RB Arian Foster UP

Foster has been working with the first team during camp. I still expect Ben Tate to start the season. They drafted him in the 2^nd round after being clearly discontent with their running game last year so it only makes sense they’d give him the first crack at the job, but Foster did play well in his final 4 games last year with 54 carries for 257 yards, 8 receptions for 93 yards, and 3 scores. His ADP right now is 121 and since he’d be a legitimate fantasy starting running back for a few weeks if he did start the start as starter, that makes him a legitimate fantasy sleeper with upside.

RB Ben Tate DOWN

As I said in Foster’s writeup, I still expect Tate to win the starting job, but I’m moving him down some. Tate is reportedly struggling in camp, though possibly predictably as he is a rookie. Foster is taking the first team reps and Steve Slaton (remember that guy) is impressing as well. There’s a chance that Foster wins the starting job or that Slaton steals some of his carries. Gary Kubiak can be a mad man changing his running backs and if he feels he has three legitimately talented running backs to work with, it’s definitely not good for Tate’s fantasy stock, even if he does feel Tate is the most talented.

RB Knowshon Moreno DOWN

Moreno is hurt once again in training camp and will likely miss the entire preseason. Moreno is talented, but he’s starting to strike me as the type of guy who can’t stay healthy. Plus, after the way he ended last year and considering he still is somewhat unproven, I needed to see him run well in the preseason to be fully confident in him as a strong RB2. Lastly, it is a hamstring injury and those tend to linger, especially slight tears as this is being described as. It could hurt him during the season, causing him to miss games and sap his explosiveness. Just ask Marion Barber circa 2009.

WR Brandon Tate UP

Tate is reportedly impressing at Patriots camp and I’m hearing everywhere that he’s going to be the 3^rd receiver in the Patriots’ offense over veteran Torry Holt. He’s not going to get a ton of carries with Randy Moss and Wes Welker to compete with, but Donte Stallworth had 46 catches for 697 yards and 3 scores in that role in 2007 and that was when Moss and Welker were both younger and healthier. Tate has some fantasy upside this year and makes a decent late round pick.

WR Torry Holt DOWN

Reports out of training camp are not pretty. He could be this year’s Joey Galloway. Don’t draft him.

RB Jamaal Charles DOWN

Thomas Jones is taking the first team reps in camp and is listed as first on the Chiefs’ depth chart. If Todd Haley starts Thomas Jones, who is 32 and had a YPC of 4.2 behind the best run blocking offensive line in football last year, over Charles who had 1417 total yards last year despite not receiving double digit carries until week 10, he is an idiot, but, even though he is the same Todd Haley who started Larry Johnson has his 2.7 YPC for 7 weeks over Charles, and then allowed Kolby Smith to steal carries from him late, I think Charles will still be the starter going into this year. Haley can’t be that stupid. Charles may just be being eased in after a shoulder injury or maybe Haley just likes to give veterans the first crack at the starting job. However, this is not great news for Chiefs fans or Jamaal Charles owners and I do have to knock him down some.

RB Thomas Jones UP

I don’t think he’ll win the starting job, but the fact that the Chiefs are still calling him a starter on August 10^th is good for his fantasy prospects. He’s a great handcuff for Charles.

WR Devin Thomas DOWN

WR Malcolm Kelly DOWN

Both came into the league with a ton of promise after being drafted in the 2^nd round in 2008, but now it seems like neither of them can beat out the veteran Joey Galloway for the first team reps. Don’t draft either of them.

WR Joey Galloway UP

But still don’t draft him. Take someone with upside instead.

 

WR Brandon LaFell UP

As I suspected he could, Brandon LaFell is shining in Steve Smith’s absence and is likely to beat out the terrible Dwayne Jarrett for the #2 receiving job. John Fox doesn’t normally start rookies, but that just goes to show you how talented a 3^rd rounder this kid is and how horrible a receiver Dwayne Jarrett is. Smith is extremely injury prone so LaFell would have major value in his absense and Smith is also 5-9 so the 6-2 LaFell is probably going to be Matt Moore’s favorite goal line wide out. He is some, but not huge fantasy upside this year and is worth a late round pick in some leagues.

WR Hakeem Nicks UP

Reports say Mario Manningham is likely to be the Giants new punt returner, which makes it less and less likely that Manningham is going to start over the 2^nd year Hakeem Nicks this year. Nicks is also getting the first team reps in training camp. My biggest concern with Nicks was not talent, but getting on the field, but I think it’s safe to say he’ll be their #2 receiver when the season starts. Nicks was tied with Percy Harvin for the lead in rookie receiving yards and receiving touchdowns last year despite not being a starter for most of the year so Nicks could approach 1000 yards and 8-10 touchdowns as his team’s main goal line threat.

WR Steve Smith DOWN

Having Nicks opposite him does hurt him near the goal line, since Nicks is such an athletic goal line presence. Smith is still a lock for 100 receptions and 1000+ yards in my mind as their possession receiver and I love his consistency, but don’t expect him to get into the end zone very much this year.

WR Percy Harvin DOWN

Harvin’s chronic migraines are looking like something that could be a major issue for him. He hasn’t practiced in over a week because of them and there appears to be no end in sight. If his migraines ever flared up like this in the season, like they did last year, he would miss games and that would hurt him. This looks like a very concerning situation for the 2^nd year receiver.

RB Rashard Mendenhall UP

Mendenhall is receiving almost all of the goal line reps in camp now, after goal line specialists like Jonathan Dwyer and Isaac Redman failed to impress. We’ll have to see if this continues in games, but this makes Mendenhall one of the few running backs in the NFL to be an every down back. His line has issues and when Big Ben’s out, they’ll be able to load the box against him with ease, but he is still a good first round pick.

RB Cedric Benson UP

Almost forgot to upgrade Benson when TO was signed. TO gives the Bengals a legitimate deep threat so all those 8 man boxes Benson saw last year should be significantly less this year. He’s motivated in a contract year and cleared after his run in with the law earlier this offseason so if he can stay healthy and play 15-16 games, he should be a top 10 running back this year.