With the NFL season set to get under way Thursday evening, NFL teams are rounding out their final rosters and some clubs have been hit with some crucial injuries as well as made some interesting moves that should spark the minds of fantasy owners across the country.

Lets take a look at some of the recent moves/injuries and how they impact fantasy rosters:

1. Montario Hardesty (CLE-RB) suffers torn ACL.

Yikes! The Cleveland Browns were reportedly very high on Hardesty and it was almost a given that he was going to overtake Jerome Harrison as the feature back at some point this season. However, Hardesty suffered the injury in the team’s final pre-season game this past week and is set to miss the entire season.

This means my boy J-Harrison will be the undisputed starter for the Browns this season and has a chance to prove that he is more than just a flash in the pan. I was high on Harrison before Hardesty went down and now im sky-high on JH. The fact is at the very least Hardesty will supply catches and receiving yards as he is great out of the backfield in the passing game. Whether or not you have drafted yet…Go out and get Harrison on your team.

2. Housh and Seattle set on divorce.

If TJ Houshmandzadeh and the Seattle Seahawks were dating they would be sleeping around every night at this point. The two sides are all but broken up and Seattle’s dream situation is to trade Housh away and then make a deal with San Diego for Vincent Jackson.

Here’s what matters for fantasy owners.

-First Housh’s value will only go up if he gets moved because he had his worst statistical year last season in Seattle since his sophomore year in Cincinnati.

-Second Vincent Jackson should only be taken as a flier late in drafts or picked up if you have an extra spot because wasting a useful spot on your roster is a cardinal sin for me. (Let’s not forget V-Jax is suspended for the first three games regardless for violating the NFL’s personal conduct rule)

-Third Mike Williams (yes the same M-Will that was selected in the 1st round by the Lions in 05) will get a starting job once Housh is out of the mix. Williams has reportedly come to camp in the best shape of his life and has put his past failures behind him and ready to make some noise. I wouldn’t bank on it because he has said that before but he is definitely worth monitoring and adding late in a draft or picked up via FA.

-Fourth Deion Branch has secured a starting job…Still don’t give this guy the time of day. However, keep an eye out on Golden Tate who will have slot duties and could emerge as the true #1 WR on this team by the middle of the season.

3. Nate Doggggggggg.

<—Wait not this guy

This guy —>

If i bring up the Titans the only two people fantasy owners say are worth owning are Chris Johnson or Rob Bironas. Well it’s time to be enlighten (yes by a Titans fan) that Nate Washington is going to have a big year. Coach Fisher talked about the WR picture at the end of the final pre-season game saying that Kenny Britt might not make the active roster for week 1. “If I suspect there would be a problem, we have other receivers I’ll play instead of Kenny,” said Fisher. The fact is Washington was the the titans best WR last season and has become Vince Young’s favorite target. The speedy receiver knows how to go get the deep ball and will have some big days when the Titans use play-action to fake out defenses engulfed on stopping CJ2k. Washington is not even getting drafted and even in deep 14 team leagues (19% owned) is still a FA.

4. Four Downs of Quit Hits.

-Ben Roethlisberger got his suspension reduced from 6 games to 4. Big Ben is going very late in drafts. Take him late as your first QB and back him up with somebody like Matt Cassel, Vince Young or Derek Anderson. Start one of those guys for the first 4 weeks and then WEEP (whoops I meant reap) the benefits the rest of the season. (In case you didn’t here Big Ben cried in front of his teammates, embarrassed for being suspended for 4 games)

-Derek Anderson (11% owned) is going to the the starter for the Arizona Cardinals. Matt Leinart is going to get released, traded, benched, castrated…whatever it is Anderson has a cannon and I love his value. Right now I am the only one but trust me with WRs Fitzgerald and Breaston to stretch the field Anderson will be a worthy #2 QB and borderline #1 some weeks and towards the end of the year. Anderson will have 20+ TDs this year….BELIEVE THAT- Martin Lawrence.

-Laurent Robinson (16% owned) is on nobody’s radar. If Robinson can stay healthy, he will easily become Sam Bradford’s #1 target. This guy was great for STL in the 3 games he played before getting hurt last season. Bradford can sling it and Robinson will have his career year. This fantasy non-draftee needs to be on your team late.

-Nate Burleson (23% owned) had 63 catches last year in Seattle. He played along side Housh and did a great job out-performing him. Now Burleson gets to play alongside Calvin Megatron Johnson. Stafford has looked great so far in the pre-season and is set for a stellar sophomore season. Burleson is somebody that will get a lot of targets with Megatron being the center of defenses’ attention. Get this guy on your team!

Filed under: Football

At the University of California he was electric. Every time he touched the ball he had the chance to take it to the house in impressive fashion. A weapon running and catching the ball there was nothing Jahvid Best could not do. After an absolutely monster 2008 year where he racked up 1580 yards and 15 scores on 194 rushing attempts, that’s an absurd 8.1 yards per carry. Let that marinate for a little while…while you are on that thought here are his 2008 highlites ->

After recovering from two surgeries he started the 2009 season with a bang, rushing for 134 yards and two scores against Maryland. On November 7th, 2009 Best leaped into the end zone for a touchdown, during the process he was pushed a second time in mid air and landed on his head. Best was carted off the field and taken to the hospital following a 13 minute delay. I saw the play happen live and it was really shocking.

Best wouldn’t play the rest of year and there was some concern for his career. He announced that he would skip his senior year and go to the NFL. His draft stock in turn went down (due to the health concerns) and he fell into the laps of the Detroit Lions at pick 30 of the 1st round. But during his time at Cal he made sure to leave his mark setting tons of big records;

• Most rushing yards in a game – 311 yards on 12/06/08
• Most all purpose yards in a season – 2,247 in 2008
• Most rushing yards in the Emerald Bowl – 186 yards
• Most rushing TDs for University of California in the modern era – 5 on 09/19/09 (Dick Dunn did score six back in 1922)

The thing all draftee’s say is they are going to make everyone who passed up on them pay. This might not hold more true than for Best. With the Lions, a team that has been looking for a solid running back since the days of Barry Sanders it seems like they found a perfect fit for each other. Best who runs the 40 in 4.3 seconds is the lighting bolt that could with the combination of franchise QB Matthew Stafford and elite wide receiver Calvin Johnson, be the missing piece in the restructuring of the Lions. The fans of Detroit are finally feeling a bit of a spark and no longer have to deal with the paper bags over their heads and the Matt Millen era.

That being said I’m head over heels for Jahvid Best. He is my early pick for offensive rookie of the year, over CJ Spiller and all other high profile rookies. Best and his play making ability make him a very solid RB #2 for your fantasy team. When it comes to rookies it’s hard to project exactly how they will do but the situation he is in fits like a glove. Everyone is touting him with every adjective you can think of with that slight warning about him being injury prone. But the facts are these; Best has no threat of losing his job and head coach Jim Schwartz is giddy about his potential. During the draft he said he wanted that home run threat out of the backfield and he got it with Best. After the draft was over Schwartz uttered one of those epic quotes that people talk about for years.

“Some people watch adult videos on their computer; I go to YouTube and watch Jahvid Best highlight clips. That’s what gets me going.”

Before you kill me on what I am about to say, relax. Pre-season numbers are to be taken with a grain of salt, but if you are like me and you have not drafted yet, you have to place some value into them. Its a barometer although not a concrete one. So far Best has been all that and a bag of chips. Turning back the clock to his 2008 Cal season, Best is racking up 8.6 yards per carry while putting together 129 yards on 15 carries and four catches for 29 yards. The numbers say he is all that he is hyped up to be but it is beyond a small sample size. I’m not going to be crazy and call him the next Barry Sanders or even the next Chris Johnson but he is the closest player of that caliber the Lions have had in over a decade.

- David “The Mouth” Berov

This guy has been getting a lot of sleeper love over the last couple weeks and something major just happened to validate those talks.

The Tampa Bay Bucs have just cut former New York Giants RB Derrick Ward, making Kareem Huggins officially the #2 back for Tampa Bay. The positive to take is not only Huggins and his upside but he is playing behind an often stalled Cadillac Williams.

Williams has been getting hurt seemingly every year and early as well. For example; during the 2007-2008 I rode Earnest Graham into the playoffs as my flex RB.

The undrafted running back out of Hofstra is an interesting case and it wouldn’t be a bad idea to take a look at him late in your draft.

- David “The Mouth” Berov

Quarterback – Matt Cassel, KC – Charlie Weis has come in and his offensive mind will certainly help. I think we finally see Bowe play great and Cassel could have a very productive year.

Wide Receiver – Jabar Gaffney, DEN – Kyle Orton is in a tough situation in Denver. Moreno has a lot to prove but he should he solid in the backfield. I don’t think we see Eddie Royal play like he did with Marshall along side him, and I’m not ready to buy into the rookie Demetrius Thomas.

Wide Receiver – James Jones, GB – Jones is option 2.5 behind Jennings and an old Donald Driver. Rodgers and Jones have had great chemistry for 2 years now, he is a solid guy to look at deep in the draft or if you are in 14 team leagues.

Wide Receiver – Laurent Robinson, STL – Donnie Avery just went down in the pre season and Bradford needs someone to throw it to.

Tight End – Heath Miller, PIT – No one ever talks about him but every single year he is so consistent and he catches balls in the end zone most importantly. 6 touchdowns and 76 receptions last year, and he was targeted 97 times. His 789 yards were a career best, so he is someone to keep an eye on later on in your draft.

In case you missed it – Dozing off Volume 1 and Volume 2

- David “The Mouth” Berov

Tier #1 – The Cream of the Crop

1. Chris Johnson – He is an animal, clear cut #1 player in the league.

2. Adrian Peterson – with all the injuries in Minnesota his value only goes up. As long as he holds onto the ball the possibilities are endless.

Tier #2 – Men Amongst Boys

3. Maurice Jones-Drew – He is small in stature but large in production. Running and catching, he does it all.

4. Ray Rice – see above.

5. Frank Gore – we know he is a truck, he just needs to stay healthy.

6. Michael Turner – He won’t get you too many catches but he will run all over the place and score double digit touchdowns.

7. Steven Jackson­- He is a work horse but plays behind a terrible O-Line. Sam Bradford should help though.

Tier #3 – The Good, but not Great

8. Rashard Mendenhall – This could be his breakout year with all the drama in Pittsburgh.

9. Deangelo Williams – There is no offense in Carolina, its Smash and Dash time.

10. Ryan Grant – Rodgers will be airing it out, but Grant could sneak in here and there and put up decent numbers.

11. Shonn Greene – No team ran it more last year than the Jets, not with the addition of LT, Greene should be very solid.

12. Cedric Benson – Palmer has options but I feel like Benson as long as he is healthy will still be very serviceable.

Tier #4 – A lot to Prove

13. LeSean McCoy – I’m not sold on Kolb thus meaning McCoy could have a solid year, but he needs to show me something.

14. Jamaal Charles – There is a lot of hype behind Charles, he needs to deliver for 16 games.

15. Michael Bush – I’m buying Michael Bush, Oakland doesn’t have much but Bush will be a solid player.

16. Knowshown Moreno – Denver always finds a way to run the ball, Moreno will work.

17. Ryan Mathews – Too many things are against Mathews to live up to this astronomical bar people are setting for him.

18. Jonathan Stewart – See Deangelo Williams.

19. Jahvid Best – He was great at Cal, Detroit has been looking for a solid run game since Barry Sanders, Best could be the man.

20. Arian Foster – He is the #1 guy in Houston, someone needs to compliment the passing game. I’m buying Foster.

Tier #5 – What to Expect, I have no idea???

21. Beanie Wells – Much like the Buffalo situation, Arizona is in a world of hurt. Then again their QB agenda is all over the place, but Hightower is there too so Wells is not that safe of an option.

22. Matt Forte – Will he ever play like the Forte we once saw? Chester Taylor is breathing down his neck as well. But hey…Mike Martz is there….

23. Justin Forsett – He did wonders for my team last year, but now there is a stable in Seattle.

24. Jerome Harrison – He is a great talent..but he plays for the Browns.

25. Pierre Thomas – It’s the Saints, they throw the ball.

26. CJ Spiller – Rookie with an awful O-Line. And its Buffalo.

27. Ronnie Brown – Injury prone, stable of RB’s, no thank you.

28. Felix Jones – He is the Cowboys #1 but Marion Barber + lots of other weapons make him less valuable.

29. Joseph Addai – Peyton will throw too much for him to be significant.

Tier #6 – The Committee Crew

30. Reggie Bush – He is a threat out of the backfield but he is mostly a 3^rd down back

31. Marion Barber – With Felix and Choice, who knows what to expect out of the Barbarian

32. Clinton Portis – a stable of RB’s in Washington make Portis a little iffy

33. Ahmad Bradshaw – People expect a big year, but Jacobs will be a goal line vulture.

34. Brandon Jacobs – see Ahmad Bradshaw

35. Fred Jackson – It’s the Bills…they suck.

36. Ladanian Tomlinson – Playing behind Greene…should be decent but he isn’t a starter, bye week RB.

- David “The Mouth” Berov

While everybody is worried about who they are taking in the early rounds, I am here to tell you that the late rounds are the ones that separate championship teams from runner-ups.

So if you do not start paying more attention to who you are taking in the later rounds I will have to call up your house and leave you annoying wake up calls like they do in Disney World. (Like an alarm clock on steroids…the worst…and your on vacation!)

Don’t Doze off on these Sleepers…Wake Up and Smell the Coffee…

Quarterback – Carson Palmer, CIN - Now I could have went with Vince Young here (I’ll save that for another post…FYI very high on him), but I’ll go with Palmer who although is well known, he is getting drafted very low and on the brink of sleeper territory rounds. While I don’t understand it, I am very happy to have a guy with Palmer’s production available late. Besides his rookie year and injured 08-09 season, Palmer has thrown for 20+ TDs every season. While Palmer only threw 21 last season, it was his first year without TJ Houshmandzadeh (Who’s Your Momma) and he also lost Chris Henry for good after Week 9. This year the Bengals are stacked at WR with Antonio Bryant and Terrell Owens joining and Cincy has a Prime-Rookie TE in Jermaine Gresham. CP is going to light up Cincy…30 tds/4,000+ yards is very likely. Palmer on average is going in between the 10-12 rounds!

Running Back – CJ Spiller, BUF – While everybody is busy gawking at Ryan Mathews (too much hype) and Javid Best (very high on), I am looking at the true ROY candidate. You might say I have high hopes for that but I think Spiller is definitely great for fantasy football. Marshawn Lynch has a bummed ankle and Fred Jackson has a broken bone in his hand. Both are questionable for Week 1, which means Spiller will get most of the burn regardless. Also out of the these 3 Rookie RBs Spiller has shown the best ability to catch out of the back-field averaging 30 grabs a season (123 tot) and scoring 11 rec tds during his time at Clemson (Mathews 19 tot rec/ Best 62 tot rec). I have a thing for receiving backs but Spiller also in college and the pre-season has avaerage over 5 yards per carry. Spiller is going in rounds 7-8 on average.

Wide Receiver – Malcom Floyd, SD- This guy is going to rake in points this season! Coaches and reporters are already saying he is Rivers’ number 1 target in practice and in pre-season games. With V-Jax no where near re-joining the team because he has demanded a trade or a new contract, Floyd has taken all the first team reps and is settling in nicely has the #1 guy. As a third/fourth option last year Floyd caught 45 passes. He has a 6-5 foot frame just like V-Jax and above average speed. I think 65 catches and 7 tds is not too far-fetched and great value for a guy going in the 8-9th rounds on average.

Tight End– Visanthe Shiancoe, MIN- This guy doesn’t rack up the yards but he knows how to do one thing Favre loves…catch TDs. Shiancoe was the most targeted option in the red-zone last year on the entire Vikings team. And he came through big time scoring 11 tds.  Only Moss, Fitz, White and Austin caught 11 or more tds last season. With the Vikings receivers hurting and missing significant time this season you have to believe that Shiancoe will get even more looks and passes towards the end-zone and in general. The big RZ man isn’t even getting looked at until the 11-12th rounds and sometimes not being drafted as a starter. Keep your eyes open.

Defense– Chicago Bears- The Bears struggled last year on defense but they were missing the heart of the team in Brian Urlacher who only played in the opener and then missed the remainder of the year with a broken wrist. This year he his ready and back to 100%. Not to mention the Bears brought in Star Defense-End Julius Peppers in the off-season. Along with a tough defensive line featuring Tommy Harris and great LB core with Lance Briggs this defense is set to return to old form and cause a lot of turnovers and cause havoc for the QB on every down. Hester will return to punt-return duties and Johnny Knox is set to handle kick-returns. The Bears will return to a top 5 fantasy defense and they are barely getting drafted as back-ups!

The QB position this year is fairly deep. Deep enough where you don’t need to quit your league if you don’t land a top eight QB. I have broken down 33 QB’s in tiers that I feel they belong in. The tiers are a ranking system of sorts, they are not permanent and there is certainly room for interpretation but the way I see it now every QB belongs in a certain tier. And here, we, go!

Tier #1 – The Golden Boys

1. Drew Brees – Super Bowl champion, very accurate, tons of weapons…another huge year is on the horizon.

2. Aaron Rodgers – He is my MVP candidate. I’ve had a man crush on him since day 1 and he will have a tremendous year 4500+ yards 35 touchdowns

3. Peyton Manning – Mr. Consistant, 4000 yards + 30+ touchdowns he his the total package.

Tier #2 – Very Good, just not MEGA-ELITE

4. Tony Romo – so many weapons this year its bonkers. As long as he is accurate and doesn’t make too many wild throws a 35-40 TD year isn’t out of the question.

5. Tom Brady – too many Patroit fans love him and will defend him to death. Understand this since his monster 50 TD year he has never thrown more than 28 TD’s. That’s why he isn’t in tier 1.

6. Matt Schaub – Well lets see…he has the #1 wide receiver in the world, great speed compliments and every year he throws more. From 2008 to 2009 he threw an additional 145 times. Look for Schaub to continue to air it out.

7. Joe Flacco – I have him ranked higher than others but that is because I expect a huge year out of him. They didn’t bring in Stallworth and Boldin to run block.

8. Phillip Rivers – I really don’t like Phillip Rivers this year but I’m not stupid, I know he can throw the ball all over the place. I won’t be drafting him but he still deserves to be in this tier.

Tier #3 – More than serviceable, but there are question marks

9. Brett Favre – Favre was in tier 2 last week in my book but after hearing about the Harvin and Rice injuries he will be searching long and hard for capable targets. Bernard Berrian’s stock has gone up and talks of Visanthe Shiancoe being the main target in Minnesota have started to simmer.

10. Kevin Kolb – Kolb has a lot to prove this year in my eyes. It’s the first time he has the reigns in his hands, and for me it’s a wait and see process.

11. Jay Cutler – People are going crazy for this Cutler and Mike Martz combo. I’m not one of them. That O-Line is questionable and the run game in Chicago is even more questionable. He has some nice but unproven options in Knox, Hester and Aromashadu, but lets see if he can limit his mistakes and get them the ball.

12. Eli Manning – The running game in New York is very suspect. Brandon Jacobs has looked awful since the end of last year and the O-Line isn’t what it use to be. Eli had his best year last year but that was due in large part because the Giants defense forced #10 to take part in shootouts. The wide receivers in New York are under the radar type guys but Manning makes it work.

13. Donovan McNabb – Old face in a new place, but that place is very familiar. Washinton welcomes Donovan with open arms and it is up to him to make a lousy receiving corps relevant. The reason McNabb is here and not lower is I’m giving him the benefit of the doubt, Shanahan loves to run the ball and besides Cooley and Moss Washington is very shaky at receiver.

14. Carson Palmer – Palmer has a lot to prove this year. New weapons in T.O, Bryant, Gresham and Shipley. He just needs to stay healthy.

15. Ben Roethlisberger – Well he is out for the first four games of the year so his stock is down already. Ben has Super Bowls to his name so you know he can still get the job done.

Tier #4 – Up and coming with avg production, chance to move up a tier

16. Matt Ryan – Atlanta is still a run first team and without a solid #2 option next to Roddy White, Ryan isn’t all that threatening.

17. Matthew Stafford – As long as he doesn’t throw all those interceptions and Calvin Johnson can stay on the field Stafford will continue to progress properly.

18. Alex Smith ­– He certainly has options this year, just needs to stay accurate.

19. Chad Henne – Brandon Marshall certainly helps, Henne has a nice chance of moving up a tier.

20. Mark Sanchez – Year number two will be interesting for the Sanchise, he has a lot of new toys but lets see if he has matured properly. The Jets are still all about the run.

Tier #5 – The “I don’t know what to expect” tier

21. Vince Young – No proven wide-outs and all he really needs to do is hand the ball off with his left hand to the guy standing seven yards behind him.

22. Jason Campbell – out of all the QB’s listed I feel Campbell can make the biggest jump. Zach Miller is a great target and Campbell is a astronomical upgrade over Jamarcus Russell.

23. Matt Cassel – Hopefully Cassel makes Dwayne Bowe relevant again.

24. David Garrard – The game plan is all about MJD, throw it to him and Mike Sims-Walker and maybe you will break the 2500 yds thrown mark.

25. Kyle Orton – There is no clear cut #1 or #2 wide receiver for you to throw to, it’ll be a tough year in Denver.

26. Matt Hasselbeck – Stay healthy for god sakes.

Tier #6 – The “I wouldn’t draft you in a million years, and the only way you end up on my team is if my 2 QB’s get hurt mid season” tier

27. Matt Moore – You still have Steve Smith, Smash and Dash. But you also have Jimmy Clausen waiting in the wings.

28. Josh Freeman – The Bucs are in full rebuilding mode, seemingly at every position.

29. Trent Edwards – To be blunt…the Bills suck. They are on the clock already.

30. Jake Delhomme – He won’t be awful but Cleveland has nothing going for them.

31. Sam Bradford –There is no offense in St. Louis…best of luck Bradford, at least you have that massive rookie contract.

32. Matt Leinart – looks god awful, beyond pitiful, who knows if he even wins the starting job come week 1.

33. Derek Anderson – He hasn’t played a meaningful start in forever but he is breathing down Leinarts neck.

There you have it…these are subject to change as injuries and what not come about, but as of today this is how it ranks for me. Running Backs, Wide-Outs and Tight Ends all coming this week as well, stay tuned.

- David “The Mouth” Berov

As much as I love singing N’Sync songs such as the title above…I love playing Devil’s Advocate!

Especially when a million people think something is right that I know is wrong.

My partner in crime D. Berov posted “Often Overlook” (check it out…it’s good advice for traditional managers)…this is my counter-post. Trust me great minds think differently.

I have always been of the philosophy that every manager should draft people they want to draft and people they have faith in. Now I don’t mean reaching for Joe Flacco in the 1st round because your “Wacko for Flacco” and want to make sure you get him before somebody else does (although if it makes you rejoice like a young school girl finding out she has a secret admirer…go right ahead).

There are several “must-use strategies” that experts push on managers that really irk me (rb/rb in 1st two rounds, take defenses late, etc) but the whole WATCH YOUR PLAYER’s BYE WEEKs is complete nonsense to me. Or is it?

The traditional strategy and advice for fantasy football managers is to make sure you select players that all have different BYE weeks. Part of that advice is that you make sure your first three picks (your conceived best 3 players) don’t have the same BYE week. Now logically that works out and makes sense.

BUT STOP BEING A LAZY THINKER! (Don’t worry…I’ll explain this weird phrase I just made up)

Too many managers are just content with basic strategy and doing what makes sense. For goodness sakes if you want to win a league besides just hoping for good luck start THINKING OUTSIDE THE BOX!

I know it’s cliche…but I like being known as the fantasy sports analyst who lives outside the box, who whoops ___ and takes names.

My theory is to forget about spreading out BYE weeks and consider “stock-piling” BYE weeks.

Consider this…rather than not draft players your high on because they have the same BYE week of players you already drafted…Draft those players with similar BYE weeks and in fact draft a majority of your team that have players with the same BYE week.

(crickets)……I just lost every traditional fantasy football manager.

Who cares we don’t need em…

Seriously though wouldn’t you rather have one week throughout your entire fantasy season that you knew (barring a miracle)  you would lose but on the other hand knew you wouldn’t have to worry about replacing players every other week and could possibly go 12-1 in the regular fantasy season?

How is this possible…let’s try it out with an example:

WEEK 7 BYE Teams: (Colts, Jets, Texans, Lions)

***In a standard 10-team (snaking draft) league lets say you have a middle to late pick like 5,6,8, etc. You do not like the RBs available and you decide you want to start your draft going WR/WR (especially in a PPR league). You draft two of either Calvin Johnson, Reggie Wayne or Andre Johnson.

Then in the third round you take Matt Schaub.

Then in the middle rounds you end up with players like Arian Foster, Jahvid Best, Pierre Garcon, Braylon Edwards, Santonio Holmes, Ladian Tomlinson, Owen Daniels, The Jets Defense and the Colts Kicker…etc etc.

Now I am not saying you have to pick a week where the BYE teams have a lot of good fantasy players and draft only from those 4 teams, but I am saying that if you draft a good amount of those players you can essentially lay down one week out of the 13 total in the regular season and not worry about replacements the rest of the year.

You could have a team that looks something like this:

Qb- Peyton Manning or Matt Schuab with Matt Stafford or Mark Sanchez as your backup

RB- Shonn Greene early then your pick of Joseph Addai, Arian Foster, Javid Best and Ladian Tomlinson in middle and late rounds

WR- Andre Johnson, Reggie Wayne or Calvin Johnson early, then your pick of Pierre Garcon, Braylon Edwards, Santonio Holmes, Jacoby Jones and Nate Burleson in middle to late rounds.

TE- Dallas Clark if you spend an early pick or Owen Daniels late or Dustin Keller and Brandon Pettigrew much later.

DEF- Jets middle rounds, Colts or Texans late

Kicker- Who really cares but Adam Vinatieri or Kris Brown late.

Like I said before you don’t have to draft solely from these four teams but there are a lot of good players here that you can make the majority of your team to employ what I am calling the “One and Done BYES” strategy.

Other BYE Weeks with NFL teams with Strong/Deep Fantasy Rosters:

Week 8: Falcons, Ravens, Giants, Eagles, Bears, Browns

Week 10: Packers, Saints, Chargers, Raiders

So I guess the whole watch your players’ BYE weeks isn’t utter nonsense. In fact it’s genius! My version at least.

The Minnesota Vikings received some bad news today, Sidney Rice and his ailing hip will be out of action until mid-season. Not only does this hurt Minnesota’s playoffs and Super Bowl aspirations but Brett Favre will certainly take a hit without his #1 wide receiver. Then again this bad news might be good news for one player, on and off the field (fantasy wise.)

Bernard Berrian has all of a sudden shot completely up on draft boards and he is essentially the #1 wide receiver right now for the men in purple. With Percy Harvin suffering from migraines its B-Twice’s job for the taking. He is a must draft guy in any league now but especially in PPR leagues (points per reception.)

Berrian has always had the speed and was the main deep threat when he was in Chicago, the role didn’t seem to correlate to Minnesota, but that can all change now. Lets face it, if he made plays with Rex Grossman, Kyle Orton, Gus Frerotte, and  Tarvaris Jackson I’m sure he can manage and then some with Brett Favre under center.

In last years NFC Title game Bernard Berrian and Brett Favre hooked up nine times for 102 yards, and he was targeted 12 times in that game. B-Twice has just sky rocketed, and you should pick him up in all your leagues and be ready to draft him without hesitation.

- David “The Mouth” Berov

Woohoo More Sleepers!

Quarterback – Alex Smith, SF – He isn’t and shouldn’t be your #1 QB but he could be a serviceable #2 and bye week QB. He played very well in Sunday’s preseason game vs the Vikings, and it could be a sign of things to come. He needs to turn the corner sometime and prove that he is worth that #1 pick out of Utah that the 49ers spent on him. Last year he threw for 2350 yards and 18 scores, now with Crabtree playing for a full season and Davis coming off a good year, Smith could put up solid #2 QB numbers. And maybe another boost of confidence, the NFC West is awful a 9-7 record wins that division and with the 49ers defense, Alex Smith doesn’t have to be Superman to get the job done.

Running Back – Clinton Portis, WAS – It’s hard to imagine him being a sleeper because since his sophomore year in 2003 he has been a 1^st or 2^nd round pick. This year he has fallen down the rankings and you can scoop him up in late rounds, I’m talking 8^th, 9^th, even 10^th round. The positives, he is familiar with Mike Shanahan from his Denver days where he racked up 3,909 yards rushing and 29 scores, in 2 years plus there is no real threat to take his job since the stable of back ups are rather washed-up.

Wide Receiver – Braylon Edwards, NYJ – No one is talking about him yet everyone knows who he is. In 2007 Edwards had a career year with over 1200 yards receiving and 16 scores. We know he can make the big plays, he just needs to hang onto the ball. With Santonio Holmes out for the first four games of the year he is a big target for Mark Sanchez. Guys like Jerricho Cotchery, Shonn Greene and Dustin Keller will occupy the defense, the rest is up to the man with the huge beard. Oh and he is a free agent at the end of the year, time to play for the money.

Wide Receiver –Nate Burleson, DET – You think about the Lions and you instantly think about losses, but the team has talent. Calvin “Megatron” Johnson is a handful, new rookie running back and California Bears stud Jahvid Best is getting a lot of love and Stafford is one year older. Burleson will be the wide-out on the opposite side of Johnson and has a chance to be in a beneficial situation much like he was in 2004. With Minnesota along side Randy Moss, Nate went over 1,000 yards and had 10 scores. Now I doubt he does that but he could put up 60 catches and 850 yards with 7 scores.

Tight End – Jermaine Gresham, CIN – He is a huge target standing 6-6 and weighing 260lbs. Carson Palmer has options this year and a big tight end like Gresham only helps. In the pre-season (yea well we have to look at something) Gresham has looked really in-sync with Palmer, and he is blocking well too. Tight End is very deep this year and Gresham could be a solid pick very late in your draft.

Volume 3 of my sleepers will be released later on this week, stay tuned.

- David “The Mouth” Berov