By Raymond Ayala

The Oakland Raiders have hit rock bottom. If people thought the Detroit Lions organization was bad, enter your 2003 AFC Championship winning Raiders. That was the last time the Raiders even sniffed anything resembling the teams motto of “Generation of Excellence.” That generation of excellence has gone to the gutter, and the loyal fans of the Raiders are struggling with what to do with what already seems like another damned season. The fantasy impact, is plain and simple, don’t have any Raiders on your team.

Jamarcus Russell has been a bust thus far, but I would not give up on him just yet. For 2009, yes he is a dead duck, but in the future I still feel Russell could be a star. It is very rare a quarterback of his size and mobility is available in an NFL Draft. He has the tools, he has the arm, but like the tin man… “If he only had a brain!” After a recent game in Houston, Russell could hardly speak to reporters. Listening to him speak, was like listening to a high school student give a speech in front of a large audience. The guy needs to take some time to learn the playbook, as well as get some help from the Raiders to become a smarter football player. Russell has the tools to be a star quarterback in this league, but the Raiders need to put less emphasis on his physical tools, until he can improve on his mental tools.

Darren McFadden goes down, and so does the Raiders running game. While Michael Bush and Justin Fargas have had their big games, neither should even be thought of as deserving a starting spot in any fantasy league. McFadden has shown yardage increases every game before the injury, but with the terrible offensive line he has, it will be hard for him to have a good game. If you have him, drop him and pick up a backup on a playoff contender over a guy who starts for the Raiders.

Darius Heyward-Bey has been a disappointment. This guy may have speed, but his hands and routes are nowhere near field ready. Heyward-Bey should be returning kicks at this point, and should not even be seeing the playing field other than that. The Raiders will continue to force him out there, but a big game is nowhere in this guys 2009 season. If your in a keeper, hang on to him, but if you are going season to season release him now before it is too late.

The Raiders Organization has a chance to finish the season with just as many felonies on their head coach, as team wins. Head Coach Tom Cable would have been fired from any organization after punching out an assistant, but Al Davis runs the team so he probably just got a contract extension for the deed. The Raiders were once a proud organization that won championship after championship. Now they are the laughing stock of the league, and Al Davis is sitting on his hands doing nothing about it. Until Al Davis appoints someone else in charge, you can kiss any fantasy players from the Raiders goodbye.

By Zack Cimini
notjustagame23@gmail.com

What is going on with the NFL talent pool at quarterback? Either we’re at an all time low for talent or there is a lot of rustiness needed to be worn off by a group of quarterbacks. It surely isn’t the defenses as three weeks in we’ve seen most of the defenses have their share of issues. Usually in the realm of fantasy football you can get away with waiting for a quarterback and being able to make up for the move with your other positions. These quarterbacks we’ve added on our week three horrible quarterback list have completely fallen off from any fantasy relevance. Be sure to drop these players and even if you have to wait for a proper player do it. You’ll have a faster reaction to pounce on an available free agent or solidify a trade, instead of dealing with a stinker of performance.

Heck, you could go with Jake Delhomme or Jason Campbell over these guys below and have a career day compared to what they’ll give you. Stay tuned for our Part II of this series. There is going to have to be some quarterbacks to insert, and we’ll even analyze the area of trading for a quarterback.
Brady Quinn/Derek Anderson- Eric Mangini’s hot potato philosophy Is getting old quick for both of these guys. The old staff did the same thing a million times and its just getting old. Quinn has been atrocious but you have to stick with your guns similar to what the Raiders have been doing with Jamarcus Russell. In actuality if Derek Anderson would have stepped up it would have looked like a solid move and no one would question it. Instead Anderson came in and threw three picks. It’s going to be a long, long year in Cleveland.

Chad Pennington- Even before his injury Pennington was dinking and dumping too much. Hopefully he is ok, but the reason Miami is losing these close games is because of their game management tactics. Pennington needs to stretch the field a bit more and that will translate to an even better ground game, that thus far has been dominant in the league.

Marc Bulger- Bulger needs to ask for a new setting whether it be via trade or taking a release. He has been beaten and battered the last four years and might end his career if he doesn’t get restarted elsewhere. With Kyle Boller in they actually looked like they had some life. St. Louis might make the tough move for a guy that has played his heart out for the Rams, and bench Bulger.

Byron Leftwich- You’d really hope for a resurrection for Leftwich but it just isn’t going to happen. The issues Jacksonville saw for years that he was able to get away with as a starter has caught up with him. Accuracy issues persist, consistency to move the football, and his footwork in the pocket have all just been a disaster.

Mat Cassel- This is exactly why you let an athlete earn a contract, not the agent. Cassel’s agent got his asking price for Cassel after only one season as starter. Now already Todd Haley has sparked controversy and stated he’d bring in Brodie Croyle. For Cassel’s benefit he has been trying to come back a bit early from an injury. The team though looks headed for disaster all around, and Cassel will take the most blame of anyone.

Jamarcus Russell- You have to wonder why Jeff Garcia chose to leave the Raiders to sign with a Philly team where he’d be the fourth quarterback. In all likelihood he would have been inserted by now due to Russel’s horrible play. It’s a miracle the Raiders have been able to win a game due to Russel’s pathetic play. They can not allow Russell to keep performing the way he is and still go with him. Sure he was a number one pick, but the rating as a bust has to be settled in. It’s time for the Raiders to go in another direction.

Trent Edwards- He teased us with a fantastic opening week Monday Night football game against the Patriots. The game against the Buccaneers doesn’t count in our books as the Bucs have the worst past defense in the league. A team like the Saints is notorious for giving up chunks of yards and big plays. That meant Edwards would have to connect on a few big plays to keep his team in the game. He couldn’t deliver and missed several deep wide open targets including two that have been replayed numerous times already. Edwards is the only quarterback you can take a wait and see approach just because of the talent around him. We’ve seen this before though with JP Losman. A good game here and there, but he was who he was.

By Zack Cimini
notjustagame23@gmail.com

We officially can say the twitter world has gone to another extreme. Already media outlets are using twitter as a direct source for inside information. This past Sunday it went to another level by affecting one of the NFL’s best wide receivers.

Larry Fitzgerald’s younger brother, Marcus, tweeted several times during the Cardinals and Jaguars game. Some of the comments were just plain stupid remarks a general fan would make during a game, but why post it on a nationwide account? Some of those remarks included bashing Kurt Warner for not throwing the football downfield (his age), and ultimately limiting the looks to his older brother Larry. What got the media buzzing was his tweet that Larry was pissed off that he wasn’t getting any balls thrown his way. This is where things could get interesting. Larry of course already has the Madden hex floating around his name (Troy Polamalu already is down and out).

Chances are he did mention in some fashion his frustration towards his brother. As an elite athlete especially at wide receiver, catching the ball is your main goal. Fitzgerald had a very frustrating week one where he was held to one catch against the 49ers until after half time. As a team offensively it is evident the Cardinals are going through some growing pains adjusting to life without former offensive coordinator and current Chiefs head coach, Todd Haley. Fitz and Marcus’s brother obviously don’t see it that way.

From Larry’s perspective this was a personal comment to a family member that should have been able to keep his mouth shut. Kurt Warner is a professional and will shake it off, but if catches don’t get to Larry how will this play out? Can you believe this is a topic with Warner breaking a passing record for completions and the Cardinals gaining a win? Unbelievable, but a lot of things did go the Cardinals way in the game, defensively and special teams wise. Truthfully the offense is going to have to open up a bit, and get back to the aggressive air attack. We believe they will and everything will just be fine out in Arizona.

As for Marcus, he needs to know better as a collegiate graduate of Marshall who is prepping for his UFL debut with the San Francisco franchise. Some things are just meant to be private, and maybe the NFL needs to take a clue from this and make more athletes aware about using social network sites. There have already been hot topics before over twitter and other social sites. Athletes need to be more private about what they’re doing and where they’re going to be at for the day.

Fantasy owners don’t worry, Larry will get his touches, and hey, at least he has found the end zone and still grabbed you 10 points or more.

By Zack Cimini

Scouring newspapers and the internet for fantasy newsworthy tidbits is what we do in this business. Usually it’s related specifically to players but occasionally we stumble across something story worthy. The Wall Street Journal came out with an interesting blurb on trends having to do with the drafting of offensive lineman. That trend is teams that selected an offensive lineman within the first twelve picks of the draft have seen their team’s yards per play increase immediately.

You instantly react to that by thinking, no way, as most of those teams are right back in the top of the draft the next season. Actually though eleven teams since 2001 that have selected a lineman within the first twelve picks have done just that. It’s an absolutely crazy statistic and some of the examples are noted below.

Dolphins, Jake Long, YPP Improvement: 1.1
Browns, Joe Thomas, YPP Improvement: 1.0
Raiders, Robert Gallery, YPP Improvement: .9
Broncos, Ryan Clady, YPP Improvement: .5

There are many variables to this fact but the key is the results. Having that staple on your offensive line is the key to success and always has been for an offense. Also usually when a team decides it’s time to draft a lineman they also look at signing free agents as well on the line. They’ll also maybe even switch offensive line coordinators to get things renewed and refocused. As a quarterback they need to develop that faith and trust in their lineman, which boosts their pocket presence. When he doesn’t have to be under duress that extra split second for the receiver to get open is crucial. The quarterback is allowed to go through his progressions properly and throughout the game will get into a rhythm. This also lets the offensive coordinator have more freedom with play call selection, which means bigger plays down the field.

From the running back perspective, once that elite young lineman is selected that’s where they’re going to turn to run between the tackles. This also helps with the effectiveness of play action. Based on the 2009 draft it’s going to be interesting to see if this plays out again. We’re almost certain all three should, especially the Rams and Bengals. Both teams last year’s normal starting quarterbacks were banged up and out the majority of the season. This led to drives that couldn’t be sustained and poor time of possession.

In Jacksonville, David Garrard really struggled after a solid 2007 season. With Eugene Monroe in there now he should feel a little more comfortable and utilize his newly acquired receiver in Torry Holt. All in all, it’s good to know this if you’re a MJD owner as his productivity should only go up based on the trends of the last eight years.

By Zack Cimini

You can bank on Brandon Marshall’s ADP dropping even more after his latest antics during Wednesday’s Broncos practice. Yes Brandon we all know that you deserve more than your set to make this year, but is this really the way to go about it. Before we delve in and rant on Marshall take a look for yourself at what he was doing during Broncos practice drills.

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Drawing attention to yourself this route is absolutely ridiculous. What could the end result possibly be, besides hurting his pockets even more? Then again could he be doing this because of how Jay Cutler got what he wanted after he pouted and was eventually traded?

For those of you that have had your drafts In June and July you’ll all be a part of the best case scenario for Marshall. The best case scenario is that Marshall either wakes up and realizes he’ll have to play his way out of Denver. That he has already showed though with back to back 100 catch seasons, so maybe Marshall will continue the route he is exhibiting. Josh McDaniels is fed up and with Marshall close to free agency anyways maybe they’ll cut their losses and grant him his wish.

This would be the ultimate best case scenario for fantasy owners. Especially for owners that have had their drafts within the last few weeks. Right now Marshall’s ADP according to myfantasyleague.com is early to late fourth round depending on a ten or twelve team draft. That’s probably offset due to him going a lot higher a few months ago. We’d guess he’s probably going in the sixth rounds right now.

The upside to Marshall is what we know he can do. When he is on the field and wants to perform he has showcased being an elite wide receiver. You’d have to put him in the first tier wide receiver class even if Orton was throwing him the ball. The first tier class currently consists of Randy Moss, Larry Fitzgerald, Andre Johnson, and Calvin Johnson.

We all knew about his off the field antics but now that we’re seeing his selfish attitude on the field, it’s almost comparable to being a GM ready for the NFL draft. The talent may be there but talent is easy to find. We’d pass on Marshall and let some other owner worry about knowing what they’re going to get from him on a week to week basis. He’s not worth the hassle until he shows he can mature and do his duty and obligations.

We’d also expect the Broncos organization to think hard about some sort of discipline to Marshall after his absolute mockery of the Broncos practice.

By Zack Cimini

It wasn’t a shock; well maybe the timing of the signing of Favre was. The finality and deal of two years finally came to a dotted line contract solution. Now the media hoopla of the Favre saga will continue for weeks upon weeks. In a month though the NFL season will begin and that’s what Favre is back for, to win. He has the right formula of players around him, and surely will be a boost to the Vikings offense. This will make a Vikings offense more dangerous and fantasy friendly. Two combinations we all love. If Tarvaris Jackson can have an impact fantasy wise (his last three games in 08’, 4 TD’s against the Cards, and over 230 yards passing in the last two games), imagine what Favre will do.

Immediately a fantasy owner thinking Adrian Peterson was downgradeable because of their inconsistency behind center. That changes now as Favre has led mediocre backs to career years, from Edgar Bennett, Dorsey Levens, Samkon Gado, Ryan Grant, and even last year with Thomas Jones. Peterson now jumps the board as undoubtedly the number one option for fantasy owners. He’ll get the ball plenty of times and will benefit from Favre being able to make big plays down the field off of him. This will work vice versa in the hands of Favre. Allowing him to take far fewer hits and keep his arm protected from over throwing. This was an area that sparked up and plagued him down the stretch last season with the Jets.

What’s scary is Favre will have a couple of weapons that talent wise may be the highest caliber of players he has ever played with. Adrian Peterson without a question will be the best running back he has played with, and Percy Harvin is a dynamic talent that we’re all waiting to see in action in the NFL. Likely he is going to be a big play receiving threat with a mix of gadget plays mixed in for him as well. His speed is lethal and any space is going to be lights out see you later to the opposing defense.

A position Favre always loves to get involved is the tight end. Visanthe Schiancoe came out with a bang last year and was already on fantasy radars for the 2nd tier tight end selections. Now Schiancoe is around the field of being in the first tier. To have almost 600 yards receiving and seven touchdowns last season could only make fantasy owners grin that have already had their drafts. Ones that are coming up should keep an eye on how tight ends are going before letting Schiancoe slip too far.

At receiver Bernard Berrian has a skill set similar to a player Favre meshed with well in his last few years with Green Bay, that being Greg Jennings. Berrian makes a living off big plays but we will have to see how strong Favre’s arm will be from the gate and down the stretch. Sidney Rice and Bobby Wade will fight for the second receiver spot but we really don’t see either or having a serious fantasy impact. Based upon the few clips of Favre’s first practice he is going to have to make up time to build chemistry with his set of receivers. Numerous drops were showed on easy simple routes with no defense to make it difficult.

As for Favre’s fantasy worthiness, we see him as a spot starter for fantasy owners. So scoop him up as your primary backup and insert him in for favorable matchups. His erratic play will continue but should be more limited, as the Vikings are going to be more manageable with how they throw Favre into the fire. Truthfully his fit is perfect for the Vikings and should lead them to the playoffs. How deep in the playoffs is the main question.