WR Danario Alexander DOWN

Once a potential sleeper, Alexander looks like he could be a finally cut in Rams camp after a poor preseason. It appears the final 6 receivers for the Rams will be Mike Sims-Walker and Brandon Gibson in the starting lineup, Danny Amendola in the slot, and then two rookies Austin Pettis and Greg Salas and reclamation project Donnie Avery, who is coming off a season ending injury. MSW is a legitimate WR2/WR3, while Amendola is a nice PPR flex or depth receiver in normal leagues. Gibson and Kendricks both have upside and could be an interesting sleeper.

RB Ryan Grant DOWN

We’re getting a better feel for how things will shake out at running back for the Packers. Grant got the ball on 3 series and Starks got it on 2 series. It’s looking like a 60-40 split between the 2 running backs on 1^st and 2^nd downs with 3^rd round pick Alex Green coming in on some 3^rd downs like Brandon Jackson used to. I’d say 210 carries for Grant, 130 for Starks, and 40 for Green.

RB James Starks UP

We’re getting a better feel for how things will shake out at running back for the Packers. Grant got the ball on 3 series and Starks got it on 2 series. It’s looking like a 60-40 split between the 2 running backs on 1^st and 2^nd downs with 3^rd round pick Alex Green coming in on some 3^rd downs like Brandon Jackson used to. I’d say 210 carries for Grant, 130 for Starks, and 40 for Green.

WR Emmanuel Sanders DOWN

Sanders played well down the stretch last season and was a candidate to possibly beat out Hines Ward for the #2 receiver role in Pittsburgh, but he got hurt and now it’s looking like he might not even beat out Antonio Brown and Jerricho Cotchery for the #3 receiver role. Don’t forget his name, but also don’t draft him. He’s in no position right now to have an impact.

WR Nate Burleson UP

Matt Stafford is going to be going deep a lot more than Shaun Hill and Drew Stanton did last season. Burleson caught 12 catches for 179 yards and 1 touchdown in 3 games with Stafford last season, good for 64 catches for 955 yards and 5 touchdowns. Burleson has looked good this preseason with and without Johnson in the lineup. With the way Stafford is playing, there’s fantasy value with both Burleson and Johnson.

QB Matt Stafford UP

Wow. I had questions with Stafford going into this season because he has never proved himself on the field at the NFL level. However, he’s looked amazing this season, especially in the Lions’ 3^rd preseason game. He went 12 for 14 with 2 touchdowns and 200 passing yards, good for a perfect passer rating. Detroit’s quarterbacks had 4001 yards, 26 touchdowns, and 16 picks last season even though Stafford only played 3 games.

Now add in the fact that Titus Young is replacing Bryant Johnson, one of the worst receivers in the league last season, in the slot, and that Stafford is much more talented than Hill and Stanton and Stafford could have 4200 yards, 28 touchdowns, and 14 interceptions if he plays 16 games. However, we have to take injuries into account so my projected stats for him are over 14 games. Still, he’s a nice low end QB1 with top 7-8 fantasy QB upside.

WR Antonio Brown UP

After catching 4 passes for 137 balls and 2 touchdowns in the Steelers 3^rd preseason game, Brown looks like he’s going to win the slot job for the Steelers. In previous years, Nate Washington and Mike Wallace have put up nice stats out of the slot in Pittsburgh and that was with two productive starters, Santonio Holmes and Hines Ward. Mike Wallace is now a proven starter, but Ward is regressing in his advanced age and he’s coming off offseason surgery. Brown is a speedy 2^nd year player who could end up in the starting lineup by the end of the season if Ward continues to decline.

WR Earl Bennett UP

Roy Williams is out of shape. Devin Hester is inconsistent. Johnny Knox has fallen out of favor with the coaching staff. Meanwhile, Bennett led all of Cutler’s receivers in targets in their 3^rd preseason game. Mike Martz has said that Bennett, who had 46 catches for 541 yards and 3 touchdowns last year, will have a bigger role this season and Cutler is obviously comfortable throwing to him. He’s targeting him more than anyone and they were teammates at Vanderbilt. At worst, Bennett is the slot guy. At best, he’d the be #2, but the Bears spread so much that it might not matter. He’ll be on the field plenty and could lead the team in catches and yards.

WR Roy Williams DOWN

Roy Williams sucks. Even if he does start the season in the starting lineup, he’s in no position to help your fantasy team and he’ll be benched sooner rather than later. Don’t draft him. 

 

RB LeGarrette Blount UP

LeGarrette Blount can catch passes?! After catching 5 passes all last season, Blount got 3 in their 3^rd preseason game, not the first time he’s showed better hands this preseason. The Bucs don’t have a single talented, proven back behind him on the depth chart and while he won’t be the 3^rd down back all the time, they may feel comfortable leaving him in on some 3^rd downs. We could definitely see around 300 carries from him this season with mediocre, but not terrible pass catching stats, in addition to plenty of rushing yards and touchdowns.

WR Kenny Britt UP

Kenny Britt will not be suspended, meaning, barring injury, he’ll play 16 games this season. He had 42 catches for 775 yards and 9 touchdowns last season in 12 games. Over 16 games, that’s 56 catches for 1033 yards and 12 touchdowns. That’s good for 175 fantasy points, which would have made him the 7^th ranked fantasy receiver last season. Now keep in mind, he has a better quarterback situation this season with Matt Hasselbeck and Jake Locker rather than Kerry Collins and Vince Young and he’s in his 3^rd season, a breakout year for young wide receivers. We have a legitimate top 10 wide receiver with Britt this season.

Projection: 61 catches, 1100 receiving yards, 12 touchdowns (182 pts, 243 PPR)

RB Arian Foster DOWN

Arian Foster has reinjured his hamstring. He will probably play week 1, but the key word is probably. Even Gary Kubiak said he hoped Foster could go. Even if Foster doesn’t miss any games, recurring hamstring injuries are never a good thing. He’s extremely talented, but he’s not safe as the #1 fantasy pick anymore. I have Ray Rice atop my board now and may move Adrian Peterson above Foster if we get indication in the next few days that Foster missing week 1 is a strong possibility.

Projection: 300 carries, 1320 rushing yards, 55 receptions, 510 receiving yards, 14 total touchdowns, 3 fumbles (261 pts, 316 PPR)

RB Ben Tate UP

Ben Tate is a very talented rusher who is a natural fit for the Texans’ offensive scheme. He was supposed to be the #1 guy last year before he got hurt. He’s looked great in the preseason and Houston’s offensive line is so good at run blocking that Tate immediately becomes fantasy startable should Foster miss any games. He’s a nice handicap for Foster and an upside pick in deeper leagues for all owners. Derrick Ward would get some carries in Foster’s absence, but Tate, a 2010 2^nd round pick, would probably get the bulk of the carries.

Projection: 80 carries, 390 rushing yards, 10 receptions, 80 receiving yards, 4 total touchdowns, 2 fumbles (69 pts, 79 PPR)

TE Owen Daniels UP

The case for Owen Daniels: In 2007, his 2^nd season in the league, he caught 63 passes for 768 yards and 3 touchdowns. In 2008, he caught 70 passes for 862 yards and 2 touchdowns. In 2009, he caught 40 passes for 519 yards and 5 touchdowns in 8 games before tearing his ACL. Stretch that over 16 games and you get 80 catches for 1038 yards and 10 touchdowns. In 2010, he came back too quickly from his ACL tear, struggled for 7 games and then missed 5 before finishing strong. In his final 4 games, he caught 22 passes for 271 yards and 2 touchdowns. Over 16 games, that’s 88 catches for 1084 yards and 8 touchdowns.

The Texans rely heavily on the tight end. In Daniels absence last season, career backup Joel Dressen caught 19 passes for 275 yards and 2 touchdowns in 5 games. Combine that with Daniels’ stats from his final 5 games and you get 41 catches for 546 yards and 4 touchdowns. Over 16 games, that’s 72 catches for 971 yards and 7 touchdowns. Daniels should be the #2 option in Houston behind Andre Johnson and, by all indications, is due for a huge season should he play 16 games.

He’s healthy now and seems to have put that ACL tear behind him. The Texans gave him a 4 year deal in the offseason and say they plan to feature him a lot in their offense. In the Texans’ 3^rd preseason game, Daniels was targeted a team high 8 times by Schaub. He’s healthy, he’s talented, and he’s a popular target of Schaub. There’s definitely upside here and I’d say he’s more likely to play 16 games than he is to miss a game.

I’m going to be conservative with his projection. I’d say he gets slightly better than 72 catches for 971 yards and 7 touchdowns should he play all 16 games. Remember, in 2009, he was on pace for 80 catches 1000+ yards and 10 touchdowns. In the last 4 games of last season, he was on pace for similar numbers. Hell, the Houston tight end spot in the last 9 games of last season (4 games of Daniels, 5 games of Dressen) was close to those numbers. I’d say 75 catches, 1000 receiving yards, 7 touchdowns should he stay healthy, but I’m going to be conservative and say he plays 15 games. That still makes him my #4 tight end.

Projection: 70 catches, 940 receiving yards, 7 touchdowns (136 pts, 206 PPR)