had he been a free agent a year earlier. McNabb got dealt last season to a Washington franchise that has been the model of incorrect front office management. The same tailspin to end the season happened for McNabb.

This is the same quarterback that just a few years ago, led a Philadelphia Eagles team with his arm alone, a drive away from the Super Bowl. Down three scores, he threw rocket bombs to DeSean Jackson. The deep ball is still there for McNabb, as was apparent last year when he was able to hit Anthony Armstrong frequently. Armstong had a whopping 19.8 yards per catch a year ago.

You’d think the Vikings will make one more move at wide receiver. If not, at least McNabb has one great threat in Percy Harvin and a cross target in tight end Visanthe Shiancoe.

With Moss announcing his retirement, it brings a perplexed icky feel to Vikings and NFL fans. Moss was back home halfway through last years season as a Viking. A coach that was on his way out, bumped Moss off the team without front office approval. If Moss would of finished the season as a Viking, you’d assume a deal would have been worked out with Moss after McNabb signed.

Doubting McNabb for one more push, don’t. He did it at Syracuse, and he did it numerous times as an Eagle for eleven seasons. We’d rank McNabb as a tier two quarterback at this point of his career. A tier two quarterback that could start six to seven fantasy games for you and put up top ten fantasy production for those weeks.

By Zack Cimini

notjustagame23@gmail.com

Bouncing around as a veteran quarterback is common place. Endings seem premature in the athletes mind, and franchises are willing to take the gamble on declining skills. In the case of Donovan McNabb, no one really knows what he has left.

The Philadelphia Eagles basically traded him to move on and go with a younger talent in Kevin Kolb. Just like when he was drafted too booing Philadelphia fans, he exited as if he meant little to a franchise. It was just a few years before that he led the Eagles to their fourth NFC championship game under McNabb. They were a Kurt Warner drive away from going to another Super Bowl.

What happened last year as a Redskin was undeserving. McNabb gutted out many performances for a front office and coach that expressed their displeasure in McNabb. It was as if, Daniel Snyder was being over rode more and more as the season went on. No athlete is too tired to take a beating an entire game and not want to attempt a game winning drive. The fact that Rex Grossman took over the final few games for the Redskins was a true slap in the face move.

So McNabb is basically a free agent at this point with zero suitors because of the lockout. You have to believe that once the lockout is lifted, McNabb will be a highly sought after quarterback. Even though teams were able to stock pile youth with a high talent pool of quarterbacks in the draft, there are still many teams that need dire help.

Two teams that pop out at you are Minnesota and the Arizona Cardinals. Minnesota addressed their future quarterback hopes in Christian Ponder. Drafted as the number twelve pick, Ponder will be expected to jump in. How soon though? Do the Vikings want to try and recapture the same thing they did with Brett Favre? They’re talented enough to attempt to make a strong run with a veteran quarterback, and Adrian Peterson. It’s always tempting as a new head coach to perform now rather than later.

Arizona though could be the best option and most realistic. The Cardinals have discussed names of Marc Bulger and Kyle Orton more, but McNabb would seem to be the top selection amongst the three. Arizona’s year without Kurt last year was as bad as their pre-Jake Plummer quarterback shuffling days. Derek Anderson’s press conference rant, will join the ranks of Dennis Green’s in Cardinals fans YoutTube favorites.

Throwing out a lowly touted third day drafted quarterback in Jon Skelton, and also undrafted Max Hall last season, started to turn the career hard worker Larry Fitzgerald into a Randy Moss. You could see him giving up on routes and not into it, because he couldn’t trust the quarterback. He knew they couldn’t throw the tight throws or stick him deep with an accurate pass. Not going after a quarterback in the draft was one of the more puzzling moves of the NFL Draft.

If the Cardinals want to keep one of the best receivers in football they better go after a solid veteran quarterback. Who is currently throwing the ball to Fitzgerald in off-season workouts? Yes, that’d be Donovan McNabb. An athlete that has trained every off-season in Arizona and has developed a relationship with some of the Cardinals.

McNabb has loved Arizona since he came as a senior for the Syracuse Orangemen vs. Kansas State in the 1999 Fiesta Bowl. Everyone wants to say McNabb is too old, injury proned, and lacks the proper effort for a full football game. Quarterbacks are going to make mistakes. The success McNabb has had can’t be overlooked. Veteran quarterbacks such as Peyton Manning and Tom Brady are right up there in age with McNabb.

He has a solid two to three years left, and he will be seeking to land with a team that he can fully utilize those years. Arizona seems to be the best fit for that.. Their organization made the right move with a similar veteran quarterback that had been rode off, and spun it very close to a Super Bowl.

McNabb’s third uniform in three years should sport pure red and white, and occasional pure black.

notjustagame23@gmail.com

The lockout couldn’t stop the draft from happening. The lingering battle between owners and players looks like it’ll be handled and keep football going for a little longer. We’ll all have to see. Day one of the NFL Draft came and to no surprise featured a plethora of quarterbacks being drafted. It happens in waves in the NFL. 1999, 2003, 2004, 2006, 2008, and 2009 all featured many first round quarterbacks that are staples in today’s game.

This new class of 2011 though has a feel similar to the 1999 class. Expectations are heightened and teams are ready for this new wave. Too many teams were in need of a true talented quarterback. Starting journeyman veterans or settling for back and forth quarterback battles, was getting old. Even worse, was the horrid play being displayed on a weekly basis from weekly starters.

Coaches are now going to put the pressure on their veterans, and train these young quarterbacks to take over the starting reigns. How soon will that be?

Dynasty rookie drafts will be right around the corner. A draft in which you can protect an innumerate amount of players. This allows you to keep an athlete tapped for future potential in your system. Trade bait or eventual take over for your own aging quarterback (Brady, Manning, McNabb). You’ve got just as many decisions to make for your short term vs. long term scenarios on your roster.

Based on the first days draft, here is how I figure dynasty drafts will go. Oddly enough, skilled offensive position players such as QB, RB, and WR did not dominate the first round of the draft. Our rankings will be added upon each day of the draft.

1. Julio Jones- Right off the bat Jones gets to pair up with excellence all around him. A dynamic running game with Michael Turner and one of the best emerging young quarterbacks in the NFL. He’ll be directly opposite a receiver in Roddy White who now commands a double team, and schemes tailored to stop him. Jones should have no problem becoming another weapon for the Falcons.

2. Jake Locker- Locker got picked by a team that has shown the best in terms of winning over the last decade. Compared to the Carolina Panthers and Jacksonville Jaguars, which have been successful but have nose dived over the last few years. It’ll be very difficult for either Gabbert or Newton to excel right away. Locker will need to develop in the pocket, and be a student of the game. Which he can do. If Vince Young can win with his inaccuracy, than so can Locker. He’ll hand the ball off enough to Chris Johnson and be mentored by Kerry Collins, to not get rattled his rookie year.

3. AJ Green- Depending on who the Bengals have at quarterback could be make or break for Green. There’s a lot waning in the Bengals future that makes Green a shaky first year player. We all know that Carson Palmer wants out, and that the Bengals have shown no interest in doing such. If Palmer does sit out and they have to go with Jordan Palmer, things could get ugly as a whole for the Bengals. Additionally, Green will likely have to be the main receiver as the Bengals are likely to part ways with Ocho Cinco and not resign Terrell Owens.

4. Cam Newton- In dynasty drafts, do not expect a return on this pick for quite awhile. Newton is at least a full season and a half away from being a fantasy starter. His skill set and determination should make the freak show we saw at Auburn continue in the NFL. Barring injury, Newton is going to be the new breed at the quarterback position. Daunte Culpepper of old before the injuries, but at a favorable weight to endure continuous NFL seasons.

5. Blaine Gabbert- Sometimes live air time needs that drama to keep the suspense alive. Mel Kiper and Chris Berman were trying to create just that. Flashing Aaron Rodgers, Brady Quinn and other players that have had to sit in the awaiting room, while falling in the draft. Landing at tenth isn’t what you would call falling. Gabbert is with a Jacksonville team that traded up to get him, and has wanted to yank David Garrard several times the past few seasons. To Garrard’s credit, his past season was one of his better since he led the Jaguars to a playoff victory over the Steelers a few years ago. Gabbert will be able to get the proper training and development to carry over his amazing accuracy. He could end up being the best quarterback of the draft.

6.  Mark Ingram- Ingram goes into a Saints structure that has loved the duel back system since the Deuce McAllister days. So his role for fantasy production is up in the air. Being the youngest back on the team though suits him well. There is always changes and Ingram figures to be part of the mix for the next four to five years. Can he stay healthy consistently, to become a factor for the Saints?

7. Christian Ponder- What you love about Ponder is his toughness. He was beaten down at Florida State and forced too much to carry the Seminoles almost single handedly in games. Experience as a three year starter at a major program, gives him the repetition edge over some of the other quarterbacks. As all of the other quarterbacks, besides Gabbert, were protected with a running game. Ponder aired the ball out nearly thirty attempts a game, and passed for an average of 316 attempts each year he started.

8. Jonathan Baldwin- An odd fit for a team that already has a big target at wide receiver. Baldwin didn’t dominate in a conference that was definitely down the past couple of years. Yet he is a big target that the Chiefs feel can hold his own against NFL style cornerbacks. We believe Baldwin will have a tough time adjusting, especially if he is expected to step in as the number two receiver.　

By Zack Cimini
notjustagame23@gmail.com

Fantasy owners we already leery on where to take Brandon Jacobs after his dismal season a year ago. Yet he allegedly was healthy and ready to bounce back into his 2008 form. It didn’t take long for Tom Coughlin and the world to see that Jacobs can not be an every down back. Commend Tom Coughlin for pulling the plug early and shifting the weight of carries to Ahmad Bradshaw. Bradshaw’s done a solid job gaining yardage for fantasy owners, but when it comes to touchdowns it’s one sided.

Over the last four games Jacobs has scored five touchdowns and is averaging a little over twelve fantasy points a game. His doing all of this while only garnering around eight carries a game. That tells you he and the Giants are making the most of his plays on the field. Now Jacobs is not taking too large of a load that he can’t handle. He is coming in and being that big bruising back we’ve come to expect, instead of stutter stepping and being hesitant.

Ahmad Bradshaw has done nothing but overachieve for fantasy owners. Basically having an equivocal year statistically to what he accomplished a year ago. As the season wears on a red flag has to start to be waved by the Giants and fantasy owners. For the Giants they want to protect Bradshaw from overexerting himself. They’ll need him to perform the way he is now deep into the season and playoffs.

He is not a back that’s had full time carries before in his career. Where that jumps out more than anywhere is his fumbling issues. Bradshaw already has four lost fumbles on the year. Talk about Tiki Barber all over again. He is fumbling the ball once every thirty three carries. Coughlin will not stand for that.

If it were not for Jacobs fumbling the ball in the second quarter, we believe the carry ratio would have expanded more evenly starting against the Cowboys. Jacobs has worked his way out of the doghouse, and we expect him to get between ten and twelve carries a game the rest of the season. The Giants offense is one of the top five in terms of scoring. Let downs offensively don’t seem to be in the picture. Manning has the top set of trio receivers in the league. Pouring it on and scoring 30 plus points a game may happen.

So if you’re a Brandon Jacobs owner he is an automatic flex starter from here on out. If you’re struggling at running back, he is even a viable starter. He is on a fantastic touchdown streak. Like backs in the past that gobble up touchdowns in the redzone, Jacobs could be due for a two to three touchdown game in the near future. Finishing with double digit touchdowns is an easily foreseeable goal. Who would of imagined Jacobs fitting in the Giants plans the way he was sobbing and looked after week one?

By Zack Cimini
notjustagame23@gmail.com

Rankings are always needed to see where players fall for trade purposes. It’s also not too bad to see some steals that you landed rise well above anticipated predictions. Here’s our latest fantasy running back rankings.

1. Chris Johnson
2. Arian Foster
3. Adrian Peterson
4. Ahmad Bradshaw
5. Rashard Mendenhall
6. MJD
7. Ray Rice
8. Matt Forte
9. Steven Jackson
10. Frank Gore
11. Jamaal Charles
12. Michael Turner
13. LeSean McCoy
14. LT
15. Joseph Addai
16. Thomas Jones
17. Pierre Thomas
18. Cedric Benson
19. Peyton Hillis
20. Ryan Torain
21. Jahvid Best
22. Ryan Matthews
23. DeAngelo Williams
24. Ronnie Brown
25. Brandon Jackson
26. Shonn Greene
27. Michael Bush
28. Beanie Wells
29. Darren McFadden
30. Felix Jones
31. Reggie Bush
32. Ricky Williams
33. Marshawn Lynch
34. BenJarvus Green-Ellis
35. Fred Jackson
36. Knowshown Moreno
37. Tim Hightower
38. Jonathan Stewart
39. Marion Barber
40. Brandon Jacobs
41. Chris Ivory
42. Jason Snelling
43. Danny Woodhead
44. Cadillac Williams
45. Derrick Ward
46. Jerome Harrison
47. Javon Ringer
48. CJ Spiller
49. Justin Forsett
50. Mike Tolbert
51. Donald Brown
52. Chester Taylor
53. Willis McGahee
54. John Kuhn
55. LeGarrette Blount
56. Laurence Maroney
57. Kenneth Darby
58. James Starks
59. Fred Taylor
60. Darren Sproles
61. Mike Hart