Broncos Air Assault Taking Flight

Courtesy of AP/Jack Dempsey

Pessimism was slowly starting to build up in Bronco country.  Fans weren't doubting Peyton Manning's decision making in the first two preseason games, even though he did have three interceptions thrown already.  People understood that it was preseason and that this was a time for the Broncos to build up chemistry, understand the playbook so that everyone was on the same page for week 1 against the Pittsburgh Steelers...But there was a level of expectations that Bronco fans have.  Fans hadn't seen the Manning from the Colts show up yet and were growing eager to see what 96 million dollar investment looked like.

The receivers were struggling to hold on to the ball, the offense line was allowing the Seahawk D to get to Manning, the running game had their breaks but needed to show more in terms of being more consistent with picking up good yardage on every carry.  The team had their work cut out for them, and going into their game against the San Francisco 49er's in week three of the preseason, this game would be a good test to see where they really stood against a solid defense, ranked fourth in total defense in 2011.

In a nationally televised game, in front of 75 thousand plus fans at Sports Authority Field at Mile High, the Broncos had their opportunity to present the new look offense under Manning to the rest of the NFL world.  The Broncos did anything but disappoint.

On the first drive, two passes to Demaryius Thomas and Joel Dreessen, along with a couple of good runs put the Broncos deep into the Niners territory.  A bad pass to Dreessen and a pass over the middle to Stokley that was uncatchable due to holding (and a uncalled pass interference call as well) set the Broncos up for a field goal.

Following the first drive...Manning opened up the offense and worked the Niner defense in the process.  Surgical, precise, accurate, crisp, sharp and in mid season form are words that can describe the way Manning commanded the Bronco offense. 

Manning managed to take almost five minutes off the clock, slinging the ball all over the field, including a 5 wide look with RB Lance Ball lined up far right in which Manning hooked up with the RB for a 38 yard strike down the field, Manning would manage to hook up with WR Eric Decker on a five yard fade in the corner of the endzone to get Manning his "first" touchdown as Bronco.

The defense stepped up and recovered a botched snap by Alex Smith and the Niner's, putting the Broncos deep in Niner's territory again.  Four plays later, Manning would hook up and Decker again for his second score of the day as the two continue to build a rapport with each other moving towards the regular season.

Following the third drive, Manning got off the field and called it a day.  Manning's bottom line looked a little something like this...10-for-12, 122 yards, two TD's with a QB rating of 148.6.  Manning also spread the ball around to six different receivers including Demaryius Thomas, Eric Decker, Brandon Stokely, Joel Dreessen, Lance Ball and Willis McGehee.  Not only was Manning and the air attack looking sharp, but Manning continues to show the level of comfort he has in this offense and with his receivers with incorporating the RB in some passing plays (and not just as a check down). 

Most notably, we saw Manning take his first hard hits in this game, there had to have been a few moments you just hope he would get up after taking a clean hit to the chin.  Manning had no problem popping right up and working the Niner defense on the following play.

Manning spoke after the game in response to how well the offense performed:

"I thought we did some good things today," Manning said. "We moved the ball pretty well and we got two touchdowns. It would have been nice to get three, had to settle to for a field goal. I thought the running game was good. Willis (McGahee) made some nice runs, had some nice holes by the offensive line, the receivers made some nice plays, as well."

With the offense looking like a well oiled machine against a stout Niner defense, the starters will take the game off against the Arizona Cardinals.  The Broncos will start preparing for the rematch with the Pittsburgh Steelers as the Steelers look to avenge their loss to the Broncos in the 2011 wildcard game in Denver.

Broncos Need to Play in their "Sunday Best" for the Dress Rehearsal

The Broncos looked sluggish...both on offense and defense.  Peyton Manning threw two interceptions (one can be accredited to the D-Lineman for making a very athletic play), dropped passes by receivers and are fielding a half decent running game.  While the running game was half decent on offense, the defense was atrocious against the run.  The D gave up 228 yards on the ground, letting the Seahawks average better than five yards per touch.  They also let rookie and preseason darling  QB Russell Wilson go 10-of-17 for 155 yards and 2 TD's, good for a 128.3 QB rating.

The Broncos were picked by many to win the AFC West and contend possibly in their first year with Manning for the AFC Championship.  The Broncos have shown glimpses of being a force to reckon with, they have shown the ability to get after the quarterback and cause problems behind the line.

But coming into the game against NFC powerhouse, the San Francisco 49'ers, the Broncos are going to get a real look at this team.  The Niner's now boast a revamped passing game that features TE Vernon Davis and WR Michael Crabtree and Randy Moss.  The also now have a 1-2 punch in Frank Gore and Brandon Jacobs, this is a very explosive offense,  Speaking of explosive, the Niner's were ranked second in rush yards and points allowed per game.  In short, for the dress rehearsal, Denver has their work cut out for them, and fans are probably worried about their team.

Looking at the offense, yes Manning hasn't looked like the Manning of old, having thrown three interceptions.  No interception looks good, but you can make the argument that two of the three weren't bad plays and also good plays by the opposing defense.  The running game has looked good with Willis McGehee, he still seems to show the ability at 30+ years old to get through the line, get tough yards and score on at the goal line.  The running game won't see what their full potential will be like until they get speedster Ronnie Hillman back.  The passing game will improve, of course with the new CBA; this limits how much practice the team can have during the season and offseason.  In this case, this does not work in the Broncos favor in terms of getting everyone on the same page, QB, WR and RB's. 

On defense, we have seen the defense show some glimpses of making some plays.  The pass rush seems to be the pride and joy at the moment.  Von Miller and Elvis Dumervil now welcome DL Derek Wolfe who has proven now to this point that he can get push ANYWHERE on the line.  The secondary has shown the ability to play in coverage and causing pass break ups.  But the secondary has also had tendencies to let the wideouts get on top of the secondary, allowing the big play down the field.  Another problem has been the run defense.  Denver, as mentioned earlier, was torched by the running game.  This has been a problem for the team ever since the departure of Larry Coyer after the 2006 season.  They have been able to slow the opposition on the ground, but the one thing the D lacks is technique and fundamentals.  Once the lineman and linebackers learn how to wrap up and tackle properly instead of trying to make a knockout play, the run D should improve.

The Broncos have several things to work on going into their date with the Niners, and they need to figure it out fast, four of Denver's first six opponents are 2011 playoff teams.  The old cliché' can describe the first half of the season and possibly the entire year....BOON OR BUST!

Time for Some Rookies to Make Their Move

The Broncos are ending "Week 3" of training camp, the team almost made it through, but it was going to catch them eventually.  It's the injury bug, and it's something that is rarely missed at this point of the year in the NFL.  The Broncos entered training camp fairly healthy for the most part.  In fact, the team was getting players back it seemed like on a daily basis from injuries that were sustained from the 2011 season.

Well, now that the rigors of the camp has caught up to the team, adjustments are going to have to be made and players that were either experiencing lack of playing time or in the cusp of being cut are counting their blessings.

Some vets such as Robert Ayers should be grateful at the moment with the recent loss of DE Jason Hunter.  Hunter's training camp was having a phenomenal camp be defensive coordinator Jack Del Rio that he had moved Hunter to first team.  Hunter's intensity will be missed; he is expected to miss at least two months, if not the entire season with a torn triceps injury.  He suffered the injury during Wednesday's practices with the blocking sleds.

This injury has become common now for the team as Ty Warren suffered this injury going into the 2011 season, and Elvis Dumervil in 2010.  Both players suffered the injury in camp and missed most or all of the entire season.

As for OG Chris Kuper, he can't seem to catch a break...actually he caught two.  He had just recently recovered from the broken fibula late in the 2011 season against the Kansas City Chiefs.  He didn't play in the first preseason game against the Chicago Bears but had been participating in training camp up until recently.  Earlier this week, Kuper had suffered a broken forearm in practice while at the bottom of a pile during team drills.  His recovery is expected to take four to six weeks.

Derek Wolfe and Philip Blake...step on up!  Your calling might sooner that you think!  Ayers did have a sack in the game against the Bears, but what has really impressed coaches has been Derek Wolfe's speed as a DT, actually having moved Wolfe all over the line now and putting him in packages to make sure this kid see's every down on the field.  Well, with Hunter's injury, the right DE position is now thin and with the performance Wolfe put on against the Bears, tallying two sacks, a tackle for loss and two QB hits, he quickly has caught the eye of the coaching staff and he could very well be starting at DE Saturday against the Seattle Seahawks.

As for the guard position and replacing Chris Kuper, this will be a tough act to follow.  Kuper is one of the more underrated guards in the game.  Behind him are C.J. Davis and Philip Blake.  Davis is in his third season and can be considered a "journeyman" already.  Since joining the league in 2009, he spent '09 on IR, played in seven games for the Carolina Panthers in '10 and was a free agent in '11.

Blake doesn't have much competition ahead of him; in fact, his versatility makes him more valuable to the team.  Blake, like guard Zane Beadles, played center at their respective colleges and was asked to make the move from center to guard.  Fortunately, moving from center to guard is an easy transition.  Having that experience though in college at center and playing guard now in the NFL will make Blake a commodity for the team.

The Broncos also has been looking to get tougher and "nastier" on the like, Beadles, Walton and Franklin are the recent draftees that come into the league with that nasty streak the team is looking for.  Blake had a chance to play behind a stud in Walton who in his time at Baylor received some good accolades.  In 2009, his last season in college, he was an All-American and a candidate for the Outland and Rimington Trophies.  Blake should have learned a thing or two from Walton.

With the recent injuries, the Broncos do look thin now at some positions, and it's up to the rookies to answer the call of being a starter early for the team.  The Broncos will find out soon enough how good their 2012 draft class will be.

CU Buffaloes Offense Starting to Take Form

Colorado Buffaloes head coach Jon Embree survived his second media on Saturday as the team begins practicing for the fall and their date with the Colorado State Rams with the Rocky Mountain Showdown.  There were plenty of questions that were asked, but the feeling of the media day was focused more on the offense.  The Buffs lose starting quarterback Tyler Hansen and tailback Rodney “Speedy” Stewart due to graduation and heading for the NFL.  This past offseason, the team also lost wideout Paul Richardson.  Richardson was going to be the guy to help move this program that was lead by the seniors Hansen and Stewart.  Richardson suffered a torn ACL in March but is apparently making a marvelous comeback in his rehab and he has hopes of playing this upcoming season.

The biggest question going into practice is “who’s going to be the starting quarterback?”  Last season was the first time in a handful of seasons that this wasn’t a reoccurring question with the position.  Unfortunately for the program, having a new coaching staff and entirely new system in place, it proved to be a daunting task at times of the 2011 offense.

This season, the fields of quarterbacks include one recruit from the Dan Hawkins era (Nick Hirschman) and two transfers, one from Texas (Connor Wood) and one from Kansas (Jordan Webb).  The early favorite to win the position was Hirschman, but that has changed during the spring, spring game and going into the fall practices.  Hirschman seems to be fighting now for playing time while Webb now seems to have become the darling of the CU coaching staff.

CUBuffs.com reports that head coach Jon Embree has had a chance to evaluate each quarterback in practice and has made mention of what he sees in each QB. 

On Hirschman “His teammates really like him, gravitate to him...also has a big arm, but sometimes believes he can throw through his mistakes...needs a better grasp of the offense.” 

On Wood “Big arm...can make all the throws...good grasp of the offense...needs to be more consistent in his decision making...needs to continue to work on his accuracy.”

On Webb “A big attribute is his 19 games at this level... does a good job of working the pocket...reminds me of Koy (Detmer) in getting the ball out in unique ways.”

Breaking down what Embree was saying, it seems as though that Hirschman is being put down as the 3^rd quarterback. He has a good chemistry with the players on offense but tends to make too many mental errors that Embree would like to see from a starter.  Wood appears to flash ability to have the ability to lead this offense on the field, he has the “IT” factor, but it comes and goes from play to play.  Webb appears to be the front runner, he has good presence of awareness, and something that is a necessity for the QB position this season as the QB will be playing behind a very young offensive line.  Of all the QB’s on the roster, Webb appears to be the one that has significant playing time over all the other QB’s.  Embree does not have a time table for when he will announce a starter, but don’t be surprised if he names Webb going into Labor Day weekend against the Rams.

The running back situation now has some clarity.  With Stewart leaving, that left the door open for any back to grab the starting spot.  The backfield features Tony Jones, Josh Ford, D.D. Goodson and Josh Gorman.  There is some depth at the position, but given his work ethic and dedication to grab the starter role, Tony Jones expects to be the starter this upcoming season.  

The Denver Post spoke with Nick Hirschman who has had a chance to watch Jones out on the field says he has seen a difference in Jones.

"Tony has worked his tail off to get ready for the season," Hirschman said, "and it really shows from last year to this year.  Tony is coming into this season with a lot of confidence, a lot of swagger. That’s something we need."

He went into last season listed as 180, but he has worked out this offseason to be a "feature back", he has had 12 pounds to his frame putting him at 192 coming into camp as he looks to take the reins from Stewart.  Although he hasn't been named starter yet, he can sleep easier knowing that Embree said this about the battle at running back "Now that we’re in pads we’ll get a better feel for that. We’ll get a chance to see who that guy is that will be behind Tony [Jones]".

This offense still has plenty to figure out, but being able to establish a QB and RB that will be important going forward.  This will be a building block for this coaching staff as this should help this program build continuity as they look re-establish the west coast offense with a relatively new group of players.

Broncos-Bears Observations

The butterflies are now out of the way for fans and for the NFL.  Peyton Manning has officially hit the field and we got to see a quick glimpse of him in a different shade of blue...that being the navy blue, white and orange of the Denver Broncos.

Manning and the Broncos offense got to the field first, and Head Coach John Fox didn't waste anytime seeing how Manning would look in his first pass attempt.  First play, spread four wide shotgun formation and ball batted down at the line with the pass intended for TE Jacob Tamme.

Obviously this was a game for Manning to just get his feet under him again.  But some things I noticed as well with Manning at the helm is that this offense is still in the works in terms of being on the same page. Following a first down conversion on 3rd & 17, Decker was in motion and Manning had waved him off to go back to where he was in position before.  Not sure if it was a designed motion and Manning saw something and called it off, but this is something that will be worked on going into the season as well.  Manning and the offense will still be learning from each other on pre-snap reads and seeing what Manning is seeing so that this offense can operate just like it did when he was with the Colts.

The offensive line did a good job overall and especially in the passing game.  Last season, the pass protection wasn't stellar, but having Tebow and his indecisiveness didn't help neither.  But the line did a good job giving Manning the time to get through his progressions and making the throw to his target.

This time spent in the offseason between Manning and Decker working together is already paying off.  Although it was just a couple passes, Manning was going to Decker early and even hit him on the 3rd & 17, good for 19 yards and a first down.

The Broncos got Knowshon Moreno out there with the second team for a few snaps and he somewhat produced.  But he saw a couple series and that was his night.  The standout running back from the nightwas Xavier Omon.  He didn't dance around in the backfield, he was "one cut and up the field".  He kept his legs working when he hit a pile and seemed to even move it.  Lance Ball might have some competition this preseason.

Caleb Hanie wasn't thrilling out there, but he seemed to at least get the job "done" as a backup.  He did his job of just making the easy passes and managing the game, like a back-up is supposed to, but he should look over his shoulder as well.  Brock Osweiler has some serious potential.  He reminded me of Jay Cutler...and no it isn't just because he also wears number 6.  As a rookie, the similarities with the two were the fact that they starred down their receiver, making it easy for defenders to see where the QB is going.  Accuracy was hit or miss throughout the night.  Decision making was questionable but will obviously improve as he get acclimated to the game.  He did look comfortable in the pocket, and he did have "zip" on his passes as well, particularly the 19 yard pass to Jason Hill for the touchdown.  When he let that ball go, it almost appeared that the ball was traveling on a zip line to the receiver.  For the positives that was noticed with Osweiler, there were somethings that needed to be worked on in his game.  I expect Hanie to be the backup to Manning going into the season, but I won't be surprised if halfway through the season the team decides to move Osweiler ahead of Hanie.

The defense had their ears pinned back and seem to be embracing the idea by Defensive Coordinator Jack Del Rio of being "aggressive".  The rush D was problem last season, and for the night it looked solid.  The D held the Bears to 36 yards on 21 carries.  The first and second team defense tallied three sacks, one from Robert Ayers and two from rookie and training camp stand out, DT Derek Wolfe.  Wolfe has been known to have a decent pass rush ability as a DT, but he has shown great speed and the team intends to move him all over the line, ala Von Miller and what he does at the LB position.  Wolfe may not start the season, but he will play lots this season, for the night, it looked like the Broncos found themselves quite the player.

On the flip-side of being aggressive is also being discipline.  It was the first game and players are going to just work themselves back into rhythm, but penalties early on the D.  Most notably by Elvis Dumervil, first he was tagged with roughing the passer, then offsides on the next play.  Again, these are things that the D will correct as the preseason progresses.

It's just the first game, lots of rust needs to be shaken off and kinks worked out.  The next game for the Broncos will be Saturday,  August 18th against the Seattle Seahawks at Sports Authority Field from Mile High.  We will get a better view of this team and what it will look like as the first team will most likely play the first quarter and maybe a series into the second quarter.

Broncos First Depth Chart Released

Photo courtesy of the Denver Post

The Broncos just recently released a look at the first depth chart of the 2012 season.  Lot's of things don't come as a surprised, but some do.  Take into mind as well, the Broncos haven't even played their first game.  This is all based so far on training camp and on the team scrimmage as well.  Manning is obviously at the helm, with Willis McGehee running the ball for the team.  They will be protected up front by Ryan Clady, Zane Beadles, J.D. Walton, Chris Kuper, and Orlando Franklin.  Guys that will be catching passes from Manning will be Demaryius Thomas, Eric Decker and TE Joel Dresseen.

Some surprises I see with this offense thus far is the fact that Knownshon Moreno is running fourth team with the offense.  I fully expected him not to make the team this season, and was shocked to hear about him getting some reps early on in camp with the second team.

Staying at the running back position, Lance Ball is running second team behind McGehee, and rookie Ronnie Hillman is third team.  Hillman maybe third, and it could be that way going into the season, but I can see the rookie getting more touches early and often over Lance Ball.  Ball runs more like McGehee, so I am surprised to see him ahead of Hillman when the team will be looking for a change of pace out of the backfield.  One issue that has been holding Hillman back is recent injury problems during camp.

The offensive line is intact like I expect it to be, but there at the RT position I believe there could be a battle.  Franklin was brought in because of his size and his run blocking skills.  Well, this offense has changed dramtically since he was draft, different philosophies, QB's, etc.  Having said that, Ryan Harris, who is in his second stint with the team should give the kid a serious push for the starting job.  Harris is a more polished player and if the coaches can overlook the fact that he isn't as big as Franklin, he might take the job from the kid.

At backup QB, Caleb Hanie is running second team, ahead of rookie Brock Osweiler. According to the Denver Post, Hanie did not have a good showing in the team scrimmage held at Sports Authority Field from Mile High.  Hanie apparently did not have a great showing and heard some boo's from a record crowd of over 41,000 fans.  As Head Coach John Fox points out, it's 2A, B and C" for the second spot.  Hanie will be the 2nd string going into the game against the Bears, and Osweiler should get some reps with the second team as well.  I expect the two to flip-flop no later that the second pre-season game.

On Defense, Justin Hunter, Elvis Dumervil, Justin Bannan and Ty Warren anchor the line.  Surprising is that Robert Ayers is lining up behind Hunter.  Hunter apparently is having a great camp.  I can see Ayers losing his job and being one of the last guys they keep on the roster to put on the line.  Ayers is a good DE against the run, but still struggles to get pressure in the pass-rush department.  Hunter has good speed and energy of the edge, something that Ayers lacks.  DL Derek Wolfe is moving all around the line.  He was drafted to play DT, but the Broncos are seeing something in this kid and are looking for creative ways to get him on the field, including putting him at DE to help with the pass-rush.

At LB, The Broncos have Von Miller, Joe Mays and D.J. Williams.  Recently, Williams has started practicing with the first team Defense.  The Broncos have been practicing this camp without Williams, but coming off the heels of the scrimmage, the team goes out and Keith Brooking.  The team must not feel comfortable enough to start Wesley Woodyard or anyone else, this signing is definitely a insurance policy for the team if things don't improve at WLB.

The secondary will feature Tracy Porter, Champ Bailey, Quinton Carter and Rahim Moore.  Fortunately for Moor, there was no competition coming into camp after they let go of Renaldo Hill.  The team just brought in free agent Jim Leonhard.  As soon as he was signed, he was put on the PUP list (Physically Unable to Preform).  He is still recovering from a fractured tibia he suffered late in the 2011 season.  If he can get on the field in the next couple weeks, the FS position will be a battle going into the regular season.  Mike Adams had been running with the first team throughout minicamps and splitting time with Carter in camp.  Carter has recently just went arthroscopic knee surgery.  Carter maybe listed ahead of Adams, but I expect Adams to be the starter going into the season and with Carter making a push for his spot at SS.

This is just the first depth chart, we will see this chart change a handful of times before the regular season gets under way.  Having said that, where some players are listed after the first chart, there could be some name players that Bronco fans would recognize that won't be here a month from now.

Fantasy Football "Do's and Do Not's"

The first preseason game is just a few days away with the Hall of Fame game between the Arizona Cardinals and New Orleans Saints.  Training camp will be wrapping up here in just a couple weeks, and the season will begin in just over a month!  You won't get much of a chance to see what some players will do going into the season. Here are some tips to help you get through your league as a champion come late December.

DO draft a workhorse running with your first pick-Yes, this has become a passing league, but running backs are going to be the guys that get to touch the ball the most out of all the players on the field, so getting a workhorse back first is key, given the fact that the league has also moved to a two-back system.  Having a solid ground game where you can pick up fast and easy points is important.

DONT worry about drafting a WR early-Unless you are really worried about getting a guy such as Calvin Johnson, Larry Fitzgerald, etc., don't waste your time.  You can grab a top flight WR in the third round and still be ok.

DO get a QB/WR combo-Look as this like a "bonus" if you will.  If you score with the QB and he throws to the WR on your team, look at a "extra six points".

DONT go for players coming off contract years-Very rarely do players do well after signing a contract.  Look at Chris Johnson, RB from Tennessee.  Had three amazing years to start his career, putting up almost 1,300 yards a season, including his 2,000 yard performance three years ago and averaged 10 combined TD's a season.  Last season, he was terrible.  Take away a 3 out of 4 games in the middle of the season where he ran fir 473 yards, he had only one one hundred yard game and totaled 574 yards in 13 games and four total TD's! There are exceptions, a couple things to look at are tangibles off the field, such as the team that the RB is playing for, the culture of the team, etc., these are things that I want to know before moving on with a RB, one in Baltimore is a good example of a RB that "goes against the grain" here.


DO go for running backs going into a contract year-Ray Rice, another RB who just got a new deal, did well going into this offseason before asking for a new deal.  He put together a 2,000+ season from the line of scrimmage and totaling 15 TD's.  As you can see, RB going into a contract year or looking for a new contract will put up godly numbers before demanding more money.  More numbers=more dough, keep that in mind when looking into a RB.

DONT get caught up in "runs in a position"- What I mean by that is don't get scared because you might see the consecutive "top tier" players taken and all the sudden you see the rest of the war room go on a run at the position. Create a plan of what you want to do and stick to it.  You might draft a player because of the run at a position and might take a player that you will regret taking later on.

DO go after a TE early-Usually, TE's go mid to later in the draft, but again, with this league becoming a passing league, those TE's are becoming more important...your Rob Gronkowski, Jimmy Graham and Vernon Davis' of the world.  Elite players such as these names mention I would advice to take as soon as you fill out at least on starter throughout your roster.

DO keep a empty slot on your bench open at all times-I have seen it many times.  People draft a full squad and find themselves trying to find a player to drop and pick another up because maybe one player is out for a few weeks or has been "day-by-day" and has been that way for several weeks and you don't know when he will return.  Your afraid that if you drop that player that some other team will pick him up and that down the road, dropping one of your own players will come back to haunt you.  For this reason, always keep a slot open so that you can go out, pick a player up and realize that you don't have to drop one of your players.


DO pay attention to bye weeks-This goes on from what I mentioned with my last point.  There will be several weeks where you see multiple players are on a bye week and you will hit a patch where you are seeing 2-4 players on bye.  Points become very difficult to come bye at this point, and just to make sure you get some points for the week, I have seen people starting to cut other players to pick others up to score points for the week.  Sure enough, there's someone lurking and another team will snatch up one of your players...again, down the road a move you don't want to regret.  When drafting, look at who's got their bye's and try to match up accordingly.  If you can get a majority on the same week, that's good.  Throw one week, make it your "bye" week so that throughout the rest of the season, you have piece of mind knowing that you will pretty much have a active roster for the entire season.

DON'T go for second year players-I believe with the exception of guys like Cam Newton who I believe will be a freak to continue on into his second season.  Stay away from second year players as much as possible.  Many rookies come in during their first year and have decent seasons.  Know why?!  Because teams won't pick up enough film on a player and won't be able to really see and break down a players tendencies until late in the season should they play from week one.  But most rookies won't start week one, they see the field later in the season.  Having said that, teams going into the next season now have film on a particular player and can "dissect" them.  This is what all know as the "Sophomore Slump", and how well these second year players can adjust once the NFL has caught up to them is the challenge.  Going forward in fantasy football, how they perform their second season for me is when to decide obviously going into the next season whether they will be legit or not.  But looking at the here and now, just judge a second year player on how well he did his second season.  As long as his numbers don't drop significantly from the rookie campaign, go ahead with picking him up!  Otherwise, proceed with caution.


DO look into situational players a flex option-This was a approach I took last season with the Broncos backfield.  I figured before the season started that Knowshon Moreno would be the back that would rack up the yards, but come redzone and goal-line...it was Willis McGehee who would get the touches.  I was right, until Knowshon got hurt and it became the Willis Show.  Your goal-line backs are more valuable than other backs because these guys can rack up a few yards while scoring touchdowns.  A goal-line back who touches the ball ~10 times, picking up 40 yards and TD is better than hoping that your other back while your other RB touches the ball ~15 times, picks up 80 yards and no TD.

Fantasy Football season is upon us, this is the wisdom that I look to spread to other Fantasy Footballer's.  Hope this info is helpful, best of luck drafting and best of luck on your season....Oh and by the way, a little luck does go a long way as well in winning a championship.