Recent Player News

Jones, Kevin - RB - DetDetroit sources report that RB Kevin Jones' progress has rocked the house in Lions recent OTAs. Jones is recovering from Lisfranc surgery on his left foot and is supposedly a month ahead of schedule in his rehab. A schedule mind you that was ultra aggressive in the first place. Article Source

Backfield Changes

As free agency continues, most players will probably feel the effects by way of their backfield. For those in keeper leagues, off-season changes can effectively turn a contender into a fantasy chump instantly. With the current NFL trend of loading up on a stable of running backs, it's becoming harder and harder to predict where your fantasy points are going to come from.

Below are some considerations around the current free agency moves, how they could effect your keeper situation, and some things to pay attention to before draft.

Ahman Green - Houston Texans:

The new starter in Houston, Green revitalized his career with a impressive return from an injury plagued 2005. While the Texans are convinced of what Green has to offer, my guess is that the majority of the owners in your league aren't going to agree. That could be a situation to capitalize on. First off, Green will be entering his second season after surgery, and all signs of injury should be completely gone. He walks into a situation where he's clearly the best guy on the field. Domanick Williams (formerly Davis) seems unable to win back the team's attention. Ron Dayne played admirably at the end of last season but it's becoming clear that Dayne isn't capable of putting together more than a couple complete games a season. Wali Lundy was handed the starting role and did nothing with it. Green should start day one in a Gary Kubiak led ground game and it wouldn't be too surprising if he flourished. At this point , I think you can still consider Green as solid RB2, possibly a low end RB1 in extremely large leagues. 

Willis McGahee – Baltimore Ravens:

Bills fans hate McGahee more than might seem reasonable. Browse around the web and you'll find dozens of McGahee bashers all claiming "good riddance". I read one post that went so far as to say that J.P. Losman was a better quarterback than Steve McNair so McGahee was doomed to failure in Baltimore because of the downgrade in supporting cast. While he definitely didn't live up to the first round pick the Bills spent on him, I'd hardly call the guy a bust. A change of scenery might be all he needs. The fact of the matter is that McGahee moves to a team that should be in contention again this season. The Ravens lost some personnel early in free agency but, other than Adalius Thomas, most of the guys they lost will have little effect on their chances this season. McGahee is an upgrade over waived Jamal Lewis in just about every facet of the game. He's younger, faster, and he plays with a chip on his shoulder. The Ravens have enough weapons to keep their opponents guessing. and a dominating defense that doesn't require the offense to carry the load. An upgraded offensive line, quarterback, and defense should but McGahee in a position to succeed. The Ravens like to run the ball and there should be plenty of touches to keep McGahee happy. Don't sleep on this guy at draft.

Thomas Jones – NY Jets:

It certainly took a while but Jones is finally starting to look like the seventh overall pick that the Arizona Cardinals spent on him back in 2000. It amazes me that Chicago was so quick to let him go, but be that as it may, the Jets should see a tremendous improvement on offense. This is a gold mine situation for Jones. He will walk into camp as the starter and have limited trouble keeping the role. There just really isnt much competition for Jones. Leon Washington showed flashes of what he can do last season and he's definitely  got "Westbrook-esque" potential. But, he's small and doesn't have the ability to close out late season games in the type of weather the Jets play in. On the contrary, Jones is the perfect back for that scenario. I would expect Jones to carry the majority of the load on a team that improving much faster than everyone expected. Jones could turn out to be a major value at your draft.

As a side note, it may have been mentioned already, but the following players are effected by the changes listed above:

Vernand Morency  GB – medium upgrade (based on results of draft)

Noah Herron,  GB – slight upgrade

Domanick Williams. Houston -  major downgrade

Ron Dayne, Houston – medium downgrade (still has goal line value)

Wali Lundy, Houston – major downgrade

Musa Smith, Baltimore – medium downgrade

Mike Anderson, Baltimore – slight downgrade

Leon Washington, Jets – slight downgrade (still has third down value)

Kevan Barlow, Jets – major downgrade

Cedric Houston, Jets – major downgrade

By John Garber