By Zack Cimini

notjustagame23@gmail.com

Spread offenses with potent quarterbacks are love affairs to fantasy owners. Often times an owner with such a quarterback will try to double down their points by landing a receiver on that offense. Numbers used too evenly spread throughout the course of the year. In most of these offenses though getting consistency on a weekly basis from the second or third receiver has scaled back a bit. Out in Indianapolis is one of the more intriguing snapshots to try and figure out who will get the balance of Peyton Manning’s precision throws.

We know that Reggie Wayne and Dallas Clark should be natural locks to stay of pace statistically of there prior years. Should we be so sure of that though? Receivers often decline out of no where and this is going to be Wayne’s tenth season in the league. At some point deterioration begins to happen and he will not be able to shake opposing teams number one corners with ease. For the Colts to allow Wayne to use his veteran tactics to stave off diminishing skills he will need to be able to rely on the Colts other receivers.

Folks have a little taste of what Pierre Garcon can do. He emerged last season when Anthony Gonzalez was unable to come back from nagging injuries. Garcon proved to be a big play target and was the home run threat Manning depended on. Speed is his best asset and he is currently slated as the Colts third receiver. We’d like to think that if Garcon improves on other areas as a receiver that he could surpass Gonzalez. Gonzalez is a steady possession receiver type that seems more suited for third down pass plays. When he was their third receiver a few years ago behind Harrison and Wayne, he was able to find space in zones for Manning to drop the ball into. As an every down receiver though that type of player is already on the field in Dallas Clark.

A good sign for fantasy owners that own the Colts receivers is that they’ll likely lead the league in combined trio production. The reason being is that their running game has been very poor over the last few seasons. Joseph Addai’s yards per carry continue to be dismal and last year was at 3.8. It’s hard to believe that the Colts running game has been this poor with the amount of audibles Manning is able to call at the line, and how he keeps defenses on their heels with play action. Their running game was towards the bottom of the league, but should spike up a little as the Colts will look to give Donald Brown more touches in his second year.

The battle for second receiver will be an interesting one. Austin Collie did fine in the third receiver role last year with over 700 yards receiving and 7 touchdowns. So those numbers will not be bad for either Garcon or Gonzalez, and should be upgradeable based on their talent. Fantasy owners want an every down threat though as you should.

We just can’t see the Colts keeping Garcon’s big play ability off the field. Gonzalez is coming off a year of injuries and is going to have to fend off Garcon who continued his great regular season with a monster playoffs. He caught eleven balls for over 150 yards and a touchdown in the AFC championship game against the Jets, and scored a touchdown in the Super Bowl as well. The situation is comparable to when a teams starting quarterback goes down and they find something better when that backup comes in and starts winning.

Of course the Colts could just use their spread offense more if the ground game stays stagnant, but they know their lack of a ground game hurt them in the Super Bowl. Garcon has better fantasy value currently than Gonzalez and it’ll likely remain that way. Look for Garcon who is in the third year of his four year deal, to build upon last year in hopes of working out a new deal before the final year of his contract.

Flacco Battle Tested
By Zack Cimini
Notjustagame23@gmail.com

When a player comes in and is drafted with little to no expectations it can make for an easier transition. After all your main mind set is too prove to everyone else that did not draft you that you’re the real deal. For Joe Flacco, his rookie campaign has to be classified as a rarity. A strong organization like the Baltimore Ravens was positioning him to be their future stud. Patience grew thin on Kyle Boller and suddenly Flacco was getting his chance to shine. Maybe being thrust into the spotlight unknowingly gave Flacco the chance to go out and not think about his situation.

He stormed onto the scene and really went unnoticed as far as having an impact until the Ravens made the playoffs. Up until then people were saying that Flacco was playing within the offense and the Ravens concept. They were limiting his reads, progressions, and shots down the field. You can say that for just about any offensive in the league depending on who the opposing defense is. For Flacco though he was making the most of those strikes down the field.

After the 2009 playoffs when the Ravens went to the AFC championship game the hype surrounding Flacco coming back was just beginning to blossom. His numbers were less than spectacular in the playoffs but his accuracy and arm strength was there. The key to what happened down the stretch in the playoffs in 2009 that was overlooked was Flacco’s inconsistency. Of all the things that you would not want to carry over, that did.

Flacco’s 2009 year did not start off anywhere near what he would of imagined. The Ravens were entrusting a bigger role for Flacco and he was not ready for it. A transformation of play calling saved the Ravens season, and shifted them back into the wild card spot. They finished the year winning three of their last four to gain position in a favorable matchup against the New England Patriots. The key to the Ravens end of season uprise was utilizing their backfield tandem. Ray Rice, Willis McGahee, and Le’Ron McClain were as good as any backfield units and will still be going into 2010.

One of the areas that likely hurt Flacco was at the wide receiver position. Before training camp began in 2009, the Ravens were caught off-guard by the sudden announcement that Derrick Mason would not return. It was thought to be an emotional decision based on days earlier that Steve McNair had been murdered. After some time Mason decided he would return. Mason though is an aging receiver that could not be relied on as a number one receiver. Behind him Mark Clayton and Demetrius Williams were not the type of receivers who were going to scare opposing secondary’s.

Thus the Ravens finally decided to upgrade at the receiver position. Bringing in Anquan Boldin was a strong enough move to show Flacco the Ravens mean business. Boldin may have taken a second seat to Larry Fitzgerald in Arizona, but he is a guy that is going to leave it all on the field. He punishes opposing cornerbacks and has a knack for finding holes and providing a target spot for quarterbacks to fit in balls. Baltimore also rolled the dice by signing Donte Stallworth. Everyone knows the reasoning Stallworth missed last season. He brings speed to the table and can fit in certain packages such as the spread and wide formations on seven to ten plays a game.

Last year wasn’t necessarily a disappointment from expected charted growth for a second year quarterback. For fantasy football fans it was. Flacco slid by the week on updated fantasy boards and drifted to a borderline considerable benching. He was the reason why you key in on securing a backup that can actually step in without too many worries. Flacco’s growth in 2010 should be a hit to the comparisons expected a year ago. He has went through enough ups and downs to bear the brunt of blows that come with the territory of being a starting NFL quarterback. Those situations are going to come and go, but Flacco shouldn’t linger stretches of weeks at a time with that happening.